Month: August 2016

Episode 20: How to Manage Obstacles When They Arise

Posted on by kwyattmd

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Today Gia and Karen start off with Something Positive: the story of a dog who “adopted” an ultra-marathoner by running alongside him during an event in China.

Then they talk about the experience of having unexpected obstacles show up when following clear guidance. They offer their own best tips for coping with these sudden “stop signs” on the path of progress:

  • reframe the situation – see it as a need for better timing or an opportunity to learn more
  • let go of attachments to the outcome of your guidance
  • learn to trust the wisdom of the Universe
  • be curious about life’s mysteries
  • have patience and let life unfold with its own timing
  •  journal about obstacles and the feelings that are arising
  • choose a totem as a daily reminder of your Divine guidance
  • don’t take the obstacles personally

Karen shares this quote by Rumi:

A new moon teaches gradualness and deliberation and how one gives birth to oneself slowly. Patience with small details makes perfect a large work, like the universe. What nine months of attention does for an embryo forty early mornings will do for your gradually growing wholeness.

Link for this episode: Stray Dog Finds Her Human

We love, love, love you and are so glad you are joining us on this journey. Sending you positive energy to help you get through all your obstacles! Be sure to send us your comments and leave reviews on iTunes at this link.

Tune in every Friday for more It’s Just Life!

Gia and Karen

xoxo

Episode 19: Lessons from the 2016 Olympics!

Posted on by kwyattmd

 

Today Gia and Karen share all their favorite stories from the 2016 Olympics! They’ve selected 6 take-away lessons learned from the athletes of these games and you can be inspired by them too:

  1. Get back up again after you fall. Stories of 2 runners who fell during their events and got up to complete their races.
  2. Do your best – you are enough. This is the story of the lone athlete on the team from the tiny country of Tuvalu who came in tied for last place in his event.
  3. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. You’ll hear about a member of the Syrian refugee team and how she helped save the lives of 20 people as they were escaping the war in Syria.
  4. See the higher purpose. These stories show how barriers like apartheid, racism, ageism, sexism, misogyny, and religious oppression are being overcome in this Olympic competition.
  5. Be humble and celebrate your competitors. Some Olympians have been gracious in defeat and praised their competition.
  6. Believe in yourself no matter what. Inspirational beach volleyball player Kerry Walsh-Jennings rounds out the stories of our Olympic heroes.

So we hope you will learn from all these courageous athletes and be your own hero!

Tune in next week for another episode! We love you!

Gia and Karen

xoxo

Episode 18: Impermanence – Nothing lasts and everything changes

Posted on by kwyattmd

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Today Gia and Karen start the podcast with a new weekly feature: Something Positive. Today’s positive story is about a woman in Philadelphia who learned that her Uber driver had a son competing in the Olympics but couldn’t afford to travel to Rio to watch his performance. So she gathered her friends together and raised the money to pay his expenses and that Dad is on his way to Rio to cheer for his son! We need more people like that woman who take the time to listen to other people’s stories and act with compassion and generosity.

The subject for today is Impermanence and the discussion includes all of the normal changes we experience as we grow through life. These “little deaths” help shape who we are and occur to gradually break down our attachments and prepare for our ultimate death.  But Westerners are resistant to change in general and thoughts of death. We talk about:

  • The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche and how Buddhists prepare for death throughout their adult lives
  • The need to let suffering change us as we journey through life
  • The challenges of change for the ego which clings to self-identity
  • The importance of seeing the Galaxy view to help us through the ego’s struggles in the Garden
  • The best mindset for coping with change and impermanence
  • Karen’s new book: The Tao of Death – an adaptation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching from the perspective of Death; the book can be used as a daily guide for contemplating death and impermanence – a Companion Journal is available with prompts for daily journaling.

Read more about The Tao of Death here.

Get the book on Amazon here.

Get the Companion Journal here.

We love you and send you all our support for your journey through change and impermanence! Be sure to leave reviews for us on iTunes and share our podcast with your friends! Until next week take care!

Gia and Karen

xoxo

Episode 17: Balancing Masculine and Feminine Energies in the New Era

Posted on by kwyattmd

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In today’s episode Gia and Karen welcome their first guest, Dr. Larry George, who is Gia’s Dad and Karen’s husband. Dr. George is a family physician who recently retired from practice and is a student of Integral Theory, particularly the work of Ken Wilber. The trio discusses masculine and feminine energies, what happens when they are out of balance, and some ideas for getting into balance. The conversation includes:

  • The difference between male/female designations and masculine/feminine and why it’s important to understand
  • How patriarchy began for practical, survival reasons
  • That testosterone is the driver of primitive male behaviors for procreation and protection (“f*** it or kill it”)
  • How societal violence leads to fear and more violence
  • Why there is currently a clash of civilizations on the planet due to the existence of many different levels of socio-cultural evolution at the same time
  • Tips for helping male consciousness evolve and controlling testosterone-driven behaviors:
    • education
    • spiritual practice
    • nurturing relationships
  • Why higher consciousness is needed to help quell violence on the planet
  • Why compassion and forgiveness are important as we all seek to evolve (rather than blame and judgement)
  • The importance of finding our own inner balance of masculine and feminine energies

Link for this episode: Gia’s YouTube Channel (Check out her meditation videos!)

As always we love you and support you in your own process of spiritual growth! Send us your questions and concerns. Visit iTunes to write a review if you feel inspired and share our podcasts with others who might benefit from them!

Gia and Karen

xoxo