35: Bringing Mindfulness & Compassion Skills to 11,000 Kids with JG Larochette

In this episode: Money as a Tool, Retirement and Autonomy, Awareness and Choice, Community and Belonging, Coast FI and Slow FI with Diania Merriam

Note from Adam
I hope you are well.  I know I've been MIA for the last few weeks, without any new episodes.

I've had some incredible things happening in my life, all thanks to envisioning. I can't wait to share them with you and share a resource I'm creating for you to think BIG about your own life and vision, so you can create similar amazing results for yourself. If you'd like to get early access to that, click here and sign up.

Episode Summary:
In this episode, Diania Merriam discusses her journey to financial independence and early retirement. She shares how she discovered the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and how it transformed her relationship with money.

Diania explains the concept of "Coast FI" and "Slow FI" and how she retired from her corporate career at the age of 33.

She also talks about the importance of clarity and comfort in managing finances and how financial independence allows for greater creativity and time abundance.

Connect with Diania Merriam

• 10% off her FIRE conference, Econome with code “mindful”
• Website: EconomeConference.com

About our guest, Diania:
Diania Merriam is a retired corporate professional and the host of a daily podcast about money. She is passionate about helping others achieve financial independence and creating a life they never want to retire from. Diania is also the founder of The Econome Conference, a gathering for like-minded individuals in the FIRE community.

Key Takeaways:

• Money is a tool, not a goal. It should be used to create time and space in your life.
• Retirement is not about not working, but about separating your finances from your work and having full autonomy over how, when, and where you work.
• Awareness and choice are essential in achieving financial independence. Understand your income, expenses, and the gap between them.
• Community and a sense of belonging are important for overall well-being, especially in the FIRE movement.
• "Coast FI" involves front-loading retirement savings and allowing compound interest to grow your investments over time.
• "Slow FI" is about reimagining your financial journey and being open to different paths and approaches to financial independence.

Resources & Books Mentioned:

• Mr. Money Mustache blog
• "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

In this episode, we will explore a 12-minute guided meditation to find peace, ease, and a sense of refuge in the present moment.

Today's meditation focuses on creating space in our lives. Amidst the challenges and difficulties happening in the world, such as war, layoffs, and economic instability, we will cultivate a space of refuge. This space allows us to leave everything behind and simply be with ourselves.

To begin, we intentionally let go of our worries and concerns, and we tune into our body, mind, and heart to understand how we are feeling in this moment.

After spending some time in this space of refuge, we will transition into a practice of loving-kindness and compassion. We will first direct these qualities towards ourselves and then extend them to all beings in the world.

I hope you find joy in this meditation practice.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

In this episode: Engineering Serendipity with Tony Wilkins

Get my Free Envisioning Guide Here

Episode Summary: In this episode, Tony Wilkins joins the Mindful Fire Podcast to discuss the concept of engineering serendipity. They explore the idea of how seemingly chance encounters and events can lead to meaningful connections and opportunities in life. Tony shares his personal journey and experiences with serendipity, highlighting the importance of setting goals while remaining open to unexpected possibilities. They also discuss the concept of "enoughness" and how it relates to financial independence and finding fulfillment in life.

Guest Bio: Tony Wilkins is a self-described neighborhood kid who has achieved escape velocity. Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Tony always had goals in mind and pursued them with determination. Throughout his life, he has experienced numerous instances of serendipity, where failed plans led to even greater opportunities. Tony is now focused on being sustainably impactful, helping others while maintaining his own personal sustainability.

Connect with Tony Wilkins:

• LinkedIn: Tony Wilkins
• Tony Wilkins' TEDx Talk: "Engineering Serendipity”

Resources & Books Mentioned:

• Tony Wilkins' TEDx Talk: "Engineering Serendipity”

Key Takeaways:

• Engineering serendipity involves actively creating opportunities for chance encounters and unexpected connections.
• "Enoughness" is the concept of recognizing when one has reached a point of contentment and sufficiency in various aspects of life.
• Financial independence allows individuals to pursue their passions and make an impact in a sustainable way.
• Aligning personal values, goals, and financial resources is crucial in determining what is enough and finding fulfillment.
• Balancing personal sustainability and helping others is key to leading a fulfilling and impactful life.
• Reflecting on what truly brings joy and engagement can guide individuals towards their highest and best use of time.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

With so much suffering happening all around us it's easy to get overwhelmed by difficult thoughts and emotions.

Unfortunately, mindfulness isn't a magic solution to remove the suffering in the world. But it does offer a different way of relating to the suffering and difficult emotions we are experiencing within ourselves.

​Today's guided meditation offers a chance to create some space within ourselves to allow whatever we're feeling to be there and to keep coming back to the simplicity of the breath.

Then we shift to practicing some compassion for ourselves and the millions of people suffering around the world.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

On today's episode. I'm joined by my friend, Kerri Jacobs. Who's actually a former manager of mine. I'm really excited to have her on the podcast.

Kerri Jacobs has been leading high performing teams at Google in London, New York city, and now the Bay area for over 12 years. Her obsession with empathy and leadership and inclusion in every aspect of life led her to create the program, leading with empathy and to roll it out to leaders at Google.

Kerri is also a member of the 2021 class of Stanford University's CCARE in collaboration with ACA's applied compassion training for architects and ambassadors of applied compassion. A Scot from penny cook. She used to read books, watch films, and see a lot of Broadway shows. But these days, mainly anxiously scrolls, Twitter, and comfort eats. 

In her life before business, she taught dance sang in piano bars and wrote a dance and education syllabus for Scottish education curriculum. For primary school teachers. Kerri's facilitation style is not to lecture. She shares horror stories and LOL worthy moments from her own life as a manager, parent, and partner, and keeps it as real as one can, when video conferencing from a garage.

In this episode, Kerri and I explore what empathy is and why it's more important than ever to bring empathy into our interactions with the people we work with.   And how really small changes, really just being more thoughtful about how we're interacting with those we work with and those that work for us can make a huge difference and making people feel seen, heard, and cared for. Kerri also shares a number of practices that we can use to create greater empathy and connection with those that we work with.

And she shares how leading with empathy in this way can really not only impact your relationship with that one person, but can also transform your business and the success you're having as a business.

Kerri and I explore how she used to be super skeptical about all of this mindfulness stuff and how she actually came to understand the value of it in her own life when she found herself physically and mentally burnt out from work.  How mindfulness really helped her in her recovery and led her to explore and create more meaning in her life and her work through this leading with empathy program.

 Now more than ever before the demand is so great for this, she's finding herself being reached out to by people outside of Google, and it started leading trainings outside for other companies and organizations as well.

I really enjoyed this conversation with my friend, Kerri Jacobs. It was such a treat to be able to have a conversation with a leader that I've actually worked for.  I hope that you enjoy it as well.

Kerri’s Website  - LeadingWithEmpathy.com

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

In this episode: Pursuing FIRE mindfully, intentional living, retiring early and living abroad with Tracy Collins.

Tracy Collins joins Adam Coelho on the Mindful Fire Podcast to discuss her journey towards financial independence and her project called Mindful Fire Life.

They explore the concept of pursuing financial independence mindfully and the importance of understanding one's values and goals.

Tracy shares her experience of reaching her work optional number and the power of talking about your vision and goals with others.

Guest Bio:
Tracy Collins is the founder of Mindful FIRE Life, an Instagram channel, YouTube channel, and blog focused on pursuing financial independence with mindfulness. With a background in tech and a passion for travel, Tracy shares her journey to FI and insights to help others create a purposeful and fulfilling life.

Connect with Tracy

• Tracy Collins | LinkedIn
• Mindful Fire Life
• Mindful Fire Life - YouTube
• Mindful FIRE Life (@mindful_fire_life) • Instagram photos and videos
• Tracy Collins – Medium

Key Takeaways:

• Sharing your vision and goals can lead to opportunities and shape your life.
• Financial independence is not just a number, but aligning your life with your values.
• Stepping out of your comfort zone leads to personal growth and new experiences.
• Diverse investments like real estate and stocks contribute to financial independence.
• Mindfulness helps in financial decisions and finding fulfillment.
• Balancing present enjoyment and future planning is key for financial independence.

Resources & Books Mentioned:

• "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

On today's episode, I'm joined by my  friend Nirav Shah. Nirav is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, and he started the meditation blog, meditativeman.org. After retiring at the age of 49 from a career in technology.

Nirav is extremely passionate about helping people find the elusive peace within and to that end has recently written and released a book called Shortcut to Serenity.

In today's conversation we discuss:

• How Nirav retired early from his career in technology
• What led Nirav to give up his successful business to retire early
• What Nirav is up to in retirement
• Why generosity and philanthropy are so powerful
• "The Mexican Fisherman Story"
• What is enough?
• Nirav's thoughts on "Generational Wealth"
• The importance of financial literacy
• Second generation financial independence

Connect with Nirav

- Nirav's New Book - Shortcut to Serenity

- Nirav's Website - meditativeman.org

- Nirav's Free Guided Meditations

- Nirav Shah on LinkedIn

Links and Resources

- Episode 35 with JG Larochette of The Mindful LIfe Project

- Choose FI Podcast

- Free Financial Independence 101 Training

- Free Choose FI Pre-k - 12 Financial Literacy Curriculum

- Foodforthoughtdenver.org

Books Mentioned

- The Simple Path to Wealth

- Shortcut to Serenity

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.

In this episode: Guided affirmations practice to speed up your journey to FI

One way to speed up your journey to financial independence is to train yourself to spot opportunities and to take action when you find them. This could be a new job, reconnecting with an old friend or colleague or trying a side hustle. When your mind is ready to see opportunities, the possibilities are endless.

Today’s guided meditation trains your mind to be ready to see opportunities everywhere and to take action to move your life in the direction you want. I do this practice everyday and it’s impact on my life cannot be overstated. During a time when I was at one of the lowest points in my adult life this practice helped me train my mind to be ready to see opportunity and to take action to move my life forward. I’ll share more about the full story of that in the near future.

Today’s meditation is an affirmations practice, which I think of as practicing the thoughts & beliefs that I want to embody in my life. This type of practice can be used to practice any thoughts or beliefs we want to show up with in our lives, as we did in another affirmations practice I shared previously.

In this particular meditation we will focus on practicing the thoughts:

1. The world is abundant with opportunity. My life and work are abundant with opportunity.
2. I take action in my life, which leads to learning progress and growth.

This practice takes advantage of the fact that our brains are predictive. Our brains are constantly predicting what is most likely to happen and setting in motion the thoughts, perceptions, emotions and even physiological responses for what is expected.

I like to think of it this way...We’re telling ourselves stories about how our life is going to be and then acting out those stories. The good news is that we can use this feature of our brain to be intentional about the stories we tell ourselves and put our predicting brain to work for us.

I hope you enjoy this powerful practice. I plan to share more content around the idea of putting your predicting brain to work for you as you pursue financial independence. Subscribe to our email list to be notified when this becomes available.

Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book a 30 free clarity call with me​. If you are nearing FI and want help answering the question "What do you actually want?", let's chat!

2. ​Complete my Free Envisioning Guide​ to dream up a BIG vision for your life.

3. ​Connect with me LinkedIn​ where I post about crafting a life you love & making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning & financial independence.