The All Gifts Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pandora Villasenor
Challenges are unavoidable. But with the right mindset we can turn adversity into gifts that build resilience. In the All Gifts Podcast we unwrap life’s most challenging topics to find the hidden gift within. Our host, Pandora Villasenor, a former teen mom who broke generational cycles of poverty and abuse will inspire you, motivate you, make you laugh and cry as she shares her story and invites others to do the same. Learn how she has thrived through failure, disappointment, addiction, and codependency. Pandora has raised two healthy adult children as a single working mom. She is an MBA and coach to high performing people. She helps them overcome limiting beliefs by reframing problems into opportunities. She will help you redefine success, retrain your mindset, and learn the role of recovery to your maximum creativity. New episodes each week.
Challenges can be a gift because they give us opportunities for growth and transformation. But sometimes we get caught in bad cycles. In this episode, I discuss breaking the cycle of work burnout. We will look at four areas I reflect on when I feel stuck in a rut. If you focus on these four areas, you can find peace no matter where you work.
In this episode I share strategies to help overcome work-related anxieties. I focus on three main areas: identity, worthiness, and boundaries. I hope it helps you. Thank you for following!
Please subscribe on my website to receive helpful tips in your email.
Part 2 of my conversation with Hiking Solo's Christine Brown. We discuss feminine leadership energy, sustainability and success, and the pandemic's impact on corporate culture. This one is full of practical tips you don't want to miss.
For more, check out my website: www.pandoravillasenor.com
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Kicking off Season 7: Women, Work and Faith with Hiking Solo's Christine Brown. We discuss feminine leadership energy, sustainability and success, and the pandemic's impact on corporate culture.
For more, check out my website: www.pandoravillasenor.com
Pandora's IG
Hiking Solo IG
As I wrap up this season, I share two important points I learned about the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit this year.
For more, check out my website: www.pandoravillasenor.com
If you come from a religious, rules based church experience but long for something more, this episode is for you. My best friend and host of The Practice Room Podcast and I discuss moving forward in our faith post-pandemic.
Bonus Content:
Blog
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God has given me insight into new levels of knowing Him and connecting to His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 lists nine gifts of The Holy Spirit.
I was taught to embrace some of the gifts of the Spirit like faith, knowledge, and wisdom and to avoid other gifts of the Spirit like prophesy and speaking in tongues.
I now believe God wants to activate all nine of the Holy Spirit gifts in us to help other people know Him. Listen as I discuss this with Dr. Cheryl Salem, author of the book, Holy Spirit.
Bonus Content:
Blog
Social Media:
YouTube
I've put God in a religious box for too long! In this episode, I continue to share how God is teaching me about His Holy Spirit Power.
Bonus Content:
Blog
Social Media:
YouTube
Is God bringing about a spiritual awakening? I explore this topic with Pastor Keith-alan Hinson of Purpose Place LA.
Bonus Content:
Blog
Social Media:
YouTube
Did the Holy Spirit gifts such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy end with the first century church or is God still using these gifts today? I discuss this controversial topic with Pastor Maral Hinson of Purpose Place LA.
Bonus Content:
Blog
Social Media:
YouTube
In Malawi, Africa having a conversation with men’s ministry leader, Akim Banda and founder, David Peterka of When the Saints trauma safe home. These two men help rescue hundreds of girls from sexual exploitation and help rehabilitate the men who've exploited them, helping to stop the cycle of abuse. CLICK here for bonus content
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Did miracles end with biblical times? If they are still relevant today then why don't we see them? Sharing reflections and insights from my recent trip to Malawi, Africa. Let me know what you think! Bonus Content:
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A conversation with Roselynn, head trauma counselor at When the Saints Trauma Safe Home. Hear how she’s not only changed the trajectory of over 160 girl’s lives, but also adopted three abandoned little girls. An inspiring story!
Bonus Content:
Blog
YouTube
This episode sets the tone for Season 6 so be sure to listen. I continue to give a peek behind the curtain of my spiritual journey through the pandemic and beyond. I pray it inspires you to continue to mature and strengthen your faith.
Show notes: All Gifts Website
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I couldn’t wrap up this season on breaking cycles without giving proper credit to the real power behind any and everything I’ve accomplished. Listen to this episode to hear bible verses that inspire me to be a cycle breaker.
Please follow, review, and rate to help spread tools for breaking cycles with more people!
Podcast music by: https://www.instagram.com/joveesince91/
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David Peterka, Founder and Executive Director of When the Saints, a trauma safe home in Malawi for girls who've been rescued from sexual exploitation, joins me.
Listen to learn how God broke the cycle of pornography addiction and the objectification of women in his life and how this led to the gift of rehabilitation. Not just for the girls impacted by sexual exploitation in Malawi but for their oppressors as well. A fascinating and inspiring story! See links below to connect and support When the Saints.
LINKS & RESOURCES
CLICK here for bonus content related to this episode
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CLICK here for When The Saints
CLICK here for the When the Saints Fundraiser on Nov. 6 2021
Do you feel like you’ve done all you can to break the cycle of poverty in your life, but you still haven’t been able to build true wealth? I was stuck in a rut until I met today’s special guest Peggy Buck, a Financial and Wealth Advisor and creator of the Prosperity 101: Financial Workshop Series. I hope this episode blesses and inspires you toward your financial breakthrough.
For more, join us for The Blueprint: Money Management and Goal Setting Workshop.
In this powerful session, Peggy and I will help you create your blueprint for financial success. It's free!
Sign up at: https://content.pandoravillasenor.com/money-management
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The All Gifts Podcast is about processing through pain and finding the gifts but some pain is hard to process.
I don’t have it all figured out but there are some fundamental truths that I know for sure. Listen for more.
Please follow, review, and rate to help spread tools for breaking cycles with more people!
Podcast music by: https://www.instagram.com/joveesince91/
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In this episode, I share the biblical principle that breaks the cycle of worry: the pause and praise.
Thank you for following All Gifts. Please leave a review and rating. It helps spread hope and tools for resilience with more people.
Podcast music by: https://www.instagram.com/joveesince91/
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The key to breaking negative cycles in your life starts with effective goal setting. With the acronym RISE I explain how you can set effective goals and create new healthy cycles in your life.
Podcast music by: https://www.instagram.com/joveesince91/
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Why is identity so important? In this episode I contrast two very different places we can look to for our sense of identity. One leads us down a path of despair. The other, a hope and a future.
FREE JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR PROCESSING YOUR EMOTIONS AND BREAKING CYCLES
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“Silence is Strength” is a message passed down through generations that says, I’m going to protect myself and others by not talking about the trauma I’ve gone through. Yet staying silent keeps us from the very thing that could aide our healing and recovery, connection to others. Listen to learn how my guest author Peyton Garland and I broke this generational cycle.
Did you spend your childhood envisioning yourself “making it" only to grow up and realize you didn’t know how? In this episode I share my first step on my path of discovering the right career for me. Maybe you can relate or it will inspire your next right step.
FREE JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR PROCESSING YOUR EMOTIONS AND BREAKING CYCLES
PANDORA'S INSTAGRAM
PANDORA'S FACEBOOK
Learn about generational curses and being a cycle breaker.
For a cycle breaker, every step feels like it takes a herculean effort to achieve. It took me a long time to get that. I thought it was me. Breaking generational cycles is hard. But it is NOT impossible.
Download the All Gifts Journal Prompts for Cycle Breakers and break the cycle today!
All Gifts is about finding the gifts in our pain and our challenges. Read more on my blog.
Listen to this brief episode for an important announcement and news for the upcoming season!
Subscribe to my email newsletter.
Visit the All Gifts website.
Follow me on Instagram.
Download freebies.
The pandemic turned our lives upside down, but it also brought gifts of resilience, social awareness, and purpose. New York City teacher and writer Melissa Pyrch and I discuss these gifts while she shares how she kept her students engaged and pivoted her focus while remote teaching high school during the pandemic.
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Music by: Jovee
Marriage and Family Therapist Molly LaCroix joins me to discuss why it’s better to label behavior as toxic, not people. We don't minimize abusive behaviors but we discuss why it is helpful to distinguish between a person and their behavior.
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Music by: Jovee
Sexual abuse survivor, coach and advocate Rachel Grant joins me to talk about how she overcame the shame and stigma of her trauma. Rachel has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and is a Sexual Abuse Recovery Coach.
She'll encourage you that you don't have to remember everything to start to heal. And, you don't have to label, categorize, or compare your experience to someone else, to be able to say, l'm having a trauma response and I'm ready to start my healing journey."
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Music by: Jovee
Psychologist Alison Cook, PhD joins me to discuss how childhood wounds can show up in our spiritual walks and relationship with God. Alison is a counselor, a speaker, and co-author of the book Boundaries for Your Soul.
Alison and I both have a propensity toward meeting the needs of others while minimizing our own. If this resonates with you, give it a listen and let me know what you think!
Thank you for following All Gifts. Please leave a review and rating. It helps spread these messages of hope and tools for resilience.
CLICK here for show notes
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CLICK here to download All Gifts Journal Prompts
Music by: Jovee
In this episode, Jenn Whitmer, speaker, coach, writer, and self-professed “Joy-bringer,” joins me to discuss toxic work environments: how to spot them and how to deal with them without losing your joy in the process.
Want more content? Check out my related blog.
Want to learn more about Jenn? Check out her website.
Want to see what else I'm up to? Find me in these places:
Pandora's All Gifts Website
Pandora's Instagram
Pandora on LinkedIn
Pandora's All Gifts Facebook
Free Journal Prompts to help process your emotions
In this episode, Jenn Whitmer, speaker, coach, writer, and self-professed “Joy-bringer,” joins me to discuss toxic work environments: how to spot them and how to deal with them without losing your joy in the process.
Want more content? Check out my related blog.
Want to learn more about Jenn? Check out her website.
Want to see what else I'm up to? Find me in these places:
Pandora's All Gifts Website
Pandora's Instagram
Pandora on LinkedIn
Pandora's All Gifts Facebook
Free Journal Prompts to help process your emotions
I was delighted when a friend introduced me to Episode 24’s guest, Cindy Villanueva. We were both unwed teen moms who bounced back from that failure only to end up with divorce, domestic violence, and career setbacks as part of our stories.
In her memoir, Don’t Fight Mad, a Blackbelt’s Quest to Recapture Joy, Cindy shares how she transformed life’s challenges into gifts of resilience and strength. Like me, Cindy bounced back from her hardships as a teen mom. She persevered in getting her education, pursued her career, and successfully raised her children.
We both learned that we aren’t our failures. And, thanks to our faith, we’ve also learned that we aren’t what we’ve accomplished. Our identities are more than our degrees, careers, and even our children. Tune in to learn more from her story!
Thank you everyone for following and for leaving a rating or review. I love you!
Want more content? Check out my related blog.
Want to learn more about Cindy? Buy Cindy's book?
Want to see what else I'm up to? You can find me in these places:
Pandora's Website
Pandora's Instagram
Pandora's All Gifts Facebook
As I prepare to launch my memoir All Gifts, in Season 4, we are doing a deep dive into topics from my life and from the book.
If you’ve been through any kind of toxic situation whether it was a relationship or a certain work or living environment and you want to learn how to find the gifts in that, how to not only survive it but thrive because of it, then you’ll want to tune into this season. We will look at narcissistic, toxic people and situations. How to spot them and how to deal with them.
Check out this episode to get started on my journey to All Gifts.
CLICK here for show notes.
CLICK here for All Gifts Freebies.
What happens when you fail? Do you recover quickly? Do you beat yourself up? Or do you resolve to never try again? In this episode Marc Pitman author of the upcoming book “The Surprising Gift of Doubt,” shares how he bounced back from a failed church planting and used that experience to make him the successful executive coach and global speaker he is today.
Marc shares tools that you can implement to transform your failures into gifts. Tools like prayer, relationships with like-minded people, personality assessments, and self-development.
Thank you for following All Gifts. More content to come! Please leave a review and rating. It helps spread these messages of hope and tools for resilience with more people!
Podcast music by: https://www.instagram.com/joveesince91/
CLICK here for show notes
CLICK here to follow All Gifts on Instagram
CLICK here to download All Gifts Journal Prompts
This is the third episode in a three-part series called Spiritual Identity that explores deconstruction and inclusivity. Not everyone who listens to The All Gifts Podcast is a Christian. I hope to make it a welcoming space for anyone. So, in the spirit of inclusivity, in this episode, I demystify and define some common Christian religious terminology and concepts.
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This episode is the second in a three-part series on Spiritual Identity that explores deconstruction and inclusivity. This episode is about recovering from bringing workaholism, image projection, and achievement to my relationship with God and how I deal with it.
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Listen to this episode to hear why I cringe when I hear myself say I’m a Christian. This is the first in a three-part series on Spiritual Identity that explores deconstruction and inclusivity.
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In this episode of The All Gifts I’m joined by Jodie Cooper, my first international guest! Jodie is Australian and writes children’s books for Christian families and has a YouTube channel called the Gospel Led Family.
In this episode, we talk about how Jodie found herself in an abusive marriage where punishing behavior, moods, tone, and anger was used to manipulate and control.
CLICK here for show notes.
CLICK here for free journal prompts for emotional processing.
CLICK here for Jodie's website
Guest Molly LaCroix obtained her master’s in marriage and family therapy at a seminary and writes about the intersection of faith and well-being. In this episode, she shares about being diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2020 and how she relied on a spiritual practice she developed to deal with this in the middle of the pandemic.
CLICK here for show notes.
CLICK here for free journal prompts for emotional processing.
CLICK here for Molly's website and to buy her book!
Here I discuss the harmful effects of Purity Culture with Dr. Camden Morgante, a licensed psychologist and college professor who writes about relationships, sexuality, women’s issues, and mental health. Check out my related blog to hear more about my experience. If you or someone you love has been affected by purity culture, check out Dr. Camden’s website and the resources she to help people find the gifts in sexual abstinence without shame or fear.
In this episode, I talk with Mary Kate Brown, a writer and homeschool mom of about her journey with the autoimmune illness Crohn’s Disease. God used her condition to unearth unhealed areas of her life and put her on a path of spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.
Resources:
Interested in hope*writers? Mary Kate's Calendly
CLICK HERE for show notes
CLICK HERE to download Journal Prompts for Emotional Processing
This episode is about the touchy topic of mothers and daughters in law. Joining me for the conversation is my daughter-in-law, Heaven Dampier. Heaven and I share our perspectives of what it was like to feel the tension between us, what we did about it, and the gifts we now have.
CLICK HERE for show notes
CLICK HERE for the free download: Journal Prompts for Emotional Processing
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This episode is about my journey overcoming marijuana and alcohol addiction. Author Jennifer Evans joins me to share a few laughs as we talk about the things that have helped us get and stay sober through the insanity of life, popular recovery language that no longer serves our needs, and how good it feels to be free.
Resources:
CLICK HERE for show notes. SUBSCRIBE HERE to download All Gifts Journal Prompts for Emotional Processing, your free gift from me!
2021 is a time to rebuild. Lana Negrete, owner of Santa Monica Music Center, takes us behind the scenes of the news footage of the 2020 riots, describing the difference between the looters and the protesters. And shares how she, a small business and non-profit owner, used the pain of nearly losing it all to pivot her business and her perspective.
CLICK HERE to get all the links from the episode.
SUBSCRIBE HERE to download All Gifts Journal Prompts for Emotional Processing, your free gift from me!
Getting from adversity to gifts always starts with processing my emotions. Journaling has been the most consistent and accessible way for me to do that. There are many good ways to process emotions. In this episode, I have a conversation with Judy Thureson who has transformed quite possibly one of life’s greatest challenges, the tragic loss of her eighteen-year-old son Jacob to an opioid overdose, into the gift of purpose. She shares the GIVE principle, the tool she developed and used to help get her through that difficult time.
Show Notes:
https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog
Free Journal Prompts:
https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/freejournalprompts
Judy's Website:
https://www.judythureson.com
We have justifiable reasons to be angry, offended, or hurt. Maybe we’ve been betrayed, abused, or let down by people we trusted.
Forgiveness isn’t saying whatever happened to us is meaningless or we should forget about it. It also doesn’t mean that we condone whatever happened.
In this episode we discuss how forgiveness unlocks healing, creativity, and freedom in our lives.
Resources:
Chantel Deniese: https://www.instagram.com/iamchanteldeniese
Pandora Villasenor/ All Gifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandora.villasenor
Pandora Villasenor FB: https://www.facebook.com/pandoravillasenor
The All Gifts Podcast Show Notes: https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog
In this episode, I talk to my youngest son, Evan, about anger. Learn how he went from explosive anger to gifts of love and grace. We share things you can do to help your anger be productive and helpful:
• Give yourself space
• Think about what’s true
• Focus on why
As the conversation evolves, we hope you discover how anger has been a gift in your life.
Resources:
Evan Cansler, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evcansler
Pandora Villasenor/ All Gifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandora.villasenor
Pandora Villasenor FB: https://www.facebook.com/pandoravillasenor
The All Gifts Podcast Show Notes: https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog
In this episode, I talk to my youngest son, Evan, about anger. Learn how he went from explosive anger to gifts of love and grace. We share things you can do to help your anger be productive and helpful:
• Give yourself space
• Think about what’s true
• Focus on why
As the conversation evolves, we hope you discover how anger has been a gift in your life.
Resources:
Evan Cansler, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evcansler
Pandora Villasenor/ All Gifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandora.villasenor
Pandora Villasenor FB: https://www.facebook.com/pandoravillasenor
The All Gifts Podcast Show Notes: https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog
In this episode, I talk to my youngest son, Evan, about anger. Learn how he went from explosive anger to gifts of love and grace. We share things you can do to help your anger be productive and helpful:
• Give yourself space
• Think about what’s true
• Focus on why
As the conversation evolves, we hope you discover how anger has been a gift in your life.
Resources:
Evan Cansler, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evcansler
Pandora Villasenor/ All Gifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandora.villasenor
Pandora Villasenor FB: https://www.facebook.com/pandoravillasenor
The All Gifts Podcast Show Notes: https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog
Do you have a fear of failure?
In this episode of The All Gifts Podcast I have a conversation with my twenty-nine-year-old son Jarelle Dampier about things we’ve perceived as failures in our lives but which looking back, we can now see as gifts.
- Motivation
- Clarity
- Innovation
- Transformation
Resources:
Jarelle Dampier, Storyboard Artist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarelle_dampier
Pandora Villasenor/ All Gifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandora.villasenor
Pandora Villasenor FB: https://www.facebook.com/pandoravillasenor
The All Gifts Podcast Show Notes: https://www.pandoravillasenor.com/blog/redefining-failure
The purpose of this episode is to give more context about The All Gifts Podcast. I answer the questions: who I am, how I ended up here, and why I started this podcast. For more information, visit my website at www.pandoravillasenor.com. Thank you for listening.
To be the kind of leader that I want to be, I’ve learned to first lead myself. In this episode I talk about my journey to leading myself well.
My mission is to help people build resilience by finding the gifts in their challenges. In building resilience, people can develop into the best version of themselves.
Getting to my mission has involved a circuitous journey in my life and career as I leaned into disruptions and met challenges head-on. Hopefully by sharing my journey, I can inspire you to do the same.
2020 has been the great equalizer. It has forced us all, no matter race, gender, or income, to face change. We can resist change, or we can transform it into a gift. In this episode, I discuss four steps I use to process change and transform it into a gift.
I used to associate codependency with words like weak and broken. Two things I worked hard not to be.
I still can’t articulate a proper definition for codependency but what it looked like in my life was a desire to meet the needs of certain people over my own needs to the point that it affected my self-care, my identity, and my self-worth. My happiness felt contingent upon meeting their needs even if they were unspoken or unreasonable.
The journey of breaking free from codependency has been uncomfortable. It has been difficult to get this honest with myself and others. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I now see codependency as a gift. It’s a little yellow flag that tells me when there are more places to heal, to communicate my needs, or to be kind to myself. It’s helped me find the courage to be my authentic, beloved self.
These days, like most working people, in any given work week, I spend over 20 hours on video conferences. During COVID, my church went to online services and zoom small groups. Conferences and celebrations we’d planned as in-person social gatherings became virtual events. Working parents are suddenly having to homeschool over video conferencing platforms.
No matter what your season of life, we’ve all had to adjust to interacting with other people digitally. From having to keep your 6-year-old engaged on a web call while you are working to getting used to seeing yourself on camera.
Video calls have limitations with ramifications for our social interactions. For example, it’s tough to read body language, and so it’s harder to pick up on how people feel. Also, according to the University of Berkeley, the science of touch shows us that we humans crave physical contact, which neither video conferencing nor social media can provide.
It only took me a few months of shelter in place orders for me to reach a breaking point. I was burnt out from being on video conferences most of the time whether it was for work or for social reasons. I was weepy and snotty which is not a good look for video. I had to get it together!
One of the gifts of COVID-19’s forced isolation has been finding and owning more of my voice and identity. This empowerment was reinforced by the awakening of racial injustice to our American consciousness. Race is complicated in America. Especially for those of us in the "other" category. In this episode, my friend Mikaela and I, both mixed, discuss how our racial identities were formed and what impact the events of 2020 have had on our identities.
CLICK HERE for related blog post.
As we record this episode, we are 24 weeks into the COVID-19 lock down. In Los Angeles, gyms, restaurants, and salons are closed. My job which consisted of traveling, going to meetings, and being out in front of clients, shifted to working from home 100% of the time. Join my friend Mikaela Clark and I as we unpack what this isolation felt like and how once I leaned into the solitude, I was able to connect to a deeper, more authentic part of myself. This episode will encourage you to utilize the isolation to find the essence of your true self and not just who you are in relationship to other people.
Here are the links for this episode:
CLICK here for full show notes and transcript of this episode.
CLICK here for more information on Unhurried Living.