Back To The Breath

In this episode I am joined by William Mulvaney! Will is a dating and approach coach here in Austin, Texas. He is the co-host of The Art of Approach Podcast (a podcast where Will and Timothy Bray give dating and relationship advice to help improve men's dating lives, relationships and overall help build self-esteem and confidence for men.) as well as the meetup group called Dumping Dating Apps (a dating and approach group where Will & Tim support well-intentioned people in approaching potential love interests to get more dates, build relationships, and confidence.

You can find Will, @willpower_lifestyle on Instagram if you'd like to connect or learn more about the group. Also check out theartofapproach.com to connect with Timothy Bray or learn more about their platform.

We begin the conversation by diving into the meetup group, how it has benefited people, himself, and what the intention of the group is. We then dive into his journey with building his self-esteem and improving at expressing himself to women he's interested in, and expressing himself as a whole.

We then dive into how we both have been improving our ability to express ourselves authentically and our health and fitness journey's. We both discuss how we began working out, routines and how we've developed them,  as well as our diets, sleep, and how we've improved both.

Overall we have a great conversation about improving our self-esteem and confidence as men, the resources that have helped us, and ways in which we are still working on improving.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode, I'm joined by JJ Ruescas, an expert in human optimization. Our paths crossed at Casa De Luz in Austin during one of his impactful breathwork sessions, leaving me intrigued by his professionalism and dedication.

During our discussion, JJ and I cover various topics, including:

• Insights into his upbringing
• His journey into the realms of human optimization and professional coaching
• Application of "Kaizen," a Japanese business philosophy, in his coaching and personal development approach
• Embracing 10 minutes of daily learning as a powerful method
• Exploring the nuances of burnout, rest, and recovery
• The significance of identifying and articulating personal values
• Illuminating the shadow aspects within ourselves that can cause harm
• JJ's advice for those seeking meaning and purpose in times of confusion

For more insights from JJ and information about his services and classes, visit his website at jjruescas.com. You can also tune in to his podcast, Optimizandome, on Spotify. Connect with him on Instagram @jjruescas.

Don't miss out on the wealth of knowledge JJ has to offer on personal development and optimization!

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode I discuss the challenges of maintaining emotional balance amidst the demands of modern life, shedding light on the pervasive tendency to numb uncomfortable emotions through various distractions.

Some things that have worked for me.. 

• a warm bath
• lighting a candle
• listening to a podcast
• doing yoga
• going on walks
• NSDR (Yoganidra)

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode I am joined by Quan Huynh, a men's dating and polarity coach, and a prominent figure in the Awakened Warriors Men's Group in ATX.

You can find out more about Quan and his coaching here! @quantumrelating

We go on to dive into Quan's coaching philosophy, his approach to supporting men in their journey towards embracing full masculine embodiment and expression, and the transformative power of his methods.

Key Points:

• Quan's coaching methodology and his unique perspective on dating and masculinity.
• Quan's personal background, family life, and the role of past traumas in shaping his confidence and abundance mindset.
• The essence of Samadhi, a term synonymous with presence and spiritual enlightenment, and its relevance in modern-day life.
• The teachings of mystics such as Jesus and Buddha, and their significance in attaining greater presence and awareness.
• The barriers we impose on ourselves in our career choices and the importance of taking bold leaps to align our work with our authentic selves.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode I am joined by Domanic Valdez.

We go on to discuss the book Domanic is writing on postmodernism, which is an idea that I was unfamiliar with before so he goes on to explain the idea to myself and the listeners. This topic leads us into a discussion of our views on god and life as a whole which soon turns into a debate as we have clashing views. We discuss the Christian faith, whether or not objective moral truth inherently exists, as well as how this objective truth would affect individuals and how they choose to live their lives.

Overall, Domanic and I do not agree on many of the things we discuss in the podcast which I believe made for a great discussion on religion, values, spirituality, and truth and if anything made me realize that I have so much more studying to do on these ideas and topics as my stance and beliefs are far from well developed.

I want to thank Domanic for being respectful and willing to come on and speak his truth and have this discussion with me. If you'd like to keep up with Domanic as he is writing a book and currently posting on Instagram, 

you can find him here: @domanicvaldez

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode I speak about how I have been struggling with overcoming anxiety, fear and doubt. I assume this is very relatable to most so I hope that the way I frame it makes sense to whoever is listening and gets something out of it.

If you are hungry and want to learn more about befriending the dark/shadowy parts of yourself I recommend you listen to Shadow Work Library (In this podcast, Jessica explains Richard Rudd's gene keys which explain how we can learn and gain by examining and transforming the shadowy ways in which we operate.)

I also reference Bill Plotkin's Nature and The Human Soul which is where I first heard the idea of the loyal soldier.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

Disclaimer:

Please use precaution when engaging in this practice. It is recommended that you do your own research before engaging in the practice as people with certain health conditions may suffer negative side effects. As a general rule, listen to your body. Breathwork is inherently an uncomfortable practice, however if you feel pain or any serious discomfort, refrain from engaging any longer.

My experience: I myself have done breathwork alone and in group settings for the past few years now and have only had a bad experience once and it was because I engaged in the practice while suffering from a migraine. I thought I would be fine and was very wrong, it made the headache very severe and lasted a long time.

I have heard of others experiencing this as well on rare occasions and have also read of people suffering of seizures and other health issues.

Listen to your body and do your research! 

Here I credit the songs that I used for this journey. (I did not create any of this music myself!)

• Purple Planet Music - Liquidity
• Jesse Gallagher - The Blue Pearl
• Jimena Contreras - Mayan Ritual
• Jimena Contreras - Monumental Journey

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

In this episode I am joined by Derek Gutierrez.

If after listening to this episode you resonate with Derek and feel you would benefit from working with him, reach out to him here and you can begin your journey with him!

@derekbreathes on Instagram

Derek is one of the leaders of the Awakened Warriors Men's Group here in Austin. He is also a breathwork facilitator, a wonderful father and as of recently, a psychonaut! 

When Derek and I originally discussed sitting down to record a discussion together, we had planned to talk about how the men's group has been of great value to us, the father-son retreats he will be hosting soon and how he began facilitating breathwork.  However, as fate would have it Derek recently participated in an ayahuasca ceremony and as this is something that very much peaks my interest I simply had to ask him about it.

We begin discussing his interaction with the medicine. We discuss preparation, the intention he had going into the ceremony, as well as the insight he gained from and is now working on implementing. We then discuss his relationship with his son, past relationships and what he has learned from them, what it means to be a man, as well as how he was exposed to breathwork and why he decided to become a breathwork practitioner and coach.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

Hey guys,

In this episode I dive into a recent journey of mine. Thanks to some amazing people I have met recently I was able to get in contact with some people who facilitate and host hikuri (peyote) ceremonies in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. 

As I found this to be one of the most interesting, unique and profound experiences in my life, I felt it would be silly not to discuss it. I talk about it for the purpose of sharing in case any one is curious about the medicine, but I also discuss it simply to document my thoughts as I learned and experienced a lot and want to be sure that none of it is lost to me over time.

I leave out most of the traditions, practices, beliefs and actual aspects of the ceremony in this episode. This is because there is a lot to be talked about, but also I want to provide privacy and don't want to exploit or take their practice for granted as it is sacred and very important. I am very new to their religion and way of life and simply feel I wouldn't do any of it justice.

So.. I really only discuss main takeaways from the experience, lessons, my intention going into the ceremony, how I feel now, and some insight and wisdom that was shared to me from the wonderful people who I spent time with.

If you are curious and have specific questions, feel free to reach out to me and ask.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram

Hey guys! 

In this episode I am joined by Maria Gonzalez! To introduce Maria a bit, she is a dancer, fitness and mindset coach, and a woman's coach and she is currently studying to obtain her degree in physical therapy! Maria also has some experience using certain psychedelic medicines and we go on to discuss this.

P.S. Maria is a woman's coach so if you feel called, reach out to her here and you can begin working with her: @maria.mexicanroots

www.instagram.com/maria.mexicanroots

Maria and I begin the conversation discussing her history with psychedelics, how she was exposed to them, her experience with each, as well as how to go about having a great experience and implement everything you learn. We discuss tools such as meditation, journaling and therapy.

Maria also discusses women's natural menstrual cycles and stresses the importance of a woman being aware of what her cycle is so that she can prepare for it. We talk about diet, exercise, stress load (work, school, family, etc...), sociality, and how all of these things need to be adjusted depending on what stage of her cycle a woman is in. To my knowledge, this isn't something that many women are aware they are needing to pay attention to so I find it fascinating!

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Feel free to reach out with any feedback, or if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Peace!

@daltonrdan on Instagram