Redefining Meditation

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Not a fan of meditation? We get it. Our minds are constantly racing with thoughts about our to-do lists, our pending errands, and our worries – sometimes it feels impossible to turn it off. Until now… 

Meet Certified Life Coach and Founder of The Grounded Canary, Beth Shaha. Beth is a fan favorite on Her Journey Told, and she’s back with host Sandy Lutton to talk about what meditation is, and more importantly, what it isn’t. 

Learn how to redefine what “meditating” means to you in this brand new episode, powered by Pivotal Moments Media! 

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Looking for some tools to amplify your moments of meditation? Get our MindCareKit – on sale now!

 

Show Notes:

0:00 Introductions and overview

0:50 Sandy’s wellness journey and initial thoughts on meditation

2:50 Beth’s take on meditation and redefining meditation

4:37 Journaling and letting go of rules

6:20 Meditation and using the five senses

9:00 Meditation is about what you need

11:35 Sandy’s struggle with being productive and how meditation can help

13:57 What’s important and going with the flow with self-care

 15:10 PivitolMomentsMedia and where to find Beth Shaha


How to Find Mentors and Ask for Help

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In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Navy Petty Officer First Class Mike Brown.

Mike talks eloquently about the value of owning your own transition and starting your professional network early in your military career. Mike shares how he used LinkedIn as an effective tool to broaden and deepen his network. Even though he had to medically retire and did not have as much time as most to prepare, his early networking efforts helped him land softly in his post-military career.

Mike also speaks about the importance of finding and using mentors who have recently navigated the military transition process to take advantage of their lessons learned.

Although struggling with some mental health challenges, Mike candidly shares the value of seeking and asking for help and being there for others when they need someone to talk to.

 

Show Notes:

1:20 – How did Mike prepare for his transition? What went well? What didn’t? What did he earn?

9:30 – Howie on why it is important to take ownership of your transition

11:50 – The importance of networking and some tips for finding success 

23:30 – They reflect on the challenges of joining a new team and finding success 

28:20 – You are not alone, you do not have to go far to find the right people to help you along the way. Find the right communities to give purpose and replace the military presence in your life

34:00 – Don’t hesitate to help others who are transitioning, even if you are just finding rhythm after your own transition

39:00 – How Mike found his job at Intelligent Waves, what he does there, and what he has learned so far from his time working there

51:30 – Book titles

53:20 – Mike on some struggles with mental fitness and what he does to strengthen his mental fitness

1:06:00 – The importance of being there for someone if you see them struggling


Randy Grimes on Football, Addiction, and Recovery

In the premiere episode of Rise Above, former NFL Player Randy Grimes speaks on how all his hard work and love for football paid off. Randy opens up about his battle with addiction, hitting rock bottom, and the road to recovery with the help of his Wife and Family. Learn how he helps families, athletes, and others battle addiction through his organization Pro Athletes In Recovery.

Learn more about this incredible story through Randy’s book Off Center: A Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, and Redemption in Professional Football and his website RandyGrimesSpeaks.com

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Show Notes

00:00 Intro 

02:45 Randy discusses his upbringing and life before he got to the NFL

11:30 Randy speaks on how he started abusing substances once in the NFL 

21:00 Jason asks Randy about his book, Off Center

25:00 Randy discusses hitting rock bottom

30:30 A walkthrough of an intervention

33:30 Jason asks Randy about his wife, Lydia

36:00 How to contact Randy

40:00 Randy speaks on the number of people suffering from addiction

43:00 Jason closes the episode

 

Book Release

The motivational autobiography of Dr. Jason Cormier, a nationally renowned brain surgeon, EDM artist, and Racecar Driver is out now.

Learn more about Dr. Cormier’s book here

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Pivotal Moments Media earns compensation for qualifying purchases.


How to Envision Your Ideal Day

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What does your perfect day look like? How does it make you feel? How do you turn your vision into a reality? 

We sat down with Life Coach, Beth Shaha, to learn more about “The Ideal Day” Exercise. Practiced by our Her Journey Told Host, Sandy Lutton, we take a deep dive into how we can intentionally become our best selves, turn our dreams into reality, and fill in the gaps with mental fitness. 

Follow along with this episode to learn how to do this exercise and put it into practice! Elevate your experience during the “Ideal Day” Exercise by using the tools in our MindCareKit by Pivotal Moments Media. Mental Fitness delivered right to your door!


Life After The Military: Army Signal Officer and Paralympic Athlete, COL (Ret) Patty Collins

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Do you want to be inspired? Do you want to learn how someone overcame a life-changing accident to propel herself to be an Olympic athlete?

In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Army Colonel (Retired) Patty Collins.

Patty shares an invaluable perspective on how she planned and conducted her transition from the Army. She highlights the value of finding a new community, taking time to spend with family and recharge, and the challenges of working in a consulting firm and pursuing a career in government service.

After surviving a cycling accident that left her as a below-the-knee amputee, Patty talks candidly about her challenging battle to recover and overcome significant adversity. Not only did she complete an extraordinary 24-year career as an Army Signal Officer, but Patty also competed as a triathlete in the 2016 Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro.

Patty continues to inspire and lead others serving as the Deputy Director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office and as a coach and mentor of aspiring competitive disabled athletes.

 

Show Notes:

00:00 Intro

2:03 – Lee asks Patty how she prepared for her transition

6:50 – The importance of finding and/or creating a community, taking time to settle in and readjust, and being open to finding a new purpose

8:56 – Howie brings up how much of a difference financial discipline, becoming debt free, and how that financial freedom can greatly affect a transition for the better

11:57 – Why 6 weeks is the golden grace period for adjusting to your new life outside the military

14:25 – Patty shares more about her past and current work positions, why she chose those positions, and what she learned 

26:25 – Patty discusses a major accident she suffered and why she chose to amputate her leg
38:00 What motivated Patty to eventually compete in the 2016 Paralympics

41:00 – Lee talks about his experience in injury recovery, the benefits of physical therapy, and the emotional release that comes with healing

48:00 – Howie brings up the importance of claiming ownership of your situation, what it can take to do that, and how it can benefit your transition and your life.

57:28 – Lee gives Patty’s book title

59:30 – How does Patty maintain mental fitness at an Olympic level?


The Core of Social Responsibility and Practicing Presence

If you were in a job that wasn’t fulfilling your passions, would you leave it to do something else? Jeff Linihan is the Co-Founder and President of Advocado, but before that he was a lawyer. In this episode, Jeff takes Jenn and our audience down a road of pivotal moments and valuable lessons he’s learned along the way as an entrepreneur.

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Watch the full episode to hear Jeff’s take on: 

  • Employee’s personal brand 
  • Empowering employees to pursue what they view as their personal social responsibility 
  • Broadening perspectives after using the culture index system
  • Flexing mental fitness muscles as an entrepreneur 
  • Practicing presence 

 

Show Notes

00:00 Jenn kicks off this episode with Jeff. He introduces himself as a lawyer who quickly realized his passion was in entrepreneurship. He dives into his media and marketing space, and how he set out to collect data in real time.

5:02 Jeff details how social responsibility plays into the vision of Advocado, and how he believes it’s important to help employees promote their own individual cause or what they view as social responsibility

8:55 Jeff and Jenn express their viewpoints on corporations assuming all employees want to work on their personal brand  

11:22 Jeff discusses broadening his perspective after using the culture index system. Jenn asks about finding balance between employee engagement and wellness while deploying culture index profiles.

15:10  Jeff reveals the first thing he looks at when someone applies for a job at Avocado, and how by doing this he’s able to build a high-functioning team.

17:30 Jenn brings up how large companies like Amazon are coming to large cities and are doing their part in the community, Jeff touches on the “PayPal Mafia” Effect and how great talent has the potential to pursue passions.

20:11 Jenn asks Jeff how he flexes his mental fitness muscles and how he navigates the grind of being an entrepreneur. 

24:15 Jeff briefly touches on the biggest challenge he faces when it comes to being present and connecting the mind and body. 

25:00 Jenn and Jeff close out the episode on a note about empowering others to pursue what they are passionate about. 


Life After The Military: Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins

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Interested in learning about the opportunities for transitioning military veterans to work at Amazon? 

In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins.

 Beau shares great insights into his planning and preparation for transition from the Marine Corps.

Working as the Senior Manager, Military Talent Acquisition for Amazon, Beau helps us understand the opportunities for transitioning service members at Amazon and how to best prepare and compete for them. Beau explains the Amazon interview process and how to succeed in that process.

 

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro

2:00 Lee asks Beau about his transition from military to civilian life

10:00 Don’t be afraid to ask for help

17:00 Why Beau chose to work with Custom Cable

26:00 Amazon plans to hire veterans and train non-military leaders to lead veterans successfully

41:00 Beau on Amazon’s keys to successful veteran integration 

50:00 Tips for preparing for interviews

1:05:00 Lee asks Beau about mental fitness


Soundboard: Love and Loss - Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry

Life’s journey can lead you down an unpredictable route filled with many triumphs and tribulations. 

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Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry joins Ty for a discussion about the twists and turns her life’s path has taken, and how she chooses kindness over bitterness and resentment. Megan opens about her upcoming book, What You Do Next, which reflects on the loss of her 22-year-old son Max who tragically overdosed, as well as how she saved her marriage and found joy again. Practicing mental fitness isn’t always easy, but it comes with great rewards and Megan is proof of that. This tell-all episode shows a side of the previous Mayor of Music City that we guarantee you’ve never seen before. 

 

Show Notes:

0:00 Intro

1:40 Ty asks the question “Who is Megan Barry?”

6:00 Megan and Ty discuss shame and substance abuse

14:30 Megan discusses her motivation for her upcoming book, What You Do Next

20:30 Megan speaks on finding joy

24:00 Ty asks Megan about the pivotal moments of her life

28:30 Megan tells Ty she does yoga for her mental and physical fitness

33:10 Close


Soundboard: A Crystal Clear Reflection of Growth, with Ty Herndon & Crystal Lewis

We’re back with another episode of SOUNDBOARD featuring Grammy-Nominated & GMA Dove Award-Winning Singer, Songwriter, and Actress: Crystal Lewis.

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In one of our most powerful episodes yet, Crystal and Ty discuss the importance of reflecting on big changes and pivotal moments as they make us realize the growth we experience in our personal lives. Leaning in and Listening to others is often discussed on our show, but Crystal delivers a new perspective which is also reflected in her music. Tune in for this groundbreaking discussion and for a closer look into her latest album, Together We Can, and a breakdown of Ty & Crystal’s song “Everybody Hurts”

 

Check out Everybody Hurts by Crystal Lewis and Ty Herndon

 

Show Notes:

0:00 Intro

00:50 Crystal introduces herself

06:00 Crystal discusses what instilled fear in her

9:45 Ty asks Crystal if she has seen a change in herself 

11:00 Crystal discusses her pivotal moments

16:30 How walking helps Crystal clear her head 

17:40 Ty asks Crystal what she would tell herself at 16 years old

21:30 Crystal discusses her new album, Together We Can

27:30 Pain should make us grateful for each other

29:50 Ty and Crystal discuss their song together, Everybody Hurts

33:10 Close


Life After The Military: How do you handle physical and mental abuse?

Have you suffered from physical or mental abuse?

If so, how did you handle it?

If so, how has it changed you?

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In this Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, learn how LTC (Ret) Olivia Nunn dealt with an episode of physical and mental abuse early in her 20-year military career.

Olivia bravely and transparently shares how this episode of abuse and how the chain of command handled it led her down a very dark path that did not present itself until she decided to retire from the military.

Learn how Olivia confronted this challenge to get her life back on track to help other men and women in uniform who have similar mental fitness challenges.

 

Show Notes:

00:00 Lee introduces Colonel Retired Olivia Nunn

1:40 Olivia discusses her transition and her work at U.S. Army Soldier For Life

3:50 Loss of identity when leaving the military

8:00 Being a woman in the military and transitioning

13:40 How Olivia dealt with her challenges

15:30 Olivia was assaulted by her Platoon Sergeant during her first deployment

18:15 How Olivia’s mental health was affected by the incident 

21:20 Olivia had a successful career at the cost of her mental health

27:20 Why Olivia decided to finally leave the military and be a mom

31:00 Olivia’s exit from the military set her up for a successful transition

34:50 What resulted from Olivia’s troubles with mental health during her transition and after her divorce

37:00 Olivia contemplated suicide and reached out to resources

46:35 How Olivia’s family reacted to her struggles

51:45 Olivia eventually found a resource that helped her

54:00 Olivia tells how the resource helped her

1:02:00 Olivia talks about discovering her purpose and creating an LLC

1:07:00 Howie and Olivia discuss finding your past self following your service in the military 

1:19:50 Olivia speaks on why she shares her story

1:24:00 The three highlight the importance of giving back

1:28:30 Lee closes out the episode