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With help from guest authors, experts, and community and business leaders, the Familius Helping Families Be Happy podcast explores topics and issues that connect families to the nine habits of a happy family: love, play, learn, work, talk, heal, read, eat, and laugh together.
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
In today’s episode of the “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Christopher Robbins, Founder of ‘Familius Publishing’. He is talking about the 10 Habits of Happy Family. He also shares tips to those struggling families who are missing all these elements of being a happy family.
Episode Highlights
- 01:53 – Dr. Carla enquires, where the 10 Habits come from?
- 03:47 – Christopher shares, they started to frame this around these 10 habits and it was nine at first.
- 04:47 – The 10th habit is about giving because giving as a family will strengthen that family when they look outside of themselves, says Christopher.
- 07:37 – Dr. Carla asks Christopher about his views on people who are struggling to find that time to sit down at the family dinner table and connect.
- 09:22 - All you listeners out there who might have not had a family dinner in a while such sage advice. Start small pick one day one meal and make that filled with love and joy, says Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- 11:06 – Christopher states, it's all about the time that you can give to another person to show your interest in that person.
- 13:05 – We don't need any healthier habits here but consistency is such an important part of showing love, says the host.
- 19:29 – Dr. Carla says when we're connecting with someone if we don't understand them, that alone can be so connective.
- 22:06 – Christopher mentions that healing is more than just a band-aid.
- 23:33 – There are so many people who are discouraged, who have anxiety in some form or another, and we can't say to a depressed person, don't be depressed, mentions Christopher
- 25:49 – When we show our love, not just say we love you but show we love you it's just the best thing in the world for the part of the body, mind, and soul.
- 27:38 – When we forgive, we heal that is truth. So, if we want to heal together, learn to forgive each other and move on.
- 30:14 – Christopher says, no matter what it was working, there were lessons taught and opportunities to talk and to learn and to trust and to love.
- 32:33 – The host states that when we join with a child in sweeping the floor or folding the clothes or picking up their room and making it a game and making it fun, we accomplish the same task, but we accomplish it with joy and connection.
Three Key Points
- Christopher highlights, no one habit is better than another and they don't even prioritize these. The 10 habits are - eat together, heal together, laugh together, learn together, love together, play together, read together, talk together, work together, and give together.
- It is really about creating intentional habits that make us healthier human beings and thus supporting a healthy family.
- We need to do our best slowly but surely to make some of these habits come to life in our homes.
Tweetable Quotes
- “Depression and anxiety tend to be reduced when we volunteer when we give.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “My recommendation is to start slow, pick one day a week that you say as a fan” - Christopher Robbins
- “Eat, laugh, and talk that provides you with recipes, games and conversation starters.” - Christopher Robbins
- “You can show love to your family by also making sure that there are consistent fouls that are helpful.” - Christopher Robbins
- “Consistency does bring that peace of safety and safety builds trust.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “We have a great book called ‘The Big Book of Family Games; this book has no technology allowed.” – Christopher Robbins
- “Sometimes just by showing the interest builds that trust that then allows them to start sharing with you.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- ‘When people start sharing with you, their problems, their challenges, they're not necessarily asking you to solve them for them.” - Christopher Robbins
- “Forgiveness asks us to let go keep a good boundary maybe set a new boundary, but to let go of the resentment, let go of the pain.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the world and marine life is not just to be endured, supposed to be enjoyed was to our best to enjoy it.” - Christopher Robbins
Resources Mentioned
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Feeling and Naming Your Feelings with Rebecca Fox Starr
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Rebecca Fox Starr about her book ‘Mommy Ever After’, and all about her journey of becoming an author.
Episode Highlights
- 02:30 – Dr. Carla asks the guest about one or two pieces of the hard work that make Rebecca who she is.
- 04:48 – Rebecca says that after the birth of her son in 2013, she had severe postpartum depression and it came out of nowhere.
- 07:20 – Dr. Carla enquires what is the most magical piece about the book - 'Mommy Ever After' that's different from the other books that Rebecca wrote.
- 10:10 – It is a story about a mother and her daughter as they go through the stages of life, and experience all different emotions, specifically, some of the tough emotions.
- 14:10 - The holistic approach (mind, body, and spirit approach) is so important, says Dr. Carla.
- 17:10 - What is your favorite part about the way the illustrations speak, asks Dr. Carla.
- 19:10 – Rebecca states that it's very hard to choose her favorite illustrations from the book because every page is just exquisite to her.
- 20:50 – Rebecca suggests that whatever feelings you may feel instead of judging them bring them in, welcome them, sit with them, and let them go.
Three Key Points
- Rebecca started to write in real-time about her struggle with postpartum depression on her blog and that changed the trajectory of her life. She opened up about the heart stuff and subsequently wrote two books that are academic books on perinatal mood, anxiety disorders, and maternal mental health. Writing 'Mommy Ever After' has been such a dream realized; it is something magical for Rebecca.
- Dr. Carla mentions that this book helps check the child and parent, both as a team learn about emotions being good, that all of these emotions are so important to be able to feel and express in healthy ways.
- Rebecca emphasizes that sometimes feelings don't have names. It's very hard to name these feelings, but it does not make them any less intense or valid. She has tried to instill in her children that they can say I'm not feeling well. If they say I'm not feeling well, she might ask them, physically or emotionally. If they say emotionally, she takes it just as seriously as any physical ailment.
Tweetable Quotes
- "Your story is just so beautiful meeting the boy down the street around the corner." - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- "Mommy Ever After - the phrase came about when I became a mom in 2010, I was the first of my friends to have a baby." - Rebecca Fox Starr
- "Being a mother, being a mom, it's another layer in life altogether." - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- "First of all, I can't take credit for the visual representations in this book." - Rebecca Fox Starr
- "I love the message that goes throughout the book of being in touch with your emotions." - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- "I appreciate that you were able to glean that because that's what my intention is." - Rebecca Fox Starr
- "I have so many favorite images but I'll give you two." - Rebecca Fox Starr
- "What a powerful book, it's a gorgeous book." - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- "Beautiful and I agree with you, everything starts and ends with love." - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter
- Rebecca Foxstarr Website Instagram LinkedIn Twitter
- Podcast Editing
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
In today’s episode of the “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Randel McGee, a Ventriloquist, Storyteller, Illustrator, and an Author. He shares his upcoming book ‘Zhang Heng’. This book tells the story of Zhang Heng and how he created the first seismometer in ancient China.
Episode Highlights
- 01:22 – Randel shares, this is his first picture book for young audiences.
- 02:35 – It’s about the story of Zhang Heng who was the actual inventor/creator and created this earthquake detector device.
- 03:40 – Dr. Carla enquires, how accurate was the earthquake detector?
- 04:14 – Randel shares, the age range for his book would be from 6 to 12. He has illustrated it to look like a Chinese Shadow Play.
- 06:26 – The host asks, can you tell us a little bit about what happened in his life that makes him a meaningful character other than being the creator of this wonderful device?
- 08:02 – Randel states, Zhang was highly favoured of the emperor, which unfortunately caused a little bit of jealousy among the other members of the court.
- 09:44 - Some scenes portray a humorous side to the story and he too has been very impressed with the familiarise ideals that they want to promote, says Randel.
- 11:47 – Dr. Carla asks that when Randel looks at what has made him, who he is and what he is proudest of in life?
- 13:23 – It sounds like you also carry that energy i.e. perseverance, dedication, fortitude, indomitable spirit, into your relationship with your wife and your family to make it what it is, asks Dr. Carla.
- 14:10 – Dr. Carla mentions that sometimes we gravitate toward an entity that has familiar energy to us.
- 16:07 – Randel states, publishers thought it was a story that was worth telling, too.
- 17:03 – He came up with an interesting presentation because earthquakes in California are a big subject in the schools of studies, mentions Randel.
Three Key Points
- This book is about the story of Zhang Hang, who lived almost 2000 years ago in China. He was assigned by the emperor to create some way of detecting where and when an earthquake hit, so he created this device which was able to show which direction the earthquake came from and when it hit.
- Dr. Carla shares that this book is a wonderful inspiration for people of all ages not only from the scientific level but also from a creative level. Being inspired by a dream and then taking us into the world of creativity and the way that tiny shadow puppets are done. It sounds beautiful.
- Randel highlights that this story is not only good for science, history, and culture but also to discuss what it takes to persevere to keep going when people are against you and yet you have something good to give to the world.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I took a little artistic license and added a dream sequence but everything else is a true story.” – Randel McGee
- “It's a book that can be read together through the generations and talked about.’ – Randel McGee
- “It's coming out just before the Chinese New Year’s so it will be I think, a special edition, too.” – Randel McGee
- “He refined an odometer that would count the distance that they would travel and he was able to create different devices to chart the movement of the stars and the planets.” – Randel McGee
- “The fact that the emperor liked him too much made him a threat to the people didn't feel quite as loved, sounds like family dynamics.’ - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “My greatest accomplishment is my relationship with my wife and family.” - Randel McGee
- “It seems like maybe you gravitated toward that character towards that person, Zhang Heng.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “The book was inspired by a program I had been commissioned to produce on earthquakes.” – Randel McGee
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
- Randel McGee: Website
- Podcast Editing
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
In today’s episode of “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with John Schlimm, a writer, an artist, an advocate, and an educator speaks about his upcoming book ‘The Star Jumped over the Moon’. This book tells readers about how they are the star that jumped over the moon. John tells listeners the purpose of life. It’s figuring out what it is that makes us different and unique.
Episode Highlights
- 01:58 – John shares, several years back a publicist once had asked him for PR materials to summarize who he is in one sentence, which is a challenge for anyone.
- 03:26 – Dr. Carla enquires, where does the star jump over the moon come from?
- 04:02 - John mentions, it's that apple tree that was very much rooted upon an old field of green that inspired this story.
- 06:24 – John worked very hard to make sure that the story of ‘The Star Jumped over the Moon’ is timeless.
- 08:40 – John has recently fallen in love with the genre of a zine. They're a collection of writings, artwork, and activities that different groups would put together very simply on a photocopier.
- 10:23 – The guest loves to create as many different entry points as he can for the participants to come in.
- 14:30 – The cover of the activity zine to ‘The Star Jumped over the Moon’ when people download it, they will see that it’s created by ‘John Schlimm’ and there's a blank line where he wants his collaborators to write their names.
- 16:00 – John sees kids today as the imagination generation because he believes that kids today have more tools and pathways for exploring and cultivating than any generation before.
- 18:11 – Imagination is one constant gift that from the beginning of time that has consistently allowed human beings to leap over any challenges, states John.
- 20:00 – The greatest gift that Gen Z has already given to the world is within the realm of mental health.
- 22:21 – You're talking about the imagination, that if there is a way forward, it will be through the imagination and the heart, says Dr. Carla.
- 24:02 – John states, he has encouraged older adults to just sit down and have a conversation with these young people (Gen Z).
- 27:04 – We hope we look at each other with acceptance, and a sense of uplifting, supporting, and moving forward focusing on our similarities rather than on any negative differences.
- 28:00 – The greatest villain right now in the story of the imagination generation is mental health, mentions John.
- 30:38 - Not only let the kids have fun but have fun alongside them because we adults in so many ways have forgotten how to have fun, says the guest.
- 34:41 – Dr. Carla points out that those themes are no charge, you can go download, play, laugh, and explore to your heart's content.
Three Key Points
- The main message that John hopes all readers will walk away with at the end is that they are the ‘Star That Jumped over the Moon’; he wants each reader to come to this book and find themselves in the story of this star. This star who on a chilly morning, woke up in a nest on a branch inside that old apple tree, didn't know how he got there, didn't know where he came from and didn't understand what his purpose was.
- John wants especially those young people to walk away, embracing their imagination, their creativity, their dreams, and figuring out what it is that makes them different and unique because each of us is unique in our ways.
- No matter where or how we were born in this world, our imagination is something that is constant and can take us anywhere we want to go. John hopes that with this book and with the activity zine he also created the imagination generation activities that seem to be a companion to that concept.
Tweetable Quotes
- “A dear friend of mine once told me, every story has its time to be told.” – John Schlimm
- “It was important for me, especially as an educator to create a series of resources that could be downloaded for free by parents, teachers, and librarians or by anyone who works or lives with children…..” - John Schlimm
- “This is a story that I think whether it's children who are reading it, or having it read to them, or the adults who are doing the reading, everyone's going to walk away finding a piece of themselves in this star.” – John Schlimm
- “I created a companion activities theme that takes the reader through different activities to help them connect and understand how they are that star that jumped over the moon.” – John Schlimm
- “I love that you're providing resources so that a book like this can take somebody into a deeper space.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I wanted the zine to have that wonderful old school feeling.” – John Schlimm
- “It's okay to show those flaws and to be vulnerable.’ – John Schlimm
- “You might even see a smudge of a fingerprint in there, as it gets kind of messy when you're working with markers and all of that.” – John Schlimm
- “The energy that I get from your work is there's a lot of love, play, learning, working together, talking, and healing all of those beautiful elements that allow us to grow as human beings.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “That is such a true educator and artist in you and collaborator, you allow someone to co-author with you, so beautiful.’ - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “The imagination is so critical for the success of our species, right?” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I'm a huge number one fan of Gen Z and have spent the last several years in the classroom with them.” – John Schlimm
- “One of the greatest gifts that they have given to the world is they were the first generation to not see black or white.” – John Schlimm
- “Every generation has given gifts, but I do believe that the imagination is the one that kids today are going to be able to give to the world in a way that is just going to blow our minds.” – John Schlimm
- “I'm so grateful to Gen Z that they are helping to clear a pathway for the imagination generation kids today.” – John Schlimm
- “When we have good mental health, strong mental health, we inherently have a more balanced life.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “One of the things I love to do most to have fun is climbing trees.’ – John Schlimm
- ‘Your differences don't make you bad, they're nothing to hide.’ - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “You are the star who jumped over the moon.’ - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
- John Schlimm: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Website
- Podcast Editing
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Hannah Lee, a Content Creator and an Instagram Marketer about the power of social media as a resource for parents. She also talks about how she helps other moms who work from home by marketing their small businesses.
Episode Highlights
- 02:15 - Hannah was isolated at home so she tried to join a local Facebook support group. However, she was kicked out of the group within two weeks because she mentioned a comment about ‘Sleep Training’ on a post made by an exhausted desperate mother.
- 03:45 – Hannah’s Instagram page is an intentionally created safe, positive community for stay-at-home moms.
- 06:45 – Dr. Carla states that it is so inspirational that instead of going and curling up in a dark hole, Hannah chose to be courageous, and started her way of connecting with people.
- 08:30 – Through the Instagram page and other groups they started sharing different ideas and tricks of creating support for the community and helping other moms in need.
- 10:40 – So many people who've been put in unexpected situations recently, like working moms, but are also watching their child at home.
- 13:20 – Dr. Carla asks about Hannah’s favorite content creation.
- 16:00 – Hannah does some marketing for the small businesses run by moms.
- 18:15 – To be able to review books for the publishing houses is a dream come true for Hannah as she has always been a book lover.
- 19:30 – Dr. Carla asks Hannah if she remembers her favorite book as a child if she had one.
- 21:40 – Hannah reminds parents that parenting was already hard and now we are pandemic parenting, and it's become even harder.
Three Key Points
- Hannah thinks that there's a need in the world for something to help mothers build community, and that’s how her Instagram page and the Content Creator in her were born. This page is called ‘Survival of The-Stay-At-Home-Mom’ because it was born out of this difficult struggle to find support.
- In addition to the entire wonderful expert resources on Instagram, Hannah discovered many fabulous small businesses and handmade toys by small businesses. She is now connected with brand representatives for a handful of small businesses, toymakers, and small businesses run by moms, and they are now her friends.
- Books and Sensory Play are a way to engage kids with the world in a safe way at home. You can travel the world in a book, you can provide kids with some slime, play dough, or rice bins that let them get their hands in there and touch everything.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I'm a former Teacher and Nanny but I had no idea what the transition to motherhood would be like.”– Hannah Lee
- “I found this app called ‘Peanut’, which is a dating app, but it's for mothers finding communities, which is cool.” - Hannah Lee
- “Do you stay awake at night thinking about what to create next?” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “You are reaching 3000 formally isolated individuals who now have someone to turn to.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I am finding so many inspirational people on Instagram, I am following Occupational Therapists, Parenting Specialists, and Nutritionists.” - Hannah Lee
- “They're engaged and are having a fabulous time and it’s simple and easy.” - Hannah Lee
- “So, I also have a very strong passion for Sensory Play.” - Hannah Lee
- “I am a book lover; I always used to sleep with mountains of books as a child.” - Hannah Lee
- “Books and Sensory Play has been therapy for our family.” - Hannah Lee
- “The community is such a lifesaving gift isn't it?” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
- Hannah Lee Instagram
- Podcast Editing
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Leah C. Day, An Author, Outdoor Adventurer, and a Social Worker. She talks about her book ‘Changing Gears’ which stresses finding out what is going to bring you the most strength and joy and going for it despite being uncomfortable.
Episode Highlights
- 02:05 – Dr. Carla asks if Leah’s book is a tale about bringing three aspects of her life into one.
- 03:30 - Leah and her 16-year-old son biked across the country together and learned some real-life lessons along the way.
- 05:45 – There were times when Leah’s son – Oakley, did get angry because he's impulsive.
- 08:25 – Dr. Carla enquires about the most difficult and the most joyful moment of the journey.
- 10:38 - It was in that moment of joy Oakley was having a huge growth experience, and there was no quitting.
- 13:00 - Leah felt extreme joy that Oakley was taking care of her and becoming a man. He was turning to her and saying that he’s going to take care of her at this last moment.
- 15:15 - It wasn't a made-up task but was really working and playing together, says Leah.
- 17:30 - We know which states to go to if we want to sleep under fire trucks, states Dr. Carla.
- 19:00 – Leah talks about a few of her favorite acts of kindness during the journey.
- 21:35 – “Is there one particular part of you that grew more than other parts?” asks Dr. Carla.
- 23:20 – Leah believes that things that can appear to be your greatest challenge are an invitation to find your greatest strength, and to gain your biggest triumph.
- 25:44 – Leah and Oakley have a bike store called ‘Lighthouse Bikes’.
Three Key Points
- The book ‘Changing Gears’ is about raising an unusual child as well as travelling across the country. It's not just a memoir of a biking expedition but it's about how there is no one correct way to raise a child as you have to identify what works best for each individual.
- Leah and her son - Oakley had divided their work into different tasks. Every night, no matter what, he would put up the tent while Leah cooked dinner. Hence, they relied on each other, and this gave him a huge sense of responsibility which is so important for teenagers.
- If you are value-driven and decide that family's important, you do what you have to do for your family. Put that on top, and it's going to lead you where you need to go.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I have two biological children and two adopted children.”– Leah C. Day
- “That makes so much sense because every child is unique.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “The most difficult moments ended up being the most joyful moments.” - Leah C. Day
- “The fear and the joy were inextricably intertwined, aren't they?” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Oh, that is a beautiful metaphor for a transformation in a child that he was able to shift from being behind you to leading you.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I'm telling you the whole town came into that little cafe.” - Leah C. Day
- “Kindness was just astounding everywhere we went.” - Leah C. Day
- “All I can do is sit here in awe at your courage and your strength.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Maybe that's the big thing, to be uncomfortable” - Leah C. Day
- “Follow your bliss and move through those fears.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Remember her book – ‘Changing Gears’ will be out in May 2022.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Resources Mentioned
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
In today’s episode of the “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Deborah Kesten, M.P.H. author of Whole Person Integrative Eating. Deborah is an international nutrition researcher, and medical and health writer, with a specialty in preventing and reversing obesity and heart disease.
Episode Highlights
- 1:09 – Deborah shares how Whole Person Integrative Eating came to be and why eating from the heart is important.
- 4:42 – Deborah shares how the new way of overeating can be reversed without dieting through her Whole Person Integrative Eating method. This dietary lifestyle can also help people avoid rollercoaster dieting.
- 12:13 – Dr. Carla recaps the overeating styles and their antidotes. Both Dr. Carla and Deborah discuss why appreciating food and its origins is vital.
- 14:37 – Deborah explains why eating in an appealing atmosphere is important. Both aesthetics and a positive emotional atmosphere matter. Dr. Carla inquires about eating in front of the television.
- 16:17 – Deborah explains why it isn’t possible to say which of the antidotes are most important or which overeating styles are most harmful. She explains the holistic nature of WPIE.
- 18:50 – Dr. Carla asks what Deborah would say to someone who is struggling with body image issues.
- 21:04 – What and how did we eat for 1,000s of years, food was one of life’s greatest pleasures, says Deborah.
- 27:50 – Dr. Carla asks how media pressure has impacted people’s self-image and eating styles.
- 30:19 – Deborah discusses what she learned from Dr. Chopra about diet and ancient food wisdom.
- 33:10 – Dr. Carla talks about the toxic cycle of comparison. We’re not all built to look the same, says Carla.
- 35:08 – Observing and knowing people is more important than comparing and judging. Deborah reminds us that kindness is the most important part of a person.
- 38:21 – “Kindness doesn’t stop at giving someone a hug, kindness is from the inside out.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- 42:10 – Deborah explains why eating to balance mind and body is better than any diet.
Three Key Points
- The book ‘Whole Person Integrative Eating’ gives readers the tools to correct their overeating habits and create a heal their bodies and minds.
- The food you eat is only part of the equation. The way you eat and the environment you eat in also play a role in healthy eating and mindful living.
- Ancient food wisdom holds the key to a healthy relationship with food. Cooking with love and kindness are important. Eat in a way to balance mind and body.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I define Whole Person Integrative Eating as a dietary lifestyle, a way of life.”– Deborah Kesten
- “I describe WPIE as ancient food wisdom meets modern nutritional science.” – Deborah Kesten
- “Eat with others in a pleasant atmosphere both aesthetically and emotionally.” – Deborah Kesten
- “Appreciate food and its origins from the heart.” – Deborah Kesten
- “To relate to food as a social and sensual ceremonial pleasure, and let your weight fall where it’s meant to be.” – Deborah Kesten
- “I’m so appreciative of everything you’re saying because you’re making it easy for people.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Slow down and make food less of a task and more of a joy.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “We’re not all built to look the same.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “Do you want to live your life, the precious gift of your life, thinking about your body?” – Deborah Kesten
- “The biggest gift we can give to ourselves is to observe ourselves and see if we are being kind to ourselves and others.” – Deborah Kesten
- “When you live from that place of kindness you find that you tend to eat in kinder ways.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
- Deborah Kesten Website
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Noa Baum, Writer, storyteller, Author, and Coach, about her book ‘A Land Twice Promised’. Noa discusses the power of storytelling that helps people bridge the differences and also reveals how she started doing workshops.
Episode Highlights
- 02:00: The guest, Noa, introduces herself and says that she grew up in Jerusalem, Israel and she was an actress there.
- 04:00 – Noa took the workshop with two prominent storytellers at her first National Storytelling Network Conference. The workshop was titled ‘The Importance of Telling Difficult Stories.’
- 06:30 – Noa talks about how she began telling personal stories.
- 08:30 – Noa took the conversations with her Palestinian friend and started recording them and this is how she created a one-woman show called ‘A Land Twice Promised’, where she tells personal stories of mothers that echo the contradicting national narratives of Israeli people.
- 10:20 – Dr. Carla enquires about the title of the book – ‘A Land Twice Promised’.
- 12:30 – Noa’s book – ‘A Land Twice Promised’ embraces the core values of Familiar Publishing that allows people to work together through their differences, to come to a commonplace, and to heal together, says Dr. Carla.
- 15:10 - Dr. Carla asks Noa if she could share a few snippets from her book for the listeners that might give a list or the energy of her storytelling.
- 17:00 – Noa reads through the excerpt from the opening of her book for the listeners.
- 20:00 – Dr. Carla praises Noa saying that her book reflects that she is a wonderful storyteller at the same time it talks about transformation, unity, change, and the power of love and listening.
- 22:45 - We definitely can create a lot of peace not just within ourselves and within the other person but throughout the world because everything we do tends to make waves in one way or another, mentions Dr. Carla.
Three Key Points
- Noa realized from the responses that her story is not about mom's meeting on the playground, it's not even about Israelis and Palestinians but her story is about the power of storytelling, and the power of listening to the story of other people where their stories are so different and difficult.
- When Noa realized that this is the power of storytelling that helps the bridges, she started doing a lot of workshops. She still does workshops where she uses the power of stories in many different applications to help, people bridge the differences.
- The book is a journey into how do we change from a rigid place to a place that can embrace more complexity and paradox. It is also the story of Noa’s life journey of the transformative relationship of this story had on her relationship with her mother. So it's a lot about the values of healing because she had to tell her mother’s story.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I grew up in Jerusalem in Israel and I always wanted to be an actress.”– Noa Baum
- “So that trust did not build overnight.” - Noa Baum
- “It echoes the idea that people feel that the land was promised for them and they have proof, we all have a lot of proof.” - Noa Baum
- “As you were describing it, your friendship, there was plenty of laughter and play and love involved.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “As I started writing the book, I realized, well, how did I get there?” - Noa Baum
- “It sounds like that's a huge part of the energy of your book.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I don't remember much of what that Palestinian man said.” - Noa Baum
- “Let me just add that it's not easy.” - Noa Baum
Resources Mentioned
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Bailey Hurley, a Friendship Coach, a Writer, and a Speaker about her upcoming book ‘Together is a Beautiful Place’. The book talks about all the barriers that keep you away from togetherness and what you can do to make sure that you are fighting back against it.
Episode Highlights
- 02:40: Bailey says besides being a Coach, Writer, and Speaker, she is mostly a mom.
- 04:40 - Some women who approached Bailey were in a serious situation, or some hurt words that had been shared.
- 06:30 – Bailey gives tips to a new mom who is feeling isolated and has no one to connect to.
- 08:25 - For every person who's feeling alone and isolated there's somebody probably within steps of you, who is feeling the same, says Dr. Carla Marie Manly.
- 10:50 – Nostalgic Friendships are unhealthy friendships that we cling to because we feel like they stood next to us on our wedding day.
- 13:05 - Guilt certainly does keep people doing things that might not be the healthiest for them, mentions Dr. Carla Marie Manly.
- 15:10 - Being a genuine and trustworthy friend doesn't mean that mistakes aren't made.
- 16:46 - Dr. Carla Marie Manly points out that it's so important to have quality than quantity friendships.
- 19:20 - When you have a healthy friendship, you're teaching your kids what healthy friendships look like.
Three Key Points
- Bailey states that whether you are a new mom or an older person, you need to be a little bit proactive about those friendships where you just leave a conversation that felt a connection with someone and hope that you should catch up soon, but there's no contact number taken. Moms have the flexibility to carry on friendships, maybe in the workday to get to catch up with a friend.
- There's some research out there that these vague relationships are just as harmful as having no relationship at all because you're in this constant state of wondering, are we friends or not?
- Bailey’s book ‘Together is a Beautiful Place’ will be out in April and you can pre-order it now. The book is all about acknowledging the loneliness that we feel. Instead of allowing loneliness to kind of make you an outsider, you can choose to fight for togetherness. It's those safe friends that allow you to grow into who you're meant to be.
Tweetable Quotes
- “Reading is such a wonderful way to connect.”– Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I always like to check in and say like, how's it going?” - Bailey Hurley
- “Be the first one to say, hey, I'm looking for friends and interested in getting together with you.” - Bailey Hurley
- “I like to call those friendships, nostalgic friendships.” - Bailey Hurley
- “It's not a healthy place to constantly sitting in and wondering what's going on.” - Bailey Hurley
- “Your book is out in April of 2022, I'm absolutely thrilled and so excited.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “When you are becoming a good friend to your peers, you're also modeling good friendship to your kiddos.” - Bailey Hurley
Resources Mentioned
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Helping Young Women Discover Real Beauty with Author Stephanie Raff
In today’s episode of “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Stephanie Raff, an Author and a Storyteller about her award winning book - ‘The Ravenous Gown’ and 14 more tales about the real beauty.
Episode Highlights
- 01:27 - Storytelling is a great way for Stephanie to connect with people through the medium that she loves so much.
- 03:50 – Stephanie tells the story behind why she wrote the book – The Ravenous Gown.
- 06:20 – The author talks about her three year old daughter and how life began to change after she was born. Stephanie started to see things from a different perspective in terms of real beauty.
- 08:15 – Stephanie realized that if she didn't change her story about beauty then her sweet little daughter would grow-up living and believing the same story that she did.
- 10:40 - Do you have a piece of a fairy tale you'd like to share, asks Dr. Carla Marie Manly.
- 12:30 – Stephanie narrates an interesting part of the story from the book.
- 16:00 – “Whoever can crush the stone with their bare hands first wins the challenge”, Stephanie narrates from the book.
- 19:20 – “Tell me what you wish, my dear & I shall grant it, fairy godmother took out her wands.”
- 21:38 – “The princess smiled and accepted the bread and soft cheese from the first tray.”
- 23:35 – “The king was sputtering in his rage; the princess stood and addressed them all.”
- 26:33 – Dr. Carla Marie Manly enquires if there are any other tidbits of gold Stephanie would like to share with the listeners.
- 28:05 – Stephanie wanted to give parents a way to have a conversation about all of the different ideas and things in the book, because those conversations are powerful.
- 30:30 – The author says because she has four boys, she really wanted to put things in the stories that would capture their attention too.
- 32:00 – Regardless of gender fairy tales are definitely good food for the soul, heart and mind.
Three Key Points
- Stephanie realized that there weren't a lot of stories out there that could help her paint a better picture of what beauty is. So, she started writing and that is when ‘The Ravenous Gown’ came into existence. These stories have so much heart and all of her life experiences & hard work. She is trying to change her view of herself so that her daughter could live more happily than she did.
- Dr. Carla states this one story by Stephanie brought all the Familiar values together. It not only brought laughter but also was very poignant and growth oriented.
- The different thing about the book is that the author has put some of the stories behind the stories as to where they came from. There are some great questions and quotes in the book so that it can open-up a conversation. These conversations connect us to each other and they connect us to the story and with the ideas that help us to be stronger and happier.
Tweetable Quotes
- “I especially love that piece you said about the incredible work that goes on within the walls of home.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I started every journal entry with - I am so ugly.” - Stephanie Raff
- “I certainly don't have the right body shape to be a beautiful princess.” - Stephanie Raff
- “So, there're 15 different stories in this book.” - Stephanie Raff
- “Okay, so I'm imagining there are 14 more tales.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “One of the things that make this book a little bit different is in the back.” - Stephanie Raff
- “I can see women of all ages, sharing this book and learning.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly
- “I believe that boys and men due too, their pressures are just as big as ours.” - Stephanie Raff
Resources Mentioned
- Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple
- Dr. Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
- Stephanie Raff Facebook
- Podcast Editing