ChooSELove Movement

Scarlett Lewis’ guest on this episode of the Choose Love podcast is 

Quentin Williams, Founder of Dedication to Community (D2C).

Quentin is a former FBI agent, federal prosecutor and thought leader trying to connect those who today seem to be the most disconnected. Quentin is the founder of Dedication to Community (D2C). This organization is a national non-profit that educates and empowers communities through skill-building workshops and ongoing forums designed to improve understanding and foster relationships while pursuing healing, reconciliation and unity. Its experts work with government agencies and the private sector by training and advising on critical issues in public safety and law enforcement, as well as diversity, belonging and equity.

Scarlett and Quentin discuss how we are stronger together and that love is the ultimate connector of people. Quentin is a great example of someone that chooses love as a living by teaching others his recipe for reconciliation:

• Listen (beautifully)

• Learning (hearts open)

• Understanding (empathy is born + action = compassion)

• Acknowledgment (of mistakes so we can learn going forward)

• Action (to form meaningful relationships)

Quentin believes that if you live these five ‘ingredients’, then the rest will come organically. Listen to this inspiring podcast as Scarlett and Quentin talk about connection.

In this episode, Scarlett Lewis’ guest is actress Elisabeth Rohm. Elisabeth is also an entrepreneur and restauranteur with a heart for philanthropy. But most importantly, Elisabeth is a mom. She founded Respect Talks where she offers an open forum and invites thought leaders to spark poignant conversations addressing today’s biggest issues, Elisabeth’s Respect Project is an invitation to have an honest conversation and listen to each other’s suffering, joys, successes and how we can work together to find the strength to work through our pain. We need to realize that we have different perspectives and we need to really listen and show up for each other. 

Elisabeth is working on a movie based on Scarlett’s book, Nurturing, Healing, Love. Mass shootings are an essential topic of our time and Elisabeth wants to share how Scarlett’s book focuses on how we should not judge each other, find forgiveness and dedicate ourselves to the mental health of our children and live a life of Nurturing, Healing, Love. Scarlett and Elisabeth discuss how we can move through life by navigating the complexities of human emotions. 

Scarlett and Elisabeth talk about having the courage to be present with one another and show that you care. It takes courage to choose love over fear and forgiving others allows you to be the true version of yourself. Elisabeth truly has a heart for Choosing Love which, if you are a fan, you already know and if you’re just meeting her, you will find out! 

“Every person is more than the worst thing they have done. 

They are: Sons. Daughters. Fathers. Mothers. Brothers. Sisters. Uncles. Aunts.”

What’s the connection between Choose Love and capital defense? EVERYTHING. Individuals that don’t receive ‘nurturing healing love’ or learn essential life skills to manage their emotional pain can end up on death row. This is where the story of Choose Love and Suzerain begins. Scarlett Lewis’ special guest is Casey Secor, CEO, Senior Staff Attorney for Suzerain Capital Defense. 

Scarlett met Casey while he was working on the Parkland Shooting trial last year. This tragedy occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 19 year old Nikolas Cruz, an expelled former student, came back to the school and killed 17 people and injured 17 others on February 14, 2018. Scarlett and Casey hope that working together they can create a new framework that can be used to change how we interact with one another, better recognize how others are struggling, reduce mass violence, and increase love and understanding. 

Dr. Sally Goldberg believes that ‘Nurturing, Healing, Love’ is the solution to prevent school shootings.

In this podcast, Scarlett Lewis’ guest is Dr. Sally Goldberg, a pioneer in the field of early childhood education. Sally Goldberg, Ph.D. is a professor of education, parenting expert and author.  Her unique, logical, and down-to-earth advice has been quoted in numerous magazines and newspapers including Parent’s Magazine and American Baby. Dr. Sally is one of the nation’s first parent coaches and founder of Dr. Sally Parenting, Inc. She was the first parenting expert on “Parent to Parent,” a FOX TV Channel 7 weekly news segment. A prolific magazine writer, Dr. Sally has been published in a multitude of magazines across the country.

Scarlett and Dr. Goldberg believe the magic word to the healthy development of our children is ‘connection.’ Parents need to focus on connection when their children are at a young age. Dr. Goldberg says that it’s best started from birth and she describes the five areas of development and how they are carried out at each age and stage. There is a bonding and attachment process over the first three years of a child’s life which leads to self-esteem. Dr. Goldberg believes that parents can be taught to keep focusing on connection with their children at any age and stage. She also believes that a solid family (and extended family, too) creates the foundation that leads to connection. 

Dr. Goldberg talks about the study, Meaningful Differences, highlighting the every day life experiences of young children and the importance of having nurturing, healing, love in their lives. This study shows that connection affects a child’s physical and emotional well-being.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about connecting with your children and the resources that Dr. Goldberg has available for parents. 

Scarlett Lewis’ guest is mitigation specialist, Kate O’Shea. Scarlett met Kate when she was working on the Parkland, FL high school shooting trial. Mitigation is the storytelling part of representing the criminal defendant. Her job is to explain who a person is, and how this shooting could have happened based on their childhood and past traumas. Kate and Scarlett discuss why there is so much suffering and violence in our world and how we can address the root cause of this violence to end school shootings. 

Scarlett and Kate talk about how the individuals who commit mass shootings have unmet needs and they explore how to proactively reduce and prevent these tragedies. Living through trauma as children affects brain development and can result in having no concept of the consequences of their actions. Conduct disorder is something that Kate says is a mental diagnosis given to someone under the age of 18 with a pervasive pattern of using weapons, setting fires, rule violations. This is a trauma based disorder. These are labels that suggest the conduct is what you need to be treating, but in reality the trauma and pain that are the cause of these unsettling behaviors are what needs to be addressed. Treating the underlying trauma is necessary, finding out what happened to them, rather than what’s wrong with them can help us move towards solutions instead of always being one step behind. Healthy attachment and connections, essential life skills, and support, help to overcome these childhood traumas to become successful, productive adults. 

Scarlett Lewis’ guest is leading health and wellness expert, Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN. Joy is one of the nation’s leading health authorities. As the nutrition and healthy lifestyle expert for NBC’s TODAY show, Joy shares reliable, practical and easy to follow advice that helps millions of people eat better, live healthier and lead more fulfilling lives. She is a #1 best selling author with 14 best selling books to her credit! In this podcast, Scarlett and Joy discuss selecting the right foods and food combinations that can catapult us to utmost health and wellbeing. Food is more than fuel and Joy’s philosophy is 90/10. Eat healthy 90 percent of the time and the other 10 can be your favorite, indulgent foods. 

Food also provides an avenue for connection which is the key to happiness. We can incorporate the Choose Love pillars into our healthy eating plan. Have the courage to love yourself with what you put into your body, and commit to making meal plans and eating with your family. Be grateful for the food choices and supermarkets that we have access to in our communities. Forgive ourselves for not following healthy eating at times, but tomorrow is another day to start fresh.  The compassion in action component is stepping outside of our own busy schedules and distractions to bring our family together to be present and eat together around the table. Joy provides helpful hints to simplify our family’s nutrition and how to be mindful and thoughtful about the fuel we put into our bodies. Fueling our bodies with the correct foods will increase our physical, psychological and emotional well-being. 

Listen to this informative podcast for tips on how you can help yourself and your family make healthy food choices to improve our well-being and, “Have a Lot of fun!”.

Scarlett Lewis’ guest is Stephanie Cinque, Director of the Resiliency Center in Newtown, CT and former Sandy Hook resident. The Resiliency Center of Newtown offers trauma-informed services focused on long-term individual and community healing for children and adults impacted by the tragedy at Sandy Hook School on December 14, 2012. They discuss the essential services that worked best for healing trauma and what Stephanie learned directing this trauma healing center over the past 10 years including an update on Newtown’s progress and the impact that the Resiliency Center had on the community and survivors of the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Stephanie discusses the creation of a new app, ResilienceNet, that can simulate a resiliency center to help other communities going through a hard time and assist community members in growing their resilience. There are four pillars: prevention, education, resilience and connection. This platform will provide a central location for all of these essential healing modalities that have emerged over the course of a decade as the most effective.

Scarlett’s guest is Garrett Lavallee, principal and director of special education at Spaulding Academy & Family Services in Northfield, NH. Garrett wanted to go into social services to help children in need and carry on his family legacy at Spaulding which has been serving children who have dealt with child abuse and neglect for 150 years. His dad worked there for forty years so this school has always been a part of Garrett’s life and held a special place in his heart. 

Garrett has been at Spaulding Academy & Family Services for twenty three years and he believes that children need to feel safe and nurtured before they can focus on their academics. Spaulding looks at how trauma has influenced their students’ behaviors. The Spaulding mission statement is that ‘everyone deserves to love and be loved.’ And this applies to both the children and employees. Garrett collaborated with his staff when introducing the Choose Love program to let them know that, “We are on this mission together.” He encourages students and staff to use the Choose Love language in everyday actions. According to Garrett, the healing that has taken place has been incredible for both children and staff. The cultural shift and growth at Spaulding Academy because of the Choose Love program has been tremendous. 

Listen to this podcast to learn more about Garrett’s mission of Choosing Love with his staff and students.

Scarlett and her mom, Maureen Lewis, Jesse’s Nana, discuss a powerful tool Maureen used with her kids consistently when they were growing up. ‘Here’s what you could have said,’ or done differently when you are in a reactive mode, and feeling angry or sad. This provides an opportunity for a thoughtful response and a positive resolution rather than escalating a conflict. The Choose Love Movement teaches the importance of pausing and then thoughtfully responding instead of responding in anger. We all make mistakes, but it’s important to hold yourself accountable and have the courage to admit that you made a mistake and apologize.

Scarlett’s guest, Rick Osborne, is an ex-gang member who spent 25 years in the penitentiary and has spent the past decade working with at-risk youth. Rick grew up in a good family yet a poor decision led him down a path of heroin use, incarceration, gang violence and mental trauma.

Rick now spends much of his time speaking to youth about the dangers of drugs, gangs and prison. Rick has developed a unique  way to create rapport that includes kinesiology and movement. He can connect with at risk youth and speak with them about gangs and drug abuse because he understands having started down that road in grade nine. Rick comes from a place of love as he speaks to youth about staying on the right path. Scarlett and Rick discuss ‘post-traumatic growth’ which is the foundation of the Choose Love Movement and that challenges are there to help you grow. Listen to this inspiring podcast today.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with Nadine Miles who introduces Functional Medicine to our audience, what this means and how this can transform our wellness journey. They talk about the need to take personal responsibility for our health in all aspects and that we are not victims to our genetics because our choices each day create our health and wellbeing. Scarlett and Nadine discuss the emergence effort and the importance of cultivating self confidence and love in order to face and grow through difficulty in our lives.

Scarlett Lewis and her mom, Maureen Lewis, Jesse’s Nana, talk about how people come in, and out of your life, and how it’s similar to being a bus driver watching people get on and off your bus. It is a loss when people leave your life and there is a period of grieving, but it is important to appreciate the ride that you had with them. We are responsible for our own life and making ourselves happy. A big part of happiness is feeling that you have some control over your life and there is hope. How many people are on your bus? 

Scarlett Lewis and Shannon Desilets, program director of the Choose Love Movement for the state of NH, speak with Dan Jewiss, founder and president of The RAK Academy, about school safety. Dan Jewiss is a retired Trooper and Detective of the Connecticut State Police. Dan and his co-instructors teach audiences easy to understand strategies to save lives in Active Killer incidents.  The RAK Academy’s primary audiences are 1st Responders, School Personnel, Houses of Worship Communities and Businesses. Dan recommends the Choose Love Movement on his website, www.therakacademy.com, saying that it is one of the best “upstream“ solutions he’s seen. Dan says "the Choose Love Movement is a powerful upstream and downstream tool that I whole heartedly support because it makes our world a kinder and safer place."

Scarlett and Dan talk about the outdated concept of lockdowns and Dan offers tips and hints on the best way to keep our kids safe.

Scarlett Lewis’ guest is her childhood friend, Kristen Deitz, who discusses candidly and openly about her journey with her daughter and her early diagnosis of autism. Researching and advocating, she found a community and opened the doors, literally, and figuratively, to help others. Kristen discusses the methods she used and incorporated to produce incredible outcomes that can help many other parents in similar situations.

“Healthy brains means a healthy humanity.”

Scarlett Lewis is joined by Dr. Kate Truitt, clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, and internationally recognized expert in the fields of stress, trauma, and resilience. She is the author of “Healing in Your Hands,” a newly released, groundbreaking book about trauma. Dr. Truitt has dedicated her life to advancing the treatment of trauma and stress-related disorders.

Dr. Truitt specializes in a powerful trauma technique called Havening. She discusses with Scarlett how Havening can help us self-regulate as parents and educators and face challenges from a stable state. Havening helps us calm our sympathetic nervous system and keep our ‘logic and reasoning’ part of our brain online, even during conflict. Kate talks about how to meet our children’s needs, as well as our own, in this era of violence and school shootings and how our brains are working FOR us, all of the time! What a relief to know that through Havening and self-compassion we can heal, feel good and get to be the best version of ourselves! Listen to this powerful podcast.

In this episode, Scarlett Lewis speaks with Aaron Stark, a mental health advocate who planned but did not follow through with a school shooting in 1996. Aaron’s TED Talk, ‘I Was Almost A School Shooter,’ has over fifteen million views. In this episode, Aaron gives valuable insight on the pain that turns children into cold blooded killers. He talks with Scarlett about his childhood, being homeless, how he was bullied and then became a bully himself. He said he was expressing his pain and hurt outwardly. Aaron said, “When you have nothing to lose, you can do anything and that is a terrifying thought.” Aaron was able to turn his life around when he finally felt seen and supported.

Aaron talks about shooters wanting to be seen and how they are in a tremendous amount of pain which leads to these actions. Scarlett and Aaron discuss how to prevent school shootings and the importance of, "giving love to those you feel deserve it the least." Listen to this powerful podcast and how you can ' Choose Love'  and become part of the solution.

Scarlett Lewis reflects on the past ten years of the Choose Love Movement which was started to honor her son, Jesse. Jesse was murdered in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Since that day, Scarlett has dedicated her life to keeping our kids safe in schools and advocating for their health and wellbeing. Listen to the key points Scarlett has learned during the last decade spent researching ways to be part of the solution. Now in over 11,000 schools, homes and communities in 120 countries there will be many more adventures in the next 10 years. Listen to this podcast to learn why it’s important that everyone comes together to be part of the solution and choose love today and every day.

Scarlett speaks with Lisa MacKenzie, our Choose Love CA ambassador and one of our curriculum writers for the Choose Love for School Program. While piloting the original Choose Love Enrichment Program several years ago, Lisa discusses how she has taught Choose Love programming to her students with 'Nurturing, Healing, Love.' Lisa has used choose love to successfully stop the school to prison pipeline in her district.

"I'm in my office chair upside down and they are screaming. Another bomb! Another bomb! And I think that I am going to die." Scarlett Lewis speaks with Amy Downs, author of Hope is a Verb: My Journey of Impossible Transformation. Amy was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which a total of 168 people were killed including 18 of her 33 co-workers. When Amy's building exploded, she fell 3 stories and was buried alive for 6 hours. Amy's book talks about how she was a victim but she was able to transform her life with hope. Amy says, "Hope is the jetfuel that propels you to the moon. You have the ability to change your future."

Amy says that a new person emerges after a tragedy and she embraces and loves the person she is now. She encourages everyone to reassess and see what you can do to move forward instead of sitting back to blame yourself or others in difficult times especially when you feel like a victim. The person you are after a tragedy can be a better version of the person you were before the tragedy which is called post-traumatic growth. Scarlett and Amy discuss how we all have the power to move forward which will bring hope alive in our spirit and then allow us to help others dealing with pain. Listen to this inspiring podcast today.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with Melanie Hempe, founder of ScreenStrong. Melanie shares the journey of her son’s screen addiction to video games and why she started this foundation to empower parents to delay toxic technology. She educates parents on helping kids to break bad screen habits and how to reclaim your kids from screens. Parents need to know which screens are okay for kids and which are toxic. ScreenStrong coaching is backed by evidence-based science. Melanie said, “Because of development and because of the way brain works, screen addiction is the most trying parental issue in our culture. And it affects everything.”

Listen to this podcast to find out how to save our kids from screen addiction and get ScreenStrong in your children’s schools.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is the founder of a new field of scientific evidence termed ‘killology’ which has made contributions to not only our understanding of killing in war, but “the root causes of the current ‘virus’ of violent crime that is raging around the world and the process of healing the victims of violence, in war and peace.”

Dave and Scarlett discuss children’s access to violent video games, school safety and teaching our kids to trust police officers. Dave talks about keeping kids safe and educating our children about sleep management and media violence. Dave shares the three most important statements you could ever say to a child: 'please tell me what’s wrong', 'I’m sorry this is happening to you' and 'I will do everything in my power to help you.' This communication of love and caring is so important because the opposite of evil is love.

Listen to this empowering podcast today.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with actress Eva LaRue about navigating grief after the loss of her ex-husband, John Callahan during the pandemic and helping her daughter, Kaya, process her own grief. Scarlett talks with Eva about how to move through and process grief. Scarlett and Eva talk about the Choose Love Formula (Courage+Gratitude+Compassion-in-Action=Choosing Love) and how forgiving yourself and feeling compassion for those around you is important in the grieving process. They discuss learning through these difficult experiences and how it's a tremendous opportunity to grow and help others.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with Lenny O’Keefe about his Cops and Canines program. Lenny and his dog, Liberty, visit schools for special events, classroom visits or stopping by to read a book. Lenny has a message that goes along with Liberty’s visit and that message is Choose Love. Lenny knows that the unconditional love we receive from our pets is something that fits right in with the pillars of the Choose Love Movement, Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion-in-Action.

"Bullying is not acts of cruelty; it's the omission of kindness." 

That is a powerful statement from Jodee Blanco, activist, widely respect expert on bullying and author of the New York Times Bestseller Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story. Scarlett Lewis and Jodee have an eye-opening conversation on the subject of bullying.  As the  first survivor of school bullying to look back on those experiences as an adult, Jodee shares her feelings as a victim and how she turned her pain into purpose. As she explains how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by so many, she addresses relevant topics such as the invisible student, the need for tolerance and forgiveness in schools, compassionate forms of discipline, how parents need to adjust their approach to bullying, and offers a child's perspective of both a victim and bully, and so much more. 

As you listen, you'll learn steps to take to make a difference in a child's life, and how, according to Jodee, everyone needs to "Connect, motivate  and inspire (bullies) from the inside out."

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, Scarlett has a candid conversation with her friend, Judy Thomas, who is an advocate for autism.  Judy shares her son Lyle's journey after he was diagnosed with a pervasive development disorder.  She defines the disability disorder, shares Lyle's experiences in school, and points out the need for change in the school system to better serve children who have autism or other developmental condition. Since these disorders can impact a person's social skills, ability to communicate and form meaningful relationships, and more, Scarlett also reinforces the need for schools to teach essential life skills and attitudes. Judy explains how tough it is on parents and offers advice on ways they can help their children flourish and live an independent life with hope and positivity.

Scarlett chats with Lyle Vetare, a young man with Autism, who works at a local hotel.  They have an honest conversation about his experiences in school, both the good times and the bad. Lyle shares how he was bullied by other students and how it made him feel a lot of sadness. With insight and intelligence, Lyle explains ways people can make life better for people like him. The biggest piece of advice he offers is "give kids confidence in their abilities." Lyle is facing life with a positive mindset and his story shows how anyone can overcome challenges and find success.

"Love Wins." 

That's Julia Richter's mantra in life.  After discovering the Choose Love Movement, Julia says her life was transformed, and now as Director of C.A.R.E.S. (Cultivating Authentic Relationships in the Education System), she's helping educators improve their well-being, cultivate authentic connections, support the needs of their students, and create a safe and loving environment. Scarlett and Julia talk about how Choose Love workshops and professional development help educators flourish and nourish their well-being as they practice the Choose Love Formula. Julia opens up to Scarlett about her journey from being a 4th grade teacher and a coach, to how she found her calling in art and music programs, finding Choose Love, and being an Ambassador, to where she is today.  You'll appreciate Julia's positive energy and mindset and learning how she and our facilitators are helping educators be the best they can be through experiential workshops, and also the importance of more care and love in homes, schools, and communities. As Julia says, "We need to open our hearts to learning new things . . . to support ourselves and spread nurturing healing love."

Scarlett and TJ Stevens, author of Once a Shooter: Redemption of a High School  Gunman, continue their riveting conversation on this second part of their podcast.  They share insightful personal stories and discuss effective ways we can help kids take responsibility for their lives through music, religion, love, hope, and essential coping skills. They agree that children can be their best selves if they choose love and it will ultimately make the world a better place.

Last year, Scarlett had a compelling conversation with TJ Stevens, author of Once a Shooter: Redemption of a High School Gunman. Stevens talks openly and honestly about how he was a high school shooter at a Virginia high school in 1982 and recounts the events of the hostage standoff where no one was injured except himself.  This very emotional discussion delves into the inner turmoil Stevens felt and how he felt a higher power lead him out of the darkness. As Stevens takes the listener step-by-step through his traumatic day-long hostage standoff, he shares his emotional and mental state and explains how he found his way toward freedom, forgiveness, and faith. After serving prison time, Stevens went on to a successful life, but this event will always be the catalyst that brought him to a deep spirituality and understanding of himself that led him to help others realize there is hope and light at the end of the darkness.

The importance of compassion in our lives. This is just one compelling topic Scarlett Lewis delves into with Dr. Spyros Smith in this extremely informative podcast. Dr. Smith, a former Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, has been practicing hospital internal medicine for 20 years at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut where he served as its Chief of Hospital Medicine, and is now Medical Director of the Danbury Medical Group. Well-known and highly respected, Dr. Smith was the recipient of the Top Doctors of America Award from the Consumer Research Council of America and the Physician’s Recognition Award, AMA, among others. Scarlett and Dr. Smith explore the difference between empathy and compassion and the great need for more compassion and kindness in the medical field and the world.  Scarlett brings the Choose Love Formula into the conversation with Dr. Smith noting how his practice offers a heart-centric approach. With a background in nutritional biochemistry, Dr. Smith shares how he helps patients use proper nutrition and other forms of preventative medicine to complement their treatment and explains the role of guided imagery, mindfulness, and the power of prayer in healing.  Other areas of discussion include the impact of  technology on critical thinking, life skills needed to help manage emotions, and positive coping strategies for dealing with the social and physical effects of  the pandemic.

"Believe in your dreams and rise above obstacles." 

Those are inspiring words from Steve Pemberton, best-selling author of "A Chance in the World" and "The Lighthouse Effect," a visionary youth advocate, acclaimed speaker, and Chief People Officer for Workhuman. 

Scarlett has a powerful conversation with Steve about their shared experiences through trauma. Growing up in the foster care system and overcoming an abusive childhood, Steve shares his insights and addresses how people can overcome their pain to live their best lives. He discusses the power of parenting and the role it plays in a child's life and future actions. Through their shared life experiences, Scarlett and Steve speak about navigating challenges and dealing with pain and loss and how our response to difficult times is part of the healing process. Steve explains the importance of having courage and taking on the responsibility to encourage and help others through pain and to be a lighthouse. Their conversation also covers fear and division in the workplace and the need to give and receive love in all facets of life to unite humankind. This meaningful podcast will stay with you and remind you of the importance of  hope and working toward having 'lighthouse moments' to help you change the world.

I am so thrilled to have Serena Dyer Pisoni and Saje Dyer, daughters of my lifetime mentor Dr. Wayne Dyer, join me on my podcast.  We share memories of their dad, who was an internationally renowned author, speaker, and pioneer in the field of self-development. We have an in-depth conversation about various topics, including the subconscious knowing of events in our life, spiritual awareness, understanding grief and loss, having compassion to forgive and live life, and the influence of Wayne Dyer's wisdom in my life and also in his daughters’ lives.

Also, we discuss compelling aspects of their book, The Knowing: 11 Lessons to Understand the Quiet Urges of Your Soul.  We touch on the power of silence, listening to your inner self, releasing thoughts and fear, having courage to move forward, understanding death and being open to signs, and how we can thoughtfully choose to respond with love.  It's such a powerful podcast filled with so much wisdom. After you listen to this, you will come away with such a feeling of fulfillment and a new way of seeing and appreciating life and death.

"We are all hoarders." That statement was made by Peggy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., author of Release: Create a Clutter Free and Soul Driven Life. It applies to everyone, myself included. After reading her inspiring book, I started uncluttering my cabinets and it felt like a new beginning. Peggy explains that we can become imprisoned by our mental, emotional, energetic, relationship, and especially physical clutter so we need to continually evaluate our lives to declutter and cultivate a healthier way of living.

Peggy has worked in counseling and healing for over 25 years, counseling adolescents and adults with mental health and addiction issues in a variety of clinical settings, including private practice, wilderness therapy, psychiatric inpatient, and residential treatment. She expanded her clinical work to include holistic and mind-body approaches by training for several years in Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy, as well as Intuition Medicine®, a practice of intuitive energy healing and has lived and worked at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York and was a consulting producer on Oprah Winfrey's Emmy-winning TV series Super Soul Sunday.

Peggy's book offers practical insights about decluttering to help people improve their lives by freeing them from clutter and living in alignment with their true soul nature. In this podcast, we have an insightful conversation about the difference between the ego and soul aspect that co-exist and what they represent; how we are in service to others; becoming present; how to experience and learn from loneliness; our need for socialization; how release affects our lives; love and spiritual aspects of life; and the different types of grief and trauma and how to move through it. This is such a deep discussion that delves deep into all aspects of our lives, including courage to release rather than hold on, to accept rather than resist, and to live with only things that help you share your love and connect with the world in your own unique ways.  Peggy reinforces that we need to be present to make choices and appreciate each other. Trust yourself, she says. "We're all in this together and my book is an invitation for us to help each other."

This fascinating podcast focuses on the effects of COVID on adolescents and teenagers. Jacqueline Simpson-Dunne, a Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, founder of Child Mental Health Solutions, and member of the Choose Love Advisory Committee, offers insight into the mindset and behavior of children. We discuss trauma, anxiety, lack of human connection, effects of technology, and social and emotional intelligence. 

Jacqueline offers ways parents can help and guide their children at their developmental level. She perceptively states: "There is no perfect pandemic parent," and offers effective solutions for parents to help their children deal with adversity and uncertainties and develop resilience. She also explains signs parents can be aware of that signify a need to seek professional help. 

This is a full discussion of cultivating a healthy relationship between children, parents, and even spouses.  You will gain so much knowledge from this far-reaching podcast.

Dr. Eve Goldstein, a licensed clinical psychologist and learning specialist, and Danielle Matthew, a licensed family therapist and bullying expert, join me in a very eye-opening podcast to discuss their mission to help children learn social and emotional skills and support our educators in their shared experiences.  Both therapists strive to eliminate the stigma around mental health and advocate for mental health training and empowering educators and parents to equip children with the skills and tools to cope and thrive in the classroom. We talk about their seminars and e-courses on post-Covid stress for educators and post-traumatic growth for students. In the podcast, you'll learn about the need to build socially intelligent children, ways to alleviate divisiveness and anxiety to strengthen connection with each other, and the importance of being more self-compassionate. It's all based on a foundation of hope -- to make the future a better place by working together in supporting our educators and students and giving them the resources to positively move forward.

After the loss of her newborn daughter in 1994, Dr. Joanne Cacciatore devoted her life to studying traumatic grief and conducted a groundbreaking study on mass grief after Sandy Hook.  A research professor at Arizona State University, founder of the MISS Foundation (an international organization for families experiencing the death of a child), and author of the award-winning book, "Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief," Joanne and I have an honest conversation about the different kinds of psychological and emotional loss, the effect of loneliness, the importance of compassion, understanding death, how animals and pets are powerful crisis support systems, and the human need for emotional connection.  You'll also learn how she founded the Selah Carefarm in Arizona for the traumatically bereaved that also houses rescued and abused animals. This podcast will make you think, feel, and understand how you can live a more meaningful life.

‘Take care of yourself.’ Those are wise words from Elly Kukk, a dear friend, Reiki Master, Certified Positive Discipline Family Trainer, and creator of the original Choose Love for Home program that is now also a Master Class.  On a recent episode of our ChooSELove podcast, Elly shares her wisdom about energy work for healing and dealing with stress and explains the importance of focusing on how we're feeling and responding. She offers quick, useful tips for self-care to feel better every day. A mother of three boys, Elly also talks about positive discipline, how parents are role models for their children, and we share personal examples of how we relate to our children. This episode is jam-packed with excellent ideas to form a closer, more loving bond with our children where we have fun while growing and learning together.

"I will never give up." Those are powerful words from Dana Liesegang who is not only my dear friend and Colorado Choose Love Ambassador, she is a survivor. At age 19, Dana was sexually assaulted by a fellow Navy sailor, thrown off a cliff, and was on the brink of death.  In this podcast Dana takes you on her incredible journey of waking up in a hospital hours later paralyzed from the neck down, with doctors giving no hope for recovery. She explains how tapping into her resilience, inner spirit, and stubbornness allowed her to persevere, and how forgiveness was the key to her recovery and allows her to live a life of happiness and gratitude. We talk about the Choose Love Formula and how choosing love helps Dana in every area of her life and allows her to move forward every day.  As Dana says, she hopes to be the light for others to show that they can survive anything and her powerful memoir, “Falling Up: My Wild Ride from Victim to Kick-Ass Victory,” proves it's possible.

It's always a wonderful day when I spend it with my mom, Maureen Lewis. She joins me again in this podcast as we're  enjoying a weekend together in the Hamptons and pondering life. This time my mom shares stories about everyday situations and what she learned from them. We talk about how the Choose Love Formula can help us be better people, our shared interest in Havening, a trauma technique that has helped me tremendously, and how to live life with respect, kindness, and always Choosing Love.  Also we ponder the question, "What am I afraid of?" and discuss negative thoughts and the benefit of positive affirmations. You'll learn so much from our chat. I guarantee it will make you feel good!