Nothing But Now ~ Mindful Living with Dr. Mariangela Maguire

It's been a year since I started this podcast and I'm amazed at how the time has flown by and by all that has happened in the last twelve months. In the spirit of mindfulness, I am listening to myself and recognizing that it's time to take a break. Today I'll talk about the what I've gained through creating the podcast and what I hope you'll take with you.

Sit down and shut down. On a bad day, that's my strategy for retreating from difficult feelings. What about you? Withdrawing into a fog, claiming we don't understand, getting lost in habits that undermine us--these are all ways that we retreat from clarity and insight. How can a mindfulness practice help us to be brave enough to face our fears?

What's the place in your life--your heart, your mind, you body where you experience an emptiness that you cannot seem to fill? Or is there an experience you're chasing, or a particular set of feelings you're trying to hold on to? What are you greedy for? What are you grasping at? How can mindfulness practices help you let go and allow who you are right now to be enough?

It might be anger. It might be shame. It might be fear. What's the feeling that for you is like a match being struck? It arises so quickly and with such intensity that the idea of pausing long enough to become an observer of that feeling seems like an impossible task. But is it? Are we really at the mercy of our feelings?

My work as a life coach and this podcast encourage mindfulness so it might seem odd that my goal today is to explain the case against mindfulness. But being mindful does not mean giving up our critical thinking skills so let's look at this issue from more than one perspective.

No matter how focused we are on the present moment, we all have a past. Friends, relatives, photographs, songs, even smells can suddenly, unexpectedly, sometimes, unwillingly, take us on a journey into our past. Happy memories sustain us but difficult ones may overwhelm us. I can't avoid the fact that I have a past so I want to understand how I can stay present while I visit it. What does that mean for my body, heart, and mind?

As I enter the next decade of my life I am awake to the opportunity, present in each moment. Who do I want to be in relationship to myself, others, and the world? How can mindfulness practices support me in this journey?

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." That quote's been attributed to more than one person but the important question is: is it true? Focusing on the topics my clients bring to me in my life coaching practice, I discuss the daily dynamics of suffering and what we can do to reduce it.Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

It's not for a few days but I'm celebrating by talking with my wise, witty, wonderful friend Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, Ph.D.

We all have them in our life. And we all probably are a difficult person to someone else! How can mindfulness help us understand what's happening when we are with, and when we are, a difficult person?

I make a list every day, well almost every day. I sometimes add items I've already done just so I can cross them off. Is my identity, my sense of having a self dependent on what I get done each day? It sometimes feels that way. What would it mean to understand self differently, mindfully?

Was it a day for love or a day manufactured to test love?

In an effort to understand our experience, we often ask "Why?" Why do I feel so sad? Why do these hard things keep happening in my life? Why is it so difficult to be happy? Why am I the way I am?Although I encourage people to become students of their own mind, to seek a greater knowledge of their interior life, I find that focusing on answering "Why?" does not reduce suffering. Too often why questions don't usually move us forward but keep us stuck in a loop of unhappiness and frustration. Let's talk about why that happens!

Attorney Erin Johnson Turner saw the the pain her clients experienced when they sought her help in divorce actions. She and her partner had a great idea--assign each client a life coach and reimagine what it means to help clients at one of the toughest points in their lives. Erin and life coach Matt Tuttle join me to talk about what they've learned from their work.

My guest, author, editor, book-writing coach, and founder of ClickClack Writing, LLC, Kate Leibfried, joins me to talk about the restorative power of writing.

As our country enters a new era it's important to take a moment to reflect and ask ourselves how mindfulness practices can keep us grounded, grateful, and awake.

The wind is howling, events are swirling, and many of us feel as if we are being torn apart. What can we do to repair the seams and patch the tears in the fabric of daily life?

Instead of a making resolutions, I like to choose a word for the year, something that will support me on my mindfulness journey. For 2021, I've chosen "perspective." In this first episode of 2021, I'll talk about the benefits and the challenges of remembering that we see the world from a particular perspective.

What are we able to see now, that we couldn't see in this last year?

Each day seems to bring more worries, more anxiety, more fear. In this episode, we'll focus on the basics of mindfulness as a way of reminding ourselves that mindfulness is needed more now than ever.

Daniel J. Pineau, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Mississippi discusses his research on disseminating evidence-based mental health information including mindfulness, psychoeducation, and diverse outreach seminars to a large college audience. Daniels current research looks at how best to provide brief online tools (mindfulness, information about the functions of emotions, etc.) effectively to college students.

That's right. There are those who have significant concerns about the mindfulness movement. In the spirit of mindfulness, of being aware of what we believe, let's talk about those concerns.Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

On our mindfulness journey we experience so many moments that challenge our capacity to remain mindful. A very common one comes from our perception of the other people in our life. It can take many forms but next week Im going to talk about what it means to accept that we are each on our own individual journey, no matter how enmeshed we may be in a relationship, ultimately, our journey is our own and resisting that reality creates problems for us. Ill talk about those problems and strategies for addressing them.

What are we able to see now, that we couldn't see in this last year?

Jack Kornfield says, "Compassion that does not include the self is not complete." But many of us struggle to treat ourselves with compassion and may not see that our constant self-criticism undermines our compassion for others. In this episode we explore the challenge of compassion.

As winter holidays draw near many of us grow anxious as we anticipate more interation with more family members. Even in this year of limited travel where we may have to replace face-to-face interactions with online encounters, communicating with family members can challenge our ability to stay present to the moment without judgment. Let's talk about how maintain your mindfulness practices this seaon.

Election day is over--we all experienced wins and losses. A new day has dawned so please join me and Craig Gingrich-Philbrook for a post-election (and pre-final results) debriefing.

No matter the outcome, many of us will experience intense, even overwhelming, emotions in the wake of the election. One of the greatest challenges we face in such a situation is to express loving kindness toward those with whom we disagree. Let's talk about that challenge, the value of committing ourselves to it, and strategies for getting there.

Most of us hear a continuous stream of self-talk during the course of our day. Sometimes it's the voice of the dictator tearing us down or the wild child begging for a cookie. When is it the voice of our authentic self? Let's talk about how to figure out whose voice we're hearing.

Recently a viewer asked me to do a show about practicing mindfulness during this particularly stressful election season. That's a big job so I asked my friend, Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, Ph. D. to join me. I hope you will too.

Let's talk about adding mindfulness to each part of the day--from the time you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep each night.

Toriano Sanzone is a master dog trainer and CEO of Wolfkeeper University in Chicago.

Each day seems to bring more worries, more anxiety, more fear. In this episode, we'll focus on the basics of mindfulness as a way of reminding ourselves that mindfulness is needed more now than ever.

Mindfulness practices help us see the stories we hold on to that keep us stuck in place.Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

After our earlier conversation Cortney Hill and I decided to have a follow-up conversation, a difficult conversation about race. Cortney is a videographer and world traveller born and raised in Chicago.

We hide in the shadows of the self we think others need us to be, expect us to be, want us to be. We hide our true self from others so much that we may lose track of that self altogether. In this episode I'll talk about why we do this and how the practices of mindfulness can return us to ourselves with a clarity and confidence that allows us to show that self to others.

We often lay claim to loving ourselves. Talk about self-care and soothing fill out social media timelines. But do we? Do we care about ourselves like that? Today we're talking about self-compassion. We have compassion for others but why not ourselves? Dr. Mariangela McGuire comes back to the show and we unpack why self-compassion is so difficult, yet necessary.

DJ Menifee joined the Susquehanna University community as vice president for enrollment in May 2020. As a member of the senior leadership team, DJ oversees a team of 20 in the offices of admission and student financial services and serves as the universitys strategy and policy leader on all matters relating to student enrollment. Most recently he served as director of admission at Butler University, Indianapolis, where he led a 25-member team that managed applications for first-year, transfer, international recruitment and graduate programs. In alignment with the universitys strategic enrollment plan, DJ led successful collaborative teams with the goals of increasing out-of-state enrollment, attracting more diverse students as first-year and transfer students and enrolling three of the four largest classes in university history, in addition to strengthening collaborative relationships across the campus community. DJ currently serves as a board director for the National Association for College Admissions Counseling and has served on the executive boards for Indiana and Illinois Associations for College Admissions Counseling. Menifee earned his bachelors degree in business administration from Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, North Carolina, in 2007, and his masters degree in instructional design and technology from Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, in 2013.

In this episode I interview educator, author, and consultant Dr. Diane Goodman about her work helping individuals and organizations create environments that allow all people to feel valued, be treated fairly, and able to work together productively.Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Have you ever had a day that you wished would never end--a day filled with contentment, happiness, and peace? Have you ever sought to hold onto those feelings with such resolve and tenacity that you choked the life out of your happiness? That's the grasping, wanthing mind at work and that's what we'll talk about on this episode of Nothing but Now.

Stillness is the antithesis of busyness. Our culture keeps us so busy we rarely take the time to be quiet. Mindfulness teaches us the power of silence. Surrender encourages quiet after letting go. When we are still we can see what is and accept it. Today lets learn how to deal with silence and learn how it empowers our healing.

Mother of three, activiities coordinator for seniors, t-shirt entrepreneur, and podcaster, Sherrell Wallace joins me to talk about faith, life, parenthood, and living inside out by faith.

In this episode I discuss the concepts of integrity and wholeness--bringing our entire self, our authentic self to each moment. What gets in our way and what are the pathways we can travel to reach integrity and wholeness?

In this episode I explore the inevitability of interpersonal conflicts and the mindfulness practicesthat help us address conflict with clarity and integrity.

Odette Jackson was born and raised in Rock Island, IL. She has been married to William Jackson for nearly 53 years and they have two sons and six grandchildren. She worked for the US Air Force for 19 years and the US Army for 11 years and retired in 2007 with 30 years of distinguished service. After retiring she worked at the social service agency, KCCDD. She is of Baptist faith and loves The Lord. She has volunteered with several organizations to include SGAAA, Habitat for Humanity Knox County, Knox Prairie Community Kitchen, secretary at Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church and is a Senior Usher at Second Baptist Church, Rock Island where she is a member. She has also mentored a young man for 12 years. Odette will be talking aboutfamily historyand the importance of her faith, the experience of being a military wife as well as her civilian career, and herextensive work as a communityvolunteer.

The focus of this episode is the concept of equanimity--the capacity for steadiness in the face of the challenges of everyday life.

Mr. Jones is the Athletics Director and Assistant Principal at Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Mr. Jones will share his response to George Floyd's murder and his perception of how the black body is viewed in our society. He'll also discuss equity in K-12 education and share his personal journey which incluces survivor's guilt, the challenges of economic independence, the importance of self reflection, and the legacy of his father former Chicago Alderman Virgil Jones.

In this episode I explore how we can bring mindfulness into our planning for the future without slipping into mindless worry, fretting, and fearful thinking.

Mindfulness means bringing our awareness to the present moment without judgment. I believe that mindfulness practices remain relevant even during a pandemic and during citizen protests against racism. Specifically, I believe that practicing mindfulness allows those of us with deeply embedded racist beliefs bring those beliefs to conscious awareness so that we can do the necessary work of challenging them and replacing them with the truth.Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

In this episode, Professor Craig Gingrich-Philbrook and I discuss the relationship between mindfulness and the creative process. Dr. Gingrich-Philbrook, teacher, performnace artist, and mentor is a faculty member in thePerformance Studies program in the Department of Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.