Freedomology with Julie A. Christiansen

Lauren Hundert of The Balanced Wellness Centre is a terrific resource, matching people and organizations with the resources they need to have high-performing teams who are thriving not just professionally, but personally. It has been a joy to get to know Lauren, and she is the person to talk to if you want to partake in my online course, "Triggering the Dragon".

For a change of pace, we agreed to air this conversation Lauren and I had about all things anger, The Rise of Rage, and Triggering the Dragon. We hope that you will find it insightful and informative!

Toxic workplaces are a common topic of discussion everywhere we look these days. This recent story about a pilot being grounded because of angry outbursts is a prime example. As you'll hear in my unpacking of the story, I don't believe the toxicity begins and ends with the pilot. There is a misunderstanding of anger and its expression that extends from the top brass all the way to the flight crew, that implies anger is a mental health issue that will somehow interfere with a pilot's ability to keep his crew and passengers safe.

Join me as I wade through these murky waters of balancing HR practice, employer ethics, and strategies to prevent liability on a grand scale with humane and compassionate support for a long-time employee who is going through a difficult and challenging season.

Last fall, right around my 35th wedding anniversary and my birthday, I experienced the most intense case of physical and psychological burnout I've ever had. The year previous had been a wild ride. I had lost one of my best friends to cancer. I had been traveling every weekend to volunteer my time and energy for a worthy cause. My dad got sick. Work was challenging. I thought I was coping until I wasn't. My brain and my body said, "Enough", and I was done.

This episode shares my experience of recognizing and immediately addressing not just the SYMPTOMS of burnout, but the CAUSES. Doing so ensures a quick recovery so you can get back to doing what's important.

Burnout is no joke. Take care of yourself! There is only one you, and no one but you can fulfill your purpose. I hope this episode is helpful and informative.

Over the past several months, as I've been promoting my new book, The Rise of Rage (coming Feb. 13, 2024), I've been getting lots of questions about anger. The most common question is, "How do we know someone is getting angry? What are the most common signs of anger?"

This is the topic of discussion for this first episode of season three. I'm going to take a deep dive with you into the world of emotional mastery, starting with the most commonly misunderstood and miscommunicated emotion - ANGER.

Listen carefully, and get your notepad out! Here's what to listen for:

- Is it more important to know the signs of anger, or the reasons anger shows up?

- the four reasons anger emerges

- anger shows up in different ways

- what our real focus should be when we feel angry

Samoa Blanchet is a Transformational Coach at The Powerhouse’s Playground. Her unique insight has allowed countless people to accelerate their personal growth, which has resulted in these people creating magic in their lives.

Her private clients normally 3x - 5x their revenue and manifest thriving creative careers on their terms within a few months of working with her and leveraging her Creative Consciousness Archetypes to accelerate their growth.

Have you ever been hurt? Experienced emotional trauma at the hands of someone you loved, trusted, thought had your best interest in mind? Ever been betrayed? Had your boundaries violated or your rules broken? 

Straight facts, we all know what it's like to be hurt in one way or another. For some it's a minor thing, for others, it is life-altering and soul shattering. 

This episode is all about forgiveness and it's role in healing from hurts. The stories I share are straight from my memory (which is not so great, y'all), so I may get some of the finer details wrong, but the theme is consistent and on point. Forgiveness is for YOU. 

With over a decade of industry experience, Alyssa Zwonok is a rare blend of creative director and CEO. She brings endless energy to her work, mentoring her ever-growing network of skilled professionals as they help brands to exceed industry standards. Nomad Cre8tive was founded by Alyssa, out of her intense need to innovate, create, and work from anywhere. In direct alignment with her values, she created a business to suit her life and not the other way around, hoping to empower others to do the same. Alyssa’s extensive experiences of living, working, and travelling abroad, shaped the model of Nomad Cre8tive as a streamlined, agile, and flexible remote business. With a varied roster of clients, Nomad Cre8tive’s reach goes from local to global and everything in between.

We had such an interesting convo about life, work, designing the life you want, and so much more. You can find out more about Alyssa by following these links:

If you are a psychotherapist, psychologist or social services administrator in a supervisory role, you won't want to miss this episode!

In the wake of the Buffalo shooting on May 14, 2022 comes a timely episode about systemic racism in our schools and social services, and how we can be the change we want to see. Black lives matter. Some may counter that all lives matter, but that will not be true until Black lives matter. My guests in this episode are Erika Smith, high school teacher, co-founder of Matter of Black, and community activist, as well as Erica Williams, a social worker and founder of Erica's Embrace Support Services. We have a free-flowing open conversation about representation in our local school board, the lack of consideration for persons of colour when stocking supplies for women's shelters and everything in between. 

Cassandra Powell  is an entrepreneur and started her first business at the age of 12. She enjoys looking for opportunities to grow and loves helping others to do the same. Her background is in Music. She is currently the music director at Apostolic Gospel Lighthouse In London, Ont. In 2001 she founded the music company, Divinely Orchestrated Music Group which has since been changed to PowellHouse Company where she teaches piano and vocal classes. In 2004, She was on the TV show Gospel Challenge which aired on CTS. This led her to being hired to be a judge and vocal coach on the show “Gospel Dynamic Duets” in 2008.

In 2010, Cassandra was nominated for a Covenant Award for Gospel Song of the Year for her song “Grateful”. She travels regularly overseas as a vocal clinician and has helped many churches, schools & organizations with their music programs. She was a volunteer music teacher with the organization “Equip to Serve” in 2013-2017 and served twice a year in Jamaica, teaching in schools and churches and performing at community concerts. Cassandra was also a music professor at Canada Christian College, teaching Private vocal & piano lessons as well as Gospel Choir, Song Writing & Contemporary Worship Leading. She is also on faculty at Toronto Mass Choir’s Power Up Music Conference as a workshop clinician.

In this episode, I have a heart-felt chat with Camille Tucker about her talent, the importance of tenacity when working as a screenwriter, and the value of timing when you are living out your purpose with passion.

Camille Tucker is a writer, director and producer from Compton, CA, where both her father and brother were mayor. Passionate about empowering women and BIPOC in front of and behind the camera, she is a Sundance alum and has sold scripts to major studios such as Sony, Universal, New Line Cinema, Fox TV and Disney. She has been fortunate to have worked with A-list producers such as Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Stacey Snider, Marc Platt, Debra Chase and the late John Singleton.

Camille holds a BA in Creative Writing from UCLA, an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount and an MA in Theology and Film from Fuller Seminary. She was Associate Professor of a writing for film and television at Biola University from 2014 to 2021.

Camille is co-writer of Lifetime’s hit TV movie, The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel, which was executive produced by Queen Latifah and debuted to 2.7MM viewers with over 13MM viewers to date.

In 2021, Camille was selected as a participant in the inaugural Sony Pictures Television Diverse Writers Program. In 2019, she was a finalist and the drama alternate in the Walt Disney Television Writing Program, and in 2018, a participant in the Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop. She is a two-time Sundance Screenwriters Lab semi-finalist and Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist.

Camille is repped by Management 360. Specialty dish: Dirty South Gumbo. Fun fact: she used to rap under the moniker DJ Cammy Cam. Be nice and she might spit you a rhyme.

In this episode, we meet Kerry Ramsay, the host of the Power Your Platform Podcast, a top 10 Marketing Podcast in Canada. She is also a Story Coach for women looking to build bold story brands and an enthusiastic champion of female speakers, leaders and entrepreneurs.

Through her full-time work with Queen's University, Kerry serves hundreds of women entrepreneurs in her role as  Project Manager of the women's entrepreneurship strategy for the greater Kingston region.

For Kerry, freedom means having the peace of mind to move through life knowing there is no obstacle that can stop us from achieving what we were born to achieve.

Kerry has had a storied career (pun intended) in journalism and communications, and she is most passionate about helping women entrepreneurs to build their story brand. She is such a font of wisdom, you will want to listen all the way through this one - make sure you have pen and paper handy because she is gonna drop some serious nuggets!

Anthony "Tony" Estrada is a Los Angeles-based producer, writer, and director. Currently, Tony produces and directs branded content and commercials for several national brands including; CBS, Mattel, Lyft, Niagara Bottling and Los Angeles County. His most recent concept film, ¡Viva la Revolución!, starred, Mexican crossover superstar, Maite Perroni, and child stars, Lonnie Chavis (This is Us) and Miya Cech (The Astronauts). After playing several festivals internationally, Estrada developed and presented a Youth Empowerment & Anti-Bullying Event anchored by the short film and presented to schools across the country. The film is being dual-tracked as a series of children's novels, and a television show, called The Revolutionary Kids. Currently, Estrada is in pre-prdoduction as a producer on the pilot, Classified, developing the feature Those Who Fear Us, and the filmed musical, Labor of Love, pitching Bridesman (based off his short film starring Danny Trejo), Forever Family for television, and his Motivational Self-Help Memoir, It's Ok I'm a Little Nuts: Stories of the Outlier Within is currently being pitched to publishers.

What can I say about my convo with Laurie? She is a wonderful, sensitive, funny lady who has experienced life transformation through her faith and through her connection to God's creation. The personality behind Bloom Life Coaching, Laurie strives to help others discover and thrive in their unique human blueprint through poetry, prose and non-fiction. 

A survivor, Life Coach, nature-lover and artist, Laurie writes from deep wells of experience on her path to deeper engagement, meaningful impact and less stress through simpler, more authentic living. Laurie approaches life as she does a canvas, finding unexpected treasure in the little things, and celebrating beauty through writing, painting, woodworking, kayaking and gardening. Despite an insatiable curiosity and seemingly endless list of interests, her faith and her family are her top priority. She and husband Grant enjoy collaborative play in woodcraft, Celtic music, beekeeping, and Scotland, ever dreaming of more time with children Kelli, Katherine, Jackson and Graceann. They live in Nashville, Tennessee but dream of life in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.

How does someone working in the world of finance get herself into just over $2 Million in debt? Better still, how does she dig herself out? Best-selling author and coach, Erin Skye Kelly takes some time out of her busy schedule to chat about all things debt freedom. Erin is a brilliant, compassionate, loving, and hilarious human, and I'm so privileged to know her. We had such fun discussing the various challenges that come with being in debt. She shares key insights from her newly released book, Get the Hell Out of Debt, and provides some invaluable advice for young people hoping to escape the pitfalls of indebtedness.

August 1st is Emancipation Day in Canada, the day we recognize the abolition of slavery in this country. Lezlie Harper, the owner of Niagara Bound Tours joins me to talk about Emancipation Day and the rich Black History that is represented in the Niagara Region and beyond. We talked for too long, so you're only going to hear half of our conversation! Lezlie will return at a later date and you can hear the rest of our interview then.