Thought Experiment Called Life | Unconventional Lives, Creativity & Self Discovery

Some collaborations bring more than just music. They bring new friendships, inspiration, and opportunities to challenge yourself. That’s what happened when I started working with brothers Nova and Tom Nowakowski.

When they invited me to sing on their new song, “That’s the Way,” I was immediately moved by the music and lyrics. But the song also pushed me outside my comfort zone. Instead of belting my face off (as I tend to do!), I had to let my guard down, embrace vulnerability, and let the emotion lead. And I absolutely fell in love with the result.

In this conversation, we talk about the power of music, creative collaboration, following inspiration without rules, and how the seemingly small moments in life become the fabric of a meaningful life.

Nova is a British-born musician, producer, and media creative, best known for his work with Scars on 45. Tom is a lifelong songwriter and musician from Bradford, Yorkshire, who also works in primary education supporting children's social and emotional needs. Together, they're creating Midnight Movie Club, a collaborative music project built around creativity and connection.

I hope you enjoy this conversation, and that “That’s the Way” brings a little more love and connection into your day.

In gratitude,

Greta

LISTEN to That's the Way HERE: https://open.spotify.com/artist/35baZytw3wVzxHHcr5dmq5

Join me on Substack: https://thoughtexperimentcalledlife.substack.com

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This week, I’m talking about rage bait, heartbreak, and the question: Who is benefiting from your rage?

I know I’ve been caught up in it plenty of times, but lately, the persistent violations of women and other vulnerable people have left me feeling exhausted and heartbroken. That heartbreak has also reignited a fire in me to do something more directly.

I’ve taught self-defense on and off for over 20 years, and starting in December, I’ll be teaching Women’s Self-Defense seminars again. I’ll also be sharing self-defense techniques and tips on the physical and emotional sides of personal safety with my paid Substack members.

A reminder: the responsibility for preventing assault should never fall on the person being targeted. If something has happened to you, it is never your fault. The blame belongs to the perpetrator. Period.

This episode is a two-part reflection on how we can take a step back, digest our anger, and turn it into something meaningful for the people and communities around us. We can care deeply about what’s happening in the world without letting it pull us away from the work we’re here to do.

My $5/month Substack membership includes Nine Lives Longevity classes, self-defense education, and herbalism content, with more to come. Your support makes it possible for me to keep creating and sharing this work.

Thank you for being here. Please share this episode with anyone who might need it. 💜

In gratitude,

Greta

Join me on Substack: https://thoughtexperimentcalledlife.substack.com

Check out my awesome SPONSOR:

If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it’d be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality.

Get 10% off with my code:

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

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Kelly Sharp joins Greta Hotmer to discuss women's safety, situational awareness, self-defense, intuition, and boundaries. Learn to recognize red flags, trust your gut, and build practical self-protection skills without living in fear.

I am thrilled to introduce you to my guest and friend, Kelly Sayre of Diamond Arrow Group and author of “Sharp Women:Embrace Your Intuition, Build Your Situational Awareness, and Live Life Unafraid”. Kelly is dedicated to helping prevent trauma and save lives through situational awareness training and is someone I have been eager to have on and to have a conversation with.

There has been so so much coming out over the past few weeks that is incredibly upsetting and can leave people with a sense of feeling powerless and heartbroken. I hope that our conversation helps to remedy that with great information, insights, and ways to help you feel more empowered and safe.

Please share this with anyone whom you think may benefit from our conversation. And as always, thank you for being here.

From my heart to yours,

Greta

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I’m very excited to introduce you to my friend, one of my teachers, and an incredibly inspiring human, Nick Hughes.

Nick has spent most of his adult life dealing with real-world violence, not the theoretical kind. He served in the French Foreign Legion’s parachute regiment, worked worldwide as a professional bodyguard for Saudi royalty, VIPs, and rock stars, and has taught self-defense and Krav Maga for over 40 years.

He’s also a professional boxer, author of How To Be Your Own Bodyguard, and holds black belts in basically every martial art.

I actually met Nick when I was 15, when he would come spar us teenagers for our belt tests. At 6’8” and 270 lbs, he was just a little intimidating. 😂 Those sessions were about finding the courage to stand toe-to-toe with someone who could absolutely wreck you…not about winning haha.

But Nick’s work goes far beyond fighting. In recent years, he has become a hypnotherapist and coach, helping people get “under the hood” of their minds, update the programming they’ve been carrying since childhood, and break through beliefs that may be holding them back.

In this conversation, we go deep into the psychology of violence, self-defense, fear, the subconscious mind, personal transformation, and why training the mind and body matters, especially for women.

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do, liking, commenting, subscribing, and sharing helps more people find the podcast.

In gratitude,

Greta

Learn more about Nick:

Krav Maga Alliance of Knoxville / Nick Hughes

Check out my awesome SPONSOR:

If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it’d be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality. Get 10% off with my code.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

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A few weeks ago, my podcast nightmare happened in real life. I had an awesome interview with up-and-coming indie filmmaker Evan Alderson, signed off, and then realized I hadn’t recorded ANY of it. Mortified doesn’t even begin to cover it. Thankfully, Evan was incredibly gracious and agreed to do it all over again. The irony of not pressing record while interviewing a filmmaker is not lost on me. 😅

Evan made the unexpected choice to turn down a “deal of a lifetime” in Hollywood because he decided he wasn’t for sale. Instead, he left LA, moved to Colorado, started his family, and continued building his career as an independent filmmaker on his own terms.

In this conversation, we talk about indie filmmaking, creativity, risk, Hollywood, making your own opportunities, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start following your own path.

Evan is currently in post-production on his feature-length horror film Devil in the Trunk, filmed entirely in Colorado with an all-Coloradan cast and crew.

We also talk about why constraints can actually make you more creative, the business of filmmaking, storytelling, following the doors that open, and why you have to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice for the life you want.

As someone also building a creative life and career here in Colorado, I’ve loved discovering the incredible community of filmmakers and creatives here who are proving that you don’t have to wait for permission to make the thing you’re called to make.

If you’re a filmmaker, Evan is also teaching a four-day Film Intensive starting October 4th, covering how to develop, finance, produce, and distribute a feature film. Go here for more info: www.filmintensive.com

Whatever your creative pursuit is, I hope this conversation leaves you feeling a little more inspired to trust that call from within and go for what lights your soul up.

Please share this with anyone you think might benefit from this conversation. ❤️

As always, join me on Substack for more information, behind the scenes, and more: https://substack.com/@thoughtexperimentcalledlife

SPONSOR: If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it'd be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality. Get 10% off with my code.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm excited to introduce you to a dear friend and fascinating human, Paul Landreth-Smith.

Paul spent 18 years in British policing, including time as a counterterrorism firearms instructor and operator, later became a paramedic, and now manages security for five hospitals in the Kansas City area. He's also a martial artist, BJJ practitioner, rescue dog dad, husband, and a Brit turned American.

But what I've always appreciated most about Paul isn't his impressive resume. It's the compassion, curiosity, and humanity he brings to all of it. His life has revolved around service, and he has a unique perspective on what it means to stay calm, help people, understand different cultures, and live a good life.

In this episode, we talk about:

• British policing & counterterrorism

• Moving from the UK to America

• Becoming a paramedic

• Hospital security & crisis response

• Staying calm under pressure

• BJJ & martial arts

• Compassion and kindness

• British vs. American culture

• Religion, politics & common ground

• How our brains perceive reality

• Rescue animals & unconditional love

• Curiosity and questioning assumptions

• What it means to live a good life

• Leaving things better than you found them

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and leave with a few new ideas, questions, and perspectives to carry with you.

Please share with someone who you think may benefit from this conversation.

xo,

Greta

As always, join me on Substack for more information, behind the scenes, and more: https://substack.com/@thoughtexperimentcalledlife

SPONSOR: If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it'd be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality. Get 10% off with my code.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I’m talking with filmmaker, storyteller, festival director, and champion of creatives Brian Salay, founder of the StoryMode Independent Short Film Festival (SISFA) in Colorado Springs.

And this conversation is a pretty perfect example of why I keep telling myself to do the things that make me uncomfortable.

A few months ago, I almost left a film networking event because my social anxiety was through the roof. Instead, I stayed. I met Catalina, who recruited me to compose the score for the 72 Hour Kickass Film Festival. We ended up winning Best Film, and I won Best Score.

Then I went to another networking event, met Brian, invited him on the podcast...and now I'm performing at his film festival.

Sometimes the thing you almost talk yourself out of is the thing that you've been waiting for.

Brian and I talk about filmmaking, creativity, the Hero’s Journey, chasing dreams, community, AI and human creativity, why storytelling still matters for our humanity, and why you don't always have to make money from something for it to mean something greater.

We also somehow end up talking about pirates. 🏴‍☠️

SISFA is happening this weekend in Colorado Springs, and Brian has created something that goes far beyond simply screening films. It’s a celebration of storytellers, creativity, and the very human need to share our stories with each other.

If you’ve been sitting on a creative dream, waiting for the “right” time, I hope this conversation gives you a little inspiration to go do the thing.

Sometimes magic happens because you showed up...even if you show up anxious or feeling unworthy...your presence is all that's required.

Please share with someone who you think may benefit from this conversation.

xo,

Greta

As always, join me on Substack for more information, behind the scenes, and more: https://substack.com/@thoughtexperimentcalledlife

SPONSOR: If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it'd be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality. Get 10% off with my code.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

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If you're overwhelmed by the endless supplement recommendations online, this episode is for you.

I'm sharing the foundational supplements and herbs I actually use after years of studying therapeutic herbalism and integrative nutrition, living with chronic Lyme disease, and training as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.

We'll cover multivitamins, fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium, digestive enzymes, NAC, fiber, herbal infusions like nettle and oatstraw, and how to choose high-quality supplements backed by science.

Whether you're just getting started or looking to simplify your routine, this episode focuses on building a strong foundation instead of chasing the latest wellness trends.

Full links & coupon codes to everything I mentioned on my Substack:

https://thoughtexperimentcalledlife.substack.com/p/the-supplements-and-herbs-i-never

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What can martial arts teach us about confidence, resilience, parenting, and living with purpose?

In this episode, I sit down with martial artist, stunt performer, entrepreneur, and coach Tim Rook to talk about overcoming childhood bullying, building confidence through martial arts, teaching self-defense to kids, setting healthy boundaries, leadership, and why choosing difficult things often leads to the most meaningful life.

We also dive into stunt work, personal growth, and how the challenges we survive can become the foundation for helping others.

If this conversation resonates with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment, share it with someone who could use it, and if you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a review. Those simple actions make a huge difference in helping these conversations reach more people.

As always, join me on Substack for more information, behind the scenes, and more: https://substack.com/@thoughtexperimentcalledlife

SPONSOR: If I could recommend one longevity supplement, it'd be this one. Liposomal NAD+, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, and more to support cellular energy, healthy aging, and everyday vitality. Get 20% off with my code.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

https://sunnywithin.com/THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes we can get caught in a loop of always trying to fix ourselves when on our healing journey. Our culture supports this mindset as well with its endless advertising cycles that exist nearly everywhere. You could be thinner, smarter, richer, happier, etc, etc. What happens when we stop trying to fix ourselves and remember our wholeness? That is what I am beginning to explore in this episode. 

This is a huge topic and one that I will likely return to but for now I am here to share a message that I have had to remember many times…there is nothing wrong with you or me…it doesn’t mean we don’t continue to grow, it just means we don’t look at growth as a sign of something about us that needs to be fixed. We can grow without judging ourselves, trusting that there is something within us that wishes to unfold when we simply allow it to and when we give ourselves the nurturing that we need.

If this episode speaks to you, please share it with someone you think might resonate with it. Thank you for being here.

Greta ❤️

Join me on Substack for the full details of this episode: https://substack.com/@UCkXpZJPV3QL6bsBuSvRw4PQ

👉 Get 20% off and help your cells age brilliantly with liposomal NAD+, glutathione, and more from Sunny Within. Supporting your body's natural cellular repair processes as you age.

Use my code: THOUGHTEXPERIMENT

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