Author Archives: Nathan Ohren

The One Thing About Journaling: Getting Real

As soon as I bought her book, “Getting Real“, I knew I wanted to invite Dr. Susan Campbell to be a guest on JournalTalk.

I’ve often shared that the one thing you need for a healthy journal-writing habit — far more important than whether you type or handwrite, or whether you write daily or just sporadically — is the ability to get completely honest with yourself.

In addition to being author of incredible books, Dr. Campbell has helped people embrace their authenticity in all areas of life, through workshops and coaching programs. She’s been featured on several national television spots and magazines for her insight and step-by-step instructions on using our truth to understand, connect, and heal ourselves and our relationships.

I’m hopeful that our conversation, both contemplative and giggly, will delight and inspire you. We discuss several of her books about authenticity and relationship repair (click here for a library of them on Amazon.com). We ponder what to do with our stacks of disregarded journals of the past. And, Dr. Susan shares a number of journal-writing exercises to try. One of them she calls the “Do-Over”, a powerful series of questions that help you revise a statement or promise you’ve made to someone when you weren’t being 100% authentic. Dr. Susan invites me to share my own example of this, and, thinking for a moment that I was in the privacy of her office, I allowed myself to share something very personal about a relationship with someone from high school. (JournalTalk, Episode #52, March 17, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners: In this episode, Dr. Susan offers to send listeners a downloadable “cheat-sheet” of the Revising/Do-Over exercise, when they contact her and mention “JournalTalk”. This is a wonderful activity that helps you practice authenticity in your communications with others, even if you haven’t been as authentic with them as you could have in the past.

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “Do You Ever Feel a Burning Hole in Your Soul?”

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By far, Tom has sent in the toughest journaling question I’ve been called upon to answer. You can even hear my subtle attempts to avoid it.

With co-host Jayde Gilmore, I wandered into the wilderness of related side-conversations: Grief, gratitude, trance writing, loving-what-is, depression, and comparing the various levels of journal certification to reiki! We may have even stumbled over the inspiration for the 1990 hit song by They Might Be Giants, “Birdhouse in Your Soul”.

I apologize for having no better way to summarize the dialogue from this episode. I’m hoping Tom will accept our invitation to write again with a few clarifying details. I’d also appreciate hearing which parts of our answer were most helpful.

Your turn to answer: How do you use journal-writing to address those yearnings of the heart which cannot be described? Do you have tips for diving that deep in your writing? How does writing help you move through your darkest hours? Or, how would YOU answer this week’s question? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). When your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #24, March 10, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Spring Cleaning: Journaling to De-Clutter!

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Proving once again that journal-writing is NOT just an introverted, navel-gazing activity, Carolyn Koehnline shows us how to use our journals to remove clutter from our homes, heads, hearts and schedules.

Author of “Confronting Your Clutter”, a practicing mental health counselor, and Certified Journal Therapist, Carolyn guides us toward our compassionate inner voice to support us through transitions. In fact, Carolyn’s are some of the most potent writing prompts in the Looking Back, Looking Forward journaling challenge, a month-long journal-writing course designed to help you review the recent stepping-stones of life, and design a compelling future.

In this episode, I share a personal story about the three years I avoided a storage room full of my “stuff”, and how, thanks to Carolyn’s journaling suggestions, I found courage to tackle the overwhelm, and save $300 per month in storage fees! (JournalTalk, Episode #51, March 3, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners: In this episode, Carolyn invites listeners to contact her for a free gift, simply for mentioning that you heard her on JournalTalk.

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “How Many Words Make a Decent Journal Entry?”

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Julia Cameron suggests 3 pages. Jeff Goins recommends 500 words. Some popular websites say 600 or 750 words is the goal. WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?

Co-host Jayde Gilmore and I both agree that having a mental marker can help with the consistency and depth of your writing practice. But being overly concerned with word count can backfire also. In this episode, learn some principles about that balance between the two. We answer a listener’s question, “What is the minimum number of words to write each day that yields the best results of journal-writing?”

Fuel the dialogue: Do you use a word counter to determine how much to write in a given session? Can you make a great journal entry in less than 10 words? What standards or goals have been helpful, and when do you change them? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). If your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #23, February 10, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Journaling for Mindfulness

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After frantically rushing to get to my yoga class on time, I learned a big lesson in mindfulness.

In this 50th episode, I give a personal “fireside chat” about my true motivations for this podcast series. I describe the traits of people who live passionately and “on-purpose,” and reveal three simple habits that support them.

Completing a second year of JournalTalk, I make a straight-forward request to all who are listening: If you have enjoyed this program, please show your support by spreading the word. Here are a few suggestions to help broaden the reach of this work:

Write an honest review in iTunes, with a five-star rating. This is easy to do once you’ve logged into your Apple account. Start here, and follow the links.
Subscribe on your computer or mobile device, so future episodes are automatically downloaded. See the links below.
Share JournalTalk with a friend who wants to live a life of passion, clarity and purpose.
Write your own blog post, article, or social media update, sharing what you’ve enjoyed about JournalTalk, and include this link to all JournalTalk episodes.
Leave your comments below, to share what you enjoy about these podcasts.

I’ve got some big plans coming together in Year Three of JournalTalk, and I’m looking to see who its supporters are. Please step forward, and demonstrate your voice with action. And thank you to everyone who already and so consistently does so! (JournalTalk, Episode #50, February 17, 2015)

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “What Are Some Examples of Transformation Through Journal-Writing?”

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The recent podcast on Journaling for Transformation became quickly popular, and some listeners have asked for more specific examples.

Kim Ades of Frame of Mind Coaching is my guest co-host, and she surprises me (completely unscripted and unplanned, I promise!) with a testimonial from a JournalTalk listener, who took Kim’s journal coaching program!

If there’s any area of your life where you’re seeking to create more freedom, power, and ease, then you are welcome to test-drive the Frame of Mind Journal-Coaching program for free. From career concerns to relationship woes, journaling can reveal brand new avenues for transformation. Start with this assessment, which will automatically begin your private journal account, and invite a trained FOM coach to call you back for next steps.

Fuel the dialogue: What’s your best story of personal transformation through journaling? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). If your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #22, February 10, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Journaling for Transformation

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The most powerful promise of a journal-writing practice is its ability to transform any dilemma the writer is wrestling with into something completely new, approachable, and inspiring. This shift from oppression to opportunity, from turmoil to tranquility, hardly comes without practice, and is often accompanied by the guidance of a coach.

Jayde Gilmore is one such coach, and my guest expert this week. In this episode, we celebrate our “win” of NaNoWriMo (having written 50,000 words of a coherent story)! Our conversation also mingles through some of her earliest writing memories, and raises examples of writing for personal breakthrough.

Jayde will be a new voice on JournalTalk Q&A, joining me to answer your questions about journal-writing. She is also one of the talented sponsors (with Jackee Holder, Kay Adams, Lynda Monk, Carolyn Koehnline, Carrie Leigh Sandoval, and others) of the Looking Back, Looking Forward Journaling Kit, a three-part toolkit designed for transforming your experience of any milestone or life transition. It offers practical, bite-size steps for reviewing your journal for reflection and wisdom, and exercises for designing a compelling future. (JournalTalk, Episode #49, February 3, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners: In this episode, I share some hints about a new service offering I am dreaming up. I invite your input in making it something truly worthwhile. In exchange for your ideas, you will be added to my VIP pre-launch, scheduled for later this year.

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “What Are Some Good Journaling Prompts?”

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Cassandra asks, “Where can I get some good journaling prompts?” Co-host Jayde Gilmore and I spread out a few ideas, but they all add up to exactly what Dorothy said after returning from the Land of Oz, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t go any further than my own backyard!”

There are both advantages and disadvantages of using journal prompts. And also, some creative ways to be sure you NEVER run out of juicy journaling prompts that are specific to you and your life.

To be sure, random writing prompts can be found abundantly, but there are ways to find and collect ones that are relevant, and inspire your best writing.

If you are looking for a month-long series of powerful writing prompts to help commemorate a transition or milestone (such as a new job, a birthday, graduation, or anniversary) here’s a journaling kit for you! Jayde Gilmore is one of ten amazing featured sponsors.

Fuel the dialogue: Where do you get your best journaling prompts? Post your response at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may send your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). If your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #21, January 27, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Journaling with the Stars

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For Joan Porte, looking inward and looking upward are nearly the same thing.

As a karmic astrologer, she uses the position and trajectory of celestial objects as her prompts for reflection. And from that angle, she arrives at life’s passion, clarity and purpose with astounding results!

Those who know me, (including Joan!) know that I’m a skeptic about such things, and yet her insights provide an entire universe of journal-writing fodder. Her ability to make sense of what she’s describing, and explain the profound conclusions in simple terms, helped me to grasp that perhaps, maybe, if our lives can be affected by Earth’s gravitational pull and miniature waves of light, radiation, and heat, then perhaps somehow, just maybe, we might also be affected in similar proportion by the energies of very largest objects in the known universe!

Join me in this interview with Joan, and let’s ponder questions about our life’s guiding purpose. See also: Joan’s astrological cookbook (you read correctly!) called, Signs of the Tines, a one-of-a-kind collection of recipes inspired by the energies of the zodiac. (JournalTalk, Episode #48, January 20, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners: In this episode, Joan shares how you can receive a special discount on her signature product, a full thirty-minute audio recording of YOUR karmic birth-chart interpretation, complete with visual aids and explanations.

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “How Do I Become a Journaling Coach?”

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Sandra asks, “How does someone become a journaling coach?” And the answers are many! Do you have a passion for sharing the benefits of journal-writing with others?

Have you experienced some of the tremendous benefits in keeping a personal writing practice, and now you feel the urge to help others obtain those same benefits?

In this episode, Heather Severson helps me list of some of the numerous ways to go about becoming a “Journal Coach”. And with a dose of giddy playfulness, I also remind everyone, in the words of Dr. Frankenfurter, “Don’t dream it; Just be it!”

There are several options discussed in this audio, so don’t feel there is just “one right answer” here. But there are some pragmatic and trusted roads you can take that will land you into being a confident and effective coach. Among my most highly recommended, especially for “non-therapists” is this:

Become a life coach who uses journal-writing as the primary tool to help clients get unstuck, and transform old patterns that no longer serve them. Take this assessment to see if Frame of Mind Coaching is a beneficial path for you! I am an affiliate of the Frame of Mind Coaching program because I absolutely love it, and strongly recommend it.

Fuel the dialogue: Are you looking to become a certified journal instructor or life coach? Post your response at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Journaling for the Care of My Body

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We kick off 2015 with a guest who shares tremendous encouragement for expressing our creativity, and discovering what lights us up. Luisa Tanno is an instructor in many disciplines, including dance, yoga, and writing.

I open this episode with some confession about my own vulnerability, and share some ideas that I’m using to incorporate my BODY in my journal writing.

During my interview with Luisa, she weaves through unique ideas for pursuing your passions as more than just a hobby, shares some eye-opening journaling prompts, and carries a warm encouragement for opening to your Self in a powerful, unashamed way. I felt so much more trusting and accepting of myself as a result of our conversation, and I think you will, too. (JournalTalk, episode #47, January 6, 2015)

SPECIAL OFFER: In this episode, Luisa shares how to take advantage of several online workshops in creativity and personal expression. She has extended this “twofer” special offer especially for you. Mention “JournalTalk” when you register for ANY ONLINE WORKSHOP, and you can register your friend for FREE! What an excellent way to get even more from Luisa’s training! What an excellent way to start the year!

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “What Should I Do With This Awful Gift Diary or Notebook?”

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It’s gift-giving season, and those well-meaning friends or relatives know full well that you enjoy journal-writing. But they might not understand your personal style enough to give you the perfect journal notebook!

Has this ever happened to you? Someone gives you a diary or journal, maybe one they spent some thought picking out for you, but you just don’t “get along” with it?

Jenny asked for some advice on how to accept the gift, without accepting the pressure that comes when they start wondering why you’re not using it!

Fuel the dialogue: Have you ever received a gift journal notebook that you hated? Was it from someone who keeps pressuring you to use it? What did you do with it? Can you tactfully turn it down? What’s the best way to be honest without “looking a gift horse in the mouth”? Post your response at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Journal-Keeping Tips for Fiction Writers

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Ever since my experience with NaNoWriMo, I’m convinced more than ever that journal-writing helps to sharpen the skills needed to write any story or novel.

My guest this week is Danielle Hanna, a crime fiction author who believes that her journal is (more often than she’s consciously aware!) the source of her material for publication.

Danielle shares some great tips from her new book, specifically for fiction writers to use their journals in developing a keen sense of awareness, feeling, and composition. She also shares how her dealings with a family tragedy led her to agreement with Oscar Wilde’s conclusion that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” My favorite part of this discussion with Danielle was our chuckling that the phrase “based on a true story” is probably applicable on some level to every novel and movie ever made.

For more journal-writing tips inspired by the world of fiction, please be sure to check out my interview with Anne Marvin in episode #78.

This interview with Danielle Hanna also reminded me of a JournalTalk Q&A episode, where a listener named Raul wrote in to ask me, “Can Journaling Help Me Become a Better Writer?” Raul, this episode is for you, and not-surprisingly, Danielle’s answer is: DEFINITELY!

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk listeners: Danielle’s book, Journaling to Become a Better Writer, is available for a limited time on Smashwords.com, in any format for any reading device, for just $1.99. You must use the code QG87T on check-out to receive this discount. (JournalTalk, Episode #46, December 23, 2014)

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Q&A: “Should I Save (or Destroy) My Old Journals?”

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Do your journals scream out like Cheryl’s do, “Should I stay or should I go?”

Mari and I stand on either side of this debate with great pointers for anyone who wonders “why hang on to these notebooks?”

Cheryl first started keeping her journals because she wanted “proof of her existence”. Today, she believes she’s collected enough; or maybe her reasons for journal-writing are different now?

Whether you write just for the zen of it, or you have other reasons for journaling, Mari and I offer ideas in this episode that help you keep your focus on YOU, and whatever you’re needing from the soul-supporting practice of journaling.

In the all-new 30-Day Journaling Challenge, titled, “Looking Back, Looking Forward”, you can also hear dozens of terrific ideas for using your journals to review and harvest from your old writings, and then design a compelling future for the new season ahead.

Fuel the dialogue: Do your journal notebooks have a “shelf-life”? Post your response at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

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Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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GettingReal

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COMING SOON:

Relationship and authenticity expert, Dr. Susan Campbell, is author of one of my most-cherished books, “Getting Real”.

This book neatly summarizes all the most important skills I have developed during the course of my 30 years of journal-writing. That is why I invited Dr. Campbell to join me for a conversation on an upcoming episode of my JournalTalk podcast.

If you are not already receiving the JournalTalk newsletter, you can subscribe here.

This practical techniques shared in this book are well-written and serve to deepen a stong, caring relationship with yourself. I can’t wait to share my conversation with its author, Susan Campbell, PhD. We discuss this and several other items, including her new book, 5 Minute Relationship Repair (co-authored with John Grey). Scheduled air date: February 4, 2015.

SPECIAL OFFER: In this episode, Dr. Campbell offers a $50 discount toward an intimate authenticity workshop, weekend retreat at her Sebastopol home in California on February 28-March 1st. Contact Dr. Susan and let her know you learned of her on JournalTalk to receive this discount!

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Music and Voiceovers: Music Radio Creative

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Write4Life

Journaling for Passion, Clarity & Purpose!

Author Archives: Nathan Ohren

The One Thing About Journaling: Getting Real

Q&A: “Do You Ever Feel a Burning Hole in Your Soul?”

Spring Cleaning: Journaling to De-Clutter!

Q&A: “How Many Words Make a Decent Journal Entry?”

Journaling for Mindfulness

Q&A: “What Are Some Examples of Transformation Through Journal-Writing?”

Journaling for Transformation

Q&A: “What Are Some Good Journaling Prompts?”

Journaling with the Stars

Q&A: “How Do I Become a Journaling Coach?”

Journaling for the Care of My Body

Q&A: “What Should I Do With This Awful Gift Diary or Notebook?”

Journal-Keeping Tips for Fiction Writers

Q&A: “Should I Save (or Destroy) My Old Journals?”

GettingReal

COMING SOON: