“Something about a dance class is very ritualistic; it’s very meditative, it’s exhilarating and joyful, but also very soothing.”— Jody (Kerzner) Bruner

Prepare to hear a great excuse to turn up the volume on your favourite album or playlist. This episode of The Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools we use to heal. In this episode, host Bobby K reconnects with an old high school classmate whose irreverent and surprisingly wise yearbook message still resonates decades later.

While Bobby and his classmate Jody developed their personal connection through their school’s dance class, Jody’s own connection to dance is much larger and more significant. From serving as an escape from a challenging and sometimes volatile family life as a child to helping her soothe her anxieties and ground herself as an adult, dance has become one of Jody’s most important mental health tools and passions.

Tune in to hear her story… and then consider putting on your favourite music and some dancing shoes!

“I’m trying to be more connected and to be more open about the challenges in my life.” — Jody (Kerzner) Bruner

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• The power of dance and movement to heal not only the body, but the mind as well
• How dance has helped Jody to navigate many of the emotional stressors in her life
• Additional tools that help both Jody and Bobby deal with anxiety and depression

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:53 Intro

01:54 Meet Jody(Kerzner) Bruner

03:36 Yearbook message

05:19 Dance in school

07:10 Dance as an early escape

08:53 Dance & divorce

10:16 Jody’s other hobbies

13:32 More tools

15:07 Love where you live

17:21 JAST

20:35 Openness

21:57 Being a grandmother & bobblehead

24:49 Getting married

Links:‌ ‌

No Magic Bullet

http://nomagicbullet.org

To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:

Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.org

Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw

or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.

Shalom!