HeartMath's Add Heart

Topic: Adding Heart to Parenting — Why It’s So Important NowGuest: Dr. Jorina Elbers Our guest for this episode is Dr. Jorina Elbers, a pediatric neurologist with a special interest in trauma-informed medicine and the mother of two adventurous and energetic boys. Jorina joins Deborah Rozman, our Add Heart® Podcast host, to talk about one of the world’s biggest personal growth opportunities: parenting. Today’s stressful world and all its unpredictable changes often create challenges in our home life. Many of today’s issues are adding mental and emotional strain on parents. Our children and grandchildren feel these stressors too, which can lead to an increase in undesirable behaviors, such as acting out, talking back, not listening, etc. As their patience is tested, many parents try to correct and control their kids’ attitudes and actions—without a lot of success. Jorina, who is also the program director for the Trauma Recovery Project at the HeartMath Institute, shares with Deborah how she and her husband, Owen, have found that by focusing first on their own emotional self-regulation, then tuning in to their heart for intuitive direction, their communications with their boys have become much more effective. Jorina shares with listeners a couple of powerful heart tools she uses to manage her personal energy and shift into a heart-coherent place, which enables her to reduce over-reacting to her children’s undesirable behavior. She says many parents are told to just breathe to avoid reacting. However, if we don’t add heart coherence to a situation, we often end up lecturing a child, which shuts down communication. Learning how to shift into heart coherence is key for increasing a parent’s ability to respond in a way that empowers them in adverse situations—and kids do take notice. Jorina and Deborah also discuss how we can allow children to experience intense emotions in a healthy way. Rather than scolding their behavior, using heart-directed practices can validate their emotions, which helps to defuse their energy and allows for a deeper heart connection and communication to unfold, uncovering what’s really going on. Jorina says, “When we elevate our personal energy first, get into a heart-coherent space, we can then also help our kids to elevate their energy. When you have kids and parents working together in this way, the connection and communication can be very deep and rewarding.”   The episode closes with a guided heart meditation to help us energize our commitment to elevate our own energy first and better help our children. About our guest:Dr. Jorina Elbers is a pediatric neurologist with a special interest in trauma-informed medicine. She was recently an assistant professor at Stanford University and is currently the program director for the Trauma Recovery Project at the HeartMath Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. She has published over 25 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and created trauma-sensitive programs for health practitioners, first responders, refugees, and parents.

Guest: Lynne Twist What is fulfillment, and how do we find it and nurture it?  Our guest, Lynne Twist, shares how having a purpose larger than yourself is what leads to deep fulfillment. Lynne says when we get “off our self-centered focus, we open to new possibilities” that reward us. We’re in a time when many societal structures and ways of thinking and being are giving way to something new and as yet unformed, which can leave us feeling uncertain and without direction. In her new book, Finding Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger than Yourself, Lynne explains why it’s so important at this time that we listen deeply to our hearts to find and unfold our larger purpose.  Lynne is a recognized global visionary who has dedicated her life to serving the greater good. She has been an advisor to the Desmond Tutu Foundation and is the recipient of the prestigious “Woman of Distinction” award from the United Nations. She helped found the World Hunger Project and the Pachamama Alliance. She sees the time we’re in now as a rebirthing process for humanity and a grand opportunity to find a new vision and purpose in serving a greater whole.   Lynne and host Deborah Rozman talk about why vision and purpose are essential for personal fulfillment. Their conversation explores the difference between taking a “heart stand” that unifies people rather than a “mind stance” that separates them. Lynne explains how holding a fixed position on issues is what creates judgments and polarization, blocking our ability to see or consider other perspectives. Deborah and Lynne offer hopeful insights and next steps in finding and unfolding a larger purpose. Listening to and following the heart’s inclusive guidance is what will ultimately bring people together, leading to solutions that serve the greater good—and that is love. This episode closes with a heart meditation to energize your purpose and vision. About our guest:For more than 40 years, Lynne Twist has been a recognized global visionary committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, and supporting social justice and environmental sustainability. Her breadth of knowledge and experience has led her to profound insights into the social tapestry of the world and the historical landscape of the times we are living in. Lynne has served as an advisor to the Desmond Tutu Foundation and is the recipient of the prestigious “Woman of Distinction” award from the United Nations. She helped found the World Hunger Project, the Pachamama Alliance, and is the author of the bestselling book The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life. Her latest book, Finding Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger than Yourself tells the story of how serving a larger purpose is an important key to fulfillment.

Topic: Amplifying GratitudeGuest: Jacqueline Way Gratitude is an amplifier of heart energy and one of the quickest ways to offset stress and lift our mood. With the overwhelming stress so many people are experiencing, gratitude and appreciation count more than ever right now. The greater our capacity for genuine gratitude and appreciation, the deeper the connection to our heart—which is where intuitive guidance, inspiration, and new possibilities emerge. In this episode, Jacqueline Way, founder of 365give (a nonprofit inspired by her discovery of the power of gratitude), joins Deborah Rozman to talk about how to “change the world one give, one day at a time.” An adoptive mother of three, Jacqueline shares her inspiring story about how waking up to the power of gratitude moved her to do a yearlong experiment with her young son to give something back to the world every day for an entire year.  Jacqueline and Deborah discuss how gratitude and appreciation aren’t just nice gestures but powerful emotions that activate the brain’s reward pathways, feel-good hormones, and endorphins that can greatly improve our outlook on life. They share how scientists have been studying the “helper’s high” that comes from giving gratitude. When we do something authentic and meaningful for others, it opens our hearts and provides us with uplift, renewal of spirit, and health benefits. The HeartMath® research lab discovered that when we sincerely feel gratitude or appreciation for family, friends, nature, or the convenient things in life, a profound change occurs in our heart rhythms. They become more synchronized and coherent, which increases mental clarity, resilience, and the well-being needed for discernment and better choices, especially in today’s stressful environment.  Jacqueline and Deborah provide simple suggestions on how each of us can amplify gratitude and appreciation in our own lives to quickly uplift our thoughts, feelings, and outlook. The episode closes with a beautiful heart meditation to amplify gratitude and appreciation and to see new possibilities.  About our guest: Jacqueline Way is a dedicated world changer. Her purpose is to inspire and educate the hearts and minds of people globally to create happy, meaningful lives. She expresses her purpose through 365give, her charitable organization created and inspired by her son with a simple vision to “change the world one give, one day at a time.” She is a world-renowned keynote speaker with one of the most watched TEDx Talks, “How to Be Happy Every Day: It Will Change the World.” Every day she is committed to living the highest expression of who she is as a human being through her work and by touching the lives of others.

Topic – What it means to be a citizen scientist and how it can help you align with your purpose Guest – Dillon Brooks Many Gen Zers and millennials have lost trust in humanity and hope for the future. Most will tell you they’re stressed much of the time. Driving their stress are feelings of being financially insecure and mentally burned out, fears over climate change, and world unrest.  As a 29-year-old, Dillon Brooks is on a mission to help other millennials and Gen Zers listen to their heart to empower themselves. Dillon, a TikTok channel creator, has established a sizable TikTok community for Gen Zers and millennials called “Citizen Scientists,” and he is on a mission to help others empower themselves.  Dillon and our podcast host, Deborah Rozman, discuss what it means to be a heart-centered citizen scientist and why it is important to step into this role to create the change we desire personally and collectively.  Dillon and Deborah discuss the power of the heart and its ability to transform and lift perception. Dillon believes this is, in part, what the younger population is in search of. Gen Zers and millennials need to connect more deeply to themselves, according to Dillon, and become citizen scientists in all aspects of their lives: diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, mental health, and spiritual growth. He shares his foundational principles for feeling a strong sense of purpose and connectedness to others.  This insightful episode closes with a heart meditation on empowering your intentions and commitments.

Guest: Dr. Allen Schoen Some of our deepest heart connections are with our pets. Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, hamster or other animal, the love and care we exchange with our pets is supportive and healing for us and for them. This undeniable energetic heart exchange with our pets is the focus of this podcast episode. Dr. Allen Schoen, our podcast guest, is a pioneer of holistic veterinary medicine and recognized as one of the most influential veterinarians worldwide for introducing an integrative approach to veterinary medicine.  Dr. Schoen and our host, Deborah Rozman, explore this amazing energetic heart connection between people and pets. The therapeutic benefits associated with human-pet bonding aren’t new. In fact, research has shown this powerful bond can help decrease stress, regulate breathing, lower blood pressure, and release oxytocin—a hormone associated with love.  Dr. Schoen’s research exploring the heart-to-heart connection of the human-pet bond suggests that without the healing power of the love of animals that uplifts people’s lives, the world would be an even more stressed-out place. Animal lovers will enjoy hearing about the heart-rhythm synchronization that happens when people send love to their pets. Deborah explains these findings that come out of the HeartMath® Institute.  Dr. Schoen also talks about Trans Species Field Theory: An energetic field created by the thoughts and emotions of humans and animals interacting with each other. This episode will leave you with a deeper appreciation and understanding of how we benefit energetically from the love we share with pets and how this can contribute to a healthier, happier, more conscious and harmonious world.  The episode closes with a heart meditation on how our collective heart energy can help increase understanding and cooperation between humans and our animal friends. About our guest: Dr. Schoen is one of the pioneers of holistic, integrative veterinary medicine. He has been acknowledged by his peers as one of the fifteen most influential veterinarians in North America as well as worldwide for introducing the concept of an integrative approach to veterinary medicine. He’s authored seven books including Complementary & Alternative Veterinary Medicine; Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing; and Kindred Spirits, and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Veterinary Acupuncture for his groundbreaking contributions to veterinary acupuncture. His new project C.A.L.M. (Conscious Animal Lovers Movement) is his approach to helping all animal lovers co-create a healthier, happier, more harmonious world.