In this episode Kristen and I discuss -  - Mental illness and stigma associated with, - How she recovered from her own Post Partum Depression and Grief & loss of her sister who died by suicide. - Tips and things that helped her recover from it.  Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Kristen at www.lightingtheshadows.org or find her on Facebook & IG @lighting.the.shadows. Kristen Laursen - Lighting The Shadows portrays what I am very passionate in my personal life: taking something originally dark and scary (a mental illness, an emotional challenge, feelings of shame/self hate, grief/loss, etc) and transforming it into something enlightening, empowering, and purposeful. I believe that God can take any challenge we face, any brokenness, and transform it into something even better than before the trauma. I know He has done this in my life. When I lost my sister to suicide, the grief was insanely painful. Afterwards, I battled several bouts of depression and anxiety that progressed while I was pregnant to suicidal ideation and psychosis, where I was so lost in the darkness that I lost sight of reality. Through medication, therapy, music, poetry, faith, EMDR, adequate sleep and exercise, and learning how to love myself and give myself compassion, my life completely transformed to being stuck in a big, dark pit of despair to feeling real gratitude and joy for life in all of my cherished roles as mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. Where I once had severe anxiety around public speaking, now I faced my fears and joined my local toastmasters club where I won first place in a second level speech competition just months after joining. I now have much more understanding and compassion towards those who have faced mental battles, my concept of God and Love have become more solidified, and I feel that my life, and each life, has so much purpose!

In this episode Jillian and I discuss -  - How unresolved can wreak havoc on your body due to activated stress response. - What is sound healing and how it can help  Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Jillian at joypointclinic.com or find her on Facebook & IG @joypointclinic Jillian Rifkind is an acupuncturist and bodyworker who works with the organs and sound healing to help sensitive people overcome trauma using sound healing to cleanse the energy field and address unresolved emotions in the organ systems.

In this episode Win and I discuss -  - What Cerebral Palsy is, emotional abuse by family members and her recovery and healing journey.  Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Win Kelly Charles Podcast host of Ask Win, Win Kelly Charles, has Cerebral Palsy and her mission is to help others with physical and mental disabilities to find their voices through written or spoken word, using today's assistive technologies as needed.  

In this episode Jennifer and I discuss -  - Her car accident, living in constant chronic pain, divorce and how she recovered from it all  - Practical tips to overcome it and the stress cycles to living a balanced harmonious life - Breaking the patterns and cycles of the past Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Jennifer at www.drjennifershaw.com or find her on IG @naturalwellnesstips Dr. Jennifer Shaw has been in the health and wellness field for over 17 years. She is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a keynote speaker for a billion dollar international health and wellness company and a sought after yoga instructor with expertise in anatomy, alignment, and injury prevention. She helps her clients and customers break free of overwhelm through the creation of simple, sustainable healthy habits and essential oils. She is passionate about this subject because in 2009 she was struck by a car while riding her bike and lived through 8 months of pain pills, followed by years of chronic pain. She uses her journey back to thriving as the base of support for those she helps.

In this episode Nancy and I discuss -  - 10 resilience skills you can learn from someone who survived rape, cancer, and other life's challenges.  Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Nancy Lucas on IG @nancy__lucas Nancy Lucas evolved naturally into her Mindset | Business Developer posture during her 25+ years as a multi-faceted Entrepreneur, while paralleling as a professional equestrian. The ethics and tenacity it takes to be a national-level athlete, and years of coaching, mentoring, as well as public speaking, had created a set of skills that she has been able to exhibit in the Digital Space. Nancy specializes in helping women build a stronger Business, during difficult or adverse times; economic, personal, or otherwise. Success through mindset and business development based on years of experience and timeless proven principles.  

In this episode Dr. Krause and I discuss -  - How stress impacts your mind, body, and brain - Everyday simple strategies to manage stress in your life Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Dr. Krause at doctorjkrause.com or find her on social media @drjanninekrause Dr. Jannine Krause is an acupuncturist, naturopathic doctor and host of The Health Fix Podcast. Her mission is to help ladies sleuth out their health issues to make health, fitness & nutrition a breeze. She's been in practice for over 13 years and helped hundreds of ladies work through what's holding them back from getting the health they desire!

In this episode Pratibha and I discuss -  - Strategies she used to build resilience to overcome an abusive childhood - Breaking the patterns and cycles of the past Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Pratibha at www.pratibhadey.com  or find her on social media @pratibhadey. Pratibha Dey is a visionary, author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, teacher, and the founder of Chai Together LLC. Pratibha has overcome numerous adversities in the South Asian culture. Her academic background is in Interpersonal Communication and Education. She’s an advocate for women, children, and the elderly on her show Chai Together where she advocates for mental health and physical well being. Her upcoming book is entitled, “Resiliency: A Woman’s Journey From Scarcity to Success.”  

In this episode Jonathan and I discuss -  - Grieving the loss of his sister to a sudden accident and a daughter to cancer - Tools he used that helped him move forward Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Jonathan at https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.agin.9 or find him @jonathanagin Jonathan Eric Agin, JD, is the Executive Director/CEO of PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Foundation. Jonathan became involved in the childhood cancer community following the diagnosis of his daughter Alexis at the age of two in 2008 with the fatal brain cancer known as DIPG. Alexis battled heroically for thirty-three months until January 14, 2011. Jonathan is a licensed attorney and a former civil defense trial lawyer from Washington, DC. He resides in Falls Church, Virginia, and has four children, Alexis (1-31-06 to 1-14-11), Gabriel age 11, Trevor age 7, and Kylie 5 years.

In this episode Yasna and I discuss -  - IVF & struggles families can go through IVF treatments  - Healing through IVF struggles (what modalities she used to heal) - How people can support and some resources Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Yasna @ivfgotyoubabe on IG & FB.  Yasna is a British born So-Cal girl that loves everything Indian and Hip-Hop. I married my best friend at 24 and quickly succumbed to the lifestyle of being married, working 40 plus hours a week, and fulfilling my daughter-in-law's duties. My husband, Ketan and I knew right away that we wanted to have children. Little did we know that God had other plans for us. Sometimes motherhood isn't always as easy as it seems. No one ever talks about the struggle of becoming a parent. Our vision of having a family of our own had been shattered with expensive fertility treatments, mental breakdowns, emotional stress, financial struggles, and many sacrifices. This whole journey has been an experience that we will never forget. We have endured a lot of heartache over the last ten years, but we have come out so much stronger.

In this episode Skip and I discuss -  - His passion as a physician and someone who suffered from depression to reduce stigma against it especially among men who do are less likely to seek help.  - Practical tips to overcome it - Breaking the patterns and cycles of the past Have you joined my community yet? Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living.  Find Skip at https://wrestlingisnotforwimps.com/ or find him on Facebook & Twitter @SkipWNW Donald G. “Skip” Mondragon II, MD, has practiced Internal Medicine for over thirty years. He is a 26-year Army veteran, National Veterans Wrestling Champion, speaker, and self-proclaimed amateur wrestling aficionado. Skip and his wife, Sherry, have five adult children, four grandchildren, and reside in Midlothian, Texas. He is the author of Wrestling Depression Is Not For Wimps! Lessons Learned from an Amateur Wrestler’s Fight to Triumph Over Depression.