Oh yes I did dare to bring the co-founder of The Joy Revolution on a podcast devoted to the intricacies of grief! They don't call me the renegade widow for nothing, after all.

Marc Cordon's positivity and joy is contagious and inspiring, especially when we learn that his activism and understanding of the human experience and fascination with psychology was rooted in fear and expressed from a place of anger in its early days. None of this positivity is rooted in spiritual bypass, fake-it-til-you-make-it, or fluff. It's pure, unadulterated, authentic, from deep-down-in-the-belly joy that has been hard earned and continues to be deeply revered by this incredible guest. Marc is an expert in transitions, a positive psychology coach, (not to mention, he's got a BS in neuroscience, and master's degree in public health!!). By employing the principles of positive psychology to real life and real hard times, Marc sheds light on the human capacity to shift from reacting out of anger and fear to living fully and thriving...even when pain and suffering are present! And that's not just something that sounds nice to say - he's got the data to back it up!

Marc and I discuss why the "fake it 'til you make it" attitude so common in grief support circles is actually keeping us locked in a cycle of suffering. We get honest and unfiltered about what's possible when it comes to mental wellness for us all and how the bar has been set so abysmally low when it comes to our expectations for healing. We can all step onto the path to thriving, NOW—no matter what stage of grief we're in or level of heartache we've experienced. These ideas may seem like a fluffy luxury for the lucky, but we're expanding what's possible on the other side of deep pain, my friends. Let's not wait to "hit rock bottom" to take action on behalf of our own healing. Let's not settle for a life of surviving when there's so much more living left to do. By cultivating resilience and moving in the direction of healing each day (instead of just learning to cope), we learn to feel the enormity of whatever we're feeling and be safe there with it in the moment. Come one, come all. This is a conversation you don't want to miss.

Topics we covered:

the damaging (and exhausting) impact of reactivity and a new way of doing things
why we need virtuous friends (and what that even means!)
how the five stages of grief are so totally incomplete
simple steps for cultivating mindfulness and resilience that you can take right now
a whole lotta unpacking the topics of pain and suffering
the most direct route to shifting your life and mindset in the direction of joy (no matter what you're going through)

Resources:

"Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl
The Joy Revolution
Marc's website, where you can download his free book, "Beyond Resilient"
Connect with Marc and the Joy Revolution on facebook.