Can A Single Act of Compassion Make a Difference? The Answer is Yes
Do you ever hear about this idea that each one of us matters in our everyday life, that each one of us is like a droplet in the ocean, a part of a wave and there's a universal energy? I think about these things and it sounds so nice and so abstract, but in the real world you wonder how is that possible. Can my actions actually impact others? Is there a ripple effect or do my actions make very little difference?
Jason Silva, host of Brain Games, explains how our brains respond to a single act of compassion when we are angry and desire revenge.
Jaimal Yogis: All Our Water Are Water
In this episode of Art of Authenticity, I chatted with Jaimal Yogis, award-winning author, teacher, and outdoorsman.
Today on the show we have Jaimal Yogis. Jaimal is an outdoorsman, award-winning writer, and frequent teacher. He is the author of
, a humorous coming-of-age memoir about running away to Hawaii at sixteen to surf, nearly becoming a Zen monk, and eventually winding up at Columbia Journalism School. The book was named a Best Summer Read by E! and turned into a
. Jaimal’s follow up to that book,
All Our Waves Are Water
, comes out this July from Harper Collins and it’s about the risks we’re willing to take in our journey to get there. Jaimal’s writing has also appeared in
The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Men
’
s Health, ESPN Magazine, The Surfers Journal, The Daily Beast
, and many others. His journalism has won a Maggie Award for Best Feature and he is also the author of
In today’s episode, he shares with us his story, how this new book is really a memoir, how it is based on his journey, a very compelling story with lots of life lessons that we go through in this just really deep, interesting and personal conversation.Check out Jaimal live on his book tour! http://www.jaimalyogis.com/events-2/
Show Notes
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Jaimal tells us what the title of his book, All our Waves are Water, means to him. [2:55]
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Hear why Jaimal wrote a memoir, Saltwater Budha, at this point in his life. [5:52]
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Find out whether the book was a journey to Jaimal finding himself. [10:27]
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Learn what theory Jaimal tested through All our Waves are Water.[13:48]
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Understand why Jaimal equates joy and struggle. [18:20]
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Discover why surfing is such an obsession. [20:29]
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Hear Jaimal’s story of his visit to Bali and how he had to change his approach. [22:34]
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Learn in what context Jaimal talks about celebrating. [26:50]
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Jaimal talks about never giving up but at the same time questioning your approach. [29:33]
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Understand what an authentic life means to Jaimal. [35:12]
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Discover how you need to unplug to be able to listen. [37:40]
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And much more!
More About Jaimal
Jaimal Yogis — http://www.jaimalyogis.com/
Jaimal on Twitter — https://twitter.com/jaimalyogisJaimal’s book, All our Waves Are Water —https://www.amazon.com/All-Our-Waves-Water-Enlightenment/dp/0062405179/Jaimal’s book, Saltwater Buddha —https://www.amazon.com/Saltwater-Buddha-Surfers-Quest-Find/dp/0861715357/Jaimal’s book, The Fear Project — https://www.amazon.com/Fear-Project-Emotion-Survival-Success/dp/1609611756The Lion’s Roar Magazine — https://www.lionsroar.com/
Louis CK Netflix — https://www.netflix.com/za/title/80161109
Downloads:
Replace the Highs and Lows of Life with More Joy
Today I wanted to chat with you about a conversation I was having with a client. He was telling me that he was feeling really good. Here's what happened:He's said, "I just feel really good." And I said, "Great! Why?" And I was excited to hear the news, and he said, "Well, I'm not suffering anymore. I don't know what to tell you." And I thought, Hmm? I'm not sure that that's what I was hoping to hear. I was hoping to hear about maybe a breakthrough or just that his week had gone well.He began to describe that by letting go of pain and pleasure, he was able to start to even out, lose the highs and lows of life and live a lot more in a space of contentment. With that change, he felt his suffering diminished. But he found himself feeling at odds with this sense of calm because it wasn't the norm.Re-establishing a baseline of contentment as the norm is work when you've live in a state of overwhelm or chasing pleasure, running from pain and seeking approvals.
Emily Ann Peterson on Bravery
In this episode of Art of Authenticity, I chatted with Emily Ann Peterson on Bravery.
On today’s show, we welcome singer/songwriter, teaching artist, creative entrepreneur, host of the podcast Bare Naked Bravery, and cellist, Emily Ann Peterson. At the age of 17, Emily was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological hand tremor, the very thing she needed to continue doing what she loved. When this happened, Emily decided to focus on what does it take to overcome these insurmountable obstacles in the face of something that keeps you from doing what you are really passionate about. She talks about the idea of bravery.
So tune in today to find out about this other side of the conversation that we rarely talk about. What happens if you follow your dream and something real happens that gets in the way, like a hand tremor when you are playing the cello, right? It does not get more real than that. So how do you overcome a topic like that? Emily turned this obstacle into an amazing transformation of character, and in-depth discussion about bravery. She shares with us about the three layers that she believes helps a person move from insurmountable difficulties to finding meaning in your life in a whole new way.
Show Notes
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Hear how Emily fosters a persons innovation, growth, and progress by not deleting them as a person but guiding their worth in the right direction. [4:01]
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Find out what how Emily’s diagnosis and journey brought her to be really curious about bravery. [07:25]
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Learn how it took Emily years of different iterations of that same realization that her success can look different from other people’s. [09:56]
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Understand how Emily values her success based on connection and resonance. [10:58]
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Hear as Emily explains bravery occurring on three different levels with three different ingredients involved, namely internal, external and resonant bravery. [14:23]
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How vulnerability, imagination, and improvisation are the three ingredients that set the line between bravery and false pride. [15:56]
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Learn how bravery is when vulnerability and imagination and improvisation which includes your power of choice, overlap. [18:37]
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Emily shares her story of what she went through and how everyone’s version of bravery requires a different ratio of those three ingredients. [20:07]
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Find out why vulnerability is a necessary ingredient and how it can make it different from being an asshole versus just doing something that is meaningful and has integrity to it. [20:47]
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Hear how Imagination as the second ingredient, is the thing that helps you see beyond the possibility of rejection. [22:26]
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Understand why Emily advocates to feel the fear and don’t just do it anyways, but feel the fear and use the fear. [25:08]
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How bravery is definitely a core part of what Emily is doing in the world. [26:30]
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Hear how Emily defines an authentic life as knowing how you define your success, being tuned into your unique definition of it, your values and your bravery. [28:30]
More About Emily
Emily Ann Peterson - http://emilyannpeterson.com/
Bare Naked Bravery - https://www.barenakedbravery.com/
Emily on Twitter - https://twitter.com/emilyapeterson
Downloads:
Feeling Behind? Wonderwoman May Have the Answer
Have you seen the Movie Wonderwoman? In the movie, Wonderwoman has lived on an island without any clocks, watches, or even the use of time. When introduced to the concept, she finds it funny that we bound ourselves to this concept so tightly.Most of us feel behind. This was a great opportunity to visit the idea of time, what our relationship to time looks like and how we can get a better handle on it!Thank you for listening.
Akshay Nanavati: Fearvana
In this episode of Art of Authenticity, I chatted with Akshay Nanavati, Marine Corp Vet, adventurer, and entrepreneur.
Today we have Akshay Nanavati joining us. He is a marine corp veteran, he is also an adventurer and an entrepreneur. This guy has an incredible story. He overcame a drug addiction. He was in the Iraqi war, suffered from PTSD and had a serious battle with alcohol and drug abuse, which left him at the brink of suicide.In today’s episode, Akshay shares this, his story, and how he turned these life challenges into his new book,
F
earvana:
The revolutionary science on how to turn fear into health, wealth, and happiness
. Fearvana explores the science of how to transform the seemingly negative forces of fear, stress and anxiety into health, wealth and happiness. Weaving together inspiring stories, in-depth research, practical insight and actionable strategies, "Fearvana" helps readers turn their greatest obstacles into their most powerful allies. Jack Canfield, the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and The Success Principles said “Fearvana is without a doubt, one of the few books that really does stand out as a must read book.”Akshay has explored the most hostile environments on the planet, started a nonprofit, and built a global business helping people live limitless lifestyles. Combining years of research in science and spirituality with his life experience.
Show Notes
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Hear more of Akshay’s backstory and how the movie Black Hawk Down shifted his life towards joining the Marines. [2:56]
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Why Akshay enlisted in the US Army, despite being a citizen of India and having a rare blood disease. [4:42]
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How a diagnosis with PTSD after returning from Iraq and uncontrollable drinking led Akshay to the thought of taking his own life. [6:20]
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The biggest lesson that Akshay has learned was that although he falls many times, the key is getting back up. [8:13]
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Find out what inspired Akshay to write his book, Fearvana: The revolutionary science on how to turn fear into health, wealth, and happiness. [9:27]
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Recognizing that 95% of cognition happens in the subconscious brain and that we are pretty much a product of our past behaviors. [14:56]
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Understand how to stop yourself from going down the spiral of negative thinking, by recognizing the patterns. [18:00]
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How to deal with depression by preparing for obstacles you know will show up, using Akshay’s LMNOP method. [22:14]
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Akshay shares the combination of strategies he used to quit drinking overnight, which starts by labeling your emotions. [26:34]
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Hear as Akshay shares what an authentic life looks like for him, and what it means to pursue worthy struggle. [36:17]
More About Akshay
Akshay Nanavati — https://twitter.com/existing2livingFearvana — http://fearvana.com/Black Hawk Down — http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/Man’s Search for Meaning by Vicktor Frankl — https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X/
Downloads:
Zach Benson: An Artist's Life
In this episode of Art of Authenticity, I had a thoughtful conversation with Zach Benson 
Today we have a completely different show for you. We’ve got Zach Benson joining us. He is a TEDx speaker, full-time entrepreneur, and dancer and he has been a round four finalist on the hit show, So You Think You Can Dance.
What’s so cool about today’s show is that I’m always talking to people who have a certain level of success in their life, they hit a turning point, they recognize, “I have to think about what success means, what does it mean on my terms?” We’ve talked about all this ideas, we have had incredible people on, but here is somebody who out of the gate just went for it. Zach followed his dreams, hit a lot of road blocks, didn’t give up and kept persevering. It is really fun to listen to someone who had the courage, managed the fear, dealt with the rejection, and just kept going. Really interesting conversation, so I hope you enjoy it
Thanks for Listening
Again, thank you so much for your support! Please subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already!
Show Notes
- Hear has Zach shares his story of how he found dance at the age of 15, and how it really opened up a lot of doors for him. [2:19]
- Find out why Zach’s parents encouraged him to study hard, but to also pursue his dreams of dance at the same time. [4:44]
- Zach shares exactly what allowed him to preserver, especially after facing countless “no’s” and not walking into instant success. [6:47]
- Discover why Zach decided to quit dance, and how he was able to find his passion again to pursue his dance dreams. [7:15]
- Find out how Zach had to face the brutal facts of reality, being rejected from So You Think You Can Dance multiple times. [9:42]
- Understand why it is more important that people tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. [10:52]
- Discover more about Zach’s life, as he dances around the world in different countries, creating awesome memories with his students. [11:47]
- Find out how Zach decides where to travel to next, by simply typing a destination into Google. [12:36]
- Learn more about Zach’s experience on the show So You Think You Can Dance and the behind the scenes events. [15:45]
- Understand what an authentic life means to Zach, and his daily habits that helps him keep aligned. [18:41]
- Find out why Zach’s biggest piece of advice is to remember that happiness is a choice, and that mentors in your life are the key to your growth. [22:40]
More About Zach
Zach Benson — http://www.zachbenson.co/Zach’s TEDx Talk — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aVNY8PIoFASo You Think You Can Dance — http://www.fox.com/so-you-think-you-can-danceZach on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/zach.benson.33Zach’s email — [email protected]
Downloads:
Miguel Ruiz: Mastery of Love
What is it that you are working to master? Is there something in your life that you are currently, actively, in the pursuit of mastering? Are you trying to run a marathon? Are you working really on in an instrument? Are you asking your child to try to master anything; sports, music, math? Are you trying to become a great leader? Are you working on priorities, project management? Are you trying to rethink how you keep things organized in your life? What is it that you're currently really fixated on? Really organized towards mastering? Is it your relationship, in your relationship dynamics?I’ve have been totally preoccupied with this book, The Mastery of Love, by Miguel Ruiz. And I quote, “To become masters of love, we have to practice love. The art of relationship is also a whole mastery and the only way to reach mastery is with practice.” Practice Love? Tune in to hear more!
Joe Wilner: Find Your Calling
In this episode of Art of Authenticity, I had a thoughtful conversation with Joseph Wilner, licensed therapist, life coach, and drummer for the band, Yes You Are.
Today we have Joseph Wilner joining us. Joseph is a licensed therapist and a life coach who also happens to be a drummer. When he turned 30 years old, Joe decided to honor a life-long passion of mine and commit to becoming a professional drummer. Although this may seem like an unorthodox career transition, he has decided that despite all the time and effort he put into going to school and following the path and making money and setting up a private practice, he needed to listen to that deep intuition and calling he felt within him to honor his dream of being a drummer, so he join the band, Yes You Are.
Joe shares amazing advice for those of you who are trying to get yourself to a new place, figure out what your dreams are, follow up on those dreams, and do what it is that you feel is deep in your heart and meaningful to you. If you just want to hear an awesome story of somebody who took the leap, I know you are going to enjoy today’s show.
Thanks for Listening
Again, thank you so much for your support! Please subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already!
Show Notes
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Understand what it means to follow your calling and why Joseph connects it to his life mission. [3:43]
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Find out why Joseph believes that if we don’t follow our calling, we are almost destroying ourselves and our truth. [7:00]
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Learn how to separate out the “smart choice” from the choice that actually has a passion behind it. [10:14]
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Understand what to do when you don’t even know where to start to follow your dreams. [14:07]
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Recognize that there is not just one path to follow in life, and that we simply have to make a choice. [16:22]
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Find out what it means to acknowledge your dreams, to explore dreaming for your life again. [18:16]
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Why kids have a lot more grit than adults do, not taking no for an answer when they want something bad enough. [20:59]
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Understand why sometimes shame is a more powerful limiting feeling than fear itself. [24:11]
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Discover the value of having a coach that can walk you through the process of realizing your dreams. [29:10]
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Joseph shares his essential exercises that help you to uncover your purpose and calling. [31:07]
More About Joe
Joseph Wilner — http://youhaveacalling.com/
eCourse, Becoming Unstoppable — http://youhaveacalling.com/becoming-unstoppable OR http://youhaveacalling.com/get-started
Joe’s Band, Yes You Are — http://weareyesyouare.com/
Yes You Are on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/yesyouareofficial/
Downloads:
Conquer Fear, Fear, and More Fear, a personal story
I ask them a question; what is the biggest challenge that you're having in your life right now? I asked my list of subscribers and I was really surprised, the number one answer by far was fear, fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of getting started, fear of not finishing, fear of approvals, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear of every single sort.It made me think, here I am in a very personal moment, I’m starting my next project, and that next project is going to be my second book. I'm facing those fears. Most of you have jobs. Most of you do things with your lives that are outside of this self-development, self-help. This is all that I do, right? I write and blog and podcast and coach people on this concept all the time. The idea might be that I'm at a point where those things don't get in my way.Trust me, those voices came up, “Why is this happening? This is what I do. Shouldn’t I be above this, pass this, on the other side of it?” That's why I wanted to talk to you today about this.What's so cool is that the noise, the voice, the conversation in my head, it didn't have the impact. I didn't listen. I know that that's part of the game now. An expectation that that voice comes and I'm ready to face this voice and look him right in the eye, not care, not think because I'm having a thought that it needs to mean something, that I let that thought ramble around in my head all day until I'm destroyed. Just notice it, let it go. Notice it, let it go. Notice it, let it go.