Mindful FIRE : Life Design for Financial Independence

In this episode : Guided meditation to help you drop into this moment.

Often our busy minds feel like the choppy waves of the ocean during a storm. But even during a storm, if you drop below the surface just 10-15 feet, the water is calmer and quieter. 

I like to think of meditation as a practice of dropping in, dropping below the busy and tumultuous waves of my mind, into the calmer, quieter peace of this moment.

That's what this practice is all about. I share simple guidance to help you drop into this moment, so you can enjoy the simplicity, peace and ease that exists below the surface.

We finish up with some gratitude and drop into the feeling of gratitude in our bodies.

In this episode: Psychological Flexibility, Resilience, High Performance Psychology, Crafting a Life You Love

Episode Summary: On today’s episode, we’re joined by my new friend, Dr. Adam O’Neil PHD. Adam is a clinical and high performance psychologist who works with high performers like olympic athletes, musicians and business executives who need to perform when it really counts. In this episode we explore how we can cultivate resilience and psychological flexibility in our lives to overcome challenges that arise as we pursue FI and creating a life we love.

Guest Bio: Dr. Adam O'Neil (he, him) is a clinical and high performance psychologist, an entrepreneur, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver. For more than a decade, Adam has used mindfulness and acceptance based skills and practices to help people pursue excellence in their lives, such as athletes, stage performers, Googlers (and other tech geniuses!), parents, and teachers. He is the co-founder of the Boulder, CO based private practice, Atlas Psychology (www.atlaspsychologyboulder.com), and as a clinical health service provider, Adam spends much of his time conducting comprehensive psychological evaluations and counseling with children, teens and adults.

Resources & Books Mentioned:

• "Envisioning Guide" - Download for free at mindfulfire.org/start
• Soul of Money - Lynne Twist
• Love Money, Money Loves You - Sarah McCrum

Connect with Adam O’Neil

• LinkedIn: Adam O’Neil on LinkedIn
• Website: AtlasPsychologyBoulder.com

Key Takeaways:

1. Mindfulness can help you become aware of your own patterns that may not be helpful or productive for yourself or those around you.
2. Psychological flexibility is crucial for high performers to navigate challenges and explore new possibilities.
3. Growth opportunities can be found in various areas of life, and embracing them leads to personal and professional development.
4. Building curiosity and awareness can open doors to new perspectives and possibilities.

I hope you enjoy today’s episode. Please share with a friend.

In this episode: Looking at life as a practice, sales to engineering, envisioning, deliberate practice, music with Dan Arwady

I'm excited to re-share with you all my episode with my good friend, Dan Arwady, on this episode The Mindful FIRE Podcast. The episode originally aired a few years back and Dan shares a lot of wisdom about practice that you can apply to your own pursuits.

I’m excited to introduce it to our new and growing audience. If you enjoy the show, please share the episodes with a friend. It helps me grow the show and I really appreciate it.

In this episode, we talked about Dan's journey of growth and learning in both his personal and professional life. As a talented musician and engineer, Dan shared his insights on deliberate practice and how he continually improves his skills, even with a busy schedule.

We also dove into his career at Google, where he made a switch from sales to engineering and is currently pursuing a second Bachelor's degree in Engineering and Computer Science. Throughout the episode, Dan shared valuable wisdom and insight, and the conversation felt like two old friends catching up.

About Dan Arwady

Dan Arwady is an operations engineer at YouTube Music and a musician. He has been working in the music business for about four to five years. He is also a session drummer and records drum tracks for people. On the side, he is back in school to get a bachelor's in computer science and for engineering.

Connect with Dan Arwady

• Spotify: Dan’s New Album “We All Start Out As Strangers”
• LinkedIn: Dan Arwady on LinkedIn

Resources & Books Mentioned

• Mindful FIRE Envisioning Guide: https://mindfulfire.org/start

In this episode: resting in this moment meditation

This guided meditation practice invites you to set everything aside for a little while and rest in the incredible simplicity of this moment.

We all have so much going on in our lives: things to do, things to plan, things we’re worried about, kids and family to take care of, jobs to do, etc. The list is endless.

However, we can choose to set aside everything that has come before and everything that is yet to come and just drop into this timeless moment of now, if only for one breath.

That’s what we’re practicing with this guided meditation. It’s an invitation to rest in the simplicity of having nothing to do besides being aware of just this in-breath and just this out-breath, exactly as they are, moment by moment and breath by breath.

I hope you enjoy this mediation.

In this episode: Envisioning, Manifesting, Moving From Italy to NYC, & Being a Modern Witch with Nadia Carta

Nadia Carta shares her journey of becoming a corporate executive and embracing her calling as a modern witch. She talks about the powers she possesses in connecting with people and inspiring them to achieve their goals. Nadia also discusses the importance of envisioning and manifesting, and the role it has played in her life.

Guest Bio

Nadia Carta is a corporate executive at Google, executive life coach, and “modern witch” helping people reconnect of what's important to them. Nadia is a Virgo who is very self-critical and has always had a lasting impact on people. She defines herself as a modern witch, all about kindling and energizing others.

Connect with Nadia Carta

• Website: NadiaCarta.com
• LinkedIn: Nadia Carta
• Email: [email protected]

Books and Resources Mentioned

• "Into the Magic Shop" by Dr. James Doty
• Love Money, Money Loves You by Sarah McCrum
• "Happy Money" by Ken Honda
• Broad City (TV show)
• Woodward (Sports Camp)

Key Takeaways

• Nadia's move to New York was a revelation that gave her the opportunity to embrace her powers and be herself without fear of judgment.
• Envisioning and manifesting involve aligning priorities, allocating time, and building around what you want.
• Even when things don't happen the way you envision them, everything happens for a reason.
• Having someone to keep you accountable in getting ready for an experience can help you achieve the outcome you envision.
• Women, especially, have the power to create and make miracles, and reconnecting with that power can be a life-changing revelation.
• It's important to identify what you want and build the work around it, including talking to people, protecting your energy, and taking action.
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In this episode : Grounding meditation

"Imagine that your body and even your mind are rooted, grounded, planted here in this spot while the crazy world just keeps on spinning." - Adam Coelho

This quote captures the essence of today’s grounding meditation practice.

In today's world, it often feels like we're caught in a strong storm, being blown in many different directions, making it hard to maintain our balance and stability. Mindfulness helps us regain our stability by grounding us in the timeless moment of now.

This practice invites you to let go of everything happening outside, in the world, and instead to focus on grounding in this moment, right now, like a tree with deep roots that can withstand the winds of the storm.

I hope you enjoyed this meditation. 

In this episode: Final month of my sabbatical, reflecting on Rest, Play, Connect, Mindfulness, Personal Finance with David Moltz

In this episode of the Mindful Fire Podcast, Adam Coelho discusses his recent sabbatical and the lessons he learned about rest, play, and connect. He also talks about the power of envisioning and how it helped him achieve his goals during the sabbatical. Additionally, he shares his thoughts on social media consumption and returning to work with a fresh perspective.

Key Takeaways

• Having a simple intention, such as rest, play, and connect, can be helpful in guiding activities during a sabbatical.
• It's important to regularly practice meditation and mindfulness to improve mood and interactions with others.
• The primary reason for doing a podcast can be to connect with others.
• Personal finance during a sabbatical can be similar to personal finance while working full-time, but it's important to be mindful of spending habits.
• Hiring an editor can help with the cumbersome task of podcast editing and post-production.
• Having a gratitude practice, such as writing down three things to be grateful for each day, can improve mood and overall well-being.

On today’s episode I share an update 2 months into my 3 month sabbatical.

During the time I chose a theme of “rest, play, and connection”.

I relaxed, watched comedy on Netflix, went for walks in nature, did a pushup challenge, and played pickleball with my wife.

I also had opportunity to realize one of my biggest dreams, which I had been envisioning. I create the opportunity to teach my first paid Envisioning Workshop at a Camp Woodward, which I attended as a teen and always wanted to return to.

Guest Bio

Adam Coelho is the host of the Mindful Fire Podcast, which explores the tools of mindfulness, envisioning, and financial independence to help listeners craft a life they love. He is also a mindfulness teacher and leadership coach at Google.

Resources & Books Mentioned

• Inner MBA program
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Connect with Adam

• LinkedIn : Adam Coelho’s LinkedIn
• Website: mindfulfire.org
• Twitter: @AdamCoelho
• Instagram: @themindfulfirepodcast

Key Takeaways

• Adam spent his sabbatical resting, playing, and connecting with others.
• He set specific guidelines for rest and play to prioritize those activities.
• One of the biggest challenges was letting go of the energy of wanting to constantly do things.
• Adam had the opportunity to teach mindfulness at a camp he attended as a child during his sabbatical.
• He treated his sabbatical as a mini-retirement and felt like he could do it for a long time.
• Adam learned the importance of setting parameters around rest and play to make those activities a priority.

In this episode: Simple awareness and gratitude practice

Welcome to this week's guided meditation practice! For this session, we will be practicing a simple mindful awareness exercise. In this shorter version, we will focus on bringing a kind and curious awareness to our breathing experience, moment by moment and breath by breath.

To wrap up our practice, we will take a moment to consider someone or something in our lives that we are extremely grateful for. Then, we will take the time to rest in a kind and curious awareness of the feeling of gratitude.

I truly hope you enjoy this simple but powerful practice. Thank you for joining me today!