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We aren’t living through the most stressful times in human history, but as a society we are more “stressed out” than ever before.  Many factors play a part, but the solution to feel better may start off as simple as introducing the right amino acid supplements to help our bodies create the feel-good neurotransmitters that we’re missing.  Vonda Schaefer explains how simple it can be to start feeling better, even sooner than you think. Vonda Schaefer is a Marriage and Family Therapist with a background in nutrition who specializes in stabilizing brain chemistry to reduce the constraints of insomnia, fatigue, depression, substance abuse, ADD, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, sleep issues, and other underlying psychological issues.  Her patients make profound improvements to their mood as she helps them discover which building blocks they’re missing, restoring balanced hormones with neuronutrient therapy in complement with her therapeutic support. In this episode we discuss: Why we feel more stressed than ever before  The impact of environment on our happiness along with our health  Lightening the load of toxins Genetic influence on mood, and how to overcome it  Serotonin and sleep  Learn more at happifiedlife.com

Every health expert has their own opinion of what is the most important habit or lifestyle change to make now in order to live your healthiest life.  And in a sea of information, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to begin!  Or maybe you’re tolerating some moderate health issues right now and feel like, “it’s not broken yet, I don’t need to fix it…  In either case, if you’re looking for a starting place to enjoy optimal health and lasting vitality, here’s a list of what I believe are the 5 most important contributors to restore your wellbeing that you can build on today. As I often share on the show, don’t let this list add to the overwhelm -  choose one swap to make right now, and come back for more as you begin to have more resilience and capacity for change. In this episode we’ll explore:  Our biological response to stress in the modern world  How the foundations of health promote total wellbeing  Ways that your environment may be making you sick  Why you should be at the top of your To Do list  How to tune in to what your body really wants and needs The benefits of being connected  For more information visit happifiedlife.com , and join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group.       

Many people work hard to accomplish their goals, only to feel dissatisfaction instead of the happiness they expect when they reach them.  Why doesn’t success guarantee happiness, isn’t that what we were taught was true?   Well, if you’re putting happiness on the other side of the finish line, you may just never reach it. But don’t give up!  Today we’re going to explore how you can feel happier - and even more balanced - along your path to success. In this episode we explore: Why reaching your goals doesn’t make you happy Where we get the picture of what success “should” look like How enjoying the journey makes the destination even sweeter  The short-lived happiness of achievements  Why daily habits are so important to your positivity  How happy people reach success more quickly and easily The power of play time to reveal your happy places My favorite positivity self care practice  Benefits of social connection on positivity and success Exploring where you can enhance your life to feel more balanced Ways to discover your aligned goals How your grandparents struggle for survival is impacting your own stress  Writing a new story of what is possible for your future generations Why being kind to others will help you feel happier right now Catch my earlier episode about the (Super)Power of Positivity here  For more information and resources mentioned in this episode, visit happifiedlife.com or join the conversation over in the Live with Less Stress facebook group!

Here on Happified, we take a lot of time exploring emotional wellbeing and personal development, building habits to create a life aligned with your vision of success.  But without physical health, it’s hard to enjoy all that life brings you, and maybe even impossible to reach the goals you pursue.  So today we’re going back to the basics, with a survey of 3 foundations of health: food, sleep, and movement. In this episode we explore  How physical wellbeing supports emotional resilience  The body’s ability to heal and come back to balance  Messages that food cravings are trying to deliver  Why sweet and fatty foods are so irresistible  The importance of nutrients we get from plants  How supplements can support, even if they can’t replace optimal nutrition  Balancing blood sugar (it’s not only about Diabetes) Building stronger bones (it’s not only about calcium)  Good versus bad fats  Why sleep matters, and finding your optimal schedule  When blue light hurts, and when it helps  The impact of electronics in the bedroom  How the stress of exercise builds a stronger body  Avoiding injury by making safe gains  Finding activities you love  Building on small habits for lasting success For more information and resources mentioned in the show, visit happifiedlife.com or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress Facebook group

Monifa Harris, Vocal Alchemist and Visibility Coach, helps her students discover how they can speak up or sing with confidence.  She credits some of her teaching ability on the fact that she wasn’t gifted with a natural singing talent, but instead had to uncover and strengthen her personal expression in order to fulfill her dreams, and so she now does the same with her studio members, whether they are performers, entrepreneurs or executives.  Monifa is also an advocate of embracing your natural energy cycles and working in flow.  This has helped her feel fully creatively expressed without falling victim to burnout or losing her passion for her work. In this episode we discuss Why your voice is important for so much more than singing How aiming for perfection may be holding you back Allowing your body to guide you to realize your vision. Why voice and facial expression are fundamental for human connection The human evolution from surviving to thriving Ways to succeed if goals don’t work for you Finding space your “now moment” for inspiration “You either have to give yourself a ton of space for that preparation or a ton of grace for the execution.” Monifa Harris Connect with Monifa in her free facebook community, Get Vocal- and follow her on IG @dramamezzo  Join the conversation at happifiedlife.com or over in the Live with Less Stress facebook group 

How do you rate, in your personal point of view?  For many of us that perspective is far from flattering, and over time we take it to be true in spite of plenty of evidence pointing to how talented, successful, and lovable we are.  If you brush off compliments or struggle to take pride in your inherent gifts, this episode will shine a light on the ways in which we sell ourselves short and why it’s so important to gain confidence in all that you truly are. In this episode, we take a look at  The truth behind the “grass is greener” syndrome  The lie about having the “same 24 hours in a day” Seeing through the social media filter Recognizing your inner saboteurs Refusing to dim your shine for others’ comfort Seeing your best traits as others do Discovering your positive character strengths training your brain to value your best qualities / talents  Rewarding yourself & celebrating all the wins Discover your own Character Strengths by taking the VIA survey: http://thrivinglife.pro.viasurvey.org Join the conversation at happifiedlife.com or in the Live with Less Stress facebook group.

What wakes you up in the middle of the night? Robin Quinn Kheen shares her tips to identify and end outdated or unnecessary commitments, large and small, so you restore focus to what really matters.    Robin spent years as the founder and director of a music & dance studio, teaching and working with thousands of families, creating a vibrant community and becoming an expert in the areas of accountability, goal achievement. A recovering overdoer, Robin now helps parents identify what's most important and helps them accountably end outdated commitments, promises and agreements so they can spend their time doing what matters most deeply to them. In this episode we discuss:  Using happiness as a compass to navigate balance in a busy life  Recognizing the right opportunities and avoiding overwhelm  Why people-pleasing can pull us off balance  Open loops that drain your confidence  How commitments can hold us back Making things right when agreements aren’t working Raising “quit-proof” kids  Making aligned choices The power of counting your wins, big and small Robin is generously extending her offer of free gifts from the Thriving Life Summit for our audience, including access to “The CLEPTO Code Course” where you can discover the 6 steps you need to simplify your life, and her invitation to a Clarity Call with Robin, for a powerful hour to identify open loops that may be holding you back.  Visit happifiedlife.com  to learn more and leave a comment, or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group. 

Emotions can be like a peaceful pond, or a raging river.  When we let our feelings be felt, they flow past so that we can freely experience what is coming next. And even knowing that, it can still feel overwhelmingly difficult to give space to painful emotions and not try to deny them or brush them away. Today we’ll explore some tools and perspectives to help emotions feel more manageable.  In this episode I discuss  If any emotions are actually “bad”  Why we avoid certain emotions, and how that becomes a habit  What Core Emotions are  The important messages that emotions deliver  Rating emotions by intensity and pleasantness  How emotions are like tunnels  Using the Change Triangle to recognize your authentic feelings Cultivating emotions that you want to experience more often Using Bach Flower Essences to feel more emotionally balanced  If this episode brings up questions, or you want to explore how I can help you feel more emotionally balanced and empowered, book a short, free call with me to have a conversation.  Find more resources, share your experience in feeling your spectrum of emotions, or share which chart is your favorite in the comments at happifiedlife.com or join the conversation in the Live With Less Stress facebook group.

We’ve all heard that “you are what you eat”, but what if your food choices meant even more than that?  What if you could experience healing simply by the process of growing your own healthy herbs, vegetables and fruit? That’s exactly the experience that Pat Galo had as she recovered from severe stress and burnout as a mother of 3. With over 29 years of experience in the present health care system, nurse Pat’s goal is to empower people to improve their life, by having access to fresh nutrient-dense food at their fingertips, no matter their level of experience or home size.   In this episode we discuss  Access to healthy food Raising a healthy family  How gardens bring generations together  Growing your confidence as you expand your garden  Beating stress by gardening  How foods can restore health  Creative container gardening for small spaces  Replacing supplements with home grown plants & herbs Receive Pat’s free guide for beginning gardeners, “The 5 S’s of Growing Food” from her website: GrowHealth4U.com Follow Pat on Instagram @growhealth4u   Join the conversation at happifiedlife.com or in the Live with Less Stress facebook group 

Making a change can be difficult.  So much of what we do is habit, or associated with “who” we are, that even when we understand why it’s important to make a change for the better it can still feel like a struggle.  So how can we support a new way of being until it becomes standard?   Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!  In this episode we explore  The inspiration behind making a change  Using emotions to guide you through the unknown choices that arise  Obstacles to doing things differently  How to ease into a new way of being  The power of your “why”  Finding support in creating new habits   For more inspiration, check out “Making Friends with Change”, episode 113  Join the conversation by leaving a comment at happifiedlife.com, or in the Live with Less Stress facebook group 

Dr. Barrie Tan has spent much of his career researching fat soluble vitamins, and the role Vitamin E plays in human longevity and two nutrients that are derived from the annatto plant— tocotrienol and geranylgeraniol—both of which help with healthy aging and contain anti-inflammation benefits, among many others.  In this episode we discuss The difference between Tocopherol and Tocotrienol Vitamin E  Where most of our fat is located, and how important it is Why we need antioxidants in our diet  His research on metabolic disease, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease  How Fatty Liver Disease is now common even in those who don’t abuse alcohol  The problem with taking certain vitamins in combination, even of the same type  The scientific process of research and validation Learn more about Dr. Tan and his work, and download his book for free on his website with the code “happified” https://barrietan.com/book/   Join the conversation at happifiedlife.com  or in the Live with Less Stress facebook group   

When is the last time you received a massage?  How did it make you feel?  As a Massage Therapist, I see people arrive in all conditions, and leave feeling relaxed, restored, and more in touch with their emotions and physical body.  All within one hour!  As a Stress Coach, I view massage as the gateway to building a self care practice that actually serves them, fits their lifestyle and inspires them to engage with self care more consistently.  In this episode we explore Massage as a “gateway drug” to self care  The power of checking in with your Self  Who benefits from massage Making the most of your bodywork session Vetting a massage therapist  Asking for what you want Continuing the Self Care benefits  Learn more and leave a comment at happifiedlife.com or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group

Reed Davis is the Founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® and the FDN Certification Course, supporting clients and practitioners in resolving disease by restoring balance to the body. A Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Certified Nutritional Therapist, he is also an expert in functional lab testing and holistic lifestyle medicine so that his clients can address the sources of imbalance and build the habits that sustain whole health.  With the DRESS system (diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and supplementation) his practitioners and clients are able to target the stressors that compromise the body’s ability to return to health.  In this episode we discuss:  Stress as the root of all disease  Ways people can reclaim their health  Why pharmaceuticals can’t resolve chronic downward spirals of disease The applied knowledge that has the power to transform your health  Why looking for a single root cause won’t get faster results The innate intelligence of our bodies to heal To learn more about the Functional Diagnostic training and certification program, visit  https://fdntraining.com/Happified Visit https://happifiedlife.com to leave a comment, or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group.  

Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A. (Doctorate of Musical Arts) is the co-author, with her sister Emily, of the New York Times bestselling Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle and upcoming Burnout workbook. As a choral conductor, she was trained to express the full range of human emotion on stage, and elicit it from her performers.  Personally, her emotions were bottled up, until she was hospitalized (twice) with physical issues resulting from stress.   Fortunately her sister Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., is an author and sex educator, whose work training therapists, medical professionals, college students, and the general public about the science of women’s sexual wellbeing had demonstrated just how much women also struggled with stress and burnout. With Emily’s help, Amelia learned how to understand the messages from her body, and how to complete the stress cycle so that emotions could be released, no longer causing physical harm.  In this conversation with Amelia, we explore:  What the stress cycle is, and how we get stuck in it Why we don’t do the things that help us feel better  Giving yourself permission to take care of you  Separating your stress from the stressor  How the game is rigged What it really takes to recover from burnout Surrounding yourself with a bubble of love  The connection between marketing and burnout  Why negative emotions aren’t bad  Not everyone is wired to receive message from their body (but you can learn to listen)  How creatives can avoid burnout and continue to love their art  To learn more about the book, the authors, and what’s coming next, visit their website https://www.burnoutbook.net/ Leave a comment at happifiedlife.com, or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group.  Image sources used in video: @the.millenialgrind, via their blog, and Vanderbilt University

Perhaps in your childhood you had lazy days watching clouds, or building pillow forts.  Now just finishing the laundry can feel like an insurmountable task! Life can fill up quickly with “urgent” matters, and leave us overwhelmed at the neverending To-Do list.  What may be most frustrating is that while things do get done, some of the most important items never seem to make it to the top of the list.  How can we reclaim control of the myriad priorities, and find time for what matters most? It has to start somewhere, and here are a few tips. In this episode, we talk about  Managing your time (sorting the urgent and the important) Handling stress triggers How self care keeps you resilient Making your Self a priority Enlisting help Resources mentioned in the show:  Time Management Tips Tracking your Health Habits to find patterns of wellbeing To learn more and try Magic Mind for yourself, visit https://MagicMind.co/happified   Use code happified20 to receive 20% off your order, or within 10 days of podcast release you can get 40% off your subscription! Join the conversation at happifiedlife.com  or over in the Live with Less Stress facebook group.

Jackie Cote loves showing people how they could have more freedom, and whether it's time freedom, money freedom, or location freedom, as they connect with the true freedom that comes from inner love and acceptance. Peeling through the layers of limiting beliefs and the stories that hold them back, it’s possible to uncover the magnetic vision of the potential life.   In this episode we discuss  With your Vision in place, the How and the When can find you  Tapping into the gift of belief  Stepping out of the safety of the Known  Test driving your dream life The power of painting pictures of what you want, instead of what you don’t What the Freedom Life can really mean  Authenticity and alignment, and why it’s an inside job Jackie is sharing her free video training, all about intentional goal setting where we combine the masculine properties with the feminine sensory experience - Markers optional! https://bit.ly/intentionswithcoachjackie   Or learn more about Jackie thorough her website https://jackiecotecoaching.com Join the conversation on https://happifiedlife.com or inside the Facebook group 

Christopher Lee Maher arose from a challenging childhood to become an elite Navy SEAL, and then become an Olympic contender in track and field before he experienced a physical break down that led to an emotional breakthrough. As he finally addressed the impact of stress and trauma that had shaped his life, he developed tools to help others understand and release the tension and distortion that is impacting their own health and happiness.  In this episode we discuss: Why everyone should wake up feeling like a superhero, and why you probably don’t  How acceptable daily drugs perpetuate the stress cycle  Tension, stress and the distortion that are blocking your internal happiness The potential in slowing down to speed up Being present as a state of coherence  Generational patterns of stress inherited from insecurities and fears  Restoring priority to “be”ing in a world that puts priority on what we do  Enlisting the people you love for support when you’re ready for change  Being in the business of maximizing your own potential  Learn more about his work and find his book, “Free for Life, a Navy SEAL’s Path to Inner Freedom and Outer Peace” on Christopher’s website, https://truebodyintelligence.com/ Share a comment at happifiedlife.com or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress facebook group. 

After spending the last few years enjoying scaled-back holiday events, coming back to a table full of different personalities and viewpoints can feel overwhelming.  Here are a few tips that may help you prepare for festivities so you can maintain your festive spirit and feel less friction with your beloved family.  In this episode we explore  How they know how to push your buttons  Ways to restore perspective after feeling triggered  Courtesy versus boundaries, and finding the sweet spot  Taking responsibility for your own emotional needs  Discussing what will or won’t be discussed  Confirmation bias and how it can divide  Agreeing to disagree, or Right versus Happy  The real meaning of family gatherings  A note: These perspectives and suggestions are based on my own experience and personal character, and may not be the most highly evolved guidelines for creating a peaceful family gathering, but they’re what have worked for me and may help you sail through the season with a little less friction at the table.   Your own personal experience and viewpoints are welcome, please share in the comments at https://happifiedlife.com   Exploring others’ perspectives is always helpful in recognizing what feels aligned and what doesn’t, and ultimately that inner compass is your most important guide!  Wishing you a healthy, happy, and peaceful holiday season.

Connie Durham helps people ignite new life and energy in relationships by fostering communication styles that you can use in your marriage, with your kids, and with your work team.  We dig in to common sources of misunderstanding and the impact of stress on your most important relationships, and explore ways to resolve misunderstandings and let your love speak volumes to the ones most important to you.  In this episode we explore  Making communication with your pattern and family a priority  Why it’s important to know what your ideal relationship looks like  Putting your partner above everyone else (even the kiddoes)  Choosing priorities, and understanding what happens when you say “Yes”  Why opposites attract, and what to watch out for  The power of your presence & gifts of positive perspective  Understanding different Love and Communication styles  Connie offers priceless insights into the 4 Love Languages in this free gift for our audience.  Learn more about Connie’s work and upcoming “Honey Listen Up” 5 day series at https://www.conniescleverconcepts.com   Leave a comment at HappifiedLife.com or join the conversation in the Live with Less Stress group.

With all that lands on your schedule, your To Do list, and the commitments that are made, it’s easy to get caught up in the “do”ing, and never find an opportunity to simply “be”. Is it possible to make a shift, without letting everyone down, including yourself?  You might be surprised to discover the benefits, beyond still delivering on what matters, and even find it’s easier to discern what actually does matter, to enjoy the present moment, be more present in your relationships, and recover from stress faster.   Inside the episode we’ll explore:  Changing your fuel source from stress to flow  The impact of stress on your physical and emotional wellbeing  Ways to create more space to “be”  How to quiet the mental chatter  Tuning in to your body  Sharing the gift of your presence for better relationships  This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind, a superfood supplement that boosts energy and focus that’s created from clean ingredients that nourish your body and mind.  Learn more at https://magicmind.co/happified, and use coupon code: happified20 to save 20% on your order (40% within the first 10 days of this podcast release!)  Leave a comment at happifiedlife.com or join the conversation in the  Live with Less Stress group .