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

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” —Helen Keller

We are all made of physical material. Our bodies can be seen, felt, moved, and touched. Yet there is so much more to who we are. We are energy. We are soul, spirit, heart, conscience, mind and emotions.

Physically, the heart is the most powerful muscle in the body. Non-physically — from a spiritual perspective — the heart is where soul, spirit and consciousness reside. Spiritual heart refers to the core of our being.

In the Far East, its been said that the innermost channel of the heart is the non-dual channel – the seat of our essential nature. Non-duality is the philosophical, spiritual, and scientific understanding of non-separation and the fundamental oneness with all living beings. When our hearts connect, we are joined as one in unity regardless of race, gender, age, or species. This is who we truly are at our core.

Qualities of our essential nature include pure love (without conditions), compassion, kindness, joy, courage, strength, truth, wisdom, freedom and peace. These pure essential qualities manifest personally as authenticity, integrity, autonomy, joie-de-vivre, caring, empathy, competence, harmony and dignity.

In our fast-paced, hyper-distracted, technologically addicted, and spiritually disconnected world, many people have closed off their hearts. As a result, the prevailing cause of death in today’s world is heart disease. Ironic don’t you think?

The solution to this dire crisis of heart disconnect is utterly simple. Breathe. Relax. Feel. Unplug from the race and reconnect to life.

Since 1991, the HeartMath Institute has been sharing a similar message with millions of people around the globe. Bridging spirituality with science, the HeartMath Institute has researched and developed reliable, scientifically based tools to help people bridge the connection between heart and mind, and also to deepen their connection with the hearts of others.

The HeartMath Institute has scientifically proven what Eastern spiritual traditions have known for centuries: that the heart is the source of our greatest, most expansive life-affirming intelligence. Through HeartMath’s extensive body of work, they have irrefutable proof that the heart is so much more than a physical pump, it’s our true spiritual powerhouse.

This week, I have the honor of speaking with HeartMath’s Executive Vice President, Howard Martin. Howard has been instrumental in assisting Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath, in the development and teaching of HeartMath’s programs since its inception.

Along with Doc Childre, Howard is the co-author of the popular book, The HeartMath Solution. Howard is also a key spokesperson for HeartMath and has conducted hundreds of news media and documentary film interviews including CNN Headline News, ABC Good Morning America, and ABC World New Tonight.

This week, we speak about many things heart-related, including:

• How life is about continuous growth.

• Bridging science with spirituality.

• Redefining the heart: How the heart is so much more than a physical pump.

• How the heart is the strongest source of bio-electricity in the body (40-60 times more powerful than the brain).

• What are electromagnetic fields and why they’re so import for our emotional health.

• How our collective thoughts and emotions can alter reality.

• What is the Global Coherence Initiative?

• The importance of the energetic ecology of the earth.

• Energetic sensitivity and staying grounded in turbulent times.

• The importance of patience to remain centered.

• How the heart can create miracles if the mind doesn’t interfere.

• How intuition is our greatest intelligence in the emerging new paradigm.

This week, I dive into a powerful conversation with CODE Model coach and Nia Dance Instructor, Nancy Hanlon about the cultural brainwashing of scarcity and how we must reclaim our bodies and our authentic Selves to discover true and lasting abundance.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” —Kahlil Gibran

Many of us know the expression, love at first sight. Whether we experience it with a partner, a friend, an animal, even a natural location, we feel it…we know it.

But what about love at second sight? How many of us discount someone, someplace, or something because we refuse to take a closer look?

It’s no secret that we live in an intolerant, judgmental culture. My belief is that most judgment and intolerance stems from a severed relationship with oneself. Underneath the hard shell of intolerance is a truckload of self loathing.

We all need to feel worthy: to be heard, to be seen, and to be loved. When these basic soul needs are unmet, we feel unsafe. When we feel unsafe, we often lash out. Self-sabotage, hurtful words, damaging behaviors, and mindless actions towards others are typical manifestations of unmet soul needs.

Our culture preys on this and seduces us with meaningless ways to fill the void. “Buy X and you will become Y”, we’re told. We consume. We conform. We give ourselves away. A quick hit of externally sourced self worth…only to feel more worthless in the end.

But what if we’ve always been Y, and X is just a distraction from our greatness?

You see, Y is very simple: be everything that you’re meant to be. Stop searching outside, claim yourself and shine. End of story.

Episode #84 is a powerful conversation with David Roach and Marlena Blavin, the co-creators of Love at Second Sight, an empowering story-based experiential school program that transforms attitudes about appearance, and encourages students to accept themselves and others. Love at Second Sight inspires tolerance, kindness, and compassion. It also empowers self-worth.

David Roche was born with a severe facial disfigurement. On the left side of his face is an extensive cavernous hemangioma, a benign tumor consisting of blood vessels. As a child, he underwent many facial surgeries and heavy radiation therapy which left radiation burns on his temple and eyelid. As David says, “Having a facial difference has taught me a valuable life lesson because I was forced to find my inner beauty. My passion is to share my experiences and inspire people, especially kids, to appreciate what is unique in themselves and others.”

David clearly shows us that beauty is an inside job.

Marlena Blavin is David’s wife. Marlena’s first reaction to David’s appearance was revulsion, but there was something much deeper that inspired their eventual relationship: something well beyond the physical appearance that culturally, we get so hung up on. Marlena’s story is one of following her heart by connecting to David’s inner light. It’s a story of a dramatic perceptual shift…a story of love at second sight.

Marlena and David, through the power of their stories, are radically changing perceptions for thousands of children and adults throughout Canada and the US. This dynamic and passionate duo empowers participants of all ages to love themselves…exactly as they are.

This week, we dive into a powerful discussion about:

* How our differences are our gifts.

* How true beauty runs so much deeper than our physical body.

* Confidence: Know it, grow it, and show it.

* The importance of safety for self-worth.

* How all social justice movements are connected.

* How the more we talk about important issues and bring them out of the shadows, the more they disappear.

* How perceptual shifts go well beyond our five senses.

* What is soul safety?

* How we all have a place where fear and shame reside. Dealing with that place keeps the predators away.

* The beauty of passion!

David and Marlena show us that every one of us is beautiful and that we all matter. They show us that true beauty has little to do with what we see in the mirr...

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” —John Milton

Life is a series of one-time only moments never to be replicated. Small signs, synchronicities, and pivotal experiences are often the bread crumbs that show us the way — our way. How many of us disregard these moments as…nothing? How many of us rationalize our way into the same old, same old? Don’t rock the boat. Follow the rules. Stay the course.

What if we shifted our gaze however? What if we took heed of the inner cues that are always tugging on our hearts? What if by paying attention and following the signs, our purpose would become more clear?

While sitting in a college economics class, 19-year old Jake Ducey followed a sign. Unhappy with a classroom conversation about the Federal Reserve, he asked a simple, yet challenging question. It was shut down…silenced. A louder sign. Get out. Now.

That’s exactly what he did. In that moment, Jake realized that the American Dream of happiness, success, and fulfillment would not be his path. He left behind a collegiate basketball scholarship, dropped out of school, and set out on a worldwide adventure.

Inspired by the movie, Into the Wild, he documented his journey and released his first book titled, Into the Wind. Without a publisher or any significant budget, Jake managed to self-promote his book to Amazon’s top 300. Considering Amazon’s vast database, this is no small feat.

Spring-boarding off the success of Into the Wind, Jake was invited to speak on the TEDx stage. He’s since built a loyal on-line following. Jake also piqued the interest and subsequent mentorship of superstar Chicken Soup for the Soul author, Jack Canfield. At 23, Jake has since become the youngest author to score a motivational book publishing deal at a major publishing house with his most recent book, The Purpose Principles.

One of the most beautiful parts of Jake’s story is what he considers his greatest accomplishment. With some of the money he’s since earned with his books, he’s helped build an orphanage in Guatemala. Not only does Jake follow his heart, he acts from it.

After watching Jake’s TEDx talk, I was hooked. I knew that I had to have him on the show. He’s wise beyond his years and has an infinite plethora of wisdom to share.

This week, we explore topics such as:

• Paying attention to the signs that lead us to purpose.

• Asking questions rather than regurgitating information.

• Internal alignment vs. external conditioning.

• Saying yes to yourself.

• How it’s better to appear strange to others than to be a stranger to yourself.

• The power of curiosity.

• Seizing pivotal moments.

• What is happiness?

• The simplicity of life in a complex world.

• Showing up as a leader in our lives…and in the world.

• The things we fear the most are often the things that will set us free.

• The freedom of forgiveness.

• The foundation of social justice is spirituality.

• The link between purpose and activism.

• How fear can either paralyze us or make us stronger.

• Purpose is not what you do, it’s how you show up in the world.

As Jack Canfield said to Jake, “Jake considers me his mentor – a role I relish, but just as important, I consider Jake an inspiration in my life.”

I can honestly say that I feel exactly the same way. Enjoy this week’s powerful conversation with Jake Ducey.

Note: I feel it fair to mention that the audio for today’s conversation is a bit spotty. Jake and I tried to make Skype work, but it was funky that day, so we opted for his cell phone. I did my best to clean up the audio and it’s definitely better. My unsolicited invitation is to stay with it. Once your ears attune to the audio, you’ll be blown away by what he has to say.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” —John Milton

We live in a culture that has set us up for addiction. From iPhones, alcohol, drugs, shopping, television, Youtube, and Facebook, to fossil fuels, techno-gadgets, gambling, exercise, and pharmaceuticals. The opportunities for self-distraction (aka addiction) are endless.

In a domesticated culture that has lost its instinctive ability to properly care for itself, perhaps one of the most damaging addictions is the one that impacts us every time we sit down to eat. Our “food” system has become more of a burdened beast than a liberated source of wellness. Our dysfunctional, highly engineered culture ensures our domesticated compliance – and we perpetuate it with every choice, action…and bite that we take.

Why is that? As author and psychologist Mary Pipher states, “We have paleolithic arousal systems, neolithic brains, medieval institutions, and 21st Century technology.” (Note: I’m getting a lot of mileage out of this quote lately. It says it all!).

Between our troglodyte brains and our 21st Century culture, the deck is really stacked against us.

But what if there’s more to it? What if some of us are just more susceptible to addiction – especially with food?

Susan Peirce Thompson knows a thing or two about addiction. At the young age of 14, she developed an intimate relationship with drugs. Six years later, she found her way out. But in doing so, she found her way in to another form of addiction — this time with food. Unable to control her cravings, she packed on the pounds as she binged her way to obesity.

As a woman with a Ph.D in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, one would think that she’d have it all together. Sadly, that’s not the case. Our labels may define our outer world, but they often neglect our inner world. Such was the case in Susan’s life. On the outside, everything appeared great. On the inside, a battle raged on.

Weight gain, depression, therapy, and large doses of antidepressants led to an eventual threshold where she reclaimed herself. In the process, she discovered a method that helped her deal with her addiction once and for all. Over the years, she’s refined this method and is now empowering others to heal the food addict within.

This week’s conversation delves deep into Susan’s story of personal transformation as well as her personal and professional research on the psychology of addiction. Highlights of our conversation include:

• The threshold of change.

• Moments of grace.

• Transcendent moments and how they must be seized in the moment.

• What is the susceptibility scale?

• How refined foods are engineered for addiction.

• How the brain demands what it needs — whether we like it or not.

• How consciousness is generated by individual parts of the brain in relation to their activities.

• Food addiction and its relation to the brain.

• How our society is set up for addiction.

• The willpower gap.

• The psychology behind food cravings.

• The passion behind Bright Line Eating.

Susan shares her story of struggle with authentic transparency (and a generous dose of good humor), and I’m thrilled to now share our compelling conversation.

SHOW NOTES:

• Susan’s main website.

• Happy, Thin and Free website.

• Bright Line Eating Boot Camp website.

• Ellyn Satter Institute website.

Are you inspired by this podcast? If so,

Gene Baur is a man who exemplifies radical compassion. He’s a compelling reminder of who we all can be should we choose to live from the depths of compassion in our hearts. Gene is the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. He’s also a best-selling author, activist, environmentalist, humanitarian, and a talented runner and Ironman triathlete to boot.

Charlotte packs a lot of wisdom in her youth and I’m honored to bring this moving conversation to you this week. It’s young people like Charlotte who give me so much hope for the millennial generation – embracing their calling and living their truth.

A few years back, I had a powerful awakening that forever changed my life. It was catalyzed by a tragic death, an Ironman triathlon, a dark night of the soul, and a glimmer of light that led me on a deeply personal journey of self exploration. It was a pivotal time in my life that led me to the discovery of more of I was meant to be.

As I progressed along the path of healing, I took an unexpected detour that led me to question who I was becoming. As I morphed and expanded, I fed my mind with an endless supply of personal growth, self-development and spiritual books that initially seemed to help me become…”better”. As I pressed on with my voracious reading binge however, I started feeling confused. Why was it so hard to remain in a perpetual state of positivity? Why could I not tame my inner fire? Why did I feel so ashamed with my judgements? Why were the coveted states of bliss and joy so evasive?

The more confused I felt, the more confined I felt. The more confined I felt, the more frustrated I became. I was struggling to fit into the spiritual and growth models that so many ascended “gurus” have written about.

Eventually, I reached a threshold where I felt a deeply uncomfortable misalignment with my authentic self. I needed to return to the real me.

On pure impulse one morning, I packed up my books (boxes and boxes of them) and donated them to the local library. In the process, I liberated myself and accepted me…for me. Warts and all. In that moment, I stopped judging myself for not being the perfect specimen of spiritual evolution.

I realized that the journey of self evolution has no finish line. It’s organic, non linear, and profoundly personal. I also noticed that I wasn’t alone in my misaligned perception of spirituality. I found myself irritated with the many people who so deftly spoke the spiritual lingo, but who lacked congruence with their behaviors and actions. I wondered what it was all about…and how did I fall prey to it?

I discovered the answer in two words – spiritual bypassing – an eloquent way of avoiding who we authentically are. A subtle, yet pervasive mindset that infiltrates consciousness in ways that lead to the avoidance of the painful and “socially unacceptable” parts of who we are. Spiritual bypassing gives us the illusion that we are more whole than we actually are.

No wonder I didn’t feel authentic. I was trying to be something that I’m not.

I realized that it’s ok to not be all love and light all of the time. It’s just not realistic. Anyone who claims to be so is a liar (or on heavy drugs). For crying out loud, even the Dalai Llama gets pissed off! The key though, is how we cope with our feelings; emotional literacy.

This led me on a deeper exploration into the psychic fabric of spiritual bypassing. And this is how I discovered the work of this week’s Unplug podcast guest.

Robert Masters is the author of Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us from What Really Matters. He’s also an integral psychotherapist, relationship expert, trainer of healing professionals, and author of many other profoundly transformative books. His work blends the psychological and emotional with the spiritual.

When I read his book, Spiritual Bypassing, it all made sense. I felt a greater sense of liberation. I felt a deeper connection to my true self…including all of my unpleasant bits. When I completed the book, I knew that I had to reach out to Robert for this show. I was excited to share his message of pure authenticity – permission to be who we truly are.

Here’s the deal, if you can talk the spiritual talk, but the spiritual walk still fills you with pain, there’s a strong likelihood that you’re spiritually bypassing. Don’t worry though, there’s a way out…and that’s in.

This week,

One of the most powerful acts of paradigm-shifting rebellion is to think for ourselves.

For thousands of years, oppressive cultural systems (religion, education, media, family, politics, economy, and culture) have held the collective hostage to smallness. Designed to ensure a compliant method of thought, these antiquated systems have succeeded in nothing more than destroying the soul. The cumulative effects of this separation-based consciousness have not been pretty. On a personal level, abnormal ailments such as: obesity, anxiety, depression, addiction, selfishness, low self-worth, narcissism, greed, judgement, and fear plague our consciousness.

On a collective level, we witness the ongoing lunacy of: climate change, war, rape, misogyny, sexism, racism, speciesism, dying oceans, over-consumption, environmental destruction, and the gluttonous destruction of billions of animals to feed nothing more than a deeply rooted cultural addiction.

The low level of patriarchal consciousness that has trapped us in separation (competition, fear, consumption, conformity, judgement, and indifference) for far too long, is growing weary however. As dissatisfaction with personal and global circumstances awakens the hearts of people around the globe, patriarchal consciousness is losing its grip on the human psyche.

Within every one of us lies a dormant seed of awakening; an expression of infinite, expansive potential. What will it take to awaken the giant from within?

The answer lies in one powerful word. Courage. The embodied union of head and heart with action.

As author Brené Brown says that, “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences — good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as “ordinary courage.”

Courage is the unwavering passion that drives us towards the voice of our heart. It is the willingness to take action towards a greater purpose despite uncertainty, risk, pain, and fear. It is the compulsion to persevere in the face of adversity. It is speaking out and taking a stand for what is life-affirming, true and right. Courage is the power of spirit animating flesh for the creation of a better you, and a better world.

Enter Roz Savage, author, speaker, life-coach, adventurer, and earth warrior. Roz is best known as the first woman to row solo three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. While confined to a 23-foot rowboat, she’s rowed 15,000 miles, spent over 500 days of her life at sea, and taken more than 5 millions oar strokes. She capsized three times in a 24-hour period, faced death by dehydration, encountered endless sea life, and was graced by the breathtaking beauty of untarnished sunrises, sunsets, and star-filled skies. She’s spoken on the TEDx stage and has written two powerful books about her experiences, “Rowing the Atlantic”, and “Stop Drifting, Start Rowing”. Roz is a self-admitted “evolution junkie” on an endless quest for expansion and redefinition.

With her ocean rowing days now behind her, Roz’ latest incarnation is that of life coach. With the recent completion of an intense program of study, along with her plethora of wisdom, life-experience, and courage, she now guides others towards their hopes, dreams, and greater potential. Who better to speak to courage than one who lives it herself?

Roz shared her journey from unhappy, materialistic management consultant to passionate environmental advocate and o...

We’re born to the world as pure potential – expansive, innocent, untarnished. A blank slate; ready to learn what it means to be human. Without the awareness to fend for ourselves, the next several years are shaped by an external world of hand-me-down belief systems based on the notions of conformity, consumption, compliance, judgment, fear, and indifference. We’re adulterated by beliefs that isolate us from all that matters.

We’re taught to run with the pack, think like the herd, conform to cultural expectations, consume like there’s no tomorrow, and believe everything we’re told by those who perpetuate the status quo.

It’s been said that the indoctrination process is complete by the tender age of five. The unexamined belief systems of a culture in a trance so deeply installed that we become nothing more than the by-products of a consumptive machine. This is the cultural mindset that we’ve collectively normalized. This is status quo. Status quo is a ruthless predator that destroys our souls.

The blind acceptance of what we know in our hearts to be untrue has caused wanton violence, global oppression, rampant greed, rapacious consumption, runaway climate change, dying oceans, and widespread unhappiness.

As we move through life conditioned by parents, teachers, authority figures, religion, media, politics, and culture, our essence is squelched, fragmented, and compartmentalized. We’re taught to hear but not listen; speak but not act; think but not feel. We’re taught to conform, consume, comply. We label, we fear, we judge…we separate.

In a culture with deeply rooted systems that are hell bent on squashing our potential, our greatest life challenge is returning to who we authentically are.

But what if the return to wholeness is easy saying, “no more”? What if, by standing firmly in our truth, we’ve already returned home?

We’re inculcated to believe that life is complex; that we must search for, and create complicated solutions for simple problems. This ensures our demise as we spin around in circles aimlessly searching outside of ourselves for what is desperate to emerge from within. But what if by connecting to our bodies, feeling what is real, telling ourselves the truth, and the simple act of breathing, we’ve made the quantum leap of consciousness that leads us on the path to wholeness?

This week I speak with Naomi Irons and Nancy Hanlon, two powerful women who are passionate about awakening the giant from within each and every one of us. They are both Certified WEL-Systems® CODE Model Coaches™ with a hunger for ongoing expansion.

This week’s conversation is intimate, authentic, wise, and raw. We go deep.

Highlights of this week’s conversation include:

• What is wholeness?

• The systems that remove us from wholeness.

• How religion removes us from our sacredness.

• The organic state of slow that comes from authenticity.

• How higher order conversations change our lives.

• How culture has separated us from our deep inner truth.

• Redefining body intelligence.

• Integrating thought and body.

• How reclaiming the body is essential to wholeness.

• How asking bigger questions leads to a bigger life.

• How fear keeps a collective in check.

• The importance of trust and safety for returning to wholeness.

• How the awakening of sacredness awakens the depth of our caring.

• The importance of like-minded community in an altered world.

We are already whole. We need not search anymore. Instead, we need to stop long enough to be found.