My guest this week is Vedic Mediation teacher - Jillian Lavender. Here she is in her words...

When I learned to meditate back in 1995 I had no idea that I would end up being a full-time meditation teacher. At the time I was walking right up to the line of a major burnout. Living in Sydney, setting up a publishing company, spending my life on a plane. I felt tired and stressed.

On the recommendation of a friend I took the course and from that point things changed for me in a big way. My life was still full-on but I could handle it. I wasn’t exhausted. I felt the anxiety melt away. I was better at my job and I was nicer to be around. And I knew it was meditation that was making the difference.

Fast-forward five years and (after a stint in Paris) I was living in London and looking for a change. I quit the big CEO job and travelled for a year. Then I took up the invitation of my teacher, Thom Knoles, to train with him one-on-one in the U.S. and India. In 2003 I graduated and came back to London to start teaching.

In 2005 Michael and I met in India on a retreat and after some long-distance back and forth he moved from LA to London. We live together, teach together and have a daughter so we are partners in every sense.

India is special for us and we’re there at least once a year to teach and study. I feel grateful to be able to teach Vedic Meditation. Helping people be their best has always been the thing that motivates me. In my experience meditation is the tool that has the power to transform. I love seeing that process play out with our students.

Some of the resources she mentioned:

Michael’s podcast: https://www.londonmeditationcentre.com/speaking-of-meditation-podcast/

Jillian's book: https://jillianlavender.com/why-meditate-book/

Website — learn to meditate: https://www.londonmeditationcentre.com/learn-to-meditate/

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new episodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard 🦋

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#meditation #vedicmeditation #innercalm #gutinstinic #mantra #closetheeyes #mojo #podcast #teacher

My guest this week is Ruth Ramsay and we talk about sex. Ruth is an adult sex educator and coach. She helps people of all genders understand who they are sexually, what they most need and desire, and how to move towards that. Her clients value her ability to create an entirely judgement-free, safe space to talk about their sexual lives.

On this episode Ruth talks about how she works with her clients and why people come to her. She also speaks with great honesty and openness about her own journey to this incredible work and why her sense of purpose is so strong and, when she choose to hide what she did (for good reason as you’ll hear) the impact that had on her. 

Ruths goal is to normalise our relationship with sex  so we can all  have more fun and less fear, to treat sex as a hobby and simply be more open with a subject which is so very natural yet so tied up in strong held beliefs which often don't serve us well. 

Ruth is hugely generous with the tips and advice she shares - there is so much in here for anyone interested in learning more about their sexual lives. The show notes are full of links so go check that out below. There is also a discount code for her programmes.

Ruth holds a transformational coaching diploma, which she backs up with vast life experience of her topic. She holds an Erotic Award for campaigning for sexual rights of people with disabilities; was a striptease artist for over a decade; has taught exotic dance extensively; and been a sex journalist, activist, model, kink performer, and more. She considers herself un-shockable.

Ruth offers online workshops on topics such as ‘Understanding Your Erotic Mind’, ‘How To Feel Confident Naked’, ‘Exploring Your Fantasies’ and her super-popular ‘How To Please A Woman In Bed’. She runs her eight week online course, The Passion8 Programme, three times a year and also supports clients 1-2-1.

Her mission is to normalise conversation around sex, removing the shame and stigma, and recognising sexual energy as a healthy force for good. 

Here's her amazing TEDx talk - https://youtu.be/I-3CANRKuAM?si=V4JHCZrxjIav3mxg

Find out more at www.ruthramsay.com and on Instagram www.instagram.com/ruthramsay_

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new episodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

Ruth's resources list:

The Passion8 Programmme - Eight Weeks To Transform Your Sex Life. Ruth's

online, attendance-anonymous course which will take you on a journey of

education and self-discovery across your sexual life. Starting October

24. Suitable for singles and couples (and more!). Mojo listeners get ten

per cent off with code MOJOP810 . FInd lots of info here:

www.ruthramsay.com/passion8

Join Ruth's 'Something For The Weekend' newsletter list - Saturday

morning emails full of of sex science, self-coaching prompts and stories

to help you make the most of your lovelife every weekend:

www.ruthramsay.com/weekend

Here are Ruth's most-recommended resources:

Sexology Podcast with Dr Nazanin Moali: https://sexologypodcast.com/

Sex & Psychology podcast with Dr Justin Lehmiller:

https://www.sexandpsychology.com/podcasts/

'Come As You Are - The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your

Sex Life' book by Dr Emily Nagoski - aimed at women but essentital

reading for all genders.

'Sizzling Sex For Life - Everything You Need To Know To Maxmise Pleasure

At Any Age' by Michael Castleman - he says the book is "for men and the

women who love them".

'She Comes First - The Thinking Man's Guide To Pleasuring A Woman' by Dr

Ian Kerner. This was the book which taught Ruth about her own anatomy

and arousal science, in her early 30s.

'Trans Sex - Clinical Approaches To Trans Sexualities And Erotic

Embodiments' book by Lucie Fielding. Written for therapists, coaches,

and medical professionals working with trans people, but

accessibly-written and hugely valable for anyone wanting to break free

of society's scripts around sex.

'The Principles Of Pleasure' series on Netflix

'Love, Sex, Goop' series on Netflix

#sex #intimacy #sexlives #mojo #beliefs #normalise #taboo #stigma #shame #joy #pleasure #fun #striptease

My first guest of the 5th series of The Mojo Podcast is Bodhi Aldridge. Here we go deep on the subject of Purpose - as Bodhi is a brilliant guide to this important theme. Fundamentally, it's about brining meaning to life. 

Bodhi works as a mentor and facilitator, supporting leaders and business owners around the world.

He uses a range of skills developed over 35 years as a lawyer and business owner himself, bringing all his life experience to those he works with.

Bodhi has always had a passion for personal and professional development and the ability to combine these to provide clients with maximum impact and outcome.

Knowing that leadership is an inside out job, Bodhi has the ability to gently hold his clients as they explore their inner world to have more impact in their business and as leaders.

Gentle, wise and honest, Bodhi is willing to challenge his clients as he supports them to be the best version of themselves.

Starting out life as lawyer, he then moved into business coaching, training in a range of modalities including systemic facilitation, energy psychotherapy and the art of presence work. Through drawing on such a wide range of skills, Bodhi enables clients to truly connect with their purpose and passion and to experience freedom ,joy and impact, whilst navigating the challenges and ups and downs of professional and personal life.

He is most passionate about the Masculine and Feminine Essence and how the power of these can influence and enhance leadership for both Men and Women.

Here he is talking about The Hero's Journey

His personal daily practice includes yoga, surfing, music and meditation.  

Bodhi  lives with his wife of 40 years by the beach near Byron Bay Australia. They have 4 children and 10 grandchildren which keep them tapping in to the pure joy and innocence that life can offer.

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new episodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#purpose #mojo #podcast #bodhi #presence #herosjourney #masculine #feminine #energy 

Welcome back to The Mojo Podcast - Series 5

In this 5th series I’m having more intimate and powerful conversations with a brilliant and diverse group of guests. This series I’m calling them The Practitioners - 

experts in their field about what drew them to what they do and how more people can experience what they do. 

The purpose of this series is to allow yourself to ask yourself a key question – “What can I build into everyday life (and perhaps add to what I’m already doing) to help build my Mojo”

My aim is to help you to develop a daily practice of self-awareness and growth. 

Series 5 launches on Monday 5th September with new episodes every 2 weeks

Be sure to subscribe wherever you find your podcasts and do share with anyone you know who could do with some more Mojo right now. 

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by executive and business coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

#mojo #experts #mindset #practitioners #coach #therapist #teacher #sage #support #inspiration #selfawareness #growth #development

Welcome to the summary episode for the 4th series of The Mojo Podcast - The Founders.

In this series I had the pleasure of talking to 13 successful founders and magnificent human beings over the 10 episodes in the season. Busy people who created the time to talk to me and share with you the secrets of their 'founder mojo'.

I sought out a diverse group of founders to ask them about what mojo means to them as an entrepreneur and a leader. It’s been one of my favourite series for many reasons: meeting amazing new people, reconnecting with old friends, sharing the ‘special sauce’ of successful founders – how they keep their Mojo high and flowing in, let’s be honest, often very testing and stressful circumstances. Because founding anything, be it a business or movement or community, is not easy. However the mojo upside when successful can be huge.

Thank you to all my guests - here is the full line from series 4:

Ep1: Ally Owen - Brixton Finishing School

Ep2: Ben Gallagher - B&A

Ep3: Kate & Laura - Liberty Hive

Ep4: Jen & Sally - Craft Media

Ep5: Laura Clacey - Sxollie Cider

Ep6: Anda Gansca - Knotch

Ep7: Josh Scacheri - LoveHero

Ep8: Karen Cinnamon - Smashing The Glass / Your Jewish Life

Ep9: Anna & Cal - Shine For Women

Ep10: Jamie McCloskey - Lover Corn

This episode is a short 20 minute summary of the key themes that emerged for me from my conversations. Far from being an exhaustive list of everything that came up - there were just too many tips and insights across the 10 episodes to do that. I hope this episode shines a light on what's going on for these Founders and how they maintain their mojo in order to realise success (however they define it).

I firmly believe that great things sit within all of us, we have amazing potential when we decide to commit to creating our own reality. Its my encouragement and wish that you find your thing – whatever shape it takes – and I believe you’ll find that you have the mojo in place to make it happen.

Thanks for all the love and support for series 4, the next series will be emerging into the light in September - look out for that by subscribing to the Mojo Podcast wherever you find your podcasts.

Until then - I hope your mojo continues to flow

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#founders #mojo #cofounders #entrepreneurs #mojopodcast #keythemes #takeaways #summary

Welcome to the final episode of the 4th series of the Mojo Podcast - and what a way to finish.

This week I talk to Jamie McCloskey the co-founder of fast-growing snack brand Love Corn

It was a conversation with Jamie 3 years ago that led to the seed of an idea that eventually became The Mojo Podcast. I was fascinated about Jamie's ability to take all his skills, strengths and positive beliefs from a (in his words) "19-year apprenticeship in media" to the demanding world of a start-up brand in Food & Beverage.

It took us 3 years to get a chance to record but I think it's worth the wait as the episode is chock full of inspiration. Whether you’re in a place where you’re thinking about a move or a change of direction and perhaps you’re wondering if you have the skills and strengths for that new thing. Jamie shines a light on how to transfer not just skills BUT most importantly how to bring an abundant & positive mindset to a new challenge.

As you’ll hear, Jamie spent his career working for challenger brands in the media sector and now he relishes being a challenger in snack food - different industry same mindset.

What a great way to finish this series.

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new episodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast will return for series 5 in September 2022 - in which I'll focus on conversations with The Practitioners - the people who can help you get your mojo flowing again. If you have a great idea for a guest please do get in touch.

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#lovecorn #founders #mojo #cofounders #entrepreneurs #coaching #foodandbeverage #positivemindset #challengerbrand #tenacity #patience #snackfood #mediasales

To mark the 50th episode of The Mojo Podcast, I invite two great friends and highly successful founders onto the show for a really insightful and powerful chat about the founder mojo.

Anna Barez-Brown and Caroline 'Cal' Whaley launched Shine 4 Women 9 years ago after both having successful corporate careers but looking for their next step - in their language, this 'bigger game' of founding theor own business. They found each other, they created their product and brought it to market. Our chat is a wonderful reflection on what they've done and plan to do next. 

Shine 4 Women is dedicated to making business more human by enabling more women to reach the top and teams to have open, honest conversations that bring empathy, trust and inclusion. They have worked with 10,000 women (and hundreds of men) across 75 nationalities, empowering them to lead the change they want to see. 

As I mention, I'm very proud to be one of the Senior Leaders at Shine - but in this conversation I discover so much more about both Anna and Cal and the business they have created. It's a great conversation. 

Here's more about them individually.

Anna is a renowned executive coach and has spent the last two decades helping women and men reach the top of their careers. Before setting up her coaching company in 2001 she had a corporate career working for Axel-Springer and Bertelsmann in Hamburg and London overseeing their European Marketing and Sales activities. 

Anna is a CTI leadership coach, a Neuro Lingustic Master Practitioner and a qualified Organisational Relationship Systems Coach.

Anna has two children and lives with her husband Chris and their two dogs in Lyme Regis in the UK. She is lucky enough to have an office with a sea view.

Cal built her career in the adventure travel industry before joining Nike in 1996 where she spent 14 years in senior global brand marketing and GM roles in UK, Europe, North America and Latin America. Following this, she spent three years with the Nike Foundation, leading public-private sector partnerships and creating new brands to inspire, empower and shift social norms for millions of teenage girls living in Africa as the fastest route to eradicating global poverty.

Cal is also a qualified Organisational Relationships Systems Coach and has an MBA (Distinction) from Lancaster University.

When not traveling extensively for work and pleasure, Cal can be found running through Dorset with her spaniel or sailing with her husband, Tim.

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future founder guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new epsiodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#shine4women #femalefounders #mojo #founders #entrepreneurs #coaching #womeninbusiness #

My guest founder this week is Karen Cinnamon. Karen has been dubbed the “Oprah of Jewish Joy” and the Queen of Jewish Positivity. As the founder of Your Jewish Life – the premier podcast, Instagram account and weekly newsletter for Jewish and Jew(ish) millennials, Karen reaches, and positively impacts, over 1 million users every week.

Additionally, she is the founder of Smashing Life, the fastest-growing community  for Jewish women in the world, and Smashing The Glass the world’s biggest Jewish wedding platform.

Featured in numerous publications such as the New York Times, Mail Online, and on BBC World News, and with offices in NYC and London, Karen and her team create warm, inclusive, empowering communities for like-minded Jewish women to learn, grow and support one another, and build the joyful Jew(ish) life they want – on their terms.

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future founder guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new epsiodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#karencinnamon #positivity #jewishlifestyle #jewishweddings #smashingtheglass #mojo #founder #founderstory #entrepreneur #businessschool 

This week we explore the passion behind the underdog. We delve into the fashion industry and understand the mojo required to make change.

After years of working for global brands and retailers, Joshua Scacheri recognised that there was an alternative way of doing things that was less damaging to the planet. Joshua envisaged a mindset change and business model shift that didn’t have to compromise success in today’s industry. Identifying that some brands who wanted change didn’t want real change. Joshua took matters into his own hands and pursued the change he wanted to see, through LOVE HERO. Developing a brand whose DNA has a more conscious and sustainable approach embedded from within.

LOVE HERO has just been awarded by Drapers as part of the Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future founder guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new epsiodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#fashion #fashionindustry #creative #lovehero #underdog #passion #design #sustainablefashion #brands

My guest this week is Anda Gansca the Co-Founder and CEO of Knotch, the content intelligence platform enabling companies like Zillow, Dropbox, Walmart, Bank of America, Salesforce and others to accelerate content-driven customer journeys. A regular thought leadership contributor to the trade media and industry at-large, Anda has been named to both Forbes’ and Inc.’s annual 30-Under-30 lists, AdWeek's Young Influential List, Campaign’s Female Frontiers List, and AdWeek's Top 100 Creatives, to name a few.

We talk about growing up in a former communist country, being an immigrant in the US, the value of coaching and therapy, how to lead with an open heart and open mind and what it's like to be a new mother in the world of tech. And her personal definition of mojo - 'being in touch with your own truth'.

An abundance of important themes and a cascade of priceless insight. This really is a lesson in a modern form of leadership - what we could call 'Conscious Leadership'

Please share you own take-outs from the series on my Linked In page I'd love to hear what you think and also your suggestions for future founder guests.

Remember to subscribe to be notified about new epsiodes. And please do rate & review this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Hope you love it

Richard x

The Mojo Podcast

Hosted by leadership coach Richard Stokes from Ibiza

@mojorichard on Instagram

www.mojodevelopment.co.uk

#consciousleadership #consciousleader #vulnerable #andagansca #founder #femalefounder #immigrantfounder #stanford #knotch #mojo #mojopodcast #sustainableleadership #siliconvalley #investors