Mary and Karen were took an unplanned break from the podcast as they were both in what they call "Funkytown." In this episode, they're back to share what they learned and hope to help others to give themselves grace when they are feeling funky and to come out on the other side. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary talk about being liked. And not being liked. And whether or not it really matters. Not everybody’s going to like you. And that’s ok. If you think that someone doesn’t like you, try to detach from it and move on. Be kind. Even to people that you think don’t like you.  In relationships that really matter, have a conversation if you feel like someone doesn’t like you. You may come to a better understanding of each other. Never waste a cheese ball. Stay in touch. Karen's on Instagram @mommccormick and Mary's @mary.feldman. And be sure to rate, review, and share this episode with a friend so others can find the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary discuss strategies to ensure that conversations end with a mutual understanding of what has been communicated. Here are the takeaways: Test for understanding. Recap your conversations so you know that everyone is on the same page. Put things in writing. Send recaps. They don’t have to be lengthy. It can be a quick text or email. Ask if the other person agrees with the recap. Slow down. Multi-tasking isn’t a virtue. We can really only focus on one thing at a time. Ask questions if you don’t understand what someone is trying to explain.  Stay in touch. Karen's on Instagram @mommccormick and Mary's @mary.feldman. And be sure to rate, review, and share this episode with a friend so others can find the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen’s searching for a new car so she and Mary discuss how the process is going as she makes the difficult decision between getting her dream car and the more practical car.  Here are the takeaways: Drive the car that makes you happy and pay no attention to people that think you look silly. Sometimes you need to treat yourself and sometimes you need to be practical. Don’t deny yourself something because you think that you don’t deserve it. Don’t make a big purchase because just because the sales person is nice. Be sure it’s what you really want.  Find a good friend to work through difficult decisions and be grateful for what you have. We'd love to connect! We're on Instagram @mary.feldman and @mommccormick. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen & Mary discuss a Buzzfeed article entitled, "People Are Sharing The Unwritten Social Rules They Think Everyone Could Use A Refresher On, So Here Ya Go" and find out whether or not they are guilty of some of these faux pas. Struggling with a difficult relationship? Just go to communicatekindly.com where you can schedule a 30 minute zoom call with Mary to chat about ways to make those conversations a little less difficult. Enjoying the podcast? Be sure to share it with a friend and invite them to take a listen. It’s the best way for us to reach more people with our message and to encourage them to communicate kindly! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary sat down with Mary's friend, Steve Mulloy, to have a conversation about a new year’s resolution that he made a few years back to communicate kindly to friends from years gone by. Here are the takeaways: It’s the new year! Why not take time to reconnect with good friends from years gone by? Social media doesn’t give you the depth of connection that an actual conversation does. Quality matters more than quantity. A great time to catch up with friends is when you’re driving. It’s easy to have an uninterrupted conversation on a long drive. Season. Reason. Be judicious about who you reach out to. If a relationship ended for good reason, don’t reignite it. Nurture the relationships that you have that are drama free, pretense free and good for your soul. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Mary and Karen discuss the differences between being nice and being kind. Here are the takeaways: Sometimes our attempts to be nice are not necessarily kind. Being nice is about being socially appropriate and polite, while being kind is more about being thoughtful and considerate from a place of authenticity and truthfulness Not hurting feelings can hurt feelings more in the long run. Being nice instead of being kind can breed resentment. Ask yourself why you’re being nice. Is it based in truth? Is it possible that you’re actually being selfish? Connect with us! We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected] or connect with us on Instagram @mommccormick or @mary.feldman. Communicate kindly...and transform the world one conversation at a time. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Spotify sent a recap of the year and here's what we learned about Communicate Kindly The Podcast: 1. The podcast was streamed in 11 countries. 2. The episode that was shared the most was episode 8: The Big Game. 3. The podcast has a 5 star rating! 4. 68 listeners rate Communicate Kindly The Podcast as a top 10 podcast and 52 listeners rate it as a top 5 podcast. 5. 24 listeners rate it as their number 1 podcast! The episode most downloaded was the very first: "The Dogs." So Karen and Mary are back to have another conversation about communicating kindly and our pets. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen, Mary, and their bestie Lisa sit down and talk about the Thanksgiving dinner. Here are the takeaways: What are you bringing to the thanksgiving table. What kind of energy will you bring, what kind of memories will you bring, what expectations will you have? Will you bring comfort and no judgment? Recognize taboo topics - avoid talking about differences and stay focused on similarities. Don’t talk about politics or religion. Go around the table and have everyone verbalize what they’re thankful for over the last year. Don’t kill the vibe! If everyone’s enjoying the conversation, don’t get up and start cleaning. Consider having open ended questions to ask your guests to get conversations going. Don’t personalize other people’s behavior. Be a rainbow in another person’s cloud and of course, practice empathy. Consider pre-loading your energy before Thanksgiving by spending time doing something you love or spending time with people that make you feel like yourself. Fill yourself up with goodness. Lisa shared some ideas on questions that you can ask to get some conversations going. Here are some suggestions: What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done lately?  What is something people are really surprised to learn about you?  If you had an unlimited budget, what would you do and where would you go?  If you were the host of a talk show, who would be your first guest?  If you could only eat one of the foods on the table, what would it be?  What’s your favorite holiday/sport/book/TV show/movie?  What’s the funniest movie ever made?  What’s your strangest hidden talent?  Let us know what you think. Send us an email at [email protected] or connect with us on Instagram @mommccormick or @mary.feldman. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

This episode was recorded after Karen called Mary to let her know that it was World Kindness Day, so they sat down to talk about the importance of recognizing kindness on this special day and every day. Take a listen. Here are the takeaways. There really is more kindness than unkindness in the world. Recognize whether people are doing their best. It helps you to shed animosity. What we put our attention toward grows. If we look for kindness, we find kindness. If we look for things to be angry about, we’ll find them too. Choose to follow kind things on social media and see if you find yourself less anxious and angry. What are some ways you recognize kindness in your daily life? How are you making it a priority to practice kindness? How do people respond when you practice kindness? We’d love to hear from you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary sit down for another generation gap conversation with college students Kiki McCormick, who happens to be Karen’s daughter and Josey Thorp. You may remember Josey from episode 6 of the podcast called "The College Dating Scene." Be sure to go back to listen if you haven’t heard it. This time, we’re talking about the ex factor. What are the rules around dating the exes of friends? Take a listen.  Here are the takeaways: If you’re in a relationship, no one should have the upper hand. It should be an equal partnership. In dating exes, it depends on the relationship that you have with the friend. Social media friend isn’t a thing. Relationships can get messy. There really are not hard and fast rules. We grow and we mature. Respect yourself and other people. Always practice empathy. You can have empathy and still have boundaries to protect yourself.  Thank you for listening and let us know what you think. You’ll find Karen on Instagram @mommcormick and Mary on Instagram @mary.feldman. Share this episode with a friend and rate and review so others can find it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen celebrated her niece’s bachelorette party and served as the designated driver at the end of the night — only to get pulled over. Here are the takeaways: -When you get a chance to celebrate, dance, and sing karaoke, do it! -Practice party etiquette-if there’s drinking, make sure you designate a driver before the festivities begin. -If you get pulled over while driving, try to be calm, be quiet, and be kind and just answer the questions to avoid a more difficult situation. -Make sure you know where your car’s registration is in case you do get pulled over. It can make the difference between getting a ticket or not. -Respect yourself and other people. Don’t drink and drive. Do you have a story about a time you were pulled over? Let us know in the comments. You’ll also find Karen on Instagram @mommcormick and Mary on IG @mary.feldman. Be sure to rate and review so others can find it and follow Communicate Kindly The Podcast so that you don’t miss an episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary talk to Todd Feldman of Seismic Wellness Labs (and Mary's husband) about his research into early detection of anxiety and depression. They discuss how early detection may help us to develop healthy behaviors so that we can avoid the symptoms of depression and how it could help to increase the capacity for mental health services and care so everyone can get the help that they need. You can get in touch with Todd at seismicellness.com or on Instagram @tfelds. You’ll find Karen on Instagram @mommcormick and Mary @mary.feldman.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary discuss the importance of the occasional 'no do' day to get out of the overwhelm. Here are the takeaways: Make time to have conversations with your friends. We’re all just trying to figure things out. If you are what you do, if you don’t you’re not. We’re all so much more than what we do. Being present in the moment helps you manage the tasks that you’re trying to accomplish. Do one task at a time. If you’re overwhelmed, clean a closet. Take a small task and complete it to make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Take a 'no do' day for yourself. And challenge yourself to a no do no device day to really unplug. You’ll be glad you did. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

In honor of Karen's birthday, Mary and Karen discuss birthdays and the fact that some like to acknowledge their birthdays and some really don’t. Here are the takeaways: When celebrating birthdays, try to understand if the other person wants the celebration. Don’t order the singing waiter unless you’re pretty sure the birthday person will enjoy it! Recognize in other people what they would really appreciate. When you’re doing something for someone else make sure it’s about them and not about you. If you can take the day off on your birthday - do it! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary talk about boundaries and the importance of not only setting them, but expressing what they are. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary sit down with Mary Rose Feldman, a certified Zentangle teacher and Mary's sister-in-law to talk about Zentangle - a mindfulness practice that uses the pen stroke as focus. Here are the takeaways: Zentangle is a mindfulness practice that uses the pen stroke as focus. Repetition helps our mind to reconnect to how we’re feeling body, mind and spirit. The difference between Zentagling and doodling? When we doodle, our pen is doing one thing while our mind is doing something else. In Zentangle, we feel the pen in our hand and our senses are engaged doing one activity in the moment. Daily affirmations help us to communicate kindly with ourselves, build our confidence and change our approach to every day. A fun byproduct to Zentangle is that you can use it to create beautiful art. Go to Mary Rose’s website thesentimentalgift.com and click classes to learn more about Zentangle and the classes that she offers and you’ll also see examples of some of the tiles that she’s created. You can also find her courses at maryrosefeldmanczt.teachable.com/courses. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Mary and Karen catch up with each other after taking a summer break and talk about how Covid can bring out the kindness in people as well as the difficulty in being kind to the unkind. #covidandkindness, #septemberistheotherjanuary, #gretchenrubin, #goodbyesummer, #hellofall, #surrender, #lookattheperson --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

In this episode, Mary and Karen have a conversation about nicknames. Some nicknames we like, some we don’t like and some depend on who is using it. Here are the takeaways: Some nicknames are endearing, some not so much. Know your audience when you use a nickname. If it annoys someone, don’t use it. Honoring the names that people want to be called by is really kind. If you’re not sure if someone likes a name you’re calling them, ask them! Be careful using names like hon, sweetheart, dear with people that you don’t know. They may come across as condescending. Pause, breathe in kindness and take the focus off of ourselves to bring kindness to others. If something’s not being received as a kind gesture, shut it down! Share your thoughts on Instagram @mary.feldman or @mommccormick, email [email protected] or in the comments on your podcast app. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Mary and Karen sit down for a chat with Jen Randazzo. Jen is the author of a children’s book called F.R.O.G. which stands for Fully Rely on God. It’s a sweet story about a Philadelphia-area nun, who is now 89 years old. She carries a little glass frog to remind her to fully rely on God. and passes this message on to the young children she teaches. Take a listen. #communicatekindly#fullyrelyongod🐸 #intergenerationalconnection #intergenerationalconversations #listen#listenwithempathy#listentothevoicewithin --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary meet with Celine McGee, founder of The Compliment Squad! Celine's mission is to spread smiles, kindness & human connection one compliment at a time, which is very similar to the mission of Communicate Kindly--to transform the world one conversation at a time. Be sure to share this episode with friend, rate and review!#communicatekindly #complimentsquad #complimentproject #randomactsofkindness #talkingtostrangers #passion #payitforward #compliment #compliments #phillylove #instagood #complimentsomeone #bekind #positivity #bethechange #inspire #loveislove #youmatter #love #friends #justbeyou #promotepositivity #phillylovenotes #bekind #phillyfamily #butterflyeffect #squadgoals❤️ #squadgoals #complimentpopup #6abcactionnews --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Karen and Mary return from a spring break with a brand new episode to chat about something they've both dealt with their entire lives -- anxiety. Life is a roller coaster. When you get the joy, relish it. Expect the best. Come back to the present moment when you’re feeling anxious. Everyone deserves the best they can give themselves. Anxiety can be your hero if you use it to move forward. We always have a choice.How are you transforming the world one conversation at a time? Please share in the comments or on Instagram @mary.feldman or @mommccormick.#communicatekindly#anxiety #anxietydoesntdefineyou #anxietydoesntdefineme #anxietyisnotweakness --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Mary and Karen talk about righteous anger and specifically about Karen’s anger around a situation regarding the care of her elderly mom. Here are the takeaways from this episode: When confronted with a difficult situation, really try to focus on the facts, staying calm, centered, and firm. With knowledge comes responsibility. Anger can fuel us to improve our society. Think about partnering with those that you have conflict with to make things better. Please let us know your thoughts and share your suggestions on how you might handle something like what Karen’s going through. You can reach out on Instagram @mommcormick or @mary.feldman - we love voice messages that we can share or you can send us an email at [email protected]. Please be sure to share, rate and review! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message

Join the conversation about our conversations. Lifelong friends Mary Feldman and Karen McCormick host this podcast and discuss how we can improve our relationships with ourselves and others by learning to communicate with kindness and compassion. Their mission is to transform the world one conversation at at time.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mary-feldman/message