This solo definitely builds on past solos about transitions and life processes because, surprise surprise, I'm still in a big life transition. This is a love letter to other secret introverts and to quiet moments. It's to those of you out there who crave quiet and alone time and to just be left alone for a while - regularly or from time to time. Right now I need and crave a lot of solitude, a lot of quiet time, because I'm going through a big internal process and building the architecture of my life for the coming years. It's about running a business, but it's also about becoming. Being who I need to be to deliver what I feel is my mission in the world.

I'm currently spending a lot of time letting things flow, letting things drop into place and letting things 'occur' to me. And to do that I've created a quiet little bubble of beauty and solitude and I am loving it. Because it allows me to hear my intuition. To guide myself. To not get tangled in the noise of 'shoulds' or 'shouldn'ts' or simply the thoughts of others.

I encourage you to challenge any narratives you have around allowing yourself to take time to be quiet, to be introverted, introspective. Because this is what a lot of us need right now and it's what the world needs us to choose to do. It's in that space that you can connect with who you ARE and what your instincts tell you. It's also space that we all need to change our narratives and thinking that really won't serve us as we move into a new stage of human history, and a new stage of your individual life. Please do reach out to me if this episode resonates and you'd like to reflect on your own 'knowings' and thoughts around some of the things I talk about and your life right now. I'm here to support you and I would love to connect. Enjoy and big love to all of you listening.

If you'd like to learn more about Human Design, as mentioned in the episode:

• Find out what type you are and download your chart at My Human Design

• Read about what Human Design is in this Goop article.

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Linkedin

• Betsy's website

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a 5-star and written review on this podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps me to reach new listeners and, hopefully, to reach someone on exactly the right day with exactly what they needed to hear. Let me know what you think of this episode and others!

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I'm excited to bring back a past guest: cultural consultant, performance producer and content creator Matisse Dupont. Matisse has spent the last decade facilitating interactive lectures and workshops on gender, sexuality, culture and identity. I enjoyed witnessing their evolution on social media - from being a TikTok-er famous for educating others about gender to showcasing their talents as a multi-disciplinary artist to founder of volunteer-run LGBTQIA+ community theatre company, The Queer Theatre Project. Matisse and I explore their life changes and public persona.

In this episode, we focus on that and explore how Matisse has realigned and reconfigured who they are publicly to reflect where they are personally. They've recently navigated burnout as a content creator and dealt with a concussion, which stopped them using technology at the height of their TikTok fame. Matisse shares how time away from what they had become known for opened up space to re-assess and enjoy other aspects of themselves and their talents. We talk about how creating a mindfully artistic practice can open up space to explore - and how you don't ever have to stick to just one thing for the rest of your life.

Matisse is an inspirational example of how you can completely change your life, realign with your purpose and not get caught up, staying in the constraints of what people already know you for (or your comfort zone). Settle yourself in for this refreshing and motivating episode. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• Shaking up the Discomfort Practice, having Matisse introduce themselves. (1:30)

• The discomfort of changing trajectory: from having a successful career and being known as an expert in a field to then starting something completely new. (3:30)

• How dealing with a severe health issue affected Matisse as a successful content creator and gender educator. But how this time out, gave Matisse perspective. (5:50)

• How the social media algorithm was dictating the way to unauthenticity and interacting on social media in a combative way, as well as leading to burnout. (13:00)

• How Matisse's love of art came out of this period of discomfort in their life. (18:20)

• Meditative quality to painting as a creative outlet. (22:00)

• The transformative practice of not feeling stuck to one job or creative outlet, and being able to constantly evolve and transition. (31:00)

• Matisse's leaving message: "Change takes time, but not as much time as you think it'll take." (40:00)

Connect with Matisse:

• Matisse Website

• Matisse on Instagram

• Matisse on TikTok

• Matisse on Youtube

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Twitter

• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Michael Youngblood, co-founder and CEO of Unsettled, an award-winning travel community for those who embrace the unknown and value meaningful human connection. He has worked in more than 60 countries, collaborated with the White House on entrepreneurship and global development, advised Fortune 100 companies on remote work, and has taught courses on entrepreneurship and globalisation on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of Innovations journal, a publication about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges that is jointly hosted by MIT, Harvard, and George Mason University. Michael is a member of the inaugural TED Residency, a member of Sandbox, and an avid sailor, mountain biker, and global explorer.

Michael and I discuss Unsettled's manifesto as a process and a guiding philosophy for how to live, through embracing the uncomfortable and the unknown. MIchael shares his own thoughts on navigating anxiety and depression in work and life, and the importance of taking time for self-reflection. We explore some 'beautiful questions,' and hopefully help those listening to discover something themselves with those questions (or discover their own questions to help them explore and find their way of being, living and doing in this rapidly changing world). Many of us know that we can't do things the way they've always been done, so this is a timely conversation. Just know that you're not alone. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• The uncomfortable childhood experience of holding hands with his adoptive black sister and being the target of hate speech, showed Michael early on the levels of prejudice and inequalities existing in the world. And how that led to him studying social sciences, as the pathway he saw to change social structures. (5:40)

• Michael views all questions as beautiful, as they open you up to possibilities, whilst seeking new answers. (13:00)

• What is your dream underachiever job? (17:20)

• Getting clear on what is important to Michael, with time and space for self-reflection. Opening yourself up to new opportunities, that reflect your desired lifestyle and pace of work/life balance. (27:20)

• Unsettled manifesto: being more than a travel company. It's a process and philosophy for living: embracing the unknown and the uncomfortable. (32:30)

• How Michael has dealt with and found tools to overcome anxiety. (42:40)

• 70% of people quit a job within 18 months of an Unsettled travel experience. (47:40)

• How to create your own reality. (57:30)

• Michael's affirmation that he comes back to at the end of every day: "Despite everything, today was a great day." He has choice and agency to see today as a great day, despite what might have happened in it. (1:00:00)

Connect with Michael:

• Unsettled Manifesto

• Michael's TED Talk "Discovering Your True North"

• Michael's Blog on "Becoming CEO Of Unsettled"

• Michael on Linkedin

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Twitter

• Betsy on Linkedin

• What is a Beautiful Question?

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

A few months back, when I was sitting in a mushroom ceremony, I got the message loud and clear 'It's safe now to be powerful.' And it was a message that I knew was for me, but also one that I had been given to share with others. And, so, in this episode, I talk about what the world needs from you. How it needs you to be able to un-block those parts of you that you've censored, shut down, inherited shame around because your ancestors shut that part of their power down to be safe. I ask a few questions in this short, unscripted, completely spontaneously-recorded episode. I know this is meant for someone, so if you've found this episode and something has really 'landed,' I'd love to hear from you. Some of the questions I ask in this episode:

• What of your own power are you denying or rejecting?
• What parts of you are you afraid to bring to the world?
• What parts of you are you keeping out of the limelight, out of your work, out of your consciousness because they're so dangerous you're scared to bring them to the world?
• What would the impact be if you allowed yourself to bring yourself fully to the world, in all of your power?
• What would change?

If you ever find yourself thinking 'I wish I could…' 'I CAN'T do that…' it's pointing you toward something that you probably need to bring to the world. That's part of being fully powerful in the world.

'It's safe now to be powerful.' This message is important as we go through this particularly wild time in human history. Because what the world needs from you, what a lot of us need from you, is for you to be fully powerful.

. Listen to this episode, chew it over, enjoy, and let Betsy know how you found it. Please pass it around like a good book. Like it, leave The Discomfort Practice 5 stars and a written review wherever you listen. As always, thank you for your time. Stay uncomfortable...

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Nik Govier, the Founder & CEO of Blurred - a fast growing global management, sustainability and communications consultancy based in London. She is a regular feature in PR Week's Top 10 Power List and was named PR Communicator of the Year in 2021. But the last five years have been a whirlwind of personal challenges and change, from leaving her previous business with nothing after building it for 12 years to facing a cancer scare during the pandemic.Nik is proudly neurodiverse (dyslexic and ADHD) and, having decided to be very public about having had six miscarriages, she is an outspoken advocate for a 'charter for female health' in the PR sector, which is predominantly female.

How did Nik not only survive, but thrive, with a new business and sense of mission? In this episode, we'll talk about how she has navigated a loss of identity, the importance of no agenda meetings with people you don't know and the profound power of a coach - for you and your team - among many juicy topics we dive into. Nik most certainly chooses guts over fear. She shares how she went from being the mindfulness class sceptic to its greatest advocate and what strengths she finds in neurodiversity (and why she hires neurodiverse people).

Nik really leads the way by showcasing the benefits of having a diverse team force and creating policies and approaches which not only support, but protect her team's health. She's created a business that can hold the future, because it has the perspectives needed to create diverse solutions to tricky problems. So get comfy and tune in. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• How the discomfort of Nik's childhood with undiagnosed Dyslexic and ADHD and having school reports unfairly categorizing her as lazy and careless has led her to spending her entire professional career proving people wrong. (6:20)

• Neuro-diversity is a superpower for Nik, but she recognises that is the case, because she comes from a middle class supportive background. (8:10)

• The motivation behind having a diverse workforce, and what that looks like. (11:30)

• How having a workforce that is diverse is fundamentally about bringing different skill sets, ways of thinking and perspectives that enrich the workplace and the team working there. (19:20)

• Dealing with complex issues with systems that support her diverse team-force. Supports her team with a grief policy (including issues such as miscarriage, menopause, transition, fertility, etc). Providing coaching, support, financial support, time-off and flexible working. (22:05)

• Blurred is built on a foundation of principals surrounding diversity and supporting your workforce, which lead them to instantly receiving a high rating from B Corp (certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency regarding inclusivity, policies, etc). (29:50)

• Nik's own discomfort practice: meeting strangers, which has led her to the House of Lords to meeting fashion photographer Rankin. (42:30)

• How a mindfulness body scan is the only form of meditation that works for Nik, for an ADHD or easily distracted brain. (45:10)

• Lasting message: even if you are neurodiverse, introverted, dyslexic or from a disadvantaged background: you have everything you need. Find a place and space that can accept you, and if you can't, build one. (53:30)

Connect with Nik:

• Article on how Nik made it

• Blurred Website

• Nik on Instagram

• Nik on Twitter

• Nik on Linkedin

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Twitter

• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this solo episode, I reflect on the chaos, the confusion and the landing back in Spain after 3.5 happy months in Mexico. I wonder 'Did I do the right thing in coming back here?' muse aloud about 'Why am I here?' and navigate through my own process of feeling like I've landed in chaos... and I'm not sure why.

I share a reading from the School of Metaphysics, where each Module I study as I go through training to become a certified Metaphysical Therapist, is completely aligned with whatever is going on in my life. Every time we expand, every time we unblock a part of our lives that needed to be unblocked, every time we get closer to fully remembering who we are and how powerful we are... we will experience discomfort. Chaos is what shows us what we really want to stop doing or who we want to stop dragging with us.

I talk about how 'taking my hands off the wheel' is something I'm trying out - because my ability to steer my life is limited by my own imagination and experience.

So for some Betsy Musing Out Loud, as well as some hopefully helpful thoughts on how to navigate the unknown and appreciate chaos, give it a listen. And reach out if it's landed for you. Email me at [email protected] / IG me @thebetsyreed and spread the word. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop me a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help me grow the reach of this podcast. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with entrepreneur, author and someone I'm rather a big fan of, Margaret Heffernan. We chat about Margaret's sixth book Uncharted, which lays out an inspiring picture of what can lie on the other side of uncertainty - which is a discomfort we as humans naturally avoid. We also dive into her own practice of surrendering to experiencing discomfort, by which she has not only learned new things, but grown as a person.

Margaret's TED talks have been seen by over 15 million people. You read that right! 15 million people. She's also written six books (so far). Her third book Wilful Blindness is one that I picked up last year and found more incredibly relevant now, during a pandemic, than ever - even though it was published in 2014. It was a finalist for the Financial Times Goldman Sachs Best book award and the Financial Times named it as one of its "Best business books of the decade".

Margaret has done a lot of things and done them all well. She worked in BBC Radio for five years where she wrote, directed, produced and commissioned dozens of documentaries and dramas. But just to add to her cool points, she then also produced music videos with Virgin Records. She was once described by the Financial Times as the most formidable lobbying organization in England, which is high praise indeed. She bought and sold leading Internet businesses as a chief executive and was named one of the Internet's top 100 by Silicon Alley reporter in 1999. She's won many, many awards.

Margaret really is a leading thinker and her now-or-never attitude is so inspiring, so tune in and enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• Taking the experience from discomfort to euphoria: being encouraged by her father as a teenager to ask for forgiveness rather than permission (6:00)

• That experience has helped support her in her speaking engagements now: she speaks freely. Saying what others are thinking, but are too afraid to say (8:00)

• How writing a BBC play, opened up Margaret to looking at where abusive attitudes to nature come from (16:18)

• How important it is to do something, however small. Margaret became part of her local Parish Council and hosted events to help people reduce their energy consumption, carbon footprint and enhance biodiversity (23:38)

• How positivity is contagious: you can be the catalyst for change (26:30)

• Surrendering to the practice of experiencing discomfort in many different parts of her life, has helped Margaret not only learn new things, but grow as a person in so many different ways (33:02)

• How ethical decisions being made by economists are a disaster waiting to happen (42:58)

• How reframing the way you view uncertainty in your mind, can actually open you up to new exciting possibilities (49:54)

• How the early death of Margaret's first husband when she was 30 gave her a really visceral experience that it's always now or never time. That is how she lives her life (56:46)

Connect with Margaret:

• Margaret's Website

• Margaret on Twitter

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Twitter

• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

I sat down to intentionally record this episode without any notes and with minimal preparation, because I felt strongly this was a message that needed to come through me. It's one I needed to articulate and it's something someone out there needs to hear.

The message is this: turn off the external noise so you can hear yourself and tap into your own wisdom. I've been given wise counsel and channeled messages from intuitives three times in the past month to 'cut out the external influences for a while in order to gain clarity and confidence in your inner knowing, to set loose your creativity to do what you need to do in the world.' And one of those intuitives (@lisaintuitiveguide on Instagram), without knowing anything about me, told me what it is I am meant to do in the world. And it is EXACTLY what I do in the world, though you might not know it from the official wording of my website.

So I've done a cull - of emails I'm subscribed to, of social media accounts I follow - and am still circling what this 'diet' from external influences is meant to look like. But in having to un-subscribe / unfollow those external influences that flow to me every day, I began to realise a) how many there are and b) how much I want to rely on them for confidence in my own intuition. My own 'knowings.'

So this episode is me planting a flag at the beginning of a process of creating quiet - of turning off all of the radio noise - so I can hear my own voice. My own intuition. My own knowings. And if that lands for you, I invite you to do the same.

Reach out and let me know if you're going to do the same. I'd love to hear your process and share mine. Feel free to connect and to share this episode with others.

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Dan Schnur. We chat about the discomfort of his career trajectory: going from being one of the top Republican political strategists and campaign officials in the US to leaving and not affiliating with any political party. (In a bi-partisan political system where you've been a big player, that's a big move.) Dan gives an elegant master class in how to leave your comfort zone, forge your own path and stay true to yourself when everything shifts… and shifts again. Because that's just life.

Dan's resume is impressive. He previously worked on four Presidential and three Gubernatorial campaigns, as one of California's leading political strategists. He served as the national director of Communications for the 2000 Presidential Campaign of US Senator John McCain, and was the chief media spokesman for California Governor Pete Wilson. He's been an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He's the founder of the leading University of Southern California (USC) LA Times state-wide political pol and currently teaches courses in politics, communications and leadership at UC Berkeley.The list could go on…

Join us for Dan's remarkable, humble and thoroughly enjoyable style and story about the process of going through discomfort to create your own freedom on the other side. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• As a college undergraduate, Dan was not particularly academically motivated and he was asked to leave. Even though it was uncomfortable moment, Dan was able to see this as an opportunity to move to Washington to pursue his interest in Politics (6:30)
• One of Dan's favourite quotes: "If you don't take risks, nothing good will happen." And how taking risks has played out in his life (11:20)
• The risk Dan took from having a successful career the Republican Party to leaving to become an Independent Politician (16:10)
• The generation that leads society out of a crisis, is one that is exceptional (Gen Z) (31:50)
• The News by definition is going to look for conflict and controversy. It's easy to sucked into that narrative, as all the acts of kindness aren't reported on (42:20)
• How interacting with others with different views is uncomfortable, but is needed in order to grow and learn (52:20)
• How helping others energises Dan: when you do something that puts someone else in a better mood, it boosts your mood too (57:40)
• Dan quote: "For every decision I ask myself: What's the best thing that can happen? What's the worst thing that can happen? The overwhelming majority of the time, the worst thing that can happen, isn't that bad. So it's worth a try." (1:04:18)

Connect with Dan:

• Dan on Twitter

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

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In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with my former client, friend and general badass Selina Donald. Selina has done so much already in her life, so prepare yourself to be inspired to think differently. She has worked on large-scale events, such as the Olympic and Para-Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and Vivian Westwood's climate revolution. She worked on England's 2018 World Cup bid for the Rio Olympics and has been part of the senior management team for ITV events. She co-founded the sustainable events agency The Bulb, which helps companies produce sustainable, creative and meaningful events. She also often passionately speaks on issues of women's empowerment, female entrepreneurship and gender equality.

We chat about the current unsustainable practices of the creative and events industry, and how Selina has been proving through her own work that it's possible to be creative, exciting and environmentally responsible. We will get into what sustainable brands can do when their events don't reflect their company values (because, spoiler alert, they often don't). We also dive into how Selina structures her day to allow the time and space to make conscious, sustainable choices in her own life and business.

This is a super fun episode full of laughs, so tune in for Selina's inspiring story and so much more. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• How Selina being a vegetarian as a child triggered her to how sustainability could be applied to her career (3:40)
• The discomfort but also movement that has come in the events industry, because of the Pandemic, which has ended up working to Selina's advantage (10:40)
• How the discomfort of the failure of her first business Bulb 101, made her take a step back and come back with knowledge from the failures and resurrected into a sustainability consultancy for event organisers (12:55)
• Being burnt out and moving back in with parents at age 35, with no savings and no pension (17:00)
• How learning to put a value on her time made Selina charge for her worth and say no to things that don't reflect that. Protecting both her energy and her time (21:15)
• The power of saying No (24:50)
• The environmental and sustainability issues that the Event industry faces (29:40)
• Making the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies the most sustainable events possible. As well as bringing sustainability to the forefront (36:35)
• Working on Lush's naked packaging and other brands/artists on recycled materials (38:05)
• How Selina's hatred for her legal career took her through another story of failure to an exciting career (48:25)
• How composting at events is not actually a viable sustainable option (54:10)

Connect with Selina:

• Selina on The Bulb website
• Selina on Twitter

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

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