Podcasts about illness

Abnormal condition that negatively affects an organism

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    Best podcasts about illness

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    Latest podcast episodes about illness

    Badass Breastfeeding Podcast
    Nursing Strikes

    Badass Breastfeeding Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2026 34:11


    Submit your question and we'll answer it in a future episode!Join our Patreon Community!https://www.patreon.com/badassbreastfeedingpodcastThis week's episode is also brought to you by Nursing Queen; stylish nursing clothes that will make your life easier and that you'll want to wear long after your nursing days are over. Use promo code BADASS for 10% off your purchase at www.nursingqueen.com.No one is happy when a nursing strike happens. But what causes them? Listen inas Dianne and Abby discuss nursing strikes, what causes them and how you canget through them. Tune into this episode today!If you are a new listener, we would love to hear from you.  Please consider leavingus a review on iTunes or sending us an email with your suggestions and commentsto badassbreastfeedingpodcast@gmail.com. You can also add your email to ourlist and have episodes sent right to your inbox!Things we talked about:Nursing strikes are developmentally normal [8:49]Weaning -vs- nursing strike [9:53]Illness [10:50]Developmental stuff [12:33]Parental reasons [13:30]Don't force the feeds [15:50]Feeding in a dark room [19:45]Protect the milk supply {20:36}Things that warrant a medical assessment [21:24]Emotions [27:16]Links to information we discussed or episodes you should check out!https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/071-overfeeding-paced-bottle-feeding/https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/maintaining-milk-supply/Set up your consultation with Diannehttps://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/consultations/Check out Dianne's blog here:https://diannecassidyconsulting.com/milklytheblog/Follow our Podcast:https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.comHere is how you can connect with Dianne and Abby:AbbyTheuring ,https://www.thebadassbreastfeeder.comDianne Cassidy @diannecassidyibclc, http://www.diannecassidyconsulting.comMusic we use:Music: Levels of Greatness from We Used to Paint Stars in the Sky (2012)courtesy of Scott Holmes at freemusicarchive.org/music/ScottHolmes

    Overthink
    Illness

    Overthink

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2026 56:57


    What does it mean to be ill? In episode 159 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss illness. They explore how illness has been mythologized, how it may alienate us from our bodies, and how it impacts social relationships. Is science the solution to the mythologization of illness, or is the scientific model of illness its own form of mythology? How should we conceptualize illness? Is it as a “deviation” from a norm? And if so, what norm? Finally, what can we learn about illness from a phenomenological approach that centers the patient's first-person experience? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts think about the distinction between the mental and the physical in connection to illness and the intersection between mind and body in illness. Works Discussed:Georges Canguilhem, The Normal and the PathologicalHavi Carel, Illness:  The Cry of the Flesh,Susan Sontag, Illness as MetaphorSK Toombs, The Meaning of Illness: A Phenomenological Account of the Different Perspectives of Physician and PatientEnjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Unashamed with Phil Robertson
    Ep 1260 | Jase, Missy & Kasey Van Norman Have a Heavy Conversation About Cheating, Shame & True Healing

    Unashamed with Phil Robertson

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 56:31


    Jase, Missy, and Al dive into an unfiltered conversation about cheating, confession, and the judgment that often follows when sin comes into the light. Joined by longtime friend, author, and counselor Kasey Van Norman, they confront the lie beneath adultery and why hiding can feel safer than healing, especially in church culture. Kasey shares her own story of infidelity, exposure, and redemption, revealing how honesty brought freedom even when consequences were severe.  In this episode: 1 John 1, verse 7; John 8, verses 1–11; Ephesians 6, verses 16–17; Isaiah 6, verses 5–8 “Unashamed” Episode 1260 is sponsored by: https://preborn.com/unashamed — Visit the PreBorn! website or dial #250 and use keyword BABY to donate today. https://myphdweightloss.com — Find out how Al lost 80+ pounds. Schedule your one-on-one consultation today by visiting the website or calling 864-644-1900 and mention "AL" http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ — Sign up now for free, and join the Unashamed hosts every Friday for Unashamed Academy Powered by Hillsdale College wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters: 00:00 Unashamed “after dark” 03:58 Why church smiles don't match Sunday morning reality 07:12 Parenting later in life changes everything 09:16 Missy welcomes longtime friend Casey Van Norman 12:38 Duck hunting & menopause don't mix 20:36 Casey's marriage story & the moment everything shifted 27:48 Believing in God but believing the wrong lie 35:04 Confession, consequences, & real freedom 42:18 Illness, criticism, & choosing grace anyway 49:36 Creating space for healing — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Joni and Friends Radio

    Send Us Your Prayer Requests --------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.

    Naughty But Nice with Rob Shuter
    CATHERINE O'HARA'S SECRET FINAL ILLNESS, RHONY STARS' BRAVO BETRAYAL & KYLIE JENNER–TRAVIS SCOTT'S FAMILY TRUCE

    Naughty But Nice with Rob Shuter

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 20:49 Transcription Available


    Hollywood was stunned by the quiet final illness of comedy icon Catherine O’Hara, while reality TV shook as the original Real Housewives of New York City cast ditched Bravo for a rival network. Meanwhile, exes Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott called a temporary truce, reuniting for a lavish joint birthday celebration for their children. Rob’s latest exclusives and insider reporting can be found at robshuter.substack.com His forthcoming novel, It Started With A Whisper, is now available for pre-orderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The Metabolism and Menopause Podcast
    How to Adjust Your Nutrition & Training When You're Sick (Without Losing Progress) | MMP Ep. 270

    The Metabolism and Menopause Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 23:11


    The Rich Keefe Show
    HR 1 - Drake Maye's illness changes the perspective on everything

    The Rich Keefe Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2026 40:20


    On top of his shoulder injury, Drake Maye was absent with an illness which now raises some big red flags a week before the Super Bowl. What is the new level of concern about Maye, his illness, and his shoulder? Then, Andrew Destin from the Associated Press in Washington joins the show to talk about the Seahawks' feelings about facing the Patriots again in a Super Bowl rematch. And, a caller suggests the rift between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft will resurface if the Pats lose, but Belichick should be nowhere nears these Patriots.

    Ordway, Merloni & Fauria
    1/30/26 Full Show - Drake Maye misses practice due to illness + injury | Mike Giardi, Dr. Al Franchi join

    Ordway, Merloni & Fauria

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2026 166:26


    Topics discussed: Mike Vrabel speaks to the media after Drake Maye misses practice due to illness + injury // Why Robert Spillane's absence from practice has Andy Hart especially concerned // Which unit (the offense or the defense) needs to step up for New England to win? // Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi on how the Patriots can contain star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba // Ted Johnson's build-up and early keys to the game for Patriots-Seahawks next weekend // Orthopedic physician Dr. Al Franchi diagnoses Drake Maye's injury + provides a treatment plan // Ferzoco Friday: reacting to Jayson Tatum potentially missing the entire 2025-26 season // It's Andy vs. Fitzy in a "Quiz with Stiz" on the Super Bowl! // Three Point Stance, The Drive, Odds and Ends + more!

    Well, that f*cked me up! Surviving life changing events.
    S6 EP5: Dr Joy's Story - Escape From The Man That Brought Me To America!

    Well, that f*cked me up! Surviving life changing events.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2026 49:42


    Send us a textDr Joy Kong joins us this week to discuss an important part of her life, which she turned into a book, entitled ‘Tiger Of Beijing: The Inspirational Memoir of a Fierce Regenerative Medicine Physician' .. and it's fascinating! As a student in China in the early Nineties, stifled by the Chinese government's control over students' ambitions to study abroad, Joy realizes the system won't change. She devises a daring plan to secure her exit visa to the U.S., transforming into the fierce "Tiger of Beijing."However, before she lands in America, Joy faces a new, more daunting challenge, calling forth her inner strength once more. Set in post-Tiananmen Beijing, Tiger of Beijing tellsJoy's five-year journey from China to San Francisco, where she finally finds the freedom she longed for. In this amazing episode, we hear about that journey and discuss the man that brought her to the USA that she would eventually have to escape from!https://joykongmd.com/https://www.instagram.com/dr_joy_kong/https://www.youtube.com/@joykongmdhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-kong-md-4b8627123/https://a.co/d/fZbOmDGSupport the show

    Here to Evolve
    124. Q+A Day | Running Shoes, Injuries, Fat Loss & Staying Consistent Long-Term

    Here to Evolve

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2026 59:41


    In today's Q+A episode, we're answering real questions from real people navigating the messy middle of fitness. From finding the right running shoes and training through injuries, to preserving muscle during fat loss and staying motivated when progress slows—this episode covers a wide range of challenges that almost everyone faces at some point. We talk about why progress often looks different for seasoned lifters, how and when to adjust your training style, and why small, realistic goals are often the missing piece for long-term consistency. We also dive into the role of nutrition during fat loss, how useful fitness trackers really are, and what to do when illness or setbacks derail your routine. If you've ever felt stuck, frustrated, or unsure whether you're doing the "right" thing—this episode will help you zoom out, adapt intelligently, and keep moving forward without starting over. As always, the goal isn't perfection—it's progress you can actually sustain. APPLY FOR COACHING: https://www.lvltncoaching.com/1-1-coaching The Fitness League app https://www.fitnessleagueapp.com/ Macros Guide https://www.lvltncoaching.com/free-resources/calculate-your-macros Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lvltncoaching FREE TOOLS to start your health and fitness journey: https://www.lvltncoaching.com/resources/freebies Alessandra's Instagram: http://instagram.com/alessandrascutnik Joelle's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joellesamantha?igsh=ZnVhZjFjczN0OTdn Josh's Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshscutnik Chapters 00:00 Welcome Back and Q&A Introduction 00:58 Running Shoes and Preferences 03:06 Injury Management and Alternative Exercises 07:23 Progress and Expectations in Fitness 11:37 The Reality of Progress in Long-Term Training 15:06 Setting Goals and Finding Motivation 17:43 Changing Training Styles for Progress 18:48 Fitness Trackers: Garmin vs. Apple Watch 20:20 Running Frequency and Program Adherence 21:32 Pregnancy and Modifying Exercises 22:40 Affordable Meat Options and Nutrition 25:26 Muscle Preservation During Fat Loss 30:10 Dealing with Illness and Training Adjustments 35:47 Getting Back on Track After Setbacks 42:08 Aerobic Training and VO2 Max 46:26 Adjusting Macros for Different Training Days

    Eat. Play. Sex.
    178: Fostering Eroticism + Pleasure while Living with Chronic Pain and Illness with Suzannah Weiss

    Eat. Play. Sex.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2026 52:22


    In this episode, I sit down with Suzannah Weiss to explore how eroticism and pleasure can be cultivated while living with chronic pain and illness. We unpack the cultural myths that normalize women's suffering, how pain and fatigue impact libido and orgasm, and what it means to stay connected to pleasure when the body isn't cooperating. An intimate, grounded conversation on listening to the body, redefining sex beyond performance, and reclaiming erotic agency in all seasons of health.In this episode you'll hear:00:00 Intro02:50 Chronic Pain, Libido, and Erotic Truth06:06 Eve's Curse and the Myth of Women's Pain08:13 PMS, Power, and Cultural Backlash16:08 Medical Gaslighting and the Cost of Not Being Believed31:50 The Myth of the Elusive Female OrgasmTHE SKINNY ON OUR SEXY GUESTSuzannah Weiss is a writer and psychotherapist focused on sexuality, relationships, and women's empowerment. She is the author of Subjectified, a memoir-manifesto on ending objectification, and Eve's Blessing, a personal, political, and spiritual exploration of reclaiming pleasure where women have been taught to accept pain. With over 8,800 published articles, her work has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Through her writing and therapy practice, Suzannah challenges cultural myths about women's bodies and invites a more liberated, pleasure-affirming relationship with sexuality.LINKS FROM THE SHOWSuzannah Weiss – official website - https://suzannahweiss.com/Books by Suzannah Weiss:→ Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject - https://a.co/d/66E2aex→ Eve's Blessing: Uncovering the Lost Pleasure Behind Female Pain - https://a.co/d/blrgCBeTwitter / X: @SuzannahWeissInstagram: @SuzannaWise (W-I-S-E)WANT MORE?Join me for my monthly Un.done Classes: learn.sexloveyoga.com/come-undoneSensual Awakening: https://sexloveyoga.mykajabi.com/sensual-awakeningErotically Undone: https://sexloveyoga.mykajabi.com/EroticallyUndone****Sensual Sundays Guide: https://learn.sexloveyoga.com/sensual-sundaysBig Cat Energy: https://learn.sexloveyoga.com/big-cat-energy

    Podcast – Narcissist Abuse Support
    Claiming Your Calm: How to Regulate Your Emotions When Dealing with a Narcissist | Elizabeth Kipp

    Podcast – Narcissist Abuse Support

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2026


    Subscribe in a reader   Check out my product recommendations for Narcissist Abuse Survivors! – https://www.amazon.com/shop/tracymalone *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Listen to my podcasts anytime by subscribing with your favorite provider! The post Claiming Your Calm: How to Regulate Your Emotions When Dealing with a Narcissist | Elizabeth Kipp appeared first on Narcissist Abuse Support.

    The Real Truth About Health Free 17 Day Live Online Conference Podcast
    Preventing illness vs. fixing it at the bottom of the cliff

    The Real Truth About Health Free 17 Day Live Online Conference Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2026 30:27


    Dr. Delgado critiques antibiotics and surgeries, introduces aging reversal principles, and explains how diet and biofeedback guide real-time health. #LifestyleMedicine #HealthPrevention #AntiAging #HealthTalks

    Forbidden Knowledge News
    FKN Classics Double Feature! | Sean Hanlon - The Hidden Hand | Dawn Lester - Illness & Placebo

    Forbidden Knowledge News

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2026 133:29 Transcription Available


    Enjoy these back to back throwback episodes! Forbidden Knowledge Network https://forbiddenknowledge.news/ FKN Link Treehttps://linktr.ee/FKNlinksMake a Donation to Forbidden Knowledge News https://www.paypal.me/forbiddenknowledgenehttps://buymeacoffee.com/forbiddenWe are back on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@forbiddenknowledgenews?si=XQhXCjteMKYNUJSjBackup channelhttps://youtube.com/@fknshow1?si=tIoIjpUGeSoRNaEsDoors of Perception is available now on Amazon Prime!https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.8a60e6c7-678d-4502-b335-adfbb30697b8&ref_=atv_lp_share_mv&r=webDoors of Perception official trailerhttps://youtu.be/F-VJ01kMSII?si=Ee6xwtUONA18HNLZPick up Independent Media Token herehttps://www.independentmediatoken.com/Be prepared for any emergency with Prep Starts Now!https://prepstartsnow.com/discount/FKNStart your microdosing journey with BrainsupremeGet 15% off your order here!!https://brainsupreme.co/FKN15Book a free consultation with Jennifer Halcame Emailjenniferhalcame@gmail.comFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561665957079&mibextid=ZbWKwLWatch The Forbidden Documentary: Occult Louisiana on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/pGXW6chxCJbC60 PurplePowerhttps://go.shopc60.com/FORBIDDEN10/or use coupon code knowledge10Johnny Larson's artworkhttps://www.patreon.com/JohnnyLarsonSign up on Rokfin!https://rokfin.com/fknplusPodcastshttps://www.spreaker.com/show/forbiddenAvailable on all platforms Support FKN on Spreaker https://spreaker.page.link/KoPgfbEq8kcsR5oj9FKN ON Rumblehttps://rumble.com/c/FKNpGet Cory Hughes books!Lee Harvey Oswald In Black and White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJ2PQJRMA Warning From History Audio bookhttps://buymeacoffee.com/jfkbook/e/392579https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jfkbookhttps://www.amazon.com/Warning-History-Cory-Hughes/dp/B0CL14VQY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=72HEFZQA7TAP&keywords=a+warning+from+history+cory+hughes&qid=1698861279&sprefix=a+warning+fro%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1https://coryhughes.org/Become Self-Sufficient With A Food Forest!!https://foodforestabundance.com/get-started/?ref=CHRISTOPHERMATHUse coupon code: FORBIDDEN for discountsOur Facebook pageshttps://www.facebook.com/forbiddenknowledgenewsconspiracy/https://www.facebook.com/FKNNetwork/Instagram @forbiddenknowledgenews1@forbiddenknowledgenetworkXhttps://x.com/ForbiddenKnow10?t=uO5AqEtDuHdF9fXYtCUtfw&s=09Email Forbidden Knowledge News forbiddenknowledgenews@gmail.comsome music thanks to:https://www.bensound.com/ULFAPO3OJSCGN8LDDGLBEYNSIXA6EMZJ5FUXWYNC6WJNJKRS8DH27IXE3D73E97DC6JMAFZLSZDGTWFIBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forbidden-knowledge-news--3589233/support.

    Equipped with Chris Brooks
    Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness

    Equipped with Chris Brooks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2026


    Do you have a loved one whose life is wracked by illness and pain? Whether you’re a family member or friend, your life changes, too. On the next edition of Equipped with Chris Brooks, Nate Brooks joins us. He has walked alongside a spouse with chronic pain. If you’re on that journey, don’t miss the comfort and hope found in Scripture. Featured resource:Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness by Nate Brooks January thank you gift:Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become Like Him. Do as He Did. by John Mark Comer Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible through your support. To donate now, click here.

    Story Behind
    When a Loyal Customer Didn't Show Up, This Chef Saved Him | Family Battling Daughter's Illness Gets Perfect Secret Santa Surprise

    Story Behind

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2026 6:16 Transcription Available


    For almost a decade, loyal Pensacola, FL, Shrimp Basket customer Charlie Hicks showed up twice a day for his usual bowl of gumbo with light rice. AND A family battling a daughter’s rare illness gets the perfect secret Santa surprise. To see videos and photos referenced in this episode, visit GodUpdates! https://www.godtube.com/blog/chef-helps-older-man.html https://www.godtube.com/blog/perfect-secret-santa-surprise.html Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

    Takeaways with Kirk Cameron
    Psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud Shares Miraculous Faith Journey Through Depression, Illness & Finding Purpose | Ep. 253

    Takeaways with Kirk Cameron

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 53:01


    Psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud joins Kirk Cameron to share his moving testimony and personal faith journey. He discusses how his early struggles led to a powerful salvation story that he now uses to lead others to Christ. Don't miss this inspiring interview on Takeaways with Kirk Cameron on TBN! Missed the last episode? Listen in as Matthew West discusses the power of persistent prayer. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH Takeaways with Kirk Cameron episodes for free on TBN+⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Each episode of Takeaways with Kirk Cameron features knowledgeable guests having a respectful and thoughtful conversation surrounding topics that are impacting our society every day. Kirk's hope is that you will walk away from this show with practical steps on how to better your family, your community, and your nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Linda's Corner: Faith, Family, and Living Joyfully
    Reclaiming Your Life: Healing Chronic Pain and Illness with Lori Clemmons

    Linda's Corner: Faith, Family, and Living Joyfully

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 35:34


    Reclaiming Your Life: Healing Chronic Pain and Illness with Lori ClemmonsEpisode Summary:In this transformative episode of Linda's Corner: Inspiration for a Better Life, we welcome Lori Clemmons—compassionate wellness coach, certified clinical trauma specialist, NLP master practitioner, hypnotherapy expert, and survivor of chronic illness. Lori shares her remarkable journey of living with chronic illness and pain for over 27 years, including being bedridden for more than a year and homebound for over two. Despite following every traditional path to healing—from medication to specialized diets—nothing worked… until she approached healing from the inside out.Lori opens up about the emotional and physical toll of chronic illness and how a shift in perspective—slowing down, cultivating joy, and finding peace—transformed her health and life. She teaches that true healing starts when we calm the nervous system and create space for the body to rest and repair.If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or hopeless on your health journey, Lori's story offers real hope and practical steps to reclaim your well-being. Learn how mindfulness, self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and small daily choices can ignite powerful healing from within.Key Takeaways:Chronic illness can be linked to an overactive stress response—we can't heal when we're stuck in fight-or-flight.Healing often begins by slowing down and making space for joy, art, stillness, and gratitude.You can experience joy even with symptoms.Nervous system regulation is foundational—start small: one breath, one walk, one kind word to yourself.Positive self-talk and compassionate self-coaching are powerful tools for long-term wellness.Healing is not about doing more—it's about being more present and choosing what nourishes your mind, body, and spirit.Powerful Quotes from Lori Clemmons:“I started trying to find joy in life rather than slogging through and working so hard... and once I made that switch, my symptoms started reducing. Within about 10 months, my symptoms were all gone.”“It wasn't until I could relax the nervous system that my body had the energy to be able to focus on healing. And it was amazing.”“If you have a fire in the kitchen, it's not the time to be making your bed.”“We reclaim moments. And by reclaiming moments, we calm the nervous system and allow the body to heal.”An Invitation to Our Listeners:If you're dealing with chronic illness or pain, we invite you to pause. Reflect. And consider that healing might not be about trying harder, but about softening, listening, and allowing your body to return to safety. As Dr. John Demartini says, “Incurable means curable from within.”Connect with Lori Clemmons:

    Ancestral Findings (Genealogy Gold Podcast)
    AF-1232: Before Safety Nets, There Was Each Other | Ancestral Findings Podcast

    Ancestral Findings (Genealogy Gold Podcast)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 8:06


    Before welfare offices and Social Security checks, there was something older and far more personal. There was each other. When I look at my own ancestors, this shows up clearly. They lived on farms where the nearest neighbor might be a mile away. Today, that sounds distant. In their world, it was close enough to matter. That mile represented connection, not isolation. It meant someone could walk over if they had to. It meant help was available, even if it took effort to reach it. Those neighbors mattered because life demanded cooperation. Weather did not wait. Crops did not pause. Illness did not schedule itself conveniently. When something went wrong, there was no hotline to call and no agency to apply to. What existed instead were people who knew each other's land, habits, and circumstances... Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/before-safety-nets-there-was-each-other/ Ancestral Findings Podcast: https://ancestralfindings.com/podcast This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: https://ancestralfindings.com/lookups Genealogy Giveaway: https://ancestralfindings.com/giveaway Genealogy eBooks: https://ancestralfindings.com/ebooks Follow Along: https://www.facebook.com/AncestralFindings https://www.instagram.com/ancestralfindings https://www.youtube.com/ancestralfindings Support Ancestral Findings: https://ancestralfindings.com/support https://ancestralfindings.com/paypal  #Genealogy #AncestralFindings #GenealogyClips

    Health Made Easy With Dr. Connie Jeon
    The Day I Realized I Was Living Against Myself

    Health Made Easy With Dr. Connie Jeon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 18:09


    There are moments when illness doesn't just affect the body — it quietly changes the way we relate to ourselves. In this episode, Connie shares the moment she realized she wasn't failing at healing — she was living against herself. Not because she lacked discipline, intelligence, or effort, but because she was trying to survive inside systems that couldn't see her whole. This is not a story about blame or fixing. It's a story about misalignment, self-abandonment, and the subtle ways capable people learn to distrust their own signals when answers don't come. 2:00 – Living Between Health and Illness 2:25 – The Day I Realized I Was Living Against Myself 3:32 – High-Functioning While Falling Apart 4:58 – When Medicine Has No Answers, Self-Blame Begins 5:43 – Editing Your Intuition & Self-Abandonment 6:55 – Misalignment vs Resilience (The Hidden Cost) 8:42 – Effort Is Not Safety 10:29 – The Real Damage Isn't the Illness 15:54 – You Don't Need to Try Harder — You Need a Map If you've ever: • done everything "right" and still felt off • blamed yourself when things didn't resolve • stayed functional while quietly disconnecting from your body • felt strong on the outside and misaligned on the inside This episode will likely feel uncomfortably familiar — and deeply relieving. This podcast is part of EASE OS™, a system for human coherence. Not optimization. Not bypassing. But learning how to live as a whole human again. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and YouTube channel so you never miss an episode of the EASE OS: Less Effort, More Power! We release new episodes every week. Click here to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes: Apple Podcast: EASE OS™: Less Effort, More Power Click here to subscribe to our podcast on Spotify: Spotify: EASE OS™: Less Effort, More Power And if you liked this message, please leave us a review on iTunes!. Be sure to follow Dr. Connie on Instagram and Tiktok! Instagram: @drconniecheung  TikTok: @drconniecheung_ LinkedIn: Dr. Connie Cheung

    NYLA
    The Body as an Orchestra. Helen Anahita Wilson on Sound, Illness and Care

    NYLA

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 57:58


    When sonic artist Helen Anahita Wilson got diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, she found analogies between traditional Indian music and her medical data reports. Interviewed by Nojus Setkauskas, sound engineered by Kata Bitowt, edited by Karolis Vyšniauskas. Made in collaboration with Lithuania's mental health festival Ryšiai. Supported by Lithuanian Media Fund. Support NARA podcast: https://nara.lt/support   

    David Weeter Ministries
    The Truth About Love

    David Weeter Ministries

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 28:32


    Faith works by love, not by what you think love is. So many people have a warped view from wrong teaching or from life experiences. Let's find out.To watch the video of this message, you can watch us on Victory Channel (Dish 265 or DirecTV 366), on Faith Broadcasting Network (DirecTV channel 379) and you can always watch our broadcasts on demand on our website or our  YouTube Channel!For more information regarding Weeter Ministries, to send prayer requests, praise reports or to become a Covenant Partner with us to get this uncompromised Word of the Living God out to the world, please visit our website: WeeterMinistries.orgSupport the show

    Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
    Ep. 328: What If It's Not in Your Head? Mold Illness & Medical Blind Spots

    Meredith for Real: the curious introvert

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2026 52:46


    Dr. Neil Nathan is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Pain Management as well as a Founding Dip-low-mitt of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine & International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illnesses.He spent over 50 years treating patients with chronic conditions related to environmental factors & now dedicates himself consulting & mentorship, writing several books for both health care professionals & patients.In this episode, you'll hear mold allergy vs illness, what symptoms mold toxicity can imitate, how to really test & what healing protocol can look like. If you liked this episode, you'll also like episode 234: FELON TO MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS OWNER [REMASTERED] Guest: https://neilnathanmd.com/ Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/ meredith@meredithforreal.comhttps://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert  Sponsors: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/ https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/  01:35 — Conditions mold mimics04:00 — “It's not psychological”05:00 — Why medicine lags behind06:00 — The mold hoax narrative08:00 — How common mold really is11:00 — Mold and Alzheimer's risk12:00 — GI symptoms decoded13:00 — Fatigue that doesn't resolve18:00 — Mold toxicity vs allergy19:00 — Immune system tipping points20:00 — Stress, illness, and timing21:00 — Hive consciousness explained22:00 — Candida cravings aren't you23:00 — Zombie mold metaphor24:00 — EMFs enter the picture27:00 — Testing for mold toxicity38:00 — Low-carb for mold healing41:00 — Alcohol's real impact42:00 — Magnesium's critical role43:00 — Chronic deficiency mystery47:00 — Hormones after mold48:00 — Limbic system overload49:00 — Vagus nerve dysfunction50:00 — Mast cell activation51:00 — Rebooting nervous systems52:00 — Brain retraining programs58:00 — Detox hygiene at home59:00 — Why bleach backfires01:00:00 — Dust vs airflow01:01:00 — Water damage vigilance01:02:00 — Detox tools worth using01:04:00 — Balance over biohacking01:05:00 — What healing really requires01:06:00 — Living with intention01:07:00 — Final takeaways & resourcesRequest to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    The Full of Beans Podcast
    A Mother's Story of Navigating ARFID, Choking Fears and PEG Feeding with Michelle Jacques

    The Full of Beans Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2026 55:02


    In this week's episode, Han is joined by Michelle Jacques. Michelle is a devoted mum of two who has lived with ARFID since her son started weaning. Through her own experience of supporting her son with ARFID, she has become a passionate advocate, working tirelessly to raise awareness and support others navigating life with this complex food intake disorder. She is the founder of @arfid_life_uk, where she raises awareness of ARFID by sharing her family's experience.This episode holds space for the grief, the guilt, the fight, and also the hope, including the unexpected shift Michelle has seen as her son's body becomes nourished again.This week, we discuss:What ARFID can look like and how it can go beyond “picky eating.”How sensory differences, autistic eating, and ARFID can overlapHow illness can trigger choking fears and a trauma response that reinforces food avoidanceWhat it's like when a child's intake drops to just a couple of “safe” itemsWhat a PEG (gastrostomy tube) is and how PEG feeding can support ARFIDThe emotional impact of PEG decisions for parents, including grief andguiltWhy nutrition can change anxiety, rigidity, and capacityThe role of advocacy in ARFID awarenessHow to document ARFID symptoms to report to a doctorTimestamps:03:10 Sensory differences, autism, and how ARFID developed over time07:40 Illness, choking fears, and how trauma can collapse food intake09:15 Hospitalisation: constipation and appendix surgery18:30 What a PEG is (and what people often misunderstand about it)29:40 How PEG feeding can support ARFID41:30 Guilt, grief, and learning to let the feelings exist45:10 ARFID Advocacy workResources & LinksFollow @arfid_life_uk on InstagramListen to the 3Mums1Mission ARFID PodcastConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTube⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, ARFID, NG tube feeding. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han

    Strengthen The Soul
    How to prevent future illness and feel better now with Koryn Koehler

    Strengthen The Soul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2026 61:07


    In this episode, Koryn and I discuss her personal health journey and what she sees as an oncology nurse. Koryn gives us her best advice for prevention!You can learn more about her at _themindbodyrn on IG!

    Your Daily Prayer Podcast
    A Prayer for a Child Facing Injury or Illness

    Your Daily Prayer Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2026 6:53 Transcription Available


    Few things feel as heartbreaking as seeing a child face injury, illness, or a frightening diagnosis. This devotional begins from a place of personal vulnerability—the author shares her own fear and anxiety while facing serious medical uncertainty, and that experience opens her eyes even more to the heavy burden children and their families carry. If it’s difficult for an adult to process testing, procedures, and “what if” thoughts, it’s almost unimaginable to consider what it’s like for a child who may not fully understand what’s happening or why. In moments like these, fear can take over quickly. Questions swirl, worst-case scenarios creep in, and daily life becomes hard to focus on. Yet the devotional reminds us that God meets us right in that fear. Isaiah 41:10 is offered as an anchor—God does not leave His people to face hard things alone. He strengthens, helps, and upholds. And while the original words were spoken in a specific context, the heart of the promise reflects God’s unchanging character: He is present with His children in suffering. This devotional also highlights something practical and powerful: prayer. Whether you’re a parent walking through a child’s illness, a loved one supporting a family, or someone who simply feels burdened for children who are suffering, prayer is a meaningful response. Scripture encourages believers to bring sickness and pain before the Lord and to pray as a community. Even when we can’t fix the situation, we can entrust children and their families to the God who can comfort, protect, and provide peace beyond understanding. Today’s prayer is an invitation to ask God to surround hurting children with His peace, strengthen their families, and bring healing and hope. And it’s a reminder that God is good—able to do far more than we can imagine—especially in the hardest places. Main Takeaways Children facing injury or illness carry heavy fears, and their families carry deep burdens too. Medical uncertainty can stir anxiety and “what if” thinking, but God meets us in that fear. God promises His presence, strength, and help—He does not abandon us in suffering. Prayer is a powerful way to support hurting children and families, even from a distance. God can bring comfort, peace, and healing in ways beyond what we can imagine. Today’s Bible Verse “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 Your Daily Prayer Here is a brief excerpt from today’s prayer: “Please help every child who is going through various treatments and surround them with the peace that only You can provide.” You can listen to the full prayer here or read the devotional at the links below. Looking for more daily encouragement and faith-filled content? LifeAudio – Discover daily devotionals, Christian podcasts, and biblical encouragement at LifeAudio.com Crosswalk – Explore faith, prayer, and Christian living resources at Crosswalk.com This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

    Hope Discovered
    Suddenly Sidelined: Nicole Morrett Shares How Sudden Illness Impacted Her Early Motherhood and Career

    Hope Discovered

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2026 35:42


    This episode of the CommQuest Hope Discovered podcast features a deeply personal conversation between Dr. Michele Heberling, Chief Clinical Officer at CommQuest, and board member Nicole Morrett. Together, they explore what it means to be “suddenly sidelined” by illness and physical limitations following the birth of Nicole's son. Nicole shares her journey and how those experiences disrupted her expectations of early motherhood, career, and independence. The discussion centers on the emotional toll of grieving the life she had envisioned and advocating for herself during an unexpected season of vulnerability.Throughout the podcast, Nicole reflects on how faith, gratitude, and community support helped her reframe this difficult season—not as a permanent loss, but as a time for growth, deeper connection, and intentional presence. She speaks candidly about learning to accept help, redefining strength, and finding joy in small, meaningful moments with her family.Dr. Heberling highlights the clinical and human importance of honoring grief, pacing oneself, and maintaining dignity and identity while healing. The episode ultimately offers hope and encouragement to listeners facing sudden diagnoses or life-altering changes, reminding them that while the pain is real, there is goodness to be found, support to be embraced, and hope both in the present moment and beyond.

    Snapshots
    The Strength of Water: An Asian American Coming of Age Memoir with Karin K. Jensen | #142

    Snapshots

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2026 42:36


    Discover The Strength of Water memoir, a powerful story of Chinese reverse immigration. Learn how one woman survived moving from 1920s Detroit to a rural Chinese village.Episode Resources:Get your copy of "The Strength of Water" by Karin K. JensenConnect with Karin K. JensenIn this incredible interview, author Karin K. Jensen shares the astonishing true story behind The Strength of Water memoir, a book that details her mother's unbelievable journey of perseverance. Born in America, her mother Helen was taken to a remote Chinese peasant village in the 1930s at just 11 years old. After surviving war, disease, and near-starvation, she fought her way back to the United States alone as a teenager. How does a person endure such immense hardship and not only survive, but build a life of strength and independence? This episode uncovers a story of resilience you won't soon forget.Join us as we explore the profound narrative of this unique memoir about a Chinese mother, as told by her daughter and author, Karin K. Jensen. We delve into the complex history that shaped this family's destiny, starting with the paper sons and daughters history that allowed her grandfather to immigrate to the U.S. despite the Chinese Exclusion Act. Karin paints a vivid picture of her mother's early life in a 1920s Detroit Chinese laundry, a world that was abruptly torn away. The conversation details the extreme culture shock Helen experienced in the reverse immigration story, moving from a modern American city to a Cantonese village with no electricity or modern medicine. We discuss the family dynamics with her new stepmother, the harrowing experience of contracting malaria and malnutrition, and being left for dead on a "death board." Throughout the discussion of The Strength of Water memoir, Karin highlights the unwavering spirit that drove her mother to survive. The story follows Helen's return to America, her work as a teen domestic in California, the pain of a difficult first marriage to a man with a gambling addiction, and her ultimate triumph in achieving financial independence and finding true partnership. This is more than just a Chinese reverse immigration story; it's a testament to the power of a mother's dream for a better life and the strength that can be found in the face of impossible odds.About Our Guest:Karin K. Jensen is the author of "The Strength of Water," a powerful memoir written in the voice of her mother, Helen. By meticulously interviewing her mother, aunts, uncle, and other family members, Karin reconstructed a lost piece of Chinese-American history, capturing her mother's incredible journey from an American-born child to a survivor of 1930s rural China and back again.Timestamps / Chapters:(00:00) The Unbelievable Reverse Immigration Story of Helen Chu(01:32) Writing in a Mother's Voice: Capturing Authenticity(03:40) The Journey to America: Understanding the "Paper Son" System(06:12) Life in a 1920s Detroit Chinese Laundry(15:23) Culture Shock in Reverse: Returning to a 1930s Cantonese Village(23:57) Illness and Survival: A Brush with Death in Rural China(27:14) The Kindness of Strangers: Securing a Passage Back to America(33:01) Trapped in a Difficult Marriage and the Hidden Cost of "Settling Down"(37:14) Building Financial Independence and Finding True Partnership(39:07) The Meaning Behind the Title: "The Strength of Water"(40:08) What's Next? Adapting the Story for the Screen

    Ben & Woods On Demand Podcast
    6am Hour - Back After A Long Weekend Of Illness

    Ben & Woods On Demand Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2026 44:43


    Ben and Paulie are here for you on a Wednesday morning, after missing yesterday's show following the 3 day weekend. We start the show with a little foreplay and hear Ben's version of why he was unable to do a show yesterday morning, and provide an update on how Woodsy is feeling who battled a totally separate illness for the last several days. Then we set the menu for today's show and begin to catch up on all of the sports that we watched over the weekend, including a big home victory for San Diego State, and some incredibly entertaining games in the NFL playoffs. Listen here!

    Faith in Kids
    Talking to Kids About... Illness with Guest Jason Heron

    Faith in Kids

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2026 40:49


    We're kicking off a new Faith in Parents series on the hardest topics parents face - the conversations we're often told to avoid. In this first episode, we talk about illness.Jason shares his family's story of unexpected premature birth, long months in NICU, and years of medical uncertainty... and what it's like to keep trusting Jesus when there's no quick fix or clear end in sight. Together, we reflect on crisis, perseverance, prayer that changes over time, and how to talk honestly with our children when life is scary and unfair.This is a gentle, hopeful conversation for parents in the thick of it (and for those walking alongside them), reminding us that God is near, even when the questions are loud and the answers feel far away.Jason is the Digital Lead at Faith in Kids and Co-Hosts The Parenting Tools PodcastSupport the show

    Discovering The Jewish Jesus Audio Podcast
    My Struggle With Faith and Illness | Does God Still Heal Sickness

    Discovering The Jewish Jesus Audio Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2026 24:23


    Does God cause illness? Join Rabbi Schneider as he reveals a personal story and unpacks the topic of sickness and why some never see healing on this side of eternity. **** BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER - https://djj.show/YTAPartner  **** DONATE - https://djj.show/YTADonate  **** TEACHING NOTES -  https://djj.show/d45440 

    David Weeter Ministries
    Love Produces Powerful Faith

    David Weeter Ministries

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2026 28:32


    The Word says that walking in love actually makes faith effective, efficient and mighty. Mighty faith is what we need to live victoriously!To watch the video of this message, you can watch us on Victory Channel (Dish 265 or DirecTV 366), on Faith Broadcasting Network (DirecTV channel 379) and you can always watch our broadcasts on demand on our website or our  YouTube Channel!For more information regarding Weeter Ministries, to send prayer requests, praise reports or to become a Covenant Partner with us to get this uncompromised Word of the Living God out to the world, please visit our website: WeeterMinistries.orgSupport the show

    The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers
    Writing The Shadow: The Creative Wound, Publishing, And Money, With Joanna Penn

    The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2026 94:08


    What if the most transformative thing you can do for your writing craft and author business is to face what you fear? How can you can find gold in your Shadow in the year ahead? In this episode, I share chapters from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words. In the intro, curated book boxes from Bridgerton's Julia Quinn; Google's agentic shopping, and powering Apple's Siri; ChatGPT Ads; and Claude CoWork. Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty [MoonShots with Tony Robbins]; and three trends for authors with me and Orna Ross [Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast]; plus, Bones of the Deep, Business for Authors, and Indie Author Lab. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn  Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and memoir as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. What is the Shadow? The ‘creative wound' and the Shadow in writing The Shadow in traditional publishing The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author The Shadow in work The Shadow in money You can find Writing the Shadow in all formats on all stores, as well as special edition, workbook and bundles at www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words The following chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn. Introduction. What is the Shadow? “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.” —C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul We all have a Shadow side and it is the work of a lifetime to recognise what lies within and spin that base material into gold. Think of it as a seedling in a little pot that you're given when you're young. It's a bit misshapen and weird, not something you would display in your living room, so you place it in a dark corner of the basement. You don't look at it for years. You almost forget about it. Then one day you notice tendrils of something wild poking up through the floorboards. They're ugly and don't fit with your Scandi-minimalist interior design. You chop the tendrils away and pour weedkiller on what's left, trying to hide the fact that they were ever there. But the creeping stems keep coming. At some point, you know you have to go down there and face the wild thing your seedling has become. When you eventually pluck up enough courage to go down into the basement, you discover that the plant has wound its roots deep into the foundations of your home. Its vines weave in and out of the cracks in the walls, and it has beautiful flowers and strange fruit. It holds your world together. Perhaps you don't need to destroy the wild tendrils. Perhaps you can let them wind up into the light and allow their rich beauty to weave through your home. It will change the look you have so carefully cultivated, but maybe that's just what the place needs. The Shadow in psychology Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychologist and the founder of analytical psychology. He described the Shadow as an unconscious aspect of the human personality, those parts of us that don't match up to what is expected of us by family and society, or to our own ideals. The Shadow is not necessarily evil or illegal or immoral, although of course it can be. It's also not necessarily caused by trauma, abuse, or any other severely damaging event, although again, it can be. It depends on the individual. What is in your Shadow is based on your life and your experiences, as well as your culture and society, so it will be different for everyone. Psychologist Connie Zweig, in The Inner Work of Age, explains, “The Shadow is that part of us that lies beneath or behind the light of awareness. It contains our rejected, unacceptable traits and feelings. It contains our hidden gifts and talents that have remained unexpressed or unlived. As Jung put it, the essence of the Shadow is pure gold.” To further illustrate the concept, Robert Bly, in A Little Book on the Human Shadow,uses the following metaphor: “When we are young, we carry behind us an invisible bag, into which we stuff any feelings, thoughts, or behaviours that bring disapproval or loss of love—anger, tears, neediness, laziness. By the time we go to school, our bags are already a mile long. In high school, our peer groups pressure us to stuff the bags with even more—individuality, sexuality, spontaneity, different opinions. We spend our life until we're twenty deciding which parts of ourselves to put into the bag and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.” As authors, we can use what's in the ‘bag' to enrich our writing — but only if we can access it. My intention with this book is to help you venture into your Shadow and bring some of what's hidden into the light and into your words. I'll reveal aspects of my Shadow in these pages but ultimately, this book is about you. Your Shadow is unique. There may be elements we share, but much will be different. Each chapter has questions for you to consider that may help you explore at least the edges of your Shadow, but it's not easy. As Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” But take heart, Creative. You don't need courage when things are easy. You need it when you know what you face will be difficult, but you do it anyway. We are authors. We know how to do hard things. We turn ideas into books. We manifest thoughts into ink on paper. We change lives with our writing. First, our own, then other people's. It's worth the effort to delve into Shadow, so I hope you will join me on the journey. The creative wound and the Shadow in writing “Whatever pain you can't get rid of, make it your creative offering.” —Susan Cain, Bittersweet  The more we long for something, the more extreme our desire, the more likely it is to have a Shadow side. For those of us who love books, the author life may well be a long-held dream and thus, it is filled with Shadow. Books have long been objects of desire, power, and authority. They hold a mythic status in our lives. We escaped into stories as children; we studied books at school and college; we read them now for escape and entertainment, education and inspiration. We collect beautiful books to put on our shelves. We go to them for solace and answers to the deepest questions of life. Writers are similarly held in high esteem. They shape culture, win literary prizes, give important speeches, and are quoted in the mainstream media. Their books are on the shelves in libraries and bookstores. Writers are revered, held up as rare, talented creatures made separate from us by their brilliance and insight. For bibliophile children, books were everything and to write one was a cherished dream. To become an author? Well, that would mean we might be someone special, someone worthy. Perhaps when you were young, you thought the dream of being a writer was possible — then you told someone about it. That's probably when you heard the first criticism of such a ridiculous idea, the first laughter, the first dismissal. So you abandoned the dream, pushed the idea of being a writer into the Shadow, and got on with your life. Or if it wasn't then, it came later, when you actually put pen to paper and someone — a parent, teacher, partner, or friend, perhaps even a literary agent or publisher, someone whose opinion you valued — told you it was worthless. Here are some things you might have heard: Writing is a hobby. Get a real job. You're not good enough. You don't have any writing talent. You don't have enough education. You don't know what you're doing. Your writing is derivative / unoriginal / boring / useless / doesn't make sense. The genre you write in is dead / worthless / unacceptable / morally wrong / frivolous / useless.  Who do you think you are? No one would want to read what you write. You can't even use proper grammar, so how could you write a whole book? You're wasting your time. You'll never make it as a writer. You shouldn't write those things (or even think about those things). Why don't you write something nice? Insert other derogatory comment here! Mark Pierce describes the effect of this experience in his book The Creative Wound, which “occurs when an event, or someone's actions or words, pierce you, causing a kind of rift in your soul. A comment—even offhand and unintentional—is enough to cause one.” He goes on to say that such words can inflict “damage to the core of who we are as creators. It is an attack on our artistic identity, resulting in us believing that whatever we make is somehow tainted or invalid, because shame has convinced us there is something intrinsically tainted or invalid about ourselves.” As adults, we might brush off such wounds, belittling them as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. We might even find ourselves saying the same words to other people. After all, it's easier to criticise than to create. But if you picture your younger self, bright eyed as you lose yourself in your favourite book, perhaps you might catch a glimpse of what you longed for before your dreams were dashed on the rocks of other people's reality. As Mark Pierce goes on to say, “A Creative Wound has the power to delay our pursuits—sometimes for years—and it can even derail our lives completely… Anything that makes us feel ashamed of ourselves or our work can render us incapable of the self-expression we yearn for.” This is certainly what happened to me, and it took decades to unwind. Your creative wounds will differ to mine but perhaps my experience will help you explore your own. To be clear, your Shadow may not reside in elements of horror as mine do, but hopefully you can use my example to consider where your creative wounds might lie. “You shouldn't write things like that.” It happened at secondary school around 1986 or 1987, so I would have been around eleven or twelve years old. English was one of my favourite subjects and the room we had our lessons in looked out onto a vibrant garden. I loved going to that class because it was all about books, and they were always my favourite things. One day, we were asked to write a story. I can't remember the specifics of what the teacher asked us to write, but I fictionalised a recurring nightmare. I stood in a dark room. On one side, my mum and my brother, Rod, were tied up next to a cauldron of boiling oil, ready to be thrown in. On the other side, my dad and my little sister, Lucy, were threatened with decapitation by men with machetes. I had to choose who would die. I always woke up, my heart pounding, before I had to choose. Looking back now, it clearly represented an internal conflict about having to pick sides between the two halves of my family. Not an unexpected issue from a child of divorce. Perhaps these days, I might have been sent to the school counsellor, but it was the eighties and I don't think we even had such a thing. Even so, the meaning of the story isn't the point. It was the reaction to it that left scars. “You shouldn't write things like that,” my teacher said, and I still remember her look of disappointment, even disgust. Certainly judgment. She said my writing was too dark. It wasn't a proper story. It wasn't appropriate for the class. As if horrible things never happened in stories — or in life. As if literature could not include dark tales. As if the only acceptable writing was the kind she approved of. We were taught The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that year, which says a lot about the type of writing considered appropriate. Or perhaps the issue stemmed from the school motto, “So hateth she derknesse,” from Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women: “For fear of night, so she hates the darkness.” I had won a scholarship to a private girls' school, and their mission was to turn us all into proper young ladies. Horror was never on the curriculum. Perhaps if my teacher had encouraged me to write my darkness back then, my nightmares would have dissolved on the page. Perhaps if we had studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or H.P. Lovecraft stories, or Bram Stoker's Dracula, I could have embraced the darker side of literature earlier in my life. My need to push darker thoughts into my Shadow was compounded by my (wonderful) mum's best intentions. We were brought up on the principles of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and she tried to shield me and my brother from anything harmful or horrible. We weren't allowed to watch TV much, and even the British school drama Grange Hill was deemed inappropriate. So much of what I've achieved is because my mum instilled in me a “can do” attitude that anything is possible. I'm so grateful to her for that. (I love you, Mum!) But all that happy positivity, my desire to please her, to be a good girl, to make my teachers proud, and to be acceptable to society, meant that I pushed my darker thoughts into Shadow. They were inappropriate. They were taboo. They must be repressed, kept secret, and I must be outwardly happy and positive at all times. You cannot hold back the darkness “The night is dark and full of terrors.” —George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords It turned out that horror was on the curriculum, much of it in the form of educational films we watched during lessons. In English Literature, we watched Romeo drink poison and Juliet stab herself in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. In Religious Studies, we watched Jesus beaten, tortured, and crucified in The Greatest Story Ever Told, and learned of the variety of gruesome ways that Christian saints were martyred. In Classical Civilisation, we watched gladiators slaughter each other in Spartacus. In Sex Education at the peak of the AIDS crisis in the mid-'80s, we were told of the many ways we could get infected and die. In History, we studied the Holocaust with images of skeletal bodies thrown into mass graves, medical experiments on humans, and grainy videos of marching soldiers giving the Nazi salute. One of my first overseas school field trips was to the World War I battlegrounds of Flanders Fields in Belgium, where we studied the inhuman conditions of the trenches, walked through mass graves, and read war poetry by candlelight. As John McCrae wrote: We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Did the teachers not realise how deeply a sensitive teenager might feel the darkness of that place? Or have I always been unusual in that places of blood echo deep inside me? And the horrors kept coming. We lived in Bristol, England back then and I learned at school how the city had been part of the slave trade, its wealth built on the backs of people stolen from their homes, sold, and worked to death in the colonies. I had been at school for a year in Malawi, Africa and imagined the Black people I knew drowning, being beaten, and dying on those ships. In my teenage years, the news was filled with ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and massacres during the Balkan wars, and images of bodies hacked apart during the Rwandan genocide. Evil committed by humans against other humans was not a historical aberration. I'm lucky and I certainly acknowledge my privilege. Nothing terrible or horrifying has happened to me — but bad things certainly happen to others. I wasn't bullied or abused. I wasn't raped or beaten or tortured. But you don't have to go through things to be afraid of them, and for your imagination to conjure the possibility of them. My mum doesn't read my fiction now as it gives her nightmares (Sorry, Mum!). I know she worries that somehow she's responsible for my darkness, but I've had a safe and (mostly) happy life, for which I'm truly grateful. But the world is not an entirely safe and happy place, and for a sensitive child with a vivid imagination, the world is dark and scary. It can be brutal and violent, and bad things happen, even to good people. No parent can shield their child from the reality of the world. They can only help them do their best to live in it, develop resilience, and find ways to deal with whatever comes. Story has always been a way that humans have used to learn how to live and deal with difficult times. The best authors, the ones that readers adore and can't get enough of, write their darkness into story to channel their experience, and help others who fear the same. In an interview on writing the Shadow on The Creative Penn Podcast, Michaelbrent Collings shared how he incorporated a personally devastating experience into his writing:  “My wife and I lost a child years back, and that became the root of one of my most terrifying books, Apparition. It's not terrifying because it's the greatest book of all time, but just the concept that there's this thing out there… like a demon, and it consumes the blood and fear of the children, and then it withdraws and consumes the madness of the parents… I wrote that in large measure as a way of working through what I was experiencing.” I've learned much from Michaelbrent. I've read many of his (excellent) books and he's been on my podcast multiple times talking about his depression and mental health issues, as well as difficulties in his author career. Writing darkness is not in Michaelbrent's Shadow and only he can say what lies there for him. But from his example, and from that of other authors, I too learned how to write my Shadow into my books. Twenty-three years after that English lesson, in November 2009, I did NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and wrote five thousand words of what eventually became Stone of Fire, my first novel. In the initial chapter, I burned a nun alive on the ghats of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges River. I had watched the bodies burn by night on pyres from a boat bobbing in the current a few years before, and the image was still crystal clear in my mind. The only way to deal with how it made me feel about death was to write about it — and since then, I've never stopped writing. Returning to the nightmare from my school days, I've never had to choose between the two halves of my family, but the threat of losing them remains a theme in my fiction. In my ARKANE thriller series, Morgan Sierra will do anything to save her sister and her niece. Their safety drives her to continue to fight against evil. Our deepest fears emerge in our writing, and that's the safest place for them. I wish I'd been taught how to turn my nightmares into words back at school, but at least now I've learned to write my Shadow onto the page. I wish the same for you. The Shadow in traditional publishing If becoming an author is your dream, then publishing a book is deeply entwined with that. But as Mark Pierce says in The Creative Wound, “We feel pain the most where it matters the most… Desire highlights whatever we consider to be truly significant.” There is a lot of desire around publishing for those of us who love books! It can give you: Validation that your writing is good enough Status and credibility Acceptance by an industry held in esteem  The potential of financial reward and critical acclaim Support from a team of professionals who know how to make fantastic books A sense of belonging to an elite community Pride in achieving a long-held goal, resulting in a confidence boost and self-esteem Although not guaranteed, traditional publishing can give you all these things and more, but as with everything, there is a potential Shadow side. Denying it risks the potential of being disillusioned, disappointed, and even damaged. But remember, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Preparation can help you avoid potential issues and help you feel less alone if you encounter them. The myth of success… and the reality of experience There is a pervasive myth of success in the traditional publishing industry, perpetuated by media reporting on brand name and breakout authors, those few outliers whose experience is almost impossible to replicate. Because of such examples, many new traditionally published authors think that their first book will hit the top of the bestseller charts or win an award, as well as make them a million dollars — or at least a big chunk of cash. They will be able to leave their job, write in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean, and swan around the world attending conferences, while writing more bestselling books. It will be a charmed life. But that is not the reality. Perhaps it never was. Even so, the life of a traditionally published author represents a mythic career with the truth hidden behind a veil of obscurity. In April 2023, The Bookseller in the UK reported that “more than half of authors (54%) responding to a survey on their experiences of publishing their debut book have said the process negatively affected their mental health. Though views were mixed, just 22%… described a positive experience overall… Among the majority who said they had a negative experience of debut publication, anxiety, stress, depression and ‘lowered' self-esteem were cited, with lack of support, guidance or clear and professional communication from their publisher among the factors that contributed.” Many authors who have negative experiences around publishing will push them into the Shadow with denial or self-blame, preferring to keep the dream alive. They won't talk about things in public as this may negatively affect their careers, but private discussions are often held in the corners of writing conferences or social media groups online. Some of the issues are as follows: Repeated rejection by agents and publishers may lead to the author thinking they are not good enough as a writer, which can lead to feeling unworthy as a person. If an author gets a deal, the amount of advance and the name and status of the publisher compared to others create a hierarchy that impacts self-esteem. A deal for a book may be much lower than an author might have been expecting, with low or no advance, and the resulting experience with the publisher beneath expectations. The launch process may be disappointing, and the book may appear without fanfare, with few sales and no bestseller chart position. In The Bookseller report, one author described her launch day as “a total wasteland… You have expectations about what publication day will be like, but in reality, nothing really happens.” The book may receive negative reviews by critics or readers or more publicly on social media, which can make an author feel attacked. The book might not sell as well as expected, and the author may feel like it's their fault. Commercial success can sometimes feel tied to self-worth and an author can't help but compare their sales to others, with resulting embarrassment or shame. The communication from the publisher may be less than expected. One author in The Bookseller report said, “I was shocked by the lack of clarity and shared information and the cynicism that underlies the superficial charm of this industry.” There is often more of a focus on debut authors in publishing houses, so those who have been writing and publishing in the midlist for years can feel ignored and undervalued. In The Bookseller report, 48 percent of authors reported “their publisher supported them for less than a year,” with one saying, “I got no support and felt like a commodity, like the team had moved on completely to the next book.” If an author is not successful enough, the next deal may be lower than the last, less effort is made with marketing, and they may be let go. In The Bookseller report, “six authors—debut and otherwise—cited being dropped by their publisher, some with no explanation.” Even if everything goes well and an author is considered successful by others, they may experience imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud when speaking at conferences or doing book signings. And the list goes on … All these things can lead to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and embarrassment; loss of status in the eyes of peers; and a sense of failure if a publishing career is not successful enough. The author feels like it's their fault, like they weren't good enough — although, of course, the reality is that the conditions were not right at the time. A failure of a book is not a failure of the person, but it can certainly feel like it! When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Despite all the potential negatives of traditional publishing, if you know what could happen, you can mitigate them. You can prepare yourself for various scenarios and protect yourself from potential fall-out. It's clear from The Bookseller report that too many authors have unrealistic expectations of the industry. But publishers are businesses, not charities. It's not their job to make you feel good as an author. It's their job to sell books and pay you. The best thing they can do is to continue to be a viable business so they can keep putting books on the shelves and keep paying authors, staff, and company shareholders. When you license your creative work to a publisher, you're giving up control of your intellectual property in exchange for money and status. Bring your fears and issues out of the Shadow, acknowledge them, and deal with them early, so they do not get pushed down and re-emerge later in blame and bitterness. Educate yourself on the business of publishing. Be clear on what you want to achieve with any deal. Empower yourself as an author, take responsibility for your career, and you will have a much better experience. The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author Self-publishing, or being an independent (indie) author, can be a fantastic, pro-active choice for getting your book into the world. Holding your first book in your hand and saying “I made this” is pretty exciting, and even after more than forty books, I still get excited about seeing ideas in my head turn into a physical product in the world. Self-publishing can give an author: Creative control over what to write, editorial and cover design choices, when and how often to publish, and how to market Empowerment over your author career and the ability to make choices that impact success without asking for permission Ownership and control of intellectual property assets, resulting in increased opportunity around licensing and new markets Independence and the potential for recurring income for the long term Autonomy and flexibility around timelines, publishing options, and the ability to easily pivot into new genres and business models Validation based on positive reader reviews and money earned Personal growth and learning through the acquisition of new skills, resulting in a boost in confidence and self-esteem A sense of belonging to an active and vibrant community of indie authors around the world Being an indie author can give you all this and more, but once again, there is a Shadow side and preparation can help you navigate potential issues. The myth of success… and the reality of experience As with traditional publishing, the indie author world has perpetuated a myth of success in the example of the breakout indie author like E.L. James with Fifty Shades of Grey, Hugh Howey with Wool, or Andy Weir with The Martian. The emphasis on financial success is also fuelled online by authors who share screenshots showing six-figure months or seven-figure years, without sharing marketing costs and other outgoings, or the amount of time spent on the business. Yes, these can inspire some, but it can also make others feel inadequate and potentially lead to bad choices about how to publish and market based on comparison. The indie author world is full of just as much ego and a desire for status and money as traditional publishing. This is not a surprise! Most authors, regardless of publishing choices, are a mix of massive ego and chronic self-doubt. We are human, so the same issues will re-occur. A different publishing method doesn't cure all ills. Some of the issues are as follows: You learn everything you need to know about writing and editing, only to find that you need to learn a whole new set of skills in order to self-publish and market your book. This can take a lot of time and effort you did not expect, and things change all the time so you have to keep learning. Being in control of every aspect of the publishing process, from writing to cover design to marketing, can be overwhelming, leading to indecision, perfectionism, stress, and even burnout as you try to do all the things. You try to find people to help, but building your team is a challenge, and working with others has its own difficulties. People say negative things about self-publishing that may arouse feelings of embarrassment or shame. These might be little niggles, but they needle you, nonetheless. You wonder whether you made the right choice. You struggle with self-doubt and if you go to an event with traditional published authors, you compare yourself to them and feel like an imposter. Are you good enough to be an author if a traditional publisher hasn't chosen you? Is it just vanity to self-publish? Are your books unworthy? Even though you worked with a professional editor, you still get one-star reviews and you hate criticism from readers. You wonder whether you're wasting your time. You might be ripped off by an author services company who promise the world, only to leave you with a pile of printed books in your garage and no way to sell them. When you finally publish your book, it languishes at the bottom of the charts while other authors hit the top of the list over and over, raking in the cash while you are left out of pocket. You don't admit to over-spending on marketing as it makes you ashamed. You resist book marketing and make critical comments about writers who embrace it. You believe that quality rises to the top and if a book is good enough, people will buy it anyway. This can lead to disappointment and disillusionment when you launch your book and it doesn't sell many copies because nobody knows about it. You try to do what everyone advises, but you still can't make decent money as an author. You're jealous of other authors' success and put it down to them ‘selling out' or writing things you can't or ‘using AI' or ‘using a ghostwriter' or having a specific business model you consider impossible to replicate. And the list goes on… When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Being in control of your books and your author career is a double-edged sword. Traditionally published authors can criticise their publishers or agents or the marketing team or the bookstores or the media, but indie authors have to take responsibility for it all. Sure, we can blame ‘the algorithms' or social media platforms, or criticise other authors for having more experience or more money to invest in marketing, or attribute their success to writing in a more popular genre — but we also know there are always people who do well regardless of the challenges. Once more, we're back to acknowledging and integrating the Shadow side of our choices. We are flawed humans. There will always be good times and bad, and difficulties to offset the high points. This too shall pass, as the old saying goes. I know that being an indie author has plenty of Shadow. I've been doing this since 2008 and despite the hard times, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still publishing. This life is not for everyone, but it's my choice. You must make yours. The Shadow in work You work hard. You make a living. Nothing wrong with that attitude, right? It's what we're taught from an early age and, like so much of life, it's not a problem until it goes to extremes. Not achieving what you want to? Work harder. Can't get ahead? Work harder. Not making a good enough living? Work harder. People who don't work hard are lazy. They don't deserve handouts or benefits. People who don't work hard aren't useful, so they are not valued members of our culture and community. But what about the old or the sick, the mentally ill, or those with disabilities? What about children? What about the unemployed? The under-employed? What about those who are — or will be — displaced by technology, those called “the useless class” by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus? What if we become one of these in the future? Who am I if I cannot work? The Shadow side of my attitude to work became clear when I caught COVID in the summer of 2021. I was the sickest I'd ever been. I spent two weeks in bed unable to even think properly, and six weeks after that, I was barely able to work more than an hour a day before lying in the dark and waiting for my energy to return. I was limited in what I could do for another six months after that. At times, I wondered if I would ever get better. Jonathan kept urging me to be patient and rest. But I don't know how to rest. I know how to work and how to sleep. I can do ‘active rest,' which usually involves walking a long way or traveling somewhere interesting, but those require a stronger mind and body than I had during those months. It struck me that even if I recovered from the virus, I had glimpsed my future self. One day, I will be weak in body and mind. If I'm lucky, that will be many years away and hopefully for a short time before I die — but it will happen. I am an animal. I will die. My body and mind will pass on and I will be no more. Before then I will be weak. Before then, I will be useless. Before then, I will be a burden. I will not be able to work… But who am I if I cannot work? What is the point of me? I can't answer these questions right now, because although I recognise them as part of my Shadow, I've not progressed far enough to have dealt with them entirely. My months of COVID gave me some much-needed empathy for those who cannot work, even if they want to. We need to reframe what work is as a society, and value humans for different things, especially as technology changes what work even means. That starts with each of us. “Illness, affliction of body and soul, can be life-altering. It has the potential to reveal the most fundamental conflict of the human condition: the tension between our infinite, glorious dreams and desires and our limited, vulnerable, decaying physicality.” —Connie Zweig, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul The Shadow in money In the Greek myth, King Midas was a wealthy ruler who loved gold above all else. His palace was adorned with golden sculptures and furniture, and he took immense pleasure in his riches. Yet, despite his vast wealth, he yearned for more. After doing a favour for Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, Midas was granted a single wish. Intoxicated by greed, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold — and it was so. At first, it was a lot of fun. Midas turned everything else in his palace to gold, even the trees and stones of his estate. After a morning of turning things to gold, he fancied a spot of lunch. But when he tried to eat, the food and drink turned to gold in his mouth. He became thirsty and hungry — and increasingly desperate. As he sat in despair on his golden throne, his beloved young daughter ran to comfort him. For a moment, he forgot his wish — and as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, she turned into a golden statue, frozen in precious metal. King Midas cried out to the gods to forgive him, to reverse the wish. He renounced his greed and gave away all his wealth, and his daughter was returned to life. The moral of the story: Wealth and greed are bad. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is described as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner.” He's wealthy but does not share, considering Christmas spending to be frivolous and giving to charity to be worthless. He's saved by a confrontation with his lonely future and becomes a generous man and benefactor of the poor. Wealth is good if you share it with others. The gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: 14-30, tells the parable of the bags of gold, in which a rich man goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with varying amounts of gold. On his return, the servants who multiplied the gold through their efforts and investments are rewarded, while the one who merely returned the gold with no interest is punished: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Making money is good, making more money is even better. If you can't make any money, you don't deserve to have any. Within the same gospel, in Matthew 19:24, Jesus encounters a wealthy man and tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, which the man is unable to do. Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth is bad. Give it all away and you'll go to heaven. With all these contradictory messages, no wonder we're so conflicted about money! How do you think and feel about money? While money is mostly tied to our work, it's far more than just a transactional object for most people. It's loaded with complex symbolism and judgment handed down by family, religion, and culture. You are likely to find elements of Shadow by examining your attitudes around money. Consider which of the following statements resonate with you or write your own. Money stresses me out. I don't want to talk about it or think about it. Some people hoard money, so there is inequality. Rich people are bad and we should take away their wealth and give it to the poor.  I can never make enough money to pay the bills, or to give my family what I want to provide. Money doesn't grow on trees.  It's wasteful to spend money as you might need it later, so I'm frugal and don't spend money unless absolutely necessary. It is better and more ethical to be poor than to be rich. I want more money. I read books and watch TV shows about rich people because I want to live like that. Sometimes I spend too much on things for a glimpse of what that might be like.  I buy lottery tickets and dream of winning all that money.  I'm jealous of people who have money. I want more of it and I resent those who have it. I'm no good with money. I don't like to look at my bank statement or credit card statement. I live off my overdraft and I'm in debt. I will never earn enough to get out of debt and start saving, so I don't think too much about it. I don't know enough about money. Talking about it makes me feel stupid, so I just ignore it. People like me aren't educated about money.  I need to make more money. If I can make lots of money, then people will look up to me. If I make lots of money, I will be secure, nothing can touch me, I will be safe.  I never want to be poor. I would be ashamed to be poor. I will never go on benefits. My net worth is my self worth. Money is good. We have the best standard of living in history because of the increase in wealth over time. Even the richest kings of the past didn't have what many middle-class people have today in terms of access to food, water, technology, healthcare, education, and more. The richest people give the most money to the poor through taxation and charity, as well as through building companies that employ people and invent new things. The very richest give away much of their fortunes. They provide far more benefit to the world than the poor.  I love money. Money loves me. Money comes easily and quickly to me. I attract money in multiple streams of income. It flows to me in so many ways. I spend money. I invest money. I give money. I'm happy and grateful for all that I receive. The Shadow around money for authors in particular Many writers and other creatives have issues around money and wealth. How often have you heard the following, and which do you agree with? You can't make money with your writing. You'll be a poor author in a garret, a starving artist.  You can't write ‘good quality' books and make money. If you make money writing, you're a hack, you're selling out. You are less worthy than someone who writes only for the Muse. Your books are commercial, not artistic. If you spend money on marketing, then your books are clearly not good enough to sell on their own. My agent / publisher / accountant / partner deals with the money side. I like to focus on the creative side of things. My money story Note: This is not financial or investment advice. Please talk to a professional about your situation. I've had money issues over the years — haven't we all! But I have been through a (long) process to bring money out of my Shadow and into the light. There will always be more to discover, but hopefully my money story will help you, or at least give you an opportunity to reflect. Like most people, I didn't grow up with a lot of money. My parents started out as teachers, but later my mum — who I lived with, along with my brother — became a change management consultant, moving to the USA and earning a lot more. I'm grateful that she moved into business because her example changed the way I saw money and provided some valuable lessons. (1) You can change your circumstances by learning more and then applying that to leverage opportunity into a new job or career Mum taught English at a school in Bristol when we moved back from Malawi, Africa, in the mid '80s but I remember how stressful it was for her, and how little money she made. She wanted a better future for us all, so she took a year out to do a master's degree in management. In the same way, when I wanted to change careers and leave consulting to become an author, I spent time and money learning about the writing craft and the business of publishing. I still invest a considerable chunk on continuous learning, as this industry changes all the time. (2) You might have to downsize in order to leap forward The year my mum did her degree, we lived in the attic of another family's house; we ate a lot of one-pot casserole and our treat was having a Yorkie bar on the walk back from the museum. We wore hand-me-down clothes, and I remember one day at school when another girl said I was wearing her dress. I denied it, of course, but there in back of the dress was her name tag. I still remember her name and I can still feel that flush of shame and embarrassment. I was determined to never feel like that again. But what I didn't realize at the time was that I was also learning the power of downsizing. Mum got her degree and then a new job in management in Bristol. She bought a house, and we settled for a few years. I had lots of different jobs as a teenager. My favourite was working in the delicatessen because we got a free lunch made from delicious produce. After I finished A-levels, I went to the University of Oxford, and my mum and brother moved to the USA for further opportunities. I've downsized multiple times over the years, taking a step back in order to take a step forward. The biggest was in 2010 when I decided to leave consulting. Jonathan and I sold our three-bedroom house and investments in Brisbane, Australia, and rented a one-bedroom flat in London, so we could be debt-free and live on less while I built up a new career. It was a decade before we bought another house. (3) Comparison can be deadly: there will always be people with more money than you Oxford was an education in many ways and relevant to this chapter is how much I didn't know about things people with money took for granted. I learned about formal hall and wine pairings, and how to make a perfect gin and tonic. I ate smoked salmon for the first time. I learned how to fit in with people who had a lot more money than I did, and I definitely wanted to have money of my own to play with. (4) Income is not wealth You can earn lots but have nothing to show for it after years of working. I learned this in my first few years of IT consulting after university. I earned a great salary and then went contracting, earning even more money at a daily rate. I had a wonderful time. I traveled, ate and drank and generally made merry, but I always had to go back to the day job when the money ran out. I couldn't work out how I could ever stop this cycle. Then I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, a book I still recommend, especially if you're from a family that values academic over financial education. I learned how to escape the rat race by building and/or accumulating assets that pay even when you're not working. It was a revelation! The ‘poor dad' in the book is a university professor. He knows so much about so many things, but he ends up poor as he did not educate himself about money. The ‘rich dad' has little formal education, but he knows about money and wealth because he learned about it, as we can do at any stage in our lives. (5) Not all investments suit every person, so find the right one for you Once I discovered the world of investing, I read all the books and did courses and in-person events. I joined communities and I up-skilled big time. Of course, I made mistakes and learned lots along the way. I tried property investing and renovated a couple of houses for rental (with more practical partners and skilled contractors). But while I could see that property investing might work for some people, I did not care enough about the details to make it work for me, and it was certainly not passive income. I tried other things. My first husband was a boat skipper and scuba diving instructor, so we started a charter. With the variable costs of fuel, the vagaries of New Zealand weather — and our divorce — it didn't last long! From all these experiments, I learned I wanted to run a business, but it needed to be online and not based on a physical location, physical premises, or other people. That was 2006, around the time that blogging started taking off and it became possible to make a living online. I could see the potential and a year later, the iPhone and the Amazon Kindle launched, which became the basis of my business as an author. (6) Boring, automatic saving and investing works best Between 2007 and 2011, I contracted in Australia, where they have compulsory superannuation contributions, meaning you have to save and invest a percentage of your salary or self-employed income. I'd never done that before, because I didn't understand it. I'd ploughed all my excess income into property or the business instead. But in Australia I didn't notice the money going out because it was automatic. I chose a particular fund and it auto-invested every month. The pot grew pretty fast since I didn't touch it, and years later, it's still growing. I discovered the power of compound interest and time in the market, both of which are super boring. This type of investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It's a slow process of automatically putting money into boring investments and doing that month in, month out, year in, year out, automatically for decades while you get on with your life. I still do this. I earn money as an author entrepreneur and I put a percentage of that into boring investments automatically every month. I also have a small amount which is for fun and higher risk investments, but mostly I'm a conservative, risk-averse investor planning ahead for the future. This is not financial advice, so I'm not giving any specifics. I have a list of recommended money books at www.TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks if you want to learn more. Learning from the Shadow When I look back, my Shadow side around money eventually drove me to learn more and resulted in a better outcome (so far!). I was ashamed of being poor when I had to wear hand-me-down clothes at school. That drove a fear of not having any money, which partially explains my workaholism. I was embarrassed at Oxford because I didn't know how to behave in certain settings, and I wanted to be like the rich people I saw there. I spent too much money in my early years as a consultant because I wanted to experience a “rich” life and didn't understand saving and investing would lead to better things in the future. I invested too much in the wrong things because I didn't know myself well enough and I was trying to get rich quick so I could leave my job and ‘be happy.' But eventually, I discovered that I could grow my net worth with boring, long-term investments while doing a job I loved as an author entrepreneur. My only regret is that I didn't discover this earlier and put a percentage of my income into investments as soon as I started work. It took several decades to get started, but at least I did (eventually) start. My money story isn't over yet, and I keep learning new things, but hopefully my experience will help you reflect on your own and avoid the issue if it's still in Shadow. These chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn  The post Writing The Shadow: The Creative Wound, Publishing, And Money, With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

    The Wraparound by Porch
    Healthy Homes: Air Quality, Moisture & Mold Risks Buyers Miss (w/ Cristina Greenfield)

    The Wraparound by Porch

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2026 63:19


    Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction to Healthy Homes 00:03:00 Cristina's Personal Journey 00:09:00 Building Science and Healthy Living 00:15:00 Managing Water and Vapor 00:21:00 The Role of Education in Home Health 00:27:00 Passive House Principles 00:33:00 Proactive Home Maintenance 00:39:00 Understanding Building Materials 00:45:00 Home Inspections and Air Quality Home inspectors have a reputation for being a lot of things: advocates for home buyers, educators, communicators... deal killers. But health experts isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when a home buyer goes to book a home inspection prior to buying a home. However, what if they could be? Home inspectors see more homes inside and out than almost any profession in the real estate industry second only to realtors. What if we were trained to not only identify structural and major system issues, but also potential environmental health issues? As building science begins to dominate discussions around real estate and residential construction, the way we think about health intersects directly as we continue to learn to view a home as one major system. Air leaks, poor or improper ventilation, and moisture intrusion can all factor into mold growth. Proper site location can affect a home owner's health long before the home even exists. Illness is often the final symptom of factors that have existed long before the human body even knows there's an issue. We already test for radon... so what if we learned to look out for common sense issues that could allow us to not just advocate for home buyers... but also for their long-term health? Cristina Greenfield, of Conscious Healthy Home, has some ideas as to how we can do just that. Learn more about Cristina at: https://www.conscioushealthyhome.com Subscribe to our Newsletter at: https://pages.theridealong.show/newsletter Leave us a VOICEMAIL and tell us what you'd like to hear more about this year at: https://www.theridealong.show  

    Prairie Doc Radio
    Ask Anything-Flu, Respiratory Illness, Accident Prevention, Head Lice, & More

    Prairie Doc Radio

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2026 52:46


    Dr. Andrew Ellsworth answers questions about the flu, respiratory issues, accident prevention, and more. Send your questions to ask@prairiedoc.org.

    Daily | Conversations
    Sammy ready to take it outside, Lucas gets another, Kofoid's illness stops Australia tour | Daily 1-15-2026

    Daily | Conversations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2026 9:49


    Sprint car news to talk about today, including Buddy Kofoid's offseason racing being over, Emerson Axsom's comments, and Trophy Cup changes. Plus we'll talk Sammy Swindell vs. Tanner Thorson at the Chili Bowl, Josh Rice chooses a late model national tour, and more.

    Well, that f*cked me up! Surviving life changing events.
    S5 EP3: Brent & Kyle's Story - Conquering The World With Cerebral Palsy!

    Well, that f*cked me up! Surviving life changing events.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2026 27:56


    Send us a textBrent and Kyle's story is rooted in life-shaping experiences that led them to become who they are today.Kyle was born with cerebral palsy, leaving him with full cognitive ability but very limited physical mobility. He lives life in a wheelchair and requires assistance with daily tasks like eating. Brent is Kyle's older brother, and they grew up in a household where their family never accepted limitations on what was possible for Kyle.Today, Brent acts as Kyle's legs so Kyle can compete in some of the world's most challenging endurance events — including the IRONMAN World Championship (140.6 miles) and the Boston Marathon among several others. Not only are they completing these races as a push-assist duo, they've also raised millions through The Kyle Pease Foundation to give other individuals with disabilities the chance to experience their own finish-line moments. Their efforts also support inclusive employment opportunities for people with disabilities who, like Kyle, deserve meaningful roles and visibility.We had a great conversation and you will love this inspiring episode! Thanks guys!Website: https://kylepeasefoundation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekylepeasefoundation/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kyle-pease-foundation/posts/?feedView=all FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKylePeaseFoundationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfzbm0kpTagaHRwMptuV9QSupport the show

    Daily Power Affirmations for your Creative Maniac Mind (in 60 Seconds)

    Click here to Shop Affirmation Decks, Oracle Decks, and more! Use Promo code: RCPODCAST20 for 20% off your first order!   Today's Power Affirmation: My moments turn out the best because I make the best of the way my moments turn out!   Today's Oracle of Motivation: We all face unexpected adversity in life. Loss of income. Illness in the family. Someone steals your Fruity Pebbles. These moments always sneak up when you least expect them, causing internal mayhem in the form of anxiety, depression, and even anger. Although Fruity Pebbles theft should be punishable by lashings, what's done is done and cannot be changed. Accept your disposition and make the best of what comes next! For the rest of your life, your moments will ALWAYS turn out the best if you make the best of the way your moments turn out!   Designed to Motivate Your Creative Maniac Mind The 60-Second Power Affirmations Podcast is designed to help you focus, affirm your visions, and harness the power within your creative maniac mind! Join us daily for a new 60-second power affirmation followed by a blast of oracle motivation from the Universe (+ a quick breathing meditation). It's time to take off your procrastination diaper and share your musings with the world!   For more musings, visit RageCreate.com     Leave a Review & Share! Apple Podcast reviews are one of THE most important factors for podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a second to leave the show a review on Apple Podcasts! Click this link: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Hit “Listen on Apple Podcasts” on the left-hand side under the picture. Scroll down under “Ratings & Reviews” & click “Write A Review” Leave an honest review. You're awesome!  

    Mold Talks with Michael Rubino
    NBS #107: A Realtor for Mold Illness: How to Find a Home You Can Heal In

    Mold Talks with Michael Rubino

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2026 54:57


    Send us a textIn this episode of Never Been Sicker, Michael Rubino sits down with Christy Hutchison, a realtor who specializes in helping people impacted by mold illness and CIRS find homes they can actually heal in.Christy shares her personal journey of years of unexplained symptoms, how she realized the environment was a major factor, and why she now approaches real estate completely differently. Together, they break down what most inspections miss, why “new” homes are not automatically safer, and the exact strategies Christy uses to protect her clients during the buying process.You will learn:1. Why standard home inspections often miss hidden water damage2. How to build an inspection “super team” (roof, HVAC, mold, and more)3. Common red flags in homes, even in newer builds4. How PTSD and nervous system stress show up after mold exposure5. Practical prevention tools like leak sensors, trays, and humidity monitoring6. How The Guardian works as an indoor air quality monitoring and alert system7. Christy's goal is simple: help people avoid the path she went through and give them real hope that safe homes exist.Find Christy:Website: https://healthyhomechristy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyhomechristy/%20YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@christyhutchison6415 Subscribe for more episodes on mold, indoor air quality, and building healthier spaces.

    RudeBoyz PowerHour+
    Episode 198 - Always Good To Stretch It Out

    RudeBoyz PowerHour+

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2026 118:04


    The Boyz starting off the new year with celebrating the last one with THE RUDIES! THE BESTS OF 2025! Come listen to the one and only award ceremony put together by two idiots and The Rude Academy Of Arts and Sciences. Plus! Temu Morbius! Predator! Illness!   Question for the RudeNation! - What's your favorite anything coming out of 2025?   For all things RudeBoyz, head to: linktr.ee/rudeboyz   Find us on Podbean, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn!   Thanks for listening, leave a comment & join the RudeNation! Review us on your podcast platform of choice, screenshot it, DM us, and get a shout-out!

    Engines of Our Ingenuity
    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1856: Form and Feeling

    Engines of Our Ingenuity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026 3:48


    Episode: 1856 Form and feeling, a necessary partnership.  Today, our guest. Seattle actor Megan Cole, considers a necessary partnership.

    The Intelligent Vocalist with John Henny
    Episode 459 - How to Safely Get Your Voice Back After Illness

    The Intelligent Vocalist with John Henny

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026 19:14


    In this episode of The Intelligent Vocalist, John walks singers through what is really happening in the voice during and after illness, and why testing high notes too soon can set recovery back. Drawing from sports medicine, he shares a clear, graded approach to rebuilding coordination, strength, and confidence safely. Take it slow, respect the process, and trust that your voice will return when you give it the right conditions.   Episode highlights: Forcing the voice too soon can prolong recovery. A gradual return helps restore coordination safely. Patience and care protect your long-term vocal health.   To learn more about John Henny, his best-selling books, on-line courses, Voiceschool.com featuring his Teaching Team of Experts, Speaker Training and the Contemporary Voice Teacher Academy, visit: JohnHenny.com

    Podcast – Narcissist Abuse Support
    From Divorce Hell to Healing: Spiritual Growth After Narcissistic Abuse | Karen McMahon

    Podcast – Narcissist Abuse Support

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026


    Subscribe in a reader   Check out my product recommendations for Narcissist Abuse Survivors! – https://www.amazon.com/shop/tracymalone *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Listen to my podcasts anytime by subscribing with your favorite provider! The post From Divorce Hell to Healing: Spiritual Growth After Narcissistic Abuse | Karen McMahon appeared first on Narcissist Abuse Support.

    David Weeter Ministries
    Love Affects Every Aspect of Life

    David Weeter Ministries

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026 28:32


    Love is so powerful and far reaching that it literally influences every, single aspect of life. This week, David and Lynn look into this impact.To watch the video of this message, you can watch us on Victory Channel (Dish 265 or DirecTV 366), on Faith Broadcasting Network (DirecTV channel 379) and you can always watch our broadcasts on demand on our website or our  YouTube Channel!For more information regarding Weeter Ministries, to send prayer requests, praise reports or to become a Covenant Partner with us to get this uncompromised Word of the Living God out to the world, please visit our website: WeeterMinistries.orgSupport the show

    The Crazy Town Podcast
    Alien Illness | Ep 1108 | Crazy Town Podcast

    The Crazy Town Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2026 11:22


    Alien Illness | Ep 1108 | Crazy Town Podcast

    alien illness crazy town podcast
    The Daily Zeitgeist
    Disneyland Fight Club, CNN = Casino News Network 01.08.26

    The Daily Zeitgeist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2026 62:57 Transcription Available


    In episode 1986, Jack and Miles are joined by filmmaker, tv writer. host of Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast and author of I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: (But I'm Going To Anyway), Chelsea Devantez, to discuss… RFK Jr. Latest Vaccine F**kery “Blindsided” The CDC, Who’s Taking The Over On NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE? Peace to Duffman, Disneyland Line-Cutting Leads To Brutal Fight and more! ‘Astounding’ vaccine change puts US behind peer countries, experts warn US to slash routine vaccine recommendations for children in major change experts say creates doubt HHS announces unprecedented overhaul of US childhood vaccine schedule The Obvious Reason the U.S. Should Not Vaccinate Like Denmark How the Danish Vaccination Registry became a cornerstone of Denmark’s immunisation service Assessment of the U.S. Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule Compared to Other Countries Why RFK Jr.’s plan to follow Europe on vaccines is getting panned CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled The perils of RFK Junior's anti-vaccine leadership for public health The casino-fication of news ‘Goodness Gracious!’: CNN Data Guru Reveals Trump Takeover Odds Father brutally beaten in fight over line-cutting at Disneyland Disneyland addresses increasing hostility, fighting at theme parks LISTEN: ROCKMAN (THREESIXTY Edit) by Mk.geeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    MIRROR TALK
    Healing the Body by Awakening the Kingdom Within with Dr Moshe Daniel Block

    MIRROR TALK

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2026 44:33


    Mind-Body Healing begins within.In this episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, host Tobi sits down with naturopathic doctor and mind-body medicine pioneer Dr. Moshe Daniel Block to explore how emotional awareness, faith, and subconscious beliefs shape physical health.After healing himself from a rare autoimmune condition, Dr. Moshe developed the Vis Dialogue, a transformative healing process that bridges science, spirituality, and self-discovery. In this conversation, he shares how chronic illness often reflects unresolved emotional trauma, why stillness and meditation are essential for healing, and how we can reconnect with the Kingdom of Heaven within.This episode offers deep insight for anyone experiencing chronic illness, emotional pain, burnout, or spiritual exhaustion and seeking a path toward clarity, peace, and holistic healing.If this conversation resonated with you, follow Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, leave a review on your favourite podcast platform, and share this episode with someone who may need it.In This Episode, You Will Learn• How mind-body healing supports physical and emotional wellness• The role of emotional trauma and limiting beliefs in chronic illness• What the Vis Dialogue is and how it works• Why meditation and stillness unlock inner healing• How to access the Kingdom within during times of fear or illnessChapters00:00 Introduction to Mind-Body Healing01:57 Dr Moshe's Personal Healing Journey07:25 Pain, Illness, and Awakening13:06 Understanding the Vis Dialogue18:38 Emotional Trauma and the Subconscious24:03 Releasing Limiting Beliefs27:15 The Kingdom of Heaven Within34:37 The End of Days and Collective Healing38:23 Stillness, Meditation, and Divine Connection43:11 Finding Meaning Through SufferingAbout Dr Moshe Daniel BlockDr Moshe Daniel Block, ND, VDP, HMC, VNMI, is a naturopathic doctor, author, and innovator in mind-body medicine. After overcoming myasthenia gravis using the principles he now teaches, he created the Vis Dialogue and founded a Holistic Counselling Certification Program. His work has helped thousands heal chronic illness and emotional suffering through subconscious awareness and spiritual alignment.Learn more:dr-moshe.com holistic-counseling.ca Your transformation begins the moment you decide to look within.Let this book walk with you.

    The Adam and Dr. Drew Show
    Classic #1214: Extinction Illness

    The Adam and Dr. Drew Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2026 34:58


    January 12, 2020 - Adam and Dr. Drew open the show discussing things that have gone out of style and how those are juxtaposed against things that have left our society as a result of technological advances. They also discuss the addiction that our children have to screens and the negative impact that is having on our youth before transitioning into a conversation about climate change and the reluctance that some have to learning from their experiences. They then turn to the phones and speak to a caller who is looking for advice on his mother and the agitation she is experiencing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    The Hartmann Report
    Is the Day of Reckoning Coming?

    The Hartmann Report

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2026 57:38


    Social Security and Medicare aren't abstract programs — they keep millions of Americans alive. Critics warn Trump-backed policies could force seniors and disabled Americans to delay or skip lifesaving care. We break down what's changing, who's at risk, and why this could become a public health emergency. Executive Director of Social Security Works, Alex Lawson joins Thom to break it down. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    The MeidasTouch Podcast
    Peru Shamans Predict Devastating Illness for Trump in 2026

    The MeidasTouch Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2025 18:50


    MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on a prediction by Peru Shamans that Donald Trump will face a horrible illness in 2026. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices