weMove Podcast

New podcast this week and it's different from our usual releases yet follows on from the brilliant 3 podcasts @tiffanysoi hosted for weMove that talked about mental resilience in a variety of forms.

What we are beginning to realize is that weMove started life as an exploration into our potential and is in part autobiographical for Chris and me. The connections that we share are from teachers we have been drawn to, inspired by and curious to learn from. The magazine, podcast, films and C.H.E. are our vehicles to spend time with, learn from and connect to our weMove community who share a similar curiosity for our innate potential and possibility. We turn up with open hearts and minds ready to receive wisdom from their experiences. What that means for us is that we turn up as students and explorers of our Self, prepared to deep-dive in doing the work for our own growth. 

We have come to realise from observation and personal experience that growth can be extremely painful and there is an absolute necessity during these times to be still, patient and allow it to unfold. Painful layers are sometimes revealed, and without frameworks and an understanding, sometimes reactions can overtake the stillness. This is an experience that I recently had, which led me to experience an “emotional hijacking” caused by deep conditioning and a very real attempt at taking my own life.

To be clear and very thankful to those close to me I'm still here and doing what needs to be done, connecting dots and reframing many memories of past experiences. Whilst at the time this was a scary and painful place to be, ultimately this has delivered a positive outcome. I'm more aware than ever of the deep conditioning that has been with me and developed overtime and it now presents itself to be acknowledged, released and in turn grow. It goes without saying that I and we (my family and Chris) need the space to process, integrate and heal, and consequently we are putting C.H.E. on hold in order to move forward, take the lessons that come from going deep into modalities that deep dive into our potential and shadow.

We thought long and hard about the decision to postpone C.H.E. but this occurrence reconfirmed the importance of being ready and I was caught out. Now I'm not the only one this has and can happen to but what I do know from this experience is that strength and support comes from being open, honest and true.

For that reason I sat in conversation with Damian Fearns one of the C.H.E. mentors/innovators, who has supported me with his professional knowledge as a psycho therapist to navigate myself through this.

We put this out not knowing how it will be received but with faith that the more open the conversation the more we as individuals can feel we are not alone, whatever that is happening.

Peace. James & Chris

Hi Everyone, it’s Tiffany Soithongsuk: welcome to my conversation for WeMove Magazine titled “Living beyond Limits & Mental Resilience”. I am so excited to share my talk with Joey Ansah, an undeniable beacon for these themes: this conversation is well worth its time stamp and I urge you to listen all the way through. 

Joey Ansah, of British-Ghanian descent, is an actor, film maker & lifelong martial artist. He is renowned for THAT iconic fight scene with Matt Damon in the action thriller The Bourne Ultimatum. In more recent times, you may have seen him in MI6, Aladdin, to name a couple. He is also the director- producer of the revamped comic-cult web series of “Street Fighter”. 

Joey is one of the most charismatic, articulate and knowledgeable men I know. This conversation is a revelation on multiple levels: Yes, he shares fascinating insight into the acting industry - the graft, the patience and the will needed to succeed. As a martial artist, he shares his deep appreciation and application of the philosophies around the spirit of essence & endurance, that lead to mastery not just in physical terms, but in this game of life. But what really hits hard and ties this all up is his sincerity in opening up about his nervous breakdown: Joey is able to express and articulate the mechanics of his breakdown which I hope will be of real insight - if not comfort - for those who have suffered, or are suffering, from panic attacks/phobias, extreme distress and/or depression. In touching on the realities of suicidal thinking, we also highlight the power of genuine human connection and how at the root of all, that is what we all really crave in life. 

On the parallels of his journey through film, physicality, and all important mindset, we see how discipline, process, observation, and choosing to be pro-active vs reactive can be the differentiating factor in finding a way through this life. There is so much to learn from in this conversation and I hope you relish the dialogue.

As Joey shares: “Try to not let fear consume you completely, maintain your will, get help if you need it, find your way through, keep the fight…endure.”

If you are in need of mental health support or resources, I highly recommend the Samaritans samaritans.org  and Mind mind.org.uk

Joey Ansah 

Web: IMDB | Instagram @thejoeyansah

Tiffany Soi 

Instagram: @tiffany_soi YouTube: Tiffany Soi

This is Tiffany Soi and welcome to this conversation for my WeMove series: “Living beyond Limits & Mental Resilience”. I am very pleased to be sharing my dialogue with Niraj Shah:  

Niraj is the founder of Mind: Unlocked, one of London's leading mental well-being communities. They are developing evidence-based, practical, digital tools to help people around the world optimise their mental well-being and mindset. He is also European Co-Chair for Silicon Valley’s Transformative Technology Lab - the largest global community of entrepreneurs using technology to raise mental health, emotional well-being and human thriving.  

Niraj is a man who encapsulates the themes of this series through his own story - which I frankly find quite shocking, as becomes evident as I process the circumstances in real-time and find myself somewhat unresponsive and blank! - but moreover, he has taken his personal life trauma & his deep founded fascinations to actively drive transformation in the mental health & resilience space as an entrepreneur [with the Mind: Unlocked programme]. There are some real lessons for us to draw on: Life often doesn’t go as planned, but how we choose to engage & respond to our circumstances - good or bad - will be the deciding factor in how our futures can play out. There is so much to learn about our mental capacity in this this honest, frank and very educational episode!

“being able to self-regulate emotionally, and manage our mental wellbeing is going to be fundamental skill in this rapidly changing future”

Mind: Unlocked takes an evidence based, practical and outcome focused approach to mental well-being for 21st century life. It's first online course "How to Build Your Personal Meditation Habit in 21 Days" is being released imminently. For resources & to sign up head to  https://mindunlocked.co/  & Instagram @mind.unlocked 

Niraj Shah IG:@niraj5hah Twitter: @niraj5hah

Credit Kristina Kashtanova @backtoenough & Phillip Ruddick for relevant photos

Tiffany Soi 

Instagram: @tiffany_soi Web: www.tiffanysoi.com YouTube: Tiffany Soi

Hello everyone, this is Tiffany Soithongsuk, or Tiffany Soi as I may be better known, and I am so pleased to be hosting this Friends of WeMove podcast themed Living Beyond Limits & Mental Resilience: an exploration into other’s personal relationship through these themes, not to mention their movement journey. First off, I am supremely grateful to Chris & James for asking me to enquire into these ideas, after having been a guest on the WeMove podcast myself way back in Episode 10 [http://www.wemovemagazine.com/podcasts/2018/7/31/tiffany-soi-climber-astro-physicist]

In order to introduce this series, I thought I would briefly recap that conversation that has led to here: we covered my personal history as as an athlete, more recently as a competitive climber, formerly as a young gymnast with real Olympic goals; my life as a female astrophysicist in science & STEM industries, whilst simultaneously upholding thespian passions; and also being a mixed race woman (at a time where there were few). Within that, we uncovered the personal hurdles I faced in inadvertently challenging a multitude of stereotypes & stigmas about women in science, sport, and the creative space - and with that, the mental health difficulties I worked through in terms of burnout & depression. These are dark and deep topics that I wasn’t expecting to talk about and there is still a lot of fear and stigma attached to talking about these topics for many people. But these were drawn out of me through the powerful and honest conversation we were having. 

I am far from alone in these experiences: these themes of living beyond perceived limitations & constructs, mental health/resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity are ones that will resonate with many of you listening. I feel fortunate to be connected to truly inspiring women & men who are achieving incredible things on a mental-physical level. I do believe the extraordinary is occurring around us under the guise of lives labelled ordinary: these are individuals on their own profound journey in breaking boundaries and exercising great mental resilience.

I’m so excited to share my first conversation with Dr Heidy Khlaaf, a woman and friend who is a testament to themes of this series. We had such a big and deep conversation - there are so many juicy nuggets as well as harsh realities that we venture through: from the real impact of poverty trauma; racial prejudice and sexism as an ethnic minority woman; survival mode and eroded mental health; olympic dreams, physical impairment to climbing passions; cultivating healthy partnerships without compromising on self; and the overriding untainted belief in pursuing her true calling as the only real motivator to carrying her through to where she is now - as an athletic, successful, modern woman. Even the f-word that is feminism was dropped. It took some reflection after our conversation for me to process the enormity of the journey Heidy has made and just how powerful inner conviction, sense of truth and tenacity has served in the long haul, not to mention good humour. 

Heidy is a Doctor of Computer Science: she received her PhD from UCL, where she also partnered with Microsoft Research. She now works on analysing & developing technology safety systems for industries in nuclear power, aviation, autonomous transport and more. When not immersed in changing our futures on a daily basis, you can find her busting out strong moves at her bouldering gym or crag in London. 

I hope there is something that resonates with you in this insightful, open and honest

Friends of weMove guest podcast series. 

This weeks episode has Tony Riddle interviewing Josie Taylor on a Positive Parenting approach to raising our kids.

Friends of weMove guest podcast series. 

This weeks episode has Tony Riddle interviewing Yehudi Gordon on the subject of what happens at birth can stay with us for life.

Hi there and welcome to the weMove podcast. I’m befuddled to know where to start with this intro. I discovered Santina Giardina Chard on instagram searching for instagram inspiration for my Astanga practice. I’ve done a variety of sports and movement things up until now and often I would get to a fairly proficient level and then move on. I did it with my main love, climbing when I was getting to that point where I could get much better. And this has been a pattern for me in many things through my life. Astanga yoga was a little bit different, my sister suggested I give it a go, being a fairly good judge of my character and so alongside Crossfit and dabbling with climbing I gave it a go. Now Astanga has been and still does get a bad rep, and I should say as pretty much all sports and practices do. But that is not where I am coming at it from. Nor am I coming at it from the heavily entrenched dogma that comes with any practice that makes practitioners feel better and give them a salvation. I used to be on of those runners who would say it would change anyones life, and whilst it might, that’s not the way to inspire. More to be thought of as a nause.

For me, and I can only speak for me. Astanga held a mirror up to me, at close proximity to my worst bits and my potential. And that’s where it started. Too easy to walk away, and yet too beguiling to leave. And that is with all the annoyance I have had with teachers etc when in actual fact that is just a marker of the patterns I have developed over time. It is easier to point the finger than double down, go inside and begin to navigate the mental aspects of a practice. 
It’s the mental game that fascinates me more than ever, because that is where the game is won or lost, whatever the game is and that is how I first became intrigued in Santina Giardina Chard, her Astanga practice, her thoughts and reflections and her teaching style which attracted me, I then told Chris and it just so happened she was holding a workshop in Oxford a week or so later. So we did what we do, got in touch and went up to meet her. 

At this point, we just followed our guts and intuition. It felt like the right thing to do and the day before I had been pulled back from a pretty bad place and had asked for a sign that what we are doing is the right thing and that we are surrounded by the right people. We weren’t expecting the conversation to go like you will hear. It took both Chris and I off guard. Our approach has always been an open platform to listen and share ideas from people who inspire us. And this was like an electrical surge. And the sign I was asking for, came in the form of a message from Santina the day after we met to come and practice with her in Budapest. 

Chris and I both independently went to this workshop, I did the first 4 day and Chris did the second 4. And Awareness happened which literally unlocked my body and others in the space of a few verbal cues. Astanga is a red herring, a ruse, a  Trojan horse that on the surface can be taken to be not right for someone, and indeed it might not be. I just feel that often we overlook the gold in something because we take what is on the surface, when the magic is written in between the lines. And to discover the way to see this takes awareness. 

So enjoy, this is an episode packed with metaphors, ideas and thoughts. So slow down and go inside. It is worth it.

Friends of weMove guest podcast series. 

This weeks episode has Tony Riddle interviewing Katarina Riddle on the subject of raising Children Natures Way.

Thoughts on Nick Littelhales podcast with Chris and James

Hi there and welcome to the weMove podcast. This podcast we talk about something that makes us feel good, we as a society struggle to get enough and it is perhaps the most ignored and forgotten point in our day where we process, recover and regenerate our bodies and minds. I’m talking about sleep.

Chris and I caught up with the professional athletes go to sleep coach who are looking for the marginal gains which separate them from the rest, he is called Nick Littlehales and is ideas and concepts have been used by the GB cycling team, Man City football club and many others that we are not able to divulge. 

Having recently become a parent, the first question I am asked in jest is “are you sleeping?” Well since applying the simple ideas Nick outlines, we as a family have improved our sleep no end. We now understand our sleep cycle and rhythm so that we all, yes that’s all sleep through. I should say subject to teething but that’s not sleep.

It blew me away how and is so obvious that understanding and following the rhythm of our own self and not the rhythm of others or a cultured homogenised norm allows us to get the most out of our bodies. 

Sleep deprivation has been used as torture, and quite honestly that is not how I wish to live. Connected with Damian Fearns podcast about mental health, understanding your sleep cycles and the benefits of good sleep hygiene might just make the single biggest difference to your mental and physical health, no need for an ice bath, that love affair comes over time!

We will be integrating Nicks ideas at C.H.E. as part of a toolbox of ideas for creating increased awareness in our bodies and minds to perform and live to our potential. 

Enjoy.