Mind the Dash

This is storytelling and spirituality at its best! Listen in on a group of moms sharing personal take aways from the birthing process. I hope you will be encouraged and uplifted by these stories that offer inspiration with a touch of spirituality. The many miracles of motherhood illistrate deeper spiritual themes. The reflection on how moments of birth and growth are the secret sauce of growth and trasformation on this motherhood journey.

Sunrise Beach Meditation

Remember Consciousness = Choice! We've mentioned the mindful acronym of C.H.O.I.C.E. - when we bring an awareness into our life we can choose to respond with Compassion, Humor, OPTIMISIM, Intuition, and self Expression. Today we will here our podcast hosts take on what it is to have optimism and a few year end tips to make it through this season with mindfulness. Hear a simple way to set up healthy intentions for the new year. You are invited to attend the Mind the Dash- Breakthrough Journal Workshop on Zoom, January 14, 2024 at 2pm EST. Please email Gabby@uphamfamily.com for zoom link

What are the differences between stress and trauma? Turns out prolonged stress can have the same effects of trauma in our mind and body. Today we will discuss some mindful strategies to deal with the stress and trauma in our lives. Some Takeaways: Schedule "strategic" time off. Allow yourself time to sit, we are after all human BEings, not human DOings Learn how to trigger the pleasure center of the brain Make a "tadah' list... capture moments to remember and highlight the good, enjoyable emotions, feelings, and memories that we experience. Use the formula- Many or Most ___________, Myself _________, how about YOU? This formula can help with a powerful connection and brings a sense of "We are NOT alone. About Melinda; Melinda Marasch is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a social work/mental health consultant. She has dedicated 20 years to her passion in helping others. Melinda is a member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), and has presented numerous trainings across the U.S. on therapeutic approaches such as Trauma informed care, self-care, mental health issues, de-escalation and more. You can check out her website:https://www.aspire2bu.org/ and email Melinda@aspire2bu.org

This was a great Mindfulness check in with Dr. Ryan Adamczyk. Gabby simply shares with him some of the challenges she is currently facing and hopes that this conversation will encourage you to keep on your journey of mindfulness as well. This is the 2nd season check up. We discuss topics like: How to gain more clarity in life. Checking in with identity and purpose. Transitions in life. Seasons of change. and of course... the Shadow "self"! *Action brings clarity. *What out for cultures pressure of measuring value or out sourcing self esteem. *We live in a culture where we want the freedom without the responsibility. You can't separate one from the other. *The "inner critic" changes costumes at each stage. However, Confronting negativity is part of the process and not meant to defeat you. You can find more info about Dr. Ryan Robert Adamczyk on the Psychology today website. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ryan-robert-adamczyk-charlotte-nc/439038

Welcome back. We need the practice of mindfulness everyday and even more so when there is war and rumors of wars. There is no doubt that there will be times in our life that our world is turned upside down and nothing makes sense. Here is some encouragement to help the battle in the mind to keep us productive and moving in the right direction. It's raw... which is the same letters as war. I share a story from my time in Israel, and some encouragement to guide us in this dark time. I wrote this in my journal...its a poem or prayer really. We danced and the rockets rained down. Please G-d make us one. The differences between us has no distinction with the enemy. The enemy sees us as one. The enemy came in- surrounds us all around Help me G-d, with out you I am only one. Unity, Strength, and light will come from this darkness. We trust in You, G-d the Mighty One. written by: Gabby Upham Take aways: Do good, Learn bible, share love and light to make the world a better place.

Today Gabby is in the interview seat. You will get to know your host of Mind the Dash, a little more. Special thanks to fellow Toastmaster, Estephany Escobar for conducting a great interview. Topics include: Origin story Being married at age 16 Homeschooling journey with 5 kids Welfare to Wealth Management Love, Loss, and Legacy building And so much more. You will hear one of Gabby's recent poems. If you have any follow up questions for Gabby or other Podcast ideas, Please reach out via email at gabby@uphamfamily.com

The parenting journey is a tough one. You can feel like you are losing your temper and loosing your mind. Today's episode offers blunt and relatable advise on how to calm our own parenting fears, discipline our children my modeling and offering a deep connection. Today's episodes tackles topics like: boundaries vs worthiness demanding respect vs demonstrating respect "Discipline isn't something you do to children, It's something you develop within them." Dr. Becky A. Bailey Show take aways: Don't deprive someone else the privilege and joy of helping you. It's ok to ask for help. One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids (or loved ones) is doing something for yourself. You can't demand respect, but you can demonstrate self respect. Deal with your fear of rejection, use this phrase "Of course, my preference is valuable". If you don't care enough about yourself, they why would anyone else care about you. Humble yourself. Humility is a powerful tool with a strong willed child. Try having a difficult/great discussion in the car, sitting side by side. Use real life conflict to get to the root of the issue. Goal: I want to teach my kids, that when their world is out of control...mine is not. I can deal with you at your worst, and you can trust me. Formula for offering "perspective" to our kids: plant a seed give space offer support Please Check out CelebrateCalm.com to find more of Kirks offerings. He has a great package deal! You will also want to listen to him on his podcast Calm Parenting on all podcast platforms.https://celebratecalm.com/our-story/

There is still a lot of processing going on. On today's episode, Gabby shares some of her recollections of some of the funny events that went on at her dads funeral. She dissects some of the components of humor and comedy. As usual there are many reminders to infuse mindfulness and awareness into lives, especially those difficult "setbacks" that we experience in the face of a loss of a loved one. Using humor to reframe some of those setbacks is much like the draw back of the bow and arrow, it actually furthers your potential and reach. Take aways: Laughter does good like a medicine. Humor= laughing in the face of pain Comedy= tragedy + time

Today's episode is full of great tips and techniques to bring you back to the moment. Karlie Hansen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has worked as a school mental health counselor, and now teaches kids mental health classes online. She loves mindfulness and loves teaching kids (and adults) all about mental health and ways to feel empowered with their emotions. You will enjoy the practical examples and resources from this discussion. If you would like to sign up for any of Karlie's Classes check out her class schedule on outschool.com. link and discount code below. Link to Outschool Profile:https://outschool.com/teachers/Karlie-Hansen?usid=8llnpbGO&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&utm_campaign=share_leader_link use code 8llnpbGO for $20 off your first class Takeaways: 1. Mindfulness is focusing on what is happening now- focus on the present moment. 2. Ask yourself, is your mind FULL or are you being MINDFUL 3. Try one of these practices to calm large emotions: Hand to heart breathing: Place one hand on heart, one on the belly, focus of the movement of breath through the body. Imagine a "Happy Place" or happy memory and bring in all 5 senses. Cookie Breathing: Inhale (smell the cookie) exhale (blow to cool the cookies) 4. Schedule self care in your calendar- set reminders on your phone 5. Allow yourself to feel hard emotions 6. Remember, Mindfulness is not a "FIX" for problems, mindfulness is the work of accepting what is. Workbooks can be ordered on Amazon or found at your public library: What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Perfectionism by Claire A.B. Freeland and Jacqueline B. Toner What to Do When You Don't Want to Be Apart: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Separation Anxiety by Kristen Lovelle What To Do When You're Too Shy: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Social Anxiety by Claire A.B. Freeland and Jacquelyne B. Toner What to Do When Fear Interferes: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Phobias by Claire A.B. Freeland and Jacqueline B. Toner What to Do When the News Scares You: A Kid's Guide to Understanding Current Events by Jacqueline B. Toner What to Do When You Dread Your Bed: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Sleep Problems by Dawn Huebner What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD by Dawn Huebner What to Do When you Grumble Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity by Dawn Huebner What to Do When Bad Habits Take Hold: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Nail Biting and More by Dawn Huebner What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anger by Dawn Huebner What to Do When It's Not Fair: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Envy and Jealousy by Jacqueline B. Toner and Claire A.B. Freeland

You will love to meet Marla Beech. She is a self- connection coach, creator of Hunkeedori connection, and host for "Overburdened No More" podcast. She teaches tools to connect to yourself, your life, and your time. Today, Gabby and Marla will share some of their journey with journaling. Several different types of journaling practices will be discussed. You will be encouraged to practice self love and start your own journaling practice. Some benefits of journaling are: process personal reflections capture daily memories set intentions for your day have a treasured keep sake for your loved ones Here's a list of journaling prompts to get you started! Quick Start Journaling Guide: https://hunkeedori.com/journalingprompts You can find Camp Connection and other courses at hunkeedori.com/courses And here is the link for Marla's podcast hunkeedori.com/podcast Some takeaway's from todays episode: 1. Journaling can slow down the thought process so I can be mindful. 2. Allowing self care is a win for everyone! You can go from. "how do you need me?!?" to "How do I use who I am, to give them what they need." If we can love our self with self care, we can give more of our self better, not just our time. 3. You can "see" what your thinking when you write it down. 4. Shifts happen. You will need to reconnect with your self through different seasons, trust the process. Lean into what you feel pulls you. 5. Build an ultimate source of encouragement by a strong connection with G-d and scripture.

This is a fun and messy conversation. Hear a great reconnection from old friends and they share about their personal experience of the journey of parenting. This Family Pastor, Chris McCarthy, is a director of NextGen Ministries and serves at John Wesley Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. He shares some insight on the current trends that he sees in parenting. Many of the ideas discussed, like what our children think, how we encourage their growth, and a parental desire to be a role model in their life also mirror one of the High Performance Habits outlined in the book High Performance Habits from Brendon Burchard. To gain influence with others, (1) teach them how to think about themselves, others, and the world; (2) challenge them to develop their character, connections, and contributions; and (3) role model the val- ues you wish to see them embody. Some highlights: 1. The struggle makes the butterfly beautiful and strong. 2. Ask yourself, are you living on a fishing vessel, or a luxury cruise? Are you serving or do you expect to be served? 3. When we want to influence kids-Remember, we are raising them for something. We all have a purpose. 4. It's important to balance purpose with grace. 5. We are all different, treat each child and each other as their own individual. 6. We have a choice to parent in mindful mode vs. reaction mode. 7. There are ~936 weeks from birth to age 18 (graduation) 8. 3 questions that kids today are asking- Am I valuable?, Am I capable?, Do I belong?

We must define our terms! Sometimes it not only knowing what something is but identifying what it is not. This new definition was helpful in the reflection in the evolution of my parenting journey and will be helpful for our journey with mindfulness in our lives. I hope you enjoy it! follow me at IG gabby_upham email: gabby@uphamfamily.com

Living mindfully is a journey! There is no you have "now arrived to the destination" because each new moment unfolds to the next opportunity to win that moment for mindfulness. You will hear Gabby and Brenda discuss regulating kids emotions and our emotions, using emotions as a guide to evaluate thoughts, and hear an inspiring story of coming back home to self. If it feels bad move away from it heal enough to empower other people put your self as the observer and observe from a value neutral space behavior is communication use emotions as a guide to find your thoughts the shift to feel good now does not have to be the fix of what set you off in the first place Brenda Winkle is a mindset empowerment coach and an energy healer based in the Portland, Oregon area. Her mission is simple; to help people feel better! Reducing stress, reclaiming time, increasing energy, and releasing guilt. Letting go of patterns that aren't helping you, and identifying and saying YES to the things that matter most to you. She helps people identify and shift thinking that holds them back. She says, "You have something special that the world needs. The best way to heal the world is to help one person at a time find their purpose, their passion and peace." Contact Brenda brenda@brendawinkle.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendawinkle/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.winkle111 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-winkle-empowerment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brendawinkle111

To register for S.H.A.L.O.M. Yoga Alignment Dance Party click here This is a great conversation about a personal journey to mindfulness, the struggle of depression, and learning the tools to help ourselves and children to process our emotions. We talk about the 4 "S" strategies: Be Still Scan State emotions Space Jo Dodd is an author and coach. In 2020, after a 6-month furlough, she took a bold leap, stepping away from a 25-year career in Corporate America, to launch Jotopia Productions, LLC, where she writes content that focuses on the power of positive thinking, embracing diversity and crushing fear! Jo had published three children's books in the past two years, and is currently launching a one-of-a-kind picture book for moms called 'Dear Mama Bear with the F*cked Up Hair.' This book that tells an authentic, poignant, dark, sometimes humorous story of motherhood which is based on Jo's journey of battling a decades-long depression. Jo is passionate about shining a light for any 'Mama Bears' struggling with the ever-increasing pressures of motherhood, and hopes that this book will touch their hearts and let them know that they are not alone. To find out more about Jo's work, visit www.livinginjotopia.com and follow her on Instagram @livinginjotopia The takeaway's  1. You are not alone. 2. When we talk abut the fact that we are not OK, we can normalize it and bring it into the light. 3.To see the light, you experience darkness, that duality exists. 4. Until we learn to receive love and love ourself, we can not give back in the way we should. 5.When we release something we make room for more to come in.

You will definitely want to take notes on several ways to help the mind focus and help shift into the high flying vibes in life you want. Gabby Interviews Mesha McKittick, the founder and CEO of My Friend Mesha and fellow podcaster of Mindset Check! You will hear about creating a proof list of photos and complements to lift you up when you are down and so many more. Takeaway's: 1.We have a responsibility of how we show up. 2.Mindfulness is creating space in your mind. 3.We have more power than we think we do, we just have to recognize it. 4. Pay attention to your source of "magic". 5. Dance with the dash 6.Give people the benefit of doubt and know that they probably have not gone through anything hard yet. to find out more about Mesha visit http://www.myfriendmesha.com/about-mesha or IG @myfriendmesha https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62017c1c60ada4164ea711e1

This is a book review that highlights some of the take a ways from the D.E.A.R. Summer (drop everything and read) summer book club. This book outlines the gift of consciousness in our life. Consciousness = Choice. Gabby introduces you to Dr Edith Eva Egar and shares her thoughts on Dr. Egers story and triumph. There is a quick introduction to the therapy tools for choosing to transform painful past experiences into a powerful gift. Compassion, humor, optimism, intuition, curiosity, and self expression. It's a choice.

This is a great conversation on what is the purpose of all the hard stuff anyway. It turns out YES! there is a reason, to develop our character. Gabby and Ryan discuss some of the experiences that have shaped their lives and share the process and lessons learned. Here is Dr. Adamczyk profile on Psychology today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ryan-robert-adamczyk-charlotte-nc/439038#endorsements Dr Adamczyk articles at the Jung Centre for applied studies https://appliedjung.com/peter-pan-complex/

I'd like to dedicate this episode in honor of the memory of my mom, Ana Sanchez-Ramirez. Thank you for the life lessons you shared with me. The trials, tribulations, and trauma's we go through are not the only story. It is the lessons and transformations we learn from them.