To connect with Meghan:salon website: www.alainn.orginstagram + tiktok:  @alainnsalonBioI’m a Libra who finds inspiration through music and art. I truly believe that music sets the tone and have curated an eclectic mix from the Talking Heads to Arcade Fire. You’ll find cool artwork throughout the salon from my many adventures. Every picture has a story.  I love hearing about your fur babies for I bring my pup Casey to the salon. I also have Milo "the fat cat"  and Maisey "the baby" kitten who happily stay home. You’ll also hear me mention my two sisters and 3 nephews from time to time. Family rocks! Certified as a Reiki Master and Embeautyment Practitioner, I’m a huge self care advocate. I practice yoga, meditation and tarot cards. I believe in gratitude lists, mindfulness, acupuncture, massage and will talk to you about all the things.  I feel truly grateful to be my own boss and do what I love every day. I love  inspiring my clients and bringing out their inner beauty. I incorporate Reiki into all of my services. I like to call it hair therapy ;)

To connect with Genine, visitwww.empress-empires.comhttps://www.instagram.com/genine_howardGenine Howard is an extraordinary transformational leader who embarked on a remarkable journey from magazine publishing to guiding others in building successful businesses. With a unique approach, she merges the profound wisdom of her inner feminine essence with astute masculine strategies to deliver transformative results.Drawing upon her wealth of experience, Genine empowers individuals to unlock their true potential and build thriving businesses. Her teachings go beyond traditional methods, incorporating deep inner wisdom and intuition to create a harmonious blend of feminine energy and strategic thinking.With Genine as your guide, you'll discover the power of embracing both your intuitive feminine nature and the practical masculine elements of business. By integrating these aspects, you will gain invaluable insights, develop sustainable strategies, and unlock the doors to profound personal and professional growth.Genine Howard is a trailblazer in bridging the gap between inner wisdom and strategic business-building. Through her guidance, you'll learn to harness the transformative power within you, creating a path to success that is both aligned with your feminine essence and grounded in smart, practical strategies. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey that will revolutionize your approach to business and lead you to unparalleled success.

To connect with Ingereikidiscovery.orgInstagram @ingeheals

Amanda Boekhout aka DIVINEFEM is an artist, yogi, mama, friend, lover, sister, frequency enthusiast, and universal traveler.  She creates artwork and experiences as offerings to the divine.  Her artwork, symbols, movement, and mindfulness practices serve to activate the divinity within.  She has been a practicing artist for over 20 years and continues to explore, experiment, and find surprises with her work!   Amanda has a Masters of Fine Art from Florida State University (2012) and has seven years of experience teaching art at the college level.  She is certified in Soul Painting mentorship and offers several magical workshops, retreats, and online courses merging creativity and connection to bliss. She is also a certified yoga instructor and offers weekly intuitive flow classes to her community.For updates about upcoming courses, workshops, sales, musings, passion projects, and frequency please join her mailing list here.To see everyday art and inspiration, find Amanda on Instagram. 

To connect with Alexandra, visithealeralexandra.com @healeralexandra on IG Alexandra is on a mission to raise the vibration of our collective consciousness. As an Energy Healer and Spiritual Advisor, she uses the tools of psychedelic medicine and integration, mindfulness practices such as meditation and breathwork, and the metaphysical practice of Reiki to help heal the mind, body, and soul. Through her self-healing journey to overcome developmental trauma and anxiety, along with a profound spiritual transformation, she was prepared and called to be a channel of healing for others. She embraces clients with compassionate understanding to help them tap into their higher selves and live more fulfilled lives. Alexandra has worked with hundreds of clients in group and individual settings. Previously she was an Integration Guide at Mindbloom and the Director of Patient Experience at Wonder Sciences. She is double Reiki Master certified by the International Center for Reiki Training. Her other training includes a 400-hour mentorship with Shipibo Shamans, Fluence Introduction to Ketamine, Heart Coherence Healing, and Psychic and Medium Development. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology, and has a B.A. in journalism.In addition to her professional work, Alexandra is passionate about increasing access to holistic wellness and supporting BIPOC and marginalized communities. Her philanthropic endeavors include leading mindfulness workshops and leadership advising for Vista Del Mar, a non-profit providing trauma-informed care and mental health services to the most vulnerable children and families in Southern California. She believes that by healing ourselves and raising consciousness, we improve the wellbeing of the planet and all its inhabitants.

To connect with Imogen, visitWebsite: beyondimogen.comEmail: [email protected]: endofseeking.substack.comYouTube: youtube.com/beyondimogenFacebook: facebook.com/beyondimogenInstagram: instagram.com/beyondimogen

Yolanda Neals-Kindred, now known spiritually as Oriola Esuleke, is a Holistic Healing Curator, Author, and Social Entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. She started her career under the tutelage of Iyanla Vanzant and has since made significant strides in holistic healing and community empowerment. As MhoganiPearl, she co-authored "Dear Yvette: Shattered Fairytales," reflecting her journey of self-love and overcoming childhood abuse. Yolanda's efforts in addressing trauma and ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) gained national recognition during the Obama Administration.Known for her honest and relatable approach, she has become an inspiration, especially in urban communities. Facing challenges as a military veteran, including sexual trauma, homelessness and single parenthood, she founded The Kindred Healing Center in Atlanta, a wellness center serving urban and veteran communities.Yolanda is dedicated to creating sacred healing spaces and promoting holistic healthcare for personal development and professional empowerment.Oriola is married to Dr. Rhonda Kindred and they share 2 adult children and 4 grandchildren. They are also proud owners of The Kindred Healing Center which is a 6,000 sq ft wellness center in the City of Atlanta.You can learn more about The Kindred Healing Center at www.KindredHealingCenter.com or by calling 470-771-0563.

To connect with Jolie, visithttps://www.jolienan.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jolienan.coachAbout JolieWhen I was 49 years old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Within the same year I lost my dad to cancer, became an empty nester, and felt completely lost on how to move forward. After fighting anxiety for most of my adult life, this perfect storm sent me steeply over the edge. The unbearable stress forced me to look beyond my typical coping mechanisms, invest in help, and try to reconnect with the strength I used to have within me.  I tried talk therapy and anti-anxiety medication, but the results didn’t last. I dabbled in traditional meditation as a desperate attempt to self-soothe, and though it wasn’t a perfect solution, I could feel a small shift begin. I was healing, slowly, and found energy to keep exploring.After lots of research and lots of attempts, I eventually found a sustainable solution that worked while feeling wonderful: Mantra Meditation. I came to realize that none of the previous modalities were impactful because the FOUNDATION of Mantra Meditation and a regulated nervous system were missing. This daily meditation practice with somatic exercises infused throughout the day allows me to calm my body and quiet my mind within minutes, no matter the circumstances. I feel more myself than ever, and after years of chronic worry, my future now feels exciting and bright.Mantra Meditation and somatic practices transformed my life so completely, I’m committed to sharing the power of these practices with other women to unlock the same transformation within you.

To connect with Kai Shanti, visithttps://www.kaishanti.com/Instagram @angeloflightmeditation

To connect with Christine Marie, visitwww.christinemarieheals.comwww.instagram.com/christinemariehealsChristine Marie is a Ceremonial Medicine Woman who specializes in holding safe and sacred spaces for healing and transformation through plant spirit facilitation, shamanic reiki healing, and spoken-word sound journeying. Additionally, she has a Bachelors in Nursing (BSN) and is a published author who has years of experience in helping men and women heal from C-PTSD, physical ailments, toxic relationships, and disempowerment.Two years into her nursing field, she realized the limitations that western medicine had to offer in treating the root cause of emotional and physical disease. As she began to heal herself through holistic modalities and plant medicine, she felt the call to bridge the gap between western and holistic health by opening up her own private practice.Her history in western medicine combined with her knowledge in alternative therapies offers you the experience of feeling safe and sovereign in your freedom of self-expression and healing.Christine Marie's personal survivorship from abuse, neglect and body violation deeply shifted when she started to reclaim her voice and power while working within non-ordinary states of consciousness. She has made it her life's mission to support you in discovering emotional, physical, and spiritual wholeness and well-being. 

To learn more about Ronni and Jennie and their work, visithttps://www.heartandsoulsisters.netTheir book,  Healing Begins with Us: Breaking the Cycle of Trauma and Abuse and Rebuilding the Sibling Bond (HeartWisdom LLC, April 5, 2022), shares their inspiring and hopeful story of healing from their painful upbringing.They are sharing their story now to help heal the shame that they have carried as survivors of trauma, and to contribute to healing the hearts of others who have struggled in similar ways. To them healing is not about changing, or becoming someone "different" or "better"---it's about becoming more fully who they are: a spark of The Divine, connected to All, here to assist each other as our souls explore this existence and learn to love and live in peace.Ronni Tichenor has a PhD in sociology, specializing in family studies, from the University of Michigan.Jennie Weaver received her degree from the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience in family practice and mental health. 

To connect with Eva:IG: @MsEvaPaynewww.flowliferetreat.comwww.evapayne.com

To connect with Magdalena, visithttps://magdalenasabatino.comhttps://www.instagram.com/magdalena.sabatino/A link to my book,  Hardship and Bliss: Reflections for Mothers Who Seek ConnectionMagdalena Sabatino is an artist, holistic counselor and creative guide. Aftermany years of searching, she has finally arrived at the sweet spot, wheretwo of her biggest passions for creativity and healing meet, unite, andconstantly enrich each other.As a young woman, she had an insatiable thirst for understanding why weare the way we are, which propelled her onto an educational journey inhuman psychology and personal growth. It started in Warsaw, Poland,where she entered her Master’s degree in Psychology and ended inNewport, Rhode Island, where she earned her Master’s degree in HolisticCounseling from Salve Regina University.As an artist, she follows her intuitive urges and tries to focus more on thecreative experience rather than the final product. Her art practice is alsoher meditative and spiritual practice, during which she attempts to connectto something bigger than herself. As she lets go of control, takes risks oncanvas, and trusts the creative process, her pieces emerge into what theywish to become. Usually, into whimsical, colorful, intuitive, and abstractimages inspired by nature and feminine energy.As a counselor, she guides her clients back to their holistic wellness. Shehelps them understand that they are multidimensional beings with layers ofphysical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects to themselves. Thefoundation of her work is healing the wounded inner child and assisting herclients in recognizing how this wounding affected their lives. She believesthat wholeness is not cutting off a portion of one’s being, but it is theintegration of all aspects of oneself, even the broken, imperfect ones, thatcreates a true, whole human being.It is her absolute pleasure to gather people together for transformativeexperiences. She enjoys creating workshops and retreats during whichparticipants have a chance to reconnect with their creativity and heal theirwounded parts along the way. She is in the process of creating her firstonline course “Emotional processing through art journaling”.

To connect with Jessica, visithttps://www.thebroodalist.comInstagram@[email protected]

To learn more about Susi's new book, The Centered Heart, that will be released April 2nd,visit YourCenteredHeart.comSusi Amendola, author of “The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based Mind Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health” is an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist who brings over 40 years of experience utilizing Yoga and lifestyle practices to help others heal.In 1983 she founded Yoga Now in Omaha, Nebraska where she currently teaches classes and directs the annual 200-Hour Yoga Certification program. Susi has developed yoga-based stress management programs for schools, businesses, and hospitals throughout the country.Presently, Susi is a National Senior Trainer of Stress Management for the prestigious Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program for reversing heart disease. The program includes Yoga as part of a multi-dimensional approach to healing, and is covered by Medicare under the guidelines of Intensive Cardiac Rehab. Susi has contributed over 150 articles to Ornish Living Magazine , an online publication to support those who are making lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being, with an audience of over a million subscribers.With her expertise in both the ancient practices of Yoga and the medical world, Susi’s teachings and classes are unlike anything else you will find. Her teaching style is heart-centered, nurturing, practical, and empowering. She continues to practice, teach and inspire others to listen deeply to the healer within.

To learn more about Susi's new book, The Centered Heart, that will be released April 2nd, visit YourCenteredHeart.comSusi Amendola, author of “The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based Mind Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health” is an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist who brings over 40 years of experience utilizing Yoga and lifestyle practices to help others heal.In 1983 she founded Yoga Now in Omaha, Nebraska where she currently teaches classes and directs the annual 200-Hour Yoga Certification program. Susi has developed yoga-based stress management programs for schools, businesses, and hospitals throughout the country.Presently, Susi is a National Senior Trainer of Stress Management for the prestigious Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program for reversing heart disease. The program includes Yoga as part of a multi-dimensional approach to healing, and is covered by Medicare under the guidelines of Intensive Cardiac Rehab. Susi has contributed over 150 articles to Ornish Living Magazine , an online publication to support those who are making lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being, with an audience of over a million subscribers.With her expertise in both the ancient practices of Yoga and the medical world, Susi’s teachings and classes are unlike anything else you will find. Her teaching style is heart-centered, nurturing, practical, and empowering. She continues to practice, teach and inspire others to listen deeply to the healer within.

To learn more about Jonathan and his work, visithttps://findinghappiness.comTo learn more about his latest book,  The Enlightenment Project: How I Went From Depressed to Blessed, and You Can Too, visithttps://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/260334Jonathan Robinson is a psychotherapist, best-selling author of ten books, and a professional speaker from Northern California. He has reached over 200 million people around the world with his practical methods, and his work has been translated into 47 languages. His work has appeared in Newsweek, USA TODAY, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as dozens of other publications. In addition, Mr. Robinson has made numerous appearances on the Oprah show and CNN, as well as other national TV talk shows. He has spent more than thirty years studying the most practical and powerful methods for personal and professional development.Mr. Robinson’s first book, “The Experience of God,” included interviews with such notable people as the late Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, and Dr. Wayne Dyer. Jonathan’s second book, “The Little Book of Big Questions,” became a New York Times bestseller, as did his book “Communication Miracles for Couples.” Mr. Robinson’s other books include: Instant Insight; Real Wealth; Shortcuts to Bliss; Shortcuts to Success, The Complete Idiots Guide to Awakening Your Spirituality, and Find Happiness Now.Jonathan speaks regularly to Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Microsoft, Dell, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and FedEx/Kinko’s. In his public talks and workshops, Jonathan is known for providing his audiences with powerful and immediately useful information in a fun and entertaining manner.

The Mindful Evolution Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themindfulevolutionFree Workshop: January 2nd 5pm MST (replay will be available)  https://www.leahdrew.com/awareness-seeker-workshopWebsite: https://www.leahdrew.com/Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindbodywithleah

For more information about Zoe, visit https://www.zoejoncheere.comFind Zoe’s YouTube channel here.Zoe gave up her house and her teaching job as a linguist, to fully live her life as a dance. She lives where she works or where people welcome her. Traveling and speaking many languages seem to be part of that dance. As she doesn’t have any thoughts about who she is and who she should be, she completely surrenders to the present moment. The present moment is her only permanent companion, her beloved traveling guide, and biggest inspiration in working with people.“It is my wish to inspire people to live their life in the light of the present moment, to transcend the level of the mind and its endless thoughts, and remember who they truly are.”Zoe mostly draws from her own direct spiritual experience. She is also inspired by Advaita Vedanta (non-duality), Sufism (the ultimate reality is Love) and Tantrism (masculine and feminine energy come together in oneness).  She writes articles in two Dutch magazines* and shares her inspiration in the newsletters you find on this website. In 2010 Zoe had her first opening. One night she woke up bursting out laughing.  ‘Living as God!’ she said. She realized that believing her thoughts was her only problem.  ‘If I don’t believe my thoughts, I become totally available for Life/God to live through this body …’ The next morning she started writing and two weeks later she finished the book Living as God. It is still available in Dutch and in English.** Nobody’s Dance seems to be the sequel to Living as God. “Back then there was a lot of mental clarity, now there is a much deeper experience of that reality that is Love.”“When we become unattached to our stories, past and future and other fantasies, we become transparent. We remember our true nature and become available for life to dance through us. Our life becomes a Nobody’s Dance.”Zoe is a  citizen of Belgium but the world is her home. Zoe offers private sessions in person when possible. She also works through online private sessions. The energy doesn’t care about distance. She is fluent in Dutch, English and French, and also uses Italian and German to talk to people.* The magazines she writes articles for are Inzicht and Vruchtbare Aarde. **Ed.Samsara (Amsterdam)

A hint........it's not me creating the space.....instead, the space gets created on it's own as I continue to practice paying attention to what I am thinking and reacting however I am reacting.

About Christy:Hey, I’m Christy Freddo, owner of Best Life Mindset. I would love to help you completely transform your life using strategies I personally used with great success! In 2011, in a span of six months, I freed myself from the gilded cage that was my high-paying, glamorous but horribly toxic corporate job that everyone envied, left a decade old abusive marriage to a seemingly charming man everyone loved and finally admitted to myself I was an alcoholic and got sober after 20 years of hardcore drinking. Within two years, I had my own profitable business that allowed me to financially continue the lifestyle I had with my corporate job, had met a wonderful, kind man who I would later blend a beautiful family with and had permanently swapped cocktails for yoga without ever looking back. It’s my heart’s greatest desire to help others create their best life, too! Join me!  For your free “Create Your Best Life” ebook, go to:https://keap.app/contact-us/6430519435464693To download your free “Reinvention Roadmap” guided workbook, go to:Bestlifemindset.comFollow us on socials for tips and inspiration :Facebook: Best Life MindsetInstagram: @best.life.mindsetQuestions: Contact Christy directly at [email protected]

About Christy:Hey, I’m Christy Freddo, owner of Best Life Mindset. I would love to help you completely transform your life using strategies I personally used with great success! In 2011, in a span of six months, I freed myself from the gilded cage that was my high-paying, glamorous but horribly toxic corporate job that everyone envied, left a decade old abusive marriage to a seemingly charming man everyone loved and finally admitted to myself I was an alcoholic and got sober after 20 years of hardcore drinking. Within two years, I had my own profitable business that allowed me to financially continue the lifestyle I had with my corporate job, had met a wonderful, kind man who I would later blend a beautiful family with and had permanently swapped cocktails for yoga without ever looking back. It’s my heart’s greatest desire to help others create their best life, too! Join me!  For your free “Create Your Best Life” ebook, go to:https://keap.app/contact-us/6430519435464693To download your free “Reinvention Roadmap” guided workbook, go to:Bestlifemindset.comFollow us on socials for tips and inspiration :Facebook: Best Life MindsetInstagram: @best.life.mindsetQuestions: Contact Christy directly at [email protected]

To learn more about Whitney and her work and to peruse her online studio, visit https://whitneyfreyastudio.comHer book, Rise Above, Free Your Mind One Brush Stroke at a Time is now available at amazon.com Whitney Freya provides practical tools and practices that help people learn to live as a Life Artist and free their minds from beliefs about limitations and scarcity so that they can create more in their lives that light them up from the inside out.

Angie Hooper is the founder of Happy at Law and creator of The Forgiveness Path and the Happy at Life HABIT. She shows her clients how to break free from being stuck in a "grudge loop" through the step-by-step process of forgiveness. She teaches executives, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and leaders how to find their confidence, break free from the "suck it up buttercup" burnout cycle, and burnout-proof their businesses and careers.Angie is a founding contributor to the Onest Network. Her show, The Leadership HABIT can be found on the Onest Network, streaming on Roku and Fire TV. She graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law and the UTA honors program, licensed to practice law in Oklahoma and Texas, and is a Certified Professional Coach, a COR.E Performance Dynamics Specialist, and an ICF-certified coach.https://angiehooper.com/apply to book a free intro coaching call to see if it's a fit to work with Angiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-hooper-jd-cpc/https://www.pinterest.com/angiehoopercoaching/https://www.instagram.com/angiehoopercoaching/https://www.linkedin.com/company/angiehoopercoaching/https://www.facebook.com/happyatlife/

To learn more about Mark and his new book, Zen and the Art of Dealing with Difficult People, visithttps://markwestmoquette.co.ukMark works with people to help them connect their inner and outer universe to uncover the wonder and awe of being in every moment.As an astrophysicist and Zen teacher and ordained Zen monk, he offers a unique method of embodied practice based on science and research, which will encourage people to find a deep connection with the cosmos.In 2019, he gave up his life of teaching courses and workshops in yoga, mindfulness and Zen to move with his wife to the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic for a two-year adventure that involved writing this bookIn his new book, Zen and the Art of Dealing with Difficult People, he stresses that by bringing awareness and kindness to these relationships will naturally shift them into something much broader and more inclusive. The result is a helpful book with a positive and helpful message: we can take a new perspective on the people who cause us pain.

Shelly Tygielski is the author of Sit Down to Rise Up and founder of the global grassroots mutual aid organization Pandemic of Love.  Her work has been featured by over 100 media outlets, including CNN Heroes, The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. A trauma-mindfulness teacher and a Garrison Institute Fellow, she has been called one of the “12 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement” by Mindful.org and teaches self-care and resilience at organizations around the world.Visit her online at http://www.shellytygielski.com. Link to her book’s product page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1608687449Shelly's  social media links:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mindfulskatergirl   Facebook Personal: http://www.facebook.com/shellytygielskiFacebook Professional:  http://www.facebook.com/shellymeditationTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/shellytygielskiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bentleyangelLinked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellymindfulness/ABOUT HER BOOKThe practice of mindfulness is most often touted for its profound mind, body, and spirit benefits. In Sit Down to Rise Up, self-care activist Shelly Tygielski shows that mindfulness can also be a powerful tool for spurring transformative collective action.“The premise of this book,” Shelly states, “is fairly simple: When we are interconnected, when one of us heals, we all heal.”Organized in three sections—Me, We, and Us—SIT DOWN TO RISE UP  sheds light on:Why self-care — a commitment to taking an active role in safeguarding our mental and physical wellness — isn’t self-centered but truly a selfless act — and ways to expand our view of the “self” to include our family, community, human beings across the globe, and the natural world.How we are each born with a sense of agency — the ability to rise up, assert ourselves, and become an agent for social change, regardless of our circumstances — and ways to uncover and nurture that seed within us.     Why positive thinking as a consistent habit is downright impossible — and how to find simple, unconditional happiness that is not in opposition to negative experiences through conscious action and connection with othersWhy self-care — a commitment to taking an active role in safeguarding our mental and physical wellness — isn’t self-centered but truly a selfless act — and ways to expand our view of the “self” to include our family, community, human beings across the globe, and the natural worldThe power of showing up, taking baby steps, and making incremental change — and an arsenal of tools to help anyone create circles of influence for serving others and doing good, sparking a ripple effect that continues to reverberate and inspire people of all types everywhere.Why we urgently need to extinguish the stigma attached to asking for help and support the concept and reality of equity, how to set up your own mutual aid network…and more.

To connect with Michael and to learn more about Casa Galactica, visitwww.casagalactica.comTo learn more about their 10-Day Ayahuasca Healing & Evolution Retreats, visitwww.casagalactica.com/ayahuasca-retreats-pisac-peruMichael Thornhill, is co-founder of Casa Galactica in Peru. Michael is a trauma-informed plant spirit healer, professional channel and non-dual teacher. Recovering from addiction, trauma and abuse have been a big part of Michael's own healing journey. He now dedicates his life to helping others heal themselves.Casa Galactica offer Ayahuasca Healing and Evolution Retreats, online private sessions and group programs for dedicated inner-truth seekers and multidimensional healers.

To learn more about Dr. Rogers and her work, visithttps://korumindfulness.org/about/teamTo learn more about Koru Mindfulness, visithttps://korumindfulness.orgTo learn more about her books, visithttps://korumindfulness.org/the-mindful-twenty-something-life-skills-to-handle-stress-everything-else/https://korumindfulness.org/about-the-book/

To learn more about Nanci and her work with Collaborative Divorce and promoting peaceful divorce practices, visithttps://nancismithlaw.comTo learn more about her book, Untangling Your Marriage, visithttps://nancismithlaw.com/book

To learn more about Jessica and her life journey, visitInstagram @mytruth.mystoryfacebook @mytruth.mystorytiktok @mytruth.mystoryTo connect with Jessica directlyemail: [email protected]

To learn more about Beth, her life journey, and her work, visithttps://bethbell.meTo learn more about Beth's recently released book, visitAngels, Herpes and Psychedelics: Unraveling the Mind to Unveil IllusionsTo listen to a free reading by Beth of the first 2 chapters of the book, visithttps://bethbell.me/aboutABOUT BETHA rising sales star turned marketing executive, Beth Bell spent more than 16 years leading strategic brand planning and more for the pharmaceutical industry.  But somewhere between C-level meetings and marketplace assessments,Beth began listening more closely to the world around — and within — her.  What she heard led her eventually to ditch her corporate life to pursue her life’s purpose of “pollinating the planet with love.”As her inward journey deepened, Beth became known as the “Flower Whisperer” and forged new paths — first as an entrepreneur designing silver jewelry in Bali, then as a radio/TV show host and author.  Additionally, she’s a multi-dimensional advisor for CEOs and psychedelic pharmaceutical companies.  Beth currently lives in America with her rescue dog, Lily.

To learn more about Dr. Ron and his work, visithttps://ronaldalexander.comTo learn more about Dr. Ron's recently released book, Core Creativity: The Mindful Way To Unlock Your Creative Self, visithttps://ronaldalexander.com/core-creativityRonald A. Alexander, PhD, MFT, SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) is a Creativity and Communication Consultant, and an Executive and Leadership Coach, with a private psychotherapy practice working with individuals, couples, families, and groups in Santa Monica, California. He is the Executive Director of the OpenMind® Training Institute, a leading-edge organization that offers personal and professional training programs in core creativity, mind-body therapies, transformational leadership, and mindfulness meditation. For more than forty-four years, Alexander has been a trainer of healthcare professionals in North America, as well as in Europe, Russia, Japan, China, and Australia. As a Mindfulness and Zen Buddhist practitioner, he specializes in utilizing mindfulness meditation in his professional and corporate work to help people transform their lives by accessing the mind states that open the portal to their core creativity.Alexander is a leading pioneer in the fields of Mindfulness Based Mind-Body Therapies, Gestalt Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Ericksonian Mind-Body Therapies, Holistic Psychology, and Integrative and Behavioral Medicine. He is a long-time extension faculty member of the UCLA Departments of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Entertainment, a lecturer in the David Geffen School of Medicine, and an adjunct faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute and Pepperdine Universities. Alexander received his SEP Certificate from the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute in Boulder Colorado. He consulted with and received treatment from Milton H Erickson MD. He personally trained with Ernest Rossi and Steven Gilligan in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy as well as with Daniel P. Brown of the Harvard Medical Cambridge Hospital professional training’s seminars in hypnosis and hypno-analysis. He trained with and was certified by the Los Angeles Gestalt Therapy Institute and with Erving and Miriam Polster PhD of the Gestalt Training Center of La Jolla. He also received training and supervision in Contemporary Gestalt and Family Therapies, Psychoanalytic Self-Psychology, Relational and Object Relations Therapies.Dr. Ronald Alexander, PhD is a leading Creativity and Communication Coach, International Clinical Trainer, Executive and Leadership Coach, with a private practice in Santa Monica, California. He is the originator of the OpenMind Training® Institute, a leading edge organization that offers personal and professional training programs in mindfulness based mind-body therapies, transformational leadership, and meditation. His unique method combines ancient wisdom teachings with Leadership Coaching and Core Creativity into a comprehensive integrated, behaviorally effective mind-body program. This system combines techniques that support strategies of personal, clinical, and corporate excellence and growth.Alexander’s extensive training includes core creativity, conflict management, Gestalt therapy, leadership and organizational development, and vision and strategic planning. He pioneered the early values and vision-based models for current day leadership and professional coaching. He specializes in Mind-Body therapies and has been studying and teaching Mindfulness Meditation, Creative Visualization and Transpersonal Psychology since 1970. Alexander studied with and was influenced by noted leaders in these fields such as Ken Blanchard, Werner Erhard, Warren Bennis, Umberto Materana and Francesco Variela, and was one of the grandfathers of coaching along with Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield.

To learn more about Nina and her work, visithttps://www.ninasimons.comTo learn more about Bioneers, visithttps://bioneers.orgTo learn more about her newest book, Nature, Culture, And The Sacred: A Woman Listens For Leadership, visithttps://www.ninasimons.com/writingNina Simons is the co-founder and Chief Relationship Strategist at Bioneers, and leads its Everywoman’s Leadership program. Bioneers is a nonprofit that uses media, convening, and connecting to lift up visionary and practical solutions for many of our most pressing social and ecological challenges, using a whole-system approach. Nina is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about reinventing leadership, restoring the feminine, and co-creating a healthy, peaceful, and equitable world for all. She speaks and teaches internationally at schools, conferences, and festivals, and co-facilitates transformative workshops and retreats for women that share practices for regenerative leadership through relational mindfulness.Throughout her remarkable career spanning the nonprofit, social entrepreneurship, corporate, and philanthropic sectors, Nina has worked with nearly a thousand diverse women leaders across disciplines, race, class, age, orientation, and more to create conditions for mutual learning and leadership development.  She produces and speaks at large-scale events to work intimately to help small, diverse groups of women leaders knit together to strengthen each other’s work pursuing intersectional healing and ecological justice. Nina serves on the Advisory Council for Daughters for Earth and is a member of the Women Donors Network, Confluence Philanthropy, and Edge Funders. 2017, Nina was a recipient of the Goi Peace Award, presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward the realization of a peaceful and harmonious world. Past honorees include Bill Gates, James Lovelock, and Deepak Chopra.Her prior work includes President at Seeds of Change, which she helped grow into an emerging national brand in less than five years by using innovative approaches to public relations and community-based marketing. At Odwalla, as Director of Strategic Marketing, she grew consumer loyalty while guiding teams nationwide just after their IPO. Nina studied Theater Arts and Psychology at Cornell University. In addition to writing the first and second editions of Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership (Green Fire Press), Nina co-edited 2010’s Moonrise: The Power of Women Leading from the Heart (Park Street Press), which explores the flourishing, passionate forms of leadership emerging from women on behalf of the earth through the prism of more than 30 essays from successful women leaders.

To learn more about Melissa and about Karuna Training, visithttps://karunatraining.comMelissa Moore Ph.D. Steward of the North American Karuna training since 2014, and co-founded Karuna Europe in 1996. Melissa has her MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and her Ph.D. in Psychological Anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.Melissa has been a student of Vajrayana Buddhism and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1979. She was the founding Director of the Felton Institute for Research and Training in San Francisco (2006–2016). She has been involved in community-based research for the most marginalized populations in California, trained front-line providers in mental health in evidence-based practices, and then researched the outcomes.Melissa is the Executive Director of Karuna Training and a lead faculty. She has taught Karuna Training in nine countries and in four states in the U.S. She lives in Denver with her dog and husband.Melissa recently published The Diamonds Within Us: Uncovering Brilliant Sanity Through Contemplative Psychology; find out more about the bookhere: https://thediamondswithinus.org

To learn more about Nathaniel and his work, visitwww.yourmeaninginlife.comThe Meaning of Life Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082RHWM63/The X-Factor: The Spiritual Secrets Behind Successful Executives & Entrepreneurs: https://www.amazon.com/X-Factor-Spiritual-Successful-Executives-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B09J45JDXG/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifetheBook/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LifetheBookPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lifethebook/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeaningoflifebookLocals: https://themeaningoflife.locals.comMinds: https://www.minds.com/lifethebook/Nathanael Garrett Novosel is a professional researcher and advisor with over 20 years of experience studying individual and group behavior. Over that time, he has researched psychology, evolutionary biology, organizational best practices, leadership decision making, business, technology, finance, and philosophy to understand how the world as we know it works and why.Nathanael spent much of his career using the insights from this research to help the world’s leading executives solve their most pressing organizational challenges and create their strategic plans. Noticing the common drivers of success in all areas of life, he decided to devote his research, problem-solving, and advisory skills to helping people live the best lives possible.

To learn more about Rachel and her work, visithttps://www.drrachelallyn.comTo learn more about her book, The Pleasure Is All Yourshttps://www.thepleasureisallyoursbook.comInstagram : @drrachelallyn     Facebook: Holistic Psychology by Rachel Allyn, PhDRachel Allyn, PhD has been a licensed holistic psychologist for 20 years specializing in mind-body medicine, relationships, and intimacy issues. She helps individuals and couples cope with their mood, life transitions, and all types of relationship challenges.As a certified yoga teacher, Dr. Allyn incorporates the body into her sessions at times and leads therapeutic mind-body workshops and retreats. She recently released a book called, The Pleasure Is All Yours: Reclaim Your Body's Bliss and Reignite Your Passion for Life. The book is based on the same topic as her 2019 TEDx talk focusing on her method of "bodyfulness," which integrates mindfulness, movement to release stress and trauma stuck in the body, and reclaiming healing healthy pleasures within a repressed, over-worked culture. Her motto is “Pleasure to the People!” When she’s not spreading this message, you can find her skiing, surfing, or singing karaoke.

To learn more about Ronni and Jennie and their work, visithttps://www.heartandsoulsisters.netTheir new book,  Healing Begins with Us: Breaking the Cycle of Trauma and Abuse and Rebuilding the Sibling Bond (HeartWisdom LLC, April 5, 2022), shares their inspiring and hopeful story of healing from their painful upbringing.They are sharing their story now to help heal the shame that they have carried as survivors of trauma, and to contribute to healing the hearts of others who have struggled in similar ways. To them healing is not about changing, or becoming someone "different" or "better"---it's about becoming more fully who they are: a spark of The Divine, connected to All, here to assist each other as our souls explore this existence and learn to love and live in peace.Ronni Tichenor has a PhD in sociology, specializing in family studies, from the University of Michigan.Jennie Weaver received her degree from the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience in family practice and mental health. 

To request video file in order to see the Tao calligraphy and the notes that Dr. Sha shares, please email [email protected] Zhi Gang Sha is a Tao grandmaster, healer, teacher, and author of 30 books, including 11 New York Times bestsellers and several others on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon. He has an MD degree in Western medicine from China and is also a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Master Sha has combined the essence of Western medicine with ancient wisdom to create Soul Mind Body Medicine®, Master Sha’s Soul Healing®, and Tao teachings to help humanity. He is a grandmaster of several Asian arts and in 2002 was named Qigong Master of the Year at the Fourth World Congress on Qigong. With the creation of Tao Calligraphy, he received the highest honors a Chinese calligrapher can receive, being appointed to the position of National Chinese Calligrapher Master as well as Honorable Researcher Professor by the State Ethnic Academy of Painting in Beijing, China.For more information, visit www.tappingthesource.org"Tapping the Source" is an online science and spirituality summit premiering on July 16 that will be held quarterly for the remainder of 2022 and beyondQuarterly Held Event Targeting Spirituality and Science Will Help People Navigate Unprecedented Challenges of 2022As millions of Americans continue to grapple with strife in their daily lives caused by a continuing global pandemic, a looming economic recession, lingering social injustices, upsetting political upheavals, and heartbreaking events including deadly mass shootings and fighting in Europe unseen since World War II, a diverse cross section of the world's leading spiritual and wellness icons, humanitarians, philanthropists, philosophers and physicists are launching a series of events to raise awareness about the science of spirituality and help people navigate the unprecedented challenges of 2022.Responding to an overwhelming need for mental health and wellbeing, and as millions of people are meditating and seeking inner peace, "Tapping The Source" will offer conversations with experts sharing their original discoveries and insights about the science of spirituality. With their own unique perspectives, each panelist will explain how every person has the power to transform their own reality and also have a dramatic impact on the world. This is a rare chance to expand the public's understanding of complex sciences and connect with deeper, underlying sources of life.100% of proceeds of all future online event will support The Chopra Foundation, The Love Peace Harmony Foundation, and the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research, a range of community-serving non-profits established by the program speakers.Tapping the Source is an initiative by Universal Soul Service Corp.

To learn more about Deborah, visithttps://www.deborahedentull.comHer newest book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, is available for pre-order and will be released by Shambhala Publications in September 2022.DEBORAH EDEN TULL, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, teaches the integration of compassionate awareness into every aspect of our lives,  bridging personal and collective awakening in an age of global change. She is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator, who teaches dharma intertwined with post-patriarchal thought and practices, resting upon a lived knowledge of our unity with the more than human world.. She trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years. Eden has lived in sustainable communities and as an organic gardener/farmer for decades and celebrates the essential wisdom of nature . Eden’s teaching emphasizes the spiritual, interpersonal, transpersonal, societal, ecological, and global impacts of engaged awareness practice. She has worked with a wide range of audiences, from dharma students and people wanting to cultivate more compassion in their lives, to concerned citizens and activists, parents, schools, corporations,, inner city youth and people who are incarcerated.   Eden has a special gift for facilitating mindful inquiry, fierce compassion, and relational intelligence. She weaves dharma with her embodiment of animism, deep ecology, shadow work, and conscious movement/dance, to help people release limiting beliefs and collective biases that have been passed down over generations. She draws upon her own experience of navigating loss, illness, and trauma, guiding people to embrace the mystery and celebrate the value and alchemy of light and darkness as teachers of love.  Eden also facilitates The Work That Reconnects, as created by Buddhist scholar and eco-philosopher Joanna Macy for transforming our pain and love for our world into compassionate action, and teaches with UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. She offers experiential trainings in deep listening, relational intelligence, regenerative leadership, spiritual activism, and the deep-feminine.Eden grew up in a family of activists and artists. She has been an advocate for social justice and ecological sustainability throughout her life. After college, before becoming a Zen monastic at the age of 26,  she worked for an international non-profit focused on cultural and biological diversity and the building of local economies, while also helping to create organic gardens in low-income communities.She has been an organic gardener and farmer for decades, a visionary urban ecology project in the Arizona desert; the Zen Buddhist monastery where she trained; and in urban gardens in the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. She is certified in Permaculture Design and Bio-Intensive Organic Gardening. Eden’s work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Tricycle, Yogi Times, Shambhala Times, The Shift Network, and The Ecologist. Eden has also been teaching for UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center since 2012. She has been collaborating with Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and Cultivating Women’s Leadership, since 2012, on the topics of Relational Mindfulness: Regenerating Ourselves and Our World, and Women’s Leadership.

To learn more about Jonathan and his work, visithttps://findinghappiness.comTo learn more about his latest book,  The Enlightenment Project: How I Went From Depressed to Blessed, and You Can Too, visithttps://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/260334Jonathan Robinson is a psychotherapist, best-selling author of ten books, and a professional speaker from Northern California. He has reached over 200 million people around the world with his practical methods, and his work has been translated into 47 languages. His work has appeared in Newsweek, USA TODAY, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as dozens of other publications. In addition, Mr. Robinson has made numerous appearances on the Oprah show and CNN, as well as other national TV talk shows. He has spent more than thirty years studying the most practical and powerful methods for personal and professional development.Mr. Robinson’s first book, “The Experience of God,” included interviews with such notable people as the late Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, and Dr. Wayne Dyer. Jonathan’s second book, “The Little Book of Big Questions,” became a New York Times bestseller, as did his book “Communication Miracles for Couples.” Mr. Robinson’s other books include: Instant Insight; Real Wealth; Shortcuts to Bliss; Shortcuts to Success, The Complete Idiots Guide to Awakening Your Spirituality, and Find Happiness Now.Jonathan speaks regularly to Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Microsoft, Dell, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and FedEx/Kinko’s. In his public talks and workshops, Jonathan is known for providing his audiences with powerful and immediately useful information in a fun and entertaining manner.

TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THIS INTERVIEW, GO TO INSPIRING CONVERSATIONS PODCAST CHANNEL OR VIEW DIRECTLY AT https://youtu.be/tGufhM8VtuAJeff sits down with mindfulness and communications skills coach Brett Hill to hear about his work with clients, about how he discovered Mindfulness practice, and how he has evolved as a human being since discovering the benefits of the practice. He also reflects deeply about how he created a unique coaching practice blending mindfulness and communication skills and how this has impacted his life and those that he works with in several beneficial ways.To learn more about Brett and the unique coaching experience that he offers that blends Mindfulness and communications skills, please visit https://www.languageofmindfulness.com/ To receive a Free PDF on 8 Ways you can be more mindful in virtual meetings and to sign up for his email list, please visit https://www.languageofmindfulness.com/8ways/ In college, Brett decided that limits of what we can achieve and the quality of our lives is dependent on our ability to communicate well.  His degree in interpersonal communication combined nicely with his fascination for technology leading to a career as a technical story-teller, author, blogger, and speaker for companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and others. But he wanted to go much deeper, so he sought out the best he could find. He has had the good fortune to study Hakomi somatic psychotherapy with the founder – Ron Kurtz,  Matrix Leadership group dynamics with the founder –  Amina Knowlan,  and meditation with the late Audle Allison.   He taught meditation for several years and founded the Quest Institute in Dallas.  Other influences include martial arts, contact improvisation, and training with Gabrielle Roth As a result of this unique background, he has come to believe there no faster way to improve your communications and the quality of your life than being mindful during conversation. The Language of Mindfulness is the distillation of many years of work and inspired a TEDx talk (2021), the book and class in development.

TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THIS INTERVIEW, GO TO INSPIRING CONVERSATIONS PODCAST CHANNEL OR VIEW DIRECTLY AT https://youtu.be/0tR1VUFjutoJeff sits down with Pam Savino to hear about what her work with clients means to her at a very deep level, about formative moments in her life journey, and some important and inspiring lessons that she has learned along the way.To learn about Pam and her coaching work with clients, visithttps://liveauthentically.today/Pam founded Live Authentically to help others learn to find their voice, speak their truth and live authentically. As they go through the transformative events of life, she helps them find their truths and the inner strength to live them fully. She helps people see learning and knowledge in their challenges.She encourages her clients to let go of the ideas that are holding them back. She coaches them away from behaviors based on fear and doubt, instills a healthy level of self-confidence and love, as well as a spiritual understanding of our world.Pam believes that every person is important and valuable, and everyone deserves to live their best and most fulfilled life. Live Authentically is dedicated to helping others find their own happiness, on their terms. There is no judgment.

Full video of this episode available on Inspiring Conversations Podcast Channel On Youtube Or at https://youtu.be/3EmmNAw2OWE

When I was a childI daydreamed all the time about a present moment that didn't exist and that never came to pass.When I was a teenagerI daydreamed about a futurethat existed only in my mind and that never came to fruition.When I was an adultI gave up daydreaming and yearned constantly for "something else"I truly believed that there could be and would be a lifeoutside of the place that I felt trapped inA life that would bring fulfillment and happiness that I imagined and really believed was possible.When my ego and identity was finally shatteredWhen what I believed was "I" "died"I finally woke up from the dreamI finally saw through the illusion.Once I was awakeI could finally accept the deathI could finally accept and embrace the death of all of my illusions and delusions.Once I left my "illusion body" behindI could finally embrace and live in the here and nowI could live in the present momentA present moment that contains nothing other than what is and that leads to nothing other than other present moments.Once I let go of it allI could truly see what remainedI could truly see that this is all there isI could see that what happens next is what happens nextI could see that what happens next has nothing to do with what we want to happen nextI could see that what happens next will most likely not bring the fulfillment we seekI could see that all there really is to do is to live fully in each moment as it happens and to live fully within any joy and pain that arises.Once my eyes were openedI could embrace all of the emptiness that used to sadden and scare meI could see the dark void that anything that happened arose fromI could see the emptiness that anything happened eventually returned toI could allow myself to look right into the void and not be afraidI could finally live within that emptiness and know that searching for and craving any of the things that I wanted as a child, teenager, or an adult were no longer necessaryI could finally live not needing "something else"I could finally live amidst what actually is and actually be sustained by itI could finally die completely immersed in the "this is all that there is.

In this episode, Justin and Jeff talk about fear, uncertainty, and resistance to change and how these emotions are related to emotional blocks and the unconscious mind.They also visit about the benefits of cultivating a more disciplined mind and integrating our inner work between the body and mind and how these practices can further empower us to cope more effectively and to embrace these things that happen in our lives.For more information about Justin and Peaceful Mind Edu, contact him at [email protected] and on instagram at @peacefulmindedu or at @justinconsciousness

In this episode, Jeff more fully explores about the benefits of being aware of how our minds can sometimes get lost in "wondering what's next" instead of just being present in each moment at work. He digs deeper into the subject of how in the world of work (and in our lives away from work), it can be very tempting to be envisioning and thinking about one or more steps ahead of where we are in the process and how that can cause us much unneeded suffering and can distract us from doing our best in the present moment. He reflects on situations in his life where he has experienced the temptation to harbor expectations for things to go a certain way in business and in personal relationships and how sometimes, disappointments, setbacks, or challenges in one area of life can affect the other. He also acknowledges how engaging in this behavior (sometimes mindlessly) has affected relationships with business associates, colleagues, friends, and family and how being more mindful of how we "bring ourselves into" encounters with people that we meet for the first time can allow us to cultivate healthier relationships overall and feel more centered, more at peace, and more open and genuine in our interactions with others. He brings it all together by speaking about how just simply being aware of how our minds are "going there" without being hard on ourselves can eventually lead to change as "in the moment awareness" while being fully engaged in life is a key benefit of ongoing mindfulness practice. 

In this episode, Jeff takes a deeper look at working with various "habits of mind" and how mindfulness practice can help. He shares some stories from his life to illustrate how these various habits of mind can cause a considerable amount of unnecessary suffering for ourselves and for others around us unless we practice being more aware of how we are reacting internally to what we are feeling and we believe about what is happening to us in any given moment.. He brings it all together by explaining how sustained mindfulness practice can sharpen our awareness of what is going on in our minds and can "shine a light" on these "habits of mind" that we may have been unaware of previously so that we can begin to openly question them and loosen our grip on them.. 

Jeff talks about how mindfulness practice has changed his perspective on the importance of connecting with others in a more genuine way despite dealing with chronic depression and being naturally introverted and inclined to isolating himself sometimes. He shares stories about how his practice has enabled him to more deeply understand what goes on in his mind when he is in the company of others and why he aims for a life of balance between meaningful and enriching time spent with others and time spent in solitude. He reflects on how he has found profound healing in learning how to be with others in a way that allows him to be more "present in the moment" with them. 

Jeff reflects about a very powerful example of effective coping that he experienced recently. He explains how what he witnessed taught him that sometimes, when things are extraordinarily difficult, we have to resort to stronger ways of coping and how it takes practice in order to "weather the storm" without self-destructing emotionally. He revisits how mindfulness practice can prepare us to more effectively deal with challenging situations and how being more aware of what is happening in our minds and our habitual reactions to what is going on around us and how it helps us to be able to have the energy and strength to cope in a different way when that is what's needed in order to keep living life. He wraps it up by explaining that the most effective thing we can do in any given situation is to cope and how we see so many examples in nature of this type of behavior. 

Jeff talks about how sometimes we feel empty, dissatisfied, or anxious about how things are in some moments and how we can fear times when it seems like "this is all that there is" and what will happen next and what if things never change and we find ourselves stuck there. He discusses how one of the greatest realizations along the spiritual journey was that life has a way of being what one of his teachers call "extraordinarily ordinary." He explores how our society is quite overstimulated and how it can make it difficult to sit with the "ordinariness" of our life experiences when we find ourselves "wanting something more" and/or "wanting something different." It can become a habit to live a life of constant dissatisfaction and consistently searching for the next "dopamine hit," and it takes practice to more deeply immerse ourselves in the richness of what is, right here, right now. Ultimately, we can find a deeply meaningful life when we stop the search and as we learn to be more at home where we find ourselves and not craving or needing anything else or anything different. 

Jeff talks about what is referred to as experiencing the "meditative witness and how it is beyond what is theoretical and how it is something that cannot be understood intellectually but can only be experienced. He shares about experiencing this "meditative witness" during a difficult period in his life and what he has learned from it and how it has changed his life and practice. He goes on to explain how this is something that happens on its own and how it is futile to see this as a goal to achieve or as "something to do." The only thing that we really can do is to continue to practice and to be open to this happening if and when it's supposed to. 

Jeff talks about the importance of not getting caught up and mired in just the fine details of what we are struggling with or what is causing us pain as it is also very important to pause and take a look at the "bigger picture" of our lives, where we are, and where we are headed. He explains why it is so easy for us to lose touch with the "here and now" and remain "inside our own heads" as it is so natural for us to do so when we are suffering because we are human and prone to paying the most attention to what is right in front of us and what is capturing our attention the most at any given time. He elaborates on the importance of widening out the lens that we see our lives with and taking some time to remember that we are really part of something much larger and how that can help us keep our perspective when times are tough.

Jeff talks about one of the most difficult "emotional hooks," which is the role of the victim. He explains how all of the "emotional hooks" all work the same in that they entice us into taking on a role or an identity that is not really who we are. He then talks further about the various lenses that we can choose to look at our lives through that actually cause us to see things how we think that they are instead of how they really are. What is amazing about this unconscious and sometimes conscious behavior is that we can sometimes choose to go on "hunting expeditions" and to look for trouble that really isn't there by convincing ourselves that someone is saying something or doing something that is hurtful or disrespectful to us. Jeff reminds us that this is what our mindfulness practice is all about.....we must practice daily to cultivate the awareness that is necessary to "catch ourselves in the act of" behaving this way so that we can wake up from the trance, come back to the present moment, and let go of how we are deluding ourselves about what we think is happening in order to stop the suffering of others and ourselves. In the end, we actually find out who we really are when we stop telling ourselves who we are and what we think is happening to us. 

Jeff talks about the different types of feelings that can cause us distress, fear, and anxiety and how instead of trying to analyze what caused them and instead of trying to avoid them, it is much more beneficial to let ourselves just feel these feelings and then release them. He acknowledges that there are many effective ways to heal from this, but it's up to each person to figure out what works best for them as everyone is different. He makes the point that if there is any "endgame" at all in the spiritual and mindful life, it is about utilizing mindfulness practice to be able to more effectively open ourselves up to be more vulnerable to these feelings and to further develop our ability to cope with them on a moment-to-moment basis. We are reminded that when we consistently practice mindfulness, we can rest assured that we have the tools available to more effectively "sit with" and deal with feelings that disquieten and unsettle us. 

Jeff talks about going through a recent loss and about realizing that he was causing additional suffering for himself by harboring hopes and expectations for how things would go even after he had already accepted that loss was imminent. He elaborates on how it is so human for us to continue to cling to hopes and expectations for things to "go our way" when they clearly already aren't and how we can bring on more suffering for ourselves by resisting, denying, and fighting "what is" when things are tough. He speaks of a sort of "silent bargaining" going on in his head when he was in the midst of the struggle and how we suffer so much more when we cling to our own visions of what we think is best and our hopes for finding a shortcut around the inevitable pain of loss, disappointment, disillusionment, and confusion instead of just flowing with what is, fully embracing it, and mindfully coping, even if it is painful and not what we want for ourselves or for others.

Jeff talks about how we have a choice in the way that we interpret our own suffering and the suffering of others and about how we can learn to stand outside our own thoughts and feelings about what is happening. This "different perspective" of the pain and difficulties that befall us can actually open up new doors for us to more deeply experience what is truly happening in each moment and can help us to "wake up from the trance" of what we are believing when we are hurting in different ways. He shares how some of the Buddhist masters pointed to different ways in which we can "lighten our grip" on clinging to our own narratives and stories about why we are suffering and how that can free us from the "cycle of constant suffering" and to begin to more deeply embrace our human-ness and the sometimes difficult, unsatisfactory, and transient nature of life.

Jeff talks about how mindfulness meditation doesn't just happen "on the cushion" in a formal practice....it can happen anytime that we are living life and dealing with our everyday challenges. He talks about how the whole idea of mindfulness practice is to allow us to be more aware of when we get caught up in reactions and in taking our thoughts and feelings too seriously and to return to the here and now once we gain awareness that we are doing so. We are presented with all kinds of unique and interesting opportunities to "wake up" and to lovingly and gently "catch ourselves in the act" of all kinds of mind states throughout each and every day, and there is no need to wait to practice until we are sitting quietly.

Jeff explores where the work really is in our practice and why he continues to engage in it daily.....it's not something that can be worked on for awhile and that can be internalized without the need to do the work daily. It's about continuing to practice letting go of the need to believe everything that we are thinking and feeling about the present, past, and future as there are ongoing challenges that can occur and that can “trip us up” every day. He talks more in-depth about how mindfulness practice can help us to stand outside of ourselves when we take our feelings seriously, to catch ourselves in the act of believing what we are thinking or feeling, and to begin to learn to more effectively question these things. He introduces the starting point of inquiry practice, which is the question, "is this really true.....is what I am thinking or feeling really true?' He speaks about how one of his teachers used the phrase, "all is well' and how it helped him to "wake up" when he got lost in the trance of fear and other negative emotions. Hearing and repeating this phrase helps him more deeply understand that much of the suffering that we are subjected to actually originates within our own minds and how easily it is to be distracted by our own self-inflicted pain to the point that we actually can't see that all is really well at all. 

Jeff presents an analogy to help explain what mindfulness actually looks like in the moment as we are dealing with life internally and/or externally. He presents a powerful visual representation of what it looks like when you imagine two screens with different "programming" The first screen shows what is going on inside your mind in response to external and internal stimuli (Screen A), which does not always reflect a true representation of what is going on as it can be distorted by what we are thinking, what we are feeling, how we might be responding unconsciously due to past events, and how we are reacting to what we think is happening. The other screen is like a "closed circuit camera" that just shows exactly what is happening in each moment and reflects what we can actually see when we aren't caught in the trance of our own thinking, our conscious and unconscious emotions, and our reactions to what is taking place.(Screen B) It can be really helpful to utilize this analogy when thinking about the benefits of mindfulness practice as you more deeply appreciate the difference between what you see on Screen A and on Screen B while "in the moment" in real life. By practicing and internalizing this lesson, you can learn to "catch yourself in the act" of focusing on Screen A and then consciously choosing to shift your attention to Screen B while not judging yourself and while being kind and gentle to yourself as we are all human and prone to forgetting which screen it is most healthy for us to focus on.

Jeff speaks about the importance of utilizing the techniques of mindfulness practice when finding oneself in a stressful situation. He reviews some of the ways in which we can "catch ourselves in the act" of losing touch with what is really going on and how we can "mindfully back out of the trance" of believing any unpleasant emotions.