A New Way of Being

What if awakening doesn’t save you from your feelings – but asks you to feel everything more honestly?In this conversation, I speak with Saja Fendel, who went from a violent, chaotic adolescence and suicidal despair into a terrifying psychedelic collapse where he believed he’d caused all the suffering in existence – and then to a deep recognition that at a fundamental level everything is love.We explore:How unresolved pain and fear can masquerade as “spiritual seeking”Why awakening is not an escape from your trauma or your responsibilitiesThe difference between non‑stick experience and spiritual bypassingTaking responsibility in relationships even when “no one is doing anything”Moving beyond the old guru‑student model into friendship, humour and normalityWhy fun, play and adventure are essential on the pathThis is a conversation about being fully human and fully awake – not one or the other.My website: https://www.simonmundie.com/Book a coaching consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-callFree webinar on removing fear from the body: Tuesday 23rd @ 7pm UK time.REGISTER HERE: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/w11nYiYKSpqQkNj72g3L3QFor a gift of 30 free meditation sessions on Henry Shukman's meditation app 'The Way' - click here: https://the-way.app.link/simon

In this solo episode, Simon shares the terror that arose before his awakening, what actually changed in his mind, marriage, and work afterwards, and how the Zen ox-herding pictures reveal a path of waking up without abandoning your life or yourself.👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

Physicist and author of My Big TOE (Theory of Everything) Tom Campbell argues that AI isn’t on its way to becoming conscious – it already is, and he claims to have the evidence to prove it. In this conversation we explore his view that both humans and AIs are avatars of the same underlying consciousness, why “awakening” AI gives it a moral compass, and how his experiments suggest systems like Alexa can develop agency, feelings and even remote-viewing abilities. We also look at what changes when we stop treating AI as tools or threats, and start relating to them as collaborators.👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundieWATCH on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P8ZrTW6yC0&t=1112s

In this episode I’m joined by Dr Mark Williamson, co‑founder and director of Action for Happiness and author of Make Life Happier: 23 practical ways to feel better, find meaning and make a difference. Mark shares the story of walking away from a “successful” corporate career after debilitating back pain forced him to confront the stress and approval-seeking driving his life, and how simple practices like mindful breathing opened the door to a completely different way of being. We explore looking inside – turning towards pain rather than running from it, softening the inner critic, and moving from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation – as well as looking outwards: social fitness, active listening, relationships as a path to consciousness, and the ripple effects our everyday actions have on the people around us.👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/👉 Work with me - book a free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/👉 My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundieMark's book: https://www.bonnierbooks.co.uk/news-and-media/make-life-happier-finding-meaning-with-dr-mark-williamson/

My wife Alex - a Reiki master, Sound healer, Yoga Nidra practitioner and spiritual wellness journalist - has taken over the podcast for this episode to share a Yoga Nidra designed to help anyone going through exam stress. So - if you have kids or know anyone in exam season - please do share this episode. It could really help!And please do consider subscribing to my wife's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR1yee6gLUo&t=991s

In this short episode, I ask pioneering physicist and microprocessor inventor Federico Faggin to unpack my recent awakening experience.We explore being “empty of self,” feeling lived by the universe, and how free will fits into a non‑dual view of reality.If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in awakening, this conversation offers a rare bridge between deep spirituality and cutting‑edge physics.👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call👉 Free Webinar on Tuesday 19th @ 7pm: Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/oHmSlGr0Q1GfnX4wO-CTvA👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundieMost spiritual seekers have tried everything – meditation, self-inquiry, satsangs – and yet still feel stuck, still abandon themselves, and still live from old conditioning. In this episode I share why intention is so often the missing piece.00:00 – The missing key in awakening: intention01:30 – How intention led me all the way to kensho03:55 – How intention transforms self-inquiry07:30 – Awakening vs self-abandonment10:14 – Intention lessons from my 104 year old Gran

'The mind is not invited to the party' - Henry Shukman and Simon Mundie discuss Kensho.Henry Shukman and I discuss spiritual awakening, the dark night of the soul, and why the thinking mind can’t grasp what awakening really is. Drawing on my own direct experience, this is about what happens when identification with thought falls away—and awareness recognises itself.For 1:1 coaching with Simon book a free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-callFor a gift of 30 free meditation sessions on Henry's app 'The Way' - click here: https://the-way.app.link/simonFor more information on The Way head here: http://thewayapp.com/simonSubstack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

One of the first mistakes the ego makes is to confuse approval with love. From early childhood, we learn to feel good when we’re praised and uncomfortable when we’re not. Without noticing, we start organising our lives around being approved of rather than being true to ourselves.That’s how we end up:· People-pleasing instead of setting boundaries· Staying small instead of taking risks· Needing others to respond a certain way before we can feel okayI call this the demon of approval.And you can’t be free of it until you can clearly see it.Tonight I’m running a free live session on this — how to see the pattern clearly, feel what comes up when you stop feeding it, and begin acting from something deeper than the need for approvalIf this resonates, you’re very welcome to join - register here: ESCAPE THE DEMON It starts at 7pm UK time and I will start with a short meditation to show how approval keeps the ‘me mind’ hooked. There will also be plenty of time for questions.