How to tell a story and other advice for filmmakers and creators with Director Jon Amiel

In today’s episode on Gateways to Awakening, I speak with my friend Jon Amiel, a distinguished director, writer, and producer with a remarkable career in theatre, film, and television. After spending a decade rising from fringe theatre to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jon transitioned to television, where he made significant strides at the BBC, culminating with the award-winning "Silent Twins" and the multi-award-winning "Singing Detective." Jon's success continued in the film industry over the next 15 years, directing major feature films such as "Sommersby" with Jodie Foster and Richard Gere, "Copycat" with Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter, "Entrapment" with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "The Man Who Knew Too Little" with Bill Murray, "The Core" with Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank, and "Creation" with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. Jon's attraction to various genres is driven by his curiosity and desire to explore different facets of storytelling, approaching each genre with unique techniques and perspectives. As a mentor, Jon frequently advises aspiring directors and writers to focus on authenticity in storytelling and to develop a strong personal voice. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ What he spends most of his time thinking about and why ✅  What, in his opinion, makes a good story and why?  ✅  What inspired his journey into the world of film - an in particular directing?  ✅  As a mentor and advisor to many film directors and writers, what advice does he find himself giving most frequently ✅ What draws him to a particular project, and how does he approach each genre differently ✅ What the creative process was like bringing such a gripping story like Copycat to life If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

In today’s episode, I speak with Nick Grossenbacher, who first encountered and became enamored with the subject of alchemy more than 15 years ago while working on a PhD in late classical and medieval Middle Eastern history. Not content with a purely scholarly approach, Nick set up a home laboratory to replicate processes described in medieval Arabic and Syriac texts. His passion for alchemy deepened through his studies with teacher Robert Bartlett, leading him to explore global alchemical traditions. Nick's journey took a practical turn when he collaborated with a naturopathic clinic, developing custom formulas for patients with acute skin issues. This work inspired him to create a company focused on alchemical wellness products, particularly topicals. At the onset of the pandemic, Nick left his teaching career to start Rare Earth Alchemy, where he now fulfills his dream of conducting daily work in a fully equipped alchemical research and production lab. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅Defining Alchemy: Understand what alchemy is and its significance today. ✅Discover practical examples of alchemical processes in everyday life. ✅ Learn about evidence-based approaches to alchemy using the scientific method. ✅21st-Century Innovations: Explore how modern tools and techniques advance traditional alchemical practices. ✅Understand the intersection of alchemy with contemporary medical and wellness practices. If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

Today’s episode is with Natalie Ledwell is a bestselling author and cofounder of Mind Movies, the hugely successful and revolutionary online Personal Development company that has reached over 10 million people worldwide.  Her passion to also help teachers, parents and anyone struggling to manage their mental health has manifested itself into an app called FeelWise - Tap into Your Emotional Wisdom.  In 2020, Natalie had the immense honor of being Knighted by the Orthodox Order of St John.  We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ Reality creation and if we’re creating our own reality  ✅Why she created mind moviesa and why the images that we see so important for manifestation? ✅ Her work with Joe Dispenza  ✅ What advancements or changes is she most excited about in the realms of spiritual and psychic exploration ✅ One message or piece of advice - especially for those who might be going through a difficult time If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

On today’s episode, I’ll be speaking with Hayden Lee, a master certified Executive Life and Leadership Coach. He works with successful executives, leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready to do the deeper transformational work to create their next level of success and fulfillment.  He is an Enneagram specialist, and loves using the Enneagram system of development to help people have a deeper understanding of who they are, why they do what they do, and how they can create a path of development for themselves. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅What the enneagram is exactly? ✅The 9 Enneagram types, and what each means ✅ How can people learn which enneagram type they are ✅ How can the enneagram help you grow and understand yourself and your relationships better  ✅ His personal journey into becoming a certified life coach and how coaching has transformed his life and the lives of his clients If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

On today’s episode, I speak with Charles Eisenstein, a speaker, essayist, and author of several books including The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible - and many others. Known as a countercultural philosopher, his work spans economics, science, health, ecology, technology, spirituality, and the mythological structure of civilization.  We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ His thoughts on a new economic system based on gift economies and community-based currencies.  ✅ How he first became interested in the intersection of economics, spirituality, and ecology ✅ The gift economy in action and what has been most memorable to him ✅ The power of storytelling and myth in the shaping of our culture,  ✅ The concept of interbeing and interconnectedness ✅ Social movements, including Occupy and the New Economy movement and what they meant to him  We’d like to thank our sponsor, OSEA, the pioneers of clean, clinically proven skincare from the sea that delivers visible results while respecting the planet. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code GATEWAYS at OSEAMalibu.com If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

In today’s episode, I speak with  Sid McNairy, the Architect of the Art of Peaceful Living, a spiritualist and teacher who helps people connect with their highest and best selves through disciplines such as meditation, yoga, and self-discovery. With a background in coaching college football and coaching NFL players, Sid’s journey through life has involved battles both physically and mentally. After struggling with feelings of not being accepted and making decisions against his heart, Sid found solace in yoga and meditation, which helped him heal his past wounds and find inner peace. Now a renowned figure in the wellness industry, Sid has written several books on yoga and meditation, empowering individuals to find discipline and peace in their lives. He is also a sought-after speaker who inspires and empowers audiences around the world with his trainings and presentations on wellness, yoga, meditation, and self-discovery. Sid is known for his ability to connect with his audience and share his knowledge and experience in a relatable and inspiring way. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅Common challenges he sees leaders facing today, and how he helps them navigate these challenges ✅ Changes he would like to see in the corporate world today  ✅ The Architect of the Art of Peaceful Living ✅ How he approaches the concept of authentic leadership, and why is it important in today's business landscape ✅ Some strategies for fostering a culture of belonging and psychological safety within organizations ✅ The most effective methods for organizations to address unconscious bias and promote diversity at all levels ✅ How he found yoga, and why is yoga and meditation such a big part of his life If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

In today’s episode, I’ll be speaking with Chip Conley who is on a midlife mission.  After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico.  Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, MEA is the world's first ‘midlife wisdom school’ and has a campus opening on a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2024.  Dedicated to reframing the concept of aging, MEA supports students to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. A New York Times bestselling author, Conley's 7th book "Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age" is about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage and he was asked to give a 2023 TED talk on the "midlife chrysalis." We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅What inspired him to transition from the hospitality industry to the world of tech and entrepreneurship ✅ As a mentor and advisor to many entrepreneurs, what advice does he find himself giving most frequently? ✅How he sees the intersection between hospitality principles and the tech industry?  ✅ In his book "Wisdom @ Work," he explores the concept of embracing age diversity in the workplace and elaborates on this  ✅ What inspired him to create the Modern Elder Academy?  ✅ How Modern Elder Academy redefines traditional notions of retirement and agin We’d like to thank our sponsor, OSEA, the pioneers of clean, clinically proven skincare from the sea that delivers visible results while respecting the planet. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code GATEWAYS at OSEAMalibu.com If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com 

On today’s episode, I sit down with Amanda Nagai, a storyteller, artist and designer, former tech world startup founder and engineer, who these days geeks out on inner work, grief, collective wellness, ritual and poetry.  She is the author of Walk Us Home, a memoir told through poetry and art, just released in 2024. Proceeds from the book will support You're Going to Die’s suicide-prevention and community catharsis work inside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (formerly San Quentin State Prison). After years of big personal loss, illness, and all the healing and inner-exploration modality workshops and trainings she could afford, she has some quiet understandings of what we lack as a society, what we need, and the limits of her own personal comprehension in the face of the Mystery. She laughs as much as she grieves and loves being with people as much as communing with trees and feeling washed by ocean waves. She calls the Ohlone lands of the Bay Area home. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ What does it mean to grieve - and why do so many people misunderstand the purpose of grief?  ✅Her story of grief with us - what were the first moments like?  What are the steps to process grief?  What is your recommendation on heloing people process their grief?  Do we ever fully recover from grief? What’s the timeline normally? What were the steps you took personally to recover?  What happens when we do not process our grief?   What are some decisions you made that felt difficult but important?  If you’d like to join the waitlist for my next coaching program, sign up @ www.InnerKnowingSchool.com  Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

On today’s episode, I’ll be speaking with Derek Rydall,  the #1 bestselling author of EMERGENCE: Seven Steps for Radical Life Change, which reveals the revolutionary principle, the Law of Emergence, showing people how to tap into the pattern of perfection in any area of their life and create the right conditions for it to unfold.  And THE ABUNDANCE PROJECT: 40 Days to More Wealth, Health, Love, and Happiness, where he lays out a time-tested system for activating the Abundance Principle, which sets you free from the belief that outer conditions determine your life and shows you how to generate everything you need no matter what conditions you face. He is launching a new book called  Whole New Human about how we must evolve to survive and thrive in the AI Age.  We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ In "Emergence: Seven Steps for Radical Life Change,", he talks about the concept of "emergence" as a path to transformation and how individuals can identify and tap into their own emergence process ✅ How can we both embrace the massive tech revolution we are undergoing with AI and also embrace the original AI, as you say our “Ancient Intelligence and Ancestral Intelligence” ✅ What is Angelic Intelligence?  ✅ What can people do today in order to survive and thrive through this transformation and evolve with it?  ✅ What does abundance mean and why he says that success is “within us”  Get 10% off your first order site-wide with code GATEWAYS at https://oseamalibu.com/discount/GATEWAYS Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected. 

On today’s episode, I speak with Dr. John Amaral, DC has been helping some of the world’s most recognized high-achievers feel and perform their best for over twenty five years. His clients include Oscar winning actors, Grammy award winning performing artists, Olympic gold medal winning athletes, and globally renowned entrepreneurs and thought-leaders. John has presented his work internationally at venues ranging from the World Economic Summit in Davos to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.  He and his work are featured in Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP Labs series on Netflix. We talk about the following and so much more:  ✅ What energy medicine is in simple terms and how it can impact our health and well-being ✅What he means when he says “People are made of energy?” ✅What is Energetic Flow? How does energy get blocked?  ✅What is it like to work with him  ✅The science behind this method? ✅His "Body Centered Leadership" approach and how it helps individuals unlock their full potential in personal and professional life ✅Some common misconceptions or skepticism people have about energy medicine, and how you address them? Get 10% off your first order site-wide with code GATEWAYS at https://oseamalibu.com/discount/GATEWAYS Please tag us and tell us what you loved! You can follow @Gateways_To_Awakening on Instagram or Facebook if you’d like to stay connected.