Wisdom for Wellbeing (Modern Psychology and Yoga-Based Skills)

How To Cultivate Confidence with Dr Kaitlin Harkess

In this episode, I discuss cultivating confidence in novel or nerve-racking situations.
 
What I covered:
-       The evolutionary element of why you want security and social approval
-       Confidence comes after action
-       You need to be willing to fail to find success
-       Self-esteem is a modern fallacy
-       Self-compassion is what supports mental health
-       Doing hard things teaches you can do hard things
-       Learning to ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway.’
 
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Planting Seeds of Compassion in a Painful World with Professor Paul Gilbert | Part 2 of 2

Paul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and honorary visiting Prof at the University of Queensland. Until his retirement from the NHS in 2016 he was Consultant Clinical Psychologist for over 40 years. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology with a special focus on mood, shame and self-criticism in various mental health difficulties for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. 
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
-3 flows of compassion (receiving for others, for yourself)
-Why compassion needs to have a political focus
-The danger of self-compassion falling into neo-liberalism
-Mutual flourishing as an intention in a world that does have cruelty, violence and hatred
-Practices to cultivate compassion in your mind and body
Make sure to listen to the previous episode where Professor Gilbert shared more about compassion as an active, courageous and wise practice, your ‘tricky brain’, and why learning to fail is important
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Cultivating The Strength For Compassion with Professor Paul Gilbert | Part 1 of 2

Paul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and honorary visiting Prof at the University of Queensland. Until his retirement from the NHS in 2016 he was Consultant Clinical Psychologist for over 40 years. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology with a special focus on mood, shame and self-criticism in various mental health difficulties for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. 
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
-   An introduction to Professor Paul Gilbert and how he came to develop CFT
-   Consideration of compassion as an active, courageous and wise practice
-   What does it mean that we have a 'tricky brain'?
-   Why learning to fail is important
 
Tune in next week to hear about the 3 flows of compassion (receiving for others, for yourself), about the need for compassion to have a political focus, and to learn a practices to cultivate compassion in mind and body
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Unlocking The Power Of Your Voice To Move Beyond Anxiety with Dr Louise Mahler

Did you know that your body and voice influence your mental state, and very much influence how people perceive you? This means it is important to learn how they all work together - your mind-body-voice connection. In this episode, I interview Dr Louise Mahler on how you can cultivate what she calls Vocal Intelligence wisdom.
 
We specifically discuss:
-   How anxiety influences and is influenced by your voice
-   Why you should use your lower body to cultivate power, rather than your neck and head
-   An exploration of the natural capacity you were born with for singing and communication
-   The need for congruent hand gestures in communication
-   How your voice connects you viscerally to other beings
-   Breathing practices you can use to cultivate diaphragmatic control
-   How your personality is your voice, and your voice is your inspiration
-   What it means to bring your individual resonance to the world
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Designing your Life through Financial Wellbeing in a Neurodiverse World

In this episode, Lauren Thiel talks about financial well being through a social justice and neurodiverse-inclusive lens. Lauren Thiel is founder of boutique accounting firm, The Real Thiel. A Chartered Accountant and Tax Agent, with a passion for the arts, Lauren is on a mission to educate, empower and motivate creative small business owners.
What’s covered in this episode:
- Lauren’s journey from the sparkles and spins of ballet to becoming an accountant for creatives and a student of psychology with social justice motives in supporting individuals in navigating financial trauma and the like
- How neurodiversity influences individual’s financial struggles and strengths, and how Lauren has found a way to cater to this
- How ‘time blindness’ and difficult emotions like shame and disgust can get in the way of doing tasks associated with finances
- What financial wellness is and consideration around how budgets do and do not work
- The steps to taking yourself out on a date and why rewards along the way work
- Where a date with an accountant is the perfect move, and options for individuals in serious financial toil
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Practices to Cultivate Gratitude In A Busy World with Dr Kaitlin Harkess

This episode is a mini-coaching session to start you on your gratitude journey. The practice of gratitude has a host of psychological and physical health benefits, yet isn’t too demanding of time and energy. Have a listen and get started developing a practice of gratitude that works for you.
 
What’s covered in this episode:
 
Gratitude Journaling
Consideration of gratitude and journaling practices
The evolutionary history of your negativity bias
How gratitude and compassion operate
Consideration of starting a gratitude practice
Gratitude Journaling, letters of gratitude, and the ol’ Netflix and gratitude
You can grab the gratitude journaling prompts below, and download a gratitude tracking diary here
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Creating Habits with Ritual and Sacred Intention with Dr Kaitlin Harkess

Welcome to a mini coaching session on how you can cultivate ritual in your life. Essentially, intention matters. We’ll also chat about setting up an altar, and how that can be impactful for you in your routine of ritual.
 
What’s covered in this episode:
- Habit takes less energy than doing something and a sense of it being done in ritual brings sacredness can bring present moment awareness and aliveness to your activity
- An example of how you can build ritual into your morning
- How an alter can be used like a transient object is used in therapy (i.e., extending the emotional connection)
- The meaning of the five elements on the altar and what they psychologically symbolize (grab this free downloadable PDF to help you set up your elemental alter)
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Neurodiversity-Inclusive Habit Building with Dr Hayden Finch

Curious about how habits are created? Are you looking to develop more self-compassion in your habit-cultivation journey? How to build habits in a neurodiversity-friendly way? 
My guest Dr Hayden Finch, is a licensed clinical psychologist, behaviour change expert, and dessert enthusiast. Hayden beautifully shares their wisdom around habit building, self-compassion, and neurodiversity with us in this episode. 
You may find this interview an important resource in your own journey of navigating your different seasons and self-experimentation. 
What’s covered in this episode:
High-achievers often know the habits they “should” have, yet struggle to implement
The three parts of a habit we need to know to make effective changes
How relief is often the reward for unhealthy habits
How we can start to cultivate healthy habits by ensuring they are smaller
Why failure is normal, and how to meet this with compassion
How long it takes to create a habit (jokes! Dr Finch explains it varies.)
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Sexuality and Gender Diversity, Let’s Talk Brave Spaces with Chris Grant (MBACP)

What does Pride mean to you? Gender and sexuality? Do you understand them as fluid? Are you actively working towards cultivating communities of liberation?
My guest Chris Sheridan (Grant), The Queer Therapist, is a non-binary trans Psychotherapist; Sex and Relationship Therapist; and Diversity Equality, and Inclusion Consultant. They beautifully share their wisdom around gender, sexuality and relationship diversity with us in this episode. 
You may find this interview an important resource in your own journey of navigating shame and stigma to acceptance. It is also a brilliant resource for those who want to show up as allies.
What’s covered in this episode:
Introduction to Chris and their journey navigating the mental exhaustion and emotional labour of their workplace as a trans person – even with all the skills they had as a trained therapist!
Pride as not just a time of celebration, but as a time of reflection and consideration how we want to move forward in the year ahead>
Introduction to the internal experience of gender, not as the external and assigned label of sex
Consideration of pronoun usage in affirming and sensitive ways
Consideration of sexuality and relationship identity, and how this can shift over time
The importance of cultivating community within a culture that can be challenging in ones’ experience of gender, relationship and sexual identity diversity
The importance of understanding one’s privilege and the commodity of the rainbow flag in one’s efforts to practice allyship
What brave spaces are, and how they are important alongside safe spaces
Subscribe and grab free resources to cultivate a heartfelt life alongside peak performance.
 
With thanks to Chris Sheridan for the wisdom they shared. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."

Wisdom for Wellbeing Season 4 Summary with Dr Kaitlin Harkess

In this episode, I give an overview of the topics that were covered in this season that can help support you live a vital life in alignment with you and your goals. This season, there are topics that can help support you navigate your personal experiences with neurobiological traits and states, parenting, awareness, and lifestyles. 
 
Head to www.drkaitlin.com for show notes, free resources and courses that support you in cultivating a heartfelt life alongside peak performance. 
 
"So much gratitude for Wisdom for Wellbeing."