Carpe Diem Connections

The month of June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.

You can read more about Dan and his inspirational story here. His attitude of resilience and strength is the same “Carpe Diem spirit” that I saw in my friend Craig Dunham when he was faced with an ALS Diagnosis. It’s the reason I started CarpeDiemDay.com.

Rather than ask for money, Dan asked for 140 names – one for each of the 140.6 miles of the race – of others who are battling Alzheimer’s and related diseases.

His list of 140 names, along with notes and tributes are listed on his site. And despite not asking for money, he has currently raised over $70K in donations for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Gratefully, I don’t currently know anyone personally suffering from Alzheimer’s, but I certainly understand the devastation and fear most people would have in the face of such a diagnosis.

Dan’s optimistic attitude, his drive, tenacity, and resilient spirit will most certainly work in his favor in the coming months, both in his training and in his overall health.

Let’s follow his lead! Whether it’s participating in an Ironman, writing a book, or repairing a relationship, don’t wait. Follow your dreams.

Carpe Diem!

Blog Post: https://www.carpediemday.com/baroness-susan-greenfield-talks-about-the-future-of-alzheimers/

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_3SsrTNxD8

I’ve been looking forward to my interview with Baroness Susan Greenfield since I heard her speak at the Douglas Adams Memorial lecture in March.

Besides being a world renowned neuroscientist on the verge of discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s, she’s an interesting and entertaining speaker! She’s the epitome of what many of us yearn to be: highly intelligent, funny, and working on unraveling some of the biggest mysteries of the mind, including the meaning of consciousness.

She also is an entrepreneur. In 2013, she co-founded Neuro-Bio, a company that develops diagnostic tests and therapeutics to help in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.

In our interview, I asked Dr. Greenfield about her views on a cure. She mentioned the recent FDA approval of the controversial Biogen announcement of a drug claiming to slow down the progress of Alzheimer’s.

She expressed more hope and optimism about the approach and drug under development at Neuro-Bio. Though not available to the public yet due to regulatory phases, Dr. Greenfield indicated that, with fair winds, it might be “two years away.”

The 8th of the 10 Keys to Happiness, according to the Action for Happiness Website, is Emotion.

My guest on this week’s Carpe Diem Connection podcast is Meghan Baskerville, a 29-year-old Communications student. I met Meghan virtually as part of the National Days Ambassador program.

Meghan is always supportive, friendly, and celebrating every day. Her pictures on social media are fun and spunky and her natural smile is contagious.

Meghan has lost over 100 pounds in the past year and she’s documented her weight-loss journey on social media.

In this podcast we talk a bit about social media and how our emotions are effected by others reactions or comments.

Come join us on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook group and let us know your thoughts about how social media affects your emotions and happiness! I know that will give me a happiness boost!

This week on my Carpe Diem Connections podcast, I talk to Nic Friedman, CEO of ALS Never Surrender, and son-in-law to Steph Courdin.

I got involved with the ALS Never Surrender non-profit a few years ago and was inspired by the founder, Steph Courdin, who gathered a group of colleagues and volunteers to create a mobile app that would collect valuable ALS patient progression data.

In this week’s episode of Carpe Diem Connection, we’re talking about Resilience, the 7th Key to Happiness, according to Action for Happiness. Steph’s son-in-law, Nic Friedman, tells us the moving story of the history of ALS Never Surrender. As Steph noted in this video, though his app wasn’t able to save him, it may save the world.

Though Steph lost his battle with ALS in 2019, his work carries on through his family and the volunteer-run non-profit ALS Never Surrender. Tune in to this special episode of Carpe Diem Connections to hear more about the amazing progress that’s being made.

The unedited YouTube video interview with Nic can be found here.

We end with a reminder to live every day as Steph did – with intention, resilience, and a sense of awe and wonder at each sunset.

Join us on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group and share your stories of resilience.

We are on Week 6 of Season 3 on Carpe Diem Connections. This week we are talking about “Direction” (or Goal-setting) which is the 6th Key to Happiness according to the 10 Keys to Happiness on the Action For Happiness Website.

Goal setting is one of my favorite topics and is definitely something that keeps me feeling happy. I use my background as an Agile coach to work in small iterations, celebrate, and improve my skills as I’m accomplish goals.

My guest this week, Hannah Kane, also has a background in Agile, and on this podcast we talk about how we can stay motivated to accomplish our personal goals. Hannah’s unique Scrum Your Wedding site is how we originally met. This is a great example of how we can use an Agile framework in our every day life.

Hannah and I both love themes and play and we talk about how if we make the “journey” of achieving a goal fun, we will stay motivated. In the end the journey is as important as the outcome. Hannah also talks about the importance of anticipation when working towards a goal.

You can find the YouTube video of my discussion with Hannah here.

Check out Hannah’s wonderful site: http://www.everybodysinvited.in/

Come give us your thoughts on goal setting and connection on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group.

Kelly Bates from Travel Souly talks about Trying Out - the 5th Key of Happiness from Action for Happiness.

In this episode, I talk to the award-winning podcaster from the podcast, &Happiness., Klaudia Mitura. We talk about the 4th Key to Happiness as defined by the Action for Happiness: Awareness.  We talk about the practice of Meditation, Emotional Intelligence, and using mindful meditation to help lessen pain.

Blog Post: https://www.carpediemday.com/awareness-and-mindfulness-with-happiness-host-klaudia-mitura/

The thing I like most about hosting my Carpe Diem Connections podcast is the connections I myself make. It’s like a scavenger hunt to find fascinating guests — and I have this great big World Wide Web to look for them.

I hit the jackpot with the guest on my podcast this week, Klaudia Mitura. She’s an award-winning podcaster herself of the popular podcast &Happiness. One morning I asked Alexa to play a Happiness podcast for me and she played this one! Klaudia and her co-host, Kitty Newman use the letters of the alphabet as prompts to do a deeper dive into different types of Happiness. Theme-nut that I am, I was immediately hooked!

It was clear, after listening to a few episodes, that Klaudia knew not only a lot about happiness, but about the science behind our emotions as well. I was thrilled when she agreed to be on my podcast, talking about the 4th Key of Happiness as defined by Action for Happiness: Awareness.

In this episode, I question Klaudia about the practice of meditation. Being a bit of a skeptic and a person who definitely does not want to spend time thinking about nothing but my breath, I’ve been slow to fully embrace meditation, despite its constant recommendations in happiness literature. Listening to Klaudia about her thoughts and explanations was enlightening.

We also talk a bit about the practice of Emotional Intelligence and practices besides meditation that encourage being present and mindful.

Tune in and let us know what you think on the Carpe Diem Connections Facebook Group. Or, if you prefer, view the YouTube video of our Zoom interview.

And don’t forget! This month is Carpe Diem Day and I’m hosting contests! Come play!

We start a new Season of Carpe Diem Connections in which we'll be talking about 10 Keys to Happiness as defined by Action for Happiness.  This week, I'm talking to Kelly Guyon who was my "secret Santa" for the Reddit Card Exchange.

You can see the video interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/qSpy-cavL94

In this final episode of 2020 and of Season 2 of Carpe Diem Connections, we explore the topic of Positive Technology. We are following along with Ingrid Fetell Lee's Joy Makeover and discussing the episode in which she talks to Pamela Pavliscak a positive technologist.

Join us for the next episode of Season 2 where we do a deeper dive into joy following The Joy Makeover found at https://thejoymakeover.com.

This week, co-host Becky Burns and I continue our deep-dive into Joy.  We are discussing topics from The Joy Makeover and this week we talk about how order and decluttering might help us find inner peace and joy.

You can find the Joy Makeover at thejoymakeover.com

You can find out more about The Joy Makeover at TheJoyMakeover.com.

If you'd like to participate in sending cards to isolated seniors, check out: https://loveforourelders.org/letters.

Find The Joy Makeover at: https://thejoymakeover.com

This week we're discussing Time and Joy based on the video that Ingrid has with Laura Vanderkam. Download a free Time Makeover Guide from Laura's website.

Join the discussion in the Carpe Diem Connection Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/carpediemconnectionsgroup

Rebecca Burns has agreed to be my co-host as we talk about Finding Joy.  I've become enamored with Ingrid Fetell Lee and her recent Joy Makeover workshop. She offers a workbook and a very interesting set of interviews, digging deeper with topics about things such as how our joy is affected with 11 different topics starting with time, money, and relationships.

Becky and I do our own deep dive into these topics and add a few more that are particularly relevant for the times or for us.  For example, this week, we'll talk about Joy and Politics since the election is causing so much anxiety for so many people.  As I write this, the vote is still undecided. 

Please join us in the discussion at the Facebook Group: Carpe Diem Connections or you can email me at yvette.francino@gmail.com

Impactus: https://www.impactusleadership.com/

The Furnace of Leadership Development: https://www.impactusleadership.com/order-book

Full YouTube video: https://youtu.be/46tbgli0a3Y

Blog post: http://www.carpediemday.com/rick-davis-talks-about-the-furnace-of-leadership-development/

Here's a link to the next free 1-hour workshop on Coaching Emotional Intelligence.  Each participant will receive a Social + Emotional Intelligence Assessment just for attending.  Here’s the link: https://isei.worldsecuresystems.com/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=86536 .

Here is contact information to find out more www.isei.com | info@isei.com | 303-325-5176

Link to full YouTube interview with Amy: https://youtu.be/KBz_2qx7hxg

Blog Post: http://www.carpediemday.com/amy-sargent-explains-why-emotional-intelligence-contributes-to-happiness/

Full YouTube interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/GxO77LkAzdk

Quiet Value Woman Website: https://www.qvwoman.com/

Quiet Value Woman Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/QVWoman/

Blog Post:  http://www.carpediemday.com/aparna-saligrama-quiet-value-woman/

Full YouTube interview: https://youtu.be/xWa-9qII4ss

TEDx Talk (Life at 3MPH): https://youtu.be/FEAM4xdCDLE

Walk2Connect: https://www.walk2connect.com/

Intrinsic Paths: https://www.intrinsicpaths.com/

Blog Post: http://www.carpediemday.com/jonathan-stalls-walk2connect-intrinsic-paths/

You can find out more about Patti and her many services and offerings at pattiashley.com.

Blog post about this episode: http://www.carpediemday.com/patti-ashley-authenticity-architect/

Full YouTube interview found at: https://youtu.be/nZteijC4NxU

You can see the full YouTube video with Carlyn here: https://youtu.be/X_mvKFMbtHA

Carpe Diem Day Blog Post: http://www.carpediemday.com/strangers-to-friends-with-carlyn-shaw/

Strangers to Friends Website: http://strangerstofriends.com/

Strangers to Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/strangerstofriends

The full YouTube Interview with Jennifer can be found here: https://youtu.be/aFsgwEFN_Pk

Thriving Solo Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/598918

Blog Post: www.carpediemday.com/thriving-solo-with-jennifer-fields-to-start-national-singles-week/

Rebecca Mullen from Altared Spaces is a master certified life coach. She typically coaches people through transitions but this month she's preparing for her dream class: Habits for Happily Ever After.

Rebecca talks in this clip about the 3 roles partners play in a marriage... that of a partner, that of a friend, and that of a lover, and how understanding these can really help strengthen communication with a marriage. 

See the full YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/3sVZP-TBiis

Blog Post: http://www.carpediemday.com/rebecca-mullen-of-altared-spaces-hosting-happily-ever-after-class/

Blog Post: http://www.carpediemday.com/twine-an-application-for-deeper-conversations/

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/P0krLLGKaVw

You can check out the twine app by going to: https://twine.nyc/priority/YphFGV

I'm thrilled this week to talk to Pamela Gail Johnson who founded the Secret Society of Happy People (no longer a secret!) in 1998.  Now you can find a community of happy people and join yourself at https://sohp.com/.  There's also an app (SOHP) where you can track 31 types of Happiness. Be sure to sign up for the SOHP newsletter and participate in Operation #SmileStarter for August - Happiness Happens Month!

Tune in to the full YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/H4VL7tpaOhE

Episode #2 is an interview with Tom Johnston of Ageless Explorers. Full YouTube interview can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b93CaCLXuzA.   Blog post can be found here: http://www.carpediemday.com/interview-with-tom-johnston-of-ageless-explorers/

The Ageless Explorer Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/911958189307379