Season 01, Episode 02 Jan 26, 2024 Originally recorded on December 6, 2024 68 MINUTES SPEAKERS: Dr Adi Jaffe, Dayna Del Val SUMMARY In this conversation, Adi Jaffe, PhD, and Dayna explore the complexities of addiction, mental health and societal definitions of normality. They discuss the stigma surrounding addiction, the fluidity of what is considered normal and how these concepts impact individuals, especially children. The conversation delves into the relationship between substance use and underlying mental health issues, emphasizing the importance of understanding the root causes rather than merely labeling behaviors. In this conversation, Adi explores the complexities of addiction, emphasizing the interplay between biological factors and environmental influences. He…
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Reflections on Resilience: finding strength and joy on Maui’s shores
Go back and revisit your younger self. Marvel at your naïveté and optimism, tremble at what you know is coming and, most importantly, celebrate what you’ve overcome, what you are overcoming.
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Life lessons learned in Bath, England
Putting on events, launching new programs, starting a business...taking whatever leap you're considering taking is never easy, but regardless the work it requires, you better be able to say it was fun to do or what in the world is the point?
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This little kitchen in Burnham, England, Spark and 16 years ❤️
That little house brought us back together, slowly but surely, as we carefully danced around and with each other, mending the hurts and traumas of the past years; its small doorways and rooms gently forcing us to reach toward each other versus apart until we’d (re)discovered and built upon our initial attraction to create an abiding love.
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Embrace change: Work toward your Spark in May
2016 Dayna Del Val would ruefully laugh in your face if you showed her this blog post. That year, only months before Mazz got sober, I was, again, contemplating how to leave him, how to walk away from what felt like an endless, slow, sad spiral to a bottom I couldn't see and didn't understand. There was no indication that anything was going to get better or ever be different.
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The beauty of saying yes
Spontaneity is an under-valued trait. There's a lot of upside to not knowing how something's going to go and saying yes anyway. I'm not saying to be insane—there are certainly places to stop, take a breath and consider the options, weigh the pros and cons and seek advice from others. But mostly, saying yes is about trusting your own instincts, getting quiet and listening to that inner voice that's guiding you, trying to help direct your inner traffic if you'll only stop and pay attention.
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Shame and isolation be damned
Shame at what's weighing you down breeds an almost frenzied desire to isolate. Mustn’t be discovered by everyone else, by anyone else–no one will understand what you’re going through; shame convinces you that you are the only person who has “failed” in this way, fallen down or been dragged down by someone else. Isolation, in turn, feeds fully off the stories you continue telling yourself as the shame piles higher and higher, burying you under its massive, crushing layers.
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How big is your glass?
The point is, the great majority of us are doing the best we can in the time of life we're in. Could I be doing more to be intentional and manifesting and letting go? Could I be stretching more? Could I stop eating mindless treats at 2:30 every afternoon? Probably.
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Discover Your Couple’s SOBER Spark experience (virtual)
Dr Marry and I are fresh from coming off a very successful Eat. Drink. Spark! Couple’s experience. It went so well that we’re launching our next Discover Your Couple’s SOBER Spark virtual event. Find everything you need to know here and then sign up to join us for a fun, informative and informal date night on Saturday, October 7 from 7-9pm CDT. October might feel like it’s a long way off, but we all know how fast the fall goes once it gets back into the swing of it. This experience is a fabulous night of connecting with yourself, your partner and with other couples where one or both are…
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What’s your origin story?
Origin stories are all over our media landscape today. Everything from (practically) every Marvel and DC character to the Bridgerton, Star Trek and Star Wars series to the musical Wicked are taking us backwards in time to where the characters we first met at one stage of their lives began. It’s an interesting concept to consider for yourself, too. How in the world did you end up…here? Just consider one aspect of your life. For instance, how did you end up with your current/last partner? Example A (for love) Here’s the quick origin story of how I got to Dr Marry: To avoid teaching after completing an English secondary education…
