Ann Quasman's WomanTalkLive A more conscious conversation

WTL Wrap-Up: “The Ripple Effect of Love”

Ann and Caren Appel

Ever wonder why you keep having the same “lessons” over and over?  Date the same type of scoundrel, get into business partnerships with people who bring out the worst in you, or continually get the same old buttons pushed?

Well, according to my guest this past week, that’s what happens on this journey of life and every one of those lessons can be a blessing in disguise giving us an opportunity to “learn” them and grow spiritually stronger.

Caren Appel, LCSW, is a personal empowerment therapist with an extensive knowledge in alternative wellness and twenty-two years as a licensed therapist.  In her practice, she utilizes her powerful, yet heartfelt, approach to wellness and personal transformation that is reflected in her book, Ultimate Healing for Ultimate Living: The Ripple Effect of Love.  

According to Caren, in order for us to live a truly fulfilling life, we need to keep ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally grounded and from this state, we can begin to re-discover our true self, the part of us that has always been there but the part we “lost” track of when our ego self took over control.

In addition, in our journey to re-discover our true self, we become aware of the “vibration” we carry – the frequency we send out – and this knowledge becomes so important in helping us consciously create the life we want to live.

Think you don’t have any power to change the course of your life?  Not sure you’ve had the pleasure of meeting your true self? – then, you’ll want to hear what Caren has to share.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week.  It’s the November 24th show.

WTL Wrap-Up: “Enlightenment for the Rest of Us”

Polly Campbell

Just about no one I know can schedule big chunks of spiritual downtime or getaways to mountaintop retreats to make an inner connection.  That’s why my guest last week feels it’s important for each of us to make some time – even a minute – to connect with ourselves during the day.  Even more important?  To learn how to do this in the middle of ordinary circumstances.

Whether it’s sitting in traffic or vacuuming, we can train ourselves to make a connection in a short period of time.  Breathing deeply, expressing gratitude, repeating a mantra or an affirmation… may be just the thing that helps ground you and get you through the day.

Polly Campbell is the author of Imperfect Spirituality and in her book – which will be on of those “return-to” and “go-to books”, she provides not only her own stories and challenges (which we all can relate to), but she offers tips on starting your everyday practices and shares real-life stories from real-life people who in their own lives have demonstrated enlightenment-seeking qualities like self-compassion, courage and acceptance.

Think you don’t have time for enlightenment?  Not true.  And, if you want to put into practice (yes, it does take practice) living a life where compassion and kindness become more of your norm, then you’ll want to hear what Polly has to share.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week.  It’s the November 17th show.

WTL Wrap-Up: “The Election – Your Finances – Now What?”

Matthew, Ann and Leonard

Oh, the changes they are a coming.  That was the big message shared by my guest this past week when we talked about now that the election is over… what do we need to do to be prepared for certain and not-so-certain changes that will affect our taxes, our medical benefits and our overall finances?

Leonard Raskin, CEO of Raskin Global and Women Getting Wise on Wealth, filled us in on important consideration  and changes around Flexible Spending Accounts, medical expense deductions, charitable contributions, the taxation of investment income, changes in capital gains treatment, and estate taxes.  Oh, and did I forget to mention the fiscal cliff we are facing????

Regardless of who you voted for and whether you’re happy or not with the election results, there are big changes coming that will affect each of us in some fashion.

What do you need to do?  Get smart about your financial situation, be prepared and respond with what makes the best sense for you.

And, stay tuned, in 2013, we’ll be re-visiting some of these issues for an update.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the November 10^th show.

And if you’re in the Baltimore Metro Area, you can also find out more about the next Women Getting Wise on Wealth Session – Taking Your Financial Inventory and Preparing for the Coming Year – on Wednesday, December 5^th.  The session is for women only – it’s FREE, but you must register in advance.

WTL Wrap-Up: “How Conflict Will Make or Break Your Relationship”

Bob Hollander, Ann & Lori Hollander

Most of us know that conflict and the way it’s handled can be a real threat to a relationship.   Lori and Bob Hollander of Relationships Work joined me this past week to talk about what happens when couples don’t deal with conflict.  According to them, there are three possible outcomes:

• Both partners avoid it and end up having a shallow relationship, which can make either of them vulnerable to outside connections
• Both partners fight about it and create a habit of chronic conflict where they may become distant, build up resentment, use criticism/ contempt/defensiveness/stonewalling – what John Gottman calls the “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
• One withdraws and one fights and they create a habit of attack and defend where they create power and control issues

Not fun for anyone involved and especially when this is happening with the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with!

Believe it of not, Lori and Bob offer hope to those couples caught in the habit of conflict.  In fact, they believe that a relationship can be even stronger and a couple can create more intimacy if they learn the skills to manage conflict.   What’s more… they can teach their children how to face and embrace conflict in a healthy and productive way.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the November 3rd show.  And, you can also find out more about Lori and Bob’s upcoming 4-week teleclass starting November 12^th – 3 Keys to Intimate Love for a Lifetime

WTL Wrap-Up: “The Power of Women Build”

Ronnette Owens, Ann and Monica Mitchell

Nothing inspires me more than hearing stories of people who are taking action to change their lives, to make them better, and/or to accomplish some goal.  During the Olympics, I loved the stories that were shared about individual athletes – their personal struggles and what they had to overcome to become champions.  So, needless to say, I love having someone share her story of hope and determination with me on the show.   And, that’s just what happened last week.

One of my guests was Ronnette Owens, a single mom with three children who has been living in public housing.  Ronnette had a dream and went for it.  Someone encouraged her to apply for a Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake home and that’s what she did.  And, not only did she get accepted into the program, her new home became the project for the Habitat Women Build program – and that means women are building Ronnette’s new home!

Also, joining us was the dynamic Monica Mitchell, who fell in love with the concept of Women Build when she attended a Habitat groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year.  In fact, she became the Membership Chair for the Women Build program to enlist other women to help build Ronnette’s new home.  What a perfect job for Monica since she serves as President of Wells Fargo’s Team Member Volunteer Chapter where she is responsible for coordinating group community service participation and community development outreach for Wells Fargo’s 4000+ Maryland team members.

One of the biggest things I learned about the Habitat for Humanity program is that they are not giving away homes for free.  Responsibility comes with a Habitat home.  After the potential homeowner is accepted into the program, there are many requirements she must live up to including pre- and post-purchase planning and support, financial and homebuyer education, several hundred hours of “sweat equity”, and the ability to pay an interest-free mortgage.

We discussed the overwhelming need for affordable housing in our area – especially for single moms in the Central Maryland area whose paychecks don’t cover it all.  When rent can take up a sizable portion of the paycheck, little is left for basic needs like food on the table, buying new clothes and covering medical care.

Always looking for those who want to give back and help change lives and communities, Monica shared how people can become involved with the Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake Women Build program.  In fact, Tori, my producer, and I plan on picking up our hammers and using some of the skills we’ve learned from our own ToolBox TomGirl, Jo Ellen Soesbee, the WomanTalk Live DIY Expert – who just happens to be very involved in the Women Build project, too.

Ronnette has the ribbon-cutting ceremony for her home on December 7th and a new chapter begins in her and her children’s lives.  And, the Women Build program moves forward to encourage more women to come together to inspire, revitalize and take action.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it’s in the podcast archive now – the October 27th show.