The Dream Catcher Podcast

Great love involves great risk. To love anyone, whether that be a romantic partner, family member, a friend, or even a project, cause, or object, calls for us to be vulnerable and willing to open our hearts. Sometimes we get lucky, and the object of our affections returns our love. But we won’t always be that fortunate.

One of the worst feelings in the world is loving someone who doesn’t love you back or can’t express their emotions. Coping by distraction and avoidance is not a solution. It will only stop abundance from flowing into our lives. Loving others is fundamental to being human. 

The good news is that unselfish, pure, and genuine love once given, is never wasted because it transforms us. In this post, I explore how we can love from a soul-centered and healthy place and the positive impact it can have on us.

The Coronavirus pandemic has incited new fears about potential illness and economic hardship. The uncertainty, slowdowns and setbacks is causing stress and imbalance in almost everyone.

According to my guest today, Vincent Genna, what people find most disturbing is the buried fears that are being brought back to the surface in this time of isolation. He says it’s created an opportunity to do some deep introspective work. 

Vincent is a spiritual teacher and psychic therapist known for his “tell-it-like-it-is” style of teaching. He uses his 36 years of training, research, and experience in the Metaphysical, Psychology, and Spiritual fields to dive deep into your psyche to release blockages, resistances, and self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors to live a life of fulfilment. He’s had numerous media appearances and hosts his own radio show called, Stop Stopping Yourself! 

During our lively conversation, Vincent shares his insights on the crux of the fear we’re experiencing as well as coping techniques to reduce our anxiety and to heal ourselves during this crisis. 

The process of aging has been commonly associated with the physical changes our bodies go through as we grow older like slower mobility, loss of skin elasticity, and lower immunity. However, our age is not solely determined by our biology.

When we look beyond our society's obsession with youth and the outdated expectations of “age-appropriateness,” we’ll find that our age is something that is in our hands based on our mindset and the lifestyle we create for ourselves.

This week, I outline the four different aspects of aging which provide a different perspective on aging. If you’re someone who complains about not feeling or looking your age it’s because one of these aspects differs from your chronological age.

We can't negate the reality that we live in a world that's faster-paced and provides us with far more options than we can handle. If you’re anything like me, the media frenzy around the Coronavirus pandemic has been overwhelming and leaves you missing the tranquility of simpler times without the instantaneous nature of a tech-driven world.

To bring back simplicity, you must define what it means to you. A simple life has a different meaning to every person—it could be slowing down, decluttering your home and whittling down your possessions or reducing your workload to spend time on things that bring you happiness.

This week, I outline five ways to bring back the joy of simplicity from old time so that you can access to the peace, stillness and joy that lies within you.

If you’re like most people, you know your inner critic all too well. It’s that voice in your head that judges you, doubts you, and constantly tells you you’re not good enough. It says negative hurtful things to you—things that you would never even dream of saying to others.

My guest today is an expert in this area. Michelle Kuei, a certified transition coach and an author, has been working with negative self-talkers to discover inner strength for many years now. Michelle was permanently disabled after a hit and run car accident when she was 11 years old. Growing up in a society and culture where beauty is weighted heavily on appearance, she had to learn how to overcome her own judgement and criticism. 

Michelle’s story is one of courage, determination, and vulnerability. But more importantly, it’s about having the confidence to face our fears. In this interview, Michelle shares her story and how she learned to deal with her insecurities. She talks about ways we can overcome negative self-talk, overcome major life transitions and become a leader in our life. 

No one enjoys being criticized because no one likes to feel like they’re wrong. It’s why we are drawn to like-minded people. One of the biggest reasons criticism hits us hard is because we equate it with rejection. In the moment it feels like someone is telling us that we’re not good enough or that we have failed in some way.

The unfortunate truth is that the world isn’t designed with our fragile egos in mind. From the moment we’re born, we’re evaluated against specific standards. The sooner we get over it, the easier it will be for us to see the value in constructive criticism.

Knowing how to take constructive criticism in our stride is a valuable life skill that can help us improve and increase our chances of success. This week I outline four steps we can take toward handling criticism from a place of strength and curiosity. 

 

At one time or another, everyone has felt lonely. Loneliness is a byproduct of hyper-individualism and living in a society that’s moved away from community. If so many people experience loneliness under normal circumstances, imagine how much worse they could feel when forced into a situation that isolates them from their familiar lifestyles like what we’re seeing right now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a time of crises, humans are instinctively driven to band together as a coping mechanism. What makes our current situation unique is that we have to face this crisis from the isolation of our homes. 

The good news is loneliness is a feeling and not a fact. There are things that we can do to feel better. This week, I outline four things you can do to feel more connected to others and develop a relationship with yourself, whenever you feel isolated and alone.

Stress has become a universal experience as well as a rising public health concern in modern society. People today are dealing with stressors that are greater in number and severity than in the past and this is taking a toll on our collective wellness.

Dr. Greg Hammer, my guest today, joins us on today’s show to shed more light on this topic. Greg is a pediatric intensive care physician, anesthesiologist, and professor at Stanford University Medical Center. He is a A member of the Stanford WellMD initiative and has been a visiting professor and lecturer on wellness at institutions worldwide.

During our conversation, Greg talks about the medical impact of stress on our bodies and how we can overcome them with his unique antidote called GAIN. He also talks about coping strategies that we can tap into specifically during the covid-19 global pandemic.

A simple shift in our attitude can change how we experience life. The way we decide to respond to our circumstances determines how much satisfaction it brings. But what if the reality we face is exceptionally hard and pushes us to the edge?

The only source of liberation for us at this point our thoughts. I was subconsciously aware of this, but living through the current global pandemic has given me a deep, visceral understanding of what it means. What’s happening right now is a hard pill to swallow, but complaining and scapegoating will make it harder than it needs to be. 

What will help us get through it is changing our perspective on it. In this week’s episode, I’ve outlined four ways you can do this.

We’ve all struggled with finding time to do the things that matter most to us. For years, experts have told us that the only way to manage our time and organize is by finding the perfect work-life balance. However, according to my guest today, trying to establish work life balance is ineffective and there is another more effective approach.

Gail Golden is the founder of Gail Golden Consulting, LLC, an international management psychology consulting firm. She utilizes her experience as an entrepreneur and consultant to leaders of both Fortune 1000 and non-profit organizations to help businesses navigate rapid change by accelerating the development of senior leaders and their organizations. Gail has extensive experience as a public speaker at corporations and colleges.

During our conversation, Gail outlines the steps we can take to begin curating our life to become more productive and satisfied by our end results. She also gives advice on how we can manage burnout and feelings of being overwhelmed by a heavy workload.