Mindfulness Mode

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Premier Performance Lifestyle; Aaron Hines May 11, 2023

Show notes

Aaron Hines is a husband, father, author, and entrepreneur. Aaron lives west of Nashville TN in the small town of Bellevue with his wife Amanda and two sons, Lincoln and Stetson. He played all 4 years of High School football and spent two years in College playing an offensive and defensive line at Lambuth University. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with an undergraduate degree in Health and Human Performance and also has an M.S. in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University.

Aaron owns and operates a fitness facility in Franklin TN, where he helps change the lives of those individuals 45+ who want to lose weight, move pain-free, and do things they didn’t think were possible.

He also spends a lot of time and energy helping young athletes reach their full potential by teaching them the fundamentals of being a great person and athlete on and off the field. He has worked with professional athletes and retired professional athletes over the years. His vast experience interning at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Volunteering at the Vanderbilt Dayani Center, and working in the corporate setting has molded him into the person he is today.

He was voted one of the Top Personal Trainers in all of Nashville in 2020 and was featured in the Franklin Lifestyle Magazine in 2019. He can be reached at Premierperformancetrainer.com, 615-819-5186, or ahines@premierperformancetrainer.com

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Most Influential Person

His Dad.

Effect on Emotions

I guess ways to kind of re-evaluate mindfulness or just try meditation or whatever I tend to choose on a daily basis. I think if I didn't have those things, I would be probably all over the place; I get pretty hot-headed.
I don't lose my cool very frequently, but if it builds up over time, it's like a pot boiling over. It's good to be more mindful and grateful for the things that I have.

Thoughts on Breathing

I wish I did it more. That's my thought. I gotta control my breathing, I get anxious about a lot of things. And so I found that closing my eyes and counting 15 to 20 is super helpful. It kind of releases those things that get me bent out of shape.
But doing a little bit more (breathing) is probably more beneficial for me. I kind of come in contact with other people's issues on a daily basis, I'm dealing with whether it's coming from a political background or religious background. You see different people and different ethnicities every day, coming to the gym.

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Bullying Story

I will say that I am semi-bullied. We lived on an Indian reservation for five years. And we were kind of the minority there. So it's very, very few Caucasian people. With that, I guess if I were smarter, a little bit brighter, I was young I was in middle school so it was more of a kind of ticked-off moment.
If I would have been able to take that in and write things down that were agitating, or maybe annoying about the situation. I was kind of an overweight, middle school kid and this guy was twice my size.
So I think if I would have been in the moment and known about it more, I think yes, it would have been helpful. It probably would have dissolved, but it would have been kind of suppressed a little bit more so wouldn't happen as frequently. And I'm saying it was like bad bullying. It was just more or less, “Hey, you're the outcast. You're not from this area, we're gonna punch you, we're gonna do this sort of thing.”.
But I think from those moments I got into more working out. Like that's not going to happen again. I got to be big enough and strong enough to where I can get my mind right. So I don't have to encounter these situations as I get older

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Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing coach, and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Create A Clown Presence; Don Colliver May 08, 2023

Show notes

Don Colliver is a teacher, speaker, writer, and comedian with over twenty-five years of experience helping audiences utilize the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and connection. Don teaches public speaking at Google and speaks for companies including Adobe, Cisco, and Medtronic. He toured as a Clown for contemporary circus Spiegelworld, performed with the Blue Man Group, and is listed in the Cirque du Soleil performer database. Don graduated from Boston University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. When he’s not helping speakers engage with their audiences, he can be found hiking through the redwoods. You can reach Don at www.winktechtalks.com.

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Company: Colliver Communications
Website: www.winktechtalks.com
Book: Wink: Transforming Public Speaking with Clown Presence By Don Colliver

Most Influential Person

Alan Watts

Effect on Emotions

Mindfulness has helped me deal with my emotions because I can physicalize them. And I love picturing where fear sits and describing it. That is very helpful in removing some of the motivation that it puts through my body.

Thoughts on Breathing

Breathing is the most important thing when it comes to presenting. And it's not what very technical people want to hear, because it feels very esoteric and not heavy. But the fact is, it's made the biggest difference in me like deep breathing box breathing, fire to big presentations.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

I was bullied a little bit in elementary school. And I think if grown up, Don's brain was back there it becomes so much about the bully, I'm so much more focused on that person. And what do they want?
It's hard to just simply step back and look at it from a 10,000-foot view and be like, can I just avoid this situation, this comes into clear focus these days because, at the end of each year, I'll do an evaluation of the year rather than do goals for the next year, or commitments or anything like that.
I just look through the prior year, and find the top three negative experiences top three positive experiences. And then I try and put the top three positive experiences on my calendar, like ASAP, make a commitment, and put the deposit down. And then for the neg negative experiences, I just see like, is there a way I can minimize the opportunities even have these experiences?

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Mindset Tips For Author Success; Tonya Duncan Ellis May 04, 2023

Show notes

Tonya Duncan Ellis is the author of the bestselling SOPHIE WASHINGTON children’s chapter book series and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM. She enjoys inspiring other authors with mindset tips for author success. Tonya has spoken and taught at writing conferences at the Highlights Foundation and for SCBWI in New York City, Houston, and Austin, TX chapters. A former journalist and freelance magazine writer, she is a graduate of Centre College of Kentucky and holds an MBA degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
Tonya loves to travel and has visited 49 American states, 20 countries, and three continents, but some of her best journeys have been between the pages of a novel. She could always be found with a book in her hand, and reading is still one of her favorite hobbies. When she's not reading or writing, Tonya likes to ride her bike, swim, and spend time with her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit, and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation-sponsored, Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort. Married with three children, Tonya lives in Houston, Texas.

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Website: www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Book: Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach By Tonya Duncan Ellis

Most Influential Person

Her Mom

Effect on Emotions

It's been very beneficial to me, I do journaling every day. Being mindful and intentional in what I'm doing helps me stay focused because there's a lot of rejection in my business. So it just keeps me focused on my goals and moving in a positive direction.

Thoughts on Breathing

I don't do a lot of it. But I have taken Pilates and some yoga classes at times. And I find that they do a lot of breathing in the exercise. And it's like a release and helps relieve a lot of your stress and anxiety. And even when I do walking and movement I think it helps me overcome anxious feelings and be more positive.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

The second book in my series, is Sophie Washington, the Snitch. It's about children being bullied by a new girl at school who's taking their lunch money and shoving them around. And I think mindfulness may have been helpful for the bully herself.
She recognized her history, it comes out later in the book that her parents have abandoned her and had some other personal issues.
If she had been able to do some mindfulness work, that would help with her anger and bad feelings that led her to be unkind to the other kids. So

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Stop Feeling Overwhelmed; Michelle Gauthier May 01, 2023

Show notes

Michelle Gauthier is a professional life coach who helps busy, overwhelmed people create a more calm and intentional life. Michelle is a single mom of two adopted kids and used to be an overwhelmed busy working mom herself. She quit her successful 20-year corporate career to become a life coach to help other people navigate their careers and home lives with ease. When she’s not working, Michelle spends her spare time watching her kid's sporting events, going to Burn Bootcamp, organizing things just for fun, shopping online, and reading self-improvement books.

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Website: www.michellegauthier.com
Podcast: Overwhelmed Working Woman

Most Influential Person

Her Dad

Effect on Emotions

When I was really stressed and overwhelmed, I used to brag about how many years it had been since I cried. And I would say, I don't get sad; nothing upsets me. I kind of acted like I was this steel wall. And I could just handle and do anything. Give me any problem. I can handle it.
The way that mindfulness helps me deal with my emotions is by just allowing me to have them. So it's amazing. Now I went for so many years saying, oh my gosh, I never cry all the time now. And I'm kind of proud of that. Because if I feel sad, or if I feel touched by something that just hits me in the heart, that's what I want to do. And if I feel mad, I allow that as well. If I feel joyful, I allow that.
So I just allow any feeling that I have, and I teach my kids to do the same, I don't ever want to shame them and say, Don't be angry. Don't be sad. Don't be whatever just be whatever you are.

Thoughts on Breathing

Square breathing is my go-to. I teach that to all my clients. I've taught it to my kids. That's just where you breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and then hold it at the bottom for four.
If you do that four times around, it is magic, what that can do just to calm your nervous system. If I wake up at night and can't fall back to sleep, I can just do that. I've taught my kids to do it. I think it's such a powerful tool. Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

I think as a parent, you have to have a lot of mindfulness around bullying, it just seems so prevalent right now. And I just was reading something that after COVID, there's even more bullying because kids have less social skills and less confidence and things like that.
I've had experience with both of my kids being bullied at one time or another. And I think as a parent, it's a really fine line. Because what I try to teach them is mindfulness and empathy for the person. We have no idea what's happening at their house so let's try to think the best we can about why they might be doing this. Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

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Reset The Mind For A Happier and Healthier Life; Matt Zemon Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

Matt Zemon is the Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder of Happyy.me, a mental health company on a mission to improve people's happiness by providing guided ketamine therapy and digital wellness programs. As a serial entrepreneur, Matt has had two successful exits. He was the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Psychable, an online community connecting people who would like to legally explore the healing power of psychedelics with a network of practitioners and psychedelic-based treatments. He was also the co-founder of Take2Minutes, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals improve their mental health and well-being. Matt is the author of Psychedelics for Everyone: A Beginners Guide to These Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness and received his Master of Science in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health with honors from Kings College London.

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Company: Happyy.me
Website: http://happyy.me
Book: Psychedelics For Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide to These Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness By Matt Zemon

Most Influential Person

The mother of my great friend from high school.

Effect on Emotions

I had never heard that emotions are our feedback; their unrealized thoughts are thoughts that have fully been formed. If I see a Tiger in the Jungle, I know that Tiger is gonna eat me. I can be scared. That's that type of emotion.
We talk about having a gut feeling that's something to express itself and can't do it in a traditional way.
Mindfulness helps me. I've chosen this path to be okay and be aware. Not all of the feelings are good. The whole spectrum is here to teach me something. And I can embrace it. I don't need to suppress any of it. And I need to listen to it more. I need to be aware of it.

Thoughts on Breathing

I wasn't aware of my breath or wasn't aware of how powerful and automated our breath is and that when I focus on my breath, just that simple thing, it's easy to calm down, and it's easy to become present.
So when I'm angry, let me just breathe through this for a minute. And allow us to process and take some time to think versus just reacting. When I'm starting the day, can I just focus on my breath and remind myself to be aware and be here. Even 10 or 20 minutes into that in the morning can change the rest of the day.
Breath is such a simple thing to follow. As those of us who practice meditation know, it can be hard to stay focused because thoughts come floating by constantly to interrupt that.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

I've seen some bullying behavior from certain individuals and what medicine has forced me to do is look at that and say what is really happening? Why am I allowing myself to interact with this person? Or how am I interacting with this person? And then what do I need to do to change that interaction? And to do so in a way that is not good, not from a victim's perspective.
I appreciate what you're trying to teach me, and I've recreated thinking of an older gentleman who I felt bullied from. My father was an alcoholic, who was an older person who would have these one moment, everything's fine, the next moment be a fit of rage.

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Living A Mindful Desert Island Life; Jason Barnard Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube, a software company that leverages Google to create future-proof brand-focused digital strategies for businesses. Jason has been touted as the one person Google says has as much insight into their knowledge algorithms as their own insiders. Jason is known as The Brand SERP Guy, a digital marketing consultant who specializes in Brand SERP optimization.
Jason also spent 8 years as a Punk-Folk Musician and 10 years as a blue dog in a cartoon TV series for kids produced by ITV International and airing in 15 countries. On today's episode, Jason discusses the benefits of living a mindful, desert island life.

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Company: Kalicube.com
Website: https://jasonbarnard.com
Podcast: Branded Search( and Beyond) By Jason Barnard
Book: The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business By Jason Barnard

Most Influential Person

Boo-ah (That's me. A creation of both me and my ex-wife). His personality had an incredible, calming influence on me. His personality rubbed off on me, and Boo-ah is a deeply kind, generous, and deeply thoughtful, mindful character.

Effect on Emotions

Being aware that you can't change something, and learning to accept it reduces massively, frustration for me. So one thing that I got out of my experience in Mauritius, and my depression, was that frustration in my life reduced significantly afterward.
Because I could accept that things move at speed, they move out. If I can't change that speed, then I need to accept that speed is something I don't appreciate or don't want in my life, or happening. If I can't change it, I need to accept it. And that reduces stress and reduces frustration. And it's been life-changing.

Thoughts on Breathing

The only time I ever focus on my own breathing is when I'm singing, and what I've learned from singing is that I got quite powerful lungs, so I can actually get a lot of air in and sing quite a lot of time without taking another breath.
So one of the things I do when I'm singing, I'm playing with double bass, is learn to breathe incredibly deeply, and that may be added to the pleasure of playing the music because I would imagine I'm getting huge hits of oxygen every time I do that.

Suggested Resources

Book: Confucius from the Heart By Yu Dan
App: Spotify

Bullying Story

Sometimes in my personal life, but in business as well, I feel that I've been bullied by somebody. And it's more along the lines of manipulation. But manipulation is a kind of bullying. And it's psychologically very violent.
It seems like normal behavior, and what I also know is it's a normal relationship, but I feel bullied. And if I am mindful of the fact that I don't want to do what they're pushing me to do, and can just say, well, actually, no, this is what I need, this is what I want. I would be much better off.

Related Episodes

Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing coach, and hypnotist helping fast-track people like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a Zoom call and discuss how you can advance to a better life.

Decode Your Soul Purpose Through Mindfulness; Jay H. Tepley Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Jay H. Tepley is an author, entrepreneur, international speaker, and spiritual mentor. A lifelong geek and a dedicated researcher, she offers world-class personal training for A-players in marketing, coaching, and community building to help them fly high and achieve beyond what other people think possible by aligning with their soul Purpose.

Over the last 20 years, her New Era Superhero program showed many men across the globe the path to increased revenue, success, impact, and personal fulfillment.

Her charity work supporting mental health through lightsaber training has been featured in the Guardian, The Jeremy Vine Show, and BBC 1.

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Most Influential Person

Serene Maharshi

Effect on Emotions

It allowed me to become a real-life superhero.

Thoughts on Breathing

Breathing is key to your mental and physical health and emotional control. And I would sincerely recommend the book; Pranayama: The Energetics of Breath: The Yoga of Breathing By Andre Van Lysbeth . It's absolutely fantastic.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

Oh, well, kids tried to bully me at school because I was so different, but I flaunted it. I just put it in their face. I thought it was the best joke ever. And so their bullying attempts fell completely flat on their face because they're like, well, you're weird. I'm like, that's how I roll.

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Fear Less To Cross The Bridge To Bliss; Colin Kingsmill Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

Colin Kingsmill is a transformational coach and Founding Partner at Whole Human Coaching. He is currently authoring a book entitled “Fear Less: Crossing the Bridge from Fear to Bliss.” When people get stuck at critical transition points in their lives, he assists them in deconstructing the stories in their heads, overcoming fear, and reconstructing a new narrative to move forward, live their authentic selves, and thrive. Today, he is dedicated to helping people become fearless and rediscover their humanity and freedom; remember who they are and who they will be to make positive change in our world.

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Website: www.colinkingsmill.com
Book: Fear Less: Crossing the Bridge from Fear to Bliss (Unpublished)

Most Influential Person

Sam Harris

Effect on Emotions

It completely changed the way I live. Prior to getting it, it was all over the map and expanding energy all over the place. Now, it's just about energy conservation and nonreactivity. So it's been very positive.

Thoughts on Breathing

My only thought is, I don't think we get taught enough about how important it is. And that's why we're here. But we forgot. We get distracted, and we take it for granted that we can always have it.
I had an anaphylactic shock once, and luckily it was in a medical situation. But when she said you are not breathing, it's incredibly tough. And you recognize at that moment that, oh, look at what I'm taking advantage of or taking for granted.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

I wasn't bullied as a child, but I was in a very much bullied environment as an adult in the last sort of 20 years. It was interesting because the first one lasted about three years of awful treatment and accepting it. And I don't know why I accepted it. But I was in this situation for three years, with management that was really awful by any standard.
I left that, and I went to do something else. Another project. And I immediately recognized that this was a similar situation. And, because I had started to be more mindful and more aware and listening to myself and just more attentive because of the previous experience.
The second experience where bullying and absolute toxicity were present, I retracted and pulled myself out of that situation as fast as I could. But bullying is such an awful thing today. and

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Fix Your Anxiety; Faust Ruggiero, M.S. Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

Faust A. Ruggiero’s professional career spans almost 40 years, and is diversified and compelling, as it has consistently established new and exciting cutting-edge counseling programs in its pursuit of professional excellence and personal life enhancement. He is a published research author, clinical trainer, and a therapist who has worked in settings that have included clinics for deaf children, prisons, nursing homes, substance abuse centers, inpatient facilities, major corporations, both national and international, and as the President of the Community Psychological Center in Bangor, Pennsylvania. In that capacity, he developed the Process Way of Life counseling program and has developed it into a formal text presented in the Fix Yourself Handbook.

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Most Influential Person

Mother Teresa

Effect on Emotions

The key for me, and what I tried to teach is for people to slow their life down; you're not going to be mindful, you're not going to be conscious.
If you're going 100 miles an hour, because your mind is going to be all over the place, you need to slow down first. And then second, be willing to put the time in because mindfulness demands a slower pace and commitment to learning over time.

Thoughts on Breathing

I use it as a preparation for meditation. Breathing puts you in the moment because you got to focus on your breathing. So the one thing people don't think about is that they think I gotta go slow. And there you are, there's that slow and my mind has to work on this. Because all of it ties in together.
It doesn't matter what breathing exercises; you can go online and find good breathing exercises, and they're all good. Essentially, what it means is slow and keep your mind focused on the in and out of your breathing. You are now in a position of mindfulness of consciousness in terms of what you're doing.

Suggested Resources

Book: The Fix Yourself Handbook: Using the Process Way of Life to Transform Your Life into a Happy, Healthy Journey

Bullying Story

What happens is that when you're bullied for a while, you begin to take that person on and you begin to act as a victim, not just with that bully, but everywhere.
It's one of the reasons why parents take a while to identify this because the kids come home, and then they're different and they're angry, or they're reacting or they're crying or they're isolating, and they don't understand that that's dictum stuff.
I tell people, if the bully is bullying, and you go and hit the bully, you did something, but when you don't, you internalize all those features, and you bring him right into your heart and into your mind. Now you start being that and it really affects the way that kids and even adults move forward. Because it's not just bullying in school, it's bullying in the workplace. It's social bullying, it's everywhere. It's online

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Living Life in Color; Dana Sardano Apr 10, 2023

Show notes

Dana Sardano is an artist who fully embraces her artist’s life to model for her daughters the importance of listening to your soul’s purpose by following your bliss. In January 2015, Dana picked up a paintbrush for the first time since childhood. That was the catalyst for a major shift in her career in June 2017. She has since opened Ubuntu Fish Gallery in Stuart, Florida, co-founded Phenom Publishing and FindUniquelyU.com, and has authored several books for both adults and children, never for a second regretting her decision to take that leap of faith.

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Most Influential Person

Her husband.

Effect on Emotions

It's everything. The thing about mindfulness is it's quick in 10 commandments, I think it's the second recommendation I shall not become entrenched in my emotions. We get all sorts of entrenched in our emotions.
Our emotions are just a guide to show us what's good for us and what's not. So if we feel yucky, then don't do that. And if we feel good, do more of that. And so if we're mindful of our emotions, then we can regulate them.

Thoughts on Breathing

I have truly learned to take a breath. I've learned mindfulness I've learned to become mindful of what I hold my breath. When I'm tense. I've learned to become mindful of when I'm in pain or worried to breathe through it.
When you see Lamaze, people have given birth, and they're teaching them how to breathe. I remember, as a young woman, I was like, That's stupid. But I've come to realize that the breath is when you focus on the breath, it really you could handle anything. So for me, just the act of when I feel myself get tense to take a breath, or before I make a rash decision to take a breath.

Suggested Resources

Bullying Story

If we individually learned to value ourselves and not to circle back to VEDA because what I do is I touch on every developmental age. And when the trauma or when something happens that alters the mindset that creates a belief system that might be toxic, or doesn't serve you.
Bullies are looking for power, they're looking to be seen and heard. So we label them. And even as adults, we label the narcissist, the empath, the bully, and the victim. But the reality is, every single one of us the bullies in the non-bullies, just wants our needs to be met.

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