Love on the Air - Podcast of The Whole Parent

Let’s Set Our Goals, Let’s Find Our Next Partner

It’s a vicious cycle.
SEEK > ATTRACT > PURSUE > DATE > KISS > [HAPPY EVER AFTER] (THE GOAL)
but mine keeps looking more like this
SEEK > ATTRACT > PURSUE > DATE > KISS > [BREAK UP] (THE FAILURE)
But, there’s hope. Here’s the idea. If we’re failing, we’re at least learning. We’re still in the arena. We’re still working on ourselves and our relationship skills. If we find ourselves, once again, at the ending, a magical thing happens. If you’re like me, the ending of a relationship, no matter how great it seemed as it emerged, the ending is a new beginning. The world, the blue sky, my open heart, now has no limits.
Read the full post here: Cracking Open the Heart of Happiness

Time, The Currency of Modern Relationships

Let’s not kid ourselves, if we’re interested in having a relationship with someone, we are going to have to take the time to be with them. If we don’t have the time, we’re either going to make more time (prioritize) or we’re not going to make time. It’s the biggest indicator of relationship success or failure. And it even shows up in the earliest interactions as we’re starting to date.
“Why can’t we make time to get together?”
read the full post on The Whole Parent: Time Is the Currency

Containing Your Monkey Mind with Mindfulness

If you’ve ever tried to meditate or work on quieting your mind, you’ll know exactly what is meant by “monkey mind.” It’s the reactive, animal, untamed, stream of thoughts that course through our active consciousness all the time. Many people try to ignore or subdue the monkey mind with alcohol or hyper-fitness.
Most attempts to shut down or suppress the swirling thoughts are actually counterproductive. We try to ignore a bad thought and it gets stronger rather than weaker. We try to redirect an addition (in my case, to sugar) with hard-core discipline and self-control. And again, the monkey mind overwhelms us, yet again. Let’s take a different approach.
Rather than drugging the monkey mind with alcohol or extreme exercise, rather than trying to sublimate desire for something we want to avoid, let’s move towards the pain, the struggle, the monkey mind. Let’s embrace the monkey’s paw, and get on with our lives in harmony with the furry little beast.
Read the full post here: Monkey Mind on the Whole Parent

Capturing Love, Loss, and Laughter in the Moment

There’s a lot to be said about the benefits of journaling. For me, writing crystallizes the thoughts in my head. I generate structures, ideas, frameworks, for holding many different aspects of my life. Poems. Songs. Short-short stories. This blog. I write. It’s what I do. And it helps me process all that is going on around me, even in the moment, when I’m not writing it all down.
Read the entire post here: Capturing Love
 
Check out all the episodes of Love on the Air.

The Slow Road to a Healthy Relationship: Patience and Kindness

Let’s say there’s a partner you’ve had your eyes on for some years. There appears to be mutual interest. Coffee dates are accepted with grace and laughter. The “dates’ go well. And then… nothing. You take this as a sign and move along. Still thinking about this person, but willing to take their scheduling issues as a sign. And then they’re back in your life, for your own reasons, and you’re single and you offer another coffee date. The ask is accepted with the same enthusiasm and glee as before, and there’s a promise to “get on my calendar and find the time.”
READ THE EPISODE HERE: Slow Road

When the Sexual Chemistry Knocks the Sense Right Out of You

 
Have you ever met someone and felt the immediate electrical shock of sexual chemistry? It is sort of the panacea most of us are seeking when we approach our next lover/relationship/partner. Maybe not everyone is into sex, but… Well, I’ll leave it at that. When the sexual chemistry is on, I know immediately that I am in trouble. I need to take sexual intelligence into consideration and not just sexual chemistry.
You can read this entire podcast here on The Whole Parent.
Thanks,
John McElhenney

The Power of Sex: Let’s Explore the Edge of the Unknown Together

In my conversation with Krysta Rosina, I am delighted to learn about her sex-positive approach to life and living. From an ecstatic tantric experience several years ago, she redirected her life's work. In this conversation, we explore her first massive tantric event. Wow. I was a little envious. And we quickly moved on to stories of love, intimacy, and looking for the one. 
"I was really focused on finding the perfect partner," she says about herself, pre-awakening. "I chased desire, but those relationships didn't last very long. I knew there was something more."
She has put the last several years into that journey of discovery. And in this conversation, we will talk about her work as a sex-positive practitioner. What does that even mean? And what is sex-positive? Why are these younger women getting so jazzed up about breaking down the stigma surrounding sex in our modern culture? 
The conversation ran long, and I talked too much, but it was energizing and delightful. We end in a quick check-in and meditation. A momentary namasté for all of us, along our own journeys to discover our true inner bliss.
You can find Krysta's work on her website: krystatantric
A goddess for sure.
Stay loving. Be more loving to each other. And most importantly, be extra loving to yourself. We're all healing in these tough times. Keep going. Bliss is within your body and within your reach. 
Namasté,
John McElhenney – life coach austin texasFacebook  | Instagram | Pinterest |  @wholeparent

Finding Balance in a World Addicted to Getting *High*

When we are mood challenged, we’ve got to assemble our care team with care and focus. You need professionals on your team. A talky doctor, a meds doctor, and others, who can guide and support you through the challenging journey ahead. If you know you’re moody, maybe begin to observe what things take you higher and what things bum you out. Do more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff.
To my friends and lovers who have suggested my antidepressants are unhealthy or masking my real feelings… Um, yes, I love you, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Let’s establish some healthy boundaries right upfront. The Al-Anon program will give you a great system for staying focused on your own issues and not the issues of another person.
I alone am responsible for how I navigate each day of my life. My care team comes into play when I have questions or need a fresh perspective on what I’m struggling with. Make sure you’ve got people around you that you can contact when you need them.
 
Read the full article here: Finding Balance

Introduction to Love on the Air (Episode 0.5)

Each one of us wants to feel loved. We seek a partner. We navigate dating introductions to hopefully find someone to share our lives with. We commit to a relationship and try to make it work. We fail. And we find the courage and energy to start over.
We all want to be loved. We seek love. We find someone to love. Then what happens next?
Being in a loving relationship is a continuous process of micro-corrections in our everyday lives together. We will all have difficulties and disagreements, the trick is how we choose to address them as a couple. In a healthy and consciously aware relationship, we can make choices that move us towards our partner.
read it all at The Whole Parent

Sexual Fulfillment: I Don’t Know The Answer, Let’s Find Out Together

Here’s the thing we all want to talk about. Or, we don’t want to talk about. But, we need to talk about. There is a lot we don’t know about sex.
My sex. Your sex. Sex with another person. Sex other than hetero-ciz white male sex. That’s my DNA, I can’t change it. I’m willing to learn. I’m willing to discover our sexual preferences. I’m even open to exploring my outside edge when it comes to sexual turn-ons and turn-offs. What I don’t know about, I won’t assume I don’t like. “Let’s find out together.”
Read the entire article here: Sexual Fulfillment