The Soul Booth Book Club - The Book of Joy

If you’re on a journey of self discovery or spiritual exploration, you've probably had the experience of books serving as stepping stones on your path.  I am constantly in awe (& a state of gratitude) at the way in which books seem to magically appear just at the moment I’m ready for their message or lesson.  It’s like a Divinely inspired library service. ;)

The Soul Booth is all about spending time in a space of connection - to ourselves, each other, and something bigger than us.  Well, this marks the launch of the Soul Booth Book Club, with the simple purpose of sharing ideas about books that nudge us closer to enlightened versions of ourselves.

I’m thrilled with this inaugural episode and so, so grateful to my trio of guests who joined me to share their thoughts and heart-felt reactions to The Book of Joy.  Whether you've read it or not...I promise you'll find the conversation juicy !

The book is the outgrowth of a lively, loving, and often hilarious conversation between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as captured by author Douglas Carlton Abrams.  As you might guess by the title, it's all about joy - and as the subtitle says,.."Finding lasting happiness in a changing world."

Unbridled Joy - A century of living, loving, & laughing

You’re about to meet Joy Saunders; a Canadian woman who insists she’s nothing special.   But I’m not alone in my opinion that Joy is remarkable.  To start with, she’s 99 years old which is pretty impressive. More importantly, she is fiercely independent, intelligent, strong, brave, wise, generous, and frequently hilarious. 

As a child, Joy once served tea to King George VI, but in this episode of The Soul Booth she sits down for “a cuppa” with me, and I’m grateful.

Come along for a great conversation over tea in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - henceforth known as “The Home of Joy”.

Dying in Style - Audrey Parker's Chanel approach to her last chapter

Terminal. Cancer.  They are two words that are bound to stop any conversation, but in this episode of The Soul Booth, they're conversation starters !  

Consider, if you will, the possibility that we should all be talking MORE about death. Taking it out of the closet, as it were. 'Cause, as the saying goes, none of us is getting out of here alive !

Audrey Parker's prognosis is terminal, but what has no end is her supply of perspective, positivity, and panache.  Don't get me wrong; she's no Pollyanna - masking her emotions with a painted on smile. This wise old soul is simply revelling in the love and support that currently surrounds her like a nest, and accepting that this chapter of her life here on Earth...is her last. And Audrey is determined to write her own ending.

Please join us for a chat about life, love, loss, and leaving - in The Soul Booth.

Drunk on Sobriety

How the "life of the party" discovered life after alcohol...

As the top sales person in the world for an international medical supply company, Mike Lund made a lot of phone calls. But none was more important than the call he made on March 16th, 2013. Mike was reaching out that day, not to sell a product, but to save his own life. 

In this episode of The Soul Booth, we’re talking about alcohol, and our relationship with it. You’ll meet a guy who learned early that drinking could make him the life of the party, and hear how he found a way (after 4 decades of drinking) to keep the fun reputation while leaving the booze behind.

Mike is a "Go big or stay home" kind guy and he took that approach to drinking for most of his life. In this conversation, he's outrageously open about hitting bottom, how he got sober, and how it's transformed his life.

If you or someone you love has an addiction, there's a powerful message in this episode of The Soul Booth...and a few laughs too.

Thanks for being along for the ride...and until next time, stay tuned ! ;)

Nancy

ps. As always, if you like what you hear, please feel free to SHARE

The SOUL of Sickboy

To BLEEP or not to BLEEP...that is the question.

Hey everybody...LONG time no see ! I've been on hiatus over the summer months but The Soul Booth is back and shaking things up in this episode, f-bombs and all ! I wrestled with whether I should sanitize the language on this one, but I opted to keep it real.

So, "what kind of title is SICKBOY for a podcast ?!" That's what I thought the first time (okay, the first ten times) I heard the name...but when you learn what it's all about, it makes sense - and the name grows on you :)

• Here's the RECIPE:

• TAKE one sick "boy" (Jeremie Saunders has a fatal disease)

• ADD two best friends (Taylor MacGillivary & Brian Stever)

• STIR IN the following ingredients: irreverence, humour, profanity, wisdom, authenticity, honesty, courage, and love

• APPLY the above attributes to highly sensitive and often taboo subjects

• HEAT to a rolling boil until stigma dissolves

"Sickboy: The Documentary" is set to rock the Atlantic International Film Fest, but tickets are sold out. So here's YOUR introduction to the Nova Scotians behind the podcast that is taking the world by storm. If you've got kids in the house, please grab a headset, as this episode of The Soul Booth does contain some four-letter words. It also contains a whole lot of SOUL !

Enjoy...and until next time, stay TUNED ;)      Nancy

ps. this conversation was recorded before the 100th episode of Sickboy Podcast, so congrats to Jeremie, Taylor, and Brian on that fantastic milestone ! Check them out at www.sickboypodcast.com

Tareq Hadhad - Peace by Chocolate

IT'S NOT EVERY DAY THE PRIME MINISTER TWEETS ABOUT YOUR FAMILY BUSINESS...  

And Friday was not the first time that Justin Trudeau has turned the global spotlight on "Peace by Chocolate".  In September, 2016, when he was addressing the UN Leaders Summit on Refugees in New York, he talked about how these new Canadians had become an inspiring model for the world to take note of. 

The Hadhad family ran a thriving chocolate company in Damascus, but lost everything when Syria descended into violence and chaos. After three years in a refugee camp in Lebanon, the family had the opportunity to come to Canada and they started a new life in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Within months of arriving, the Hadhad's resurrected their chocolate business - with a meaningful new name - and now they're creating happiness AND jobs ! 

My guest in this episode of The Soul Booth is Tareq Hadhad, the 26 year old son, who is now the face of the company...and a compelling voice for the rights of refugees.

Good Grief: Transforming Energy with the Wright Twins

Adoption after the age of 15 may be rare, but I'm 51 and I've recently BEEN adopted by a couple of 23 year olds ! 

Meaghan and Marie are identical twins, but they're also utterly unique. In this episode, I drag these hilarious sisters out from "behind the scenes" of The Soul Booth set...for a heart-to-heart about living life out-loud, losing their Mom at 14, and their uncanny knack for creating videos that go VIRAL ! (check out their TWIN TALK YouTube highlights at 2:13. For full effect, you'll have to tune in the video version at thesoulbooth.com)  

I promise you'll be entertained, energized, and maybe even enlightened after this exposure to the Wright approach:)

Thanks for listening...and STAY TUNED ! 
Nancy

ps. If you like what you hear, please SHARE :) 

Lama Tsultrim Allione - A Woman of Wisdom

Last weekend, I escaped to the refuge I’ve come to consider my home-away-from-home, The Kripalu Centre for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts.  As far as I’m concerned, it should be named the Centre for Perspective and Attitude Adjustment. That’s what it does for me. I always leave there rejuvenated and inspired, and this visit was no exception. 

My guest in this episode of The Soul Booth is a revered Buddhist teacher who happened to be leading my course at Kripalu.  Talk about a compelling life story ! Lama Tsultrim Allione was ordained as a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition at the age of 22, but that was just the beginning of a winding life path that has included marriage, divorce, kids, grandkids…oh, and recognition as the reincarnation of an 11th century Tibetan saint !  (for her full bio & more: www.taramandala.org)

She is - along with all this - an author…and one of her books focuses squarely on overcoming our inner obstacles to happiness and freedom. It’s called Feeding Your Demons, and the book opens with this quote from the famous psychoanalyst, Carl Jung: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”  

This path is about embracing instead of resisting, and in our conversation, the very engaging Lama Tsultrim talks about the principles involved in her approach to enlightenment, the intriguing narrative of her life story, meditation for the masses, and much more !  Enjoy...and stay TUNED ! ;)