The Dream Catcher Podcast

[Interview] How to Embrace Diversity in Society and the Workplace (feat. Risha Grant)

If you’ve read a few of my posts on the Dream Catcher blog, you can tell that the topic of diversity and inclusion is very important to me. Like many others I’ve been disturbed by all the hate crimes, misunderstandings between communities and the social divisiveness being propagated in politics and the media. This is a rich topic full of nuances so I decided to invite a guest expert to shed some light on it.

I reached out to Risha Grant, a diversity and inclusion trainer, who is also the Founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm. Risha uses passion, knowledge and humor to empower attendees to increase their bottom line and create inclusive cultures in their companies and communities.  Her list of clients include governors, NBA teams, mayors, Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations.

Risha says that even though we can’t control what others say and do, we can control our reactions and how we respond. During our discussion, we talked about the root of prejudice and what we can do to overcome our own biases so that we can contribute to creating a unified and harmonious society.

How to Stay Hopeful When You’re Disheartened by the News

In our modern world of 24/7 connectivity, it’s almost impossible to escape the influence of the media unless you live in isolation, far away from civilization. It doesn’t help that most news outlets tend to accentuate ‘bad’ news and sensationalism just to gain our attention.

Unconscious consumption of these stealthily crafted headlines can cause anyone to believe that we live in a dark, unjust, and cruel world filled with hate, fear, and distrust. But at some point, we need to stop and examine the cost of allowing ourselves to be exposed to the media’s flawed perspective

In this podcast episode, we’ll take a deeper look at the impact that negative news has on our psyche and five steps that we can take to overcome the effects and transmute it into something positive.

Why Laughter is the Best Medicine

When was the last time that you had a good, hearty laugh?

Did it happen while sharing an inside joke with a dear friend or while watching a funny sitcom or reading the newspaper funnies?

No matter what the circumstances were, it most likely left you feeling jovial and elated. During those few moments, you forgot about all your worries and cares and the world looked just a bit brighter. But sadly, we don’t laugh as much as we need to. While life is without a doubt serious business, I believe that we can be better at coping with the seriousness of it all if we traveled lighter.  

In this episode, I highlight the many benefits of laughter and describe some simple practices that we can incorporate into our daily life to bring in more joy, humor and fun into our consciousness.

The Subtle Art of Healthy Detachment

Staying objective can be a challenge when we feel emotionally ‘hooked’ onto the situation. We’re fearful of letting go of our mental grip of a situation because it makes us feel vulnerable. The good news is that we can overcome the stress it’s causing us by developing a detached perspective.

Mastering the subtle art of detachment requires conscious practice. It’s easy to slip into our instinctive nature to cling on and we need to enforce self-control to get back to balance. In this episode, I describe four steps that you can take to develop healthier attachments in your life.

[Interview] How to amplify your influence and create social change (feat. Mac Prichard)

All of us would like to express our highest potential and our message to the world. Whether you’re someone who wants to showcase your strengths and talents to potential employers or to potential prospects, you have to hone your message and clearly communicate the essence of your brand and mission to others.

My guest today, Mac Prichard, is an expert in these areas. Mac owns and operates Prichard Communications, a public relations agency that serves non-profits, public agencies, and foundations across the United States. He is also the founder of Mac’s List, where he writes regularly about job hunting, leads classes on job search skills, and hosts the Find Your Dream Job podcast.

During our conversation, Mac shares some useful tools and strategies on how to create effective communication and brand strategies to increase our influence as well as some ideas on how we can use our platform to create meaningful change in our communities.

4 Essential Things to Consider When Creating a Life Plan

Many people get intimidated at the prospect of creating a life plan. They would rather ‘wing it’ and take life as it comes. A plan constrains them and they prefer living spontaneously. But it’s this kind of person that ends up being a passive spectator, watching his/her life unfold a day at a time.   

The good news is that creating life plans does not need to be a complicated process. You don’t need to spend hours creating intricate schemes based on an indefinite future that can’t be foreseen entirely. In this episode, I’ll describe a process to devise a plan based on where and who you are in your life right now.

What to do When Your Life Feels Boring and Predictable

Dissatisfaction and boredom are common issues in today’s world, especially amongst the young folks.  No matter how full our schedule is, we just can’t seem to achieve a lasting sense of fulfillment that comes from living a satisfying life.

Allowing ourselves to live in a state of apathy is the equivalent of giving ourselves a death sentence, albeit a slow one. It’s no wonder that people feel the need to get quick-fixes, using sugar, alcohol, cigarettes and antidepressants.

But no matter how restricted you feel in your situation, you have the ability to attend to the needs of your spirit and regain a child-like enthusiasm. In this episode, I’ll share a few ways that you can accomplish this.

5 Things You Should Not Compromise On

We often find ourselves in situations where we find it challenging to assert our individuality and that drain us out in the process. You may have chosen to ignore that nagging feeling in your gut that kept sending you red alerts, warning you that you’re doing too much and that you’re running out of steam.

The truth is that authentic happiness can never be enjoyed and appreciated if we can’t feel good about how we attained it and if it doesn’t align with your core values. In this week’s post, I provide ideas on how you can stand up for them and which specific values of yours should be prioritized.

[Interview] Developing a Cosmic Perspective to Create a Better World (feat. Cathrin Machin)

I’ve always had a deep love for gazing up at the night sky and learning about what lies out there in the cosmos.  I’m convinced that if we step out of the minutia of our daily existence and allow ourselves to soak in the cosmic magic we can connect deeper with our humanity and spiritual essence.

My guest, Cathrin Machin, shares the same passion for astronomy as I do. Cathrin Machin is one of Australia's fastest growing contemporary artist who holds the record as Australia's highest crowd-funded artist of all time. Cathrin’s artwork attract a huge a client list that stretches to every corner of the globe. Her abstract paintings of space allow viewers to contemplate the sheer scale of the universe and how we as individuals, fit within in it.

In this interview, Cathrin shares with us the secrets to her creative process and how we can tap into our own genius. We also discuss about the wonders of the cosmos and how we can connect with the skies for inspiration and an experience of wonder and awe. 

Why the Grass is Not Always Greener on the Other Side

Envisioning a future that excites us can be a healthy pastime but when it becomes a permanent place we live in and which we refuse to leave, that’s when we know we’re in trouble.

When we think in this way, other people appear to have more than us and we’re unable to see things as they really are for them. We’re get caught up in our belief that there are greener pastures in the distant horizon that we forget to appreciate our side of the fence.

In this episode, I describe how we can develop a healthier thought process that can help us appreciate where we are right now and realize that the grass is not always on the other side - it’s greener wherever it’s watered by you.