Buddhability

Today we’re talking to Lorenna Garcia-Bochas, a young woman in Georgia who grew up around the Buddhist community and chanting. Her own practice developed when she started college and faced some major challenges in her family and with her own mental health, which drove her to dig deep into her own heart to find a way forward. We cover a lot today: how to grapple with multiple identities and feeling like you don’t fit anywhere; how to take care of your family when they are struggling; and how to find the courage to seek help for your mental health, if that’s what you need.Ultimately, Lorenna’s story is an amazing example of how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can be fuel for taking steady steps to respect your own life, which includes resolving doubt and pain, establishing a dream for the future and taking great care of yourself.(Note: No information on this episode should be considered medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for any questions related to treatment for mental health issues.)CHEAT SHEET1:30 How Lorenna grew up6:50 Why she started practicing Buddhism8:30 The family challenges that drove her practice11:59 What her day-to-day struggle looked like21:46 How her expectations for herself started to change25:25 How she changed her experience of school30:28 What it took to believe in herself33:46 How she found her dream career path40:24 The challenges she faced being mixed-race43:17 Transforming shame45:34 Her favorite Buddhist concept48:41 What it took to ask for help for her mental health56:52 Advice for her younger self and anyone listening

Today we have a short announcement about Buddhability’s upcoming 7 Day Refresh, starting Monday, May 17. Sign up at www.buddhability.org.

Today we are covering one of our most highly requested topics: boundaries and self-care.Our guest is Jessica Riley, a mental health specialist in Florida, who most recently was a military psychologist. After struggling deeply with setting boundaries, an overwhelming workload and an inability to really take care of herself, she started chanting about her situation and came to a major realization about herself that changed everything. We’ll cover how she navigated her own experience and why caring for others doesn’t have to require sacrifice.Also, an announcement: For anyone struggling with well-being, self-care or burnout, starting Monday May 17 join us for a 7-Day Refresh on Buddhability! For a whole week, you’ll get daily newsletters with prompts, tips and advice on how to refresh yourself to protect your health, from a Buddhist perspective. To join, just sign up for our newsletter. CHEAT SHEET1:28 Jessica's journey to become a military psychologist6:31 Why she turned to chanting15:08 What the daily workload felt like25:36 Two Buddhist concepts that shifted her perspective27:45 How she found time to chant31:12 What she realized about herself41:36 What happened after she decided to prioritize self-care and boundaries41:15 What believing in yourself looks like in practice50:22 Advice for anyone struggling with self-worth or burnout

Today we're talking about careers, a topic that we plan to cover from many different perspectives on future episodes. Our guest is Louise Ocasion, who started practicing Buddhism when she was in college and struggling with a deep sense of confusion about what to do with her life. Today, she’s a corporate executive who has worked at some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, but the journey to get here was filled with twists and turns. In short, it’s all about how to develop true confidence in your own voice, and true humility if you do achieve success, especially in a competitive environment.Key Takeaway: Inner transformation is a never-ending process, and along with being relentless in your efforts to achieve your goals, truly believing in yourself means looking honestly at what’s holding you back on the inside, as much as on the outside.Cheat Sheet1:24 Louise’s childhood as an immigrant4:20 Why she started chanting in college12:45 What it feels like to compare yourself to other people13:59 How chanting helped her get through school16:20 How she found her way to marketing20:52 The concept of beauty, benefit and good31:31 How she dealt with negative feedback44:33 Advice for anyone who is trying to build their career right now

Instead of an episode this week, we have an announcement! Based on your requests, we just published a video explainer on enlightenment. Find it on Buddhability's YouTube or Instagram, or at this link.

Today’s episode is about a key Buddhist concept, which teaches that where you are right now is exactly the place you need to be to fulfill your purpose, as long as you're willing to dig deep into your heart and let the courage out.We speak with Dori Colly, a young mother in North Carolina. On the surface, hers is a story about the challenges she went through to buy a house. But what's most incredible about her experience practicing Buddhism is how she courageously opened her heart, despite many traumatic experiences, to put down roots in a community that she never wanted to stay in the first place, because of how volatile and unsafe it felt. Today, many of her family members live on the same block and are working together to transform the community in which they live.CHEAT SHEET0:19 Introduction to today’s topic2:16 Dori’s story5:53 What made her decide to start practicing Buddhism consistently 7:40 Her journey to buy a house14:13 How winning in the morning became the key to transforming her disbelief 16:50 What chanting can do18:42 How she’s been able to support a child with autism24:49 How chanting helped her transform family discord26:46 How chanting helped her transform how she felt towards the world30:58 How she reunited with her dad and moved him in next door32:46 What her dream became after purchasing the house40:16 The role that having supportive friends has played40:41 Advice for anyone who feels beat down by their environment right now42:55 The moment Dori’s heart shifted from not wanting to stay in North Carolina to taking full responsibility for her community

Today we are discussing a question that comes up a lot: How do I stop comparing myself to other people? It can be a real struggle, especially if you feel like the people around you are better or farther ahead than you in some way. Here’s an article we did on the subject, called Feel like you're falling behind? Our guest today is Harrison Tsao, who started practicing Buddhism in high school because he was deeply struggling with anxiety and depression, stemming from the fact that he found school really challenging, and was constantly being compared to his twin brother. It’s a really inspiring story: Once he started chanting, he took steady steps to find his own path forward and discovered his dream of becoming a chef. Then Covid-19 happened. Still, he never gave up. (You're gonna wanna to listen to the end on this one.)Cheat Sheet00:13 Introduction to today’s topic2:17 Why Harrison started practicing Buddhism6:45 What it was like growing up as a twin9:41 His journey toward college and finding his dream15:41 How Covid-19 impacted his path18:32 How having a Buddhist community helped him navigate his path forward22:28 The quote that changed his life24:38 How he started setting goals for himself29:59 Advice for anyone who feels like other people are farther ahead in life31:59 Where Harrison is now

Appreciate the Buddhability content but want to hear from people actually practicing Buddhism? We teamed up with members of our Buddhist community to present a new online series hosted by Buddhability. The first one is this Friday and we're talking about how to refresh yourself when you feel burned out.Join us Friday, March 26 at 9 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. CT, 12 p.m. ET.Register here: https://buddhability.org/practice/live/

On this episode, we discuss living with chronic health challenges, be it physical or mental health. Jenny Ohrstrom, who has been seeking treatment for Lyme disease for nearly 8 years, shares her story of learning how to find happiness despite living with painful, unpredictable symptoms.While everyone's experience with illness is different, for chronic illness, the battle is as much about managing the symptoms and seeking treatment as it about finding a way to value your life on daily basis, especially when you feel no hope. Key takeaway: Tapping into Buddhability can simply mean tapping into real, deep, courageous happiness, in the face of pain. Unlike positivity, sustainable happiness comes from cultivating a life state that enables us to never give up or give in to hopelessness.CHEAT SHEET1:38 Introduction to Jenny and her Buddhist practice4:28 How she found out she had Lyme14:40 Why it was so bad17:07 How chanting helped her navigate the journey23:32 What the doctors told her24:38 How she defines recovery27:18 What happiness means on a daily basis33:02 Advice for anyone feeling defeated by chronic or long-term illness

Today we are talking about being new parents, which is a topic that's been requested by many listeners. Savini and Piper, college sweethearts from India who moved to New York City in their 20’s, share the story of having their first child in September 2019, just 6 months before the pandemic began.They've had to navigate a lot: not only grappling with a new identity and sense of responsibility, but also navigating covid and some unexpected health challenges their son was born with.Key takeaway: If you’re a new parent or thinking of becoming one, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can help you build emotional and spiritual muscle to take on anything life throws your way.CHEAT SHEET00:19 Today’s topic1:38 Introduction to Savini and Piper6:48 Navigating fear of parenthood10:25 The story of Maadhav’s birth13:40 How they chanted while pregnant18:25 How they navigated unexpected health challenges24:58 What it means to build resilience and confidence over time39:18 The hardest parts of parenting42:48 An amazing analogy for your capacity as a person47:19 Advice for new parents49:14 What chanting just 5 minutes can do53:20 Guest appearance by Maadhav