Advertise on podcast: Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw

In this brief but personal episode, Dr. Shaw shares the ways in which she tries to observe herself in order to improve her interactions with people and to live her best life.  She shares elements of how she responds with her partner and how she uplifts her friends, and all of it stems from self-reflection.  She always teaches that it's important to observe yourself and gauge how you react in situations, and if you are not happy with how you react or if you are seeing ways in which you want to change your behavior you can control that. It's all about understanding things that are challenging, where we are successful, strategies that we use and tools that help to live the best life possible.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw explains how our reactions and in fact our suffering can be connected to our preferences which can often guide our sense of happiness. In simple terms, when we get something we like, we are happy... when we encounter something we don't want or like, we are unhappy.  The one consistent thing is how we show up, and the question becomes: how can we show up in a way that we are not driven by our preferences?  If we know we are always showing up in the best possible way and in a way that allows us to do the best work we can, we can deal better with those times when things are not good.  If we aren't be victimized by not getting our preferences then we can live life more successfully.

In this brief but valuable episode, Dr. Shaw makes reference to one of the four principles explored in one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements, and that principle is to not take things personally.   Here, Dr. Shaw tells a tale that came from her own recent real life experience, and she shares the revelations that came to her from that experience. The life lessons and learning lessons that were built into that experience gave her some new perspective that she shares in this podcast.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw's commentary relates to a recent hospital stay that her disabled son went through. She perceptively discusses how the quality of workers and service personnel is divided into three groups... the small percentage who are terrible at what they do, the vast majority who are great, and a tiny minority who are extremely special.  That handful of special people are the North Stars of the experience, and what makes them special is that they truly partner with the patient and their families.  They have no arrogance or condescension about what they do; they do what they do out of service.  In the hospital specifically, those who work from a place of ego won't be good partners, and those who don't will appreciate and nurture the partnership that exists between someone needing to heal and their skill set.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to be "in right action."  She begins with the premise that right action leads to right results and that wrong action cannot possibly lead to right results.  She then takes the conversation into illustrative examples from her career as an educator.  She acknowledges and promotes the understanding that some actions are a match with others and some are not, and she emphasizes that if something is not a match, it's not a big issue.  She concludes by saying that she is always working at being her best, and if she's not a some point, she simply forgives herself and moves on.

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw shares a phrase that came to her and it's the title of this podcast, "Care Before Crisis" Intervention.  It's word intervention that's the key to that phrase... we are accustomed to crisis intervention, but care intervention would be a whole new novel approach.  To treat someone or yourself with care BEFORE a situation reaches crisis is a good samaritan way to show up to yourself and others.  Yes, there are hard times, but we can de-escalate things before there's a crisis by caring.

In this super-brief installment of the series, Dr. Shaw puts forth one of her favorite recommendations for success in life... she says, "don't give up, show up."  She rounds out that advice with some additional detail and some added perspective on what that means, but in essence this podcast has a simple and direct message.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw puts forth the notion that how you treat yourself is mirrored in how we treat others AND how the world treats us as well.  She shares some real life examples and some of her personal experiences, and she points out that sometimes it's counterintuitive to behave in the manner that serves us best.  She also reminds us that observing yourself is incredibly valuable in helping to establish how you want to be and how you want your life to unfold.

In this brief but very thoughtful episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of having or being given grace and how that may differ from being enabled.  This concept began with a question posed by a fellow faculty member who works with Dr. Shaw, and the examination and discussion goes from there.  For Dr. Shaw, the notion of grace is a more divine and helpful energy while being an enabler isn't usually good for anyone involved.  She also points to the difference between enabling and being supportive.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits a favorite theme of hers which is that we should all learn to not take things personally, particularly when someone is wishing you ill will.  That can be a challenging for any adult, but it is especially difficult when presented as a situation to a child.  Dr. Shaw shares a recent personal experience in which she faced someone generating ill will, but she felt that her own maturity and experience kept her from confronting and exacerbating the situation.  She then shares strategies for aiding a child who is facing ill will through jealously or really any other emotional scenario that a child might be dealing with. Help your child understand that sometimes we can't control it when someone else has a negative feeling about us, but you should simply take responsibility for your own actions and change what you CAN change which is how you show up to face the situation.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw shares one of her key philosophies for parenting, and that is that we need to model our own life lessons and life experiences for our children.  As we go through life, many of the same issues and challenges come up for us no matter what our age or station in life, and if a child can see that their parent and role model might be suffering or struggling with an issue it will help them to understand, relate and then get through their own similar issues.

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Shaw relates a very recent experience of a form of prejudice that she encountered when she returned to working as a teacher after several years of retirement.  She was greeted in a relatively unfriendly way by some of her fellow teachers, but as you listen to the study unfold, you can understand why her philosophy of not taking things personally is so important, and in fact it was in this situation.  Others may have belief systems and those belief systems are deeply entrenched and very difficult to alter.  In fact it may not be our task in life to alter the beliefs of others, but what we do have to learn, and we should share with our children, is that some beliefs and apparent prejudices are not personal affronts.... they are based on a circumstance, and as a result, they are not to be taken personally.   Yes, it would be nice if others had their eyes or their hearts open wider and made room for variations of belief, but if that's not the case, just observe and move on.

In this brief but inspiring episode, Dr. Shaw reminds us to avoid negativity in our lives and let the good stuff in.  She points out that we have the choice to decide the direction and feeling of our daily life, and she even uses a simple example to show how something that could be perceived as not-so-great can be just wonderful IF we allow that perception to happen.  And she also reminds us that this is not just a lesson for adults, but that children will benefit from having a positive outlook on things as well, and that could be an important and powerful tool for them as they grow and go through life.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw addresses what to do when you are stuck in an emotional loop, especially a negative one.  This discussion was in part inspired by her 10-year-old granddaughter who, when reflecting on being in a state of agitation and exhibiting a bit of a tantrum, said that she felt like when she was in that state she wanted to stay there for a little while.  Dr. Shaw theorizes that that state of being in that loop can be comfortable and comforting.  She also says there are choices to be made when stuck in that state... one can re-calibrate, or one can feel the feelings as they make their way through it.  She reminds us that the first phase of any transition is seeing and observing what is going on.  Then be gentle with yourself and try to use your energy in a more productive way.  We may think it's helpful to be in that state, but ultimately it may be harming us.

In this brief but impactful episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the subject of what to do when someone disappoints you.  She is not referring to someone who falls short results-wise perhaps at work or while playing a sport... she's talking about when you are in close contact with someone who may not be the kind of person you want to have in your life.  These are people who might be unkind or manipulative or gossipy, and they can be challenging when you choose to life your own with integrity.  She discusses how to treat that person with respect, but to also be observant and to keep your distance.  The fact is that a person who challenges us in this way also provides learning lessons for us.  You must remember to know your own aim, to avoid negative behavior and to have someone you trust to be your buddy when you might be in a hostile environment.  Be engaged without lowering yourself, and of course, be present.   PLEASE LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE #betterlife #lifecoach #education #parenting #selfhelp