Thrive With Morella

Everybody deals with some level of trauma in their life. For some, trauma is severe enough to leave lasting effects, including post-traumatic stress.

Captain Dan Willis, retired Homicide Detective and SWAT Commander, as well as wellbeing coordinator and teacher, talks about the high levels of PTSD and trauma among first responders. He shares insights and tools from his book, Bulletproof Spirit:

• How trauma accumulates in small increments for first responders who are exposed to the worst of human nature, day in and day out…

• The telltale signs of trauma and PTSD…

• How trauma “crushes the spirit and “suffocates the heart”…

• The essential strategies to heal the broken spirit…

• How loved ones and peers can offer support to those living with trauma and PTSD…

For more on Captain Dan's work and his book:  www.ThriveWithMorella.com/podcast/2019/10/23/e63-relieving-ptsd-depression-anxiety-amp-trauma

The importance of sharing our feelings & appreciation with those around us; What to say? The importance of specific appreciation; The ripple effect of gratitude; Teaching kids to appreciate genuinely...

What is integrative medicine; how it helps autoimmune conditions, fibromyalgia, cancer & more; Why food matters; What vital test most doctors don’t order; trauma and adverse childhood experiences manifesting in health issues…

How do you THRIVE in spite of a life-threatening diagnosis? Celeste tracked the lives of women living with HIV/AIDS: How they go from "dying from", to "living with", to "thriving despite"... reclaiming their story & their power...

What we can learn & how to thrive after miscarriages, infertility, blended families & divorce, mixed-race/mixed-culture families, teenage drug-addiction, raising a black child in LA & how to deal with the police... Her memoir: A Day On The Gold Line.

Using an allowance to teach kids about saving, smart spending & charity. How-to & how-not-to do an allowance. Saving for goals. Visualization. Budgeting & investing for teens & tweens.

She overcame severe childhood abuse, a religious cult, drug addiction, & found a path towards healing at a remote Catholic community. Her riveting memoir Wholly Unraveled powerfully connects us with the resilience of our own spirit.

An airforce+airline pilot turned therapist talks about the 10-day program he developed to resolve the fear of flying, panic attacks & anxiety. How to use oxytocin & the memories of a loved one to prevent anxiety from developing & even stopping it.

Award-winning poet & author shares her story of losing everything when her cabin burnt to ashes, what she learned, how it changed her relationships & why she says its our resistance that makes life hard not the events themselves...

Award-winning holistic nutritionist talks about why losing weight is about more than just eating less & exercising; no single diet is right for everyone; importance of taking inventory of thoughts & emotions, true self-care, manifesting & gratitude...

Yoga teacher, Reiki Master, & English teacher talks about the sisterhood she started in Goddess Gigs; the beauty of coming together with vulnerability, open hearts, curiosity, playfulness, sacredness; thoughts on forming intentional sisterhood.

The profound ways in which it transforms our lives -body, mind, heart & life path. Transforming judgment, self-criticism, comparison, & dissatisfaction. Learning to let be and let go. The dark night of the soul. Radical acceptance in relationships...

Lifelong meditator & teacher of history, economics, & humanities talks about the impact of bringing meditation into the fabric of learning. Building self-awarenes, wisdom, & reflection abilities. Book: Three Breaths & Begin.

#1 NYTimes best-selling author tells the story of how a small act of kindness she did for 11 year-old boy changed the course of both their lives. How we all have the power to have this kind of impact on each other's lives. Book: And Invisible Thread.

Overcoming her son's suicide, losing all of her money in a Ponzi scheme, & healing herself from incapacitating back injuries. Belinda is a living example of the human ability to find joy after adversity. Shares Hawaiian Huna healing. Ho'Oponopono.

A mind-body practice incorporating breath, mindfulness & specific body movements to build greater self-awareness. Help for stress management, anxiety, emotional challenges; body healing; sports performance; goals; productivity; birth preparation, and more. Book: The Life-Changing Power of Sophrology, is available online.

Personal & planetary thriving depend on our rekindling our innate connection with nature. In this episode we explore the many health, emotional & productivity benefits of more time in nature. The difference between children exposed to nature & those who are not. Compassionate Conservation and how it produces dramatically different results. Nature as mentor to humans... and so much more. 

What if BIGGER is NOT better? What if the answer to all of the stresses related to your home is to move to a smaller one? Pat Foreman, author of A Tiny Home to Call Your Own talks about the many advantages of living in not-so-big homes --energy efficiency, lower costs, less clutter, higher resale value, multiple use options, less cleaning, more time...  

Natalie is a busy mom of three. She talks about her new book, Simple Acts: The Busy Family’s Guide to Giving Back, and shares:

• The many simple, at-home activities in which parents can engage children in order to instill an easy community service attitude
• What’s the right age to start teaching children about community service…
• The impact of volunteering and service on children; the life skills it builds; the lessons and conversations that emerge from it.
• The empowering and also healing effect of community service for both children and adults.

Grocery giants are shaping our food systems, the health of our farms, and the quality of our food. Food co-ops present a powerful avenue for consumers and producers to reclaim their power to shape the health of their communities, their food systems & personal health.

Jon Steinman, author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants, touches on:

• How a handful of giant grocers have shaped the continent’s food systems.
• The ways in which co-ops help ensure affordable food, as well as fair food pricing that ensures a sustainable, livable income for farmers.
• How food is inherently intertwined with physical health, community prosperity, and overall community health.

Jon’s book tour is taking him through Vermont this week, and he will be visiting co-ops all over the country in the next few months.