As an author I know the value of writing & even more important I know the power of story.

Let's take a journey down memory lane.

How much do you remember about the last 3 months? Do you remember everything you did? Or is it a bit of a blur and you remember just a handful of moments?

When I think back, I almost always find that time has flown and I remember much fewer things than I'd expect – was it really nearly 5 years ago that we first went into lockdown?

In this episode, borrowing from the work of Matthew Dicks, the author of Storyworthy, I am going to outline & encourage you to learn & utilize a method to keep track of your days in an interesting way. I’m going to begin it myself.

Don't worry, I'm not going to suggest writing a diary! And I’m going to share a process for creating this new habit.

There have been many occasions in my life where I’ve felt lonely. Some of these times I remember as incredibly painful; other times, I’ve relished in my solitude.

During some periods, I’ve even forced myself into seclusion, which comes easily to me as an introvert.

One thing all of these solo experiences have taught me is that it’s okay to be alone. In fact, with solitude, there’s a lot of self-growth to be had.

In this podcast I want to share the value of solitude, yet also distinguish it from being alone or feeling lonely hence the title: Solitude: Not a Synonym for Loneliness

I’ll chat about solitudes benefits, why some folks fear solitude, and of course I’ll share my experiences with solitude over my lifetime.

In this podcast I’ll chat about life’s mess - we’ve all been there or perhaps you’re sitting in one right now.

It may sound strange to hear, but I’m going to advocate for you to embrace the mess - perhaps at times champion it.

Your defects and weaknesses make you authentic. Don't focus on your shortcomings. Never assume that others just see those things. In actuality, the traits you dislike about yourself are probably what people are drawn to. You are so unique because of your many freckles, boisterous personality, tell-it-like-it-is demeanour, and total openness.

You could believe that these perceived weaknesses lessen your awesomeness, yet the contrary is true. These characteristics set you apart from the competition. Someone loves every single thing about you; even the things you wish you could change. The understatement of the century is that we are our own harshest critics.

Put yourself in your closest friend's shoes whenever you begin to feel inadequate or like your life is going in a different direction from where you want it to. If they were present, what would they tell you? And be truthful with yourself. You know they would tell you that you are much more than you realize.

They'd convince you that people genuinely find your quirks to be cute and endearing. You wouldn't be allowed to be so harsh on yourself. They'd be accurate, too. Everything in yourself that you wish to change is precisely what makes you so special. Why on earth would you want to resemble someone else? It's preferable to stand out by being distinctive than to blend in and follow the crowd. You're simply too great for that.

In this podcast I’ll share my experience with the energy of ritual - both big R ritual - like that created to acknowledge the passing of someone I love or little r ritual like taking the time to express my gratitude for the gift of waking up in the morning.

I’ll share some of my rituals, offer an overview of what ritual is and then share some of the ways you might consider bringing or renewing a ritual practice in your life. I’m proud to share Rituals Richness with you.

Rituals give us a sense of control. I’m not talking about religious ceremonies, esoteric chanting, or obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Rather, the more practical and down-to-earth kind of ritual that makes us feel in charge.

Think about a job interview, a presentation in front of a large audience, or a first date.

When facing uncertain situations, rituals help us focus, deal with anxiety, or feel more confident. Rituals increase our performance by turning small, everyday acts into more significant ones. They add meaning and joy to our lives.

Rituals help me because they carry emotional significance.

Setting intentions is more than just a self-help trend—it's a transformative practice that influences how we navigate our daily lives.

My memoir, Little Fag: A Journey of Self-Acceptance & Healing is filled with examples of how my life unfolded both with intention & without.

Intention is about cultivating a mindset and heartset that guides our actions, emotions, and thoughts toward a desired way of being.

Since beginning to partner with intention, which I know to be the creative energy of the Universe, my life has been extraordinarily - even when I struggled to share my authenticity with the world. In everything I do, intention is my partner.

Wayne Dyer describes intention as “a strong purpose or aim, accompanied by a determination to produce a desired result…[it’s] a power that’s present everywhere…”. Intention isn’t a physical action, per say, but a force.

Another way to think of intention comes from Carlos Castaneda:

“Intention is a force that exists in the universe. When sorcerers (those who live of the Source) beckon intention, it comes to them and sets up the path for attainment, which means that sorcerers always accomplish what they set out to do.”

In this podcast I’m going to talk about creating more life with intention, walk you through what intention is, speak to the benefits of intention setting, be practical and give examples of intentions you could set, dive a little deeper into how intention has lived for me and then close with how to set intentions.

What is contemplation?

The Oxford Dictionary describes it as a noun meaning “deep reflective thought”.

I would never have thought I had a contemplative bone in my body, but of course that narrative is bullshit.

My intention with this episode and perhaps every 12th episode, is to share the workings of some level of contemplation from my life.

I’ll focus on the impact of the contemplative thought and choose to be vulnerable in terms of how it has coursed its way - or not - through my life.

In this episode I’ll share a contemplation I call “hang on tightly let go lightly.”

My family taught me to hang on tightly. They had much fear that what we had, which wasn’t much, would disappear if we didn’t white knuckle our grasp onto it. It was clearly a philosophy born from the perspective of lack.

And of course, the tighter we gripped what we had, the quicker it disappeared.

Think about attempting to hold onto a handful of water by grasping it tighter. What happens to the water?

There are so many reasons why people don’t let go of things. Inside of their own brains, those reasons usually make sense, too!

I’m not the only one who holds on to lots of things tightly - a lot of people.

As Joseph Campbell said in The Power of Myth:

There’s a centre of quietness within, which has to be known and held. If you lose that centre, you are in tension and begin to fall apart.

The Centre doesn’t have a location, yet, there are physical regions associated with it. It’s more of a dynamic point of psychic equilibrium or inner balance.

When you’re in the Centre, there’s no internal resistance. Everything simply is.

You are alive, alert, and active. An inner calm prevails.

Abiding in the present moment, you act spontaneously. You don’t try to achieve this present awareness; it’s a result of being in the Centre - human be-ing, not human do-ing.

Happiness and sadness are not experienced in the Centre. You don’t feel “positive” or “negative.”

In the Centre, you are neutral.

We often envision growth as a straight line, a steady upward climb towards our goals.

We picture ourselves diligently checking off tasks, achieving milestones one after another, and ultimately reaching the pinnacle of success with a sense of accomplishment.

However, the reality of growth is far more nuanced and rarely resembles this linear ideal. And I know you know this by know, but the truth is, progress & growth aren’t linear.

Progress & growth are a meandering journey with twists, turns, and even occasional steps backward. There will be periods of rapid growth, followed by plateaus or even setbacks.

But understanding and embracing non-linear progress & growth is crucial for maintaining motivation, building resilience, and ultimately, achieving our intentions, goals & breathing life into the strategies we’ve created to move ourselves towards more growth.