I first met the lovely Brenda Adelman on the coaching networks. When I first heard her story, and about her current work, I knew that she had to be a guest on my show “The Garden of the Soul.” Read on and you’ll see why.

Originally from Brooklyn (like me!) but now residing in Los Angeles, California, Brenda is an award-winning actress, Unity Church Prayer Chaplain, and Forgiveness Coach. What is a “forgiveness coach”? It is someone who works with clients at a deeply spiritual level to enable them to “forgive the unforgivable.” For her outstanding work in the field of forgiveness, helping others to forgive, and overcoming tremendous forgiveness of her own challenges as well, Brenda was the recipient of Hero of Forgiveness Award from the International Hawaii Forgiveness Project in 2008.

What makes Brenda a hero of forgiveness? In 1995 she heard a shot that, as she describes it, “shattered her world” when her mother was shot and killed at point-blank range… by her father. If that would not be enough for one young person to forgive, her father then went on to marry her mother’s sister. On the show, Brenda read an excerpt of this story as she tells it in her upcoming book, Forgive and Be Free: A Pathway to Personal Happiness. I must say that it is gripping and chilling at the same time. The shock of it, as Brenda reads it, does justice (as much as one can with words) to the shock she must have felt when this happened. Brenda then told me about all the subtle ways this impacted her at a deep level. Grief, anger, rage, shame, depression, loss and so many other emotions became a tangled web in her life.

I am quite sure that most people would agree this is just about as close to “unforgivable” as you can get. So imagine coming to a place within yourself where you were not only able to forgive everyone in this situation (father, aunt, the court system, society, the universe, God, self…) but you were also able to step into peacefulness and inner joy. Pretty amazing, huh? Well, now imagine that you not only reach this place within yourself, but you also use all of your talents and abilities to help others overcome devastating loss in their own lives by learning how to forgive. This will give you an idea of who Brenda is, and what she does.

Brenda has created a one-woman show entitled “My Brooklyn Hamlet” that tells the story of her journey from tragedy to freedom in a theatrical setting. After the show, she delivers a workshop entitled “Forgiving the Unforgivable as a Path to Freedom.” She does this, she says, “to open people’s hearts and gets them out of blame.”

As a special gift to our listeners, Brenda shared her 5 Top Reasons to Never Forgive and Why You Must:

Number 1 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
If I forgive this person I am condoning what he/she did.
Why you must: Forgiveness is for you, not them. It sets you free.
 
Number 2 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
My anger assures me that this person will never be in my life again.
Why you must: Your anger assures you that this person is constantly in your life through either obsessive thinking about them or suppressing your thoughts about them.
 
Number 3 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
They will hurt me again.
Why you must: Being angry and unforgiving actually increases the odds of you being triggered emotionally (being upset) by something else that they do.

Number 4 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
Who would I be if I forgave them?
Why you must: You wouldn’t be the same person who holds a grudge, lives in fear and needs a wall up to protect yourself. Your open heart, good judgment and healthy boundaries would lead to a life of more joy.
 
Number 5 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
What happened to me or a loved one was just too horrible.
Why you must: It was horrible. In order for you to create the beautiful and empowering life that you want you need to acknowledge that, grieve what was lost and/or what was taken from you and learn how to release those parts in you that are stuck in darkness and pain.

And finally, Brenda reminds us that “Forgiveness is a process not an event.” 

If you want to find out more about Brenda, listen to the podcast below. And after you do, be sure to visit Brenda’s websites, to get a whole lot of free forgiveness “stuff”:

• Sign up to find out when Brenda’s new book, Forgive and Be Free: A Pathway to Personal Happiness will be available and get a small gift called Your Personal Forgiveness Assessment at http://www.forgiveandbefreebook.com
• You can also receive the full eCourse absolutely FREE at http://www.forgivenessandfreedom.com
• And join Brenda for her next free “Forgiveness Teleclass” on Wednesday, May 27th at 5 PM Pacific time “What is a Healthy Boundary? How do you Set It?”
  Sign-up at http://www.forgivenessandfreedom.com (replay available).

Going to be in Los Angeles in June?—Come see award-winning actress Brenda Adelman in her one-woman show, My Brooklyn Hamlet, on Sunday, June 7th at 7 PM at Celebration Theatre in Hollywood. Get tickets online at www.celebrationtheatre.com . A Q&A follows the performance. 

Listen to playback of the show below:

Download the MP3 from:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/14/Ep17-Forgiveness-as-a-Pathway-to-Freedom

Subscribe to the podcast here: 

Browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
(this show was already aired; catch the blog and podcast shortly) 

Wednesday 20 May
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Ep18-Photography and Transformation
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts American photographer and transformation teacher Sheila Finkelstein. Sheila will be sharing her tips for using the camera as a tool for personal transformational, through which you learn to see the world with new and different eyes. She will tell us about her success in helping people who previously told themselves they were “not artists” to find and express their unique vision, by noticing the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary, and the magic that is all around us within what she calls the “accidental art” of the world. Check out Sheila’s stunning photography in Lynn’s video “Song of the Rose” at http://tinyurl.com/rose-song.

This show was already aired. Catch the replay at “on demand” at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/20/Ep18-Photography-and-Transformation

Can’t make it to the live show? No problem!

Catch all our episodes “on demand” at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

About the show, “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”
Weekly broadcast exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.

Lynn’s links

• Garden of the Soul Book Blog: www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Create-a-Life Coaching/Training: www.create-a-life.co.uk
• Global Wellness Circle: www.global-wellness-circle.com

Lynn’s next live appearance:
Saturday 23 May
EVENT: Edenbridge UK Independent Authors Book Fair
9 AM – 4 PM
VENUE: Rickards Hall, 72 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5AR
The first Independent Authors Book Fair takes place as part of the Eden Valley festival. The festival celebrates the West Kent community of Edenbridge town and the surrounding villages. The Book Fair presents twelve independent authors covering a range of genres. There will be a programme of talks, presentations and readings running throughout the day from 9.00 – 4.00. Light refreshments will be available. Join Lynn and 11 other UK independent authors for this inaugural event. Get to meet authors 1-to-1, ask questions, hear talks of writing and publishing, and purchase signed copies of their books. Be the first to be in the know about who is setting the trends in the independent writing field.

Amongst the speakers, author Lynn Serafinn will be delivering a talk on her new book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self which reached Amazon bestseller status in both the US and the UK the first week of its release in such categories as spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Visit Lynn’s book blogsite at http://www.give-receive-become-be.com for more information and full media kit for The Garden of the Soul.
More information at: http://www.ukindependentauthors.co.uk/Edenbridge_Book_Fair.html

Related posts

• Boosting Your Emotional Intelligence – an interview with Gail Sussman Miller (0)
• The Gift in Goodbye. Interview with Gemini Adams (1)
• Feeling is Healing – Interview with Steve Ryals (0)
• Living the Law of Attraction: interview with Ruth Hegarty (1)
• Vision and Visionary: Photographer Sheila Finkelstein (0)

Realising the Gift in Goodbye: Lynn Serafinn’s interview with author Gemini Adams on BlogTalkRadio reveals how Gemini’s journey through bereavement led to her finding her authentic voice.

SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
EP16-Voice as a Key to Wholeness
GUEST: Gemini Adams
DATE AIRED: Wednesday 6 May 2009

I met coach, author and spiritual healer Gemini Adams earlier this year when we were both guests on John Levine’s Happy and Healthy Hour in Cambridge, England. Gemini is a Brit by birth who currently makes her home in Los Angeles, so I was fortunate to have crossed her path on one of her occasional trips back to her homeland. What I noticed about her as soon as I met her was how open and generous she was. She did not even know me and she immediately took one of her books out of her satchel, signed it and made a gift of it to me. Of course, I knew I had to have this woman on my radio show.

Gemini is the author of a unique book called Your Legacy of Love: realise the gift in goodbye. The book was prompted by Gemini’s mother’s untimely death from cancer, when Gemini was only 21 years old. While much of the book gives us deep insight into the largely unspoken impact of bereavement upon the human spirit, and how it can last far longer than most of us care to admit, this is not just another book about loss and how to deal with it at an emotional level. Gemini offers the reader practical answers to how to deal with the “D” word, so that your loved ones are not left with a big gaping hole in their lives. 

That practical solution is to leave a legacy of love for those you will leave behind. Gemini offers a range of practical, creative and pleasurable ideas for what that could be, ranging from letters to your loved ones, personal biographies, musical diaries, detailed instructions for how you wish to be remembered, and many other ideas. Gemini gives many compelling reasons why we should do this when we are well and fit, rather than waiting for the time when, heaven forbid, we find ourselves diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. She describes in detail, giving many case studies, how the gift of a legacy of love can help those we leave behind deal with grief and bereavement after we pass on.

And like all books, especially of this type, there is always a story behind it. Gemini explained to me how the process of writing this book also helped unlock her own voice to find ultimate wholeness of self and peace with the universe after years of previously unresolved bereavement. In a private interview, she told me how she believes that “our authentic voice is always there, but we are scared to use it.” Having done past life regression, Gemini came to the conclusion that this might be the culmination of issues that have transpired of many lifetimes, and that it can go on for generations. She says that she finds this to be especially true of women, and that she felt that this was a kind of historical, collective pain that all of us must confront and overcome. To overcome this, it is essential that we break through the fear of judgement. She said that writing offered her great healing in this regard, but the inner barriers are often more formidable than what can be resolved through writing.

It was this need to break free from these fears that ultimate drove Gemini to take action. Going strongly against her middle class instincts, she decided to give up her previous lifestyle and move out of London, out of the UK altogether, far away from everyone and everything she knew. Giving up all her personal possessions, she went to live in someone’s garden shed in Los Angeles, surviving on the dole. It was here that Gemini at last found the voice to write this book, and in doing so she found, and began to live, her life purpose. 

Gemini told me that the entire experience of moving through her own bereavement, and ultimately finding her own voice, gave her a deep personal intention and underlying need to make a contribution to the world, and that her motivation is never money or fame. She says that she knows she is helping others to live freely through her work, and that the ultimate intention of the book is to heal and to help others to heal.

When I asked Gemini what her “bigger message” for the world was, she said, “You can be who you really are; you don’t need all the pretence. Education is designed to undo ourselves. Forget what others want for you. Become a unique, pioneering person. YOU are the one who must be satisfied.

If you want to find out more about Gemini, listen to the podcast below. And after you do, be sure to visit Gemini’s websites:

Author & Founder of Live Consciously Publishing: http://www.liveconsciouslynow.com

Click title to order copies of
Your Legacy of Love: Realise the Gift in Goodbye 
and get Amazon’s special pre-publication discount.

Listen to playback below:

Subscribe to the podcast here:

Browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
(this show was already aired; catch the blog and podcast shortly) 

Thursday 14 May
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Ep17-Forgiveness as a Pathway to Freedom
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts award-winning actress and Forgiveness Coach, Brenda Adelman. Brenda will be sharing her story of how she learned to “forgive the unforgivable” after her father murdered her mother and married her mother’s sister. A trained chaplain at the Unity Church and recipient of “A Hero of Forgiveness Award” from the Hawaii International Forgiveness Project, Brenda now leads forgiveness workshops entitled, “Forgiving the Unforgivable as a Path to Freedom” and regularly tours with her own one-woman show, “My Brooklyn Hamlet.” Brenda will tell us about her journey through deep loss and pain, and resultant depression, to the ultimate freedom and joy she experienced when she learned how to open her heart to forgiveness. Brenda will also reveal her “three steps to forgive and be free” and her “top five reasons to never forgive, and why you must,” and will read us an excerpt from her upcoming book, Forgive and Be Free: A Pathway to Personal Happiness.

This show was already aired. Catch the replay at “on demand” at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/14/Ep17-Forgiveness-as-a-Pathway-to-Freedom

Catch all our episodes “on demand” at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

About the show, “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”
Weekly broadcast exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.

Lynn’s links

• Garden of the Soul Book Blog: www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Create-a-Life Coaching/Training: www.create-a-life.co.uk
• Global Wellness Circle: www.global-wellness-circle.com

Lynn’s next live appearance:
Saturday 23 May
EVENT: Edenbridge UK Independent Authors Book Fair
9 AM – 4 PM
VENUE: Rickards Hall, 72 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5AR
The first Independent Authors Book Fair takes place as part of the Eden Valley festival. The festival celebrates the West Kent community of Edenbridge town and the surrounding villages. The Book Fair presents twelve independent authors covering a range of genres. There will be a programme of talks, presentations and readings running throughout the day from 9.00 – 4.00. Light refreshments will be available. Join Lynn and 11 other UK independent authors for this inaugural event. Get to meet authors 1-to-1, ask questions, hear talks of writing and publishing, and purchase signed copies of their books. Be the first to be in the know about who is setting the trends in the independent writing field.

At 1245 -115 PM, Lynn will deliver a talk on her new book  The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, which reached Amazon bestseller status in both the US and the UK the first week of its release in such categories as spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help.

More information about the UK Independent Book Fair at: http://www.ukindependentauthors.co.uk/Edenbridge_Book_Fair.html

Find The Garden of the Soul on Amazon:

USA: Purchase the book from Amazon.com	FRANCE: Purchase the book from Amazon.fr
UK: Purchase the book from Amazon.co.uk	GERMANY: Purchase the book from Amazon.de
CANADA: Purchase the book from Amazon.ca	JAPAN: Purchase the book from Amazon.jp

Related posts

• Forgive and Be Free – Interview with Brenda Adelman (0)
• Boosting Your Emotional Intelligence – an interview with Gail Sussman Miller (0)
• Using Sound for Healing and Happiness – interview with John Levine (0)
• Lynn Serafinn is Guest on the Mind Body Soul Show on RCN (0)
• I’ve got your number! An interview with Michelle Payton (0)

No, it’s definitely NOT Monty Python!

It’s my upcoming interview with author and spiritual teacher Glenn M. Smith on my talk radio show LYNN SERAFINN’S GARDEN OF THE SOUL. Glenn will be sharing his story of how his personal experience with psychic forensics helped him solve a murder of a young girl, and gave him a unique insight into the nature of the afterlife that he says can help people overcome their anxieties about death and dying. He will also tell us about his new book, The Lotus Petal.

Broadcast time:
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET

Listen LIVE at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/04/01/Ep11-Releasing-Yourself-from-the-Fear-of-Death

Can’t make the live show? No problem! Listen “on demand” at the same website, or subscribe to the show via iTunes.

ABOUT THE SHOW LYNN SERAFINN’S GARDEN OF THE SOUL Weekly broadcast exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the upcoming book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.

Here’s the complete April line-up:

Catch the show weekly at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

AND… don’t miss the official Amazon Launch of Lynn’s book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self  on Tuesday 7 April. Click HERE to receive a launch reminder so you can receive over 20 beautiful mind-body-spirit gifts when you buy the book.

Related posts

• Feeling is Healing – Interview with Steve Ryals (0)
• The Lily – the Principle of Being (0)
• The Gift in Goodbye. Interview with Gemini Adams (1)
• Forgive and Be Free – Interview with Brenda Adelman (0)
• Flitwick Mind Body and Soul Fair (0)

Lou also shared just a bit about some of the cases he has seen of amazing transformations that have occurred when people encounter what he calls the “extraordinary experience” of receiving messages from loved ones who have passed on to the next plane.

Lou holds multiple degrees and honors including: advanced degrees from Columbia University, the University of Notre Dame, & Florida State University, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows throughout the country including “Unsolved Mysteries.” With over 25 years of counseling the bereaved, he is an international speaker who has written eight books including four on topic of the afterlife communications, and the transformations they bring to people:

Love Lives On	Messages and Miracles
Gifts from the Unknown	After Death Communications

Lou will be speaking on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 on the topic of “Nine Proven Survival Skills for Coping with Loss and Change” as a guest of St. Francis Hospice, at Borthwick Mortuary, 1330 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, Hawiaii, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Registration is required by March 24, 2009. You can register via email at fmarquezwong@stfrancishawaii.org or call Felicia Marquez-Wong at 547-8145 for more info.

Lou’s compassion and love for people is truly evident when he speaks. His understanding of death as a natural part of the cycle of life is so genuine, that it is obvious why he has been of such help to so many thousands of people over the years through his lectures, books and counselling. His voice is soothing and relaxed and his approach to the topic of death and dying is not only light and easy, but comforting and poignant. While a 30 minute show is simply not long enough to cover all of Lou’s wisdom and understanding on the topic, you can certainly get a taster from the podcast below). AND… be sure to visit Lou’s websites at www.extraordinarygriefexperiences.com.

Related posts

• Forgive and Be Free – Interview with Brenda Adelman (0)
• The Gift in Goodbye. Interview with Gemini Adams (1)
• Interview with Swedish Artist Kristina Berglund (4)
• Growing Up in Your Relationships – an interview with Geoff Laughton (0)
• Vision and Visionary: Photographer Sheila Finkelstein (0)