Blog

Pre-COVID, I was invited to speak at a conference in Flagstaff, Arizona. During lunch the organizers brought dancers from the Apache tribe to perform. What we witnessed was so powerful and moving, that it prompted me to inquire about the spiritual significance of the songs and dance. They explained to me that after going to war, the warriors returned to their land and were gathered together to perform that particular dance and song. As a tribal African woman, it all made perfect sense. As...

By Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine, July 27, 2022 Expressing gratitude nurtures our relationships , helping us to feel closer to our friends and romantic partners . Some research suggests that grateful people seem to cope better with stress and enjoy superior physical health , perhaps because of those stronger social relationships. What about experiencing gratitude with people we don’t know so well—like, those we work with? Could showing appreciation towards them affect our stress levels...

Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 2 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc0GLP91vWE&t=6s “A diagnosis is not a destiny” - Unknown “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” - Laurell K. Hamilton 1] Sorrow 2] Brush Away Your Tears 3] When Your Heart Follows A Lie 4] Joy “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.

When we feel more connected, we're kinder and care more for others. After 21 years of being incarcerated, our guest Simon Liu, of Bay Area Freedom Collective, tries a practice that helps him remember the profound connections he's made throughout his life. Click HERE to listen to the Podcast.

Everyone keeps secrets, at least occasionally. That’s because we all have inner thoughts and feelings that either are not worth sharing with others or would hurt us or another person if they were revealed. But does keeping secrets come at a cost to our well-being? Researcher Michael Slepian, author of the new book The Secret Life of Secrets , explores this question in depth and comes up with some provocative answers. He uses an illustrative example from his own life—learning as an adult that...

From the Producers of The Wisdom of Trauma Join Iya Affo for an insightful online community conversation facilitated by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo. Iya's passion is to cultivate intergenerational healing by connecting intuitive ancestral practices with modern neurobiology. As we delve into leveraging our neurobiology to facilitate the healing process, we will also explore re-culturing and the creation of self-harmonizing communities. Please join us and bring your questions! The gathering will...

Podcast - Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 1 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sOd1-EvpRI “Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” - Debasish Mridha 1] Songs For The Keys To Your Life 2] The 9:30 Train 3] The Silence That Separates Us 4] By My Side Michael Skinner Music - https://www.mskinnermusic.com/ “Music has the power to heal, transform and inspire and we have the power through deep listening to increase our...

Studiostockart/ Getty Images Workplace well-being is having its moment. I think that’s safe to say, even though, yes, I’m saying it as a Chief Well-Being Officer. Never before have we had the opportunity we now have to redefine work around well-being. Never before have both employees and leaders been more in alignment on the value and necessity of well-being, both in their organizations and in their lives. We have the opportunity to create the world of work that we want to work in. Both the...

These three cognitive countermeasures round out the skills for neutralizing shame imprinted in the first 18 years of life. They complement the right brain strategies described in recent articles.

Healing the Mind, Body & Spirit Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health “ Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. Kahlil Gibran The Surviving Spirit Newsletter July 2022 “ By giving ourselves unconditional kindness and comfort while embracing the human experience, difficult as it is, we avoid destructive patterns of fear, negativity, and isolation.” -...

(*Editor's note: Rutgers–Camden lecturer inducted into the National Academy of School Nursing ) Did I ever tell you that I LOVE snail mail, especially handwritten notes sent through the mail? The other day I sorted through the mail and found three cards! One was from Mom's Demand Action thanking me for speaking at a recent rally. One was from Jeanne Kiefner, a school nursing treasure who will be our forever "Head Nurse," thanking me for spending time together during our recent NASN...

Hawai'i Gov. David Ige signed legislation to establish the state's first Office of Wellness & Resilience. Senate Bill 2482 (SD1 HD1 CD1, relating to wellness) was signed into law by Ige on July 12, 2022. It will now be known as Act 291 . The Senate version of the bill was introduced by state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz and supported by the state Departments of Health and Human Services, as well as more than 30 Hawai‘i child and family-serving organizations who provided testimony around the...