Spiritually Hungry

In a desire to share their truth, some people overshare and mistake it for authenticity. Not every truth needs to be shared. Authenticity is about being brave enough to be yourself and genuine enough to live according to your values. There is a time to speak up and a time for quiet reflection. In this insightful episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael discuss how to avoid the pitfalls of oversharing and remain aligned to your core beliefs.“When you are actively looking at another person and judging them or saying something negative about them, you are actively putting yourself in a place of darkness and negativity.”– Michael Berg“Prince Harry and the Value of Silence” by Patti Davishttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/opinion/prince-harry-and-the-value-of-silence.html

There are moments in life when we are struck speechless, so overwhelmed that we almost can’t process an experience. This is awe. It’s the feeling of being small in a way that also makes us feel part ofsomething larger. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael unpack the complexities of awe and why it’s such an important component of our spiritual practice. “In the deepest sense, awe takes us outside of physical selves and our ego into a connection with a much greater reality.” – Michael BergFurther Readings:Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher KeltnerThe Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life by Lisa Miller

The New Year invites us to start new chapters in our lives. The idea of a clean slate is motivating as we pursue change, but the truth is we can start something new at any time. Every breath of every day is full of possibilities. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael welcome 2023 with deep insight about how to seize the opportunity to create change in any given moment so you can live your best life.“Learn to become comfortable and sit with the things that make you uncomfortable.”– Monica BergFurther Readings:Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life Hardcover, by Dr. Mark Hyman MD (Available – February 21, 2023)How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Katy Milkman

The interesting thing about superpowers is they are often hiding in places we least expect to find them. But why is life set up in such a way that the most beautiful and powerful parts of ourselves are often concealed? And why is it so hard to discover them? In this live-recorded episode of Spiritually Hungry, with special guest Abigail Berg, Monica and Michael ask the tough questions that help us identify our most remarkable gifts we are meant to share with the world.

Self-doubt is part of being human. The way we use it colors our experiences in life. Kabbalists teach that the greater the potential for Light, the greater the force of darkness there will be trying to challenge that Light. That darkness can manifest as self-doubt. Join Monica and Michael as they discuss how to rethink doubt and use it to achieve your highest potential.“Self-doubt can act as the opposition that we need and create for ourselves in order to push us toward our greatness and our greatest potential.” – Monica Berg

Navigating family or group dynamics of any kind during the holidays can sometimes feel heavy. Many of us even dread it. But we always have the choice to shift our mindset to be one of gratitude and joy and, in doing so, completely transform our experience of the holidays. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael discuss the most powerful ways to reframe your interactions with relatives during the holidays and close the calendar year with appreciation.“Every situation I am in, be it my family dynamic or otherwise, is a place for me to be restricting and growing and changing and learning. When you view it like that, the person triggering you is simply the teacher.” – Michael Berg

Some of the greatest teachers in our lives come to us disguised as friends, partners, children, or even a taxi driver whose story touched us somehow in a matter of minutes. They are the people who help us discover ourselves in new ways. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, join Monica and Michael as they share some of the most powerful influences in their lives and the lessons that have been deep and lasting. “The kabbalists share that in order to receive wisdom from a teacher, particularly a teacher imparting holy wisdom or truth, there needs to be great toiling or effort on the student’s part. And this toiling is usually in direct proportion to the student’s desire.” – Monica Berg

Each of us can fall into a slump from time to time when we lack the drive to achieve our goals. Though many of us attempt to troubleshoot this problem backwards. In truth, motivation is the result of action, not the cause of it. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, join Monica and Michael for a compelling conversation about keeping desire and motivation alive as we work toward our higher purpose.  “If you do not protect your desire, you will find that you lack the motivation necessary to achieve big and important things.” – Michael Berg

We all want to be thought well of. That’s just how we are built as humans. Approval equals survival on a primal level. But if we become so concerned about what others think that we are reluctant to ask for what we want for fear of judgment or rejection, it’s time to reevaluate how much weight we put in the opinions of others. In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael discuss when and why to stop caring about what others think so we can place more value in our own opinions of ourselves.“If you haven’t upset anybody, you haven’t done anything.” – Michael Berg

While we seldom feel blessed when challenges arise, they can provide us with a lot of good information if we’re willing and open to looking at things from all sides. In fact, kabbalists teach a concept called Olam Hafuch, an upside-down world. What if positive and negative switched places? In this upside-down world, what seems like a disaster may actually prove to be a great gift in the long run. In this very special episode recorded in front of a live audience, Michael, Monica, and their daughter, special guest Abigail Berg, discuss The Gift of Being Different. Together, Monica and Abigail created The Gift of Being Different, a new children’s book that follows Abigail as she discovers what makes us different is, in fact, our superpower.“Everybody is different. And when we really accept that and honor that idea, we remove fear and judgment. And we’re able to embrace the uniqueness that everybody has to offer.” – Monica Berg