Book Promo: Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver

This book will give you insights into the complicated stressors veterinarians manage on a daily basis.

Your veterinarian chose to dedicate his or her life to the altruistic pursuit of tending to the health and lives of pets. What you may not have considered is that the health and life of your veterinarian also needs protecting: he or she is nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than someone among the general population. But there are ways you can help.

Sandy Weaver, author of the groundbreaking new book Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver, is on a mission to ease the lives of veterinarians, one client’s heart at a time.

“I’ve known for years, as have those in the veterinary field, that there was an issue with suicide and veterinarians,” Sandy says. “Then in early 2019, the CDC report on veterinary suicide was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and what had been anecdotal became data: male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely, and female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely, to complete suicide than their non-veterinarian peers.”

Happy Vet Happy Pet is a distillation of Sandy’s research into neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology mixed with data from the CDC report. The result is an impactful approach that weaves easy-to-understand science with stories that touch the minds and the hearts of pet owners — empowering them to be part of the solution.

Chapters dive deep into topics all pet owners should understand, including:

1. The heart, mind and life of a person who decides to become a veterinarian;
2. The very human, very vulnerable person behind the scrubs;
3. The ways clients unknowingly mistreat their pets’ caregivers;
4. Three simple rules to follow to help your veterinary team; and
5. What to do if you feel that someone near you is facing suicidal desperation.

Happy Vet Happy Pet shares Sandy’s unique point of view that it takes a village to save a veterinarian. “Making pet owners mindful of how their behavior impacts their veterinarian mobilizes the village to help solve the problem,” she adds.

This book will change your relationship with your veterinarian and their team forever. And what you learn in this book could save your veterinarian’s life.

Author Sandy Weaver is an expert speaker, trainer, mastermind facilitator and lover of all things dog.

As the Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness, Sandy creates the training programs, workshops, mastermind groups and keynotes that help people lead happier, more successful lives. She is also a citizen-scientist in the fields of neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology. In 2019, she took the resilience tools and strategies she’d been teaching to general audiences and crafted programs specifically for veterinary teams. Her goal is to touch the life of every veterinarian and technician in a way that helps them avoid the pain and despair that comes with an inability to manage stress.

Now in her 40^th year of Siberian Husky ownership, Sandy is a passionate advocate for veterinarians and their teams and an ongoing donor to Not One More Vet.

For more information, please visit  www.centerforworkplacehappiness.com, https://sandyjweaver.com, or connect with the author on social media at https://www.facebook.com/SandyJWeaver/.

Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver
Publisher: Panoma Press
Release Date: January 29, 2021
ISBN-10: 1784529311
ISBN-13: 978-1784529314

Available from Amazon

Book Promo: 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis

7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis:
A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing
with Pandemics & Other Disasters

Elia Gourgouris

Safeguard Your Emotional Health During
Any Crisis With These 7 Practical Steps

 

In our interconnected world, global events impact all of us in one way or another. Knowing how to help ourselves, our families and our organizations navigate a crisis can profoundly affect our emotional health and well-being.

7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters is a must-read for anyone seeking to thrive during challenging times. Written by clinical psychologist Elia Gourgouris and change management expert Konstantinos Apostolopoulos, this easy-to-read book offers powerful, yet practical, insights to help minimize the negative emotional impact of pandemics, natural disasters, financial challenges and other major disruptions.

“Not only will individuals and families find the book helpful in a crisis, so will first responders, healthcare professionals, mental health counselors and wellness coaches,” said Dr. Gourgouris.

Drawing from their real-world experiences, Dr. Gourgouris and Apostolopoulos explain the following seven keys to navigating any crisis:

1. Start with self-care. Be aware of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.

2. Practice awareness. Listen to your intuition or inner wisdom.

3. Choose flexibility so you can adapt, pivot and avoid unnecessary pain.

4. Act now! Preparation is key to your survival.

5. Take initiative by moving into action. Become the navigator in your life’s journey!

6. Cultivate a positive attitude filled with faith and hope.

7. Show kindness to others.

“Each chapter has an end section including points to ponder, questions to consider and action steps to take, so the reader can move beyond just surviving to thriving in a crisis situation,” added Apostolopoulos.

Author Elia Gourgouris, PhD, is the Founder of The Happiness Center, an organization of world-leading experts in the field of positive psychology. Dr. Elia’s previous book, 7 Paths to Lasting Happiness, became an Amazon #1 best-seller. He is an international keynote speaker and happiness expert focusing on corporate wellness and leadership training. He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a UCLA graduate. Dr. Elia is certified by the American Red Cross in Disaster Mental Health Services, having assisted in the 1994 Los Angeles and 2010 Haiti earthquakes, the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and other crises. He’s the co-host of The Kindness Happiness Connection podcast and a Thrive Global contributor. Please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehappinessdoctor/,  https://www.instagram.com/dr.eliag/ or https://www.facebook.com/DrElia.

Co-author Konstantinos Apostolopoulos is the Founder and CEO of Fresh Biz Solutions, a performance consulting and training provider. As an award-winning facilitator and coach, he has successfully delivered hundreds of custom learning events in the US, Canada and Europe for diverse audiences and industries. He is a regular contributor to Thrive Global and other industry publications. As a young man in Greece, he experienced firsthand the devastation left behind by natural and economic disasters. As an adult, he was fortunate to help play a small part in the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Today, he helps others navigate the challenges brought by major events in their lives. Please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkon/.

For more information, please visit www.dreliagourgouris.com; http://freshbizsolutions.com/; or https://www.thehappinesscenter.com/.

7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide
to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters
Publisher: The Happiness Center
ISBN-10: 1734943815
ISBN-13: 978-1734943818

Available from Amazon.com

 

Book Promo: Bonjour, Breast Cancer – I’m Still Smiling!

Bonjour, Breast Cancer – I’m Still Smiling!:
Wit, Wisdom, and Optimism for
Beating the Breast Cancer Blues

by Princess Diane von Brainisfried

Honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month By Finding Your Happiness Mojo In Spite Of Life’s Challenges

There is nothing more terrifying to hear than those three words, “You have cancer.” The world seems to turn upside down and nothing makes sense anymore. Award-winning author and breast cancer survivor, Princess Diane von Brainisfried (aka Diane Young Uniman), knows how it feels – she’s been there. Her new book, Bonjour, Breast Cancer – I’m Still Smiling! is packed with practical advice, humor and encouragement – the perfect mix to find positivity in the face of challenges posed by breast cancer and its accompanying treatment.

Written with a deliciously humorous tone, this essential guide to beating the breast cancer blues combines von Brainisfried’s own experiences and insights with research-based positive psychology strategies. Along the way, she shares wisdom from Socrates, Cherokee legends and her own Jewish great-grandmother to help those facing cancer diagnoses reclaim their happiness mojo and move from fear and despair to positivity and optimism.

From her own breast cancer diagnosis to chemo, baldness, double mastectomy, radiation —and 3-D nipple tattoos — she holds nothing back, imparting refreshing honesty (that’s always dappled with humor) to encourage and empower others on their journeys. Bonjour, Breast Cancer — I’m Still Smiling! is the closest thing to having a hand to hold onto throughout any difficult experience.

Some of the secrets inside:
•    Create blessings out of bad news without needing a magic wand
•    Comfort family and others
•    Tame fear when it is acting like a monkey and going bananas
•    Find the pluses when they pop up

Regaining equilibrium and reclaiming happiness following a cancer diagnosis is not easy. It’s OK to wallow — for a moment. Bonjour, Breast Cancer — I’m Still Smiling! shares a king’s ransom of practical advice and wisdom to find positivity in the face of the challenges posed by breast cancer and everything that goes with it.

When author Princess Diane is not smashing champagne bottles over the bows of ships or blogging her brains out at her palace desk, she’s a motivational speaker and certified positive psychology life coach, the optimist expert for the Women’s Health Institute of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and was a facilitator at Miami’s World Happiness Summit. When the Princess is not wearing her tiara, she is known as Diane Young Uniman, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and criminal justice appeals attorney turned writer of screenplays and musicals. Her work has been featured at Lincoln Center’s Broadway’s Future series and was accepted into Fringe/NYC. She has won over 50 awards for her screenplays and musicals and an ASCAP award for writing. Diane is also an opera singer and an advanced student at the New York School of Practical Philosophy. Bonjour, Breast Cancer — I’m Still Smiling! is her first book.

To learn more, please visit www.princessdianevonbrainisfried.com or connect with her on multiple social media platforms:
Facebook.com/princessdianevonb; Twitter.com/princessdianevonb;
Instagram.com/princessdianevonb; Pinterest.com/princessdvonb;
Youtube.com/princessdianevonb;
Linked.com/linkedin/diane-uniman-bb548635/

Bonjour, Breast Cancer — I’m Still Smiling! Wit, Wisdom, & Optimism for Beating the Breast Cancer Blues
Publisher: HarMaxiProductions, LLC
Release Date: September 2019
ISBN-10: 1732658609
ISBN-13: 978-1732658608
Available on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2MFKCc7

October is
National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month

The Benefits of Being Thankful

Can Gratitude Change Your Life?
Acclaimed Filmmaker Cites 3 Measurable
Benefits of Being Thankful

Filmmaker Doug Vermeeren likes to quote author Robert M. Pirsig when introducing the idea of positive psychology: “The truth knocks on the door and you say, ‘Go away, I’m looking for the truth,’ and so it goes away. Puzzling.”

Positive psychology entails a call for science and psychological practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology, Vermeeren says.

“People can become suspicious when you tell them that they can change their lives with a simple shift in perspective; it can seem too good to be true because it’s an uncomplicated answer to many of life’s challenges. But I’m just one of many who have experienced a measurable life change with gratitude,” says Vermeeren, creator of the new film, “The Gratitude Experiment,” (www.thegratitudeexperiment.com), which demonstrates through individual stories the powerful effects of gratitude on people’s lives.

“I feel that everyone deserves that opportunity.”

He describes three areas in life that can be positively transformed with the power of gratitude:

• Attitude: Gratitude can help us overcome any problem or hardship. It gives us perspective on what’s important, what we truly value and what we have right in front of us. In our small corner of this vast universe, we find the most miraculous thing of all: life. No matter what situation we are in or worries we face, we can always be grateful that we are alive on this beautiful planet. There is a world of possibilities open to whatever attitude we bring to it. Today we can appreciate this opportunity, giving thanks for everything we have and sharing with one another what we are grateful for.

• Health: The positive thinking triggered by our gratitude has proven health benefits, including strengthening the immune system, reducing stress and depression, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, better coping skills during hardship and overall increased sense of well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic. “This isn’t empty, New Age-y fluff,” says Vermeeren, a successful business consultant. “This is testable criteria and measurable health benefits.”

• Relationships: One of the most defining characteristics of the human race is our social nature. We are hardwired to work, communicate and interact with each other. Most of us understand the value of being there for each other, especially during hard times. However, research from the University of California-Santa Barbara shows that it’s also crucial to be proactively positive during normal or good times, as well. Positive reinforcement during good times reinforces bonds and assures a friend, family member or spouse that you’ll be there during hard times. A neutral response to good news from a spouse, for example, implies apathy and that the responder is less involved in the other’s life. “Embrace the good stuff not only in your life, but also in the lives of others,” Vermeeren says.

About Doug Vermeeren

Doug Vermeeren is an internationally renowned movie producer, director and author. His award-winning film, The Opus (www.theopusmovie.com), received critical acclaim and has been translated to more than 23 languages. Random House published the book version in more than 23 countries. His new film, The Gratitude Experiment, is now premiering in many of the world’s biggest cities. The documentary focuses on how awareness and acts of gratitude can positively transform any situation and improve one’s life experiences, both professionally and personally.