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It’s just the right time to share the story of The Monastery in Gorton, Manchester. We first came here in 2019 and absolutely loved it. It has a very peaceful and deeply spiritual vibe, but I didn’t really appreciate why. Now it all makes a bit more sense… I really enjoyed speaking with Elaine Griffiths (CEO) and Gill Harbach (Volunteer and Gnostic Researcher) to find out about the history of the building and how the renovation project has evolved over the past 25 years. What’s so wonderful about its latest incarnation is the desire to make it first and foremost, a sanctuary of peace and wellbeing that is accessible to the whole community. It is also now the home of MOMM (Moments of Mass Mindfulness) as part of Self-care Sundays. This event takes place the first Sunday of every month with the next one coming up on the 5th of September. For more information visit: https://www.themonastery.co.uk/place-to-visit-manchester/

I appreciate that it’s been a while since our last episode. There continues to be a lot of change for everyone during this time (yes an understatement, I know). I’m very much about sharing stories that are of interest to me and/or that are very relevant to what’s going on. This one ticks both of those boxes. I first met Ellie Harrison last September when she was a panellist for one of our Kinder Communities events for the Leeds Festival of Kindness, Compassion and Wellbeing. Ellie is an amazing artist and I wanted to find out more about her body of work called The Grief Series. I really enjoyed hearing about the different projects that form this work and her collaborations with other artists in the UK and Mexico. Grief is something we all experience and yet we don’t talk about it enough. These projects allow people to explore it in creative and safe ways using compassion, humour, clever words, emotion, fun and splashes of colour. Ellie also talks about how she’s been providing others with support this past year through resources that she’s made readily available. To explore them and learn more about her work please check her website: https://www.griefseries.co.uk/    

Our latest episode celebrates Black History Month with three amazing ladies who are members of the Leeds African Communities Trust. Meet Lucy Ndlovu, Abigail Marshall Katung and Kendi Guantai and please have a look at their biographies further below. We explored the idea of the Strong Black Woman; where does it come from? why is it important? what are the positive and negative aspects of it? I found this discussion fascinating as I’m not from that community and wanted to learn more. I also wanted to compare it with the messages that I received from my Latin American cultural background. Biographies Lucy Ndlovu is a researcher and a recent graduate at Leeds Beckett University where she completed an MA in Public Relations and strategic communication. She currently works in the Housing sector in this field. She is interested in the sociocultural model of PR and communication and as a practitioner, Lucy looks at race, gender, class and ethics and how these frame vital discussions within organisations.   Abigail Marshall Katung is a Labour & Cooperative Councillor in Leeds City Council. She’s the Lead Member for BAME, Support Executive Member, Chairs the Strategic Board of FE (14-19)25yrs and the Hate Crime Strategic Board. She is the first African to be elected on to the Leeds Council in May 2019. She is also an England Athletics Coach specialising in sprinting at the Leeds City Athletics Club.   Dr. Kendi Guantai is a public speaker, corporate communications expert, mother and community advocate. In her work, Dr. Guantai is an academic at the Leeds University Business School (LUBS), where she designs and delivers postgraduate courses in Corporate Communication and Public Relations. She is also a trainer on the Goldman Sachs 10K Women’s Project and is currently the Vice President of the International Association for Business Communicators (IABC) – EMENA region. She is also the current President and co-founding trustee of the Leeds African Communities Trust.

Welcome to our episode entitled What it Means to be Kinder to Yourself which coincides with the Leeds Festival of Kindness, Compassion and Wellbeing. The Festival runs from the 6th – 12th of September and Monday the 7th is Kinder to Self day. We invited Miranda Arieh and Matt Wilson to talk about this important topic and to offer practical tips. Miranda is a musician, songwriter and mental health campaigner in Leeds. Matt is a Personal Trainer and Director of SitFit CIC which offers seated exercises for an older age group in East Leeds.

Our topic is how to support the Immune System which is always important but particularly at the moment, when our focus needs to be on keeping ourselves and our families as healthy as possible. Simona Vateva, owner of Nutrienne, joins me to give some practical ideas of healthy choices you can make to improve your lifestyle. She’s also giving away a free guide to boosting your immunity and here’s the link: https://www.subscribepage.com/boost-your-immunity-free-guide https://www.nutrienne.com Simona had some book recommendations that we didn’t have a chance to discuss but she’s shared them with me below in case you want to do more reading. Stay well and keep healthy xx      

To join the Leeds MOMM online on Sunday the 10th of May: If you’re on Facebook, then you will get access to the full programme of sessions (starting at 10am) by following the link below to our event and booking a ticket to become a member of the group: https://www.facebook.com/events/239441417116765/ If you don’t have a Facebook account but still want to take part in the main meditation at 12pm then email us at leedsmomm@gmail.com and we will send you the Zoom link on Sunday morning. We look forward to seeing you then! Stay well and keep healthy! xx

Our new episode is about keeping things simple with Kieran O’Connor, aka The Simplicity Guy. We chat about finding more simple solutions to life’s challenges. Often we can feel overwhelmed when dealing with issues and problems and can’t see how to move forward, even if the answer is right in front of us. Kieran also mentions the regular self-care practices that help him improve his creativity and support his ability to find the simple solutions. I’ve always enjoyed talking to Kieran about big topics because as an engineer, he often comes at things from quite a different angle to me. He’s morphed into a published author and his latest book is called ‘The 1% Improvement Mindset’. http://www.thesimplicityguy.com/

Happy New Year to you all! We’re very excited to start 2020 with a podcast on Feng Shui with consultant Korina Hortynska. Korina explains how changing the energy in your home or work environment can impact important aspects of your life. She also gives a few practical suggestions to improve our spaces by moving things around and using colour. The new year is a great time to de-clutter and change things up a bit. A good friend of mine recently did a pop up shop in her home of clothes and items she no longer wanted which now other people can use and enjoy. This inspired me so much that I’m currently going through my things to give some away. I always feel so much better after I’ve done this as I feel lighter and notice a change in how my space feels. Hopefully this will inspire you to start 2020 with more clarity and energy to make the improvements in your life that you want to make! Best wishes x

This week we meet Mario and Bev and talk about everything to do with crystals. They are definitely a couple of Leeds legends and opened their Global Tribe shop in 1999. They have a great story and are lots of fun. Crystals are so much more than pretty stones so sit back and find out a bit more. We hope you enjoy it! www.globalcrystals.com

This week is all about money… Why a whole episode dedicated to money and finance? Well because it’s a source of tension and stress for so many people. A difficult relationship with money can lead to relationship breakdowns, mental health problems and sometimes even suicide. My guests are the wonderful Sam Leigh and Sanae Floyd who each bring some interesting experience and thoughts about how to improve your relationship with money and personal finances. Sam is a Financial Coach and Sanae is a Sales Coach who recently published her book called “Paid in Full”. If you want to know more about them, have a look at their websites: For Sam: http://www.sleighservices.co.uk/ For Sanae: https://sanaefloyd.com/ The TV programme that Gloria mentions towards the end of the podcast is called ‘Killed By My Debt’ which is a BBC3 drama based on the story of a young man called Jerome Rogers who committed suicide when he was 20 years old. He had accrued debts of over £1,000 that originated from two unpaid traffic fines of £65. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIeVilRBAUw

Thank you for all your support for the first series of our podcast! Whether you’ve subscribed, liked our Facebook page, commented or simply shared a link with a friend (hopefully you’ve done all of these things!), we deeply appreciate your help in getting this information out there to all the people who need it. This is the final episode of our first series and a few of you have asked me when I was going to share my story about the path that has led me to co-create this podcast.  So just how did I get from New York to Leeds (via Costa Rica, Washington, DC and San Francisco). Well here it is… I asked my good friend Kendi Guantai to take my role. Kendi is an intelligent, wonderful, heart centered woman who is all about good communication and was the only person who came into my mind when I thought about who would interview me. You will hear about my experience of holistic health, homeopathy, PSYCH-K® and some of my spiritual views. I hope that something resonates with you. Gloria x  

It’s men’s mental health part two with Gloria joined again by friends of the pod Sam, Ryan and Chris. Getting men talking isn’t easy so we were grateful to have three very open guests who were more than happy to share their experiences and ideas. We discuss the role of social media, advertising and even children’s films in how they might impact men’s views of themselves. Everyone shared some practical tips at the very end to hopefully help anyone who is feeling a bit low. Helpful resources: Chris Sutton’s podcast is called Mental Conversations: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mental-conversations/id1436889290?mt=2 Ryan Rogerson’s Meetup is called Yorkshire Climbers: https://www.meetup.com/Yorkshire-Climbers/ Sam Fong Brooks yoga studio: https://leedsyoga.com/ Books mentioned: The Untethered Soul, The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron The advert we discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiynAdEuyWQ Not mentioned but one of Gloria’s favourites: Brene Brown – short clip of her TED talk regarding shame and how it manifests in men and women differently: https://www.facebook.com/TED/videos/10160673484905652/  

Men’s mental health is a huge issue in the UK with an obscene amount of deaths each year from male suicide (4,383 in 2017). It has been referred to as a silent epidemic and not enough airtime has generally been given to men’s mental health. Looking through the stats, if you are male or have a loved one in your life who is male, at some point in their life they are going to go through a crisis and may need help. This week Gloria welcomes back Sam Fong Brooks and is joined by new friends Ryan Rogerson and Chris Sutton. They talk about when to see a GP, medication and share their own personal experiences. The conversation is very open and both serious and light hearted. If you have a loved one in your life who you think would benefit from listening please share this episode with them. Note that we split the discussion into two episodes so part 2 will be shared next week. Links and websites mentioned in this episode: Chris Sutton’s podcast is called Mental Conversations and you can find it on itunes and other platforms: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mental-conversations/id1436889290?mt=2 App in Leeds for young people: https://www.mindmate.org.uk/     Sam, Ryan and Chris Chris Sutton Ryan Rogerson    

Here’s a guided meditation to help you relax. Meditation is the way to combat the trials and tribulations of modern life. In addition to the mental benefits of practising meditation, there are also the physical ones which Dr Kamila Hortynska discusses in Episode 2. So switch off your phone, screens and find a comfortable place where you can be calm for 20 minutes. Friend of the pod, Sam Fong Brooks guides you through a soothing 20 minute meditation. Enjoy! This ia a basic ‘guided’ meditation, where the instructor ‘guides’ you through the meditation. They can give you places to imagine or get you to focus on different parts of the body to deeply relax you. Visualisation is a powerful tool for achieving in life and there is a cross-over her between learning to meditate and visualise. Getting your mind to be calm for periods of time each week is a tool to help you maintain good mental health. Get into a routine so that each week you have time to spend a couple of hours relaxing. See what works for you, whether it is guided meditations, mindfulness exercises or simply being quiet. Please give us some feedback if you’d like more of this type of content. We’re happy to provide guided meditations around different themes.

Want to know some easy strategies to improve your nutrition and overall health? Shakela Shan is a Nutritional Therapist based in Leeds who takes a simple and holistic approach to nutrition and wellness. It’s not just about the food either – we talk about sleep, exercise (too much can be just as harmful as not enough) and meditation. She mentions the book The Four Pillars by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. Paul also asks for her opinion on a vegan diet compared with a paleo one. Find out what she has to say… Shakela also shares a recipe for her delicious Almond and Cashew Protein Balls which is below. http://nutrishan.co.uk/ https://www.drindra.co.uk/   Almond and Cashew Protein Balls These delicious protein balls are packed with fibre, protein and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied. They are ideal for stashing in your handbag for a nutritious energy snack. This recipe should feature in the 20% of the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time eat optimally and 20% of the time eat a little bit of what you fancy as long as it doesn’t cause any health issues. Ingredients: Makes 12-15 100g ground almonds 100g cashew nut butter 3 tablespoon coconut oil, melted 30g almond flour 30g unsweetened desiccated coconut 3 tablespoons of ‘Helen’s breakfast seed topping’ (sunflower, pumpkin, chia seeds, goji berries) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 90g pitted dates Method: 1 Place all of the above ingredients in a food blender and gently pulse to combine the mixture well. 2 Take one tablespoon of mixture for each ball, rolling it in your hands to make 12-15 balls. I find wetting my hands makes the balls easier to roll. 3 You can roll the balls in any toppings of your choice – desiccated coconut, cinnamon, cocoa, sesame seeds and chia seeds. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Meet Ian White founder of Australian Bush Flower Essences and learn how they support emotional healing. Yes flower power as medicine… and unusual ones at that! Check out below my favourite weird looking Australian flower and what it can be used for – it’s appearance may give you a clue. I’ve been using Australian Bush Flower Essences and recommending them for many years but mainly the combination ones for extra support. I got to the stage that I wanted to learn more and went to beautiful Malahide Castle in Ireland last May to attend an 3 day workshop with the creator of these extraordinary tools, Ian White. The best thing about the flower essences is that they can be used by anyone. You don’t have to do a training course unless you really want to get to know each individual essence in more depth. There is a wide range of off the shelf combination essences that cover a number of issues. My picture below only shows a few of them. I had a short amount of time with Ian so after the interview I give you my personal tips on how you can use them and which essence needs to be in everyone’s medicine cabinet. I hope that you’ll give them a try as they are safe and easy to use and may just give you the support that you need right now. For more information and some videos about the different essences please visit the official website: http://ausflowers.com.au/   Grey Spider Flower which is used to release deep fears and terrors.

Integrative health communities, views from an Elder. Former NHS nurse now an ‘elder’ of the holistic community, Sue Cooper is passionate about meditation, mindfulness, ayurvedic medicine and creating an integrative care community. Sue talks about how she went from burn-out and having panic attacks to the art of living well and her bedrock, meditation. She became a student of Deepak Chopra and travelled far and wide to understand different types of indigenous cultures and the healing modalities they use. Sue is the person behind a Mass Meditation project around the UK in May 2019. For more information check out her website: http://selfcareworld.org She also mentions: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra Elaine Griffiths & the staff at Gorton Monastery in Manchester https://www.themonastery.co.uk/ Dan Seigel https://www.drdansiegel.com/   The Gathering of the Graceful Warriors by Alison Knox (everydayangelsart.com)  

Costa Rican diet, the environment, living long and well are all subjects discussed by Ligia Salazar, owner of Costa Rican food company Curubanda. Ligia discusses how she discovered the connection between what she was eating and her health at the tender age of 16. Also she talks about how her diet has evolved from macrobiotics to how she eats now. Eating according to the season and eating local produce are things Ligia believes in. She also explains the six things that she thinks are important to the people of Nicoya, who enjoy one of the longest lifespans in the world in an area that is known to be one of the world’s ‘blue zones.’ You can find her here: https://www.facebook.com/CurubandaCR/ http://www.curubandacr.com Below is San Jose’s Feria Verde (green market) in Aranjuez, Curubanda Chai tea and our guest Ligia Ligia Salazar

This week Gloria is in Nottingham visiting Alison Knox. When you think of somebody who says they are involved with angels you may immediately think of someone who is…..well….different. Alison, who is a down to earth Northern lass from the North West is perhaps not the person you might expect her to be. In addition to the Angels, Alison has become a beekeeper and she also officiates as a Celebrant. She is a fascinating person with some very interesting stories to tell. You can find her website here: http://www.everydayangelsart.com/ And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alison.knox.angels Alison Knox

Emotional eating is this week’s subject. Listen to Rachel Swann talk about why diets don’t work and how to eat mindfully. Rachel is an Emotional Eating and Body Confidence Coach based in Leeds. Her personal experience of making the connection between her emotions and how she used food as a coping mechanism has led her to support others.  She has a background in hypnotherapy, counselling and Reiki among other skills. https://rachel-swann.com Rachel Swann Rachel recommends the book Body Respect by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor: