God Yay or Nay?

In this Episode I speak with Jon Katz. Jon started NYC Food Ways where he helps set up food rescue programs in New York City. Jon shares how he has used to work in the service industry and he realized that a third of our food is thrown away. He shares how he started taking food that would otherwise be wasted and give it to food insecure people. Jon shares his story of his own relationship with food and how changing that changed his whole life. This eventually resulted in Jon becoming a coach that helps people achieve many goals while starting first with changing their diet.Jon talks about how our system of perpetual growth needs greater and greater consumption to thrive. He talks how getting rid of waste can collapse this system. He explains how this system preys on our weaknesses and insecurities. He explains how profitable our mental health and addiction crises are right now. Jon shares his own journey with addiction and tells us about the one belief that he said was the most important for his recovery. He tells us about his system that he uses to help with discipline and cultivating good habits. He tells us about how during his recovery his apartment caught on fire and how it was a pivotal moment in his life. Jon shares the strength he gained after being able to move forward with his good habits after the fire.Instagram - nycfoodways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Nadia Walji. Nadia is a Certified Yoga Therapist. Nadia works with people one-on-one to pacify any symptoms or conditions that may be arising. Nadia tells us how the practice of Yoga can help people deal with stress, anxiety, sleep, and digestion. She shares her knowledge on some of the tools she uses, such as asana-s (postures) and prānāyāma (breath) practices.Nadia explains the 4 components of the breath and how we can play with those to cause a desired physical, physiological and psychological effect. Nadia also explains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for fight-or-flight response when a perceived stress is presented. This response inhibits other physiological functions such as digestion. She tells us how posture and breath practices allow us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which allows for rest, recovery, digestion, and proper sleep. Nadia also has a foundational understanding of Āyurveda, the science of life, and gives insight into this beautiful, ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine. She shares how we humans are a microcosm of the macrocosm and are made up of the same elements of the planet – earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). She explains how each of us has a different makeup of these elements – some people are made up of more of the heavier elements or conversely the lighter elements. By understanding our composition, the symptoms we are experiencing and the season we are in, we can pick foods, herbs and spices that are more appropriate for us.Instagram - @follownadia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Nadia Walji. Nadia is a Certified Yoga Therapist. Nadia works with people one-on-one to pacify any symptoms or conditions that may be arising. Nadia tells us how the practice of Yoga can help people deal with stress, anxiety, sleep, and digestion. She shares her knowledge on some of the tools she uses, such as asana-s (postures) and prānāyāma (breath) practices.Nadia explains the 4 components of the breath and how we can play with those to cause a desired physical, physiological and psychological effect. Nadia also explains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for fight-or-flight response when a perceived stress is presented. This response inhibits other physiological functions such as digestion. She tells us how posture and breath practices allow us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which allows for rest, recovery, digestion, and proper sleep. Nadia also has a foundational understanding of Āyurveda, the science of life, and gives insight into this beautiful, ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine. She shares how we humans are a microcosm of the macrocosm and are made up of the same elements of the planet – earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). She explains how each of us has a different makeup of these elements – some people are made up of more of the heavier elements or conversely the lighter elements. By understanding our composition, the symptoms we are experiencing and the season we are in, we can pick foods, herbs and spices that are more appropriate for us.Instagram - @follownadia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with author and creator of “Raw Attraction Magazine” Stephen James. Stephen tells us about being in the “pick up” community over a decade ago in London, England. He tells us about the good and bad aspects of the community and how it led him to founding his own magazine that's for sex, relationships, and spirituality for men and women.Stephen talks about joining many communities that were involved in deepening your sexuality. He also shares how some of these communities broke up because of their cult-like behaviors. He tells us about learning to have full body orgasms with or without a partner and practices that help with that. We talk about how sex and relationships are looked at in modern society and how we can intend to have deeper relationships and more pleasurable connective sex. Stephen talks about the importance of bringing intention into your life and your relationships as well. Stephen also talks about healthy intentions to have before sex.http://www.steve.gifts/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with comedian Adrienne Fish. Adrienne has done almost all you can do in comedy in the Canadian industry. She talks to us about how she is trying to talk more about her spirituality on stage. She explains the process of learning an art form until you get comfortable enough to be able to use it as a tool for self exploration. We talk about how learning to be authentic in what you do translates into making better connections with people.Adrienne shares her story of her rebellious phase after high school and abusing drugs. She tells us about how she had to battle drug use but also how using certain psychedelics opened up her interest into a deeper spirituality. She talks about the anxiety she always lived with by having a mind that constantly looked forward and the unnecessary suffering it causes.Adrienne shares her experience from going on a 10 day meditation retreat. She shares how her ego slowly dissolved during the retreat. We talk about the need for surrender and what that actually means in meditation. We talk about how when we meditate and take psychedelics to get to this deeper connection, how when we get there it's such a familiar feeling like we have been there before. https://www.adriennefish.com/@adriennefishyfishfish Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with the author of “The Psilocybin Connection” Jahan Khamsehzadeh. Jahan completed his dissertation on psychedelics while doing his doctorate in philosophy, neuroscience and consciousness. He now leads Psilocybin mushroom guided therapy sessions with people. He shares how western culture brings a new dynamic into the psychedelic experience and how that differs from indigenous practices.Jahan shares what is happening on a neurological level when you are ingesting psychedelics. He shares how and why this can help us overcome trauma, anxiety, and depression. He also shows us how Psilocybin helps create new neurons which can help in creativity and also in helping people find meaning and purpose in life.Jahan also has studied psychosomatic therapeutic practices as well. He explains how emotions and memories can get stuck in the body which causes tension to build. We talk about how this internal tension can create pain, mental health issues, and even lead to disease. He shares the practice of psychosomatic therapy and how it helps recognize and release tension you are holding and lead you to a more whole life.https://psychedelicevolution.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with founder of “Life Like Jake” Jake Thomas. Jake helps people with achieving goals, battling addiction and creating transformation in people's lives and he usually starts with a person's diet. Jake tells us about his own battle with addiction and the process he went through for his own transformation. Jake lays out the numerous diets he's tried to find out what works for him best and gives him the most health and vitality. He tried everything from veganism to full carnivore diets in his experimentation and made sure to stay with them for at least a year to see how it affected his bodies. He shares doing these different diets and running marathons and how it went. Jae talks about how what we consume affects our minds. He talks about helping people get off of prescription drugs by changing their diets. He talks about how our diets can affect all other addictions in our life and how changing it is the first step to other transformations. Jake shares winning bodybuilding competitions without using performance enhancing drugs.https://lifelikejake.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk with sexuality coach Naailah Auladin. Naailah helps men and women have a more holistic relationship with their sexuality. Naailah shares her background of coming out of a 17 year abusive marriage and finding out she knew nothing about her sexuality. She talks about coming from a conservative religious family and the shame and silence around sex. She shares her journey of getting more in touch sexually and helping others do the same.Naailah tells us how the different issues people have with sex in our society. Whether that is with too much shame or taboo around sex or the oversexualization like with porn. She talks about how she helps people find balance in their sexuality and rest of their life. She gives us tips on how to have guidelines when choosing to get into a relationship with someone and how those guidelines change the people you end up meeting.Naailah shares what Tantra is and how it's about living an intentional life. She tells us how bringing intention into your sex and regular life leads to more consciousness. She shares what sexual energy is and how to play around with it with your breath and how it can lead even men to have multiple orgasms. She talks about how sexual energy is the ultimate creative energy and how being aware of it can help in all aspects of your life.www.akasharevival.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Episode I speak with Martin Theis. Martin Theis is a facilitator of Shamanic journeys. He explains what a Shamanic journey is and how he just uses a drum and some simple exercises to help people slip into an altered state of consciousness. He shares how deep healing and learning can be done in these altered states of consciousness and what the experience usually entails. Martin talks about in Shamanic traditions when you are in an altered state of consciousness you can sometimes see your totem animal. He explains how all of us have a totem animal which is like a spirit animal in other traditions. He shares how learning your totem animal will teach you so much about your own self and what you need in life to thrive.We talk about the similarities and differences between a Shamanic and Psychedelic journey. We talk about how emotions, beliefs and traumas can stay buried in our subconscious and bodies and how altered states of consciousness can allow awareness and release of these stuff you don't need anymore.https://www.lighttrails.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with one of Canada's best comedians Simon King. Simon gives us some insight into the process of “finding your voice” as an artist. He shares the various transformations he had to go through as a comedian to get him to where he is today. He shares the joys and pains of that process and the importance of listening to your inner self.Simon and I talk about how comedians and most people in society are constantly chasing validation. Whether that validation comes from our work, peers, family, or love interests we talk about how chasing validation affects our behavior and leads to jealousy and resentment. We talk about our own journeys of releasing those heavy emotions and learning to stop chasing validation and start chasing what we want.Simon shares with us how his spirituality and belief systems have evolved in the last few years after having a child and after his father died. He tells us how he looks at life now with deeper meaning and how that helps him approach his days. https://www.thisissimonking.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with author and yoga teacher Troy Hadeed. Troy talks about all the labels we use to define ourselves in this world and how limiting they can be. He talks about how all of our choices revolve around the preservation of our identity. He takes this concept further and talks about how we identify with our bodies and how that gives us a deep fear subconsciously that affects all our behaviors. Troy talks about how most of our personalities and actions are based on how we are conditioned. He tells us how we can never truly be compassionate unless we understand their actions come from conditioning. He talks about the truest form of privilege that someone can have is receiving love. Troy tells us about growing up with a Middle Eastern background in Trinidad. He talks about the shame he felt from his background and privilege that was associated with his background. He talks about how he dealt with that shame and guilt growing up and learning to accept his privilege. Troy tells us about how Reggae and Rastafarian culture impacted him growing up and shaped who he became.https://troyhadeed.com/Instagram - @troyhadeed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Amrit Singh Reinsch. Amrit has been practicing Kundalini Yoga for over 30 years and now has become a high performance life coach where he combines spirituality and goal setting. Amrit talks about going to India as a young adult as a spiritual seeker and how hard it was on him. He talks about what a lot of spiritual seekers' mindsets are like going to India and how it changes while you are there. Amrit tells us about how to balance spirituality and the want to have material things and other desires. He tells us about how we are humans with drives and it's ok to satisfy our desires. He tells us his form of spirituality: make sure you are acting through your heart and not through shame or guilt. He tells us how lots of people think with spirituality you need renunciation but he shows how this doesn't work well for most people in modern times. Amrit tells us about Kundalini Yoga and how it helped him bring discipline into his life. He gives us advice on how to form habits better by really focusing on why you are doing them. Amrit also tells us about different diets he's tried during his time in India and how it affected his spiritual practices. https://coachingnow.info/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Charlotte and Jonathon from “Wellness Theory ''. Jonathan and Charlotte started Wellness Theory to help people eliminate unhealthy stress, calm irate minds, and control their emotions to live a better life. Jon and Charlotte talk about how interconnected our mental, physical and emotional health are. Jon gives us his background of how healed his chronic pain and the physical and emotional parts behind it. Jon and Charlotte tell us the 3 different levels of stress and how they manifest themselves in our body and mind. They tell people to focus on their body, thoughts and emotions to try and get to deeper parts of your stress. They talk about having to deal with unresolved emotional traumas or even just question our own belief structures and values and ask ourselves how they are serving us.Jon and Charlotte tell us how stress affects our body especially when we eat, sleep or do different activities. They tell us a few myths about stress in our culture and how we got to stop believing these lies. They also give us different exercises to calm down our nervous system and to recognize and release excess emotion stuck in our bodies.https://www.thewellnesstheory.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with professional Disc Golfer Scott Stokely. Scott has multiple Guinness World Records, multiple World Disc Golf Titles and is author of the book “Growing Up Disc Golf”. Scott tells us about growing up as a latchkey kid and eventually moving to a rich neighborhood where he didn't fit in. He tells us about how he found community through playing on the first ever Disc Golf course ever. Scott talks about leaving Disc Golf and turning to business. He talks about eventually developing a drug habit trying to stay up late to work on his businesses. He talks about losing his home and trying to find places to live. He shares a story of walking into a Disc Golf store after being out of the for a decade and being recognized as one of the best Disc Golfers ever. He tells us how this gave him the conviction to get off drugs and get back into the professional Disc Golf tour. Scott tells us how he now is constantly traveling the world playing Disc Golf and running his businesses and helping tons of charities. Scott tells us his reasons for giving back to people and the community. He has his own ideas on what people's reasons behind giving are and how it doesn't matter.https://scottstokely.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with comedian Andrew Oporto. Andrew tells us about meeting his mentor that really helped change his life a few years ago. He tells us about what his mentor practices called Ferasa which is the ancient art of face reading. Andrew tells us how our faces tell us stories about what we have gone through in life and he shares some of the simplest ways he learnt how to read other people's faces. Andrew shares how his mentor highlighted things that happened in his past and that he needed to let go of in order to be happy and more balanced in life. He shares more about the Ferasa philosophy that really relies on balance in all areas in life and especially with your closest relationships. Andrew talks about changes he made in his life in the last 4 years including having a better relationship with his family, stopping drinking and smoking weed, and developing a spirituality. Andrew talks about how western culture focuses on material possessions and isolation and how it brings more suffering to us. He talks about the need for community and how being around people shifts your emotional state and how good that is for your well being. Andrew talks about how in western culture we are very hesitant to accept stuff from people when it's offered. He tells us how important it is to accept gifts and what that does for society.Instagram - @andrewoporto Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Edward Strum. Edward is a self proclaimed self-improvement junkie. He's created multiple viral videos, appeared on numerous TV shows, and has created the “Commit Club” where he gives its users 30 day challenges to implement new positive habits into your life. Edward tells us how he created these viral videos and his secret behind it. Edward tells us about “small chunking” which is doing a little bit of something everyday and watching how it compounds over time. He shares how he was able to enter different tech fields just by learning a little about something everyday until he was very proficient in it. He tells us how this inspired his “Commit Club” challenge and how it helped him gain so many great habits like meditation, journaling, cold showers and more. Edward has lived in over 30 countries and he talks about why and where he has been. He tells us about being in Keiv, Ukraine right before the war broke out and all the craziness he had to go through to leave the country. Edward is in Rome right now and tells us about his experiences walking through the Vatican. https://commitclub.co/30-day-challenge/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with host of the podcast “Addicted to Recovery” Tara Boyce. Tara tells us about her journey with alcoholism being in and out of rehab 12 times. She talks about the differences every time she goes into rehab. She talks about how rehab met her needs of connectedness, purpose, structure and how she struggled to meet those needs in her life. Tara tells us about how alcohol calmed down her anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. She talks about how drinking just created the negative feedback loop that makes your anxieties worse. She tells us about the persona she has when drinking and how the longer she was drinking the further separated she got from her sober self. Tara tells us about the spirituality in the 12 steps program and how it didn't connect well with her. She tells us the importance of spirituality in recovery and how she had to find a spirituality that worked with her beliefs. She tells us how she found secular ways of finding meaning and purpose in her life without religion or dogma which she couldn't get on board with.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/recovery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with comedian Damonde Tschritter. Damonde is celebrating his 5 year anniversary of his critically acclaimed one man Fringe show "The Messenger" which was about his Ayahausca ceremonies in Mexico. Damonde takes us on profound journey though all of his Ayahausca ceremonies and the messeges he received during them. He tells us why he felt the need to make his experience into a one man show and the fear that he had to push through to do it. Damonde is an engaging storyteller and this is a must listen episode for people who are interested in the plant medicine Ayahausca. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with host of “The Meditation Conversation Podcast” Kara Goodwin. Kara is a meditation teacher and tells us about the really difficult year she went through that made her dedicate herself to a meditation practice to manage the turmoil in her life. Kara tells us about the meditation technique she started with and tells us how to do it. Kara tells us how meditation changes our brain over time and continuous practice. She explains how the emotional parts of your brain can dominate most of your experience. She explains how mediation can activate different areas of your brain and activate higher states of being including creativity, altruism, and concentration. She explains how a continuous meditation practice can lead to living more consciously and allows us to make better choices. We have a great conversation about how meditation can help us recognize self sabotaging thought patterns and how those patterns affect us. Kara gives us advice on how to disrupt those patterns. Kara also talks about the link between spirituality and meditation. She tells us about how her meditation changed her beliefs about life and our place in the world.https://www.karagoodwin.com/ Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the episode I speak with comedian, writer and co-host of “The Strickly Beloved Podcast” Marito Lopez. Marito talks about recognizing he needed a change in life and how that led to moving to Vancouver. Marito tells us he never gave himself a chance to fully recover from alcoholism and now he's giving himself the time to heal. He talks about learning to be quiet and slow down so he can allow himself to heal. Marito tells us about learning to speak from his heart rather than his mind. He shares the difference that makes in his creativity. He tells us how he's slowly connecting with his heart and the process that leads to that. Marito tells us about a book he read called “Reflections of the Heart” and the wisdom that he learnt from that and the peace it brings in his life. Marito recently converted to Islam and tells us why he was attracted to the religion. Marito talks about his experiences with prayer and meditation and how it has changed him. Marito tells us how he has become more at peace with who he is and is starting to embrace his culture and identity. He talks about going from being ashamed of his background to being proud of it.Follow Marito on Instagram - @nochampagnepapi Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk with host of the podcast “Evolving Man” Ben Goresky. Ben is an addictions counselor, coach and an explorer of consciousness. Ben shares stories of his childhood and dealing with bullying and later addiction through high school. He tells us about going through rehab at 15. He tells about later in life finding a men's group that pushed him to start his own men's group that now has over 50 circles of men. Ben tells us the difference between masculine and feminine energy and the beauty and power in both. He shares how a men group opened and ignited certain masculine energies in him. He tells us about an acronym of masculinity one of his teachers taught him called PCP which stands for Presence, Claim and Penetration. He explains this and how you used this to ignite his masculine energies which allowed him to find his true calling. Ben helps people with relationships. Ben tells us how we are all enacting unconscious patterns in relationships and we have to recognize these patterns before we can change them. Ben talks about how he was constantly avoidant the further he got in a relationship and how tons of men run this exact pattern these days. Ben tells us about the work he did to acknowledge and deal with the fear that is at the root of that to allow more intimate relationships.https://evolvingman.com/ Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Greg Wieting. Greg helps people deal with and overcome anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Greg has developed his framework using neuroscience, mindfulness/somatic practices and energy work. Greg tells us how trauma stays in our body and how it can manifest itself anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Greg explains how a trauma response occurs in our body to protect us but how they can keep firing after the danger is gone and cause us a lot of suffering. He explains the importance of mindfulness and somatic practices to heal your trauma responses so they work for you rather than against you. Greg tells us how our bodies have an innate wisdom that heals itself and his job is just creating a climate to allow that understanding to come back online.Greg tells us how when we have mental illness and pain for so long we end up identifying with our mental illness or pain and the strategies we use to escape those things. He shares how a mindfulness practice can really help us ease that identification. Greg also shares how now there's tons of medical doctors dealing with patients more holistically because they realize the value in treating more than just the symptoms.https://www.prismamethod.com/Use the code “NOOR” for 10% off Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Episode I speak with Masculinity Coach Dylan Roos. Dylan talks about the work that he does to help young men to transition from boys psychology to a man's psychology. He talks about how all cultures used to have rites of passages from boys to allow them to transition into manhood. Dylan tells us how our society has lost these rites of passage and how it has resulted in a lot of men who haven't developed their masculinity in a healthy way. Dylan tells us about what a lot of younger men are struggling with these days. He talks about their lack of confidence, mental health, and ability to handle adversity. He talks about how society demonizes masculinity and why changing the term “toxic masculinity” to “wounded masculinity” would be more beneficial for younger men to express their masculinity properly. Dylan tells us how not properly integrating our masculinity and emotions leads to repression. He tells us how repression leads to more nasty actions and violence in the future. Dylan shares his own journey and some painful moments in his life that lead to his own transformation. He shares how his daily habits and what he wants in life change after developing a more positive masculinity. https://www.dylanrooscoaching.com/ Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey. Adjoa currently practices Emergency Psychiatry in New York City. She also is an author and has a background in viral immunology. Adjoa tells us the difference between Psychiatry and Psychology and how they treat patients differently and how their fields interact with each other. Adjoa tells us what it was like working in a Psychiatric emergency room during and after the pandemic. She tells us about how we are now going through a mental health pandemic and how she helps people going through a mental health crisis. She tells us about the differences in street drug use that happened during and after the pandemic and why people use these to self medicate. Adjoe tells us how loneliness and isolation are becoming so normal right now and how they are fueling the mental health crisis. She tells us how she helps patients who are experiencing these things. Adjoa describes depression, anxiety, and panic attacks and how they arise in people. She gives us great advice on how to deal with these issues and how to prevent them in the future.https://www.anjalithebrave.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with comedian and host of the podcast “Causing the Effect Podcast” Scott Gazzoli. Scott and I talk about why we have an interest in the mind, consciousness and personal development. Scott tells us the path he went down to find out more about who is and live with more authenticity. Scott talks about balancing spirituality and personal development. We talk about the balance of “doing” and “being” and the importance of having both to find fulfillment in our society. We talk about the feeling of lack and insufficiency that everyone feels and how we deal with it. Scott tells us about his life growing up with his dad being a part of the mafia and going into the witness protection program. He tells us the story of growing up being groomed to be a part of the mob. He tells us a bunch of lessons he got growing up in that environment and how he got out of it. Scott's podcast - Causing the Effect Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is our 100th episode and we got one of our favorite guests back on the podcast. In this episode we speak with Rob from the YouTube channel “Adeptus Psychonautica”. Rob's YouTube channel is based on his journey through psychedelic culture and exploration through consciousness. Rob gives us his views on the discourse with psychedelics in our culture. Rob just came back from a 12 day Ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon rain forest in Peru. He tells us about the different retreats he's been to in Peru and the differences with each one. He shared one of the most powerful experiences he had in this last retreat. He tells us how Ayahuasca helped clear a lot of emotional and mental baggage he's been carrying with him. Rob tells about how the Shipibo tradition in the Amazon rain forest treats the psychedelic experience. He tells us about what a plant diet in these traditions mean and how it works with Ayahuasca. He shares the knowledge he learnt from their traditions and how they use sound and music to work with someone who is taking Ayahuasca. He also tells us about how taking Ayahuasca orally or compares to synthetic DMT in his experiences.Subscribe to Adeptus Psychonautica on YouTube See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with voice actor, character developer and host of the podcast “Beyond the Pen” Maccabee Griffin. Maccabee tells us his story of starting out in drama and eventually going and doing two tours in Iraq with the US army. He tells us about finding his love for acting again after coming back from Iraq when he started playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. Maccabee tells us how he builds characters in stories and how to make them more realistic and connect with people more. He explains how a character needs to have strengths and weaknesses to be more realistic. He explains how he uses historical events of mythology to place the character in and help see the traits of the character grow. Maccabee is also a very accomplished voice actor and he gives us advice on how to develop different accents and voices. Maccabee also shares some of his mental health issues he's been dealing with over the years and what he has done to live with them. He tells us how his mental health issues allow him to empathize with the characters he makes.https://www.mackgriffinvo.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with the Internationally best selling author of the book “Bigger, Better, Braver” Nancy Pickard. Nancy tells us about her story of getting divorced after 26 years and having to reinvent herself. She talks about overcoming fear and how she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at age 60. She tells about what the imposter syndrome is and how to overcome it. Nancy is a shadow coach where she helps people discover their shadow beliefs. She explains how our shadow is developed through our childhood and how we develop mechanisms we learn to keep us safe. These shadow beliefs however stay with us our whole life and influence our whole operating system through adulthood. She explains how we can recognize and overcome shadow beliefs that may be preventing growth in our lives. Nancy tells about how her spirituality changed after her transformation into a life coach. She talks about how she never believed in the idea of manifestation and explains why that is now one of her strongest beliefs. She explains the importance of becoming before receiving. https://nancypickardlifecoach.com/discovery-call-form/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with Meg heppner. Meg is host of the podcast “The Art of Being H(YOU)man”, hypnotherapist and coach. Meg talks about the dreams society has promised us and how they are no longer feasible for large portions of the population. She talks about how these expectations we've been raised with affect our mental health and decision making. Meg feels that this is a great opportunity for people to live more outside the status quo. Meg talks about how much of our culture and interactions are based in fear. She talks about how different subconscious fears express themselves in individuals and society at whole. Meg is a minimalist and she shares how many of her relationships changed after becoming one. She talks about the consequences of doing something that's outside the status quo in society. Meg talks about the stories in our society that only have power because we collectively agree with them. She talks about not agreeing with a story or making a new story has the power to create tremendous change. As a hypnotherapist Meg tells us how the stories, fears, and beliefs in our subconscious influence our conscious behaviors. She tells us how to implant ideas in your subconscious that help change your behavior https://www.megheppner.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with host of the podcast “Weekly Wins and Losses” James Heppner. James tells us how his main purpose is trying to help people participate and engage in life. He talks about how to deal with wins and losses in your life so you can use them as something that was given to you rather than labeling it as a win or loss. James tells us about growing up in a family where his dad was a pastor of a megachurch. James tells us about dogmatism is about certainty and how he had to find a way to be comfortable in uncertainty. James tells us about the process of deconstructing his faith and the reconstructing his faith in a way that works for him. James helps people feel safety in places when they usually feel danger. He tells us about the greatest things that happen in your life when you take a step into uncertainty. He gives us exercises on how to change our beliefs about things that we want in our life.https://www.jamesheppner.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with comedian Jeremy Dobski. Jeremy has always been interested in spirituality and tells us about his journey of coming from a Jewish upbringing to becoming heavily influenced by Buddhism. Jeremy tells us about studying mindfulness and the changes that it helped make in his life. Jeremy talks about how most of us and our society is trapped in “thought”. We talk about how mindfulness helps us dis-identify from our thoughts or ego so they are not controlling most of our behaviors. Jeremy also has come back to his Jewish roots. He talks about how the rituals in the religion have helped him and how he looks at Judaism through a Buddhist lens now. We also have a great conversation about psychedelics which we have both experimented with. Jeremy talks about the experience of an “ego death” on psychedelics. We talk about the possible positive and negative experiences that can happen from an “ego death”. We talk about how psychedelics can open up different mental faculties in us.Instagram- @thealphadob See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with comedian Moe Ismail. Moe is a Canadian Muslim who just went to Mecca on a pilgrimage for Umrah. Umrah is a pilgrimage that Muslims do where they travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Moe explains the rituals and historical significance of the places he visited. Moe tells us about the profound experiences he experienced he experienced when he walked around Kaaba (most sacred place in Islam). He describes the overwhelming feeling of being around people from all round the world coming to one place for one purpose. He also shares his story of going and visiting Muhammad's grave in Medina and the completely different feelings he had there.Moe shares the different transformations this trip helped spark in him. We talk and compare those transformations to other spiritual transformations we have had in our life and from other peoples stories in different traditions or practices. Moe on Instagram - @moemoeismail See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with High Performance Life Coach, Author and Tedx Speaker Dai Manuel. Dai talks about his earlier struggles with anxiety, depression and obesity when he was younger. He talks about the physical transformation he made when he was younger but how he switched his addiction from food to alcohol. He talks about having to deal with the mental parts of an addiction otherwise it just manifests itself in another addiction. Dai teaches us about how to develop the confidence to make changes in your life. He talks about the difference between supporting someone rather than trying to change them. He talks about when people feel inadequate they tend to isolate and how harmful that can be. Dai tells us about the importance of community and support to help facilitate change in people. We also discuss the importance of vulnerability and the misconceptions of what it is, especially with men. Dai tells us how when one person becomes vulnerable it gives others permission to become vulnerable too. We talk about how some people think vulnerability is weak but how much courage and strength there is in it. www.daimanuel.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with Comedian, Yoga and Meditation teacher Dena Jackson. Dena explains the difference between meditation and mindfulness and we discuss the different benefits each of those practices have given us. Dena has been working with a Mindfulness teacher that studied through Theravada Buddhism in Thailand. She tells us what she has learnt working with her teacher and how her practice has grown over the years. Dena explains how building a consistent mindfulness practice strengthens your awareness of your body and mind over time and how that can be used practically in your regular life.Dena also has done a few silent meditation retreats where you have to be in complete silence for 5 days. She explains what happens at a silent meditation retreat and how she adjusted to the long periods of silence. She tells us how these retreats helped her practice.She also gives great advice on how to choose meditation retreat for first timers.https://www.denajackson.ca/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with coach Lee Hopkins. Lee helps people dealing with loneliness develop stronger friendships and relationships. Lee tells us his backstory of moving from city to city trying to find actual connections and friendships with people but continually followed the same tracks of very shallow relationships. Lee talks about the fear of rejection and how it holds back so many beautiful opportunities in your life. He gives us advice on overcoming rejection and a new way to look at it. He talks about the importance of understanding your boundaries so you know what type of people are good fits for you. Lee talks about how to handle dealing with people with different opinions and the importance of being able to openly share your own beliefs to make real connections. Lee gives us some tips on how to make meaningful conversations with people in your life. Lee is a transman and shares the different socialization experiences he had as either gender.http://www.patternsofpossibility.com/morepossibility See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with Ryan Cote. Ryan runs “Morning Upgrade” a business dedicated to increasing the awareness of personal development and morning routines. Ryan tells us his history with personal development and how he used that to shape his own morning routine. He tells us what to do to make sure you can stick to a morning routine everyday.Ryan talks about the personal growth gap. The gap between where you are now and where you want to be. He shares ways to close the gap over time. Ryan talks about what to do when you are in a funk and you are having trouble breaking out of it. He talks about how to confront challenges and conflict. Ryan shares his journaling practice and how it helps him stay on track. He talks about with continued journaling you really learn about what is important to you in your life. Ryan also shares some of his favorite personal development books he's read in his life and some of the great lessons that are in there.https://morningupgrade.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with Fred Rutman. Fred has had multiple near death experiences because of a medical condition that he has. He was clinically dead multiple times. He tells us about his condition and also what a near death experience was like for him. He describes an out of body experience he had when pronounced dead.Fred tells us about starting intermittent fasting and how it changed his health and life. He explains the healing processes that are triggered by fasting. He tells us about reversing his diabetes just through fasting. He talks about the community around intermittent fasting and the many other benefits to doing it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Episode I speak with author of "Take It Off" Corey Hilton. Corey was a male stripper for 25 years. He shares stories of the ups and downs of the business. He talks about becoming top male stripper in Canada and then heading to America and the struggles with addiction he developed. He shares his struggles with his own body image and the harsh self talk he used to have.Corey now helps people with becoming more authentic and confident. He talks about how authenticity starts by understanding your own values and aligning yourself with them. Corey also shares his thoughts on what manliness is. He talks about the strength it takes for men to properly express their emotions and how healing it can be.https://www.coreylainehilton.com/take-it-off See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with the author of “Trauma As Medicine” Sarah Salter Kelly. Sarah shares her story learning to deal with the homicide of her mother. She shares the work she did over the years to heal and transform her trauma and how she changed the way she looked at the perpetrator who murdered her mother. She talks about the choice of moving into or confronting your trauma which allows for healing or turning away and trying to ignore it.Sarah talks about going to the reservation of her mothers perpetrator to learn about where he came from. She talks about how trauma spreads through different generations and the collective trauma our society has to deal with.. She talks about the long process of confronting her rage/anger and slowly transforming it into compassion. Sarah talks about the work she has done with plant medicines, mainly Ayahuasca and Psilocybin mushrooms. She tells us about the differences she feels in these two medicines and how she conducts ceremonies with them. She also tells us about going to Peru and learning from the Q'ero tradition. She explains some of their teachings that really helped her.http://www.sarahsalterkelly.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with the author of the book “A Higher Road” D. Neil Elliott. Neil tells us about being on the brink of suicide but going through a complete transformation. Neil is an engineer and explains how he accepted different spiritual concepts as a person with a very logical mind. Neil tells us about the patterns of thinking that he developed through his childhood and adult life that brought him a lot of suffering and how he helped change them. Neil talks about the change in the way he perceives consciousness that brought a lot of transformation in his life. He talks about how started to perceive consciousness as a stream and what that change did for him. He talks about the importance of questioning your beliefs and becoming aware of how they influence your well being. Neil talks about a story of a lady having a near death experience and shared her incredible story. He shares how that story changed his idea of an afterlife. He shares the idea of Reincarnation and what he believes happens when you die. https://www.dneilelliott.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with John Lee. John is a software developer, app designer, and lover of thoughtful conversation. John talks about the idea of “the meaning crisis”. How many people in our society have trouble finding meaning and purpose in life. John talks about what brings meaning to people in their life and how we can bring that to the modern world. John talks about beauty and its connection to meaning. He talks about how beauty and having purpose in life brings meaning to your life. We talk about different daily practices we have to anchor to our purpose. We talk about if we think we find purpose in life or is it given to you. John and I talk about the mental health crisis in society. We talk about the problems with isolation and suicide in our younger population. We talk about the idea that our mental health issues could be seen as a signal for change and transformation in ourselves and society. https://custommobile.app/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I speak with Kundalini Yoga teacher and coach Kara Nicole Bitar. Kara tells us her story of becoming a lawyer in a big firm and then leaving because of a deep unhappiness and health issues. She tells us about trying many modalities to find more fulfillment that never worked until she finally found Kundalini Yoga. Kara explains what Kundalini Yoga is and how it differs from other branches of Yoga. She talks about the different breathing techniques that Kundalini uses to create different states in the body and mind. She tells us how Kundalini uses different sounds, hand and eye positions to stimulate different parts of your brain and body. Kara talks about dealing with negative thoughts, and feelings of lack or unworthiness. She talks about the down sides of the “positive thinking” movement and how it can make those feelings worse. She talks about meditation and learning to dis-identify with your thoughts which allows you more control over your mind. After this more positive feelings can come from within you more naturally. https://www.karanicolebitar.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.