Straight Talk With Sandra Reich

After 3 years and more than 175 shows, it is sadly time to say goodbye. Join us for this final episode where we celebrate great insights, review valuable lessons learnt, and talk about how to keep your eyes on the stars. For Straight Talk’s goodbye party, Sandra will be joined by some special guests.

What causes anger? Is it possible to be angry in a constructive way? Anger is a pretty intense emotional state. Because it a response that involves displeasure, hostility, and/or annoyance, it can be pretty tough to keep it under control. It it isn’t handled well, it can wreak all kinds of havoc, sabotaging a person's mental and physical health. But it doesn’t have to be that way. While you can't avoid feeling angry all together, you can learn how to cope with and express anger in a healthy way. Listen in as Sandra and frequent guest Georgia Dow talk about dealing with anger so that you learn to control it before it controls you!

Are you happy? Is it even possible to find true happiness? Happiness is a much researched and sought-after state of being. One that great thinkers all over the world have tried to explain. It turns out that, generally speaking, happiness is simple and achievable. Tune in as Sandra and guest Anna Maria Tosco talk about the keys to happiness. Hint: it’s not tied to your circumstances. We’ll talk about things like ways to think, perspectives to have, and things to change.

How would you describe your approach to money? Are you a spender or a saver? If you were given something you love, and told that if you hung onto it for an hour, you’d get double, could you do it? What causes some people to hold on to money and invest it while others are content to describe themselves as shopaholics? Do your money-handling habits come from parents and caregivers? Is it nature? Nurture? Join us as Sandra and Melissa delve into the psychology of money and new information that is revealing that brain chemistry plays an enormous role in your financial habits. Let us help you take steps towards a proper money mindset!

A new year (and its perceived “fresh start”) is often a catalyst for many changes in life. But for many of us, it’s also a source of frustration and disappointment because sticking with those changes and ideals is hard! New Year’s resolutions are infamously tough to keep! Is it possible to really change your life this year? Can 2019 be different? Join us as Sandra and Melissa talk about be how to be one of the few who actually sticks with it, staying strong and healthy throughout the new year. Change is possible!

With the holiday season behind us and the novelty of a new year wearing off, January can be a long, dreary month. January’s long nights and cold days can give way to all sorts of emotions with symptoms of the “blues” ranging from simple grumpiness to depressing thoughts. Mood swings, feeling low, lethargy, insomnia, stress, bloatedness, and sluggishness can all be signs that you are struggling. Join us as Sandra talks with Georgia Dow about these common realities and some potential pick-me-ups to help you cope. There are some things you can start to do that will help “bring back the sunshine” and equip you to feel better quickly and effectively!

We all procrastinate at one time or another. Who among us hasn’t gone to the movies when we should be working on our taxes? But when it becomes a chronic way of life, it can actually lead serious disappointments and unhealthy patterns in our lives. Chronic procrastination can affect your physical health, your relationships, and your mental/emotional life including areas of self-discipline, persistence, self-esteem, and personal responsibility. Listen in as Sandra and regular guest, Melissa Hindley, have a frank conversation about procrastination. Falling prey to these cognitive distortions is easy, but fortunately, there are a number of different things you can do to fight procrastination and start getting things done on time!!

Superheroes, white knights, saviors. They are the stuff of the best storybooks, aren’t they?!? What could possibly be wrong with wanting to be a rescuer? Sadly, in personal relationships, the compulsion to rescue others or be the hero can be very damaging to both partners. The rescue itself can be from anything – unhappiness, financial chaos, substance abuse, depression, abuse, medical issues, or a wounded past. While it can be noble to help a friend or partner through such tragedies, becoming the hero can turn into a dark addiction for the rescuer. Do you feel compelled to rescue others? Or know someone in an unhealthy pattern of saving others? Listen in as Sandra and frequent guest, Georgia Dow, discuss the hidden dangers of feeling the need to rescue others and how to break free from this pattern.

Parenting definitely isn’t for cowards! It’s tough stuff. But, raising a child with ADHD or an anxiety disorder or the like, adds new a wrinkle to traditional childrearing. Normal rule-making and household routines can be difficult, depending on the type and severity of your child’s symptoms. Listen in as Sandra and Georgia discuss these and other common challenges to parenting children. But, take courage, there are indeed behavioral techniques for managing a child’s challenges. We’ll offer guidelines to help you limit destructive behaviors and help your child overcome.

Enmeshed relationships are relationships that have unclear boundaries and very little autonomy for the individual. Sometimes it is said that a person in such a relationship is lost in the other person. Maybe they allow their partner to define them. It sounds a touch romantic at first glance but it’s actually a path to heartache and manipulation. Join us as our host Sandra Reich and frequent guest Melissa Hindley talk about how we can open our eyes to the truth of such relationships. It is possible to break the pattern of enmeshment and break through to freedom—to that place where we are able to give and receive true love!!

Family time is important. This seems especially true as we head into this holiday season. Most of us have ideals for how we want our family to bond and interact. We know that a strong family gives its members the support they need to make it through life’s toughest spots. But, creating that bond is easier said than done – especially in our busy culture with its demanding schedules. How can you create a solid foundation and build into your family? Listen in as Sandra and Georgia talk about practical ways to create strong family bonds. It’s never too late to start!

Do you ever wonder why some couples “make it” and some do not? When you think about it, it’s a little bit miraculous that any two people from different worlds get together and make love last for long stretches of time. Although it may seem like magic, it really is not. It’s not a formula either because every couple is different. But research shows us that there ARE some trends and commonalities in those healthy relationships. Join Sandra and Maite as they talk about the latest research in cultivating thriving couple relationships.

Do you ever feel like a hypocrite? You know, when you claim to believe or do one thing while living out the opposite? At some level we all have seasons of hypocrisy. The only people who don’t are perfect! And we haven’t seen many of those types!! Hypocrisy is a kind of cognitive dissonance – that uncomfortable feeling we have when two attitudes or behaviors, don’t match up in our lives. This dissonance doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Sometimes it’s a good thing that leads to change. Join us as Sandra and Melissa discuss how this cognitive dissonance can lead to a deliberate, reflective mode that allows us to bring our behaviors back into line with who we want to become.

Most of us would accept the idea that being judgmental and self-righteous is damaging. No one really likes to be around a person who is constantly critical. And, yet, we all seem to struggle with doing it on some level. We form judgements all the time. Need convinced? Perhaps you’ve given an internal eyeroll to any of these situations: the mom with the out-of-control toddler in Target, the teen who just got expelled from school, the co-worker who is chronically late coming back from lunch, the friend who let you down by not being there, etc. We know this kind of self-righteous thinking is unfair to others. But, what if we told that it’s also dangerous for YOU! Listen in as Georgia and Sandra talk about how being judgmental is destroying you from the inside out. But, don't despair - we have ideas for overcoming this tendency!

Do you have a hard time delegating? Do you live by a “failure is not an option” ethic? Are you constantly trying to convince people to do things another way? Are you angry a lot? It’s possible that you’re struggling with the illusion of control. In short: you’re a “control freak”. You’re frustrated and irritable because you’re trying to control things you can’t! In addition to wreaking havoc on your mental health, being a control freak also wastes time and energy, both of which are finite resources. Join Sandra and Melissa as they talk about how to tell if you’re investing too much time, mental energy, and physical effort into things you have no control over. And, if you are, what you can do about it.

Resentment is a powerful force! Like its close cousin, bitterness, it usually comes into our lives in response to a legitimate injustice or hurt that has been done to us… so it’s hard to let it go. The problem is that resentment seldom contributes to serenity and fulfillment. It’s a bit like a cancer that eats away at time—time which could have been filled with love and joy. Join us as Sandra and Melissa get real about the damage resentment can cause while giving us hope for healing those wounds, forgiving the wrong done, and moving on in freedom!

Conflict. What kinds of emotion surface when you think of it? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? It’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s just the result of two people with different goals coming together. It becomes a damaging force if it’s handled poorly. Conflict triggers strong emotions and can lead to hurt feelings, disappointment, and discomfort. When handled in an unhealthy manner, it can cause irreparable rifts, resentments, and break-ups. Join us for this episode where Sandra and Georgia discuss how to resolve conflict in a healthy way so that it increases your understanding of the other person, builds trust, and actually strengthens your relationships!

Do you deal with health problems? Have you ever considered that your body responds to the way you think, feel, and act? We often call this the mind-body connection”. We often see it when we talk about stress. When you are stressed, anxious, or upset, your body reacts in a way that might tell you that something isn’t right. The reverse is also true. The latest research confirms that what we do with our physical bodies can affect our mental state. The truth is our overall health and wellbeing is ALL connected from what we eat to what we do with negative energy. Join us for this episode where Maite Gomez and Sandra talk about the importance of having a healthy mind inside a healthy body! You can improve your overall health when you see the connections between physically, nutritionally, spiritually, and psychologically. We’ll talk about many different components of overall wellness including nutritional science, energy work, meditation, exercise, and (of course!) psychology.

The Fall Season – for many of us, it’s a time to get back to some of life’s rhythms after summer vacations or travels. Whether you’re sending kids go back to school or trying to have a productive fourth quarter, you probably have some renewed drive and fresh goals in mind. But, as with new year’s resolutions, that’s often easier said than done. Maybe you feel like you can’t get started, you’ve hit a wall, or perhaps you just aren’t progressing fast enough. What makes some people successful in nailing those goals and others feeling discouraged? Join us for this helpful episode as Sandra talks with frequent Straight Talk guest, Melissa Hindley, about intention. This simple word can make a profound difference in your follow-through as you tackle your goals! Here’s to your most successful Fall yet!

Did you know that we can chose how to age? Is there a solution to slowing down and reversing your aging process and the secret to remaining young and pain free no matter what your age? The human body is designed to remain pain-free, energetic and healthy throughout its lifespan. We should never have to surrender helplessly to chronic pain, hip and knee replacements, loss of energy and mobility, poor posture, weight gain—regardless of our chronological years. Join us for this episode where Sandra talks with best-selling author, health expert and founder of the famous Classical Stretch: Miranda Esmond-White about a new way to look at our body and health.