A Quest for Well-Being

— Many people feel intimidated by meditation. With no idea how it feels, they may dismiss their efforts as "not getting it" or "not doing it right. Author Peggy Ludington's early struggle with this uncertainty led her to share her method, which takes out the guesswork. Her book teaches four simple exercises that demystify the process and create a clear path to the meditative state in a matter of minutes. As readers learn each exercise, they internalize and relax into the sensory experience of meditation. For beginners, the exercises slowly acquaint them with the meditative state and reassure them that it is a state of full awareness under their complete control. For the seasoned meditator, the instructions for this journey offer a fresh perspective and may allow a level of awareness beyond that previously achieved. Valeria Teles interviews Peggy Ludington — the author of "Meditation Manual: Simple Directions For A Life-Changing Practice" Peggy Ludington has excelled in the many facets of her life—lawyer, artist, writer, farmer, environmental activist, wife, and mother. However, the path to this fruitful life was rocky. Growing up in an alcoholic home left its shrapnel in her psyche. Then, as she embarked on a promising legal career, her father—and mentor—was arrested. The drama that followed blew a hole in her heart and her ambitions. Anxiety and depression descended. Therapy helped. Meditation was the game changer. But it took years to find her way to it, and then not easily. With her kids in college, she felt emotionally adrift. A sweat lodge experience rekindled her teenage fascination with meditation. But how to learn? In search of the "right way," she read volumes by experts, listened to their recordings, attended workshops. Her early attempts left her empty and wanting something more. Finally, Peggy discovered that meditation should be simple, that there was no one "right way." A friend guided her through a meditation so she could experience what it felt like. This freed her to cobble together her own path, one that includes the best parts of all those teachings. She shares this path with readers in Meditation Manual—Simple Directions For A Life-Changing Practice. Meditation now serves as the calming hub of her busy and abundant life. By expanding the richness of her inner life, meditation has expanded the richness of the life she is living. Peggy believes meditation is an important life skill, a powerful tool in the quest for wellness and wholeness. Her goal is to demystify the process to make it easy and accessible for everyone. She hopes this book lights the way for others seeking the health and wellbeing benefits of a quiet mind and sitting in stillness. To learn more about Peggy Ludington and her work, please visit: peggyludington.com — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Mindfulness is being in a state of total awareness of the contents of our minds, which makes us more conscious of what we're thinking and feeling. And, by being in this state of complete awareness, we can remain observant of our thoughts and feelings with acceptance and non-judgment because we have a heightened awareness of what is occurring in our minds. This is when we are in a pure state of mind, and it is in this state when you can guide yourself wisely, pointing yourself in the right direction instead of one that can be hurtful or harmful to you. This state of complete awareness that Mindfulness puts you in won't let you escape or choose something bad or unwise because you will be conscious of the choices you are making, and you will want to make the best ones. But, if you don't, that means you weren't letting Mindfulness do what it does so well—keep you present with total awareness. What Mindfulness does is it helps us maintain equanimity in the face of change and accept it maturely with- out reacting. This is the type of "mature consciousness" we want to be in so we can be aware of when we slip into duality. Valeria Teles interviews Ora Nadrich — the author of "Mindfulness and Mysticism: Connecting Present Moment Awareness with Higher States of Consciousness" Ora Nadrich is a pioneering Mindfulness expert, international keynote speaker and coach, and the founder and president of the Institute for Transformational Thinking. A sought-after expert in the fields of Mindfulness, transformational thinking and self-discovery, she is the author of Says Who? How One Simple Question Can Change the Way You Think Forever, and Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity, named "one of the 100 Best Mindfulness Books of All Time" by BookAuthority. Her new book is Mindfulness and Mysticism: Connecting Present Moment Awareness with Higher States of Consciousness To learn more about Ora Nadrich and her work, please visit: oranadrich.com — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "Living through a traumatic experience often alters our perspective in a way that makes us better partners, employees, leaders, family members, and ultimately, better people. If you find yourself unable to love the version of you born through trauma, offer yourself tenderness. If you aren't able to release your daily heartache, offer yourself consolation. If you'd rather forget your traumatic experience than relive one moment, offer yourself empathy. If you can't stop yearning to return to the life you used to live, offer yourself patience. If you can't forgive yourself for what you view as failures — real or imagined — offer yourself mercy. If you are so afraid of future heartbreak that you aren't willing to take any risks, offer yourself kindness. If you feel trapped by your trauma, offer yourself com- passion." Valeria Teles interviews Michele Neff Hernandez — the author of " Different after You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing after Grief and Trauma" Michele Neff Hernandez is the founding President, and Chief Executive Officer of Soaring Spirits International, a non-profit organization providing peer support programming for widowed people worldwide. Michele if the author of Different After You set for publication by New World Library in March of 2022. Her passion for widowed people and the power of integration fuels her presentations and herm community activism. Michele has received a local, state, and national recognition for her work in founding Soaring Spirits, including; a letter of recognition from President Joe Biden; Simi Valley Hospital Foundation's Woman of the Year award; Ventura County's Woman Today award; Simi Valley Community Foundation's Humanitarian Award; and the National State Farm Insurance Embrace Life Award. Michele resides in Simi Valley, California with her three amazing kids, and one very Australian husband and is currently serving as the President of the Rotary Club of Simi Valley. To learn more about Michele Neff Hernandez and her work, please visit: soaringspirits.org — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Once we recognize the relative and subjective nature of the concept of health, we can begin to explore how the systems view of life can help us develop a corresponding systems view of health. Systems thinking is process thinking, and hence the systems view sees health as an ongoing process. Rather than defining health as a static state of perfect well-being, the systemic conception of health implies continual activity and change, reflecting the organism's creative response to environmental challenges. Since a person's condition will always depend on the natural and social environment, there can be no absolute level of health independent of this environment. The continual changes of one's organism in relation to the changing environment will naturally include temporary phases of ill health, and it will often be impossible to draw a sharp line between health and illness. Moreover, health is a multidimensional process. From the systems point of view, the experience of illness results from patterns of disorder that may become manifest at various levels of the organism — biological as well as psychological — and also in the various interactions between the organism and the larger systems in which it is embedded. This means that life's biological, cognitive, social, and ecological dimensions, which are integrated in the systems view of life, correspond to similar dimensions of health. Valeria Teles interviews Fritjof Capra — the author of "The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision" Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., physicist and systems theorist, was a founding director (1995-2020) of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. He is a Fellow of Schumacher College (UK) and serves on the Council of Earth Charter International. Capra is the author of several international bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics, The Web of Life, and The Science of Leonardo. He is coauthor, with Pier Luigi Luisi, of the multidisciplinary textbook, The Systems View of Life. Capra's online course is based on his textbook. To learn more about Fritjof Capra and his work, please visit: capracourse.net and fritjofcapra.net — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Shamanism is a way of walking upon the planet, and a way of seeing things that our society has taught us to veil. It is living a life divinely connected to Spirit, to our Earth, and in deep gratitude for the blessings our planet and community bring to us through our joint experiences. It is highlighted by the enactment of sacred ceremony, an art all but lost in only a few remaining cultures. Shamanism is entering into an altered state of consciousness in order to transcend the ego and the thinking mind to connect with inner wisdom and higher guidance from the spirit world. The practice of shamanism is the oldest practice of humankind, dating back over 100,000 years, and is practiced all over the world in all cultures. Shamans have been considered healers, knowers, seers of the dark and wisdom sharers. A Shaman is a Master or Mistress of entering the altered states and journeying into higher spiritual realms to help bring through higher wisdom, grace and guidance. Valeria Teles interviews Keyla Sereen Ohs — she is a Shamanic Healer, meditation teacher, and the Owner/ Operator of Sereen Spirit Healing and Retreat Centre in beautiful West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Keyla runs a trauma informed practice that helps people remember their true path and purpose, heal unprocessed trauma experiences which may create illness in the body, and move into deeper relationship with one's spirit, community, and the planet. Trained in the traditional Zulu (South African) Shamanic path, Keyla's offerings include her transformational Lighthouse Program (an annual online offering), meditation, Shamanic energy healing, spiritual mentorship and plant medicine as avenues for wholeness, self-discovery, and personal growth. Keyla was formerly a competitor for the Canadian World Figure Skating team for over a decade. She lives with her husband, 3 pups, 2 cats and 200+ plants in West Kelowna, B.C. To learn more about Keyla Sereen Ohs and her work, please visit: sereenspirit.com and keylaohs.com (launches in March 2022) You can also contact Keyla via email: keylaohs@gmail.com, Phone 1- (778) 760-1676 and Facebook Page - Sereen Spirit Healing. — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "After 240 days of steeping and integrating I was ready to start the discovery phase of my life. Discovery of my purpose, reconnecting with friends, reading and learning again, I knew my life was going to go in a new direction, but frankly I had no clue what, how, when and where. I only knew that I could trust it would find its way to me and it did. When I heard myself laughing again repetitively, that was the true confirmation: I had come out of the cocoon and I could finally spread my wings. I consider myself to now be on my never-ending discovery journey. Discovery of myself, of others, discovery of how I can best show up in this world and have the best, most positive impact possible. I don't have a label for who I am becoming other than I finally came to believe more and more everyday that I am enough, that I can connect, that I love to connect with others and that most of the things that I had believed were not available to me are, in fact, abundantly available to me and so are they, to you." — says Janylène Valeria Teles interviews Janylène Turcotte ( a.k.a. JT) — she is a former executive who made the leap from the corporate world to become a clinical hypnotherapist, licensed RTT therapist, ICF certified coach and hypnocoach. She's developed a results-driven approach to life and career transition, leveraging her radical transformation, professional expertise and numerous certifications and credentials to offer second to none, one-on-one hypnocoaching and group programs. She hosts the podcast "It's Just a Belief," is the founder of HypnoCoach.ca and is the co-founder of QUEEN B, holistic health. Janylène supports entrepreneurs and executives who are aware they stand in the way of their own professional or personal expansion and need to be rapidly guided away from the status quo. They're self-aware and know that despite all their efforts, seminars, courses something is still blocking them, or not quite where they want it to be. Then, we create those moments of absolute clarity, power and confidence that allow them to break free of their limitations and leap forward. It is really all about uncovering unconscious beliefs that stand in their way and acquire long-lasting, pervasive beliefs that propel them beyond their current limitations.'' The single most important thing that's contributed to the success of JT's hypnocoaching practice is her focus on tangible results. This is what she's most known for. Her made-to-order approach is all about going deep to make key transformations. To learn more about Janylène Turcotte and her work, please visit: hypnocoach.ca — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— I have faced down some terrible things in my life. I've had doctors make mistakes that almost killed me; I've been in the ICU of the world's scariest hospitals. I've had traumatic surgeries and procedures performed on me under emergency conditions. People less sick than me have died right next to me. And if I'm still alive, there must be a reason. I want to use the life I've been given as a way to help others. I let the losses teach me what they needed to teach me. Even if I was thrown under the wave, I learned how to stand up, to recover over and over again, and to survive. I pulled from my faith and my grit, and in the middle of all of it, a soul grew. It made me strong. I began to thrive. I developed an immense capacity to endure hard times. I understood suffering (as much as a white, middle-aged American woman can under- stand suffering). Suffering became a companion and a teacher. I learned a lot about myself and the world, about my family, my faith, my priorities, and my values. After everything I experienced, I realized that other people experienced similar loss, heartbreak, and dysfunction, with no effective coping mechanisms. I wanted to help. — Says Cindy Valeria Teles interviews Cindy Finch — the author of "When Grief Is Good: Turning Your Greatest Loss into Your Biggest Lesson." Cindy Finch is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Therapist, Coach who specializes in helping people through their darkest times. Cindy trained at the Mayo Clinic and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, and CURE magazine. A survivor of traumatic life events, Cindy writes and works from lived experiences. She's helped thousands of people through their suffering, encouraging them to move forward and keep enduring to come out invincible. To learn more about Cindy Finch and her work, please visit: cindyfinch.com — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Are you a little too comfortable with self-loathing? Tired of feeling like you are not enough? Carrington Smith spent a lifetime trying to be someone else—to fit in, to be loved, to keep the peace, and to make others happy. Until finally, Carrington discovered that her own path to happiness wasn't based on fitting in but on standing out—celebrating her uniqueness and owning her past. Candid and raw, her book: Blooming takes you on a treasure hunt to discover the gifts in the shit. Shit is quite literally fertilizer. It is in the messes, failures, trauma, and difficulties of life that we discover what we need to bloom into our greatness. From trauma to triumph, through the depths of sexual assault, religious mind-fuckery, family rejection, body dysmorphia, mid-life metamorphosis, physical scarring, and death into happiness, forgiveness, empathy, purpose, belonging, and joy, Carrington's work is a poignant, powerful account of finding your way through the shit. Valeria Teles interviews Carrington Smith — the author of "Blooming: Finding Gifts in the Shit of Life" Carrington Smith is a single mom, attorney, business owner, and executive search professional. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, life gave her a hard kick in the tail. She has survived sexual assault, two divorces, piles of debt, abuse, religious mind games, the death of loved ones, and the loss of close friends. In her bestselling debut memoir, Carrington combines wit and wisdom to share her journey through the shit, with a positive attitude and a shift of mindset, into a life bursting with joy, opportunity, and purpose. A graduate of UT Austin and Tulane Law School, Carrington resides in Austin, Texas, with her two teenage boys. To learn more about Carrington Smith and her work, please visit: carringtonlegal.com Also, Sign Up For The Gratitude Project below here: https://mailchi.mp/c0222f085b49/thegratitudeproject — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "Life is made up of relationships, and each relationship is a mirror of your Self." What kind of masks have you been wearing to survive? Until now, you haven't really seen your masks because you were looking out at life, warding off triggers, defending against outside threats. As you begin to look inward, you will see your masks and understand why they've become part of your life. The prisoners in Plato's cave didn't want to abandon the life they'd grown accustomed to because they felt naked, vulnerable, and were terrified about leaving. And it's OK that they felt that way. Likewise, we don't need to shun our survival tactics, call our egos bad, or feel ashamed about our masks. We just need to embrace who we are and build our paths from this new, deeper understanding. We need to accept all of our faults and shortcomings and move into a higher consciousness, which will then allow us to view our past experiences as gifts contributing to a future, higher life—a life we all deserve to live. Valeria Teles interviews Arda Ozdemir — the author of "The Art Of Becoming Unstuck: Your Personalized Journey Through Consciousness In Search Of Ultimate Happiness" Arda Ozdemir is a personal growth coach, spiritual mentor, qigong teacher, and the founder of Rise 2 Realize wellness organization. He has helped thousands of people awaken to their fullest potential and experience ultimate happiness. As a former finance executive in Silicon Valley, Arda embarked on his own personal transformation journey when he was looking to heal his physical health issues along with his depression and anxiety. His quest for cure led him to a series of explorations in meditation practices and ancient spiritual teachings. This journey awakened him to his calling to guide others out of their suffering and emotional pain toward a life full of joy, fulfillment and meaning. To learn more about Arda Ozdemir and his work, please visit: rise2realize.com — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Feeling stuck? You're not alone. Millions of people are stuck in meaningless jobs, empty relationships, and difficult situations, repeating the same unhealthy patterns over and over again. You know there's something more. Deep down, you've been having that uncomfortable gnawing feeling. Fortunately, there IS an answer and it is much more accessible and available to you than you may think!! Now is the time to stop searching and finally get more clarity, more meaning, and discover your life's true purpose. People so often try to overcome an obstacle in their life on their own but then they get discouraged... especially when there doesn't appear to be any real reason for why they can't grasp that success. Sometimes it is just that they need a wee bit of encouragement, a boost or a different perspective to gain the motivation they need to achieve their goals. Truth is: if a person REALLY wanted to do something and could do it on their own - they most likely would have done it already! One reason that people fall short of their goals is that they keep attempting to solve the same problems with the same toolkit – themselves! How can a toolkit be expected to fix itself? You must have a clear, workable strategy that suits the way that YOU are wired, you need to clear out any suspicious wiring (negative self-talk) holding you back and then you need to flat out get stuff done. But of course, not just any kind of stuff... the right stuff, at the right time, in the right order… A wee bit like playing music — says Moira Valeria Teles interviews Moira Hutchison — the author of "Letting Go So You Can Thrive!!: The 5-Step Process That Gets You Unstuck" As an Intuitive Coach, Mindset Mentor, Energy Healer, Meditation Teacher and Tarot Consultant. Moira Hutchison guides her clients to access the inherent power they have available when they ignite their personal trinity of trust, inner awareness, and self-confidence. Moira works with professionals who have a feeling that there is something better in life for them, but they have no idea how to access it. However, they have a yearning to be guided by their intuition and align with their unique calling. What makes her distinctive and different in this work is that she has developed the ability to take complex energetic and spiritual ideas and interpret them in ways that people find easy to understand, integrate and implement. To learn more about Moira Hutchison and her work, please visit: WellnessWithMoira.com — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.