At 90 years young, Jo Balk has lived a life of challenges and triumphs. With determination, love, therapy and an adventurous spirit, she was able to overcome depression and alcoholism, and have a happy marriage lasting 37 years. Jo talks about growing up with a mentally ill mother, the ending of her first two marriages and the wild adventures she had traveling around the world. Navigate your own life journey by learning about Jo’s. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

- How psychotherapy can save you.

- What really matters in life.

- Things you can do to stay young at heart.

- What relationships teach you about yourself.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/PTBgXXnNyYE

About Jo: 

Jo Balk recently celebrated her 90th birthday.  Like many people who are gifted with longevity, Jo has overcome many challenges in life.  Despite her emotionally trying childhood being raised by a bi-polar mother, Jo excelled in academics and music.  She earned two college degrees while raising two young children during a troubled marriage.  Early in her marriage she battled clinical depression.  Her marriage sadly dissolved after 18 years.  Her second marriage failed after two years.  She slowly spiraled into alcoholism, but after meeting her third husband she realized she could destroy a beautiful, budding relationship and sought help for her alcoholic drinking and stopped cold turkey.  That was 41 years ago!

Between her three marriages Jo raised her two sons and helped raise 7 more kids.  Later she became a CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate, and worked for eight years with an abandoned child who was in foster care.  With her Masters Degree in Counseling,  Jo worked 12 years counseling teens.

Jo and her husband traveled the world on wildlife adventures and she has continued psychotherapy off and on throughout her life.  She is a firm believer that if people who needed counseling had easy access to it, the world might be a safer, more productive place.

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni

Have you ever wondered why you get along with some people and not with others? Or felt that you and your partner can’t see eye to eye? Enneagram expert and teacher, Suzanne Dion, says the answers can be uncovered by understanding which one of the 9 types you identify with in the Enneagram system. Your foundational personality will define how you operate and interact with others in the world. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How nature and nurture both play a role in how you relate to others.
• How the Enneagram can improve communication with your partner.
• The role of acceptance, tolerance and compassion in all relationships.
• How to be a better parent by recognizing your child’s uniqueness.
• How you can turn a negative trait into a positive one.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SQbFIDZHzjE

About Suzanne:

Suzanne is a teacher, coach, and educator of the Enneagram system for personal and professional growth, having certified with the Palmer-Daniels Enneagram Professional Training School, now called The Narrative Enneagram (TNE), Suzanne is one THE SHIFT NETWORK’S Enneagram presenter faculty and was one of the founding board members of the Enneagram Prison Project (EPP). With EPP, Suzanne spent several years developing curriculum and teaching the Enneagram in California jails and San Quentin State Prison to both incarcerated men and women.

Suzanne co-wrote, The Enneagram, Relationships, and Intimacy: Understanding One Another Leads to Loving Better and Living More Fully with her mentor David Daniels, M.D., marrying the Enneagram and Dr. Dan Siegel's Mindful Awareness and attachment research. Her aim is the bettering of human relationships through intrapersonal healing that promotes greater developmental capacity — less relational suffering and greater self-mastery. Her work is about increasing emotional literacy, self-sovereignty, and intimacy — with both self and others.

Connect with Suzanne:

Email: suzanne@suzannedion.com

Website:  https://suzannedion.com

Book: https://a.co/d/3Wyh13N

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube:

You don’t have to be one thing. Work in one thing. Or, accomplish one thing. Vered Cohen-Barzilay shows us that you can be every “thing”, and you don’t have to be relegated to only one box, no matter what challenges you and your family face. Vered talks about growing up with ADHD, surviving financial struggles and utilizing both her creative and engineering talents to make a difference in the world for women, children and human rights.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Ways to recognize and support unique talents in children with ADHD and other differences
• How to celebrate all your talents and put them to good use
• The silver linings in tragedy
• Ways to cope with financial loss
• Why women need to come together for world change

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pDkcfDomjUQ

About Vered: 

Vered Cohen Barzilay is an Israeli-born entrepreneur and advocate for aviation and space. She is the Founder and CEO of “Out of the Box”, an international social enterprise promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in aerospace. Out of the Box trains hundreds of students from high schools, universities and professionals every week in 9 different countries and 3 sections (Israel; USA; Italy). Vered is a mentor at UNOOSA, Space4women program, she is also a mentor at the space accelerator Starburst IAI, she is a Global Women in Leadership Award (GCPIT) winner (2022), 100 TOP Women in Aerospace & Aviation To Follow on LinkedIn 2022, and 1000+ space tech leaders list (2021), Space tech analytics.

Connect with Vered:

Website: https://www.scienceaccelerator.space

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vered-susanne-cohen-barzilay-otb/

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni