Life = Choices; Choices = Life
221 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsLife = Choices; Choices = Life is about learning to replace external control psychology with radical responsibility and appreciation so you can make better choices to create the life you want to have. Kim Olver is a leading expert in Choice Theory™ psychology and will share what she has gleaned from the legendary work of Dr. William Glasser, as well as sharing her unique perspective based on over 30 years of study and research.
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Episodes
Proper Problem Assignment
July 18, 2024 11:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBIn this episode, Kim talks about the challenge experienced by couples when one person is upset about something the other person does. They miscategorize the problem as the other person's instead of their own. The problem lies with the person who is most upset by it. If you own the problem, then it's your responsibility to fix it. This puts you in the driver's seat. Otherwise, you are powerless to fix it while waiting for your partner to change. Additionally, Kim discusses not staying in rela...
Couples Coaching with Elizabeth Overstreet
July 11, 2024 11:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBIn this episode, I was fortunate to be able to interview a colleague and fellow coach, Elizabeth Overstreet. Elizabeth functions primarily as a coach for couples. We had a great conversation talking about attachment styles and how they affect relationships, the evolution of relationships, and why we often resist healthy relationships. Listen to the end to hear two "secrets" Elizabeth shares that can enhance relationships. If you'd like to reach out to her, you will find her at her website: ...
Love Coach Atlanta
July 04, 2024 11:00 - 30 minutes - 24.1 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelvin Troy Johnson, founder of Love Coach Atlanta and author of Secrets of the Mind of a Man. Given that much of my audience is female, I thought you might be interested in the information Kelvin shares. I noticed him on TicToc and liked what he was saying so I was honored when he was brave enough to say "yes" to being interviewed by a total stranger. The conversation was entirely fun and enjoyable for me. I found we agree on many things ...
Taking Care of Your Past so You Can Be the Best Parent for Your Children
June 27, 2024 11:00 - 25 minutes - 14.8 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Priyanka Venkataraman, who gave up a thriving OBGYN practice to be the best mom she could be for her son. She is not looking back! When Priyanka's wonderful nanny had to leave after 1.5 years, she realized something had to give and she knew she wanted to be there for her family. She spent a year working on herself with her own parenting coach before becoming a parenting coach herself. She specializes in working with busy, professional m...
Adjusting Great Expectations: Parent Edition
June 20, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutes - 18.8 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking a second time to the author of The Golden Ticket, Irena Smith. Irena was on the show last month to talk about her new book and I wanted her to return to talk about parenting, particularly parenting neurodiverse kids; she has three of them! We talk about the importance of realizing that going to an Ivy League School isn't what's best for everyone and isn't the "Golden Ticket" many parents have come to believe it is. She implores parents to thi...
Many Ways to Form a Family
June 13, 2024 11:00 - 33 minutes - 19.1 MBIn this episode, I had the opportunity and pleasure to interview two guests from last season, Amy Reid and Heather Harrison. Heather and Amy are a modern-day, queer couple attempting to navigate the nuances of life with four kids in a blended family, with other co-parents, thriving careers in college teaching, side hustles in coaching, and a burgeoning real estate investment portfolio. In this episode, we talk about how they navigate their high-paced life, while also discussing the beautiful...
Conscious Parenting
June 06, 2024 11:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBIn this episode, I was fortunate to interview Silva Badalian about Conscious Parenting, a parenting method developed by Dr. Shefali Tsabary and practiced and taught by Silva, a is a therapist and parenting coach I discovered on LinkedIn. I loved some of the nuggets Silva dropped: "parenting with connection before correction" and the difference between stone and sand boundaries in parenting. She has some great questions for parents, also, such as "Would you treat your best friend the way you ...
Parenting with Choice Theory
May 30, 2024 11:00 - 22 minutes - 13 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeannette Markle, a former prosecutor turned parenting coach, among other things. Jeannette talked with me about her vast experience with a Canadian organization called the Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario (APSGO), of which she is currently the president. Jeannette first encountered APSGO as a desperate parent looking for some sort of solution to "fix" her child who was displaying some scary, problematic behaviors as a 13 yea...
Unfinished Business with Melanie Smith
May 24, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this episode, I have the distinct pleasure of interviewing Melanie Smith for the second time. Melanie has a book, Unfinished Business, that takes trauma--the big, the small and everything in between--and helps the reader do the work so they can first, figure out who they are and then second, become intentional about building the life they want to live. Listen for Melanie's mic drop statement starting at marker 29:48. It holds an important message for everyone. To work with Melanie, visit ...
Choice Theory in Recovery
May 18, 2024 11:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBIn this episode, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Ben Eberhart, a man I met when he took Choice Theory training during the early stages of his recovery. Ben has moved on from the job he had when I met him to create a beautiful life for himself. He is a well-known local professional musician and family man. Ben is married with two young daughters at home and has found a career he truly loves as the Community Outreach for Arkview Recovery Center, a program he can really get behind. Joi...
Help for the Helpers
May 02, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 12.3 MBIn this episode, we delve into the crucial topic of supporting counselors and therapists in processing the challenging traumas they encounter while aiding clients. Individuals grappling with mental health issues, incarceration, or substance use disorders often carry significant trauma burdens. As professionals, we can't ignore the impact of absorbing our clients' experiences, potentially leading to vicarious trauma and its symptoms affecting us. It's imperative to prioritize our well-being b...
Inside Out Job Men's Community
April 25, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutes - 18.6 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing my friend, colleague and frequent guest of this podcast, Sylvester Baugh, about the men's group he has created. Following his life-saving kidney transplant, he says he felt called to create a safe space for men to be able to share and heal, and thus the Inside Out Job Community was born. Currently, he runs two groups--one that is in person with a group of unhoused individuals in the Chicago suburbs and the other that is virtual with ment f...
Diversity of Girls High School Wrestling
April 18, 2024 11:00 - 14 minutes - 8.15 MBIn this episode, I get to interview a trailblazer in the sport of girls wrestling, my granddaughter, Saige Olver. According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, in 1990, there were 112 girls who participated in high school wrestling. Since then, the sport has grown exponentially. Last season, '22-'23, there were 49,127 girls wrestling in the sport. The '23-'24 season was the first sanctioned season for girls in the state of Pennsylvania where today's guest, my granddaughter Saige Olver, l...
Treatment for the Incarcerated with Substance Use Disorder
April 11, 2024 11:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lacey Glueckert about her experiences in working in her local jail with people experiencing the intersectionality of incarceration, substance use disorders and often, homelessness. It is definitely a population without a lot of support and encouragement, something Lacey provides whenever she can. She is now part of the sheriff's budget rather than having her work funded through a grant. She exposes people to Choice Theory psychology and hel...
DEI Truth
April 04, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBWe spoke of intersectionality, how sexual orientation is not a choice and at what age many people know they are gay, and TRUTH. Nona Lee is an openly gay, Black female, who worked many years in men's sports as an attorney for the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona DiamondBacks. But she left that work behind when she discovered her true passion. She knew watching younger people putting their lives on the line protesting for racial equity, that she had to do everything she could to support them, so ...
The Entrepreneurial Mindset
March 28, 2024 11:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this episode, I interview Judy Whalen, an entrepreneur who has been working with leaders of healthcare and educational organizations, service businesses, foundations, government agencies, manufacturing companies, chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs since 1992. She helps leaders manage strategic change by clarifying their vision and their values. Judy defines mindset, and more specifically, the entrepreneurial mindset, and distinguishes between fixed and growth mindsets. F...
Creating Relational Influence
March 21, 2024 11:00 - 16 minutes - 18.4 MBEffective leaders know how to build relational influence with their direct reports. As John Maxwell states, "Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another." As a leader, you are trying to influence your people to buy into your, or your company's, agenda and vision. From my experience, I understand that relationships are the root of all influence. Therefore, having the ability to influence your people will be directly proportional to the str...
Self-Leadership
March 14, 2024 11:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBIn today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing coach, Mary Meduna-Gross. Mary and I have reconnected after meeting several years ago through a mutual Choice Theory enthusiast. It was such a joy to talk to Mary again after all these years and find out we have so much in common. As I launch Mental Freedom, Mary is also launching a program of her own dedicated, not only to walk along her clients, but to actually teach them the skills they need to lead themselves, and then by extension, ...
Leadership Tips and Challenges
March 07, 2024 11:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBIn this episode, I interview a fantastic coach and leader, Marcie Stern. We discuss leadership trends and current challenges, as well as Marcie's biggest leadership lesson, which came from a personal experience. Listen to learn more. You can reach Marcie through her website for further information and her book, So Long Inner Critic, Hello Inner Champion: 25 Tips to Master Your Mindset, is available on Amazon. --
Mental Freedom with Dr. Tina Lee Odinsky-Zec
February 29, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 33.3 MBIn this episode, I interview one of our soon-to-be Mental Freedom certified coach, Dr. Tina Lee Odinsky-Zec. Tina is a skilled learning & development expert with 20 years experience. She has a stellar track record coaching entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and social impact project managers. She is passionate about creativity, design thinking and discovering others' hidden potential. We spoke about Tina's personal and professional experience with Mental Freedom. She talked about the impact it...
Mental Freedom with Mary Rothwell
February 22, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutes - 14.9 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing another of our aspiring Mental Freedom practitioners, Mary Rothwell. We discuss her experiences with her own Mental Freedom Experience, as well as the exciting things that are happening with the people she is facilitating through their own Mental Freedom Experience. I just love talking about Mental Freedom and if you, or anyone you know, is interested in having your own Mental Freedom Experience, the first step is to take our complimentar...
Mental Freedom with Lois DaSilva-Knapton
February 15, 2024 11:00 - 17 minutes - 9.89 MBIn this episode, I get to interview a school administrator, Lois D’Silva-Knapton, about her experience with Mental Freedom. We talk about her own personal Mental Freedom Experience and the way she is using it with people at work and others in her life. I am always surprised by its wide applicability.
Mental Freedom with Teresa Greco - part 2
February 08, 2024 11:00 - 36 minutes - 50.4 MBIn this episode, Teresa Greco and I interview each other about our collective experiences with Mental Freedom principles and tools. Teresa is one of our Mental Freedom practitioners who shared how Mental Freedom helped one of her specific clients and what she loves about The Mental Freedom Experience. I talk about some of the benefits of Mental Freedom, its history and our hopes for the future. This is part two of the interview. If you are interested in reading a complimentary chapter of Men...
Mental Freedom with Teresa Greco Part 1
February 01, 2024 11:00 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBIn this episode, Teresa Greco and I interview each other about our collective experiences with Mental Freedom principles and tools. Teresa is one of our Mental Freedom practitioners who helps us with our research in 2023 so she shared some of that, as well as how it helped one of her specific clients and what she loves about The Mental Freedom experience. I talk about some of the benefits of Mental Freedom, its history and our hopes for the future. This is part one of the interview. If you a...
Mental Freedom with Dr. Ruby Powell
December 28, 2023 11:00 - 21 minutes - 12.2 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing a friend and colleague, Dr. Ruby Powell. Dr. Powell is both a counselor and coach, who is certified in Mental Freedom. She has found Mental Freedom to be extremely helpful with both sets of clients, but particularly with counseling clients. She talks about how Mental Freedom helped her work through some things she had not yet tackled. You can check her out at her website, www.rubyepowell.com, where she works with her clients or explore her...
Mental Freedom with Rachel McElroy
December 21, 2023 11:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing a friend and colleague, Rachel McElroy. When I first met Rachel, she was the Director of Special Ed services in the largest school district in the state of Virginia. She is currently working in the private sector as she transitions into the field of coaching and consulting. She is a strong, confident professional woman, who speaks about how learning the Mental Freedom principles helped her personally, as well as with clients she is working...
Mental Freedom with Sylvester Baugh
December 14, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 11.3 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and colleague, Sylvester Baugh. Sylvester has been using Mental Freedom in his life since 2020 and he talked with me about its effectiveness, not only in his own life personally, but also with his clients. If you would like to reach out to him for more information or to join his men's group on Mental Freedom, his virtual group on Mental Freedom or for coaching in general, you may email him at [email protected] or baughtraining@on...
The Joy of Mental Freedom
December 07, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing some coaches and counselors, who have been certified in Mental Freedom® and used it with clients in the research phase and continue to use it in their practices now. They share how powerful Mental Freedom was for themselves and for their clients. It speaks to the power of these ideas and their ability to impact people, no matter the challenge they are experiencing. Mental Freedom is more a tool of resilience and strength to grow people to ...
Stress & Survival for Students
November 30, 2023 11:00 - 27 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode I interview Heather Harrison and Amy Reid, both of whom are internal control psychology teachers, coaches and college professors helping students navigate the stressful world of adulting while attending and studying for classes. We talk about the connection between coaches and educators, stress on students, and how they incorporate wellness activities into their respective classes. To learn more, visit their website at shiftone.ca.
Intentional Total Formation with Students
November 23, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBIn this episode, I got to interview the newly retired, Steve Hammond, about the passion that's driving him these days. Steve has created a program he calls, Intentional Total Formation. Students are trusted with their own learning and are given weekly precepts to ponder with the ultimate goal being a student who truly knows themself when they are leaving the school at graduation. Steve also shared a choice he regrets that changed his behavior forever. If you would like to contact Steve, he c...
Social & Emotional Learning with Ed Dunkelblau
November 16, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 27.5 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and colleague, Dr. Ed Dunkelblau, who is the International Coordinator for the Academy for SEL in schools to discuss social & emotional learning. I was, of course, previously aware of EQ, or emotional quotient, but wasn't up-to-date with SEL and Ed brought the receipts. We talked about what SEL is, the skills that comprise it and the benefits of implementing it in schools. Ed had a great response to the question, "When should we b...
Managing Challenging Supervision Situations in a University Setting
November 09, 2023 11:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Patricia Robey, Full Professor in Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University in Illinois. In this conversation Dr. Robey talks about the values, beliefs and practices she considers as she plans for a new academic year. She discusses how she fosters an interest in learning for her students who may be resistant to taking certain required courses. She also shares her process for working with students who may be struggling acad...
How to Build Relationships with Students in School
November 02, 2023 11:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with a returning guest, Dr. Don Parker. Don is the real deal who has paid his dues in the trenches. He started working in the school system as a PE teacher and coach, then became the Dean of Students, and later became a principal and is now on the speaking circuit to help educators understand the importance of building relationships with students and how to develop cultures of inclusiveness and equity. In fact, he's written two books to about t...
The Diversity of the DEIB Journey
October 26, 2023 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Shaunna Payne Gold, a wonderful gift in the field of DEIB. We discussed what being an ally really means, what the journey looks like for white people grappling with topics of diversity, how to care for oneself while doing this work and strategies for dealing with people and organizations that are resistors to the DEIB message. Shaunna also shared an important choice she made that had a significant positive impact on her life. Check out her...
Choice Theory® and DEI
October 19, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBIn this episode, I interview my friend and colleague, Gloria Cissé. Gloria is a faculty member of William Glasser International and the co-owner, founder, CEO and Lead Therapist at the Southern Center for Choice Theory, LLC in Macon, Georgia. Gloria has been successfully hosting the Difficult Discussions in Diversity for the Glasser Institute for Choice Theory - US. In this episode we talk about why DEI is such an important topic for discussion, even after all these years, and how to make th...
Connecting for Inclusion
October 12, 2023 11:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBIn this episode, I interview Ralph Brandt, who has built a highly successful business around the topic of DEI. The RDR Group specializes in helping people communicate in a meaningful way, naturally forming connections and fostering inclusiveness organically. Ralph begins by talking about how long he's been in the DEI space and how much it's changed, and stayed the same, over those years. He shares how RDR Group does DEI differently than most and includes some success stories. He makes a stro...
Zap the Gender Pay Gap
October 05, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 11 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gwendolyn Tucker, a coach working in the area of DEI, specifically in the specialization of helping women get paid equitably for the work they do. Did you know women earn 82 cents to a man's dollar, on average, in the United States, and for women of color, it's even less? Because of the individual differences about money, Gwendolyn prefers working with women in one-on-one coaching sessions to address the specific areas they need to close th...
Happy AF with Beth Romero
September 28, 2023 11:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing author, Beth Romero about her upcoming book, Happy AF. In 2020, Beth had what she describes as the perfect storm, with a multitude of events culminating in the loss of any happiness she had. Being a naturally happy person before these events, Beth went on a search to discover how to get that happiness back. It was a long-fought road. She tried tons of recommendations, some that worked really well, some with average results and some that ju...
Listening for the Period
September 22, 2023 11:00 - 30 minutes - 17.4 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and fellow Yellow Ribbon speaker, Sporty King. Sporty and I have been working together since 2011 and enjoying every minute of it. He shares an acronym that Sporty calls an "act-ronym" for the word Life, that begins the title of my podcast. We spent the majority of the time talking about how important listening is to relationships. I have been known to call it listening for understanding, while Sporty calls it listening for the pe...
The Enlightenment Project
September 14, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 14.1 MBIn this episode, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Robinson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Enlightenment Project and co-host of the popular podcast Awareness Explorers. This man has made a career out of befriending some of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time. From Oprah to Advashanti, he has interviewed over 100 notable people to get their take on how to live a happy, peaceful and meaningful life. He has learned from the Dalai Lama, Byron Katie, Deepa...
Hope and Healing from Sexual Trauma
September 07, 2023 11:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBIn this episode, I had the honor to interview a high school friend and author of From Within: My Path of Hope and Healing from Sexual Abuse. One in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the time they reach 18 years of age. Gigi Kilroe not only survived repressed sexual trauma from a very early age, she experienced dating violence, rape in college and another rape in her early 20s. How does one survive that, let alone come out the other side in a triumph position? Listen ...
Leadership Coaching with Patrick Jinks
August 31, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 32.1 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing an Academy of Choice graduate, Patrick Jinks, about his brand of leadership coaching. Patrick worked in the non-profit world for over two decades before parlaying his success into coaching other not-for-profits leaders. He has an impressive resumé, including a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, board-certification as an executive leadership coach, being recently recognized globally as one of the 10 Most Influential People in Leadership Co...
How to Have a Productive Day with Leslie Shreve
August 24, 2023 11:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing a productivity expert, Leslie Shreve, on how to have a productive day. Leslie talks about the consequences when people, especially leaders, aren't having a productive day and time is lost. She even talks about how poor productivity steals a person's mental freedom and how to gain it back. She names the number one tool for increasing productivity (Hint: It isn't Google). Finally, we wrapped up with three of the biggest myths about productiv...
The Paradigm Shift in Leadership
August 17, 2023 11:00 - 25 minutes - 20.1 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine Lazaruk, a professional presence expert, who helps women in leadership accelerate their progress. We discuss the value of her work to the people she serves. Katherine talks about the new paradigm for leadership, the way it is shifting and what that means for people who want it to stay the way it used to be. We talked about the system and whose responsibility it is to change it. (Hint: it's everyone's.) She talks about executive pr...
Women in Business, Personal Brands and the Importance of Choices
August 10, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 16.2 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jaime Butler, a coach and consultant who says she does consultative coaching. We talked about that, brand and thought leadership, women in business, and the challenges and opportunities that grew out of Covid. Jaime discusses why working with a coach can really benefit C-suite executive and entrepreneurs. She also shares how she pivoted to help corporate leaders build their personal brand and some personal choices that positively impacted h...
Leadership, Trust and Corporate Culture
August 03, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 16.1 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lyndsay Dowd, a Top 10 Coach featured on Apple news, with a top 10% globally ranked podcast. Lyndsay and I covered a lot of ground in this podcast. We talked about soft skills and why they are so critical to a leader's and company's success. Lyndsay advocated for why leaders should make healthy culture a part of their strategy. She shared the things that contribute to poor culture, as well as what leaders can do to start building trust with...
Working with the Neurodiverse Couple
July 28, 2023 11:00 - 29 minutes - 16.6 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Swenson, a psychotherapist in Seattle, WA who specializes in working with neurodiverse couples. She defines this as working with couples where one person is neurotypical and the other has autism. Sarah shares the specific challenges neurodiverse couples face that are different from other couples, as well as the goals for therapy and the skills and strategies they need to learn to make their relationships work. To reach her for more in...
Co-Active Relationship Coaching
July 20, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 33.2 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carolina Perez Sans, a co-active coach who works with couples and business leaders on the same types of skills, mainly communication and negotiation. I have known other co-active coaches but never really knew what co-active coaching is. Carolina explains the meaning of co-active coaching and what it means in relationship coaching. We discuss the overlap between couples and team leaders and the skills it takes to work with both. Carolina rev...
Clarity before Commitment
July 13, 2023 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBIn this episode, I had the pleasure to speak to a great friend of mine, best orator I know and excellent coach and counselor, Marcus "Dr. Respect" Gentry, about the questions he likes to ask couples when they come to him for his sage advice. We discussed three critical elements to a successful relationship, Marcus' advice for couples considering marriage, a big challenge for today's couples and how to make one's relationship stronger and more successful. If you would like to learn more about...
Loving through Tragedy
July 06, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jarie Bolander, a man who has experienced loving his wife through leukemia and her eventual death. Those of you who know my story, know this is quite similar to my own story. We talk about how things are different for men and how important it was for Jarie and his beloved to Ride or Die till the end. Jarie also battled his dependence on alcohol and talks about finding love again. All of this you will find in his memoir titled, Ride or Die:...