Life's Seasons Speaks
146 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago -Weekly episodes delivered by counsellors from Life's Seasons Care & Support Inc., Sarnia, ON. Canada. They utilize their professional and personal experiences to discover, unravel, explore, and process the complexities within and through the changing seasons of life. Listen in as they tackle an array of topics and vulnerably share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Whatever season you’re in, you will be impacted!
The Life's Seasons Speaks Podcast is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining professional advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
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Episodes
Getting Offended vs Being Offended
February 09, 2022 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBGetting Offended vs Being Offended Let’s get rid of the notion right now that healthy, mature, strong people do not get offended. Because they do. It’s unavoidable. No one is exempt. So, if it is normal, and if it is going to continue happening, why aren’t we talking about it more? It kind of seems important to understand that there is no failure in getting offended, AND there has got to be something more we can do with it rather than just be hurt. We can’t escape it, so we need to k...
Connecting
February 02, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBConnecting Do you know that we are wired for connection? That is to say that we are literally created to have connection with others in this world. If we were hooked up to a brain scan, you would actually see the reward centers of our brain light up when we are connecting with others. It’s that important to us. It is that engrained into our DNA, to connect with others. Genetically, our DNA is predisposed to connect; to find someone we care about and who cares for us. Then, why are so man...
Jephthah - Prepped for Battle
January 30, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBJephthah - Prepped for Battle " Mighty Man of Valor"... what a way to be described and remembered! He must have been someone very special, born to wonderfully loving parents, and raised in the ways of the Lord. After all, he led and won a battle to save the people who needed him, and he presided over them as a judge for years. A special man indeed! But what if I told you his early years were horrible? He was unwanted, unloved, and rejected and abandoned - over and over again. Were th...
Jephthah - Prepped for Battle
January 30, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBJephthah - Prepped for Battle " Mighty Man of Valor"... what a way to be described and remembered! He must have been someone very special, born to wonderfully loving parents, and raised in the ways of the Lord. After all, he led and won a battle to save the people who needed him, and he presided over them as a judge for years. A special man indeed! But what if I told you his early years were horrible? He was unwanted, unloved, and rejected and abandoned - over and over again. Were th...
Listen to This!
January 26, 2022 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBListen to This! Are you a good listener? Are you really? How do you know? Today we are going to look at what it really means to be a good listener and how to put it to the test. We will discuss what listening is and what it isn't as far as responses, reactions, statements, and intentions. We might even hear about a situation where Tina was NOT a good listener! From last week's show on talking, to today's episode on listening, we set the stage for next Wednesday's release on connect...
Let's Talk About Talking
January 19, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBLet's Talk About Talking We must learn to talk! So today, we will talk about talking... and not just to fill the awkward silence in a room, but to really articulating our thoughts and feelings. Because sometimes our thoughts and feelings sound like "I'm worthless, I'm a bad person, I'm not worthy of love". While these may not be facts, they may have become truths inside us - that no one knows about, and no one can help us with BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT. We have a right to feel ...
The Gift of Forgiveness
January 12, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBThe Gift of Forgiveness As the gift-giving season wraps up, and we move into the new year full of new challenges, we discuss the gift of forgiveness and what is has to offer us. What exactly is forgiveness and how do you do it? Those are important questions. But perhaps the most important question to ask first is WHY? Why forgive? Listen in as we pull apart the topic of forgiveness to gain a clearer understanding of the what, how, and why, in it all. Forgiveness can be a hard journ...
"Never" - Hope or a Promise?
December 26, 2021 07:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBI'll NEVER... get divorced, have depression, speak to my kids like that, get cancer, have a kid with an addiction... Sometimes we state NEVER as a hope, a dream, a wish and then what we said would never happen - happens. And that messes with our understanding of the word NEVER, especially when we hear God say "I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). How is that statement to be trusted when I have stated it before, and it failed? Listen in as Tina shares a little story ...
Holiday Message
December 15, 2021 07:00 - 2 minutes - 1.45 MBAs you heard from Tina last week, this may not be a time of joy that you are preparing for this season. Perhaps, as Jenny's family is, you are going to be experiencing a tougher Christmas this year. Maybe you are grieving as it is the first Christmas after a loss. Maybe it’s the 12th or 20th Christmas without your loved one. No matter the timing, your grief matters. So, we are not here to wish you a Happy Holidays. We are here to say that we pray for you, a season with love and care ...
I'll BE Home For Christmas
December 08, 2021 07:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBWe've all heard the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas", but going home for the holidays is not really about a location. Is it? It is often about a person. It's about being with that special someone who feels like "home". So what do we do when we can't go home for Christmas... because they just aren't there anymore? How do we reckon with the reality of not having anywhere to go, especially when the whole world is focused on being HOME with our loved ones? Join Tina as she talks about be...
Blue Christmas
December 01, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBBlue Christmas Christmas is not always about joy, cheer, and festive get-togethers. Every year, someone is facing their first Christmas without someone they love. It may not even be the first Christmas after a loss. It may be the second, 12th, or 30th. The number of years don't matter as much as the very real pain does. Join Tina as she speaks about experiencing the holiday season, while suffering with the reality that someone very special is just not here. She will speak about the ...
Train Up A Child
November 28, 2021 07:00 - 43 minutes - 29.6 MBTrain Up A Child It's another Soul Soothing Sunday! Proverbs 22:6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go, andwhen he is old, he will not depart from it. Often we read this verse adding emphasis in this way: Train up a child in the way he SHOULD go, andwhen he is old, he will not depart from it. What if we read it like this... Train up a child in the way HE should go, andwhen he is old, he will not depart from it. Our kids are not ours to mold into a future we choose for them. ...
Private Logic
November 24, 2021 07:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBPrivate Logic... how the experience of trauma impacts the way we THINK AND FEEL ABOUT OURSELVES, OTHERS, AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. Trauma can disfigure and distort the way we see and feel about ourselves, others, and the world we live in. And this is so important to understand because we have got to stop deciding we know people, including ourselves, based on the impact that trauma has had on us. Every day, we make judgements and opinions about others, as well as ourselves, and even the...
Resilience & The Bounce Back
November 17, 2021 07:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBResiliency is the bounce back after a traumatic event... but let's be VERY CLEAR - this is NOT the same as "getting over it”. The truth is, you may never "get over" what happened to you. And that's ok. That's not a failure or a weakness. That's not even the goal. The meaning behind the bounce back, is about your ability to have good, positive, healthy experiences in your future, even though something very tough has happened in your past. Join us today to hear all about the "bounce back"...
Protect The Relationship
November 10, 2021 07:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBProtect The Relationship Jenny has young children... Tina's are older - but they chat with each other about parenting all the time! On today's episode, Jenny brings to focus, the chats they have had privately about protecting the parent/child relationship ABOVE ALL ELSE! This time, for all to hear, Jenny and Tina recount experiences that Tina has had with her children, where tough issues needed to be dealt with - but with the relationship guarded and kept safe. How was this done? Jo...
Trauma 101
November 03, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBTrauma 101 What if it isn't a "behavior" problem? What if you aren't stubborn, and difficult, and "extra"? What if it's more than just being sad and upset? What if it's trauma? Join Jenny and Tina, as certified trauma practitioners and trainers, as they talk about trauma... What is it? What does it look like? What does it feel like? How does it act? And what do we do about it? LEARN MORE ABOUT STARR https://starr.org/ CONNECT THROUGH FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/lifesseasons...
Saying Yes to God
October 31, 2021 06:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBSaying Yes to God Does having faith and trying to make sense of loss have to be on opposite ends of the spectrum? Does it have to be one OR the other? What does it really mean to say YES to God? What does it mean to have the faith to say YES to what we see God doing, and say it BEYOND what we can see God doing? And is it possible to lose the YES, or even say YES in grief? Listen in as Jenny and Tina talk about a journey where faith was so abundant and strong. They believed for healing...
The Old Self Is Gone
October 27, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBThe Old Self Is Gone Have you been struggling, trying desperately to get back to your "old self" - but nothing you do seems to get you there? Well, this may feel like bad news, but it is actually good news... The old self is gone - there is no going back to who you used to be! Join Jenny and Tina as they look at why we are so afraid to go forward into newness, and instead try to run back to our old familiar ways... even when they weren't productive or healthy. What does it take to embr...
Intrusive Thoughts - The Repeat Offenders
October 20, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBIntrusive Thoughts - The Repeat Offenders Today we are looking at, and pulling apart what it means when we say: Lies are the narratives in our head, of the fears in our heart. Does anyone else feel like their head can tell them things about themselves, that just aren't true, but is quite hurtful and damaging? Do you wonder where these thoughts are coming from? Could it be that they are coming from what your heart is scared of? What if you've been aware of this - that your heart has f...
Self Harm - Insights Through Experience
October 13, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBSelf Harm - Insights Through Experience Today could be very sensitive for some people, so please remember that we really care about you and your well-being. If there is any way that the topic of self-harm could cause you any distress, please skip this episode. The number of episodes we put out and the number of downloads we get, mean very little to us in comparison to your experience with us being a positive one that always feels safe. Please take care this week and decide not to listen i...
I'm a Big Deal!
October 06, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBI'm a Big Deal! Can you say that you're a big deal? We hope so. We believe that you are a big deal... no bigger than anyone else, but no than less anyone else either. But what if you've made terrible mistakes in your past? What if these mistakes created consequences that hurt others as well? Could you still say you are a Big Deal then? Or would that feel too shameful to identify with? Join in as Tina shares an experience where a choice she made created pain, shame, and defeat as a mo...
I'm a Big Deal!
October 06, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBI'm a Big Deal! Can you say that you're a big deal? We hope so. We believe that you are a big deal... no bigger than anyone else, but no than less anyone else either. But what if you've made terrible mistakes in your past? What if these mistakes created consequences that hurt others as well? Could you still say you are a Big Deal then? Or would that feel too shameful to identify with? Join in as Tina shares an experience where a choice she made created pain, shame, and defeat as a mo...
When The Plan Falls Apart, But The Dream Remains
September 29, 2021 06:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBWhen The Plan Falls Apart, But The Dream Remains While Jenny is away on vacation, Tina and Chris sit down to discuss a difficult time where tough decisions had to be made, in the face of a plan that had completely fallen apart. Chris, Tina's brother, talks about his plan to complete college, join the Life's Seasons family, and work alongside their mom, Annette. It was a great plan. It would be a dream come true for all of them. So what happened when their mom passed away half way throug...
Thoughts on Vines & Pruning
September 26, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 41.4 MBThoughts on Vines & Pruning Jenny is a gardener... Tina is not! But they both see God as the ultimate gardener, who prunes - for protection, guidance, correction, production, and beauty. In today's episode, Jenny teaches Tina some of the basics of gardening. Listen in and join them as they make meaningful connections between the purposeful acts of A gardener, and the THE gardener. CONNECT WITH JENNY and TINA THROUGH FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/lifesseasonsspeaks CONNECT WITH JENN...
Thoughts on Vines & Pruning
September 26, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MBThoughts on Vines & Pruning Jenny is a gardener... Tina is not! But they both see God as the ultimate gardener, who prunes - for protection, guidance, correction, production, and beauty. In today's episode, Jenny teaches Tina some of the basics of gardening. Listen in and join them as they make meaningful connections between the purposeful acts of A gardener, and the THE gardener. CONNECT WITH JENNY and TINA THROUGH FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/lifesseasonsspeaks CONNECT WITH JENN...
That's My Chaga, Baby!
September 22, 2021 06:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBThat's My Chaga Baby In May of 2020, surgery left a significant scar across Tina's neck. She's been asked about using creams and having cosmetic correctional surgery - anything to minimize the appearance of such a horrific sight! But she's ok with the scar... and of course it was a lesson learned from a tree. Listen in to see what Jenny and Tina discuss about scars, injuries, and CHAGA! A message full of resilience, hope and come-backs! We all have it in us! CONNECT WITH JENNY and T...
That's My Chaga, Baby!
September 22, 2021 06:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBThat's My Chaga Baby In May of 2020, surgery left a significant scar across Tina's neck. She's been asked about using creams and having cosmetic correctional surgery - anything to minimize the appearance of such a horrific sight! But she's ok with the scar... and of course it was a lesson learned from a tree. Listen in to see what Jenny and Tina discuss about scars, injuries, and CHAGA! A message full of resilience, hope and come-backs! We all have it in us! CONNECT WITH JENNY and T...
He Showed Me A Dead Tree
September 15, 2021 06:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBHe Showed Me A Dead Tree Tina's favorite tree is dead, but she won't let anyone cut it down. It seems useless, "past the point of beauty and producing",.. but is it? Join Jenny and Tina as they discuss some impactful lessons learned from a dead tree... a dead tree that just happens to become the foundation of something beautiful - every spring. Do you feel like there are areas in your life that have lost beauty, purpose, vision, production? Does that part of your life seem useless now...
Just Don't Try And Measure Your Neighbor
September 08, 2021 06:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBJust Don't Try And Measure Your Neighbor What we decide is worth measuring in life, is where we find what we believe to be valuable... whether we like the results or not. But we can’t measure our neighbor. This was the statement Jenny and Tina were building off of when deciding how to navigate this episode. And then something happened... what they ended up with was a written piece. Listen in as Jenny and Tina read a word-for-word written script, while still remaining committed to bei...
7 Rules for Life...7 Quotes
September 01, 2021 06:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MB7 Rules for Life... 7 Quotes There are so many great quotes out there, that offer valuable perspective, encouragement, and motivation. But what do they do for those who have been so hurt in life and are struggling to see their ability to act, think, and feel as the quotes may suggest they should? Does that mean they are failing, if they just cant live up to the quote? Join Jenny and Tina and they pull apart some popular quotes and point out the pieces that can cause more hurt and harm,...
But I Don't Want To Be Needy
August 29, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MBBut I Don't Want To Be Needy Many of us have a fear of appearing "needy", but there is great value in being able to admit we have need, even if we have survived a long time without that need being met. Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), lived his life, begging by the roadside. He was blind and recognized his "need" for others to help him survive within the basics of life. But then someone walked by who could meet a need that no one else could. Bartimaeus would have to admit his need and ask fo...
Your Role Is My Responsibility
August 25, 2021 06:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBYour Role Is My Responsibility How many of us believed that we would one day find "our person", who would meet our every need? And then became disappointed because THEY DO NOT meet all our needs. Well, we're sorry to break it to you, but that person DOES NOT EXIST, and it's actually unfair to expect so much from any one person. Different people have different roles in our lives, and will meet different needs within us. It is actually our job and our responsibility to make sure we have th...
Use Your Judgment...But Don't Be Judgmental
August 18, 2021 06:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBUse Your Judgment... But Don't Be Judgmental Is being judgmental wrong? That's what we are taught. But if it is, how do we protect ourselves and our loved ones? Doesn't that require making a judgment? And in those situations, are we not told to trust our gut, to trust ourselves and make a judgment call? So which is it??? Good or bad? Right or wrong? Is there a way to make a judgement, without being judgmental? Join Jenny and Tina as they pick apart the words, the meanings, and t...
Do I Care What People Think Of Me?
August 11, 2021 06:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBHow vulnerable would you feel if you were asked the question: "Do you care what people think of you?" Would you be afraid to say yes, because we are often pressured to NOT CARE? Or would you be afraid to say no, because that's not the absolute truth? Join Jenny and Tina as they pick apart this whole idea of caring what people think of us. Is it better to care or not care? Is there a healthy balance somewhere in-between? And if so... HOW? What in the world would that look like? SO...
What if Feeling Lost Isn't Being Lost
August 04, 2021 06:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBWhat if Feeling Lost Isn't Being Lost... It's just being led somewhere unfamiliar? This episode contains the word "suicide" which may feel too uncomfortable for some listeners. There may be times in our lives when we just feel lost. Like darkness has taken over and there seems to be no way of finding our way through it. Join Jenny and Tina as they discuss a personal and specific time of just this experience... and how feeling lost wasn't actually being lost - but being led somewhere unf...
The Truth About the Truth. Who Gets to Decide?
July 28, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 22.7 MBThe Truth about the Truth. Who Gets to Decide? Jenny's mind spills out some tough questions on today's episode! How does something become a truth? What does that process actually look like? When do we start questioning the truth? How do we question truth? What do we do when we realize that what we’ve been experiencing or living in isn’t the truth? Join Jenny and Tina as they tackle these important questions regarding THE TRUTH. What are the answers to these questions? And acco...
I had a fight with God - We won
July 25, 2021 06:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIt's another SOUL SOOTHING SUNDAY episode! And today, Jenny and Tina ask the question... Are you allowed to be MAD at God? Honestly, have you ever been mad at God? Have you felt ashamed for having the thoughts and feelings you had when you were angry? Join in as they process these questions and more, while sharing a personal experience of having a fight with God. Who won? Listen in and find out! CONNECT WITH JENNY and TINA THROUGH FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/lifesseasonsspeak...
Agents of Hope
July 21, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MBHave you ever wondered how you could possibly make a difference in the life of someone who has known tragedy? On today's episode, Jenny and Tina explain the basics of complex trauma, how it impacts people's lives, and how we can become agents of hope for those who have suffered life altering events. TO MAKE A DONATION TO LIFE'S SEASONS: (Tax receipts issued for all donations of $20 or more) Registered Charity Number 83509 2933 RR0001 https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/16998/donatio...
Plan A, Be, See
July 14, 2021 06:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBDid you have a plan for your life? Were you excited about it? Did it crash and burn? Where does that leave you now? In this episode, Jenny and Tina look at the reality of Plan A for our lives, just not working out... and that leading us into Plan Be, and See - if we do it right. Tune in and join them as they make sense of this journey from A to Be and right through to See. Listen as they pick apart and process the whole idea of working a plan until the plan doesn't work... and then mak...
"The Seasons of 2020"
July 07, 2021 06:00 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MB2020 was a year that shook the world with the onset of the pandemic. But before that would ever happen, Jenny and Tina's life had already been altered by grief, heartache and despair. In this emotional episode, the girls sit to discuss the book Tina wrote as she processed the events of 2020. They share the details behind specific stories, the impact these stories have had on readers, and how the writing itself changed Tina's perspective greatly. Join as Jenny hears some details from ...
Passion for Your Purpose
June 30, 2021 06:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MB"I used to feel..., I used to think... I used to..." - are these familiar ways in which you now talk about areas of your life that you used to love, have a passion for, and feel were linked to your purpose? In today's episode, Jenny and Tina talk about why some of us are feeling "out of sorts" with what we used to have a real drive for. They look at what it really means to have a passion for what you feel is your purpose in life, and how to look at experiences of failure or falling while l...
Enough is Enough
June 27, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBSoul Soothing Sunday -Bonus Episode *Faith-Based* Exactly one year and two days after the passing of her mom, Tina was asked to speak at Lakeshore Community Church, Bright's Grove, ON., Canada. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do it. She wasn't sure if she would have enough, or be enough, to share the previous year's journey so close to the anniversary. On this episode, Jenny and Tina sit to discuss that message, and share the details of how their counselling agency family was feeling d...
I'm going back for what I lost. It's mine!
June 23, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBListen in with Jenny and Tina as they look at some of their experiences of loss, and do an inventory of what they lost of themselves through the process of grieving. Join them as they tackle the idea of not settling to live as less than who they were before the loss, but to go back for everything they were meant to have and be. CONNECT WITH US THROUGH FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/lifesseasonsspeaks CONNECT WITH US THROUGH INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/lifesseasonsspeakspodcas...
Part 2: "We are friends now. It wasn't a question!"
June 18, 2021 06:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBPart 2: "We are friends now. It wasn't a question!" Join Jenny and Tina as they answer thought-provoking relationship questions and apply them to how they have reached the level of friendship they cherish today. You are invited to journey with them as they pick apart key aspects such as trust, vulnerability, and life experiences that have shook their "old scripts" and developed "new truths". Listen in as they hear each other's answers to the prepared questions for the first time, and g...
Part 1: "We are friends now. It wasn't a question!"
June 18, 2021 06:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBPart 1: "We are friends now. It wasn't a question!" Join Jenny and Tina as they answer thought-provoking relationship questions and apply them to how they have reached the level of friendship they cherish today. You are invited to journey with them as they pick apart key aspects such as trust, vulnerability, and life experiences that have shook their "old scripts" and developed "new truths". Listen in as they hear each other's answers to the prepared questions for the first time, and ...
Life's Seasons Speaks Trailer
June 11, 2021 12:00 - 59 seconds - 736 KBJoin us weekly, as two counsellors, not doing counselling, utilize our professional and personal relationship to discover, unravel, explore, and process the beautiful complexities within and through the changing seasons of life. We’ll tackle an array of topics and vulnerably share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, as well as our intimate interviews with amazing people and their exceptional stories. Connect with us here... whatever season you’re in, you will be impacted! ACOUSTIC G...