Keith Renninson on Tenacity, Resilience, and the TRIP System

Host Connie Warden welcomes longtime friend Keith Renninson to Mindful Kindful Living to discuss applying mindfulness and compassion in real life through resilience and storytelling. Keith, a Colorado native, Vietnam veteran, professional speaker, and author of four books, recounts starting at New York Life in 1975, needing a stipend to survive, and being repeatedly given termination forms—fired six times in six months—while relying on mentoring, tenacity, and resilience to keep the job. He explains how getting lost while trekking alone in Nepal inspired his TRIP system—Tenacity, Resilience, Imagination, and Purpose—framed by journaling and “doing hard things,” with happiness as a choice. Keith shares vivid Nepal bus and chicken stories, reflects on tenacity as a life thread, mentions three heart attacks and new limits, and describes recovering from two broken ankles and subsequent knee replacements through challenging physical therapy.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:33 Fired Six Times Story

06:00 TRIP System Origins

10:43 Nepal Bus Roof Adventure

16:41 Tenacity as Life Thread

19:20 Winter Park Drunk Skier Tale

24:04 Bouncing Back From Injuries

29:09 Happiness Choice Closing

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Teaching with Heart: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence with Danielle Warden

Host Connie Warden welcomes listeners to the Mindful Kindful podcast and interviews her daughter-in-law, Danielle Warden, a certified classroom teacher with nearly two decades of experience, a mother of four, and a passionate advocate for social emotional learning and trauma-informed teaching. Danielle explains trauma-informed teaching as understanding the whole child and being mindful of how expectations, tone, and reactions affect students. She shares how pausing to consider what lies beneath behavior helps bridge the gap between intent and impact, and emphasizes restorative “repair” through apology and relationship-building to cultivate trust. Danielle recounts classroom practices like check-ins, student sharing, and writing to process strong emotions, highlighting the importance of validating feelings. She recommends The Anxious Generation and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, and outlines a practical framework: notice, pause, choose, repair, and begin again.

00:00 Welcome to Mindful Kindful

00:38 Meet Danielle Warden

01:42 What Trauma Informed Means

03:00 Intent vs Impact in Moments

06:31 Repair and Restorative Practices

07:54 Camping Story with Luna

10:40 Classroom Trauma Check In

13:18 Writing It Out to Reset

16:22 Books That Shaped Danielle

18:11 Notice Pause Choose Repair

22:08 Begin Again Closing Thoughts

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Trauma-Informed Healing for High Achievers: Polyvagal Tools, Burnout, and Authentic Growth with Elizabeth Ormes

Connie Warden interviews licensed clinical professional counselor Elizabeth Ormes, who has 28 years’ experience and owns Actualizing Your Best Self, working primarily with high achievers struggling with burnout, perfectionism, and disconnection. Ormes explains her level two trauma professional certification as extensive continuing study to better serve trauma survivors, and describes SSP (Safe and Sound Protocol) and RRP (Rest and Restore Protocol), sound-frequency tools based on Dr. Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory that support nervous system regulation and help clients feel safe enough to go deeper in therapy. She shares a case example of an Ivy League–educated lawyer who, after months using SSP and RRP with therapy, became less catastrophizing and more attuned to bodily needs. They discuss common signs overachievers need help, the “sandwich generation,” brain maturation near age 30, and parting encouragement to seek support, stay curious, and embrace authenticity, including Ormes’ July 17 virtual Independent Women’s Conference appearance.

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00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

02:00 Trauma Certification Explained

04:38 Polyvagal Tools SSP RRP

09:08 Client Success Story

11:32 When High Achievers Hit a Wall

13:00 Life in the Sandwich Generation

17:01 Letting Loved Ones Choose

21:52 Shedding Layers and Greatness

22:33 Hopeful Parting Advice

25:28 Conference Plug and Closing

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