The Dream Catcher Podcast

[Interview] The Power of Voice: How to Make Yourself Heard (feat. Denise Woods)

Your voice is your most powerful asset. It is the tool you use to communicate your thoughts and feelings to the world. Becoming a confident, persuasive and effective speaker can take us a long way in our careers and relationships. 

My guest today, Denise Woods, has been helping people do that for many years in her prolific career. Denise is a graduate and former faculty member of The Juilliard School, and a long-time faculty member of California Institute of the Arts. She is one of the most sought-after vocal coaches in Hollywood. She’s worked with big names such as Halle Berry, Will Smith, Mike Meyers, Idris Elba, Kirsten Dunst and Laurence Fishburne, among many others. 

Join me for this conversation, where Denise shares advice on how to become a stronger communicator and overcome common voice and speech issues. She offers tips and tools to master our voices full capacity and express our true and authentic self. 

If you found this helpful, please don’t forget to rate, share and subscribe to this podcast. Thanks!

7 Types of Breaks that Boost Productivity

When we feel tired, our first instinct is to get more sleep or take vacation, but that only meets one kind of rest that we need to function at peak state. It turns out that there’s a variety of rest that nourishes different parts of us. If one of them is unmet, we feel out of balance. 

As multi-faceted beings, we have different needs that are unique to each one of us. Knowing the seven types of breaks, and making time for ourselves, boosts our productivity and growth.

In this episode, you’ll learn the different types of rest and figure out which one you need the most in the moment and if it helps you feel more relaxed and focused. 

5 Lessons From Classic Love Stories That Inspire

Who doesn’t love a good romantic story? Whether it’s a complex saga, filled with drama and suspense or a fluffy, feel-good rom-com, we long to be swept away into these fantasy worlds.

But romantic stories offer so much more than a way to escape reality—they teach us valuable lessons about some of love’s toughest lessons and give us a sense of what we want from our own love lives.

As social creatures, we learn more from stories that are personal and emotionally gripping. For this week’s episode, I’ve put together a list of five lessons we can learn from classic love stories, based on the most common and recurring themes that I’ve seen in books and movies.

[Interview] A Story of Transformation Through Healing & Forgiveness (feat. Stephanie Thornton Plymale)

In this episode, we’re going to be talking about a story of redemption and forgiveness.

Growing up, Stephanie Thornton Plymale, faced a life full of hardship: Hunger, poverty, homelessness, foster homes, ongoing sexual abuse, and a perpetually absent mother who was mentally ill and spent most of her life in and out of jails and psych wards.

In her memoir, "The American Daughter", she goes in depth into the painful events of her life and the shocking revelations she had after reuniting with her terminally-ill mother.

Stephanie is the CEO of Heritage School of Interior Design and the founder of the Heritage Home Foundation, a nonprofit serving families transitioning from homelessness. She continues to live a balanced family life with her husband and three children.

Join me for this profound and uplifting conversation where we cover some of the major themes in the book. Stephanie offers advice on how we can cope with trauma, reckon with a difficult past, and transform our pain into something positive.

If you enjoyed our conversation, please rate, like, share and subscribe to this podcast. 

The Truth about Being a Resilient Person

Being a resilient person is essential to our survival, growth and wellbeing. It gives us the ability to overcome hardships and the courage to keep going when things get tough.

But resilience is not for the faint of heart. The challenges we face demand a lot from us. Popular culture makes this process look easier than it actually is, and overlooks the psychological costs that come with it.

Having a realistic outlook will prepare us for what’s to come and make us more capable of handling the unknown. In this podcast, you’ll learn what it really means to be a resilient person and the eight truths that define this path. 

Why Humans Act Irrationally

We’ve all made choices that we look back on and say, “What was I thinking?!”. Times when we said or did the wrong thing or made decisions that led nowhere.

The truth is that even the most level-headed person is prone to doing it. That’s because, as humans, we’re not born rational. It’s something we have to cultivate. 

You’ll feel more in control of your impulses when you know your triggers and when you can balance your thoughts with your emotions. In this episode, I offer tips and advice on how to do this.

[Interview] Tapping into Our Humanity to Create Meaning and Purpose (feat. Andrew Copson)

This episode features an unconventional philosophy that will get you to think differently about how you approach the world as an individual and answer some life's biggest questions.

Humanism is a movement that promotes free thinking and a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. It focuses on helping people develop their own views so that they can be happier and live more fulfilled lives.

To give us more insight into humanism, I invited Andrew Copson. Andrew is the chief executive of Humanists UK and he is the current president of humanists international. He’s represented the movement extensively on national television and radio, as well as writing for newspapers. He’s also authored two books on the topic. 

In this interview, Andrew will explain the core principles of humanism and how we can use those to create our sense of meaning and nurture a community that’s focused on kindness, equality and contributing to the greater good.

If you enjoyed our conversation please do like, rate, share and subscribe to this podcast.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guest expert and the organization he represents, and do not necessarily reflect the position of Seline Shenoy.

3 Types of Thinking to Boost Your Brain Power

Whether you’re trying to decide which brand of toothpaste to buy or which job offer to accept, good thinking abilities produce better decisions, which in turn leads to more satisfaction.

Those who practice different types of thinking not only make better life choices, but come up with the most brilliant innovations and creative breakthroughs. 

Creative ideas are everywhere, and everyone is capable of them. But to give shape to our ideas, we have to know how to use our minds to manage and process information. In this episode, you’ll learn how to boost your brain power by understanding the different types of thinking.

A Brief Announcement from Seline about the The Dream Catcher Podcast (and a small request)

A brief announcement from Seline Shenoy about the future of The Dream Catcher podcast (and a small request).

Link to podcast survey: https://forms.gle/xKeeNz7g9VC5JCQP6

Link to The Dream Catcher podcast on Apple iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dream-catcher-podcast/

Stay tuned for more exciting interviews and episodes! :-)

How The Paradox of Choice Affects Relationships

Is having lots of options a good thing? Studies show that for most people, it doesn’t. Having lots of choice in our personal life is even trickier to deal with because it involves our emotions. 

Unlike pre-internet, when people had to choose between a few options in mates who lived near them, the modern dater has a plethora of matches to choose from.  

Not knowing how to handle lots of options can leave us feeling dissatisfied and unfulfilled (even after we commit to one person). 

This week, I provide tips that can help you overcome common psychological obstacles so that you become more confident in your decision making and find happiness with one special person.