The Love Drive with Shaun Galanos

This episode is for all the lovebirds who rebel against Valentine's Day. The single ones, the ones in relationships, the ones coming off massive heartbreaks, and every little love bird in between. We don't need a day to declare our love for each other, we choose to do it as much as possible and to as many people as possible.  These are real love letters, submitted by listeners of The Love Drive. I hope you enjoy.  The cover of David Bowie's 'Sorrow' is played by Paul Mars Black, a singer-songwriter from California, and he can be found here: www.paulmarsblack.com Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com 

Elise Carr, MA is the host of the Sacred Guidance with Stella Muse podcast and a mentor and guide who helps people find their true purpose in life. If this sounds too esoteric for you, don't let this stop you from listening to this episode. If you're struggling with the same old habits and patterns that have been holding you back this conversation is the loving kick in the pants pep talk that you need right now.  Elise is down to earth, grounded, and has a beautiful way of putting what's important into perspective. This episode is a hoot; Elise breaks it down like your dear old friend who sees through all your BS would.  In this episode, you'll learn how your old patterns, behaviors, and beliefs are holding you back, the importance of rising above your basic desire nature if you want to evolve and grow, and why acts of selfless service are some of the most powerful ways to show love to those important in your life.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • How to begin making real changes in your life • The importance of finding balance in your physical body, your emotional body, and your mental body • How to focus on what's most important in life Where to find Elise: Website | https://www.stellamuse.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/stella.muse/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/stellamuseme Twitter | https://twitter.com/StellaMuse_com Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

Ashley Miller, MFT is a psychotherapist and addiction specialist practicing in San Francisco, CA. She shares with us client stories, and some of her personal stories when it comes to dealing with conflict in her relationships.  When you're angry at your partner, it can take all the patience and strength in the world to take a step back from anger and learn how to lead with vulnerability instead.  In this episode, you'll learn how being vulnerable can help soothe relationship conflict, the importance of the client-therapist relationship, ways for you to repair your relationship after you've hurt your partner, and more.  Show Notes What you'll learn (or why you should care): • Alternatives to bottling up your anger, or blowing up at your partner • Why "never go to bed angry" can be a problematic approach to conflict resolution • My therapists $10,000 piece of advice regarding anger • Why you should never ghost your therapist Where to find Ashley: Ashley Miller on the Web | http://www.ashleymillerwellness.com/ Ashley Miller on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ashleymillerwellness/ Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

Ivy Kwong is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Relationship Coach specializing in self-love and recovering from codependency.  Ivy shares with us how growing up in a family with unhealthy boundaries and a limited ability to express emotions led to her struggle with codependency in adulthood. Ivy is incredibly generous with her transparency on the effects of codependency in her life, and this is a heart-warming episode.  In this episode, you'll learn how to say no, how to develop strong boundaries, the difference between codependence and anti-dependence, and how to identify what your needs, wants, and desires are.  Show Notes What you'll learn (or why you should care): • How our family systems affect the way we show up in relationships • Signs that you may be in a codependent relationship • The steps you can take to begin recovering from co-dependency • Self-love practices that can help you turn the focus on yourself Where to find Ivy: Ivy Kwong on the Web | https://www.bareivy.com/ Ivy Kwong on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bareivy/ Ivy Kwong on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/BareIvy Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

We often give massage to receive, but Shai is a firm believer that you can get as much joy from giving a massage as you can from receiving one. His new best-selling book, The Joy of Giving Massage, is all about maximizing the pleasure you get from giving a great massage. Massage is no longer what you need to get through in order to get yours. It's a practice to meditate, connect with yourself, and deepen the intimacy between you and the person receiving the massage.  Shai Plonski has been practicing and teaching Thai Yoga Massage for over ten years we talk about the importance of giving, what it takes to provide a fantastic massage, and of course, we go deep on the loving benefits of touch.  Learn more about Shai and get his book: Buy The Joy of Giving Massage here: https://amzn.to/2RQL2PO Shai's YouTube channel with free how-to videos: https://goo.gl/PQsm78 Connect with Shai on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaiplonski/ Learn more about Still Light Center here: www.stillightcentre.com   The Love Drive podcast is produced by Shaun Galanos with the help from Gilford Street Studios. Find out more at www.thelovedrive.com

Are you touched starved? Do you wish you could change something about your body? Are you looking for 'The One' at the expense of building intimacy with others, and yourself? Then you'll want to tune in.  Today, I bring you my favorite snippets of conversation from the top three most downloaded episodes of 2018. Solomon Krueger discusses the power of platonic touch, Meghan Tonjes talks about what it takes to love one's own body, and Dr. Jordana Jacobs shares with us how to soften our expectations of others and of ourselves in order to help us love more fully.  Learn about Solomon Krueger and his platonic touch events here: https://www.flowlandmontreal.com/ Follow Meghan Tonjes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/tonjes Connect with Dr. Jordana Jacobs here: https://jordanajacobsphd.com/ Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://www.thelovedrive.com

Are you dating someone who's not quite right for you? Do they satisfy your needs in one way but not in the way that's important to you? Well, I would say, "join the club". This episode is for everyone who's dating someone that can't really give them what they're looking for. If you'd like your very own free love advice, head over to thelovedrive.com/freeloveadvice to find out how I can help. 

Spooning, cuddling, massage, body-stacking, playing like a bunch of kittens, stroking in a non-sexual way, dancing with or without contact,  extended eye-gazing. These are just a few of the types of platonic touch that you can experience at Cozy, a heart-centric cuddle-event hosted by Solomon Krueger in Montreal.  I've been to three of these parties and I have enjoyed each more than the last. There's an openness, a warmth, and tenderness at these parties that I've never encountered or experienced anywhere else. We talk about the power of platonic touch and why it's not more common. We discuss the importance of consent and how to ask for what you want, along with how to say no, and how to handle rejection.  This episode is warm and tender and you're going to love it.  Show Notes: Find out about the next Cozy and other events on the Flowland website and on the Facebook page. Learn more about Solomon and connect with him on his Facebook page.  Find out what your love language is by reading The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman Learn about the Wheel of Consent and the Four Quadrants on Betty Martin's website. Read Charlie Glickman's blog post on Consent Accidents and Consent Violations.

A woman wants to know if she should leave her husband of 10 years. She also gets painfully vulnerable about hating her body. We talk about knowing when it's time to leave your partner, why we fall into negative self-talk, how we can best accept the body that we have even though we don't like the way it looks. This is a tender and heart-warming conversation about being human. I think you're going to like it.' Show Notes: If you have a question for The Love Drive you can either sign up for Free Love Advice or leave a message with your question here: 626-539-4993 To learn more about working with Shaun in a confidential capacity, do that here. Get Susan Piver's Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom For Modern Relationships Watch Shaun give Free Love Advice in the back of a San Francisco taxicab. 

Public speaking may be our number one conscious fear but Dr. Jordana Jacobs, a clinical psychologist in NYC, believes that the fear of dying, or death anxiety, is indeed what we're most afraid of.  What does death awareness mean exactly? Simply put, the more we're conscious of the impermanence of everything in life, the more present we can be, and the deeper we can love. We more we accept death, the more fully we can love everything around us, including your partner.  Jordana and I also touch on the concept of 'the one' and the 'perfect' partner and how the quest for finding 'the one' is a defense against finding love. We discuss Esther Perel's concept that 'fire needs air' in the context of giving your partner and your relationship space to keep the excitement high, and we touch on several ways to reduce death anxiety while increasing death awareness.  Show Notes: Find detailed show notes about this episode here. Find Jordana Jacobs on her website and on Instagram. The books discussed in today's episode were: Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel   The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity Kindle Edition by Esther Perel   The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm  How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work Kindle Edition by Steven Kotler  and Jamie Wheal  When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi  The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker