Becoming Whole – The Art of Inner Transformation

My guest today is Anthony Hughes. He is 42 years old, a full-time musician, singer, songwriter, DJ and MC. He used to own a bar and has an environmental science degree. He is a passionate surfer and recently got married. Anthony has been a client of mine for about 15 years. He can be very funny and always makes me laugh in his sessions. Here are some of the themes we covered:• His curiosity got him to start the inner work• Anxiety is the messenger of repressed material• How he feels about something can be very different from what he thinks about it• Connecting with the physical body is the way in for him• He learnt to feel emotions in stages, first pain, then anger and eventually fear • He compares the wounded inner child with an ‘ingrown hair follicle'• “Underneath that sadness and the abandoned feeling was complete and utter joy and enveloping white light” • His tip for the listener:“Allow whatever is there and take responsibility for what you are attracting and your reactions to things”See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Aurora Kerr. She is 55 years old, has worked as a social worker specializing in grief and loss during the HIV/AIDS pandemic, as a life coach, social activist, retreat owner, fundraiser, volunteer and travel agent. Her passions are travel, nature, meditation and personal growth, and advocating for empathy and refugee rights. Aurora is an emerging writer of fiction, after a long career of helping others as a therapist. She now combines her love of working with people with her vivid imagination and love of characters and books. She lives between Melbourne and Byron Bay.   We have known each other for about 20 years. Here are some of her valuable and meaningful insights: • She has overcome childhood trauma and fear through doing the work and has reconnected with her light• All trauma is addressable with bravery and focus• The heart is essential – to be heart-centred rather than mind-centred is the transformation• She learnt to set healthy boundaries and protect herself in the right way• She has always been in awe of who she was and understood her light and her intuition from a very young age• “Never give up” as crucial guidance• Examples of her experience of true nature are strength, expansion, ancientness and feeling at home• Fear is worse than what you are fearing• “Use your courage to face what you are fearing and know that your true nature is waiting for you on the other side” • Her tips for the listener:1. Share this book with your therapist2. Worst and best exercise (p. 57 in my book)3. “Be curious about yourself. YOU are unique and there is no one like you.”See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Lisa. She is a Professional Coach and Facilitator in her mid-forties. She specialises in working with leaders and teams, developing Emotional Intelligence, improved communication skills and psychological safety in the workplace. She is also a coach trainer and mentor.Lisa loves quality time with family and friends, keeping fit and well, spending time outdoors and her creative pursuits include dance, music and writing. She has been committed to personal development since 1998. I met Lisa in late 2002 as a client. About 2008 we made a conscious decision to end the therapeutic relationship and give our friendship a go. She has now been my best friend for over a decade. Here are some of the highlights from our passionate conversation: – Ongoing health and emotional issues and a strong inner critic motivated her to do the inner work– She made peace with being vulnerable despite being conditioned to be tough and learnt to accept being a ‘Highly Sensitive Person' – Her key learnings:1. There will be peaks and valleys as long as we live2. I am not my mind; I am way more than just the mind3. I can be strong and sensitive at the same time– She has become an ally for herself, not just for family and friends– Learning to be with and allowing the entire spectrum of emotions– Some of her experiences of true nature are deep listening from the heart, empathy, joy and powerful inner aliveness She has 2 tips for the listener:– Phone a friend and ask: ‘How are you really?' Be with, listen and hold space for each other– Free-style dancing to shake off stress The Highly Sensitive Person website: https://hsperson.com We would love to hear your feedback.See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Prue. She is 44 years old and has a 9-year-old son. Five years ago, in a time of turmoil and spurred by a deep knowing that there was more to explore, to know, to feel but not knowing how to unlock it all, she travelled to Pune, India after reading about the Osho Meditation Resort in a magazine. She went with no experience of meditation or knowledge of who Osho was, purely feeling a deep pull to go. That experience sparked a divergent path exploring consciousness, sensuality, conscious relating, conscious parenting, and loving wholeheartedly. In this podcast, I am starting to introduce resources that are not mentioned in the book. I had this vision for a while to create a forum for anybody in my community to share valuable tools they found. Prue is introducing the “Emotions traffic light toolbox” for parents and those that relate with young people at the end of this podcast. Her hope is that it will help other families as it has hers. Here are some of the highlights in our conversation: - Finding calm and peace at the bottom of her “inner ocean”- Her experience of anger transforming into strength- After learning to let go of old patterns, she found her right partner-She mentions 3 of her key learnings:  1. Acceptance of what is  2. ‘Look at yourself with loving, compassionate and tender eyes'  3. ‘If you have eyes to see, be aware of what you say to whom and when'- Connecting with the heart has amplified all of her feelings- A desolate inner landscape became a spring wonderland through acceptance Her tip for the listener: The emotions traffic light toolbox normalises emotions for the whole family. It's a straightforward system to identify emotions and be able to support yourself and each other to transition to the “green zone” where we are happy, calm, focused and loving.  https://thephysicaleducator.com/shop/emotions-toolbox/See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Allison Swintz. She has been a client of mine for 3 1/2 years. After a difficult childhood in the USA, she has created a beautiful life for herself with a loving husband, family, and community in New Zealand. She is excited about true connection with people, rock climbing, skiing, camping, hiking, as well as art and architecture.  Her inner work started after being involved in a life-threatening rock-climbing accident. Through doing the inner work, she has learnt to take care of herself on a holistic level. Allison shared with me at the beginning of the podcast that she hopes to make a difference for someone listening. If that is the case, please let us know.   Here are some of the topics we covered: Her direct experience of transforming disappointment into pure aliveness Healing the relationship with her mum after 5 years of disconnection She has learnt to be comfortable in her own skin When her heart is open, she experiences self-love, awareness of her needs and more connection with people she cares about Healing the inner child supports better relationships in the present time Insecurity dissolves with knowing herself better Inner guidance as listening to the signals in her body True nature always feels good, loving, supportive and nurturing to her Her tip for the listener: If you have trouble understanding your needs and desires, I'd like to encourage you to take out two pieces of paper.  On one page, write down everything you like… I like ice cream, sleeping in, walks down by the river, bubble baths and so on.  Then on a separate piece of paper write all the things you don't like… I don't like spicy food, being cold, scary movies or modern art… And I'd encourage you to fill the paper. If you're like me, you may come to the end of the page feeling better connected with yourself.  And you may learn a few things about yourself too.See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Alice. She is in her early 40's, a mum to two very active young boys, a nutritionist and a yogi. She enjoys a regular meditation practice, connecting with nature, meaningful conversation and cooking healthy and nutritious meals. She has done work with me for a long time. Here are some of the valuable insights she shares:  Her ‘Aha' moment: I am in charge of my emotions and my physical state  The physical body gives us so many clues and it shows us the way  Love, joy, contentment & peace are qualities of the heart Anger transforming into vibrancy Letting go into an inner hole that feels like quicksand Trusting our intuition Being whole means being fully present This work is available to anyone Her tip for the listener: start meditating (showing up and checking in with yourself) 5 to 10 mins a day See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Robertson is 53 years old, a father and a businessman. He is an ex-rugby league player and body builder who has been confused all his life with being an emotional alpha male. Andrew is the typical gladiator/footballer's build. When people see Andrew, they wouldn't think of him as someone who sits on a therapist's couch sharing his emotions and being vulnerable. Here are the themes we covered: His background as a strong alpha male taught him: 'you have the size, you must be tough and rough', yet he discovered it is a strength not wanting to fight  Learning to sit with discomfort and pain The mind needs to slow down His emotions are showing up in the body in the form of tensions and tightness  Discrimination between real and artificial/mind created emotions Excruciating pain transforming into peace when he hugged his 10-year-old inner child for the first time Finding contentment in the heart of emptiness and loneliness  Learning to be comfortable in addressing something uncomfortable  His tip for the listener: Go and get your emotional self in order if you want to find balance. Learn to be comfortable with being vulnerable and dealing with the things that upset you the most. That's how you learn to live a more content and happy life. See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

Kylie Hennessy has had a lifelong passion for healing and science. After completing studies in biochemistry and chemistry, she was led to explore eastern approaches to healing including yoga and meditation, Taoism, shiatsu and Chinese medicine. She is a yoga teacher, yoga therapist and teacher trainer with special interests in women's health and trauma recovery.A cute moment in our conversation was her recalling the question she asked her mum as a child: 'When will you teach me my magical powers?'We covered a vast range of topics in our rich conversation including:  The importance of maps for the inner world The body doesn't lie   Qualities of the heart like acceptance, compassion, unconditional love and patience are key to healing The difference between ‘thinking about a feeling' or ‘feeling a feeling'  Wounds arise when we are ready for them Exquisite peace can be found in the core of a terrifying black hole  The compass of joy as a tool of inner guidance  Harmony is an intrinsic element of true nature  Alchemy is real in the inner world Her tip for the listener: Cultivate the heart through kindness  See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.