Ep. 219: Dr. Kristen Race - Balance Your Brain for a More Balanced Life

04/01/20 • 54 min

Chasing Dreams with Aimee J.

Previous Episode

Ep. 218: Aniya Wolfe – WOLFE

Today’s guest is a friend of the family, and her dad and brother have both been on previous shows. In Women’s History Month, she’s another amazing woman doing amazing things in the world. She’s part of a new generation paving the way for other young women coming along----and she’s doing all this at the tender age of 18.

Aniya Wolfe, striding onto sets as “Wolfe,” began 2020 by launching Ivy Sky Pictures, her second production company that aims to produce films, demonstrations, photoshoots, and music videos that spotlight the souls of artists and companies. At just 18 years of age, Wolfe has identified her love of expressing and inspiring while experiencing a spectrum of emotions at being present in today’s world and channeling it through art.

Finding inspiration

Where do you find inspiration? Wolfe was a huge fan of Hannah Montana, wanting her life to be “the best of both worlds.” Her family was supportive of her acting aspirations, so she plunged into her first commercial. What Wolfe discovered was that she was more intrigued by what went on behind the scenes than what happened in front of the camera. Her entire family left their Philadelphia lives behind and moved to California in pursuit of their acting and directing dreams. Wolfe explains how her first community, her family, helped her become rooted and grounded in community--a philosophy that she clings to today.

TWEET: Wolfe’s family helped her become rooted and grounded in community. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

Figuring it out

Did you figure out who you were by age 18? Wolfe spent time figuring out who she is as an artist and how to identify as an artist. Her learning came about through trial and error---and a lot of experimentation. Settling on the art form she wants to create, she says that experimentation and nurturing the artist are key components. She calls Ivy Sky Pictures “the next step: in her evolution as an artist.

TWEET: Learning comes through trial and error. And a lot of experimentation! @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

Passion and sacrifice

How much sacrifice are you willing to make for your passion? In her middle school years, Wolfe knew the direction she wanted to go and felt the passion for pursuing her dreams. She graduated from high school early so she could move up to what she wanted to accomplish in the world. It wasn’t easy. It took sacrifice to succeed in school in the daytime and edit her pet video projects in the evenings. Wolfe never resented the work or the sacrifice, though, because she was living out her passion. She says that women usually find a way to make the dream work, but it’s important to take care of yourself during the work and sacrifice.

TWEET: It’s important to take care of yourself during the work and sacrifice. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

OUTLINE OF THE EPISODE:

[1:03] Young Wolfe’s dreams
[2:23] Inspired and intrigued by Hannah Montana
[4;23] A supportive community
[6:28] Wolfe’s production company
[7:46] Wolfe’s speaking opportunities
[9:46] The new launch of Wolfe’s “2nd baby”
[11:38] Wolfe’s favorite role so far
[13:45] Hearing voices and seeing signs
[17:31] A favorite part of the process
[19:29] Finding her tribe
[20:45] Starting out part-time
[23:06] Women directors who have inspired Wolfe
[27:42] What 2020 looks like
[30:09] Why Wolfe wants to try virtual reality next
[32:30] Get to know Wolfe better

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Wolfe's Twitter

Wolfe's Instagram

Watch the Episode on YouTube

TWEETS YOU CAN USE:

A NO gives YES its value. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

You can pursue your passion on a part-time basis. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

I’m still figuring out who I am as an artist. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

Regardless of our age, our passion and dreams are valid. @directorwolfe #chasingdreams

https://youtu.be/vjmbENbYDSQ

Next Episode

Ep. 219: Dr. Kristen Race – Balance Your Brain for a More Balanced Life

If you’re a regular listener, then you know that mental health is a very important topic to me. Mindfulness is something we can all learn to practice to help deal with the stress of life. I saw today’s guest on a TED talk, and I knew I had to bring her to the show.

A self-described “brain geek,” Dr. Kristen Race has spent the last 12 years exploring the nexus between mindfulness and neuroscience. She is the author of Mindful Parenting, the founder of Mindful Life, and Head of Mindfulness at Solvasa, a pioneer in integrative beauty. Dr. Race has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, CNN, and many more. She’s taught her mindfulness methods to over 50,000 worldwide leaders, including Sheryl Sandberg and Sara Blakely.

The accidental entrepreneur

What did you want to be when you were young? The truth is that most of us end up being something totally different than those original dreams. Young Kristen wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist, and it didn’t matter to her what sport it would be. Later, she wanted to be a teacher, mainly because of some inspiring and impactful teachers she had. Kristen started her career as a teacher before her path took some interesting twists and turns. From teaching, she moved into mindfulness, which was a natural flow for Kristen. She was drawn to struggling students and wanted to develop helpful tools for them, so she got a master’s degree in Educational Psychology, and then went on to obtain a doctorate in Child, Family, and School Psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience. Working as an intern in both a high-risk, high-need school and a wealthy independent school allowed her to see incredible levels of stress and anxiety in students. A personal autoimmune disease crisis led Kristen to try mindfulness tools with students, so she formalized a curriculum and began training teachers and parents before she moved on to the world of corporate training.

TWEET: Most of us end up being something totally different than our original dreams. @DrKristenRace #chasingdreams

Why trying--and failing--are good for kids

Do you like to fail? None of us enjoy the feeling of failure, but it’s necessary for us to experience growth and learning. When we put too much structure on our kids, we don’t allow them to try new things. Part of learning includes taking risks, failing, and getting back up again. It’s the getting back up again that builds resilience. Kids need to have room to negotiate difficult social situations. We can help kids with the stress response in their brains to stress by teaching them to solve problems, control behaviors, think positively, and engage with others. Kristen explains her PBR method for handling stress triggers.

TWEET: Failure is necessary for us to experience growth and learning. @DrKristenRace #chasingdreams

Take care of yourself

How well do you take care of yourself? Do you feel the need to respond immediately to every single email? Do you feel pressure on the weekends or on days off to be available for work 24/7? If you can’t pull back and give yourself time away from work, then you are adding unnecessary stress to your life. Some organizations realize this, and they are mandating “no email Saturdays” to guard against stressing out their employees. Employers and employees alike need to step up and make clear the expectations on response times; this will help keep people from being stressed out and burned out in their jobs. You can’t sacrifice yourself for any job. Kristen explains how mismanaged stress will take a heavy toll on your health.

TWEET: You can’t sacrifice yourself for any job. @DrKristenRace #chasingdreams

Guest Recommendation: ONE action for a dream chaser to take--”At the end of each day, think of three good things that happened that day. Share them with someone, or at least write them down. Studies show that forming this habit for two weeks will lead to a significant increase in happiness, a decrease in anxiety and depression, better sleep quality, and better work/life balance.”

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE: