Your True Calling | Find Your Hidden Superpowers

I am deeply inspired by Buffalo Child, a Plains Cree Native American who generously shares his wisdom and culture to help us tap into the sacred every day. We talk about the importance of slowing down, living in balance, and removing false labels put on us by others so that we can shine as our true selves. Renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung's concept of the golden shadow leads me to believe that our buried superpowers are nuggets of gold that can light the way to our purpose. We also discuss how Buffalo was called to lead a powerful Summer Solstice ceremony at Serpent Mount and how we often find our calling by being true to ourselves in the moment.

Rudy Zambrano is a fantastic ⁠⁠hairstylist⁠⁠ and an incredibly kind person. I met him after I got lost on the way to my first gig in Portland during the Rose Parade. Hundreds of people passed by before Rudy came out of nowhere to help. We talk about how Rudy struggled as a gay Latino man to be his true self and follow his calling. The #1 regret of the dying is that they wish they'd dared to live their purpose, not the life others expected of them. Learn how Rudy persevered and you can, too. Rudy and I also discuss how most of us (except the ⁠⁠dark triad personality⁠⁠) can develop our kindness superpower and the surprising ⁠⁠health benefits⁠⁠ of being kind to ourselves and others.

Meet Emma Hirsch, a 23-year-old novelist and supervisor at ⁠Youthline⁠⁠, a crisis support center for teenagers. Recently accepted into the graduate program at the University of Oregon to become a therapist, Emma shares with us how she merges her writing and psychology superpowers in her new novel and work. She's a true inspiration to us all, showing us the importance of discovering and combining our own unique talents and passions to succeed in life. Emma and I also talk about how to embrace new experiences, release attachment to outcomes, and seek out role models to discover our true calling.

Line Hilton is a UK-based jazz singer, clinical hypnotherapist, and resilience coach. She blew me away with how quickly she helped singers improve their performances at an educational songwriters meeting and I immediately booked her for my podcast. Line gives us powerful tools to blast through self-limiting beliefs, such as "I'm not good enough" and "I'm invisible," and build self-confidence so that we can succeed in life as our true selves. She also describes helping clients reach their goals by developing a ⁠⁠growth mindset⁠, and what it's like to pursue a range of interests and careers as a "multipotentialite⁠" rather than follow a single North Star. 

Diane Dreher, Ph.D., is the best-selling author of "Tao of Inner Peace" and four other books. She is an award-winning university professor and positive psychology researcher whose work on hope has been recognized internationally. In this podcast, we discuss how Diane found her true calling and helps clients discover their own gifts and purpose. She shares how being seen by just one person empowers us to recognize our own personal greatness. Diane also talks about using the free VIA character survey to discover our unique strengths and listening to our intuition to find our true path in the world.

You came into the world with a unique set of strengths to answer your calling. But you may have overlooked them because they came so naturally to you. Your superpowers don’t need to be ultra-amazing such as flying or shapeshifting to be significant. Your greatness comes from the particular combination of passions and abilities that make you YOU. In today's episode, I talk to Dana Hazell — one of the best massage therapists I've ever had — about how she rediscovered her innate talent for doing massage. She describes how she combined this gift with her sports background and scientific interest in the human body to follow her true calling, and how you can bring it all together to find your purpose, too.

Buck O'Kelly meandered through a few jobs before finding his true vocation as a custom furniture builder and co-owner of Inventia Design in Portland, Oregon. He and I talk about how our first jobs can help us find our true calling when we take note of the skills and values that make us come alive. We also discuss the importance of play and how Buck found success in the furniture-making business by carving out his own niche. We end with a spirited discussion of what it's like to get into a flow state and why it's the most direct way to discover our unique gifts.

June Smith is a professional writer and incredible dancer who is still going strong at age 91. She lives in a condo with an ocean view near Santa Cruz, California, and is a powerful manifester. We discuss how June discovered her writing and dancing superpowers and created a richly rewarding life. She also divulges her secret to success by doing what she loves and following "the nudge." The podcast includes hints and clues for how you can find your superpowers and purpose, too.

If you're like most people, you haven't followed your calling because your inner critic scares the bejesus out of you. K-CRAP, the radio station that plays 24/7 in your head, tells you that you'll never be good enough to reach your dreams and keeps you stuck in a life that doesn't suit you. You may have grown so used to it that you don’t hear it anymore, but believe me, it’s there, and it’s holding you back big time. This podcast shows you how to gently bypass KCRP, tune into your soul's guidance, and gather delicious clues for becoming the person you were born to be.

I'm a psychology professor turned rock star who first helped people find their true calling by accident. While teaching self-actualization and creativity workshops, my clients started rediscovering amazing superpowers they'd suppressed since childhood. They not only became more creative but went on to find purposeful careers and passion projects using their newfound gifts. The podcast closes by providing hints for finding your own hidden superpowers. (Pssst! That's the secret to finding your true calling.)