Author

Vicki

Business, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Spirituality

JAN 22: Finding Prosperity Through the Ancient Wisdom of Yoga. Lessons from Google & a Zen Monastery Kitchen

January 22, 2020

Today’s guest says “When prosperity is equated with material wealth attained for its own sake, the word prosperity loses its deep meaning.” In The Jewel of Abundance: Finding Prosperity Through the Ancient Wisdom of Yoga author Ellen Grace O’Brian‘s focuses on how to fulfill your soul and material desires, without hyper-materialism.

Ellen Grace O’Brian is the director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, CA. She’s taught Kriya Yoga internationally for over three decades. As an award-winning poet, Ellen weaves poetry into her teachings.

Also, how would your life be different if you could achieve maximum focus without losing flexibility?  If you achieved more of the ‘right things’ while bringing more peace into the world? With his Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, author Marc Lesser dishes up the tools you’ll need for optimum accomplishment without the stress that comes with it.

Marc was founder and CEO of three companies, and is the author of four books. He was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the western world.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

JAN 15: The Body Outside the Kremlin with James L. May

January 15, 2020

For our Writers On Writing Series, James L. May, author of The Body Outside The Kremlin joins us with what Publisher’s Weekly calls a “richly evocative first novel…gripping…thriller deserves high marks…for historical detail about a prison that served as a key link in the gulag chain.”

We discuss the history of the White Sea Solovetsky Islands and Russia’s renowned concentration camp. How and why this sparked the location and set the scene for his murder mystery. His favorite scenes to write. Most surprising research. What James knows now, that he wish he’d understood when he began writing his book. Does his work as a reviewer inform or hinder his own creativity? And is it worth doing an MFA in Creative Writing?

James L. May’s short fiction has appeared in Tigertail, and he reviews fiction for The Florida Book Review, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, and New Orleans Review.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

JAN 08: NYT Bestselling Action Thriller Author Brad Taylor & Hunter Killer

January 8, 2020

 With 13 Pike Logan action thrillers hitting the New York Times Bestsellers list, author Brad Taylor says no one is more than surprised than him. He always wanted to write but never had time until his final military assignment at The Citadel.

Set in Brazil, Hunter Killer is the 14th in the hit series—hot off the presses January 7th.  Today Brad shares his POV on writing and why he broke the rules, developing strong protagonists, the scenes he loves to craft, and the challenges of writing.

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force). He continues to consult with various agencies on asymmetric security threats.

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Inspirational, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Self-help

JAN 01: Happy New Year! Start 2020 on a Positive Note with Girl Be Brave & Cheryl Hale

January 1, 2020

It takes courage to be brave when you’re feeling anything but brave! Cheryl Hale knows that first hand and today we discuss her beautiful little, but powerful book. Girl Be Brave: 100 Days to Chart Your Course.

We share how to develop resilience when life throws you an unexpected curve, the pitfalls of overplanning, why you must let of perfectionism, and the importance of making choices your future self will thank you for. Cheryl also shares how she pushed through her own fears and negative selftalk to walk more in love, empathy, and compassion.

Cheryl Hale is an entrepreneur–an author, writer, blogger, and the founder of Girl Be Brave, an online community at GirlBeBrave.com. If you have holiday money to spend, Cheryl’s new book makes a wonderful gift to yourself!

 

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Fiction, Personal Development, Self-help, Writers on Writing

DEC 25: Merry Christmas! Victoria Helen Stone aka Victoria Dahl & Unlock Your Subconscious Power with Kimberly Friedmutter

December 25, 2019

What if everything you need to achieve your goals and deepest desires is already inside you? What if all you really need, is the key to unlock your inner power? Today we demystify how to tap into that hidden power and live the life you dream of. Celebrities, business leaders, and political power brokers have used the techniques in Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You’ve Always Wanted.

Kimberly Friedmutter is a UCLA Health Systems Board Member, Certified Master Hypnotist, Spiritual Counselor Specialist and is board-certified on the American Board of Hypnotherapy. She’s appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Doctors, TLC, CNN, and more.

“Love stories and scary stories are flip sides of the same coin. They each tap into the most basic human drives: to survive and to mate.” From high in the Wasach Mountains of Utah we talk with thriller author Victoria Helen Stone, aka Victoria Dahl. Why change genres and why the pseudonym? We share that and more as she discusses her latest novel False Step.

Victoria Helen Stone, formerly writing as USA Today bestselling romance novelist Victoria Dahl, stepped away from the lighter side of fiction writing and into the world of dark suspense.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

OCT 21: A.F. Brady’s Once A Liar & Robyn Carr’s The View From Alameda Island

October 18, 2019

Eleven times #1 New York Times bestselling author, Robyn Carr, joins us with The View from Alameda Island.  You’ll hear why, despite Robyn’s success as a writer, her daughter most admires Robyn’s humility. And from Robyn’s perspective, we’ll hear what it’s like writing sex scenes, knowing your daughter’s going to read them.  How she sets those scenes up, why they’re important to romance and women’s fiction. And what Robyn says to readers who wish she’d skip the sex scenes.

Dozens of millions of Robyn’s books have been sold around the world, and translated into more than 19 languages.  

Also joining us, A.F. Brady, New York State licensed mental health counselor and psychotherapist turned novelist.

Brady’s long career in mental healthcare provides her with an abundance of material for creating the perfect sociopathic character, in her second novel, Once A Liar.  When a character is so cold, distant, and dastardly, what makes the reader stick with him?  We’ll find out today!

Tune in at noon PT / 3 pm ET on Seattle’s KKNW am1150 and FM 98.9HD3. Or online, from anywhere in the world, at https://1150kknw.com/ … hope you’ll join us!

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Career, Environment, Self-help

OCT 14: National Geographic’s Night Sky Guy, Keep Going with Austin Kleon, & Dr. Tammy Nelson’s When You’re the One Who Cheats

October 11, 2019

So when the going gets tough, what do the tough do?  They Keep Going!  Creativity expert Austin Kleon returns with his latest book to share ways to stay creative in good times and bad.

Find out why this “writer who draws” describes himself as a mongrel, and how that benefits his work. Why he says life is for art, and not other way around. How burnout can strike even if you love what you do. And, the big question, can you separate the art from the man, and the man from the art?

Austin Kleon’s New York Times bestselling books include Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work.

Are you a stargazer? Andrew Fazekas is. So much so, that his passion for stargazing developed into a star-studded career, earning him the alias “The Night Sky Guy”.

Today, he shares fun science facts, such as what causes the elusive “green flash” at sunset. And sheds light on his partnership with National Geographic to take the world’s first open-air, augmented-reality planetarium, to a global audience.  Exciting times in Backyard Guide to the Night Sky.

A science writer, speaker, and broadcaster Andrew Fazekas writes the StarStruck for National Geographic, and is the author of Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe.

Ending today’s show, if you’ve ever been cheated on, you might find it confusing when the cheater claims they are also confused. You may not even believe them–but according to sex therapist Dr. Tammy Nelson, they’re probably telling the truth.

Dr. Nelson returns to Conversations Live to help unravel confusion on both sides of the cheating situation.  She’ll offer tips on how to stop cheating if you’re the guilty party, and ways to move forward in When You’re the One Who Cheats: 10 Things You Need to Know.

Tammy Nelson, PhD is a sex and relationship expert, international speaker, author, and licensed psychotherapist. She has 30 years of experience working with individuals and couples, and you can catch our earlier conversation on The New Monogamy here.

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Essays, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Travel & Adventure, Writers on Writing

Nov 19: Anne Lamott on Almost Everything: Notes on Hope & Mary Ann Esposito’s Ciao Italia

November 6, 2018

She’s a writer’s-writer. A reader’s-writer. And with self-effacing humor, and ruthless honesty, Anne Lamott makes us think about what most of us don’t like to think about.

She’s known for writing and speaking about subjects that begin with Big Capital Letters. Today we’ll share her thoughts on Hate, Jealousy, Love, Hope, and preserving one’s Sanity.

A New York Times bestselling author and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Anne Lamott has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. She’s taught at UC Davis, as well as at writing conferences across the country.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Freida Mock, made a documentary on her called Bird by Bird with Annie. Anne Lamott’s latest book of essays is Almost Everything: Notes on Hope.

We’ll end today’s show chatting with the host of Ciao Italia, the longest-running cooking show on television, Mary Ann Esposito.  Find out the secret to the show’s success, her thoughts regarding pairing food and wine, and a few of her all time favorites for those who like to put an Italian spin on Thanksgiving.  Her latest book, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy reads as both a cookbook and a love-letter to Italy.

Mary Ann’s 12 books have helped chefs and foodies understand authentic Italian ingredients and dishes.  She created and has hosted Ciao Italia on PBS since 1989.

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Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Self-help

Oct 01: Trauma Heart with Judy Crane & Fearless Path with Leah Guy

September 29, 2018

Pivots. Turning points. A-ha awakenings. We all have them, and today’s guests’ pivotal moments changed their own lives, and drove them to help thousands of others through the power of healing.

Trauma therapist Judy Crane blends science, case studies, and her own wisdom in The Trauma Heart: We Are Not Bad People Trying to Be Good, We Are Wounded People Trying to Heal – Stories of Survival, Hope, and Healing. From drugs and alcohol, to overeating, PTSD, and stuffing down emotions until they explode, Judy shares why we must change our trauma story, and how we can heal in ‘our own’ way.

In The Fearless Path: A Radical Awakening To Emotional Healing and Inner Peace, Leah Guy says traditional therapies kept her stuck. She’ll reveal her own awakening on today’s show, and tell you why she believes detachment is not the answer to end all suffering.

As a health educator, spiritual teacher, and intuitive healer, Leah’s also known as the modern sage.

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Personal Development, Self-help

NOV 20: How to Survive Your Childhood with Ira Israel & Supernormal with Dr. Meg Jay, PhD

November 1, 2017

Okay, so you’re all grown up, but are the stories you learned as a child still getting in the way? You know the ones we mean: You’re not enough. Not smart enough. Talented enough. Pretty enough.

You fluctuate between self-confidence and self-doubt. And those conflicting feelings can leave you depressed or anxious or both.

Blending eastern and western philosophies, licensed psychotherapist and relationship counselor, Ira Israel, will share how to transcend childhood-assumed-realities in How to Survive Your Childhood: Now That You’re An Adult: A Path to Authenticity and Awakening.

Later, whether it is bullying, the loss of a loved one, domestic violence, neglect, or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, early adversities are experienced by nearly 75% of us.  

In Supernormal, TED speaker and author, Meg Jay, PhD, combines cutting edge research with two decades of experience.  We’ll discuss how “supernormal” adults have overcome adversity to change our world, and share skills and tools we can use to build resilience.

Dr. Jay is a clinical psychologist and narrative nonfiction writer.  Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Psychology Today, and on the BBC, NPR, and TED.

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