Tag Archives: journal-writing podcast

Joan Leof on JournalTalk

Uncovering Many Selves Through Writing

Joan Leof on JournalTalkAs we journey through the movement of our life, what aspects of ourselves do we birth or bury, in order to make sense of, and give meaning to, our experience? This question was my guest’s inspiration for her newest book.

Nearly two years ago, I interviewed Joan Leof, after she inspired me to dig back through my old, yellowing journals to collect pieces of my coming-out story and begin crafting a memoir. (You can listen to that interview here: JournalTalk, Episode #12.)

In this week’s episode, Joan Leof returns to share her newest book, MATRYOSHKA: Uncovering Your Many Selves Through Writing. It’s a unique collection of memoir-style essays, which are interesting snapshots into different aspects of Joan’s life. But here’s the twist: each story concludes with ten thoughtful, workbook-style questions to prompt the reader in reflection upon his/her own life snapshots. I enjoyed using this book for its rich journaling prompts, but it could also be a perfect centerpiece for discussion groups or book-reading clubs.Matroyshka, by Joan Leof

In our conversation, Joan shares the steps along her path to publishing, and a number of valuable tips for those who are exploring the many layers of “self” in their writing. For another great journaling prompt about the many selves and the “inner committee”, you might enjoy revisiting Episode #41.

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  For a limited time, Nathan is offering JournalTalk listeners a full week of customized journal-writing exercises, tailored for their unique concern or situation. Get details here. (JournalTalk, Episode #72, April 5, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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To Listen to this week’s JournalTalk: Click on the “play” button > at the top of this page.

Kay Adams

Pioneering the Next 30 Years of Journal Therapy

Kay Adams on JournalTalkSpeaking with Kay Adams is always a treat, and offers the proverbial smorgasbord of lively topics under the umbrella of journal-writing for health and happiness!

Kay is author to numerous books on journaling, in addition to being the editor of the ten-volume series, It’s Easy to W.R.I.T.E.! Her Center for Journal Therapy was a sponsor for the 30-Day Digital Journaling Challenge, and Kay is also my co-author to this published paper which details the results of before-and-after surveys taken by the first 1,500 participants of that same challenge.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Kay’s recent journaling retreat in Ireland, and her upcoming Journal Conference celebrating the 30-year anniversary of her work in journal therapy. We also reveal some of the most interesting, surprising findings from the 30-day digital journaling challenge. Kay also provides a teaser for her forthcoming workbook, Your Brain on Ink, combining journal-writing and neuroplasticity, co-authored with Deborah Ross, a previous JournalTalk guest. (JournalTalk, Episode #71, March 22, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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Jack Canfield

Journaling Tips from Best-Selling Success Coach, Jack Canfield

JT_JackCanfieldIt is a great honor to have the opportunity to interview a long-time mentor of mine, a man who needs no introduction. And, I enjoyed introducing anyway.

Jack Canfield has made his way into the hearts and homes of millions of people worldwide, for one reason or another, and this interview only scratched the surface of a fraction of the topics we could have discussed in so little time.

We did somehow manage to cover quite a bit. In this episode, I begin by sharing a brief personal history about my three-year success story in the multi-level marketing business of PartyLite Candles, which is how I first met Jack Canfield. Then, Jack and I discuss a range of topics, including:

  • The 10th anniversary of Jack’s landmark guide to personal and professional achievement, The Success Principles.
  • The experience of celebrating our book, The Soul of Success, go from launch to best-seller status in a matter of days.
  • Some behind-the-scenes stories about the making of his Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
  • What kept Jack Canfield inspired to keep pursuing his dreams, even when it seemed he was meeting with failure at every turn.
  • The amazing opportunity of becoming one of Jack’s Certified Trainer of the Success Principles Program.
  • The completely new 30-Day Sobriety Solution.
  • The role that journal-writing plays in Jack’s personal life, and his most-frequently used journaling techniques, for cultivating creativity, healing, and self-reflection.
  • How Jack’s wife, Inga, is turning her journal-writings into a memoir.
  • Jack’s free, ten-day personal transformation course, available to the public.

This was a fun and enriching conversation with a down-to-earth, and truly caring celebrity. I most enjoyed learning that even people as successful as Jack Canfield still fight with their demons on a daily basis, and often turn to their journals for bravery, insight and refuge.

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  For a limited time, Nathan is offering JournalTalk listeners a full week of customized journal-writing exercises, tailored for their unique concern or situation. Get details here(JournalTalk, Episode #70, March 8, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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Laura Coe on JournalTalk

Lighten Up! (Writing to Shed Emotional Baggage)

Laura Coe on JournalTalkToo often, we carry around with us the constraints and limiting beliefs of our past. Do you wonder how to identify those pesky, negative and disempowering stories that weigh you down emotionally?

Laura Coe is an author, blogger, and certified life coach with a mission to help people shed emotional weight. In her book, Emotional Obesity, she shares exercises for emotional fitness, and techniques for ridding ourselves of “junk thoughts” that so easily creep into our self-talk.

Emotional Obesity by Laura CoeIn this episode, I share a real-life example of how my own thoughts have kept me feeling sad and alienated during my family gatherings in the holiday season, and how I learned that such feelings were completely my own emotional baggage. (JournalTalk, Episode #69, February 23, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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UJ Ramdas on JournalTalk

Journaling: A Toothbrush for the Mind

UJ Ramdas on JournalTalkSeveral episodes back, I gave some suggestions for what to write if you only have five minutes each day with your journal. We have revisited this idea many times in this podcast series, because like so many people I’ve sometimes only got five spare minutes to write — and some days, those five minutes alone with my thoughts are the most profound (and productive!) five minutes of my day.

Today we’ll be listening to a very special guest who combines the concepts of time-management and journal-writing. UJ Ramdas has passion for both psychology and business, employing his background in Behavioral Science, Marketing and Hypnosis. In addition to creating tools for productivity and time management, he’s consulted with (several hundred) clients, bringing them from confusion to clarity. 

In this interview, we discuss two journal-like tools UJ created with his business partner, Alex Ikonn at Intelligent Change. The first is the widely-referenced Five Minute Journal, a creatively simple book for exercising the most powerful muscles of self-reflection. A “toothbrush for your mind,” the journal poses a few straight-forward questions for each morning and evening, helping you build strong habits of gratitude and success visualization. The second tool is the newly-released Productivity Planner, designed to help you implement a proven method for organizing your tasks and keeping focused on those which are most critical to your long-term success. 

Throughout the conversation, UJ shares some powerful examples and stories which surely will inspire a shift toward gratitude and productivity in your personal journal-writing routine.

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  For a limited time, Nathan is offering JournalTalk listeners a full week of customized journal-writing exercises, tailored for their unique concern or situation. Get details here.  (JournalTalk, Episode #68, February 9, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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Susan Borkin on JournalTalk

When Your Heart Speaks, Take Good Notes!

Susan Borkin on JournalTalkMy guest this week was pioneering the field of writing therapy before such a field even existed, and long before the word “journaling” became an internet buzzword. Susan Borkin continues to make a difference for seekers of healing through words, as a psychotherapist and author of books including: When Your Heart Speaks, Take Good Notes, and Writing From The Inside Out. Her newest book, The Healing Power of Writing: A Therapist’s Guide to Using Journaling With Clients, contains a practical collection of exercises for anyone interested in personal transformation.

The Healing Power of Writing, by Susan BorkinOur conversation knocked on the doors of many interesting questions. Are some people more affected by the power of words than others? How did the practice of psychotherapy promote the notion of writing to heal? What was the origin of the “Aha!” moment? Is writing therapy more effective than talk therapy? You won’t want to miss the unique journal-writing exercise that Susan shares with her clients to reduce anxiety and manage unrealistic fears.

When Your Heart Speaks, Take Good Notes (by Susan Borkin)Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners: Listen to this episode for details about receiving a copy of Susan Borkin’s book When Your Heart Speaks, Take Good Notes absolutely free. (JournalTalk, Episode #67, January 26, 2016)

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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Six Steps to a Miracle Morning

In December of 2012, a remarkable book hit the virtual shelves of Amazon.com, called The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM). In it, author, success coach, and keynote motivational speaker Hal Elrod explains the benefits of a powerful morning routine. This book continues to be a wonderful wake-up call for personal growth.

If you haven’t already heard the story of Hal Elrod’s amazing physical and emotional recovery from what was considered a fatal car accident, you can listen to it here. In this episode of JournalTalk, Hal shares the six key habits he cultivated to redefine himself and his career. (Yep, one of them is journal-writing!) I asked Hal how to develop a life-changing morning routine, even if you are not a “morning person.” This hour is jam-packed with great advice, a few laughs, and as always, a valuable journaling prompt!

The Miracle Morning, by Hal ElrodExclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  For a limited time, Nathan is offering JournalTalk listeners a full week of customized journal-writing exercises, tailored for their unique concern or situation at a discounted rate. Get details here(JournalTalk, Episode #66, January 12, 2016)

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Jinny Ditzler, author of Best Year Yet

Journaling for My Best Year Yet

Jinny Ditzler, author of Best Year YetMy favorite year-end tradition is a private ritual I learned from my 11th grade English teacher: writing my future self a “year in review” letter.

Just like a time capsule, I open the letter from last year sometime after Halloween (sometimes the letters are like ghouls from the past!) and before January, I make the time to compose a new letter, expressing my excitement, disappointments and advice for the coming months.

With ten simple-yet-probing questions, my guest this week has authored a proven method for making those annual letters truly phenomenal. Jinny Ditzler is the author of the twenty-year bestseller, Your Best Year Yet, a guide to getting results in business and in life. She is also creator of the “Best Year Yet” year-long coaching system (for individuals or teams). She firmly believes we each possess a deep and trustworthy well of wisdom that we can tap for strength, healing, and guidance. Jinny’s passion is to help people plug into those inner resources easily, in a way that brings fulfillment, purpose and power in life. (JournalTalk, Episode #65, December 26, 2015)

Your Best Year YetExclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  Jinny would love to connect with you personally, and send you the new articles she writes for the Huffington Post. In addition, she will send you (absolutely free!) a 35-page PDF that outlines the first three steps for making this your best year yet. Listen to this week’s episode for Jinny’s personal email address. 

To Join our Community: Please post comments and questions below, to further the dialogue. And connect with other JournalTalk friends in our private Facebook group

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Laura Probert

Journal-Writing for the Warrior’s Soul

Laura ProbertMeeting extraordinary people like Laura Probert is my favorite part of producing these JournalTalk podcast episodes.

A black belt in taekwondo, Laura is trained in physical therapy, and calls herself a warrior healing expert. She wrote about her own healing journey in Living, Healing and Taekwondo, and today, she is a teacher for people who are fed up with pain and fear. She is the owner of Bodyworks Physical Therapy (her own private physical therapy practice), and Soul Camp, a company that helps you redefine healing. I enjoyed our conversation about the interconnectedness of all things, especially our mind and body! I learned a few things about myofascial tissue and acupuncture.

You’ll love the journal-writing and body awareness activity that Laura shares. For me, it was a reminder that writing is not only a thinking activity, but also a doorway into our whole body-mind awareness. Writing can be just as much a connection to ourselves at it is a release of ourselves.

Warrior Soul book coverI was deeply moved by “Quantum Leap”, the poem Laura wrote which launched a series of beautiful, printed journal notebooks that contain awe-inspiring artwork and poetry from a variety of authors. She even inspired me to contribute my own poem, which appears in the third book of the series, Warrior Soul.

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  Just for being a JournalTalk listener, Laura is making available a free digital copy of her favorite journaling prompts. Click here to get those now. (JournalTalk, Episode #64, December 16, 2015)

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Dima Dupere on JournalTalk

Journal-Writing with Your M.O.S.S.

Dima Dupere on JournalTalkDima Dupéré introduces a beautiful acronym (M.O.S.S.) to help us remember that journal-writing includes a vast, multi-dimensional, array of options.

Passionate about the therapeutic value of words and art, Dima is a social worker who engages creatively to help people thrive. Whether conducting a community workshop, training professionals or offering individual counselling, her focus is on the stories people tell others and themselves, since that is the place where healing begins.

Dima has recently updated and re-released her book, Feeling, Writing, Empowering: A guidebook for helping professionals. We had a stimulating conversation about the many benefits and techniques of journaling, including:

  • Journal-writing as simply an exercise in “checking in” with ourselves,
  • Tracking gratefulness,
  • Keeping lists; including to-do’s, and long-term “bucket lists”,
  • Dialoguing with people, places, things, and ideas (real or imaginary; past, present or future!)
  • Recording milestones and accomplishments,
  • You can always just S.W.Y.P.E.!
  • …and much, much more!

MOSS journal promptsExclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  For a limited time, Dima is offering to send any JournalTalk listener a custom journal-writing exercise, tailored for their unique concern or situation. Or, she will send you a PDF copy of her book! Listen to the podcast for details on how to receive this for free. (JournalTalk, Episode #63, December 1, 2015)

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Stephen van Vugt

Journal-Writing for the Storyteller’s Soul

Stephen van VugtWhen I first started keeping a journal in 1985, I had not anticipated its profound impact. By simply recording miniature stories of my daily drama, I unknowingly conjured to life a supportive, consistent voice for the interpretations of my experience. This compassionate narrator offered me a sense of friendship with myself, which was both powerful and healing. It allowed me to connect even the smallest details of my day to a larger, more meaningful story, filled with adventure and purpose. I imagine this is what Anne Frank  experienced when she wrote of her own diary, “So far, you truly have been a source of great comfort to me … and I can hardly wait for moments when I can write in you.”

In this episode, my guest is Stephen Van Vugt, IT Manager, singer, Toastmaster, storyteller, and a long-time friend of Write4Life. Steve has spent years telling stories for museums, charitable foundation events, and storytelling concerts. Twice, he organized a World Storytelling Day Concert for his hometown storyteller’s guild in Ontario, Canada. I enjoyed learning more about him, and the role that storytelling plays in creating a connection with our community, our work, our culture, and ourselves.  (JournalTalk, Episode #62, November 11, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  In this episode, Stephen generously offers JournalTalk listeners a special audio file he’s recorded, of a story called “Untold Stories,” which underscores the importance of each person sharing their own stories. Listen to the podcast for details on how to receive this for free. 

Additional Resources on Storytelling:  I have been enjoying these other resources which emphasize the power of storytelling:

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Linda Peterson on JournalTalk

Journaling to Reconnect Military Families

Linda Peterson on JournalTalkThis week’s journal-writing expert brings a rich, wide spectrum of tools and experience to the table! Dr. Linda Peterson-St. Pierre is a Medical Psychologist who spent 35 years teaching at the University of Nevada Medical School. At the same time Linda held a full time clinical practice and testified for military families in the court system. Stressed by the University’s “publish or perish” mindset, Linda found personal insight/peace when writing in her private journal, without any rules. She has a passion for helping others find their own inner wisdom, through writing, EMDR, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Native American Healing Circles, Guided Imagery, and Feng Shui. Linda is certified as a presenter for the Progoff Intensive Journal and Kay Adams’ Journal to the Self, which form the basis for her two books: Write Out Loud! Reconnecting Military Families; and Clear Vision: The Power of Story to Heal. She is married to an Air Force combat veteran and pilot who has improved PTSD, using EMDR!

In this episode, we discuss several issues related to the psycho-social and emotional effects of combat on soldiers, their families, and on the American psyche, with comments on the movie American Sniper. I am so delighted to share how journal-writing can assist with post-traumatic stress disorder. I stated back in Episode #4, why I am convinced journaling is a low-cost, effective ancillary treatment for PTSD.

Dr. Peterson-St. Pierre is one of two journal-writing therapists who volunteered at last year’s Independence Fund Retreat. The Indy Fund (a non-profit dedicated to helping wounded warriors regain mobility, receive treatment and more) contacted Write4Life to find journal-writing experts to volunteer to work with wounded veterans and their caregivers. (JournalTalk, Episode #61, October 13, 2015)

Write Out Loud: Reconnecting Military FamiliesExclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  In this episode, Linda shares excellent advice for anyone wanting to use journaling to work with those who have faced life-or-death situations, or put their lives on the line. She also offers a six week workshop developed through the Therapeutic Writing Institute, called “Write Out Loud!” which she will make available to JournalTalk listeners who email her directly.

 

 

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

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JournalTalk Q&A Journal Writing Coach

Q&A: “What Makes Journaling So Powerful?”

JournalTalk Q&A Journal Writing CoachWe’ve heard the 101 reasons to keep a journal, and all the benefits of journal-writing: mental clarity, emotional balance, even physical healing. Today’s question addresses HOW journaling can provide all these benefits.

Kim Ades from Frame of Mind Coaching helps me deconstruct the journaling process, and identify what it is about capturing thoughts that makes journaling so powerful. In short, we agreed that trapping our ideas into an inescapable storyline helps us to frame our experience in a useful way.

Soul of Success bookThis episode was the inspiration from which I wrote a chapter that got published into Jack Canfield’s newest book, “Soul of Success”. The chapter is titled, “The Secrets of Expressive Writing,” and explains why journaling helps people grow. You can order your copy of “Soul of Success” here.

Kim also advised how important journaling is to the results of any coaching relationship, and made a bold guarantee for her Frame of Mind Coaching program. For taking an online coaching assessment, you will receive a free coaching session that she guarantees will produce results. Let Kim know you heard about this on JournalTalk!  (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #32, August 4, 2015)

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

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Jim Kleiber and iFeelio on JournalTalk

For Those With Absolutely NO TIME To Keep a Journal…

Jim Kleiber and iFeelio on JournalTalkJournal-writing can’t get any easier than this.

Checking in with your feelings — being aware of what’s alive inside you — is the Ground Zero for living a life of passion, clarity and purpose. In this episode, I interview Jim Kleibera leader in helping people do just that.

Jim has quite a few inspiring stories to share, and when you hear him speak, you’ll likely notice the power of authenticity that he exudes. Jim trained himself to routinely acknowledge his own emotions using an app he designed for himself, called iFeelioBy mastering that one simple skill, he has learned so much about himself and his own world, that now he’s being invited, literally, all over the planet, teaching the art of emotional self-defense, helping people of many nations sew together the threads in the fabric of world peace.

You may know I manage two websites, Write4Life.com is about tips and techniques for journal-writing, and EasyJournaling.com shares the electronic tools of the trade. I enjoy teaching best practices with journaling apps for your desktop computer, tablet, or even smartphone. Although iFeelio is not exactly a journal-writing app, I’ve never seen a more clever tool for recording your feelings. It asks two simple questions: “What am I feeling, in this moment right now?” And, “What’s happening?” In thirty seconds (or less), you can compose a complete journal entry.

Picture of the iFeelio appI recommend giving it a try, especially if you are one of those people with absolutely NO TIME for keeping a journal, and yet you’re smart and aware enough to understand the value of “checking in” with yourself on a frequent basis. (JournalTalk, Episode #57, June 30, 2015)

Exclusive Offer for JournalTalk Listeners:  In this episode, Jim offers a free fifteen minute telephone conversation, to discuss any topic or issue of interest regarding iFeelio, or his Emotional Self-Defense workshops. Listen to the podcast to get instructions for contacting him directly, and please let him know you heard him on JournalTalk.

 

Credits:
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?”

JournalTalk Q&A Podcast Logo with Heather SeversenIt’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.

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 #19, December 30, 2014)

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

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