The Dr. Kimcast: Recent Episodes
Dr. Kim Corson and Dacia Clay
Host Dr. Kim has a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies and is a certified coach/educator. Co-host Dacia asks questions from a learner's perspective (and makes sure Dr. Kim explains the fancy words she uses). The Dr. Kimcast is a podcast where people can have fun and refill their cups as they learn creative ways to welcome their emotions, learn self-awareness, and understand that they aren’t navigating stress and change alone.
We're back with Season 2 (after a break to heal various broken body parts). And we have a fantastic guest to--very gently--kick it all off.
Bari Tessler tells the story of how and why she brought her work as a Somatic Therapist to the world of finances. She shares tips and personal stories to help you start reframing your relationship to money for the better. And it's not woowoo! We promise! Though you can make it woowoo if that's your thing. We're not judging.
PS If you haven't listened to our previous episodes about money, you might want to do so before or after this episode.
Bari Tessler, M.A. is a Financial Therapist and Founder of The Art of Money, a year-long money school, and a 4-month Mentor program for therapists, coaches and financial professionals. Bari trained as a Somatic Therapist and received her Masters degree from Naropa University in 1998. She then ran a bookkeeping business for therapists and artists. In 2001, she merged all her training and created a somatic-based Financial Therapy methodology that she has been teaching for 20+ years. Bari is the Author of The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness and The Art of Money Workbook. Her work has been featured onOprah.com,Inc.com, US News & World Report, Reuters Money, The Fiscal Times, USA Today, The Cut, Girlboss, Nerd Wallet, Real Simple, MindBodyGreen, and REDBOOK. She has also been featured on the cover of Experience Life and Mindful. Bari loves to read, dance and enjoy dark chocolate. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, son, many cats + a big puppy. You can find her here: baritessler.com
It's the hubbub of the holidays, and for some highly sensitive people, it can lead to burnout. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Desiree Howell about how to navigate the holidays as a Highly Sensitive Person.
Check out this website for more information on HSPs and to take a self-test.
Read Desiree's latest blog post on Surviving the Holidays.
And here are some articles about the differences between high sensitivity and the Autism Spectrum.
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-highly-sensitive-child/202112/no-being-autistic-is-not-the-same-being-highly-sensitive
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/highly-sensitive-refuge/201905/do-highly-sensitive-people-have-autism
In this episode, we chat with Beverly A. Zavaleta, MD, a board-certified family physician, cancer survivor and long-time advocate of patient education. She's also the author of the best-selling book, Braving Chemo.Dr. Zavaleta joins us in recognition of National Caregivers Month to talk about what it means to be a caregiver, how to manage stress and fatigue as a caregiver, and tips for caregivers during the holidays.
Some apps and resources for caregivers:
- https://www.whereyoulivematters.org/best-caregiver-apps/
- https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2019/top-caregiving-apps.html
- https://cancercarenews.com/more-cancer-freebies/free-apps/
Patrick Keller is an educator, speaker, and the host of the Big Séance Podcast, which is a forum for “paranerds” to have an open dialogue about all things paranormal. In this episode, we chat with Patrick about what he acknowledges as his "spiritual shift," the impact of family, teaching, and music on his paranormal experiences, and all things paranerdy.
Due to the rescheduling of a guest interview, Dacia and Dr. Kim switched things up this episode. Dr. Kim assigned Dacia some homework--to listen to a podcast episode between Dr. David Kessler (grief expert) and Tyler Henry (clairvoyant medium) and give her thoughts. What resulted was an authentic conversation about their own experiences with death, dying, and grief and their thoughts on the afterlife, spirituality, and our connection to each other in this life and beyond.
Relevant Resources:
- Continuing Connections on Grief and the Afterlife (podcast episode with David Kessler and Tyler Henry)
- Forever Family Foundation
- Survival of Consciousness After Death (Article by the Institute of Noetic Sciences)
- Six Feet Under (TV show)
In this episode, we expand more on the topic of people-pleasing behaviors by digging into what it means to over-function and to under-function. Both types of functioning are ways we often try to cope with stress, and paying attention to our go-to pattern can help us shift into more effective coping strategies.
For more reading about over- and underfunctioning, check out Dr. Harriet Lerner.
We usually know when we are people pleasing, but it can be hard to figure out how to stop trying to make everyone happy all the time. In this episode, we talk about the different motivations behind people pleasing (mindset, behaviors, emotions) and how knowing what motivates you can help you curb the need to please and have a more balanced sense of self.
To sign up for 21 days of motivation and encouragement to lessen your need to please, check out Dr. Kim's Mind Over Manners self-paced program. Think of it like 10 minute workouts with a personal trainer--only the muscle you're building is your ability to say NO and reclaim your sense of self!
Is sleep productive? YES! In this episode, we share our own journeys of overwork and how prioritizing sleep and rest restored a sense of balance. We also talk about the science behind why sleep is, indeed, productive and why Sleep Leadership (advocating for employee rest) has become a new focus for organizational well-being.
For more information on how to get a better night's sleep, check out these sites:
- The National Sleep Foundation
- AASM Sleep Education
- Dr. Kim's Instagram account (featuring loads of sleep tips!)
Other sites mentioned in the episode
- Headspace sleep casts
- Hilarious TikTok videos about work boundaries
It's been awhile, so Dr. Kim and Dacia catch up and chat a little about Kim's recent paranormal vacation. It's a perfect segue into whether or not ghosts have secrets and into part 2 of our hiding places series where we talk about the power of imagination for kiddos and for adults.
For all you paranormal nerds out there, here are the folks we mention in the episode:
- Kindred Spirits
- The Big Seance Podcast
- Greg Lawson
- Weird Lectures (John Tenney)
- Strange Escapes
In this episode, we dust off Dr. Kim's dissertation and dive into the world of secrets and secret hiding places. Not only do young children understand the concept of secrecy and have a fairly complex view of what it means to have a secret, they also designate spaces for play and spaces they retreat to when they want to be alone. And they go to great, magical lengths to ensure that no adults or big siblings are allowed!
Did you have a secret hiding place when you were a kid? Do you have one now? Leave us a voice mail about it on Speakpipe--we might just feature you in the next episode.
In Part 2 of our "Listening to Your Body" series, we talk about the building blocks of polyvagal theory. Knowing how our nervous system works and how it feels in our own body can help us learn to self-regulate and manage stress. We practice some helpful exercises during the show and tie everything together using one of our favorite Christopher Guest movies, Best in Show (which you should watch if you haven't already).
For more information on polyvagal theory, check out Deb Dana, LCSW's new book Anchored.
In this episode, we lay the foundation for regulating the nervous system by focusing on one key tip--listening to your body. In a world where overwork and powering through is a lifestyle, we ignore the messages our body tries to send us in order to help keep us balanced and maintain homeostasis. Instead, we rev full speed ahead on our way to Burnout Point (or, as Dacia likes to call it, Point Break). Body check-ins are a simple way to put on the brakes and become even more productive (because we are well-rested).
Plus, lots of wings are given to Brene Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, and our friend, the Supertooth Tiger.
In part two of our money story series, we dig into some of the most common categories of money scripts we operate from. Money scripts are the beliefs that impact our actions regarding money, and we talk about the four most prominent ones from Brad Klontz's research.
For more information on money healing and money scripts, check out the following resources:
- Financial Therapist, Bari Tessler
- Klontz money scripts
Our series has focused on the micro/individual mindset level of money stories, but there are certainly macro issues at play that are beyond the scope of our series. Here are some resources to learn more:
- The Feminist Finance Podcast
- Sacred Economics
- Rethinking Money
It's not easy to talk about our relationship with money. In fact, many of us keep all of our money thoughts inside while our inner critic screams judgments at us right and left. The bottom line is that money isn't just about the numbers. It's also about the messages we tell ourselves--the "shoulds" and sometimes messages of shame and regret. In this episode, Dr. Kim and Dacia get real about their own money messages and how they've learned to respond self-compassionately to money shame.
For more information about money healing, check out The Art of Money by Bari Tessler.
Do you have close relationships with fictional TV characters? Were your core values partially formed by movies and books? If so, this is the episode for you!
Dacia takes the wheel, discussing the personal and social significance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twin Peaks, and other TV and movie franchises. Dr. Kim chimes in with theories about parasocial interaction and relationships to explain why we feel so connected with celebrities and the characters they play, and how Dacia is totally and completely normal for having just traveled to attend the Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast'sBuffy Prom. Nerd factor: 11.
In this Superstar of an episode, Dr. Kim and Dacia talk about why some people think musicals are Wicked cool, and for others, it makes them Miserable[s]. Dr. Kim applies the PERMA model (Seligman, 2012) from positive psychology to help shed some Amazing Technicolor light on the subject. Mamma Mia! This episode is the Shipoopi!
For those of you following along at home, here's what the PERMA acronym stands for:
P--positive emotions
E--engagement
R--relationships
M--meaning
A--achievement and accomplishment
And for a little (not so light) reading:
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-05213-001
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33439881/
In this episode, Dr. Kim and Dacia talk about lovingkindness--a tool we can use to give ourselves kindness and to also wish goodwill to others. Sending someone (or even ourselves) loving kindness isn't always easy, but it can lead to connection, compassion, and heightened well-being for those who regularly practice it.
In this episode, Dr. Kim and Dacia talk about the concept of self-compassion--treating yourself the way you would treat someone you love and care about.
For exercises on how to practice self-compassion, visit the following websites
- https://self-compassion.org/
- https://chrisgermer.com/meditations/
Life is a journey. And believe it or not, you are the hero! In this episode, Dacia and I explore the Hero’s Journey, made popular through myth and folklore. And we show you how to apply it to your own life (with a little help from Star Wars). So grab your lightsabers, and let’s head out on an adventure together.
Did you know that our unconscious mind crafts information into a story before it even reaches our consciousness? Mind blown, right? In this episode, we talk about what evolutional biologists call a Neural Story Net (Haven, 2014) and about how stories help us make sense out of chaos and find meaning in our lives.
To find out more about David Kessler's sixth stage of grief, visit his work here.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year–or is it? Through interviews at our favorite Houston haunt, we learned that as adults, it’s often hard to feel the same holiday magic we felt as kids. But by giving ourselves permission to be playful and allowing for moments of stillness, we can recapture some of that wonder (even if it’s just a twinkle).
It’s the holiday season--the time when we engage in traditions and spend time with family. In this episode, we talk about the power and meaning behind rituals, how to remain flexible when rituals change, and how performing rituals can actually help us navigate the stress that sometimes comes with the holidays.
Not feeling so grateful at the holidays? You’re not alone. Listen as we talk about polyvagal theory and how glimmers of gratitude can help calm the nervous system and train your brain to notice the positives more easily, even during stressful family get-togethers.
- https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
Join us for a special Thanksgiving bonus episode where we sit down with Ron Lambert, a Market Leader for Starbucks Corporation, and hear stories of how gratitude, hope, and joy helped him and his team through times of uncertainty and massive change.
It’s November—a time for pumpkin spice and all things thankful. But is there such a thing as too many good vibes? Listen as we talk about toxic positivity and how it can backfire on ourselves and even hurt others.
Welcome to a Bonus Episode this month, where listeners get to pick the movie that introduces Dr. Kim and Dacia (resident scaredy-cats) into the world of horror movies. There might be some screams on this one, so grab some popcorn and join us for some Halloween horror.
Join us on the podcast this week as we craft a story around an image on the 8 of Swords tarot card. Creating stories from images is a great way to tap into the creative and unconscious parts of our brains to look at problems, such as fear, from a new perspective. We’ll break down the image into parts that correspond to different aspects of the fears we face in everyday life, and we’ll use our story to find new ways of approaching our fears.
Welcome to the first ever episode of the Dr. Kimcast. This month’s focus is all about the universal fears that hold us back from achieving our goals, and we are starting by talking about our OWN fears that crept up as we planned this podcast. Using our own story as an example, we will talk you through 4 tools that can help you face your fears and move forward.