Baroness Susan Greenfield talks about the future of Alzheimer’s

Baroness Susan Greenfield talks about Brain Plasticity and the Future of Alzheimer’s in this interview with Carpe Diem Connections.

Dr. Susan Greenfield talks about Brain Plasticity and the Future of Alzheimer’s Disease

I’ve been looking forward to my interview with Baroness Susan Greenfield since I heard her speak at the Douglas Adams Memorial lecture in March.

Besides being a world renowned neuroscientist on the verge of discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s, she’s an interesting and entertaining speaker! She’s the epitome of what many of us yearn to be: highly intelligent, funny, and working on unraveling some of the biggest mysteries of the mind, including the meaning of consciousness.

She also is an entrepreneur. In 2013, she co-founded Neuro-Bio, a company that develops diagnostic tests and therapeutics to help in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.

In our interview, I asked Dr. Greenfield about her views on a cure. She mentioned the recent FDA approval of the controversial Biogen announcement of a drug claiming to slow down the progress of Alzheimer’s.

She expressed more hope and optimism about the approach and drug under development at Neuro-Bio. Though not available to the public yet due to regulatory phases, Dr. Greenfield indicated that, with fair winds, it might be “two years away.”

“We are on the case. It’s in the foreseeable future, ” she says.

I’m so impressed that a woman of this caliber would make the time to speak on my podcast. When I sent her the request, I hadn’t realized the extent of her achievements and fame.

What a honor for me to have personal time with someone of such status and influence. She is someone who is making breakthroughs in the treatment of one of the world’s most tragic diseases!

In preparing for our interview, I’ve learned so much myself about the brain and its adaptability.

I’m excited that there is hope for a cure for Alzheimer’s in the not-so-distant future and that we all can take control over maintaining a healthy brain by living life to our fullest potential!

Carpe Diem!

Meaning with Shirley F. Rivera

In this episode of Carpe Diem Connections we’re discussing Meaning with Certified Ikigai Tribe Coach Shirley F. Rivera.

This week on Carpe Diem Connections, we’re talking about Meaning. This is the 10th and Final Key as defined by Action For Happiness.

I’m joined by my friend and certified Ikigai Tribe Coach, Shirley F. Rivera to discuss the meaning, purpose, and ikigai. All of these terms are somewhat related, but they describe the motivational feeling of fulfillment in life.

In this episode, Shirley talks about ways to discover your ikigai and describes the history and more about what ikigai is all about.

You can find out more about Shirley on her Website: https://www.shirleyfrivera.com/

Check out our YouTube video or listen to the podcast episode.

And as always, please feel free to tell us your thoughts on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group.

Acceptance with Rebecca Burns

Becky Burns talks about her journey with self-acceptance.

In this week’s episode of my Carpe Diem Connections Podcast, I’m rejoined by my friend and Season 2 co-host, Becky Burns. In Season 3, I’ve been going through each of the 10 Keys of Happiness as defined by Action For Happiness. This week, we are talking about the 9th Key of Happiness: Acceptance.

In 10 Keys to Happier Living, the chapter on Acceptance really focuses on self-acceptance, which Becky and I agree seems to be a prerequisite to accepting others. A good place to start is understanding yourself by taking the VIA Character Assessment. (Amy Sargent talked about this in a previous episode about Emotional Intelligence.)

In this episode, Becky, in her wonderfully wise way, talks about her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance over the years.

Becky has been a long-time student of Paramahansa Yogananda and recommends his teachings on meditation and spiritual living.

Check out our YouTube video or listen to the podcast episode.

And as always, please feel free to tell us your thoughts on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group.

Emotion with Meghan Baskerville

Meghan Baskerville is my guest on Carpe Diem Connections, talking about Emotion.

The 8th of the 10 Keys to Happiness, according to the Action for Happiness Website, is Emotion.

My guest on this week’s Carpe Diem Connection podcast is Meghan Baskerville, a 29-year-old Communications student. I met Meghan virtually as part of the National Days Ambassador program.

Meghan is always supportive, friendly, and celebrating every day. Her pictures on social media are fun and spunky and her natural smile is contagious.

Meghan has lost over 100 pounds in the past year and she’s documented her weight-loss journey on social media.

In this podcast we talk a bit about social media and how our emotions are effected by others reactions or comments.

Come join us on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook group and let us know your thoughts about how social media affects your emotions and happiness! I know that will give me a happiness boost!

Resilience in spite of ALS: Nic Friedman and ALS Never Surrender

Nic Friedman, son-in-law, to ALS Never Surrender’s Steph Courdin, is our guest on Carpe Diem Connections talking about resilience despite an ALS diagnosis.

Resilience is the trait that my friend, Craig Dunham, demonstrated, despite a diagnosis of ALS. It’s the trait that most inspired me to live with what I think of as a “Carpe Diem” mindset.

This week on my Carpe Diem Connections podcast, I talk to Nic Friedman, CEO of ALS Never Surrender, and son-in-law to Steph Courdin.

I got involved with the ALS Never Surrender non-profit a few years ago and was inspired by the founder, Steph Courdin, who gathered a group of colleagues and volunteers to create a mobile app that would collect valuable ALS patient progression data.

ALS patient, Steph Courdin, empowers research teams and inspires me to be resilient and live fully

In this week’s episode of Carpe Diem Connection, we’re talking about Resilience, the 7th Key to Happiness, according to Action for Happiness. Steph’s son-in-law, Nic Friedman, tells us the moving story of the history of ALS Never Surrender. As Steph noted in this video, though his app wasn’t able to save him, it may save the world.

Though Steph lost his battle with ALS in 2019, his work carries on through his family and the volunteer-run non-profit ALS Never Surrender. Tune in to this special episode of Carpe Diem Connections to hear more about the amazing progress that’s being made.

The unedited YouTube video interview with Nic can be found here.

We end with a reminder to live every day as Steph did – with intention, resilience, and a sense of awe and wonder at each sunset.

Join us on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group and share your stories of resilience.

Hannah Kane talks about Goal Setting on Carpe Diem Connection Podcast

We are on Week 6 of Season 3 on Carpe Diem Connections. This week we are talking about “Direction” (or Goal-setting) which is the 6th Key to Happiness according to the 10 Keys to Happiness on the Action For Happiness Website.

Goal setting is one of my favorite topics and is definitely something that keeps me feeling happy. I use my background as an Agile coach to work in small iterations, celebrate, and improve my skills as I’m accomplishing goals.

My guest this week, Hannah Kane, also has a background in Agile, and on this podcast we talk about how we can stay motivated to accomplish our personal goals. Hannah’s unique Scrum Your Wedding site is how we originally met. This is a great example of how we can use an Agile framework in our every day life.

Hannah and I both love themes and play and we talk about how if we make the “journey” of achieving a goal fun, we will stay motivated. In the end, the journey is as important as the outcome. Hannah also talks about the importance of anticipation when working towards a goal.

You can find the YouTube video of my discussion with Hannah here.

Check out Hannah’s wonderful site: http://www.everybodysinvited.in/

Come give us your thoughts on goal setting and connection on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group.

Travel Souly’s Kelly Bates Talks about Traveling and Happiness

On Season 3 of my Carpe Diem Connections Podcast we’re talking about the 10 Keys of Happiness as outlined on the Action for Happiness Website.

We’ve talked about Giving, Relating, Exercising, Awareness, and this week we’re talking about Trying Out! (The acronym for the 10 Keys spells out GREAT DREAM.)

Trying out is all about trying new experiences, learning new things, and stepping out of your comfort zone. In this episode, I talk to Kelly Bates, owner of the Travel Group, Travel Souly.

When we talk about how “trying out” relates to happiness, Kelly talks about the thrill she gets from surfing, falling and getting back up. As we hear over and over again, happiness is more about the journey than the destination. This is both metaphorical and literal when we talk about travel, but can hold true with just about anything we “try out.”

Even though our travel has been limited in this past year because of Covid, there are a lot of things we can try out.. new experiences with hobbies and skills.. or we can plan with anticipation our next trip, perhaps with Travel Souly!

You can find Kelly and Travel Souly on social media here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelsoulyllc Instagram: @travelsoulyllc
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/travel-souly%E2%84%A2-941170144/

Our full YouTube video is available here.

What are you going to Try Out this week? Join the discussion in the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group!

Awareness and Mindfulness with &Happiness Host Klaudia Mitura

The thing I like most about hosting my Carpe Diem Connections podcast is the connections I myself make. It’s like a scavenger hunt to find fascinating guests — and I have this great big World Wide Web to look for them.

I hit the jackpot with the guest on my podcast this week, Klaudia Mitura. She’s an award-winning podcaster herself of the popular podcast &Happiness. One morning I asked Alexa to play a Happiness podcast for me and she played this one! Klaudia and her co-host, Kitty Newman use the letters of the alphabet as prompts to do a deeper dive into different types of Happiness. Theme-nut that I am, I was immediately hooked!

It was clear, after listening to a few episodes, that Klaudia knew not only a lot about happiness, but about the science behind our emotions as well. I was thrilled when she agreed to be on my podcast, talking about the 4th Key of Happiness as defined by Action for Happiness: Awareness.

In this episode, I question Klaudia about the practice of meditation. Being a bit of a skeptic and a person who definitely does not want to spend time thinking about nothing but my breath, I’ve been slow to fully embrace meditation, despite its constant recommendations in happiness literature. Listening to Klaudia about her thoughts and explanations was enlightening.

We also talk a bit about the practice of Emotional Intelligence and practices besides meditation that encourage being present and mindful.

Tune in and let us know what you think on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group. Or, if you prefer, view the YouTube video of our Zoom interview.

And don’t forget! This month is Carpe Diem Day and I’m hosting contests! Come play!

Exercise and Happiness with Sarah Schwallier

Sarah Schwallier of Strides Life introduces herself as a nature walking health coach. She has a passion for helping others be their most healthy selves and to achieve their goals, whether that’s to lose weight, build strength, or just to get moving.

In this episode of Carpe Diem Connections, Sarah and I talk about the 3rd Key to Happiness as defined by Action for Happiness: Exercise.

Sarah always adds an element of fun and playfulness to everything she does. I’ve gotten to experience this first-hand as I’ve participated in the Walk2Connect Community where Sarah is a core-coop-owner and leader.

Tune in to the podcast or the YouTube video and find out how you can stay motivated to keep exercising and why that’s so important to both our physical and our mental health!

Then join us on the Carpe Diem Facebook Group and let us know what your favorite type of exercise is.

And then go one step further and join Sarah’s TAG {Kick-Ass Accountability Group}!

Let’s Get Moving for Health and Happiness!

Relating with Wisdom Witch, Wendy Chalmers Mill

Visit http://thewisdomwitches.com

In Season 3 of Carpe Diem Connections, we’re talking about the 10 Keys of Happiness. This week the theme is “Relating” or… Social Connection.

My guest this week is Wendy Chalmers Mill, a fellow volunteer at Action for Happiness. We met virtually at a volunteer meeting and discovered we have quite a lot in common.

As we chat about in the podcast episode, meeting via a virtual community is a great way to find some new friends during these crazy days. One of the main reasons I even started this podcast is that I knew it would prompt me to meet some like-minded new friends!

I hit the jackpot in my search for the right guest to talk about Relating when I found Wendy. Not only is she the CEO for Positive Performance, but she started a new community The Wisdom Witches, with the very aim of creating a safe space for connecting during the pandemic.

Wendy, a Humanology Expert, along with her fellow wisdom witches Hazel and Kelly, are described on the Wisdom Witches site this way:

“They collectively have over 100 years of experience in guiding and motivating others to become their best selves through improved connection to their own and others’ wisdom and wellbeing.”

Tune into this week’s podcast or the YouTube video to learn more about Wendy and her insights on social connection and her experience with the Wisdom Witches.

How are you fostering social connection these days? Are you the part of any virtual communities?