Still Becoming with Monica DiCristina: Recent Episodes
Monica DiCristina | Matter Studios
Still Becoming is a podcast about how it's never too late to become more free, more yourself, or try something new. We are all in the process of becoming more or less of something, of growing into ourselves. Informed by her own journey of struggling through anxiety to now working with others as a psychotherapist, Monica DiCristina interviews people about their stories of overcoming and becoming, or starting something new, as well as experts we can all learn from. We are not designed to stay the same, we are all still becoming.
This month's Mental Health Check-In follows along with my current newsletter series called Therapy Notes: Small Bits of Wisdom from Inside the Room. Head over to the link below, or my website, to join in at my newsletter. It's my favorite place to create and connect.
About the series : Therapy Notes swill offer insights I wish I could pass out for free (here goes), things that help me in my life, and certainly things I wish I’d known before I became a therapist. Scroll back through all of them if you are new here!
Therapy is both an art form and a collection of knowledge. Much of this knowledge is gleaned from the clinical research that informs the science of the field. However, the kitchen table version, simplified down to accessible takeaways, is where I see the most effective help. I hope this series will offer some wisdom from the practice of therapy. My own definition of wisdom is: knowledge you can actually use.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
Sign up for the newsletter too!
This is a re-release of a Mental Health Check-In episode for those of us who are ending summer and moving into the business of a new school year, or an approaching Fall with work commitments.We are talking about the myth of balance, and how much shame an unrealistic idea of balance can produce in our lives. In this short episode we will identify why this myth isn't helpful, and how to think about ordering our lives instead. We will explore the ideas of prioritization, values, boundaries, and permission as a replacement for the pressure that "balance" produces. I hope this episode is validating, freeing, and encouraging.For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
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I am so excited to have author Emily P. Freeman on the podcast. I am such a fan, and I have been for a long time. I appreciate the way Emily shows up in the world and in her work. In a world that is always in a rush to decisions, to certainty, and to judgement, Emily's work is refreshingly curious, patient, and spacious. In this conversation, and in her impactful new book How to Walk Into a Room, Emily invites us to look at endings and decisions in a helpful and wholistic way. We discuss how we moralize decisions, Emily's metaphor of rooms in our lives, and the idea of true peace and decisions. It is such a rich and layered conversation, and I can't wait for you to hear it.
Emily P. Freeman is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books, including The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions. As a spiritual director, workshop leader, and host of The Next Right Thing podcast (more than 25 million downloads), her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Emily holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University. She lives in North Carolina with her family.
https://emilypfreeman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/emilypfreeman/
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.
This short meditation can be used to prepare for something that worries or scares you. It can be used to make space for worrying about someone you love. It is also just for the fear of the everyday. Many carry a lot of fear every day, and this short meditation is a chance to process, make space, and find comfort.
To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
I am so honored and happy to have Author and Chaplain J.S. Park back on the Still Becoming podcast. If you have hung out with me for any time, you know my deep admiration of his work, writing, and presence in the world. J.S. Park is an author who refuses to look away from pain, and he invites his readers to both see and feel seen in a way I have never experienced elsewhere. This is a profound and deep conversation, and one I have found myself thinking about long afterwards. That is what J.S. Park's work does - it leaves you reconsidering what you have been through, what you need, what others are facing, and how you can more tenderly show up for all of it. I can't wait for you to listen.
Loving CW: We do discuss trauma and loss in this episode.
J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, former atheist/agnostic, sixth degree black belt, suicide survivor, Korean-American, and follows Christ.
J.S. is author of an upcoming book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise, published by Northfield/Moody.
J.S. currently serves at a 1000+ bed hospital, one of the top-ranked in the nation, and was also a chaplain for three years at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.
This week's Mental Health Check-In unpacks the common tendency to compare yourself to others. In this short episode, we will look at it from a different perspective. With a lens of compassion and curiosity, we will explore the hidden "why" under the tendency to compare. Maybe you will find your "why," in this episode, or maybe it will prompt you to discover your own not listed here. Either way, this episode is an opportunity to unpack and get a little more clarity on this common tendency. And clarity, as well as self-awareness, are some of the best places to start with any hope of change.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
Sign up for the newsletter too!
I am so honored to have Dr. Terence Lester and Zion Lester on the Still Becoming podcast. They recently co-wrote a beautiful and powerful children's book: 𝘡𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘦.
In this wonderful, moving and fun, conversation between co-authors, and also father and daughter, we talk about how 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥. We talk about combating apathy and the power of moving with compassion and kindness to everyone.
Zion and Dr. Lester describe the fun of writing this book together, and also the message. And as a parent, child, reader, and listener you will be compelled to continue seeing other people, growing in your own compassion and action for other people, and learning to live a lifestyle of service. As a bonus, you will also walk away inspired as a parent by spending time with Dr. Lester and Zion, and getting a small glimpse into their relationship, and the importance of vulnerability, connection, and service. And Zion gives some of the most powerful parenting advice I have ever heard.
Dr. Terence Lester is a storyteller, public scholar, speaker, community activist, and author who is the Founder and Executive Director of Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit organization focused on raising poverty and homelessness awareness and community mobilization.
Zion Lester has loved books all of her life. As early back as she can remember, she has loved to read and loved to write.The 16-year-old Atlanta, GA native is co-author of a forthcoming children’s book. Written alongside her father, a multi-hyphenate preacher, author, and social activist, this children’s book is the story of a young girl who learns the value of helping others. Committed to the cause of helping others, she hatches a plan to recruit others to do the same. It is a personal story mirroring her life as the daughter of two community activists.
https://lovebeyondwalls.org/
https://twitter.com/imTerenceLester/
https://terencelester.org/
https://www.instagram.com/imterencelester/?hl=en
https://zionjoylester.com/
https://www.instagram.com/zionjoylester/
To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.
In a world that is loud, busy, chaotic, and hurting, it can feel difficult to create a moment of space to breathe. In your own world there may be a lot of noise, pressure, obligations, and worry too. This short meditation is a moment for all of us to create space and be present. Just for this moment: Nothing else is required of you.
To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
I am so excited to have author Sarah Bragg back on the Still Becoming podcast. Sarah is as kind as she is wise. She's as easy to talk to as she is insightful. I loved this conversation with Sarah, and I think you will too. If you feel stuck, weary, or wonder if everyone else is happier than you - than this is a conversation to spend time with. Sarah points us towards the grounding truths of curiosity and taking note of our lives, the combination can create a shift.
Sarah Bragg is a well-loved communicator and author; you can find her hosting the popular podcast Surviving Sarah. Her latest book is Is Everyone Happier Than Me?: An Honest Guide to the Questions that Keep You Up at Night. She is also the author of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself. She is a wife, mother of girls, and a creative entrepreneur. Sarah is a master at brewing coffee and helping others survive well right where they are. Sarah and her family reside in Tennessee.
Social Media: Website: sarahbragg.com
Facebook: @survivingsarahpodcast
Instagram: @sarahwbragg
Twitter: @sarahwbragg
YouTube: @sarahbragg8503
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.
This meditation makes space for us to create a moment of emotional safety. It is a moment away from the world to exhale, learn a little about emotional safety, and most importantly practice it in order to lay the groundwork of having a safe space within ourselves to return to.
To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
I am re-releasing this episode because it feels timely:
This is a short meditation for the overwhelmed. If you are feeling overwhelmed right now by everything happening in the world, and in your world, this is for you. This short meditation is meant to be a pause in your day to breathe and move through the overwhelm. There is great benefit in taking a few moments to breathe. There are four parts to this meditation, and you will walk through each part as you hopefully experience an exhale and a moment to rest.
We're back with a new Mental Health Check-In Episode! This one is vulnerable, and not without purpose, I am talking all about the inside story of turning in my book manuscript. I have benefited so much from hearing the true awkward and detailed stories of people pursuing things that mattered to them - and as I just turned in my book manuscript this week (yay!), I wanted to share some of the truth of this journey in hopes that it can encourage you today on whatever journey you are on, in whatever you might be pursuing.
In this short episode, in addition to the details of my story, we talk about the idea of "staying on the bike, even in the wrong gear." Sometimes the gear you are in is the only one possible, and if you are pedaling at all you are still moving forward. We talk about how courage feels different than it looks (credit to Cha Barefield), and how remembering your "WHY" is essential.
I hope this vulnerable share is encouraging to you. Though the specifics may be different, I hope you find encouragement for whatever matters to you - and keep going no matter the pace.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
Sign up for the newsletter too!
The Still Becoming Podcast is back! And I can't imagine a better guest to kick this return and season off with! I am so excited to have author Kayla Craig back on the podcast! You might know Kayla already from her beautiful book To Light Their Way, and as the creator of Liturgies for Parents Instagram account. Kayla has a new book out today: Every Season Sacred. It is SO good.There are so many reasons I love Kayla's work, but here are a few: Kayla meets us in the mess of our real ordinary lives, and shows us the extraordinary and sacred that that meets us there. Kayla is all at once incredibly approachable and practically helpful, while pointing to the beauty, mystery, and undeniable hope God's presence and love provides. She points us to the truth of faith and spirituality right here in our everyday chaos. In a time when it may be hard for many to find voices in the Christian faith they feel they can trust, Kayle for me, and so many others, is an anchoring voice. Kayla reminds us that we are the beloved of God, and describes her hopes for this book as an exhale. And, it truly is. We are invited to be present in this book, and in this conversation with Kayla. Kayla is just wonderful, as a person and author, and I can't wait for you to get to hang out with her in this episode.Kayla Craig is a former journalist who brings deep curiosity and care to her writing. She’s the author of Every Season Sacred and To Light Their Way. With a poetic, prophetic voice, she created the popular Liturgies for Parents Instagram account, which Christianity Today named an “essential parenting resource.” She also hosts the Liturgies for Parents podcast. Kayla’s nuanced and accessible reflections, essays, and prayers are featured in various books, devotionals, and Bible studies. Kayla lives in a 115-year-old former convent in her Iowa hometown, where she hopes to create spaces of welcome alongside her four children, two dogs, and husband, Jonny.To find Kayla and all the work she is doing in the world, and order her book, go to her website:kaylacraig.com To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.comFor more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
This episode is a first re-release! As I am working on my book, I am occasionally pulling up previous episodes that really resonated with listeners, this is one of them.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. In this episode, we are unpacking the social constructs around age and size of impact. Maybe you are wanting to do something new - something from setting a new boundary to even going back to school. Whatever it is, I hope this episode will be a chance to reflect on where you are, and that you find some encouragement for your own journey. This episode, like all episodes, will find us each at different places as we listen. These are just a few thoughts on deconstructing these false ideas to prompt your own.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music. This meditation makes space for us to create a moment of emotional safety. It is a moment away from the world to exhale, learn a little about emotional safety, and most importantly practice it in order to lay the groundwork of have a safe space within ourselves to return to, To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
I am so excited and honored to have Dr. Alison Cook on the Still Becoming podcast. In this insightful, helpful, and applicable conversation we discuss codependency, why people don't often know what they want, how we behave out of our conditioning, looking outside instead of inside of ourselves, and so much more. Dr. Cook's book The Best of You covers this and more. I am most excited about how much I know this will help so many listeners. Dr. Cook is incredibly skilled at breaking down psychological information in a way where we not only see ourselves, but also see our way out to feeling better. I think you will walk away with this grounding and transformative question, "What do I want?" I can't wait for you to hear this conversation.
Dr. Alison Cook is a psychologist and the author of two books, including her new book, The Best of You (Thomas Nelson 2022) and Boundaries for Your Soul (Thomas Nelson, 2018). For 20 years, Alison has helped women, ministry leaders, couples, and families learn how to heal painful emotions, develop confidence from the inside out, forge healthy relationships, and fully live out their God-given potential. Dr. Alison Cook is a psychologist and writer who empowers women to heal from past wounds, develop a strong sense of self, forge healthy relationships with others, and experience a loving God who is for them. Her weekly email and podcast reach more than 70,000 people each week. She specializes in bringing faith and psychology together to create real change in people's lives. Find Dr. Alison Cook and her work here: Link to The Best of You Instagram: @dralisoncook Facebook: @dralisoncook
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too! Subscribe to the here App!
It has been awhile since we have had a meditative story. The Meditative Story episodes on the Still Becoming podcast are short essays, put to music meditative music, and a chance to pause and reflect on your own journey through story. It is like a therapeutic adult story time.
In this episode we are talking about my recent move, and lessons I have learned from my dear neighbor across the street. We are reflecting on bending with change. I must let you know that my neighbor has since passed away, I found out the day we moved. We will miss him very much. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too! Subscribe to the here App!
I am so excited to have Chanel Dokun, author, life planner, and relationship expert trained in Marriage and Family therapy on the Still Becoming Podcast. This conversation is so rich and so layered, and I know it will meet so many of you exactly where you are today. Chanel will meet you there, help you feel validated, seen, and not alone, and then give you the tools to start to from where you are today to live into the worth of who you are. Chanel has an incredible way of naming things that is so helpful and important. She also talks about what drives the search fro significance, and the freedom of embracing your "ordinary life." Chanel shares wisdom that is accessible right now, that's one of my many favorite things about this conversation. I can't wait for you to hear everything Chanel shares.
Chanel Dokun is the author of Life Starts Now: How to Create the Life You've Been Waiting For. She is a certified Life Planner and Relationship Expert trained in Marriage and Family Therapy. Chanel specializes in helping women step into their life’s true calling through her Women of Consequence life planning organization. Prior to running her own business and co-founding a therapy practice, called Healthy Minds NYC, she worked in publishing at Hearst Magazines. She now splits her time between New York City and Atlanta with her psychiatrist husband and son. Chanel's writing and contributions have appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Real Simple, Woman's Day, Essence, Moneyish, Christianity Today, and Relevant Magazine.
Find Chanel here: Website: http://www.chaneldokun.com Instagram: @chanel.dokun (http://www.instagram.com/chanel.dokun) Book: http://www.chaneldokun.com/lifestartsnow Reclaim the Morning Course: http://www.chaneldokun.com/reclaimthemorning
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too! Subscribe to the here app!
Welcome to the first episode of Fall 2022 after a break! And a new logo! Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This episode we are talking about - Courage to Start (Doing the Thing You've Been Thinking About). In this episode we dive into some perhaps unexpected parts of what can keep us from trying what we are dreaming or thinking about, and some of the awesome things that we may find on the other side of the starting line (hint: it may not be the things we are taught to focus on). This is not a "rah rah" live your best life episode, those are great - but just not the angle we are taking on this. September is often a time of fresh starts and new energy, and so we are taking that energy into this topic and making space to talk about deep and practical ideas around doing things we want to do.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too! Subscribe to the here App!
I am so excited to have Kendra Adachi of the Lazy Genius Collective on the Still Becoming Podcast. This conversation is so rich. We talk about everything from cook books to therapy, and all the things in between. It is my favorite kind of conversation - one that moves from humor, to depth, to everyday life, In this conversation we talk about the power of starting from a place of self compassion and self acceptance to make any changes in our lives. We also talk about the importance of defining what matters most to each of us as we make any changes. All of Kendra's work, including her incredible new book The Lazy Genius Kitchen, encourages us to prioritize to what is important to each of us. That is one of my favorite things about Kendra's voice - she encourages us as individuals to define what matters to us most. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. Make sure to listen until the end when Kendra answers the question I ask at the end of every interview - "what is a person, thing, or event that helped you become who you are today?" It is a beautiful tribute that To learn more about Kendra Adachi, the Lazy Genius Collective, and her new book The Lazy Genius Kitchen, visit her website: The Lazy Genius Collective.
This guided mediation is a little different - but it is still a chance for each of us to practice a mindful moment away from the noise of the world to reset and ground ourselves. This week we have a brief, light, airy mental health moment for our meditation. We will practice some really solid mental health coping skills - grounding in the present by paying attention to our surroundings to get back into our bodies, honoring what we are doing right, self forgiveness, and validating ourselves. It's just a break from your day and hopefully something you can return to again. This one is really good for a walk or a drive if applicable. I hope you walk away feeling grounded, and remembering to say to yourself "I see you and I'm proud of you."
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too! Subscribe to the here app!
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This episode we are talking 10ish things that I have learned as a therapist that I wish I'd known - and the hope is that they are helpful for you too. This is real kitchen table talk about the truths I have found over and over again from being a practicing therapist for quite a few years, It is like a cliff notes version of ideas I run into, or now return to, over and over again. I'd love to hear which ones resonated with you! For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
We're continuing with our new genre of Still Becoming episodes. Therapeutic Moments are a combination of some of the teaching of the Mental Health Check Ins, the calming of the Meditative Stories and the Guided Mediations. In this short calming episode put to music we are talking about all the ordinary everyday brave moments where we choose discomfort and do what we need to do. There are so many! So often people, and self help culture, are always "bettering and bettering" to an exhausting point. In this episode we focus on defining the everyday brave moments, discomfort masquerading as fear, and a gentle forward motion of celebrating where we are and what we are doing while making room to continue that. Our lives are not made of highlight reels and large moments, they are made of everyday ordinary choices, and those are our focus this week.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This episode we are talking about the idea of Interpretation is Everything. This is taking the idea of how much an interpretation impacts not only our experience and healing from any kind of traumatic event - but also small everyday moments. Our interpretation of ourselves and our experiences, and our journey towards healing will all be impacted by this lens. We will discuss this in big ways and small everyday moments - a lot of therapeutic knowledge can be distilled down to accessible everyday wisdom. . For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking telling yourself the truth - in a very gentle way. Sometimes learning to practice this in really small ways, without any pressure to act, can help us in seasons of confusion, or feeling overwhelmed, or feeling disconnected from ourselves. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Welcome to a new genre of Still Becoming episodes. Therapeutic Moments are a combination of some of the teaching of the Mental Health Check Ins, the calming of the Meditative Stories and the Guided Mediations. In this short calming episode put to music we are addressing the false narratives that can accompany painful experiences - when we are not only hurt, but are believing it is somehow our fault, or that we deserved it. This is something that I spend a lot of time on in therapy. We untangle the topics of shame and guilt in this episode, as well as unpack how we may have taken on the false narratives that came with the pain. Finally, we take a moment to think about, and practice putting that down. No episode is one size fits all. I always want any work I put out into the world to be filtered by the knowledge that you are the expert on what works for you or does not. And if this idea or episode could be triggering in any way, let's meet up at the next episode. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about the idea of practicing calm. I first heard Brené Brown put the words "practice" and "calm" together recently, and it really resonated with me as a person and as a therapist. I am not a naturally calm person, and practicing calm is very accessible language for what it really looks like to make space in the moment - and in our lives - to choose an emotional response we want over a flooded reaction. I have included some personal and professional thoughts in this episode, with a short experiential moment at the end to practice calm. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming beautiful music.
This meditation makes space for us to exhale and nurture our souls if we are feeling tired. It has been a long couple of years and many are reporting a lot of exhaustion. This mediation makes room for all of us to be, to name it, and to nurture those tired places. Think of it like a warm cup of tea for your soul.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about becoming a better listener - to ourselves and others. We are talking about listening to one on other in our relationships. How are we listening? Why are we not? And, how can we get better at it? This short episode will not be able to touch on each aspect of this topic, of course. But, hopefully it will help us look at what feels good in listening, and what doesn't - and why it is often hard to listen well. This topic will likely bring up for all of us times we have not felt listened to ourselves, and we will begin and end the episode with addressing this. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Welcome to a new genre of Still Becoming episodes. Therapeutic Moments are a combination of some of the teaching of the Mental Health Check Ins, the calming of the Meditative Stories and the Guided Mediations. In this short calming episode put to music we are addressing the New Year pressure from a completely different lens - starting from unpacking where some goals come from, and how starting from a place of knowing your own lovability is the place to start. This episode is meant to be a place of calming, acceptance, and love. And knowing our worth the best place choose any New Year practice.
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
I am so excited and honored to have poet, storyteller, and author Tasha Jun on the Still Becoming Podcast. I have long admired Tasha's work, and I am so grateful to share this conversation with you. We start the episode off with Tasha reading her incredible poem, "Yellow is a Protest," I imagine you will also be left speechless at the power and beauty of this poem Tasha wrote and reads. In our conversation Tasha shares with us some of her own personal experiences as a biracial Korean American woman, the lies of assimilation, and part of her own journey to where she is today. We also discuss the rise in violence against the AAPI community in the year 2021, and how violence against Asian Americans in this country has a long history. Tasha also describes her incredible lens of “nourishing the Imago Dei within, and nurturing the Imago Dei in one another," and the beautiful idea of loving one another by being "deep in the details" of the uniqueness of each one of us. I can't stop thinking about this phrase. Tasha describes the transformational view of when we dismiss the pain of others, we dismiss the pain of God. We also talk about the importance of representation, and so much more. I could've talked to Tasha for hours, and I can't wait for you all to hear everything Tasha shares in this episode.
Tasha is a melancholy dreamer, a biracial Korean American storyteller, wife to Matt, and mama to three little warriors: two wild boys and one little lady. As long as she can remember, she’s lived and stood in places where cultures collide. Writing has always been the way God has led her towards home and the hope of shalom. Yellow is a Protest https://tashajun.com IG - www.instagram.com/tashajunb Monthly(ish) newsletter - bit.ly/3C1JDtb
For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about navigating complex, difficult, and/or tiring relationships during the holidays. In this short episode we will discuss some (not all) of the things that often come up for people this time of year like: unwanted questions, forced vulnerability, boundary questions, and grief over who someone is not in your life. We will talk about some ideas around staying true to yourself in these awkward encounters, and making a plan that feels good and right for you ahead of time. Finally we talk about the all to common grief of not being truly seen by people who have "known" you for many years. I hope this short episode provides a moment of support, validation, insight, and planning for you as you reflect on your own relationships during this unique time of year that often comes with a lot of pressure and expectations. And I hope you feel empowered to lovingly choose what is best for you in little and big moments and ways. For more Still Becoming find Monica at monicadicristina.com, and on Instagram: @monicadicristina. Sign up for the newsletter too!
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming beautiful music.
This meditation touches on the idea of "unbecoming" all the old names to pick up your true name. It is a way of framing what happens with painful experiences: we often take on a shame based name when we have hard things happen - like too much, not enough, unloveable...In this mediation we discuss why that happens and sit in the life long practice of putting down the old names to pick up your true name. You have permission to unbecome. To unbecome everything that was assigned to you in pain to make room for who you really are and who you have always been. This mediation walks us through a short journey of that process to engage with today. Therapist warning: if you have a painful experience that is very recent this may feel like an intense mediation, proceed with great love and care for yourself and do not listen if it feels like too much right now.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
I am so excited and so honored to have Patricia Taylor on the Still Becoming podcast. Patricia is a wife, mom, friend, Anti-Racism Educator, Director of Programs for Be the Bridge and cohost of Upside Down Podcast. And she is a total delight and so incredibly wise, powerful, and insightful. In this vulnerable conversation Patricia lets us into how she came to do the important work she is doing in the world, and the heart that drives all the work she does. We also spend time talking about the cost of the work, the relationships lost, the grief and the pain. This is such a vulnerable, and I feel sacred conversation where Patricia lets us into a small glimpse of her story, her heart, and her work. I can't wait for you to hear everything Patricia shares. Patricia Taylor is a wife, mom and California native turned Georgia peach. She believes in Jesus, loving all our neighbors, and having critical conversations around racial justice with grace and honesty. Her work is rooted in anti-racism education, and she serves as the Director of Programs for Be The Bridge. Patricia is also a co-host for Upside Down Podcast, which is an ecumenical faith space that has unscripted conversations around justice, spirituality, and culture. You may find her on Instagram @patricia_a_taylor and on Facebook at Some Thoughts From Your Black Friend by Patricia A. Taylor.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for articles, interviews and resources.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. In this episode, I am sharing a longer teaching that I gave to a school about Emotional Intelligence, Compassion, and Empathy - and specifically how we develop this in ourselves as adults, and then how we help our children with this too. In this episode we will discuss our role as adults first, because the work starts with us always in caregiving. This is also designed so that if you are not a parent or in a caregiving role, you can stop the episode at that point. I hope this episode feels accessible and empowering. The more we learn to name our own experiences, have self compassion, and cope - the more empathy we can have for our neighbor near and far. Printables: https://www.resiliencykids.com/free-printables
Books for further reading, some of which are used for reference in talk: The Whole-Brain Child, Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Parenting From the Inside Out, Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell
Self-Compassion, Kristin Neff
Emotional Agility, Susan David
Kids Book: The Rabbit Listened, Corri Doerrfeld For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to have author Kayla Craig on the Still Becoming Podcast to talk about her new book: To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers and Liturgies for Parents. In this layered conversation we talk about the realities involved in parenting, the pressures and the needs we have. And we discuss the ways that prayer can be used as an exhale, as a comfort, even an anchor - rather than another thing on your to-do list. This conversation is real, authentic, and inviting - and I think that is a beautiful way to talk about prayer. I loved hearing what Kayla shared, and the gentleness that she addresses this topic with. She embodies a warmth and welcome that makes this topic feel like a a release valve for all the pressure you may feel as a parent, or with the idea of prayer. I hope you walk away with more gentleness for yourself, and more hope as you grapple with the everyday that is yours.
A former journalist, Kayla Craig is adamant about paying attention and embracing curiosity in her work as a writer and podcast producer. She writes nuanced, nurturing prayers at Liturgies for Parents on Instagram and cofounded the Upside Down Podcast, a place for ecumenical conversations on faith and justice. Kayla and her pastor-husband, Jonny, live in Iowa, where they're raising four young kids who joined their family via birth and adoption. When she's not playing LEGOs with her sons or advocating for her daughter with disabilities, Kayla can be found sipping strong coffee. You can connect with Kayla at kaylacraig.com and on Instagram @kayla_craig and @liturgiesforparents. More links for Kayla here: Kayla’s Website Kayla on Facebook Liturgies for Parents IG Upside Down Podcast on IG (Kayla is co-founder) Kayla on IG Kayla on Twitter
For more Still Becoming, follow along with Monica on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. In this episode, we are unpacking the social constructs around age and size of impact. Maybe you are wanting to do something new - something from setting a new boundary to even going back to school. Whatever it is, I hope this episode will be a chance to reflect on where you are, and that you find some encouragement for your own journey. This episode, like all episodes, will find us each at different places as we listen. These are just a few thoughts on deconstructing these false ideas to prompt your own.
For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. I am so excited to have another listener request episode. The request was for deconstructing faith, what a great topic. I have decided to approach this episode from my lens, education, and experience as a therapist. I think it is the most authentic thing I can offer, and also allows me to stay in my lane - which is also my best offering. I will be discussing this from generally what I see and know about the brain and our wiring, but this is not personal or specific to me or anyone else, and this is in no way exhaustive - there will be many things I don't address I am sure, and everyone's experience will be unique. The idea of deconstructing something, I also believe, can apply not only to a faith practice, but to any thing, or relationship to something, we find ourselves changing. Ultimately, I hope this episode makes space for you to think and know your own self, thoughts, and beliefs, because they are far more important than mine.
For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, the Still Becoming podcast brings you a Meditative Story episode. They are short essays, put to music meditative music, and a chance to pause and reflect on your own journey through story. It is like a therapeutic adult story time. It has been a little while since we have had a meditative story episode. This episode tells a story to paint the possibility of holding together what may be perceived as contrasts as a beautiful, multifaceted whole instead. We are often taught to oversimplify things, especially when it comes to a faith practice. But, none of us, nor our lived experiences, nor our identities are ever simple. And they shouldn't have to be simple! I hope this episode makes room for your own processing, and for all of your own perceived complexities to be embraced as a beautiful whole.
For more, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming beautiful music.
This is our first guided meditation based on a listener idea and question. I recently asked online what some topics are that you would like to hear more about and this response (my paraphrase) - understanding our worth, what does it really mean to be beloved? is one I think all of us have felt, or may even be feeling right now. It is easier often to see worth in others, even our children if we are parents - but sometimes it is hard to understand for ourselves. This meditation combines more therapeutic ideas than others to address this very important question. I hope you walk away learning to practice agreeing with love, and agreeing with your worth.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina. Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives.
This month we are talking about the concept of "burnout." This is an official diagnosis often used in reference to the workplace. Sometimes it is used in reference to parenting too. Regardless, the concept and symptoms can be very helpful for all of us to learn from and listen to as this global pandemic continues. In this short episode you will learn the signs of burnout, but more importantly what to do and how to care for yourself if you are feeling worn out in a role, relationship, job, or period of time,.
For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic.
This is a short meditation about accessing stillness. We may all agree that stillness is good for us, but in reality it can be really hard for some of us to find. In this short meditation we will go through the obstacles that may be keeping us from finding stillness, and practice handing those over for just a moment. And then we will practice feeling still like water - it isn't solid, it is moveable. This is a calming, grounding meditation designed to be used again and again. For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so excited and grateful to have therapist, speaker, and facilitator Lea Lester on the Still Becoming podcast. This episode feels like a therapeutic journey to unpacking, understanding, and grappling with no longer playing small. Lea's incredible wisdom, and combination or both personal and professional insights will leave you feeling braver and inspired to begin, or continue, your own journey to stop playing small. Lea defines confidence for us in a way you may have never heard before. And Lea shares with us some of the sacred grief she has walked through that played an important role in her own journey to stop playing small. In addition to that we discuss the actual length of the process and the journey - including the grueling parts - to living into who you fully are. This is so different than some of the quick flashy advice we often see. Lea also discusses the importance of amplification and representation, as well as the power of doing the thing, whatever it is for you, scared. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation, and to begin, continue, or reignite your own journey with these powerful topics.
Lea (pronounced lee) is a licensed therapist, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, Ph.D. student, and entrepreneur. She primarily works with young adults; helping them trust and accept themselves so they live with more confidence and clarity. As a former public school educator, she became passionate about helping young adults navigate the increasing pressures and pain of coming of age in today's society. Lea's therapeutic interests include childhood, intergenerational, and collective trauma. A self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, her work places heavy emphasis on compassion, courage, and connection. Lea also hosts creative therapeutic workshops, titled FEEL, with the aim of creating accessible and safe spaces for collective healing. Lea resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with her husband and children where she's always up for spicy food and enjoys a good beat drop. To find Lea and her work: Lealester.com
Lea references a quote in the episode, here is the full quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives.
This month we are talking about the myth of balance, and how much shame an unrealistic idea of balance can produce in our lives. In this short episode we will identify why this myth isn't helpful, and how to think about ordering our lives instead. We will explore the ideas of prioritization, values, boundaries, and permission as a replacement for the pressure that "balance" produces. I hope this episode is validating, freeing, and encouraging.
For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so excited and honored to have therapist and author Tasha Hunter, MSW, LCSW on the Still Becoming podcast. This episode in itself has the potential to be a very healing experience for some listeners. Tasha embodies the kind of safety she describes in this conversation. And her description of finding, and becoming safe people for one another is incredibly impactful, and a description you may have never heard before. Tasha also describes for us the power of telling your story in healing from trauma, specifically how in the telling you are validating your own experience. We discuss forgiveness, and what that does not have to include. And finally, I hope you will listen to the end to the beautiful answer that Tasha gives to our final becoming question.
Tasha Hunter is an Air Force veteran with a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Social Work. She’s a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and resides in North Carolina. She is the author of her memoir, "What Children Remember" and host of the podcast " When We Speak". Her private practice, Ascension Growth Center, specializes in the treatment of childhood trauma-related PTSD. She works to eradicate the stigma of mental health by speaking to others at workshops and seminars about trauma and related mental health topics. Driven and well informed by personal experience, her mission is to spread awareness about complex trauma and to give survivors a safe space to heal. To find Tasha, her work, and follow her online go to: tashahunterauthor.com, www.ascensiongrowthcenter.com, IG:https://www.instagram.com/tashahunterlcsw/
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
In this short guided meditation, we will walk through a short imagined picture, leading us to the discovery of being curious (without judgement!) of who we are made to be. This is similar to the other Still Becoming meditations in many ways, but differs in that it pulls on your imagination too. It is meant to be peaceful, grounding, and affirming of your worth.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so honored and excited to have chaplain and author J.S. Park on the Still Becoming Podcast. I admire J.S., and his work in the world, very much. In this powerful and multi-layered conversation we talk about common humanity, seeing one another up close, holding space, believing the stories people tell about their own experience, and the different ways trauma and racial trauma can impact lives. We also discuss the impact of Covid on real lives (not numbers), and the increased violence against Asian American Pacific Islanders. J.S says in this episode, when you hear someone's story, believe that person. We also discuss his powerful book, The Voices We Carry. This conversation felt sacred, impactful, and rich. I trust that wherever you are, or from whatever unique place you are listening to the words of J.S., you will be moved towards deeper understanding of your own experience, and deeper empathy for the experiences of others. J. S. models for all of us how to how to allow complexities to all exist together, and how to honor the stories of others. I can't wait for you to hear the conversation. J. S. Park is a hospital chaplain, published author, viral blogger, teaching pastor. He has spent nearly the past six years as an interfaith chaplain at a 1000+ beds hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling; attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue; assisting with end-of-life care; and supporting patient and family advocacy. He also serves as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast. J. S. has a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, completed in 2010. He has a BA in Psychology from the University of South Florida. He also has a sixth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. J. S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and his baby daughter and half German Shepherd. To find J.S. Park, his work, and his book go to these links: instagram.com/jspark3000 twitter.com/jsparkblog facebook.com/pastorjspark jsparkblog.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic.
This is a short meditation all about "trying again." When we are kids, we have no choice but to try again as we learn new things. But the older we get, the more difficult this can feel. This is a short moment to accept yourself fully as you are, and to remember that trying again is never a sign of failure - it is a sign of life. You have permission to try again.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so honored and excited to have author, activist, speaker, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, Terence Lester on the Still Becoming Podcast. Terence shares so much wisdom, insight, and frames seeing and helping each other in a way that empowers each of us to find where we are a piece of the whole. We discuss the dignity of each person, and the Dignity Museum - the first museum highlighting the stories and narratives of those experiencing homelessness. We also discuss Love Beyond Walls, the interconnectedness of each of us, the power of seeing people up close, and the power of being proximate. Terence also defines for us that loving your neighbor includes loving their neighborhood, and everything that impacts our neighbor, "If you're going to love your neighbor, you also have to love the place that shaped them, and you have to be concerned with the issues that shaped the neighborhood. You can't just love the neighbor and leave out the neighborhood." Terence describes how there are people willing, but not necessarily available - and he describes service as a lifestyle, not an event. He empowers each listener to not underestimate the impact you can make. No matter how small we feel - as a whole together the impact can be great. Finally, you'll want to listen to the beautiful tribute Terence shares about his wife in the final question about the person who helped him become who he is today.
Terence Lester is a minister, speaker, community activist, author, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, a not-for-profit organization focused on poverty awareness and community mobilization. His awareness campaigns on behalf of the poor have been featured in USA Today, Essence, Black Enterprise, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS News, NBC, Upworthy, and “The Bright Side” with Katie Couric. They have been viewed by millions of people globally. He has spoken on the same platform as other civil rights activists such as Bernice King, Roland Martin, Gina Belafonte, Michael Eric Dyson, Tamika D. Mallory, and many others. Terence’s unique approach combines storytelling and digital media to help illustrate social justice issues with practical approaches to solving these ailments. In 2018, Terence led the March Against Poverty as he walked from Atlanta to Memphis (386 miles) to bring attention to poverty and homelessness. He finished the march and spoke at the historic Lorraine Motel for the 50th Anniversary of MLK’s assassination. Terence’s unique approach combines storytelling and digital media to illustrate social justice issues with practical strategies to solve these ailments. In 2013, Terence founded the non-profit Love Beyond Walls and has helped hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty rebuild their lives. In 2019, Terence launched the first museum in the U.S. representing homelessness out of a shipping container, called Dignity Museum. Terence has written five books. His new book, “When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together,” will be released May 18th, 2021, with InterVarsity Press. He also holds four degrees and is working towards his Ph.D. at Union Institute & University in Public Policy & Social Change. He is happily married to his best friend, Cecilia Lester. They have two amazing children, Zion Joy and Terence II. Find Terence Lester, and his books, including his new book When We Stand here. Love Beyond Walls The Dignity Museum
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month I have put together what I like to think of a the "Greatest Hits of Boundaries," or the "Cliff Notes" of boundaries. These are very cheesy names for some of the most important things I would want you to know about boundaries, AND some of the most common questions I get about boundaries. This is boundaries 101 - how important they are for your mental health, what they are, what they aren't, how they work, internal versus external boundaries, and how good it can feel to have boundaries. For more Still Becoming follow Monica on Instagram.
I am so honored and excited to have therapist and writer Tiffany Rogers back on the Still Becoming Podcast. In this powerful episode Tiffany shares with us part of her journey out of a corporate America career to becoming a therapist. Tiffany redefines for us what the word "successful" can even mean. This episode is like an anti-5 step plan - this is a deep, heart-centered approach. Tiffany describes for us, and lets us into some of the process, and the deep healing work that can come, with throwing off old narratives and coming more into alignment the truth of who you are. She describes the "ease of alignment." Making a big change of any kind has many layers, that each of us will face - but this way that Tiffany describes the process, and the permission she models for the length of the process, is transformational. If you find yourself in the process of considering a big change in your life, a career change specifically, wondering about bringing your work more into alignment with who you are, or you are just needing inspiration to listen to yourself and make changes that honor what you need - you will not want to miss this episode. Tiffany combines her personal vulnerability, with her wisdom and therapeutic knowledge in a way that will give you courage, hope, and next. steps to take in that journey. Tiffany is a Chicago-based therapist and writer. She specializes in helping professional women overcome perfectionism, build self-compassion, and live more authentically. Tiffany has a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. After nearly 10 years in corporate communications and public relations, Tiffany decided to pursue a second career in mental health counseling to become more aligned with her personal values and sense of purpose. She is passionate about working with clients of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, social justice, and advocacy. Find Tiffany here. For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram.
Each month, the Still Becoming podcast brings you a Meditative Story episode. They are short, meditative, put to music, and a chance to pause and reflect on your own journey through story. It is like a therapeutic adult story time. This month memories, versions of ourselves, people we were, and people and moments we've lost. Through the heaviness of this past year, I find many of us are even more reflective. Join my (host Monica DiCristina) own processing of feeling present grief, past grief, joy and the question of "did I appreciate it enough?" as I walk around some gardens with my children. We often wonder - where does it all go? It may all still be there, and the best way to honor that can be being present where you are now.
For more, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so honored and grateful to have author, therapist, and podcaster Carl Binger on the Still Becoming Podcast. In this powerful episode Carl shares with us some of his personal experience, as well as his professional expertise about depression. This combination of the personal and the professional Carl brings is so illuminating, helpful, and hopeful. We talk about men specifically in depression, and how depression can look different in men than women. We talk about the pandemic and depression. We also talk about the different types of stigmas that Carl faced, and we all might face, in getting help for depression. We start the episode off with Carl reading one of his poems about his experience with depression. The creative use of words and writing to describe something like depression is so impactful for the validation of those who have experienced it, and for the understanding of those trying to learn about it. This episode will leave you informed, validated, hopeful, and impacted by the power of vulnerability in sharing our stories, and the power of giving something the right name. Carl Binger, LMHC, is a husband to Carissa and the father of Marcus, Derek, and Travis. He has been following Jesus since 2003 and has been practicing counseling since 2014. Carl is the author of his new book the Progessive Darkness: For the Christian Losing Hope in Depression, the founder of the Facebook group and Podcase called Surviving Depression, and the owner of his own practice, Luminance Mental Health Counseling. He hopes to spread a message of hope to anyone struggling with depression. He raises awareness about depression by writing, facilitating educational workshops, counseling, and talking to his community. You can follow Carl's work on his website: https://www.survivingdepressiongroup.com/. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/453905639323274/ Instagram: survivingdepression_fb_group Twitter: @LuminanceMental
This is a short meditation all about the word "And."
"And" is one of my favorite words because in this simple word we can find an unexpected cure to many of the contradictions we fear it is not ok to be, feel, think or believe. Many of us were taught an "either or" kind of thinking, and the word "and" blows right through that - creating both permission and space.
I hope this short meditation brings your freedom and ease for whatever bookends your "and."
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I enjoyed every part of this conversation with Laura Tremaine. Laura's new book Share Your Stuff, I'll Go First was the foundation for this helpful conversation. In her book Laura invites all of us in to process and share our own stories by first sharing her own. I loved this book, and I loved this conversation. It is a rare gift when someone shares about their life in a way that invites you in to do the same. Laura's honesty is just like a key that makes you want to unlock and share your own story - whether that is with yourself, a friend, or a therapist. We both share a love for therapy, and discuss this at length - and I know this will be helpful for anyone wanting to know more about what therapy is actually like. Laura's openness really breaks down so much of the stigma some might still hold about therapy. We also discuss how there's always a place to share everything (this is good news), but not everything should be shared in every place.
Laura Tremaine is a writer and podcaster. On her weekly podcast 10 Things To Tell You, she encourages listeners to take the episode prompts to a friend or to their journal, because meaningful connections come from good conversations. Her first book Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First. released February 2, 2021. Laura lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their two children. Find Laura, her book, and her podcast 10 Things to Tell You here: lauratremaine.com
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
It was so fun to interview podcast host Sarah Bragg. She so generously walked us through our technical difficulties for this episode, and made time to share all of her podcast knowledge with me. And that is just the way she shows up in the world. Sarah is disarming in her kindness. In this episode we discuss some of the roadblocks to taking the next step in your life - whether that is a dream, calling, going back to school, or asking for a promotion. We discuss in particular roadblocks women may run into, and roadblocks mothers may run into. Sarah shares insights from her own experience as a podcaster, author, and mother about how we can all learn to listen to ourselves, belong to ourselves, how every "yes" is a "no", and to do the next step - whatever it is - scared. That is where we start to make and see progress towards what we want.
Sarah Bragg is a popular podcast host, communicator, and author. You can find her on iTunes hosting the podcast Surviving Sarah. She is also the author of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself. She is also a wife, mother of girls, and a creative entrepreneur. Sarah is a master at brewing coffee and helping others survive well right where they are. Sarah and her family reside in Tennessee. You can find more from her at SarahBragg.com and @sarahwbragg.
For more information, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This week we are talking your "inner critic," and why that inner critic is wrong. This is a big topic, and there are many different ways to slice this topic - but in this episode I try to break it down into an accessible package for us to think through. Awareness is key when working towards any sort of growth and healing, and I hope this episode will provide some. But even more than that, I hope you walk away from this episode feeling more sure of your worth and lovability, and more ready to disagree with any voice - internal or external - that disagrees with those truths. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
This is a short meditation all about validation. I think trying to be good - performing and earning your worth - are the opposite of validation. Love begins by seeing you where you are and naming it. In this short meditation we will listen to a poem by Mary Oliver, and walk through putting down things that keep us from validating ourselves...and then naming and making room for how we feel. Make room for the truth of where you are. I hope these moments feel loving, and help you to love yourself, receive love, and love others. For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to have Cha Barefield on the Still Becoming podcast. In this inspiring conversation, Cha says, "If you are alive, there are two things that are irrefutable, there is room for you to be who you are in this world and there is a need for you to be who you are in this world." This is something I know so many of us need to hear. Cha shares with us some moments in her journey of walking into who she is made to be. Cha is an incredible story teller, and full of wisdom. These powerful and vulnerable moments will draw you in, and give you courage to look at your own life and who you are made to be. Cha discusses giving dignity and worth to who she always was, a message that we all need to hear. I trust that you, like me, will leave this conversation feeling encouraged and more brave. Cha Barefield is a powerful speaker, entrepreneur and talk show host of The Cha Show. The Cha Show is committed to bringing people together, creating a safe space to share our stories and inspiring our hearts to be better, love better and hope more. Cha believes in the power of pushing the needle towards love. She sees the extraordinary in the ordinary and causes us to see the same. The world needs what Cha seeks to amplify, now more than ever. To find Cha, and The Cha Show, visit her here: https://www.instagram.com/chabare/
I am so excited to have therapist and author Sissy Goff back on the Still Becoming podcast! We discuss anxiety in kids, teens, and adults, as well as anxiety and the pandemic. Naming the anxiety, and understanding it, are very powerful in helping us cope and feel better. We talk about some of the special attributes people who struggle with anxiety may also have. Sissy and I specifically discuss her new book: Brave: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety. Sissy is so loving, inviting, and makes this topic not only accessible but hopeful. Sissy Goff, MEd, LPC-MHSP, spends most of her days counseling girls and their families alongside her assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Sissy serves as the director of child and adolescent counseling for Daystar Counseling Ministries(Nashville, TN) where she has worked with girls and their families for more than 25 years. Sissy Goff is the author of eleven books including the best-selling books Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World (for parents) and Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety (for girls ages 8-11). In addition, she wrote a follow-up workbook for teen girls entitled Brave: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety (February 2021). Facebook: Sissy.Goff Instagram: @SissyGoff Website: www.Raising
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This week we are talking about Motherhood and the Pandemic. Maybe like you, I was sent the recent NYT series on motherhood during them pandemic that came out this week by so many people. This clearly hit a nerve - an underserved nerve that is not discussed enough. In addition to that, I have 2 guests on the podcast this month - Rachel Macy Stafford and Sissy Goff talking about parenting. I wanted to make some concrete space to discuss this topic. Being a mother, being a father, being a caregiver of any kid during this pandemic has been challenging. Although I highlight motherhood, this is applicable to all parents. In this real talk short episode I hope to add to the discussion and help you feel seen by naming some things and offering some tips. We are in this together. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to share this conversation with Rachel Macy Stafford. This is something every parent, and every adult, will be relieved and encouraged to hear. Rachel's writing, and her wisdom is this episode, are so validating, accessible, and empowering. And I cannot think of a time when we might need it more. We discuss the three roles for parents she describes in her latest book Live Love Now: Truth-teller, Encourager, and Guide. We touch on each one, and in particular the Guide. Throughout this episode, Rachel shares her own wisdom through story and vulnerability. You will leave wanting to connect more with yourself, and having tracks to run on in connecting with your own kids. This is a soul nourishing episode for all parents, and everyone really, and I know it will leave you feeling refreshed, connected, and encouraged. Rachel Macy Stafford is a writer with one goal: to help people choose love as much as humanly possible. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama, Hands Free Life, and Only Love Today; a certified special education teacher with a Master’s Degree in education; an in-demand speaker, and beloved blogger who inspires millions through her vulnerable posts at handsfreemama.com and through her supportive Facebook community, The Hands Free Revolution. Rachel’s newest book, Live Love Now, tackles the modern-day stressors facing young people today and offers illuminating, straight-forward strategies to help adults effectively and compassionately connect with the kids they love at a time when the stakes are higher than ever. Registration is now open for SOUL SHIFT, Rachel's shame-free, hope-filled online course. The SOUL SHIFT experience is based on eight transformative truths Rachel discovered on her journey to let go of what doesn’t matter to grasp what really does. These eight truths were catalysts for the changes Rachel knew she needed to make in order to find peace and purpose for herself while learning to build connection and healing with those she loves. If you'd like to come home to yourself by making healthy, loving responses a way of life, click here for more information on SOUL SHIFT. IG - @handsfreerevolution FB -@TheHandsFreeRevolution Twitter - @handsfreemama For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
I am so honored to have Q. Gibson on as the first guest after a long break, and the first guest of 2021. Q. Gibson is a writer, author, and poet. Her work centers womanhood, healing, transformation, and mind/body/spirit well-being. She is the co-founder of nonprofit The Daughters Den and hosts a monthly writing community for women called TEND. In this episode we discuss the power of writing in reconnecting to yourself, healing work, and becoming. Q. shares some of her own journey with writing, while also inviting all of us to the practice of writing. The way Q. describes writing feels like an invitation you can't refuse, and a refuge away from performance. We discuss writing in relation to gratitude, learning more about yourself, and getting to know your own voice. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. q-gibson.com Instagram: @q.gibson Twitter: @qgibson_ For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This week we are talking about how the pandemic could impact mental health. This episode is longer than usual because there was a lot of material to cover. This episode will define some terms, explain how this could be affecting all of us, a little bit of brain science, and finally some coping tools. It is a teaching episode that I hope will be validating and empowering. Books referenced in episode, or ones that would relate to topics covered: The Whole Brain Child, Dan Siegel Mindsight, Dan Siegel Try Softer, Aundi Kolber Burnt Out, by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Articles referenced in episode, or that could be helpful: "Your Surge Capacity is Depleted" The Mental Health Impact of the Pandemic To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, the Still Becoming podcast brings you a Meditative Story episode. They are short, meditative, put to music, and a chance to pause and reflect on your own journey through story. It is like a therapeutic adult story time. This month we are talking about how we find hope when we are overwhelmed and worried. It is often not by solving the worry, but by changing our posture. And we change our posture sometimes by remembering something that anchors and ground us in hope and trust.
For more, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
This is a short meditation for weary with waiting.
If you are weary of waiting, this short meditation is for you. We will make space for the hard parts, the places you have been hard on yourself, the humanness of it all, and finally some hope.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
This is a short meditation for the overwhelmed.
If you are feeling overwhelmed right now by everything happening in the world, and in your world, this is for you. This short meditation is meant to be a pause in your day to breathe and move through the overwhelm. There is great benefit in taking a few moments to breathe. There are four parts to this meditation, and you will walk through each part as you hopefully experience an exhale and a moment to rest.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a meditative story. These episodes are short, calming, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. It is like adult story time! This month we are talking about what feels like a never ending pandemic. Maybe you feel heavy and weighed down. Maybe you feel like you are stuck on a bridge you didn't plan for. We will meditatively reflect on driving over bridges and in tunnels and the lessons we can learn from those experiences that apply to the period of time we are in now. If you are feeling discouraged, this episode is for you.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This week we are talking about loving ourselves in order to love others, especially as we head into the holidays. We are all able to love others well when we are loving ourselves well. We are talking about seeing and affirming ourselves, not living to please others, having boundaries, and creating a loving non-anxious presence in ourselves. You love better when you feel better, and you feel better when you are not being too hard on yourself. I hope this episode serves as a short psychologically based pep rally for loving and caring for yourself as you head into this busy season. May you feel seen and encouraged by this episode. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This week we are talking all about the context we are living through in the United States. Even without knowing your specific circumstances - what you are living through right now is incredibly overwhelming. When we forget context, we often turn on and shame ourselves for struggling. It's ok to be scared and overwhelmed. Now is not the time to judge or critique yourself. This is hard. That's the take away. I hope this episode is validating, and that you walk away with some helpful tips and increased self-compassion. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a meditative story. These episodes are short, calming, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. It is like adult story time! This month we are exploring the true essence of your identity. This truth is often lost - and needed most - when we are struggling. This episode takes a therapeutic technique of remembering who we are when we are our best, truest selves - and calling on that to help us in times of struggle. If you are struggling in this pandemic, come along on the story of the photo of a lion, and explore who it is you need to remember you are. For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about the false belief that you need to be the same to be close in any kind of relationship. In a contentious election season, I thought it might be important to address this topic from a therapeutic perspective. Maybe you have encountered this belief about closeness in your family of origin, your marriage, a friendship or friend group, or a faith practice. The reality is that closeness - healthy attachment - is not based on being the same. And any relationship that requires you to compromise yourself is one in which we might want to reevaluate our boundaries. Owning your own opinions, decisions, values, and vote are an important part of adulthood, and should be welcomed in any healthy relationship. This is a short breakdown and how-to. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so grateful to have Dr. Chinwé Williams on the Still Becoming podcast this month. Through her expertise, wisdom, and warmth Dr. Williams guides us through the topics of racial trauma, vicarious trauma, and talking to our children about racism, empathy, protests, and more. These are not one size fits all conversations, and Dr. Williams specifically addresses how these conversations will look different in Black families and white families. Dr. Williams describes parents as leaders, and leaders as learners. This is an empowering frame for parents. She guides us in how to listen to our nervous system, and ground ourselves as adults. We also get to hear some about Dr. Williams story, and one person that was part of her becoming who she is today. This conversation is rich, multi-layered, insightful, encouraging, and timely. To have an expert like Dr. Williams guide parents through these topics, how to talk to our kids, and how to listen to and care for ourselves is incredible. I learned so much from Dr. Williams, and I know you will too. This is an episode that will be passed between parents I am sure.
Dr. Chinwé Williams is a Board-Certified Counselor, and owner of Meaningful Solutions Counseling & Consulting. Dr. Williams completed her master’s degree at the University of Georgia and doctorate degree at Georgia State University. She served as an Associate Professor in a graduate counseling program for nine years. Her 15 years of professional experience includes work in public school systems, university and corporate work settings. She is a published journal author and has presented at numerous conferences at the local, state, national, and international levels. She is a featured guest expert on several blogs and podcasts related to mental and emotional wellness including USA Today.com, CNET, Healthy.com, Lifezette.com, and Parent Cue . She regularly speaks on women’s wellness, parenting, relationships, overcoming anxiety, and achieving work/life integration. Dr. Williams currently enjoys membership in the American Counseling Association (ACA) and maintains a growing therapy and consulting practice in Roswell, Georgia.
Find Dr. Chinwé Williams here: www.meaningfulsolutions.com Dr. Chinwé Williams on Instagram Facebook: @MeaningfulSolutionsCounseling Twitter: @DrCuwilliams
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Mental Health Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 30 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about what to do when you don't know what to do. It would be predictable to give you a 5 step plan to "making your best decisions." But I know that therapy, and therefore a podcast by a therapist, is not about advice, You can get that so many other places. This episode is about returning to and listening in to the places and choices that help you when you have lost your way, or when you don't know what to do next. Many of us may feel like that right now. And when things are hard, making decisions feels even more difficult. Listen in to this episode, which is short on purpose, and make space for both permission and presence as you face whatever it is you are facing. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a meditative story. These episodes are short, calming, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. It is like adult story time! This month we're talking about the power of presence to help ground us when we might be scared, or to help us find our courage. I tell a couple of stories in the big green station wagon, with fake wood panelling, my parents had when I was young. Two adventures on a regular drive to Alabama have me reflecting on the truth that a hand to hold, or a belief to ground you, can help you weather the real and metaphorical storms in your life. For more, follow Monica on Instagram: @monicadicristina
I am so excited to have Liz Milani of the Practice Co on the podcast this month. I have been a fan of Liz's writing for a long time now, and find myself continually helped and lifted up by her work. Liz shares with us some parts of the journey she, and her partner Jesse, went on in their own faith and vocations. They walked away from their roles as pastors and a lot of what they had always known. In this conversation Liz generously lets us in on some of the vulnerabilities of this story, as well as her real life wisdom. We discuss the process of deconstructing what you have always known in your life, to build something more congruent, as well as what to do when the script of your life doesn't match the the truth of your experience. We also discuss the ideas of permission and ownership over your life. We touch on the role of writing in our process of becoming, and the role of using your work to address social justice issues. Liz is as kind, warm, inviting, and empowering as her writing. Liz Milani is a writer, and the co-creator of the The Practice Co App. She lives for wholehearted, grounded spirituality, and to help people feel free to find God for themselves, in the world, in the lives they have. Liz lives on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia, with her partner, Jesse, and their three kids. thepracticeco.com The Practice Co on Instagram
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 30 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking about gratitude. This is a topic I often don't teach about because I have seen gratitude often misapplied, leaving many of us to feeling invalidated and shamed for not being "more grateful." So, I didn't want to talk about this topic in a way that would land that way. But we are diving in this month to the topic of gratitude by first naming some of the unhelpful ways we may have experienced it.. Hopefully it is helpful to name some of these. After naming these, we will then be discussing the great power of gratitude as a coping skill, in particular how it helps us with both/and thinking. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Story: Waiting for the Sun This month I am writing a letter for anyone struggling with a sense of overwhelm, exhaustion, anxiety, or depression during this pandemic. I share a short personal vignette about my own story and discuss the importance of reaching out for help when you are struggling. I want to normalize struggling with your mental health during this pandemic, and I want to highlight the importance of not struggling alone. This episode is almost like a meditation on that. I'll be honest, I don't like shiny optimism and positivity very much. Because it is often invalidating to what we are feeling. What I prefer is naming and honoring, and calling in hope and help. For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to have Janine Urbaniak Reid on the Still Becoming podcast. Janine and I recorded this interview in May just as the ongoing Covid19 pandemic was settling into the United States. Janine recently wrote and published an incredible memoir entitled The Opposite of Certainty. In her book Janine invites us along the journey she went through after her son Mason was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at ten years old. From the press release of Janine's book: "In this story of survival against all odds, Janine recounts how doctors discovered her 10-year-old son Mason had an inoperable brain tumor and how she was diagnosed with PTSD soon after and then breast cancer. “'I did not volunteer to be an uncertainty expert,'” said Reid. “'Somehow, I learned to calibrate my step, as normal morphed into something new and unrecognizable from one day to the next. There have been good months with some very bad days, and bad months with some very good days.'” This book felt like a companion during uncertain times. Janine's honesty and grounded guidance was a relief to read. Sometimes when we are having a hard time, hearing from and reading about someone who is not spoon feeding us positivity is just what we need. We discuss hardships, uncertainty, motherhood, faith with doubt, the awkward things people say when we are struggling, and that we can be ok when everything is not ok. Janine Urbaniak Reid was born in Chicago and grew up in California. She graduated from the University of California at San Diego. She was vice president of a San Francisco public relations firm before she began raising a family, and then writing full time. She lives in NorthernCalifornia with her family and a motley assortment of pets. Visit JanineUrbaniakReid.com.
I am so excited to have Kat Vellos on the Still Becoming podcast this month. Kat is a user experience designer with a passion for helping people connect authentically. In this episode we talk about Kat's incredible new books, and all about the topic of adult friendship. We dive into so many topics, including loneliness and the important work necessary to cultivate connected friendships. Kat describes for us a term she created: "platonic longing," one I am sure will be helpful. We discuss deep conversations over superficial ones and the more accurate meanings under the overused word "awkward." We discuss conflict in friendship, and how our friends change over our lifetime as we change. Finally we discuss showing up for your friends, and the world, in regards to racial injustice. As a user experience designer, Kat has worked for Slack and Pandora, as well as with the creators of Siri designing the first iteration of Bixby. Kat has been profiled in Forbes and quoted in FastCompany for her work as the founder of Bay Area Black Designers which is a professional development community for Black designers and UX researchers. She’s researched, designed, and advised on the user experience of countless flows in digital products serving millions of people. With her debut book, We Should Get Together, she turned her expertise in user research and experience design towards helping people live healthier lives through the cultivation of deeper, more fulfilling friendships. Her next book, Connected from Afar provides the tools to breathe new life and fresh connection into your existing faraway friendships. When she’s not posting doodles about friendship on Instagram, you can find her on the hunt for the Bay Area’s best tacos. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katvellos_author/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatVellos Books and events: weshouldgettogether.com Work: katvellos.com For more Still Becoming, please follow Monica on Instagram: @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 30 minutes. The idea is to take a therapeutic topic or technique and expand it to help us in our everyday lives. This month we are talking abut "grounding." Grounding is a therapeutic technique to help bring people who are overwhelmed by a though, emotion, or memory back to the present moment. I think many of us may feel overwhelmed these days. There is a lot going on that demands our attention and participation. We will explore the traditional idea of grounding, as well as your questions submitted on Instagram, and creative ways to implement grounding in our own lives. Recommended Readings: Try Softer, by Aundi Kolber, MA, LPC Mindsight, Dan Siegel, M.D.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Story: Choose Other, You Don't Have to Fit A Box This month I am sharing a personal story and memory about how my dad would tell me and my brother to "choose other" if we didn't see a box that fit us. My hope is that as you listen to this short story, it would be a pause for you to honor your worth just as you are. And maybe that will mean choosing other, or choosing none, or choosing many, or making up your own category. To learn more, read more writing, and find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to have therapist and writer Tiffany Rogers on the Still Becoming podcast. Tiffany and I discuss her decision and journey to becoming a therapist, a story you won’t want to miss. We also discuss racial trauma, covert racism, and microaggressions. Tiffany shares some of her own personal experiences as a Black woman in the United States. We also discuss Tiffany’s powerful idea of creating safe spaces for Black people to share their stories. Knowing that this podcast has a diverse audience, my hope is that if you have overlaps with some of what Tiffany shares as a Black woman in this country that you would feel that safe space. If you do not have overlaps with that experience, my hope is that you would create that safe space and listen. Tiffany and I talk about rest and about joy, and she describes for us an important person that played a vital role in her expanding and becoming who she is today. Tiffany shares so much wisdom and insight, and I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation. Tiffany is a Chicago-based therapist and writer. She is passionate about helping individuals heal and improve their relationships with themselves and others. Tiffany has a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. After nearly 10 years in corporate communications and public relations, Tiffany decided to pursue a second career in mental health counseling to become more aligned with her personal values and sense of purpose. She is passionate about working with clients of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, social justice, and advocacy. You can find Tiffany on Instagram @tiffanyrogerstherapy.
I am so excited to have therapist and author Aundi Kolber on the Still Becoming podcast. Aundi recently wrote a book called Try Softer, and it's one of the the best books I've ever read. Aundi combines sound psychological research, practical exercises, and a faith perspective. In the book, and in this interview, we discuss Aundi's concept of trying softer. We focus in particular on what "little t versus big T" trauma is, how our upbringings affect us, how we might respond in certain patterns in relationships today, and how we can stop "white knuckling" it through our lives. In such an overwhelming time, I can't imagine a message we all need to hear more. Aundi is wise, compassionate, and provides so much hope for all of us.
Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC), an author, and a speaker living in Castle Rock, Colorado. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. She has written for Relevant, CT Women, and (in)courage. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. Aundi is happily married to her best friend, Brendan, and is the proud mom of Matia and Jude.
Find Aundi here: Aundi's Instagram Aundikolber.com
For more information about Monica and Still Becoming, follow along on Instagram at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 30 minutes. I asked a while back on Instagram what might be one topic you guys really want to hear about in these Check-In episodes, and the consistent response was an episode about healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns, and questions about rewiring after a difficult relationship or family dynamic. We are exploring boundaries, codependency, interdependence, and attachment styles. It is a rich episode. In the episode I mention I will put books you can explore in the show notes, these are also books I always pull from when teaching on these topics, see below:
Recommended Readings: Try Softer, by Aundi Kolber, MA, LPC Attached, by Amir Levine, M.D. and Rachel S.F. Heller, M.A. Codependent No More, Melody Beattie The New Codependency, Melody Beattie Parenting From the Inside Out, Dan Siegel, M.D. Mindsight, Dan Siegel, M.D. Boundaries, Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Becoming Attached, Robert Karen, PhD
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with story. Though the story is personal to me or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Story: Wisdom Begins in Wonder "Wisdom begins in wonder" is a quote attributed to Socrates that has always stumped me. What does that even mean? Through an ordinary walk, that I was not happy about going on, I discovered something new about this idea. We will wonder together if the judgments about ourselves, or about a moment, may be shortsighted, or even wrong. What might happen if we practice wondering about ourselves in a loving way, rather than a judgmental way? Who might we become? To learn more and find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
This is a meditation all about learning to listen to our feelings without judgement. You may be having a lot of feelings lately, and we often judge what we hear or feel inside. In this episode, we’ll listen to sounds in nature in order to practice listening without judgement. And then we’ll make space for some feelings you might be having as well. This is part story, part experience, and all calming and soothing. It is something you can listen to alone, sitting, while walking, or even with your family if that applies. In this meditation I mention: “I’m listening”, a line from Try Softer by Aundi Kolber Self-kindness as a component of self-compassion, from Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff Anger can reveal our values, from Courtney Armstrong, https://realworldtherapy.com/coping-mass-tragedy/ To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so excited to have Patricia Schmidt on the Still Becoming podcast this month. We explore wellness and wholeness on this podcast, and the practice of yoga is one that offers so much wisdom, insight, and healing to the human experience. Patty describes the lessons and practices that can apply to our everyday life, especially right now during COVID19. This interview is soothing, insightful, and applicable even if you do not practice yoga, which I don't (yet!). I was blown away by Patty and what she shared.
Patty and I spend some time talking about the way our breath reveals our mind state, and ways we might use our breath to understand ourselves, to be compassionate with ourselves. We talk about how altering the fluctuations of our breath might bring us toward a greater sense of peace, and Patty has on her website, offered a short guided meditation on the breath, which you may use to explore this practice. We also discuss a type of mindfulness practice called 'naming', and Patty has created a short guide to this practice, too, as a complement to the podcast. See below.
Patricia Schmidt, Yoga Teacher and Pelvic Health Specialist (E-RYT500hr, IAYT-1, YACEP), is the founder of PLS Yoga, a yoga practice that specializes in yoga for pelvic health. She teaches public classes across a range of yoga styles but is most called to teaching adaptive, therapeutic yoga. In her private practice, she serves people living with pelvic concerns, trauma, and pelvic floor dysfunction, including pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, cancers, and pain. To learn more about her work, please visit plsyoga.com.
Links Patty Created: Breath Meditation Naming Meditation Additional Helpful Links: iRest Link Pema Chodron Pure Meditation Link Ayurveda, What is a Dosha? Link
For more information about Monica and Still Becoming, follow along on Instagram at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes.
This Month: Naming What Is (Grief, Depression, Anger) During COVID-19 There is enormous health and help in naming what you are experiencing during this time. In this episode we discuss grief, depression, anger, trauma, comparative suffering and more. We will learn a little about each of these topics, the importance of naming them, and some grounding ideas. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with the story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Story: Separating Pain From Shame Whether on our own or on the bad advice of others, we often attach false meaning to hard situations and make them harder. This month, I'm sharing a story about discovering that a painful experience I had wasn't my fault—it was just painful. This story is about learning to name our pain, fear, grief, and disappointment for what they are - without the additional burden of shame. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
This is a meditation all about taking a few minutes to unplug in order to refresh and recharge. Things are very overwhelming right now, and we are being inundated with information that is scary, worrisome, and heartbreaking. There are also many people trying to give us positive resources. We are also often scrolling through social media seeing how others are responding during this COVID-19 pandemic, and inevitably comparing ourselves at times. There are so many new decisions to make, and it is all happening very fast. All of this can feel overwhelming. It is so important to unplug periodically emotionally and mentally. This meditation provides a short guided time to do that.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes.
This Month: Simple Instructions If You're Feeling Afraid There is a lot happening in the world right now that can understandably cause us to feel fear. Feeling afraid is normal, and it is hard. This episode is written specifically to be a calming, helpful, pause during a scary time. There's a little teaching, a little self-compassion, and some practical take aways. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with the story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Story: Beauty In the Ordinary This month I share my gratitude practice of finding what I like to think of as small still life paintings in the ordinary moments. In the little toys I find left behind when the house is quiet and everyone is in bed or at school, or the way the table looks after a dinner with friends. My hope is you would listen to this story with me and find your own moment of stillness in it as well. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so happy to have therapist Sissy Goff on the Still Becoming podcast. We talk about the rise of anxiety in girls, as well as how to understand this important topic and what to do if you are encountering it. Sissy is warm, relatable, and very knowledgeable. I trust you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.
Sissy Goff, MEd, LPC-MHSP, spends most of her days counseling girls and their families alongside her assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese.
Sissy serves as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling for Daystar Counseling Ministries (Nashville, TN) where she has worked with girls and their families for more than 25 years.
Her latest books focus on the current epidemic of anxiety among young girls. Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World (for parents) and Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety (for girls ages 8-11).
You can find Sissy at www.raisinggirlsandboys.com, Instagram: @SissyGoff; Facebook: Sissy.Goff.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode between interviews. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes.
This Month: Brain Basics (What is Happening In There?) Today’s episode is all about the brain. I have found that a simple understanding of the structure of our brain not only increases our self awareness, but also our self compassion. And the combination of awareness and compassion is fantastic soil for insight and change. Think of this episode like a Cliffs Notes version of brain structure.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. These episodes are short, meditative, and combine music with the story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. This month I share how I missed the beauty, worth, and magnitude of a tree standing right in front of me for years. And I learned a very valuable lesson. Your worth, my worth, does not exist once there is an audience to take notice. Our value is inherent, stands alone, and does not depend on recognition. Sure, it is nice to be recognized, but that doesn't equal value. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
I am so happy to have Justin McRoberts on the Still Becoming podcast. We talk about prayer, creativity, mental health, and listening to your own experience and life, and so much more. Justin recently created a beautiful book with artist Scott Erickson entitled May It Be So: Forty Days With the Lord's Prayer. We dive into the hopes for this book as well as some of the powerful prayers it contains, which really read like poems and stories to me.
This interview is interesting, hopeful, and inclusive. I trust you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Listen all the way to the end, as we discuss one of the most impactful experiences of Justin becoming who he is today.
JUSTIN MCROBERTS is an author, musician, and retreat leader. He is also the curator and host of The @Sea Podcast. He lives in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. For more information, visit www.justinmcroberts.com.
For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode between interviews. These episodes are focused on mental health, emotional health, or personal growth, and involve a short teaching and a few take aways in around 15 to 20 minutes.
This Month: Recognizing Self-Limiting Beliefs About Your Identity This episode is all about self-limiting beliefs and how they affect every part of our lives, from how we see ourselves to how we relate to others. By recognizing these beliefs—and challenging them—we can replace them with beliefs that are more loving, more kind, and more true.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. Maybe you have always felt like you were too much. It was a long road for me to get to understanding that the way I am wired is by design, and it is good. And frankly, I want the same for you. This one is for you if you have ever felt that you are too sensitive, too intense, or too much in any way. This is a loving message. This is not an us versus them. This is a freedom letter. If you don’t fit in with a group, its just not a group you should define yourself by. If you feel like you are too much you are probably just defining yourself by the wrong group. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
What do we do when our old ways of coping with pain and performing for worth no longer work? How do we move through devastating loss like losing multiple babies to miscarriage?
I am so grateful to have Nicole Zasowski on the Still Becoming podcast again to talk about her new book 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. Nicole walks us through her journey of losing what she thought she wanted and finding what she needed.
Nicole describes how when she was confronted with her own pain and devastating loss she realized her old ways of coping were no longer going to work. She then walks us through her journey of finding unexpected transformation and hope in God.
Nicole Zasowski is a licensed marriage and family therapist, writer, and speaker based in the state of Connecticut where she lives with her husband and two young boys. As an old soul who wears her heart proudly on her sleeve, Nicole loves using her words to help others find an enduring peace and joy outside of circumstance. Nicole loves connecting with readers on Instagram (@nicolezasowski) and her website: www.nicolezasowski.com.
Nicole’s new book, From Lost to Found: Giving up what you think you want for what will set you free is available for pre-order and hits shelves on January 28, 2020! For more information about the book and to claim free bonuses when you pre-order, visit nicolezasowski.com/book.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a Check-In episode between interviews. These episodes are focused on mental health, involve a short teaching, and include a few take aways in around 15 minutes.
This Month: Inside Couples Therapy As a practicing couples therapist, I find myself often educating clients on similar topics over and over. I have compiled some of these essential ideas around relationships, healthy attachment, and conflict styles in this check-in episode for you! These insights are also not limited to just couples, they can be applied to other relationships as well.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. This month's story is about learning to believe the true story about yourself, not the old narrative fueled by shame or inaccurate interpretations. Listen to the calming music mixed with story as host Monica DiCristina walks you through a moment when she stepped out of the old story into the new in an old church in Scotland. The hope is that this moment will invite you to consider your own narratives, and which ones it might be time to leave behind. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Trauma is a topic I hear mentioned more and more in popular culture, as our society is becoming more aware of it. However, most of us don’t know what trauma is, how to know if we’ve experienced it, or how to find hope and healing if we have.
I also hear people talking about EMDR (a type of therapy), but what is it? How does it work?
I am so excited to have Kalpana Murthy on the podcast to teach us about it. She’s a therapist who specializes in treating trauma and using EMDR therapy, and she has so much insight to share.
Kalpana is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Psychotherapist in private practice in Atlanta, GA. She helps adults overcome the negative effects that stressful or traumatic life experiences have on how a person thinks, feels and behaves. She specializes in upsetting events, trauma recovery, early relational trauma, adult children of narcissistic parents, and self-esteem matters.
You can find Kalpana, all the work she is doing, as well as helpful links here: Genuine-Connection.com
For more Still Becoming Information follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina, or check out stillbecoming.net.
Each month, Still Becoming brings you a check-in episode between interviews. These episodes are focused on mental health, involve a short teaching, and include a few take aways in around 15 minutes.
This Month: Boundaries with Extended Family Well-defined boundaries, realistic expectations, and owning the right to share or not share our own stories are all parts of this timely discussion on what it looks like to have boundaries with extended family during the holidays. If seeing extended family creates anxiety or concern for you, this check-in episode is made for you.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. This month's story is about knowing you are not the only one. Through a ridiculous relationship with a neighborhood mailbox, host Monica DiCristina learned over and over the idea of common humanity: you are not the only one. Knowing we are not the only one is an essential ingredient of self-compassion. The hope is that as you listen to this short story you will think of the area in your own life where you wondered the same thing, and be reminded that you are not alone. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Anxiety is such a common cause of suffering. Many of us have struggled with it, or know someone who has, and yet we often fail to understand it or how to cope with it.
I’m so excited to share this interview with you. Therapist Meghan Klein Toups specializes in anxiety, and she helps us understand and redefine our relationship with it. Meghan combines her knowledge and expertise with genuine warmth and care.
Compassion, holistic healing and higher consciousness are the tenets of Meghan’s approach to facilitating healing and wellness. She is an integrative psychotherapist and health coach, currently earning her PhD in Psychology. Utilizing various healing modalities, like meditation, mindfulness, gut health, nutrition and nature, Meghan’s work focuses on healing from within. She owns a health and wellness business with her husband called Merge Health, Fitness & Nutrition and specializes in the holistic treatment of anxiety, stress and depression.
To find Meghan and all the work she is doing visit www.MeghanToups.com.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a check-in episode between interviews. These episodes are focused on mental health, involve a short teaching, and include a few take aways in around 15 minutes.
This Month: Why Black and White Thinking Just Doesn't Work Black and white thinking is often a sneaky cause of anxiety in our lives. Listen as we explore what it is, how it effects us, and ideas for a new way of thinking.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring you a story. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. This month's story is about our sense of self worth and our work. We have all likely struggled at some moment with getting our identity and what we do mixed up. This story walks you through some moments I wrestled through this on my car ride home. Whatever you do in the world, whether you work outside the home or you're a parent that works in the home full time, we have all struggled with mixing up our product or performance with how valuable we are. Your worth stands alone, independent of what you do. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
What do you do when what you are experiencing in your life doesn't line up with what you have always believed?
In this interview with author and speaker Sarah Bessey we discuss what to do when you are evolving, the messy long walk of healing, experiencing God when there is no tidy story, as well as her new incredibly moving book Miracles and Other Reasonable Things.
It is such a rich conversation full of the complexity of both/and thinking that Sarah walks us through.
Sarah Bessey is the author of the popular and critically acclaimed books, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith and Jesus Feminist. Her highly anticipated new book Miracles and Other Reasonable Things releases on October 8, 2019. She is a sought-after speaker at churches, conferences, and universities all around the world. Sarah is also the co-curator and co-host of the annual Evolving Faith Conference and she serves as President of the Board for Heartline Ministries in Haiti. She lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia with her husband and their four children.
sarahbessey.com
IG: @sarahbessey
Sarah's New Book: Miracles and Other Reasonable Things
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month Still Becoming will bring you a Check-In Episode to listen to between interviews. These are mental health focused, involve a short teaching, and a few take aways in under 15 minutes.
This month's Check In: Internal Boundaries Many of us are familiar with the idea of boundaries interpersonally, and how important they are for our mental health. This month we will build on that foundation with the idea of internal boundaries, meaning what you allow or don't allow to occupy space in your internal world, soul, and mind.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Each month, Still Becoming will bring a story to you. Though the story is personal to the host or someone else, the hope is that we can all have a moment to breathe, listen, and reflect on our own story as we listen. This month's story is We Contain Multitudes: a story of Monica DiCristina's experience as the daughter of an immigrant to this country, and the questions that combining two cultures left her with. Let's allow our identity to be as complex as it needs to be in order to be the truth. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
In this episode I get to interview Lifestyle Blogger Lesley Graham. She is funny, accessible, and answers a lot of questions we all might wonder about putting ourselves out into the world.
This is such a fun conversation! Lesley feels like the friend we all love or wish we had. She combines relatability and inspiration seamlessly, which is not an easy thing to do.
Lesley believes in knowing your "why" for being brave, and reminds us that it is a choice we must keep making over and over. I like that, it's simple and takes away the false idea of a magic you may think other people have. Just be brave, over and over.
Lesley Graham lives outside of Atlanta with her husband Sam and two daughters, Matilda and Phoebe. She writes a lifestyle blog at lesleywgraham.com and runs a wellness community at goldendropsociety.com.
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
On this episode I get to interview someone I admire, Tina Roth Eisenberg, about how it is she moves from creative spark to execution on an idea. I struggle with putting my ideas out into the world, and I know I am not the only one. If you are looking for the courage to become brave with your ideas, you won't want to miss this interview. Tina is warm, open, and generous with her insights and her story.
Tina Roth Eisenberg is a Swiss born, raised and trained graphic designer. In 1999 she came to NYC for a 3 month design internship and never left.
Over the past 13 years Tina started numerous side projects that have organically turned into businesses: a creative co-working community called FRIENDS, a global, monthly lecture series called CreativeMornings, a simple to-do app called TeuxDeux and Tattly, a high-end temporary tattoo shop.
You can find Tina, and all her amazing creations here:
Blog: www.swiss-miss.com
Lecture series: www.creativemornings.com
Tattoo shop: www.tattly.com
To-do app: www.teuxdeux.com
Coworking space: www.friendsworkhere.com
Twitter: @swissmiss
Instagram: @swissmiss
To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Losing someone he loved to suicide changed the direction of Burke Buster’s life. Now a licensed therapist, Burke shares how a tragedy in his family led him to his work today, helping prevent and alleviate the suffering of others as a therapist. He honors his uncle, who he lost to suicide, in his words and in the work he has done over the years. Suffering, including his own struggle with anxiety and depression, as well as the loss of his uncle, changed the course of Burke's life in many ways. It’s what gave him the energy to begin down the path to the work he does today. He explains how his anger at seeing so much suffering in his family through losing his uncle propelled him to enter a field where he could make a positive impact in others’ lives. He shares how he was comforted in his faith with the idea that God is writing a big story. Sometimes we find our purpose in loss. The transformation of tragedy into helping others offers all of us so much hope. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.
Mazi is a licensed professional counselor and speaker specializing in helping women discover their true voices as they navigate self-worth/self-esteem challenges, relationship concerns, and life-stage transitions. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and has a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University. Mazi is also the founder of Cultivate, which through its bi-monthly gatherings and counseling center helps women cultivate joy, courage, and freedom in the pursuit of emotional and spiritual health. In this interview Mazi teaches us through her experience and her expertise that healing is often painful, and sometimes we get worse before we get better. She teaches us, in addition, that choosing health in our own lives transforms our lives and the the lives of those around us, and that nothing is wasted. She shares, “Pain is a great motivator… for most of us, we change because we get in enough pain to where the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain and fear of change.” Mazi shares, “I made the promise to myself that I want to live a brave life, and I don’t want to give in to fear anymore.” Mazi’s courage will give you courage. Mazi’s expertise and focus on women finding their voice will make you take pause, her refusal to live scared will help you be bold, and her call to emotional and spiritual health will inspire you. To find Still Becoming on Instagram, follow Monica at @monicadicristina.