Category: podcast

Opening Questions

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“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

Recently my daughter, nine-year-old Miss O, and I were at our neighborhood grocery store. When we went through the check out line, Miss O asked the clerk, “How’s your day going?”

The genuine question worked instantly. It was as if a light went on inside the young woman. She answered, “Busy, but in a good way so that the day goes fast.”

Miss O responded, “I like your purple hair.”

It reminded me of a wonderful podcast conversation that Vicki and I recently had with blogger, parent, and social justice advocate, Ab, about finding our people.

Ab tells us the great story of a chance encounter he had with a woman standing next to him and his family in an hour-long line. She led with a query and Ab answered with his trademark humor and openness.

Vicki and I delve into how these encounters can be very different from what we imagine when we genuinely lean into them.

Ab talks about the loneliness epidemic and how the antidote to negative feelings and isolation is connection. While finding your people isn’t always easy, it’s facilitated by having an open-heart.

We explore how sometimes we’re in the prison of our own thoughts and how human connection breaks us out of that loop and facilitates kindness.  

This is such a fascinating episode. I love the kinship we have with Ab. And he’s so good at illustrating how community is where kindness and empathy happens. It’s where we have the opportunity to support each other and create deep relationships.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling about finding our people.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 95: Finding Our People with Ab

HoTM Episode 95 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Sharing the Heart of the Matter Episode 95 show notes

Ab’s Blog: My life with T

Ab’s post: Hiking Takakkaw Falls and Canoeing Emerald Lake at Yoho National Park

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community’s 2023 report “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation”  

The Human Library Movement

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith;

(featured photo from Pexels)

Dreams, Writing and Creativity

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“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinhem

I had a friend who once told me that when his wife woke up from dreams in which he was behaving badly, he’d pay for it all day. He didn’t actually have to be dismissive or philandering – because on those days, she’d treat him as if he already done it.

I can attest to the lingering effect of dreams. Even if I don’t remember exactly what happened, I can awaken powerfully emboldened or ambiguously scared. So I love this podcast episode in which Vicki Atkinson and I are talking with author, blogger, and former newspaper writer, Melanie McGauran about decoding our dreams. We love our conversations with Melanie – she is so engaging and insightful.

This is such a fascinating episode. The interior of our minds is an interesting, and sometimes scary, place. But it is so fun how Melanie brings her love of mysteries to this practice of sifting through the clues.

Melanie talks about her fascination with dreams and how she both remembers hers and extends them. It’s a wonderful practice to not only appreciate the dreamscape but also focus the mind in the middle of the night.

She introduces us to the work of Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams and his insight that in dreaming, we access our memory tree but without the guardrails of logic.

Melanie combines that memory mixology with her unstoppable creativity, joy and problem-solving to decode dreams.

This episode is such a fun take on dreaming, writing and creativity. We love Melanie’s passion and interest and get to see that in action as she helps us make stories from our dreams.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling – in podcasts, in conversation, and in dreams.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 94: Decoding Our Dreams with Melanie McGauran

Episode 94 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this episode:

Late and Lost by Vicki Atkinson

Melanie’s blog: https://leavingthedooropen.com/

“Why We Sleep” – Matthew Walker, Ph.D

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

(featured photo from Pexels)

Refreshing Depth and Reflection

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“Shallow waters don’t lead to new continents.” – Constance Friday

In the Pacific Northwest where I live, we are blessed with beautiful lakes filled with fresh, clear water. Seeing the bottom gives me such a great sense of depth and stillness. When I spend any time near a PNW lake, I come away with a better feel for my life in reflection.

There are some people that are just like these lakes. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this, but when I’ve met these remarkable individuals, I come away feeling that same sense of refreshing depth and reflection.

It’s how I felt after Vicki Atkinson and I recorded a podcast with Cindy Georgakas, Episode 93: Celebrating Poetry with Cindy Georgakas. In this vibrant conversation we get such a wonderful taste of Cindy’s energized and connected presence. She tells us how Covid was the impetus of starting to share wellness information in a different format.

That led to her book released last year in the Happiness Category, Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to Live the Life of Your Dreams. In the process of releasing that book, she planned a second release of a book of poetry she wasn’t able to include in Re-Create & Celebrate. Her poetry book, Celebrating Poetry is due out this month!

Hearing Cindy tell these stories underscores the rich lessons of learning to adjust when what we’ve planned turns out to be different in timing and format.

Speaking of planning, Vicki and I ask Cindy about what else she has planned on her creative radar.

This is a great episode because all of Cindy’s answers are so full of heart. She is an inspiring author to listen to – because she’s so interested in creating a-ha moments for others. Cindy is a well-spring of wisdom that speaks to the essence of who we are.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling – in podcasts, in poetry, and in conversation.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 93: Celebrating Poetry with Cindy Georgakas

HoTM episode 93 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Cindy’s website and blog: https://uniquelyfitblog.com/

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue;
Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith;
Blog: https://wynneleon.com/

The Thread of Writing

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“You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.” – John Rogers

One of the things that I love about talking with authors, bloggers, and writers is that there is a consistent thread of writing as a way to process life. To be intentional, to be mindful, to find patterns. From Dr. Stein (Dr. Gerald Stein blog) who creates helpful and rich life lessons from his years of as a psychologist to David (Pinwheel in a Hurricane blog) who says writing is a way for his swirly bits to land, it’s easy to see the depth that comes with writing it down.

So that makes it so fun to continue the trend in this episode of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast. Vicki Atkinson and I are talking with author, and blogger, Lauren Scott of the Baydreamer Writes blog.

In this wonderful episode, Lauren tells us the beautiful story about how she started a poetry blog 14 years ago. In the process, she cultivated the roots she’d planted as a young girl for poetry as a destination for her emotions.

Vicki and I ask how she took the step from her blog to publishing books. Lauren tells us the themes of each of her FOUR published books. She weaves the theme of love through all of them, even the most serious, just the way love carries us through life.

And she gives us a sneak peek into the children’s book that is about to hit the press. She authored it with her nephew as illustrator.

The morning we recorded this podcast, Lauren’s piece Treats Only, Please was announced as best publication of the month on Spillwords Press

This podcast is like a master class on the growth mindset. Those are my words, not Lauren’s because she is wonderfully humble and real. Which makes it even more powerful and inspiring to hear Lauren tell about her writer’s journey – all the things she’s overcome and been willing to try – and how that feeds into fantastic ideas for new projects.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling and writing it down.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 92: Baydreamer – Author Lauren Scott

HoTM Episode 92 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Lauren’s Website: baydreamerwrites.com
Author Of The Month, May 2023 Spillwords Press
Monthly Contributor, Gobblers-Masticadores Literary Website
Amazon Author Page

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

The Discipline in Creativity

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“The discipline of creation, be it to paint, compose, write, is an effort towards wholeness.” – Madeleine L’Engle

I’m always surprised by how much discipline there is in creativity. I say that with a wink because my personal expectation is that 2,000+posts into this blogging journey, I would have thought this would be easier. I have found so many benefits for the act of writing — from helping me understand my journey to this great blogging community, it’s easy for me to think that these things should write themselves.

I’ll have an idea bouncing around my head or my heart and it goes nowhere until I put my derriere in the chair. Even when I have my fingers on the keyboard, I need to discipline my inner editor to take a back seat so I can get the first draft written.

Which is a great lead in to the podcast conversation Vicki Atkinson and I had this week with author, blogger, and corporate communications specialist, Brian Hannon about National Novel Writing Month.

Brian tells us why he values the encouragement and accountability piece of NaNoWriMo.

He spills a little bit about the project he has in mind and the goals he’s setting for the month.

Brian is such a great writer, with roots as a newspaper writer and corporate communications specialist. So we get to see into the dichotomy of the flexibility in writing Brian has so beautifully explored in posts this week contrasted with the structure necessary to produce a novel.

It’s fun to hear how he makes time to write, especially as he gears up for NaNoWriMo.

Brian also turns the tables on Vicki and me and gets us to reveal a bit of the bigger projects we are working on. We get to collectively talk about the wonderful goal of producing “wholehearted writing” in whatever medium we choose.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling – in podcasts, in posts, and in novels.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 91: NaNoWriMo with Brian Hannon

Episode 91 show notes on Sharing the Heart of the Matter

HoTM episode 91 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Writing from the Heart with Brian: https://writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com/

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

(featured photo from Pexels)

The Things You Have to Do

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“Ability and necessity dwell in the same cabin.” – Dutch Proverb

I recently had some trouble in my kitchen. My refrigerator had leaked intermittently for a dozen years. The floorboard underneath it finally got soaked enough that the wheel on the front left side fell through it. I had to shimmy the refrigerator out, assess the damage, fix the floorboards, and order a new frig.

It was a pretty intense week trying to get all that done so that the floor was sturdy and level enough for a new refrigerator. But when it was all done, I had a good laugh. Because… I don’t like to clean my frig. And now I had a beautifully clean refrigerator.

It reminds me of another task people don’t often like to do — update their web site design. It’s what my co-host Vicki Atkinson and I talk about this week on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast: Episode 90: Site Design and WordPress Themes.

I know, I can hear you groaning from here. In fact, I’m groaning right along with you even though this is a large part of what I’ve done professionally for 30 years. Even if you only publish a private blog for your family, making things findable is important!

So if you are thinking about changing up your site or even just wondering if you should, I think there are some good tactics to help make this manageable.

Vicki and I talk through some of the design considerations to be mindful of like navigation and search. And then we look at the sections to consider when picking a theme like the header, footer, and sidebar.

I talk through some of the problems I’ve heard people have encountered when switching themes in WordPress like content disappearing and inability to revert back. I offer some strategies for avoiding that flavor of disappointment and disaster.

There is a presentation that gives these elements and examples to download as a companion piece to this podcast. Here’s the thing – tackling site design isn’t always fun, but it’s better when we do it together with some good approaches and tactics.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling as told through well-designed sites.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 90: Site Design and WordPress Themes

HoTM Episode 90 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

The PDF presentation of the ideas and process presented in this podcast conversation.

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

(featured photo from Pexels)

The Ritual of Tea

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“Good habits automate us, helping us get things done. Rituals animate us, enhancing and enchanting our lives with something more. The intrinsically emotional nature of rituals gives them their animating power.” – Michael Norton

Before the pandemic, my “office” was at a favorite local coffee shop. My kids were little and at home so I needed a place to escape to. I’d walk in the door of the coffee shop, throw my backpack onto my favorite comfy chair by the window if it was available, get my cup of green tea, and then settle in to work.

For me, wrapping my hands around a hot cup of tea is like an automatic reset button. It helps me notice the moment before I move to the next. Part of the fun was just being around all the other regulars and hearing conversations. There is something so delicious about the conviviality of coffee shop comradery.

So I loved the conversation I had with Vicki Atkinson this week on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast: Tea Time with Wynne and Vicki

We bring in one of my favorite quotes about tea from Mark Nepo. He likens tea to the way we make sense of our lives. From gathering the leaves, to pouring water over it, to drinking it slowly, we cultivate the aromatic blend that helps us and heals us.

Both Vicki and I like the ritual because it slows us down. Having a cup of tea is like an invitation to bring forward what we already know.

I share my secret for how long I let it steep. And Vicki shows some treasured sets from her family that hold so much more than tea.

Vicki shares a delightful book about making tea that has been a gift and a reminder to let the swirls of tea help settle our thoughts down.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling over a cup of tea.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 89: Tea Time with Wynne and Vicki

HoTM Episode 89 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Steeping the Tea Leaves of Life by Wynne Leon

My Kind of Swirl by Vicki Atkinson

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

Little Steps of Calm

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“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” – Najwa Zebian

Now that I’ve spent a dozen years practicing meditation and trying mindfulness, I find it interesting to take a look back at the time I spent mountain climbing. Because mountain climbing is kind of a mindless activity.

In a journey of 50,000 steps or so for a climb, you don’t necessarily want to remember each one. In fact, it might be a little painful if you did.

So while the endurance and grit is transferrable to life down low, perhaps the mindless moving forward is best left on the mountain. Speaking for myself that is. I don’t want to sleep walk through the days of my life.

This is just one of the many reasons that I love the warm and inviting conversation I had this week on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast with my co-host, Vicki Atkinson.

I think it’s fair to say that we all have times where life feels frenzied. And it isn’t only because our to-do lists get too long. It’s also because of the pace of the world around us, and our exposure to the news, in whatever way we consume it.

Both Vicki and I start the day with sacred time. It’s non-negotiable for me so that I can at least start the day with a measure of faith and perspective.

But we know that doesn’t work for everyone. So we talk about our tricks to instill some calm. Vicki tells us about how she sets aside multi-tasking to focus on one thing at a time. And more than that, how to slow tasks to reap the full benefit.

For me, music can help to disrupt the stress swirl. Tuning in to songs from my youth delivers a noticeable energy lift as well. We touch on the research of Harvard psychology professor Dr. Ellen Langer about how our brains can impact our bodies.

It’s not hard to imagine that Vicki is an inveterate smile-r. She shares a story about how offering friendliness to others brings a side benefit of joy.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 88: Meditative Moments with Wynne and Vicki

Episode 88 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Episode 79: Sometimes You Have to Laugh with Author Pete Springer – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Remembering How to Bounce Back – Dr. Gerald Stein

Kindness all around us! – Brian Hannon

The Subtle Shaping of Our Brains – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Meditate on this! – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Write it Out – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

Courage is Contagious

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“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

I was listening to my neighbor talk about the anxiety she felt this past weekend when her husband took their oldest, a 12-year-old boy, up to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier.

In her delightful British accent, she said, “It’s not that I don’t trust my husband’s skills, it’s just that if you take the three tallest peaks in the UK, Ben Nevis (Scotland), Scafell Peak (England), and Snowdon (Wales) on top of each other, then you have Mt. Rainier. It’s an American, super-sized mountain.”

Fortunately, the weather held and they had a great time hiking up to and camping at base camp on our super-sized mountain.

It struck me as I listened, that there are many different types of courage in these adventures. To lead an expedition, to join as a team member, and also to stand on the sidelines and cheer for an adventure. All take a unique kind of fortitude.

It also made me think of the adventure that Vicki Atkinson and I got to hear about from author, blogger and great story-teller, Cheryl Oreglia on this week’s Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia.

Cheryl recounted her experience on the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa which is familiarly known as RAGBRAI. Seven hot days of riding, camping, and communing with 20,000 other riders.

Sounds fun, right? But what Cheryl does so consistently is bring the magic. She rides in tandem – both on the bike with her husband, Larry, and also in her writing. She is so good at synchronizing her inner landscape with all that she sees around.

She takes us on this journey from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River. And she leaves Vicki and me in tears about what it all means.

Cheryl is a beautiful writer and inspirational story-teller. She reminds us all what is out there when we face our fears and try hard things.

Pork chops, sunrise, kindness, and courage to name just a few.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Cheryl’s blog: Living in the Gap

RAGBRAI 2024 – Living in the Gap (cheryloreglia.blog)

Other episodes with Cheryl:

Episode 61: The Writers Conference with Cheryl Oreglia by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

Episode 30: True Grit with Cheryl Oreglia by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

Episode 7: Grow Damn It! by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

(featured photo from Pexels)

Lit From Within

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“If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.” – Buddha

I think the people in life who I’ve learned some of the most memorable lessons from are the ones who are lit from within. Like Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poets Society, there’s an infectious spirit that makes me feel like I’m not only learning but also catching a spark.

I mention this because of a recent podcast conversation Vicki Atkinson and I had with blogger, parent, FASD advocate and amazing human, Ab from the My Life with T blog. Ab is definitely lit from within.

Ab tells us of the moment both his advocacy and blogging started. When a program supporting kids like his young son was canceled, it lit both fires.

The writing practice is part of Ab’s self-care. It helps him process the events that need to be noted, held onto, learned from, and cherished. It’s a great tool in his wonderful resource kit for parenting well.

And then his writing helps to raise awareness about people living with FASD. Ab shares the definition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and we discuss how building awareness and understanding is so important.

Ab makes such great connections about different blogs and the way our writing unites us.

It was so much fun to be able to talk with Ab. It feels as if we are old friends after interacting nearly every day for 4 years on one blog or another. He is so passionate, funny and articulate and we could have talked for hours. Vicki and I are so lucky to have the great fun of being able to talk with people who are dear blog friends.

This in an incredible conversation about how moments of disappointment and frustration can blossom into something fruitful when you follow the threads as Ab did.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 85: Writing and Advocacy with Ab

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

My Life with T blog by Ab

In Canada: What is FASD? – CanFASD

In the United States: FASD United

A great resource for caregivers trying to understand and support a loved one with FASD:

Trying Differently Rather Than Harder: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – Third Edition: 9780972953207: Books – Amazon.ca

A book by recognized FASD educator Nate Sheets:

Essential FASD Supports: Understanding and Supporting People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Sheets, Nate: 9781977245083: Books – Amazon.ca

From the Hosts:

Vicki’s recently released book: Surviving Sue

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith