Today's podcast is short and sweet. I give you a brief review of what's on offer in the coming weeks, but there's wee treat in today's offering... a little sound of the season. I hope you enjoy!

Please shoot me a note if you'd like more sound. I can be reached at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send. And like and subscribe, as you wish.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As this is a bonus episode, I thought I'd offer a soundscape with a Tibetan Singing Bowl. I'm no expert in playing it, but I hope this is soothing and joyful nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy this sound bath as much as I did. All questions and comments are welcome, feel free to send me a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Like and subscribe as you will.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I will address them in the next episode.

Episode links:

The 2010 TedTalk that started Brené’s rise to international helper

Biography

Brené Brown podcast “Dare To Lead” with Adam Grant on her new book

Our episode on Truth in Martha Beck's book "The Joy Diet" and the book review of "Burnout" by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

One of the blessings from my Tuscany trip was the enduring friendship of two women - Cheryl Marita and Jackie Rowe, both of whom have previously appeared on the podcast (links below). 

Cheryl has organized a monthly journalling group for some of us to explore aging in our own lives. Our small group of about 20 meet monthly to support Cheryl (link to her blog below) who turned 80 this year. She is about to retire her nursing work as a palliative care nurse this May. She wanted company in journalling about her experience as she contemplates retiring and her aging body. As part of the experience, I offer a grounding meditation for the group to prepare us for the writing. This month, I riffered off Staci's meditation, called "Balancing on Four Planes" and I offer a version of this to you here.

I hope you enjoy this guided meditation. If you'd like more guided meditations, please let me know and I'll consider it. I can be reached at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

You can hear Cheryl's meander, and Jackie's meander, via these links.

Cheryl's blog is called "Morsels of Marita" and it is gentle, and lovely, and so very full of wisdom. I'm a regular reader.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Since he immigrated to Canada in 2011, he’s made his way in the jazz music scene in Ottawa and the country at large. Ed leads The Prime Rib Big Band, and feels as much business person as musician. “I get all of that entrepreneurial side from my mom. She’s a shark.” His philosophy of “don’t ask don’t get” has helped him build a jazz music career in our capital city, and he shares a few wee stories about how that unfolded. 

We talk about the Ottawa music scene, and the value of being a big fish in a small pond. 

It's hard to be so far from family, and we talk about how he stays connected with them from across the pond. We also explore what to do with mementos of our careers, and the value of celebrating our successes.

We have a lovely meander; it's so much fun! I hope you enjoy this too.

All comments welcome. Please drop me a line at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

The Prime Rib Big Band

Ed Lister and “The Espionage Orchestra” which plays themes from the James Bond oeuvre 

Paquin Entertainment is the agency that just signed Ed and The Espionage Orchestra

Ed Lister Music Productions on YouTube

Ottawa IS a friendly place, with lots going on. Check out Ottawa Tourism

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This is a true meander folks, and I hope you’ll sit down with us with a cup of your favourite beverage and join us for the ride.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck

The except that I read is from Richard Wagamese’s book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

You can learn more about Angie and her work at Big Stone House. And Angie quoted from poet Mary Oliver's poem "Summer Day"

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This week I share with you what I did on my Christmas vacation, but also what I have in store for you in the coming winter and spring episodes on the podcast. 

I’m also trying to show not only joy, but how I put into practice the learnings we’ve had from books that I’ve reviewed as we go along. Perceptive listeners will pick up in today’s episode some of Martha Beck’s learnings from “The Joy Diet.” Feel free to drop me a line if you discern which practice I'm using.

One quick note: you’ll hear a little new music here in the intro. This is from the Prime Rib Big Band; band leader Ed Lister has given me permission to us this song, called “Stampede.”

All comments welcome. Please drop me a line at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Prime Rib Big Band

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The first is a clip from Choir Choir Choir taped in Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa - I've included a bit of the background as to how they do what they do, as well as what was for us, the final product. The second clip I use with permission from band leader Ed Lister... a clever band member reworked the iconic theme song from Dr. Seuss' classic story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! called "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." It's a wild rendition, and I offer you a fair chunk of it. Enjoy!

As always, all comments are welcome. Please drop me a line at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

And join me again in March, 2026 after my winter break for more meanders on joy in the every day. Happy New Year!

Episode links:

Choir Choir Choir

Prime Rib Big Band 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I will address them in the next episode.

Episode links:

The 2010 TedTalk that started Brené’s rise to international helper

Biography

Brené Brown podcast “Dare To Lead” with Adam Grant on her new book

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This is a very generous conversation with Terry about his writing career, how it came about and where he’s going next. It was a true joy for me to chat with him about his wide-ranging novels - his first book featured Canadian politics (a comedy, really it is) and his latest is a rollicking Canadian spy story. He’s covered a lot of topics writing about what he knows in each. 

We too cover a lot of ground, as we talk storytelling and the ins and outs of how he tales a tale. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun in this meander. I hope you will too!

All comments welcome. Please drop me a line at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Learn more about Terry here

Learn about the great author, Robertson Davies, who is part muse to the character Angus McLintock

The Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

My substack

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The Enneagram as I come to it is more a lens that helps me see myself. And yes, maybe help me be a better version of myself. This is what it is for me, at this point in my life and development. And it's how I introduce it to my clients.

For Angie, the Enneagram provides a means for personal transformation that enables us to be in better relationship with people we love, and with the world. It’s a spiritual thing for her, a sacred teaching that life is a gift. The Enneagram enables presence, and in this way, serves us in our relationships, both 1:1 and in larger communities. No wonder this is her approach, given she is “Reverend.” 

You’ll hear this difference as we meander. 

No matter how we approach it, the Enneagram gives us an opening, the beginning of a deep conversation about who we are, and that is just what we offer today.

We also dig into Hope. December is the season for hope, as dark turns to light and the year begins again. And, I do think we need to remember hope as our world changes in ways I, we, may not like so much.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, it matters. If you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Angie’s newly renovated website: Big Stone House

For background about the, visit the Enneagram Institute

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

That’s what “Sitting on Sundays” is. It is a practice that Angie and her husband Peter offer through their coaching company, have done so for a decade or so. Once a week, people gather on line to contemplate life. Share highs and lows. Hold space for each other without judgment or the need to fix. To slow down and just feel into who we are in that moment. 

While this is not something everyone will come for, the idea of slowing down, sinking into contemplation about who we are, exploring the role of grace, of hope, of peace and so many other things… it is something anyone can create with another person, and offer space to each other to be curious about life, right, now. That's the invitation... slow down and contemplate life. Your life. Find the awe in the moments. Name the highs, and the lows, and find a friend to do it with.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Angie’s newly renovated website: Big Stone House

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

The Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

My substack

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you write.

Episode links:

The 2010 TedTalk that started Brené’s rise to international helper

Biography

Brené Brown podcast “Dare To Lead” with Adam Grant on her new book

Here’s Dan Harris leading us into a metta meditation, which is also called a “loving kindness” meditation 

And here’s my episode on risk that I mentioned in this episode

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Recently, Sylvie retired from a second career nursing, working in palliative care and sitting with people as they die. insights gleaned from this has enriched her life, and we explore some of that too. Meditation features highly in this conversation.

I loved my time meandering with Sylvie, I’m sure you will too. Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

You can read Sylvie’s excellent blog here at Little Old Lady… In Waiting

Sylvie mentioned the book “Awareness” by Anthony De Mello and she recommends you listen to it first, which you can find on Audible (this is just her recommendation, not a product advertisement)

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The Enneagram provides us a lens through which we can see ourselves – the gifts and the challenges that are both burden and joy. This is how I approach the Enneagram in my own self, and with my coaching clients.

Angie comes at the Enneagram from a deeper place, a reverent one. In this context, reverence means having a deep respect for someone or something. It includes a sense of awe and wonder. In this case, the Enneagram provides a spiritual portal for showing up fully as human, and holy, in our lives, and bringing our gifts to service of this world. Angie tells us that the personal and spiritual journey on offer from the teachings and practice of the Enneagram reminds us both of how awesome we are, and also, how much space there is for improvement. 

Understanding the Enneagram in our lives enables us to choose how we want to be in our life. With awareness, we engage with life from a sense of presence. Which, with any luck, enhances our relationships and creates ripples of goodness in the world. 

And that's why we're talking about the Enneagram, because all of us bringing our best sefl forth is how we change the world for the better. Love and be loved... that's the ballgame, folks.

If you have questions about the Enneagram, or anything we covered here today, please drop me a line at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And stay tuned, there is more to come.

Episode links:

The Enneagram  as explained  by The Enneagram Institute 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Father Richard Rohr and The Center for Action and Contemplation

Our previous meander on Expectations from May 9, 2023

The Enneagram Institute

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Following my check in, I’ll set the table for what is to come this month in our programming. I hope you enjoy this episode, please share it around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Trudy’s Substack  if you’d like to have a read. I write about my podcast, and a few other things Canadian. 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, we set the table for the ten guideposts she outlines in the chapters to come. The ten guideposts support what she calls “wholehearted living.” I hope you’ll read along with it all as we go. 

This is tender work folks. Brené’s got a lovely mantra that can help: “Stay awkward, brave, and kind.” I hope you’ll keep that in mind as we dig in.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I will address them in the next episode.

Episode links:

The 2010 TedTalk that started Brené’s rise to international helper

Biography

Brené Brown podcast “Dare To Lead” with Adam Grant on her new leadership book, "Strong Ground" 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Petra shares with us her experience of switching professions from law to movement coach, how it has enhanced her life, and why she thinks we all need to focus on “future-proofing our bodies” so we age well and increase our “joy span.”

Petra is offering a new foot fitness webinar as of this week, so please have a look at the link below if you're interested. I love all her programs, I hope you will too!

I’m keen to hear what you think about this, so please take note, and send comments to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

Episode links:

Petra Fisher Movement, and Petra's new foot webinar. You can find Petra's social media on her website.

Katy Bowman

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

What is it about those people and things that influenced us that tells us so much about who we are?

I’m keen to hear what you think about this, so please send comments to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

Episode links:

The movie Angie mentioned is called “Pieowa” and here’s the trailer

Some background about Alan Alda; his podcast is called “Clear and Vivid”

Anne Lamott, author, and PBS children’s TV show host, Mr. Rogers

Ken Burns latest documentary on the American Revolution, premiering Nov 16, 2025 on PBS

Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned off to raise money for PBS

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Angie and her husband Peter, and their two golden retrievers, went on a 7,000 mile (11,265 kilometres) road trip, returning to places that feel like home, seeing old friends and making new ones along the way. They did a big loop from Arizona to the east coast of the US, north to Almonte, Canada where they lived for a number of years, then back down to Iowa and back home to Arizona. They travelled through some of the reddest states in the US union, only to find that people are people, regardless of political stripe. Kindness and generosity met them at every turn, and much BBQ was had. It was a good trip, and a reminder to slow down, let go of expectations, be present to each other and to the road, and be open to love. 

This was a good meander, and we’ll have more on this PauseCast. I’m always keen to hear from you, so please share your thoughts at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

Episode links:

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I am thrilled to be back with all of you, exploring joy in the everyday. This year, we’ll follow the same cadence has last year, and I explain all that in this episode. We’ll also have a sub theme of aging well, and how that connects to joy. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this coming season! I give you a sneak peek into what’s to come in our episode toay.

I’m always keen to hear from you, so please share your thoughts at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

Episode links:

My new trailer

Drayton Theatre Festival in Grand Bend on Lake Huron, and Penetanguishene on Georgian Bay

Canada’s five great lakes

Petra Fisher Movement

Trudy’s SubStack

Terry Fallis and his new book The Marionette 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Old cedar trees surround her home and a salmon stream runs down the back part of the property. It's as close as you can get to nature without leaving the city. Her home is halfway up the side of a mountain... (I just can't bring myself to call it a "hill") on your way out of Vancouver. It's idyllic and I love it here. I try to capture the spirit of the place through sound, and fail every time. Although I don't stop trying.

I hope you enjoy this last "summer" episode, although by now it feels like fall. I return to regular programming next week. I hope you'll join me wherever you get your podcasts. All kind comments welcome.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Thank you for your good company as we close out this review of this informative guide into joy in the everyday!

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work has gone, and how you are onboarding, or playing with, these ten daily practices. 

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

“What Comes From Spirit,” by Richard Wagamese

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Brené Brown on shame and vulnerability

The anatomy of a conversation

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Laughter Yoga, edited, care of ABC Australia, Laughter Yoga International

Baby laughter, child laughter, royalty free, with thanks

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In early August, my family and I took some time at a friends' cottage to regroup and recharge. It was a gorgeous, hot week and we thoroughly enjoyed being by the water. When I collected this sound, the lake was a little riled up, just perfect for capturing for this soundscape episode. I hope you enjoy the sounds from this paradise!

Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And drop any feedback to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this meander as I share some of the things that I think of as "treats." It's more than chocolate and pizza, I can assure you! I hope you'll take some time to consider what a treat means to you. Beck calls treats things that make you smile, so what's your list? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

The iconic song, "My Favourite Things" from the epic movie "The Sound of Music" is used here with great thanks to Julie Andrews and Fox Family Entertainment.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Comfortable Hiking Holidays

Zion National Park, Angel’s Landing

Zion National Park, The Narrows on the Virgin River

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, I meander with you from the hot tub, the site of my daily meditation practice. Truth be told, I've been struggling with this week's practice on Desire. I had a whole script written, but instead, by instinct, I set it aside and just spoke from my heart. You'll hear the hiss from the hot tub's filtre for a while, then the sound of the wind brushing the mic and the birds tweeting in the background. It's all real, I promise you! After that, I share with you what I have learned about stillness and how it has applied in my life. I keep coming back to this first practice as it is just that pivotal. Then we turn to the book and the topic of desire and how I have worked with that practice. I'm hoping you are reading along  and so will learn also from Martha Beck herself as I stray a bit away from her work in this meander, and into my experience with it. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Let me know how this practice lands for you.

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, we’re looking at chapter 2, called “Truth.” The practice in this case is all about getting quiet enough in our body and mind to hear what is true for us in this very moment. Beck walks us through just how we can do that. I also weave in a bit of my favourite Indigenous author, Richard Wagamese with a few excepts from his book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations.” 

If you are interested in reading along, you can buy her book from your local independent bookstore and join me each week to explore her offering.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Tell me how exploring your truth has worked for you!

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood. Same thing with “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations” by Richard Wagamese.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We are starting this week with chapter 1, habit #1: do nothing. In this episode, I explore this practice a bit with you, talk about how doing nothing has helped me live a more balanced life, and invite you into the practice using Martha Beck's directions.  

If you are interested in reading along, you can buy her book from your local independent bookstore and join me each week to explore her offering.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Tell me how doing nothing has worked for you!

Episode links:

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lilly.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

All comments can be sent to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

See you in October!

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Poets I mentioned: Mary Oliver, “Don’t Hesitate”; Khalil Gibran, “The Prophet”; Brené Brown’s epic TedTalk, “The Power of Vulnerability”; “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words” by David Whyte and his on-line class, Three Sundays Series; Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations.”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy the antics of Angus and Daniel, but more, this book makes me think a bit, giving thought to the kind of politician Angus proves to be. What if we had more like him as leader? What if, indeed?

At any rate, please send comments to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. 

See you in October!

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

The Ottawa River House

The Library of Parliament, Ottawa Canada

“The Best Laid Plans” by Terry Fallis

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

“We're free spirits, we love adventure and variety...” is how Donna explains the spirit she shares, and continues to share, with her husband. We talk about how travel was different then, ~40 years ago, pre-Internet – how it took trust and courage to step into the unknown in times when we didn’t carry a computer in our pockets. 

Donna has written a blog about their travels, and Jim’s photos adorn every post… a true collaboration of kindred spirits. This meander was a lovely review of a travel-life well-lived. And there's more to come from Donna and Jim, I have no doubt.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Katimavik

You can read Donna’s blog here, and see Jim’s photography here and here

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As David Whyte says in his great book “Consolations”: “Rest is the conversation between what we love to do and how we love to be…”. With this, rest is the great enabler of returning to our balanced self. Summer allows times for languishing (we really mean "feeling languid" but we went with the word at the time, apologies for the mixup), for watching clouds and the shapes they make; sitting under deep velvet night skies and catching fireflies. Angie and I wish this for each of you, whenever summer lands in your place in this world. And Angie will embark on a summer of “Re” – re-reading, re-turning, re-membering, re-experiencing languid summer days.

The thumbnail of our episode this week is a peony from my garden… to honour Angie’s love of this perennial flower.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Trudy's company, Chapman Coaching Inc. sponsors this podcast.

You can hear Trudy’s son Callum Lurie on his YouTube page. He’s playing in Grand Bend and in Penetanguishene, Ontario with the Dreyton Theatre Festival.

Books we mentioned: Maggie Smith “Dear Writer” and “You Could Make This Place Beautiful;” “Bird by Bird” by Annie Lamott; “On Writing” by Stephen King; Michael Ondaatje “The English Patient” and “In the Skin of a Lion;” David Whyte’s “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words”; “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times” by Katherine May; anything by Alan Alda but we mentioned “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed” and his podcast “Clear and Vivid”

You can read more from Angie on her Substack, called “the bigger picture”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Bruce's university friend owns this cottage on Bob's Lake, just outside Minden, Ontario. Allan lives in the UK but returns to Canada several times a year for his fix of "home." Bruce and Allan met as young men and have sustained a quiet friendship over these many years. Both from Winnipeg, Manitoba, they share my love of nature. Allan gives us occasional use of his place while he's not here, and we take full advantage whenever we can.

Mornings by a lake are so peaceful; they take me away from any worries I hold, and just support me as I bath in the sounds of the world.

I hope you enjoy these early morning sounds of nature, awakening.

Episode links:

As usual, this podcast is sponsored by my company,Chapman Coaching Inc.

Minden, Ontario

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ve subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts; please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This book, "Tales of Wisdom from an Unconventional Woman: A Walk on the Beach" by Joan Anderson, came to me in the early days of my recovery from my divorce, long before my coach training. I can now see what a pivotal part this book played in becoming the me I am today. I feel such gratitude for this book and its support at this vulnerable time in my life.

As I experience it now, I realize how much of Erikson’s tidbits of wisdom I hold to, even now. Things like: 

• Always be willing to dance. And know that no matter how hard you dance, not everyone will clap.
• Make time for play.
• It’s a gift, being your own person.
• We grow from emotional conflict.
• Do something with your hands when you seek clarity.
• By being open, welcoming, and ready to receive, grace happens.
• And live the dash. You’ll understand this one after you listen to the episode.

I hope you’ve subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts; please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

A GoodReads review of “A Walk on the Beach” by Joan Anderson

A GoodReads review of “Wisdom and the Senses: The Way of Creativity” by Joan Erikson

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This podcast looks at joy in the everyday, and Cheryl’s work as a hospice nurse does that for her… it brings joy to her everyday, that’s clear. After a career spanning almost 60 years, and at 79 years of age, she continues to work as a hospice nurse two days a week because not doing so, well, it’s just not possible for her. 

In her book, she talks about the beginnings of her career, in the early 1960s, and her entry into supporting people to their natural death at a time when death meant "failure" to the medical professionals. Since she started her career, we’ve come a long way in human-focused care. Cheryl’s book shares some of those stories. It was a pleasure to meander with Cheryl; I hope you too enjoy this episode.

I hope you’ve subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts; please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can get Cheryl’s book, "Touching the Veil: End of Life Stories Through the Eyes of a Nurse" via her blog, "Morsels of Marita" or via Indigo if you’re in Canada, or via your independent book store 

You can read her blog on Medium 

“Good Trouble” and the history of John Lewis in the fight for equal rights in the US

“Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maude Mongomery

The origins of the quote I used: “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." is Viktor E. Frankl, from "Man’s Search for Meaning"; Hersh Goldberg-Polin modified it to help himself and his fellow hostages find hope while in captivity in Gaza

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, I ask: what happens when ritual becomes empty? When Easter weekend, past just last month, is no longer connected to its Christian origins? When Christmas is all about the presents, not the love we all have capacity to share or the birth of a child, born to die for our sins (again, a Christian idea). And what does religion have to offer anymore anyway? Angie would say religion offers a container of teachings and practices that ground us in our belief; rituals help us remember what that’s all about.

This is a good wrestle between Angie and me. And we don’t wrap it up in a bow, but come at it from different places, landing in a more explored place of seeing ritual and its importance.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can read more from Angie on her Substack, called “the bigger picture”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please, share this around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and give us a review. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

As usual, this podcast is sponsored by my company,Chapman Coaching Inc.

This month’s book to be reviewed will be: “A Walk on the Beach” by Joan Anderson

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this bonus episode...

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

It always amazes me how the different types and depths of ice and icy snow make all kinds of crunchy sounds as I walk. You can hear the stream as it flows, coming to life with all the water running off the forest and into the creak. It’s lovely, and kind of magical. Just a wee taste of life in Ottawa as the world reawakens, birds tweet and geese honk.

I hope you’ve subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts; please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ve subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts; please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

This podcast is supported by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Nagoski sister’s website

Interview with the Nogoski sisters on “Unlocking Us,” Brené Brown’s podcast 

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We also talk “inside baseball” about the process of publishing a book, independently. The big benefit – you have total creative control. There’s good insight here if self-publishing is on your mind.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please, share it around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and give us a review. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

If you’d like to buy his book, look for “The Freelancer,” by C.J. Fournier in your favourite independent bookstore

One of the authors Chris mentioned was Graeme Greene

“May 2-4 Weekend” in Canada is a play on words. 2-4 refers to a case of 24 beer. And the weekend celebrates the birthday of the colonial British Queen, Victoria. The weekend also marks the beginning of summer in Canada.

Book cover designed by award winning designer, David Drummond of Salamander Hill design studio

Some background about Canada’s war in Afghanistan

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

The music here is offered joyfully by Olive Tree Hymns, and I so appreciate their offering. They are a small team of young Christian volunteer musicians from Australia devoted to the worship of God through song and you can find them on YouTube. The song: "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In Canada, like the rest of the world to varying degrees, we’re facing a sea change with America no longer willing to play the role they’ve played since the end of World War II. With tariffs applied to our long-standing trade, and threats to annex us, Canadians feel this new threat to their core. And people simmer in the stress of it without any real awareness of the havoc this is playing in our nervous systems. 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing a few thoughts, and some found music from Lisbon, Portugal. I hope it helps you find some calmness in your day.  

And a word of gratitude for street musicians all over the world, but particularly those in Lisbon who have unknowingly contributed to this episode. You all Rock!! And you make the world a better place as you share your talents. Thank you.

Please, share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and give us a review. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

As usual, this podcast is sponsored by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Meander with Maddalena Molina from December, 2022, and her company, Comfortable Hiking Holidays

Inside Lisbon was the company our Lisbon tour guide Pedro worked for, and learn more about his work in Ukraine with UNESCO

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Dr. Kimmerer lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please, share it around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and give us a review. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc. and the blog post I mentioned about how to find balance

Here’s Dr. Kimmerer talking about the spring, and in it she speaks in her Anishinaabe language

“Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please, share it around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and give us a review. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Sole sponsor of this podcast is my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Gatineau Gliding Club at the Pendleton Airdrome near Wendover, Ontario, the small club from where Ian flies

Soaring Association of Canada

2023 National Soaring Competition

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by American author Richard Bach 

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Episode link:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this wee chat. Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Book by Mark Nepo “You Don’t Have to Do It Alone” 

Netflix documentary, “Join or Die” based on the book by Robert Putnam “Bowling Alone”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We all have habits of being that were grooved into us long ago. In how we were raised, in who we are when we're born, and in what we go through in our lives. These are unconscious, and help us navigate our world. Just as we outgrow our jeans, we can also outgrow our habits, but we don't often realize that this has happened.

So how do you gain awareness of this, so that you can stop getting in your own way and choose a life of intention? How do we manage to  feel steady enough to see who we really are, so that we can ask these questions of ourselves? Well, I think, joy is key. It supports us in our humanity, in seeing ourselves without judgement, and in seeing the humanity of others as well. It enables both hope, and grace. Hope in something better, and grace for lapses in ourselves and others.

All this is why, in my fifth year, I'm doing these podcasts. These topics matter. More than ever.

Thoughts and comments are welcome. Send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As usual, I’ve dipped into "Embers" by Richard Wagamese, and also “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” for inspiration. Coming out of that, I have an invitation for you to consider… What beauty do you care for in your life? And how does it enhance your world? Drop me a note and share what you find... I read everything you send me.

I hope you’ve subscribed to this wherever you get your podcasts. Please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

“Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations” by Richard Wagamese

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Macksey

Alison Wearing, a writer and teacher I’ve studied with this past year, who is helping me grow as a writer

Book by my friend Cheryl Marita, the friend I visit in New Mexico, “Touching the Veil: End of Life Stories Through the Eyes of a Nurse”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Chapman Coaching Inc.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations and housekeeping, that’s mostly what I have for you today, but that’s ok, sometimes such things are a necessary part of our relationships… running a podcast is no different really.

I hope you’ll return to my podcast after my two-month break… I’ll have a new episode on the first Tuesday in March, and I'll let you know how my writing has been going. With any luck, I'll have some new blog posts up, maybe you'll have read a few... you can find them under "blog" on my website. Fingers crossed! 

Please, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts; and please, share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars, it really does help. If you have comments or questions, go ahead and send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything you send!

Happy New Year to us all. May 2025 bring kindness, and grace, and yes, joy, to your life. Thank you for listening.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

CJ Fournier, “The Freelancer” is the book I mentioned and the author I hope to interview this coming season, and a review of his first mystery novel on goodreads

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This book plays two roles for me. First, it's just a good story about affairs as they unfolded in the US in the early days of the turn of the century. 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, all told by someone who covered them on the ground. Secondly, Dan shares with us how he managed to shift from hard-driving journalist into a more balanced version of himself. His invitation into mindfulness meditation via his app helped me find my way into a more relaxed version of meditation that I follow to this day. He's a guy out there truly doing good in this world, and I appreciate him. And this book is great.

If you’re of a mind, share your thoughts with me about this, or any, book review at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. If there is a book you recommend, let me know and I’ll give it a look, no promises though. 

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dan Harris’ Ted Talk about how he became less of a jerk to himself – I laughed, and cried, when I watched this one.

The revised app is called “Happier”

And his podcast is Ten% Happier with Dan Harris

Poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” just 'cause it's tradition

The book, reviewed on Good Reads

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

While I’ve met Jackie as a writer, she also ran a very successful company for 25 years, an occupation which kept her away from home and occupied more space in her life than she might have liked. Now that she’s into the next phase of her life, she’s tending to her family in a much different way than she had time for while she was working. She writes – memoir and poetry – and cooks, and paints… We talk about that and a whole lot more on this episode.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Please, share these episodes widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I read everything that arrives in my in-box.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Jackie’s company was The Garlic Box and you can learn more about it here. It’s now been sold, so the tradition lives on!

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

December, at least in the northern hemisphere where we live, gets increasingly dark, the days, shorter, until the longest day of the year, Dec 21, and the Winter Solstice. In December, hope, peace, joy and love are centered week by week as Christmas approaches… which is an invitation for Christians and non alike to name what is in the dark, and turn towards something life giving… hope, peace, joy and love... and begin again. 

And yet, life includes a lot of fear these days… mostly of the unknown. So, in the face of this fear, naming that, pausing, and turning towards… hope peace, joy and love…. Forgiveness, and trust too. This and more we cover in this meander. 

I hope you enjoy this free-wheeling exploration. 

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Angie’s Substack channel, “The Bigger Picture”

Thomas Keating

Blue Rodeo, “Try”

The Tragically Hip documentary, “No Dress Rehearsal”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope this lands well for you. Share your thoughts with me too, I’d love to hear from you, please write me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I hope you’ve subscribed where ever you get your podcasts. And please share this widely to spread these conversations about joy in the every day. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Reading page 115 from Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

If you’re of a mind, share your thoughts with me about these book reviews  at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. If there is a book you recommend, let me know and I’ll give it a look, no promises though. And… if you tried sitting with nothing and it became something, tell me about that too, I’d love to hear about your experience. 

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Good Reads review

The movie it became has been world renown. You can see the trailer here.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Nancy is an effervescent spirit, and it is such a joy to meander again with her on this episode.

If you’re of a mind, shoot me a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com and let me know how this episode landed for you. Please like and subscribe where ever you get your podcasts... and share widely, to spread the joy that comes from these conversations that matter.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

The soundscape at Lac Nominique

Nancy’s previous meander with me

Capital Pottery, Nancy's one stop Ottawa shop for pottery supplies

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As always, this being human is best supported by presence. Being present to our selves, and each other. To love and be loved. Simple. And not, too.

I hope you enjoy this update as we reconnect, again, with Angie.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Donor Network of Arizona, where Angie now works

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope this lands well for you. Share your thoughts with me too about how the fall bounty shows up for you. I’d love to hear from you, please write me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I hope you’ve subscribed where ever you get your podcasts. And please share this widely to spread these conversations about joy in the every day. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Wagamese died in 2017, leaving behind 16 books. The bulk of his writing was fiction, telling stories about his people, informed by his experience. These are hard reads sometimes for they are full of heartbreak and challenge. His first book, "Keeper'n Me" tells the story of Garnet Raven, a story that parallels Wagamese's own life experience.  It's worth your time too.

Two of his books are autobiographies, and several others explore Indigenous spirituality and wisdom. "Embers" is of that latter type, offering us hard-won wisdom about how to live a fulfilling life. I like to pick this book up and just open it up to see what is alive for me in that moment. I've never been let down. Also, it is beautifully laid out, a feast for your eyes!

I've read from "Embers" countless times on this podcast, particularly on the PauseCast in conversation with Angie Arendt, so it seemed like the right place to start.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Richard Wagamese biography

"Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations"

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I'm a little rusty and forgot to remind you to please subscribe if you haven't already, and share my work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Jane’s company is Cariboo Handwoven 

Petra Fisher Movement and Yoga with Adriene

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you liked this all the same. Please, like it on your favourite social media and share it around, and subscribe where ever you get your podcasts. All feedback welcome at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.  

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Donor Network of Arizona, where Angie now works

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy

The poem Angie read was “Good Bones,” by Maggie Smith

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you'll find this a worthwhile way to spend some time together.  I sure do enjoy meandering with you, and playing with sound. 

Comments are always welcome; please send them to me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com I read everything. And please subscribe and share this episode widely so we can all be reminded to look for how joy shows up for us, in our everyday worlds. Thank you for listening, I know there are many options out there. Thank you for spending this time with me.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dead Dog Cafe

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Enjoy!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Horsefly, BC

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Please enjoy this soundscape with me, of her hot tub, with the salmon stream and a few floatplanes and helicopters in the mix.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Stanley Park is an urban park, and so there is a lot of texture in this soundscape. There were lots of people walking with us, jogging around us, the usual car traffic, as well as buses carrying tourists around. Lot's here to hear! Enjoy!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Pacific Great Blue Heron Colony at Stanley Park, Vancouver BC

You can see all the action in the nests via the Heron Cam

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, this is what is on offer… one of our summer rainstorms with sound collected from my backyard. I hope you enjoy this reprieve from the summer heat, as we move from August to September, and the fall begins to be more present in cooler nights and back to school sales in the stores.

Enjoy!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Grand Lac Nominique is a small lake, as they go here in Canada. The lake is 8 km long and 3 km wide and it can be found in the Laurentians, which are a mountain range in eastern Canada, in the province of Quebec. The lake is bounded by big rocks, and the water laps against them in a very pleasing way… a snippet of which is what I’m offering you today.

Like the Canadian summer, this is a short and sweet taste of the glories of the Grand Lac Nominique. True bliss!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Grand Lac Nominique

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As I try to find and showcase the good in life, this piece about how the fans responded to the cancellation gives me hope that ultimately, things will be ok. In the face of challenge, human beings are amazing, and these fans, no less:  finding meaning in their shared loved, sharing connection, exhibiting resilience through song, sharing rituals and yes, joy… the fans showed it all. All in the face of the cancellatoin of "just a concert."

All this and more is what we meander around every week as we shine the spotlight on joy. I believe that joy, and hope, are antidotes to fear and sadness about the state of the world. 

I hope you don’t mind this impromptu meander from my kitchen, as I made coffee, and tea, and shared my thoughts with you. And please, give the article a read let me know if it gives you a little more hope in this broken, but beautiful, world of ours. The link is below.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

“A Terrorist Plot Canceled the Show. But We Swifties Found Each Other on Cornelia Street” By Agnes Callard published in “The Free Press” August 17, 2024

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

My take-aways from the book, very high level, are:

1. Loss is simply what happens to us in life. It’s part of living fully. It is natural. Meaning is what we make of it. 
2. We all move through grief, and recovery, at our own pace.
3. STUGs – sudden temporary upsurges of grief – happen because grieving is not linear; we ebb and flow in our experience for the rest of our lives.
4. Listening to someone in their grief is our superpower as humans.
5. Grieving takes effort, awareness, self-compassion, time, and community. We all have a part to play.
6. Grief is love.

My final invitation to you is to consider these take-aways and see how they land for you now. And what, if anything else, did you notice that is meaningful for you?

Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Richard Wagamese’s book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The notion of post traumatic growth is a centrepiece of this chapter, and it is a much-overlooked reality of our effectively growing through our grief from a loss. This idea spotlights all the ways in which we as people grow stronger, learn more about ourselves, develop resilience and insight by experiencing grief and big life losses. All this helps us as we become our future selves. Or as Dina puts it “… post traumatic growth… describes the positive psychological change that is experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life occurrences.” The gifts of grief are many, sometimes simple, others profound. But always nurturing to us as we move forward into tomorrow.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore one of the seven growth opportunities coming out of grief that Dina outlined for us from the literature. How have you experienced flourishing coming out of a loss experience you have had? And how has this affected your life?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

She read us the poem “Hands of a Woman,” the wonderful BC poet Caroline Miskenack

An article from Karl Abrecht on the five basic human fears

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Another big part of this meander explores fear. It seems to us that understanding fear a bit better will help us cope through periods of grief, so Dina shares a bit about the five basic human fears, and how these manifest in us, in our lives.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore two things: first, how does fear hold you in unhealthy ways of coping with loss? And second, if the idea of continuing bonds makes sense to you, what could that look like in your life? And if you try, how does this shift your experience of your grief?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Dina’s song, cowritten with Leslie Rohonczy

An article from Karl Abrecht on the five basic human fears

The Enneagram Institute on Enneagram types

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore how you cope with loss. What tools do you use? Are you an intuitive griever or an instrumental one? Do you take action and do things as you grieve, or do you emote? What happens when you do this?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Dina’s song, cowritten with Leslie Rohonczy

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to move out of your loss map and see how you’ve reconciled those losses you found. Start with one loss you've noticed, and move on from there. With a kind and non-judgemental mind, what do you see?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore your “loss line;” here's how: divide your age by four, and create four boxes on a piece of paper, breaking your years of life into four spans. For each span, write down the memories of loss that come up for you. Take a few passes at this, maybe over a few sittings, and write until you feel complete. Then, sit with what you've explored and consider: what do you see? Any trends, or threads that you see? What does this tell you about your approach to loss and grieving... how do you grapple? Dina explains more, so make sure you listen if you're interested in trying this out.

Feel free to share your expereince with this exercise, or anything that you hear, with us. Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

On this Canada Day, I went for a kayak with my brother Steve on a tributary of the Ottawa River. Green’s Creek it’s called, and while in the city, it’s like going back into prehistoric time. We saw several heron, a large beaver and many turtles of many sizes. It was great.

I hope you enjoy this wee paddle.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we will offer a few invitations for practice for our listeners. This session has two:

1. Coming out of David Whyte’s poem, “The Journey,” what is the one line already inside of you that if you looked, you’d find?
2. Poetry is a window into our heart, an aid to help us mull over what matters to us. Find some that speaks to you. Explore. How does your grief show up here?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Wind Phone, contact Dina if you want to make a donation to the one planned for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I will be on break until October, but offering a “Meander Again” set of episodes, recasting my six conversations with Dina Bell-Laroche and her book, which takes us to mid-August. After that, I will go silent until October, a real break during which my creative juices will marinate. 

Thank you for your good company! See you in the fall!

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work has gone, and how you are onboarding, or playing with, these ten daily practices. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

“What Comes From Spirit,” by Richard Wagamese

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Brené Brown on shame and vulnerability

The anatomy of a conversation

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Laughter Yoga, edited, care of ABC Australia, Laughter Yoga International

Baby laughter, child laughter, royalty free, with thanks

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

My take-aways from the book, very high level, are:

1. Loss is simply what happens to us in life. It’s part of living fully. It is natural. Meaning is what we make of it. 
2. We all move through grief, and recovery, at our own pace.
3. STUGs – sudden temporary upsurges of grief – happen because grieving is not linear; we ebb and flow in our experience for the rest of our lives.
4. Listening to someone in their grief is our superpower as humans.
5. Grieving takes effort, awareness, self-compassion, time, and community. We all have a part to play.
6. Grief is love.

My final invitation to you is to consider these take-aways and see how they land for you now. And what, if anything else, did you notice that is meaningful for you?

Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Richard Wagamese’s book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you enjoy this meander as I share some of the things that I think of as "treats." It's more than chocolate and pizza, I can assure you! I hope you'll take some time to consider what a treat means to you. Beck calls treats things that make you smile, so what's your list? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

The iconic song, "My Favourite Things" from the epic movie "The Sound of Music" is used here with great thanks to Julie Andrews and Fox Family Entertainment.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Comfortable Hiking Holidays

Zion National Park, Angel’s Landing

Zion National Park, The Narrows on the Virgin River

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The notion of post traumatic growth is a centrepiece of this chapter, and it is a much-overlooked reality of our effectively growing through our grief from a loss. This idea spotlights all the ways in which we as people grow stronger, learn more about ourselves, develop resilience and insight by experiencing grief and big life losses. All this helps us as we become our future selves. Or as Dina puts it “… post traumatic growth… describes the positive psychological change that is experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life occurrences.” The gifts of grief are many, sometimes simple, others profound. But always nurturing to us as we move forward into tomorrow.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore one of the seven growth opportunities coming out of grief that Dina outlined for us from the literature. How have you experienced flourishing coming out of a loss experience you have had? And how has this affected your life?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

She read us the poem “Hands of a Woman,” the wonderful BC poet Caroline Miskenack

An article from Karl Abrecht on the five basic human fears

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, I meander with you from the hot tub, the site of my daily meditation practice. Truth be told, I've been struggling with this week's practice on Desire. I had a whole script written, but instead, by instinct, I set it aside and just spoke from my heart. You'll hear the hiss from the hot tub's filtre for a while, then the sound of the wind brushing the mic and the birds tweeting in the background. It's all real, I promise you! After that, I share with you what I have learned about stillness and how it has applied in my life. I keep coming back to this first practice as it is just that pivotal. Then we turn to the book and the topic of desire and how I have worked with that practice. I'm hoping you are reading along  and so will learn also from Martha Beck herself as I stray a bit away from her work in this meander, and into my experience with it. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Let me know how this practice lands for you.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Today, we’re looking at chapter 2, called “Truth.” The practice in this case is all about getting quiet enough in our body and mind to hear what is true for us in this very moment. Beck walks us through just how we can do that. I also weave in a bit of my favourite Indigenous author, Richard Wagamese with a few excepts from his book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations.” 

If you are interested in reading along, you can buy her book from your local independent bookstore and join me each week to explore her offering.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to:  meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Tell me how exploring your truth has worked for you!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood. Same thing with “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations” by Richard Wagamese.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As I listen to this, I am transported back to the experience, and feel the excitement and the wonder all over again. I hope you enjoy this bonus piece from my experience of this amazing event.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Video of solar eclipse totality from Kingston Ontario, just two hours down the road from where I was. Thanks to CBC News for the video link.

I wrote a blog piece about it on my website, if you'd like to have a read.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We're always told to live our best lives, but what does that really mean? In this book, coach Beck introduces us to the 10 daily practices that she believes will help us live more joy full lives. 

We are starting this week with habit #1: do nothing. In this episode, I explore this practice a bit with you, talk about how doing nothing has helped me live a more balanced life, and invite you into the practice using Martha Beck's directions.  

If you are interested in reading along, you can buy her book from your local independent bookstore and join me each week to explore her offering.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share my work widely, and give the podcast a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Tell me how doing nothing has worked for you!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lilly.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Another big part of this meander explores fear. It seems to us that understanding fear a bit better will help us cope through periods of grief, so Dina shares a bit about the five basic human fears, and how these manifest in us, in our lives.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore two things: first, how does fear hold you in unhealthy ways of coping with loss? And second, if the idea of continuing bonds makes sense to you, what could that look like in your life? And if you try, how does this shift your experience of your grief?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Dina’s song, cowritten with Leslie Rohonczy

An article from Karl Abrecht on the five basic human fears

The Enneagram Institute on Enneagram types

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Angie and I explore joy in the concept of change, which probably resonates for each of you, as change is one thing we can count on in life. Change can bring grief and anxiety, doubt, and also, joy. And the thing about making a choice that sparks change is that such a process can bring clarity to what we value and want for ourselves, right here, right now.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode, it’s a real special one. Please, share our work widely, give us a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Hold On Loosely, by 38 Special

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode; it’s so rich, and pulls together the threads of meanders past, in service of rekindling joy. Yes, more Rs! Please, share our work widely, give us a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Indra’s Net

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore how you cope with loss. What tools do you use? Are you an intuitive griever or an instrumental one? Do you take action and do things as you grieve, or do you emote? What happens when you do this?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Dina’s song, cowritten with Leslie Rohonczy

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As I look ahead to the end of winter and coming spring episodes, I can tell you that we'll continue to meander through Dina's book, "Grief Unleashed: from the whole in our hearts to wholehearted." Angie and I will continue to explore joy twice a month on The PauseCast  following in the footsteps of the poet Khalil Gibran. We left off in December "On Wonder" and we'll probably pick back up there with that theme. We do plan to explore big topics like On Support, and On Stress, On Nature and On Silence, among other things... or wherever whimsy takes us. I'll continue to meander with regular people about how they experience their joy, and we'll cover a little more about relationships, including grandparenting, in those meanders.

All that said, every meander is a surprise, and I hope you'll stick with us as we cover the landscape. The unifying theme across each of the meanders is JOY in the every day, showing how we can live more fulfilling lives. Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

PS... Zoomba is a dog who makes an appearance in this episode.   

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

If you want to learn more about the Enneagram, visit The Enneagram Institute

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In short, the Enneagram is both information (what’s my type, what are the gifts and challenges of my type), and a practice of pausing and paying attention to who I am and how that plays into my relationship with myself and others. How do I show up with my gifts? And how can that affect the world? We talk about how the Enneagram can save the world… yeah, that big and that small too.

There’s this and more in this episode, I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Angie and I will be back in the fall with some fresh meanders, but I will repost past episodes over the summer so stay tuned for “Meandering Again” episodes.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In this meander, we explore how the Enneagram is both a tool and a practice… a tool of information about my type and the other personality types, and then the invitation into awareness, so that when I slow down, I can know myself, and see where my gifts lie, and also how I trip myself up… and a practice, an ongoing intention, to pay attention to how I show up and catch myself in my own habit loop of behaviour. And from that place, choose how I want to respond to life in this moment. And this “Enneagram as a practice” supports both soulful moments in my day-to-day, and occasionally, moments of awe-inspiring spirituality. You get the gist. 

There’s this and a lot more in this episode; I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In this fast-paced world, the Enneagram is an invitation to pause and look at our stories so we can find ourselves. We explore this through story telling, and finding grace, and grief, and gratitude in the process. We dive into all of that today.

I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

We again referenced Richard Wagamese’s book “Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations”  in this meander

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As we’ve said before on these PauseCasts, the Enneagram gives us permission to pause, and in that pause, to look at who we be, in service of the Greater Good… or Life… or God, whatever your preferred language is for this that is bigger than us alone. In today’s meander, Angie and I explore how ritual and storytelling get us closer to our “…real, essential self” in the words of Richard Wagamese from his book “What Comes from Spirit.” 

In short, rituals slow us down enough so that we can see how our stories inform our world view

I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Here’s a book review of Richard Wagamese’s book “What Comes from Spirit” that Trudy referenced in the beginning of our meander 

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

The funny thing about the Enneagram, and personal development in general, is that the work is both an inside and an outside job. Inside as we look at ourselves and our habits of behaving, believing, and so on so we can see how they serve us. Outside as we need support, and to be held to account, as we do the inner work.  And in community, in contact and communion with each other, we create something more than ourselves. 

Just as the Enneagram gives us a mirror to see ourselves, there is often a lot there about ourselves that we see that we just don’t like. And here’s where community comes in – as its best, community is a supportive place where people who care about us help us see who we are, and help us sit with those things about ourselves that we don’t like. In community, we get the strength to look at who we are, without judgement but with great kindness, enabling us to see how that serves us, or not. And then change, if we wish. Rebirthing ourselves... as we shift.

I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.  We believe these meanderings matter, and we hope you do too. So please share.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

milk and honey, by rupi kaur

"Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations", by Richard Wagamese

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In short, the Enneagram helps us see ourselves. It really is a practice of paying attention: to our habits and long held beliefs, those we have inherited and those we have nurtured ourselves through life, all so we can see how we are showing up, or not showing up, in our relationships. Relationships first with our selves, and then, with others. Using awareness and presence, we can learn to see how we unknowingly protect ourselves from heartbreak in nine different ways. Reminder: the Enneagram model has nine main personality types… hence the “nine different ways” we protect our hearts from harm.

As mentioned in the last episode, we are exploring the Enneagram as a practice of presence. Today, we wrestle with the question: what if the secret to life isn’t about becoming a better person (ie. self-improvement) but is simply about being more human (ie. more real, more compassionate)? Can the Enneagram to help us do that? We believe it can. Listen in and let us know… do you agree? 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

The Riso Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) assessment at The Enneagram Institute, look under “Testing Center” tab at the top of the landing page

About Thomas Merton’s life and writings

Brené Brown on wholeheartedness

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We meander all over the topic of what the Enneagram is, how it outlines types of personalities but so much more. When push comes to shove, Angie tells us, it really is a practice of presence. That is the ultimate purpose, and invitation: to be present to who we really are, in service of shining our own light into this world.

Understanding the Enneagram in this way, from a place of presence, makes it possible to feel with and for eachother. But, and here’s the rub: that’s uncomfortable; it may demand that we change who we think we are so we have room for others… and so, we don’t take up the invitation to ask the big questions about who we be, we allow ourselves to be defined by the behaviours of our type, excusing our challenging behaviour with an “that’s just what I was built to do”, and move on.

Yet the gift of insight and personal development offered by this model is astounding, if you tough it through the work, if you’d let your soul truly shine. There are few places in this world where we spend time asking the big questions of life anymore, but that’s what we’re trying to do here with this series of episodes about the Enneagram.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Comedian Rob Delaney’s interview on CBS, showing the power of human connection, of being seen

The quote Angie was trying to share was from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

“Old Turtle and the Broken Truth” by Douglas Wood

“Start Close In” by David Whyte

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. We’ll be back with another PauseCast in March, 2024. If you have comments or questions, or topics you’d like us to cover, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com. Please subscribe, share our work widely, and give us a review to tease the algorithms. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

M.A.S.H.

“This is Water” by David Foster Wallace

FaceBook post on Advent by Laura Barnes, provided by Angie

‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” sung by Rosanne Cash, the poem Angie read in our meander, and on the origins of the poem

“The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy – book, and movie (trailer)

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Melissa is from New York City and loves the hustle of the big city. She talks about wonder as it comes up in her life, living now on Staten Island, with her parents in the home where she grew up. And how she still can see the stars at night, and they remind her of wonder in the world. I hope you enjoy this meander with her as we go far and wide on topics that matter to us.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Melissa’s podcast is called “Making Way,” a podcast about finding your path in life. She interviews a wide range of people, and gives them each space to tell their story, sharing their wisdom. Give it a listen!

Beyoncé

“Hawaii”, by James Mitchner, published in 1959 when Hawaii joined the US as the 50th state

Fort Frances, Ontario

“The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy – book, and movie (trailer)

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share our work widely, give us a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

The link Angie promised us today can be found here: American Symphony

And finally, as a wee present for reading this far, a jazzy rendition of This Little Light of Mine.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to move out of your loss map and see how you’ve reconciled those losses you found. Start with one loss you've noticed, and move on from there. With a kind and non-judgemental mind, what do you see?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In a nutshell, worry is about control of how we want things to be but are concerned that they won’t be. It’s about “should be” things… so, how do we find our way through this? How do I keep my heart open, no matter what is happening? It won’t surprise you to hear us say that awareness and presence are key to working with this. Of course, I pull in some wisdom from author Richard Wagamese about this work being an inside job, and the role of stillness in finding our balance. And Angie shares her wisdom with us about worry and joy, and how community and stillness help. As always, I love this conversation… I do love them all.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Michelle is a career coach and what I noticed is how she used her recovery experience in her blog where she writes to people facing career transitions. “Find joy in the journey” is a guiding principle that helps her in both her life and her work.

A big insight also came to her while she was in recovery – that people really did want to help her, all she had to do was make her needs known. In a very real way, asking for help, and accepting it, was a gift she could offer to others. 

The big invitation to listeners coming out of this episode is to practice the “pause.” When you listen to this meander with Michelle, you’ll hear this practice explained. Give it a try, and if you’re of a mind, shoot me a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com and let me know how it went, and how it helped you in your life.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Michelle Schafer Coaching. You can also find her on LinkedIn.

An article from the BBC on the Persian poet, Hafiz.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

This is a real wrestle folks… as we meandered around, we realized just how difficult a topic this is to get our arms around. How do we approach the concept of enough? How much enough is actually enough? And yes, Angie brought the movie “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” into the mix… a movie she loves but I’ve never seen. Too. Much. Fun. 

As this podcast is about joy in the every day, Angie links us back to community and sacred moments when we share what we have as individuals with one another, creating a sense of enough. Community and sharing creates a sense of “enough,” at least for Angie. What’s your view? Let us know what you think!

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

“Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”

Brené Brown on Enough

Anne Lamott (American author) on enough, and turning 68

Royalty free music is called 

Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore your “loss line;” here's how: divide your age by four, and create four boxes on a piece of paper, breaking your years of life into four spans. For each span, write down the memories of loss that come up for you. Take a few passes at this, maybe over a few sittings, and write until you feel complete. Then, sit with what you've explored and consider: what do you see? Any trends, or threads that you see? What does this tell you about your approach to loss and grieving... how do you grapple? Dina explains more, so make sure you listen if you're interested in trying this out.

Feel free to share your expereince with this exercise, or anything that you hear, with us. Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Parc national du Mont-Tremblant

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Abundance can be both joyful and a burden. It can mean safety and plenty of food, good health and social connection, many other things,  but pushed too far, it becomes too much… a need for ever-more of whatever it is that makes us feel safe. Grasping. Taking more than our share. So, what if we redefine abundance? What if abundance, disconnected from fear of scarcity, is more a practice of presence? Being open to what is here, right now… What does abundance look like from that place? Or, what if abundance is about sharing, not stockpiling? 

We meander around this, and so much more.

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to meanderingswithtrudy@gmail.com.

Episode links: