Balancing Masculine & Feminine Energies w/ Blake Worrall Thompson

What's up guys, welcome back to the podcast. Thank you so much for being here and joining me for this episode. I love you and appreciate you so freaking much. Um, this podcast wouldn't be what it is without you, so thank you for being here. I'm really excited to dive into this week's episode because I have a little bit of a different kind of a guest for you all this week. So this week I'm joined by Blake Worrell Thompson, who is a lifestyle and performance coach from Australia, and he works both men and women, but I wanted to bring him on the show to give us the male perspective and sort of that masculine side and like an inside look at how some of these themes in personal development and in relationships show up from the man's perspective. So we dive into a lot of different things. We talk about overcoming adversity, we get into a lot of the masculine and feminine energies and how that shows up both for men and women. And how those integrate with each other when it comes to relationships and what men actually feel like they're needing more of in relationships. And I share some of my relational experiences, and we talk about sexual chemistry and how that has to deal with the polarity of these two energies. So I think you guys are really, really gonna love this episode, so I'm excited to bring it to you this week. And I did just want to remind you and let you know that I have started a brand new TikTok account. So if you don't already follow me on TikTok, if you have the app and you're on it anyway, please go over and just give me a follow. My handle is the exact same as it is on Instagram, so it's @_samanthadaily. Been posting lots of videos over on TikTok, and I'm excited to stay consistent with it and see what fun I can have on that platform and share little bits of advice and insight and relationship tips and all that kind of stuff over there. So if you don't already, go over to TikTok and follow me at @_samanthadaily, and I will see you guys over there., and I hope you enjoy this week's episode. If you do, this might be one of the ones where you wanna kind of like pull your notes app out or like jot down some little notes. Um, and if you do love this episode, please go ahead and take a screenshot and share it to your stories and tag both Blake and myself so that we can repost you and see that you're loving the episode. So, uh, without further ado, let's dive in. Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daley. Entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shift happen. Hey, welcome to the show, Blake. I am so excited to have you here. I know this conversation is going to be so juicy and you have so many amazing, incredible nuggets of wisdom to offer us. So the first thing that I want to kind of dive into is this idea of overcoming adversity, because I know you have a really, a really personal testimony to that, and I know that the listeners would love kind of hear your background and your story of what it has meant for you to overcome adversity and what that's looked like in your life. So if you could just kind of give us your background and your story and kind of how you got to where you are, that would be an amazing place to start.

For sure. Um, well, I guess the first thing for me is I was in a really fortunate position, probably one that you're in now, where I loved what I did for kind of 15 years in terms of the health and fitness space, and, you know, transitioned into the coaching space. And in that transition period, I found myself just with like hit after hit after hit for really probably a 15-month period. And, um, the first hit of all of it was actually filing for bankruptcy. And, um, that in itself for me was rock bottom, or what I thought was rock bottom. As someone who takes a lot of pride in what they do and their business and how they go about things, that was really hard for me to stomach. But what I guess transpired over the next 15 months was just this complete capitulation of everything that was for me life and everything that I'd attached myself to. I got fired from, you know, 3 jobs I applied and missed out on, you know, 50-odd jobs. You know, parted ways with my girlfriend, car blew up, you know, moved to a couple of different states. And it got to a point where, you know, just this continual hit after hit where I remember saying to, you know, one of my best friends who's also a business partner in my men's business— at this point I'd literally been stripped of anything that was kind of material-based. And I remember saying to him that you know, like, God, you know, they've taken, you know, they, the universe, you know, whatever you want to position it as, has taken literally everything from me. But at least I've got my mental and physical health. And, you know, God bless his cotton socks, there was absolutely no way I had my mental health. And, you know, it was a few days later that I found myself in hospital with what they thought at the time was meningococcal. And, you know, in that moment It was really a case of me surrendering. And, you know, in a way at that time, albeit I can see the power in surrendering these days, at that time it felt a little bit like I was waving the white flag of like giving up. But it really was a case of having to surrender. And, you know, I guess the big thing in all of that was, you know, there was a lot of really dark moments. You know, a big part for me as a male being that kind of purposeless and directionless element was, you know, was probably the most significant. And a real big piece of that was feeling super lonely in everything that was going on as well. So I found it really challenging and, you know, some really dark moments. A real kind of wake-up call, I guess, was the darkest of moments where I was just like, maybe it's just easier to kind of end it all here. So that was the moment where I was like, fuck, I'm I'm deep, I'm deep in here and started to get myself out of it. But even in, I guess, those darkest of moments, you know, one thing that really helped me was I had done a lot of work on myself and I knew despite every— all the hits that I was getting and the darkness that was, that if I found a way to maintain on a daily basis the things that were important to me, so my values, And there was a little bit of blind faith in that things would open up, that at some stage I'd find myself out of this heaviness and start to move forward. And, you know, one of the reasons I guess I like sharing this story, and we can kind of go down any path with it, is that, you know, one of the things that really helped me in those dark periods was all of those stories that, you know, I'm sure many of them you've heard of, you know, a lot of the, our favorite thought leaders having been in a similar position, whether it's, you know, the thought leader who spent months on a couch, the thought leader who was, you know, down to his last $7, the Lewis Howes, the Tony Robbins, all those stories. Totally. I gained a lot from those and knowing that, you know, all of these guys have been in a similar position and now found themselves in a really powerful and empowered position to, you know, bring their message to the world. So that was one of the things that I held onto. And, you know, I guess in, in sharing, my own struggles, I'm hoping that, you know, if someone's in those, you know, darker moments, that potentially this might be the little bit of, you know, faith that they can have or something they can resonate with to hold on to as they kind of climb out of, you know, what might be a challenging time for them.

Yeah, especially just where we're at right now in the world. I think it's a challenging time for a lot of people, and a lot of the things that you've spoken about, perhaps with you know, illness or losing your job, or, you know, I think that's really highly relatable just at this moment in time as well. But like, holy shit, man, like, that's like— I mean, that's a lot. That's a lot. Like, it's so incredible really when you think about it, like an individual like yourself being able to really like pull yourself up and pull yourself out of that situation. A lot of people are not able to really see the light at the end of the tunnel when they're like all the way at that rock bottom. But it's interesting, you know, you mentioned universe or however we understand that power that is to be. It's interesting how sometimes it fully sinks us all the way to the bottom, as if we need to reach the bottom in order to have something to like push off of and like begin rising back up to the top. You know, like, I know so many people and have heard so many incredible stories. Like you said, there's so many thought leaders, um, that have found themselves at some version of that rock bottom, right? Of thinking like, this is the worst of the worst, like it could not get any worse than this. And then from there is where they rise. It's like the phoenix that rises from the ashes, you know? Um, so I think it's just a really beautiful story, obviously looking back, but like when you're in it, it's not beautiful at all. It's fucking shit. So what are some of the things that you think really helped you start to like pull yourself up and out of that place, which I'm sure are a lot of the tools that you now share with men in your programs and that you use a lot?

The first thing was, you know, despite having that blind faith, I remember going down to the park where I was living at the time, which is a different state to where I am now. And I remember going down to the park at lunchtimes to get my little hit of vitamin D, which always makes me feel good. And I, you know, my mind would wander to the future. And, you know, for me, when someone says, oh, the future looks bleak, I was like, oh, fuck, that must be a metaphor. But when my mind at that time did wander to the future, it was actually bleak. Like, it was real. I couldn't see anything. Like, it really was bleak. So I remember in those moments going, well, that thought gives me so much anxiety that it's really important for me to come back to like, how can I win the day, you know? And even going back to a really simple, um, Buddhist philosophy of like, depression lives in the past, anxiety lives in the future, peace lives in the present. I kept coming back to knowing that, okay, the future looks so bleak, and here I am, you know, my 30s purposeless, directionless. You know, I was a few days away from being homeless, um, and even to, you know, move back into my mom, which is the ultimate. You know, I thought having my business sink was the ultimate. Moving back in to, you know, the house with my mom is probably as bad as it gets in terms of the emasculation of the masculine. Um, but one of the big things for me was really like, how can I just win the day? And again, coming back to— I think the thing that kept me alive in all of that, and as dark as that sounds, I think the thing that really kept me alive was the fact that I had done a lot of work before. And while knowing ourselves is always evolving in terms of a process, I knew enough about what, you know, got me up and about or made me happy to really do those on a daily basis. So for me, in terms of values, personal growth is number one. Like, if I'm growing and learning, I'm pretty good. And then it was a case of, okay, well, what are the things that I need to do on a daily basis to kind of just win the day? And for me, it was personal growth, connection, a really big one. And, you know, it was when I was really lonely that I was like, fuck, I really need to get back on this connection piece. Exercise, which I've always, you know, been fortunate enough to do regularly and not really struggle with getting into the rhythm nutrition, getting nature. So either in the, you know, the beach or sun, um, and then, you know, sleeping well as well. It's like, if I can get those 6 things done on a daily basis, then I'll wake up tomorrow, I'll start again, and I'll see, you know, how I go in terms of things opening up. And it was a case of that. I moved back home with Mum, you know, I started working at my brother's cafe as a dish pig. And again, I'd had enough skill set to know that, um, at some stage I was going to be all right. But in that really murky, directionless, purposeless space that I was sitting, which, you know, if you kind of go into masculine and feminine energies, at the core of a masculine energy is a real deep desire to be, you know, aligned with their purpose, passion, or mission. And for me to be living at home without purpose is the ultimate emasculation, really. So to have those 6 things and know I can't do those on a daily basis, wake up tomorrow, start again, move forward, was a significant part of just staying afloat and staying, you know, alive, I guess, in what was a pretty challenging time for me.

Yeah, it's almost like covering the basic like your basic needs of, of loving yourself, right? Like giving yourself proper nutrition and moving your body and getting in the sun and being in nature. And, you know, all those things are just the ways that in which we like nourish ourselves, we love ourselves, we, we return home to ourself. And I love that that was like part of the solution for you. And I think that's like really practical that anybody can take on and kind of use for themselves regardless of where they're at, you know, whether you're at a rock bottom or not, or you're just seeking more fulfillment in your life. Like, focus on those core things that really make you feel, um, filled up in a sense. Um, so I want to definitely touch on like masculine and feminine energies because this is something that I talk about a lot, and I would love to get like the male perspective on just how that's like played out in your life. So obviously this experience of feeling directionless, not having a purpose or a passion at that moment in time, was something that made you feel really emasculated. Um, but in your like a general experience as a male, how do you feel that the masculine and feminine energies have like showed up for you? Or is— has it been challenging for you to balance them? Or do you tend to be one way or the other? Like, what is the like for you?

Yeah, it's a brilliant question. And, you know, I guess for your listeners that, you know, if you've been talking about it, they probably understand that, you know, masculine doesn't necessarily equal male and feminine doesn't equal female. But for me, you know, with a lot of the work I do, whether it's one-on-one or in one of our businesses, the male will not be the best version of themselves for them, for their partner, for their kids, for their work colleagues, for their friends if they're not living their life aligned with their purpose, passion, or mission. So you can, you know, have all these other, you know, ducks in a row, but if you're not really aligned, you know, you're not the best version of you. And, you know, David— guy called David Datus says it really nicely, I think— if you're not penetrating the world with your passion, purpose, or mission, you're not going to penetrate your partner properly either. And you can see it, you can really see it in a guy I think, like, I love having conversations with guys who are aligned because you can really feel the energy, you can feel the fire in them, you can feel the passion. And then you can feel that kind of deadness or that numbness or that, like, sleepwalking nothingness of a guy who's just sleepwalking their way through life. And that's a really big thing for me in terms of working with the, the males. But I've got a lot of good girlfriends who also, you know, seek that in the masculine as well. So it's, it's for me the most important thing for the masculine. And if that means he needs to walk to the edge of, you know, the earth to find what is truth to him from a purpose, passion, or mission point of view, then I think that's really important. And, you know, for me, when it comes to both the masculine and feminine, you know, it's been a, um, process over the last kind of 3 years of really identifying, you know, what's healthy, what's wounded, and doing a lot of work on both of them. And coming from a very, um, interesting upbringing with both the masculine from a mum point of view and the feminine from a father point of view, it took me a long time to realize how many elements of, of me have been wounded and continued to, you know, be something for me to work through as well. So, um, I find it a fascinating space, the masculine and the feminine. And even, you know, on a really basic level, understanding the importance of, um, polarity for, you know, relationship context and the energy, um, from a chemistry point of view. So the need if, you know, polarity being polar opposites and need for kind of chemistry within the relationship, really important for someone to be quite firm and strong in the masculine and vice versa in the feminine. And how even if you look at, you know, I don't know what it's like over where you are, but, you know, one of the things that's really interesting in, um, I guess the dynamic here in Australia is watching how females are probably becoming more masculine over the last 10 years and males are becoming more feminine, and we're losing that real good polarity. So just being able to acknowledge that and see where that's working for us, and also definitely where it's not working, which is showing up more and more.

Yeah, and I felt that in my own relationship as well. When I started learning about masculine and feminine energies, I could see it so clearly. Like, there was a— because I naturally, I feel like I operate in, in a lot of areas of my life, I operate in a highly like masculine energy because I'm a business owner, I'm an entrepreneur, I'm like, I have that fire in me, I'm a go-getter, like success, I'm the Achiever on the Enneagram. I get a lot of that like from my dad. He was really like, had that, that energy. So I could see even in my own relationship where there were times when I was so highly in my masculine energy trying to fix and solve and push and create and and, you know, make things work. Yeah, when I was like in the beginning stages of like starting a business and really just focus on trying to make everything work, I was trying to control everything and push everything and force everything. And there was like— the sexual chemistry between me and my partner was not good during that time. And like, it's now— it's like amazing and it's better than it's ever been. And it's crazy because like I really feel like it's that energy switch of me finding ways to integrate my feminine energy more and sit back more and allow more and let him lead in certain ways and let him step forward and take some of the control and me just be in the receivership of that, um, has changed a lot of like that dynamic in my relationship. So I've seen it like firsthand. Um, but just curious to know, like for you, You mentioned like with your parents that maybe they were embodying sort of what the opposite of what people would naturally think, although we both, we all embody both masculine and feminine. I'd love to hear a little bit more about like what that was for you and how that played out in your personal energy. Okay, so I have something I think you're really going to love and your business is going to love it even more. Do you want to steal the strategy I've been using to seduce premium buyers and sell out my offers on Instagram Stories? Chances are you're already posting You're already making sales, but if your Instagram stories aren't working as hard as you are, you're leaving money on the table. Sold Out Stories is going to teach you exactly how to change that so that you can sell out any offer at any price point. And even high-caliber coaches miss this because selling on stories isn't about how much you post or how frequently you show up face to camera. It's about psychological sequencing and the way you're posting right now might be giving the premium buyers in your audience the ick. Documenting your day and hoping it builds trust, posting look at me content and calling it authority. Sharing client wins as soon as they drop in instead of strategically weaving them into a story selling sequence designed to drive demand and convert sales. We both know that you're not here to learn how to show up more. You're here because you know your content could be converting faster and more effectively. Sold Out Stories is gonna give you 5 high-converting story selling frameworks built specifically for premium buyer psychology. Inside, you'll get over 6 hours of deep dive video trainings, real IG story breakdowns, and live walkthroughs that show you exactly how to elevate your slides from authority all the way to offer flow in less than 10 slides. My clients have already been using these frameworks to pull 5-figure sales days while posting less. One client generated 14 premium leads from a single story sequence. Another sold out her event in under 6 hours with just 8 strategic story slides. No sales calls, no paid ads, just the right frameworks. You'll walk away knowing how to sequence for desire, transition into your offer seamlessly, and sell daily without ever feeling salesy. You already know your offer is incredible, so now it's just time for your stories to sell it like it is. Grab Sold Out Stories today and turn 10 slides or less into your highest converting content. Let's make your next story your most profitable one yet. Click the link in the show notes below and I'll see you inside.

Yeah, well, it's, um, for me there was a lot of wounded masculine and feminine. It's a lot of wounded feminine coming from— and to be fair as well, I think one of the things that's important to understand is most of us can probably agree that our parents' generation, um, didn't do a lot of this kind of work. So while, you know, it's easy to get upset of like, why didn't they lead us down a certain path, like, those guys weren't doing the work back 20, 30 years ago. So I found myself in really dysfunctional, unhealthy feminine, and, and that element of me, and really dysfunctional and, um, unhealthy masculine as well. And, you know, sometimes all it takes is to be able to look at, you know, something as simple as a list of unhealthy or wounded masculine traits and go, fuck, literally most of those are me. And then that starts the process of going, okay, this is really heavy. And even some of the work I've studied through the Gottman Institute, which, um, is a really impressive institute around relationships and, you know, some of their warning signs in relationships. Because, you know, I found myself in this pattern of, you know, where a lot of blokes start, where you think you know what you're doing and you think you've got all the answers. And there was, you know, beautiful women that I, you know, dated and were in relationships with, like, crying out for me to listen into, you know, traits that weren't healthy and weren't supporting the relationship. And I'd be like, oh, problems on you, problems on you, I'm all good. And then you leave the relationships, you might pick up a relationship book or a couple of books and go, fuck, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, like all of these traits that were made. And you know, one of the amazing things, um, for blokes, if you can remain open to it, is how often your partner can see you better than you can see yourself. And, you know, the opportunity for growth within the relationship. Not when you're in pain and not when the relationship's over and not when shit's hit the fan. The beautiful opportunities that are there within the relationship are phenomenal and can really fast-track your growth, your healing, improve your self-awareness. Like, the options are endless. And, you know, I remember listening to a couple of great thought leaders and a real strong belief that, you know, relationships, you know, one of their primary reasons is for growth. And, you know, that might not have the, you know, the love story that many look for in a relationship, but it is a really significant part. And if you can see that, and if you can see your partner's often just a mirror for you, then that becomes a really valuable tool for your own growth. Um, and now I see, you know, whatever kind of comes up in a relationship very different to how I might have seen it 3 or 4 years a guy.

Yeah, I, I love that. I don't remember where I heard that the first time either, but I love that perspective of like relationships are where we go to grow, essentially. Like that's how we really learn more about ourselves on a deeper level, because that other person does become such a mirror for our insecurities or our triggers or all that kind of stuff, right? That is what comes up in relationship, which is why there's endless amounts of love and dating and relationship coaches. And like, we do— we need, we need help in these areas with relationships because when we get into relationship, there's pieces and parts of us that are revealed that we may have been, you know, unconscious to of ourselves. It's almost like the shadow reveals itself in the relationship, and then you're able— that's the opportunity to invite you deeper to, to heal those parts. And then, you know, maybe that relationship succeeds and it moves forward, and maybe it doesn't. But like, the relationship itself had purpose because it allowed you to see things, elements about yourself or your subconscious that maybe you weren't aware of before, and you were able to pull them up and kind of work through them and heal them and move on. And, you know, then you're better for the next person that comes down the track. And I think that's important for people, anybody that's dating, that's that's, um, you know, in that space in their life at this time is, I think, a really common thing, especially for women, because, you know, also we have this sort of fertility clock that we feel is always ticking, is this fear of like wasting time, um, or having wasted time on a relationship or with someone. And I think it's really important to remember that like the time is never wasted in relationship because as long as you're open to learning from the relationship, right, time is never wasted because you are uncovering new parts of yourself and integrating learnings and becoming better and ultimately becoming more of a magnet for the, the thing that you truly want to attract, the relationship that you truly deserve and feel like is a match for you. So I love that you mentioned that as well.

I think the other thing that's really important, um, and even, you know, you gave a couple of examples of your relationship, I think one of the things that's really important that we probably underestimate is the importance of like safety. And being seen truly in your relationship. And, you know, I'm not sure your experiences as well, but I know personally, one, as a, you know, in terms of relationships, but two, as a coach as well, how different an environment is when you really feel safe, seen, and supported. Like, that is one of the greatest feelings. And to be that person or to be on the receiving end of that is amazing. And at this stage, I think it's a pretty rare skill, but it stands out massively when you can really create that safe place where you feel, you know, completely supported to talk, you know, about anything that's coming up or to work through anything. And you've got that really open-minded, non-judgmental, safe place where anything that comes up is, is supported. And, you know, as a result, your connection gets deeper as you kind of work through that and, you know, heal or address anything that's coming up. So, you know, and to be fair, one of the things that's probably not spoken of much is the need for that to actually work both ways. You know, it's common to hear the need for the masculine to really create a safe environment for the feminine, you know, if we're talking male and female in this case, but You know, again, as a male speaking on behalf of, it feels really good as well to have the feminine be able to, um, listen properly, listen with the intent to understand, hold that safe space, and really allow the bloke to open up as well. And, you know, one of the most common themes that we find here in Australia is how often the females are really frustrated by the lack of of, you know, males opening up. And we're like, all right, well, let's, let's work with them and see how this plays out. And what we've found, you know, on probably 90% of the occasions is the blokes are actually really capable. They are capable of, you know, finding language for what's coming up for them. They are capable of feeling. You just need to put them in the right environment. So while there's a lot of, you know, stigma around men and their inability to communicate, we've actually found that they are capable. And it's also a skill, you know, in terms of the partner, if we're, if we're talking heterosexual, just for this instant, for females to be able to navigate the skills of really having them feel safe and how that, you know, affects the dynamic as well. So that safe scene supported environment is as important as anything, I think.

Yeah, I think that's so such a relevant point, and I'm glad that you brought it up. And I was smiling because I was this literally, like, I— it was either this morning or last night, but it feels very close in time. I was having my own reflection about a past relationship and how it really was like— and I didn't know it at the time, obviously, I was really young— but I was— it was definitely like an unsafe sort of feeling in the relationship. Not that I was scared of my partner, that they were ever gonna like hurt me or something like that, but it unsafe in the sense of, A, I felt like my partner could like go off the wall at any moment or get unreasonably angry about something or, uh, distance himself from me or retract at any moment. And also I just, I noticed now that he wasn't really in his like masculine energy, and so it was a feeling of me being unsafe in the relationship because I didn't feel that sense of like protection and creating that sort of like safe container for me to be in my feminine, which is probably what put me even further in my masculine, you know, of like, okay, well, you're not doing it, so I need to do it. And I just thought that was so interesting. But I want to touch on this point that you mentioned. So yeah, I think a lot of times, especially when, when women are, are doing this work, like, you know, they may realize, okay, my partner is not making me feel safe to be able to share or communicate or open up or be vulnerable, or they're not— they're not giving that back, they're not reciprocating that, so it makes it hard for me to do so. And then they, they may feel like, oh, it's his fault, it's his fault, it's his fault, right? There's this narrative of like, it's like you said, like the men are lacking this, they're not doing this, they're not doing this. But also, when you really get down to it, a lot of times, like, the women are also— or feminine energy, however that plays out in your relationship dynamic, whether it's heterosexual, homosexual, whatever it is, whoever's embodying that sort of like feminine energy and holding that container, um, you know, if they're not also able to create safety in receiving the vulnerability, it's going to prevent the other person from being able to open up and communicate. And I think that's an important thing for everyone to recognize, is that we're all seeking safety. We're all seeking that, like, loving, non-judgmental ear that we can go to and say, hey, I know this may be irrational or it may be silly, I don't know, but I'm having this feeling, I'm having this insecurity, this is what's coming up for me, I'm having this fantasy, I'm having this whatever. Like, being able to share all the things that come through without judgment, like We're all seeking that, and we, we all have to do the work together in order for it to be a beautiful, beautiful symbiotic relationship. Hey, don't forget that every month we are picking a listener of the month to win $50 in cash just for showing love to the show. All you have to do is leave an epic review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, screenshot the review before you hit submit, and DM that screenshot to us on Instagram @makeshifthappenpodcast. And that's That's it. I want to thank you for being such a loyal listener and show my appreciation by putting a little extra cash in your pocket. I know it's super easy not to do it, but every single rating and review seriously helps the show rank higher and reach new people, so we appreciate them more than you know. We'll announce the next winner at the end of the month and slide into your DMs if it's you, so keep an eye out and good luck. Love you guys, and thanks for supporting Makeshift Happen.

You say it with such ease and grace, which is awesome, because it is quite a, um, big subject that again can be put at ease if you're in the right environment and can also have you feel so lonely, unseen, and as you said, unsafe in the wrong environment. And you know, everyone's doing the best they can, which I understand, I'm mindful of. But you can be in a relationship with someone, and if you don't feel that safe, seen, supported element, you can feel like super distant from them. And what I've seen in this space, which I love, is the difference between that— those two environments. You know, you can have someone in a, you know, 6-year relationship And, you know, I'm in a fortunate position where I've got a lot of good girlfriends who really understand this. And I could grab that guy who doesn't feel safe, seen, and supported in that 6-year relationship, put him in front of, you know, someone else, and in 30 minutes they feel more seen, safe, supported, you know, with someone they've just met than their relationship of 6 years. It really is an amazing skill to develop. Up and so important. And even coming back to you, you know, you have a really good example of the masculine element. Is it— wouldn't surprise me at all if, you know, in that relationship you're talking about, that you stepped more into the masculine because you didn't feel like you could surrender, or they weren't stepping into the masculine, um, to allow you to surrender into, you know, that softness, to that feminine, whatever that might look like. And then You know, if you put that in conjunction with the fact that you are, you know, a business owner, and that naturally in most cases will push you a little bit more into the masculine— now, I don't know what your relationship is like with your dad or previous boyfriends— it's easy to see how this dynamic can easily slip and find, you know, women who are very, you know, feminine in their essence become, you know, hardened by previous experiences, by by running businesses, by the social conditioning. You know, even something simple like that goes back well before our time of feminine coming across, you know, being perceived as weak in some way. Like, where the fuck did that stem from? And how is that still, you know, even a thing? But it's so deep in our psyche and so heavily indoctrinated from such a young age that, you know, we don't choose these beliefs. At just at some stage they come up and we realize that they're running the show until we start to challenge them and, and really look into it. But it's easy to see how that slippery slope can take place where, you know, someone who really does have an amazing feminine essence finds themselves sliding into that kind of heavier, hardened masculine energy.

Yeah, so true. And it reminds me, I was having a conversation with one of my groups a little while ago and we were talking about this idea of embodying more of the feminine energy, because I think, you know, society at large really promotes and pushes us to be in more in our masculine. Just like in the world today, everything is sort of, you know, valuing that— the, the values of the masculine energy more so than the feminine energy, right? And so we think, or we're conditioned or programmed to think, that if we can step more into that masculine energy take control, don't need help, I don't need a man, um, all these things, you know, that we will be more successful, that we will be more safe because we won't rely on somebody else. We don't need anybody else's money, we don't need anybody else's help. Like, I'm all that I need. This is very much like a narrative that women are fed through the world and through the media because we believe that It's the key to more success, more money, more safety, right? Is being more masculine, doing everything that quote unquote the man can do. And so we're pushed into really embodying this like hyper-masculine sort of energy, but we don't see the full picture of what that, what the effects of that may be and what that may be stripping also from our lives, right? It's adding certain things, but it's stripping others. And a lot of times it has to do with relationships and sexuality and pleasure and a lot of those things when you're not really embodying the feminine. Um, but yeah, I was just talking about this the other day with my clients because they were saying this exact thing of like, I want to embody the feminine energy more, but I feel whenever I think about the feminine, it makes me think of like being soft and being weak. So what is the reframe that we can use to like empower us to feel like the feminine energy is truly a force? Because it is.

Yeah, I think one of the really big things, if you, you know, go into the science, I guess, of, um, psychology, so to speak, is, you know, one of the really, um, important things is to continuously find and seek evidence to support what you want to believe going forward. So coming back to one of your good girlfriends, who I think, as an observer at least of her work, does the feminine energy really well. And being able to find lots of little bits of evidence of, you know, thought leaders, women in powerful positions who really step into that feminine energy really well. And to allow your brain to find the evidence and to start to support the new, I guess, belief system that you want. One of the other things that can be challenging is, you know, putting yourself in an environment that does allow you to soften, that does allow you to surrender, that does allow you to move more into the feminine. And, you know, one of the things about someone like yourself and a lot of really powerful women is to be able to know that you can, you know, carry your bags from the supermarket to the car, to know that you can pay your bills, to know you can pay for dinner at the restaurant, and to also allow the masculine to step into that role. Because there's a lot to be said for allowing and empowering him to support you and to assist so that he can really step into that masculine as well. So It's nice for you to know in the back of your head, yeah, cool, I can run my own business, I can, you know, pay my own bills, I can carry my stuff from the supermarket to the car. And, you know, there's empowerment in allowing him to pay, you know, for dinner, to organize dinner, which is a big one that I constantly use as a real simple way for the masculine to kind of step up and to, you know, carry your bags, whatever it may be as well. So knowing you can and empowering the masculine to also be able to step into that position actually empowers him to step more into his masculine, to allow you to soften and surrender a little bit more into your feminine as well.

Yeah, I love that example. That's one of my favorite things that, like, my partner does in terms of embodying the masculine energy: organize the date nights, make the reservation, plan the thing. Like, and I always like, I'm in so much gratitude for that because it's one of those things also, like, I could do it, but I also— I really don't like it. I don't enjoy it. So it's beautiful when somebody else kind of like takes charge and puts that on their plate and, and I don't have to do it. So I'm always like, thank you so much for planning this because I love spending time with you. Quality time is one of my love languages, but like, fuck, if I'm gonna like find a restaurant and call and make the reservation, like I'm busy, you know. Yeah. So I love that example. So we kind of— you kind of touched on a little bit of like limiting beliefs here in a sense, because we kind of create these limiting beliefs in ourselves around how we have to be in terms of energy. But moving away from like just strictly masculine and feminine energy, but like limiting beliefs in general and subconscious beliefs, how— I'm just curious to know like your thought process and like how you work with your clients and even on yourself of like dredging those up and working through them.

One of the most important things for me in a transformation is heightening someone's awareness because, you know, going back to kind of, I guess, how we function 101 is 95% of what we do on a daily basis is unconscious. So that means that the same things happen day in, day out, and we have this autopilot essentially. And if you're going to create change, you need to be able to bring to light that 95% that's not necessarily working for you. And one of the things to do is start to become the observer of your thoughts, start to become the observer of your beliefs, your feelings, whatever it may be, without attachment. One of the challenges for most of us is that we just believe our thoughts to be truth. You know, I had that thought, must be true. I've got this feeling, you know, and we don't observe it. So when we're creating change, the first thing to do is just be the observer of your thoughts and come at it from a place of interest and curiosity. Don't judge yourself. Like, you've probably done that a thousand times too many already. Let's just be the observer of our thoughts. Oh, I noticed that, you know, a lot of people have a lot of stuff around money. And obviously, going through what I've been through, you know, I can resonate with that a lot. A real strong piece around, you know, money's the root of all evil. Money doesn't grow on trees, all these stories around money that until I gave myself enough room to be the observer of my thoughts and be the observer of how I feel around money, it was never going to change. So just loosening your grip on what you believe to be true and allowing yourself a bit of space to potentially choose a different path. The moment you start to heighten your awareness, things change. So really, you know, 101 in terms of fast transformation, heighten that awareness and start to be the observer of self as opposed to just thinking that everything that you think, do, feel is truth and leaving it as is.

Yeah, questioning your own thoughts rather than just accepting them as truth and moving forward and reacting on them. Totally. Yeah. So let's talk about money a little bit because this was a topic that I wanted to get into if we had time. I love talking about money. I have a whole program based around money. So it's one of the things that, that I think— and also everybody wants more money, right? So people love this conversation. Anything that we can learn about money and our relationship to money is always really valuable. So you mentioned some of like the common limiting beliefs around money. Another one for me and for the majority of people, I would guess, is this idea around like you must work hard or be willing to sacrifice for money. I think that's a really, really, really truly common one that maybe even when you hear it at face value, you're like, well, yeah, you know, whereas money's the root of all evil. Sometimes we can, you know, use our conscious brain to sort of be like, okay, I could see how maybe that's not always true. But this one about like you must work hard and sacrifice in order to make money is so well ingrained in our systems and our subconscious, and I think it's something that's, that's preventing us from really receiving a level of abundance, a level of abundance that is available to us. So I'd love to hear like your perspective on that, and I'm sure that like that had, has been, had been a belief for you at some point in your life. Like I'm just certain of it. I think we all have it.

Yeah, so when I started this process, I actually started this process before I sunk the ship, you know. I started NLP about 6 months before all the shit hit the fan. So I saw, like, I got myself into such a situation, I saw it coming before, before it hit. And one of the things for me is I've got a Google Doc and there's about 80, 80, 82 different thoughts, feelings, behaviors that aren't necessarily serving me when it comes to money. And you speak of one of them, and you can imagine if the brain is listening to what you're saying that I must work harder in order to make more money, it's not the most desirable outcome. Like, you may find there's forms of self-sabotage, you may find there's forms of blocks that stop you, and you're like, fuck, I'm already exhausted, and now I've got this story of like, I need to work harder to create more money. So again, one of the big things, you know, that I found myself in the process of doing in the early stages was finding evidence to support otherwise. And it really challenged me. It really challenged me. You know, one of my first business coaches, a guy called Taki Moore, who's brilliant over here in Australia— I saw the flexibility and the freedom he had surfing. You know, I think when he sold me into his very expensive program, he was actually having a burger and just chilling at the beach. And I was like, fuck, shouldn't this dude be like like in a suit in an office, like, yeah, yeah, he should definitely be like, have shirt and tie on selling me this ridiculously expensive program. So my brain's freaking out and what the fuck's going on? Like this, this isn't how it all works. And then I went to his first, you know, 3-day mastermind and he's there in bare feet and I was like, the fuck was his shoes? Like this guy should be in a polished, like polished suit. He's, you know, he's charging this much. So really being able to loosen your grip on what you believe to be true Again, coming back to that, like, you know, this is how an entrepreneur should look, feel, whatever it may be. Um, you know, a chick over your way who I think does it really well, Amanda Bucci, talks about it a lot of her, how she used to show up or think she should show up for her clients and how she does now. Like, I love the way you guys, you know, over there are so much more flexible in your approach and your expression. And for me, there's a real like there's a real part to it of feeling what feels sincere, you know. Like, I look at that and I resonate with it because it doesn't feel like rigid, it doesn't feel all this like slick polished approach. And yeah, it was a similar thing, it was a real story that I had, but I needed to find evidence to start to support. Well, Taki can like get up at 8 o'clock if he wants, he can go for a surf, and he can make stupid amounts of money by living the way that he does. And that, that took me— I'm in a really fortunate position now where, you know, we're doing this podcast on a Monday. I don't do any clients on Monday and I don't do any clients on Friday. Like, I only do clients Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And, you know, for me, there's a real piece that I've been kind of working on for probably 3 years. And, you know, saying that really resonates with me is are you living a life by design or a life by default? And in my head, there's a, you know, financial number that I've got and a lifestyle that comes with that. And constantly working on refining that life by design, designing the life I want to live, as opposed to this rat race of like, I need to work from like fucking 5 AM till 10 PM, and that's my answer. I need to do more sessions. I'm not doing more sessions. I'm capped at like, I'm at 15 at the moment and I want to get that down to 10 a week. And I know what price I want to charge and I know what I'm kind of working towards. That's the lifestyle that I want. I think one of the other really challenging things, and I don't know how it is for you in Spain or even America, is a real conditioning piece and a badge of honor of like, I'm so fucking stressed. That means I'm really successful.

Look at— so fucking busy.

Dude, I don't give a shit. I don't care how busy you are. Like, are you loving your life? Are you having a massive impact? Are you really fulfilled? Cool. Those are the boxes I'm, you know, I want you, you know, I want you to tick. And those are the boxes that I deem as success. I don't give a fuck if you're working, you know, 30 hours or 70 hours. Like, what's the lifestyle you want to live? Are you loving it? Are you finding fulfillment in your relationships, deep connection, happiness, whatever it may be? Cool. Now I'm interested in working with you. And, you know, whether it's someone like yourself, other thought leaders over there, big piece for me now when I'm working with someone, you know, whether it's a coach from a business point of view or just a coach from, you know, personal development point of view, is, is that the lifestyle I want to live?

Yeah. And I love this because it's kind of the idea of like expanders, right? Of what you're talking about, this, this first mentor that you had and even people that maybe whoever you're going to continue to work with in whatever capacity, it's like they must be an expander in order for you to work with them, which means that they're an embodiment of something that you desire, right? They figured out a way to do it. And I think that's one of the greatest ways, like you mentioned, to start to reframe and rewire and find proof against your limiting beliefs is looking for the evidence that the opposite exists and that it is possible. Right? So when you see people like that who are barefoot and making millions of dollars and, you know, taking their sales calls like at a restaurant or at the beach, like, you're like, wow, like, it exists, you know, it's possible. And that right there starts to change the narrative in the mind and the ability for you to believe that it, it's possible and that it exists and that you can kind of cancel out that limiting belief a little bit more easily once you've seen to believe actual physical evidence in the world that the opposite can be true. So yeah, I've actually started to take a lot of my sales calls, at least in the summertime, like from the pool and from the beach. And like, it's amazing. And at first I was like really stressed and like worried about it because I was like, no, I'm not going to have like my laptop or like my notebook or whatever. I don't need any of that. All I need is me. And also my energy is better when I'm in those places when I'm really like an embodiment of the work that I do and the lifestyle that I'm promoting, creating for myself and for my clients. So I love that, that you mentioned that about that, that mentor that you had. I thought that was, that was great. Um, and yeah, like the expanders, for anybody that doesn't know, it's like a person that just expands your consciousness because they are a living, breathing embodiment of the things that you desire and that you want to believe are available and that you want to believe are possible. And they allow you to kind of see it, to believe it to be true.

I think the other thing that's really important, and I get this feeling with you as well, you know, whether you're in a sales call or whatever it may be, and I've got, um, you know, follow closely the work of a guy over there, Scott Alford, who's a very savvy businessman. And, you know, one of his big things is creating intimacy. And I think people really associate intimacy with relationship, which I get, but you it's a lot bigger than just that. But, you know, if you're on the phone with a coach and you really feel seen, you really feel heard, and you really feel understood, and you can really sense their presence and that connection, it doesn't matter if you're fucking by a pool, in an office, you know, at a restaurant. Like, that real sense of connection, presence, being seen is, you know, something that's so important and something that so many people are starved of. And for me, that's, that's everything, you know, in terms of whether it's a one-on-one client or one of my group programs. Like, I want to create a community and I want to create deep connections and I want to create environments where people feel like they can be themselves, where they can feel seen, where they can be, you know, in an open-minded, non-judgmental space and not have to show up a certain way, you know. Like, in a society where you know, often feel like you need to show up a certain way for work, in your relationship, in front of your family. Fuck that. I want an environment where you can show up as you are, whatever that looks like. And if you feel really seen, heard, understood, like, for me, that's as good as, you know, any feeling. So that's a really big part of how I do coaching, but also just general connection. Like, I really want that to be be, you know, the cornerstone of everything that I do.

100% authenticity over everything. I think that's what you're— that's what you're touching on there, is that feeling of authenticity and showing up as you are and being seen and being heard. I love that. So speaking of your— speaking of your group programs, I actually did want— I want to ask you about Limitless because I'm so curious, even just for myself, but maybe some of the listeners are curious as well. I'm so curious to know, like, you know, from a male coach perspective of like, what do you do inside of your programs, containers? What is Limitless? Like, what— tell us all about it. I want to know for myself.

Yeah, for sure. The big thing for me, um, that I've experienced both firsthand and obviously with clients is that, you know, over the course of however many years, we've built up so many layers and so much conditioning and so much programming that, you know, firstly, we're so limited in the way that we show up, but also limited in, in what the future will look like. So for me, Limitless is very much a program that I've designed to help you understand yourself at the core, not with all the programming, not with all the conditioning, not with all the bullshit, but to strip back all the layers that have been built over the years, get to the core of who you are, and then build a world from there. You know, we have so many limitations on ourselves most of them unconscious, that are really stopping us from living, you know, a fulfilled life, a happy life, really deeply connected relationships, whatever it may be. So Limitless is about stripping all of that away and then building an authentic and aligned life from the true version of you, which, you know, for the average listener potentially might be like, oh, I'm living my authentic authentic life, but only to realize when we actually start to go into, you know, the depths of it, oh, I got that conditioning from, you know, my society, and I got that, you know, limited belief from my parents and whatever it may be. So I want more and more people to live a fulfilling and successful life, whatever that means to you, and also a very kind of authentic life where you truly and deeply understand yourself on a deep level. So that's Limitless in, uh, in a nutshell.

And this is a— do you do this in group or do you do it one-on-one?

I do it in group. Yeah, so it's a group program and then obviously the one-on-one coaching as well.

Yeah, amazing. I love groups. Groups are so incredible, aren't they, with the energy of just everybody together? I find them to be so powerful.

Well, the other thing as well that— and I don't know how you feel about this— is, you know, anyone who's interested in growth, they often find themselves on quite a lonely road. Road. And I've been, you know, I can speak to that, you know, for a big part of my 20s in particular. Like, I was always interested in personal development, and, you know, I'd have friends kind of here and there who would dabble in it, but it was a pretty lonely road. And that can be a hard jump for a lot of people. You know, you're in this environment that you may have been in, you know, by association from school friends or sport friends or whatever, and you're like, fuck, I just don't like like, love them to bits, but I'm on a different page than now. So for me, it's really important for these people to surround themselves with like-minded people who they feel are on a similar page. And that's why the community element is so important, to find people who are on a similar, you know, wavelength to you, or at least the direction that you're heading as well.

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. The community aspect, I think, is is so important for people that are on this personal growth journey and on spiritual journeys and all of that. Just feeling like you're able to connect with others, you know. Our family and friends and people who are around us in our immediate circle may not always get it. They may not be on the same wavelength. They may not be interested in it, or they may be fully like opposed to it and think it's garbage, which can be tough for you to pursue if you're in that, in that environment. So it's important to put yourself in an environment that, uh, encourages you to like cultivate that level of growth and feel safe in doing so and feel like you're not alone. So I love that. And I think that the work that you're doing is so amazing and so important, and we need more male figures like yourself, um, helping our men do this work as well, because I know that there are lots of— there's, there's lots of us available for women, probably a little bit disproportionately more so But so it's always beautiful to see the male coaches coming forward and guiding our men towards more consciousness and more connection. And so I really appreciate the work that you do, and I'm so grateful to have you on the show. Um, please let everybody know where they can find you and how they can follow your stuff. Um, he's got a lot of great stuff. We talked a lot about masculine and feminine energy, and I know that there's a lot on his socials about that and about self-mastery and all personal development stuff. So where can people find you and connect with you and go deeper?

The, uh, the Gram's probably the best place these days. So Blake Royal Thompson, um, and yeah, I provide a fair bit of info there and hopefully some insights and plenty of opportunities for people to learn. So, um, there. And then if you feel called for whatever reason to do some work, then, um, feel free to reach out there.

Yeah, beautiful. And we'll have that linked in the show notes below for you guys. Please go and connect with Blake. He's a powerhouse, beautiful soul. So grateful to have him on the show. Thank you so much for being here, Blake.

Thanks for having me.