Jonny is an entrepreuner who  co-founded Maptia, a living archive of inspiring and impactful stories from around the world (with breathtaking photos). He led the Escape the City Startup Tribes in London for 2016 . He is a podcaster at Curious Humans. He also crossed the English Channel on a stand up paddle-board raising money for a charity.

And he lost his partner to suicide, as he openly shared on stage at the FreedomX festival where I met him last summer.

You know me, as soon as I heard that, I wanted to invite him; I am so grateful that he said yes to share his story and thoughts.

And even more now, as we had a raw, deep, conversation, which was only possible with Jonny's willingness to show up in a vulnerable and totally open way. This is one of these moments, where I know I'm exactly where I need to be, like hey, I might really be helping to break the silence and stigma around mental health and change things, one conversation at a time.

I hope you guys will be touched as I was. Let me know in the comments: What was the thing that surprised you the most in our conversation? What idea of yours got challenged?

On suicide, mental health, irrational logic, resilience versus being strong, radical curiosity, and this wonderful, exquisite, amazing experience that is life...

* Suicide is often linked to depression, and the World Health Organisation states that by 2020 depression will be the second health issue worldwide. Yet the silence around it is still huge, and only makes the problem bigger!* [3:24] Every story is different, yet they all help to clarify this puzzle of mental health and suicide: Jonny's experience with his partner Sophie, struggling with bipolar disorder that eventually led her to suicide.* [10:02] "Although not professionally trained. A lot of the times, I was just there to kind of hold space for her." A lot of people battling with mental health have a hard time being heard and acknowledged. "Just" being there, open and willing to listen in a non-judgemental way is already a lot. This is the base for any support, and it needs to be there in the therapy, but also outside, in everyday life.* [12:12] Suicidal ideation is surprisingly common for people who even don't suffer from particularly intense depression. Mental heath issues are almost always related to self-worth. Sadly, it can even go to the point where someone feels like being a burden on other people. At some point, the rational mind is by-passed by emotions.* [14:57] In her head it was the most rational thing to do. This is maybe the most difficult thing with suicide: It appears and can be defended very logically, in a way that can be difficult to prove wrong... with logic. Because it is actually the result of an emotional state, leading to a narrowing down into a tunnel vision and the thought that there is only one option; where it is obviously the worst option ever, and there are always other options: It is just a matter of taking a step back and taking a different view on the situation. Addressing the feeling of disconnection, from yourself, and the wonder of the world, coming back to the a sense of curiosity, is a key to change the emotional state, and a more powerful way to react to this decision than using logic and rational thoughts.* [23:14] Facing mental health, it is essential to get help, not only for the person struggling directly, also for those who care for her/him. "It's really scary to see someone you love so dearly not being themselves, and being in this state where they almost have no control on how they feel, you certainly have no control on how they feel, and you feel really powerless, and you feel really helpless."* [26:02] Suicide ny nature is violent, unexpected, suden. It is a shock,

Jonny is an entrepreuner who  co-founded Maptia, a living archive of inspiring and impactful stories from around the world (with breathtaking photos). He led the Escape the City Startup Tribes in London for 2016 . He is a podcaster at Curious Humans. He also crossed the English Channel on a stand up paddle-board raising money for a charity.

And he lost his partner to suicide, as he openly shared on stage at the FreedomX festival where I met him last summer.

You know me, as soon as I heard that, I wanted to invite him; I am so grateful that he said yes to share his story and thoughts.

And even more now, as we had a raw, deep, conversation, which was only possible with Jonny's willingness to show up in a vulnerable and totally open way. This is one of these moments, where I know I'm exactly where I need to be, like hey, I might really be helping to break the silence and stigma around mental health and change things, one conversation at a time.

I hope you guys will be touched as I was. Let me know in the comments: What was the thing that surprised you the most in our conversation? What idea of yours got challenged?

On suicide, mental health, irrational logic, resilience versus being strong, radical curiosity, and this wonderful, exquisite, amazing experience that is life...

Suicide is often linked to depression, and the World Health Organisation states that by 2020 depression will be the second health issue worldwide. Yet the silence around it is still huge, and only makes the problem bigger![3:24] Every story is different, yet they all help to clarify this puzzle of mental health and suicide: Jonny's experience with his partner Sophie, struggling with bipolar disorder that eventually led her to suicide.[10:02] "Although not professionally trained. A lot of the times, I was just there to kind of hold space for her." A lot of people battling with mental health have a hard time being heard and acknowledged. "Just" being there, open and willing to listen in a non-judgemental way is already a lot. This is the base for any support, and it needs to be there in the therapy, but also outside, in everyday life.[12:12] Suicidal ideation is surprisingly common for people who even don't suffer from particularly intense depression. Mental heath issues are almost always related to self-worth. Sadly, it can even go to the point where someone feels like being a burden on other people. At some point, the rational mind is by-passed by emotions.[14:57] In her head it was the most rational thing to do. This is maybe the most difficult thing with suicide: It appears and can be defended very logically, in a way that can be difficult to prove wrong... with logic. Because it is actually the result of an emotional state, leading to a narrowing down into a tunnel vision and the thought that there is only one option; where it is obviously the worst option ever, and there are always other options: It is just a matter of taking a step back and taking a different view on the situation. Addressing the feeling of disconnection, from yourself, and the wonder of the world, coming back to the a sense of curiosity, is a key to change the emotional state, and a more powerful way to react to this decision than using logic and rational thoughts.[23:14] Facing mental health, it is essential to get help, not only for the person struggling directly, also for those who care for her/him. "It's really scary to see someone you love so dearly not being themselves, and being in this state where they almost have no control on how they feel, you certainly have no control on how they feel, and you feel really powerless, and you feel really helpless."[26:02] Suicide ny nature is violent, unexpected, suden. It is a shock,

A very dense conversation today with Nicole Gibson!

Nicole is an international Speaker and listed in the Financial Review’s Top 100 Most Influential Women.At 21 she was appointed the Australia’s Commissioner for Mental Health,and now she dedicates her time uniting communities, shifting corporate culture, and empowering individuals.She gives a language to the deeper things we feel as a collective and isfighting to unite humanity through understanding, love and empowerment.

This young lady is an embodiment of love, an unstoppable messenger of love and human potential. She is a fierce ambassador for mental health, innovation and connection after recovering from her own experience with anorexia nervosa through her teenage years.

In her own words: "Mental health is said to be the worlds leading health epidemic by 2020, and suicide is the leading killer in Australia.It’s more obvious than ever that our current approach to mental health is too rigid, and denies people space to account for their own unique quirks and uniqueness."

About mental health, depression, isolation, rite of passage, acknowledgement, and more than anything, love.

* [3:00] About the workshops Nicole facilitates: Rite of passage is about understanding that there's gonna be a perfect time and a space for someone to have a breakthrough, and maybe it's actually not about getting a breakthrough for every single person. Through flow and in that space some people will have a breakthrough. And we are all connected; so if you can have one person to have that breakthrough, what happens then is everyone sees himself in that person, and may simultaneously have that breakthrough as well. There is power in a community of people. By one person being vulnerable, it activates vulnerability in all the other persons. Vulnerability is: It is just being honest and speak to whatever you're feeling in that moment.* [6:15] Bridging the gap between traditional and modern societies, to find again the sense of who we are in the community, and know how to behave, find identity & belonging. We are interdependent. We can learn so much from each other and honor that each other's humanity has something to bring to the group. "In a world that put so much significance on individuality, there's actually so much conformity." The people who are "celebritized" are the most ok with speaking their truth, and they are the most unapologetic about who they are. But we are never gonna get to that level by copying them, we've got to find our own equivalent to that.* [9:30] "If 50% of the west is struggling with mental health, that's not biological. To me that just screams there is something going on with our culture and there's something that's actually hurting us on an emotional level. And it makes sense, right? If you're exposed to the level of stress and the level of anxiety (...), unless you feel a sense of anxiety, I would actually argue that you are desensitized."* [11:00] Awareness campaigns are a good start, yet just knowing that it is a problem doesn't give us solutions. When "you can be with someone in their vulnerability, then your friend saying he's suicidal or in a lot of pain, is not gonna make you retract. You can actually be with them in that, and that is the best community intervention that we can have. It doesn't mean you have to be a qualified therapist or a professional, but to not be afraid, to not let the fear of the situation actually rule, and to be present with people in that."* [12:33] How to break the cycle of feeling pain, feeling isolated, shame? "You're qualified [to help] just because you're a human being. But often you've spend so long rejecting and avoiding your own vulnerability, that you haven't shown yourself just how powerful you can be in someone else's own journey.

A very dense conversation today with Nicole Gibson!

Nicole is an international Speaker and listed in the Financial Review’s Top 100 Most Influential Women.At 21 she was appointed the Australia’s Commissioner for Mental Health,and now she dedicates her time uniting communities, shifting corporate culture, and empowering individuals.She gives a language to the deeper things we feel as a collective and isfighting to unite humanity through understanding, love and empowerment.

This young lady is an embodiment of love, an unstoppable messenger of love and human potential. She is a fierce ambassador for mental health, innovation and connection after recovering from her own experience with anorexia nervosa through her teenage years.

In her own words: "Mental health is said to be the worlds leading health epidemic by 2020, and suicide is the leading killer in Australia.It’s more obvious than ever that our current approach to mental health is too rigid, and denies people space to account for their own unique quirks and uniqueness."

About mental health, depression, isolation, rite of passage, acknowledgement, and more than anything, love.

[3:00] About the workshops Nicole facilitates: Rite of passage is about understanding that there's gonna be a perfect time and a space for someone to have a breakthrough, and maybe it's actually not about getting a breakthrough for every single person. Through flow and in that space some people will have a breakthrough. And we are all connected; so if you can have one person to have that breakthrough, what happens then is everyone sees himself in that person, and may simultaneously have that breakthrough as well. There is power in a community of people. By one person being vulnerable, it activates vulnerability in all the other persons. Vulnerability is: It is just being honest and speak to whatever you're feeling in that moment.[6:15] Bridging the gap between traditional and modern societies, to find again the sense of who we are in the community, and know how to behave, find identity & belonging. We are interdependent. We can learn so much from each other and honor that each other's humanity has something to bring to the group. "In a world that put so much significance on individuality, there's actually so much conformity." The people who are "celebritized" are the most ok with speaking their truth, and they are the most unapologetic about who they are. But we are never gonna get to that level by copying them, we've got to find our own equivalent to that.[9:30] "If 50% of the west is struggling with mental health, that's not biological. To me that just screams there is something going on with our culture and there's something that's actually hurting us on an emotional level. And it makes sense, right? If you're exposed to the level of stress and the level of anxiety (...), unless you feel a sense of anxiety, I would actually argue that you are desensitized."[11:00] Awareness campaigns are a good start, yet just knowing that it is a problem doesn't give us solutions. When "you can be with someone in their vulnerability, then your friend saying he's suicidal or in a lot of pain, is not gonna make you retract. You can actually be with them in that, and that is the best community intervention that we can have. It doesn't mean you have to be a qualified therapist or a professional, but to not be afraid, to not let the fear of the situation actually rule, and to be present with people in that."[12:33] How to break the cycle of feeling pain, feeling isolated, shame? "You're qualified [to help] just because you're a human being. But often you've spend so long rejecting and avoiding your own vulnerability, that you haven't shown yourself just how powerful you can be in someone else's own journey."[18:13] We don't need anyone to fix ourselves.

Martyn Sibley is a regular guy who happens to have a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This means he cannot walk, lift anything heavier than a book or shower himself. He has experienced both societal exclusion and a feeling of inferiority. Through personal development and social entrepreneurship, he has achieved many of his personal and professional goals:He co founded and runs his company Disability Horizons, published a book: 'Everything is Possible', has a Degree in Economics & a Masters in Marketing, has presented for the BBC.He is also a blogger, and a speaker to bring awareness on disability. He drives his own adapted car, and loves adventure travels; he has flown a plane, enjoyed skiing & SCUBA diving, flying in a balloon, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he's gone to Mars one day. There doesn't seem to be a limit to what he can do, and he really lives up to the title of his book: "everything is possible". And most of all, he has one of the most genuine smiles I've ever come across. And I know it can sound cheesy, but really, it struck me as something special about him: when we were in Tallinn for a few weeks at Mindvalley university, every single time I saw him, not only was he smiling, but just looking at him, I could feel this joy of being alive.

On living in a world without barriers, prejudice or discrimination; about joy, living purposefully, speaking out taboos...

* [2:16] Titles like "word changer" automatically sounds grandiose, yet Martyn really is one: He shares what was his inspiration and journey to get there. How he had to balance dreaming big, and facing the challenges of the daily life. How his disability naturally led him to develop an entrepreneur mindset: Martyn had to manage a team of carer, from the day he went to university.* [5:32] When he decided to travel, he wanted to hit the big challenge first. He went to pretty much the other side of the world: Australia as a first trip. And again this trip (and the many others that followed) had to be prepared like a project, with his team. This lead to the idea of founding a website like Airbnb for disabled people, which was sold to Airbnb last year... From a personal need to sharing with the community.* [10:00] "In the end, if you stick to it and you find a way, everything is possible." When we change the questions: From "can I do that?" to "How can I do that?". Setting an intention is the key:"When ideas tickle at you and keep tickling, you have to do it."* [13:17] When our situation is not in the norm, we face the challenge of being defined by our circumstance & situation. "Having a disability feels like an eternal venture of educating people. Many people who haven’t come into contact with disability, have rather strange preconceptions of what my life is like." Martyn resisted working in the disability area; it sounded like a cliche, and he didn't want to be totally defined by being disabled. Then he realized: "It's my strength or superpower. My message to the world is made through that journey, and why would I want to hold that back from people?"* [20:08] Being able to talk about everything without taboo makes it possible to find solutions. "I definitely still have abundance blocks, because I never thought when I was growing up I would be able to do certain things, because of the way the media and society generally talk about disability.""There's a lot of interesting dynamic around the topics of taboo, both from what the community needs or say, what the media say, and even what I kind of know I should be saying but I'm a little scared to say myself." Openness, even clumsy (any drunken honesty episode coming to mind, anyone?), is always preferable to silence and awkwardness: "The minute someone asks a question, or says something that is kind of incorrect, then you've got the possibility to educate, with kindness and love.

Martyn Sibley is a regular guy who happens to have a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This means he cannot walk, lift anything heavier than a book or shower himself. He has experienced both societal exclusion and a feeling of inferiority. Through personal development and social entrepreneurship, he has achieved many of his personal and professional goals:He co founded and runs his company Disability Horizons, published a book: 'Everything is Possible', has a Degree in Economics & a Masters in Marketing, has presented for the BBC.He is also a blogger, and a speaker to bring awareness on disability. He drives his own adapted car, and loves adventure travels; he has flown a plane, enjoyed skiing & SCUBA diving, flying in a balloon, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he's gone to Mars one day. There doesn't seem to be a limit to what he can do, and he really lives up to the title of his book: "everything is possible". And most of all, he has one of the most genuine smiles I've ever come across. And I know it can sound cheesy, but really, it struck me as something special about him: when we were in Tallinn for a few weeks at Mindvalley university, every single time I saw him, not only was he smiling, but just looking at him, I could feel this joy of being alive.

On living in a world without barriers, prejudice or discrimination; about joy, living purposefully, speaking out taboos...

[2:16] Titles like "word changer" automatically sounds grandiose, yet Martyn really is one: He shares what was his inspiration and journey to get there. How he had to balance dreaming big, and facing the challenges of the daily life. How his disability naturally led him to develop an entrepreneur mindset: Martyn had to manage a team of carer, from the day he went to university.[5:32] When he decided to travel, he wanted to hit the big challenge first. He went to pretty much the other side of the world: Australia as a first trip. And again this trip (and the many others that followed) had to be prepared like a project, with his team. This lead to the idea of founding a website like Airbnb for disabled people, which was sold to Airbnb last year... From a personal need to sharing with the community.[10:00] "In the end, if you stick to it and you find a way, everything is possible." When we change the questions: From "can I do that?" to "How can I do that?". Setting an intention is the key:"When ideas tickle at you and keep tickling, you have to do it."[13:17] When our situation is not in the norm, we face the challenge of being defined by our circumstance & situation. "Having a disability feels like an eternal venture of educating people. Many people who haven’t come into contact with disability, have rather strange preconceptions of what my life is like." Martyn resisted working in the disability area; it sounded like a cliche, and he didn't want to be totally defined by being disabled. Then he realized: "It's my strength or superpower. My message to the world is made through that journey, and why would I want to hold that back from people?"[20:08] Being able to talk about everything without taboo makes it possible to find solutions. "I definitely still have abundance blocks, because I never thought when I was growing up I would be able to do certain things, because of the way the media and society generally talk about disability.""There's a lot of interesting dynamic around the topics of taboo, both from what the community needs or say, what the media say, and even what I kind of know I should be saying but I'm a little scared to say myself." Openness, even clumsy (any drunken honesty episode coming to mind, anyone?), is always preferable to silence and awkwardness: "The minute someone asks a question, or says something that is kind of incorrect, then you've got the possibility to educate, with kindness and love."[25:13] Beyond the specifics of disability,

Monique DeBose is an award winning singer-songwriter and playwright. She has performed across the globe and recently for Quincy Jones. Monique has released two albums to great critical acclaim and is releasing her third, the Sovereign One on September 27, 2018. She has a deliciously non non-linear curriculum: Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics, holds a master's degree in Spiritual Psychology, and trained at The Groundlings Comedy Theater. She is also a mom, raising two conscious, loving boys.

Yet she didn't sing in public until she was 18 years old and, in her own words, was terrified. And today she coaches people to Unleash their Authentic Voice. She supports individuals and organizations to gain clarity in who they are and what they are here to do. Monique supports people to use their 'small voice' to find and express their 'BIG voice' out in the world.

On authentic expression, creating on stage and in life, being seen...

* [1:35] How did Monique go from shy to this radiant self-assured woman... The importance of finding your path and being sovereign of your life: being seen, and exploring the entire range of the human emotions. There is beauty and power in being a "Jack of all trade", exploring life in a non-linear way, and it might even lead to build bridges where others see walls, like between music & art, and mathematics.

* [6:04] The shift to become a full time professional performer. Why do we have such a hard time stepping into our power and creating the life we want? "Most people are not conscious they have power inside themselves."

* [12:00] About insecurity when we leap into the unknown: "There was something inside of me that was so hungry for actually feeling expressed, actually following what was whispering in my hears. And to me this has been so much more fulfilling than having a paycheck and a false sense of security." Most of us go around like ghosts, without ever questioning ourselves: "What do I actually need, to feel secure and happy?"

* [13:30] What were some resistances you had to overcome? "I am on a journey of: What's great and unique and amazing about you?" "I would be blown out of the game, and destroyed, if I stay in the comparison world." "Comparing myself is a loosing game." "Part of the journey have also be to be with the insecurity." Sometimes the doubts and fears are showing the importance of what's happening.

* [16:50] Whatever we do in life, we are creators, and need to express our authentic deep truth: "We create so that we can take ourselves to the very next step. So I'm very curious to see what's on the other side." "Fears run us when we don't give them an outlet." "When you spend the time and are respectful to acknowledge what is actually present, that's really all it needs, usually. Or that's a huge piece of it to not let it become something that takes over your entire experience."

* [21:30] Expression of ourselves show up in our health too! Monique share her experience of healing her tumor through creating her shows. And how she dealt with expressing her truth, while respecting her family: "For your own health, you cannot be worried about what other people are going to experience. If it is in integrity and in service to what the essence of this project is, you have to share it." Once it becomes bigger than you, than your family... There is no way to suppress the expression anymore.

* [28:20] Monique's art is definitely a growth experience: "Everybody is looking for connection." Her workshops let "people coming in feeling safe to experience, and then what they experience is somebody who is very willing to be so vulnerable, and put all the cards on the table. And then, somebody who can hold the space to really facilitate others doing the same right there in the moment."

* [32:58] "I am so much greater and have so much more capacity than I'll ever t...

Monique DeBose is an award winning singer-songwriter and playwright. She has performed across the globe and recently for Quincy Jones. Monique has released two albums to great critical acclaim and is releasing her third, the Sovereign One on September 27, 2018. She has a deliciously non non-linear curriculum: Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics, holds a master's degree in Spiritual Psychology, and trained at The Groundlings Comedy Theater. She is also a mom, raising two conscious, loving boys.

Yet she didn't sing in public until she was 18 years old and, in her own words, was terrified. And today she coaches people to Unleash their Authentic Voice. She supports individuals and organizations to gain clarity in who they are and what they are here to do. Monique supports people to use their 'small voice' to find and express their 'BIG voice' out in the world.

On authentic expression, creating on stage and in life, being seen...

[1:35] How did Monique go from shy to this radiant self-assured woman... The importance of finding your path and being sovereign of your life: being seen, and exploring the entire range of the human emotions. There is beauty and power in being a "Jack of all trade", exploring life in a non-linear way, and it might even lead to build bridges where others see walls, like between music & art, and mathematics.

[6:04] The shift to become a full time professional performer. Why do we have such a hard time stepping into our power and creating the life we want? "Most people are not conscious they have power inside themselves."

[12:00] About insecurity when we leap into the unknown: "There was something inside of me that was so hungry for actually feeling expressed, actually following what was whispering in my hears. And to me this has been so much more fulfilling than having a paycheck and a false sense of security." Most of us go around like ghosts, without ever questioning ourselves: "What do I actually need, to feel secure and happy?"

[13:30] What were some resistances you had to overcome? "I am on a journey of: What's great and unique and amazing about you?" "I would be blown out of the game, and destroyed, if I stay in the comparison world." "Comparing myself is a loosing game." "Part of the journey have also be to be with the insecurity." Sometimes the doubts and fears are showing the importance of what's happening.

[16:50] Whatever we do in life, we are creators, and need to express our authentic deep truth: "We create so that we can take ourselves to the very next step. So I'm very curious to see what's on the other side." "Fears run us when we don't give them an outlet." "When you spend the time and are respectful to acknowledge what is actually present, that's really all it needs, usually. Or that's a huge piece of it to not let it become something that takes over your entire experience."

[21:30] Expression of ourselves show up in our health too! Monique share her experience of healing her tumor through creating her shows. And how she dealt with expressing her truth, while respecting her family: "For your own health, you cannot be worried about what other people are going to experience. If it is in integrity and in service to what the essence of this project is, you have to share it." Once it becomes bigger than you, than your family... There is no way to suppress the expression anymore.

[28:20] Monique's art is definitely a growth experience: "Everybody is looking for connection." Her workshops let "people coming in feeling safe to experience, and then what they experience is somebody who is very willing to be so vulnerable, and put all the cards on the table. And then, somebody who can hold the space to really facilitate others doing the same right there in the moment."

[32:58] "I am so much greater and have so much more capacity than I'll ever think I do.

Tal Gur is an internet entrepreneur, coach, traveler, and financial freedom enthusiast. In 2005, he asked himself what he would do if he would die within 10 years... And he made a bucket list of 100 big dream to achieve in 10 years, and a conscious decision to pursue these goals.That led him to:

going from being 34 0000$ of debt to financial freedomComplete an Ironman Triathlon in New Zealand after quitting smokingtravel non-stopBuild a new home for a family who lost everything in a mudslide in PeruExplored spirituality and tried a little 10 days Vipassana meditation in IndiaParty for 60 nights in a rowLearn Muay Thai Kickboxing in ThailandAnd much more...

And it became a way of life, to live on his own terms. He related this experience in a book: The Art of Fully Living — 1 man, 10 years, 100 life goals.

Highlights of Tal Gur's interview

02:00 What fully living means for Tal, and how "half living" can get us stuck from making the changes we want. "The main thing is the person you become, not necessary the story.".

02:50 What did Tal discover? The journey is never finished! Tal's found he is a growth agent, and an agent of change..

04:15 The moment of shift, how Tal really began his journey... One year after creating his bucket list.

06:00 Forget about negative / positive dilemma! From crisis to calling: Our judgement create the crisis, to potentially move in a certain direction, or motivate ourselves to move in that direction. You don't need to know what is the calling, just knowing that there is a calling, there is something wanting to happen, and it needs space to come. Getting curious is the key: "What is the change that needs to happen?". The more we see crisis as agent of change, the less we need them.

09:30 It is not a black & white story, shifting from half-living to fully living and that's done. There were a lot of challenges along the way, but the most important is to give yourself a direction to follow. The failure is to not taking action... No matter if you get your goals or not. We don't need to be fully living all the time, if we keep awareness on what is happening and who we are becoming, we can welcome highs and lows as beneficial.

12:14 What is success and failure: the story of the 21 years old lady with 8 "failed businesses". You always learn something when you move on.

14:22 The intrisic motivation of being of service. How and why Tal went from: "I want freedom." To "Why do I want freedom? How will I use it?". "You are doing the same thing, but with a different mindset."

19:00 What does contribution means. Living on a bubble island, aligning your environment and your motivation. Eventually everything we do, we end up wanting to share our experiences, and contribute. The "you can do it as well" of each one's Hero's journey, and the importance of being proud of our accomplishments.

22:47 We all are expert enough to help someone! We often are not acknowledging the way we already contribute: When you become consciously competent you can help someone.

26:10 What is success? What is failure? Whenever you go after your dreams, you are already successful! Why we need fear. And overcoming the astronaut syndrome. Growth never stops.

29:38 Adding some "being" goals on the bucket list. The doing gives direction, and feedback, as it is more measurable. But really, the magic lies in blending "being" and "doing" goals.

31:00 Why is it so crucial to expanding your comfort zone? What are the benefits? Getting out of versus expanding your comfort zone. Finding a balance between expanding and integration.

32:35 Do we have to go through crisis to evolve? Happiness as a way of living rather than the goal. Are your standards for happiness making you miserable?

36:09 Beyond the fluffy airy gratitude trend,

Tahlia is passionate about all things personal growth, discovery, mastery & transformation. She is trained in EFT, a qualified Reiki practitioner, a transformational life coach, and a serial entrepreneur. Right now she is Head of Online Communities at Mindvalley - The Personal Development Company.

She spent years “bettering” herself and going inward to get the source of her trauma and rage.

On trauma, how to heal it, personal / spiritual development and their trap, spiritual bypassing and how to become bigger than you think you are.

Disclaimer: In the second part of the interview, Tahlia sometimes uses the word "trauma" in ways that I wouldn't. My main disagreement point being that trauma is more specific than "a difficult experience to go through". Nevertheless, her story is really powerful and will without a doubt inspire many!

* 1:05 What trauma and rage are we talking about? Thalia's experience of sexual abuse, the feeling of not being able to do anything about it, the denial, and the 14 years of silence that followed.

* 5:10 Going into personal and spiritual development as a way to heal, after feeling supported by "something" bigger than her while sitting in the courtroom for the abuse, 14 years later.

* 9:52 Falling in the trap of "band aid" spirituality / personal development, with the practice of "fake" forgiveness and gratitude ("I fell into the trap of just saying that I forgive, and writing a letter and meditating on it."), while actually suppressing the pain and numbing herself.

* 11:48 Why doing these practices only, doesn't work: why do we get get stuck over and over in the same patterns of behaviors, when we "work" so much on healing? How to become Integrally ‪alive again, working with mind AND body, and differentiating between pain and suffering... Every day!

* 15:00 The spiritual development disease, and the problem with spiritual bypassing. Are you growing, or stagnating, or even going backwards? Are you addicted to spiritual development?

* 17:13 The shifting point for Tahlia: when feeling stuck was not possible anymore. Finding new ways to "personal development".

* 20:06 Now she was able to face her trauma: "I got present to the consequences of actually not being present in my life. (...) That whole bypassing and all these rules and techniques, everything that I thought I needed to do to be healed; All of that got in the way of me truly connecting with other people. (...) I had been checked out of life since I was a little girl."

* 22:55 True forgiveness begins with yourself, but why do we avoid so hard taking responsibility for your story? The two things that motivates us to action.

* 25:25 How Tahlia "trapped" anger in her body. Why suppressing our emotions is making us sick. And why you should stop to consider there are positive and negative emotions, and common misconceptions about anger.

* 30:00 How to healthily live with your emotions. And the simple "healthy aggression" technique to express your anger in an healthy way.

* 36:05 The latest shift, from doing to being: taking a break, learning to accept help of others. How allowing yourself to be seen, and growing into the person you don't see you can be.

* 44:39 Letting others create her new self, and stepping into her power... Through self-sabotage. How Tahlia projected herself into the person she could be, and finally filmed her cover letter to apply to Mindvalley.

* 51:47 Overcoming the loving voice of self-sabotage, again and again... Dying to herself, to be her bigger self.

* 55:55 How did Tahlia's saboteur got so strong? And how she now deals with it without giving it any power anymore.

Where can you find Tahlia:

* While she's building her website, you can connect to Tahlia within the Integrally Alive communities on Facebook: