Mindfulness Mode

Mindfulness Mode

By Bruce LangfordAlternative HealthHealth & FitnessReligion & SpiritualityEducationSelf-ImprovementSpirituality
Download on the App Store

Mindfulness Mode episodes

  • 203 Experience Less Stress By Being Aware of Your Emotions Says Joshua Spodek
    Joshua Spodek is a scientist, specifically an astrophysicist and SO much more. He’s an expert in the field of leadership. He can discover and help develop your leadership potential in ways you never imagined. Josh teaches that some of the greatest leaders were NOT born with a leadership gene; they actually developed the skills and confidence to become successful. Joshua has a thorough understanding of mindset and how it can pilot our ship, either in a negative or positive direction. He is also adamant that mindfulness can be a powerful, positive element in your life.
    Contact Info
    Blog & Website: JoshuaSpodek.com
    Book: Leadership Step By Step by Joshua Spodek
    SpodekAcademy.com (Online version of the exercises in the book)
    SpodekAcademy.com/mindful (For Access to The Meaningful Connection Exercise)
    Most Influential Person
    The X-girl friend of a roommate. She suggested I might want to learn about mindfulness.
    Effect on Emotions
    Much more awareness. I used to look at reason as being rational, so emotions were irrational. I can understand reason, so I can't understand emotion. That's how I looked at stuff at the time. Meditation and mindfulness makes me much more aware.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    Breathing is the main thing that I focus on. It's the time scale is a regular human time scale; not too fast, not too slow. It's never away; it's always there. One of the things I like about exercise is it gets you to breathe much more deeply than you normally would. When you get that last bit of breath, it's a very satisfying feeling.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: Full Catastrophe Living: Use The Wisdom of Your Body and Mind To Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Book: Leadership Step By Step: Become The Person Others Follow by Joshua Spodek
    App: N/A
    Bullying Story
    I don't feel like I was bullied. I do hear people talk about bullying today and they talk about stuff that I experienced, but I don't see it as bullying. I felt like it was a part of childhood. Some things are awesome and some things suck and I had some things that sucked.
    My step brother was older than me and he would make fun of me. It wasn't like torture but he would definitely make things difficult for me. It's hard for me to remember how I felt about it at the time. There were definitely times I'd cry as a kid but I also cried when my parents spanked me and I don't call that bullying.
    42 min
  • 202 Deal With Anxiety By Stepping Forward Says Expert Tim JP Collins
    Tim JP Collins is an anxiety expert. After suffering an intense anxiety attack while delivering a speech for his company, Tim realized he had to delve deep into the cause of his debilitating problem. After years of soul searching and self-therapy, Tim has enabled hundreds of anxiety sufferers to become empowered with the knowledge of how to deal with their condition head on. Tim isthe host of the Anxiety Podcast and is a sought-after speaker on the topic.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.TimJPCollins.com
    Book: The Anxiety Journal by Tim JP Collins
    Podcast: www.AnxietyPodcast.com
    Facebook / Instagram / Twitter: Tim JP Collins
    Most Influential Person
    Tim Ferris (Talked a lot in his blog about meditation and slowing down and mindfulness)
    Effect on Emotions
    By allowing me to process them. I think a lot of the time we try to distract ourselves with music or television or exercise and mindfulness means that we actually can fully be present for whatever it is we're feeling.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    I notice that when I was most anxious, I was breathing in my chest. Or breathing up and down is another way to put it; your shoulders are going up and down.
    One of the things I do to reconnect and ground myself is I rest my hand on the top of my belt or where my belt would be. I just make sure that I'm breathing diaphragmatically; belly breathing in and out, not up and down.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
    Book: The Anxiety Journal by Tim JP Collins
    Free Resource - Anti-Anxiety Toolkit
    App: No apps (Paper and Pen)
    Bullying Story
    I was bullied a decent amount as a chubby pre-teen and teenager. I had my fair share. When I connect back to that anxious feeling in terms of the feeling in my stomach, I think back to when I was at school.
    I used to take the bus to high school and there were certain characters who were in the school and then recently graduated. They'd be 17 or 18 years old and they'd hang around at the school.
    A lot of the time the conversations were things like, 'I'll get you after school'. And so I would spend the day, (and I'm 6 foot 3), and I'd stand out a little bit.
    I'd spend the whole day panicking and being scared and trying to hide and avoid them and sneak onto the bus without being seen and sometimes I'd get away with it and sometimes I wouldn't.
    That was a fairly persistent thing in my life and for sure I think that people who experience anxiety are maybe more predisposed to being sensitive individuals. I think people with anxiety tend to be more aware of what's going on which can be positive and can be to your detriment. So more aware of conversations, of feelings, of threats.
    For instance, when I was a teenager I'd walk into a pub and just by feeling the energy in the pub I could tell if we should leave because there was going to be a fight breaking out or something bad's going to happen. Friends would be saying, oh no, it's fine, we're in now. And give it ten or fifteen minutes and something would happen.
    It was that energetic aggression that I could feel. So a lot of the time at school I was around that and sometimes I got physically punched in the face and I had to try and stand up for myself as a result of it.
    36 min
  • 201 How Your Dog Can Improve Your Leadership Skills Explains Dr. Ann Gatty
    Dr. Ann Gatty is a business consultant with a difference. She partners with her dog; a Great Dane therapy dog named Baretta. Baretta, with Dr. Ann’s help, guides entrepreneurs & executives to a deeper level of mindfulness and other helpful strategies so their businesses will thrive. Dr. Ann is an expert in understanding and improving workplace culture. With lessons shared through Baretta’s perspective, Dr. Ann has authored a book called Leadership Unleashed: A Great Dane’s Wisdom for the Business World.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.StrategicPeopleSolutions.com
    Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook: @AnnGatty
    Book: Leadership Unleashed: A Great Dane's Wisdom for the Business World by Dr. Ann Gatty
    Most Influential Person
    Dr. Jerome Bruner (an American psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology and the world of education)
    Effect on Emotions
    I think it just keeps me healthier. I think, mental health-wise, you stay calm, but then you understand how to celebrate and how to show gratitude and how to be thoughtful. That's what I like to do if something goes wrong, rather than saying, 'Gee, this was a loss, I won, I lose. No, I win and I learn so that I do something better. I think that mindfulness is a way that allows you to be introspective. It allows you to show a little metacognition where you can look outside and say what's really going on so that you can have a better perspective on how to analyze situations and how to learn from them.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    One thing you don't know is that years ago when I first arrived in Pennsylvania, I always wanted to sing well so I started to take singing lessons, voice lessons. If you know anything about voice lessons, the first thing they teach you is diaphragmatic breathing. The woman I studied with actually had a heart issue and she said, because of the diaphragmatic breathing it helped her a great deal to overcome some of the heart issues. It's just a healthy way to calm you down and you can reset easier and you're refreshed when you're using diaphragmatic breathing.  This is something that I take with me and if I start to feel that stress feeling, there's nothing like taking three breaths and you start to feel calm and that you're back in control of things and you can move on and be reset.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: Full Catastrophic Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind To Face Stress, Pain and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Book: Leadership Unleashed: A Great Dane's Wisdom for the Business World by Dr. Ann Gatty
    App: The Calendar on my computer and Memo Pad on my device for the things I've thought of during the day.
    Bullying Story
    We have to be mindful of what is going around and also we have to be able to come forward if there is an issue and make certain there are specific rules. Just like we have a pack mentality here with the canines. I don't see any bullying there. If one dog starts to bully, you'll see another one coming forward and saying, hey, what's this? This isn't how we play. They sort of monitor each other to make certain that they're not getting into any of this.
    In the workplace ... we do a lot of employee policy manuals that we create for our clients as we're helping them with their workplace culture. We just put that right out there because the worst thing you can have is a hostile work environment or anything where there is the slightest concern about bullying because the entire organization goes down; the productivity goes down. People don't do well if they're afraid. People don't do well when they're fearing that there can be some retribution for what is occuring with them in their lives. We put it out there that we won't tolerate this sort of thing and if it does, these are the steps you are to take.
    37 min
  • 200 Cancer Mindfulness With Cancer Radio Network Founder Lee Silverstein
    Lee Silverstein supports people dealing with cancer, and he's an all round connector of individuals. He has a podcast called The Colon Cancer Podcast which he created in 2015, after being diagnosed with Colon Cancer in 2011. Since then, Lee has created The Cancer Radio Network. Lee has helped countless numbers of people through his show and his all around caring personality.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.TheCancerRadioNetwork.com
    Twitter: @Lee_Silverstein / @CancerRadioNet
    Podcast: The Colon Cancer Podcast
    Most Influential Person
    My youngest sister, Margie.
    Effect on Emotions
    It's helped keep me centered and it's helped me enjoy the little things that are in front of us every day. In our society, you hear phrases like, thank god it's Friday, or the weekend's coming. I just don't subscribe to that because you're ignoring what could be right in front of you today on Monday. Monday could be an amazing day. And Tuesday could be an amazing day. Why do we have to look forward to something in the future to find that happiness? You can touch someone and have an impact on someone's life or something special could be right in front of you if you just take the time to look.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    I watched a video a couple of years ago by Dr. Andrew Weil who shared a calming, breathing practice. Perhaps many of Mindful Tribe have heard this. It's the 4 - 7 - 8 breathing cadence. You slowly inhale for the count of 4. You hold your breath for the count of 7. You exhale for the count of 8. You do that four times. It brings you centered, it slows your heart rate and brings you calmness.
    It's a nice thing to do if you're having a little trouble trying to fall asleep. When you first lay down, do four of those and it calms you, keeps you centered and really helps you take on a mindfulness mode.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruis
    App: Reminder App on my phone
    Bullying Story
    I grew up in a very close family. I have two younger sisters. I'm very close with my sisters, my parents, all of my cousins. But we moved around fairly frequently all through grade school. Dad was fortunate in that new and better jobs seemed to come his way fairly often which meant I didn't spend more than two years in the same school from kindergarten up until ninth grade.
    Being the new kid in school is not most student's favorite role to be in. That resulted in quite a bit of bullying until high school. In high school that was not an issue. There's a lot of not great memories of being bullied, for being the new kid, for not being the most athletic kid. All the same reasons unfortunately that kids like to pick on other children. I do have some fairly vivid memories about that.
    40 min
  • 199 Learn How To Know Yourself Better With 5 AM Miracle Author Jeff Sanders
    Jeff Sanders is an author, keynote speaker, and founder of the Rockin’ Productivity Academy. Jeff is host of the 5 AM Miracle Podcast and author of a book of the same title. He’s a marathon runner, passionate raw vegan and all-round mindfulness kind of guy. Jeff has a degree in Theatre and Psychology and lives in Nashville Tennessee with his wife and their pet Pug, named Benny.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.JeffSanders.com
    Book:The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast by Jeff Sanders
    Podcast: The 5 A.M. Miracle 
    Most Influential Person
    Dean Karnazes (Ultramarathon Runner)
    Effect on Emotions
    Mindfulness has made me less overtly emotional. Less angry and less extreme. If anything, it has emotional. It calms me down and allows me to be more rational.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    Breathing's a big part of [my mindfulness practice]. I think especially as an athlete and someone who likes to have a lot of good oxygen to live and to do things well. I find that also breathing a lot or breathing really intensely also calms me down and prepares me for an event; before a speaking engagement for example. I do a lot of breathing techniques to give my self-confidence a boost and to physically feel better.
    One of those breathing techniques is from Wim Hoff who is very famously known as The Iceman. I do a lot of intense breathing where you inhale more than you exhale over and over again, basically until you feel light-headed. You are kind of oxygen packing your body for a few minutes and it really does give you this strong sense of confidence and you feel very awake and alert. It's pretty cool.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast by Jeff Sanders
    Book: Running With A Mind of Meditation by Sakyong Mipham
    App: Nozbe (A Task Management App based on David Allen's Getting Things Done System)
    Bullying Story
    When I was younger, in elementary school aged 7 to 10, I was not quite confident as a kid yet. I was still trying to find out who I was.
    For a lot of my years growing up, I viewed myself as a follower. I would find other people who I thought were a strong personality or someone who could hold their own and I would follow them around.
    In the process of that, I got a hold of some fairly difficult friends or friends who were not genuine. They were bullies, and tough guys. I was a small, scrawny little kid and I didn't have a lot of self confidence. It wasn't bullying in the traditional sense, but it definitely was this sense that I felt inferior to them all the time and it took a long time before it wasn't the case any more.
    For many years I was in this position of, I don't know who I am yet, so I'm just going to follow someone else until I figure it out eventually.
    30 min
  • 198 How To Find Clarity and Forgiveness With Men's Coach, Tim Matthews
    Tim Matthews is a hero at helping men chop down limiting beliefs and regrow their mindset into that of a powerful man who is able to achieve and expand with confidence and contentment. In fact, Tim calls his business, The Powerful Man because he understands how negative self-talk can be flipped into a positive empowerment tool. Tim is totally, 100 percent sold on helping guys reach their next level of happiness, income, success, freedom and impact, through transforming their mindset.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.ThePowerfulMan.com
    Free Powerful Man Training (No Opt-in Required) Reach out to Tim on Facebook
    Most Influential Person
    Tom Crawshaw (Writer of theatre, comedy, radio and TV)
    Effect on Emotions
    Allowed me to feel them.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    Everything. If I notice my breathing's tight and I'm fearful and I want to connect to the moment, I breathe through my nose. The first thing I do in the morning is breathe. Everything for me is about breath. It tells me everything about my connection.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life's Perfection by Michael A. Singer
    App: None
    Advice For a Mindfulness Newby
    Allow your breath to be your guide. Your breath tells you a lot about where you are and where you're operating from. Allow yourself to follow your feeling. Identify the feelings that you know you experience when you're in your head which has been busy, has been judgmental, has been chaotic. Identify the feelings you have when you are being really mindful. That's usually peace, love, joy, balance and flow. When I say mindful, I really refer to a way of being; a state of being.
    Bullying Story
    In primary school when I was in year three, I was probably around seven or eight, I moved to a new primary school and I felt bullied. People were saying certain things to me and acting so weird, there was a feeling of heaviness.
    I'm pretty sure it wasn't the majority of the time. I used to use intimidation quite a lot and I'd use it in retaliation for something happening. I used to be quite reactive, so in terms of mindfulness and in terms of calm there wasn't anything really there when I was younger. I can remember when I went to high school I really made the promise to myself; I'm really going to study and stay out of trouble and try hard and that's what I did.
    I've never been a bully but I feel like I've been on the receiving end of banter if you want to call it that. Having fun taken out of me and taking fun out of people. It's always come from a place of vulnerability. What I mean by vulnerability is not wanting to be seen. It was almost like retaliationg before I felt the attack. It was almost like a retaliation in case of an attack.
    41 min
  • 198 How To Find Clarity and Forgiveness With Men’s Coach, Tim Matthews

    Tim Matthews is a hero at helping men chop down limiting beliefs and regrow their mindset into that of a powerful man who is able to achieve and expand with confidence and contentment. In fact, Tim calls his business, The Powerful Man because he understands how negative self-talk can be flipped into a positive empowerment tool. Tim is totally, 100 percent sold on helping guys reach their next level of happiness, income, success, freedom and impact, through transforming their mindset.


    Contact Info
    • Website: www.ThePowerfulMan.com

  • Free Powerful Man Training (No Opt-in Required) Reach out to Tim on Facebook

    • Most Influential Person
    • Tom Crawshaw (Writer of theatre, comedy, radio and TV)

    Effect on Emotions
    • Allowed me to feel them.

    Thoughts on Breathing
    • Everything. If I notice my breathing's tight and I'm fearful and I want to connect to the moment, I breathe through my nose. The first thing I do in the morning is breathe. Everything for me is about breath. It tells me everything about my connection.

    Suggested Resources
    • Book: The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life's Perfection by Michael A. Singer

  • App: None

    • Advice For a Mindfulness Newby

    Allow your breath to be your guide. Your breath tells you a lot about where you are and where you're operating from. Allow yourself to follow your feeling. Identify the feelings that you know you experience when you're in your head which has been busy, has been judgmental, has been chaotic. Identify the feelings you have when you are being really mindful. That's usually peace, love, joy, balance and flow. When I say mindful, I really refer to a way of being; a state of being.


    Bullying Story

    In primary school when I was in year three, I was probably around seven or eight, I moved to a new primary school and I felt bullied. People were saying certain things to me and acting so weird, there was a feeling of heaviness.


    I'm pretty sure it wasn't the majority of the time. I used to use intimidation quite a lot and I'd use it in retaliation for something happening. I used to be quite reactive, so in terms of mindfulness and in terms of calm there wasn't anything really there when I was younger. I can remember when I went to high school I really made the promise to myself; I'm really going to study and stay out of trouble and try hard and that's what I did.


    I've never been a bully but I feel like I've been on the receiving end of banter if you want to call it that. Having fun taken out of me and taking fun out of people. It's always come from a place of vulnerability. What I mean by vulnerability is not wanting to be seen. It was almost like retaliationg before I felt the attack. It was almost like a retaliation in case of an attack.


    41 min
  • 197 Overcome Obstacles With Focus and Belief Suggests Tim Laskis
    Tim Laskis is trained as a clinical psychologist and holds a PhD. Although successful as a psychology student, Tim pushed through many challenges and failures in his life, including almost flunking out of high school. He failed at almost every sport and was even demoted to sweeping floors inhis Dad’s family business. In spite of this track record, Tim pushed forward and became a successful business owner and entrepreneur, even moving to the point where he became a mental skills coach. Tim knows exactly how to manage his emotions and use mindfulness to be a high achiever while still being content in his life.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.TimLaskis.com
    Podcast: The Tim Laskis Show
    Social Media - FB, Instagram, LinkedIn: TimLaskis
    Most Influential Person
    My dad.
    Effect on Emotions
    It's helped me to keep things in check. It's helped me to regulate my thoughts and my emotions because I'm a practitioner of cognitive behavioral therapy which is; your thoughts really control your emotions and your emotions control your behavior. Being able to utilize deep breathing and being able to relax yourself to help you analyze situations more clearly. When you see them more clearly you have less intense emotion and your reaction and behavior then is much better. When people aren't very mindful they have these negative thoughts that impact others, that impact how they feel and then their behaviors negatively impact others and themselves.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    Belly breathing is the go-to tool. It's where you take in that deep breath through your nose. You fill that lower diaphragm, you hold it, you exhale, you do that a couple of times, it helps to restart and erase everything that's going on and put you in a neutral state.
    [show-notes-breathing]
    Suggested Resources
    Book: None
    App: Schedule Once
    Bullying Story
    In high school I wasn't in the cool group. There were times that I might have been targeted. Kids might say something, but for the most part I got along with everyone. There were probably one or two people that I didn't. When bullies go after someone and they target their victim, a lot of times it's about the bully, it's not about the victim.
    The victims will often look at themselves and go, what's wrong with me. What's so bad about me that they pick on me? And they will often internalize it. In working with adolesents who have been bullied, to a really high level, they turn that anger inward.
    Many times they will get into cutting themselves and self-harm and these really deep down negative thoughts about themselves. That's the real danger with bullies is that mental impact that they make. Maybe they give you a wedgie or they put you in a head-lock or punch you or something.
    That kind of stuff, the bruises go away, but the mental scarring of that is what is the real dangerous part with bullies. It's to help victims understand that it's not about you as the victim, it's about them. And don't internalize that negativity about yourself. That's what often happens with victims.
    39 min
  • 196 Be Mindful Of What You Want To Create Recommends Media Expert Esther Kiss
    Esther Kiss works in the field of marketing and publicity where she helps experts and personal brands get exposure. She uses elements of mindfulness to be a true connector of people. She is founder of a one-of-a-kind agency called Born To Influence and co-founder of Strategic Influence. Esther gets her clients on traditional TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, as well as online telesummits, podcasts, and large publications. Esther has interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk, Perry Marshall and many others for her own show; Born To Influence, The Marketing Show.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.borntoinfluence.com
    Free Media Positioning Checklist www.borntoinfluence.com/gift
    Podcast: Born To Influence: Helping Experts Build Their Platform Online
    Most Influential Person
    Keith Ferrazzi  (Author of Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time)
    Effect on Emotions
    It made me incredibly more conscious of being grateful for things and being more high vibe.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    Breathing is part of the audio meditation that I use when I'm trying to calm down and go to sleep.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
    App: My Alarm Clock
    Advice for Newbie
    Think about how you want to feel and who you want to be and what you want to create in your life. Just focus on those goals and start making a list of up to a hundred of the things that you want to be and do and have. Brainstorm and then pick your top ten to fifteen priorities and see how you can be mindful around that. Focus on that every day and commit to actions that you'll do to actually accomplish those goals.
    36 min
  • 195 How Mindset Will Improve Your Business With Donnie DeSanti
    Donnie Desanti is a health & wellness coach, teaching people to lose weight and regain their energy naturally so they never diet again ever. Before coaching, he battled ADHD and had some medication challenges before making changes in his diet and lifestyle. He has successfully been medication free for over 20 years. He also witnessed his mother go through a similar struggle, clearing her breast cancer through holistic methods. She is now cancer free and has been free of cancer for 19 years. It has become Donnie’s passion to help others renew their health and enjoy life to their fullest potential.
    Contact Info
    Website: www.DonnieDeSanti.com
    Facebook Group: LifeInBalanceTribe.com
    Most Influential Person
    Deepak Chopra
    Effect on Emotions
    It goes back to what I was saying about growing up. Things don't really stick so much. Life's struggles. Of course, I still have them; I'm human like everyone else. If you're working on that mindfulness, you control your emotions a little more, or you don't wear them on your sleeve so much. Some of life's struggles don't really stick to you so much. You really try to protect that inner peace as much as you can. I try to keep my emotions steady, but there are times when we have those ups and downs. For the most part, I think that being more mindful just helps a lot with the emotions.
    Thoughts on Breathing
    If we go from a health standpoint, we could talk about eating nutrient-rich food and drinking water and exercising but our breath is [so important] we can't survive without it. Some of us can only go a couple of seconds without it. It's something that I encourage my clients to and promote to get in touch without breathing and to breathe more and to breathe purposefully and to really concentrate on that. I try to get some kind of breath work in on a daily basis. Whether it be a meditation practice concentrating on the breath or a deep breathing practice. I think it's so essential because it is that kind of life force that many of us don't pay attention to, we take it for granted, but we get stressed out, we get angry, the first thing that starts to become restricted is our breathing. It's so important and I try to make a daily practice for myself.
    Suggested Resources
    Book: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
    App: Headspace
    App: Smiling Mind
    Bullying Story
    In my own life growing up, I was kind of a worrisome kid. I had my share of getting picked on and getting bullied. There were times when kids picked on me and it would hurt. There'd be that one kid I struggled with in class. Looking back I think as I got more into mindfulness and meditation, certain things just don't stick to you as much when you have that kind of practice going where you are more mindful. I think that would have helped a lot. These kinds of fears and worries that I had of just calming down, getting that quietness. I think a lot of these things that I struggled with probably wouldn't have stuck as much. I would have brushed them off a little bit more.
    29 min

About Mindfulness Mode

From the publisher's feed

Increase your calm, focus and happiness so you can be more relaxed, contented and satisfied with your life. For business, entrepreneurs, educators, parents. Hosted by Bruce Langford.