Inner Peace to Go
103 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsA podcast about how to find more peace and ease in your life without meditating on a mountaintop for years. Learn from science, from sages and from self-help about how to bring more balance and joy to your everyday life through small, actionable steps. Featuring interviews with experts and other amazing people who share their paths to peace, insights from scientific studies and actionable tips you can put into practice today. Hosted by journalist Sandy Cohen (on Instagram & Twitter @YouKnowSandy) with new episodes weekly.
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Episodes
Celebrate yourself
July 08, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.3 MBYou do a lot. You juggle tons of responsibilities and relationships at home and at work, and nobody gives you any awards or praise for most of it. Well, that ends now, because today we're talking about celebrating yourself and how acknowledging your wins supports inner peace. In this episode, we talk about the psychological benefits of celebrating ourselves, why we don't generally do it and how to start. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get ...
How sound healing supports inner harmony
July 01, 2024 08:00 - 35 minutes - 20.4 MBWhether you've been to dozens of sound baths or have no idea what a sound bath is, you're bound to learn something from guests Julie Afsahi and Jessica Cross, both sound healers and yoga teachers and the authors of the new book, "Seasons of Sound." In this conversation, Julie and Jessica explain what sound healing is and why it works and how anyone can access the benefits of sound healing at home without any equipment other than their voice. And if you want to experience a sound bath at ho...
Making peace with uncertainty
June 24, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBUncertainty is part of life, so when I heard a commercial for a psychic company recently whose tagline was "Discover the joy of certainty," I had to laugh. Humans prefer certainty -- it was key to our ancient ancestors' survival -- but uncertainty is the way of reality. Besides gravity on Earth, few things are reliably certain. Who could have imagined a global pandemic would shut down the world in March of 2020?! So in this episode, we talk about practical strategies for making peace wit...
How to love yourself
June 17, 2024 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBLoving ourselves might not feel easy, but it's a practice we can cultivate -- and it's totally worth it! Self-love increases resilience, helps reduce stress, boosts confidence and inspires us to go after our goals. In this episode, we talk about what self-love is and why it matters, some signs you might need more self-love in your life, myths about self-love, and eight strategies for cultivating self-love that you can start today. Cheers to amazing you! Please keep in touch! I'm on Insta...
Is your brain unruly?
June 10, 2024 08:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBAs the owner of a human brain, you possess one of the most complex and sophisticated pieces of machinery on the planet. And you're in charge of it! We're talking this week about your brilliant brain and how to use it to generate greater inner peace. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
Better brain health with Mary Lou Tierney
June 03, 2024 08:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBWant a better brain? Of course you do! This week, brain health expert Mary Lou Tierney is on the podcast, sharing tips for turning down the stress response and keeping our brain healthy throughout our lives. In this episode, we discuss negative self-talk, limiting beliefs and how to bring your higher thinking back online when your nervous system has been "hijacked" by the amygdala and the stress response. Mary Lou offers tons of resources on her website, so be sure to check her out at www....
Savoring happy moments
May 27, 2024 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBHave you ever eaten something so delicious that you spontaneously close your eyes so you can more fully immerse yourself in its scrumptiousness, so you can truly savor it? Savoring isn't just for food. Research shows that allowing ourselves to savor the delightful but ordinary moments in our lives boosts our mood, increases well-being and can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. It only takes a few seconds and we can do it right in the midst of our busy lives -- all we have to do is s...
How to see the good
May 20, 2024 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBLife can feel like an endless to-do list, with lots of "stuff" but not a lot of meaning, to the point where we look around and go, "Is this it?! Is this really what life's about?" One way to shift out of this view and bring more richness and pleasure to our lives is by practicing gratitude. I know it sounds corny! But reams of research studies confirm that intentionally looking for things to be grateful for makes us happier and less stressed -- not just in the moment, but over time. So in ...
Find your feet
May 13, 2024 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.46 MBLearn a quick and easy technique to ground yourself, get out of your head and change your mental energy in about a minute. I hope you love this "find your feet" exercise as much as I do! Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
It's not too late
May 06, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutes - 7.11 MBNo matter how old you are, no matter what you've done or not done, it is not too late to go after your dreams or create a life you love. The biggest obstacle standing between you and your dreams is the mistaken belief that it's too late. Ava DuVernay, Julia Child, Stan Lee and Susan Boyle are just a few of the people who started building the life they desired in middle age. The inspiration for this episode is my own realization of not-too-lateness... I recorded it the week I'll be graduat...
The Power of the Pomodoro
April 29, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.59 MBMultitasking may be the norm, but monotasking is where it's at when it comes to making meaningful progress while maintaining inner peace. This week, I share my favorite technique for time management and mental focus -- the Pomodoro Technique -- and how breaking big tasks into bite-size chunks is a powerful antidote to overwhelm. I use this timer-based technique to make progress on writing projects, housecleaning, and school stuff. I know teachers use it to get through piles of papers that ...
Overcoming Overwhelm
April 22, 2024 08:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBNothing interferes with our inner peace like having too much to do and not enough time to do it. This week, we're talking about what contributes to that feeling of overwhelm and how to shift how we think about the things on our to-do list in a way that allows for more breathing room. We talk about the "four burner theory" framework for our lives and how paying attention to which burners are on high can prevent us from burning out. We also discuss boundaries as self-care -- a loving way t...
Lighten up, Francis
April 15, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.16 MBThe 1981 movie "Stripes," starring Bill Murray and John Candy as enlistees in the Army, features a scene with a tough-guy character who says his name is Francis but everyone calls him "Psycho." And if you call him Francis, he'll kill you. And if you touch his stuff, he'll kill you. And if you touch him, he'll kill you. He gives this whole speech about how he's going to kill everyone, and when he's done, the drill sergeant says, "Lighten up, Francis." And that's some advice we all could us...
Inner peace is part of your brain
April 08, 2024 08:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBWe often think of inner peace as a state of mind, but it's actually a physical part of the brain, according to Harvard neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr. Taylor is the author of the fascinating book, "My Stroke of Insight," in which she shares her experience of having a stroke at age 37 and what she learned about her brain in the process. The human brain has two hemispheres that have different jobs but work together, and it turns out that the right hemisphere of the brain is where inner...
20 seconds to inner peace
April 01, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 8.3 MBWhat if a 20-second "micropractice" is all it takes to feel less stress and more self-compassion? That's what researchers at U.C. Berkeley found in a study being published this month. They taught students a 20-second self-compassion practice and asked them to do it daily. After a month, the students who did the practice most often experienced less stress, more self-compassion and fewer mental health troubles. Twenty seconds!! In this episode, we discuss what the researchers found and lear...
The how & why of self-compassion
March 25, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBIf your inner critic is working overtime to help you reach your goals -- and reminding you what a loser you are any time you fall short -- you're not alone. But there's a better way, and not only does it feel WAY better than constant berating and belittling, it actually makes you more likely to reach your goals and to feel good doing it. It's self-compassion, and it's scientifically proven to boost optimism, resilience, life satisfaction and purpose. It also boosts inner peace -- knowing ...
Your Miraculous Body
March 18, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 8.33 MBWhat did you have to do to earn the ability to circulate your blood, digest your food, grow your hair and heal your broken bones? Not a damn thing! This week, we're talking about how our body's capacity to heal itself is evidence of your inherent worthiness. You don't have to do anything to earn it. You don't have to prove that you deserve your broken bones to mend or a cut on your hand to heal. It just happens, because you are alive. You are already as worthy as you could ever be of goodn...
Your inherent worth
March 11, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.47 MBMost of us have been raised to believe that our value comes from what we do -- whether we're successful at work, get good grades, make a lot of money, etc. But when you were a baby, you did none of those things, and yet nobody around you doubted your worth. Even you believed you were 100% worthy. You cried for what you wanted and expected it to be provided, never considering whether you deserved it. This week, let's remember our inherent worth, the value that comes with just being alive, a...
Who do you think you are?
March 04, 2024 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBWhen we think about who we are, we generally go to our name, maybe age or gender, and the roles we play in our life: a mom, a sister, a lawyer, etc. But there's bountiful peace to be had when we expand our notion of who we are to the consciousness that perceives our name, age, gender and life roles. When we identify more as the observer, the witness of our experiences, rather than the experiencer. The practice of connecting with awareness has been practiced for millennia in wisdom traditi...
Beware these thought traps!
February 26, 2024 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBOur thoughts are a key way we make sense of the world, so it's easy to default into thinking our thoughts are true. It must be true because I thought it! Of course, our thoughts are just as fallible as any other human endeavor. Our thoughts aren't always true, and they definitely aren't always helpful. Our thoughts can stress us out and make us feel stuck. They can make us feel bad about ourselves and the circumstances of our lives. One simple way to know if your thoughts are painting a bi...
#60: Don't believe everything you think
February 19, 2024 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBYears ago I saw a bumper sticker that said "Don't believe everything you think" and I thought it was so funny -- like that's even possible!?! But now, more than a decade into my journey into developing more inner peace, I know that deciding which thoughts to invest in and which to ignore is essential to living with less stress and more happiness. In this episode, I talk about the concept of not believing everything you think, why you might want to be more discerning about which thoughts to...
When to take a break
June 12, 2023 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.7 MBHow do you know when it's time to take a break and if you really need one? Breaks are part of the rhythm of life -- and they're essential to success. We all need them. That's why football games have halftime and bears hibernate all winter! I will be taking a break from producing weekly episodes of "Inner Peace to Go" until I finish the internship required for my Master's of Public Health degree (almost there- woohooo!) I'll still be hosting my monthly book club, so if you'd like to conne...
Look how far you've come
May 29, 2023 17:00 - 10 minutes - 7.39 MBIn the hustle culture we live in, it's always about GO GO GO! What's next, whatcha doing, whatcha getting? We look out at the horizon at all the things we want and goals we hope to achieve. There is great value in taking a moment to look back and appreciate how far we've come. Yes, there are things we're working on, dreams we're in the process of making come true. But we couldn't even consider these dreams if it weren't for everything we've done so far. Looking back at how far we've come c...
Mental health, meds and me
May 22, 2023 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBBecause it's Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to share my own mental health and medication journey with you. It can be so scary to confront our own mental health issues (it certainly was for me), and it's often complicated by whatever stigma and hangups we have about medication, therapy and all of that (true for me). So I am sharing my warts-and-all journey through diagnosis and treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder and my experiences with Zoloft a...
Lessons from 'The High 5 Habit'
May 15, 2023 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBSharing gems of wisdom from Mel Robbins' newest book, "The High 5 Habit." The Self-Help Circle book club (join us!) dug into this title this month and we all gleaned some practical tools and eye-opening insights from it, so I wanted to pass our discoveries along! My favorite takeaway, which I've been doing daily, is "high-fiving my heart" and telling myself, "I am safe. I am loved. I am held." If you like reading personal development books and are looking for some loving folks to discuss ...
How to find meaning and success at work
May 08, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes - 21.3 MBDorie Clark is one of the most brilliant minds in business today, but what I love most about her is that she keeps humanity at the center of everything she does. So when it comes to finding both meaning and success at work, it's about making smart decisions about what we take on and keeping long-term goals in sight, even when we don't have evidence of the results. Dorie is a professor at Columbia University and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the author of several books, mos...
Inner peace takes action
May 01, 2023 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBIf only reading self-help, psychology and spirituality books were enough to bring about inner peace. I'd be a levitating deity by now! But as a beloved therapist told me, "You can't think your way into well-being. You can only act your way into well-being." This episode offers ideas on the kinds of actions that lead us to feeling more grounded and at ease with ourselves, like we have our own backs and the storms of life won't blow us away with the smallest breeze. In this episode, I menti...
Bonus! An oracle card reading for May
May 01, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 3.91 MBLet's get some guidance from the Goddesses! Our oracle card for May comes from the Goddess Guidance oracle deck by Doreen Virtue. We are in for a healing month, yay! Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
What we get wrong about stress
April 24, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBStress is a part of life, but chronic stress is another thing entirely. Staying stressed all the time harms our health and happiness. Let's talk about what we get wrong about stress and what actually works to dial back stress and calm our nervous system. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
Breathwork, trauma and healing
April 17, 2023 09:00 - 56 minutes - 38.8 MBWe hear a lot about breathwork in the healing & personal development spaces, but what is it exactly? Same with trauma -- do we all have it? And what do we do about it? Dominiece Clifton has answers on all of the above. A trauma-informed breathwork, yoga and meditation teacher, author, speaker, podcaster and self-proclaimed "stress-pert," Dominiece has been inspired by her own healing journey to share the tools that helped her release her old identity as a stressed-out perfectionist to becom...
Making peace with regret
April 03, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBRegret is a powerful emotion. It's often uncomfortable and tinged with grief. But it can also be a place of growth, says writer, teacher and podcaster Lynne Thompson. Listen to hear how to turn down the volume of regret in your head and heart and metabolize this emotion into a richer life experience. Lynne is the host of The Storied Human podcast. Connect with her on Instagram @lthompson_574 and email her at [email protected]. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy...
Bonus! April oracle card reading
April 01, 2023 09:00 - 5 minutes - 3.71 MBIt's going to be an abundant April! Card chosen from "Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards" by Doreen Virtue Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
Life is not an emergency
March 27, 2023 09:00 - 11 minutes - 8.07 MBIt's easy to feel like the ordinary challenges of life are Important Emergencies, but the truth is that we mostly create this idea in our heads. Of course, there are legitimate emergencies, like if you think someone is having a stroke or if your baby is about to tip a pot of hot soup off the stove onto themselves. But most things in life are not emergencies. Convincing ourselves that they are only serves to stress us out. This is one of the most important lessons I've ever learned from th...
Protect your waking moments
March 20, 2023 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBBefore the stress of the day grabs you by the throat, can you take a minute or two to enjoy your waking moments -- that fleeting time between sleep and fully awakening -- to just appreciate that you have another chance at life today? Starting with a moment to yourself -- whether you spend it just appreciating the warmth of your cozy bed, look out the window and contemplate the day or take a few deep breaths in gratitude -- sets you up for a much calmer morning and more peaceful disposition ...
How to escape the thought prison
March 13, 2023 09:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBWhen you're stuck in a thought prison, life can be like "a living death," says Richard Harris, a transformational life coach and personal development devotee. For Richard (and for me) wellness goes beyond the physical. Once we get our physical health in order through sleep, exercise and nutrition, it's time to dig into the deeper realms of psychology and spirituality. In this conversation, we talk about the obstacles to inner peace, how to escape the thought prisons we're brought up in and...
Simplifying wellness
March 06, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBWhen we're stressed, overwhelmed and feeling disconnected from ourselves, it can seem like we need a major life overhaul to get us back on track. But today's guest, mental health counselor and coach Heather McMahon, shares how simple strategies can actually help us reset our outlook and reconnect to our inner wisdom. For more of Heather's insights, connect with her on Instagram @creating__you and be sure to check out her podcast, Creating You. Wishing you a peaceful week! Please keep in...
Bonus! An oracle card reading for March
March 01, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutes - 5.33 MBArise!! That's the message from the Rumi Oracle for us for March. I'm reading from this gorgeous deck, and love this reminder that we are blazing angels made of divinity. What does this card and its message mean to you? Please let me know! Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com. Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!
Self-love and the art of manifestation
February 27, 2023 11:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBWhat's the connection between manifestation, self-love and feeling our feelings? Author, coach and self-love expert Kelsey Aida is here to explain. Plus she leads me to an unexpected exploration of my own feelings, where I notice grief in my body and feel it morph and move. It was a trip! Check out more of Kelsey's wisdom on her website, KelseyAida.com, and her podcast, High Vibin' It. You can also find her on Instagram @kelseyaida. She mentions her book "The Mini-Book of Self-Love for t...
How to find purpose at work
February 20, 2023 10:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBWorking without purpose can seriously detract from our personal peace, but finding that purpose can feel so elusive. Maybe we've raised the stakes too much? I'm sharing lessons I learned from experts about how lowering the pressure, expanding our perspective and getting clear on our personal definition of success can help us find more meaning in our work. This episode is based on an article I wrote for Shondaland.com that you can read here. If you'd like some support as you find your pur...
Bonus! Love yourself this Valentine's Day (and every day)
February 14, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutes - 6.13 MBOn this day of love, here's a reminder to tend to the most important relationship in your life: the one you have with incredible, amazing YOU! I've got three quick, easy strategies to help cultivate or boost self-love that you can do today or anytime -- one each for mind, body and spirit. You are the one beautiful soul who will be by your side your whole life, and you deserve at least as much loving care as the other beloveds in your life. Here's to you! Happy Valentine's Day. Please ke...
How to create a life you love
February 13, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBWhen your days feel like drudgery, how do you begin to create a life you love? How do you find the confidence and faith to make big changes? Organizational psychologist, coach and artist Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey has answers. Not only has she done this in her own life, she now helps clients paint their own path to a life that feels fulfilling, delicious and joyful. In this conversation, we discuss: • The importance of making decisions about your future • How to feel more empowered by review...
Make peace with your body
February 06, 2023 10:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBSome of the most popular New Year's resolutions have to do with losing weight and getting fit, yet research shows that most of us have likely abandoned our resolutions by now, six weeks into the new year. But what if we could love our bodies no matter what they look like? Actually, we can. I'm sharing my own experience with body hate and body love and expert recommendations for how we can feel better in our own bodies. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpea...
Bonus! An oracle card reading for February
February 01, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutes - 5.77 MBLet's start of the month with some Rumi! I got a beautiful new oracle card deck, Rumi Oracle by Alana Fairchild, and I've been so taken with its inspiring messages, so I wanted to share them with you! I'll pick a new card for us each month. Love to hear your thoughts on this card, "A New Gown." Message me on IG @YouKnowSandy or drop me an email at [email protected]. This is the deck I'm reading from. Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com...
How to nail your New Year's resolutions
December 30, 2022 10:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBAbout 80% of people abandon their New Year's resolutions by February, but that doesn't have to be you! I've got six science-backed and life-tested tips for you to help you nail your New Year's resolutions this year -- and to actually HAVE FUN and FEEL GOOD doing it. These are the tips I'll be incorporating as I take on my BIG GOAL for 2023: to complete my book proposal. Please let me know if you find these tips helpful! DM me on IG @YouKnowSandy or drop me an email here. And you are invi...
Bonus! What I learned from my monthlong Gratitude Challenge
December 05, 2022 10:00 - 9 minutes - 6.87 MBI decided to do a gratitude challenge during the month of November to notice something different each day that I was grateful for and share it online. In this episode, I share what the experience was like. (Spoiler alert: It was great. Totally recommend.) Studies show that keeping a gratitude journal for a period of time has lasting benefits, even once the journaling practice is done, so I'm expecting lasting benefits! Let me know if you try your own gratitude challenge and how it goes! D...
Why gratitude is good for inner peace
November 14, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBGrateful people enjoy better mental and physical health and a stronger immune system. Free to practice and available to all, gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to boost well-being and inner peace. In this final episode of season 1, my friend Branimir Kvartuc and I discuss the science of gratitude and why being thankful is so good for us. Here's my Shondaland.com article about the benefits of gratitude. And please know how grateful I am to YOU for listening to this podcast. I deep...
Less news, more happiness
November 07, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBLimiting your news consumption leads to greater inner peace. Most of the news we're exposed to is bad news -- nobody reports on the plane that lands safely -- and seeing all these terrible happenings triggers a stress response, which tells our nervous system we're in danger, even if we're safely at home on the couch. I have worked in the news business for more than two decades, and I got happier when I consumed less news. I don't look at any news until I log in for work and don't read news...
What's up with our thoughts?
October 31, 2022 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBWe know our thoughts influence how we feel, but what exactly ARE thoughts? What impacts them and how can we choose thoughts that make us feel supported and capable rather than criticized and inept? I'm sharing wisdom from psychiatrist Mark Levine, meditation teacher Tuere Sala and what psychology tells us about cognitive distortions. When we better understand the nature of our thoughts and learn to observe our thoughts, we're well positioned to change our thoughts and focus on ones that ma...
Bonus! Try a quick grounding meditation
October 20, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBInspired by my conversation with meditation teacher and student Masako Kozawa in episode 38, and by the latest book discussed in the Self-Help Circle book club, I am offering a short meditation in this episode. This meditation comes from "Abundance: The Inner Path to Wealth," by Deepak Chopra. You can find it on page 232-233. Please let me know if you'd like to hear more meditations on this podcast! DM me @YouKnowSandy or email me at innerpeacetogo.com. And if you'd like to join the free ...
The hows and whys of meditation
October 17, 2022 09:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBAnyone on a quest for more inner peace has no doubt heard about the benefits of meditation. But even though the practice is simple -- just sit and breathe -- it can be so hard to do. Our thoughts race. We feel restless. Sometimes looking inside our minds can be uncomfortable and even scary. Masako Kozawa, a photographer and writer who describes herself as "a teacher and student of meditation," has been there. She came to meditation at one of her lowest points in life, desperate for anything...