Mind Declutter with Athea Davis

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how one entrepreneur, creative, leader, and parent struggled with anxiety and depression for years, what she’s doing to thrive despite her mental health struggles, and why she’s talking about it now. My special guest Melissa Bernstein, along with her husband Doug, is the Co-Founder of the toy company Melissa & Doug, which has created over 5,000 children’s products and sold billions of dollars of toys since its inception. Raised by educators, Melissa and Doug started the business in their garage in 1988, and they’ve been on a mission ever since to provide open-ended, inventive, non-technologically driven playthings for young children. Throughout Melissa’s remarkable career, she kept secret her lifelong battle with severe depression and anxiety. She reveals her struggles in Lifelines, her first book, which she wrote to help others who are also suffering. Melissa’s book heralds the launch of Lifelines.com, and on-line ecosystem she and Doug are underwriting to support those seeking support, guidance, and community on their mental health journey.  Melissa and I talk about: ~ her entrepreneurial journey with Melissa & Doug, the imaginative and creative billion-dollar toy company; ~ how material success didn’t cure her battle with anxiety and depression; ~ her personal journey and battle with anxiety and depression; ~ what she’s doing now to thrive despite her mental health struggles; ~ her new book and on-line resource center, Lifelines; ~ and so much more! It's such an inspiring conversation I hope you gain a lot of value from it.  Please share this episode far and wide with those that are struggling with mental health. To connect with Melissa Bernstein and her Lifelines book and resources, click the links below. If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments,  connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Melissa Bernstein 👉 Instagram and Website. P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how you and the young people in your life can use 7 mindfully-informed principles that I personally use as a parent and teacher to create a healthy relationship to technology and social media. I hope you and the young people in your life find them valuable. Would love to know what you think!If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments I would love to hear from you: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how yoga and mindfulness are making their innovative mark in classrooms and schools around the globe. I thought it was the perfect way to celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast, as the work of Yoga Ed. aligns completely with my mission on the podcast: focused energy, joy, and purpose every single day - for young people and big people alike! My special guest, Brynne Caleda, began her journey with Yoga Ed. in 2005 as a top-performing trainer under the leadership of Tara Guber, offering in-person yoga education and training. Recognizing the importance of Yoga Ed.’s mission, Brynne made equity and access top priorities when she took ownership of the company in 2013. By spearheading the use of on-line platforms, Brynne strategically leveraged the company’s powerful results in the U.S. – as studied and vetted by Time Magazine, Harvard, Tulane, and more – to expand Yoga Ed.’s impact across the globe. For the past 20 years, Brynne’s entrepreneurial mindset has created and scaled multiple successes in wellness education. These include the non-profit Stretch Your Imagination, which brings sustainable yoga programming to Hawaii’s schools; the digital media company Omolulu, which produced several popular wellness programs; and other ventures that highlight Byrnne’s parallel expertise in education, yoga, and values-based business. Brynne and I talk about: ✨ her journey into mindfulness and yoga education, and eventually her co-ownership of Yoga Ed.; ✨ technology, equity, and access in education; ✨  the impact Yoga Ed.’s programming is having in schools and classrooms across the globe; ✨ the future of yoga and mindfulness in schools, and it’s place in the overall core curriculum; ✨ how yoga and mindfulness support social and emotional learning in schools; ✨ Brynne’s entrepreneurial experience, including her “values-based business” approach; ✨ and so much more! It's such an enriching conversation. I hope you gain a lot of value and inspiration from it. To connect with Brynne and Yoga Ed., click the links below. Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned into all the mindful living love.Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Brynne Caleda 👉 Instagram and Website. P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & FamiliConnect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how to recognize trauma, the best practices for trauma recovery, and how to build resilience in community.My special guest, Lisa Cherry is an author and a leading international trainer and consultant, specializing in assisting those in education, social care, and fostering to understand trauma, recovery, and resilience for vulnerable children, young people and families. Lisa has nearly 30 years of experience in this field and combines academic knowledge and research with professional skills and personal experience. Lisa and I talk about: ✨ what trauma is, and how we can recover and heal from it; ✨ resilience, and how to build it in community; ✨ how people develop the motivation to change through pain; ✨ best practices in trauma recovery; ✨ learning, growing, and building resilience in conversation; ✨ and, so much more. It such a deep and raw conversation. I hope you gain a lot of value from it. To connect with Lisa and her work, click the links below. And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected with me 👉 @atheadavis on all the social media channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Lisa Cherry 👉 Twitter and Website. P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode I’m talking about toxic positivity. Toxic positivity is a form of communication that can invalidate the complexity of our emotional terrain. As I discuss in this episode, it’s the tendency to invalidate difficult emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, sadness, and grief. I wanted to spend some time on this topic because while I’m a big advocate of having a positive growth mindset and feel the research is clear that it’s important to our overall success, it’s not at the expense of naming, managing, and processing difficult emotions. We must have the skillset to cultivate a positive mindset and outlook, and walk through difficult emotions and challenges if we desire to reach our goals, have healthy relationships, and experience authentic joy in our lives. It’s key to building resilience, and whole success. In this episode I define what toxic positivity is, how to recognize it in our communication and others’ communication, and I’m sharing some pro-active tips to transform any toxic positivity communication tendencies into a style that honors the complexity of our emotional landscape, thus contributing to our overall success and well-being. When we honor the complexity of our emotional landscape and lean into difficult emotions, we create more opportunity and possibility for connection and creativity in our lives. ReferencesI referenced the work of Susan David, Ph.D. and her book Emotional Agility, and for more information you can click here. I also referenced the TEDx Youth talk by Abria Joseph about Removing Negative Self-Talk, and for more information about that talk you can click here. If you’re interested in my book, Today’s Gonna Be Awesomesauce, that I referenced as well, click here, or see the links below. Stay Connected If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments I would love to hear from you: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea P.S.  Social Media, Books, Resources Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & FamiliConnect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how to manage your anxiety, turn your mistakes into big learning lessons, how to set effective boundaries, and healing your mental and emotional health with animalsMy special guest, Jess Lee, is an author, blogger, storyteller, homesteader, donkey rescuer, and mental and chronic illness advocate who believes in loving our whole selves, broken pieces and all. She writes snippets of moments where truth shines through the dark. “We should always be willing to share our candle’s flame with another”, says Jess.  Jess and I talk about: ~ her background in being a homesteader and donkey rescuer; ~ her journey with anxiety and she found healing in working with her donkey rescues; ~ how she’s maintaining her mental and emotional health these days; ~ setting mental and emotional boundaries; and~ what she’s learning from her mistakes. To connect with Jess and her work, click the links below. Before you dive in, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Jess Lee 👉 Instagram and Website.P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how to live a purpose-filled life by adopting a variety of health, wellness, spirituality, and mindset tools to help you fuel your mind, body, and heart to reach your dreams and goals.  My special guest, Kristel Bauer, started her company + podcast, Live Greatly, to inspire others to awaken to their ultimate potential. Kristel is a wellness expert, female entrepreneur, consultant, keynote speaker, and podcast host sharing a unique and inspiring message with the world. After years of practicing traditional medicine, a loved one’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis awakened a burning desire in Kristel to explore and examine what wellness truly means. As an Integrative Medicine Fellow, Physician Assistant, and Reiki Master, she founded Live Greatly to share her findings on how to best achieve optimal health in mind, body & spirit to attain success. Kristel and I talk about: ~ the impetus for her transition from a traditional medical knowledge background to explore a variety of health and wellness healing modalities; ~ mindset and how it impacts our capacity to live a healthy and whole life; ~food, diet, and whole eating;  ~ how to live a purpose-filled life; ~ the power of human connection; and ~ how to be empowered with our own healthcare. To connect with Kristel and her work, click the links below. Before you dive in, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Kristel Bauer 👉 Instagram and Website.P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about how we can help our kids navigate uncertainty, gain focus, and increase emotional stability through mindful arts & literacy.  My special guest, Andrew Nance, is the founder and lead trainer for Mindful Arts San Francisco. He offers trainings and assemblies around the globe for libraries, and school districts to provide the principles of mindfulness to students and staff. He is the author of four mindfulness books, the popular Puppy Mind, Mindful Arts in the Classroom, The Lion In Me, and The Barefoot King.Andrew and I talk about: ~ the mindfulness tools he teaches to students and teachers to navigate uncertainty; ~ strategies to teach our kids to be more empathetic, compassionate, and loving; ~ how parents and teachers can learn to be more present; ~ and mindful arts and literacy for the home and classroom. To connect with Andrew and his work, click the links below. Before you dive in, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Andrew Nance 👉 Instagram, YouTube,  and Website.P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about low self-worth, how it can create an insidious parenting dynamic with our kids that causes unnecessary mental and emotional pain and suffering, and how to break the cycle so our kids grow up confident and emotionally intelligent. With her groundbreaking research, Maggie Nick has cultivated a global community of cycle breakers – parents changing the trajectory of their children’s lives. A decade of healing her own childhood trauma informed and inspired Maggie’s work counseling children and adults, leading to her groundbreaking insights on the root causes of low self-worth in modern parenting and how we’re told to discipline our kids. Her own parenting framework, Parenting With Perspectacles, has a global community from 30 countries. With truth bombs and brutal honesty, she offers a comprehensive framework to use for kids of all ages. She helps parents tap into their own experiences of low self-worth, and then helps them understand critical shifts to make in their own parenting to raise kids who can actually feel their feelings and deeply know their worth.To connect with Maggie and her work, and on social media, click the links below. Before you dive in, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Maggie Nick 👉 Instagram and Website.P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

On this week’s podcast episode, I’m sharing how one mindfulness & yoga educator in schools has pivoted her teaching practices in the pandemic, and personally grown in the process. Jodi Smith, or “Ms. Yoga”, as she is lovingly called by her students, has taught yoga and mindfulness to over 800 children full-time at KIPP Connect Primary in Houston, Texas since 2017. Jodi centers her lessons on social-emotional learning, social justice, and mindfulness. Whether you teach yoga & mindfulness, or another content area in schools, parent kids and guide them through their on-line lessons at home, or still work from home due to the pandemic, I have no doubt you will find value in Jodi’s journey of teaching, pivoting, and growing in this challenging time. To connect with Jodi and her work, connect with her on social media and through her website linked below. Before you dive in, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️XO ~ Athea Connect with my guest Jodi Smith 👉 Instagram.Check out her website: Mosaic Kids Yoga. P.S. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn: @atheadavisTake one of my live mindfulness trainings, digital courses, and purchase my books and products + grab your free mindful living guide at www.atheadavis.com. Purchase my book, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents & Families Purchase my card deck, Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents & educators Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com