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

I’ve been doing this podcast for just over a year now. It was created to bring more critical thought, purpose, truth, and love into a world gone sideways. Every episode is the voice of my heart shared through powerful conversations that inspire you to look into the truth that lives in your own heart.

Most conversations end with a question that drops interviewees into the pure love at their core. The question is this: “If you had a magic wand and could wave it over the planet, what kind of world would you create?” The answers are consistently beautiful and they show me – and all of us – that at our collective core, we are love. We all know what better looks like. We all know that we can be better. We all know in our hearts that a beautiful world is within our reach.

This week’s special 2014 finale episode is a powerful compilation of inspired answers to the question, “If you had a magic wand and could wave it over the planet, what kind of world would you create?”

Take this show as a seed for 2015. Plant it in your heart, and nurture it like your life depends on it. Because it probably does.

I wish you a loving, conscious, and inspirational 2015!

Magic wand answers in sequential order:

Sylvie Gouin

Anita Krajnc and Mary Fantaske

Sierra Bender

Peter Russell

Rae Sikora

Gene Baur

Jo-Anne McArthur

Dr. Andra Brosh

Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter (Esther the Wonderpig’s dad’s)

Janette Wakelin-Murray and Alan Murray

Jenny Brown

Catherine Lesage

Gillian Mandich and Ange Peters

Rich Roll

Jo-Anne Guimond

Kathy Stevens

Dominique Hurley

Jan Phillips

Kimberly Carroll

Leslie Bridger

Barbara Cartwright

Barbara Marx-Hubbard

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Beca Lewis

Roz Savage

Suzanne Thomas

Kym Chi

Dr. Will Tuttle

Skye Dreamer

Seane Corn

Louise Lebrun

Brynn McLennan

Ocean Robbins

Ruby Roth

Toni Bergins

Len Goldsmith

Deb Gleason

Susan Simmons

Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn

Chef AJ and yours truly

Naomi Irons

Sharon Gannon

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

1. Support the show!

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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!

I write this post a few days prior to the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice. A time of silence and darkness – a still point poised between two states. When darkness gives birth to new light.

Solstice ceremonies have evolved across cultures for many millennia. Many Christmas traditions originated from winter solstice celebrations. For many people in today’s world however, the solstice is overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations. As joyful as this can be, the holiday season also presents ample opportunity for excesses such as over-consumption, overindulgence, over-stimulation and over-spending. This can lead to extra stress and feelings of depletion at a time of year that naturally calls us to slow down, turn inward and renew and replenish ourselves.

I mention this as an invitation for you to set aside some time to honor the solstice in a meaningful way that will connect you to nature, feed your spirit and nourish your body, while at the same time, remind you of the part you play in the larger order of the always changing, always renewing biosphere and cosmos. This could be as simple as lighting a candle, silently watching the sun rise or set, a walk in your favorite natural setting, sharing a compassionate meal of seasonal goodies with loved ones, or taking winter naps.

Whatever you do, be sure to honor this special time of year by remembering the importance of this beautiful planet and the role you play in making it better. Connect to your natural self, slow down, be still and leave the unnatural consumptive patterns of our hectic, disconnected culture behind. Try it – even for a few hours and observe how your soul responds. The simplest path to living an authentic and meaningful life is always found in the love that exists in the quiet moments.

Speaking of living an authentic and meaningful life, this week, I have the pleasure of sharing an inspiring conversation with Julie “SriMati” Piatt about pain, purpose, service, spirituality, high-vibrational foods, and the often messy path towards authentic expression.

Julie is the beautiful woman who complements the life of plant-based, ultra-endurance athlete and author of “Finding Ultra”, Rich Roll (interviewed in Episode #18). She’s a frequent co-host on the Rich Roll Podcast where she willingly shares her plethora of spiritual wisdom with those who dare to explore more of who they are.

Julie is a multi-passionate woman with a true creative spirit which she expresses through her music, art, and food. Her mission is to serve her higher purpose in the most meaningful way that has the greatest impact on this planet. This mission is love. Julie is a yogini who has embraced the essence of the Baghavad Gita in a way that has led her to an ever expansive sense of purpose that inspires others to embrace the core of who they are.

Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled to be connected to such a committed and compassionate kindred spirit.

Julie and I dig into many deep topics that reveal the tumultuous consistency of the human experience. She shares her journey towards the plant-powered way that she and Rich are so well known for as well as her deep devotion to her spirituality and how this helps her remain centered in the eye of the storm that we know as life.

In this week’s show, we discuss:

* Claiming your voice and honoring the creative self.

* How pain is what leads us towards expansion and transformation.

* The truth about gluten-free.

* The importance of mastering emotions (emotional maturity), perspective, and where we put our energy, thoughts, and attention to direct the life of our choosing.

* How the moments that bring us to our knees are often the most sacred.

* The greatest service we can offer in today’s disconnected world is to connect to our au...

If you’re familiar with this show, you know that I don’t hide the fact that my heart and soul are connected with all life on this planet. As a result, despite the fact that I’m not a fan of labels, I have chosen to identify myself primarily with the vegan label should I ever be asked by someone who doesn’t understand otherwise. It’s just easier that way. Vegan means respect, unity, and interconnection with all life. To me it is the most loving choice that we human beings can make in a world that is filled with gratuitous violence, suffering and inexcusable cruelty.

For me, vegan is the essence of ahimsa – the Sanskrit word for non violence in thoughts, behaviours, and actions. I’m vegan for one reason only. Love. I love animals. I love the natural world. I love this planet. I love myself. And despite all our flaws, I love humanity because I know the potential that we all hold in our hearts to be so much better. This one choice – vegan – covers it all. It expresses love for all. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t without its imperfections. As long as we wear a human costume we’re not exempt from causing harm to others. But I believe that vegan is the choice that causes the least amount of harm in so many areas including what I’ve previously mentioned. Vegan is based on the essence of compassion and kindness. Vegan embraces love for all life.

This week’s podcast is a powerful conversation which embraces the essence of vegan/ahimsa – with a focus on our collective relationship to the ghosts in our machine. I’m referencing our relationship to animals as they exist within the confines of the destructive machine that we have normalized as a culture entranced by fear, indifference, and sameness.

Why do I bring these really important conversations to the forefront of our consciousness in this podcast? Because a lot of these conversations are conveniently ignored in today’s world in order to preserve the status quo and maintain a dysfunctional illusion of comfort. But here’s the deal. I believe in critical thought and critical thought is what exposes truth. I am a voracious truth seeker and I’m presupposing that because you’re reading this post or listening to this podcast that you are a truth seeker as well. When we seek truth, we’re also yearning to become better, more authentic, and more whole versions of ourselves as we expand into more of who we’ve always been meant to be.

I believe in the good of humanity – the light let’s call it. I believe that we can all strive to be so much better than what we’ve been conditioned to become in this ludicrous paradigm of separation. That’s why I bring these conversations to the forefront of our consciousness. I bring these conversations into the world to remind all those who are courageous enough to listen, that we are all better. There is always room for expansion and growth. That’s the beauty of our humanity. When we courageously approach our lives with this mindset – to become the greatest version of who we’ve always been meant to be in this short incarnation – we then live our calling. We live our purpose. We embody it. And our ultimate purpose is just that – to remember who we truly are and to shine that person into the world in a unique way that leaves it a better place. That is the purpose that we all share.

I believe that there are more and more conversations these days like the ones I bring to light as the collective consciousness appears to be waking up. There are more discussions about our treatment towards those we share the planet with. There have been so many great movies that have come out in the past few years that have contributed to this more expansive consciousness. I’m speaking about movies such as Blackfish, The Cove, and

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while you will have heard me mention (more than a few times) the book that I’m currently writing. Well, here’s the real deal, I’m actually writing 3 books and a manifesto – with 5 more at the ready. Let’s just say that I’ve been a very busy lass creating meaningful work in my cozy little home in beautiful B.C.

Having said that, I’m now going to confess to a little secret I’ve not wanted to face for the past little while. Up until recently, I’ve been dragging my feet on said writing projects for reasons unknown. If you know me, you’ll know that this is really out of character. After all, I’m an Ironman triathlete. I’m disciplined, dedicated, and never, ever bail on anything that I commit my heart to. Yes, I can be prone to procrastination (please tell me I’m not alone), but this was different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the inner resistance that was holding me back until a post-interview conversation that I had with Chef AJ from podcast #49.

After our recorded chat, we spoke candidly about many things such as writing, podcasting, and self publishing. The conversation opened my mind in ways that excited me beyond belief. In that one hour, my writing mojo was more was back – I was on fire!

You see, last year I attended a fantastic writing retreat in California that was instrumental in leading me on the path that I’m on today. There was one thing that didn’t resonate with me however, and that was the constant talk of book deals, mainstream publishing, literary agents, platforms…yadda, yadda, yadda. I felt exhausted. Defeated. Drained. My body was clearly indicating to me that this was not my path, but my soul was telling me that I had to write. So what’s the deal?

It wasn’t until my conversation with Chef AJ that I clearly saw the writing on the wall. I will write as directed by my soul and I will self publish as directed by my need to crush status quo. I will change the world, I will empower others, and I will be empowered myself. The end. Ta da!

To be perfectly honest, the thought of building a platform, spending countless hours writing the book followed by countless more hours writing a proposal, then grovelling for an agent to pimp me out to a judgmental publisher so I can be rejected umpteen times before finally being accepted only to be told that I have to wait another year to be published so that I can earn a pittance for every book sold as the world goes to hell in a hand-basket…was not very motivating. But I didn’t know much else other than the sad stories I’d heard about unknown authors printing hordes of books with nowhere to store them only to place them in the trunks of their cars as they desperately tried to peddle them to bookstores that weren’t interested. It all sounded so crappy.

But Chef AJ – my savior – inspired me to explore the world of self publishing. This led to hours of online searching for legitimate resources to point me in the right direction…heck, why not just blurt it out – to hold my hand. Yes, I definitely needed hand holding in this unknown domain.

And this is where this week’s podcast guest enters the story. When I “stumbled on” (ha, there are no accidents)Joanna Penn’s website, I began to vibrate with excitement. I was immediately impressed. Blog post after blog post filled with exactly the hand-holding guidance that I was hungry for. A woman whose desire to serve shone like a beacon in a sea of sales pitches and false promises. I knew I had to have her on this podcast to spread her plethora of wisdom even further.

Not only is Joanna incredibly generous with her knowledge, she’s a true status quo crusher. She left a high paying, soul sucking corporate career to unleash the author within. Joanna has two writing persona’s – the non-fiction author who helps people like myself to navigate the exciting and ever expanding world...

Love is what motivated me to connect with this week’s Unplug podcast guest. Sharon Gannon is love embodied. Along with David Life, she is the co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga Method which distinguishes itself as a path to enlightenment by promoting compassion for all beings, challenging the modern belief that enslaving and exploiting animals and the natural world is our right as the dominant species. Jivamukti Yoga is taught worldwide and includes high profile students such as Sting, Trudie Styler, Russell Simmons, Joan Jett, Willem Dafoe, Madonna, and Michael Franti to name but a few of the well known people who’ve dared to go deeper into their essential nature.

Sharon is a passionate animal rights advocate and conveys her message of compassion through the ancient wisdom of yoga. She’s quoted as saying that “the fork can be a powerful weapon of mass destruction or a tool to create peace on earth.”

I certainly won’t argue with that.

Sharon is also quoted as saying: “How you treat others will determine how others treat you. How others treat you will determine how you see yourself. How you see yourself will determine who you are.”

Sharon is the author of the newly released book “Simple Recipes for Joy” which is a stunningly beautiful cookbook that just arrived in my household. She’s also the author of “Yoga and Vegetarianism” which is a book that I read a few years back when I was just getting into yoga and learning how powerful this ancient wisdom is for reminding us of our purest nature of compassion. There are more books, more accomplishments, and much more wisdom to share but I’ll save that for our conversation.

I thank my dear friend Jenny Brown from the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary for connecting Sharon and I. We had an amazing Skype conversation and instantly bonded – kindred spirits in compassion. When I found out that she would be passing through the Vancouver area on her book tour, I set up a date to meet her in person and it was beautiful. She’s passionate, compassionate, funny, warm, and wise. There’s nothing like solidifying a relationship with an in-person connection over a cup of almond chai and delicious hot soup on a cold and rainy west coast day. I’m grateful that we had a few hours to hang out together when we were both in Vancouver last week.

Sharon gave a lovely talk and book signing at a local bookstore after our culinary experience and before I share this week’s interview, I want to share a response to a question that came up during the Q and A portion of the talk.

There was a question towards the end of the talk about the northern indigenous traditions of giving thanks to animals that were hunted ceremoniously that Sharon answered so beautifully. Personally, I don’t really understand why a question like that came up during a talk about a recently published cookbook but people can be quite bizarre when they’re looking for ways to hang onto old belief systems. Including their romanticized spiritual notions of a long gone era. Romanticizing a cultural mindset that no longer exists in the consumptive world of today only continues the perpetuation of the illusion of separation and my belief is that we’re so much better than this and if we only remembered that, the world would be a completely different place. But let me tell you what Sharon had to say.

Sharon’s response to the ancient indigenous hunting question went like this:

“As a species we used to do alot of things that we really don’t need to do now. So what we did in the past, we can’t change that. It’s done. We did it. But we can move forward and evolve. In the past it was perfectly natural for men to rape women, to own women, to view women and children as property. There are alot of awful things that we did and when we grew up as a species, we began to see then in a different light.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m deeply grateful for the people I have the honor of connecting with on the Unplug journey of awakening. Meaningful conversations that inspire expansion are what guide us all towards wholeness.

This week’s Unplug podcast guest is a woman who inspires a depth of thought like no other. Naomi Irons is a beautiful soul committed to expanding into the greatest version of who she knows herself to be. She’s a woman who is profoundly committed to her true self. She’s passionate about discovering the depths of her own evolution as well as engaging with others who hunger to know themselves well beyond the surface of who and what they have been taught to believe themselves to be.

Naomi is a registered massage therapist, doula, yoga instructor and certified CODE model coach with the Wel- Systems® Institute. She’s also a woman with a plethora of inner wisdom to share.

This week’s conversation is powerful, inspiring, and deeper than deep. There’s a profoundly organic flow to this conversation that takes us all to new depths.

We dig into topics such as:

• Having the courage to really ask yourself “Who am I?”.

• The awakening of intuition inside the body.

• Do we make choices in alignment with who we’ve always been conditioned to be or do we allow ourselves to trust the choices that align us with who we have the potential to become?

• It’s a profound act of courage to tell ourselves the truth.

• It’s an act of transformation when we allow ourselves to be witnessed in the truth of our experience.

• The only perfection is imperfection.

• The journey of awakening is all about discovering our inner Self.

• The intellect is designed to make a “yes” or “no” choice. It is not designed to create our lives.

• The journey of trust.

• How ten seconds of authenticity can undo decades of conditioning.

• Our birthright is to be deeply connected to who we are.

• When we trust, we don’t resist.

• We can become who we’ve always been meant to be if we trust our Selves.

• What is matriarchal consciousness?

• We’re either catalysts for change or we’re status quo.

The quality of our lives is often determined by how expansive our conversations are. As we expand into more of who we are truly meant to be, we think more critically, live more authentically, and ask bigger questions. This is how we transform our lives, and by default, transform the world.

Enjoy this unique conversation and be prepared to dramatically alter your previous perception of reality.

Someone recently asked me why I do this podcast. Why I care so deeply when so few in today’s world do. Why I invest so much of my time, money, heart and soul into something that gives me so little in return.

My reply – I do this because I love life – all life. I love this planet and all of her inhabitants so deeply that I can’t not do it. I feel compelled to do everything I can to guide as many people as possible towards the love and compassion that is our collective birthright. We are all bearing witness to the destruction of old beliefs and cultural systems created in a paradigm of destructive separation that is fading into oblivion at an accelerated rate – but not without gut wrenching suffering.

Because I’m so deeply connected to something greater within myself, I feel with visceral clarity the birth of something new emerging as an entirely different way of being. I feel that this something is more in line with the core essence of humanity. It’s something that will awaken a tipping point of souls from the trance of cultural conditioning that has separated the collective from everything that matters.

It takes unplugging from this culture and plugging into the higher consciousness of the heart to live with the faith that whatever the final outcome, it will all be ok. That said, it’s my highest responsibility to do everything in my power to bring this new paradigm into fruition so that the outcome is a great one. Meditating on a mountaintop for world peace just ain’t enough. Actions speak louder than all else.

I do this podcast because I want others to have what I so desperately wished I had so many years ago – a place where I didn’t feel alone. A place where I felt understood. A place that challenged me to not only expand my worldview but also a place to expand into greater wholeness.

I do all of this work every week with no compensation except for the deep inner satisfaction that I’m honoring the purpose in my soul to wake others up to life, love, compassion, co-creation, simplicity, and authentic expression. I do this to serve something so much greater than myself because it’s when you give, you live. I know that the truth in my heart resonates with many others and it’s my purpose to connect us so that we no longer feel isolated.

This is how I answered the question about why I do this podcast every week. I do this for you – because I know that despite the times when there’s utter silence, I’m not alone in my passion to co-create the more beautiful world we know in our hearts is possible.

It takes courage to live authentically with purpose in the inauthentic world of mass conformity. But as the saying goes, courage is not the absence of fear, its the willingness to act in spite of it. Courage is one of our deepest essential characteristics and its a beautiful thing when channeled from a higher calling.

Now that I’ve expressed all of this, I’m announcing that I’ll be slowing things down and following my own advice to unplug in order to contemplate what’s next. I’ve been feeling the need to focus on my writing and to share my voice in the written word in a broader way. So with that, I’ll be dropping the podcast to bi-weekly to free more time, resources, and energy for my writing. From there, who knows. That’s the beauty of purpose. It continually morphs and expands as we allow ourselves to do the same.

Episode #50 is symbolic in many ways – not only with the personal transformation that I’m currently experiencing, but also because I’m very eager to share an inspiring interview with a beautiful man who has been a powerful status quo crusher for many years.

John Robbins is the bestselling author of Voices of the Food Revolution, No Happy Cows, Diet for a New America, and many other landmark works. He is founder of EarthSave International and the co-founder and co-host of ...

I find it increasingly fascinating how most of the game-changers in today’s world have experienced a pivotal moment in their lives to shake them out of mediocrity. The threshold moment is often a personal health crisis, dramatic accident, loss of a significant relationship, or the death of a loved one. The common theme is loss. Being faced with our own mortality or that of someone we love can have a dramatic impact that shakes our model of the world in ways that opens us up to so much more of who we’ve always been meant to be.

Why does it take trauma to shake so many people awake? I guess that’s the million dollar question? And why is it that some people are forever transformed while others fall into a deeper coma? I guess that would provide the million dollar answer.

The choice is whether we choose to take charge of our lives and allow the past to shape us or whether we choose to become a victim to the past and let it define who we are. There’s a huge difference – one is empowering, the other is disempowering. In the status quo world, the majority of people choose to be defined by their past, that is, the victim mentality where they live in fear, scarcity, and self-imposed limitation.

That just sucks all around – for everyone.

We are not meant to be victims to the circumstances in our lives. We are meant to be empowered by the eventual outcome and use these learning to help shape who we have always been meant to be. And here’s something that is really important to note, it’s often in our pain that we discover our purpose.

This week’s Unplug podcast guest did just that – she turned her pain into purpose.

Chef AJ experienced a life-jarring health scare that woke her up to the transformative power of whole plant-based food. Although she had been vegan for many years prior to the fateful moment that altered the course of her life, she was a self-confessed junk food vegan. And really, it makes no difference if you’re a junk food corpse eater, vegetarian, or vegan, the net end result is not pretty. The human body was never designed to be swimming in a toxic soup of man-made chemicals under the guise of food.

This week we dive into a great discussion about real food – the food that we were meant to eat to thrive and be fully alive. We tackle topics such as:

• The importance of being your own health advocate.

• How what we eat has a profound effect on how we look and feel, what diseases we get and what diseases we reverse.

• How 7-9/10 visits to the doctor are all from preventable diseases caused by poor nutrition, smoking, overeating, lack of sleep and exercise, and stress.

• The scoop on poop!

• The addictive nature of sugar, fat, and salt, and how destructive they are for global health.

• How vegan processed food is for transitioning only.

• How pervasive processed food is in Western culture.

• How sugar, fat, and salt stimulate overeating.

• The difference between acidic and alkaline foods.

• The difference between food addiction and emotional eating.

Chef AJ is a passionate fireball with energy to burn. She’s a Los Angeles based vegan chef, culinary instructor, author, speaker, and comedian. And she’s pretty darned funny. We did alot of laughing in this week’s interview.

Be prepared to be energized and entertained by the awesome Chef AJ.

THIS WEEK’S INSPIRED QUESTION:

How can you shift your diet so that you eat unprocessed?

SHOW NOTES:

• Chef AJ’s website.

• Unprocessed book on Amazon.

• True North Health Center

If you received a cancer diagnosis, what do you think you would do? What would be the first action item on your “let’s crush this” list?

If you’re anything like today’s Unplug podcast guest, you’d sign up for an Ironman triathlon of course!

Dr. Ruth Heidrich is a six-time Ironman Triathlon finisher who has won more than 900 medals in races around the world, including more than 60 marathons. She’s also the recipient of 8 gold medals in the U.S. Senior Olympics and was named one of the 10 fittest women in North America. Now in her late seventies, Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer in her forties which inspired a massive life shift that ignited her passion for change.

What is most inspiring about Ruth is that much of what she accomplished came later in life. After surviving breast cancer without any conventional treatments from the allopathic medical model, she charted a new course for her life. Ruth chose to heal herself entirely with diet – along with the powerful belief that she would reverse the cancer. By moving away from a status quo animal-based diet and throwing herself completely into a status quo crushing vegan diet, she healed herself. As she healed, her health soared and she dove head first into inspiring physical challenges to prove that what we put into our body not only fuels us, it becomes us.

Ruth has since been featured in the game-changing movie “Forks Over Knives” and has authored four books including her latest book Lifelong Running: How to Overcome the 11 Myths of Running and Live a Healthier Life.

Fueling with live food unleashes the powerful life force that connects us to our core being – that expansive place within that is capable of anything. Ruth is a shining example of someone who lives her life guided by that powerful life force and as a result, she’s accomplished incredible physical feats as she inspires the masses to open their hearts and minds to a higher level of wellness.

In this week’s conversation we chat about:

• The misinformation of today’s mainstream medical profession.

• How passion ignites the fire within our hearts.

• The normalization of obesity.

• How diet is the solution to all of our problems.

• The transformative healing power of raw food.

• How a vegan lifestyle can be the gateway for awakening.

• The loving power of compassionate detachment.

• How waking up to a wider circle of compassion is often triggered by a personal crisis.

• The difference between positive, negative, and variable reinforcement.

To quote T.Colin Campbell’s words, “Ruth Heidrich is an inspiration to so many people. Her persistence, her commitment to fitness, her use of the healthiest food, and her consciousness of what could be a bright future for all of us make this interview a must listen”.

I’m honored to share my conversation with this passionate and inspiring woman with you today.

Ruth Heidrich Beat Cancer by Changing Diet, Interview

SHOW NOTES:

• Ruth Heidrich’s website.

• Ruth Heidrich on Facebook.

• Vegetarian Society of Hawaii website.

• Lifelong Running: Overcome the 11 Myths About Running and Live a Healthier Life book

Fourteen years ago I wrote an article titled You Think You Can Be a Meat Eating Environmentalist? which was published in the Peace and Environment News in Ottawa, Canada. There were many obvious signs that the world was heading in a dangerous direction due to our culinary choices. Since then, the global situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Climate change is no longer a possibility, it’s a reality. Droughts, mega-storms, tsunami’s, floods, and extreme weather patterns are now commonplace (which wasn’t the case when I wrote the article all those years ago). The planet is currently experiencing the largest mass extinction of life as species disappear at unprecedented rates. The world population has exploded with an increasing number of minds corrupted by the paradigm of separation – a situation that bodes well for no living being on this planet. We’ve crossed the tipping point and what the future holds is anyone’s guess.

…and does anyone really care? It seems the masses would rather their “Five Steps to 6-pack abs”, “Four-minute workouts”, and “How to Become Enlightened in less than 30 days” life hacks than take action that creates meaningful change. As a collective, we prefer to judge the celebrity-de-jour (read: Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and others of their ilk) without ever looking at how wrong we’ve been in our own lives. Most people would rather numb out than feel. Our conversations have become as useful as an overflowing toilet. And we’ve forgotten our interconnection with the most precious gift of all – life.

Indeed, the situation has worsened since writing that article. Yet at the same time, there’s a palpable shift as many wake up to Truth. As the old paradigm of separation accelerates towards its own demise, there’s a growing number of citizens rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they shake off the trance that has caused so much harm. Many people are fed up, as complacence is replaced with passion, purpose, and a deep inner drive to create solutions that are far removed from the box that created the problems in the first place.

With the way of the world today, the more connected we are to Truth, the better off we will be in the uncertain times emerging. Community, collaboration, compassion, and co-creation are the foundational components of the “4-C quadrant” required for the birth of a new paradigm. Those who embrace the new way today are the solutionaries responsible for the accelerated birth of an entirely new world. By transforming Truth into action, we turn our back on the old and breathe life into the new.

It takes a certain kind of person to care about more than just themselves in today’s world. And even that’s questionable with the way most people neglect the most basic need of all – their own health. But those who still care are those who have not lost contact with the essential nature of who they’ve always been – the Universal connection to something greater that lives within every one of us.

Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn are the caring and passionate co-creators of the game-changing movie Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, a movie that exposes the most inconvenient of truths – the devastating consequences of our dietary choices on the fragile life support system we call home. A truth that is denied us at birth from cultural programming gone wrong.

The movie begins with a simple question: Why are the world’s leading environmental organizations too fearful to speak out about the most destructive industry facing the planet today? As we follow the investigative journey of Kip Andersen and his persistent attempts to uncover truth, we’re also witness to the evolution of personal transformation. This movie shows the evolution of awakening and the purpose-driven...