Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw explores what it really means to ask for what we want in life.  She begins with some clear and simple examples of what it's like to ask for what we need, and more importantly, she points out that we need to be prepared for the consequence of not getting what we ask for.  She shares that personally, she didn't ask her family for anything growing up because she was too concerned that it would be hurtfu...

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw examines what happens when we experience fear in a social situation.   She begins by sharing that when she personally feels the most amount of fear, that's when she needs to have the most control... and when she's not afraid she needs the least control.  She feels that it's a natural tendency for all of us, and she shares some real life examples of how and why that occurs.  She also d...

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a quick look at how it plays out when a relationship is perhaps coming to an end.  She begins by sharing some advice that she had shared with friends of hers who were struggling in their relationship.  She leans of personal experience in order to lay the ground work for recognizing that sometimes relationships simply have an expiration date, and when we force a relationship to last longer than it sho...

Dr. Shaw begins by outlining her motivation for creating this particular podcast, and that rationale is to examine how we are when we feel our feelings.  It begins with the fact that we are taught from a very early age that we should have only happy feelings and that life is filled with happy endings.  Dr. Shaw feels that it's wrong action to think that way, and that what we need to strive for is the realization that feelings come ...

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw examines the emotional rollercoaster that can occur when we respond negatively to a situation.   Her world view incorporates the notion that nothing is simply one way... there are (at least) two sides to everything... and that it's important that we teach that approach to our children.   Our children can often face disappointments, but they need to understand, even at a young age, that the negative s...

In this very brief but energized episode, Dr. Shaw uses a personal story and experience to once again illustrate that our children are listening to us, even when we think they are not. Her story is a cute one revealing her passion for saving 5-dollar bills.  As it happens, a youngster around age 7 heard her talk about her strong belief in saving 5's, and he is now doing the same thing.  Why?  Because our children do listen and resp...

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw examines what happens when we have a negative reaction.  She shares a situation when she experienced a moment of internal panic.  She points out that the moment passed quickly, and that occurred because she let the emotions flow.  The negativity was discharged by simply letting it go.  A major strategy that allowed the moment to pass was that she allowed herself to fully react without suppres...

In this important episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the feeling of FEAR and how it can impact our reactions and take us down a road that's not in our best interest.   She begins with her own personal point of view by saying, "Everything that limits me comes from fear."   People have all sorts of fears, and those fears only promote negativity.  Dr. Shaw goes on to describe a fear-filled reaction and then suggests putting a strategy in place...

In this episode, Dr. Shaw passionately examines the concept and the saying that TIMING IS EVERYTHING.   She begins by pointing that this is a concept that might be difficult for children to wrap their heads around.  She then continues by sharing examples of how sometimes adults express regret or a sense of missed opportunity when reviewing certain incidents in their lives.  Meanwhile, the reality is that we all have to go through e...

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw examines the ways in which we can create more stress than necessary with those who are the closest to us, especially when we live with someone.  What happens is that rather than take a deep breath and let it pass when something stressful happens, we can often have a tendency to bring our own baggage to the relationship and elevate the stress of the situation in a way that really could ...

In this episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits one of her favorite topics and that is how to avoid being the cause of your own suffering.  At first, one might think "how am I the cause of my own suffering?" but Dr. Shaw walks us through some clear and simple examples of how our own quick over-reactions can lead us down a path where we meet failure instead of success.  It's really another sign that how we show up is what matters.  The facts an...

In this brief but insightful podcast, Dr. Shaw examines some simple ways to improve communication with others, especially others that have a different point of view.  She offers clear advice to ways to communicate that avoid bullying or accusations.  When we make each other wrong, that doesn't create peace, it creates a battle.  When we have respect for other opinions than our own, that makes peace.   We need to know when to speak,...

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw discusses how to be energy efficient when it comes to speaking with others.  We are not going to speak the same with long-time close friends as we would with casual acquaintances.  If you're observing a situation and knowing your audience, you will end up behaving and reacting the way the situation dictates... and that's not being insincere... it's just reality.  Knowing when to stay s...

Dr. Shaw often uses the expression, "We are what we pay attention to," and in this brief episode, Dr. Shaw cites examples of how that actually works.  Whether you are trying to sell your home or keep calm in a challenging situation or whatever it is, the power of thought can truly sway or influence the outcome.  As a result, it is important that we model for our children that it can be helpful to understand that our attention and o...

In this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of teaching our children good citizenship.  She notes that it is similar to good sportsmanship wherein knowing how to lose and to win graciously may be the most important part of playing a game.  Teaching good citizenship can start with simple tasks like cleaning the environment, but it can also be demonstrated in so many ways... kindness being an example or showing honesty or ...

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the concept of self-doubt.  She begins with a reference to one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements, and she talks about a featured notion of that book which is to be impeccable with your words.   Her interpretation of that is to not go against yourself, because if you do, with your perception pf self-doubt you may have a self-fulfilling prophecy on your hands.  She puts forth that the way t...

In this highly personal episode, Dr. Shaw reacts to a message that came to her from an acquaintance...  the message was supposed to positive, but because the message was rooted in bad sportsmanship and over-zealous pride it triggered a reaction in Dr. Shaw that made her want to remind everyone of the inclusiveness that America was built upon.  There are lessons for us all in what she shares here, including for parents raising child...