Brilliantly Resilient

Episode 139: How to Heal from Trauma ”Bone by Bone,” with Geralyn Ritter

Bad things happen. It's what we do with them. Grace is defined as an undeserved, unmerited gift. I've been given a gift. ~ Geralyn Ritter Those of us who live in the Philadelphia area remember with great clarity the early evening of May 12, 2015, when an Amtrak train bound for New York from Washington, D.C. derailed in Philadelphia, killing 8 and injuring over 200 people.  Geralyn Ritter, our guest today on the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, was on that train, and was one of the 11 people critically injured whose lives would be forever changed. Taken unconscious to a nearby hospital, Geralyn was without identification and was unable to contact her husband and children, who searched desperately for her all night. Geralyn speaks of her experience, how she survived her trauma (doctors said her survival was nothing short of miraculous) and how she has dedicated herself to helping others heal from devastating challenges by sharing her story, especially through her book, Bone by Bone. With a determined, resilient spirit, Geralyn offers lessons to navigate crisis and even find the true purpose within them.  Tune in to this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Geralyn's truly inspiring story. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Episode 138: How to Build Your Happy EVEN AFTER, with Renee Bauer

We don't celebrate failing. We should fail proudly and share our failures. Just show up imperfectly. ~ Renee Bauer How many times have you failed in your life? Beginning with childhood (babies fall around 17 times an hour learning to walk!) the answer is probably zillions–so, a lot. As children, we innately recognize that failure is a part of learning. And as we absorb the lessons of each failure, we come that much closer to success. It's only as we begin to know shame and embarrassment that failure becomes FAILURE!!! and we neglect to recognize its value. The other downside of our relationship with failure is that it makes us afraid to try. Our friend Renee Bauer knows "failure" in what many think of as the traditional meaning of the word. She's also chosen to take intentional action to not only learn from her failures, but use them to propel her forward both personally and professionally. Twice divorced and now happily married in a blended family, Renee built a legal practice serving individuals who couldn't imagine a happily ever after by encouraging a mindset change along with imperfect action and courage with hard decisions. She also inspires women around the world with her She Who Wins Summit. Tune in to hear more of Renee's wisdom on this week's edition of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast and start on the path towards your happily even after. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Episode 137: How to Give Yourself a Self-Care and Energy Audit, with Pag Sadie

Self care is not about bubble baths. A self-care and energy audit encourages us to look at six essential areas of our lives to see what is feeding us and what isn't working. Where are we in terms of relationships, emotionally, psychologically, environmentally, spiritually, and  career-wise? ~ Peg Sadie In the last three years, how many times have you heard the term "self-care?" Probably almost as often as you've heard about "resilience." But what do they mean? If we try to define either word, we rarely agree on a singular definition. As to how to integrate either, or both, into our lives, well, that makes room for even more opinions and suggestions, but few concrete strategies. Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we're all about specific tools to help you tap into your inherent resilience (learn more at www.brilliantlyresilient.net), as is our friend Peg Sadie, founder of the Resilient Mom Academy, and an expert on helping mothers create calm and intentional lives. Peg advises that in order to practice meaningful self-care, we need to intentionally take note of what is and is not working in six major areas of our lives. Being unbalanced in any one, or more likely several, can lead to anxiety, overwhelm, and parenting that is not only less than ideal, but passes on those challenges to our children. By recognizing what is lacking, we can "reverse engineer" the problem, finding solutions to fix what's broken or let go of it altogether. Self-care is not about bubble baths (not that there's anything wrong with that!), but rather, allowing ourselves the time and focus to pay attention to ourselves. Tune in to hear more of Peg's wisdom on this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Episode 136: How to Feed Your Tigers, with Steven Rudolph

Understand what the situation needs and bring the tigers. There's too much emphasis placed on being the lone wolf. ~ Steven Rudolph We Americans love our independence. It's kind of our thing, going all the way back to our founding as a country. There's something about individual success that's empowering. Saying "I did it–all by myself!" makes us feel strong. It can also make us feel lonely. And contrary to what we may think, taking on challenges as a "lone wolf," in the words of our friend Steven Rudolph, doesn't always give us the best results. Steven Rudolph believes in tigers. Not only the big cats, but the tigers we all have inside of us. Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we see our tigers as our Brilliance. And Brilliance is meant to be shared. As Steven reminds us, when we bring our tigers, or Brilliance, and encourage others to do the same, we discover better solutions to challenges and build better teams, as everyone brings their best selves to each situation. Our tigers are our strengths, and combined with the strengths of others–our tribe–we are more productive, successful and stronger. We're all just better. Tune in for more of Steven's Brilliance on this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Episode 135: How to Avoid the Loneliness Epidemic with Small Packages’ Julie Schechter

The Surgeon General has pointed to a loneliness epidemic. Losing your support group is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We have to invest in our relationships. ~ Julie Schechter How many Facebook friends do you have? How about Instagram followers? What's your count of LinkedIn connections? Isn't it amazing to have so many friends? If you're on social media, odds are you have thousands of "friends." But how many of those are people whom you really know, and who know you? Even with so many connections, we can still feel isolated and alone. Our real relationships often get lost in the shuffle as we forget birthdays, anniversaries, or even making a phone call (???!!!) to let someone know we're thinking of them. Julie Schechter reminds us that our relationships are the most important parts of our lives, impacting both our mental and physical health. The former ballet dancer and lawyer wants to help us reconnect with those we care about through her company Small Packages. Julie began her values-based business after realizing that she herself was missing out on her relationships, and admitting that she needed a way to let those she cared about know she was thinking of them. By building a business with intention (97% of Julie's products come from small suppliers), Julie encourages people to send small gift packages (pre-packaged or personally chosen) to loved ones as a tangible reminder that we care–especially appreciated in our electronic world. Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we know the value of a tribe. Be sure to nurture your relationships, both personal and professional, and show appreciation for the "real" people in your life. Tune in to learn more about Julie here, and be sure to learn more on this week's podcast! Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB