We have officially entered 2022, but just because the date on the calendar has changed, doesn't mean that the circumstances of our lives will immediately shift or change for the better. 

There can be so much hype around new-year goal setting and planning. While I personally love to reflect, vision and plan, I've also found that it's critical to be patient, gentle and loving in the process. Otherwise, we run the risk of yet another opportunity to set ourselves up to lose confidence, self-trust and efficacy when it comes to our most important dreams and goals. 

In this audio, I walk you through many of the core steps I use to reflect, dream and plan for the upcoming year. You will learn:

• Some simple, yet powerful questions to ask yourself as you review the past year and everything that has transpired.
• How to consciously release, complete and close 2021 if you haven't done so already.
• How to give yourself creative permission to brainstorm, dream and envision life for the new year, even if you end up choosing NOT to pursue certain things.
• Effective ways to simplify, reduce overwhelm and hone in on the few most important things you want to actively focus on in the new year.
• How to set yourself up for success throughout the year to re-visit your goals and dreams so that they don't end up collecting dust and leading to disappointment down the road.

Enjoy and may you have a gentle and easeful start to 2022!

In this episode we cover all things Social Media Detox including :

• My personal experiences of conducting different social media experiments over the last decade--everything from addictive daily use to multiple year long breaks.
• The benefits that my clients and I have both experienced as a result of reducing or completely eliminating social media for a period of time. 
• The drawbacks of reducing or removing all social media from one's life and different ways to combat those drawbacks.
• A series of questions to ask yourself if you are curious about changing your personal relationship with social media and where to begin.
• 4 simple steps for how to implement a temporary or more permanent change in your relationship with social media based on your personal goals, dreams and desires. 
• My favorite film to watch if you want to take this deeper!
  
  

This week's guest, Fereshta Ramsey, is an inspiration and a force who is courageously sharing her voice and perspectives on the current situation in Afghanistan.

If you, like me, have been heartbroken, enraged, concerned and/or confused regarding the events of the past two months (and prior) in Afghanistan--this interview is for you.

This conversation covers:

• Fereshta's personal journey of fleeing Afghanistan as a young child and how she and her parents received political asylum in the U.S.
• Sustainable activism, what it is, how it's practiced and why it is so critical right now.  
• A brief history lesson about both Soviet and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and why that matters in relationship to what's going on today.
• Which types of women are most at risk under Taliban rule and why.
• A trauma-informed, empathy and boundaries based perspective on the Taliban, who they are, how they have come to be and what will be required to create a more peaceful existence for all Afghan people in the future.
• A holistic perspective on gender issues including toxic masculinity, female oppression and empowerment.
• Concrete action steps that we can take to support Afghan women and girls right now.
• Why we MUST remember that every life matters and act accordingly.

If you're ready to take action now, you can support women in Afghanistan by donating here:

https://www.protectafghanwomen.org/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/17/fragility-womens-rights-afghanistan#
https://urgentactionfund.org/

To learn more about Fereshta and her work please check her out below:

https://www.rocknrollspiritual.com/
https://www.instagram.com/fereshtacoaching/

Last week I sent out a podcast all about how to create conscious endings because it is something I have been thinking a lot about personally and I hoped it would be of value--what I didn't realize was just how much this would resonate with so many of you!

From all of your emails and messages (thank you!) I can tell we  struck a chord on this whole conscious endings theme, so this week I decided to dig a bit deeper into the subject and make a part 2 of how to create a conscious ending. 

In this week's episode I cover:

• How to identify and acknowledge our default patterning around endings.
• The most common forces that influence how we tend to do endings. 
• How to assess whether or not our style of endings is working for us (or not).
• How to evolve or change the way that we do endings so that we can experience more wholeness, completion and freedom.
• Reframing the concept of "finishing strong" and how to end things in a way that supports growth and healing as opposed to a way that recapitulates trauma and pain.
• 7 reflection questions you can use to create more satisfying and conscious endings.

I love knowing how these conversations are impacting you so keep those emails coming and if you're inspired, forward this podcast to a friend who you know is dealing with an ending right now...

Let's keep finding our resonance and remembering that we are not alone.

How we start and end things has always been fascinating to me, and having just gone through a major ending in my own life, I felt inspired to share some thoughts, practical steps and reflections on the concept of endings.

In this week's episode I cover:

• The various types of endings, large and small, that we all experience both daily and throughout the human life cycle.
• How transitions can often kick up deeper psychological material, existential fears and loss, even if it is a somewhat positive change.
• The benefits of creating more conscious/intentional endings.
• The risks we are vulnerable to if we don't create more conscious/intentional endings.
• 6 practical ways to reflect on, be with and process an ending.
• Simple ideas for creating a ritual to mark an ending or a completion.
• The interconnectivity of endings and beginnings, and the organic cycles of birth, growth, degeneration and death that happen over and over and over again in the human life cycle.

This episode is more of a workshop style piece--meaning that it is intended as a resource to support you in actually doing some of the deeper reflection necessary to create a conscious ending for yourself.

I highly recommend listening to this one when you can sit down with a pen and paper and when you aren't rushed!

This past year has been a doozy to say the least.

I'm talking to so many women whose lives shifted, got turned upside down and inside out and as the recalibration/reorganization process is now underway, one of the main areas that I see folks redefining is WORK.

So let me ask you this: Are you happy with your work life?

Sometimes?
Never?
All of the time?

If you're being honest with yourself, what's the truth right now?

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, if you're grappling or struggling with any aspect of your work life right now or trying to clarify the direction you're  headed next, this episode is for you!

In this week's episode I cover:

• The subject of women & desire, why it can be so challenging to know what we want, pursue what we want and feel permission to get what we want.
• How some of the qualities and skills we've developed that have helped us attain a certain level of success, may actually be hindering our ability to create lives that are authentically fulfilling to us as adults.
• 5 Thought provoking prompts to support a deeper investigation into your professional life, what's working, what's not working and what might need to change.
• A holistic view of what work is, what it is not, and why it is so important that we have conscious awareness around what is in alignment for us in relationship to our work.
• 7 Thought provoking prompts to uncover and discover your unique values as they are right now in your life.
• Ideas about how to integrate more of your values into your everyday life and work.

This episode is more of a workshop style piece--meaning that it is intended as a resource to support you in actually doing some of the deeper reflection necessary to get more of what you want in your work and life.

I highly recommend listening to this one when you can sit down with a pen and paper and when you aren't rushed!

Have you ever felt like things are super chaotic and overwhelming and you can hardly catch your breath before another curve ball gets thrown your way?

Well if so, this episode is for you!

This week I'm talking all about the major upheaval, change and transition that seems to be in the air for so many of us right now and 3 simple yet practical ways to help yourself find a little ground even if the chaos won't stop.

In this week's episode I cover:

• How creation and destruction are two non-negotiable forces in life and how to understand their relationship to each other and everything in between.
• How to take a bird's eye view of the situation or circumstances you find yourself in and start looking for the deeper purpose or function of your experience. 
• How to understand where you are in the creative/destructive cycles and how to identify what you might need depending on where you find yourself.
• The concept of life being a ride that we cannot stop, but that we do have the capacity to participate with and influence.
• Some personal sharing from me about my current house move, what it's kicking up for me in the process and how I'm working with my own mind.

This is a short and sweet episode that I hope you'll find super helpful and enriching!

As promised, I've got a different kind of podcast episode for you this week all about a massive home overhaul project I've been doing for the past many months. And if you're wondering what does home organizing have to do with women's psychology and patriarchy, well the answer is A LOT.

As you'll hear me discuss in this episode, this mission I've been on with the house has come out of some serious (and sometimes HARD) realizations about chronic stress, resentment and relational dynamics that so many women I know struggle with in their households.

So if you've ever caught yourself enraged at the thought of washing another dish, crying as you move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, or just plain MAD because you feel like you're doing more domestic work than the other adults in your household (or because there is no one else in the home to share the load), this one's for YOU!

In this week's episode I cover:

• How the compounding effects of patriarchy + motherhood + domestic life inspired me to do a massive home overhaul/home organizing project. 
• How and why Keith and I are focused on creating a home and a family that attempts to combat the toxic effects of patriarchy.
• How I'm integrating environmental responsibility, minimalism and mindfulness into my home reorg.
• The invisible load that many women carry in domestic settings, how this impacts our health, joy and fulfillment and how to take back our power and leadership in what can feel like an oppressive situation.
• How our physical environments impact and shape our psychological experience and how to uplift ourselves and our physical surroundings.
• Why understanding and being clear about our values helps to clarify what we do and do not need in our physical environments. 
• The practical methods and systems I'm using to unburden myself, release unnecessary physical objects and free up more room for love, play and connection in my household.

Enjoy!

I'm super honored to introduce you to this week's podcast guest: Sarah K. Peck. Sarah is the founder of Startup Parent and I have had a colleague crush on this woman for YEARS.

Seriously, she is whip-smart, thoughtful, funny and refreshingly honest about all things parenting, business, work and LIFE.

Having Sarah with us this week is a dream come true for me and I know you're going to get so many goodies out of this conversation!

In this week's episode Sarah and I cover:

• Sarah's honest experience of how she is doing as a mother, business owner and human after over a year of pandemic upheaval. 
• Why we don't have to do things the way they've always been done, whether that is in business, parenting or any other area of life.
• The organic evolution of Sarah's business and how she continues to listen, iterate and grow. 
• Sarah's radical recommendation to "DO HALF" and how to practically go about applying this concept to our everyday lives. 
• The importance of systems thinking, looking for repeatable results and reflection when it comes to shifting upsetting patterns or maximizing the goodness in our lives. 
• The need to deeply question and resist the larger cultural narratives of parenting and work and instead to forge our own paths rooted in our unique values and families. 
• What Sarah suggests we pay most attention to in our work, family and lives as our country transitions out of pandemic life and into what's next. 

And SO much more!

Even if you are not a parent or a business owner, this episode is packed with really important ideas about how to take more creative ownership of our lives, our values and our desires.

The ability to show up, to be adaptive and responsive, to allow ourselves to be impacted by what is real and also to mobilize our gifts and skills to impact what is occurring around us is HEALTH.

As women, we are weavers of health.

Taking care of our own health is what allows us to most effectively show up in all of these ways and more.

And that is why I am so honored to be introducing you all to Mindy Meiering today. Mindy is a therapist, life coach and mindfulness teacher based in Durango, Colorado and this week on the podcast she is exercising her courage and sharing vulnerably about her personal journey with health over the last decade.

In this week's episode Mindy and I cover:

• A holistic map of what health is, where it comes from and why it is a constantly moving target.
• Mindy's attempts to become a mother, her journey with fertility treatments and what ultimately had her release this dream.
• Mindy's personal path of getting diagnosed with cancer in her 40's and undergoing treatment.
• How Mindy partnered with her body and the cancer through her healing process. 
• How we make meaning, or don't, in the face of loss and disappointment. 
• The importance of both grief and gratitude when it comes to our healing and integration of life's biggest experiences. 

And SO much more.

Mindy is such a gentle, wise and mindful woman who truly walks her talk. This conversation is like a cup of warm tea on a cozy couch and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed having it.

I'm eager to continue our conversation this month around the topic of women and health.

There are so many important factors when it comes to our health, but solid nutrition goes a long way--it can literally make or break our experience of well-being.

And that's why I'm so excited today to introduce you to Chef Maria Cooper.
Maria is an author, nourishment coach, dance teacher and executive chef who is passionate about creating nutrient-dense, vibrant dishes that nurture the body and soul. Her book, Heartful Kitchen, a Cookbook for Every Body is my go-to cookbook most nights of the week.

In this week's episode Chef Maria and I cover:

• Maria's personal health crisis that catalyzed her interest in natural foods. 
• How to practically set ourselves up for success when it comes to nutrition and health.
• The value of creating a nutrient dense backdrop for everything we want to accomplish, experience and have in our lives.
• The concept of food for fuel, what it means to eat in this way and why it can be so beneficial. 
• The difference between short term diets or cleanses versus learning a new way of being in relationship to our food/nutrition.
• Maria's 5 core foundations of health and how to start incorporating them into your life.
• How to oscillate between both giving and receiving as women when it comes to health and energy.
• How to cut through all the noise regarding nutrition and actually figure out what works for you.
• Why it's so important to resist perfectionism and instead to focus on realistic, small changes if you want to experience long-term sustainable change with your health.

And SO much more.

Maria is such a thoughtful, warm and inspiring woman--and her food is truly some of the best I've ever eaten, so she really knows what she's talking about!

As promised, today we are switching gears into a brand new topic over on the podcast: WOMEN & HEALTH!

I am super pumped to freshen things up and turn our attention toward these precious physical bodies that house our souls, psychologies and experiences throughout the human life cycle.

Per usual, in this introductory episode I'm going to be sharing a bit personally with you about my own health journey as a woman, why I think this topic is so critical for us to sink our teeth into and some of my favorite resources to take this conversation deeper if you're called.

In this week's episode I cover:

• The early roots of my personal interest in women's health which motivated me to make physical health and well-being a top priority in my life.
• The 2 frightening health diagnoses I received in my mid-20's and how they compelled me to investigate my health at a deeper level.
• The 5 main areas of health that I encourage all women to assess.
• 6 Supportive questions to ask yourself when you feel like your health could use a little extra attention but you don't know where to start. 
• Why we're never as far away from "healthy" as we might think and how to shrink the gap between where we are and where we'd like to be.
• My favorite books and professionals who specialize in women's health issues. 
• As always I've got both practical ideas and more meta ideas for you to chew on and I am confident you will find some very down-to-earth goodness in this one!

To wrap up this month's conversation on trauma and triumph, I am thrilled to be introducing you to Dr. Mariel Buque. Dr. Mariel is a bright and beautiful soul whose work focuses on the healing of intergenerational and collective trauma.

In this week's episode Dr. Mariel Buque and I cover:

• Dr. Mariel's personal story of growing up as a highly sensitive and empathic girl and some of the challenges she was exposed to in her community.
• Her journey of ending up at an Ivy League school and obtaining her PhD in psychology and how that shaped her current work which focuses on intergenerational trauma.
• What intergenerational trauma is, the biological and social components of the issue and why it can be so hard to shift both in individuals and larger communities.
• The intersection of anti-racism work and intergenerational trauma and how Dr. Mariel integrates the two in her corporate wellness consulting.
• The modalities of sound healing and breath work as powerful methods for trauma healing.
• The critical role of regenerative and restorative practices for anyone dealing with complex trauma.
• How Dr. Mariel manages her own nervous system regulation and well-being while also holding a lot of professional roles.
• What Dr. Mariel is proud of about herself and currently celebrating.

And SO much more!

Dr. Mariel's presence is luminous and full of grace. She is so clearly a woman who walks her talk and I felt incredibly gifted by the hour I got to spend with her, as I'm sure you will feel by this conversation, I hope you enjoy!

Teri A. Dillion was given a terminal diagnosis with ALS at age 35, shortly after getting married to the love of her life. She was a successful and gifted psychotherapist, dedicated spiritual practitioner and engaged community member. 

From the moment she received the diagnosis, her entire life changed and ever since she has been on a profound journey of awakening and healing.

In this week's episode Teri and I cover:

• Teri's incredible book No Pressure, No Diamonds: Mining for Gifts in Illness and Loss and the profound wisdom she captures through her writing.
• Which tools and resources have been most supportive for working with her psychological experience since her ALS diagnosis. 
• The insight she has gained about people through her journey of degenerative illness--how to best show up for others in times of crisis and also what not to do.
• How she and her husband have navigated this unthinkable loss together.
• The spiritual growth and insight that she has cultivated through the process and how she relates to meaning making in the face of such devastation.
• The notion of forgiveness--toward self and other--what it is, what it isn't and how we can get there.
• The balance between being committed to life and also the need to surrender to the inevitable presence of death and how she is working with the mystery of death inside herself. 
• What Teri feels most proud of about how she has chosen to live her life, especially since the diagnosis.
• The essential role of presence and moment-to-moment awareness no matter how difficult someone's life circumstances may be. 

And SO much more!

Teri is a courageous and inspiring woman, a dedicated disabilities advocate and wise beyond her years. How she has navigated this incredibly devastating and traumatic experience with so much resilience, thoughtfulness and contribution is astounding to me--and I know Teri's story will profoundly touch and impact you.

Have you ever read a book so good that you could hardly put it down?

So powerful, so enriching, so provocative that you hung on every last word?

Well, just recently I had the honor and privilege to receive an advanced copy of Kimberly Ann Johnson's newest book, and it is one of these books and then some!

Kimberly is a brilliant and pioneering Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner, educator, and author. She helps women heal trauma, awaken their power and feel at home in their bodies so they can start living life on their own terms.

Her life changing book Call of the Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken Our Own Power, and Use It For Good is officially published as of TODAY and I could not be more excited to have her with us on the podcast this week.

In this week's episode Kimberly and I cover:

• How Kimberly is doing personally as her new book comes out. 
• The back story of how Kimberly got the idea for Call of the Wild.
• The predator/prey dynamic she started to notice inside women's nervous systems when she was working intensively with thousands of women one on one.
• How the #metoo movement compelled Kimberly to courageously speak up and share more of her controversial views on gender dynamics and what true women's empowerment actually is.
• How to activate your inner jaguar, what that means and why it is critical for women to do so.
• The risk of becoming more ourselves and how to summon the deep courage to do so. 
• Upper limits and how we can overcome our personal limitations and increase our ability to receive goodness.
• How our personal and collective trauma healing create the possibility for a new culture to form--one which could work a lot better for all of us.

And SO much more!

Kimberly is an inspiration, a devoted advocate for women's health & healing and a powerful example of what is possible when a woman digs deep and commits to her own trauma healing.

I am touched to be introducing April's podcast theme to you all on the subject of Women, Trauma & Triumph.

We go through SO much every day and over the course of our lifetimes and no matter who we are, or where we come from, both trauma and triumph are a part of the deal.

Per usual, in this week's episode I am introducing the theme to you all, giving some context and background, offering practical tools you can put to use right away and sharing my favorite books and resources to accompany you on your journey.   

In this week's episode I cover:

• My big wake-up call about women and why I decided to study trauma intensively.
• The three main types of trauma, what they are, and how they impact us.
• Why trauma is in the eye of the beholder and why we need to validate and care for our own experiences regardless of what others may tell us.
• Some of the most common signs/symptoms of trauma as well as some surprising symptoms that could be related to trauma even if you don't realize it.
• Individual vs. collective trauma and why we need to be aware of both.
• Intergenerational trauma and adaptations and how to become more conscious of these patterns.
• Post traumatic growth and the opportunity for an even better life after experiencing trauma.
• How people heal, integrate and triumph after traumatic experiences.
• 4 practical ways to start addressing and dealing with your trauma today.
• My favorite book recommendations on the subject of trauma so you can go deeper into the areas that interest you.
• My favorite trauma healing modalities if you are looking for more individual support. 

Today we are wrapping up the entire month's theme on women and money--and this is one you will not want to miss!

Jacquette M. Timmons is my guest in this conversation and her vivacity, expertise and down-to-earth wisdom had me laughing, learning and in deep appreciation of the human side of money and all that it entails.

In this week's episode Jacquette and I cover:

• Some inspiring highlights from Jacquette's early life including how she met her mentor, how she got introduced to Wall Street and the fascinating twists and turns her career in financial services has taken.
• Why some people successfully build wealth, while others do not, and how we can start to shift our behaviors if we're not getting the results that we want.
• The concept of financial blindspots, how to identify them and how to overcome them once we recognize there is an issue.
• The difference between the economy and the stock market and why it is essential that we understand the role and context of both.
• Jacquette's meta reflections on where we're at in the economy in 2021 and what we need to be looking out for as women.
• Why we don't manage money, but instead manage choices and how to get more empowered, confident and savvy with managing our choices.

And so much more!

Jacquette has such an approachable, thoughtful and lighthearted approach to money that resonated deeply for me and once again inspired me to think differently and take new actions in my money life, so I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed having the conversation!

**Time sensitive reminder, TODAY is the LAST day to receive a gift bundle of my favorite women and money books in the mail, so simply follow the instructions below to get your books!**

Instructions to win my favorite women + money books:

1) Leave a rating and a review of Women Today on Apple Podcasts.
2) Snap a picture or screen shot of your review.
3) Email: emma@emmateitel.com the photo proof of your podcast review with your name and mailing address.
4) Sit back and wait for a special package from me that will include a collection of my favorite women + money books!

Do you know about the "The Great Wealth Transfer" that is currently happening?

Most women I talk to have never heard of it...I myself only learned about it under 5 years ago and I've still got so much to learn.

To put it simply, right now in the United States (as well as many other nations across the globe) we are making an enormous collective transition where women are estimated to hold an additional $30 trillion of wealth.

Yes, you read that correctly:

30 Trillion Dollars!

I think for many of us, it can be hard to wrap our minds around this amount of money--it can be easy to feel disconnected, separate or even not a part of this transition, particularly if we are really struggling financially or just trying to figure out how to pay the bills month to month.

Regardless of where you are at in your individual money life, however, I believe it is critical that we all are educated and informed about "The Great Wealth Transfer" because the potential for what this could mean for us as women, the planet and for generations to come is MAJOR.
 
And that is why I am honored to introduce the brilliant Robin Catlin to you all. Robin is a Certified Financial Planner, human-centered asset manager, and all around thoughtful woman.

In this week's episode Robin and I cover:

• Some of Robin's personal story about how she first became interested in financial services, including what it was like for her to watch her mother's journey with money after her parents' divorce.
• What she experienced and observed as a young woman working in the male majority industry of wealth management.
• How Robin initially lost connection with what she describes as her feminine energy and how she has gradually been recovering her wholeness as she ages.
• What "The Great Wealth Transfer" is exactly and what we need to be aware of as women who are alive during this massive and exciting transition.
• How women at any socio-economic status can get more involved, educated and informed when it comes to their money lives, and why it is so important that we do.
• The concept of human capital, what it is, and why it is critical to include in any money conversation.
• The opportunity that is currently on the table for women and why our involvement is essential.
• How issues of maternity leave, child rearing and care taking need to be factored in as we discuss women and money.
• Why more money does not necessarily equal fewer problems, more happiness or more fulfillment.
• The value of integrating relationships, communication and trust into any decision about money in partnership or family.

This conversation was EXTREMELY powerful for me to have and I'm left feeling even more inspired to continue educating myself so that I (and the women I work with) can be as well prepared and positioned to take part in this "Great Wealth Transfer" as effectively as possible. 

**And as a reminder, we've just got one week left in the month of March so if you want to receive a gift bundle of my favorite women and money books in the mail, simply follow the instructions below. Once we enter April this will no longer be available, so don't delay!**

Instructions to win my favorite women + money books:

1) Leave a rating and a review of Women Today on Apple Podcasts.
2) Snap a picture or screen shot of your review.
3) Email: emma@emmateitel.com the photo proof of your podcast review with your name and mailing address. 
4) Sit back and wait for a special package from me that will include a collection of my favorite women + money books!