Ball Headz Interview

In this (week late) Thanksgiving episode Chris continues to update listeners about his adventures in cancer treatment and tells a story about treatment.  He also compares an MRI machine to the interior of an AT-AT from Star Wars.  Also, a shout out to the tune Mantra - by Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Trent Reznor.  Burke discusses a recurring theme of Expectations  v. Serenity (Se2, Ep12)

Windows of Tolerance is a term coined by Dr. Dan Siegel to describe our abilities as humans to process strong emotions before we become overwhelmed.  Chris and Burke discuss this topic in terms of both understanding and making practical use of that knowledge.  For more on Dr. Siegel's work click here.

Spoiler alert, Chris discusses his cancer diagnosis with Burke, and reveals how mindfulness has helped him cope with a life changing diagnosis.  

In this special interview episode Chris and Burke speak with Justin Mitchell and Wilton Carraway, Jr. of Ball Headz.  Ball Headz is an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth through athletics, mindfulness, mentorship and community service.  Chris also announces the date of a charity golf tournament on August 27th, 2021 at Topstone Golf Club in South Windsor, CT to raise money for the organization.  More info @ ballheadzgolf.com

Meditation is one of the best ways to increase and maintain your health in an increasingly chaotic world.  Chris and Burke do their best to simplify the basics of mediation and give listeners a path to beginning or enhancing their practice.  PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE TAKING A BREAK FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2021 AND WILL BE BACK IN AUGUST.  Thanks for listening!

Identification, it's not just a piece of plastic in your wallet.  Humans identify with all manner of things, including their emotions, objects, and ideas.  Chris and Burke explore what it means to have an identity and to identify with things outside of ourselves.  The conversation spans from the dangers of identification to how we can identify less with external matters and more with who we are inside.

Chris and Burke take on the emotion of joy in this episode.  Chris discusses how the term joy is used in psychological literature, as well as ways to use intentionality to find it.  Burke gives the listener excellent, real life examples of what Chris is describing.  Burke uses his personal experiences while recovering from addiction to enlighten and guide listeners into how practical it can be to search for joy in their lives, whether recovering or thriving.

Chris and Burke explore the topic of starting small when attempting change or accomplishing goals and tasks.  The book that Chris mentions in the episode is Make Your Bed: Little Things Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven (US Navy Retired)  The brain likes things in smaller, bite sized chunks, but our goals and tasks can seem overwhelming.  Breaking things down helps our brains and our sense of accomplishment.

In the season three debut, Chris and Burke get the listeners caught up on events since the end of season two last April.  The discussion centers around how the co-hosts have faired during the pandemic and the mindfulness practices that have helped in the year since the season two launch.  And of course, we get some awesome movie analogies from Burke.  Enjoy!

In this last episode of season two we discuss the usefulness of acknowledging impermanence as part of mindfulness practice. Death can be seen as a motivator and a teacher rather than something to fear. It has been our pleasure recording these past eighteen episodes of the Mindful Matters podcast and we appreciate all your feedback. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. We look forward to recording and releasing more episodes in 2021.