Healing

S2 EP 13. John O’ Connor: Redefining Masculinity and Mental Health

31 October 2023 by Raj Jana

In this episode, we dive deep into redefining masculinity and mental health with John O’Connor.

With over two decades of experience and 10,000 hours logged coaching high-achieving men, John is one of the most qualified individuals I could possibly find to speak on the subject. As a husband, father, and former entrepreneur who got sober 22 years ago, John shares vulnerably about his own journey with alcohol addiction, suicidal ideation, and generational trauma, modeling a new paradigm of masculine strength through emotional openness.

Key topics discussed:

John’s process of getting sober over 22 years ago and the tools that helped him create lasting change. We talk about the importance of community support and therapy in working through underlying issues.
How fully embodying our struggles and sitting with discomfort is critical for growth, versus numbing or distracting ourselves. John shares his brilliant “90 day rule” for uncovering what we’re masking.
John courageously opens up about past suicidal thoughts, even amidst living a life he loves. We discuss how generational and ancestral trauma can unconsciously manifest. The power of sharing vulnerably to release shame.
Practical somatic tools John uses when difficult emotions arise, like the C.O.R.E. method for non-reactive processing. How allowing our feelings to just be can dissolve their charge over time.
The trap of ego and the discernment around what to share relationally vs. internally process first. How vulnerability invites reciprocity in intimacy.
John’s current work hosting men’s retreats and how healing journeys invite a new paradigm of masculine emotional expression.
Daily practices, like grounding through tea ceremonies, that keep John feeling centered amidst life’s chaos.

This conversation models a new vision of masculine mental health – one of courageous emotional work, inner exploration and interdependence. John demonstrates a grounded strength that comes from sharing vulnerably. His story inspires all of us to bring more truth into the light.

Timestamps:

2:00 – Being Truly Grounded

7:00 – The Beginning of Waking Up

15:00 – The Relationship To Death

19:00 – What is the source of your calling?

29:00 – Learning to be with your triggers

39:00 – What it means to speak your truth.

50:00 – Generational Trauma

1:02:00 – Reperspecting Shame

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Art of Contemplation training

Book: Essential Skills for Extraordinary Living (coming soon)

Core blueprint audiobook (coming soon)

Jayson Gaddis – Getting to Zero book

Connect with John:

Connect with Raj:

If you are on the path of emotional healing and self-discovery and would like to know how Liber8 can support your journey, head to www.rajjana.com/liber8.

Legal Disclaimer: The information and opinions discussed in this podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only. The host and guests are not medical or mental health professionals, and their advice should not be a substitute for seeking professional help. Any action taken based on the information presented is strictly at your own risk. The podcast host and their guests shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by information shared in this podcast. Consult your physician before making any changes to your mental health treatment or lifestyle.

S2 EP 9. Devon Kerns: Releasing The Need For Control

3 October 2023 by Raj Jana

In this week’s episode of Stay Grounded, host Raj Jana explores the journey of surrender and flow with serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and consciousness explorer Devon Kerns.

With over 25 years in business and over 11,000 hours of experience logged coaching and consulting for political leaders and fortune 500 executives while diving deep into his own spiritual practices, Devon shares his wisdom on releasing attachment, trusting intuitive guidance, and embodying our divine nature.

Key topics include:

Devon’s mystical experience at age 15 that set him on the spiritual path
Using the heart’s intelligence versus the thinking mind
Recognizing we are receivers, not doers in the flow of life
Releasing control and the need to “try”
Honoring all of life’s experiences as part of the divine dance
Integration versus evangelism – respecting each soul’s journey
Devon’s daily spiritual practice keeps him anchored in presence

Devon offers illuminating perspectives from his own unfolding journey of self-realization. Tune in for profound insights on moving through life with grace and ease instead of struggle.This expansive dialogue provides tools to release attachments, judgments and the need for control.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction

4:00 – Devon’s story

9:00 – The experience of the now

19:00 – The sense of impermanence

22:00 – The power of “No Thought”

34:00 – The knowing that you can.

38:00 – How aware can you be in all moments?

46:00 – Surrendering to the gratitude of life.

54:00 – We are already whole.

1:11:00 – What does it mean to stay grounded?

Disclaimer: The hosts and guests are not medical or mental health professionals, and their advice should not be a substitute for seeking professional help.

Connect with Devon:

Connect with Raj:

If you are on the path of emotional healing and self-discovery and would like to know how Liber8 can support your journey, head to www.rajjana.com/liber8.

EP 258. Panache Desai: Unraveling The Truth Of Who You Are

21 November 2022 by Raj Jana

The last time I was with Panache was right before the COVID lockdowns. The time I spent with him as he launched his book, You Are Enough – Revealing the Soul to Discover Your Power, Potential, and Possibility, changed my life profoundly. Thanks to his spiritual wisdom and loving support, he inspired the courage to look at the parts of myself I was afraid to look at and dive deeper into my own spiritual journey.

Panache Desai is a visionary thought leader and a life catalyst in the area of human development. This incredible human has appeared on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday, he’s collaborated with Deepak Chopra and has worked with everyone from Neale Donald Walsh to Joe Dispenza, Brian Weiss, Ram Dass, James Redfield, and other luminaries in the fields of spiritual and personal development.

When Panache called me out of the blue a few months back and proposed we record another episode together, I said yes in a heartbeat. And after we finished recording the episode, I knew why he called. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. His perspectives were the messages I needed to hear. It was a reminder of infinite possibilities and to trust in a greater unfolding. It was a reminder to surrender deeply into the flow of life and create from a space of deep knowing.

This conversation is almost 1.5 hours long (twice the length of our normal episodes) and FULL of gold. I hope you guys enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it.

Key takeaways:

Discovering the truth of who you are.
Do we really have free will.
Why choice itself is an illusion.
Learning to value yourself.
Why we’re so obsessed with personal growth.
Why rejection leads to self-censoring.
If you don’t like something in someone else, resolve it in yourself.
Through acceptance, we can become aware of ourselves.
How self-awareness creates space for trauma to rise and release.
The hierarchy of consciousness.
Why awareness equates to freedom.
Why freedom & liberation is the North Star.
Understanding the root of suffering.
Why comparison is impossible.

Contact Info:

Check out – https://www.panachedesai.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/panachedesai/

We thrive on your feedback, so if you’ve enjoyed this show, please rate us and leave us a review. And don’t forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode again.

EP 257. Loka Pandya: How To Connect With Childlike Joy

14 November 2022 by Raj Jana

“I realized that joy is about working through your emotions, releasing your emotions, and also being intentional about your joy.”

Loka Pandya is a motivational speaker, serial entrepreneur, a DeLorean collector, and a passionate life enthusiast who’s dedicated to deep healing work.

In his work, Loka is on a mission to awaken the inner child joy that lies within all of us. Loka’s passion for igniting joy began after his mother died when he was 13. Almost overnight, Loka transformed from a highly competitive, ambitious teen into a young man who wanted to help others feel better.

Over time, his overgiving character put him on a rollercoaster of extreme highs and deep lows. The pattern was exhausting. Loka succeeded in making the world happy, but inside, he was sad. In response, Loka threw the kitchen sink at his healing journey, trying every tool and modality he could get his hands on.

This inner journey taught Loka that healing depended on his ability to feel his true emotions. He also learned you could intentionally trigger joy and choose how to feel.

Today, Loka empowers people to tap into their childlike joy so they can experience more love and happiness. This episode is a heartwarming dive into Loka’s personal journey of healing, along with tools and tips for igniting joy and reconnecting with your inner child.

Key takeaways:

Exploring your relationship with receiving.
What happens when the high highs and low lows become exhausting?
Loka’s “folder of joy.”
Reframing triggers into initiations.
Pausing to create space for a response.
Reclaiming control of your power to choose.
The power of healing through baby steps.
Doing the one thing each day that helps you heal.
Staying grounded through a routine.

Contact Info:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lokapandya/
Loka@lokapandya.com

We thrive on your feedback, so if you’ve enjoyed this show, please rate us and leave us a review. And don’t forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode again.

EP 252. Gina Worful: Releasing The Shame Around Your Emotions

10 October 2022 by Raj Jana

“Doing the work is the journey of questioning. Once you question and you become aware, it’s making choices.”

Over the last four years, I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on my inner work journey. I chose to turn myself into my own research project, and this time in my life has been a period of massive growth, reflection, and expansion.

In this episode, I’ve paired up with my beautiful life partner Gina to open up about the rock bottom experiences that brought us to our knees, and how we used those experiences as catalysts to shift the way we lived our lives.

The journey of increasing awareness is potent, powerful, and profound. Eventually, you uncover the underlying factors that are unconsciously creating your reality. It’s the work that returns you to your personal power. It’s a rich inquiry that elevates your ability to choose differently and shift the course of your life for good.

I hope this week’s episode is a glimpse of the ecstatic level of fulfillment possible when you choose to face your fears and lean into the wisdom of what wants to be shown.

Key takeaways:

Why hormonal imbalance became a gateway for Gina to go inwards.
When stress-relieving techniques aren’t effective
We’ve normalized living with chronic stress.
How compartmentalizing is a coping strategy.
Looking inward to discover hidden beliefs.
The ego death from coming clean to my ex
Why the secret to healing is to understand your nervous system responses.
Creating the space for a proactive response.
The liberation that comes from looking at discomfort.
Information about a LIVE group healing experience.
And more…

If you’re interested in being supported by myself and a team of veterans as you learn to do the inner work in a safe community setting, join our October Cohort of Precision Emotional Healing.

Head to www.liber8.health/

We thrive on your feedback, so if you’ve enjoyed this show, please rate us and leave us a review. And don’t forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode again.

EP 247. Nick Onken: Tapping Into Your Inner, Creative Genius

5 September 2022 by Raj Jana

“I think identity alchemy is finding who you are at the core.”

How do you identify and define yourself when you have multiple interests, multiple talents, multiple ways you see yourself interacting with the world?

For Nick Onken, the answer is Identity Alchemy – the creative art of deconstructing who you are [and who you’ve been] so you can discover the essence that sits at your core.

This episode’s guest is Nick Onken – a creative alchemist who dances between the roles of photographer, hat designer, podcaster, artist, and entrepreneur. He’s lived a creative life where his curiosity has guided him to shed identities and redefine himself as his work and life have shifted and evolved.

In this episode, Nick and I explore the creative power we can all access – to unleash our inner genius.

Nick Onken has been commissioned by top tier brands such as Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas and publishers such as Cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller and Marie Claire. His portfolio of photographed personalities include Justin Bieber, Usher, Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Tony Robbins, to name a few. Nick also supports, and photographs for Pencils of Promise, a reputable non-profit organization using education as the most powerful tool to change the world.

In this beautiful episode, Nick and I explore:

What does identity alchemy mean?
The power of personal brands
The creative force of connecting to the energy of the moment.
Creation as a tool to pull yourself into your truth.
Intentionality and creating your moments.
Dancing between masculine and feminine energies to let the magic flow.
What it means to deconstruct and what secrets this opens up?
Curiosity, exploring the world of possibilities, and creating for the pure joy of it.
And more…

Nick’s on a mission to raise consciousness through the art he creates in the world – no matter what art form that is. He believes everyone is a creator with the ability to explore and express their inner genius – and in this episode he shows you how.

Contact Info:

INSTAGRAM.COM/NICKONKEN
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKONKENINC
LINKEDIN.COM/IN/NICKONKEN

We thrive on your feedback, so if you’ve enjoyed this show, please rate us and leave us a review. And don’t forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode again.