Evolving Through Safe Connection w/ Dr. Jessica Higgins

Does Love Rule?

This week's episode has been brought to you in the form of a question from the delightfully curious mind of the Instigator: Is love really all we need? Does love rule? In our usual roundabout way, your favorite dynamic duo dissect the enormous topic of love. We find it to be a huge variable in life and living a healthy lifestyle. It can be a catalyst in many ways. Love can motivate or inspire us just as much as it challenges us and sometimes feels elusive entirely. We talk a lot about how offering love and perceiving love don't necessarily resonate the same, and how this difference can impede our interpersonal relationships. In short, intention does NOT equal impact. Full stop. If love is more than good intentions, how can we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? What if we don't really love ourselves? That can be an especially difficult pill to swallow, and friends, it's the most important one. Because SELF-love, loving yourself first and most, is what it's all about. Start there, and you'll be setting yourself up for success. Are you struggling with something? Or is there something you'd like to hear us discuss? Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at neverunderestimatetpp@gmail.com. Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend! Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness… Like, Follow, Share 🧩 Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2296811/fan_mail/new] Follow us on IG, Subscribe, Rate & Share!   https://a.co/d/h7AQf91 [https://a.co/d/h7AQf91]

IFS: A Conversation w/ Chani Getter

This week, we are honored to welcome Chani Getter to the show. Chani is a renowned psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and author of the book Mapito: Embrace Yourself.  One of the therapeutic modalities Chani uses with clients is IFS, Internal Family Systems, an approach developed by Dick Schwartz. IFS takes an integrative approach to therapy, emphasizing a strong body-mind connection, and the notion that our inner experience consists of various "parts". Sometimes these parts work together in our best interest, sometimes they are at odds with each other, often they are trying to protect us from real or imagined threats. Chani weaves together stories and metaphor (2 of our favorite things!) to illustrate what IFS is and how it looks in a therapeutic setting. It takes great trust and rapport between therapist and client to create a container both safe and brave enough for the transformative impact of IFS to take place. Chani reminds us that "the way we speak informs our thinking, and the way we feel informs our speech." Everything is connected, so tools that help us name our feelings like the Gottman Feeling wheel [https://www.gottman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Gottman-Institute_The-Feeling-Wheel.pdf], and apps like How We Feel [https://howwefeel.org/] can be a great place to start getting up close and personal with your inner parts.  To learn more about Chani's offerings visit their website: https://chanigetter.com [https://chanigetter.com].  Where to buy Chani's book in the USA: https://store.bookbaby.com/Book/mapito [https://store.bookbaby.com/Book/mapito] Mapito is also available worldwide on Amazon or you can see more here: https://chanigetter.com/mapito [https://chanigetter.com/mapito]   Are you struggling with something? Or is there something you'd like to hear us discuss? Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at neverunderestimatetpp@gmail.com. Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend! Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness… Like, Follow, Share 🧩 Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2296811/fan_mail/new] https://a.co/d/h7AQf91 [https://a.co/d/h7AQf91]

Methods Of Knowing: Let Yourself Be The Guide

This week we're excited to talk about a topic suggested by a listener, "when you have a decision to make or you're trying to understand a situation or experience, how do you know? How and when do intuition, insight, and logic factor in?" Shameless plug: reach out to us through the methods below with ideas related to mental health and lived experience, and we'll talk about it on the show! We explore some of the similarities and differences between intuition - gut feeling, insight as a deeper understanding following thought/contemplation, and logic - deliberate, reason-based decision-making. Ultimately, we determine that there is room for all 3 (though one of us advocates really strongly for logic, you'll never guess which one!). When the stakes are high, in matters of family, illness, the heart, it can be extra important not to rely on just one of these means of knowing as the sole basis for a major decision. As we've talked about before, life is complicated. We believe that our self-awareness, and understanding of our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors are essential to our ability to navigate complex situations. This kind of self-exploration, mind and body, is best done with the support of logic, trial and error, practice-based progress that informs our insight. It's not all intellectual, assessing what we're feeling and what the signals are that we're getting from our guts and our nervous systems is a delicate, dynamic process, and interpreting this information along with our perceptions of the actions of others is like a dance. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. As long as you're true to your values, you'll never go wrong. Enjoy! Are you struggling with something? Or is there something you'd like to hear us discuss? Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at neverunderestimatetpp@gmail.com. Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend! Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness… Like, Follow, Share 🧩 Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below: Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2296811/fan_mail/new] https://a.co/d/h7AQf91 [https://a.co/d/h7AQf91]

Dr. Arielle Schwartz: From Pain To Possibility

This week we are beyond honored to welcome Dr. Arielle Schwartz to the show! Get out your notebook, this episode is full of juicy nuggets of wisdom that you won't want to miss! Dr. Schwartz is a distinguished clinical psychologist and world-renowned author of several books spanning topics of trauma recovery, neuroscience, yoga therapy. She is a leading voice in trauma recovery, applied polyvagal theory, and is the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapy®. We found her to be a warm, generous conversation partner who is both curious and kind.   We dig into post-traumatic growth, and Dr. Schwartz walks us through stories of resilience, growth, and healing after trauma. She shares stories from her own lived experience that exemplify the work and benefits of reframing life in a way that moves from pain to possibility. Dr. Schwartz gently suggests that fostering positive change and nervous system regulation is both a process and an ongoing practice. We can each start where we are. One of Dr. Schwartz's newest books is The Polyvagal Theory Workbook for Trauma which is chock full of somatic practices that bridge the mind-body connection. Speaking of the mind-body connection, Dr. Schwartz also has a vibrant YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.arielleschwartz913 [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.arielleschwartz913] filled with yoga practices, many of which focus on the vagus nerve, and of course, trauma recovery.   To learn more about Dr. Schwartz's offerings, books, visit https://drarielleschwartz.com/ [https://drarielleschwartz.com/]. Check her out on FB @drarielleschwartz and on IG @arielleschwartzboulder. Are you struggling with something? Or is there something you'd like to hear us discuss? Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at neverunderestimatetpp@gmail.com. Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend! Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness… Like, Follow, Share 🧩 Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below: Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2296811/fan_mail/new] https://a.co/d/h7AQf91 [https://a.co/d/h7AQf91]

High Stakes = High Impact

This week your favorite duo jumps right in with several familiar metaphors about what to do when the stakes are high. It would be nice if we could just stride along effortlessly, but life is full of obstacles, challenges, opportunities. Not all tools were meant for all jobs. This week we're unpacking what it feels like to try to even figure out which tool to use when you don't know which way to turn. It's been a while since the Serenity prayer has crept into our conversation, but she's here this week! How can we respond from a place of grace, when things we can't control are challenging our ability to regulate? We explore a familiar Rumi quote, "As you begin to walk on the way, the way appears." How does that quote resonate for you? Might it be different if you were facing significant life challenges? We're just a couple of real people, talking about the real struggles we're facing, and how we need to remind each other to take off the shit-covered glasses, and do the best we can in the moment. That's what friends are for!  Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, 'You owe me'. Look what happens with a love like that, it lights up the whole sky. ~Hafiz Are you struggling with something? Or is there something you'd like to hear us discuss? Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at neverunderestimatetpp@gmail.com. Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend! Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness… Like, Follow, Share 🧩 Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below: Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2296811/fan_mail/new] Follow us on IG, Subscribe, Rate & Share!   https://a.co/d/h7AQf91 [https://a.co/d/h7AQf91]