The Calm & Free Podcast with Pooja Mottl

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.

--

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose” concludes author Robbin Sharma (Monk Who Sold His Ferrari). But what is your purpose? If you don’t know, you’re no alone. Most people fly through life existing but never living, going through the motions, doing what they think they’re supposed to be doing but never really taking the time to figure out if that aligns with what truly energizes and fulfills them.

If you want to know one thing about your purpose, its about being selfless. Living and doing things that go beyond your individual gain. 

But to get to the heart of your unique purpose, you’ll have to put in the effort. You’ll have to take time out life to find it. And one thing that helps is silence. Often, when we get rid of the noise, the conversations, the technology, and all the stimulations of the material world, our mind calms down just enough for it to reveal to us what it is that we’re here on this planet for. What is it that our talents and capabilities are meant to work on? What is it that energizes us, uplifts us and fills us with joy? Often times, we can’t get these answers if we keep ourselves on the treadmill of life and reaching for distractions. What we need to do is find quiet. Make that time for quiet and it will help you find your purpose. Put it in your calendar if you need to. Turn off your phone – shut down your computer – sit alone with your thoughts. Calm your mind and give it the space it needs to reveal to you what it is that you’re here to selflessly do. 

--

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.

--

Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

People unconsciously imitate the desires of others—and therefore they value jobs, spouses, brands, viewpoints, and even themselves according to what others around them desire. In his latest book Wanting, my next guest, author, educator and former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Luke Burgis spotlights a theoretical framework to answer why we want what we want and provides antidotes to chasing what leaves you unfulfilled. Luke uses mimetic theory to explore how our technology, relationships, politics, economics, education, and other ecosystems affect what we want and how to change our own desires so that they bring lasting and enduring satisfaction, meaningfulness and love. After living in Italy for 3 years studying classical philosophy and theology, Luke confesses that “He couldn’t continue to start businesses and chase dreams without understanding the truth about the human condition—and myself.”

With keen emotional intelligence, sagacity and courage, Luke brilliantly attempts to explain why our modern world leaves so many feeling restless, unmoored and in a perpetual chase for happiness. I’m so very glad he's shared his ideas with the world in Wanting and this next conversation will leave you contemplating and inspired for days if not years. 

--

About Luke:

Luke Burgis has co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He’s currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship where he also teaches business at The Catholic University of America. Luke has helped form and serves on the board of several new K-12 education initiatives and writes and speaks regularly about the education of desire. He studied business at NYU Stern and philosophy and theology at a pontifical university in Rome. He’s Managing Partner of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator that he started to build, train, and invest in people and companies that contribute to a healthy human ecology. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Claire, and her crazy New Orleans cat Clotille.

Follow  Luke:

His Latest Book on Amazon: Wanting

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeburgis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukeburgis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukeburgis/?hl=en

Web: https://lukeburgis.com/

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

 Khurshed Batliwala, fondly known by the nickname “Bawa” is a renowned speaker, meditation expert and author of the new book Sleep Your Way to Success. After speaking with him, I found him to be is a beautifully wise, jovial, charismatic and witty teacher, not surprisingly beloved by so many. He has decades of experience teaching with the Art of Living, and organization founded by spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankharji, a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organization with centers in more than 156 countries around the world.

This was a beautiful and fun conversation I am so grateful to have had and to share with you now. You will hear him talk about the profound connection between spirituality and science and how the scientists in ancient India were also saints. He says spirituality answers the question" "Who are you?". "Whereas science answers the question what is this?" He also provides a beautiful response to the question of why he meditates 90 minutes every day – listen through to the end to hear it.

If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. 

--

Follow  Bawa:

His Latest Book on Amazon: Sleep Your Way to Success

YouTube Channel: BnD TV

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khurshedbatliwala

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khurshedbatliwala/?hl=en

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Gary Russell is the CEO of Winning Profile, a company that helps identify talent and how to maximize performance by focusing on the heart and the mind rather than the just the external optics. He’s worked with world class athletes, the NFL and Team Great Britain prior to the 2021 Olympics. "Everyone can see and recognize exceptional performance" says Gary, "but we have trouble selecting and, most importantly, reproducing it."

If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. 

--

Follow  Gary:

https://www.winningprofile.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-russell-698b6915/

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Regina Wallace Jones is the former Mayor of East Palo Alto and currently serves on the board of SF based AI company Sama and prior to this she spent many years in leadership positions at blue chip tech companies like Facebook and Ebay, and most recently Mindbody. Over the course of her nontraditional, prodigious career, Regina has made it her priority to bridge the heart and the intellect by having one foot in public service and the other in cutting edge silicon valley. It is this powerful blend of empathy and intellect that make Regina’s stories and insights so relevant, necessary and instructive for us in today’s fast-changing, world.

If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays episode to someone you love and tell them to subscribe so we can continue to share these life lessons on finding calm and redefining success to enable freedom with many more people. 

--

Follow  Regina:

www.reginawallacejones.com

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.

--

In a fast-changing world, news about success runs rampant. It seems society wants to sell us it's own version of success and the fact is, most of us have bought into it.

If you’re connected to the internet, news about people achieving great wealth, respect or fame, grab your attention in the form of posts, tweets, headlines, and alerts. This kind of sensational success is more alluring and seemingly more accessible, than ever before in human history. 

From unicorn founders to voyages into space, stories about success mesmerize us and seduce us into wanting it, and the herd mentality justifies this narrative and keeps it alive.

There’s nothing wrong with working hard for financial freedom and recognition from our peers – but what we’ve collectively done as a society…is taken success to a dangerous level in the context of our mental wellbeing.

Dangerous, because when we make the end game all about success – the fortune, the notoriety, the achievements - we make the biggest sacrifice: we give up our peace of mind.

See, when we’re driven by the promise that success will make our lives better, as the news and our culture want us to believe, we stop feeling grateful for what we have right now, a scientifically proven way to make our minds unhappy.

And in the competitive race for success, we feel inadequate until me make it, insignificant if we never do, and unsatisfied when we arrive, because hitting one benchmark only begins the chase for yet another.

To counter these emotions, we numb ourselves with food, with drugs, with shopping, with alcohol, with social media and by the dopamine hit that comes from just the idea that success can happen to me… if I just keep plugging away. 

So today I’d like to offer you this advice with love and compassion – I want you to ask yourself: is my definition of success bringing me peace of mind at the end of my day? Does it give me energy or does it take it from me? 

Does my definition of success help me sleep well at night? Does it make me the best colleague I can be? The best parent I can be? 

These are the questions you must ask yourself to ensure a calm mind, which by the way, is the foundation necessary to unleash the genius within you.

In the coming days, I will be releasing a full length video to expand on the process I use, personally, to define success in a way that brings me inner peace. It has been inspired by the likes of legendary coach John Wooden, the work of essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and the philosophy inherent in the Bhagavad Gita, the storied ancient Indian poem imbibed with time-honored wisdom . It will be both at my YouTube channel and on my social media channels. I truly hope these messages resonate with you and can add real value to your life.

--

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.

--

Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Our guest today is AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS, best-selling author of the new book Speaking with Spirit. Her previous books include Wake Up to the Joy of You and Unbinding the Heart. In this latest book, Agapi encourages all of us to tap into the power of secular prayer to help us manage our minds and find the calm, tranquility and rootedness we need to flourish in a fast-shifting world. It was a great pleasure to have this dear friend on the podcast again. We talk about the general need for ppl to travel inward as opposed to seeking joy from the material, external world. We also talk about how self-worth can hijacked if we don’t find it from within and how moving beyond your ego is where real peace, grace, surrender and calm lives. 

--

About Agapi:

AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS is a best-selling author and speaker who inspires audiences around the world. In her previous book, Wake Up to the Joy of You: 52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life, she takes readers on a journey and inspires them to let go of what doesn’t work and instead create the lives they really want. Agapi was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then moved on to receive her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her previous books on the Greek archetypes, Gods and Goddesses in Love and Conversations with the Goddesses, were turned into PBS specials. She is currently conducting workshops for Thrive Global, a company founded by her sister, Arianna Huffington, to help change the way we work and live. Agapi has spoken and conducted meditations at many organizations and companies including ABC Carpet & Home, Women’s Health Magazine, Museum of Modern Art, IBM Watson, SAP, Pandora Radio, CVS Corporate, Weight Watchers, PepsiCo, Google, Nike, Starbucks, Fortune Health Conference, and The Heart Association, amongst many. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles and was born and raised in Athens, Greece.

--

Follow  Agapi:

https://thriveglobal.com/authors/agapi-stassinopoulos/

https://www.instagram.com/agapisees/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/agapi-stassinopoulos/

Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:

http://happinessfest.world/

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.

This week, learn all about the Calm & Free Podcast collaboration with the World Happiness Foundation, to bring you 3 special conversations for this year's World Happiness Festival. 

To learn more about the WHF, visit their website. 

--

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.

--

Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Our guest today is Dr. Andrew harman, a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the University of Sydney School of Medicine and an ordained Buddhist who has much insight on how Buddhist practices and philosophy can help us deal with change, restlessness and uncertainty in our fast moving world. 

He shares how acceptance of your reality can help bring about calm. Dr. Harman and Pooja talk extensively about how we may need to reset our definition of "happiness" – instead of desperately seeking out happiness through exciting, impermanent experiences, things, people or moments, we might instead think of happiness as a state of equanimity which is defined as mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper. Equanimity, according to Dr Harman, comes from doing the inner work and obtaining wisdom and insight from it.

In other words, from a Buddhist standpoint, real happiness is maintaining a state of inner peace no matter what is happening in the outside world.

In this very special discussion, Dr. Harman also answers how science and Buddhism go hand in hand, why Vipassana mediation may not work for some, and how Albert Einstein may be the best role model to date in helping us see how spirituality or religion can add value along with science in helping us live with more grace, calm, rootedness, and compassion.

--

Bio:

Andrew Harman is a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the University of Sydney School of Medicine where he is a level 3 supervisor in the theme of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation. He is a member of the Partnerships Advisory Group and the chair of the High School Liaisons working group. He is also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Virus Research at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research.

Andrew has been working at the Westhead Health Precinct since completing his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2002. He has extensive collaborations with surgeons at Westmead and other Western Sydney Hospitals who provide his research group with a large range of human tissues with which he conducts all his research. He leads two research groups at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, in the Centre for Virus Research and Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research. These groups investigate sexual transmission of HIV and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, such as Crohn's Disease.

Andrew’s technological expertise lies in the ability to isolate functionally intact immune cells from human tissue and to visualize immune cells within these tissues. He is an expert in characterizing human tissue immune cells using high parameter single cell technologies including flow cytometry, imaging mass cytometry and RNA sequencing. Andrew also has access to clinically relevant HIV transmission strains derived from infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa and has developed RNAscope technology to visualise these HIV strains interacting with target cells within 30 minutes of exposure.

--

Follow  Professor Harman:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-harman-00a8b3123/

https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/andrew-harman.html#collapseprofileteaching

Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:

https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/about/

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

In this special exchange, Pooja and Professor Negi discuss the central tenants and urgency of compassion, a focus of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Dr. Negi expands on how although humans have made tremendous progress from an outward, material standpoint, we have neglected to develop the core inner values that lead to contentment and inner peace. In other words, we have been focused on educating the mind, while forgetting to educate the heart. 

Dr. Negi shares how compassion is linked to the idea of safety and security in a world with so much diverse thought, biases, and differing groups of people. It is in this kind of world, especially, that people need to feel safe. He shares that at the heart of compassion is a sense of meaningful, tender connection with each other, and that creates a sense of security and trust, happiness and love.

Pooja and Dr. Negi also uncover the links between traditional Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices called "Lojong", which systematically look within, closely observing what triggers our emotions. This scientific examination parallels some of the main practices and strategies used in CBT, originating in the 1960's by Dr. Aaron Beck, globally recognized as the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and one of the world’s leading researchers in psychopathology.

--

LOBSANG TENZIN NEGI, Ph.D. is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University, formerly the Emory-Tibet Partnership. Prof. Negi is also a Professor of Pedagogy in Emory University’s Department of Religion and the founder and spiritual director of Drepung Loseling Monastery, Inc., in Atlanta, GA. 

Over the past two decades, Prof. Negi has been a pioneer of compassion training programs for adults and children and he has contributed to the development and burgeoning of compassion science through his research initiatives and collaborations. 

Through his center, Prof. Negi has developed and now oversees three programs, which are dedicated to expanding compassion and engaging in research. In 2004, Prof. Negi developed CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), a secularized contemplative program based on Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices that deliberately and systematically works to cultivate compassion. He also oversees SEE Learning™ (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning), a program that develops and implements curricula for kindergarten through university level education for the education of heart and mind. The third program of the center is the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, a program he developed, at the invitation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to develop and implement a comprehensive modern science curriculum specifically for Tibetan monastics. 

 Prof. Negi was born in Kinnaur, a remote Himalayan region adjoining Tibet. A former monk of 27 years, he began his monastic training at The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamasala, India and continued his education at Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India, where in 1994 he received the Geshe Lharampa degree. Prof. Negi completed his Ph.D. at Emory University in 1999; his interdisciplinary dissertation centered on traditional Buddhist and contemporary Western approaches to emotions and their impact on wellness. His current research focuses on the complementarity of modern science and contemplative practice.

--

Follow  Dr. Negi's work:

http://www.tibet.emory.edu

http://www.drepung.org

https://compassion.emory.edu/

https://seelearning.emory.edu/node/5

https://compassionshift.emory.edu/

Follow  & Attend the World Happiness Fest:

https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/about/

--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

--

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life.

If you enjoy these episodes, please text or email this episode to someone you love and subscribe.

--

Last week we premiered a compelling storytelling video entitled Self-Worth you can check it out now by searching Pooja Mottl and Calm & Free Podcast on LinkedIn or YouTube.

The essence of the message of this video is that in a world where we’re told to measure our worth by external benchmarks and accomplishments – like wealth and status – we end up on a never-ending, futile chase that leaves us burned out and discontented.

As the chase continues, we get less connected and more cynical. More fearful, less trusting. Less joyful, more lonely. More diseased, less healthy. More anxious, less at peace. 

But the fact is, we’re not different than we entered this world as tiny, beautiful babies – we’re no less loved, we’re no less valid. It’s just the norms of society that change the very way we think about ourselves as adults – and it’s a racket.

Persian Poet Rumi so eloquently advised to: “Look inside yourself, everything that you want you already are.”

We are already enough – we don’t need to overwork ourselves to burnout and needlessly compare and compete. We are worthy just as we are.

I’ll leave you to contemplate on this most profound piece of wisdom and encourage you to watch the entire video on YouTube.

I wonder what our world would be like if everyone - especially tech moguls, founders, investors and alike - took this message to heart and put a brake on the never-ending chase – would society be less polarized? Would we be individually and collectively happier and healthier?

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.

--

Website: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Ali Kershner is an entrepreneur, coach and creative at the Art of Coaching and formerly a Sports Performance coach with Stanford University and their 2021 Womens Basketball National Championship team.

Originally from Palo Alto, California, she was a student athlete at DUKE University where she was captain of the Blue Devils Womens Soccer team. 

In this special episode Ali and I talk in detail about why embracing change is a necessary life skill, and has been since time immemorial, an insight found in various ancient philosophies but especially relevant in todays fast-moving world. We also talk about shedding beliefs about identity that may be holding you back as well as how to re-examine your personal definition success in a way which brings you calm and inner peace. 

Follow  Ali:

The Art of Coaching Website: https://artofcoaching.com/

@Kershner.Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kershner.ali/?hl=en

@AliKershner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alikershner
--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Pooja and Agapi discuss how embracing practices like self-love, meditation, checking self-doubt and limiting beliefs at the door, and not being afraid to unleash your childlike freedom can help create a limitless, fulfilled life. Wake up to the Joy of You is the title of Agapi's most recent book and both Pooja and Agapi touch on and extend upon many of it's core lessons such as "Enoughness", "Momento Mori", teaching yourself and your children about the deeper meaning of "Wealth", and dealing with difficult situations and people with "Grace".

“The big truth that every day, moment by moment, all you have to do is be yourself” and “once I gave myself permission to be the unique person that I am, I began to live with a feeling of love, abundance and safety.”  -- passages from "Wake up to the Joy of You".

About Agapi:

Agapi is a best-selling author and speaker who inspires audiences around the world. In her previous book, Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love, she shares the wisdom from her life’s adventures and experiences. In her new book, Wake Up to the Joy of You: 52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life, she takes readers on a journey and inspires them to let go of what doesn’t work and instead create the lives they really want. Agapi was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then moved on to receive her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her previous books on the Greek archetypes, Gods and Goddesses in Love and Conversations with the Goddesses, were turned into PBS specials. She is currently conducting workshops for Thrive Global, a company founded by her sister, Arianna Huffington, to help change the way we work and live. Agapi has spoken and conducted meditations at many organizations and companies including ABC Carpet & Home, Women’s Health Magazine, Museum of Modern Art, IBM Watson, SAP, Pandora Radio, CVS Corporate, Weight Watchers, PepsiCo, Google, Nike, Starbucks, Fortune Health Conference, and The Heart Association, amongst many. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles and was born and raised in Athens, Greece.

Follow  Agapi:

On IG: @agapisees 

Agapi's website: https://wakeuptothejoyofyou.com/

Agapi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agapi-stassinopoulos/

Buy the book, Speaking with Spirit
--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes.  If you enjoy these short episodes please text or email them to someone you love and subscribe!

--

Today I wanted to share with you the last words of Steve Jobs prior to his death.  I hope they can help you, too, craft a more examined life.

I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In some others’ eyes, my life is the epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, my wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. At this moment, lying on my bed and recalling my life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in have paled and become meaningless in the face of my death.

Material things lost can be found or replaced. But there is one thing that can never be found when it’s lost – Life. Whichever stage in life you are in right now, with time, you will face the day when the curtain comes down.

Treasure love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well and cherish others. As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that a $300 or a $30 watch both tell the same time. You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.

Don’t educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things and not the price. Eat your food as your medicine, otherwise you have to eat medicine as your food.

There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really understand it. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, you have to manage! The six best doctors in the world are sunlight, rest, exercise, diet, self-confidence and friends. Maintain them in all stages and enjoy a healthy life.

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn or signing up to at our new website at calmandfreepodcast.com. Please share this episode with someone you love.

---

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. 

--

I’d like to honor and celebrate Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietamese Buddhist monk who passed away last week.

Many of you have been listening for a while, know that much of my work and my own inner shifts have been inspired by the work of Nhat Hanh (lovingly known as Thay).

When I first got a hold of his tiny book, How to Relax, for under $10 dollars at my local bookstore, I had little clue what mindfulness was all about. I picked up the book only because it seemed like a "mindfulness for dummies" type book.

But what I found inside the pages was beyond belief, and quiet literally changed my life. Thich Nhat Hanh was one of those special beings – a genius at not only mastering the teachings of the ancients for himself but mastering the art conveying these teachings to beginners. I encourage everyone to pick up this book and others:

Peace is Every Step

How to Relax

You are Here

Plum Village: https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/

---

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Jaineel Mistry is a Life, Executive and Leadership coach based in London. Once an unfulfilled pharmacist, he soon found that the way to master life is to master the self.

You’ll hear Jaineel discuss how to bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and the courage he assembled to buck traditional career routes in an effort to find his own personal fulfillment. You'll also hear him talk about the clarity he obtained from sitting in silence, his definition of success, and an unorthodox, powerful gratitude practice.

Follow  Jaineel:

On Twitter: @JaineelMistry - https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry

On IG: @JaineelMistry - https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/?hl=en

The Thriving Scholar: https://www.thrivingscholar.com/

Jaineel on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry
--

More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday"  (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. 

--

The idea – that the more you want the more you suffer – is a basic tenant of Buddhism and many other spiritual and religious traditions. The Buddha believed that most suffering is caused by a tendency to crave things. These things might be exact and tangible like wanting to own a sports car or getting to 100K followers on Twitter, or more amorphous, like just not feeling content in the now – wanting to be somewhere else or do something else.

Think about how much wanting happens in your own life. How often do you think about wanting things or experiences or situations?

Legendary coach John Wooden, didn’t need to study eastern philosophy to figure this out. He wrote in his 1997 book, Wooden that: “It is my observation that the primary cause of unhappiness for most people is simply wanting too much: expecting too much materially, chasing the dollar, overemphasizing the material things. When they don’t arrive, unhappiness does.

Eckert Tolle, the author of book The Power of Now, links wanting with stress: he says “Stress is caused by being here but wanting to be there.”

How often do you want to be there instead of here. How often are you playing for later, hoping that when you get the things you want you will be happy?

---

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Lynn Guerin is the CEO of The John Wooden Course, and the President of Guerin Marketing Services, helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential in life. He is also the author of Coach 'Em'Way Up: Five Lessons for Leading the John Wooden Way. Lynn spent significant periods of time in the presence of legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden before his passing in 2010, learning a great deal of wisdom from this "philosopher-coach" who impacted the lives of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and many others. Lynn now shares this wisdom with us. 

The profundity of insights in this conversation is beyond compare. You’ll hear Lynn describe Coach Wooden’s moral, physical and emotional discipline which lead him to becoming one of the greatest coaches in history. We dig deep into Coach Wooden's definition of success which helped him stay present, calm and at peace day to day. And the Pyramid of Success, which Lynn believes might be the "best kept secret in the history of American culture and the most important idea that has not become the center of how we think about who we are as a nation."

(Below are time stamps to quickly navigate to many other poignant pieces of wisdom shared in this discussion.)

12.46 - Inner peace and the ego-based actions so prevalent in today's world

16.13 - How he declined a meeting with the President of the United States because he had an appointment with a youngster.

24.48 - Wooden's personal routines

25.38 - How he engineered every 24 hours, prepping 2 hours for a 2 hour practice

32.30 - Defining success

33.09 - Defining success and the American Dream

34.19 - Looked at the 7pt creed every day of his life for 80 years

36.40 - More concerned with living to a standard than his standard of living

37.02 - Never mentioned "winning"

37.32 - He had a standard higher than winning which eventually produced success on the court.

38.28 - Coached 16 years before winning his 1st championship

Many thanks to Lynn Guerin.

Follow  The John R. Wooden Course:

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/woodencourse

On IG: 

Website: https://www.thejohnrwoodencourse.com/about

Lynn Guerin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/lynn-guerin-949b2210/

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/

Welcome to "Time Out Thursday"  (#TimeOutThursday) where I guide you through a powerful meditation. 

--

Often, many of us try to meditate with a misunderstanding of mediation which then leads to doubt or hesitation to meditate regularly.

Today I’ll start by briefly helping you understand what mediation is and then we’ll go straight into the experience of it.

Meditation is about moving into stillness. Our bodies may be in the noisy outside world but we are going inside with mediation. You can also think of it as allowing your mind and senses to stop working. Letting your mind rest. Your eyes rest from seeing – your ears and mouth rest from hearing and talking. Meditation is a way to slow all of this down – to give your mind a body the break they need. 

And when we can relax the mind and body, we can move beyond the mind itself – into a deep and silent space, what yogic philosophy refers to as the Self, or atman. Where we can touch the bliss that is inherently inside all of us.

Remember, mediation isn’t another test or challenge or something you have to put effort into. It’s about putting in NO effort – giving nothing - and completely letting go. 

---

If you want to read more of my essays on living calm and free, please sign up to my newsletter by following me on LinkedIn.

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.

Louis Gagnon is a seasoned corporate executive having worked and lead at Monster.com, Audible and most recently was the CEO of Total Brain, a company that leverages neuroscience to optimize mental fitness. At the age of 48, he found the self-awareness that has led him to move beyond the intellect and into the heart which has fueled renewed life purpose with a focus on human wellbeing. This conversation was genuine and rich with insight. You will hear Louis speak about an unhealthy obsession with growth in the corporate sector, the era of Newtonian-based scientific materialism coming to a close, the power of self-awareness in leading your best life, and his definition of personal success which I found most beautiful.

Please enjoy...

Follow  Louis:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgagnon

--

For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  https://www.poojamottl.com/

Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/

Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl

Instagram: 

@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/

and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl  https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home

Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/