Truth & Transcendence

Catherine Llewellyn welcomes Nico Verresen, former Muay Thai champion, psychologist and founder of Burnout Boxing Experience. Nico explores his lifelong relationship with intensity and how a passion that took him to the top of combat sports eventually led him to a very different mission: helping people embrace intensity rather than automatically seeing stress as something harmful.

After years of fighting, Nico's body finally forced him to stop when severe eye injuries ended his competitive career. The experience helped him recognise that intensity itself wasn't the problem—it was how we related to it. He now works with people to understand their nervous systems, embrace challenging experiences and develop the presence to choose how they respond.

They explore stress as an adaptive system, the difference between stress and suffering, why our beliefs about stress can influence how we experience it, and how challenge can become the “spice” that makes life more alive. Nico also shares how his relationship with intimacy and intensity has evolved, and why emotions such as stress, anger and anxiety can be understood as messages rather than problems to suppress.

#Intensity #NervousSystem #TruthAndTranscendence

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Where our conversation went:

01:18 Nico's lifelong attraction to intensity and where it began

04:00 Discovering Muay Thai and becoming deeply immersed in combat sports

05:54 The medical diagnosis that ended Nico's fighting career

07:47 Recognising the parallels between his father's work ethic and his own drive

08:47 Why suffering your way to the top is a losing game

09:09 Nico's new mission: helping people embrace intensity and stress as part of adaptation

09:48 Learning to notice bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions and impulses—and choose how to respond

11:18 Why many people may need to “turn up the volume” rather than reduce intensity

12:00 Why humans are built to handle intense challenges

14:09 What happens in the body when we experience stress

15:13 How secondary stress—our thoughts and judgements about stress—can make things worse

17:20 How extreme pressure can create intense presence and focus

19:25 Reframing fear and stress as excitement and preparation

20:04 Why our beliefs about stress can affect how we experience it

20:46 Research exploring how different beliefs about stress affect performance and physiology

24:07 The difference between wanted and unwanted intensity—and why people can fear intensity

25:09 Why getting older doesn't necessarily mean having less intensity in life

26:01 How embracing intensity can improve sleep, performance and enjoyment

27:17 The transformative power of challenge and rites of passage

29:19 What we may have lost by becoming disconnected from healthy forms of challenge and intensity

30:22 Experiencing intense presence without danger or suffering

32:05 Finding intensity after giving up competitive fighting

32:31 How heartbreak, relationships and fear of intimacy shaped Nico's relationship with intensity

33:50 Realising that his deepest way of relating is to go fully and deeply into what he loves

34:00 Reassessing his work and finding new sources of intensity

40:54 Learning to experience emotions as messages rather than problems

41:25 Recognising sensitivity and emotional intensity as a potential strength

41:47 Stress, anger and anxiety as signals from the nervous system—and learning to listen

#podmatch #StressMastery #Aliveness #PersonalTransformation

Where to find Nico Verresen:

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✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

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Picking up from the previous episode's theme of letting go, Catherine Llewellyn explores what happens when we stop forcing ourselves and instead listen to what the body is actually asking for.

Using her experience with yin yoga as a starting point, Catherine reflects on the Western tendency to push harder, do more and strive to get things “right”. She contrasts this with surrendering into a comfortable stretch, allowing the body to find its own version of a pose, and discovering that letting go can create more relaxation rather than more effort.

The conversation then expands into food, emotions and relationships. What if, instead of automatically responding to hunger, anxiety, discomfort or habitual patterns, we paused and tuned in to what the body is really asking for in that moment? Catherine invites us to become more alive to our bodies, our relationships and ourselves by releasing into what is actually present rather than pushing ourselves beyond it.

#LettingGo #BodyWisdom #ConsciousLiving

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Where our conversation went:

00:07 Letting go as a continuation of the previous episode's theme

00:20 Catherine's experience of yin yoga and the invitation to let go into a pose

00:55 The Western programming to do more, try harder and push through difficulty

01:26 How forcing a stretch can create more tension

01:36 Modifying the pose and discovering that less can actually give us more

02:20 Allowing tension to melt away by relaxing into what feels comfortable

02:36 Surrendering into the body's experience rather than forcing it

02:59 Applying the same principle to fitness, nutrition and how we relate to our bodies

03:39 Pausing to ask the body what it is actually hungry for

04:00 Listening to the body's specific request rather than letting the mind embellish it

05:21 Recognising that cravings may be asking for comfort, connection or something else

05:43 Discovering that the body may be asking for a hug—or for some distance

06:03 Bringing more aliveness into relationships by tuning into what the body is asking for

06:57 Letting go into what the body wants: food, hugs, lovemaking, walking or yoga

07:21 Releasing into the body's limits rather than pushing, yanking or forcing ourselves

07:28 Asking: Are you listening to what your body is asking for?

07:42 Tuning in, surrendering and allowing ourselves to enjoy the experience

#podmatch #BodyAwareness #SelfAwareness #LettingGo

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✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

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Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Catherine Llewellyn welcomes Steven Ferrara, a lifelong spiritual student, teacher and coach who spent decades building a successful financial services business before selling it to focus fully on his spiritual path.

Steven introduces the idea of the “inside life”—the part of ourselves that can observe our thoughts, emotions and experiences rather than simply reacting to what happens around us. He explains how this inner awareness has helped him live from the inside out, including through the profound losses of his son and his wife.

They explore spiritual awakening, the difference between intellectual learning and true transformation, and why Steven believes that life itself is the teacher. Steven also shares how spirituality and material success can coexist, his approach to coaching through listening rather than motivation, and why inspiration and higher purpose matter more than external achievements.

The conversation also leads to Steven's book, Grief to Gratitude: Embracing the Inner Pathway to Healing and Peace, which grew from more than 20 years of daily journaling and the life lessons he discovered by looking back through his journals.

#InsideLife #SpiritualAwakening #TruthAndTranscendence

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Where our conversation went:

01:44 Steven's early relationship with spirituality and discovering the “inside life”

04:21 The observer, the impact of technology and moving from living “outside in” to “inside out”

05:34 The power and responsibility of choosing how we respond to life's challenges

06:08 Finding a different way through profound grief and traumatic experiences

08:17 Why spiritual understanding isn't necessarily a linear process

08:42 How openness and transformative books can create sudden shifts in understanding

11:38 Why the right mindset matters—and why spiritual learning can remain purely intellectual

12:18 Life as the teacher: learning through direct experience

14:26 How Steven's spiritual path and his career in financial services came together

16:28 Building a large financial services business and recognising the role of timing, opportunity and gratitude

17:21 Why spiritual depth and material success don't have to be opposites

19:04 How love of people and a desire to help shaped Stephen's approach to business

22:18 The importance of mentors, role models and learning from others

24:03 Steven's approach to coaching: deep listening, asking questions and not needing to have all the answers

25:44 Moving beyond motivation towards inspiration and higher purpose

27:04 Finding fulfilment within rather than through external possessions and achievements

28:09 Creating a space for genuine connection, love and higher-consciousness learning

28:54 Who Steven works with—and helping people discover their deeper potential

32:13 Grief to Gratitude: the book born from 20 years of daily journaling

33:16 How journaling became a way through grief and helped reveal the turning points and lessons in Steven's life

38:14 A message for teachers, leaders and others working to be part of the solution

39:00 Why Steven believes more people are moving in a positive direction than the news might suggest

40:54 David Hawkins, consciousness and the possibility of a wider shift in human awareness

42:17 The value of meaningful, significant conversation

#podmatch #SpiritualGrowth #ConsciousLiving #GriefToGratitude

Where to find Steven Ferrara:

Book: Grief to Gratitude: Embracing the Inner Pathway to Healing and Peace

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✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

🤝 Join our Being Space Community

Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Decluttering is usually framed as getting rid of things we no longer need. But what if we looked at it differently? In this episode, Catherine Llewellyn explores the possibility that what we are releasing may be of real value to someone else.

From jewellery and household possessions to tasks, responsibilities and even relationships, Catherine invites us to consider not only what something is worth to us, but whether it still fits who we are now. Letting go can create space for us while simultaneously creating opportunities for other people.

This is a different way of thinking about decluttering: not as removing something unwanted, but as contributing something that may have greater value elsewhere.

#Decluttering #LettingGo #TruthAndTranscendence

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Where our conversation went:

00:05 Why decluttering has become such a familiar part of modern life

00:28 The possibility that what we no longer need could be of great value to somebody else

00:50 Jewellery as an example: looking beyond financial value to whether it still fits who we are

01:47 Letting go because someone else might benefit more from what we have

02:17 Clearing a relative's home and discovering that things we don't value may be valuable to others

03:07 Moving beyond the idea that decluttering is simply about getting rid of things

03:23 Applying the same principle to tasks and responsibilities

03:29 Could someone else enjoy, develop through or benefit from the tasks that no longer suit us?

03:52 Decluttering as contribution rather than disposal

04:03 Asking what we are contributing and what opportunities we are creating for others

04:18 Letting go of an item, a task—or even an aspect of a relationship

04:35 Creating space for ourselves while making another person available for relationships that may be a better fit

#podmatch #ConsciousLiving #PersonalGrowth #LettingGo

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Catherine Llewellyn welcomes back Robert White, whose work in experiential learning has reached more than a million people. Robert has spent decades helping people discover their potential through transformational experiences, and today works with entrepreneurs, owners and executives who want greater success, joy and fulfilment.

Robert shares how he moved from a childhood shaped by poverty, abuse and seriousness into a life where joy became a guiding value. They explore the difference between chasing happiness and coming from joy, discovering the meaning we are born to express, and integrating the wisdom of the mind with the wisdom of the heart.

They also discuss completing the past, releasing guilt and blame, readiness for transformation, Robert's adopted son Levi's extraordinary journey, and the two kinds of leaders who seek his help: those in trouble and those who can see a bigger opportunity.

#ExtraordinaryLife #JoyAndFulfilment #TruthAndTranscendence

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Where our conversation went:

04:00 Choosing joy and fulfilment—not just achievement

05:24 Why happiness is an unreliable goal and joy can be something we come from

06:25 Discovering the meaning we're born to express

07:49 The influence of Viktor Frankl and the pursuit of meaning

08:15 How childhood experiences shaped Robert's determination and seriousness

09:00 Learning to look for joy and rediscovering the freedom of childhood

10:32 Integrating mature thinking with the qualities of the heart

14:44 Transforming the belief “I am not enough”

18:00 Helping successful leaders integrate business, family and community

20:16 Three principles: complete the past, tell the truth about the present and choose the future

21:00 Completing the past without remaining stuck in it

25:50 Reframing Robert's story about his mother

29:08 Robert's experience during COVID and the story of his adopted son Levi

31:02 Levi's transformation and commitment to healing his heart

33:44 The key to transformation: readiness

37:03 Readiness in executive and organisational transformation

38:00 Two kinds of clients: those in trouble and those with a bigger opportunity

40:28 The importance of having a cause and meaning behind the work

41:30 The challenge of people problems and leadership

42:02 Two forms of readiness—and wishing people success, joy and fulfilment

#podmatch #PersonalTransformation #Leadership #Joy

Where to find Robert White:

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✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

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Catherine Llewellyn explores something deceptively simple: we don't have to have an opinion. In a world full of pressure to decide what is right and wrong, true and false, good and bad, Catherine asks whether our constant need for certainty may actually be limiting our freedom.

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Where our conversation went:

00:09 The pressure to know what is true, right and wrong—and the urgency to reach a conclusion

01:04 We don't have to have an opinion, agree, disagree or draw a conclusion

01:45 Why our ideas of right and wrong are important—and how they can run out of control

02:58 Applying the need for certainty to relationships and everyday decisions

04:03 The discomfort of saying “I haven't decided yet”

04:35 Is it acceptable simply to say “I don't know”?

05:22 How social pressure can make certain opinions feel forbidden

07:12 The vital importance of honouring our individuality, perspective and sovereignty

07:50 Why a society where everyone agrees on everything would be deadening to human life

08:43 The idea that we must always have an opinion as a form of cognitive slavery

09:11 Taking a pause when you notice yourself judging, labelling or trying to decide

09:53 When decisions are necessary—and when we may simply be forcing ourselves to have an opinion

10:05 Asking: “Am I honouring my own sovereignty in this?”

10:21 Perhaps this isn't where you want to put your energy

#podmatch #PersonalFreedom #SelfSovereignty #ConsciousAwareness

Where to find Catherine:

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✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

Brain Athletes: Arnold Beekes on Training Your Mind & Becoming a “Better for All” Leader

Catherine Llewellyn welcomes Arnold Beekes back to Truth & Transcendence to explore his work with “brain athletes”—people who deliberately train their thoughts, emotions, relationships and leadership in much the same way an athlete trains their body.

Where our conversation went:

00:00 Welcome back, Arnold Beekes, and introducing the idea of brain athletes

01:36 What is a brain athlete?

04:17 Why we need “better for all” leaders

06:15 Competency, capacity and the aspiration behind leadership

08:45 Three foundations: unconditioning, aspiration and united uniqueness

09:52 How conditioning creates invisible “straitjackets”

13:13 Removing the limitations that prevent us from performing at our best

15:14 Can we consciously engineer our emotional states?

16:10 United uniqueness: bringing different people and qualities together

18:21 “Samification” and the loss of individuality through conditioning

20:10 Why “better for all” includes animals, nature and the whole living world

21:04 Who can become a brain athlete?

22:41 Can we change at any age?

23:40 Arnold’s accident, five years of research and the power of pain as a catalyst for change

28:00 Neuroplasticity and why there is no fixed age limit for developing the brain

30:01 Arnold’s new podcast, Between the Ears

31:20 The first step: being kind to yourself

33:58 Helping someone recognise and reduce their self-criticism

35:35 How our inner world affects our relationships

36:54 The courage to challenge patterns that affect others

38:58 Why our inner and outer worlds need to align

40:11 Arnold’s own journey through conditioning and trauma

41:44 Arnold’s favourite part of the conversation

42:37 Following your calling and creating meaningful change

#podmatch #BrainFitness #PersonalGrowth #Purpose

Where to find Arnold Beekes:

Website: https://brainathletes.club

✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

Catherine Llewellyn takes us on location to meet Medusa, an extraordinary handmade car created by her brother from an original idea and a collection of old and salvaged parts. But this episode isn't really about a car. It's about what Medusa represents: the freedom to create simply because you want to.

Where our conversation went:

00:00 Welcome to Truth & Transcendence—and an unusual episode on location

00:29 Why this isn't really about a car

00:45 Meet Medusa: an extraordinary creation made from imagination, ingenuity and salvaged parts

03:00 Creating purely for the fun of it

03:30 What happens when you create without trying to make money or become famous

04:00 Why authentic creative expression attracts attention

04:15 Playing at life and opening the floodgates of creativity

04:45 What is your real reason for doing what you do?

05:30 Creating from your own spirit rather than seeking approval or conformity

06:00 Giving your creativity and sense of fun full reign

#podmatch #CreativeExpression #AuthenticLiving #Purpose

Where to find Catherine:

Website: https://www.beingspace.world

✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

Relationship coach and author Liyana Silver joins Catherine Llewellyn to explore how heartbreak, divorce and life's darkest seasons can become profound portals of transformation. Drawing on her own experience and her work with women, couples and groups, Liyana shares what she has learned about the Dark Night of the Soul, the phases of heartbreak, and why the depths can reveal a more authentic and aligned version of ourselves.

Where our conversation went:

00:00 Welcoming Liyana Silver and exploring the meaning of depth

01:39 How a difficult post-birth experience introduced Liyana to the Dark Night of the Soul

03:26 Naming the experience and discovering that it can be a transformational journey

06:00 Becoming an apprentice to the dark and mapping the terrain of heartbreak

09:35 The ancient wisdom and archetypal patterns within dark nights of the soul

12:58 Feeling difficult emotions fully and allowing them to move through

13:58 The wisdom of “the poison is the medicine”

15:17 Why transformation is not a makeover—and why dark nights may come more than once

17:40 Helping people through books, individual work and couples work

20:00 Supporting a partner who is going through their own dark night

22:47 Men, emotional development and the courage to enter unfamiliar territory

25:50 Why nervous-system stabilisation may need to come before deeper relationship work

27:40 The importance of support, soothing and allowing ourselves to be held

29:08 The dissolution phase: when everything is falling apart

31:12 The task in the deepest phase: breathe, get through the next moment and soothe the nervous system

31:44 Trusting that the phase will pass and allowing transformation to unfold

32:54 Why strategising and problem-solving are not always the answer

34:22 Liyana’s books and the gentle, spacious way she supports people

35:40 A message for the “depth dwellers” and everyone travelling the depths

#podmatch #EmotionalHealing #ConsciousRelationships #SpiritualGrowth

Where to find Liyana Silver:

The Heartbreak Transformation Map https://liyanasilver.com/map 

✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

In this solo episode, Catherine Llewellyn reflects on the profound ripple effect created when we support others in their calling. She explores the difference between serving someone and trying to carry their responsibilities, why healthy energetic boundaries matter, and how trusting others to fulfil their own purpose allows us to contribute more effectively. This is an encouraging reminder that helping one person well can ultimately benefit many more.

Where our conversation went:

00:00 Every person we help is helping someone else

01:00 The ripple effect of raising consciousness

02:00 What is and isn't our responsibility

03:00 A lesson from Reiki about energy and boundaries

04:20 Supporting others without depleting ourselves

05:15 Why we don't have to help everyone

06:10 Trusting the ripple effect of your work

#podmatch #PersonalGrowth #Practitioners #Purpose

Where to find Catherine:

Website: https://www.beingspace.world

✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling?

Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate