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Conversations Live Vicki St. Clair

Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Self-help

May 17: How to Rekindle Your Child’s Motivation with Dr. Ellen Braaten

Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less

Bright Kids with author Dr. Ellen Braaten

If you’re confused by a child in your life who has lost interest in things they once enjoyed and doesn’t seem to care about anything, you’re not alone. In today’s post-pandemic world, we’re seeing children and adults struggle to regain the motivation they once had. This is particularly challenging for anyone with learning differences, as they try to catch up.

From Dr. Ellen Braaten’s new book, Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less: How to Rekindle Your Child’s Motivation, we discuss how stress and anxiety can play into this. Why ADHD is more common than you may think. How a formula that Dr. Braaten terms the Parenting App can help focus recovery. How to meet your child exactly where they are today. And how to find more help if you need it.

About Dr. Ellen Braaten

Ellen Braaten, PhD, is widely recognized for her expertise in pediatric neuropsychological and psychological assessment, particularly in the areas of assessing learning disabilities and attentional disorders. Dr. Braaten is Executive Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and Visiting Professor at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. She has been affiliated with MGH and HMS since 1998.

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Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Self-help

May 10: Free Your Mind of Angst & Live Worry-Free

Emotional Freedom through Deliberate Thinking with Thomas Sterner

Podcast with Thomas Sterner, Author of It’s Just a Thought

We hear a lot about being mindful, living mindfully, and being present. But what does that really mean? And what’s the different between “being mindful” and “thinking vs being thought”?

Thomas Sterner has devoted much of his career to helping people understand that we’re more than the thoughts that run through our head … especially in today’s digital world where we’re exposed to constant messaging that tells us we’re not doing enough, we don’t have enough, we’re not being enough.

Sterner tells us how to connect to the essence of who we truly are. How to deprogram ourselves from patterns not serving us. And we explore how our conscious vs subconscious minds interact.

About Thomas M. Sterner

Thomas Sterner is an expert in Present Moment Functioning, PMF™ and the founder and CEO of the Practicing Mind Institute. He works with high-performance industry groups and individuals, including athletes, coaches, and CEOs. The author of The Practicing Mind and Fully Engaged, Tom’s new book is It’s Just A Thought: Emotional Freedom through Deliberate Thinking.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Women's Issues

May 03: The Fruit You’ll Never See – A Memoir of Overcoming Shame

Born into Addiction & Sex Trafficking, Gail Brenner Nastasia Has Learned to Embrace Her History

The Fruit You’ll Never See with author Gail Brenner Nastasia

Growing up the daughter of a of a heroin addict is one thing. Gail Brenner Nastasia was also the niece of a woman who brokered deals for men who liked sex with young girls – including the author as a young child.

We discuss the search for Gail’s identity and sense of belonging, as a child and adult, and what kept her going. How she pushed through law school and went on to become a successful criminal defense attorney. And talking of that, why a defense attorney and not a prosecutor, considering all she’d endured as a child? The answer might surprise you.

About Gail Brenner Nastasia

Gail Brenner Nastasia received her MFA from Emerson college and is currently working on her second book, while continuing to practice law.

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 19: Elle Marr with The Family Bones

#1 Amazon Charts Bestselling Novelist + A Family of Psychopaths with Dark Family Secrets = A Suspenseful New Thriller

The Family Bones with author Elle Marr

Elle Marr‘s fourth thriller takes us on a wild ride with a mysterious murder and a chilling climax. Protagonist, Olivia, has spent most of her life questioning if her family legacy of psychopathy, spanning many generations, “is nature or nurture?”

Today Elle Marr shares how she developed her key characters for The Family Bones – a psychology student and a true crime podcaster. What she learned during her research about psychopaths. How she creates credible dialogue, and why and how Elle uses multimedia to tell her story. Elle also shares her point of view on “nature or nurture.”

About Elle Marr

Elle Marr is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know, Lies We Bury, and The Missing Sister. She graduated from UC San Diego, before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. The author now lives and writes in Oregon with her family. 

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 05: Seattle Author Robert Dugoni with Her Deadly Game

Her Deadly Game with Author Robert Dugoni

Keera Duggan, Seattle defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match?

We welcome Robert Dugoni back to the show with his latest twisting novel of suspense and a new protagonist. Keera Duggan has built a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, when she makes a life-changing move, and is immediately thrown into the middle of … well, you’ll have to join us to find out!

We discuss why and how Robert developed a host of new characters for Her Deadly Game. How he approached research for this courtroom drama to ensure realism. How and when he writes dialogue to keep the story moving, his favorite scenes to write, and why he keeps sex scenes to a minimum. Robert also shares his elixir for managing stress and keeping life balanced in these crazy times.

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest.

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Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 29: NYT Bestselling Author Steve Berry with The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom with author Steve Berry

Cotton Malone Returns in a Thrill Race around Bavaria

After a brief hiatus Cotton Malone returns, along with his creator, author Steve Berry. As always, Berry found a little-known story in history, and spun his new thriller around that — in this case, the hunt for The Last Kingdom.

We discuss the real life person behind the historical search for The Last Kingdom, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Berry shares his love of Bavaria and why he waited so long to write an adventure set there, some of the history of Bavaria, and how he separated fact from fiction in his storytelling. We also learn what’s coming next from this prolific author, and we won’t have to wait long!

About Steve Berry

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 22 novels, which include: The Last Kingdom, The Omega Factor, and The Kaiser’s Web. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

May 22: This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Nicole Perlroth

The Cyber Weapons Arms Race – What You Need to Know & Do Today!

This is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

If you think cyber attacks won’t or can’t impact you, Nicole Perlroth joins us today to say they can, they will, and they probably already have whether or not you know it.

Nicole Perlroth’s new book shares untold stories of the cyberweapons market, the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market today. We discuss how the US is involved. How and why Russia plagued Ukraine with cyber attacks before they attacked on land. And the single, most important thing you can do, to protect yourself and your data.

About Nicole Perlroth

Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work was optioned for film and television. She’s a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid. This Is How They Tell me The World Ends is Nicole’s first book, and a New York Times bestseller.

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Fiction

Mar 01: The Love Scribe with Amy Meyerson

An Ordinary Writer Discovers an Extraordinary Gift

Podcast with Amy Meyerson, author of The Love Scribe

Amy Meyerson, bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays joins us with her third and latest novel, The Love Scribe.

An almost fable like story of Alice, a sotryteller who writes a story to cheer up her best friend Gabby, heartbroken after a break up. While reading the story in a cafe, Gabby meets the man of her dreams. Of course, not all the love stories Alice writes for others, go as planned.

We discuss how Amy Meyerson develops her characters. How the story-line sparked for her. And some of the best and worst career advice Amy received as a writer.

About Amy Meyerson

Amy Meyerson’s bestselling The Bookshop of Yesterdays has been translated into 11 languages. She also wrote The Imperfects. Amy has been published in numerous literary magazines and teaches in the writing department at the University of Southern California, where she completed her graduate work in creative writing.

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Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Self-help

FEB 22: How to Gain Emotional Freedom with Thomas Sterner

It’s Just A Thought: Emotional Freedom through Deliberate Thinking

Podcast with Thomas Sterner, Author of It’s Just a Thought

Today’s 24-hour news cycles, smart phones, and constant digital connection have made it difficult for many of us to quiet our minds and focus, or even relax. In fact, many of us spend as much as 95% of time on autopilot, simply auto-responding vs thinking. Which leads to our discussion today and how Thomas Sterner can help us “think vs being thought.”

The skills Tom teaches prove we’re not the thoughts and emotions that often overwhelm us — and that we have the power to connect to who we really are, and achieve what we really want. We look at the relationship between heart and brain. Explore how our conscious vs subconscious minds interact. And how to recognize unhelpful historical and present-day programming.

About Thomas M. Sterner

The founder and CEO of the Practicing Mind Institute, Thomas Sterner is a successful entrepreneur, and an expert in present moment functioning, PMF™. As a speaker and coach, he works with high-performance industry groups and individuals, including athletes, coaches, and CEOs. The author of The Practicing Mind and Fully Engaged, Tom’s new book is It’s Just A Thought: Emotional Freedom through Deliberate Thinking.

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Fiction, Women's Issues, Writers on Writing

Jan 25: Wendy Willis Baldwin with Debut Novel The Sisters We Were

Book cover The Sisters We Were, Wndy WIllis Baldwin, talking about this on Conversations LIve with Vicki St. ClairWhat brings two estranged sisters back together? How does their healing begin? What sets them free?

Inspired by the real-life experiences of author Wendy Willis Baldwin and her sister Tiffany, The Sisters We Were explores themes from sisterhood, to obesity, sexual abuse, buried rage, and how we cope differently with adversity. Most of all, the story is about how truth will set you free.

Wendy shares the journey of writing her debut novel, as well as the healing journey she shared with Tiffany.

About Wendy Willis Baldwin

Wendy Willis Baldwin is a freelance writer and author. She spent most of her professional life in the communications’ field. She currently cohosts The Life After Fat Pants podcast with sister, Tiffany.

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