Growth Guide

Hari Kaur Khalsa is a Master Kundalini and Meditation Instructor. The thing about Hari's power is that I've never witnessed one so great yet without having any airs about her. She has been practicing for over 40yrs and running NY's beloved studio Hari NYC The Treehouse. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Kundalini yoga, you are in for a real treat. I remember when I first discovered it and for me it shifts mood, mindset, and energy faster and better than anything (non-psychotropic) that I've found. Kundalini is so powerful that it was a technology kept secret for centuries. Hari was a key part of the team that brought and spread Kundalini yogi through the eastern US. Along with training countless teachers in her program, she has taught in hospitals and high schools to great effect. Hari also founded the Illumined Woman courses to empower women of all ages. She expertly curates wisdom that brings women healing, comfort, and transformation. She is the author of two books: "A Woman's Book of Meditation" and "A Woman's Book of Yoga: Embracing Our Natural Life Cycles".

This episode is for everyone looking to heal their inner patterns, limits, and traumas to live a more fulfilling life. Whether you are experienced with plant medicine, have been curious or never heard about it, this conversation will open your eyes to an ancient practice of healing through living in connection to the natural world. After a career that scaled the heights of corporate success as a CEO of global companies, Angel Deer reached a turning point in his life – material success and trappings had not brought him happiness or fulfillment. He had a big degree, a big job, and success that most people aspire to, but he was not happy. He decided to completely change his life and embarked on a journey of self-exploration and meditation that took him from working with Mother Teresa's mission in India, to the jungles of Peru in search of finding meaning in life and fulfillment beyond the material demands of society today. Through seeking to transform his own life to live in service to a higher purpose, he made a life-changing commitment to help others in their search for peace, harmony, and happiness. Angell founded The Sanctuary Shamanic Healing Center in upstate New York where he serves a thriving community.

Today's guest is Mary Esther Malloy joined by my lovely wife, Navah D'Alessandro. Birth stories are a right of passage that every person on this planet experiences yet no two are the same. You think you know how babies are made? You are in for a big surprise. Mary Esther is the owner of Mindful Birth in New York City. It's no secret that our current systems have a gross misalignment with their business objectives and the sacred act of our fierce women bringing life into this world. Hearing Mary's insights and experiences in dealing with the system is eye-opening. Her childbirth preparation course hands down changed our experience by giving us the knowledge and tools to navigate the hospital system and make empowered decisions every step of the way. Navah and I had a pretty extreme birth experience with Navah birthing our son vaginally breech without meds- like a boss!

Without the guidance of our core team of Mary Esther, our Midwife Marcy Tardio, and our Doula Maggie Torrance I don't know what the experience would have looked like so I want to honor the sacred feminine in them and the divine work they do. I'd also like to honor the incredible Dr that birthed our son for he is a rare breed of breech experienced, caring, and willing to take the risk in a time when hospitals and insurance companies strongly push against vaginal breech births, despite their comparable risks to cesarian. I sadly won't name him out of concern for backlash.

Mary Esther Malloy offers families an expansive, holistic approach to childbirth preparation, labor support, and parenting. In addition to teaching childbirth classes, running parenting groups, attending births, and raising her three children, Mary Esther publishes regularly about birth and parenting.

Today we discuss the ancient field of Ayurveda and how to heal your own imbalances using it with a gifted practitioner Damin Hagglund. I've experienced Damian's work first hand and it's been a key asset for maintaining my health. We'll cover gut wellness, mind-body connection, martial sciences and his incredible journey. Damian's story begins like an epic Martial Arts saga. At the age of 5 Damian began training by entering boarding school studying under monks and masters. He lived in India for 18 years and trained with many great masters, covering ancient Vedic texts, Wing Chun, Taekwondo, and Aikido. In 1995, Damian met Dr. Madusudan Ray, while on a search for relief from sciatica. After implementing the warrior system of Ayurveda, Damian was able to heal himself and after much dedication and persistence became Dr. Madhusudan Ray's first western disciple. Damian practices a form of martial arts massage called Marma where he uses specific points on the body to resolve any disharmonies. With a no-nonsense attitude and approach, he has dedicated his life to serving others by sharing his experience and knowledge of Ayurveda around the world.

Whether or not you have heard of the Vagus Nerve prior, prepare to have your mind blown. For such a big and important topic, I've brought in the powerhouse, Dr. Eva Detko. Dr Detko is a natural healthcare practitioner, author and speaker who has studied natural medicine and the human mind for over 20 years. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of human physiology, biochemistry, nutritional sciences and bioenergetics. Having successfully recovered from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and reversed Hashimoto's thyroiditis, she's well equipped. I was drawn to her no nonsense approach to healing and her strong focus on the Vagus Nerve as a pathway. The Vagus Nerve and the Polyvagul Theory codifies the inner workings of body's stress response systems. The vagus nerve is involved in anxiety and fear responses, ties right into the nervous system, prevents inflammation, aids breathing, but wait- there's more- it also controls your heart rate, and connects the gut brain and the brain brain. There's even a pretty new treatment of Vagus nerve stimulation which uses bioelectronics to treat a variety of conditions such as severe depression, and epileptic seizures. Through understanding this we are able to identify imbalances before they progress into disease, and if we are experiencing disease we are given ways to treat at the root cause.

When it comes to the design world, the name Stefan Sagmeister billows across the land. You've seen his work with a diverse body spanning the Rolling Stones, HBO, the Guggenheim Museum and Time Warner. Along with winning almost every prestigious design award out there, Stefan has a Grammy award, for the limited edition set he designed for The Talking Heads. This episode is not just for designers, we talk in depth about happiness, meditation, talk therapy, exercise, and working for his hero Tibor Kalman. What took my love of Stefan to the next level is the work he has done to be a better human being and living a more fulfilling life. As you'll see, he is a total sweetheart of a person. Instead of the force-fed concept of retirement, Stefan decided he didn't want to ever retire and instead decided to just take a one year sabbatical every 7 yrs. During his second sabbatical he undertook a project to explore happiness. Well he opened up pandora's box and eight years later, the result was a beautiful documentary called, The Happy Film. Unbuckle your mind, and open your heart, it's grow time!

Sharon has found herself training under some remarkable masters throughout her life. From direct students of Ōsensei: Nakazono Sensei, Sugano Sensei, and Yamata Sensei to name a few. Sharon teaches Aikido at NY Aikikai under Yamata Sensei. Yamata Sensei studied as a live in student directly under the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba - Ōsensei. It doens't get richer than that. Aikido is a defensive martial art that teaches us how to diffuse a situation with minimal harm caused. Ōsensei is quoted saying, To injure an opponent is to injure yourself. To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace. This sentiment accurately sums up how Aikido is a meditation or even therapy for all areas of life. I've had the privilege of practicing with Sharon and can only say that she is fierce, deeply connected to greater spirit, and an absolute blast to be around. Sharon is the US Rep for the International Aikido Federation's Working Group on Gender. Sharon is also a healer practicing many modalities including Kototama. Don't worry if you haven't heard of it, I hadn't either but have fallen in love with the practice. Kototama uses ancient sacred sounds to affect dis-ease in the body, mind, and spirit. This Japanese practice believes that mystical powers dwell in words and names.

What's your earliest memory of music? For certain, the first thing we all heard was our Mom's heartbeat while nestled in the womb. That's rhythm and that symbolizes love, as Keith explains, rhythm at its core IS Love.

Native New Yorker Keith "WildChild" Middleton is a 20yr veteran of the global hit show Stomp. After a tragic car accident that almost took his life, he dropped everything to pursue his dreams of producing music. He currently tours with his band Levels while living in Milan, Italy. Keith is a larger-than-life personality who embodies musicality and rhythm is all he does. On this episode we talk about: all things rhythm, his 20yrs performing around the world with Stomp, his near-death experience, his Uncle Pepe landing his cousin Prince his first deal w/ Warner Bros, and his son's experience as a finalist on American Idol.

Growth Guide explores the depths of curiosity finding growth in all areas of life from all walks of life. We'll get into deep conversations with some incredible humans sitting around the modern-day campfire. Unbuckle your mind, and open your heart, it's grow time!

Outer space is something that has fascinated us since our earliest ancestors walked this planet. The awe of looking up into the sky and seeing our sun, moon, stars, and planets. The wonder and awe this provokes to this day.

Today we are blessed with speaking with one of the few people that have visited the international space station logging 178 days in space. Ron Garan, veteran Air Force fighter pilot, retired NASA astronaut, and social entrepreneur embodies the "orbital perspective" back here on Earth and today he teaches us all how to do the same without having to travel to space. We will cover his journey into space, the profound effect it has had on him and how we can apply those lessons to solve some of humanity's greatest challenges.

Growth Guide explores the depths of curiosity finding growth in all areas of life from all walks of life. We'll get into deep conversations with some incredible humans sitting around the modern-day campfire. Unbuckle your mind, and open your heart, it's grow time!

The first episode is unlike the rest. It's me, your host, Bryan D'Alessandro (sans guest) giving context to how Growth Guide came to be and why you should care.

Growth Guide explores the depths of curiosity finding growth in all areas of life from all walks of life. We'll get into deep conversations with some incredible humans sitting around the modern-day campfire. Unbuckle your mind, and open your heart, it's grow time!