Podcasts about why karen

Karen Hand is the owner of Karen Hand Hypnosis, a hypnosis practice specializing in helping clients improve their self-esteem and self-acceptance and overcome limiting beliefs and paralyzing fears. She is a Board-Certified Hypnotist, NLP Master Practitioner, and Chicago Radio Personality. She is the author of the best-selling book, Magic Words and Language Patterns: The Hypnotist's Essential Guide to Crafting Irresistible Suggestions, where she helps readers improve their suggestion techniques and perfect the art of scriptless hypnosis. Karen is also a recipient of various awards in the industry, including Hypnotist of the Year, Educator of the Year, and the IMDHA Pen & Quill Award for Literary Excellence. Check out the new on-demand hypnosis workshop: “Six Steps to a Six-Figure Hypnosis Business.” Yours free, right now at http://JasonWebinar.com/ Karen joins me to discuss how to empower your belief system. She shares how the pandemic affected her career and why she adapted to the situation faster than most hypnotists. She discusses her belief system and why any belief system can work if you've been practicing it for a long time. She describes why scriptless hypnosis is the future and why overpreparation is counterintuitive. Karen also discusses the differences between accidental hypnosis and hypnosis on purpose, and why she believes we're all living in a trance state. “When clients start thinking a different thought, they start believing a different thing.” - Karen Hand Why the skill necessary to run a business are left out of training The three-part interaction that always happens in your business Why Karen was more prepared when the pandemic began than most hypnotists How Zoom ended up being Karen's preferred meeting app Karen's biggest pet peeve in the industry Karen's belief system and her thoughts on other hypnotists' belief systems Why overpreparation for clients is no longer the majority thought pattern in the industry Why Karen believes we're all in some sort of trance How a millennial's advice on phone apps helped Karen improve her belief system Why a client's beliefs are easy to change Concrete examples of accidental hypnosis Resources Mentioned: Zoom http://worksmarthypnosis.com/331/ Hypnotic Business Systems SIX-STEPS TO A SIX-FIGURE HYPNOSIS BUSINESS https://jasonlinett.com HypnoThoughts Live Hypnotic Workers Session #1 - The All-Positive Pretalk Session #79 – Karen Hand on Hypnotic Secret Sauce Session #171 – Karen Hand on Hypnotic Freedom Session #306 – Karen Hand on Demystifying Hypnosis No Scripts with Karen Hand Connect with Karen Hand: Website: Karen Hand Hypnosis Book: Magic Words and Language Patterns: The Hypnotist's Essential Guide to Crafting Irresistible Suggestions (Handbook for Scriptless Hypnosis) Karen Hand on Facebook Karen Hand on YouTube Karen Hand Twitter Email: karen@karenhand.com Join our next online certification course… wherever you are in the world! https://WorkSmartHypnosisLIVE.com/ Get an all-access pass to Jason's digital library to help you grow your hypnosis business: https://www.hypnoticbusinesssystems.com/ Get instant access to Jason Linett's entire hypnotherapeutic training library: https://www.hypnoticworkers.com/ If you enjoyed today's episode, please send us your valuable feedback! https://www.worksmarthypnosis.com/itunes https://www.facebook.com/worksmarthypnosis/ Join the new WORK SMART HYPNOSIS COMMUNITY on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/worksmarthypnosis/ Want to work with Jason? Check out: https://www.virginiahypnosis.com/call/

This is the first DT101 Books episode. Karen Hold joins us on the show to talk about Experiencing Design: The Innovator's Journey, a book she co-authored with Jeanne Liedtka and Jessica Eldridge. In DT101 Books episodes, authors explore why their book exists and what it will help you do. Each book is chosen because it has something that will help you think and solve like a designer as you learn, lead and apply design thinking.  Our Guest and Her Co-Authors Jeanne Liedtka is a faculty member at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. Her Columbia Business School Publishing books include Designing for Growth: A Manager's Toolkit (2011) and Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector (2017). Karen Hold is the founder of Experience Labs, an innovation consulting firm. She is also the director of DT:DC, a design thinking community in Washington, DC, and a visiting professor at École des Ponts Business School in Paris, France. Jessica Eldridge is a consultant working at the intersection of educational equity and purposeful innovation. She is a specialist in design thinking, innovation management, and cross-sector collaboration.   About Experiencing Design: The Innovator's Journey In daylong hackathons, design thinking seems deceptively easy. On the surface, it involves a set of seemingly simple activities such as gathering data, identifying insights, generating ideas, prototyping, and experimentation. But practiced at a superficial level, even great design tools don't go deep enough to create the shifts in mindset and skill set that are required to achieve transformational impact.  Going deep with design requires more than changing the activities of innovators; it involves creating the conditions that shape who they become. Individuals become design thinkers by experiencing design. Drawing on decades of researching and teaching design thinking to people not trained in design, Jeanne Liedtka, Karen Hold, and Jessica Eldridge offer a guide for how to create these deep experiences at each stage of the design thinking journey, whether for an individual, a team, or an organization.  For each experience phase, they specify the mindset shifts and competencies that need to be achieved, describe how different personality types experience different kinds of journeys, and show how to fully leverage the diversity of teams. Experiencing Design explores both the science and practicalities of design and includes two assessment instruments for individual and organizational development. Ultimately, innovators need to be someone new to create something new. This book shows you how to use design thinking to make this happen.   Show Highlights [00:56] Dawan muses on trying to come up with a name for the podcast book episodes. [01:06] Michael Silverblatt as the one and only Bookworm. [02:07] Karen talks about the ideas and discussions that started the book-writing process. [02:51] Igniting the design spark (or not!) in the people she works with. [04:57] The book is for those already familiar with, and using, design thinking. [06:05] It's intended to help design thinking users deepen their practice. [07:25] Different personality types experience design and design thinking differently. [08:11] Karen, Jeanne, and Jessica developed four Innovator Personalities. [08:20] You have to become someone new to make something new. [08:54] Karen gives an example from her time on the brand team at Folgers during the rise of Starbucks. [10:15] Quantitative versus qualitative research. [10:48] Biases in decision making. [13:47] Insights and sensemaking occurs gradually and purposefully. [15:04] Sensemaking involves learning from perspectives that are not our own. [18:00] The book provides a set of Minimum Viable Competencies (MVCs) – behaviors and indicators that help designers gauge skill and mindset improvement. [19:00] Karen discusses some of the MVCs found in the book. [20:00] Observation versus interpretation. [21:33] Double-loop learning. [22:00] Becoming too attached to one point of view and closing off. [23:16] MVCs are skills that people can improve with time, training, and use. [24:47] The book offers the reader an entire section on creating a personal development plan [26:45] A digital tool to help readers develop their plan is in beta-test and will be available soon. [28:13] The development plan process also works for teams within an organization. [30:30] Some of the surprises that appeared during the writing journey. [30:43] The tale of how the title of the book changed at the last minute. [35:12] Karen talks about working with her co-authors, and her shift from learner to sharer. [36:58] Missing the daily learning that happened during the writing of the book. [38:14] The intense focus that happened during, and even because of, the pandemic. [38:54] The shift to working virtually. [40:03] The science behind the “A-ha! moment.” [41:55] Why Karen makes sure that her workshops now have an overnight in between activities. [42:45] The difference between ordinary and expert intuition. [44:03] The hope Karen has for those who read the book. [46:00] Fluid Hive's resources for those wanting to learn and practice design thinking.   Links Order your copy of Experiencing Design   Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like From Branding to Design + Teaching Design Teams + Leading Summer of Design with Karen Hold — DT101E13 Designing for the Greater Good, Strategy + Design Thinking, and Measuring Design Thinking with Jeanne Liedtka — DT101 E1 Design Thinking at Work + Three Tensions Designers Navigate with David Dunne — DT101 E23   Fluid Hive Resources Download Fluid Hive's Innovation Shield — a guide to avoiding innovation traps by asking 9 of Fluid Hive's Design Thinking Questions Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Learn new ways to Ask Like a Designer and take your innovation projects from frantic to focused by working smart from the start. Fluid Hive: Learn — A growing collection of courses, webinars, and articles for people expanding their design thinking, service design, and human-centered design skills – people who want to think and solve like a designer.

Karen Rosalie is the Founder and Creative-in-Charge at Rosalie Agency in Los Angeles. Rosalie Agency is an LA-based creative team that produces and shoots campaigns and ads for beauty brands, specifically Sephora brands such as KKW Beauty, Dr. Dennis Gross, Summer Fridays, Kate Somerville, Kylie Skin, and many more. On top of all of the branded content and projects that she has produced for Instagram and other mediums, Karen also shares helpful content and advice for the next generation of photographers. In this episode, she talks about getting her start out of school, what brought her to photography in the first place, and some of her first big clients, as well as the transition from her personal work to a branded agency approach. Tuning in, you’ll find out why Karen believes that every photographer should be a businessperson. One thing that stands out about this interview is how intentional Karen is in everything that she does, from starting her business to producing work for her brands. Her advice is not just helpful for photographers and freelancers, but also people in the agency space or even on the branding side; across the board, you have to be creative, reinvent how you bring your product to market, and capture the value it offers. No matter what your role is in the creative process, you’ll find value in today’s episode, so make sure to tune in today!Key Points From This Episode:Karen’s background and how she first got into photography.How studying fine art taught her about meeting deadlines and the business of photography.Hear about Karen’s shift from independent creative to business owner and working with a creative team.Why Karen believes that every photographer should be business-minded.Karen describes the process of starting Rosalie Agency, including her first client.Overcoming imposter syndrome using a fake-it-till-you-make-it approach.Her advice for listeners looking to land a first big client: consistently shooting and networking.Learn about Karen’s “social first” strategy and how she uses Instagram to market herself.The moment that Karen saw Instagram as a powerful marketing platform.What the evolution of Rosalie Agency looks like, and why Karen loves the beauty niche.Some past projects that stand out for Karen, such as with brands that completely surrender the creative direction of a campaign.How Karen manages to insert her own creative style into her commercial work.Behind the scenes of working with a big brand: how to prepare for a large-scale shoot.How Karen balances being behind the lens versus sitting in the creative director’s seat.The biggest challenges she has faced as a business owner, like scaling and hiring out.Why Karen creates personal content and invests so much time in supporting the next generation of photographers.How COVID has impacted her work and how she is overcoming those challenges.The importance of great digital content and high-quality images, especially during COVID.Shooting on her camera versus shooting on her phone for social.Karen talks about getting married and starting a painting studio during a pandemic.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Karen Rosalie on LinkedInKaren Rosalie on InstagramKaren Rosalie on YouTubeRosalie AgencyRosalie Agency on InstagramMariana Hewitt

Karen Hazelton never thought anyone would pay $300 for a gym membership. She could hardly believe people would pay the $140 she was charging—that is, until she joined the Two-Brain family. After overhauling her systems and prioritizing helping first by prescribing exactly what her clients need to reach their goals, Karen is now pulling an average revenue per member around the $300 mark.Here's how she changed her mindset and started selling more high-value services. Links:Telos Strength and ConditioningNutrition Challenges Are Dead. Kickstarts Are the AnswerFree guide: Affinity Marketing Two-Brain ProgrammingIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTimeline:1:59 – Karen’s ARM pre-Two-Brain.3:10 – How personal training helped her ARM skyrocket.6:26 – How Telos Strength and Conditioning grew its personal-training program.9:21 – Getting comfortable with affinity marketing.13:17 – Telos’ ratio of personal-training- to group-fitness clients.14:24 – Personal-training- vs. group-fitness rates.16:38 – How to sell high-value packages.19:39 – Specialty programs and nutrition.23:35 – Why Karen tells some clients NOT to do nutrition challenges.26:13 – How regular communication with clients leads to more sales.29:24 – “Stop thinking about the money.”

The second in AMR Trains Body Series, this episode heads to the ground level: care + feeding of runner's feet. Dimity chats with sports podiatrist Dr. Karen Langone about: —How to know if you're wearing the right running shoe; —If and when orthotics would be a good fit for your runner's feet + body; —Why Karen has a whole library of physical therapy exercises on her website; and —Why more runners need to, "treat their feet with as much care as they treat their faces." See where you can go with a NordicTrack treadmill with iFit: Visit NordicTrack.com Ready for more Training? Steaming hot episodes served up here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Other topics we discuss: why time isn't your biggest barrier but rather the mental story you are telling yourself Why Karen says you should start with your calling in order to truly live a more fulfilled lifeWhat she has learned from other top business leaders that have formed her keys to success in 2020 Guest links: https://www.5minutesuccess.com/ Apply to be part of the Kingdom REI mastermindOneConnectionAway.com  Guest bio: Karen has been on a Heroine's Journey from being too busy and overwhelmed to loving the life she has while she creates and co-creates the life of her dreams. In her personal life, she has enjoyed good health for her age, long and happy marriage to Andy over 3 decades, and 2 healthy, well-established kids. Yet there never seemed to be enough time or money. She felt as though there was something more that was hers to do. Busy had become a competitive arena, a badge of honor. What she found is the only one truly stopping Karen was Karen. She learned how to "flip" time to focus on meaningful activities and work. If she can do it, you can too! Her most recent book, FLIP TIME / LOVE LIFE is based on this Heroine's Journey. Karen Briscoe is the creator of the transformative "5 Minute Success" concept. Her books Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day: Secrets of a Top Agent Revealed and Commit to Get Leads: 66 Day Challenge® offer a combination of information and inspiration delivered through memorable stories. The daily format with takeaways propels one to achieve success at a higher level in business and life. She is the host of the “5 Minute Success” podcast which has over 300 episodes and has ranked #1 on Overcast most recommended in the business category. The show features an amazing array of guests who achieve success at a high level. She speaks on a national and local level on the “Best of 5 Minute Success.” Further, she has completed the John Maxwell Team Certification Program for Coaching, Speaking, and Training. Karen is the principal owner of the top ranking real estate team HBC Group with Keller Williams. The Huckaby Briscoe Conroy Group has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 250 Top Realtor® teams in the United States. Since 1977, HBC Group has sold over 1,500 homes valued at over $1.5 billion.

Subscribe to the podcast here! Karen Rile2:05 - Karen's childhood growing up in an "arts friendly" family.3:53 - Nathalie Hinderas, an African American pianist who faced career challenges due to racism and how Karen's mother, Joanne Rile, became her manager and pivoted towards a career in arts management, championing African American classical musicians.5:58 - Why Karen found music lessons very stressful and anxiety producing.6:56 - How Karen grew up surrounded by musicians and learned to revere them and how this led to a lifelong fascination with musicians.8:00 - How Karen found her literary path.11:04 - How Karen's children started music lessons despite her reservations.12:25 - How Suzuki and Montessori pedagogies "collided" for one of Karen's daughters.13:56 - How "small amounts of deliberate practice yields huge results" for Karen's children.From the Top18:16 - How the classical music culture of daily practice informs Karen's creative writing pedagogy: "focusing on technique some of the time (in writing) helps a lot."20:18 - How creative writing culture can also inform classical music culture and why taking a break can be very necessary and helpful for classical musicians.22:21 - How classical music gave Karen's children "an incredible work ethic."22:50 - How Karen learned about homeschooling: "radical unschooling" and the flexibility Karen gained from this experience.24:16 - Karen's obsession with the lives of musicians and how this informs her writing. Karen's novel, Winter Music, about a child prodigy musician.27:03 - Karen's experience of Juilliard Pre-College as a parent. "It was more stressful for my daughter."32:23 - How Karen started her literary magazine, Cleaver, with her daughter. How Cleaver became successful by combining flexibility with diligent practice.Cleaver Workshops' online writing classes 38:56 - How classical music training is so consuming, making it difficult to develop other skills. "The professionalism starts so young and there is hardly any time for anything else."40:47 - "Everyone comes to writing because they've experienced ecstasy as a reader." Why college students and classical musicians seem to have very little time to read for pleasure.43:03 - "A lot of classical musicians aren't comfortable writing because they haven't been allowed to just lie around and read a book."43:43 - "Professional and academic writing is unclear and filled with jargon....creative writing helps develop the ability to write clearly and communicate well." Why creative writing and cultivating a writing practice are important.47:06 - How color theory and psychology college courses continue to influence Karen's like and pedagogy.Martin Seligman49:34 - How arts entrepreneurship and day jobs can enable artists to pivot more quickly, especially in the COVID pandemic. Also, the flaws of a culture that wants the arts to be available but doesn't want to pay for it: how this makes it extremely difficult for artists to make a living wage.1:03:54 - How Karen learned about creative courage from her daughter's experience with a tragedy. "The world keeps changing but you can change with it."1:10:16 - "One Train May Hide Another," a poem by Kenneth Koch. How unexpected change can bring new opportunities.1:11:55 - "Be flexible and know that a small amount of work every day yields more than the sum of the work. And one train may hide another....be open because you have no idea what may happen to you."   

This week, I have a special episode with Karen Burgess, the Chief Executive and Founder of Petals, the baby loss counselling charity. We talk about grief, counselling and therapy after pregnancy or infant loss, some of the dark emotions that go alongside this and how the support Petals offer is different from more general counselling that may be available in your local area.Karen is truly passionate about bereaved parents getting the support they need after losing a baby. Whether you’ve recently lost a baby, are still struggling years down the line or want to know more about the support that’s available, I think you’ll find this podcast episode really valuable.As part of our conversation we talk about:Why Karen founded Petals and the importance of specialist support after baby loss (5:53)The difference between counselling and other forms of therapy (16:08)How the support Petals offer is different from general counselling and why it’s not as simple as “just grief” (20:50)The dark emotions that go alongside baby loss – guilt and shame (31:40)Anxieties around official records of mental health support and when the best time to seek counselling support is (42:16)How to go about finding counselling or other mental health support (49:56)How family and friends can support bereaved parents through their grief journey (55:05)You can find out more about Petals, including how to access support and how to donate and support their work on their website: https://petalscharity.org/I wanted to particularly mention the Petals Pioneers fundraising campaign that Petals are currently running to provide free online counselling services to people across the UK. This will make their specialist bespoke support available to more people who need it. Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-petals-pioneer-online-baby-loss-counsellingA huge thank you to my new patron this week, Hayley, and big thanks to all my patrons who help me keep the podcast running. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/footprintsonourhearts

Sean Howard is all of the things! He’s a talented speaker, podcaster, writer, brand marketer, and he’s the co-founder of Fable and Folly, a network of kick ass audio fiction podcasts, some of which he’s acted in and produced. Which is...   [If your podcast app isn’t showing the featured art for this episode above visit https://rebekahnemethy.com/artink15 to check it out.   Castbox and Podcast Addict are both apps I recommend that do show episode specific art.]   Links from the Show at a Glance:   Artist: Sean Howard Title of Art: Disconnected Artist’s Website: seanhoward.ca Instagram: @passitalong   Discover audio fiction podcasts on Sean’s network: fableandfolly.com   Sean Howard’s Levitation photographs   Art Ink Submission Guidelines: rebekahnemethy.com/artinksubs     Art Ink Podcast Transcript:   [Intro:]   Hello again, my friends! It’s been awhile since I’ve last spoken to you, and I hope you didn’t think I’d gone and pod-faded on you!   Believe it or not, I haven’t taken any breaks from this show. I’ve written at least a little bit, almost daily since the last episode came out. In my head, I was sure I was writing a short story, but it didn’t want to end, I just kept writing and writing, and watching the word count grow and grow.   One day I impulsively took a break to Google the definition of a short story, because I wasn’t so sure that this writing still fit into that category anymore. By the time I’d done the search it was already well over 10,000 words, which falls into the realm of a novelette. Anyone else out there new to this literary term? Apparently that is what you call a story that’s too long to be a short story but too short to be considered a novella.   I got excited at that point because I was sure that I was almost done, and as my creativity accountability partner Amy will attest, week after week it was my goal to finish this story. I was convinced that by the time I was done writing I’d get to introduce you to my finished novelette. Yet here I am, another 10,000+ words later, and I’m quite sure this story is destined to be a full-length novel… eventually anyway. For now, I’m calling it a novella and I’m recording it for you, because you’ve waited long enough!   Today’s artist is who I’m going to blame for all of this, Sean Howard, it’s totally all your fault for creating something that inspired me so much! I was instantly triggered when I saw your work, and it sent me down a rabbit hole that was hard for me to escape.   Sean Howard is all of the things! He’s a talented speaker, podcaster, writer, brand marketer, and he’s the co-founder of Fable and Folly, a network of kick ass audio fiction podcasts, some of which he’s acted in and produced. Which is awesome for you, my listeners, because while you’re waiting around for me to put out an episode, you could be discovering a world of new podcasts over at fableandfolly.com!   As if all that talent isn’t enough to squeeze into one human, Sean is also an amazing photographer. There’s something about his Levitation series of photographs that haunt me, in a good way, and I have to say it was not easy to select just one of these photos to write about. The saying a photo is worth a thousand words doesn’t do Sean’s art any justice… and, as I’ve already shared with you, it’s provided me with thousands and thousands of words.   When you get a second, my friends, make sure you take a look at the cover art for this episode to see the haunting photograph that Sean created. For those of you who can’t look just yet, let me attempt to paint the picture with words.     [Art Description:]   A girl in a spaghetti-strap, teal dress hugs her knees to her chest in front of a brown brick wall. She faces left, and we see a profile of her, eyes closed tight, pink and red highlighted dreadlocks pointing wildly in every direction.   Floating around the girl, surrounding her at shoulder height, are five floating devices: a tablet and several smart phones. Sean titled this piece Disconnected, and I could think of no better title for the story that his creation helped bring to life.   Enjoy…   [Story:]   Jennifer was hearing phantom ring tones. Despite the fact that she’d intentionally left her phone at home, her arm still instinctively reached out at least halfway to the empty dashboard mount before she realized there was no phone to be heard.   This was the third time she’d reached out to a non-existent phone. It was as if the fucking thing was a part of her body recently amputated.   It’s not that Jennifer didn’t want to bring her phone with her, but it’d be immediately confiscated as soon as she arrived at the center anyway, and so she’d figured it’d be better to leave it home; she didn’t want to worry about strangers invading her privacy… not that she had anything to hide.   There it was again; the distinct sound of her Instagram notification. Jennifer wondered if she was telepathically connected to the damned thing, as her arm automatically rose once again. She jerked it back toward her body, and huffed. If her other hand weren’t already occupied on the wheel she would’ve smacked herself.   Wouldn’t that be ironic, thought Jennifer, if I caused another accident distracted by a phantom phone? At least this time there’d be no evidence to incriminate her. She winced as the memory flashed through her mind, placed both hands firmly on the wheel, and squeezed until her knuckles were white and her concentration was on the road.   She panicked a bit when she saw the sign for exit 34; had she passed her exit?!   She glanced down at her odometer and sighed with relief as she remembered that A: she still had 30 miles to go and B: the exit numbers were counting down, not up.   Jennifer had known that driving to an unknown area without a GPS to guide her would be a challenge, but she’d done it as a teenager, back in the MapQuest days, when she’d had to print out directions on paper. Directions that didn’t magically rearrange themselves if she drove off course, she reminded herself, and then winced as horns blared in her memory. She remembered crossing three lanes of traffic in order to avoid missing an exit on her road trip to Maryland more than a decade ago. Jennifer sighed and reminded herself to be careful and alert.   The absolute worst part of this trip, however, was the silence. Usually she had an audiobook or podcast running when she drove. Occasionally she’d put upbeat music on when she was feeling down; by the time she finished belting out a couple of songs, she always felt much better. Jennifer was sure she’d be giving herself some music therapy by now… she’d tried the radio, but there was nothing to sing along to, the crackling quality was lacking, and there were more commercials than songs.   Jennifer’s circular thoughts filled the silence instead: she was broke, she was now jobless, she’d just maxed out her credit cards on this mandatory detox, and she couldn’t start fixing any of those problems until a month from now. A month from now!!!   It wasn’t like she was addicted to heroin… no one would have to hold her dreads while she puked her way back to sobriety for fuck’s sake.   The Insta notification chimed in her mind again, and Jennifer was reaching out before she could stop herself. She sighed loudly, put her hand back on the wheel, and rolled her eyes at the fact that some unknown force was calling her bluff. Maybe I am addicted to my phone, she thought.   Still, that didn’t justify the $6,000 it cost to go through this program. $6,000 down the drain… down the future drain, Jennifer corrected herself, sighing.   Jennifer felt pretty proud when she pulled into the parking lot a couple of hours later. She hadn’t gotten lost at all. Though it’s hard to get lost when you’re in the middle of nowhere and the turn offs are sparse.   The place was huge, and very modern looking; quite the opposite of what Jennifer had imagined it would be. The entire front of the building was covered in mirrored glass. In its center rose a pyramid shaped peak that stretched well above the rest of the structure; this was covered in the only glass that wasn’t mirrored. It looked more like a shortened, more angular version of a NYC office building than a rehab center. But what did a digital detox building typically look like? Jennifer knew of no others to compare it to.   Stepping inside was like putting sunglasses on, it dimmed the outside sunshine, but not enough to make you feel like you were indoors. Faint, lyricless, music played in the background, along with what sounded like a babbling brook. Jennifer noticed a waterfall that was built into one of the walls to her left. Floor cushions that looked like low love seats and couches were scattered across the floor in front of it.   Aside from the glass, everything seemed to be made out of natural elements. The floor was made of some kind of polished stone, with glimmers of an almost holographic iridescence where the light caught it. Sculpture creatures made of dried out driftwood and metal were scattered about the lobby. A crane with it’s wings spread and a fish in its mouth here, a puppy posed in a play bow over there, and what looked like a koala bear climbing a bamboo stalk in one corner.   “Welcome,” said a voice from the wall opposite the waterfall. Jennifer turned to it.   “Hi, I’m a bit early- I was afraid I’d get lost without the GPS on my phone.”   “Oh that’s no problem, let’s get you settled into your room.”   Even though Jennifer had told her she’d left her phone at home, the girl asked to go through her bags, which felt a bit demeaning. But apparently, many guests tried to sneak in digital contraband: tablets, iPods, old smartphones people claimed were no longer connected and thought should be allowed. The website had been clear about what was and wasn’t allowed – basically anything with a screen was banned.   Satisfied that Jennifer hadn’t hidden an iPod in her underwear, the girl moved on. She handed her a thick information packet, told her that orientation would be at 6 in the Oak Room, and walked her to her room.   With four hours to kill before orientation, Jennifer dropped to the bed and started leafing through the papers. She grew bored about halfway through the second page and studied the room around her. $6,000 and there wasn’t even a TV in her room. How was she going to make it through a month without Netflix?   Jennifer glanced at the clock on her nightstand, saw that only 5 minutes had passed since she’d stepped into the room, let out a lengthy sigh, and threw herself face down into a pile of pillows.   What was she going to do for the next 3 hours and 55 minutes? The panic started to tighten her throat; what if there was an emergency and she needed to call a friend? Then she started to breathe deeply as she remembered that she’d been through this scenario before and had planned accordingly.   She opened her suitcase to find all of her solutions. On top of everything was a practically blank notebook, the first page filled with her go to contacts and their numbers… when was the last time she’d manually dialed a number?   One side of Jennifer’s suitcase was stuffed with clothing and toiletries, and the other half was packed with a pile of books and art supplies. Jennifer was a doer; doing nothing was the ultimate depressant for her – and so, in a way, her suitcase was filled with anti-depressants.   Jennifer pushed her art journal and pencils aside to reveal a pile of novels. She grabbed a Carol Goodman book, The Lake of Dead Languages, and settled into the love seat to read… she couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down to read a physical book. She “read” books all the time, but audiobooks were her medium of choice – that way she could multitask, “reading” while she walked, cleaned, cooked, and even while she was doodling sometimes. When she was caught up with everything else.   It’d been at least a decade since she’d given her total and complete attention to a book. Pinching the thickness of the pages in both hands, Jennifer had a nostalgic sense of beginnings; just the sliver of the paperback cover and the first few pages pinched between her fingers… the excitement of so many pages ahead. She remembered that giddiness every time she’d gotten a new Goosebumps book as a child.   Jennifer got lost in the book… until a loud knock startled her back into reality.   The girl who’d checked her in was standing at the door with a serene smile. “They’re waiting for you downstairs,” she said, and on a quick glance over her shoulder, Jennifer saw that it was 6:15.   As she approached the Oak Room door it didn’t take her long to figure out the origin of it’s name. Through the massive, triangular-shaped glass wall that stretched up at least four stories was the leafy top of a giant oak tree awash in golden light. The tree had to be at least 100 years old, judging from the thick trunk. Walking into the large room was like stepping outside. There was even grass on the floor… er… ground.   Though the base of the pyramid shaped room was as big as a high school gym, for some reason all of the chairs and their mostly silent occupants were all squished together in the center of the room… aaaannnd it didn’t look like there were any empty seats left.   Jennifer stopped behind the last row of chairs and mouthed the word “sorry” to the woman facing the group, before she bared her teeth, raised her eyebrows, and winced. She crossed her legs and stood with her hands clasped in the front pocket of her hoodie, avoiding eye contact with several people who glanced back at her.   “Oh good, I didn’t want to start until everyone had arrived,” said the woman in a sickly happy high-pitched tone. She wore a form fitting teal tank top and black leggings on her petite frame, and her blonde hair was twisted into a high 2-tier bun. She waved her hand rapidly saying, “there’s an empty seat up here,” and then she pointed to the front row.   Ugh, that’ll teach me to be late, Jennifer thought as she sped to get out of the spotlight, but once she was sitting down, she was grateful to have the chair. No one likes being the odd one out.   The gratitude only lasted a minute though, because although the tiny teenage girl to her left had unnecessarily scooted over when Jennifer sat down, the man on her right hadn’t budged his man spread knee until she’d wedged her own leg between his and the seat. Even then, he’d only moved an inch, keeping his knee hovering over her personal chair space.   The girl crossed her closest leg over the other, covering the rip in her jeans with a manicured hand. The black nail polish was in stark contrast to her pale skin, and the fine sprinkling of silver glitter in it did little to lessen it.   Jennifer scooted over a bit towards her, but was unable to escape the manspreader’s hovering knee.   “Ok, welcome, for those of you who don’t know,” she looked at Jennifer, “I’m Chris, and this is orientation, but it will also double as our first meditation session, so don’t anyone disappear.” she laughed at herself.   You’d actually have to disappear to escape this room without notice, Jennifer thought, as it was at least a 30-foot trek back to the door. Jennifer hadn’t seen another exit, but she hadn’t had enough time to gawk yet. She wanted to ogle the sunset lit view out the full glass wall she’d only had a chance to glance at upon entry, or up at the strange pyramid peaked ceiling, but there’d be no unrude way to look around this close to Chris… stupid front row seat. Another reason Jennifer liked to arrive to things like this early.   “I know that some of you are here of your own free will, but most of you have been given a court order for one reason or another, and to you I say don’t underestimate the power of your addiction. Yes, you are here to be rehabilitated… digital habits are just as toxic as chemical addictions. And for that reason we take our jobs here very seriously…”   Jennifer tuned Chris out as she squeaked on about rules and consequences… and then suddenly everyone was getting up and moving their chairs. She followed the manspreader’s lead, trailing behind him with her own chair. Everyone put their folded chairs into a number of wooden chests up against the far wall. Then they turned to either side to pull rolled yoga mats from matching wooden cubbies.   She picked a purple one and hustled to find a clear spot at the back of the room. As Jennifer walked through the crowd she noticed that nearly everyone here was a kid. Some might be in their 20s, but most looked they were still in high school. Aside from Chris, Jennifer guessed she was the oldest one here. Apparently 36 was a bit old to have a digital addiction.   Luckily, Jennifer was still flexible enough to cross her legs, unlike the manspreader who was struggling on his mat in front of her as she settled down. He managed to cross his ankles, but his knees wouldn’t go down further than chest level. As he continued to fight with his knees, pushing them down, only to have them bounce back up again, Jennifer felt a giggle rising up in her throat and attempted to stop it. She pressed her lips together and clamped a hand over her face, but this only forced the giggle through her nose AND through her lips in what, all together, ended up sounding like a squeaky face fart.   Jennifer suddenly felt eyes on her, and she let her face go lax and casually glanced around the room. Well if anyone was looking at her, they weren’t now; so she examined the young people, mostly girls – she noticed, around her, feeling proud that she could still twist herself into such a position.   “Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes,” Chris started, and Jennifer did so as a soothing chime resonated for several long seconds.   There was shuffling in front of her and Jennifer opened one eye to see that the manspreader had risen and was making his way to the wall, presumably to find a comfortable position on no less than three chairs. He turned around to face the room and looked directly at her as he unfolded, and then lowered himself onto a chair.   Jennifer closed her eye quickly, feeling the heat rise up into her cheeks. He’d definitely caught her staring. And she was probably glaring at him too, unintentionally, of course. She had one of those faces – what had her friend called it? Something bitch face… oh yeah, resting bitch face. She could only imagine what resting bitch face looked like with a one-eyed glare. Probably not very friendly.   Chris’s words brought her back to the present. “Focus on your breath. Pay attention to how your body feels as you breathe in… and out.”   Am I breathing normally? Jennifer wondered. She thought she noticed her heart rate going down as she slowed her breaths.   “It’s completely normal to have thoughts enter into our meditation, hear them and let them go… observe your thoughts, and as soon as you recognize them, remind yourself to come back to your breathing, focus on your inhale… and follow it through your body as you exhale… and repeat.”   Chris was silent for a few seconds.   Jennifer exhaled and wondered how long this meditation was going to last. She should definitely post an Instagram photo of this; no one would ever believe she’d sat still for longer than 5 minutes. How long had it been anyway? She should ask once they were finished so that she could have an accurate number to add to her caption… and then Jennifer realized an Instagram photo was not going to happen. She mentally smacked her palm against her forehead.   “Let your thoughts move on,” Chris suddenly reminded her, “and come back to your breath.”   Okay… Jennifer thought, breathe in, breath out… oh my god, my foot is totally asleep. How much longer are we going to sit here? She opened an eye again and glanced around without moving her head. No one else seemed uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to disrupt the silence by shuffling around.   She switched eyes and looked towards the wall. The manspreader wasn’t even trying. He was slouched against the wall, one hand on his crotch, knees spread to the max, and when her eyes finally traveled up his body, she saw that his eyes were open, a bored expression on his face. He was looking at Chris, whose own eyes were closed as she continued to breathe deeply.   Jennifer glanced back at the manspreader, but this time he was aiming his intense gaze directly at her. She automatically snapped her eye shut and winced; she’d been caught staring at him twice now. Oh. My. God. Stop looking at this guy. He probably thinks I’m a creepy cougar, Jennifer thought, but she quickly corrected herself. I’m too young to be a cougar.   “Now we’re going to do something that may be a bit uncomfortable,” Chris said, and there was a mysterious edge to her voice. “Think of an embarrassing moment… something from your childhood maybe… something that not many people in your life now would know about.”   Jennifer was immediately transported to a college classroom. She’d gotten high, maybe a little higher than she should’ve gotten, right before class. Usually it was the audience type of learning experience versus the participation kind… Jennifer took care to categorize her classes this way to make sure she didn’t get caught in a weed driven social anxiety attack, but Professor Brinkley must’ve been experimenting that day. He’d decided to have his students take turns reading aloud… only one paragraph at a time, but the text was dense with unfamiliar four and five syllable words that Jennifer had no idea how to pronounce.   As the student in front of her started to read, Jennifer quickly read ahead, trying to prepare herself for her turn. She’d internally sighed with relief when she was finished, but then the girl in front of her had gone on… she was reading the paragraph Jennifer was supposed to read. She had become frozen with shock, and suddenly it was her turn, and she was totally unprepared.   Jennifer had stumbled through the text, gripping both sides of the desk to stop her hands from shaking. She’d sounded out at least three unknown words as if she were a second-grader, then she proceeded to butcher even the parts of the English language she did know.   Jennifer couldn’t look up in the silence that followed. No one laughed or snickered… it was an uncomfortable, pitying silence, which was confirmed with the professor’s elongated, “ooookaaay.”   The heartbeat in her ears hadn’t relented its pounding until three students later.   She’d often wondered what her classmates had thought of her that day. Jennifer would be perfectly fine with the truth: she’d gotten stupidly high… but she feared it was more likely that they thought stupid was her default setting.   “Now, it’s time to forgive yourself.” Chris’s voice intruded into the memory, “step into your past as the present version of you, older, more experienced, and bring love to the child you used to be. Give that child a hug, tell them it’s ok, tell them you forgive them, tell them that you love them. See the expression on their face when they experience this forgiveness and love. Ok, it’s now time to come back to the present moment.”   Jennifer opened her eyes slowly, and unfolded her twisted legs even slower. She’d definitely need to sit there for a few minutes to let the blood flow reach her foot; to make sure the pins and needles had run their course before she tried to walk. Jennifer pretended to stretch as everyone around her began to rise, and intentionally avoided looking up, terrified of somehow being pulled back into the manspreader’s gaze again.   Chris directed everyone to the dining hall and a soft chatter filled the air and faded away behind Jennifer as the crowd left the room.   “Not as easy as it looks, is it?” A deep voice asked, and a hand reached down to her. It was the manspreader standing over her. Looking past his hand into his face, Jennifer noticed that, though he was dressed like a teenager in a white hoodie and jeans, he was a lot older than she’d realized. Maybe even older than her.   Jennifer took his hand and let him pull her to her feet, which still felt a little tingly. He held onto her hand at the end of the gesture combining it into a handshake and said, “Matt.”   “Jennifer,” she said with a tight smile.   “You a workaholic?” he asked.   “No… I don’t think so…” Jennifer said, “why?”   “Oh… I just assumed… wait. You’re not here on a court order are you?” He asked and amusement shone in his hazel gaze.   “Yeah, actually, I am.” Jennifer said shortly. And with that she turned her back to him and marched toward the dining hall.   When she smelled the tomato-sauce-drenched main course, she grabbed an apple and a banana and made her way back to the double doors, intending to eat and read back in her room. But manspreader, Matt, stepped in front of her, blocking the way.   “You want to join me for dinner?” he asked, an empty tray in one hand.   “I was actually going to go eat in my room,” Jennifer said, a hint of irritation in her voice. What was with this guy? Her earlier embarrassment around him was quickly being replaced with annoyance at his boldness.   “Ok, well, I just wanted to apologize if I offended you before… it wasn’t intentional.”   “Ok.” She said. But he was still blocking her way out. Should she walk around him?   “Sorry.” He said.   “It’s fine.” But it wasn’t fine, Jennifer thought, it was none of his business.   And then he finally stepped away, saying, “Ok, I guess I’ll see you later.”   But Jennifer didn’t answer him as she hurried out the door and back to the comfort of her room.   She read her book until her eyes were so heavy she got stuck in a loop, reading the same paragraph again and again in between bouts of wakefulness, until she finally gave up.   The next thing she knew she was sitting straight up in bed, heart thudding, her skin tacky with sweat. She’d had a nightmare, she realized… thank god it was just that. Jennifer had woken up just before she’d hit someone, someone else, she thought as she recalled the dream woman’s fear-twisted face through the rain-smeared windshield. She’d had a yellow umbrella and it had cast her skin in a shade of jaundice.   Jennifer didn’t see it happen, but the sense of speed and lack of control as she’d dropped the phone, gripped the wheel and punched the brake pedal to the floor… it made her almost certain that the hit had to be fatal.   Was this the Universe trying to warn her? Trying to make her take her “crime” more seriously? Not cool, Universe, not cool.   She let herself fall back into the pillow, which was now damp and cold and not at all comforting. The EHH, EHH, EHH of the alarm clock jarred her upright again, and once she could finally figure out how to shut the archaic thing up, Jennifer let out a long sigh. She thought of how, if she’d had her phone, she’d be woken up gently as a harp played, slowly increasing in volume as it went. She groaned as she got up; there wasn’t much time to get ready before her 1-on-1 with Chris.   Jennifer brushed her teeth furiously with one hand as she pulled socks off with the other, hopping a couple times to keep from losing her balance. The contrast of blonde on black automatically drew her gaze away from her brown eyes, and she sighed through her nose so as to avoid spewing toothpaste everywhere. She couldn’t even afford to buy a cheap bottle of dye, not unless she wanted to add to her already Everest high mountain of debt, and the pink had long since faded from her short dreadlocks.   Jennifer hadn’t taken a single selfie since… she’d thought about going with black and white photos, tried every filter there was, but nothing looked right alongside the colorful art in her feed; too off-brand.   Luckily, she didn’t have the time to dwell on it. She rinsed, spit, turned away from her reflection and its reminder of all her problems, and got in the shower.   Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer passed into Chris’s office with her clothes clinging to her still damp skin, but at least she wasn’t late, she affirmed to herself as she glanced at the clock. It was 7:29, one minute to spare.   Office was a formal word for the comfy, brightly colored room. There was no desk, no file cabinets, and it was as if a box of markers had thrown up on the walls. The glossy white walls were floor to ceiling dry erase boards, and they were almost completely covered in writing and drawings. Here and there were rectangular patches of black chalkboard paint, which were equally scribbled upon in pale pastels. An L-shaped couch, a love seat, and a few chairs were arranged in a circle that surrounded a bunch of beanbag chairs on the floor. The room looked more suited to a teenage hangout than an office. Jennifer took a seat on a vibrantly green, velvety soft sofa.   “How are you settling in Jennifer?” Chris asked from her seat on a hot pink chair; hers was equally velvety looking. Her hands were laid one atop the other in her lap.   “Well, my wake up wasn’t fun, but aside from that… fine.” Jennifer knew that no digital devices were allowed on the premises, but she’d thought for sure that an exception would be made for the people who ran this place. But even if not, shouldn’t Chris at least have a notebook, a folder to reference… something?   “Yes, you had quite the nightmare, didn’t you?”   “No,” Jennifer said, her gaze scanning above Chris’s head to a long, twisting, Chinese-style dragon drawn in red, “it wasn’t the nightmare I was talking about, it was the alarm cl—wait,” she interrupted herself, her eyes darting back to Chris, “How did you know about my nightmare? Are there hidden cameras in my room?”   “No, there are no cameras in your room,” said Chris, “along with being immoral, that would also be illegal.”   “Then… how did you know about my nightmare?”   “The same way I know about the manspreader.” Chris smiled broadly and raised her eyebrows expectantly.   “Who?” Jennifer began to mentally retrace the past 24 hours, but she couldn’t remember saying that aloud to anyone. Had she secretly been hypnotized during the meditation, caught muttering her inside jokes aloud?   “Hypnotism is something we can do here,” Chris responded, unprompted, “but I assure you, you have not been hypnotized.”   Chris paused for a moment, as if to let that sink in. Jennifer was stunned into silence.   “I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion,” Chris continued, “unfortunately, it’s the only way I’ve found to get through to most people… do you know why you’re here Jennifer?”   “Because it was this or lose my license.”   “Yes… that’s true. You’ve got three counts of texting and driving on your record… but I’m not asking you about your crime Jennifer, I’m asking if you know what you’ve come here to learn. Any idea?”   “How to promise I won’t do it again?… and mean it, since you apparently can read my mind.”   “Let’s go about this a different way. What have you experienced since you last had your phone?”   “I’ve felt… lost. Like something’s missing. Like I’m missing something.” Jennifer paused, but Chris nodded for her to continue. “I feel out of the loop. Disconnected.”   “Yes! You feel disconnected, and rightfully so. You know, smartphones have only been around for the past couple of decades, and in that time we’ve somehow conditioned ourselves to be completely reliant on them for our connection to everything.”   Jennifer couldn’t dispute that. The past day had been a challenge to say the least. She nodded.   Chris went on, “but what if I told you that you could be trained to connect to others, to this world, to this Universe, in ways that you could never imagine… in ways that would make your phone seem subpar?”   “What, you want to teach me how to read minds?” Jennifer asked doubtfully.   “You already know how to connect to others, you’ve had at least one big hit since you’ve been here.”   “What do you mean?”   “That wasn’t just a nightmare, Jennifer, it was a memory… someone else’s memory.”   Jennifer thought back to her dream. It was a bit fuzzier now, but she could still recall most of it: the phone in her hand, white screen blazing in the dimly lit interior, though the words she’d read were totally lost now, and the yellow-skinned woman with wide eyes. But wait… Jennifer went back to the phone in her hand… had it been her hand? Had it been her car? It was hard to tell. It’d been dark.   “Whose memory?”   “Well that wouldn’t be very fun, now would it?” Chris said with a smirk. “You’re here for a month, you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.”   Jennifer headed to the dining hall after that. She walked through the food line in a daze, trying to remember the details of her nightmare. Could it really be a memory? Jennifer would’ve found that hard to believe before her strange encounter with Chris, but she also would’ve thrown mindreading into the same box; passing it off as just another sci-fi element, along with teleportation and time travel. There was no doubt, though. Unless Jennifer was truly losing it, there was no other explanation for Chris knowing about her dream… or the fact that she had internally nicknamed the manspreader.   Speak of the spreader himself, as Jennifer was exiting the line he was waving her over to his table. Her impulse was to pretend she hadn’t seen him and return to her room like she had last night, but she had so many questions about this place now, and maybe some of these other digi detoxees could answer them. At least this time he wasn’t alone, the ripped jeans girl who’d sat on the other side of her in the Oak room was at the table too.   Jennifer took a deep breath and headed toward them. “Hey,” she said with a forced smile she hoped didn’t look it. “Matt right?” she started, looking at the manspreader, but she didn’t wait for him to answer before she shifted her gaze to the girl, “I didn’t get your name.”   “Karen,” the girl said, extending her hand. Her long, almost black, hair was shiny, sleek, and straight. With her bangs, the way it hung was like a three-sided picture frame around her face, all hard edges and contrast.   “Jennifer.” She shook the girl’s hand over the table, and noticed that the black nail polish from yesterday had been replaced with fire engine red.   “We were just talking about Karen’s 1-on-1,” Matt said, “did you have yours yet?”   “Yeah, just before I came here,” Jennifer said, “wasn’t exactly what I’d expected.”   “Me neither, but the idea that we’ve somehow stumbled upon a school for psychic development makes it so much more interesting. Don’t you think?” Karen asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “I mean if going through this detox is mandatory, we may as well get something useful out of it. I’m actually excited now.”   “I mean it’d be cool, I’m not debating that… but do you think it’s even possible?” Matt countered. “I’m not entirely convinced.”   “I wasn’t either, at first,” Karen said, “but Chris knew things… she knew things I’ve never told anyone.”   “Like what?” Matt asked, a smirk on his face.   “Chris knowing is bad enough, I’m sure as hell not telling you.” Karen said looking at him like she had a bad taste in her mouth. After a pause she started again, “But, I will say that I think that whole embarrassing moment thing she made us do during the meditation was a way for her to get material.”   “Material?” Jennifer said.   “Yeah, you know, to prove this shit to us.” Karen explained.   “Well that’s not gonna work on me,” Matt replied, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, “I couldn’t think of anything embarrassing. I was barely able to focus on meditating in the first place.”   “Well you’ll see,” Karen said assuredly, “when you go to your 1-on-1.”   Matt only shrugged and switched his gaze. “What about you, Jennifer?” he asked.   “I guess I’m still trying to absorb all of this.” She paused to eat a spoonful of bland oatmeal. She’d piled brown sugar on top and mixed it in, but barely tasted it. “My inner skeptic is still trying to convince me there’s a reasonable explanation for what just happened; but she’s having trouble finding one.”   “Yeah,” Matt agreed, “like maybe our friends and family are in on some elaborate practical joke?”   “But there’s no way,” Jennifer was shaking her head. “Chris was reading the thoughts in my head as I was thinking them.”   “Yeah, she did the same thing to me.” Karen said. “Look, I’m not saying I’m entirely convinced we’ll be able to do this mind reading thing anytime soon. But I have no doubt that Chris has some crazy skills… makes total sense now why we have to be here for so long… but yeah, I’m willing to give it a go. Think of what we could do.”   “Yeah…” Matt’s smirk returned, wider than ever, “Well I guess only time will tell.”   They were all quiet for awhile as they finished eating.   “Hey we still have an hour until the next group meeting,” Matt said. “Who’s up for a walk?”   “I’m down,” said Karen quickly, “the weather’s supposed to be gorgeous today.”   Matt and Karen both looked at Jennifer expectantly. “Ok, you’ve convinced me,” she said on a sigh.   “Well don’t let us twist your arm,” Matt said, but he smiled.   “No, I could use the fresh air, and who knows, this could be the last of the nice weather, we should definitely take advantage of it.”   ***   Matt was much taller than Karen and Jennifer, and he stopped several times to let them catch up to him before he found their pace. It was still a bit chilly out, but the sun on their backs was comfortably warm, and grew warmer as it rose.   “So, Karen,” Matt began, “you said earlier that this is mandatory for you…” he glanced at her before continuing, “care to indulge our curiosity.”   Karen shrugged. “Sure, I’ve got nothing to hide. It’s kinda stupid actually. Long story short, I got my three strikes and here I am. But it’s impossible not to text and drive when most of your “driving,” she used air quotes, “is actually idling in dead stopped traffic, ya know? Plus, I can’t do my job without my phone, I’m an Uber driver… so in reality, I never actually texted anyone. My dash mount broke and I had an unlucky week with cops, what can I say? What about you?”   So apparently Karen was older than she looked too, because Jennifer was pretty sure you had to be at least 21 to be an Uber driver.   “I checked myself in voluntarily,” Matt said, “but not until after I had a wake up call.” He paused for two or three paces, then continued on a bit reluctantly. “I’m kind of a workaholic. I was driving out to dinner after a late night at work, it was raining, pouring actually, and I was waiting for an important email. My phone went off, and it was just so automatic the way I grabbed for it… anyway, I took one hand off the wheel at the same time I hit a stretch of deep water. I dropped the phone as soon as I started hydroplaning, but it happened so fast, and before I had both hands on the wheel again I’d already done a 180 and was flying off the road. The next thing I knew I’d slammed sideways into a tree.”   “Wow,” Jennifer stopped walking, “were you hurt?”   “Not at all, but I can’t stop myself from wondering what could’ve happened if there was another car nearby… what if I’d hurt someone else? Killed someone? And all because of a stupid email? I’d never be able to forgive myself.”   “Well, you didn’t,” Karen gave Matt a friendly pat on the back, “and you’re here to make sure it doesn’t happen again, right? So don’t worry about it.”   Matt nodded and they started walking again. The path they’d taken looped around a large pond, and they were nearly back to where they’d started again.   “I worry about the same thing,” Jennifer broke the silence. She hadn’t planned on airing out her own skid marks, but Matt’s unexpected vulnerability made Jennifer feel like she owed it to him to be honest herself. “Though… I have to admit I don’t think it has anything to do with needing to digitally detox.” Jennifer started, she was about to bring up the nightmare since that was the main instigator of her recent fears, but she quickly decided against it. If that nightmare was a memory like Chris said, it most likely belonged to someone here, and who was she to tell someone else’s story. Plus, it had an uncomfortable number of similarities to Matt’s story. Could that be a coincidence? Was her dream off? Was he hiding part of the story?   “I actually did hit someone.” Jennifer admitted, and Matt and Karen both stopped simultaneously to turn toward her. “He was fine,” she quickly continued, a bit defensively, “but the fact is, it would’ve happened whether I had my phone with me or not.” Jennifer could probably squeeze between the two of them and keep walking, and that was what she wanted to do most, but she also didn’t want it to look like she was hiding anything either, so she stopped too.   “I was pulling out of this gas station. It’s on a busy road, so you can’t make a left there, but there’s a yield sign to go right. Sometimes you get lucky and catch a gap in traffic when the light down the road changes, but most of the time you have to sit there and wait.” Jennifer paused here as if her audience needed time to paint the scene in their heads. “So I was waiting and waiting, and my phone went off; it was a text from my friend checking on my ETA, so I tapped the screen to read it. Then I told Siri to text her back that I was on my way. I looked to the left and saw there was finally a gap I could cut into, I hit the gas as the last car was passing in front of me, but as I turned my head to face forward there was something in front of me, and I slammed on my brakes to stop from hitting it. But it was too late. My car jerked forward a couple of feet and stopped, and suddenly there was a man in front of me sprawled in the road.   “I tried to help him, but he got up all on his own before I could make it to him. He was furious, waving his arms at me, screaming that he saw me looking down at my phone. He called the police. And sure enough, they believed him as soon as they saw the time on my last text matched the time he’d reported the accident. It didn’t help that I already had a couple of texting and driving tickets on my record.   “What pisses me off the most though is that I was trying to do better! I got one of those stupid mounts so I could be ‘hands free’ and I hadn’t typed out a single text since my last ticket. And I wasn’t even driving!!!” Jennifer took a moment to breathe away her fury.   “Plus,” she continued in a much calmer voice, “I’ve turned out of that parking lot so many times. I never look right. There’s not even a shoulder on that road. It’s not the kind of road you should be out taking a stroll on. So I’m sure I would’ve hit him anyway.”   Karen was suddenly laughing, “So,” she started, but she was cracking up and couldn’t spit out the words. “So,” she said again once she could get control over herself, “you mean to tell me that guy saw you NOT look at him and decided to walk in front of your car anyway?” Again, laughter burst out of her, and Matt and Jennifer couldn’t help but be infected by it, letting out a few of their own chuckles.   “Yeah,” Jennifer said starting to catch a bit of Karen’s contagious laughter, “probably not his brightest moment.”   “That guy wouldn’t last two seconds in the city.” Karen said with a shake of her head.   Matt was chuckling a bit now too, though Jennifer could tell he was trying not to. “We are such assholes for laughing about this.”   “Why?” Karen said, “It’s not like he died… of anything other than embarrassment, maybe.”   “Ya know, that’s probably so true,” Jennifer said, “I never said it at the time, but I thought he was totally overreacting. I mean, if he had the energy to jump up and wave his arms around at me the way he was…” Jennifer was laughing again. “I’ve seen toddlers with less energetic temper tantrums.”   The laughter and the rest of their walk wound down as the trio reached the end of the trail. The paved pathway spread out into a parking lot before them.   “Just in time,” Matt said, glancing at his watch, “we have 10 minutes until our next group meeting.”   “Perfect,” said Karen, “I’m gonna grab something from my car quick, and run it over to my room.” She veered to the left towards a bright red Mazda RX8 and opened the passenger side door.   Something about the car was familiar to Jennifer, but with the only eye-catching paint job in a lot full of neutral blacks, whites, and silvers, she assumed she must’ve noticed it when she pulled in yesterday.   “You can use that for Uber?” Matt asked. “I thought all of their cars needed to have four doors.”   “Well, technically it has four doors,” Karen said as she reached in behind the seat and pulled open a surprise back door. “But you’re right, this is my personal car, and not at all Uber-approved, which is good, because if anyone threw up in this car, I’d be pissed.” She grabbed a small storage container out of the back seat and gently bumped both doors closed with her hip.   As Karen got closer Jennifer recognized the case’s colorful contents. “That’s a lot of nail polish!”   “Yeah, well, we’ve got a lot of time to kill,” Karen shot back, glancing at Jennifer’s nails as she did, “oooooohhhwww, you’ve got some blank canvases for me.” She raised her eyebrows in question.   “If you really want to,” Jennifer agreed half-heartedly, “I mean, there’s not much there—”   “Oh please, help a girl out,” Karen pleaded, “I’m doing my own daily, and it doesn’t take up nearly as much time as I need it to.”   “Ok,” Jennifer chuckled. Internally she wondered how she was going to keep from poisoning herself the next time she unconsciously bit her nails.   “You think we scared the big guy off?” Karen asked, and Jennifer noticed that Matt had somehow gotten ahead of them. He was already pulling open the glass doors some 50 feet ahead of them.   “Maybe… but he doesn’t seem like the type to scare easily,” Jennifer replied.   “I’m sure I could fix that with one ride.” Karen winked.   “I hope you’re talking about a ride in your car.”   “Of course! What kind of girl do you think I am?” As Karen made her way across the wide open lobby toward her room, she giggled in a way that made Jennifer wonder.   A few minutes later they’d joined the rest of the group in the Oak Room and were once again preparing themselves for another guided meditation.   When Matt tried to slink back to his comfort zone against the wall, Chris followed him. She gently pulled him to his feet, lifted the chair he’d been sitting on, and folded it. She looked up at him, paused. Matt had a shit-eating grin on his face. They were too far away to hear, but in a flash Matt’s forehead furrowed in shocked confusion, holding his mouth open like the shit had fallen right out. Chris turned around, bringing the chair closer to the group. She had a serene smile on her lips, but her eyes wore a cockier expression, like they were screaming “HA! Gotcha!”   “Does anyone want to go get something warmer to wear?” she addressed the group as she pulled a sweatshirt on over her tank and returned to her mat. “Once the sun’s gone it’ll get pretty chilly in here.”   A few people looked upward to the endlessly blue sky that shone through the clear panes above, but nobody moved from their seats.   The pyramid shaped room was basically a green house and Jennifer was grateful for the toasty temperature. Although it was comfortable outside while Jennifer was walking, once she’d slowed down in the parking lot, any hint of a breeze had bit into her skin.   “Anyone?” Chris tried again, but still no one budged from their seats. “Ok, then let’s begin, shall we?” She gave her tiny bell a tap and a familiar chiming vibrated through the large space for several seconds.   Chris led the group to focus on their breathing as she did before, and after a few minutes of that she guided them into full relaxation. “Notice how the top of your head feels, relax your scalp. Feel any tension in your face… and let it go. Let the skin on your forehead go slack, relax your cheeks, your jaw…” and she went on to bring attention to every bit of Jennifer’s tense body. Odd how you didn’t even realize your jaw was clenched until someone told you to unclench it, Jennifer thought. By the time Chris had reached her toes, Jennifer was so relaxed she felt like her skin had melted off; but in a good way.   “Focus on the sounds seeping into your ears,” Chris said softly, “let the noise gradually get louder, until you start to recognize it…”   The orangey glow that’d shown through Jennifer’s closed eyelids gradually faded to black. At the same time the staticky sound of nothing grew louder until she knew what it was. Rain. Jennifer opened her eyes to confirm it. The blue above had been replaced by a dark gray and it was pouring.   Only Chris still had her eyes closed, everyone else was looking up in wonder. Jennifer hugged herself and rubbed her arms as the temperature quickly dropped.   Without opening her eyes, Chris said, “I warned you that it would get chilly.” Then, after a pause, “Well I guess we’re done meditating for now,” she said and finally opened her eyes to look at everyone in front of her.   The group broke for lunch and afterwards, Chris divided them up. Most everyone had taken the opportunity to bundle themselves up before returning to the chilly, gray Oak Room, but it turned out that only half of them would be needing the extra clothing.   As Chris directed them all to form two neat lines, Jennifer felt like she was back in elementary school about to march out to recess. She was at the back of the line, Karen stood in front of her, and Matt towered in the next spot. But that’s where the nostalgia ended, as Chris instructed the group to turn sideways to face the opposing line. There just so happened to be an even amount of people in the room, and Chris told them all to pair off with the person directly in front of them.   Jennifer was mildly disappointed, as she seemed to already be losing her recently found companionship with this forced partnering. She walked toward the blonde girl across from her and offered a weak half smile. Jennifer was trying to be warm, but she had a feeling her face was suggesting more of a well-I-guess-I-don’t-have-a-say-in-this look. It was the same kind of smile one of two team leaders in a high school gym class might give you when it’s his turn to pick and you’re the last one standing.   “Hi,” Jennifer tried to warm up her smile as she extended a hand to the girl, “I’m Jennifer.” The girl reminded her of Baby Spice, minus the slutty attire and pigtails.   “Emma,” she said quietly.   No way, Jennifer thought, wasn’t that Baby Spice’s real name? She wished for the instant gratification of a quick Google, and she wondered if she’d ever stop wanting to Google and Instagram things every hour on the hour.   The brief introduction was all they had time for, though, because Chris was already separating them again. Those who were from Emma’s line were directed to make themselves comfortable beneath the oak tree, while Jennifer, Karen, Matt, and the rest of their group followed Chris back to her teen hangout of an office.   When they walked in the room seemed brighter than it had been earlier, and at a second glance, Jennifer realized it was because the shiny, white walls had been wiped clean.   “Take a seat for now,” Chris said as she spread her arms out and stepped to the side.   “We’re going to do a mini-meditation.” She continued as Jennifer planted herself beside Karen on the velvety green couch. “By now, your partners have been given their own instructions… to send you a message. Your job is to receive that message.”   A few people were exchanging skeptically raised eyebrows, one guy rolled his eyes shaking his head slowly back and forth, someone nearby shrugged their shoulders at him and returned their attention to Chris, who was making her way to an empty beanbag chair towards the room’s center. She practically fell into it on one arm, stretched herself out like a cat, and crossed her ankles.   “Before we begin, I just want you all to know that you can feel free to get up at any time. These messages can be fleeting, and as soon as you sense something, I encourage you to note it on the walls.”   Everyone started looking around the room, a couple with confused looks on their faces. “They’re dry erase boards,” Chris clarified before anyone could ask, “you’ll find markers scattered around, take your pick. Any words, images, shapes, feelings, sounds… anything that comes to you, make sure to record it on the wall. This is a way to communicate more than it’s a test of your artistic capabilities… so please don’t hold back. We welcome chicken scratch and stick figures.”   Chris paused as she looked around the room with a smirk on her face, and Jennifer wondered if she might be waiting for her audience to laugh. “Any questions?” she finally asked.   Jennifer had a few: Are you serious right now? How do you expect us to do that exactly? Is this for real, or have I somehow found myself in an American accented episode of Black Mirror?, but they all came out sounding incredulous in her mind, so she remained silent.   When no one uttered a word, Chris went on, “Close your eyes and clear your mind by focusing on your breath, like we’ve been doing, and once you’re relaxed, bring your attention to your partner. Imagine them sitting in the grass beneath the Oak tree, you’re standing in front of them, you look down at your hands and notice that they’re semi-transparent; you’re in the Oak Room in spirit.” Chris quickened her pace, “now merge into your partner, become one with them, feel what they’re feeling, hear what they’re hearing…”   Despite the energy in Chris’s voice, it seemed to be getting more distant in Jennifer’s ears, and suddenly she heard another voice… it was slightly familiar, but she couldn’t place it. “Imagine them in your mind’s eye, whisper your message, whisper your message, whisper your message…” but now that voice was fading away too, and Jennifer was sitting down on top Emma, falling into her body—   A red umbrella, it’s handle up in the air, flashed into Jennifer’s mind, and though she saw no hand holding it steady, it was balanced perfectly like a non-spinning top. And before she even knew what she was doing, Jennifer found herself at the board drawing what she’d seen. When she was done, she was embarrassed to see several sets of eyes staring at her curiously. She quickly made her way back to the couch, noting on the way that nobody else had drawn a thing… Jennifer’s upside-down umbrella was the only image that graced the walls.   “Very good,” Chris mouthed to her, and then out loud, “I’m going to give you 5 more minutes to focus on the message your partners are sending you, and then I’m going to ask you all to doodle your findings on the board… whether or not you think you’ve received anything.”   Someone sighed loudly, frustrated. Jennifer let out her own sigh; though hers was one of relief.   As everyone else focused with furrowed brows, Jennifer reimagined the experience she’d just had. It was a strange thing to admit, but this vivid umbrella had felt like it’d come from outside of her. She’d always had a vivid imagination, could create and see things in her mind’s eye… but she couldn’t trace this ‘vision’ – for lack of a better term – back through any stream of consciousness that’d come from her own thoughts. It was like a unicorn darting out from a herd of elephants.   “Ok,” Chris called out, “time’s up. Whether you think you have answers or not, go on, grab some markers and head to a clean space on the wall.”   A chorus of sighs and groans sounded as everyone stood and trudged over to the boards.   “You haven’t failed yet, so don’t make assumptions,” Chris said, “just write or draw the first thing that pops into your head. This is your first attempt at something you’ve probably never done before, and just like with any other skill, some of you will find your strengths in different areas. We’re all like radios, and you’ll find that you tune into certain stations more easily than others. Right now we’re just experimenting with the dial to see what we can pick up on.”   Karen had a blue marker and was rapidly scribbling a manifesto in tiny letters. Jennifer couldn’t read any of it from her spot on the couch. Next to Karen, Matt was adding pigtails to one of the 5 stick figures he’d drawn. A few others were adding their own embellishments to the wall, but more than half of the class stood stationary in front of a blank space.   “Don’t think about it,” Chris said to those paralyzed people, and she snapped her fingers as she went on, “first thing you think right now, put it on the board. We’re just playing a game here. There’s no penalty for a wrong answer. The only way you can fail here is if you don’t try.” That finally got the few remaining stragglers to add their own hasty additions in an effort to return to their seats quickly.   “Good job everyone.” Chris made eye contact with each and every person in the room before she finally dismissed them to lunch. Apparently they’d be going over their work once they’d reassembled later that afternoon. Jennifer looked forward to that with a mixed sense of excitement and dread, like she was just cresting the peak of the tallest point on a rollercoaster, waiting for the inevitable drop.   Karen looped her arm around Jennifer’s and leaned into her, “if we hurry up and eat we’ll have enough time to do our nails before the next meet,” she whispered conspiratorially.   ***   “So what was all that you were writing on the board?” Jennifer asked as she stretched her arm out to Karen.   Karen applied a mauve polish to Jennifer’s pointer finger in three quick, neat strokes and moved on to her middle finger. Without looking up she said, “The lyrics to a song that was running through my head.”   “What song?”   “Let it Go.”   “From Frozen?”   “Yup.” She was already done painting the nails on Jennifer’s right hand, and reached out for her left.   “Do you think that has anything to do with your partner’s ‘message?’ ”   “I dunno.” Then after a pause and another couple of painted fingernails, “but I guess we’ll find out,” Karen said finishing off on Jennifer’s pinky and finally looking up. She shrugged. “The real question is,” she said as she rummaged through her box of polish and pulled out a trio of bottles, one after the other, and laid them out on the bedspread in between them, “Red Red Wine, Lotus, or Garnet Star?”   Jennifer hunched over and squinted at them, the hues were nearly indiscernible in the dim indoor light. “What’s wrong with the color you have on now?” she asked as she picked them up and twisted to get a better look beneath the lampshaded light.   “Uh, they’re chipped,” Karen said, in a way that implied Jennifer was a bit thick, and thrust her ring finger towards her to prove it.   Again, Jennifer found herself in a game of find the difference searching Karen’s pristine nail for a defect. Finally she noticed a minuscule amount of missing polish on one corner of her squarely shaped nails. “Ahh,” Jennifer said, returning her gaze to the trio of dark purpley reddish colors in her hand. “This may seem like a dumb question, but, why not just paint over the chip? Or just redo that one nail?”   “I mean I might in a pinch, if I had somewhere to be,” Karen snorted, “but what else do we have to do?”   Jennifer nodded and handed her the color labeled “Lotus.” All three colors were too dark in Jennifer’s opinion, but that one was a shade brighter than the others.   As Karen silently began scrubbing at her nails with a cotton ball, Jennifer blew on her own nails, contemplating whether or not she should pursue the topic further. Karen seemed completely uninterested in the strange exercise they’d just performed, as if they’d just come out of a math class where they were learning obvious facts like two plus two equals four, and it was all mundane enough to be forgotten. But Jennifer had experienced something profound; something unexplainable. She’d had an out of body experience. She’d had a vivid vision! Like she was straight out of the pages of some supernatural thriller, playing the role of the reluctant psychic being drawn into a murder mystery. Even though the validity of what she’d seen had yet to be officially confirmed, Jennifer held a strange certainty that it would be.   [Conclusion:]   Don’t worry, my friends, there’s much more to come. If you’re listening to this in the week that it goes live, you can expect Part 2 of Disconnected next week. If you’re listening to this from the future, it’s you’re lucky day, and you can dive into Part 2 right now!   Thank you to Sean Howard for inspiring me with your art and for your generosity in sharing it with us as this podcast’s cover art. Please, please, please, check that out when you get a minute, and visit Sean over at fableandfolly.com to discover new fiction podcasts. I’d recommend you check the show notes to find a link to the rest of Sean’s Levitation series, too, I promise you won’t be sorry!   Much love goes to my Patrons Jennifer, Matt, Karen, and Chris whose continued support for this show is much appreciated. Words seem a dim representation for my gratitude, but I hope you all know that it’s there in a big way.   I have a bit more to share about the kind people my characters were named after at the end of Part 2, but for now, it’s time for me to get crackin’ so I don’t leave ya’ll hangin’ for too long.   I’ll be bok, I hope you’ll hear me there!

While the second episode in our GP upgrade series dealt with customer needs, both current and future, this episode looks at some of the specific conversations that customers and their partners have when it is clear that a change is coming.   As we discuss in this episode, there are several precipitating factors that lead to a change from the GP status quo. And it is pretty clear that some ERP veterans, including our guests, Karen Riordan of Menlo Technologies and Peter Joeckel of TurnOnDynamics, have not yet embraced the idea that all or even most GP customers should move to Dynamics 365 Business Central. For some GP customers, BC is a good option, they say. But they also make the case that plotting the wrong path forward can result in big outlays of time and money with little to show at the end. Show Notes: 2:15 - Why now is the time to talk about GP customer upgrade options 8:45 - Defining two of the unique reasons why GP customers are motivated for a change 16:45 - Are GP customers moving to cloud hosting? 20:15 - Multi-tenancy - what it means that GP doesn't support it 22:45 - Peter makes the case for why GP to BC is not an upgrade 24:45 - Are GP users educating themselves? 28:45 - Why Karen is seeing interest in Intelligent Cloud 30:15 - Where should this series go from here?

Today on Extraordinary Women Radio, I'm excited to introduce you to Karen Yankovich - CEO of Uplevel Media and internationally recognized LinkedIn Expert! In this Episode: How Karen Yankovich is feeling the “expansion” at times like this Showing up differently in your online community – as a leader and an influencer How does your “digital” front door look like Why Karen believes that social media is a gateway to personal relationships – having connection more than having a community LinkedIn as the platform with lesser noise but with a deeper, valuable connection Building a credible brand, showing up who you are, and creating the influence to the world Biggest mistakes of people in using social media Karen is the CEO of Uplevel Media and her business is rocking right now. She an internationally recognized LinkedIN expert and consultant helping businesses profit in LinkedIN Strategies and is the host of the popular podcast “Good Girls Get Rich.” “We’re in an unprecedented time, but if you can be the person that can find the time to build powerful relationships now that can carry you through this, you’re not just going to survive this, but you’re going to thrive.” – Karen Yankovich Discover more about Karen's work and passion on her website: Karen Yankovich. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s meet Karen Yankovich! Karen Yankovich Show Notes

What is your relationship like with food? Is it the only pleasurable activity you have in your life? If it is, then you may need to consider re-evaluating that relationship. Karen R. Koenig has made it her life’s mission to help people hop off the cycle of dieting and weight-gain.  She herself found herself trapped in the cycle and broke through. She shares her path and how she changed her mindset around food which has changed her life.  Karen and I chat about why dieting is not the way to obtain true weightloss. Instead you need to shift your mindset about the role food plays in your life. Humans like a healthy balance between structure and freedom which is why restrictive diets are doomed to fail.  Listen as Karen shares her tips for being more conscious about the food you eat, the role it plays, and how you can better enjoy the food you’re eating. There’s no need to be super restrictive with what you eat, you simply need to understand your drives and desires per Karen.  So what does your relationship with food look like?    In This Episode: [01:15] Welcome Karen Koenig to the show to discuss the psychological aspect of food. [01:44] Karen shares her background in the field.  [03:14] Why Karen doesn’t recommend dieting at all.  [05:43] How can you outsmart overeating?  [07:55] Self-discipline does not work for biological imperatives… learn why.  [10:50] Learn how you can be more kind to yourself. [13:06] Why negative self-talk becomes a vicious cycle. [17:58] Put your negative thoughts in the past-tense so your brain disassociates that behavior with your identity.  [20:54] Write down the things you want.  [22:39] Listen as Karen provides tips and tricks for thinking more about the food you’re eating and why. [24:45] In terms of evolution, what would happen if we weren’t able to tell when we were hungry? [26:31] Why being a fast eater is one of the first things you should be more mindful about.  [31:12] What is one of the best ways to change your eating habits?  [34:20] It’s important to find pleasure in something other than eating.  [37:10] You have to constantly shift naturally and go with what is happening in your life.  [39:39] Humans have to have a balance between structure and freedom.  [40:56] What are some of the ways you can switch off?  [43:13] Connect with Karen.   Links and Resources: Peak Performance Life Peak Performance on FacebookPeak Performance on Instagram   Karen R. Koenig Karen’s BooksKaren’s Blog Karen on FacebookKaren on TwitterKaren on YouTubeKaren on LinkedIn

This week’s episode of Good Girls Get Rich is brought to you by Uplevel Media CEO and LinkedIn expert, Karen Yankovich. In this episode, Karen discusses having alternate streams of income with Jennifer Maruca. Jennifer Maruca Platinum leader with dōTERRA Essential Oils. Karen and Jennifer share their experience with dōTERRA and how it may be an opportunity for you too. #GoodGirlsGetRich We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com.   About the Episode: The old model is shifting. Instead of going to college, working the same job until they’re sixty years old, and retiring, many people are now breaking the mold. They are doing what they love, on their schedule and creating freedom. Sound like something you’d like to do too? Me too. Which is why I explored dōTERRA, not just in my lifestyle, but into my business. As an entrepreneur, I loved the idea of an additional revenue stream. This episode is about that story! dōTERRA Essential Oils Whether you use essential oils or not, no one can deny the fact that more and more people are looking for natural and holistic ways to stay healthy and/take care of themselves, their families and the environment around them.  dōTERRA has worked with over 100 different organizations to do research and implement essential oils into their facilities, including universities, hospitals, VA medical centers, hospices and care centers, and more. And, as a leader in the essential oil industry, dōTERRA invests in research and testing to remain at the forefront of essential oil science. “dōTERRA’s mission hinges on discovering and developing the world’s most potent and effective essential oils,” said Dr. David Hill, dōTERRA Founding Executive, Scientific and Healthcare Initiatives. “These studies are a demonstration of our leadership in essential oil scientific advances, as well as our commitment to ensuring safe and powerful outcomes for families and individuals using dōTERRA essential oils.” dōTERRA’s Medical Advisory Board is composed of board certified physicians from around the world who are leaders in integrative healthcare. Their experience with essential oil usage in their various specialties is a valuable contribution to dōTERRA’s mission of educating individuals on the value of essential oils as an alternative method of care and wellness. Why I Chose dōTERRA If I’m going to sell a product, I want it to be a product I love… and I love essential oils. But not all essential oil companies choose to enforce high testing standards for their oils. In fact, many companies skip important steps in the testing process in order to save money or time. Unfortunately, when proper testing measures are not taken, it’s impossible to ensure that an essential oil is truly “pure.” To ensure that each bottle of essential oil is pure and free from contaminants or synthetic fillers, dōTERRA created the CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® protocol. The CPTG process includes a rigorous examination of every batch of oil, along with third-party testing to guarantee transparency. Join My Team I’ve created a program for people wanting to build a dōTERRA essential oil business. When you join my team we will teach you proven systems to jump start your success. Want to learn more about joining my team? Visit thrivewithessentials.com.   Episode Spotlights: Where to find everything for this week’s episode: karenyankovich.com/122 Karen’s experience with dōTERRA (1:21) Introducing this episode’s guest, Jennifer Maruca (8:30) Jennifer’s story (9:20) dōTERRA’s growth (19:14) Why dōTERRA is like Karen’s pension (20:54) Buckets vs. Pipelines (22:37) The new model (23:30) Why Karen chose dōTERRA (25:11) Jennifer’s dedication to the business (27:31) The airplane analogy (28:24) How essential oils work and why they’re powerful (32:45) The business opportunity of dōTERRA (37:17) How to find more about Karen’s team (42:31)   Resources Mentioned In This Episode: Where you can find Thrive with Essential Oils Website Instagram Listen to the podcast episode with Jennifer Johnson Join the Free LinkedIn Workshop Sign up for the She’s LinkedUp Masterclass Join my free Facebook Group   Help Us Spread The Word! It would be awesome if you shared the Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your fellow entrepreneurs on Twitter. Click here to tweet some love! If this episode has taught you just one thing, I would love if you could head on over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW! And if you’re moved to, kindly leave us a rating and review. Maybe you’ll get a shout out on the show!   Ways to Subscribe to Good Girls Get Rich: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via PlayerFM You can also subscribe via Stitcher Good Girls Get Rich is also on Spotify Take a listen on Podcast Addict

As we continue to trudge through this season of social distancing and everyone sheltering at home, we're all finding it to be a struggle to do some of our favorite things. Y'know, like reading. So today, Karen Swallow Prior—one of our favorite guests from 2019—makes a return visit to the show to talk about reading habits, binge-watching, and generally class up the program. Listen in as we discuss: Which female literary characters men should make a point of studying Why it's hard to read in high-stress situations How we can overcome losing the art of deep, uninterrupted reading Why "TL;DR" is the worst Why Karen started her new B&H classic literature series with Sense and Sensibility and Heart of Darkness Where are our favorite reading spots Why it's a great idea to cite the people on your thesis panel All this, plus a few listener questions! (Thanks Joe Waller and Richard Harbison!) Karen Swallow Prior is the author of On Reading Well and has been a Professor of Literature at Liberty University and will be transitioning to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fall 2020. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. A few of the books we mentioned this week On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (get it for 44% off from LifeWay) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (get it for 44% off from LifeWay) Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Anyone by Charles Soule The Overstory by Richard Powers Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Misreading Scripture with Modern Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien Sharing and supporting the show Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show. Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show. Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

The connection between anger and addiction isn't something we can sweep under the rug. It's clear that these have a direct correlation with each other and that's something I talked about with today's guest Karen Salmansohn. Suppressed anger in our body can cause us to want to numb and distract ourselves from it, which for Karen translated into food addiction. Today we talk about tangible tools to help with overcoming addiction and anxiety plus how you can start to forgive yourself from the things that you've felt shame around. She shares strategies to help bring yourself to a place of wellbeing even with the heightened anxiety of today's world and how to lean into the contractions of life so we can enjoy the beauty on the other side.  About Karen Salmansohn:Karen Salmansohn is a former stressed-out advertising Senior VP and award-winning designer turned healthy living expert, bestselling author, and book designer, as well as longevity research geek and teacher at ISHTA Yoga. Her new book Instant Calm was written to share her “short, simple meditations for people who don't have time to meditate” - the people who need to relax the most. Inside this episode, Karen shares: How the people she loves make her feel most alive Leaning into contractions so you can enjoy the beauty on the other side of it Why Karen has a desire to help the world through her work Why people's childhood programming leads to a resistance of going after what's good for them How many people self-sabotage and “keep down with the Joneses” to maintain their masochistic equilibrium  Dealing with and overcoming her food addiction Triggers that were causing her to go in the hypnotic state and overeat Her work with forgiveness therapy and learning to forgive herself How you can start to forgive yourself Strategies to bring yourself back into a place of wellbeing during a time of heightened anxiety  You can find more about Karen at:Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Links:Food Freedom Journey Waitlist Karen's Books Karen's Courses The Anxiety Cure  Instant Calm Shower Power Meditation Check out our Hungry for Happiness community for more details, programs, and tips on how to thrive as a wellness coach! Website | Samantha's Instagram | HFH Instagram | Facebook | Book | Certification Program   The Hungry for Happiness podcast combines personal development, deep conversations, and comedy to shake up the way you connect with yourself and the world. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don't miss an episode!

Today, Karen Martel, nutrition coach, women’s weight loss expert, and host of the podcast, The Other Side of Weight Loss, joins JJ to discuss weight loss plateaus and what you can do to bust through them! Listen to find out some of the contributing factors to leveling out your weight loss, the repercussions of long-term weight loss plans, and how you can help your metabolism get back on track. Join Karen and JJ for this super interesting and informative podcast episode now!     Freebies From Today’s Episode Get Karen’s free quiz, along with a free 2-week meal plan, by going to jjvirgin.com/variety.   Main Points From Today’s Episode Long-term diets can lose their effectiveness after a certain point. Your body outsmarts lower calorie intake by slowing down your metabolism. Decreasing your calorie intake can harm your body. You need to vary your diet to outwit your metabolism. Giving up your current diet plan may result in a few added pounds. In the long run, though, having a healthy body will shift your metabolism back into gear.   Episode Play-By-Play [2:40] Why Karen got into weight loss and diet variation [8:10] You have to figure out your ideal normal. A lot of people have no idea what feeling good feels like. [12:30] Karen’s findings of women on keto diets [14:25] Why do we stall on weight loss? [14:30] Defining what qualifies as ‘low carb’ [16:30] What are the repercussions of long-term, low-carb or keto diets, and weight loss? [17:30] Fasting is great, but when it’s overdone, it can cause this issue [18:15] Discussion of the Carnivore Diet [19:40] What to do if you’ve slowed down your metabolism and plateaued [21:00] Sometimes in an effort to get your body back to a healthy state, this may happen [23:00] How to reincorporate carbs if you’ve been low-carb for a long time [23:40] Another suggestion is cycling, and for women who already have a natural cycle, it’s getting used to responding to what your body is telling you it wants [26:00] Determining your cycle can also be affected by any issues you may already be working with   Top Takeaways Really dig into what “feeling good” and your “normal” feels like (ex. sleep, bowel movements, mood, etc.) Take Karen’s quiz     Mentioned in this episode: Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin Become part of JJ’s community JJ Virgin Official Facebook page JJ Virgin on Instagram JJ Virgin on YouTube Breakthrough Carb Intolerance online program The Other Side of Weight Loss podcast

Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, MEd is a psychotherapist, popular blogger and an international, award-winning author of 7 books on eating, weight and body image. Her next book, on self-talk and self-care, will be published in January 2021. Her expertise is in eating psychology which is the how and why of eating. She has been treating and teaching dysregulated eaters for more than 30 years, currently practices in Sarasota, Florida, and can be found at https://www.karenrkoenig.com/. You can also connect with Karen on her FB page here, or order her top reviewed bestseller "The Food and Feelings Workbook". In this interview Karen R. Koenig shares interesting stories like: - Why Karen will continue working helping compulsive and emotional eaters until her last breath - Why Karen loves writing and blogs so much (7 books and #8 on the way!) - How To Have A Fantastic Attitude About Self-Care - Why Diversifying Dopamine Activities Is Key To Stop Binge Eating For more info about your host, Jared Levenson visit https://eatingenlightenment.com    

Can children save the environment? In this episode of Chatabout Children, we bring in award-winning child empowerment author Karen Tyrrell. Karen is a childhood teacher turn children’s book author whose Songbird series has sparked interest in many children about the wonders and importance of the environment. Her books have won various awards and recommendations as well as the admiration of Sir David Attenborough, an English broadcaster and natural historian. In my conversation with her, she shares her best advice on how parents and teachers can facilitate environmental awareness in young minds. Key Learnings Listen and learn about: • Why Karen writes about the environment • What children need to know the most about saving the environment • Are children getting more environmentally aware? • Why spending time in nature and using your five senses while there is important • Awakening interest in nature in someone who is detached from the environment • The genesis of Karen’s Songbird book series • What’s happening with the bees at the moment • What children can do the take care of trees • What kids can do to keep the seas healthy • The letter Karen received from Sir David Attenborough • Greta Thunberg's example

Are you living your absolute best life right now? Do you have the best business you’ve ever dreamed of creating? If not… this episode is for you. Find out 3 things you can do right now to create your ideal life!   This week’s episode of Good Girls Get Rich is brought to you by Uplevel Media CEO and LinkedIn expert, Karen Yankovich. In this episode, Karen shares 3 things you can do right now to create your ideal life! Stop wondering and start creating the business and life you’ve always wanted to live.  #GoodGirlsGetRich We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com.   About the Episode:   Read the blog for this episode at karenyankovich.com/096 Read the transcript for this blog at karenyankovich.com/096transcript Episode Spotlights:   Where to find everything for this week’s episode: karenyankovich.com/096 Intro to today’s episode (2:07) What you need to know to help more people in your business (5:29) Why Karen has been called to help women (6:11) What you can do right now to step into your ideal role (9:57) Be known for something specific (15:36) How to be prepared for this new shift in your life (16:46) Where to go from here on out in building your ideal life (18:58)   Resources Mentioned In This Episode: Sign up for She’s Linked Up! The best and most powerful way to own what you’re good at and explode your business using LinkedIn.  Join the waitlist Karen’s brand new, free challenge at linkedinprofilechallenge.com Join my free Facebook Group to share how you use LinkedIn and get support tips Events Karen will be attending and speaking at: karenyankovich.com/events How to think bigger in order to skyrocket your business Karen’s expert LinkedIn services: karenyankovich.com/linkedin-services  Follow me on Instagram for more content Help Us Spread The Word! It would be awesome if you shared the Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your fellow entrepreneurs on twitter. Click here to tweet some love!   If this episode has taught you just one thing, I would love if you could head on over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW! And if you’re moved to, kindly leave us a rating and review. Maybe you’ll get a shout out on the show!   Ways to Subscribe to Good Girls Get Rich: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via PlayerFM You can also subscribe via Stitcher Good Girls Get Rich is also on Spotify Take a listen on Podcast Addict

This week’s guest is the most amazing, extraordinary woman who is so creative, so visual and such a genius with words and putting together stories that will make your heart feel like it’s being heard. Her name is Karen Salmansohn and she used to be an amazing creative director in advertising working with celebrities like Jon Stewart, Goldie Hawn, Madonna, Tony Robbins, and so many more. She had this incredible advertising career but it wasn’t enough for her plus it was a very, very aggressive environment so she decided to leave in her late 20s and started her full-time career in writing. Let me just say that it took a  lot of belief and courage on her part because her advertising career was quite successful, she’s behind some highly successful and memorable advertising campaigns you’d likely recognize and remember. But she started on this journey of writing books and selling millions of copies. I can’t wait for you to listen to this conversation as we talk about relationships, partners, having children late in life and what we can learn from the zig-zags (as she calls them) and where they lead us if we let them. She’s a woman that goes after her dreams and she’s unstoppable.  “We zig-zag our way to happiness.” ~ Karen Salmansohn If you are looking for ways to turn your challenges and losses into learning opportunities and launching pads, this conversation is not to be missed! I hope the one thing you will take with you is that, just like Karen said to slow down in sharing our vulnerabilities and to use our maturity that comes with age to explore our worlds and our future. I’m inspired by her and impressed by her abilities. I’m excited to watch her movies. If you want something in your life, go out and get it just like Karen did. I’d love to hear what you think of this conversation and how you see it translating to your own life. Where are the zig-zags in your life leading you next? Be sure to comment below or connect with me on Instagram to tell me all about it.   More About Karen Salmansohn Karen Salmansohn is a best selling self-help book author and award-winning designer with about 2 million books sold nationally and internationally. She is the founder of notsalmon.com, a popular personal development site, which offers books and video courses on topics including anxiety, toxic people, emotional eating, relationships, meditation, and happiness. Her website also includes many of her viral quote posters that she writes and designs.  You can connect with Karen via her website, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. In This Episode, We Talk About How Karen and Christina came to know each other Why Christina thinks Karen is a genius Karen’s story in advertising and how she decided to leave If you took psychology today and MAD magazine and put them in a blender, you’d get Karen’s work Why Karen describes herself as “spiritual logical” How she got her first novel into the hands of Marissa Tomei Her story of starting to work in Hollywood in writing and how it became similar to advertising She has now written over 40 books! Why Christina hopes Karen will continue writing screenplays and how movies and television can be so healing How she has been breaking ground since the 90s Karen’s personal story of loss - pain, rejection, sorrow, loss Her story of becoming a mother later in life - had her son at age 50 The Universe rewards the decisive She is responsible for 3 weddings, 4 children, and millions of orgasms! The story behind her book called Prince Harming How you can be so smart that you become stupid - talking yourself out of things you already know Why she feels that everything has happened exactly as it needed to Karen’s experience with having her work stolen How she’s learned from experience - slower at letting people into my life How she shares her stories to help others while still maintaining boundaries and privacy How she started to come out of the wave of loss she experienced The idea that happiness happens in a zigzag and her overriding belief for why we are here on this planet Karen’s mindset around challenges now How Karen would describe where she is at currently - awake, intentional, slow What she is teaching her son and what he is teaching her And so much more! Things We Mention In This Episode Website: www.notsalmon.com Book: Instant Calm by Karen Salmansohn Book: How to Succeed in Business Without a Penis by Karen Salmansohn Book: How To Be Happy, Dammit by Karen Salmansohn Article: Prince Harming Syndrome by Karen Salmansohn Workshop: Join Christina at The Omega Institute for Life Reentry After Loss Book: Second Firsts by Christina Rasmussen Book: Where Did You Go? by Christina Rasmussen Newsletter - Message In a Bottle: Sign up for Christina’s weekly inspiration  And it would mean the world to me if you’d leave a rating and review on iTunes. I’d love to know what you think of the podcast and how I can make it better for you. Plus iTunes podcast reviews and ratings are really important to help get the podcast in front of more people to uplift and inspire them too, which is the ultimate goal. You can leave a review right here. Please continue the conversation with me @dearlifepodcast on Instagram.

This podcast episode started out as a working session with Karen Lai from Mentorhood. As we started chatting about education, I recommended us to film our conversation because there were so many things that I came away impressed with her approach to teaching children math - especially in Hong Kong. We discuss her story on how she got started on her business, the problems she's out to solve, how games motivate children, the importance of losing, how both the progress and process are critical, and her own story of how she went from a math "failure" to a math master. We believe parents would get a lot of value from this conversation. Hope you enjoy! Check out Mentorhood's services in Hong Kong and Canada at www.mentorhoodmath.com. 00:00 - The kid who gave Karen her first boost with Mentorhood 02:30 - How Mentorhood uses games to teach math 04:20 - The importance of losing 05:30 - The psychology behind motivation 07:00 - The importance of relationships in Mentorhood 09:05 - How kids develop motivation 10:10 - Examples of games at Mentorhood 12:45 - The science of learning styles 17:40 - Acquiring life skills through math games 19:20 - The problem of gold stars (extrinsic motivation) in education 24:30 - Soft skills are being neglected 28:10 - What types of parents would work best with Mentorhood’s approach 30:25 - The importance of class sizes 34:05 - Why Karen started Mentorhood 41:15 - Going from failing math to being a math master; creating a fusion of Eastern and Western styles 42:10 - Comparing the math education in Canada with other parts of the world Video version available on YouTube channel “Dr. Jon Tam” Let me know what else you want to hear about. If you like the content, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. It really does help us. Let's connect on social media: Website: www.consultazure.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/DrJonTam Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/DrJonTam Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/DrJonTam Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrJonTam WeChat: jon_tam Podcasts: Soft Skills with Dr. Jon Tam on all major platforms, or http://consultazure.com/podcast/

Talking about money is uncomfortable for lots of people—including us! But way too many of us aren’t getting paid what we deserve, and if we want to change that, then we all need to start speaking up—for ourselves, for each other, and for a more equitable financial future. So join us for this deep dive into all things work money: how to ask for a raise, negotiate an offer, and deal with all the weird feels that come up along the way. To help us out, we’ve got clips from our first Collective Strength event, where we were joined by one of our most fave people ever: author and consultant Karen McGrane. Plus, we asked y’all to tell us what advice you’d give your younger selves about salaries and negotiation, and a bunch of you answered! So we have tips and stories from folks at lots of career stages—all designed to help you feel more prepared to go get paid. The more you do it, the less emotional it becomes, and the more it just becomes a very transactional kind of thing. The only way that you get to that place is by committing to yourself that you will negotiate every offer that you get... Every time you get a salary offer, ask for $5,000 more. Period. Every single time. And it can be more than that. Maybe you are making more money than that and it’s time for you to ask for $10,000 more or $20,000 more—I know somebody who once negotiated $100,000 more! Your ability to do that, though, starts with you being willing to ask for $5,000 more. —Karen McGrane, managing partner, Bond Art + Science If you put some of this advice to the test, we’d love to hear how it goes! Leave us a message at (267) 225–5923, send an email, or find us on Twitter! We chat about: That time Sara took on more and more work without a promotion—and ended up way behind financially. What we learned—and didn’t learn—about salaries growing up. Why negotiating your salary over the phone is the way to go, even if email feels easier. Why you should wait as long as possible to talk salary when you’re interviewing for a job. The “PITA quotient”: Remember to consider what a job will take from you then set your rate appropriately. Why Karen thinks you should always ask for at least $5,000 more in a salary negotiation (or, hell, maybe $100,000 more). How to “lovingly plot revenge” when you find out your salary is too low. Sorting out all the awkward feelings that come along with money talk. Plus: What we’re doing on our summer vacation, big love to Harvest for supporting us all year, and fuck yeah to already hearing a money success story from a Collective Strength attendee! In this episode: Karen McGrane Lauren Isaacson Kathryn Meisner Cyd Harrell Malaika Carpenter Sophie Shepherd Eugenié George Lara Hogan Susan Poulton Lynne Polischuik

Dr Karen Morley is the author of Lead Like a Coach – How to get the most out of any team. As an expert in coaching, collaboration and connected leadership Karen’s work focuses on the areas of leadership identity, transition and transformation, leadership styles, inclusive leadership, gender equity and unconscious bias. She works at individual, team and organisational levels with her purpose being to reset leadership. Typically, she works with clients who are CEOs and executive teams, to develop organisational capability and work better together.  She also works with individual executives, to increase leadership capability, build presence, step up, increase engagement and be more balanced. Karen is particularly motivated to work on eliminating barriers to potential. These might be barriers that individuals place on themselves, that organisations place on how they choose leaders, or that society places on who can be a leader. Her vision is to reset leaders so that they are energised, amplified and connected. That enables them to reset leadership so that it mobilises action, unites effort, and creates value. Episode highlights include: Why Karen decided to write this book How coaching realises potential, and the four main forms of mind Elements of Coaching Presence Creating a coaching culture   Links: Karen's LinkedIn Profile Karen's Website Purchase Lead Like A Coach

Karen Dillon (@kardillon) is the former editor of Harvard Business Review magazine and co-author of the three books with Clayton Christensen, including the forthcoming The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty and bestsellers Competing Against Luck: the Story of Innovation and Customer Choice and How Will You Measure Your Life?  She is also the author of The Harvard Business Review Guide to Office Politics. Karen previously served as deputy editor of Inc magazine and was editor and publisher of the critically-acclaimed American Lawyer magazine and London-based Legal Business and was named by Ashoka as one of the world's most influential and inspiring women. She is currently a contributing editor to Harvard Business Review and Editorial Director of BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors.In today's episode we discuss:* How innovation and entrepreneurship both alleviate and income inequality and abject poverty* The three types of innovation and how they impact our economy and world* Why we're not living in a new age of robber barons* The reason Karen thinks today's top tech giants will ultimately be disrupted* How to combat the growing education crisis* The dangers of increasing isolationism and why sometimes it is actually beneficial.* Why individuals need to be thinking about their goals and futures now more than ever* What's the real future of publishing and media* Why Karen thinks we'll all be working more, not less, in 20 years time You can listen right here on iTunesMake a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The DisruptorsThe Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.Donate

Learn what it's like to experience frequency work, what integration looks like and how Karen can do what she does. SUMMARY: · The experience of frequency work can range from bodily sensations to energetic sensations. · Spirit moves in real time and once I delete the distortion patterns they are gone completely. Your physical, emotional and mental bodies need to catch up to that change on spirit level and we call that “catch up” period, detox. · The intensity of the period of integration/clearing or detox depends on 3 things: how much fear you have, how quickly you can let go, your rule set on detox (more on rule sets in an upcoming episode) · There are two ways to bypass distortion pattern deletion (watch the episode to find out what they are) · The ripple effect in your life can be extremely extensive, affecting things such as how you feel about yourself, how you experience abundance, who you are in relationship with · How Karen does what she does is not sensory perception -- it’s through a process she calls "tapping in" (watch full episode to find out how) · Why Karen can do this work and how that ties into synergetic ascension, which is profoundly beneficial · Listen to the free GFC at the end entitled “Accelerating Potential” to begin to clear the distortion patterns that are holding you back

It’s been three years since I last had my dear friend Karen Prosen on the Rising Women Leaders podcast, and so much has happened! I’ve walked by Karen’s side as I’ve watched her life dismantle and rebuild from the ground up. From break-up, loss, a kundalini crisis and awakening to traveling the world and aligning with her soul’s work, there is so much we cover in this intimate conversation. Karen is one of the most pure, devotional people I know, and I am so excited to introduce you to her and her work today. To listen to Karen’s last episode on the show, click here. In this episode we discussed: Kali Ma ~ How the power of destruction can give birth to your most aligned life Kundalini awakening ~ Karen’s story, what it is, why it happens and how to support yourself through it Celibacy & desire ~ Why Karen decided to make a year-long vow of celibacy and sobriety and how it impacted her life The voice of the womb ~ How Karen connected to this inner voice and how it supported her through her hardest times Mary Magdalene & Jesus ~ What these ascended masters are here to teach us and how we can connect to their unconditional love The Feminine Christ ~ What it is and how we can embody this divine energy in our life and leadershipStay in Touch with Karen:   Stay in Touch with Karen: Website Instagram Karen Prosen is a womxn’s witness, a Daughter of Devotion and an artist. She guides rising fem leaders into self-initiation and remembrance with her many offerings in person and online. Trained as a Clinical Mental Health Therapist with emphasis on social justice, somatics, mindfulness and trauma healing, she serves as a student first and foremost. Karen supports womxn to treat their bodies as temples, become living vessels and pour their magic forth on the pilgrimage of leadership, love and liberation. She believes that life is a gift, and even so, no one should ever have to do it alone.

***Become a patron and get exclusive Mind Flipper access and benefits. Visit https://www.patreon.com/mindflipping Thank you for your support!!!!*** Join me today as I discuss mind flipping, hardship, love, vulnerability, and finding joy in life with fellow mind flipper, coach, and author Karen Aberle, who wrote Love’s Invisible Dance: The 7 Keys to Authentic, Joyful, and Lasting Relationship. As a coach, she teaches individuals and corporations how to navigate through hardship in relationship, see challenges as opportunities, and change how we see life in order to find joy, satisfaction, love, and inner peace.   Show Notes: Karen’s first mind flip and why hardship is an opportunity (0:00-3:15) How divorce and career changes led to Karen’s initial eureka moments. How the language you use helps build the reality that you live in. Karen discusses six “linguistic moves” to express intention in language. Learn the three ways to create your world through the words you use. Why people struggle to distinguish facts from opinions, and how this can create frustration in the world. Why Karen chose to leave the “s” off of “relationship” in her book title. Why understanding the active role of “relationship” is important in learning how to dance life’s dance. Why we don’t learn “relationship” in school, and why Karen believes we should. How a traditional Shaman vision quest led to a spiritual mind flip in Karen’s marriage. Why it is important to recognize the interconnectedness of the world.   The Spackle Round   Karen’s interesting and powerful word or phrase of the day! Why it’s important to be vulnerable. The three commitments that people need to make to each other in order to create an enduring and lasting relationship with one another. One important question to continue to ask the people you love. A special request for listeners!   Additional Resources from the Show: Learn more about Karen and begin your mind flipping journey with her today! Buy Karen’s book and learn the 7 ways to create authentic, joyful, and lasting relationship! Read more on Relationship on Karen’s blog! Like Karen’s page on Facebook & her Instagram for Relationship wisdom! Sign up with your e-mail to receive updates on Rick’s Mid-America Hypnosis Training Classes!   If you would like to contact Rick, you can send him an audio message, use the contact page HERE  or in connect with him in the Mind Flipping Facebook Group. Let’s keep the mind flipping conversation going, together!

Welcome back! This week the Dames are discussing: Why Karen is dead to us Is FilmStruck's demise a good thing? Golden Globe nominations are out and there were apparently zero female directors again this year Neil DeGrasse Tyson thinks bitches be crazy Kevin Hart is hosting the Oscars...or not Listener Questions! Contest winners! Trailers for: Captain Marvel Avengers: Endgame Plus what we've been watching lately AND Creed II Links to this week's articles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/12/03/filmstrucks-demise-could-be-good-movies/  https://variety.com/2018/film/news/golden-globe-nominations-2019-1203082075/  https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/8/18131221/kevin-hart-oscar-hosting-homophobia-twitter-tweets  https://www.facebook.com/notes/neil-degrasse-tyson/on-being-accused/10156870826326613/  Like what you hear? Rate! Review! Subscribe! Share! And follow: Twitter: @CitizenDamePod Facebook: facebook.com/CitizenDame Email: CitizenDamePod@gmail.com Website: CitizenDamePod.com Patreon: patreon.com/CitizenDame Zazzle Store: Zazzle.com/CitizenDame

Karen Bradley, certified girl boss, is the owner of multiple companies ranging from video production to real estate to international training and consultant. She trained directly under Dr. Stephen Covey and developed her own system, the KB Method, and established herself as a time management and efficiency expert. Nominated in 2015 top 100 leading women in North America in the automotive industry by Automotive News. She decided to follow her life long love and passion to health and fitness.During this episode, learn how to turn your passion and your passion project into a business. Karen discusses balancing a family, nine-to-five job and a passion.Links:Fitbodymoms.netFit Body Moms FacebookFit Body Moms IG Quote: “Planning consistently on a weekly basis pockets of times to move yourself forward is key“ - Karen Bradley Time Stamps:3:15– Karen’s Epiphany moment – When she decided to run with her passion4:38 – Why Karen got certifications instead of only moving forward with her experience7:13 – Taking in education and putting your spin on things8:55 – Karen’s social media strategy, getting out there10:56 – Why fit body moms instead of fit body “anyone”?13:54 – The mistake of being too broad14:57 – Balancing a family, 9 to 5 and a passion – tips for productivity18:11 - Advice for creative’s to get into a groove to get something done19:25 – Karen’s craziest entrepreneurship moment20:52 – Rapid fire questions!24:00 – Entrepreneurship trivia!Want more? Visit Fearlesswithcory.com

Cooking with kids can be messy, zany, and best of all, very rewarding. Teaching kids how to cook and getting them comfy in the kitchen (especially with fruit and vegetable preparation) can set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits. August is Kids Eat Right Month, so it’s only fitting that on today's show, I tackle the topic of Kids in the Kitchen. Join the fun today as we cook our way through recipes for Chicken & Fresh Corn Salad and Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto, and hear from my sister-in-law and niece about the innovative way kids in England are now learning how to cook! On today’s show, I take you behind the scenes to two kid/adult cooking classes I taught at Nantucket Culinary this summer and the recipes we prepared. My special guests on the show are my British my sister-in-law, Karen (aka “Mrs. Broccoli”) and my niece, Daisy. We discuss efforts underway in England to teach kids how to cook through a cool, contemporary curriculum called, Food Tech What you’ll hear in this episode: The small cooking class I taught in June at Nantucket Culinary, where we made Roasted Radishes, Homemade Coleslaw, Fish Tacos with Salmon, and Apple Berry Crisp. Why you shouldn’t shy away from teaching kids how to slice and dice fruits and veggies. The July class, which was bigger, where we made Chicken & Fresh Corn Salad, Make-Your-Own Smoothies, Chirp Chirp Deviled Eggs, and Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto. 'Liz’s Chicken Salad' made with fresh corn kernels, fresh tarragon, Dijon mustard, mayo, and salt and pepper: “When you add some fresh peas it tastes just like summer.” Teaching kids about using a "Mother Spoon" to avoid double-dipping. How to prepare and make cauliflower steaks. Why a mini food processor works best for making pistachio pesto, which is made with EVOO, fresh basil, fresh tarragon, grated Parmesan cheese, pistachios, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and kosher salt and pepper. “Mrs. Broccoli” and her daughter, Daisy, talk about the food and nutrition scene in England where they live. Not as many food additives and artificial colors are used in the UK Children pack their lunches according to strict rules. Only fruit, sandwich, and water are allowed---no chips and no soft drinks Hear all about the Turkey Twizzler Time in England and their school lunch revolution What Daisy enjoys cooking most: crepes (called pancakes in England) and smoothies. Daisy’s Food Tech class, where she learns about kitchen skills, nutrition, and how to make different foods including bread rolls, omelettes, pasta sauce, and Victoria Sponge Cake. The goal of the Food Tech class is for the kids to practice and learn at school and then go home and make the foods for their families. Other components of the program include woodworking, textiles, and graphic design. Why Karen and I love Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-British chef, restaurant owner, and food writer. How Karen became “Mrs. Broccoli.” You're going to love this story! Daisy’s top takeaways from her class: kitchen safety, knife skills, and how to spot the difference between organic and free-range eggs. Resources: Kids in the Kitchen - For Kids Eat Right Month this August, I have joined up with fellow dietitians and healthy family food bloggers to share tips for getting kids into the kitchen. On today's show, I've got recipe ideas to jumpstart your kids-in-the-kitchen journey. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram by searching the hashtag: #kidsinthekitchen Cooking class at Nantucket Culinary  Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto Chicken Salad www.parentsondemand.com

Cooking with kids can be messy, zany, and best of all, very rewarding. Teaching kids how to cook and getting them comfy in the kitchen (especially with fruit and vegetable preparation) can set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits. August is Kids Eat Right Month, so it’s only fitting that on today's show, I tackle the topic of Kids in the Kitchen. Join the fun today as we cook our way through recipes for Chicken & Fresh Corn Salad and Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto, and hear from my sister-in-law and niece about the innovative way kids in England are now learning how to cook! On today’s show, I take you behind the scenes to two kid/adult cooking classes I taught at Nantucket Culinary this summer and the recipes we prepared. My special guests on the show are my British my sister-in-law, Karen (aka “Mrs. Broccoli”) and my niece, Daisy. We discuss efforts underway in England to teach kids how to cook through a cool, contemporary curriculum called, Food Tech What you’ll hear in this episode: The small cooking class I taught in June at Nantucket Culinary, where we made Roasted Radishes, Homemade Coleslaw, Fish Tacos with Salmon, and Apple Berry Crisp. Why you shouldn’t shy away from teaching kids how to slice and dice fruits and veggies. The July class, which was bigger, where we made Chicken & Fresh Corn Salad, Make-Your-Own Smoothies, Chirp Chirp Deviled Eggs, and Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto. 'Liz’s Chicken Salad' made with fresh corn kernels, fresh tarragon, Dijon mustard, mayo, and salt and pepper: “When you add some fresh peas it tastes just like summer.” Teaching kids about using a "Mother Spoon" to avoid double-dipping. How to prepare and make cauliflower steaks. Why a mini food processor works best for making pistachio pesto, which is made with EVOO, fresh basil, fresh tarragon, grated Parmesan cheese, pistachios, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and kosher salt and pepper. “Mrs. Broccoli” and her daughter, Daisy, talk about the food and nutrition scene in England where they live. Not as many food additives and artificial colors are used in the UK Children pack their lunches according to strict rules. Only fruit, sandwich, and water are allowed---no chips and no soft drinks Hear all about the Turkey Twizzler Time in England and their school lunch revolution What Daisy enjoys cooking most: crepes (called pancakes in England) and smoothies. Daisy’s Food Tech class, where she learns about kitchen skills, nutrition, and how to make different foods including bread rolls, omelettes, pasta sauce, and Victoria Sponge Cake. The goal of the Food Tech class is for the kids to practice and learn at school and then go home and make the foods for their families. Other components of the program include woodworking, textiles, and graphic design. Why Karen and I love Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-British chef, restaurant owner, and food writer. How Karen became “Mrs. Broccoli.” You're going to love this story! Daisy’s top takeaways from her class: kitchen safety, knife skills, and how to spot the difference between organic and free-range eggs. Resources: Kids in the Kitchen - For Kids Eat Right Month this August, I have joined up with fellow dietitians and healthy family food bloggers to share tips for getting kids into the kitchen. On today's show, I've got recipe ideas to jumpstart your kids-in-the-kitchen journey. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram by searching the hashtag: #kidsinthekitchen Cooking class at Nantucket Culinary  Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pistachio Pesto Chicken Salad www.parentsondemand.com

Karen Brown is the CEO of Velocity Leadership Consulting. She facilitates higher levels of success in others through keynote speeches, presentations and workshops for corporations, professional associations and business groups. We discuss: Pioneering the space of the unconscious mind [2:15] Techniques to discover and overcome limiting beliefs holding you back from achieving your dreams [6:36] Why Karen’s coaching techniques for unlimiting limiting beliefs work [13:44] A three-pillar revenue model supported by revenue streams that go on forever [18:55] The challenges of having a centralized business model and successful examples of transitioning towards a decentralized one [22:30] Karen combined her experience as an IRONMAN World Championship competitor with scientifically proven coaching techniques into a program to help leaders “unlimit their beliefs” and excel in ways they’ve only dreamed of. In fact, that’s the title of her book… Unlimiting Your Beliefs. She (and her national team) also coach leaders individually through her company Velocity Leadership Consulting. This CEO has an inspiring story! Learn more about Karen at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VelocityLeaders/) . Brief Description of Gift Your listeners will get a playlist of my best stuff, the best 2-minute videos on how to achieve higher level results with velocity and ease. URL for Free Gift www.velocityleadershipconsulting.com/smashingtheplateau (http://www.velocityleadershipconsulting.com/smashingtheplateau) Links to Books and Companies Mentioned in the Podcast The New Media Summit (https://newmediasummit.net/) Keller Williams Real Estate (https://www.kw.com/kw/)   (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/smashing-the-plateau) Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 0Shares

“I had this epiphany… The only thing stopping me from doing it was me.” Can you really achieve success in just 5 minutes? This episode’s guest believes so. If success is the result of habits practiced consistently, commit to the right actions for 5 minutes a day and you can see massive results. Karen Briscoe honed these skills in her hugely successful real estate business, but it was an epiphany moment that inspired her to consolidate her practices into a formula that other people could follow. After having the idea to write a book, Karen realized she needed to adopt new rituals to help her push through the doubt, fear, and questioning that can hold us back from doing the things we love. So she grabbed the opportunity one October day when the clocks went back to get up an hour earlier - and she did this every day to give herself the time to write. “I think people sometimes think it’s the big things that are what makes life meaningful, but many times it’s the daily rituals and relationships where true meaning comes from.” This episode is chock-full of practical ideas and strategies that will help you leverage habits to achieve the things you want. We also talk about the role of inspiration and why you must act fast - before the opportunity is passed to someone else. This conversation was so helpful and enriching. They say that success leaves clues and Karen leaves so many on this episode. So if you’ve been struggling to get things to work in your life, take a listen to Karen. Everyone can do something for five minutes a day that will propel them forward, right? And in this episode, you’ll get clarity on the steps you could take to achieve your own 5 minute success. “If you’re reaching for what your highest and best potential is that is an ongoing striving… I don’t think there’s an arriving. The striving is part of the thriving.” Some questions I ask:Tell us your story and how it led to 5 Minute Success (0.38).What is the one thing you recommend people do every day and why do you suggest that people attach this to their existing rituals. (6:30)When you were deciding to write your book, what were some of the things you did to get the rocket ship off the ground and push through the limiting beliefs? (10:25)You talked about how you used accountability to help you get started. What else did you do to keep you going in the early days - when you were questioning your plans and feeling the doubts? (15:12)You’d already been successful in real estate. Why did you feel that you needed a different mindset to be successful as an author? (18:50)When you have a stroke of genius, how do you use the fear in a constructive way so you can challenge the doubting thoughts and still move forward? (28:17)What are some things you do every day to practice the muscle of action despite fear? (31:27)Is happiness in your daily routines? (33:00)In the midst of everything, how do you stay grounded on a daily basis? (40:28) In this episode, you will hear about: The Better Than Before epiphany that inspired Karen to get up an hour earlier and the impact this decision had on her life. (2:39)How time was a factor that caused the 5 Minute Success to came about. (3:39)What is habit stacking and why it’s a useful strategy to adopt? (7:05)Karen’s Core Concepts and how they create the sweet spot of success. (8:35)Habit formation. What happens during the first 22 days of a new priority and how this differs from day 23 onwards. (12:56)The benefits of tracking, what you can track, and how this strategy helped Karen write her book. (16:19)Jerry Seinfeld's wall calendar hack that can help you create a chain that you don’t break. (17:38)Why Karen wanted to expand and move beyond real estate and how this related to giving back. (19:30)The epiphany that Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Big Magic had on making Karen write her book NOW - and not put it off for later. (23:50)What inspired Raj to start The Stay Grounded podcast. (25:28)The role of muscle memory and how it helps push your comfort zone further. (26:44)Why you should act fast when you get a shot of inspiration. (27:25)Why you should use fear as excitement (and how this links back to habits). (29:00)Why Karen recommends you start your day with Hal Elrod’s SAVERS. (31:32)How Karen defines happiness. (33:15)The role of gratitude and why it’s a practice that should bookend your day. (34:39) How to contact KarenFind out more about 5 Minute Success as www.5MinuteSuccess.comJoin the Facebook Group to network with people exploring the 5 Minute Success principles - https://www.facebook.com/groups/5minutesuccess We thrive on your feedback, so if you’ve enjoyed this show, please rate us and leave us a review. And don’t forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode again. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My guest today, on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots free podcast interview is a lady who asks a great question. “Would you invest 5 minutes a day to achieve a higher level of success? Worldwide, countless real estate agents, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, business owners and others have said YES! If they can do it, you can too! You only have to invest 5 minutes a day to achieve real results. Invest your first 5 minutes a day in reading and sharpening your skills, and this one step can put you on the fast track to success in your life and business. Many masters and experts have shared their wisdom through stories; learning from these experienced leaders by reading their words is how you, too, can achieve personal and professional transformation. Success is achieved by getting into action immediately and applying the principles learned. Applied knowledge leads to success. But of course success isn't as easy as this. Success is built on hard work, failures, stumbles and “Aha moments” that lead us to where. And that is certainly the case with todays guest who began her real estate career developing residential lots with the Trammel Crow Company in Dallas, Texas. She then worked in commercial real estate with The Staubach Company in the Washington, DC Metro area. Before moving to northern Virginia, and completing a Masters Degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Her BA is from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri – her hometown. Through the HBC Group, she then launched Community Charity Champions to raise funds for local non-profit groups and was awarded by the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce for the Social Corporate Responsibility Award for 2012. So this lady has hustled, and worked her way to where she is now able to see that just five minutes a day can make all the difference. But how did she discover the five minute rule? And where do people go wrong? Not being intentional with their actions, or simply being to hurried to actually make the right decisions? Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Karen Briscoe Show Highlights During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Karen Briscoe such as: Why it is so important to start with five minutes a day to focus on health, mindset, fitness whatever you want. But it helps you become intentional with your actions. Karen talks about how the book becoming real was as much as a surprise to her than anything else she has done in her life. The dots joined up and presented her with the opportunity We talk about how people always use a lack of time as the reason for not doing something. However we all have the same time, the question is do you want to do it or not? and lastly…. Why Karen believes that action will help you find out so much quicker if something is working or not. Dont try to double guess, just do.  

This idea of empathy and sharing our stories, especially our deep and vulnerable ones, has been coming up a lot for me lately, from panel discussions on politics and social media I’ve participated in to podcasts I’ve been on talking about the power of public speaking to build trust and empathy. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I would add to that not just feelings, but their life situation and what brought them to where they are today. My guest today is Karen Millsap, the founder of The Grief Consultant, which helps organizations implement practical empathy in the workplace to strengthen engagement and improve overall performance. In this episode, we talk about: Why Karen started her company The impact of vulnerability in sharing your story What kinds of speaking engagements Karen has done and how she’s used them to build her business and network How Karen has gotten speaking engagements Her new podcast Invest Human and how she sees it aligning with her business goals What it’s like to be a woman in her field What she wants to be known for Karen also founded Well Now Global Retreats, wellness-inspired retreats to help you navigate complex or suppressed emotional baggage and also teach you how to implement simple healthy habits that will change, and can often save, your life. Karen has a book coming out soon called “Now What?”, in which Karen shares her journey of healing and personal development and gives you guidance on how to pick yourself up, grow through any hardship, and ultimately unleash the best version of yourself. Links: Karen’s website = http://www.karenmillsap.com/ Karen’s podcast Invest Human = https://www.investhuman.co/ Karen’s book = http://www.karenmillsap.com/nowwhat Sheryl Sandberg article = http://time.com/sheryl-sandberg-option-b/ Main Street Vegan podcast I was recently on = http://mainstreetvegan.net/msv-show-notes-april-19-2017-romance-vegans-speaking-cause/ Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/. Say hi to me on Twitter @CarolMorganCox Subscribe to the podcast, so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

Today we’ve got another great new BiggerPockets Podcast interview to bring to you, packed full of actionable tidbits and great conversation. Each week, we will be bringing you incredible real estate investing tips, training, and interviews with actual investors who are in the field, and who are making it happen. You can listen to the show online (below), download it later, listen on your smartphone, or via iTunes — all for free.On today’s show we talked with Karen Rittenhouse from KarensPerspective.com – an active real estate investor, author, trainer, and all-around great gal. Karen’s started investing in 2005 and has acquired well over 150 properties during her investing career. On this podcast, she shares with us exactly how she did it, and how you can use the same strategies to begin (or improve) your investing career.Read the transcript for Episode 2 with Karen Rittenhouse here.In This Week’s Podcast, We’ll ExploreWhy rentals are just like little oil wells – and how to get started owning them.How Karen bought over 150 properties, most without ever getting a mortgage.Dealing with sexism in the real estate field.Using the “subject-to” strategy to invest with no (or low) money down.How Karen made $9200 when purchasing her first project – with no money down.The two most important steps to avoid making mistakes.Karen’s technique to find motivated sellers and how to get deals from non-motivated sellers.Why Karen is changing her strategy to adapt for the future… should you?The most important first step for new investors.Karen’s fear when beginning – and the phone call that made her think she was going to jail.Links from the Show:Karen’s Profile on BiggerPocketswww.KarensPerspective.comKaren’s Favorite Direct Mail Company: PostcardManiaBooks Mentioned in the Podcast“Essential Handbook for Buying a Home” by Karen“Essential Handbook for Selling a Home” by Karen“Essential Handbook for Landlords” by Karen“The E-Myth” by Michael E. Gerber“Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv EkerTweetable Topics:“I don’t mind there’s a 1% in this country – I just want to get there” Click to Tweet!“Real estate investing works no matter where we are or what we’re doing. The checks still come in.” Click to Tweet“Rental properties are like “little oil wells” – no matter where I am – they keep pumping.” Click to Tweet“When talking with motivated sellers – don’t go in to close a deal. Go in to solve problems.” Click to Tweet“Without a good plan – it’s easy to quickly jump to the next shiny object.” Click to Tweet“You’re not going to get rich quick. It takes time – but the rewards you’ll reap long term are huge.” Click to Tweet“You never forget your first… (real estate deal!)” Click to Tweet“When it comes to marketing – everything works – just do something.” Click to Tweet“You’ve got to think bigger than a 40 hour work employee” Click to Tweet“We’re in the business of helping people – and we get paid for it. It doesn’t get better than that.” Click to Tweet“There’s never been a better time to be in real estate” Click to TweetKaren Rittenhouse, along with her husband Jim have 11 employees, a real estate investing business, a full service real estate agency, a property management company, a coaching and training business, a lending company, and Karen has written 3 books on real estate.Connect on Twitter: @KSPerspectiveKarensPerspective.comKaren’s Profile on BiggerPockets