Curious Monki | Yoga, Spirituality + Wellness: Recent Episodes
Veronica Thai
A podcast to help you connect to your true self and do what you’re meant to do.
You know you're meant for something bigger so stop feeling small like you’re stuck tight in a bud and expand into who you really are.
Your host, Veronica Thai - Life Coach + Yoga Instructor, takes you into the world of coaching, yoga and healing to explore how to awaken to your true nature, show up as the fullest version of yourself and live a life doing what you’re meant to do.
Weekly conversations with leading experts, teachers, and healers. In between are doses of inspiration and coaching tools to help you move forward with courage rather than be held back by fear.
This is the place to work on both your inner connection and moving forward. Become the confident self who is connected to their inner wisdom and does not hesitate to go after what they want. The connected self who spends their life doing what they were meant to do.
For more inspiration, follow along on Instagram @curiousmonki
You can do hard things and the hard things are hella hard to do! How do you actually get through the desperate anxiety, gut wrenching fear and suffocating grief?
In this episode, I'll share with you three resources that have been balms for moving through my own upheaval. They came to my rescue when I had no idea how to last a moment longer in the turmoil.
You will discover:
- What everybody experiences when they're in the throes of transition (you're not alone!) and what to do about it
- A message (and truth) that brings immediate comfort
- A tried and true poem that eases the heart
Resources:
Learn more about how to navigate change with The Change Cycle bundle. Click here for for the free download.
Upcoming Workshop: Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to get updates on the workshop that I'm putting together. I haven't chosen a title yet but the idea is Sacred Space For Change. You'll learn how to take care of yourself when going through the hard parts and get to use tools to help you release what no longer serves. https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Work With Me:
I provide heart-centered support to help you move through the challenging parts of life and align toward your best path.
Schedule a discovery session
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Heartache comes in many forms - from broken dreams to the loss of loved ones. In between might include losing your sense of identity and the ending of relationships.
At the core of heartache is grief. At the core of grief is loss.
Saying goodbye is hard! But there's a sweetness within the sadness. There's promise of transformation and something better on the other side.
In this episode, I share with you 4 things that have felt like healing salves as I move through my own heartache.
I hope that you'll also be able to lean on them as healing salves for whatever you're going through.
Holding you in love and light 💖
Resource:
Healing Balm Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2MLhna9vxwJSGOVAtqSl8X?si=af89af5f8ae241d5
Work with me:
☀️💖 SUMMER SPECIAL 🙏🏻
Limited number of spots 60min coaching session for $50.
- Originally the summer special was for helping you with your core message but after this episode, I want to open it up to ANYTHING that you might need space held for. Perhaps it's to sit through the waves of difficult emotions together. Perhaps it's to let the throes of uncertainty move through you. Whatever you need ❤️🩹
I'll help you determine your CORE MESSAGING ANCHORS so that you ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY - on video, in a social media post, to your email list,on a podcast....
This isn't a content hack - this is getting to the root of the message that you're meant to share out. It's already on the tip of your tongue...the sleeve of your heart. Now let's make it tangible so that you can get it out in to the world!
Interested? Book your session here
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
One certain thing about life is that at one point you'll inevitably come across emotional upheaval - gripping fear that keeps you up at night, stomach aches of anxious uncertainty, heart wrenching sorrow...
This episode provides 3 different morsels of soothing support so that you don't lose yourself in the storm.
You got this. You can move through this.
Listen to discover:
- What to do when life crumbles
- How to sit with the waves of difficult emotions like uncertainty, fear and constant, mind reeling "what ifs"
- A reading that I've found solace in, in my own storm
Work with me:
☀️💖 SUMMER SPECIAL 🙏🏻
Limited number of spots 60min coaching session for $50.
- Originally the summer special was for helping you with your core message but after this episode, I want to open it up to ANYTHING that you might need space held for. Perhaps it's to sit through the waves of difficult emotions together. Perhaps it's to let the throes of uncertainty move through you. Whatever you need ❤️🩹
I'll help you determine your CORE MESSAGING ANCHORS so that you ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY - on video, in a social media post, to your email list,on a podcast....
This isn't a content hack - this is getting to the root of the message that you're meant to share out. It's already on the tip of your tongue...the sleeve of your heart. Now let's make it tangible so that you can get it out in to the world!
Interested? Book your session here
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Being kind to yourself is the root of all the peace and inner connection that you desire. Self-Compassion is also the antidote to your pain and suffering.
In today's episode, I share with you one way that you can start building self-compassion so that you can have the confidence to progress further into a life that you love....a life where you're able to take the action so that you can do what you're meant to do....and live how you want - with inner peace, connected to your true nature, expansive transformations, joy, and a wide open heart.
Work with me:
☀️🏖️ SUMMER SPECIAL
Limited number of spots 60min coaching session for $50.
I'll help you determine your CORE MESSAGING ANCHORS so that you ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY - on video, in a social media post, to your email list,on a podcast....
This isn't a content hack - this is getting to the root of the message that you're meant to share out. It's already on the tip of your tongue...the sleeve of your heart. Now let's make it tangible so that you can get it out in to the world!
Interested? Book your session here
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Resources:
Killa Kandles, local YYC customized luxury candles:
Coupon Code: CURIOUS10 for 10% off your order
Website: www.killakandles.com
There's a different way of working that doesn't call for stress, pressure, and exhaustion. We might even say that it's working in EASE & FLOW.
In this episode, I talk about why taking action from a place of stress and pressure is actually ineffective and how you can bring more EASE & FLOW into the way that you get things done (in a very practical way)
Listen to discover:
- What it takes to unlock the flow of creativity, inspiration and problem solving genius within you
- 5 simple ways to slow down
Work with me:
☀️🏖️ SUMMER SPECIAL
Limited number of spots 60min coaching session for $50.
I'll help you determine your CORE MESSAGING ANCHORS so that you ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY - on video, in a social media post, to your email list,on a podcast....
This isn't a content hack - this is getting to the root of the message that you're meant to share out. It's already on the tip of your tongue...the sleeve of your heart. Now let's make it tangible so that you can get it out in to the world!
Interested? Book your session here
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Resources:
Killa Kandles, local YYC customized luxury candles:
Coupon Code: CURIOUS10 for 10% off your order
Website: www.killakandles.com
The fear of not being good enough can be strong enough to hold you back from putting yourself out into the world.
Not only does the world miss out on the amazingness that you have to share but YOU miss out on the enlivening, heart opening joy of doing what you love and feeling proud and expansive about it.
This episode is about how to get over needing to get it perfect and/or the fear of getting it wrong so that you can get on with it and do what you were meant to do!
In this episosde, discover:
- How constantly striving to be better can actually be unhelpful
- Instead of constantly trying to get an "A", what helpful mindset is more helpful (and conducive to your progress) instead
Work with me:
1-1 Coaching
I help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
Want to see how coaching can help you?
Start by booking a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Start by booking a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Today I have a lesson that I want to share with you from teaching restorative yoga - If you want deeper inner connection more trust in yourself, learn to be comfortable, rest, and feel good.
We are so good at being uncomfortable. It's what we've been conditioned to do - politely saying yes out of obligation, forcefully pushing yourself beyond your limits, not asking for what you need because you don't want to be an inconvenience...
That kind of discomfort is a form of betraying yourself. How can you trust somebody who constantly dishonors what you need?
In today's episode, discover:
- why being comfortable is a skill to be strengthened
- how your inner self, body & emotions lets you know that you're mislaligned and are on the wrong path
- what does self-trust look like
Work with me:
1-1 Coaching
Want more inner connection and to trust yourself more? Coaching together can help you get there.
Start by booking a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Oftentimes, when we want results whether it be more clients, or more progress on your projects, we double down on our actions.
But actions don’t get you very far when there’s a lack of mental clarity.
In today's episode, you'll discover:
-
the signs that are showing you that you need to slow down
-
two helpful ways to actually slow down (especially when it's feeling impossible to)
Work with me:
Coaching
I help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
Start by booking a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
What would your life be like if you were absolutely free?
In this episode, inspired by French Philosopher Albert Camus, we explore what it means to live in absolute freedom.
I share with you my thoughts on what it means to be absolutey free (spoiler To me, being absolutely free is to be guided by the inner knowing of the soul rather than living a life dictated by people's opinions of should/should not, can/cannot)
and offer up a few analogies that might help you reflect on how to live a life based on your true nature rather than should/should nots.
Work with me:
- Live An Aligned Life
If you're ready to lean into your heart calling, I can help you map out your best path to creating a life of doing what you love
Join me in the Alignment Program
Find out more:
www.veronicathai.com/align
- 1-1 Coaching
I help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
Start by booking a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Here are 2 nuggets of inspiration to help you keep going when you're trying to make a living doing what you know you're meant to do but it's feeling hard and like you're trying so hard but not getting anywhere.
Maybe you're wondering...
If doing what I love lights me up so much then why is it so !#@$ hard to make it happen!
I got you! Nothing is wrong, my heart-centered friend. The struggle is normal. Listen in for encouragement and motivation.
Work with me:
- Live An Aligned Life
If you're ready to lean into your heart calling, I can help you map out your best path to creating a life of doing what you love
Join me in the Alignment Program
Find out more:
www.veronicathai.com/align
- 1-1 Coaching
I help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
If you're interested, start with a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Disappointment happens when your hopes and expecations are unfulfilled. It feels heavy, sad and deflating. It's not an easy place to be!
So what do you do when you find that you're feeling disappointed because something didn't turn out the way you expect or somebody in your life acted in a way that let you down?
In this episode, discover:
-
why it's so hard to feel disapointed
-
the things we usually do to avoid being disappointed (that could lead to your disadvantage)
-
and of course, how to deal with disappointment in an effective way that allows you to move forward
Work with me:
Book a Discovery Session
I offer 1-1 coaching to help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
If you're interested, start with a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
When know what action you need to take to make progress but you can't seem to make yourself do it, it's probably because there's a part of you that doesn't feel safe to do so. In this episode, discover:
- 3 keys to the loving & compassionate way to action, especially for the things that scare you - When you take action in this way, you're more able to show up as your fullest self in your business rather than filter parts of yourself out
Work with me:
- Live An Aligned Life
If you're ready to lean into your heart calling, I can help you map out your best path to creating a life of doing what you love
Join me in the Alignment Program
Find out more:
www.veronicathai.com/align
- 1-1 Coaching
I help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
If you're interested, start with a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
When you've found yourself on a path (business, job, relationship...) that no longer makes sense or makes you happy, you might feel frightened, lost or confused.
As up in the air as everything seems, take comfort in knowing that at your deepest level, you already know what makes you happy. That means that you already know how to find your way to the path forward.
In this episode, discover:
- What is is like when you're in alignment in your life vs. misaligned
- How to know if you're still aligned when things get hard
- What to do if you're misaligned
Live An Aligned Life
If you're ready to lean into your heart calling, I can help you map out your best path to creating a life of doing what you love.
There are two ways that you can get my help with this:
- Join me for a workshop series at Yoga Santosha (YYC)
Find out more at YogaSantosha.ca
If you're not in YYC, there's a virtual option to join!
- Alignment 1-1 program.
Find out more www.veronicathai.com/align
Work with me
I help heart-centered individuals move closer toward their North Star, including moving forward from disruptions.
If this is what you'd like help with, book a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Disruptions like a delay in plans, bad weather that damages the house, or an emergency can cause you to lose your footing and become ungrounded. In this episode, I share with you 2 very important steps to take when you experience a disruption (especially an unexpected one) in your life.
You'll also discover:
- How to give yourself permission to imperfectly fly by the seat of your pants
- 2 questions that can help you get out of fear and back into inner wisdom
Live An Aligned Life
If you're ready to lean into your heart calling, I can help you map out your best path to creating a life of doing what you love.
There are two ways that you can get my help with this:
- Join me for a workshop series at Yoga Santosha (YYC)
Find out more at YogaSantosha.ca
If you're not in YYC, there's a virtual option to join!
- Alignment 1-1 program.
Find out more www.veronicathai.com/align
Work with me
I help heart-centered individuals move closer toward their North Star, including moving forward from disruptions.
If this is what you'd like help with, book a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This meditation was created for you as a complement to Episode 247: Mental Clarity - Tonic for mental fatigue, self-pressure and stress
Inspired by Tara Brach's RAIN of self-compassion, this meditation guides you through a practice to settle a tired, exhausted, or pressured mind. Bringing awareness to you inner being helps create mental space. The space offers a place to rest where you can be reconnected to a sense of okay-ness, enough-ness, and the softening of your being.
Enjoy
Namaste❤️
Resource
Listen to meditation on Insight Timer (meditation app)
(https://insig.ht/FQ9IRD9JVob?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=live_stream_share)
Episode 247: Mental Clarity - Tonic for mental fatigue, self-pressure and stress
Work with me
I offer 1-1 coaching to help heart-centered individuals like you create a life and business from a soul-led place.
If you're interested, let's chat. Begin with a complimentary discovery session:
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Music Credit
The Inner Calling composed by Music of Wisdom - Licensed from https://meditationmusiclibrary.com/
When we take bubble baths, zone out on netflix and even practice yoga, what we're really looking for is mental space. A moment away from the monkey mind where there's no thinking, fixing, or trying. A place where you don't have to worry about life's foibles.
A place where you can just be. And be okay. Enough. And nothing has gone wrong.
In this episode, I share with a practice that can help you find mental spaciousness quickly.
This is the perfect tonic for mental fatigue, self-pressure, anxiety and stress.
Join Me For A Workshop "How To Cope With Change"
I'm doing a workshop called "how to cope with change" at Yoga MCC on April 2nd. There is both an in person and virtual option. I'll show you how to navigate change so that it feels easeful even in uncertainty. You'll be guided through a short yoga sequence to support you through each stage of change.
Sign up HERE
https://bit.ly/yogamcc
Work with me
I help solopreneurs stop staying stuck in imposter syndrome, self-doubt and fear so that they can actually move forward with building their businesses.
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Here is some loving wisdom for the part of change where you have to say goodbye...
Whether it be letting go of an old job, a relationship that no longer serves, a business idea that didn't work, an old way of doing things....
Or a part of your own identity like the version of you that always drops everything for others, or the version of you that always plays it safe.
Saying goodbye is bittersweet, even if it's something that you were ready to let go of.
Join Me For A Workshop "How To Cope With Change"
I'm doing a workshop called "how to cope with change" at Yoga MCC on April 2nd. There is both an in person and virtual option. I'll show you how to navigate change so that it feels easeful even in uncertainty. You'll be guided through a short yoga sequence to support you through each stage of change.
Sign up HERE
https://bit.ly/yogamcc
Work with me
I help solopreneurs stop staying stuck in imposter syndrome, self-doubt and fear so that they can actually move forward with building their businesses.
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
One of the biggest things that holds people back from reaching their goals is imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and fear.
You know this if you've ever had trouble creating content like writing an email or posting on social media.
In this episode:
- One nugget of wisdom that helps you quicky get over whatever fear is holding you back and just "get out there" with what you want to share out into the world!
Join Me At Yoga MCC
I'm doing a workshop called "how to cope with change" at Yoga MCC on April 2nd. There is both an in person and virtual option. I'll show you how to navigate change so that it feels easeful even in uncertainty. You'll be guided through a short yoga sequence to support you through each stage of change.
Sign up HERE
https://bit.ly/yogamcc
Work with me
I help solopreneurs stop staying stuck in imposter syndrome, self-doubt and fear so that they can actually move forward with building their businesses.
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
In this episode, Ayurveda Specialist, Lauren Prindiville, shares how she trusted her heart and left her comfortable teaching job so that she could travel the world, teach yoga and share the wisdom of Ayurveda.
In this episode:
- If you give yourself flexibility, you'll have more space to trust your heart
- What Lauren did to start teaching yoga in Bali
- How Lauren started an online course from scratch and attracted participants to take the program even though she lived in a new country where she didn't know anybody
*** Resources Mentioned** See shownotes (books & Ayurveda resources)
Connect with Lauren Prindiville
Website:www.islandayurvedayoga.com
Instagram: @lauren.islandayurveda
Let’s get connected!
You can find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to Receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Imposter syndrome is the thing that makes you doubt your abilities, second guess your success, feel like a fraud....and basically just STAY SMALL. In this episode:
- A smarter thing to do instead of powering through imposter syndrome (which can be so tiring)
- Sometimes imposter syndrome is actually helpful. How can you tell if it's helping or harming your progress?
- 3 questions to help you stop staying stuck because of imposter syndrome so that you can actually move forward with creating a life of doing what you love
Work with me
I help solopreneurs stop staying stuck in imposter syndrome, self-doubt and fear so that they can actually move forward with building their businesses.
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
When the spiritual and manifestation teachers tell you to “let go, surrender and trust” what does that even mean?? More importantly, how do you even do that??
I know that these words – let go, surrender, trust – have been uttered in my teachings as well. When it makes sense, it makes sense (think savasana after an eloquent yoga class).
But when it doesn’t make sense (ex. shit hitting the fan in your life or things not working out like how you want it to) it’s like an alien language. I’ve been there too – completely clinging without the slightest idea of how to “let go”.
In this episode we explore:
- how to surrender even under non-ideal conditions like when your life isn’t working out
- what it looks like when you’re resisting life
- card pull at the end of the episode for a divine message! (I keep getting this card)
Also includes 2 journaling prompts to help you ease back into surrender & trust.
Work with me
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
In Ayurveda, if you are balanced then you will have no food cravings, good sleep, clear skin, clear eyes and balanced emotions. In this epsiode, ayurvedic specialist, Lauren Prindiville, shares modern and accessible ways that you can do to bring Ayurveda into your everyday life for better balance.
She also gives practical actions that you can take to balance out the winter season (Kapha) that we're currently in.
Listen in to discover:
-
What is Ayurveda and how does it work
-
What are the characteristics of each dosha (constituent)
-
How to find out what your dosha is - air, water, fire or earth (vata, pitta or kapha)
-
Simple practices to help you balance your system based on your dosha
-
How to use the ayurvedic clock to optimize your energy levels throughout the day
Resources Mentioned
Episode 34: The basics of ayurveda with Susan-Weis Bohlen
Let’s get connected!
You can find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to Receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Oftentimes we think of confidence as the go-getters who daringly go for their desires despite their fears. They cease the day! They are seemingly fearless - so certain of their abilities and judgements. This idea of confidence both true and false. In this episode, you'll see why this is the case.
You'll also discover:
- Why forcing confidence never lasts long
- and what method works for long-lasting true confidence in yourself
- Why you shouldn't try to get rid of fear to be more confident
Work with me
Want to see how 1-1 coaching might be exactly what you need to move forward?
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Your energy is your most important and precious commodity. You can have all the time, money and friends in the world but if you don't have the energy to enjoy, you can't enjoy it.
In this episode, I share with you how you can manage your energy so that you can have the energy you want to do the things that you want.
Listen in to discover:
- How to stop running on empty
- How to fill up your energy tank
- A simple 60 second way to prevent burnout
Work with me
Schedule a discovery session https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This special epsiode is the 4th annual compilation of wisdom and lessons shared from conversations with teachers, healers and experts throughout the year.
Listen in for a powerful boost in energy, mood, inspiration and motivation!
2021 Wisdom Themes were:
1. Connect with soul to remember your truth
- Step into your true self
- Let go of perfectionism
- Alignment manifests your desires
- Community - humans were not meant to be alone
- Let go, trust and surrender
Liste in for the inspiration of 2021!
****Join the Alignment Program Stop feeling misaligned in your life, as if you are constantly paddling against the current. Alignment is a program to help you map out your path to a meaningful life doing what you love. Find out more at: https://www.veronicathai.com/align
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle...is to walk on earth. Everyday we engage in a miracle we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves...all is a miracle"
Today's Daily Inspiration is a reminder for mindfulness inspired by the guiding words of mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.
Listen to:
- discover a simple perspective that'll help you stop feeling like you're "a bottle being slapped here and there on the waves"
- quickly find a sense of peace
- reconnect with the place of stillness within you
Join the Alignment Program
Stop feeling misaligned in your life, as if you are constantly paddling against the current. Alignment is a program to help you map out your path to a meaningful life doing what you love.
Find out more at: https://www.veronicathai.com/align
Download the 3 Exercises To Align To Your Best Path PDF
I put the questions from this episode into a handy dandy PDF so that you can easily refer back to it. You can download it here.
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/o7g5x9
Resources
- Episode 236: 3 Exercises To Help You Align To Your Best Path
- Episode 235: Part I NYE Ritual - 8 Year End Questions To Let Go & Receive (Daily Inspo)
- Download the 3 Exercises To Align To Your Best Path PDF
You can download it here.
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/o7g5x9
- Download the Year End Questions PDF
You can download it here.
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/n2n4n7
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Have you ever strived for something that you were certain would be amazing only to be disappointed by how anticlimactic it felt when you got there?
This happens a lot, especially with New Years goals. They tend to become either pressure filled to-do lists or saggy wish lists.
This year, do things differently and set intentions for 2022 that feel aligned.
When you create intentions that are aligned with your best path, it feels open, loving and free. It feels like your life is in EASE & FLOW.
In this episode you'll discover:
- Why traditional goal setting doesn't work
- What do do instead
- Be guided through 3 exercises to intentions for 2022 that are aligned to your best path
Join the Alignment Program
Stop feeling misaligned in your life, as if you are constantly paddling against the current. Alignment is a program to help you map out your path to a meaningful life doing what you love.
Find out more at: https://www.veronicathai.com/align
Download the 3 Exercises To Align To Your Best Path PDF
I put the questions from this episode into a handy dandy PDF so that you can easily refer back to it. You can download it here.
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/o7g5x9https://landing.mailerlite.com/wehttps://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/o7g5x9bforms/landing/n2n4n7
Resources
Episode 235: Part I NYE Ritual - 8 Year End Questions To Let Go & Receive (Daily Inspo)
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Before you leap into the new year with goals, visions and intentions, take the time to REFLECT.
We spend so much time and energy chasing the destination that we often fail to stop and see how far we’ve come.
But it's only when we are aware of our own transformations that we can reap the nuggets of wisdom that await us.
In this episode, I guide you through 8 reflective questions that will help you receive the wisdom and lessons that this past year has brought you and to let go of what no longer serves you.
It's like clearing the year and tying up all loose ends so that you can move into the New Year refreshed and a little lighter.
Join me for NYE Workshop: Create The Life You're Meant For
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Download the Year End Questions PDF
I put the questions from this episode into a handy dandy PDF so that you can easily refer back to it. You can download it here.
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/n2n4n7
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
When you get caught up in the hustle and bustle you're more susceptible to getting swept in a rabbit hole of stress and overwhelm.
Here are 3 mantras to help you drop right back into love & ease.
They work whether you're feeling irked by holiday shoppers invading your personal space or if you're feeling clobbered by too many project deadlines.
Join me for NYE Workshop: Create The Life You're Meant For
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
In this episode, a reminder that creating, including the manifestation of your desires, is not a linear process. It happens in cycles. There is inner wisdom within you that can guide you to what you want with ease & flow. Forcing, hurrying and overworking is the result of being disconnected from this power within you.
Join me for NYE Workshop: Create The Life You're Meant For
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“As human beings, we are not meant to be alone. We are meant to share experiences to help each other with our pains and our celebrations. It's our group experience that allows us to deepen our own personal experiences.”
- Anne Cox
You're about to listen to something extraordinary! Instead of the usual interview style, I’ve collected wisdom from a group of experts to focus a discussion around community and connection…which is something that so many of us desire more of (and can benefit greatly from) in our lives.
The pandemic has created a sense of loneliness, divide and separation. In trying to figure out these uncomfortable feelings for myself, I came to the insight that the opposite of separation is COMMUNITY!
In this episode, a collection of local Calgary YYC studio owners and teachers share with us their wisdom about being in and/or creating community.
Listen to discover:
- How community can help you find your authentic selves and higher purpose
- 3 important questions to ask yourself so that you can find the right kind of community for you
- No man is an island. Both happiness and loneliness deserve to be shared since they are all integral human experiences.
- In the midst of a pandemic, community and connection are helping businesses (like yoga studios) stay strong and afloat
Key Nuggets:
[00: 00- 14:44] Community, Connection and the Loneliness Crisis
[14: 45- 24:52] Seeing Ourselves within Each Other (Anne Cox of YogaMCC)
[24: 53-34: 19 ] Community For Accountability & Strength (Candace Cooke of Yoga Santosha)
[34: 20- 41: 01 ] Checking In With Your People (Kristin Jostad of Yoga Passage)
[41: 02- 50: 42 ] Community as a Healing Space (Kristine Murphy of Pure Hot Yoga)
[50: 43- 51: 50 ] How Do You Want to Feel?
[51: 51- 59:57 ] How do you want to be supported in community? 3 important questions to help you find the right community for you
Join me for NYE Workshop: Create The Life You're Meant For
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
"[it's about] doing hard things so we can grow into the full creative capacity of our souls" - Simone Grace Seol
In this episode I offer up one question that can help shift your perspective from
hustle --> ease
striving --> living
stress led --> soul led
controlling --> inspired action
It's not really about the money or success. It's about if you get there with acts of fear or acts of creative soul inspired actions.
Join me for NYE Workshop: Create The Life You're Meant For
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Believe that your possibilities are limitless. In this episode, Jessica Dimas and I sit down for an in-depth conversation about the hurdles of entrepreneurship and why trusting your intuition to lead you is always the right choice.
Listen to discover:
- How to use joy as a compass to guide you through challenges as an entrepreneur.
- The #1 question that Jessica asks herself before she makes a decision.
- Being spirit-led doesn't mean you're immune to the demands of running a business. Jessica reveals how she manages the pressure to "show up" daily.
- Intuitively we know that we are enough. Jessica shares how this belief helped her in every stage of her business.
RESOURCES:
Join me on New Years Eve
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Listen to Part I: Ep 220 Connecting With Your Higher Self & Dwelling In The Magic
Full Show Notes:
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Have you ever realized that you're getting caught up in the whirlwind of doing too much but you don't know how to stop?
You know that self-care is important and that it's probably a good idea to slow down, surrender and be in the present moment... but you can't seem to unclench.
In this episode, I give you an easy, simple and soothing way to surrender. While vacations and spa visits are great, this way that I show you is more immediate and accessible to help bring you back to a sense of peace.
Join me on New Years Eve
If you're in YYC, join me for an in person workshop at Yoga Passage on December 31st. Sign up at: https://www.passagestudios.ca/events-and-workshops/2021/12/31/-workshop-nye-create-the-life-you-are-meant-for
Let’s get connected!
Find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
In this episode I talk with author of the spiritual self-care blog *Dwell In Magic*, Jessica Dimas, about connecting to your highest self, manifesting and how to dwell in the magic. Jessica shares her story about how she visualized what she wanted, owned her power, and went from using food stamps to running a successful blog.
Listen to discover:
- How to connect with your highest self for answers through dreams
- How to shift the narrative inside your head so that you can tune into better feeling thoughts
- How to manifest even if you’re too attached to your desire because you really, really, reallllyyy want it
- How your joy is more powerful than you think
[7:44-8:55] Starting a successful blog Dwell In Magic
- Jessica shares her story of going from being a stressed out mom to learning about self care
- Eventually this is the path that led her to begin the Dwell In Magic blog.
[10:58-11:20] What was the shift in your life that changed that perspective?
- Hitting financial rock bottom helped Jessica realize the negative thought patterns that she had.
- Jessica shares what shifted when she decided that the old thoughts just weren't working
[14:37-15:15] What did you change so that you could start changing the narrative inside your head?
- Changing thoughts and embracing gratitude
[21:02-21:25] Connecting with your higher self through dreams
- How to get answers from your higher self while sleeping
- Jessica's personal practice
[37:08-38:10] Signs of spiritual awakening
- What Jessica's spiritual awakenings looked like
- Signs that often indicate a spiritual awakening
[47:58-48:27] The biggest lesson that you’ve learned along the way
Surrender and trust no matter the situation works all the time. Hand it over to your highest self and trust that everything will unfold for everyone’s highest good.
Journaling can help but even just a simple acknowledgement works.
[47:58-48:27] A nugget of wisdom for fellow seekers who are also on this journey of growth and transformation
Trust yourself, trust what you feel. Don’t feel like others have it all figured out b/c they don’t. They also get their answers from their higher selves. What you desire to learn about is also the direction that you’re meant to go in.
Resources Mentioned: * This episode is brought to you by Offering Tree. If you're looking for an all-in-one business platform to put your wellness brand online, use my link to get a special discount offeringtree.com/curious * Speakers Mentioned: Abraham Hicks * Book recommendation: Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley * Book recommendation: A Course In Miracles
Connect with Jessica: Visit Jessica’s blog: Dwell In Magic
Let’s get connected!
You can find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to Receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
In today's episode, I share one of my favorite practices to help keep your energy in check so that you don't feel like a used sponge by the end of the day. This is a practice that I share with clients and also use on myself every single morning. It's one of the worst feelings to feel depleted, like you're just a bystander in your own life because you don't even have the energy to fully participate in it. Yuck! Nobody wants that. Listen in to see how you can nip energy depletion in the bud.
Work With Me: here's the special invite link for Curious Monki listeners to get a complimentary 1-1 coaching with me (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Ashley Sondergaard, self-care coach and host of the Yoga Magic Podcast, felt the desire to help people with their self-care…maybe become a self-care coach or something. The fear part of her told her “it's a silly idea” and “there are already so many people doing that already” but she went and did it anyway. Today, she lives her desire of helping cultivate self-care.
This episode is about how she did it - how she overcame the fear, how she started and lessons learned from other challenges encountered.
Whether you're someone who's feeling inadequate, hating your job and trying to find your purpose, Ashley’s story will be of great value to help you move forward!
In this episode, discover:
- How to create a life of doing what you love without having to give up what you aren’t willing to do.
- How self-compassion pushed the button for Ashley to start chasing her dream of becoming a self-care coach
- A deeper understanding of how to break-free on the chains and challenges of self-resistance and use it to your advantage
Resources Mentioned
-
This episode is brought to you by Offering Tree. If you're looking for an all-in-one business platform to put your wellness brand online, use my link to get a special discount offeringtree.com/curious
-
Listen to Ashley and my episode on her podcast Yoga Magic
Connect with Ashley Sondergaard
Website: www.ashleysondergaard.com
Instagram: @ashleysondergaard.yoga & @yogamagicpodcas
Listen to her podcast Yoga Magic with Ashley Sondergaard and explore the world of self-care and self-discovery
Let’s get connected!
You can find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to Receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
There will be days when things feel hard and you might even feel discouraged because following what's true to you isn't the easy the path. The easy path is comfortable and you get to just follow along.
But it also keeps you small. You aren't challenged or stretched. You don't get to expand into all that you might become.
Following what's true to you challenges how you view yourself and the world. It pushes you (lovingly) to expand into who you really are.
This episode is inspiration for the days when it feels hard and you find yourself becoming small and stuck tight in a bud again.
Resources:
Book - The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield
Stuck in a mental struggle?
Schedule a coaching with me (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self to the self… What we really truly desire, want, and crave that could actually fulfill us is when we settle back into our own wholeness.” - Veronica Thai
In this episode of the Curious Monki Podcast, Ashley Sondergaard and I have an amazing conversation about creating more self-compassion, how practicing self-care doesn’t automatically cultivate self-compassion in your life, and tools that we use to elevate our self-care.
Ashley Sondergaard is a self-care coach, yoga teacher, astrologer, and host of the Yoga Magic podcast. For 9 years, she has studied yoga, meditation, astrology and mindfulness practices that prioritize self-care and self-discovery. After having her two girls, Ashley discovered the hard way that taking care of yourself first is the only way to take care of others. Today, she supports her students & clients in up-leveling their everyday routines into magical self-care rituals.
[00:01 – 05:19] Recovering Perfectionists and Ex-Hustlers
- Ashley and I introduce ourselves
[05:20 – 16:21] The Biggest Life Shifts When We Stopped Hustling
- How I switched from hustle to ease
-
- Having to first uncover what ease and flow really meant
- Starting in school, the pressure to get 100% marks and the nagging urge of never being enough carried itself into the corporate world, overworking, always wanting the next position, never being satisfied with which rung in the corporate ladder I stood on
- Bringing the hustle mentality into my yoga business
- How my life shifted when I hired my first coach
- How Ashley hustled for a pipe dream that wasn’t even hers
-
- Getting off the structured corporate pathway she was on enabled her to question what she really wanted
- We are not linear beings
[16:22 – 26:48] Are We There Yet?
- Divine feminine and masculine energy and how to ground yourself when you’re getting impatient with your process
-
- Hustling starts in your mind
- What are you making it mean?
- Ashley and I share where we want to bring more self-compassion into our lives
-
- When something fearful or uncomfortable happens, our instinct is to want to breathe it away, but sometimes letting it stay and heal on its own is the best form of self-compassion
- How Ashley learns about herself through astrology, where she thrives, is challenged, how she interacts with the world and the people around her
[31:35 – 41:39] Self Compassion Means Embracing All OThe Pieces of Yourself
- Ashley and I dive deeper into astrology
-
- Ascendant and descendant signs
-
- As a life coach, you probably attract a lot of clients that have the energy of your descendant
- Looking at birth charts to help navigate self-care
-
- The sun is your essence, your identity, and where you're shining the brightest. Use your sun sign to determine your physical practices
[41:40 – 52:27] Our Biggest Self Compassion and Spiritual Journey Lessons
- Ashley
-
- Know yourself
- Don't shit on yourself
- Trust the process
- We are more powerful than we realize
- Veronica
-
- Yoga is the journey of self
- Hold space for yourself
- Breathe
- Be with the fear
[52:27 – 53:43] Closing Segment
- Connect with Ashley Sondergaard! (Her links are below)
Key Quotes:
“When I first quit my job, started teaching yoga and a podcast, thinking I'm now aligned, I still brought in that habit of hustle… It was highly unhealthy and it was that self-pressure of not being able to stop until you reach a certain point. And it wasn't until I hired my very first coach, who was fantastic, that she broke that mentality for me.” - Veronica Thai
“We are not linear beings, we are human beings, we're part of nature, which means that we're cyclical, just like how the seasons change from season to season, just like how trees change with the seasons, leaves grow, leaves fall off. We are human.” - Veronica Thai
“Coaches need coaches too.” - Ashley Sondergaard
“When I look at a birth chart, whether it be mine, my partners, my kids, my friends, or my family, I get to see who they are at their essence. And that's not always like good or bad. There are spectrums to every part of the chart and what we choose to embody. Whatever we decide to take on at that moment is really up to us.” - Ashley Sondergaard
“My biggest lessons for self-compassion is to know yourself, don't sht on yourself, and just trust the process.” -* Ashley Sondergaard
Resources Mentioned
-
This episode is brought to you by Offering Tree. If you're looking for an all-in-one business platform to put your wellness brand online, use my link to get a special discount offeringtree.com/curious
-
Listen to Ashley and my episode on her podcast Yoga Magic
-
Speakers mentioned
-
Tara Brach
-
Lisa Nichols
Connect with Ashley Sondergaard
Website: www.ashleysondergaard.com
Instagram: @ashleysondergaard.yoga & @yogamagicpodcas
Listen to her podcast Yoga Magic with Ashley Sondergaard and explore the world of self-care and self-discovery
Let’s get connected!
You can find me on Instagram @curiousmonki. Visit my website https://www.veronicathai.com
Join the Curious Monki Newsletter to Receive more inspiration and exclusive resources https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone you know who wants inspiration to pursue their purpose, and is passionate about the exploration of yoga and self-healing. You can listen to the Curious Monki Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Behind every difficult emotion is a nugget of wisdom waiting to be discovered. Instead of being overtaken by a difficult emotion like anxiety, fear, sadness or anger, use this tool. It will help you sit with compassion and discover the inner wisdom that lies beneath the struggle.
While the conscious mind is factual and logical, the subconscious mind works in metaphors. That's why you can't think your way out of a feeling.
You can use this metaphor tool for any emotional struggle that you're experiencing.
(Download the free Metaphor Tool Worksheet
(https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/d2m4h1)
Want a coach to walk you through the tool?
Schedule a coaching with me (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from manifestation coach & host of 'The Manifest Edit' podcast, Efia Sulter.
After university, Efia struggled with figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Despite being bogged down by anxiety and depression, she eventually found her way to doing what lights her up.
In this episode you'll discover:
- What action/tools helped bring Efia from feeling like her life couldn't get any worse to feeling like her life was more amazing than she could imagine
- Why it's important to stay aligned to your values
- The value of getting the right support in your journey
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Many people want to be more confident, but what does that really mean? What are you really wanting when you want confidence? The answer to this question are also the underlying reasons why you might not be feeling as confident as you want.
In this episode, you'll discover what fear and worthiness have to do with confidence. You'll also learn the 2 ways to build authentic, sustainable confidence.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
In this episode Mindset & Manifestation Coach, Efia Sulter shares her tried and true 5-step framework for aligned manifestation.
You will discover:
- a helpful exercise for surrendering, even when it seems like things really aren't working out
- the difference between attachment, detachment and not caring
- why what you want doesn't manifest sometimes
- how to embody the vibration of your higher self
- why it's important to set powerful intentions
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Offering Tree Discount: offeringtree.com/curious
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Accomplishing a big goal like trying to get your business off the ground or making a complete career change can feel overwhelming. So can taking action on things that are hella scary... like making a pitch to a company that you'd really like to work with and risk being rejected. Instead of letting overwhelm and fear paralyze you, in this episode I show you what you can do instead.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
Earlier this year I shared with you the fresh new insights I had about self-pressure and how I was putting myself under massive self pressure and didn’t even realize it (well until I had an incident that made me have to stop doing everything).
Today I’m going to share something with you that will help you get out of it too if you’re also stuck in it.
Resources:
Ep. 186 - STOP PRESSURING YOURSELF! 3 WAYS TO DROP THE MENTAL STRUGGLE OF SELF-PRESSURE
Get the meditation on Insight Timer: https://insig.ht/zCQWiQjKHkb?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=live_stream_share
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
I'm sharing a visualization at the beginning of every week to help you remember the amazing, wonderful, light-filled being that you are!
Walk into your day/week remembering clearly what it’s like to be the fullest version of yourself so that you can make choices that are aligned rather than choices that keep you stuck tight in a bud.
Use this as a meditation or visualize with your eyes open as you get ready for your day, on your commute to work, on your daily walk or whatever you’re doing. Just stay present with the words and really let yourself envision the guidance.
The more often you listen the better because you’re creating a habit of recognizing the best version of you rather than the usual Eeyore default habit of feeling “not good enough”.
Stay inspired, play all out and burst into the fullest version of yourself! Whatever your heart's calling out for, you got this! You can do this! Listen to this episode so that you remember this for yourself too.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
In pursuing your heart’s calling there is no formula and that’s not a bad thing. This episode is a reminder of the wisdom that you have within - one that gives you customized answers toward your best path.
If you're finding yourself in a spiral of futile Google searches, here's inspiration to get you back into alignment and examples of what it looks like to follow your inner wisdom.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387
I'm sharing a visualization at the beginning of every week to help you remember the amazing, wonderful, light-filled being that you are!
Walk into your day/week remembering clearly what it’s like to be the fullest version of yourself so that you can make choices that are aligned rather than choices that keep you stuck tight in a bud.
Use this as a meditation or visualize with your eyes open as you get ready for your day, on your commute to work, on your daily walk or whatever you’re doing. Just stay present with the words and really let yourself envision the guidance.
The more often you listen the better because you’re creating a habit of recognizing the best version of you rather than the usual Eeyore default habit of feeling “not good enough”.
Stay inspired, play all out and burst into the fullest version of yourself! Whatever your heart's calling out for, you got this! You can do this! Listen to this episode so that you remember this for yourself too.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387
We're revisiting an episode from last year where Spiritual Strategist and Psychic Medium, Rebecca Gibson, showed us what practices we can use to keep our energy clear.
Listen in to discover:
- How to tell if you're an empath
- What it means to be empathic
- Why energy exchanges cause empaths to feel drained
- How to prevent yourself from taking on energy that you don't want
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
Show Notes:
When you have a big spirited visions of what you want to create, each step can feel hard sometimes because the summit can seem so far away. This is where today's daily inspiration comes in - LET IT BE EASY!
In this episode, here's a dose of inspiration to help you:
-
release the mind stuff (ex. the perfectionism that makes you take 5 hours to do something when it can only take 20min; the resistance that makes you feel like you'll "never" make it...)
-
creatively take the path of least resistance (aka. let it be easy)
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387
Your truth may not always be agreeable with everybody around you but stay in your lane and don't let the naysayers take you away from truth. This might mean that you follow your heart and become a yoga teacher even if others insist it's not a "real job". Maybe you follow a heartfelt pursuit that nobody seems to get.
You are the trailblazer for your vision. You create the opportunities and vision that others may not be able to see yet.
Today's episode is a reminder to keep going and follow what's true to you!
Resource:
Listen to Ep.202 - 3 Ways To Discover Your True Self with Kelly Smith
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387
I'm sharing a visualization at the beginning of every week to help you remember the amazing, wonderful, light-filled being that you are!
Walk into your day/week remembering clearly what it’s like to be the fullest version of yourself so that you can make choices that are aligned rather than choices that keep you stuck tight in a bud.
Use this as a meditation or visualize with your eyes open as you get ready for your day, on your commute to work, on your daily walk or whatever you’re doing. Just stay present with the words and really let yourself envision the guidance.
The more often you listen the better because you’re creating a habit of recognizing the best version of you rather than the usual Eeyore default habit of feeling “not good enough”.
Stay inspired, play all out and burst into the fullest version of yourself! Whatever your heart's calling out for, you got this! You can do this! Listen to this episode so that you remember this for yourself too.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
(https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter)
Follow Me On Instagram: @curiousmonki
1-1 Coaching (special invite link only for podcast listeners)
(https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387)
Here are 4 questions to help you make confident decisions so that you can make decisions that are soul-led versus fear-led.
It'll help you confidently make decisions like whether or not another training is worth it or if it's time to leave your job.
Big decisions that have a significant impact on your life are hard to make because the stakes seem so big. At the worst of times, the stakes are so scary that we stay paralyzed and decide to do nothing at all (which isn't helpful).
Considering it logically and analyzing the crap out of it isn't always necessarily the best way because what looks good on paper might not be right for you.
Big decisions requires trusting yourself and being in tune with your instincts.
In this episode you'll discover:
- How to hear your inner guidance (aka. listen to your soul)
- 4 questions that will help you discern between decisions that are right for you versus not right for you
RESOURCES:
Download the 4 Question PDF & Body Compass guide
(https://www.veronicathai.com/confidentdecisions)
"Everything you need to heal is already within you. You do not need to seek outside validation. The key to your healing is being able to return to believing in yourself"
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from trauma researcher & yoga teacher , Dr. Megan Kirk Chang, from Episode 208: What is trauma and what does it mean to be trauma informed?
Megan's story showcases that doing what you love can still have hard parts, but it’s a different kind of hard than when you’re headed in the wrong direction.
I used to think that once you figure out what you love doing then a big rainbow lights up the whole sky and I would skip into a beautiful sunset, never having to experience a hard part again.
Sort of…and also not really at all! You’re no longer swimming against the current but now you’re being stretched in a different way so that you can grow. Megan’s examples of how the trauma research program she was in was so hard that she wanted quit and how she had to choose to listen to herself than societal norms are examples of these hard parts that help us grow.
Listen to discover:
- How a major experience in Megan’s life showed her what kind of work she wanted to do in the world
- Example of what it looks like when what you really want goes against societal norms and how to choose the inner voice instead of the “should”
- Ideas for how to get through the hard parts
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Instagram @curiousmonki
Learning about our own traumatic experiences helps us recognize behavioral or emotional patterns that we resort to in order to protect ourselves. This lets us turn down the volume of our inner critic and understand how our experiences shape who we are today.
If you’re a yoga teacher, massage therapist, coach, manager or somebody whose job it is to hold space for others, it’s important that you listen to this episode!
We discuss what being trauma-informed really means with mental healthy clinician scientist, Dr. Megan Kirk Chang. Megan has done extensive research over the last several years to better understand trauma, especially when it comes to what happens physically in the body.
It’s important to have a trauma-informed approach because it helps you better hold space for others. We’ve all been through hardships and you don’t know who is still experiencing trauma. Rather than avoid or hope that everybody is fine, there are some easy things that you can do to be more inclusive.
Listen in to discover:
- What happens in your body when you experience a trauma (regardless of how big or small you judge the incident to be)
- What it means to be a trauma-informed practitioner and examples of how to hold trauma-informed space
- A deeper look into what your physiology does to protect you and how that response, if strong enough, affects you moving forward
- We nerd out a little and take a dive into some different parts of the nervous system
- How to soothe yourself via the nervous system when you’re feeling unsafe in a safe environment
There's something amazing that you're meant to share out into the world! You probably feel the calling too (at least on some level) which is what compelled you to reach for "something more" or "something bigger" in the first place.
Most times this calling stokes the fire that keeps you going for your heartfelt pursuit. Sometimes fear becomes the louder voice and you get what's referred to as "imposter syndrome".
It's a discouraging voice that says "who am I to do this?" "I don't have enough____ (money, education, experience...)" "This won't work for me"
This episode is for those times when imposter syndrome got the best of you. Here's how you can ditch the imposter syndrome and come back to alignment. Let the soul calling be the thing that guides you once again.
Need help getting aligned with your soul calling?
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me.
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Coaching can help you live as the fullest version of yourself and have the confidence to step into the life that you know you're meant for.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Instagram: @curiousmonki
Here's one of my favorite stories to bring me back to my sense of truth and inner connection. Far too often we lose our sense of self in our day-to-day.
We've become so accustomed to putting on different masks depending on
- where we are (at home vs. in the office)
- who we're with (family vs. friends vs. different groups of friends)
- or what we're trying to get (validation, power, love...)
that we accidentally misidentify with these masks.
This story will help you recognize and reconnect to the beautiful, vulnerable and whole self of who you truly are.
Ready to stop staying stuck tight in a bud?
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me.
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Coaching can help you live as the fullest version of yourself and have the confidence to step into the life that you know you're meant for.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Instagram: @curiousmonki
Learn how to do more of what you love by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from meditation & yoga teacher and host of the Mindfulness In Minutes Podcast, Kelly Smith.
You'll discover:
- How to embrace the detours on your journey
- What Kelly did to fill up her schedule with yoga classes
- Kelly’s advice on change, quitting and pivoting your direction
What I love about this conversation with Kelly is that she talks about embracing the detours on your journey. In her own journey she had to pivot multiple times - from selling her brick & mortar studio to becoming a new mother. She shows how changes can help you move toward better things despite how our fear tells us that giving something up leaves us worse off.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter
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Instagram @curiousmonki
Inspiration to stop staying small, play all out and burst into the fullest version of yourself! Whatever your heart's calling out for, you got this! You can do this! Listen to this episode so that you remember this for yourself too.
Ready to stop staying stuck tight in a bud? Coaching can help you do that!
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here.
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Coaching can help you live as the fullest version of yourself and have the confidence to step into the life that you know you're meant for.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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Instagram: @curiousmonki
Achieving your goals takes focus but when you hold on too tightly it actually ruins your progress. Instead of taking a step forward, you fall a few steps back.
You increase your risk of burnout and exhaustion.
Signs that you're holding on too tight is if you have tunnel vision, a death grip on what you want to achieve or a general feeling of crazy self-pressure like as if you're going to implode.
Don't let overattachment hold you back. In today's episode:
-
What it looks like to hold onto a goal too tightly
-
How to let go
-
One of the best ways to take a break and REST. (Not relax or do something else, but for real REST where you actually feel rejuvenated and energized)
Resources:
Episode 186: Stop Pressuring Yourself! 3 Ways To Drop The Struggle Of Self-Pressure
Episode 202: 3 Ways To Discover Your True Self with Kelly Smith
If you're ready to stop staying stuck tight in a bud, let's get you some coaching.
As a result of coaching, aspiring individuals expand into the fullest version of themselves and have the confidence to live the life of "something more" that they know they're meant for.
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here.
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Instagram: @curiousmonki
When you hide behind facades and step away from who you really are for too long, you might end up losing your true self. There's a gap between the you that you show the world and the authentic self that resides within.
Meditation & Yoga Teacher and the host of the Mindful In Minutes podcast, Kelly Smith, talk about how to reconnect to your true self and begin showing up more authentically you (even if the people closest to you don't get it).
Listen in to discover:
- What it means to live as your authentic self
- How to find your true self
- How to reconnect with who you really are
- How to stop hiding behind facades and masks and begin showing up more genuinely you
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
This isn’t a typical episode because today’s guest, Linda Thai, did not give a typical answer.
The usual question and answer format of this How She Got There episode was derailed right from question one, and that’s a fantastic thing because what ended up surfacing was much better than what I could’ve planned
Somatic and Trauma Therapist, Linda Thai, shares with us how her and family survived post-war Vietnam’s refugee exodus.
Although only 2 years old at the time, the experience of fleeing her home country had a significant impact on Linda’s life.
“You don’t remember the trauma but you exhibit the symptoms” Linda explains.
She expertly weaves an understanding of trauma as she tells the story of her and her family’s harrowing journey.
I was touched by her story not only because it’s so similar to the story of what my family went through, but also because it’s an excellent example of Rumi’s quote “The wound is where the light enters”.
Resources:
I mistakenly told you that Part I of our conversation was Ep 201 but it's actually Ep 199!
Learn more about how your experiences shapes who you are today - Ep. 199: Why Are You Like This? Understanding Emotional Trauma and How To Heal From It,
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"Celebration is the key to continuing the momentum and momentum is created by celebrating victories – no matter how big or how small” - Tony Robbins
Wow we made it to episode 200!!! Yaaaay!!!!
For this very special episode I'll take you behind the scenes and share with you (the good, the bad and the ugly) what it was like to start Curious Monki, what it takes for me to keep going and I'll share with you the most important tool that you can implement in your life to keep you inspired and progressing.
Listen in to discover:
- How I dealt with imposter syndrome
- How I overcame the mental struggle of self-doubt and fear
- What usually compels us finally take action
- Why it's important to recognize yourself every step of the way
- A twist on celebration - a new practice that I find more heartfelt and authentic
- What it means to follow your inner wisdom
Resources:
I mentioned that my "stuck tight in a bud" story was told in Ep 198, but it's actually Episode 193: Overcome Mental Resistance And Get Back Into Alignment
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
If you're ready to stop staying stuck tight in a bud, I can help!
I can coach you to overcome this stuck-ness.
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Gain a better understanding of yourself and why you do what you do by understanding how your experiences shaped us into who you are today. Deeper yet, learn how some experiences – trauma – can get locked into your body (known as samskaras in yoga philosophy).
In order to survive we need to develop adaptive strategies. This might look like being charming, very self-reliant or highly nurturing. It can also look like perfectionism, people pleasing, rebellion, self-isolation, or pushing people away. There are endless concoctions of adaptive strategies.
When they seem unappealing like lying or being overly critical, we deem them as problematic behaviors and might even get to a point where we berate ourselves for behaving that way.
But a better way to look at these behaviors is by seeing them, as Linda calls them “superpowers”.
It was an honor to have Somatic and Trauma Therapist, Linda Thai, on this episode to teach us about what trauma is, what adaptive strategies are, and what it takes to heal so that we can let go of the adaptive strategies that no longer serve us.
Listen in to discover:
- What is trauma and how can you tell if you’ve experienced it?
- What are these adaptive strategies that we develop for survival?
- What does it take to heal and let go of the behaviors that no longer serve you?
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Inspired by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1.1 "now Yoga begins" and episode 176 Ashley Zuberi about yoga philosophy.
Today's message is:
Each moment is a new beginning, you’re not doomed to be the experiences of your past or the mistakes that you’ve made. When you look at it this way, even though you might feel stuck, you're never really stuck.
Chickened out with a phone call? That's okay, you can still make it now! You said "yes" when you meant "no". No problem, the next moment brings you a fresh new opportunity - go back NOW and tell them you actually mean "no".
Okay but if you still feel for real stuck, I can help!
I can coach you to overcome this stuck-ness.
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Resources:
To learn more about Yoga Philosophy and The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, listen to Ep 176 with Ashley Zuberi - Easy Guide To Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep176
Learn how to live your purpose and do what you're meant to do by listening to stories from others who followed their hearts to create their dream life.
Discover how they actually got started, how they supported themselves financially and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from leading couples psychologist and founder of the Couples Communication Institute, Dr. Sarah Rattray.
You'll discover:
- The top thing that helped Sarah really make progress in building her vision.
- How Sarah found a creative way to help more people with her work.
- What it took to shift from a traditional working model and into one that felt more aligned.
What I love about this conversation with Sarah is that she's still in the middle of building this new vision. She shows up so authentically and lets us into what it really looks like to change directions in your endeavors. Even with 30 years of expertise, there still can be creative changes!
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Relationships are one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things of this human experience; but it can also be one of the most challenging and heartbreaking experiences as well.
How can you have more deep connection in your friendships and romantic relationships?
How can you manage disagreements in a healthy manner that leads to the mutual benefit of all?
Leading Couples Psychologist and founder of the Couples Communication Institute, Dr. Sarah Rattray, talks to us about how to create loving and effective relationships.
Her advice is applicable to all relationships in your life from friendships to romantic relationships.
Listen in to discover:
- How to tell if you’re in a healthy relationship that’s worth working on
- The myth that causes ALL relationships to deteriorate
- Why effort in relationships is critical and how to cultivate it
- Why you should actually have expectations in relationships
- How to successfully set the stage for a difficult conversation
- How to create deeper connection in relationships
We hear from meditation teacher and co-founder of the public benefit corporation, Offering Tree.
Listen to discover:
- How a business idea can organically come to life
- How to stay mindful even through the busy-ness of trying to create your vision
- Do more by doing less
Alex even shares the origin story of Offering Tree. You'll learn:
- How he was able to come up with a business idea that could help the helpers of the world
- How he knew that this idea was worth pursuing
- How he actually brought this idea to life
It was also incredible to hear how Alex runs his company with mindfulness intact rather than being derailed by the bustle and the busyness.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
How can you bring mindfulness into your day to day life?
Sometimes we’re one version of ourselves when we’re meditating or practicing yoga - calm, grounded, and peaceful.
But then you step off the mat or cushion and back into your day to day.
It’s like you are a totally different version of yourself in the midst of traffic, bosses and deadline - stressed, impatient, and the opposite of calm.
In my own experience, I’ve definitely felt the divide between the contemplative world and the worldly world. It felt like I was two different people and I didn’t know how to meld them together.
In this episode, Alex Haley, meditation teacher and the founder of Offering Tree, takes us into a riveting conversation about how to bridge these two worlds together so that you can show up as your whole self.
Listen in to discover:
- How to bring mindfulness into your day to day life (even at the office!)
- The myth of mindfulness equating to slow (it doesn’t!). When you learn this, then you’ll even be able to approach something like urgent deadlines with mindfulness
- How soul guides can show up in our lives
- How to show up more authentically as your true self
Download A Checklist Of Mindfulness Resources
Alex mentioned a multitude of great book and resources for mindfulness.
Get my complete list of all resources mentioned: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/q5v9p6
Today's episode is inspiration to overcome mental resistance and get back into alignment. Steven Pressfield says in his book The War Of Art "Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
Keep this in your back pocket and use it anytime you find yourself languishing in self-doubt, overwhelm, imposter syndrome or any other such fear.
The difference between getting what you want and what's holding you back is resistance (aka. mental struggle). Resistance comes internally from the mind and so it can also be resolved through mindset.
In this episode - one inquiry that can help quickly shift your mindset from fearful to grounded.
Want to learn more about overcoming mental resistance?
REGISTER for 5 Ways To Trade Struggle For Inspired Action
This webinar is free to join but you do need to register:
https://www.offeringtree.com/inspired-action-with-veronica-thai/
Resources:
The episode that I've been recommending a lot lately is Ep. 149: Are You An Empath? How To Protect, Clear and Optimize Your Energy w/ Rebecca Gibson
https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep149
Get Support:
To get further help with overcoming your mental struggles,
Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
This is for when you're having a bad day and nothing in your toolbox seems to be helping.
You want to stop feeling so crummy and feel uplifted again!
But how do you change your mood when no amount of meditation, yoga or positive thinking seems to be helping?
Listen in for 3 takeaways that can help restore your sense of peace.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Learn how to live your purpose and do what you're meant to do by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover how they actually got started, how they supported themselves financially and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from productivity consultant for wellnesspreneurs (and fellow yoga teacher), Renee Claire.
You'll discover:
- How to maintain a sense of wellbeing even through challenges
- How Renee went from wound-up and anxious to confidently prioritizing her self-care
- How Renee’s past experience prepared her for what’s next
What I love about Renee’s story is how she learned to maintain a sense of wellbeing even through the challenges she went through to pursue doing what she loves. This took a willingness to understand the stress and anxiety that she was experiencing.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Being productive has been attributed to achievement, success and competency. We've been conditioned to think that being productive is a good thing, no matter the cost and that the harder you work, the more success you'll have.
Renee Clair, productivity consultant for wellness entrepreneurs, dispels all of that in like the first 5 minutes of this episode.
"There's a huge difference between busy and productive" she says. "“Busy means to be mindless and disconnected . . . whereas productivity being in the present moment and feeling aligned to what you're doing.” [10:05]
Listen in to discover:
- How to be aligned and intentional with your productivity
- How to change the way you work and ditch unhealthy productivity habits (ones that come at the cost of energy depletion)
- How to be productive in a way that takes self-care and wellbeing into account
- 5 productivity tips to help you make the most of your time without compromising your wellbeing
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Big scary changes don't seem so big and scary when you break them into several small steps. You can change a whole lot more little by little rather than in one big leap.
Schedule a session
Need more help with making progress in your life? I can help with that! Schedule a discovery coaching session with me here:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Learn how to live your purpose and do what you're meant to do by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
Discover what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles like fear and burnout along the way.
Today we hear from teacher, healer, coach and creator of the DECLARE process, Susan Palmer Wood.
You'll discover:
- What it took for Susan finally quit the burnout of corporate life
- How she found her way without having a clear map of what's next after quitting
- How she used practicality and her own coaching skills including NLP (neuro linguistic programming) ensure she was financially well before quitting her job
There will be many things that will pull you away from what's truly aligned for you. You need to choose yourself rather than the opinions of others or the voice of fear. Choose yourself. Every. Single. Time.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Tired of feeling unhappy and burnt out? Listen to this episode!
Here are 3 powerful tools to help you break mental blocks of imposter syndrome and unworthiness so that you can break out of living a life of "shoulds" and begin living with more purpose.
Susan Palmer Wood is a coach who's life story is all about breaking out of the "shoulds". For many years she lived based off of what she thought was expected of her versus the life she really wanted.
Mental burnout and physical illness eventually got loud enough for her to make changes.
She has embarked on much growth including NLP, Enneagram and Human Design. In this episode she shares this with us by showing us 3 techniques that you can use to change your mindset!
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Some people think that by putting pressure on themselves, they'll be more motivated and perform better but the truth of self-pressure is that it's actually quite defeating, depleting and unhealthy in the long term!
This feeling of always being "ON" and trying hard not only takes you away from a state of ease, flow, inspiration and creativity, but it causes anxiety, stress and eventually even burnout!
In this episode you'll discover:
- How to know if you're putting too much pressure on yourself
- What self-pressure feels like versus ease
- 3 ways to let go of self-pressure so that you can live in ease & flow
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Learn how to live your purpose and do what you're meant to do by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
You'll learn what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles along the way.
Today we hear from yoga teacher, coach and founder of the clothing line Moon Tribe,** Simona Schimanovich.
You'll discover:
- How Simona overcame being rejected by yoga studios several times when she first started teaching
- What Simona did to start teaching in the best studios in Amsterdam and get on the cover of Yoga Journal Magazine
- How she had to courage to follow the calling to move to a different country without having a plan other than an intuitive knowing
When you stay connected to your vision, you can be more intuitively in the moment!
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
"We aren't robots and aren't meant to operate at the same energy level from 9-5"
Simona Schimanovich, coach, yoga teacher and founder of Moon Tribe, comes onto the show to explain that there are rhythms in nature and when we align ourselves with these rhythms, we become more efficient and more fulfilled.
This episode is jam packed with energy (moooon energy):
- Understanding the phases of the lunar cycle
- How to set intentions with full moon and new moon energy
- Practices to help harness the energy of the moon and use it to manifest your desires
- Understanding the phases of the moon and how to you flow with it to optimize your energy
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter! to get exclusive tips and content
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Learn how to live your purpose and do what you're meant to do by listening to stories from other yoga teachers, healers, and coaches about how they first got started.
You'll learn what they did to first make money, how they actually got started, and how they overcame their struggles along the way.
Today we hear from yoga teacher, spiritual mentor and author of the book In Search Of The Highest Truth::Adventures In Yoga Philosophy, Hari-kirtana das.
You'll discover:
- what it really means to quit and why sometimes you quit when you want to
- the approach that Hari takes to ensure he's always grounded
Once you truly commit to what you want, the universe conspires to bring it to you just like in Hari's case.
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
We discuss how to access the deeper benefits of yoga by way of Yoga Philosophy.
Hari-Kirtana Das is a yoga teacher, spiritual mentor and author of "In Search of the Highest Truth: Adventures in Yoga Philosophy."
In this episode, we dive into a deeply philosophical conversation about yoga:
- How to make it easier to learn from yogic texts like the Bhagavad Gita
- Which text to read first
- How to be both a spiritual being and human at the same time
- Manifesting in alignment with the greater being (supreme, universe...whatever you call it)
***** *Resources: For more on Yoga Philosophy, listen to Episode 176: Handbook For Awakening - An Easy Guide To The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali with Ashley Zuberi
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
How they got there episodes is where experts, yoga teachers, healers, coaches…basically anybody who doesn’t have a typical job title; share their stories in how they got to doing what they're meant to do.
These are their for real, for real stories about how they followed their heart’s calling to do what they’re meant to do. How did they first make money when they started? Did they have a plan?
Today we hear from yoga business coach & studio manager, digital nomad and creator of the Mastering Business Of Yoga podcast, Amanda Kingsmith.
You'll discover:
- how to navigate your path even without a plan
- what Amanda did to successfully manage a huge fork in the road
Following your heart’s calling is about charting a path that is uniquely yours. There’s no cookie cutter instruction manual for you to follow.
Follow you’re own instincts and trust that what doesn’t feel right just isn’t for you.
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
What does it take to create the life that you dream of?
We're joined by Amanda Kingsmith who has spent the better part of the last 6+ years travelling the world with her husband while teaching yoga and running her online business as a yoga business coach and podcaster.
This digital nomad life certainly sounds like a dream. Maybe it's your dream to travel around the world while you work as well! But how can you make it happen? Even if travelling isn't your jam but you have another dream of your own, this episode will help you because we talk about what it takes to actually create your dream life.
You'll hear from Amanda:
- The challenges she came across like resistance from loved ones
- What to do when you are trying to follow your heart but friend and family may not be supportive
- What it was like to swap her high paying corporate job for retail jobs so that she could pursue the life of a digital nomad
- How she built her life from there to become financially sustainable
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
How they got there episodes is where experts, yoga teachers, healers, coaches…basically anybody who doesn’t have a typical job title; share their stories in how they got to doing what they're meant to do.
These are their for real, for real stories about how they followed their heart’s calling to do what they’re meant to do. This means we get to hear the sticky middle and all - How’d they start? Did they have a plan? How did they make money?
Today we hear from writer, intuitive and creator of the Real Rebel Podcast, Katie Buemann.
Katie’s path lends lesson on:
- inner guidance
- worthiness
- and personal boundaries
The best part about this is that she kept her day job!! There you have it, proof that you don’t have to quit your job to pursue your dreams if you don’t want to. Can’t wait for you to listen to this one!
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Rumi once said "this being human is a guest house" and he was so right! We exist in ever flowing waves of shadow and light experiencing unsettling self-doubt, unworthiness and fear; but also expansive love, and freedom and purpose. Our job as humans is to be a container for all of it.
We’re joined by the amazingly eloquent wordsmith, writer, intuitive and host of the Real Rebel Podcast, Katie Buemann. She steeps us in a meaningful conversation about this whole life thing and how to exist from a place of soul - of who you really are.
Today's episode packs a whole lot including:
- 5+ ways to connect to your inner guidance
- A card pull
- The cages of self-doubt and unworthiness we keep ourselves in
- Finding purpose
- The desire for the soul to express itself
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
How they got there episodes is where experts, yoga teachers, healers, coaches…basically anybody who doesn’t have a typical job title; share their stories in how they got to doing what they're meant to do.
These are their for real, for real stories about how they followed their heart’s calling to do what they’re meant to do. This means we get to hear the sticky middle and all - How’d they start? Did they have a plan? How did they make money?
Ashely Zuberi is a yoga teacher, mentor to yoga teachers and author in the making who also runs an online yoga business.
She gives us candid insight to how she followed the flow of life (ebbing and flowing between a marketing and yoga career for many years) and into a place where she gets to do what she really loves - teaching and writing.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
or find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali are ancient texts that show you how to awaken to your true self. This episode is about how to absorb the deep wisdom offered in this ancient text.
Although each sutra is but a few words long, it can take a lifetime to understand the depth of what Patanjali is imparting.
Ashley Zuberi, yoga teacher and mentor to yoga teachers, has been studying the texts for years and is in the midst of writing her own book about the Sutras.
She gives advice on how you can approach the Yoga Sutras to deepen your understanding.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
Or follow me @curiousmonki
How they got there episodes is where we get to hear stories from experts, yoga teachers, healers, coaches…basically anybody who doesn’t have a typical job title.
These are their for real, for real stories about how they followed their heart’s calling to do what they’re meant to do. This means we get to hear the sticky middle and all - How’d they start? Did they have a plan? How did they make money?
Patricia gives tangible advice on time management, how to actually create success and notes about learning to receive.
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
https://www.subscribepage.com/cmnewsletter
You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Every year since I started doing this podcast, I do a year end compilation of the wisdom and lessons shared from the interviews throughout the year.
The result is a jacked up episode full of inspiration from teachers, healers and experts all over the world.
It’s become a wonderful way to close off the year and it’s so much fun to look back on all of the fantastic conversations.
What’s really interesting is that sure enough, there seems to be common themes that emerge from what each person has to share. This year’s was:
1. Be Yourself
- Listen To Your Heart/Soul
- Show Up And Do The Work That’s Soul Fulfilling. Don’t Burnout.
- Be Supported
Follow along and listen to the inspiration of 2020!
It's fun to read about mercury retrograde, full moons, new moons and other such planetary occurrences but what do we do with all of this information?
In this episode Patricia Panasri, astrologer and business mentor, tells us what we need to know about astrology. In specific, how do we use the information?
In this episode, you'll learn:
- What is astrology really?
- How can we use astrological readings so that we can benefit from them? (ex, it’s a full moon and it will bring about intense emotions - so what? how can I use it to better my life?)
- Productivity hack with the Moon Cycles
- How to follow the energy of the moon
- Insight into Scorpios and Scorpio season
Want more inspiration? Join the Curious Monki Newsletter!
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You can also find me on Instagram @curiousmonki
Everything I've been saying about stillness and acceptance can be wrapped up in these eloquent words of the classic poet Wu-Men.
My favorite meditation teacher, Tara Brach, reads it out in many of her meditations and I find that it settles me back into a place where everything is okay.
BOOK A COACHING SESSION
Ready to dive deeper into your inner work? Book an intro session with me and we’ll look at where you want to go this year, what might hold you back and then create an action plan for you to move forward
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Where you focus your attention is where energy flows. But when your attention is on things that are less than ideal how can you change the trajectory so that energy flows to a more ideal place?
Here's a mantra to use that will immediately help you change your focus from a downward trajectory (ex. "I'm doing it wrong, I'll never get it right...") to a focus that sends your energy upwards and closer to what you want.
**PS. I want to hear what you think of these Daily Inspirations - what kind of topic would help you with what you're experiencing right now? Let me know hello@curiousmonki.com or DM me on Instagram @curiousmonki!
Inner stillness is the pathway to inner wisdom. From that space you'll get all the answers that you seek.
It's as simple as that but we often forget to do it. Why? Because we've been conditioned to do just the opposite - to look outside of ourselves for somebody else or something else or to do something to find answers.
Today's daily inspiration is a reminder to use your internal guidance.
BOOK A COACHING SESSION WITH ME
In the Intro Power Session we’ll look at where you want to go this year, what might hold you back and then create an action plan for you to move forward
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Welcome to the very first episode of this type of interview! In this new addition to the podcast, I ask guests a lightening round of straight forward questions about how they came to be able to live a life doing what they were meant to.
Not just the pretty and clean version, but the for real, for real version - challenges, doubts and realistic things like how they were able to pay their bills.
Lisa Hillyer shares with us what her journey really looked like from being an interior designer to coach to yoga teacher to spiritual mentor & high priestess.
You will learn what resources Lisa recommends to get over money mindset struggles and why she actually never actually felt like giving up (which is so rare!)
RESOURCE:
Download the PDF list of book recommendations that Lisa shares with us throughout the show here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/k6s3g1
“We all come here with a divine calling and dreams that we want to bring forth" - Lisa Hillyer
...but then we get disconnected from them and end up living boxed in lives. In this episode, Lisa Hillyer, spiritual mentor talks to us about reconnecting to your highest self - your inner truth.
She lends the perspective of a High Priestess and we talk about sovereignty, awakening, embracing darkness (shadow) and the feminine/masculine energies as well as the patriarch/matriarch.
In this episode you will learn:
- How to reawaken to the truth within
- What the divine feminine and divine masculine is
- What the difference between feminine/masculine energy versus matriarch/patriarch is
- How to re-balance the imbalanced patriarch that we live in
- How to reclaim your inner power
RESOURCE:
Download the PDF list of book recommendations that Lisa shares with us throughout the show here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/k6s3g1
I've been working on a refresh for this podcast for the last few months and now it's finally ready! Here's a little behind the scenes of why I decided it was time to freshen up a bit, what I hope it will help you with and what you can expect going forward.
I also redid my intro and share a bit of my story with you. When I first started Curious Monki I was still working a 9-5 job and desperate for purpose. Since then, I’ve left my corporate job and dived head first into entrepreneur life. I talk about one of my biggest learnings from taking the leap which is that mindset is what matters the most when pursuing heartfelt endeavors.
Hello, welcome to the Curious Monki Podcast! This is a podcast to help you stop feeling small like you're stuck tight in a bud and expand into the fullest version of yourself.
We dive in the world of coaching, yoga and healing to learn how to awaken to your true nature, show up as your fullest selves and live a life doing what you're meant to!
Weekly interviews and daily doses of inspiration.
We spend so much time and energy chasing the destination that we forget to see how far we’ve come - to acknowledge our transformations and absorb the wisdom.
Even though this year has been a challenging one, you've also probably experienced growth because growth comes from challenges and doing hard things. Before you write off the year, take the time to reflect and find the nuggets of wisdom that await you.
In this episode, I'll give you 5 Questions to reflect upon that will help you do just that! Grab a journal and a pen and download the questions below.
RESOURCES:
- Download the 5 Questions You Should Ask Before Closing Out The Year
https://www.veronicathai.com/resources
- Episode 132: A Place To Rest Meditation (incorporates Tara Brach's RAIN meditation)
https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep131
- Becoming Yourself Podcast (follow on instagram @BY_Podcast)
http://wavve.link/by_podcast/episodes
- What The Hell Just Happened FB Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching
- Brene Brown's Unlocking Us Podcast Episode With Vivek Murthy (about loneliness)
When you're able to prioritize, let go of expectations, embrace imperfections while still being able to meet the mark of your intention then you live a life of EASE & FLOW.
But how can you get into a place like that especially when your current state might be one of frantic stress and overwhelm? (thoughts of "how will I get all of this done??" or "there's not enough time"...might be running through your head).
You do it by asking one pivotal question: How can this be easy?
In this episode you'll learn how to use this question to bring you to a place where you feel more easeful than overwhelmed; more peaceful than stressed.
RESOURCES:
I created a guided audio that will help you get in tune with your body, which holds much intuition and inner wisdom, so that you can use it to help you make decision.
Download it at: www.veronicathai.com/resources
BOOK A COACHING SESSION WITH ME
The first session is on me! You can use it however you want - get help using your intuition to navigate parts of your life that you feel stuck in; figure out what feelings you want to be in more often than not; learn to get more ease and flow into your life.
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
I got a few potent reminders this week that I'm passing onto you. Here's what you'll get from this episode:
-
You're setting yourself up for failure if you expect your first try to be perfect. You get much further when you let yourself fail because you spend much less time doubting yourself.
-
On that note, remember phase 3 of Martha Beck's Change Cycle? Trying to do something new is supposed to be hard. Once you normalize that, it's easy (kind of paradoxical). Resource to learn more about the Change Cycle below.
-
Stop using your current set of instructions if it's not working and look for another set instead.
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One simple question that will bring you much ease & flow if you ask it often.
RESOURCES:
The resources that I promised you in the last episode are ready! Download at www.veronicathai.com/resources
Tools to help you connect to your inner wisdom:
-
Guided body compass calibration
-
PDF + audio to connect with your inner wisdom for answers and guidance
Also mentioned in this episode is Martha Beck's Change Cycle. Get the Change Cycle Audio Bundle also at www.veronciathai.com/resources
Book a coaching session for 1-1 support
The first session is on me! We'll sit down together for 60 minutes to look at what's holding you back and come up with at least one step for you to move forward.
BOOK A COACHING SESSION
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
I used to think that I was tone deaf to intuition but have since learned that everybody has access to their own inner guidance system.
There are also a gazillion ways to access your inner wisdom/higher self/ soul/heart messages/true self...whatever you want to call it.
Here are 3 of my favorite ways. Try them out and let me know how it goes! Remember that practice is key! It won't happen overnight but the more you utilize these tools, the more you'll trust in the guidance.
You'll learn how to connect to your inner wisdom for:
1) when things feel bad and you need to know what that "icky" feeling is trying to tell you
2) when you feel stuck and need answers for moving forward
3) when you need to make a decision...especially big decisions
RESOURCES:
- Guided body compass calibration meditation
- https://www.veronicathai.com/resources
- Guided prompt + audio for getting answers from your higher self
- https://www.veronicathai.com/resources
- Episode 10 of the Becoming Yourself Podcast: Why listening to your body will change your life
- http://wavve.link/by_podcast/episodes
Book a coaching session for deeper, 1-1 support!
The first session is on me and we'll sit down together for 60 minutes to look at what's holding you back, untangle it as much as we can and come up with at least one step for you to move forward.
BOOK A COACHING SESSION
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
This week the thought "everything feels so hard" plagued me and caused me to feel all funky and uncomfortable. I felt drained and like there was a heavy hamburger press on my chest. Ick!
Here's what I did to wiggle out of it. Follow along with a pen and journal if you can because you'll get a chance to wiggle out of anything that might be giving you that ick feeling such as "It'll never get better", "I don't have what it takes", "Who am I do to this" and other such fears.
You'll leave a little lighter!
Ready to kick that self-doubt and other such fears to the curb?
Book a coaching with me - your first session is on me!
We'll look at what's holding you back and start wiggling you right out of it.
BOOK WITH THIS LINK:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
Resources:
Mentioned in this episode is the in depth dive of Byron Katie's The Work: Episode 128: Feeling Crappy? A Simple Coaching Tool To Improve Your Mindset In Minutes with Amber Goodenough
https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep128
On tap today: tips on how to stay grounded, inspiration that will motivate you to try again even if you've been rejected and a tool to carry close with you b/c it will help you stay true to yourself.
Morning routines - have kept me sane even during long term chaos. Doesn't matter if you spend 30 seconds or 30 minutes in the morning. Giving yourself space to connect with your internal world first thing results in less likelihood of being flustered and the day to day fires don't seem as daunting.
Try again - I had two instances that showed me that being rejected doesn't mean you stop trying.
Staying true to yourself - nothing feels worse than betraying yourself so stop doing it. Keep this tool close to you b/c it will show you when you're staying true to yourself and when you're not.
Ready to finally do what you're meant to?
I help people get over self-doubt, unworthiness and feeling not good enough so they can do what they’re meant to do.
Your first session is on me!
GET STARTED
BOOK A 1-1 COACHING SESSION:
https://www.veronicathai.com/booking-page
How do you connect to that infinite source of creativity that self growth speakers, LOA masters, successful people, and spiritual teachers all seem to be talking about?
I've got 3 ways and I share them with you in this episode! Take the suggestions, play around with them and see what works for you. Different methods work for different moods/problems.
One might be more useful to you for making difficult decisions while another might be more conducive to helping you get into the flow so that you can come up with the copy for your website or resume.
At the end of the day, the bull's eye is to reach a state of PRESENCE.
I'd love to hear how they worked out. DM me on Instagram @curiousmonki and let's keep the conversation going!
Resources:
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 160: A Meditation To Slow Down & Let Go
Listen Here: https://www.veronicathai.com/curious-monki-podcast
Episode 151: Increase Creativity + Reduce Stress, Anxiety & Overwhelm
Listen Here: https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep151
Ready to finally do what you're meant to?
I help people get over self-doubt, unworthiness and feeling not good enough so they can do what they’re meant to do.
Your first session is complimentary.
GET STARTED
BOOK A 1-1 COACHING SESSION:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
In a world where more is more and relentless action is applauded, it seems counterintuitive to slow down...ever.
But slowing down is the very thing that will relieve the anxiety and the pressures of stress that many of us often feel. Not only that but slowing down opens up the gateway to abundant creativity.
This meditation will help you slow down to access the ever present stillness, peace and clarity within you. You'll shed what no longer serves. You'll return rested and a little lighter.
RESOURCE:
For more about how to slow down to reduce stress and access creativity, listen to episode 151
https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep151
Music Credits:
River Flute by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4713-river-flute
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ayurveda is one of the multiple avenues that you can use to help manage your energy (other avenues are yoga, coaching, mindset...).
Fall is Vata season meaning that you may experience these symptoms:
- dryness
- scatterbrain
- anxiety
- insomnia
In this episode I'll share some tools and resources to cultivate more grounded and focused energy.
I also share with you a mindset shift that I got from my podcast interviews this week. Seriously, why aren't we looking at life in this way?! It creates way more ease and makes so much more sense. A total game changer!
Resources:
Mentioned in this episode is Ep 34 - The Basics Of Ayurveda With Susan Weis-Bohlen
Listen here: https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep34
Ready to finally do what you're meant to?
I help people get over self-doubt, unworthiness and feeling not good enough so they can do what they’re meant to do.
Your first session is complimentary.
BOOK 1-1 COACHING SESSION HERE:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
This episode is pretty jam packed! You might need to listen to it a few times.
You'll learn:
- 6 questions that can help you finally have the courage to do what you were meant to.
(listen back to it as a deep journaling exercise)
- When you resist what's happening, you suffer. I share with you 2 of the best tools that can help you allow life to be as it is so that you don't get caught in overwhelm, stress, fear or whatever else may cause you discomfort.
(listen back, especially to the metaphor tool and use it often b/c that's what will help you drop into peace the fastest)
Resources:
Mentioned in this episode is Ep 31 - Attachment Theory with Melissa Jay.
Listen here: https://www.veronicathai.com/podcast-shownotes/ep31
Ready to finally do what you're meant to?
I help people get over self-doubt, unworthiness and feeling not good enough so they can do what they’re meant to do.
Your first session is complimentary.
BOOK 1-1 COACHING SESSION HERE:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Any changes in seasons lead to reflections about transitions but there's something about fall that seems more magical than the rest. Harness the autumn energy and take this opportunity to reflect on what you're ready to let go of.
In this episode, I give you 3 questions that you can use as journal prompts to shed what you no longer need just like the fall leaves on a tree.
I also talk about some changes that are coming up for the Curious Monki podcast.
So excited for a new adventure with you!
BOOK YOUR 1-1 COACHING SESSION:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
GRAB THE FREE CHANGE CYCLE SERIES HERE:
www.veronicathai.com/resources
You've never heard an episode like this before on Curious Monki b/c this time I'm the one getting interviewed! This is a re-publish of the interview that I did for The Matcha Mornings Podcast hosted by Amanda Kingsmith.
Today I teach you how to protect and increase your energy by managing your thoughts & emotions.
The thoughts you think most of the time can give you energy to create the life you want or it can drain you keep you tight in a bud. If you keep your energy clear, you’ll live to your fullest potential.
"Whether you think you can, or think you can't you're right" - Henry Ford. If what you think is true, spend you energy on the thoughts that will bring you closer to the life that you want.
Grab and journal & a pen to follow along as I show you 5 ways to believe that you can do it. Each tool gets progressively deeper into the subconscious mind where our habits and deeply embedded thought patterns are stored.
Ready to dive deeper into your personal growth? Book your free 60 min session to Create An Action Plan & Start Doing What You're Meant To:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387owner=14220411&appointmentType=10635387
You'll learn from Shamanic Healer and teacher, Kara Hanks:
- How to increase your energy
- How to protect your energy
- How to break energy cycles
Kara helps people explore, understand and tap into their limitless selves and experience a life from their hearts and souls. She helps them understand the wisdom in their life stories, how to integrate the energy of those lessons and live a life beyond their imagination.
What thoughts you give your time, effort and energy to matters more than you know! How you think influences how you act, how you behave, what you believe and ultimately what results you get in your life.
So what kinds of thoughts do you have about yourself? What kinds of thoughts do you have about creating the life that you really desire?
It totally matters if they're defeating or encouraging b/c it will ultimately lead to the results that you see in in your life.
Come join the Heart Huddle Workshop On Finding Your True Self October 3rd, 2020.
You'll be facilitated through a guided discussion to dig deeper into your own self inquiry. You'll also get a chance to connect with other like minded people who are also on this self-growth journey.
REGISTER HERE:
https://hearthuddle.eventbrite.ca
If you haven't joined the What The Hell Just Happened?! Coaching FB Group yet, get connected now!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching
When you endeavor to pursue your desires, whether it be a life doing what you love or picking up a new knitting hobby, you're inevitably going to encounter fear.
It will say things like "who are you to want to do this? you will fail! you only get this one shot so don't screw up"
Guess what, THE FEAR IS TOTALLY NORMAL! You're not weak for feeling it and you don't need to be stronger or more confident to get rid of it.
In this episode, you'll learn what you really need to do in order to deal with your fear.
Come join the Heart Huddle Workshop On Finding Your True Self October 3rd, 2020.
You'll be facilitated through a guided discussion to dig deeper into your own self inquiry. You'll also get a chance to connect with other like minded people who are also on this self-growth journey.
REGISTER HERE:
https://hearthuddle.eventbrite.ca
If you haven't joined the What The Hell Just Happened?! Coaching FB Group yet, get connected now!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching
If you're out there doing all the things but it feels like you're trudging through quicksand or like it's just not working, listen to this episode for inspiration to keep on going.
Martha Beck has dubbed the mantra for the third phase of the change cycle "it's harder than I thought and that's okay". If it feels hard, good! You're not failing, this is just part of the process.
GRAB THE FREE CHANGE CYCLE SERIES HERE:
www.veronicathai.com/resources
READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL SUPPORT to help you break the self-doubt or fear that's holding you back from doing more of what you're meant to do, then book your FREE intro power coaching session with me!
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Our brains are wired to take action, problem solve and fix. Anything that suggests it to do otherwise is met with resistance or lack of attention.
It's not the glitz that your brain is looking for but choosing to slow down will get you to where you really want to be - a place of peace, clarity and joy.
Today you'll learn the 5 pivotal benefits of slowing down and 5 ways to do it that you can try right away.
For the free guided journaling resource "7 Journaling Prompts To Help You Slow Down & Find Ease" go to
www.veronicathai.com/resources
To book your complimentary Power Intro Coaching Session go to
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
In order to align yourself to a life that you love and to be able to do more of the work that you know you were meant to do, you need to create good habits.
Today you'll learn 3 rules for creating good habits. It will help you rewire your brain and change your perception of yourself so that you can become the fullest version of you.
I'm hosting a free 4 Day Challenge To Feel Better About Any Problem Sept 21st-24th. It's not too late, join us now with the link below!
https://www.veronicathai.com/challenge
Energy is your most important commodity. When you’re feeling drained and exhausted, it doesn’t matter how much time, money or friends you have because you won’t have any energy to enjoy it.
Rebecca Gibson, Spiritual Strategist and Psychic Medium, teaches us about empaths and how to manage your energy (whether you’re empathic or not) from the perspective of the energetic realm.
You'll learn:
- How to know you're an empath (traits & signs)
- How energy exchanges cause empaths to feel drained
- What to do about the fact that empaths who are disconnected from themselves might attract toxic situations into their lives
- How to protect your energy so that you don’t absorb what you don’t want
- How to optimize your level of energy
- How to maintain good spiritual hygiene
You might hold yourself to high standards with the good intention of trying to become better, but the effectiveness of this is revealed when you fail to meet these standards.
What happens when you don't meet your own standard for excellence? Do you feel like you did a great job anyway or do you berate yourself for not doing good enough?
If it's the latter, then you are coupling it up with being hard on yourself. Being hard on yourself will have the opposite effect that you're looking for.
Self inflicted shame, guilt and criticism DOES NOT make you better. It makes you curl up and become small and afraid to be out in the world to try anything in case you make a mistake.
Learn to forgive yourself for mistakes.
(This Daily Inspo is inspired by Ep 144 - Don't Quit Too Early)
************
Book a coaching session with me and I'll help you get over self-doubt and finally do the work that you're meant to do!
Book your free intro power session: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Low vibrations are feelings like shame, guilt and doubt. High vibrations are feelings like hope, love and self-assurance.
Here's a simple way to increase your vibrations so that you can attract even more good things into your life.
Book a coaching session with me and I'll help you get over self-doubt and finally do the work that you're meant to do!
Book your free intro power session: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Just like how being in a toxic relationship (romantic or friendship) can weight you down and diminish your enjoyment in life, so too can being in a toxic relationship with yourself.
Do you berate yourself when you make a mistake? Do feel small and weak more often than not?
The Karpman Drama Triangle is a great way to show you how toxic roles play out in your life. Understanding the role of a victim, rescuer and persecutor will help you become aware of your own tendencies.
We also tell you how to get out of it! The Empowerment Dynamic helps you become your own coach so that you don't have to get stuck in the rut of a poor mindset.
“Don’t spend your life clinging onto the insulting decisions you’ve made about yourself” – Jen Sincero
Drawing today’s inspiration from one of my favorite books You Are A Badass – How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Live An Awesome Life by Jen Sincero and driving home the point that how you talk to yourself affects your ability to succeed.
Book a coaching session with me and I'll help you get over self-doubt and finally do the work that you're meant to do!
Book your free intro power session: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
How long do you do something before throwing in the towel? How do you know that it's time to stop trying?
It's painful to take too long to quit - like clinging onto a relationship that's long been over. But it's also painful to quit too early - like the regret of finding out that you could've made it if you weren't too scared to fail.
Both end in anguish because the intention was acted out of fear.
Today I share insights with you about how to act from a place of courage so that you can use your inner wisdom to know when to quit and prevent yourself from giving up too early just because you're afraid of failing.
There's a world where you can give yourself permission to eat whatever you want. Chips and chocolate cake are no longer synonymous with guilt. It’s not “indulgent” or “sinful” to have rich desserts.
In fact, allowing yourself to eat whatever you want can even deepen your spiritual practice. Like, Cheetos can help with your spiritual growth.
Rachel Tu, registered dietitian, yoga teacher and creator of Food, Flow Thought teaches us about a way of eating called Intuitive Eating - a way of eating that is based on tuning into your body's needs rather than following restrictive rules of a diet.
Intuitive eating makes spiritual Cheetos a reality! All jokes aside, there's some truth to that. We talk about the connection between intuitive eating, mindfulness and yoga. Each practice helps deepen the others.
Amber Goodenough is back on the show! We dive deeper into understanding Byron Katie's The Work - a powerful tool that can help you completely change your mindset so that you can stop feeling crappy.
I love this tool now but it took me a minute to warm up to it. I had so many questions about it at first:
How could it be so simple? Aren’t we lying to ourselves if we try to pretend that something that bothers us doesn’t? Sounds kind of like an emotional bypass. And how about when other people are involved - do you just let them off the hook for lying/yelling/or otherwise breaking your boundaries?
We dive into these questions today so that you can learn how to use this tool for yourself.
Amber also tells us her story of how she even came to be a wellness coach.
JOIN US in our Facebook Group and connect to a community of like minded people who are also on this journey of personal growth. Coaching sessions offered in the group every Friday.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching/
We’ve finally made it! After detouring with an episode on perfectionism (that’s well worth your time to listen to), Olena is back for the third and final episode of this incidental mini series.
We show you, for a second time, how to use your home to deal with your problems. Listening to it a second time will help you get a better hang of using it on yourself.
Grab a journal and pen to follow along!
Olena coaches me this time on feeling like time is moving too fast. The challenge that came up for me is that I plan to do way too much which usually leaves me feeling like there’s not enough time! Using the Living Space Tool, I was able to look at the problem without becoming completely overwhelmed.
We also offer up a couple of BONUS tools that you might want to try on.
If you're enjoying these conversations with Olena, you should check out our new podcast - The Becoming Yourself Podcast (https://wavve.link/by_podcast) and find us on Instagram @by_podcast
Perfectionism is when you're gripped by the feeling of having to do more and/or having to do it right. There's no room for failure and there's an illusory set of high standards that you'll probably never meet....b/c perfectionism comes from the fear that you're not good enough or not lovable. The ultimate fear of that is to be rejected.
Before you decide that you're not a perfectionist, think again. We all have perfectionist tendencies - even if it's just for a small part of our lives. The more you deny it, the more it will hold you back from being your true self in the world.
Today fellow coach Olena Gisys is back to help us better understand perfectionism and gives us tips to stop worrying about what other people will think (will they judge me? will they reject me?...) so that we can just be ourselves (sigh of relief)!
If you're enjoying these conversations with Olena, you should check out our new podcast - The Becoming Yourself Podcast and find us on Instagram @by_podcast
People reveal themselves in everything that they create, including the home that you live in. From the color of your walls to how you keep your bathroom - your living space is a reflection of your inner life.
This is a coaching episode where I'm joined by Confidence Coach, Olena Gisys, and we teach you a coaching tool that you can use on yourself to access your subconscious mind and find answers to a problem that you're stuck on.
This tool is especially useful for when something feels wrong but you can't pinpoint exactly what's causing the crappy feeling.
We also talk about exactly how perfectionism holds you back, what life coaching really is, how it's helped us along our journeys.
If you're enjoying these conversations with Olena, you should check out our new podcast - The Becoming Yourself Podcast and find us on Instagram @by_podcast
Laughter Yoga Teacher and fellow life coach, Erica Buchholz, is all about play nowadays but that's only because she she got sick (quite literally as well as metaphorically) of living the uptight academic life.
In this episode Erica tells us how she was able to transform from a rigid life to one of laughter and play.
We also teach you a fun tool that you can use on yourself to access your subconscious mind and solve limiting thought patterns that keep you stuck.
In between we take pit stops at:
-
Getting more play into your life
-
What is this whole life coaching thing anyway
-
What you need about finding the right coach for you
JOIN US in our Facebook Group and connect to a community of like minded people who are also on this journey of personal growth. Coaching sessions offered in the group every Friday.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching/
For the times that it seems like the bad part will never end or the times that it feels like you're trying so hard but you're never going to get there - remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
You're in the process of transformation right now and because this process is the exact same for every change that humans encounter, you will inevitably ....eventually....get to the good part. Just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, you will also sprout wings and be able to experience the world from a whole new perspective at the end of this transformation.
Come and connect with a community of like minded people who can support you through your personal growth journey and get free coaching weekly!
FB GROUP: What The Hell Just Happened? Weekly Coaching
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching/
To learn more about the change cycle, listen to
Ep 125 - Making Sense Of Challenges
Ep 126 - 3 Tools For When Everything's Falling Apart (1st phase)
Ep 129 - 3 Tools To Help You Restore Hope and See New Possibilities (2nd phase)
Ep 133 - 3 Tools To Help You Make Your Dreams Come True (3rd phase)
Ep 134 - 4 Tools To Help You Stop Struggling And Enjoy What You Have (4th Phase)
Inspiration from Mark Twain: “I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”
The fear of failure can be absolutely paralyzing. If you give into it, it'll hold you back from going after what you actually want. Here's some inspiration so that you won't let it stop you from doing what you know you're meant to!
Want more confidence in going after what you want? Book a 1-1 coaching session with me - your first session is on me:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Phase 4 of transformation is the most coveted part of the process but ironically the phase that we know least about. It's the "happily ever after" when your dreams have all come true.
It's ironic because we're usually so used to hustling that it might actually be challenging for you to relax and enjoy the fruition of your efforts.
You may find yourself resisting or anxiously waiting for "the other shoe to drop".
Here are 4 tools that will help you actually enjoy the fruits of your labor and stay there for as long as possible.
Ready to go even deeper in working through your transformation? Book a 1-1 coaching session with me - your first session is on me:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
Phase 3 of transformation is when you move into the external world. You have a vision of the new life you want to live and now it's time to make it happen!
It's called the "hero's saga" because it's not going to be a straight shot. You'll run into trials and tribulations as you try to venture out into the world with new wings.
This episode is about giving you the tools to help you keep going even when it's hard. It's okay to be knocked back into square 1. It's okay to try and fail. It's okay to start over. This episode will give you tools to deal with all of that.
Ready to go even deeper in working through your transformation? Book a 1-1 coaching session with me - your first session is on me:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=10635387&owner=14220411
If you're exhausted, confused, anxious or otherwise feeling stretched (maybe even beyond your limits) here is a place to rest.
Not to avoid responsibility or to shy away from the dark places but to come back to your heart. To reconnect with your anchor - that place within you of ever present stillness, clarity and peace.
It’s not possible to create loving new perspectives with a heart that’s closed.
An open heart is needed for creation, change, new perspectives, and peace.
Here’s a place to rest so that you can approach your issues with an open heart and learn, be and do more effectively.
It's understandable if you feel that there's just A LOT right now with everything that's going on in the world layered on top of whatever you're already dealing with in your own personal life.
You don’t get very far with a heart that’s closed though.
An open heart is needed for creation, change, new perspectives, peace….
It has always been an open heart that has created the kind of massive loving change that elevates us as human beings. The type that inspires us to be kinder, more patient, more compassionate and to be more easily able to recognize the light within ourselves and in others.
The 2nd phase of Martha Beck's Change Cycle is the Dreaming & Scheming phase. The slate is wiped clean and now you can create anything that you want.
Now is the time to figure out what you desire and trust that it's yours!
Shakti Gawain says "Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart truly desires must come to you."
Spoiler alert: The more you know how you want to feel, the clearer the request is!
Find out more about Reconnect, an 8 week group coaching program that starts at the end of May:
*group size limited
https://www.veronicathai.com/8weekcoaching
Sign up to be notified about Live online Yoga classes or find me on YouTube as Curious Monki
https://www.veronicathai.com/yogaonline
Phase 2 of transformation is when whatever needed to breakdown has broken down. The chaos is now complete and the grieving is coming to an end.
A whole world of possibilities opens up to you and in this amorphous state you can begin to imagine a different way of being and living.
In the butterfly analogy, you're no longer a caterpillar but not yet a butterfly. There are rules of being a caterpillar that you still need to let go of so that you can start to really imagine crazy possibilities like flying in the sky or drinking flower nectar.
I share 3 tools/advice with you to help you embrace creativity and patience in this phase.
If you're interested in RECONNECT, the 8 week coaching program, you can find out more at https://www.veronicathai.com/8weekcoaching .
Begins end of May 2020. *limited spots available
~ This journey is your own but you're not alone ~ Don't condemn yourself to struggling through challenges by yourself. There are so many people, techniques and healing modalities out there to help you along the way.
Coaching happens to be one of them for me - it's been a game changer in helping me live with a sense of wellness more often than not.
Today I'm joined by a fellow coach, Amber Goodenough, and we talk all things coaching.
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Why is coaching so popular all of a sudden?
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What does life coaching help with anyway?
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How can you know if a coach can help you?
We share a tool with you that you can use on yourself to relieve any emotional grief or suffering that you're experiencing - from self doubt to overwhelm to judgement and shame.
Join our FB Group and connect with a community of like minded people who are also on this journey of personal growth. Coaching sessions offered in the group every Friday.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WTHCoaching/
A short practice for anytime you feel overwhelmed, anxious, at a loss or otherwise flooded with emotion.
Quickly come back to the ever-present stillness and peace within you in just 5 minutes.
Reinforce the trust that you have for the unfolding of your own life. Like all things in nature, you are also being carried by the flow of life.
As Joseph Campbell says "“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”
Meditation begins at 3:19
Join the 8 Week Coaching Program to help you Reconnect With The Possibilities Within You
*group size limited to 6 participants
https://www.veronicathai.com/8weekcoaching
Today we go deeper into the first phase of Martha Beck's Change Cycle. Phase 1 is when everything seems to be falling apart. Your old way of life crumbles around you and while it might feel like chaos, it's the first step to transformation.
It's validating and relieving when you can understand what you're going through. Not only that, once you know what the heck is happening then you can take the right action. I give you 3 tools/advice on how to move through this phase with more ease.
If you're interested in RECONNECT, the 8 week coaching program, you can find out more at: https://www.veronicathai.com/8weekcoaching
Starts May 2020.
If you haven't listened to the first episode of the Change Cycle yet, listen here. I give you an overview of all 4 phases.
Other episodes referenced:
Ep 118: Press Pause (to help you with presence)
Ep 119: Presence Is The Path To Peace (to help you with presence)
Ep 104: Using Story to Heal + Transform Your Life with Anjanette Fennell (to help you understand Hero's Journey)
Today, I share with you something called the Change Cycle. It was created by life coach and author Martha Beck and it depicts the process that we humans go through for every major life change. Even a pandemic like Covid-19.
The Change Cycle is helpful because there’s relief and validation when you can understand what you’re going through.
Knowing this process will help you navigate this odd new terrain of the pandemic as well as any other challenges with more ease.
Join RECONNECT, an 8 Week Coaching Program To Reconnect You To The Possibilities Within
https://www.veronicathai.com/8weekcoaching
Referenced in this episode:
Episode 104: Using Story to Heal + Transform Your Life with Anjanette Fennell
If you're interested in the 8 Week Coaching Program, get more info here
One of my favorite things I've learned is that when we boil it down, there's either love or fear.
Are you operating from love or fear?
Decisions made from a place of love makes us feel more supported by life.
I share with you the 2 simple ways to stay open to love.
If you'd like to join me for online yoga classes: www.veronicathai.com/yogaonline
Today, I want to give you a mindset boost because challenging situations make fearful thoughts become louder! The "what ifs" and "shoulds" pile on hard.
But guess what, take a sigh of relief ahhhh because as scary as the thoughts can be ("I won't make it..." "everything is ruined...") they're just all bark and no bite. They're not true!
At any given moment, you're only one thought away from feeling joy and bliss.
If you'd like to join me for online yoga classes, sign up for the class link here.
“I’ve been given this opportunity to live and it’s my duty to find goodness in it and to actually do something with it”
When you meet Meghan Pherrill, her bubbly, energizing, no nonsense attitude is so easy to appreciate. This international yoga + meditation teacher is so full of life and lives so meaningfully in the work that she does.
It’s surreal to think that she was once an OCD, anxiety ridden, depressed and suicidal person. I’m honored to have her on this episode to share her story of being in such pain to becoming the life filled person that she is today.
In this episode: How to live a meaningful and intentional life, every single day is a choice, how to choose the things that will bring meaning to you.
At the core of that something more that you're seeking is a desire to connect with the truest part of yourself. To live unbound as your full self, your whole self.
Take the leap and make the hard decisions because as big as the leap seems and as challenging as the decisions are, it's worth it to look back and know that you followed what was true for you. That you didn't betray who you really are. That's how you become more confident. That's how you live in freedom.
This episode was inspired by a vibrant conversation in Episode 120: How to Do More Of What You Love
If you'd like to join me for online yoga classes, sign up for the class link here.
Inspiration and actionable exercises to figure out what you actually want to be doing (aka. what your passion is) and how to do more of it.
Amanda McKinney, marketing coach for yoga teachers, went from having a business that felt lackluster to creating one where she loves every single project and every single client. She had to take some leaps and make some hard choices, but ultimately she kept following what she actually liked doing and found more of it in her life. This isn't just applicable to owning a business or your career. This is something to apply to your entire life so that you can wake up everyday excited about what you've filled it with!
Bite Sized episodes is where I go deeper into a subject. In this episode, I elaborate on presence and mindfulness. I'd even go as far as to say that maintaining a practice of moment-to-moment awareness is even more foundational than self-love. It's the root of yoga, spiritual teachings and all other self help. Tools that stem from these teachings are all essentially showing you how to maintain presence and mindfulness.
Being in presence helps you navigate difficult emotions like uncertainty, make better decisions and ultimately be in peace. It’s also a practice that we need to consistently practice.
In this episode, I share with you what I’ve learned about presence from a variety of teachings including The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, life coaches like Martha Beck and spiritual teachers like Eckhart Tolle.
Of course, the practice part of it is always most challenging so I also share with you a few of my favorite ways to get into a state of presence.
Yoga has been my path to presence. I started doing Yoga Lives on YouTube and if you'd like to stay updated on when the classes are, subscribe to the email list or channel.
When faced with a challenge, especially if it's emotionally charged, the last thing you want to do is take pause. Your survival instincts insist that you do something NOW! The urgency is helpful in the face of immediate and imminent danger, but that's not usually the case in our world. Taking pause might seem to go against your instincts but it's what will calm the panic so that you can move forward and make better decisions.
Yoga is a great way to take pause. I started doing Yoga Lives on YouTube during this pandemic. If you'd like to stay updated on when the classes are, subscribe to the email list or channel.
Today’s episode is a story of how yoga helped one woman through one of the toughest challenges of her life. In 2011, Nichole Hines’ young daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Life as she knew it changed in the blink of an eye and the following year became about chemo, relapse and the children’s hospital.
Nichole shares her journey, how her yoga practiced helped her stay anchored as she not only took care of her daughter but also run two businesses at the same time. She shares lessons on how to get through challenging times and her insights about human connection, faith, letting go and giving back.
We cover a lot in this episode! Rebecca Gibson, Spiritual Strategist and Psychic Medium, talks to us about:
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Spiritual health is about letting the soul lead the way but how do we know what comes from ego and what comes from soul?
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On an esoteric level, we're energetic beings - frequencies and vibrations....but what do we do with that information? How do we use it to our benefit?
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How does the knowledge of the first two points help us manifest the lives that we desire?
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The energy of gratitude and forgiveness. How forgiveness leads to soul alignment and better manifestations
Rebecca gives so many pointers, tools and resources to refer to. See show notes for details
"This journey is your own but you're not alone"
There's comfort in knowing that we're interconnected beings who can connect and learn from each other's stories.
In this episode, hospice nurse and yoga teacher, Cory Angel shares the story of her Yoga journey. She shares her benefits of yoga including how her practice has helped her through injury, grief, perfectionism and ultimately changed the way she sees the world.
Resource:
Mentioned in this episode was Episode #40 with Melanie Klein: Body Image and Yoga [RE: When me and Cory were talking about feeling safe in your physical body]
The Enneagram has been very popular especially among the yoga, self help and spiritual communities for a while now. This is probably because it's such a powerful tool for self discovery, self understanding and self acceptance. This is an intricate personality test with 9 character types portrayed by a geometrical figure. I've known about the Enneagram for a while but never got a hang of it which is why I invited Sarah Hamilton, Enneagram expert, to come and teach us about it!
Every part of ourselves is interconnected and the more we understand about this interconnection, the more power we have to improve our well-being.
Nadis are the intricate network of energy lines that run through our bodies. There are about 27,000 of them and the understanding of them can help with emotional release and relief of body tension.
Sytera Field, yoga teacher and creator of the yoga massage “Nadi Ball” , comes onto the show to teach us about the Nadis.
Lisa Murray, Business and Creativity Coach and the founder of Creative Alchemi, talks about burnout, creativity and play; and how understanding each of these elements can bring a whole lot more ease into your life! At the deeper layer lies a conversation about self worth, owning who you really are and honoring the full expression of yourself and your soul. Listen in to see what the connection is between burnout, creativity, play and how to use them to your advantage!
I love doing the year end episodes where I compile all of the interviews from the previous year and look for the common messages that emerge. This year there were 4 messages that emerged:
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Trust in yourself and your experiences. Your intuition will never lead you astray.
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The universe wants for you what you want for yourself. Understand that getting to what you desire is a process and have patience in knowing that it might not happen overnight. Know that it's unfolding and get out of your own damn way!
3. We get in our own way by thinking that we're not worthy of what we want or that we're not enough. Well, the truth is that you are enough and that you are worthy.
- To feel more worthy, practice self-acceptance, self-love and give yourself space to practice these.
BONUS: It's never too late to go after what you want. And what you want is not too wild. So go for it and trust that you can figure it out b/c you can!
Join the conversation: share with me what your biggest lesson for 2019 was hello@curiousmonki.com
The first month of the year has a certain air of renewal and possibility about it. The entire world welcomes a New Year together and it's like we collectively take an eraser brush to wipe the slate clean. No matter what happened last year, you now have an opportunity for new beginnings, bigger possibilities, and new perspectives to work through what you're working through.
Stop making more to-do lists this year and take a heart centered approach to setting your 2020 intentions. Here are 6 simple steps to set yourself up so that this is the year you start living what you desire.
If you want a supportive group to do this with, join me for the Virtual New Year Desire Map Workshop on Saturday January 11, 2020. We'll come together to celebrate what helped you grow, let go of what doesn't serve and set heart centered intentions for 2020. SIGN UP HERE.
In 2018 I learned the importance of celebrating every victory, no matter how big or how small. Not only does it lead to more successes to celebrate but it increases your sense of self worth.
I was reminded of this as I read back on all of my celebrations throughout the year. This episode is a reminder to stop selling yourself short and start realizing how worthy you are right now by celebrating how far you've come!
Also, you're invited to come join my NEW YEAR DESIRE MAP WORKSHOP! It's a 2 hour virtual workshop. This is a complete New Year Ritual of celebrating victories, letting go of what no longer serves and taking a heart centered approach to plan for what to welcome in 2020.
WORKSHOP DATES: DEC 31st or JAN 11th
Get your ticket here: https://desiremap2020.eventbrite.ca
The only way to make your dream a reality is to start taking action on your ideas. Good ideas can sit around for years...or even lifetimes, without ever being brought into reality. Perhaps we didn't know which one of the many ideas to choose or never took time to get clear on it.
This episode will help you start your idea and bring it to life. Creative Clarity Coach, Ariane Schuessler talks to us about creativity, clarity, intuition and overcoming fears to help us bring our brightest ideas to life.
Time has been moving at supersonic speed for me and as I fumbled into December, I was reminded of a few lessons about overwhelm. I will share these insights with you over the next few Daily Inspo episodes.
TODAY: If you feel like you don't have enough time - like you're in a constant race - use this quick 5 minute method! It goes against what we've been taught to do but sometimes you need to slow down to speed up.
Cognitively understanding something may not be enough to release all painful thoughts because trauma also gets stuck in our bodies. It’s important to look at the mind-body connection to understand our whole selves. Core Energetics is a form of therapy that takes the mind, body and spirit into consideration. It helps you get through the shadow self and reconnect back to your true core self.
Isha Vela, pyschologist and Core Energetics practitioner realized this after becoming direly ill during her second pregnancy. She tells us her story about that and teaches us about how Core Energetics can help you step back into your authentic self.
Is there something that's calling out to you but you feel like everyone's already doing it? It feels like that means that there'll be no room for you because it's "over saturated". Today I tell you exactly why you need to go out and do it anyway...and why it's going to work for you! The effects of doing it will be so much bigger than you can imagine. If your heart's calling out for it, you must do it. There IS room for you.
No matter if your aspiration is to be a yoga teacher, blogger, podcaster, life coach, makeup artist, youtuber....
All stories play out with more or less the same steps. Just knowing what these steps are can help lighten the heaviness of a challenge or struggle that you're facing. When you know what part of the story you're in, it's easier to release resistance and move to the next step more swiftly. More powerful yet, writing/telling your story will bring you through the transformation because every story in itself is a transformation.
Anjanette Fennell, literary coach and agent, share with us her iteration of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. We have an evocative discussion about story, how to surrender, and moving through change.
Comparison sucks! When you compare yourself to others it makes you feel bad, small and less than....and it literally sucks the life and energy out of what you're trying to achieve. There are many sayings to depict this "comparison is the thief of all joy" "compare and despair" or my fav from Marie Forleo "comparison schalger".
Here's one way you can apply right now to get out of the comparison trap.
One of my biggest takeaways from Michael A. Singer's The Untethered Soul is that there's a constant current of energy that's available to you. This energy makes you feel open and like as if you could take on the world! The problem is that we block it by closing it up. The solution to self doubt, lack of self confidence, feeling not good enough and any other general stuckness in your life is simple: Simply open up to this channel.
When decisions feel distinctly good (ex. booking a fun trip to Bali), it's easy to make. But what if the right decision feels bad, is it still the right decision? Maybe. Right decisions sometimes feel bad because it takes you out of your comfort zone. I show you how to tell when it's a matter of you growing out of your comfort zone versus a decision that's not right for you.
Whoo hoo, we made it to episode 100!!! To celebrate, I'm dedicating this episode to tell you about the biggest lesson that I've learned along this podcasting journey and teach you 5 Ways that you can apply concretely to get started on going for what you want! Also as part of the celebration, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY FOR A MONTH OF FREE COACHING (3 sessions)!! I want to help get you aligned to what you want most and have the courage to get it! Listen in to see how to enter.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, Lucille Rayner, tells us what Craniosacral Therapy is and how it works. We talk about the mind-body connection and how emotional and mental issues will also show up physically and vice versa. We also take a super fun pit stop to talk about fascia - the interconnected system of tissue that bounds our entire body together. Experiences that we go through are held in our fascia – including pain. Craniosacral Therapy alleviates these places of pain.
Part of the 8 Limb Path of Yoga are the Yamas and Niyamas. The last Niyama, Ishvarapranidhana, asks you to surrender to the Divine/Universe/Higher Self....that something bigger. In creating a deeper connection with this something bigger, there comes trust in knowing that everything is working perfectly for you.
Try practicing surrender today and give up the incessant worry, anxiety and future tripping that holds you back from what you really want.
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I invite you to book some life coaching with me, especially if you're feeling stuck and yearn for that something more. I'll help you breakthrough limiting beliefs rise up into the full version of yourself!
Let's get clear on what you want and find the courage to leap for it!
Your first session is on me!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
A tool for self compassion and one way to build a sense of enough-ness is to remind yourself that "You're doing the best that you can"
We berate ourselves for not doing it right or not having it all figured out - that baggage is so heavy and exhausting to carry around all the time. Soften up, let the bags go and let yourself be reminded that "You're doing the best that you can and that's enough"
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Over the last eight months, I've been taking Martha Beck's Wayfinder Life Coaching program and have been absolutely been in love with it! There are so many tools that I want to show you - they'll help you untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with this journey of finding your right path. It's definitely helped me!
I'm excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
I invite you to book some coaching with me. Your first session is on me!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
Amanda JP Brown, author of Brave Enough 8 Daily Practices To Be Your Own Hero, was once a high school drop-out and drug user who struggled with shame, self confidence and loving herself. Today, she guides women to walk through their darkness and reclaim the disowned pieces of themselves so they can stand confidently in their power.
We have a lively and meaningful conversation about judgement, shame, self-rejection; self-acceptance, self-love and personal power.
Today's inspiration comes from the practice of yoga. A quote from Mark Twain and an excerpt from the book Living Your Yoga to show you why you're already everything you want to be.
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If you haven't seen it, I did a NEW mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yup, I'm a coach now! I love helping people untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find their path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
Here’s a truth – if you want it, you get it. Whatever it is that you desire, it’s already yours simply because you want it. Here's why - it's going to be your desire that will give you the energy to keep going even when faced with rejection and obstacles. It's the desire that will push you to creatively solve problems and keep yourself inspired.
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If you haven't seen it, I did a NEW mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yup, I'm a coach now! I love helping people untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find their path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
NEW Daily Inspo episodes so that you can listen to something good to light you up for your day.
Drawing on the Desire Map to give you 3 ways to amp up your gratitude practice so that it does what you intend for it to do.
Especially relevant if you feel stuck in your gratitude practice, like as if you're forcing yourself.
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Also NEW is a mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yes, I now offer coaching to help you untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find your path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
Learning to feel comfortable in your own skin and claiming your worthiness.
Lina Carvajal is an engineer turned banker turned Art Therapist, Life Coach and Counsellor. She shares her story of finding herself stuck and unhappy (more than once) and the lessons that she's learned about embracing your weaknesses and owning your strengths. Self-love and self-worth have been huge for getting her to a place where she feels aligned and loves what she's doing.
NEW Daily Inspo episodes so that you can listen to something good to light you up for your day.
"What you see perfected in public has been practiced a million times in private" - Tony Robbins
What you want is already yours simply because it's what lights you up. This is the fuel that will keep you going and continue trying. You don't have to be an expert at it yet - that part is just practice.
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Also NEW is a mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yes, I now offer coaching to help you untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find your path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
NEW Daily Inspo episodes so that you can listen to something good to light you up for your day.
Today, I draw the Daily Inspiration from Don Miguel Ruiz's popular book, The Four Agreements. The Four Agreements are principles to live by that can lead to self-mastery. The First Agreement is to be impeccable with your word. How you talk to yourself can affect how your life turns out.
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Also NEW is a mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yes, I now offer coaching to help you untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find your path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
I have so many NEW things to share with you that are really going to help you along your own journey of transformation and growth.
NEW Daily Inspo episodes so that you can listen to something good to light you up for your day. Today is about focus and my favorite quote to live by "Whether you think you can or think you can't you're right"
Also NEW is a mini revamp of my website to include life coaching. Yes, I now offer coaching to help you untangle the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to find your path.
It's about getting into the subconscious mind to break up limiting beliefs that cause suffering and hold you back.
I'm so excited to help you get clear on what you want and have the courage to leap for it!
Book a complimentary 60 minute coaching session with me today
Marco Tesi tells us about the epic power of breath and how your breathing technique can help alleviate stress, anxiety and chronic stress.
"You can change your whole life with your breath"
The approach from a Sports Science background adds a new layer of knowledge to what yogis have known for centuries about the importance of breath. We learn the physiology and functionality of breath and it makes so much sense when he explains it!
Marco is the creator of Respiro Breathing technique and has helped over a hundred people overcome chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, anxiety and other challenges through breathing techniques.
"It's in the discomfort that we actually grow, evolve and have an impact. Leaning into the discomfort, even though it feels counterintuitive and something we are never taught, will change your life. In life and business if we move in the direction of the discomfort there will be massive movement and transformation and growth on the other side."
Melanie Scott, Intuitive Business Strategist, talks to us about all the important ingredients to create a life you love including leaning into discomfort, energy, alignment, and self worth. Her exhilaration for getting out there and answering your call is contagious. Use it to get motivated and take action!
Social responsibility, imposter syndrome and mental health.
A social entrepreneur is somebody who does business for a social cause. Their bottom line includes profit as well as the improvement upon the world, especially the lives of people who are connected to the cause. This is what Carlie Rioux, founder of Thea Caye does. With the power of an innovative beach bag, she’s supporting local artists, loving the environment and most of all, saving the lives of victims of human trafficking…the fastest growing industry in Canada. Listen in to see how this girl from the prairies created an international company that shines so bright for the world.
Ingrid Huffman who served in both the US Navy and Army Nurse Corps came to a point where her life just didn't work anymore. She was proud to have served her country, but now found herself with PTSD and a desire for something different...something more. As she followed her yes's, she was guided to become a shaman and start a non profit Ranch where she helps veterans reconnect with themselves by connecting through nature. Listen in to hear how she made her vision a success!
Mandy Balak, founder of YYC Date Night and Ace Class spends her days both saving relationships from dull monotonous routines AND building an empire of women who rise together.
Included is the story of how she figured her way out of a life that she was unhappy in and into one that she actually desired; her major failures and how she got through the sticky middle; and her big lesson about
A special series called The Hustle. Stories of amazing individuals who took the courage and leaped for their heart calling. As a result, they're now making riveting impact on positive change around the world.
We celebrate their triumphs and dive deep into the sticky challenges to learn what tools and lessons came of it. Through looking at the good and getting real about the obstacles, we learn what it really took to make their vision a success.
First up is Lyndsay Morris, founder of Generation Wellness. Her business teaches mental, emotional and mindful well being to children. She's created a nation wide movement to help the younger generation find peace. Her goal is to get this movement into every single school in America by 2023!
Elizabeth Sherman, Executive Health Coach, has helped hundreds of people achieve optimal health through staying consistent, getting a little bit better every day, and having self-compassion on those days when we thing we ‘should’ be more.
What makes some behaviors stick even when it gets hard (ex. eating healthy even while on vacation) versus habits that slide right off at the first sight of difficulty?
In this episode she shows us how to actually create habits that stick, explains why sheer motivation or even creating an environment for success (ex. laying out your workout clothes the night before) aren't the keys. She tells us what the number one thing is when it comes to actually creating habits that work.
We talk specifically about health but what you learn can be extended into any habit that you want to create for your life.
Habits = energy preservation = ease & flow in life
In this episode Kundalini Yoga and meditation teacher (and Gong sound healer), Victoria Amore, explains to us the energetic + practical benefits of a Kundalini practice. She teaches us about the Kundalini energies and a little bit about chakras. In the end, you're given a simple practice that can be applied immediately to totally increase your wellbeing.
To learn more about Kundalini, also listen to Ep 67: "Weird" Practices in Kundalini Yoga Explained with Sat Shakti Kaur
How do people end up doing work that totally lights them up? How can we live lives that feel purposeful? What can we do to ensure that we take our right path...the best path for ourselves?
These are the questions that I explore with Spiritual Business Coach, Mariaestela Gullestrap. Her own story has much wisdom to lend by way of balancing concrete action with trustful surrender.
There are two monumentally life changing questions that usually dawn on us at some point in our journey.
What do I want? and Who am I?
Once either of them is bestowed upon us, we can count on the fact that our life we will never be the same. What follows is a colorful journey filled with trials, triumphs and lessons. Your story becomes a striking thread in the fabric of all existence.
In this episode we get to listen to fellow yoga teacher, Janice Brown's, story. This path of inquiry - What’s it been like, what has she learned and how did/does she navigate the confusion and messiness that sometimes comes with facing our truth.
The topic is deep but the conversation is full of laughs. The biggest message: IT DOESN”T HAVE TO BE SO HARD!!!
Plug in those earbuds to get inspired and laugh along with us!
If you’ve been interested in learning more about how crystals actually work and how to use them, you need to listen in!
Jessica Roth, certified Crystal Healer & ThetaHealer, shares what she knows about crystals & energy. She answers all of my burning questions about crystals like:
how can they actually change your vibration? (spoiler: if you think about it in terms of energy, it makes a lot more sense!)
Does size matter?
What’s up with “cleaning” your crystals - do we actually need to do that? If so, what’s the best method?
What is self worth, what determines self worth, and how to boost self worth.
In this episode we get to talk with Jen Miller, holistic health coach, about this idea of worthiness/unworthiness that seems to trip us up. Through her own journey with self worth and fitting in, she's gathered a few golden nuggets to share and help you with your journey. In understanding self worth and how to boost it, we get to stop letting it hold us back from the dreams, jobs and relationships that we desire for our lives.
In today’s episode, I chat with AnneMarie McKenzie, Master Desire Map Facilitator, about the concept around using our feelings and emotions to find alignment in our lives. Exactly how can we use this as our inner compass? Even if we know how we truly want to feel most of the time (Core Desired Feelngs) what tools/strategies can we implement to make sure that we engage them? Big picture - how can feeling what we desire to feel most of the time lead us to an aligned life?
The Desire Map Process based on the best selling book The Desire MapDanielle LaPorte
In this episode, we get to deep dive into MANIFESTING with Janice Berkenheger, manifestation and money coach. I’m so grateful for our wonderful conversation! The instructions for the Law of Attraction (LOA) are simple - ask for it, believe it’s yours, then it will come to life, but there’s more to that. We talk about what manifestation is, how to use it, what’s wrong if it’s not working, and the magic ingredients to make manifesting your desires into reality successful.
Mindful practices like meditation and yoga help alleviate suffering and brings a sense of inner peace. Ultimately these practices can lead us to awakening, where we realize our infinite selves. This state is obviously desirable but have you ever wondered what enlightenment really feels like? Do you get inducted to this higher state with a big golden light and a choir of angels like in the movies? What does it mean when somebody has "awakened"? Also, how do you function in everyday society when you realize that everything is just an illusion??
If you're curious too, listen in!
Christiane Michelberger, a guide that helps people into their own awakening, patiently answers these questions for us and shares the story of her own awakening.
The point of this podcast is to explore the meaning of our experiences in this journey and understand what our truth is and how to live in it. Fully. Vulnerably. Unapologetically.
Over the last few weeks I found myself contemplating what “living our truth” really means. It certainly sounds enticing, like as if it would lead us to something good – perhaps liberation. Maybe happiness. Still, I wondered how do we find our truths? How do we know if when we’re living it? And how do we stay connected to our truest self?
In this episode, I explore all these questions, starting with understanding truth from both a philosophical and applicable level. I also identify three characteristics that develop when we are living our truth and give you two questions that can help you build momentum in this journey.
Sarah Marlowe Spence is an IT contractor by day and a shaman by night. In this episode, we hear the story of her spiritual journey and discuss how to keep your true sense of self without having to quit the office.
Another year has been said and done! In 2018 over thirty beautiful hearts shone their light into our community. They graciously shared their knowledge and stories. In this episode, I reflect on the wisdom that has been so generously shared with us and reflect on the main themes that these conversations circled around. Lessons in understanding our truth, moving through challenges, the unfolding of life and the biggest one of all Self-Love.
Thank you for sharing yet another splendid year with me by listening in!
The practice of celebrating your accomplishments is pertinent to your success. You need to take time to acknowledge your accomplishments no matter how big or how small! This success tool can be your key to attaining your desires with ease and joy. It's one of the biggest lessons that I learned in 2018 and I share everything that I've learned with you in this episode: why celebrating is so important, the key that makes celebrating so powerful in helping you achieve your desires and how to celebrate. Let's set the vibes for this new year and set you up to receive all that you desire in 2019!
I love it when mindfulness meets science! In this episode, we have a fascinating discussion about a holistic approach to stress management, incorporating intellect, emotions, body and spirituality. Ky Russell, a teacher of stress management and health at the San Jose State University teaches us how the automatic reptilian stress response that we're all at the mercy of can actually be helpful in stress management if we just understand what's going on. We already know about meditation and yoga but apparently when in the stress cycle that you use each technique affects it's effectiveness.
Although the world is more digitally connected than ever, it's almost scary how easily disconnected we feel - to ourselves, other people...life. In this episode, Danny Levin - mentor, speaker and author of the book The Mosaic, teaches us about the 4 Practices of Connection so that you can learn how to stop feeling disconnected. "we're not meant to do this alone...the world is in complete support of you doing what you are meant to do"
Kundalini Yoga is a powerful practice that can change your energetic vibration in as little as 3 minutes but it's eccentric conventions causes people to pause before giving it a try. It can be rather intimidating to walk into unfamiliar territory and join a group where everyone is dressed in white, topped with a turban, and chanting their hearts out. In this episode I talk with Sat Shakti Kaur (also known as Jessica Banks), owner of the Kundalini studio Joy Yoga in London. She explains the benefits of this practice and the tools that it employs. Now you can stop being weirded out and get out there to try out the significant benefits that this practice offers! ;)
In this episode, Clare Galloway, a visionary artist and writer tells us how art can help access the magic of letting go. We all have a creative engine within ourselves. When we access this energy, we charge ourselves up and suddenly become filled with bright ideas, solutions and all the beautiful things that want to be expressed. Art is how we can be reunited with our innate primal sense of truth.
In this episode, I tell you why I've been MIA with Bite Sized episodes for the past few weeks and why I'm glad to be back! In short, I've found one of the answers to figuring out the question to "What do you want most from your life?" and I'm SO excited to share it with you!
If you're ready to tune into your inner compass, head on over to this address: http://www.veronicathai.com/workshops/level1virtual1
Ivy Kwong is a psychotherapist who's dedicated to help you heal, grow and walk alongside you as you navigate your journey.
In this episode she teaches how to develop self worth and how to heal the innermost parts of ourselves.
Samantha Goldsmith’s passion is to help women embrace their uniqueness and live a life guided by their inner compass. Serial entrepreneur, fellow yogi and podcaster we talk about how to ditch the need to be perfect and start living a peaceful heart led life instead.
Sam breaks down what "type-A" means and how everyone has a "type-A" tendency to something in their life. Then we talk strategy - how to ditch that rigidness and live a heart led life instead!
Erin DiAngelis, yoga teacher and Holistic Life Coach, helps people heal from unhealthy relationships with their body or food so that they can with more joy in their lives.
She shares her own story of having an eating disorder for many years. "It's not even about the food itself. It's about the need for control of something" she explains. This speaks to the inner-critic in many of us, even if we don't all have eating disorders. We get to hear Erin's lessons on how she left the inner-critic and moved into a place where she could recognize her strengths. She also talks about how her yoga practice was really the stepping stone to all of the healing
I had to have her back! This time Caitlin Donovan tells us all about the practice of Face Reading. She teaches us about the 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal & water) and how to use them to live more balanced, aligned lives (much like you would a personality test). You'll learn how to identify your dominant element and what it means.
10 Minute Guided meditation inspired my my hike along the Westcoast Trail. Reconnect with your true nature - that inner knowing that subtly guides you toward your highest purpose if you can just tune in.
If you've been trying to get a hang of tuning into your intuition then you need to listen to this episode!
When we are tuned into our inner compass we make choices that serve our highest self. In turn, we live with ease and alignment. But the issue is that although the instructions are simple (just listen), the execution is quite mystifying. Michelle Fortuna, Intuition Coach, is here to help! In this episode, Michelle helps us understand what intuition really is from body messages to messages from the universe; how to actually practice your intuition; and what's blocking you from tuning in.
As we move into fall, I’m saying goodbye to summer by taking you along with me as I recount one of my favorite trips EVER taken - the Westcoast Trail. This summer, we hiked along the edge of Vancouver Island, weaving between the lush rainforest and beachy sea breeze.
I was in awe, wonderment and deep sense of grounding.
This trip was such a great reminder to do more of what we love. I hope it inspires you to go out and do more of what you love. I also incld practical details so you can prep for your trip too should you decide to do it one day 😉
There are many ways to understand the energy around us. In western philosophy, when we talk energy we use a scientific lens. We logically categorize each finding into its own tidy compartment: kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy, chemical energy, gravitational energy…(yes, I loved my science courses * nerd face * 😉 ) We try to create something tangible out of the unseen – and I’d say we’ve been quite successful at it! We take these concepts to help us understand the world around us – another thing that science has been quite successful at too! But that’s not quite what I’m interested in learning these days when it comes to energy. I’m more interested in the deeper workings of energy within ourselves – not just how something works but the big picture of how everything integrates together (mind, body, spirit). This is where systems of Eastern Philosophy can help! Today we talk about how energy flows within ourselves based on Chinese Medicine. Caitlin Donovan, an acupuncturist, herbalist and face reader with a Master's degree in Chinese Medicine is here to teach us all about it. As Caitlin puts it - in our western world, we process information in a linear fashion whereas with Chinese Medicine everything happens in a circle. You need to see all parts together to understand the picture.
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In this episode, we talk about M-O-N-E-Y. A topic that many shy away from even though we all want and need it. Why is that? Probably because there's so much stigma around money plus our own complicated relationship with it. We want it but we're afraid to admit to wanting it. Maybe we somehow came to know it as evil. Maybe deep down inside we don't feel like we deserve it. Or maybe it's because we think that wanting it makes us greedy people and the last thing you want to be is evil especially when you want to do nothing but heart centered work and make a positive change in the world. See, it's complicated.
Here's the thing though - if you truly want to do heart centered work or have creative freedom, you need to be financially viable! If you're not financially sustained, all you'll be thinking about is how to make the next dollar so that you can pay rent or have lunch. Tanner Kennedy, Law of Attraction Money Mindset Coach & Founder of The Own Your Worth Project talks to us about how to approach this topic and what's really blocking us from the abundance we desire.
"Think about it this way, the more you have, the more you'll be able to continue your work and help others. Scarcity mindset makes us think that our gains take away from other people but that's just not true".
Before you listen in, I want to point out that when we refer to "entrepreneur" it doesn't mean that you need to have a full fledged business. This applies to you even if you're selling art on the side, crafts on Etsy or teach Yoga classes! Happy Listening!
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Jenny Ravikumar is a devoted yoga practitioner, yoga teacher, reiki master, certified crystal healer through Hibiscus Moon and owner of the Barefoot Yoga Shala studio based in Massachusetts. Most recently, she started a successful non-profit, Yoga for Families of Addiction. As the name implies, this non-profit provides healing for friends, families, and spouses of addicts. Through Jenny's own experience she found that there are many yoga platforms to help addicts themselves get through their struggles but there was nothing out there to help the people who love the addicts. With Yoga for Families of Addiction, Jenny creates holds space and creates sacred sessions to help friends, families and spouses of addicts get through the tough stuff like shame, co-dependency, anger and forgiveness. We cover a lot of interesting topics in this episode including a short pit stop on how it's possible to fuse together religion and yoga, but the main topic here is how to stand in our truth and show up authentically even in times of great struggle.
Jenny's own story is that she was married to somebody with an alcohol addiction and went through a traumatic divorce.....all the while completing her 500 YTT, opening up a yoga studio and taking care of her new baby boy. How did she continue to teach from her heart and show up authentically for the community even while all this struggle was happening? Listen in to find out! :)
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Tara Wagner is a breakthrough coach who helps identify what's holding you back from your next level of success. In other words, she's an expert in helping people get over their self-doubt! How timely since I just talked about this in Episode 51. This conversation with Tara is like an expansion of the topic of self doubt, imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs. In specific, we talk about awareness (how do you even realize the limiting beliefs you have in the first place?), root cause (where do most of our false beliefs come from), and what to do about it! I love Tara's perspective not just because of her spunky disposition but also because she manages to take a practical approach that's grounded in spirituality. Yes the universe works in mysterious ways and there is such thing as divine timing; but we are also living in a human world and each of us have been granted with a predictable, computer like device in our noggins, so why not learn how we can learn to use both sides of the coin toward a happy, meaningful life? Listen in and prepare to be uplifted!!
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Feeling STUCK can be so uncomfortable. You're in a place in life or in your mind where you don't want to be and just can't seem to get out. It's sticky and stuffy and frustrating. Unfortunately being stuck is one of those inevitable situations that we will find ourselves in from time to time. Just like fear or self-doubt. What we can do with this feeling is to bring awareness to what it's telling us and find a way to release that stagnant energy. In other words find ways to get UNSTUCK.
In bringing awareness to the feeling, figure out how it feels. Does it feel dull, listless, unmotivated (what label as stuck in a funk); or does it feel like you're spinning your wheels but you're trapped (stuck in a rut). Our natural tendency is to push harder toward what we want when we're stuck so we go out to paint nights, cooking classes.....and fervently chase inspiration or the next creative breakthrough. At times, that's exactly what we need and then voila! we regain our freedom. But if you've tried it all and it's still not working, then it means that you need something else. That something else is that you're tired and need to listen to the ongoing lesson of taking PAUSE.
That brings me to the second part where we find ways to release the stagnant energy. Pause, breathe and connect back to what's been disconnected. Listen in for a 5 minute pranayama (breathing) exercise to help shift your energy and get you on your way to getting unstuck!
Music Credits:
Concentration Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Here is Part II of the conversation that I had with the lovely Mia Mitchell! Last week she shared the heartfelt story of her darkest hour - loss of a best friend, the downfall of a marriage and contemplation of a life not worth living. In essence, Mia's story is a powerful voice for mental health awareness. With time, Mia healed and now has a successful essential oils business where she helps others in their own healing journey. In Part II of our conversation, we focus on the thing that helped her recover: Essential Oils! How they help, how to use them (ie. on chakra points) and Mia'a top 10 favorite oils for healing.
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Self-doubt creeps in from time to time and it's probably never going to fully go away. Everybody experiences this feeling, even millionaires and world renowned self-help experts. Even with their major successes, they still get a niggle of this self-doubt from time to time. If even proven successes don't prevent self-doubt from coming back ever again, then we must learn to navigate this feeling.
I've been going through a bout of imposter syndrome myself. I was trucking along all fine and dandy then Bam! It just hit me - an overwhelming feeling that I knew nothing at all and a major questioning of what the !@#$ I'm doing at all. I sat with this for many days before I realized that the culprit was a hefty dose of self-doubt (that's the thing about feelings - if you're not paying attention you just fall into it). Apparently I needed it as a very important reminder of how perfect everything already is....of how perfect I already am. Listen in to hear what I learned!
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Mia Mitchell is a beacon of light who works to guide others into a life they love by using essential oils as her trusted tool. This lovely Australian lady’s heart centered essential oils business stems from a reason more deep-seated than passion if you can imagine. I dare say (after hearing her story) that this is the truest form of expression of herself. A manifestation of her soul’s purpose, born from her darkest hour.
I suspected that Mia had an incredible story to tell and this suspicion was confirmed just a few minutes into our conversation. What I planned to talk to Mia about was essential oils and how they can help us in our yoga practice and everyday lives. And we did talk about that! ...Eventually. Unbeknownst to me at the time, a hidden gem of a story was waiting to be revealed. When I asked Mia about how she came to find her love of essential oils, it turns out that it started from a dark place. A place of anxiety, depression, and very, very, very difficult experiences (I put a “very” in for each of the obstacles she shared) including the loss of a loved one to suicide. It was clear that beyond which essential oils are best for meditation or giving you energy, there was a strong message to be shared. Mia’s story is a powerful voice for the awareness of mental health issues. Her messages are clear and true as can be
“It’s okay to not be okay”
“In every moment you have a choice. While making a choice might be hard, you still have one”
You’ve probably caught on by now that this interview went for much longer than anticipated! I’ve split it into two parts for you. Today, I present to you PART I where you’ll hear Mia’s story about mental health. Next week I’ll release PART II where we tap into her expertise on essential oils.
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In the last episode of Bite Sized I talked about the importance of knowing when to quit and how it can be just as important as the power of perseverance. The wisdom is in knowing when to do which. In this episode I talk about what to do with that information. So you have an inkling that you need to quit something in your life. Now what? Where do you even go from here? I've been there many times - not ready to actually take the leap because I haven't got the slightest idea of where to place my foot. I've reflected on my personal experiences and lessons to distill 5 action steps that can help you reset your compass so that you have at least a little bit of idea which direction to go.
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Thank you for tuning into the final episode of launch week for my new segment, BITE SIZED! Today I answer the question that I ask all of the guests I interview: What Is The Biggest Lesson That You've Learned Along the Way?
My biggest lesson is that
QUITTING is just as important as PERSEVERING and takes just as much courage. The wisdom is in knowing which is which.
Quitting has such a negative connotation attached to it and it basically equates with failure if you decide to give up. But is it really that bad? If you think about it, sometimes the resistance to quit stems from the same reason that we resist to persevere: The Fear of Failure. Before you make a judgement on whether to quit or persevere, you need a few more pieces of information.
I share my personal story of the trials and tribulations it took for me to learn this lesson (it got handed to me a few times before I totally understood). In reflecting on my experience, I found 5 signs that suggest it's probably time to quit; and of course, I share them with you!
So, what'd you think of this episode?? Let me know in the comments below or email me hello@curiousmonki.com
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Welcome to the very second episode of BITE SIZED!
Transitions are never easy even if it's a change for the better. Career change, ending a relationship, starting a new endeavor....it's scary to take a leap of faith! But once you hear what your heart truly desires, you can't really go back. Today I talk about how to keep going even when it's scary and I share with you my two greatest pieces of inspiration that kept me (and still keeps me) going when that low vibe self-doubt starts to kick in.
Resources: That speech that Oprah did that helps me get through the thickest of doubts.
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I'm adding to the goodness with a new segment called BITE SIZED. In these short 15-20 minute episodes I go solo and completely candid to deliver a dose of inspiration, knowledge or sum up golden nuggets from past episodes. It's my way of amplifying the good vibes :) I haven't reached enlightenment or anything like that yet but hey! I've picked up a few nuggets of wisdom on my very own journey and I want to let you in on it.
Bite Sized episodes will be hot and ready for you at the beginning of every week (still deciding on an exact date...maybe Tuesdays??); and don't worry, the longer interview episodes are still happening! There's so much knowledge and experience to learn from each other, I can't see it stopping. You can still expect the interviews at the end of the week.
I really, really, super really want this to be valuable for you. It's my deepest intention to inspire you, spark a transformation within you or give you that second wind when you don’t think that you can keep going. I'm going to keep trying to keep delivering value but I also need your help! Please let me know what you think of these episodes by leaving a comment below or hello@curiousmonki.com. And if you really love what you hear, please give me some big love by leaving an itunes review.
As I keep saying, we have so much to learn from each other that can help us along our own paths. This journey is your own but you're not alone!
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Rachel Scott is a yoga teacher trainer, instructional designer, and writer. She regularly contributes to Yoga International and is the author of Wit and Wisdom from the Yoga Mat and A Yogi's Guide to Dating. With over 4000 hours as a yoga teacher trainer, her passion for helping yoga educators create excellent trainings certainly shows through. I am so grateful to have Rachel and her captivating energy on this episode! You've probably guessed by now that the topic is all about Yoga Teacher Training. In specific, Rachel helps us understand what separates an exceptional training from a disappointing one. You're going to want to listen in whether you're considering taking your first yoga teacher training, continuing yoga education or playing around with the idea of being a teacher trainer yourself. Rachel breaks down the reason why sometimes amazing yoga teachers deliver a less than satisfying training, prepares you with pertinent questions to ask if you're looking into taking a training, and lays out what makes a remarkable teacher training (spoiler alert: part of it falls on the responsibility of the student).
I wish I could tell the whole wide world about this one because so many people struggle to find a good yoga teacher training. It's not something that you'd want to roll the dice on either, seeing as how each training is thousands of dollars. Rachel's advice is worth its weight in gold! So if you know somebody who would benefit from this info, keep the good vibes going and SHARE THIS EPISODE!
Many thanks to you for joining me. Now, plug in those headphones and listen away!
Resources: Rachel's article on Yoga International: How to choose a yoga teacher training
Rachel's free course on how to create a teacher training
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Anne Douglas of Episode 30: Messages from Our Bodies and How Anahata Yoga Can Help You Listen is back on the show and this time she's here to talk yoga philosophy. Perhaps you'd really like to understand the philosophy of yoga but words like "vedic" "samkhya" and dates older than 1995 makes your brain want to take a nap. Sanskrit and history are not your forte. No problemo, start here! Who better to explain this stuff than a patient, knowledgeable teacher who happens to be passionate about how yoga philosophies help us resolve suffering. In this episode, Anne helpfully explains the two major schools of thought in yoga philosophy: dualism versus non dualism. Basically, are we one with nature or are we separate with nature? Depends. We go into depth to understand what these two philosophies mean in the bigger picture as well as to how we relate to life individually. By the end of the episode, you'll be cooing about purusha and prakriti like it ain't no thing. This episode is loaded so buckle in and get your learnin' on!
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"There is no one straight path"
This nugget of insight seems to be a recurring theme throughout the conversations that I have with my marvelous guests. Their paths are colorfully weaved with discovery and changes. For the most part, their stories don't follow a linear trajectory. In fact, it's the dynamic quality that brings so much inspiration and aliveness! Restaurant owner turned yoga teacher, engineer turned yoga studio owner, law professional turned shaman....
I think what's so alluring about these stories is that these people stopped to ask themselves somewhere along the way "what do I truly want in life?" and then mustered the courage to try and figure it out! "What do I truly want in life?" and "How can I be happy?" are questions that we eventually ponder. Growing up, we're taught to pave our lives out in one straight path and to fear the unknown, but the heart desires truth and purpose, and those things might not be on the pretty paved road. That's why stories of daring leaps perk us up.
With the last few interviews, there seems to be another layer emerging. That is:
"What you desire can change."
Ah yes, life likes to keep it exciting doesn't it! Just when we think we've figured it all out, the tides turn. The key is to continue tuning in and pivoting as needed.
In this episode, we get to hear about just that as Andrea Catherine opens up candidly about her next leap in life. Andrea is currently a yoga teacher, yoga health coach, Ayurvedic health counsellor and host of the podcast, Fearless Self Love. Her new calling is calling though and she's in flux to move toward her dream of creating a space that's a destination for travelers, locals and folks in transition. We also talk about self-love - what it means, how to do it, and how the practice of it has helped Andrea arrive at where she's at today.
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Elizabeth Nguyen is a yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Boss Babe, a subscription box to help yoga teachers grow a thriving business. This girl works with a stunning amount of dedication, authenticity and passion! She is in love with her business and life today but like all great creators, there was quite a bit of travelling to get to this leg of the journey. In fact, the first business she ever created was one that she didn't totally love. She eventually went with her gut feeling and searched for an idea that made her feel excited and passionate. One thing led to another and she came up with YBB! There are so many rich lessons in Liz's story including how to know when an idea is truly for you, what challenges to expect when you pursue what you love and what it takes to succeed. Plug in those headphones and get the idea juices flowing!
Read More Resources: Books:
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz – inspired Liz to slow down and come up with more of a mindful response vs a reactive response; and to let go when it doesn’t matter enough.
She means business by Carrie Green – the book that helped Liz come up with the idea for Yoga Boss Babe
Episodes referred to (create hyperlink)
Episode 2: A Healing Journey with Alison DuRussel
Like Liz, Alison was interested in helping people via the healthcare system. And like Liz, she started to wonder if there was a natural remedy that could alleviate the number of pills that patients ended up relying on. Listen to Alison's story of how she went from pharm tech to massage therapist to yoga teacher and to sound bath healer.
Episode 3: Mastering the Business of Yoga with Amanda Kingsmith
There are so many paths that you can take your yoga career. Like Liz, Amanda is also helping yoga teachers flourish via their own unique path. Listen to this episode for the three key items that you need to have for a successful yoga career.
Awilda Rivera is a yoga teacher, spiritual advisor and success coach who has dedicated her life to help empower others to succeed. She’s navigated a few twists and turns in her own life as she transitioned from being a law professional and into the world of spirituality and wellness.
A cardiac episode in her late 20's brought Awilda to face a very real truth in her life. Ever since the age of ten she’d been committed to becoming a lawyer. She took a sense of responsibility in being the first person in her family to go to college and held high expectations of herself to not disappoint. Yet as she lay there in the hospital bed, with only one and half years of law school before graduation, she could no longer deny that this wasn’t what she wanted anymore.
The question that surfaced after admitting this to herself was “what intention do I want to live my life with? What kind of intention do I want my work grounded in?” She pinpointed that her passion was to help others. The journey that ensued was onerous, messy and wonderful. By following the thread of "wanting to help people" Awilda was able to hone into exactly how she could help. Today, she’s not only living her dream by helping other people live their dreams, but she’s also an inspiration for the multi-passionate soul who loves more than one thing and wonders how it could possibly come together.
Tune in to hear the rest of her story! In this grounded conversation Awilda shares valuable wisdom about pursuing what you love and how to manifest it to life including mantras and mudras that you can use.
Resources: Book to learn more about mudras
Mudras Yoga In Your Hands by Getrud Hirschi
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Melanie Klein is an empowerment coach, professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Moorpark Collect in Venura County, California, speaker, writer and thought leader in the areas of body confidence, authentic empowerment and visibility. In addition to many other books she’s also the editor of the recently released, Yoga Rising: 30 Empowering Stories from Yoga Renegades for Every Body. She is passionate about the topic of contemporary body image politics and is making waves in creating a healthier, more positive perception of our body image. She's been featured several times on Yoga International to talk about this topic and co-founded the Yoga and Body Image Coalition in 2014. YBI strives to provide accessible, body-positive yoga and reflects the full range of human diversity.
What an absolute thrill to talk to Melanie!! This conversation expanded my understanding of how I relate to myself and I even had a breakthrough Aha moment (you'll definitely recognize when this is as you listen...I was ecstatic :) ). I used to think of body image as a social issue and never considered its relation to yoga. If I practice yoga, mindfulness and acceptance then surely I have a healthy body image right? No need to extricate this one specific thing from the big picture of accepting the whole self....right? Turns out I was wrong. Our body image is not only an outcome of our internal relationship with self but is also a product of the society, politics and history that shapes us. It's so powerful that it dictates our self-worth. It can even hold us back from reaching our full potential. Yoga can be one of the most powerful tools to help us disentangle our distorted body image from our identities. In this episode, Melanie and dig further in-depth into the topic of contemporary body image politics - what it is, how it affects all of us and what we can do about it, including how an authentic yoga practice can free us from the war we wage against our bodies. Buckle in. This one's a good one.
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Marla Meenakshi Joy, Owner and Director of Downward Dog Yoga Centre,spent years in the Himalayas studying Meditation, Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy. She’s been studying meditation and the philosophy of the Vedas since 1988. She began teaching in 1999 in Teacher Training programs across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, as a teacher of Philosophy and Sanskrit, Chanting and Meditation, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, and Restorative Yoga. Wait, there’s more! She’s also a celebrated song-stress and leads Kirtan with her band SWAHA.
What a pleasure it was to have a conversation with this soul that’s been steeping in the wisdom of yoga, continuing to expand her growth year after year. What’s really interesting is hearing what the yoga scene was like 30 years ago. In this episode, Marla shares her yoga journey from being a young 19 year old who went off to the Himalayas and finally found “home” in her yoga practice to the influential teacher/yoga studio owner/songstress that she is today. We catch tidbits of her wisdom along the way as we take dips into understanding ashtanga vinyasa yoga, the Vedas, Kirtan and more. Amongst the tools she shares are mantras to help clear the way, remove fear and reconnect to your true nature.
Resources: Books recommended by Marla:
Yoga Mala by Pattahbi Jois
- Knowledge on Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
- Understand the cleansing process in the body as a result of practicing this type of yoga
Thomas Ashley-Farrand's Books to learn more about mantras
- Marla’s mantra recommendations:
- To Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Use this to clear the way for your day: “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha”
- To Durga, the protectress goddess. Use this to help remove fear: “Om dum durgayei namaha”
- An abstract mantra that’s not associated with any deity or any form. A universal mantra – the mantra of the breath. It repeats itself on every inhalation and exhalation naturally. Use this one to be reminded of your true nature and reality: "So Hum" Translated, it means “all that there is, is me or I am all that there is”
- Inhale: SO
- Exhale: HUM
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This soul searching business isn’t easy! As we travel this journey to the heart, we're asked to take leaps, look fear in the eyes and move with great courage and unfold into who we really are. Stories from each other can hearten this experience - the mere fact of knowing that we're not alone and that somebody else has done it too is uplifting. In this week’s episode Anna Lundberg shares her story of breaking through - from neatly living the life that she was expected to (being a “good girl”), to busting into the success coach/author/business strategist lady boss that she is today. There are so many golden nuggets of wisdom as we talk about shedding external expectations, finding success for ourselves and trialing the many different paths to figure out how what we truly want from life. Anna shares her Guiding Star model that can help you figure out what you want, or if you already know, can help you stay on track to get it!
Before we dive in, a little bit more about Anna - Anna is a success coach and business strategist who helps people create businesses and build a lifestyle that allows them an unimagined sense of freedom, flexibility and fulfilment. She works individually with a select number of clients to help them reimagine success in their personal and professional lives and runs a group programme that helps people take their ‘One Step Outside the 9 to 5’.
Resources: onestepoutside.com/finding-your-guiding-star
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Stacey Irvine is a yoga teacher and registered nurse at the Alberta Children's Hospital. Her yoga journey began ten years ago when she experienced injuries as a triathlete. Unable to continue with her regular workouts with the sustained injuries, she was encouraged to practice yoga to rehabilitate. She quickly fell in love - at first with the physical practice and then eventually realized that is also a great form of self development and self inquiry. Yoga became a haven as she worked through anxiety and an eating disorder. Soon, she dived into further learning by taking her first yoga teacher training.
A number of years later, Stacey found herself in another challenging situation when her father and grandfather got into a tragic car accident. This marked the first time she experienced going through the traditional healthcare system. In doing so, she noticed some gaps. The system didn't seem to take the human into consideration. Yes, it healed the body but in addition to that her father was in need of somebody to hear him, hold space for him and help with the emotional side of recuperation. That's where her passion for advocating for a more integrative healthcare system (between Western and Alternative medicines) was born. In this episode Stacey gives us further insight on this as well as dives deeper into her story of her journey with yoga.
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This one is for everyone who is trying to start something out there! A movement, a business, a whole new life....
Robindra Mohar is an Edmonton based educator + festival producer + DJ. He and his wife Myrah are the creators of the Canada based It’s Time To Bloom Festival and Together We Bloom Society. He is also the catalyst for Yogi Entrepreneur School where he helps entrepreneurs design heart led businesses. He himself has been an entrepreneur for almost two decades. Aside from allll of that, he's also a new dad, chef, yogi, chai & music lover. What a multifaceted fellow!
In this episode, Robindra gives his insights on the importance of creating from a place of dharma (calling) and shares his story on what it was like to create a nationwide festival - challenges, rewards and lessons learned.
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Kelsey Delane is a Yoga Mentor & Reiki Master who guides fellow Yogis & Yoga Teachers toward more sustained joy. She has completed an impressive 1,000 hours of yoga training ranging from kids yoga, to trauma informed yoga, to Yoga Philosophy. Her most passionate subject is the teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. She shares this knowledge through one on one mentorship, online platforms and in-person workshops. Kelsey also shares her love of Yoga by training upcoming teachers throughout Orange County, and working with teen girls through the UPLIFT Yoga Foundation.
Kelsey has a radiant and serene way about her, and it's hard not to absorb some of that goodness when talking to her. In this episode we talk about how yoga transformed her from a distraught college student with severe chronic anxiety and depression into a radiant being who enjoys a strong and peaceful relationship with her inner world. Of course, we also dive into her area of expertise - The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. She gives us some tips on how to learn the teachings and how we can use them to become co-creators of our lives.
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In this episode, we get to talk about a topic that I've been long intrigued by - AYURVEDA!
Susan Weis-Bohlen is an Ayurvedic expert and author the book Beginner's Guide to Ayurveda: Essential Ayurvedic Principles & Practices to Balance & Heal Naturally. On the Ayurvedic side, she's officially a Chopra Center Certified Ayurvedic Consultant; but she's also a meditation teacher, vegetarian cooking teacher and leads sacred site tours around the world. Oh yea, she also owns a quaint bookstore cafe in Baltimore, Maryland. While there is much wisdom to be shared, we focus on Ayurveda in this episode.
Ayurveda is considered to be the world's oldest medical system, dating back to be 5,000-10,000 years old. I gravitate toward it because it's a holistic approach to health - mind, body and spirit. It’s an intelligent system that leverages our natural functions to balance and heal rather than using force to create desired outcomes. But it’s also a complex system that has many layers to it. Traditionally the knowledge has been passed down by song and word of mouth. Understanding it can be difficult and for me, it was hard to know where to even start. That's why this conversation with Susan is sooooo good! She shares the basic essential concepts that you need to know so that you can start applying concepts of Ayurveda to your benefit right away. To name a few nuggets, we go over the framework of the constituents (doshas - kapha, pitta, vata) that rule this practice, how our doshas affect what foods are right for us, and guidelines for Ayurvedic eating that is beneficial for everybody.
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Jeff Mah is an engineer turned yoga teacher and yoga studio owner. He and his wife owns the ever so popular The Yoga Lounge in the mountain city of Canmore, Alberta. His journey has been a series of unexpected twists and surprises, at one point being an engineer and then later considering to maybe even do his MCAT to become a doctor. In this episode, Jeff shares his story with yoga and what finally inspired him to leap into an unconventional (at the time) career path because it truly resonated with him. And of course I had to get the scoop on what it's like to own a yoga studio! Jeff gives us a glimpse by sharing the challenges, rewards and the hard work behind the scenes.
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Julie Seibt is a yoga teacher with plenty of credentials under her belt ( IAYT Yoga Therapist, Anahata Yoga Teacher and iRest Teacher to name a few) but it’s probably more accurate to just describe her as an ocean of knowledge. This is one lady who is well versed in the matters of the heart and her unshakable truth shines through the entire conversation. In this episode, we dive into a rich conversation about mindfulness and how you can apply it to live a life of freedom and of course more joy. Julie provides clear examples and tools that can be simply applied for more peaceful living starting right now. We hear her insights on how to create better relationships with ourselves (because one thing I’m learning is that it all comes back to self love folks!) and touch on my favourite topic – how to tap into that inner wisdom. We begin and end with a beautiful meditation so if you’re able to set yourself up in a comfortable position, please do so and join in. Alright, plug those earplugs in and let’s let the good vibes roll.
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Melissa Jay is a registered psychologist and yoga teacher who has melded her two loves into Yoga Psychology. The hard work she puts into her psychology practice and yoga retreats are all done in purpose of her mission, which is "to empower compassionate souls to love themselves unconditionally". When we take good care of ourselves and ensure that our cups are filled then we are better to be able to show up and be present with the people that we care about. The result? Deeper connection, true connection.
To live your best life you must practice self love and self care. Part of that is to tune into your inner world, understand how you relate to others (because we relate to each other differently), realize what it is that you need and then ask for it and receive it. The last part is where many people trip up. There seems to be a resistance to receiving and it holds us back. Plug in those earbuds and listen in because Melissa helps us understand four different ways we relate to each other, how to make use of that information (breaking beyond "what's wrong with me?") and gives a compelling case as to why it's important learn to receive what you need from others.
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Happy New Year! We kick off 2018 with an episode about the significance of tapping into your body's intelligence. Anne Douglas is a teacher and yoga scholar who has had over three decades of experience practicing/studying in the field. She is the creator of Anahata Yoga Therapy, which is a path for self-inquiry, loving kindness and the integration of what she calls "the issues in the tissues". We spend the hour talking about Anne's journey through different forms of yoga, the relationship between emotion and body symptoms and how Anahata Yoga Therapy can help.
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It has been a wonderful year on Curious Monki! I am SO grateful for everyone who tunes in and for all the amazing souls who have graciously shared their wisdom. The conversations have been heartfelt and rich with knowledge. In this episode, I look back on some of the lessons shared. Among them are powerful messages like: trust your intuition; life won't always take the path that you want it to and that's not a bad thing. You must trust that something better is in store for you; self love and self compassion are the gateways to true happiness; you're a life long learner, that's what all these life experiences are for!
I love having these conversations and it has been an absolute dream to share them with you. As I've said before, this is a journey to the heart. It's the discovering of all that we are. Let's do this together and learn to connect deeper within as well as with the world around us. Ultimately, you'll live the life of your true self and true happiness!
I sincerely hope that these conversations have been inspiring to you....maybe even illuminate something that you haven't discovered before.
Now, I'd like to hear from you! * What has been your greatest lesson this year? * What topics do you want to hear about in 2018? I'm listening.
Leave a comment below or go to the contact page and email me. Happy holidays and have a wonderful New Years!
Amanda Kingsmith is a world traveler, yoga teacher and also the podcast host for two shows: The World Wanderers and Mastering the Business of Yoga aka. MB.OM. She's passionate about helping yoga teachers discover careers they love and enjoys working 1-on-1 with yoga teachers to help them build their business. In this episode, she tells us how she managed to create a life filled with travel and adventure; all while doing what she loves from anywhere in the world. We get business savvy as she shares three key concepts that will help you succeed in creating a business out of the thing (or things...yes, you can have more than one) you love! This episode is for you if you're a yoga teacher, yoga teacher to be or if you're in the business of succeeding in doing what you love. Plug in those earbuds and listen in!
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It’s one thing to develop a well-oiled routine and have the discipline to follow through but what happens if our bodies aren’t cooperating the way we want them to? It’s excruciating to get through a trip to the grocery store let alone make it to a yoga class where you have to bend yourself in all sorts of shapes. Each day is a toss-up – maybe you’ll be pain free, maybe you’ll be bed ridden…..or maybe you’ll think it’s a pain free day and then bam! just when you’re about to make it to an important appointment the pain hits and everything’s a write off. It’s frustrating – how do you plan your day? How do you maintain a yoga practice? How do you keep up a social life?? This is what life is like for somebody who has a chronic illness. In this episode, Brittany Zeer is back on the show and we discuss chronic illnesses. An accident three years ago left her with chronic migraines and now pain management is on her daily agenda. She sheds light on what it’s like to live with a chronic illness, how loved ones can support, pain management tips and how to continue a yoga practice despite the obstacles.
If you have a chronic illness listen in because you’re not alone! If you don’t have a chronic illness, listen in anyway because it’s a chance to flex that compassion muscle. The struggle isn’t always visible and there’s a huge part that we can play in supporting our friends.
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Nicholas Pepe is one inspiring individual who has dedicated himself to doing what I’ve decided to call “heart work”. Work that is soul centred with the intention to help provide a positive impact on other people’s lives and the world. In specific, he’s an Energy Healer and Personal Development Coach who specializes in helping women who are ruled by fear, doubt, and “low confidence” learn how to master their emotions so that they can live with Courage, Confidence and Freedom
Nicholas is the author of Courageous Acts of Self-Love, creator of a self-help channel on YouTube, and has been featured on MSNBC as well as several magazines.
In this episode, we have a heart to heart about some provoking life questions such as why is it important to heal? What’s holding people back from joy? How do we live our purpose? Nicholas shares lessons and insights gathered from the work he’s done with clients as well as himself.
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It has been a mad busy month – vacation, a pending move (finally happening this week yay!!) and hours of planning for my beloved father’s birthday. I am so grateful for all of these wonderful happenings in my life but also kind of exhausted. My mind seems to match the erratic positioning of the half-packed boxes in my little apartment. There's a slight undercurrent of anxiety and even as I type out this plain and simple truth, I find myself on trial with self-judgement. “There are NO excuses in life. Pull it together, there is no room for FALTERING. You are so lucky to have any of this, if you want it you’ll push through, power through, and deliver….and it better be a damn good job”. And the usual soundtrack plays on, words dripping heavily. Geeze, this harsh type of motivation is a whole different kind of exhausting. Why do we need to be so hard on ourselves? As I ponder this question the saving grace of all my lessons come flooding back to me. The answer is that you simply don't. My logic mind rejects this idea but I've now developed a new voice that gently says "It's okay to rest". If it's one thing that I've learned through my study of yoga and interviews with so many amazing souls, it's that all of this is a journey to the heart. As the brilliant Rumi puts it
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
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Alice Hong is a growth and transformation facilitator that guides others to listen deeply, love fully, and live wholeheartedly. This travel junkie has her home base in Calgary, Alberta but she holds Yoga Teacher Trainings, Retreats and Women's gatherings all around the world like in Iceland and Bali. Her ambition sweeps her away toward inspiring projects such as her recent endeavor to help women live more heart centered lives. Despite the travelling and jam packed schedule, Alice walks with a steady air of centered-ness. How? Because she lives by the philosophy of Tantra which is the philosophy that everything weaves together. A graceful dance of balance and harmony. In this episode, we talk about the philosophy of Tantra, it's core concepts Shiva and Shakti (masculine/feminine energies) and how to deepen our Yoga practice beyond the poses...
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Amy Thiessen is , among many other things, is a yoga teacher and a musician. She’s melded her two passions into one beautiful craft. Her talents are extensive, but her best known music in the yoga community are of mantra and prayer. She mixes her captivating voice with alluring soundscapes to create space that’s perfect for internal exploration. Like with so many others, it has been (and still is) quite a journey with this Yoga. There's an exceptional story to be told. In this episode she shares her story and we talk philosophy, mythology and mantras. In specific, how philosophies in yoga correlate with modern day psychology, the power of story telling to help us relate to ourselves, and the visceral effects of mantras. Get those earbuds into your ears and listen in!...
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What It Took To Start a Yoga Retreat Centre: struggles, accomplishments and lessons learned along the way Una barraca, which means “warrior lady”, is what Linsey Rankin is endearingly called by friends in Colombia. For the past year, she has worked with a small team to run yoga retreats on a pristine piece of land in Choco. Her vision affords the opportunity for yoga junkies and tourists alike to experience a part of nature that has barely been touched. We actually talked to Linsey back in Episode 4, where she shared her big dreams of opening up a haven for yoga retreats in Colombia. A year later, she’s living life exactly as she envisioned on her vision board. She spends many days in paradise - beaching, swimming with whales and watching the monkeys go by. Listen in to hear her story of how she achieved success. She share her struggles, accomplishments, and lessons learned along the way.
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Like many of the great talents out there, Martha McCallum wears several hats. Titles include master herbalist, yoga instructor, hiking guide and Hakomi Psychotherapist. She is the artist of her own life and boy has she created a cool one for herself! As a helicopter hiking guide, she enjoys the best of the Rocky Mountains every single week. When she's not out in nature, she's helping others live mindfully through Hakomi therapy. How did this cool lady score such a cool lifestyle? Well, she let that inner voice guide her, even when it wasn't exactly clear where she was going. In fact, there was a time where she felt scattered, like she was hopping from one thing to another. Nonetheless she trusted that inner knowing and followed what felt peaceful, what felt right. Heeding to the gut-brain (aka. heart, inner wisdom, organic body....take your pick) is the heart of Hakomi therapy. Listen in to learn about what Hakomi therapy is and how you can use it to tap into your inner wisdom.
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Tanis Fishman is a modern day mystic who has spent her life exploring different levels of consciousness to find deeper meaning in the human experience. Questions about the meaning of life and a search for something more has been on her mind since she was a toddler. Over her lifetime, she’s been gifted with two profound experiences that proved this feeling. One being an out of body experience and another an explosion of enlightenment. In this episode, Tanis shares that part of her journey with us. She also lends her knowledge about Yoga Nidra, a deep meditation technique that can bring you to a place beyond conscious limitations.
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Meet Lisa Hillyer, yoga teacher, life coach and world traveller. She works with dedicated motive to guide people back to themselves and reconnect to the person that’s always been within. She lives her life joyously and with deep purpose. As you would’ve guessed, it took some stumbling to get here. Also a lot of hard work. A lot. There was that time when she moved to Australia and all her dreams came true but she found herself feeling miserable. She had to do some digging on the inside to figure out what that was all about. Then there was that time that she went to India and the culture shock kept her in a flurry of confusion and blocked senses. She was left with little choice but to learn the lesson of surrender and trust. When you look at the big picture, it was actually the stumbling that helped her find her way; and that’s the story that she’s here to tell. In this episode, Lisa shares with us how she went from miserably numbing herself to living a life adorned with love, travel and worthiness.
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People who takes leaps and say yes to what they truly want have good stories to share. These stories are inspiring, leaving us feeling uplifted and motivated to take on the world. In this episode, we talk with Kristy Dhaliwal, an amazing gal who has taken leaps to find her path. She’s a massage therapist, entrepreneur and yoga junkie. Her path wasn’t always clear though and there was some searching to be had before she found what she loved. She shares her story of how she found her passion and built a business with it. She also gives us a couple tips on how to get rid of those annoying knots in our muscles.
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Transitions are never easy even if it’s a change for the better. And it’s even scarier when we are taking a leap of faith. But what if we let the FEAR guide us rather than hinder us? It’s been an interesting journey. FEAR has become a frequent friend (I didn’t see this coming!) and I’ve been doing a lot of getting to know it better. And I do…I think. It sticks its scary face all up in mine but rather than running away, I’ve developed a relationship with it. Afterall, it still counts as a feeling. And if it’s one thing that I know for sure, our feelings are here to guide us. This one’s a bit crasser than the others, but it’s still here to shows us something. When we take that perspective then we can begin to get curious rather than hide. I recently had such a good conversation with my friend Alison about this. Being the wonderful soul that she is, she ended up recording it for me to do with it what I will. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make an episode out of it because it's such an intimate look into my journey. Oh the FEAR of being SEEN! But here's the thing, it really was a great conversation and I think it might spark something in you too this so with excitement much anticipation, I’ve decided to share my journey with you!
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“To be mindful is to be fully present with whatever we are doing. If you are drinking tea, just drink your tea. Do not drink your worries, your projects, your regrets. When you hold your cup, you may like to breathe in, to bring your mind back to your body, stop your thinking, and become fully present. In that moment, you become real and the cup of tea becomes real. In this state of true presence and freedom you enjoy simply drinking your tea."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
In a nutshell, Sally Powis-Campbell is a mindful helper for kids and the kid in all of us. If you want official titles then she’s a psychologist, yoga teacher, meditation guide, food artist, mindful food event curator, writer (book in the works), and competitive trail runner! Her craft is the marriage of her two biggest passions: mindfulness and food. Mindfulness is slowing down and focusing. Taking pause to become aware of all five senses, tuning into your inner and outer world without attachment. This simple practice gives you the power to live more fully. Food is pretty straightforward, so we think. But what’s your relationship with food like? Not many people consider this. In fact, it’s kind of difficult to come up with an answer if you’ve never thought about it before. Good thing Sally’s here! She teaches us how to create a connection with food so that we can eat mindfully and ultimately, live more fully. She begins by bringing us through a six minute tea meditation. It’s one of the most beautiful meditations I’ve ever done and it’s not to be missed. So come on, grab your cup of tea (or any beverage of choice) and plug in those ear buds!
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This episode is just as multifaceted as the guest itself. Naomi Parker is based in YYC and is a mom, biologist, yoga teacher, and energy healer. She takes us through not just one, but two stories and brings us into territories that are unknown to most of us. Story One. A yoga journey. Naomi shares how she found yoga and how she eventually ended up becoming a yoga teacher. The conversation enrichens as she shares her passion about pranayama (breath work) – the importance, benefits and tips on how to do her favorite breathing exercise. It is here that we begin to sense she’s not an ordinary yoga teacher. This leads to Story Two. The unfolding of an energy healer. Naomi opens up about how she eventually honed into her gifts in energy healing after casting it aside for three decades. Keep an open mind as she takes us into the world of the esoteric. Seriously. If you think your mind is open, open more! Topics extend beyond the energetic flows of our bodies and into a world that many of us have probably never heard of before....
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Kate Mak is one of YYC’s favorite yoga teachers. A mover and shaker who pursues tirelessly to create community. Her classes usually include an eloquent flow, something new and a cheesy joke or two. She’ll tell you a story about the ancient deities or maybe sing to you while playing the harmonium. As a student, you just know that you are in good hands. You can be sure that the space is held, you’ll learn something new and most importantly, you’ll walk out of your practice feel oh so good. So how does a yoga teacher learn to seamlessly incorporate movement, yoga teachings, excitement and laughter to their class so well? Keep on learning! For real. Kate has a voracious appetite for learning and never plans to stop. That’s how she eventually found herself in an NYC ashram. In this episode, Kate shares her story about how she finally heeded to the calling of her heart, transforming from a young neuroscientist who was unsure of her path and into a glowingly happy yoga teacher who travels around the world for a living. She teaches about the importance of being a lifelong learner and lets us in on her next journey as she makes even bigger waves in the community by creating her very own yoga teacher training.
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Life is a great unfolding and when we surrender we open ourselves to deep meaning. Our perspective shifts and we become attuned to the sacredness of being. Our experiences in this life become keen and insightful. Perhaps as we place our feet on the Earth we suddenly become aware of how connected we are to nature, more than we’ve ever felt before; or perhaps we look up at the stars and it’s like as if we’re seeing them for the first time, we can gaze upon these gems all night long. We are humbled at how beautiful life can be. We learn to embrace that our paths come in many forms and that there is no formula and no “straight” path. We’re all the same in that we will eventually arrive at the same destination but each individual’s story is unique. Love, joy, heartbreak, spiritual awakenings…sharing stories of our personal journeys can inspire, build compassion, bring understanding, and ultimately help weave us even closer to this human experience.
This episode is exactly that as Matthew Keleman, a Calgary based yoga teacher, shares with us about his own unfolding. We had a deeply meaningful conversation and it was an honor talking to him as he came open with nothing but his authenticity. A truly beautiful soul – so many layers, so reflective and he frames his experiences in such a poetic manner helping remind us of the eloquence in life if only we let ourselves see it....
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Alishia Alibhai is a Social Psychologist, Reiki Master, and Soul Coach. She started off entrenched in the academic side of things but also had a deep seated knowledge that there was something more that she could be doing to help people. Partway through her graduate studies, she found a course for Reiki and eagerly hopped on board. She opened up her business, Divine Bliss, in 2009 and has been sharing her healing and knowledge since then. With a PhD in psychology and all three levels of Reiki training, Alishia offers a unique standpoint for understanding the world of energy. On the one hand her academic background provokes her to seek hard proof and evidence but on the other, her Reiki training has taught her to trust by experience and through the heart, even if you cannot see with your naked eye. I was so excited to meet her because that’s the world I live in too! One foot in our tangible earthly world, and one foot ready to take flight to trust in an inner wisdom that cannot be seen. Alishia was a wonderful sport as I peppered her with all sorts of questions to try to understand this Reiki business. What is it exactly? How can it help us? How does it work?...
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Malcom Saunders is the founder and owner of Calgary’s health food joint, the Light Cellar. With products like reishi mushroom, chaga powder and your choice of cacao nibs, paste or powder, he’s opening up a whole new world of health foods to this city. The store also has an elixir bar so that you can get your superfood fix as you shop. In today’s episode we hear about how this world traveller found his passion in food. Malcolm also gears us up with tips, advice and a new perspective on how to eat. Spoiler alert: it’s more basic than you think...
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I traveled to Southeast Asia for the very first time in March 2016 and it easily became one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had. I spent half of my time in Bali and I’ll never forget the people, culture, luscious flora, and fragrant cuisine. In this episode, I have the pleasure of recounting the discoveries of this beautiful island with my travel mates. Below you’ll find a photo gallery of the moments we talk about in the podcast (a picture is worth a thousand words!) and a summary of the tips and lessons learned that we shared. If you’re planning to travel to Bali I hope you gain some helpful tips. At the very least I hope you enjoy in sharing with these memories! ...
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From corporate maven to business owner, Christopher Lawrence is a life coach who found his calling after spending fifteen years in a job that he felt empty in. The transition didn’t come easy – in fact it took many difficult lessons including death and medication to give him the wisdom that he has now. Knowing the utter importance of doing what you love, Chris now pours his heart into coaching people toward discovering their dream job.
Join in as we discuss how to define what success really means, the thoughts that hold us back and why it’s important to definitely try. Chris shows us how to overcome our obstacles with some fresh nuggets of wisdom, including a very generous offer for a free 90 minute personal life coaching session! Read on to see how to book with the promo code…
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Canna what? Cannabis! Smoke it, eat it, bake it, vape it. This mighty little plant is well known for its recreational uses but what can it do for us in terms of health benefits? Join our conversation as Julie Nguyen, GM of Aura Health Studios & Dispensary, explains why cannabis is the rising star of the natural healing industry…
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Singing Bowl of Compassion (Meditation begins 6min 30min)
Break down to build up Slow down, find your feet Settle in, go inside Beauty in breath Tenderness is strength Softness, better than a sharp tongue You are not broken You are amazing Embrace the rubble It’s beautiful to be human You. Are. Amazing. An outlet for beaming love and compassion ~ Namaste
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When you do your goals this year, try doing the opposite of what you normally do and focus on what feels good first thennnn think about what you should do to attain it. This is exactly the concept that the book, The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte, introduces. And it makes sense. How often do we set goals that would probably make us feel good if we attained (ex. Buy a house…) it but feels like such a chore when we work towards it (ie. Restricting yourself from even the simple pleasure of a fancy coffee once in a while…). Worse yet, we feel like a failure if we don’t reach it. Even worse, what if it doesn’t make us feel good after we get it! Now that I’ve thought about it, it soooo doesn’t make sense to position feeling good as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; and then spend the majority of our time sacrificing, feeling bad or feeling mediocre at best. Nuh uh. I say take a stand for feeling good and use how you truly crave to feel guide your actions. Of course, there’s something to be said about hard work and its necessity in cultivating success, but choose wisely as to where you want to spend your energy. In a similar vein, the book also makes you reconsider your relationship with desire. What does it mean to you...
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Ambre Comeau is a yoga teacher and a good friend. We met during our yoga teacher training and one thing I’ve always noticed is her ability to beeline for what she wants. From starting a dog sitting business to teaching yoga she seems to achieve it all rather effortlessly. So what’s the trick? We go through Ambre’s story to try to figure out what has worked well for her in her successes and what went wrong when she didn’t succeed. Things get mystical as she introduces me to something called a Sole Path, which is somewhat like personality test except it’s done energetically. She explains how her Sole Path has helped her better settle into her own skin. All in all, the answer is actually quite simple….
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No two snowflakes are alike, and neither are free birds! I am honoured to have interviewed Natasha Peace, who’s one of the teachers who brought me through yoga teacher training. She’s been teaching yoga for 15 years but that’s only part of the story. Her background is extensive and it seems like she’s done almost everything from managing a yoga studio to opening up her own restaurant. This eclectic mix of experience is a reflection of what opportunities can open up for you if you just follow your heart. One of the key messages is that following your heart or passion doesn’t look the same for everybody. It doesn’t mean that you need to give up everything to pursue it. And if you like other things, that’s OKAY, you can do those too....
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Dannie Hoult is a dear friend who I had the pleasure of taking yoga teacher training with. Aside from teaching yoga, she also works as a registered nurse. Her experience in these two areas are especially helpful as we dust off the old yoga teacher training textbook and review the 8 Limb Path of yoga. Patanjali, the father of yoga, has put together the 8 Limb Path so that those after him can also learn to reach enlightenment. It’s hard work and I’m pretty sure I won’t reach it in this lifetime. To back that fact up, Dannie and I actually only had time to go through the first limb in detail. I don’t want you to miss out though so here’s how the recipe goes...
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Natalie Phung is a colourful soul with intense wanderlust, curiosity, and openness to the world. Time spent with her is guaranteed to be interesting. We tap into Nat’s knowledge as a psychotherapist to learn about mindfulness from a different angle. Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist religion but it can be practiced by anybody as its benefits are available to everybody. In fact, Nat teaches mindfulness as a tool to her clients. In our conversation, she breaks down the concept to help us better understand this tool and also teaches us ways to incorporate it into our everyday lives. This is an interesting perspective as we begin to connect the gap between the western and eastern side of healing.
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Alison DuRussel is one of the most grounded people that I know. She’s incredible at holding space for others and making them feel comforted and cared for. Knowing this, it won’t be much of a surprise when I tell you that she is well versed in the healing arts – massage therapist, yoga teacher, and reiki master are a few examples of the different healing hats she’s worn along the way. But her journey towards healing actually started off in the academic world. Her first job was a pharm tech, working only in the realm of western medicine. It was through that role that made her realize the tragic reality of how dependent on drugs we can become. She sought out a gentler way of healing, hopefully one without adverse side effects and so began her journey. In our conversation, we follow her through the different modalities of healing, making pit stops to learn about each one. Near the end, Alison treats us to a couple minutes of music with her crystal singing bowls so that we can experience the power of sound healing.
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Brittany Zeer is a charming, down to earth yoga teacher based in Calgary, Alberta. Although she’s been teaching for a few years already, it wasn’t until she experienced a recent chain of events that’s helped her recognize that teaching is in fact her calling, with more purpose than she imagined. We discuss her incredible journey with yoga and in becoming a yoga teacher. We even end up delving a bit into what yoga teacher training is really like. Throughout the conversation, Brittany opens up about a chronic health issue she struggles with and how, with the new revelations, she’s been able to use it to her advantage. The crux of this story is about keeping ourselves open and listening to the signs that are here to guide us.
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Thank you for stopping by! Curious Monki is my labour of love and has been brewing for a long time. It represents my curiosity in the world of healing, yoga, and all that it means to be human. You’re invited to join me on this adventure as I learn to surrender to the unfolding of my own journey. It’s my hope that by sharing these conversations, it holds the possibility of sparking something within you too. Joy? Connection? Maybe an episode will illuminate something you’ve never discovered before. At the very least, I hope you find delight in listening.
I’m launching with this introduction plus three episodes. After this week, I’ll post a new episode for you every Thursday. I’d love to hear what you think so feel free to like, subscribe or comment. Happy Listening!
~ Namaste