Unlikely Gifts with Diane M. Simard

In the second part of this two-part series, Stephanie Bennett, a Licensed Master Social Worker, shares:

• The significance of why and how she and Diane met
• A brief review of psycho-oncology
• Why the psychological trauma caused by a cancer experience often stays with you and how to address it
• The three symptoms of mental health concern when it comes to cancer
• Brief review of some of the free general and mental health-specific resources for cancer
• How to contact Stephanie

Diane's Information Links
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
Website:     https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Speaker Reel:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdL0q0b_nhQ
Heal Forward Book:   https://www.dianemsimard.com/heal-forward/
Unlikely Gift Book:    https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

In Part One of this two-part series, Stephanie Bennett, a Licensed Master Social Worker, shares:

• How she and Diane met
• Why addressing mental health needs is so important when it comes to treating cancer
• Tips for dealing with cancer’s emotional trauma
• Why she became interested in becoming an LMSW
• How to contact Stephanie

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast presents the final episode of its special-edition series of podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the fifth chapter in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, titled Adversity Forms Us; Love Frees Us, Amy asks Diane, "Here we go again . . . what is it with you and love?"

Other topics of discussion:

• Amy's special surprise announcement
• Why Diane thought she was unlovable
• Where does "heal forward" come from?
• How re-directing energies during times of adversity helps create calm in the chaos
• How true love either exists or it doesn't
• Why Diane doesn't hate middle age

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the ninth episode of its special-edition series of podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss Diane's ninth life principle, titled Growth Results from the Journey, Not the Victory, in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

Topics they discuss include:

• More fan mail!
• Amy's off-roading adventure
• The value of experiencing "the hard stuff"
• Life's most important accomplishments
• Theodore Roosevelt - America's 26th president
• Diane's adventure with the U.S. military, including visits to the Pentagon, the USS Enterprise, and a day with the Navy SEALs

Their on-air chemistry has been described as "clean, middle-age inspirational fun with a wealth of positive, thought-provoking messages that will leave you anxious for more." 

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the next episode of its special-edition series called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss Diane's next book, titled Heal Forward: Transform Emotional Scars into Impact.

Diane and Amy discuss the book's eighth chapter,  titled Seek and Be a Mentor, focusing on why mentorship and reciprocity is so important. 

Other topics of discussion:

• Why Diane's breast cancer experience made her feel like a commodity
• Why Amy believes it is important to establish expectations
• An introduction to those who mentor Diane and those she mentors
• How to reciprocate with mentors

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the seventh episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the seventh chapter, titled Celebrate Differences, in Diane's new book, titled Heal Forward: Transform Emotional Scars into Impact.

In this episode, Diane and Amy have a powerful chat about whether we've gotten so wrapped up in themselves due to social media that we've forgotten how to take care of one another. 

Other topics of discussion:

• What took Diane five decades to understand?
• Why middle age can be so liberating
• A-ha moments
• The essence of who Diane is
• How Amy balances her creative side with her professional side

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast presents the next episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the fifth chapter in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, titled Appreciate Challenges, Diane and Amy discuss how to move through trauma in a healing way and how deep understanding is best achieved by living interactively. 

Other topics of discussion:

• Why "typical" and "normal" are cringe-worthy terms
• How breast cancer was a test for Diane
• Journaling as a healing tool
• Learning how to think creatively on the fly
• The importance of having a clear mission and well-defined principles
• How Amy believes a plan is a map for living

Their on-air chemistry has been described as "clean, middle-age inspirational fun with a wealth of positive, thought-provoking messages that will leave you anxious for more." 

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast presents the fifth episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the fifth chapter in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, titled Perpetually Learn, Diane and Amy discuss their diverse ranges of interests and how one of Diane's most effective habits has expanded her network of contacts. 

Other topics of discussion:

• Amy's infinite curiosity
• How Diane developed and feeds her learning habits
• How to start conversations with someone you don't know
• Diane's "brilliantly profound" conversation with her medical oncologist
• Tips on how to become a better learner
• The importance of filling our brains with new information

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the fourth episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the fourth chapter, titled Analyze and Understand, in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, Diane and Amy break down the reasons why Diane incessantly asks questions, how she processes information, and why leaders who create original content are the leaders she finds most trustworthy.  

Other topics of discussion:

• What each of them do to "exercise" their brains
• Amy's side-gig as a professionally-trained singer
• The different ways we process information
• Why great communicators are great listeners
• What Diane did to double the followers on her email list
• What happened when Diane and Amy first met on Amy's Encourage Project Podcast
• The beauty of middle age

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

Do you seek fame? Attention? Followers? Or do you strive to honor the principles that define and drive you?

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the third episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy, which addresses this topic.

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the third chapter, titled Seek Respect, Not Adoration, in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, Diane and Amy chat about their first piece of fan mail, discuss the pros and cons of following social media influencers, and review their favorite and not-so-favorite leadership styles. 

Other topics of discussion include:

• Why Diane needed to stop "feeding the beast"
• Amy's experience with cultures of mistrust
• Angel investing
• The "ready, fire, aim" approach to business leadership
• Traits of impact leaders

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the second episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the second chapter, titled Strive for Peace and Balance, in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

Topics they discuss include:

• How Amy believes that giving ourselves grace gives us peace
• The pain of rejection
• How Diane's breast cancer helped her come to terms with the rejection from her father when she was 6
• Our tendency to want to "fix" everyone
• Ways to understand emotional trauma in middle age

Their on-air chemistry has been described as "clean, middle-age inspirational fun with a wealth of positive, thought-provoking messages that will leave you anxious for more." 

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

Start your summer off with a bang as The Unlikely Gifts Podcast brings you the inaugural episode of its special-edition series of 10 podcasts called Monday Afternoon Club with Diane & Amy. 

Host Diane M. Simard is joined by co-host Amy Fairchild, a professional singer, life/success coach, and project manager consultant to discuss the first chapter in Diane's new book about healing forward from life's emotional scars. 

In this episode, titled Heal Life's Emotional Scars, Diane tells the story behind Monday Afternoon Club and how writing her first book helped her heal from multiple psychological traumas. 

Other discussion topics include:

• How to have a more authentic impact on others
• Aligning who you are with how you lead
• Why Diane's writing style makes readers laugh, then cry
• Living in the real
• The importance of bringing more attention to mental health care
• The worst day of Diane's chemo experience
• Transformative learning 
• How Fred Ford found joy from losing weight
• Why "screamer" motivational speakers stress Amy out

Diane and Amy's on-air chemistry has been described as "clean, middle age inspirational fun with a wealth of positive, thought-provoking messages that will leave you anxious for more." 

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions)
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio
LinkedIn

Amy's Links
The Encourage Project website
The Encourage Project podcast
LinkedIn

The Unlikely Gifts Podcast takes a fun turn as host Diane M. Simard prepares to launch her next book, which has a working title of Heal Forward:  Impact Leadership Beyond Adversity.

Listen in as both she and Larry provide an update of their projects and plans for the remainder of 2023, including a surprise announcement about what comes next . . .

Diane's Links
Personal website
Facebook
LinkedIn (personal)
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions) 
Diane's book

Larry's Links
Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast
Collage Travel Radio

Do you have a favorite teacher? Host Diane M. Simard's most memorable teacher was actually her kindergarten teacher back in 1971, Mrs. Nettie Fernley, who taught all seven grades at Cotesfield Dist. #14 in Cotesfield, Nebraska. 

For starters, Mrs. Fernley was born in 1896 and her first husband served in World War I. She played piano during the silent movies in the early 1900s, and her experience as a performer definitely influenced her teaching style! Diane will share some of Mrs. Fernley's antics, including what happened during the school's Christmas program when Diane was in first grade that shocked everyone!


Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Larry King, Editor/Producer of the Unlikely Gifts Podcast, takes center stage as he and host Diane M. Simard journey back in time to central Nebraska in the early 1970s. Back then,  Larry was a TV Director at KOLN-KGIN 10/11 Strong in Lincoln, Nebraska, and he reminisces about the station's broadcasters and managers.

Who remembers Gateway to Home on Sunday mornings? Mordy Mouse? Davey and Goliath? Cartoon Corral? Miss Linda and Romper Room? Larry also shares his memories of Nebraska football and the great Bob Devaney. 


Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Back in 1971, host Diane M. Simard spent her 5th birthday as a guest on a kids' after-school show called Cartoon Corral. The show, produced by KOLN-KGIN TV in Lincoln, Nebraska, was hosted by "Kalamity Kate," portrayed by Leta Powell Drake.  

In this episode, Diane shares how Cartoon Corral helped introduce her to Unlikely Gifts Podcast Editor/Producer, Larry  King, over 50 years later. Not only did Diane make her "professional television debut" on the show, she learned some valuable early life lessons that day. 


Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Sometimes, even when we try to do everything right, life doesn't always go to plan. Host Diane  M. Simard tells the story of an acquaintance whose life and career unraveled quickly. But thanks to his resilience, a miracle happened. The story is about hard  work, men's fast-pitch softball, heartbreak, and—ultimately—perseverance, and Diane shares a poem she wrote that played a key part in the story. 


Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Take a trip back in time with host Diane M. Simard and her producer/editor, Larry King, as they reminisce about significant moments in history that Diane actually witnessed. They cover Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding in 1981, Nadia Comaneci and the 1976 Montreal summer Olympics, and finish with what was undoubtedly one of sports' greatest moments. 


Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Host Diane M. Simard shares the second half of her story about the foundational reason for the Unlikely Gifts Podcast and the driver for her advocacy work.  She explores the effects of cancer treatment and the basis for emotional trauma that often results, and the impactful ways she overcome her own breast cancer-induced depression and anxiety. 

Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522

Host Diane M. Simard shares the foundational reason for the Unlikely Gifts Podcast and the driver for her advocacy and much of her business interests. She explains how her bout with late Stage III breast cancer at age 49 stripped her down to her bare essence, but then she began to build herself back up again.  Ten months later, she emerged from cancer treatment a new, different person, living life on her terms. 

Personal website:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DianeMSimard1965
LinkedIn (Personal):  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-moravec-simard/ 
LinkedIn (Unlikely Gift Productions):  https://www.linkedin.com/company/81847025/admin/
Diane's book:  https://www.dianemsimard.com/book/

Larry's Sorta Fun Stories podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larrys-sorta-fun-stories/id1612127522