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Living through a pandemic has changed how we date, and even who we date. The very way we are relating to each other as humans has shifted and changed. A year, and more, of isolation forced us all to slow down, giving us time to focus on what truly matters. Time to think about what we want, how we want to be loved, lusted for in our relationships. So how has this year of almost no human contact affected us as individuals and in our relationships, both, casual and intimate? How has the act of finding the “one” or just “someone” or going on an actual date changed and have those changes permanently changed us? As more people are vaccinated and things open up more this Spring, are we going to rush back into our relationships, are we going to see them in a different light, or will we be looking for more? In this episode, hosts Juan and Cecile get personal as they address these questions while discussing how the pandemic has affected some of their most personal relationships.

One thing that life continues to teach us is the contrast that is inherent in it. Good and bad. Dark and light. You cannot truly appreciate one without knowing the other. We made it through 2020 of what felt like a year of never-ending darkness, but just like plants, we grow towards the light. The vaccine rollout is bringing us hope in conquering COVID-19 as a new administration takes office and a new sense of optimism begins to take shape as we return to the life we've missed. Executive Producer, Shawn Meaux, joins the podcast conversation as we discuss the holidays, the insurrection, the inauguration, and other events that we experienced during our hiatus, as well as our hopes and takeaways as move forward into the light of 2021.

2020 has been one for the history books. Literally. No one would have imagined when we rang in the New Year on January 1 that we would be in for such a wild ride. As we reflect on all that has happened this year, we immediately think about all the things that we didn’t get to do, the things we were allowed to do, all we witnessed, participated in, modified, and canceled. We all experienced just about every possible emotion – almost daily. What lessons have we learned this year that will make us better human beings? We know will be dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic when we toast in 2021. How do we find more strength, hope, and happiness to keep us moving forward? In this podcast we highlight some of the lessons we have learned, changes we made, and behaviors we adapted in 2020 that we can use to help us better navigate our journey through and beyond this pandemic.

“What are you doing for the holidays?” makes some people feel like downright Grinchy while others are giddy with joy, and that is in a normal year. The holiday season this year will be very different for all, and painfully tough for many. Unimaginable losses, fear, uncertainty, and loneliness are creating levels of anxiety and depression, in even for the strongest among us. For others, the pain and effects will be much deeper and longer lasting. None of us have gone through this before – ever! How can we set ourselves to not only survive but thrive through this holiday season? John Tsilimparis, MFT is back this week with great advice and tools we can use today to preempt the shock of how different, and weird, the holidays will be and helps us refocus on the true spirit of the season.

With the holidays quickly approaching, we thought that now is the perfect time to start to envision what the holidays can and will be, when so many of the traditions and gatherings that we are used may not be available to us this year. We have a unique opportunity to work from a clean slate to destress the entirety of the holiday season and to reimagine what our holiday happiness looks in 2020, starting with Halloween. In this podcast, we discuss our own plans for the upcoming holidays, new traditions that we are planning to start this year, and tips that we all can use to help make this holiday season one we will remember despite the pandemic.

As children, we dream big and believe that we can be so many things when we grow up. Gameshow host, doctor, lawyer, nun, a Jackson. The fearless optimism that we possess innately when we are young seems to fade away for many of us as we mature. As life unfolds, our dreams are pushed away or put on hold. But what happens to a dream deferred or to the desires that led to our dreams? Did “I want to be and I believe I can” shrivel up and die like a raisin in the sun? Or did life’s journey change their course? The loss and uncertainty we are experiencing from the pandemic has prompted many of us to look inward to examine our lives, our work, our values and our dreams and to make some major life changes. While the challenges we are experiencing now are great, this new reality has giving us a tremendous opportunity to make necessary mental changes to reimagine. What are your dreams? What would you change, do, or try if you believed your dream can be your reality? How do we get back to that childlike state of wonder?

We are all living with massive uncertainty and fear every day caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented unemployment, and civil unrest. Our minds are overwhelmed with the stress and anxiety at the upending of every aspect of our lives. This COVID Mind has kicked us out of our comfort zone and our life as we knew it. What is all this doing to our minds and our bodies? In this podcast, Los Angeles-based Psychotherapist, John Tsilimparis, MFT, joins us once again to help us understand what is the COVID Mind; what the short- and long-term effects all of this stress is having on us. How do we help ourselves and our children cope with uncertainty? He gives us tips and tools he uses to help us focus and calm our fears and emotions. He also walks us through a mindfulness exercise we can all use anytime to access and activate our “boss mind” to create our new comfort zone where our mind and body can get through even the most fearful times.

To live on autopilot is to live unconsciously through parts of our life. The human ability to switch to autopilot mode is a self-preservation, survival mechanism. We are all born with it. It enables us to filter and prioritize what bombards us as we go through our day so that we can cope, focus, and make decisions. In this podcast, we talk to Dr. John Tsilimparis, a Los Angeles-based Psychotherapist and Huffington Post contributor, to understand what it means to live on autopilot—how we do it, why we do it, and how it affects the decisions we make. He shows us how to be more mindful in order to recognize if our autopilot is on or off. He also gives us tools and tips we can use to help us be in better control of it and to live a more balanced life.

This week, we continue our discussion on why we must all vote and the responsibility that we as Americans have in order to live in this democracy. Having a government that is truly representative of its citizens requires the active engagement and participation of all Americans, from Generation Z to the Silent Generation and everyone in between. Every vote matters. We the people are the power, have the power, and our votes give the power to the elected public servants. It all starts at the local level, where the decisions we make of local leaders we elect at the ballot box impact our daily lives the most. All elections matter and the results effect all of us. Your political views and affiliation are your right, flexing your power by running for office, by voting in all elections, and by holding our elected officials accountable is what we must do in order to keep this republic. It is your duty as an American. There is no other way.

Voting is a personal act, but it is also your obligation to your family, your community and your country. It has broad, societal consequences. Your vote matters. It does make a difference and it gives the people the power to choose who we put in power over us. To believe otherwise is self-suppressing your own voice, vote, and power. As we countdown to the 2020 Presidential election which is just weeks away, it is the perfect time to talk about the importance of why you must vote. Having your voice heard and safeguarding our great American democracy will only happen with your active participation and engagement.

Though used to handling emergency situations, nurses are being tested as true front line soldiers battling the Coronavirus pandemic across the country.  We all think a nurse is a nurse is a nurse and that they are prepared to handle anything--even an unknown pandemic.  This is not the case.  Nurses are having to adapt, adjust and execute in real time to do their jobs with accuracy and empathy.  In this podcast, we talk to Mary Catherine Madden, a New York City nurse practitioner with 34 years’ experience, who shares with us lessons she has learned while dealing with the CORONA-19 crisis as it peaked in New York City and her advice for us as we go forward.  In a time when we seem to trust no one, we trust nurses, and this is why.

Our series Keep Calm and Carry On: Teachers continues this week with Part 2. In Part 1, we learned more than a thing or two from teacher Shannon Dunn who shared with us exactly how high the personal and professional cost has become for teachers during the Covid pandemic as she prepares for the upcoming school year. In Part 2, we talk to Gennevie Deloney, a kindergarten teacher at a Title 1 school in the Phoenix, AZ area that includes a large population of at-risk students. Even with 20 years’ experience, the challenges of this new reality of constantly changing policies and procedures make this Fall seem like every teacher’s first year of teaching. Balancing the challenges of virtual teaching with the emotional well-being and safety of her students is a daily battle, but never more rewarding for her as she strives to make a difference in the lives of every student to let them know they still matter.

Teachers are considered to be first responders, providing the vital service of caring for and educating our children. They are keeping calm and carrying on preparing and planning for multiple education scenarios of virtual/distance learning, in-person, or hybrid models to provide and care for their students during this uncertainty and fear caused by the pandemic. In Part 1 of our podcast highlighting teachers, we check in with Shannon Dunn, an elementary intervention teacher in Lexington, Kentucky with 26 years experience, to see how she is doing and discuss her thoughts, concerns and hopes for her students and their parents.  

Happiness is not just happenstance.  Even in "normal" times, to be happy is an ongoing task requiring ones active engagement and participation in order to be achieved.  In unprecedented times like these with so much pain and uncertainty, finding ways to access ones happiness is more important now than ever.  Happiness starts with the individual but needs a supportive environment to thrive.  In this podcast, we talk about what happiness means to  us as Americans on a community level, how we compare to the other parts of the world in terms of happiness, and how you can access more happiness on an individual level from your work life to your personal life.  

With uncertainty of the status of in-person college classes occurring in the near future, more and more students and parents are considering deferring college admission for a year until the traditional college experience hopefully will be possible. Known as a gap year, in the past for many who took a gap year, this time off was a privileged option rather than a necessary precaution. Is taking a gap year right for everyone? What should be considered making a decision? Are all gap years created equal?

At its essence, courage is the ability to do something that frightens us, but we realize that it's much more than that.  In this episode, we discuss if courage is something that we are born with, why it is hard for some people to access, how we can develop it, and how we can strengthen it.  We also talk about how gratitude, which much like courage, is a muscle that we can consciously build, exercise, and flex to access the benefits that having a thankful heart provides for your well-being.

Following your passion is a phrase we hear constantly, but is that possible for everyone? What does passion mean to you? Does everyone have a passion? In this podcast we engage in an animated discussion about the nature of passion, how it differs from purpose, and the importance of both passion and purpose for today’s society and future generations. We also talk about some of the things we are passionate about with our special guest and Executive Producer, Shawn Meaux.

Words have power.  Standing on your soap box in the town square to get you message across in the old days now has the immediate distribution and far-reaching power of a TV network in the digital age of the internet and social media.  Tune in as we discuss the power of the social soap box, callout and cancel culture, the power of words or silence (positive and negative), and the consequences that result.

AI, or artificial Intelligence, is not a future state possibility, it is a present day reality. But what is it and how is it affecting us as humans? With technology advancing faster and faster each day, the effects of AI, automation, and machine learning are far reaching and here to stay. In this podcast, we have a topline discussion about artificial intelligence and how it is changing society, the future of work, and the very essence of what it means to be human.

EQ is emotional intelligence, which is gained through self- and social awareness and the ability to recognize emotions and their impact on yourself and others. In this podcast, we engage in a lively discussion on the importance of emotional Intelligence, what it is, where it comes from, how it is developed, the impact it has on the human experience, and why EQ awareness matters now more than ever in both our personal and professional lives.