The Best Guest

In this episode, Victoria speaks with Erika Reed, author of The Gift of Time: How AI Transforms Your Purpose and Our World, about the positive potential of artificial intelligence. Rather than focusing on job displacement, Erika explores how AI could actually give us more time and what we might do with it. Discover why autonomous vehicles aren't just about convenience, how Gen Z is already signalling the future, and what Henry Ford's five-day workweek can teach us about technological transformation.

About Erika

Erika Debrah Reed is a strategist for one of the world's largest retail organizations, where she predicts the future of commerce through a deep understanding of human behavior and emerging technology. Operating at the intersection of commercial real estate and transportation engineering, she explores how AI and autonomous mobility will reshape society. Erika began her career in civil engineering before earning a Master of Engineering Management from Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. She is the author of The Gift of Time: How AI Transforms Your Purpose and Our World (September 2026).

Key Takeaways

• AI offers an opportunity to reclaim creativity and identity by freeing up time previously spent on mundane tasks
• Autonomous vehicles aren't just about transportation, they're already here (Tesla Robotaxis, Waymo, Zoox) and rolling out across US cities
• Gen Z is signalling the future: only 63% are getting driver's licences, compared to 80–90% a few decades ago, preferring autonomous vehicles
• A shortened work week powered by AI productivity could improve job satisfaction, energy, and wellbeing when time is intentionally reclaimed
• AI literacy isn't optional, it's already embedded throughout society and needs to be taught in education systems
• The rise of 'human premium' means people will increasingly pay for authenticity, handmade goods, and human-created experiences as digital advances
• Safety data is compelling: over 40,000 people die annually from human driving errors, making autonomous vehicles a safer alternative
• New industries and economic opportunities will emerge from the 'time dividend' AI creates

Quote"I see AI as something that can bring back our humanness. The public needs to believe in what is possible, and that's why I wanted to be the voice of this." — Erika ReedConnect with Erika Reed

Website: http://erikaintelligence.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikadreed

Substack: https://substack.com/@erikaintelligence

Book Tour Events

September 17th, the Park Club, Newport Beach

October 24th, Chapter One, Mendham, New Jersey

Check erikaintelligence.com for details of these and other events.

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

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In this episode we welcome Audrey Faust, The Manifesting CFO to the podcast. We talk about:

• Why so many women build successful businesses and still feel sick at the thought of opening their own accounts.
• Why a bookkeeper and a CPA are not enough once you hit multi six figures
• The mindset work that has to happen before anyone looks at a profit and loss statement.

About Audrey Faust

Audrey Faust, MBA is The Manifesting CFO, a CFO strategist who works with financially phobic women business owners at the multi six and seven figure level. She is a 2x Amazon bestselling author and host of the Manifest, Manage and Multiply Money podcast. Her clients grow their profit between 20 and 100 percent, but the transformation they talk about most is finally feeling safe enough to look at their numbers and having the confidence and clarity to lead like the CEO of their business.

Key Takeaways

• You do not need to be "good at maths" to understand your financial information - that is what computers are for. The fear is about judgment, not arithmetic.
• Your subconscious runs around 95% of your 80,000 daily thoughts, and its job is to keep you safe. Beliefs absorbed in childhood about money and rich people quietly drive business decisions decades later.
• A bookkeeper does data entry and a CPA has hundreds of clients. Neither is sitting inside your business helping you make decisions with the numbers - that is a CFO's job, and it matters most from multi six figures onwards.
• Know your "monthly nut": the number your business needs to keep the lights on. Knowing it is what lets you sleep at night.
• Comparing this month to the same month last year takes the emotion out of a quiet patch, and stops the downward spiral.
• Audrey's Manifest, Manage and Multiply framework always starts with the money story, never with QuickBooks.
• Mindset work comes first because some women carry real trauma around money - being stolen from, or money being used to control them.
• Reframe the numbers as empowerment rather than judgment. Showing a client the $2.5 million she had created over ten years changed everything.

QuoteYou don't need to be good at numbers. That's what computers are for. - Audrey FaustMentioned in This Episode

Download this Guided Meditation to Release Fear of Looking at Your Money - a seven minute guided meditation with binaural beats, designed to settle your nervous system before you open QuickBooks, your bank account, or that email from your CPA. https://www.audreyfaustconsulting.com/meditation

The CEO Money Rewire — a free private five part audio series for service based business owners who are secretly afraid of their own numbers.

audreyfaustconsulting.com/moneyrewire

Audrey's Podcast Interview with her client Kim: Two Years Ago She Was Stuck. Today She's Multi-Seven Figures: Kim Mohr on the Capacity Problem That Changed Everything

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-years-ago-she-was-stuck-today-shes-multi-seven/id1892019963?i=1000774833439

Connect with Audrey Faust

Website: https://audreyfaustconsulting.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreyfaust/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifesting_cfo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manifestingcfo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheManifestingCFO

Podcast: — Manifest, Manage and Multiply Money: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/manifest-manage-and-multiply-money-podcast/id1892019963

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

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Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Dr DDnard, spiritual teacher, meditation guide, and founder of the Zoul App, whose story of transformation began with losing her husband, a newborn son, and inheriting $3 million in debt. Within seven months she had paid it all off, and within two years had multiplied her income tenfold internationally. Today she runs free global retreats for thousands of people across the world, teaching them how to heal, reframe challenges, and attract abundance.

About DDnard

Dr. Ddnard Napattalung is the founder of nine global investment companies focused on fintech, health tech, mental health, A.I., digital banking, human development, and transformational publishing in Dubai, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Monaco.

She founded Zoul, a leading mental health, wellbeing, and sleep app.

Dr. D.D is the author of the Life Compass book series with over 3 million readers and an award winner of the Women Changing the World Award for her leadership in investment, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and wellbeing.

Key Takeaways

• Things happen for you, not to you, even when they feel devastating in the moment
• Start from abundance, not lack. Gratitude for what you already have is what attracts more
• Write down your debts and face them head-on. Avoidance prolongs the pain, clarity creates solutions
• Your frequency, intention, and mindset determine what shows up in your life
• Joy isn't a reward for when things improve, it's the tool that makes things improve

Quote...faith is being thankful when it's still on its way. But by having that faith, it makes everything you want appear faster and in a better condition than you can ever imagine.Mentioned in This Episode

Zoul App: https://www.zoul.app/

Connect with Dr DDnard

Website - https://www.drddnard.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ddnard

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddnard/

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebestpodcastguest

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Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

In this week's episode of The Best Guest podcast we welcome Dementia with Dignity Champion and author, Jo-Anne Ross.

We talk about:

• Why Jo-Anne's personal experience caring for her mother with dementia ignited her mission to transform the landscape of care
• Her visionary concept for a dementia village that prioritises dignity, joy, community, and connection with nature right to the very last breath
• Her seven-week Me First workshop methodology, designed to equip families and caregivers with practical self-care tools so they can give from a full vessel

About Jo-Anne Ross

Jo-Anne Ross is a Dementia with Dignity Champion, workshop facilitator, and multi-book author based in Canada. After spending nine months as the primary caregiver for her mother, Jo-Anne developed the Me First methodology to support families and caregivers navigating the emotional and practical challenges of dementia. She is currently developing a holistic dementia village concept and is the author of several books, with three more in progress.

Key Takeaways

• If someone you love is showing signs of forgetfulness or behavioural changes, ask a doctor to test for a urinary tract infection before assuming dementia, as UTIs are frequently misdiagnosed
• Dementia is also known as Type 3 Diabetes and reducing sugar intake can play a role in brain health
• Caregivers must prioritise their own wellbeing first, because you cannot pour from an empty cup
• Every dementia journey is unique, so research and tools need to be adapted to the individual
• Intergenerational, community-centred living benefits everyone, not just those with dementia

QuoteEvery single human being on this planet deserves to live with dignity and respect, joy and fun and community and quality of life, right to the very last breath." Jo-Anne RossConnect with Jo-Anne Ross

Website: savourthemomentinserenity.ca

Free Gift (Seven Things You Should Know About Dementia)

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our checklist: How to be an Excellent Podcast Guest https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/checklist/

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Join the Best Podcast Guest Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpodcastguest

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Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

In this week's episode of The Best Guest podcast we welcome social media trainer and consultant, Hana Jay Klokner.

We talk about:

• Why even big brands don't have social media figured out and what that means for you
• How to create content in a scalable, sustainable way
• The challenges personal brands face and how to overcome self-doubt to show up online

Hana Klokner is a social media trainer and consultant with over a decade of experience working with businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to global organisations including Amazon and the United Nations. Originally from Slovakia, Hana began her digital journey at just 15 as a blogger and editor, later going on to teach at the University of the Arts London (UAL) for seven years. She specialises in helping business owners and personal brands develop their social media strategy and find their authentic voice online.

Key Takeaways

• Big brands don't have it all figured out and emotional connection matters more than budget
• Start creating content yourself before delegating as no one will capture your voice better than you
• Use ChatGPT to repurpose existing content like podcast transcripts and website copy
• Aim for 2 to 3 posts per week and batch create content in a single afternoon session
• If you've taken a break from social media, come back slowly, share what feels natural, and don't come from the wound, come from the scar
• Start on the platform that feels most comfortable and build your confidence from there

"It's not about having it all done and being perfect. It's about the contribution you're making to a community." Hana KloknerConnect with Hana Jay Klokner

Website: https://hanajayklokner.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanajaykloknerofficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanajayklokner

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thebestpodcastguest

Join the Best Podcast Guest Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpodcastguest

Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@victoriabennion

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

In this week's episode of The Best Guest podcast we welcome Podcast Producer and Founder of Saspod, Bogdan Bratis.

We talk about:

• Why podcasting is one of the most powerful marketing and networking tools for businesses today
• How to launch a podcast that lasts (and avoid "podfade," which 75% of podcasts experience)
• The production, consistency and quality standards that separate a great show from a forgettable one

About Bogdan Bratis

Bogdan, the founder of Saspod, is a successful entrepreneur, podcast producer, marketing expert, musician, and TV personality based in Glasgow. He has helped grow multiple podcasts to global recognition and success. His unique blend of creative talent, strategic marketing insight, and technical know-how sets him apart in the podcasting space. With over 6 years of experience in branding, content development, and digital marketing, Bogdan knows how to transform ideas into engaging podcast experiences that resonate with audiences and deliver measurable results.

Key Takeaways

• Podcasting is a powerful marketing tool because it allows you to create content quickly, build authority, and repurpose one recording across multiple platforms.
• Your podcast is also a networking asset — guests themselves can become clients, collaborators or long-term connections.
• You don't need a Diary of a CEO-sized audience to see business impact; a small, consistent, quality-led show can transform your brand.
• 75% of podcasts experience "podfade" — launch at a cadence you can sustain long-term, not the one that looks most impressive on paper.
• Build a backlog of episodes before you launch so you never miss a publishing date due to illness, travel, or guest cancellations.
• Study your listener avatar to choose the right episode length — busy executives may prefer 20-minute audio episodes, while general-audience shows can run an hour or more.
• Quality matters: poor audio or unedited mistakes can damage your brand more than not publishing at all.
• If production is eating into your time as a business owner, outsourcing to a podcast agency frees you to focus on leading your business and showing up on recordings.

Quote"Podcasting is exactly the same way as YouTube was in 2009. It's becoming bigger and bigger. People are sick of all that's happening that's artificial — they want to see more vulnerable people, more real stories. So if you want to do it, just start it."Connect with Bogdan Bratis

• Website: https://saspod.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bratis/

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thebestpodcastguest

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Natalie Tealdi from The Best Podcast Guest team welcomes death doula, end-of-life educator, transformational soul coach, author and national advocate for grief literacy, Julie Wright Halbert to the podcast.

They talk about:

1. The role of a death doula
2. What it means to live and die awake
3. What grieving people truly need from others

About Julie Wright Halbert

Julie Wright Halbert, Esq. is a death doula, end-of-life educator, transformational soul coach, author and national advocate for grief literacy whose work bridges legal rigor, lived experience, and soul-centered presence.

A former Legislative Counsel for the Council of the Great City Schools, Julie spent decades shaping education policy and advancing civil rights, earning multiple honors including the Education Law Association’s Best Brief Award for impactful work before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Julie’s professional path pivoted following the sudden death of her husband, an experience that transformed her relationship to grief, identity, and meaning. What emerged was a calling to accompany individuals and families through the complex terrain of dying, death, and bereavement work that emphasizes presence over fixing, honesty over platitudes, and dignity at every stage of life.

Today, Julie speaks and writes about death literacy, widowhood, emotional integration, and the cultural consequences of avoiding mortality. Her work invites individuals, professionals, and institutions to engage death not as a failure, but as a profound human threshold that shapes how we live, love, and lead.

Julie is the founder of Rising Phoenix LIFE, where she integrates end-of-life education, grief support, and advocacy to support people navigating life’s most significant transitions. She is the author of the forthcoming book Divine Ashes Ascending, which explores grief, presence, and the possibility of meaning after profound loss.

Julie’s work has been featured in: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, Education Week, and The 74.

She lives a life grounded in nature and connection, finding restoration through water activities, hiking, snow skiing, and time with her two sons and life partner.

Key Takeaways

1. Loss reshapes our identity and the way we move through the world. While grief never truly disappears, we can learn to carry it with meaning and compassion.
2. Living 'awake' means being fully present in each moment, approaching life with intention, gratitude, and connection.
3. Grieving can feel isolating, but healing often begins when we allow others to support us and accept help from our community.
4. Many cultures avoid conversations about death, yet openness around the end of life can help reduce fear and create more meaningful experiences for individuals and families.
5. Death doulas support people emotionally, spiritually, and practically at the end of life, helping individuals plan how they wish to experience their final stage of life.

QuoteGrief doesn’t just end. It’s something that we carry and we learn to move into presence.Connect with Julie Wright Halbert

Website: www.RisingPhoenix.life

Instagram: instagram.com/transformational_soul_coaching

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julie-wright-halbert

Julie's free gift to you is a meditation which is designed to support growth, clarity, and emotional alignment. It can be accessed here: https://risingphoenix.life/?scroll_to=meditations

Connect with The Best Podcast Guest Team

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

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Join the Best Podcast Guest Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpodcastguest

Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@victoriabennion

Connect with Founder, Victoria Bennion on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

In this week's episode, hosted by our Digital Business Manager, Natalie Tealdi, we welcome intuitive teacher and author Kate Saint Clair, who shares her journey from dismissing her intuitive gifts as a child to building a career helping others understand and trust their own inner guidance - something that every entrepreneur, creative, and business owner relies on, whether they realize it or not.

About Kate Saint Clair

Kate Saint Clair is a Human Intuition Expert, Psychic Medium, and Intuitive Advocate devoted to helping people remember and trust the wisdom already living within them. Born highly intuitive, Kate found strength through her challenging childhood with her connection to the spiritual world.

Since 2007, she has been guiding individuals to reconnect with their natural intuitive abilities—not as something mystical or exclusive, but as a practical, embodied skill meant to support everyday life.

Kate’s work centers on normalizing intuition and removing the fear, confusion, and self-doubt that often surround it. She teaches that every person is born with an accurate internal guidance system and that intuition becomes most powerful when it is understood, practiced, and trusted with clarity and discernment.

Through her book Be Guided & Be Great, live programs, and ongoing communities like ‘The Clair Club’, Kate creates grounded, validating spaces where intuition can be explored safely and confidently. Her approach blends spiritual depth with real-world integration, helping people recognize how intuition shows up through the Clairs—clear knowing, feeling, seeing, hearing, and sensing.

Known for her warm presence and direct insight, Kate empowers her clients to move from second-guessing themselves to living with greater confidence, alignment, and self-trust. Her work is an invitation to come home to yourself and live guided from the inside out.

When she’s not working, Kate enjoys spending time with her family, listening to podcasts when she is out walking or going for a run and spending time in nature as much as she can.

Key Takeaways

1. Everyone Is Intuitive — Most People Just Don’t Have the Language for It
2. Untrained Intuition Can Feel Like Anxiety or Overwhelm
3. Intuition Comes Through the “Claires”
4. Skepticism Isn’t the Opposite of Intuition
5. Strengthening Intuition Is a Skill, Not a Gift You Either Have or Don’t

Quote“You’re already intuitive. It’s not something you have to become. It’s something you learn to understand.”
Mentioned in This Episode

Find out which Clair you use the most to access your personal Intuition’: https://www.katesaintclair.com/quiz

Connect with Kate Saint Clair

Website: www.katesaintclair.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katesaintclair/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katestclair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014002215835

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thebestpodcastguest

Join the Best Podcast Guest Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpodcastguest

Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@victoriabennion

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

Transcript

Victoria Bennion: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome. I'm your host, Victoria Bennion, and the founder of the best podcast guest booking agency. And you're listening to the best guest, the podcast for business owners, creatives, and entrepreneurs who want to harness the power of podcasts to grow their platforms and increase their visibility.

We're here to support you on your journey, bringing you actionable tips with each episode. Now let's begin.

Natalie Tealdi: Hello, I'm Natalie Tealdi, digital business manager here at the best podcast guest booking agency. Today I'm hosting this conversation with the wonderful Kate Sinclair. Kate is a human intuition expert, psychic, medium, and intuitive advocate who has been teaching intuition as a practical, embodied skill since 2007.

Welcome to the podcast, Kate. It's great to have you with us today.

Kate Saint Clair: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Natalie Tealdi: Can you start by telling us how [00:01:00] you first realized you were intuitive, and what was the moment that made you stop dismissing it?

Kate Saint Clair: Yeah, I mean when I was young there was not a word for it, so I didn't know what to call it. I just kind of call it this weird thing and I don't really have a memory of not, when I was a little kid that did, my grandfather had passed away, decades before I was born. And I remember being like four years old at the my grandma's breakfast table and they were talking about him and I was wondering why they weren't talking to him.

'Cause I could sense that he was sitting there with us and I just thought why are they ignoring him? So I remember putting those pieces together around four, and when I was a little girl, I'd see a little, I thought they were black cougars, but usually they were just kind of an animal spirit that would come out at night.

And of course I just thought it was my imagination. But I mean, I would sprint to my mom and dad's room for fear and it would take me 30 years to realize that was a spirit animal and they would be around me at a certain time when my family was about to [00:02:00] break apart through a divorce. So they kind of appeared at the right time.

But as a little kid, I was just absolutely terrified. And, I just kind of always knew stuff about people and I'd kind of say it out loud and then I'd get in trouble for telling secrets. But I, I was like, I didn't have a thought. It just kind of came outta my mouth. So lots of that, like kind of lots of getting or kind of having a bad feeling about somebody as a child.

And then maybe lots of we don't wanna judge people or, you shouldn't say that. Or, so there was a lot of what I've just called. I just, that's weird. That's weird. That's weird. And kind of making the, those, putting those pieces together, like why are they ignoring the, my grandfather?

Or why are they ignoring, this spirit or that spirit, which I didn't know there was a word for it back then. I just thought they were, Hey, that's a person and that's my grandfather.

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah.

Kate Saint Clair: It took, when did I realize it? I was much older and it was more of a thing I tried to not do. I tried to not say stuff.

I tried to not see stuff, so it was, I was very much in my [00:03:00] twenties before I was like, okay, maybe I could actually get some help for this or see if other people feel this way. And that's when it was probably definitely in my twenties where I was like. This is maybe something I wanna figure out instead of just trying to run away from, or convince myself I'm not seeing or feeling what I am

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah, I suppose it must be really in easy to kind of rationalize those things

Kate Saint Clair: imaginary friend, you know, we have terms for this stuff, mother's intuition, get it. And like we have very sad terms. I consider them sad terms, but we're just trying to language. Something we kind of don't understand. And that's why I made it my life's mission to understand it and put proper language to it so we can all see it within us.

'cause I didn't feel special. I could see it in other people, it's just mine was kind of off the charts and I didn't know what to do with it other than convince myself I was imagining it and it wasn't happening.

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah, I can imagine. It must feel a bit scary as well.

Kate Saint Clair: It was scary. Yeah, definitely.

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah. And many people say, [00:04:00] I'm not intuitive, but what do you believe is really happening when someone feels disconnected from their intuition?

Kate Saint Clair: Oh yeah. I think there's several layers to this, but I think at a minimum, again, the common language, we, until you understand it, we think it's kind of a one-off thing. It's I had a gut feeling. And we don't say that every day, but really you do use your intuition every day.

Let's just say if you're in your hometown and nothing changes, you don't really need to use your intuition, but when I moved to New York City from Montana when I was 20 years old. I had to use my intuition. I didn't know where I was going, and this is the nineties before cell phones and, map, mapping wherever you were going, right in the palm of your hand.

I mean, I really had to, I had to kind of use my intuition to know if I was safe. I had to use my intuition to know where to go and I didn't have language for it back then. To me it's, untrained intuition is just that you don't know what to call it, therefore you don't know when it's happening to you.

And trained intuition, which is my passion, is, [00:05:00] which cla it's coming through and from what source.

Does that make sense? Yeah. So there's, to me, and again, I was in the field for 20 years, so I reluctantly came to the field of intuition, kind of kicking and screaming in 2007, and you do feel like you're learning a special thing.

And what I realized was I was a very, at a very medium career, the first 10 years of my career, and what I noticed is when I would share a message from a loved one on the other side, my client always knew what I was talking about, which tells me no, they experienced it. So I'm articulating what they experienced, but they still had the intuitive experience and it's just, it was every person.

I just was like, they know what I'm talking about. They experienced it too. They heard the voice. They felt the feeling they had the vision, and when you realize I'm a stranger, I wasn't there, but through my intuition, I could describe that moment. But they're the ones who had it.

So then I started like everybody's, but everybody's intuitive. And when I would [00:06:00] explain to them how, what was happening to them, the, I just saw the light bulbs go off in everyone's eyes for so long, and then it starts to make sense. What's happening, how and why.

Natalie Tealdi: Wow. So do you think this is something people can sort of learn to get better at than listening to their intuition?

Kate Saint Clair: A hundred percent. I, even with me I find a lot of really intuitive people are the, we are the biggest skeptics.

We are the ones who's yeah. And I don't think that's real. Why? Because again, we have childhood programming where it's like it can't be real, so it can't be real for me. It can't be real for you,

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah.

Kate Saint Clair: Yeah. So there's nothing wrong with skepticism. And I do find the more intuitive you get, the higher your bar for reality of it gets. We kind of get a little spoiled if, we have the feeling and it turns out okay. It's like we kind of start to take those little moments for granted.

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah.

Kate Saint Clair: and oh, I don't feel good.

I'm gonna walk across the street. 'cause I don't like the energy or the vibe of that person coming, so it's, we are always using it, whether we're conscious of it or not. And [00:07:00] once we can, I think with proper language, which is my passion I've seen I've seen it change people's lives just by understanding how and why it's happening for them.

And because then you can get more conscious of it. No, I do have a feeling and was that my feeling or is that my child's feeling? Every mother's picking up kids after school and we're fine. We're listening to music and the kids get in and you're exhausted and you're, you can pick up their energy, you could pick up their exhaustion and their hunger and all the things.

And again, untrained, you think it's just you like, oh my gosh, I just got tired all of a sudden. Or, oh my gosh, I'm just hungry. And what? What we don't realize is that's actually your children's feelings and their energy and what have you. So it just takes a little refinement to know, was that my feeling or was it theirs?

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah. I've certainly experienced that with anxiety before, like being in the car with my mom, she was starting a new job and I remember feeling really anxious and I thought why am I feeling I'm not anxious? And I said to her, are you nervous? She's no, but I think I must have been picking out from her because [00:08:00] there was no reason for me to be anxious.

Kate Saint Clair: Yeah. You're like, you're the one starting the job. Not me, but I feel it. And that's the other thing that what happens to us when we're young is parents are, they do try to be strong. They like no. So it's actually a form of denial. Because child, our, the, we all we do, we pick up our parents' feelings.

We can feel that anxiety and then when they say, no, it's not me, then we do internalize everything. Then I'm anxious and I have no control over myself and that's my work's passion is to go, okay, actually they're just denying it and that's okay. But it's not my anxiety. So then we have something we can do about that.

It's stuff that it's ours we can deal with, but when it's other people's feelings and energy, we have to figure out a way to get that off of us so we don't just pick up and absorb everybody else's feelings.

Natalie Tealdi: Yeah, so can you explain the Claires in a grounded way for listeners who are curious?

Kate Saint Clair: Yes. I always say all intuition comes through a Claire, so you [00:09:00] either feel it. You hear it, you kind of hear a voice, turn left. Go straight, go home early, these little whispers it, you just kind of have that knowing oh, I know I'm gonna see my sister today. Oh, and then you do, that kind of, just that quick knowing or you see it.

We, that Claire was the one I really convinced myself. I couldn't see it. I didn't have it, but in the right situation it can be tested. So let's just say, if you're deciding if you're gonna go to college, you can see an image of a school in your mind. And you might not know sort of what the name of that college is, but you just keep seeing the same college, so it, it always comes through a Claire feel it, see it, know it, or hear it. And and again, when we say do you trust your intuition? If I say which Claire do you use? People have no idea what the Claire is. Do you trust your intuition? Yeah. Very intuitive. Really? How, I don't know. And so I just get really excited 'cause I'm like, yes, you're intuitive and let's just find out which is the strongest Claire, do you feel a lot, do you [00:10:00] feel I'll give you an example. This is just, it was just so clear how my Claire's were working in this moment when my, it was about. I don't know, let's just say seven years ago. And I was, the kids were outside playing after school, and I was inside, and my son actually walked in and he actually smiled at me, but I could feel like something was really wrong.

And so I was like, whoa, he just smiled, but I felt like there's something wrong. And then he went upstairs and just, I was like, no, that didn't make sense. The smile versus the feeling, let me just go check on him really quick. And so I went upstairs and I could tell, I could feel he was not. He was trying to protect me from what had just happened.

So he was like, I'm the mom. I'm the mom, honey. You don't have to protect me like what's going on? And so he admitted a neighborhood mother had pulled him aside and said something really mean to him. And so that, whether you're a mom or a sibling or a friend, like we can feel when something's going on, even though our friends or loved ones are smiling, they're trying to be brave.

All the things. So that's in [00:11:00] day to day. You're at work, you just have a, knowing something's gonna happen. Or you kind of see, I don't know, at six o'clock something's gonna happen, and then maybe the rail on the way home is shut down, so we're constantly feeling and getting our intuitive information through a claire throughout the day.

Natalie Tealdi: So interesting. And how has trusting your intuition changed the trajectory of your life or career?

Kate Saint Clair: My relationship with my intuition was rough because I was such a sensitive kid, and then I turned it into, it's not real. I'm making it up. And then I kind of, after my parents divorced, I felt a little like untrusting. So if I let's just say if I got guidance to turn left, I'd go right. So really my life got really rough.

And say between the ages of 15 and until I really understood my intuition about 23, I would fight my guidance. 'cause I just kind of believed that I don't know what I'm talking about. I can't trust myself. Like [00:12:00] I said if I felt like somebody was dangerous, I'd hear, oh, you got a chip on your shoulder, or, don't be judgmental.

So I was like, if the dangerous person was in front of me, I'd give 'em my phone number. Because of that programming. No, I can't trust myself. I'm wrong, or I'm just being judgmental. And so it was really about 23 years old. And then definitely when I became a mom at 25, I was like. I have to learn to trust myself.

I, in fact, I can trust myself because a lot of the times we kind of, we get the knowings, but then we don't trust ourselves. So then we ask for other people, and then maybe we do what they say when they're weren't in the situation. So what do they know about it? So I just realized. I'm the only one here.

I'm the only one who has all the information. And so I'm gonna make a logical decision, but I'm also going to do what I feel is right for me. And that sat, that is cla sentience what I feel is right for me. That was a really good, and then of course I got into this profession in 2007, so I was in my late [00:13:00] twenties and reading for strangers, reading for the public.

I just, it every day was just a moment and I just felt like a miracle. So when I...

In this week's episode of The Best Guest podcast we welcome The Brain Energy Reboot Expert, Moira Newiss.

We talk about:

• Ketogenic & Metabolic Mental Health
• Mitochondria, Brain Energy & Fatigue
• Autoimmune Conditions & the Carnivore Diet

About Moira Newiss

Moira Newiss is a BANT registered nutritional therapist, health coach and accredited ketogenic metabolic therapy expert who specialises in brain energy, one of the recently discovered root causes of many mental health problems.

Moira’s passion for metabolic mental health was sparked after a 20-year career as a senior NHS manager, managing hundreds of staff and multi-million-pound budgets. Following burnout, chronic fatigue and mental illness, she retrained at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and became fascinated by the link between energy, mood, mental health and metabolic health. 

Moira works with individuals who have conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, who have often not found a resolution with medication or psychological support alone. Her personalised approach has helped hundreds to improve their symptoms, with some achieving full remission, that means reversal, of their condition.

A regular conference speaker, Moira co-authored the first mental health guidelines for nutritional therapists and published the case report ‘Remission of Schizophrenia Using a Carnivore Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy with Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Support’.

Moira is lucky to live on the beautiful west coast of Scotland where she has a large garden, grows her own fruit and vegetables and has a lovely flock of hens. She also loves adventure, regularly climbing mountains, bike packing and hiking in remote spots on short expeditions.

Key Takeaways

For some people, shifting from glucose to ketone fuel can rapidly improve brain fog, mood, and energy.

Common keto pitfalls include undereating fat and overeating protein

Sleep, morning light, reduced evening blue light, and gentle movement support brain energy and mood.

Short-term carnivore diet can be a powerful elimination protocol to calm inflammation, heal the gut and identify food triggers.

Dairy-free keto is doable - use coconut fats, olive oil, tallow/lard, fatty fish; check labels on “milks” for hidden carbs.

QuoteI had planned to do a hundred kilometre bike ride, and I remember crossing the finishing line thinking—and I was crying ’cause it was just an emotional thing—I just knew I cracked it. I just knew the energy was there. I’d cycled a hundred kilometres with no carbohydrates.Connect with Moira Newiss

Website: https://www.moiranewiss.co.uk/ 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/moiranewiss 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moira-newiss/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moiranewiss

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@victoriabennion

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

Transcript

Victoria Bennion: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome. I'm your host, Victoria

Bennion, and the founder of the best podcast guest booking agency. And you're

listening to the best guest, the podcast for business owners, creatives, and

entrepreneurs who want to harness the power of podcasts to grow their platforms

and increase their visibility.

We're here to support you on your journey, bringing you

actionable tips with each episode. Now let's begin.

Today I am joined by Moira Newiss, who is a BANT registered

nutritional therapist, health coach, and accredited ketogenic metabolic therapy

expert who specializes in brain energy, one of the recently discovered root

causes of many mental health problems. Good morning Moira. Welcome to the show.

Moira Newiss:

Morning, Victoria. Thank you for having me.

Victoria Bennion: How

are you today?

Moira Newiss: I'm

good. The sun's shining here, so Yeah, I'm happy and well

Victoria Bennion:

you're very lucky. We have solid rain.

Moira Newiss: I'm

quite lucky it's not always like this on the west coast of Scotland, but [00:01:00] it's lovely today.

Victoria Bennion: Oh,

that's very nice. What a lovely part the world to live in as well.

Moira Newiss: Yeah,

absolutely.

Victoria Bennion:

When did your passion for metabolic mental health begin?

Moira Newiss: It's

been a bit of a journey for me. So this was partly going back through my own

personal health journey when I struggled with mental health and chronic

fatigue. Having been through a period of burnout when I was an NHS senior

manager. And then along the way, I kind of, I didn't know anything about

metabolic mental health to begin with, but I had to find my own way to wellness

again.

I tried various things to start with including things like deep

breathing eating better, spending time in nature, lots of different things. And

I did get a bit better, but it wasn't really until I trialed a ketogenic diet,

when I was actually starting to retrain in nutritional therapy.

That it was just like a light bulb moment. Something just

seemed to work much better. My brain fog cleared and my brain fog had been

really severe. So, you know, and I was really [00:02:00]

struggling with my, mental health. You know, I thought my family would be

better off without me. It was quite a dark place at times.

And when I tried a ketogenic diet, I discovered the power of

ketones, really, which is what happens when you begin to eat a very high fat,

low carbohydrate diet? Your body makes ketone bodies as a fuel and they can

fuel your brain just as effectively as your body. That was really when I first

discovered what I would call metabolic medicine for mental health, and then

I've gone on to specialize, and train more and learn more about it.

I became fascinated really about, about metabolic health.

Victoria Bennion:

Wow, was it hard to switch over to a ketogenic diet?

Moira Newiss: It was

a little bit of a challenge to start with. You've got to to start with, I

wasn't testing my blood, so I was doing it just by calculating what I was

eating, like looking at the macro content of the diet. So how much

carbohydrates, how much fat I was eating. Originally it was a little bit of a

challenge, finding my way through that on my own.

And then afterwards I discovered that, you could do other

things. You could, [00:03:00] you had to take

more account of protein, which I hadn't really understood to begin with. So

really a ketogenic diet is the ratio of fat to carbohydrates and protein

combined. And there are different levels of ketogenic diet, so different

ratios.

So you could be looking. A one-to-one ratio, which would be one

gram of fat for every combined one gram of fat and protein. Or you could be

looking at higher ratio, like a two to one, which is often what we're using in

metabolic mental health. And you can test your blood ketones to get an idea of

where you are actually sitting, which is something I now regularly do with all

my clients.

So I've learned as I went, what would work, what wouldn't work?

And often one of the mistakes people do make is that either they're just not

eating enough fat, because a lot of us are brought up thinking fat's bad for

you. You are worried about things like, is it gonna cause cardiovascular

disease?

So that's a concern. So people often unre the fat when they

drop the carbs, and you don't really have enough energy if you do that because

carbs don't factor your fuels. But also sometimes people overeat protein and

that actually can [00:04:00] end up just

breaking down into glucose. So you're not really using fat as a fuel again.

So there's a few things that I've learned along the way as part

of that process.

Victoria Bennion:

That's really interesting. When you say tests, is that blood tests

Moira Newiss: so, it

is usually blood testing. So usually you get a keto monitor, which will do both

blood glucose and ketones. And it's just like, you know what a diabetic would

do, torick their finger. It takes seconds to do and you get immediate feedback

on where you are in terms of the level of ketones you're producing.

There are actually some companies now beginning to produce,

continuous ketone monitors, a bit like what you see type one diabetics wearing

on their arm, like it continuous glucose monitor. And that's really fascinating

'cause then you can track it for 24 hours and see what's happening. And I've

done that trialing it, going up mountains and things like that, which is

totally fascinating.

Yeah, so, so the technology's changing and we will be getting

probably combined continuous glucose and ketone monitors in it. It, I think

this year probably we know they're being worked on as the new technology.

Victoria Bennion:

Wow, that's fascinating. [00:05:00] How quickly

after changing your diet did you see a difference?

Moira Newiss:

Quickly. Yeah, as soon as I really got into what's called ketosis. So as soon

as I was making the ketones at a reasonable level I noticed the difference. The

challenge was to keep it going because. You know, it takes a while to become

what's called fully keto adapted. So I really wanted to trial that to see what

would happen.

So I decided I would do it for three months, and at the end of

the three month period, it was I think it was, I think I'd started maybe in JI

think it must have been mid-January sometime. And I was doing up to, into

April. And at the end of that I had planned to do a hundred kilometer bike

ride.

And I remember crossing the finishing line thinking and I was

crying 'cause it was just an emotional thing. I just knew I cracked it. I just

knew the energy was there. I'd cycled a hundred kilometers with no

carbohydrates. You know, something that many people think is impossible to do

because of what we've been taught in terms of like carbohydrates are needed.

People eat pasta before they race and things like [00:06:00] this. It's not true. Obviously you can run

on fat. And I just knew I was never going back. That was it. I'd kind of

cracked it. So, so I did kind of experiment a little bit on and off after that,

but I realized pretty quickly that I felt a lot better on a ketogenic diet.

So I've been pretty ketogenic now for six years or more, so

quite a long time.

Victoria Bennion:

What do you tend to eat for meals on a ketogenic diet?

Moira Newiss: I can

tell you what I had for breakfast this morning, which was I had some bacon and

some lummi cheese, and half an avocado, a tomato. And , you can have eggs and

things like that if it's a cooked breakfast, but sometimes I'll have things

like, homemade granola with, you know, high fat coconut yogurt and berries.

For lunch I'll often just have like ham and cheese and salad

and a bit of avocado or something with a bit of extra olive oil on it. Or

sometimes leftover dinner. That's another easy option for lunch. My husband

eats very similar to me. Actually. He has an omelet nearly every day. I'm not

quite as keen on omelets, but he'll do that for lunch.

, Last night for dinner we had chicken breasts [00:07:00] that were coated in ground almonds cooked

in butter and then finished off in the oven. And we had a leak and cream cheese

sort of sauce with it. So. Yeah, with a little bit of broccoli on the side.

Yeah. So that's the kind of stuff I'm eating and probably, like most families,

we, have set things that we have quite regularly.

And some of the rest of the family will add a little bit more

carbs in. But we are quite a low carb family in general. And the odd high fat

snacks like Brazil nuts or beef jerky, cheese, things like that would be my

go-to really. And maybe strawberries and cream.

Victoria Bennion:

Sounds very nice. So now you help people who are struggling with conditions

such as depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia who haven't found

resolutions with medications alone. Can you talk about how you work with people

and the results that you've seen?

Moira Newiss:

Absolutely. So I now specialize in the area of metabolic mental health. So it

is mostly those conditions you just talked about. So a few more mental health

conditions as well [00:08:00] sometimes. And

yeah, so what I'm doing they're usually coming to me because they know I'm a

ketogenic expert in this area.

So they're coming to me because they're really, you know, often

they've tried. A lot of different medications and psychological therapy and

some things might have worked a little bit, but for whatever reason, it's

either not worked or isn't working sufficiently or well enough for them to

really be getting enough relief.

So they're often not able to hold down the job they want to

hold down or have the kind of job they'd like to have or even work at all or

struggling with relationships, all sorts of things. Not operating as they'd

like to in society, I guess, in the way that they really feel is like optimal

for them.

So they want to come and try a keto gen diet, so I'm really

guiding them as to the best way to do it. So looking at what therapeutic level

of ketosis we're gonna get them into. And that's can be based on a number of

factors, the condition that they're presenting with what they've tried before,

what's worked for them, what hasn't, the medications are on this kind of thing.

So, and what I'm helping them do is work out [00:09:00] how to get to that level of ketosis, which

often people will come and they've tried a little bit sometimes themselves, but

they've not really managed to maximize it. They've not managed to get the

ketone levels up. And what we're trying to do is get them up so that they're

over a certain sort of threshold level on a continu continuous basis, to see

what effect it has.

And people get different effects. So not everybody has a

miracle overnight effect. Sometimes that does happen. Like, you know, as soon

as people get into close, sometimes people simply feel like the light switch

has been turned on again, and they, things clear. Often. It's a few, , a few

weeks of things slowly improving.

And sometimes it takes longer than that as well. , I try and

set expectations at the beginning that , it is not always gonna be that kind

of, some of the stories you hear about that, that , are the best stories, but

they're not always the ones that happen in real life.

Sometimes it takes a little bit longer and a bit more work, and

there are other metabolic strategies that you can kind of bring in. So exercise

would be an obvious one, for example. But also I'm a huge fan of optimizing the

24 hour body clock, the circadian rhythm. But that [00:10:00]

really is very linked or untrained to our metabolism.

So things like, making sure we're sleeping properly, that we're

getting light into our eyes in the morning that we're not being exposed to

bright blue light in the evening, for example. The, these kind of things go

very much hand in hand with the ketogenic diet to optimize things.

So, we're looking at a lifestyle approach, but it's focused on

the ketogenic diet. And you asked about some examples of, what's been achieved.

So I published a case report. Just a few weeks ago that was of complete

remission of schizophrenia in a young man. And he had been hospitalized

previously on several occasions, so it was a serious mental illness and he had

learned a little bit about the ketogenic diet over the preceding few years and

had experimented a little bit but hadn't been able to sustain it or get to a

kind of steady therapeutic level.

So, I worked with him and he got. Fantastic results. And you

know, I think there's a quote in the, in, in the case study that says, that he

would rather stay [00:11:00] eating the food

he's eating now than have to go back into , a mental health institution

effectively. So. And his was a very simple diet.

It was a carnivore style diet, so basically protein and fat. So

eating things like high fat beef mince. Because he was, he didn't have a lot of

money. He was in a slightly socially disadvantaged situation. So that's one

example. And I'm actually just in the process of publishing another case

report, which is a little bit of a different one.

It's a combination of physical and mental health symptoms being

resolved. It was somebody struggling with severe panic attacks, anxiety but

also menopausal symptoms, things like hot flashes and also severe gut. Reflux.

So it was a combination, and again, that was kind of more a carnivore style

approach which often is really effective for people who do have complicated

needs.

And that was a really nice success story again because

everything calmed down. And you know, she was somebody that was doing a lot of

meditation. It was part of her job. She actually said that she experienced a

calm mind for the first time [00:12:00] ever,

really. So it can be really powerful

In this week’s episode of The Best Guest podcast, we welcome Carol Look, psychotherapist, Founding EFT Master, and author of Yes, Thank You - Tapping Into the Superpower of Gratitude. Carol explains how consistent gratitude practices can transform your brain chemistry, reduce stress, and improve sleep and emotional wellbeing. She dives into the science-backed benefits of gratitude, why we subconsciously avoid happiness, and how EFT tapping can remove deep-rooted emotional blocks that hold us back.

About Carol Look

Carol Look is a psychotherapist, Founding EFT Master, best-selling author, international speaker, and creator of The Yes Code, her signature coaching method. She combines her traditional training as a psychotherapist with clinical hypnosis and advanced applications of EFT for unprecedented results with her clients.

Known for her laser-like focus and state-of-the-art approach, Carol has used EFT Tapping for over 25 years to help clients release their limiting beliefs and emotional conflicts so they can enjoy lives of exceptional success and fulfillment.

Carol is a world-renowned EFT workshop presenter who has taught at The Omega Institute, Kripalu, The Eden Energy Fest, and the energy field’s primary teaching conference, ACEP.

Carol has taught workshops in England, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and all over the United States. She is a regularly featured energy medicine expert on leading global telesummits and in the field’s leading documentaries.

Carol authored the energy field’s original book on abundance, Attracting Abundance with EFT. Her book, The Yes Code, became a #1 Amazon bestseller in several categories, solidifying her reputation as a leading voice in personal transformation. She has just released her newest book, Yes Thank You: Tapping Into the Superpower of Gratitude.

When she’s not working, Carol enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, and walking in nature.

Key Takeaways

• Practicing gratitude consistently can lower stress levels by 28%, improve sleep, and reduce blood pressure.
• Gratitude rewires the brain by reducing cortisol and calming the fight-or-flight response.
• We self-sabotage because it feels safer to stay small. Tapping reveals and clears these subconscious blocks.
• EFT tapping is an evidence-based technique that calms the amygdala and reduces emotional reactivity.
• Consistency and specificity are key to making both gratitude and tapping effective.

Quote“The question is never, is it good for you or not? That’s not the question. The question is, how much joy and happiness can you handle?” Carol LookMentioned in This Episode

Unlock the Yes, Thank You book portal filled with free resources to support your journey. Inside, you’ll find, nine instructional videos showing you exactly how to do tapping along with a detailed PDF guide of all the tapping points and a 30-day gratitude challenge. www.theyescode.com/thankyou

Connect with Carol Look

Website: www.carollook.com

Connect with Victoria Bennion

Learn more about us: https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/

Download our Podcast Guest Starter Kit: The Podcast Guest Starter Kit gives you a proven plan to find the right shows, craft a winning pitch, and maximise every interview. https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/podcast-guest-starter-kit/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebestpodcastguest

Join the Best Podcast Guest Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpodcastguest

Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@victoriabennion

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabennion/

Transcript

Victoria Bennion: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome. I'm your host, Victoria

Bennion, and the founder of the best podcast guest booking agency. And you're

listening to the best guest, the podcast for business owners, creatives, and

entrepreneurs who want to harness the power of podcasts to grow their platforms

and increase their visibility.

Victoria Bennion:

We're here to support you on your journey, bringing you actionable tips with

each episode. Now let's begin.

Victoria Bennion:

Today we're diving into a truly transformative conversation with our client

psychotherapist and world renowned EFT Master Carol. Look, I feel incredibly

lucky to have someone with Carol's level of expertise joining us today, not

only to explain the why behind our emotional blocks, but also to walk us

through how we can move past them.

Victoria Bennion:

Carol shares the science backed benefits of gratitude and why its so many of us

unconsciously resist happiness even when we know what's good for [00:01:00] us. But what makes this episode especially

powerful is that Carol doesn't just talk about the healing potential of EFT

tapping.

Victoria Bennion: She

gives a live demonstration with me right here on the show. And honestly, I can

say I felt a real shift. So whether you've struggled with self-sabotage,

stress, or just want to feel more grounded and joyful, this episode is one

you'll want to bookmark and revisit.

Victoria Bennion:

Hello and welcome to the podcast, Carol.

Carol Look: Thank

you, Victoria. It's great to be with you and see you this way.

Victoria Bennion:

It's really great to have you on the show, and I'm really looking forward to

talking to you about your new book.

Carol Look: Thank

you. I'm excited about it. Thank you for getting me on so many podcasts

already.

Victoria Bennion: Oh,

you are welcome. Could you begin by talking to us a little bit about the

science behind Gratitude?

Carol Look: It's

funny, so I wrote this book about gratitude. So Yes, Thank You. Tapping into

the Superpower of Gratitude, and I knew gratitude was amazing and fun, and

people feel good, but I didn't have all the [00:02:00]

statistics, so I did research. About the statistics physically and mentally and

emotionally. What it does for you when you keep a consistent gratitude

practice.

Carol Look: And it

was amazing. It was incredible. So I knew I was gonna write this book, but to

back it up with the science was really fun. For instance, it lowers your stress

levels by 28%. It lowers your risk of. Serious diseases. It lowers your

hypertension, it improves your ability to sleep, both the duration and the

depth of your sleep. I, all these things that we, I think we take for granted

and people, I think, take a gratitude list for granted, and that's part of why

I was writing the book, because people aren't consistent with it. So the

science just kept, tumbling and tumbling and showing incredible results.

Carol Look: From

people sticking to a consistent gratitude practice in blood pressure, in sleep,

in cortisol levels, it is just really quite [00:03:00]

amazing and quite exciting,

Victoria Bennion: I

never would've guessed that. Can you talk a little bit about how gratitude

rewires our brains?

Carol Look: It

rewires it in the chemicals. So the statistics are showing that what happens is

it calms down your fight or flight response and calms down your cortisol. So

cortisol is the big bad, the big bad hormone that gets triggered under stress

and duress. And when you practice a gratitude list or a gratitude practice

consistently, it starts to rewire your brain because you're sending different

chemicals.

Carol Look: So

instead of being hyper alert and instead of having your sympathetic nervous

system on all the time. We're tapping into other chemicals, other emotional

states, calming ourselves down, which of course improves sleep, lowers the

stress level, calms down the blood pressure issues and the, the hypertension [00:04:00] issues.

Carol Look: So it

rewires by literally changing the pharmacy. Changing the pharmacy in our brain.

Victoria Bennion: So

with all those benefits, why do you think it is that so many of us avoid a

gratitude practice?

Carol Look: It's so

interesting. That was part of the premise for the book is that even though I

know I didn't know the statistics, but I certainly know what's good for you. I

dabble I was doing it sometimes, not all the time, and I go through my history

personally, and then I go through as a psychotherapist for decades what I have

found that keeps people from being consistent and in my life it was.

Carol Look: My

container was too full of worry, anxiety, focusing on other people's problems,

focusing on my family. A lot was going on. That's the first reason we don't.

The second reason is when you've got a tumultuous upbringing in any way, or a

current marriage, or the kids are acting out or whatever you can develop a low

self-esteem that makes you not wanna do things for yourself.[00:05:00]

Carol Look: So the

question is never, is it good for you or not? That's not the question that has

been answered. The question is, how much joy and happiness can you handle? How

much are you willing to handle? 'cause then the third reason we don't do

something that's good for us consistently is that we sabotage ourselves because

sabotage keeps us safe. So we end up putting a lid on ourselves and our

happiness, because we don't wanna be a target. Or we don't wanna be visible or

we don't, some want someone to be envious or jealous. So we end up, crouching

down and playing small. Because when people really read the research statistics

about gratitude, like you'd be doing it every day, at least once a day.

Carol Look: So you

have to look at underneath that, the why that you're asking. Why wouldn't we?

And that's 'cause we limit ourselves. 'cause we're scared. We are wired for

safety. We're not wired for success and happiness. We're wired as human [00:06:00] beings to keep ourselves safe. So if we

stay small and play small and under the radar, a lot of people, millions and

millions of people feel safer that way.

Carol Look: And if

keeping a gratitude list consistently and really. Getting into gratitude

practices will make you healthier, happier, more joyful. At work, they did a

study about employees and what happens when gratitude, when they're, gratitude

is expressed to them by the boss. And gratitude in relationships.

Carol Look: When you

really feel better and do better and are better in your life and you show up

differently, people notice, people are gonna notice. And sometimes when people

notice your happiness level or your success level, they don't like it.

Victoria Bennion:

That's so interesting. So if you are aware that you are self-sabotaging, what

can you do?

Carol Look: So I

asked the question, my favorite questions that came from the first book that

you know about the Yes code. Ask yourself what could be the upside of [00:07:00] not being happier. So we're looking for

the upside of the problem that you, let's say they come to me as a

psychotherapist. They say, oh, I've got this problem, or, oh, I really, I'm

getting in my own way.

Carol Look: I'm

stuck, I'm procrastinating. So the question is what could be an upside of

staying stuck? People say, oh, there's no upside. There is an upside, or else

we wouldn't do it. And this is where you have to stop criticizing yourself and

just saying, oh, I'm doing this for a reason. I'm protecting myself. And then

the second question, so this is just to get the material to find out what the

real reason is. The second question is, what's the downside of incredible

success and happiness? What's the doubt? What, how does it serve you not to be

that, how does it, how, what would be a negative consequence of you being

really standing tall, feeling better, having a deeper relationship, having a

better relationship at work with your colleagues and your boss your health

improving, losing the [00:08:00] weight, all

those questions.

Carol Look: What

could be a downside to that? Because again, human beings are just about

protecting themselves and staying safe. Then what I do is, the technique that I

use is EFT tapping to reduce all these fears. It's really, it's about your

fears and your beliefs and your behaviors. So the self-sabotage behavior is

very obvious to people.

Carol Look: You do

it. I do. Everybody does it and we see it. The fears are more hidden and the

limiting beliefs are even more hidden. We don't believe we deserve more. We

don't believe that we have what it takes. We don't believe that it'll ever

happen for us, whatever they are. So asking the questions gets to the feelings,

fears, and the beliefs.

Carol Look: Then we

can work with them with a technique to calm you down and help you feel better

about this conflict you have about being happier.

Victoria Bennion:

That's brilliant. How did you come to get into the work of EFT Tapping?

Carol Look: It's so

interesting. So as I said, I'm a traditional [00:09:00]

psychotherapist and then I went into the field of hypnosis, which I love

clinical hypnosis, and someone in my hypnosis class said, you think that's fun?

You've gotta try this weird new tapping technique. This was 1999. I think it

had been around for a while, even back then and 'cause I've been doing it for

25 years.

Carol Look: I took my

first class and I was hooked. It was like watching people change their anxiety,

their fears, their anxiety, their worry, and then what happened with me, I kept

introducing it to people. So the clients who would come to me for hypnosis,

when someone comes to you for hypnosis, they come for quit smoking, weight loss

and anxiety a hundred percent of the time.

Carol Look: So I

would say to them, I, yes, you're coming here for a trance for hypnosis, and

that's a rate. I have this new self-help self, stress relief technique called

tapping called EFT Tapping. And I'd love to show it to you for five minutes,

and if you don't like it, we will never do it again. They'd say, okay.

Carol Look: [00:10:00] And I do it with them at the end. And

they'd say, what did you just, what just happened? What did you just do?

Tapping does the same thing that gratitude does, which is it calms down the

fight or flight response in your brain. So the tapping, the research has come

out now in the last decade. And decade, 15 years, 10, 15 years, and it calms

down the fight or flight response in the amygdala in your brain that goes off

under any duress, any stress, any demand, traffic, the dog barking, dropping

something, anything small or huge.

Carol Look: The fight

or flight response gets triggered and it calms it down in the brain by tapping

on these acupuncture points. So I just kept practicing with it with clients,

and then I accidentally completely changed my insomnia, completely stopped in

an insomnia. I had been in insomnia for so long that I didn't call it a

problem.

Carol Look: It's like

I didn't say, Hey, my name's Carol and I'm an insomniac. It was just part of

me, and suddenly I start not suddenly. After doing [00:11:00]

tapping for a little while, I started sleeping deeply and going, falling

asleep, stopping the monkey mind and the worrying and the anxiety that I had at

night. And I was like oh, this is, oh, this is serious.

Carol Look: This

isn't just a technique. It is a tool, right? This isn't just a technique or a

tool. This is serious anyway, and I kept up. Kept up with a head person, Gary

Craig, who created it and and just kept using it and using it in my practice

and on myself, and just so many things changed that I knew I had to stick with

it.

Victoria Bennion: So

when you start with tapping, do you have to say something as well as tapping?

How does it work?

Carol Look: So you

start with, so the most important thing with tapping is you wanna start by

choosing a very clear target. So someone comes in and says, oh, I have all

these issues, and I ask the questions, what's the upside or what's the

downside? So that we find out what the real conflict is. So then you decide,

you basically make a decision.

Carol Look: What are

we working on? Are we working on the stress that's showing up in your back? Are

we working on your resentment towards your boss? [00:12:00]

Are we working on your frustration that the kids aren't listening to you? What

are we actually working on? Cravings, I do a lot of weight loss and quit

smoking and alcoholism, and so you choose a target, then you start physically

with the tapping and it's the, it's so simple.

Carol Look: The first

part of it you say. Something about your problem. So you and the standard

phrase is, even though I have this, and you, we could say, even though I have

the stress that's showing up in my body, very simple. I deeply and completely

accept myself. People say, why would I say that? Because you're resisting the

problem.

Carol Look: You're

criticizing yourself for the problem, and at some point we have to just

holistically say, I have this problem and I'm okay. Now I work with a lot of

wall Streeters. They do not wanna say I deeply and completely love and accept

myself. It just sounds corny, but there, if the effect is to, ah, take a

breath, calm yourself down.

Carol Look: So we

start there. And then when you're tapping on the specific points that have been

chosen,