Relational Skills in Real Life

In this episode, Thrive Premier Training trainer Dana Bryan shares stories about Relational Skill 12: 'Act Like Myself', and how he was able to connect with Jesus and practice this skill, sometimes in difficult situations. 

Claudia Hendricks, one of our THRIVEtoday trainers, shares stories from her life about the importance of Godsight (Skill 13) and practical ways she has been practicing this skill. She also shares some inspiring stories about what God has been doing as she looks at people and situations through His eyes.

Today we take a break from our current podcast interview series to have Chris and Jen join us for the 100th episode of our Relational Skills in Real Life Podcast!In this special episode the Courseys share how they feel called by God "to live what we teach and train and tell the story of it." Doing this is vulnerable because they still make mistakes along the way, but so many have been encouraged by watching them transparently share their journey. They want others to know that God is tender with weakness and often does His best work in us in our difficulties.

Jason tells about his family's journey to find hope that led to relational skills. He and Kristy discuss what Relational Circuits are and how keeping them on is a game changer in life. Jason shares that he enjoys being his best, relational self and that this skill helps him to be that for the people he loves in very practical ways.

Our guest this week, Barbara Moon, is a veteran in the Life Model and Relational Skills community. She has inspired us with the way she intentionally lives out her life sharing skills, maturity and healing everywhere she goes. In this episode, she shares some encouraging stories and tells about different ways she shares these life-giving skills with others.

THRIVEtoday team and board member, Lizabet Nix, shares how practicing Relational Skill 13: Godsight, has transformed her life and interactions with others. Listen to her story and get some tips on how to learn this skill for yourself.

Shannon Campau, one of THRIVEtoday team members, tells about her personal journey of learning Relational Skill 2: Simple Quiet. She shares about her challenges in practicing Skill 2 and the amazing difference it made in her life and relationships.

In this extended episode, Chris shares one of his favorite relational skills and the wonderful effect practicing it has on him and his family. He also shares the plan for the next few months of podcast episodes and gives a sneak peak into what we can look forward to!

What is the Life Model? How does the mission of THRIVEtoday and what we do fit into that? These questions and more are addressed in this episode, along with a list of great resources to help you on your journey to your God-given identity!

How can we use the relational circuits (aka RCs) in our brain to stay connected? Every interaction we have, including connecting to God, is impacted by our brain's "master switch". Training this switch to stay on will help us be our best self at all times. Chris gives tips of how to practice keeping our relational circuits on and relational so that we can love the people in our lives no matter what's going on around us.

In this week's episode, we focus on information and testimonies about our Premier Training. Chris addresses commonly asked questions, such as:- Why do I need this training if I am using other resources?- What are the benefits of traveling to a live event?- How do I fund my training?- What if I don't have a partner?

Our story today comes from our friend Paul, who illustrates the need to grow our capacity before working toward healing on some of the really tough things in our life. If we don't have the capacity to stay ourselves and connected to God when facing hard memories or traumas, we need to grow some more! Chris shares about why this is and some resources to help.

Chris shares the story of a season when he and Jen went back to the basics in their own skill practice. Receive encouragement that practicing relational skills doesn't have to be complicated, and we can start right where we are.

This episode of the podcast dives into the topic of emotions: Are emotions bad? Why do we need them? What are/aren't emotions? We also hear a story from Todd, who is trying to change his perception of emotions and view them in a healthy way.

We all mess up from time to time. This provides the perfect opportunity to practice our relational skills as we repair! This episode features a story from Jeremy, whose day wasn't going smoothly with his daughter, and how he repaired and changed the course of their interaction.

This episode discusses times when emotions can be hard to manage and why some situations are harder for us to return to joy from than others. Chris walks through how to tell if you have adopted some unhealthy coping habits for these moments and how to change that to better ways to connect with God and not feel alone when you have big emotions.

In this delightful episode about the importance of sharing joy with our loved ones, Chris explains some of the science behind connection and shares several helpful exercises that we can use to connect with those close to us in a meaningful way--just in time for Valentines' Day!

The tool we call "VCR" can be a life changing way to interact with our loved ones and even those who feel like enemies. Chris tells us stories about how to validate others' hearts and feelings, even when we may not agree with them, so that everyone can end up in a place of God's peace.

Join Chris and Kristy for a conversation addressing the topic of conflict and how relational skills offer us solutions that we can't find with good communication skills alone.

Through Sarah's story of dealing with a difficult situation, Chris explains how feeling high and low energy emotions at the same time can ramp up the stress in any situation.

It can be hard to hear that you have messed up or missed something, but to have someone who cares about you willing to speak into your life is a gift! Chris discusses how to "Return to Joy" (Skill 11) from shame and interact with Jesus to get "Godsight" (Skill 13) about the situation.

Skill 10, Tell Nonverbal Stories, is a skill that we use all the time, even without thinking about it. What our faces, voices and body movement says is powerful and conveys a message to the people around us. Chris shares how we can develop our "mind-sight" and get good at attuning and relating to others.

As we transition from one year to the next, we want to talk about some things that will help you look forward to a wonderful new year. Our brains are natural amplifiers--if we look backward and see pain, we may look forward and expect more of the same. Yet, if we are able to look back with appreciation and connection with Immanuel, we amplify the good stuff and look forward to more. Chris shares his story about how he learned to train his brain to amplify joy and the amazing effect that has had on his life.

Chris shares the miracle of God coming down to this earth to be with us, and how wonderful it is to be able to connect with Immanuel on a daily basis and use the skill of "Godsight" (Skill 13) to see what he sees when he looks at us and the people around us.

We need relational skills most when handling stressful situations, and today's podcast guest, Kim, shares a story as an example of how to be our relational best selves when in the midst of difficulty.

How do we grow our capacity so that we can find our peace and return to joy even when things are tough? Everyone needs a little more energy to deal with the stress and anxiety of life, and that is something we can practice to grow in! This week's episode, Kailey shares hope and some practical ways to do this.

Holidays can busy and stressful, and despite that, we all want to stay relational and enjoy the people we are spending time with. Our guest this episode, Kāmi, shares some ways she connects with Jesus to plan her holiday calendar and engage her relational skills in a way that helps her share joy with all the people in her life.

Chris tells the story of a time of uncertainty and despair in his life, and how practice with relational skills, including the skill of appreciation and Godsight, helped him stay relational, remember who he was and not feel alone.

Hear from 4 of our friends as they each share their love for the skill of appreciation and how it has taught them to continue to find joy in past memories.

Skill 18 helps you know what is needed when, for yourself and for the people around you. If you, or a loved one, are stuck in pain and big emotions, there are things you can do to figure out where in your brain you are stuck and how to help!

Today, we listen to a story from our friend Rebecca who addressed feelings of dread with the skill of appreciation. If you are struggling with the world's uncertainty, are unable to enjoy the present moment, or are just looking for more joy and peace, we hope you find encouragement in Rebecca's story.

Chris shares a new view on the brain skill of Godsight (Skill 13) and uses Bible stories to illustrate how this skill can give us an eternal perspective to stay connected with God even through the hard times in life.

Chris uses examples from the life of Paul the Apostle to show what a life lived with Godsight (Skill 13) looks like.

This is the third installment of our series of stories about relational repair when we have messed up. Everyone messes up at times. We can either mess up and make problems bigger than relationships, or we can mess up well and stay relational. This story highlights sharing someone's pain even when you are the one who caused it and returning to joy together.

What are complex emotions? Why are they so hard to recover from and what can we do about it? In this episode we hear some stories about how to recognize what you are feeling and come back to a place of peace and joy even in the midst of really big emotions. This episode talks about Skill 19 - 'Recover from Complex Emotions'.

Special guest, Michel Hendricks, describes the amazing difference it makes in our interactions and relationships when we stay relational, notice and validate others emotions.

Chris takes an in-depth look at how our attachment styles that were developed by the environment we grew up in, affect how people interpret our maturity level. He describes how hidden wounds show up in certain behaviors and how our attachment styles are an indication of the places we need to grow. 

What do gas pedals and traffic have to do with managing our energy levels? Quiet Interactively (aka Skill 15), is about being able to read facial cues to build safety and trust in our relationships. Listen in and learn more about this essential skill that may sound simple to some, but many people in our society actually lack.

How can we handle big emotions that come up within political tensions? In this episode, Chris Coursey and Kristy Harrang discuss tensions that can arise in politically charged atmospheres, tips for managing your big feelings, and guidance for staying connected with people who hold opposing views.This is a non-partisan discussion.

This episode Chris discusses a skill that we all need to learn: When to stop. Chris tells about a time when he escaped Enemy Mode by using this important skill and shares how we can all grow in it.

In this episode, we hear from a counselor and relational skills trainer about how inner healing and brain skills work together to accelerate and deepen the healing in her clients.

In this extended episode, Chris shares stories that illustrate what it looks like to act like the person God created us to be and shares tips to help us do that when we get stuck.

Chris shares the encouragement that you can hear from God personally, and gives tips on how to remove some of the barriers that might have kept you from hearing God's voice in your life.

We've referred to the skill of 'Returning to Joy' quite a bit throughout our podcasts, but today we focus on what this skill is, why it is so important, and how you can begin to develop it in your life.

Sometimes the people around us can feel intimidating or stir fear in us. Our friend Terri shares a short story from her own life and then Chris discusses practical ways to deal with fear and learn how to engage others in love.

Today's episode is on Skill 16: Recognize Energy Responses. Chris shares the benefits of recognizing the energy responses in ourselves and others. He gives suggestions to help discover your energy style and shares examples of both high and low-energy responders.

This episodes explores the need to 'quiet' and gives many tips and suggestions about how to implement quieting into your life, using high energy and low energy examples.

In this special anniversary podcast episode, Jen Coursey, Executive Director of THRIVEtoday, joins Chris as they reflect on the podcast's first year and look forward to what is coming in future episodes! If you are new to the podcast, this is a fun episode to jump in on.Intro resources for relational skills: 

Hear from Heather Meades, author of children's book, "Switched on for Joy", about her inspiration for helping children understand relational circuits. Chris also shares some practical tips and stories about helping the children in our lives learn these skills.

In this episode, our friend Pam shares how she used her relational skills to attune to and quiet with her adult son, and how she has learned how to be a safe person for her adult children to come to at stressful times.

Following 'Bonds for 2', Chris explains the difference between that and a family bond, and lists reasons both are important and how they affect us.