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

Have you ever pondered what it would look like to combine the linear thought process of science with the non-linear heart connection of spirituality? If so, you’d probably conjure up a little something that looked like today’s guest.

Peter Russell is considered somewhat of a “rock star” in the spiritual world (although he’d probably be embarrassed by the fanfare). He began as a rather unlikely spiritual guru studying mathematics, computer science and theoretical physics at Cambridge University. Over time, he became increasingly fascinated with the human mind and changed his course of study to experimental psychology. This eventually led him to India where he studied meditation and eastern philosophy with the likes of Maharishi (yes, THE Maharishi of Beatles fame) along with many other inspirational spiritual teachers.

Peter’s deep-dive into the world of spirituality eventually led him on a journey that has taken him on an extensive exploration of consciousness, and, as is written in his Huffington Post bio, “His mission is to distill the essential wisdom on human consciousness found in the world’s various spiritual traditions, and to disseminate their teachings on self-liberation in contemporary and compelling ways.”

Peter is the author of 8 books including “From Science to God”, “The Consciousness Revolution”, “Waking Up in Time”, and “The Global Brain”. He’s the creator of the fascinating documentaries “The Global Brain” and “White Hole in Time”. He’s an inspiring speaker, empowering facilitator and he’s also a really kind human being.

In today’s interview, we discuss a vast array of important topics including:

• How to deal with despair given the state of the world in today’s times.

• Living consciously in an unconscious world.

• The 3-fold acceleration happening on the planet today. Are we leaning towards catastrophe or higher consciousness?

• And, what is essence?

I promise yet another hour of inspiration with a man who lives from the very core essence of his being. Enjoy!

Great chat about meditation with Peter Russell and Eckhart Tolle:

SHOW NOTES:

• Peter Russell’s website: http://www.peterrussell.com/index2.php

• Peter’s Books, cd’s and dvd’s: http://www.peterrussell.com/Ordering.php

• Waking up in Time: Buy the book on Amazon

• How to Meditate Without Even Trying: Online Meditation Course (My personal review: excellent!)

• Follow Peter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterRussellAuthor

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.

After listening to this passionate interview, you will never doubt your intuition again.

Meet the powerful Goddess-force known as Sierra Bender, a true 21st century Renaissance woman who is deeply connected to her life purpose as a healer, activist, and leader in the women’s empowerment movement.

After a near-death experience (NDE) from a rare ectopic pregnancy on Dec. 23, 1995, her life was forever changed. Modern medicine saved her life but it didn’t heal her. The NDE woke her up to the ongoing struggles with identity, weight and self-esteem related to the many years of sexual abuse still residing within her core being. On the outside, she conveyed the appearance of success working with celebrities, Wall Street CEO’s, professional athletes, and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as a top-rated personal trainer. All that changed when she “died” on the operating table on that fateful day…and woke up to the truth of the essence at her core.

Sierra’s subsequent quest for self-revelation led her across the globe in a driven search for healing. It was time spent in the ashrams of India, the jungles of the Amazon, and the mountains of Peru that guided her to the shamans, yogis, and indigenous healers that showed her the way – and led her to the life purpose that would transform the lives of countless women.

She’s the author of the book “Goddess to the Core” (a must read for every woman), the creator of the transformative “Bootcamp for Goddesses” full-week workshops and “Goddess to the Core” weekend workshops, and she is also the founder of the Sierra Bender Empowerment Method® (SBEM), a 4 Body Fit® multi-disciplinary approach to transforming women’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.

I had the honor of spending a week with this amazing woman at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY for her “Bootcamp for Goddesses” workshop this past summer. After experiencing Sierra’s work first-hand, I can honestly say that it should be mandatory for every woman living in our current cultural paradigm. If we all tapped into the powerful Goddess within, the current ego-centric, male-dominated paradigm of selfish dominance would quickly collapse and would finally be replaced with the love and kindness that we all share at our core.

Today’s extra special interview falls on a very special week. This week is my birth week and it marks the commencement of a new era of life – an exciting time of great transformation. This is exactly what happened to my beautiful sister Goddesses and I during our week with Sierra and her amazing team – great transformation. I can’t think of a better birthday gift to myself than to share the amazing wisdom of a truly exceptional woman with a truly exceptional group of readers and listeners.

Enjoy this uber inspiring interview!

SHOW NOTES:

• Sierra Bender website: http://sierrabender.com/

• Goddess to the Core: Buy the book on Amazon

OMG Productions Interview:

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

Today’s podcast interview is one that is especially close to my heart at this particular time. You see, October 26, 2013 marked the commencement of a new chapter in my life. It was the symbolic day that my partner and I along with our furry family of 8 cats and 2 dogs left the comfort of our family and friends in Ontario and embarked on a cross-country journey towards a new life on the west coast of British Columbia.

It also meant that for the better part of a week during our cross-country journey, I would need to leave the security of my bubble of compassion and venture into the world of the collective coma comprising today’s prevailing cultural paradigm.

I knew before embarking on this lengthy journey that I would see some of the most beautiful sights that nature could offer. I also knew that I would witness some of the ugliest realities created by humanity. I’ve done this trip before. Three times to be exact. And it’s always hard on my soul. But stay with me here because there is much light at the end of this tunnel.

As expected, only 3 days into the journey, the low vibration of the collective energy field rattled me to the core. Forests, transformed from their initial beauty into ugly barren moonscapes – demolished by clearcut logging. An ongoing barrage of men in pickup trucks carting guns, crossbows, ATV’s, and the bodies of murdered wildlife. Most upsetting of all was the relentless, endless convoy of cruelty in the death trucks transporting countless terrified sentient beings to a premature, violent and mechanized ending. I’m talking about the transport trucks shipping innocent animals to slaughter. There was no foreseeable end to the trucks coming and going in every conceivable direction from sunrise to sunset and likely well into the darkest hours of night. It highlighted for me the sheer magnitude of the illness that is the voracious appetite for the suffered flesh of innocent beings that has been rationally normalized in today’s society. The desperate fear emanating from each and every death truck was palpable. It was haunting and it was heartbreaking.

Interspersed amongst this unconscious violence was signage for hunting camps, baited bear hunts, and billboards advertising women’s shelters and other forms of help for female victims of violence. Even writing this two weeks later hurts my heart.

Animal feedlots, auction houses, and slaughterhouses were also in plain sight of the main highway as we made our way westward. Admittedly, there were days where it was utterly impossible to find the beauty in our species.

It’s not often that I throw myself into the world of the collective coma because it creates despair. And it hurts – it really hurts. I much prefer to surround myself with people who live from the essence of their compassion and a higher level of consciousness. This trip left me feeling broken – and dumbfounded with the extreme level of unconscious violence still prevalent in today’s world.

But just as I feel myself plummet into the depths of despair, the Universe shines her light – to remind me of who I am at my core – love…and hope. Two red foxes playing off in a field. An eagle majestically gliding in the sky. A beautiful sunrise. A gorgeous prairie sunset. The rugged, majestic beauty of the Rocky Mountains. A funky dude at a full-serve gas station in the middle of nowhere whose smile lights up the sky. Yes, I take notice. And I feel the healing influence of the natural world in my soul.

Despite the heaviness I feel about the insane reality of the rationally accepted violence that includes the consumption of animal flesh and secretions, I have a strong belief that one day we will look back on this paradigm with disgust and horror – just as we have with previous historical paradigms of extreme rationalized violence. And I have a strong intuitive feeling that I’ll witness this massive shift in my lifetime.

Today’s podcast interview is one that is especially close to my heart at this particular time. You see, October 26, 2013 marked the commencement of a new chapter in my life. It was the symbolic day that my partner and I along with our furry family of 8 cats and 2 dogs left the comfort of our family and friends in Ontario and embarked on a cross-country journey towards a new life on the west coast of British Columbia.

It also meant that for the better part of a week during our cross-country journey, I would need to leave the security of my bubble of compassion and venture into the world of the collective coma comprising today’s prevailing cultural paradigm.

I knew before embarking on this lengthy journey that I would see some of the most beautiful sights that nature could offer. I also knew that I would witness some of the ugliest realities created by humanity. I’ve done this trip before. Three times to be exact. And it’s always hard on my soul. But stay with me here because there is much light at the end of this tunnel.

As expected, only 3 days into the journey, the low vibration of the collective energy field rattled me to the core. Forests, transformed from their initial beauty into ugly barren moonscapes – demolished by clearcut logging. An ongoing barrage of men in pickup trucks carting guns, crossbows, ATV’s, and the bodies of murdered wildlife. Most upsetting of all was the relentless, endless convoy of cruelty in the death trucks transporting countless terrified sentient beings to a premature, violent and mechanized ending. I’m talking about the transport trucks shipping innocent animals to slaughter. There was no foreseeable end to the trucks coming and going in every conceivable direction from sunrise to sunset and likely well into the darkest hours of night. It highlighted for me the sheer magnitude of the illness that is the voracious appetite for the suffered flesh of innocent beings that has been rationally normalized in today’s society. The desperate fear emanating from each and every death truck was palpable. It was haunting and it was heartbreaking.

Interspersed amongst this unconscious violence was signage for hunting camps, baited bear hunts, and billboards advertising women’s shelters and other forms of help for female victims of violence. Even writing this two weeks later hurts my heart.

Animal feedlots, auction houses, and slaughterhouses were also in plain sight of the main highway as we made our way westward. Admittedly, there were days where it was utterly impossible to find the beauty in our species.

It’s not often that I throw myself into the world of the collective coma because it creates despair. And it hurts – it really hurts. I much prefer to surround myself with people who live from the essence of their compassion and a higher level of consciousness. This trip left me feeling broken – and dumbfounded with the extreme level of unconscious violence still prevalent in today’s world.

But just as I feel myself plummet into the depths of despair, the Universe shines her light – to remind me of who I am at my core – love…and hope. Two red foxes playing off in a field. An eagle majestically gliding in the sky. A beautiful sunrise. A gorgeous prairie sunset. The rugged, majestic beauty of the Rocky Mountains. A funky dude at a full-serve gas station in the middle of nowhere whose smile lights up the sky. Yes, I take notice. And I feel the healing influence of the natural world in my soul.

Despite the heaviness I feel about the insane reality of the rationally accepted violence that includes the consumption of animal flesh and secretions, I have a strong belief that one day we will look back on this paradigm with disgust and horror – just as we have with previous historical paradigms of extreme rationalized violence. And I have a strong intuitive feeling that I’ll witness this massive shift in my lifetime.

Today, we chat with co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, the feisty, funny and fabulous, Zoe Weil.

Zoe is a pioneer and passionate crusader in the humane education movement – a movement which works to create a humane, peaceful, healthy and just world for all people, animals, and the environment through education.

She created IHE’s M.Ed., M.A. and graduate certificate programs, as well as IHE’s acclaimed humane education and MOGO (most good) workshops and online courses.

She’s a 6 time author with inspiring books including the Nautilus Silver Medal-winner “Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life”. She’s also written many articles on humane education and humane living and has been interviewed by numerous radio and television stations and media outlets such as Forbes.com.

Zoe is a tireless speaker at universities, conferences, schools and communities across North America and she’s also an inspiring TEDx speaker. Her 2010 TEDx talk “The World Becomes what you teach” became one of the 50 top-rated of more than 12,000 TEDx talks that year. And since then she’s given 3 more amazing TEDx talks.

And, if that’s not enough, in 2012, Zoe premiered her 1-woman show “My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of a MOGO Girl” and now brings humane issues to communities through entertainment.

Have I mentioned yet that this tiny woman is an absolute ball of fire?

And that’s just the beginning. So sit back, enjoy the interview and allow Zoe to inspire you to think more critically, love more deeply and live as an exemplary ambassador for compassion.

The World Becomes What You Teach TEDx talk

SHOW NOTES

• Institute for Humane Education: http://humaneeducation.org/

• Zoe on Facebook: facebook.com/zoe.weil

• Zoe on Twitter: @ZoeWeil

• Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life

• My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of a MOGO Girl

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!

Today, we chat with co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, the feisty, funny and fabulous, Zoe Weil.

Zoe is a pioneer and passionate crusader in the humane education movement – a movement which works to create a humane, peaceful, healthy and just world for all people, animals, and the environment through education.

She created IHE’s M.Ed., M.A. and graduate certificate programs, as well as IHE’s acclaimed humane education and MOGO (most good) workshops and online courses.

She’s a 6 time author with inspiring books including the Nautilus Silver Medal-winner “Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life”. She’s also written many articles on humane education and humane living and has been interviewed by numerous radio and television stations and media outlets such as Forbes.com.

Zoe is a tireless speaker at universities, conferences, schools and communities across North America and she’s also an inspiring TEDx speaker. Her 2010 TEDx talk “The World Becomes what you teach” became one of the 50 top-rated of more than 12,000 TEDx talks that year. And since then she’s given 3 more amazing TEDx talks.

And, if that’s not enough, in 2012, Zoe premiered her 1-woman show “My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of a MOGO Girl” and now brings humane issues to communities through entertainment.

Have I mentioned yet that this tiny woman is an absolute ball of fire?

And that’s just the beginning. So sit back, enjoy the interview and allow Zoe to inspire you to think more critically, love more deeply and live as an exemplary ambassador for compassion.

The World Becomes What You Teach TEDx talk

SHOW NOTES

• Institute for Humane Education: http://humaneeducation.org/

• Zoe on Facebook: facebook.com/zoe.weil

• Zoe on Twitter: @ZoeWeil

• Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life

• My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of a MOGO Girl

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!

You know when you’re in the company of someone who you feel like you’ve known forever? Someone who you connect with on a soul level?

Today I sit down to interview a wise and very dear friend of mine. Sylvie Gouin is the author of Inspired Living: A Guided Yoga Journal. She’s also one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know. Someone I feel so deeply honoured to have in my life.

She continually inspires me to view the world with an open heart and open mind. Sylvie is one of those rare, beautiful people who defies linear time when in her presence.

Sylvie is a well loved yoga teacher, registered Nutrition Consultant Practitioner, Reiki Master and she’s also currently completing a degree in interfaith theology. She writes regularly on her blog sylviegouinyoga.com – always inspiring a broader way of viewing life.

Above all else, Sylvie exemplifies kindness. She has one of those beautiful smiles that lights up a room.

Yoga is Sylvie’s life. She lives and breathes the philosophy. She teaches and trains the asana practice with loving mindfulness while always inspiring critical thought. For Sylvie, yoga is not just another form of westernized exercise. It’s a way of being that’s built on the very foundation of love and compassion.

Today’s interview is truly inspiring and will definitely elicit some deep inner reflection. Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES:

• You Can Heal Your Life – Louise Hay

• Sylvie’s Blog: sylviegouinyoga.com

• Sylvie’s yoga training and retreats: Inspired Living Consulting

• Inspired Living, A Yoga Journal

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!

You know when you’re in the company of someone who you feel like you’ve known forever? Someone who you connect with on a soul level?

Today I sit down to interview a wise and very dear friend of mine. Sylvie Gouin is the author of Inspired Living: A Guided Yoga Journal. She’s also one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know. Someone I feel so deeply honoured to have in my life.

She continually inspires me to view the world with an open heart and open mind. Sylvie is one of those rare, beautiful people who defies linear time when in her presence.

Sylvie is a well loved yoga teacher, registered Nutrition Consultant Practitioner, Reiki Master and she’s also currently completing a degree in interfaith theology. She writes regularly on her blog sylviegouinyoga.com – always inspiring a broader way of viewing life.

Above all else, Sylvie exemplifies kindness. She has one of those beautiful smiles that lights up a room.

Yoga is Sylvie’s life. She lives and breathes the philosophy. She teaches and trains the asana practice with loving mindfulness while always inspiring critical thought. For Sylvie, yoga is not just another form of westernized exercise. It’s a way of being that’s built on the very foundation of love and compassion.

Today’s interview is truly inspiring and will definitely elicit some deep inner reflection. Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES:

• You Can Heal Your Life – Louise Hay

• Sylvie’s Blog: sylviegouinyoga.com

• Sylvie’s yoga training and retreats: Inspired Living Consulting

• Inspired Living, A Yoga Journal

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!

You know when you’re in the company of someone who you feel like you’ve known forever? Someone who you connect with on a soul level?

Today I sit down to interview a wise and very dear friend of mine. Sylvie Gouin is the author of Inspired Living: A Guided Yoga Journal. She’s also one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know. Someone I feel so deeply honoured to have in my life.

She continually inspires me to view the world with an open heart and open mind. Sylvie is one of those rare, beautiful people who defies linear time when in her presence.

Sylvie is a well loved yoga teacher, registered Nutrition Consultant Practitioner, Reiki Master and she’s also currently completing a degree in interfaith theology. She writes regularly on her blog sylviegouinyoga.com – always inspiring a broader way of viewing life.

Above all else, Sylvie exemplifies kindness. She has one of those beautiful smiles that lights up a room.

Yoga is Sylvie’s life. She lives and breathes the philosophy. She teaches and trains the asana practice with loving mindfulness while always inspiring critical thought. For Sylvie, yoga is not just another form of westernized exercise. It’s a way of being that’s built on the very foundation of love and compassion.

Today’s interview is truly inspiring and will definitely elicit some deep inner reflection. Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES:

• You Can Heal Your Life – Louise Hay

• Sylvie’s Blog: sylviegouinyoga.com

• Sylvie’s yoga training and retreats: Inspired Living Consulting

• Inspired Living, A Yoga Journal

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!

Finally! The inaugural Unplug Podcast is up and running and ready to inspire.

What the heck is the Unplug Podcast you may ask?

It’s a weekly audio program for listeners who are ready to shift the paradigm from head to heart and co-create a more passionate, compassionate, loving and interconnected world – for humanity, animals, the natural world and, of course, ourselves. So the title “Unplug” is actually all about unplugging from status-quo and living an authentic life that serves you and a planet so desperately in need.

This podcast is for people who want to live a simpler, kinder and more spiritually inclusive life outside of the distraction and stifling confines of the status-quo cultural mindset.

Each week I’ll interview an amazing, heart-centered paradigm buster to motivate you to live a more passionate, compassionate and inspired life that helps shift this crazy paradigm.

In today’s debut episode, you get to know a little bit about my journey, what you can expect from this podcast and then we deep dive into my favorite topic – living a life of purpose.

What’s my goal with this podcast? Why world peace of course (no joke)! And I certainly can’t accomplish this mission alone.

My aim is to unleash more compassion, more passion, more authenticity, more critical-thinking, and waaay more consciousness on a planet that’s crying out for mercy.

I hope you enjoy this first episode. This is only the beginning of what I’m hoping will be a revolutionary platform for consciousness and peace.

Because I really want for this to be a collective effort, I’m wide open for suggestions on topics you’d like to hear about in upcoming episodes, people you’d like me to interview, and anything else that helps create a more heart-centered paradigm.

And please spread the word! Share this podcast far and wide and let’s co-create a better world!

Thanks so much for listening…and caring!

SHOW NOTES

• Eckhart Tolle

• Rich Roll

• Old MacDonalds Factory Farm – David Coates

• Kelly Howell

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!