Authentic on Purpose

Welcome, beautiful souls, to Season 4 Heart Led Soul Fed podcast. This is a show that explores how we spiritually and practically embody a life that's heart-led and soul-fed. Many of you know I went whole food plant-based almost a year and a half ago, and part of that is incorporating a strong, healthy mind, body, and soul. So upgrade your body with nutrient-dense supplements that are organic, non-GMO, and not tested on animals. Message me for your $25 gift card. 360-degree wellness begins by building a self-care kit. You can begin that with a dream journal that I curated, a gratitude journal, and my book Intuition Saved My Life, plus lots of other beautiful heart-centered conscious products. Episode 257 welcomes Paul Whedon all the way from the UK. He'll be joining us live and talking about how we can live and be authentic on purpose. I guide empaths and old souls to overcome anxiety, unworthiness, and overwhelm to unleash their gifts and find their purpose. In 8 weeks, you will come away with transformation, clarity, freedom, and purpose. Unleash Your Magic is now open. Unleash Your Purpose is one year of the ultimate transformation within a group experience. Isn't it time to love yourself? Looking for your soul tribe? Well, you found the place. Our Soul Healers Community is welcoming you on the path towards your best life in this lifetime. Learn how to heal with Usui Reiki. I teach Level 1, 2, and Master, as well as Animal Reiki. Guess what? You're psychic. I'm holding a beautiful masterclass all about learning how to open up your intuitive innate gifts. Replays can be found anywhere you watch your favorite videos or listen to your favorite podcasts. Please like, subscribe, and follow, and join us live every Wednesday, 3 PM Mountain. And to find the latest and greatest events, happenings, contests, and more, check out my new website, christinejgold.com. Hello everyone, welcome, welcome! Come on in, whether you're live or you're on the replay. Let us know where you are in the world? Is this your first time joining us, listening to us? Maybe you just stumbled across this, you're not sure why you're here. You— there's a reason, there's always a reason. Here's the thing, we're not going to dismiss the information the collective, the universe drops on our lap, right? That's how synchronicity and manifestation works. So let us know where you're from, please say hello and share and tag and comment and do all those wonderful, beautiful things so that other beautiful souls can find us. And of course, because it's not about me or you, it's about we. And today I have a very special guest, Paul Whedon. I'm just going to bring him on and I'm going to stop talking. Welcome, welcome to the show.

Hi Christine, thank you so much for having me on. It's a pleasure to be here.

So where exactly in the UK are you?

So I'm in a, a small city called Brighton on the south coast, which is about an hour from London. It's kind of famous for being bohemian and open-minded, and, you know, somewhere people come to have fun at the weekend, that sort of thing, but also quite spiritual actually. And there's lots of, um, yeah, Reiki people and yoga people and therapists and that kind of thing as well.

Oh, I love that. I love that. And, uh, we're just welcoming, uh, lovely Gitte from a rainy Denmark. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, thank you. That's wonderful. Yeah, you're saying bohemian, so I mean, it kind of reminds— I'm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and we have some bohemian places in, in the area. Um, so do you— I guess in, in Brighton, do you find it— is it transient at all, or What's the vibe like?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's lots of people coming and going all the time. Lots of students, big, big university and language student kind of city. So there's lots of people coming and going and changing. It changes very frequently. I've been here 12 years, no, 14 years this winter. And I also lived here in the '90s when I was much younger for a few years as well. So I've seen a lot of changes and yeah, a lot of people come and go and it just seems to, yeah, it's just probably the most open-minded place I'd say in the UK, even maybe except for London perhaps.

Okay. And where are you from originally?

So I grew up in Essex, just outside London on the sort of slightly more northeast coast, which was you know, much more suburban and kind of just, yeah, more kind of everyday people, very working class, very working class done good kind of folk. Yeah, so I've always been around sort of Southeast really, except for living abroad briefly and yeah, living in Scotland briefly where my dad is.

Scotland, that's a place on my list. I've got UK, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland. I'm doing this whole—

Oh yeah, I'd love to go there.

Yeah, amazing. Uh, so maybe tell us a little bit more about why you got into, you know, your mental health, uh, services, your CBT. What kind of— I mean, I want to go to childhood. I mean, I think that's where we all tend to go, but maybe you can let us know.

Yeah, yeah. So, so, um, I think, you know, I kind of— when I was in school, I was— what I really cared about was music. I was obsessed with you know, kind of rock music. And, uh, I love rock too. Yeah, yeah, I was just, I was just absolutely fell in love with, uh, you know, Van Halen and Bon Jovi and stuff growing up. And all I wanted to do was sing and play guitar in a band. And I actually got, you know, sort of pretty close to it when I was very young. I was only 16, 17. I was, um, I was in a local band in, in in a town called Colchester, and we were playing all over the Southeast and London, everything. We weren't even old enough to be in a lot of the places we were playing. And I got to, um, perform with some of the ex-members of Iron Maiden and, uh, some bands like Dogs to More and a guy from American band White Lion. And, um, oh wow, you know, yeah, and just, you know, I was really, really young and it was all— I really thought, this is my life, this is going to happen. And then the kind of grunge scene kind of came along as I was reaching my late teens. I didn't really know how to kind of adapt to that A lot of my friends kind of went off kind of hard rock and I thought, I'm going to get into kind of electronic music, rave music and do something else. And my parents were like, yeah, you've had a really good go at that, but maybe you should get some other skills under your belt and keep doing your music. And it was that kind of 80/20 kind of thing where I was jumping around from job to job, career to career, kind of hospitality, fashion, and yeah, lots of other things. Web design at one point, all kinds of things, but not really feeling much. Everything seemed to be much more about money. And I think if I'd had a coach or a good therapist at the time, I would have kind of perhaps steered towards getting more music knowledge, more theory, more music business, more production, which I have done later in life over the years. But I kind of lost my sort of dream a bit, lost my way a bit until in my 30s I was getting into self-development kind of off the back of, I guess, bouts with sort of some mental health stuff like depression and just not feeling kind of good about my day-to-day life. I got into people like Wayne Dyer.

Oh yeah, he's my favorite.

Absolutely. Yeah. Neil Donald Walsh. I was a big fan of all his books. Doreen Virtue, I read all her books, loved all that. And yeah, and that just kind of led me towards, I suppose, meditation and more kind of self-development workshops. And then I just, it just came to me one day as an idea that, you know, I think I'd met some counselors and therapists and stuff on some of these workshops I was doing and was just like, I think, I think I'm going to give that a go. It just seemed really clear that was my next thing. So yeah, around, around sort of early 30s, getting on, what is it, like 17 years now or something, I started, you sort of training to be a sort of counselor, therapist, and clinical supervisor, and then, and then coach and working with the body and coaching and that sort of thing into my 40s, really.

Wonderful. Yeah, it's very interesting that you're a musician. I think that's fantastic. I think we were holding— I was holding a full supermoon ceremony with the Lionsgate last night, and we were talking about— yeah, we were just talking about, you know, the energy and how mu— you know, people are like, they were asking me what channeling was, and I said, it's intuitive writing. It's all the same. I said, you don't have to channel a being from the 400th dimension. You just channel your higher self. And then I said, musicians are probably the biggest channelers, right?

Yeah. I mean, I think if they're, if they're, you know, making music authentically and they're not, you know, writing for Simon Cowell or someone like that, then— which is much harder to do it if you're working. Well, you know, I mean, if you are working—

I'm just teasing. I'm just teasing. I'm just really, I mean, you know, kind of channeling Simon there. Anyways, you know, in the early days he was quite mean, and now I think— well, I feel because he's had children, children have kind of— his son— anyways, that's a whole other story. But yeah, and we were talking about the tones, the healing tones of music. It's just not— oh yes, today's music, it is all ancient.

Yeah, the ancients. And, you know, I knew a lot more about frequency. And, um, although I believe Nikola Tesla did as well, and he, he did quite a lot. Oh yeah, frequency and vibration and tuning instruments to the closer to the human resonance. And I think what's known as the solfeggio tuning, which is something I've, I've explored a little bit myself. Um, yes, all that's really, really fascinating, isn't it? The idea that, you know, we're all frequencies and made of vibrating particles, everything. And music is as well. And, you know, that's— I think that's pretty fascinating.

It is. I mean, science is just catching up to what Eastern philosophy has known for thousands of years, right?

100%.

Yeah. So I guess what's your What's your purpose? Do you, do you feel it's right now?

Yeah, so yeah, so I suppose if I could maybe explain a bit about how I got to that. Um, yeah, so over the last kind of 15 years or so, I've been working for various organizations as a mental health counselor, and, uh, yes, in schools, um, for the National Health Service for a few years, um, in the, in private practice working with a lot of professionals in London, like lawyers and people in finance and all of those, you know, big institutions, and found out that even people who, you know, have these great careers and earn lots of money, they're often— they have similar problems in many ways to people, kind of, you know, who don't have that. And what I realized is most of them, they're doing things either for money or because they feel that they have to. And, you know, often I found out they don't really have, you know, hobbies that they do anymore or much kind of going on in their personal life that's really, you know, really sort of meaningful to them. So yeah, sort of over the years I've kind of helped so many people from all different ways of life, all different backgrounds to kind of you know, guide them and help them, support them towards doing more things, even if it's just in their free time, even if it's just what they do at the weekend with their families and friends, you know, rather than just everything being about, you know, work, really.

Yeah, no, I get that. I, as I'm sure we're both entrepreneurs, right? Sometimes that's all that we— is, is our work. But we find when we're pushing too much, we're just being— we're doing and we're not being. And even if you're taking moments of rest, and especially play and just letting go, like just getting outside, you receive— I don't know about you, but I receive so much inspiration, so many clearings, so many ideas. Um, and it's important to especially be creative I find as well, because it's very healing, as amongst other things. I mean, because if you're not living joyfully, having fun, play just to play, then I get it, you get led astray. I've been there. I was on that corporate hamster wheel.

And yeah, exactly, exactly. I mean, when we're young, it's very easy, isn't it, to kind of have fantasies and imagine, you know, I'm going to be an actor, I'm going to be an athlete, or whatever it is. And And just over time, we get gradually steered towards, you know, societal expectations of us, you know, cultural expectations, family expectations, friends. And before we know it, you know, we— I always think it's a bit like a gym membership, you know. In the new year, everyone signs up to a new gym, and best of intentions, they go 3, 4 times a week for a while, and then over time, they gradually find more and more reasons every week, every day to go less and less. And after a while, they're not going there hardly at all, and they're still paying for it. And I think often with work and careers, it's like that. We sort of get steered towards it's just about money, just get through the day and then just go and do something else to forget about it. You watch Netflix, drink some alcohol or something or whatever it is, and be distracted basically from yourself, from your life. Rather than sort of go into it and say, well, look, what do I really want to do in the next, you know, 5 minutes? What do I really want to do in the next day, in the next 5 days? And I think if we start practicing doing more things in our free time that are meaningful, then over time we'll align with, you know, ideally a career that is more meaningful and purposeful for us. And if not, then at least we could put more perhaps, you know, sort of passion into what we're doing, even if it's not— if we know we have to do something because we've got to pay, we've got lots of bills to pay and, you know, family to feed and all that, which is, you know, I totally understand. You know, then we can just decide, well, you know, I'm going to give it 100% or as best I can and just make the best of my free time and then work towards something that's more authentic and purposeful in the future.

Absolutely. I mean, children— I mean, I, I work with a lot of people in, in healing their inner child, is that at some point in their life they were told, you know, what they did was dumb, it doesn't make money, oh my goodness, what would the neighbors think, you know, we don't do that in our family, um, you're not good enough, you know, all of those, right?

Yeah, yeah, stop being selfish and Stop being idealistic. Yeah, yeah.

Stop being a dreamer. Oh boy.

Yeah, yeah. You know, and I think there is, there is, you know, obviously with being an adult that comes responsibility and we should do things safely and responsibly, you know, where necessary, of course. But that doesn't mean that we can't make, you know, radical, important changes by doing things safely. I mean, but often there are these underlying assumptions, these black and white thinkings that people have that I just can't do that until something else happens, or I can't do that right now because whatever reason. And just over time, you know, it just gets harder and harder to get back to who you really want to be. And, you know, often I think, you know, we sort of look back and, or we might look back when we say 90, and we're not going to say, I wish I spent more time just making money for the sake of it. We're going to say, I wish that I spent more time doing what I really, really want to do, what I really, really wanted to do with my life. And now it's kind of too late to do a lot of those things.

Absolutely. And it really comes down to our beliefs. I always say they're BS. Our belief systems are BS. Because they become our feelings and then they turn into our actions and then we get our results. And we love to talk ourselves out of things. So where do you think that comes from?

Well, I think it kind of often starts with parents. Obviously, the first people that we come in contact with and they, you know, most of the time they're well-intended and they They just want us to be safe. They just want to not have to worry about us. You know, they don't want to be stressed about and worried about how we're getting by every day. They want to know that we have security and stability. And we all want that for our family and friends, of course, you know. But sometimes they're sort of blindsided by that and miss out on, you know, saying occasionally, just go for it. Just absolutely, you know, you've got nothing to lose. Especially if you're like 25 or whatever, you know, you haven't got any kids yet, or you haven't got a lot of responsibility, what have you got to lose? Just totally go for it. And, you know, quit that job that you aren't enjoying, that is making you miserable. Just go and, you know, put 100% into what you really want to be doing for a while and then reassess, you know, or at least, you know, spend your time with with people that, you know, you really like, doing things in free time with people you really like and doing things you really enjoy doing. You know, you don't just work to live, as they say.

Yeah, live, live to work.

Exactly. I always worry if I get that wrong way around, but no, it's fine.

It's all good. I get it. And I like to surround myself with people who are smarter and doing amazing, great, you know, inspirational things and dare I say, better looking. It doesn't matter. No, I'm kidding. I just remember Gene Simmons talking about his kids, and, you know, he has this big ego, right? But he, he's tongue-in-cheek. He said, how dare my children be, you know, better looking and taller and making, you know, more out of their life than I did. So yeah, yeah, that's really what it comes down to, is our parents' fears, you know, things that they didn't get to accomplish.

Yeah, yeah, that's— I think that's— I think there's definitely elements. I've definitely worked with a lot of people whose, you know, parents are envious of them, or at least don't show them the, you know, the kind of support that they need and put them down. And some of it sounds well-intended, you know, they're worried about them, you know, but ultimately it's damaging, like, to tell them don't do that, or, you know, you're maybe you should focus on your day job, you know, or don't quit your day job, or, you know, maybe you're not as good at whatever as you think you are. Uh, you know, that's, that's really what people— not what people need, because everyone can get better. I really believe everyone can get really good at whatever they, you know, really focus, you know, really kind of focus their attention onto long enough. You're going to get good at it. There'll always be someone better, of course. There'll always be and it's not a competition, but you'll always be the best you can be in your own unique way. You can't juggle unless you spend a lot of time. I was talking to my son about this the other day, like, why don't you take up juggling? He's like, it's boring. I just want to kind of play video games all the time. It's like, it's not boring. It's just that you have to give it so much focus that eventually it will completely— I'm not a juggler, by the way, but I've had a go and I've seen people who are really good at it. We all have. It's absolutely hypnotic and mesmerizing. And it's certainly not boring, the attention, focus, and the dedication it requires. And I think anything that's worth doing in life is kind of like that. It's playing the guitar or dancing or singing, making things with your hands. All these things aren't supposed to be easy, but they're supposed to take time and practice, right?

Yeah. And we just— well, there's a perfectionist. There's a lot of those. Um, or they just— they're not being patient and loving with themselves. They expect to have it right the first time, and yeah, it's not true. I mean, I've been at this podcasting for almost 5 years, you know. You go back to video 1, like my first video ever, you know, I'm looking, I'm like, wow, okay, you know what, we're doing great, it's all good.

I mean, and that's all part of the process. Yeah, yeah, that's so important, isn't it? Because you know, to have that, you know, that process of self-development. And in any art form, in any skill, in any, you know, and I think in the culture now we're in this, it's certainly in the West, we're in this culture of instant gratification, instant dopamine hit, which is, you know, highly addictive. And I think very damaging to children's development, an ability to have, be self-disciplined and kind of, you know, get better at something and be, accepts where they are and just, you know, they want to just be beating a video game in a day's time and winning, I don't know, whatever it is that doesn't even exist in within a game, you know.

Um, oh yeah, I remember that with my boys, you know, they love video games and we would play certain games, Super Mario or whatever it was, and then we needed cheat codes because we had to beat that level. I'm, I just thinking about that, I'm like, that's just Crazy.

But back then it wasn't as so all-consuming and seductive. Like, the game wasn't live online, and if your mum said dinner's ready, you could stop and pause it even and come back to it. And now it's like, oh, I can't stop, I'm in the middle of this tournament. And, you know, the fact the world actually— the world revolves around that tournament, they think. And it's, you know, it's very frustrating and actually irresponsible for, I think, the makers of these things to kind of build things in that way that it's so damaging to family time and our, you know, kind of family cultural time and that.

I agree, I do. I mean, it reminds me of a friend of mine. He, he's written a couple books. His latest is Stolen Focus, and that's exactly what it is. And if they only knew, they— these people that play these games, they have skills, they have coordination, they have determination, they have, you know, there's a lot of things Yeah, and I can hear the seagulls. Are you by the sea?

Yes.

Yeah, well, that's nice.

They're really big. They're like, they steal your sandwiches and everything.

Oh wow, they're like, uh, the version of our ravens here. They're, they're huge too. They could take off with cats and dogs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, Gitte is just, uh, saying it's a work in progress.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, I think video games are great just coming back to it for fun, like every now and again as a treat. But go to the amusement arcades with $10 or whatever, have a great time. But you leave in a couple of hours and you go and do something else. You don't stay there all day or stay locked in it for 5, 6 hours. You can't afford to. That was the thing that kind of kept you, I think, from doing that is you had to keep putting more money in it. And now it's just at home, these cinematic games, just all consuming, just in people's homes, everyone's homes. I mean, I've worked with children in schools that have like never read a book, you know, their parents have never read a book. So they just either watch, you know, Netflix or, and very short things, not even movies very often. Often they just watch, you know, quite short episodes of things, 10, 20 minutes, and then they don't even read books, they just play video games. They, you know, rarely, they don't do any team sports, they rarely go out into nature. I think it is a real concern.

It's very concerning. That's like a disconnection and a form of escapism as well.

100%.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

And it plays on mental— your health, your everything, like your whole body.

I'm pretty convinced from a lot of the work I've done in schools that— I mean, especially in special needs schools, I mean, almost 100% of the children have ADHD, autism, or both, and sometimes something else, some other diagnostic. And they're all addicted to video games, they're all addicted to energy drinks, uh, none of them read or watch movies anymore, um, none of them have much quality time with their families in the way that we would have done when we were growing up. Um, I think, I think this is, you know, it's kind of, if not causing it, it's making these neurological conditions worse. I think it's certainly worsening them.

I agree. It's, it's, yeah, it, it's— wow. A digital detox, that's what I'm hearing. Just unplug everything. I remember this one time my niece and nephew didn't want to do their chores, and mean Auntie Christine unplug the Wi-Fi. Well, I never seen two kids move any faster. Where's the Wi-Fi? I can't get online. And I, anyways, I was the Wicked Witch of the West.

Yeah, I don't care.

I don't care.

It's the worst punishment for them, isn't it? Like, you know, that's, that's what they're working towards. Um, I mean, I, you know, I've said to my son, if you, you know, you can do anything in your free time that's suitable for your age, uh, and it's, but it's got to be has some meaning to it and it's got to be out there with others, you know, or at least, you know, taking photographs or making something or, you know, but if you don't find something that you have some passion for, some love for that you're sort of developing, then you're not going to have a computer in the future. I'm not going to, and that's something I don't want to do. I don't like being all or nothing. I don't I like the— I think the middle path, which I think, you know, comes back to perhaps Buddhist kind of philosophy, is, is, you know, where possible, the best, isn't it? If we can walk the middle path and enjoy something but not be overly stimulated and not be overly dependent on it, that's ideal. If you can't, then you should knock it on the head.

Yeah, but I agree.

Before you do that, you should really try, if you enjoy something, to enjoy it sensibly Yeah, I mean, same with, you know, kids.

Oh, I don't like broccoli, or I'm not going to eat that. And I'm like, how do you know you don't like it? Have you tried it? No. Yeah, I would challenge them. I'd be like, no, you have to try it first anyways.

Or they try it, or they try it with a sort of the mindset of I'm not going to let myself like this, and it's just kind of like— and then, oh yeah, yeah, that's the other—

yes, I'm gonna prove you wrong.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're good at that.

Oh, they are. They're, they're always testing boundaries and pushing, pushing. I get it, I get it. Uh, yeah, very important, uh, point from Gitte. Lack of grounding. I mean, that's part of getting outside, hugging a tree. I mean, I just saw this massive dragonfly go by, and I, I'm always looking for signs or, yes, messages that— but that's just how my mind works.

Absolutely, yeah. I mean, just there's nothing better than reconnecting with nature for your own, you know, well-being and therapy. I think it's one of the strongest things. I mean, I don't know about where you— I'm sure it's better than here— but the summer this July has been the wettest in I don't know how long. And I'm used to— I'm usually swimming in the sea every day, usually out running every day, and, you know, we're on picnics, camping trips. And I'm really hoping it's going to improve because that does affect my mood.

The seasonal affective usually happens in the winter, not the summer.

Yeah, it's happening for me in July. It's happened in July at the moment, which I'm a bit down about, but it will get— I know it always gets better, but it's dragging now.

Come on.

We've had sort of 10 degrees, not 10, but maybe 13-degree mornings. Quite a bit.

Wow.

Okay, very cold.

Yeah, we're close to the mountains, so, you know, like today it'd be 31. It's been really warm here, but then it drops down to 11 overnight. So it gets— because that's that mountain, it swings high and then it swings low. So, yeah, yeah. So who are your favorite types of people to work with? Is it children? Is it corporate?

Who Yeah, um, so that's a great question. Um, I think it's a type of person, like, if I were to pick it out of the differences, I suppose, that just somebody who's got a hunger for self-knowledge and self-development. They want to learn and grow and let people help them. Um, they're open-minded. They We have amazing conversations. Yeah, and they turn up, they commit to the work and they kind of, they turn up and, you know, do the work and they work hard and they, you know, I enjoy, I love that feeling of working with people like that. They work me hard, they work hard. We get fantastic results in often quicker than we expect. You know, they come back and have something else they want to kind of do next. But often they're, you know, I'd say often they're creatives. Often they are, as adults, they're often professionals and they're often in a really, you know, great profession in a way. And that's one time they've probably really loved it and they're now kind of experiencing, you know, frustration, sometimes burnout. Sometimes they're off work, so they're, you know, they've kind of got to a point where they're having time off work perhaps, and they're at a point where they really are at a crossroads and they really want to, like, you know, to kind of, um, focus and commit to kind of going in some new directions really and changing some lifestyle habits. And, um, I mean, one of the people I spoke to this week, a guy who had another podcast I think called Lifestyle is the Medicine, I think that's called, and I love that because I've thought that for like quite a few years. I've never actually I never quite said it out loud because I thought it might not be, but I think it is. I'm pretty sure it is. And over time I'm like, it definitely is. The more you do in your life that you love and is meaningful and enjoyable, or at least brings you something that has some purpose, and even if you don't love it, even if it's more of a chore, but there's something there's some jewel, some gem in there for you further deeper down, then you're going to feel really alive and you're going to get up every day feeling like, what am I doing today? You're not going to keep pressing snooze like I've done for years and like many people I talk to do, you know, just keep pressing snooze and going to bed as late as you can to get the most out of the day, you know, because you sort of have this misguided illusion that by staying up later you gain more the next day rather than losing more the next day. And actually you're just a zombie just walking around feeling terrible and in a bad mood and don't want to do anything, don't enjoy anything, just half asleep. Um, so, but I did that for years and, and, you know, live to regret it and realize actually why not actually go to bed earlier than you need to or start to get ready to. And that's one of the things I talk to people a lot is sleep hygiene. So start preparing for bed an hour or so before you actually want to be asleep, you know, meditate, stretch, yoga, breathwork, reading something that's gentle or listening to some really gentle music and then just fall asleep feeling really blissful and wake up at 6 AM feeling pretty damn good and ready to get up, you know, like, and excited about what am I doing this morning, you know, what am I going to do, get some exercise, eat some good food, send some meaningful emails, have some great conversations. Yeah, I mean, that's to me seems like a much better way of living than going to bed late, getting up late, jumping out of bed jumping in a shower, not even having anything to eat, jumping on a train or a bus, grabbing a cup of coffee and spilling it all over you on the way, running into some office or workplace, you know, covered in coffee and sweat, feeling terrible like I used to do.

Yeah, we've all done that. I, you know, your coffee spills, the whole day is ruined. Oh yeah.

All over your shirt and like sweat everywhere. And it's like you're laying there.

No, that's important about the sleep. You know, is your home a place, a sanctuary? Is your bedroom set up for success? Meaning, is it cool? Is it comfortable? Is it inviting? If it's not, then make it how you want it. If you can't shut your mind off, what do you suggest for that? Because people will be like, as soon as I put my head in the pillow, my mind is going.

Yeah, so I think for me it's, it's, it's more about the build-up to that. And so I think Often when people tell me that, if you start to examine what they did before that, you know, often there's things like they were still answering emails and work calls at 8, sometimes later in the evening, or doing some work-related tasks. So they haven't actually stopped working. They're at home and they've had a meal perhaps that they've barely noticed and barely spoken to their family, and they're half still in a conversation with somebody who's somewhere else in the world. And then they've watched something overstimulating, you know, murder or series or some massive drama, and they might have played video games. They probably have some coffee or maybe too much alcohol, and then they just kind of, and then, you know, they kind of just got into bed and just expected to kind of be tired. And it's like, well, you're overstimulated and your brain's still saying, what about this, what about this, what about this? So Often I talk to people about having a journal and a diary for things you put down for tomorrow morning, you know, 7 AM, I'm going to do this, I'm going to send this person an email, I'm going to address this. So then you put that out of your mind. I'm going to, you know, perhaps have some light exercise when I get up. So you start planning the next day. I'm going to eat something delicious. I'm going to have some nice fruit and a little bit of coffee maybe to get me going, if you like that. But not too much. Um, and so, so yeah, it's kind of like, I think it's like being more organized and actually taking out— intentional, intentional, and exactly— and taking out what you don't need. You don't need to be stimulated by, you know, mainstream news or any news actually late in the evening, especially if it's bad.

Oh, the news stands for never evolving with spirit. I, I don't subscribe to it.

I love that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So Yeah, never involving spirit and just like taking in a load of, uh, you know, sort of negative information and fear that doesn't really matter right now whilst you're trying to get ready for bed anyway. Um, and, and most of it you can't do anything about anyway. So, so put it aside for maybe, you know, when you need a bit, you know. It's, it's not saying don't know anything about the world or don't ever watch the news. Of course, if you enjoy watching the news, enjoy watching the news, but do it mindfully and do it at a more sensible time of day, perhaps, you know, maybe on your lunch break or something like that, or, you know, sometime when you don't need to sleep afterwards. So I think habits and meaningful habits are really, really important to kind of cultivate.

Yeah, like having a self-care routine. I mean, I talk about that with my clients all the time, and it's something I practice every day as well. Yoga and breathwork, meditation has been everything for me, journaling. And then I like to pull cards. And these are affirmation cards. You know, I am powerful. I am happy. So that, that's about going back to gratitude. So if you can pick just one thing and then start building up and then saying it to yourself, and it just becomes who you are, and, and catching your old beliefs and thoughts as well. I, I feel that's really important.

Yeah, I mean, It's definitely something I need to get better at, is that kind of positive affirmations, even writing them down. And I mean, for a while I was doing this thing from a book called The Artist's Way.

Oh, that's a beautiful book.

I've read it.

I've played with it.

I can't remember her name in this moment.

Julia Cameron, I believe.

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. And so the first thing in that that I think everyone takes from it is just the the free writing, the sort of free association writing, journaling, where every morning or evening or both if you want, you just open and you kind of start. I don't really know what to write right now. I don't even want to be writing right now. I haven't got time to write right now. Oh, but actually now I feel like saying this. And over time, it just— you just start to get everything out of your system that is holding you back, your sort of unconscious beliefs, your shadow traits, uh, what you believe about yourself and others, what conversations people had. You can just write out, and when he said this or she said that, I felt, then I should have said them, where'd it go, whatever it is. It's a really great practice, and I, I must— I, I need to do more of that as well. I think that's, you know, kind of a way of sort of purging, and then, you know, then restore with affirmations and pulling cards and readings and these kind of things. I think are absolutely, you know, really, really powerful and really wonderful things.

They are. And then once you're, you know, more open and aware and letting go and being more open to everything, attached to nothing, just beautiful things come in. Um, I'm just going to ask the question, are— is anyone here struggling with their health, your thoughts, your beliefs, your purpose? Do you need help? You know, drop your questions here, comments, feedback. We would love to help you, whether it's live or it's on the replay. Either way, we'll make sure you're connected to either one of us. So absolutely, we're not, we're not those other kind of shows where, you know, you have millions of followers and you don't connect with any of them. Um, it's all for shock and awe. Yes. Um, I don't subscribe to that as well. So, uh, and I always ask my guests these two questions. I, I know you already answered this one, but it might change. Uh, what, what does magic feel like to you? Or what is that?

Well, I think one experience of magic I have more and more frequently is kind of being in what's sometimes coined like flow state. And so where intuition is kind of guiding your next moment to moment, um, you know, it could be doing something creative like working on a piece of music or having a really meaningful conversation or getting a spark of inspiration that kind of says you should check out, you know, this YouTube channel even, or remembering what somebody told you in a conversation, something that, you know, would be really good for you to have a look at, or texting a friend and saying, hey, I haven't— we haven't spoken in a while, I really want to meet up, I really want to hear what you're up to, you know, just kind of following that flow and doing what feels, you know, really good to you, I think, is one aspect of magic. I think there are many others. I think it can show up as something like miraculous sometimes, like when people don't think something is possible or think something is doomed and inevitably going to go wrong, and then someone's faith or courage or combination of qualities just leads to something absolutely amazing happening that nobody thought was possible. I think, you know, there's a couple of examples there, but I think there are many kinds. And I'd like to have more experience with magic. I've had some for sure, um, you know, in my free meditation I've definitely, uh, experienced expanded consciousness and being, um, you know, what's called these days non-duality, which has become quite trendy term, um, you know, sort of being having a oneness experience. I've had moments or even days of that at times, which was magical. And then kind of coming back to being more of a sort of individual with insecurities and fears and, you know, and more introverted and kind of less kind of fearless, I suppose. More in the ego, I suppose. It's like, I guess it's kind of like that, the shift between ego state and higher state. You know, I think higher state is magical because you feel, you can feel completely fearless and one with the universe and nothing fazes you and nothing anyone thinks bad about you matters. And then go right back to, you know, contracting into, oh my God, like, what's so-and-so going to think of what I just said? Or what I believe about something that everyone else doesn't believe, you know.

Yeah, yeah. And that's what authenticity is, is just having the courage to be yourself no matter what. Yeah, that's how I see it. And that's all that matters, honestly. Um, yeah. And, and I think of Wayne Dyer, it's none of my business what other people think. And, and the thinking, that's where the disconnection comes from. Once you start analyzing and thinking, you've already cut yourself off. To the magic.

Yeah, I like that. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And, uh, go ahead, go ahead.

No, I was just thinking, like, you know, I often have— I've had thoughts over, you know, things I don't, you know, haven't perhaps liked my authentic self, haven't liked, you know, the self that is kind of pushing to kind of come through and say, hey, you know, show everyone this side of yourself. And it's like, no, I don't want to be this weird hippie guy.

You're gonna attract all the weird hippie guys and gals. Yeah, when we were talking, I see you as like the rock star mental health counselor. Now you're gonna attract people who are like, yeah, we love rock, I'm a musician, I'm an inner artist. There you go.

Well, I think a lot— I think a lot of rock stars would still be— there's a lot of rock stars who aren't, who aren't with us anymore, unfortunately. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. I if they had have been more balanced and not just, um, focused on their music and had maybe a therapist and a coach, or at least more people that cared about them and weren't just trying to make money out of them, they'd probably still be alive, you know.

Like, agreed. Elvis Presley, there's so many, so many. Gosh. Um, and the other question I always ask is, how can we as a collective energy help make your dreams come true?

Wow. Um, make my dreams come true.

Yeah. Do you have like— I call it a Moby Dick, big whale of a dream?

Well, I guess my, you know, adult self dream— I mean, I guess my biggest adult self dream is, is, you know, what I really love is, is helping people to get through to who they really want to be. Um, and I'll always have, you know, my passions and, you know, exploring music. And I love doing martial arts and things like that. But, you know, I'm never— that's not my focus in terms of, you know, kind of being professional in that way that I used to when I was in my early 20s. Now I want to just make music for myself, really, and for those that love music that I love to make and love artists that I love. That's great. But I don't really mind so much if people don't like what I do. I've kind of come to terms with that. But yeah, my main kind of passion and dream is kind of helping people to kind of align with who they really want to be and help them to not make some of the mistakes I made when I was younger or any age, really. It's never too late to kind of line up and make a commitment to yourself to be more real and kind of just get through that fear of what others think, or what you even think about, you know, your, your, how things might not work out, you know, why not just do it anyway? And then when you look back, you can say, well, I really gave that a really good chance. And actually, I loved every moment. And even though I didn't get the outcome I really, really perhaps imagined from my maybe ego self, I've got an amazing outcome. And, you know, it's the outcome I was meant to have, because that's where I am now.

Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful. So you, you want to help people, but what does Paul want?

Um, I want the world to— well, what do I ultimately want? I want the world to, you know, connect and yeah, get aligned with, with themselves and each other and spirit and stop focusing on difference, um, and nuance and identity there's anything wrong with identity. Identity is great. But if that's all we're focusing on, and we're obsessed with it to the point of, you know, this is who I am, and you're not that, and therefore we can't be connected. You know, I think that's, that's a really sad thing. And, you know, what I really like— that's, yeah, that's what I really like doing is helping people to kind of get closer to their authentic purpose. And I've I've got this ebook that I'm putting out, this free ebook that's kind of about helping people to kind of start doing things in their life that's really meaningful to them. So read stuff that's going to help you grow, pay attention to people who know more than you, have mentors, have philosophies that you can get really into. Do a practice with your body, a dance, martial art, acting, whatever, anything that brings your body and mind together. Play chess, sing, make stuff, do stuff with people, connect, play sports. That's what I really want to do with my life, is really helping people to do that and then spend the rest of my time having a great time with my friends and family. Doing things I love to do because I love doing it. I mean, make people happy, they make me happy.

Yeah, and there is a free e-guide, 6 Steps to Live More Authentically on Purpose. So I've dropped that in the comments and in the description so you guys have it there. You're welcome. And Gitte is just— she's noticing your— well, I think it's a plant in Danish. I guess it has a nickname, mother-in-law's sharp tongue.

Is it? I I think it's aloe. We call it aloe. I think it's an aloe plant. I don't know which one. I'm not very good.

We call it a snake plant.

Do you?

Yeah.

It's got 3 names.

Yeah.

It's probably got more names.

Snake, aloe, and sharp tongue. Interesting.

Do you know what? It's the only plant that doesn't die without loads and loads of attention in my basement flat where there isn't a lot and a lot of sunlight.

It's a hardy plant. Yeah.

It is very hardy.

Yeah, those are fantastic. And plants are, you know, they just add beautiful energy to a space as well.

So definitely, definitely.

Yeah, yeah. Well, it was wonderful connecting with you today, Paul. And if you want to get a hold of Paul, I've left all the information there. Mind Body Counseling and Coaching, you can check that out on Facebook and on the website. And any last words before we say goodbye?

Yeah, so if you enjoy the ebook and you enjoy the newsletters that come with that and the workbook that comes after that, you can book a one-to-one with me to kind of get to know each other a bit better and focus on what's your— what would you— if we had a magic wand, what would your ideal life look like? And we'll explore some of the things maybe you used to want to do and some of the things maybe you've only just decided you might like to try and look at maybe what are some of the realistic kind of barriers that may stand in your way, or perceived barriers even that may stand in your way, but maybe they don't stand in your way. Maybe you just feel they do, and we'll break down those, and we'll, if you wanted to, we'll put together a little, a little, little course of work for you to kind of get where you really want to be. That's kind of, that's kind of the goal really.

So yeah, beautiful. Well, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate you. I just have a little bit of housekeeping. Housekeeping, everyone. Um, if you're not familiar, I've been holding a free Authentic Connections via Zoom the first Saturday of the month, which is coming up this Saturday at 11 AM Mountain. The links are in the descriptions and comments as well. If you can't find it, let me know. And we also held a lovely Lionsgate Super Moon in Aquarius. As we all know, there's two supermoons this month. Pretty powerful, potent energy, really channeling. I mean, this is the time for manifestation. This is it. This is the portal. This is the gateway. So if you want to learn more, head to my YouTube channel. And as well, I'm holding a workshop, uh, really unleashing and tapping in and honing and knowing your intuitive gifts as a psychic, as an intuitive, as a healer. All right everyone, uh, thank you so much for being here. I'm sending everyone lots of love, and, uh, please remember, let the healing begin. Do you feel stuck? Are you in pain? Are you looking to create your soul's purpose but you don't know where to start? Unleash Your Soul's Purpose mentorship. Hi, my name is Christine J Gold, and I'm the founder of 24 Karat Healing. The highly experimental mentorship will help you discover your gifts, free them, and shine your inner light to spread unconditional love, unleashing your magic and your gifts and ultimately your purpose. You will experience phenomenal breakthroughs, aha moments, epiphanies, energy healing, clearing, Inner Child Work, Higher Intuition, Vivid Dream Recall. All training slides, PDFs, and audio meditations are recorded and available for you to watch at any time. You can take them with you wherever you go. I hope to see you soon.