Podcast appearances and mentions of linda bloom

Do you often have conflicts with your partner? Would you like to learn to be happier in your relationships? Lisa continues the conversation today with author and relationship expert Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., who is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor. Linda explains how there's an “art” to fighting and even in the greatest, happiest relationships, arguments can arise. Yet, she believes most challenges and problems can be worked out. You can use your relationship for the highest growth. From what Linda and her husband, Charlie Bloom, also a therapist and marriage counselor have reported, only about 10% of partnerships are in “Super Marriages.” This is an equal relationship which involves being compassionate and passionate, utilizing each other's strengths, and compensating for one another's weaknesses. Individually people have done the work to uplevel themselves and their understanding, thereby upleveling the relationship itself. Linda explains that it takes passion and commitment to be a highly emotionally intelligent person. By enrolling their partner, this leads to an immensely successful relationship. She and her husband decided to interview more than 50 very happy couples. The main trait they had in common was communication. They have “Super Marriages” because they are “Super Communicators.” They are in touch with their feelings and brave enough to express them. They learn how to be together, while keeping their individuality. They have so many clients who did not have good relationship role models. Luckily this is something that can be learned. Every couple can have their own experience, based on their own set of ethics and values. Between the demands of dual careers, raising children, and helping aging parents, you must make your relationship your priority. Linda suggests having date nights, checking in with yourself and partner every day, and scheduling romantic getaways at various times of the year, not just for birthdays and anniversaries. Prioritize the well-being of your relationship, and you can become a stronger working team, better able to handle life's stressors. Linda also discusses relationships with family members who may have differing opinions, politically and otherwise. Linda suggests setting boundaries and letting them know you do not care to discuss the subject if you know it will lead to an argument. If they are a bit more open, then you listen and show respect to their point of view. Maybe they will reciprocate and show interest. It is possible that understanding can be forged, even if you do not agree with one another.  Curiosity and wonder allow for differences to peacefully co-exist. It needs to be learned from the ground up. If you can create loving, trusting behavior in your own family, you can inspire those around you and thereby accelerate healing with powerful impact. Linda and Charlie Bloom are co-authors of several widely acclaimed books including, “101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last,” which has sold more than 100,000 copies, and “Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truths from Real Couples About Lasting Love, Happily Ever After and Thirty-nine Other Myths about Love,” She offers educational and counseling services to individuals, couples, and organizations. She is a regular presenter at Esalen Institute and Kripalu Yoga Center. Info: www.bloomwork.com

Do you often fight with your partner? Do you find it hard to speak your truth in relationships? Today's guest is author and relationship expert Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., who is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor. Linda talks about how there's an “art” to fighting. Even in the greatest, happiest relationships, conflict can arise. Most challenges and problems can be worked out. If we are vulnerable, we see that underneath the anger and resentment, there's usually disconnection and fear. We can feel misunderstood and lonely but if we open up and express our vulnerability, it invites connection. Linda discusses how to set boundaries and take responsibility for our feelings. She talks about how opposites can attract as each brings different traits to the table.  We all have golden light, but dark shadows as well. We can learn from each other and embrace one another's strengths. She also talks about how people search for the “perfect partner.” This can actually be a way to protect oneself, as no one is perfect, but we can look at the good in others. We can practice our skills, and even if relationships don't last, we can still move forward by taking a risk on someone and looking for kindness. Sometimes people absolutely won't agree on certain important aspects. Perhaps there are fights involving one who spends money and one who saves money. If you listen to each other patiently, and with curiosity and wonder, much can be learned and resolved. It's a matter of finding common ground. It doesn't have to be a dealbreaker. Addictions may be a dealbreaker. It's not the addiction itself; it's if the person doesn't want to find help. If people really listen to each other with understanding and respect, needs can be met. Linda also talks about how infidelity doesn't always have to be a dealbreaker. It may be a one-time mistake, and the person may have learned a lesson. It IS possible to forgive. Fears will come up and it will take time. It's a matter of trust and it may be possible to work it out. Being in a relationship takes a lot of work. It's about being conscious. Linda discusses modern families and how there may be completely unequal levels of income. It's important to talk about and get to the roots underneath the discomfort.  If couples lean into the challenge, it can be a very fruitful conversation of balance. This is especially prevalent in the United States where people are so focused on money. It is possible to be a contribution, even if finances are unequal. The biggest fights  occur when people don't feel the depth of love. Success in the US is defined by money, status, and finances. Linda's definition of success includes how many loving relationships we have in our lives. If you make it the priority, you won't suffer by feeling like you are lacking love. When you get triggered, and you are angry, it's important to take a few breaths. Take a break when you are in a fight. Breath and settle down. Think about what's hurting you and scaring you. That's a helpful, connecting conversation. By doing this, you can feel heard. That's loving behavior. Having a safe word also helps. When you take a “time out,” do not stomp off and slam the door. That's a message saying your partner is impossible. It's important to both agree ahead of time that this is the best way to calm down and compose yourself. Come back with the intention to learn and understand. This respectful attitude builds back the trust. Linda and her husband, Charlie Bloom, are co-authors of several widely acclaimed books including, “101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last,” which has sold more than 100,000 copies, and “Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truths from Real Couples About Lasting Love, Happily Ever After and Thirty-nine Other Myths about Love,” She offers educational and counseling services to individuals, couples, and organizations. She is a regular presenter at Esalen Institute and Kripalu Yoga Center. Info: www.bloomwork.com

Join us for a 50-minute deep dive into everything you wanted to know about love, sex, and relationships in the second half of life.Featuring an expert panel:• Dr. John “The Caveman” Schinnerer - coach, educator, couples' trainer, workshop leader, men's group facilitator, and host of the “Evolved Caveman” podcast• Robby Kendall - psychologist, founder/president of Fishnets and Film, Inc, filmmaker, producer, educator, and drag queen• Linda Bloom - a celebrated marriage and relationship expert, workshop leader, author, therapist, and author• Vann Duke - coach, personal trainer, health consultant, actor, and founder of SecondHalf FitnessModerated by Dr. James H. Bramson, this engaging and insightful live podcast promises to explore the challenges, joys, and opportunities of navigating relationships later in life. Don't miss it!WCMI networking group A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Charlie Bloom and his wife Linda have been writing and teaching about relationships for decades, and he joins me on the heels of the release of their recent book “An End To Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons For All Relationships” We discuss these points and more: -Differences are unavoidable; conflict is not. -Your partner thinks differently than you. -Ways to free yourselves from impasses. -It's often better to just drop a fight until your heads are cooler. -Deepening a relationship beats winning an argument. -Speak according to the receptivity of your partner. -Learn to see the fears of yourself and your partner. -Learn to share responsibility for problems with your partner. -Coming out of victim scripts into co-creation. -Different relationships have different kinds of conflict. -Are there couples who never fight? -Learning how to be in conflict. -‘Sudden' endings to relationships are often years in the making. -Translating relational teachings into action. -Losing the hope that you'll never get triggered -The biases of friends supporting us in relationships. Links:  Charlie and Linda Bloom's website Charlie and Linda Bloom's website https://bloomwork.com/ The Creating Conscious Love Course See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered how happy couples navigate irreconcilable differences and still thrive? Arguments in relationships are both inevitable and impactful. While they often stir up feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness, they also hold the potential for profound growth and understanding between partners. When managed with care and intention, conflicts can uncover deep-seated issues, foster better communication, and ultimately strengthen the bond. In this episode, we explore how conflicts can become opportunities for growth and deeper connection. By focusing on emotional regulation, curiosity, and taking responsibility, couples can navigate differences with more understanding and empathy. Learn practical strategies for creating a safe environment and fostering open communication, transforming challenges into stepping stones for a stronger, more empowered relationship. Gain valuable insights and actionable tips to help you and your partner grow together through the ups and downs. Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W. is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor who teaches relationship workshops throughout the world. She and her husband, Charlie Bloom are co-authors of the widely acclaimed book, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married, Simple Lessons to Make Love Last, and Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truths from Real Couples About Lasting Love, An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships and more. Check out the transcript of this episode on Dr. Jessica Higgin's website. In this episode 4:20 Cultivating a thirst for growth: Linda Bloom's path to a harmonious relationship with her husband after a rocky beginning. 12:51 Balancing differences: How mutual respect and curiosity foster harmonious relationships. 19:02 Mastering the art of handling differences: A key to achieving optimal relational well-being for couples. 27:24 Strategies for managing heated conversations and building stronger connections in relationships. 37:46 Navigating conflicts through emotional regulation and sincere communication. 44:56 How emotional maturity and practical resources can strengthen your relationship. Mentioned 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) The Gottman Institute Connect with Linda Bloom Websites: bloomwork.com Facebook: facebook.com/lindaandcharliebloom X (twitter): twitter.com/bloomwork YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCV3lPZs0gRNYCTQ6vgz4Q6Q Instagram: instagram.com/linda_charlie_bloom LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindacbloom Tumblr: tumblr.com/linda-charlie-bloom-blog Connect with Dr. Jessica Higgins Facebook: facebook.com/EmpoweredRelationship  Instagram: instagram.com/drjessicahiggins  Podcast: drjessicahiggins.com/podcasts/ Pinterest: pinterest.com/EmpowerRelation  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjessicahiggins  Twitter: @DrJessHiggins  Website: drjessicahiggins.com   Email: jessica@drjessicahiggins.com If you have a topic you would like me to discuss, please contact me by clicking on the “Ask Dr. Jessica Higgins” button here.  Thank you so much for your interest in improving your relationship.  Also, I would so appreciate your honest rating and review. Please leave a review by clicking here.  Thank you!   *With Amazon Affiliate Links, I may earn a few cents from Amazon, if you purchase the book from this link.

In this episode, Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Frank Powers engage in a conversation with relationship experts Charlie and Linda Bloom. The duo is renowned for co-authoring several books, such […] The post Linda & Charlie Bloom Navigating a New Relationship After a Loss appeared first on Open to Hope.

Love Isn't Enough: Is Intensive Couples Therapy Right For You?Dr. John Schinnerer & Joree Rose, LMFTJoin Joree and I in an in-depth conversation about our experience in intensive couples therapy (i.e., 2 six-hour days of therapy with Charlie & Linda Bloom!). We also go into our belief that intensives are a much more effective means to create positive, lasting change than the traditional 1 hour, once-a-week sessions.If you are someone that: recognizes the distressing accumulation of hurts, annoyances & frustrations in your relationship,  has found traditional couples therapy to be less than effective, or  has never even considered couples therapy but desire a loving, supportive, thriving relationship,…then this episode is for you.  Questions addressed in this one:After significant relationship issues arise, how long do people typically wait before trying couples counseling?What are some of the differences between traditional one-hour-a-week couples therapy vs. intensive couples therapy?How to be clear on what is your individual work and what is your relational work?How do we get men more comfortable with entering into couples counseling?How can we make therapy more effective for men?What is the role of curiosity and nonjudgmentalness in effective arguing?How can effective couples therapy lead to the secure attachment you've always wanted?All this and more, in this episode of The Evolved Caveman podcast!Please like, rate, review and share if you find this show meaningful to you! I'm trying to counterbalance a couple of bad reviews by my ex-wife! 

Dr. Jim Bramson interviews Charlie & Linda BloomThe Blooms are back. They tuned in from a writing retreat to discuss their latest book “An End to Arguing.” They also introduce their forthcoming book project on exemplary relationships. (In sharp contrast to their slacker podcast host who has been toiling over one book for over five years, the Blooms are churning out incredible books in rapid fire.)In this interview we explore some spicy content areas in their “End to Arguing” book: transforming desire into intention; why winning doesn't work; why it's better to say nothing sometimes, who's got the power?; and why it's never too late have a happy childhood. The book devotes a chapter to each of these topics.The Blooms also opine in this episode about the nexus between arguing, sex, and intimacy. They go into some detail about how the cessation of arguing can lead to greater intimacy and connection. Charlie and Linda Bloom will be featured presenters at the upcoming Human Potential Conference” Sex, Love and RockNRoll (Nov 1st, 2024 at the Hillside Club, Berkeley, CA from 5pm - 9:30pm). Go to Eventbrite for ticket information on the conference and visit Bloomwork.com to learn more about the Blooms.WCMI networking group A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972.Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Northern California Mindfulness Institute, The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love, That which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places, and An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships. They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California. Their website is www.bloomwork.com Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on YouTube, iTunes and wherever you get your podcasts! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972.Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Northern California Mindfulness Institute, The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love, That which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places, and An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships. They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California. Their website is www.bloomwork.com Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on YouTube, iTunes and wherever you get your podcasts! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Laura Crowder as our guest! Laura is a health coach and recently joined the Overcoming MS team as an Overcoming MS facilitator. In this episode, she talks to Geoff about what the ‘Change your life for life' pillar means, how to make lifestyle changes easier to adopt and the importance of looking at your overall lifestyle. Watch this episode on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:02 Intro: Laura's MS diagnosis. 02:08 Laura's new role as an Overcoming MS facilitator. 03:48 Change your life, for life: What it means and how you can implement it. 08:18 How finding your deep ‘why' makes lifestyle changes easier to adopt. 13:40 How you can feel empowered by following the Overcoming MS Program. 15:28 The impact of reducing alcohol on your physical and mental health. 25:48 What it means to feed the soul and the body. Selected Key Takeaways: Positive lifestyle changes can have immediate health effects. 05:08 “The minute I read [the Program was] evidence based, I thought, ‘I've got to read this.' I read the entire book, and I jumped straight in. I implemented the diet and the vitamin D straight away, I couldn't do much about the exercise at the time, because I was still off my feet. Eventually, I started walking and then running. It was brilliant. I felt the effects instantly, I think because my previous lifestyle was so poor.” Some people find reducing alcohol consumption can have a positive impact on mental and physical health. 17:05 “Karen Law speaks about this in the Overcoming MS Handbook about how she just noticed that her stress response was better without alcohol in the mix. I think that was probably quite a significant part for me as well. My running improved hugely, I actually completed my first marathon last year, and just my health in general [improved]. So, for me, I decided that I didn't want to start drinking again.” Our health is impacted by our overall lifestyle. 27:00 “Our health is not just what we eat, it isn't just exercise [or] supplementation. Things like our career, relationships and finances, these aspects of our lives are so important in terms of nourishing us. If we're dealing with conflict or unresolved issues, or if we have got very destructive or negative relationships in our lives, that's going to have a really adverse effect on our health, even if we're eating all the superfoods in the world.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? Sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Check out our upcoming Overcoming MS events Read the ‘Change Your Life for Life' chapter in the Overcoming MS book or the Overcoming MS Handbook Watch charity founder Linda Bloom's story of hope Find out more about spiritual and health teacher Caroline Myss Read Laura's bio New to Overcoming MS? Visit our introductory page  Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub Visit the Overcoming MS website Follow us on social media: Facebook Instagram YouTube Pinterest Don't miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes here. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us:  If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation here. Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS.

Join Joree and I in our new monthly Master Class series on Relationships: https://joreerose.com/theawaremethodmasterclass/And join us in Costa Rica Sept 28-Oct. 5, 2024: https://joreerose.com/retreats/costa-rica/In this joint episode with my partner Joree Rose, LMFT,, we talk with esteemed therapists, Charlie and Linda Bloom, who were an integral part of our healing after our breakup. Married for over 54 years, they have been doing joint couples work for over 40 years, leading workshops and courses all over the world, and are the authors of 5 books; the most recent is An End To Arguing, which we talk about in this episode. Charlie and Linda share valuable, insightful and practical tools for how couples can work towards and maintain a strong relationship, despite hardships, of which they have survived many. Beginning with a shared value of being lifelong learners, they have always taken the time for personal growth which has served as the foundation for their relationship, as they've always been inspired to aim higher. In this episode we talk about the 3 words you should never say to your partner in an argument, how you can have a breakdown become a breakthrough instead of a breakup, and how relationships are spiritual practices. When you can self-reflect and take responsibility for your emotions and experience, reveal with vulnerability what you are feeling rather than conceal it, and continue to communicate until you are feeling complete after an argument, then you can truly reside in the safety of a secure relationship. If you are someone who is interested in building an extraordinary relationship, then this episode is for you.Find out more about two upcoming relationship classes taught by Charlie and Linda!Esalen workshop from May 24-26.   Esalen.org/workshops/secrets-of-great-relationships-for-individuals-and-couples-052424Kripalu workshops from Feb 9-11 Kripalu.org/presenters-programs/secrets-great-relationshipsAbout Linda & Charlie: Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW:Charlie and Linda have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and The Northern California Mindfulness Institute. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love, That which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places, and An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships. They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California. Their website is www.bloomwork.comIf you like what you've heard at The Evolved Caveman podcast, support us by subscribing, leaving reviews on Apple podcasts. Every review helps to get the message out! Please share the podcast with friends and colleagues.

EP.87 In this episode of the Mental Helath Toolbox, relationship experts, LInda and Charlie Bloom, share 2 of the most important keys to a healthy relationship. Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975.   They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute, and the World Health Organization. They have offered seminars throughout the world, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Brazil, and many other locations…   Their organization, Bloomwork is dedicated to promoting healthy, fulfilling, and successful relationships for individuals, couples and organizations. They have served as psychotherapists, marriage counselors, consultants and seminar leaders since 1975. In addition to their academic and professional training, the Blooms' expertise in the field of relationships stems from experience in the crucible of their own committed marriage of over 52 years. Their best-selling book, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last has been translated into several languages and distributed worldwide. Since its publication in 2004 it has sold over 100,000 copies.   ♦️ Learn more about healthy relationships, with Linda and Charlie Bloom: Website: YouTube: ==== ♦️

https://bloomwork.com/https://pattycivalleri.com/shop/loc.gov/vetshttps://www.loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/about-this-program/This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3240061/advertisement

On a hot summer day, lots of things can get dangerously hot. Your street, the dashboard and steering wheel inside your car, even your patio furniture can get hot enough to burn you. Listen as I explain just how hot. https://www.rd.com/article/things-that-get-dangerously-hot/ Why are some things harder to learn than others? Why do some people seem to learn things faster? Are there ways to make learning something easier? Joining me to explain all this and other aspects of the science of learning is Daniel Willingham. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of several books including Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy (https://amzn.to/43Lkb8N). Arguments happen – a lot. Yet, what do they accomplish really? The fact is they often leave people more polarized and upset than before. What if people could resolve problems without arguing? What if we could prevent arguments from happening in the first place? That is what Linda Bloom specializes in. Linda and her husband Charlie are veteran marriage counselors and seminar leaders who have authored several books including An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships (https://amzn.to/3Y5J5yR).  There is this old advice I'm sure you have heard that when you are really upset, you should count to ten before you say or do anything because that will calm you down and prevent you from doing something you later regret. Is that really good advice? Listen as I explain some interesting research. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2168645/Angry-Counting-worst-thing--makes-furious.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you've earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid's relationship with technology is, so they've made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That's why they've partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Freakonomics Radio podcast! Check it out at https://freakonomics.com/podcasts OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting July 6th at 10 Am EST is the incredible ⁠Teatime with Miss Liz- Linda Bloom Marriage and Relationships⁠. This morning, we bring you a new flavour of T-E-A on relationships as we sit and discuss books, workshops and more—Linda and Charlie Bloom⁠LIVE STREAMING TO MULTIPLE PLATFORMS AND PODCASTS STATIONS AND APPS. Join us for the live show on Miss Liz's YouTube channel below. Please give it a quick subscription and ring the bell to be notified when teatime is live. ⁠https://youtube.com/@misslizsteatimes⁠Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., is a psychotherapist and marriage counsellor who teaches relationship workshops. She co-authors five books, including the best-selling 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married (over 100,000 copies sold). She is a regular teacher at Esalen Institute and Kripalu, with over 600 blogs on Psychology Today, over 10 million hits, and over 150 videos on her YouTube channel. website ⁠www.bloomwork.com⁠831-421-9822lindabloom@bloomwork.com⁠#teatimewithmissliz⁠ Linda and Charlie Bloom are seminar leaders, authors, psychotherapists and consultants and are considered human relations experts. They have been working with individuals, couples, and groups throughout the country and internationally since 1975 and have been featured speakers at many professional and public conferences. They have made over 200 radio and TV appearances. They have been faculty members and educators at several learning institutes and universities, including Esalen Institute, The Kripalu Center, The Crossings, JFK University, Omega Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, California School of Professional Psychology, Antioch University, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, and many others. Their work has been endorsed by Marianne Williamson, Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Jerry Jampolsky, Stephen Levine, and many other nationally recognized speakers and educators. They are the authors of 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (sold over 100,000 copies); Secrets of a Great Marriage: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love; Happily Ever After. And 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams, and their latest book, "That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places." Linda and Charlie have been married since 1972 and have two adult children and three grandchildren. Together they co-direct Bloomwork in Santa Cruz, CA and can be contacted at 831-421-9822 or by email at: lcbloom@bloomwork.com. For more information, please visit their website: ⁠www.Bloomwork.com⁠. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/misslizsteatimes/message

Are you curious about committed partnerships and how to make them work for the long run? Why is it so hard to love someone sometimes? Self-proclaimed "recovered hot heads" Linda Bloom and Charlie Bloom emphasize, communication and collaboration are key to creating a fulfilling and meaningful relationship. In today's episode, Linda and Charlie dive into the topic of navigating relationships to make them last. They discuss the significance of relationships, such as maintaining individuality and connectedness, respecting personal integrity, and granting autonomy in relationships. They also reflect on their own relationship and personal growth journey, providing a candid and relatable perspective. They share some gold nuggets and sneak peeks from their books, AN END TO ARGUING: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships, and Happily Ever After… And 39 Other Myths About Love. Linda and Charlie also discuss relationship myths, the spectrum of desire in relationships, and the benefits of arguing in relationships. So, if you're curious about how to make long-term romance work, tune in to this episode and learn from the experts. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join the This Might Get Uncomfortable community today:wellevatr.comWellevatr FacebookWellevatr TwitterWellevatr Instagram

Linda Bloom, LCSW, and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972.  Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Northern California Mindfulness Institute, The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization.  They have authored five books, including the best-seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love, That which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places, and An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships.  They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California.  Listen to this insightful Whinypaluza episode with Linda and Charlie Bloom about the fundamentals of relationship therapy and how you can put an end to arguing with your spouse! Here is what to expect on this week's show: How Charlie and Linda came to be therapists who work together to help others. The pivotal moment is when a couple stops being adversarial and starts working together. Being mindful and disciplined will help a couple work with each other's differences. Avoiding long-term damage when we do slip up along the way. How to work with a spouse who stonewalls or refuses to engage when there is a conflict. Appeal to enlightened self-interest. When your spouse or your kids want to open up to you, it is an important gesture. Acknowledge and thank them when they ask to speak and dedicate undivided time to do so. Steps to repair trust when it has been broken. Connect with The Blooms: Website: https://bloomwork.com/ Get a copy of An End To Arguing https://a.co/d/eIXV4J1 Twitter https://twitter.com/bloomwork Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lindaandcharliebloom Follow Rebecca Greene Blog  https://www.whinypaluza.com/ Book 1  https://bit.ly/WhinypaluzaBook Book 2 https://bit.ly/whinybook2 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/whinypaluzaparenting Instagram https://www.instagram.com/becgreene5/ @becgreene5 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@whinypaluzamom?lang=en @whinypaluzamom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Rye chats with Linda and Charlie Bloom, who have been married since 1972! Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Northern California Mindfulness Institute, The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and their newest book is called "An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships." In this conversation we discuss: The difference between an argument and a productive or passionate conversation How to find your voice as well as the courage and vulnerability to be able to have tough conversations What NOT to say in an argument Red flags in a relationship Ways to reignite the spark in your relationship The secret to the happiest long term relationships Thoughts on co-dependancy Suggestions for improving intimacy CONNECT WITH CHARLIE + LINDA BLOOM Website: Bloomwork.com YouTube: "Linda Charlie Bloom" Buy their NEW book on Amazon: "An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships" CONNECT WITH RYE+JESS Email: solo2.0podcast@gmail.com Instagram ⁠⁠@solo2.0podcast⁠⁠ Follow Jess ⁠⁠@bodyblissbyjess⁠⁠ Follow Rye: ⁠⁠@yourhormonebalance @ryeburch

Have you considered that your relationships are a spiritual practice in themselves? Linda Bloom is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor who teaches communication seminars and relationship workshops. She is the co-author of the best-selling book, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married; also Simple Lessons to Make Love Last, Secrets of Great Marriages and That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places. Linda and her husband Charlie have been married for 50 years and are living examples of making relationship a daily spiritual practice. In this episode we focus on Linda and Charlie's latest book, An End to Arguing – 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships, which was just published. Here are a few areas we cover in our conversation: • The importance of doing your own work • Forgiveness meditation as a central practice • The need to loosen attachments • The practice of being with feelings • Seeing your partner (or friend, sibling, etc.) through the lens of appreciation and gratitude • The importance of inviting your partner into conversation • Making agreements Website: https://bloomwork.com/ Books: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/linda-and-charlie-bloom Free e-books https://app.robly.com/subscribe?a=2ec85ee30b32f83a0cf2b18b108f3a0d An End to Arguing book: https://www.amazon.com/End-Arguing-Linda-Charlie-Bloom/dp/1646638085

Charlie and Linda Bloom are a husband-and-wife team of authors, seminar leaders, and relationship counselors who specialize in helping people create more fulfilling and authentic relationships. They are known for their compassionate and practical approach to relationship issues, and their work has helped thousands of people improve their lives and connections with others. Join us this week as we put their knowledge to the test and get some very helpful advice.Please check out their new book: An End to Arguing

Frankie interviews:David Hayhttps://substack.com/profile/73406521-david-hayLinda Bloom & Charlie Bloomhttps://bloomwork.com/BOOK: An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All RelationshipsDavid Hay is the Co-Chief Investment Officer, Founder Emeritus, and Partner of Evergreen Gavekal. He is also the author Haymaker and his latest book, Bubble 3.0: History's Biggest Financial Bubble: Who Blew it and How to Protect Yourself When it Blows Apart. David Hay has been working in the securities industry since 1979 when he joined Dean Witter Reynolds, now Morgan Stanley. He was named Senior Vice President in 1983. In 1985 he was the youngest member to be elected to Dean Witter's elite Chairman's Council. Haymaker, David's Substack newsletter, launched earlier this year; is presently available to readers at no cost. https://haymaker.substack.com/Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last. They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California. https://bloomwork.com/This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3240061/advertisement

Interview with Charlie and Linda Bloom. Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975 and have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA and internationally, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Northern California Mindfulness Institute, The California Institute for Integral Studies, and the World Health Organization. They have authored five books, including the best seller, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last  (over 100,000 sold), Secrets of Great Marriages, Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love, That which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places, and An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships. They are founders and co-directors of Bloomwork, based in Santa Cruz, California.In this podcast episode you will learn:The main reasons for arguing (and why it feels so uncomfortable)How to address difficult issues when you feel triggered?Different options to create space for difficult conversationsHow to have difficult conversations in the workplaceManipulation techniques - and how to spot themEnjoy listening.With gratitude,Julia——Pre-Order the Book NOW on Amazon (coming December 22nd):"An End To Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons For All Relationships" by Linda & Charlie BloomLearn more:www.bloomwork.com-----

Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #32, where we are pleased to welcome Regina Beach as our guest!   Our Coffee Break series is your chance to get to know members of our diverse OMS community. In each episode, you'll join Geoff Allix for an intimate chat with a different member of our global community. Our guests will share their personal stories and talk about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   As always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Regina is a very special guest for many reasons, including being an American living in the UK, and being an OMSer who works for the charity as its Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager. We hope you enjoy this episode's conversation with Regina, coming to you straight from the UK.   Regina's Bio:   Regina Beach is an American living in the Welsh Valleys with her British husband. She was diagnosed with RRMS in April 2021 and adopted the Overcoming MS program shortly thereafter. She is a yoga teacher and writer who regularly leads workshops and publishes poetry and essays.  She enjoys cooking and is writing an oil-free vegan cookbook with her husband. She also works part time as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager for Overcoming MS. Prior to diagnosis she was an avid long-distance cycler. Her goal is to feel strong enough and balanced enough to get back in the saddle.     Questions:   Regina, welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break. We're so pleased to have you on our program. The purpose of this series is to better get to know some of the diverse members of our community from around the world, and today you're in the hot seat. Can you tell us a little about your day-to-day life? When were you diagnosed with MS? Can you provide some context on that? When were you diagnosed and how did you initially deal with it? At which point did you come across the OMS program? How was that experience for you? Why did you decide to start following it? I understand that you're rated as having significant disability on the EDSS scale. Has the OMS Program helped alleviate this, or had no effect? What are your thoughts on people with MS choosing other types of diets or lifestyle protocols that are not OMS? Let's shift gears a little bit and talk about your professional life. You used to be a schoolteacher in the US, but now you live in the UK with your British husband, and you actually work part-time for OMS as its Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager. How did that transition come about? OMS is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and there are some special events in the wings. I understand you're involved in some of these, such as OMS Birthday Trivia in June, and the Big Picnic in July. Can you tell us a little about what to expect? Since you work in fundraising, what advice would you give to people in our community who want to get involved in this domain to help the charity? My next question straddles the personal and professional realm: you're a devout yoga and meditation practitioner, and you also teach it. Can you tell us how that's helped you, and share some tips on how others can get into the groove of a daily mindfulness practice? Regina, thank you so much for being on Living Well with MS Coffee Break and allowing our community to get to know one of its own a little better. One last question before you go, and it's a bit of a tradition in that we ask it of all our Coffee Break guests. If you tap into your experience with MS generally and OMS specifically for a nugget of wisdom that would help people ease into and better adopt the OMS program, what would that advice be?   Three Interesting Facts About Regina (in her own words):   I'm a yoga teacher and have changed my practice to be gentler and exploratory. I used to teach hot 26+2 (Bikram style).  I used to be a public-school teacher in Chicago where I taught secondary art and design. I have significant disability, with my neurologist most recently rating my EDSS at 6.5. I have incomplete remission, so my symptoms are always with me.     Regina's Links:   Check out Regina on Instagram, all about her adventures with whole food plant-based eating. Read Regina's newsletter, all about creativity through movement, art, and whole food plant-based cooking. Have a peek at Regina's website.   Coming up on our next episode:   On the next episode of Living Well with MS, premiering June 15, 2022, meet Shari Short – MS patient advocate, professional in healthcare communications, and naturally, a standup comedian – and learn from her experience with MS how laughter can be a powerful medicine in itself.   Don't miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. For your convenience, a full episode transcript is also available on all platforms within 72 hours of each episode's premiere. If you like our program, don't be shy and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S4E52b Transcript Coffee Break #32 with Regina Beach   Geoff Allix (00:00): Welcome to Living Well With MS Coffee Break, a part of the Living Well with MS podcast family from Overcoming MS, the world's leading Multiple Sclerosis healthy lifestyle charity, celebrating its 10th year of serving the MS community. I'm your host, Geoff Allix.   Today, you'll meet someone living with MS from our diverse and global Overcoming MS community. Our Coffee Break series invites you into the lives of each guest. They share their personal MS journeys, and speak openly about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find some common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   You can check out our show notes for more information and useful links. You can find these on our website at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. If you enjoy the show, please spread the word about us on your social media channels or leave a review wherever you tune into our podcast. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to Living Well with MS on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. So, get your favorite beverage ready, and let's meet today's guest on Living Well with MS Coffee Break.   Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #32, where we are pleased to welcome Regina Beach as our guest. Regina is an American living in the Welsh Valleys with her British husband. She was diagnosed with Relapse-Remitting MS in April 2021 and adopted the Overcoming MS program shortly thereafter. She's a yoga teacher and writer who regularly leads workshops and publishes poetry and essays. She enjoys cooking and is writing an oil-free vegan cookbook with her husband. She also works part-time as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager for Overcoming MS. Prior to diagnosis, she was an avid long-distance cycler. Her goal is to feel strong enough and balanced enough to get back in the saddle.   Regina, welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break. We're very glad to have you on our program. So the purpose of this series is to get a better understanding of the members of our community from around the world, and today you are in the hot seat. So, could you tell us a bit about your day-to-day life?   Regina Beach (02:12): Sure. Thanks, Geoff, for having me. I am American, but I do live in the UK. So, my day-to-day life takes place in South Wales where I am a writer, a yoga teacher, and I also work part-time for Overcoming MS as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager, which means I help people who want to do a charity bike ride, or a race, or if they want to sell something, or raise funds for OMS. I help in whatever way, sending out swag, helping promote and advertise, and working with some really cool OMSers doing amazing things.   In terms of my day-to-day, I was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS in April of 2021, so not that long ago, and so I am still in the middle of figuring out what works best for me and how to fully embrace the OMS lifestyle. I jumped in right away about a month after diagnosis, I found the website, devoured it, and soon after got the book, read it, joined the Facebook group. I really feel like this is the pathway back to health, or to living as well as I possibly can, for me.   Geoff Allix (03:40): So how was it being diagnosed mid-COVID pandemic? I'm guessing that's made a difference.   Regina Beach (03:50): Yeah, absolutely, because I really put off getting the tingles in my feet checked out for a long time. I wasn't really in pain; I wasn't really having mobility issues. I was just having lots of numbness in my feet. And since I had been extra active in 2019, I did miles of swimming, biking, and running, I thought I was just experiencing some overuse residual something. And I really put it off and put it off, and it wasn't until my acupuncturist was like, "Your cold tingly feet, really, I haven't been able to do anything about this. I really think you should go to your GP and get some blood work done." And I'm really glad that she said that because I think, especially for people who like to tough it out or who are used to doing physical things and maybe having their body have adjust to stuff, I really wasn't thinking that I had something neurologically wrong with me.   And so then, obviously it took a little bit of time to check, I didn't have low B12, I didn't have low iron. My GP thought maybe I had a pinched nerve and just ordered a cervical MRI, and then eventually a full MRI. And then I ended up in the hospital for a week because I was having, I guess, a big relapse where I really had some terrible symptoms, and was losing mobility, and ended up with the diagnosis about a year after I really first started having those tingles. So, I do feel like I'm getting good care now, but I feel like the road to finding that diagnosis and really finding my way was definitely prolonged because of the pandemic.   Geoff Allix (05:38): And I think MS is a difficult one anyway, because it's not like we have a key symptom. Most things you can say, "Yeah, that's likely to be that because you've got this key symptom." We're like, "Well, actually it could be anything." Your nerves do everything in your body, and we've got a problem with our nerves, so it could be, people have got eye problems, walking problems, bladder problems, temperature problems, pins and needles problems, and they're all MS. So yeah, it is really difficult.   Regina Beach (06:07): Yeah, exactly, and you don't necessarily think of, "Oh, I need to pee all the time," as being connected to this idea that the grip in my left hand is not as strong as it used to be. You don't make that connection naturally, I think, because MS symptoms can run the gamut.   Geoff Allix (06:25): So, when did you come across OMS? How did you find out about OMS? And how did that go for you?   Regina Beach (06:33): My whole life, I have said, "If I ever get really sick," kind of jokingly, "I'm just going to become a monk and be a vegan and live in the woods." And so obviously, one of the first things I Googled was, what's the best diet for MS, because I understand that what we put into our body is the molecules that we become. And so I thought, okay, someone has got to have been doing research on this, and so I came across Swank, and then came across Jelinek, and then the evidence was just so compelling to me. I spent a month researching recipes, getting rid of stuff in the fridge, overhauling things.   My husband's been really wonderful and has changed his diet too, so we cook together. We're writing down our recipes and compiling a cookbook. We have an Instagram where we post recipes. It's been really fun, and it's been a huge change because I used to really love cheese and dairy, and my husband used to be big into smoking meats and grilling meats, and so we've just done a 180 with our meals, and it's really helpful to have somebody to co-plan with and cook with.   Like last night, we had some smoked fish and veg, and it's actually really amazing what you can do, cooking without oil, that I had no idea was possible. So I'm actually really happy that we found this. He's a triathlete and has found a lot of benefits from the diet portion of Overcoming MS as well, and I've always been a meditator of sorts, but now I feel like it's really key, and I definitely carve out the time more than I used to for that component.   And yeah, I do take a DMT, and I'm hopeful that with everything together, I'll get some more mobility back because I walk currently with two sticks, and I'm really hoping to one day be able to walk without a mobility aid.   Geoff Allix (08:42): Yeah. That was the next thing I was going to ask actually, so you are listed as having significant disability on the EDSS scale. So what's two sticks? That's somewhere up like four and a half, five, or something on the scale?   Regina Beach (08:55): Yeah, so I don't leave the house without at least one stick and it really just depends on how my balance is feeling that day. And sometimes, if we're at a museum or if I'm out and about in a big public arena, I've used a wheelchair before, just because walking long distances is really tough for me. And that was really heartbreaking because it was something that, hiking and long-distance trekking are things that have been a really important part of my life up to this point. I did the Camino de Santiago, and I've done a lot of long-distance cycle trips across Europe and Asia and North America, and I feel really lucky that I was able to do those things. But yeah, so being in this new body of mine that doesn't function the same way, and is really slow, and I have foot drop on the left side, and it's really a big adjustment, and I don't think I'm totally there. I dream of running sometimes, or I dream that I can walk.   Geoff Allix (10:08): Literally in your dreams?   Regina Beach (10:09): Literally in my dreams.   Geoff Allix (10:10): I have that as well. Some people say, "Does that make you sad because you've lost it?" And it's actually no, when you half wake up and you're just coming out of a dream, if I'm getting back to sleep, I'm just like, "I'd love to get back into that dream again," the one where I'm running around.   Regina Beach (10:25): Yes.   Geoff Allix (10:26): Because it's like memories of what used to be, and very similar stuff I used to do, like do a lot of mountain walking and hiking and cycling and stuff. The things now that I think would be an amazing achievement, whereas before it would be climbing Mont Blanc or something, now it's like, something less daunting. I mean, if I can do something like Snowden, or something that's not a hard mountain, that would be such an achievement for me. I mean, I don't know if it's achievable because I'm not really, I'm similar to you, I always take a stick when I go out, but I'm not ruling out that I can get a bit better.   Regina Beach (11:04): That's how I feel.   Geoff Allix (11:06): There are people I've come across, who like me, think those aids, they're not disabling, they're enabling. So, using mobility aids, and certainly, yeah, so I've got an E-Trike that I use partly also as a mobility scooter sometimes because I can just put it a walk mode and just trundle along. Because I just, yeah, the distance is the problem really, whereas I'd love to go on a city break where I just wander around all day. But now I-   Regina Beach (11:39): I love that, yes, where you're just walking miles and miles and seeing all the things, and now you have to be a little more deliberate about where you're going to go, how long is it going to take, and where can you take a rest? But it doesn't mean you can't do it. So I was really nervous to take my first international trip since having mobility issues, but my husband and I went to Egypt over Christmas and New Year's, and it was amazing how much we were able to do and how accommodating people are when you just explain the situation, and how much people want to help and make things as easy as possible. So, we did a snorkeling trip and everyone on the boat was super helpful because that is, as someone who has balance issues, it's a nightmare to walk around on a boat.   Geoff Allix (12:27): Yeah. Well I've been scuba diving twice since I've had MS.   Regina Beach (12:27): Nice.   Geoff Allix (12:33): Yeah, I've been scuba diving in Costa Rica and in Thailand, because I used to scuba dive a lot, but actually I thought, well, why not? Because there's not a balance issue.   Regina Beach (12:33): Yeah. Once you're in the water, it's great.   Geoff Allix (12:44): Yeah. And actually when you're scuba diving, you don't really, really, it's not a lot of exertion, because otherwise you use up all your air basically. So you are trying to do everything in a very gentle motion, so I still have the skills, and yeah, the problem is getting on and off the boat. On the boat, because it's moving around, there's loads of stuff to hold onto because everyone's got to hold onto stuff, so actually it wasn't that bad. So yeah, I could do that, and that was really cool.   Regina Beach (13:11): Yeah, and it is just about finding what you can do and leaning into what you can do, and making new goals, like you said. There's a little lake, we live right near the Cwmcarn Forest Drive, and one of my goals is to make it around that whole little lake without taking a break. And that is a very small goal compared to maybe what I used to be doing, but that's fine, that's where I'm at right now, and I'd rather be getting out there and trying for that. And also I just really appreciate my good days because, obviously, I used to take walking and running for granted, and now I'm like, "Oh, I feel great today. I'm definitely going to go out for a walk or for a little hike." So there's the small joys.   Geoff Allix (13:58): Yeah. And the next question is, what are your thoughts on people with MS choosing other types of diets or lifestyle alternative to OMS?   Regina Beach (14:11): Yeah, so this is really interesting. Since being diagnosed and disclosing my diagnosis, I've had a lot of people say, "Oh I have MS too," or "I have another autoimmune condition," which I think is really interesting, how much you don't know about your acquaintances. I feel like disclosing brought me really close to some people who I had no idea also had things that they were dealing with. But I also think that it's a really personal decision about how you're going to self-manage your condition, and so I've definitely had to be firm, but kind, in my approach saying, "I'm sticking with OMS. This is what I want to do. If you want to do paleo, you want to do another diet, that's fine."   I think it really comes down to how you feel and what you can stick with. And so anybody who is managing through lifestyle, I think deserves big kudos. Anyone who's making these big changes in their lives, whether it's adding exercise or mindfulness, or taking supplements, or whatever it is. I think we're not really at odds with most of the other diets, they are mostly whole food based, they are mostly much healthier than the standard Western diet, and I think that you want to be encouraging, this idea that we have autonomy to make changes that aren't just dictated from a neurologist or a GP, that we can do something for ourselves.   Geoff Allix (15:46): Yeah, and I've spoken to people on different protocols, Mathew Embry, Best Bet Diet, talked to him, and the commonality is greater than the differences.   Regina Beach (16:00): Much more.   Geoff Allix (16:01): And with the Wahls protocol similarly, basically they're all non-dairy, they're all low saturated fat, they're all whole food based. Now it may be that you have organic grass fed, lean meat occasionally on the Best Bet Diet. It may be that you have, gluten is okay on OMS, which is not on others. So there's little bits on the edges, but the core bits are really the same, low saturated fat, whole food diet with no dairy, is basically common across all of them. And I think-   Regina Beach (16:39): Yeah, and even Swank had low fat meat after year one on his original diet, which the OMS diet is built on, so there is so much that is in that same vein.   Geoff Allix (16:53): Yeah. I think some people, as well, because there's a lot of stuff with fasting now as well, and I think there's a lot of interest in fasting. And the paleo diet, if you cut out all your carbs, then you put your body into a fasting state, but when you talk to the neurologist about this, when you are proposing this, they're saying, "Oh yeah, we're not actually encouraging you to just go on an Atkins diet because that would put you into a fasting state, but that's not actually healthy. What you want to be doing is going to fasting state by reducing the time window you eat, or not eating for a day, a week," these different ways of doing it, and then eating a healthy lifestyle. So there's sort of like-   Regina Beach (17:35): Yes, and not just putting yourself into ketosis for the sake of it by not consuming carbs, which are really in everything, and as long as you're eating whole grains, is very, very healthy. That's what so many cultures and indigenous people's whole diets are based on, potatoes, or rice, or other grains. And I think cutting them out is, like you're saying, it's not healthy for the long haul.   Geoff Allix (18:06): So, to change a little bit and talk about your professional life, you were a schoolteacher in the US, moved to the UK and live with your British husband, and now work part-time for OMS as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager, as you mentioned. So how did that transition come about?   Regina Beach (18:27): Oh my gosh, I feel that life in Chicago, when I was teaching in public schools there, is a lifetime ago. I was really burnt out, it's a really tough job. I really give a lot of praise to all of the schoolteachers out there, especially in these strange times. But I was really at a point in my career where I was turning into the type of teacher I didn't want to be and needed to pivot, and so I decided to take a year to do a Fulbright Fellowship in Laos in Southeast Asia, and that was my last full year of teaching. I taught teacher candidates there, and that's actually where I met my now husband, who was on a motorcycle adventure through Southeast Asia, and came back to visit me a couple times.   And so, through that process, I was really thinking, okay, what is it that I really like? What is it that I really want to do? I did yoga teacher training. I became a lot more interested in mindfulness and moving meditation, and pivoted back to my first love, which was writing. I studied journalism in university, and really decided, okay, I want to pursue writing. And so some of my work with Overcoming MS is grant writing, and blog writing, and press releases, and I also write essays and poetry in my own time. And so, I'm just trying to carve out a life that's more reflective of my values and what I really enjoy and what I want to spend my time doing. And I was kind of already in that mode when I was diagnosed, but since diagnosis, it's been even more acute that, the time I have, I want to spend it focusing on the things that I really enjoy, and the things where I feel like I can make a big difference.   Geoff Allix (20:31): So OMS is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and you've got some special events upcoming, there's various OMS birthday trivia, OMS big picnics, and other events. So could you tell us a bit about the events upcoming?   Regina Beach (20:45): Yeah, so we're really excited to celebrate a decade of the charity promoting the OMS program for people worldwide. And so, yes, the big picnic is a great way to get family, friends, your OMS Circle, involved in some outdoor fun, a barbecue, maybe, bringing OMS compliant foods, teaching people about what the diet pillar is about and why, and possibly even doing some fundraising for the charity. And we are going to do a big birthday quiz on Zoom this year, so that will be really fun, having people answer questions both about the program and also just fun trivia stuff.   And so, this year is really important because 10 years ago, Linda Bloom decided that the OMS program needed a cheerleader. I feel the organization is a mouthpiece to help deliver the content and help people who have MS understand that there are thousands of us who are living better because we're self-managing through the program. So, yeah, if you would like to get involved, email fundraising@overcomingms.org. We're really excited to celebrate. We're celebrating the launch of the new brand, we're celebrating what we're moving towards in the future, and hopefully it will be another 10 years of growth and expansion, and yeah, great food and great fun.   Geoff Allix (22:28): So my next question straddles personal and professional, so you're a devout yoga and meditation practitioner, which you also teach, so could you tell us a bit about how that's helped you? How that yoga and meditation side of things has helped you, and share some tips to others about how they could get into a daily meditation practice?   Regina Beach (22:50): Yeah, for sure, so I used to teach a very yang, very physical style of yoga, the 26+2 Bikram series, which is done in a 40-degree Celsius hot room, which I can't do anymore because heat really exacerbates my symptoms, and a lot of the standing series involves so much balance that it is just out of reach for me right now. So I really have had to adjust my practice and my teaching from this really intense [inaudible 00:23:24] to a much gentler, more yin, more long hold, more floor-based yoga.   And so that was really tough for me at first, because obviously this is something I've been doing, I took my first yoga class when I was in university, I was 18 years old, it's been with me for a long time. I'm trying to see it as, I have all of these years of experience, but now I have a beginner's body where I can't necessarily do all of the things that I used to do, and I'm now reteaching myself.   And so, coming at it from that perspective, I feel has been really helpful because it's just being curious about, what can I do today? Being curious about, how does my body feel today? And leaning into that, and saying, "Okay, this is how I feel. This is what I can do. This is how much I can do." And just letting the rest go, and that's where the mindfulness and meditation come in because we cannot force ourselves to do something that we're not able to, and that doesn't necessarily have to lead to frustration. I think that piece is so crucial, when you are able to accept where you are at today, then everything just floats a little better and we're a little more at ease.   I think you can do meditation no matter what you're doing, whether you're doing yoga, whether you're just sitting mindfully, whether you're drinking tea mindfully, whether you're just taking a nice walk and observing the birds and the trees. I think all of that is just, what can I do? Where am I now? How am I feeling in my body? All of that is mindfulness.   And I'm just appreciating where I'm at, and what I can do, and moving towards little goals to improve my balance, to improve my flexibility, and not necessarily treating my old body as the goal, because I might not be able to do all of those yoga asanas in the future, and that's fine, that doesn't mean I can't deepen my practice. And for a while I was thinking, well, does this make me a terrible yoga teacher if I can't do all of these poses? And I've come to the realization that people don't actually care if their yoga teacher can do fancy arm balances, what they care about is if their yoga teacher can meet them where they're at, and help them find comfort and ease, and a little bit of stretch and relaxation in their own body. And so that's also been just a new version of my yoga practice and my yoga teaching.   Geoff Allix (26:03): Yeah. I mean, Usain Bolt's coach is not a world record runner, so you can teach without being at that level, can't you?   Regina Beach (26:13): Exactly.   Geoff Allix (26:14): So, thank you so much for joining us on the Living Well with MS Coffee Break, and allowing the community to get to know you a bit better. So there's one last question that we have that we tend to always ask people, which is, if you could tap into your experience with MS generally, and OMS specifically, for a nugget of wisdom to help people, particularly if they're new to the OMS program, what would that be?   Regina Beach (26:39): I think, really planning out who you'll tell, and how, and what you need from those people you tell is really important because, for as strong as we all are, you need a community behind you. So whether you're going to lean on your OMS Circle, or your family, or your friends, I think having a plan and knowing how you're going to react when someone doubts that what you're doing is helpful. Because I think as a newly diagnosed person, it can be really crushing to hear someone say, "Oh, there's no proof for that," or "Why are you doing that? That's pseudoscience," or whatever the negative, we always remember the negative more than the positive. And so building a community of trusted people, of people who are supporting what you're doing, and having ways to deflect any naysayers, would just go a long way because the mental health aspect of having MS is no joke and it takes a village to keep people moving forward and living well, and taking care of all of these different components of the lifestyle.   But we can do it, and we can do it together, and I think things like the podcast, and the OMS Circles, and all of the wonderful OMSers really do support one another. I think that's the best part of this program, is the community.   Geoff Allix (28:03): Thank you. And thank you very much for joining us, Regina Beach, and thank you for all your work that you do with OMS as well.   Regina Beach (28:11): Thanks, Geoff, it was great to talk to you today.   Geoff Allix (28:13): Thank you for listening to this episode of Living Well with MS Coffee Break. Please check out this episode's show notes at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. You'll find all sorts of useful links and bonus information there.   Do you have questions about this episode, or do you or someone you know want to be featured in a future Coffee Break episode? Then email us at podcast@overcomingms.org. We'd love to hear from you. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. Living Well with MS Coffee Break is kindly supported by a grant from the Happy Charitable Trust. If you'd to support the Overcoming MS charity and help keep our podcast advertising free, you can donate online at www.overcomingms.org/donate.   To learn more about Overcoming MS and its array of free content and programs, including webinars, recipes, exercise guides, OMS Circles, our global network of community support groups, and more, please visit our website at www.overcomingms.org. While you are there, don't forget to register for our monthly e-Newsletter so you can stay informed about the podcast and other news and updates from Overcoming MS. Thanks again for tuning in and see you next time.   The Living Well with MS family of podcasts is for private non-commercial use and exists to educate and inspire our community of listeners. We do not offer medical advice. For medical advice, please contact your doctor or other licensed healthcare professional. Our guests are carefully selected, but all opinions expressed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Overcoming MS charity, its affiliates, or staff.  

There are a lot of moving parts in relationships, such as your background, having children, career, previous relationships, and so on. So, how can you cultivate a more secure and intimate relationship with your partner? Should you lower your standards and expectations in order to avoid disappointment? Linda Bloom strongly disagrees with this notion.  In this episode, Linda talks about how she and her husband took their relationship to the next level after a five-year irreconcilable difference gridlock and how they are now helping other couples cultivate an empowered relationship. Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor who teaches relationship workshops. She is the co-author of four books including the best-selling 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married (over 100,000 copies sold). She is a regular teacher at Esalen Institute and Kripalu, with over 600 blogs on Psychology Today with over 10 million hits, and over 100 videos on her YouTube channel. Check out the transcript of this episode on Dr. Jessica Higgin's website. In this episode 6:45 Linda and her husband's journey to becoming an empowered couple that inspires other couples. 10:01 What true empowerment entails. 13:42 Limiting beliefs that keep people from gently and consistently co-creating a highly romantic relationship. 18:52 Lowering expectations versus encouraging one another to become their best selves. 22:37 Traits and characteristics of couples who have empowered relationships. 33:16 How to manage differences: the growth mindset. 40:45 Finding psychosocial support. Mentioned Link to 3 free e-books: An End to Arguing, The Ten Biggest Things We've Learned Since We Got Married, and Your Guide to Great Sex. 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) Happily Ever After... and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams (book) ERP 013: Balancing Intimacy and Autonomy in Relationship ERP 297: How to Enhance Emotional Intimacy in Your Relationship in Your Relationship – An Interview with Amber Dalsin ERP 300: How to Set Your Relationship Up for Success ERP 100: Three Building Blocks For A Conscious Intimate Relationship Shifting Criticism for Connected Communication Relationship Map To Happy, Lasting Love Connect with Linda Bloom Website: bloomwork.com Facebook: facebook.com/lindaandcharliebloom Twitter: twitter.com/bloomwork YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCV3lPZs0gRNYCTQ6vgz4Q6Q Connect with Dr. Jessica Higgins Facebook: facebook.com/EmpoweredRelationship  Instagram: instagram.com/drjessicahiggins  Podcast: drjessicahiggins.com/podcasts/ Pinterest: pinterest.com/EmpowerRelation  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjessicahiggins  Twitter: @DrJessHiggins  Website: drjessicahiggins.com   Email: jessica@drjessicahiggins.com If you have a topic you would like me to discuss, please contact me by clicking on the “Ask Dr. Jessica Higgins” button here.  Thank you so much for your interest in improving your relationship.  Also, I would so appreciate your honest rating and review. Please leave a review by clicking here.  Thank you!   *With Amazon Affiliate Links, I may earn a few cents from Amazon, if you purchase the book from this link.

A family-owned retail produced market that procured its fruits and produce from local growers. The family had operated the business for 10 years and as the kids got older and started to leave for college, they didn't plan on continuing to work in the business. Which is a common theme for many family-managed businesses these […] The post Part One – Linda Bloom: The One Thing You Can't Forget When Selling a Business – If You Do It Can Cost You Big Time appeared first on Business Exit Stories.

A business that was given birth after the breadwinner in the family was laid off. To make ends meet, the breadwinner's wife started cleaning houses. Because she was allergic to many of the chemicals that are commonly used in household cleaning supplies, she began to use organic cleaning supplies and then promoted her organic orientation […] The post Part Two – Linda Bloom: Why a Business Growing By Leaps and Bounds Couldn't Get an SBA Loan appeared first on Business Exit Stories.

A business that was given birth after the breadwinner in the family was laid off. To make ends meet, the breadwinner's wife started cleaning houses. Because she was allergic to many of the chemicals that are commonly used in household cleaning supplies, she began to use organic cleaning supplies and then promoted her organic orientation […] The post Part Two – Linda Bloom: Why a Business Growing By Leaps and Bounds Couldn't Get an SBA Loan appeared first on Business Exit Stories.

Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the recent trend of bad behavior in society since the pandemic. He then welcomes author and psychotherapist Linda Bloom back to the show to discuss why we are experiencing all of this bad behavior, the stress that causes it, and what to do about it. Dr. Charles then answers some listener emails. 

How we connect to the people in our lives, influences how well we do at work and at home. Friendships, romantic relationships, and relationships with co-workers have a huge impact on how we feel about our lives and too often they become tense, strained, stressful. But they don't have to be. Today author, psychotherapist, and spouse Linda Bloom shares the skills we can develop to cultivate and nourish the most important relationships in our life at work and at home. Contact: Linda Bloom at www.Bloomwork.com Find Polly at www.pollycampbell.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 2022 and welcome to the premiere episode of Living Well with MS. We are thrilled to launch the 4th season of our podcast with a very special episode celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Overcoming MS charity. What better way to mark the occasion, and the start of a hopeful new year, than an in-depth conversation with OMS CEO Grazina Berry. Since assuming leadership of the organization almost 18 months ago, Grazina has led a transformation that has been focused on strengthening Overcoming MS's ties with its community, health care professionals, and the MS community at large. In this episode, we will learn about the exciting changes that lie ahead as OMS cements its place as the world's leading MS lifestyle charity.   Bio:   Grazina Berry joined Overcoming MS in July 2020 as CEO. She has had an extensive career, as a senior and board executive, in the public and not-for-profit sectors.      Grazina is passionate, driven and committed to making a positive difference to the lives of all communities and helping OMS achieve its vision – that every person with MS is empowered to take control of their lives, is making informed lifestyle choices and can lead a full and healthy life.     Over the last year and a half, Grazina has been working tirelessly with the OMS community, the team, trustees, and partner organizations to implement OMS's new strategy, focused on informing, supporting and empowering people with MS and their families to lead healthy lives. A collaborator at heart, Grazina is a firm believer in working in partnership with people with MS, their families, professionals, and other MS focused organizations, so we can learn from one another, adapt to the ever-changing and complex world around us, and create long-lasting impact, together.   Intro:   Happy 2022 and welcome to the premiere of the 4th season of Living Well with MS, the podcast from the world's leading MS healthy lifestyle charity. This is our season opener and 77th episode to date, and to mark the occasion we are proud to welcome back the Chief Executive of Overcoming MS, Grazina Berry. Thanks for being on the program again, Grazina.   Questions:   Our 4th season is just one of the milestones that Overcoming MS is marking this year. Most notably, it is the organization's 10th anniversary. What kind of birthday party are you planning to celebrate a decade of helping people with MS live healthier and better lives? In your view, how has OMS evolved over the past decade? As CEO, what are some of the key initiatives that you're introducing or have introduced to align with the organization's 10-year anniversary? And in the vein, what might be some of the specific banner projects OMS will be rolling out this year? If OMS was a person and disposed to making new year's resolutions, what would its resolutions be? How have you seen the MS landscape, and more broadly the holistic health and healthy lifestyle space, change over the years? Has it evolved for the better, worse, or neutral? How has OMS kept pace with some of the changes in the MS landscape you've noted? What are your most important considerations in leading OMS into its next decade? What are some of the challenges you feel lie ahead? How do you feel OMS has changed as the result of the deeply impacted, particularly from the physical and mental health perspectives, post-Covid world? How do you feel OMS is making deeper inroads into its community, strengthening its ties with them as well as their ties with each other? If there is one thing you can choose to etch as OMS's legacy for the next decade, what would it be? And finally, what are you personally most excited about for the year ahead?   Links:   About Grazina Berry About Overcoming MS OMS 2021-23 Strategy New! OMS Advocacy   Coming up next:   Please join us on January 24 for the season premiere of Living Well with MS Coffee Break, our podcast series dedicated to the voices and stories of our diverse global community. In Coffee Break #27, meet Vickie Hadge, the Ambassador of the OMS Circle in Connecticut. Vickie is an avid plant-based foodie and speaks about her experiences living well with chronic illness on YouTube. We hope you can drop in and get to know her!   Don't miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. For your convenience, a full episode transcript is also available on all platforms within 48 hours of each episode's premiere. If you like our program, don't be shy and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S4E46 Transcript Happy 10th Anniversary, OMS! A Look at What Lies Ahead with OMS CEO Grazina Berry   Geoff Allix (1s): Welcome to Living Well with MS, the podcast from Overcoming MS, a healthy lifestyle charity celebrating its 10th year of serving the MS community. I'm your host, Geoff Allix. The goal of our organization and this podcast is to inform, support, and empower people with MS to lead full and happy lives. We're excited you could join us for this new episode. Make sure to check out this episode's show notes for more information and useful links. You can find these on our website at www.overcomingms.org/podcast or on whichever podcast platform you used to tune in to our program. If you enjoy the show, please spread the word about us on your social media channels or leave a review wherever you tune in to our podcast.   Geoff Allix (47s): Have questions or ideas to share? Email us at podcast@overcomingms.org or you can reach out to me directly on Twitter @GeoffAllix. We'd love to hear from you. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to Living Well with MS on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Now, let's meet our guest for this episode. Happy 2022, and welcome to the premiere episode of Living Well with MS. We're thrilled to launch the fourth season of our podcast with a very special episode, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Overcoming MS charity. What better way to mark the occasion and start on a hopeful new year than an in-depth conversation with OMS CEO, Grazina Berry.   Geoff Allix (1m 32s): Since assuming leadership of the organization almost 18 months ago, Grazina has led a transformation that has focused on strengthening Overcoming MS's ties with its community, health care professionals, and the MS community at large. In this episode, we will learn about the exciting changes that lie ahead as OMS cements its place as the world's leading MS lifestyle charity. Welcome to the premiere of the fourth season of the Living Well with MS podcast from the world's leading MS Healthy lifestyle charity. This is our season opener and 77th episode to date. To mark the occasion, we are proud to welcome back the Chief Executive of Overcoming MS, Grazina Berry. Thanks for being on the program again, Grazina.   Grazina Berry (2m 12s): Hi, Geoff. Thank you for having me back. I must have got something right the first time as you invited me to come back again.   Geoff Allix (2m 22s): I'm glad to have you back. Our fourth season is just one of the milestones Overcoming MS is marking this year, and the biggest one, most notable is the organization's 10th anniversary. What kind of birthday party are you planning to celebrate a decade of helping people with MS live healthier and better lives? Probably would be socially distanced in the UK.   Grazina Berry (2m 52s): That's fine. Definitely. Well, first of all, congrats to you, Geoff, as well, being the podcast host for our fourth season. That's a celebration as well.   Geoff Allix (3m 5s): I can't believe it's been this long.   Grazina Berry (3m 8s): I know, but indeed, bearing in mind all the upheaval and uncertainty around us, especially over the last two years, I think we could all do with a little party, couldn't we? The thing about the 10th, 10 is such a big number, isn't it? If I imagined this party, it would have to be one that is really filled with fun, pride, enjoyment, lots of reflections over the standout moments, maybe a few tears here and there, giggles, raise a glass or two, and I think to do the anniversary and all the achievements of the organization over the last 10 years justice.   Grazina Berry (3m 52s): We should probably have done parties. I think that's doable by technology, isn't it? We'd like to celebrate with our community who've helped us get to where we are and we'll be looking to unveil the plans in the new year, wanting that to be an element of surprise as well. The listeners and you, Geoff, will just have to watch the space.   Geoff Allix (4m 16s): In your view, what's happened in the last 10 years? How has OMS evolved over the past decade?   Grazina Berry (4m 26s): Wow, that is a massive question, really. I think to answer it in the best possible way, to do all the achievements justice, I think we should try and jump into that time machine, go back to the beginning, and reflect on some of those standout moments of which the very first one has to be 2012. The fundamental starting point when the charity began, established by the amazing Linda Bloom, working very closely with Professor George Jelinek and Gary McMahon, the CEO at the time. That was the humble beginning in Australia.   Grazina Berry (5m 8s): Then in 2013, the charity started distributing the OMS books for free in the UK and held the very first UK conference. I suppose these kinds of events focused on information, very much marked the next couple of years, 2014 in particular. 2014 is worth a bit of a pause as well because we started funding open-access research projects at the neuroepidemiology unit at the University of Melbourne. Then 2015 and 2016 were also really, really important because we began to define our focus internationally.   Grazina Berry (5m 52s): We registered as a charity in Australia in the US in 2015. We really went all out organizing residential retreats. Geoff, I believe you've been to one of these immersive, multi-day experiences connecting people with one another, beginning to build communities, but also informing them about the OMS program.   Geoff Allix (6m 20s): Yes, I did. A quite transformative thing going to an OMS retreat, but, obviously, they had to stop because of COVID. Also, I'm guessing there are issues with scalability as well.   Grazina Berry (6m 32s): Yes, absolutely.   Geoff Allix (6m 33s): It's not going to be for thousands of people at each one.   Grazina Berry (6m 36s): Unfortunately. I wish they could be, but alas, they can't. However, perhaps later, when we come to talking about plans for the future, I can share with you some of the ideas that we're actively developing and pursuing for reimagining those important events. Back into the time machine, in 2016, I wanted to mention as well because OMS went to the US to raise awareness of the organization and the program, visiting three cities, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Then 2017 and 2018, again, quite a lot of events.   Grazina Berry (7m 15s): There was one in Northern Ireland. There were a few retreats in Wales, actually, and Australia. Very importantly, that's the year when we launched Overcoming MS Circles. Twenty, I believe. We had 20 in 2018, and these are volunteer-led community support groups. Really important in terms of grassroots activism in those early days, but also connecting people. 2019, another memorable year. UK conference in Edinburgh followed by a high-profile event at the House of Commons in London, and importantly, Geoff, the much-loved podcast began.   Grazina Berry (8m 12s): 2019, a really important year. Then we went into turmoil, complex year, I would say. 2020, of course, the pandemic hit. We started to change program and the organization with Gary stepping down and my arrival. Then 2021, again, the pandemic isn't over and it's still causing havoc, but that's the year that marked our new three-year strategy publication in March and growth in our community to 94 circles that we have today, our online platform, but also growing the strength of our community voice.   Grazina Berry (8m 57s): Really, going back to your question, Geoff, about evolution, I think you'll notice that the charity started by the immense focus on raising awareness, spreading the word, about the pioneering work of Professor Jelinek. A lot of effort went into high-profile raising events. We then started working more deeply with people through retreats, and as you said, from your own personal experience, impacting them really profoundly, but the numbers were quite small, and they were pretty costly to deliver. Gradually, we've started to think about scale and how technology could help us reach more people.   Grazina Berry (9m 41s): My arrival, as I reflect on it, marked a crossroads point at the charity. I led a broad review exercise speaking with the community, trustees, and the founders, of course, the team, lots of other MS organizations, partners, healthcare professionals, looking at whatever data we could really get hold of. Where is MS prevalence heading, for example, and then sadly it's heading north, isn't it? It's rising. Through all of this, we realized three really important things. One was that awareness alone is not enough to enable or motivate people to change their lifestyle by adopting the OMS program to the extent that those changes really stick and do so at scale.   Grazina Berry (10m 30s): We also realized that we need to hold people's hands and support them to become much more attuned to what they need in the contexts in which they live. A one size fits all approach really would not work. Third, we cannot achieve impact at scale by doing it alone. We need to work with healthcare professionals and other organizations. As a result of all this evaluation, the new strategy came to be that has begun that shift to combine awareness alongside some fundamental organizational developments really across our four goals - inform, support, empower, and collaborate.   Geoff Allix (11m 18s): You hinted that there are some new things in the pipeline. Is there anything you could give us a hint of? What are some of the key initiatives you're introducing? Could you give us a hint at some of the banner projects that might be rolled out this year?   Grazina Berry (11m 38s): Yes, it's going to be a bumper year, Geoff. I can assure you of that. Of course, marked with celebrating the events throughout the year, so perhaps not a big bang. This is the term of a birthday party. Lots of things happening throughout the year and we will be unveiling some really exciting initiatives, and possibly those virtual parties. I can mention a few things without spoiling the surprise that I know the team would be happy for me to share. I think, really importantly, we'll be celebrating the publication of the OMS Handbook in February.   Grazina Berry (12m 18s): This is the new book co-edited by Professor George Jelinek, Dr. Sandra Neate and Dr. Michelle Donaghy with multiple authors adding their voices. Please pre-order your copy not to miss out. You can do it now. We'll also be refreshing our brand with very generous pro bono support from the fantastic team at JMA in Australia. Geoff, thank you for your contributions to helping us review the brand alongside other ambassadors. This has been a really insightful exercise to do. One of the reasons why we are refreshing is that we aligned ourselves much more closely to our values being inclusive, empowering, community-focused, evidence-based, collaborative, and dynamic, but of course, none of us are naive to expect that brand alone would help us to achieve that.   Grazina Berry (13m 12s): This is important because we wish to present a really professional front to our broader audiences, including and especially, healthcare professionals. We will also be ramping up our advocacy initiatives and our work with healthcare professionals. We will be updating our existing information resources and developing new ones, as well as beginning campaigns. We will be looking to bring back events. I know we've got so many people in our community who are really, really excited about this and need more face-to-face interactions. We are hoping to trial a new immersive experience of supporting people with MS.   Grazina Berry (13m 59s): Taking what was wonderful from the retreats, combining a face-to-face workshop with digital resources to inform, support, and empower people to embrace fully the OMS program. We also want to really boost our community engagement and support our ambassadors and circles by investing in additional resources. We will be rolling out, as a bit of a spin-off, a webinar program that is with Dr. Aaron Boster, having piloted the first episode recently, and that's been incredibly well-received. We were absolutely overwhelmed with questions that people had.   Grazina Berry (14m 45s): We want to launch webinars series alongside the more mainstream webinars series. Also importantly, we'll be starting to tangibly shape our plans in the US. As you can see, Geoff, there is lots and lots to keep us very busy in 2022.   Geoff Allix (15m 7s): All right. If OMS was a person and it made new year's resolutions, what would the OMS' resolutions for the new year be?   Grazina Berry (15m 15s): I don't know. This is interesting because personally, I tend not to make resolutions, but if I put myself out of this mix, I think probably the most important one would be, be kind to yourself, make more time to listen to your body, look after your body and mind, make time for you. I think all of us are so guilty of not doing that, but alongside this, I think what's really key as well is to show empathy to others, welcome people to the community, openly, supportively, and without judgment.   Grazina Berry (15m 56s): Finally, I would say stick with it. The path of multiple sclerosis is so uncertain for many people but knowing that you're doing all that you can to live well, may that be your driving force, and especially when you have those darker moments, which are probably inevitable, especially in the world that we live in, where uncertainty just keeps on giving and keeps on challenging us.   Geoff Allix (16m 29s): Over time, how have you seen the MS landscape change specifically and also the focus on healthy lifestyle? In a broader sense, bringing a healthy lifestyle, holistic health, how have you seen that change over the years? Did that improve, get worse, or stay the same?   Grazina Berry (16m 48s): Goodness, that is another huge question. What I would like to do is just latch onto that number 10, which is peppering our conversation today and, again, reflecting a little bit. Ten years ago, I was working in a mental health organization, a fantastic organization called Richmond Fellowship, that provides a really wide range of community-based mental health services. What I was seeing back then, and we actively practiced, was seeing each individual that came through the door of our services, we saw them as a whole, not a label or a diagnosis.   Grazina Berry (17m 31s): We took the time to really understand them so that we could address the cause of their distress and mental health challenges. Peer support was already widely used to enable people to help each other, essentially by sharing their experiences, and the mind-body connection was at the forefront. This is 10 years ago. I saw a very similar picture then when I moved to rare illness, cancer space, and other disease areas, actually. We could see already, especially high disease, diabetes, and others.   Grazina Berry (18m 11s): They were all embracing a healthy lifestyle, and more broadly actually, the World Health Organization had been championing a more realistic, personal health management, with encouraging clinicians to look at physical, mental, emotional, and social elements for years. There's been a lot of very positive development happening for years. When I landed in neurology, in multiple sclerosis, I thought actually, Neurology MS Services does have some catching up to do here, but saying that, I think the tide has really been turning and 2015, the throwback to Overcoming MS, that was an interesting year, as we talked earlier, around our international expansion.   Grazina Berry (18m 57s): 2015 was also a very interesting year here in the UK. It was interesting because there was this really significant shift happening in the thinking about the treatment of people with MS, so professors from England, alongside a number of international experts, led a really significant research project called Brain Health, Time Matters in MS.   Grazina Berry (19m 37s): That examined the various impacts on the MS personal economy. They also explored current practices and diagnosis, treatment, and what the barriers to accessing these might be. The study then emphasized the need for a much faster diagnosis of disease activity. One of the standard recommendations was to start treatment early with disease-modifying treatment, and, I really want to emphasize, lifestyle measures whilst ensuring that decisions about the treatment are shared between the patient and condition. If we look at the National Health Service in the UK now, this long-term plan really supports preventive practice and personalized holistic care that Overcoming MS is all about.   Grazina Berry (20m 31s): What we've got now, we've got health and wellbeing coaches, we've got social workers, care coordinators. We can really see that things are changing for the better, and this is incredibly helpful for our cause, Overcoming MS. We need to be able to harness all these positive developments and align ourselves more closely with the changing healthcare systems. We've got this fantastic OMS program, which provides a very practical framework to enable people with MS to effectively self-manage the condition and take control. I think this really taps that prevention agenda.   Grazina Berry (21m 12s): We need to really begin to own this space as an organization, as a charity.   Geoff Allix (21m 23s): How has OMS kept pace with the changes that you've seen in the MS landscape?   Grazina Berry (21m 30s): Yes, so mentioning Brain Health, Time Matter in MS, there was a campaign launched on the back of it. Overcoming MS signed up to support that initiative alongside other MS organizations. That group of organizations is really vast. It's not just those MS charities in the UK that we all know about, but also other organizations internationally, the National MS Society in the US and others. We've also acknowledged, as an organization, the need to engage with and influence healthcare systems. That's very much in our new strategy, new plans.   Grazina Berry (22m 11s): We joined the Neurological Alliance in 2020 so that we could be part of a collective group of organizations focused on influencing policy, sharing best practices, learning from each other. We've also connected with neurologists, MS nurses, and other MS charities through the MS Academy here in England. We've contributed, very recently, to a piece of work that explored co-morbidity, so those other illnesses that people with MS are quite likely to have.   Grazina Berry (22m 51s): For example, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and others. We've also looked at inpatient admissions, especially emergency admissions to hospitals, and the associated costs in patients with MS based on that socioeconomic status across four very specific geographical areas or integrated care systems in England. All this work resulted in a poster called the Wellbeing Gap, One Size MS Service Does Not Fit All. This was presented at the most recent Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS, ECTRIMS, as it's known across the sector. We're really trying to keep pace with all these developments more than ever before, recognizing that we cannot achieve our ambitions of the end game without tapping the healthcare system and working with others.   Geoff Allix (23m 47s): We look back over the last 10 years, but if you look forward, what do you think are some of the important considerations leading OMS into the next decade?   Grazina Berry (24m 5s): Wow. We have just stopped talking of the last 10 years now. I wonder what's next. A great question. The first, most important consideration has to be all about people, Geoff, and actually, it's quite an internal consideration, the team, the Overcoming MS team and our volunteers. I'm really fortunate to be working with a group of people who really care about work, who are resilient and passionate. It's going to be so important to make sure that they also feel supported and empowered to do their work, building connections with our community, and really taking pride in what we achieve.   Grazina Berry (24m 48s): It'll also be really important to make sure that they're able to keep hold of that intrinsic motivation that keeps them going. Really articulately described by a guy called Sharath Jeevan in his book called Intrinsic that I can't recommend highly enough for people. Another important consideration would be not being afraid to try new things, projects, approaches, not being afraid to change course, but also, being brave about making tough choices and walking away from things that perhaps don't work so well and just do not have the impact that we seek. Saying that, it will be really key for us to be more vocal and clear about our unique selling point, our USP, being the OMS program, and making sure that it also keeps pace with research developments.   Grazina Berry (25m 43s): We will be establishing a new research advisory group, which is a very exciting development. This group will be led by Dr. Aaron Boster, a neurologist from the US who has that research and healthcare brief. The final consideration, but I'm sure there'll be many more, that being an open-minded organization that really welcomes and embraces new opportunities, tries out partnering with others, and collaborating more, especially with other MS organizations and healthcare systems. This will be very exciting as we begin to focus on expanding and scaling in other geographies, particularly the US, but really exploring those areas where the MS problem is the biggest because they need programs such as ours the most.   Geoff Allix (26m 38s): What challenges do you see lying ahead in the future?   Grazina Berry (26m 44s): Indeed. It's not going to be a breeze, is it? To do all these things and especially really crack and tap into healthcare systems, I think there'll be quite a few. Again, because I think the world is so uncertain, there'll be so many changes happening. We'll just have to make sure we are fleet of foot and we're nimble, able to really respond well. The first one I would single out is the fact that community needs and expectations will continue to change and evolve in line with the world that's around us. That's always moving, never stopping. We need to be really responsive to their needs. This will be both a challenge and an opportunity, of course, because we can then try new ideas and ways of working while also retaining our core and what we're about.   Grazina Berry (27m 40s): Another challenge linked to this will be digital fatigue. Technology, as we know, is a really powerful tool. It enabled us, as a charity, to carry on our virtual outreach through the pandemic, but it won't work or be accessible for everyone. We need to make sure that we develop face-to-face opportunities as well. Being a small charity with lots of ambition, we are so mindful that fundraising remains challenging and will continue being so because there are so many great causes out there, and especially in the MS space, competing for the same pots of money, the evidence of our impact as a charity will be really, really important.   Grazina Berry (28m 27s): Another key challenge is, of course, the pandemic. You probably picked me up on this, Geoff, if I didn't mention the pandemic. I think the pandemic, amongst many other challenges, has really deepened inequalities, those pre-existing inequalities leading to greater unemployment, swelling waiting lists for treatments made those socio-economic circumstances in which people live much more challenging. Well, this really stresses the need for our work, to champion the OMS program, which gives people the tools to live well with MS. As an organization, we need to be so much more attuned to the world around us.   Grazina Berry (29m 7s): This is not easy for a small organization with global reach and global ambitions, and alongside this, and very much linked to the pandemic, but we probably all know that healthcare systems have been struggling, not just in the UK, but also in the US and in other areas before the pandemic, but especially now, we can really see how stressed those systems are with massive waiting lists, backlogs of cases, staff burnout. This is a challenge for us as we try to ramp up engagement with influencing healthcare professionals. It really emphasizes the need for us to develop programs that help relieve those stresses.   Grazina Berry (29m 53s): We have to come up with some very practical solutions that, for example, that the National Health Service can adopt fairly easily. Again, a tough challenge, but I think, game on.   Geoff Allix (30m 9s): How do you feel OMS is connecting, making inroads with the community, and strengthening its ties with the community and the community ties with each other?   Grazina Berry (30m 23s): I think that's a really great question because the community is clearly at the forefront of everything that we do and why we exist as a charity. I would really like to mention and plug a little bit, our very first community engagement survey that we conducted over the summer in August 2021. I want to thank everyone who took the time to answer its 61 questions. It wasn't a slim survey. It was pretty comprehensive, but that survey has given us so many insights into the lives of people with MS and how OMS can support them better. It told us, for example, that 54% of people with MS will not be discussing a healthy lifestyle with their physician.   Grazina Berry (31m 7s): While this may be a result of lots of reasons, we talked about some of them earlier, including the gap in the neurologist curriculum around healthy lifestyle approaches and holistic care, shortages, lack of time, but now more than ever, people need support and advice about stress management, healthy diet, great amounts of vitamin D. This survey is really important for us because it's helping us build a much better understanding of who our community are, where they live, how they interact with the OMS program in real life, what are some of those barriers to changing their diets, moving more, and what can they expect from us as a charity?   Grazina Berry (31m 50s): We are in a really good position, I feel, to improve what we do aligned with our community needs - what they need and what they want. I think what we're also doing is we're building much stronger foundations and grassroots levels through our circles program and we'll look to grow. Again, let's throwback to 2018, we had 20 circles. We now have 94 in 26 countries worldwide. We have 100 ambassadors to lead these really important community peer support groups, and alongside, we also need to offer our volunteer ambassadors the support that they need.   Grazina Berry (32m 35s): That's really important. Our grassroots advocacy initiative that I mentioned earlier, we started with brilliant leadership by Professor Helen Rees Leahy and Allie Marwick, our advocacy trustees. It's really crucial too to strengthen connections between individuals and across the community, but also, and really importantly, with healthcare professionals so that people with MS can feel confident to really adopt healthy lifestyles. People can raise the need for healthy lifestyle conversations with health care professionals during appointments, so I believe we're making great progress, but there's a lot more work that we need to do, which is great.   Grazina Berry (33m 18s): That's why we're here.   Geoff Allix (33m 23s): If there's one thing that you could put down as OMS's legacy for the next decade, what would that key thing be?   Grazina Berry (33m 31s): Gosh, I always struggle with those questions. I say pinpoint one thing, because there's never just one thing. I'm going to try and say three things, Geoff, if I may.   Geoff Allix (33m 42s): Okay, fair enough.   Grazina Berry (33m 44s): Three things. Well, I think the main one, maybe, it sums up, the head of all the others, is we make it into the mainstream. We are definitely there alongside medical treatments, and we are recommended to every person being diagnosed with MS. Finally, we are regarded as the thought and practice leaders in healthy lifestyle in a massive space. I think these would be really key things for us to get to, this end-game scenario for the next decade.   Geoff Allix (34m 23s): Yes. It would be fantastic if people, by default, heard about lifestyle when they're having that first conversation with a neurologist.   Grazina Berry (34m 34s): Absolutely.   Geoff Allix (34m 34s): It shouldn't be something some people find out about.   Grazina Berry (34m 38s): Google at the moment.   Geoff Allix (34m 38s): Yes. Well, there's a difference between the digital divide. I think most people who are following OMS are tech-savvy enough. They have access to computers, but if it was more widely available and it isn't in some places. In some places, some neurologists hand out brochures for OMS, but that's certainly not widespread.   Grazina Berry (35m 3s): They do. It's not wide, but I think you're absolutely right to mention that, Geoff, because actually, some people will be handed the OMS book. Just reflecting a little bit on some of the achievements this year, we've actually presented to hospitals here to teams of MS nurses and neurologists. As a result of that, we've had this bumper order for free OMS books so they can then hand out to their patients at the point of diagnosis or in following appointments, which I thought was incredibly encouraging, certainly, as we prepared for 2022.   Grazina Berry (35m 43s): What we also know through the survey that we've just talked about is that, I believe, in only 8% of cases, the OMS program will be discussed by the healthcare professionals and recommended, signposting people to us. Only 8%, which, okay, is a low number, but for me, that is a huge opportunity to really shift that number over the next year.   Geoff Allix (36m 8s): I would say, when I was diagnosed in 2015, at the time, it wasn't 8%, then I wouldn't have thought. I think it's gone up to 8% so it's heading in the right direction at this. That's a good thing.   Grazina Berry (36m 27s): Definitely, thank you.   Geoff Allix (36m 28s): Finally, what would you personally be most excited about for the year ahead?   Grazina Berry (36m 34s): Lots of things to be excited about for 2022, alongside those 10th birthday parties that we'll all be looking forward to. I'm really excited about getting out there and building deeper connections with the MS community. Of course, I have to caveat that pandemic allowing, restrictions allowing, but still absolutely build those deeper, meaningful connections with our community groups. I'm also really excited about leading our healthcare professionals' engagement plans to fruition. Actually, it feels like, with the bigger and more diverse board of trustees that we now have, with a full team in place, we'll be in such a great position to achieve our plans in 2022.   Grazina Berry (37m 21s): More about this, people can hear when they tune into our upcoming webinars in January.   Geoff Allix (37m 28s): I would absolutely encourage people, not just listening to podcasts, there are so many more resources, the webinar. There are huge amounts of content and resources on the Overcoming MS website and it's well worth having a look around if you haven't done so recently. It's really expanded the content there. It's huge now. With that, thank you very much for joining us for the start of 2022 and hopefully another successful 10 years.   Grazina Berry (38m 1s): My absolute pleasure, Geoff. Thank you so much. Also, thank you for being one of our committed ambassadors, community members who keep supporting OMS as they adopt the OMS program. Thank you for the opportunity to share those plans, talk about the challenges, reflect on your achievements, and really look forward. I'm wishing everyone a healthy, enjoyable, and much brighter 2022.   Geoff Allix (38m 31s): Thank you for listening to this episode of Living Well with MS. Please check out this episode's show notes at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. You'll find all sorts of useful links and bonus information there. Do you have questions about this episode or ideas about future ones? Email us at podcast@overcomingms.org. We'd love to hear from you. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. Living Well with MS is kindly supported by a grant from the Happy Charitable Trust. If you'd like to support the Overcoming MS Charity and help keep our podcast advertising-free, you can donate online at www.overcomingms.org/donate. To learn more about Overcoming MS and its array of free content and programs, including webinars, recipes, exercise guides, OMS Circles, our global network of community support groups, and more, please visit our website at www.overcomingms.org. While you are there, don't forget to register for our monthly e-newsletter so you can be informed about the podcast and other news and updates from Overcoming MS. Thanks again for tuning in and see you next time.  

Welcome to the season finale of Ask Jack, featuring the prodigious culinary talents of professional plant-based chef and writer Jack McNulty answering food-related questions generated by you, our community. Check out the show notes below that dig deeper into the topics covered on this episode. Ask Jack will return in 2022 for its second season, where we will feast on even more of our community's questions about all things cooking and eating in an OMS-friendly way. You can submit your questions for Jack anytime by emailing them to podcast@overcomingms.org.   Introduction   In this episode, we have curated a set of commonly asked questions around holiday cooking. With the onslaught of the holidays upon us, people following the OMS program face major challenges in making traditional holiday recipes compliant with their dietary choices under the OMS program. Jack has had ample experience in navigating this narrow channel of healthy eating and holiday food fun, and what he's learned and hopes to convey to you is that following OMS dietary guidelines doesn't mean you have to forgo the joy of yummy holiday eating. So, let's dig in!   Questions   How do I keep from 'cheating' when I'm around family and everyone is eating food I can't eat or enjoy? Do you have any ideas for sweets I could make for the holidays? Sweets I can take to the office party and enjoy at home with my family? Do you have any ideas for an OMS-friendly holiday roast? This is my first year with MS, I'm new to OMS and I am struggling to come up with ideas for food I can enjoy during the holidays? I'm confused about chocolate and what is allowed on the OMS diet. Can you explain what I can and can't use to make my desserts?  I want to make pie this holiday season, but I can't find an OMS-safe recipe without added oils. Even the filo dough at the supermarket has oil. What can I do? What's the difference between Dutch-process Cocoa and Cocoa? Are both OMS-safe? Is raw cocoa better than cocoa? How can you make a traditional holiday cake OMS friendly?   Close   Thanks so much Jack for the inspiration and practical advice you've provided on how to make holiday cooking and eating healthy and fun. For those of you listening, you've probably built up a festive appetite, but now you can make those delicious recipes a bit healthier, too. This is the final episode of Ask Jack for 2021, but Jack will return to answer more of your food- and cooking-related questions in 2022. So that's something to build up an appetite for. Remember, you can submit your questions for Jack anytime by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Till then, happy OMS-friendly holiday cooking and eating!   Links:   Check out this blog post on 5 tips to avoid binge eating during the holidays. Here's a link to Jack's blog post about holiday cooking ideas. Want more cooking ideas? Check out the OMS cookbook! Here's an in-depth article on the effects of alkalization on cocoa. Learn about the difference between Dutch processed and natural cocoa. Learn about the difference between cocoa and cacao.   Connect with Jack in a number of ways if you'd like to follow his work or gain some more insight into his OMS-friendly vegan culinary world:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook   In addition, Jack has started a newsletter publication called VeganWeekly that shares three vegan recipes weekly to try at home. Subscribe to it here.    Coming up on our next episode:   Tune in starting November 17, 2021 for a very special episode with new OMS trustees Prof. Helen Rees Leahy and Alison Marwick for a stimulating roundtable discussion about advocacy and its central place in spreading the message about positive lifestyle change to the entire MS community.   Don't miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don't be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S3E43c Transcript Ask Jack #5   Geoff Allix (2s): Hi, I'm Geoff Allix, host of Living Well with MS, the podcast from Overcoming MS.   Jack McNulty (7s): Hi, I'm Jack McNulty. A professional chef and serious OMS foodie. Welcome to Ask Jack, a special Living Well with MS podcast series, where I'll be answering food and cooking-related questions submitted by you, our Overcoming MS community.   Geoff Allix (25s): If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode of Ask Jack, please email us at podcast@overcomingms.org, that's podcast@overcomingms.org. And now let's rev up our appetites and dig into this episode. Welcome to the season finale of Ask Jack featuring the prodigious culinary talents of professional chef Jack McNulty. Sorry I know Jack just asked me to say, could you say, professional cook? So, I'll change that, professional cook, Jack McNulty, answering food-related questions generated by you, our community. Check out the show notes below that dig into the topics covered in this episode in more detail. Ask Jack will return in 2022 for its second season where we will feast on even more of our community's questions about all things cooking and eating in an OMS-friendly way.   Geoff Allix (1m 13s): You can submit your questions for Ask Jack anytime by emailing them to podcast@overcomingms.org. So, in this episode, we've created a set of commonly asked questions about the holiday season. With the onslaught of the holidays upon us, people following the OMS program face major challenges in making traditional holiday recipes compliant with their dietary choices under the OMS program. Jack has had ample experience in navigating this narrow channel of healthy eating and holiday food fun. And what he's learned and hopes to convey to you is that following OMS dietary guidelines doesn't mean you have to forgo the joy of yummy holiday eating. So, let's dig in and welcome, Jack.   Jack McNulty (1m 54s): Thanks, Geoff. Great to be back for another little conversation about food and this time specifically holiday food. Looking forward to it.   Geoff Allix (2m 1s): And I think this is, it's a time when food is central, isn't it? There are many different festivities going on at this time of year, but they all do seem to center around food more than maybe at other times of the year.   Jack McNulty (2m 17s): That's right. Yeah. There are lots of customs. There are lots of parties, businesses, businesses have office parties, things like this. So yeah, there are lots of opportunities to have food in front of you. But of course, with that, there's also a lot of opportunities to have peer pressure to slip away from the diet a little bit. And I guess that's probably one point we could spend a little bit of time talking about.   Geoff Allix (2m 45s): So, to start off with, how do you keep from cheating when you've got everyone eating all this huge array of what does tend to be more non-compliant food? That's the other thing I think because people see it, they have this sort of maybe unhealthy food as kept on a pedestal. Like, okay, I shouldn't be eating this all the time, but it's the holidays. So, I'm going to have this high fat, really lots of maybe more prepared, processed, you know, lots of things. And people think of that because, oh, they shouldn't do it all the time, but it's the holidays, so we'll do it now.   Geoff Allix (3m 26s): So how can you keep away from cheating when everyone else is eating all that food?   Jack McNulty (3m 33s): Yeah. It's an interesting question, isn't it? It's perplexing to me how people celebrate the holidays by allowing excuses to creep in. And that's really what that is. Yeah. Willpower, it's all about willpower and just being courageous and being strong and sticking to what you believe in. So, for me, when I was just starting out, I mean, I just kept trying to remind myself of what was my goal, what was the whole goal that I was trying to achieve by following the OMS lifestyle and the diet in particular?   Jack McNulty (4m 15s): And then I wanted to understand what are the goals of OMS? What are the ultimate goals of OMS? Of course, that's keeping inflammation down and improving your blood profile. And so, I really wanted to always remind myself, you know, are my actions, are my thoughts, the food that I'm taking in, is that in alignment with those goals, my goals, and also the goals within OMS? And I think that's just really helpful to always just keep that in perspective as you move along and through the holidays. It certainly helps when you run across situations where peer pressure comes into play, maybe it's family members or friends, they're saying, oh, come on, it's the holidays.   Jack McNulty (4m 59s): You know, a little cheese is not going to hurt you and that sort of thing, but that's the time when it's really most important to really stick to what you're believing in and moving forward with pursuing those particular goals. I also did something that was, I'm not so sure I really want to share this publicly, but now that I've started, I guess I have to. [Geoff chuckles] I, what I did is I kind of gave those little situations that came up, those little stressors, those little pressures that would come up, I gave them names and I just spoke to them.   Jack McNulty (5m 39s): So, for instance, this is a bit corny, but I gave cheese the name Charlie, for no particular reason, other than they both begin with C. And so, every time I had an urge at the beginning to, oh, I'd really, really like to have a piece of cheese right now. And then I just talked to Charlie, and I would just say, you know, thanks for coming by Charlie, but we've had this discussion before and I appreciate what you've done for me in the past, but you're not welcome here anymore. So, feel free to leave. And for me, that helped a lot just to kind of play a little bit of a game like that, to give that a particular name and just deal with it that way and acknowledge it.   Jack McNulty (6m 19s): And then just move on. There was also on the OMS website, there was a blog post a year or two ago from the former Boston Circle ambassador. I believe her name was Carolyn Kaufman, who wrote a nice piece about this particular topic, about not allowing, or not slipping, you know, a little bit during the holiday season. And that might be worthwhile to go check out.   Geoff Allix (6m 50s): And the other thing is, so we'll come onto roasts, which is a big thing, but also sweets and puddings, cakes, do you have any ideas for sweet food that you could make for the holidays, that you could take to a party, that you can enjoy with your family?   Jack McNulty (7m 12s): We can probably do a whole hour on this just alone. I think, especially now, there are just so many different ideas available through books, through various community groups, various organizations. It's just so simple to figure out a way to turn something plant-based or to make it a little bit more OMS friendly, you know, depending on whether you're using egg whites or not. So, there are lots and lots of ideas out there. For me, I just like to, I really enjoy this time of year because I like sweets.   Jack McNulty (7m 52s): It's no secret. I have a little bit of a sweet tooth, but I love exploring and just keep reinventing. For instance, I took a classic holiday drink, eggnog, are you familiar with eggnog?   Geoff Allix (8m 6s): Mhm. Yep.   Jack McNulty (8m 6s): And it's so easy to make that plant-based. And so, you know, a veg-nog, if you will, and just cashew-based and create something like that, and then sharing it with other people just really adds a lot of enjoyment to the process. But certainly, to get to the crux of your question, yeah, there are plenty of cakes, cookies, steam puddings, sweet style bread, things like a [inaudible] or something like this. And I think that what you can do very simply is you can go out, search out, for instance, if you're trying to make a cake, just find something that's very ordinary, an olive oil-based cake, for instance, that just pops into my head and then look at that and look to include some Christmas spices to it, for instance, or dried fruits or a combination of those two things, perhaps even adding a little bit of alcohol.   Jack McNulty (9m 9s): You know, if you want, if that's something that's favorable to you just increase the sort of festiveness of it around the holiday period, it's very simple to do, to change the flavor profile of something that's just normal and make it a little bit more holiday-like.   Geoff Allix (9m 30s): Because of the steam fruit pudding, it's probably quite compliant. I don't think you need to do much to that, do you?   Jack McNulty (9m 37s): That's correct, yeah. That's pretty simple.   Geoff Allix (9m 38s): And that's kind of the basis in the UK, certainly, at Christmas, we have a Christmas pudding, which is kind of steamed and a Christmas cake. And I don't know about other religions, but I mean, that's sort of a fruit cake, and certainly other cultures because my aunt's from Barbados and her mother who's deceased, she used to cook these incredible cakes. So, she would, every month she would fill a tub with dried fruit. And then she would top it up with rum and then each month she would take one of these tubs down and then make this amazingly moist fruit cake.   Geoff Allix (10m 20s): And then she would put another, she would fill that tub, clean it, fill the tub with fruit and put it on the end. She had six tubs. So, it's every six, it took six months to make it across. And then each month it was topped up with more rum. So, by the end of the six months, there was no recognizable fruit. It was just mush, but it was always heavily saturated in rum. The moistness of it was incredible. I think a lot of the alcohol had probably evaporated off, but I think it was probably, I wouldn't like to drive after eating too much of this. And so, it's a very different culture. This wasn't done, particularly as, you know, a religious thing at all. But just, yeah, you can certainly have a fruit cake and a bit of alcohol, if people have alcohol again, sort of adding that sort of Christmas flavors and everything.   Jack McNulty (11m 13s): There are two recipes in the OMS cookbook that are very similar to these kinds of things. There's one, that's just, it's simply called a Christmas Cake. I think it has three ingredients. It's along the lines of what you were just describing. Maybe not quite as involved in taking so long, because I think it's a little bit more instant, but it certainly fits the bill. And then there's another one called an Irish Whiskey Cake from Jessica in Ireland. And that was quite fun making that with Ingrid when we were doing the cookbook together, when Ingrid was editing it and we were testing some of those recipes, we had good fun with those particular recipes, actually making them.   Jack McNulty (11m 57s): They're quite good. And I encourage people to check them out.   Geoff Allix (12m 0s): And you were saying eggnog is another one that there's probably a generic way of saying this, but there's a drink called Bailey's, which is very popular at Christmas in the UK. So, it's a coffee whiskey-based and cream. And that's something I do every year. I kind of have a vague idea of the recipe, but actually, you were saying the experimentation is as much fun as anything. Because I know that there'll be whiskey in there. There will be like oat milk or oat milk whiskey, a little bit of espresso coffee and something like maple syrup or some sort of sugary syrupy flavor in there, and a little bit of vanilla.   Geoff Allix (12m 46s): And I just sort of, and actually, it's no problem testing it and then changing it a little bit and testing it some more and then changing it a little bit. The testing is definitely fun. [Both laugh]   Jack McNulty (12m 55s): Exactly. Put a little [inaudible] eggnog on there and call it something else, nobody's going to know. [Jack laughs]   Geoff Allix (13m 4s): No, it's good. So, coming onto sort of the main course, if you like, there are two questions here, so, well, I'll start with the second one, which is actually the, that this was [inaudible]... This is my first year with MS and I'm new to OMS. And I am struggling to come up with ideas for food I can enjoy during the holidays. And then just to combine that with, do you have any ideas for an OMS-friendly roast? So, what sort of like main event meals do you think you can cook at home, in a friendly way, because it is, as I said again, we're sort of saying unhealthy, but it's also centered around meat as well, but that could be, ham, it could be turkey, but it's beef as well.   Geoff Allix (13m 46s): It's often centered around meat.   Jack McNulty (13m 48s): Yeah, it is. It's the central item around the table. Before I get to that, let me just address the issue with the first part of that question with someone just starting out the first year with MS. Struggling with different ideas of what to make during the holiday season. Maybe the OMS program is brand new to them, struggling, trying to figure out what kinds of foods to eat. Certainly, for most people that have been following OMS for a while, I think this is very relatable. I think most of us dealt with this at some point or another, probably during the first year in fact, and lifestyle changes are stressful and it does take a lot of courage to go through them.   Jack McNulty (14m 34s): You know, by definition, if you're making a lifestyle change, you're really not only changing your habits, but you're creating a little bit of a distance between what your friends and family might be doing as well. And so that's going to add some pressure and some different challenges along the way. So, what I did during the first holiday is I sat down and I just tried to understand what was it about the holiday foods that I experienced and loved so much? What was it, why did I like those? What were those particular recipes that I enjoyed?   Jack McNulty (15m 15s): And I, so I collected them, you know, I got in touch with some family members and started collecting a little bit of those particular recipes that meant a lot to me. And I looked out and asked myself, you know, what can I do to make these recipes OMS compliant? And I was really surprised at how simple that was for the majority of recipes. And so for me, it was just a matter of making some slight adjustments. And basically, it was the same sorts of foods. Now, obviously, you're not going to replace the roast at the center of the table. I grew up primarily with, I think we have mostly turkey and ham kind of thing.   Jack McNulty (15m 60s): So that was the big thing around my table. But you know, if you are in a family situation, I think that it's simple, if your other family members are eating meat or eating things that you're not necessarily eating to just having a discussion, a family discussion saying, you know, does it really need to be the central part of the table? Can we make that a little bit more off to the side and then change the center of the table, to make it some dramatic sort of vegetable preparation. I think if you search around, it's pretty easy to find a roasted cauliflower recipe with grape and pine nut sauce for instance.   Jack McNulty (16m 40s): It's very dramatic looking and it's very tasty and it's very much OMS compliant or some kind of other gratin or something of this nature. Or if you're eating fish, if that's something you decide to do roasting a whole fish can be really dramatic and replacing that with the traditional ham or turkey or things of that nature. I know that in the Southern hemisphere, you know, it's a much different situation. The weather is warm. People are barbecuing. You know, they're out grilling having different kinds of situations. I know, years ago when I was visiting Australia, during the holiday season, I actually had a Christmas day dinner with Linda Bloom, the founder of OMS.   Jack McNulty (17m 33s): And it was wonderful having grilled prawns and, you know, a whole fish presented and that sort of thing. It was absolutely no problem for anybody involved. It was such a dramatic type of OMS experience. It's something that sticks with me today, even though I no longer eat fish.   Geoff Allix (17m 51s): Yeah, I found Australians, they go one way or the other. They, some people go very, cause they still, because it was a British colony, they still stick with the, we have to have the big roast dinner, which is really unsuitable because if you're anywhere in a sort of hot parts of Australia, which is most of it, it's not really the most suitable food to have at that time of year. And also a lot of the shopping centers have got fake snow everywhere, which is very, very strange when you're in that very high temperature. [Both chuckle]   Jack McNulty (18m 20s): Yeah. I was a little shocked to see Santa Claus dressed, you know, in a surfing outfit. [Both laugh]   Geoff Allix (18m 27s): And the other thing, I mean, some things I've come across, a vegan Wellington. So a Wellington probably doesn't translate globally, but basically, it's a beef dish traditionally. So it's a dish where you have beef covered in pastry with mushrooms and pâté as well. So it's non-compliant, but basically, it's the idea of it being wrapped in pastry, but there's a number of different recipes. There's a couple of people in Ireland called The Happy Pair, who have a lot of videos available on YouTube. And they've got lots of cookbooks as well. Some of their stuff's non-compliant, most of it, is fairly compliant.   Geoff Allix (19m 10s): They do tend to fry, which we can obviously dry fry or fry in water for onions, but actually, you get these delicious vegetable-based fillings inside, and they quite often use a filo pastry, which you can buy, I mean, filo pastry is one of those things that I'm sure it's possible to make, but making wafer-thin pastry is certainly beyond my talents. But actually, if you look around, it's not too hard to find compliant, filo pastry, and actually, you can make it really delicious, and that's almost a centerpiece. I mean, certainly, it's too big for one person to eat. And when I have that at Christmas, people will always have some of that and they do, you know, there are lots of different variations available.   Geoff Allix (19m 56s): So, you can do it as a sort of centerpiece, which is compliant as well. And that, you know, certainly that would go in the center, but also there'll be a ham or a turkey as well. And that's, and I think the other thing for me is it's about all the extras. So, what makes it a celebration meal is all the extra bits because what we call in the UK meat and two veg, which is sort of a traditional meal, it's a bit beyond that. So, it's the things like we have a thing called Devils on Horseback, which are prunes wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven. Well, I thought, okay, this could be redone because I'd seen something about fake bacon where they'd use, if someone could, Deliciously Ella, who's UK based.   Geoff Allix (20m 44s): And a lot of her stuff uses quite heavily coconut base, but it's worth having a look through some of the things. She creates bacon using rice paper and then make some marinade, which uses liquid smoke, soy sauce, garlic, there are some other things in there, but that's the sort of base of it and soaks the rice paper in this. And then you, and then she used that to make bacon. I thought, well, okay, if she used that to make a sort of bacon-like thing, then I could wrap prunes in that, and then I could bake them. And that would kind of be like, there was an [inaudible] pack and it's exactly like it, I mean, it really gives you that smoky flavor combined with the fruit flavor and it, and it's got the, all that sort of flavor notes that you'd expect.   Geoff Allix (21m 28s): And so, the extra trimmings, I think that's, you know, and a lot of those things and stuffing is another one we have a lot of, a lot of stuffing is actually it, you get a meat stuffing with sort of sausage. You also get a vegetable one, which is sort of breadcrumb based, a lot of sage and onion. And you can make that because actually, that's fine. So, there are lots of things. Okay. What were the extra bits that you'd have? And can we do those? Can we do red cabbage, is another one that's commonly done. Yeah, absolutely. There's nothing wrong with red cabbage at all. That can be done with, with fruit and yeah.   Jack McNulty (22m 8s): Going with something as simple as just a potato puree, mashed potatoes, if you will, you know, it's so simple to make that in an OMS compliant manner and make it extremely tasty. It's really not that difficult to do. Absolutely. This is just the, hopefully, it gives people the idea that man, the world is just completely opened up in terms of what you can and can't, you know, what you can have instead of what you can't have. There are so many more different options available at least today, as opposed to maybe even 10 years ago, just different techniques to know about people sharing information on the internet and different books and different places to go look, it's really, really quite easy.   Jack McNulty (22m 58s): And back to your idea with the Wellington, you know, it occurred to me that with filo dough, there's a recipe on the OMS website for strudel. And there's this strudel recipe on there. I know that because we did a video on that, years ago, and I believe it's still on the website, but this strudel dough is almost identical to filo. The only difference is that it has vinegar in the ingredients, whereas filo dough wouldn't have that. It just allows it to stretch out very, very easily and very thin, but you could take something like strudel dough if you can't find filo dough in your area or make it yourself.   Jack McNulty (23m 41s): It's very simple to make and just wrap your favorite vegetable-based loaf around a filo or a strudel dough, and basically, you're making a savory strudel at that point, which is also something that's very interesting.   Geoff Allix (23m 58s): So, to sum up, so we've sort of covered the main course, we've covered a bit of dessert, but then you get onto another thing which comes up a lot and that's chocolates. So, there's a couple of things here. So, we've got, what's allowed on the OMS diet because is chocolate, I'll go on a bit more before you answer the question, but is chocolate an absolute no-no like we just shouldn't have any, or is it something about chocolate that we shouldn't have? And what alternatives there are? And also, there's a lot of terms that come up with cocoa.   Geoff Allix (24m 39s): So, we'll get onto the Dutch cocoa process, cocoa, cacao, all these different terms that we see and what we can and can't use and what we should and shouldn't do around chocolate.   Jack McNulty (24m 55s): Yeah. It's a complicated issue. Let's just start with that. And it's very tribal in its nature when you go out and look in the internet and things like this, that it's almost a little bit like, it reminds me a little bit like the split in opinions about things like coconut oil or coconut fat, you know, there's certainly a lot of people out there that still believe that that's a very, very much of that healthy kind of ingredient to use in your cooking. But on the other hand, there's an increasing number of people that realized no, the science says that, you know, it's pretty heavy in saturated fat. Well, the same thing can be said for chocolate.   Jack McNulty (25m 38s): And to understand that maybe it's helpful to just kind of go through a little bit as to how chocolate is made. And then we can talk a little bit about the different terms along the way. Just gives people maybe a little bit of a better understanding that it's not necessarily what's being presented on the internet and out in the world in terms of all of those wonderful health benefits. Now, having said that there are bits that are healthy, but let's talk about that as we go through. So first of all, it's really important to understand that chocolate in itself is not a whole food. So, a lot of people like to say, oh, they're following this whole food plant-based diet.   Jack McNulty (26m 21s): And then they're using things like chocolate and cocoa. It's not necessarily a whole food. It's heavily processed actually. So chocolate begins with the cocoa plant and cacao, however, you want to pronounce it. So, it creates this sort of large fruit with a big pod that's filled with seeds. And those seeds are actually where we're getting our chocolate from. So those seeds have a lot of pulp around them and basically, when they're harvested, they're split open and they take out all of that pulp and all of the seeds, and those are left to ferment.   Jack McNulty (27m 1s): So those are usually fermented naturally. And the fermentation process can be anywhere from a few days to a short period of fermentation. But this is where the whole flavor starts to develop, is in the fermentation process, and eating unfermented chocolate is a proposition I wouldn't wish on anybody. It's really horrible to taste unfermented cacao. It's just not edible at all. Even fermented after being fermented and dried, it's extremely astringent, rather bitter, very acidic, and really not a pleasant experience even in that state.   Jack McNulty (27m 50s): And so this is what's done when chocolate is harvested. So, the farmers responsible for the fermentation, for the drying process, and then they're all bagged up, and then that's sold on the open market. And so chocolate producers will buy those beans that have been fermented and dried. Those beans are called chocolate nibs. And you maybe have heard that term before, a chocolate nib or a cacao nib or cocoa nib, however, you want to pronounce it. So those are susceptible depending on the packaging to quite a lot of microbial growth. So, they have to be sort of purified once they're purchased.   Jack McNulty (28m 36s): And just to ensure that there are not a lot of harmful molds or bacteria that are growing on there. Generally, to eat those at that stage, it's again, really, really unpleasant. So, manufacturers roast those cocoa nibs either whole or crushed, one way or another. And once they're roasted, they take on a different flavor. So now they're not in sweetened, but they've mellowed considerably and they have a nutty characteristic and they, all these other aromas are opened up. Once that occurs, then they're crushed, that's turned into a sort of a liquidy kind of let's put it this way, it's cocoa, solid, suspended, and fat, which is basically what you're left with.   Jack McNulty (29m 39s): So, it's about 50% fat and about 50% cocoa solids. At this point that is pressed or put through what's like a sieve basically and pressed. And so, the fat is drained out and you're left with cocoa solids. That fat is the cocoa butter. It basically has no flavor or very little flavor. It's about 50% of the mass that was in that process. And about half of that fat is saturated. And that's important to understand because that's not necessarily good for people following an OMS lifestyle.   Jack McNulty (30m 21s): Now, the cocoa butter or cocoa mask that has been pressed that's dried and then ground very fine, that's what cocoa powder is or cacao powder at that point. So, depending on how much the manufacturer presses the mass, determines how much fat is left in the cocoa powder. And that can be anywhere from 1% to up to 20%, depending on the whim of the manufacturer. And that's why it's important to read labels, to see how much fat is actually left in the cocoa powder. Of course, from that point, the manufacturers can turn everything into chocolate by taking the cocoa powder, the cocoa butter and mixing in amounts of sugar or dried milk, if they're making milk chocolate, that sort of thing.   Jack McNulty (31m 12s): And then that's all combined and put through another process to create chocolate or the chocolate bar that maybe we're familiar with. So, in talking about cocoa, there are some things to be aware of. Along the way, manufacturers can tone down the astringency, the bitterness and the acidity of the cocoa or the flavor by adding an alkaline to it. And that alkaline process neutralizes the acidity. But at the same time, it destroys almost all of the flavonoids, which is the healthy aspect of cocoa.   Jack McNulty (31m 57s): And so that process is called the Dutch process. It was invented in Holland. That's why it's called Dutch-processed. So, the process of adding an alkaline to the cocoa can occur just before the roasting. It can occur during the actual separation of the cocoa butter into the cocoa mass, or it can occur actually even later to make a chocolate bar taste less acidic and a little bit sweeter. So, it can occur anywhere along the process.   Jack McNulty (32m 38s): That's why it's difficult to determine the actual healthy aspects of cocoa or chocolate. And it depends on how much, or if the alkaline process occurred. Now with cocoa powder, it's simple to determine that on your own. Most American-made cocoa powder is not subject to an alkaline process. Most European cocoa is, and it's called European on the labels. Sometimes it's called the Dutch process. Sometimes it's called dutched. And if there's nothing on the label, which is also possible, just your visual look will tell you whether it's been subject to this process.   Jack McNulty (33m 24s): So, one that's Dutch processed will always be much, much darker in color, a really rich color of chocolate brown if you will. Whereas if it hasn't been subject to this alkaline process, it's much lighter in color. Now from a culinary perspective, does it make any difference? It does actually in baking because the fact that the acids have been neutralized will determine the level you can use, and we'll talk about that, if you want to go down the path of baking powder and baking so that, or maybe we can leave that for another episode, but it is an interesting scenario, but the thing that is really important for people following the OMS diet to know is that firs,  cocoa powder or cacao is allowed in the OMS protocol, but there's some work to be done on the user end.   Jack McNulty (34m 20s): You have to look at the labels, you have to understand how much fat is still left there, because that there's a great variety with different manufacturers. Then if you're looking to increase the amount of cacao or cocoa, whether you're consuming nibs or powder, you have to understand, has it been subject to the alkaline method, which will destroy all of the health properties that you're looking to get, the flavonoid bits.   Geoff Allix (34m 49s): So, if we, if we take it, it's this sort of, if there are three categories, this is what's bad for you. There's what's good for you. And there's a middle ground of neither. So, to get rid of the what's bad for you, we're basically looking at like a chocolate bar would normally have milk in it in the UK. So that's a big no-no. So definitely a chocolate bar, you do see vegan ones, but, but generally, if it's got milk in it, that's a no-no. Let's say it's a vegan one, it doesn't have any milk. Then we're looking at the saturated fat content. So, if it doesn't have any milk and it's got a low saturated fat content, then we're not so much worried about the term cacao, cocoa.   Jack McNulty (35m 34s): No. They're interchangeable. They are just marketing terms. And they don't, some people that claim to have healthy cocoa or cacao or say that cacao is like raw. It hasn't been roasted, you know, has all of these high flavonoids and et cetera, et cetera, it may or may not be true. There's no way to really know that. And it could be just put on there as a marketing claim.   Geoff Allix (36m 0s): And I'm assuming both cacao and cocoa are probably translations from [inaudible] or in Peru or some like, and they probably were the same basis anyway. So, we're using our own knowledge. We're saying, okay, there's no dairy in there. It's low-saturated fat. We've got some powder there that isn't bad for us. Now the good for us, so we're avoiding Dutch or European processing. It makes it more likely. And then the other tip is to say, is it a dark brown or is it a lighter brown? Lighter brown is good, not Dutch-process, not European process, but if in doubt, if it's low-saturated fat, if it's dairy-free, it's not bad for us at least.   Jack McNulty (36m 49s): Right. Right.   Geoff Allix (36m 49s): Okay. So... [Inaudible]   Jack McNulty (36m 50s): It's a pretty good summation there. Well, one of the things to just mention just on the pure chocolate, if you, you know, there's all of these percentages, 70%, 85%, 90%, that's what I think, here's what that means. The 70% means there's 70% cocoa product and 30% sugar. Okay. So, the balance of whatever it is, if it's 85%, that means there's 15% sugar. So, in a hundred-gram bar of chocolate, 70% means there are 30 grams of sugar. That's like three tablespoons of sugar in that bar of chocolate.   Jack McNulty (37m 31s): What it also is telling you on 70% chocolate on your chocolate bar is that there are roughly 35 grams of fat in that 70% hundred-gram bar of chocolate, right? That's a pretty significant amount. And when you think about it, so 35 grams of fat and half of that fat is going to be saturated. So, if you were to sit down and eat what some people otherwise consider relatively healthy, 70% chocolate bar, you're going to get about 17 grams of saturated fat by that indulgence.   Jack McNulty (38m 16s): That's why it's not recommended within the OMS protocol.   Geoff Allix (38m 23s): Okay. But we can certainly make chocolate-based food by using...   Jack McNulty (38m 28s): Cacao.   Geoff Allix (38m 30s): ...cacao, certainly. It might be healthy and certainly not unhealthy. It's relatively straightforward to do that.   Jack McNulty (38m 36s): That's right. That's right. I think that's probably a good place to leave that conversation, but I think it's really important to put that information out there and then just let people make their own decision, you know, is it something I'm going to really want to have? Yeah, sure. I think having chocolate, you know, in my diet, I have it occasionally with cacao, not so often, but occasionally and yeah, it tastes good. It brightens the mood. There's no question about that. Whether there's a lot of, you know, extreme health benefits, I think that's certainly up for debate.   Geoff Allix (39m 19s): Yeah. A bit goes into my Bailey's mix-up. That's another thing that goes in there with cacao. Okay. Are there any other tips that we should add for this holiday season?   Jack McNulty (39m 31s): I think first just smile a lot. And that's what I always like to tell people. I think it's always, I mentioned this earlier, but I think it's just, it bears repeating that it's really, really important to just constantly remind yourself, especially if you're at the beginning of the journey of what your goals are and what are the goals of OMS and following a dietary lifestyle change. That's going to benefit you in the future. You know, the goal of reducing inflammation of improving your blood profile, those are really, really strong, powerful goals to have.   Jack McNulty (40m 15s): And if you can achieve that through diet, it's going to make a big change to your life for the better, those are positive changes that everybody can make. And I think if you can focus on that in the holiday, that's the best gift that you can give yourself.   Geoff Allix (40m 30s): I know one final point for me, it's often a time when we're eating out as well. It could be with friends; it could be with work. I have found that a good restaurant will have no problem following OMS recommendations, and I basically point them to the website and give them a little list myself. Also saying, here's the website, and you can find all the recommendations are there. So, every good restaurant I've been to I have had no problem. I think the chefs actually enjoy it. They think, okay, there's something a bit different. And then they'll come back to me saying, how about this? And often with three courses, they'll say this is the starter, main course, dessert.   Geoff Allix (41m 13s): What do you think about that? Often a choice actually, or sometimes even on the night, they will give me my menu and say, oh, you can choose from these things. And they have no problem at all. And actually, anywhere that they said, no, this is a set menu, is probably not a great restaurant. I think, you know, they are probably, if they can't adapt, then are they just reheating something? Yeah. If it's the point where they can't adapt to it just a bit, then is it really being freshly cooked anyway? And is that a great restaurant? But I do find, just get in touch, give them notice, give them some time, time to think about it.   Geoff Allix (41m 58s): And I have found that the vast majority of restaurants have no problem. You know, I always sort of, I try and be apologetic and try and, you know, like be understanding. And they're busy. It's a really hard job. And they've not had a problem. I think that they don't have a problem and often the chef will come out to me and say, you know, what did you think of that? How was that? And yeah, I think you can eat well in restaurants. You have to have a level of trust that they are doing what they say, but yeah, I think if you communicate with them, give them notice, then you can find some delicious food cooked for you.   Jack McNulty (42m 34s): I think you're right. I think, you know, from my experience in working, most of my restaurant experiences occurred in really high-end restaurants. And I found that anytime anybody came in with some sort of allergy or some sort of request for something new, it was fun. I mean, it did break up the service, it generally created a little bit more stress in the kitchen, but sometimes, you know, as cooks, we sort of feed off stressful situations in the kitchen and then just make it a little bit more of a challenge. And it was, you know, the other common feature about chefs is we like to have our ego fed. And if you do make something, you do want to go out and get that feedback.   Jack McNulty (43m 20s): You want to ask, you know, how was that? And it's a proud moment when you create something that's going to make someone else really happy and satisfied. So most good restaurants, I think you're absolutely right, are going to be able to adjust.   Geoff Allix (43m 36s): Okay. And with that, I just wish everyone, a happy holiday season.   Jack McNulty (43m 40s): I do as well. And a very good and fantastic start to the new year.   Geoff Allix (43m 49s): And I hope you join us again next year.   Jack McNulty (43m 51s): Thanks, Geoff.   Geoff Allix (43m 52s): Thanks for listening to this episode of Ask Jack, the special five-part series where we dive into questions from our OMS community about all things food. Please check out this episode's show notes at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. You'll find all sorts of useful links and bonus information there. If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode of Ask Jack, please email us at podcast@overcomingms.org. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. Ask Jack is kindly supported by a grant from the Happy Charitable Trust. If you'd like to support the Overcoming MS charity and help keep our podcast advertising free, you can donate online at www.overcomingms.org/donate.   Geoff Allix (44m 40s): Thank you for your support. Ask Jack is produced by Overcoming MS, the world's leading multiple sclerosis healthy lifestyle charity. We are here to help inform, support, and empower everyone affected by MS. To find out more and subscribe to our e-newsletter, please visit our website at www.overcomingms.org. Thanks again for tuning in and see you next time.

Dr. Charles discusses some of the data and health risks associated with loneliness. He then welcomes Linda Bloom, a psychotherapist, educator, and author to talk about our search for authentic relationships as well as ways we can counter loneliness in our lives. 

In this episode Jim and Ruth Sharon interview Charlie and Linda Bloom in regards to their chapter in the new HeartWise book, Relationship Building Blocks and Practices. 

On this episode of Living Well with MS, we are excited and honored to have as our guest OMS Chair and charity Founder Linda Bloom, whose personal story arc – going from the depths of despair after receiving her MS diagnosis to finding and realizing a path of realistic hope to healthy life through the OMS Program – mimics the experience of so many members of the OMS community. Linda shares details of her personal story, along with how her journey informed and inspired her to launch a global charity that has positively impacted the lives of many thousands of people with MS around the world.   Questions:   What it is like to be the Chair of such a unique MS charity as Overcoming MS? Can you tell us about your personal experience with MS? How did you deal with your initial diagnosis? At what point did you discover Overcoming MS? What were the immediate impacts you felt? Once you kept going with the program, what were the changes you experienced longer term? You mentioned self-hypnosis, can you tell us a little bit more about that? What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in adopting the OMS program, and how did you manage them? What kept you motivated in sticking with the program? Tell us about your relationship with Professor George Jelinek, and how it inspired you to found Overcoming MS the charity? Why did you decide to found the charity in the UK as opposed to Australia or elsewhere?  What were some of the challenges in establishing and growing the charity? Did you face any resistance? Tell us about the inspiration you get from the people you’ve met from among the OMS community. OMS recently brought on a new CEO, Grazina Berry. How did you manage that transition in leadership after so many years working with the founding CEO? How have the OMS team managed the transition? What is your vision for OMS? Where would you like to see it be in 5 years?  If there are 3 key tips or pieces of advice you could share with anyone new to or considering trying the OMS program, what would they be?   Bio:   Linda Bloom is the Chair of Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS). A psychologist who specializes in counselling and hypnotherapy, Linda previously held positions at Monash University and the William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne, Australia, as well as working in private practice.    In 2002, she was diagnosed with MS following a significant relapse. After attending a retreat held by Professor Jelinek in Melbourne, Australia, she followed the OMS Program and attributes her own healing to this evidence-based approach.   In 2007, Linda moved to the UK where she recognized a gap in the provision of a lifestyle-based approach in MS management, and in 2011 began promoting the OMS approach. She established the OMS charity in June 2012.   She is passionate about empowering people with MS to take control of their own lives and hopes that the program will offer people with MS a new, but realistic way of regaining their health and improving their quality of life. Linda is married, has two children, and lives in central London.   Links:   Read more about Linda’s story and background here Watch Linda’s Story of Hope here If you’re looking for an inspirational read, Linda recommends The Gift by Dr. Edith Eva Eger Linda is a big fan of The Connection, a documentary about the mind-body connection   Coming up on our next episode:   On the next episode of Living Well with MS, launching April 12, 2021, join us for Coffee Break #15, where Geoff Allix travels (virtually) to Australia to interview plant scientist and plant-based nutrition advocate Rebecca Stonor. Tune in and bring a new shade of green into your life in this lush interview.   Don’t miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.

Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #14, where we are pleased to welcome Katy Deacon as our guest!   Our Coffee Break series is your chance to get to know members of our diverse OMS community. In each episode, you’ll join Geoff Allix for an intimate chat with a different member of our global community. Our guests will share their personal stories and talk about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   As always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. We hope you enjoy this episode’s conversation with Katy, beaming to you straight from the United Kingdom.   Bio:   Katy is a Chartered Electrical Engineer, a wife and mother to two young children. She enjoyed her work project managing the installation of renewable energy systems and overseeing building energy management up until her MS symptoms appeared nine years ago. Katy still works full time, but she changed her technical focus as the inability to walk restricts the amount of scrambling around building sites that one can do.   Questions:   Katy, our audience wants to know a little bit about you and your life. Can you share some background on where you’re from, what you do, any snippets of your family or personal life or anything about you that would give our listeners a sense of who Katy is? How about your experience with MS? Can you provide some context on that? When were you diagnosed and how did you initially cope with it? At which point did you come across the OMS program? How was that experience for you? Why did you decide to start following it? What are some of the challenges you’ve faced at first in adopting the OMS program? How did you overcome them? When did you first start to see any kind of positive indicators in following OMS guidelines? What were these? You have experienced some mobility issues. Can you share some of your experiences in dealing with these and how you’ve learned to adapt? How have you had to adapt your daily healthy habits to the new realities imposed by Covid-19? And has following the OMS program helped you deal with the new realities of Covid-19 times? On a personal note, do you have any unusual interests or wacky hobbies you can tell us about? What kind of stuff will we find you doing on a weekend? If there is one piece of advice you can share with people new to the OMS program, what would that be?   Katy’s Favorite Links:   Backup Trust’s wheelchair skills app and website are excellent resources for new wheelchair users who might need some additional training and support. Apple Watch’s activity goals are great – Katy is an achievement-focused person and the Apple Watch tracks her pushes. Powering a manual wheelchair can be tough, so Katy has found these strengthening techniques really useful. Katy likes the MyFitnessPal app for tracking food intake. Katy loves this checklist for healthy eating from Veganuary. Foothold is a UK support charity Katy is proud to be involved with. This is a great blog entry Katy wrote for OMS in 2019.   Coming up on our next episode:   On the next episode of Living Well with MS, join us for a very special interview with Overcoming MS Chair and charity founder Linda Bloom, who discusses her own personal journey on the OMS Program and how it paved the way to the founding of a charity that has touched the lives of thousands of people with MS around the world. This moving and illuminating interview launches on March 31, 2021, so please tune in.   Don’t miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.

Meet Linda Bloom, founder of Bloomwork with her husband Charlie. They've served as psychotherapists, marriage counselors, and seminar leaders since 1975. In addition to their professional training, the Blooms' expertise stems from personal experience in their own committed partnership of over 50 years. Get Blooms' actionable tips on how to approach the dark times and conflicts as a couple, and how to communicate effectively each other's needs. If you are in a committed relationship hoping for a long-term, thriving marriage, this podcast is for you! For more information about this episode check out the show notes: https://rebellove.com/e6 Get your free ticket to The Let Love Begin Summit: Letting go of your past relationship and learning to open your heart again. https://rebellove.com/llbfree

Interview with Linda Bloom, Psychotherapist and Relationship Counselor.Linda and her husband Charlie have been counseling and hosting workshops for couples for over 30 years and wrote 4 books together in this time. "101 Things I wish I knew before I got married" sold over 100.000 copies over the past couple of years. I am so excited to share this podcast interview with you today and I hope you will walk away from it as inspired as I was when we recorded it.In this podcast interview you will learn:✨ What the biggest challenges are in relationships this year✨ How to overcome loneliness and isolation✨ How to break the manipulation process✨ How to create resilience in relationships and bounce back from difficult experiences✨ If there is the one, or if you can make it with everyoneEnjoy listening.With gratitude,Julia-----SHOWNOTESBooks:101 Thinks I wish I knew before I got married: https://www.amazon.com/Things-Wish-Knew-When-Married/dp/1577314247How to connect with Linda:Website: https://bloomwork.com/------

Relationships take work in the best of times, and COVID-19 has put an incredible amount of stress on relationships around the world. Listen to today's show to learn how to better understand our feelings, and how we're individually being affected by the pandemic. With this understanding, Linda shares tools to communicate our truths with our partner. In this episode, we discuss relationship advice topics that include: How to identify exactly what we're feeling and the tools to share it with our partner How to use journaling as a tool for introspection and growth The best way to invite our partner for a discussion Leading questions to engage your partner in check ins and why this can be extremely valuable And much more! Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., is a psychotherapist and marriage counselors who teaches communication seminars and relationship workshops. She is the co-author of four books including 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married and Simple Lessons to Make Love Last. Linda and her husband, Charlie, offer educational and counseling services to individuals, couples, and organizations. They are regular teachers at Esalen institute and Kriaplu, and have 600 blogs on Psychology Today. They live and practice in Santa Cruz, California. For more information on our guest, and for the episode links visit: https://idopodcast.com/268 Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! New Podcast Series: Love Under Quarantine Sign up for our 14 Day Happy Couples Challenge here: 14 Day Happy Couples Challenge Join our 5 Day Couples Appreciation Challenge here: idopodcast.com/appreciation Do you want to hear more on this topic? Continue the conversation on our Facebook Group here: Love Tribe Sponsors Trivia Star: Trivia Star is offering you 2,500 coins and 500 gems when you download and play. Search Trivia Star in the Apple App Store or Google Store and download Trivia Star for FREE today! BetterHelp:Get help on your own time and at your own pace. Get 10% off your first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/IDO. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Chase & Sarah

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW arerelationship counselors, seminar leaders, authors, and life-partners.They have been married since 1972 and they co-direct Bloomwork.They have co-written 4 books including the best-selling 101 Things Iwish I knew when I got married. (over 100,000 copies sold) and havefacilitated many workshops and relationship seminars throughout theUSA and internationally since 1986.Learn more about Linda and Charlie Bloom: bloomwork.com

Zensensa speaks to Charlie & Linda Bloom about their extensive relationship work with helping couples expand their love. Today we explore how couples can have more intimacy and get the best out in each other. You will get a clear understanding of the attributes that facilitate a flourishing relationship and marriage. You don't have to be perfect and this podcast will explore how our imperfections can allow us to be stronger together. To get the one-hour free webinar, packed with practical relationship skills head to https://www.zensensa.com/webinar/ You can also get the FREE eBook on how to maintain and grow passion in long term relationships on https://www.zensensa.com So stay put and listen to the podcast to the end. And don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. Here is a list of our top dating and relationship resources. https://www.zensensa.com/reddit-relationships/ https://www.zensensa.com/reddit-relationship-advice-3-tips-to-rekindle-desire-in-long-term-relationships/ https://www.zensensa.com/3-ways-to-end-being-a-people-pleaser/ https://www.zensensa.com/what-i-learned-from-premarital-counseling-and-why-it-could-save-your-marriage/ https://www.zensensa.com/relationship-coach/ https://www.zensensa.com/marriage-therapy/ https://www.zensensa.com/a-dating-coach-reveals-how-to-find-your-match/ https://www.zensensa.com/how-couple-counseling-can-save-your-relationship https://www.zensensa.com/confidence-coach-reveals-three-tips-to-skyrocket-your-confidence/ https://www.zensensa.com/sex-quiz/ https://www.zensensa.com/kink-test/ https://www.zensensa.com/relationship-counseling-and-the-5-love-language/ https://www.zensensa.com/online-marriage-counseling/

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW are relationship counselors, seminar leaders, authors, and life-partners. They have been married since 1972 and they co-direct Bloomwork. They have co-written 4 books including the best-selling 101 Things I wish I knew when I got married. (over 100,000 copies sold) and have facilitated many workshops.

  It's easy to look to our partner to make us happy and fulfill our needs. However, instead of looking on the outside, we often need to look within. Listen to today's show to understand how to be in a healthy relationship with the understanding that our partner will not fulfill all of our needs.   In this episode, we discuss relationship advice topics that include:  Deconstructing the myth that our partner will fulfill all our needs Using the hard times in a relationship and turning them into breakthrough moments rather than breakdowns or breakups Circumstances where you could be looking toward your partner for fulfillment rather than within Understanding codependent relationships and breaking away from this type of relating The importance of regular relationship check ins And much more! Charlie and Linda Bloom have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups and organizations since 1975. They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute and the World Health Organization. Full show notes and episode links at: http://idopodcast.com/215 Sign up for our 14 Day Happy Couples Challenge here: 14 Day Happy Couples Challenge Join our 5 Day Couples Appreciation Challenge here: idopodcast.com/appreciation Do you want to hear more on this topic? Continue the conversation on our Facebook Group here: Love Tribe Sponsors Native creates safe, simple, effective products that people use in the bathroom everyday, including some amazing deodorant! For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code IDO during checkout! Spark My Relationship Course: For a limited time, get access to our bonus, Mastering Money Talk In Your Marriage! Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Chase & Sarah

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW, are psychotherapists and relationship counselors. They have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975, and have been married since 1972. In a very open and candid conversation, they share a host of actionable tips culled from their decades of experience with couples. Together we addressed whether couples should share their finance, whether they should be best friends, if it's okay to go to bed angry, the importance of having a strong sexual connection, how to have useful disagreements, how to apologize from the heart, and much more.

First some updates: Aubrie and I eloped on New Years day! (Details inclusive). I’m now the COO of a software startup in San Francisco (Urbit.org). Loving this! This might be the last season of Together. We’ll figure it out as we go! Now to our guests! Linda and Charlie Bloom have been a mainstay of the relationship seminar business for decades, but the seminar experience almost ruined their marriage. We get to hear how they managed and what they learned. It’s a fun episode with a very sweet couple. Let me know what you think! If you’d like to learn more about Charlie and Linda Bloom, you can find their website at http://bloomwork.com/ Their latest book, That Which Doesn’t Kill Us, is available on their website, and of course at Amazon.  If you want to support our program, you can do that at patreon.com/together. Thank you! If you’ve got questions or comments, or if you just want to connect, you can find on social media. Our facebook page is facebook.com/togethershow Twitter and instagram are both @together_show,  My personal twitter handle is @newtonlaw, And you can always email me at host@together.guide The music in today’s episode is by Blue Dot Sessions, and you can find them at sessions.blue. Show is produced & edited by Charlene Goto with Go-To Productions

Linda and Charlie Bloom are both professional relationship counselors, but it has not insulated them from the same difficulties that their clients and students experience in everyday life. Their fifth book, the bestselling 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married, is the story of the Blooms' journey through a series of ordeals reveals how they managed to reconstruct a relationship from the ashes of their broken dreams. Have a question for Robert or the Blooms? Call us at (347) 945-5834. Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on iTunes! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

Linda and Charlie Bloom are both professional relationship counselors, but it has not insulated them from the same difficulties that their clients and students experience in everyday life. Their fifth book, the bestselling 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married, is the story of the Blooms’ journey through a series of ordeals reveals how they managed to reconstruct a relationship from the ashes of their broken dreams. Have a question for Robert or the Blooms? Call us at (347) 945-5834. Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on iTunes! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

What does that mean? Relationship Olympiad. Join host Kristin Sunanta Walker and her guests, Linda and Charlie Bloom. Partnership is a fascinating journey especially marriage. Let's pull back the hype and get real about what it means to take this journey.Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975.They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, 1440Multiversity, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, Sonoma State University, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute, and the World Health Organization.They have offered seminars throughout the world, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Brazil, and many other locations.www.bloomwork.com

Linda and Charlie Bloom are both professional relationship counselors, but it has not insulated them from the same difficulties that their clients and students experience in everyday life. Their fourth book, That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Got Stronger at the Broken Places, is the story of the Blooms' journey through a series of ordeals reveals how they managed to reconstruct a relationship from the ashes of their broken dreams. Have a question for Robert or the Blooms? Call us at (347) 945-5834. Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on iTunes! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

Linda and Charlie Bloom are both professional relationship counselors, but it has not insulated them from the same difficulties that their clients and students experience in everyday life. Their fourth book, That Which Doesn’t Kill Us: How One Couple Got Stronger at the Broken Places, is the story of the Blooms’ journey through a series of ordeals reveals how they managed to reconstruct a relationship from the ashes of their broken dreams. Have a question for Robert or the Blooms? Call us at (347) 945-5834. Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on iTunes! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!

Two professional social worker, Charlie and Linda Bloom, describe their own marital difficulties with Dr. Duffy… and the way they overcame them.

Two professional social worker, Charlie and Linda Bloom, describe their own marital difficulties with Dr. Duffy… and the way they overcame them.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guests are Charlie and Linda Bloom authors of That Which Doesn’t Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places About the book: That Which Doesn’t Kill Us is the story of a couple’s ten-year journey that took them through a series of ordeals that crippled their family and nearly destroyed their marriage. Trained as psychotherapists and practicing relationship counselors, both Charlie and Linda found that their professional training wasn’t enough to liberate them from the challenges they encountered. Alternating chapters, the authors illuminate the experiences they endured as well as the process that allowed them to finally heal from the damage caused by their prolonged period of stress and conflict. In the end, they were able to not only salvage their marriage; they also managed to establish a connection that brought their relationship a depth of intimacy, trust, and integrity far beyond what they had ever experienced before. The process of their miraculous recovery is presented in vivid detail and reads like a riveting novel. The Blooms’ unfolding story provides the essential steps necessary to breathe life back into a failing marriage and move into a deep, loving connection that surpasses even the dreams that each partner had dared to hope to fulfill. About the authors: Linda Bloom LCSW and Charlie Bloom MSW are considered experts in the field of relationships. They have been married since 1972. They have both been trained as seminar leaders, therapists and relationships counselors and have been working with individuals, couples, and groups since 1975. They have been featured presenters at numerous conferences, universities, and institutions of learning throughout the country and overseas as well. They are regular faculty members at the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center, the California Institute for Integral Studies, and many other learning facilities. They have appeared on over two hundred radio and TV programs and are co-authors of their latest book, “Happily Ever After…and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams”

Adversity can destroy a person and a marriage or make them stronger. Most couples don't have the knowledge and skills it takes to find the silver linings, to rise above blame, shame, anger and frustration, and to see opportunities for learning, growth, and self-empowerment. Charlie and Linda Bloom didn't either, initially, that is. Fortunately, the Blooms chose to learn how to use the challenges in life and in a long term marriage to grow stronger as individuals and as a couple. In a time when our world is being bombarded by verbal, physical and natural violence, many marriages are unable to manage the stress. Some need to end, but others can be saved and even strengthened with the right information and commitment to positive change. The Blooms are guides and coaches showing the way to strengthen and renew any relationship that has fallen on hard times. Please join us Thursday and learn the strategies that will strengthen each individual and the relationship.

Today, Kate discusses crafting a truly loving relationship from the place of broken trust and shattered pieces with her guests Charlie and Linda Bloom as described in their book; "That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Got Stronger at the Broken Places"

Today, Kate discusses crafting a truly loving relationship from the place of broken trust and shattered pieces with her guests Charlie and Linda Bloom as described in their book; "That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Got Stronger at the Broken Places"

Linda Bloom, LCSW, and Charlie Bloom, MSW, have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975. Their newest book, That Which Doesn't Kill Us: How One Couple Got Stronger at the Broken Places, has just been published by Sacred Life Publishers and has been receiving rave reviews.

Charlie and Linda's bloom have tackled that challenges that come from a life of marriage. Almost to a point of divorce, they managed to overcome their struggles and differences to make their love last and blossom. After all, love is what brought them into this. In this episode, I chat with Charlie and Linda about their new book That Which Doesn't Kill Us - learnings on relationships and a life in marriage. They open up sharing both their stories, perspectives and techniques they used to push through the broken places. An important and powerful conversation. Enjoy!

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975.They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute, and the World Health Organization.They have offered seminars throughout the world, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Brazil, and many other locations.Find out more at bloomwork.com.

Charlie and Linda Bloom teach couples therapy classes together, using their long marriage and work relationship as both support and material for their classes. Charlie and Linda are both psychotherapists, based out of Santa Cruz, California. In this interview, the Blooms talk about working together, authenticity in relationship, and building a successful therapeutic business in a competitive market. To get the show notes for this episode, you can go to http://www.julietaustin.com/bb69.

In today’s episode we discuss relationship advice topics that include: How to make a good relationship great. Why it's important to tell your partner why you love them. How the depth of intimacy sets the good relationships apart from the great relationship. How to create more depth of intimacy in a relationship. Creating balance in your relationship. And much more! Charlie and Linda Bloom have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups and organizations since 1975. They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute and the World Health Organization. They have offered seminars throughout the world, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Brazil, and many other locations. I Do Podcast is also supported by: Audible: Use the link below, and sign up for a free 30-day trial and one free audiobook download! You will have to enter your CC information, but you can just cancel the trial at the end of the month if you don’t like it and not pay a dime. There are a ton of great relationship audiobooks on Audible.com. Consider downloading The 5 Love Languages for your free download. If you haven’t already subscribed to I Do Podcast and left us a review on iTunes, that helps us a ton as well Thanks! – Chase and Sarah

Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charlie Bloom, MSW have been married since 1972. Trained as psychotherapists and relationship counselors, they have worked with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations since 1975.They have lectured and taught at learning institutes throughout the USA, including the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the California Institute for Integral Studies, the Meridian University, John F. Kennedy University, the Crossings, Omega institute, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, University of California at Berkeley Extension Program, the Hoffman Institute, and the World Health Organization.They have offered seminars throughout the world, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Brazil, and many other locations.Find out more at bloomwork.com.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guests are Linda and Charlie Bloom authors of Happily Ever After…and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams. About the book: Bust the Myths to Build a Great Relationship According to bestselling authors and relationship counselors Linda and Charlie Bloom, accepting common myths such as “couples with great relationships don’t fight” or “little things aren’t worth getting upset over” can prevent you from building the strong relationship you hope for. This book offers compelling stories and valuable suggestions for replacing myths with realistic expectations, equipping you with behavior and communication guidelines that will enhance and strengthen your intimate relationship. With the Blooms’ strong yet flexible approach to love, you’ll discover a new openness in which mutual understanding can thrive. About the authors: Linda Bloom, LCSW, and Charlie Bloom, MSW, are bestselling authors and the founders and codirectors of Bloomwork. They have lectured and taught seminars on relationships throughout the United States and the world. They have been married since 1972.

How do we live a fulfilled life while engaging in loving relationships? What are some of the myths we hold onto about love, and how do they impact our capacities for loving relationships? Join us with Linda Bloom, psychotherapist, educator, author and relationship counselor, as we dive into a conversation about relationship. We'll explore how relationships can become our greatest spiritual practice, and learn some of the possible road blocks and difficulties we're likely to encounter along the way. Special Guest: Linda Bloom www.bloomwork.com Hosted by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced by: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

What we don't know about relationships can sometimes make them difficult, but what we THINK we know could be disastrous. Linda and Charlie Bloom disspell 40 relationship "myths" and shed some light on how to build lasting, loving, thriving partnerships.

Linda Bloom, LCSW, and Charlie Bloom, MSW, regularly teach at Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center and have served as adjunct faculty at institutes of higher learning including UC Berkeley Extension, and California Institute for Integral Studies. They live in Santa Cruz, CA. Their website is www.Bloomwork.com. Join us as we bust some relationship myths such as love and good sex will make your relationship affair-proof.

Happily Ever After… and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams with Linda and Charlie Bloom According to married couple and bestselling authors Linda and Charlie Bloom, it’s not so much the things we don’t know about relationships that can hurt us but rather the things we THINK WE KNOW. These myths, from “they lived happily ever after” to “love means never to having to say you’re sorry” to “once a cheater, always a cheater,” permeate our culture and take root in our minds, preventing many couples from doing the work required to build a good, lasting relationship.  Join us as we explore these myths together and talk about how you can recognize and be free from the limits of these beliefs.  Linda Bloom, LCSW, and Charlie Bloom, MSW, regularly teach at Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center and have served as adjunct faculty at institutes of higher learning including UC Berkeley Extension, and California Institute for Integral Studies. They live in Santa Cruz, CA. Their website is www.Bloomwork.com. Music by JedLuckless.com

And 39 other myths about love, with authors Linda Bloom and Charlie Bloom.

Marriage secrets

  Secrets of Great Marriages  Charlie and Linda Bloom.  Smiles.   Governor Lug  goes road rage on a potential voter...film at 11...    Then,  Kirk Kirkorian  describes how Obama is using immigration to shape the US  political scene.