In this episode, you'll learn:

·    Why traditional personality tests might be missing the most important part of who you are

·    How to identify your natural abilities (and why they're different from skills or interests)

·    The surprising connection between what you think are your biggest challenges and your unique genius

Have you ever wondered if there's an entirely different version of yourself that you never got to meet? Not in some parallel universe, but right here - a version of you with talents and abilities that got buried under years of well-meaning advice, standardized testing, and society's expectations?

I've spent the last decade obsessing over personal growth, taking every personality test imaginable, trying to understand why certain things felt effortless while others felt like pushing a boulder uphill. After interviewing hundreds of guests about finding their path, I thought I had a pretty good handle on who I was. But this interview turned everything I thought I knew about myself upside down.

Today our guests are Betsy Wills and Alexandra Ellison, co-authors of "Your Hidden Genius" and pioneers in revolutionizing how we understand human potential. They've helped millions of students and professionals unlock their innate talents through an innovative approach to aptitude testing that breaks free from traditional gender and cultural biases.

Also, if you’re already intrigued about figuring out more about yourself and what you’re here to do, that’s exactly what we’re doing in the Mind Love Collective this month. I’m also putting up the follow up call exclusively in the collective. Go to mindlove.com/join to access the community, the year of growth, and this podcast bonus.

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In this episode, you'll discover:

The average person will have 50,000 conversations in their lifetime. Most of them are completely worthless. Not because people are shallow – but because we're terrified of being seen.

After years of studying consciousness, diving into plant medicine ceremonies, and exploring quantum physics, doing all the cool spiritual methods, I keep coming back to the simplest truth. The most powerful tool for change is conversation. Real, raw, vulnerable conversation.

I see this every day in my coaching practice. What's therapy? What's transformational coaching? At its core, it's two people talking. But not just any kind of talking. Because we don't change when someone tells us what to do. We change when we come to our own realizations through dialogue. When we hear ourselves say something we've never admitted before. When someone asks us that one question that cracks everything wide open.

The good news? Once you understand the psychology behind what makes conversations work or fail, you can transform every interaction from surface-level small talk into a portal for genuine connection. And I'm not talking about some manipulative "how to win friends and influence people" nonsense. I'm talking about real, raw, soul-level communication that can heal trauma, bridge divides, and maybe even save us from ourselves.

Today's guest is Alison Brooks, a Harvard professor who's cracked the code on conversation. She's not your typical academic – she's done the research on why some people can turn any interaction into gold while others stay stuck in small talk hell. Her new book "Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves" blends cutting-edge research with practical wisdom about how we can all become better at this fundamental human skill.

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In this episode, you'll learn:

What if everything you've been taught about God was shaped by someone else's agenda? I don't mean in some conspiracy theory kind of way, but in the most human way possible – through the lens of their own fears, their own time period, their own need for control.

Think about what's happening in the world right now. Science isn't just catching up to spirituality; in some ways, it's pushing us to ask even bigger questions. Quantum physics is showing us that reality isn't what we thought it was. Consciousness research is making us question everything we thought we knew about the mind and soul. Even AI is making us dive deep into what it really means to be human and connected to something greater.

But here's where it gets really interesting. All those ancient texts everyone's fighting about? They're like coded messages from the past. And maybe – just maybe – we've been reading them all wrong. What if they're not rule books meant to control us, but treasure maps for expanding our minds? What if all those contradictions and weird stories aren't mistakes, but doorways to something deeper?

Today our guest is Sean O'Laoire, a Catholic priest of 48 years who's about to blow your mind. He's got a PhD in psychology and a background in physics, and he's not afraid to call out the BS while showing us what's actually sacred.

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We will learn:

Have you ever caught yourself putting something off because you're waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect idea, or the perfect version of yourself to emerge? Maybe you don't consider yourself a perfectionist because your closet isn't color-coded or your life doesn't look Instagram-perfect. But what if perfectionism shows up in the way you hold yourself back?

What's fascinating is that perfectionism isn't actually about being perfect – it's about never feeling good enough. And in our current culture of "hustle harder" and "live your best life," this feeling of inadequacy has found the perfect breeding ground. We're even trying to perfect the way we practice self-care or show up authentically – can you see the irony?

Today our guest is Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist and author of "How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists." She brings a fresh perspective to the perfectionism conversation by showing us how our values can secretly transform into rigid rules, and how true growth comes not from perfect execution, but from authentic alignment with what matters most to us.

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We will learn:

·      Why your childhood experiences might be secretly driving your adult decisions (and how to change that)

·      The surprising reason why you and someone else can experience the exact same event completely differently

·      How understanding your core motivations can free you from repeating the same patterns over and over

Imagine you're trying to untangle a complex knot. You could just pull at random strings, hoping to make progress. Or you could study the pattern of the knot first, understanding exactly how it's twisted and turned, making the untangling process much more intentional and effective.

That's what these frameworks can do when we use them wisely. Instead of using them to build our identity, we can use them to understand our attachments, our default patterns, and the stories we've been telling ourselves. They become mirrors showing us where we might be stuck, where we tend to grasp too tightly, and where we might need to pay extra attention in our personal growth work.

This revelation hit me particularly hard when I started diving deep into the Enneagram system. Unlike other personality frameworks I'd encountered, this one seemed less interested in putting me in a box and more focused on showing me the box I'd already put myself in – and more importantly, how to think outside of it.

Today our guest is Stephanie Hayes, an Enneagram expert who brings a fresh perspective to this ancient system of understanding human behavior. She's written "Enneagram in Real Life" and specializes in helping people use the Enneagram as a practical tool for growth rather than just another label to collect.

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We will learn:

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what you think it is? What if it's not your lack of experience, or connections, or even money – but the simple act of not starting?

This episode is a little bit different. While I love diving deep into spirituality and mindset work, sometimes what we really need is just a practical roadmap for turning our dreams into reality. Because at the end of the day, all the inner work in the world won't matter if we don't know how to take that first step.

Today we're talking with someone who understands this journey intimately. Daryl Schwartz isn't just an entrepreneur – he's a serial entrepreneur who's turned multiple ideas into reality, including his latest venture, GoodBar. And what makes his story particularly valuable is that it wasn't always smooth sailing. He's dealt with timing issues, pivots, and those moments where you have to decide whether to keep pushing or let go.

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We will learn:

·      Why fighting against your mental blocks actually makes them stronger, and what to do instead

·      The surprising way your body holds the key to accessing and transforming subconscious programming

·      How to use the principle of polarity to turn your biggest blocks into your greatest strengths

Have you ever noticed that the harder you work on yourself, the more resistive your inner blocks become? Like trying to catch smoke with your hands - the tighter you grasp, the more it slips through your fingers.

I've been there. A few years ago, I was deep in what I now call my "transformation addiction" phase. Picture this: I'd wake up at 5 AM, meditate for an hour, journal three pages, recite affirmations in the mirror, take a cold shower, and that was all before my actual morning routine even started. I had reminders on my phone to check in with my mood, apps to track my habits, and a stack of self-help books by my bed that was slowly turning into a safety hazard. What if the key to real transformation isn't in adding more techniques to our toolbox, but in fundamentally changing how we approach the whole process of change itself? What if the very resistance we feel towards our blocks holds the secret to dissolving them? And what if - stay with me here - all those blocks you've been fighting aren't actually the enemy?

Today's conversation blew my mind, and I have a feeling it might shift something for you too. Our guest is Brandon Epstein, a mindset coach who experienced his own profound awakening through what he calls an "ego death." After this experience revealed the deep programming holding him back, he developed a unique approach to transformation that works with our resistance rather than against it.

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Get all the links to the gift guide here.

I'm back with this year's holiday gift guide, and I always love creating this episode because it's become this beautiful ritual of reflection for me. It's a chance to share not just products, but the real insights and discoveries that have changed how I live this year.

From training your brain with sound frequencies to understanding what your feet are trying to tell you (spoiler: they're not loving those tiny foot prisons), we're diving deep into the 'why' behind each recommendation.

Whether you're shopping for someone special or treating yourself with that holiday cash, you'll learn:

Find links to everything mentioned at https://mindlove.com/podcast/gift-guide-2024

Because sometimes the best gifts aren't just things - they're tools for living more consciously. ✨

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We will learn:

What if your relationship with money was trying to teach you something deeper about yourself? What if every financial pattern – from overspending to under-earning, from hoarding to impulse-splurging – was actually a mirror, reflecting back your deepest beliefs and fears?

This pattern isn't just about money – it shows up everywhere. Maybe you keep attracting the same types of toxic relationships. Maybe you sabotage opportunities right when things start going well. Maybe you can't let yourself enjoy success without waiting for the other shoe to drop. These patterns are trying to show us something about ourselves, if we're brave enough to look.

Think about it: We've all met people who make six figures but live in constant scarcity. People who achieve their financial goals but still feel empty. People who keep making more money but never feel secure. Meanwhile, there are others who seem to radiate abundance with far less in their bank accounts. What's the difference?

Our guest today is Elizabeth Husserl, a financial adviser who brings a refreshingly holistic approach to wealth. She's the author of a groundbreaking book that explores the psychology of money and teaches us how to transform our relationship with abundance from the inside out.

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We will learn:

How many times have you sworn to break a pattern, only to find yourself living it out again — in an entirely new way? 

We walk around thinking we're in control of our choices. But what if those big decisions about money, relationships, how much you think you're worth — what if those were actually decided by old family wounds you don't even remember?

Let me give you some science to back this up. Research shows that 95% of what we do every day comes from our subconscious mind. Think about that. While you're over here setting goals and making vision boards, your subconscious is running the show based on programs it picked up years ago.

But listen — these patterns aren't permanent. The cycle can stop with you. Not through forcing yourself to "think positive" or trying to white-knuckle your way through change. It's about actually rewiring your brain's response to those old memories.

Today our guest is Shelly Lefkoe, co-founder of the Lefkoe Institute. She's helped over 30,000 people break free from long-standing patterns like procrastination, fear, and relationship issues by going straight to the root cause — their limiting beliefs. And here's what's wild: she can help eliminate these beliefs in just hours. I know that sounds too good to be true, but her work has been validated by independent research from the University of Arizona and published in peer-reviewed journals.

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