The Flare Up Show

The most interesting thing I learned is that if I wake up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, it's not my bladder or what I drank before bed that's the problem but potentially my heart!

Barry Krakow, MD is a board-certified internist and sleep medicine specialist who has worked in the field of sleep research and clinical sleep medicine for more than 30 years, pioneering innovative techniques for the treatment of chronic nightmares, chronic insomnia , complex insomnia, upper airway resistance syndrome, obstructive and central sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder. 

He lives in Savannah and holds a medical license in the state of Georgia, where he is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the Department of Psychiatry at Mercer University School of Medicine.  Currently, he trains psychiatry residents in sleep disorders medicine and supervises their sleep medicine clinic.

Alana's book is now available for pre-order! Freedom with Food and Fitness. It’s a practical guide to incorporating intuitive eating into your everyday life if you’re someone whose finally ready to ditch dieting but still wants to pursue health through nutrition and fitness. "There are a lot of stories from my journey from undiagnosed eating disorders to food freedom that correspond to the real-life tips and tricks I incorporate into my life today as a working mom. The book is divided into two parts—food and fitness—and both will debunk the myths we’ve been socialized to believe about what makes us healthy, beautiful, confident and worthy." It’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and will be officially released on November 14.

Stephanie loves to help high-achieving women step out of the cycle of overworking, keeping themselves busy, and feeling exhausted from being in their heads all the time. She helps connect them back into their bodies to become the most expanded version of themselves. She is passionate about ALL women coming back into their natural flow state of trust, surrender & attraction, so they can live life with ease and flow, which she shares how inside yin yoga, retreats, workshops, and mentorship journeys. Stephanie says, "After working with me women feel whole within themselves, comfortable in their skin and proud of whom they are with oozing confidence."

You can find Stephanie:

Jodi Wellman is a leading authority on living lives worth living. As a speaker, author, and facilitator, she helps her clients live squander-free lives while they’re lucky enough to still be above ground. She named her business Four Thousand Mondays because it shines the light on the finite number of weeks we have to live like we mean it.

Jodi holds a Master’s of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also an Assistant Instructor. As a certified coach with 25 years of corporate leadership experience, she helps executives, teams, and high performers work well and live even better.

Jodi’s TEDx talk is called How Death Can Bring You Back to Life; with over 1.3 million views, it is the 14th most-watched TEDx talk released in 2022, out of 15,900!

In this episode, Chrissy hosts Dr. Patlee Creary of Reyou Mindfulness to share how important it is to prioritize a purposeful pause in pursuing goals.

Rest is a critical component of human health that many, women especially, tend to view as frivolous. Ignoring this necessity will likely lead to a higher risk of experiencing burnout, stress-related illness, and dissatisfaction with career and life.

Pause retreat has been created specifically to teach women how to rest with purpose, reinvigorate their motivation and replenish their energy so they can reach their dreams while simultaneously enjoying the journey. If you don't take the opportunity to PAUSE how will your life look in six months or a year from now?

Deborah is a shining example of how adversity doesn't create character but reveals it. To hear her amazing life story is humbling, this is a woman who was born to enlighten the world and help people believe in themselves.

Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, Deborah LeBlanc is a Certified Master Clinical Hypnotherapist, a Master NLP Practitioner, a Therapeutic Imagery Master and a Certified MER Practitioner. She has helped hundreds of individuals break free from debilitating, limited beliefs, which allowed them to experience success, joy and realize fuller and happier lives. She also works with corporations, training CEOs, CFOs, Managers and Sales staffs using ground-breaking processes along with group hypnosis so they’ll experience massive increases in profitable revenue and growth. 

Deborah’s passion, enthusiasm and motivating style has awarded her the opportunity to speak at conferences and hold workshops around the world. She also founded Literacy Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting illiteracy in America’s teens.  

Unquestionably, wherever Deborah goes, she travels to deliver one basic message—a message of hope…then commits to turning that hope into reality.

Mike is simply a human that is struggling with a lifelong disease and making the best out of it. Traveling across Canada to focus on EVs and creating a sustainable future for our next generation while enjoying hobbies such as running, cycling and hiking. He was the youngest Manitoban to be diagnosed with the disease and has discovered through trial and error what has worked with him to manage flare ups and symptoms.

Links Mike refers to:  

Dr. Virgie Bright Ellington is an internal medicine physician and medical billing expert. A determined patient advocate, Dr. Virgie practiced for more than 20 years in primary care and psychiatric settings and as a health insurance executive. In this episode, she shares how she became passionate about teaching medical financial literacy and about her own experience as a patient who has thankfully survived aggressive breast cancer.

Dr. Virgie now helps patients understand complex medical procedures, communicate effectively with their healthcare providers, and avoid financial devastation from crushing medical bills through her "What Your Doctor Wants You to Know" series.

She is the author of What Your Doctor Wants You to Know to CRUSH MEDICAL DEBT and the host of the weekly "HEALTH, WELLNESS & MEDICAL BILLS" show on the VoiceAmerica radio network, which was gracious enough to have Chrissy on as a guest earlier this year!

Joining me today is Dr. Larry Waldman, a world-renowned psychologist that is sharing with us how to raise resilient and responsible children. How we can create the balance between positive reinforcement and facing consequences for actions that help children become self-sufficient, happy and sucessful.

Dr. Waldman is a recently semi-retired certified school psychologist and licensed clinical, forensic psychologist in Phoenix, Arizona.  He conducted a highly successful private practice of 45 years working with children, teens, parents, couples, and adults in a solution-focused manner.  He also consulted with family, personal injury, immigration and estate planning attorneys.  His BS in Education/Psychology was from the University of Wisconsin; his MS in School Psychology was from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; his Ph.D. in Educational/School Psychology was earned at Arizona State University; and his Diplomate (ABPP) was received in 2003.

Waldman was the past president of the Maricopa Psychological Society, the Director of Psychological Services for Charter Psychiatric Hospital of Glendale and was an “Official Guide” (top expert) on Parenting for SelfGrowth.com.  He continues as a Medical Consultant for the Social Security Office in Phoenix, an adjunct graduate professor in the Counseling and Educational Psychology Departments for Ottawa University, and serves on the professional advisory board of Stepping Stones of Hope, a charitable organization serving children whom have lost a parent.  Waldman is the co-chair of the Early Career Psychologists Committee with the Arizona Psychological Association (AzPA).   He is also certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a (senior) fitness specialist.

In addition to numerous articles which have been published in the local Phoenix media and in the national press, Waldman has (thus far) written six books:  Who’s Raising Whom?  Coping with Your Adolescent; How Come I Love Him But Can’t Live with Him? The Graduate Course You Never Had; Too Busy Earning a Living to Make Your Fortune? and Overcoming Your Negotiaphobia: Negotiating Through Your Life. He currently is writing Love your Kid More than You Hate your Ex.

Dr. Waldman trained as a public speaker.  His signature presentations are: The Business of Private Practice—The Graduate Course You Never Had and Teaching Parents to Parent.  He has made over 150 paid presentations in his career to attorneys, chiropractors, psychologists, family therapists, counselors, social workers, school psychologists and school counselors. To the community Waldman speaks on parenting, marriage, stress, depression and anxiety, wellness, grandparenting and psychotherapy.  His seminars are organized, practical and entertaining—offering “edutainment.”

In honour of National Hoarding Awareness week in the United Kingdom, today I have the fabulous person That Hoarder joining us to share her journey with compulsive hoarding and how her healing journey is going. She started her own podcast to share her story and help motivate herself. It now reaches many people from all over that express how grateful they are to know they are not alone and there is no shame in having mental illness or difficulties.

Hoarding is one of the conditions that neurotypical people like to believe is one that simply requires tough love to solve the problem. We talk about how tough love and cleaning your loved ones' home or throwing away "garbage" without their consent will only do more harm than good.

You can find her:

Because life is better with good love in it, Michelle Hoffmann joins me today to share how to attract high quality, relationship-ready people, as well as navigate and enjoy all the right relationships in your life, without fear of repeating previous relationship mistakes, or not being ‘enough.’

We cannot judge a book by its cover and Becca Stone shares her personal story with PCOS, binge eating and negative body image. But this is not a sad episode, she is full of energy, enthusiasm, and passion for helping women find their way to loving and accepting themselves. Her story will inspire and engage you.

Becca Stone is a Physical Wellness and Mindset Coach in Knoxville. She is 41 years old, has been married for 16 years, and has four daughters. Her oldest is 9 and has Down syndrome, and her younger three are triplets and are almost 8. "My life is non-stop entertainment, and I LOVE it! "

About what she does, Becca says, "I have always loved working out and nutrition, but I struggled for 12+ years to find balance and a lifestyle that wasn't stressful and that I could actually maintain. Overcoming my "diet mentality," and learning to love my body genuinely has been the most freeing thing I've experienced. My passion is serving & empowering Women and Moms to get back to feeling beautiful, confident, and sexy in their own skin! Teach them how to create a healthy, balanced lifestyle that aligns with their lives. "

Today's guest is an extraordinary thought leader with a heart and spirit brimming with empathy and enthusiasm. Dr. Ed Cohen shares how his thoughts and philosophies around healing have evolved over his fifty years of living with Chrohn's Disease. He brings up an amazing point, that immunity was a word that first meant "free from" in the legal world. Then over time, the world of medicine and science labeled our internal defense mechanisms as the immune system. But if we are free from threats, as immunity implies, why must we have an entire immune defense system? This is a great question he poses and answers in this episode.

Dr. Ed Cohen is a Ph.D. in Modern Thought from Stanford and for the last three decades he has been an award-winning professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality at Rutgers University. At thirteen, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease—a chronic, incurable condition that nearly killed him in his early twenties. At his diagnosis, his doctors told him that the best he could hope for would be periods of remission. Unfortunately, doctors never mentioned healing as a possibility.

In his book On Learning to Heal, Cohen draws on fifty years of living with Crohn’s to consider how Western medicine’s turn from an “art of healing” toward a “science of medicine” deeply affects both medical practitioners and their patients. He demonstrates that although medicine can now offer many seemingly miraculous therapies, medicine is not and has never been the only way to enhance healing. Exploring his own path to healing, he argues that learning to heal requires us to desire and value healing as a vital possibility. With this book, Cohen advocates reviving healing’s role for all those whose lives are touched by illness.

You can connect with Dr. Cohen and purchase a copy of his book here:

Today's guest is exceptional, she is such a testimony to learning how to love and heal yourself using the power of telling your story. Listen as Andreena shares how she learned to treat herself with care and how she is helping make the world a more compassionate and inclusive place.

Andreena Leeanne (she/her) 41, is a Black Lesbian Lived Experience Speaker, Wellbeing Workshop Facilitator, Author & Poet who helps organizations with their inclusion and well-being strategy by speaking about intersectionality, authenticity, allyship also facilitates well-being workshops that focus on self-care.

Andreena writes and performs poetry to come to terms with and speak out about her personal experiences with homelessness, mental health, identity, childhood sexual abuse & the many other challenges she has faced in her life.

Her debut poetry collection CHARRED was published by Team Angelica in 2020 and was shortlisted for a Polari First Book Prize in 2021.

In January 2015 Andreena founded Poetry LGBT Open Mic Night which is a warm and welcoming space for the LGBTQ+ community to come together to share their experiences & creativity through poetry and spoken word both virtually and in-person. Follow @PoetryLGBT on all socials.

In 2018 Andreena was one of Stonewall’s Black History Month role models and was shortlisted for a Positive LGBT Role Model National Diversity Award in 2020.

In 2021 Andreena became a trustee of a charity called Action Breaks Silence whose mission is to end violence against women and girls.

Dani is an amazing woman of strength, compassion, and enthusiasm. This is her second time on the show as a guest, the first time was to talk about finding her way back to enjoying physical fitness which was always her passion. Like many of us, she had to put her passion on the back burner as she navigated trauma and abuse. Now Dani is not only enjoying daily physical fitness but she just completed her licensing as a personal trainer in Canada and has opened her own fitness and nutrition business in Calgary called Fearless Fitness. Listen as she shares how she has integrated her love for movement into her life and turned it into a new career.

Deanna Hann is the founder of a navigational program -The Goddess Compass. The program's adventurous and inspirational journey in the Amazon jungle was her healing transformation. The Compass guided her to let go of her past and become who she was truly meant to be. A compass is a powerful tool that she shares open-heartedly with all, especially with one who struggles with depression, pain, suffering, or lack of confidence. She has spoken to over 400,000 women internationally to impact their lives in their quest for happiness.

She has been on a British Podcast sharing her story of faith and is also an executive member of the Positive Thinkers, A Club 33 years strong. Denna is the author of The Goddess Compass: her transformational journey from darkness to light. Her programs include The Cultivating Compassion Course, Marry Yourself First, and The Art and Heartful Living of a Goddess. My amazon jungle experience.

She naturally inspires others to a self-compassionate journey where she supports you abundantly to let you raise your sails in faith, and your heart becomes your Compass fearlessly. We will sail on this journey together no matter how stormy, so you will never lose sight of the shore- the sure of who you are truly meant to be. As a Happy for No Reason® certified trainer, Deanna loves spreading the happy message. Let's raise our sails together and navigate to your heart, so you are unquestionably on Destination Pleasure. Hopefully, you can feel the engine's vibration waiting for you.

Welcome Angela to The Flare Up Show, she shares with all of us about her practice that combines nutrition and food with emotional and mental counseling, as so often food seems to be connected to the need for emotional healing, not just the physical. As an ethical vegan Angela also has programs available for vegans that struggle living in a non-vegan world, a feeling referred to as Vystopia. We talk at length about body dysmorphia and diet culture. 

Angela is a Canadian Certified Counsellor, Registered Dietitian, and Certified Yoga Teacher in Manitoba, Canada. She is passionate about the mind-body connection, mindfulness, and helping people heal their relationship with food and their bodies. Her work incorporates the principles of trauma-informed care and self-compassion, to safely support others in exploring their inner worlds. Another important part of Angela’s practices involves supporting others to live their lives with greater compassion for all sentient beings, human and non-human alike.

Links

Death to diet culture! Erin is a powerful and hilarious speaker on the topic of nourishment and self-compassion. She struggled with disordered eating and dieting for almost 35 years of her life. On the outside she was confident and high functioning, on the inside she was really struggling with resistance and dealing with negative emotions. 

After deciding to get rid of restrictive dieting and started creating a different approach to achieving wellness and lost over 130 pounds, without dieting. She shares her story and insights with our listeners today.

Today my special guest is none other than...me! I am going to share five of my favourite quotes and thoughts by brilliant people that have helped shape me into the person I am today. I am also going to share amazing news about a brand new venture I am starting with Ignite Purpose.

Matthew Dickson is joining the show today to talk about schizophrenia, from how it impacted his life to clearing up many misconceptions the average person has about this disease. 

Matthew's purpose is to help people with mental illness in developing countries so they can get access to basic mental health care at MindAid.ca. Mind Aid is the world's first website with all the organizations working on mental health in developing countries on one site (they are otherwise scattered across the web).

These organizations use models of basic mental health care that are low-cost, proven effective, and scalable. Some have been endorsed by Bill Clinton, Forest Whitaker, Arcade Fire, Ashley Judd, as well as Zak Williams (son of Robin Williams) and Tim Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics.

Matthew has successfully recovered from schizophrenia and has bicycled across Canada.

Today Maya Nelson, RMHCI, joins the Flare Up Show to talk about heavy topics with bravery, a lot of heart and even a few laughs.  She shares what trauma-informed care is, and how it should look, then we look at a few specific areas there is a risk of trauma and pain such as race-based trauma, LGBTQ2IA+ affirmative care, and generational trauma. 

Our guest today helps men understand their gifts of sensitivity from a masculine perspective. He shares that men should see sensitivity as more than emotion, to look at this gift as being like a highly-tuned instrument that is taking accurate measurements of the environment around it. 20-30% of the population is highly sensitive and for great benefit to the human race, which he will also shed light on

William Allen is a first-time author with a writer’s heart and researcher’s mind. After getting a degree in Psychology with an eye on doing psychology research, he recalibrated for a career in Information Technology. He found himself in a thirty-year career as an Information Technology manager at Wells Fargo who enjoyed managing highly intelligent, often difficult staff, many of whom were highly sensitive. He was awarded a prestigious Corporate Management Excellence award for his empathetic management style.

Brad believes that getting beyond your comfort zone and "doing something that sucks every day" is monumental in unlocking your most powerful self.  He is a certified coach and founder of The School of Grit which positively transforms people through purposeful adversity that impacts them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Today he shares with us the "mountains" he climbs with his clients in his school, his experience at the Kokoro Camp and much, much more. It has been an honour to have him on the show this week, please extend a warm welcome and check out his website. 

Today's episode has a lot of content packed in with guest Justin McSweeney who hosts his own YouTube interview channel called Idea Cast. This series platforms persons from the social sciences, philosophy, the media arts as well as the musical arts. Justin seeks out conversations that revolve around meaning-making, sense-making, creative thinking, and examination of our potential and challenges.

Justin connected with me as he has Hashimoto's Disease, which is the same autoimmune disease I have, and wanted to share a bit of his experience with this. His diagnosis story is very interesting as well as how he tackled brain fog using his love of botany and horticulture as a source of mental exercise.  However, this is closer to the end of the episode as Justin is very philosophical and a free thinker that touches on many topics that I know will be of benefit to you the listener. 

In his words "I might identify as a philosophical hobbyist. I am interested in the philosophy of mind and ontology. At present, I enjoy process relational metaphysics and analytical idealism as curious systems to help decode ontological foundations. I am also interested in what I call the 'will to spirit'. It is humanity's drive to seek the transcendent as a means to relate to the ordinary".

To connect with Justin you can find him:

To kick off 2023 we are starting with a recap of my top five moments on The Flare Up Show from 2022. Choosing only five guests was difficult as every person that was on the show holds a very special place in my heart and life. These clips are inspiring, funny and informative, I hope it provides you a great start to the new year! 

When Terry Tucker's name comes to mind, the word motivational pops up immediately. Not only has Terry reinvented himself on a professional and personal level many times over his life he has also had to fight for his life against a rare form of cancer called Acral Lentiginous Melanoma, and continues to do so today. 

Terry shares in his bio, "One thing I learned during all my pain and discomfort is that you have two choices. You can succumb to the debilitating distress and misery, or you can learn to embrace it and use it to make you a stronger and more resilient human being. I chose the latter. Make no mistake, there were times I felt so poorly and was in so much agony that I prayed to die. Each day was a struggle to use my mind to override my body's apathy and distress. I realize pain and discomfort can beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it. But I also came to appreciate that I could use my hurting and anguish to harden my mind and make me more resolute. I was no better at dealing with pain and discomfort than the next person. But every day, I found a way to survive, with the knowledge that I would need to do it again the following morning."

His driving passion is sharing what he has learned between his decade battle with cancer and his diverse professional background to encourage and support anyone his words touch to know that they are not alone, no matter what they are struggling against.  Through this trial of fire, Terry has come to live by the Four Truths and Ten Values of Sustainable Excellence which he shares in this episode, on his website, and throughout his book Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life.  

Please connect with Terry on any of the following links and follow him for daily inspirational content. 

Andi Munsie describes herself as a regular girl who figured out how to love the Game inside herself and live the life of her dreams by her definition; living an authentic, joyful, meaningful, and fulfilling life with her true love that flows.  

In this episode Andi shares all about her Alexa Where is My Period 28-Day Challenge because for her "becoming conscious of the four phases of my Menstrual Cycle; Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulation, and Luteal has been the most powerful and healing way to reconnect to my body, my creativity, my power, my intuition, my soul, and reclaiming my Cycle meant finding female consciousness itself."

We talk about how menstrual cycles played a role in human understanding of past, present, and future prior to modern civilization, how our cycles are connected to the phases of the moon and the four seasons and how we can get use the understanding of our cycle to truly love ourselves. 

Connect with Andi to start your 28-day challenge! 

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Joining me today is Dr. Jane Levesque a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in fertility based out of Calgary to shed some light on the myths and truths around fertility, reproductive health, miscarriages, delivery, and even post-partum care for new parents. She shares openly her own story of having a difficult pregnancy, a miscarriage, and chronic health issues that had her seek answers from several different practitioners before she found the one that really understood her and helped her heal. 

Her mission is to help high-achieving women feel confident and in control of their fertility journeys. In her 6+ years of industry experience, Dr. Jane has helped 100’sof couples optimize their health and prepare their bodies for pregnancy, which allowed them to get pregnant naturally, have complication-free pregnancies, and give birth to healthy babies.

To gain access to Dr. Jane’s Free PDF download, ‘5 Things You Can Start Doing Today To Optimize Your Fertility:

The description of Sanjib Nandi's book The Man With Zero Talent summarizes his personality and our conversation perfectly. "In a world where many give up far too soon, settle for mediocrity and engage in meaningless pursuits, there is a voice in the wilderness that shouts, “No, I won’t accept anything less than an awesome life!” That voice belongs to Sanjib Nandi, a man who made the life-altering decision one day to discard negativity and embark on an odyssey of epic proportions."

Sanjib shares his story of transformation and renewing his zest for life that took him from working as a pharmacist to becoming a novelist, speaker, musician, and founder of the incredible wellness and healing app Luvo. 

Download Luvo

Today Felicia Renaud joins me, an amazing human and HR pro that also has Hashimoto's disease which is an autoimmune disease involving the thyroid. The symptoms are often weight fluctuation, hair loss, extreme fatigue, and anxiety, it is not an easy illness to manage, yet Felicia is a highly accomplished professional and leader in her industry. She mentions in the episode how she achieved many large milestones while also being very sick at the time. 

This episode touches on both her personal journey with autoimmune disease and also provides an HR perspective for employers on how to accommodate or work with employees that might be struggling with a personal chronic issue that is mutually beneficial for the person and the business goals. 

She describes herself as an eccentric Human Resources Professional with a passion for Employment Law, Labour Laws, and Employee Relations. Successful in strategizing, planning, building, and sustaining core Human Resources functions. "Compliance Crusher", believes in the endless possibilities through learning, training, and development opportunities. "Giving up is just not in my DNA. Knowledge is power, and I can prove it. I have learned so much, but I never want to stop learning, and growing. I believe in others and feel true elation when I help someone to achieve their goals." Nothing drives me more than a challenge that *seems* out of reach.

Want to know a secret? No one has it all figured out...no one. Our guest today shares openly her story of self-discovery while simultaneously chasing her dreams and healing her anxiety and eating disorder. 

All the way from London, England Angélique Joan is an actor, a voiceover artist, screenwriter and now the author of the book Ready, Set, 30: A Tale of Figuring it all Out, Whatever That Means. The book is a clever, fun read that shares plenty of laughs along with excellent wisdom gained from her life experience. 

This episode will touch on terrible dates, odd jobs, and how she learned to embrace her whole self as more than good enough, just as she is. 

This week we shift gears into the world of finances. Financial stress takes a toll on our health and well-being, the average person is living paycheque to paycheque or only $400 away from needing to borrow money for an emergency expenditure. Nate shares how he created a wealthy, and healthy, life and why he devotes his time now to helping others thrive and experience freedom. 

Joining me today is Marie Mosley who is an inspiring author, speaker, and coach to share her story of recovery from abuse. Marie was only 14 years old when she met her ex-husband and gave birth to their first child. They remained together for 25 years in a toxic cycle of narcissism and devastation. She believes in making her test into a testimony and deems herself a "rose that grew from concrete." TW: Marie shares details of domestic violence in this episode. 

Although her divorce was anything but pretty, Marie now finds herself at the light at the end of the tunnel full of confidence and enjoying thriving relationships with her children and new spouse. This is the pretty part of her divorce. Her mission is to help people heal and regain their self-confidence, self-esteem, and determination after leaving their toxic and abusive relationships. As a former Guidance Counsellor with a strong background in mental health, Marie coaches women on growing their mindset, from victim to hero. 

Most people will, at some point in their lives, experience low or diminished self-esteem. Clarissa Burt is a great example of how self-esteem issues do not discriminate. She is an award-winning actress, international media personality/producer/director, writer, author, public speaker, and supermodel with hundreds of television and film credits to her name. 

However, she struggled with negative thoughts about herself and her success. In her book, The Self-Esteem Regime, she describes herself as "the woman who secretly viewed her life as a half-empty, cracked glass."

In this talk, she shares her personal journey with self-esteem and how to apply her self-esteem regime to live a confident, happy, and fulfilling life. And guess what, you deserve to feel good about yourself right now...just as you are. 

Clarissa is the CEO/Founder of In the Limelight multi-media platform for women entrepreneurs. The In the Limelight Media mission aims to elevate the position and condition of women entrepreneurs globally both personally and professionally, by providing educative, entertaining, and empowering content.

Sharon is a bundle of energy, a 74 year old coach that works specifically with people transitioning into or struggling with finding their place in retirement.  Sharon says, " I picture a world where Boomers are excited and engaged globally in doing good and making the world a better place."

In this episode we talk about the draw of wanting to remain invisible, Sharon even shares her very personal reason for playing safe and invisible most of her career and where the spark came as she retired to find the courage to be seen and share the valuable wisdom and compassion she has for people. Sharon shares the best tips for those entering retirement and how to find your inner essence, what can give you purpose for your life when life is changing. 

This is a very personal episode of my experience with a potentially life-threatening complication of COVID that is not well talked about. I have included a recent science article that outlines what happened to me. I am still struggling with speech (slurring) and motor skills (typing and reading) I'm getting left and right mixed up a little. But another few days and I will be back to normal! 

I hope you will take any person with COVID who is struggling with anxiety or panic seriously, it could save their life. 

Joining me today is Christina Foxwell, the Managing Director of Ignite Purpose in Australia. Christina shares openly her story of transformation as a leader from the persona of "ninja-barbie" a hard-working, successful manager that was also cold and adept at obliterating those in her way, to a leader that builds a foundation of compassion and love. Her message is we are better together. 

In fact, a 2021 Ernst and Young Study showed that 88% of workers cited empathy from their leaders as their main motivation in remaining loyal and boosting their performance in their companies. 

Christina teaches organizations all over the world how to flourish with love-focused leadership rather than fear-driven management. If your team goals are solely measured through productivity, dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's, you may have created a culture of fear that will only lead to short-term results and high turnover. 

This episode shares how leaders can evolve using her three-step process that is revolutionizing the business and corporate world. She also shares how those that are employees at work can influence their work environments to become more compassionate and trust-centered. 

If you have struggled with corporate politics, water-cooler cultures, or even toxic, demoralizing workplaces this episode is for you. Christina is a beacon of empathy, love, and kindness in addition to being very wise and strong. I know I am a better person for the time I have spent with Christina and believe you will be impacted positively too. 

Christina is passionate about understanding people, helping them grow in their own lives and being more effective in the impact they leave on others. She is a coach, a leader, a business owner, an author, a speaker, and mostly a mother, wife, daughter, and friend.

Dr. Marni shares her story of recovery and healing after experiencing abuse from her narcissistic former spouse which resulted in her losing everything - her marriage, friends, support, finances, her home, and eventually her relationship with her adult children. While she knew she needed to be free from her abuser, the unraveling and aftermath were traumatic themselves. Narcissists have a way of manipulating and positioning themselves as the victim and influencing those nearest and dearest to us to start to believe their false narratives. 

This episode is largely focused on surviving a work type of environment but also touches on ADHD, hyper-sensitivity and trauma-induced empathy which all have common traits associated with them. 

Just because you are sensitive doesn't mean you are at fault when you are hurt. When we feel vulnerable rather than people seeing us as easy targets wouldn't it be nice if they thought of us as having a baby on board sign and take extra care around us to nurture and protect? This episode will talk about ways you can say you have a "baby on board" in a way that typicals in your life can relate to and understand how to best support you. 

Joining the podcast today is my friend Ayla Horton, who was recently diagnosed with Hidradenitis suppurative (HS). HS is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your skin throughout your body - both on the surface and inside the deep layers of the skin. 

It is painful and can be obvious to the human eye which can contribute to self-consciousness and embarrassment. Plus, as it is a rare condition, often medical advice is misaligned and sometimes hurtful. Ayla was told she should try "showering more" by the first doctor she shared the issue with. 

Thankfully Ayla did not allow that doctor to be the final word and continued a journey of learning and advocating for herself to get to the bottom of her disease. Now Ayla is on the road to recovery, she is optimistic and feels heard.

Her story will inspire you to speak up for yourself, filter unhelpful advice or information, and most importantly be kind to yourself. Ayla is one of my favourite people in this world and I really hope you find this talk informative and enlightening. 

If you suffer from unusual symptoms and aren't sure who to go to to get the best guidance or just need a safe space to start the conversation about what is happening with your body or mind please reach out to me anytime chrissy@girlwithaflare.com. I cannot provide medical guidance but I can encourage you and ask the right questions so you can determine your best next step. 

Very excited about this sequel!!  A self-described ‘recovering academic,’ Dr. Patlee Creary uses her expertise in narrative inquiry, phenomenology, and peace and conflict studies to create stories of healing, gratitude, and resilience. Today she shares with us many more powerful stories including the creation of the Untold Stories Expressive Storytelling Studio.