In this episode of the SaraSessions Podcast, Jean-Sebastien Dufresne and I explore the complex web of human connections and delve into the dynamics that shape our modern society. We discuss the various ways humans create norms, from lawmakers and politicians to civil society, and how these norms influence our lives.

The conversation touches upon the power of collective decision-making and the potential for civil society to address complex issues where politicians might fall short. We share our experiences and insights into fostering authentic, courageous conversations and emphasize the importance of pushing boundaries and embracing discomfort for personal growth.

The discussion extends to the societal level, addressing the need for cultural shifts in how we approach difficult conversations, authenticity, and trust. The conversation culminates in a call to action for listeners to explore their own capacity for change and participate in the collaborative process of addressing global challenges.

Join us on this thought-provoking journey as we explore the interplay between the individual and the collective, and how embracing discomfort can lead to personal growth and positive societal change. Don't miss this opportunity to be inspired and reflect on your role in shaping a better world.

⁠(33) Jean-Sebastien Dufresne (He/Him) | LinkedIn⁠

⁠Iciéla (iciela.org)⁠

On this episode I had the opportunity to talk with 2 great montreal coaches, however due to the majority win of language comfort, it is mostly in french with some frenglish sprinkled through.

You can find him at

Jean-Sebastien Dufresne a mediator, executive coach and founder of Iciela, a non profit organization encouraging citizen engagement through the cultivation of intercultural dialogue www.iciela.org. This is one of many hats Jean Sebastien wears while he is writing his doctorat in law and getting a second masters, this time in Human systems intervention.

You can find him at

www.iciela.org⁠

The conversation opened up as it's a small world after all. We are all at 6 degrees of separation. Listen up for how change and transformation in bigger institutions starts with a mindset shift towards change and transformation within ourselves.

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Dans cet épisode, j’ai eu l’occasion de parler avec 2 collegues montrealais donc j'admire leur ethique de travail. En raison du confort linguistique marjoritaire, c’est surtout en français avec un peu de franglais saupoudré.

Emmanuel Houedakor, un entraîneur de fitness originaire du Togo, utilise une approche holistique qui aide les gens à atteindre non seulement la santé physique, mais aussi la santé mentale et émotionnelle globale grâce à des changements de style de vie et des pratiques. Vous pouvez le retrouver a www.lafitnesserie.com ou sur instagram @lafitnesserie

Jean-Sébastien Dufresne est médiateur, coach exécutif et fondateur d’Iciela, un organisme à but non lucratif qui encourage l’engagement citoyen par le dialogue interculturel www.iciela.org. C’est l’une des nombreux chapeau que Jean Sébastien porte alors qu’il rédige son doctorat en droit et obtient une deuxième maîtrise, cette fois en intervention des systèmes humains.

Vous pouvez retrouvez les details aux www.iciela.org ou www.linkedin.com/in/jsdufresne

La conversation s’est ouverte entre mes deux collegues car c’est un petit monde après tout. Nous sommes tous à 6 degrés de séparation. Écoutez comment le changement et la transformation dans les grandes institutions commencent par un changement de mentalité vers la transformation et l'adaptation du soi. Conversation tres interessante qui pourrais beneficier plusieurs entre nous avec des bijoux d'outils en rappel de ce qui peux etre cultiver avec un peu plus de pleine conscience et intention dans nos communications.

Merci de nous laissez vos commentaires et de partager cet episode.

Au plaisir et a bientot

Cultivating embodiment, the perfect quadfecta: hard work, soft grace, authentic presence and lots of heart.

This is what transpired through this wonderful conversation with Eliza Moore. She is a singer, song writer, artist, yoga and meditation teacher, personal trainer, workshop and retreat facilitator, host and leader as well as a mother of 2. Her particular path is combining her love of worlds that are now colliding in unison.

This conversation reminds us of how to allow music, movement, mindfulness, and connection to inspire us to keep keeping on for more genuine heartfelt and authentic experiences through every day life. We talk work outs, gut feelings, spirituality, connection, self care and what fulfills the heart . We touch on how to navigate the ebb and flows of the full life of a busy woman extra ordinaire that lifts, builds and graces community and connection every where she goes.

Great reminders throughout this engaging episode and tons of gold nuggets for your mind and body to inspire action in your life. Keep listening for the upcoming events Eliza is collaborating on with her multi talented roster of skills, perhaps you'll catch her angelic voice at one of these events.

16 september at The mile end Yoga Studio Montreal: sound bath and Yoga nidra with Pat Letendre

Keep an eye out for more events and practices with Eliza Moore and Corrine Levert at Morpho-Bleu.com

Meanwhile for more details on Eliza you can follow her at any of these

Instagram @mofomoore

Website: www.elizamoore.com

work: insta @lafitnesserie

www.lafitnesserie.com

This episode was recorded early September 2023 hence the posting and event dates are so close to each other.

If ever you are in the Montreal area La fitnesserie is in Verdun and offers a first trial class to all new patrons.

Creativity is in everything, but how do you make your passion your everyday reality?

I invite you to listen with attention to detail as so much is covered. In this episode I chat with Lorena Garcia Giron, Creative director and designer, facilitator, host and workshop extraordinaire to talk to us about her journey into design. Delve into a world of self made opportunities, connecting passion and creativity to bring positive change to the world. We explore passion, creation, skills (not the type you think), momentum, mountains and valleys, inertia and what it takes to make your unexpressed unknown dreams come true to their full potential.

Lorena's why and hunger for diversity has allowed her to follow her incling's and experience the results. Cultivating a world of her own surrounded by great exchanges, teachings and much life wisdom that comes from hard work, resilience and focus. Her work and play are always cultivating a different part of her creative thirst and passion. Quite powerful and inspiring i would say. Have a listen, this might just be the inspiration you need to get that project of yours going or continue to work forward on existing ones. Creative or not a great episode for the books.

Books refered are

The Beauty of Discomfort by Amanda Lang

The Gifts of imperfection by Brene Brown

You can find Lorena at

@happenings_mxmtl

Nicole Webster is an ocean journalist and professional photographer that has credited her title to her passions. Inspired to share the incredible stories of the ocean,  she recalls her story of becoming so lucky, more accurately to listening to the next knock and choosing the next step one step at a time.

Tune in for an inspiring story of living through our passions, getting lost, finding fulfillment and how money has nothing to do with it. What we think we need is often already right there, just needs some dusting.  Let situations and inner guidance lead you to a different kind abundance. The way we live is our message and trusting our heart is your natural compass.

South African waste water management engineer and world traveler, Maaike McIntyre talks with me about waste water and pollution management, the plastic endemic, choosing a new reality of priorities and changing concepts through travel and discovery.

Through connection, purpose, challenges, healing and inspiration we question whether we have become burned out or bored out as a society. The timing and the power of our choices impact and help to create change. Change what? Yes please... A conversation filled with gold nuggets to peek your curiosity and help conversations that can hold space, heal minds and open hearts. Always happens to come back to oneself...

You can find Maaike through social media at @mikki_McIntyre

Take a listen and let us know what inspired you. Bring it to word to bring it to the world. Stay curious, stay blessed.

We all have the possibility to lean in with curiosity to conversations that help us understand our surrounding world a little better. Conservation, more specifically marine conservation has become an increasingly hot topic and big business for a multitude of reasons.

In this episode I talk to Kaelyn Maehara, Marine biologist, wildlife filmmaker, nature enthusiast and world traveler that has worked on short films and series for Netflix, Animal Planet, National Geographic, SeaShepperd conservation society and has been an active contributor to only one: A platform for stories, solutions, and community action to protect the ocean, tackle the climate crisis, and help build a more just equitable planet. She is the mind behind the acclaimed short film "By the water" winner of several prizes including best film in human development in 2019, which we talk about in the episode. She is a woman with great ideas, insights and a big heart wanting to help increase awareness of marine conservation and keeps on trying to bring light to a privileged culture by addressing the intersectionality of conservation and social issues such as the prevalence of racism, sexism, diversity and inclusion as a vocation.

Her passion seeps through as we have another wonderful authentically flowing conversation bringing to light issues that inadvertently touch every single one of us, our understanding of the documentaries, the big business around it, their unseen biases, as well as how we can educate and help heal ourselves as well as contribute to the survival of the one thing that connects us all, our precious oceans. Sit back and enjoy the session.

You can find her on social media at @kaelynmaehara

Till next time stay curious and stay blessed.

Ninja Reith, graphic designer, translator, world traveler and freediving instructor, has traveled over 40 countries thats till she stopped counting. She is a beautiful soul I had the privilege of getting to know on my training at Freedive center in Utila, Honduras. She has gone over 50 meters down on 1 breath and has trained with Sheena Macnally which is the first canadian woman that has surpassed the 100 meter mark in freediving and shares some of her passions, struggles, insights and wisdom gained through travel, training and breath.

You can find her on instagram @ninja_reith

Garen Jemian, certified leadership Coach, key note speaker and facilitator, author of "Happy people work harder" and of concordia Ted talk 2017 "Motivation and beyond money", simply an inspiring soul that looks to elevate potential in all his interactions, blessed me with his presence to talk about a few key points regarding happiness, success, motivation, communication and fulfillment amongst other tangents discussed.

This episode is a little longer than previous Sara Sessions, but covers insights and golden nuggets that are essential to anyone's road to betterment to tap into their potential, whether individuals or corporations. As a society covid and the world has changed massively with all the adjustments we have had to undergo, but it seems many are still living with an old adage of assumptions, expectations, set ways and approaches that seem to have lost relevancy. Communication and connection has been limited as these new safety protocols have made everyone comfortable in the discomfort of their seclusion and have changed how we exchange: not only with others, but with ourselves. And we then find ourselves stuck in a rut of overworking, overstimulation, non chalant robotic habits and patterns that seem to lack in purpose or fulfillment, and keep us repeating the same insanity expecting different results. 

We define hot words that are often misused and ensued in daily conversations, determine the differentiation and discernment between these same inter juxtaposed words, (happiness, success, motivations, purpose, fulfillment, etc ) as well as open up the conversation to what empathy and communication has to do with our satisfaction and quality of life. 

Take a listen to unravel what can help you get unstuck to elevate yourself to your true potential through the conversations, questions, resources and ideas that might inspire and light up that one crucial eureka moment. Feel free to share the episode with friends, family, colleagues so we can keep spreading positive inspirational waves of ripple effects with every one of our interactions to elevate as individuals and as a collective.

Insights and takeaways as well as questions can be sent to myself or you can contact Garen through his many plateforms.

Amongst the many roads we take, we meet people that we aspire to know as they give us inspiration of challenging the versions of ourselves we have come accustomed to identifying with.

On my road to Utila I met Fernanda Lima, a young 28 year old Doctor from Brazil, traveling Latin America with a backpack and desire for beauty and adventure. I must say it's a slow start to the episode because it was the end of long long days of travel for both of us.

We talk intuition, travel, serendipity, connecting to the world differently, touching moments, and healing with beauty; the sacredness of those moments, getting out of our habits to see solutions that come from out of the box and allowing intuition to guide.

Meeting people on the road, experiencing life, waking up senses, and healing moments by noticing the gifts that come with presence and awareness. Grab the bull by the horns, make it happen. Take a chance to discover the courage to try something new, to create more of what you desire.