Welcome to episode 11 of Some (More) Good News with Kate Cherichello!

Life is about having fun and being happy, while helping others throughout it all-- That is one of my main takeaways from today’s passionate, heart-filled guest, Andrew Parks.  

An example of how one person can make a difference through their daily habits and awareness of what is going on in the world around them, Andrew shares his story of being an actor, teacher, advocate, and overall compassionate human (well he won’t say that last one outright, but I will!).  He has followed his passions throughout his life, never having to take a job “just to pay the bills”, and that has led him to NYC with his family, where he is a bright light to all he encounters.  

For performers out there, this episode is filled with nuggets to affect positive change in your mindset and audition skills.  For non-performers, these are lessons for many moments in life. 

(There’s also an incredible story about a female runner in Central Park who picks up trash as she runs that you have to hear…)

Andrew also asks the tough questions and truly seeks to be a part of solutions.  “We have to be advocates,” he states. He applauds all the people speaking out and working to better the entertainment industry and the world.  There is a lot of change that still needs to come, we don’t know how/where/when, but we can all work each day to take steps in a better direction. Ask questions, share people’s stories, spark conversations...all of this and more in my conversation with Andrew Parks today.  

“We only get one shot at this.  It’s one time through.  And the people make the party...And being around people is important for all of us...Ultimately, we collaborate.  We feed off of each other.”  

And as we all work to get back to a place where we can all be together again, let us be inspired by people like Andrew and ask the questions and make the positive changes we need to come out stronger and better than before. 

Follow Andrew Parks:
agparks dot com
@agparks

We need all the good news we can get.
This brings me to Some (More) Good News, featuring mini interviews with people following their passions, even if that means leaving behind a potentially more comfortable career path, and making people feel better along the way.   

S(M)GN episodes released each Friday.  Follow @positively_kate for more. 
And please share if you enjoyed this episode!

Have stories of good news you know should be shared?  Send me a message!

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​Universities dealing with the struggles of covid-19 in a show about good news?
Yes, because wait until you hear about the teamwork, creativity, and, most of all, care that has gone into this past year.  And that window into the hope and love Butler and other colleges have shown was just a bonus on top of my chat with Meg--a person who is the embodiment of finding ways to make a difference every single day through her work and relationships.

Meg Haggerty is the Director of New Student & Family Programs at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.  So many emotions by the end of this interview.  Teamwork to create unique solutions for keeping students learning and engaged throughout a growing pandemic, the mental health impact on all, and to hear how Meg and her team have been striving to engage students and find solutions to help them their physical and mental health.
 
The care (there’s that word again!) Meg shows for each and every person she encounters is so apparent, and she does such a beautiful job illustrating her journey and growth through Butler University, under the umbrella of always being ready to help others.  As Meg says, you never know how much of an impact being you, your unique self, will have on others--and yourself.  And, to highlight Meg’s favorite quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” by Maya Angelou.  

People need people, and Meg is a fantastic example of going the extra mile to make a positive impact in the day-to-day, throughout a pandemic, within her work environment, and in her family.  Enjoy.

Follow @positively_kate for more GOOD NEWS!

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We need extra good news. I’ve been saying that since we started last March, but now there is the added layer of cold winter...so yes, we need extra good news.

In trying to do my part in keeping spirits inspired and happy, S(M)GN is back. This time, with mini interviews about people following their passions, even if that means leaving behind a potentially more comfortable career path, and making people feel better along the way. (Shout-out to John Krasinski for inspiring this whole thing in the first place!)

Episode 2 takes us to Lily Kirchner, from Chippewa Falls, WI, where she has recently founded Light For Autism Corp., a nonprofit dedicated to bringing awareness and advocacy to autism and early intervention, and to "provide funding for services, resources, and extra curricular activities to individuals who do not qualify under insurance, educational, and waiver guidelines".
Lily and her husband, Bryan, are parents to two wonderful boys, Jim and Will, both diagnosed with autism. They are forces for good in this world: showing nothing but love, and working hard to help their boys and many others.

If autism is new to you, here is a definition from Autism Speaks: "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today."

​Lily is a light of hope and an amazing example of putting one's challenges into action for good!

www.lightforautism.com
Instagram: @lightforautismcorp

Season one of S(M)GN may be found here. 
New episodes released each Friday.

Have stories of following your passion you know would inspire others? Reach out! We need all the good news :)
~Kate Cherichello 

Brain busy?  Thoughts nonstop?  Mind spinning? Feeling anxious?
Take a deep breath, turn on the video below, and calm down the body and mind for sleep...
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As most of you reading this know, I love quotes and love sharing them.  But I realized it's been a while since I've done a post here devoted to the fabulous images I have found over time and saved... What good are they doing sitting in a file on my computer?  Let us let the #goodvibes out!  

Disclaimer, these are not my works, but they certainly deserve to be shared!

Which is your favorite?  Share on insta and tag @be.bykate for a shout-out ;)

Read, breathe, be inspired:​

You never know the path a meeting will take...

Years and years ago, I was in a crowded audition room with a girl who had just moved to NYC.  We started talking and saw each other at various auditions over the years. 
Skip to 2020, and she has started a podcast with a fabulous newsletter attached called The Luxury of Self Care.  She has been delivering inspirational and practical  episodes, with wonderful reminders and tricks to add self care into our every day-- because we can't take care of others until we take care of ourselves.

When Ahnastasia asked me to be a guest, I of course said yes without hesitation.  We had a great chat about how to take steps to become a healthier you in mind and body, and, as I harp on over and over, how EVERY BIT COUNTS!

Hope you enjoy this episode while taking a walk around the block or taking some deep breaths with a cup of herbal tea in-hand...

This is one of my favorite 80s playlists....One my barre classes requested often!
Hope you enjoy, and let me know what some of YOUR favorite high-ponytail-and-neon-clothing beats are...they may show up in a future playlist!

"The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power."     -Harvard Health

"Grateful people are much more likely to report physical and mental vigor (Happier Human, 2018)."

Yep, there are studies done about gratitude.  Quite a lot, it turns out.

The one above, from PositivePsychology.com, seems fairly obvious upon reading, but how often do we actually think about the benefits of simply being thankful?  And if you do think about this often, then kudos to you!  And if not, kudos to you for reading this and being tuned into the benefits!

I love the title of this study from Berkeley: "How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain".  This study took nearly 300 people who were about to begin counseling, the majority of whom were going for issues relating to anxiety and depression.  Randomly dividing into three groups, one just went to counseling, one was told to write in detail about their negative experiences, and the third was assigned to write letters of gratitude to another person each week.  
             "What did we find? Compared with the participants who wrote about negative experiences or only received counseling, those who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended. This suggests that gratitude writing can be beneficial not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals, but also for those who struggle with mental health concerns. "

When I write down a list of what I am thankful for, how can I not feel brighter and more content after?  In addition, when I randomly write someone a letter, I am filled with happy feelings.  Have you experienced this?  Or receiving mail from a friend, which fills me with happy gratitude, too. Or complimenting a stranger-- suddenly I have a smile on my face and feel a lightness as I walk away.  

Two recurring themes to note: One is that a practice of gratitude takes time to reap all the positive effects, and that it does indeed leave a lasting positive effect on the brain.

So how are you practicing gratitude today, this week, this month?  I'm sure you have many ways you can think of yourself, but here are some ideas if your brain needs some storming:

-write a thank you note to a friend
-look in the eyes of the cashier and say a warm thank you
-order from a small business on etsy and express your thanks in the 'note to seller' box
-write down a list of 'what I am grateful for'
-make a Joy Jar, writing down things that make you happy on slips of paper, put them into the jar, & pull one out when you need a smile
-hug a person in your household & thank that person for being there through this crazy time
-email an old professor or teacher to say something made you think of him or her, with a thank you for what you have learned
-find a gratitude phrase, write it out, place it next to your bed so as to start your day with gratitude
-follow my copy of Oprah & mentally say 'thank you' as soon as you open your eyes in the morning

I'm thankful for you reading this and spreading the love!
Kate
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Stating the obvious too much to say there's an extra layer (or 10) of stress throughout the country this year??

There are many ways to help combat stress.  Let's talk about one of them here:
BREATHING

Sit tall. Place your hands around the base of you ribs. Exhale all the air you can. As you slowly count to 8, inhale, feeling your hands being pushed outward by your rib cage as you do so. You sit taller still. Then just as slowly, exhale the air back out.

Do it again.

Do it one more time.

Relax.

How do you feel?  If you say even 2% better than you did one minute ago, I'll be happy!

I am fascinated by what breathing can do to calm us and energize us.  (Not the energy that comes from a 'fight or flight' feeling, but the healthy energy of being ready to seize the day!)

Many experts have variations on breathing patterns to put into practice to calm the body (specifically, calm the parasympathetic nervous system), and it comes down to not the exact number of counts you inhale or exhale, but that you are mindfully slowing and controlling your breath.  

For example, the above exercise in breathing.  Maybe 8 counts felt too much for now?  Start with counting to 4 slowly.  Want to add another layer?  Hold your breath after the inhale for 4-8 counts. 
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Today I took a gyrokinesis class for the first time.  Talk about getting the body's natural energy stores going through breath.  That is the basis of this technique.  
Granted, any movement of the body helps to get the blood flowing, sending oxygen, increasing endorphins...but what I find neat about gyrokinesis is, well let's just give you the definition right from the source: "is a movement method that addresses the entire body, opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion, and creating functional strength through rhythmic, flowing movement sequences."

Sleep: Oh sleep. Stress goes up, sleep seems to goes down. Try the aforementioned breathing exercises as you are lying down in bed to help calm the body and mind.  Google can give you a plethora of versions.
Again, it comes back to slow and controlled breathing.

One last thing--
This was too timely not to share.
A friend through the entertainment industry has created a podcast called The Luxury of Self-Care.  In a recent post, she wrote the following:

Ataraxia

(n) A state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquility.

Doesn't that just have the most delightful ring to it?  Let us all keep taking steps in the direction of ataraxia.  Today, that's to slow down our breathing and calm the body. 

Let me know how it goes for you :)

Kate