In this episode I talk a LOT about Commitment. And how that word – that distinction – can be applied like a lens to my own health and fitness, my relationships, my work, and the difference between commitment at a high level, and at a granular level. I also talk about my current circumstances, which includes being cut-off from "civilisation" by extreme flooding on the East Coast of Australia. 

Honourable mentions to my coach Lisa Carpenter - @lisacarpenterinc - for demonstrating what commitment truly means via Covid bodybuilding! 

I have a limited number of 1:1 Breakthrough Coaching Calls available at a *very* discounted rate. Learn more here: https://israelsmith.com/coaching

LINKS:

Israel Smith – 1:1 Coaching, Inspiring Blogs, and more

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

Affiliate Disclaimer: I occasionally refer programs or products that pay me a commission. You don't pay any extra, but if you choose to buy these products/programs/courses/etc, I may earn money from your purchase. There are a couple of qualifiers here: 1) I operate with Integrity in everything I do, and I don't recommend anything I don't personally use or LOVE. If I'm talking about it, it's because I truly believe in it. 2) Earning affiliate commissions helps me continue producing free content like these podcast, and sharing these messages with people who need to hear them.

Today I walk you through my massive descent into burnout, and subsequently depression, that happened just over 10 years ago. I share this, not for self-indulgent reasons, but because I truly believe by sharing my own story, it will help raise awareness broadly of what the inside of depression and burnout look like. More than that, I believe it may help those of you who may be currently suffering, to identify what's going on, and seek help. Or it may help you more clearly identify what's going on in your partner or loved one. 

Just a heads-up, I don't spend a lot of time on the solutions, treatments, or what helped me get out of the pit – I intend to cover those in depth and detail on future episodes. I do, however, make it very clear that there are solutions and treatments, and I encourage you to seek help from the links below if you, or someone you love, needs support. 

Please let me know if this episode resonated with you, and please know that I deeply care for, and want to support, anyone who has experienced burnout and depression in a similar way. 

With love and gratitude,

LINKS:

Be Do Have Training Series with Jim Fortin

Towards the end of this Episode I talk about my mentor Jim Fortin and his awesome Transformational Coaching Program, which I've done a number of times now. RIGHT NOW he is running a FREE video training series called "Be Do Have". It starts on 4 March and runs for a couple of weeks. I invite you to join... it's been a massive help in my life, and something I 100% recommend. Join here: https://israelsmith.com/bedohave

Israel Smith – 1:1 Coaching, Inspiring Blogs, and more

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Instagram: @israelpsmith

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

Affiliate Disclaimer: I occasionally refer programs or products that pay me a commission. You don't pay any extra, but if you choose to buy these products/programs/courses/etc, I may earn money from your purchase. There are a couple of qualifiers here:

1) I operate with Integrity in everything I do, and I don't recommend anything I don't personally use or LOVE. If I'm talking about it, it's because I truly believe in it.

2) Earning affiliate commissions helps me continue producing free content like these podcast, and sharing these messages with people who need to hear them.

Episode 5 is a kind of "Part 2" to Episode 4, where I shared all about how liberating it can be to acknowledge that no-one is coming to save YOU. 

However, after a bit of feedback, and a lot of reflection, I realised that there are some bits missing from that episode, and they are the bits that I set out to get intimate with, as the deep intention of this podcast: messiness and vulnerability. 

So now, in Episode 5, I get messy and open up about my own experience of victimhood and responsibility, and some examples of how that has played out in my own life. 

LINKS:

Cameron Frye's moment of truth

I talk about the transformative scene at the end of the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and how it perfectly represents the process of taking, claiming responsibility for one's own life. Watch the scene here. (Or better, watch the entire movie!) 

Be Do Have Training Series with Jim Fortin

Towards the end of this Episode I talk about my mentor Jim Fortin and his awesome Transformational Coaching Program, which I've done a number of times now. RIGHT NOW he is running a FREE video training series called "Be Do Have". It starts on 4 March and runs for a couple of weeks. I invite you to join... it's been a massive help in my life, and something I 100% recommend. Join here: https://israelsmith.com/bedohave

Israel Smith – 1:1 Coaching, Inspiring Blogs, and more

Website: https://israelsmith.comInstagram: @israelpsmith

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

Affiliate Disclaimer: I occasionally refer programs or products that pay me a commission. You don't pay any extra, but if you choose to buy these products/programs/courses/etc, I may earn money from your purchase. There are a couple of qualifiers here: 

1) I operate with Integrity in everything I do, and I don't recommend anything I don't personally use or LOVE. If I'm talking about it, it's because I truly believe in it.

2) Earning affiliate commissions helps me continue producing free content like these podcast, and sharing these messages with people who need to hear them.

In Episode 4, I talk about the concept of personal responsibility, and how the phrase "No one is coming to save you" can actually be a gift. I explore the "V" word, plus how Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning" has a beautiful line about reaction vs response. 

To be fair, I got the concept right, but totally mashed up his actual quote, so here it is: 

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." – Viktor E. Frankl

LINKS:

Surf Movie

In this Episode I mention a surf film - "A Woman's Guide to the World: Surfing the South Island of New Zealand" ... it's a great flick, and is available on Garage Movies here – https://garagemovies.com/shows/surfing-the-south-island – You might also find it on the Facebooks or YouTubes if you search hard enough. But maybe support a great Aussie film company in Garage Movies ;) 

Be Do Have Training Series with Jim Fortin

Towards the end of this Episode I talk about my mentor Jim Fortin and his awesome Transformational Coaching Program, which I've done a number of times now. RIGHT NOW he is running a FREE video training series called "Be Do Have". It starts on 4 March and runs for a couple of weeks. I invite you to join... it's been a massive help in my life, and something I 100% recommend. Join here: https://israelsmith.com/bedohave

Israel Smith – 1:1 Coaching, Inspiring Blogs, and more

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

Affiliate Disclaimer: I occasionally refer programs or products that pay me a commission. You don't pay any extra, but if you choose to buy these products/programs/courses/etc, I may earn money from your purchase. There are a couple of qualifiers here: 

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In this episode I talk about my Dad's birthday, kookaburras, suicide and gratitude, and how those last two can be connected. How gratitude has helped me find peace and abundance in my daily life, how I'm nothing like Oprah, and how I moved forward after some difficult circumstances. 

LINKS:

Israel Smith

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

In this episode I share about my Thrive List, including what it is, what's on it, and how I use my feelings as my compass as to what I need to THRIVE each day. I also go into the connection between my Thrive List, and my Boundaries and my Commitments, and how each of these things contribute to me living an Illuminating Life. 

LINKS:

Israel Smith

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page:

Here are a few global resource listings:

Welcome to Episode 1! In this episode I share why I have felt the need to create this podcast, a bit of my backstory about my experiences of depression and anxiety, and why I consider vulnerability my superpower.

LINKS:

Israel Smith

Website: https://israelsmith.com

Mental Health Support

Following are a list of Australian mental health support services, taken from this page: 

Here are a few global resource listings:

Welcome to The Illuminating Lives Podcast with Israel Smith – A new podcast exploring what it takes to illuminate our own lives, lighting ourselves up by opening our own hearts and getting comfy with our vulnerability. Through this, we can become more connected to ourselves, and able to shine our own light and be our best selves for the people we care about the most.

Israel is a writer and coach, a surfer, musician, husband and father, and has dealt with the depths of burnout, depression, anxiety and parenthood. Through this podcast, his hope is to help guide you back to what truly matters in your own life, by sharing conversations, interviews and rambling stories of his own. 

It's going to be messy, it's going to be vulnerable, and it's going to be a lot of fun. 

Welcome to The Illuminating Lives Podcast.