From the elementary Honor Roll to the tough streets of Detroit, a tiny prison cell to the TED stage, a pen and a pad to the New York Times bestsellers list... the man I speak with today has lived quite a life.

And here to share a few leaflets of wisdom from his journey is our guest today, Shaka Senghor.

In this week's episode, Shaka shares some of the things he's been reflecting on while experiencing quarantine as a former inmate in solitary confinement and now as a father and co-parent to a young boy. He also walks us through the eight things you can do to transform this time of isolation into a space of personal reflection, self-discovery and creative vision.

Meaningful Highlights from this Episode:

• The 8 practices that can transform your social isolation into personal opportunity for self-discovery, enlightenment, creativity and fueling your personal vision.
• Why considering our ancestors - and their plights, persistence and perspectives - can provide us a grounding perspective when we need it most.
• Insights on talking to your children about this experience realistically and about the world they (actually) live in (as opposed to a fantasy / wishful world that is solely aspirational).
• Why this is truly an opportunity to fall in love with ourselves, and work on developing a deeper, more connected relationship with our inner experiences. 

Want to make this episode actionable? I've got you covered! I created an action-packed "Quarantine Checklist" that includes step-by-step breakdowns of each of Shaka's eight recommended practices and activities for while we are sheltering-in-place. Make sure you lean on this tremendous (and free!) resource as you lean-in to this solitary time. Check it out below:

With your Quarantine Checklist freebie at the ready, get set to dive into your self-discovery, inner exploration and creative visioning here!

(Oh! And if you want to check out JR's example of her own mini-"checklist" - inspired by Shaka - you'll see it inside the freebie! Enjoy!)

Check out these highlights:

• "This is opportunity for people to really fall in love with themselves in a most authentic way." -SS
• [How to Protect Yourself from a Shame-Spiral:] "One of the things I had to do was realize that I was not responsible for the actions that other people had taken toward me... And I had to go back and apologize to that part of myself that had basically adopted a narrative that wasn't mine." -SS
• "Journaling is like meditation on paper." -SS
• "We carry inside of us every age we've ever been." -JRP

Links mentioned in this episode:

• What 4 Years in Solitary Confinement Taught Me About Surviving Isolation by Shaka Senghor
• Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and One Man's Story of Redemption in an American Prison by Shaka Senghor
• The Nantucket Project
• Invictus by William Ernest Henley
• The Republic by Plato
• The Dialogues by Socrates
• The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
• Shaka's Super Soul Sunday interview with Oprah Winfrey
• JR's “Trauma Camp for Teachers” Facebook Group. Click here to join this Podcast Community

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