The Shift To Freedom

In this episode, we talk with Chelsey Newmyer, time management and productivity coach. With host Ben Easter, Chelsey encourages listeners to explore what productivity techniques actually align with their personal preferences. Listen as Ben and Chelsey uncover some useful tips to mastering productivity. They explore the importance of prioritization, goal-setting, and finding your personal approach to productivity.Discover the following:The art of prioritizationBreaking down projects into manageable tasks aligned with your goalsStrategies to address lingering tasks and consider delegation optionsTools and routines that work best for you, whether it's time blocking or creating work rituals to stay focusedBalancing leadership and empathy to ensure task completion and foster a harmonious teamSystems and project management tools for streamlined workflowsJoin us on this transformative journey to unlock productivity and achieve a fulfilling work-life balance. Let’s dive in!Quotes“I define productivity as working on the right thing at the right time to help you reach your goal.” (5:16 - 5:20 | Chelsea)"How do we …have a relationship with our productivity that is resourceful for ourselves so that …we are not grinding through our days, but that we feel like we feel resourceful and happy and productive?" (12:58 - 13:16 | Ben)"Don't just do a routine or don't just follow a structure because you think everybody else is going to do it.” (15:14 - 15:20 | Chelsea)"The best tools for productivity are the ones that work best for you. Stick with what you're comfortable with (e.g. paper and pen or digital tools)." (15:22 - 15:26 | Chelsea)LinksMore About Chelsey:Chelsey Newmyer is a nerd for all things time management and productivity. After years of reading frustrating productivity advice that didn't match her life, she started her productivity and time management coaching business to help solopreneurs, and nonprofit leaders maximize their time by getting the personalized productivity they need to reach their goals. She currently lives in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with her husband and their dog Leia.Connect with Chelsey:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseyncoaching/Website: www.chelseynewmyer.comConnect with Ben:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fmSpecial recognition to the following friends of the show:@jyotilamba , @livinlikelarz, @halfthestory, @lindseyrosealt, @altcreativeagency

Ever find yourself wishing that you could tap into a greater sense of peace and clarity?Welcome to a captivating episode that takes you on a journey into the intricate world of the nervous system and its profound impact on our overall well-being.Join hosts Ben and Paige as they dive into a wealth of valuable concepts and strategies. From exploring the window of tolerance to practicing the transformative Breath to Surrender technique, you'll gain practical tools to navigate the ebbs and flows of your nervous system.Discover the power of mindfulness, grounding techniques, and the immense potential of embracing the present moment.Explore the dynamic dance between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) states. By understanding how these states shape your thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses, you'll learn to recognize and expand your window of tolerance, opening up new pathways to optimal well-being.Get ready to uncover practical tools and insights to unlock a profound sense of peace, regulate your nervous system, and cultivate a greater sense of well-being and presence in your life.Quotes“Very rarely are we ever being chased by saber toothed tigers nowadays, and yet, news cycles, stress cycles, all of that stuff can come and trick us into stepping into a sympathetic nervous system where we are really good at running away and saving our lives, but we're not so effective at creative brainstorming or solving problems or connecting with people.” (4:15-4:39 | Ben)“It's really useful to be in the practice of noticing what's going on in your physiological state so that you can develop an awareness for when you're dysregulated and when you're not.” (16:59-17:11 | Paige)“We can use the breath as a way to kind of connect with our insides, and then that can be one of the ways that we can really regulate our physiology.” (23:46-23:54 | Ben) “I like to think of groundedness as taking a step out of mind, and coming into body, and noticing a sense of connection to the Earth.” (25:37-25:47 | Paige)“Too much future focus can create anxiety and too much past focus can create depression. And so one of the exit strategies from either of those two states is to come into the present moment.” (26:27-26:39 | Paige)“All of our physical power in the world comes from our connection to the Earth.” (27:19-27:22 | Ben) LinksConnect with Ben and Paige:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Whether you are a man or a woman, everyone has energetic cycles happening internally that match up with the cycles of the outside world. When you really look at it, everything in our world is cyclical. Cyclical living is all about aligning your actions with the cycle that you are in at the moment and scheduling things based as much as possible on that desire for alignment. Today, co-hosts Ben and Paige Easter share productivity tips based on maximizing your energetic cycles and discuss how the menstrual cycle could actually be viewed as empowering women with a simple mindset shift. Using the natural cycles within your body to your advantage is a key component of creating your freedom. Take a look around and see where this concept of cycles fits in with your life. What is the world doing and what is your body doing? How is your energy, your appetite, your drive to connect or sleep, etc.? Don't miss out on this enlightening episode as Ben and Paige unravel the mysteries of cycles, empowering you to embrace your cyclical nature and thrive in all aspects of life.Quotes“Everything in our world is cyclical.” (3:11-3:13 | Paige)“Man or woman, old or young, we're still having energetic cycles that are happening in our bodies.” (16:06-16:11 | Ben)“It's not that you can't do anything at any time. It’s just that the cost of doing that thing goes up if it's out of alignment with the natural phase of our reality.” (21:41-21:53 | Ben)“There actually is a very real physiological thing that happens when your body loses resources and you have to regenerate them afterwards in order to get yourself back to baseline.” (30:04-30:13 | Ben)“I want to encourage everyone to notice where they are, where their energy is. Start taking account of what is happening around you.” (30:17-30:26 | Paige) LinksConnect with Ben and Paige:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The Buddha said that attachment is the root of all suffering. When you get too wrapped up in #perfectionism and #peoplepleasing due to your attachment to a certain outcome or a desire to maintain a certain identity, you are setting yourself up for potential suffering. You cannot control every outcome. And by being so caught up thinking about the future, you may miss out on all the good things around you in the present. Today, co-hosts Ben Easter and Clayton Olson discuss #detachment and how to overcome your #fearoffailure to let go of the fantasy of control.The truth is that you cannot know the future in advance, so there is no use being so attached to certain outcomes. Ben explains that if you think about life like a game, the whole purpose of a game is not necessarily to win but to learn how to win. The enjoyment comes from overcoming challenges and it would not be as fun if those challenges did not exist. Life is much the same way in that you will likely not feel as successful without having to first overcome challenges. Clayton shares that one of the main problems with getting hung up on certain outcomes is that it can cause tunnel vision and you may miss out on other opportunities as well as set yourself up for sadness when the outcome differs from your expectations.By embracing non-attachment, you open yourself up to feeling more gratitude in the present. Even situations that do not go the way you had hoped can still end up working in ways that lead you to your goal. You may not be able to control every outcome for your future, but you can control how you react and how you choose to feel about the outcome you do reach. Quotes“The Buddha says all life is suffering because of that attachment, because we're attached to either the things that we want or the things that we don't want.” (6:34-6:43 | Ben)“There's something really beautiful about having a challenge that is in your way to try to accomplish some goal. And I think thinking about life this way is really, really useful.” (10:11-10:21 | Ben)“Where did you learn this distortion that you need to do all these things in order to experience peace?” (21:57-22:02 | Clayton)“Begin to question the fantasy that you've created.” (34:42-34:45 | Clayton)LinksConnect with Clayton:Website: https://claytonolsoncoaching.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtKW9swe4-j596iCIh2_nrA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonrolson/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/claytonolsoncoaching/Connect with Ben:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Come along as co-hosts Ben and Paige Easter navigate the roadmap to freedom by sharing the most impactful highlights from every episode of The Shift to Freedom podcast. There is a full year of episodes to dive into exploring topics that will help you to #unleashyourpotential and find your #innerbadass. Episodes Mentioned: Zone of Genius with Sophie Imposter SyndromeUnworthiness with Clayton Analysis Paralysis with SophieSetting Boundaries with ClaytonResourceful Language 1 with PaigeResourceful Language 2 with PaigeExploring Frozen with PaigeMoney Mindset Part 1 with PaigeMoney Mindset Part 2 with PaigePeople Pleasing with ClaytonAffirmations with PaigeValues-Based Communication with PaigeNo Apology Necessary with PaigeUnlocking Limiting beliefs with Grace ClarkePodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The #AIrevolution has been a major focus ever since the rise of Chat GPT. While some people are excited about #embracingthefuture, others are afraid of the #uncertainty that comes along with a rapidly #changingworld. Whether AI will lead to a beautiful utopia and ultimate freedom or a scary dystopian society like those in tv and movies is yet to be seen. Today, co-hosts Ben Easter and Clayton Olson discuss how to navigate the uncertainty of the AI Revolution.AI offers an incredible opportunity to rethink how you choose to engage with your reality. While you could choose to hand over all of your agency to an AI and allow your adult consciousness to atrophy, you could instead use AI to further your own advancement. Take the time to really consider what you would be doing if you did not have all the responsibilities that come along with adult life. If you no longer had to work, or if money was no longer an issue, what would you choose to do with your time? Even if some avenues do end up taken over by AI, others will now be more open to you than before.Ultimately, AI is here to stay and the technology will continue to improve at an incredible pace. It is up to you how you choose to engage with it and whether you choose to view it in a positive or negative light. Quotes“AI, in its essence, is power.” (7:57-7:59 | Clayton)“One of the benefits of this technology is that in many ways it can free you to begin to really ask the question, ‘If I didn't have to do these things in my life, what is it that I really want to be doing?’.” (9:17-9:29 | Clayton)“There's almost two ways that we can use AI. One way is to remove all obstacles and make everything easy. And the other way is to buttress, to build the structures around the challenge such that we stay consistently in that challenge.” (19:18-19:35 | Ben)“The more powerful a tool gets, the more capacity that tool has for either great harm or great benefit in the world.” (23:26-23:34 | Ben) LinksConnect with Clayton:Website: https://claytonolsoncoaching.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtKW9swe4-j596iCIh2_nrA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonrolson/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/claytonolsoncoaching/Connect with Ben:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Having your own business opens up many opportunities for freedom in your life. Whether that be freedom to make your own schedule, financial freedom, or the freedom to pursue your passions. When you’re first starting out with your business, or if you are considering scaling, there are ways to build #financialfreedom directly into your business model. Today, Natalie Cook, CEO of Copper8 Strategies, LLC, joins host Ben Easter to discuss how to simplify your business, how to scale, when to hire, and how to achieve financial freedom.It is important to determine your contribution margin analysis and then work backwards from there. Once you know how much money you need to spend to make each dollar, then you can use those numbers to make hiring decisions. Knowing your bottom line along with your overall business goal allows you to build that in from the beginning. When making hiring decisions, you can use these numbers to see how each hire will impact your bottom line. Consider bringing on a 1099 contractor at first to ensure the perfect fit for the position.If you are ready to start or scale your business, getting clear on the numbers will be a huge help to making smart decisions. When you know how much you need to make each month in order to cover your expenses and pay yourself market rate, then you can work backwards toward the ultimate goal of financial freedom.Quotes“You should think about a financial adviser whether it's a formal CFO or just somebody who understands finance when you start.” (4:47-4:53 | Natalie)“Let's focus on the bottom line first. What is that supposed to look like? Profit.” (7:55-7:59 | Natalie) “I'd rather grow a business slowly that's profitable, that's a little more conservative in its growth, versus getting on the cover of Forbes because I made all this fantastic growth, but I was miserable and really wasn't taking home as much pay.” (18:31-18:49 | Natalie)“Every hire should impact revenue to some degree, either seen or unseen.” (23:07-23:13 | Natalie)LinksConnect with Natalie Cook:Website: https://www.copper8strategies.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooknatalie/Website: www.financefightclub.comConnect with Ben:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

No matter what age you are, there are many lessons that can be learned from Disney’s Moana. From the #ancestorwisdom passed on from Moana’s grandmother, to Moana’s journey of #findingpurpose, and Maui’s struggle with #overcomingego, each character teaches the audience something different about life. Today, hosts Ben and Paige Easter talk about the life lessons they learned while watching Moana.Moana spends the majority of the movie thinking that Maui is the hero. After all, he is a demigod and she is just a teenage girl. Unfortunately for Moana, Maui is less ready to actually do what it takes to be a hero as he is still caught up in his own ego. There are elements of #facingyourshadow when Maui encounters Tomatoa, a crab that is essentially a metaphor for pride. Maui is almost defeated by Tomatoa had it not been for Moana. Similarly, in the final battle, Maui is unable to defeat Te Ka, losing his most prized possession, his magic hook, in the attempt. In the end, it is Moana who chooses to step up and return the heart to Te Ka, quelling her rage and transforming her back into Te Fiti.If Moana had listened to her father and not left the island, or if she had listened to Maui and given up, the world would have plunged into darkness. This is why it is so important to follow your own path and learn how to listen for that full body yes when figuring out what you are meant to do. When you can connect with your heart, that is how you can get beyond your ego and begin #accessing creativity.Quotes“For Maui, the thing that he's most afraid of is being insignificant, being unloved and unworthy. And so when he acts out of that and he takes the thing, he becomes no one's hero. And that's the thing that he's most afraid of.” (14:52-15:07 | Ben)“So often, especially when we're dealing with building a business or something like that, there is the tendency to want to do it for status, for glory, to prove your worthiness to the world.” (16:43-16:55 | Ben)“The job is not to discover what is the purpose for your life or whatever, but to listen to your full body and connect to your heart. And that is the way that we turn the destructive nature of the ego into the life giving nature of creation.” (21:00-21:16 | Ben)“The message of Moana is, connect with your heart. And so, what grandmother is doing every time she's teaching Moana is she's listening to her and she's inviting her to listen to her own heart, rather than tell her what to do.” (24:25-24:37 | Ben) “At the end it is Moana that realizes actually she doesn't need anybody, she's the hero.” (25:00-25:04 | Paige)LinksConnect with Ben and Paige:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

In order to achieve freedom and live your most authentic life, it is important to face your fears. Living a #fearless life can be daunting at first, but also incredibly rewarding. With the rise of AI technology and remote work, more entrepreneurs are shifting into a #digitalnomad lifestyle. Today, Diana Davis, business coach for creative entrepreneurs and host of the podcast Pollen, talks with host Ben Easter about how to live a fearless life, what it’s really like to be a nomadic #entrepreneur, and why establishing boundaries is so vital to preventing #overwhelm and #burnout.Diana has always been in the creative industry, starting off as a photographer and graphic designer. She wanted to help other creatives to lead the lifestyles they wanted without having to struggle financially. Although nervous to take that first step, she gave herself permission to face her fears and do it anyway. She became a digital nomad, trusting herself to wing it and figure it out along the way. She explains that in order for creatives to share their gifts, they have to be willing to put themselves out there, be fearless, and follow their own unique path. She also talks about the tendency for creatives to be so excited to share their gifts that they overextend themselves. This is why boundaries are important to establish early on.You don’t have to be stuck in the life you have created. You are allowed to write your path in pencil and change it later, even if that feels scary. Give yourself permission to go back to the sandbox and figure out your purpose by testing different options. You can accomplish anything when you are willing to be fearless.Quotes“I used to be a photographer and a graphic designer. And that led me to really leading other creatives to be fearless and really put their gifts out into the “I think everything is just a reframe away from being positive.” (19:57-20:01 | Diana)LinksIG @Thebpbrand Fb thebpbrand Thebpbrand.com l @dollymeckler l @jyotilamba (on Twitter, Instagram) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyoti-lamba/Connect with Diana Davis:Camp Clarity: https://www.dianadaviscreative.com/camp-clarityGreece Retreat: https://www.dianadaviscreative.com/retreatNewsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5ec57b49b825ad00277d84e2POLLEN Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pollen-for-creative-entrepreneurs-with-diana-davis/id1620053047Connect with Ben:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm