Welcome! My name is Ema and I am very excited to have you here. I am someone who has healed from anxiety, asthma, and low self-esteem, with the help of mindfulness, meditation, and Yoga. This is why I am such an ambassador for mental health, movement, and amazing tools that build a luminous life. With this podcast, I hope to offer you inspiration, wisdom, and practices that light you up, inspire you and help you connect to your inner voice. Thank you for being part of this space! Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes. With love, Ema
19: Becoming a Luminous Being with Louka Parry
When I heard Louka speak at the Aspire Academy conference, I knew immediately that I would like to invite him for this podcast and wrote an email on the spot. He accepted my invitation to discuss becoming a luminous being.
We touched on stoicism, expansive learning, and meditation; how to be happy, radiant, and live a fulfilling life.
„What’s mine to do? What’s not mine to do?”
This conversation really warmed my heart and I do hope that is the case for you as well!
About Louka Parry
Louka works globally to enable a world of thriving learners across schools, companies, and organizations. He speaks on innovation, leadership, and change having worked with thousands of leaders and educators from diverse contexts all across the world, including in all Australian Education Departments and sectors, across international systems from the Dominican Republic to Romania, with corporates like PWC, the AFL, Microsoft and Apple, and with not-for-profits.
As an education leader, he was promoted to Principal at only 27 years old, and in 2012 he was named South Australian Inspirational Public Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Find more about Louka at www.loukaparry.com
🔥 Follow me on Instagram:
✅ https://www.instagram.com/emabrightliving/
💗💗💗 Subscribe to this Channel:
✅ https://www.youtube.com/c/BrightLiving
Listen to this episode and let me know your question in the comments!
7/29/2023 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 31 seconds
18: Living a Balanced Life as an Entrepreneur with Maria O' Shea
Are you reflecting on some bold life change, or looking to shake up the status quo? Or maybe you’re looking to improve how you show up and take care of yourself as a business owner who is also a mother, lover, and daughter. If that’s the case, then this podcast is for you!
We are celebrating the 8th of March with a conversation about female entrepreneurship, living a balanced life as a female entrepreneur, and making bold moves in new directions.
My guest today is my own business mentor, Maria O Shea, MBA INSEAD. Maria is a business consultant who is lovingly challenging, loves to inquire and bring clarity, and enjoys inviting reflection next to the pragmatism of the business process.
Read her bio and her whole description here: https://www.oshea-consulting.com/
What feminine qualities can we bring to the business? How is feminine entrepreneurship different than a business run on masculine traits? What were the life experiences that shaped Maria to become a high-profile business consultant?
🔥 Follow Bright Living on Instagram
🔥 Subscribe to Bright Living
Listen to this episode and let me know your question in the comments!
Much love,
Ema
3/10/2023 • 1 hour, 31 seconds
17: Science Meets Spirituality in Breathing and Yoga with Arnaud Complainville
One reason why I am really excited about this episode is that it is not very often that you find someone who is both a scientist and a Yoga instructor.
Arnaud Complainville, Managing Partner at NeuroMindfulness® Institute, is a neuroscientist who can tell you all about the mechanics of the breath, but he is also a Yogi who will remind you to bring some juicy attention to that reminder.
I know him as one of my mentors, friends, and one of the funniest people I know.
In this episode, we are discussing breathwork, Yoga, and meditation from a scientific point of view and from an energy point of view. They are one and the same, actually, we are just looking differently at it.
If you wish to learn and practice more, here are some opportunities:
✅ The Neuroscience of Breathing
✅ 4-Week Meditation Course – RO
✅ 5-Week Breathing Course – RO
🔥 Follow Bright Living on Instagram
🔥 Subscribe to Bright Living
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Getting to know Arnaud
03:21 – Arnaud’s Life Story of Science, Business and Spirituality
05:54 – How Arnaud started his journey of breathing
09:25 – Science and spirituality as one and the same
17:00 – How do Yoga, meditation and breathing come together?
27:06 – Why is the Vagus Nerve important?
34:00 – What does it really mean to breathe deeply?
41:55 – How can we modify our breath to improve our health?
1:00:00 – How do start a practice that actually sticks?
1:16:52 - How can one learn more about breathing?
1/31/2023 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 3 seconds
16: Nourishing Mental Health as a Performing Student with David Turturean
In 2018, David Turturean (16 at the time), a Romanian bright student, got qualified for two international Olympiads: astrophysics and astronomy, China and Sri Lanka. The only problem was – he had to pay for his attendance himself, as not all participation fees were covered by the government. Now... to travel to China and Sri Lanka from Romania isn’t precisely a walk around the block for a low-income adolescent coming from a small town in Romania.
But the community didn’t let him down. Through a fundraising campaign, we raised 3X the sum needed.
He came back with GOLD and SILVER from both competitions.
His story became national news. He kept participating year after year, coming back home with excellent results.
Now, David is an MIT student, with a full scholarship.
I invited him to this podcast to speak about how his perseverance, family, and community support changed the course of events. We chat about the mental health issues that a top performer can face, how he managed all the media coverage, and how he keeps his mental clarity while still performing at one of the best universities in the world.
🔥 Follow David on Instagram
🔥 Follow Bright Living on Instagram
💗💗💗 Subscribe to Bright Living
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Getting to know David
02:25 – David’s Life Story
10:16 – David’s story of international performance
12:45 – How fundraising changed David’s course of events
23:27 – How did it feel to get a Gold Medal in the Olympiad?
26:22 – Preserving mental health as a top performer
34:00 – How can parents protect their top-performing children?
40:00 – Becoming a student at MIT
46:20 – Applying to high-profile US Universities as a low-income student
49:36 – Myths about being a high-achieving student
56:08 – David’s Plans for the future
58:09 – What change would you like to see in the world?
1/17/2023 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 16 seconds
15: How gratitude shapes our lives with Veronica Brejan
Happy special Christmas episode!
As we are approaching Holiday times, we might experience a combination of challenges and opportunities to be grateful. How do we integrate the two?
How can gratitude change our lives for the better? How to practice it in an authentic way?
Veronica Brejan has a story of burnout. Coming from a corporate environment, she has a history of working so hard that her whole body was in pain. When you are in that state, she says, it can feel impossible to start a meditation practice.
What did she do instead?
She practiced gratitude for 1 minute/say.
That led to a journey that shifted her life completely.
Now she is coaching entrepreneurs and business people to integrate mindfulness and leadership.
Listen to the whole episode and leave a comment for me know that you were here!
🎄 Veronica has a Christmas gift: a FREE mindfulness practice for everyone! If you are taking some time for yourself make sure you take some time off and slow down. You can find here 3 meditations and 5 breathing practices - thank you, Vero, that is so generous! 🎄
https://neuromindfulness.thinkific.com/courses/neuromindfulness-mindfulnesspractices
Follow Veronica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-brejan-emba-209b401/
NeuroMindfulness Website: https://neuromindfulnessinstitute.com/
100 Days of Gratitude Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807650029594853
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro. Getting to know Veronica
05:40 – Is gratitude possible when we are in pain?
08:15 - Why is family so triggering?
09:23 – Veronica’s story of divorce and burnout
12:35 – Burnout story
15:30 – How Vero shifted her life with gratitude
22:12 – NeuroMindfulness Institute - A journey of business and family
24:35 – Myths about gratitude
28:55 – What happens in our brain when we practice gratitude?
39:39 – How to handle negativity bias
48:19 – Motherhood and gratitude
55:44 – Challenges in the business world
1:02:50 – Expressing and receiving gratitude
1:07:31 – How you can connect with Vero
12/20/2022 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 22 seconds
14: Developing mental fitness with Eva Gruber
Do you sometimes experience the feeling of permanence when you are struggling? There is hope for healing, as long as you are in a safe space held by a specialist and using the right tools that work for you.
Eva Gruber is a Mental Fitness & Habit Change Expert, a TEDx Speaker, Lecturer, and Author.
During our conversation, she shared her unique story of healing from anorexia and depression and moving towards guiding others. Now she holds space for entrepreneurs to find balance, overcome people-pleasing and become better agents of change.
I feel so grateful for her insightful presence.
Let me know in the comments: are you struggling with depression?
Are you someone who recovered?
Let us know your story.
Useful links:
🔥 Follow Eva Gruber on LinkedIn
✅ Visit her website
✅ Follow me on Instagram
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Getting to know Eva Gruber
05:41 – What was a pivotal moment that changed everything?
07:21 – Eva’s story with anorexia
12:09 – Dealing with grief as a 6yo
23:09 – How body work shifted everything
32:19 – When did you know you started to heal?
34:12 – How did you start coaching?
40:51 – What are the struggles that you most see in entrepreneurs
45:29 – how does one heal from people pleasing?
57:15 – Mental Fitness vs. Mindfulness
1:01:07 – Short practice
1:11:11 – what would you tell your own teenage Eva?
12/13/2022 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 53 seconds
13: Cultivating inner peace in times of crisis with Pascal Morgan
Can we go through a crisis and stay grounded, even hope to thrive?
The word „crisis” is on everyone’s lips today. Whether you’re experiencing a crisis on a personal level or are concerned about some global crisis dawning upon us, you might be wondering how to access your inner resources, stay balanced, and even thrive during this time.
Pascal Morgan, my guest today, had a time in his life when he was homeless. Today, he is helping people and companies thrive as the CEO of think.speak.transform. In his 30 years career, he dealt with the thread we all have in common: a global, all-encompassing, and accelerating transformation, as well as a shared responsibility for how we shape our future.
In today’s podcast, we explore how spirituality and philosophy helped him navigate those times and how accessing our inner resources helps us navigate complexity.
Whenever I have a conversation with Pascal I just feel like time is expanding and staying in place. This podcast is no exception to the depth he is able to take things.
🔥 Follow Pascal Morgan on LinkedIn
✅ You can follow Bright Living on YouTube
✅ Follow me on Instagram
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
02:29 – Getting to know Pascal
10:13 – A story of transformation
13:20 – A life story of challenge
18:10 – Finding grounding in the chaos
21:30 – Pascal’s story of homelessness
24:35 – Spiritual Anchoring
25:28 – Navigating Internal Crisis
32:10 – Can we still thrive in times of crisis?
38:10 – Working with our energy centers
47:40 – Finding unconditional love
49:30 – Dealing with patterns
55:44 – Anger is GOOD
58:11 – When kids don’t listen
1:01:01 – How philosophy can help in times of crisis
1:11:26 – A final thought
12/6/2022 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 21 seconds
12: Personal power as a form of love
Do you feel like you have to always be nice and sweet to keep the peace, and call it „love”? Do you maybe judge yourself for setting a boundary or being firm or assertive?
I see a lot around me that expressing the fire within tends to be judged by the spiritual community as low vibration. We are sending love and light where we should be using assertiveness, personal power, and healthy boundaries. Using fire to eliminate stagnation. Our inner fire is an extremely useful tool to deal with what no longer serves us, to deal with injustice, and to know when our core values have been touched.
How to increase your inner fire - that is: your stamina, discipline, staying power, your core self-esteem?
How to create boundaries without violence?
Listen to this episode, let me know what you think in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for more!
👉 For inquiries write me an email at [email protected]
✅ Follow Bright Living on Instagram
⌚Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: How do you relate to personal power?
01:08 – Power as non-violence
2:43 – Expressing power is love
5:50 – Learning from the energy flow in our bodies
6:39 – How to set boundaries with love
9:40 – How to build an inner fire
14:32 – Exercise to embody personal power
Love,
Ema
11/29/2022 • 18 minutes, 28 seconds
11: The Ayurveda Guide to Optimal Health with Salila Sukumaran
Today we are exploring the gifts of Ayurveda and how small rituals based on natural wisdom can help us work to be more balanced, gain more energy, and treat colds.
Our first guest on the Bright Living Podcast is Salila Sukumaran, Ayurvedic Health Coach, Ayurvedic chef, and the owner of a wellness travel agency. She comes from a lineage in Kerala and is following her ancestor’s mission for her: to guide people to live more in tune with their inner nature. In today's episode, you will discover how to work with your energy body type (Vata, Kapha, Pitta), how to reduce imbalances, how to prevent and treat colds during the Winter season, three simple Ayurvedic practices anyone can do, and many more :)
✅ Follow Salila on Instagram
You can also watch our video conversation on YouTube
👉 For inquiries write me an email at [email protected]
✅ Follow Bright Living on Instagram
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: What is Ayurveda?
00:23 – About our guest
01:32 – My first experience with Ayurveda
02:59 – Welcoming Salila
05:05 – Why is Ayurveda special?
06:20 – Salila’s story with Ayurveda
08:12 – Why are people turning to Ayurveda?
10:28 – How modern life affects our energy
12:15 – Doshas – different energies expressed as body types
14:45 – Imbalances of the Vata Dosha
15:17 – Imbalances of the Pitta Dosha
16:02 - Imbalances of the Kapha Dosha
18:06 – How to approach imbalances in each energy type
23:45 – How to prevent and treat colds with Ayurveda
30:23 – 3 simple Ayurvedic practices anyone can do in winter
34:12 – How to work with Salila
Much love,
Ema
11/22/2022 • 38 minutes, 24 seconds
10: The value of optimism in difficult times
In difficult times, it may be challenging to think about the future(s) in an optimal way.
We may either become too pessimistic, consuming our energy by overprotecting ourselves, or become too naive by avoiding the neccesary structures of our lives.
What is radical optimism and how may one go about practicing it?
How do prepare for the best, while having an alternative for the rest?
Listen to this episode to find out.
🟠 Follow me on Instagram.
🟠 Discover breathing practices on our Youtube channel.
⌚ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:29 – The concept of „Futures”
03:29 – Hopefulness vs. radically optimism
06:18 – How to trust the universe AND take action
09:29 – Fear vs. discernment
09:50 – Survive vs. thrive
12:46 – How do you plan for the best future?
14:35 – Imagination exercise
Thank you for being here and make sure to subscribe!
Love,
Ema
11/15/2022 • 16 minutes, 6 seconds
09: Intuition - A guide to listening to your true self
Is it intuition? Is it fear, or instinct? How do we know and what’s the difference?
In today’s episode, I will help you learn to differentiate between your intuition and your fear, between your intuition and instinct and I will guide you through an exercise to connect with your intuition.
Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly episodes!
How connected do you feel with your intuition? Let me know in the comments.
🟠 Follow me on Instagram.
🟠 Discover breathing practices on our Youtube channel.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
1:15 – What is intuition and what is it not?
1:54 - What value does intuition bring?
3:21 – Intuition vs. Instinct/Gut feeling
8:10 – Discerning intuition from other inner voices
9:21 – Intuition vs. fear
19:25 – How is intuition life’s ally?
19:45 – Intuition and brain waves
22:00 – Meditation to access your intuition
11/8/2022 • 29 minutes, 3 seconds
08: How breathwork can change your life
In today’s episode, we are exploring the relationship between our breath and our health.
So much is connected to the way we breathe: our sleep, our immune system, our heart rate, and our capacity to regulate stress. Discover my story of healing from asthma and other chronic conditions and learn how to work with your breath for better overall health.
Follow me on Instagram.
Discover breathing practices on our Youtube channel.
RESOURCES
Go ahead and read: ”Breath” by James Nestor
Go ahead and listen to Huberman Lab’s episode on Breathing for Mental and Physical Health performance
11/1/2022 • 23 minutes, 7 seconds
07: How to stop being always tired
In today’s episode, we tackle the main reasons why you might feel tired all the time, even when you think you are taking active steps in resting.
Today we are covering the role of the nervous system in resting, emotional and subconscious factors, as well as how to rest deeply and overcome the need to solve problems all the time.
Stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe!
You can listen to the episode on Apple or Google Podcasts, but also on our YouTube Channel.
10/25/2022 • 15 minutes, 18 seconds
06: Four limiting beliefs in your meditation practice
Welcome back, dear friend!
In today’s episode, we explore the main limiting beliefs around starting a meditation practice, and ways to overcome them.
In my work with clients, I get these questions all the time:
How do I know if I am patient/calm enough to start meditating?
How do I know if meditation is for me?
What should happen during meditation? Did I have a good-enough experience?
If you find yourself making judgments about yourself around meditation, if you find yourself not knowing whether your meditation practice was a „success” or not, this episode is for you.
Allow yourself to let go of any expectations and enjoy the process!
Thank you for being here and make sure to subscribe to receive even more content like this.
Don't forget that you can listen to the episode on Apple or Google Podcasts, but also on our YouTube Channel.
Love,
Ema
10/18/2022 • 10 minutes, 13 seconds
05: Why is meditation such an empowering tool
In today’s episode, we cover what makes meditation such an empowering tool.
In my experience of over 8 years of working with people in their empowerment, I have seen how meditation has been incredibly important to me as an individual. In this episode, I cover the main scientific aspects of how meditation transforms us, based on studies, as well as why it helps access our main resources, thus empowering us.
Listen and discover how meditation can help you shift your state.
• What is your experience with meditation?
• Do you love it?
• If not, why?
Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe!
You can also listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrightLiving
Love, Ema
10/12/2022 • 12 minutes, 32 seconds
04: Myths about Spirituality
Welcome back to the Bright Living podcast! In today’s episode, we explore the most common myths around spirituality that I have encountered in my work and what it means to be on a spiritual journey. A spiritual evolution – not enlightenment - doesn’t mean for you to let go of your humanity, your emotions, fierceness, or discernment.
Let me know in the comments: what of these myths have you found within yourself or others?
Make sure you subscribe to this podcast so that you don’t miss any episodes!
9/13/2022 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
03: How to build a practice that sticks
Welcome to another episode of the Bright Living Podcast!
Today we are having a conversation on how to build a healing practice that sticks and works for you.
How many times did you say „I want to start a Yoga/meditation/journaling practice” or take up any good habit, just to abandon it a few days later?
Practice is the foundation of our becoming, and to make it work for us is essential.
Unfortunately, it can happen that limiting beliefs are keeping us away from our practice.
Let’s explore together 5 reasons why you are unconsciously sabotaging your practice and how to counteract them.
Learn to love your own practice and the everyday steps towards your wellbeing. Your body and mind will reward you greatly!
Let me know in the comments: what is your practice, or the practice you would like to take up?
You can also listen to Bright Living Podcast on YouTube.
Love,
Ema
8/9/2022 • 31 minutes, 51 seconds
02: My story of healing
Welcome to the 2nd episode of the Bright Living podcast!
In today’s episode, I am sharing with you my story of how I healed from asthma, how I became a Yoga teacher even though I have no history with sports, and how I switched careers to dedicate to my life’s mission.
I am sharing this because I want you to know where I am coming from and what compels me to share this content. Thank you so much for receiving this story. I feel supported already just by your presence.
Please use the comment section and share with me: What is your story? What do our stories have in common?
Don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss any episodes!
Also, you can comment on YouTube and listen to the episode there!
Love,
Ema
8/2/2022 • 18 minutes, 40 seconds
01: Welcome!
Welcome to the first ever recorded episode from the Bright Living Podcast. I'm thrilled to start this journey of inspiration and insight with you!
This will be a space where I share wisdom and practices of my own life in the hope to inspire and connect you with your inner voice. Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and living a luminous life are just a few topics that I will address here.
This means we are building this podcast together, so feel free to suggest topics and questions you'd like me to address.
If you want to find out more about me or drop me a message, here are some links:
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
If you find this podcast worth sharing, don't hesitate to tell your friends about it!
Thank you!