Podcasts by Life Habits

LH108 - Checking-in to Stay the Course from 2020-11-29T16:50:07

This is the third episode in the "Checking-in" series focused on coping during the pandemic and beyond. Karel devotes this episode on providing ideas to help you stay the course during this long-ru...

LH107 - Checking-in on Mental Health from 2020-06-09T22:50:10

Karel is joined by UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers to discuss mental health during this difficult period of a pandemic and social unrest and to discuss a variety of approaches to coping given differ...

LH106 - Check-in - Working from Home from 2020-04-07T01:14:47

With the overall series tagline for all these years being “staying sane in a crazy world”, Karel was inspired to start record episodes again with a collection of Check-in episodes to help listeners...

LH105 - Exploring the World from 2018-12-29T18:01:25

Karel continues his occasional major life changes episode series this time interviewing world traveler Kate Paddison.

LH104 - Innovation by Design from 2018-11-04T22:44:32

Karel devotes this episode to design methods and tools everyone can use to be more innovative. He summarizes his seven habits of highly effective design thinkers.

LH103 - Career Pivots from 2018-10-15T00:58:28

Karel is joined by Lendy Krantz of WeWork to discuss insights, lessons learned, and advice on career pivots.

LH102 - All You Need is Love from 2018-08-30T03:28:09

Karel and Marie-Josée Shaar explore an extension to Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise by focusing on love, caring, and connectedness.

LH101 - Creating Your Own Job from 2018-08-26T20:38:51

Karel interviews Chui Chui Tan who quit her job to start her own company.

LH100 - Celebration & Review from 2018-08-26T17:18:23

LH99 - Diversity & Inclusion from 2018-06-06T15:49:16

Karel's back with an episode dealing with the important topic of diversity and inclusion providing specific advice on three areas of focus.

LH98 - Career Workouts from 2017-08-27T21:40:52

Karel expands on his previous episodes dealing with career advice by making the case for approaching career health much like we know how to deal with physical health by doing workouts, journals, an...

LH97 - Having Personal Impact from 2016-12-29T19:45:40

This episode will give you ways of dealing with uncertainty, becoming an agent of change, and having personal impact.

LH96 - Mindful Meditation from 2016-09-06T00:20:39

The top request on a listener poll was for an episode on Mindfulness and Meditation so Karel devotes this episode to that topic. He discusses the research evidence regarding the benefits and then g...

LH95 - Escaping Average from 2016-06-05T13:53:06

Karel is joined by Cynthia Tripathi, the author of Escaping Average. Karel and Cynthia discuss ways of upping your game in the areas of mental state, health, career, finance, and social life.

LH94 - Fixing Unhelpful Thinking Habits from 2016-01-24T00:36:22

Karel is again joined by UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers to discuss recognizing and fixing common errors in thinking.

LH93 - Social Intelligence for Success from 2015-12-31T18:10:27

In response to listener suggestions, Karel devotes this episode to three themes for developing and applying social intelligence to entrepreneurial, intrepreneurial, and self-improvement initiatives.

LH92 - Optimizing Happiness from 2015-07-24T20:22:29

After conducting a poll with listeners via social media as to what topic to focus on for this episode, it was determined that Optimizing Happiness was far and away the most ask for. Karel builds on...

LH91 - Optimizing Travel from 2015-06-07T20:50:59

Karel has been traveling a lot and hasn't recorded episodes lately so he decided to devote this return episode to the topic of optimizing travel.

LH90 - Gender Equality from 2014-11-28T20:14:28

Inspired by Emma Watson's UN speech, Karel devotes this episode to providing advice for women and men to promote gender equality.

LH89 - Developing Empathy from 2014-09-28T20:35:38

Karel devotes this episode to the critically important habit of developing empathy for others.

LH88 - Life as a Sport from 2014-07-20T17:23:57

Karel is back after a hiatus and devotes this episode to understanding what insights and lessons sports can provide in improving our life skills.

LH87 - Thinking Errors that Hurt Your Health from 2014-04-05T03:19:51

Karel is joined again by Marie-Josée Shaar this time to address the errors in thinking that can hurt your health and what you can do to prevent them from doing so.

LH86 - Profit from the Positive from 2014-02-10T04:27

Want to apply the power of Positive Psychology to business and to your working life? Karel is joined by Margaret Greenberg for this episode discussing the book she wrote with Senia Maymin, "Profit ...

LH85 - Affirmations & Mindfulness from 2013-12-06T04:24

Karel addresses listener questions and introduces affirmations and mindfulness together with guest UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers.

LH84 - Being Happier from 2013-10-23T03:22

Karel devotes this episode to the topic of being happier and summarizes a list of ten items from Positive Psychology that you can start to do right away to be happier. He also recommends a new soci...

LH83 - Communication Challenges from 2013-09-02T03:19

Karel devotes this episode to listener questions on the topic of communication challenges.

LH82 - Dealing with Change from 2013-07-13T03:17

Karel is again joined by UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers as they address a listener question asking for advice on dealing with change.

LH81 - Becoming More Productive from 2013-07-03T03:14

Karel devotes this episode to a listener suggestion to address becoming more productive using technology. Karel discusses four major themes 1) doing things more efficiently, doing more things at on...

LH80 - Cultures of Wellness from 2013-05-26T03:12

Karel is again joined by Marie-Josée Shaar this time to discuss four approaches to creating cultures of wellness. Make sure to visit Marie-Josée's website smartsandstamina.com which also includes a...

LH79 - Impression Management from 2013-05-21T03:10

In response to a listener suggestion, Karel devotes this episode to various ways of improving your personal impression management using the techniques and approaches from product marketing.

LH78 - Staying True to Yourself from 2013-03-31T03:07

Karel devotes this episode to listener requests along the theme of staying true to yourself. He addresses awareness, consistency, and strength.

LH77 - Workplace Challenges from 2013-01-01T04:04

Karel addresses five questions listeners submitted on the topic of workplaces challenges. The questions deal with communicating across age and experience level differences, knowing who to trust, w...

LH76 - Mom's Life Lessons from 2012-11-19T04:02

This episode is a tribute to Karel's mother who passed away recently and reflects on seven of the life lessons she taught, lived, and modeled, and will serve as her gift and legacy.

LH75 - Bullying from 2012-09-04T02:59

Would you like to be more aware of bullying of various types and what can be done about it? This was a topic that rose to the top of our Facebook poll of listeners. Karel has university student, ...

LH74 - Covey's 7 Habits from 2012-08-05T02:56

This episode is a tribute to the late Stephen Covey, the author of the seminal book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". Karel discusses the influence Covey has had on listeners, himself...

LH73 - Questions about Relationships from 2012-07-10T02:52

Karel dedicates this episode to a set of questions submitted by listeners on the theme of relationships and is again joined by UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers. The questions address how to deal with...

LH72 - Growth Mindset from 2012-06-18T02:49

After having heard Carol Dweck being interviewed on the Harvard Business Review podcast and checking with the Life Habits listeners on the Facebook page, Karel decided to read Carol's book "Mindset...

LH71 - Doing the Right Thing from 2012-04-23T02:46

At the suggestion of a listener, Karel devotes this episode to the topic of "Doing the Right Thing" and provides some practical advice on what to consider in weighing options when needing to make a...

LH70 - Managing Money from 2012-04-09T02:43

Would you like a broader perspective on managing your money? At the suggestion of a listener, Karel provides both a conceptual perspective and some practical advice on managing money in this episode.

LH69 - Stop Worrying from 2012-02-13T03:40

In response to a listener question, Karel provides advice on the process to use to stop worrying, including the identification of your degree of control and taking action on the basis of this.

LH68 - Type I Personally from 2012-01-16T03:34

Karel summarizes key insights from Daniel H. Pink's book "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us", on the recommendation of a podcast listener. He summarizes the alternatives to "carro...

LH67 - Types of Help from 2011-12-09T03:33

Karel is again joined by guest UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers to address a listener request about professional help. Mandy outlines when you seek help, what types of help are available, and what t...

LH66 - 5 Lazy Ways to Get in Shape from 2011-11-24T03:29

Karel is joined again by guest Marie-Josée Shaar who describes five simple, lazy, ways to get in shape based on the content in her great new book Smarts and Stamina: The Busy Person's Guide to Opti...

LH65 - Life Lessons from 2011-11-21T03:26

Karel reflects on the life of Steve Jobs and discusses his life lessons as conveyed through Walter Isaacson's authorized biography "Steve Jobs" and Steve's 2005 Stanford Commencement Address. You ...

LH64 - Visualizing Progress from 2011-09-05T02:21

Are you still getting stuck and lacking sufficient motivation? Karel devotes this episode to using visualization of the goal and progress toward the goal as additional means of increasing your moti...

LH63 - Take Time for Yourself from 2011-08-02T02:17

Many people either don't take time off or do so only with others. Karel devotes this episode to advice for taking time for yourself via five Rs.

LH62 - Making a Difference from 2011-07-04T02:14

Want to make a difference in life, at home, at work, or throughout all society? Karel devotes this episode to an approach to plan and make progress on this topic.

LH61 - Mastering Gratitude from 2011-06-06T02:10

Want to improve your overall sense of well-being? Master gratitude. Karel is joined on this episode by guest Kathryn Britton who is the author of "Gratitude: How to Appreciate Life's Gifts". You c...

LH60 - Complaining Effectively from 2011-05-28T02:07

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Guy Winch joins Karel on this episode to provide a set of quotes and top 10 tips for learning to complain effectively. Guy is the author of a great book on the topic calle...

LH59 - Listener Questions from 2011-05-16T02:03

At the suggestion of an Australian listener, Karel solicited questions from listeners and devotes this episode to providing answers to three listener questions.

LH58 - Authentic Listening from 2011-04-18T02:00

Want to improve your interpersonal communication? Learn how to listen authentically. In this episode, Karel provides 10 ideas for developing the habit of authentic listening.

LH57 - Vegetarianism from 2011-03-19T01:56

Whether you're interested for health, the environment, ethics, or just to eat tasty food, this episode will help you with moving toward a plant-based diet and provide you with 10 practical progress...

LH56 - Get Up and Move from 2011-03-02T02:52

Want to get into shape? Karel has guest Marie-Josee Shaar back again this time providing advice on the exercise part of her Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise system. Make sure to visit Marie-Josee'...

LH55 - Getting the Job from 2011-02-27T02:49

Need advice on getting that next job, a new position in your current organization, or any other situation where you'll be evaluated and assessed? Karel devotes this episode to outlining 10 practic...

LH54 - Relaxation from 2011-02-07T02:46

Want to learn to achieve a deep state of relaxation? Karel provides this special episode with guided instruction to achieve deep progressive muscle relaxation. This episode can be listened to when...

LH53 - Confirmation Bias from 2011-01-30T02:43

Confirmation bias is the cause of many of the problems in relationships, communities, and the world. Learn how to recognize and start to conquer it.

LH52 - Taking Things Personally from 2010-12-07T02:38

Do you tend to take things personally more than you should? Karel devotes this episode to a listener request to address the topic of taking things personally. After discussing some developmental a...

LH51 - Sleep from 2010-10-19T01:35

Do you have difficulty with sleep? Karel has guest Marie-Josee Shaar back again to do a follow-up drill-down episode on the topic of sleep. Check out Marie-Josee's website at SmartsandStamina.com.

LH50 - Effective Management from 2010-09-07T01:32

Do you want to improve your skills for managing people either in a formal management position or an informal one (as a parent, coach, etc.)? In response to a listener request, Karel devotes this e...

LH49 - Assertiveness from 2010-08-15T01:30

Do you tend to be too passive or too aggressive? Do you want to optimize the effectiveness of your communication? Karel devotes this episode to providing advice on becoming appropriately assertive.

LH48 - Difficult People from 2010-07-12T01:25

Are you dealing with a difficult person in your life? In response to a listener request, Karel provides 10 suggestions for dealing with difficult people.

LH47 - Teamwork from 2010-06-28T01:21

Do you have to work with others in groups? Pretty well everyone does. Do you want to improve the teamwork exhibited by those teams? In response to a listener request, Karel devotes this episode to ...

LH46 - Familial Insights from 2010-05-17T01:18

Do you think about the insights you've gleaned from your parents and family? Have you captured and communicated them? Karel recommends that you do and provides a top 10 list to provide you some a...

LH45 - Recap & Review from 2010-04-19T01:14

In response to a listener request, Karel provides a brief recap and review of each of the podcast episodes recorded to date, episode 1 through to episode 44. See which episodes you missed or want ...

LH44 - Advice & Mentoring from 2010-04-03T01:11

Do need help in getting advice and finding a mentor. That's the focus of this episode. Karel goes through the top 10 list of suggestions for approaching getting appropriate help and also giving i...

LH43 - Getting Unstuck from 2010-03-29T01:09

Are you stuck or in a rut? Are you finding that you're not able to get going effectively on the improvements you'd like to make to your life? This episode is devoted to getting you unstuck so tha...

LH42 - Sleep, Food, Mood, & Exercise from 2010-03-20T01:02

Joining Karel for this episode is Marie-Josee Salvas Shaar. While most other episodes deal with a single topic, this one is different in that it deals with four topics and, importantly, the integr...

LH41 - Reflection & Feedback from 2010-03-14T02:00

Take some time to step back, reflect, and provide feedback. Karel gives a preview of what topics are on the candidate list for future episodes and then provides a top 10 list for reflecting and pr...

LH40 - Psychological Capital from 2010-02-13T01:55

Learn to develop Psychological Capital during this episode when Karel has special guest Kathryn Britton back again. Kathryn was also on Episode 16 and talked that time about Positive Psychology. ...

LH39 - Effective Meetings from 2010-02-02T01:52

Do you find that the meetings you lead and/or attend aren't as effective as they could be? Karel provides a context for evaluating the cost of a meeting and the resulting need for increased effect...

LH38 - Designing Your Life from 2010-01-25T01:50

In this episode, Karel takes the approaches, methods, and techniques used in product design and applies them to designing the product, you. The quotes and top 10 list provide you a way to think ab...

LH37 - Developing Skills into Habits from 2010-01-18T01:46

Have you wondered how long it should take to develop a skill into a habit? In response to a listener request, Karel addresses the very important topic in this episode. He describes the factors th...

LH36 - Progress from 2009-10-27T00:43

In response to a listener request, Karel reviews key points from ten previous episodes in order for you to assess your progress, celebrate successes and identify additional areas of continued and i...

LH35 - Presentations from 2009-10-18T00:40

Want to improve the presentations you give? Whether you're in school or beginning your career and just starting to give presentations or you're a veteran presenter, Karel provides advice on how to...

LH34 - Work-Life Balance from 2009-08-24T00:37

Does your life feel out of control? Are you not spending time on the things you think are important in life? In this episode, Karel summarizes some insightful quotes and then reviews ten ideas for ...

LH33 - Electronic Communication from 2009-07-20T00:32

Want to improve your electronic communication? Karel devotes this longer than usual episode on the topic of electronic communication which includes everything from Facebook and Twitter to texting,...

LH32 - Self-Confidence from 2009-07-20T00:28

Karel is joined on this episode by special guest UK Psychologist Mandy Kloppers who discusses the important topic of self-confidence. Mandy shares her favorite quotes on the topic and outlines her...

LH31 - Relationships from 2009-03-20T00:25

How are the various relationships in your life doing? Karel focuses this episode on the topic of relationships - taking stock, increasing, decreasing, and deepening them across all contexts and rol...

LH30 - Staying Focussed from 2009-02-08T01:22

Having trouble staying focussed with everything going on in your life? Karel devotes this episode to the topic of getting and staying focussed and shares his thoughts and ideas so that you can imp...

LH29 - Leadership from 2009-01-25T01:19

Want to further develop and hone your leadership skills? Whether you're a political or business leader, a little league coach, a parent or student, a formal designated leader or an emergent one, t...

LH28 - Resolutions from 2008-12-30T01:16

Want to make New Year's resolutions that will last? Karel devotes this episode to providing advice on determining how to select appropriate resolutions and how to make sure that you'll be able to ...

LH27 - Gratitude from 2008-11-29T01:13

Want to get better at expressing gratitude? Most people don't express gratitude enough. Karel summarizes some good thinking on this topic and then provides 10 ideas for understanding gratitude an...

LH26 - Resilience from 2008-11-25T01:10

Do you have the necessary level of resilience to deal with the changes happening in the world? Karel outlines the concept of personal resilience in this episode and provides ten ideas to develop i...

LH25 - Blogs and Podcasts from 2008-11-18T01:07

Want to make sense of blogs, mini-blogs, and podcasts? Karel devotes this episode to describing the curent trends in blog and podcast technologies (Google Alerts, Twitter, iTunes) and providing sp...

LH24 - Managing Stress from 2008-10-27T00:03

Feeling stressed? Karel devotes this episode to a set of ideas and skills to develop into routine habits to help you manage stress on a day-to-day basis. After summarizing the ever popular insigh...

LH23 - Taking Stock from 2008-10-21T00:00

How are things working out for you? Every once in a while it's good to take stock of how things are going. Inspired by a listener suggestion, Karel takes this episode to review key ideas from pre...

LH22 - Stop Procrastinating from 2008-09-29T23:55

Haven't been getting certain things done? Many people procrastinate and don't know how to stop. In this episode, Karel reads some insightful quotes on the topic of procrastination and then takes ...

LH21 - Simplifying Life from 2008-09-15T23:33

Is your life getting too complicated? Most people experience this and don't know how to go about dealing with it. In this episode, Karel reads the usual famous quotes to get started and then summ...

LH20 - Fostering Creativity from 2008-09-05T23:30

Everyone wants to be more creative but few know how to go about it. After reviewing some insightful and thought-provoking famous quotes on the topic, Karel details 10 ideas for fostering creativit...

LH19 - Forgiveness and Compassion from 2008-08-10T23:26

Many people hang on to resentment, hurt, and anger. Many people also haven't experienced the power of helping others. This episode provides you with 10 ideas for skills to develop into habits so ...

LH18 - Self-Actualization from 2008-08-07T19:50

After the basic needs in life are met, many people still look for something else that will make their life everything that it can be. Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides a context for this and hi...

LH17 - Anger Management from 2008-07-29T19:47

Most people find themselves getting angry and reacting in ways that they later regret. After providing some description of what happens in the body and setting the context with some insightful quo...

LH16 - Positive Psychology from 2008-07-21T19:44

A new area in the field of psychology is Applied Positive Psychology. Karel interviews Kathryn Britton a professional coach who specializes in this area. Kathryn describes the major career changes...

LH15 - Achieving Success from 2008-07-14T19:41

Some people just dream of success while others actually achieve it. After reading some insightful quotes on the topic, Karel summarizes 10 ideas for you to develop into skills and in turn into hab...

LH14 - Sex Differences from 2008-07-07T19:35

The sexes are different. Karel reviews some surprising recent research findings regarding gender differences, provides some personal context for the topic, and then summarizes 10 ideas for develop...

LH13 - Taming Technology from 2008-06-22T19:32

Technology pervades all aspects of our lives. This episode provides you with advice to make technology work for you rather than you being a slave to it. Karel gives advice on how to control the i...

LH12 - Dealing with a Flat World from 2008-06-13T19:28

Tom Friedman wrote the best-seller "The World is Flat" and described how the world was becoming smaller and more interconnected as a result of, among other things, the advancement of technology. A...

LH11 - Interpersonal Communication from 2008-06-08T19:22

Spoken language is one of the most important abilities humans possess but, surprisingly, also often the most neglected in terms of skill development. The last episode dealt with spoken language as...

LH10 - Effective Public Speaking from 2008-06-01T19:17

Being effective at public speaking is among the most important skills to have yet most people fear speaking in public and lack some of the skills to be effective at it. Karel provides advice regar...

LH9 - Fitness for Life from 2008-05-26T18:51

This episode deals with the important topic of fitness both in terms of doing it for life and gleaning the benefits that include a better and longer life. After reading some famous quotes on the to...

LH8 - Authentic Parenting from 2008-05-11T18:46

Karel Vredenburg

LH7 - Career Strategies from 2008-05-04T18:42

Building on Episode 6 which dealt with the topic of Career Planning, this episode addresses Career Strategies. Karel provides 10 strategies for choosing a career and being successful in it. The i...

LH6 - Career Planning from 2008-03-31T18:37

Whether you're still in school and haven't started your career, just got your first job, or in mid-career, the topic of career planning is hugely important. As Lewis Carroll said, "If you don't kn...

LH5 - Working Remotely from 2008-03-25T18:27

There is a significant trend toward people working from home but there is very little information about good habits and best practices regarding this mode of working. Karel summarizes the three mos...

LH4 - The Power of the Mind from 2008-03-16T14:01

The mind is amazingly powerful. We can either control it or be controlled by it. This episode is all about being aware of what your mind is capable of doing when you don't control it and, once you'...

LH3 - Staying Positive from 2008-03-09T13:45

One of the most important habits to learn is to stay positive no matter what the stimulus and now matter what the context. Karel starts off this episode by quoting Helen Keller who said, "when one ...

LH2 - Time Management from 2008-02-22T14:27

Karel Vredenburg focuses on time management in this episode. You might be thinking, "I don't have time for that!" but after listening and taking the advice given you will have a lot more time to de...

LH1 - Overview & Setting Priorities from 2008-02-02T14:10

Karel Vredenburg welcomes listeners to this new podcast series and provides an overview of the content, format, and frequency. He also introduces the first topic - starting with the end in mind and...