This roundtable with my colleagues from Nettwerk Music explores the podcast with Martin Kerr, a British Canadian singer songwriter based in Edmonton, Canada. It was a broad-ranging discussion on topics including: creativity as a connection to the ‘undermind’ or unconscious intelligence; the central role of intuition in this process; the role intuition has in life decisions and career moves; the importance of learning from one’s own experience and the problem that others can’t really tell you what you should do; the centrality of music in communal spirit; how music can be a mirror window into the human experience that allows that listener to connect to the artist through this feeling; collective effervescence in a group as a feeling that transcends you, but includes you; eudemonic joy being based in meaning and purpose beyond self; and how the latter relates to the purpose at Nettwerk of connecting people and artists. A great discussion!

This roundtable discussion of the first 'Staying Composed' podcast is full of deep and practical questions and insights. The topics discussed included: how equanimity is not a one-off, not a black and white phenomenon, but rather an ongoing activity that results in a continuous changing of our experience; how often after a triggering reality is in the past, we have to now apply equanimity to our ongoing thoughts, feelings and reactions; the power of taking one's upset as useful data and thereby choosing to be less upset and taking relevant action as a result; the issue of virtue signalling where'I'm superior to you because you are not suffering as much as I am'; how everyone has to find their own path to equanimity; how elite sportspeople practice a type of equanimity; and about de-identifying with, and letting go of, upset in favour of pragmatic problem-solving. A wonderful conversation.

The central theme of this podcast series is equanimity as the antidote to the stress of living in turbulent times. Defined as the ability to maintain inner calm when the world around us is objectively disturbing, this podcast begins by exploring the nature of equanimity. We see that it is a very active psychological state that is in dynamic engagement with the world. It is not passive and is not a state of retreat from the world. We then suggest there are three broad methodologies for cultivating equanimity: Psychological; Practical and Action-Based; and Social. We begin by exploring the foundations of emotional intelligence: remembering to take responsibility for our emotions. We then see how paying attention to our reactions, especially our mindset, allows us to rethink and to redirect our attention, and thereby, to be more equanimous. The following podcasts will go into more depth in explaining these three broad ways to cultivate equanimity.

In this Music & Mental Health Podcast I’m talking with Martin Kerr, British-Canadian singer-songwriter based in Edmonton Canada. Martin shares what he's found that helps him balance music, relationships and family life. We discuss many topics, including: how success is the result of years of grassroots community building, how music is fundamentally about community, communication and sharing emotional truths, how intrinsic motivation is the key to a creative life, how singing and performing are both therapeutic and restorative, and other topics! A wonderful conversation. I hop eyou enjoy it.

This roundtable explores how we manage others to better navigate difficult conversations. Topics covered included: a discussion of a workplace culture of 'feedback for redirection', which is more akin to coaching rather than telling; how asking questions for which we don't have the answer does not mean we shouldn't prepare ideas or have opinions entering into difficult conversations; how and why it is more challenging to have difficult covnersations with people we are closer to; and how important trust-building is to an honest feedback culture (where we cannot always guarantee a positive outcome to someone if they tell us the truth).

Part 3 of the Mastering Diffiicult Conversations podcast series focuses on how we manage other peoples' psychological states. Topics discussed include: how confidence reduces our avoidance of difficult conversations; how we help others to reframe, refocus and redirect; and how peolpe's needs are legitimate and helping them feel safe also helps them them shift to higher needs such as partnering and co-experimenting.

The Music & Mental Health roundtable discussing my podast with Jon Bryant was very insightful and stimulating. As usual, my friends at Nettwerk Music took the conversation to very interesting places including: an exploration of how meditative mind states generate openness and curosity to what shows up - a 'waiting-upon' rather than a predictive mode; the metaphor of the mind as a 'mobile' as a means to understand how the conscious and unconscious mind integrates experience; the maturing artist becoming less self-focused, more aware, more balancd and the healthy integration that creativity can bring; and how there is a type of 'resonance' as we tap into a more collective consciousness, feeling a part of something that transcends yet includes us. All in all, a thought-provoking discussion!

This Q & A explores issues arising from 'Mastering Difficult Conversations Part 2 (Managing Self). Topics discussed included:stepping outside one's reaction and pausing and seeing how this breaks habitual patterns in self and others; how, in dealing with personality-disordered people it is less about changing them, and more about protecting self and others around them; when we are not getting win-wins the importance of equanimity and how to get our ego out of the way and not be upset by the other person's non-willingness to change.