Podcasts about Compassion

You've heard it repeated by nonaffirming Christians and right-wing politicians: “traditional values.”But listen closely — and notice what's missing.Honesty. Fidelity. Compassion. Justice. Kindness.So what are “traditional values,” really? Whose tradition are we talking about? From which era? From which culture? From which Bible — and whose Christianity?In this episode, we expose the myth of “traditional values,” how the phrase became a political weapon instead of a moral compass, and what real, Jesus-shaped values actually demand of us.Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you'd like us to answer. :-) Support the show

For episode 278, Sharon sits down with author and friend, Parvati Markus, the editor of the new Ram Dass book, “There is No Other: The Way to Harmony and Wholeness.” Parvati is a developmental editor who has been midwifing non-fiction books and memoirs since her first efforts with Ram Dass's classic Be Here Now. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Love Serve Remember Foundation and has helped with many other spiritual organizations and events. Parvati is also the author of numerous books, including Whisper in the Heart and Love Everyone. This is Parvati's first appearance on the Metta Hour.In this conversation, Parvati and Sharon speak about:How Parvati found her pathMeeting Neem Karoli BabaRam Dass and Parvati's friendshipParvati's contribution to “Be Here Now”The inspiration for “There is No Other”Moving past “us” and “them”Balancing real life & spiritual lifeSubstituting noticing for judging Neem Karoli Baba's directive of serviceRam Dass learning to accept helpMoving from Role to SoulHow to be here now in times of difficultyCommunity as the future BuddhaJoseph Goldstein's fateful meeting with Ram DassWhat is Loving AwarenessRam Dass's final public appearanceThis episode closes with a guided meditation from Ram Dass that invites us to let go of the heaviness of confusion and our rigid models of who we are and how it is. Learn more about Parvati's many book projects right here and get yourself a copy of Ram Dass's new book “There is No Other” right here in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Unashamed Unafraid, we delve deep into the journey of sexual addiction recovery with professional coach Austin Hamilton. Austin shares his personal story of overcoming pornography addiction and infidelity, emphasizing the importance of truth-telling and courage in the healing process. Highlighting how hidden struggles can impact relationships, Austin outlines his methods for guiding clients through recovery using story work, journaling, and compassionate self-reflection. Join us for an inspiring conversation on embracing vulnerability, understanding the roots of addiction, and fostering authentic connections. Don't miss valuable insights on how to live unashamed and unafraid.To connect with Austin, Website: pxrncoach.comEmail: hello@pxrncoach.comSocials: @PxrnCoach on IG/TikTok/Facebook/YouTubeMake a donation and become an Outsider!Follow us on social media! Instagram, Facebook & TikTokSubscribe to our YouTubeCheck out our recommended resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  For more inspiration, read our blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Send us an email! contact@unashamedunafraid.com00:00 Introduction and Podcast Anxiety02:00 Introducing Austin Hamilton02:47 Austin's Journey to Recovery03:44 The Turning Point: D-Day05:33 The Path to Healing and Courage09:20 The Importance of Truth in Recovery11:55 Navigating Post-Disclosure Challenges13:54 The Role of Intimacy and Communication21:27 Disclosure as a Lifestyle23:59 Breaking a Promise on a Special Day24:36 The Importance of Truth in Relationships25:18 Diving into the Root of Issues26:15 Understanding Childhood Influences27:05 Healing Through Story Work30:48 Behavior Modification and True Healing41:26 The Power of Journaling42:55 Creating a Safe Space for Sharing45:33 The Role of Compassion in Recovery48:06 Final Thoughts and Resources

What if the harshest critic in your life isn't someone else—it's you?We judge ourselves constantly. Our fears, our bodies, our parenting, the way we show up in relationships. And while we think judgment is motivating us to change, it's actually keeping us trapped in cycles of shame, anger, and disconnection.In this episode, Dr. Glenn Hill, Phyllis Hill, and Tera Wages unpack the destructive patterns of self-judgment and reveal the powerful alternative that transforms everything: curiosity.You'll discover:Why toddlers don't judge themselves and what we can learn from their natural self-acceptanceThe shame-anger cocktail that fuels judgment and keeps you stuckHow 10 seconds of curiosity can completely change any interaction or internal struggleWhy keeping your struggles secret feeds shame and makes judgment growThe question that stops judgment cold and opens the door to compassionHow to recognize your personal trigger topics so you can respond differently next timeWhy social media has created a judgment epidemic and how to protect yourselfReal-life examples of shifting from judgment to curiosity in marriage, parenting, and everyday momentsWhat to do when someone shuts down (the "still face" phenomenon) and you feel flooded with shameWhether you're battling negative self-talk, living in fear of others' opinions, or finding yourself quick to criticize people around you, this conversation will give you practical tools to break the judgment cycle and step into genuine emotional freedom.What you'll walk away with:The understanding that judgment isn't helping you grow—it's keeping you isolated. But when you get curious about yourself and others, everything shifts. Compassion replaces criticism. Connection replaces division. And you finally get the space to be your authentic, vulnerable self.Keywords: self-judgment, mental health, emotional regulation, marriage counseling, shame and anger, curiosity vs judgment, self-compassion, relationship communication, emotional intelligence, breaking negative patterns, therapy tools, mental wellness, emotional freedom, self-criticism, Nashville therapist

In this episode, Sue Grant: The Literacy Project — Confidence, Compassion & Changing Futures, I sit down with visionary leader... The post The Literacy Project — Confidence, Compassion & Changing Futures appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The Buddha's teaching on Wise Speech remains as important and necessary today as it did over 2,500 years ago. It may be even more important to be grounded in wisdom and clarity because there are so many more ways to interact with each other and we see the impact and harm of unwise speech around us on a daily basis. Mary talks about how we can make this part of our life.Recorded Jan. 17, 2026 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Every individual human life is sacred. Every individual person is of infinite value. In Genesis 9, at the end of the flood, God assures Noah and his family of this truth. He says that if a person takes the life of any other human, he will hold that person accountable. This passage is meant to get everybody to feel the weight of your neighbor's glory, to feel the weight of the value God has invested in every human being. If you really let this passage have its effect, you will come out saying to yourself, “I cannot ignore people the way I do. I have to treat people seriously. I have to honor them. I have to be aggressively compassionate.” Let's see how this passage makes a case for us to be a compassionate people. The case is 1) every human being is made in the image of God, and 2) every human being is held accountable for that image. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 25, 1989. Series: Ten Commandments 1989. Scripture: Genesis 9:1-7. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Chicago Way w/John Kass (01/19/26): To mark the tragic anniversary of his daughter’s death, Glenview native Joe Abraham joins John Kass & Jeff Carlin to talk about his gut-wrenching experience losing his daughter Katie when she was killed in a hit-and-run crash, allegedly caused by a Guatemalan national who was in the country illegally and […]

Hey love, it's Jody Agard. Connection is what nourishes us. Today's meditation will open you to compassion—for yourself and others—so you can rest in love. So breathe with me, and let's begin. Xo, Jody Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's focus is on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Our expert guest will help us understand this therapy technique, its processes, and the overarching goal of this method. Join us to learn more! Dr. Carissa Gustafson, PMH-C, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in perinatal psychology. She supports clients from preconception through parenting, with a particular focus on pregnancy and postpartum care. As the author of Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks, she utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients learn to relate to their thoughts and feelings with acceptance and compassion, while aligning their behavior with their values. Dr. Gustafson sees clients online throughout California and in person at Village Birth, a part of Heartship Psychological Services. In addition to seeing clients, she has been an adjunct professor and clinical faculty at Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology.  Show Highlights: Dr. Gustafson's path to serving perinatal mental health clients through ACT Understanding ACT as a therapy technique The unpredictable nuances of the perinatal journey align perfectly with the core processes of ACT, especially for high-achieving women. The need to be present with our difficult emotions Learning to “surf the waves” of emotions and feelings Compassion is essential because of the shame and blame we put on ourselves. ACT core processes: mindfulness, acceptance/compassion, cognitive defusion, the observer self, values, and committed/valued action  “Bringing presence to our pain brings peace.” We don't want to make an enemy of our internal experiences. ACT offers a clear path to relief for PMADs if someone is willing to use the techniques. Psychological health can be improved with flexibility in our thoughts and behaviors. Acceptance doesn't mean resignation. Advocacy and agency are vital! Learn more about Dr. Gustafson's book, training courses, and workbook (get yours for free at Dr. Gustafson's website!) Resources: Connect with Dr. Carissa Gustafson: Website, Instagram, and Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visitcdph.ca.gov. Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773.  There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in offering services. You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms. Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/for information on the grief course.  Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!  If you are a California resident seeking a therapist in perinatal mental health, please email me about openings for private pay clients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode the guys are back on shrooms and discuss Trump and Greenland, Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship, NFL Playoffs, Lamar Jackson, Plus's Affinity for White QB's, BBL's, Florida venue Crystal Ballroom treats customer poorly after husband dies, Compassion vs Business, Fetty Wap returns home, & More.

Caring is what makes you good at this job. It's also what puts you in the most danger.If you're a school counselor who still cares deeply about students, but you've noticed yourself feeling flatter, heavier, or more guarded than you used to- this episode is for you.You're still showing up. Still doing the work. But the caring itself has started to weigh on you, and you don't know why.In this episode, I talk about a kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from being busy or overwhelmed. It builds from sitting with hard stories, holding emotional weight, and being the safe place for everyone else inside a role that rarely offers closure or relief.This isn't about burnout.It's about the unspoken cost of compassion in school counseling.If you've ever thought, "Something feels wrong, but I don't know how to name it," this conversation will help make it make sense.*********************************Episodes I referred to:Ep. 87- Some of the Best School Counseling Advice I've Ever HeardEp. 180- The Question School Counselors NEVER Get AskedEp. 181- Why School Counselors Are So Tired (It's Not Burnout)*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

This conversation isn't really about rules.It's about the moments we don't look… because looking would require us to choose.In Part 2 of this opening 2026 conversation, I'm back with my best friend, Keira Brinton, and we talk about what happens when awareness replaces avoidance — in love, money, faith, intimacy, and self-trust.This episode is raw. It's quiet in places. It's honest in ways that feel slightly uncomfortable — and deeply freeing.We talk about grief that lives in the body, the loneliness that success doesn't protect you from, the fantasies we fall in love with, and the power we unknowingly give away when we don't trust ourselves enough to see clearly.Nothing here is polished.Everything here is real.In this episode, we talk about:The subtle ways we give our power to outside authority — and why it feels safer than trusting ourselvesAvoidance as self-protection… and how it quietly costs us intimacy and truth“Anything measured improves” — and what happens when we stop measuring because we're afraid of what we'll seeTouch, grief, and the kind of healing the body does without asking permissionThe loneliness that can exist inside successFantasy vs. reality in love — and why both can keep us stuckPower, worthiness, and the stories we tell ourselves about being chosenJudgment, compassion, and what changes when we let people be humanFaith without dogma — truth, love, and integrity as lived experiencesWhat reclaiming your power actually feels like (hint: it's not loud)Gentle content note:This episode includes discussion of intimacy, grief, sexually transmitted infections, and emotional vulnerability.What to do after listening:Notice one place you've been avoiding — not to fix it, just to see it.Ask yourself: Where have I been giving my power to something outside of me?Let one truth you already know guide a single decision this week.Remember: softness and strength are not opposites.Here are the key moments from the episode:00:00 This Isn't About Rules — It's About Power04:10 Awareness vs. Avoidance (and Why Not Looking Feels Easier)08:55 “Anything Measured Improves”… Until We Stop Measuring14:20 Exhaustion, Success, and Losing Touch with Yourself19:40 Touch, Grief, and the Body's Memory26:10 Loneliness Isn't Fixed by Achievement31:45 Fantasy vs. Reality in Love37:30 When Not Knowing Becomes a Choice43:05 Power, Worthiness, and Being Chosen49:50 Judgment, Compassion, and Letting People Be Human56:35 God as Truth. God as Love.1:02:10 Calling Your Power Back Without Hardening1:08:40 Choosing Reality — Even When It's Harder1:13:30 Closing Reflections: What Changes When You Trust YourselfConnect with Heidi:Website: https://heidipowell.net/Email: podcast@heidipowell.netInstagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowellTrain with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/Connect with Keira Brinton:Website: https://www.keirabrinton.com/Instagram: @keirabrintonAbout Keira Brinton:Keira Brinton is the CEO & Founder of JOA Publishing, host of the Sacred Wandering podcast, 7x author, and creator of the Book Activator method. She helps visionaries bring their truth into form — blending strategy and spirit, devotion and discipline — and is known for making the impossible feel inevitable.

In this conversation, Haven Wagner shares her journey in the real estate industry, focusing on her unique advantages as a realtor who primarily works with investors. She discusses the challenges and opportunities in the current market, the importance of networking and mentorship, and her personal experiences that shape her compassionate approach to clients. Haven also outlines her goals for building her brokerage and emphasizes the need to establish mutually beneficial relationships in business.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

When He encountered a world needing better, Jesus leaned in and partnered with His people. He was sent to suffering and sends His followers to do the same. Matthew 10 reminds us that although we will be questioned, divided, called names, and threatened, He will give us answers and save us. He brings the truth, and He never leaves us. If we are sent to suffering, we can ask for wisdom, endurance, and presence. If we aren't, we should question if we are observers or participants. MESSAGE NOTES: https://www.bible.com/events/49552188RESOURCES: https://www.canyonridge.orgBLOG: https://canyonridge.org/blogs/

"Estrangement often leads to growth and even better relationships than before the disconnection started." - Tania Kahzaal   Tania Kahzaal is a respected family reconnection and emotional healing expert renowned for her work in fostering healthier family dynamics. With a personal history of estrangement, Tania has dedicated her career to guiding parents and women towards repairing broken family relationships. She specializes in blending nervous system awareness, grounded communication, and faith-based principles to create her unique framework. Tania leads a global community where she provides evidence-based strategies to enhance emotional health, physical well-being, and the overall restoration of trust and communication within families.   Episode Summary: In this insightful episode of "Oh My Health, There Is Hope," Jana Short invites family reconnection specialist Tania Kahzaal to share her profound insights on emotional healing and family estrangement. Tania reveals her personal journey through estrangement and reconciliation, emphasizing the significance of building relationships rooted in faith, purpose, and emotional maturity. Her unique approach integrates nervous system awareness with grounded communication to effectively guide families in mending and nurturing their bonds. Tania introduces the audience to her transformative programs and resources, like her affordable "Reconnect Starter Kit," which offers parents a fresh perspective on estrangement, enabling them to comprehend and connect with their children more empathetically. The episode also touches upon the growing trend of familial estrangement and the impact of modern parenting styles on this dynamic. Tania sheds light on the balance between offering tough love and fostering emotional resilience in children, encouraging a compassionate and understanding approach to resolving familial conflicts.   Key Takeaways: Emotional Healing and Faith: Tania emphasizes the importance of intertwining faith-based principles with emotional health strategies to rebuild family relationships. Understanding Estrangement: Her "Reconnect Starter Kit" offers valuable insights from the child and parent perspectives on estrangement, with practical solutions for reconnection. Impact of Parenting Styles: Tania discusses the repercussions of modern "gentle parenting" and the need to teach children emotional resilience and independence. Compassion and Communication: Highlighting the power of compassion, she underlines the need to address familial conflicts with understanding rather than defensiveness. Community Support: Her Renewal Collective provides a space for parents to transform into happier versions of themselves, fostering healthier family dynamics.   Resources: https://biz.taniatheherbalist.com/wellness-brand-and-biz-mastermind https://www.instagram.com/taniatheherbalist/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/taniatheherbalist https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-the-herbalist-khazaal-08647a97/     ✨ Enjoying the show? Stay inspired long after the episode ends! Jana is gifting you free subscriptions to Ageless Living Magazine and Best Holistic Life Magazine—two of the fastest-growing publications dedicated to holistic health, personal growth, and living your most vibrant life. Inside, you'll find powerful stories, expert insights, and practical tools to help you thrive—mind, body, and soul.

Death may not be our favorite topic, but understanding it can enrich our lives. Join Daniel Bennett as he discusses how to honor those who have passed and why this process is vital for our mental and spiritual health.

Gissele: [00:00:00] With Martin Luther King, Jr Wright, does love have the power to turn an enemy into a friend? Gissele: Does it have the power to heal? we’re creating an inspiring documentary, courage to love the Power of Compassion, which explores their extraordinary stories of those who have chosen to do the unthinkable, love and forgive even those who are most hurtful. Through their journeys, we will uncover the profound impact of forgiveness and love. Gissele: Have not only of those offering it, but also on those receiving it.  In addition, we’ll hear from experts who will explore whether love and compassion are part of our human nature. And how we can bridge divides with those with disagree with. If you’d like to support our film, please donate a www M-A-I-T-R-I-C-E-N-T-R e.com/documentary. Gissele: That’s maitricentre.com/documentary. Hello and welcome to the Love and Compassion [00:01:00] Podcast with Gissele. We believe that love and compassion have the power to heal our lives and our world. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more amazing content. Today we’re talking about how love binds us with others, including those of crossed over. Gissele: We’ll be talking with Rebecca Schaper about communicating with animals on the other side after the sudden and unexpected passing of Rebecca Schaper dog’s. Gus. She consulted animal communicator Sonny Mann, beginning a lengthy and revealing correspondence. Gissele: Sonny reported her dialogue with Gus in the afterlife at various times throughout the next year. This moving story includes the transcripts of those psychic sessions, along with Rebecca’s notes from her daily journal as she responds to both the earthly and spiritual guidance from Gus. His spirit describes his life in both worlds. Gissele: He urges her to embrace fully her life contract as a Shamaic practitioner and healer. Please join me in [00:02:00] welcoming Rebecca. Gissele: Hi, Rebecca. Hi. Rebecca: Thank you so much for having me. I’m looking forward to this wonderful conversation. Gissele: Thank you so much for being on the show. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about how you started this journey of, communicating with Gus on the other side. Rebecca: Sure. 2023. My dog Gus died unexpectedly on December 7th. Mm-hmm. he was six years old. He was my co-pilot. He was definitely my soul dog. It was as though we knew each other in the past life and we communicated to each other telepathically, and of course it broke my heart wide open. To the point where I was worse than losing my parents by suicide and. Rebecca: I’ve never felt grief like that in my life. So in January of [00:03:00] 2024, which was a month after he had passed away, I decided to reach out to a pet communicator because I knew I needed help. and I knew I could not do this on my own. Normally, I can work through situations. I’ve had some real trauma in my life, which I’m grateful for. Rebecca: because it’s definitely led me to a lot of love and compassion like your show. But I knew at this point I definitely needed help. So I communicated with Sonny, asked her if she’d be willing to communicate with my dog, Guss. And what she would do is she would, go into some type of trance is the correct. Rebecca: Word to use, but she was just able to have that strong telepathic connection and she would ask him questions. And then after she was done, I mean it wore her out. She told me, she said, it’s [00:04:00] very taxing on the body. And so after she was done with that first session. I was blown away with what, with what the information she had told me. Rebecca: And so fast forward, we had 10 sessions, so she would transcribe ’em to me because she lived in Australia and the time zone was difficult. And a couple of times we chatted with each other and then I would journal my comments to the comments between Gus and Sonny this book is a three way conversation and so there you go. Rebecca: And it, she was really able to provide a lot of healing for me. And Gissele: what were some of the messages thatwere unique to you in Gus’s experience that most people wouldn’t have known? Rebecca: Yes, I will definitely share a few. One of ’em was she saw the word beck [00:05:00] and Gus said, that’s my mom, Beck, her brother David calls her Beck and. Rebecca: There’s no way that Sonny would’ve known that. I mean, there’s just no way. Because he was communicating to her. He said, yes, that’s my mom. Beck, her brother David calls her back. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rebecca: And then another one, which I felt was really profound. We hiked to Machu Picchu and the day one of the days was on my husband’s and i’s anniversary and I had to look down and there was, I wish I had it with me, but I think it’s on the altar table, Rebecca: it had a heart shaped stone. And I thought, oh my God, on that anniversary, how beautiful. So I kept it with me. Fast forward after Gus had passed away, I was sitting outside [00:06:00] and I was doing some meditation and just kind of working through, Rebecca: really tapping into the stone and some other stones I collected accidentally dropped the heart stone and it broken three pieces. Hmm. And I thought to myself, oh my gosh, is this a sign saying that my heart is broken? Of Gus. So I was devastated. Rebecca: The next day, I walked down, I go to this fire pit’s made outta stone and Guss and my daughter’s dog, Stella would always get on top of that fire pit and they would walk around it and try to find chipmunks. So this was like, you know, a constant thing. So anyway, I would go and put my bird seed on top of the rim of the fire pit so I could feed the birds. And I just happened to look down and there was a heart stone, almost the same shape and size. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rebecca: And, to me I [00:07:00] was like, that. So profound and so stunning and it just warmed my heart completely. And, another one, I’m at my beach house now. Rebecca: We have this area where you can look out over the marsh, and he would always be with me in a red chair is a cushion. And he talked about the red chair and the fire pit looking out over the marsh to her. Mm-hmm. So there’s many more, but that’s what comes to the forefront to me as of now. Gissele: Were there any messages from Sonny and Gus around the relationship between human beings and animals and even the connection and nature that we might have lost? Rebecca: Oh, most definitely. Rebecca: I felt like Gus was trying to communicate, saying they always want to be with you. Gissele: Hmm. Always. Rebecca: they’re always there, They definitely can talk to [00:08:00] you. even the most subtle ways. They speak to you, they can speak to you through songs, which Gus used to speak to me through songs. Rebecca: There’s one of my favorite songs over the Rainbow. And they were unbelievable synchronicities when that song would come on when I was grieving. Mm-hmm. And I knew that was him. They communicate through numbers, they communicate, they can communicate in so many ways. One of the key factors is, is being aware of it Rebecca: It’s to me. It has opened my eyes wide open to whole different realms of communication and not just dogs, cats, any type of animal in nature. Rebecca: ’cause I am very much in tune with nature and they are here to help us. We just have to open up our hearts. [00:09:00] Open up our hearts and listen. trust is a big issue. And one other thing every time I would get a message that I knew intuitively, I knew that was something from Gus. Rebecca: I felt it in my body. I would always say thank you. I would. Be very heartfelt in saying thank you because it’s a gift. Gissele: Yeah. Yeah. It’s amazing how we’ve been taught that we are separate from animals and that there’s this hierarchy. Gissele: And so it probably is challenging for people to. To understand or believe that they can communicate with animals. there’s not this hierarchy that somehow human beings know better. Do you believe that people sort of have a contract or agreement even with their animals before they incarnate? Rebecca: Absolutely. Absolutely. I know I did with Gus and now we have a new dog, [00:10:00] Zeke. Gissele: Hmm. Rebecca: And he is from the same breed and from the same breeder, and how synchronicity led up to that. And he’s into my life for a reason as well. Mm. There is no doubt in my mind. I mean, I think about animals. You think about your family. Rebecca: I believe is a contract. Rebecca: if people will look for the lessons and the connection, or even if you’re out and about and you see somewhere and you’re like, God, that energy feels very similar. I feel like I know that person. Rebecca: That could be. A contract soul connection, but you just may not know at that time. Gissele: Yeah. is there some specific practices that you use to help you get in tune? Because sometimes our own emotions can get in the way. Gissele: I lost my dog last November and. I’m very, very grateful for the lessons and the being that he was. Gissele: But I also miss him a lot. [00:11:00] And I know my kids are eager to get another dog, but I’m just like, Gissele: It’s not the right time and I don’t want another dog. I want my dog back. Which is, can we pause Yeah. Rebecca: if you put that intention out Gissele: mm-hmm. Rebecca: Ask your dog. You can have your dog reincarnate and soul dog a new dog, but you’ll know. Gissele: True. Rebecca: you’ll know if you’re supposed to, and that dog, I promise, if you’re open and expanded to it and ask, it will happen. Gissele: my challenge Rebecca is, I also don’t wanna be the type of person that would hold back another soul for my own ego needs, right? Like my dog’s time with me was very, very special and he taught me so much. Gissele: But maybe his journey is to go on and do something else. Like I would never want to hold another soul hostage for my own needs. [00:12:00] And I think that’s what’s been preventing me from. Making that desire request. I’ve heard of from people, lots of different people like yourself included, talking about like, my dog has been reincarnated into this new dog. Gissele: I can feel it. And there signs and all of that stuff. That is wonderful. But I think one of the things my dog taught me was that, that loving without attachment and needing to hold onto the soul. the ability to be able to be grateful for the experiences we had and be open to different experiences. Gissele: I Rebecca: hear you and I validate exactly what you’re saying because I found myself the pain was so excruciating that I found myself forcing Gus to come back. Yeah. And I came to a point where I can’t do this. Gissele: Yeah. Rebecca: I can’t force it. If he’s supposed to come back, [00:13:00] then so be it. And I had to let go. Mm-hmm. So maybe in your situation, just say if, if it’s meant to be. It will be. If not, then you’re grateful for the time together. And that’s kind of how I’m at. Yeah. And I understand. Yeah. But I’ve heard people where their dogs have reincarnated. Rebecca: It’s pretty astounding some of the stories. Gissele: Mm-hmm. definitely. And I like what you said in terms of our willingness to let go because. Maybe my dog’s journey is to reincarnate and come back in a different way and have a different experience. Or maybe it’s not, I think it’s that willingness which I in the past have not had. Gissele: I think I it’s like you said, totally normal grieve those experiences. It was my first dog ever. and he was just so special And I didn’t wanna replace that dog and expect another dog to take that place, so, [00:14:00] Rebecca: exactly. Yeah. A lot of people feel guilty about Rebecca: that. Rebecca: And I felt guilty about that too. And I thought, okay, it’s amazing how Zeke, how everything aligned and am I going to love this dog as much as I did? Gus, am I gonna be fair Rebecca: to this? Rebecca: But it’s pretty incredible the gifts and the lessons that Zeke is showing us. And I do, I honestly say, and my husband feels this too, we do see Gus kind of soul dogging Zeke at times. Rebecca: I was told they’re brothers Gissele: Yeah, for sure. Rebecca: You’ll figure Speaker 9: it out. Gissele: How did compassion and love help you through the grieving process? Because every, all of us experience loss, Rebecca: My situation with Gus losing a dog or losing parents by suicide, that really opened up. My [00:15:00] heart opened up my compassion and to see other people suffering who have may have gone through that same trauma, Rebecca: it opens my heart up because I can hold space with that person. sometimes we wanna fix it for the individual, but it’s not our place to fix it. Gissele: did the fact that you don’t believe in death. I mean if you, if you went right away after your loss to find someone to communicate them, you must not believe in death. Gissele: Did that actually help you overcome ’cause to lose parents, to lose a dog that was your soul dog? Those, those are fairly significant losses. Did that awareness help you not feel grief in the same way? And what helped you gain that understanding that maybe there’s a little bit more to life than just this bag of bones in this particular experience and [00:16:00] time? Rebecca: Very good question. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. both of my parents dying by suicide and my brother passing away, I saw my mother at the doorway after she, passed away, I was able to connect with my father and my brother. There were ways that I could connect with him, so that helped me a lot because it gave me a sense that it’s not final. Rebecca: they’re still there. they’re the ones that still wanna help your path, your journey, your life here. And I believe that even though it was a difficult childhood, but I was same time, I was very blessed because it wouldn’t have been able to, do the documentary to help others, all of that. Rebecca: It, it was a curse, but a blessing in the same way. And I’m forever grateful for it. And I, to this day, and until I die, I will always believe [00:17:00] that. My life steps have been interesting situations, but it has just opened up so much more. And different ways to look at death. Rebecca: I do not think death is final Gissele: though. Yeah. And I think that’s one of like the biggest hurdles that humanity has to overcome. I think that our fear of death is so huge that I think if we could realize that there isn’t death, not death in the way that we perceive it to be, that we stop existing and we’re just nothing we think that’ll open up people to be more courageous and to truly live their dreams. Gissele: But I think people’s fear of death can feel really challenging and It’s hard for us to understand that there is much more beyond even if you’ve had spiritual experiences to truly believe that, this life is just one chapter in a larger book of this being that encompasses this [00:18:00] particular body. Rebecca: I’m one of those that I know I’ll reincarnate again. Think about our ancestors. Gissele: Yeah. Rebecca: they’re here to help. Even on the land of wherever you walk, everywhere you go, the ancestors are there to help. Rebecca: It’s just opening, opening and expanding yourself Gissele: to tune Rebecca: in. Gissele: Yeah, so were you aware before your communication with Gus that you had a life contract as a Shamanic practitioner and healer? Or was it something that you discovered in your communication with Gus, through Sonny or Personally? Rebecca: I’ve always wanted. To do that. you know, it’s interesting you say that ’cause I go back and look in my journals and I have written years and years that that’s what I wanted to [00:19:00] do. And so prior to Gus’s death, it was, 23 in October is when I started working with the shamans Rebecca: And when Gus passed away, he was pushing me on the other side I don’t know how he knew that. You know, here’s the thing. I think dogs, even though we’re, if I was standing in right here, and say, Zeke or Gus was here, they’re so in tune to what we do energetically Rebecca: I’m sure Gus was in tune to what I was doing Gissele: so what are some of the things you’ve learned from your shamanic teachers about sort of this consciousness evolution that human beings seem to be going through? Rebecca: it’s a balance between here and the upper world. Speaker 7: Mm-hmm. We Rebecca: try to walk that balance, and the best way I can explain for myself is just Exude as much light as I can and be the true [00:20:00] person that I am. Of course, there are days where I can be crunchy you know, I’m human, but I can get myself back into balance and I just, Rebecca: I don’t like focusing on all the chaos and bringing a negative energy to that because I think that exacerbates it. I just try to be a positive light and maybe just saying hello to some person you don’t know, a smile on their face, who’s to say you may have made their day. Rebecca: Simple things like that. Gissele: Yeah, and I think you said two key things. Number one is the balance. I think that if we, each of us individually on our journeys found a balance, then I think that then we could create systems that were more balanced than they currently are now, and have leaders that, you know, reflect that balance. Gissele: And you [00:21:00] mentioned the importance of. Little tiny things. People think, well, you know, we gotta fix the war in Gaza. Or, you know, there’s all these other wars that are happening that are not being reported. Just living a life of love and compassion and light and kindness towards others. Like you said has a ripple effect. Gissele: ’cause many people, they’re war within their own homes. Yes. They’re in war, within their own relationships and they, they’re not willing to fix war, fix it Rebecca: themselves. Gissele: Yeah. And they’re not willing to fix that. But then they wanna fix the world, which really doesn’t make a lot of sense because the world really is a mirror of all of us. Gissele: And so fixing ourselves I think would go a long way and, and really. Helping us heal as, as a humanity, right? Rebecca: Yes. And, I also believe we’re having to, go through all this Hmm. To get to the light. [00:22:00] Truly, this is a very phenomenal time right now in history. It certainly feels phenomenal. Rebecca: but, it’s like clearing all the stuff to get to where we really wanna be. I know it’s tough, but Yeah. We just have to stay strong and stay in joy. Try to stay in joy. I go in nature all the time. Mm-hmm. that’s my balanced place. Nature. Gissele: Yeah. Rebecca: Yeah. And no doubt. Gissele: Yeah, definitely. And what helps you stay in Joy when it feels like sometimes the world is so chaotic, or When our minds are so chaotic. What helps you stay in joy? You mentioned nature. Are there any other things that you do to keep Rebecca: your joy? my dog, my husband, my family. Rebecca: Of course, when I wake up and I look at the sunrise, it’s just an experience that I have and that brings me such joy and [00:23:00] I’m make it a point to do that every day and close the evening. Same way watching the sunset. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Because it’s very important to me. Gissele: Yeah. appreciating all the beauty, yes. That already exists that’s one of the issues with electronics, right? Like people really focus on their social media or electronics, but we’re missing all the beauty and the wonder that is outside, that is present right now. Rebecca: Yes. It’s, even the subtle things in life. Mm-hmm. Yes. It’s like stepping out and seeing an incredible cardinal. The coloring. Gissele: Yeah. So going back to the conversation with animals. So did the relationship with Sonny and in conversation with Gus help you then become more attuned with communicating with other animals? Rebecca: Yes. Gissele: What about insects? I Rebecca: I struggle with the insects. I have to be honest here and I, ’cause I’m very honest. [00:24:00] Speaker 7: Yeah. I often Rebecca: since insects except for fleas, mosquitoes and roaches and ticks. I’ll just try to scoop it up and put it outside. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Somewhere I got a tick on the back of me two weeks ago, I know they’re all part of creation, but there’s just something about that. Gissele: nice. There’s a real struggle there’s an aspect of me that is like everything is of God and source universe, right? Gissele: And I’m not separate from anything. And at the same time, there’s a small part of me that still sees herself as a victim, which is like, that could bite me and has bit me. that could hurt me So I don’t wanna experience that. And so that memory, it’s hard for me to be in that kind of harmony with nature in that sense and see myself as not separate from it. Rebecca: I really try to get in that mindset, but when that insect does something Rebecca: to my [00:25:00] animal, to my dog, I, Rebecca: Do what I gotta do. Gissele: I wonder why they cause so much chaos. My husband and I were talking about this like where did this mosquitoes come from? Gissele: There’s this country that doesn’t have mosquitoes. I can’t remember which country it is. Apparently they’ve Rebecca: really weird. Yeah, Gissele: that’s what I was trying to remember. I don’t know. I saw it on social media. Gissele: I don’t know is it possible for us to live in harmony with all beings? Rebecca: That’s a really good question, and I think it’s a really. Tough one for a lot of people because you know, if you’re being infested by mosquitoes or stinging flies. Rebecca: That’s, yeah. Well, Gissele: my daughter was saying, because we go for walks, If you wear a dragonfly hat, the bugs will not bug you because Dragonflies are a natural predator. Oh yeah, because, so I order some from Amazon. Rebecca: Oh my God. Gissele: What is it called? Share [00:26:00] Dragon. Fly clips. So this was all over TikTok just a fake dragonfly that you can clip on your hat or you can clip it somewhere in your body and they will not come near you because they’ll think that it’s a real dragonfly and dragonflies are natural predators and so they won’t come near you. Gissele: Yeah. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve ordered it Rebecca: I do use, use all natural repellents like garlic. Yeah. Or apple cider vinegar. I’ve heard that works. Oh, okay. Yeah. So, Gissele: There’s hope. There is absolutely hope so that we don’t have to harm them and they can leave us alone. Gissele: So, yeah, it’s like, hopefully that works because I don’t wanna kill them and I don’t wanna put bug off stuff on my person. they have a right to exist. I just have a right to not be bitten. So if the dragonflies can help me, that would be good. Rebecca: I’m going to get that. Rebecca: I love it. Gissele: So tell us a little bit about your book. When does it come out? Rebecca: Okay. It, it was published April 9th. Oh, nice. Gissele: Okay. Rebecca: And it’s on Amazon. People can order it on [00:27:00] Amazon, and if people wanna reach out to me, it’s rebeccaschaper.com. Gissele: Sounds good. and you have a previous book you said. Rebecca: Yes, it’s the backbone of the Sister’s Call documentary that I had a calling to. Rebecca: That’s a whole different story. And then the light in his soul lessons from my brother’s schizophrenia. here’s one thing I would love for your audience to take away, is you think you’re going down one way with your career. I had no idea. I’m not a filmmaker. Rebecca: I’m not a writer. I had never written a book, any of that, but I had people walk into my life. So you have people. That help you for your purpose, and the universe will course correct you. You’re like, okay, I got this calling, so I need to listen and I need to make it happen. Gissele: Hmm. Yeah. I totally agree with that. Gissele: That has been [00:28:00] my experience as well, in terms of being called to do something. I never thought like this podcast is one of ’em, right. I thought I was gonna be working within the child welfare system until the day that I died. And so, yeah, like doing some of the things I’ve done were sort of like a higher calling, but not anything that my ego self had thought or desired. Gissele: Right. Right. none of these things were in my plan. Rebecca: Yeah. It comes totally unexpected. You’re like, what? It’s like a download and Gissele: Yeah, and, The interesting part is that sometimes it doesn’t mean what you think it means either, right? so like you was guided to write a book and then I thought, well, maybe the book is it. Gissele: This is what I’m gonna do, and it did well. But then that wasn’t supposed to be the thing. Because then because of the book, I did a TEDx talk and because of the TEDx talk, I’m now doing this documentary, so it’s steps I couldn’t have put [00:29:00] together. and what you had said earlier, it takes an enormous amount of trust. Gissele: Yes. even with communicating with animals on the other side. It takes trust because it goes against the grain of what we’ve been taught. We’ve been taught that, you know, seeing is believing, right? it’s only what I can physically touch or feel with my senses that is real or truth. what helped you gain trust in your life in that inner guidance or voice? Rebecca: Doing the documentary, it took 14 years. Gissele: Oh, wow. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about it? Rebecca: Sure. It’s a documentary about my families when I was growing up. There’s sexual abuse in there. there’s alcoholism talked about in there. There’s suicide talked about in there. And mental health. Both my mother and brother were quote. Rebecca: Diagnosed with [00:30:00] paranoid schizophrenia, and to this day, I’ll never believe that. I think they were hearing other dimensions, but anyway. Mm-hmm. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rebecca: My brother left and was missing for 20 years, but I always knew he was alive, always, and through a miracle. It was time for us to find each other and he was the catalyst of the film. Rebecca: And that’s when I got this calling. And I wanted to, express to people that he’s not this diagnosis. He is a person’s he is an incredible loving individual very. Observant and he passed away 2012. his contract was up and but the thing is, I learned so much through doing all of this and I hope that people were, able to relate [00:31:00] that. Rebecca: having, medication isn’t always the cure and I fought for that for a long time. So it’s a very vulnerable, very transparent, it speaks the truth and it’s a tough film to watch but it’s a also a very happy film.And it gives people hope and it’s through forgiveness and compassion. Gissele: Which I feel are very important messages. It’s interesting. I used to work at somewhere called cmh, which was a center for mental health and addictions. And I used to help as a student run a social program for people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. And I remember having a conversation with individuals and they would talk about how. Gissele: The awareness that they had when they would have episodes some of the reasons why they didn’t take their medication, especially young women, they would gain weight. And so they didn’t feel that the doctors always understood the [00:32:00] other impacts of the medication and the stigma that they felt that was out there like every person who is diagnosed with schizophrenia is violent. Gissele: And somehow it’s gonna lead to them killing someone, which was not true at all. These people were very kind and generous, and, compassionate. and vulnerable. They were more vulnerable to harm themselves than to harm someone else. But there’s always this misconception because there’s always so much fear you know, fear causes us to kind of dehumanize others, right? Gissele: Because we’re so stuck in survival. Documentaries like yours and conversations really help us have more compassion for others when we have greater understanding that just because somebody’s going through something does not mean that they’re gonna harm someone else. Gissele: And so I think that’s a very important message. Rebecca: Absolutely. And I felt like that with the voices that he was hearing, because he was extremely empathic. [00:33:00] Gissele: Mm-hmm. And Rebecca: he was just tuning in. And my mother, same thing. They were tuning in and they didn’t know how to channel all these voices that they were hearing from dimensions. Gissele: of course. Yeah, So last question. What is your definition of unconditional love? Rebecca: Oh, that’s such a good question. Hmm. Seeing the person for who they really are Gissele: Hmm. Mm-hmm. Rebecca: Let them be seen for who they really are without any judgment. Gissele: Yeah. Yeah. You could remove the lens of judgment. We could see each other as as authentically as we truly are. Exactly the beautiful way to end. Rebecca: Thank you, and I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Yeah. I’m so glad we could connect. Gissele: Yes, me too. Thank you so, so much for being [00:34:00] on the show, and thank you for those who tune into the Love and Compassion Podcast with Gissele Rebecca: Bye bye. Thank you.

A 26-year-old with depression was offered death instead of treatment. Assisted suicide never stays limited, it always expands. First the terminally ill. Then the depressed. Then the unwanted. This isn't compassion. It's a culture of death.

In this episode of The Light Inside, Jeffrey Besecker is joined by Tena Cacic for a grounded, nuanced conversation on how early childhood attachment experiences shape adult identity, performance roles, and dissociative coping patterns—especially within helping and therapeutic professions.Together, they explore how achievement, productivity, and over-functioning can quietly become protective strategies rooted in early relational environments. Rather than framing these patterns as pathology, the conversation examines them as adaptive responses that can later harden into identity, limiting flexibility, relational attunement, and therapeutic presence.Throughout the episode, Jeffrey and Tena differentiate somatic signals from narrative overlays, highlight the risks of epistemic and spiritual flattening, and unpack how unresolved practitioner patterns—such as rescuing, serial fixing, and over-responsibility—can subtly shape client dynamics.This episode is particularly relevant for clinicians, coaches, and educators seeking to deepen their awareness of counter-transference, performance-based identity, dissociative bypassing, and capacity-building without collapsing complexity or bypassing discomfort.Timestamps00:00 — Episode framing• Introducing the focus on early attachment, identity, and therapeutic relevance04:30 — Lived experience and trauma awareness• Tena shares personal experiences that shaped her understanding of helplessness, control, and internal role shifts10:15 — Victim–rescuer–persecutor dynamics• How early relational patterns evolve into adult performance and protection roles15:45 — Childhood development and pre-verbal imprinting• Why somatic cues precede cognition and narrative meaning-making21:30 — Over-responsibility in therapeutic roles• The subtle line between holding space and over-functioning for clients27:00 — Somatic signals vs. belief systems• Distinguishing embodied emotional intensity from post-hoc interpretation33:30 — Cultural conditioning and vulnerability• How inherited narratives shape children's sense of threat, safety, and capacity39:30 — Performance, flow, and bypassing• When calm, productivity, or “peace” becomes another form of avoidance45:30 — Identity rewards and letting go of the story• How suffering, competence, and achievement can become sublimated anchors52:30 — Nervous system regulation and productivity• Reframing performance without dissociation or over-control59:00 — Closing reflections• Relational attunement, differentiation, and building adaptive capacity over identity rigidityCreditsHost: Jeffrey BeseckerGuest: Tena CacicExecutive Program Director: Anna GetzProduction Team: Aloft Media GroupMusic: Courtesy of Aloft Media GroupConnect with host Jeffrey Besecker on LinkedIn.

In this conversation, I speak with Sharon Eubank about what it really means to help other people without stripping them of dignity or agency.Drawing on decades of humanitarian work, Sharon reflects on accountability, choice, faith, and why good intentions alone are not enough. We talk about suffering not as an abstract problem, but as something that asks something of us in our communities, our institutions, and our daily lives.This is a thoughtful discussion about responsibility, humility, and the quiet power of doing small things with great love.LINKShttps://www.justserve.org/Doing Small Things with Great Lovehttps://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781639934287I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said. Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.Support the show_____In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.comhttps://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaefferhttps://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_arthttps://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_arthttps://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaefferhttps://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

For the first regular episode of the year (excepting our New Year's recap) we take a look at the New Year Traditions at Temmu's court.  How did the court celebrate the New Year in the late 7th century? For more, check out our blogpost:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-141 Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 141: Temmu's New Year's Traditions   The chill winter air meant that most of the assembled crowd had donned multiple layers of robes.  Men and women had assembled together, upon the open, rock-covered courtyard, both to see and be seen.  To the north and east of the courtyard were the walls and gates of the buildings that made up the royal palace, the rooves of the buildings just visible beyond the gates. The onlookers stood arrayed around the open lanes that had been created for the event—at one end of the rocky field were targets, while at the other were archers, also arrayed in their finest outfits.  While technically they wore hunting robes, cut to allow greater movement in the arm, many of these fabrics had no business being anywhere near a moor or the dirt of open fields.  After all, this wasn't just some hunt:  They were demonstrating their skills in the center of the State.  At the officials' command, the archers let loose their arrows.  The crowd murmured at the soft crack of the bowstring, the faint whisper of arrow as the fletchings cut through the air, and the thud as the arrows struck their targets.  Looking downrange, approval bubbled through the crowd: the targets were well-struck.  Behind the archers on the field, another group awaited their turn. The events of the day would be the talk of the court, from the lowest clerk to the highest prince , for days to come.   Not just the well-placed shot, but also the grace and poise of the one who had let loose an arrow of particular note.  And heaven forbid an arrow miss its target.  Even kicking up stones or scraping the earth could have negative social consequences.  A particularly good showing could inspire poetry, and beyond the prizes being offered to the winner, could also bring notice to those from more obscure backgrounds. The new year had just started, and a good performance might be just what was needed to help put the rest of the year on a good footing.     Welcome back!  This is the first episode of the new year, 2026, and we are still going through the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tenno, covering the period from 672 to 686. Before we get started, though, a quick shout out to Suzuki for supporting us on Patreon.  It means a lot and helps us keep this thing going.  If you would like to support us or our efforts to maintain the website, where we also have the Armor manual, clothing, and a miscellany on various topics, we have information at Sengokudaimyo.com and we will have more information at the end of this and every episode.  Support is appreciated as I really do want to try and minimize ads—I don't put any into the podcast myself, though some platforms may place ads around the podcast, which I cannot always control.  Now we've covered a lot this reign, but this episode we are going to cover three things in particular.  First off, and perhaps a bit of a tangent, we'll talk about some of the issues with the Chronicles when it comes to reading it,especially in translation.  It seems quite clear to me that even the sources that the Chroniclers were using weren't always in agreement with each other on how they spelled certain things or even in properly recording when things happened. After that we'll cover the major topics of this episode, focusing primarily on the New Year traditions of the court—we'll look at the major events of the first month for each year in the reign, allowing us to see some of the similarities, and differences. Finally, we'll look at the last year of Ohoama's reign, particularly as he grew ill, because it can be a fascinating question:  What did people do when disease struck before we had modern medicine?  Here the Chronicles reveal a lot about not only the beliefs of the time, but of their syncretism: how people were willing to reach out to whatever power they could in order to cure disease.  Whether it was Yin-yang divination, beseeching the local kami, or attempting to make merit, all of these things were on the table when it came to illness and mortality. And so, let's get into it. One of the first things I want to talk about is the problem that we have in trying to read the Chronicles, both in the way they are written and then the translation issue on top of that.  Even in Japanese the Chronicles have to be translated out of an ancient form of kanbun—basically a Japanese version of Chinese, using Sinitic characters.  Like any document written by non-native speakers, the Chronicles have their idiosyncrasies that make it different from what someone in Chang'an might be writing at the same time.  There are times and places where it is clear that something is meant to be read in the Japanese pronunciation, which itself was different from modern Japanese.  Add to this the fact that there are many times that different Sinitic characters sound alike in Japanese—especially in modern Japanese.  So any English translation of the Chronicles which doesn't give the actual characters in the source text can add to the confusion.  This is why I like to consult either the Japanese Historical Text Initiative or an electronic version of the National History series text—though even those have issues at times when the characters used in the text don't exist in modern character sets, though that seems to be less and less of a problem. One example I want to give of the complexities of reading the Chronicles, and the need to dive deeper into the original language and consult multiple versions, is a set of records for Ki no Omi no Abemaro and others.  He is our first mention of a member of the Ki family: on the 9th day of the 8th month of 673, the first year since Ohoama's ascension and one year after the Jinshin no Ran, we are told that Ki no Omi no Abemaro and others were given favors and rewards for their service during the war in Iga province.  Indeed, Ki no Omi no Abemaro is listed prominently in the records of the Jinshin no Ran and appears to have been one of the generals for Ohoama and the Yoshino faction in general.  Less than a year later, on the 28th day of the 2nd month, Ki no Omi no Abemaro died and was posthumously awarded the rank of Daishi, which was 5th from the top in the old system of 26 ranks.  A rather respectable rank, to be sure. Later that same year we get a note that Ki no Omi no KATAmaro—another member of the family, apparently--was appointed, along with a "Prince Mino" as a commissioner for the erection of the Great Temple of Takechi. Two years later, however, we get a record on the 22nd day of the 4th month of 676 that the sovereign, Ohoama, sent an order to the Governor of Mino telling him to let the children of Ki no Omi no Abemaro, resident in the district of Toki, be removed to the East country and become peasants in that country.  On the face of it, this appears to be an incredible fall from grace.  Ki no Omi no Abemaro is basically one of the top generals and heroes of the Jinshin no Ran, but his children are so unruly that they are banished to the East and stripped of their noble status?  There has to be a story there, right? Then in 679, on the 3rd day of the 2nd month, we are told that Ki no Omi no Katamaro died.  For his service in the Jinshin War he received the posthumous rank of Upper Daikin.  That would have been roughly the 7th rank—two below Ki no Abemaro.  So was the Ki family back in the good graces of the court?  What is going on? First off, when we go to the original text, we see that Aston, whose translation of the Nihon Shoki we've been working on Ihas made an apparent error in translation.  Remember, Aston was translating the Chronicles back in 1896, without the aid of modern computers, along with a lot of other research that has happened since then, and I can hardly fault him for missing things here and there.  This is why, if you cannot check the original, you may want to also look at the new translation from John Bentley.  Here we can see that he translates the name not as "Ki no Omi no Abemaro", but rather that of "Ki no Omi no KASAmaro".  And if we compare Ki no Omi no KaSAmaro with the previous entry on Ki no Omi no KaTAmaro we can see that these are actually the exact same names except for a single character.  Which leads us to the question:  Are these the same person, and the scribes simply miswrote one of the characters in the name?  It may not even be on the Chroniclers so much as whatever texts they were, themselves, working on.  This isn't helped by the fact that we later on see another entry for Ki no KATAmaro, but that one uses character for "KATA", meaning "hard", using the kun'yomi, or Japanese reading, rather than using two phonetic characters in the on'yomi reading.  So is this just another way to write "KATAmaro" or is this a different person altogether? Ultimately, we cannot be entirely sure.  It does seem wild that there would be two "Ki no Omi no Katamaro" at court at the same time and nobody otherwise distinguished the two.  The question about KaSAmaro and KaTAmaro, and whose kids were sent into exile, is a bit harder to untangle. And, truth be told, it is ultimately a minor point.  We have only a couple of lines here, and maybe these passages will help illuminate something later in the histories, but for now, they are just fragments of the story of what was happening.  Parts of the tattered tapestry from which the royal history was ripped out and restitched together, the rest of the story largely discarded, unless it made its way to us through other means. The Chronicles may be flawed, but they are still our main source for the period, and while we might challenge individual items, we still get a glimpse at how things operated back at this time.  For instance, if we look at the events happening around the New Year, we can see some common threads. The New Year is an important tradition in many cultures.  Whether it was a solar or lunar cycle—or some combination—the new year indicated a new cycle, and was often accompanied by associated symbols and rituals.  Today in the US it is often celebrated with fireworks and champagne, followed by making resolutions for the new year.  In Japan, people will often go to their local shrine or temple for an important first visit, and temple bells will ring out 108 times. Another tradition is the osechi-ryori, the  traditional new years foods.  This has grown over time from a tradition of eating a large bowl of rice to various other foods that are seen as auspicious or having special properties, such as the hardening of teeth—a major concern before the era of modern dental hygiene!  Then there are traditions such as the Kagami Biraki, or opening of the mirror, and the creation of special mochi, or rice cakes for the purpose.  Of course all of these traditions started somewhere and have evolved over time, so what do we know about the New Year celebrations during the late 7th century? One caveat: in the Chronicles, we only really see what was happening in the court, and the Yamato court at that.  There may have been local traditions that others were following that, unless we find documentation about them, we likely would never know.  But many of the court traditions were passed down to later generations. These traditions appear to include the giving of gifts; large, celebratory banquets; and the annual archery tournament. Banquets are some of the first and most common things we see.  We see a banquet as Ohoama assumed the throne in 673—which probably was the event that overshadowed anything else they might have done that year.  The following year, 674, there doesn't seem to have been much recorded, and I wonder if they were still pulling everything together after the turmoil of Ohoama's ascension.  And so it is that in the first month of 675 we really get to see the annual new year's events in their full form.  On the second day of that year, from the Royal Princes on down, all of the public functionaries presented their respects to the sovereign.  I suspect that this was a large ceremony, where everyone gathered in the courtyard of the palace together or something similar, not that each person individually went up and presented their respects—I doubt Ohoama would have wanted to sit through all of that.  Also, as we've already seen, there were limits on what parts of the palace different functionaries were allowed to enter.  So some of these well-wishers may have been "outside", others in the courtyard, and others in the palace building itself, depending on their rank and importance in the bureaucratic hierarchy. On the following day, all public functionaries, from the initial rank upwards, presented firewood.  Aston notes that this is the first mention of what would become a yearly practice.  Firewood may not seem like much, but it would have likely been important to keeping things running, especially given how early people were supposed to arrive at the palace and administrative complex each day.  This wasn't firewood for a fireplace—they didn't have those—but probably would have been used either for cooking or, I suspect, for the large braziers that burned with wood and pitch to light the darkness, particularly in the winter months.  Firewood could also be processed into smaller pieces of coal for other uses.  It is interesting that for the first ceremony, the Chronicles describe the court from the Royal Princes on down, while for the giving of firewood the order is from the initial—which is to say the lowest—ranks upwards.  This could indicate the order in which things progressed in these cases. Several days after that, on the 7th day of the first month, a banquet was given at court for the Ministers—so only the higher ranking functionaries.  But ten days later, on the 17th, everyone of rank—the Ministers of State; the Daibu, or high officials; and all of the public functionaries from the initial rank upwards had an archery meeting in the Court of the Western Gate. Archery and archery contests had been important to the Yamato people for ages—and the same on the continent.  Confucius, in his day, suggested that archery was a martial skill that even nobles should cultivate.  I believe we've noted before how archery could be used both for warfare and for just feeding your family.  As such, it was considered a particularly useful skill for just about everyone to have.  It probably also helped that it was a martial skill that noblemen and others could use to show off without actually risking any injury to themselves in the process.  I'm just saying.  And as we described at the top of the episode, this particular archery contest would, for both participants and spectators, likely have been a chance to show off the top of their game, whether in martial prowess, clothing, or behavior. And since we are looking at the new year's celebrations, let's keep this going and look at later years in Ohoama's reign. As I go through these you'll start to see the patterns, where the events I've just described will generally recur year after year, but not identically, sometimes with a shuffle in the schedule. In 676, we see that the Ministers and public functionaries pay their respects on the first day of the new year.  On the 4th day, the sovereign granted gifts to the higher level officials, from Royal Prince Takechi, down to the high officials, or Daibu, of Shoukin rank.  Their not so secret Santa gifts included robes, hakama, lined garments, obi for their waist, leg straps, and staves, or walking sticks.  We are also told that everyone above the rank of Shoukin also got an armrest thrown in, as well.  Further gifts or grants were given out several days later, on the 7th, to everyone from Shoukin on up, based on their individual circumstances.  Then, on the 15th, we again see all of the functionaries present firewood and then they were all entertained at a court banquet. The following day they held the annual new year's archery contest, with prizes, at the court of the western gate.  Those who hit the target received prizes of different values.  In his recent translation of the Nihon Shoki, Bentley references Kuroita on Article 41 of Miscellaneous Statutes, saying that this archery event was apparently a regular new year's occurrence, and even the prizes were noted as varying over time. The same day they held the archery contest, that year, Ohoama held a banquet at the Shima Palace.  Shima was the name given to the Soga Prime Minister, back in the day, so I assume that this was at or near the site of the old Soga residence? In 677, by comparison, we don't see nearly as much referenced.  There is archery at the South Gate, vice the west gate, but that is it.  The festivities in 678 similarly only talk about the archery at the south gate.  There is also mention of a preparation for worshipping the kami of heaven and earth, for which a purification was held throughout the state.  In addition, an abstinence palace, or saiguu, was erected on the bank of the Kurahashi river.  Kurahashi appears to refer to a tributary of the Ohara river, in Sakurai.  This feels less like a New Year's celebration, however, and more like a sign of merit-making.  The Saiguu would have likely been to prepare for a trip to Ise shrine, and three months later Ohoama was preparing to go to the Saiguu, but that is when Princess Towochi suddenly died, and they scuttled the plans. In 679, the court greeted the New Year with a new decree.  Ohoama declared that Princes, Ministers, and public functionaries—anyone in service to the government, basically, were to refrain from paying respects during New Years or other ceremonies to anyone except relatives of the grade of elder brother, elder sister, and above, or to the senior members of the Houses.  Princes weren't even to pay respects to their own mothers unless they were, themselves, princesses.  Ministers were likewise not to pay respects to their mothers if they were of "mean" rank.  In other words, if they were commoners. These kinds of statutes are interesting.  First of all, you ask yourself why?  In all likelihood, there were various local traditions and individuals paid respects to their parents as well as to others to whom they owed respect for one reason or another.  Here the State is ordering society such that there is a clear hierarchy, at least among the members of the court.   Since women often found advancement by marrying up, it was usual for one's mother to have been born a lower rank in society than oneself.  And so we see them enforcing the social order. That new order was based on Confucian concepts of hierarchy, and this seems to go along with those same ideas. What we don't really see is how this was enforced—if at all.  The day after that, the yearly archery competition took place at the West Gate of the palace. The next year, 680, we see a New Year's Banquet at the Court of the Great Hall.  Ohoama himself occupied the Mukai-kodono, which appears to refer to one of the smaller wings.  Based on the palace layout that we see in the posthole remains, this probably means that he was set up in the smaller wing, likely in a more intimate space, while most of the other guests were in the large hall, maintaining that crucial separation of sovereign and subjects. This New Year's archery event included Princes of the Blood all the way down to the rank of Shouken—the very lowest rank in the court—and it was held at the South Gate. You may be noticing a pattern, that the archery competition is listed as being held at either the south or west gates.  The south gate probably refers to the main gate of the later Okamoto—aka the Kiyomihara—palace.  The West gate refers to the west gate of the Ebinoko enclosure.   We talked about these and the general layout of the palace back in Episode 134, and you can check out that podcast blog post for some images of what things looked like, as well.  These gates were on the north and east sides of a large, rectangular courtyard, which was likely the actual event location.  So it isn't as if these were separate areas, just a difference of where things were set up in what was otherwise the same relative space. The following year, 681, we see similar ceremonies.  We see offerings made to the kami of Heaven and Earth, and we once again see a note about various functionaries paying their respects at court.  Even though this wasn't mentioned every year, it could have been an annual thing and just wasn't always recorded so the Chroniclers just wrote down what they had records for.  There are certainly other things we don't necessarily witness in the records, such as the annual promotions and promulgations.  We see irregular promotions, of course, such as on someone's passing, but the regular administration of the government and promotions of people to new positions is not something we really see regularly documented, since it doesn't really shed much light on the sovereign and the royal household.  And so we sometimes see things if they get mentioned, but otherwise we only see glimpses.  That would change as records became more administrative and the histories were more about simply recording what was happening—though still from a particular angle.  At this point, however, we aren't dealing with a single court record, but rather with numerous records, stories, and recollections.  That same year, 681, we also see another banquet, with Ohoama situated in the Mukai no Kodono, while the Princes of the Blood and non-royal Princes were both introduced into the inner reception chamber.  Ministers attended in the outer reception chamber.  They all received sake and musical performances, and rank advancements were given out.  Kusakabe no Kihi no Ohogata was graduated from the rank of Upper Daisen to Lower Daikin, and given the title of Naniwa no Muraji.  A few days later, Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwazumi was granted a fief with 60 horses and received presents of coarse silk, floss silk, cloth, and one hundred mattocks—the last one being a rather interesting gift, I have to admit.  Of course, in true Chronicles fashion, we have no idea why these gifts were made—we don't even have another reference to Iwazumi around there, but he must have done something. We are later told that there was the annual archery shoot, and then a decree, possibly unrelated to New Years, that the various provinces were ordered to repair the shrines to the kami of heaven and earth. The year 682 is an anomaly.  There is no mention of a banquet, nor of an archery tournament.  I wonder if this may have to do with some of the sad events of that first month.  While it started fine—Toneri no Miyatsuko no Nukamushi was raised from Daisen to Lower Shoukin—we are told that on the 18th, Lady Higami, one of Ohoama's consorts, died in the palace.  The next day there was an earthquake, and she was buried on the 27th.  A prominent illness and death may have put a pall on the ceremonies, and could explain why we don't see any mention of them for that year. It is also possible that some of this New Year tradition had become so routine that people were no longer commenting on it, and therefore the Chroniclers weren't including references to it. The following year, in 683, we again see the functionaries paying their respects.  We also see the presentation of a three legged sparrow by the Viceroy of Tsukushi, Tajihi no Mabito no Shima, along with others.  A three legged sparrow would have been something: it is reminiscent of the three legged crow, often depicted in the sun.  It is unclear if it was still alive, but that wasn't the point.  They invited the Princes of the Blood down to the Ministers to great hall, the Daigokuden, for a banquet, where the three legged sparrow was displayed. .  Later that month, Ohoama issued a decree in regards to all of the auspicious omens and made presents to everyone, from Shouken rank upwards.  There was also a general amnesty—all crimes were pardoned, from capital offenses on down, and all forced labor was remitted, so that people didn't have to provide the normal service.  The phrasing for this particular entry is intriguing.  Ohoama is mentioned as Yamato Neko Sumera no Mikoto and is specifically called a "God Incarnate".  This is one of the rare times that we see the Chronicles explicitly call out the sovereign as a living deity.  Of course, they trace the royal lineage back to Amaterasu, but there isn't a lot suggesting that the sovereign is necessarily a deity. And in reality, this was probably something that was more honorific than anything else.  Heck, at times in Japanese history we would see sovereigns selling their calligraphy to help keep the royal palace funded while warriors went around actually being in charge of things.  However, this divine language did show up in the 19th and 20th century, especially as the Tennou, now called Emperor in English terminology, once again was recognized as the Head of State, and people would actually pray to him.  Not necessarily like praying at a shrine, but out of respect.  And remember, a lot of time the Tennou was kept out of sight of regular people and hidden, much like the way that the kami were treated.  The concept of the Emperor's divinity was very much tied up in the elevation of the State and the general sense of Nationalism that had gripped Japan in the early half of the 20th century.  And so the allies quite explicitly had Emperor Showa renounce his divinity after Japan  World War II. Those studying Japanese history have probably heard of this concept, and so it is interesting to see evidence of it here, as well as the nature of the royal house, where the sovereign is kept at a distance from those of lower rank, unless they are directly serving him.  But it was not as though the sovereign was a god in the sense of being all powerful.  Even if he were considered a living, visible kami, the kami were not omnipotent, and there was no getting over the fact that our particular sovereign, Ohoama, was getting older.  Only a year or so earlier, he had suffered a rather bad illness, so he clearly was not invincible.  And it is of course possible that this language was simply royal exaggeration, rather than any attempt to define the sovereign as something more than he was.  Still, that concept would continue to play a part throughout Japanese history. The same day in 683 that Ohoama issued the pardons, we are told that there was a special performance at the Woharida Court of dance and music from Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—the "Three Countries" of the Korean peninsula, even if only one of them was still going strong.  The Woharida palace is thought to have been north, along the banks of the Asuka River.  It may have been moved over time—there appears to have been a palace in the Furumiya area, near Toyoura, but there is also evidence of a palace by a shared name over by Ikazuchi-no-oka, on the other side of the river.  Excavations at Ikazuchi no oka revealed pottery with the name of the palace, suggesting that this was the site, but even then, that pottery was from the later Tempyo era.  Regardless, it seems that the Asuka valley was just chock full of palaces, new and old, though the older ones were not as regularly used for government functions, one assumes. The following year, 684, we again get told about the annual archery shoot.  It took place in the Eastern court this time, with Ministers in attendance.  Apparently they had men skilled in archery shooting alongside palace attendants and little people—the word used in Japanese is "Shuju" or "Hikihito".  This word is often translated as "dwarf"; it appears to be a derogatory term for anyone considered short of stature, though it is also used to refer more generally to those seen as either lacking wit or to actors and performers. This isn't the first time we see the term.  Back in 675, about 9 years prior, Ohoama had sent orders to a number of regions near the capital, from Awaji to Tamba, to Afumi and to Mino and Wohari, among others, to send as tribute common people who could sing, shuju—or dwarfs—and jugglers.  More generally they seem to be referring to entertainers, and it strikes me that could be what is meant here.  Either way, the entertainment industry was hardly a lucrative one, and we can see that performers are almost more of a commodity, to be "paid" as tribute, rather than a professional who is "hired" to work.  I suspect that, as in many other times and places, individuals who were shorter than average often found work as entertainers in this sense—whether they wished it or not. The year 685 we don't see any mention of archery, though it probably still happened.  Instead the Chronicles focus on the various government officials paying their respects to their sovereign.  The rest of the entries for the month are largely concerned with changes to the rank system as of that year. The year 686, we get the last records of various new years festivals—four months later, the sovereign would grow terribly ill, and he would eventually pass away later that year.  However, for those still celebrating the new year in 686, that was all in the future. The last year of Ohoama's reign started out relatively like others. Ohoama went to the Daigokuden, the Great Hall of Audience, and gave a banquet to the Princes and High Officials.  There he decided to have something of a riddle challenge.  He would ask riddles, and then offer prizes for the correct answer. And no, unfortunately we don't have any of the riddles, at least that I have seen.  Aston calls these "conundrums" and notes that they are specifically nonsensical questions, and provides examples such as "Why does a horse, after a rapid run, listen to the earth? Why does a dog, when he goes slowly, raise his leg?"  Ohoama's son, Prince Takechi, answered correctly, and so did Prince Ise.  Their prizes differed in content, but in both cases were pretty extensive.  The winners received ceremonial robes, brocade or purple hakama, numerous bolts of coarse silk, many pounds of thread, hundreds of pounds of flossed Silk, and hundreds of bolts of cloth. I think that makes it quite a bit more lucrative than any of the quiz nights I've ever been to. Later that month, there was another banquet, this time for nine Buddhist monks of Daikan-daiji. Besides its status as a national temple, this may have also been related to the year before, when Ohoama had fallen ill, and prayers had been offered at Daikandaiji for his recovery.  The courthad likewise provided gifts to the temple in the last month of the previous year, and then, at the banquet, gave to the attending monks silk and cloth, based on their rank. But that wasn't the end of the gifts.  The following day the Princes and High Officials all received upper garments and hakama—likely referring to official garments—each getting one suit, each. Then, on the 13th day of the new year, the court invited 20 exceptional individuals to a banquet.  These were talented people, professors, divination specialists, and physicians.  They were also wined and dined and presented various gifts. On the 16th day, the Princes and High Officials were then invited to a banquet in the Daigokuden.  They were given gifts of silk and cloth, based on their rank.  Then they held another riddle competition, with correct answers rewarded with gifts of coarse and flossed silk. This was only a short time after disaster had struck, though a bit removed—two days earlier, in the evening, the royal storehouse at Naniwa had caught fire, eventually burning the entire Toyosaki palace complex to the ground.  Some claimed that it was actually started at a private residence,  that of Ato no Muraji no Kusuri, and then spread to the Palace.  In the end, only the military storehouse was spared. This would have been quite the tragedy for the government, but it did not halt the festivities happening down in Asuka.  The Naniwa Palace appears to have been a major government center for the administration of the state, but it was not the royal court which had been in Asuka for over a decade.  Indeed, I imagine that the news probably reached Asuka around the time of the Banquet itself. And yet, rather than putting a damper on the festivities, they continued another couple of days – presumably everything was already prepared and there was no point in canceling.  On the 17th, the court sponsored a banquet in the rear palace, presumably for the Queen and members of the imperial family.  Then the following day there was a great revel at the palace.  Ohoama took his place in front of the royal muro and made presents to performers, as well as to the singers.  As before everything varied according to rank. Asuka wasn't the only place to get in on the festivities.  The same month, the court also sponsored a banquet for the Silla envoys in Tsukushi, sending Prince Kawachi and others. Regrettably, that would be the last new year that Ohoama would see.  In the fifth month, he grew ill, and what we see in the Chronicles after that is an interesting look into how people of the time dealt with sickness. First, the court had the Sutra of Yakushi expounded at Kawaradera and held a Buddhist retreat in the palace, inviting monks to come and expound Buddhist teachings.  Yakushi, or Yakushi Nyorai—Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit—was known as the Medicine Buddha, and his name in Sinitic characters was basically "Master of Medicine".  It is said that he was responsible for the Eastern Pure Land, and that, as a Bodhisattva, he had made 12 great vows to cure the illnesses of all living beings in the world.  For that reason, Yakushi Nyorai was often called upon to cure illness.  In fact, six years earlier, when the Queen, Uno no Sarara Hime, had taken ill, Ohoama erected an entire temple to Yakushi Nyorai, known as Yakushiji.  He then had 100 people take vows as priests, and they attributed her recovery to this effort. In this case, however, it seems that it didn't have quite such an effect, and Ohoama remained under the weather.  We are also told that the court sent Palace Attendants, the Oho-toneri, to clean the pagodas of various temples and that a general amnesty was announced for all under heaven, emptying the prisons.  All of this points to the idea of making merit in the hope of bringing good karma, and thus healing. But the following month, Ohoama was still ill.  Divination was performed by the Onmyoji, the court diviners, and they claimed that there was a curse from Kusanagi, the sword that is considered one of the three main royal symbols.  This is the sword that was said to have been found by Susanowo in the tale of Yamata no Worochi, and which gained its name, Kusanagi, when used by Yamato Takeru, cutting down the grass to save him when his enemies tried to catch him by setting fire to the field where he was hunting.  For more on that, check out Episodes 34 and 35. Given the importance of Kusanagi, I suspect that the idea of destroying it to remove the curse was out of the question, and so it was sent to Atsuta Shrine, where it was enshrined and would largely stay except when needed for enthronement ceremonies.  And yet, even after the sword was taken away, the illness remained.  Six days later, on the 16th day of the 6th month, the court sent Prince Ise and officials to Asukadera and asked the monks there to make and oath with the Buddha to make Ohoama whole through the power of the Three Treasures of Buddhism.   For their work, the three Buddhist Officers, the Master of the Law, and the Upadhyaya and temple directors, as well as those monks with the rank of "master" each received a donation of one robe and one cover, or "Ohi". Three days later, the court ordered the hundred officials to go to Kawaradera and perfom the ceremony of lighting lanterns and giving offerings to Buddha.  Then they held a great feast and offered repentance for their transgressions.  All of this sounds like a continued attempt to make merit for the state, and thus for Ohoama. We then see the court granting the monks Hounin and Gishou 30 stipend-households to provide for them in their old age, which may be more merit-making, or possibly was related to some of the many other activities so far.  There are a few issues with this entry, and Aston and Bentley don't seem to agree on the actual date.  Bentley has it on the 28th, but that seems odd as it comes before the entry for the 22nd of the same month.  Aston has it as the 20th, but then claimes that there is something odd about the date of the 22nd. On the 22nd, we are simply told that the district kitchen of Nabari caught fire.  Aston notes that this would have been the official government arm in the district gathering food to supply the royal household—rather than being a kitchen in terms of a place to prepare food. Merit-making continued into the 7th month.  We see the Soujou and Soudzu, the primary and secondary prelates of the Asukadera, performing ritual repentance.  The following day there is another general amnesty, and Aston specifically mentions performing a Oho-harai, or cleansing. The day after taxes were halved from the provinces and corvee labor with local conscripted labor was exempted for the year.  Then we see the court presenting paper offerings to the Kunikasu Kami in Ki provinces, as well as the four shrines in Asuka and the Great Suminoe—aka Sumiyoshi—shrine. On the 8th day of the 7th month, 100 monks were invited to the court to read the Golden Light Sutra—Konkoymyou kyou.  And on the 15th there was another court issued amnesty. Despite all of these attempts to make merit and intercede with the Buddha or with various kami, Ohoama's illness continued.  We see that the court issued a decree that all things that should occur, great or small, should be reported to the queen and the crown prince—presumably because Ohoama was no longer in a state to be able to do so. Continuing with their efforts, the court declared that destitute commoners who had been forced to borrow rice seed or money before the 12th month of the previous year would be exempted from repayment.  And then the court changed the name of the year to Akami-tori, or Shuuchou.  They also renamed the palace in Asuka to "Kiyomihara"—again, go check Episode 134 for more on the palace.  "Shuuchou" is the Red Bird, likely referring to Suzaku, though Aston also points out that "Asuka" here is given as "flying bird", as well, and there had been numerous bird-related omens reported throughout the reign. Although these names would not have been used prior to this point—the 7th month of the final year of the reign—the Chroniclers applied the nengo, Shuuchou, to all of the entries for this year, and the name of the palace is often given as "Kiyomihara" is given to distinguish it from the Later Okamoto Palace, even though it was simply the latter palace with the addition of the Ebinoko enclosure. The changing of the era name was likely another attempt to change the seemingly inauspicious year, along with all of the merit-making that the court had been undergoing. And yet they kept going. The court selected 70 people who were diligent in keeping Buddhist laws and had them take the tonsure, and they sponsored a feast—or festival—in the Royal Muro of the Palace. At the same time the various princes had a statue of the Boddhisatva of Compassion, Kannon, made for the sovereign and had the Lotus sutra—the sutra where Kannon is first mentioned—read out at Daikandaiji. Kannon, or Avalokitesvara, was originally seen as a male Boddhisatva, but is often depicted as a woman.  They are also known as Guanyin, from which we get Kannon in Japanese.  Guanyin is also seen as Goddess of Mercy, and is one of the most popular figures across multiple sects of Buddhism and even outside of the Buddhist faith, where she is still seen as a goddess.  In this case, however, it seems clear that the princes were seeking compassion to relieve the sovereign of his affliction. And yet it persisted. They had 80 more people take the tonsure, and then 100 more men and women, placed 100 statues of the Boddhisatva, Kannon, in the palace, and then read out 200 volumes of the Lotus Sutra. And then they made prayers to the kami of Heaven and Earth.  And they dispatched Hata no Imiki no Iwakatsu to present paper offerings to the Tosa great shrine.  Nothing seemed to be working. In the 9th month, we see the royal princes and others, down to the various ministers, all gathered at Kawaradera making oaths for the health of the sovereigns.  This last ditch effort would go unrewarded.  Five days later, and Ohoama would pass away.  Of course, they couldn't just say that he died:  The Chronicles actually say that he divinely departed.  After all, didn't they call him an incarnate kami? Two days later, the court began the ritual of mourning, raising voices in lamentation, and setting up a temporary palace of interment in the courtyard, south of the palace.  Ohoama's body was placed there some thirteen days later, and people mourned his passing. For the rituals, we see monks and nuns performing ritual lamentation in the courtyard between 3 and 5 am, around the time that court officials would normally be waiting at the gates.  Over the next several days, various ceremonies were held and eulogies given.  We are told that the court presented offerings of food for the dead for the first time, and over the next several days monks and nuns would offer their laments and then various individuals would provide their eulogies.  Finally, on the last day of the ninth month, the eulogies concluded with Nyang-u, a Baekje prince, who pronounced a eulogy on behalf of his father, and then the Miyatsuko of various provinces came and did likewise.  There were also performances of all manner of singing and dancing. With that, the reign of Ohoama would come to an end.  The government would continue under his wife, the Queen, and Crown Prince.  We'll get into the succession in a later episode.  For now I'll just say that he was eventually buried in a large tomb in the modern Noguchi area of Asuka, and you can still go see it. And while that does bring us to the end of the reign, we still have a few more things that I want to discuss.   This episode just seemed a good time to talk about all of the various new years ceremonies, and that seemed to lead naturally into the very last year, but there is still more to discuss.  For one thing, we still haven't quite covered the spread of Buddhism and the changes in the structure.  There are also various laws and punishments that are worth covering.  Finally, there are the Chronicles themselves: we've talked about it all along, but the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki are attributed to this era, as is the start of what would become the capital of Fujiwara-kyo—many works that Ohoama would not live to see to the end, but is largely held responsible for starting. But until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, author Joshua Hartzell, MD, MS-HPEd, FACP, FIDSA, is back on the show, and we're taking a deep dive into feedback. We discuss how to give and receive feedback more effectively—a topic that we all should strive to improve in our professional lives. With 25 years of experience in military medicine, Dr. Hartzell is a retired army colonel as well as a practicing internist and infectious diseases physician. Feedback is meant to be a conversation, helping each other better understand where the other individual is coming from. After all, we're never sure what is going on in someone's life until we ask. How do we get better at feedback? Yes, you can read books and consume podcasts like this on it, but explicitly asking someone to give you feedback about yourself may be an even stronger starting point. Dr. Hartzell also encourages getting feedback on your feedback, as it takes practice. "When we give people feedback, it tells them whether their performance aligns with our expectations or not; it really clarifies our expectations. I think that's really important because, without that, it's sort of left up to people to decide: 'Am I doing a good job?'" he told us. Another crucial element surrounding this interview is the critically important notion that a lack of feedback is still a form of feedback so there are no doubt consequences of choosing silence and inaction. Explore Resources from this Podcast Dr. Hartzell's first appearance on our Faculty Factory Podcast, titled “A Comprehensive Look at Developing Excellent Leadership in Medicine” can be found here:  https://facultyfactory.org/joshua-hartzell/ You can learn more about Dr. Hartzell's book, “A Prescription for Caring in Healthcare Leadership: Building a Culture of Compassion and Excellence”, here: https://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Caring-Healthcare-Leadership-Compassion/dp/B0DSQ4276K   Disclaimer: The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the Department of War. References: Kim Scott, Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2019).  Ende J. Feedback in clinical medical education. JAMA. 1983 Aug 12;250(6):777-81.

Why being kind is the best investment.Can kindness be a company's competitive advantage? Bonnie Hayden Cheng says yes — and she's got a business metric to prove it: return on kindness.Cheng is a professor of management at City University of Hong Kong who researches how workplace behaviors affect interpersonal dynamics and well-being. In her book, The Return on Kindness, she explores how organizations that foster a culture of kindness see a measurable ROK — one marked by a more committed, more productive, and less expensive workforce. “Organizations that have this kind of culture around acts of civic virtue, helping, or showing support for people, those end up having employees that want to stay, are less likely to call in sick, are more committed, their performance goes up,” she says. “There's also benefits for the company in terms of higher productivity and efficiency, and even lower costs.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Cheng and host Matt Abrahams explore how to build cultures of kindness — from Cheng's RISE framework for kind leadership to why candor and compassion go hand-in-hand. Whether you're leading a team or simply trying to show up better for your colleagues, Cheng offers a compelling case for measuring what really matters: the return on kindness.Episode Reference Links:Bonnie Hayden ChengBonnie's Book:  The Return on KindnessEp.93 All the Feels: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness Ep.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That WorkConnect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (00:50) - What Is Kind Leadership? (02:52) - The RISE Framework (05:27) - Everyone Can Be a Leader (06:46) - Kindness vs. Niceness (09:15) - Kindness and Candor (10:47) - Communicating Kindness (12:46) - The Power of Tone and Pause (15:03) - Building a Culture of Kindness (17:15) - Protecting Kindness in Organizations (18:33) - The Final Three Questions (21:14) - Conclusion

Follow Job's example and serve the marginalized in your community. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Anahat (Heart) is the home of Self, Soul, Spirit, Atma, all one and meaning the same. Time and time again Her Holiness Shri Mataji has told us: ‘You are nothing but your eternal Spirit.’ This centre has to be treated with the greatest respect and understanding. Pure love, which enlightens all, is the true quality of the Heart.

Do you wish your neighborhood was safer? Or maybe that your kid's teacher wasn't so anti-Christian. Or that you could reach the people you work with for Christ? What if God wanted you to be the one to lead the change? Where would you start? Chip explains how you can be the catalyst for positive, God-honoring change, in your neighborhood, school, or community.How Jesus “reached” a city:A lesson for His disciples -John 4Where did the Breakthrough begin?Whom did Jesus choose to use?How did she “make room” for Breakthrough?What “courageous step” did she take?What did Jesus want His disciples to learn... about Himself? About breakthroughs?Timeless axiom: Unlikely, supernatural breakthroughs are not dependent on aFUTURE work of God, but a PRESENT work of “one”. -John 4:34-39How His followers “reached” the world:A Lesson for Us -Book of ActsWhere did breakthrough begin?Whom did Jesus choose to use?How did they “make room” for breakthrough?What “courageous steps” did they take?What was/is the result?What does Jesus want us to learn . . . about Himself? About ourselves? About breakthroughs?Timeless axiom: Breakthroughs are fueled by COMPASSION and birthed in biblical COMMUNITY.Action steps:PRAY fervently and desperately.EXTEND God's compassion to someone or a group in need this week.JOIN or START a small group to pursue breakthrough “in” you and then “through” you.Broadcast ResourceDownload MP3Message NotesAdditional Resource MentionsI Choose Love BookDaily Discipleship - Psalms of HopeConnect888-333-6003WebsiteChip Ingram AppInstagramFacebookTwitterPartner With UsDonate Online888-333-6003

As winter deepens, Jack reflects on the quiet light that does not go out—the warmth of compassion, generosity, and courage that sustains us through dark seasons. Through stories of everyday kindness and ancient wisdom, he invites us to tend the inner fire that heals and connects us.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.“That's what you carry. That's who you really are. That's what was born in you, is the great heart of compassion and tenderness.” –Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack explores:Compassion as a response to fearEveryday acts of generosityTending the inner fire during dark seasonsBeginner's mind and seeing with wonderAdding your light to a troubled and beautiful world“The heart can't do anything but tenderness and mercy when we really listen.” –Jack KornfieldJack's new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our WorldThis Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack's upcoming livestreams and events here.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack's entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.“Perhaps there is only one person's voice missing for peace to come into the world.” –Jack Kornfield, retelling a traditional teachingStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"I grew up and I became vegetarian listening to punk albums because there was a real punk scene which talked about vegetarianism, which talked about veganism, which talked about the peace movement. And that really influenced me. And there was one record specifically by a band called, Conflict that I listened to and I went vegetarian, and that's the power of music. You know, it's not traditional advocacy. So in a way, I'm kind of paying homage to how I got into animal rights. And I want this album not to be a traditional advocacy tool." - Gemunu de Silva  For nearly four decades, Gemunu de Silva has gone where almost no one else will: inside factory farms, slaughterhouses, fur farms, laboratories, and the hidden corners of global animal industries. Gem is one of the world's most experienced undercover investigators, his work has exposed cruelty across six continents, helped shut down industries and change laws, saving millions of animals in the process. But after 37 years of investigations, he began to realize something unexpected. It wasn't only the images that stayed with him. It was the sounds. The outcry of the animals, the hum of machinery, the clatter of metal, the silence and the noise that animals are forced to live inside every day. In this conversation, Gem joins us to talk about his most unconventional project yet, Industry Standard, an album built from real recordings gathered during decades of undercover investigations. Part music, part journalism, part art, the record captures the industrial soundscape of animal exploitation in a way that no one has ever done before. It's not just an album — it's evidence. And once you hear it, you can't unhear it. Links:  https://www.tracksinvestigations.org/industrystandard https://bandcamp.com/private/P0OU3NM2   INDUSTRY STANDARD:  Advocacy and Use - Sound as a Tool for Change Industry Standard is more than an album. It is a resource for advocacy, education, and campaigning. Built on authentic field recordings from investigations, it offers a new way to engage audiences emotionally and viscerally, especially in spaces where imagery may not be possible, appropriate, or effective. This is sonic storytelling with a purpose. Each track bears witness to real places, real animals, and real suffering, but also offers a reflective space to process, feel, and act.   Ways to Use the Album Podcasts, Radio, and Media We welcome opportunities for interviews, audio features, or creative collaborations. Gemunu de Silva is available to talk about the making of the album, the field recording process, and how it connects to broader investigations and activism. Exhibitions and Installations Industry Standard can be adapted for gallery and museum settings. The tracks can be played with or without accompanying visuals. We can also provide the full eight-page insert artwork for display or digital projection. Outreach and Awareness The album can be shared at stalls, events, and festivals, either as a conversation starter or as part of a deeper listening experience. QR codes to the album and visuals can be printed on flyers, zines, or posters. Campaigning The sounds and visuals can be paired with specific investigations or issues to deepen public understanding. They are especially powerful in campaign launches, press events, or screenings. Education and Talks Use the tracks in schools, universities, or activist training settings to highlight the realities behind animal industries in a unique and memorable way. Listening together can be a powerful shared act of learning.   Get Involved If you are part of an animal group, educational body, media outlet, or cultural space and would like to use Industry Standard, please get in touch. We can help tailor the experience to your needs.

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your requests here. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is Judges 21:13-15. Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them. And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. — Judges 21:13-15 Israel finally shows compassion—but it's a compassion built on tolerance, not truth. They pity the Benjamites, the very tribe they destroyed, but their compassion leads to compromise. They offer peace while perpetuating the very rebellion that tore the nation apart. This is tolerant compassion—a mercy that ignores righteousness. It feels good in the moment, but erodes conviction over time. It's a love that refuses to speak the truth, fearing rejection more than rebellion. We see this same pattern today. Our culture preaches compassion without boundaries. We're told to affirm rather than confront, to love without leading, to sympathize without speaking truth. And too often, the Church imitates it. Take one example: modern parenting. Out of love, some parents avoid disciplining their kids, afraid of hurting their feelings or damaging the relationship. They mistake permissiveness for grace. But in doing so, they create confusion instead of character. Compassion without correction always leads to collapse. The same is true in our faith. When we tolerate what God calls sin, we're not showing love—we're abandoning it. True compassion tells the truth even when it costs us something. Real love doesn't lower the standard; it leads others toward it. God's compassion never compromises His holiness, and neither should ours. The most loving thing we can do is to speak truth with grace, extend mercy with conviction, and love others enough to call them toward repentance. Don't settle for tolerant compassion. Be the kind of believer who loves with both courage and clarity. ASK THIS: Have I mistaken tolerance for compassion in my relationships? What's one area where I've avoided truth to keep peace? How can I show compassion without compromising conviction? Who needs to experience both grace and truth from me today? DO THIS: Identify one area where you've tolerated sin instead of confronting it. Pray for courage to speak truth in love this week. PRAY THIS: Lord, help me to love like You—full of grace and truth. Give me compassion that doesn't compromise and courage that doesn't condemn. Let my mercy lead others to Your righteousness. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Build My Life."

Reach out to someone in your community today. It's your social responsibility. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Join us for an important conversation about the mental health challenges facing young people in our community where academic pressure, perfectionism, and social media create unique stressors for students and families.We talk with CHC's CEO, Ryan Eisenberg, EdD, about how CHC can come alongside families in their toughest moments with compassionate care – through clinical services, school partnerships, and innovative community programs. CHC is working to make mental health support accessible to all – including free parent consultations and free parent support groups to culturally competent services in multiple languages.Discover practical steps parents and educators can take today: normalize conversations about mental health, engage support systems, and remember that we're all part of a community. This episode offers hope that when we work together and eliminate the shame around asking for help, every young person can thrive.Resources:CHC OnlineCHC's Catherine T. Harvey Center for Clinical ServicesCHC's Resource LibrarySign up for our Virtual Village email list to receive our latest episodes and recent CHC updates. Visit Voices of Compassion online for full show notes including additional resources. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and visit our YouTube channel for videos. Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you listen! We love to hear from you - email us at podcast@chconline.org.Santo Rico by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Today Dr. Mays talks about the compassion of Jesus Christ. He uses two miracles from the book of Matthew to explain just how compassionate Jesus is.Foundation Scripture: Matthew 8:1-13How can Agape Leaders serve you?   Please find us at:         Website:  http://www.agapeleaders.org/    LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-mays/      Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/agapeleaders.org      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agapeleaders10/ Bible Break With Agape Leaders: http://www.agapeleaders.org/daily-devotionTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greggmays            YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCmM7ETR652mLtDSKSjda-pwGet Your Copy of the A Word Wednesday Devotion: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=A+Word+Wednesday+Devotion&ref=nav_bb_sbRead Dr. Mays' book Practical Leadership: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=practical+leadership+lessons+from+an+average+leader&crid=259U5RNS5J5W5&sprefix=Practical+Leadership%2Caps%2C102&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_20 Give to ALCFM: http://www.agapeleaders.org/store/p15/Agape_Leaders_Christian_Fellowship_Ministry_Support.html

PSR Podcast is a listener supported outreach of Be Broken Ministries. Partner with us through giving at BeBroken.org/donate. Thank you for your support!----------In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Stephen Cervantes from DoctorMarriage.org to explore how we see ourselves, others, and how Jesus sees us all. We dive into the impact of shame, addiction, and early life experiences on our identity, and discuss the healing power of viewing ourselves through Jesus's compassionate eyes. Together, we reflect on practical ways to break free from self-judgment and embrace a more loving, connected life—reminding ourselves that we're all on a journey toward growth, healing, and deeper relationships, with God, ourselves, and others.For daily insights from Stephen, visit DoctorMarriage.org. Topics Covered in this Episode:Exploration of self-perception and its impact on personal growth.Examination of how individuals perceive others and the implications of these views.Discussion of Jesus's perspective on individuals and others.The role of early life experiences in shaping self and other perceptions.The influence of shame and guilt in addiction and identity struggles.The transformative potential of understanding Jesus's compassionate view.The connection between self-acceptance and recovery from addiction.The impact of pain on self-view and behavior patterns.The relationship between self-identity and social connections.The importance of compassion and community in healing and personal development.More Resources:Identity* by John FortDaily Thoughts from Doctor MarriageGentle and Lowly* by Dane OrtlundRelated Podcasts:Overcoming Shame and Embracing Your True IdentityBreaking Free from Shame: Knowing Your Identity in ChristHow to Be at Peace in Aloneness*This is an affiliate link. Be Broken may earn referral fees on purchases through this link.----------Please rate and review our podcast: Apple PodcastsFollow us on our Vimeo Channel.

In this podcast, Bhante explores how mindful meditators can respond to anger, violence, and instability in the world without losing their inner peace. It emphasizes that compassion and peacefulness are not weaknesses but powerful values that lead to wisdom and genuine strength, even when surroundings are chaotic. Rather than reacting with anger, meditators are encouraged to uphold their values, recognize ignorance with compassion, and actively model peace in challenging times.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3876: Eric Teplitz invites us to reframe life through two powerful lenses: the possibility that we are inherently safe despite perceived chaos, and the gentle strength of starting over without judgment. By blending introspective philosophy with practical mindfulness, he offers a liberating perspective on how we navigate challenges, both real and imagined, with resilience, compassion, and a playful spirit. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://ericteplitz.medium.com/you-are-protected-no-problems-detected-4856ed87f95d & https://ericteplitz.medium.com/begin-again-78462ac2de7b Quotes to ponder: “When you feel you have betrayed yourself in some way by not following through on your higher intentions, gently and lovingly collect yourself, redirect yourself, and… Begin again.” “Compassion and forgiveness can actually be cultivated through silent practice.” “If you knew that it wasn't ‘real' (and therefore, didn't ‘matter'), how seriously would you take it?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good things come in small packages. Do you believe that? Whether it's a wedding ring, or a smart phone, or a nice wristwatch, we all know that a small package can contain some pretty interesting stuff. Interestingly, Jesus was a big proponent of small. Chip unleashes the secret of how to get the most from those small things in life.How Jesus “reached” a city:A lesson for His disciples -John 4Where did the Breakthrough begin?Whom did Jesus choose to use?How did she “make room” for Breakthrough?What “courageous step” did she take?What did Jesus want His disciples to learn... about Himself? About breakthroughs?Timeless axiom: Unlikely, supernatural breakthroughs are not dependent on aFUTURE work of God, but a PRESENT work of “one”. -John 4:34-39How His followers “reached” the world:A Lesson for Us -Book of ActsWhere did breakthrough begin?Whom did Jesus choose to use?How did they “make room” for breakthrough?What “courageous steps” did they take?What was/is the result?What does Jesus want us to learn... about Himself? About ourselves? About breakthroughs?Timeless axiom: Breakthroughs are fueled by COMPASSION and birthed in biblical COMMUNITY.Action steps:PRAY fervently and desperately.EXTEND God's compassion to someone or a group in need this week.JOIN or START a small group to pursue breakthrough “in” you and then “through” you.Broadcast ResourceDownload MP3Message NotesAdditional Resource MentionsI Choose Love BookDaily Discipleship - Psalms of HopeConnect888-333-6003WebsiteChip Ingram AppInstagramFacebookTwitterPartner With UsDonate Online888-333-6003

We would love to hear from you! Please send us your comments here. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Many people know God is loving and kind—but struggle to feel or trust that love in their most wounded places. For those impacted by trauma, religious abuse, legalism, or deep loss, God can feel distant, harsh, or unsafe. In this moving conversation, host Jennifer Slattery sits down with author Sherri Hughes Gregg to explore how Jesus consistently reveals Himself as tender, compassionate, and near to the brokenhearted. Drawing from Sherri’s book The Compassionate Christ, her personal journey through divorce and cancer, and powerful Gospel narratives—including the leper, the grieving widow, and the Samaritan woman—this episode gently challenges fear-based views of God and invites listeners into healing truth. Together, Jennifer and Sherri model how we can wrestle respectfully with Scripture, release shame-laden interpretations, and encounter Christ as He truly is: the One who comforts, restores dignity, and brings beauty from ashes. Resource referenced: The Compassionate Christ: Draw Near to the Risen Savior (A 31-Day Devotional Retelling of Stories from the Life of Jesus) Discussion/Reflective Questions: When you think about God’s posture toward you, what emotions surface most easily—fear, comfort, suspicion, hope? Why do you think that is? How have past experiences (family, church culture, trauma, or suffering) shaped the way you interpret Jesus’ actions and words in Scripture? Which Gospel story mentioned in this episode—the leper, the widow, or the Samaritan woman—do you most relate to right now? What about it resonates with your current season? Are there moments when suffering or disappointment has caused old fears or shame-based beliefs about God to resurface? How have you responded to those thoughts? What would it look like to intentionally observe how Jesus interacts with wounded people in the Gospels, without filtering His actions through fear or self-condemnation? Where might God be inviting you to receive comfort before resolution—to trust His nearness even while you wait for healing or answers? What is one lie about God’s character you feel prompted to gently release—and one truth about His compassion you want to sit with this week? Connect with Sherri Hughes Gregg: On Instagram On Amazon Find Jennifer Slattery: On her website Instagram Facebook Amazon Subscribe to her free newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Join Kasey Olander, Sam Won and Rebecca Carrell as they explore why the church needs to recover the lost art of lament by showing how biblical lament serves as a vital tool for navigating loss while affirming the compatibility of deep grief and Christian hope   Time codes: 9:52  Misconceptions About Grief in the Church 18:16  The Structure of a Lament Psalm 22:23  The Honesty of Biblical Lament 24:41  How to Grieve With Those Who Grieve 35:35  The Pressure to Mask vs. The Compassion of Christ 43:12  Lament as a Theological Mirror 45:17  Sufferers are Marginalized 47:29  What we Should Learn from Lament Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send Zorba a message!Zorba shares his thoughts on recents events in Minneapolis surrounding a fatal shooting carried out by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.(recorded January 12, 2025)Support the showProduction, edit, and music by Karl Christenson Send your question to Dr. Zorba (he loves to help!): Phone: 608-492-9292 (call anytime) Email: askdoctorzorba@gmail.com Web: www.doctorzorba.org Stay well!

Most entrepreneurs prepare for growth, partnership, and success—but few prepare for what happens when a business partnership ends. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, attorney Margeaux Thomas pulls back the curtain on one of the most emotionally charged and financially high-stakes challenges a founder can face: the business divorce. Margeaux specializes in helping founders, partners, and executives untangle their companies, their identities, and their futures when a partnership breaks apart. She shares the unseen emotional toll, the common patterns she witnesses in conflict, and the transformational process she uses to guide both parties toward resolution, clarity, and a more abundant life beyond the breakup. Whether you're in a partnership now, considering one, or navigating a separation of your own, this conversation offers powerful insights into conflict, communication, and reclaiming your future. In This Episode 00:45 — What Is a Business Divorce? Margeaux describes how business breakups mirror personal divorces—emotionally, psychologically, and financially. 01:10 — The Hidden Stress Behind Business Breakups How years of investment, employees' livelihoods, and identity all amplify the tension. 01:35 — The Emotional Patterns Margeaux Sees Every Time Fear of loss, betrayal, resentment, and the stories partners create about each other. 01:58 — Moving From Conflict to Clarity Margeaux's process for helping partners express their truth, identify what they really want, and de-escalate hostility. 02:22 — Accessing Abundance After the Breakup How partners evolve, rediscover purpose, and build better lives once the conflict is settled. 02:40 — Why Most Founders Don't Prepare for This The false belief that partnership problems "won't happen to us" and why this mindset is costly. 03:05 — The Power of Neutral Facilitation Why outside support isn't optional—it's essential when emotions distort reality. 03:30 — Final Thoughts & Where to Learn More Margeaux shares her closing insights and resources.

Mary answers the question, "How do we offer Loving Kindness to those that commit atrocities?"  This is a common question, and is especially relevant right now. The heart practices do not ask us to ignore feelings or emotions that arise when faced with the violence and oppression so rampant today. Instead we are invited to greet whatever shows up and reflect on where we are and how we are holding our own pain. The heart practices invite us into our own healing which allows us to open to others.Recorded Jan. 10, 2026 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Send Zorba a message!Zorba shares his thoughts on recents events in Minneapolis surrounding a fatal shooting carried out by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.(recorded January 12, 2025)Support the showProduction, edit, and music by Karl Christenson Send your question to Dr. Zorba (he loves to help!): Phone: 608-492-9292 (call anytime) Email: askdoctorzorba@gmail.com Web: www.doctorzorba.org Stay well!

God sees your pain, but He gives you power to overcome it. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Join Pastor Derek Neider in this inspiring episode of The Daily Devotional as he kicks off a powerful new series on the book of Matthew. Through thoughtful reflections, Derek encourages us to embrace our calling to serve Christ wholeheartedly and live out our faith with purpose and surrender.Tune in for insightful teachings, practical application, and a fresh perspective on what it means to live as servants of the gospel. This is just the beginning—there's so much more to come as we journey through Romans together!Thank you for listening! Here are some ways to learn more and stay connected!New to faith? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Pastor Derek Neider⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Derek on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the daily devotional⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore recent messages!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This podcast was created by Pastor Derek Neider as a ministry of Awaken Las Vegas.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our website. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We are located at 7175 W. Oquendo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89113.  Our gathering times are 9am & 11am Sundays and 6:30pm Thursdays.

In this episode, Krista sits down with bestselling author Tara Schuster to talk about what healing really looks like behind the scenes. Tara shares how journaling became the foundation of her mental health, why retreats can activate insecurity + comparison, and how inner child work actually shows up in daily life—not just therapy sessions. Ahead, find out why real self-compassion requires more courage than most people expect. Tara also opens up about leaving unhealthy relationships, navigating modern dating without losing yourself, and learning to trust your own inner authority instead of viral advice. This conversation is an honest, practical reminder that growth isn't aesthetic or linear—but it is available to you. If you're moving through a breakup, identity shift, or season of reinvention, this episode offers grounded tools + permission to choose yourself, again and again. We also talk about: How IFS therapy helps you understand your inner parts + emotional patterns Tara's daily mental health rituals + why ritual works differently than habit Specific journaling practices proven to build resilience + reduce anxiety Healing the “inner popular girl” + letting go of comparison + self-judgment What it really takes to leave toxic relationships + reclaim self-worth Compassion for men, modern dating dynamics, and rewriting unhealthy narratives Why celebrating small wins is essential for long-term self-trust The downside of viral dating advice—and how to reconnect with your intuition Creating meaningful rituals without spending money or following trends Why “effortless healing” is a myth—and what real transformation actually demands Resources: Instagram: @taraschuster Substack: @taraschuster Website: taraschuster.com This Journal F*cking Works Purchase Link Order our book, Almost 30: A Definitive Guide To A Life You Love For The Next Decade and Beyond, here: https://bit.ly/Almost30Book.  Sponsors: BetterHelp | This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/almost30 and get on your way to being your best self with 10% off your first month. Chime | It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to Chime.com/ALMOST30. Paleovalley | Head to paleovalley.com/almost30 for 15% off your order! Our Place | Visit fromourplace.com/ALMOST30 and use code ALMOST30 for 10% off sitewide.  Fatty15 | Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/ALMOST30 and use code ALMOST30 at checkout.  Ka'Chava | Go to kachava.com and use code ALMOST30 for 15% off your next order. Hero Bread | Hero Bread is offering 10% off your order. Go to hero.co and use code ALMOST30 at checkout. Revolve | Shop at REVOLVE.com/ALMOST30 and use code ALMOST30 for 15% off your first order. #REVOLVEpartner To advertise on this podcast please email: partnerships@almost30.com. Learn More: https://almost30.com/about https://almost30.com/morningmicrodose https://almost30.com/book Join our community: https://facebook.com/Almost30podcast/groups https://instagram.com/almost30podcast https://tiktok.com/@almost30podcast https://youtube.com/Almost30Podcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: almost30.com/disclaimer.  Almost 30 is edited by Garett Symes and Isabella Vaccaro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices