Hamburger Casserole with Sheena

"I love to host, I love having people over. I feel that just being a therapist - a sense of community and a sense of belonging is really important. It’s something you need to achieve in your hierarchy of needs. When you bring people together to share a meal you get a sense of belonging. People are authentic when they’re eating; when you’re eating you feel safe. So for me, it’s safety and communion. "

Sheena joins us this week to talk about all things casserole! She shares about her experiences growing up on a farm, learning to cook in restaurants, and how she was always destined to become a therapist (which she is great at, by the way). Sheena references white cucumbers, which apparently is a Southern thing? And shares about trying the DoubleTree Hotel chocolate chip cookie recipe, which we did by Zoom together a few months ago.

We talk about the impact of being a therapist during the time of COVID, including the emotional challenge of holding space for other people's pain while simultaneously trying to navigate a global pandemic for oneself and one's family. She talks about the importance of family and of showing up for others.

My favorite part of this episode was talking with Sheena about the concept of radical acceptance. Like a true therapist, Sheena describes it like this: "Acceptance is acknowledging the facts of a situation.Radical acceptance is accepting with your mind, your body, and your spirit. Noticing any tension in your body, any resentment that you feel, any anger that comes up when things happen that are outside of your control. And recognizing that you being angry and upset and tense about it isn’t going to change the situation. And radically accepting doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it eventually, it just means you acknowledge this is what it is and wholeheartedly continue to live your life anyway. It is one of those life skills you have to keep turning around to; it’s a practice, not a destination."

Follow this link for more of Sheena's wisdom and insight.

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UPDATE: Sheena wanted to share that she was actually thinking of green jello salad, not watercress salad. I think we can all agree it looks disgusting. Which green item would you bring for the table?