Your emotions, both positive and negative, are the greatest tools you have with which to navigate the oceans of life. This includes your emotions about yourself, including your sense of self-esteem and self-worth. Yet these powerful tools called emotions are optimized only when you have a healthy relationship with and connection to them. That’s not always as clear and easy as it might sound.

For a myriad of reasons, you might live in various states of disconnection from your emotions, either ignoring them completely or overreacting to them, allowing them to define rather than guide you. At Optimal Living, we explore the world of emotions in order to embrace them as diagnostic tools that can help you identify those people, places, things, mindsets and circumstances that bring positive vs. negative feelings into your life. Learning healthy ways to understand and interpret your emotions will help you develop more beneficial reactions to the challenges and the triumphs you encounter in your life.

GUEST EXPERTS

On the Optimal Living show, our guest experts explore what it means to have a healthy relationship with your emotions and with the emotions of others. We give you tools to help you understand your emotional self, so that you can best use the guidance your emotions give you.

ROBERTA MCKAY, INTEGRATIVE BODY PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Roberta McKay, Integrative Body Psychotherapist

Roberta McKay has a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, completed an adjunct Masters program in Dance/Somatic Therapy from Naropa Institute in Boulder CO., and completed four years of training to become certified as an Integrative Body Psychotherapist, in Boulder CO. She has a private practice in Kitchener, Ontario and has been a psychotherapist for the past 23 years. She is passionate about her work. This work has been life transforming for her personally and she is dedicated to sharing this valuable work with others.

TRACY ROWAN, HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELLOR

Tracy Rowan, Holistic Health Counsellor

From a young age, Tracy has been interested in why people behave the way they do, and has been reading about it ever since. She studied English Literature and Psychology in university, and took a professional training program to become a Holistic Health Counsellor. Tracy is a Reiki Master, and understands the fundamentals of Energy Medicine. Tracy helps clients identify and work through patterns of thinking and behaviour that create conflict, or blocks to whole health. She believes that education and practical direction is necessary for clients to see significant progress, so she recommends reading, gives session notes, and discusses how to practically apply changes to everyday life.

DEB DEJONG, AUTHOR & SPEAKER

Deb DeJong, Author & Speaker

Deborah DeJong received her Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo (1992) and her Bachelor of Arts from Renison College, University of Waterloo (1990). She is a Director of Training and is dedicated to sharing the fundamental lessons that will empower people to move forward personally and professionally. Deborah also is the host and executive producer of ‘Parenting with Passion’, an eight part series produced by CTV Southwestern Ontario. She is a celebrated speaker, author of D.A.N.C.E.: Five Steps to Living Your Best Life!, and is a regular guest on local television programming.