Are you interested in building a more diverse and equitable world? Do you want to learn how to communicate your emotions through a neuropsychological lens? Delusional Optimism with Dr. B is a podcast where we break down complex concepts into easy to understand actionable information. There are five overarching themes in Delusional Optimism; Resilience & Protective Factors Child Development & Parenting Emotions & Neuroscience Diversity & Equity In every episode, we will dig deeper into one or more of these bigger concepts and provide relatable stories and examples of how to approach the world with an informed and OPTIMISTIC mind! The goal is to connect and build a community that is open to learning how the brain works and what we can do to maximize our resilience, build protective factors into our world that support resilience from the beginning of life. Let’s Leave a Lifeprint!
Episodes
Monday Mar 08, 2021
Monday Mar 08, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and co-host Seth Creekmore talk about raising children ages three to five years old. Dr. B explains the developmental stages of this period of life and how they relate to each other. Listen as she shares tips on how to parent a child in these age groups for your sanity as well as theirs.
“Yes, we’re parents, but what are parents? They are the guides. We’re walking them from one stepping stone to the next.” - Dr. B [10:29]
What You Will Learn:
[00:37] Intro
[03:21] The stories behind the names
[05:25] Threenagers
[07:21] How age groups affect each other
[13:38] Tips to parent three-year-olds
[21:10] How much this applies to adulthood
[22:56] Difference between three-year-old and four-year-old
[27:04] Allowing them to expand their personal preference
[31:12] Masculine energy vs feminine energy with primary adults
[36:44] Fivers
[38:57] Why it’s important to be careful with what adults are around your child
[45:05] Guiding five-year-olds to draw their own boundaries
[48:35] We don’t have to be perfect
[50:51] Outro
Leave a lifeprint!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Mar 01, 2021
Monday Mar 01, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and co-host Seth Creekmore discuss what toddlers need from 24 to 36 months. This stage of life can be a frustrating one, but Dr. B shares why parents should celebrate and appreciate their toddler saying no and setting boundaries during this period. Listen as she talks about why parents should be careful with what they say in front of their toddler and how toddlerhood plays into sibling dynamics.
“Imitation is a cornerstone of toddlerhood.” - Dr. B [05:29]
What You Will Learn:
[00:36] Intro
[02:06] Dr. B’s favorite thing about the toddler stage
[05:26] What to know about this age
[08:17] Some realistic examples and experiences
[11:40] Sibling dynamics and ACEs
[20:54] Why it’s important to understand the purpose of toddlerhood
[23:02] Parent-infant mental health
[25:29] Actionable takeaways
[30:46] Outro
Leave a lifeprint!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Monday Feb 22, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and co-host Seth Creekmore talk about what babies need from birth to 24 months. She shares examples of things babies must go through between birth and 24 months as well as some common parenting myths that are harmful and misleading.
“Parenting and understanding children, it’s like having a loaf of bread, the slices of ages and stages that children go through that then have experiences woven in.” - Dr. B [02:44]
What You Will Learn:
[00:37] Intro
[02:34] How Dr. B want people to think about parenting
[04:06] Common myths about parenting babies that are harmful and misleading
[13:10] Some realistic examples on how to survive birth to 2
[20:14] Object permanence and depth psychology
[29:35] Why differentiation is important for toddlers
[33:45] Actionable takeaways
[39:54] Outro
Leave a lifeprint!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Monday Feb 15, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and co-host Seth Creekmore talk about parenting and resilience. Dr. B. defines the term and what it means to be a parent, using her family as an example. Listen to how parents can help their children overcome adversity and thrive to become happy, productive people.
“That’s really the one thing when I ask parents what do they want for their children. They always say ‘I just want my children to be happy.’” - Dr. B [05:33]
What You Will Learn:
[00:37] Intro
[02:03] Dr. B’s children and if her training ever gets in the way of her parenting
[04:44] Defining resilience
[05:51] The definition of being a parent
[08:18] How important the initial relationship is with biological mother
[13:14] How parents’ ACEs affect children
[15:58] How to be delusionally optimistic about this
[25:21] Actionable takeaways
[30:02] Outro
Leave a lifeprint!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Monday Feb 08, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and co-host Seth Creekmore continue with their review of the ACE series and answer more questions from listeners.
“We need to be aware of our impact on other people’s spirit or soul or emotional body, because actually that’s more harmful in the long run than stabbing someone with a knife.” - Dr. B [25:35]
What You Will Learn:
[00:37] Intro
[01:54] If there’s a disparity in ACE scores with marginalized communities
[06:19] If trauma in early childhood causes resistant towards authority
[16:26] Micro-emotions, universal emotions and confirmation bias
[21:54] What foster/resource parents should know about ACEs for LGBTQ children
[28:28] What is reverse engineering foster care
[32:27] How the root causes the ACEs
[37:47] One thing people can do to comfort themselves
[41:17] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
Don’t Feed into the Trauma Cycle episode
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina L. Love
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B wraps up the ACE series with a review with co-host Seth Creekmore and answers questions from listeners.
“I really think that it’s our time in history to embrace our young children and really recognize that that’s the transformation of our society.” - Dr. B [20:36]
What You Will Learn:
[00:37] Intro
[2:15] The feedback Dr. B has received on the ACEs series and what surfaced as she recorded the episodes
[5:11] What she’s excited about for the upcoming series about parenting
[07:22] Things that can affect how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts kids
[11:18] Definitions of ages and stages and how they relate
[17:00] If trauma has the same effect on the brain after the age of 18 as ACEs do to brains under the age of 18
[20:54] How adverse childhood experiences impact self-efficacy in adulthood
[28:36] The best way for people in support roles to help children experiencing ACEs
[33:26] The emotional impact of life on children’s physical health
[38:??] What is ”good enough” parenting
[40:26] Practices or habits that can metabolize stored-body and/or cellular trauma
[49:48] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
D.W. Winnicott’s “good enough mother”
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B talks about how prevention is intervention. She discusses studies, such as The Abecedarian Project, that reveal the importance of early childhood development. She also shares a few interventions that could lead to better health outcomes.
“When we protect the vulnerable from the invincible first, we create strong, healthy, thoughtful and relational communities.” - Dr. B [9:42]
What You Will Learn:
[0:36] Intro
[02:13] How saving money saves a lifetime of pain
[06:00] How scaffolding and support leads to resilience
[10:43] What is The Abecedarian Project
[19:55] James Heckman’s study
[24:25] What the The Abecedarian Project revealed
[26:11] The metabolic syndrome
[29:37] A list of interventions
[34:24] Actionable takeaways
[37:01] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina L. Love
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Our partners:
ACEs Aware: www.acesaware.org
Every Neighborhood Partnership: www.everyneighborhood.org
Saint Agnes Medical Center: www.samc.com
Truth Work Media: www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Monday Jan 18, 2021
In this episode of "Delusional Optimism," Dr. B highlights the importance of taking care of ourselves, and of cultivating that practice in children. She also explains the neuroscience around empathy and compassion while addressing racial disparities in healthcare.
Listen to how you can take a better care of yourself and the people around you without the risks of over-empathising.
“We know that Covid-19 disproportionately impacts communities of color. Racism is alive and well, not only in our hospitals and our medical offices, but it's really in our society as a whole, which has been uncovered dramatically and almost instantaneously on a broad scale with Covid-19.” - Dr. B [04:03]
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[01:36] Caregiving and the question of race in the midst of a global pandemic
[04:41] Systemic racism and the access to healthcare
[10:30] The neuroscience around empathy and compassion: race relations
[30:00] Resilience and optimism
[35:08] Some actionable takeaways: words matter; be kind to yourself and to others; figure out what your affirmations are and say them to yourselves daily
[38:57] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
Book mentioned: “We Want to Do More Than Survive” by Bettina L. Love
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
In this episode of "Delusional Optimism," Dr. B explains the need to trace back earlier patterns of unresolved emotional conflict in our past, understand trauma in our present life and work towards breaking the cycle of trauma transmission through generations.
Understand how unresolved reminiscence from the past affects your relationships in the present.
“This is at the heart of how intergenerational trauma works, it's about the reminiscence of the past that impacts the relationships in the present.” - Dr. B [10:39]
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[02:46] Intergenerational trauma: causes and prevention
[08:00] Ghosts from the past vs. trauma
[22:03] How can we still be resilient?
[27:20] Some actionable takeaways: ask questions; be curious and learn your story; acknowledge and learn about different people’s experiences; see professional support with a trained infant mental health provider
[32:38] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
This show is published and produced by the team at Truth Work Media. Truth Work Media creates podcasts and develops content for businesses and clients of all sizes. Truth Work Media helps tell your business's story, and brand your message in an engaging way. Check them out at www.truthworkmedia.com
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
In this episode of "Delusional Optimism," Dr. B explains the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance misuse. She unravels how trauma can manifest in various forms of addiction, and calls for the need to have conversations about drugs that are centered on trauma.
“People overcome addiction but it requires retraining and building a new set of neural pathways to rely on safety, stability, and security. ” - Dr. B [24:04]
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[00:32] The correlation between adverse childhood experiences and drug addiction: how does trauma lead to drug misuse?
[09:32] A personal experience with addiction
[21:15] Some actionable takeaways: remember that addiction is a consequence of trauma; have early conversations on drug misuse with children and friends; recognize if someone in your family misused drugs or alcohol
[27:22] Outro
Wear a mask and find your calm!
Resources:
Email Dr. B: contact@drbconnections.com
Visit her website: www.drbconnections.com
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dr.bconnections
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.beasley
This show is published and produced by the team at Truth Work Media. Truth Work Media creates podcasts and develops content for businesses and clients of all sizes. Truth Work Media helps tell your business's story, and brand your message in an engaging way. Check them out at www.truthworkmedia.com