Inspired Evolution with Amrit Sandhu 🙏🏻

Our guest for this week is Preston Smiles, an author, motivational speaker, and a personal freedom coach.Preston grew up facing adversity in many aspects of his life. In school, he struggled with dyslexia and was labeled as someone who needed special needs education. But outside of school, he faced the real, life-threatening challenges. In his teens, he joined a gang that started off as a petty theft group, but later on, got into more dangerous dealings. He decided to pass on an offer to go for a “routine round of mischief” because he felt deep inside that something was not right. Later that night, his friends were shot and the tragedy shock Preston to his very core. He surrendered and realized that he needed to find a higher purpose in life, far away from the world of organized crime.Years have past and Preston is now an acclaimed motivational messenger, spreading the words of inspiration, empowerment and particularly, love. His goal is to “empower, inspire and ignite a multi-generational movement of radical growth through conscious, creative content, acts of love and living boldly.”In 2016, Preston published his book titled “Love Louder: 33 Ways to Amplify Your Life”, in which he teaches his positive philosophy aimed at getting more out of life in terms of love, purpose, and meaning. His book is a practical guide for people looking to live more exciting lives, increase productivity, achieve clarity and gain confidence.He is currently holding a 2 Day Mens Immersive Workshop called Unleash the BEAST focused on helping men unlock their purpose, conquer fear and step into their power through a range of exercises, challenges, and stretches. Unleash the BEAST starts on the 25th of May!Connect with Preston:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrestonSmilesSpeaks/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLHChGfdXlqR-Wck74eRPgwInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/prestonsmiles/Twitter: https://twitter.com/prestonsmilesWebsite: https://prestonsmiles.com/Preston’s Story of Inspired EvolutionThings we’ve experienced in our youth will to some extent shape us into the type of people we become, into our future-selves. However, our approach to life will affect whether or not we learn from these experiences or keep on making the same mistakes over and over again. Listening to Preston’s story, you can actually connect the dots and witness his growth mindset at play. It might not be intuitive that a young man who was a member of a gang in his teens will grow up to become an amazing ray of motivation and inspiration, but it is exactly these experiences that Preston acknowledges as necessary steps in his development.“I was never in the “wrong” crowd… Those people who happen to be African-Amazing weren’t the wrong people, they were the right people to help me see with the eye behind the eye, the real truth… which is, love is all there is, was and ever will be.” - Preston SmilesGrowing up, Preston got a chance to experience two different cultures. One where certain unethical behaviors set people on the path of imprisonment, while in the other, people engaging in those same behaviors went on to live the lives of Ivy League graduates. This insight has allowed Preston to witness first hand how our world is shaped by social constructs through discourse, the language we use. He believes that these patterns in human behavior are caused by “historical and social programming” and that we need to become aware of these mechanisms so that we can see and focus on what’s truly important.“We build worlds with our language and I’m constantly asking myself what type of world am I building with the language I’m using? - Preston SmilesPutting an End to Suffering“You have a duty in your world, in your context, in your framework to shine your light as bright as possible because people are freaking suffering right now.” - Preston SmilesWe explore the details of a worrisome phenomenon called “deaths of despair”, first recognized in the United States but its indicators have been documented also in Great Britain, Australia, and other Western cultures well. It is identified as a pattern of suicides and opioid-related deaths in parts of the population which is plagued by despair due to a bleak economic and social situation. This is such a broad issue that affects big portions of our society and that is why Preston calls for us to act preventatively and act as protectors of our society’s mental health.“I think it’s just deeply important that we all just shine our light as bright as we possibly can. Because we never know who, at the coffee shop that you go to daily, at the cubicle next to you that you work with, who needs that extra smile, who needs that pat on the back, who needs that hug that you’ve been withholding, who needs that permission slip.” - Preston SmilesBlessings in Disguise“Even the worst stuff that we can name on this planet, has been some of the most beautiful, biggest blessings that people have experienced in themselves.” - Preston Smiles

Our guest for this week is Emeli Paulo, purpose coach, wellbeing activist and founder of Collective Potential.In the last 20 years, Emeli has been working hard on helping people unleash their full potential. She has developed unique internal processes in order to unmask the best version of herself and she will teach you how to apply them to your situation as well. Emeli founded Collective Potential and their main goal is preventative mental health. Her organization allows people to discover their agency and provides them with a supportive community.Her work has been supported by spiritual and business icons such as Oprah Winfrey, Sir Richard Branson, Russell Brand, and Dalai Lama! They have encouraged her and gave her the confidence to create Australia's first united wellbeing movement. Throughout her career, Emeli had the opportunity to work with around 300 000 clients, helping them discover their purpose in life. She was also involved in the organization of over 10 000 workshops, seminars and special events where she had an opportunity to address people directly and across the globe. On her long list of specialties, we can find skills such as professional speaking, presentation skills facilitation skills, team building, culture change and transformation, leadership development.Connect with Emeli:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collectivepotentialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeli-paulo-491a3a13/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivepotential/Website: http://www.collectivepotential.com.auEmeli’s Story of Inspired EvolutionThe event that inspired Emeli to become what she is today was so dramatic that it sounds like something taken from a plot of a Hollywood movie. She was unsuspectingly standing on the street corner when she saw a young woman throw herself in front of a moving car. Luckily, the driver somehow managed to hit the breaks just in time. As Emeli approached her to provide comfort and attempt to calm her down, she learned that the young woman in the street was actually a victim of domestic abuse. She has been driven to the end of her rope, with no one to turn too. Emeli empathized with this woman’s story and she provided her with support when the health and justice system would not. She gave her a place to stay and was there for her in her time of need.As years went by the woman was able to get her life on track and she is confident Emeli played a crucial role in her recovery. From this experience, Emeli discovered her calling and went into the business of purpose coaching with a strong focus on preventative mental health.Emeli is no stranger to adversity. She had lost both of her parents in her youth and sought comfort in the use of drugs. But recreational use slowly but surely masked the problem of addiction she was struggling with.“I had some major addictions in my life… It’s taken me years to pull myself out of the addictions that I’ve had around drug taking and alcoholism.” - Emeli PauloShe was in a bad place but someone saw potential and put their trust in her the way she will go on to do for many. Jim Stynes was a famous AFL footballer and he was the first and only non-Australian-born player to win the Brownlow Medal. After his career in sports, he made his way into philanthropy by co-founding The Reach Foundation which is a youth not-for-profit organization. It was also the place where Emeli developed her skills as an experiential facilitator trainer.Jim Stynes passed away after a struggle with cancer and his death hit Emeli hard along with the rest of the team. However, she knew it was up to her to continue his work and give support to those who need it most.“When he passed away, I knew that I had to continue his work and his legacy to young people.” - Emeli PauloIn her eventful career, she has worked with hundreds of thousands of people but she has also inspired a whole movement of those who are willing to make a difference and help others the same way she is and has been.“I’ve trained over 2000 facilitators in experiential and some people are innate in it and others say I can’t do what you’re doing but you can train into that space.” - Emeli PauloThe Value of Preventative Mental Health“We have an epidemic and I really believe that I can speak the truth to the powers at be after a recent experience that I’ve had because I just think that what you’re doing with Inspired Evolution is saving lives.” - Emeli PauloThis powerful testimonial that Emeli has made about Inspired Evolution is both humbling but also speaking to the point of the alignment in our goals. Collective potential deals in preventative mental health in many different ways and Emeli provides us with insight into the international work she has performed over the years. By helping people find their “why” and discover their true purpose while providing them with the tools and empowering them to strive towards it, Emeli has managed to create a wave of wellbeing both domestically and internationally. The posit

Our guest for this week is Tristan Bray, a regression therapist and founder of Attunement Therapy.Tristan has over 13 years of experience in working as a regression therapist. The skills he has in his repertoire are derived from many different fields, and aside from psychotherapy, he utilizes his knowledge of meditation, quantum healing, cell biology, epigenetics, kinesiology, psychopharmacology, sexual health, diet, detox, philosophy, metaphysics, Taoism, shamanism, entheogens, kung fu, and modern medical science to consult and provide assistance to his clients. His work is well-known by the brand name “An Opportunity to Heal”.His work is built on the notion that our capacity to heal is limitless. Tristan has been our guest on two separate occasions and in our past conversations here on Inspired Evolution, we’ve already covered some aspects of his approach and we have gone over an array of interesting topics for you to explore. You can check out the first episode here! And once you’ve done that, you can listen to the second one here!On his charming third time around at Inspired Evolution, we learn all about Attunement Therapy which is a “modern healing modality based on some of the most ancient biological principals relevant to human physical and emotional health.” It can be interpreted as Tristan’s response to poor emotional health and lack of wellness of the people living in the modern world. His approach is based around the significance that human touch and its inherent potential to evoke healing. Throughout the session in Attunement Therapy, the client is being held by the practitioner and softly guided by affirmations. The therapy itself is meant to transform the ingrained brain and behavioral patterning in order to help you overcome deep insecurities and take a stop fixating on past experiences which can only bring you harm.Connect with Tristan:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tristanb2Attunement Therapy: https://www.facebook.com/attunementtherapy/Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhsAReEDJ-Hf8_NrGIT-fwWhat Is Attunement Therapy?“Attunement, the definition, is almost like a sharing of emotional spaces.” - Tristan BrayWe dive deep into the fundamentals and basic principles of Tristan’s Attunement Therapy and he goes on to explain the evolutional, psychological and neurophysiological background which supports and structures his approach. While discussing the role which subconsciousness plays in our development, Tristan reflects on the teachings of Dr. Bruce Lipton. From there, we go to direct analysis of how a child’s brain is developed through the activation of mirror neurons once again recognizing the value of the subconscious. The vast yet flexible intelligence children posses in the early stages of their life allow them to make connections with their parents.“Attunement is based on this connection with your parents. And the reason I call it Attunement Therapy is that it reevokes this experience for adults.” - Tristan BrayAttunement Therapy extrapolates from the needs of children and attempts to respond to those needs in a unique way later on in life. Each session is up to 3 hours long and the therapy is carried out through several stages. In the first one, the practitioner familiarizes themselves with the client and their current situation, trying to pinpoint their issues and unsatisfied needs. The second stage is all about making an introductory connection with the client which is done through hand holding and gazing into each other's eyes. This part of the session allows the practitioner to build an “energetic rapport” as Tristan puts it.“People suddenly have these things come up that are unresolved, once they’re being held.” - Tristan BrayTristan uses neurophysiological studies and theories to highlight the importance of non-sexual physical connection for development and the next stage of the session tries to utilize that power of touch. The clients are being held by the practitioner from 60 to 90 minutes which gently lulls them into a kind of hypnotic state making way for the next step in the process of Attunement Therapy, which includes positive affirmations. The practitioner whispers positive affirmations to the client which reinstate the ideas that they are accepted, cared for, worthy and loved. Since the client is already in a hypnotic-like state, the practitioner is speaking directly to their subconscious mind which is why this technique is so effective and powerful.Controlled Crying and Its Effect on Child DevelopmentControlled crying is one of the parenting techniques that can to this day be spotted in the repertoire of parents. The idea behind it is simple. The child is being left to cry themselves to sleep for as long as they need so that the next time they cry they’ll be able to calm themselves down. That is how the situation looks on the surface but Tristan explains the deeper neurophysiological consequences that controlled crying has on o

Our guest for this week is Kate Cheung, a Kundalini yoga practitioner and teacher.For over 20 years, Kate has been practicing yoga. But when she discovered Kundalini yoga, she found new levels of stillness and a fresh way of connecting with the soul. She has been sharing her knowledge and teachings about Kundalini Yoga and meditation across the US, Europe, and Africa. Kate currently operates under a brand name Courage and Bliss.Kate has a background in corporate managerial roles with most of her work based around innovations in terms of project management. That all happened before she left the hectic city lifestyle to embark on a continuous transformational journey. Among her many career accomplishments, she considers her ability to build and lead high-performing and diverse teams where they feel valued and have had a sense of achievement and fun as something she is most proud of.She offers tailored private classes, group workshops and Skype sessions from Melbourne where she takes pleasure in the transformation her students experience.Connect with Kate:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kate.cheung01Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-cheung-0787a14/Email: [email protected] Page: https://www.facebook.com/courageandblisscollectif/Kate’s Story of Inspired Evolution“I was always doing yoga and I loved it.” - Kate CheungKate was involved with yoga long before she ever went into teaching and even before she discovered Kundalini Yoga in the first place. She shares about her experiences of living a hectic city life but recognizes that she was always drawn to activities such as hiking and cycling around nature with friends where she could either connect with others or connect with herself. She discovered Kundalini Yoga and decided to give it a chance.“What I did not expect was that sense of stillness.” - Kate CheungFrom then on, Kate attended a teacher training course in New Mexico where she could focus on exploring the practice further and dive deep into the subject of Kundalini Yoga. Becoming a teacher was not really the focal point and she discovered her love for teaching much later in her practices. She also recognizes the journey of the individual as the most important aspect of the process and emphasizes that the teacher is only there to lend a helping hand and gently guide the student.“I’m just a facilitator, it’s about your experience.” - Kate CheungKundalini Yoga“Kundalini Yoga has been around for thousands of years… Kundalini Yoga means Yoga of Awareness.” - Kate CheungKundalini Yoga is a type of Yoga which focuses on “the awakening of Kundalini energy through a regular practice of mantra, tantra, yantra, yoga or meditation.” Its main goal is to raise awareness of the body and prepare it for the rising of the Kundalini energy.In the podcast, Kate explains the basics of Kundalini Yoga as well as the essential goals of the practice which primarily have to do with achieving a connection with the self, with the soul. She contrasts it to the more intensely physical Yoga which is commonly practiced in the West while describing it is a transformative experience.“I love the stillness. I love the meditative aspect.” - Kate CheungWe’re all aware of the fact that we need to relax and live in the present but the question of how we can achieve this is usually outside of our grasp. Kate recognizes Kundalini Yoga as simply one of the methods of reconnecting with our subconscious. She also vividly recalls and retells her first experience with Kundalini Yoga where she first took part in the meditation and deep relaxation aspect.“In my first class, I sensed that stillness and it was really beautiful.” - Kate CheungThe accent is on the stillness. The accent is on achieving oneness because it is from that integration where the energy can be unleashed.Transforming from the Darkness to the Light“There’s darkness… but there’s light too.” - Kate CheungThrough an open and honest analysis of her own subjective, self-reflective journey, Kate describes the relationship between the good and the bad which is present in all of us. The first step is knowing your weaknesses as well as your strength in order to be able to create both representative and a holistic image of the self.The philosophy of Kundalini Yoga is based on the notion that we can change our thoughts, our feelings, our connections, and our patterns. Essentially, we have the power to “bring ourselves to ecstasy as we’re transformed from darkness to light.”Kate’s Message of Inspired EvolutionYou will inevitably sense the authenticity of Kate’s humbleness while we are discussing very deep, philosophical topics. She is very honest and kind in sharing the insights from her very own experience of connecting with the self and her transformational journey.The conversation has a very soothing and friendly tone, as we discuss intimate topics of trying to understand ourselves better while making a deeper, more meaningful connection. Kate was led to the dis

Our guest for this week is Stephen Jenkinson, a culture activist, teacher, author, ceremonialist and founder of the Orphan Wisdom School.Stephen’s educational background includes masters degrees in Theology and Social Work. He is renowned for his work regarding grief and dying all over North America. Years of working with people who are either dying or experiencing the loss of a loved one have given him profound insight into how we perceive, interpret and deal with death. Throughout his career, he was performing roles such as programme director in a major Canadian hospital and assistant professor in a prominent Canadian medical school. He has also worked as a consultant to palliative care and hospice organizations and educator and advocate in the helping professions.Stephen founded Orphan Wisdom School back in 2010, a teaching house and a learning house for the skills of deep living and making human culture. The name “orphan” describes people whose culture has been built upon mass migration, but as Stephen puts it “not knowing where you are from is not the same thing as being from nowhere”. The philosophy of Orphan Wisdom School is rooted in “knowing history, being claimed by ancestry and working for a time we may not see”.He was also the subject of the feature-length documentary film titled “Griefwalker” released in 2008. In the film, you get to experience and witness not only Stephen’s work and teachings of palliative care but his thoughts on culture, community, and the need for elders. He has produced a 10 part series called “The Haiku Sessions” which are created based on his live recorded teachings.Stephen has authored two books. In 2015, he published “Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul” which works as a guide for dying well by learning the right skills through the process of living well. His latest book is called “Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble”. It was released in 2018 and in it, Stephen makes the case for birthing “a new generation of elders, one poised and willing to be true stewards of the planet and its species”.For the next several weeks, Stephen will be touring Australia and New Zealand with his latest book. You can expect events such as author reading and reportage, all day talks and festival appearances. Check out the dates of his tour here!Connect with Stephen:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orphanwisdom/Website: https://orphanwisdom.com/Stephen’s Journey of Inspired Evolution“Anyone who speaks with authority about one’s own life has been reading the wrong mail.” - Stephen JenkinsonStephen plays an active role in something that he likes to call “the death trade”. To give a better explanation of what he means by that, he takes us back to a moment in his life when it all began. He was approached with an offer and the idea behind it was that Stephen would organize a support group for men who were having trouble coping with losing important people in their lives.“I would take the little job which was to do a six-week group for these guys and I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do.” - Stephen JenkinsonEven though he wasn’t a “corporate guy”, he decided not to pass on an opportunity to help others in their time of need. But he was faced with a new conundrum. It became pretty clear to him that men aren’t that open to participating in emotional support groups that were exclusively for men. Most people would either give up in a situation like this, or try to change the conditions of their role, but Stephen actually saw potential in this particular challenge. He knew that even though he would have to face some drawbacks and that people would be reluctant to join his group, he also knew that all of these men were sharing the same situation and had several characteristics that would allow them to bond.“That’s the group it’s going to be. A men’s group for men who don’t want to be in a group for men.” - Stephen JenkinsonStephen managed to persuade and form a group that had around 7 or 8 members in the beginning. After a few sessions, it became apparent to Stephen that the main topic they should devote their time to in their discussions is anger. Because even though anger is a perfectly natural response, it has been completely rejected by Western society. He noticed that the members of his group were very reliant on their anger but were also very ashamed for feeling and responding in such a way to the situation they’re in.“They were so good at anger, basically, to cover something that they had very little practice at and that was the art and the skillfulness of being sad.” - Stephen JenkinsonThe shift in the topic actually resulted in the group being dubbed as “Sad School” but the value of these meetings is reflected in the fact that the six-week group ended up lasting around 18 months. It was there that Stephen had found his calling and discovered a new sense of purpose.What Does It Mean to Be an Elder?The variety and scale of topics discussed in this podcast surp

Our guest for this week is Psyman OChen, a nomadic traveler and adventurer who has traveled 47 000 km in 3 years, mostly by hitchhiking.Back in 2013, Psyman embarked on a journey seemingly without a cause nor an endpoint. His experience started as a response to the anxiety he felt when he realized he had to make an important decision about how he wanted to live his life. He was aware that he only had one go at this wild game and the road seemed to call out to him, presenting a perfect solution. Even though his anxieties and fears were only substituted with new ones coming from questions like “Where am I going to sleep tonight?” or “What am I going to eat tomorrow?”, he pressed on.Psyman became accustomed to the conditions as he found that connecting with people in new settings allowed him to release all the tension he would normally feel in these unusual circumstances. Throughout his 3 year journey, he’s traveled across Asia, Africa, and Australia, playing his guitar, making art installations, meeting new friends and earning nicknames along the way such as Hamlet, Moses, Noah, Jesus, Guitar Jesus, Robinson Crusoe, Chuck Norris, Funny Man and many more. He traveled more than 47 000 km encountering all kinds of situations, some of which you can read about on his blog called The Nomadic Diaries. He is currently working on a book as well as preparing a documentary.Connect with Psyman:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simon.o.chenYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7G20d67A_Htj2plbDABB7A vWebsite: https://thenomadicdiaries.wordpress.com/Psyman’s Story of Inspired Evolution“I went on a walkabout 5 years ago.” - Psyman OChenBefore his epic journey across three continents that would change the course of his life, Psyman was working in hospitality. His experience in this field is not one he remembers fondly as he was pushed by his employer to the point of having to quit and try his luck elsewhere. As things usually go in life, periods of difficulty are also opportunities to reflect and search within ourselves for what’s really important to us in life. And through self-reflection, Psyman realized that his aspirations were never aimed at achieving financial wealth. After a period of intense pondering, the answer simply came to him and he knew what he had to do.“I need to hit the road. I need to travel, I need to see the world. I need to step outside of society and observe it.” - Psyman OChenHe sought to spread the message of helping the environment but needed to figure out a way to travel the world without money. Using the principles of barter economy and hitchhiking he managed to cross a staggering 47 000 km, starting with Melbourne and finishing his journey in Israel.The Benefits of Crossing Borders on the Road“When you fly, it’s quite a shock when you go to a new land because all airports are built the same. It’s just a shopping center with busses with wings.” - Psyman OChenPsyman highlights the difference between entering a new country by land and by plain, via an airport. He describes the phenomenon of cultural shock you feel when you experience a social setting that is vastly different from what you’re used to by simply going through the exit doors at the airport. He argues that a much better way to travel is to change the process of your surroundings was done gradually. Your mind will have the time to adjust to subtle differences and you wouldn’t feel like your brain is bombarded with all this new information that you have to process like listening to a new language you don’t understand yet for example.“Whereas you travel by land, you gradually enter cultures because every culture is quite similar from the one you left to the one you’re entering.” - Psyman OChenShowing Hospitality Towards Foreigners“People will go out of their way to help out a foreigner to show to them: ‘Hey, we’re not like we’re portrayed in the news.’, but then why don’t they do that to their neighbor?” - Psyman OChenOn his travels, Psyman has visited numerous countries across three continents and has discovered friends and was blessed with hospitality everywhere he went. He was very touched by the fact that people were so giving and kind to a man they’ve only just met, but a question always came to his mind as a reaction to this unexpected kindness. Why are people reluctant to treat their neighbors the same way? It is a pattern that he spotted in most countries, even though it might sound counter-intuitive at first. He also talks about how this gregarious experiences across the world changed his perception and his behavior in mundane situations when he came home to Australia.Psyman’s Message of Inspired EvolutionAside from being a great conversation about the amazing experiences of traveling across three continents and exploring different cultures, this podcast also presents valuable insight for all those who are bothered and looking for a way of overcoming difficult times, personal crises and dealing with anxiety. Surely, one who h

Our guest for this week is David O’Brien, fitness manager, and co-founder of 5th Element Wellness.David approaches the question of achieving fitness and health with a goal of combining knowledge and perfecting his own personal theory. He prefers to take into account various standpoints seemingly opposite or different and figure out a way how to connect them into a system that utilizes the benefits of each method. But building on this holistic approach further, he understands the fact that not every solution fits perfectly with every person. He recognizes individual differences in terms of health and fitness based on unique needs and requirements.He co-founded 5th Element Wellness with the idea of providing a holistic approach to health and fitness. His company is a world-class health club, which provides all the knowledge and tools to achieve great results and optimal wellness. This is David’s second time on our show! In our previous episode, we talked all about the 5 elements of wellness. We also discussed David O’Brien’s habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of his success, happiness, health, and wealth. Check out the full episode here!Connect with David:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.obrien.106902LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-o-brien-38350176/Website: https://www.5ew.com.au/Building Strength“Strength is like the seed. So you want to plant the seed… watch it grow, and let all the other fundamental things build around it.” - David O’BrienOut of the 5 elements of wellness, David places building strength to the very core of any approach involved with improving your well-being. He goes into details of why we need to focus on developing muscle fiber and how it affects other aspects of our performance and health. David also reflects on the connection between strength and movement, explaining in much detail how we can apply an exercise plan based on complex movements in order to get the most out of our workouts.Detoxification and Gut Health“Detoxification starts in the gut and it finishes in the gut.” - David O’BrienDavid debunks the classical understanding that focuses all of the responsibility of the detoxification process on the liver. He introduces to us the importance of gut lining and the role it plays as part of our immune system. He uses a lovely waterfall analogy to explain the process of digestion and all of the elements that play their part in determining our level of gut health. It’s quite intuitive that nutrition has an enormous impact on our gut health. But David reflects also on stress management and how that can also be of great importance in this segment of achieving wellness. At this point in the podcast, you get to witness what the holistic approach to health is all about. We move the narrative to the psychological and explore the connection between emotions and the subsequent effect they have on the gut lining. Listen to the full podcast to find out which 4 key emotions play a role in protecting your immune system!Is Stress Necessarily Bad?“What I need to listen and to understand as well… I mean I’ve gone through this period myself, is where we sort of demonize stress.” - David O’BrienThere’s a tendency in our society, whether we’re talking about our work or private life, that we need to avoid stress at all cost. David defines this as the “demonization of stress”, arguing that, in fact, stress plays a very important role in our development. Using the analogy of a seesaw, he explains how our organism goes through these periodical changes in terms of needs, and he suggests that at times we’re going to have to be eating more, and at other times we should be eating less. As usual, David goes into meticulous details to provide scientific arguments and explanations for his claims, and we talk a lot about hormone production, physiological effects of fasting, and the connection between resilience and stress. Bottom line is that stress can have a positive influence on our health and our development, but it needs to come in specific shapes and forms. The scientific term for this type of stress is eustress.“It’s all about repair and recover so that, when we face that stress response again… your stress resilience is better.” - David O’BrienBlue Zone Analysis: In Pursuit of Longevity“Last year we actually did our first retreat to a Blue Zone area and we actually went to Sardinia where they have some of the highest longevity statistics in the world.” - David O’BrienBlue Zones are parts of the world where the average life expectancy is much higher than in other areas. Dan Buettner has identified five blue zones which are: Okinawa (Japan)Sardinia (Italy)Nicoya (Costa Rica)Icaria (Greece) Areas populated by the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, CaliforniaDavid intends to study these areas in order to discover patterns and try to incorporate them in his personal, ever-expanding theory of health and fitness. In this section of the podcast, he goes on to

Our guest for this week is Steve Cotter, a renowned personal trainer, and founder of the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation.Steve has been a part of the fitness industry for over 30 years. He perfected his knowledge and skills about strengthening and physical conditioning of the human body through the practice of many different disciplines including martial arts, qigong, mobility, flexibility, and Kettlebell training. He founded the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation with a goal of promoting Kettlebell training on a global scale, but also to provide the support for people interested in developing the skills necessary for accelerating a fitness-oriented business. Steve is determined to teach and share his unique story with a goal of promoting health, happiness, and longevity through fitness.Aside from being a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Steve has made his mark as an athlete in several fields. One of his impressive recognitions is a bronze medal at 1996 World Kuoshu Games in Taiwan and he has held the title of the US Full Contact Champion twice. He also captained the first ever USA Team to compete in World Championships of Girevoy Sport. As a personal trainer, he is well-known for working with elite athletes, professional football teams, Navy SEALs, and members of the U.S. Marine Corps.Steve is one of the most renowned Kettlebell promoters in the world. He wrote a book called “Kettlebell Training”, a guide for using the Kettlebell for improving your strength, stamina, coordination, and overall fitness. It offers 95 exercises accompanied by step-by-step instructions on how to perform them correctly and getting the most out of each exercise. In 2011, he released a DVD-series titled Extreme Kettlebell Workout which demonstrates over 100 techniques and 10 workouts, covering topics such as muscle building, core development, and cardio.Connect with Steve:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevecotter.ikff.1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevecotterikff/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/SteveCotterIKFF?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorWebsite: http://ikff.netSteve’s Story of Inspired Evolution“I’m an artist, I’m a movement artist. By trade, my foundation is in the martial arts and essentially, the study of the martial, which is the warfare is so that we don’t have to fight.” - Steve CotterSteve was brought up in the physical culture and got involved with martial arts at the young age of 12. He then taught martial art professionally in his youth, but in his late twenties realized that it was time to look for a different career path and a new challenge. Through everyday training, he has built up a strong foundation for a shift towards the fitness side of things. He went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the San Diego State University and moved in the direction of personal training.Around the early 2000s, Steve became one of the early adopters of Kettlebell training, which opened up an entirely new world for him. The practice of using Kettlebells was several hundred years old at the time but Steve saw an opportunity to promote it all over the world, not just in the US.“What I’ve evolved to understand is that everything is mental.” - Steve CotterThroughout his career, Steve has continuously developed a closer understanding of the mental side of fitness and how it related to overall health. Although recognizing the essential part the body plays in exercise, he became vastly more interested in the role of the mind. He describes the body as the “vehicle” that we need to take care of but also points out that having a fit body doesn’t necessarily guarantee a healthy life.“What I observed is that in many cases, a person can be fit but not be healthy. They can show certain external parameters of fitness but internally they may be miserable because of certain lifestyle habits or largely because of beliefs.” - Steve CotterSteve went on to develop the concept of health-happiness, recognizing it as our highest potential with an end goal of becoming more present and mindful.The Power of Breathing and Controlling the Breath“Most fundamental of all - everybody breathes. So the first technique and the last technique is breathing.” - Steve CotterSteve provides us with his own interpretation of the mind-body-and-spirit trinity, molding it into something that could be closer to our experience which is mind, body, and breath. He goes on to explain how the body is something we recognize as very tactile, the mind is understood through the concept of consciousness but he introduces breath as the connection between the two. By harmonizing the breath with the movement we are given with an opportunity for integrating the body and the mind.“The breath is the connection between the mind and the body.” - Steve CotterThe Role Vitality Plays in Liberating Consciousness“Within the vital is the ‘I’… and it’s ‘IT’ and it’s ‘ALL’.” - Steve CotterWe’ve discussed the

Our guest for this week is Zenith Virago, an educator, facilitator, consultant, speaker, author, marriage celebrant, and Deathwalker.Zenith has been working as a Deathwalker for the past 25 years, meaning that she has provided emotional support as well as legal and practical assistance to the families in her community who have either suffered or were about to suffer a tragic loss. She uses a somatic approach to consult the members of her community and educate them on the subject of death and dying. She believes that all of us have the capacity to comprehend and deal with death and her work is built around that notion of reconnecting with those secluded parts of our soul. Zenith has also co-founded the Natural Death Care Centre, an incorporated association and a registered Charity, founded around the belief of living well, dying well and experiencing loss well.Zenith has co-authored a book titled “The Intimacy of Death and Dying”, a book full of practical strategies and heartfelt advice on dealing in situations concerning death. From understanding personal grief to providing support for others in their time of need to approaches in educating children about the concept of death.In 2015, a documentary was made about Zenith titled “Zen & the Art of Dying”. It follows her story and reveals insight into her dealings as a Deathwalker of the town Byron Bay, Australia. The movie provides a great opportunity for reexamining the way we live, love and die while encouraging us to take a more active role in all three.Connect with Zenith:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenith.viragoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenith-virago-22b62a96/?locale=de_DEWebsite: https://www.zenithvirago.com/Zenith’s Story of Inspired Evolution“Death is a natural and sacred part of our lives.” - Zenith ViragoZenith has a professional background of working in law, more precisely as a paralegal. She lives in Byron Bay, which is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It is there where she became a marriage and death celebrant and she has performed the services and the role of a Deathwalker for the past 25 years. A Deathwalker is a person who provides assistance and support to those who are dealing with death either through the passing of a loved one or who are expecting to die themselves.“I come and I offer them whatever I can in experience.” - Zenith ViragoAs a community, with Zenith’s help, the people of Byron Bay have managed to create their own culture around the process of dying. They are well acquainted with the legalities and their rights which makes them empowered when it comes to dealing with death. Each year they organize a festival called “The Day of the Dead” in celebration of life, death, love and with a goal of providing comfort and closure to those who have lost an important person in their lives.“My currency is kindness. So I’m trading in kindness every day, all day and the rewards, internally and externally, and in ways that I never even know, in a ripple out effect are boundless.” - Zenith ViragoZenith describes how and why she became a death celebrant. She had lost a dear friend and her death was very unexpected. She proceeds to explain the whole process including the preparation of the body to be buried, all the way through the actual burial ceremony. Zenith points out that all of the steps you go through in terms of preparing the body of a loved one to be laid to rest has a sort of a therapeutic effect on everyone involved.“We reclaimed that death process with her and it really changed the way we experienced her loss. So we were sad and we were shocked but we felt empowered because we’ve given her the sort of ceremony that she would’ve wanted and that we needed.” - Zenith ViragoThe Death Equation“Each death has an equation… It depends on who that person is and how they die... who you are, and your relationship to them, and your experience of death so far.” - Zenith ViragoDeath of a loved one leaves a mark. It affects our lives from that moment on. What that person or creature meant to us will be the first part of the equation that will determine the outcome of that effect. How they died is another. It’s not the same if we lose someone in an instant, unexpectedly, or due to a long illness, when we got a chance to live with the expectation of losing them. Finally, our understanding and relationship the death will mold everything together. How we perceive death, what we think happens, will shape the way we receive the information that someone has died and how long will it take for us to accept it. It is exactly this last part of the equation that we can directly work with in a way that allows us to adapt and better deal with the loss we’ve experienced.Zenith’s Message of Inspired EvolutionDeath is a taboo subject for most of us because it bears a lot of uncertainty, it’s connected to the concept of loss and it inevitably evokes anxiety and fear. Zenith’s story shows that there is an a

Our guest for this week is Pana Barbounis, a chocolatier, entrepreneur, and founder of Pana Organic.Pana has always been extremely passionate about food. He’s acquired over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. But, in 2011, with a base in Melbourne, Australia, he started his very own brand of raw, vegan, organic, Fairtrade and certified as kosher and halal chocolate called Pana Chocolate. Today his chocolate is being sold worldwide and they’re also offering other organic products like dairy-free ice-cream. Pana Chocolate is cooperating with some of the worlds biggest brands such as Virgin Airlines and their chocolate is also available in large venues such as the Etihad sports stadium in Melbourne.Pana Organic is a highly environmentally aware company and is also involved with a lot of tree planting charities. To this day, Pana’s organization has planted over 60 000 trees, raising the bar each year.Pana has also published a book of recipes called “Pana Chocolate, the Recipes” which is a collection of 70 recipes for vegans and healthy-aware sweet tooths. It teaches you how to make some of the most amazing desserts, from cakes and dishes for kid’s parties to traditional raw chocolate recipes that will take your breath away. It also features the story of the Pana Chocolate company and how they managed to reach a global following making a product that avoids all preservatives, dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar yet still tastes incredible!Connect with Pana:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pana.barbounisWebsite: https://pana-organic.com/Pana’s Story of Inspired Evolution“Even though I’ve been successful, essentially, in some people’s eyes, from a financial [point of view], I felt unfulfilled in a lot of ways and I always felt like I was just doing things for the sake of it.” - Pana BarbounisPana Chocolate wasn’t built in a day. Even though he was always fascinated by food and he was working with it for quite some time, Pana realized that he was to some extent not living the life he was supposed to. His story is another proof that success is what we make of it, and that each person has their own definition they need to live their life by. It is only then when we truly get a chance to shine.So, Pana took a couple of years of sabbatical, and in that time the world kept leaving little signs along the road for him which teased what’s yet to come. He was introduced to raw chocolate by a friend and having seen the movie Chocolat, he was already in the mood for getting involved with making one of the most popular treats. He visited the UK and trained for some time in Belgium with some traditional chocolate makers, but upon returning to Melbourne, locked himself in a room for 6 months and experimented with different recipes on a daily basis.His very first batch of chocolate had a lot of similar qualities of the Pana Chocolates you can buy in different stores and venues across the world today. It was handmade, raw, hand wrapped with hidden messages of love inside it. But thankfully, he no longer has to distribute them himself on a Vespa!“I wanted that experience, I wanted those touchpoints from the moment you touch the cardboard.” - Pana BarbounisSearching for a Deeper Meaning in Your Work“Money isn’t everything. It can bring some happiness but it doesn’t make happiness.” - Pana BarbounisPana wasn’t always motivated by his intrinsic values. He had to go through a phase of trying to make your ends meet striving for financial security like most of us. At some points in his career, it felt like he was too focused on the wrong things. He mentions that if you’re placing too much attention on competition and what everybody else thinks, it’s pretty easy to get into an unhealthy mindset and neglect the things that are most important to you.Around the same time he discovered his true passion, he started developing a new kind of relationship with money. His company values reflect these same ideas, where the most important thing is creating a quality product which comes from a place of love, while also being environmentally conscious. It’s all about being able to make mistakes and learn from them and nurture good relationships in a team.“As long as things don’t become too corporate-y, I’m still here to help.” - Pana BarbounisPana’s Message of Inspired EvolutionPana’s professional journey is also a very spiritual one and demonstrates what we as humans are able to achieve when our work comes from a place of love. He took the time to figure out what he wanted to do in life and from that soul-searching adventure came a brand new one. To this day, Pana is continuously reinventing himself while being guided by the same core values that led to him creating his life’s work. His words of inspiration for us dive deep into the fundamentals of the creative process:“Stay true to yourself… Believe in yourself and believe in your own intuition of what you’re creating.” - Pana BarbounisSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/ins

Our guest for this week is Dr. Espen Hjalmby, a wellness educator, business strategist, speaker, ‘conscious business’ consultant and an official Australia’s Ninja Warrior.Dr. Espen comes from Norway, but he has moved to Australia in order to pursue his academic career. Over the years he’s acquired degrees in degrees in DipPhysEd for Teaching, HIVE, BApp Sci and MClinChiro RMIT. In 2009, he became a fully qualified Doctor of Chiropractic. His journey then led to him on the path of co-founding Bonfire Health Group, which is now the largest hot yoga and well-being studios in Australasia and is helping over 5000 people each week. Having worked with over 10 000 patients, he decided to retire from clinical practice in 2015. From then on his career focused on speaking, researching and teaching the science, art, and philosophy of wellness, longevity, detox, weight loss, muscle and fitness, personal power and personal development, mindset, spirituality as well as the powerful principles of business and wealth mastery. He is using his personal as well as academic experience to help people who wish to take their business and finance to a whole new level. Dr. Espen’s website is offering a range of programs and products for improving your business and health, as well as personal, group and VIP coaching sessions.In 2006 he suffered from very serious injuries which he managed to come back from through what can only be demonstrated the sheer power of human will. After a long and demanding period of rehabilitation, he was able to bring his body from the brink of doom to a state of such physical wellness. All of his endeavors reached new heights with him becoming an official Australian Ninja Warrior. You can watch his incredible run here!Connect with Dr. Espen:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drespenhjalmby/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-espen-hjalmby-356aab37/ Website: https://www.drespen.com Dr. Espen’s Story of Inspired EvolutionEspen’s heartbreaking origin story begins far in the snowy parts of Norway and starts to take an unpredictable turn somewhere around the age of 8. One night, Espen woke up to found his brother passed away in his bed. Two years later, he welcomed a sister into the family, yet she was also preparing for a difficult journey of her own as she was born with a disability. In years to come, he and his family have been dealing with an incredible amount of adversity.“When we experience hardship, it’s very easy to blame, it’s very easy to not see how it’s happening for us as a part of our spiritual contract, as I believe.” - Dr. Espen HjalmbyIt’s hard to imagine how in the whole scenario, knowing what we know now, that his struggles weren't even close to dimming down. In his youth, he’s used alcohol and drugs as a way of coping and in 2006 he found himself as a student in Melbourne, Australia. One day, on his way to work, he lost control of his bike as he slid into some gravel on the side of the road. He was thrown into the air and he ended up fracturing his both legs and breaking his pelvis.Espen was taken to a hospital where he had metal pins and rods placed into his body in a doctor’s attempt to put him back together. Sadly, he caught a multiresistant bacterial infection as a result of poor sanitation conditions of the hospital at the time. He was put on a range of very strong antibiotics which caused his healthy gut bacteria levels to go down rapidly, and he ended up losing 15kg in just 3 months.“When you are in the deepest pit of the pain of your life, in that essence your purpose is revealed.” - Dr. Espen Hjalmby Haunted by a threat of losing his right leg due to infection, Espen realized that his salvation was up to him and no one else. He ripped out the IV from his arm and from then on embarked on a personal healing journey. He drew strength from his 12 years of experience as a wellness trainer and nutritionist. Relying heavily on organic nutrition and superfoods, meditation, essential nutrient supplementation, detox, prayer, mindset, and my daily exercise regime, all while falling in and out of consciousness. After an excruciating 3-week period, Espen managed to beat the infection all on his own, true dedication and will, and the techniques he used became a foundation for his some of many programs he is offering to the world today.‘Unlearning’: Rejecting the Conditioned and Limiting Beliefs“It’s not so much what we have to learn it’s what we have to unlearn.” - Dr. Espen HjalmbyA huge part of Dr. Espen’s personal journey is being able to ‘unlearn’ what you’ve previously been conditioned to believe it is so. The whole portion of knowing when to take another path was crucial for his rehabilitation process. If he weren’t able to take destiny into his own two hands, who knows what would have happened with his infection, his body, and his life in the end. He points out that 95% of what we have already said to ourselves today, we’re likely to repeat the next day. The essence of transformatio

Our guest for this week is Bianca de Reus, an animal communicator, soul coach, spiritual activist, speaker, author, shambala and reiki master.Bianca helps and teaches animal lovers how to make deep, meaningful connections with animals by tuning into animal language. In 2012, she created the ‘Connecting Soul Beings Institute’ in order to teach people how to bring themselves onto the same frequency with animals, and create a deep, intuitive understanding of each other. The main goal of her teachings is contributing to a world where both animals and humans experience love, harmony, and joy together.Bianca is also an author and she released a book in 2018 titled “Hello? Can You Hear Me?”. It’s an amazing explorative journey of animal language, connection, relationships, and spiritual abilities. The book provides insight into her own personal journey of tapping into the energetic world and connecting with animals on an entirely different level. It teaches the approach and the techniques while inspiring you to take action and establish a deep connection with their animal companions.She is based in Sydney, Australia and runs her business with a vegan, ethical philosophy. She lives with her wife, son and two very cute and cuddly dogs. ​Connect with Bianca:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiancadeReusInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bianca.dereus/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancadereusWebsite: http://www.connectingsoulbeings.com/Bianca’s Story of Inspired EvolutionBianca’s professional background is in corporate finance, but in 2011 she experienced a life-changing moment when she encountered a snake during a bush walk. While on a lunch break with a friend, a voice popped into her head saying: “Hello! Can you hear me?”, a moment that will inspire a book of the same name 7 years later. A conversation went on in her mind, where the snake let her know of her presence, but didn’t want to show itself because it would scare her friend. The snake went on to say: “You need to go out into the world, and do your job.”Bianca was flabbergasted by the whole experience but when she asked her friend if she was afraid of snakes, her petrified reaction was confirmation enough and what had happened will determine the course of her professional and personal journey. From that moment, she went on to explore her gift and learn more about communicating and making a deeper connection with animals.“I think the easiest way to explain it is to compare it with tuning into a radio station.” - Bianca de ReusShe learned how to tune into their frequencies and how to open herself up, but more importantly, how to close herself off and not get overwhelmed by messages since animals are all around us at all times.Bianca is looking to pass on her gift and teach animal lovers and service providers how to connect with their animals on a much deeper, more fulfilling level.Connecting with Yourself Before Connecting with OthersIn her teachings, Bianca starts the journey by providing the tools for getting in touch with yourself before being able to open your true self for others. She achieves that through meditation and through shifting the focus from our understanding of ourselves as human beings to realizing ourselves as soul beings. The process manifests and results in calmness and feelings of unconditional love. Bianca goes on to explain that this state is the precondition for being able to connect with animals and understand their language.“People can receive the information in different ways… How you learn best is also most likely, how you most likely will receive the information that the animal is telling you, or sharing with you.” - Bianca de ReusBianca combines this heightened sense of vibration with reiki, which enables her to experience and explore the relationship with animals further.Dealing with Scepticism“It’s all good. It’s all OK. Everybody has different levels of experience and beliefs and values, and I’m not here to judge that. All I can do is share what I know, keep serving in the way that I do and those people will come along.” - Bianca de ReusBianca has encountered a certain amount of skepticism when encountering people on her mission to serve and educate. Her approach in those situations doesn’t stray from her message of love and understanding towards building a world of connectedness and mutual joy. She believes it is all a matter of witnessing and being exposed to a specific moment which will open up a world of deeper functioning and allow those who hold a skeptic view to experience something new and different. She describes an interaction during one of her sessions with a person who seemed closed off to the insights and knowledge she was offering. Nevertheless, by guiding him through a particular exercise, she was able to broaden his perspective, open him to a new world of possibilities and the interaction even resulted in him buying her book!“People come on their journey when they are ready. People will come to the

Our guest for this week is Adam Roa, an internationally touring spoken word artist, motivational speaker, personal development coach, and conscious filmmaker.Adam’s educational background is a Magna Cum Laude marketing degree from Arizona State University. In 2015, he started a coaching business in the face of adversity. Having no steady income, he left the place he’d been calling home for 7 years and decided to travel the world because his intuition told him to do so. Along came amazing experiences including a 10-day silent meditation retreat in India, building clean-water wells in Tanzania and volunteering at a refugee camp in Greece. Even though he was traveling all over the world, he managed to build a successful business based on transmitting frequency to others who need support in taking a leap of faith and empowering them to become the infinite creators they are.In 2016, while traveling in Bali, he had an idea about creating a podcast. He is currently hosting ‘The Deep Dive Podcast’ with a goal of providing an authentic glimpse into the minds of today’s thought leaders and game changers. Adam is hoping to provide his listeners with an understanding that success and happiness are not about what you think, but how you think.In 2018, he started producing his own YouTube show titled ‘The Art of Choosing Love’. It revolves around his explorational journey he embarked on with his friends (who are also helping him produce the show), after him and his girlfriend, Azrya Cohen, decided to consciously uncouple after 10 years of a loving relationship. He is on a quest to experience the world, create conscious content and achieve his dreams while living life to the fullest and having fun.Connect with Adam:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.roa.1Twitter: https://twitter.com/adam_roaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/adam.roa/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyY9JIaE0Uf08RfjGG0KowWebsite: https://www.adamroa.com/Adam’s Journey of Inspired Evolution“I went through what I refer to as a ‘hollowing-out period’.” - Adam RoaSometime around 5 years ago, it all seemed like it was falling apart for Adam. He was undergoing a complete financial restructuring and trying to start his own business, but as if that weren’t stressful enough, he was involved in a major car accident which left him needing hip surgery with a side of intense migraines. The point where it all cracked was one week after the accident when he saw that his parked rental car had been totaled in a hit and run.In the face of newfound adversity, Adam had to accept that he didn’t have things figured out as much as he’d previously thought. He proceeded to resolve his grueling situation through a series of steps including seeking help and taking action.One of the actions he took was experimenting with Ayahuasca, an entheogenic brew used in traditional spiritual medicine in ceremonies among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. The visual experience he had during the ritual became his awakening moment. It is a point at which everything shifted, which led him to accept and explore different areas of knowledge he previously found funny or didn’t take seriously. He became a believer because he had an experience which serves him as proof of a higher power and the interconnectedness of our universe.“I have this classically conditioned evidence that my spiritual beliefs are actually effective at creating the life I want to lead.” - Adam RoaScience and Spirituality“The reasons why people are drawn to my message is because I like to play in both realms and understand how it works because I think they’re the same thing.” - Adam RoaLiving through his very own awakening moment has opened up an entirely new world of wisdom and knowledge for Adam. But that doesn’t mean he has left his past beliefs behind, but rather that he discovered something that enriches them and is complementary to what he has known before.“We’re experiencing reality and science and spirituality and the esoteric, they’re actually just languages explaining reality. They’re just explaining it differently.” - Adam RoaHe is diving deep into new topics each day, with his intuition leading the way. By connecting the scientific with the spiritual, he is taking the best out of both worlds and in result gaining a broader perspective with a rich system of interconnected constructs. It has allowed him to take things into his own hands and empowered him to become a creator of his own reality.“At the end of the day, the reality we create is going to be based on what we believe to be true.” - Adam RoaNeed for a New Approach to Education: Living Your Dream“Now you’re seeing this rise of entrepreneurial endeavors and startups and crypto and all these technologies that are supporting entrepreneurs and what we haven’t seen is a massive shift in the way that we’re educating.” - Adam RoaAdam explores the concept of societal conditioning, to the point where our creative nature is being pushed back through educ

Our guest for this week is Adrian Anteros, a flower shaman, perfumer, biodynamic gardener, botanic geometrician, and creator of Pureheart Alchemy.Perfumery runs through Adrian’s veins, even though he created his own business a decade before he realized that was the case. His grandmother was born on the small island of Mo'orea, also known as the “isle of flowers and perfume”. Adrian believes that he inherited all of his gifts, talents and an intimate connection to scent directly from her. Today he is using these gifts to create fragrances which allow the optimum expansive experience: to love who you are.Adrian has traveled the world in hope of perfecting the sacred art of working with plants, but also with an agenda to awaken consciousness. For over 25 years he has cooperated and learned from shamans, elders, modern teachers all over the world including places like Peru, Africa, and Indigenous Australia. Along with his partner Izabella, he founded Pureheart Alchemy, a brand of alchemical creations (including mysts, essences, and rituals oils) with the aim of healing through beauty, raising frequency and creating awareness. They are offering educational and experiential events which create community and explore human consciousness through the healing power of plants. Pureheart Alchemy is only a part of the Pureheart Foundation, a community based non-government organization, which aims to create awareness and healing through humanity's sacred relationship with plants, reveal the benefits of biodynamic gardening and to encourage awareness through Sacred Ritual - supporting greater health, well-being, and consciousness. Connect with Adrian:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pureheart.mysts  Website: https://www.pureheartalchemy.com/ Adrian’s Story of Inspired EvolutionAdrian believes his refined gift of scent was passed down from his Tahitian grandmother. But that innate potential for his sensitivity of smell has developed in the context of his parent's retail business, which exposed him to an abundance of different fragrances and allowed him to experience a plethora of different tastes in a remarkable, multi-cultural setting. From a very young age, he developed a way of understanding the many different ways of how people use scent to communicate with each other.“We used to get a lot of cultures… women with so many different perfumes… there was a lot of traffic, so many different scents that come from all around the globe… and I’m profiling.” - Adrian AnterosHe didn’t take his gifts for granted and he decided to travel the world and learn as much as he can about the sacred relationship between the plants and humans from wise shamans and elders of indigenous regions.“I’d been working with different mediums and natural naturopathy-styled medicines, herbalism as well, that was on site, on farms... things like that which really give you a hands-on, emotional feel of what these plants have to offer.” - Adrian AnterosAnother reason why Adrian turned to plants was that he suffered from severe allergies to any pharmaceutical medicine he’d ever encountered. It’s one of the reasons why he created his own garden, with herbs and plants taking care of him as much as he’s taking care of them, providing him with an alternative to western medicine.“It was almost like a must at first but obviously I incarnated with a certain… configuration that I was… steered towards by it.” - Adrian AnterosCreating a Perfect Individual Perfume“My forte is… creating what I call a DNA-signature perfume.” - Adrian AnterosAnteros recognizes his strongest suit is being able to produce a scent which can match a specific individual and fit them perfectly. In his own words, he is “working with the genetic code”  with a goal of establishing “a very personal, activating, individual perfume”. He is trying to connect with the deepest, most rudimentary aspects of a person and then figure out a way to awaken it by creating just the right fragrance for them. By doing so, he is looking to create a setting for people to fall in love with themselves all over again.“On a more realistic level, it’s alchemy… and all the gnostic, mystic texts talk about stuff like this.” - Adrian AnterosBioresonance“We’re all fluctuating at a different frequency all the time, but there is an optimal level.” - Adrian AnterosBioresonance is a non-invasive therapy method during which a person is connected to a Bicom machine which tracks the energy wavelengths coming from the body and then counteracts bad frequencies. The goal is restoring the body to a natural balance and Adrian believes it can help bring us to levels of higher functioning and the higher-self. He often combines his fragrances and essential oils with this therapy method and in order to further facilitate the process.“Everything you feel, everything you sense is yours.” - Adrian AnterosAdrian’s Message of Inspired EvolutionA conversation with Adrian is a wonderfully mystic ride through both the conscious and su

Connecting Talent to Opportunity with Daniel Tonkin | Inspired Evolution | Amrit SandhuOur guest for this week is Daniel Tonkin, recruitment innovator, author, sales ninja, and current Director of Operations and Strategy Manager of Wow Recruitment Australia.According to Daniel, the journey started way back in August 2008. That is when he got himself involved in the business of sales, marketing, and recruitment. In the past decade, he’s been working hard with a goal of perfecting his skills, having major success along the way. He attributes that success to a key ability he has developed - connecting talent to opportunity. In 2017, along with his partners, he set up a boutique recruitment agency specializing in sales, marketing, and corporate support called Wow Recruitment Australia. He plans to continue down the entrepreneurial route, with the hope of one day being able to share the skills and knowledge he’s acquired over the years, and embark on a new journey in the waters of coaching, consulting and mentorship.Daniel has recently released his first book titled “Shit Happens! Then Rainbows” aiming to “slay procrastination forever”. He offers a fresh outlook and hard insight into the process of achieving your dreams and finding your personal rainbow. Connect with Daniel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-tonkin-353895144/?originalSubdomain=au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shithappensthenrainbows/ Website: https://www.shithappensthenrainbows.com.au/Daniel’s Story of Inspired Evolution“When you only see the clouds for a long period of time, sometimes you think the sun is never going to come out.” - Daniel TonkinIn the midst of the global economic crises, a young old Daniel decided to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams no matter what. Armed with the enthusiasm of a 23-year old, he decided to embark on a journey that has been going strong for the last 10 years. Even though it might seem to you that his decision was rushed or not thought out properly, Daniel reveals that this naivety actually worked in his favor to some extent.“Sometimes when you do too much research, you scare yourself out of trying.” - Daniel TonkinHe points out his ability to take action as the crucial element of his success. Working every day and ticking off boxes one by one has allowed him to build momentum and create a progression that has led him to become the person he is today.There have been a lot of ups and downs though. Daniel was not immune to the common missteps we tend to make in our lives, like focusing heavily on the past or our future, neglecting to live life in the moment. He used an interesting, unusually named method he learned from one of his mentors called “brain-dump”.“I just started, literally, before I go to sleep… I just used to dump every single bit of shit of thoughts, positive and negative, onto a piece of paper.” - Daniel TonkinBy writing down his thoughts, Daniel had a better overview and has created a much clearer context for understanding them. He was learning how to analyze the things that bothered him and deal with them in a very direct, rational manner. He was basically able to, in a way, convince himself why exactly he should not worry about these things, especially right before he’s supposed to go to sleep.Action Lists: Hacking Productivity and Creativity“When you’ve got a great idea, as soon as you write it down, it turns into a goal.” - Daniel TonkinThere is something soothing in putting the pen to the paper. There is an old proverb, coming from the regions of Eastern Europe, that roughly translates to “a smart person writes things down, only a fool tries to remember”. Psychological studies suggest that writing things down or taking notes is a huge benefit for our memory because an idea is being coded in more than one way.Daniel has taken full advantage of the simple, yet not so obvious technique of writing down his thoughts, goals, and even dreams. All of this has another component to it, which is trying to create an upbeat attitude and calling for different manifestations to arise. By keeping his thoughts in order, while looking to give them a positive twist, Daniel is looking to use the laws of attraction to his favor in both professional and personal life. It’s important to note that he accentuates taking action above everything else, noticing that without it, everything else you’re doing would be more or less pointless, or at least ineffective.“I guess, all I really did was, take the concept of the law of attraction and how it actually worked and then added a layer of how I can take action on these different aspects.” - Daniel TonkinRoad to Mentorship“I want to be able to be the person that makes a difference for people at the early stages of their journey or later stages of their journey, like I’ve had people do for me.” - Daniel TonkinDaniel still has a lot more that he would like to accomplish before taking the next step in his career life. Still, the end game to his professional pa

Our guest for this week is Liza Joyan, a relationship marketing strategist and the founder of Design a Life.Liza was born in Afghanistan and her family immigrated to Australia when she was a child. Her educational background is in Economics and Business Law and her career path led her to Canada where she spent years working in the field of Risk and Compliance, in both private and the public sector. She was also a part of a global network here she helped businesses experience from 20% to 400% growth using certain philosophies of relationship building, gratitude, reciprocity, and online tools. Liza was also involved with establishing teams in her network marketing business across 6 countries.She has moved back to Australia after 12 years and recently started her own personal brand called Design a Life, which will eventually lead to a book and other educational material in the field of personal transformation. Namely, Liza’s personal journey of self-discovery and appreciation has helped her realize that she needed to focus on three things in life: freedom, contribution, and fun. By following these key principles she has managed to take that leap of faith and will focus on helping others discover their own path and design a life for themselves, and not be dictated by what designer labels tell them.Connect with Liza:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizajoyan/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liza.joyan Liza’s Story of Inspired EvolutionFreedom, Contribution, Fun… That is what Liza wrote on her notepad on a seemingly regular workday in a multi-million dollar company at the 31st floor of the tallest building in downtown Toronto. As it turns out, it was the day she decided to leave her corporate job and pursue her dreams.Liza grew up along with 7 siblings in her family. She was born in Afghanistan but raised in Australia. Her parents immigrated when she was a child and her father instilled the idea of making the most out of every opportunity, early on. That attitude allowed to go very far in life, both professionally and physically. She moved to Canada in pursuit of great work opportunities and stayed there for 12 years.On the day Liza decided to change her life, back in that corporate Toronto office, she felt anxious and frightened about what the future would hold for her.“Suddenly, the walls of my office ended up feeling more of like a prison cell. And I don’t mean to be ungrateful for that, it’s just that it felt like that at that time. I felt trapped that I would have to come to an office every single day for the rest of my life.” - Liza JoyanSitting there, contemplating about her life Liza noticed the empty notepad in front of her, and without thinking wrote down the words that to this day guide her in her everyday life. Once she looked at the notepad again, the three things she put down were interestingly the ones she felt were missing from her life. Because of that profound moment of self-realization, Liza chose to leave the corporate world behind, focus on designing a life for herself, and serve her community by helping others take that leap of faith and realigning with their values.The Future of Business: Room for the Soul“I truly believe that corporations that are being created that are so large, I immediately felt the lack of soul.” - Liza JoyanLiza discusses the impersonal nature of working at a large corporation, something she has experienced first-hand quite well. She predicts that this will become the point upon which the next era in the business world will be formed. The Millennials are a workforce very unique bringing along a whole array of different beliefs and needs. The corporate owners, however, need to learn how to respond to those needs in order to remain competitive. If they ignore this demand coming from the average worker, they might be in the problematic situation of not being able to attract and retain what should be a company’s most valuable resource - the people working for it.“But I truly have a sense and an intuition that the future of business is going to have to be something that is on a smaller scale.” - Liza JoyanWhether or not will corporations be able to adapt is a point open for discussion. Liza believes that the future of work is going to be realized through smaller organizations and more direct interactions between businesses and clients, or in B2B relations. The rise of AI, as Liza ever so perceptively puts it, and the fact that it will make a number of job openings obsolete will play a key role in the way things will begin to unfold.Connection, Celebration and Appreciation “Life is about connection, celebration, and appreciation. If you can do those three things daily… what that does it doesn’t just build others, it builds you.” Liza JoyanThis is just one example of how, in the podcast, you can see Liza’s desire to motivate and inspire rise to the surface. By urging us to incorporate these three concepts into our daily routine she is basically giving us a recipe for

Our guest for this week is Layla El Khadri, a transformational coach, author, artist, inspirational speaker, and dance therapist with the goal of inspiring humanity to wake up and rise.Born and raised in Spain, Layla grew up in a family which supported personal development and spirituality. Having been told from an early age that she had immense potential, she had great success in her initial education in the fields of acting, music, and media film. But dealing with the pressure to succeed on one end, and the fear of being stuck in a 9 to 5 job on the other, Layla left her old life to find the new one in a totally fresh and exciting setting. She was determined to realize her full human potential, but in a way that made sense to her.Now with over a decade of studying personal development, Layla is helping others reach their potential through one-on-one sessions, coaching programs, and retreats and events being held in some of the worlds most beautiful places. She uses an amalgamation of different ancient traditions and cutting edge therapies, all wonderfully merged into her very own technique with which she enables people to discover their gift. She has studied meditation, tantra, yoga, somatic dance, NLP, the biology of empowerment and she has a passion for Taoistic philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine.Layla will be the part of this year’s Bali Spirit Festival which is going to be held from 24th-31th of March, 2019. She will be teaching 4 workshops on the subjects of personal development, transformational dance, art as medicine and life coaching. You can get your tickets here, and use the discount code LAYLA to get $75 off!She has written and directed an amazing short film that was released back in September 2018. The film is called ‘RISE of The Feminine’ and it is a truly inspirational work of art, which calls for a planetary revolution and inspires a movement of human awakening.Connect with Layla:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laylaelkhadri.ie/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laylaelkhadri/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9szbPTk1mAtdoulDtLDdFgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/layla-el-khadri/Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClugMhMbrRgLayla’s Story of Inspired EvolutionLayla was born in Spain and she grew up as part of a loving and caring family. Early on she was told she had “immense potential” and even though she managed to draw confidence from the phrase throughout her life, she found herself pressured to succeed and the unruly series of side-effects followed.“All the gifts and all these qualities that I was given became a burden because they were being seen through the lens of expectation.” - Layla El KhadriThere she was, studying film, music, dance, being involved with amazing projects and all the while still showing great potential, but behind the general hope for creativity, she noticed that the main focus of her work was achieving certain goals, rather than what she actually yearned for - self-expression. At 21 she finished her studies and on paper, her life looked perfect and on track but Layla was emotionally drained and burnt out from living a life of consistent setting and achieving milestones.“I was empty, disconnected, lost, dealing with rampant anorexia that was at times pretty bad… and flirting with depression in a way that could’ve gone down in a really bad direction.” - Layla El KhadriFollowing her mother’s advice, Layla joined a peace community in Portugal and she decided to take a 10-day vow of silence, with a goal of shedding the wishes and voices of others while trying to find her own inner voice.“I understood that in order for me to be able to live the life that I was wanting, I really needed to listen to myself.” - Layla El KhadriWhat was supposed to be a 6-month soul-searching period turned into 8 years of a different life, one that is away from the industry of the west. On this path, she was rid of all the anxieties, the pressures, and the expectations, while reaching an epiphany in regards to the importance of the uniqueness of the individual human experience.“Each one of us is a unique creature and each one of us brings something unique to the world. And if I don’t take the responsibility to bring my uniqueness to the world, the world misses my uniqueness and nobody else ever, ever again will be able to bring what I bring.” - Layla El KhadriOn her journey, she explored Taoistic philosophy, studied tantra and somatic therapy, and practiced meditation and yoga. She is currently focused on using her experience, skills, and wisdom to empower others to discover the gift within themselves and realize their full potential.Discovering the Inner Wisdom: Awakening the Creator“Everything that each one of us is seeking for in this life is already within. And it’s not a matter of going to acquire new information as much as learning how to activate the inner wisdom.” - Layla El KhadriHer coaching experiences have provided Layla with great insight into th

Our guest for this week is Jason Partington, entrepreneur, meditation promoter and coach, and founder of Meditation for Men, a brand of meditation courses which has a goal of fighting depression and promoting mental health among men.Jason has had a very diverse career, with experience in both executive positions which include team management and business development, as well as in consultancy work, advising, educating and mentoring professionals in order to help them achieve business success. His career started in health and sports management and later on shifted into sales. He has attained leadership roles in several progressive Australian and international companies and more recently, as an owner of Residential Projects Australia, a respected and fast growing Property Investment Company. He has worked all over the world in places like French Polynesia, Indonesia, Maldives, Mexico, United Kingdom, Dubai, and India.About 20 years ago, Jason was dealing with a difficult situation involving alcohol abuse and other self-destructive behaviors. In a state of depression, a friend recommended he should try meditation and Jason never looked back. From that point on, meditation has put Jason on the path of love, peace, and happiness.Having witnessed an event which had suicide and depression rates in Australian men as the main topic, Jason felt inspired to contribute to the cause and share his experiences of meditation with the world. He founded ‘Meditation for Men’ which offers meditation courses in every major capital city across Australia. The 4-week courses are centered around learning the skill of meditation but they also provide an opportunity for men to discuss many challenges and barriers that they face every day.Spreading the word about meditation and the benefits it can bring to our mental health has become Jason’s mission in life. He has developed a 6-week training program called ‘Evolve’ which is designed to help you reconnect with your authentic self.Connect with Jason:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.partington.98 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpbizcoach/Website: http://jasonpartington.com/Jason’s Story of Inspired EvolutionAt the age of 28, Jason was working a job which allowed him to travel the world. Yet he felt lost, unable to find and connect with his true self. Throughout this period he developed bad habits that included alcohol abuse among other things. The deep unhappiness he felt pushed him towards the verge of an existential crisis and put him in a situation of having to ask himself very difficult questions, while desperately fighting an ongoing battle with depression.“I guess you could say I hit rock bottom. Like I really bottomed out.” - Jason PartingtonAt his lowest and among all the darkness, a friendly hand pulled him upward, guiding him on the path of meditation. Beata Alfoldi, who we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing on our podcast, has given him a pamflet about a meditation course. From that moment on, slowly but surely, Jason found his way back to a place of happiness, love, and peace, eager to share the gift and break the mystical barrier that surrounds the concept of meditation.“I literally changed as a person in 6 weeks. In 6 weeks I was going on one path and all of a sudden decided I’m going on that path over there. And that started the journey, that started everything. It changed my entire life.” - Jason PartingtonBy practicing meditation, Jason learned to bring silence to his life, which in return allowed him to uncover his true nature. From a place of being ruined by a dominant and often self-destructive Ego to a new era of life where he learned to let go and start a dialogue with his true self.“It’s this separating of the Ego from this actual, true identity. The more I meditate, the more naturally that true identity just permeates and becomes the person that controls it.” - Jason PartingtonThe Relationship Between Mindfulness and MeditationMindfulness is one of the most valuable skills we can develop as it is directly connected to having a mentally healthier, fuller and spiritually richer life. The pursuit of mindfulness is often misunderstood as something that needs to be chased. But it’s interesting to consider that bringing yourself to be mindful is not the only way to increase your capacity for mindfulness and as Jason profoundly puts it, it can be quite intense and exhausting. He believes that mindfulness and meditation are connected and that one should encourage and enable the other. By practicing meditation on a regular basis, we’re actually developing mindfulness as sort of a side-effect, without all the intensity and the pressure that comes with planned and organized training.“When you meditate and you do your meditation twice a day, mindfulness comes as a natural course and part of your doing your meditation.” - Jason PartingtonDemystification of Meditation“I’ve always wanted to deliver a meditation-styled teaching that was not so religious-bas

Our guest for this week is Erfan Daliri, a social change animator, a writer, educator, youth worker, a spoken word artist, and the founding director of Newkind.Along with an educational background in Communication for Social Change, throughout his career, Erfan has acquired 15 years of experience in the fields of community development, including youth engagement, migrant settlement, mental health research, indigenous community work, human rights, and environmental advocacy. He has worked as a consultant and advisor to a great number of organizations and his impressive list of clients includes Amnesty International, Beyond Blue, Malaruch Aboriginal Corporation, Risdon Prison and the Townsville Intercultural Centre.In 2016, he founded Newkind, an annual conference which gathers people from different fields who are ready to step up, find their purpose, and make a positive impact on the world. By using a series of discussion panels, workshops, and lectures from renowned experts, entrepreneurs, and social justice advocates, the Newkind festival is made to inspire and empower people to join the movement and awake the change makers within. The latest Newkind Festival will be held in Tasmania, from the 19th until the 24th of February, 2019.Erfan’s goal is to provide individuals and organizations with the necessary skills and knowledge and empower them to become agents of change in their communities. At its core, his mission and message is one of social change and challenging the status quo.Free Gift for the Inspired Evolution Tribe:Get 20% Off Your Ticket to the Newkind Festival!Click on the link below and use the promo code: Inspired Evolutionhttps://events.humanitix.com.au/newkind-2019/ticketsConnect with Erfan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erfan-daliri-25192134/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mr.erfan.daliri/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ErfanDaliriErfan’s Story of Inspired Evolution“From a very young age, community development and youth engagement and indigenous community work was a part of my life.” - Erfan DaliriErfan was born in India, and both of his parents are from Iran. When he was little, they applied and received the refugee recognition from the UN and eventually moved to Australia. It’s pretty safe to say that the good Erfan is doing today has roots in the work of his parents. He learned to be an agent of change from a very young age, watching his parents actualize themselves in the fields of education and helping refugees settle into Australia. Continuously being exposed to different types of challenges, taught him to accept them as opportunities for personal growth and focus on the things being born in the process of overcoming them.“When you become aware of injustices and when you become aware of things that aren’t working... an initial response will be anger.” - Erfan DaliriErfan recalls his earlier days of activism and shares that they were accompanied by frustration and anger. He believes that being angry is a natural response to being faced with injustice and also that it’s a part of the process. The prototype of an angry activist has its purpose in revealing and pointing towards a problem, but the true value lies in shifting over to the next step - becoming solutions-focused.“What is the solution I’m proposing? How can I actually alleviate this issue?” - Erfan DaliriThe answers to these questions are meant to guide us through on our journey of becoming a true agent of change and empower us to provide solutions for the problems we’re faced with as a whole.Taking Action as the Starting Point“I’m very much action focused. I do pray daily and I do meditate daily but it’s about that action. That is the third part of that amazing trilogy.” - Erfan DaliriOne of the key principles Erfan’s been adhering to throughout his life, is being action-oriented. He postulates that taking action is necessary in order to evoke any sort of change whatsoever. Even though praying and meditating play an important role in his daily life, he recognizes that they are only components of the solution, not making any actual and relevant impact if they are not followed by appropriate action. He further elaborates that taking action is connected to praying and meditation through faith. It’s important to maintain the belief and the positive attitude throughout your action-taking in order to truly move in the direction of where you want and need to go.“You have to act as if your prayers have been answered. You have to act as if there is no doubt in your mind.” - Erfan DaliriWe further explore the bigger picture and how becoming more action-oriented can help our society and not just ourselves. Erfan recognizes that even though many people are aware and empathize with the problems our world is faced with a very small portion of them is actually willing to engage and fight the good fight.“If you see something that needs to get done, make it your responsibility and address that issue.” - Erfan DaliriHe sees one o

Our guests for this week are Jen Ziegner and Jamin Heppell, the co-founders of Mountains and Marathons, and they develop transformative leadership programs that center around completing a marathon or climbing a mountain in some of the world’s most stunning locations.Jen is a certified Strategic Intervention coach, and she received her credentials from the official training school of Tony Robbins. Her educational background is a Master’s degree in Strategy and Innovation from AUT University. Jen has worked with over 100 purpose-driven businesses in Europe, New Zealand and Australia and has led an impact investing initiative that supported mission-driven entrepreneurs towards their first capital raise.Jamin’s professional career was mostly spent in the field of helping people develop health and resilience. He was the director of three leading organizations and has worked with over 15 000 people from diverse communities all over Australia and North America.In 2016, they co-founded Mountains and Marathons in order to help people who are motivated, curious and want to take their career to the next level while making a positive impact on society. They offer transformative leadership programs centered around preparation and completion of challenging physical feats that involve some of the world’s most beautiful places. For 6 months, they provide their clients with physical training, mindset coaching, and community support. The main goal of the programs is to help people develop courage, clarity, and confidence which they will later use to take the next big step in their life and career. So far, they’ve been to San Francisco, conquered the Great Wall of China and climbed Mont Blanc, with mesmerizing projects involving Everest and Melbourne on the way.Both Jen and Jamin have taken the path of inspired evolution, dealing with challenges and adversity head-on, coming out the other end transformed and determined to help others do the same.Connect with Jen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferziegner/?locale=en_USFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.ziegner.1Website: http://mountainsandmarathons.world/Connect with Jamin:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamin-heppell/?originalSubdomain=auFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamin.heppellWebsite: http://mountainsandmarathons.world/Jen’s and Jamin’s Story of Inspired EvolutionJamin was running three independent companies and they were all focused on social change and community development. He found himself in a situation of constantly giving, day in, day out, spending little to no time to replenish his energy and take care of himself.“To use the analogy of your cup being full before you can then give to others, I was just continuing to take from the reserve tank more and more.” - Jamin HeppellEven though with intentions in mind, by not taking care of his own personal mental health, Jamin ended up in a dark place, feeling burnt out and depressed. Through introspection and reflection, he was able to come up with a very insightful observation. He realized that his own choices were the cause of his problems, but rather than dwelling on this thought and beating himself up about it, he understood that his choices have the power to take him out of this place and give him the opportunity to transform.“There were two questions… “If I were to live my most values aligned life, how would my life be different?” And then the follow-up question to that was: “If I could do anything in the world right now, what would I be doing?” - Jamin HeppellIt just so happens that the answer to his question was “running marathons and climbing mountains all around the world.”Jen and Jamin met a little after Jamin had the idea for Mountains and Marathons. Her first impression was that it wasn’t something she’d be interested in.“I grew up as a super unfit child, I’ve never done any sports and earlier in my life I’ve made up this whole identity of “I’m a person who can’t do much, physically”, and never ran more than a 5k.” - Jen Ziegner But when she realized that the narrative of not being an athletic type was her own creation, she also felt that she could do something about it. Similarly to Jamin, she used the realization of her own contributions to the problem in order to fuel and empower herself to overcome it. The whole story coincided with her feeling unchallenged in her professional life. To a sense, you could say that Jen and Jamin were their own first clients.The Imposter Syndrome“Where this got created from is such a place of a deep inquiry.” - Jamin HeppellThe imposter syndrome is defined as “a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud". Even though the evidence of a person’s competence is clear to everyone else, they remain convinced that they don’t deserve what they’ve achieved. Jamin lists constant confrontation of the imposter syndrome as one of his deepest personal adversiti

Our guest for this week is Carol Benson, a licensed speech and language pathologist, writer, author, business consultant and the co-founder of It Doesn’t Feel Like Work.Carol’s educational background is a masters degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences in Speech-Language Pathology from Wayne State University. Even though she gained valuable experience from working in this field, she found it emotionally draining and exhausting. Her position ended and she went on to pursue the career of a business consultant, helping and educating entrepreneurs, startups, and professionals on the topics such as team engagement, social/emotional IQ, communication, mindfulness, co-creation and the latest technologies of consciousness engineering.Carol is also a Mindvalley Master Certified Trainer (MCT) and a facilitator of the San Francisco Mindvalley group. In 2013, she co-authored a book with her business and life partner Paul Benson, titled “5 Steps to Thrive: Reveal Any Crisis as Opportunity”, which focuses on maintaining balance, happiness, and strength in the face of unexpected challenges. In the book, she draws from her own experiences regarding adversities she faced as a direct result of the 2008-09 economic crisis. Through five basic principles, she aims to give readers the tools necessary to rewire their emotional reaction to any challenging situation, recognize and act on the exciting opportunities that each "setback" presents.Using all these unique tools, experiences and trainings, Carol has been showing individual clients and teams how to build sustainable doses of happiness and well-being into work culture and beyond. Connect with Carol:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbenson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.buckfirebenson Email: [email protected] Carol’s Journey of Inspired Evolution“I am a creative. I always have been.” - Carol BensonEven though she was a creative her entire life, she was pushed by her parents into the direction of hard sciences under the idea that it would provide her with job security. She got her masters in Speech-Language Pathology and was forced to start working in the clinical field. Even though these experiences, including helping people with autism, ADHD, and ADD, have trained her to become a social and emotional IQ specialist, she was quickly left feeling burnt out, emotionally drained and deeply unsatisfied with her professional situation. Her position ended, nudging her into an area of crisis but her story shows us that in every crisis we can find an opportunity.“I knew it was true that I was serving kids in the work that I was doing and I was making a difference for them and their parents... I wanted to make a bigger difference. I want to reach more people.” - Carol BensonThe Disengagement of Today’s Employees and How to Deal with It“Fifty percent of all employees are actively looking for their next job, and disengagement is costing corporations and even small business owners a lot!” - Carol BensonThere is a pattern emerging in today’s business and it’s reflected in its dynamicity and proneness to change. People are overwhelmingly becoming aware of their needs and motivations, as the business world progresses. Having a job that is giving you financial security alone is no longer enough while changing company’s and even fields of work are becoming more and more common for the average professional. This is, in fact, costing business owners a lot of money and part of Carol’s work today has been focusing her expertise on helping companies become aware of this problem, reframe it, and finally, develop a strategy for its resolution.  “It’s all about growth. It’s all about personal skills and growth and so many people are under-utilized.” - Carol BensonAside from consulting executives and business owners, she also helps individuals who are stuck in a job that they do not find fullfiling, or who have taken a step away from their true values in terms of work. By working with both sides, Carol is sending a message that there is a solution to overcoming the apparent conflict between the unsatisfied workers and the employer who is afraid of losing them.“You have to look at what’s broken. What’s not working anymore? How have people been overlooked and how can we include people in the mix so that they’re valued?” - Carol BensonRecognizing people’s needs and responding to them in such a way that they’re feeling valued is the future of any company culture yearning to withstand the test of time. In order to sustain a team of people who are able to contribute to the goals and the vision of the company, the culture needs to respect and nurture the values and ambitions of individual workers. The bottom line is that if you’re not willing to establish a connection with your employees and resonate with their values, you will, without of doubt, end up losing them. What is often overlooked, and what is also an additional benefit of this approach, is that by allowin

Our guest for this week is Mykel Dixon, a musician, author, creative entrepreneur and a renowned public speaker.Michael is the #1 choice for a keynote speaker on artistry, creativity, innovation, leadership culture, and experience. He describes himself as a jazz musician by trade, gypsy by nature, fierce nonconformist, and a prolific anti-perfectionist. His work revolves around helping people and organizations thrive by rediscovering their creative confidence, reimagining their creative potential and reinventing their organization for relevance in what he calls a 21st Century Renaissance. His lectures provide answers to questions like how to foster creativity in teams through improvisation, inclusion, and agility, how to harness high-performance creative leadership, and how to activate, articulate and amplify your authentic, differentiated edge.In 2016, Mykel published his book titled “Just do 5omething: A handbook for turning dreamers into makers”. It highlights the utter necessity of creativity and emphasizes that creative recovery is the single most important thing you can do for yourself. Best-selling author Dr. Jason Fox has said about the book that it is “an affront to the banal predictability of convention” and that “it’ll have you make something that is utterly original, beautiful, and true to you.” In late 2018, Mykel released his second book titled “Enterprise Artistry – A brave new paradigm for a bold new world”. There are also three e-books available for download on his website!On his rich and admirable list of clients, you can find corporate giants like Google, Youtube, World Vision, Intuit, Lululemon, Johnson & Johnson, Atlassian, Parmalat, Bayer, CPA, Tabcorp, Pause Fest, BUPA, and Tennis Australia. He was named ‘Australia’s Breakthrough Speaker of The Year’, for 2018.Connect with Mykel:Website: https://mykeldixon.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykeldixon/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykeldixon/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz7ES3EZhWJEwDVcAAhGJMw Mykel’s Story of Inspired Evolution“There was always a lot of depth. There was always a lot of this spiritual element to my life and my work.” - Mykel DixonIn his early 20s, Mykel was lead by a dream of becoming a rockstar. Late night practice sessions, daily busking just to get by, hoping one day someone would recognize his talent and give him the opportunity he thought he deserved. As his 30s came by, he was faced with a difficult situation of not having any savings and no equity to his name. He sold his vintage keyboard collection and embarked on what turned out to be a spiritual journey which started in India. Later, he explored Nepal and his journey culminated with him accidentally buying a beach bar in Cambodia 10 meters from the water!He spent his time meditating, practicing yoga and writing a lot of music. But he still felt like he wasn’t done with his old life and that he had a lot to offer to the place he came from.“I came back with, literally, just a clear intent and no clarity whatsoever of the how.” - Mykel DixonWorking gigs and cash-in-hand jobs where a way to get by, reminding him closely of the things he had previously purposefully left behind. He quickly got an opportunity in the form of managing the culture of a startup hub coworking space. Being surrounded by ambitious entrepreneurs sparked an idea. In his mind, a vision was forming, and his pure intent slowly gained shape and transformed into something that will make him the person that he is today. His speaking engagements came very organically and by working closely with a mentor he perfected his craft of inspiring business folk to incorporate, utilize and harness the power of creativity.“Through a lot of risk, a lot of vulnerability, and a lot of humiliation, somehow I arrived to where I am now.” - Mykel DixonA Spark of CuriosityMykel credits curiosity as fuel for creativity. Whether you’re producing form an artistic or entrepreneurial standpoint, immersing yourself with your work and interests will allow you to create on an entirely different level. It also comes with a great dose of humility, as this partnership you’re making with your interest transcends you and your basic desires and needs, and provides a context for making greatness. Greatness in the form of finding novel ways of adding value. He shares with us his insights on how to achieve and reveal this curiosity within ourselves.“Just sit... and look at something... and get bored... and then notice that you’re getting bored.” - Mykel DixonBecoming aware of the fact that we’re disengaging from our surroundings is the first step to becoming more curious, as it allows us to do something about it. Behind boredom lies great power and potential, because the other side of the coin is finding something that moves the very core of your being.The Relationship Between Art and Science“If what is being experienced is expressed through a lens of emotion and intuition we call that art. If that

Our guest for this week is Sam Maher, an instrumentalist and drummer better known for his unique playing style on the handpan.Sam is a very experienced drummer, having worked with bands and artist such as Methyl Ethel, Katy Steele (Little Birdy), Rabbit Island, Grace Woodroofe, Nicholas Allbrook (POND, Tame Impala) and countless other groups based in Perth. But only 6 months after discovering the handpan, Sam decided to travel to the Americas. Over the course of 15 months, he has explored regions from Mexico City all the way south to the Patagonian region of Argentina, surviving mostly from the money he made busking on the streets. Sam has now performed his boundless music in over 22 countries and counting.In 2015, he unexpectedly reached new levels of fame when he was approached to make a video by the YouTube channel BUSKRS. They recorded and produced a video of Sam improvising a session on his handpan in New York and the video went viral quickly after being uploaded. To this day it has racked up over 2.8 million views with overwhelmingly positive reviews, and you can check it out here!Sam has also spoken at a TEDMED conference about the transcendent power of music. Along with a touching performance, he discussed his personal experience with the handpan, how much has the music changed and affected him, and he also explored the communicative nature of music.Connect with Sam:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTHsMyy2SHIXt2w42RrOFQFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sammahermusic/Twitter: https://twitter.com/sammahermusic?lang=enSam’s Story of Inspired EvolutionPrior to being propelled by a spontaneous YouTube video going viral, Sam’s journey has been one accompanied by struggles, from both a personal and a professional standpoint.“I was really burning the candle at both ends because I was playing in about five bands, I was working full time and I was just really burnt out.” - Sam MaherWith a full-time job on one end and an exhausting nightlife of endless gigs on the other, Sam found himself at a position of feeling emotionally drained. Around that same time, he discovered the handpan, and straight away he felt a connection with the instrument. In his own words, playing the handpan has opened up new worlds for him and for his audience as well.“I sat down on the side of the street and just started playing, and all of a sudden people would sort of gather around, and I had an older Aboriginal woman sitting down next to me weeping. It just opened up so many worlds for me, in that instant.” - Sam MaherHe realized that he was ready and that he needed to experience different cultures, learn through traveling and better understand himself. He sold everything and embarked on a journey over the Americas, with a plan to make a living through busking. Purposefully seeking to get in contact with the locals in order to connect with the way they’re living their everyday lives has led him on a path of personal growth.“To consider myself successful, I feel like I constantly need to be exposed to new worlds and new cultures.” - Sam MaherThe Benefits of Pushing Yourself Out of Your Comfort ZoneLeaving his home for 15 months was not an easy decision. Sam was aware that he would miss certain important moments in the lives of his friends and family. But he knew that in order to truly achieve relevant progress and development he needed to take a big step outside of his comfort zone.“It’s good to be uncomfortable. It’s a good trait for a human to be ok being uncomfortable at times.” - Sam MaherBeing able to sustain yourself in the moments of discomfort is a useful skill in life, and Sam wittingly makes note of this. It is good to have a playful relationship with being uncomfortable and there is a very good reason when we should push ourselves beyond the comfort zone even in moments when life seems easy. Because at times we’re going to run into adversities that are beyond our control. It is at those times precisely when our lifelong training of dealing with discomfort comes in handy.Searching for a New Sound“I want to be known as a great handpan musician, but would rather be known for a handpan musician that pushed the boundaries, rather than just sat on the street busking.” - Sam MaherIn terms of finding his sound, Sam is seeking to explore different genres and change the way people make music with the handpan. He has experimented with adding electronic music in an attempt to creatively challenge himself. Reestablishing the rules of how an instrument is played may not an easy task, but nevertheless, he is determined to continue on this path as the challenge makes it all the more rewarding.“I’m always looking for the push or pull, or the question and the answer.” - Sam MaherFinding a Purpose in Things That Bring Us Joy“There’s been no more important time to find something for yourself that works.” - Sam MaherSam recognizes the importance of living a life true to your purpose and depicts it as one of the foundations to a good

Our guest for this week is Carlos Rodrigues aka Kabeção, a Portuguese multi-instrumentalist, composer, street busker and sound healer who creates his own unique approach to music and sound.Originally studying to become a surgeon, Carlos discovered another, more fulfilling way of bringing joy and happiness to people. As he got more and more involved with music, he began to discover, explore and experiment with many different musical instruments. From a young age, he was familiar with percussion and rhythm, and then as the years went by he started to add other types of instruments, from strings to woodwinds, and his focus comes from the simple exploration of sound.Under the pseudonym Kabeção, the origin and the meaning of which he explains in our podcast, he embarked on a journey of a professional musician. He is self-taught and has combined influences from different parts of the world, Africa, India, Brazil, Turkey, Spain, France, Australia. He has developed unique playing techniques on each of his instruments, including drums, darbuka, udu, tabla, djembe, frame drum, cajon, berimbau, bansuri, sansula, Tibetan bowls, gongs, didgeridoo, guitar, and handpan.In 2015, he was a finalist on Portugal’s “Got Talent” and you can see one of his breathtaking live performances here!He has produced several albums throughout his career. His latest one titled “Touching Souls” was released in September 2017 after being completely crowd-funded by music lovers and players from all around the world. About the album, Carlos has stated that it exceeded expectations and goals during its conception and the album holds true to its name.Connect with Kabeção:Website: https://www.kabecao.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kabecao.handpan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabecaohandpan/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kabexon/featuredSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kabzhandpanKabeção’s Story of Inspired EvolutionAt a very early age, Carlos realized a deep desire to help others. He decided to study medicine, as he found that becoming a surgeon would be a very effective way of satisfying that desire and save lives in the process. While struggling with a few exams which proved to be challenging, he discovered a much more meaningful, engaging and fulfilling relationship with music. He decided to quit school and started teaching himself to play. As years went by and as he started sharing his music with the world, he came to the conclusion that there was an alternative way of bringing people joy.“I started playing on the streets. Two years, every day, playing on the streets and exploring the sounds, exploring my emotions with the sounds analyzing how this reflects on people, how people receive this... And somehow I started to understand that music is such a powerful tool to heal people. To connect, to open hearts.” - KabeçãoAs he further explored this emotional aspect of music and playing music, he focused more and more on this healing aspect of it, all the while trying to hit the right vibrations with his creations which will resonate with the listeners.Emotional Aspect of MusicOne of the main and recurring themes of our conversation is emotions and the different ways that they are included in the process of creating, producing and receiving music. Discovering the handpan was of tremendous significance for Kabeção. Not only did it evoke interest, invite him to experiment and ultimately find his sound, but he saw a great opportunity to reflect, grow and connect with the self.“I felt really curious and since I’ve started playing I immediately felt connected with my soul… That was the first step for me to understand who I am. Who I am with other people, who I am with myself.” - KabeçãoConnecting with the idea of healing through music, Kabeção explores different ways in which this can be achieved and which key factors play a role. The attitude and the style of the person playing will influence the message and color the sounds being played, shaping the message further and enrich the melodies with emotion. He recalls a moment during one of his classes when he was brought to tears by a playing session from a girl that was still having difficulties with developing certain techniques. Her emotional connectedness to the music was very powerful and it overshadowed the objective lack of experience.“Sound is vibration and depending on who is making the things vibrate and how you’re vibrating, that reflects on the sound.” - KabeçãoThere are many different ways to evoke change and healing in a person with music. The intent behind music can be love, but it can also be an array of different emotions. Kabeção reflects on the ways tense and distorted sounds can cause people to have parts of them deconstruct, but more importantly to invite them to come together properly the second time around.The listener also plays a key role in terms of effectiveness of music as a transformational and healing tool. There needs to be a certain amount of r

This week, we’re joined by Colleen Gallagher, a coach, consultant, author, and an evolutionary transformation specialist.Colleen is a childhood cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and told that she’d have difficulties bearing children and that she’d have to be on medication for the rest of her life. Aside from the pain and adversity coming from dealing with a horrible disease, Colleen also had to deal with peer rejection and being made fun of by her classmates. After several surgeries, she’s managed to pull through, but these experiences have stayed with her and played an important part in her becoming the person she is today.Her love for travel has pulled her through life, but even though she had worked for hugely successful companies and making really good money, like many of her coworkers, she still felt unhappy. She founded Colleen Gallagher International so she could empower leaders to become evolutionary leaders to flow with the evolution of humanity through lifestyle careers. All of her travels, studying and leadership retreats have allowed Colleen to gain a greater understanding of human potential, purpose, and how the online world is impacting human development.Colleen has created many systems and programs that will help you empower yourself and achieve a connection to what lies in your heart. One of them is a 12-week program called Live the Impossible, which takes you out of the information-overloaded world we live in, and provides you with a crystal clear view on what it is you actually want.Colleen has also condensed her experiences and findings into a book titled Live Your Truth. The book is based around a 5-step proven system that is meant to help you see that any dream can come true if you are living your truth, figure out how to become part of moving the world forward, find the courage to intoxicate the world with your truth and start living a life with no regrets.In our conversation, we canvas Colleen’s story of Inspired Evolution, the importance of connectivity and making the impossible possible!Connect with Colleen:Website: https://www.colleengallagher.co Twitter: https://twitter.com/col_gallagher1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheColleenGallagher/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleen_gallagher_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-gallagher-81691661/ Colleen’s Story of Inspired EvolutionGrowing up in Detroit, Michigan, Colleen was having what most people would call a pretty normal childhood. That is until one day, during a basketball session, she collapsed onto the court not being able to catch her breath. She was rushed to the ER and was subsequently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Surgeries, medication and a difficult situation at school had Colleen switching from a normal childhood, into a world of having to fight a deadly disease and struggling with adversity on a daily basis. Her appearance changed as a result of her treatment and her peers were unable to show compassion at the time, some even acting in a very cruel manner.“People were calling me ugly… I was dating an African-American at the time and people would say like “Oh, did he choke you out?”, and they would say really mean things about racism.” - Colleen GallagherWhile undergoing treatment for her cancer, she witnessed an argument between two parents of another girl that was with her at the hospital, which affected her world-views immensely. “Her dad screamed at her mom, saying: “The only reason we’re in this position to not pay for her treatment, is because you are a stay-at-home mom”. And what imprinted in me at that time was two things… One, that you needed money to have love and two, that you needed money to not die.” - Colleen GallagherIn years to come, Colleen developed a money-hungry, corporate attitude. She got a degree in Marketing at Michigan State University and throughout her studies, she gained valuable experience by taking paid internships. After graduation, she started working as a sales engineer for a 23 billion-dollar company. Colleen loved traveling her entire life, and not being able to do so made her switch jobs, and she quickly got hired by a $400 million company and moved to New Zealand. She was able to travel and experience new things, got promotions, she was making good money, but she still wasn’t feeling happy. In January 2018, she decided to take a leap of fate, and since then she became an evolutionary transformational coach, she started her own consulting company, developed numerous programs and had her book published.Making a Commitment to Yourself“Find that thing where you’re more committed to it than you are committed to the fear, or the illusion of fear that exists.” - Colleen GallagherColleen shares with us her stories of committing to herself, in terms of leaving behind a life of partying and recreational use of drugs and channeling her energy into the activities that really mattered and were meaningful to her. Doing yoga and meditation for 4 hours a

This week, we’re joined by Mason Taylor, a thought leader, professional speaker, tonic herbalist, and writer who inspires and teaches people to once again become enchanted with their body, life, and health.Use promo code INSPIREDEVO at checkout for a 10% discount at SuperFeast.For the last 7 years, Mason has been teaching about the benefits of medicinal mushrooms and Taoist tonic herbs. He founded his own brand of powdered extracts of tonic herbs and medicinal mushrooms called SuperFeast. Carefully sourced from wild regions of China and Inner Mongolia, SuperFeast products are comprised of purest, highest quality, all-natural ingredients. You can check out their blog to find educational articles about health and nutrition and explore awesome recipes of shakes, brownies, elixirs and so much more!Mason also hosts two podcasts. The SuperFeast Podcast started back in September 2018, and it dives into and dissects topics such as tonic herbalism, brain optimization, and Jing energy. On his other podcast, The Mason Taylor Show, he interviewed thought leaders, visionaries and change-makers in many areas of life to share with you their latest Insights, distinctions and actionable advice relevant to the journey of health. There are over 40 episodes of inspiring educational content on diverse subjects with interesting guests for you to check out.Having spent over 15,000 hours studying the field of health and transformation, he employs education, vulnerable conversation, and deep connection to help people discover who they really are and what they are here to do in the world. His clients stop living in an illusion about the environment and the world they live in. They discover not only how to resolve health problems, but they get the clarity and confidence to explore their aspirations.Connect with Mason:Website: https://www.superfeast.com.au/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maseface86Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masonjtaylor/Mason’s Story of Inspired EvolutionMason shares with us his journey from getting interested with and studying herbalism in his last year of studies, to having his own brand of medicinal mushrooms and tonic herb products. Back in 2011, he started SuperFeast with the intent of spreading the word about the importance and benefits of adding plants and medicinal mushrooms to your regular diet. Back then, these ideas were much less popular, hitting the highest point only in the last couple of years. The cultivation of these sacred plants coming from eastern cultures ideally follows the philosophy of Di Tao. While it’s difficult to translate, it basically means “sourced from its spiritual homeland”, with practical benefits of Di Tao being related to the effectiveness of the herbs and also improved appearance and taste. It is a subject people are not particularly aware of and it concerns proper ways of sourcing and harvesting plants and mushrooms.“It’s important to ensure that it doesn't hit fad vibes because overarching is a philosophy of integrating therapeutics, botanicals that have been harvested in particular ways, connected to the elements, connected to nature.” - Mason TaylorHe further explores potential issues with the subject of medicinal mushrooms becoming a fad and the unfortunate side-effects of opportunists getting involved with the business.“It’s the opportunists that come in late… and they don’t understand this mature perception of what it takes to leave the earth and the environment better than you found it and make sure you’re actually circulating where you’re getting your crop from.” - Mason TaylorThe Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms and HerbsMason goes into details of just how and why are these medicinal mushrooms and tonic herbs a great way to boost your overall health. Using a very holistic approach, he is very down to earth and rational regarding the benefits, fully being aware that health is not about adding one or two things to your diet and experiencing magic-like improvements. Having said that, he is also extremely focused on the empirical evidence coming from western influences, all the while respecting the ancient traditions and anecdotal evidence that has been in the eastern culture for centuries. The knowledge acquired in both anecdotal and experimental form unequivocally points to the effectiveness of medicinal mushrooms.“These things aren’t cures, they’re not silver bullets but they are herbs that definitely help the immune system, especially medicinal mushrooms, to unite itself and get more sophisticated and that’s been proven empirically.” - Mason TaylorLooking at the whole picture, medicinal mushrooms can help you develop sovereign immunity and Mason sees one of the reasons in the connectedness we have with them in terms of evolution, to the point where we’re in some sort of symbiotic relationship with them.“We’ve co-evolved with mushrooms, 100%, and so they are a part of us” - Mason TaylorAttaining Sovereignty and the Slipperiness of Wisdom Diving into the dynami

Embodied Enlightenment with Cari MerriamOur guest for this week is Cari Merriam, an expert health and lifestyle fitness guide with a mission to increase global happiness.Cari has been fighting adversity her entire life. Throughout her childhood, she was heavily medicated due to depression and anxiety issues. Her struggles with mental illness led her to a life of drug addiction and self-abuse.She found a way out in Core Power Yoga. After an emotional breakthrough experience, Cari resumed to challenge herself physically and spiritually and joined the 200-hour Yoga Alliance teacher training. Since then, Cari has gone on to teach over 2000 classes, lead BootCamps, Cleanses, and support Teacher Training nationally for Core Power Yoga. She has certifications in vinyasa, yin, sculpt, meditation, and breathwork (pranayama yoga). Cari founded a lifestyle brand called Strength and Surrender meant to empower, motivate and teach you how to rebuild the love you have for yourself and strengthen your mind, body, and soul. In 2016, she moved to Bali and ever since, she’s been working on awakening others into their highest self-potential. You can check out her channel on YouTube and see what her intelligent workouts based on yogic philosophy and practice are all about.She has her own podcast called Embodied Enlightenment where each week she discusses a wide array of diverse and interesting topics with her guests. Her intention is to shift your energetic experience of your everyday life, push you to think differently about your internal and external world, and to activate the greatness within you through conscious obtainable action.   Cari is on a mission to awaken self-love in others and she is focusing on teaching others how to live a life of freedom, passion, and purpose.Connect with Cari:Website: http://www.carimerriam.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CariMerriamHealerYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/carimerriamInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcarimerriam/?hl=enCari’s Story of Inspired EvolutionHaving been riddled with anxiety and depression in her youth and with no alternative to heavy medication, Cari’s origin story is one of struggle and adversity. In later years she suffered from drug addiction to the point in which her life was seriously endangered.“I was almost on my deathbed, and in New York City because I was doing so much cocaine.” - Cari MerriamOne night, she decided to leave the bubble that drove her to the same paths of self-destruction and the universe responded with an unexpected encounter. She met a friend, her soul-sister, which opened her eyes to a new way. She planted an idea in Cari’s brain about Core Power Yoga, believing it could be an answer to the question she had been looking for. “I remember I went into Core Power and just balled my eyes out the first class. I completely lost it. It was the first time I felt like someone held space and saw me.” - Cari MerriamThe transformation she felt every time she practiced Yoga kept her coming back to the point where she decided to sign up for a program and become a teacher herself. In a peculiar situation where she was working as a bartender at a strip club by day, and going to teacher training at night, Cari looked for and found the strength within. “Every time things happen, I had a choice to be a victim or to be a victor for myself. And I always chose self.” - Cari MerriamHer next encounter with her soul-sister led her to explore the power of breathwork, opening a whole new dimension of experience, proving the remarkableness of the universal alignment behind their connection. Using techniques she has learned in the last decade, Cari founded her own lifestyle brand and is looking to inspire and teach self-love in others and bring marriage and wholeness within themselves.Marriage of the Self, Marriage of the Soul“We are all walking around with fragmentations of ourself and how we are brought up is in societies is to not look at those aspects… and we carry them around like a wounded bag behind us.” - Cari MerriamWe need to overcome the distortions within ourselves which are brought on by society. These fragmentations are seeking unity and we need to attain energetic wholeness in order to truly realize our purpose in life. Cari points out the difference between the physical and the energetic self. We charge our energetic bodies through the process of breathing, and through breathwork, we can achieve marriage of the self.“When you’re truly whole you can be in pure alignment with the river of life.” - Cari MerriamLimiting Nature of a Conditional Society“We all have trauma. All of us. Because we live in a conditional society.” - Cari MerriamIt’s easier for us as children to be aligned with the world around us as we’re not yet influenced by language. Trauma occurs when our natural development gets affected by the rules of society. From a young age, we’re being conditioned by society through our parents and the school system with the goal

Be Joyfully Diligent with Alex T. SteffenOur guest for this week is Alex T. Steffen, a business consultant, best-selling author, and an award-winning presenter.Alex started his career as a digital marketing specialist, but over the course of the last decade, he has specialized in the fields of innovation management and the future of work. By providing consultancy services he facilitates the organizational development and innovation efforts of enterprises. In the process, he aims to equip employees and leaders with the required competencies and skills, while breaking down complex innovation problems into solvable tasks using agile methods such as design thinking, user journeys, gamification, masterminds, and custom learning journeys. His client list includes names of renowned companies like SAP, Red Bull, Mercedes Benz, and Webasto.He co-founded Growth Masters, an invite-only adventure mastermind which combines crowdsource coaching and accountability systems to help entrepreneurs advance and take their businesses to the next step. They provide their attendees (tribe members) with strategic business advice on active and passive income vehicles like brand building, preparing online courses, launching an Amazon FBA business, consulting, presenting, podcasting and more. Growth Masters is also a community which aims to connect bestselling authors, prominent startup founders, world-class speakers, athletes and other people who are prominent in their fields.Connect with Alex:Website: http://alextsteffen.com/en/Twitter: https://twitter.com/alextsteffen?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-T-Steffen/514164496LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alextsteffen/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alextsteffen/Alex’s Story of Inspired EvolutionWhen he was only three years old, Alex suffered from an illness, which he luckily managed to successfully overcome. However, he reckons that this experience maybe affected him to become the joyful, energetic person he is today. His parents assured him that his perseverance played an important role in making a full recovery.“My mom always said I fought the illness myself, rather than the medicine.” - Alex T. SteffenHis adolescence and young adulthood were enriched with a curiosity that led him to explore and travel to different parts of the world. These travels were not short excursions to new places, but more like journeys outside of his comfort zone, and Alex looked to spend time in new environments so that he could transform and advance.“I made it a point to go to places that are so different that people often don’t dare to go.” - Alex T. SteffenAlex explored places and sought to get in touch with people who had a completely different view of the world, either from being shut off or as a result of war and similar traumatic experiences. Places like Bosnia, Ruanda, Colombia… He points out the narrow viewpoints of the western world and that through these deep and meaningful interactions with people whose experiences are vastly different from our own, we can get a fuller, more accurate picture of the world that we see around us.Joyfulness, Diligence, OptimismThroughout our conversation, Alex remembers and honors his grandfather with having a great impact on his joyful attitude towards life. A war veteran, living major portions of his life in extreme adversity and challenging times, he always had a comforting message for Alex and his brothers, one that stuck with them and guided them through their difficult moments in life.“He thought us that wealth and abundance come from diligence, but also that a well-lived life is built on joy and you can’t live without it.” - Alex T. SteffenAlex discusses quite openly about the reasons behind his optimism and shows it is based on common sense. His stance on the whole question of the glass being half-full has a firm foundation in practicality. If all else fails, the optimistic mindset will act as a fertile setting, which will, in the end, give us an opportunity to build greater things in the future.“Some people criticize optimists for being optimistic and they say “You have to be realistic.” which is supposedly the opposite of it. I say no. I’m creating my own reality. Even if its just the fundamental part of “If I expect something, my body will react differently, it will calm me down.” and just by that, I have more capacity to be creative, to be more productive, to be calm and connecting.” - Alex T. SteffenGrowth Masters - How to Make an Amazing MastermindCreating masterminds came naturally for Alex. He felt comfortable in social situations where he got the chance to exchange opinions and discuss values with people who had a different viewpoint. He realized that exactly these types of exchanges were not only a great opportunity for connecting with others, but for personal growth as well.Alex noticed that three things were necessary in order to create a great mastermind. First and foremost, the environment in which the mastermind

Our guest for this week is Niraj Naik (aka the Renegade Pharmacist), a qualified pharmacist, professional musician, holistic health expert, and entrepreneur.Years of working as a community pharmacist have given Niraj an opportunity to witness first hand the many difficulties people endure when dealing with illness. One of the key observations he made was that many of his customers kept coming back week in and week out, getting their medication as prescribed, with little to no improvements and being overwhelmed with side-effects. This led him to explore alternative ways for reaching optimal health and resulted in him developing his own method and a lifestyle plan, designed to help his patients.In 2010, Niraj was diagnosed with stress-related ulcerative colitis, which kept him housebound for 10 months. He was told by doctors that there was no cure for his illness and that he would need to take medication for the rest of his life to control it. The side-effects of his prescription drugs were becoming too much, leaving him often hopeless and even suicidal at times.He decided to step away from conventional medicine and study people who have managed to heal themselves in alternative ways. Combining techniques and knowledge from different disciplines like yoga, NLP, self-hypnosis, all the while incorporating dietary recommendations from Paleo and SCD to his daily routine, Niraj finally managed to overcome his illness, without medication.Niraj has also been exploring sound and music therapy in terms of reducing stress and promoting self-healing. Niraj has composed music for healing centers, spas, and therapists worldwide, and his work was included in the programs and videos of renowned experts such as Marisa Peer and Wim Hof.His latest project called SOMA Awakening is a group breathwork multisensory meditation experience that can awaken dormant parts of your brain, improve circulation, promote healing, transmute sexual life force energy and help to manifest your intentions taking your meditation practice to the next level. Soma Breath is being taught at wellness centers in Niraj’s second home of the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand. He has launched a successful teacher training that is proving to be very popular, with his first students already creating and facilitating their own paid workshops, and even showcasing their new skills at festivals.After overcoming a debilitating and house-confining illness cultivating the power of the mind, Niraj is aiming to teach and spread the knowledge he has acquired over the years and help people improve, transform and optimize their physical and mental health.Connect with Niraj:Website: https://therenegadepharmacist.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthprescribed/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGVW4kzxMm3iYFAZYBl_UqQTwitter: https://twitter.com/renegadepharm?lang=enNiraj’s Story of Inspired Evolution“I was just dead. I lost my soul.” - Niraj NaikDealing with a debilitating condition, along with suffering from side-effects of the prescribed medication has left Niraj in a state of emotional numbness and despair. The ulcerative colitis just pilled on to an already depressing situation of struggling to get his own ideas of how to improve people’s health across. At his lowest, in what can only be described as a moment of fate, Niraj met with a spiritual yoga teacher. Their encounter shifted his downward spiraling life story and gave him the much-needed energy and inspiration to find a way to help himself when no one else could.Using essential techniques of pranayama, yoga, and Ayurveda, Niraj managed to regain his spiritual balance and ultimately heal himself, leaving medication and conventional medicine behind. He has managed to improve his health, but the whole experience left him more curious than ever. He decided to explore and try to answer the question of just how did he manage to help himself when all hope seemed lost.“I was like, “I need to find out why does this work? What is it about it?” I wanted to go deep.” - Niraj NaikExploring the Mechanism and Refining His ArtAvoiding the dogmatic, Niraj dived deep into discovering the mechanics behind his healing process, and once he found answers he was looking for, he continued to explore and develop his own technique to help others achieve optimal health in a more efficient manner. The first step was involving himself with exploring and creating meditational music because he believed it plays a key role in restoring balance and harmony. His works are now validated by the likes of Marisa Peer, which uses his trypnaural melodies in her training videos.Evoking the Brain Change Without Stress“Every artist, I believe, must suffer a little bit in order to really make valuable art.” - Niraj NaikNiraj has observed suffering to be the common thread as the thing that connects artists from different fields. He believes that the stress and adversity they’ve experienced in their life is the factor which allowed them to think

In this week’s episode, we‘re joined by Nicole Gibson, a multi-award winning social entrepreneur, published author, but most of all, an unstoppable messenger of love and human potential.When she was 18 years old, she started a not-for-profit company called The Rogue & Rouge Foundation dedicated to battling the mental health stigma through a community-based approach, reaching out to children and parents through schools and community groups. The inspiration for starting her own charitable organization came from her own struggles of dealing with anorexia nervosa throughout her teenage years. She was afraid to return to a society which was not able to understand her struggles, so she made a commitment to passionately rebel against Australia’s negative stereotypes.Over the years, Nicole has received many different awards and honors for her contributions to society, the most prominent one being the Pride of Australia Inspiration Medal in 2014. She was also listed as one of Australia’s top 100 most influential women when she was only 21 years old!Nicole has published her first book titled “Love Out Loud”. It is a personal account of her own journey finding her way back to love, and a guide for others that should help them do the same. Aside from that, Nicole also created a unique Love Out Loud online program which is designed to help you shift your mindset and learn to Love Louder with just 15 minutes a day.Throughout her career, Nicole has spoken to and facilitated workshops and presentations for over 250 000 Australians. Using her own background of 10 years in theatre training, she developed a facilitation method in order to spiritually educate and raise awareness about mental illness.Nicole invites us to transform ourselves, realize our potential and understand our responsibility to give back to the world.Connect with Nicole:Website: https://www.nicolegibson.com.au/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicgibson_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolegibson.unifierLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-gibson-unifier/Nicole’s Story of Inspired Evolution“At a young age I had to ask myself quite heavy questions, “Am I prepared to devote the rest of my life”, or even more intense, “Am I prepared to die for, essentially, my Ego.”, which is what was driving my eating disorder.” - Nicole GibsonIn her teenage years, Nicole has struggled with an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa. She openly describes intricate details and thought processes of dealing with mental illness and points out the “feeling of having to be a particular way to meet other people’s expectations” as the main culprit and driving force behind the disorder. Aside from experiencing great emotional pain, Nicole was suffering from immense physical pain as well.“When you’re dealing with mental illness - it’s very self-oriented.” - Nicole GibsonOne of the key turning points for Nicole came from releasing herself from being the focal point of her overwhelming thoughts and self-analysis. Turning her attention outwards to the world, she “started listening”, and what she received from that listening is a realization that “life is about giving and service.” She understood that there is a greater side to her story, and set upon her path of transformation, even though the path itself was not yet well-defined.“I think we always know how to make it happen, but we’re not always prepared to listen.” - Nicole GibsonHonesty as an Essential Agency for Change“It’s one thing to think positive and know that you can live the life of your dreams, it’s another thing to really face your shit and look at where you’re not being honest.” - Nicole GibsonNicole highlights honesty as one of the key conditions needed for transformation. Being able to be alone with yourself, taking in what comes up and learning how to deal with it is the fundamental step in the process of self-improvement. Once you are able to “sit with your s***”, you will establish spiritual tranquility, meaning you will no longer be a slave to your deep insecurities or negativity but will have more energy to think of practical ways how to and actually overcome them.“Until you’re really honest about where you’re at, you can’t change, you can’t transform.” - Nicole GibsonOr to put it in another way, as a line directly pulled from her book, “We can’t heal what we don’t reveal.” It is necessary to know what the problem is if you’re trying to eradicate or transcend it. She acknowledges meditation as one of the most useful settings for being honest with yourself and expresses piercing insight into why most people find meditation an unpleasant activity at first.“The reason you hate meditation is because every time you try to meditate, the first thing that comes up is your guilt, your shame, and your insecurities, but that’s coming up so that you can be aware of that. And via that awareness, you can actually work through it.” - Nicole GibsonValidation vs. Acknowledgement - Barrier vs. Blessing?“I knew th

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Neeta Bhushan, a social entrepreneur, best-selling author, international speaker, leadership coach and the advocate of emotional health.Neeta is a former cosmetic dentist. Facing adversity and tragedy throughout her teenage years pushed her into a position of having to fight for herself and her family. After major successes in her education and early career, Neeta quickly found herself in the position of owning a million-dollar practice. However, after years of giving everything she had to create the perfect life, she became emotionally drained and burnt out, stuck in a job she didn’t find fulfilling and in an abusive, poisonous relationship.Neeta sold her practice and went on a journey to find herself. She has traveled the world, visiting 45 countries across 15 years, all the while getting immersed in the field of behavioral psychology. Her intent was to better understand her own personal journey of fighting off adversity and gain insight into the mechanisms which helped her establish herself as a strong, resilient human being. On her journey, she met her partner and soulmate Ajit Nawalkha, who has also appeared as a guest on our show.She had consolidated her collective life experiences and knowledge into a book titled “Emotional GRIT”. In this book, Neeta explores different causes of frustration and burnout, potential solutions for these problems, as well as the notion of emotional resilience and instructions on how to obtain and strengthen it. From burnout to inner peace, from emotional numbness to mindfulness, Neeta’s story of serving love is an inspiration to us all.Connect with Neeta:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drneetabhushan/Website: https://www.neetabhushan.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/NeetaBhushanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/neetabhushan/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neetabhushan1111Neeta’s Story of Rising Through Tragedy and AdversityNeeta was raised in a loving and nurturing family, but sadly, she had grown up in dealing with losing them. When she was 16 she lost her mother. At 17 she lost her brother, and at 19 her father passed away, leaving her with immense tragedy and the responsibility of raising and providing for a younger brother. She quickly transitioned from the role of a child to the role of a parent, investing all her energy into her education and career development.Getting a doctorate and building a million-dollar practice was easy, in her own words, but there was more to the life that from the outside looked picture perfect. On the inside, Neeta was struggling. Putting up a strong face for her brother and the rest of her family was a mere mask for hiding the emotional numbness she felt, as a result of being in a toxic relationship and working at a job she didn’t find fulfilling.“From the outside, everything looked picture-perfect, but from the inside, I was spiritually dead, emotionally dead, and just burnt out.” - Dr. Neeta BhushanShe ended up selling her practice, leaving her abusive husband and embarked on a self-searching journey. Traveling all over the world she had discovered a new purpose. Neeta started exploring the world of human behavior and used her very own experiences with adversity to develop a system for transformation and strengthening your resilience. After taking care of herself, she found new fulfillment in helping others and serving love.“In order to serve others, you need to serve yourself first.” - Dr. Neeta BhushanWhat is GRIT?“Grit is really the tenacity to stick with something, even when it is challenging, even when it is tough.” - Dr. Neeta BhushanNeeta’s teachings are based on the concepts of awareness, compassion, empathy, and happiness. She is aiming to help others build their emotional intelligence and strengthen their own resilience muscle for dealing with adversity, tragedy, and loss.She uses GRIT as an acronym which represents the transformation process and contains 4 major stages:Growth - understanding the importance of your own awareness and your ability to self-reflectRevelation - making peace with your past mistakes, and accept the fears & past stories that have held you back to cultivate self-beliefInnovation - making the commitment to embrace change and challenge your thinking from a different perspective and be open to opportunitiesTransformation -  taking the right steps and full action to design the new leadership of your life.It is through these 4 stages that we achieve self-improvement. They do not happen overnight, and they are not a one-time occurrence. It is a pattern of self-acceptance and empowerment which continuously repeats itself on our way to self-actualization and becoming more fulfilled.“It’s cyclical. You never stop growing, you never stop within the cycle, you never stop within the seasons of life.” - Dr. Neeta BhushanBut before you’re able to get involved with the process of transformation, there is a single condition you need to satisfy and that is to be open

This week we’re joined by Rhea Lalla, an entrepreneur, certified trainer, parenting coach, speaker, author, and an emotional intelligence specialist. She is the founder of Build Great Minds, she offers private coaching, online courses and leads live seminars on building highly developed emotional, intellectual and creative skills sets in kids, so they achieve success in all areas of lifePrior to starting her own business, Rhea has been a part of the corporate world gaining valuable experience in coaching and training, all the while working with executives and senior management. She has worked all over the world in places like North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.Back in 2012, she started Build Great Minds which offers parents private coaching, online courses and leads live seminars on building highly developed emotional, intellectual and creative skills sets in kids, so they achieve success in all areas of life. Rhea is helping parents conceptualize unwelcome patterns in their behavior and teaches new ones, useful to both the parent and the child.Whether she’s building apartments out of shipping containers in the Caribbean or helping parents develop a healthier, more nurturing and more fulfilling relationships with their children, Rhea is constantly searching for a way to improve herself, determined to see the world in the most beautiful, positive way possible.Connect with Rhea:Website: http://buildgreatminds.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhea-lalla-a521b83a/Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhea_lallaRhea’s Origin Story: What Experiences Have Led Her to Become an EQ Specialist“I’ve always been in the world of emotional intelligence.” - Rhea LallaRhea’s upbringing was unconventional. From a very young age, she was guided to express her creativity freely, in terms of perspective taking and self-awareness. There is a strong connection between Rhea’s ability to sense, feel and respond to people’s emotions and need, and the simple game of trying to guess what are other people in the park thinking. Learning and growing through these games, in a safe, loving and nurturing environment, allowed her to pick up emotional cues and patterns in behavior, essential aspects of emotional intelligence.But these guessing games also allowed her to understand and develop a crucial technique she will later come to use and apply in everyday life situations. The ability to produce different explanations for why a certain scenario played out, informs you about the complexities of life. There could be many reasons why a person did what they did or said what they said, and it is important not to get attached to the idea there is a one, single way of interpreting the situation. Allow yourself to witness a whole spectrum of possibilities, and choose to accept the one which will give you the most optimistic and positive version of life.“You start accumulating a variety of reasons as to why somebody is behaving, or responding or communicating in a particular way. And what you learn is not to get attached to any “one” way of thinking.” - Rhea LallaThe Importance of Naming Emotions in Early Childhood Experiences“So much of how we see the world, how we respond to the world, how we feel about ourselves, is intrinsically determined in those first 5 to 10 years.”We discuss how much the formative years of our development affect what type of person we’re going to become. All of what we’re experiencing as children is seeping into our subconscious, conditioning the way we see, feel and interact with the world around us.Not being able to name a specific emotion is a real problem for children. The frustration it brings forces them to shun and disassociate from certain emotions, which can eventually be wiped out from their emotional landscape. It is the parent’s role to recognize specific emotions that the child is experiencing, and to propose a name for what they’re feeling.“It’s so important, at a very young age, to help children understand their emotional space and give them language.” - Rhea LallaAre Emotions Being Neglected in Today’s Society?“I think that emotions have been ignored far too long, and this is our opportunity to do a deep dive into the places we may have been afraid to.” - Rhea LallaIt looks like doing anything to get away from feelings has become a standard in dealing with them. Distracting ourselves and not allowing to feel our own emotions is a huge part of the problem people are experiencing in their everyday lives. Rhea invites us to feel our feelings. Emotions are in our physiology, and we need to allow ourselves to experience them with the entirety of our being. They have been designed to help you on your life’s journey, and if we’re so focused on dismissing them, we will be losing a valuable source of information about the world, and distort the way in which we interpret life.“A human being is a human feeling.” - Rhea LallaThe Parenting Journey and How to Re-parent Yourself“Parents will

This week we’re joined by Martyn Sibley, a serial entrepreneur, author and the co-founder and CEO of Disability Horizons, an online disability lifestyle magazine that aims to give people with disabilities a voice.Martyn is suffering from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic condition that makes the muscles weaker and causes problems with movement. Experiencing both societal exclusion and a feeling of inferiority because of it hasn’t stopped him in any shape or form from achieving his life goals and dreams. From gaining a Masters degree in Economics and Marketing to working for a huge NGO, to becoming a successful entrepreneur, he has shown that with a right attitude and approach we can all become captains of our own destiny.Martyn started his career working for Scope, a disability equality charity. After several years, he felt that he is not reaching his full potential, so he decided to pursue and explore the entrepreneurial lifestyle. From his passion for helping others by sharing his experiences, an idea for an online magazine was born. He co-founded Disability Horizons back in 2011 and has been providing people with disabilities with valuable insights on the topics of technology, relationships, sports, employment, and travel ever since. In 2015 Martyn had co-founded Accomable, an online portal for accessible tourism which was subsequently acquired by Airbnb.He is also a published author, having released a book titled “Everything is Possible”, in 2016. After successfully funding the project through Kickstarter, Martyn shared his experiences from his travels around the world, hoping to provide others with energy and motivation on their path to self-actualization.Martyn also hosts his own podcast called “The Martyn Sibley Show” where he interviews influential and successful people, covering all aspects of life from politics to sport, from business to arts.It doesn’t really matter if he’s traveling across the far ends of the globe, blogging about his ideas and experiences, or even flying a plane, Martyn is on a path of inspiring others, regardless of whether they’re struggling with disability or not.Connect with Martyn:Twitter: https://twitter.com/martynsibleyTumblr: http://martynsibley.tumblr.com/Website: http://martynsibley.com/Becoming an Entrepreneur in the Face of Adversity“I’ve always been a dreamer and wanted the world to be a better place.” - Martyn SibleyDrawing inspiration from the great entrepreneurial minds of our days, naming Richard Branson as an example, Martyn has always felt deep inside him the desire to run his own business one day. With Disability Horizons, he has made his dreams into reality, providing people with disabilities with an abundance of interesting stories and articles, but more importantly, building a sense of community around his brand.While working at Scope, he gained relevant experience which would help him become a successful business owner he is today. But to be truly happy and achieve his full potential, he had to leave the sense of security coming from a steady 9 to 5 job, and dive deep into the oceans of entrepreneurial lifestyle where uncertainty and new challenges are an everyday theme.“I had this dread about getting up every morning and going to the same office. Sitting in the traffic in London, and stuck at my desk and being in all these meetings that didn’t feel kind of purposeful.“ - Martyn SibleyGetting into Blogging and Starting His Own Business“When I was a teenager, if someone was like 10, 20 years older, and was doing a load of cool stuff, it wouldn’t have mattered if I did exactly the same things, just to know it was possible would have been really, really powerful.” - Martyn SibleyAfter leaving Scope, Martyn started blogging about his experiences in order to give other people with disabilities an insight into what can be achieved in spite of adversity. The idea of being a living proof of what can be achieved with a right attitude was what kept him going. Over time he got more and more exposure in the media, all the while reaching a bigger audience with his message and building a solid foundation for his very own startup. At the moment, Disability Horizons has an amazing 50 000 readers per month, an audience predominantly consisting of people with disabilities and their families.“I’ve got this... like a calling, it felt... to share my personal story, and make them feel that the world is actually open and accessible. And even if it’s not open and accessible in a physical way all the time, there are still so many opportunities to go and grab.” - Martyn SibleyWorking on his magazine and interacting with his audience, Martyn acquired useful insight which led him to co-found Accomable, an accessible travel startup that helped people with disabilities find and book adapted holiday accommodation worldwide online. With their initial elevator pitch being “Airbnb for disabled people”, it is incredible to see things coming full circle with Airbn

This week on Inspired Evolution, we’re joined by Kristina Mand-Lakhiani, a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, and artist. She is also the co-founder and head of the Russian Language sector at Mindvalley, a global educational organization offering top training for peak human performance.Kristina has been a part of the personal growth and transformation industry for the past 15 years. She has held numerous lectures on many different themes including self-improvement and relationship crafting, some even available on YouTube. In one particularly popular video, Kristina educates on how to build a customer relationship in 100 days.Her personal life is as rich and plentiful, if not more, as her professional life. Whether it’s singing her two children to sleep, playing the harp or immersing herself into classical literature, Kristina is set on taking in every moment and invites us to do the same. Her honesty and authenticity are breathtaking, in a truly educational conversation on dealing with emotions and the search for the true meaning of happiness.Connect with Kristina:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristinamandTwitter: https://twitter.com/kristinamandlakInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinamand/?hl=enThe Many Upsets of Perfectionism “Perfectionism is a curse. Because we hold such a high bar for ourselves and we do things for perfectionism sake.” - Kristina Mand-LakhianiKristina goes over her days of attending school and draws from personal experience in order to prove that perfectionism will, in fact, do you more harm than good. The idea of achieving perfection is a cumbersome notion to bear when considering your goals and values. It pushes us into the realm of unrealistic expectations, all the while having to endure the unnatural levels of stress it is inevitably causing. For Kristina, perfectionism is the thing which prevents us from being truly happy.What Does It Mean to Be Happy?“First of all, I think we don’t know what happiness is… It’s a very subjective thing.” - Kristina Mand-LakhianiHappiness can mean one thing for us, but it can also mean something completely different to someone else. It is a subjective concept, as Kristina puts it, one even scientists seek to avoid in their research. There is still plenty we can do in terms of utilizing the idea of happiness and trying to understand it better so that we could make it an essential part of our lives. For starters, we could make a clear distinction between happiness and other similar, but significantly different terms.“We should not confuse happiness, joy and fun, which seem like very similar things.” - Kristina Mand-LakhianiIn the context of life, fun and joy are usually restricted to short burst and periods of time, while happiness is more of a long-term thing. Happiness is a marathon, and the ways in which we try to attain it, need to correspond well with its long-lasting nature.Long-term Strategies Which Will Help Us Find HappinessKristina offers 6 long-term strategies that will help you on your path to finding happiness in your everyday life. These techniques include:GratitudeConsciousness (the ability to be present)The quality of our relationshipsForgivenessSelf-loveThe ability to deal with negative emotions“You express gratitude and for a while, you remind yourself: “Yeah, there are things that are good in my life, not everything is bad.” But you don’t feel the ecstasy from it.” - Kristina Mand-LakhianiGratitude is a great example of why these techniques have an effect when considered long-term. Having and expressing gratitude is not a quick fix. It will not give you an immediate sense of calm, joy or any other brief emotional state you’re striving for. But when applied continuously, throughout our lives, gratitude will give us a more holistic perspective, it will make us see the bigger picture and ultimately will lead to us feeling happy.“Time is an illusion! And a lot of negative emotions live either in the future or the past… Happiness is the thing that is in the now!” - Kristina Mand-LakhianiKristina compares consciousness to a pulse-check. She emphasizes the take-a-step-back effect it has on us when we are dealing with difficult and negative emotional states. Another benefit of knowing how to be in the present is that it will allow us to avoid all of the negativity that appears from either our past (like regret or not being able to let go) or from our future (like anxiety that arises from uncertainty).Many studies have shown in the past that happiness correlates with the quality of our relationships with others. Family, friends, coworkers… Having a solid and strong connection with people that enrich our lives is a very important aspect of happiness, which is quite rational when you consider the other side of the coin. If we do not have good relationships with people we interact with on a daily basis, and especially with the people we are closest to emotionally, our days would be filled with stress, angst, and sadness. H

Empower Yourself by Defining Your ValuesThis week on Inspired Evolution, we’re joined by Dr. John Demartini, a world-renowned human behavioral specialist, educator, public speaker, internationally published author, and business consultant. He is also the founder of the Demartini Institute, which is a private research and education organization with a curriculum of over 72 courses covering multiple aspects of human development.Dr. Demartini’s seminars are a culmination of his contributions to the field of self-improvement. “The Breakthrough Experience” is a 2-day seminar which has already been presented in over 60 countries, revolving around two major focal points. The first one is the doctor’s revolutionary ‘Demartini Method’, meant to help you deal with all kinds of emotional challenges in your everyday life. The other is the ‘Demartini Value Determination Process’ which helps you determine your drives and inspirations. His other noteworthy seminars are ‘The Prophecy I Experience’, ‘Empyriance 1’.He is celebrated in the business world, working both individually and collectively with entrepreneurs, board members, CEOs, managers, teams, and employees for over 46 years. Through presentations and consultations, Dr. Demartini aims to solve real problems and educate business professionals on the topics of human values and excellence in the workplace, defining the corporate vision and mission statement, leadership development, team building and so much more.Dr. John Demartini is also very well known for his social initiatives, in which he has cooperated with prisons and police services across the world, making an impact in the USA, SA, Mexico, Ireland, and Canada. He has presented a program titled ‘Hero Within’ to over 10,000 police men and women around the world. His work with wardens has provided much-needed support in the fight for lowering repeat offense statistics.He is the author of 9 internationally best-selling books translated into 28 different languages. His latest book titled The Values Factor explores the benefits that being aware of your highest values can help you reinvent yourself, and gain newfound energy. These themes will appear regularly throughout the podcast.Dr. Demartini selflessly shares with us his tremendous knowledge and wisdom he has gained over the years, which comes from an astonishing number of different fields and disciplines. This conversation truly is an insightful and thought-provoking experience.Connect with Dr. John Demartini:Website: https://drdemartini.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjohndemartiniInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjohndemartini/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DrDemartiniDr. Demartini’s origin story“I had a dream when I was 18 years old to wake up my mental capacities and create original ideas that served humanity.” - Dr. John DemartiniDr. Demartini wished he could share the company of world’s most influential people and share his ideas with them. He related to the idea of a global family. He yearned to be inspired.Throughout his life he has worked hard on all aspects of human life he later defined and called The 7 Powers of Human Life, which are: Inspired or spiritual missionMental genius/creativityVocational success, achievement, and serviceFinancial freedom and independenceFamily love and intimacy and continuance of procreationSocial contribution, influence, and leadershipPhysical health, stamina, strength, and well-beingHe believes empowering yourself in all of these areas is the key to a meaningful and successful life, and his mission is to help others achieve just that through education and sharing his experience.The Importance of Empowerment“I don’t mean empowered by overpowering others. It’s just the power to live congruently and fulfill what’s truly meaningful and inspiring in priority to you.” - Dr. John DemartiniEmpowerment is an essential step toward achieving self-actualization and unequivocally leads to self-improvement. It should be an important goal on our life’s journey because if we do not achieve empowerment, we will inevitably get overpowered. We need to pursue congruity with our highest values and reap the rewards from knowing that we’re fulfilling our true purpose in life. Dr. Demartini further concludes that if we do not implement this approach we will continue to live in the amygdala, interpreting the world in solely in terms of avoiding pain and seeking pleasure, which only leads to futility.“If you don’t empower yourself intellectually you’ll be told what to think. If you don’t empower yourself vocationally you’ll be told what to do. If you don’t empower yourself financially you’ll be told what you’re worth.” - Dr. John DemartiniEmpowerment is a question of inspiration, rather than motivation. Dr. Demartini purposefully makes a distinction between these two often interchangeable concepts, in order to accentuate the intrinsic nature of the energy that comes from being in line with your highest values and life goals.“Whatev

Know and accept that you’re enough. Our guest for this week is Marisa Peer, a best-selling author, motivational speaker, a leading celebrity therapist and a pioneering hypnotherapist trainer.Marisa began her journey studying to become a child psychologist but has later built on her career by earning further qualifications at the institute from the Hypnosis Training Institute of Los Angeles and the Pritikin Longevity Centre. She possesses a deep insight into the world of nutrition as well and was introduced to it through her own personal struggles. Marisa herself had been battling with an eating disorder throughout the first 20 years of her life.Her title of a best-selling author came to be as a result of 4 remarkably successful books, on various subjects. From teaching you improve your life by reprogramming your brain, Marisa will help you establish healthier relationships with the food you eat, build and fortify your self-esteem and self-confidence, and even increase your fertility! The subject of her last book titled You Can Be Younger was a revolutionary approach to the age-old question of how to stay young. She elaborates on how positive thinking can lead to the arrest of the aging process, all made possible by the power of your subconscious mind.Marisa is also the UK’s leading motivational speaker, and over the years, her lectures and talks have become available all over the internet. She has held two Ted Talks, one on the topic of the gaining connection and avoiding rejection, and the other focusing on how training your mind can help you go beyond your perceived and constructed limits. Her YouTube channel also has a ton of free useful mini-courses you can explore and try out.Marisa’s renowned for her therapy work, with an astonishing list of clients that include many of the world’s finest international superstars, CEOs, Olympic athletes and even royalty! Aside from sharing her wonderful anecdotes, spot on analogies and profound wisdom, she will be giving us precious insight into her innovative process called Rapid Transformational Therapy, or RTT.A Case of a Modern Day Celebrity in Distress“I don’t do what other therapists do.” - Marisa PeerMany of Marisa’s clients are very popular celebrities and she was very kind to share details of a specific case involving an actor in time of mental crisis. He has refused to go to work, expressing symptoms and behavior Marisa immediately recognizes and shines a new light on the problems presented.“If I was a doctor giving you a diagnosis, here’s my diagnosis - you just don’t think you’re good enough do you?” - Marisa PeerThe first part of her process involves detective-like work, where she intends to quickly determine the root of the problem, usually dating to the period of early childhood. The second part is metaphorically compared to dentistry, as she is determined to pull out and remove all of the negativity clouding over her client.Her fast-paced approach to therapy has given her client the much needed mental clarity, a fresh definition of his problems and most importantly, a direct way of dealing with them. The self-conditioning and positive self-talk seek to imprint the mind with a simple, precise and a positive message - “I am enough”.At the end of the segment, she also reflects on a particular case in which her patient had a severe problem with alcohol. The main distinction Marisa made right off the bat was between the presenting and the underlying problem. While conventional therapy may suggest dealing with alcoholism as the key strategy, Marisa shifts focus to the underlying problem - the fact that her client has been perceiving himself as “unlovable”.“You can put someone like that in AA, you can detox them, but you’re detoxing the problem, and not what lies beneath.” - Marisa PeerThe Main Causes of Mental Health ProblemsWe are constantly hearing about many different mental health issues and disorders that we should be guarding ourselves against, but Marisa breaks them down into three basic concepts:I’m not enoughI’m differentWhat I want is not availableWe’ve gone through the first problem to some detail in the first part of our conversation, and some of his variations (eg. “I’m not lovable enough” or “I’m not wealthy enough”).The second issue is a matter of failing to fit in. Not being able to connect and avoid rejection, which are the fundamental needs we all need to fulfill in our everyday lives. The fear of being rejected often plays out as a self-fulfilling prophecy, leaving the person with a rationalization that they can not connect because they are different. The feeling that people troubled with this type of problem are left with is what is commonly referred to as depression.The last issue is the problem of not being able to have or acquire something that is desired. But in its core, wanting something that is not available, is a problem of having negative, destructive, unconscious beliefs that ultimately determine your life and prove to be self-f

Juan Pablo has been submerged in spirituality and healing since the age of 9, due to the health of his brother suddenly deteriorating at the time.His passion for self-realization and the joy to help others led him to become certified by many different schools in Yoga, Holistic Nutrition, Tantric Philosophy, Master Reiki, Sound Healing, Shamanism, Chinese Medicine, Holistic Therapies and Healing Arts.He has been teaching in different countries and festivals for more than 15 years and is the co-director of The Yoga and Healing School Lamat, where he shares classes, workshops, immersions and training for 12 years. Juan Pablo is the director and main teacher of the Conscious Living School, an internationally connected institution without walls, whose main purpose is to awaken humanity.Every healing session, talk, and class he channels are unique and spontaneous, inspired by the moment and by the energy of the group. He perfectly combines science and healing arts to lead his students or audience into an introspective and blissful journey.In this conversation Juanpa-Embodied Eligntenment -We discuss healing beyond conventional medicine. Juanpa's inspirations for founding KAWOQ- Conscious Living School. Emerging from his life's work of embodying spirituality through various ancient spiritual practices.We deeply discuss spirituality beyond religion and the sbliminal invitation presents itself to pioneering your own spirituality and healing.JuanPa vulnerably shares the darkest hours from his journey to the point where he comes face-to-face-with suicide.His saving grace was living in a conscious spiritual community for 4 years that promoted embodiment.You're here to be authentic, and completely you.Mission is to wake people us and make money around it.Through your story.Understand why you lived what you lived.Who you are and why you go through what you go through.Your greatest challenges become your greatest opportunities.You mind locks into things.THe universe may have bigger plans for you.But if your not available - open to the universe with every breathe...The negative aspect f your ego creates disconnection fromflow,nature and everythign around us.Thats when our plans get in the way of our purpose.You need to listen.Everything is a lesson if you just listen to see it.The strength of surrendering to flow and universe.Surrender manifestation. vs. manufactured manifestatation.The good and non-so-good aspect of ego.Its never about you.Youre just a messenger or a channel for energy-connection- )-awakening- -spiritual growth- -flow- 9purpose- -energy-howto identify between the two aspects of ego.when tehres doubt or fear or anger or reaction, defending - that's neagtive ego - your triggered and that the ego of separationlet that uncomforatability go - its like an acid that you can meltpsitive eg is the universe flowing through yoube humble and present to observe what thought patterns are triggering you.the other negative aspect of ego is when you beleive in your own grandioseness,we're being upgraded all the time.When you think you know EVERYTHING, drop into openness and know that you know NOTHING.Always learning about thought patterns.For example, Juanpa used to believe that spiritual healing takes a lot of work and is an arduous process.He identifies that this in itself is just a beleif systemandtaht spiritual healing can occur in a moment.He introduces: Mega Healing in Micro TimingIt's all in the heart. The energy field of the heart is 5000 times stronger than the mind.Its getting simpler to connect with your soul and your purpose and who we are and it doesn't have to take so long.-connection-there is really nothing to heal. the soul is healed. you are integrated. you are whloe already.all the qualities of your soul are perfect and successful already. we're just getting in the way. and forcing disconnection.You're always connected at the soul level but the mind is where disconnection is decided from.Just "remembering" your connection rather than "learning".-domestication -bombarded with external stimuli, buy this, do that, you're not enough, society and its development relies on you looking outwards and feeling like there is not enough.you were never taught to looking within and living from within.living from the inner knowing and interconnectednessbreatheyou are always in a meditative state if you choose to.meditation: observing the mind.the imbalance of the day:we're too identified with the mindspirituality can beemodying your souls purposeyour limiting beliefs holding you backdream big and manifeststay open to possibilitiesthe power of prayerscience is hardbacking many ancient spiritual practices to help bridge the logical mind into being more openthe importance of staying flexible and judgement freeunveiling our hidden blidspotsopenness is about humannessfear holds us back and protects usshare your humannessbeing humble is about humanbeing open in every aspect is about being authentic, being real and being wild

Sammy Shoebox Moses Taggett is a world renowned DJ, musician and philanthropist.Epic life story of being saves frombeing discarded in a shoebox at birth...The foundlingsEducation for PhilippinesChangemakers.worldThe step by step f setting up a non-for-profitYour "Why"The importance of having a Massive Vision to pull you forwardSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a Deep Meaning to Life. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, our reason for being is Inspired by Beata Alfoldi. Beata facilitates 1-on-1 healings, 9-month mentorships for women, global retreats, sacred birthday ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, she presents at festivals, all these incredible offerings have her traveling around the world (nationally, here in Australia, Bali, Mexico, Thailand, Peru and Europe).Beata features as one of 5 Australia women in a documentary series called Women of Heart, which is based on the work of Maureen Murdoch (a story of the Heroine’s journey vs. David Campell’s famous Hero’s Journey).She also has her own book coming out later this year.She generally works with people that have hit “rock-bottom”. These people may have spent many years with scholars, practitioners, therapists, psychologists, etc. She helps people uncover their innate potential and true self can before school, before parents, before religion, before governments, before anyone or society told them who to be.In this conversation, Beata boldly shares her own personal vulnerable tragedy of losing her just born child. It was at the same time in her life that she lost her mother to cancer and her also a separation from her husband due to the pressure of this phase of her life. She potently describes how that brought her to a deeper connection with death and therefore, ultimately life and herself.“Once I was stripped of everything I identified with, it became clear who I wasn’t.” – Beata Alfoldi.Beata shares her own transformative journey from being a world-class dancer to a choreographer, to a yoga teacher, to running a yoga business through to where she is today, facilitating healing for people all over the planet.She shares her piece on the amazing optimal potential of humans and the collective awakening that we’re always going through. She highlights the life-affirming changes that individuals are taking for themselves and for the planet at the present moment in time. She’s fascinated with the new leadership that is now making decisions beyond profits.Beata goes on to describe her philosophies on “Walking the Path of the Pathless”. Carving your own unique life, evolving to your own unique inspirations. We have a great conversation about embodying a moment-to-moment relationship with your life through meditation and meditative practices so that you stay connected to your inspirations and your personal evolution.“Nobody really knows what’s next” – Beata Alfoldi.So can you still trust the unfolding of life and take action from that place?Beata shares that Nature is a reflection of Truth. Nature is Dynamic and therefore the Truth is Dynamic. She uses this to explain why so many of her corporate clients are so burned out. They are disconnected from their true self.Connection to Self and Nature is at the heart of this podcast. She invites us to connect with ourselves on a deeper level which supports our connection to others and the planet. Beata highlights that the internet facilitates greater connection and therefore a greater global awareness that helps create monumental shifts for humanity.We lightly discuss the nature of how inner changes are reflected in the wider politics or current society, as individuals are growing more and more open-minded, so does society with women’s right, same-sex marriage, etc.An incredible conversation about Sadhana opens up about halfway through the podcast, where we discuss that although we’re not blind to the atrocities of the world we continually cultivate a positive outlook to ensure that is the change we reinforce and bring into the world.“We’re interested in Solutions, not Problems.” – Beata Alfoldi.It’s important to remain open to new things that inspire and encourage evolution but also maintain 100% discernment. Beata explains the vital difference between discernment and judgment. Discernment is about knowing who we are and trusting our intuition towards what we naturally gravitate towards or don’t; rather than labeling things and judging them as needing improvement or good.Beata explains how she became a potent catalyst for change. She realized that people were naturally accessing her for deep transformation and support it became her service to offer that more and more widely. We discuss the role of passion and purpose. Beata explains that our passions come into full focus once we know who we are. But finding out who we take time. Often we don’t give ourselves the time due to our own commitments or social expectations.To find out who we are and connect withourselves more deeply, in conjunction with giving ourselves time, Beata once again suggests reflecting on our relationship with time.“The more we come to the realization that one day we’re going to die, the greater and fiercer our drive to live” – Beata Alfoldi.The alternative is that we will, unfortunately, day-dream our lives away. Beata regrets that so many people live a life of quiet desperation.What if you were

Live mindfully from the heart. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, we are inspired by Gelong Thubten. Thubten became a Buddhist monk 25 years ago at Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland, Europe’s oldest and largest Buddhist monastery. He has spent over six years in intensive meditation retreats, the longest of which was 4 years in seclusion on a Scottish island. Thubten specializes in teaching mindfulness meditation internationally, in businesses, hospitals, schools, universities, prisons, and addiction counseling centers. He works with major clients such as Google, LinkedIn, Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, Accenture, the NHS, Clifford Chance and Linklaters, and lectures at Facebook.He does not get paid, all funds go to charity, for building meditation training centers to benefit many people. Thubten was the meditation consultant on the set of Marvel’s latest movie, Dr. Strange, where he trained Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton in meditation techniques while they were filming. He has lectured on Buddhism and meditation at the universities of Oxford, Helsinki, and Cardiff, as well as for Mindvalley. He teaches in several schools and is often interviewed by the world’s media. He designs and delivers mindfulness programmes for 4th-year medical students at the National University of Ireland, and he has lectured at Parliament on the Channel Islands. He has co-authored a book on mindfulness with Ruby Wax and a neuroscientist: How To Be Human. He runs meditation centers throughout the U.K.Gelong Thubten is a celebrated global expert on Mindfulness & Tibetan Meditation. In the episode of the Inspired Evolution, we explore Thubten’s journey to meditation. This is an especially surprising story as growing up he wasn’t really interested in meditation. In fact, he recounts that in his late teens he was actually quite wild, living the party lifestyle as an actor living in New-York. Burning the candle at both ends as he put it.Unfortunately, his stressful lifestyle eventuated to a situation where he ended up quite ill for 6 months. It was during this time of illness that he started reading about meditation and the power of the mind. A friend of his recommended the Kagyu Samye Ling monastery in Scotland to deepen his meditation exploration for a short 12-month experience.He was at Kagyu Samye Ling only 3 days before he become ordained as a monk. The commitment was initially for a full 12-months. However, as it would turn out, once he was there for 9 months he decided to commit to staying for longer. In his second year, he did his first 9-month isolated retreat. It was here that he decided to commit to monk-hood. A powerful decision yet an obvious one: to best serve himself and humanity. His decision being powered by the desire to live outside of his ego, which he identified as being unhealthy. Driven by compassion, he ended up taking life-vows committing to monk-hood and this way of life, for life. He joyfully remarks that his friends at this point though he’d lost the plot and that he was lucky that his family supported his decision. He’s now been a monk for over 25 years since he was 21 years old, on a life-long journey now towards perpetual growth and learning.In this conversation, we talk about keeping mindfulness “now”, updated and modern. Specifically, how Thubten keeps mindfulness relevant for the 21st century and today’s society. How his unique approach blends ancient wisdom with modern challenges. Both Thubten and I are thrilled that neuroscience now complements ancient wisdom.Thubten describes his passions to help people, not from a place of wanting to spread Buddhist philosophy, but to simply help people meditate and transform their minds. He started by supporting local prisons 25 years ago with mindfulness and meditation programs. Introducing mindfulness in a very pragmatic and needed situation.He reflects on his own experience, traveling the world delivering talks, being on his phone and computer like the rest of society and how he’s living the fast-paced life with the rest of society so that his message remains relevant but also demonstrates how mindfulness can keep you calm, focused, stress-free and happy.For Thubten, the exploration of human consciousness should remain relatable. We discuss the Mindy-Body connection and the intention and power behind isolation retreats: clearing outdated physical and mental patterns. No stranger to isolation, his longest isolation retreat experience lasted 4-years. Thubten describes how retreats are often misunderstood as leisurely. However, intensive work on the mind is actually undertaken to evolve your thoughts and emotions – the mission being to ultimately being less controlled by your thoughts and emotions. He reflects that this mission is a deep detox, one where he finds himself digesting his history and memories. An experience that he recounts is like brain surgery and ultimately both healing and transformative.This conversation t

SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPEAKER, AUTHOR, HUSBAND AND FATHER. Eric's general philosophy is that life is important. We are meant to enjoy our short time here.With that in mind, he is dedicated to working with entrepreneurs and business owners from all over the world to both inspire and empower them to achieve their full potential and to create truly exceptional lives for themselves, their families and their employees.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You absolutely can have it all. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, we are inspired to evolve into our ideal reality with Regan Hillyer. Regan is a self-made multi-millionaire, serial entrepreneur, forbes contributor, success coach, influencer, thought leader and keynote speaker.Regan’s passion for helping others achieve extensive financial and personal abundance is powered by a vision where every human has the ability to unlock his or her greatness.Regan has impacted millions using her unique mindset tools. She specializes in helping experts uncover their true message and launch powerful personal brands, helping them make a big impact and build a legacy.Regan has trained thousands of people; helping them build multiple six and seven figure businesses location free, using powerful mindset changing tools and cutting edge business development strategies.Regan is a true thought leader in her industry – not only with fast personal growth and success but she’s here to disrupt your version of what you perceive to be ‘normal’ – to help you break free of old archaic systems.Using powerful, unique, mindset changing tools, and cutting-edge business development strategies, Regan’s specialty is in helping experts uncover their true message and launch powerful personal brands that make an impact, and leave a legacy.Growing up in Auckland, New Zealand, Regan had no idea what she wanted to do, taking her on a long journey of self-discovery through personal development. Ultimately, this adventure would contribute to her incredible success that she is today; Regan Hillyer is one of the most successful entrepreneurs under 30 and is a leading figure in her industry. Regan Hillyer International is a global and multi 7 figure company.However, her story of exponential success does not end here, she’s just beginning to start a new chapter, and as she delves deeper than ever before into personal development and success mindset, she helps millions to achieve it all.This is a conversation about living from the soul. Regan honors each individual's unique and quantum connection to themselves, to nature and their spirituality. She also illuminates the interconnectedness of our mind, body, emotions, and spirit. Regan's story invites us to trust, believe and have faith in the great mystery and blessing that is life. This is a story that reminds us that we are all here to live our dreams. Regan inspires a life of healing, transformation, and growth. Life is incredible and its up to us to honor it as best we can, and in doing so we may just be surprised by how much life really has to offer.Get Inspired !ShowRefences:Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All our dreams are on the other side of our fear. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, international best-selling author, master coach and transformational speaker Jason Goldberg takes us on an entertaining journey and shares how we can achieve self-leadership, escape fear and achieve greater success and happiness in our lives and businesses.As an International Award-Winning Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator, Author, Host & Coach, Jason's pillars of self-leadership are Consistency, Service, Mastery, and Playfulness. We dive deep into his approach: helping people all over the world live a life of Playful Mastery.Help people open their minds to transform their lives and business. He maintains though that his main purpose in life is to help people pee their pants from laughter.Discussing Jason's impressive past having been the CEO of a variety of companies, consulting for NASA, a past grounded in IT and Engineering. We explore where Jason's altered trajectory of “playfulness” came from. He starts by explaining Playfulness and what he shares as the “Spirit of Play”He elaborates that Spirit of Play is greater than having obnoxious fun is about tapping into the spirit of Creativity. About Creativity, Jason shares:“Creativity is Greater than Circumstance”– Jason GoldbergCreativity forms the foundation of a life of Playful Prosperity: Our innate ability to focus on resourcefulness of resources is the hack towards life mastery shares Jason.He emphasizes that it's not about neglecting your current situation and burying your head in the sand, rather its about faces the challenges of life head-on and allowing your creativity to rise above the challenges, to play with the interpretations, to play with the expectations, to play with the resources we have at our disposal.Jason vulnerably shares that he was always a joyful jokey type of person on the outside but a long time ago it used to be cultivated from a place of self-hatred. Growing up he was 135kg and he was really heavy his entire life and from a young age, he was ridiculed for being overweight so he had this overwhelming feeling of not-enoughness and not-fitting-in. However, he found it very natural to make people laugh. It became his mechanism to getting love and approval so that he could form an “enoughness” of self through approval of others. It can as a security blanket/defense mechanism.He shares that although this would appear on the surface as being a hindrance, he sees this now as the foundations of some of his super-powers. Humour and the ability to relate with people joyfully and empathetically. Comedic prowess, joy, humor, coupled with empathy and these things are now at the center of his own Business.If you feel like you do not have a genius-zone or super-power, Jason says you're just not remembering far enough back into your life (as a child or a teenager). Jason has found that looking back into your childhood past for: what you were praised for, got acknowledged for or got as a kid or whatever you got into trouble for in many cases. These are the things that are going to point you to your True Genius Zone.Life is meant to be lived creatively and in Flow. Jason reminds us not to take life too seriously. If we look back on our lives, every step of the way, every meeting, every opportunity, every loss, every win lead us to exactly where we were meant to go. Inviting us to flow, Jason calls on us to live from our joy and grow and grow and grow. It's a call to be Inspired… to Evolve !Finally, this is a conversation for our creative and joyous selves. Jason shows us that it is possible to live a life that is inspiringly joyous and prosperous. That wealth and success does not come in leiu of happiness but is actually a result of happiness. He also shares deeply on the interconnectedness on one's own self-transformation and the prowess of their business which is intrinsically coupled. Jason's story invites us to dig deep and find our own unique message and truth and to always be aligned to this in a harmonious and fun way. In this conversation, we explore Jason Goldberg’s habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of his success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story that reminds us that we all deserve to be happy and thriving. Jason inspires a life of healing, transformation, and growth. Life is a gift for us to celebrate and tapping into that joy may unlock the life of your dreams.Get Inspired !ShowRefences:Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Design your very own Life. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, it feels almost as though we're in the movie inception. We're inspired by User Experience (UX) Designer and Co-Founder of Harness Projects: Chris Ventura to harness the power of design to not just learn better but to actually design a life of our highest potential.Chris is an entrepreneur who is passionate about education and the role it has in forming the society around us. In 2017, he co-founded a project-based learning company called Harness Projects, to address the gaps he saw in traditional education. As well as a mechanism to leverage the power of the learning market to make social change. During the early part of his career, Chris describes himself as “your typical corporate wage slave”. Working long hours and expending enormous amounts of energy on projects with little meaningful impact. Around 2010, Chris' natural curiosity moved into the self-development field. Trying to integrate an emerging perspective of spirituality and mindfulness in an office environment devoid of much feeling. By 2015, he left that world and begin to integrate his corporate skills in product management, digital & user experience design with his well-being practices. Chris is a world-bridger, constantly moving between a world of commercialization, finances and corporate governance to a world of mindfulness, empathy, and impact. He believes there are 2 types of social activists. Those that work outside the system to raise awareness of the problems in the world and those that work within it to invent creative solutions and businesses so they evolve and take us forward in a positive way.Setting up this innovative design company with his partner, Chris has also, on a meta-level, effectively designed his life as an entrepreneur. But Chris keeps it very real with us in this podcast, he reminds us that living life on your own terms isn't always glitz and glam, there's a lot that comes with that package that is not for the faint-hearted.Chris considers Education as a fundamental pillar of society. It plays a vital role in shaping human behavior on an individual scale and ultimately on a macro, society-wide scale. It's important that people find the courage to invest in themselves to develop a foundation of strength & ability, so they can become of service to the society around them. Without this cycle of growth and sharing, our society is at risk of becoming increasingly isolationist and polarised. And so, we explore what UX design is all about and why Chris is so passionate about functional design and the mission/philosophy of Harness Projects.Harness Projects partners with companies looking to make a positive social impact. Harness projects the recruits students passionate to learn through hands-on experience, through the art of doing, whilst being guided and mentored by some of Australia's best designers on real-world projects with real-world outcomes and successes!Chris lets us in on his personal life sharing the moments when his life really started changing for the better: when he consciously started socializing with people that brought out the best in him, encouraged him to be more creative and live with greater authenticity. He also reflects on the fact that when he started this journey, he did not have “a single entrepreneurial bone in his body”. Which is inspiring considering his success with Harness Projects today! We explore Chris' personal value of compassion and how that's infused in the way of working as a designer that is creating outcomes for real-world people.Chris reflects on the development of his “inner-world” through practices such as mindfulness and meditation and how that transformed his relationship with the “outer-world” which, when he was working for corporations was spent engaging his energy on stuff that excited or mattered to him directly.The was a gap that Chris identified with his partner between education and the workplace. Chris also took into account his own learning experience from university and realized that there was a real need for him to develop Harness Projects. The leap of faith that Chris took to leave his corporate roles and invest in his own start-up not knowing the outcomes and often not even knowing what's next, he shares, is a muscle. The more he consciously exercises this “Trust” the easier it gets. Chris knew he wanted to leave his amazing corporate role and team because it was challenging or exciting him any more, even then it took him 8 months to “pull-the-plug”. And he did this without the security blanket of having anything a job to transition to. True courage to face the unknown.He shares that when he leaped into the unknown the “universe caught him”. And even though he continually has to make similarly challenging decisions – he reflects that he can continue to cultivate that faith in being “caught” and supported. Chris believes there's a time to plan and then there's time to surrender your plan

Life is Sacred. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, the way we walk in this world is Inspired by Velan Cadden. Velan is officially recognized as the yoga teacher of yoga teachers across the world. And way more than that, Velan is a soul-centered heart-forward individual who has cultivated a life and way of being that is truly inspiring. His passion for living life on his own terms has resulted in the potency of his personal yoga practice and the offerings of Sacred Seed (Yoga Teacher Trainings internationally in Australia and Costa Rica) with his wife Adya. Sacred Seed was born from the passion to explore the maps of the body and reconnect to the sacred through earth-based spirituality. Velan and Adya weave the path of yoga with ancient teachings of the earth.This is a deep conversation about Connection. Spiritually to ourselves and to the Earth. The interconnectedness of our mind, body, emotions and spirit. Velan affirms the importance of our family and the wider community. The value of growth and learning to be a better human being so that we can be better for what matters most – our family. He illuminates that family is the altar of life.We discuss the importance of rituals, initiations and rights of passage as an opportunity to give thanks for the blessing of life. Velan and Adya's Sacred Seed is about embodying these blessings. Velan shares at length the practice of embodiment: Embodiment of your values, your passions, your vulnerability, your intuition; so that you may emerge empowered as your truest self. Resulting in the richest possible eperience of your life.This conversation is one for the soul. It calls on us to live our most inspired life, by following our passions and carving our own unique way. Velan’s story invites us to trust, believe and have faith in the great mystery and blessing that is life. In this conversation, we explore Velan Cadden's habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of his success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story that reminds us that we are all here to live our dreams. Velan inspires a life of healing, transformation, and growth. Life is sacred and its upto us to honour it as best we can; and in doing so we may just be surprised by how much life really has to offer.Get Inspired !ShowRefences: Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Worries You, Masters You. In this episode of Inspired Evolution, our Freedom is Inspired by Niall McInnes. Niall is not-so-affectionately known as the “Fear Coach”. Niall is a coach specializing in removing emotional constrictions to allow the authentic self to shine through. He has a deep passion for the freedom created after stepping into uncomfortable situations. He isn't just a preacher of this wisdom, he embodies it: From Professional Extreme Sports, Professional Kick-Boxing Fights, Standup Comedy to Sleeping on the Streets, Fasting, Silent Retreats and Pickup.We start this discussion exploring Rites of Passages, Coming of Age Ceremonies and Initiations such as going Walkabout as exemplified by the Australia Indigenous. Reflecting on the lack of such cultural milestones in the modern western culture.A deep conversation around depression emerges from men inhibited from approaching their emotions fear for men. We discuss the pride and ego strength of masculinity at face value compared to the true depth of strength that comes from getting vulnerable and emotional. There's a balance to be struck. Beginning with having the courage to be authentic and say “I'm scared” either way.Niall describes his fascination with the physical fear he experiences from such extreme activities as bull-riding or professional fighting… In comparison to the fears and symptoms, he experienced when starting his businesses or public speaking or meditating for the first time. They feel exactly the same. One is genuinely life-threatening, the other is perceived as life-challenging yet is not really so.We launch into a conversation on Mind-Body connection and embodying lasting wisdom. Niall Describes his technique of clearing fear and restrictions by:1. Taking Responsibility for the ‘problem' and then,2. Finding gratitude for the problemNiall describes the importance and techniques of mental-visualization to cultivate a positive and success-oriented Mind-Body connection; plus the emotional or belief impedance we may have in the way. He highlights the wisdom that Transforming your life begins by Loving the parts of You, You Love the Least.This conversation with the Fear Coach would be incomplete without discussing the Fear of Death. We discuss deeply Regret… Wow, a conversation I'm grateful to have had.This conversation is raw and real: it encourages us to play the game of life “all out” beyond the limitations of fear. Niall’s story conveys that everyone is here to achieve something great and prompts us to question your relationship with yourself through your beliefs and emotions. In this conversation, we discuss Niall McInnes' habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of his success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story that reminds us that we are all capable of living our dreams. Niall inspires a life of healing, transformation, and growth; Sometimes all it takes is getting out of our own way so that we can create an internal shift to align us to our highest potential.Get Inspired !ShowRefences:Mankind Projects: The ManKind Project Australia is a volunteer organisation with charity status and operates from 5 centres in Australia in close cooperation with the groups in New Zealand. The global network spans South Africa, the United States, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland – a brotherhood of over 60,000 Men.LINK: https://mkpau.org/Walkabout: In Australian Indigenous society, Walkabout is a rite of passage during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditional transition into manhood.LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WalkaboutBoy To Man:In “Boy to Man”, adventurer and filmmaker Tim Noonan embarks on a solo journey of self-discovery to worlds beyond his imagination to try and unlock the mysteries of some of the most ancient tribes and to discover what it means to be the ultimate man.With just his gear and cameras, Noonan first has to earn the tribe's trust. He is put through rituals, initiations and grueling tests to man-up and prove himself worthy of their respect.Throughout the series, Noonan travels the world, stopping in places such as Cameroon to dive underground to catch huge snakes; tame wild horses in Venezuela; and fish for sharks with the shark people of Papua New Guinea.LINK: http://www.bbcaustralia.com/shows/boy-to-man/Hamish Andy Bullet Ants:Hamish experiences an Amazon tribes’ coming-of-age ritual: Bullet Ant gloves! Where the toxins released by the ants generates the worst pain a human is capable of experiencing.LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a6PbM0gJwwLand Diving: Traditional origins of Bungie JumpingLand diving (known in the local Sa Language as Gol and in Bislama Nanggol) is a ritual performed by the men of the southern part of

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In this episode of Inspired Evolution, we welcome the inspiring Steph Baron. Steph is a yoga practitioner and educator who has a deep passion for holistic wellness, yoga, meditation, mindfulness and the healing arts. Steph is unapologetically herself and inspires others to be the same; to find the strength and courage to be free, to be you.Steph is committed to helping people explore the ways in which they can reconnect with their innate joy and freedom. Steph’s yoga work is not just about connecting people to their bodies, but connecting people back to their truly wacky, unique and vibrant self.We discuss modern lifestyles, and reasons to become distracted and disconnected from self and others in this currently rather complicated state of the world.Steph reminds us to be ourselves above all else, to keep growing in those areas which feel a little bit scary and a little bit confronting, and to move into spaces of new growth as they become clearer. This in-turn pulls us to stay Creative and to think outside the box, following threads of creativity as they arise. In Steph’s example this includes exploring new cities, creating new content and saying yes to professional endeavours which serve to expand her.And to ensure that we don’t get into a rut with it all, Steph’s vibe is a great reminder to keep it fun! Calling for us to get out into nature and have a play, life doesn’t have to be so serious! And most importantly, to keep doing the things you love.Steph’ story highlights how to live in a joyful way: For Steph, following her bliss comes as a practice, it’s a feeling of being connected to spirit and knowing when spirit talks.This conversation about Health and Purpose is extremely valuable, highlighting the importance of health and the inherent wisdom latent within, our destiny to live life to the fullest. In this conversation, we discuss Steph Baron’s habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of her success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story about getting totally conscious and connected to source wisdom and honouring our intuition which is experienced through our emotions. All so that you can go out there and embrace life, allowing for life to embrace you – the amazing be-ing that you really are!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Inspired Evolution, we go real deep for a second time with Tristan Bray… It's hard not to dive all the way in when you're talking to someone who is a Regression Therapist most passionate about Psychotherapy, Meditation, Quantum Healing, Cell Biology, Epigenetics, Kinesiology, Psychopharmacology, Sexual Health, Diet, Detox, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Taoism, Chi Gung, Kung Fu and Modern Medical Science. This is one amazing conversation and hence why it's longer than every other Inspired Evolution episode.We dance through the deepest philosophies of self, society, the universe, the body, the mind, the spirit, the emotions, the health, the wellbeing, connections and disconnections, the trauma…We unravel Stress and Anxiety through exploring:Societal Values.Culture.War & Peace.Connection.Nature.Masculinity.Vulnerability.Courage.Newtonian vs Quantum Physics.Metabolising Trauma.Quantum Experiments.Bells Theorum.Mysticism.Piezio-Electric Effect.Beyond Time.Beyond Space.Passionated Space.Love and ESP.Reality and it's Precursors.Energetic Probabilities.Existence.Biocentricism.Dopamine.Happiness.Pleasure.Material Reality.Healing.And so so much more.Ultimately… Guiding ourselves back to reconnecting with Nature.Tristan reminds us that Human connection is a biological imperative. Connecting with Tristan in this episode poetically reflects this: as we discuss the deepest crevices, and simultaneously the cutting-edge innovative insights, of all things Life and Death and how these are all woven together.We are infinite and in certain ways we've bound ourselves.Tristan presents an opportunity to heal.He is passionate about reminding people, that the human capacity for healing is limitless. Tristan helps to open minds to how many natural super abilities; we all possess to enhance our life that has been squashed out of the mainstream belief system by reductionist dogma and disempowerment. Tune in as we explore the wisdom Tristan shares through his unique story and vast experience. We get an insight into his exclusive treatments, seminars, and workshops which are primarily focused on clearing trauma and he shares why this is so important to all of us. Trauma is the biggest cause of ill health in our world because it often will permanently change the body’s physiology, emotions, and spiritual outlook if not released. Much of modern medicine looks at putting a ‘band-aid effect’ over the current effect of trauma as opposed to clearing it, back at the creation point.Show notes invariably will never do this episode justice, tune in and Get Inspired !We discuss how death defines life. We explore what a gift crisis can be in one’s life. And how nature plays a vital role as you yourself are nature – you are the universe witnessing itself. We talk at length about health and the inner workings of one's self and how that reflects one's relationship with the humanity and the planet.This conversation is extremely valuable it forces us to go deep and reminds us of our true potential as verified through both science and mysticism. Tristan’s story conveys that life is truly remarkable and encourages us to make the most of this wonder. In this conversation, we discuss Tristan’s philosophies and tools that have formed the threads of his success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story about embracing one's self !Get Inspired ! ShowRefences (Still being populated):Alan Watts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=012-61RWnjEGabor Matte: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlHIWXWDuF0https://www.amazon.com/When-Body-Says-Understanding-Stress-Disease/dp/0470923350Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Placebo-Making-Matter/dp/1401944582Bruce Lipton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjj0xVM4x1IRussell Brand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YR4CseY9pkLujan Matus http://www.parallelperception.com/Rupert Sheldrake https://www.sheldrake.org/James Redfield https://www.amazon.com/Celestine-Prophecy-Adventure-James-Redfield/dp/0446671002David Wilcock https://divinecosmos.com/Dean Radin http://www.deanradin.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Inspired Evolution, we welcome the speaker, storyteller, intuitive mentor and founder of AttuneMe. She is an intuitive entrepreneur, renowned as the voice for the uprising for the feminine in new business and living. She helps holistic attunement and true wellness for not just individuals but businesses alike.In this conversation we talk deeply about our connection to our selves. The importance of our connection to ourselves and a first insiders look at Niamh's unique intuitive trademarked protocol: AttuneMe.Niamh draws from her ancestral Irish roots to weave deep wisdom into her work. She brings modern practices to deliver these incredible insights.Nimah focuses on Service her mission to create life-changing transformations for individuals and business through Attunement Her craft and skill focuses on sacred connection and honouring one's self.Niamh is committed to serving people and enabling their highest potential and facilitating transformation. She believes in humanity and strives to help in unlocking maximum human potential. In this conversation, we explore Niamh’s life story and we discuss his philosophies and passions that drive her.This conversation is about authentic heart centred entrepreneurial success. It is extremely valuable it demonstrates the possibility of living a life focussed on helping others with your gifts and helping them unlock their gifts. Niamh’s story is one that reflects that everyone has the potential to make a remarkable impact on the world. In this conversation, we discuss Niamh Cronin’s habits, hacks, philosophies, and tools that have formed the threads of her success, happiness, health, and wealth. This is a story about getting totally conscious about your relationship with yourself to live the life of your dreams. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.