Kate Courageous is back on the YKAL podcast, y’all!  She was one of my first podcast guests, way back in 2013. She is a dear friend of mine, as well, and I am thrilled she is back, this time to share her thoughts on fear, courage, and the inner-critic.  

Kate is also the author of The Courage Habit: How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life.  I am so happy her book is available! Today, we talk all about her new book and living more courageous lives. Plus, we cover the brain science behind courage habits, and identifying and then dealing with habits that are holding you back.  

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Four fear patterns that get people stuck (4 minutes and 36 seconds)
• Some ways we try to deal with fear (10:25)
• The more you go into the things you fear, the wider your comfort zone becomes (17:07)
• Reaching out and creating a community, courage-based values, and being vulnerable (22:17)
• Fear is a wound and needs understanding and how to strike a balance with fear (34:39)

Also, did you know I’m back to doing weekly Facebook and Instagram Live videos? Join me on Thursday’s at noon Eastern time (9am Pacific) on either Instagram or Facebook as I talk about a personal development lesson (~ 10 minutes).(If you miss it, you can see archived videos on Facebook or my YouTube channel).  

http://yourkickasslife.com/231

Hey ass kickers! Well, after nearly 10 years of blogging, 5 years and 228 podcast episodes, I’m FINALLY doing a favorite things episode! I tried to record both as a regular podcast episode AND video, but alas, I had an technology FAIL on the video side, so these images will have to do!

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite things…

Misc.

Golden Girls coasters. I don’t even think I need to sell you on this one.

Hair and beauty:

Nume Curling Wand- When I do actually do my hair, I use this curling wand. I’ve had a few different ones, and this one by far is my favorite. I often get comments on my hair and on one occasion was chased down in Target by a breathless woman asking me how I got my curls.

Lush’s Sea Salt Spray-- I’ve tried several Sea Salt sprays, even a big brand name that will go unnamed, but they’ve all been a huge waste of money, until I tried Lush’s brand. The smell is amazing, it’s not sticky, and works great.

MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix-- I use the powder (BTW, that link will take you to my shade, NC30, but you probably want to go somewhere where they sell it so someone can match your skin tone). Super easy to put on (I use a brush) and I use to even out my skin tone. Add a little blush, eyebrow pencil, and mascara and I’m done.

The bralette- Two of my favorites are here and here. Great for the small to medium breasted women who don’t need a whole lot of support.

Gold bond hand cream- I feel like such a grandma with this, but… I have really dry skin and can’t stand it when my hands feel dry. I’ve tried approximately 17,000 different hand creams and this one BY FAR is my favorite. It’s not greasy (unless you use way too much), and it works, even through a hand washing. I keep the small tubes in different drawers all over my house, in my purse, and in the car.

I don’t consider myself a super techie person, but these are the apps I can’t live without AND they’re all easy to use.

Apps I use:
Audible-  Great for audiobooks! Need I say more?

Goodreads- Organize all the books you’ve read, are currently reading, and want to read. I use it especially for logging books I want to read, and reading reviews from people I know-- as it syncs with Facebook.

Voxer- I’m obsessed with this app and have been for years. It’s changed my relationship with my friends for the better! It’s a walkie talkie app that allows you to also text, send images and videos, and gifs. I also use it with my private clients.

Podcast app- Duh.

Venmo- Pay people and get paid easily with NO FEES. Super easy to set up and use. (I don’t know if I would recommend this for business, but check with your CPA.)

Insight Timer- GREAT for meditation, especially for beginners.

YogaGlo- Get access to loads of different teachers for yoga and meditation, all from the comfort of home! (Get your first two weeks of YogaGlo FREE when you sign up on YogaGlo.com/KICKASS.)

Yoga Studio- Super easy to use Yoga app. The reason I love this is the simplicity. Not a lot of choices, but just enough to get the job done.

gTasks Pro- Essential, especially if you use Google Calendar. It syncs to the “tasks” portion of your Google Cal, and is SO easy to use.

Books I love:
I Thought It Was Just Me: Making the journey from “What Will People Think” to “I am Enough.” By Brené Brown

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go Of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. By Brené Brown

Daring Greatly: How the Courage of Being Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead By Brené Brown

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead By Brené Brown

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone By Brené Brown

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find-- And Keep-- Love.  Find out why you behave the way you behave in relationships and how you can fix when it’s not working. So very eye-opening!

5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. An oldie but a goodie. Easy read and good to find out how you receive love. Great awareness to have not just in romantic relationships but friendships as well.

Facing Love Addiction: Giving yourself the power to change the way you love by Pia Mellody

Codependent No More: How to stop controlling others and start caring for yourself by Melody Beattie

Getting the Love You Want: A guide for couples by Harv Hendrix

Keeping the Love You Find: A personal guide by Harv Hendrix

Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is harming young women by Courtney E. Martin

You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the mindset of wealth by Jen Sincero

Documentaries:
There are SO MANY great documentaries out there, and to be honest, I haven’t watched that many lately, but here are three that have stuck out to me immensely:

Miss Representation. Watch this with the men in your life and with your daughters (appropriate age is around 13 years old.) Then, talk about it.

The Mask You Live In. Again, watch this with the men in your life and with your sons (again, appropriate age is probably 12 or 13). Then, talk about it.

13th. This is such an important film. According to common sense media, 16 is an appropriate age for this one.

http://yourkickasslife.com/230

This week on the YKAL podcast I am joined by Jeannine Yoder, a New York Times Featured Business & Feminine Leadership Coach For Coaches, Broadway Starlet and the Founder of Mentor Masterclass. Jeannine has such an incredible story of resilience and redemption. And you know how I love a good redemption story!  In this episode Jeannine shares how she overcame a really difficult childhood, one surrounded by drug addicted parents, chaos and trauma.

She talks openly about her path to healing, which spanned many years. Plus, she goes on to share how she ‘rose from the ashes’ and became a broadway star. Finally, she offers some of her own advice for healing the parental wound and making peace with it all.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Jeannine share in detail her childhood story and what she learned the most from her experiences (5 minutes and 58 seconds)
• Not being a victim of circumstances, plus listening to your inner voice to empower and guide you through life decisions (11:07)
• How to love your life with your whole being and still be healing and lessons learned from attending AA meetings with her father (16:00)
• Becoming a broadway star; the lifestyle of an artist (19:17)
• Jeannine’s tools and strategies for healing the mother wound (26:56)
• The greatest way to healing your story is by telling your story (38:10)

Also, did you know I’m back to doing weekly Facebook and Instagram Live videos? Join me on Thursday’s at noon Eastern time (9am Pacific) on either Instagram or Facebookas I talk about a personal development lesson (~ 10 minutes).(If you miss it, you can see archived videos on Facebook or my YouTube channel). 

http://yourkickasslife.com/229

I devoured Janelle Hanchett’s memoir, I’m Just Happy to Be Here, while I was in New York on my book tour. I could not put it down. Janelle is also the creator of the website, Renegade Mothering, and she is this week’s guest on the YKAL podcast.  In this episode Janelle and I discuss her new book and her blog which are both devoted to her take on maneuvering through life, motherhood and sobriety. We also touch on her addiction and sobriety story.

But first, I share some of my recent experiences with triathlon training. Let’s just say, it’s been more challenging than I had anticipated. I also talk about my fear of drains and how that relates to why I decided to sign up for a sprint triathlon (yes, I’m seriously afraid of drains). Which leads me to the main reason for mentioning all of this: what is one thing you are afraid of and what can you do to push yourself through it?

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The “why” behind creating the Renegade Mothering blog (10 minutes and 48 seconds)
• Meeting up with other moms at the park, playing the “one-upping” game and really just wanting to get real, instead (17:07)
• In the midst of writing her book, Janelle shares an event that rocked her to the core and how that event ultimately affected how she wrote the rest of the memoir (23:12)
• How Janelle managed sobriety through grief and how she manages it daily with a busy lifestyle (28:31)

Also, did you know I’m back to doing weekly Facebook and Instagram Live videos? Join me on Thursday’s at noon Eastern time (9am Pacific) on either Instagram or Facebook as I talk about a personal development lesson (~ 10 minutes). This week is self-forgiveness! (If you miss it, you can see archived videos on Facebook or my YouTube channel).  

http://yourkickasslife.com/228

My personal friend and colleague Debbie Reber joins me on the YKAL podcast this week. She is a mother of a differently wired child and is the podcast host of TILT Parenting. Her book, Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, comes out in spring 2018, which we talk about in this episode.

As some of you may know my son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, sensory processing disorder, and anxiety disorder, at the age of 5.  In this episode Debbie and I share some of our own experiences as parents of atypical children. Plus, we also talk about how having an exceptional child can bring up some of our own complicated and messy feelings and how we worked through them.

Whether you are a parent of an exceptional child or a parent of a neurotypical child; the topics we cover are meant to offer support and understanding for everyone, even if you don’t have children.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why we tend to isolate when faced with the situation of having an exceptional child (3 minutes and 59 seconds)
• Letting go of what others think about your child (atypical or not) when they go against social norms (8:39)
• The complexities of mourning your child’s diagnosis, dealing with the loss of the vision you had for them, and giving yourself time to mourn by politely telling people to f*ck off (12:05)
• Dealing with the expectations of parenting, with ourselves and with our children (13:31)
• Creating space where your child can feel secure (22:47)
• As more and more resources become available and exceptional children are being accepted in today’s society, hear Debbie’s vision and hope for the future of differently wired children (28:20)

Also, join me on Thursdays at noon eastern time (9 Pacific) LIVE on Facebook or Instagram as I share a personal growth lesson. Tomorrow’s lesson is all about complaining!

Lastly, both retreats for this year are sold out, but if you want to get on the waitlist/interest list, please sign up here.

http://yourkickasslife.com/227