Live & Play Freely

Find yourself ruminating on situations that haven't happened yet? Do you spend time in stress and worry about what you're expecting to happen? Is this helpful? What can you do differently?

Joe Bailey, licensed psychologist, trainer of therapists, and author of six books talks with Denise Holland about the impact on people's lives through his work and now his latest book, "Thriving in the Eye of the Hurricanes - Unlocking Resilience in Turbulent Times". Joe is an expert in transforming people's lives, especially in addiction, trauma and abuse. He is a Consultant to organizations to create a sustainable workforce with mentally healthy, happy and resilient teams.

Wanting and waiting for things to get back to normal might sound like a useful strategy, but how helpful is this experience, and is it holding you back from creating something amazing in your life or business?

Ever noticed that no matter how difficult and challenging times get, there is a point where the ever-increasing stretch of stress, eventually collapses, and you get to start over. The human being is an incredible design, yet often we fail to notice its extraordinary ways. Irrespective of the strategies, and techniques you engage, to live your life or run a business, there is one common denominator; human consciousness works the same for all of us. It seems that clarity of mind, responsiveness, calm, and creativity are all by-products of insightfully realizing the more profound truth behind human life.

Join me with special guests Integrated Health Practitioner Scott Kelly and Musician and Author Nick Bottini - A unique transformative conversation.

During my time as a national athlete, I could have used heaps more clarity and confidence. One time, I remember being in Australia on tour for the Hong Kong National Netball Team, that I stayed awake all night before a competition, worrying about whether I could put the ball in the basket the next day. How bizarre, losing sleep over a sport I loved, why do we do this to ourselves?

Why is it we put ourselves under enormous amounts of pressure to do well, improve or do the right thing, especially now during the lockdown; to eat well, stay connected, get involved and be on-line, with everyone else keeping fit? What if, our state of mind is not willing? It is no surprise that people get a sense of being left behind hopelessly struggling, with low self-esteem, and falling energy levels.

As a mental skills specialist, my affirmations reminded me of all the times I had performed out of my skin. Positive self-talk and visualisation practise calming my busy mind filled my training diary. My knowledge of NLP and CBT developed my capacity to be mentally and emotionally aware and re-frame my thinking to reroute from habitual negative behaviours. Yet, none of these techniques brought me the confidence I needed to sleep easy and perform well. There were times when it felt agonisingly painful, leaving my whole body hurting, and my breathing shallow. The sport was impacting my mental health and wellbeing, which ultimately hindered my performance and results.

During this Coronavirus, it’s common to want to feel better, get some relief, worry less and experience hope even amidst uncertainty and dramatic change, but where should you look?

What do you usually do when you feel uncomfortable?

Most people seem to up their game, and change something or someone out there, very few would look inside to the nature of their experience and the incredible intelligence of nature working behind the conceptual human system.

What if you have everything inside already to feel OK, yes, I know, mystics have said this for hundreds of years, but stay with me, what if it is true?

What if, all through your life, there is a resilience that you cannot explain that has got you through when things do not happen the way you want them?

What if that same intelligence is what is connecting people right now, a strong sense of unity, compassion and gratitude. After all, you don’t make yourself tear up in sincere heartfelt appreciation, it just happens! You don’t need to grind those feelings out; somehow they just come, why, because they are natural to all human life. How can you harness this innate resilience and mental and emotional wellbeing that sits within your soul, and is yours to keep, just tucked under your temporary habitual thinking of how you want life to be?

So what accounts for the so-called genius in people, and does everyone have it? Why are some people brilliant at certain things while others can only dream of acquiring the same skills, ability or art. Is it that we (humans) are destined to find our purpose and genius, whatever it is? If so, where do we look? Nick Bottini is a multi-instrumentalist, consultant and performance coach. During this podcast show, Nick and Denise explore all levels of human performance from beginners through to what looks like being super-human. The design behind the human operating system is the same for all of us; we all breath, our hearts beat, our bodies age, and we all learn and explore from the second we are born. Many people, however, do not realise their potential, and under-achieve. They accept mediocrity due to limiting beliefs around what's possible for them living these physical bodies. 

A full-length feature show, with Andy Winter, Denise Holland and contributions from special guests Barbara Jorden, and Declan Stout. A conversation which demystifies the so-called, 'Performance Zone' state that a performer experiences when there appears to be no separation between themselves and anything or anyone else, a pure connection to the energy and intelligence behind all nature (life). Psychological freedom, it turns out, is simpler than you think and is not something you attain through experience or knowledge. Sportspeople cannot look to the intellect and concepts to understand that which is formless, and some might say, Divine, it doesn't make sense?  To get the best out of this show, Denise invites you to listen beyond the words, like you would a piece of music, soak up what the speakers are pointing to, leave your personal beliefs to the side just for an hour and see what you hear?  This understanding offers another dimension to sports coaching, which has an incredible impact on people's lives and results.

So what is this new understanding that has elite athletes head in an entirely new direction of, performing from a place of enjoyment, love, and exploration, rather than the chasing and deliberate endeavour of needing to believe in yourself, setting goals, and being confident? And how do you teach it? Andy Winter and Denise look to the source and nature of all human activity and "the excitement of knowing that at any moment and that at all moments the wisdom of life is flowing through me and expressing itself, that is unavoidable". What if the next evolution in sport is more about tuning in with that which you are as a spiritual being, rather than that which you can become? 

We wouldn't dream to control the shape of the waves, so how is it we think we can dictate human performances which is another act of nature? What's possible for athletes when they get to that place of openly expressing rather than needing to control, or exploring instead of achieving? What if, sportspeople could see what's behind what they see in people? 

Andy Winter, shares experiences of his daughter watching Rafael Nadal, at the US Open in 2017. She noticed, that, "he's not having fun anymore". What makes Elite Athletes enjoy their performances? Some would say that "winning makes you happy", but we know that's not true. Magic Johnson, wowed the global stage in basketball, what's behind this so-called X Factor? What is it that if we open up to it, we get to play freely, and impersonally?

Human beings have practised movements and making decisions before we have too much thought, for thousands of years. "Grace is the gift of being human; we are the spontaneous interaction with the moment were in". When you're playing from this your true nature, the feedback is different; it's more productive and more immediate.