Today's exercise uses textures present in your environment, and then some from memory, to connect with the present if you are experiencing intense emotions, stress, isolation, or dissociation.

Then we will start this week's theme of anger to motivate us towards collective action.

Credits, contact, and more info

This podcast series was created, written, edited, produced and is hosted by Jen deHaan.

Jen has a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity from Tufts University, a degree in adult education in the arts, and various certifications and experience in group fitness instruction.

Artwork, logo, and graphics: Jen deHaan.

Chat with us on Discord! Join the discord channel for this show here discord.gg/heTSW9WnN5

Transcript: On episode pages found here.

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This podcast is a StereoForest production. Made and produced in British Columbia, Canada.

The content provided in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health services, therapy, counselling, or medical care. The views expressed are personal opinions and experiences, and individual results may vary. If you have specific mental health concerns, please consult with qualified healthcare professionals. We have some resources to get started here to search for local resources. Please see this page on our site for more info.

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This is a Stereo Forest production from StereoForest

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.com.

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Information, resources and opportunities to support the show

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and connect with others are available at StereoForest

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.com slash Daily Reconnect.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes

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only and is not a substitute for medical

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advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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If you have specific mental health concerns, please

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consult with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Now onto the show.

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In today's episode we'll practice an exercise that

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uses differences in textures, both currently experienced ones

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and those from our real memories, to reconnect

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you to the present.

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Then we'll explore using anger as a motivator.

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Welcome to the Daily Reconnect.

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It's March 10th and I'm your host Janda

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Han.

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This short episode is designed to help you

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reconnect with the present when feeling detached or

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out of sync with the world around you.

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Together we'll re-engage with the wild chaos,

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our physical selves and our inner thoughts.

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Let's reconnect with what's real.

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After our exercise we'll find the energy to

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embrace our day and persist in the ongoing

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challenge that is modern existence.

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Use whatever resonates with you during this practice

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and just discard anything that doesn't feel right.

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You can adapt as we go along.

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This moment is yours to center and rebalance

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and that's what truly matters today.

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You can choose to use something physically from

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your space or you can visualize something if

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you want.

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You can use real textures or you can

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use imagined ones if you prefer.

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We'll do one of each in the exercises

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but you can use all of one or

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the others if you would like to.

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Instead use whatever you have in your space

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whether or not it's urban or indoors.

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So take a deep breath and let's begin

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with the exercise.

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Start by finding a comfortable position for you.

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It can be standing or seated or if

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you're walking find a pace that is comfortable

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to sustain for this exercise.

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Now bring your attention to the sensations in

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your feet.

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Notice the texture of the floor or the

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ground beneath you.

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Is it soft or hard rough or smooth?

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Is it uneven?

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Is it sticky?

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Allow your feet to sink into that sensation

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feeling the weight and the pressure of your

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body in relation to the ground or the

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floor beneath you.

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As you sit or stand or walk let

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your feet become heavy and connect with the

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ground fully.

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Next we will move your awareness to the

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rest of your body.

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Notice the texture of your clothing.

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Is it comfortable or uncomfortable?

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Notice any variations.

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A sweater, your socks, your pantaloons.

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Now notice the sensation of the air on

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your hands and face and how it compares

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to the texture of your clothing.

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For a few moments allow yourself to become

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fully immersed in the tactile experience that's in

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this present moment.

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And now let's use a memory of your

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senses preferably comfortable ones but it's up to

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you.

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If you have a strong tactile sensation to

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draw from let's use that.

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If you don't have one immediately available try

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to think about a time that you were

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in nature.

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Think of touching the bark of a tree,

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the fur of a past pet or the

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memory of warm sand or a warm patio

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on your bare feet.

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Take a moment to visualize that scene from

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your real lived memory.

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Notice the various textures that are present in

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that scene.

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Think about their qualities.

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Notice any emotions that these textures might bring

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up with them.

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Now take another deep breath and when you're

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ready come back to the present.

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Slowly open your eyes if they were closed

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and notice how you feel and take this

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sense of grounding and connection with you throughout

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your day.

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And now we will move on to a

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little bit of motivation.

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So this week in all three episodes we

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will honor anger and use it as a

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tool for positive meaningful motivation.

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So let's get started with that.

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As you begin to reconnect with the present

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moment I invite you to notice what emotions

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are arising within you.

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Maybe from our exercise or maybe from your

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current lived experience.

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Perhaps there's a sense of peace after our

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exercise but perhaps there's also anger or frustration

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or indignation at the state of our world.

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I want you to know something important that

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that anger deserves to be honored.

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In a society that often tells us to

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suppress that anger, especially if we belong to

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certain marginalized groups, recognizing anger as a valid

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thing in and of itself is like an

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act of reclamation.

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Your anger is not a disconnection from presence.

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It can be a profound indication that you

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are deeply connected to things that matter.

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Anger arises when our values are violated.

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When we witness injustice or exploitation is experienced

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or needless suffering is something that we see,

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anger is a natural healthy response to those

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things.

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It's your inner compass that is pointing towards

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what needs healing or attention or transformation.

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The systems of capitalism and fascism would prefer

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us to direct our anger inward as shame

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or outward as division against one another.

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These systems benefit when we're isolated in our

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anger, when we believe that it's just our

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individual personal problem to manage alone.

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But what if instead we allowed that anger

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to guide us back into connection?

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What if we shared honestly and discovered how

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many other people feel the same way?

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In identifying and naming our anger together, we

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can begin to identify our shared values like

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dignity or care, sustainability or acceptance of diversity

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or mutual support.

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Today I encourage you to sit with this

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question.

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What is my anger telling me about what

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matters most to me in this moment?

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Notice the values that you think about following

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that question.

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You can reach out to just one other

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person and share what you've discovered and ask

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them what values they have that drive their

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anger or frustration.

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And this simple exchange might be the beginning

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of collective understanding and this is part of

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what makes meaningful action.

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Remember that throughout history transformative movements weren't built

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on suppressed emotions or forced or toxic positivity.

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They were fueled by people who allowed themselves

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to feel deeply, to name and point out

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injustice, to channel their energy into sustained collective

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action.

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Your anger when recognized and shared with others

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becomes not something that's destructive but something that

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can be a powerful catalyst for connecting with

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each other and moving forward.

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It reminds us that we just care too

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much about these things to remain silent or

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complacent.

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It energizes us when the work of change

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feels like too much.

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As you move throughout your day, carry your

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anger as gifts.

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Not burdens that need to be suppressed but

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powerful indicators that you are aware of things

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and that you are alive to the things

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that matter.

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You're not alone in these feelings and together

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if we are guided by the values that

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we share, we have a lot of power

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together to make change.

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You're present and you're part of something greater,

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of a world that could be better again

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but it's certainly better with you in it

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and there's a lot of different ways to

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go about these things.

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So that's it for today, Monday March 10th.

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Thank you so much for joining me and

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let's connect again on Wednesday.

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Thank you for listening to The Daily Reconnect.

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Episodes are released on Monday, Wednesday and Friday

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every week.

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This show was created, written, hosted, edited and

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produced by Jen DeHaan.

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Links to contact information, ways to support the

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show, transcripts, the free newsletter and our community

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discord can be found in the show notes.

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This is a Stereo Spores production.