Straight Talk With Sandra Reich

Most people don’t enjoy conflict and arguing. Many even view it as a sign of an unhealthy relationship. What if we told you that conflict and disagreement are actually a necessary part of a healthy relationship? It’s less about IF you have conflict and more about HOW you have conflict. Join us for this intriguing episode as Sandra Reich and her colleague Melissa Hindley discuss ways that conflict can be good for your relationship.

Loneliness is common during the holidays. Expectations are high and comparisons run rampant as social media and Hallmark movies paint the picture of ideal families and perfect celebrations. If your life doesn't look like that right now, it can trigger feelings of isolation. Even in the midst of large family gatherings, loneliness can be present as you feel distant, unengaged, misunderstood, or unseen. And sometimes, that loneliness can leave you with a shaky sense of self-worth and self-esteem. But it doesn’t have to! There is hope! Join Sandra and her colleague, Georgia Dow, as they discuss some suggestions for coping healthfully with loneliness – both during the holiday season and beyond!

Have you ever experienced a life-threatening event or witnessed an abuse? Your response in these moments is called your Fight or Flight response. It is a common, normal, and often adaptive response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful event. It is a normal reflex during – and sometimes even after – a traumatic event. Most people who experience such events recover from them, but, it’s also not unusual for people who have experienced traumatic events to have flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories when something terrible happens. How do you know whether your post-traumatic stress response is normal or has crossed into a disorder? How do you cope in the aftermath of a traumatic event? Join Sandra and her colleague, Melissa Hindley, as they discuss this weighty topic and offer solutions to your deeper questions.

I'd die without you. You're my everything.” You make me whole. Are these phrases the stuff of romantic comedies OR are they troubling statements? At first blush, they sound sort of sweet, but in reality they are likely signs of unhealthy relationship patterns like enmeshment and codependency. When these dynamics exist, it isn’t very sweet or romantic – in fact, it usually implies that we have lost ourselves in a relationship with another person. What about when boundaries get blurred in relationships, families or even with children? This is collusion and it is very dangerous. If any of these are left unchecked, they can lead down a dangerous path. If you are waking up to the idea that you have begun losing yourself in a codependent dynamic or living with blurry boundaries it is not too late to learn to make some changes and set up some healthy strategies! Join us as Sandra and her colleague, Georgia Dow, discuss the skills you need to create emotional and physical boundaries.

People in the North America spend a lot of time and money on healthcare. Pharmaceuticals play a big part in that. The U.S. pharmaceutical market is the world’s most important national market. Together with Canada and Mexico, it represents the largest continental pharma market worldwide. But, if we told you there was a better way to live a long, healthy life? What is we could use the power of nutrition to promote health and prevent disease? That’s the core of Dr. Michael Greger’s message. A favorite guest on Straight Talk, Dr. Greger will join Sandra for another insightful discussion about taking control of your health and wellness – so that you can REALLY live!

Are you ready to finally be seen & get noticed online? Maybe, like many women, you have a passion or vision that is burning within but you can’t seem to be heard – especially as it gets more and more crowded in the online space. There is so much noise or distraction in our modern life. In this episode of Straight Talk, Sandra Reich talks with Online Visibility Expert, Lisa Meisels, about exactly how you can stand out so you're not being passed over by potential clients. Tune in so that you can take the first step in discovering the core message that makes you stand out and shine online!

Coping with grief is one of life's great difficulties. While it is a natural response to losing someone or something that's important to you, it is still incredibly difficult. If you have experienced the pain of mourning, you know that any way to ease the loss is welcomed. In this episode, Sandra and frequent Straight Talk Guest, Georgia Dow, talk about coping with grief. As you listen in, you'll hear ways to work through grief.

Owning the reality of our lives is a daunting and sometimes downright terrifying thing to do. It means owning your problems, your goals and dreams, your responsibilities, and your daily actions. There are various reasons we avoid owning our reality: sometimes our instinct is to distance ourselves as a self-defense mechanism or to take the posture of a victim. But, what if we could all experience freedom from those fears and really OWN OUR REALITES? In this episode, Sandra and her colleague Anna Maria Tosco talk about you empowering yourself to create your own reality and disempowering those who would seek to force you to conform to their ideals. They’ll give you practical insights to help you live the life YOU really want by building on a foundation where the measure of success is completely up to you. Owning your reality will change your life and how you live it!

Relationships are the building blocks of life. In fact, the research tells us that people in healthy relationships are more successful, make and save more money, and live healthier, more fulfilled lifestyles. Whether you want to organize a volleyball game, achieve something powerful in your community, commit to a lifelong partnership, or swap mom-stories with a friend over a cup of coffee, you need people! But, as much as we need and want healthy relationships, it’s not always easy to maintain them. In this episode, Sandra and her guest Melissa Hindley talk about building your relationship toolbox – you’ll be able to fill it with tips and strategies to help you build and sustain strong relationships.

There are countless daily challenges in life that drain us of energy. Getting caught in traffic. Paying an unexpected bill. Dealing with a snide comment from a co-worker. Raising a rebellious child. Being underappreciated by a spouse. To top it off, we often react in ways that we dislike or regret. Is there way out of this cycle? In this episode, Sandra and her colleague Georgia Dow discuss some of the best strategies for coping with the day-to-day challenges of life. Psychology has provided us with scientifically proven ways to rise to the occasion with grace, fueling our lives with the energy to live fully and happily. Don’t just cope… thrive!

So, you need to find a therapist. Maybe it’s for you: your life or your marriage is suffering. Maybe it’s for your child as you watch her struggle. No matter the reason, the task can feel daunting. There's the alphabet soup of PhDs, PsyDs, MDs, MSs, and MSWs, not to mention all the labels -- psychiatrist, psychologist, marriage & family therapist, family counselor, licensed professional counselor, social worker. Each one brings different training, experience, insights, and character to the table. How can you find a therapist who is right for your needs? In this episode of Straight Talk, Sandra and her colleague, Georgia Dow, discuss the ins and outs of finding a good therapist who is both skilled as a professional and is also nonjudgmental, accepting, and patient.

A glance. A feeling. A shared bit of interest and a spark of energy. It often begins emotionally and sometimes develops into something physical. It can happen anywhere. With those you don’t expect it to: a close friend, a co-worker, another PTO parent. You guessed it, we’re talking about the slippery slope of an affair. The truth is most people do not walk down the aisle on their wedding day wondering when the affair will happen or how long it will take until they ‘cheat’. They have hopes and dreams, often idealistic, of a life together with the partner they have chosen who they love dearly. So, what happens? And how do you guard against these threats to your relationship? Join Sandra and her guest Georgia Dow as they discuss this dangerous territory and help you prevent long term damage by staying off the slope. Because once you step on it, it’s a very slippery and fast ride.

Addiction. It’s everywhere. Did you know that it can range from drugs like alcohol and cocaine to behaviors like gambling and stealing? In our modern culture, people even wrestle with addictions to everyday things like technology and sugar. The word “addiction” is derived from a Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.” Anyone who has struggled to overcome an addiction—or has tried to help someone else to do so—understands why. What happens when we become addicted? Addiction involves intense craving for something, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. It CHANGES THE BRAIN, first by subverting the way it registers pleasure and then by corrupting other normal drives such as learning and motivation. Join us for this important episode of Straight Talk where Sandra and her colleague Melissa Hindley talk in depth about addiction and how to break its destructive influence in our lives.

Do you love someone who has heart disease? The odds are that you do. Why? Because heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. Can it be prevented? Reversed? Even abolished? Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn says “yes!” to all three. Dr. Esselstyn argues that conventional cardiology has failed patients by developing treatments that focus only on the symptoms of heart disease, not the cause. He wants to change that by looking at the ability of a whole-food, plant-based diet to reverse arteries clogged by atherosclerosis. Join us for this important episode where Sandra talks with Dr. Esselstyn about his 20-year study and how we can end the heart disease epidemic in this country forever by changing what we eat!

What if we told you that you can treat, prevent, and even reverse disease in your own body? What if it’s NOT about the latest pharmaceutical or fad? Instead, would you believe that it’s as simple (and profound) as the food you eat? Dr. Michael Klaper believes that the human body is an amazing creation. When it gets what it needs—loving attention through proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices—we function at our best. Then, we are free to enjoy this astounding life to its fullest! Don’t miss this intriguing episode where Sandra talks with Dr. Klaper about his forthcoming book and some of the new studies in the medical community that underscore his approach. Your food really can lead to optimal functioning of the human body – and that means lasting health and well-being.

Receiving bad news can be a huge blow, turning your world upside-down. First, there are the consequences of the news: loss, grief, practical tasks like doctor’s appointments, bills, and insurance reports. Then, there are the effects that bad news can have on your physical and mental health. You may feel tired, stressed out, or in a fog that makes even simple tasks unwieldy. How can you cope? In this episode, Sandra and her colleague Georgia Dow will talk about finding ways to take care of yourself as you deal with grief, loss, or other bad news.

You’ve probably heard it said that “children are so resilient.” Dr. Michael Ungar has devoted his life to understanding this component and helping nurture it in others. His extensive research confirms that resilience is not just something inside a person. When problems are larger, resilience is just as much something that is nurtured by families, schools and communities. An individual's ability to cope under adversity is seldom enough to sustain wellbeing without the support of caring others. During his insightful interview, Sandra will talk with Dr. Ungar about strategies for teaching our children to be resilient and, therefore, live their best lives.

Women’s rights have made many strides over the years. But, misogyny can still rear its ugly head in many ways: social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility, patriarchy, male privilege, belittling of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification. Beyond these obvious discriminations, the by-products of this societal view can cause women to shame, doubt, and undervalue themselves and others of their gender. Join us as Sandra and her colleague Georgia Dow talk about this final frontier in discrimination and the ways it affects us – both in subtle and more outright means.

Each of us has an “inner critic” judging our every action and instructing us on how to live our lives. But how much are we letting this inner critic control us? Are our actions based on what we really feel and believe, or are we living our lives based on our inner critic’s negative programing? Learning to effectively overcome our critical inner voice is central to all areas of life: personal development, healthy relationships, self-esteem, and career success. Join us for this profound interview where Sandra talks with author and psychologist Dr. Lisa Firestone about dealing with our inner critic through self-compassion.

Caretaking others - sounds good right? We are supposed to be kind to others when they fall… right? But what is the difference between Caretaking and Kindness? There is a huge difference. While it can be good that we are taking care of the ones we love, it can create another kind of crisis. Did you know that the stress of caregiving can take actually take a toll on emotional and mental health? The mental, emotional, and physical demands of caring for others can be debilitating. Depression, stress, and frustration are just a few of the bi-products of caretaking. Join us for this important episode as Sandra and her colleague Maite Gomez talk about the pitfalls of caretaking and how to keep on being kind without sliding down the dangerous slippery slopes of enabling someone to stay unwell by caretaking.