Chicken Soup for the Soul with Amy Newmark

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and it’s Friend Friday. Today I’m excited to be talking with Dr. Mike Dow, who I like to call America’s go-to therapist. You may have seen him as an expert on The Doctors and the Dr. Oz show, and he also coauthored a Chicken Soup for the Soul book with me called Think, Act & Be Happy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with some instant inspiration for you from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today I want to talk about one of my favorite topics, and that is how mothers are so often right even when their kids are skeptical. I think kids finally figure this out when they’re in their twenties—that mom is usually right. So we featured lots of stories about that in our new book for mothers and grandmothers, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Moms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with some instant inspiration for you from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today I want to talk about mothers as role models, because when you’re in the trenches raising your kids—or even later, when they’re grown but you’re still trying to give them advice, which is sometimes unwanted—you wonder if you’re getting through. Did you make a difference? Did the kids even listen to you? Well, the answer is yes, as we saw in dozens of stories in our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Moms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today we’re going to talk about how you can become more productive by building down time into every workday. Our special Friend Friday guest is my friend and newly minted Chicken Soup for the Soul author, Cosmo DeNicola. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today I’m sharing two stories about when getting that all important me time really means we time, because making sure you have we time with your spouse or your friends can be just as important as the traditional me time that we’re always trying to put aside for ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today we’re talking about the miracle of finding love, and I truly mean finding love in a miraculous, I-can’t-believe-that-happened way. Sometimes it seems like people were just meant to find each other, based on the amazing coincidences that bring them together. And that’s why these stories appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles & Divine Intervention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today we’re looking at the many benefits of volunteering, especially later in life. If you are enjoying your retirement years, or you know someone who’s retired but needs a little extra spark in their life, these stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number will inspire anyone to look at volunteering as a means to finding joy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today I’m going to share a piece of advice that seems to shock a lot of people—that you’re allowed to CHOOSE your friends, and if they’re no longer working for you—UNchoose them. Our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Making Me Time, covers the many ways that people reclaim a bit of their calendar for themselves, creating more balance in their lives. And one of the ways to reclaim that time and make more space for “me time” is by making sure that you’re only spending time with people who add VALUE to your life. That can mean assessing the time you spend with friends, and even relatives. Because you need to zealously look out for own emotional health and not let people sap away whatever energy you have. You want to save that energy for yourself and the people who are most important to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today I want to talk about that miraculous thing that sometimes happens, which is a continuing connection with someone who has passed on. We see these stories all the time and they always amaze me. Sometimes you can come up with a scientific explanation for why they happen… and sometimes you can’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you from our latest bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats. Today we’re talking about the magic of cats for their dog family members, not their human ones. Because even though we’ve all heard the stories about dogs and cats that don’t get along, we see lots of stories where cats take their intuition, their natural ability to be therapists, their kindness—and work their magic on the dogs they live with, much to everyone’s surprise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. We’ve been talking a lot about dogs and cats on the podcast because we have new books out on those topics, but we also have a new book about dreams. So today will be a bit of a crossover episode, with stories about dreams that involve dogs and the magical way these dogs manifested to our writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you from our latest bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs. If you have a dog you’ve probably been spending a lot more time together, and your appreciation for your dog’s loyalty and intuition has probably increased. We learn so much from our dogs, don’t we? If we rescued them, they rescue us back. They show us how to be better humans. And they teach us so much about resilience, and fortitude, and loyalty. And then sometimes they’re so surprisingly smart, which is what I’m going to talk about today in two stories from our new collection of dog stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. You know, our book about how age is just a number has been a big hit, and it’s partly because it shows that it’s never too late to do most things, and that includes romance. It’s never too late to bring the romance back into a tried and true old relationship. So today I’m going to share two stories about how couples revived and maintained the spark in their decades-old marriages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today it’s from our latest book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Making Me Time. This is a collection of stories about making that all important time for yourself, and personal care, and finding the right equilibrium and work/life balance. Me time is different for everyone. For some people it means an hour a day for exercising, for others it means reading or taking a class or meditating. For some people, it means seeing a friend and for others it means seeing nobody. And today, I’m going to talk about how you can figure out what kind of me time will work for you, and how sometimes that truth is staring you in the face and you don’t even realize it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and I’ve got two amazing stories to share with you today—two miraculous tales of family members separated for decades finding each other again. One involves sisters separated from their birth family by adoption, and another involves a daughter finding her father purely by happenstance, decades after the last time she saw him. And you won’t believe how it happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a special Friend Friday episode today. You’re going to meet Zibby Owens, who has become one of the most well-known book reviewers in the country over the last couple of years. You may have seen her recommending books on Good Morning America, or you may have listened to or watched her on her award-winning podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. She’s been called New York City’s most powerful “book-fluencer” and she seems to get an interview with every bestselling author these days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration and today I’m introducing our latest book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Making Me Time. This is a collection of stories about making that all important time for yourself, and personal care, and finding the right equilibrium and work/life balance. Me time is different for everyone. For some people it means an hour a day for exercising, for others it means reading or taking a class or meditating. For some people, it means seeing a friend and for others it means seeing nobody. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today—when “me time” really means being alone time. Alone on purpose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today we’re talking about horses—in a spiritual way. It’s interesting that almost every world religion has a special, more spiritual view of horses. There’s just something about them—their steadfast loyalty, their strength, their calm natures, and the way they bond with humans. So I was pleased to publish a couple of stories that involved horses in our new book about miracles and divine intervention, and these stories will give you chills—in a good way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today we’re talking about cats, particularly cats who are naughty and then act guilty about it. You might not think that pets feel guilty but they do. I remember when our son’s dog ate two pairs of my shoes—on successive days—he was whimpering and so upset with himself, but he just couldn’t help himself. But cats? They seem so self-assured. Do they really feel bad after they’re naughty? Well apparently sometimes they do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today I want to share a couple of stories about how all that love and support and comfort that you got from your loved ones who have passed can continue… in your dreams. Our new book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams is filled with stories that show how that bond and that connection can persist and continue to empower you as you go on with your life after losing someone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today I’m sharing two stories from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams. This is the third book we’ve done on dreams and their power to help you improve your life. Because here’s what happens. During the day you’re busy and distracted and you can’t focus on your innermost thoughts and knowledge. But at night, while you’re sleeping, your subconscious can get your attention, and say, “hey, here’s what you need to think about or process or decide.” Today we’re going to talk about how you can actually repair a relationship by listening to your dreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and I’ve got a fun new book to talk about today, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles & Divine Intervention. This book is filled with stories about miraculous, amazing events and I want to share two of them with you today – two miraculous coincidences that tied together the generations in two families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today we’re going to talk about getting physical. And by that I mean getting fit, doing sports, and getting out there in nature. I’m sharing two stories from our new book about how age is just a number, and these stories that prove that it’s never too late to find your sport and get back in shape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today I’m sharing two stories from this book that I find so fascinating, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams. I really believe that you can use your dreams and premonitions as a kind of GPS for navigating your life and the stories in this book prove it. That inner voice is worth listening to, because it can make a big difference in your relationships, your career, your health, and your overall happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration and today we’re talking about hot flashes and hot cars, and how they totally go together. These stories are from our new book about how age is just a number, because you’re only as old as you act, right? Well, that’s how it works if you have the right attitude. And it helps to have a sense of humor, because things do change. There’s gravity, and smaller print, and tighter jars. But there’s also new freedom and a sense of liberation from a lot of things that you don’t have to do anymore. And that’s when you get to do new things, maybe things you’ve been dreaming of for a long time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today I’m sharing two more stories from our latest bestseller Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles & Divine Intervention. This is not a religious book—it’s a book for everyone, filled with stories that will give you goose bumps. Today’s are about two really weird coincidences that just go to show that it truly is a small world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Do you ever wake up knowing that you’ve just had an important dream, and then, bam, it’s gone? That’s a shame, because our dreams are a window into what our own brains are trying to tell us! The fact is that we’re too busy during the day to pay attention to that quiet voice inside that knows us so well—our subconscious. Sometimes, our truth is lurking in there, waiting for us to discover it at night through our dreams. Here are six ways you can use your dreams for personal transformation, based on the stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today we’re talking about dogs and the way that so many of them love to have a purpose. When they can’t do their jobs they get antsy, and their humans need to find them something new to do, a new way to contribute. We have lots of stories about working dog in our latest dog book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs, and I’m going to share two of them today—about dogs who were so committed to doing good that their humans had to make sure they could keep going to work every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you from one of our latest bestsellers, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats. We make our books about cats to be entertaining, not really as self-help books, even though that’s the category that we fall into with most of our work. But there are so many lessons to be learned from these cat stories despite that. Cats show us how to get the most out of every day, how to live in the moment, how to shed the resentments of the past… and often, particularly because of the number of rescues we feature in our books, cats are examples of how to use the power of fortitude and forgiveness and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today I want to share a couple of love stories – about love that was first discovered in a dream and then materialized later—in real life. Our new book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams is filled with stories like these, ones that show how your dreams can be powerful tools for redirecting your life, changing your relationships, and making you a happier person. When you’re asleep and you can actually listen to your subconscious it’s amazing how much inner guidance and insight you can find. It can be empowering, enlightening, and life-changing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you. I think this is the perfect time to share two stories about getting older and wiser and grayer and a bit more wrinkled. Because isn’t that our goal anyway? To get old enough to look in the mirror and see those gray hairs? Plus it’s New Year’s resolution time, and what’s better than a resolution to embrace those signs that you are indeed seasoned and worldly and full of valuable experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and it’s time to introduce you to our latest bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles & Divine Intervention, which has just gone on sale. I know the holidays are officially behind us, but I still love hearing a great Christmas story, and I’m going to share two holiday miracles with you that I think will brighten these cold days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today I want to talk about the lessons we share with teens. We have a new book out called Think Positive for Teens, and in it we share stories that will help teens with self-esteem, making good choices, doing for others, and all the other good values that we want them to develop during these crucial years of growing up. I’m going to share a couple of great stories today from the book to give you a sense of what this new collection is all about. The first story is about developing self-confidence and the second is about helping people when they’re down, two great lessons for us all, not just for teenagers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and it’s Friend Friday on the Chicken Soup for the Soul podcast. Today we’re going to hear from Dr. Mark Goulston again , a psychiatrist who is also a business advisor, consultant, coach, speaker, and author. He also hosts a mental health podcast and is quoted frequently in major media, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, CNN, and the TODAY show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and today I’m going to share two stories that illustrate why you should never think it’s too late, or you’re too old, to follow your dreams. You can start a new career in your sixties, or renovate your home, or move across the country, or travel to that faraway place you’ve always wanted to see. We have so many stories about people doing just that in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number and I personally found them very inspiring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today I want to share a couple of stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams. This is our third book about dreams and premonitions and how you can use them as a kind of GPS for navigating your life. I’m constantly amazed at just how useful dreams—and premonitions--are. They can reveal so much about what our subconscious is trying to tell us, things that we’re too busy to listen to during our waking hours. When you do listen, it can be life changing. Or even life-saving, as it was for NancyLee Davis and Bonnie Collins Wood. Because sometimes whatever crisis occurs in your dreams or your premonitions prepares you for a real crisis that happens in your real life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with today’s Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix. We made this book because I’ve read tens of thousands of personal, revealing stories from our writers during the twelve years I’ve been doing this job, and I’ve come to understand that forgiveness is an essential key to happiness. Why is forgiveness so important? It’s because of the emotional weight we carry when we don’t forgive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with today’s Chicken Soup for the Soul for you, and today I’m sharing two stories about how volunteering can change everything for you. The biggest beneficiary of volunteer work is usually the person doing the work, not the one receiving the help. And I know that I’ve read in the past that doing volunteer work is often suggested by mental health professionals for their patients who are depressed or grieving or going through some other kind of difficulty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with today’s Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration from a book that’s perfect for the new year: Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix. We made this new book because I’ve read tens of thousands of personal, revealing stories from our writers during the twelve years I’ve been doing this job, and I’ve come to understand that forgiveness is an essential key to happiness. Why is forgiveness so important? It’s because of the emotional weight we carry when we don’t forgive. This may be the New Year’s resolution that you’re looking for; it works instantly and it’s easy. You just have to decide to put the past in the past, where it belongs, and move forward without that anger and resentment that you’ve been taking everywhere with you. You also may want to use the new year as an impetus to apologize; if you’ve been thinking about it, maybe this is the time to just do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and I’ve got a new book to talk about today, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number. Life begins again at 60, right? Well, it does if you have the right attitude. And it helps to have a sense of humor, because things do change. There’s gravity, and smaller print, and tighter jars. But there’s also new freedom and a sense of liberation from a lot of things that you don’t have to do anymore. And then there are those funny moments, like when your husband uses the wrong word, or you’re totally confused by some new piece of technology, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration and our last episode with stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air. This is obviously going to be a weird Christmas, with families not getting together as usual, and imagine how much worse it would feel if you were new in town at Christmastime. That’s what we’re going to talk about today, with two stories about neighbors reaching out and welcoming new neighbors, which can definitely be done outside the front door, wearing masks, and still be effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you, and today I’m sharing two stories from our new bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air, this time about the shenanigans that sometimes occur between parents and children during the holidays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and today I’m going to share two stories from our new bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number…. Stories that you might find yourself thinking about after the holidays, because they’re about how great it is to get rid of STUFF. We all have too much of everything in our homes, and these items weigh us down physically and emotionally. Today’s stories will not only motivate you to declutter, but even give you some great ideas for HOW to do that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you from our brand-new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air, with five stories from the book for you today that illustrate how you can make the holidays your own—with your own personal touches. Your tree, for example. You can make a Christmas tree however you want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and it’s Friend Friday on the Chicken Soup for the Soul podcast. Today we’re talking to Danie Botha, a really fascinating guy who wrote a story for our new book about how age is just a number and introduced me to a totally new sport, land paddling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with a little Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration for you, and today I’m sharing two stories from our new bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air. I don’t know about you, but this year I’m planning to give some homemade gifts. It just seems appropriate since we’ve all been home for months, and in my case I’ve learned some new skills. So I loved these two stories in our new book about two women who discovered how much their families enjoyed receiving homemade gifts instead of ones bought at a store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and today we’re talking about dreams and how, if you listen to them, they can cause big changes in your life—changes to your health or your love life or your career or your outlook—and also, changes in your relationships. Today we’re going to talk about two women whose dreams caused them to reach out to their neighbors, with life-changing consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul inspiration from our brand-new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air. So the heat’s on now. It’s December and time to find the perfect gifts, and Santa’s on the lookout too, so I thought I’d share a couple of stories about the most perfect gifts from Santa as perceived by the kids who got them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark and today I’m going to share two of my new favorite stories with you, from our brand new book that just came out a week ago – Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number. So you know that term Older and wiser? We made a very successful book with that title years ago, and even though everyone is always joking about senior moments and acting like people over 60 are losing their minds, there really IS something wiser about people as they get older. We just have that life experience and we’ve been there, done that, and I think we get more efficient, too. So today I’m sharing two stories that prove the adage is correct. Older IS wiser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and today I’m sharing stories that we included in our new book for preteens, but which are really life lessons that we need to be reminded of, because these are the truths of our lives at any age. One story is about bullying, and the other is about how those popular kids might not be any different from the rest of us. Overall, the lesson is that you never really know what’s going on in someone’s life, much as you think you do based on outward appearances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices