Bites Of Wisdom: Recent Episodes
Eddy Nader
Do YOU want MORE from LIFE?
Hi I am Eddy, QUALIFIED life coach and host of Bites of Wisdom.
BOW combines real experiences, storytelling and science to BOOST your LIFE.
The information presented each episode is easy-to-understand and provides STRATEGIES that can help you to become a better version of yourself.
Tune in NOW to START getting the EDGE in your life.
This is the first of a two-part episode that focuses on the definition of physical beauty in the 21st century and why we are so vested and obsessed with physical appearance like never before.
Did you know that the human immune system is the most complex biological system we know about after the human brain? Have you ever wondered how your immune system protects you from harmful agents like bacteria, viruses, and fungi? This week’s episode provides a very simple and easy-to-understand version of how your immune system works to kill harmful microorganisms that invade your body and keep you alive.
I want to share a story with you today and like every story, this one has a message behind it. It is a story of sacrifice. It is a story of bravery and courage. It is a story of willpower and endurance. It is a story of mateship and the power of unity. It is a story that is over 100 years old but despite its age, is more relevant now than ever. It is a story about WWI and our beloved ANZACS who forged their legacy on the shores of Gallipoli. It is story that was meant to end before the autumn leaves fell, but ended dragging out in a four-and-a-half-year-saga that resulted in unprecedented levels of carnage and killed 20 million souls.
Sigmund Freud’s work on how the mind works completely changed the way modern psychology thinks about and treats mental health disorders. Given its significance, this week’s episode will focus on his psychoanalytic theory to illustrate the consequences of repressed emotions and memories on human behaviour. This will be achieved by discussing the three layers of the mind: (1) The Conscious; (2) The Preconscious; and (3) The Subconscious.
This episode discusses the relationship between focus and success, and then provides three proven strategies that can help you improve your levels of focus. These strategies are: (1) Finding something that is valuable to you; (2) Eliminating distractions; and (3) Avoiding doing too many tasks at once.
This week's episode explores the science behind expressing gratitude. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!
Nick Blow is a support worker, country musician, and most importantly a FATHER. Working in the rehabilitation sector assisting vulnerable people with a range of psychological disorders, Nick talks about trauma, the therapy of music, and the importance of parenting. As always, never forget to SMILE, and be KIND!
The word ‘persona’ meaning ‘mask’, originated in the 20th Century in an era that was dominated by theatre. Playwrights would use a range of personas to underemphasise and or accentuate a character’s personality by directing the person in that role to put on an act and behave accordingly. A perfect example of the latter is Shakespeare’s play, Othello. If you closely examine Shakespeare’s work, you will find that the main character, Othello, undergoes extreme change. In the early stages of the play, Othello is characterised as a fair and trusting individual who loves his wife Desdemona. However, as the plot progresses, Othello transforms to a raging, irrational and jealous husband who murders his wife. In this week’s episode I draw on the notion of personas and discuss how the metaphorical masks we have adopted are consequently preventing so many us from expressing our true colours. I will then provide listeners with ten strategies I have endorsed which have (1) enabled me to rediscover myself, (2) fostered a more positive outlook on life, and (3) allowed me to be happier in my skin. As always, never forget to SMILE, and be KIND!
Among the myriad psychological therapeutic interventions, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is by far the most empirically validated approach in treating mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Even when compared to leading anti-depressant medication such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, CBT withstands the scientific rigour to demonstrate comparable results in remedying psychological disorders. CBT’s effectiveness lies in its direct but non-judgemental collaborative approach (client-therapist) that restructures untrue and distorted beliefs such as “I am worthless” and “I am not good enough”. For those of you wondering what does this have to do with helping me overcome fear? The answer is simple: Most of the fear we experience today is not based on real physical danger, rather it is irrational thoughts that we conjure up. Since CBT is the number one preference of psychologists for addressing irrational thinking, its inclusion would be wise and beneficial. As such, in this week’s EP I will (1) Discuss the origins and evolution of CBT for some context, (2) Explain the Cognitive Behavioural Model, and (3) Provide two simple but highly effective exercises for addressing fear and anxiety. As always, never forget to SMILE, and be KIND!
When viewed through the lens of a psychological framework, you will find that human motivation is sparked by the energy that our (1) AMBITIONS and (2) EXPECTANCIES create. Let’s consider Alina who is currently singing at local pubs on weekends but has an ambition to become an international singer. Because Alina wants something greater for herself, her motivation is sparked. However, Alina’s ambition is one part of the equation in that if she lacks expectancy, her motivation will not be sparked fully. It is ultimately deflating when you have an ambition that you don’t believe can materialise. Even if Alina has the strongest desire and truly expects that she will realise her dream, this is just the beginning of the process. When a fire is sparked, it is essential to continuously fan the flames otherwise they will sooner or later burn out. Similarly, ambitions and expectancies need to be fanned to sustain motivation. This week’s EP draws on easy-to-understand examples to illustrate how to effectively spark and sustain motivation. As always, never forget to SMILE, and be KIND!
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. are considered as some of the most profound and influential leaders of our time. But why? Was luck on their side or were they chosen by a higher power? They were neither lucky nor chosen. Rather, they chose to be conscientious. They chose to apply their mental faculties in a purposeful way to spark and sustain their motivation. They chose to unwaveringly direct their minds to choices that serves their own good and that of humanity! In fact, this is true of any great leader, innovator, or artist who willingly chooses to use the full spectrum of their reasoning faculties to become the best version of themselves and do their highest good. When you grasp that every thought, mood, and emotion available to humankind can be activated at will, you have taken a crucial step towards harnessing your true inner power. Happiness is a choice, anger is a choice, boredom is a choice. Every man and woman is in complete control of their interior states. Of course there are exceptions! Individuals who suffer from clinical mood and mental disorders such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are unable to take charge of their impulses and direct their minds to make beneficial choices. However, most of us are not suffering from such debilitating clinical disorders, rather we lack a key ingredient for fulfillment and success: MOTIVATION. To provide insight into why some of us have higher levels of motivation than others, this episode examines the relationship between human motives, motivation, and fear. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!
Some of mankind’s greatest achievements throughout history were accomplished by individuals who had no idea what they were doing at first. These men and women endured years of uncertainty and hardships to bring their vision to fruition. This is especially true of the 10-year struggle the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) endured before they finally pieced together how to land on the Moon. And so on the 20th of July 1969, the United States’ Apollo 11 did just that. If NASA was capable of the impossible, why are so many of us under the false assumption that our dreams are unattainable? To provide insight into the latter, this episode illustrates how our minds cultivate fear by drawing on two kinds of pain: (1) Pain-Loss Thinking and (2) Pain-Hardship Thinking. I will then provide pragmatic strategies for combating these unhealthy thought patterns in hope of guiding YOU a step closer towards YOUR personal freedom. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!
How often do you think about your breathing? Do you ever worry about your next breath, or do you expect it to be there? Do you ever fear that your breathing will cease while you sleep, or do you expect to awaken every morning? The truth is, unless a person’s breathing must be monitored due to health issues, most do not give the notion of respiration too much thought because it occurs naturally. There is an inner intelligence that commands the body’s most vital functions including our breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, waste elimination and hormone production. If we are not scared about the most important element of life, our breathing, then why are so many of us afraid to live a vibrant, genuine, and purposeful life? Why are so many of us living as mice, when we have the capabilities of LIONS and LIONESSES to achieve our dreams? To shed light on these questions, this week’s EP (1) Examines where fear of rejection, humiliation, shame, and worthlessness emanate from; and (2) Argues that fear is a consequence of social conditioning and poor application of one’s mental faculties. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!
According to Greek mythology, Pandora was gifted a box from Zeus for her wedding but was warned against opening it. Pandora, however, was unable to tame her inquisitiveness, consequently unleashing unspeakable miseries into the world including hatred, pain, disease, and death to name a few. Despite the evil that had been released from the box, one key desire remained: HOPE. More of us need to be brave like Pandora! We need to blow open our box of fear with the HOPE of living life on our terms, otherwise we will forever be enslaved to our inner demons. Indeed, the journey of healing will be tumultuous, but vulnerability and authenticity will set us free. This week’s EP peels back the fundamental layers of fear including: (1) What fear is; (2) The different types of fear people experience; and (3) The impact of fear on the body. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!
expectation of positive outcomes
What a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L day it is to be alive today. It's a new week so the show must go on. During this episode I will take you on an up-close and personal trip down memory lane in hope of painting a clear enough picture that connects the dots between my past and the inception of Bites of Wisdom. Buckle-up and enjoy the ride, it is a monster roller-coaster. I am sending an abundance of love and positive energy your way. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND.
What a magical day it is to be alive today! Let me repeat that again: What a magical day it is to be alive today! From the bottom of my heart I would like to welcome listeners to the first episode of Bites of Wisdom. To kick things into action, this week focuses on (1) The importance of expressing gratitude; (2) The inevitability of change in our lives; and (3) The meaning behind Bites of Wisdom. I am sending much love and positivity your way. As always, never forget to SMILE and be KIND!