Author | Permission to Use Info
Kevin W. Grossman, Reach West Radio Show
Recently, I had an interesting interview with Kevin W. Grossman, who is the creator and host of the Reach West Radio Show, a learning show about “the effectual stretch.”
Kevin and I discussed how we are working towards achieving Kidpower’s “effective stretch” vision of empowering the well being of every person on the planet while keeping our quality high as we grow.
We shared lessons we’ve learned in how to balance ourselves so that we can live our lives more joyfully rather than stressfully most of the time, including:
- Mindfulness so that we are fully embracing and living the present moment.
- Gratitude so that we are appreciating what IS instead of wasting time and energy being upset about what is NOT.
- Understanding so that we recognize what gets in the way of our being our best selves and living according to our own true values – and how the “People Safety” skills that Kidpower teaches such as setting boundaries, managing our emotional triggers, and getting help are important tools for overcoming these obstacles.
Kevin shared a personal story about the impact of trauma in his own life as a vivid example of the truth of the results of the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study, which included thousands of participants over many years. The ACEs Study documents how the bad things that happen in childhood, unless addressed, can leave us more vulnerable to a lot of health issues and emotional problems. Knowing this, we can understand the importance of preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences and, if something happens, know the urgency of getting help in healing from the harm done.
You can listen to our interview by going to:
https://soundcloud.com/reach-west-radio/2-irene-van-der-zande
It’s also available in iTunes and soon to be in Stitcher.
The name of Kevin’s show – “Reach West” – is a metaphor for the effectual stretch. The “effective stretch” means to stretch oneself and others by learning new ways to see and understand our worlds of work and life, and to expand beyond what’s known and comfortable in ways that produce desired yet diverse, highly personalized and usually effective results. This could mean the literal extremes of big success or failure, or those incremental leaps and lapses in between that give our daily journeys sustenance for mind, body and spirit.
Published: March 19, 2016 | Last Updated: March 19, 2016
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.
