Ep 69: Overcoming Overwhelm with Dr. Samantha Brody

Ep 69: Overcoming Overwhelm with Dr. Samantha Brody

by | Nov 7, 2019 | INVESTED - Podcast Episodes, Podcast

Overcoming Overwhelm: Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out is the title of the book written by my guest for this episode of the podcast, Dr. Samantha Brody.

Dr. Samantha, as she is frequently called, is a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, and the founder of Evergreen Natural Health Center in Portland, OR. For decades in her private practice and virtual consulting business, she has helped thousands of people transform their lives with her innovative, personalized approach. 

I love how the right podcast guest presents herself to me every time.


Because the truth is, I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed in my life right now. A new puppy, challenges with our younger son in relationship with the puppy, a traumatic experience with an active shooter scare at a theme park with my son Ryan, and a cold and cough that I couldn’t shake was definitely creating a sense of overwhelm. 

But, inspired by this conversation, I decided to take a pause and start to take steps that are already helping me feel better. I said no to some things on my to do list, I pushed out the date of this episode’s release and I started shutting down my computer in the evenings. I reached out to Dr. Samantha for a consultation about my health and my friend, Casey O’Roarty of the Joyful Courage Podcast, for a positive parenting coaching session.

I also posted in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group to share what was happening and was met with an outpouring of support. One mother who responded with compassion and to tell me I was not alone in how I was feeling was Anne Ferguson of MamaFuel, the perfect person to bring us this episode’s dedication about the importance of saying no and caring for ourselves.

Anne’s dedication, this conversation on the podcast, and the challenge and tools that Dr. Samantha invites us to explore have been powerful invitations for me to slow down, to look at what I value most, and to realign with a focus on self-compassion and self-care, to those things.

I invite you to press pause, to release something from your to do list today, so that you have a little more space to listen in to this reflective conversation with Dr. Samantha. Then follow through as I will with the “values” exercise she gives us as our challenge, share what you discover in the Mother’s Quest Facebook group where Samantha will be following up with us, and join me in taking more steps toward overcoming overwhelm.

Much appreciation,

P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

This Episode is Dedicated by:
Anne Fergurson of Mamafuel

This episode is dedicated by Anne Ferguson to every mama who has said no to the overwhelm and lovingly took the time to take care of themselves, so they can show up strong and whole in their lives and with the people they love.

Anne is the founder of MamaFuel, a global community of mamas who are learning to put themselves first, so they can enjoy happier relationships with their kids and thrive in every part of their lives. Anne hosts amazing urban retreats for mamas across Switzerland, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and one very demanding dog.
 
Anne is also the host of MamaFuel: The Podcast in which she shares raw, real and often funny conversations with mamas who are doing great things in ways large and small. Her mission is to change the way mamas treat themselves and each other so we can live in a more connected, harmonious world where mamas are thriving.

Anne’s passion for words and how we talk to ourselves and each other expands beyond MamaFuel. Anne recently founded Your Process Lab, a company that’s revolutionizing the way organizations train and motivate their people by ditching stiff, archaic language and communicating in ways that make today’s workforce take action. Anne consults to the United Nations on language and communication and is expanding her activities to include public speaking across Europe.
 
Visit the MamaFuel website: https://www.mamafuel.me/

Follow Anne Ferguson on Social Media:

In This Episode We Talk About:

  • How Samantha’s medical trauma and experience being bullied may have impacted her healing career path 
  • Samantha’s commitment to empowering and supporting her patients to express their needs and advocate for themselves.  
  • Living in integrity with your values and the “tells” our body gives us when we are out of alignment
  • Conversations with Samantha’s son about his adoption and about race (he is biracial and Samantha and her husband are white) from the time he was young and how that set up an openness and honesty about all kinds of conversation 
  • What is overwhelm and Samantha’s four-step process for overcoming it 
  • How so many things in our lives can come in “seasons” and how in this season for Samantha, slowing down to pause is serving her most

Resources from Dr. Samantha:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

This Week’s Challenge:

For this week’s challenge, Dr. Samantha challenges us to do the values exercise from a chapter in her book. This exercise is designed to help you understand what aspects of your inner and outer worlds are most important to you.

You’ll discover what values and ideals you want your life–and your choices– to be lining up with on a daily basis.

This is the first step, Dr. Samantha says, in finally overcoming overwhelm; if you’re trying to have less stress and/or if you want to be less overwhelmed, lining your choices up with your values is the key to making that happen.

Learn More About Dr. Samantha:

Dr. SAMANTHA BRODY is a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, and the founder of Evergreen Natural Health Center in Portland, OR. For decades in her private practice and virtual consulting business Dr. Samantha has helped thousands of people transform their lives with her innovative, personalized approach. She is the author of Overcoming Overwhelm: Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out (Sounds True Publishing). You can find her online at www.DrSamantha.com and on social @drsamanthand.

Connect with Dr. Samantha:

Announcements:

Mother’s Quest is turning 3!

It’s hard to believe but on December 1, Mother’s Quest Podcats will be turning 3 years old. In honor of that milestone, I’m going to record a special episode with some of the key takeaways and reflections I’ve had on my journey over the last 3 years. I would also love to share your voice and your reflections on things that you’ve been able to take away from these conversations.

Please take a moment to either send me an email at juile@mothersquest.com or leave me a voice message by using the speak pipe tool on the podcast page at www.mothersquest.com. I look forward to hearing all you have to share and celebrating this milestone with you! 

Join Speaker Coach Alexia Vernon as Ambassador in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group

Last weekend, I had an amazing experience hosting an Improv for Speakers Master Class with the incredible speaker coach Alexia Vernon. Even though many of you wanted to join us in person but couldn’t, you can still benefit from an opportunity to learn from Alexia. This month in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group, Alexia is our “ambassador” and will be sharing tips and resources and answering your questions about public speaking. So, if you’re not yet a member of the group, come on over to www.mothersquest.com/community to request to join us. 

Want More Reflection in Your Life?
Book A Discovery Call

Some key themes that emerge from all my conversations, is the power of reflection and the power of being seen. These are elements that I bring, not only to every podcast interview, but to my one-one-one coaching and Mother’s Quest Circle facilitation. If you’re seeking more space for pause and reflection in your life, I encourage you to reach out to me for a discovery call to learn how we might work together.  Visit mothersquest.as.me/discoverysession to schedule a time to talk.

Click here to book a discovery call

One Minute Mom Manifesto

⚡️Have you been feeling a nudge to say “yes” to create your Mother’s Quest Manifesto? The official challenge and giveaway may be over, but the invitation and content is always there for you to create your #oneminutemommanifesto 

Here are some easy steps you can follow…

👉 Join the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group www.mothersquest.com/community to find the “unit” for the Manifesto Challenge’s reflective prompts and live videos. It’s all waiting for you!

👉 Follow along with the “unit” at your own pace. Share your reflections along the way in the comments. Let us cheer you on!

👉 Give yourself some quiet time to create your own #oneminutemommanifesto in whatever way feels good…writing, art, photos, song. It can be simple and quick. Don’t overthink it. What matters most, as a guiding light, for how you want to live your life at this stage of raising your children?

👉 Share your #oneminutemommanifesto on social media with the hashtag. Tag me if you can to make sure I’ve seen it. Consider nominating a friend who would benefit.

–Join us, share or tag a friend, or comment on how the #oneminutemommanifesto has helped you if you’ve already created yours.–

Would LOVE for more of you to join us in claiming, or reclaiming, HOW you want to live your life ✨🙌

Acknowledgments:

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Anne Fergurson of Mamafuel

On the Move and etsuko Kubo
Kate Amoo-Gottfried
Nicole Lee
Olivia Parr-Rud
“Vince” of the While Black Podcast
Sara Brannin-Mooser
Lindsay Pera
Julie Castro Abrams
Alexia Vernon
Brooke Markevicius
Democracy Clothing
Michael Skolnik
Helgi Maki
Kari Azuma
Tamara Sobomehin
Katie Krimitsos
Carrie Caulfield Arick
Rachel Rosen
Chandra Brooks
Jen Simon
Monisha Vasa
Celia Ward-Wallace
Vanessa Couto
Desiree Adaway
Rachel Steinman
Katie Hanus
Denise Barreto 
Sage B. Hobbs 
Samantha Nolan-Smith
Jody Smith
Emily Cretella
Collette Flanagan
Titilayo Tinubu Ali 
Carly Magnus Hurt
Lizzy Russinko 
Suzanne Brown
Mara Berns Langer
Mallory Schlabach 
Katharine Earhart
Jessica Kupferman
Jen Jenkins Dohner
Genese Harris
Tonya Rineer
Liane Louie-Badua
Cristin Downs 
Erin Kendall 
Niko Osoteo 
Erik Newton 
Claire Fry
Divya Silbermann
Rachel Winter
Caren and Debbie Lieberman
Cameron Miranda
Fran and David Lieberman
Debbie and Alan Goore
The Sustainable Living Podcast

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to “dedicate” an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

—

Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

The Power of Reflective Circles and How They’ve Changed Me

The Power of Reflective Circles and How They’ve Changed Me

by | Sep 9, 2017 | Reflections From My Quest

September 9, 2017 – Updated February 2020

I grew up the youngest of three sisters and have memories of sitting at the dinner table with my chin in my hands watching and listening to them talk. My oldest sister is very articulate and my middle sister so humorous. Between the two of them, I didn’t feel like I had anything worthwhile to add.

About fifteen years ago, I sat in my “Adult Reflection Circle” at Alternatives in Action where I worked and mentioned that I struggled with sharing what was on my mind.  I felt confident I could express myself in writing, but when it came to speaking, I hesitated. A member of the circle said, “That’s amazing to hear. Because when you get ready to talk, I lean in to hear more. I know I’m going to hear something powerful. You’re one of the most articulate people I know.”

That moment, when someone in the circle could see me in ways I couldn’t see myself, changed me. I began opening my mouth to speak more often, imagining that I had something someone might need to hear.

Twelve years ago, my husband and I faced news that our oldest son Ryan, then a toddler, wasn’t developing typically and needed intensive intervention. I was angry, afraid and depleted. I reached out to some friends who had started their own personal reflection circle and said “I need in.” For the next five years, that circle supported and championed me, gave me the space to cry, laugh, and commit to action that was instrumental in Ryan thriving today.

In the year before launching Mother’s Quest, circles changed me again. I joined a Power Circle through Emerging Women, and shared out loud for the first time my vision for Mother’s Quest. The women in the circle reflected back the value in my ideas and the passion they saw in me to make it happen. Months later, I created my own “Founder’s Circle,” and convened a meeting to lay out my plans. The women, in the group asked me amazing questions,  clarified my thinking, and helped me develop a strategy. They also let me test out my ideas for a Mother’s Quest Circle and allowed me to witness the connection among mothers possible through my vision.

Mother’s Quest Circles – A Signature Experience to Spark Your E.P.I.C. Life

In every example, being part of a circle helped me become a bigger, more confident version of myself and gave me support to get clear and connected to my goals so I could take more effective action. As a CTI-trained coach and facilitator of reflective circles in the non-profit field for over 10 years, I’ve seen this same transformative experience happen again and again for those sitting in the circle.

That’s why, when I launched Mother’s Quest, I knew that Circles would be my signature coaching offer, the key vehicle for helping mothers live their version of a more E.P.I.C. life.

After two successful pilots, I’m honored and excited to open applications again for a Virtual Mother’s Quest Circle for an intimate group of women who are ready to take intentional, purposeful action in their lives and want to do it “in community” instead of alone.

We’ll meet via Zoom for four sessions that will include the weaving in of E.P.I.C. skills training (based on skills I learned as a coach), personal introspection and sharing, and group coaching/reflection. Each member of the group will commit to one bold action step that they will complete before the end of our four-session cycle.

Along the way, we’ll build close relationships, hold one another accountable to our aspirations, and help one another see the greatness in ourselves, as mothers and also as leaders with a unique impact to make.

Next Steps – Apply Today!

Please click here for more information and join the wait list today if it feels like what YOU need to more fully live your E.P.I.C. life. Email me at julie@mothersquest.com if you have any questions I can answer. Not right for you, but may be for someone else? Please help spread the word.

I’m so grateful for the power of circles in my life and look forward to witnessing all the ways that being part of a Mother’s Quest Circle becomes a transformative experience for the women who say “yes” to this unique opportunity. If you’ve been wanting to invest in yourself and continually dismiss that desire…decide today to listen to that voice and see if this could support you!

Until then, seize the day, love your people, honor your gifts,

Julie