Episodes
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The Artist's Way - Wrap Up
My biggest win from the last 12 weeks is definitely found in the fact that I feel more present and more intentional as I move through my days. I catch myself about to say yes to something that I don’t want to do. And find myself saying no as a reflex only to reconsider upon reflection. And I find...
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Faith & Faith - Week 12
Both The Artist’s Way and It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again conclude Week 12 with the topic of Faith. As a coach, I believe that all people are complete and whole and capable of acting on their own behalf. That we all know, on some level, what to do and what choices to make. And, at some point...
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Adventure and Autonomy - Week 11
I am very excited about this week’s topics – Adventure and Autonomy - and just finishing a long overdue adventure – 5 days off to visit friends. Julia Cameron often speaks of synchronicity in her pages. This trip was planned months ago and how interesting is it that it coincides with this week’s...
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Self-Protection and Vitality - Week 10
Self-protection is an interesting topic and, for me, it relates back to last week’s topic of motion. I have frequently kept myself busy to avoid doing something – I fall squarely in the workaholic camp or least I did in my past life. And vitality – wow. I can only say that the way that I live my...
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Motion & Compassion Week 9
Week 9 – we’re ¾ of the way through this program. I started a new notebook which shows how much I have written to date and the plan is to spend the week thinking about motion and compassion in my own life. What projects and activities need me to take specific actions? And then, showing myself…
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Joy & Strength Week 8
With joy we are open to new experiences and new possibilities. And really – if happiness is not one of our goals – what on earth are we doing? If there is no joy in your day, perhaps it’s time to look for it – seek out ways to bring it to the surface. We can find whatever we are open to...
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Connection and Resilience Week 7
At issue with connection is the right attitude to create. For me it’s about mindset. The topic is framed differently this time as I read about Perfectionism (basically a refusal to let myself move ahead) and Jealousy (which is typically a mask for fear). According to the American Psychological...
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Abundance & Humility Week 6
Often, when we approach some new challenge or goal, we consider, and are sometimes sabotaged by, thoughts of “I’m too old”, “I don’t have enough time”, “I don’t have the skills”, I don’t have the capital… inventing any number of obstacles that prove that we are simply not enough or do not have...
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Honesty & Possibility Week 5
This week’s topics are Honesty and Possibility. Getting honest is not always easy. For me, the world is full of possibility.
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Purpose and Integrity Week 4
Finding your purpose can take a little time. Consider what you love and what is important to you. Imagine your best possible self and think about that you are grateful for. I think that core values exercises are a great place to start. Integrity, for me, is living in alignment with my core values.
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Power & Connection Week 3
Connection was the week 3 topic in “It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again”. There are so many good memories from the thing that I’ve done in my life so far and, even with all of that, I had a period of time in my life where I had lost my connection to myself. Disconnection is common as we often live...
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Identity & Freedom Week 2
“Trusting our creativity is a new behaviour for many of us” says Julia Cameron as Week 2 kicks off in the artist’s way. For me, I had let any intentional form of creativity lapse for years. I have a good supply of canvases and wood, brushes and paints and I can always use more. I learned to paint...
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Wonder and Safety Week 1
The topic this week in It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again is “Re-igniting a Sense of Wonder” Socrates said that Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom. If you are following along with the Artist’s Way book, your theme is “Recovering a Sense of Safety”.
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An Exercise in Creativity
I will begin working through the Artist's Way program this week. My goal is to work through the program and offer a chronicle to my listeners about what I am uncovering about myself through this exercise. And for fun, I’m inviting you to work alongside me if you like. I will hold space through a...
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Who am I, Who are you?
We live in a world where we have a tendency to reduce people down to the lowest common denominator –we glean something about a person and then we make assumptions about the whole person. It’s how our brains work - we categorize and file away that person “a” is like this and person “b” is that....
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Those nasty feelings that bubble up
As I navigate changes in my own life, I get curious about when big feelings overwhelm me. This weekend, I was walking my 15-month chocolate lab with my husband. The dog, still really a high energy puppy is a handful. I’ve gone through one round of training with him and there is still much work to...
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Crucial Conversations - how it’s going?
Last week, I spoke of the need to have a couple of crucial conversations of my own. There is one in particular that is long overdue with a family member. I have vacillated between clearing the air and being irritated by the fact that I cannot think of any specific crime that I could have…
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Crucial Conversations
I’m re-reading a book called “Crucial Conversations”. It’s co-written by a group of 5. The basic idea is that a conversation can be dubbed crucial when 3 things are present: 1) there is a difference of opinion, 2) the stakes are high and 3) emotions are high. The real reason that they are crucial...
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L.A.F. “Be Fearless” Out Loud
I once saw a thought provoking definition of fear as an acronym False Evidence Appearing Real. Now if you’re on a hike and it’s bear - fear is an appropriate catalyst to do something. How often however do we fear some event or outcome that never manifests? And what does that fear do to us? In my...
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L.A.F. "A" Is for Act
A is for Act. I spent a life time wondering if I should do the thing, how should I do the thing, why should I do the thing instead of just doing the damn thing – whatever the thing is! Which is probably why I occasionally simply jump in with both feet without considering much of anything. In…
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L.A.F. Love Out Love
One of the things that took me years to truly understand was that it is impossible to “love” myself when I am externally referencing. You know, when we compare ourselves in every way shape or form to what we’ve come to believe we should or have to be. Only to find – that we NEVER measure up – the...
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Do you feel stuck? Maybe it’s liminality!
I learned a new word this week - liminality – and I love it! It’s a special word for uncomfortable life transitions and I came across it as I finished reading Arthur C Brooks book (that sounds like a tongue twister) Anyway, it’s called “From Strength to Strength” and it talks about high achievers...
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Core Values
One of the first things that I do with new coachees is talk about self-awareness surrounding their core values. We tend to live our lives on auto-pilot and some of our activities may not reflect what is truly important to us. We habitually think the same thoughts and do the same things. And we...
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Do you need a coach?
People seek out coaches for all sorts of reasons. Some want to excel at work, others want to build or repair relationships with the important people in their lives and others want to reach a specific goal like writing a book or losing weight. What they all have in common is a desire to change...
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Change is hard!
Our body & mind craves homeostasis and attempting to change habits, beliefs or anything else requires us to go through a period of discomfort when we mindfully learn to make new choices like regular reading to learn or going to the gym. According to Psychology Today, change can be made more...
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A Summer of Green Dot Moments
Although summer in not quite over, it’s already been a roller coaster of activity and challenges to my beliefs, values and attitudes. June saw me check off a significant milestone in my personal journey. I am now living with my husband (again) after more than a five year break. In my book, I…
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The M.A.G.I.C. of New Experiences
There is often an excitement that emanates from me when I delve into something that I’ve not done before. I’m thinking of that tandem sky-dive a few years ago or taking early retirement at 55. There is also a terror and sometimes they feel the same.
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Magic
I believe that each and every one of us has the ability to make our own kind of magic. That thing that happens when you align with who you truly are and live it on a day to day basis. Some people would call it an alignment with core values – I call it magic.
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Changes and Finding Time
When is that last time that you had some time free up? How did you react? With annoyance or joy? If it was the former, what new roles or responsibilities have you adopted over the last little while that is having an impact on how you show up each day?
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People and Priorities
The past week has been a tough one. I found myself unable to get out of my own way. My mind was filled with a handful of projects that I am working without having fine-tuned the goals. I was starting to get a “what’s the use?” vibe – why am I doing these things?
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I Love You - Mothers & Daughters
I’ve been away from the microphone for a couple of weeks – off to Nova Scotia to visit my mother- a road trip with the new puppy to visit family. It was an emotional and challenging trip as I continue to witness my mother’s journey into aging. And it seems as if suddenly everyone I talk to is…
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I’m just a kid in a candy store
I want to do everything of interest that presents. There’s nothing wrong with that – although I seem to be challenged to remind myself that I cannot do it all at the same time. And the more than I take on, the more my efforts are diluted for those projects that are really important to me. Time…
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Banished and Becoming Aware of Maud Lewis
I’ve just had an interesting couple of days of low activity and Netflix - mostly. It’s been a long time since I so thoroughly enjoyed an unexpected break – I’m heading into the coming week with more energy and some innovative ideas for what I will decide to focus upon.
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Staying Present to Enjoy the Gifts
Ever notice that it’s easy to stay present when we are doing something that we enjoy? It’s a little harder to stay present when working tasks that I would rather not be doing.
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Anger and What to Learn From It
It’s one of those emotions that bubbles up when our needs are not being met. Maybe “bubbles up” is too gentle a description – spews or erupts might be more apt. Something is out of whack and I usually don’t take a lot of time to consider what’s behind it. However, I had an epiphany last week as…
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From Automatic Pilot to Living with Intention
I have lived that it is possible to make changes in my own life – moving from automatic pilot to creating each day with intention. And it is not necessary to throw out the baby with the bath water.
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Happy Thanksgiving
There is much to be thankful for in my little world.
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Training a Moose and Seeing Parallels
It’s been a humbling couple of weeks as I start over with a new puppy and realize that I need 8 arms and an extra set of eyes in the back of my head. And maybe a suit of armour.
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Reeses and Moose
I wasn’t sure that I would ever have another dog – Reeses was irreplaceable.
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Metaphors and Illumination
I love metaphors – the different ways that we use language to enhance a story or description that shed light on the meaning sought. And metaphors appear to us in more ways than language – sometimes we live them – we need only notice. And sometimes they offer some clues for self-coaching.
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Under the Influence: Noise, distraction and data collection
Noise is everywhere. At every turn someone is trying to convince us to do something or buy something or believe something. That does not mean that it’s good or bad. However, it is important to be aware of that dynamic and, for me, to question what and how I am thinking before I make choices.
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Who am I?
In The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron), the topic of identify is front and center. In fact, it is presented as recovering a sense of identity. Who am I? Who are you? Think about that for a moment. We are not our thoughts, we are not our beliefs and attitudes and we are not our jobs or our routines…
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Do you feel safe to be yourself?
Do you feel safe to be yourself? I’m not talking about physical safety but rather a knowing deep inside that tells you that you are free to be you – that you won’t be hurt, embarrassed, ashamed or admonished by expressing yourself in your life. Do you feel confident that you, even if the people...
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A Fly on the Wall
Have you ever wished that you were a fly on the wall for some conversation or event. Something that you wanted to observe – oftentimes because you knew that you really shouldn’t be in that conversation but you are curious. The fly on the wall does not engage but observes – like watching a movie...
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Listening, Staying Present and May is Motorcycle Safety Month
I think that not listening is often a symptom of not being present. I’ve recently re-started a meditation practice and I can see the benefits already – one of which is listening better. It’s great training for staying in the moment and recognizing the stimuli all around us – sights, sounds,...
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Identity and Infinite Possibility
You know those times in your life when you feel lit up – completely alive and firing on all cylinders? When you feel as if you are exactly where and when you should be and doing exactly what you were meant to do?
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The Butterfly Effect & Pay It Forward
I was reminded this week that we can have a ripple effect on people even when we are not consciously aware of it. Have you ever stopped to think about how your very presence can have an impact on people that you come across in your day?
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Personal Evolution
Personal growth implies changing things about yourself, whereas personal evolution implies radically accepting who you are and allowing changes to occur naturally.
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89 Years and Happy Birthday Dad!
I’m writing this on April 7th, 2022 – what would have been my dad’s 89th birthday. In the 5 years since Simon McGean retired his earthly body, a lot has changed in my life and in the world. But I can’t help but think how much changed in his lifetime.
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Where do you find beauty?
Beauty is defined, in the Meriam Webster dictionary as “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : LOVELINESS”
About this show
Round Trip is all about becoming who you are meant to be. New episodes are released on Mondays.
Hosted by
Wendy McGean
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