"When Andrew became my coach, all I wanted to do was lose 15 lbs....little did I know that working with him for a year would have changed me mentally, physically, and spiritually in the best way possible." -Olga Finch

Olga has been my coaching client for 13 months now and in this episode we discuss: 

Olga is a perfect example of what happens with commitment, consistency, and saying "yes" to becoming the best version of who we are - Complete transformation of mind, body, and spirit - And finding purpose to inspire hope and possibility for others. 

One of my favorite, and go-to, mindfulness visualizations I do with all of my coaching clients. 

It's hard to build a better future if you don't know your strengths. Knowing your strengths will allow you to use them to build good things and plow your way through those difficult challenges and roadblocks ahead of you.

Knowing your weaknesses is important, too. You may not think of weaknesses as the "best parts of you" but a weakness is really a potential in disguise. It represents an area of your life that you can continue to develop - something you can grow. As it grows, it becomes something bigger, better, and more fulfilling. In a way, a weakness is like a seed - it has the potential to be a big, strong tree, as long as you give it the nutrients it needs. Proper self-care and a growth mindset can help you turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Some of our other great parts of ourselves are ones we don't necessarily realize or acknowledge as much as we should.

With all this in mind, let's take a quick journey just to relax. Then you will have a chance to answer the self-exploration questions below.

Journal Reflection

1 - What sorts of memories did you come across on your photo wall?

2 - What kinds of positive qualities did you find in yourself?

3 - Describe a time when you showed compassion in your life and the positive effect it had on another person.

4 - Describe a time when you exhibited emotional strength.

5 - Describe a time when your humor had a positive impact on the people around you.

6 - What did it feel like to complete this exercise? How did you feel during your journey? How did you feel answering these questions?

7 - What has this exercise taught you about yourself and/or your life?

Yoga Nidra is form of guided meditation - also known as “yogic sleep” or “effortless relaxation”. It’s usually practiced lying down with a teacher guiding the session. The practice draws our attention inwards, and we learn to surf between the states of wakefulness and sleep, where our body finds its natural state of equilibrium (homeostasis) – the breath balances and becomes quiet, unconscious and conscious aspects of the mind reveal themselves, and we fall into an innate state of deep, blissful awareness.

In this episode, Andrew guides you through a 30-minute Yoga Nidra practice where you just lie back and rest! We start by setting an intention (why are we doing this) and enquiring into our deeper intentions for life (where are we going and are we on track?). Then explore a playlist of feelings and associations that make you feel safe and well. By connecting with a multi-sensory reflection bought about through memory, imagery and a felt sense, we are given back our birthright of well-being, belonging, security and ease.

Yoga Nidra takes us effortlessly into a state of harmonious, restful being. From here, we can be healed, restored and awakened to our deepest, all-knowing, all-welcoming self. It’s a sublime practice, gaining popularity the world over, and ongoing research continues to prove its effectiveness.

Absolutely anyone can practice Yoga Nidra, but it has immense appeal for those who struggle to let go (I think many of us have ‘battled’ through meditation at times!). It also has immense value for those suffering from sleep deprivation, trauma, anxiety or depression (to any degree). It’s also perfect for those who have always been curious about the deep states of meditation they have perhaps read about or stumbled across themselves but have never been able to recreate.

"Our greatest challenge and darkest time is now our greatest asset and light to inspire hope for others." -Andrew Schultz

Disclaimer: 100% of the conversation was unrehearsed, I wasn't aware of any potential questions, and (as always) there was no editing. 

In honor of National Recovery Month - My beautiful friend and spiritual sister in recovery, Devon Craig, interviews me on today's episode. Devon asks me questions such as:

We also discuss how we both put our spirituality into practice every day and offer practical tools to apply in your own life - meditation, breathing to reduce stress, mindful movement, journaling, and auditing the people you're spending the most time with.

We talk about making a list of values that are most important to you to ensure congruency on things that fulfill your spirit and nourish your soul.  

You can follow Devon on IG: @devonnicolecraig or email [email protected]   

"The food we eat can either heal you or kill you."

"Think of your gut as the engine that powers your brain and powers your soul."

-Zuliya Khawaja

Now, more than ever, it's critical we take care of our bodies physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. And people are starting to understand it starts with a healthy immune system, 70% of which exists in the gut...That's right, 70% of our immune system is in the gut!

Who better to help us understand what this means, and more importantly, provide us practical tools to start transforming our mind, body, and spirit than the beautiful, talented, and amazing vegan chef, plant-based coach, blogger, and dance instructor, Zuliya Khawaja. 

Zuliya is a certified plant-based nutrition coach from Cornell University. Her social media following of 120K followers gives you an idea of her awesomeness, including vegan recipes she shares daily on IG - @Naturallyzuzu    

In this episode we discuss:

I absolutely LOVED chatting it up with Zuliya. Her glow and positive energy is infectious. She vibrates high and shines bright. My life is better with her in it and I bet yours will be too after listening to her share her love and passion for life. 

Now go eat some plants my beautiful friends!

Cheers,

Andrew 

From suicide to spiritual and radical enlightenment. Designer and first-time author Kevin Russell is an energetic intuitive who helps people optimize their lives from their energetic core. His new book, "Radical Enlightenment, My Guy on the 9th Floor" is a handbook for leveling-up your consciousness, fulfillment, and connection to your higher self. 

In this episode, Kevin & I discuss:

https://www.radicalenlightenment.com

So many people are feeling stuck and overwhelmed lately.....Myself included. Yet I've found that my taking taking and moving my body, I literally and energetically, change my thoughts and feelings.

A few ways that I've found useful - doing pushups, calling a friend, and walking outside. 

More is always revealed after I take that 1st step. And we energetically raise our vibration to feelings of love, joy, peace, kindness, and gratitude when we take action....Versus sitting still and stuck in low-vibration feelings of fear, resentment, comparison, anxiety, and negativity. 

I don't know of anyone who has been "fueled into action" more over the past few months than my spiritual and sober brother, Donny Starkins. Donny is a mindfulness coach, speaker, and teacher. This was his 2nd time on the podcast - A distinct honor only shared by one other person. Call him my bestie or bromance, regardless, you'll understand why after you listen to this inspiring episode where Donny shares mindfulness and self-care tools and practices to help level-up your life.

In this episode, Donny & I also discuss:

Please be sure to follow Donny at www.donnystarkins.com and @donny_starkins 

Stephen Covey calls it 'Begin With the End in Mind' in his best-selling book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

This is a mindfulness practice that I do with all of my coaching clients - A visualization to help them unlock and see the life they truly want - Which gives them permission to step up and into their power. An opportunity to peel back all the layers of past conditioning, limiting belief patterns, worn out stories that no longer serve us, and armor that we put on to protect ourselves but keep us stuck. 

This exercise is a chance to let it all go and see with your heart and soul the life you were meant to live. Only then can we start to work towards that vision and begin taking steps today to ensure we are living as our best and highest self. 

From a cold February night in 1989 wanting to commit suicide, to a best-selling author and entrepreneurial yogi whose teachings have inspired many thousands of people throughout the world, Darren Main is the real-deal!

In this episode, Darren & I discuss:

Darren was one of the people I put at top of my list when visualizing the guests I wanted to bring on when creating the podcast three years ago. And what a gift to be able to share his experience, strength, and hope with the Positive Impact community! 

Darren Main is a yoga and meditation instructor and author. He facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad  and teaches Yoga on the Labyrinth inside San Francisco’s iconic Grace Cathedral. He currently resides in Northern California with his son Jaden.

Please go to www.darrenmain.com to find all of Darren's resources, books, and teachings.