Theofanis Varvoglis: “Greece is pretty open about religion. It has a strong cultural aspect to it and identifies us culturally, not as much religiously. In my younger years, I said, "If Christ said all these things, why don't we keep them? Why don't we do the things he says? I tried to do the things he said. 

As a child I believed. 

As humans we are very strict about death. I'm not talking about killing in general. We are very strict about it as a society, this makes sense to me. But nature is not that way. Nature feels death is a necessary thing.

If I were dying and saying goodbye to everybody, I'd want them to know that if I had treated them wrongly, it wasn't because I intended to. ‘I tried. I did my best. I didn't mean to harm you.’

People in general try. They don't set out to attack you or harm you. It’s their limitations that get in the way and have this impact. So when you see someone failing, they aren't being lazy. Don't think they are mal-intended. Think that they are trying and doing the best they can.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest Theofanis Varvoglis. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Theofanis Varvoglis: “Why am I here? What am I doing here? What is my purpose? I always had the feeling that my job here was to improve myself. I had this thing about learning through life. The mystery of life to me is like a school. I’ve always felt transitional, I’m coming to go, and that must be why I felt it was so important to learn about myself. The more I learn, the more certain I become that I cannot interpret anything. 

Like the old adage, the more I learn ‘the less I know’. 

I was very opinionated as a child and as a young man. I had clear opinions. I used to believe that there's no life after death, which my father also believed. Now I can't even understand how I thought that. I can't understand how someone can even imagine there is no life after death. I was a rational person and used logic. I wasn’t much into believing in religion as described by society.”  

Have a listen as I interview my special guest Theofanis Varvoglis. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Simon Haigh: “We are what we think and who we associate with. Everything starts with our thoughts. Then it goes to our feelings and eventually our behaviors, which can result in physical symptoms. So why not have a positive outlook? When I went through therapy, a number of years back, I was guided to imagine meeting the child version of myself. The boy Simon, who was confused, scared, and full of fear. The boy with a good brain, who had all of those things dragging him down. I was told to go up to him, put my arms around him, and give him a big hug. 

Then stand back and visualize his face. 

See the look of relief on his face. The look of 'oh, I'm not by myself anymore'. So, give yourself a hug. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a break. 

It's so important to have at least one person in your life who you can share your thoughts, worries, and concerns with. It can be somebody different from your spouse. Somebody you really trust; somebody who's not going to judge you. I have a good mentor, he's a sponsor to me like in the program in relation to addiction. I talked to him once a week, I talk to him every Thursday night. We tell each other how we're feeling, what's happened for us this week. Particularly our specific challenges. If you don't tell somebody you really trust, about the things that are worrying you, the chances are they are going to build inside you and create fear. Just let it out. just let it out. 

By doing that, the other person might be benefiting from it as well.” 

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Simon Haigh. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Simon Haigh: “Coming from a very dark place in my life, I realized that I didn't love myself. I treated myself like a vehicle. As I came out of that, I started to love and respect myself. If you can't be honest with yourself, you're not your own best friend. It's important to support yourself, as well as listen to yourself. Listen to your body and listen to your heart. It's not easy because our ego gets in the way. The mind starts whispering, ‘Simon, this is a load of rubbish! You don't need to be doing this stuff’. It's important to push that voice away, and be pure of thought. 

We can wash away resentment by focusing on the things we are grateful for.

There are many reasons why people fall into addiction. Typically, fear, anger, and resentment. For me it was resentment. Carrying resentment, that negative feeling about other people, is a complete and utter waste of time. It's feeding cancer in your body. We can wash away resentment by focusing on the things we are grateful for.

Find a common ground with people and build rapport. See the good in people. When you meet someone, do your best to make them feel better for having met you. 

Really put forth the effort and tell people you love them. And make sure you are doing the same for yourself.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Simon Haigh. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Simon Haigh: “The day after my last drink I went for a swim in an open air swimming pool in Perth, Western Australia. I went under the water and heard a voice. I didn't see flashing lights or anything. There was no other human being under the water. So there was no other voice. And I definitely didn't say anything. But I heard a distinct voice, a very calm voice. The words were very clearly audible. 'Simon, you never need to worry again'. Something shifted in me and I'm convinced that was the day I got in touch with my higher power. 

Now, if I make mistakes, I learn from those mistakes. 

I do my best; I don't live in the past and I don't get hung up on the future. 

I live in the moment; a bit like what Eckhart Tolle says in his book, "The Power of Now". Basically, live your best life and wake up to the fact that this is your best life. The future is the future, the past is the past. That's why today is our present. It's a present to be present. 

Life is precious. Enjoy every moment, even the difficult moments.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Simon Haigh. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Simon Haigh: "I had a successful career as a lawyer and as an executive. I've also dealt with Imposter Syndrome and ended up drinking too much. About 15 years ago, I decided I needed to look at myself. I was in a really bad place personally. There was a grayness over my life. It felt like I was dragging a ball and chain behind me. I knew that if I didn't get alcohol out of my life, the things that were more important to me would be gone. 

So I started working on myself over a period of about 5 years.

As a direct result, I finally connected with what I describe as my higher power. I was educated as a Catholic in England and I went through all that sort of stuff, but I always pushed against it. I never wanted to believe in a God. 

Today as I look out the window and see the branches swaying in the wind, I know I'm not making them sway. Acknowledging a greater power than me has been a gift because it has allowed me to connect with amazing people around the world. If you are willing, open minded, and self honest, which are three key traits of recovery, amazing things do unfold. That's been my experience. So I would encourage everybody to look at themselves.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Simon Haigh. Find out how learning to enjoy life can enhance your life.

Natalia Proops: “The French have a word for lightness, légèreté. They use the expression la légèreté in so many ways. Living here in France for over 20 years, I’m quite used to hearing it and of course using it myself. When they compliment a dessert for example, they say, “Oh, c'est léger” (oh, it's light).

Originally in French cuisine, they preferred herbs to spices. Now international spices are being used. I do have a manual from my Ayurvedic training, which has just about every spice for every type of food and what kind of properties each one has.

Ayurvedic cooking for me is any cuisine of the world, which is balanced by different ingredients, according to a person's requirements. Surprisingly, this can be passed on very easily. 

Freedom to me means discovering the world and having new experiences. Meeting new people, discovering their beauty, and hearing their stories inspires me. Being in new places, seeing the colors, and smelling the fragrances brings a certain sparkle to my life. Taking it all in makes me feel alive.

I enjoy making even the mundane things of life beautiful and perfect, without stepping into perfectionism. Creating beauty for me is about creating uninterrupted flow.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Natalia Proops. Find out how creating beauty can enhance your life.

Natalia Proops: “When I did a class with my clients, they had to close their eyes and listen to different sounds. Bird sounds (calls and songs) are very primal sounds. How a human being perceives those sounds, depends on what memories they have. 

Pastel iridescent colors are my favorite. Designer Giorgio Armani does it very well using those colors in his runway shows. We have an artist and concert pianist, who has a castle close by, and the cultural circle I belong to took a trip to see her. As I am aging, it was wonderful to see a woman who is over ninety wearing those colors. Iridescent colors change color as the angle of view changes.

For quite a few years, I've been looking for a perfume with the perfect fragrance of a rose. In my search, I have smelled a lot of perfumes. Many of them had things added. I just wanted the scent of a pure rose, and nothing that smelled synthetic. It was quite the challenge. I recently discovered it and got it as a Valentine's present. Like the Lily of the Valley, it is impossible to extract the essence of a rose. It must be created.

My husband created a solar powered candelabra outside the entrance of our castle. When we arrive home in the evening, it sparkles. 

What I wish for everyone is that their life would be easier. When I meet a person who is very inspired and passionate about something, I am moved to do anything I can to make it easier for them. Sometimes it’s just listening and other times it might be cooking a meal and letting them know I care about them and their passion or health condition.

I believe it is important to seek moments of ease and comfort. This is what I enjoy giving to people from my heart, so they can recharge and keep marching throughout their journey.”  

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Natalia Proops. Find out how creating beauty can enhance your life.

Natalia Proops: “I love beautiful buildings and when our daughter was a year old, my husband, who is English, and I were thinking of moving to the UK. I came across a link to a castle for sale in France. 

Everything I learned and dreamt off when I was a child and adolescent in Russia suddenly came flooding back to me: studying French, looking at the streets of Paris in magazines, etc. Even though it was a huge challenge and we both spoke French at the level of a 3-year old, we bought Chateau Landifer and moved to the Loire Valley. It wasn’t the chateau/castle I had initially seen online. It was, however, in the same valley. This area of France is known for its vineyards, wineries, and castles. As you look up at Chateau Landifer, you see some sculptured faces on the corner of the towers. These are faces of neighbors at the time it was built, which was before Versailles.

In France, Lily of the Valley is the flower of happiness. “Diorissimo, the perfume of Christian Dior, is an imitation of Lily of the Valley. It's impossible to extract the essence of certain flowers, so they need to be recreated. I absolutely love fragrances. When I moved to France, I began to study them. 

In France, the first of May is Happiness Day as well as International Workers Day. People give one another small bouquets of Lily of the Valley on that day.

I have attended various cooking schools and I prefer to cook meals from the countries I have visited. Through my studies, I became an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant (Chopra Global). I can analyze a person's mind and body constitution and determine what kind of imbalance they have, that might be different from their original constitution. Then, I can adjust their meals based on the cuisine they like and of course what allergies or sensitivities they have.”   

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Natalia Proops. Find out how creating beauty can enhance your life.

Natalia Proops: “When I was eight, I went with my parents to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to watch the Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. It was staged at the time by Marius Petipa, and it was pure magic. Imaginal exposure for children that I still find absolutely beautiful.

Walking around in a beautiful dress looking at Buckingham Palace in London, when I was twenty-one, I felt the connection of beauty within the world. The thought that ran through my mind was, “I can now see the world”. 

The first time I did an ikebana, a Japanese flower arrangement, I was in my thirties, and a student in New Zealand. Ikebana is the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers, which translates to “making flowers come alive”. In ikebana, the key consideration is to use as few stems and leaves as possible in composing elegant contours that highlight the flowers' beauty. Three to five years are required to acquire the technical and expressive skills. Sogetsu is a modern school of the Japanese art of flower arranging, which was part of the school I attended. My first arrangement, which was the simplest one, amazed me that it really was ikebana. I could not believe I had actually done it.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Natalia Proops. Find out how creating beauty can enhance your life.