Health Gig

Sometimes to achieve greatness you have to hit rock bottom. A common thread in many people’s lives, Michael W. Smith opens up about his transformation and the stunning life he has created. Smith also shares his ideas about kindness, leadership and releasing the victim inside. Listen in to find out how to let yourself detach from what people think of you. He admits, “One of my greatest goals in life, and I think I'm getting there, is that I'll never ever be offended by anyone ever again.” Michael W. Smith is an American musician and three time Grammy Award winner. He received an American Music Award and has earned forty five dove awards as a result of his 32 albums. Joy positivity and freedom have been hallmarks of Michael W. Smith and his music for decades.

Clif Smith, Ernst and Young's (EY) Americas Mindfulness Leader, has personally facilitated mindfulness training to over 20,000 EY personnel. Clif was first introduced to mindfulness as a 10 year old during martial arts training classes. It was there he learned that the practice can help one overcome fear, self-criticism and self-doubt. This would one day be the tool which he used to overcome his fear instilled in him from being a “trailer park kid” and become a Chinese linguist, a diplomat, and apply to Harvard. He started a small grassroots mindfulness network in EY’s Americas region and began “teaching small classes and 6 people turned into 12 people, 12 turned into 24, 48, etc.” Then, when his CEO Mark Weinberger had to cancel a keynote at an annual event for newly promoted leaders, Clif Smith was asked to step in. It was then he knew that mindfulness was not work, it was not a career, it was a calling. Since then he has been helping people improve their wellbeing, focus and leadership as a result. Just knowing you have the tools to better navigate the normal ups and downs in life will reduce your stress.

It's an honor to welcome Travis Mills to our podcast today. Both Tricia and I have had the opportunity to know Travis and to hear him speak, and like everyone who has met Travis, we are better for it. Travis woke up on his 25th birthday as a triple amputee. After 19 months at Walter Reed, he vowed to never give up. Today he is an inspiration to the world. In this podcast, Travis teaches us how to move away from victimhood and be responsible for our attitudes about life and also what it means to be a good leader. He teaches us, “I'm not a victim and neither are you.” The film, Travis: A Soldier’s Story and his New York Times best seller Tough As They Come, bring this powerful vision to life. Travis has become the quintessential empowered role model, teaching us now to stand up from the sidelines and step in to our life’s purpose. He is writing a new book on leadership, hosting 126 families a year at his foundation and is contemplating a reality show. He tells us about his secrets on how to be a leader, shares his daily routines, and h life with children. He also shares his story of how his fear of a lifelong dose of pain medicines guided him toward an experimental five day ketamine coma which helped reset his brain and body limb map and allows him to be medication free and pain free today. Travis reminds us how to heal on this podcast, “In any situation, I'm in control of how I feel. I'm in control of my attitude and it's up to me how I want to go about getting better”.

Father Bill Byrne is a chronically hopeful person. He is the priest of the Archdiocese of Washington (and a radio and YouTube star) and currently serves as the pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac Maryland. He was the chaplain at the University of Maryland, Pastor of St. Peter's on Capitol Hill and secretary for social concerns for the Archdiocese of Washington. More importantly Father Byrne is a friend and his beloved in our community where he serves. In this podcast Father Byrne talks about how his chosen profession is a never ending source of fun and joy even in the midst of really challenging moments. He sheds light on the healing and transformation the Catholic church has faced in recent years and what he sees for the future. He believes that many people think they will be happy when they get retired and can relax. “But it's a shame because everything is being revealed in the now. So happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a byproduct of doing good and of being yourself”, he explains. He goes on to add, “Happiness is not the destination, it's the experience of being in the right place and embracing wherever you are. There are many roads, but you know which is the right road, and when do follow that road as lovingly and joyfully as possible then you will know peace.” Father Byrne believes that his job involves 90% listening, which he does as a daily practice of meditative prayer with God for one hour a day. He also listens to the younger priests by having dinners, and listens in weekly staff meetings which he invites everyone - including the secretaries. He says “I want as many ears hearing an issue as we possibly can.” He lost 50 pounds with one simple change to his diet, cutting out sugar. He explains that if a cracker has sugar in it is probably has twenty nine ingredients. If the cracker has no sugar it probably has only four ingredients. Avoiding sugar essentially meant avoiding processed foods.

Hello friends. It is such a pleasure to have Jim Nantz on our show. Jim is an award winning American sportscaster who has covered every sport since he joined CBS over 25 years ago, including the NFL the NCAA and the PGA. Jim is also a really good friend and what we call in our family, “a brother from another mother”, says Doro Bush Koch. Most importantly he's the proud father of Caroline, Finley and Jamison and is married to the love of his life Courtney. In this podcast, Jim reveals the inside story behind his famous greeting “Hello, friends”. He paints a picture of his childhood dream of becoming a sportscaster and how he imagined himself moving people with his words as early as age eleven. Nantz talks about his incredible memory, his intense preparation for each game, his family and the way he calms his mind. He also shares his thoughts on how to create a life that is productive through the triad of diet, exercise and sleep. Happiness, he believes can also catalyze fantastic things in your life. Spoiler Alert: This podcast contains a play by play account of a golf game played by Former President Bill Clinton, Former President George W. Bush, Tom Brady and Jim Nantz.

Today is a special July 4th edition of Health Gig where we are replaying a wonderful conversation with former President George W. Bush. The original conversation took place in early 2018 before the passing of Barbara Bush and former President George H.W. Bush. Doro leads today's conversation with her brother the only way she knows how, which is from her heart. In this intimate interview former President George W. Bush talks about his relationship with his parents throughout his childhood, his family life and how to manage life’s priorities. He also shares his daily fitness routine during and after his presidency. He often used family life, deep friendships and his personal conviction to combat stress throughout his presidency. He talks about how, in recent years, the challenge of painting became a life changing experience. He explains how it was interesting to start a new skill from zero because you are constantly learning and you can never know everything. He states, “painting is a liberating experience because it gets you out of the moment”. He talks about his library, the Dalai Lama and some of his favorite moments of his presidency. His spontaneous, joyful and up-front personality shows through in this family interview.

Bob Roth is an educator, author and meditation teacher for nearly 40 years. His mission is to make transcendental meditation simple, clear and accessible. He serves as VP of the David Lynch Foundation, over seeing the foundation’s free transcendental meditation programs in schools, colleges, American Indian reservations, prisons, rehab, homeless and veterans centers and universities. He is also the author of Strength in Stillness and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation. In this podcast you will learn why transcendental meditation is a powerful medical intervention. It is something that can heal mind and body. Bob Roth was inspired to go into politics and teaching to change the world. While working full time and studying full time, he became completely stressed out. When he stumbled upon transcendental meditation he realized that if he taught TM he could change the world by healing the nation. The David Lynch Foundation has brought meditation to a million inner city school kids, veterans and women survivors of domestic violence for free. The foundation is now doing large scale studies that are proving that meditation is a highly effective medical intervention for insomnia, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, behavioral disorders and even for opioid addiction in teens. In this podcast, Bob explains what meditation is. The gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta mind GOTTA DO THIS AND I GOTTA DO THAT mind is like the waves on an ocean, and below is the deeper calm, clarity, power, and creativity of your mind. He breaks down the three types of meditation: Focused attention: A concentration form of meditation. It attempts to clear the mind of thoughts. It creates gamma brain waves which are 20 to 50 cycles per second. Open Monitoring: Focuses on the types of thoughts you are having and staying in the present. It creates theta brain waves which are 4 to 8 cycles per second. Self Transcending: It is a state where your mind is both settled and wide awake. It gives your body rest that is deeper than sleep in some ways. It creates alpha 1 brain waves which are 8 to 10 cycles per second. Bob Roth tells us how transcendental meditation is taught in less than 5 sessions to CEO’s and ten year olds. He tells us that the best times to do it is upon waking and just before dinner. The interview includes information on powerful studies which are being done by the David Lynch Foundation that have the ability to change the way we heal ourselves and our health care system. Curious to learn more, find a teacher near you at www.TM.org.

Our guest today is Dr. Richard Davidson. He is a pioneer in studying the effects of mindfulness meditation on the human brain. He is a neuroscientist, psychologist and research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin Madison where he is also the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is the co-author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain and Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body In this interview Richie explains, “I first met the Dalai Lama in 1992. He challenged me. He said you've been using tools of modern neuroscience to study negative qualities of life stress adversity anxiety. Why can't you use those same tools to study positive qualities like kindness and compassion and flourishing?” He brought buddish monks from Tibet and Nepal into his lab and the rest is history. Richie has been studying how a healthy mind has a direct impact on improving physical health. He recommends starting a daily meditation practice, even it is just for 2 minutes a day. He likens this habit to the way we brush our teeth every day to obtain good physical health. He shares stories of the Dalai Lama, including his emotional latitude and his kindness and compassion for not just a small group of family and friends but for all people. This is why Richie believes that kindness and love is the next frontier. One of the reasons we have studied the body more than the brain in the past is because blood pressure has been easier to measure than well being. But this is changing. This fascinating interview includes some of the inspiring research being done today by Richie Davidson and Nobel Prize laureates in the field of happiness, emotions, brain development in gestation, and even what happens to meditators in the body after death.

Doro Bush Koch shares what mindfulness is and how important it is to her. I've gotten into mindfulness for reasons that many of you are familiar with. Being in a family of public servants, mindfulness can be an effective tool that helps me cope with stress and anxiety. Things that I’m sure you all know too well. Mindfulness helped me so much, that I made it my work. I love mindfulness, and I love sharing it with others. We just heard about the body, but a healthy mind is equally as important. As Tricia said, it all goes together, yet we often neglect the health of our minds. We live in a world that runs at an accelerated pace. Many of us spend our time rushing from one thing to the next thing. We also spend too much time thinking about the past and all of the things that we should have done or thinking about the future and all the things that we need to do. Let’s take a moment during this recording and slow things down.

Rajshree Agarwal, PhD is the Rudolph P. Lamone Chair and Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland and Director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets. In today’s podcast, Rajshree teaches us the secret of how to become the CEO of our own life. Health and wellness not just being about physical health but also about mental well being. She shares her research and methodology on how to live a fulfilling and purposeful life.

Tim Ryan, 2020 presidential democratic candidate was elected eight times in US House of Representatives for Ohio. Congressman Ryan is the author of A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit and The Real Food Revolution: Healthy Eating, Green Groceries, and the Return of the American Family Farm. On this episode, Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio talks about his Presidential campaign and his efforts to forge a new style of politics…one that focusses on overall health and not just healthcare. He outlines his efforts to teach kids the importance of both social and emotional learning and they discuss Representative Ryan’s leadership in the mindfulness field.

Making a small change can lead to big life changes and healthier habits. Our family friend, Kristen Coffield, is here today to talk about her journey to healthy living and how you can change your life and your habits starting with a Kitchen Intervention. Kristen is the founder and owner of The Culinary Cure. She also has a segment on Good Morning Washington, and she is a huge advocate of eating for health and nutrition and taking small steps to begin large habits. On this episode, she shares how she was at a low point in her life, until she starting throwing away everything in her kitchen that didn’t serve her well. She replaced the empty space with healthy foods, spices, and tools to eat simple and healthy food that would improve her health and her life. She shares how anyone can get started with a healthier lifestyle. She also shares the importance of replacing bad habits with good habits and some fun and simple healthy recipes.

We have an exciting guest on the show today. Monique Samuels is our friend and neighbor, and she stars on The Real Housewives of Potomac. Monique is a mom, wife, television star, and entrepreneur. She runs the Not for Lazy Moms website and the accompanying podcast. Monique and her husband also have a real estate business and a charitable foundation. Monique is a busy mom who is often under pressure. In this episode, she shares how she keeps her cool under stress, her tips for self-care, and how important it is to prioritize what you do. She also gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like to be on a reality TV show. We have a great conversation, and we love being around Monique and her husband Chris.

We have two amazing guests on the show today. Dr. William Stixrud is clinical neuropsychologist and director of The Stixrud Group. He holds positions at children’s medical schools. He lectures on neuropsychological assessment, learning and executive disorders, brain development, motivation, and the effects of stress, sleep deprivation, and technology overload on the brain. Ned Johnson is a friend of Tricia's, and the president and founder of PrepMatters where he helps students of all ages prep for all types of academic tests. He is considered the most sought out instructor in the DC area. He also oversees instructor hiring and training, curriculum development, business management, and coffee purchases. We are so fortunate to have these two experts on complementary subjects here to talk about their new book that they collaborated on. We talk about why stress is so prevalent today, and what parents can encourage their children to do to become autonomous and learn decision making, and find the confidence to succeed. This book is a must read for everyone.

Writer, teacher, publisher, and pioneer in the mindfulness movement Jim Gimian is here today. He is the publisher of Mindful Magazine and Mindful.org and the Executive Director of the Foundation for a Mindful Society. He has been involved in publishing in the field of mindfulness and mediation since 1973. He is co-author of two books on Sun Tzu’s Art of War. He has been teaching leadership training programs and mindfulness since the 1970s. Jim is also our friend and we talk about how he got involved in the mindfulness movement and how it has recently evolved and become more mainstream in the last decade. We also talk about what mindfulness and mediation is and isn’t. Jim shares insights into how it isn’t a rigid practice, but a fluid practice that can benefit everyone and society as a whole.