The Etan Ilfeld Podcast

This episode with Mark Davis is one-half of a longer interview and covers the fascinating history of hypnosis and how to use self-hypnosis to empower yourself. The other interview is in another podcast episode and explains CBT, how to relax, optimize sleep and overcome phobias. Mark Davis is a therapist, trainer, meditation teacher – and the Director of The UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, He trained in cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy in 2006 and has been a full-time therapist since 2007 – with a practice in Central London. Before becoming a therapist, he traveled extensively and explored various spiritual practices. 

This interview is one-half of a longer interview and explains CBT, how to relax, optimize sleep and overcome phobias. The other interview is in another podcast episode and covers the history of hypnosis and how to use self-hypnosis to empower yourself. Mark Davis is a therapist, trainer, meditation teacher – and the Director of The UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, He trained in cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy in 2006 and has been a full-time therapist since 2007 – with a practice in Central London. I know that he knows his stuff because he treated me and helped me overcome my blood and needle phobia in only 5 sessions. Mark is extremely wise and curious. Before becoming a therapist, he traveled extensively and explored various spiritual practices. Whenever I’m hanging out with Mark, I feel like I’m soaking up wisdom.

Judy Piatkus is an entrepreneur, publisher and business coach specializing in conscious leadership. She founded Piatkus when she was in her 20s while she was raising a family and grew the company to become an international brand. Piatkus published influential self-help titles such as Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabatz Zin, Many Lives Many Masters by Brian Weiss, and many more amazing books. Judy sold Piatkus to Hatchette in 2007, just before the global financial crash that she had shrewdly foreseen. She is now a keynote speaker, an angel investor, and a coach and mentor to start-ups. In 2011 she founded Conscious Café, a network that brings people together for deep conversations and connections. To learn more, I highly recommend her book Ahead of Her Time.

Derek Frost is the author of Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS. He is also a distinguished designer and entrepreneur who alongside his husband Jeremy Norman, founded Heaven, the first gay nightclub in London.  Their lives were high-octane, full of adventure, fun and fearless creativity. However, in 1991, Derek’s partner Jeremy was diagnosed as HIV positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their personal crisis with courage, humor, and an indomitable resolve to survive. Jeremy’s battle lasted six long years--until conventional medicine finally developed ATR treatments which made HIV manageable and allowed Jeremy to start living a normal life again--and indeed he’s still alive today. Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature - and always to love - Derek describes a transformation of the spirit and how compassion and empathy rose from the flames of sickness and death. Out of this transformation also came Aids Ark, the charity they founded, which helped to save, amongst the world's most marginalized people, more than 1,000 HIV-positive lives. Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many in society refused even to acknowledge. His book, Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS is a story of joy and triumph; about facing universal challenges; about the great rewards that come from giving back.

Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash has one of the fastest minds you've ever met. He took gold in the 2020 Mental Calculations World Championship and can calculate things like the cubed root of a 5 digit number within seconds. He's also the founder of 'Exploring Infinities', a math education startup that aims to eradicate math phobia. According to Bhanu, anybody can strengthen their math muscles, and there are lots of benefits to be gained. Join us for this inspiring interview.

Ben Aldridge's book How to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable is appropriately subtitled: 43 Weird & Wonderful Ways to Build a Strong Resilient Mindset. The book is already an international bestseller and has rave reviews.  It offers challenges and advice on how to push yourself out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. Demonstrating that constantly learning new things, really does cultivate a stronger, healthier, more resilient mindset. And let's face it, these days, resilience is more important than ever. Join us for this fascinating discussion.

In this podcast, Keren Landsman and I discuss a wide range of topics from overcoming the Corona pandemic, to the history of pandemics and the future of humanity.  In addition to being a physician and epidemiologist, Keren is also the author of the award-winning urban fantasy book, Heart of the Circle. Keren works for the Israeli Health Ministry as an epidemiologist and volunteers at Mida’at, an NGO that promotes public health. Links mentioned in the podcast: Mida'at - http://midaat.org.il/midaat/midaat_english/ Great books about pandemics: Diana Rowland / My Life as A White Trash Zombie  http://www.dianarowland.com/zombies.html Seanan McGuire (under the pen name Mira Grant) / Feed https://www.amazon.com/Feed-Newsflesh-Book-Mira-Grant/dp/0316081051 Daryl Gregory / The Devil's Alphabet https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Alphabet-Novel-Daryl-Gregory/dp/0345501179  John snow and the broad street water pump (Epidemiology and history) https://youtu.be/TLpzHHbFrHY