You Are Not Your Thoughts – Freedom Starts There

Matt Tenney has clocked well over 10,000 hours of meditation. He’s also a leadership coach working with some of the biggest companies in the US. But his journey started in a very different place — as a military officer facing decades in prison. It was during that time, especially in solitary confinement, that Matt began to see clearly how suffering really works. He realised it’s not the outside world that causes it — it’s our identification with the voice in our heads. The thoughts that tell us who we are, what we should be doing, and how we compare to others. Matt shares how he came to recognise the awareness that sits behind all of that — and how tuning into that space is where real peace and freedom come from. We talk about: His personal story of transformation How desire fuels suffering What mindfulness really means — and how to apply it in daily life How to create space between what happens and how we respond And why happiness isn’t something to achieve — it’s what’s left when we stop believing the thoughts that obscure it This conversation goes deep — but in a grounded and practical way. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your head or caught in the trap of always needing to achieve more, this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if happiness wasn’t something you had to chase — but something already available, no matter what’s going on around you? Emotional well-being doesn’t have to rise and fall with your circumstances. It’s about building a steady relationship with your inner world, so you’re not constantly thrown off course. This isn’t about pretending things are fine. It’s about seeing that peace doesn’t come from fixing the outside, but from changing how you relate to it. When you stop handing your happiness over to everything out there, you get to show up with more clarity, ease and presence. Real freedom isn’t about controlling life — it’s about meeting it as it is. If you want to explore this understanding more deeply, I offer 1:1 coaching - and you can book a free consultation here to find out more: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if all the striving, achieving and chasing we do in life is actually taking us further away from peace? In this conversation, I’m joined by coach Nick Hall to explore why real contentment doesn’t come from hitting goals or ticking boxes — but from seeing through the mind’s stories and recognising the awareness behind them. We talk about identity, success, and the trap of believing our thoughts. Nick shares his journey from a high-pressure sales environment into coaching and inner work — and how learning to unhook from mental narratives changed his life. This one’s especially for high performers and achievers who feel like something’s still missing — and are ready to look inward, not outward. If that’s you, and you want to explore this work yourself, you can book a free coaching consultation call with me: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Nick’s website - https://www.nickhall.coach/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one likes experiencing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, like anxiety. However, the more we fight our internal experience, the more likely it is to fight back. Rather than resisting the internal experience we don't want to feel, by urning towards them and even welcoming them - it can have a powerful positive effect, as Dr. guy explains. FULL EPISODE: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MqcMjNPPCByDFoqBpX7YJ YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ ** My book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success By Losing Yourself challenges our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and LASTING fulfilment are actually to be found. 'This book captures the magic of being in flow . . . Highly recommend' RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 'Enlightening' MATTHEW SYED 'This book will challenge your thinking on what success truly is' GOLDIE SAYERS 'The intention behind this book is beautiful, and I highly recommend it' RUPERT SPIRA Order here: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Amazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/Champion-Thinking-Success-Without-Yourself/dp/1526626497/⁠ ** Working with me 1-1 "I have to say that in the days following our call I felt as though there had been a profound shift.The days that followed were some of the best days I have had in many years as there seemed to be so much more space between me any my thoughts." - Henry “Each session with Simon has been enjoyable and enlightening in equal measure.Through our conversations I have learnt a lot not only about non-duality and Simon’s use of his own experiences are really helpful in grasping the ideas behind it all. After each chat I really feel like my ‘cup has been filled" - Jack "What Simon did so beautifully and directly, was put back into my hands the ability to do some self-inquiry. I did the inquiry and freedom was revealed. I would whole heartedly recommend you speak with Simon as he brings a lightness, fun and focus." - Kate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deep and honest conversation about what happens when your identity dissolves, and how awakening isn’t what most people think. In this episode of A New Way of Being, Simon speaks with spiritual teacher Lisa Cairns about the raw and real experience of spiritual awakening. Lisa shares how a spontaneous shift in Bali completely changed her perception of reality — dissolving her sense of self, shaking her identity, and opening her to a sense of vast, loving awareness. Far from being a blissed-out fairytale, her journey included disorientation, vulnerability, and deep questioning. This conversation explores: What spiritual awakening actually looks and feels like Why awakening doesn’t make life easier — but can make it more honest The illusions we live by and what happens when they fall away How to navigate the loss of identity with self-awareness and care Why freedom is always available — even in the mess This is a challenging and inspiring listen that cuts through spiritual clichés and gets to the heart of what it means to wake up. I offer 1:1 flow and inner alignment coaching — book a free consultation here: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Lisa Cairns website: https://www.lisacairns.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bitesize episode, I speak to gut health expert Tim Spector about the link between the microbiome and mental health. Tim explains how the bacteria in your gut produce key brain chemicals like serotonin and GABA — and how what you eat affects stress, mood, energy and even sleep. We also talk about the hidden signs of poor gut health, why 'five-a-day' advice isn’t enough anymore, and how ultra-processed foods are quietly reshaping our national health. I share a personal story of how fermented foods helped turn around my own anxiety — and why the gut is a good place to start if you're feeling off balance. I offer 1:1 flow and inner alignment coaching — book a free consultation here: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I stumbled across this clip from my conversation with Peter Crone and was struck by how clearly it captures something I now see in almost every client I work with. Peter explains how many of the beliefs driving our behaviour were formed in childhood — and how those unconscious stories keep us stuck in cycles of fear, overthinking, and self-doubt. This isn’t about fixing yourself — it’s about seeing through the mental patterns that feel true but aren’t. That’s the heart of the coaching work I now do: helping people drop the noise, reconnect with their inner wisdom and and move forward with more flow and ease. If that sounds like something you’d like to explore, I offer 1:1 coaching — to book a free consultation here: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2015, I drank Ayahuasca abroad. It was a deeply transformational moment — but also an intense, terrifying one. Ayahuasca isn’t something to take lightly. It demands real care and respect. In this episode, I speak with Dr Jeff McNairy, Chief Medical Officer at Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica — the world’s only medically licensed Ayahuasca retreat. Dr Jeff bridges the world of clinical medicine with deep experience of plant medicine, having worked with thousands of people seeking healing where conventional approaches have fallen short. We talk about: What actually happens during an Ayahuasca ceremony Why emotional purging can be so powerful The neuroscience of trauma, release and neuroplasticity Why integration afterwards is absolutely essential How the Western medical model often misses the root causes of suffering And the kind of healing that becomes possible when we stop bypassing what we feel I also share some of my own journey with the medicine — how it cracked me open and ultimately shaped the work I now do around inner alignment. This is a grounded conversation about plant medicine — not as a miracle cure, but as a serious path for those ready to face themselves honestly. ––– 🎧 Resources & Links: Learn more about Rythmia: https://rythmia.com Dr Jeff McNairy: https://drjeffmcnairy.com 1:1 coaching: Book a free consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Hoffman is a cognitive scientist and author of The Case Against Reality. His central idea is bold: what we see isn’t reality — it’s a user interface. Evolution shaped us to survive, not to see the truth. If the world isn’t as it seems, what does that say about chasing status, possessions, or approval? What actually matters when what we perceive isn't what it appears to be? I offer a free 1:1 session so you can experience this work for yourself: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people are stuck in their heads - overthinking, trying to do everything perfectly, beating themselves up - and then wondering why they’re exhausted. This solo episode is about what I call the art of inner alignment — the shift from overthinking to calm, grounded knowing. You’ll hear: Why burnout isn’t just too much work — it’s inner misalignment How the thinking mind constantly creates stories (that we mistake for truth) How to reconnect with your intuitive knowing — and why it's important Plus a few personal stories, including one from my 103-year-old gran (who still lives on her own), and a cracking split-brain experiment that shows how unreliable our thoughts really are. If this resonates, I offer a free 1:1 session so you can experience this work for yourself: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/find-your-flow-intro-chat And my free online course on moving from burnout to flow is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course My other links: Book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website: simonmundie.com Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices