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It’s that time of year again when we welcome the ho-ho holiday spirit back into our lives. We run ragged trying to fill stockings with glee yet leave ours full of coal or worse, empty. This week the guys tackle the most wonderful time of the year and offer some tips for whom the jingle bells toll. 

Welcome to episode one hundred eighty three of Above Ground Podcast. The holidays leave many of us full of anxiety and dread. Our eardrums are taken over earlier every year by the sounds of Christmas. We have totally forgotten the Thanksgiving holiday and go right from Halloween into what seems an endless sleigh ride into the exhaustion and debt blizzard. If it’s not the wish lists that drive you to more eggnog than normal, it’s the current price of everything. From gifts to our mental health the costs are steep and you will pay for it all year long. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving you stress. 

If you find yourself feeling lonely, stressed and exhausted there are things we can do to fight off Rudolph's angry antlers. Take a time out for your self. If you find overwhelm under the tree, take a walk. Remind your mind that this too will pass with the snow and cold. Cherish the moments of peace when the kiddos drift off to dream of sugar plums dancing on your head. 

According to Boston University, ten million people are effected by SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder). SAD is a type of depression that starts in the fall and amplifies in the winter. These symptoms tend to resolve in spring and are resolved fully by summer. One way to fight the winter blues is to serve the community. Go out and serve food at a shelter, raise funds for an underserved population or cause. There are no shortages of toy drives, 501(C)3s or ways to help in Nippertown or anywhere you hang your stockings with care. 

Try not to be a Scrooge and isolate during this winter wonderland. Get out and skate, sled or snowshoe to your nearest favorite hot cocoa spot. Don't let the season be the reason your alone. Close your laptop, log off your Instaface and go people watch. Feel the stress melt away while you watch everyone else roast their chestnuts in line paying for things they can't afford, for family they hate the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year. Start your own traditions, adopt an elf like Willard and spread Xmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. 

With the sincerest gratitude we are so thankful for all of you this year. Above Ground Podcast will turn four in 2023 and we are as giddy as a child on Christmas morning hoping for a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and not a pink bunny costume. And if you are hoping for that pink bunny costume that's cool too. No judgement here. If you're searching for that perfect gift for that certain someone stuck back in an era before men talked about their emotions or were man enough to admit they had any, check out TPP's new DIY manual, Never Under Estimate the Power of You. You can buy the guys a coffee or send Nippertown a few bucks to help spread the news of the 518 music and art scene. They also help AGP by putting up our content. Send the gift of music to someone who needs to overcome the despair and mayhem of the ghosts of Christmas past. Make your yuletide bright and take us with you in your earbuds for that last minute Christmas Eve shopping binge and to all get well, be safe, stay Above.

"Healing doesn't happen when we're muscling through it", says our guest Melissa Spaulding. Melissa is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and EMDR Practitioner based in Utah, and is our guest for episode one seventy six of Above Ground Podcast. 

Melissa Spaulding is a CMHC at Guided Wellness Counseling of George, Utah. Melissa's mission is to help women move past their past and to live an adventurous life. Melissa helps women work through trauma, depression and anxiety. 

One tool in Melissa's arsenal is EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitazation & Reprocessesing. This mode of therapy allows the receiptient to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in their brains. There are three brains; the head, the heart and the body and as Bessel van der Kolk taught us,  the body keeps the score. 

Melissa looks at our memories like sticky notes. When we think of sticky notes they are usually so you can take a number or name or notation. Something imortant at the time, but may not be necessary to hold on to long term. That's where EMDR comes in. It helps you clear the mental sticky notes and stop holding on to memories that no longer require you to hold on to them. 

Melissa Spaulding can be found at guidedwellnesscounselingut.com.

She can also be found on Instagram @guidedwellnesscounseling

It's a wrap on epsiode one seventy six and we thank you so much for listening for another week.

Please come out to Fuze Box in Albany, NY, Saturday November 5th at 8pm. Will Foley is playing with Black Belt Jones, Gay Tastee and Ike's Wasted World. Come hear Will's brand of hard driving acoustic rock light the fuse on a night of hard driving rock with a metallic gleam. $10 gets you in the door. This will be a special night as Above Ground Podcast will be there and ready to rock, hint, hint. That's right TPP and Will together on the stage of what was once QE2. Oh the history and nostalgia. 

Don't forget TPP's new book, Never Under Estimate the Power of You, is due to release through Amazon soon. When we have a date and link for preorder we will post. 

Also Above Ground Podcast will have a mention in the Winter issue of Capital Region Living Magazine.

Thank you to Abby Tegnelia for making that happen. 

Time to call it an epsiode. We appreciate all our listeners and friends. You can donate to the show at Buy Me a Coffee backslash Above Ground Pod

Until next week get well, be safe, stay ABOVE...

Sending out a distress call is usually thought of when in a state of emergency. Today on episode one seventy five of Above Ground Podcast we send a message to those in distress, to urge you to ask for help. Will & TPP’s hope is that we can help you feel less like a castaway, an island lost at sea. This is our message in a bottle.

What's up everyone? It's time for this week's pod and Will & TPP chat about sending out an SOS when you need help, self-care, when you need a break or you are on the breaking point. We urge you to seek treatment. Seek a person-centered treatment if you want to feel you will have a bigger voice, because you do.

You will always be your best voice, but some individuals have an impairment to voicing their needs. It is scary to stand up for yourself. Some individuals have been marginalized for so long it is an enormous task to do.

If you need to learn a language for talking about your emotions in order for you to voice your feelings go thework.com. Byron Katie's website around the concept she pioneered with the book Loving What Is (2003, Penquin Random House).

Will & TPP jam on some topics related to looking at the self in a reflective and helpful way. We mentioned 988 several times, but we have not used it. Here is the link from our fantastic NY State Office of Mental Health.

Remeber know your crisis numbers and keep your loved ones personal information safe. Copy documents and file the originals. Make it part of your Individual Service Plan or ISP. Or your mental health care plan. 

This Sunday we are at the Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market at Empire Live. Sunday October 23rd, noon-6pm. Pogo Beard Company will have their beard and tattoo balm for sale.We will have your resources and we look forward to meeting you all and having a real conversation. 

Saturday November 5th Will is playing at Fuze Box in Albany NY at 8pm. Will is opening for episode 178 guest Mike Langone's band Black Belt Jones. Also on the bill are Ike's Wasted World and Gay Tastee. Doors at 7pm, show 8pm. $10 at the door. Come down to the iconic club that housed the former QE2. 12 Central Avenue, Albany, NY. 

Don't forget TPP will dropping his new book on you soon also. Never Under Estimate the Power of You. When you are ready to start believing in yourself, you too can start this DIY project. Stay tuned for release date and order link. 

Thanks for joining us on episode one seventy five of Above Ground Podcast. Please continue to share, like, follow, and review. Thank you for supporting us and special shout out to Dan for buying the pod five coffees. Please go to our Buy Me a Coffee and continue your support. We are trying to grow and expand. If you can support or our interested in promoting your cause or business please throw an email to Will at abovegroundpodcast@gmail.com. 

Thnaks for listening please call 9-1-1 for an immediate emergency. Dial  9-8-8 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or still dial 1(800)273-8255 and that will work indefinitely. Until next week,  get well, be safe, stay ABOVE

Jim Gilbert is a creative fire storm, solution opportunist and the Heart of Nippertown. Jim views his ADD as a superpower that just needs management. Jim is driven beyond the grind, beyond inspired and is the beat that keeps the Heart of Nippertown pumping.

Jim discusses the cocktail that allows him to do ten things at once. We talk NipperFest 2022 and the great acts and logistics of it all. Above Ground Podcast will be there with your mental health resources from NYS Office of Mental Health, AFSP Capital Region, NAMI NYS, Healing Springs, and so many others. We all need a hug too. AGP will giving free hugs to anyone that needs one. 

Jim Gilbert is the Publisher of Nippertown and the Director of Operations for OverIt, a multi-media company in Albany, NY.  Jim was the co-owner of NYSMusic.com Jim is also a concert photographer, with his name etched into many of the great photos we see on Nippertown, NYSMusic.com and all over media. 

Please checkout the links below to find Jim’s work and connect. 

https://nippertown.com

https://overit.com

https://nysmusic.com

Thank you for listening to this episode of Above Ground Podcast. Please continue to rate, review, follow, friend, fan and share. Until next time get well, be safe, stay Above.

Change management consultant, Joelle Monaco joins us this week. Joelle is a proponent of people first workplaces and communities. An educator by passion, Joelle wants to empower you to end stigma and create the world we all could use.

As a mental health consultant and trainer, Joelle has seen change. Starting out more than fifteen years ago, people wouldn't return her calls. Now they seek her out. They seek her knowledge and wisdom. 

We will breakdown the three stigmas we all encounter, self, public and institutional. Find out why Joelle has chosen the turtle as her spirit animal. Her passion is organizational development and building relationships to support operations. 

Joelle is a proponent of the people first view of community and workplace. We will spend a third of our lives in our place of work. We now have more than five generations in the workplace together. We tend to not leave our baggage at the door. Following the pandemic team building became a box to check. 

Managers are put in positions because they are good at a task. They are often not leaders. They often do not want to be. Community education turned into change management. What is holding us back? Let's talk about it. 

You can find Joelle Monaco at Joelle Monaco Consulting. She is also the Director of Outreach and Business Engagement for the Mental Health Association of NY State (MHANYS).

Thanks for joining another real conversation from the PEERspective. Join us every Wednesday for a new episode. If you like what you hear follow, friend, share and spread the vibes with one of our links below.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/abovegroundpod

https://abovegroundpodcast.net

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKn_Suc7apr3VIO1iX65cBg?app=desktop

https://www.facebook.com/abovegroundpodcast

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https://castbox.fm/channel/Above-Ground-Podcast-id2561617?country=us

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http://www.willfoley.net/#music

https://open.spotify.com/track/5ojjY0hMcefCfcwDFhAZWn?si=f0058da3d7ec483e&nd=1

https://youtu.be/QjfwOJ_Szj0

Memoir (Despair & Mayhem) [feat. Kevin Maloney] - Single by Will Foley

https://music.apple.com/us/album/memoir-despair-mayhem-feat-kevin-maloney-single/1569777715

Laura DaPolito is a 5-1-8 Licensed Clinical Social Worker and half of the dynamic duo that owns Nippertown. She is an energy goes in person with lots of experience working with trauma. Laura was called to this work. Laura is a HOPE dealer and a HEALER.

Laura D. comes from a legacy of healing. She has a 25 year career and counting. Her initial work began with working in the violence against women field. During her work in the domestic violence shelters she fell in love with working with children. She works for an innovative 5-1-8 school district. This has allowed her to start a day treatment program for children with mental illness and outpatient work with their families.

Laura believes hope is the ultimate tool to heal. She answered her calling. Coming from a long line of healers. Connection to others is a driving force, not only in her work, but in her life. 

Her love for animals almost led her to be a veterinarian. A period of complicated grief and depression led her to meet a group of wonderful healers and forever changed her path. We are forever grateful. 

Thanks to Laura for our wonderful conversation. Please listen to her wonderful story. 

Thanks to everyone who listens, follows, friends, shares and tags. We are truly grateful to bring this pod to you every week. Here is a list of our links. Until next week be well, be safe, be ABOVE...

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/abovegroundpod

https://abovegroundpodcast.net

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKn_Suc7apr3VIO1iX65cBg?app=desktop

https://www.facebook.com/abovegroundpodcast

https://twitter.com/abovegroundpod

https://www.instagram.com/abovegroundpodcast/

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/abovegroundpodcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/above-ground-podcast/id1476950544

https://open.spotify.com/show/7ogZ00r2sYwC0unlEwcJ5w?si=-ioYxi_dSiuDMLOV_x9qFg&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/

https://castbox.fm/channel/Above-Ground-Podcast-id2561617?country=us

https://www.audible.com/pd/Above-Ground-Podcast-Podcast/B08K564DM3

http://www.willfoley.net/#music

https://open.spotify.com/track/5ojjY0hMcefCfcwDFhAZWn?si=f0058da3d7ec483e&nd=1

https://youtu.be/QjfwOJ_Szj0

Memoir (Despair & Mayhem) [feat. Kevin Maloney] - Single by Will Foley

https://music.apple.com/us/album/memoir-despair-mayhem-feat-kevin-maloney-single/1569777715

In honor of Valentine’s Day in the Wizarding World, The Wilsons are having some good old fashioned married-people fights! Round 1: Amanda vs Kev in The Battle of Madame Puddifoots! Round 2: Amanda vs Kev in The Battle of Fair Wages for Rita Skeeter! Plus: more incredibly mature poop jokes, The Beatles, and the finer points of cooking sherry. 

Support FFH on Patreon: patreon.com/thefoxandthefoxhound
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IG: @thefoxandthefoxhound
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If there has ever been a time when you scrolled down your Facebook News Feed and seen one of my long "rants"...well there is probably like 500 more characters I want to add but I don't have that much time to proofread. Can you imagine how my wife feels living with me and our 3 sons? 

I started listening to podcasts about 4 years ago working a PT job cleaning offices and realized
"It's nice having a audience to your inner thoughts" lol sounds weird but I enjoyed hearing some real life stories of people that I could relate to in some way or another. 

So bare with me at the moment on these first few episodes, this is new to me and I apologize for my mic volume. Sounds A LOT better after Episode 1.

Intro and Outro produced by. NoBlesse

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. - 2 Corinthians 5:18

This promise comes right after the powerful verse where Paul tells us we are new creatures in Christ.

You might notice the word “reconcile” in this promise. It not a word we use a lot. It means to bring together or to change thoroughly.

It’s the picture of two enemies who have been brought back together. They move from being enemies to friends.

God has reconciled us to Him. Because of His love, He took the first step in reconciliation. Through Jesus Christ, although we were once enemies, we are now friends of God. 

Reconciliation is not just salvation. It is not only having your sin forgiven (although that would be enough), but it is a complete change of relationship. So many Christians know their sins are forgiven, but they never live in this new relationship reconciliation brings. They don’t see they have moved from being an enemy of God to being a close friend. 

He is your friend, and you are His friend.

On this episode I wanted to take a look at most of the headphones I have used and give an overview on how they work for gaming.    I know I left out some great brands and options, Beyerdynamics, Steel Series, Logitech to name a few.  I didn't include them because I didn't have an experience with them.  That said hopefully the conversation will help decide on the type or style of headphone you are looking for.

Here are the headsets/headphones I will discuss today.

Xbox Stereo Headset
Sony Wireless Gold
Sony MD-VR6
Sony MD-7506
Sennheiser HD Pro 280
Sennheiser HD Pro 380
Audio Technica m50x
Beats Solo
Bears Studio
Sennheiser Momentum
Bose SoundTrue
Sennheiser HD 518
Sennheiser HD 558
Sennheiser HD 598
Sennheiser PC 363D
Astro A40
Astro A50
Mod Mic