Underground Antics with Shane Pokroy

Alissa Jerud, PhD. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology in the department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Part of Alissa’s work centers around understanding the art and science of emotions. She specializes in working with evidence-based treatments to help with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety, panic, phobias, generalized anxieties, and using Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills training for those who have difficulties managing their emotions.

In this episode, Shane and Alissa discuss a variety of topics relating to emotions, including what they are, their evolutionary origins and adaptive functions, how they influence our mental processes, their regulation mechanisms, and learning to ride the wave of emotional experiences. They also discuss the process of learning to accept, regulate, and tolerate emotions as a method of learning to have a healthy relationship with one’s emotions. 

Check out Alissa’s podcast: The Anxiety Savvy Podcast

Dr. Stan Steindl is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice at Psychology Consultants Pty Ltd and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group.

Stan’s research interests are in the areas of motivation, behaviour change, compassion and compassion-based interventions, and especially the role of cultivating compassion and self-compassion in the context of trauma, shame, self-criticism and clinical disorders, as well as promoting psychological well-being.

In this episode, Stan and Shane discuss how Compassion-Focused Therapy conceptualizes and works with anxiety and depression. The discussion begins with an overview of the central theory and tenets of CFT and then progresses to a conversation about the three emotional regulation systems. 

If there is an imbalance between these three emotional regulation systems, mental distress and suffering can arise. People who are highly self-critical and self-shaming may not have had enough stimulation of the soothing system or too much activation of the threat system. This imbalance may lead people to find it difficult to feel and express kindness towards themselves. They may be highly sensitive to criticism or rejection, whether real or perceived and internalize that disapproval. The goal of CFT is to correct this imbalance in the emotion regulation systems.

Elise Micheals is trauma-informed executive coach focused on men’s mental health. Her coaching program is designed to help men gain clarity on their subconscious blocks to heal trauma and create better lives, businesses, and relationships. “With the combination of Trauma therapy, REBT, CBT, Relationship Science, and Neuroscience, I've created easy-to-follow actionable steps that allow you to understand, and heal, quicker.”

In this episode, Shane and Elise discuss why so many men struggle with mental health, the internal and external roadblocks they face in trying to get help, and some ways we can work to improve these areas. They discuss common cycles of shame, suffering in isolation, being silenced and ignored by society, difficulties when opening up to their partners, the conflict of vulnerability and emotional intelligence.

More of Elise :

Prudence Leung is a psychotherapist and online content creator based in Ontario, Canada. She uses her platforms to educate on a variety of psychological concepts including relationship dynamics, stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, and more.

In this episode, we discuss Prudence’s journey of becoming a content creator, including what she has learned, challenges she has faced, and the types of people she interacts with online. We also discuss the current state of mental health and how social media has the power to influence our mental health and psychological care. Furthermore, we discuss the personality profiles of people who leave hateful comments and what they are really trying to communicate to the world.

More of Prudence:

Avigail Gimpel is an Author, Researcher, Special Educator, Coach and Founder of Hyper Healing - a program dedicated to helping children and adults with ADHD symptoms. 

“Reversing ADHD symptoms became my personal mission. I have dedicated the last twenty plus years to research, development, and implementation of programs for children, adults, and couples struggling with ADHD symptoms. My major discovery was that ADHD symptoms have many different causes, and once we identify the cause of ADHD symptoms, we would be well on our way to reversing them. The program worked!  My children, students, and clients were rocking it.”

“I became passionate about helping every person diagnosed with ADHD identify the causes of their symptoms and choose their personal productivity plan for success. I strongly believe that healing ADHD symptoms should not cost you your life savings. Therefore, my full program is now accessible to anyone looking for guidance through my Best-Selling HyperHealing book series.”

“You, your story, and your lived experience in every detail are important to me, and my understanding of your challenges.  Since ADHD symptoms can be triggered by so many factors including a clash between your healthy personality and your environment, trauma, gut dysbiosis, sleep disturbances, lack of exercise and outdoor exposure, and screen addiction, to name a few, we must identify WHY you are struggling and then carefully craft an intervention plan for you. We will succeed and learn together, one healing intervention at a time.”

Get the Books:

Maddie Thompson is the Founder of the Mad Social Agency. Maddie’s entrepreneurial roots stem back to high school where she piloted her first business, Social Clothing. Mad Social Agency is a social media marketing agency that specializes in social media management for businesses and personal brands.

Founded during Covid-19 in 2020 as a side hustle, Mad Social Agency (previously Spark Media) quickly grew as many realized that having a social media presence is of importance for marketing. Now, Mad Social Agency has grown to six part-time employees and has managed over 70+ social media accounts.

In this episode, Maddie and Shane discuss the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and the world of social media marketing. Maddie walks us through her journey of becoming an entrepreneur from 13 to becoming the founder of a successful digital agency. We also discuss some tips, tricks and insights that benefit small businesses regarding social media marketing and the crazy world of social media and its impact on us.

More of :

Dr. Joli Hamilton is a Relationship Coach, TEDx Speaker, Jealousy Expert, Research Psychologist, Professor, Author, and Podcast Host. The Relationship Coach for Couples Who Color Outside the Lines! Joli helps people experience the freedom, deep security, and sexual fulfillment that comes when they shift from plain-old monogamy to MORE. More WHAT exactly? Polyamory, ethical nonmonogamy, creative monogamy- Joli guides you out of the standard script and into the life you were meant to have!

“Your relationship can be both open and secure. It is possible. I help people do it every.single.day. Action-takers can have this life. Intentionally designed love, whether it is creatively monogamous or consensually non-monogamous, doesn't mean sacrificing stability or depth of connection.  But the rules you learned about love won't get you where you want to go.

You need a masterful coach to guide you. This is your most profound connection- you don't want to risk losing it just to get laid- you're an adult. But you also don't want a walking-dead life just because someone else said buttoned-up was the only way to do love. It's time to flip over tables and toss the rule books. My signature process gives you the skills you need to take full creative power over your love life!”

In this episode, Joli and Shane discuss her work and studies on polyamory - the practice of having more than one romantic or sexual partner. What exactly does polyamory entail? Who is polyamorous? What are some of the major challenges? What are the benefits? What about jealousy? Is polyamory a pathway to individuation? These are just a few of the topics up for discussion in this episode. 

Check out Joli’s Podcast Playing With Fire: Non-Monogamy & Individuation:

Cody Byrns is an award-winning speaker and performer with over 16 years of professional experience. Cody’s life underwent a major shift in 2013 after a horrific traffic accident left his body burned and scarred. After years of countless surgeries, and innumerable physical and emotional hurdles, Cody has since founded his own nonprofit Burn Foundation, and is on a mission to spread his story of inspiration, hope, and recovery to everyone he meets.

Cody does not let his scars dictate his identity. He encourages a life of freedom, and wants to help people live free from the bonds of scars

“The good you tend to forget as time goes on, but the challenges and triggers linger around longer than we care to admit. Life presents many challenges that are either a result of your own, or someone else’s doing. But your character is only built inside of your ability to embrace challenges. There’s no way around… only through. Through these experiences, you are tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They reveal to you who you truly are at your core and speak to the areas in which you need self-improvement. But you have to be open, to “listen” for the lesson. Let me show you how to rise above challenges and use them as a launching pad to achieve your vision, to move past your perceived limitations. It is time. Be prepared to transform your life.” - Cody 

Get a copy of Scar Release: Breaking Free of Yesterday’s Troubles 

John David Latta is a mystic, author, teacher, humorist, story-teller and founder & CEO of a multimillion-dollar consumer products company.

Terrified and stalked by an oppressive fear of death, John David Latta was a single dad with two children facing rock bottom, loneliness and bankruptcy. Hard work, arguments and logic were getting him nowhere, the competition was tough, and he was in over his head.

In his new book, The Synchronicity of Love, John shares his extraordinary stories of what happened when, while at rock bottom, he threw himself into Unconditional Love with sincerity and earnestness. His stories about his journey inspire, uplift, heal, shock, awaken and transform. They contain the seeds of potential to change habits, beliefs and one’s deepest assumptions about what is possible and have the power to radically transform anyone’s life.

John is sharing his very personal stories about his journey and of the supreme value in embracing deep and lasting personal transformation – in love, in business, in money, in relationships, in health and so much more. And John is sharing his message that even the most stuck, rigid and logical people can transform in unimaginable ways.

Get a copy of John’s Book, The Synchronicity of Love: 

Deborah Lukovich holds a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology which focuses on understanding the nature of the unconscious. She is a coach, author, blogger, and podcaster where she offers insights and teachings to help people explore the deeper meaning of life through stories, conversation, and education. 

Deborah is back to discuss her latest framework for understanding relationships from a depth psychology perspective using the 3 P’s: Purpose, Projection, and Permanence. “These three words capture every aspect of relationship between all human beings, but they just play out more dramatically in those of a romantic nature.” Looking at relationship dynamics and interactions through the lens of purpose, projection, and permanence provide a deep way of understanding what is really going on and together they can work towards a deeper connection, growth, and fulfillment. 

In this episode, Deb and Shane discuss the hidden purpose and deeper meaning of relationships, how projection largely determines the way we relate to each other, and how clinging to the idea of permanence can be destructive. 

“We often don’t discover the deeper purpose of a relationship until after one has ended. Or, if we’re lucky, we get a little glimpse when we have the humility to explore a conflict or dissatisfaction rather than avoid it. It can feel mind-blowing to discover this ulterior motive that has been hiding from the ego, which thinks it knows exactly why we do what we do.” 

Get a copy of Deborah’s latest book:  Your Soul is Talking. Are You Listening? 5 Steps to Uncovering Your Hidden Purpose

Reema Patel holds a B.A. from McGill University and a J.D. from the University of Windsor. After working in Mumbai in the youth non-profit sector and in human rights advocacy, she has spent the last ten years working in provincial and municipal government. Such Big Dreams is her first novel, an excerpt of which won the Penguin Random House Student Award for Fiction at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She lives in Toronto, where she works as a lawyer.

In this episode, Shane and Reema discuss her experiences of returning back to India that inspired the writing of her novel, Such Big Dreams. They discuss topics of identity, social norms, colonialism, and subjective experience. Our perspectives and experiences change depending on the context in a world filled with identity politics. One’s experience in Canada is distinctly different from one’s experience in India - despite you remaining the same. Social context and subjective perception and experience shape how we interact with others and experience the world.

Vladislav (Vlado) Šolc (pronounced “Schultz”) is a professional psychotherapist and Jungian analyst practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Vlado received training from the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago and Charles University in Prague. He is the author of five depth-psychology-oriented books: Psyche, Matrix, Reality; The Father Archetype; In the Name of God—Fanaticism from the Perspective of Depth Psychology; Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology and most recently Democracy and Individuation in the Times of Conspiracy Theories.

In this episode, Shane and Vlado discuss the psychology behind conspiracism, fundamentalism, and mythologies. Using a Jungian framework, they examine how and why conspiracy theories become powerful psychological tools. Other topics include the religious instinct, the unconscious, morality, individuation, purpose, meaning, and psychological defense mechanisms. 

To understand the profound rise in conspiracy theories in recent times, Vlado explores how conspiracies function as an unconscious protective mechanism against the inferiority of consciousness and subsequently also inflates the ego. Conspiracy theory adoption is archetypal in nature and parallels mythological structures. The strong resistance of conspiracism to rational correction can be understood by examining how the “Inadequate and noncredible representations of numinous energies in consciousness unwittingly contribute to the creation of structures with notable mythological parallels” (Šolc, 2019).

“Thinking is free from the unconscious influence of the Self only to the extent that it is able to recognize and to relate to numinous contents, on one hand, and to withdraw projections from the object, on the other. A symbolic perspective offers a nondismissive understanding of the reasons for strong adherence to conspiracy theories. Exploring conspiracy theories as symbols rather than rational constructs offers more fruitful solutions to our current social problems.” (Šolc, 2019)

Kim Wheatley is an Ojibwe Anishinaabe Grandmother from Shawanaga First Nation Reserve who carries the spirit name Head or Leader of the Fireflower and who is Turtle Clan. She has appeared on TV, radio and in many news articles connected to her passion for Indigenous Knowledge sharing. Kim has worked with over 34 First Nation communities, having organized many Indigenous events, and she has authored 4 books, and has received multiple awards.  She also volunteers on a variety of boards as an Indigenous Advisor. She also works as a Anishinaabe Cultural Consultant.

In this episode, Shane and Kim discuss Kim’s way of life and way of knowing. Kim spends much of her time educating people about First Nation wisdom, heritage, and integration into the world. We discuss the historical gap in knowledge about the First Nation peoples and how we can utilize ancient traditional wisdom to make the world a better place for everyone.  Kim highlights that there is a strong rise of truths in the world, where people are now getting to write their own stories and tell their truths.

We discuss some of Kim’s traditional healing systems, governance systems, and way of life as a part of nature - not separate from it. Kim shares some ancient wisdom about balance and harmony - understanding that there is a place in creation for us to be a part of and not apart from nature in order to have a good life. Understanding the seasonal cycles of relationship and responsibility. Understanding that all parts of creation are beautiful and sentient, with a job and a purpose that benefits the greater good. Understanding that the Earth is a life-giver who gives birth to us and everything we need to lead a good, long life.

Kim shows us how and where we have lost our way in this world and how we are making decisions that lead to the destruction and damage to our life-giving planet.  We can make different choices to change our relationship with nature, hopefully providing some restitution and positive impact to return to a better state of balance and harmony.

More of Kim:

Ian Morris is a sound engineer, sound healer and multi-instrumentalist. Ian is the founder of Listening To Smile, a frequency-based meditation production company. Listening to Smile creates unique healing mediations designed to facilitate positive wellness transformations.

“The majority of mainstream meditation music is created for entertainment and not true healing. During an urgent need to heal my body, I didn’t want any of that music in my consciousness, so I began to create it for myself. Now I create frequency minded music for others to heal. What makes LtS music unique and effective is that it is always made with frequency in mind and the intentions to heal.” - Ian Morris

“Frequency-minded music is a simple and enjoyable path to a healthier lifestyle. Listening just 20 minutes a day helps support the following: Focus & Memory, Creativity, Clearing Energetic Blocks, Calm Anxieties, Improve Sleep” - ListeningToSmile

In this episode, Ian and Shane discuss the transformative power of sound (frequency). They discuss how the universe can be understood in terms of frequency - everything resonates and vibrates (string theory). Sound has the potential for great healing and change in a person’s life. Other topics discussed include the nature of the universe, social interactional patterns, and individual and collective transformation.

Stacey Shelby, Ph.D., is an author, educator, and depth psychotherapist. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in BC, Canada, a certified clinical dream tender, and she has studied folk medicines and yoga traditions. She is adjunct faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. She holds a master's and Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with a specialization in Jungian and Archetypal Studies. She is gifted at working with the symbolic language of the soul, and she is dedicated to honoring the soul as it presents in the lived experience of daily life.

In this episode, Stacey and Shane discuss the psychology of love, relationships, suffering, flourishing, and divinity. Using the myth of Eros (love) and Psyche (soul), we explore the transcendental, archetypal energies of love as the central power of life that inspires creativity, meaning, growth, and connection. 

The book Love and Soul-Making explores various relationship themes and dynamics, including love, passion, desire, beauty, sex, marriage, and the union of outer and inner reality. People in relationships are often confronted with challenges and hardships. If we willingly engage with and surrender to these hardships, we may find a roadmap to a life of authenticity, creativity, meaning and purpose. Ultimately, love and relationships are a calling from your soul to live an inspired life aligned with the great power/soul of the universe. 

Get a copy of Dr. Stacey Shelby’s latest book: Love and Soul-Making: Searching the Depths of Romantic Love 

Simon Prentis has spent a lifetime working with other cultures and languages in over fifty countries. A veteran translator and interpreter of Japanese, his clients have ranged from national and academic institutions to cultural icons like Paul McCartney, Stanley Kubrick, Frank Zappa and Yoko Ono. A graduate of Oxford University, and a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting since 1990, he has worked extensively with the broadcast media, given expert testimony in high-profile intellectual property disputes, translated four books and reams of technical documents, and presented papers on translation and interpreting at international conferences.

In this episode, Simon and I discuss some amazing insights about language development and its impact on our evolution. We explore the origins of language and how this mode of communication ultimately catalyzed culture as we know it today. Language development is essential for cognitive development as we know it. There is great power in our words.

Our ability to speak and understand speech is fundamental to understanding how our civilizations came to be. Language allows us to share ideas, express our thoughts and emotions, and ultimately propagate a growth in consciousness. 

Given the fundamental power of language, the question of its origin is paramount. Simon argues that language evolved from analogue grunts (noises) to digital (compound) sounds/words. By combining a short string of individual sounds (phones), suddenly, there is exponential growth in the availability of ‘words’ that can exist to represent so many different things. However, this development has not come without great challenges - challenges in belief, identity, application, and knowledge. 

Dr. Stan Steindl is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice at Psychology Consultants Pty Ltd and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group.

Stan’s research interests are in the areas of motivation, behaviour change, compassion and compassion-based interventions, and especially the role of cultivating compassion and self-compassion in the context of trauma, shame, self-criticism and clinical disorders, as well as promoting psychological well-being.

In this episode, Stan and I discuss the healing and transformative power of compassion. We discuss cultivating a compassionate mind and working towards living a more balanced, kind, and peaceful life. According to the Compassion-Focused Therapy psychological model, humans have at least three emotional regulation systems. (1) A threat and self-protection system that, when activated, manifests emotionally in the form of anger, disgust, fear, anxiety, and shame. (2) A drive and excitement system that motivates people to find and acquire food, mates, resources and status. (3) A soothing and social-safety system which regulates our feelings of contentment, peacefulness, and safety. 

If there is an imbalance between these three emotional regulation systems, mental distress and suffering can arise. People who are highly self-critical and self-shaming may not have had enough stimulation of the soothing system or too much activation of the threat system. This imbalance may lead people to find it difficult to feel and express kindness towards themselves. They may be highly sensitive to criticism or rejection, whether real or perceived and internalize that disapproval. The goal of CFT is to correct this imbalance in the emotion regulation systems.

Steven C. Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology in the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Nevada. An author of 47 books and nearly 670 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory, an account of human higher cognition, and has guided its extension to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a popular evidence-based form of psychotherapy that uses mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based methods. He is a co-developer of Process-Based Therapy (PBT), a new approach to evidence-based therapies more generally.

In this episode, Steven and Shane discuss the nature of human consciousness, our experience of it, and how an understanding of it connects us to something much greater. Steven’s life work has been dedicated, at least in part, to understanding human psychology. Consciousness is an essential feature of our life - it is that by which, and from which, we experience everything. Self-consciousness is a phenomenon which appears to be uniquely human (as far as we know). Our knowledge of our own consciousness places us in a remarkable position to explore, question, and try to understand it.

Furthermore, we discuss the relationship between our understanding of human psychology, consciousness, and suffering. How can we work to alleviate suffering, both in our own lives and in those of other people is a fundamental question of our time. 

Dr. Mikolaj Raszek is the founder and managing director of Merogenomics: a Canadian biotechnology company dedicated to enhancing everyone’s access to genomic sequencing education and technologies. Merogenomics offers access to clinical DNA testing for personalized health information: screening for predispositions, undiagnosed diseases, cancer profiling and pregnancy fetal testing.

In this episode, Mikolaj and Shane discuss a variety of topics including: the explanatory power of genome sequencing, gene therapy, epigenetics, genetic evolution and biodiversity, and the relationship between our genes and our health. 

Human genome sequencing provides insight into one's own biology. The most promising aspect of genome sequencing is the medical value it can give. This is a brand-new technology that is still largely unavailable to the general population but has the potential to transform the way medical science approaches the understanding and treatment of disease and therapeutic intervention. Genome sequencing offers the possibility of tailor-made solutions for everyone. 

Rich Lewis is an author, speaker and coach who focuses on centering prayer as a means of inner transformation. He teaches centering prayer in both his local and virtual community and offers one-on-one coaching. He publishes a weekly meditation, book reviews, and interviews on his site, Silence Teaches. He has published articles for a number of organizations, including Contemplative Light, Abbey of the Arts, Contemplative Outreach, EerdWord, In Search of a New Eden, the Ordinary Mystic at Patheos, and the Contemplative Writer. 

In this episode, Rich and I discuss his personal transformation that occurred through a daily prayer practice. Rich has been a daily practitioner of Centering Prayer since June 1, 2014. Prayer has long been known to be a powerful tool of personal transformation. By connecting and embracing God, we open ourselves to higher wisdom, inner peace, and a sense of connectedness. 

Rich began his journey many years ago, and after discovering how powerful of a tool prayer/meditation is, he has embarked on a journey to share this experience with other people. Centering prayer has been so life-giving and life-changing that he feels compelled to share his journey with others who wish to learn more.

“Centering prayer is a practice that opens us to the gift of contemplative prayer.  During Contemplative prayer we sit with God.  We open our mind, heart and body to God who is beyond thoughts, words and emotions.” 

John Moore is a shamanic practitioner and teacher who works with spiritually conscious professionals to live fuller, happier lives, in touch with their true purpose. After two decades of working in the technology sector, John turned to humankind's oldest spiritual practice, shamanism, to heal himself.

“I am a guide, not a guru. I am just here to show you how powerful, strong, whole, and complete you are as a spark of divine light.” - John Moore

A lifetime spiritual seeker, John has practiced many spiritual and healing modalities including Tantric Buddhism, reiki, mindfulness meditation, Qigong, and Shamanism.

John is an accomplished martial artist with a 3rd-degree black belt in ketsugo jujutsu. From early on, John faced many adversities growing up due to his numerous birth defects. He began practicing martial arts as a way to help overcome the physical limitations he faced and managed to achieve this rank despite these challenges.

In his early 40's, John sought help and was diagnosed with PTSD. Told by doctors and therapists that there was no cure, John was told that his only hope was to try to manage his symptoms with medication.

John refused to accept that and sought to heal himself. Finding a home with shamanism, John embarked on years of training, including a year-long apprenticeship, special training in soul retrieval, two years of advanced initiations, and two years of advanced teacher training. John has been symptom-free for years now. 

Along the way, many people have come to John for healing, divination, and soul retrieval work. John especially loves to help those with adverse childhood experiences and trauma experience a new sense of wholeness and power.

John’s passion for teaching comes through in his lifelong quest to help people recognize, embrace, and embody their own power.

Deborah Lukovich holds a PhD in Depth Psychology which focuses on understanding the nature of the unconscious. She is a coach, author, blogger, and podcaster where she offers insights and teachings to help people explore the deeper meaning of life through stories, conversation, and education. 

“I'm passionate about inspiring people to find deeper meaning in ordinary life events by learning the language of the unconscious. Science affirms that unconscious forces direct up to 95% of who we are - the decisions we make, emotional responses, personality quirks, and even to whom we're attracted. And that's just looking at the personal unconscious. 

So, if you're stuck, it's not your mind that holds the solution, rather the key is decoding messages communicated through your unconscious by an inner authority, what you could call Soul, Self, God, or creative intelligence. Once the messages are decoded, the new insight, attitude, or behavior is the doorway that leads to the other side.” 

In this episode, Deborah and I discuss the nature of our relationship with the unconscious parts of ourselves. The relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind is constantly evolving and changing as we develop and discover/uncover different parts of our selves. The exploration of our inner world is a vital part of our evolution, both as individuals and as a species. 

Our unconscious mind is always communicating with our conscious minds, but it is often through ‘indirect’ modes of communication - e.g., dreams, fantasies, interests, interpretations, desires etc. Much of who we take ourselves to be is influenced/determined by our unconscious. Using a Jungian-based framework for self-reflection, we can begin to understand ourselves and our world at a much deeper level. Learning why we think, feel, and act the way we do, healing wounds, reconnecting with spirituality, and discovering our inner wisdom is all part of the journey. 

Amy Gerhartz is a Mindset Coach, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Founder of A Higher Way Of Living. After 20+ years in entertainment, along with her career as a coach, Amy has travelled the country, spoken to audiences of all sizes, and has been featured in numerous publications and podcasts. With her transformational coaching programs, online courses, virtual events, and her podcasts “RISE UP Buttercup” and “The Entertainer Mindset”, Amy is on a mission to support individuals across the globe to reprogram their minds with a new and empowering belief system, so that they can finally RISE UP to who they're MEANT TO BE.

Radavie Riom is Spiritual Teacher, Shaman, and Wounded Child Healer. She is devoted to serving the Divine Spirit that lies within everything. Through personal experiences of healing childhood wounds, an intuitive nature, plant medicine, and spiritual guidance, Radavie now lives to help others heal from their past wounds and traumas, end their sufferings, and awaken to their true selves - the divine spark within. 

Radavie was deeply affected by her childhood traumas.  Although she was one of nine children, she felt singled out by her mother who continually targeted her with judgment, blame, and threats. She was even accused by her mother for her difficult child birth.  While growing up, her mother would threaten to sell Radavie in the market.  There was also physical abuse.  She withdrew from her family spending most of her early years alone.

Being a highly sensitive person, along with extrasensory perception, allowed Radavie to see and feel things that others could not.  In her sadness she would comfort herself by staying alone and living in her world of contemplation. She continued asking, “Why was I born?” “What is the meaning of life?” She desperately wanted to understand and know God.  She held the thought of God so deeply that it was the ribbon of light that weaved through the tapestry of her life.

Radavie entered the world of business and started two successful enterprises. Yet, this was not enough to fill her deep yearning for God. So she walked away from the business world to follow and fulfill her deep and mysterious calling to come home to Spirit.

A breakthrough came when she was in her late thirties. In the midst of a deep and painful emotional relationship, the wounded little girl whom she rejected all those years suddenly appeared before her.  She had no choice but to face her.  In spite of the desire to continue being separate, she now had to release the wounded past and experience the emotions held by the little girl.

That was her path to freedom and completely shifted her self-perception. In that instant a veil lifted and she was Spiritually Awakened: she experienced that her essential nature was never the wounded child, and that the doubts and fears that she held as her identity, were never who she was.

Spirit refers to Radavie as “Mother to the Wounded Children.” Her desire is to serve others who are ready to free themselves from haunting and stuck memories. Radavie serves from her soul’s contract by assisting her clients in the way she healed her own wounds. Healing the adult starts with healing the child.  As a highly sensitive person, her intuition and devotion, coupled with Divine Guidance, are the life spring from which she serves clients to live a more awakened life.

For 30 years Radavie has served thousands to release the veils of who they are not.  From her own experience she has realized that our tender hearts cannot experience true peace until the True Self, the Divine Spark that we are, is unveiled.

Radavie’s search for God has ended.  She now sees God in the mirror … the same mirror that reflects you.  Many faces, One Spirit.

“It is our destiny to awaken to True Self, the Divine Sparks that we are, and live in freedom and harmony from the spaciousness of Inner Peace.” - Radavie

Dr. Candice, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Spiritual Yogi, Speaker, Author, Social Marketer, and a huge advocate for people having the ability to reach their spiritual potential. She understands the trials and tribulations related to the struggle of choosing and gaining freedom from the ego (mind, body, pain body, and collective unconscious). She loves having deep conversations and contemplating the bigger questions such as life and death, overcoming illusions. She also loves helping those who are lost and those who are seeking to find their way.  

She is a co-author of Business, Life and Universe Vol. 2 and has launched a successful 6 week program called  "Energized You", that helps people improve their lifestyle, gain energy and detox. Dr. Candice is also the creator of the Whole Body Visionaries Facebook Group. Creating a community for people that value Holistic Care. She knows that health is wealth, and when health suffers so do many other areas of life. 

In this episode, Candice and I discuss a variety of topics relating to holistic medicine and its integration with spirituality and energy work. Naturopathic work integrates the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual in order to view the person and their issue within the full scope of their lives. Candice operates from the assumption that our bodies are natural healers. That is, the human body has an innate ability to heal from most conditions/symptoms. By investigating the causal factors, one is able to discover why the condition has arisen in order to treat it appropriately. One of the central tenets of Naturopathy is that if the body is given the right tools, it will be able to heal and restore balance within. 

Candice shares that there are natural relationships between physical symptoms and mental/emotional issues. In general, we are only consciously aware of a small amount of the workings of the body; however, there are many ways in which the body (unconsciously) communicates distress. By looking into the symptomatology and personal history, we can begin to gain a fuller understanding of what is going on inside a person. 

It is also important to listen to what is going on behind the words that a person speaks. Communication is far deeper than words alone, and if we can attune ourselves to the other person (and know what we’re looking/listening for), we can start to see what’s going on at a deeper level within the person. 

William Allen is an author with a writer’s heart and researcher’s mind. After getting a degree in Psychology with an eye on doing psychology research, he recalibrated for a career in Information Technology. He found himself in a thirty-year career as an Information Technology manager at Wells Fargo who enjoyed managing highly intelligent, often difficult staff, many of whom were highly sensitive. He was awarded a prestigious Corporate Management Excellence award for his empathetic management style.

He retired early from his corporate job to found his Hypno-coaching and neurofeedback brain training business, BrainPilots, in Bend, Oregon. While in Bend, he co-organized the area’s first Introvert/Highly Sensitive Person discussion group. In late 2016, he began his blog, The Sensitive Man, about his experiences as a highly sensitive man. The blog became the genesis of his book, Confessions of a Sensitive Man. He feels that HSP males need to take their keen insights and intuition and make them public. He would like to shed more light on highly sensitive males and the much-needed role they need to take in our society.

In this episode, Bill and I discuss the evolution and function of the Highly Sensitive Personality Trait. A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a term used to describe the group of people who process information deeply - this includes emotions, thoughts and sensory stimuli. Like any personality trait, there are both advantages and disadvantages and exists as a spectrum. High sensitivity is often associated with creativity, empathy, and insight but also tends to mean they are more prone to being overwhelmed by stressors and sensory input. Being an HSP isn’t a bad thing, and William is on a mission to spread the word and help educate people. 

As Bill explains, HSPs are often misunderstood in our modern times, and HSPs often feel undervalued, overlooked, or rejected by society - this can lead to feelings of aloneness, estrangement, and needing to ‘hide’ their true selves. This tends to be especially true of highly sensitive men who do not conform to normative standards of ‘ideal’ masculinity. William wants to change the way we think of what it means to be a man in today’s world. He argues that we should start to re-examine the values we attribute to ideal men, and open the conversation to include the strengths of sensitivity, intuition, and insight. 

Vi Vi Thai is a writer, truth seeker, healer and fearlessly determined to live a free lifestyle  regardless of others’ opinions.  She uncovered her true life’s purpose after going through a dramatic and stressful time at the end of her stay in the US as an international student and worker. During that time, she achieved a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Texas A & M University and a Masters of Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University. 

In this episode, Vi and I discuss the nature of personal freedom and what it means for your life. Looking at freedom from the alchemical framework, Vi shares how we can discover, follow, and embrace freedom in our lives. 

At the end of 2017, she started a new life in Canada as a new immigrant from Vietnam. Here, she embarked on a one-of-a-kind nomadic van-life adventure. Living her life purpose, Vi helps others to find their path of freedom to live their authentic selves because only then can we all be living a fulfilled life of happiness. She believes that, as we find our own inner freedom, that is when the world can be free and liberate itself to evolve to a better place in the cosmos. 

Christine Handy is a motivational speaker, a mother of two, a breast cancer survivor, international speaker, accomplished model, best-selling author, and a nationally recognized humanitarian. Her story reaches the hearts of anyone needing hope, prayer, and a new perspective on life. Christine Handy has seen it all and has overcome all odds. Christine’s motto is: There is always Purpose in Pain, but we have to be willing to share the story. Her life-long passion for writing has finally come full circle with an incredible story to share. 

“You can let your battle scars paralyze you, or you can grow even stronger from them.” - Walk Beside Me.

Faced with the unimaginable, Christine had to put her fabulous modelling career on hold when unexpected medical issues took horrendous turns for the worse. Through these trying times, she trusted in God and came out healed and stronger than ever. Christine’s eyes were opened to a new passion in life – sharing her story of hope and helping others. She is now a motivational speaker, best selling author, and serves on the board of two non-profit organizations. Her inspirational journey led her to embrace her self-esteem, devotion to God, and the value of friendship.

Walk Beside Me: A Novel by Christine Handy Walk Beside Me follows Willow Adair, a beautiful model with a successful career built around her outer appearance and a perfectly composed persona secretly hiding her inner insecurities. All goes awry when a routine operation takes a nearly fatal misstep, and additional health issues leave her dwindling physically and emotionally. An unexpected breast cancer diagnosis deepens her depression and lack of hope until her friends, aka her Angels carry her spiritually and emotionally to full recovery. Walk Beside Me is a story of hope, faith, friendship, hardship, and taking a closer look at what truly matters in life.

Marga Laube has been a counseling astrologer for over twenty years, providing navigation guidance for "Agents of Evolution," blending astrology with the wisdom of multiple animist and eco-whispered sources. As an author, educator, and expressive storyteller, Marga aims to catalyze our collective evolution.

Marga holds advanced certifications with the Council of Vedic Astrology, and her work is informed by formal training in collective trauma healing, psychological shadow work, racial trauma healing, systemic constellation facilitation, ancestral medicine, and animist psychology.

In this episode, Marga and I discuss how we might approach understanding collective evolution using the frameworks of animist psychology and astrology. We discuss the archetypal evolutionary journeys, and how understanding our own pathway can provide insight into managing change. By exploring the evolutionary impulse within us, we can begin to understand how these impulses seek expression through the contents and manifestations of our lives. Furthermore, by examining the spiritual essence of ourselves and the universe, we begin to gain a broader appreciation and love for all things in life. Ultimately, we must uncover and form a deep and true connection to our true selves - our essence; and, by transforming ourselves we can transform the world. 

Anton Czachor is the Founder of Arc Vision Media and the host of the Arc Vision Podcast & the Arc Vision Reactions YouTube channel. The aim of Arc Vision Media is to give people an empowering mindset through education and entertainment. Through the medium of conversation we will explore the realms of the mind, relationship, spirituality, and what it means to be human in today's world. Let's explore the ideas that bring us together.

In this fun episode, Anton and I discuss some of the strangest and best parts about being human beings. Evolution, spirituality, psychology, and philosophy are some of the areas we cover in this deep episode. We live in a very strange time in human history, and being a human in the world today is a very perplexing experience. From the immensity of global communication, to human evolution, virtual reality, relationships and connections. All in all, it's a good time to be alive! 

Ann Hince is an author, healer, and public speaker.  In this episode, Ann and I discuss the power of focused attention. Specifically, the healing power of focusing your attention on your inner body. Most of us have spent our lives repressing a variety of thoughts and emotions that we believe are too painful to deal with. These thoughts and emotions, however, do not simply go away; instead, they are often stored in various parts of our body - often the parts that are closely associated with the particular event. These storages build up over time and begin to affect our everyday mood and function. While we are mostly not conscious of their influence, these storages do affect how we experience and interact with the world. By spending time and energy working on releasing these stored tensions, we can begin a process of healing and revitalization. This process elicits extraordinary changes in both your mental and physical wellbeing. 

Ann walks us through how she uses insight (i.e., interoceptive awareness) and the EFT/Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) methods to uncover and release physical tension, trapped memories and stored emotions. Ann’s remarkable journey has led her to heal from a lifetime of trauma and emotional and physical tension, and to inspire and encourage others to do the same through sharing the techniques she uses on a daily basis. 

The second element of this discussion revolves around how we relate to the world, and how what we feel affects what we experience. Ann explains that each person is constantly emitting a signal/vibration - a message to the universe that says “This is the way I am feeling now, please give me more reasons to feel this way”. To change what we are experiencing in life,  we need to change the signal we are emitting, and to do this requires us to release the stored tension that is subconsciously affecting our signal. 

The eventual goal of these awareness practices is to achieve inner peace, a quietened mind, and a persisting sense of wellbeing and connectedness. When we are able to release the things holding us back, we are free to live a more fulfilling, peaceful life that is filled with joy, harmony, and light. 

David Gomes is a Mindfulness teacher, coach and mentor. He offers a thoughtful effective coaching approach for living an impactful, thoughtful & productive life. The wisdom of mindfulness transformed into practical formulas for daily living.

In this Episode, David and I discuss the intricacies of mindful-based coaching. For David, the intersection of mindfulness and modern coaching offers people the best approach to “transform ancient wisdom into practical formulas for living well”. David’s unique approach integrates the transformative power of mindfulness with a modern coaching program to help people find a way of life that promotes well-being, productivity, and purpose. For many of us it is difficult to rise above the grind, to find a way to live a more fulfilling life, and to create an overall sense of wellness in life. David’s methodology is designed to inspire you to grow, keep moving forwards and purposefully create a better existence. 

“Mindfulness is change on the inside.  It’s reflective. Coaching is change on the outside. It’s action.” - David Frank Gomes

Through a guided discovery of one’s values, goals, skills, and dreams, David works to inspire, mentor, and support you on your journey to break through patterns that are holding you back into a world of fulfillment. 

“All of us are on a treasure hunt to find happiness. Some are obvious, like money, a job we enjoy, healthy relationships and getting what we want. Some are less obvious, like purpose, meaning and a sense of fulfillment and inner peace. We need a balance of both if we want to experience a joyful, significant life.” - David Frank Gomes

Deborah Hawkins started blogging on mindfulness and gratitude as a way to work herself out of depression. She has posted reflections on everyday things or experiences that lift her mood on nosmallthing.net almost every week since 2010. She has developed an “intentional” approach to a gratitude practice that is empowering, authentic, and fun. Through her blog. books, and classes, she provides tools people can employ to lead happier lives.

In this episode, Deb and I discuss the power of intentional gratitude, how it helped her out of dark times, and how she uses these techniques to help other people who are also suffering. Gratitude is one of the most powerful tools one can use to boost mood, raise levels of general life satisfaction, and overall promote a healthier life. Gratitude helps us connect with powerful positive emotions such as love, happiness, joy, and appreciation - all of which are essential components of a joyful life. Gratitude also helps us connect with the universe outside of ourselves - when we are grateful, we connect with each other, with nature, and with life itself. 

Taking time out of your day to practice gratitude, and it is best when we make it into a regular practice, can be a powerful tool of transformation. Deb shares with us that it is often best to start off with things that might be considered ‘small’, but actually are the foundation for a much deeper practice. 

By taking the time to practice mindful gratitude, we can begin to transform the way we think and therefore the way we see the world. Our minds are powerful tools that shape our perceived reality according to our belief systems. By intentionally changing our default mode of interpretation to one of gratitude, we can change our overall sense of being in the world to one of joy, appreciation, and love. Although it can be a gradual process, it is a powerful transformative tool. 

Dr. Catherine Uram, MD is an integrative medicine specialist, Reiki Master, and Spiritual Healer. Catherine Uram, MD helps you transform with spiritual energy, so you can contribute to a peaceful evolution of humanity. She practiced as a highly experienced physician in conventional + alternative modalities, has been engaged with sacred healing practices from around the globe, and now works where she can be of the deepest service— with the underlying spiritual energy of life, assisting your growth + transformation.

In this episode, Catherine and I discuss her journey and experience of integrating modern medicine with traditional/ancient forms of energy healing. Although the final goal of modern medicine and energy healing is the same, i.e. to relieve distressing symptoms and promote health and vitality, the methods are very different but can actually be integrated. Whether a patient goes to see a physician or an energy healer, whatever the reason for the consultation, the desired goal is the same - to heal themselves and feel better. 

“We walk as one, listening to the beating heart, allowing the unconscious to be conscious, and life to stream through us, evolving peacefully for the sake of all there is.” - Dr Catherine Uram.

Focusing on the heart and its power, we learn how simple heart-centered meditation can rapidly transform the body and promote healing. Catherine explains how important well-balanced heart-energy is to overall health and vitality. Attuning to your heart has been known to traditional healers for thousands of years, and modern medicine is, in many ways, now starting to realize this. The body has a phenomenal self-healing ability, and we can have access to this healing if we connect/attune with our heart energy. Beyond the physical, the spiritual benefits of a balanced heart are limitless. Attuning to your heart allows us to connect with Universal Love, the source energy of the whole universe, in order to live happily, grow deeply, and transform perfectly. 

Vi Vi Thai is a writer, truth seeker, healer and fearlessly determined to live a free lifestyle  regardless of others’ opinions.  She uncovered her true life’s purpose after going through a dramatic and stressful time at the end of her stay in the US as an international student and worker. During that time, she achieved a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University and a Masters of Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University. 

At the end of 2017, she started a new life in Canada as a new immigrant from Vietnam. Here, she embarked on a one-of-a-kind nomadic van-life adventure. Living her life purpose, Vi helps others to find their path of freedom to live their authentic selves because only then can we all be living a fulfilled life of happiness. She believes that, as we find our own inner freedom, that is when the world can be free and liberate itself to evolve to a better place in the cosmos. 

When she’s not planning her next adventure, you can find her savoring life’s simple pleasures with her beloved dog Marco.

In this episode, Vi and I discuss her journey of finding her happiness and purpose in travelling the world in her van and living through the process of inner alchemy. Using the ancient art and philosophy of alchemy, Vi takes us on her journey to freedom and happiness. Vi shares her story of being born and raised in Vietnam, moving to the US as a student and worker, losing her job, returning home to Vietnam, rekindling her passion for travelling, and finally arriving in Canada to start her dream of living a life of travel, nature, and inspiration. 

Catherine Ewing, LCSW, MDiv, founder of Sacred Heart Alchemy, is a Transformational Life Coach, spiritually focused psychotherapist, EFT Practitioner, Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, and energy healing practitioner. A student of the mind/body/spirit connection for over 25 years, Catherine is also a TEDx speaker. She loves training mental health professionals in the use of alternative modalities in psychotherapy and offers classes, workshops and retreats on a variety of topics related to the mind/body/spirit connection, spiritual awakening and women’s transformation at midlife.

In this episode, Catherine and I delve into how and why she has taken to incorporating spirituality, metaphysics, and energy work into her life and into psychotherapy practice. Catherine explains that in her work with clients, she found traditional talk-therapy alone to not be transformative enough for the clients she works with. Through the integration of a variety of energy healing practices (including EFT, Reiki, Neurokinesis, Dream work, and meditation), Catherine has developed a unique blend of psychology and spirituality to help her clients. We also discuss divine timing, inner knowing/intuition, and spiritual awakening. Though a practice of spiritual archeology - an internal reflection practice of understanding who we are, why we do what we do, and how our inner guidance is always guiding us towards our higher purpose. 

Prior to her work as a coach, psychotherapist and healer, Catherine worked in the areas of sexual assault, domestic violence, child protective services, women’s reproductive rights and school social work. She served as the Ct. Coordinator of the Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children and was a volunteer with the Trauma Relief Program in Newtown, CT following the school shootings in Sandy Hook. A life-long learner and spiritual seeker, Catherine brings a broad understanding of spiritual and metaphysical principles and a wide variety of practical tools and resources into her work and training.

Doug Sands is a Weight Loss Hypnotist who specializes in the emotions behind our weight. Using hypnosis, he helps clients remove the emotional roadblocks that most often sabotage our weight and health goals. Doug is also the host of the 'Weight Loss with Hypnosis' podcast, a show that explores the science of weight loss with nutritionists, health coaches, and fitness experts.

In this episode, Doug and I discuss how a near-death experience lead him to finding his true passion in life - investigating and understanding the human psyche and working to help people overcome obstacles, deal with stress and anxiety, handling difficult emotions, and ultimately living their life to the fullest - all through the power of hypnosis. 

We discuss the science and techniques of hypnotism, and how we can use hypnosis to overcome our challenges. Doug specializes in hypnosis for weight loss and anxiety. Doug explains how we can change our beliefs and thought patterns in order to live a joyous life.  He explains that our beliefs and thoughts are programs that our minds run based on past experiences and learned behaviour. We have the capacity to change these programs to ones that are much healthier and bring more joy and freedom into our daily lives. 

"Your brain isn't broken. In fact, your brain is working perfectly. It's simply running an imperfect program perfectly." Doug Sands

Rev. Dr. Craig E. Wright  is a Metaphysical Minister, Philosopher, and Numerologist. In this special episode, Rev. Dr. Craig does an in-depth reading of Shane’s numerology chart. His analysis reveals and explains Shane’s major life cycles, challenges, gifts, karmic numbers, the purpose and direction of his life, as well as how he operates physically, mentally, emotionally and intuitively. 

“Think of Numerology as the science of number vibrations, with each number having it's own vibratory influence. Based on the belief that a person comes into this life on a certain date, with a certain name, numerology uses numbers to tell who a person is, and what the map is for his or her life. Numerology can help you understand transitions and changes, learn more about the psychological conditions around you, make sense of the cycles in your life, identify challenges and use your talents and gifts to your best advantage.” (It all Adds Up by Rev. Dr. Craig E. Wright)

Karey Spransy is a resilience coach who knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and pushed down by life. Her experiences as a single teen mother, losing two loved ones to suicide, going through two divorces, and battling stage IV-4 colon cancer taught her how to use setbacks as springboards and failures as fuel. 

For a self-professed extrovert and FOMO junkie, the joy of missing out felt like giving up, so she changed JOMO to the Joy Of Moving On. Through her one-on-one coaching and group programs, she teaches others how to find their JOMO and just Do The Damn Thing. 

She is unapologetically real and holds nothing back in her storytelling. She uses grace and humor to make you laugh, cry, and cry-laugh about the absurdities of life and feel inspired to find your JOMO. 

Robyn Harris describes herself as a Soul Alignment Mentor as she strongly believes that if we want to experience real and lasting wellbeing we need to be true to who we really are, what she calls our Soul Self.  For Robyn this means listening to – and following – our own unique inner wisdom and guidance.

However trauma, in its many and varied forms, can cause us to feel cut off from this sense of direction and security.

Robyn is therefore passionate about how we can find our own unique and individual ways of reconnecting with this deep sense of self.

Studying MetaConsciousness™ had such a profound impact on Robyn that she now loves sharing with others how our thoughts and beliefs impact on our wellbeing, and how our bodies respond to these and to the world around us.

Having this knowledge enables us to make the choices that will best support our wellbeing.

Having known what it’s like to feel stressed, ill and overwhelmed, she is passionate about holding a safe and nurturing space in which to intuitively and gently inspire others to reconnect with their sense of joy, purpose and love of Life.

She loves Nature and animals and loves exploring the insights they can offer to help us on our journey.

And when we realize that we are the creators of our own future we can do this in the ways that are most effective for us – and we can make it fun!

Ambika Devi is an international award-winning bestselling author of four books, an astrologer, meditation Jedi, and creative sexagenarian who stuffs her backpack with colored pens, a journal, a kindle, a passport and a deck of tarot cards here to unleash your intuition.

In this episode, Ambika and I have a great conversation about many different topics including Lego, meditation and meditative activities, expressing your inner creativity, spreading love, and finding your authentic intuitive magick. We also discuss ancient architecture, mysticism, human nature, human history, and sacred geometry. We also discuss mystical experiences, psychedelic journeys, aliens, and more. Ultimately, finding, exploring, and honoring your creativity is key to personal expression. Meditation is central to finding your peace, igniting your soul, and living a good life.

Ambika is on a peace building mission to help people realize their true nature so that they can step out of the churning river of thoughts and activity of the mind, stop wearing insane schedules like badges of honor, and begin their days reinforced with the calmness a meditation practice brings.

With 44 years of experience, 13,000 plus hours of study and having taught over 19,000 people the art of meditation, Ambika gives you five clear steps that lead you directly into a deep state of meditation. As your coach she places you precisely on your path using tools from her multiple degrees in fields of study including: A Masters in Yoga and Meditation, and bachelor’s degrees in Astrology, and Fine Arts.

As an international best-selling and award-winning author Ambika helps you bring your vision of a book into reality. As a speaker she motivates and inspires audiences so that they feel empowered to transform themselves and help others. Ambika has appeared on The Learning Channel, syndicated and public radio, and in periodicals as a relationship and communication expert and taught Holistic Health at the university level for 21 years.

Jon Perrin is a police officer living with PTSD, and together with his wife Jen, run a podcast and charity foundation dedicated to educating and supporting mental health programs and initiatives that have helped Jon and many others living with this terrible injury. 

In this episode, Jon, Jen, and I discuss their journey of living with PTSD. PTSD is a very complicated and troubling psychological/moral injury that affects many first responders. In sharing his story of how PTSD affects him and his life, Jon encourages others who may be in similar situations to have a better understanding of what’s going on, to know that there is help available, and that it is something that can be dealt with. While there are many difficulties, fears, and challenges that come with having PTSD, Jon and Jen are a true testament to the power and possibility of healing. 

“Twisted trauma is the life story of myself, Jon Perrin. My childhood traumas to being a police officer diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. Come share some of my darkest moments and together learn how we can survive. Also join us every Saturday for the Saturday stir-up with Jon and Jen.” 

The Twisted Trauma Foundation is a non-profit organization started by Jennifer Perrin a Registered nurse and manager with over 20 years experience in the nursing field.  Jen is a wife to Jon Perrin a first responder who suffers with PTSD.  Twisted Trauma provides peer support to first responders, civilians, and their families who are living with a mental health illness or injury.  Twisted Trauma raises awareness and money for mental health programs and initiatives in our communities, as well as provides educational/motivational stories from individuals who are living through mental health illness or injury.   

Zarina Chopra is a Tao Soul Healer and Transformational Coach for rising female leaders who are ready to clear their karma, connect to the power of their Soul, and manifest like a Queen.

In this episode, Zarina and I discuss the power of the ancient spiritual practice of Taoism and how it has helped transform her life and the lives of those she teaches. We discuss how learning and understanding the ways of life’s working can create beautiful balance. All too often we get stuck in cycles of stress, overwhelm, and unhappiness. In order to break the negative mindset and unlock your inner confidence, your true being and ultimate nature, you must learn to recognize the illusions of limitation and choose to connect with the true source of life. We are all light-beings, and the journey to experience and embody your life is that of spiritual awakening. 

Zarina shows you how to claim the life your soul years for; how NOW is the time “To uncover your deepest passions and purpose… To manifest the wildest life of your dreams… To unleash the power of your voice… To activate the healer inside of you… To become the Quantum Queen of your life.” 

As a certified Tao practitioner with the Tao Academy, and certified Theta Healer, Reiki Practitioner & Kambo Practitioner. Zarina combines her intuitive spiritual mentoring with her years of energy work and esoteric studies to provide a full spectrum of healing, transformation and manifesting mastery to her clients.

Zarina is the founder and curator of the 6-month immersion program "Quantum Queen Rising". She spends her time mostly enjoying nature, playing games with her family and beloved partner, and is the lover of all things sparkly!

More of Zarina: 

Toby Pasman is the founder of Roscoe’s Wetsuit Neuro and host of the Roscoe’s Wetsuit Neuro Podcast. He is a neurophysiology researcher with a Master’s of Psychology from Lynn University and is board-certified in QEEG Brain Mapping and EEG Neurofeedback. Toby enjoys paddle boarding along the intercoastal, biking through the surrounding islands of Miami, and engaging in deep, intellectual conversations.

In this episode, Toby and I discuss some of the latest neuromodulation technologies and how they can be used for healing and for cognitive optimization - training to reach peak cognitive performance. The field of neuroscience is an amazing blossoming field of study, and out of it have come various technologies, techniques, and strategies that people can use to understand their neurophysiology (and how it affects and interacts with the rest of their physiology) and utilize these technologies to treat disorders and optimize performance. Some of the neuromodulation technologies include QEEG Brain Mapping, EEG Neurofeedback, Transcranial Stimulation, Audio-Visual Entrainment, and Brain Photobiomodulation. 

“The discovery of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself throughout our entire lifetime, and recent breakthroughs in neurotechnology have enabled us to now measure and modulate the electrical and chemical activity of neurons (brain cells) to improve focus, sharpen attention, improve mood, deepen sleep, and decrease neural inflammation.”  - Toby Pasman 

Toby’s company, Roscoe’s Wetsuit Neuro, is an applied neuroscience company bringing premium brain health coaching and targeted neuromodulation individualized to each client’s unique neurophysiology. You regularly workout your body at the gym to maintain optimal health, why not start taking your brain to the gym as well? We offer QEEG Brain Mapping, EEG Neurofeedback, Transcranial Stimulation, Audio-Visual Entrainment, and Brain Photobiomodulation services tailored to help you reach peak cognitive performance.

Dr. Janet McMordie is a physician (Sport medicine/OR Assist), Adjunct Clinical Professor (University of Toronto), Adjunct Medical Director (Odyssey Medical), and an actor/stunt performer (ACTRA). In this episode, Dr. Janet and I discuss the science of pain and chronic pain - how it affects people, how people seek to manage their pain, and why the science and study of pain is so interesting - especially since there has been a marked increase in people’s pain levels since the start of the pandemic. We discuss some of the functional theories of pain, how dysfunctional pain can lead to tremendous suffering, and what we can start to do about it.   

Gill Tietz a sober scientist who specializes in addiction science and psychology, and is the host of the Sober Powered Podcast. In this episode, Gill and I discuss her journey of sobriety, the science of alcoholism and addiction, and how Gill now spends time studying addiction in order to help other people who are going through the same thing. For Gill, “Being Sober Powered is all about being your own champion. We hold on to our drinking with all of our strength, but eventually something happens to propel us into sobriety.  It could be something small even, but we all have our limit.  When I got sober, I was the only sober person I knew.  Each time I got through something sober, I felt stronger, and I called that strength Sober Power. I believe we can all develop our own Sober Power, and use it to change our lives.” Gill Provides people with education, inspiration, and hope in their recovery journey.

Dr Mark Ryall is a retired economics teacher, a competitive Canadian triathlete, and author of speculative fiction novel "Age-Decoded". Mark wrote his “Age Decoded” because of “the many advancements in CRISPR genetic engineering. The book's central question is: What could possibly go wrong with the advent of genetic engineering? The story itself focuses on genomicist Dr. Frieda Sengmeuller, who uses CRISPR to finally stop human aging. But the government secretly uses her methods in other psychological ways, jeopardizing freedom and democracy.” Mark says that: “[he] feels this topic so important, given the impending tsunami of genetic engineering technology. A novel like mine enables readers to really imagine and feel the effects on humanity.” 

In this episode, Mark and I discuss some of the potential implications of genetic engineering; both the positive/beneficial side to this emerging technology as well as the potential negatives/dangers that may also arise.