A Quest for Well-Being

— As grief has taken up residence in who we are…. Meghan Smith Brooks decided her only option is to make friends with grief since they hang out so much together. She realizes it is a lifetime relationship whether she likes it or not. "There is no "getting over grief" as our culture seems to want to push us into believing, so we can get back to "normal". Meghan inspires us to realize instead, we must gently "move through it", allowing the energy to transform us as we learn to integrate grief into our "new" self, a better self, with a deeper more empowered capacity for living. Valeria Teles interviews Meghan Smith Brooks — the author of "Unraveling Grief: A Mother's Spiritual Journey of Healing and Discovery." Meghan Smith Brooks helps those impacted by grief, especially from the loss of a child, to experience healing in ways that honor their loved one's life and allows them to find new meaning moving forward. Along with her husband and partner, Michael Brooks, Meghan is Co-Founder and Spiritual Director of alternative ministry Unity Awakening Ways. Originally from the Northwest, she is an Ordained Unity minister with over 25 years' experience as a spiritual educator, having served ministries in Kingston, WA, Mesa, AZ, Brea and Pasadena, CA, and Cincinnati, OH. She is a speaker, retreat facilitator, certified grief coach, and an author, based on her personal grief journey after the murder of her 29-year-old son Justin in 2013, with a foreword by Marianne Williamson. Using the formula from her book, she offers grief coaching and her Unraveling Grief to Thrive online course that has made a difference in the lives of many by guiding them through healing and transforming grief to ultimately discover how to thrive after loss and live with more meaningful intention. She has also produced two guided meditation CD's for healing and transformation. To learn more about Meghan Smith Brooks and her work, please visit: unravelinggrief.com & unityawakeningways.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.

— Kundalini Yoga, known as "the Yoga of awareness," is an ancient technology for awakening the life force lying dormant within each one of us. Conceptualized as a sleeping serpent, coiled up at the base of our spine, this latent source of primordial energy is mobilized through the actions and components of the kriyas that lie at the heart of Kundalini Yoga practice. A Kriya is a sequence of physical movements or postures that often include pranayam (breathwork), mantras (sacred syllables), mudras (hand positions), bandhas (body locks), as well as eye focus and angular positions to awaken, direct and contain the flow of this spiritual energy within. The benefits of Kundalini Yoga are felt on both the physical and the etheric planes, since as that dormant force arises, it strengthens our vitality and sense of well-being, while simultaneously expanding our consciousness and enhancing our capacity for joy and fulfillment through divine union—the ultimate goal of all Yogas. As such, it is both a therapeutic, as well as a highly potent spiritual system, culminating in our awakening and transformation. Our moods, attitudes and general outlook on life are related to the light that shines forth from within us. In Kundalini Yoga, we call it radiance. Valeria Teles interviews Karuna Kundalini — Devoted Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Coach, Speaker and Teacher Bringing Compassion, Enthusiasm And Pure Joy To Every Kundalini Yoga Practice A devoted mother, daughter, sister, friend and teacher, Karuna brings her own unique brand of compassion, enthusiasm and pure joy to every Kundalini Yoga practice. Based in Boulder, CO, she teaches daily group yoga classes and private lessons, leads weekend intensives on varying themes including relationships, women's issues and mastering challenges, and leads retreats internationally. Karuna is an Associate Level Trainer in the Aquarian Trainer Academy. She arranges Level One teacher training programs and Level Two teacher training modules in conjunction with Lead Teachers from the Kundalini Research Institute. In addition, she offers guided health cleanses, and organizes special events featuring world-renowned Kundalini Yoga teachers, artists and musicians. Certified in teaching yoga to children, teenagers and prenatal moms, Karuna has taught for the Santa Monica/Malibu school system in California, leading classes for second and fourth graders, as well as high school students. To learn more about Karuna Kundalini and her work, please visit: lightonkundalini.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.

— You deserve a career that is Engaging, Fun, and Fulfilling! When was the last time you felt fulfilment, joy, and excitement about your career? If you have to take a minute to really think about it, or if you can't think of a time, then chances are you're not in a career that is the perfect fit for you. Valeria Teles interviews Dr. Colleen Campbell — the author of "Career Compass: A Guided Journal for Discovering a Fulfilling Career Path and Designing a Life You Love." Dr. Colleen Campbell helps smart people achieve more, be it in their careers, their relationships, or those who just want to get un-stuck. Through her business, the Ignite Your Potential Center, she has helped hundreds of people just like you accomplish their most exciting goals, and solve their most vexing problems. She helps all of her clients discover potent and original ways to strategize about themselves and their work…so they can stand out, make more money, and obliterate obstacles in their paths. She is more than a coach or a therapist: She is an advocate…a cheerleader…who will hold your vision at times when you feel shaken. The coaches and counselors at the Ignite Your Potential Center use innovative techniques and training to help people have more fulfilling careers and lives. Dr. Campbell's own journey feeds deeply into her work with others. There was a time many years ago when she was struggling with less than effective coping and communication skills. She was a waitress in a low paying, dysfunctional restaurant uncertain how to catapult herself towards the life she dared to want. Slowly, over time, Dr. Campbell began her own change process that included meditation, self-inquiry, studying with cutting edge teachers and coaches within workshops and universities, and covering many modalities. Early on in that journey, she read the book The Road Less Travelled by Scott Peck, and recognized that overcoming her own obstacles, figuring out how to heal and grow through her own challenges, made her well suited to help others. She realized then that working with others to recognize and actualize their potential, was the most fulfilling thing she could do with her life. To learn more about Dr. Colleen Campbell and her work, please visit: ignitepotential.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.

— Didier Sylvain and the Coherence program helps us align our lives to our mission and our gifts; practice liberation from the oppressive structures and stories that we've internalized; and unleash our leadership to drive meaningful impact. He coaches individuals and groups into becoming fuller and more integrated versions of themselves, so they can deliver powerfully on their missions. By applying grounded wisdom and adaptive frameworks to life's challenges and opportunities, he helps leaders transform their organizations, their teams, and themselves. Valeria Teles interviews Didier Sylvain — a Life Alignment Coach, Consultant In Leadership And Personal Development, Speaker, Artist, Composer, PHD In Ethnomusicology, Practitioner Of Sound Healing And Qigong Didier Sylvain is the creator of the 12-week online group coaching program Coherence, which brings together BIPOC leaders and creatives to evolve their leadership and social impact. Didier coaches individuals and groups into becoming fuller versions of themselves by leveraging his training in intentional change theory, appreciative inquiry, adaptive strategy and somatics. He helps leaders transform their organizations, their teams, and themselves to deliver their greatest contribution to the world. His personalized one-on-one coaching, group coaching, online courses, and discovery products have helped clients from Pinterest, Verizon Media, and Honda go on a journey back to themselves. Didier is also an artist, composer, PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology (Columbia University), and certified practitioner of sound healing and qigong. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his family. To learn more about Didier Sylvain and his work, please visit: didiersylvain.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.

— Is love always good? Is it true that love wins over everything? Common sense says that no matter how disastrous the outcome of a certain action, if the intention behind it is a loving one, then that action could be considered good or at least forgivable. Dr. Susi Ferrarello thinks we can do better than this. In her book, The Ethics of Love, she discusses the difficult intersection of love and ethics. Love is the most important component of our emotional life on a personal, social and interpersonal level and yet not enough education is invested in learning how to love each other in a decent, healthy way. Dr. Ferrarello shows us the importance of ethics for love in the same way as she would discuss the importance of logic for reasoning. Ethics is the heart of love in the same way as logic is the brain of reasoning. Although it is possible to spend a life without loving anyone, loving someone and being loved according to the best of our intentions and the best of our possibilities, is the most reasonable thing to do to get through life in a meaningful and fulfilling way. Valeria Teles interviews Dr. Susi Ferrarello — the author of "The Ethics of Love." Susi Ferrarello, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at California State University, East Bay. She completed her doctoral studies in philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris. She also has an M.A. in human rights and political science from the University of Bologna. She received her accreditation in philosophical counseling in New York under the direction of Dr. Lou Marinoff. Currently, she teaches at the California State University, East Bay and Saybrook University. She has taught courses in language, philosophy, and history, and has lectured and presented papers at universities in the U.S., Italy, Japan, Poland, Belgium, France, and the UK. Meet Dr. Susi at practicalintentionality.com & psychologytoday.com/intl/contributors/susi-ferrarello-phd To learn more about Dr. Susi Ferrarello and her work, please visit: practicalintentionality.com & psychologytoday.com/intl/contributors/susi-ferrarello-phd — 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.

— How to fall in love with your life again, even if you have lost touch with what makes you happy. Your life looks successful on the outside, but on the inside you feel that something is missing. Maybe you recently lost a loved one, your kids left the nest, or you were downsized from your job. Maybe you are working harder than ever but feel like you are getting nowhere. Life is not as happy and fulfilling as you once imagined. You wonder whatever happened to your hopes and dreams. Are you ready for a change but don't know where to turn? Feeling stuck and don't know how to get out of your rut? Laurie Morin provides a path for women to return home to their deepest desires and values, to create meaning, and to share their gifts with the world. It is an invitation for you to become the Shero of your own life. Putting yourself first sounds good, but how can you? There's too much stress and not enough time. It's exhausting being over-giving, people-pleasing, and burned out. In the middle of everything – how do you ever figure out what you want most for yourself? Valeria Teles interviews Laurie Morin — the author of "Shero's Journey: A Story-Guided Adventure to Self-Discovery and Empowerment." Laurie Morin strives to help you find the space, time, and resources to prioritize yourself, rewrite your old stories, and create a clear vision for the future. Through her book, retreats, coaching, and community, Laurie supports those ready to plan adventurous lives and legacies. To learn more about Laurie Morin and her work, please visit: lauriemorin.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.

— Most of us likely are unaware of how deeply children are impacted by abuse or how challenging it is to overcome the effects of abuse. Aisha Shael gives us an inside look at the courage of an incest and ritual abuse survivor. In her book, Life Gave Me Lemons, and I Made Champagne, Aisha exposes long-hidden family secrets, as well as her own, and articulates how, in a moment of deep despair at age 16, she took an action that shifted the energetic patterns and behaviors of her entire family. In the midst of setbacks and distress, she decreed, "I won't give in, and I won't give up." At the heart of this compelling story is a woman whose original intention was to reclaim her life, but she uncovered so much more... Valeria Teles interviews Aisha Shael — the author of "Life Gave Me Lemons, and I Made Champagne!." In a search for happiness which seemed so illusive to her, Aisha embarked on a journey in 1989 which led her not only to the awareness that she had been deeply traumatized and abused as a child, but also to the reawakening that there is much more to experience than the five physical senses. After many years of studying metaphysics and transforming her life, Aisha has emerged with her own synthesis of spiritual insights, gifts, and skills. She now offers the wisdom and the expertise that she has gained through her journey to help others accelerate their own transformation. Although she is certified as a Holistic Coach and Reiki Master, her natural abilities lie beyond the realm of those designations. For those who are ready, she serves as a clear channel for ascended spiritual beings to speak through her and for healing energies to flow through her so that individual consciousness can be elevated to higher frequencies. Aisha's passion is to push the limitations of the human experience into the stratosphere of the highest spiritual perception, so that all limitations are transcended; and the human experience then becomes the highest spiritual experience possible...one of Infinite Light, Infinite Love, Infinite Joy, and Infinite Peace. To learn more about Aisha Shael and her work, please visit: aishashael.com and aishaunfiltered.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.

— Did the Witch of Amesbury have anything to do with creating the GEICO Gecko? And the famous slogan, "Virginia is for Lovers?" — Stephen Hawley Martin, a former principal of the international ad firm behind those and other campaigns you have seen on television says he believes she actually played a role. He says that being the direct descendant of someone who was hanged for witchcraft, and hearing about it frequently while growing up, caused him and his brother David, who co-founded the firm, to think differently about the world and reality, and to take more risks than most people would. Those characteristics, Stephen says, can lead not only to creating a successful business, but to advertising that breaks through the clutter. Valeria Teles interviews Stephen Hawley Martin — the author of "The Witch of Amesbury & Matriarch of an Advertising Dynasty." Bestselling author Stephen Hawley Martin has had a more than half dozen titles achieve bestseller status on Amazon.com and is the only three-time winner of the Writer's Digest Book Award, having won first prize twice for fiction and once for nonfiction. He also has won a first prize for visionary fiction from Independent Publisher and a first prize for nonfiction from USA Book News. In all, he has written seventeen books under his own name and has ghostwritten a half dozen more, including a memoir for a $2.5 billion in sales tech company CEO, a bestselling business management title for another tech company CEO, and two titles for consultants in the Six Sigma and Lean Production arena. For two years, he hosted a successful weekly Internet talk radio show, "The Truth about Life," which averaged 30,000 listener downloads per episode. A former advertising agency President and CEO, he is currently Editor & Publisher of The Oaklea Press. Click here to visit The Oaklea Press website, where you can learn how Stephen can help bring your book, or your book idea, to market. To learn more about Stephen Hawley Martin and his work, please visit: shmartin.com & oakleapress.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.

— Having solid mental health doesn't mean that you never go through bad times or experience emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to bounce back from illness or injury, people with strong mental health are better able to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience. People who are emotionally and mentally resilient have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and productive, in bad times as well as good. Their resilience also makes them less afraid of new experiences or an uncertain future. Even when they don't immediately know how a problem will get resolved, they are hopeful that a solution will eventually be found. Valeria Teles interviews Rich Jones — a Therapist, Clinician, Healthcare Entrepreneur, Executive Director, Heritage CARES, And Speaker Rich has more than 20 years of experience in the behavioral health space, including mental health, substance use disorders (SUD), co-occurring disorders, and intellectual disabilities. He has been the founding CEO of two non-profit organizations and two for-profit businesses dedicated to disrupting the behavioral-health space for the betterment of people in need. Rich is well respected in the recovery world and a pioneer in the industry. That's why he was tapped to lead Heritage CARES, a division of Heritage Health Solutions. Rich is passionate about providing quality care and supporting individuals who struggle with stress, substance use, and suicidal ideation. He has built his career on helping people who need the unique, flexible, evidence-based support that our platform delivers. Traditional, one-size-fits-all methods of addiction recovery support only the 10 percent of people with Substance Use Disorders who can admit they have a problem and reach out for help. Through his leadership of Heritage CARES, we have found a fresh new way to engage and help the other 90% in addition to their families – which is a game changer. Our innovative platform involves virtual support and certified peer coaches who engage and connect with individuals and make recovery attainable. Rich is helping people re-engage in the community and live a good life. To learn more about Rich Jones and his work, please visit: heritagehealthsolutions.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.

— Trust your wound to a teacher's surgery. Flies collect on a wound. They cover it, those flies of your self-protecting feelings, your love for what you think is yours. Let a teacher wave away the flies and put a plaster on the wound. Don't turn your head. Keep looking at the bandaged place. That's where the light enters you. And don't believe for a moment that you're healing yourself. — By Rumi Valeria Teles interviews Virginia Kelly — a Healer, Holistic Practitioner, Licensed Acupuncturist And Psychotherapist, Counselor, Artist, Educator, And Owner Of Kelly's Points Healing Arts. Virginia was exposed to medical information and formation since childhood, for what she supports the integration of Eastern and Western Medicine in what she calls the Yin-Yang of Health. She grew up in Argentina, so her practice is bilingual (Spanish). Virginia is also a Feng Shui Consultant, multimedia Artist, and a former Tango Dancer, having various written pieces published, fine art exhibited and had performed internationally. It was when she was teaching, that she discovered to be of Therapeutic significance for her clients, for what she implements Art Therapy in her work with minors. Her mission is to combine the Therapeutic effects of Art, with the Art of Healing, in order to restore what was meant to be a Holistic human being. To learn more about Virginia Kelly and her work, please visit: virginiakelly.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.