Asking For A Friend with TalkDoc

#039: Family Survival Kit Part 6 - Wise Words from 2021

Are you a regular listener but missed some episodes along the way? Or are you brand new to AFAF and looking for the best of what you’ve missed? No matter who you are, we bet you’ll enjoy our recap in this episode of the guests we hosted on the podcast this year. Dr. Pamela Kreiser, along with Meredith and Teighlor discuss some of the practical wisdom each guest shared that can help sharpen communication in your everyday relationships.

So sit back for a quick tour of our guest episodes.  Then choose what to listen to again or for the very first time so you can put our guest’s insights to work for you over the holidays. Music by epidemic sound. 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. Click here to see and hear our conversation.

Check out our website:  AFAFpodcast.com

 

 

#038: Family Survival Kit Part 5 - How to Manage Differences with Family

In this episode, TalkDoc breaks down the communication concept of distance versus difference. The team shares personal examples and survival kit tools for how to manage the work at the holiday table. Imagine your gatherings as you listen this week. When you sit at the table, does everyone think exactly the same on every topic? Probably not. So how do you manage the difference? Do you want to bring up topics that are polarizing at the dinner table? Is your goal to be right or do you want to create a welcoming environment of warmth?  Are you thinking of topics that foster commonality or the topics that you know will accentuate the difference? And when it’s time to speak up, have you prepared your response? Examine your goals and stick to them. Perhaps focusing on commonality could be part of your survival kit this year. As TalkDoc reminds us, this will take intentional planning and intention to have a different holiday. 

 

Music by epidemic sound. 

#037: Family Survival Kit Part 4 - How to Handle Bad Behavior

We all have relationships we want to maintain long-term. But sometimes, especially over the holidays, bad behavior by others can test the limits of our goodwill even if it is unintentional. 

In this episode of “Asking For A Friend," listen in as Dr. Pamela Kreiser, with colleagues Meredith and Teighlor, discuss their own experience with and response to holiday bad behaviors. They share their own personal stories and how they drew on a number of the tools that have been unpacked in previous episodes to shift conversational gears from bad behavior to more productive outcomes.  

You’ll hear practical tips for dealing with repeated patterns, how to redirect others away from dictating what’s right for you, and how to use reframing to turn a poorly asked question into a bridge to a healthier relationship. Music by epidemic sound. 

Check out our new website:  AFAFpodcast.com

 

#036: Family Survival Kit Part 3 - How to Skip Guilt Trips

The holidays are a journey.  And for most of us one of the experiences along the way will be an encounter with guilt. Guilt that is either directed towards us or perhaps even (cringe) guilt we dish out on our own.  Either way it pays to plan ahead and be prepared with the gear we need to make sure guilt doesn’t become a detour that steals joy from the trip.
 
In this episode of “Asking For A Friend,” Dr. Pamela Kreiser shares some tools you can use to weather or even avoid the guilt storms.  She is joined by her cohosts - Meredith and Teighlor, for a conversation about putting these tools to work in your everyday relationships.
 
You’ll learn about heavy communicators and the role they may play in fostering guilt, what to do to combat it, and how to avoid falling into the trap of communicating guilt laden messages yourself.  You’ll also hear references to topics discussed on earlier episodes of “Asking For A Friend,” that are a jumping off point for a deeper dive on getting equipped to skip the guilt trip. Music by epidemic sound. 

This episode is now available in video format on YouTube.

Check out our new website:  AFAFpodcast.com

 

#35: Family Survival Kit Part 2 - How to Manage Family Rules and Traditions

Have you ever unexpectedly bumped into a tradition at a family holiday gathering that seemed normal to everyone there except you?  A warning not to sit in a certain chair? An obligation to eat a slice of Aunt Mary’s fruitcake? Did it feel like a rule or expectation you were being forced to play along with? 

If you’ve had encounters of this kind (and most of us have), then you know the complications your potential responses can create for the relationships you have with those you care about and love.

In this episode of “Asking For A Friend,” Dr. Pamela Kreiser aka TalkDoc with her colleagues Meredith and Teighlor, discuss strategies for managing traditions and rules that may be the norm for one family but not ok with you. You’ll learn how planning ahead can relieve the tension created by expectations and what to consider when setting boundaries “in the moment.”  You’ll also learn the concept of “fractionation” - a powerful strategy for resizing potential conflict. Music by epidemic sound.

Available also on youtube.com - Asking For A Friend with TalkDoc Podcast

#034: Family Survival Kit Part 1 - How to Manage Expectations

The holidays are coming and if you’re like us, there’s gonna be some added stress around this season. In this episode, we begin our 6-part series: “Family Survival Kit for the Holidays.” Many of us have expectations of the perfect holiday, but that can be problematic for most. As TalkDoc suggests, we can minimize some of the expected conflict by planning ahead, especially by planning our communication. We want to be practical about what we can improve. We’ll start by unpacking what a communication survival kit entails and have a laugh at our expense as we share some of our own shortcomings. Looking back at what we’ve learned from previous episodes will help us manage expectations and guide us through this holiday season. Now available in video format on YouTube! Check out our YouTube channel: Asking For A Friend with TalkDoc Podcast. 

Music by epidemic sound.

 

#033: Blooper Reel 3

As we celebrate our 9 Month-A-Versary, we continue to grow our podcast now reaching 46 states and over 55 countries! Listen to TalkDoc, Teighlor and Meredith’s latest blooper reel to hear more of our uncoordinated moments. Special thanks to our listeners who have supported our first nine months of podcasting in spite of our imperfections. Thank you listening to Asking For A Friend with Talkdoc!

Check out new web page:   AFAFPodcast.com

Don't miss our upcoming series called "Family Survival Kit for the Holidays" coming on November 16, 2021.

Music by epidemic sound.

#032: Leading Questions - How to Ask Neutral Questions

“Did you have a good day at school?” 

“Did you like the service we provided you tonight?”

“Weren’t you sick on Tuesday?”

All of us have encountered questions like these - framed to lead us to answer in a specific manner. 

In this episode of “Asking For A Friend," Dr. Pamela Kreiser, aka TalkDoc, will help you identify the 4 types of leading questions.  Co-hosts, Teighlor and Meredith join TalkDoc for a conversation about the danger of responding as-is to these “question traps” and how to re-frame the questions to elicit  answers that build rather than control dialogue for healthier relationships with others.

Check out our new website:  AFAFpodcast.com

Music by Epidemic sound.

#031: Shhhhhhh: How to Manage Silence

From time to time we all experience silent moments during our conversations. How we utilize and respond to the quiet spaces between what we are saying to each other can either nurture or decelerate the progression of our everyday relationships. 

In this episode of “Asking For A Friend,” TalkDoc explores silence as a space for something new to happen.  You’ll learn how to manage the awkwardness and tension that silence can create to improve the quality of your interactions with others.  Meredith and Teighlor join TalkDoc to discuss silence from a variety of perspectives and provide practical advice on managing silence. 

 

Music by epidemic sound.

#030: AFAF with Jason Harper on How To Resolve Conflict

Are you experiencing conflict in a close, personal relationship?  Are you searching for ways to overcome communication roadblocks in order to bring your relationships to a new and better place?
 
In this episode of “Asking For A Friend,” join TalkDoc, Meredith and Teighlor as they interview Jason Harper, mediation expert and conflict coach.  Jason brings his wealth of credentials and experience to the conversation offering practical insights to better work through conflicts and find resolution. 
 
Jason shares his unlikely path and winding road through his legal and corporate experience and what it has taught him - there is no such thing as conflict prevention. He shares valuable lessons he’s learned on the way including the most helpful process steps to conflict resolution, how healing in community can overcome suffering in isolation, and the power of listening for unmet needs.

Music by epidemic sound.