Shannon Skinner Live radio premieres tonight on VoiceAmerica Women
TORONTO, June 2, 2015 — Shannon Skinner Live radio show premieres tonight on VoiceAmerica (World Talk Radio) Women. Join host Shannon Skinner and her guests as they delve into celebrity activism, what it means and how it impacts the social good. Tonight’s show guests are Dr. Samita Nandy, Director, Centre of Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS), and cultural critic on fame. And Dr. Carolyn Harris, royal historian and author of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada, who is a regular media commentator on history and royalty. Both are based in Toronto.
Shannon Skinner Live is a weekly radio show that features interviews with experts, visionaries and activists, dedicated to helping people live their magnificent lives and making this world a better place.
About Dr. Samita Nandy:
Dr. Samita Nandy is the Director of the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) and writes as a cultural critic on fame. She has been featured in many media outlets including CBC TV and the Globe and Mail. Her work has been published in books “The Performance of Celebrity” and “The Emotions Industry.” Her forthcoming book “Fame in Hollywood North: A Theoretical Guide to Celebrity Cultures in Canada” will be published in 2015. Samita earned her PhD in media and celebrity culture from the Department of Media and Information at Curtin University, Australia. She is based in Toronto.
About Dr. Carolyn Harris:
Carolyn Harris is a royal historian and author of “Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada.” She received her PhD in European history at Queen’s University and teaches at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She often provides historical and royal commentary for print, TV and radio.
Shannon Skinner is a Canadian television talk show host, speaker and writer. In 2010, she launched Shannon Skinner’s Extraordinary Women TV, the first of its kind, as a live web TV show, and later developed it into an broadcast television show and online platform that is the ultimate online life-guidance resource for women. She is the author of the Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity; and she writes on a range of topics, including creativity, inspiration, feminine leadership, change, lifestyle and travel.
Announcing SHANNON SKINNER LIVE radio on VoiceAmerica
I am pleased to announce the launch of my new radio show, SHANNON SKINNER LIVE on VoiceAmerica Women’s Channel (World Talk Radio), starting Tuesday, June 2 at 7pm EST.
Hosted by Shannon Skinner, SHANNON SKINNER LIVE is a weekly lifestyle show that uncovers the stories and solutions to living an extraordinary life and making this world a better place. Each week features experts, change-makers and visionaries from around the world. We talk about subjects you won’t hear anywhere else! Shannon’s gift is unlocking hearts and opening minds, which she has become known for as host of her own popular television show and online platform, ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com, the ultimate online life-guidance resource for women. When you live your best life, you are changing the world. So tune-in every Tuesday at 7 PM EST/4 PM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Women’s Channel, listen with a new pair of ears, and turn inspiration into action.
I am looking for guests. If you are an expert, change-maker or activist (women and men), whose mission is to make this world a better place, please drop me an email at info@ShannonSkinner.com.
Got the February blahs? Try these.
Canadians know how challenging the month of February is. March is not much better. After months of low light, shoveling snow and enduring frigid temperatures (unless you live in Vancouver, in that case, stick it!), we start to get cabin fever from hibernating.
Something I have noticed in my own life is that after hanging up my downhill skiis more than a decade ago, I stopped enjoying winter. I tend to stay in more and by the end of February I’m going squirrelly. For exercise, I do walk my dog several times a day and jog on the days when my lungs and face won’t hurt, but it is not enough. Going outside is a big effort. By now, I need an attitude adjustment. My guess is that others do, too.
Here are some ways to get over the February blahs and cabin fever, as we go into the last stretch of winter.
- When it’s cold outside, be warm and sunny from the inside: Go into your heart more. Do the things that warm your heart and make your light shine and radiate. Maybe it is helping out at a soup kitchen, or cooking a meal for your elderly neighbours, or a random act of kindness.
- Create an inspiring space: Our environment directly impacts our creativity and productivity. Low light tends to create lower moods. So brighten up your interior, both literally and figuratively. Create an inspiring space where you do your creative work. Colour plays a huge role. Paint your walls vibrant colours such as red, yellow or orange – or calming ones like baby blue. Enhance your space in a way that is inspiring to you — and maybe it will inspire others.
- Buy new art: If you already collect art, take stock of what you have. Consider trading or buy new art. Start a new collection of artifacts or other items that have meaning to you and place them in your creative space. Perhaps it is from your travels. Or make your own art to hang on the wall.
- Listen to music to lift your spirits: Listen to the kinds of music that pick up your energy, spirit and mood. Music impacts our energy level. I personally love opera and, this weekend I, fought the snow to see the Canadian Opera Company’s production Don Giovanni, at the Four Seasons Centre. The way the music made me feel was worth fighting the snow to get there.
- Get outside to play: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! I write this at the risk of being pelted with snowballs…Even if you are not athletic, get outside to play as much as possible. Go for walks, even if they are short. Play winter sports. Go tobogganing. Remember the fun you had as a kid and try to re-create that feeling.
- Take a class: As a forever student, I am always taking a course of some sort. Taking courses forces us to get out of our spaces, meet new people, we learn something new – and it keeps us engaged. Consider taking a photography, cooking or language course.
- Get some sunshine: We all crave fleeing from the Canadian cold into warmer, sunnier climates. So find a travel deal and go somewhere new, whether it is basking on a beach or a wellness retreat, or taking a course, such as Spanish, in a place that inspires you.
Photo credit: Andreas Krappweis
Shannon Skinner is an award-winning inspirational speaker, writer, and host and producer of the television and online series www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.
This article was originally published at HuffingtonPost.com.
This Thanksgiving I count my blessings
The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, when families gather around a delicious home-cooked meal. I rarely cook. I don’t eat turkey and haven’t done so in about 30 years. My friends are busy with their families and my family lives on the other side of the country. I wanted to do something to mark the occasion. So, I went to the gym for little “gratitude rowing” to count my blessings.
I recently started this practice of what I call my “gratitude row.” At the gym, I spend a few minutes on the rowing machine and use that time to reflect on everything I’m grateful for, while at the same time getting exercise. Not only does this deep reflection help me get through the boring, mundane activity of exercising at the gym, my gratitude row has been changing my life.
I once had the good habit of starting the morning and ending the day with a gratitude list, which is a way to constantly be aware of what I have, and don’t have. But lately I fell out of my good habit. Life got busy. Demands got more demanding. All I could do was focus on my stresses and anxieties, and on what was not working rather than what was working.
I have experienced the benefits of mindfulness exercise and I have tried meditation, but with chronic tinnitus in both ears, I find the practice of trying to be quiet when all I can hear is the ringing in my ears creates more stress and anxiousness. Talk about defeating the purpose.
Then, I started my gratitude rowing. Now going to the gym is something I look forward to rather than dread. Furthermore, as I progress in my new good habit, I see a universal truth: the more I am grateful, the more I have to be grateful for.
This Thanksgiving, here are some of the many things I am grateful for:
- My Extended Family: I am so fortunate to have both my maternal and paternal grandmothers, who are both in their 90s, still here with us – and both in relatively good health. I am thankful to have an extended family, as pointed out to me by a dear friend who lost his parents as a young man and never knew his grandparents. Although my parents and siblings, and their respective families, all live across the country from me, I feel blessed to see them a few times a year.
- Meaningful Friendships: As I mature, I have noticed a shift in my friendships. I tend to have fewer friends than I did when I was younger, but the friendships I do have are more meaningful and sacred. What I seek in a friendship has changed with each passing decade. For those who seek my “business” under the auspices of “friendship,” I see it for what it is. Recognizing the difference has been a big lesson for me.
- Canadian Healthcare: As the world focuses on Ebola in West Africa and its inevitable spread to North America and Europe, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to live in a country that, arguably, has the best healthcare in the world. It may not be perfect, but it exists and we benefit from it.
- Opportunity: I am blessed to have doors of opportunity open, whether I enter that door — or not. Sometimes I don’t even recognize an opportunity until it passes, but at least I know I am not living in a vacuum and that my hard work and efforts do, and will continue, to benefit not only myself, but many others as well.
- Being a Woman: Nobel Peace Prize 2014 winner and Pakistani girls education activist, Malala Yousafzai, reminds me of the struggles many girls and women continue to have every day, especially in many developing nations. She also reminds me that there are many reasons to be thankful for being female. I like to feel feminine. I enjoy wearing a dress. I enjoy taking care of my beloved sheepdog, who is fully dependent on me. I enjoy working, creating and being productive, and making a difference in people’s lives. And I am so grateful that I can make choices in my life.
Counting our blessings is good for us. What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you in the comments section.
* Photo credit: Thanksgiving brownscombe
These women inspired me to start cooking
Anyone who knows me well knows that cooking ranks up there with extracting fingernails. As a woman who is in a constant state of “busy-ness,” I often eat on the fly. Sure, I can assemble a salad, or re-heat healthy, prepared foods. Plus, I have learned how to feed my dog raw or whole food. Despite the fact that I rarely cook, I do strive to lead a healthy lifestyle.
What has become clear to me, though, is that to be as healthy as possible you need to make your own meals to have control over what you put in your body. As I began facing changes in my body due to stress, hormones and the inevitable — aging — I knew I had to do something. And I knew it had to begin with nutrition.
So one night, I opened my fridge, only to find it nearly empty, with the exception of food for my sheepdog, Bob. I opened my cupboards, not unlike Old Mother Hubbard, which were also nearly empty, except for ingredients for my dog’s food. I realized my dog eats healthier than I do. At that lucid moment, I was reminded of a Chinese proverb:
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. ~ Proverb
Enter my teachers…
What I did not know I would walk away with was a miracle of miracles: inspiration to – gasp – start cooking for myself.
It is changing my life.
The people who inspire me the most are those who have transformed their lives. Fit Chicks Jackson and Quinn have done just that. The two have been close friends since Grade 9 when they, like many other teens, both began to experience body image issues. Then years later, the two friends both felt the need to do something about it. They embraced a healthy living style and changed their lives — from the inside-out.
Both women became certified personal trainers. Quinn also got certified as a yoga teacher and Jackson branched out as a nutrition wellness specialist. Later, an “aha” moment would have them leaving corporate jobs for an inspired journey of helping thousands of women change their lives.
And so, they created Fit Chicks, a company that is dedicated to “spreading healthy love” and provides a range of award-winning bootcamp-style programs at more than 20 locations across Canada, as well as weekend fitness retreats, personal training, nutrition counseling and more. They are also hosts of Shape Up with Fit Chicks on Rogers TV.
It was during one of Jackson’s nutrition workshops that I had my ‘aha’ moment, which inspired me to want to learn more about cooking. “Cooking is probably the biggest lost art in our society,” said Jackson as she demonstrated how to make almond milk. “It used to be about celebration, but now it’s about counting calories. You need to start with a food philosophy.” That food philosophy, according to Jackson, is as simple as eating food that is “grown and made with love.”
Today, as I (slowly) embrace cooking, I am experiencing a difference in my energy and seeing positive changes in my body. While I have yet to open a cookbook, I have been creating my own concoctions of food that is “grown and made with love.”
And so, thank you, Laura Jackson and Amanda Quinn, for being the teachers who opened the door.
Read my post about the weekend retreat at Horseshoe Resort here.
INTERVIEW: Jennifer Ettinger on the goddess and beauty within [VIDEO]
Have you ever met that kind of woman who radiates beauty from her inner core? You know, the one who attracts your attention with an easy, bright smile and has a centered nature and calming effect?
Jennifer Ettinger is one of those women.
I initially connected with Ettinger through Facebook some time ago and was intrigued by her work that focuses on helping women find their inner beauty. Months later, I had the opportunity to meet her in person as we both were speakers at the Toronto Women’s Expo in December. When I learned more about her personal journey, I knew I had to interview her.
Ettinger’s drive stems from her struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and having been bedridden and overweight. She found whatever it takes from a dark place deep inside to overcome her physical limitations and lead what is now a highly active, productive and meaningful life. Today, she is the founder of Fit Your Style, a lifestyle boutique which encourages women to find their inner beauty. She is also the author of Find Your Inner Goddesss, a contributor to Chloe Magazine, a regular TV contributor and has her own regional TV show “Fit Your Style” on Rogers TV. She is also a National Brand Ambassador for New Balance, a brand that resonates with her quest to help women get fit inside and out.
If you wish to find your “inner goddess” — that beauty from within — I invite you to watch my interview with Jennifer Ettinger on Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner (video below):
This woman created a hugely successful enterprise out of a mother’s love (VIDEO)
Jennifer Carlson Broe is the founder and president of Baby Gourmet Foods Inc., an organic baby food company specializing in nutritious and delicious packaged food for babies and toddlers.
The entrepreneurial bug bit Jennifer at the age of 7, when she started a lemonade stand and a dog walking business. As an adult, she found herself working in a 9-5 office job for years – unfulfilled and longing for more. Deep in her heart, she knew she could be a successful entrepreneur and was just waiting for the right idea.
The right idea finally came along when she started experimenting with healthy food recipes for her young children in her kitchen. Then she took her product, Baby Gourmet, to the Calgary Farmers’ Market and through word-of-mouth, largely by moms, her brand started to take off.
That was in 2006. Since, she has built a company with product distributed in major retailers across North America, and has been recognized for her leadership and innovation. Jennifer works closely with her sister, Jill, who is responsible for new product development, and she now leads a team of 13 full-time employees. Today, Baby Gourmet is available in locations where 80 per cent of all baby food is sold in Canada.
What has made Jennifer Carlson Broe and Baby Gourmet so successful? The answer might have to do with a little tender loving care.
I invite you to check out my one-on-one, in-depth interview with Jennifer Carlson Broe.
Why meditation is a key to success for these women
After interviewing hundreds of accomplished women over the past two years, in my quest to discover the keys to their success, I have become aware of not only treasured insights, but also recurring themes. One of those themes just might surprise you.
For many of these successful women, the importance of having a regular meditation practice is not only important; it has been paramount to helping them achieve career and/or overall life success – either directly or indirectly.
The practice of meditation is nothing new, nor is it reserved for today’s “New Agers” (whatever “New Age” means), as it is so often thought of. Most, if not all, religions have practiced some form of quiet contemplation, reflection and meditation since antiquity. Today, we live in a world where modern scientists, religions, and the health and wellness community can all agree that meditation has benefits — from mental and physical health to spiritual growth.
But what is meditation?
There are many definitions and forms. On a metaphysical level, I have heard it said that meditation is listening to the Universe; and prayer is speaking to it. From science, we know that meditation accesses and develops brain waves that take us into a deeper state of consciousness and relaxation. At a personal development level, it helps us to discover ourselves and believe in our abilities. Here, in this state, we can connect with the soul: the highest spiritual pursuit for many people, across many cultures.
Personally, I have experimented with different forms of meditation over the years, from yoga to contemplative walks in nature, to visualization and breathing exercises. As someone who lives with the condition tinnitus (a ringing noise in the ears), trying to still the mind in a quiet space is challenging at best. But, I believe in the value of meditation and have decided it is time to commit to a strict daily practice, despite this annoying condition I live with. So, given that the importance of meditation is a recurring theme on my show, Extraordinary Women TV, I turned to my archives of interviews with a selection of my past guests — the experts — for some insight.
Here are some of them:
Although I am sad to say that one of those women, Aleksandra Knezevic, founder, HA Solutions, recently passed away – and quite unexpectedly. I had interviewed Knezevic earlier this year about her organization that helps people overcome their mental blocks to achieve their dreams; with meditation being a vital tool. A beautiful, magnetic and energetic woman, she provided one of the simplest explanations of what meditation is that I have come across. “It is going back to yourself,” she said. This is a woman whose journey is the quintessential “immigrant success story,” having come to Canada from war-torn Serbia, speaking little English, to eventually becoming a successful entrepreneur.
When I asked her for her top success tip, she provided the answer in the form of wise advice: “If you would like to change something in your life, just make the decision. And then wake up half an hour early and start the day with ten minutes of meditation.”
Knezevic’s business partner, Laure Ampilhac, co-founder of HA Solutions, is also a firm believer in the power of meditation. Ampilhac turned her life around – from being painfully shy to becoming an outgoing Queen of Networking and public speaker — in part, through a practice of meditation. She facilitates Meditation Works programs throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Leslie Traill, founder, Sexy Over Sixty, is also an advocate for a disciplined practice of meditation. She incorporates meditation into her coaching services to help her clients — women who are in the mid-forties, fifties, sixties and beyond – learn to meditate, get in touch with their bodies and change their body image in their minds, so they can feel sexy when they otherwise might not. At an age north of 60, Traill looks astonishingly fantastic, which leads me to believe she must be doing something right (find out her secrets!)
Lastly, Salimah Kassim-Lakha, is a yoga teacher and founder/director of YogaVision, which offers transformational experiences through kundalini yoga and laughter yoga. Kassim-Lakha has traveled internationally using yoga — an increasingly popular form of meditation — to lead, heal, teach and transform lives.
The interviews for all of these women can be found at: www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.
If you have a story about how meditation has changed your life, or helped you achieve a goal or success, I would love to hear from you.
