There was quite a reaction to our last session with Dr Gregory Smith, the guy who faced extraordinary trauma, turned his back on society, walked into a forest and stayed there for 10 years. Over the four seasons of The Mojo Sessions, there have been some definite themes appear. The guys at Doublestar, the production team behind The Mojo Sessions, suggested we do a Megamix of five trauma-related conversations back to back as a holiday superset. It's a long-form episode containing five conversations in all. We start with Iris Gardner, the wife of former Navy Seal Commander-in-Chief, Jason Gardner. Iris had a brutal upbringing, living in a house with a sexual predator who was a friend of the family. Iris is brave, humble, and out to share her story so that we can benefit from her learnings. Starts: 00:07:50 Then we meet Preethaji, who runs the O & O Academy in India. Preethaji has such a simplistic way of demonstrating how many of us, through our thoughts and actions, live in a world of suffering. This conversation shows how we go from a suffering state into a beautiful state. I've interviewed Preethaji a few times, and I find her approach to life and her philosophy a huge advantage. Starts 01:49:15 Sarah Woodhouse is a research psychologist who specialises in trauma. We talk about trauma and traumatic experiences. What Dr Sarah wrote about in her book "You're Not Broken" is that many people who are suffering from trauma or a traumatic experience say that they feel broken. Sarah is fantastic. This conversation sets up how we can reframe trauma and traumatic experiences. Starts 03:01:00 I first heard Dr Bruce Perry in a conversation with Oprah on 'Oprah Soul Sessions'. At that time, Oprah said that her conversation with Bruce Perry was one of the most important she had ever had. Oprah realised that rather than exploring what was 'wrong with her', the better question was 'what happened to her?'. Anyone who knows me or has heard me speak in the last number of years will know that I think Dr Bruce Perry's book (written with Oprah) entitled "What Happened To You", is a most valuable resource, as what happened to you quite often is anchored down in a backstory. Starts - 04:15:07 The lovely Yemi Penn spoke to us about rewriting our story. Your past does not equal your future. By embracing and acknowledging your past and rewriting that narrative, we can change it to how it can benefit today. Yemi is the author of the book "Did You Get The Memo", which is about changing that backstory. Starts 05:27:37 Listen to all five Megamixes back to back or break them up on several days as you go to and from the office or away on a road trip. These five conversations form the first in a Megamix series that will centre on one particular topic each time, which, for this Megamix, is trauma. One thing that occurred to me when we were putting this together was that when you know somebody who is struggling, perhaps experiencing a challenging time of their life, or facing trauma or a dramatic experience, I think this Megamix is gold—five opinion leaders who each have an amazing story, philosophies and content to share. If you know somebody and think they can benefit, shoot them the link to this Megamix on trauma. THE ORIGINAL SESSION INFO EP 109: Iris Gardner - Building The Strength To Emerge From The Darkness Iris Gardner spent her childhood off the grid, an ideal life in the woods for a kid, totally off-grid, heading out on horseback, confronting mountain lions, reading books, growing and hunting their food, until the day a sexual predator moved into the house. This family friend would throw the life of a young 5-year-old child into unspeakable darkness. Hear a remarkable story from a truly remarkable lady who has emerged from that darkness with a message that will change how we view life and the lives of our children. EP 110: Preethaji - Creating A Life of Purpose, Free From Suffering Preethaji, one of the world’s leading female philosophers, founded O&O Academy, a philosophy and meditation school, with her husband Krishnaji. She believes that you can live, as many do, a mediocre life with a contrived purpose, but a great life, career or relationship can only happen with an authentic purpose. Preethaji works with corporate leaders to discover purpose, connection and how to live in a beautiful state. Preethaji leads us to a whole new way of discovering love, passion, and creativity. Ep 223: Dr Sarah Woodhouse - The Disempowering Enemy Within Dr Sarah Woodhouse is a Research Psychologist specialising in trauma, helping people face this world and their past. Her book 'You're Not Broken', teaches us what trauma is (it's probably not what you think), how to recognise it, why it's there and how your past is likely holding you back. Sarah explains the pitfalls of ignoring awkward, upsetting episodes and how true freedom comes from looking back at your past with honesty. Using the latest research-based techniques, her own experience, and her twelve years of trauma research, Dr Sarah Woodhouse speaks with authority on this critical topic. Ep 226: Dr Bruce Perry - Heal Your Mental and Emotional Wounds and Move Forward Professor of Psychiatry at Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, Dr. Bruce Perry's new book 'What Happened to You?' was written with Oprah. 'What Happened to You?' is a book that helps heal our mental and emotional wounds, wounds that many carry for decades and never give a thought to. Through groundbreaking scientific & emotional insights on behavioural patterns and actual brain science, Dr Perry explores how we can shift our approach to personal trauma by asking what happened to us. Oprah believes her first conversation with Dr Perry was one of the most important and impactful of her career. Ep 323: Yemi Penn - Rewrite Your Story Documentary producer Yemi Penn believes we should create our own memo. Author of 'Did You Get The Memo?', Yemi, born in Nigeria, has endured her fair share of trauma for herself and her family, including childhood abuse and homelessness. Yet, today Yemi is a self-made millionaire, owning multiple businesses across multiple countries. Yemi shares mindset adjustments to rip up our old backstory and create the new life we want, daring us to create a new narrative for our life and ultimately write our memo.
