Building Healthy Roots

Connection and Communication

It was an honor to be the Keynote Speaker for an organization called Success 1st this past Saturday. Success 1st hosted the event called Let’s Talk, Listen, and Bond for children, youth, and adults. The planning committee was intentional about having youth leaders speak to children and youth as I spoke to the adults about connection and communication. Connection and Communication is not always as easy as it sounds. In order to connect, it takes …

man tying his shoes

Health and Wellness Interview with Javier Sanchez

Javier Sanchez sat down with me for an interview about health and wellness. His information is at the end of this interview. Note: This transcript was written verbatim as it was an informal interview. The podcast is at the end of the transcript. Episode Description Welcome to An Apple A Day with Dr. Amanda podcast! Every week, Dr. Amanda invites guests to speak about a weekly theme. This week, Javier Sanchez, an online and in-person …

Transformational Leadership

Why Integrity and Communication Matter This blog highlights an interview with Dr. Sandra Joseph, an educational leader. One of her recommended book resources and an excerpt of the interview is below. Check out the podcast link following the text to listen to the full interview.  Book Resource    Who Moved My Cheese? By Dr. Spencer Johnson M.D. https://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Mazing-ebook/dp/B004CR6AM4 Connect with Sandra: [email protected] Timestamps of the Interview with Sandra Joseph (Please note: Written text below is verbatim …

Sexual Exploitation Awareness

This is key questions and answers from Dr. Amanda’s podcast and Youtube interview with Tashina Kabbaz, a doctoral student at Lehigh University in the area of educational leadership. She also is an educational and cultural specialist for VAST the Vehicle Against Sex Trafficking in the Lehigh Valley. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-888-373-7888 to speak …

man in white shirt carrying girl in gray shirt

The Power of Words 2.0

Recently, I conducted a webinar about the power of words.  Some of the key points are helpful when responding and thinking about the words we use every day. A word by itself does not hold weight until a positive or negative event happens and then positive or negative feelings attach to it. We all have feelings as human beings. Words spoken about us as children can lead to beliefs about ourselves that are not true. …

man and woman sitting at table with foods

Practical Communication Steps for Family Connection

This past Friday, the Clubhouse social media event that I was moderating called, Healthy Family Connections, included over 75 women discussing how to keep connection during hard conversations. Three key ideas were talked about that are consistent with research findings. It is important to hear and listen to your child, friend, or significant other’s feelings. When we say “You are fine” it is saying that what they are feeling does not matter. This can be …

Three Healthy Ways to Communicate As a Family

Almost 80% of children and youth report their parents and guardians as the people they go to help them make decisions.  What does this mean? It means that if a child or youth is trying to decide something about their life, they want to go to their guardian(s) or parent(s) for help first. Healthy Tip # 1: A child or teen is not afraid to share how they feel with their parent(s) or guardian(s) (Bethel, …

Top 10 Ways to Communicate

Last week, I facilitated a Healthy Family Connections group on clubhouse that led us to discuss the Top 10 Ways to Communicate. Over 20 women came into the room to listen or speak about this topic during the hour. Many of the women requested the Top 10 Ways to Communicate Quick Sheet following this discussion. This blog will look at the 10 tips with some more communication tips. Model I Feel ___ when you ____ …

Healthy Family Connections: Communication

What do most of us want in life? A family. Family can be both bloodlines where we are born into the family. Also, a family can be a group of people who are not related but consider each other family due to the close bond they have with each other. Family are the people that we want to spend time with and celebrate life’s joys and also life’s pains. For example, we want to call …

Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Mental Health, and Trauma

What does it mean to navigate through Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? BDD is a condition that may influence the amount of times a person view themselves in the mirror but almost as if they have on a distorted lens of themselves. By definition, BDD is a condition that may cause distress in an individual when they view themselves and notice imagined or slight difference in their appearance (Singh & Veale, 2019). BDD may or may …