The Radical Possibility That Things Might Go Right - Optimism

This week, we’re throwing it back to an episode celebrating our rebel minds ones. And yes - that means we’re celebrating YOURS, too! 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, we’ll review some of the most counter-culture 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// 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.  // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week’s episode is about enlightenment. We’ll break down one of my current fave quotes by Nisargadatta Maharaj and talk about the paradox of being both empty and full - nothing and everything, in our everyday lives.You will learn:// Why “nothing” isn’t a scary void, but a limitless place of freedom and wisdom, and how we can touch it// How realizing the illusion of separation can lead us to love// Where wisdom and love meet, and why living there IS the path// Ways to find this in our daily livesResources:// Episode 198: WTF Is Enlightenment?// Episode 209:  Ripening and the Inevitability of Our Awakening// Episode 260: Wild + Woven – Why We Need Both Nature and People// 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.  // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week we’re going to dive into a simple - but not easy - experiment:mWhat if we assumed shit just might work out for us, instead of worrying it won’t? Join us as we explore this way of thinking that’s 100% available to all of us.You will learn:// Why we often struggle to control how things will work out// Why worrying about the future is useless// How we can begin to change our mindset// How thinking that shit will work out can change our lives for the betterResources:// Episode 27: The Power to Choose Your Feelings// Episode 66: How to Fail Perfectly// Episode 90: The Antidote to Doubt// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week we dive into one thing that we all need to cultivate to really experience a good life: AWE. We’ll talk about all the ways we can experience awe (because it’s more than just sunsets and mountain splendor), and some practices we can do to cultivate awe in our daily lives.You will learn:// What awe is and why we need it to live a good life// The different types of awe we experience, and why they’re all so critical in today’s world// How awe connects us to each other and fosters community// How awe and wonder are tied to our spiritual practice// Ways we can begin to cultivate awe in our daily livesResources:// Episode 155: Awe + Wonder Equals Connection// Episode 188: Connected in Our Grief and Wonder// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week we dive into our Foundational Attachments, exploring our relationships with nature and humans, and why we might see them as separate in the first place. This impacts how we experience the world, as well as how we suffer unnecessarily, AND how we find joy.You will learn:// How we cultivate (and have wounds) in our foundational attachments to Humans and Nature// Why some people trust nature more than humans, and others trust people more than nature// Why our ultimate wholeness includes BOTH other humans AND nature// The forces at play that disconnect us from nature + each other// How we can undo the Lie of SeparationResources:// Episode 139: Nature and Reconnecting// Episode 210: Spiritual Friends and How to Make Them// Nature and the Human Soul, by Bill Plotkin// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week, we dive into a truth that we often forget: We are the dreams of our ancestors. Join us as we explore the ways we can honor our ancestors in the lives we live today and how we can move forward in healing their wounds AND ours, not just for our own good, but for the good of our communities. Knowing this helps us get through anything, and this is the type of resilience many of us need right now.You will learn:// How I was inspired by my Black dharma teacher, Noliwe Alexander, and the phrase, “We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams”// How we can gain resilience from remembering our ancestors’ paths// The importance of acknowledging the weight our own lineage might have// Why being with our suffering contributes to more than just our own healing// What generational trauma is and how it impacts resourcing from our pastResources:// Episode 248: You Are a Cycle Breaker// Episode 59: The Parent Wound// Episode 174: Decolonize Your Mind - A Story of My Mother and Me// Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week I reflect on a recent visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, and how a simple experience of crossing the street turned into a very healing and eye-opening lesson in trust and interdependence. We’ll talk about how in the US, when it comes to navigating traffic and driving, we are taught to assume we are invisible. Drive defensively. Cross streets assuming no one sees you. In Hanoi, it was the opposite. If you wanted to do something as basic as cross the street, you have to assume you would be seen, and that people cared and would take care. I was able to literally walk into oncoming traffic amongst strangers - something we can’t do in many industrialized growth societies like the US. We explore the vulnerability and beauty of how humans can move through chaos together when we come from a place of interdependence and interbeing.You will learn:// What is possible when we embrace interdependence and the fact that we are connected to everything// The gifts that taking risks by being vulnerable and trusting others can bring to us (while using discernment, of course!)// How we can find healing in interdependence and trust in one another// Why so many industrialized growth societies are so far from interdependent interbeing, and how we can offset thatResources:// Episode 190: Islands of Sanctuary – Being a Refuge for Your People// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week’s topic is all about judgment and discernment. We can often default to judging situations and people, especially if we've been through trauma and we’re on the lookout for threats. Add to this a history of being gaslit, and it gets even harder to trust our inner wisdom. But understanding the difference between judgment and discernment can completely change how we respond to life and to other, making it more compassionate, expansive and creative.. The good news is that cultivating discernment is possible. In this episode, we dive into a practice that helps you do exactly that.You will learn:// How to deal with a history of gaslighting and its impact on self-trust// Why trauma makes the judging mind more intense// The secret to changing how we experience judgment (hint: Curiosity is huge!)// What can lead to deeper understanding of ourselves and others when activated// How to differentiate between judgmental thoughts vs facts// A simple practice to cultivate discernment in everyday lifeResources:// Episode 44: The Power of the Pause// Episode 111: Judgement and Blame// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week’s episode is about the importance of letting in what restores and realigns us so that we can let go of what no longer serves us. We’ll talk about the concept of crowding out and how we can use that as a framework to practice letting in wherever we find ourselves stuck in our old patterns.You will learn:// What “crowding out” is and how we can use to help us let go of what no longer serves us// How to know what the rights things to let in are// What happens when we DON’T let in// Some ways we can practice letting in when we feel ourselves stuck in old patternsResources:// Episode 55: Letting Go to Grow// Episode 209: Ripening and the Inevitability of Our Awakening// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week we talk about the importance of showing up authentically in relationships… even when we are afraid the other person won’t accept us for who we are. I’ll share my own story about how my husband and I could have ended it… and how my choice to speak and act wisely changed the course of our relationship and our parenting forever (and for good)! Things you will learn:// The truth behind why we fear being our true selves with others // How we can finally find out if we should stay or go // How wise speech and action help us get clear // How to manage our own resistance to speaking and living our truth Resources:// Episode 5: True Allyship and the Willingness to Be Uncomfortable// Episode 118: Devotion// 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. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.