The On Purpose Podcast
Conversations that inspire, uplift, and benefit the listener. Host and producer Lynn Thompson welcomes authors, musicians, educators, philosophers, and new voices with stories and ideas to share. Episodes include discussion forums, featured guests with an audience, one-on-one conversations, and monologues. Many feature music thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz (Zapsplat). In August 2024, Living on Purpose reached 20 years in the making! Launched as a radio talk show on CHLY in British Columbia (2004-2009), Living on Purpose has been a podcast since 2007 on numerous channels. The On Purpose Podcast (twin of Living on Purpose) has been available on Podbean since April 2020. Thanks for listening! Please scroll beyond the podcast tiles to learn more about Lynn Thompson and Living on Purpose Communications for editing audio projects, creative consulting, and collaborating with authors on their publishing journeys. Thank you!
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Episodes
Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
When you say it out loud, tone of voice, body language, and facial expression are all important. When we talk to ourselves, we're communicating with our thoughts and also communicating with our bodies. Our tone of voice, for example, can convey our emotions and attitudes. If we speak with a harsh or critical tone of voice, it can increase feelings of shame or anxiety. On the other hand, if we speak with a calm and supportive tone, it can help us feel more grounded and resilient.
Vasavi Kumar came to her self-understanding and fulfillment through trial, error, and struggle, after fitting in nowhere as the daughter of Indian immigrants and journeying through a bipolar diagnosis, substance abuse, and recovery. As she demonstrates, speaking out loud will shake up your life, your world, and your future — for the better.
Check out this half hour conversation with Vasavi Kumar and host Lynn Thompson for insights about the benefits, signs, and indicators of healthy self-talk (out loud!). They refer to Vasavi's new book published by New World Library, entitled Say It Out Loud: Using the Power of Your Voice to Listen to Your Deepest Thoughts and Courageously Pursue Your Dreams.
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Retired attorney, founder of Nugget Press, and author of the second edition of A Dry Hate, Power Versus The People, Inspired by True Events, Nancy Hicks Marshall speaks with host Lynn Thompson.
A former Executive Director of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, Marshall writes, lives, and works with an abiding concern for fairness in the face of abuse of power.
Marshall was born and raised on Long Island, educated in the East, and worked for several years in New York City. She moved to Arizona in 1975 and lives in Phoenix and Flagstaff with her husband and their dog, Chelly. Marshall loves hiking, nature, music, growing a vegetable garden and learning Spanish.
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Listen to learn about the impact of the 2023 Health Canada Initiatives, how they affect us, and the NHPPA proposed legislation of The Charter of Health Freedom to give Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines their own Act. Learn how the NHPPA is creating a unique coalition.
On Thursday, June 29, 2023, thanks to the the NHPPA team and their newsletter to their membership, they included info about Shawn's appearance on Living on Purpose, and 40 were able to join the call with questions and comments.
Living on Purpose host Lynn Thompson first became aware of Shawn Buckley while watching testimonies during the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI). Then she learned that Shawn is also a Constitutional Lawyer and President of the NHPPA, Natural Health Products Protection Association.
This special hour-and-a-half discussion on Living on Purpose with Shawn Buckley covers numerous angles of the endangerment of our Natural Health Products and the Natural Health Product community and practitioners who rely on them.
The NHPPA website has new and fabulous information on how you can be involved in an effective letter-writing campaign.
Update: Just before the call, Shawn shared a brief news announcement.
You may want more information after listening to this podcast. Please check out the replay of this July 5, 2023 open call with Shawn and the NHPPA team.
Shawn Buckley’s reputation has reached Canada’s Parliament, national media, influential civil liberties organizations and tens of thousands of Canadian citizens. His expertise combines detailed knowledge of our Constitution and the Food and Drug Act with 28 years of experience successfully defending natural health stakeholders from prosecution by Health Canada. Shawn brings to the NHPPA unrivalled legal knowledge and his acknowledged status as a constitutional expert in Parliament. His work represents his passion for truth, ethics, and individual rights in a regulatory climate of which he says, “How free are we if we cannot choose how to feed ourselves or maintain our own health?”
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through this podcast.
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Practical information and considerations blend with musings, insights, and noticing signs in this discussion among a dozen people hosted (and afterward, audio edited) by Lynn Thompson for Living on Purpose.
Sandra E. Foster, financial planner and investment advisor who can hold her own in conversation with accountants and lawyers, is the author of You Can't Take It With You: Common-Sense Estate Planning For Canadians (Sixth Edition) and joins us in the first hour, with questions from the group.
Then Lisa Pahl, co-creator (with Lori LoCicero) of The Death Deck and The EOL (End of Life) Deck, introduces herself and those decks with examples.
For the final stretch, further discussion on practical and esoteric levels about before, during, and after death, including stories of communication with and signs from those who have died.
Thanks for listening. Earlier episodes and future!
Most recent: Dying to Meet You, Art of Departure Nine
Art of Departure EightArt of Departure SevenArt of Departure SixArt of Departure FiveArt of Departure FourArt of Departure ThreeArt of Departure TwoArt of DepartureArt of Departure Sampler
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through this podcast.
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Susan Barber speaks about avoiding death to embracing her path as a hospice volunteer and her current role with Human Prison Hospice Project. Host Lynn Thompson met Susan through Ann Randolph's online writing sessions, Your Story Matters: Unmute Yourself where Susan regularly co-hosts with Ann.
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through this podcast.
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Let's talk about death and how to prepare ourselves and our advocates for the inevitable. This 20 minute glimpse is from the second Art of Departure of people talking about before, during, and after death.
To set the stage, first, I combine points of conversation among two dozen of us during the debut of The Art of Departure in April and add a story about my friend. Then I paraphrase comments by Erika, who attended The Art of Departure >Take Two earlier in June.
There is an ideal image of being surrounded by family at the moment of death, perhaps to calm our fear of dying alone. What if the person wants to be alone for the transition of death, yet is unable or hesitant to express that wish? In the first Art of Departure, we talked about a way to provide that option with your loved one who is nearing death. Once an hour, say, “I’m stepping out for ten minutes.” That reminds me of a time in the 1990s in British Columbia when I first learned the meaning of the word “advocate” in connection with how I had been supporting my elder friend. After she died, the nurse told me about what happened. “Her family visited on Sunday afternoon, and gathered around her bedside for an hour or so. After they left, she asked me for a hug and a glass of water. We hugged, and I left the room. When I returned with the water a few minutes later, she had died.”
Paraphrased from when Erika Crichton, MSW, LASW, spoke, one of the fifteen who attended The Art of Departure > Take Two on Sunday, June 4th:
I listened to the podcast of the first Art of Departure and found it so engaging and helpful, so I’m thrilled to be here. In my work as a Hospice Social Worker, working at an inpatient hospice facility, I have the honor of walking alongside people in their final weeks and days and helping their families sort through what those deaths might mean and sometimes what the patient is feeling about it. I’m influenced by all of the people I’ve witnessed going through that experience. It helps me be intentional about sharing what’s important to me with the people who I love who may be part of my support as I die. The people who I have encountered who seem to struggle most with dying are folks who haven’t reflected on their experiences with death before their own death is occurring. I have such an interest in this topic and find it fascinating, and at the same time, when I think about the Art of Departure, I also consider the joy of living. While death is inevitable, there’s much to be enjoyed, like pretty little birds chirping away in my garden. Thanks for letting me share.
Most recent: Dying to Meet You, Art of Departure Nine
Art of Departure EightArt of Departure SevenArt of Departure SixArt of Departure FiveArt of Departure FourArt of Departure ThreeArt of Departure TwoArt of DepartureArt of Departure Sampler
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through The On Purpose Podcast (Living on Purpose).
Sunday Jun 18, 2023
Sunday Jun 18, 2023
A few times a year, Joshua & Adam, the hosts of Notes On Your Notes (a podcast about the creative process and storytelling) feature storytellers in a Story Salon with an audience on Zoom offering comments through the chat.
Living on Purpose host Lynn Thompson heard about the Spring Story Salon during her full talk and glimpse with Joshua and Adam earlier in 2023. She was delighted when they invited her to be one of the storytellers for the event in March. Joshua has been involved in the theater, film, and entertainment industry for almost three decades. His Nature Based Approach to the Creative Process has been transformative for him as a writer, actor, director, and story coach, allowing him to support any creative as he guides them through writing and performing their story in a variety of different mediums. His belief that "process brings results" has been the foundation of his unique approach to the creative arts. Adam is a writer whose career began in journalism at NBC News. After journalism, he moved on to focus on his creative work, which included TV pilots, fiction, and on-stage personal storytelling. He is the author of The Creative Workbook, a process-based approach to setting and achieving bold creative goals.
Lynn met Joshua and Adam through Ann Randolph and Ann's online writing session, Your Story Matters, Unmute Yourself.
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through this episode of Living on Purpose (the original of The On Purpose Podcast).
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Also known as The Bald Explorer, Richard Vobes is pondering the mysteries and questioning the narrative while posting a monologue or conversation daily. By the time host Lynn Thompson watched one, two, three videos overflowing with the creative, quirky, open-minded, on-point voice of Richard Vobes, she was refreshed and reached out to welcome him to be her Living on Purpose guest. Her email surfaced among the thousands Richard receives and he accepted her invitation and answered her questions about charting his course bringing him to this strangest of times and what he's going to do after the call. Here's what happened in just over an hour.
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
This time fifteen us showed up to listen and contribute to discussion about many matters about death, before, during, and after in The Art of Departure > Take Two.
Art of Departure Nine
Art of Departure EightArt of Departure SevenArt of Departure SixArt of Departure FiveArt of Departure FourArt of Departure ThreeArt of Departure TwoArt of DepartureArt of Departure Sampler
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through The On Purpose Podcast (Living on Purpose).
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Talking on Eggshells: Soft Skills for Hard Conversations. A LinkedIn article from exactly eight years ago introduced Living on Purpose host Lynn Thompson to the prolific writer, speaker, and consultant, Sam Horn. And on the publication day of Sam's 10th book, Talking on Eggshells, published by New World Library, Lynn gets to welcome Sam as her guest. Mid-way through their conversational tour, they discover they both know Dewitt Jones, who is one of America’s top professional photographers and one of the most sought–after keynote speakers.
Sam Horn is the CEO of the Intrigue Agency, a positioning/messaging consultancy that helps people design and deliver TEDx talks (as she did with Dewitt), keynotes, funding pitches, and one-of-a-kind brands. She is also the CEO of the Tongue Fu! Training Institute, a trade-marked communication skills approach that teaches how to give and get respect at work, at home, online, and in public.
With her books published in 17 languages, Sam has had the privilege of speaking to more than half a million people worldwide, and her work has been featured in dozens of publications, including the NY Times, Forbes, Readers Digest, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. She has been interviewed on every major network, including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, NPR, and MSNBC.
And now, Living on Purpose. Thank you, Sam!
Thanks to Black Fedora with Sneaky Jazz for the music weaving through this episode of Living on Purpose (the original of The On Purpose Podcast).
Lynn Thompson, Editor of Words and Audio
Living on Purpose Communications in Canada includes a podcast, audio editing, and collaborative editing of manuscripts for authors who appear as podcast guests! Podcast host and producer Lynn Thompson facilitates discussion forums, one-on-one conversations, monologues, and guest features. Lynn collaborates with numerous authors and their books of fantasy, historical fiction, future fiction, personal growth, how-to, and whimsy, from creative consultation in the developmental stage to final proofreading for publication. A guide with enthusiasm for drawing forth stories and polishing words to shine the author’s voice, Lynn enjoys the creative writing journey. For more information about being a podcast guest or developmental and collaborative editing, writing, and publishing, please email livingonpurposecommunications (at) gmail.com to hear from Lynn.
“As a first-time author, editing my novel was intimidating. Thanks to Lynn Thompson, it was a joyful and rewarding experience. Lynn is conscientious, organized, flexible, thorough, and professional. I feel very fortunate to have found someone who was also a kind, respectful, and supportive partner in preparing my book for publication. My novel is better because of Lynn’s contributions.”
—Kathryn Goodwin Tone, The King’s Broad Arrow (Germany/USA), Illustrator, Crystal Cregge. Winner, Juvenile Fiction, 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist, 2020 Eric Hoffer Excellence in Independent Publishing Awards
Finalist, 2022 Young Adult Virginia Author Award
“Lynn transforms your literary work from good to great. She is organized, professional, and insightful.”
—Derian Tuitt, Life Success Hacks: How to Use Simple Action to Achieve Anything You Imagine (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
“I have really come to appreciate and honor the way you poke, prod, encourage, and yes, sometimes drag me kicking and screaming to my greater potential.” —Bobbie Casalino Lewis, Expression Expert and author, So That’s What 70 Looks Like! The Essence of Aging Gracefully (CA USA 2023)
Reviews for Dinner at God’s House
April 24, 2024 with Wellness Writers Press
Literary Titan Gold Book Award: Fiction
“This book is a must-read for those of us who feel and think and grind through the days knowing that with courage there can be peace. Even just for a minute. Dinner at God’s House is not just Lieman’s story. It belongs to all of us. A beautiful and raw story about healing and the choice to live in courage or fear.” —Lara Love Hardin, author of The Many Lives of Mama Love and four-time New York Times bestselling author
“Deeply moving and emotionally profound, Dinner at God’s House brings us face-to-face with the big questions of life and also helps us find the answers. This story will break you in two and break your heart, and then finally lead you to a better version of yourself.” —Lauren Sapala, author, speaker & creative guide
About the Author
For anyone wondering what it’s like to collaborate with Lynn Thompson as an editor and writer, here are unsolicited, spontaneous testimonials from three of the numerous people on my team involved with preparing my book for publication with Spotlight Publishing House. —Sandy Levey-Lunden
From such modest beginnings when Angela and I began working on I Just Want Peace with Sandy, its completion and publication is breathtaking. Your painstaking editing has led to an incredible body of work and a wonderful read. —Gillian Hibbs
Lynn, you were an absolute JOY to work with! You show infinite patience and presence making me feel seen, heard, and valued! You have cultivated so much focus, but are always game to have fun! You are a super talented writer and diligent and detailed editor. Your awareness is unrivaled, yet you are unruffled. The way you honoured Sandy’s legacy and embraced every new person added to the team was phenomenal! Collaborating with you was a dream, we were so attuned, even over Zoom, it was like our minds merged in purpose and play-fullness! Knowing you is a true and beautiful Blessing! It’s so incredible what can be accomplished when a set of stellar communicators are led by a star like YOU, Lynn Thompson! —Kristi Birnie
A great tribute to you, Lynn. I concur with Kristi on how much infinite patience, presence, and passion you had for this book project throughout and how I felt seen and heard, grateful to learn some of the ins and outs of editing. I feel like a beginner’s mind in so many ways. Such attention to detail and making everything appear to be seamless, more fun, and just more than the sum of its parts that you tracked so well. It was a meaningful creative process that I secretly never wanted to end. But then we’d be denying the world of a great legacy book and to give Peace a better chance. Congratulations, Sandy and Team Peace! —Christina Ireland
I concur with everything Kristi said. You have shown infinite patience, Lynn, with all of us throwing in different edits, you have welcomed each and every one of us and responded with kindness. You are an awesome editor and have been a profound help to Sandy and her legacy book. Well done and thank you! —Sue Reynard
feather aka denise bertrand
Lynn Thompson is a most attentive, thorough, and enthusiastic editor.
Anyone writing their first or tenth book would be lucky to have Lynn on their team.
Her attention to detail is outstanding.
Her gentle and clever suggestions created an inspiring working atmosphere for me
as I completed my first novel.
Once Upon A Solar Time.
I highly recommend Lynn as your editor.
The Woo Woo Way
"Cindy Childress, PhD, The Expert’s Ghostwriter, book-writing coach, and mentor, reawakened my love of storytelling and helped develop my writing style. Once we completed the developmental editing, I needed to find a copy editor. Who knew there was more than one kind of editing? My publisher, Becky Norwood of Spotlight Publishing House, introduced me to several copy editors to interview. I chose Lynn Thompson of Living on Purpose Communications.
"I thank Lynn for creating a collaborative approach in editing my book, chapter by chapter, line by line. With some of my lessons, she helped assemble bridges to connect ideas. Editing takes focused time,
so it’s great that we often laughed with abandon and talked aloud to Grammarly. There’s nothing better than a good belly laugh for healing. How perfect, since healing is the theme of my book."
—Sandy Evenson, Bestselling Author of The Woo Woo Way, in Spring 2023
Listen to Sandy on the Living on Purpose podcast
A Dry Hate - Second Edition
Published by Nugget Press with support from Spotlight Publishing House.
Nancy Marshall hopes that A Dry Hate will have a broad readership with adult discussion groups as well as in high school and college classrooms. She has a deep and abiding belief that by continuing to educate ourselves, to think and talk about ideas and events, we will become a more robust democratic society.
By opening ourselves to the interchange of ideas and knowledge, we will be more able to combat propaganda, lies, abuse of power, and threats of violence.
Listen to Nancy on the Living on Purpose podcast
Nancy says of editor Lynn Thompson:
“Lynn has been a fabulous, terrific, wonderful, irritating, fun-loving, imperfect, best-ever editor.
I am so grateful for all the work she’s done, and we’ve done together.”
June 2023
May 2024: A DRY HATE won first place as Best Novel with the Arizona Professional Writers!
November 2024: A DRY HATE won the first place award for BEST FICTION in 2024 from the Arizona Authors Association!
Publishing with Ignite Press in 2024
“When we began working together, I had a collection of blog entries, and I didn’t even know how to begin turning them into a book. You helped me to rearrange, rewrite, and polish these entries into a book I am proud of. Lynn, I really felt you were invested in my success and I enjoyed getting to know you. I will definitely work with you again!”
—Danell TeNyenhuis Black, SUDDENLY, A Widow’s Story of Unexpected Loss and Healing
Listen to Danell on the Living on Purpose podcast
Leading us through details of her unexpected loss, the author expands the shock rippling through their large families into a depth of insight, memories, hope, and supportive guidance. I recommend this book for comfort and company through the loss of a spouse and holding steady as life continues in ways unimaginable before that moment. Big thanks for the author's courage in sharing her story!
Lynn Thompson
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2023 with SPOTLIGHT PUBLISHING HOUSE
In memory of Mom and Dad who were always there for me. My bond with Mom reached new depths throughout the years I cared for her and as she expressed her incredible love for me.
Thanks to Denise M. Brown for your caregiver consultant training program and the many opportunities you provided, including giving me the foundation and tools to begin helping family caregivers. Thanks to my partner, Dennis, for your love, patience, support, and understanding while I wrote this book. Thanks to Junie Swadron, Theresa Wilbanks, and Lynn Thompson for your editorial guidance and encouragement and for making writing this book a fantastically fun journey. Like caregiving, writing a book is not a solo activity, and you each brought this message to life and gave it wings. It takes a community to write a good book. Steve Harrison, his coaching staff, and his group of authors provided education, guidance, and inspiration to keep me engaged and clear that my message is important and needs a voice. I greatly appreciate my first readers, Dennis Dulniak, Helen Carter, and Karen Briskey. A huge thank you to Maggie Morgan and Theresa Wilbanks for your marketing and social media expertise, and Becky Norwood, for all you and your staff accomplished to get my book published on time and with love and enthusiasm for this project.
Gratitude to all the caregivers I have met and coached. You validated over and over that this book and the information in it change lives. While the worries, mistakes, and concerns are real, you have created meaningful journeys through effective communication, asking for help, making memories, and celebrating with the loved ones in your care.