B is for Being

Jeremy is the author of The Pursuit of Clarity - a book which documents his journey through different levels of awareness as he gave up the distractions and numbing habits of the Western World, and entered deep states of meditation. Jeremy is also a gardener, musician, poet, and artist. I first met Jeremy in 2018 while attending the New Warrior Training Adventure run by the ManKind Project in Western Australia. Jeremy was a facilitator and guided me through a particularly challenging experience at the workshop. I was intrigued by Jeremy's compassionate and grounded nature as he interacted with me and others even in demanding situations. In this episode, Jeremy and I talk about the practicalities and obstacles to experiencing states of oneness, how to tune into different frequencies of consciousness, the process of letting go of an undesired habit, and much more. Please enjoy this insightful and heartfelt talk with Jeremy Albertsen.

Kemane Bâ (@kemaneba) is an artist, musician, and multi-talented being who is deep on the journey of self-discovery. Kemane has a passion for teaching art and removing the internal obstacles to allow creativity to flow. He lives off-grid in his self-built garden hut in Frankfurt, Germany and is the founder of the Konduktum – an online learning 'playground' for artists to learn and share from each other's artistic experiences while developing their technical skills. I first learned about Kemane through the marvellous Simon Höfer while I was living in Berlin. Simon told me of Kemane's various explorations into consciousness during dreams states and meditation, and also introduced me to his creative work. In each animation, painting, and song, I sensed Kemane's deep appreciation and curiosity for life. Kemane's art has frequently brought me to states of wondrous calm and has been a reminder for me to walk gently on my journey. It's now been four years that I've followed Kemane's work online and I've finally invited him to the podcast - and I'm very glad I did! In this long-form discussion, we dive deep into the origins of Kemane's journey, different approaches to self-growth, daytime lucidity, social media fasting, and much more. Please enjoy this nutritious discussion with the delightful Kemane Bâ.

Take a tour of the new home of B is for Being. We start this episode with a realisation which has brought more compassion to my creative process and removed the pressure from me to produce content on a hard deadline. Then, we take a tour of the new site of B is for Being. I guide you through each section of the site, including a brand new section dedicated to rest and reflection. If this is your first time on the site, this episode will provide a good overview of B is for Being. Hit play and let's dive in! The Realisation Which Brought Compassion to My Creative Process How I burned myself out and caused myself creative trauma. [01:22] The realisation which changed the way I look at creating. [02:53] Doubts! Others will lose interest if I don't release content on a regular schedule! [05:20] Trusting the people who are interested in what I'm saying, creating, making, will make the time to watch or listen. [06:20] Tour of B is for Being Version 2 Introduction to the new site. [07:30] Podcast - Conversations with friends, psychologists, and thought leaders on authentic expression and self-discovery. [08:07] Slow Video - Gentle videos for rest and reflection. (An essential part of my self-discovery process.) [08:50] Blog - An open journal of thoughts and observations as I uncover my authenticity. Including how I'm navigating the obstacles which come up along the way. [12:11] Selected Links from this Episode Slow Videos on B is for Being Slow Videos on YouTube

I've been on an extended break from the podcast after burning myself out. I realised I was forcing myself to produce episode after episode from a place of fear instead of a genuine desire to create. I forced myself to keep producing episodes because I thought if I stopped, you might lose interest in what I’m doing and never come back. Sounds familiar, right? So in this episode, I explain what kept me in this fear as well as the new agreement I've made with myself to stop creating if I’m not having fun or being kind to myself. Also, did somebody say ‘new video series?’ Yes, yes they did! Tune-in to learn about the new series where I will be exploring the courage to express my creativity openly. (Note: Apologies for the clicking sound in this episode. I recorded this with my earbuds and the microphone was tapping against the zip of my jacket every time I moved :/)

I've struggled with anxiety for the greater part of my life.It wasn't until I went through a particularly anxious period that I went on a search to find an 'off' button for my incessant anxious thinking.I discovered that by bringing my attention to the present moment the intensity of my anxiety began to lessen. Over time, by continuing to practice present moment awareness, I’ve experienced such a significant reduction in my anxious thinking that I often forget how much I was suffering previously.In this episode, I share how we can use the present moment to diminish the power of our anxiety and begin experiencing effective relief from our worrisome thoughts.Disclaimer: The technique outlined in this episode assumes that a low, to moderate level of anxiety is present. Practicing this technique may become difficult when experiencing high levels of anxiety.

A short episode outlining the benefits of recording the compliments we receive.After realising how much negative self-talk I was doing, I went searching for some ways to bring more positivity back into the picture.I didn’t expect that writing down the compliments I received would have such a great effect on my self-worth and provide me with a source of support during times of intense self-doubt.In this episode, I let you know why I started keeping a compliments journal and how it’s allowed me to receive the nice things people say about me, while simultaneously reducing my bias towards self-negativity.

I had my first performance review at work this week.After receiving feedback that I needed to improve in certain areas, I felt my self-worth drop. However, my supervisors weren't unhappy with me nor had they delivered an ultimatum that I either improve or lose my job.I left work with a big question: Why does our competency in certain areas of life dictate our level of self-worth? In this episode, I take a walk through the city and break down what was behind my feelings of worthlessness. I also share my thoughts on how particular parenting styles serve to connect a child's actions with their sense of worth, and how this connection can be broken by practicing self-acceptance.

You might have realised by now, expressing myself authentically is pretty important.I’ve written about it many times on the site, yet I find myself drifting back into not speaking and writing from my current level of knowledge and understanding. I change how I write and speak to sound like I know more than you about the topics I share.In this episode, I explore the reasons why I stop sharing myself authentically with you, and how my inauthenticity always guides me back to being myself.

I went to a workshop about overcoming fear.While I was there, I became highly critical and judgemental of a particular person who was sitting calmly, meditating, and sharing helpful techniques on how to overcome fear.What?!Why was I being so critical of a person who wasn’t doing anything to annoy me or make me feel uncomfortable?This episode is a live exploration of the feelings which came up during the workshop, and an attempt to explore the deeper roots of my critical judgements.

I remember when I started to do friendly things for myself consciously it felt a bit awkward. But when I began experiencing some big positive changes I knew I was doing something very right.The most significant change (which I didn't see coming) was being able to express myself more freely around other people. Instead of overthinking how to say what I wanted to say, I would just say it.I realised later this was happening because I wasn't as concerned about other people’s thoughts and ideas because I was providing myself with the validation and support that I needed when I needed it.Over the years I've continued exploring the different ways of being a self-friend, and in this episode, I share some of the most effective ways I've discovered for developing this friendship and the situations in which they can be used.I’ve also included some of the small yet powerful internal actions which I often overlooked when I first started this self-friendly exploration.

I run a website about authenticity, so I should know what authenticity is, right?Well, I forgot.I had that feeling when you say a word out loud over and over again and you stop understanding the word’s meaning and begin to only hear the word's sounds.I used this episode to put everything out on the table and remind myself of what authenticity is (and also what authenticity is not.)In this episode, I answer three big questions:What defines authentic self-expression?How do we know when we're acting authentically?How do we uncover our own authenticity and bring more of it into our creativity and relationships?

I'm about to start a new job and have decided to take a month off podcasting.I’m doing this so I can adjust to the new time and energy requirements of the job without placing additional stress on myself to create a podcast every week.So, I’m preparing four podcasts in advance so I can ensure there is always a new episode for you on Sunday no matter how crazy life becomes.I thought this was a brilliant idea, but my old friend procrastination began to telling me otherwise. I was completely blocked from producing these episodes.In this episode, I explore the cause of my procrastination and share some relieving perspective shifts which have helped me work through it and free me to do what I need to do.

Marc Thomas King is a family friend and actor living in Los Angeles.Every time I visit my American family on the East Coast I stop over in L.A., and we’ve had some great chats over the years.During my latest visit, he played an audio recording for me on his phone. It was a spontaneous free flow session where he allowed himself to express whatever he felt like at that moment.We keep in touch via Whatsapp, and I receive regular ‘audio sketches’ from Marc every week. They become more elaborate and entertaining as he continues to allow himself to express freely without filtering his creative impulses.I was intrigued by the raw creativity that was running through every sketch and wanted to know how Marc creates a safe space for himself to just express himself without being shut down by self-censoring or criticism.This is an extensive talk about creativity, the things which make it flow and connecting authentically in our interactions with others.

I first heard about Joe from my housemate, Michael. He told me that Joe ran weekend workshops for healing trauma and helping people form a relationship with their emotions.I was curious and checked out Joe’s site. I went straight to the video section and began watching a video of Joe explaining the different types of anger. The content was fascinating, but the way he was speaking fascinated me even more.He was relaxed and spoke as if he were talking with a good friend. It didn’t feel like he was trying to sell me anything or talk me into his point of view. He was simply sharing what he knew about anger.I clicked on the ‘About’ section of his site and read, “[…] My approach is dedicated to equipping you with the awareness and the tools you need to remove the obstacles that are preventing you from being the person you wish to be.” After reading that, I knew I needed to have a talk with Joe.In this episode, we go to the heart of what’s stopping us from being us.A useful talk if you want to know what’s stopping you from being yourself, or you’re thinking about embarking on some of your own self-development work.Joe Douglas is a psychotherapist who helps people take responsibility for their lives and runs regular weekend workshops for people to understand and remove their emotional blocks so they can live a full and happy life as themselves.

Constant worry and fear about the possibility of something terrible happening make it really difficult to take action on the things which matter to us.I've suffered from anxiety and many of my friends and family have as well, but what actually is it? Where does it come from? How can we find effective relief from it?I needed some answers.It just so happens, Neil Hughes knows a lot about anxiety. He’s the author of Walking On Custard: A Guide for Anxious Humans and regularly shares his experiences of managing anxiety on his blog, and more recently, his entertaining TED Talk: A New Plan for Anxious Feelings: Escape the Custard!Neil used to think of himself as a worrier but it wasn’t until his late-twenties he realised he was dealing with anxiety.In this talk, Neil shares how anxiety is different from genuine fear, why self-awareness is key to relieving anxiety, and the importance of talking with others and asking for help.

I’m really proud of this interview.Yes, it’s packed with practical tools and inspiration for tackling deep self-doubt, but that’s not why I’m proud of it.After watching Caira’s TEDx talk on the power of self-love, I felt compelled to contact her and invite her for a talk.There was only one problem.I highly doubted that she'd want to talk with me.My podcast isn’t professional enough, I thought. It needs to be more exciting and better produced for her to be interested. With a TED talk like that, her life must be overflowing with interviews and speaking gigs. Why would she want to talk with me?But there was something in me, telling me to write to her anyway.So I began writing the email and felt really daring for doing so. It took me over 2 hours to write that thing; checking it and rewording it and checking it again.But then I asked myself, what’s the worst that could happen? What's the worst thing that will happen if I send this email to her?She probably won’t reply. Well, if that’s the worst that can happen I’m sending this email! Then, with a sense of brazenness, I hovered over the ’SEND’ button. I could still feel a lingering sense of doubt inside me but I just clicked the button. The email was sent and I gave myself a giant high-five.As it turned out, Caira replied the very next day and said she’d love to have a talk. I remember not being able to control the muscles in my face as they formed, what felt like, a permanent smile.Caira Lee is a national award winning performance poet and author, originally from Maryland, USA, now living in Ghana, Africa.She has worked her way through deep depression and anxiety and has a strong understanding of what it means to love yourself.You don't want to miss this episode.Join us as we share the strongest fears and doubts that have prevented us from taking compassionate action for ourselves, and the things we did to come through them.

Applying for jobs has never been an enjoyable task for me. I spent almost 20hrs on a job application this week with 4 hours spent on just the cover letter alone.I was overworking every aspect of the application because I knew that if it was rejected I would feel that I should have been better in some way, that the rejection was a reflection of me not trying hard enough and that I was inadequate.But me receiving a rejection is not connected to my feelings of worth at all... Unless I feel it is.I know I’m not alone on this.The good news is we don't have to feel inadequate at all.Rejection is not a sign of inadequacy but simply another person's interpretation of the small part of us we've presented to them.In this episode, I uncover the reason why we feel inadequate following a rejection and how we can change our default reaction of inadequacy into, I'm good enough no matter what happens.

There are moments in life which cause some pretty unpleasant emotions.You say hello to a friend on the street and they walk right by you without saying a thing. You get home from work and your partner gives you a funny look.Fear, doubt, jealousy, anger, confusion - no one wants to feel this way.Without understanding what exactly has triggered these emotions it's easy to blame the other person (directly or indirectly) for that we're experiencing.What we don't know is that it's not the entire person which has triggered these unpleasant feelings, it's a specific aspect of something they've said or done which has triggered this response within us.It's very difficult to understand this if you're already within a strong emotional reaction.What we need is a more neutral view of what has occurred so we can see things more objectively.Writing is an excellent tool for doing this and can be used to understand the roots of our strong emotional reactions enabling us to take positive action with people instead of blaming them for what we're feeling.In this episode, I take you through this technique and outline exactly what to write about and which questions to ask yourself.

If we're embarking on any sincere self-discovery work we have to know what the word Ego is actually referring to.'Ego' comes up so frequently in self-help material and everyday conversation that its definition has begun to get more than a little fuzzy.Without a clear understanding of what this word points to it can be difficult to understand our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors and why it is some of them keep returning.In this episode, I take a step back from assuming I know what the word Ego means and attempt to piece together a collective understanding of what we're actually talking about when use this tiny, but complex, three letter word.

I was in a conversation with my girlfriend, Júlia a couple of months ago and realised that she’s had a very different upbringing to me.Julia’s childhood wasn’t perfect (and no one’s is) but when I learned that her parents were guiding her to realise the natural consequences of her actions, and that they would explain to her why she wasn't the reason they got mad – I knew I wanted to know more about their approach to parenting.As we know, it’s the experiences we have as kids which often significantly shape the way we think about ourselves, and as a result, our experience of life.In this episode Júlia and myself share different childhood stories about our parents and the differing effects these experiences had on our self-esteem.

There are so many people talking about self-love, acceptance, meditation, connection, consciousness, ego... and it all just feels a little bit fake.It's like everyone only partially understands what they're talking about but shares it like they're an enlightened master. It just makes me cringe!What's the point of even sharing if we're all dismissed as 'just another self-proclaimed spiritual master who doesn't really know what they're talking about', resulting in no one taking anyone seriously!?These feelings became so strong that I had no motivation to produce this week's episode. So I decided to explore what was behind these feelings and share my findings with you.In this episode I uncover the core belief which was behind these highly critical feelings for others and myself, for sharing our journey.

What an amazing year 2016 has been. A year full of growth, learning and expansion for everyone. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned this year and lost track of the times I smashed through my comfort zones.This is the episode where I take a look back at the year that was 2016 and share my biggest learnings, my biggest fears and the most powerful episodes I produced this year.Grab your listening ears and hit play on the last episode of 2016.

When we are born we aren’t given a manual which tells us the person that we are. No one else can tell us the unique things we hold inside of ourselves or how we feel like expressing it. Knowing these things is part of the process of self-discovery. Today I’d like to share a tool with you that has made it much easier for me to dive into myself and discover my inherent ways of being and expression. The tool itself is just a simple list of the people you admire. However, instead of stopping there, by looking more closely at exactly which aspects of a person we admire we can learn which part of us is admiring those parts in them. In this episode I share with you the people I admire at the moment and go through the process of identifying exactly what it is I admire about each of them. Knowing what we admire in others puts us in a position to be able to make more energising and fulfilling decisions for ourselves more often. Join me as I go through my own discovery process using this tool.

Michael and I were housemates this year and would regularly find ourselves deep in conversation in the kitchen on topics of psychology, philosophy and the nature of the universe. The thought of recording these conversations often came up but never eventuated until now. This week's episode is a little different as I purposefully left the topic of our talk undecided. I let my questions come from a place of genuine curiousity instead of the expectation to make the best podcast episode in the world, and really, this is how all of our conversations have started in the past. We talk about the experience of performing on stage, why hip-hop is Mike's primary form of expression and Mike shares a heartfelt message to his 15 year old self when he was having a hard time in life. Michael has a degree in psychology and is an Australian hip-hop artist focused on spreading awareness and understanding through his music for us to re-connect with ourselves and each other.

This is Part 2 of my talk with Luna. Here's Part 1 of our talk if you missed it. The Artist’s Way, written by Julia Cameron, is a well known tool for understanding and clearing the blocks which hold us back from knowing and expressing our creativity. In this episode, we go deep into the tools which The Artist's Way provides and share our own experiences of going through the course and the continued use of the tools well after completing the 12-week course. I began my Artist’s Way Journey at the end of 2012. I had just finished my degree in Film and was at a dead end creatively. I had so many film ideas and wasn’t working on a single one of them. I would procrastinate big time and do anything not to work on them even though I wanted to! Sounds crazy right? I knew my creative expression was blocked and that I was afraid of making a film which no one liked or making a film in the wrong way, but I didn't know why I was feeling this way. My mum had a copy of The Artist's Way and I would often find it laying around the house and flip through and read the inspiring quotes. Overtime I began procrastinating in more and more elaborate ways and still wasn't feeling free to create. I wanted to understand why I was so scared of making a film. It was around this time that The Artist's Way came up in conversation with a friend and we decided to start the 12-week journey together. I completed the course in early 2013 and found it helped me uncover some answers to why I was experiencing such a degree of creative-blockedness. The tools it provided were invaluable and I highly recommend the Book to anyone seeking to understand and reconnect with their creative expression.

Luna is a poet and multidisciplinary artist who has worked across the fields of theater, puppetry, design, film and even circus. This little list only covers a portion of her creative experiences. From an early age she was expressing complex emotions, like the emotion of confusion, using water colour paints. She is no stranger to the creative journey and the different challenges and obstacles which can arise along the way. We sat down and talked about finding the balance between self-time and social-time, how to manage the expectations we we bring to our own creative process, and some of the ways we can make space for our unique creative voice to come through. This is Part 1 of my talk with Luna. Stay tuned for Part 2 which will be up next week.

I had a pretty good childhood but there was still a fair amount of anxiety, fear, blame, and impatience thrown around. There are small events and big events in life which leave us with psycho-emotional wounds to carry around. Often we have no idea these wounds are there because they only come to the surface when they're triggered. I feel these wounds are a guaranteed part of life, unfortunately understanding and healing them is a different story. As a kid I wasn't given the tools for healing and unless I went looking for them I wouldn't have any idea it was even possible to understand and heal my wounds. This is a passionate episode. I share my thoughts and detail why I've dedicated my life to the discovery of tools both known and unknown.

Usually we’re going to experience some fear when taking a big step into a new experience; moving out of home, travelling overseas, starting a relationship - these are things we may genuinely want for ourselves but find ourselves unable to take action because where afraid of what this new experience will bring.In this episode, I share five actionable reminders that have helped me become clearer on my next big step and allowed me to take progressive action towards achieving it.

Elliot is continually stepping out into the unknown and challenging his comfort zone. He does this seemingly unaffected by the judgements and beliefs of others. I asked about the earlier years of his life and he shared with me that things haven’t always been like this. As a kid he was cut down for asking too many questions and experienced rejection from others when sharing his early video projects. As a result he stopped sharing himself with others. But overtime he’s managed to step outside external judgements and beliefs and express himself with even more freedom and authenticity. We look at how we can give the gift of listening to each other; how Elliot steps outside his comfort zone, and his latest project - 30 Days of Dance - which involves him dancing in public everyday for a month, making himself vulnerable for all to see and encouraging others to join him in this open form of expression.

When I learned that my beliefs were behind the thoughts I was having and the feelings I felt I realised if I changed my beliefs I could also change how I experienced life.I also learned that beliefs continually reinforce themselves through the experiences they create - the experience made up of our thoughts and feelings.I saw that these experiences were always related to the original belief. If the belief was negative I would experience negative thoughts and negative feelings; if a belief was positive I would experience positive thoughts and positive feelings.This belief - thought - feeling - experience process continually reinforces the original belief as the experience it creates has originated from it.While practicing being in the present moment I noticed that any difficult experience I was having felt easier and less overwhelming, and I also noticed that I had more space to decide if I wanted to keep being in that experience or choose a different experience entirely.In this episode I share the process I’ve been using to come into the present moment using my feelings and how that has created the space for me to choose a new action which isn’t from the original belief.Using this process I’ve watched some of my biggest negative beliefs fade away and be replaced by beliefs of positivity, compassion and self-growth.

I lost myself a bit this week. Actually the past few weeks I’ve been trying to become really clear on the value I’m offering with B is for Being and look at how I can provide you with more valuable takeaways with every episode. I began to look at how other successful bloggers and podcasters were sharing with their sizeable audiences. I thought, ‘they are definitely doing something right if they have so many people listening. I just need to do what they’re doing and I’ll have a bigger audience too. They had catchy titles and spoke with reassuring authority. Great, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll write catchy titles and speak with more authority. With this new perspective I begun to explore possible topics for this week’s episode, and as I started writing from this new perspective I noticed a sense of dis-ease and tension building. Something didn’t feel right. I’d forgotten something really important. The essence of why I was sharing. I lost trust in how I was sharing. I was doubting that how I was sharing contained any real value for you. In this episode I share my process of rediscovering my authentic voice and how a single YouTube video reminded me of the essence of why I’m doing what I’m doing.

It’s been a big week. I’m in the process of refining what I share with you and part of that process has involved me asking myself a lot of questions. Some of which are: who exactly am I trying to reach with what I’m sharing, and what was it that inspired me to start sharing in the first place? All of these questions got me to look back at my own journey. As I looked back at the last 3 years of my life, I realised a lot has changed for me. Two areas of my life have undergone significant change. My creativity and my relationships with others. In this episode I share the journey leading up to the realisation which compelled me to start B is for Being and take a look at why it’s at the core of everything I share. Buckle up, it’s story time!

Practicing self-acceptance can be challenging while we're holding beliefs that we should be thinking, feeling, doing or being something different to how we are. Unconditional acceptance of ourselves has the power to completely dissolve our strongest beliefs of inadequacy. In this episode I take a look at two of the dynamics which can result from using self-help material before we've accepted our current mental/emotional state. These dynamics can keep us running in cycles of inadequacy and seeking temporary relief without ever actually addressing the core of the problem. I share some of my own experiences and challenges with self-acceptance and how I realised I was using self-help material against myself instead of for genuine self-understanding and growth.

A raw look at two of the biggest limiting beliefs my parents passed on to me and the tools I used to discover they weren't to blame. As kids we were around our parents almost everyday. We looked to our parents on how to relate to the world around us, and just like a thirsty sponge we soaked up everything they showed us - both the good and the bad. We watched our parents go through their own struggles and took note (usually sub-consciously) of how they reacted to certain situations, certain people and certain  feelings they were experiencing. But why would our parents show us things which would make our lives harder and healthy connections with others more difficult? Why would our parents treat themselves and others poorly in certain situations? These were the questions I had as I began to dig deeper and deeper into my negative reactions which were causing trouble in my own relationships with others. Show Highlights and Takeaways Our parents have given us a lot of helpful positive beliefs and also the negative. We don’t usually acknowledge the positive gifts as they enhance the quality of our lives and don’t usually get in the way. The negative beliefs, cause friction within ourselves and in our interactions with other people. So these are what we notice as they can make our lives unpleasant. Ben: I was in a relationship and noticing I was having very strong negative reactions in certain situations. At the time I was already in the habit of writing down my feelings, so I explored these negative reactions in my writing. I discovered that I held the beliefs: That I was inherently unworthy of receiving love, and I needed to prove my worthiness in order to receive it. And that my default state was inadequate, that I wasn’t good enough just as I was. These beliefs caused me to search outside myself for a sense of love and acceptance, and undermined all of my creative pursuits, how I socialised, how I expressed myself… I asked myself why do I feel this way? I found that this was how my mum and dad operated. I saw that I was copying what I’d seen my parents role model to me as a kid. This was how their own relationship was and I was just copying what I saw. It made sense to me. The two people that were constantly in my life as a kid were my mum and dad - I was relying on them to give me love and acceptance, so whatever they said I accepted. I wasn’t going to question how they were showing me to live. And all these years later these beliefs were causing me some problems. The behaviours they’d shown me in their relationship had started to cause me problems in my own relationships. When I saw I’d picked up these beliefs from them I became incredibly angry. I couldn’t belief they would act that way towards each other and other people. I felt disappointed, I felt let down and that things should have gone differently. Because if things went differently I would not be having the problems I’m having right now. Why Would My Parents Show My These Negative Beliefs and Behaviours? I wanted to know why they why the would act that way? Why did they think that would be a good idea? I continued exploring by asking myself questions. Writing down what I’d discovered and asking myself: why would that be the case? Why would my mum only believe that love only comes to you from another person when you’ve proved your worth? Why would I believe from my dad that things are inherently not good enough? I discovered they were behaving in that way, not because they wanted to, not because they were even aware of their behaviour, but they were just copying how their parents had done things. But Why Would Their Parents Act That Way? Why did their parents believe love only came from outside you and that people are inadequate by default and be better than they are. I saw that these behaviours had just been passed on.

I met Eve at OM Power Yoga. She is my Yoga teacher. Her classes are fun, spontaneous and not afraid to flow in a different direction. Her studio offers much more than your average dose of downward dogs. It has organically evolved into a thriving social hub with regular after class chai-time and spontaneous hangouts quickly becoming the norm. Eve’s dynamic and ever-flowing energy has been a cornerstone of this evolution, but Eve’s own evolution has been far from average. Following a period of intense accidents, Eve decided to make some changes in her life – to start making decisions for herself based in love instead of fear. In the second half of this episode we dive into why it’s felt so difficult to take care of our needs around other people and share some practical tips which have made this process much easier, resulting in our needs being taken care of and others feeling respected.

Tim's life is flowing with creativity, authentic relationships, and expansive personal growth that's taking place at an exponential rate. The first time I met Tim I was blown away by his solid sense of Self and I noticed he wasn't looking to anyone to see how he should act or what he should do next; he was simply and completely just being himself. During our conversation I discovered Tim hasn't always lived a life of such grounded flow. He experienced a big shift in his life at age 14 and then again at the age of 18. With the help of some powerful self-discovery tools he began a conscious journey into himself to release blocked emotional energy and become aware of his limiting beliefs and genuine needs. There's a lot of heartfelt sharing in this episode. I share some of the fears I've encountered on my own journey to self-expression, and Tim shares the tools he's used to create the enriching and dynamic life which is unfolding before him everyday.

Completely owning our thoughts and feelings is one of the most liberating things we can experience. Without a dependency on external events to make us feel a certain way we are empowered to create a life driven and validated completely from our Selves. But it's difficult to feel self-empowered without a grounded foundation within our Selves. In this episode I look at how we can develop our Self-integrity and trust so we can begin owning our inner-experiences and removing our sense of value from the outcomes of external events.

An experienced insight meditation teacher and psychotherapist, Anton Eastick carries a wealth of information about the workings of the mind and the effect trauma has on our lives. Coming from a Buddhist philosophy, Anton offers unique insights about the nature of trauma and how we can begin to understand and move through it using meditation and mindfulness techniques. I’ve experienced huge benefits in well-being from meditation and remaining aware of the thoughts and emotions I feel in my body. But I wanted to dive deeper with Anton to find out how the practice of meditation and mindful ‘watching’ actually works to heal our past traumas and brings us into a space where authentic action is possible – responding solely and uniquely to the moment in front of us.

Self-described as a 'peacemaker', Peter brings members of the public together through social actions–like dancing on a train–to show us that we’re not bound by the stories and expectations of our society, our family or our friends. In fact quite the opposite. The message is: we can, and will, create our own unique story. A story true to our inner-calling, a story which both fulfills us and inspires the rest of humanity to do the same. I had to know what Peter’s own journey had been so far and how he’d discovered his inner-voice. We sat down and dived right into his early years and the things which needed to happen before he could start blazing his own path in life. This episode is packed full of the good stuff.

Amendment notice: This interview has been amended for the purposes of anonymity. I spoke with a member of The Liberators at this year’s Blazing Swan. The Liberators International is an organisation which creates flash mob events around the world to remind people of our shared human connection and the ability we all have to express ourselves authentically. Initially we were talking about the things we’d like to let go of, but the conversation naturally opened to include much more than that. In this episode he shares his journey of self-liberation and how he’s moved through some of his strongest insecurities around body image and dancing in public, and realised his fears were nothing more than social conditions which he had accepted as the definite way to behave. We also talk about forming ‘whole-relationships’ where neither individual is needed by the other to feel complete, but instead both people support each other’s growth and development while staying true to their own needs and personal interests.

I attended Blazing Swan this year and interviewed people anonymously with the intention of providing an open space for the open expression of fears, doubts and insecurities which may be causing some tension within. From my experience, taking the time out to acknowledge these inner-tensions has helped me bring more ease and clarity to what's going on inside me, and has allowed me to go on to enjoy more connected and authentic interactions with myself and those around me. I was so surprised at how openly people were sharing with me that I began to share some really deep conflicts of my own. There are quite a few vulnerable moments in this episode.

Being afraid to make mistakes can keep us from taking action on things we want to create, the places we want to explore and the people we'd like to connect with. Knowing that we can generate our own sense of value and that our value is constant no matter how many mistakes we make can help us move forward into the world unrestricted by the fear we could mess things up. In the first Adventure Episode of the podcast, I ride towards a lighthouse on Rottnest Island and take a look at the dynamics of this fear and share some of the techniques I've found helpful in re-discovering my inner-value which remains unchangeable by any external circumstance.

Comfort zones are great! But when we feel stuck due to the fear of experiencing something unfamiliar, our sense of well-being suffers as we aren’t able to grow and develop in accordance with our natural drives to create, explore and experiment. Just being aware of the ways we can become stuck from taking action can help us readjust how we approach unfamiliar experiences and make it easier for us to step outside our comfort zones.

Beliefs are powerful. They control our interpretations and reactions to ourselves and the world we experience around us, but often we’re unaware of which beliefs are running in the background of our lives. Most of the time beliefs don’t cause us too much trouble, but in the case of “I’m not good enough and I need to be better,” this belief has the ability to keep us fighting our own natural drive for self-expression and cause us quite a bit of unhappiness in the long run. In this episode I outline why beliefs are so powerful, where this troublesome belief of “I’m not good enough,” comes from, and how we can use our own emotional reactions as tools for uncovering the beliefs we hold – ultimately empowering us to choose to live in accordance with this core negative belief or not.

We shape the experiences of our lives by how we choose to invest our energy. But a lot of the time we aren’t aware of how we’re investing this energy, in ourselves and in other people. Becoming aware of the dynamic between our actions and the resulting experiences can remind us that we decide how we invest, and ultimately, how we experience ourselves and those around us. In this episode I share some of my own realisations from past energetic investments, and take a look at the experiences which occurred as a result.

Without understanding how authentic self-expression works it's very difficult to know what it is and how to go about practicing it. A lot of people talk about being yourself, "Yeah, just be authentic! Just be you!" This is great but how do you actually live authentically? In this episode I break down, plainly and simply, the components that make up authentic expression. I give some examples of what authentic expression looks like and how we can use our fears to uncover our limitless, indwelling authentic flow. Enjoying the Podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast and think it's worth sharing, it helps tremendously if you leave me a review on iTunes (you do need iTunes installed for this). Your review helps others find the show and hopefully they'll also get some value out of it. Enjoy the episode!

The decision making process can be used to empower us instead of leaving us feeling confused and stuck, and not having any idea of what we should do. Peter, Sam, Mike and Benjamin sit around the kitchen table to discuss what goes into making big decisions and some of the ways we can make this process easier for ourselves. Getting advice from other people can be incredibly helpful when making tough decisions, but learning how to approach this advice can mean the difference between doing what other people think you should do and doing what you want to do. But sometimes it's not so easy knowing what it is we want to do, knowing which way we'd like to go, or which decision to make and why. In this episode I share a technique which helps me break down tough situations and make decisions which support my personal growth and sense of well-being.

Bringing myself back to the present moment has been the number one most helpful thing in just being myself and not feeling like I should be any other way than I am. When I first heard about coming back to the moment, I didn’t understand what it was and how to get there. Where is this ‘present moment’ you speak of? What does it feel like? What's it going to be like when I do get there? In this episode I share some of my experiences with the present moment and how it has dramatically reduced the power of the self-critical thoughts and feelings which were running rampant in my mind and body. I go into the techniques which have been the most effective for coming back into the moment, and take a look at some of the common doubts and difficulties which can show up as you exploring the present moment more and more.

Simon's energy is tricky to describe. Perhaps the best way to describe it is in the form of a recipe: Take one handful of spontaneous joy, a generous portion of raw creativity, and a delicate serving of sensitive curiosity and compassionate caring. (I'm not really sure what sort of recipe this is. It's more of a list of things which describe Simon's energy.) Working and living in Germany, Simon earns a living as an illustrator. He lives a humble yet action-packed life which includes (but is not limited to) rock climbing, art-battles and backflips. But unlike an artistically-gifted mountain climbing hedgehog, he's also published multiple illustrated books which are packed with his flowing creativity, including his most notable book to date – Jackson Norby - a collaborative project between himself and the imagination of Lenn - a four year old child. Why I wanted to talk with Simon. Being someone who has struggled to express myself freely, Simon's authentically flowing self-expression instantly captured my attention. I wanted to know, had he always busted such hustling tunes? (translation: had he always been living so authentically?) or had this been something he'd worked at and developed over time? How did he come to be the way he was? What was his childhood like? And how had that influenced how he interacts with himself and the world around him now? I sat down with Simon and we had a big chat over Skype. This interview really is action packed with gold nuggets of wisdom about childhood, personal growth and being yourself, including sprinklings of spontaneous fun.

This week I'm computerless. With no computer to edit, I deliver a raw, completely unperfect, stream-of-consciousness about why indulging in perfectionism is depriving people from experiencing our inherent value. Our unique ideas, insights, creations and expressions. The world deserves to experience that value.

When I first heard about the idea of a 'self-relationship' I had no idea what it was. How do you have a relationship with yourself? Do you start talking to yourself, taking yourself for walks, smooching with your reflection in the mirror? In this episode I take a look at my journey with establishing a caring relationship with myself and how it's helped me express myself with less fear and doubt. I also look at some of significant changes I've encountered on this journey: healthier relationships, more grounded and relaxed perception of the world, and some doubts which were telling me I was doing something wrong by taking care of myself.