Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.--"The purpose of life is a life of purpose” concludes author Robbin Sharma (Monk Who Sold His Ferrari). But what is your purpose? If you don’t know, you’re no alone. Most people fly through life existing but never living, going through the motions, doing what they think they’re supposed to be doing but never really taking the time to figure out if that aligns with what truly energizes and fulfills them.If you want to know one thing about your purpose, its about being selfless. Living and doing things that go beyond your individual gain. But to get to the heart of your unique purpose, you’ll have to put in the effort. You’ll have to take time out life to find it. And one thing that helps is silence. Often, when we get rid of the noise, the conversations, the technology, and all the stimulations of the material world, our mind calms down just enough for it to reveal to us what it is that we’re here on this planet for. What is it that our talents and capabilities are meant to work on? What is it that energizes us, uplifts us and fills us with joy? Often times, we can’t get these answers if we keep ourselves on the treadmill of life and reaching for distractions. What we need to do is find quiet. Make that time for quiet and it will help you find your purpose. Put it in your calendar if you need to. Turn off your phone – shut down your computer – sit alone with your thoughts. Calm your mind and give it the space it needs to reveal to you what it is that you’re here to selflessly do. --If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.--Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

People unconsciously imitate the desires of others—and therefore they value jobs, spouses, brands, viewpoints, and even themselves according to what others around them desire. In his latest book Wanting, my next guest, author, educator and former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Luke Burgis spotlights a theoretical framework to answer why we want what we want and provides antidotes to chasing what leaves you unfulfilled. Luke uses mimetic theory to explore how our technology, relationships, politics, economics, education, and other ecosystems affect what we want and how to change our own desires so that they bring lasting and enduring satisfaction, meaningfulness and love. After living in Italy for 3 years studying classical philosophy and theology, Luke confesses that “He couldn’t continue to start businesses and chase dreams without understanding the truth about the human condition—and myself.”With keen emotional intelligence, sagacity and courage, Luke brilliantly attempts to explain why our modern world leaves so many feeling restless, unmoored and in a perpetual chase for happiness. I’m so very glad he's shared his ideas with the world in Wanting and this next conversation will leave you contemplating and inspired for days if not years. --About Luke:Luke Burgis has co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He’s currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship where he also teaches business at The Catholic University of America. Luke has helped form and serves on the board of several new K-12 education initiatives and writes and speaks regularly about the education of desire. He studied business at NYU Stern and philosophy and theology at a pontifical university in Rome. He’s Managing Partner of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator that he started to build, train, and invest in people and companies that contribute to a healthy human ecology. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Claire, and her crazy New Orleans cat Clotille.Follow  Luke:His Latest Book on Amazon: WantingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeburgis/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukeburgisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukeburgis/?hl=enWeb: https://lukeburgis.com/--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

 Khurshed Batliwala, fondly known by the nickname “Bawa” is a renowned speaker, meditation expert and author of the new book Sleep Your Way to Success. After speaking with him, I found him to be is a beautifully wise, jovial, charismatic and witty teacher, not surprisingly beloved by so many. He has decades of experience teaching with the Art of Living, and organization founded by spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankharji, a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organization with centers in more than 156 countries around the world.This was a beautiful and fun conversation I am so grateful to have had and to share with you now. You will hear him talk about the profound connection between spirituality and science and how the scientists in ancient India were also saints. He says spirituality answers the question" "Who are you?". "Whereas science answers the question what is this?" He also provides a beautiful response to the question of why he meditates 90 minutes every day – listen through to the end to hear it.If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. --Follow  Bawa:His Latest Book on Amazon: Sleep Your Way to SuccessYouTube Channel: BnD TVFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/khurshedbatliwalaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/khurshedbatliwala/?hl=en--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Gary Russell is the CEO of Winning Profile, a company that helps identify talent and how to maximize performance by focusing on the heart and the mind rather than the just the external optics. He’s worked with world class athletes, the NFL and Team Great Britain prior to the 2021 Olympics. "Everyone can see and recognize exceptional performance" says Gary, "but we have trouble selecting and, most importantly, reproducing it."If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. --Follow  Gary:https://www.winningprofile.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-russell-698b6915/--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Regina Wallace Jones is the former Mayor of East Palo Alto and currently serves on the board of SF based AI company Sama and prior to this she spent many years in leadership positions at blue chip tech companies like Facebook and Ebay, and most recently Mindbody. Over the course of her nontraditional, prodigious career, Regina has made it her priority to bridge the heart and the intellect by having one foot in public service and the other in cutting edge silicon valley. It is this powerful blend of empathy and intellect that make Regina’s stories and insights so relevant, necessary and instructive for us in today’s fast-changing, world.If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. --Follow  Regina:www.reginawallacejones.com--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.--In a fast-changing world, news about success runs rampant. It seems society wants to sell us it's own version of success and the fact is, most of us have bought into it.If you’re connected to the internet, news about people achieving great wealth, respect or fame, grab your attention in the form of posts, tweets, headlines, and alerts. This kind of sensational success is more alluring and seemingly more accessible, than ever before in human history. From unicorn founders to voyages into space, stories about success mesmerize us and seduce us into wanting it, and the herd mentality justifies this narrative and keeps it alive.There’s nothing wrong with working hard for financial freedom and recognition from our peers – but what we’ve collectively done as a society…is taken success to a dangerous level in the context of our mental wellbeing.Dangerous, because when we make the end game all about success – the fortune, the notoriety, the achievements - we make the biggest sacrifice: we give up our peace of mind.See, when we’re driven by the promise that success will make our lives better, as the news and our culture want us to believe, we stop feeling grateful for what we have right now, a scientifically proven way to make our minds unhappy.And in the competitive race for success, we feel inadequate until me make it, insignificant if we never do, and unsatisfied when we arrive, because hitting one benchmark only begins the chase for yet another.To counter these emotions, we numb ourselves with food, with drugs, with shopping, with alcohol, with social media and by the dopamine hit that comes from just the idea that success can happen to me… if I just keep plugging away. So today I’d like to offer you this advice with love and compassion – I want you to ask yourself: is my definition of success bringing me peace of mind at the end of my day? Does it give me energy or does it take it from me? Does my definition of success help me sleep well at night? Does it make me the best colleague I can be? The best parent I can be? These are the questions you must ask yourself to ensure a calm mind, which by the way, is the foundation necessary to unleash the genius within you.In the coming days, I will be releasing a full length video to expand on the process I use, personally, to define success in a way that brings me inner peace. It has been inspired by the likes of legendary coach John Wooden, the work of essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and the philosophy inherent in the Bhagavad Gita, the storied ancient Indian poem imbibed with time-honored wisdom . It will be both at my YouTube channel and on my social media channels. I truly hope these messages resonate with you and can add real value to your life.--If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.--Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Our guest today is AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS, best-selling author of the new book Speaking with Spirit. Her previous books include Wake Up to the Joy of You and Unbinding the Heart. In this latest book, Agapi encourages all of us to tap into the power of secular prayer to help us manage our minds and find the calm, tranquility and rootedness we need to flourish in a fast-shifting world. It was a great pleasure to have this dear friend on the podcast again. We talk about the general need for ppl to travel inward as opposed to seeking joy from the material, external world. We also talk about how self-worth can hijacked if we don’t find it from within and how moving beyond your ego is where real peace, grace, surrender and calm lives. --About Agapi:AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS is a best-selling author and speaker who inspires audiences around the world. In her previous book, Wake Up to the Joy of You: 52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life, she takes readers on a journey and inspires them to let go of what doesn’t work and instead create the lives they really want. Agapi was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then moved on to receive her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her previous books on the Greek archetypes, Gods and Goddesses in Love and Conversations with the Goddesses, were turned into PBS specials. She is currently conducting workshops for Thrive Global, a company founded by her sister, Arianna Huffington, to help change the way we work and live. Agapi has spoken and conducted meditations at many organizations and companies including ABC Carpet & Home, Women’s Health Magazine, Museum of Modern Art, IBM Watson, SAP, Pandora Radio, CVS Corporate, Weight Watchers, PepsiCo, Google, Nike, Starbucks, Fortune Health Conference, and The Heart Association, amongst many. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles and was born and raised in Athens, Greece.--Follow  Agapi:https://thriveglobal.com/authors/agapi-stassinopoulos/https://www.instagram.com/agapisees/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/agapi-stassinopoulos/Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:http://happinessfest.world/--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.This week, learn all about the Calm & Free Podcast collaboration with the World Happiness Foundation, to bring you 3 special conversations for this year's World Happiness Festival. To learn more about the WHF, visit their website. --If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.--Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Our guest today is Dr. Andrew harman, a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the University of Sydney School of Medicine and an ordained Buddhist who has much insight on how Buddhist practices and philosophy can help us deal with change, restlessness and uncertainty in our fast moving world. He shares how acceptance of your reality can help bring about calm. Dr. Harman and Pooja talk extensively about how we may need to reset our definition of "happiness" – instead of desperately seeking out happiness through exciting, impermanent experiences, things, people or moments, we might instead think of happiness as a state of equanimity which is defined as mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper. Equanimity, according to Dr Harman, comes from doing the inner work and obtaining wisdom and insight from it.In other words, from a Buddhist standpoint, real happiness is maintaining a state of inner peace no matter what is happening in the outside world.In this very special discussion, Dr. Harman also answers how science and Buddhism go hand in hand, why Vipassana mediation may not work for some, and how Albert Einstein may be the best role model to date in helping us see how spirituality or religion can add value along with science in helping us live with more grace, calm, rootedness, and compassion.--Bio:Andrew Harman is a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the University of Sydney School of Medicine where he is a level 3 supervisor in the theme of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation. He is a member of the Partnerships Advisory Group and the chair of the High School Liaisons working group. He is also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Virus Research at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research.Andrew has been working at the Westhead Health Precinct since completing his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2002. He has extensive collaborations with surgeons at Westmead and other Western Sydney Hospitals who provide his research group with a large range of human tissues with which he conducts all his research. He leads two research groups at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, in the Centre for Virus Research and Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research. These groups investigate sexual transmission of HIV and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, such as Crohn's Disease.Andrew’s technological expertise lies in the ability to isolate functionally intact immune cells from human tissue and to visualize immune cells within these tissues. He is an expert in characterizing human tissue immune cells using high parameter single cell technologies including flow cytometry, imaging mass cytometry and RNA sequencing. Andrew also has access to clinically relevant HIV transmission strains derived from infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa and has developed RNAscope technology to visualise these HIV strains interacting with target cells within 30 minutes of exposure.--Follow  Professor Harman:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-harman-00a8b3123/https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/andrew-harman.html#collapseprofileteaching Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/about/--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

In this special exchange, Pooja and Professor Negi discuss the central tenants and urgency of compassion, a focus of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Dr. Negi expands on how although humans have made tremendous progress from an outward, material standpoint, we have neglected to develop the core inner values that lead to contentment and inner peace. In other words, we have been focused on educating the mind, while forgetting to educate the heart. Dr. Negi shares how compassion is linked to the idea of safety and security in a world with so much diverse thought, biases, and differing groups of people. It is in this kind of world, especially, that people need to feel safe. He shares that at the heart of compassion is a sense of meaningful, tender connection with each other, and that creates a sense of security and trust, happiness and love.Pooja and Dr. Negi also uncover the links between traditional Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices called "Lojong", which systematically look within, closely observing what triggers our emotions. This scientific examination parallels some of the main practices and strategies used in CBT, originating in the 1960's by Dr. Aaron Beck, globally recognized as the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and one of the world’s leading researchers in psychopathology.--LOBSANG TENZIN NEGI, Ph.D. is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University, formerly the Emory-Tibet Partnership. Prof. Negi is also a Professor of Pedagogy in Emory University’s Department of Religion and the founder and spiritual director of Drepung Loseling Monastery, Inc., in Atlanta, GA. Over the past two decades, Prof. Negi has been a pioneer of compassion training programs for adults and children and he has contributed to the development and burgeoning of compassion science through his research initiatives and collaborations. Through his center, Prof. Negi has developed and now oversees three programs, which are dedicated to expanding compassion and engaging in research. In 2004, Prof. Negi developed CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), a secularized contemplative program based on Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices that deliberately and systematically works to cultivate compassion. He also oversees SEE Learning™ (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning), a program that develops and implements curricula for kindergarten through university level education for the education of heart and mind. The third program of the center is the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, a program he developed, at the invitation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to develop and implement a comprehensive modern science curriculum specifically for Tibetan monastics.  Prof. Negi was born in Kinnaur, a remote Himalayan region adjoining Tibet. A former monk of 27 years, he began his monastic training at The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamasala, India and continued his education at Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India, where in 1994 he received the Geshe Lharampa degree. Prof. Negi completed his Ph.D. at Emory University in 1999; his interdisciplinary dissertation centered on traditional Buddhist and contemporary Western approaches to emotions and their impact on wellness. His current research focuses on the complementarity of modern science and contemplative practice.--Follow  Dr. Negi's work:http://www.tibet.emory.eduhttp://www.drepung.orghttps://compassion.emory.edu/https://seelearning.emory.edu/node/5https://compassionshift.emory.edu/ Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/about/--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/--Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.If you enjoy these episodes, please text or email this episode to someone you love and subscribe.--Last week we premiered a compelling storytelling video entitled Self-Worth you can check it out now by searching Pooja Mottl and Calm & Free Podcast on LinkedIn or YouTube.The essence of the message of this video is that in a world where we’re told to measure our worth by external benchmarks and accomplishments – like wealth and status – we end up on a never-ending, futile chase that leaves us burned out and discontented.As the chase continues, we get less connected and more cynical. More fearful, less trusting. Less joyful, more lonely. More diseased, less healthy. More anxious, less at peace. But the fact is, we’re not different than we entered this world as tiny, beautiful babies – we’re no less loved, we’re no less valid. It’s just the norms of society that change the very way we think about ourselves as adults – and it’s a racket.Persian Poet Rumi so eloquently advised to: “Look inside yourself, everything that you want you already are.”We are already enough – we don’t need to overwork ourselves to burnout and needlessly compare and compete. We are worthy just as we are.I’ll leave you to contemplate on this most profound piece of wisdom and encourage you to watch the entire video on YouTube.I wonder what our world would be like if everyone - especially tech moguls, founders, investors and alike - took this message to heart and put a brake on the never-ending chase – would society be less polarized? Would we be individually and collectively happier and healthier?If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.--Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Ali Kershner is an entrepreneur, coach and creative at the Art of Coaching and formerly a Sports Performance coach with Stanford University and their 2021 Womens Basketball National Championship team.Originally from Palo Alto, California, she was a student athlete at DUKE University where she was captain of the Blue Devils Womens Soccer team. In this special episode Ali and I talk in detail about why embracing change is a necessary life skill, and has been since time immemorial, an insight found in various ancient philosophies but especially relevant in todays fast-moving world. We also talk about shedding beliefs about identity that may be holding you back as well as how to re-examine your personal definition success in a way which brings you calm and inner peace. Follow  Ali:The Art of Coaching Website: https://artofcoaching.com/@Kershner.Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kershner.ali/?hl=en@AliKershner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alikershner--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Pooja and Agapi discuss how embracing practices like self-love, meditation, checking self-doubt and limiting beliefs at the door, and not being afraid to unleash your childlike freedom can help create a limitless, fulfilled life. Wake up to the Joy of You is the title of Agapi's most recent book and both Pooja and Agapi touch on and extend upon many of it's core lessons such as "Enoughness", "Momento Mori", teaching yourself and your children about the deeper meaning of "Wealth", and dealing with difficult situations and people with "Grace".“The big truth that every day, moment by moment, all you have to do is be yourself” and “once I gave myself permission to be the unique person that I am, I began to live with a feeling of love, abundance and safety.”  -- passages from "Wake up to the Joy of You".About Agapi:Agapi is a best-selling author and speaker who inspires audiences around the world. In her previous book, Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love, she shares the wisdom from her life’s adventures and experiences. In her new book, Wake Up to the Joy of You: 52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life, she takes readers on a journey and inspires them to let go of what doesn’t work and instead create the lives they really want. Agapi was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then moved on to receive her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her previous books on the Greek archetypes, Gods and Goddesses in Love and Conversations with the Goddesses, were turned into PBS specials. She is currently conducting workshops for Thrive Global, a company founded by her sister, Arianna Huffington, to help change the way we work and live. Agapi has spoken and conducted meditations at many organizations and companies including ABC Carpet & Home, Women’s Health Magazine, Museum of Modern Art, IBM Watson, SAP, Pandora Radio, CVS Corporate, Weight Watchers, PepsiCo, Google, Nike, Starbucks, Fortune Health Conference, and The Heart Association, amongst many. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles and was born and raised in Athens, Greece. Follow  Agapi:On IG: @agapisees Agapi's website: https://wakeuptothejoyofyou.com/Agapi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agapi-stassinopoulos/Buy the book, Speaking with Spirit--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes.  If you enjoy these short episodes please text or email them to someone you love and subscribe!--Today I wanted to share with you the last words of Steve Jobs prior to his death.  I hope they can help you, too, craft a more examined life.I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In some others’ eyes, my life is the epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, my wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. At this moment, lying on my bed and recalling my life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in have paled and become meaningless in the face of my death.Material things lost can be found or replaced. But there is one thing that can never be found when it’s lost – Life. Whichever stage in life you are in right now, with time, you will face the day when the curtain comes down.Treasure love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well and cherish others. As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that a $300 or a $30 watch both tell the same time. You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.Don’t educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things and not the price. Eat your food as your medicine, otherwise you have to eat medicine as your food.There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really understand it. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, you have to manage! The six best doctors in the world are sunlight, rest, exercise, diet, self-confidence and friends. Maintain them in all stages and enjoy a healthy life. If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.---If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. --I’d like to honor and celebrate Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietamese Buddhist monk who passed away last week.Many of you have been listening for a while, know that much of my work and my own inner shifts have been inspired by the work of Nhat Hanh (lovingly known as Thay).When I first got a hold of his tiny book, How to Relax, for under $10 dollars at my local bookstore, I had little clue what mindfulness was all about. I picked up the book only because it seemed like a "mindfulness for dummies" type book.But what I found inside the pages was beyond belief, and quiet literally changed my life. Thich Nhat Hanh was one of those special beings – a genius at not only mastering the teachings of the ancients for himself but mastering the art conveying these teachings to beginners. I encourage everyone to pick up this book and others:Peace is Every StepHow to RelaxYou are HerePlum Village: https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/---If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Jaineel Mistry is a Life, Executive and Leadership coach based in London. Once an unfulfilled pharmacist, he soon found that the way to master life is to master the self.You’ll hear Jaineel discuss how to bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and the courage he assembled to buck traditional career routes in an effort to find his own personal fulfillment. You'll also hear him talk about the clarity he obtained from sitting in silence, his definition of success, and an unorthodox, powerful gratitude practice.Follow  Jaineel:On Twitter: @JaineelMistry - https://twitter.com/jaineelmistryOn IG: @JaineelMistry - https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/?hl=enThe Thriving Scholar: https://www.thrivingscholar.com/Jaineel on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry--More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. --The idea – that the more you want the more you suffer – is a basic tenant of Buddhism and many other spiritual and religious traditions. The Buddha believed that most suffering is caused by a tendency to crave things. These things might be exact and tangible like wanting to own a sports car or getting to 100K followers on Twitter, or more amorphous, like just not feeling content in the now – wanting to be somewhere else or do something else.Think about how much wanting happens in your own life. How often do you think about wanting things or experiences or situations?Legendary coach John Wooden, didn’t need to study eastern philosophy to figure this out. He wrote in his 1997 book, Wooden that: “It is my observation that the primary cause of unhappiness for most people is simply wanting too much: expecting too much materially, chasing the dollar, overemphasizing the material things. When they don’t arrive, unhappiness does.Eckert Tolle, the author of book The Power of Now, links wanting with stress: he says “Stress is caused by being here but wanting to be there.”How often do you want to be there instead of here. How often are you playing for later, hoping that when you get the things you want you will be happy?---If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Lynn Guerin is the CEO of The John Wooden Course, and the President of Guerin Marketing Services, helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential in life. He is also the author of Coach 'Em'Way Up: Five Lessons for Leading the John Wooden Way. Lynn spent significant periods of time in the presence of legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden before his passing in 2010, learning a great deal of wisdom from this "philosopher-coach" who impacted the lives of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and many others. Lynn now shares this wisdom with us. The profundity of insights in this conversation is beyond compare. You’ll hear Lynn describe Coach Wooden’s moral, physical and emotional discipline which lead him to becoming one of the greatest coaches in history. We dig deep into Coach Wooden's definition of success which helped him stay present, calm and at peace day to day. And the Pyramid of Success, which Lynn believes might be the "best kept secret in the history of American culture and the most important idea that has not become the center of how we think about who we are as a nation."(Below are time stamps to quickly navigate to many other poignant pieces of wisdom shared in this discussion.)12.46 - Inner peace and the ego-based actions so prevalent in today's world16.13 - How he declined a meeting with the President of the United States because he had an appointment with a youngster.24.48 - Wooden's personal routines25.38 - How he engineered every 24 hours, prepping 2 hours for a 2 hour practice32.30 - Defining success33.09 - Defining success and the American Dream34.19 - Looked at the 7pt creed every day of his life for 80 years36.40 - More concerned with living to a standard than his standard of living37.02 - Never mentioned "winning"37.32 - He had a standard higher than winning which eventually produced success on the court.38.28 - Coached 16 years before winning his 1st championshipMany thanks to Lynn Guerin. Follow  The John R. Wooden Course:On Twitter: https://twitter.com/woodencourseOn IG: Website: https://www.thejohnrwoodencourse.com/aboutLynn Guerin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/lynn-guerin-949b2210/--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "Time Out Thursday"  (#TimeOutThursday) where I guide you through a powerful meditation. --Often, many of us try to meditate with a misunderstanding of mediation which then leads to doubt or hesitation to meditate regularly.Today I’ll start by briefly helping you understand what mediation is and then we’ll go straight into the experience of it.Meditation is about moving into stillness. Our bodies may be in the noisy outside world but we are going inside with mediation. You can also think of it as allowing your mind and senses to stop working. Letting your mind rest. Your eyes rest from seeing – your ears and mouth rest from hearing and talking. Meditation is a way to slow all of this down – to give your mind a body the break they need. And when we can relax the mind and body, we can move beyond the mind itself – into a deep and silent space, what yogic philosophy refers to as the Self, or atman. Where we can touch the bliss that is inherently inside all of us.Remember, mediation isn’t another test or challenge or something you have to put effort into. It’s about putting in NO effort – giving nothing - and completely letting go. ---If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Louis Gagnon is a seasoned corporate executive having worked and lead at Monster.com, Audible and most recently was the CEO of Total Brain, a company that leverages neuroscience to optimize mental fitness. At the age of 48, he found the self-awareness that has led him to move beyond the intellect and into the heart which has fueled renewed life purpose with a focus on human wellbeing. This conversation was genuine and rich with insight. You will hear Louis speak about an unhealthy obsession with growth in the corporate sector, the era of Newtonian-based scientific materialism coming to a close, the power of self-awareness in leading your best life, and his definition of personal success which I found most beautiful.Please enjoy...Follow  Louis:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgagnon--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Pooja and  Saroya talk about her journey to finding the freedom to express her authentic self as an elite athlete at an Ivy League university and as a professional athlete in the Premier Hockey Federation. Pooja and Saroya discuss strategies to overcome limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome and fear of failure as well as defining success and a purpose beyond one's individual accomplishments.Follow  Saroya:You can find Saroya and keep up with her work and mentorship initiatives at:On Instagram @saroyatinker71Mentorship on Instagram  @saroyastrong--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. --I’m overjoyed by the support we’ve received this year on this very special podcast. I want to thank you for taking the time out of your life to be here with us every week. It is my sincere hope that the insights laid bare on this podcast will help you navigate both your inner and outer world in a way that brings you deep and lasting happiness and the freedom to blossom fully into the incredible human being that you are which will allow you to not only take life fully by the horns but also pass on these gifts of head and heart to the people you love and extend it further into our common humanity.Today I want to reflect on the world calm. Calm is the chief skill to cultivate in the next year, in 2022. And it may surprise many of you that although calm can be cultivated through meditation, silence, breathwork and mindfulness timeless philosophical insights that connect the heart and mind can also generate calm.Here are a few insights to expand on this point and it is my hope that you will take them with you into the new year: When you live life as if it is rigged in your favor, you find calm. When you stop pinning your happiness to future goals and start tapping into it now, you find calm.When you realize the pie is big enough for everyone to have a slice, you find calm.When you let go of grudges and spite and forgive both yourself and others, you find calm.When you make the outcome of your process about compassion and caring for others, not you, you find calm. Wishing you all a healthy, restful, end of the year. Please join me next week, the first week of January, for a powerful meditation to help you start of 2022 with supreme calm.If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn. --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. --Today we want to share with you an insight about steadiness, richness and peace."You do not become rich through working, through power prestige or influence, You become rich when you find peace inside and out. " ~ Pooja MottlWe can Find peace with the outside world by:1. Accepting people and daily experiences as they are, without resistance.2. Being able to keep your calm, equanimity and grace in every situation.3. By realizing that there is something to be grateful for in every moment of our lives if we stay present.Finding peace with your inside world means:1. Being able to let go at any moment and be at ease - for example letting go of anger, comparison, projects, things, outcomes, the past, etc.2. Forgiving others and yourself.3. Knowing you are valid and worthy just as you are right now in this moment – you are enough right now just being you.Richness comes with peace. Try practicing these insights this holiday season and please listen to this episode again to contemplate further.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. --Today I'd like to share with you an insight based on the book, Your True Home – everyday wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King  Jr.He says that most of us believe that happiness is possible only in the future. And when you are searching for something else, you are not at peace with yourself, you are not satisfied with yourself. Then there is conflict. And with conflict there is no peace and calm. And when there is no peace and calm, there is no happiness and joy.But the truth is, he says, that we have already arrived, we don’t have to travel any further. The conditions for our happiness are already sufficient. We don’t need any more labels, things, titles, or other type of currency to be happy and free. We only need to allow ourselves to be in the present moment, and we will be able to touch our happiness.Thich Nhat Hanh talks about a practice to help us experience this. He calls it “I have arrived”. When you breath in and bring you mind home to your body, you make peace with your mind and body. This is the practice. It takes only 2 seconds he says – you establish yourself in the here and now. You are enough. Smile and internalize this idea that you are enough. There is no need to search, to wait, to seek for something better to happen. Better is happening now. Just breath in.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

“There is nothing more priceless than each and every moment of your breath”. Based in his home in Nepal, Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche shares with Pooja a wealth of knowledge and teachings relating to how to live a life of ease, joy, and authenticity.Topics discussed include:Keeping "busy" and filling the mind versus appreciating the processThe "awareness of nowness" as it relates to finding your authentic self and eliminating anxietyKnowing you are valid just being who you are this very momentTrying to legitimize existence due to a "poverty mentality""When breathing is not burdened by fear or hope or driven by an agenda, so that breathing becomes natural, in that naturalness there is liberation, meaning you are able to find your true self.""The way to be rich is to be free from attachment""Being able to relax, to remain at peace, is our purpose here on the Earth.""Discontentment is like a war/battlefield in our minds"More about H.E. RinpocheH.E. Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche is a preeminent Buddhist Dzogchen master, teacher, scholar, and author who is fluent in English and has a keen understanding of Western culture. Rinpoche is admired for his sharp intellect, quick wit and heartfelt compassion. His spontaneous, clear, and insightful teachings inspire us to live in the moment with wakefulness and genuine caring for others.His Eminence Rinpoche invites all to help support the construction of the Peace Sanctuary in Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha.More:The Mahasiddha Sanctuary for Universal Peace is under construction on the site adjacent to the Sacred Garden where Lord Buddha was born. The sanctuary will honour the Enlightened Ones who realized the way to peace within and peace without. It will serve as a radiant beacon, helping to inspire and guide individuals, communities, and nations toward harmonious coexistence and reconciliation.The outer structure of the Sanctuary Shrine Hall evokes images of a lotus flower, a butter lamp, a stupa, and a mandala offering.Further symbolism in the design of sanctuary:—The golden finial represents the thirteen levels of accomplishment.—The vast, immaculate space of the Sanctuary Shrine Hall conveys the timeless purity of Buddha’s enlightenment.—The golden statue of Queen Mayadevi with the newborn Prince Siddhartha will honour all our mothers, who exemplify unconditional love for their children. This unconditional love is the source of all peace.—The water pool that surrounds the sanctuary symbolizes great compassion for all sentient beings.We invite you to donate $1 at the link below if you'd like to further this profound project in the promotion of universal peace:https://www.peacesanctuary.org/https://www.buddhafield.us/shyalpa-rinpoche--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. --Earlier this week I got some sad news – a former boss of mine from London passed away. He left behind a beautiful family – a wife and three kids. He was an amazing human with great empathy and compassion for humanity and others.I'll be the first to admit, that most days, I’m not thinking about life as impermanent, as transitory. Most of the time I’m playing for the future. For the next week, the next year. But this incident gave me that reminder I needed to keep mortality in mind each and every day. To live each day as if it were my masterpiece, not as if it's just another ordinary day in an infinite life.Stoic philosophers opined on death greatly and have left a litany of profound knowledge we can use to our benefit in modern life:Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius famously said “It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.”...“Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever.”This same week, an incredible Netflix film called 14 Peaks, helped take this Marcus Aurelius wisdom a step further for me.In 2019, a Nepali mountain climber who goes by the name of Nims, climbed all of the worlds 8000+ peaks - the death zones - in less than 7 months – a world record. He knew that if he quite while on a mountain he would die. But in being so acutely in the present moment as he climbed those mountains, he found that fear of death became irrelevant. In other words...he was free. Freedom comes from living fully in the present – free from fears, from worry, from regret, from anxiety, from planning– and living fully with enthusiasm and in the pursuit of a purpose beyond yourself.For Nims, his purpose was to gain recognition for all the nameless Sherpas that helped countless western climbers over countless years with no credit.So these two things – the death of a colleague and 14 Peaks helped nail down a solid definition of freedom for me. That freedom happens when you keep mortality in mind which then forces you to live each and everyday in the present without fear, energized by a higher purpose and infusing these present moments with joy and positivity.Certainly you don’t have to be climbing Annapurna or K2 to find the kind of freedom Nims has – you can do it in your own way. You just have to internalize this definition of freedom and make the life-changing choices that put you on the path to getting it. --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

This conversation is filled with life changing wisdom that you won't want to miss - powerful, practical knowledge that can help you change the way you think so you can change the way you live. Ruchika delivers beautiful thoughts on how her definition of success has changed over the years and what it is now. We talk about how to become aware of a culture that normalizes craving and aggrandizes the finish line more than the day to day process. Ruchika also provides some insight on the reshaping of role models for a healthier, happier society.About Ruchika:Ruchika Lal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Winked which helps you live with more joy in life. She's also a teacher at the Art of Living Foundation, an organization that works towards reducing stress in individuals and society and fostering well-being and inner peace. Prior to her journey as an entrepreneur, she held senior leadership positions in Fortune 100 companies for well over a decade. Most recently, Ruchika was VP at American Express in New York where she led B2B payments for the US and in India served as an advertising executive at Ogilvy.Follow Winked & Ruchika: Download the Winked App: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1575233318?mt=8On Twitter:@justwinked- https://twitter.com/just_winked@RuchikaLal1 - https://twitter.com/ruchikalal1--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/Special Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. --This week I have contentment on my mind, inspired by my current education at the Sri Sri School of Yoga. Many of you know that one of the central areas of focus in this podcast is spotlighting profound wisdom and philosophical insights, both ancient and modern, that can be applied to finding calm, freedom, and compassion in the hustle of modern day living.Today I want to talk about some key wisdom around contentment and happiness – wisdom that has spanned not only the ages, but continents and world views.The idea that contentment and happiness is a choice is not new.Sentenced to prison twice for his views on the French government, 18th cent. Paris-based Writer and philosopher Voltaire, had a strong conviction about contentment – that is was a decision you had to make. He wrote that the "most important decision you will make is to be in a good mood."Two hundred years later, a man from Detroit Michigan who began his life as an orphan only to write one of the best-selling books of all time, Wayne Dyer said something similar: “Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place you must find.”Rewind about 2000 years from this and we find that this same idea – that a happy mood and contentment is a choice we make, - can be found in the ancient Yoga Sutras, one of the foundational texts of classic yogic philosophy. In this text, Maharishi Patanjali refers to the Sanskrit word santosha – which means contentment, describing it as an attitude and a practice. He says that only by practicing santosha, can unparalellled joy be achieved.So if you’re feeling a bit low or empty today, Make that decision to be in a good mood. Tap into your inner world or explore your outer world to find those nuggets of contentment– there are never far from reach. --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

In this conversation we dive deep into the inner skills that have contributed to Lu’s outward success. A product of inner Mongolia and a child of entrepreneurs, Lu cultivated a fearlessness toward risk and discomfort early on in life. She also discusses the power of being equanimous and non judgemental in the face of challenge, and the personal freedom and power that comes from being fiercely and consistently authentic to her true self. You will also hear Lu reflect on how, over time, she learned that an airtight conviction to her principles is the most effective antidote to pitfalls associated with ego, comparison and competition and the best path to contributing real value in the world. About Lu:Lu Zhang is the Founder and Managing Partner of Venture firm Fusion Fund, a serial entrepreneur. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and has been named Forbes 30 under 30, a Silicon Valley Women of Influence, and Best 25 Female Investor by Business Insider. Prior to starting Fusion Fund, she was the Founder and CEO of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes, acquired in 2012. She received her Masters in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. Learn more about Fusion Fund: https://www.fusionfund.com/Follow Lu & Fusion Fund on Twitter: @LuZhangVC - https://twitter.com/luzhangvc@FusionFundVC - https://twitter.com/FusionFundVC--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast IntroJessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

In this episode, you will hear Lisa and Pooja engage in an honest and authentic conversation into many topics spanning from what she calls "good girl brainwashing" to being "fearlessly female", to learning to be your own best friend, and reaching that state of awareness that reveals to you that becoming the greatest version of yourself is a duty.About Lisa:Lisa Carmen Wang is a former 4X US National Champion & Hall of Fame gymnast turned serial entrepreneur, investor, keynote speaker, executive coach, and unapologetic feminist.Lisa was the Founder and CEO of recently acquired SheWorx, a community platform of over 20K female entrepreneurs. She has raised over $50M in funding, spoken across many world stages on the power of Enoughness, and has coached 100K women on personal & financial confidence. Lisa is currently the Head of Brand at Republic.Lisa was named Forbes 30 Under 30, Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women, Red Bull Hero of The Year, and inducted into the Red Shoe Movement Hall of Fame for creating a more equitable workplace. She is now the Host of the Bad Bitch Business Podcast and is currently writing her upcoming book, The Bad Bitch Business Bible, set to publish with HarperCollins Business in 2022.She began her career at a top Wall Street hedge fund and is a graduate of Yale University. Lisa’s mission is to uplift the next generation of powerful women.Connect with Lisa:On her WebsiteOn LinkedInOn Instagram & Twitter: @LisaCarmenWang--For more from Host Pooja Mottl: https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter: @PoojaMottl https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/ Special thanks to:Kris Kosach for voiceover: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian: for graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/Sufi Kaur for social graphics 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. --Coach John Wooden is one of the most revered coaches in sports history, the brains behind the Pyramid of Success, and known for his simple, inspirational messages that have impacted thousands of individuals and organizations. Since on this podcast I try to uncover timeless wisdom – no matter who its from or what century it was born in that can help us lead our best lives - I’ve been drawn to Coach Wooden's work for a while and today I wanted to share some bits of wisdom I found from a recent book I read on the life of John Wooden.It seems John Wooden learned the bulk of his most important life lessons from his father, Joshua, a farmer than a sanitarium worker from Indiana who lived through the Great Depression. One day Joshua wrote down a direct set of rules “Two sets of Threes” for John and his brothers:Never Lie, Cheat, or Steal.Don’t Whine, Don't Complain, and Don't Make Excuses.Coach Wooden never put up with complaining from his players. He expected a see a positive attitude from every player every day. Whining was particularly destructive because it took the spotlight off the “we” and onto the “me”.Complaining is draining – it drains us and the people around us.The act of complaining is 100% under our control. The attitude we bring to every moment and every situation in our lives is under our control. This little story also made me think immediately of this quote by 18th c French philosopher and writer Voltaire: “The most important decision you make, is to be in a good mood.” Our life is only as good as the choices we make. The more we can find that space, the breath, the moment to catch ourselves in every new situation and respond by not complaining rather than reacting by complaining, that’s when we utilize the skills we have on the inside to live our best lives on the outside.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Priyanka Naik is a self-taught vegan chef, Food Network champion and the author of The Modern Tiffin, a cookbook showcasing  simple global dishes inspired by her heritage and travels.In this conversation you will hear Priyanka reflect on her the deep-rooted drive she has to educate people about global cuisine, sparked by her childhood experiences growing up in Staten Island, New York. She also reflects on what success means to her, now that she has reached one of her biggest goals: becoming a published author.--Connect with Priyanka:Website: https://www.chefpriyanka.com/Instagram: @ChefPriyanak  https://www.instagram.com/chefpriyanka/?hl=enThe Modern Tiffin:https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Tiffin-Go-Dishes-Global/dp/198217708X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+modern+tiffin&qid=1637083079&sr=8-1--For more from Host Pooja Mottl: https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter: @PoojaMottl https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/ Special thanks to:Kris Kosach for voiceover: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian: for graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/Sufi Kaur for social graphics

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. --In a recent conversation with a budding entrepreneur, it hit me that overachievers who embrace the idea that the harder you work, the more you increase your chances for success, tend to struggle nearly all their lives with placing limits on that hard work itself.Driven individuals tend to believe that the more effort they put in, the more they can guarantee their future success. And because these individuals are so incredibly determined and ambitious, they’re willing to overwork the competition and sacrifice everything, even their own happiness, so they can toil, grind, and push even harder.But here’s the rub: The finish line can’t be guaranteed, no matter how hard you try. Work can take you only so far. There is a very profound verse from the seminal ancient Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, which states that you have the right to your actions, but not the right to the fruits of your actions. What this means is that no matter how much you do, the fruits of your actions are not entirely in your hands. Imagine planting an apple seed in the ground. It may not grow into a tree. But if it does, it’s not entirely due to your planting of the seed. There are other factors involved – rain and sun to help it grow, temperature, and how it withstands threats from animals or inclement weather. In other words, it’s not just your hard work that determines your success.The same verse also states that as much as you don’t have the full rights to the fruit of your action, you must also, after you’ve put the hard work in, detach from the action itself. Do the best you can, give it your 100% then…let go. Put forth your best effort, then surrender. Don’t overdo it. Don’t push yourself to burnout because…well, it’s futile. Letting go isn’t about giving up. It’s about the wise acceptance of this very principle.And this is what overachievers have trouble swallowing – because it doesn’t make sense logically speaking. Surrender? You mean leave my potential success in the hands of an invisible high power? That’s not what they taught me in business school.So, they all too often find themselves getting closer and closer to their breaking point – miserably overworking, rather than joyfully working hard and then letting go. What’s more, they often can’t comprehend why others aren’t quick to sympathize with them. This same entrepreneur expressed to me several times “People don’t realize how hard I’m working”. The thing is, no one is asking or expecting you to work this hard – except, of course, you.I must confess, I used to be this exact type of overachiever over-worker myself. Never satisfied with the effort I put in. Always ready to put in more and more fight, and use more and more of my grit, willpower, and drive.But looking back, yes, my innate tendencies may have gotten me somewhere, helped me check off a few boxes and pushed me up the ranks a bit, but I recognize now, that I likely could have gone a lot farther and been happier along the way, if I just learned to…well…Let Go.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Rooshy Roy is the Co-Founder & CEO of AAVRANI, a clean skincare brand inspired by India's ancient beauty rituals.Rooshy is a driven and determined businesswoman with soul. This conversation with Rooshy uncovers an abundance of life wisdom that can help you grow the skills you need on the inside, to shine on the outside. In speaking with Rooshy I noticed a common thread that connected almost every aspect of her life: the pursuit of authenticity – authenticity in her brand’s mission, authenticity of her products and authenticity in the life she continues to craft for herself. Her journey as an entrepreneur has helped her not only unmask this pursuit, but has shaped her sense of self, her definition of success, and the rules she lives by to make it manifest.In this episode you’ll hear Rooshy talk about how emotionally detaching from business is essential for any entrepreneur, how she dealt with past burnout, and how she embraces presence in an industry hell bent on keeping our minds craving the future.--Connect with Rooshy:Website: https://aavrani.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aavranihttps://www.instagram.com/rooshyroyTwitter:  https://twitter.com/aavrani--For more from Host Pooja Mottl: https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter: @PoojaMottl https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/ Special thanks to:Kris Kosach for voiceover: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian: for graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/Sufi Kaur for social graphics

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. --Many of you may know from my posts on social media that this year I decided to take a teachers training course from an authentic school of yoga based in India, pioneered by world humanitarian leader and spiritual master, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.The first few days of this course flipped my understanding of yoga inside out and upside down. Yoga, in its truest form, has to do very little with asanas (those exercises and poses that we have now come to automatically associate with yoga) and everything to do about calming the mind.See, when the ancients began asking those profound questions like "What is the meaning of life?", and "How do I find joy?", and when they began practicing ways to find inner peace, they came to realize that by calming the mind and connecting with the inner self the answers to these questions revealed themselves.Yoga, is, in fact, our ability to master the stream of thoughts that run through our mind. This is the definition provided by Maharishi Patanjali himself, the author of the Yoga Sutras. Yoga is our capacity to connect with our true self through stillness. It is cultivating the inner skills used to master life while it unfolds before you. It is a disciplined path to finding your center, and dealing with your emotions.The physical aspect of yoga- the yoga postures that we equate with yoga are only meant to be vehicles to achieve this ultimate goal and only 1 spoke in a wheel of many. In fact, practicing yoga postures without understanding the historical context, the philosophical wisdom and the other practices that comprise it, such as service and breath work, won’t make you a yogi no matter how many years you practice.Yoga, is not a physical practice, yoga is a metaphorical and disciplined path of many practices and deep knowledge – a path to uniting you with you’re your truest self, a path that can allow you to blossom to your full human potential and contribute to the world as you do so. --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. --This week I have compassion on my mind. Compassion is an antidote to stress, anxiety, and a gateway practice to thriving. I recently learned this from taking part in a talk given by Dr. Jim Doty at Stanford University who is a co-founder of a program called ACT – Applied Compassion Training.Jim spoke about how compassion has been scientifically proven to be a health-booster not unlike exercise, the Mediterranean Diet and meditation. When we are kind and compassionate, our physiology changes through the reward centers in our brain. By practicing compassion, our blood pressure goes down, our immune system is boosted, there's a decrease in levels of inflammatory proteins, and a decrease in stress hormones levels. We move from the fight or flight (threat mode) mode to the rest and digest mode, where we’re tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system. We actually live longer when we’re compassionate! So how do we become compassionate and practice compassion? Compassion happens when we see ourselves in others – or we're able to see the other as ourselves. When we realize we are all a part of a common humanity. We are all one. Compassion happens when we wake up to the truth that we’re innately hardwired to connect with others and to have empathy for our fellow humans.This talk really opened my eyes to what truly affects our long-term health. Its not just meditation and fitness that can work wonders, its our relationship with others, its showing up with kindness, caring for one another, and realizing our oneness, that can further our mental and physical health. Compassion is no doubt compelling. And if you’d like to learn more about the science behind it – please look up the ACT program and the CCARE program at Stanford Medicine.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Bryant Terry is a James Beard & NAACP Image Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. He is editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House and Ten Speed Press, and he is co-principal and innovation director of Zenmi, a creative studio he founded. In 2015, he was named the inaugural Chef-in-Residence for the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco.His newest book, Black Food, has just been released – a visual and spiritual feast of recipes, art, and stories from over 100 black cultural luminaries.Many know Bryant as the inspirational, artful, and inventive person that he is, trailblazing on many fronts from bridging the gap between black food and veganism in the cookbook space to exposing and celebrating the lost treasures and traditions of historical black culture .But behind all this, Bryant has experienced a personal journey that has enabled all this work to come to fruition. It’s these life lessons and skills that we touch upon in this very authentic episode. You’ll hear Bryant talk about how important it is to manage you, so you don’t get in your own way, what his mom referred to as “blocking your blessings”. He also credits quiet in the sparking his potentiality at times when it laid dormant. And of course we talk about how he defines success. What I love most about Bryant is his keen self-awareness, and his unrelenting desire to show up in a way that resembles who he truly is in the purest sense. It’s that uncompromising purity that touches so many. --More on Bryant:Bryant Terry is a James Beard & NAACP Image Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. He is editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House and Ten Speed Press, and he is co-principal and innovation director of Zenmi, a creative studio he founded. Since 2015 he has been the Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco where he creates public programming at the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora. His forthcoming collection of recipes, art, and stories entitled Black Food will be published by 4 Color Books/Ten Speed Press in the fall of 2021. In regard to his work, Bryant’s mentor Alice Waters says, “Bryant Terry knows that good food should be an everyday right and not a privilege.” San Francisco Magazine included Bryant among 11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene, and Fast Company named him one of 9 People Who Are Changing the Future of Food. --Connect with Bryant:Website: https://www.bryant-terry.com/Black Food: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Food-Stories-Diaspora-Cookbook/dp/1984859722Twitter: https://twitter.com/bryantterryInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryantterry--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/poojamottlInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/ Special thanks to:Kris Kosach for voiceover: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/homeJessica Panian: for graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/Sufi Kaur for social graphics

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. This week, we unpack why you don't have to be busy to be successful.--So the other day I saw a post that introduced someone by saying they had a "busy and successful life". It seems our cultural norms have evolved to equate busy with success or at least allow for both to happen simultaneously: You can’t be successful unless you’re busy. And if you’re not busy, you can’t be successful. The irony here is that to be truly successful, you’re never busy. Yes, you’re engaged in activities and you’re doing, but you’re present and calm and you are enjoying it. You’re in the flow and open to adjusting. There’s no resistance. Busy often connotes rigidity and this idea that you’re leaping from one thing to the next with no breaks. Busy means there is stress. Even thinking about the word tends to change the when you inhale and exhale – higher up in your lungs as opposed to the deep long belly breaths that we take lower down that help us find calm and relaxation.Let’s sever this tie between busy and successful. Know that those who are truly successful – those that are living their lives with presence, self-actualization, vitality and can both relax and deeply focus when needed – those ppl aren’t busy. They at ease. They’re floating. They’re smiling instead pushing through the day with grit and willpower. That life can be yours.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics. 

Jes and Pooja discuss the mission of the increasingly powerful Rebel Girls platform: to close the gender “confidence gap” across the world. Jes and her team want to help raise the most confident global generation of girls. And to that extent, Jes uncovers the details behind why RG’s storytelling is so compelling and the mental and socio-emotional facets that contribute to building self-confidence in girls such as empathy, curiosity, the power of tenacity, and sense of belonging. Their digital app, Rebel Girls Dream, is out now, and their pipeline is filled with more efficacious products in the works. It all very exciting and inspires much hope.Moving beyond Rebel Girls, it became obvious to me how much wisdom can be extracted from Jes’s own personal journey - Her house burning down in her teens, a prior job taking her to over 70 countries, her background as a competitive swimmer and her career from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. What impacted me most was her grounded philosophy about life itself. In the face of struggle, Her mom of told her, “Jes, you’re still alive, keep going”. And she’s taken this message to heart, celebrating what she calls the richness that is life, grateful for everyday which provides yet another opportunity to impact the world, cultivating a frame of reference that sees problems as opportunities, and relishing the challenges that come from steep learning curves...because with steepness comes discomfort. and with discomfort, managed in a thoughtful way, comes radical growth.Jes is one of the most grounded people I’ve come across and you’ll find a lot of nice wisdom here that you can apply on your journey to cultivating inner calm and living a life of freedom. “Success is building a rich and full life” ~ Jes WolfeAbout Jes:Jes Wolfe is the CEO of Rebel Girls, a girl-driven edutainment company on a mission to inspire and instill confidence in 50 million girls over the next 5 years. To date, Rebel Girls has sold 5.5 million books, translated into 49 languages in 85 countries, and has 8+ million downloads of its award-winning podcast.  Under Wolfe’s leadership, the Company is expanding its offerings to television, live theater, merchandise and digital.Ms. Wolfe is an entrepreneur, an operator, an investor and an advisor. Prior to joining the Rebel Girls team, Ms. Wolfe was the Chief Operating Officer at Hoodline, a hyper-local media tech company, which grew to 30 employees before selling to NextDoor. Before her segue into the startup world, Ms. Wolfe worked for over a decade in a variety of strategy and finance roles at Morgan Stanley, the Boston Consulting Group, the International Finance Corporation, and private equity portfolio companies. She has done project work in 25+ countries and 5 continents, and has worked with a range of companies from startups to Fortune 500. Her experience spans M&A, Corporate Development, Business Development, Strategy, Sales Leadership, and Technology Development. While she has focused on the intersection of Media and Technology for the past 5 years, previously, she worked in the Healthcare, Financial Institution, and Industrial Goods industries.Ms. Wolfe currently sits on two Boards. She is on the Board of Directors of Rebel Girls, as well as the Board of Directors of Knowhere News. In addition, she is an Advisor to a number of other startups including Kindest, Curie, My Tamarin, and Avails Medical. Ms. Wolfe is an active angel investor, and has a portfolio of approximately a dozen companies.Ms. Wolfe holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arjay Miller scholar, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.For more on Jes & Rebel Girls: Rebel Girls WebsiteIG: @RebelGirlsTwitter: @RebelGirlsBookRebel Girls Dream App--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast IntroJessica Panian for her help with our graphic design

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. This week, we unpack the experience of "presence".Presence is...noticing that dog on a leash smiling back at you as you pick up your drink at the coffee shop and you smiling back.Presence is...tuning in to the sounds of the wildlife and the hum of traffic outside your window just before you settle into sleep. Presence is...spotting and admiring a flower as you walk by it on your way to a meeting downtown.Presence...is feeling the warm rays of the sun heat your face during your lunch break.Presence is...being able to smile at a stranger at the UPS store.Presence is...acknowledging the deliciousness of each sip of your favorite cup of tea coffee or bite of your favorite food.Presence is...tuning in to that feeling of gratitude as you watch your child giggle at the dinner table.Presence is...the deep belly breath that you can take right now, as you are listening to me on this podcast.Presence is your attention. It’s your senses activated. It your mind in the moment. And the more often you experience it, the more joyful your life becomes.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast IntroJessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Dr. Rebecca Heiss is an evolutionary biologist, stress expert and keynote speaker, applying science to find solutions to ensure that our fears aren't holding us back from living full, happy, productive lives.She uses her background in biology to work with individuals and organizations to re-mold our instinctive brains 🧠 and change behavioral patterns in order to overcome limiting beliefs subconscious fears that hold us back from being the best versions of ourselves.She is the author of the book INSTINCT and founder of The Leap: a network for thriving professional women. In my mind, Rebecca is one of the best examples I’ve seen yet of someone committed to living a life of freedom – brave enough to show up in the world as her true, unadulterated self. And its beautifully refreshing.You’ll hear Rebecca and I talk about the biggest biological irony: How our brain is built to help us survive, yet in doing so, it keeps us from actually living. Rebecca unpacks the biologically workings of the our brains, brains that are more suited to the stone age than for modern times, and the types of fears that trigger stress responses today. We talk about practices, such as stress inoculation – a practice where you seek out forms of safe discomfort – to help override the primitive, reactive, instinctual brain which we often refer to as the amygdala or the “monkey brain”.Rebecca and Pooja also unpack Imposter Syndrome, which affects 70-80% of the population. Follow Rebecca:Her WebsiteThe Leap WebsiteLinkedInTwitter:  @DrRebeccaHeissYou Tube Channel--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks : Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life.Today I’d like to offer you my thoughts on what I call the “Me Mentality". The Me Mentality happens when we live and act solely to feed and protect our own ego. And it may come as no surprise that most of us live with this mentality every day, and for some, all our lives.Here are some signs that you’re living in a me mentality: When you’re on a zoom call for work but thinking about whether the other person thinks what you're saying is smart; Someone criticizes your work or doesn’t give you business making you stressed, angry, and vengeful; You fail to say hello to your UPS driver because you think you’re too busy to take the time out. That’s the me mentality.Now if we can extract the me from the way we live, life becomes so much richer, easier and pleasant. If our lives stop becoming all about us and instead about service to others or for a purpose beyond ourselves, anxieties and stress melts away. Extracting yourself from the Me Mentality can be as simple as working to be the best version of yourself so you can serve your kids and family better. If you’re work is in the fields of law, finance, or marketing, it could be the goal of honing theories or making technological improvements to advance the efficacy of those fields beyond your tenure. If you’ve a teacher or a coach, its minimizing the suffering of your students or clients. If you’re work in the C-Suite or head a nonprofit, if may be building a legacy that will help humanity for many generations to follow.Every morning, try to remind yourself about the Me Mentality, and make it a point to make what you do and what you think, not about yourself, but for others. You’ll see that when you do this, you’ll start smiling more, succeeding more, and loving life more. Remember, its not about YOU.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Welcome back everybody. I was listening to a podcast with Tony Robbins and Sadhguru recently and I heard Sadhguru – who is an Indian spiritual master – compare the human existence with the existence of other animals. He gave a powerful example – he said when most animals have a full stomach, they feel satiated and at peace. They’ve solved their one essential problem: an empty stomach. But when we humans have full stomachs, we end up having hundreds of problems. The story here is that although Mother Nature has given humans a special capability over other animals – a remarkable cognitive capacity - we haven’t yet learned to master this capability. We’re actually so bad at utilizing our cognitive abilities that we end up creating undo suffering for ourselves.When are stomachs are full, we’re safe, we’re physically healthy, we have supportive relationships, contentment should be a breeze. Yet our monkey minds – jumping from thought to thought – bait us into manufacturing problems. We create assembly lines that even Henry Ford would admire, producing problem after problem in our minds. Judging situations, craving something in the future, shaming ourselves for something we did in the past, seeking pleasures to escape from the now, disgruntled with life due to our own perceptions.Sadhguru describes this as unnecessary human suffering caused by the freedom that Mother Nature has offered to us. That freedom is our uniquely powerful minds.This week, think about how this applies to you. How often are you full in your stomach but also full of manufactured problems? How many of these so-called problems do you actually, truly, have? We’ll continue to delve into this incredibly important topic in future episodes so stay tuned... --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinuteThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life.Today's episode provides reflections on how to deal with the past from teachings from spiritual guru Sadhguru and author of The Power of Now, Eckert Tolle.----Hi everyone, in this #3MinuteThursday episode I want to share some profound wisdom about how to treat the past from the Indian philosopher and teacher Sadhguru. So many of us identify with the past, especially if it makes us feel very good or feel bad – that is the nature of the monkey mind. But the past is dead. The past has passed, so to speak. It’s gone.  Over and done.Especially when situations or people in our past begin to weigh us down in the now, that’s when we have to stop and check ourselves. Sadhguru says it this way: When you keep the past alive, the living will slowly die.The idea here is that we should refrain from trying to fix the past lest we keep ourselves playing from our back foot today. The less our minds live in the past, the more free we are right now to flourish. Sadhguru says that in fact, the more unpleasant things happen in your life, the wiser you should become. I’ll add on to this by saying that this happens because as we get more practice in managing our thoughts about the past, making sure to label them as over, the better we are at mastering life now...Listen to the episode for more.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Luis and Pooja begin by uncovering the fundamental tenants of Luis's World Happiness Foundation: Freedom, Consciousness, and Happiness. More on Luis: Luis is the Founder & President of the World Happiness Foundation and World Happiness Fest and author of Happytalism and The Exponentials of Happiness. He is also the Director of the Gross Global Happiness program at the United Nations University for Peace. Luis is a social innovator and entrepreneur with the higher purpose of elevating the vibration of the planet by developing ideas, connecting thought leaders, activists and communities and increasing awareness on the science of happiness, holistic education and smart innovation.Over the years Luis has been an advisor to CEOs, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, Nobel Laureates, political and institutional game changers on strategic personal positioning and brand building. That access to the brightest and most conscious individuals has inspired him to understand that the world needs new lenses to realize growth and how humans and societies can thrive.Luis has worked in the corporate world as a global executive and has been a protagonist of the transformation of industries such as professional services and the internet. Luis has been an international observer with the UN and OSCE in post-armed conflicts establishing democracy and the right to vote.For Luis, happiness is a human right and a life choice, an enabler of human development and social innovation. That’s why he is committed to creating, with initiatives such as bē and the World Happiness Foundation and World Happiness Fest, spaces for academics, activists, social innovators, scientists, governmental leaders, institutions and leaders, in general, to share and learn, to feel, understand and act towards a happier world and thriving societies.“The world needs new lenses to understand growth and how humans and societies can thrive.” ~ Luis Gallardo Follow the World Happiness Foundation and the World Happiness Fest here:Website: https://worldhappiness.foundation/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldhappinessfoundation/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldhappinessfestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldhappiness-foundation/Twitter: https://twitter.com/worldhappinessfYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8CGp4Y7TyGKKrT35fkXg5A Follow Luis Gallardo here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gallardoworldWebsite: https://gallardo.world/--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life.Today's episode provides three easy ways to practice presence:Ask yourself what is going on inside me right know? Am I feeling nervous or uneasy or tight? Try to get in touch with your emotions because emotions are merely reflections of the mind. And usually our minds are busy manufacturing problems. So when you can tap into your emotions, you are automatically practicing presence and you give your mind a chance to pause, rest and reset.Ask yourself, what thoughts am I producing in my head right now? I do this often when I’m driving. I observe where my mind is going (which is usually thinking about something I have to do or judging a situation) and I bring it back to the now – I notice the feeling in hands from the steering wheel, I pay attention to the license plate ahead of me and the scenery outside the window. By being the observer of your thoughts you can steer them back to the present.Use your five senses to bring you back to the here and now. I just talked about feeling the steering wheel with my hands as I’m driving. That’s one example. I also like to immerse myself in the sounds around me – the rustling of the leaves or people talking. Often we move through life completely out of touch with the sounds around us. Try to feel the air moving through your nostrils or paying extra special attention to how each sip of your coffee tastes. By activating your senses you immerse yourself in the present, the only place in which you can live your best, most calm, most fulfilling life.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Simon and Pooja talk about several big ideas on enabling success including taking Responsibility for your own success, which gets you from being interested to committed, 2) Cultivating your passion via curiosities and pinpointing purpose, 3) Dealing with other peoples' opinions and criticisms, 4) What he calls “destination addiction” as it related to the "I will be happy when" narrative, and 5) What we are going to do with the lottery ticket we’ve all won - the lottery ticket called LIFE. There is a lot of beautiful wisdom here for personal development.More on Simon: "I believe that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. Because the more you grow, the more you feel alive. And the world needs more people like this! I transform lives and help people like you achieve crazy BIG goals."Simon is an Award Winning Life Coach, Business Strategist & Public Speaker based in London with a new book coming out in 2022 called Energize: How to harness your energy and make the most of every moment.Follow Simon here:Website: www.simonalexanderong.comIG: @simonalexanderoLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/simonalexanderongTwitter: @SimonAlexanderOFacebook: www.facebook.com/simonalexanderong.official--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life.Today's episode is about avoiding the "I will be happy when..." mindset trap with wisdom from ancient Buddhist and Yogic philosophy and inspired by Pooja's podcast conversation with Simon Alexander Ong.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

In this conversation you’ll hear Sandra and Pooja talk about how investing in a life coach can help you “unearth the real you”, and about the downsides of living in what Sandra calls “artificial harmony” with others. You’ll also hear them talk about the need to practice our “self-awareness” muscle, the downside to defining ourselves by socially acceptable labels, and thinking about success in terms of a feeling contentment at the end of every day. Sandra’s purpose is to help all of us not just survive, but thrive …while realizing that the biggest impediment to thriving is being trapped by our own ego. In this interview you’ll here her say: "If we’re shackled to who we are now, we can’t reach for who we’ll be next.”About Sandra:Sandra Colhando is a Certified Leadership Coach and Co-Founder of TransforMe. She is an executive coach with over 17 years of experience in helping people and organizations attain maximum effectiveness. Her background includes working with senior leaders, entrepreneurs and female executives of large Fortune 500 companies.Find and Work with Sandra:Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandracolhando/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/successmindsetcoach/Company Website: https://www.transformelearning.com--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Hi everyone – welcome back to the Calm & Free Podcast. On Fridays like this one I share a short, under 3 minute monologue with you where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings or learnings this past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life.This week I want to spotlight the power inherent in TURNING OFF YOUR PHONE. On Wednesday I took a presence break, a block of 20 minutes where I stop everything I’m doing, calm my body, and give my mind the opportunity to connect with the present moment. I was lying on my hammock with my phone beside me and I picked it up and turned it off. The simple action of turning off my phone completely – not just silencing the ring – but shutting it down totally – gave me this almost immediate sensation of lightness. I was unreachable for the next 20 minutes and that made me feel free and happy. The noise of the world couldn’t reach me. I was alone with myself in the stillness of the present moment.Turning off your phone – whether its for 5 min, a half hour, or hours on end can be one of the most healthy, essential things you can do to care for yourself. It helps you connect with the present – the only place where happiness resides. I’m going to do this more often, and I hope you’ll give it a try too.--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

Pooja and Senator Dhingra touch on the social stigmas and conceptions of mental wellbeing versus physical wellbeing, finding a career that’s aligned with your inner true self, using nature as a medium for finding calm, and defining success in ones life and career.About Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra:Manka Dhingra is Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. She brings two decades of experience as a prosecutor and behavioral health expert to her roles as chair of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee and vice chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. She also serves on the Ways & Means Committee.Dhingra was first elected to the Senate by the constituents of the 45th Legislative District in November 2017, the first Sikh legislator elected in the nation. Since then, she has sponsored and passed legislation addressing a wide range of issue areas, including: curbing domestic violence and sexual assault, preventing firearm violence, providing property tax relief for seniors and people with disabilities, prosecuting financial fraud, and reforming the criminal justice system with an evidence-based approach.During her time in the Senate, Dhingra has helped pass legislation and funding to transform the Washington State behavioral health system, reorienting it around prevention rather than crisis response. She continues to strive to ensure that Washingtonians with behavioral health needs get the treatment they need and deserve.As a member of the Special Committee on Economic Recovery, she is helping the state craft an economic plan to lead an equitable recovery from the COVID economic downturn. She also serves on several task forces dedicated to reducing poverty, reforming the criminal justice system, improving equity in state government, and providing a sound and fair fiscal footing for the state.Dhingra continues to serve as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. As Chair of the Therapeutic Alternative Unit, she helped develop and oversee the Regional Mental Health Court, the Veterans Court, and the Community Assessment and Referral for Diversion program. As a mental health and crisis intervention expert, she has also been an instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission for the 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement officers to reduce the risk of tragedy and improve the response to people in crisis.Outside the courtroom, Dhingra is a community leader and anti-domestic violence advocate on the Eastside. She co-founded Chaya, an organization that assists South Asian survivors of domestic violence and led the organization’s work toward ending systemic violence through education and prevention. She also serves on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Eastside.Keep up with  Senator Dhingra:Website: https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/dhingra/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDhingra--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

In the last episode, Episode #43, we looked at how rest is an innate, visceral part of being human and how we need to reset ourselves to be able to tap into our natural instincts of rest.Now we’re going to experience rest with an easy mindfulness breathwork meditation that you can do anywhere. Nhat Hanh says that relaxation is essential for accessing the tranquility and joy that lead to increased personal well-being and that “If we can’t rest, its because we haven’t stopped running” – running the body and the mind. So in this mediation, we’re going to calm both. --For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro! 

In this episode we’ll get into why rest is an instinctual, innate part of being human. Animals naturally rest  -  lions spend the majority of their days lying around and resting. And when an animal is wounded, they look for a very quiet place and stay there for many days, letting their body heal itself. They don’t think about their next meal. They fast. Animals have the wisdom of stopping and resting.  We humans also have this innate capacity to rest, but we’ve been conditioned to go-go-go, and this tendency continues to increase as the pace of technology increases.  So in order to get back to our instinctual primitive behavior of rest, we need to reset ourselves. We need to first use reason and intellectualize why rest is natural, which we are doing right now, and second we need to experience it on a soulful level by actually doing it more.And its not just the body that needs rest. When animals instinctually rest their bodies to heal, they are also resting their minds. They’re not thinking of their next meal or anything else. They’ve simply checked-out.We know the body needs rest because we can see signs or we can feel that we’re tired or sore. But even though the mind doesn’t raise flags in the same way, it needs rest to heal too. As Nhat Hanh discusses it, in our consciousness there are wounds and sores, fogginess and burnout  – all from the thoughts, the memories, and so on. Our consciousness also needs to rest in order to restore itself, just like our body. He writes the following in his book, “How to Relax”: “When we get a cut on our finger we don’t have to do anything except to clean it and to allow it the time to heal, because our body knows how to heal itself. The same thing is true with our consciousness; our consciousness knows how to heal itself if we know how to allow it to do so. “Resting the mind doesn’t have to come solely through meditation and mindful breathing. You can rest the mind by unplugging from the grind for a few minutes, hours, or a few days or by taking a walk and staying present with the nature around you, or by spending time with someone you love – immersed in that time without distraction. Or by reading a book or by simply getting out of your left brain, the side of your brain that involves facts, linear thinking and logic, and more into your right brain which is connected to intuitive thinking, rhythm, imagination and art.In the end, what we’re talking about here is that rest is inherent and inborn. We’re set up naturally to rest more, we now just have to relearn how to make it manifest and prioritize it in our lives. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to just take a pillow and lie down for a few minute, or roll up your jacket and take a rest on the train or in the Uber. Rest is you. Rest is your birthright. Rest is your superpower.Reference Links:https://www.lionsroar.com/resting-in-the-river/--For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.comPodcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.comTwitter: @PoojaMottlInstagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  LinkedIn: @PoojaMottlSpecial Thanks to Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro!