In the overleaf of my book, Yoga on the Yellow Brick Road, I quote the Dalai Lama, "If meditation was taught to every eight-year old, we could eliminate the world of violence in one generation". My guest today, Beth Reese, founder and owner of Yoginos: Yoga for Youth has taken up that challenge and dedicated her life to changing the world, in exactly that way. Like so many, this life mission was born out of a set of unsettling circumstances. It is said that there is a "bless in every mess". Despite a very successful career as a professor, researcher, published writer and university administrator, in her own words, two unrelated messy family events took her down this noble, yet completely unplanned path. She says: "When my 6 year-old daughter started hurling chairs at me in the dining court of the Salt Lake City airport, I knew something was up. I was used to handling her explosive temper tantrums in grocery stores, malls, and other public places—even though I sensed they were unusual for someone her age. But long gone were the days when I could snatch her up and move her to another area of the store or to the car, or shrug it off with an attitude of she's just a toddler to the glaring shoppers. Beth will elaborate on how this, plus a second major event in her life, led her to her current mission Now the second part of the story: "When I started Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® I was married to a brilliant and successful internationally-renowned trial lawyer with benefits like first-class international travel, sometimes for as long as a month, a condo in Park City, and a full-time nanny/housekeeper. I can count on one hand the number of times I unloaded our dishwasher in the ten years of our marriage. The adage that money can't buy happiness rang true and with 4 cars, 3 kids, 2 houses, 2 dogs,1 cat and a desperate desire to feel enough, accepted, and loved, I ended the marriage. She will elaborate on how this would serve as her road-map toward discovering that the enough, accepted, and loved me was there all along. Many thanks, Beth for agreeing to be my guest and share with our listeners, a message that is truly critical to the future of our country. Questions: The anxiety and depression levels among teens today are truly at all-time highs. In a recent survey, 70% of teens reported mental health to be a big issue in their lives. What are the causes, as you see it and how can your initiative and others like it catch this at an early age? You invented something called Flower Power as tool for kids. Some of our listeners of a certain age may think we're talking about San Francisco in the 1960s or Woodstock, please elaborate on this technique. SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) is an acronym that we're seeing a lot these days when the topic of preparing children for life comes up. Please elaborate on this and why it's so important? I heard someone say recently, "don't let schooling get in the way of your education". There is so much emphasis on cognitive learning and the pressure to make good grades that the critical importance of developing the social skills to deal with life gets lost, doesn't it? Your focus, includes parents and teachers and almost anyone who works with kids. Is it important to include the adults in the lives of each child, so they can spot problem behavior, and not brand the child as "problem kid" and just think that punishment is the remedy? As you know, Patanjali, said some 1700 years ago, that the purpose of yoga was to "calm the agitations of the mind". We know from the previous question that the "agitation" is hitting teens at an unprecedented rate. Since your program starts at the Pre-K level, are you finding high stress and anxiety levels even at that early age? When "changing the world" given the global epidemic of stress and anxiety seems so important, the quote from the Dalai Lama resonates so well, because once we all reach adulthood, it then becomes a "rehab" challenge, doesn't it? I think both of us can attest to the fact that it works well in adults, but, often health destroying habits are already in place and have to be dealt with and so many just give up.

Hello everyone, and welcome to Exiting the A.S.A.P. Lane!  Among the social issues that have faced America over the past several decades, few are equal to that involving the rights of the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court decision, legalizing gay marriage in 2015, finally resolved the legal issues around gay marriage. Citing the Equal Protection clause and the Due Process clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the court ruled that same-sex couples had the "fundamental right to marry" and that those rights extended to all 50 states. While this decision was widely celebrated among those who felt that this decision was long overdue, it by no means put to rest the much broader issue of discrimination, including acts of violence. This podcast series deals with the issue of stress and anxiety that so many find debilitating and difficult to deal with. This is an issue at the personal level and the society level that remains extremely stressful, anxiety-producing and divisive. I want to thank T. J. Stiga, a family friend for agreeing to be my guest on this topic. He didn't make the decision to appear and tell his life story lightly. Needless to say, when telling one's life story requires resurrecting unpleasant memories going all the way back to childhood, and doing it in a public forum like this, it is a decision not made without consternation. Welcome, T.J. and thanks for agreeing to be here today. Questions: As you know, one of the fundamental issues that always comes up in this discussion, is whether this is a chosen lifestyle, or one determined by everyone's genetic makeup? You're now 47 years old, when you think back on your childhood teen years, please talk about your sexuality and how it evolved? Have you ever felt any sexual attraction to women? You've told me about being bullied in school and the damage this did to your self-esteem and the feeling of not being worthy. There's an old adage that none of us ever get out of high school. Are you still dealing with any of the teen-age years stuff? Have you officially come out to family and friends? There is a certain stereotypes about gay bars, please talk about that, and how that helped you deal with the "bullying and browbeating" that still continued, but, became a little more manageable after that? Please talk about the differences you've observed between gay men and lesbians and how lesbians often play a protective role? In terms of stress and anxiety, you had the added burden of your father dying when you were 7 and your mother marrying a man who verbally abusive to you, your mother and your sister.

"Only the strong survive" was recorded by Elvis Presley and others and the song is about a young man jilted by his sweetheart, and his mother is telling him to get off his knees and hold his head high and get on with his life. This advice happens to be the personal mantra of many who consider themselves strong and competitive, and yet, reach a breaking point or a burnout point that indeed does bring them to their knees. In a "bigger, better, faster, stronger" rat-race competitive environment the race to reach the top too often becomes a fall to the bottom. Too often pride won't allow them to seek help and the consequences are becoming increasingly fatal. Suicides in America last year were 44,000. The life journey of my guest today, DeAnn Wandler thankfully has a different outcome, yet easily, she could have been another statistic. Today she is on a mission to help others facing pressures they are finding unmanageable, and through her own inspiring story reaching out to others with a message of hope, healing and a regimen of recovery and self-care that will hopefully equip them with the resilience to persevere and manage their way through their own maze of overwhelming anxiety, stress and depression.  She is a passionate suicide prevention community advocate, speaker and educator, since attempting to take her life by shooting herself in the head, and is focused on ensuring the voice of lived experience is heard and valued. Having this unusual lived life experience, DeAnn, a former University administrator, now works on promoting mental health and wellness in the community and workplace, as well and raising awareness on mental health support needs in the workplace. DeAnn hopes to remove stigma and promote open dialogue with top employers about mental health needs. She also aims teach others how to take care of their mind and body again by giving support, education, inspiration, leadership, empowerment and awareness to ensure they nourish themselves. She currently serves as on the Mental Health and Recovery Counseling Education and Training National Advisory Committee, as well as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Speaker & Conference Bureau Committee and is an active member of the Stark County Suicide Prevention Coalition.   She has been trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Mental Health First Aid. She is a certified Brain-based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute, is Narrative Coach trained, certified in Mindfulness and is near completion of her Registered Yoga Teacher training (RYTT200). In todays' episode, DeAnn and I will explore the following questions and issues: --The fatalities in 2018 alone from stress-related deaths (alcohol, opioids, suicide) equaled over 200,000 in the United States. This is a mental health crisis unprecedented in our history. What do you ascribe this to? --Your personal story is such an inspiring one, can you elaborate a bit more on what I covered in the introduction --You say that you "don't speak to inspire, inspiration is a dime a dozen in our world—you speak and coach to create life changing transformation within all that you encounter." What are some of the techniques you use and some of the steps you encourage others to use. --"What doesn't kill me improves me" to quote the famous adage, yet, resilience varies so much from person to person that we can't just depend on everyone to somehow persevere through can we? Please elaborate a bit on resilience and are there methods one can use to increase their resilience --In mindfulness, there is surfboard metaphor used to illustrate how meditation can be employed to help navigate the difficult events in our lives. The saying is that "meditation doesn't change the external events in our lives, but, does provide a surfboard to help navigate the choppy seas better." Is meditation a technique that you personally use? --You are nearing completion of your yoga trainer certification. Has yoga been an important part of your own regimen, and how do you think it can be a big help in helping one deal with stress and anxiety? --Is there a balance that must be struck between yoga, meditation and other self-care techniques and the addition of professional counseling, psychiatric services and medication?  

Because our self-limiting beliefs play such a large and crippling role in the lives of all of us, this episode continues on the theme begun in earlier episodes of learning how to deprogram that continuous tape that is constantly running in our heads with all of the "reasons why not", all the reasons why we are allowing our dreams and plans to get too far ahead of our actual abilities.   She is the CEO and host of the highly popular PenniZ Show and she focuses on the most important self-help topic of all: KOing that bully in our mind who is constantly saying to us things like, "you can't do that, or you don't have the ability for that, or you don't have the experience for that, or you're too young or too old for that, and the list could go on and on. That voice has an almost endless list of self-limiting beliefs that get hard-wired into our heads and can cripple us for life if not confronted head-on.   Her personal story is an inspiring one. After her own epiphany, her own "Eureka" moment. Penni realized that her success as a real estate "fixer-upper" focusing on the rehabilitation of residential properties was rewarding her financially, but, that she was feeling the tug of a higher calling—the rehabilitation of personal lives and more specifically these self-limiting beliefs that prevent so many from leading lives of purpose and meaning. Thoreau, in his iconic classic On Walden Pond, said "most men lead lives of quiet desperation and die with their song still inside them".   The slogan of her own show, the PenniZ show is that "We activate personal transformations in people whose goal is to play on a bigger stage and become the very best version of themselves".. On this podcast episode, Penni will elaborate on each of these questions and issues below: --You have said that not only are "we enough, but, we are more than enough". If this belief could get hardwired into the mind of each of us, what a world-changer that would be, please elaborate? --What a novel concept of applying the concept of "fixing up" real estate properties to "fixing up" lives. Tell us about your personal life journey and how this epiphany came about? Did it come about due to a personal struggle or because you were struggling yourself with a lot of "you can't do this and you can't do that" --What are the most common self-perceived inadequacies that you see in those who come to you for help or call into your show. --What is the happiness button that you refer to? --There's a saying that "none of us ever get out of high school", meaning that the "hard wiring" of so much that defines the rest of our lives comes from our teen years when there's so much drama that really amounts to nothing but, seems so big at the time. Do you find this to be true? --Do you see any significant difference between men and women and the challenge that must be met in order to rewire their minds and get them to see that "they are more than enough"? --The central message of the Wizard of Oz is really the same as yours, isn't it, and that is that we have within already everything we need, correct? I know that all of our listeners will enjoy, but, more importantly, benefit by Penni's own life journey and the guidance she is able to provide as a consequence of that.

Today's program is about our "biggest bully", the one thing that can handicap us for life—our self-limiting beliefs--those voices in our mind that are constantly sabotaging our dreams and hopes for a better life. These often come from events in life when someone expressed a very negative opinion about us, or said something really demeaning that we have internalized and has become a part of our accepted life narrative . These toxic beliefs, which afflict us all, telling us we're not worthy, we're not enough, and how our dreams are all way too grandiose for someone of our limited skill and ability. These crippling beliefs affect both men and women, but, seem to be particularly acute among women and what a powerful guest for this topic and today's show. Follow her guidance and you can KO that bully and bring new energy, purpose, and balance to your life.   Jacqueline Hayes is a three-time author, motivational speaker, and empowerment consultant. Jacqueline helps women to achieve leverage and self-confidence while instilling in them passion, focus and commitment. Her professionalism and firsthand experience have been the sources of her deep knowledge, insight, direction, and understanding of issues in the corporate world, as well as the ability to impart people with excellence. Jacqueline leverages her wealth of experience of over 20 years in human resources and talent management in major industries – healthcare, telecommunications, and technology, with her fascination with human behavior, to connect with people on every level and to empower them towards achieving greatness. Jacqueline has three breathtaking books to her credit; "Unfolding: A Woman's Journey," "You Are Enough: A Guide to Love, Joy, Peace, Freedom and Acceptance," and "Blossom: Discover the Beautiful Flower Within" – all available on Amazon. Her focus is geared towards living well, hence, she offers the wonderful gift of making you believe in your innate special and unique abilities. Jacqueline is also passionate about enjoying life and making the world a better place. She is committed to her mission of seeing others blossom and fulfill their potential.   On this podcast episode, Jackie will elaborate on each of these questions below:   -You say "Many women waste their time defining themselves through the eyes of others. They are looking for answers to questions that must come from within. They are seeking acceptance and approval from individuals who do not have the power or insight to give them such information."   --You say in one of your books, "I don't allow these people to invade my personal space with these opinions. Yet, Jackie as you know, it takes a special form of resilience and self-confidence to execute this reaction in real life. How should someone learn to adopt this technique.   --Please describe your 5 Powerful Ways to nurture your mind, body and spirit?   -It's noteworthy that you mention mind first. The prevailing attitude and practice among most is to focus on body first and many of the limiting beliefs relate to body image issues, correct?   --Describe what you mean by "life-intentional thinking and how mindfulness plays into this?   --Please describe the monkey mind and some of the effective meditation practices that you recommend? --You make a big point about positive self-talk and self-instruction, is "journaling" a big part of this? --When you say "love yourself, take care of your temple, are you referring body, mind and spirit? --Please describe what you mean by a "heart tune-up" --You've described the benefits of meditation and some effective methods, and you describe 5 ways to calm down, de-stress and reset. In addition to meditation, what are the others? --With regard to women's empowerment in particular, please elaborate on what the characteristics of an empowered woman are? --Are women generally tougher on each other than they should be? What do you mean by "I support my sister"? --Okay, let's close with your overall umbrella theme, "You are enough" Please elaborate on healthy self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-awareness, and no more excuses, own your power" I want to thank you, Jackie for taking the time to be with us today. This is such an important topic, and you have given us a full recipe of practical techniques that can be adopted in our own lives, so with that, we will close and look forward to seeing you on the next episode of Exiting the A.S.A.P. Lane.

Pramika Kadari, my guest today is a gifted and special young woman, with a bright future ahead of her. She is a junior at Coppell High School , a vibrant and thriving suburb in the Dallas-Ft Worth area. All of us have been teenagers, either in the recent past or the distant past. We're all very familiar with teen angst and the many things that were both major and minor stressors to us during that period of our lives. Pramika is living that life right now and as we all did navigating her way through what many of us would say was the most challenging part of our lives.   Life in the digital age is creating an unprecedented level of stress and anxiety in today's teens. On top of the rapid changes to their bodies and hormones is the non-stop information overload that we're all dealing with. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 70% of teens see depression and anxiety as major problems among their peers. It was consistent across gender, race and income lines.   Among the issues identified were increased social media use, academic pressure and frightening events like terror attacks and school shootings. Another study released in 2017 found that children and adolescents admitted to children's hospitals for thoughts of self-harm or suicide had more than doubled from 2008 to 2015.   Pramika is the copy editor of the school's Sidekick Newspaper. She enjoys writing (both creatively and journalistically), reading, and watching films and TV shows. Her favorite book is Ender's Game. While she does not have a favorite film, her top 5 include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic, and Revolutionary Road. In college, she hopes to study both Film and English. In the future, she hopes to be a filmmaker and novelist. Pramika wrote an opinion piece for the Dallas Morning News recently on the topic of teen suicide and a Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. She said it is "damaging, dangerous and should not be allowed on the air for a 3rd season.   In this episode, you will learn: -Why she feels so passionately that the 13 Reasons Why TV should be taken off the air? -Her views on the reason for the alarming rise in teen suicide rates and causes. -Where she feels social media stress ranks as one of the causes. -The difference between teen girls and boys regarding the effect of social media on their lives -Where academic pressure, standardized testing, making good grades and getting into the right college rank as stressors. -Are school shootings and terror attacks among the causes in her school? -Teen drama and all the time dealing with it and what she means by that. -Is cyber bullying an issue? -Her views on the current college-entry cheating scandal   #fitness #keynote #wellness

Today's guest is special and very unique in several respects. Her message and her life story will inspire us to work together using her #UsToo approach –Her mission is to reduce stereotyping and improve inclusion for business and classroom success.   My guest today is Debjani Biswas, a two time TEDx and keynote speaker, an internationally bestselling author and an influential and powerful voice in bringing a message to both men and women about the business impact of inclusion and respect in the workplace.   She has a unique combination of executive and corporate experience with 20+ years at PepsiCo and Texas Instruments etc., and education. She is a Chemical Engineer from IIT, an MBA, and an MS in Organizational Strategy. She is currently the CEO and Founder of Coachieve, LLC, providing inclusion and leadership solutions globally.  An 'Exclusion Exterminator', she delivers impactful keynotes to corporate and conference audiences on the business value of inclusion. She is the 2017 GDAACC Award in Journalism winner and a 2013 NAPW 'Woman of the Year'.   She is walking, talking example of the adage, "one door closes and another opens", and I will ask her to elaborate on that later in the program.   She embarked on a journey of self-discovery in 2012, transforming herself from corporate executive into internationally bestselling author, TEDx and keynote speaker and trusted advisor for CEOs and leaders. 'Unleash the Power of Diversity' was selected by Barnes & Noble stores (2014 US B&N Book Tour). "Miserably Successful No More' was ranked #1 in Amazon in the US for its category and is an international bestseller. She serves on the Board of her Engineering organization IIT-NT and TiE Dallas (where she leads a Women's Entrepreneurship Forum). She is regularly featured in the media as a diversity expert (ESPN, CBS, iHeart Radio, DMN etc.). Her groundbreaking and original frameworks are being utilized in over 20 countries.   Her recent TEDx talk Common Ground on Gender Bias just crossed 57,000 views in less than a month! Please go to Youtube to watch, like and comment on this powerful TEDx talk and help bridge the global gender gap.   In this episode, you will learn: -How the age-old adage, "one door closes another one opens" has led her to places she never envisioned before and to this place of being such an influential voice on this very important global issue of inclusion across culture, gender and generation. -About the very inspiring part of her life journey – how she was able to succeed as a female engineer – as explained in her TEDx talk 'Common Ground on Gender Bias' with the help of her family. -About gender roles and how they can become lifelong self-limiting beliefs. -About the importance of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills and how critical they are for workplace success. -About her international best-selling book, Miserably Successful No More, and what is meant by the title?   I know that you will be inspired by this incredible life journey of someone who, after being laid off 7 short years ago is now a successful role model for 'Grit, Gravitas and Grace'   That's all for this one and I will see you on the Yellow Brick Road next week.

Stacey Reynolds, my guest is like so many who suffered stress, anxiety and depression and found the "magic" in yoga and meditation. She is also VERY different in another important way—but, more on that in a moment. She has described her own life-long struggle, beginning in childhood, of finding ways to cope, including being "almost bedridden" with it. In addition, she contracted an auto-immune disease that had her body producing tumors. Her body was hemorrhaging and was toxic. This added another layer to the already mind-numbing maze of mental and physical challenges she was dealing with. On a particularly dark day, she had an epiphany which started her 19-year career as a practitioner and a yoga therapist. She knew from her own experience that the vast majority of those practicing were those who had enough disposable income to afford to pay for instruction. As she reflected on her own experience, she remembered that she had started to heal almost immediately. She was so inspired that she decided to go through the rigorous process of becoming a certified instructor, and opened her own yoga studio, Blue Yoga Nyla in North Little Rock, Arkansas. … and now to the important difference that I mentioned earlier. Yoga Journal, the most reliable source of statistics on the topic says that there are approximately 40 million practitioners of yoga and meditation in America---a country of 320 million. These practitioners are largely urban dwelling, white females who have access to yoga studios, and as mentioned before can afford to pay for lessons. Stacey's mission is to bring yoga to those who need it, regardless of their ability to pay or their experience level. She describes herself and her staff as "not the trendy teachers". I know that you are going to inspired by Stacey, her life journey and her mantra of "whatever… to the least of them." Welcome Stacey, and many thanks for taking the time from a very busy schedule to join us on Exiting the A.S.A.P. Lane---a lane you know a lot about! In this episode you will learn: --About her mission is to provide healing to the "walking wounded". --About "our soul's contract"? --Her welcome mat to everyone regardless of skill or experience level. All those who think, "no one like me does this" will be inspired --About her own "life-long struggle with anxiety and depression --How her studio has lowered one of the barriers and drawn a lot who need it and want it, but can't afford it --A 6-week course for those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, and the profile of some of those who are participating. --The 12-step course for addiction including alcohol and drugs, she offers Her personal story that will not only inspire, but, hopefully motivate some of our listeners to take their own first step in what can become a healing, lifelong journey back to balance and equilibrium.   Make sure to like, subscribe, and share!

Will Parkinson, my guest is a very successful businessman, yet, I think he will tell us that his life story is very much that of the Wizard of Oz story, including spending much of his adult life seeking and using false wizards to deal with a physical handicap along with the stress and anxiety that go with building a successful business and raising a family. You will also hear about a miraculous physical and mental recovery brought about by his recent adoption of yoga and meditation. Will grew up on the Mississippi River, living an idyllic life of sports, fishing and hunting. He was inspired, as so many of us were by the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As you hear about his life, you will see that he suffered a life-altering event as a 16 year old when he lost a leg in an accidental shooting incident. Adding to the trauma of the incident was that he was a 3-sport athlete in school and had to give up all three. You will also hear about a childhood friend who drowned in the river, further adding to the childhood traumas. He and his wife, Ashley have five children, and Will has commented on the strain that his physical challenges and the various medications have placed on their marriage and home life. The list of illnesses and medical conditions accumulated over his life is a long one, and he will elaborate on them during the course of this program. In this episode you will learn about: --A purely serendipitous meeting that Will says "changed his life". --Why he has become a believer in the axiom, "If you can breathe, you can do this." --How his childhood traumas become toxic and altered his life in very dramatic ways. --The effects, both mentally and physically on his life --How finding refuge in his work added to the accumulating toll that stress and the lack of exercise was taking on his body. --His advice for type-A driven business and professional people who focus on accumulating "things" to the detriment of their health. --The miraculous physical and mental transformation in his life, and how calming the "monkey brain" curbed his emotional eating and has led to a dramatic weight loss? You will be inspired by his story and the resilience which brought him to a life-changing event in his life and the miraculous physical and mental benefits which followed.

Briana Bragg is today's guest and her life story is an inspiring one, especially for all those living and competing in the A.S.A.P. Lane. She is the CEO and Founder of two businesses. You will notice that I didn't add "for all those thriving in the A.S.A.P. Lane" Briana's story is one of striving and succeeding as a young visionary and entrepreneur, yet, like so many burning out and finding the drain on body, mind and spirit crippling and debilitating.   Taking a vacation and traveling to some exotic locale is something we all have done or aspire to do. This provides a break from life in the digital age that is so anxious and stressful, and so much so, that too many can't cope without self-medicating with substances that are self-destructive and increasingly fatal.   Deaths from opioids and suicide are at all-time highs, and it was announced recently that alcohol-related deaths exceeded both opioids and suicide. As our listeners know, the theme of this show is how to exit life in the A.S.A.P. Lane---a life of anxiety, stress, addiction and pressure.   Like so many, she will tell us how her life has been changed by adopting a practice of mindfulness into her life. The dark side of success for many, which goes unseen, is the toll and indeed physical and emotional burnout that can be the price one pays. She will tell us how, in spite of all the outward signs of "having it all" she was dealing with chronic pain and depression. Using "false wizards" weren't an option for her, and she will tell us how she dealt with the dark side.   Briana lives in Chicago. She is a mindfulness expert who shares why everyone can meditate and the importance of meditation for the entrepreneur. She knows the anxiety that comes with running your own business and she will give you ways to combat it.   In this episode you will learn: -How we can all go on a vacation of the mind at anytime. -Techniques to deal with and manage the "daily chaos" of life -How to calm the "monkey mind" we are all born with. -A 3 step process, on how we can take this "vacation of the mind" at any time. -For the beginner, her blue or purple balloon method to help cope with the wandering mind. -The science behind meditation. -The importance of "slowing the game down" for top performers.   It is Briana's desire and life's mission to impact others for positive change. To learn more about Briana and her work, please see below: Website: https://www.vacationofthemind.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VacationoftheMind Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/VacationoftheMind