The Scoop with Tanya Flanagan

Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NBC Studios on public radio K, u and v 91.5.

Unknown Speaker 0:16
Good morning. And thank you for joining me for the scoop with Tanya Flynn. And again, I'm so happy you decided to wake up and start your day with me. Here on the scoop where we talk about life, joy, funny moments, trending topics, and so much more. We promise to keep you in the know and find out what you know. So let's get started.

Unknown Speaker 0:43
Good morning, and welcome to the final Sunday of 2023. I want to say thank you for waking up once again. And joining me here on the scoop on 91.5. Public Radio okay, you envy. It's amazing that we have walked out 364 days and this is the 360/5 day of the year and we're closing out another year, I wanted to spend the time with a little bit of reflection and also taking a moment to look ahead. I am pleased to welcome to the show this morning. Tasia Flanagan and yes, you probably noticed the last name is the same. I wanted to have a conversation with someone that I talk with all the time, who measures what I'm doing, holds me accountable. Also looks to me for advice, and I want it to take some things from her Tasia is my niece and also like a daughter to me. And I thought we could have some fun just having a casual conversation this morning. So without further ado, good morning Tasia.

Unknown Speaker 1:47
Good morning. Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here this morning.

Unknown Speaker 1:51
Thank you and you are in Arizona. So you're an hour ahead of me at seven o'clock here in Las Vegas and eight o'clock there in the wonderful state of the Valley of the Sun. So as we get ready to close out another year, can you believe it's been another year we were just celebrating Christmas a week ago. Here we are. And I wanted to talk a little bit about New Year's resolutions. Or maybe as you once said, goals so that resolutions are things that people tend to focus on for. We have the best of intentions, we tend to set them and they only survive, I don't know, a week, two weeks, like people set the exercise resolution or I don't know, the more getting outdoors resolution. I was kind of curious to talk about what are some of yours and how do you you know what, what kind of things do you do? As you close out of year and before you go into a new year with you by yourself or with your girlfriends with family with you know, loved ones or significant others? Kind of things that you do and tell us before you jump in a little bit about yourself?

Unknown Speaker 3:02
All righty, well, good morning. Again, my name is Kasia Flanagan. Pleasure to be here with me today. On this forum, I am a licensed social worker of 13 years have expertise in mental health, behavioral health, and just dealing with all walks of life. So I've spent a great deal of my career with individuals that are seriously mentally ill, I've worked with that population. And I've also worked with the elderly, as well. So I enjoy it. I'm a very compassionate person. And that's, that's what I do on a day to day basis. So just self care is a big part of our field. And I definitely wanted to touch on self care going into the new year. But um, some of the things that I think about when it comes to clothes now to year is just reflecting on all of the successes and the setbacks over the whole year, things that I've accomplished things that I would like to didn't accomplish, and how I can improve in the areas that I wasn't as strong, strong in for the year. Some of the things I like to do, I like to declutter my home. So clean out everything give things away. I like to change up my environment, making sure everything is organized, making sure that I might add a plant or a new piece of furniture or just changing the environment. I think environmental in your environment actually plays a big role in your mood. So that's one of the things that I like to do besides reflecting on the year. I like to set budgets and look at my finances and finances is One thing that is very important to me, so looking at things that I would like to do in the upcoming year, such as traveling, saving more, maybe a big purchase or to saving toward a home or a new vehicle. So some of those are some of the things that I like to do. And as Tonya mentioned earlier, I believe in setting goals, instead of resolutions, resolutions seem to be more temporary. And goals are something that we can set a plan for some action steps and work towards, on a continuous basis. So those are some of the things that I do.

Unknown Speaker 5:38
Wow, that's a really good list. I like the thing about looking at your environment and reworking furniture or adding a new piece. I have another friend too. It feels like she's a really great interior decorator. And it feels like every so often she changes her space. And I have also known with when I've done things in my home. To add to the ambience and the decor, it's changed my mood. It's almost like it reintroduces you to the space that you occupy every day. And it makes it more welcoming and more comfortable to let go of something and add something or even if you keep everything that you have, and maybe you just add a different pop of color, whether it's a pillow, its candle, it's a piece of art, or some type of ceramic work, I find that it really does improve the move that you have in your home. I also like where you talked about looking at your finances and planning for goals strategically, whether it's for some it may be the purchase of a new home, or changing you know your current residence or buying a car or a piece of appliance or something of that nature or planning for a really big trip. When you're doing this Do you ever do a lot of people do vision boards, I've only done a vision board once and I've heard people talk about it. I did one once my vision board was so simple. It took me maybe 15 minutes. It was at a point in life where I was older about maybe a couple years ago, I went to a party and did a vision board. And it was super simple for me like I had gotten to where life was about being authentic, being purposeful, resting in faith, setting goals and striving toward a change in work environment, more deliberateness and intentional pneus and community work. And I found the vision board to be something that throughout the year, I could look at and reflect upon what I had set as a goal. Have you ever done? I know you've talked about it before the governor, you mentioned some parties with girlfriends and doing vision boards and how those things played into what you do and how does your work impact how you set these goals or set the time is there a need to kind of have boundaries because the work you do was really heavy. And I would think this space of setting goals is the place where you are resetting, rejuvenating, restructuring and protecting yourself at the same time.

Unknown Speaker 8:17
Absolutely. So over the years, I've been to several vision board parties. And I actually have one to go to on this in the early part of the later part of the afternoon. But that's one of the things I do enjoy about closing at the end of the year is that we do these bit more parties and it just it gives you an opportunity to visualize what you want for that upcoming year. And it's really a great opportunity for you to reflect on and what I like to do also is I like to reflect in June like halfway midpoint to see kind of warm up where am I at with my goals have I accomplished them do I need to you know, put the gas pedal, put it put my foot to the gas pedal and get some things done so it just like you said it gives you that visual where you can you can look at it throughout the year and kind of see a roadmap to where you want to be and where you want to go. So I'd definitely recommend it I think it's it's something that people should do they should take the time out and and whether it's get arts and crafts or printed some things off of the computer or cutting things out of the magazine, but they should compound the materials ahead of time and that way when you get to the party or you get to your individual space to do your board you already have things kind of organized a little better. Save time and regards to the impact of trying to balance my my professional life and and my personal life. What I do in social work is I I deal with individuals that are that has a lot of trauma, a lot of substance use a lot of mental illnesses. So it can be taxing mentally for me as a professional. So self care is something that we teach a lot. And I tried to implement by having healthy boundaries, kind of separating the work, work life balance, I actually get a lot of massages. I like to spend time with my family and my loved ones like to journal and I had the opportunity just I love to hike. So just finding those things that bring me joy, and being able to do those and get to me time, or even if it's just taking a hot bath, and just kind of just relaxing OR, or NOT over committing myself, which is something that I'm learning to do even more, but just taking that personal timeout to loving yourself, because it's so important. And if we can't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others in my field. So it's something that I definitely practice quite often.

Unknown Speaker 11:02
You talked about time, I think as we get older, we really have a reevaluation of time. And because when you're younger, you feel like you have all this time and you can do anything that you want to do. And there's today but there's going to be tomorrow and you feel like there are so many tomorrow's. And as you begin to get older and life changes and demands, I always say adulting is not fun. And sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it is I mean, as you get older, you accomplish more, you have more you have more choices and options to do different things and you're ready to experience and try new things, whether it's traveling somewhere, you've never been going to a restaurant or you know you have a little bit more in a perfect scenario, discretionary income and things of that nature. But I find that you become much more protective of time, and what you say yes to and how you use it, because you realize how valuable it is your energy levels change, and you can't get it back. So one of my resolutions is definitely over the years. And one of my goals, I should say, because it's not for me like, Oh, here's a new year. And here's a resolution, but it's an ongoing space, to practice living better to practice living healthier, and some much more mindful of time how I use it, how I expense it, who I expense it to, and what the return is on my investment of that, of that, that period of my life, that time in my life. Because there are things that I like to do more of, and I'm working toward that, whether it's getting back to reading I used to read all the time. And then I found that demands on life take you away from the simple things that you life you'd like to do. And so you have to carve out that, that moment in your day, whether it's an hour or half an hour before you go to bed or just when you sit down or whatever the case may be to read something just for interest, and for education and for self fulfillment. That's one of my personal goals and resolutions, if you will. And of course being healthy is always one of them. So going into 2024, what are goals you have set for yourself.

Unknown Speaker 13:13
Going into 2024 a goal that I have is to get my hours I'm LMS w which is a Licensed Master social worker. And my goal is to be a licensed clinical social worker, so that I can be 100% independent in my therapy practice. So one of the goals is to do more direct care and therapy over this next year, so that I'm able to take my exam acumen enough hours and take my exam. Some of my other goals is to get involved in a community based program and within a ministry within a church and get my son involved in a ministry in church. And just saving you know, knocking down some financial goals that I have. And saving for my future home in the next couple of years. That is my plan is to own a second home that is

Unknown Speaker 14:14
well, it's exciting. I know some of this and but some of this is new to me even as you're on so it's exciting to kind of just share and to the listening audience. I chose to have this conversation with my niece because she is about roughly 10 years my junior. And so the perspective of the generations was something that I wanted to engage in to see where young black women are headed in terms of their thought processes in today's society, and how what's happening around us in the world is shaping the way their thinking is she is not the end all be all. So it is really just a very specific to what she's feeling or experiencing or hearing from her girlfriends. But I just thought it could be a great way to close out the year to talk about some of the good To find out like one thing I'd love to know from you of the things that you've tried in the past, what is something that you would pass on to others to say, this really worked for me, this really helped me to improve my quality of life like for me, and I'll go first on this one, finding more time to meditate, and to read things that create positive affirmations and just positive messages, including the Bible, and taking time to meditate and to study in those spaces. And to journal. I think journaling is Emma writer. So having a writer's background, being a reporter for about 10 years professionally, and just really starting to write even as a young girl, I think I started writing as young as really 13. It is a method for clearing my thoughts and purging things internally often talk about internalizing negative energy. And it's a way for me to release things that may be weighing me down. So I would offer to someone who, whether you're going through things or not, you just have a lot on your plate, you want to sift through it or you just want to take a look at something or however you feel I think journaling is an excellent way to clear your head, clear out some of that energy get just get rejuvenated. What about you?

Unknown Speaker 16:29
Justin, same gentleman is a excellent way to clear your mind. And just reflect on things that you need to, you need to reflect on. So I'm in agreement with journaling, meditation, I'm actually really a big meditation person. And I'd like to do it before bed. And I'd like to also practice mindfulness practices where I'm just kind of in the moment, being in the moment, you know, the kind of just taking in my environment, doing a body scan of how my body is going, maybe doing some stretching before bed. Sleep. Sleep is something that over the last year and a half I've really tried to improve on because I noticed the older that I get, the more I can't function without adequate sleep, I used to be able to stay up all night and go to work. But I'm not able to do that anymore. I have to go to bed at nine or 10 o'clock at night to be my most productive self. And then I also you know, want to try to continue to get up a little bit early five in the morning, kind of ease into my day, you know, whether that is you know, do my little daily reading my my daily bread scriptures or look at some some bills or watch the news and just kind of slowly

Unknown Speaker 17:57
I think that's the whole thing. It's finding a moment where where do you make you the priority going into 2024. And I'm not saying that we haven't been making ourselves a priority in 2023. I'm just saying as we walk into as we let, as we look at one year, leave us behind and we get ready to walk into another end. Tonight is really it. I mean, it's New Year's Eve. Don't have huge plans. I may spend it with some friends, I may spend it quietly. Some of us have have lost loved ones, some of us have welcomed new additions to our families. So it's just you know, taking that moment to really recognize what do you need. I had another girlfriend who does homeopathic I guess care if you will, she creates products and she does a lot of stuff that really allows you and she was on the show will show Whitmore blissful therapy. And she talked about being in the moment like you're talking about and getting oneself centered, and not really figuring out what's happening to you internally sitting quiet, and finding the source when things are not going well. Or, or when they are going well recognizing the source. And I think that ties into your comment about being in the moment. And I think that's super powerful. Because I find as I get older, the more that I process a lot of things at the same time at a rapid pace. And so for me too. It's almost like sitting steel. It's one of those things that makes me pause to be aware of what's around me, who's around me, what's going on and how I feel and just enjoy and focus on that moment not to be I don't care if you're sitting across from your girlfriend having a cup of coffee at brunch, to sit in that moment. Be at brunch, enjoy brunch, and not think about the 16 errands that you'd like to run today. Or the other 14 things you'd like to get dumped had to really learn to be present

Unknown Speaker 20:03
in the moment, absolutely. Learn

Unknown Speaker 20:07
to be present, I think there's so much value in learning to be present. And that way you get to enjoy who you're with where you are. And often there's a special takeaway for why you're there in the first place. I mean, I just think there's tremendous value in that. I'm curious to know. What will you start with? You know, it's a new year, what would you start with?

Unknown Speaker 20:37
What will happen? As far as the first goal of the year,

Unknown Speaker 20:40
whatever you might change, or add, what are you most excited about? Stepping into,

Unknown Speaker 20:48
I think I'm most excited about investing in myself. I am a person that loves to make other people happy, I give a lot I do a lot for others. And sometimes I can be neglectful to my own self and my own goals, and aspirations. So I think that, you know, this year, I am wanting to invest more than myself. And the things that I want to do as far as my, my career, and I want to do some entrepreneurial things as well. So I think investing more in myself, I think just having my quiet time, and allowing myself that downtime to think and then just my me time is very important. But more or less just invest in them and myself. And

Unknown Speaker 21:40
yeah, you know, one of the dynamics, I want to ask you, do you think that you know, we're post COVID, we're not really post couple, but we are post pandemic, in the space of isolating and being away. But I think that that really shifted how people live their lives now. And what's important, did that change things for you, because I know for me, for example, having to be being a really busy person. I've always been a community service person from the days from the time that I was a teenager, whether it was Junior Achievement in high school, being on the cheer line, being in student government working on projects in the church, I have always been very community service oriented, Urban League, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated all of these different levels of giveback have been my rhythm and the drum by which I beat my life. And so I ran hard, I worked hard, always like to be on the go. More was better. As I've gotten older, I value organizing, not that I wasn't organized, but I value. I used to value the deadline pressure. Now I value being ahead of the curve and being more prepared to to get everything done. But COVID recreated this demand on time to slow down to save your life. You had to slow down to save your life, you had to isolate it to pull away from people. And it I think it was a period for me of reflection of spring steel in a different way. And it's created a desire to be more intentional in the things that I do. Versus I used to say yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes. And I remember reading an article by pro Cleon Avapro college out of Atlanta. And she talked about the value of knowing how to say no, when to say no and why you should know. Yes, like no is the whole sentence, it's capitalized, it has an ending and has a period. And that was really valuable. One of the most valuable pieces of advice that I've ever read. And I just wonder, I know for me COVID changed the way I look at things to COVID impact you in that sort of way to make you look at how you spend time or people were just whatever differently.

Unknown Speaker 24:15
I definitely think it made me realize that life is very, very short. And that you know, we definitely cannot take the basic things for granted. The whole world shut down and I definitely think it impacted you know, everyone in some sort of way. For me it just made me realize that life is definitely short and just spinning those special moments and being present in those moments when my loved ones even more so than I did before. It made me realize to my home how important my home was in just having my my sacred space and I wanted to make it a place where I felt like it was my my piece so What I adopted in that time is I became OCD. And now I'm organizing because I had the time to do it. So now I'm like this organizing, crazy person, but no. And in reality, but yeah, it just made me want to really just hone in on my home life and just make sure that my house is very comfortable, but very organized. And I realized that that brings me a lot of peace. Besides, you know, spending time with my loved ones and my family and not taking things for granted.

Unknown Speaker 25:32
Yeah, no, I had a girlfriend Speaking of COVID, and we were talking about staying at home factor. And when you were in COVID, you realize all these things I got into this, I haven't done this, I don't care if it was blinds or the wall, you always intended to paint because you wanted an accident wall or whatever the case might be. And we were talking about it and we ended up both shopping for couches, at the same time, and she made a comment she said, because we were doing a drive by at our house is because we were never really home, we were so busy. being out and about with other people going to events and functions. Home was a drive by home was not where people stayed until the pandemic really hidden. It made us all pop punch, you know, push pause, and take a minute to be at home we are, I do want to mention that we're coming into the homestretch of the show, we have about a little less than three minutes left to the conversation. As we get ready to countdown this morning. And then later on tonight, count down to take this year out and go into a new one. But I want to make sure I have formerly said thank you. And because you were my knees tell you how much that I love you. And I admire and adore you. And thank you for spending some time here with me on the scope. And just talking about life, I guess, candidly, is there anything that I've ever done that's influenced how you live your life or restructure, or just make decision?

Unknown Speaker 27:02
Definitely, until you have definitely given me the tools that I need to navigate as far as my goals and my career paths. But it's always been that that person that is, you know, doing the right thing, and you're you're implementing and leading by example. And this a woman of faith, your strength within yourself and your, your season. Belief in in God just has helped me tremendously. So I love you and appreciate you. And thanks for having me on the show.

Unknown Speaker 27:33
Thank you for coming on the show. And I have a good friend here. Though we all a lot of us have former Clark County Commissioner Lawrence weekly, where we says give people their flowers while they're alive. And I want to thank you for being on the show. And a flower that I would like to give you is just to tell you how much I admire you. And I admire the resilience that you have, and the tenacity and the drive. Because I think this is a generation where women are coming into a space of empowerment. We've been coming into it for a while but I am excited to see it in you as my niece and to see other young women like you taking the bull by the horns if you will, and making bold decisions and stepping into it and not being afraid and to paint your picture with these vibrant colors. Paint your life picture with these vibrant colors and have this amazing tapestry. So I wish you continued success and joy. And as we close out 2023 I love you and early. Happy New Year and Happy New Year to everyone listening.

Unknown Speaker 28:44
Thank you and love you too. Happy New Year.

Unknown Speaker 28:48
Have a great week. Welcome to 2024 I want to thank you for tuning into the scoop with me Tanya Flanagan and I want to invite you to get social with me I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My name is my handle ta NYFL a na GA en you can also find me on Instagram at Tanya almond eyes Flanagan and if you have a thought and opinion or a suggestion, don't hesitate to shoot me an email to tonya.flanagan@unlv.edu Thanks again for joining in. Stay safe and have a great week.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai