PODCAST · education
Changing Lives Podcast
by Wendi Gordon
Mental and spiritual health insights, resources, and practices to help you cope and give you hope wendigordon.substack.com
Episodes
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Suicide Prevention Tips From a Depression Survivor
Resources mentioned: “Depression and Anxiety Survival Kit” PDF: https://wendigordon.gumroad.com/l/qluql 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org (24/7 help in United States) National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org Depression convinced me that life would...
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Ancestral Trauma and Wisdom
What can we learn from our ancestors? Whether they model behaviors we know we DON’T want to emulate or serve as role models we turn to for inspiration during hard times, they teach us valuable lessons. And we can learn from them even if they lived long before we were born. They may communicate…
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How Our Culture Teaches Women To Hate Our Bodies and Blame Ourselves For Sexual Assaults
Links to resources mentioned: Wendi’s Nature + Nurture bookDeborah’s Toward The Light memoir (Sept. 16 release)Leonie Dawson’s Unicorn Biz and Life Academy* community Tapping Solution app*(Links with * are Wendi’s affiliate links; if you purchase through them, she earns a commission at no extra...
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True Freedom ... Even In a Concentration Camp
Links to resources mentioned: Tapping app I use: https://cf.thetappingsolution.com/app-download-sp-aff?fpr=wendi20 (affiliate link) Nature + Nurture ebook: https://wendigordon.gumroad.com/l/mdryi(updated edition will be available as a paperback on Amazon starting Sept. 1) It may seem naïve or…
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The Transcendent and Healing Power of Music
Link mentioned: https://onbeing.org Bill and I have both not only experienced the transcendent power of music in our lives but also witnessed its healing effects on others. You’ve probably experienced music’s power, too. Maybe you’ve heard a song that evokes a memory of another time. You feel the...
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Tapping Into Trust
Tapping App Free 14-Day Trial and 50% off affiliate link: https://cf.thetappingsolution.com/app-download-sp-aff?fpr=wendi20 If you use this link, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. My Substack blog: https://wendigordon.substack.com Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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Learning to Trust Ourselves with Veronica Kirin
Links to resources mentioned: My Self-Love Workbook (PDF download) Veronica's courses and guidebooks Most of us (at least those of us in capitalist societies like the U.S.) grow up learning to conform, do what we’re told, and stay silent when something upsets us. We learn that it’s not wise or…
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Journaling as a Healing Practice
This conversation about how journaling can improve mental and spiritual health includes me reading a letter to my inner child. I also describe my morning and evening journaling routines in detail to give examples of possible topics to write about. For more writing prompts, excerpts from my…
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Exploring the Divine Feminine and Masculine with Katie Bryan
Links - Katie’s “The Joy Reset” book club: onegirlstanding.com/eventsWendi’s self love workbook: bit.ly/mylovebook A powerful conversation between a former pastor (me) and an atheist (Katie) about rejecting patriarchal religious and cultural beliefs and embracing beliefs and practices that honor...
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What Courage As Resistance Looks Like
Showing up for our local No Kings Day protests won't stop the horrible things happening now. But it will connect us, encourage us to persevere, and bring us joy as we admire the creative signs and costumes. Other ways to help create a loving and just world: 1. Donate to organizations helping...
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The Courage to Reject Patriarchy, Love Your Authentic Self, and Change Your Life
Kelly shares parts of her recovery journey, including leaving a high-control religious environment and unpacking the conditioning that shaped her early life. I share my recovery from a severe depression and the religious beliefs I’ve rejected. Thankfully, we both got professional help, embraced...
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Changing Lives: Reprogramming Your Love GPS
Our brains have been conditioned by childhood experiences, fairy tales, ads, and cultural norms to view love in unhealthy ways. Lillian is an anthropologist who has studied how this happens and what we can do to change our “love GPS.” We discussed why self-love is so important and what my husband...
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Your Invitation to Join a Revolution of Love
I have no affiliation with Valarie Kaur’s Revolutionary Love Project, but I share its goal: to “reclaim love as a force for justice, healing, and transformation.” I agree that “the root of the social, political, and economic crises of our time is disconnection–from the earth, from each other, and...
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Our New Lives Began When We Stopped Doing What Wasn't Working
Nell and I had a great conversation about what we had to subtract from our lives to begin creating new lives that are healthier and happier. Perhaps the most important subtraction was our utter devotion to careers that involved helping others at all costs - including the cost of our own…
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3 Powerful Life Lessons From The Grinch
3 Life Lessons From the Grinch, including the power of communities to help us do what we can't on our own. Join my community: https://wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe
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How To Start Over When You Don't Think You Can
Jane’s husband died. My former career ended abruptly and painfully. We share our journeys from wanting to die to creating new lives and how we help others navigate difficult transitions and age with confidence and clarity. Join Sunday’s Zoom gathering and my “Changing Lives” community here. Get...
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How We Move Beyond Religious and Cultural Programming to Personal and Societal Transformation
It’s so liberating to have honest conversations like the one Julie and I had! The first monthly “Changing Lives” Zoom gathering is on Sunday, January 11 at 1 PM Central. We’ll be discussing beginnings of all kinds. Subscribe now and help create a safe, mutually supportive community! Get full…
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Hope For The Holidays
Thanks to those who joined me live; here’s the “Hope for the Holidays” PDF I mentioned. Please share the link with anyone you know who would appreciate this free 20 page PDF of prompts, quotes, and practices I created to add light to what is a dark time for many. I also created an easier to...
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Changing Lives: The Masks We Wear and Benefits of Removing Them
Halloween isn’t the only time we wear masks. We learn at a young age to mask our emotions because it’s not safe to express them. We’re told to “stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about” and to say we’re sorry when we’re not. We learn to hide any aspects of ourselves that other people...
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Changing Lives: Creativity as a Survival Strategy and Spiritual Practice
Nathalie’s I Am Alive book includes art that she created from her hospital bed while undergoing painful round-the-clock radiation treatment. She could only move her arms and feet. Oil pastels enabled her to paint emotions as layers of different colors; she then used a bamboo pencil to scratch…
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Changing Lives: Trials, Travels, and Triumphs
At 56, I’m happily childfree. Liz is decades younger and dealing with infertility. We discuss how personal, religious, and cultural expectations about motherhood affect our mental health and our favorite places to go when we need to calm our anxious minds and nourish our spirits. I’d love to hear...
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Living with and Recovering From Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
It sounds crazy, because it is. Allegra and I both thought that our families would be better off without us. Death by suicide seemed like the only way to escape our misery and free our loved ones from the burden of supporting us. Thankfully, we both got professional help and chose not to end our...
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Changing Lives: Wild Encounters, Animal Attractions, and Close Connections
Swimming next to sea turtles is a spiritual experience. Making eye contact with the humpback whale that just sprayed you with its breath is memorable. And saving an animal’s life is the ultimate “feel good” experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to do all of the above. Robin has done much more.…
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Changing Lives: Divine Connections in Unexpected Places
Some people see their religious beliefs as absolute truths. My husband Steve saw a bumper sticker today that said, “Jesus is Lord whether you believe it or not.” Other people, including Brad and me, change our spiritual beliefs. We can’t reconcile some “truths” we used to cling to with what we’ve...
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Changing Lives: Ask Me Anything
Thanks to all who joined me live! Among other things, I talked about: * The supportive community I’m creating, starting with Sunday’s Zoom gathering * Melinda Blau’s awesome Wisdom Whisperers book * Why I attend this church even though I no longer consider myself a Christian * What I’d say to…
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Are you Ready to Tell The Truth and Listen As Others Share Their Truths?
I don’t claim to have all the answers or trust anyone who does. Nor do I think this Sunday’s Zoom conversation will change the world. But an honest, respectful discussion is a step in the right direction! bit.ly/changingliveszoom Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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Changing Lives: From Rock Bottom to Recovery and New Life
No one has a perfect life or the right answers for everyone. But talking about how we each handle life’s challenges helps us all find new ways to cope and to be the change we want to see. September 7 Zoom conversation sign-up: bit.ly/changingliveszoom As Laury wrote (and I read aloud during our...
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Changing Lives with guest Kathy Brunner
Join the conversation at my September 7 Zoom gathering and connect with other people who would rather be real than perfect. Key points from today’s conversation: * Do what you really want to do now, because you may not be able to later * There’s more to life than being productive or successful by...
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Changing Lives with Dr. Bronce Rice
Resources mentioned: Valarie Kaur’s See No Stranger book and Revolutionary Love Project. My Changing Lives Zoom Community Gathering Our personal wellbeing is affected by many factors. Some are beyond our control: adverse childhood experiences, unhealthy cultural norms, wars, global pandemics…
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Changing Lives with Deborah Jeanne Weitzman
Deborah and I discuss her new novel, how writing reduces shame, toxic politics and social norms, and the healing power of supportive communities. Want to have honest conversations about things that matter? Come to my FREE Zoom gathering Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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Changing Lives with guest Karen Blue
Blue is 81. She’s had seven careers and lived in multiple countries. A post on her “Reinvent Your Life” Substack mentions how rough the early days of one career she started “not with a vision, with a quiet refusal to keep pretending” were. I left my former career as a pastor for the same reason,...
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Changing Lives with guest Jacqueline (MamaJ ) Hollows
Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe
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Radical Honesty and Radical Changes
Dr. Tamy and I changed our lives by embracing authenticity and vulnerability. We left our former professions (she was a plastic surgeon and I was a pastor) to become writers and coaches. We made that choice because we realized it was healthier for us and more helpful to others to share how we…
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Life-Changing Actions: Trust, Take Care Of, and Forgive Yourself
Sign up for free Zoom gathering at https://lu.ma/88fob8q2 for the community conversation we all need to cope with hard times and change our lives and the world! “If you want to change the world, start with yourself.” - Mahatma Gandhi Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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Joining the Soulful Sales Society Has Helped Me Feel Good About Selling ... and Myself
The Soulful Sales Society* proves that sensitive, empathetic online coaches and content creators - including neurospicy ones like me - can promote and sell our offers successfully without compromising our values or wellbeing. Its founder, Ruth Poundwhite, has built a thriving business that way…
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Change Your Life With A Mind Lift, Not a Face Lift
Note: The Soulful Sales Society* I mention is an amazing combination of courses, workbooks, “get it done” weeks, live calls, and other resources. It's helping me change my mindset and sell my services effectively and ethically. Join by 6/30 to save 40%! *affiliate link At 69, Gail says the best...
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Changing Lives: Healing From Trauma, Embracing Authenticity, and Rejecting Toxic Social Norms
We’ve been told, "You’re the problem. Fix yourself so you can function normally.” But to function “normally” in a toxic culture is not healthy.Want to discuss ways to stay sane in an insane world and help create a better one? Join the “We Can Do Hard Things” chat and Zoom conversations from now -...
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Changing Lives Conversation with Kisane Slaney
Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe
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Intergenerational Friendships Challenge Ageist Beliefs and Enrich Our Lives
“The Wisdom Whisperers: Golden Guides to a Long Life of Grit, Grace, and Laughter” is Melinda Blau’s 16th and favorite book. It’s the story of her friendships with nine “old ladies” and what each woman teaches her. It’s a fun read with interesting characters, humorous quotes, and wise insights...
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Changing Lives with guest Nan Tepper
Wendi and Nan discuss the joy and freedom of embracing your authentic self, speaking your truth, and doing what you love instead of what pleases others. Go here for Changing Lives videos, blog posts, and other helpful mental and spiritual health resources. Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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How to Feel the Weight of the World Without Being Crushed by It
Ren and I discuss how the bad things in our lives and the world may seem all-consuming, but we can always find (or create) moments of beauty, goodness, and kindness. We can notice and appreciate small good things without denying that big bad things are happening. In fact, when we pay more…
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How To Reject Toxic Beliefs and Love Yourself and Your Body
Because of their religious beliefs or society’s expectations, women often do things that endanger their health and wellbeing to please other people. Andrea Amador and I discussed some harmful beliefs that we had to reject in order to love ourselves and do what was best for us. Did you have to...
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No Matter How Hopeless Things Seem, You Can Recover and Create a Better Life
I recorded this for NAMI’s “In Every Story, There’s Strength” Mental Health Awareness Month campaign. One reason I began publishing Changing Lives more than three years ago was to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions. Another was to share free and low-cost resources,...
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Life-Changing Mental Health Experiences and Spiritual Practices
A conversation about our horrible and wonderful experiences with mental health professionals, the need for a more holistic approach to mental health care, the spiritual practices that sustain us, and the peer support groups we lead to help ourselves and others. Get full access to Changing Lives…
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New Beliefs, Behaviors, and Priorities Make Life After 50 Better Than Life When We Were Younger
Daria and I were successful by society’s standards. We were high achievers with graduate degrees and professional careers. She was a lawyer; I was a pastor. Our work was meaningful, but it was also all-consuming. Ultimately, the negative effects of those careers on our mental health…
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Love and Losses, Revelations and Resurrection
Kara Westerman (she/her) and I discuss the memoir she is writing with her deceased husband, our evolving spiritual beliefs, our ongoing recovery and self-love journeys, and more. Zoom spiritual support group info: https://bit.ly/wearysouls Get full access to Changing Lives at...
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Letting Go of Religious Beliefs That Blame Women For Men's Misconduct and Reinforce Traditional Gender Roles
Resources mentioned during this conversation: Wendi's "Nature + Nurture ebook (free until April 30 with coupon code “Substack”) Lauren's "Happy & Free On Purpose" course (free until April 30 with code “Wendi”) Wendi’s Zoom Spiritual Support Group (paid six week private group starting May 4) Get...
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Life After 50: More Freedom, Less Certainty
laura davis and I talked about our trauma recovery journeys, how we use writing to help ourselves and others heal, politics, religion, and more. The Zoom spiritual support group I mentioned starts May 4; please share the link with anyone you know who may want to discuss spiritual issues in a…
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Changing Beliefs, Changing Lives: Life after 50 with guest Nancy Norbeck
Wendi and guest Nancy Norbeck discuss what they've learned (or unlearned) and done that has made life at 50+ better than life before age 50. Wendi's "Spiritual Support for Weary Souls" Zoom group Nancy's "Make Bad Art" course Nancy's "Follow Your Curiosity" podcast with Wendi as guest Get full...
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Coaches and Gurus Who Claim To Know and Teach The Right Answers Are Dangerous
My six week Zoom Spiritual Support Group is one way to get support from people who don’t claim to know and teach the right answers. I’m passionate about creating safe spaces for honest conversations about spiritual doubts. I know how confusing and lonely it can be to reject religious beliefs...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Mental and spiritual health insights, resources, and practices to help you cope and give you hope
wendigordon.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Wendi Gordon
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Changing Lives Podcast have?
Changing Lives Podcast currently has 58 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Changing Lives Podcast about?
Mental and spiritual health insights, resources, and practices to help you cope and give you hope wendigordon.substack.com
How often does Changing Lives Podcast release new episodes?
Changing Lives Podcast has 58 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Changing Lives Podcast?
You can listen to Changing Lives Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Changing Lives Podcast?
Changing Lives Podcast is created and hosted by Wendi Gordon.
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