In this episode of The Observatory, Nick and John McGill join the show to share their touching surrogacy journey, from choosing an egg donor to the surrogate's pregnancy and the support they received. Nick and John have been married since 2013 and have two kids. Hear the process of choosing a surrogate mother, the challenges that Nick and John experienced with the surrogate mother and the experience of having a child two weeks early. They also talk about the finances that come with surrogacy, the challenge of states changing the laws of surrogacy on same-sex couples, and the organizations that support gay couples looking to have surrogacy. 

Timestamps:

[03:50] Nick and John’s wedding in December 2013
[08:05] The experience of getting kids through surrogacy 
[13:16] The challenges that Nick and John experienced with the surrogate mother
[16:57] The process of choosing a mother for the kids 
[24:07] The experience of Asher coming two weeks early
[30:00] The challenge of states changing the laws of surrogacy 
[34:46] How it felt to start the surrogacy process all over again 
[36:57] The finances that come with surrogacy 
[42:39] The exciting thing about the second surrogacy 
[52:00] The sacrifice that surrogate mothers make in carrying a child for nine months 
[59:00] The organization that supports gay couples looking to have surrogacy 

Notable quotes:

• “Love is love.” - Scott [04:04]
• “The reason why we went to Bosie is that in Utah, the whole thing about surrogacy with same-sex couples was black and white. There was no grey area.” - Nick McGill [26:42]
• “For somebody to be able to carry a child for you, nine months of their life, knowing it’s not their child, is something special.” - Nick McGill [51:39]
• “If a husband and a wife have a kid, their experience is different from somebody who is going through surrogacy because you are on the sideline.” - Nick McGill [57:51]

Relevant links: Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, Dr. Madolyn Liebing joins the show to discuss the wilderness as an active participant in recovery that naturally facilitates healing, balance, and health. Dr. Madolyn is a renowned Wilderness Psychologist, Therapist, and Outdoor Behavioral Health Eagle Award Recipient. She is also the clinical director at Juniper Canyon Treatment Center and Legacy Treatment Center. Hear what drew Dr. Madolyn to nature, how she got into wilderness therapy treatment, and the results of the initial wilderness therapy experiment. She also talks about how humanity has moved away from nature and the five areas in which wilderness therapy treatment develops.
 
Timestamps

[01:32] Dr. Madolyn Liebing’s background information
[07:00] How Dr. Madolyn got into thewilderness therapy treatment
[11:30] The origin of the Aspen Achievement Academy 
[14:21] The results of the original experiment of wilderness therapy 
[16:30] What Dr. Madolyn did during her time out from the practice 
[21:07] The average length of the wilderness therapy treatment
[22:39] The inspiration behind Dr. Maddy’s passion for nature and its healing methods 
[26:28] What drew Dr. Maddy to nature
[29:29] How humanity has moved away from nature 
[33:17] The initial signs that show the treatment is working 
[34:57] The different types of trauma and different ways to treat them 
[42:36] The Right Of Passage (ROP) experiment 
[43:08] The five areas that the wilderness therapy treatment develops
[48:05] The importance of ceremonies and rituals in our lives
[53:00] The Clan of the Hand
[01:03:20] What the future holds for Dr. Maddy

Notable quotes:

• “Nature is one of the most amazing healing containers to spend time in.” - LaRae Wright.
• “Nature is so healing. Finding yourself in those challenging places is where a lot of that healing takes place.” - Scott.
• “Ceremonies and rituals are important in our lives because they can create an opening, an envelope, or a closing depending on what you are doing.” - Dr. Madolyn Liebing.
• “No one should stop you from loving. You should love no matter what.” - Dr. Madolyn Liebing.

Relevant links:

• Legacy Treatment Center: https://legacyoutdooradventures.com/
• Juniper Canyon Treatment Center: https://junipercanyonrecovery.com/

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, Lauri Poldre joins the show to discuss going within and learning how to live your life from the inside out. Lauri is a Healer who helps people regain inner peace, clarity, and harmony through sound, meditation, and breathwork. Hear what led Lauri into spirituality, his first experience with singing bowls, and how he got into helping people in their healing journey. He also talks about the role of nature in the healing journey and the different healing modalities you can use in your journey. 

Timestamps

[02:40] Lauri Poldre’s background information 
[05:07] The origin of spirituality in Lauri’s life
[06:47] The experience that led Lauri into spirituality
[11:07] What led Lauri into music, frequency, and sound healing
[12:16] The first experience with singing bowls 
[14:47] The festivals that Lauri attended in the USA
[19:06] Does sound healing help in the alignment of the Chakras? 
[21:31] How Lauri got into helping other people using sound healing 
[24:26] How the healing journey has helped Lauri find his true self
[29:08] Balancing the intellectual side with the conscious side 
[34:06] The different healing modalities that helped Lauri in his journey
[41:57] Joseph’s concept of the hero's journey 
[50:19] What the future of technology looks like

Notable quotes:

• “The answer is right here within us. We just need to sit in silence and allow those answers to come to us.” - Lauri Poldre [04:32]
• “Your family will always support you in your journey to finding your true calling and happiness in life.” - Scott [26:16]
• “If you want to upgrade humanity, you need to connect more with nature.” - Lauri Poldre [27:49]
• “Just keep going because eventually, it is going to unfold for you.” - Scott [36:54]
• “We all have a hero’s journey where we must leave what was once comfortable and face our mythical dragons.” - LaRae Wright [42:15] 

Relevant links:

Website: https://lauripoldre.com/
Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauripoldre/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauri.poldre/

Subscribe to the podcast:  Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, Chris Wright joins the show to discuss the world of AI and how it can be used more positively, incorporating the best parts of humanity, love, and compassion. Chris is the Founder of The AI Trust Council, whose mission is to restore trust and authenticity in the digital world. Hear the meaning of AGI and ASI, the digitalization of humans to interface with the advanced technology and the super AI data collection system. Chris also talks about the defense AI systems that countries are buying, the critical things to raise awareness of in the world of AI, and how people can understand AI on a personal level.
 
Timestamps

[01:53] Chris Wright’s background information
[03:00] What got Chris in the space of AI
[07:05] What is AGI and ASI?
[09:46] The digitalization of humans to interface with the advanced technology 
[14:48] The digital track and trace system in Dubai
[16:08] The super AI data collection system 
[20:32] How AI recognizes changes in patterns in the human race
[22:00] The fundamental principle of the AI Trust Council 
[28:12] Who is in charge of the AI systems? 
[34:13] The defense AI system that countries are buying
[37:29] The critical things to raise awareness of in the world of AI
[40:03] How people can understand AI on a personal level 
[47:40] Aligning AI with the values of humanity 
[58:00] The best way to get more education on AI and its impacts on humanity 

Notable quotes:

• “AI has the power to take in information from the body and use it to manipulate you and sell you for profit.” - Chris Wright [19:11] “AI can predict your future as long you follow it.” - Chris Wright [23:58]
• “We have the opportunity today to build a system that controls AI and keeps it in line with humanity through human opinions.” - Chris Wright [45:46]
• “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” - Scott [47:14] 

Episode resources: Website: https://theaitc.com/

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, Greg Jensen joins the show to discuss internal and external poverty and how we can help eradicate it. Greg Jensen is the Co-founder and Director of Cultiva International, which eliminates internal and external poverty by teaching people how to grow their own food and thereby showing them that they have the power to improve their own lives. Hear the unique philosophy that Greg uses to help people living in poverty and the importance of community in fighting internal poverty. Greg also talks about the misunderstanding of poverty and the biggest lesson he learned from moving to Guatemala from the USA.

Timestamps:

[01:53] The story behind moving to Guatemala from the USA
[06:27] The biggest lesson from moving to Guatemala
[09:47] The fear of the unknown
[12:16] The transition from trail running to starting Cultivate Institute and Cultiva International
[17:39] How Greg started helping people living in poverty
[22:10] The unique philosophy that Greg uses to help people living in poverty
[30:21] The misunderstanding of poverty
[32:37] The internal poverty
[38:42] How Cultiva International is helping fight internal poverty
[40:08] The importance of community in fighting internal poverty
[46:51] The story of the youth who fought internal poverty in Guatemala
[50:21] The type of groups that Greg works with
[59:50] The importance of reading books like a song

Notable quotes:

• “There is never a perfect time to do the thing that you always want to do.” - Greg Jensen [07:37]
• “It’s hard to separate ourselves from the service, especially if what we are doing is wrong and causing more harm, yet on the surface, it looks right and makes us feel good.” - Greg Jensen [24:33]
• “People with a lot of things and who have no worries about the financial aspects always live in internal poverty.” - Scott [37:38]
• “You can’t jump from seed to flower. You have to go through the whole process of the seed growing and going through the entire process to the point where it blooms flowers.” - Scott [01:00:30]

Relevant links:

Cultiva International: https://www.cultivainternational.org/
Cultivate Institute: https://www.cultivateinstitute.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CultivaInternational

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, James ‘Fish’ Gill joins the show to talk about love and awareness, conscious communication, and how it helps transform relationship conflicts. Jame Gill is a heart coach, yoga teacher, and transformational facilitator based in Perth, Australia. He supports couples, businesses, and community groups to regrow trust, connection, and understanding. Hear the simple practices for evoking safety during conflicts, including the art of validation. James also talks about the things that stop us from being masterful when validating others and the three questions to lead us deeper behind what we might assume to be malicious intent.

Timestamps

[02:10] The practice of conscious communication
[08:26] Simple practices for evoking safety in us during conflicts
[08:32] #1 The art of validation
[11:25] Validation 101, which supports emotional intimacy and safety
[15:07] The things that stop us from being masterful when validating others
[27:16] The threats that are vacuumed out by validation
[37:11] The ability to validate your intentions
[40:42] Fighting for mutual understanding
[46:40] Tapping into the neutral space in a relationship
[57:38] The homework for the week
[01:06:30] Three questions to lead us deeper behind malicious intent
[01:20:25] Bringing love and awareness to the very places it’s most ached for

Notable quotes:

“The more hyper-irrational we become, and the more engaged we become around firing off our little Facebook messages that are oppositional, the more we create the culture of opposition and judgement.” - James Gill [08:54]

“If someone has to be wrong in repair, then it’s not repair.” - James ‘Fish’ Gill [35:25]

“If I am holding in my left my experience and in my right your experience, and if I am really committed to bringing love and awareness to both, it’s only a matter of time for things to open between us.” - James ‘Fish’ Gill [01:01:35]

Relevant links:

Website: https://www.leadbyheart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james_fish_gill/

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast

In this episode of The Observatory, Dustin and Rachel Grigg join the show to talk about overcoming addiction and the part your spouse plays in that journey. Dustin and Rachel are a married couple with one daughter. Hear how they met, how Rachel felt about Dustin’s addiction when pregnant, what it was like when the daughter was born, and the changes that Dustin had to make to become sober and closer to the family. Dustin also advises people with an addiction who can’t go past the pain of stopping and shares the importance of transparency in a relationship.

Timestamps
[02:29] How Dustin and Rachel met
[08:28] How Rachel felt about Dustin’s addiction when pregnant
[10:00] What it was like when the daughter was born
[16:04] What prompted the deeper conversation on life
[20:23] Advice to people with an addiction who can’t go past the pain of stopping
[24:04] The changes that Dustin had to make to be sober and closer to family
[29:21] How the marriage survived
[33:51] The importance of transparency in a relationship
[36:54] The things that help Dustin and Rachel in their marriage
[46:04] How Rachel dealt with Dustin losing his brother
[56:55] The process of grief
[01:00:40] What’s next for Dustin and Rachel?


Notable quotes:

• “You are never going to stop whatever substance you are on unless you are 100% truly ready for the pain, withdrawal, and emotional distress you have to go through, and that’s why most people don’t stop doing things.” - Dustin Grigg [19:09]
• “You are only as sick as your secrets. To have that transparency with each other in a relationship becomes important so that you know when to help and give that extra support.” - LaRae Wright [33:26]
• “It’s so important to create time for each other in a relationship because life is so busy, and you can lose your connection.” - Rachel Grigg [45:12]
• “The only thing that matters in this world is not worldly things. It’s your relationships and the people that you hold close to you. - Scott Wright [51:00]

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of The Observatory, Dustin Grigg joins the show to talk about overcoming addiction. Hear about Dustin’s journey through addiction, when he realized it was a problem, the decision to make a change, the relapses, how his daughter caused a shift in his life, and dealing with loss.

Timestamps

[03:53] Dustin’s journey.
[10:44] When it became a problem.
[13:35] Finding light in the dark.
[21:12] The intervention.
[32:15] The next lesson.
[41:40] The big shift.
[54:59] What was it all masking?
[75:14] The blue feather.
[84:56] How many losses are there?

Notable quotes:

• “Everything life puts in front of you is a lesson for you to learn.” – Dustin Grigg [10:20]
• “Follow yourself. Follow what you want to do.” – Dustin Grigg [69:29]

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of The Observatory, Woniya Thibeault joins the show to talk about her journey connecting to nature. Woniya is best known for her appearances on Alone, on the History Channel, which has been referred to as the Olympics of Survival. Hear about how Woniya became drawn to nature, the power of connecting with our ancestral roots, how Woniya is helping others experience transformations in the wild, the power of a positive mindset, surviving with humility, building a daily routine with connections to nature, and Woniya reads from her book.

Timestamps

[02:20] About Woniya.
[04:08] Being drawn to nature.
[06:33] Learning ancestral skills.
[09:53] The teaching community.
[18:37] The story behind the book.
[23:26] Woniya’s most profound process.
[26:55] Living on beauty.
[30:03] The power of mindset.
[35:47] A lesson in surrender.
[43:19] Being Never Alone.
[51:26] Woniya’s daily routine.
[55:36] Becoming Ancestor.

Notable quotes:

• “You’re always vulnerable to the environment you’re in.” – LaRae Wright [41:45]
• “Don’t be afraid to be alone.” – Scott Wright [49:21]
• “There’s something powerful about what we ingest.” – Woniya Thibeault [53:48]

Relevant Links:

Website: www.woniyathibeault.com.
www.buckskinrevolution.com.
Patreon: Woniya, Buckskin Revolution.
Instagram: @buckskin_revolution.

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of The Observatory, Jake Wiseman joins the show to talk about overcoming addictions. Jake is the Owner of Lift at Station Park and a Realtor with Realtor Rodger. Hear about Jake’s journey out of opioid addiction, finding himself through psychedelic therapy, living from the inside out, how the body holds on to emotion, and the power of living in authenticity and with vulnerability.

Timestamps

[01:58] A bit about Jake.
[03:31] Jake’s changing life.
[10:59] Opioid losses.
[13:55] Making a change.
[44:34] What makes the journey worthwhile?
[53:16] Living inside-out.
[55:42] Ice baths.
[63:42] Emotions held in the body.
[71:55] Self-awareness and authenticity.

Notable quotes:

• “You don’t know you’re addicted until it’s too late.” – Scott Wright [13:19]
• “The only way past is through.” – Jake Wiseman [52:46]
• “It is harder to change if you’re not trying to become more self-aware.” – LaRae Wright [72:02]

Relevant Links:

Website: liftatstationpark.com.
Instagram: @wisjak_/.

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts.