The Discomfort Practice with Betsy Reed

In this episode, I talk to Tim Collings, CEO of 4I leadership. Tim is also a leadership coach, guiding on strategy and organizational design to help individual leaders and organizations create a sustainable future. Tim is also a fellow podcast host, producing the "Better World Leaders Podcast", on which I appeared a few episodes back. On it, he speaks to leaders on a quest to make the world a better place.

Tim talks about current leadership styles, many of which are based on authority or hierarchy, and how this type of leadership fails to have the impact society and our planet desperately need. He posits (and I agree) that anyone can be a leader, because leadership is a set of qualities and capabilities, rather than a position in a hierarchy. Valuable leadership traits include foresight, flexibility, resiliency, and taking responsibility for the system each is part of.

Tim observes that emerging leaders often have a sense of interconnectedness which helps them innovate to tackle the pressing issues of our world/ systems. We talk about rediscovering old wisdom in the form of ancient societal constructs, which are based on relationships between beings and the land.

Tim gives listeners a great laundry list of authors basing their work on systemsn design and leadership on insight into nature.

Tune in as we speak about the need for innovation, leadership, and sustainable growth that doesn't crash our planet or exploit humans.

Find and tag me on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed. Follow my own discomfort practice as you catch up on other episodes. Listen anywhere you like to listen to podcasts or via the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com

Key Points:

• Do we have the right leaders? (06:00)
• Enable individuals as leaders (07:00)
• I am the part of the problem; it is the privileges that have made me successful (08:50)
• The real feudalism (10:50)
• Wisdom gained from our ancestors (11:50)
• Ancestral frameworks (15:30)
• Qualities of a right leader (16:20)
• Do we have leaders who can change the dysfunctional system (19:40)
• Emerging leaders and the hope of innovation they bring in (21:07)
• Book recommendations (25:03)
• Permaculture and regenerative food systems (28:00)
• Defining slow work (30:22)

Connect with Tim Collings:

4i leadership

LinkedIn

Connect with Betsy Reed:

Betsy on Instagram

Betsy on Twitter

Betsy on Linkedin

Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

A Better World Leaders Podcast

The Australian Financial Review

Active Hope: How to Face The Mess We're In Without Going Crazy by Joanna Macy

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In this episode of the Discomfort Practice Podcast, I go solo to talk about one of my favourite topics: finding and living our unique personal purposes in every area of our lives.

Knowing what your personal purpose is serves as a beautiful compass to guide you through life. It's something no one can take away from you and can be a lifeline when life gets chaotic or confusing.

I guide you through a little exercise to help you uncover your own personal purpose. Echoing what past guest Paul Davis and I talked about in episode 55, your purpose isn't necessarily revealed through your passions or what you're good at. It's something that your gut instinct recognises when it hears or sees it. And that means creating space to hear and listen to yourself. So in this episode I talk about a really useful exercise suggested by leadership expert Simon Sinek on dropping into your body and asking some questions with a friend. Getting out of your head and into your 'somatic responses' - listening to your gut feeling - helps you to know things that your head can't necessarily know.

Once you've uncovered a vague or precise understanding of your purpose, WRITE IT DOWN. That allows us to employ more of our senses in understanding and embracing your purpose, as well as implanting the information in our brains. And that's often when a deeper understanding emerges.

So get yourself comfortable to perhaps get uncomfortable! :-) Allow yourself to be present with this episode, take a breath, and let your understanding of your personal purpose emerge - maybe for the first time or maybe as a revisit to things you already know. What's even just one area of your life where you can better or more fully then live your purpose?

I can tell you from experience (and by witnessing those I admire) that living a purpose-driven life is powerful, it's what the world needs from each of us, and each of us can absolutely know and live our personal purpose. So enjoy this episode and let me know how it lands with you.

Find and tag me on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed. Follow my own discomfort practice as you listen other episodes of this podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts or via the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com Like, subscribe, leave me a five-star and written review and share with others. It really does help.

Key Points:

• What is your personal purpose and how to live it in all areas of your life (05:10)
• Finding your purpose in life (11:01)
• #1 Listen to yourself (12:11)
• #2 Write it down (14:29)
• Living your purpose (16:22)
• Get comfortable (17:06)
• Betsy's final thoughts (25:09)

Connect with Betsy Reed:

Betsy on Instagram

Betsy on Twitter

Betsy on Linkedin

Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

Future Women X

Paul Davis's Episode

Simon Sinek

Maggie Newton

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I sit again with Adam Nosal who was my first guest in season 3. I asked him to help me kick off the season and set the tone as we talked about 'how to have nurturing, nourishing conversations' in what turned out to be the first two episodes of this season.

Well, he's back and we chat about consensus and disagreement, with special reference to Joe Rogan's recent controversial Spotify podcast episodes and the ensuing backlash, with people like Neil Young and Brené Brown leaving the platform in protest.

To recap, if you missed what happened: two Joe Rogan podcast episodes were flagged because the experts he interviewed aired views on COVID and the COVID vaccination that are currently considered controversial, based on our ever-changing and evolving understanding of this pandemic. So Spotify and others called it 'misinformation' and censored it.

Adam and I set up some ground rules for ourselves - including 'not being overly careful out of fear' - before we dive into talking about how important language is, how information overload today can be overwhelming and how it's more important than ever to be able to navigate conversations in which we disagree over topics that trigger our deepest fears. Adam gives great quote, as usual, throughout the episode and our intention throughout is to give listeners something to pause and chew on.

We talk about how phrases like "misinformation" are often not useful, as our understanding of "facts" is fluid, evolving, and changing over time. But once someone has taken a stand on something - calling it right or wrong - it can be very difficult to change their minds, because they're invested in a particular position.

One of my favourite of Adam's lines here is "truth is becoming weaponized in some areas of our conversation, and the invitation for us to stand with each other in a time of huge complexity is not being accepted".

We discuss the need to be diligent, find balance, avoid being reactive, and judging the credibility of information we come across to prevent the spread of harmful information or narratives. We also need to recognize the importance of relationships and the damage that comes from mocking or taunting other people or groups.

We propose that the best way to avoid the spread of misinformation is simply to pause and do nothing in the spur of the moment. Wait. Breathe. Process. Then maybe leave it.

I throw in my usual dose of perspective on the necessity of exposing ourselves to discomfort and intentionally seeking out challenging conversations with ideas and people we know we probably won't agree with. Consensus is often NOT desirable. It's boring and makes our comfort zone smaller, our conservatism bigger, our potential for innovation and breakthroughs non-existent.

Keep listening to the Discomfort Practice Podcast for more inspiring stories like these.

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed, and tag me. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes via the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favourite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• Why consensus is not helpful (02:41)
• The issue of Joe Rogan Spotify episodes introduction (06:53)
• Dangerous misinformation (08:45)
• Importance of self-censorship (13:18)
• Government's COVID 19: Contrasting information (19:35)
• Information sources (22:20)
• Stick to your ideas, but yet respect others (27:35)
• Irrational misogyny of governments and lawmakers (35:08)
• Reflect, upon yourself – Have I taunted or mocked someone (36:00)
• Understand other's perspectives and face discomfort to get better (41:00)
• Pause between words (43:50)
• Have conversations with curious intent not with prejudice (49:57)

Connect with Adam Nosal:

Adam on Linkedin

Adam on Twitter

Adam on Facebook

Connect with Betsy Reed:

Betsy on Instagram

Betsy on Twitter

Betsy on Linkedin

Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

Louis Theroux

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice Podcast, I am joined by Rasia Pouncie, who shares insights on how she's made it through her own 'dark nights of the soul'. Rasia is a spiritual mentor, coach, and lightworker with a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling. In her work as the Mystical Healing Guide, she weaves together the threads of her personal path and journey as a mentor and life coach to assist others in reaching their highest frequency and living their ideal life.

Rasia takes us on a journey of discovery as she describes her own life as a teen growing up mixed-race, feeling out of place and experiencing prejudice. She shares the rich perspectives of holding both colonizer and colonized lineage in her DNA and the healing she has brought to her own generational trauma and to herself.

Rasia and I talk about Ayahuasca and its healing qualities as a traditional plant medicine. We explore how she was introduced to it, how it has positively impacted her health and overall well-being and taken her on a journey of its own.

Rasia and I swap thoughts on our collective future in terms of trauma, environmental and social breakdown, and in this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, and how we can overcome challenges and the 'dark night of the soul' many of us are experiencing because of these factors.

We talk about the concept of 'spiritual bypassing' and how sometimes NOT being 'good vibes only' is often the route to true spiritual evolution and being authentic.

We can't dodge the dark hours of the soul if we want to get someplace good. It's how we came into being in this world - literally pushed out of the birth canal. It's dark, it's scary and it could actually kill you. You don't know if it will or won't until you finally emerge into the light. Enjoy listening to this episode, as I certainly enjoyed recording with Rasia.

Keep tuning to the Discomfort Practice Podcast as we bring you this and many more inspiring stories.

Let us know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed, and feel free to tag me. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favourite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• Introduction and Background of Rasia Pouncie (03:55)
• Rasia explains the meaning of "Dark Night of the Soul." (08:01)
• Rasia shares about the Ayahuasca medicinal plant, how she was introduced to it, and how it has allowed her to stay whole, healed, and healthy. (15:12)
• Rasia talks about the riches and perspective of holding lineage into her DNA and the healing it has brought to her. (26:32)
• Healing past generational trauma. (32:48)
• Rasia's thoughts on our future in terms of trauma, the environmental and social breakdown, and the pandemic and what needs to be adjusted. (35:36)
• Rasia sheds light on how one can get dragged down by fear. (45:13)
• How people want to do the right thing, be enlightened, and seek to transcend being human. (51:31)

Connect with Rasia Pouncy:

• Rasia's Website
• Rasia on Instagram
• Rasia on YouTube

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• Mystical Healing Guide
• Midnight Special Movie
• Aubrey Marcus Podcast

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share and leave me some comments on social media. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this episode, I sit down with Meghan Bonhomme to dive deep into identifying happiness and self-care. Meghan is a professor in Canada, who owns and funds "The Lovely Human School" with a mission to help individuals realize their true potential and take care of themselves. The school offers an eight-week curriculum to provide people with the roadmap to live the life they aspire to. The Lovely Human School began as a result of discomfort, Meghan narrates that she was always a people pleaser who substantially drained "herself". This insight cleared the door for self-discovery by allowing her to be free of others' expectations. She then integrated the knowledge from books and experiences, which she began to share with others. This unique blend turned into a curriculum, which kept growing with time. The scheduled self-care group attracted people who we're dealing with a variety of issues and wanted to share their experiences. As a result, instead of having to delve through the darkness alone, people were able to move together. People's attitudes alter negatively as a result of challenges, and these changes rob them of their enjoyment and genuine potential. Meghan recommends, identifying the stress or the factor which overwhelms us and changing our perception towards it. She believes that humans are designed to love and share happiness.

Meghan also shares an excerpt from Michael A Singer's book "The Untethered Soul," in which the author compares a thorn to a trauma. The simple act of removing the thorn would solve many problems. We, on the other hand, protect the thorn (trauma) because we are afraid of the agony it may cause. At moments of discomfort, we have to sit and reflect on the challenges and the way to navigate around them. "One thing that is in your control, that you can choose is happiness," she continues, quoting Viktor Frankl's book "Say yes to life." Disciplined small daily practices can help us build resiliency and align ourselves to our goals and aspirations.

We relate to fact that stress is a reminder of discomfort which equips us into better humans.

Let us know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed and feel free to tag us. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favorite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• Coming out: the moment of discomfort (05:06)
• The curriculum of the Lovely Human School (10:55)
• Breathing! It all starts there (14:33)
• Not everybody will like your work and that is absolutely okay! (19:34)
• Why don't I feel worthy? (21:50)
• My contribution to the world is more when I love myself (23:09)
• Untethered Soul (30:24)
• The perspective of stress is bad for us (33:33)
• Ask how can I support your happiness (48:41)
• Self-care is not a privilege, it can begin with simple breathing techniques (50:50)
• Approach for help, people are there waiting to help (53:53)
• Your potential is infinite (56:10)

Connect with Meghan Bonhomme:

• Meghan on Instagram
• Meghan on Linkedin
• Lovely Human School
• Meghan on YouTube
• Meghan on Facebook
• Meghan on Pinterest

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• Sunday Self-Care Club
• Chicken Soup for The Soul by Jack Canfield
• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
• Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice Podcast, I am joined by special guest Jane Duncan Rogers. Jane and I discuss end-of-life preparation. This includes preparing for what happens after you die, but it also includes ensuring measures are in place to make sure your last days are enjoyable. Jane is CEO of "Before I Go Solutions", a non-profit dedicated to ensuring the procedures are in place to provide the end-of-life care you deserve. Jane and I talk about the life we leave behind after death and how to ensure that we live the best life possible as we come to an end.

Jane shares her personal experience with bereavement and grief by talking about the death of her husband. Jane speaks raw and vulnerably about her husband's end-of-life experience and how they both became closer than ever in this time. I also talk to Jane about the physical world we leave behind, our household, our belongings, and our digital life, and how to prepare all aspects for when we are no longer here.

I have an open and honest conversation about the belief that we are only inhabitants of the body we are in and that inside of us is something unique that makes us who we are. Jane speaks about her spiritual journey and how her husband's death made her realize that we are not just bodies. We are all so much more.

I ask the question: "What is the legacy that I want to leave behind?" and "What can I do to leave a positive impact on this world?" Join us in this episode!

Let us know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed and feel free to tag us. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favorite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• The death of Jane's husband and how it changed her life forever (04:00)
• Finding strength through adversity and how to view loss as a gift (06:30)
• How Jane wrote her best-selling book by being vulnerable and authentic (10:00)
• We are much more than the body we inhabit (12:00)
• The benefits of end-of-life planning for the people you love (22:00)
• How to make the most of the time you have (25:00)
• The difference between bereavement and grief (32:00)
• The legal aspects of end-of-life care (34:00)
• Advanced care planning, how do you want to live whilst nearing the end of your life? (35:00)
• Our digital lives and what we leave behind (36:00)
• The importance of documenting and taking care of things before you die (40:00)
• How can you be a good ancestor, and what legacy will you leave behind? (50:00)

Connect with Jane Duncan Rogers:

• Jane on LinkedIn
• Before I Go Solutions' Website
• Jane on Facebook

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• Before I Go Print Workbook or Fillable PDF
• Before I Go: The Essential Guide to Creating a Good End of Life Plan by Jane Duncan Rogers
• Gifted By Grief: A True Story of Cancer, Loss and Rebirth by Jane Duncan Rogers
• How to do a Good Death | Jane Duncan Rogers | TEDxFindhornSalon

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this solo I recorded the first half before heading into five days of intense meditation between Christmas and New Year 2021, and then the second half of the episode afterward, reflecting on what came up. Having done the same retreat in 2020, my 2021experience was entirely different. What came up for me was how I want this coming year to FEEL - and an associated word: REDISCOVERY.

Pausing to 'clear the channels' at the end of 2021 really set me up for a 2021 full of joy, in which I magnetised and manifested fulfilling work, a great romantic relationship and a truly joyful year. My 2021 retreat was an entirely different personal experience from the previous one, and in this episode I encourage listeners to 'move toward the scary' and make time to find and do a meditation retreat.

Once you've discovered the magic of making time and space to do your inner work and listen to your own intuition, there's really no going back to old ways of being.

Enjoy this episode, as I hope you always do, settle yourselves in and let me know how you plan to get uncomfortable in order to rediscover your own magic, your own powers and your own joy.

My at-home retreat was with www.escuelatranspersonal.com

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed and feel free to tag me. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favourite podcast platform.

'Tis the season of joy, giving and reflecting on the year that has been. In this solo episode of the Discomfort Practice, I share my insights on gratefulness and self-care.

Since my podcasting journey began, I have realized that interviewing people isn't as difficult as I had thought it would be. In fact, it comes quite easily to me and is a joy. But on the other hand, recording solo episodes has been a stretch for me - my own 'discomfort practice.' Why would anyone want to listen to me waffle on for 10 minutes or more?

I've found the best way for me to spot the things that are meant to be part of my discomfort practice is to pause and see what's scaring me. What gives me a little quiver in my guts. THAT'S usually where the juicy stuff lies. The stuff I need to spend time with and get to know better. The things that scare me most are usually the things that I need to step toward.

Which brings me to the power of reflection. A lot of my guests are experts in this, and that's no accident. It's so easy to blame lack of time as the reason for not taking time to pause, to reflect, to contemplate what we've done. And now, as we launch into a new year, is a great time to do that. Otherwise, it's so easy to simply focus on the weight of our perceived failures, without the balance of also celebrating our achievements.

In this solo, I take you through an exercise to pause, breathe and reflect. This is something you can do any time, anywhere to take a few deep breaths, drop in and then write down what comes up for you. List at least 10 of your achievements, take a moment to be grateful, and maybe also address the areas where perhaps you've fallen short on something. Read the list out loud to remind yourself of what you've accomplished even at the most trying times of the pandemic. Let your body feel the release of happy hormones and a sense of joy. Failures and self-sabotage might be unpleasant, but they also stretch and shape us into better humans, if we're conscious of them.

If you are also a busy person, raise your hand. Decide with me to still take time to pause, breathe, drop into your own senses and reflect. Enjoy this episode and the time I would like to gift you to reflect and recognize yourself.

Key Points:

• Trying something new (00:27)
• Record videos to observe self for the better self (00:45)
• Accelerator Tuesdays with Female Solopreneurs (04:00)
• Excuses for not reflecting for reviewing (06:10)
• Art of being grateful (07:04)
• Scribble your thoughts, all of them. The answers to your questions are there (11:07)
• Recognize discomfort for self-development (19:09)

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• Red Clematis Coaching Services Ltd

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In yet another thought-provoking episode of The Discomfort Practice Podcast, I'm speaking to Matisse DuPont, an artist, educator, and consultant in gender, sexuality, and identity. Matisse has a Master's degree in Gender and Cultural Studies and has been showcasing their talents/creativity on their informative, delightful, and binge-watchable videos on social media. They offer individual and institutional gender consultation services and inclusivity consulting and cultural competency training concerning transgender, non-binary gender, non-conforming individuals, and the LGBTQIA plus community. I found my chat with them truly enlightening to my understanding of gender.

Matisse takes me on a fascinating journey of better understanding how our sexuality gets intertwined with gender, pronouns, culture, and a whooole lot of other aspects of gender. Their distinction between physical sexuality and internal sexuality is a fascinating way to look at it, understanding that humans have varied sex hormonal ratios which cannot be used as a criterion to distinguish gender. Our cultural/societal taboo has made conversations about gender needlessly uncomfortable - like an itch - which can be resolved by educating and developing self-awareness. This is core to Matisse's work as an educator.

Matisse is on a mission to spark creativity and curiosity, which they believe is possible only when people shed the societal norms and express themselves - which is where gender education plays such a crucial role. We wade into a fascinating rumination on what would happen if children's minds were left to their natural, infinite creativity rather than constricted by current binary models.

We both believe that it is important to feel true to their body and not merely because of our physical characteristics or the norms of the culture we belong to. The arbitrary lines of gender categorization are getting diffused with time.

Tune in as we tackle the discomfort of gender preconceptions in this podcast.

Let us know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed and feel free to tag us. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favorite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• The Moment of Discomfort (04:41)
• Pronouns, do we need them (09:47)
• My evolutionary journey from a little boy (10:10)
• The concept of Non-binary and queer (17:50)
• Assigned sex, biological sex doesn't translate to sexuality (23:00)
• People are uncomfortable with themselves (25:21)
• The pseudoscience of a male and a female body (31:41)
• The reality of sex is complicated, physical characteristics or hormonal ratios is not a parameter for sex determination (37:14)
• Have empathy for other people who are also having a different complicated relationship to gender (43:35)
• The world if all children are raised in a non-binary way (50:00)
• Why are we still CIS-gender (56:00)
• Support the movement (59:09)

Connect with Matisse DuPont:

• Matisse's Website
• Matisse on Instagram
• Matisse on TikTok
• Send Matisse an Email

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• In the Life: Interview with Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg
• Matisse's Newsletter
• Matisse's Art
• Book or Gift a gender consultation

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode, I am in conversation with Kyle Redman, who's based in Sydney, Australia, where he's the research and design project manager at New Democracy Foundation. NDF aims to build citizens' trust in government decision-making. Kyle previously worked with international partners to design democratic innovations in Eupen, Fortaleza, and Madrid. He has also co-authored the "United Nations Democracy Fund Handbook Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections", and "The A, B & C of Democracy".

Kyle begins by describing the time at university, where he was unhappy in his choice of computer science as his focus. He talks about this as a pivotal moment of discomfort, when he decided to discontinue his computer science degree and pursue a Bachelor of Arts instead, which turned out to be life-changing.

This pivot led him to apply for an internship at New Democracy Foundation, which later led to a full-time job there. His work now involves extensive traveling, engaging with a diverse and representative range of people, gaining their insights, and putting forward their ideas to influence policymaking that reflects those it seeks to impact. Another aspect of his job is to raise awareness and educate people about bills being passed, involving citizens in the democratic process and informing government about real, pressing issues they face.

Citing examples of bills on same-sex marriage, abortions, climate change, and community laws, Kyle emphasizes the potential capacities of citizen assemblies.

We agree that politics is about solving problems of people and NDF is facilitating this process. He acknowledges that his work profile has been extremely gratifying and is fuelling his passion. Kyle concludes by recommending "The Scout Mindset" book by Julia Galef and suggests that we the citizens must change our soldier mindset and advance towards the scout's problem-solving mindset, which would be of greater benefit.

Let us know your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter @thebetsyreed and feel free to tag us. Follow my own journey through my discomfort practice and catch up on past episodes on the podcast microsite https://thediscomfortpractice.libsyn.com or find The Discomfort Practice on your favorite podcast platform.

Key Points:

• The Moment of Discomfort – How Kyle's discomfort in university paved the way for a gratifying career (06:37)
• What is Kyle's domain and what motivates him at New Democracy (14:00)
• The other side of the confirmation bias (20:30)
• The pros and cons of the American system of democracy, why Americans don't care about politics (22:34)
• The optimized politician's brain: win elections by convincing people to vote (28:00)
• Politics is a game; don't hate the player, hate the game instead (29:11)
• Young politicians lose track of their goal in fundraisers; citizen assemblies would help young politicians for deliberative politics (31:00)
• People vote in their interests. But facts and awareness can overturn their interests (34:00)
• Citizen assemblies: An approach to solve community problems, planning laws, same-sex marriage legislation, amendments of abortion laws, and environmental laws. (36:10)
• Our political systems are 200 years old and they are fit for the present but much less for the future (40:56)
• Where and how to reach out to begin? "you start advocating for change that is not goal-oriented, but is process-oriented" (41:50)
• The Scout Mindset and the Soldier Mindset: Book recommendation (44:00)

Connect with Kyle Redman:

• Kyle on Twitter
• Kyle on Linkedin

Connect with Betsy Reed:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin
• Betsy's Website

Resources Mentioned:

• New Democracy Foundation
• The A, B & C of Democracy: Or Cats in the Sack by Luca Belgiorno-Nettis and Kyle Redman
• Politics as a vocation by Max Weber
• Democracy R&D
• The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't by Julia Galef
• Change Politics

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!