Are you living the life you love? For most of us, that’s a complicated question that demands an even more complicated answer. To live our best lives, we have to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative---but that’s easier said than done. Join us as we discuss it all with today’s guest.

Dr. Raquel Muller is a psychologist, mom empowerment coach, and speaker. She is the founder of Joyful Imperfection Counseling, LLC, and the creator of The Woman System. Dr. Raquel harnesses the power of cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness strategies to empower women to transform negative self-talk, let go of self-doubt and guilt, banish burnout and overwhelm, cultivate a greater self-love, and reconnect with their own greatness so they can create lives that they love while making a positive impact in their families and the world.

Show Highlights:

• Why Raquel is intensely passionate about supporting working moms in creating lives they love and letting go of the old notion of what a “good mom” should be
• Why having hopes, dreams, and human needs---and honoring those does not make a bad mom
• Raquel’s personal brand of intensity involves her radiant smile, boundless energy, and much passion
• How Raquel grew up in Panama as a “good daughter and student” who enjoyed the spotlight, having a mic, and sharing a message
• The cultural factors that affected Raquel as the oldest in her family who had many behavioral rules to follow
• How Raquel knew she was expected to be an example for her younger siblings and a proper example for others who saw her in public
• How her intensity got out of control during college when she lived away from home for the first time in a new culture that gave her more freedom
• How she started her business and was forced to learn new skills, grow, and get in touch with her dreams
• How she harnessed the power of her intensity by working with a coach and mentor around spiritual awareness, learning how to frame her fire and power to be more
• The personal habits that have helped Raquel are gratitude practice, meditation, listing daily wins, and having a vision for her life
• Good advice Raquel received was to listen to and honor her desires
• Books that Raquel recommends: The Science of Getting Rich by W. D. Wattles and The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• The empowerment that comes from investing in your growth
• How Raquel helps mompreneurs with big dreams by teaching them to listen to their desires, create a vision for their lives, and be great role models for their children
• Raquel’s favorite quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
• Parting advice from Raquel: “Create your vision and go for your dreams. Find the thing that brings you alive, and go do it.”

Resources:

Find Raquel’s website:  Joyful Imperfection Counseling

Email Raquel:  dr@doctorraquelmuller.com 

Find Raquel’s Facebook group: Redefining Supermom

The Science of Getting Rich by W. D. Wattles and

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

I've been behind on my workbooks and lessons as I wrapped up my school year, and now I'm catching up! This month's theme is on Creatively Meeting Your Own Needs and in this episode I'd like to talk a little about the concept of Emotional Liberation as described through Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication. 

In this episode:

• Why NVC can be a useful tool for self-exploration. 
• When NVC is not always applicable. 
• 4 Responses to negative or uncomfortable feedback or experiences.
• Taking ownership of our feelings to meet our own needs and the needs of others. 

Links:

Embracing Intensity Community

RSVP for our next group call!

Free Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity Workbook

Decolonizing Nonviolent Communication Book

I’m glad I’ve gotten to know today’s guest on the show. We’ve been following each other on Instagram, and I recently discovered that we’re in the same Facebook group. We’ve bonded over our work and service with twice-exceptional individuals, and we have much more in common, too. I’m excited to introduce you to her!

Boontarika Sripom is a therapy-influenced life coach for gifted and creative people. Her background includes school counseling, working in special education, and community mental health. As a life coach and sensitive person, she uses psychology and typology systems like Myers Briggs and enneagrams to help people empower themselves and reach their potential. Her favorite clients are creatives, gamers, and sensitive people who feel misunderstood. Boonie makes online content on Quora and YouTube. On Mixer, she streams video gaming while chatting with fellow gamers.

Show Highlights:

• How Boonie is intensely passionate about championing causes like world hunger, her connection to nature, art, kids with special needs, and video game culture
• Boonie’s connection to mental health advocacy and how she connects gamers and the geek community to therapists through the non-profit, Anxiety Gaming
• Boonie’s personal brand of intensity is to challenge “normal” and to pair with a greater cause
• Why Boonie believes that “injustice for one is injustice for all”
• How Boonie is messy and scattered at home but portrays a different picture in public
• How Boonie has an insatiable need to learn
• Growing up, Boonie misunderstood social cues, didn’t have many friends, and was naive and trusted people too much
• Why Boonie’s collectivist upbringing taught her that showing emotional pain is sign of weakness; she learned to be strong and push through any pain
• In Boonie’s first year of college, Boonie’s friend committed suicide, leaving her with PTSD; this experience intensified her mistrust that anyone could help her
• How she sought connection in emotionally-abusive relationships and kept losing herself and staying silent
• How Boonie’s intensity got out of control with her insatiable need to learn, and her compulsion to buy books and hoard them
• Why she had to honor her childhood playfulness and the needs that weren’t met
• How Boonie uses her fire for good in speaking, questioning things, uplifting others, and constructing spaces for connection
• A habit that helps Boonie harness the power of her intensity is to know the right people who accept and embrace her
• How she helps others with their archetypes and how they seek and process information
• Final words of advice from Boonie: “Everything you need is already there. Reclaim your voice and your identity.”

Resources:

Boonie’s website:  Organized Messes

Find Boontarika Sripom on YouTube, Instagram, and Quora

I’ve been sitting with the best way to use my platform to share and support Black voices with the understanding that a lot of folks are exhausted right now and don’t need me jumping in their inbox. So instead of business as usual, I decided to share information about some podcasts with Black voices and highlight them. Starting with  a short clip with permission from Arianna Bradford of last week’s NYAM Project Podcast on Thoughts from a Black Mom. 

Below you will find links for podcasts and youtube channels you can listen to and support using their own descriptions from their pages. If they have a Patreon, I also included that link so you can also financially support them if you'd like. 

Alexandra Loves - Website and Podcast - Youtube Channel - Support her on Patreon

Helping you create what you want by being exactly who you are. Now offering Black Mentor Sessions designed to hold a space, help clear imbalances, and provide solution based guidance for those white people who want to work with her.

Arianna Bradford - The NYAM Project - Support her on Patreon

A weekly podcast consisting of anecdotes and interviews from everyday mothers and experts alike, highlighting real motherhood and questioning what we think we know about parenting and motherhood.

Andréa Ranae Johnson - A Call to Serve Podcast - Andréa Ranae’s Website - Support her on Patreon

If you have a vision for change in your communities or our world (or maybe you just know that a different reality is possible) and you want to show up, contribute, serve or generally live the kind of life that leaves this planet better than you found it – you’re in the right place.

Colin E Seale - thinkLaw Podcast  - thinkLaw Website

Critical Thinking is the most essential 21st century skill but it is still a luxury good. Only 1 out of 10 educators teach critical thinking, and this educator usually only teaches at elite schools or to the most elite students.

Gary Ware - Gary Ware on Youtube - Breakthrough Play Website

Helping you improve your business, relationships, and life…with play

Jaiden Love - Jaiden Love on Youtube - Held and Heard Website

Bringing More Love into the World By Teaching the Essentials of Gender Identity & Support.

Leesa Renée Hall - Leesa’s Website - Podcasts featuring Leesa - Support her on Patreon

Exploring Bias One Field Trip at a Time. On her Patreon she is creating Inner Field Trips™ with writing prompts to help you unpack your biases around racism, in a supportive  environment.

Phyllis G. Williams & LaTricia Smith - Living the Principles Podcast

A podcast committed to relevant conversations about strengthening the Black Community.

René Brooks - Black Girl, Lost Keys Blog - Podcasts featuring René - Support her on Patreon

A blog that empowers black women with ADHD and shows them how to live well with the disorder.

Sharon Burton - Spark Your Creative Podcast

Spark Your Creative is a  company under the SJB Creative Ventures, LLC that  focuses on creativity coaching…for individuals initially who want to discover or reclaim their creative gifts.  

Zaakirah Nayyar - Living Legacy Podcast 

The Living Legacy Podcast features women of purpose sharing stories of resilience.

This week instead of sharing a new episode, I am participating in a Podcast Blackout protesting the deaths of the Black people slain by police violence or victims of hate crimes. I will share some links and resources below if you would like to do more work around anti-racism and don't know where to begin.

(This list is missing MANY names)

• Trayvon Martin age 17 2012
• Tamir Rice age 12 2014
• Eric Garner 2014
• Sandra Bland age 28 2015
• Freddie Gray age 25 2015
• Alton Sterling age 37 2016
• Philando Castile age 32 2016
• Botham Jean age 26 2018
• Atatiana Jefferso age 28 2019
• Ahmaud Arbery age 25 2020
• Doug Lewis age 39 2020
• Breonna Taylor age 26 2020
• George Floyd age 46 2020

Resources:

I have compiled and organized resources on this Pinterest page according to themes I’ve observed online in this Responding to White Supremacy Pinterest Board, feel free to send me other resources or topics to include.

A good start is to learn how to apologize when you inevitably do something wrong, this video from Franchesca Ramsey on Getting Called Out: How to Apologize is a good start.

Then read this article, White people, stop asking us to educate you about racism to understand why it is our responsibility as white people to educate ourselves and then pay BIPOC educators who specialize in this area to go deeper.

Educate yourself on being a better ally, some of these posts are a good start, and reading some of these books would be even better, and better yet pay anti racism educators for their trainings.

Then take action, these two posts are a good start: Want to do better, but aren’t sure where to start? Start here and 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.