Relationships 2.0 With Dr. Michelle Skeen

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Mike Whitaker author of The Decision Makeover: An Intentional Approach to Living the Life You Want About the book: Mike's book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com (publication date: September 2017) The secret of happy and successful people? Their ability to make good decisions. Changing careers, launching a business, starting a family, buying a home, moving to a new city? How do you know whether you're making the right decision? In The Decision Makeover, Mike Whitaker offers a thoughtful and strategic approach for choosing wisely in all aspects of your life whether it's about money, career, education, health, friends, or family. With his background in both business and psychology, he lays out a decision-making process that gives you the power to achieve your dreams. He even explains what to do if you've made some poor decisions along the way, so that you can move ahead without regret. Whitaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the difference between small and big decisions, and shows why defining your essential goals is the key to overcoming the roadblocks that can derail your progress. He reveals: why your next decision could change your life forever why you make bad decisions how to avoid self-destructive decision-making how to proceed confidently toward future decisions Filled with engaging anecdotes and interactive exercises, The Decision Makeovergives you the tools to finally achieve all that you want. For young people just beginning to make important life decisions, or those who have seen it all and are ready for a ''reset,'' this timeless book is a must-have for anyone wanting to achieve the maximum success possible through purposeful decision making. About the author: A lifelong and successful entrepreneur, Mike Whitaker is an expert on personal and professional decision-making, turnarounds, and strategic planning. He is a no-nonsense business coach as well as speaker on topics that involve critical thinking about the future, offering unique perspectives and world-class solutions to help people achieve their goals. Whitaker is the founder of Idea Gateway, a company that specializes in launching new businesses, providing expertise and capital for entrepreneurs. He is also a founder and board member for RevTech, a Dallas-based technology accelerator, and serves as Chairman of Lucas Color Card, a data product manufacturer he founded in 1995. These endeavors put Whitaker on the front lines of what is changing in business, technology, and for the American worker. As part of his desire to offer helpful tools for motivated people, he has launched two new platforms: The Idea Filter®—an online idea assessment to help entrepreneurs separate the worthy concepts from the rest—and The Institute for Self Reliance—an online source for American workers who want to take control of their futures and their careers in an uncertain economy. Whitaker received his bachelor's degree in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Kansas and earned his MBA from the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. He is married and has three children who are also on the journey of discovering their passions, goals, and paths toward success. While his passions include family balance, entrepreneurship, and helping people achieve their dreams, Mike eagerly participates in competitive trapshooting as his sport of choice.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Stephanie Sarkis, PhD an author and psychologist specializing in sociopathy. About the show: Sociopaths are all around us – and they blend well with general society. In fact, even trained professionals have been manipulated by sociopaths – they are that good at hiding pathological behavior. Sociopaths thrive off of gaining control of others – and get pleasure from seeing others suffer. People can unknowingly connect with sociopaths through online dating. The online dating atmosphere is ripe for anonymity and creating a persona – something sociopaths use to get into your heart and home. In this segment, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis discusses how to indentify a sociopath – and what to do if you find yourself in a relationship with one. About the author: Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph.D., NCC, DCMHS, LMHC, is a bestselling author and psychotherapist. She is an American Mental Health Counselors Association Diplomate and Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Child and Adolescent Counseling – one of 20 in the U.S.. She is also a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Her Psychology Today and Huffington Post articles on gaslighting behaviors have received international praise for drawing attention to hidden abuse in relationships. www.stephaniesarkis.com

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Stephanie Sarkis, PhD an author and psychologist specializing in sociopathy. About the show: Sociopaths are all around us – and they blend well with general society. In fact, even trained professionals have been manipulated by sociopaths – they are that good at hiding pathological behavior. Sociopaths thrive off of gaining control of others – and get pleasure from seeing others suffer. People can unknowingly connect with sociopaths through online dating. The online dating atmosphere is ripe for anonymity and creating a persona – something sociopaths use to get into your heart and home. In this segment, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis discusses how to indentify a sociopath – and what to do if you find yourself in a relationship with one. About the author: Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph.D., NCC, DCMHS, LMHC, is a bestselling author and psychotherapist. She is an American Mental Health Counselors Association Diplomate and Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Child and Adolescent Counseling – one of 20 in the U.S.. She is also a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Her Psychology Today and Huffington Post articles on gaslighting behaviors have received international praise for drawing attention to hidden abuse in relationships. www.stephaniesarkis.com

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Eric Maisel PhD author of Overcoming Your Difficult Family: 8 Skills for Thriving in Any Family Situation About the book: Many of the difficult people you encounter in daily life can be avoided, but what if they’re family members? What if the difficult person is a parent, a sibling, one of your children, or your mate? In Overcoming Your Difficult Family, life coach and retired family therapist Eric Maisel offers useful strategies for dealing with the people you’re connected to for life, even when they are not cooperative. Dr. Maisel tackles the problematic aspects of families, describing eight vital skills to help you cope with challenging relationships. The book also serves as a unique “field guide” to common types of dysfunctional families — authoritarian families, anxious families, addicted families, and more — and how to thrive despite those dynamics. By following Dr. Maisel’s battle-tested advice, you’ll learn to maintain inner peace in the midst of family chaos and create a better life for your whole family. About the author: Eric Maisel, PhD, is a retired family therapist, a creativity and life coach, and the author of more than fifty books. He writes the “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today and the “Coaching the Artist Within” column for Professional Artist magazine and lectures throughout the world. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Eric Maisel PhD author of Overcoming Your Difficult Family: 8 Skills for Thriving in Any Family Situation About the book: Many of the difficult people you encounter in daily life can be avoided, but what if they’re family members? What if the difficult person is a parent, a sibling, one of your children, or your mate? In Overcoming Your Difficult Family, life coach and retired family therapist Eric Maisel offers useful strategies for dealing with the people you’re connected to for life, even when they are not cooperative. Dr. Maisel tackles the problematic aspects of families, describing eight vital skills to help you cope with challenging relationships. The book also serves as a unique “field guide” to common types of dysfunctional families — authoritarian families, anxious families, addicted families, and more — and how to thrive despite those dynamics. By following Dr. Maisel’s battle-tested advice, you’ll learn to maintain inner peace in the midst of family chaos and create a better life for your whole family. About the author: Eric Maisel, PhD, is a retired family therapist, a creativity and life coach, and the author of more than fifty books. He writes the “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today and the “Coaching the Artist Within” column for Professional Artist magazine and lectures throughout the world. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Linda Carroll author of Love Cycles: The Five Essential Stages of Lasting Love About the book: In Love Cycles, veteran couples therapist Linda Carroll presents a groundbreaking model of the five natural stages of romantic relationships — the Merge, Doubt and Denial, Disillusionment, Decision, and Wholehearted Love — and a guide for navigating through them toward lasting love. Love Cycles helps readers understand where they are in the cycle of their relationship and provides a clear strategy for how to stay happy and committed, even in difficult times. About the author: Linda Carroll, MS, has worked as a couple’s therapist for more than 30 years. In addition to being a licensed psychotherapist, she is certified in Transpersonal Psychology and Imago Therapy, the highly successful form of couple’s therapy developed by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt. She is also a master teacher in the Pairs Psychoeducation Process, a nationally-recognized relationship education program for couples. Linda has studied many modalities of psychological and spiritual work, including Voice Dialogue with Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone, Holotropic Breathwork with Dr. Stan Grof, the Four-Fold With Angeles Arrien, the Diamond Heart Work of A.H. Almaas, and training with The Couples Institute of Drs. Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson. She is also certified in the Hot Monogamy program, which helps couples create or re-create a passionate connection between them. Linda works with a limited number of couples regularly in a new style of “concierge therapy,” in which she travels to their home or office for 2-6 days per year for private, all-day sessions, offering ongoing Skype and phone sessions in between. She teaches workshops and delivers keynote addresses throughout the United States and is a frequent speaker at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Linda lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with her veterinarian husband, Tim Barraud, and their dog, a Jack Russell Terrier. She has five children and nine grandchildren. In 2006, her memoir, Her Mother’s Daughter, was published by Doubleday. In 2008, Remember Who You Are was published by Conari Press in San Francisco Her recent book, Love Cycles:The Five Essential Stages of Lasting Love was released in the fall of 2014 by New World Library. Find her on the web at lindaacarroll.com or lovecycles.org

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Linda Carroll author of Love Cycles: The Five Essential Stages of Lasting Love About the book: In Love Cycles, veteran couples therapist Linda Carroll presents a groundbreaking model of the five natural stages of romantic relationships — the Merge, Doubt and Denial, Disillusionment, Decision, and Wholehearted Love — and a guide for navigating through them toward lasting love. Love Cycles helps readers understand where they are in the cycle of their relationship and provides a clear strategy for how to stay happy and committed, even in difficult times. About the author: Linda Carroll, MS, has worked as a couple’s therapist for more than 30 years. In addition to being a licensed psychotherapist, she is certified in Transpersonal Psychology and Imago Therapy, the highly successful form of couple’s therapy developed by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt. She is also a master teacher in the Pairs Psychoeducation Process, a nationally-recognized relationship education program for couples. Linda has studied many modalities of psychological and spiritual work, including Voice Dialogue with Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone, Holotropic Breathwork with Dr. Stan Grof, the Four-Fold With Angeles Arrien, the Diamond Heart Work of A.H. Almaas, and training with The Couples Institute of Drs. Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson. She is also certified in the Hot Monogamy program, which helps couples create or re-create a passionate connection between them. Linda works with a limited number of couples regularly in a new style of “concierge therapy,” in which she travels to their home or office for 2-6 days per year for private, all-day sessions, offering ongoing Skype and phone sessions in between. She teaches workshops and delivers keynote addresses throughout the United States and is a frequent speaker at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Linda lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with her veterinarian husband, Tim Barraud, and their dog, a Jack Russell Terrier. She has five children and nine grandchildren. In 2006, her memoir, Her Mother’s Daughter, was published by Doubleday. In 2008, Remember Who You Are was published by Conari Press in San Francisco Her recent book, Love Cycles:The Five Essential Stages of Lasting Love was released in the fall of 2014 by New World Library. Find her on the web at lindaacarroll.com or lovecycles.org

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Marc Allen author of The Magical Path: Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World That Works for All About the book: At the start of his career, Marc Allen never took a business course; he simply made what he calls “a sloppy, disorganized, lazy, and intuitive search through the books of Western magic.” There he found the tools that took him from being a poverty case to a multimillionaire and helped him create one of the most successful independent publishers in the country. In The Magical Path, he presents these tools — effective, easy-to-apply practices, including affirmation, visualization, and guided meditation — that can change the course of readers’ lives in miraculous ways, as they did his. Because these tools are so simple and powerful, Allen calls them magic. But far from esoteric, they are tools anyone can use to achieve their dreams and goals. About the author: Marc Allen is an internationally renowned author and speaker, the president and publisher of New World Library, and an accomplished musician and composer. His most recent book, The Magical Path — Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World that Works for All — is filled with short, simple practices that have proven to help thousands of people make wonderful changes in their lives. Bestselling author Dr. Bernie Siegel put it this way: “Marc Allen is sharing the wisdom of the ages in a way that can guide and coach us to choose and create the life we desire.”

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Marc Allen author of The Magical Path: Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World That Works for All About the book: At the start of his career, Marc Allen never took a business course; he simply made what he calls “a sloppy, disorganized, lazy, and intuitive search through the books of Western magic.” There he found the tools that took him from being a poverty case to a multimillionaire and helped him create one of the most successful independent publishers in the country. In The Magical Path, he presents these tools — effective, easy-to-apply practices, including affirmation, visualization, and guided meditation — that can change the course of readers’ lives in miraculous ways, as they did his. Because these tools are so simple and powerful, Allen calls them magic. But far from esoteric, they are tools anyone can use to achieve their dreams and goals. About the author: Marc Allen is an internationally renowned author and speaker, the president and publisher of New World Library, and an accomplished musician and composer. His most recent book, The Magical Path — Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World that Works for All — is filled with short, simple practices that have proven to help thousands of people make wonderful changes in their lives. Bestselling author Dr. Bernie Siegel put it this way: “Marc Allen is sharing the wisdom of the ages in a way that can guide and coach us to choose and create the life we desire.”

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Suzanne Scurlock-Durana author of Reclaiming Your Body: Healing From Trauma and Awakening to Your Body’s Wisdom About the book: A guided tour through the body’s innate healing powers Many of us have learned to ignore, deny, or even mistrust the wise messages our bodies give us. The result is that when trauma strikes, a time when we need every aspect of our beings to master the challenge, we may find ourselves disconnected from our greatest strengths. Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, who has spent thirty years studying the gifts of the body and teaching thousands how to reclaim them, began to recognize this strength, which she likens to a GPS, when she herself experienced a life-threatening trauma. Here she walks readers through different areas of the body, revealing the wisdom they hold and how to reconnect with that wisdom. As she shows in this warm, compassionate book, the body’s abilities are always available; we must simply reconnect with them. About the author: Suzanne Scurlock-Durana’s Healing from the Core curriculum, combined with CranioSacral therapy and other bodywork modalities, creates a complete, body-centered guide to awareness, healing, and joy. She is also the author of Full Body Presence. She teaches around the world and lives in Reston, Virginia.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Suzanne Scurlock-Durana author of Reclaiming Your Body: Healing From Trauma and Awakening to Your Body’s Wisdom About the book: A guided tour through the body’s innate healing powers Many of us have learned to ignore, deny, or even mistrust the wise messages our bodies give us. The result is that when trauma strikes, a time when we need every aspect of our beings to master the challenge, we may find ourselves disconnected from our greatest strengths. Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, who has spent thirty years studying the gifts of the body and teaching thousands how to reclaim them, began to recognize this strength, which she likens to a GPS, when she herself experienced a life-threatening trauma. Here she walks readers through different areas of the body, revealing the wisdom they hold and how to reconnect with that wisdom. As she shows in this warm, compassionate book, the body’s abilities are always available; we must simply reconnect with them. About the author: Suzanne Scurlock-Durana’s Healing from the Core curriculum, combined with CranioSacral therapy and other bodywork modalities, creates a complete, body-centered guide to awareness, healing, and joy. She is also the author of Full Body Presence. She teaches around the world and lives in Reston, Virginia.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Alexandra Solomon, PhD author of Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want About the book: Real love starts with you. In order to attract a life partner and build a healthy intimate relationship, you must first become a good partner to yourself. This book offers twenty invaluable lessons that will help you explore and commit to your own emotional and psychological well-being so you can be ready, resilient, and confident in love. Many of us enter into romantic relationships full of expectation and hope, only to be sorely disappointed by the realization that the partner we’ve selected is a flawed human being with their own neuroses, history, and desires. Most relationships end because one or both people haven’t done the internal work necessary to develop self-awareness and take responsibility for their own experiences. We’ve all heard “You can’t love anyone unless you love yourself,” but amid life’s distractions and the myth of perfect, romantic love, how exactly do you do that? In Loving Bravely, psychologist, professor and relationship expert Alexandra H. Solomon introduces the idea of relational self-awareness, encouraging you to explore your personal history to gain an understanding of your own relational patterns, as well as your strengths and weaknesses in relationships. By doing so, you’ll learn what relationships actually require, beyond the fairytale notions of romance. And by maintaining a steady but gentle focus on yourself, you’ll build the best possible foundation for making a loving connection. By understanding your past relationship experiences, cultivating a strong sense of self-awareness, and determining what it is you really want in a romantic partner—you’ll be ready to find the healthy, lasting love your heart desires. About the author: Alexandra H. Solomon, PhD, is staff clinical psychologist, member of the teaching faculty in the marriage and family therapy graduate program, and clinical assistant professor of psychology at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. In addition to her clinical work with couples and individuals, Solomon teaches graduate and undergraduate students. One of her courses is Northwestern University’s internationally renowned “Building Loving and Lasting Relationships: Marriage 101,” which combines traditional and experiential learning to educate students about key relational issues like intimacy, sex, conflict, acceptance, and forgiveness. Solomon’s work has been widely cited, and her articles on love and marriage have appeared in The Handbook of Clinical Psychology, The Handbook of Couple Therapy, Family Process, Psychotherapy Networker, and other top publications in psychology. Her work also appears in O Magazine and The Huffington Post, and she is a frequent interviewee and contributor for the Oprah Winfrey Network, Yahoo! Health, The Atlantic, CBS Early Show, NPR, Psychology Today, and WGN Morning News. She is a sought-after speaker for corporate, collegiate, and professional audiences on topics related to modern love. Solomon lives in Highland Park, IL, with her husband, Todd, and their two children, Brian and Courtney.

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Alexandra Solomon, PhD author of Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want About the book: Real love starts with you. In order to attract a life partner and build a healthy intimate relationship, you must first become a good partner to yourself. This book offers twenty invaluable lessons that will help you explore and commit to your own emotional and psychological well-being so you can be ready, resilient, and confident in love. Many of us enter into romantic relationships full of expectation and hope, only to be sorely disappointed by the realization that the partner we’ve selected is a flawed human being with their own neuroses, history, and desires. Most relationships end because one or both people haven’t done the internal work necessary to develop self-awareness and take responsibility for their own experiences. We’ve all heard “You can’t love anyone unless you love yourself,” but amid life’s distractions and the myth of perfect, romantic love, how exactly do you do that? In Loving Bravely, psychologist, professor and relationship expert Alexandra H. Solomon introduces the idea of relational self-awareness, encouraging you to explore your personal history to gain an understanding of your own relational patterns, as well as your strengths and weaknesses in relationships. By doing so, you’ll learn what relationships actually require, beyond the fairytale notions of romance. And by maintaining a steady but gentle focus on yourself, you’ll build the best possible foundation for making a loving connection. By understanding your past relationship experiences, cultivating a strong sense of self-awareness, and determining what it is you really want in a romantic partner—you’ll be ready to find the healthy, lasting love your heart desires. About the author: Alexandra H. Solomon, PhD, is staff clinical psychologist, member of the teaching faculty in the marriage and family therapy graduate program, and clinical assistant professor of psychology at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. In addition to her clinical work with couples and individuals, Solomon teaches graduate and undergraduate students. One of her courses is Northwestern University’s internationally renowned “Building Loving and Lasting Relationships: Marriage 101,” which combines traditional and experiential learning to educate students about key relational issues like intimacy, sex, conflict, acceptance, and forgiveness. Solomon’s work has been widely cited, and her articles on love and marriage have appeared in The Handbook of Clinical Psychology, The Handbook of Couple Therapy, Family Process, Psychotherapy Networker, and other top publications in psychology. Her work also appears in O Magazine and The Huffington Post, and she is a frequent interviewee and contributor for the Oprah Winfrey Network, Yahoo! Health, The Atlantic, CBS Early Show, NPR, Psychology Today, and WGN Morning News. She is a sought-after speaker for corporate, collegiate, and professional audiences on topics related to modern love. Solomon lives in Highland Park, IL, with her husband, Todd, and their two children, Brian and Courtney.

My radio show on Thursday June 1, 2017 This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Mark Coleman author of Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery About the book: “Nature deficit disorder” has become an increasingly challenging problem in our hyper modern world. In Awake in the Wild, Mark Coleman shows seekers how to remedy this widespread malady by reconnecting with nature through Buddhism. Each short (two to three pages) chapter includes a concrete nature meditation relating to such topics as Attuning to the Natural World, Reflecting the Rhythms of Nature, Walking with Compassion, Releasing the Inner Noise, Freeing the Animal Within, Coming into the Peace of Wild Things, Weathering the Storms of Life, and more. Incorporating anecdotes from the author’s many nature retreats, Buddhist wisdom and teachings, important nature writings by others, and nature itself, the book invites readers to participate in, not just observe, nature; develop a loving connection with the earth as a form of environmental activism; decrease urban alienation through experiencing nature; embody nature’s peaceful presence; and connect with ancient spiritual wisdom through nature meditations. About the author: Mark Coleman has been meditating for more than twenty-five years. He teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and conducts nature meditation retreats all over the world. He lives in Mill Valley, California. www.awakeinthewild.com

My radio show on Thursday June 1, 2017 This week on Relationships 2.0 my guest is Mark Coleman author of Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery About the book: “Nature deficit disorder” has become an increasingly challenging problem in our hyper modern world. In Awake in the Wild, Mark Coleman shows seekers how to remedy this widespread malady by reconnecting with nature through Buddhism. Each short (two to three pages) chapter includes a concrete nature meditation relating to such topics as Attuning to the Natural World, Reflecting the Rhythms of Nature, Walking with Compassion, Releasing the Inner Noise, Freeing the Animal Within, Coming into the Peace of Wild Things, Weathering the Storms of Life, and more. Incorporating anecdotes from the author’s many nature retreats, Buddhist wisdom and teachings, important nature writings by others, and nature itself, the book invites readers to participate in, not just observe, nature; develop a loving connection with the earth as a form of environmental activism; decrease urban alienation through experiencing nature; embody nature’s peaceful presence; and connect with ancient spiritual wisdom through nature meditations. About the author: Mark Coleman has been meditating for more than twenty-five years. He teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and conducts nature meditation retreats all over the world. He lives in Mill Valley, California. www.awakeinthewild.com