Ashley Rothstein Podcast

The earth & it’s inhabitants are hurting. What can I/we do?   I am guilty of choosing to look away when it comes to many serious issues the world is facing. The roots and structure of these complicated problems are confusing to process. Brainstorming solutions seems even harder. I don’t usually know what to do or how to help. When I try to visualize potential solutions, my mind starts buzzing and bouncing around all over the place in a seemingly never-ending loop of ‘problem > potential solution > different problem that solution would bring > potential solution for that problem that leads to a different problem > and on.’ My body becomes hot with emotions like sadness, anger, confusion, and empathy. I hate when I don’t know how to fix something. When I feel helpless, it’s easy for me to get engulfed in these powerful emotions, so I’ve learned to look away and shut myself off to paths that lead to these intense feelings. I don’t necessarily like this about myself, but its a defense mechanism. It feels easier to choose willful ignorance and focus on what I can control in the little bubble that I operate in every day.   My husband put on a documentary the other night. I had been wanting to watch it for some time, but always seemed to find an excuse not to. I knew I would feel a lot when I chose to watch it some day. I was avoiding these feelings.   This time around, I chose to watch it. It split me open. I expected this, but wasn’t sure what I would do with the feelings when they arose.   I debrief my thoughts in this episode. I was still somewhat in shock when I recorded this because the documentary was so powerful. It certainly planted a large seed in my life to start doing better and being better when it comes to saving and preserving the other life that exists on this planet, and just in general.   A vast majority of the past choices I’ve made when it comes to what I purchase, what I consume, and the resources I use have been ignorant, unconscious, and lacking intention. Choosing to not look away, and instead fighting for something that is meaningful is an alternative that is worth considering.   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein

I was moving too fast, so I imagined balloons tied to me and I snipped them off one by one...like my own (dark & twisted) version of Disney Pixar's 'Up.'   Sometimes I feel like a broken record with how much I talk about my attempts to slow down after I realize I'm moving too fast. But if it keeps coming up, there is something for me to learn here. This 'lightening speed' pace I seem to default to is something I'm struggling to resolve, so I try different things in attempt to level it out...perhaps with the hope that I will finally land on the 'end all' answer that will help me fully and wholly relax forever (ha, even though I know an 'end all' probably doesn't exist, I seem to always shoot for it anyway).   It was the end of the day. I had multi-tasked too much and my mind was buzzing. Lots of time on screens, and no time outdoors. I had a packed plate, and found myself trying to tack more and more on. I attempted to work through the evening. I found myself overwhelmed with nausea whenever I put forth mental energy into working. The nausea seemed to be tied directly to working/thinking. I would take a break and it would cease a bit, then I would try to work again and it would come back. So I stopped everything, turned off the lights, laid down, and let my myself feel the effects of a runaway mind.   It felt horrible and incredibly unpleasant at first. After allowing myself to feel the not so good feelings, get past them, and sink into the moment, I fell into an intriguing meditation that guided me out of the chaos. I imagined my to-do list as balloons tied to my body and then imaginatively 'cut' them off one by one with my mind. It was surprisingly effective. It reminded me of the conversation I had with Danna Pycher (world-renowned hypnotherapist) on Episode 16 of the podcast, where she 'melted' an icicle with her mind during a hypnosis session to resolve a period of harsh cold flashes she was experiencing. She had envisioned this icicle sitting on her spine, and once it was 'melted,' the cold flashes resolved and never came back. How fascinating is the mind and it's untapped potential? There is so much we don't know. Hearing myself speak about how I snipped off pretend balloons tied to my body to help me relax sounds a bit ridiculous on the surface, but the more I learn about the mind, the less and less ridiculous these things are starting to sound to me.   Tune in to hear the full story, and check out Episode 16 if you're interested in hearing my conversation with Danna - it is still one of my favorite episodes to date!   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein

I will fight to the death to prove that I am right. And there's a part of me that loves doing it.   I've been this way since I can consciously remember. I file every email I receive and save it into a labeled folder that I can pull from in case I need to show proof of something I or someone else said or did. I prefer to communicate in writing for this very reason. If questioned in a conversation, I enjoy pulling up statistics or articles to prove what I am saying has scientific backing. I also love to counter studies and statistics with anecdotal evidence that science can't explain. On top of this, I have a crazy memory. I can often recall specifics of past experiences, situations, or conversations. I use this data as 'ammo' if I am ever in a confrontational situation with another person. I sniff out contradiction easily, and I don't hesitate to point it out if I see it.   The point: I have a wired mechanism within me to manipulate whatever is in front of me to prove that I am right. If I am right, the opposing force is wrong. I win. And winning feels good. This mechanism has helped me achieve things. It can, and has, been helpful in certain situations. This behavior has also pulled me far, far away from vulnerability. Because vulnerability is a precursor for connection, I lack the tools to connect with other humans. That is not good. In this episode, I reflect on this. Sure, I can pull up an email, text, or recollect a past conversation to try and make myself 'win' for some things in life. But winning, in this regard, lacks depth and meaning. What about when it comes to things admitting my thick self absorption? Or letting someone know that they have helped or inspired me? Or intentionally moving myself to the backseat to allow someone else to have their moment in the spotlight? Or making the necessary moves to right my wrongs with the people I've hurt or judged? There are no statistics, email, or science that can help me with those things. Those things come from allowing myself to be vulnerable. And if I'm always 'winning', I'm not being vulnerable. And if I'm not being vulnerable, I'm not giving myself the platform for true connection. And without connection, we suffer. It is hard for me to admit fault, acknowledge a personal flaw, or admit when I am wrong. But I find that when I do, life feels so much better. Like....loads better. I metaphysically lose about 10 lbs whenever I find the courage to take responsibility where it is owed. This seems to be an emerging theme in my life as of late. Vulnerability is hard. But like anything hard, it's a practice. The more it is practiced, the less you suck at it.   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

The phrase 'underworld of chaos' makes me feel a certain way.   It feels dark, peculiar, and filled with terror. It also feels mystical, ancient, and freeing. I am often drawn to dark, magical, ancestral, primitive things. I love myths, themes, and stories, and how they make their way across history and become embedded in our conscious/unconscious minds.   Do you ever feel like you're in one state of mind, and then BOOM...something pops your 'bubble' and suddenly you're in another state of mind? This could be something as simple as a few words, a song, the presence of another person, or something quick and dirty that triggers a memory. Sometimes, the recall sends you to a pleasant place. Other times, it sends you to a not so good place.   A few simple words spoken by my dad sent me descending into this 'underworld of chaos' I speak of. I would label it as a not so good place, at least at a surface level view. I talk about what I learned from my quick descent, how scary it can be to feel like you're set loose in this hellish space, and even though it can feel horrific, why it may be beneficial to nurture this chaotic space in your mind from time to time. It oddly made me feel alive, and the pain I felt seemed to boost my vitality. Intriguing...   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

When I mention my past obsession with working out, I'm shocked by how many people have experienced something similar. Many people seem to have a similar story: attempting to control themselves and their minds through manipulation of their physical body, whether it be through food, hydration, supplements, substances, working out, or lack thereof.   Back in 2012/2013, I spent nearly all day at the gym almost every day. I would rest only when my body and mind would force me to/shut down, usually in the form of sickness, extreme fatigue, or mental distress. During these 6-8 hour gym days, I would do 3-4 workouts. Many of them were high intensity/high weight/high rep where I pushed myself near max. Working out became THE core activity in my life that I used to measure my self worth and self identity. I was a 'CrossFitter' and slid right into what I thought was expected of a CrossFitter.   Some days, my peers would joke that they were coming in to try and beat my time. I would laugh for social acceptance, but inside I was burning with fear and anxiety. I didn't know how to joke. I just wanted to win. I just wanted to beat everyone. Even my friends. The competitive drive in me closed me off from life around me. Everyone was a competitor. I didn't allow anyone to truly be a friend. Knowing that I may not get the best time or score for the day created a rush. The days I got the best or a high score/time, I experienced a comforting release. The days I didn't, I shamed myself...hard. I was on an adrenaline roller coaster. I started to become mentally and physically ill from the stress and torment I was exuding on myself. I was terrified of failure. I was terrified of seeing myself in the face of failure.   My stomach was constantly in knots and I had diarrhea multiple times per day. I couldn't sleep in anticipation of workout announcements. My heart would race so fast right before the '3, 2, 1, go' that I wanted to throw up. My mind was so consumed with winning that I had no space to care for my physical body properly. I didn't hydrate correctly or compensate for what I was depleting in my workouts. I felt close to fainting during a good amount of workouts, but I kept going. I didn't know what it meant to listen to my body. A neurotic part of my mind was driving these efforts.   Like many CrossFitters, I identified my diet as 'Paleo', but what my peers didn't know was that on the weekends I would participate in crazy food binges where I would scarf down pints of ice cream and fast food until I would get sick. In the gym, I did what I could to maintain the narrative/outward appearance that I was healthy and vibrant. Inside I was screaming, hiding from the truth, and running from myself.   In this episode, I talk about my experience with this obsession, what it showed me, and how it opened my eyes. I realize that I have been blinded from considering new opportunity because of this past negative experience. Sometimes one negative experience can spoil a world of opportunity if we decide to keep our eyes shut. Crazy how life works. Even crazier how we may not see it until many moons later...   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

"I don't know."   I'll leave you with that as a hint for what this episode is about.   Part of me thinks this is creative messaging/marketing for the episode. A bigger part of me is too mentally exhausted to come up with anything else.   So, here we are....   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

This one is for you people who love fixing others and vomiting out unsolicited advice.   In case you were wondering, I am a fellow people-fixer and unsolicited advice vomiter-outer.   I wish I could come up with something better than 'vomiter-outer' because it doesn't make much sense, but I couldn't. So that will have to do. I'm sure you get the idea. This is what happens when an over-thinker attempts to be funny or witty.   Changing gears...does the following scenario sound familiar?...   You find yourself giving the same nagging advice to your partner (or maybe a friend, family member, or colleague) repeatedly. You see what they could be doing better. If only they would just listen to you, they could fix their problem. It would be as easy as that.   You keep giving this advice because you know it would work. You're surprised that it's not as clear to them as it is to you. You find yourself volunteering this advice constantly, maybe with an occasional preach or rant telling this person what they should do. Many iterations of these outward attempts to help or fix this person builds up what feels like heat in the gut. You judge. You're frustrated. You're angry. Why don't they just listen to you?   Time goes by. You go through something in your own life. You're hit by some sort of unpredictability or vulnerability. And BAM. You realize you haven't been following that same advice you've been giving this person...at all. You're a phony. You're a fraud. You're exposed. But you had no clue! You really thought you could see what was best for this other person. You were trying to help. You became angry that they couldn't/wouldn't just listen to you, apply what you were saying, and fix it.   Hint: the problem was probably never the other person. So what was it? What are you angry at?   When you preach or give unsolicited advice to others, especially if it's volunteered, constant, and generates judgment and anger, this action can be used as an amazing queue to listen to the advice you're giving out...and take it/apply it in your own life.   Because that's what you really want to happen. That's why you're frustrated. It's not the other person. You can't figure out how to take your own advice. You simply see the same thing manifesting in front of you in the other person (they don't know how to apply the advice you're giving), so you resist it because you don't know how to apply it either, and that hurts to face.   This lesson comes up for me often, and it slapped me in the face again recently. I talk about it through a story in this quick episode.   When you preach or volunteer 'fix-it' advice (as I call it), you are the one that usually need to hear it most. Us humans tend to project our own messes out onto others. This can be tricky or easily missed if you're not paying close attention. If you find yourself preaching or trying to fix another person, use that as a queue to check-in with yourself instead. See what happens.   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

Last week, the episode on grief was oddly perfectly timed with Thanksgiving. Ironically, the new one I just posted is also perfectly timed. It's an episode on binge eating....the day after Thanksgiving weekend. I swear I didn't plan it. I love serendipitous things like this. Makes me feel a certain way. It feels good. Like things are rolling as they should.   The new episode is a follow-up to Episode #018: Binge eating - the cycle of restricting, binging & shame. After the realization I came to in that episode, I practiced mindfulness around eating and paid attention to my other behaviors and habits (that I could notice) around food.   If you listen to the end of the new episode, I discuss the possibility of completing a radical sacrifice when it comes to food. I envision this sacrifice as a step that may propel me toward who I envision myself to be. What would life look like without constantly living for/chasing the cravings? What would my experiences look like? How much space would I clear up in my mind for other things? Who would I be? What would I do? What would I create?   Real-time update: I'm partaking in the above-mentioned sacrifice as I type this out (4 days in). I will probably follow up with another episode debriefing how I feel in about 4-5 weeks (or later, depending on how many episodes I record before then). Stay tuned!   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

I didn't plan for this episode to be released right before Thanksgiving. It just happened. Based on the order of episodes I recorded and how the days fell, today was the day it ended up being released. This is interesting, because it feels like the perfect episode to post right before Thanksgiving. I never strive to play God, and I don't know what you need. But this is a message that I think many people would find useful, especially as we gear up to see our families for the holidays. So...cool timing. A few months back, I was doing yoga. A song I had never heard before began to play. It struck me deep. I'm not sure if it was the melody, the lyrics, both, or something else, but it hit a part of me that obviously needed to be released. In what felt like an instant, I began to mourn the loss of my mom. The mourning felt like a tidal wave and grew intense. I cried, I felt, and it seemed was like I was being split open fast. Here's the interesting thing....my mom is still alive. Through the experience, I learned that this 'simulated grief' (as I call it), an unpleasant emotion, can turn into pleasant emotions such as gratitude, love, and presence...if simply felt. Through feeling the grief, I saw how not present I was in my relationships. I couldn't imagine losing my mom. Visualizing it and feeling it (to the extent that I could) made me desire just one more moment with her, to which that moment I would give my everything, my full love, my full presence. The realization that she was still alive felt like a 'rebirth' or second chance, which created this intense gratitude for life and for her. It also created the desire to to be present in the future moments I have with her. Not distracted, not on my phone, not shut off, not thinking about other things, but there with her...in mind, body and spirit. That felt like such a rich gift. Through this experience, I learned that I need to feel the bad in order to gain access to the good. If I don't have the courage to feel the bad to get to the good, I remain stuck in a state where I do not feeling anything. This is where I have been for most of my life. Numb is not ideal. Numbness hurts.   The unproductive defense mechanism I have been conditioned to use to deal with the hard parts of life is to shut off. Now, I use this 'simulated grief' practice when I feel like I need to be 'cracked open.' Sometimes, the practice still finds me unexpectedly like it did the first time. Tune in to hear the full story and learn about it. Oh, and a Happy (early) Thanksgiving to you and yours! If you listen in, I hope the episode inspires you to create a moment of presence with someone you love. Life is short, and it never seems like we get enough of those.   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

I get warm and fuzzy feelings in my tummy when I think about flow states. When I say 'flow state,' you are probably envisioning the same feeling that I am. How you and I each achieve our individual flow states is probably not the same. Maybe you get into yours via rock climbing, playing an instrument, speaking on stage, doing comedy, reading, painting, drawing, or another activity. I get into mine via dancing and yoga. But once you've touched your individual flow state, you know what it feels like. And it's a feeling we can both probably agree upon. Divine, effortless, amazing, blissful, right...a space with zero resistance that you never want to leave.   Because this space can feel so perfect, it's reasonable to desire it often. Sometimes that desire can turn into greed. It can for me, and it does. When I get greedy with my flow state, I start pushing, striving, and forcing it to come about. My efforts become half-ass and inorganic, and the results are often sub par. I usually feel 'off' with the entire experience. Like something isn't right, but I can't put my finger on what isn't right. There is a block of some sort. Like I am trying to make something happen that doesn't want to happen.   It sometimes takes multiple iterations of me attempting to forcefully bring on my flow state to even notice I'm doing it, and then the lesson reveals itself: stop forcing. Easy enough, right? It sounds easy, but it's not so easy sometimes.   It happened for me recently, and I talk about it in a new podcast episode. It's a quickie, but if you don't have the 13 minutes to listen, here are the cliff notes. Pay attention when you feel yourself getting greedy with your flow state and remember this: All you can do is create the conditions for your flow state to arrive, but one thing you can never do is make it arrive. It just doesn't work. So simple in theory, yet so easy to forget in practice. If any of this resonates, what is it that you need to do to get to a place that doesn't feel forced? That's a great question to ponder. Maybe you need to change things up. Maybe you need a break. Maybe you're looking in the wrong place. Maybe you need to try something new. It doesn't feel good when you're forcing things. It brings about resistance. And I see resistance as a sign that it's probably time to shake things up.   I have a tendency to try to force/control everything around me, but I'm continually reminded that it feels infinitely better when I just allow whatever is going to happen, to happen - even if that means allowing a period without the flow, or if I'm in a slump, trying something new to find the flow. That's life. We're not always granted our flow. And we're certainly not entitled to it. The closer we get to fully accepting that, ironically, the closer we get to it. Life is tricky, eh? Sure keeps us on our toes...   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

Raise your hand if you've ever been in that "I have a million things to do and there is not enough time to finish them but I must get them done so I must rush but rushing won't get me anywhere because it only brings me stress so I should probably slow down and take a break but I can't because I have a million things to do that must get done" trance. And then you keep going until your body or mind forces you to stop.    That was a mouthful. Or a 'keyboard full' rather, since I typed it and didn't actually say it. I can't see who is raising their hand, or if anyone actually raised their hand while reading that. But I would place a bet that most people have probably been in the above trance. I've been there many times. It doesn't feel good. Your body and mind are moving a million times faster than you can process. Maybe it's because you've filled your plate with too much and set a time period for completion that is unrealistic. Maybe it's because you're running from trauma, emotions, or unpleasant/foreign feelings. When you're feeling like this, you know you've been here before. You know it probably won't lead anywhere good. But you continue on because you know no other way. Breaks? Rest? Stopping? Feeling? What the hell are those foreign things?   Like I said, I've been in that warp speed busy get-everything-done-while-running-from-everything-toward-nothing zone enough to realize that it doesn't lead anywhere good for me. I would always find myself deep in the zone because I didn't know how to interject in the cycle and stop it. Instead, I was usually alerted when it was too late - a physical crash from exhaustion, or a mental crash in the form of a panic attack. With the help of a new friend on a work trip up in the mountains of Colorado, I think I may have developed another way. The few times I put it into practice, it worked. It's not easy, but it seems to work...at least for me. I tell the story of it's development in this episode, along and a recent story where I applied it with success.   Connect with me: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com www.ashleyrothstein.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein   I love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch.

I did something I was really scared of at work. By pushing past a powerful manifestation of fear, I was rewarded with growth and insight. Listen in for the full story. Maybe you will feel encouraged to push past your fear barriers. It's hard to do something that you resist. It feels unnatural, horrible and it really, really sucks. But maybe that 'something,' while not comfortable or pleasant, is what the highest and best part of you is calling you to do. And you just have to get past the 'suck' to see it. Connect with me: Email: ashrothpodcast@gmail.com IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com love hearing from you people! Send me an email with your thoughts, personal experiences, insights, or hell…what you had for lunch. Who’s going to be the one that actually does the latter? And I wait…

Binge eating is my vice, and has been for quite some time. I've been through countless iterations of trial and error with diet, feeling great with some ways of eating, and not so great with others. I eat good, wholesome food, but my psychology around food needs some serious work. With all of the years of flip flopping with different diets and integrating the rapidly changing/new information about diet/health that I've learned over the years, I've conditioned myself deep into the 'dieting mindset.' In this episode, I talk about a recent bout of experimentation with a new 'reset diet' that uncovered a large piece of the puzzle I had been missing for many years: the cycle of restricting-binging-shame, and the realization that binge eating and emotional eating are two different things. These realizations help shed light on this vicious cycle I've been in. Now I feel a little less unstuck and have something new to work on. Hopefully if you're dealing with similar things (even if it's not food-related), this episode will help 'unstick' you a bit too. Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Or send me an email with anything..your thoughts, your experiences, what you had for lunch. I love hearing from you people!

Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Or send me an email with anything..your thoughts, your experiences, what you had for lunch. I love hearing from you people!

World-renowned hypnotherapist Danna Pycher is trailblazing a new form of healing that bridges science and spirituality. Her goal is to bring hypnosis mainstream as a way for everyone to have the ability to access it because we all seem to be in overload lately. We touched upon some fascinating concepts: "show" hypnotists (are they real?), how hypnotism works on a neurological and practical level, chronic disease and if it's really just a disease of the mind, resisting spirituality even though it keeps coming to find you, how we can be more childlike/playful/creative despite the overarching expectations and demands of the workforce, shifting from a state of empty self talk to self talk we believe, repressed memories, regression therapy, not taking "no" for an answer, and so much more. This is a deep dive into the mind. I don't know about you, but I can't get enough. Enjoy. Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with Danna: IG: @mindcoaching Learn about her services, workshops, recorded hypnosis sessions, and more: www.dannapycher.com  

In this episode, I talk about an amazing personal experience: completely lifting my own brain fog (that would typically spiral out of control and have me out of commission for the entire day, if not longer) in a matter of minutes. Listen to episode #014 first to gain some context around the brain retraining steps I reference. Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, I talk about the profound developments I've been experiencing in my own life with brain retraining and rewiring my limbic system, and how I'm restructuring old brain patterns away from anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, and more, while creating new ones to support gratitude and mindfulness. Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com

Roxan McDonald is a writer, teacher, workshop facilitator, coach, public speaker, and creator of @spiritual_af. She currently leads writing and personal development retreats and co-teaches with poet Ellen Bass, author of The Courage to Heal, at 1440 Multiversity and Esalen Institute.   Roxan is the author of the inspirational decks Spiritual AF and Grateful AF published by Knock Knock Inc, where she brings her own wit and unique style to gratitude and self-help. Her short stories, memoir excerpts, and poetry have been published in The Porter Gulch Review.   Roxan got sober when she was fifteen years old and currently has 28 years of recovery. She was in the inaugural class of the world’s first and longest running clean and sober high school (this was fascinating to hear about!), and after graduating, Roxan went on to become the director of the school. She spent fourteen years working on the front lines of addiction and trauma recovery. If you deal with addiction, vices, or unproductive obsessive behavior, there are serious gems for you in this episode.   I was humbled and floored hearing her talk about her own addiction and recovery – the gratitude she has for her vices was amazing and birthed an entirely new perspective (for me) around relapses and the psychology of addiction.   She shares an incredibly touching story about her near-death experience on a river – there’s way more to it, but I’ll just leave it at that for now. It had me nearly speechless so I don’t want to ruin it or do it an injustice by spoiling any part of it.   Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with Roxan: IG: @spiritual_af Facebook: Spiritual AF Upcoming speaking event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-space-4-grace-womens-storytelling-event-tickets-60088417073 Upcoming retreat: https://mexchicretreats.regfox.com/spirtual-af Her decks: https://knockknockstuff.com/pages/search-results-page?q=af+decks

Travis Warner has a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic and Investigative Science (emphasis in Crime Scene Investigation) and a Master’s Degree in Geology (emphasis in petroleum Geology), both from West Virginia University. He was a research/development reservoir geologist for an oil and gas company for 7 years (microscopy, organic geochemistry, spectroscopy), was laid off after a corporate acquisition, climbed cell phone towers for 7 months while he job-hunted, and as of mid-March 2019, he is now an energy analyst and contractor for the US Dept. of Energy. He co-founded Steel City Slackers - a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that advocates slacklining in Pittsburgh. He has an insane passion for slacklining, unicycling, walking on stilts, and pretty much balancing on anything an everything he can find…which brings me to why I had him on the podcast.   When I think about who I want to bring on the podcast as a guest, I’ve been noticing a common theme – I love talking to people who don’t live a life the average person does. This signifies a person who is following their own inner voice instead of the herd. And I think so many of us are trying to find this space within ourselves (I know I am). To touch that space in another person, ask questions, and figure out how others reach it, will hopefully bring us closer to finding that space within ourselves. Travis radiates this. He is a passionate geologist by day, and climbs and balances on tall shit whenever he can. We opened with talking about geology (if you’re sitting there wondering what the hell a geologist even does, you are not alone; that was 100% me before this episode). It was cool to hear about rocks. I was actually more interested in the industry than I thought I would be. When we got into his experience with tower climbing, he talked about hives up on the towers and how the bees are literally high – you can poke them, they don’t sting you, and birds gobble them up without a fight. Quite bizarre and sad. He spoke on the perspective of being hundreds of feet up in the air – what a rainbow looks like, how a 4 ft. tall buzzard can just fly up to you, how the rain sounds, and what it’s like to see a co-worker pee on your boss. Yup, you read that right. The stuff about high-lining was thrilling. For you visual folks, it’s venturing up to an opening in nature at height (picture a canyon), securing a line from one side to the other, and crossing it by balancing and walking across the line. Holy f. I asked him a question about the “goal” of high lining. He embraces the entire process – from scouting out the space, to securing the line, to gearing up, to getting into the right mental space to cross. It was refreshing to hear from a person who enjoys the process of something as opposed to just rushing through the process to accomplish an end goal. Applicable meditation skills. I hope you enjoy listening to Travis just as much as I enjoyed talking to him.   Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/OABB-Akd9sM   Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with Travis: IG: @30microns, @steelcityslackers Steel City Slackers: www.steelcityslackers.com

Death is one of these taboo things – we don’t really want to think about it or hear about it, but then we’re like wait…I want to hear, or I want to see. We pull away from it and are drawn to it simultaneously. Death and curiosity go together, at least for me. I find myself existential often, thinking about how life is finite and how it will end for all of us. Death is the great equalizer, as I always say. Not one of us gets out of this life alive. So, who better than a mortician, a person around dead bodies 24/7, to speak to about death? So many things from this conversation blew my mind - from water cremation vs. fire cremation and how water cremation is 90% better in regards to energy efficiency compared to fire cremation (fascinating), how you can be turned into soil after you die (so interesting), how getting turned into a tree may not be the best option, and how donating your body to science is not all it’s cracked up to be if you don’t do proper research. Melissa told a story about her picking up the body of a woman who was her age (who had died suddenly of a stroke) and how that sent her into the most vicious panic attack she has ever had. I learned, through chatting with her this entire episode, how important it is to talk about our plan for our bodies after death BEFORE we actually die, or are even near death. We have to talk about this stuff. It makes so many things easier for so many people in the process, especially for our loved ones. And kids. Melissa does a lot of talks at schools and said that kids are surprisingly very open to talk about this stuff because they haven’t been indoctrinated or conditioned (depends on kid, sure) yet. They’re quite curious and open-minded, so it’s so crucial that we feed them good, useful information about death and not fearful information. Kids usually just pick up their parents thoughts or fears around death if it’s never talked about. This woman has an insane amount of passion around death education and she has an impressive laundry list of accomplishments – appearing on other podcasts, in the newspaper, other articles, working on a few documentaries, and as of late, she has been writing her first book that should be published soon. She has a huge following on social media, where she frequently posts real-life photos of the process (with family permission of course) on her Instagram stories. You can tell she really loves what she does and it just radiates from her. I had a lot of fun talking to her. So, tap into that morbid curiosity (we all have it!), buckle up, and tune in. Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/8a3s5SYrbqA Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Melissa: IG: @mod_mortician Facebook: The Modern Mortician Melissa's website: www.themodernmortician.com (where you can find resources to learn more about your options and other ways to connect with Melissa) Melissa's Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheModernMortician Melissa's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheModernMortician

This episode took me for a spin and was a good challenge. We took an unexpected sharp left turn into talking about politics and some controversial stuff for a good part of the episode - racism, white privilege, masculinity, and other things. My first time live on air talking about heavy topics without preparation. Something new. I brought Alex on the podcast to talk about her path with veganism. She is the co-creator and co-star of the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me, and while doing the documentary, she was leading a vegan community. After being vegan for 10 years, she started to become very sick, tried to reverse her deficiencies with sea vegetables and every other thing she could possibly think of, and it didn't work. She just became more and more sick. When she announced to her community that she could no longer sustain being vegan for health reasons, all hell broke loose in the form of hate mail and intense shame toward her. She lost about half of her community. She used the experience as a rebirth, and she speaks on the judgment she received and how she used it to transform her life - something many of us can relate to as we try to put ourselves out there and find our authenticity in this age of vicious keyboard warriors. Alex's work has been praised by Oprah, The Today Show, Dr. Oz, Goop, Martha Stewart Living, the New York Times, CNN, Elle, Marie Claire, USA Today, People, and the American Heart Association amongst many others. She hosts her own podcast, Her Rules Radio, educating listeners on wellness, cravings, sexuality, and more. Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/LVzbZ7h2sDg Connect with me: IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Alex: IG: @deliciousalex Alex's website: www.alexandrajamieson.com (where you can find "How To Write Your F It List") Alex's podcast: Her Rules Radio  

I jumped on the podcast today, somewhat spontaneously, to share some version of ignorance I've been uncovering in my own life around an unpleasant event that surfaces from time to time: panic attacks. I've been asking a lot of questions that seem to be leading closer to answers, which is good. Even if you don't have panic attacks, you could use this thought process to uncover ignorance around your own patterns that aren't productive. Keep asking questions. Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com

Tom used his diagnosis of testicular cancer as a catalyst to change his entire life and heal his mind, body, and spirit. He chose to forego chemo and radiation and heal 100% naturally. And…it worked. For those that know me or follow me, you know I am a HUGE natural health advocate, and frankly, I am shocked every single morning that I wake up to the fact that this stuff is still not plastered on billboards everywhere. Tom is also a natural health advocate, blogger, podcaster, and calls himself a “holistic entrepreneur.” Tom reached a global audience after his story spread virally across several social media outlets. He co-hosts the popular podcast "Talking Shift with Tom & Marianlea" with TV personality, Marianela Pereyra, and contributes to several well known blogs. He has also been a featured guest on several prominent podcasts, has been a featured speaker at several events, and owns Texas' first "Green", garden-themed preschool, The Lilypad Garden School. Tom is currently writing his first book: “Awaken To Wellness," as well as launching his own brand of hemp-infused products, "TAO Plant Wellness."  In this episode, Tom walked me through his entire story from his lifestyle pre-cancer, to diagnosis, to surgery, to literally being harassed to get chemotherapy, to then choosing to forego it and treat cancer the natural way, everything he did for that, and what his life looked like through healing, after, until now. He explained his entire protocol, focused largely on green juice, cannabis oil, meditation, and changing his perspective on life. He walked me through his "kitchen sink" approach to cancer, and how he believes that seriousness is the disease that no one is talking about. He was a really interesting guy to listen to, and if you love natural health, you will certainly love this podcast. My damn microphone was having issues again, and at the beginning of the episode, I panicked and tried to fix it, but realized I ended up sounding like a munchkin, so I said "screw it" and went microphone-less, so you will hear an echo when I speak, but Tom sounds great as he’s using a mic. Tune into hear Tom’s story! Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/3x_q6gCzwIg Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Tom: IG: @thegreenhealthproject Tom's website: www.tomarguello.com  Tom's podcast: Talking Shift

If you’re like me – a thinker with a brain rooted in science, logic, math, and reason, but open-minded in the sense of understanding that science doesn’t necessarily give us all of the answers for the bigger picture – at some point in your life, you probably may have wondered what the hell astrology is. Is it factual? Is any of it scientific? Who the hell writes those horoscopes for your zodiac? Are they full of sh!t? Are there any valid astrological sources out there? What research backs astrology? Where did astrology even come from? Is there more to it than mainstream media portrays?   These are all questions I had, which is why I brought Matt back on the podcast. Matt is not an astrology expert or professional astrologer, but he’s been studying astrology on his own over a decade, simply because it’s a huge passion of his. It was quite interesting to talk to him about it because he is an engineer and like me, has a very scientific and mathematical mind…he was even pretty skeptical about astrology when he first began diving into research.   Matt and I had a very fun, open, and interactive discussion about astrology. He talked about what exactly it is, it’s origins, how it differs from astronomy, and who is believed to have invented it. We talked about the constellations and their names and how they’re relevant. He also brought up the fact that we actually have three main astrological signs – your sun sign (commonly known in mainstream as your zodiac sign, for me it’s Scorpio), your moon sign, and your rising sign, and why understanding all three are important to the entire picture of your life. We talked about the elements, phases of the moon, the north node, what the hell a mercury retrograde is (since people seem to always freak out about that – I was very curious), how the days of the week reflect the planets, and why many zodiac sources are full of sh!t, and how what you see in mainstream media differs from a legit natal chart reading. We also go over a widely known scientific debate around precession, eastern vs. western astrology, some studies from famous psychologists and statisticians, and we close with Matt’s opinion of how you can use astrology can benefit you, your individual productivity, and your relationships. Open your mind and tune in! Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/S5io5xq9FRw Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Matt: IG: @mattmaximum YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgYFlPkj1EV8RftoRJ66Omg Email: mattmaximum17@gmail.com Links recommended from Matt: Birth/Natal Chart (simpler) - https://alabe.com/freechart/ Birth/Natal Chart (more detailed) - http://www.astrologycafe.com/free-natal-chart-report/ *** Need to know exact time of birth and location ***   App Matt recommends for use on Android to see what sign the moon is in: Daff Moon (Android).  

Want to hear a vegan and non-vegan have a civil/productive/educational conversation about food? All jokes aside… Full transparency, I was a bit apprehensive going into this episode, mainly because of the personal stance we each hold on food (from a “label” perspective). Julia is vegan, and I’m not vegan. And for some reason in this current climate, it seems to be really challenging for vegans and non-vegans to have productive, educational, open, civil conversations about food (actually, it’s more like a f#cking unicorn)…but having a productive and open conversation about food is exactly what we did in this episode. It was SO refreshing! Julia holds a degree in biology from Hamline University and a plant-based nutrition certification from Cornell University. She’s also a certified yoga teacher and currently works as a content developer for a plant-based protein company. She is in the works of applying for a masters program in health & wellness coaching from the University of Minnesota, and is the creator of the page @v.ganofficial. Julia recently just found out she was selected for a TED talk (huge kudos to her!) and she walked me through the concept she will be speaking about, which is focused on peas and their sustainability for farming practices in both a regenerative/restorative sense as well as how they contribute to sustainability of the environment. Very interesting. We honed in on the importance of the individual awareness surrounding food choices…this goes for whether you are vegan, paleo, keto, or whatever. LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE EATING. I can’t stress this enough. We take a deep dive into this concept in this episode. She also shared a lot of food awareness tips like the benefits of frozen fruits and veggies and the importance of sourcing locally. We briefly touched upon ethical hunting for food and population control purposes. This was more me than her because that’s something I’m personally into. We also touched upon fasting, her personal process with eating (unique and definitely worth a listen!), a discussion on what “truth” is, a profound mushroom experience that showed her the importance of listening to her body, and at the end we touched upon some personal experiences we both had working as hospital and hospice CNAs, and how seeing people near-death really deeply affected us, but in different ways.   Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/pdGuOgY5AQ8   Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with Julia: IG: @jalbrecht32 / @v.ganofficial

When we were deciding on a central theme/topic for the episode, David approached me with a passion of talking about how addiction, in his words, is “a$$ backwards” in this country. We talked about things like the Rat Park Experiment, which is super interesting and will probably blow your mind (it certainly did when I learned about it), the misinformation around addiction being deemed merely a chemical dependency instead of focusing on the true deep-rooted issue a lot of addicts face which is the inability to bond or connect with others, decriminalization vs. legalization and what other countries are doing around addiction, propaganda that is initiated by addiction centers and spread for profit (trippppy!), and we also talked about David’s personal experience with overcoming his addiction to binge drinking by taking the knowledge and awareness he gained from some experimentation with psychedelics, along with a concept that I LOVED…something he calls “radical self responsibility.”   David walked me through his experience when he checked himself into an outpatient rehab facility. They told him things like “you need to drop all of your friendships,” “you can never be around alcohol again,” and all of these things that he just never felt were designed to TRULY solve the puzzle of addiction or get down to the root cause of WHY people become addicted to substance. Now, fast forward a few years later and after a huge period of self discovery and acceptance, he no longer craves alcohol and is around it often socially…impulse-free. In fact, he embraces his addictive tendencies and obsessive personality and has figured out a way to channel it into something powerful.   David is also a partner of Horizon Growth Partners which is a strategy consulting and investment firm, and is the President of Defend Your Home, which he uses as a platform to teach mindful sales skills and empower people from a vast array of socioeconomic backgrounds. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute with a degree in both psychology and philosophy. In the first half of the episode, we talk a lot about how important it is to hone in on your subconscious mind, the importance of a morning routine, how to get yourself out of a rut if you feel stuck, and the importance behind reprogramming and simply just allowing your thoughts. This episode is packed with lots of good stuff, but if you want to fast forward to the addiction stuff, I think we start talking about it around 50 min or so.   Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/SAV6p3r5hM0   Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with David: IG: @dstaab2

Dan Vadnais holds a degree in both psychology and philosophy and is the co-founder of a rapidly growing spiritual health company called AscZend. Dan worked directly with Wim Hof on proper breathing techniques. He holds a certification in personal training and calls himself a “personal trainer turned spiritual leader.” Dan was breaking records in eating competitions...to now living a life where he basically adheres to OMAD (a variation of intermittent fasting that consists of eating One Meal A Day). From eating competitions to fasting...quite an intriguing switch. He attributes this "life 180" to his discovery of fasting and a mucus-less diet.   We bounced around a lot during this episode. We started off with his recent retreat in Peru where he compared his San Pedro ceremonies to previous Ayahuasca ceremonies with a captivating metaphor: “Mother Ayahuasca as being a link to the cosmos, and San Pedro being a link to mother earth and nature.” We also talked about fasting, autophagy and how it heals the body, the importance of blood sugar regulation (probably my favorite part of the podcast), juicing, mucus in the body and how it's linked to the lymph system, and we touched a bit on cannabis, food shaming, sungazing, moongazing, and breathing techniques. Dan actually led me through a live Wim Hof breathing exercise which was pretty unexpected. Full transparency…it was pretty damn intense…I feel like I fell into my heartbeat. And I’ll just leave it at that. Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/ciDKXjJaT6Y Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Dan: IG: @zenlifedan YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCubaGeoj2O8KrcmgeJxtqtQ

As an Emmy-nominated entertainment personality, Nicki has always loved the entertainment industry, but she grew sick of ‘reporting’ on other people’s lives instead of living her own. Working for E! was the industry dream, but she had even bigger dreams herself. In a world that is so damn serious, I think a lot of people are on a path of reverse engineering and figuring out how to be playful again, so I brought Nicki on the podcast to share her love for comedy and talk about how she does her best to overcome judgment when she puts out controversial parodies and spoof videos (which are awesome by the way – check them out!). 2018 was a transformational year for her - tackling her fears and “grabbing life by the balls and giving less f#cks.” She did her first stand up comedy gig and actually up and left her job as a bartender simply because she believes in positive affirmations/self talk and “didn’t want to start out 2019 as a bartender.” Bada$$. So now, like many of us, she has a blank slate and is trying to figure it all out. Nicki lives with a thyroid condition that she was born with, and we naturally fell into some good dialogue about western medicine. We exchanged personal stories about how doctors have failed us in the past, and how we took charge of our own health. High level cues if you want to jump into certain moments that grab you: 3:30 Social media and human interaction   6:00 Nicki's story with the entertainment industry and red carpet interviews   11:45 Dealing with judgment   15:00 Dealing with criticism from family and social media   19:30 Nicki's first parody in high school/peer acceptance   26:00 Sexual humor and people getting offended   30:00 Not identifying with 'likes', and using your online platform for a purpose   41:30 Tackling fear and 'taking life by the balls'   59:00 Nicki's thyroid condition and personal stories with western medicine   Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/XYhKg8Nyklc    Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com   Connect with Nicki: IG: @nickidtv Website: www.nickidtv.com

Based on a structural defect with the way that Anthony Hernandez’s vagus nerve connects to his heart, he lives with the fact that his heart can stop at any moment of any day…take a second to sit in that. As a model/actor for 15+ years, he thought he “had it all” – until an unforeseen event struck him out of the blue. A transformative period (consisting of put his life on pause, heading out to the mountains to meditate like a monk, and diving within himself to find answers) coupled with a 4g psilocybin mushroom experience provided for an amazing story that frankly, I’m still processing myself. If you’re someone like me who has any weird phobias around loss of control or fears of death, this is a good one for you. Anthony walks us through his story and the psychedelic experience that changed his life. Listen to this Harley-riding, longboarding surfer/boxer/painter (aka, artist at heart) that despite an insane amount of hardship and a life-changing medical condition that he lives alongside daily, finds a way to keep his chin up, shoulders back, and a smile on his face. This was a long episode, so here are some high level cues if you want to jump into certain moments that grab you. 2:30 d*ck pics on Instagram…yes, you read that right 14:00 underestimating the awareness of children 22:30 acting and comedy, getting into a character, speaking your truth 30:30 letting go 35:00 depression, diet, and instant gratification 37:00 comparison, social media, and information overload 40:30 why some people 'awaken' and others don't 43:00 Anthony’s story (introduction) 1:14:30 Anthony's heart issue 2:10:30 Anthony's psychedelic experience Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/wd6HDXbE-wM  Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Anthony: IG: @outlawawakend

Matt Maximum has a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering, and holds extensive experience and knowledge around intermittent and prolonged fasting. Matt coached me through my first 72-hour fast and provided some extremely useful information that changed my life when it comes my relationship/awareness around my addiction to food. Not only is he a seasoned faster, he also calls himself a jack of all trades in metaphysics – from manifestation and astrology to becoming the best version of yourself. While this episode is focused on fasting, we get into a lot of other cool stuff, and I personally enjoyed the segment on the interconnectedness between fasting and spirituality. Hearing Matt explain how you can be both grounded and elevated at the same time is a concept I hadn’t grasped before, but intrigued me! Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/-Syh9mKXs7Y P.S. I had some issues with my audio interface, so my voice sounds a bit robotic. Still working out the kinks. Connect with me: IG: @ashrothstein www.ashleyrothstein.com Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story. ashrothpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Matt: IG: @mattmaximum YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgYFlPkj1EV8RftoRJ66Omg

Impromptu 'solocast'...full podcast coming January 2019!