Why should I listen to this episode:   -If you need hope  -If you're discouraged  -If you have no idea how to begin  -If your dream feels impossible  -If you blame your childhood for your present  -If you feel your inner voice is too negative  -If you love stories  -If you're stuck in your own mind and need a reminder of how to live a life of active kindness  -If you're stuck in anger or hate or shame or guilt or depression.  -If you believe you are at your end Summary: How can just one hour of stories make a difference? It made one to me.  This week I interview my grandpa, Rod Gibson, who tells us of his childhood, experiences in the Navy and where he ended up because of (and in spite of) both.  After the Navy, he walked into the world of journalism and fell in love with storytelling.  However, we learn what's most important in a writer's life is the ever elusive art of listening.  This episode is FULL of beautiful stories of how one man's life was shaped by the encouragement of others.  What once seemed impossible, became reality.  What his father once shamed, lieutenants later prided and uplifted. In this episode we are enchanted by Rod's life stories, quaked by a simple act of kindness towards him, and challenged to partake in two of life's rarest and purest forms of love: listening and encouraging.  

Garden Parley

How To Start, Why To Encourage & When To Listen (Interview with Rod Gibson)

Welcome to the first episode in our third season!  This season is dedicated to storms.  We all go through stormy seasons, where we come across some of the hardest challenges in life.  The best way to go through them is together.  Which is why I cannot WAIT to show you some of my guests for the upcoming episodes! They share their knowledge, experiences and wisdom in how they've made it through their storms.  This episode we have the wonderful Marti Wibbels, a mental health counselor and a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor in Palm Beach, FL.  We talk about dealing with anger (specifically while parenting); understanding depression and anxiety, & how to transform them into healthy thinking; things we can do when we feel burdened by emotion; we dip our toes into grief; and ultimately how our relationships with God can change everything.  Honestly, that doesn't even cover it--we talk about A LOT--and it's AWESOME.  So, basically, if you're struggling or battling any kind of emotion, then stop whatever it is you're doing and listen to this, right here.

Feelings & What To Do With Them (Interview with Marti Wibbels)

This week, I interview Staci Spanos, who worked as a news anchor for many years.  I ask her many of my burning questions about today's news.  You'll get to hear why I've refrained from tuning into the news and how Staci changes my perspective.  She offers great counsel for how to wade through all the information and why moderation is so important to her when absorbing it.  We get to hear what led her into the industry, what caused her to leave, where her love for it comes from, and how she finds truth in a sea of loud voices and sources.  What a beautiful and encouraging listen for anyone questioning the news industry!

Finding Love & Truth In Our News & Media (Interview With Staci Spanos)

Ever get slammed with an inescapable, noisy situation? Or maybe feeling stressed by the world? Or overwhelmed by your own loud thoughts? Whatever the case, sometimes our circumstances don't offer the peace our minds and bodies crave.  Here's a quick meditation/"mind dive" to calm the senses, rest the body, and offer mindful visions to guide you through the noise, toward inner peace.

Mind Dive & Restful Vibes #1: Finding Peace In A Loud World

This is my first shot at guiding a meditation! Loose direction, zero pressure, and 100% geared toward self-awareness and overall inner peace. Fueled by what I’m looking for in a meditation and aiming to set us all up for a weightless day and positive week! Music is played by Chelsea McCaulley!

Morning Meditation: An Intro To Mindful Rest

Let’s face it—we all have buttons. They can only be pushed so many times in one day before we get just straight up annoyed and borderline angry. Here’s my processs in how I’m learning to push past these feelings so I can truly enjoy life.

(Improv) My Process of Surpassing Frustration

Ever get in a funk? Whether you’re going through a rough time or you just woke up weird—we all sometimes need a little something extra to get unstuck. I actually recorded this amidst a funky funk and this is my improv in order to defunk myself. A list of things I do to de-pressurize, recenter, & navigate through all the feels.

A Morning Meditation: How I Defunk The Funk

Oh man, so much is packed into this one.  Comfort during COVID.  But also written for anyone struggling to overcome any kind of obstacle.  I talk about the importance of: feeling, gratitude, love, pain, vulnerability, & honesty.  So much is needed for healing to unfold.  Talk of embracing this moment, rather than feeling so pressured to accomplish.  To focus on being and enjoying.  To live on purpose instead of searching for a purpose to live for.  AND SO MUCH MORE!

The Simple Power of Turning Pain Into Purpose; Feelings Into Healing; and The Pressures of Doing Into a Love For Being

We all are feeling different pressures of life.  So much to do and so much noise to filter through.  It can get pretty stressful rushing through our days, while constantly being bombarded with negativity from the outside world.  That's why in this episode, I talk with Will Wright about how important it is to have that peaceful time with ourselves and with God at some point in our day.  A time to breathe, reflect, and decompress.  For us, that time is in the wee hours of the morning.  We share tips and tricks and routines to help out anyone trying to become an early bird.   And for you night owls, we have a little something in here for you, too.  We talk about a little bit of everything: from gratefulness, to the power of conscious thinking, to ultimately trying to involve God in each step of our journeys.  There is such power in the simplest of things.

The Simple Power of Waking Up Early // Finding Your Time To Shine (Interview With Will Wright)

Rambling #1: A Note On Being Annoyed With People and Things

Garden Parley (Trailer)

“You are enough,” we are told quite often. We repeat this to ourselves and to others to try and build up our spirits. However, I think there are some negative components to this phrase. In this episode I talk about why I’m trying to remove this phrase from my vocabulary & what exactly I’m replacing it with—simply for the sake of becoming the best version of myself.

The Simple Power of Being Okay With Falling Short

In this day and age we see more people getting rich quickly and achieving their dreams early. In this episode I’ll discuss why I think social media plays a big role in this, how I’m learning to be at peace with every season of my life, and what it means to be okay with “here”. Because whoever you are—your path has a purpose.

The Simple Powers of Quitting Comparison & Embracing Our Gifts

We all have something that threatens to consume all that is good in our lives. We all battle something. For me it was anxiety. This podcast is about how I made God my anchor, so that I can once and for all let go of whatever is trying to take me away from this moment, my happiness, and God.

How To Get Rid of That Thing That’s Taking Your Happiness

The power of word choice and what we tell ourselves every day. Am I trying to be a writer or AM I a writer? It’s the journey AND the destination. You will get where you’re trying to go. A podcast about overcoming our battles in positive ways. About remembering that just because the journey is long and backbreaking, does not mean that it will break us. We WILL arrive, and we will be stronger because of it.

You WILL Overcome

A place where stories are shared and perspectives given—openly and judgement-free. Honest discussions about God, motherhood, sustainable living, and the journey of joyfully improving ourselves and our world.

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Garden Parley

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