The Unplug Podcast: Activated Living for Truth Seekers and Critical Thinkers in a Collapsing World

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” —Picasso

What do you get when you mix yoga with creativity and play?

In today’s interview, you’re about to find out.

Catherine Lesage is the the founder of Littlefeet Yoga in Ottawa, Canada where she’s created a movement…of movement!

She’s a passionate woman who’s making a difference in the lives of children – and adults – by providing them with opportunities to explore their world through play, creativity and movement which helps them become more physically, emotionally, and intellectually intelligent in a way that defies the box of status-quo.

We all tend to take life far too seriously – including today’s kids – and this seriousness is making for a collective population of rather dull people. But Catherine is changing all of that through her philosophy to play, create, and cooperate.

Catherine and I first met when I we were both teaching at the same yoga centre in Ottawa and I was immediately struck with her passion, her ease with laughter, her love of nature, and her French-Canadian joie-de-vivre. I felt an immediate connection to this spirit-driven woman and I knew that she was someone who needed to be a part of this podcast.

In today’s interview, Catherine shares:

• The necessity of creative movement for the soul.

• Noticing when the “icky” feeling is trying to speak to you.

• The importance of connecting to body wisdom.

• How play is the seed of creativity.

• The transformative power of nature.

• The art of being a child again.

• The lost art of touch.

• Fearless creativity.

We also speak about how she overcame the physical challenges that affected her early in life, as well her journey from the stifling world of mainstream employment to the liberation of yoga. And then we delve into the evolution of the creation of her unique model of holistic and creative yogic movement for children of all ages.

This is an interview that will leave you feeling joyful, connected, and ready to have some good-time fun to remind you of the child still living in your core.

CBC Interview with Catherine Lesage

SHOW NOTES:

• Littlefeet Yoga website.

• Littlefeet Yoga on Youtube

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so, here’s how you can fan the flame for the message:

1. Support the show!

Support the paradigm-altering Unplug movement on Patreon. Every little bit makes a difference!

2. Subscribe & Review the Show on iTunes:

Here’s a simple 5-step process to quickly rate, review and subscribe to the show.

You can also now subscribe to the show on Stitcher where the show will now be available all over the world on Stitcher mobile, tablet and web apps and, also in over 4 million in-car dashboards.

3. TELL A FRIEND ABOUT THE SHOW and spread the word FAR AND WIDE!

As always, thank you for listening and thank you for helping to co-create a better world!

Shortly after Labor day each summer, the Toronto Vegetarian Association hosts the biggest food festival in North America at the beautiful Toronto Harbourfront. It’s truly a festival in every sense of the word. It’s upbeat, lively, and so much fun. There’s absolutely delicious food, talented musicians, inspiring speakers, exciting vendors, and for three glorious days, it invites thousands of people to explore a more compassionate way of life. For me, it’s a necessary staple to fill my spiritual cup with inspiration and hope for a kinder world.

This past year was no exception for fun and inspirational speakers. And one of those amazing speakers happens to be today’s guest.

Jenny Brown is the co-founder of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in New York state and she is also the author of the truly inspiring book, The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals.

My partner and I made a point of waking up very early on the morning that she was scheduled to speak and drove the 5 hours from Ottawa to Toronto where, after tackling traffic, construction, and parking issues, we arrived with only moments to spare.

As we were getting comfortable in our seats, Jenny took the stage. She sauntered out, stopped, paused and pulled up her right pant leg to show us her partial prosthetic leg. She then proceeded to tell us that two years after she started the sanctuary, the story of her leg (discussed in this interview) hit the New York Times which led to media calls from all over the world as well as calls from 4 literary agents begging for her to write a book.

Her response: “I had no idea that showing leg would get me this much attention for the sanctuary.” She continued by saying “If I could chop off another body part for the animals, I would.”

This is Jenny Brown. Fiery. Passionate. Sassy. Incredibly funny. And one of the most intensely heart-driven people I’ve met who is dedicated to transforming the way we relate to and love the forgotten ones. This is a woman who has absolutely nailed her life purpose.

In today’s interview we chat about:

• Jenny’s awakening to full-blown, all-inclusive compassion.

• The frightening reality of cultural conditioning regarding our treatment of animals.

• How Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is not only healing animals with broken spirits, it is also healing humanity.

• The corruption of the food system and how humanity has lost its way.

• The importance of knowing and telling the truth.

• Getting to know the truth about the egg industry.

• The reality of the unsustainable situation of separation on our planet today.

• The importance of humane education to teach critical thinking and truth.

Jenny is an activist in the purest sense of the word. She’s someone who has experienced the darkness first hand, and rather than wallow in despair, has turned it into rocket fuel for massive change in the world for animals and humanity. This is an inspiring and heart-opening interview with someone who has no fear of speaking the truths that must be told. Open your mind, open your heart and allow Truth to enter. Because it is the truth that will set us all free.

The Lucky Ones book trailer

SHOW NOTES:

• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary website.

• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Bed and Breakfast info.

• The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals book on Amazon.

• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary on Facebook.

• Woodstock...

How does the thought of running a marathon every day for 366 days sound to you? Because that is exactly what today’s guests did every single day of 2013 – with a bonus marathon on Jan. 1 of this year.

Originally from New Zealand, Janette Murray-Wakelin and her husband Alan Murray, are the internationally acclaimed dynamic duo who inspired millions of people around the globe by running a marathon a day, every day for 366 days straight. Their epic journey took them around the entire perimeter of Australia to inspire and motivate conscious lifestyle choices, to promote kindness and compassion for all living beings and to raise environmental awareness for a sustainable future. They named this adventure Running Raw Around Australia. Why running raw? As long-time raw vegans promoting consciousness, compassion, and wellness, it simply made sense.

In 2001, Janette was diagnosed with a highly aggressive carcinoma breast cancer where doctors gave her six months to live. But they didn’t know who they were dealing with. Janette is a paradigm-buster extraordinaire. Not only did she not buy into the fear mongering and life destroying solutions promoted by the allopathic medical system, she also didn’t buy into their diagnosis. Janette basically turned her back on the modern medicine and, using her words, decided that “the power of intention is far greater than that of fear,” and with that, she had every intention of staying around for a long time.

I had the honor of befriending Janette and Alan back in 2004 when we were all living in the small northern Vancouver Island community of Courtenay, BC. When I hear of their decision to take on this compassionate adventure last year, I was thrilled and knew that it would be big. This couple is truly unstoppable because they are both so deeply connected to the power in their hearts.

Today we chat about such topics as:

• the importance of taking responsibility for your own health through lifestyle choices.

• what you put into your body is what you get out of it. You can’t get something live out of something dead.

• the power and simplicity of body wisdom.

• the limitlessness of what we are all capable of with our lifestyle choices.

• you are worth it!

• the shift in conscious thinking and the unstoppable movement of hope.

• the importance of purpose in life.

From the Running Raw Around Australia website, Janette and Alan state:

“WE ASKED OURSELVES – How can we share the information and experiences we have gained through conscious living during the past decade, so that others may make their own informed lifestyle choices that will make a difference to their health, the health of their family and future generations, the health of their community, the health and well being of the animals, and ultimately, the health of our precious Earth where we live? What can we do to inspire and motivate conscious lifestyle choices, to promote kindness and compassion for all living beings and to raise awareness for a sustainable future?

THE ANSWER – We can lead by example, walk (or in this case) run the talk. By running a marathon distance together per day, every day for a year around Australia, we hope to inspire others to believe in themselves, to follow their dreams, and to achieve their goals through making more conscious lifestyle choices. We can be living proof of what can be achieved by making conscious life choices. While we are Running around Australia during the year 2013, we will have the opportunity to show that by eating raw living plant-based foods, we are healthier, more physically fit and have unlimited energy at beyond 60 years of age than in our earlier years, including when we ran the length of New Zealand 13 years previously. Inspiration is what motivates people to ‘Never Stop Pushing’ for what they believe in and for what they want to achieve.

Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter were two regular guys with regular lives in a regular Canadian suburb.

In the blink of an eye however, all of that changed with one simple choice. A choice that they never could have predicted would so radically transform their lives – as well as the lives of tens of thousands of others along the way.

When they said “yes” to adopting Facebook internet sensation, Esther the Wonder Pig, everything they’d been taught to believe about animals and “food” in today’s culture was demolished. In one symbolic moment, they went from status-quo indifference to paradigm-busting passion.

This is the transformative power of choice.

Esther was “supposed” to be a “micro pig”. But her dad’s, as they say, were “duped” (ah, the creative ways of the Universe) and instead, they adopted a farm pig – an animal more commonly commoditized for industrial “food” production – a.k.a. bacon.

Since their transformative awakening, Esther has taught her dads compassion, love, patience, passion, and purpose. The two men have also fully surrendered their hearts and minds to a more conscious and mindful way of life. And, through the eyes of Esther, they’re now opening the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of her followers.

So often we humans fear change. Ironically though, all we are is change. That’s just the way the universe works – whether we embrace it or not. Steve and Derek have proven that when we surrender to the power of the heart, massive transformation can happen in a flash – especially when powered by a pig.

Today we chat about:

• The moment of awakening.

• How the truth really does set us free.

• The growing compassionate revolution.

• How Esther has taught her dads to be better people.

• Accidental activism.

• And how we don’t need to see the whole staircase to take one step forward.

These two beautiful men have created a completely unexpected compassionate revolution with absolutely no end in sight. They’ve shown how hungry the masses are for inspiring stories of personal transformation. It’s these stories that give us permission to delve within to reveal the truth in our own hearts. Through the innocent eyes of a culturally forgotten animal, the enormous potential for radical change is not only happening, it’s growing at breakneck speed.

In a recent Facebook post, Steve and Derek wrote:

“We noticed a few of you seem to think Esther is the luckiest pig in the world and that might be true but……we owe more to her then she’ll ever owe us. She changed our lives and opened our eyes. We are the lucky ones. Her story is a special one but lets remember that she’s just like the rest of these amazing animals that stay hidden and silent. She’s just like them, and they’re just like her – if we’d only give them a chance.”

When I recorded this interview last week, Esther’s Facebook page had almost reached 35,000 “Likes”. As of this blog post – only a week later, her page has already soared past the 53,000 “Likes” mark. Who knows where it will be by next week. All I know is that this is an especially concrete example of a collective awakening – an awakening that is truly expediting the shift from separation consciousness into unity consciousness.

The media has been flocking in droves. City TV, the Toronto Star, Italian television stations, Huffington Post, PETA, Mercy for Animals, Sam Simon, Good Morning America, blogs, podcasts, radio, print, web, television…this story is everywhere. People are starving for truth. They’re starving for love. And they’re starving for compassion.

This brings me to this powerful statement:

You are never more powerful than when you are aligned with your truth.

Many people humdrum their way through life doing the same-old, same old day after day after day – engulfed by the spiritual amnesia that prevents them from remembering that they are unique creators gifted with a life that is meant to be lived with authentic expression, passion and purpose. These are the sleepwalking masses trapped in what we know as status-quo – yuck.

But every now and then (and more and more these days), I meet someone who gets it. Somebody who really gets life. Someone who takes charge and owns it. Someone who refuses to succumb to the “poor me”, “my life sucks” mentality that has poisoned the minds of so many. Someone who lives with intention, passion, presence, authenticity, and purpose. And someone who knows that every life and love-affirming choice they make has a ripple effect on the world.

Today’s guest is one of these people. He’s a guy who cares. A guy who truly gives a damn. He’s a guy with a heart so big I’m surprised he can keep it contained within his chest.

Today, I’m really excited to release a totally inspiring interview from one of the most passionate and kindest men I know.

Mike Herzog is the founder of Good Guys Tri, an Ottawa-based collective of like-minded athletes who are, as he states, “simply trying to do good in the world”. I can tell you this though, they don’t try. They do. Period.

Mike calls himself “just another regular guy”. He’s a dad, a husband, an employee, and a son. He’s also an Ironman triathlete, an endurance runner and a man who was born to make a difference. He believes that leaders are ordinary people making extra-ordinary efforts in the world. I couldn’t agree more.

Good Guys Tri was born out of frustration. Frustration that some of the charities that Mike had faithfully supported for many years were some of the worst culprits for irresponsible spending. Good Guys Tri was created to ensure that 100% of any funds or donations raised went straight to the actual causes.

Since its creation in 2011, Good Guys Tri has achieved exponential growth through numerous successful campaigns which include supporting the homeless, the hungry, the furry and 4-legged, as well as supporting local and global youth organizations such as impossible2possible.

Mike Herzog is proof positive that you can make your dream for a better world come true. All you need is a heart full of passion, the desire to make it happen and the courage to act on it.

In today’s Unplug interview, we discuss:

• How status-quo perpetuates the autopilot of mediocrity.

• How personal growth begins with passion.

• The pricelessness of a full spiritual cup.

• The importance of living an inspired life.

• The power of service (hint: there’s no such thing as a small contribution).

• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who inspire in order to stay on purpose.

• How expressing emotion leads you to authenticity.

• And how an intentional life is the key to happiness.

Enjoy another week of amazing inspiration with one of the kindest men I know, Mike Herzog.

SHOW NOTES:

• Good Guys Tri website: http://www.goodguystri.ca/

• Follow Good Guys Tri on Twitter

• Follow Good Guys Tri on Facebook

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so, here’s how you can fan the flame for the message:

1. Support the show!

Support the paradigm-altering Unplug movement on Patreon. Every little bit makes a difference!

2. Subscribe & Review the Show on iTunes:

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Dr. Andra Brosh and spending five days with her at a life-altering writing retreat in Carmel, California last February. It was transformative in so many ways. We were a tight knit group of five women filled with enthusiasm, passion and dreams that were ready to be birthed into reality.

We shared the same living space. We shared meals together. We shared laughter. We shared tears. We shared our respective journey’s to the very moment that brought each of us together for that magical week.

Andra stood out. Her essence shone brightly through the warmth of her smile and the continued wisdom of every spoken word. I immediately knew that she would be someone very special in my life. Little did I know how special she would become. It was during a group brainstorming session that Andra said one thing that changed my life. She heard something special in the story that I was sharing about myself, grabbed on to it, and ran with it. And it forever changed my life. It’s one of the reasons that this podcast is now available to you. Dr. Andra Brosh will always be a very special woman in my life – and I suspect that after listening to this inspiring interview, she’ll be a very special woman in your life as well.

Andra’s path to such deep wisdom wasn’t an easy one. As a matter of fact, she’s had to move through some extremely painful life events which included a 20 year marriage that ended in an unexpected and sudden divorce, as well as having to face the life-altering experience of surviving breast cancer – all before the age of 45. Her world was forever changed after moving through these two very significant events.

Andra’s chosen vocation as a clinical psychologist is one she’s embraced with deep spiritual wisdom and a passion to truly make a difference in the lives of others. Her extensive training as a clinician has given her the respected title of “Doctor”, however, what makes her truly excel at her calling is the pain and struggle that she’s courageously faced and gracefully moved through in life. As the saying goes, life is the greatest teacher.

In today’s interview we discuss many thought-provoking topics including:

• How self-judgement and expectations block the connection to your authentic self.

• The importance of loving it all and realizing the beauty within imperfection.

• How people-pleasing takes you away from your core.

• How internal trust is the key to living an authentic life.

• The problem with advice and the power of embracing uncertainty.

• The dangers of social media that can bring up worthiness issues.

• The importance of knowing who you truly are in order to live your best life.

SHOW NOTES:

• Dr. Andra Brosh website: http://www.drandrabrosh.com/

• Follow Andra on Twitter

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so, here’s how you can fan the flame for the message:

1. Support the show!

Support the paradigm-altering Unplug movement on Patreon. Every little bit makes a difference!

2. Subscribe & Review the Show on iTunes:

Here’s a simple 5-step process to quickly rate, review and subscribe to the show.

You can also now subscribe to the show on Stitcher where the show will now be available all over the world on Stitcher mobile, tablet and web apps and, also in over 4 million in-car dashboards.

3. TELL A FRIEND ABOUT THE SHOW and spread the word FAR AND WIDE!

As always,

First off, I want to wish you a very, very happy, joy-filled, and love-drenched 2014! May this year mark the entrance of an entirely new YOU! A you who brings peace into every day of your own life and, by default, into the world.

As we ease our way into a new year, this is a time when many of us reflect on the past with intentions to “do better”.

Flipping the page on a calendar to reveal the entrance of a new beginning has a symbolic meaning. Traditionally, it’s a time to set resolutions – which often go well for the first 6 weeks until they slowly morph into the “same old, same old” once again.

This year, rather than push forward with mental will to do better, why not fall back into love to BE better?

Love has lasting power. It comes from the heart. It’s infinite. It is who you are.

Willpower fizzles out. It comes from the head. It’s finite. It’s not who you are.

Unless you truly love who you are and what you’re doing, willpower will wane. When you love, will isn’t necessary. Period. It’s just that simple.

Most people “should” their way through life which is why “old habits die hard”. This is also why new year’s resolutions fail. When you combine who you are – love – with anything that you do, sticking with anything is never an issue. Ever. If you hate running, what are the odds that you’ll stick with it? Resentment eventually takes over. If you love dancing however, you will dance forever. Why? Because running is not who you are. It’s who you think you “should” be. Dancing on the other hand is who you are. It comes from your heart. It’s infused with love.

Today’s Unplug podcast is a special recording which addresses exactly this topic. Living from love. Living authentically – fully and completely with no holds barred.

The world needs you. YOU need you!

When you move from ego to essence, your life is forever altered and you remember…you remember the magnificence of who you are and who you’ve always been at the very core of your being. Life takes on an indescribable richness that empowers you to never settle for less than who you are AND for who you are yet to become.

Life is not a process of discovery. Life is a process of creation. You truly are the creator of your life, your experiences, and your reality. You are the Michelangelo, the Picasso, the Georgia O’Keeffe. When you give yourself the gift of the authentic you, you become the painter, the designer, the architect…the CREATOR!

In today’s Unplug podcast I discuss:

• What is essence?

• Who are you?

• What does it really mean to live authentically?

• Who do you want to be?

• Who is really holding you back.

• How you can change the world. (No kidding!)

• How to turn fear into faith.

• And how losing yourself is the key to finding yourself.

I want to thank you for sharing yourself with me in 2013. I’m deeply grateful for each and every one of you and I look forward to co-creating a powerful new year with you.

May 2014 reveal the full luminosity of your heart so that you shine with blinding brightness for all to see. Be the spark. Be the flame. Be the change you wish to see in the world!

Happy New Year!!!

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so, here’s how you can fan the flame for the message:

1. Support the show!

Support the paradigm-altering Unplug movement on Patreon. Every little bit makes a difference!

2. Subscribe & Review the Show on iTunes:

Here’s a simple 5-step process to quickly rate, review and subscribe to the show.

You can also now subscribe to the show

Unplug podcast number nine is all about kindness, compassion, and purpose. It’s about connecting so deeply to your life purpose that the Universe sweeps you lovingly forward into continually abundant opportunities to fulfill this inner calling.

Today, we look through the lens of compassion with award winning, internationally known investigative photographer, Jo-Anne McArthur. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know where to begin with Jo-Anne’s intro because she’s already done so much in her very purpose-driven life that its challenging to pinpoint a starting point.

So let’s briefly turn back the clock to her earlier years.

At a young age, Jo-Anne knew that photography was in her soul. She was first introduced to her passion for animals when she started walking a neighbours dog whose emotional expression of excitement and joy made Jo-Anne realize that animals were deeply feeling beings just like us. This epiphany became the foundation for what she wanted to communicate to the world with her photojournalism. Her deep love for animals, along with her admiration for those who protected them such as Diane Fossey and Jane Goodall moved her so deeply that it guided her to her calling.

Mostly self taught with mentoring from other exceptional photographers, she supports herself through portraits, food and event photography, but to fully express the purpose in her soul, she spends half the year away from her hometown of Toronto, Canada working on documentary projects such as We Animals which is a project she created that connects how we are all animals and none of us should be made to suffer. She documents our relationships with animals – both the light and the dark, and she exposes these issues and relationships to the world through the lens of her constant companion – her camera.

Her awards are plentiful – with the recurring theme of compassion. She was presented the 2013 Compassion for Animals award in Toronto this summer. She’s was also awarded the Canadian Empathy Award in 2011, she was named one of CBC’s Top 50 Champions of Change; she collected Farm Sanctuary’s 2010 “Friend of Farm Animals” award; and she was listed in the HuffPost’s WOMEN’s website as one of the “Top 10 Women trying to change the world”.

But it doesn’t end there.

Jo-Anne is also the featured subject of Canadian film maker Liz Marshall’s celebrated documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine which is currently taking North America by storm. I’ve since found out that its made the formidable list of 151 documentaries that qualified for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category this year. This symbolizes a significant shift in consciousness that will hopefully remind “we animals” that we truly are all connected.

And, if that’s not enough, Jo-Anne’s beautifully photographed and designed first book entitled We Animals which has just been released by publisher Lantern Books. Just in time for the holiday season!

When we look through the lens of compassion and the photographic eye of Jo-Anne McArthur, we remember the love that we have at our core for all living beings. Jo-Anne is a true paradigm shifter who shows that we can change the world simply by following the love in our hearts.

Enjoy today’s beautiful interview and have a peaceful and festive holiday.

The Ghosts in Our Machine movie trailer:

SHOW NOTES:

* We Animals website: http://www.weanimals.org/

* The Ghosts in Our Machine website: http://www.

Gene Baur is a man with a mission. A mission of compassion and love. He’s a man who is so deeply connected to his higher purpose that it’s an effort to even get him to take credit for the huge impact he’s had on the lives of both human and non-human animals.

The defining moment in his life arrived in a rather dark and unlikely place – a place that is termed by animal-use industries as a “dead pile” located behind a live animal stockyard. As grisly as it sounds, a dead pile is exactly that – a large pile of dead and dying animals – considered useless by those who profit from the body parts of animals.

Gene and his then wife, Lorri were in the midst of exploring the dark truth behind the production of animals for food when they noticed a slight expression of life in the pile of what was supposed to be dead sheep. Without hesitation, with hearts in the lead, they removed the animal from the pile of lifeless beings and took her to their vehicle. Thinking euthanasia was the only humane option, Gene and Lorri took her to a vet to prevent further suffering. Much to their surprise, she needed only vitamins and fluids to bring her back to health. She not only recovered, she went on to thrive for 11 more years.

This is the condensed story of Hilda. The sheep who touched the hearts of two dedicated activists and in turn, created an international movement of compassion.

Since that life altering experience, Gene has since co-founded Farm Sanctuary, America’s leading farm animal protection organization, which runs the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America. Farm Sanctuary now has 3 locations found in Watkins Glen, New York, as well as Orland and Los Angeles, California.

He’s the best selling author of the very moving book Farm Sanctuary; Changing hearts and Minds about Animals and Food. He’s an inspiring speaker and, on a more personal level, he’s also a very impressive athlete. This past summer, he completed his first Ironman triathlon – Ironman Lake Placid – in a very impressive sub 12 hour finish time. Above all else though, he’s one of the kindest, most dedicated people on the planet. He’s a tireless voice for the voiceless – always coming from the depths of extreme compassion. And despite the darkness he’s exposed himself to over the years in order to fully understand the reality of today’s animal-use paradigm, he’s a shining light of hope and optimism for a kinder, more compassionate world.

Gene was recently involved in a debate on NPR titled Don’t Eat Anything with a Face. Partnered with Dr. Neal Barnard, the compassionate duo won the debate hands down. This one is worth grabbing a cup of tea and finding a comfy spot in the living room to sit back and enjoy.

Time magazine calls him the conscience of the food movement.

I’d like to take that a step further and call him the conscience of a new paradigm.

Welcome the inspirational, Gene Baur.

Check out this short video by Farm Sanctuary supporter, Ellen DeGeneres that captures the essence of their beautiful work.

SHOW NOTES:

• Farm Sanctuary website: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

• Order Gene’s best-selling book Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food

Today’s Unplug podcast is all about making a difference. It’s about living a simple life of love, compassion and purpose. It’s a reminder to each of us that we’re here to make a difference. We’re here to live, to laugh, to love and to serve. Every one of us has a purpose that includes these four essential components. And when we connect to that core part of our being, we have everything that it takes to change the world and propel ourselves out of the mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into as a species and into a new paradigm of love and compassion that includes all living beings. Yep, it really is that simple.

I’ve been blessed in my lifetime to have so many beautiful souls in my circle of compassion. People who move the world in a positive direction and make a difference for all living beings. People who lead the revolution towards higher consciousness and Divine love for animals, the planet and humanity. People who inspire so many others to change the world with their own unique essence and sense of purpose.

Today, we chat with one of these beautiful souls – my dear friend and one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met, the wonderful co-founder of the Institute for Humane Education and champion for compassionate living, Rae Sikora.

Rae’s heart is like a beacon – a beaming love bolt that penetrates all. In our household, we just call her Rae of Sunshine. Her love has no boundaries. Animals, humanity, the natural world – everyone, everything. She’s a shining example of the yogic principle of ahimsa – which is the Sanskrit word for non-harming or non-violence that is the ethical foundation of pure ancient Yogic philosophy.

On the website, Plant Peace Daily that Rae shares with her partner in compassion, Jim Corcoran, this dynamic duo clearly invite everyone to live their lives as a message of peace every single day.

If we want a world that is non-violent, loving, non-judgmental, and peaceful we must first become that ourselves – in every area of our lives. From our thoughts, to our choices, to our actions. This is Rae’s life work – helping us remember who we are at our core.

In today’s interview, we discuss:

* The importance of focusing on how far we’ve come rather than how far we still have to go;

* How the culture of compassion is spreading.

* Living our lives as examples of compassion by connecting to the Divine Force of Compassion;

* A beautiful reminder that YOU matter, and how compassion begins with yourself;

* The important difference between want and need;

* Redefining wealth. What does a rich life truly look like?

* Letting go of the story, surrendering to faith, and reconnecting to hope;

* And lastly, there really is no such thing as a lost cause.

Rae Sikora is truly a gift to the world and I’m honored to be able to share her wisdom with you today. So sit back, open your mind and heart and enjoy!

PS. Skype was a little wonky at times during this interview but stay with us because it’s worth it.

SHOW NOTES:

*  Plant Peace Daily website: http://plantpeacedaily.org/

* Plant Peace Daily: Everyday Outreach for People Who Care: Buy the book on Amazon

* Damien Mander talk referenced in interview: Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so,