Free Your Inner Guru

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Summer, Self Care and Embracing the Unexpected with Shaun Proulx and Laura Tucker Jun 29, 2019

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Happy Summer of Self Care! Shaun Proulx: What is the number one thing you did to get to the place you’re at now since we last saw you? Laura Tucker: I think it’s really been letting go of the idea of wanting to be who I was. In this episode: updates on the Free Your Inner Guru Podcast the upcoming Summer of Self Care Shaun Proulx interviews Laura and we uncover why “self care has been the ultimate answer for you.” Shaun Proulx hosts Shaun hosts the glittery, thoughtful, weekly SiriusXM talk show, The Shaun Proulx Show, on CanadaTalks channel 167, a hotbed of ideas, thoughtful discussion, transformational entertainment, cheeky commentary and a magnet for celebrities and thought leaders including Bo Derek, Gayle King, Jann Arden, Betty DeGeneres, Tony Robbins, Melissa Etheridge, Rosie Perez, Gabrielle Bernstein, Mastin Kipp, Panache Desai, and more. Key points How repetition and practice increase your capacity for difficult emotions over time The role of intentional self care in the journey to reclaim your voice Learning to be resourceful and advocate for yourself as a form of self care. The number one thing I did to get to the place I am now. Why an integrated life is the best life. Mentioned in this episode For more information about the Free Your Inner Guru Summer of Self Care – lauratucker.com/sos Connect with Shaun Proulx online: at shaunproulx.ca Summer of Yes Facebook Page More Free Your Inner Guru online: Facebook Group Laura on Instagram Free Your Inner Guru Podcast on Instagram Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Avra Fainer: Performance in Everyday Moments May 23, 2019

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Avra Fainer is a performance and presentation coach who knows first hand the importance of becoming more self aware and sharing your story. When Avra Fainer was at the peak of achievement in both acting and business, she experienced a severe challenge in the form of mental illness. In this compelling conversation, Avra shares how her diagnosis with Bipolar 2 was an important step towards authentic self expression and healthy success. Listen as Avra Fainer shares her perspective on: Her love of performance as a child actor. How acting became the foundation of her work as a performance and presentation coach. What it’s like to watch someone go from shy and quiet to being able to use their voice and body to influence, and make a difference in other people’s lives. The impact of performance and influence in everyday moments. From driving force to mental illness, Avra shares the impact her mental illness had on her ability to function. Her experience and symptoms of Bipolar 2 Disorder. How today’s culture encourages grandiosity The role self awareness played in becoming the healthy, functional, amazing person you can be. The power of environment: the role relationships played in navigating back to wellness. The power of storytelling: Why sharing your story makes you more memorable Why “authentic” and “vulnerable” are more than buzzwords Her response to people who think their story is not significant. Two practical techniques and tools that will help you become more energized, present and confident. Mentioned in this episode Find and follow Avra online: website – avrafainer.com Facebook Instagram Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Ivanka Siolkowsky: The Life-Changing Power of Decluttering and Gratitude Apr 29, 2019

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Ivanka Siolkowsky, aka The Tidy Moose, shares her journey from classroom to closets in this compelling conversation about the power of your physical environment. Ivanka Siolkowsky is a former elementary school teacher whose life was transformed when she began learning the many benefits of minimalism and organization. “I had to control my surroundings to bring myself peace.” At a time when she was struggling with her mental health, Ivanka was given Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up as a joke gift. Reading it led her on a journey of exploration of the correlation between having a decluttered space and her mental health. Ivanka is now a Kon-Mari certified professional organizer who brings compassion and insight into her clients’ homes. Listen to hear Ivanka Siolkowsky’s perspective on these big ideas: The correlation between organization and developmental growth. Looking back at rock bottom, Ivanka ….. The consequences of being “hammered with consumerism”. How Ivanka uses the Kon-Mari Method™ in her work and the most mind-blowing thing she learned from it. The change in mindset from “what should I get rid of” to “what should I keep?”. Why Ivanka created The Moose Method to work with children. The one thing you must do when you de-clutter. Why sentimental items are the last place to start when you organize. Gratitude as part of the de-cluttering process The energy of your “spark joy” items. Hint – it’s different for everyone! When teachers become a commodity: Laura and Ivanka discuss their respective departures from teaching. Mentioned in this episode: Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Ivanka Siolkowsky, Declutter Your Way to Health, Wealth, and Freedom Ivanka Siolkowsky, The Tidy Moose (children’s book) If you need immediate help: SuicidePrevention.ca CAMH Crisis Resources Page – Toronto and Surrounding Area CTV News – Mental Health in Canada – Where to get help Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

5 Life Lessons from the Yoga Mat Apr 12, 2019

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What happens when you return to the yoga mat after a 10 year hiatus? Laura Tucker shares five life lessons after fifty yoga classes. What happens when you return to the mat in the middle of a bout of vertigo? It wasn’t easy. Or painless. Or pretty! But it was worth it. Mind, body, and spirit, yoga is an integrative practice. It aligns you with a holistic approach to living, working, and being. The more integrative we can be with our life. The more generous we can be with ourselves and others. “There is no such thing as life and work balance. There is only life.” – Seth Godin In this podcast, I share five stories and lessons that can be applied to every area of life. Fifty plus sessions later, it’s turns out it was a good thing I stuck with it, and that I can laugh at myself. En-joy the episode! Mentioned in this episode: Free Your Inner Guru™ Facebook Group Get on the (e)mailing list –> click here Free Your Inner Guru™ Leadership Workshop Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Empathy is in the Mindfulness of the Beholder Feb 26, 2019

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What does empathy have to do with accessing your inner wisdom? Like many big lessons, this one begins with a book. In his new release This is Marketing, Seth Godin makes the case that good marketing requires empathy for the people you seek to serve. I’ve been looking for a different way to show up and serve for some time now. Based the visceral “Yes!” I experienced with every concept in the book, I enrolled in The Marketing Seminar, the course on which This Is Marketing is based. Be careful what you wish for, they say. In comparison to the course, the book is a lie-down at the beach. The Marketing Seminar a mental agility course on how you communicate about your business. It requires both introspection and endurance. Not that I’m complaining! It’s easy to have empathy for someone who is like you. It bends the mind to have empathy for someone you perceive as an “other”. In one of the lessons, Seth Godin asks us to exercise our empathy muscle by imagining what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. Someone who is not like us. I had a tough time choosing, so I tasked myself with writing about the first person I perceived as an “other” the next day. I spotted him on my way to yoga the next morning. Three cafes that cater to the older men in the neighborhood line the street. The cafe patrons stand outside smoking. They take up the entire sidewalk and leave behind cigarette butts by the hundreds. It. Makes. Me. Crazy. When I felt the sting of revulsion rise in my throat, I knew I had found my subject. When I sat down at my computer that afternoon, I took a deep breath to quell my judgment and began to write. Listen to the story of “Empathy for the Old Man at the Cafe”. Getting into his skin taught me that empathy isn’t just an access point to your intuition. It might be a gateway to higher perception. What do you think? Should we embrace a practice of building our empathy muscle? I’d love to hear your thoughts on social media. (links below) Mentioned in this episode: Book, Seth Godin – This is Marketing Online course, Seth Godin – The Marketing Seminar Free Your Inner Guru on social media: Join the Free Your Inner Guru Podcast Facebook Group @freeyourinnerguru and @lauraatucker on Instagram Free Your Inner Guru Facebook Page Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Compassion is Your Superpower for Change Jan 09, 2019

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Compassion is your superpower for transformation. The new year brings a familiar season of resolutions, intention setting and renewed focus on change. It got me thinking of something I read at just the right time a couple of years ago: “The key to joy is unconditional kindness to all life, including one’s own, which we refer to as compassion. Without compassion, little of any significance is ever accomplished in human endeavor.” David R. Hawkins, Power vs Force He goes on to write “Simple kindness to one’s self and all that lives is the most powerful transformational force of all. It produces no backlash, has no downside, and never leads to loss or despair. It increases one’s own true power without exacting any toll.” Listen to this first podcast of 2019 to hear stories of two people I met several years ago who decided it was time to be compassionate towards themselves and the remarkable change it produced in their life and everyone around them. Highlights: Two stories that illustrate reasons people make change in their life. You can choose any moment to make a transformation The power of taking responsibility for the truth of your results Feel good now. Why it’s important to stop keeping good feelings away until after your result has arrived Hard on yourself? Why we punish ourselves – and get caught in a loop of shame and blame Allow yourself to feel good in our culture of distraction, comparison, manipulation and tactic. How being compassionate to yourself aligns you with what you truly desire and deserve. Mentioned in this episode Book: Dr David R Hawkins, Power vs Force Helpful resource Free video series for navigating change: 7 Day Comfort Zone Challenge For more Free Your Inner Guru: Facebook: https://facebook.com/freeyourinnerguru Instagram: https://instagram.com/freeyourinnerguru Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

The Urgent Need for Conscious Leadership Oct 25, 2018

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In a reversal of roles, Free Your Inner Guru host Laura Tucker shares her thoughts about Conscious Leadership in an interview with Nina Grenningloh Reyes of Communications Rebel and Radio Regent’s The Women’s Hour. Highlights from this episode: “Initially the podcast was about me having a voice. I spoke about things like survivors guilt and the healing journey. As it has evolved, I’m having people on who I consider to be conscious leaders for interviews. I want it to be a soft landing place for people to come and hear what an authentically conscious, not ego-based leader looks like, sounds like, feels like.” “You don’t need to go to a retreat to become a conscious leader. You may benefit from a day, a week, a retreat or a workshop to carve the time out the time in your busy life for reflection or learning. The real growth comes from how well you integrate the learning back into your life.” “In this day and age we are all being shown examples of more narcissistic styles of leadership. I’m hoping the historical perspective will be that it was a time where we woke up, where we saw this is not to our liking, and that I did the work to become a strong voice. Everything counts. Because how we are in our immediate surroundings gets reflected out onto the world.” Listen to hear Laura’s perspective on: The difference between authentic leadership and Conscious Leadership. Why there is a need for an alternative approach to leadership. What reclaiming your voice has to do with becoming a conscious leader. Obstacles and challenges we face when we connect to our inner guru. Conscious leadership as a daily habit. Is there a relationship between conscious leadership and gender? How we can reconcile the notion of looking inwards vs freeing our inner guru. About the Nina Grenningloh Reyes Nina Grenningloh Reyes is the force behind Communications Rebel. Nina helps changemakers and social innovators tell their story to accelerate social change. Mentioned in this episode Free Your Inner Guru Episode 32 – Jessica Tracy: The Impact of Pride on Success and Authentic Leadership Documentary Enlighten Us, Jenny Carchman, Director, Netflix Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Alexia Vernon: Embrace Your Voice and Step Into Your Moxie Oct 16, 2018

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Alexia Vernon is the author of the book Step into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice, Visibility, and Influence in the World. Branded a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement for her unique and effective approach to women’s empowerment, Alexia Vernon is a sought-after speaking and leadership coach to female (and male) executives, entrepreneurs, media personalities, and change makers who want to spread their ideas, positively impact people’s lives, grow their businesses, and advance their thought leadership. Listen to to hear Alexia Vernon’s perspective on these big ideas: How speaking your story is the most effective way to move people to take action. Why many people are out of sorts with how they are being communicated to. What your inherent ability to tap into your intuition and recognize your own wisdom within has to do with sharing your story. The three characters that get in the way of your ability to use your intuition and keep you stuck. What to do if stepping into your moxie feels dangerous. The gifts of your defining moments How Alexia and Laura each use the Hawaian Ho’o Pono Pono meditation to find forgiveness. The transition from relating a story where it’s more about you, versus sharing it and being of service to your audience. How women (and men) can step into their true power and still embrace a feminine style of leadership. Why it is important to choose an abundance mentality and support others who are stepping into their moxie. Why it is your responsibility to get on stage and step into your thought leadership Mentioned in this episode Book: Alexia Vernon, Step Into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice, Visibility, and Influence in the World Free Video Series: Hot Shot Speaker Video Training Follow Alexia on Facebook – @AlexiaVernonEmpowerment Instagram – @alexiavernon Twitter – @alexiavernon Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Veronica Kirin: Stories of Elders – The Time to Listen is Now Sep 25, 2018

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Veronica Kirin is an entrepreneur, social anthropologist, and the author of Stories of Elders: What the Greatest Generation Knows About Technology that You Don’t. The term “America’s Greatest Generation” was coined by Tom Brokaw in his 1998 Book The Greatest Generation. It refers to the generation that grew up in the Great Depression and came of age during the second world war. Stories of Elders is an in-depth, charming and highly relatable look at how the lives of our elders have been shaped by technology, and how they think it’s affecting our lives today. Despite her experience as a tech entrepreneur, Veronica turned to technology to raise the funds for her journey. However, Veronica didn’t rely on technology and sit at the computer or pick up the phone to gather her interviews. Powered by the success of her Kickstarter campaign, Veronica drove 11,487 miles across the United States to do the interviews live. In Stories of Elders, Veronica Kirin makes a compelling case for why we must use technology with intent. We must become aware of our vulnerabilities, set boundaries, and realize that technology is a tool and it’s up to us to take responsibility and determine its impact. Listen to this episode to hear Veronica Kirin share her perspective on: From inspired idea to fruition: how Veronica turned her inspiration into an authoritative book and documentary using Kickstarter and all of her entrepreneurial skills. How Veronica’s personal experience of trauma influenced how she interacted with 100 elders who have lived through war and the escalating changes of the past decades. Why it’s essential for Millenials, Gen Y and Gen Xers to read Story of Elders. The impact of accelerated technology on communication and relationships. War and politics – how radio, television and the internet have influenced the way we vote. Technology and self care – how our elders are more intentional with their use and consumption of technology. How Veronica’s experience and past roles are helping to create success for this book that she cares so deeply about! Mentioned in this episode: Book: Veronica Kirin, Stories of Elders: What the Greatest Generation Knows About Technology That You Don’t Website: Stories of Elders – storiesofelders.com Follow Veronica on: Facebook Twitter – @vmkirin Instagram – @vmkirin Article: How to Review a Podcast on Apple Podcasts from Your iPhone or Computer Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

Christina Torres: Life is Short, So Make It Flipping Awesome Sep 19, 2018

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Christina Torres is a blogger, mother and best-selling author of Flipping Awesome: The Art and Science of Perseverance, Self-Love, and Getting Your S#&% Together. Christina Torres is on a mission to flip the script on painfully perfect womanhood and to empower women to embrace their truth and live out loud. In this interview, Christina shares how she went from living in a state of constant anxiety and lack to living her truth on her own terms. When Christina embraced single motherhood and it ended up being her truest blessing. Listen to this episode to hear Christina Torres share her perspective on: Breaking free of the fear of what others may – or may not be – thinking about you. Stereotypes of motherhood. A practical way to embrace the present by embracing self care. How denying a part of yourself that is true sets up self loathing. Kindness and compassion towards yourself as a form of self care. The role culture and religion play in the way we think about ourselves as women. Realizing you don’t have to do it all. Memorable quotes from Christina Torres “Life is too short not to live in your truth and not to live in love, and not to live doing whatever makes you feel happy and what makes you feel whole.” “Self love and love in general is about truth. Living in self truth is a huge part of self love and self care.” Mentioned in this episode: Christina’s book Flipping Awesome: The Art & Science of Perseverance, Self-Love, and Getting Your S#!% Together Blog – The Runaround Free Your Inner Guru podcast interview with Karen Haycox: Take the Next Right Step Tiffany Dufu’s book, Drop the Ball Follow Christina Torres on social media: Facebook Twitter – @wanderlovetns Instagram – @christorrinesa Want more conscious conversations in your life? Support the podcast and join the Free Your Inner Guru® Leadership Community at freeyourinnerguru.com/leadership-community

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