The Life Tools Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kristine
In each episode you'll find a "life tool", a small action or a mindset shift you can use to make life easier, richer, and more joyful. These are tools I've personally used that have literally changed my life, tools I wish we were all taught in school. May they be of help! For questions, comments, and episode suggestions, email lifetoolspodcast@gmail.com. Music info: Hero by Roa Music | https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
So happy to be bringing you my first interviewee, Teacher Beia! In this conversation, we cover:
- forest schools and the benefits of nature and play
- traditional schooling and how it can be effective
- what this pandemic is teaching us about children’s needs
- the concept of child “readiness” in education and how to recognize when a child is ready to learn something
- the importance of giving children concrete emotional tools to deal with difficult emotions
- the nature of emotions and what “validating emotions” means
- what adults can do to foster change without resorting to punishment
- the importance of modeling behavior we want to see in children
- her advice for parents and teachers (which really applies to everybody!)
To follow Teacher Beia on IG: @teacherbeia
If you've been having the same pandemic-related conversations with everyone and you're eager for something different to talk about, here are 11 questions from Tim Ferriss, from his book Tribe of Mentors. The quality of our relationships is, in large part, determined by the quality of our conversations, so here's a great first step. I really think everyone could benefit from answering and asking these questions. Have fun!
One of the most painful states is the state of powerlessness, that feeling that we are incapable of changing our experience or our circumstances. But there is a way to shift this. There is a place that I like to think of as the seat of power within us. And from this place, life becomes an experience of cocreation, of growth and adventure, rather than a long stretch of pain, unpredictability, and frustration.
When I was younger, someone asked me, "Why do you always have to question things?! Why can't you just quietly follow??" At the time, I didn't have an explanation. I just knew that there were certain things that, when I forced myself to follow them, led me to kicking and screaming inside, or dying an internal death. I also had really low self-esteem and thought, "They're right, why do I have to be so difficult?" Today, with a much bigger view of things and more experience under my belt, I can explain why, not just for my own personal life, but also for the bigger world of which I am a part. I can see now that there is great value in asking why, and in wanting to do things differently.
This week we're talking about an emotion that most people deny, fear, avoid, criticize, and sweep under the rug. We do this because we consider it to be unpleasant, disagreeable, or just plain bad. But when we understand something, it ceases to be so scary. When we see that it has a positive purpose, then it’s something to examine, not to avoid. In this episode, we go into all this and I give you a simple 3-step process that I myself have had to retrieve out of my toolbox recently. It helps me a lot and I hope it does the same for you.
Here we are, this is the last part of the parenting series! That adults are a role model for children is common knowledge, but it’s surprising how many of us adults are unaware of what we are actually modeling to them. And this is no small thing. Listen through to the end to understand how and where this occurs, and what questions we can ask ourselves to start creating change.
Resources mentioned:
movie: https://wisdomoftrauma.com/hub/
article: https://medium.com/@writingaway/what-i-learned-about-teaching-from-a-2-year-old-aea46a31ee18
My IG: @kristinetgo
I'm back (insert happy dance)!! This week is all about respect. What is it? What is respect between an adult and a child? Is it a given that children should respect adults? When do we use this word when we really mean something else? And what is conscious parenting? All this, and of course, homework, but homework that's actually useful;)
Hello everyone! I'm taking another pause from the usual episodes and offering you a mini one instead. This past week has left me completely depleted, I have brain fog that could be food-related, and I have A LOT of work that needs to get done ASAP (It's exam season!). But no worries, you're still walking away with a tool, and a really good one at that! I just don't go full-on with the explanation (maybe another time). Here are the resources I mention:
book: Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child: Bradshaw, John: 8601417141380: Amazon.com: Books
meditation: (16) GUIDED MEDITATION: Heal Your Inner Child - Healing Love - YouTube
We often call children "good" when they behave a certain way, but have we ever looked deeper into why we do this, what we really mean, and what it does to children? In this episode, we're taking a good hard look at this and as always, I offer self-questions at the end to help you shift this behavior.
This week is all about empathy. We understand that empathy is valuable in human relationships; we tap into it in our interactions with other adults, but often forget that children are humans, too.
Hopefully, you're onboard about the fact that we don't own children (see EP18), because once we've gotten rid of the bias that children are lower than us, empathy (which I believe to be innate) can resurface much more easily.
In this episode, I talk about why parents or not parents, we do NOT own children. I give you a very clear example of how rethinking this one thing automatically effects a drastic change in how we interact with them, and therefore the trajectory of their lives. Yes, we are THAT influential. May we all learn to use this influence well.
I got the idea to start this series on parenting about 2 months ago. I say "parenting" for simplicity, but it's actually about adult-child relationships in general.
In this episode, I give you some background on my experience and why I'm even talking about this. Then we go into the why of learning principles instead of memorizing a textbook list of theories and methods. At the end, I read you the first principle as brilliantly expressed by Kahlil Gibran. Enjoy!
Link to poem: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/517914025867135483/
Some people, when confronted with a setback, make conclusions about themselves so that they never move forward. They see talent as black and white, either there or not there. They are also controlled by the image of themselves they wish to project to the world. Another camp of people use setbacks to learn how to move forward better. They think talent can be developed, and they care more about their own opinion of themselves than what other people think of them. In this episode, we talk about these two types of people and how to consciously choose which camp we want to be part of.
When problems come (and they always come), we have two choices: let it take us down and make us bitter, or use it to make ourselves better and kinder, more open to joy and gratitude. Like taking hay and spinning it into gold. In this episode, I share how I use one question to put me in the direction of the latter. My hope is that it encourages you to ask the same question (or your version of it) to guide yourself towards the same path.
We all know a few types of people when it comes to getting things done: the people who need you to check on them, the ones whose word you can totally trust, and the few who are difficult because they seem to take pride in defying everyone. Well, Gretchen Rubin studied how humans meet expectations and developed the theory of The Four Tendencies. She turned it into a book and in it teaches us how to understand our own, as well as other people's personalities, so that we can all take the path of least resistance in accomplishing goals.
Ah, don't we all wish life could go a little more smoothly and a little more predictably. An unkind comment, someone being rude, a spat with someone we care about, these can all throw us off kilter if we're not careful. In this week's episode, I share a simple two-step process that filters out a ton of unnecessary stress.
Our definition of intelligence plays a big role in how we see ourselves and other people. This week's episode is about a theory on intelligence that's long been in existence but little talked about (much less applied) in many parts of the world. Understanding this theory gave me a much more expansive perspective on myself, my capabilities, and those of others.
Multiple Intelligences Chart:
Multiple-Intelligences-Iron-2019-08-09-14.08.59.jpg (1002×762) (thriveglobal.com)
This week I'm taking a pause to give myself some much-needed rest. So instead of sharing my content, I recommend other people's really great content. Go explore them; they really added to my life, and I hope they add to yours as well.
Many people devote time and energy to taking care of themselves physically, but neglect to do the same for their emotional health. This week we talk about what I call jewels and stones, the things that add to our wellbeing, and those that take away from it. How do we become aware of them and what can we do to make sure we are caring for ourselves? I give you some examples and as always, an exercise at the end.
They say "To change the world, begin with yourself". Well, it took me a veeeeery long time to get the truth of this statement. In this episode, I share how it happened for me, what I learned, and at the end there's a tool you can use for your own life. (So hopefully you don't suffer for as long as I did!)