The Evolving Man Podcast

Geoff MacKenzie is a dedicated Ashtanga Yoga instructor at MysoreBc. On this episode, we discuss the importance of having a disciplined practice in your life, a practice that challenges your mind, and your body. We also talk about the top 3 things that have shaped Geoff's life. 

Geoff is on a mission to raise money for a good cause - stopping human trafficking. He is riding his motorcyle accross Canada raising money for an organization that rescues women from traficking every day. A 20$ donation from a large number of people can make a huge difference. Help Geoff make $108,000!

Fund Jeff's Journey Here

Jeff's webpage - www.mysorebc.com

Odanadi - The anti tracking activists in India at the heart of this movement. 

www.yogastopstraffick.org

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Sheleana Aiyana is a writer and group facilitator in Vancouver, BC and she joins me to discuss the implications and importance of doing whats called "Deep Work" - looking inward to explore our consciousness in order to reclaim some of the territory usually dominated by the unconsciouss. 

In this episode we discuss the growing movement of women's and men's groups that are involved with deep work, and how they are affecting huge changes in the lives of their members. 

Shelena and I candidly share our own relationship patterns as a way of showing what we are learning about how relationships can derail, and how to be in "conscious relationship".

Topics we cover in this episode:

• Trauma and blocked emotions
• How we unconsciously act out our trauma
• "Shadow aspects" and how they show up 
• Why relationships are our biggest trigger
• How relationships can offer a powerful catalyst for healing our wounds
• Discipline of children through the withdrawal of love
• Healing through expressing what hasn't been allowed
• Needy-ness and Avoidance - two signs that you've got healing to do
• Deep work as a gateway to healthier relationships
• The Nice Guy phenomenon and how it affects men
• Conscious Relationship and learning to be in compassion and understanding
• Perseverance - The importance of staying in the game and moving towards your partner
• Triggers - How to deal with triggering your partner's wounds
• Shutting down when you're challenged - something that many men face with their partners
• For men: moving towards your partner when fear wants you to pull away
• Anxious and Avoidant types in relationships
• Rising Woman Sisterhood: Transpersonal group-work, family systems work, and the fellowship of women. 
• The paradox of vulnerability
• Shadow work and accepting both sides of your existence
• How to unlock your gifts
• How men can support women's work. 
• How to hold space for gender politics by doing your own work
• Collaboration VS Opposition in gender politics
• The masculine/feminine gender norms debate and how it can be a distraction from looking inward
• The #MeToo movement and how we can use MeToo to further our own inner work
• Sheleana's latest obsession: Satir Family Therapy
• The best Men's group in Vancouver - The Samurai Brotherhood

Sheleana is a coach for women and relationships. Find her here
Rising Woman on Facebook

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Dr. Aaron VanGaver is a Naturopathic Doctor working with addicted people in downtown Vancouver, BC. He treats many of the people that we would classify as "classic addicts", but Aaron himself is also a living breathing example that addiction affects every population, even doctors. 

Aaron has his own story of losing connection with himself, finding drugs as a solution, and then finding recovery and reconnection through a series of divine events. He now works exclusively with addicts in early recovery. He is a doctor working with the body, but also a counsellor, and a coach. 

Aaron uses IV drips, vitamins, and amino acids to help the detoxification process. This can also can treat the post-acute-withdrawal symptoms, depression, and anhedonia that can accompany early recovery.

The biggest gift Aaron carries is the counselling he offers around shame, trauma, self-esteem, and most importantly, working with people on identifying their life's purpose. This unconventional approach gives his clients something to live for. 

"I truly believe everyone has got a gift to give the world." -Dr. VanGaver

Aaron is on a mission to change how people talk about and understand addiction. He wants to reduce the stigma about addiction in our culture. 

In this episode we cover:

• Aaron's story of addiction and recovery
• HALT protocol - Hungry Angry Lonely Tired
• IV Vitamin Therapy
• Advanced IV Protocols for Addiction Recovery
• "The Shadow" and how it controls us
• How long it takes a brain to heal from Crystal Meth addiction
• Using psychedelics to addiction
• The Magic Bullet for treating addiction
• The importance of human connection in recovery - Rat Park
• How to deal with a family member who is addicted

Check out Dr. VanGaver's website 

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Sam Platts is a certified Sex Addiction Therapist practicing in Alberta, Canada. He knows the world of addiction inside and out. In this episode he candidly shares his story of growing up in a troubled home, and finding addictive patterns early in his life. On his journey, he ended up in some very scary places. 

Sam has emerged on the other side of his struggles and is now giving back to people in need. He has a deep knowledge of sex addiction and the therapeutic techniques for recovery. He shared with me some of the keys to recovery from sex addiction and other addictions. 

Keys to recovery:

1. COME CLEAN - You have to bust yourself. Come out of the shadows, and in to the light. This is a necessary part of the process. You cannot recover in a vacuum. 

2. ABSTINENCE - Learn what abstinence means for you and define it clearly. 

3. COMMUNITY - Find one. Sharing in the story reduces the shame. When you connect with others, you gain the power to overcome your blocks. 12 step support groups are great for this.Get a counsellor, mentor, or sponsor. 

4. MENTORSHIP Get a counsellor, mentor, or sponsor. 

5. INTIMACY - Allow the above to change you as you regain the ability to be intimate in your life. 

You can reach Sam at [email protected]

Resources for sex addicts: www.sexhelp.com
Patrick Carnes' book:  Facing The Shadow

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In this episode, my friend Jordan Gray joins me for a conversation about addiction, recovery, and healing the wounds that bind us. Jordan's wealth of experience and knowledge comes clear in this engaging conversation about whataddiction really is, and how some people are able to treat it and recover. 

Jordan is a sex and relationship coach who helps his clients zero in on whats holding them back, and at lightning speed. He is a no BS coach who gets straight to the root of an issue without delay. He can do in 1 hour what some therapists take 100 hours to do, which is why he is in such high demand. Check out his coaching page at jordangrayconsulting.com/work-with-jordan/

Jordan is a recovering sex addict, and he is a powerful coach for people looking for support in their recovery. Jordan's story is a raw and inspiring message of hope for those suffering from addiction.

In this episode we cover:

• What qualifies as an addiction?
• Habit vs Dependency vs Addiction
• Sex addiction and how it compares to drug addictions
• Cannabis/Marijuana addiction
• The 5 elements of holistic addiction recovery

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What does it take to create lasting change? What are the elements that help a man succeed at building the life he wants? 
In this episode, Nick Solaczek and I distill the key factors that help a man rise to his highest potential. 

We discuss:

- VISION

- Hard Work

- knowing your WHY

- doing DEEP WORK

- finding support from COMMUNITY. 

- The seductive trap of booze, women, games, and porn. 

- Marijuana and the brain fog that can come with it. 

This episode is packed full of personal stories and relatable examples of personal growth. 

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Will black is a wilderness guide who takes young men out in to the mountains of Alberta as a treatment for addiction. He works for a treatment camp called Shunda Creek, which is a 90 day government funded program for men aged 18-25. The program uses curated experiences combined with intention to carve new pathways in the brain.

Will has a wealth of experience in activating change mechanisms in his clients, through challenge in the wilderness. 

Topics covered in this podcast:

• The value of wildnerness therapy and the original classroom
• Experience as a doorway to embodiment
• Trauma locked in to the body
• What does an empowering experience do in the body
• Addiction: Choice vs. Disease - Dr. Kevin McCauley
• Addiction and reward system dysregulation
• Serotonin and the benefits of recovering from something together.
• Adventure Thresholds: How to design an experience to create optimal change through perceived risk. 
• Aligning attention with intention to match consciousness with the unconsciousness 
• The 3 brains: Reptilian, Mamillian, Human
• Stigma and the shaming of addiction
• Mindfulness and the key to rewiring the mind

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Steve and I discuss the classic "burnout then recover" pattern that many men fall in to. We talk about "the dopamine train" and how many of us get caught spending 99% of our time chasing small dopamine hits. This kind of behavior can be unconscious and harmful to a man achieving his goals. We discuss ways of breaking out of the patterns that hold us back. 

Topics covered in this episode:

• Free will or no free will
• Breaking out of the patterns that seem unconscious
• The power of making small yet important choices every day
• The importance of mentors, guides, and coaches. 

Steve is a cryptocurrency lawyer, the Co-Founder of Heart Homes Travel, and a coach. He helps new businesses in the cryptocurrency space lay their legal foundations. https://www.parrbusinesslaw.com/

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Jason Marr is a Naturopath doctor in Vancouver, BC. His practice - Evoke Medicine - addresses the holistic health of the individual, with a tailored approach to medicine. He strives for "Integrative Health" with each of his patients, drawing on the best of various healing modalities. 

In this episode we talk about:

-The caffeine gene

-Diet and Nutrition, and the difference between them

-Nutrigenomics and leveraging DNA testing to maximize productivity

-The refuelling principle. 

-Nootropics, optimization, and BDNF

Jason Marr's website is www.evokemedicine.com

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Matthew Stillman has been doing men's work since he was a young man. He has worked directly with influential figures such as Robert Bly, David Deita, and Mantak Chia. In his years of experience, Matthew has gained wisdom in traditions that are uncommon for the average man. 

Join us as we discuss Matthew's latest men's group which contains some novel structures that breathe life in to the group. Matthew's website - stillmansays.com
Twitter - @stillmansays

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