The Process Podcast

In this guest episode I'm joined with Max Vallot and Tom Daly, co-founders of District Vision. District Vision is an activewear brand specialising in responsibly-made apparel and accessories, and hosting community events and retreats to help athletes (and aspiring ones) to develop a more mindful approach to movement and activity. Alongside these events, they offer mindfulness tools (in the form of online and in-person classes) that can help not only deepen ones daily movement practices and bring a new dimension to ones experiences, but also to enhance them.

Max and Tom have a really refreshing approach to moving and working out, and their mission is to offer inspiration, tools and functional apparel to help people to get more out of their movement. For them, it's not about inflicting constant pressure on yourself to reach goals or beat records, unless that's what brings you joy. Instead, they want to encourage a more sustainable approach and thinking towards moving the body, and one that just so happens to benefit the mind too. 

In this episode we talk about how the missing piece in most people's routines is joy, and how working out or being active is something we often do for a reason, and not necessarily the right one. We want the most challenging workouts in order to feel we've achieved something, and we want accountability and quantifiable evidence that we're doing well and always getting better. Of course, that's part of it, but it's not the only part.

We talk about the importance of being more present and having treated awareness, and how this can supplement and support us in progressing, both in fitness and in day-to-day life. We talk about prioritising joy, and not adding to our stresses by making something like exercising as demanding and draining as another job. 

We talk a bit about start up life, and the journey of paving a new and slightly different path built on foundations of passion and meaning. We talk about the beauty in sometimes just letting things unfold naturally, and not always limiting our potential with goals and grand plans. 

We talk about mindfulness and mediation, and how different this can look from one person to the next. We talk about the importance of stillness and also not creating rigid routines but learning more to go with the flow of life's inevitable ebbs and flows. We talk about some of their favourite alternative therapies and methodologies, and we also talk about the importance of integrating the things we learn, fully, rather than doing them as part of a checklist and not really absorbing them into part of our life or part of our journey.

SHOW NOTES:

www.districtvision.com

This week I am joined by Kerry Moore, co-founder of one of my favourite natural skincare brands, Amly Botanicals. 

In this episode we discuss the start up journey and what exactly Kerry and her business partner are doing so differently, and so well. We discuss common side affects of mainstream, commercial skincare, and look at ingredients we absolutely should be avoiding, as well as those we should start learning more about.

We discuss beauty on a holistic level, exploring how healthy, balanced skin is determined by so much more than just the products you use topically. It is also dictated by the way we eat, sleep, breathe, bathe and feel mentally and emotionally, too. We demystify common myths and trends in the mainstream beauty market, as well as why we need to recondition ourselves to stop searching for a "miracle cream" to fix all of our problems, and instead take responsibility to develop a long term, preventative and healing routine with more natural products we've taken time to educate ourselves about.

We also talk about the ritual of beauty, and taking time over daily practices, as well as the power of involving all the senses - which you'll experience more than ever, the more you incorporate natural products and pure ingredients into your regime.

DISCOUNT CODE:

Use code Listen20 for 20% off all Amly products at www.amlybotanicals.com.

In this episode, I'm speaking with James Dowler, breath work expert and founder of Breathe with James.

James first discovered breath work as an alternative and complimentary therapy after gaining interest in meditation at the suggestion of his doctor. Struggling with chronic fatigue and minor physical injuries and ailments, James began discovering that physical issues were not just physical, and that, in fact, more often than not, it's mental unrest and imbalances that cause physical discomfort. He began to discover more about the mind-body connection and how crucial managing our mental and emotional health is in keeping us fit and well, physically.

In this episode we talk about James's personal journey and how breath work has helped him, and we delve deep into the scientific stuff, looking at how breath work works, how oxygen intake is crucial for our mental, physical and cellular health, and how practising breath work can reduce and soothe many side effects of modern life. We talk about how to notice when we're perhaps not breathing as we should be, and why, and we discuss simple solutions to many everyday issues and annoyances that can be harnessed and managed by none other than our own breath.

We also talk about intuition, how to notice tests in life that keep us in our comfort zone, and how to move past them into an even better unknown. And we discuss briefly, nature and light therapy as other free and natural forms of healing that we often disregard. We talk about how the simplest yet most powerful rituals and tools are often overlooked, and how and why we overcomplicate things, especially when it comes to our wellbeing. And, thankfully, we discuss several other tools and methods that we can use easily, and everyday, to bring more balance to our lives and to reduce anxiety, stress and fatigue, and enhance our experiences here, altogether.

SHOW NOTES:

theprocess.life/podcast

I'm so excited to share this episode with you as it's on a topic I feel constantly fascinated by and keen to learn more about. Lucy Jones is the author of Losing Eden; Why Our Minds Need the Wild - one of my new favourite books. In the book, Lucy explores how disconnected we have become with nature and how our modern lifestyles have lead to less and less of us experiencing regular contact with the natural world in some way. She shares studies and stories about what we're missing out on, and just how exactly nature could be the answer to a lot of side effects to our modern lifestyles. She explores correlations between nature and our mental health and depression, as well as the physical impacts we might experience due to lack of nature in our day to day lives.

In this episode we also talk about how the lack of nature in our modern lives also sadly means more of nature is destroyed in order to accommodate our lifestyles. But you'll be pleased to know we also discuss solutions, and explore ways in which we can easily reintroduce nature into big cities and ensure we come into contact with it on a regular basis, almost effortlessly. We talk about how we can begin to redesign cities in order to co-exist with nature and incorporate it into our habitats, instead of destroying in to construct in places it usually thrives. We also talk about how we can enjoy the benefits of nature now, even living in cities or confined spaces, looking at urban gardens, household plants, nature sounds, art, scents and more.

SHOW NOTES:

In this episode I’m speaking with my good friend Megan Williams; model and founder of Hunu. Megan and I met over a decade ago when we were both beginning our modeling careers in London. More recently Megan has been living in New York and it's there that she began to learn first hand about the affects of our modern lifestyles on the environment. This ultimately led her to launch a start-up, HUNU, with her partner, Vince.

In this episode we talk about Megan's earlier career and what inspired her to use her platform for good. We talk about her transition into entrepreneurship, complete with imposter syndrome and low self-esteem, and how it ultimately helped her to overcome perfectionism and the need to always succeed; or seem to be doing so. We talk about expectations and how being more vulnerable makes space for more learning and growth, and we talk about the importance of always being prepared to learn and able to improvise on the go.

We talk about HUNU and their mission to encourage people to live more sustainably whilst still leading modern lives, and their commitment to equip people with useful, everyday items to reduce single-use waste. We also talk about Megan's personal life with her partner who recently finished building a property in rural upstate New York. The property is self-sustaining and made from natural materials, free from wifi or any signal at all, and complete with compost toilets. We talk about how she has adjusted to a simplified way of living, and how going off grid on a regular basis has been key for her to find balance, remain present, and live more consciously amidst the fast paced lifestyle that comes with the job. We talk about how to stay connected whilst disconnecting, and how to find a sustainable balance between the two.

SHOW NOTES:

www.theprocess.com/podcast

In this episode I'm sharing a journaling ritual for the morning time, as it’s something that’s been highly requested, especially over the last year or so. I talk about journaling a lot as its such a big part of my life. It's a practice I find really helps lift my mood, encourage positivity and bring a general sense of clarity, too. It also brings a sense of abundance all around, and keeping a gratitude journal, in particular, has really helped on an energetic and subconscious level, for me.

I’ve heard so many people say they struggle to know where to start when it comes to journaling, and so I wanted to provide a really short and simple episode with a few journal prompts as a starting point. In this episode, I guide you through a few key questions you can use to direct your personal journaling practice. The questions are simple but powerful, and the main intention is for them to encourage self-inquiry and to give you a chance to check in with yourself.

This practice is 10 minutes long, and designed for the morning time, to bring positivity and clarity, and to declutter the mind and reduce morning anxiety. Share it with anyone you think benefit from it.

Welcome back to The Process podcast.

This week, I welcome a good friend of mine, Jada Sezer. Jada is a plus size model but began her working life studying and working in child psychotherapy. From there, she got into modelling and has been at the top of her game for many years, campaigning for more diversity in the fashion industry, amongst other things. She has since developed a respectful voice in empowering others to love and accept themselves; both physically and mentally. She shares advice and works hard to encourage others to develop more positivity around their appearances, as well as self acceptance, self-love and compassion.

In this episode we take a look at what it takes to develop a healthier relationship with ourselves, and why it's the most important relationship and the one we should be understanding and nurturing the most. We talk about Jada's personal experiences as well as advice and suggestions for cultivating body positivity and, as a result, more confidence.

We also talk about rediscovering your true self and staying true to your authenticity, as well as how to navigate or initiate career change, and move forward with a reduced sense of fear around failure. We talk about how to detach from the outcome of things, more, and how to live more freely, without always having to have everything always planned or figured out, and a clear view of the future.

Finally, we talk about relationships, and what she's learnt over the years about communication and the importance of being both vulnerable in yourself, and compassionate and understanding of others. I love this episode so much, and hope you'll enjoy it and take something from it, too.

SHOW NOTES:

Welcome to this exclusive episode, I couldn't be more proud, inspired and excited to share this with you. 

This Earth Day - 22nd June 2021 - I had the pleasure of teaming up with Model Mafia, Global Fashion Exchange and Selina Hotels to host a live panel event with such an incredible group of people. Delving Deep; The Intersections of Sustainability was our theme for the event, and the intention was to explore the overlooked aspects of climate change, such as how it affects all of us differently, segregation, ignorance towards smaller and more threatened and affected communities, how our actions in Western communities and large cities may not directly affect our livelihood but are destroying those of others', and much more. We discuss the importance of talking, listening and asking questions, and of storytelling in order to shed light on many overlooked threats of climate change.

Our panelists include Gelila Bekele, model and filmmaker; Jena Goldsack, model, marine conservationist in training; Veronica Pome'e, model, entrepreneur and activist; and Patrick Duffy, founder of Global Fashion Exchange. Each one brings a unique approach to the areas of sustainability that are most demanding and destructive right now, and together we discuss simple solutions, what needs to be done on a larger scale, and how we can move with more compassion and community at the heart of how we exist.

SHOW NOTES:

theprocess.life/podcast 

In this guided episode, last weeks guest Sushma Sagar shares with us a short, 7 minute ritual to practice in the morning time. In our interview, we discussed the importance of the morning time and how sacred it is, as well as how best to use the time before letting the outside world in. This ritual is intended to leave you feeling grounded with a sense of clarity, physically and mentally. It aims to help pause busy thoughts, or at least make them less distracting, whilst allowing you to ease into the day slowly, with a deeper mind-body connection, clearer mind and greater sense of intuition. It is an opportunity to check in with ourselves, something we rarely make time to do.

Try this and see how it influences your mood, mindset, and perhaps the outcome of the rest of your day, too.

In this episode I'm really excited to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Sushma Sagar. Sushma and I met a few years ago en route to teach on an isolated "wellness" island in Croatia and immediately connected. Sushma has worked in energetics and body work for many years, and is an energy healer, a reiki practitioner, meditation teacher and qualified shaman. She is also a newly published author and the founder of The Calmery - a modern energy healing clinic on Harley Street in London, where her treatments draw from several techniques to clear blocks in the body’s energy flow. 

In this episode, we delve deep into energetics and discuss what energy is, how it moves through everything we do, how we can begin to notice it and tune into our own - day to day- , as well as how to let it ultimately guide our interactions, reactions and experiences throughout our lives. We talk about the chakras - the seven main energy channels of the body - and what they represent at each stage of our life. We explore energetic imbalances and blockages, such as blocked chakras which manifest as physical or emotional pain or discomfort, and we look at what rituals and remedies can balance each one.

We also talk about acceptance, self worth, big blessings in disguises and one of the main themes of her work as an energy healer: heartbreak. We talk about the importance of the self in relationships, and being a capable individual to avoid depending on or "needing" others. We talk about having an accepting and compassionate mindset, and we talk about how to heal heartbreak and her process of changing the energy of heartbreak; turning sadness, despair and rejection into acceptance and compassion, and reaching a more empowered place in order to avoid future patterns or more of the same experiences / acquaintances.

SHOW NOTES:

theprocess.life/podcast