123 episodes

The Life Habits mentoring podcast series helps you learn new habits to optimize your life so that you can stay sane in this crazy world. We all have good and bad habits in all aspect of our lives, at work, at home, with friends and associates, in relationships and in our approach to health, spirituality, and our overall outlook on life. We often don’t know that we have certain bad habits and when we do, they’re often difficult to break. Similarly, we often aren’t aware of new habits that would be really good for us and often need to learn ways of forming these good habits and making them stick. Join Karel Vredenburg for this podcast series and optimize your life!

Life Habits Karel Vredenburg

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.5 • 159 Ratings

The Life Habits mentoring podcast series helps you learn new habits to optimize your life so that you can stay sane in this crazy world. We all have good and bad habits in all aspect of our lives, at work, at home, with friends and associates, in relationships and in our approach to health, spirituality, and our overall outlook on life. We often don’t know that we have certain bad habits and when we do, they’re often difficult to break. Similarly, we often aren’t aware of new habits that would be really good for us and often need to learn ways of forming these good habits and making them stick. Join Karel Vredenburg for this podcast series and optimize your life!

    LH123 — Personal Freedom with Dr. Dravon James

    LH123 — Personal Freedom with Dr. Dravon James

    In this enlightening episode, Karel and Paige chat with Dr. Dravon James, author of 'Freedom Is Your Birthright'. Dr. Dravon delves into the transformative power of freedom, gratitude, and introspection. Drawing from her book and personal experiences, she shares invaluable insights on navigating challenges and embracing opportunities for growth.

    With a focus on self-love and personal responsibility, Dr. Dravon emphasizes the importance of cultivating a mindset of abundance and harnessing the power of positive self-talk through practical advice and heartfelt anecdotes.

    Dr. Dravon also discusses topics such as dealing with conflict and turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones. She encourages us to recognize our own worthiness and embrace challenges as opportunities for personal development. Dr. Dravon provides actionable tips for practicing gratitude and unlocking our true potential.

    • 40 min
    LH122 — Hybrid Work: Doing it Right

    LH122 — Hybrid Work: Doing it Right

    Karel and Paige delve into the intricacies of hybrid work, sharing insights and best practices to set you up for success in this evolving work landscape. They explore the transition from mandated remote work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to the current embrace of hybrid work schedules by many companies. Drawing from their personal experiences and inspirational quotes, they emphasize the importance of intentionality and flexibility in navigating hybrid work successfully. Karel and Paige discuss optimizing the work-from-home experience, maintaining work-life balance, and enhancing video conferencing practices. They stress the significance of being intentional when designing hybrid work schedules, encourage setting boundaries, creating ergonomic workspaces, and prioritize self-care. Additionally, they underscore the role of managers in supporting their teams and fostering a healthy work environment. Karel and Paige reinforce a recognition of the ongoing experimentation and learning required to adapt to the new normal of hybrid work and doing it right.

    Recommendations:

    Maintain a consistent appearance both in the office and at home to convey professionalism and consistency to your colleagues.

    When setting up your home workspace, ensure that you have a neutral background, such as a wall, to minimize distractions. Avoid backgrounds with moving objects or people, which can detract from your presence during virtual meetings.

    Invest in quality camera and microphone equipment to enhance your video conferencing experience. Position yourself in the camera frame with your head towards the top, aligning the window displaying other participants' videos just below your camera. This arrangement facilitates natural eye contact and simulates an in-person interaction.

    Pay attention to lighting to ensure your face is well-illuminated without sitting directly in front of a window, which can create glare and shadows. Proper lighting enhances visibility and promotes clearer communication.

    Avoid relying on virtual backgrounds, as they can be distracting and may strain system resources. Opt for a natural background or use a physical green screen for more seamless integration if necessary.

    Prioritize a stable internet connection and adequate bandwidth to prevent disruptions during online meetings. A reliable connection is essential for maintaining clear audio and video quality, fostering productive communication.

    • 29 min
    Be Kind, Age Well Part 2

    Be Kind, Age Well Part 2

    Karel and Paige welcome back MJ Shaar for the second half of our conversation about aging well. We conclude this two part episode with MJ Shaar discussing the key role that kindness plays in helping us age well. She explains how simple acts of kindness can boost mood, improve relationships, and contribute to overall health and well-being. MJ provides practical ways to incorporate kindness into daily life and emphasizes the importance of making kindness a choice rather than a goal. She also highlights the impact kindness has on self-perception and the development of better habits. MJ encourages us all to choose a purposeful retirement that includes being kind to maintain a sense of purpose and meaning in life. From elevating mood to nurturing relationships, kindness emerges as a cornerstone for fostering a vibrant and fulfilling life in later years and the key component for aging well. 

    • 44 min
    Be Kind, Age Well Part 1

    Be Kind, Age Well Part 1

    Karel and Paige welcome back the esteemed MJ Shaar, a returning guest, to delve into the fascinating realm of healthy aging. With extensive research under her belt, MJ unveils the intricate web of factors contributing to this concept. From genetics to lifestyle choices, she navigates through the realms of nutrition, exercise, sleep, love, relationships, self-perception, and finding purpose in life.

    While the World Health Organization defines healthy aging in terms of functional ability and well-being in older age, MJ posits that it transcends mere absence of disease, encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being. She underscores the pivotal role of lifestyle choices in fostering longevity, resilience, and overall health.

    Crucial elements for aging gracefully include maintaining proper nutrition, engaging in regular exercise to build muscle, ensuring adequate sleep, and nurturing strong relationships and social connections. MJ delves into the profound link between thoughts and biology, highlighting how kindness can elevate mood and give life a sense of purpose.

    Throughout the discussion, MJ champions the significance of human connection, emphasizing the power of micro connections in fostering kindness. She explains the health benefits of these micro connections and advocates for embracing random acts of kindness. Furthermore, MJ underscores the importance of eye-to-eye contact in fostering genuine connection.

    The episode concludes with a poignant reflection on how kindness serves as a cornerstone for aging well. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this enlightening discussion on Wednesday, March 13th, as Karel, Paige, and MJ delve deeper into the theme of "Be Kind, Age Well"

    • 59 min
    LH119 — Lifelong Learning

    LH119 — Lifelong Learning

    Karel and Paige devote this episode to discussing the importance of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is defined as on-going, voluntary, self-motivated learning in the pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. In last week’s episode LH118 — Landing the Job, one of the recommendations was to further improve your skills. This episode expands on that recommendation and explores lifelong learning that is outside of career advancement and opportunities. Karel and Paige provide 11 recommendations for pursuing lifelong learning and highlight its benefits such as personal growth, staying relevant in a changing world, and making a positive impact.

    Recommendations:

    Identify Your Learning Style and How You Learn Best
    Take Stock of Your Knowledge
    Determine Where to Gain Knowledge
    Use Google Search, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and ChatGPT
    Utilize Local Libraries and Librarians
    Read Books and Listen to Audiobooks
    Watch Documentaries
    Explore Educational Platforms
    Consider Bootcamps
    Pursue Formal Education and Continuing Education
    Non-Obvious Ways of Learning

    • 36 min
    LH118 — Landing the Job

    LH118 — Landing the Job

    Many people are out of work right now, especially in the tech sector. Paige and Karel devote this episode to providing strategies on the entire journey of finding and then Landing the Job. This episode is an expansion of LH55 — Getting the Job where Karel mostly talked about the job interview. You can listen to that episode here.

    Recommendations:

    1. Read the job post and job requirements carefully.

    2. Make sure you satisfy the basic requirements of the job.

    3. Make sure your application clearly demonstrates your suitability.

    4. Create multiple resumes, each for a particular job you’re applying for.

    5. Ask a friend of ChatGPT to review your resume and ways to improve it.

    6. Take the perspective of the hiring manager and organization executive.

    7. Don’t unquestioningly follow advice being given (including this advice).

    8. Continue to improve your skills and experience.

    9. Consider creating your own job.

    • 39 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
159 Ratings

159 Ratings

EricaBushwell ,

Awesome podcast!

Karel, host of the Life Habits podcast, highlights all aspects of health, wellness and more in this can’t miss podcast! The host and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

CaraF13 ,

Love the length and the content!!

It was so fun for me to come across this podcast! I couldn't decide which episode to listen to first. I thoroughly enjoyed one about optimizing travel and Karel hit on all the vital points! Thanks for reminding me of the importance of keeping it simple, how to help avoid worst case scenario, and tips for traveling with enjoyment! I look forward to more!

Cynthia Tripathi ,

Love This Podcast!

Karel's podcast is excellent! Very inspiring and his guest always have valuable information for motivation. You will love this podcast! Karel has a great background in Clinical Psychology and provides fantastic insight to creating positive life habits. Thanks for this Karel!

Top Podcasts In Health & Fitness

Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
iHeartPodcasts
Pursuit of Wellness
Mari Llewellyn
Passion Struck with John R. Miles
John R. Miles

You Might Also Like

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Motley Fool Money
The Motley Fool
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris
Ten Percent Happier
Science Friday
Science Friday and WNYC Studios
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Vox Media Podcast Network
The Doctor's Farmacy with Mark Hyman, M.D.
Dr. Mark Hyman