Greatest Hits Vol. 10 - The Gift of Paradox

In this episode, we talk about what the world - and our lives - might be like if we stopped hiding our suffering. Would it be a sh*t show? Or would our communities and society start admitting we need to take better care of our people and the more-than-human world? I’ll talk about the two things that can lead to healing and transformation and how we can all start making a change - for ourselves and those around us.You will learn:// Why we hide our suffering, even though it’s an unavoidable part of life// How hiding suffering keeps us from growing - personally and as a community// The two aspects of not hiding our suffering that can lead to healing and transformation// How to start making the change to stop hiding, for ourselves and othersResources:// Episode 63: Being Human Is Hard - The First Noble Truth// Episode 102: Start Close In// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here// If you want to dive deeper into this Soul-level work and create a life of more freedom, adventure and purpose, head over to JoinFreedomSchool.com. It’s got everything you need in one place to start getting to the root cause of unnecessary suffering, and build a foundation for a lifetime of self-exploration and freedom.// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

In this episode we take the question of,  “What if this is as good as it gets?” and explore why we are having the reactions we do to that question, and what if we allow acceptance of the way things are in order to feel more ease and joy in the present? (and explore our resistance to the concept of acceptance of reality as it is).This is not about tolerating violations of our fundamental rights and safety or basic quality of life, but rather addressing the fact that when we are constantly waiting for things to be different and striving for that because we think THAT is what will make us happy, we are ironically setting ourselves up for a lot of discontent. Striving for an external factor - a change in circumstances for happiness.You will learn:// How to look toward a future of possibilities… AND love the beauty of where we are NOW// How accepting life as it is can bring us peace - and still maintain possibility// Some signs we’re stuck in an unhealthy view of our current and potential life// How to use “what if this is as good as it gets?” as a mindfulness toolResources:// Episode 141: The Gift of Paradox// Episode 201: How Is This My Life Right Now?// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

This week is all about “cool boredom,” and why it’s an important part of our meditation practice. It can open us up to the many skills needed on our path, including learning to not need constant ego-affirming stimuli, and the capacity to allow inner peace and self-inquiry. We’ll jam on the difference between cool and hot boredom and how each can serve its own purpose as we find a healthy balance between ecstatic experiences and simply being. The goal isn’t to live a life of cool boredom - it’s a middle way between that and ecstasy.You will learn:// Why boredom is important in our meditation practice// How boredom opens us up to many skills needed on our path// The difference between hot and cool boredom// How to find a balance between wild adventures and cool boredomResources:// Episode 65: The Art of Doing Nothing// Episode 109: The Gift of Silence// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

In this episode, we talk about how understanding the emptiness and interdependent nature of our emotions and felt experience of energy can help us heal from shame, anxiety, rage, and more. I’ll talk about why we all struggle to see our energy as neither good nor bad, and the importance of finding community and support when we’re unable to see the potential for change in our own situation. We also dive into some practices to help us protect ourselves and also cleanse from heavier energy when it’s harder for us to see the emptiness of a situation, and how we can more effectively hold space for one another.In this episode, you will learn:// Why energy is neither inherently good or bad - and why we can still use protection and cleansing practices// How we can learn to view our own felt experience with emptiness and potential// How we can help others see their energy in this way, while protecting ourselves// Why we can’t do this work aloneResources:// Episode 24: How to Be With Any Emotion// Episode 28: Practical Emptiness// Episode 46: Letting Emotions Be Your Guide// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

Content Warning: This week’s episode involves a personal story about intimate partner violence.In this week’s episode, we talk about the times in life we find ourselves far from where we thought our life would be and wonder, “How the hell is this my life right now?” I’ll share my own story of healing and growth through a dark time of abuse, along with the key to bringing change and healing to any circumstance.You will learn:// Why we end up in the difficult life situations we do// How veering off our path doesn’t mean we are weak or naive// How we can end the loop and begin healing// Two tools we need to bring change and growthResources:// Episode 51: Self-Compassion// Episode 100: How to Know You’re Making Progress// Episode 175: The Two Wings of Freedom - Wisdom & Compassion// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here.// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

Welcome to the 200th episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast! This week, we’re celebrating the WILD ones. And yes - that means we’re celebrating YOU. We’ll jam on some of my fave concepts and teachings from past episodes and why each one is a rebellious act on its own. Plus, I’ll tell you the most counter-cultural concepts of all!You will learn:// Why the consumerist, materialistic world can never free us from unnecessary suffering// Some of the most rebellious ideas and teachings from the past 200 episodes, including:> Impermanence & non-attachement> Non-dual perspective> Compassion> Mindfulness> Ehipassiko> Unnecessary suffering> Curing vs Healing// Why the world needs each of us - in all of our wild, rebellious, crazy gloryResources:// Episode 9: Impermanence, Death, and Other Sexy Things// Episode 51: Self-Compassion// Episode 60: How to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering// Episode 82: How to Live in Polarity// Episode 122: Come See for Yourself - Ehipassiko// Episode 161: Healing vs Curing// I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here.// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

This week’s Episode is about liminality - what is it? How does it affect our spiritual path? What’s the difference between a mental health crisis and being in liminality (there’s a lot of overlap)? And how can we manage all the discomfort we’re bound to experience when we’re in it? We’ll also jam on why we can ideally spend as much time in liminality as possible,  and how we can navigate this vast area of unknowns.You will learn:// What liminality is and the places we see it on our own journeys - and in everyday life// The difference between a mental health crisis and being in liminality// The importance of recognizing when we’re in liminality and some of the common characteristics// How liminality leads to certain types of death and transformation// Ways we can help liminal spaces seem less frightening and more navigableResources:// Episode 100: How to Know You’re Making Progress// Episode 126: How to Know if Your Making Spiritual Progress// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

This week’s episode answers the question, “What the heck is enlightenment, anyway? And what does that even look like in today’s world?” We’ll dive into the truth behind finding enlightenment in our little every day moments, and how sometimes we only achieve it for a short moment… and that’s totally normal! Plus I’ll talk about the importance of practice as we each find our own unique enlightenmentYou will learn:// The role of accepting and living in paradox in enlightenment// How there is more than one type of enlightenment// How we can achieve enlightenment in everyday moments // The importance of building up a foundation for our insights to be sustained through practice// How enlightenment can change our view of ourselves and the more-than-human world// Why enlightenment has many types… and why that’s good news for each of usResources:// Episode 82: How to Live in Polarity// Episode 82: Vulnerability & Lovingkindness// Episode 107: Equanimity in Everyday Life// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

This week we’re diving into when our Core Wound becomes our Sacred Wound and how our Sacred Wound allows us to live our soul purpose… but only when we stop trying to heal or “fix” it. Plus, I’ll talk about how we can begin to explore our Core Wound without retraumatizing ourselves all over again.You will learn:// What a core wound is and how it affects everyone differently// How we can safely explore our core wound without retraumatizing ourselves// Why we don’t want to heal or “fix” our core or sacred wound… and why this work never ends// How our Sacred Wound allows us to live our Soul PurposeResources:// Episode 55: Letting Go to Grow// Episode 182: When Trauma Is Taken out of Context// The Wild Mind Series:Episode 142: Your Wild Mind – The North + Protectors Episode 143: Your Wild Mind – The South + Wounded Children Episode 144: Your Wild Mind – The East + Our Need to Escape Episode 145: Your Wild Mind – The West and Our Shadows// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

This week’s episode is all about our relationship with the more-than-human world, and the importance of not just taking from it, but also giving back. Today’s modern industrialized society encourages us to take and extract, but in doing so, we are left empty and disconnected, and the more-than-human world suffers as well. We can find a way to heal ourselves, and help restore balance, love, and respect to the world we all hold a unique and important place in. This plays out in our relationships with other people, too! You will learn:// How reciprocal relationship matters not just in our human relationships, but also with the more-than-human world// How modern industrialized society encourages humans to take and dominate… and how that’s starving the world and our spirits// Practices that help us give back// What it means when we are not experiencing reciprocity in our human relationships (hint: potentially toxic!)Resources:// Episode 139: Nature and Reconnecting// Episode 188: Connected in Our Grief and Wonder// Episode 193: Lessons in Trust and Interdependence – Crossing the Street in Hanoi// Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.