Becoming Who You Are

This week's podcast episode is an introduction to the topic of authentic working, and why it is so important to our authenticity as a whole. Many of us spend the vast majority of our time either at work or doing work-related activities, so why wouldn't we do something we love that's aligned with our values and gifts? Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net     Photo Credit: poolie via Compfight cc

This week's episode is about the concepts of the true self and the false self, and how they can influence our understanding of ourselves. I start with an introduction to the true self and false self, go into each concept in more detail, and suggest a few tools you can use to connect with your true self.   Useful Links The Family and Individual Development - D.W. Winnicott A Secure Base - John Bowlby The Becoming Who You Are Resources page   Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net   Photo Credit: James Jordan via Compfight cc

Do you make the most out of your day-to-day conversations? Conversations are the gateway to our relationships with others, yet often we take these interactions for granted. In this episode, I discuss five principles we can use to enhance our conversations and get the most out of them. These are: 1. Listen 2. Reflect 3. Be honest 4. Don't take it personally 5. Take a break if you need to I also share some useful tips and feedback a reader sent me after I published a blog post on this topic.   Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net     Photo Credit: Benson Kua via Compfight cc

If you're interested in how we relate to and communicate with ourselves and other people, then you'll love this episode of the Becoming Who You Are podcast. In it, I talk about Transactional Analysis, a psychological and psychotherapeutic theory. I provide a brief overview of the main principles of TA, describe how we can apply its theories to our own internal dialogue. You'll also hear about my favourite part of TA: some of the 'games' that affect our interactions with other people, and how we can disengage from them to have more meaningful and productive conversations. If you find the ideas in this podcast interesting, I high recommend checking out the links below.   Useful Links Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships - Eric Berne I'm Ok, You're Ok - Thomas Harris Business Balls - Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis   Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net   Photo Credit: Das Fotoimaginarium via Compfight cc    

How can you help yourself? This episode encourages you to take on the role of being your own consultant. When we find ourselves facing a tricky situation or challenge, it can be easy to start feeling stuck, helpless, and like we just don't know what to do. As Harry Browne says (and I quote in the podcast) "There’s always something you can do. And usually the way to find out what you can do is to ask." This podcast looks at how to identify our biggest problem right now and the five steps we can take to 'consult' with ourselves: 1. Break the problem down 2. Identify which factors you have control over and which you don't 3. List the ways you've already tried to tackle the things you have control over 4. List the solutions you haven't tried yet, and why you haven't tried them 5. Look for the story behind the reasons   Useful Links How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World - Harry Browne The Ultimate Guide to Journaling - Hannah's ebook that contains everything you need to know about journaling, and more.   Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net           Photo Credit: roger.karlsson via Compfight cc

This week's podcast episode is a little different. I've been a member of an online book club called the Psychology Book Club for about four years and enjoyed many invigorating and eye-opening conversations as part of the group. At the beginning of the year, I took over organising the meetings, and this episode I wanted to share our latest conversation with you. The club is open to everyone and meets every other month through Skype to discuss a psychology-related book, so if you'd like to join us please come along (details on how to join below). This month's book was Getting Real: The Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life by Susan Campbell Ph.D. In the conversation. Jake (my partner, who you might remember from previous podcasts) and I seemed to be the only ones around so we had an in-depth chat about the book and its ideas (please excuse the audio blips at the beginning - I think the recorder was still warming up!) As a quick summary, the 10 truth skills identified by Dr Campbell are: Experiencing what is Being transparent Noticing your intent Welcoming feedback Asserting what you want and don't want Taking back projections Revising an earlier statement Holding differences Sharing mixed emotions Embracing the silence As I mention at the end of the podcast, the next book club is on 5th May at 3pm EST. We'll be talking about Six Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. If you'd like to join us, please RSVP using the Facebook page link below. See you next week! Useful Links The Psychology Book Club Website - View past books and listen to book club conversations The Psychology Book Club Facebook Page - View upcoming book clubs and RSVP to future book clubs Getting Real: The Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life by Susan Campbell Ph.D (Amazon Link)   Say Hello  Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net  Jake: @thevoluntary www.thevoluntarylife.com  

This episode is a follow-up to Episode 14: Emotional Tools for Authentic Living. Here, I'm going to discuss four "rules" that accompany and complement them. These are: 1. Work out your principles, and stick to them. 2. Don't just understand, act on that understanding. 3. Act, don't react. 4. Never stop learning These are all rules I've found helpful when it comes to my own personal development, so I hope it's useful to share them. At the beginning of the episode, I talk about The Ultimate Guide to Journaling and The 5 Most Common Blocks to Authentic Living, which are both available now through Becoming Who You Are (links below).   Useful Links The Ultimate Guide to Journaling - available now on audiobook, Kindle and PDF The 5 Most Common Blocks to Authentic Living ...and How to Overcome Them - Free to download from becomingwhoyouare.net "The Hollow Men" - T.S. Eliot (just for fun!)   Say Hello Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net       Photo Credit: Theresa Thompson via Compfight cc

In this episode, I talk to Will Moyer, a web designer and writer from the US, about living and working abroad. Having moved to Beijing, China in 2010, Will has spent the last three years living in different parts of Asia, and has also set up his own design and consultancy business while there. During our conversation, we cover the practicalities of going abroad for a long period of time, the benefits of living abroad, the challenges, safety, and how to combine long-term travel with your dream job. You might recognise Will's work on Becoming Who You Are, as he is the artistic brains behind the logo and header, as well as my ebook covers. I highly recommend his design services, so check out his website, willmoyer.com. Muchas gracias to Will for his time, I hope you enjoy the show!   Say Hello Will: @willmoyer http://willmoyer.com/   Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net   Photo Credit: Kuster & Wildhaber Photography via Compfight cc

This episode is a conversation I had with Stephanie Murphy, host of Porc Therapy, and the narrator and producer of the The Ultimate Guide to Journaling audiobook. You may remember Stephanie from previous BWYA podcast episodes, and recognise her voice from the intro and outro of each episode. As always, we cover a wide range of topics in this conversation, including why rational personal development is so valuable, whether our emotions really are rational, the making of the audiobook, and much, much more. Thank you to Stephanie for an enjoyable conversation (as always!) and for having me back on her show.   Useful Links The Ultimate Guide to Journaling - available now on audiobook, Kindle and PDF   Say Hello Stephanie: @PorcTherapy Facebook: Porc Therapy http://porctherapy.com   Hannah: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net    

In this episode of the Becoming Who You Are podcast, I talk about the four emotional tools for authentic living. These are: 1. Knowing the difference between the past and present 2. Knowing how you feel 3. Knowing when to take responsibility, and when give responsibility back 4. Boundaries I also reference several useful resources that you can find in the "Useful Links" section below. Click below to listen or subscribe through iTunes Enjoy!   Useful Links Becoming Who You Are Resources (for Practical tools for authentic living) Alexander Lowen and his book, Narcissism Boundaries Where You End And I Begin: How To Recognize And Set Healthy Boundaries - Anne Katherine   Say Hello @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare www.becomingwhoyouare.net     Photo Credit: Carly Sheena via Compfight cc

This episode is based on an article called "Marriage: 8 Dangerously Wrong Conventional Wisdoms" by Susan Heitler, which was published through Psychology Today on 27/08/2012. Dr Heitler debunks some of the most common marital myths, including the virtue of compromise, the role of anger, what 'intimacy' is really about, and the meaning of arguments. Click below to listen or subscribe through iTunes. I'd love to hear what you think about these wisdoms: do you agree that they are dangerous? Would you add any of your own? Leave a comment and let me know. Useful Links The article itself: Marriage: 8 Dangerously Wrong Conventional Wisdoms Dr. Susan Heitler's website Say Hello Twitter: @becomewhour Facebook: www.facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare Website: www.becomingwhoyouare.net   Photo Credit: Marcus Hansson via Compfight cc

In this episode, I have a chat with members of the Psychology Book Club, a group of psychology enthusiasts from around the world, who meet through Skype on a semi-regular basis to talk about a particular book (disclaimer: I am one of them - come join us, it's a lot of fun!). Last month, I was lucky enough to be on the podcast as a featured author, talking about The Ultimate Guide to Journaling. We had an enjoyable and invigorating conversation about why journaling is important, how the book came about and I answered some thoughtful questions from the intelligent participants. If you like the sound of the book, you can get the Kindle version for $3 from Amazon.com or £1.90 from Amazon.co.uk.

In this episode, I chat to Stephanie from Porc Therapy, a radio show and podcast that talks about how to find freedom in our personal lives. Stephanie and I cover a range of topics, including podcasting, vulnerability and coming out - as anything! I always have such a great time talking to Stephanie, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it :)    

This is the second half of my interview with Jake from The Voluntary Life. Once again, we cover a range of topics in this part of the conversation, including why who you surround yourself with is so important, and Jake's number one piece of advice to someone wanting to do authentic work in their lives. There's something in here for everyone :)    

In this episode, I'm delighted to interview Jake from The Voluntary Life. We cover a range of topics, including Jake's podcast, finding freedom in our personal lives, the hidden benefits of putting your work out there, why having choices can be tough, investing in friendships, and authenticity in relationships.... And that's only half the conversation, phew! You'll be able to catch part 2 of this epic chat next week.