Break Down. Wake Up.

Many of us were taught to hide our difficult experiences and emotions because it would indicate that we’re crazy, unsuccessful or broken. But what if, instead, these feelings are wakeup calls for positive change? In this talk , you’ll hear from Meg Mateer who shares stories from leaders who have embraced difficult feelings, grief, mental health challenges, addictions, and other forms of distress and used it to positively transform their lives. You’ll also learn about groundbreaking research that asks us to rethink how we relate to our distress. Finally, you’ll discover why distress is not only important for individual healing, but as a key to help solve our biggest societal challenges. 

Meg Mateer is an organizational psychologist and consultant at the intersection of leadership and social impact. She is a teacher and coach at The School of Life, a social impact consultant at Better Future, the host of the “Break Down. Wake Up.” podcast and the founder of Empatiko. Meg’s approach is informed by more than 14 years of experience in business strategy, change management, psychology, and learning design and lessons from two of her biggest teachers, her anxiety and depression. She is dedicated to the power of diversity and passionate about creating contexts and tools for mutual learning and group transformation.

Season 1 of the Break Down. Wake Up. podcast is officially complete!

In this episode, I take a look back on the last 31 episodes and give you a broad overview of what we've covered in this season.

You'll also hear my personal story about how this project was born (hint: it has to do with my own breakdowns) and how global disruption actually helped put the project into the world.

At the end of the episode, you'll get a perspective-shifting frame that will help you begin to see the wisdom within your own distress.

If you haven't done so already, I highly encourage you to go back to episodes you haven't yet heard and tune into ones that may not initially attract your attention. Every episode is an incredibly powerful story that is packed with lessons coming from people who've lived them.

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our podcast community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.     

Please help us out by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing your favorite episode on social media to make sure that these stories reach the people waiting to hear them. 

Learn how to transform your distress into wisdom for personal growth and social impact in our Breaking Down is Wisdom Waking Up live group online program: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs

How can our distress inspire activism, career shifts, and new businesses?  

In the latest episode, I highlight some of the biggest insights that have been inspired from the last 9 episodes. I also share my perspective on how these themes can help us solve personal, professional, and broader collective challenges.

In the last nine episodes I interviewed a world famous thought leader, a serial entrepreneur, a psychology researcher, and a wellness and diversity equity and inclusion advocate who shared a range of break down wake up stories, from pregnancy discrimination to family separation, and from dissociation to feeling disillusioned about institutions and careers.

In my reflection, I note some of the broader perspectives that arise from these stories. For example, I touch on the importance of paying attention to our breakdowns in order not only to listen for the wisdom waking up in ourselves, but to find wisdom that can shift organizations and societies.

I also highlight some of the frames that I introduce in the four solo episodes - episodes specifically designed to help you discover the wisdom within your own distress.

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our podcast community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.     

Please help us out by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing your favorite episode on social media to make sure that these stories reach the people waiting to hear them. 

Learn how to transform your distress into wisdom for personal growth and social impact in our Breaking Down is Wisdom Waking Up live group online program: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

How involuntary family separation during her international migration awakened a complexity systems thinker to the illusion of safety in institutions and an even deeper need for people to listen to and understand context

Nora Bateson has been working in complexity systems thinking for almost her entire career - focused on helping people and organizations contextualize complexity in order to solve challenging problems. 

So when she experienced the negative limitations of institutions that focused solely on procedure and stripped context from a decision making process, she knew she had to tell her story. In this episode she speaks up, not just for her family, but also for so many immigrant families whose experiences are absent from the polarized public dialogue that no doubt has significant influence over politics, policy and procedure. 

After moving to Sweden for love, Nora found herself and her family in an incredibly tragic and frustrating institutional process that denied her daughter entry into the country where her family resided because of her age, a number on a checkbox on the form to enter the country. 

As Nora mentions, this conversation is about much more than just her own experience. It's about identity politics, about who has the right to call a place "home", about empathy that stretches across socio-economic and national identity categories, about losing faith in a system that you thought was designed to support you, about the deep sadness of not being able to have the context of your situation heard in the midst of a life altering decision, 

In this episode, we explore the negative impact of objectivity and taking things out of context on polarization and reductionist thinking, our deep need to be seen not just as one identity or category but in our whole complex selves, and the importance of not only understanding the broader narratives surrounding an experience but the history of those narratives in shaping the stories we collectively create about that experience. 

You can find out more about Nora and her work by visiting www.batesoninstitute.org. 

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our podcast community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.     

Please help us out by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing your favorite episode on social media to make sure that these stories reach the people waiting to hear them. 

Check out and apply for our upcoming program designed to help you transform your distress into wisdom for personal growth and social impact: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs  

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

How her own professional struggle led an education leader to understand the link between trauma, learning and social injustice in the classroom. 

Miriam Rachel Freed spent the early part of her career working in education for underserved communities. She had tons of new ideas about how education could be reformed, but felt that none of it was being met with enthusiasm. She became the black sheep of the school system. 

On a personal journey, she reconnected with her own experience as a student, remembering what effect trauma had on her own life at that time. Even in her socioeconomically privileged position, and despite outward indications of success (good grades, large group of friends, well liked), Miriam remembers a lot of suffering - depression, anxiety and  self harm to get away from internal pain from her past. But she realized that these struggles in her teenage years were waking her up to her own needs for support and a safe space to connect with herself and her own truth. 

She observed the impact that trauma had on learning and that no amount of teaching tricks, tools, or materials could supplement that deeper call to look within. She could see what her students needed, but had no power to change the structure that was not serving them. 

Although she worked within a system that conflicted with her own values and vision for education, she knew that coloring too far outside of the lines could risk her students performing poorly on tests that could determine their future. She was conflicted, internally and externally, about what to do and how best she could make an impact. So she took the leap to leave this system and started doing justice work from the outside in. 

Now, in a time where many are speaking about the need for social justice work in many institutions, Miriam boldly notes that we must address trauma that results from injustice in order to address injustice itself. 

In this episode, we explore the deeper emotional layer that needs to be addressed if we are going to do social justice work, the importance of bringing ethics into education in our classrooms, and the struggle of working within a system that neither fits your values nor responds to the need for reform. 

If you would like to learn more about Miriam, check out her website here: https://miriamrachaelfreed.com/ 

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our podcast community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.     

If you would like to help us out, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or share your favorite episode on social media to make sure that these stories reach the people waiting to hear them. 

Check out and apply for our upcoming program designed to help you transform your distress into wisdom for personal growth and social impact: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs  

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

How can we use our distress as a catalyst to personal and professional growth?

In this episode, you'll hear about the online group program where you can discover the wisdom within your distress and use it for sustainable insight and lasting transformation.

I started this program because

• I realized that denying, suppressing and shoving down my pain was not working
• I discovered that my distress could be a source of wisdom if I listened to it
• I saw that I was not alone - unconventional indeed - but not the only person to feel this way. Many great thinkers, philosophers, spiritual leaders, saw pain and distress as the pathway to wholeness
• I want to help you learn the tools and methods that I use with my clients and with myself to find wisdom in pain and use it for personal growth and global impact. 

This program is for you if: 

• You are a curious, courageous, slightly rebellious, maverick leader who is ready to transform your distress into wisdom for personal and professional growth
• You're in the midst of distress (anxiety, stress, frustration, anger, confusion, stuck, existential questions, self doubt, imposter syndrome etc.!) now and want to find deeper insights and answers within this experience
• You, like me, have tried all of the typical approaches to get relief from your distress and nothing seems to work
• You're starting a new project, job, or stepping into a new phase of life (trust me, these are critical times for distress to arise and I want you to get the wisdom from these feelings rather than being stuck!)
• You have a period of distress in your past that you want to explore the deeper meaning and how it has influenced how you operate today

Here's why this program is unique: 

• The philosophy and approach to distress is UNconventional and challenges the status quo meaning and significance of distress
• We use a discovery based approach to transformation - if you want to learn more about this and how it's different than a control based approach, check out Episode 25 of the podcast.  
• The program approaches deep material in a light hearted and humorous way, making it easier for you to explore yourself and connect with others

Ready to join?  Here's how you can

1. Apply now by scheduling a 30 min exploration call with me and we'll see if there is a mutual fit!
2. Want more info? Head to the program page of the website here: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

How shifting his emotional states helped a psychology researcher survive challenging life events that were out of his control. 

What happens when your own emotions feel overwhelming in a situation you cannot control? And what about if you've learned through your environment that strong emotions are not welcome? 

In this story, Sam Swidzinski, a researcher focused on innovative therapeutic methods to support mental health, shares a unique experience of how shifting into different emotional modes has helped him manage challenging uncertain life events. 

For example, when it seemed like his life was up in the air as a teenager, having lost a number of friends and his sister diagnosed with a terminal illness, Sam needed a way to have some control in this challenging and incredibly uncertain environment. 

So he switched into a mode he calls "Samuel" a calm, monk-like, stoic type, to manage his life and his feelings. He has a more emotional mode, driven by passion and justice called "Adrian" and a more childlike, playful mode called "Sammy". 

Sam began to learn that each of these modes actually can help him in different situations. He now taps into these different modes consciously. For example, when he needs to get things done, do research or when writing his book, he taps into stoic "Samuel"; when working on passion projects, he taps into "Adrian" whose emotion fuels his energy for social impact work; and when connecting with friends he taps into playful "Sammy". 

In this episode, we explore how different emotional states can be helpful in different situations, the influence that an environment unaccepting of strong emotions can have on our own tendency to shove down our pain, and the various ways we all respond to life tragedies that we cannot control. 

You can find out more about Sam by visiting his LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-swidzinski-078a441b4/. You can also check out his book, "Winning the War with Bipolar" here. 

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.     

If you would like to help us out, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or share your favorite episode on social media to make sure that these stories reach the people waiting to hear them. 

Check out and apply for our upcoming program designed to help you transform your distress into wisdom for personal growth and social impact: www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs  

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

What kind of wisdom can we get from exploring our distress? This episode is for people, teams, and organizations who want to learn why its worth it to explore and share our experiences of distress and how this exploration makes a deep and lasting positive impact.

We've been taught that disruption, confusion, anxiety, depression, and loss is not worth listening to, and many institutions who support this idea simply want to hand over a quick fix and help you reduce that pain...fast.

But by reaching for a solution to solve our unease, we miss the whole point of the distress in the first place - to help us live more whole, free lives. To help us run more balanced, effective, successful and sustainable businesses.

If breaking down is indeed wisdom waking up, what kind of wisdom is actually in our distress?

Here's the types of things you may discover: 

1. Finding balance - Something in your life, or in your organization is out of balance - your distress signals you to move out of a rigid fixed way of being and into more freedom 
2. Meeting needs - There is an unmet or unacknowledged need that runs deep and needs attention
3. Processing critical events - A critical life or organizational event needs to be processed so that you can incorporate the lessons from this experience but not be 
4. Shifting Relationships- Relational tension or conflict is signaling a need to get out of a dynamic that is no longer serving your connection  
5. Making social impact - There is a possibility to shift outdated and hurtful cultural narratives and make an impact in the broader societal change needed

It's not easy, but if together we can be brave enough to dive into our distress,  sustainable conscious change is possible.

Are you ready to accept the call to this adventure?

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, its all at our website: www.breakdownwakeup.com. 

If you want to connect with me directly, please send an email to [email protected] 

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

How we can use the experiences we have been trying to control to uncover the answers we have long been searching for - an unique approach to create sustainable change in our personal & professional lives, our organizations and our world.

We've spent too long framing our experiences from a narrative of control.

We've been taught to manage, contain, push down, jump over, fight, things like our physical pain, our vices, challenging emotions, conflicts, and marginalized stories.

And it's not surprising that we have digested this way of operating.

After all, a number of religions and other community doctrines disperse the idea that that, deep down inside, if left to our own devices, we would behave and feel in ways that are ultimately not good for us.

But by trying to control our experiences, we suppress them. This leads inevitably to more tension, pain, challenging emotions, conflict, and marginalized stories. Even worse, it silences the insights coming from these alarm signals.

It's time for us to take a different approach.

In this episode, I discuss how the control approach actually plays out in our attempt to create sustainable change, and introduce a alternative, discovery based frame that unlocks deeper understanding and effects lasting transformation. 

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.

There's a new type of activism on the rise....one whose action starts with listening...and why it is fundamental for moving beyond the rising polarization within ourselves, our relationships and our society.

In this episode, I share more about how inner work is necessary for outer change, how polarization reduces complexity and keeps us fighting on the surface, the importance of sharing untold stories and how our distress helps us discover new perspectives forgotten under the surface.

If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, its all at our website: www.breakdownwakeup.com. 

If you want to begin doing the inner work and discover the wisdom within your own distress, check out our latest program www.breakdownwakeup.com/programs

The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.