It was an honor to be invited to share my story on the TED stage.   In this episode, I share my journey and who inspired me to pursue this dream.  Please reach out if you have any questions, I would love to hear what you think.  My TED talk can be found:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0A2FXwyAsw It would be greatly appreciated if you could please hit "like", comment, and share the youtube link to those who may benefit from my talk.  The more "likes"  and "views" it receives,  the more that others would be able to find it.  Thank you so much for your continued support! ~Maria Grace 

Abby Chow is a Registered Clinical Counselor occupying Turtle Island, in what is colonially known as Canada. Coming from a fine arts and then business background,  she is also a Supervisor and Adjunct Professor. She runs a group practice dedicated to anti-oppressive practice, both within the team and in their work. Her current life and work both focus on one question - how do we intentionally prioritize justice-doing in our everyday lives? Words from Abby: “I’m a cis, (mostly) able-bodied, straight-sized, half-gen, racialized settler from Hong Kong. As a child of diaspora, systemically imposed scarcity and the resulting emotional impact categorized much of my life growing up. As the only member of the family who speaks English, I started taking care of the family at 8 years old, driving a misguided need to move closer to capitalist and colonialist values. It wasn't until my graduate program that I was radicalized and had to undergo (and still am undergoing) unlearning the indoctrination of our violent society to move towards collective liberation. The journey has been and will be full of mistakes and discomfort, but also full of people who have held me up and stuck by me through them. I am now using these experiences in my work and projects to hold others in a loving accountability as we all move towards a world we actually want to live in.” The Reflecting on Justice Membership. Towards collective liberation through unlearning, together. When you join this membership, you get: ~Access to our Justice in Action online community of practitioners who are all looking to unlearn systemic oppression; ~Monthly editions of our specially curated Liberation Digest, a content drop that helps to spark new perspectives in unlearning; ~Unpacking Complicity reflection prompts based on the Liberation Digest of the month; ~And dedicated time to hangout/deep dive on monthly content as a community through facilitated Fireside Chats. If you’re ready to have justice take up more space in your life, if you’re looking for a community to unlearn with, and if you’re ready to take action in moving towards collective liberation; this membership was made for you.  www.reflectingonjustice.com Connect with Abby Chow: www.reflectingonjustice.com @venturouscounselling - instagram @reflectingonjustice - instagram; tiktok Abby’s Recommended Solidarity Talks: Vikki Reynolds Travis Heath Mia Mingus ALOK

In this episode, I share how I started my run-streak journey.  Why and how do I keep going? I share my struggles, the benefits of running, and how it has changed my life.  I hope you enjoy this episode!  Please reach out if you have any questions or comments regarding this podcast, we would love to hear from you!!! Enjoy! Connect with Grace here: www.instagram.com/mariagracewolk www.mariagracewolk.com Take the What's Your Biggest Self Sabotage Quiz: https://bit.ly/whatsyourselfsabotagequiz [email protected]

Dr. Morgan Levy is a Florida licensed psychologist and an executive strategist who helps high-achievers learn how to have a meaningful and fulfilling personal life without sacrificing their professional identity and career. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University. She also completed a one-year training on psychodynamic psychotherapy from the William Alanson White Institute in New York. She provides online workshops and education on perfectionism and burnout. Our society often sees perfectionism as a positive trait: But this can be a distorted belief that if you are a perfectionist, you are a hard worker because you will not stop until you get it right. We even get rewarded for it.  In this episode, we discuss why we try to strive for perfection even when we know it’s unattainable. She goes over signs of perfectionist traits and tips to manage perfectionism.   10 Perfectionist Traits All-or-Nothing Thinking. Perfectionists, like high achievers, tend to set high goals and work hard toward them. ... Being Highly Critical Feeling Pushed By Fear Focusing Only on Results Feeling Depressed by Unmet Goals Fear of Failure Procrastination Defensiveness Please reach out if you have any questions or comments regarding this podcast, we would love to hear from you!!! Enjoy! If you want to learn more about Dr. Levy and her program, you can find her here: [email protected] facebook.com/morganlevyphd Check out her 5 Day Challenge Offer: 5 Day Challenge to Overcoming Burnout: How to move beyond overwhelm without sacrificing your success Connect with Grace here:  www.instagram.com/mariagracewolk www.mariagracewolk.com Take the What's Your Biggest Self Sabotage Quiz: https://bit.ly/whatsyourselfsabotagequiz [email protected]

Missing that romance prior to kids?  Couples expert Abby Nordquist has the solution to reignite that fire in your relationship. Listen in on our conversation and find out how. Abby Nordquist is a mother of two, an entrepreneur, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New York, and a relationship coach. Abby: My own experience with having to reprioritize my relationship with my partner - plus years of working with couples in my therapy practice - has really shown me how pervasive this struggle is. Parents really have a hard time figuring out how to reconnect after having kids. This is why I created the Missing Us program. There are so many couples out there that don't quite need couples therapy, but who do need the structure, information, and guidance to reconnect. It's a three-month group coaching program. Couples participate together with other couples who are also struggling to connect in parenthood. Each week there's a new lesson with the best research and practical tips, plus a weekly group coaching call where you get to work with me on your specific needs, hear from the other couples, and have private time with your partner to work through reflection questions about that week's topic. Connect with Abby here: www.letslovewell.com/quiz [email protected] IG: @letslovewell Connect with Grace here:  www.instagram.com/mariagracewolk www.mariagracewolk.com Take the What's Your Biggest Self Sabotage Quiz: https://bit.ly/whatsyourselfsabotagequiz [email protected]

In this podcast I interview Kim Gamble. She is Thai- American, an entrepreneur, a chef and founder of multiple businesses. She shares her recent experience on being featured on Beat Bobby Flay, on the Food Network Channel, where she had the opportunity to try and topple down Bobby Flay in a cooking competition. We talk about her story of being Thai in the United States and how her childhood was different from her other American friends. She was confused and annoyed at that time, but it turned out to be just the experience she needed to propel her on her journey to go after her dreams. Kimberly Gamble  Owner and founder on Lucky Bird CA and Lanna Thai Restaurant  http://www.lannathailivermore.com/ You can find her on instagram instagram.com/imkiiiim

Understanding what your needs are is the first step to cultivating calm amidst the mom-life chaos… In this episode, I interview Sarah Sanders, a licensed psychotherapist, a Mom of two, an entrepreneur with a private practice in California, and founder of Centered with Sarah Coaching program. We discuss: the struggle of being a new mom the pressure from society social conditioning mom-guilt internal and external factors of mom-life She shares tips and techniques on how you can shift your mindset in order to re-connect with yourself and enjoy the motherhood journey, by prioritizing not only your child’s but your own needs as well. Sarah Sanders can be reached at the following: www.centeredwithsarah.com [email protected] Take her quiz: https://centeredwithsarah.com/quiz and her upcoming event: The Mom Summit is https://centeredwithsarah.com/summit Thank you for being a part of our community. I would love your support by leaving a review. The high rate and reviews will help others find the podcast so we can amplify, normalize and break the mental health stigma. If you have any questions or would like to send me a message, you can visit my website at www.mariagracewolk.com

Hi Friends!  In this episode find out what your biggest self sabotaging behavior is that's keeping you from living the life you want to create.  Learn the signs as well as tips on how to manage your fear of failure.  Take the quiz on my website www.mariagracewolk.com  or click on this link:   https://bit.ly/whatsyourselfsabotagequiz

Meet JoNelle Sood, founder of Ho’omau Foundation. JoNelle is Native Hawaiian, born and raised in the Bay Area. Throughout her career, she did not see a big presence of Hawaiian Natives or Polynesians in the workplace. JoNelle's long-term goal is to provide a means for Polynesians to attain higher education and to support active members in the Pacific Islander community to further sustain the culture and sense of pride and this is when she decided to create Ho’omau Foundation.  https://www.hoomaufoundation.org You can find Jonelle here: email: [email protected] Instagram handles: jsood_19 Hoomaufoundation Twitter @uiwahine1 @Ho_omau Linkedin: ho-omau-foundation The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on the tombstone From the beginning...to the end He noted that first came the date of birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years For that dash represents all the time That they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them Know what that little line is worth For it matters not, how much we own, The cars...the house...the cash. What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash. So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left That can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough To consider what's true and real And always try to understand The way other people feel. And be less quick to anger And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect And more often wear a smile, Remembering this special dash Might only last a little while So, when your eulogy is being read With your life's actions to rehash... Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent YOUR dash?

According to the CDC, about 1 in 44 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) . ASD can present itself at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. ASD impacts the development of the brain and causes the individual to have behavioral challenges along with problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. Many parents who have a child on the autism spectrum struggle in knowing how to best address their son's or daughter’s needs. I recently sat down with Christine Melendres, a licensed social worker, whose first son, Lucas, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Christine explains what it is like to be a parent of a child with autism.