Social Harmony - Time to Talk

I grew up with 80's hip hop and on 'I Know You Got Soul' by Eric B. and Rakim there's a line that stuck with me to this day "It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at" - it seemed to resonate with me for reasons that I couldn't figure out but as I grew up it made more sense, namely that it's more about your state of mind than the circumstances in which you were placed and the same could definitely be said of my guest today.

Sylvain Bourgon is a successful man - to all intents and purposes, he has done well in life. To the outside observer you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a lucky man, a man who has had opportunities that he has taken and just run with - but this is only part of the story. An unsettled childhood, drug misuse, homelessness as a teenage - these are all ingredients in Sylvain's formative years, usually the first steps on a downward trajectory towards a life unfulfilled...

Sylvain's story - which you can also read in his book Solid Ground - is one of many lessons. For me the biggest take is that your past does not define your future - as Rakim eloquently taught me, your approach to adversity can be more important than your circumstances. In addition, lessons I later learnt such as accountability, personal responsibility and the importance of supportive people are all part of the puzzle - and no matter the challenge, the belief that tomorrow can be better is ever present in both the book and Sylvain's delivery.

While we each face our individual struggles and get by in the best way we can, to look too those who have faced adversity and come out on top is something that can help inspire us, give us hope and remind us that while things may be hard in the present moment there is something to be said for faith, building a foundation and the pursuit of success - whatever that may look like.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=8664e59b6c264402

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Learn about Sylvain and his work on the links below:

SOLID GROUND eBook : Bourgon, Sylvain: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

(2) TOMORROW: At 15 years old, Sylvain... - Our Collective Journey | Facebook

perfectly-imperfect | Podcast | Our Collective Journey

A famous song once demanded "Tell Me What Makes a Man" and in a not-too-distant past there would have been a number of replies that listed being strong, being dependable and suchlike, with a heavy emphasis on being the provider. However, in a changing landscape that has seen our economy move from brawn to brain-based, physical strength is no longer a premium requirement and as women have increased presence in high-powered roles it appears that men are no longer as dominant in the job market. Therefore for men whose raison d'etre revolves around winning, this creates more than just an existential crisis.

Today I'm joined by Michelle Bersell, founder of IIEE - the International Institute for Emotional Empowerment to look at what is happening for men nowadays. Michelle has a background in psychology and education as well as a wealth of coaching and public speaking experience which she utilises to support a wide range of clients to make the mindset changes necessary to break old, limiting patterns and understand the drives and emotions that underpin all of these situations.

We look at the changing expectations that society and individuals place on men and boys - namely the unfair paradox that requires males to be equally strong and sensitive at the same time without clear understanding, as well as the drawbacks of emotional suppression, the trap of image vs. armour, the shadow self, why winning stops working and much more.

As the old saying of "you don't know what you don't know" rings true for many men on the subject of emotional literacy, Michelle's work provides a roadmap for individual understanding as well as the ability to pass on such knowledge to boys in our lives in the hope that they can grow to be emotionally-resilient and sensitive while remaining strong - whatever form that strength may take.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=0471eb3c3ad44987

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Michelle and her work on the links below:

IIEE - The International Institute for Emotional Empowerment

FREE Masterclass for Men Who Give Everything and Still Feel Like It's Not Enough

Amazon.com: Michelle Bersell: books, biography, latest update

Some people just exude wisdom. Others acquire knowledge and have the credentials to display it. My guest today has all this and more. Lorna J Hines has spent over 50 years working as a social worker, professor, healer, author and psychotherapist in addition to using her gifts as a medium in order to bring healing and support to those in need.

Throughout her working and personal life, Lorna has witnessed a great deal of social change, worked in widely varying environments and has seen the full spectrum of human experience from great despair to incredible joy in a world that just keeps on surprising us.

2020 was by all accounts something of a difficult year - the impacts of COVID-19 and its' downstream effects are still in evidence today. Then on May 25th, 2020 a man named George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, MN and the response was felt around the world. In the aftermath of his death, Lorna felt an indescribable rage - not just for Mr. Floyd but also for others. Names like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor among others came flooding back into consciousness - and the urge to do something, anything, welled up. With such an overwhelming flood of emotion, what was there to do? So Lorna picked up her pen and began to write...

Straight Talk from a Wise Woman - Trauma, Tears and a Healing Path was the result and is a book which is both highly personal and evidence-based as a means of processing trauma in the face of powerlessness as well as a guide to unburdening intensely heavy feelings while transforming them into peace and purpose.

Talking with wit, wisdom, pathos and hope, Lorna tells a story of a life spent working with people from across many divides - racial, political, gender, etc. and promotes both individual healing as well as the need for unity against systems stacked against so many of us in order that we can fulfill our human potential for ourselves and our wider communities.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=9dceefcaae1f46f1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Lorna and her work on the links below:

lornajhines.com

Helping Parents Heal - About Lorna J Hines

Straight Talk From a Wise Woman: Tears, Trauma and a Healing Path : Hines, Lorna J., Reimer, Dr. Jennifer A., Mendez, Diane, Sanders, Dr. Heather R.: Amazon.com.au: Books

In a world of self-help, courses that will improve your life, more books than you could ever hope to read about how you can just 'follow this for the answers' how do you know where to turn? How do you know what fits for you? Well my guest today is proud to state that it might not be her - but if it is, you know you've found the right mentor.

Sabrina D'Amato was on course for fame - massive fame. She put in years of practice, drove herself on, made a name for herself in the world of ballet that few could hope to emulate. And then life made other plans for her...

A back injury, homelessness, becoming a mother, relationships that may not have been ideal - all while figuring out a new path forward after the dream she had held onto was snatched away from her. She fought, she stood up (even through the pain) and she became a newer and stronger version of herself despite the cracks - a living, breathing incarnation of the kintsugi philosophy. It is our scars that identify us, that show our strength, that highlight beauty alongside acknowledging our struggles.

Sabrina helps others rebuild, see the good, carve a path forward - however she leaves those with whom she works in no doubt about the courage required to change and that this is not a quick fix gimmick. Turning pain into purpose and using techniques including hypnotism and breath work, Sabrina helps unearth the inner strength that lies within and shows that while we may have been broken down, getting back up will set you free.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=632ce8f6cc724e51

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Sabrina and her work on the links below:

Sabrina D'Amato | RTT Hypnotherapist · Breathwork & Soul Mentor — Online Worldwide

Sabrina D'Amato &... - YouTube

Instagram

As a child we look to our parents for many things -guidance, help to grow, food and shelter but most of all we look to them to care for us. Sadly, that isn't the case for everyone - but to then double down on childhood abuse was how today's guest experienced his formative years.

Gregorio Lewis was Craig Lewis - a regular boy who went through a highly irregular upbringing. While his parents gave the outward appearance that they were pillars of the community, behind closed doors the abuse they inflicted on their son told a different story - and when young Craig voiced this, their response was to have him purposefully and wrongfully diagnosed with a number of psychological conditions, given drugs that affected both his physical health and his state of mind whilst proclaiming total innocence of any wrongdoing.

Thus began a 15-year battle to regain both his life and his sanity, the right to know what was held on file about him and the opportunity to break free of his old life in order to start anew. While he began to rebuild his life as he saw fit, there were several pitfalls and struggles ahead in what had already been filled with the worst of starts.

Living in Mexico having left his old life and much of his former identity, Gregorio has found a new enthusiasm alongside his new community. In addition to this, he has written several self-help books as both a means of understanding his own trauma as well as helping others who are need of someone to just believe in them.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=7560cec563a14d08

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Gregorio and his work on the links below:

Craig "Gregorio" Lewis | About | Patreon

Amazon.com: Craig Lewis: books, biography, latest update

https://www.instagram.com/sanityisafulltimejob?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&mdxt=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

As a parent, so many things run through your mind when trying to find the sweet spot of raising your child to be strong but gentle, kind but firm, outgoing yet humble and so the list goes on. Added to this as the parent of a boy is "Will my son become a good man?" - but what is expected when speaking of a good man? And how do we meet this ever-changing paradigm?

Joining me today is Kathy Imabayashi - a coach, educator, author and mother, who has over 40 years of experience working with families and their children, learning from each encounter and sharing her knowledge when it comes to understanding how our young men grow, function and find their way in the world.

In an age where equality is seen as the gold standard, nuance and individual needs can be overlooked or misunderstood which can lead to disconnect in either the classroom, society or the family unit. Boys are often misunderstood in this way, their need to be boisterous seen as unruly, their excess energy seen as a cause for misbehaviour and the very things that make boys who they are seen as problems to be solved rather than as qualities to be championed.

Looking from a perspective of treating boys and girls on their own merits, Kathy and I look at society's views on boys in various fields, how to protect them as they grow, how to encourage independence sensibly and much more.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=444c3079bcf74b9c

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Kathy and her work on the links below:

Sonhood Coaching → Guiding intentional parenting of boys

Kathy Imabayashi | Find Podcasters & Guests - MatchMaker.fm

Instagram

Have you ever observed someone who just gets things done? Someone dynamic who seems to just know the right things to say and then has the energy to get the wheels in motion? Today's conversation left me feeling as though my guest not only fits that mould, she went on to reform it in her own image.

I'm joined by Sunniva Holt, who has spent the last decade motivating and coaching high-achieving women to push themselves further, step out from the shadows and "remember who the fuck you are!". Working intuitively and in a highly relational way with women who have become stuck for whatever reason, Sunniva looks to put each aspect of her clients' lives under the microscope in order to seek out that which serves and that which hinders before looking to manifest that which will take you to a higher level.

Talking openly and honestly about her own life, from an idyllic childhood setting, through struggles with religion, to living abroad at 17, buying her first home at 19 and through to her present life in Auckland, Sunniva embodies her philosophies and lives it the way she talks it, practising what she preaches and works on both her struggles and her successes in equal measure.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=a23a03a061bb4afd

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Sunniva and her work on the links below:

SUNNIVA HOLT

Instagram

How I made my first million: 'This is not a romantic story' | Stuff

Every so often, a person shows up in your life that sees things differently. We may misunderstand, dismiss or even act with hostility toward these people - but then something clicks. The lesson makes sense, or you become engaged with what you've just heard and want to learn more. Your journey begins towards a higher level of being...

Today I'm joined by just such a person - and at the end of our conversation I left with more questions than answers alongside a burning desire to hear more. Greg Campisi is an author, speaker, channeler and awakener who has a number of unique and insightful ways of seeing the human condition and how we move through life - seeing us encumbered with a density that we carry that keeps us from our true potential. He can also help to shift that density in order to move forward.

Greg and I discuss his work, the paths he has taken in order to reach his current state, the gravity of trauma, the energy of fear and so much more - as you'll hear, there is so much that we are just moving through life unaware of and wisdom that we are passing by which ensures we continue with the same resistance.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=d21ebe96a5fe418d

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Greg and his work on the links below:

Greg Campisi Speaker and Guide - Greg Campisi

Amazon.com: Greg Campisi: books, biography, latest update

Instagram

Most of us would have been asked as children "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and would have replied with the job of choice that currently held esteem for us - at age 4, Gina Gonzalez said that she was going to be a mental health worker and so it came to pass now that she is a Licensed Mental Health Counsellor, speaker and podcaster.

Following her parents' acrimonious divorce in her early years, Gina was introduced to 'adults who would help her' to come to terms with the change in circumstances and processing any emotions that would surface but there was the constant feeling that they were getting it wrong and that in order to genuinely connect with a child or teenager then things would need to be done differently.

Gina talks me through her career working with teenagers, the sheer volume of cases assigned with limited resources, her progression through to supervising others and needing therapy to leave a job after 14 years. Also in among this is a heartbreaking story of loss that changed Gina's outlook and took her in a new direction.

Having miscarried and then gone through the peri-natal loss of her son at 40 weeks, Gina and her husband had to grieve their tragedy and then face Life After The Hardest Goodbye. Talking candidly about their journey, working with a community that is suffering, dealing with a topic that nobody wants to discuss and asking difficult questions of herself and others, Gina turned her pain into purpose and began working on finding solutions to high mortality rates in her community and starting her podcast in order to be a resource for others who were facing similar struggles and the same wall of silence.

Available on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=5a97c1b06bb84590

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Gina and her work on the links below:

Gina Gonzalez (LMHC) - Sping Hill, FL - Postpartum Therapist

(1) Facebook

https://open.spotify.com/show/033RFk43BErXbuI0zCJK1e?si=4626c2fb223f45b7

It feels like so many of us are just moving through life, pushing forward towards the next task and seemingly unaware of what we're feeling and why we're feeling a certain way. I know that for the majority of my life, this was my day to day and I didn't even stop to consider my emotions, much less give thought to my central nervous system.

Today I'm joined by Daryl Vale - she's a licensed mental health counsellor and substance-use therapist, in addition to creating The Regulated Life, a workbook dedicated to helping us recognise our physical responses to stress, reconnect the body and regulate the nervous system.

Daryl created the book following years of study and working to heal her own trauma behaviours following a difficult childhood which left her with patterns of protective responses that continued into young adulthood until a love of her studies gave her new insights and means of flipping the script on how she responded to stressors.

Moving into the therapy space and beyond helped Daryl to look at her origin story with new eyes and see things in a much wider context. While she could acknowledge and discuss issues from her formative years, she could see that she was becoming a new person that did not need to carry old behaviours into her present life.

Talking with candour and humour, Daryl shares her story and how it has informed both her work and the woman that she is today. Acknowledging that there are still struggles that need to be faced, this is not a basic story of moving from darkness into light but one of learning, growth and self-determination which shows that while we cannot choose page one of our story, we can certainly make sure that the later chapters contain the life we want.

Available on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=d61d48e2e0764994

http://www.youtube.com/@SocialHarmonyTimetoTalk

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061

Check out Daryl's work on the links below:

The Regulated Life Workbook: A Practical Guide to Nervous System Regulation, Stress Recovery, and Emotional Resilience: Amazon.co.uk: McInnis, Daryl L: 9798186402510: Books

Daryl L McInnis, Mental Health Counselor, Olympia, WA, 98501 | Psychology Today

Waves Counseling LLC: Daryl McInnis, MA, LMHC, SUDP