Align Podcast

We often feel that the career choice we made years ago is permanent, that we are hostages of a degree we earned or a couple of decades of experience that we accumulated. But that isn’t true. In this episode of the Align podcast, Ashley Stahl and I discuss the 9 core skill sets that you should develop if you are contemplating switching careers. Plus, Ashley explains how the skills that you naturally have are more important than the interests you have. Lastly, we get to hear all about how Ashley’s impressive background in counterterrorism helped her develop soft skills that are essential for the career choice she made after leaving the Pentagon. Ashley is an angel investor, writer, career coach, podcast host, and an ex-counterterrorism professional for the Pentagon. Her leadership firm, Ashley International Inc., offers private coaching and unparalleled online programs to empower Millennials to find their purpose, land more job offers, and increase their income.   What we discuss:   04:26: Ashley's creative process for writing her new book 08:36: Expanding options vs going unidirectionally in a career 12:56: Making core skill sets relevant 16:22: Ashley's background in counter-terrorism 22:39: How Ashley incurred a loss in her business 24:41: What brought Ashley to her current formula? 29:25: Why did the Senate get raided? 32:22: Ashley's day to day working in counter-terrorism and international development 35:57: How are skill sets becoming obsolete in the workforce 40:01: What was Ashley's relation to Al-Qaeda in her professional role? 41:51: Ashley's experience as a female in her previous field 44:42: Developing self-awareness to determine our own hardness 47:00: Making career choices based on past wounds 48:46: What are the required skills of a good spy? 52:37: The power of being good with words 55:16: How did Ashley's perception of death evolve throughout time 01:03:05: The value and disadvantages of the current educational system 01:05:42: Changing careers at a mature age To learn more about Ashley:   Website: ashleystahl.com Instagram: @ashleystahl Podcast:  Your Turn Podcast

How many of you experienced bullying in your childhood? How did that experience shape the person that you are today? Is self-love all that you need to get through difficult times? In this episode of the Align Podcast, we get deep and personal with Justin Wren. From bullying to self-sabotage with addiction, we discuss the importance of learning self-love and how expressing kindness towards yourself and others is the key to healing. We also get a very intimate insight into Justin’s darkest thoughts and moments and how he overcame them. Plus, a message is given to those going through dark times. Justin Wren is a former heavyweight division fighter, holding an MMA record of 15-2. After overcoming depression and addiction, Justin took the decision to step away from MMA, seeking out a purpose and passion for his life. He then founded Fight For The Forgotten initiative, where he now fights for those who don’t have a voice. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. Call 1-800-273-8255 to talk.   What we discuss: 02:26: Justin's relationship with his mom 05:30: What do martial arts teach you? 07:11: What makes a bully? 11:18: Justin's experience with bullying 24:50: Learning how to love yourself 29:17: Discussing suicide ideation and attempt: Justin's experience 01:08:44: How kindness can help you 01:17:47: Self-sabotage with addiction 01:22:58: A message for those going through dark times 01:34:10: More about the Fight for the Forgotten initiative     To learn more about Justin: Website: fightfortheforgotten.org Instagram: @fightfortheforgotten / @thebigpygmy Podcast: The Justin Wren Podcast

Are you honest with yourself? Do you have realistic expectations of how your body can perform? What thoughts are you using to fuel your body and optimize its performance?  In this episode of the Align podcast, Steven Kotler and I discuss how understanding our own human biology is the most important thing we can do for ourselves in order to properly pursue and attain our goals. In fact, knowing how to make biology work for us and not against us is the secret of many successful people. We also talk about the crucialness of honesty, and how we must accept that we can only work with what we have. Steven recommends how we should feed our pattern recognition system properly and on a daily basis to help us reach peak body and brain performance. Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. His nine bestsellers are praised all around the world and by industry leaders such as Elon Musk, Bill Clinton, and more.   What we discuss: 02:56: Discussing Steven's religious upbringing 08:42: How peak performance and honesty related to each other 10:00: Changing a child's direction through parenting 12:20: How praying is great training for peak performance 14:36: How evolution has been shaped by the force of innovation 16:31: What is the general thinking of flow? 18:13: Drivers of evolution: more food and better health 22:36: Why long-term planning and flow are dissociated 26:03: Kotler's Art of Impossible book 28:26: Motivation, learning, creativity and flow   To learn more about Steven: Website: stevenkotler.com Book mentioned: Art of Impossible Instagram: @kotler.steven Podcast: Flow Research Collective Radio

If time is relative, how can we dilate it to live presently? How can you improve your focus to bring more time, energy, and money into flow? What does a monk think of money and what financial advice does he give?  In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Pedram Shojai, a.k.a. The Urban Monk, about the very fundamentals of meditation, how to be present and mindful, and how you can go as far as you can with the means you have today. Plus, we talk about the concept of identity and how so many of us nowadays find our identity structure through ideology groups. We also discuss the value of rites of passage and the importance of wilderness, which often seems to be a missing component in urban life. Pedram is a master herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, and wellness consultant. He is a dynamic teacher, Taoist minister, and lifelong student of various Alchemical Traditions. Pedram is also a Filmmaker and author, father, and husband.   What we discuss:   03:55: Pedram’s experience of studying with the Dalai Lama 04:47: Explaining educational and philosophical differences between Tibetans and Westerners 06:51: How and why Pedram became a Taoist monk 10:16: How to self-reconcile 12:53: Best practices for optimal focus 14:55: Why do we spend so much time online and how can we stop doing that? 20:08: The value in rites of passage 26:41: Money is trade 29:28: Financial advice from a monk 33:15: Being able to re-write our own story 38:42: Can meditation have different forms? 40:32: How to meditate effectively 44:17: Dissecting the perception of time and how to dilate it :51:44: Dealing with imposter syndrome 53:55: Transitioning to a bigger game in life   To learn more about Pedram Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Instagram: @official_urbanmonk Book: The Urban Monk Podcast: The Urban Monk Podcast

What is thyroid disease, exactly? What causes it? Can we even reverse thyroid disease? If so, how can we do that? In this episode of the Align Podcast,  I have a conversation with Alan Christianson, where we discuss how the foods we choose to fuel our body can actually help reverse thyroid disease and how a healthy thyroid contributes to our immune system, our mental health, and our physical health. We then break down what is iodine, what are the optimal levels for human consumption, and what are the best resources we can refer to in order to ensure we are intaking the proper and recommended amount.  We also pick Alan’s brain about emotions and how they can impact our overall wellbeing, his own personal practices of meditation and journaling, and we even touch upon epistemology! Alan Christianson is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) who specializes in natural endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders. He is the author of The Metabolism Reset Diet and the New York Times bestselling book The Adrenal Reset Diet. He has been named a Top Doctor in Phoenix Magazine and has appeared on national TV shows and in numerous print media. Website: https://www.drchristianson.com Instagram: @dralanchristianson Book: https://www.drchristianson.com/thyroidresetdiet/#Bonus   What we discuss: [00:02:46] Christianson's new book on thyroid disease research [00:04:26] The value in making our own food [00:06:54] What is Iodine? [00:09:47] The repercussions of iodine deficiency and excess [00:11:52] What are the optimal levels of iodine? [00:13:12] What causes thyroid disease?  [00:15:59] Can thoughts and feelings affect the functioning of the thyroid? [00:18:45] What is the thyroid and how does it work? [00:20:10] How emotional states contribute to your physical health issues [00:22:50] Do we have free will? [00:26:01] Alan’s biggest challenges [00:32:09] How do we know we know? [00:36:30] A guide to mediation and journaling practices [00:38:37] Alan’s thoughts on God [00:40:19] What are signs of an underlying thyroid issue? [00:41:26] Can all diseases be reversed and what be the root cause for it? [00:43:10] How does toxic fat develop?

What's the planet's most nutritious food? SPROUTS! And in this episode of the Align Podcast, the author of the Sprout Book, Doug Evans, tells us why. Among the mind-blowing nutritional qualities of sprouts: ― they have 20-30 times the nutrients of other vegetables and 100 times those of meat ― they pack cancer-fighting properties and help to protect us from cardiovascular disease and environmental pollutants ― they aid in digestion ― they are a simple way to grow your own vegetables and compatible with all diets Ready to learn more? Tune into the full episode! 

Over 70% of our body is composed of water, which means that staying hydrated is extremely important. But is simply drinking water enough to keep us hydrated?  In this episode of the Align Podcast, our guest Tracy Duhs covers the hidden capabilities and benefits of hydrating adequately. We discuss the incredible amount of information that water is capable of holding onto and how that is crucial for processing our emotions. We also discuss the different water filtering processes and filtering systems and how we can upgrade the quality of the water we drink, catered to various budgets. Tracy Duhs is the director and founder of The Sanctuary Wellness Experience, a luxury retreat that provides complete nurturing for the mind, body, and soul. She is a herbalist, alchemist, and specialist in integrative medicine.   What we discuss: 03:54: What is water? 08:13: What are the potential contaminants in water? 11:08: How does water hold information? 13:52: Masaru Emoto's experiments with water 16:22: What is structured water? 19:57: How do our bodies create structured water? 20:46: What is vortexing water? 22:58: Possible methods to upgrade the water we drink 26:33: What is Ocean Plasma? 31:14: Why and how Tracy started to experiment with different types of water 37:40: How to mineralize our water 44:16: How movement and hydration relate to each other 48:12: How sunlight exposure impacts hydration 51:16: The 9 Pillars of Health   To learn more about Tracy: Instagram: @tracyduhs Website: tracyduhs.com Book: Hydrate with Tracy Duhs Podcast: Hydrate 

In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a wonderful conversation with Emily Fletcher where we dive into the semantics of meditation and how it's much more powerful than many of us may realize. It's not only a tool for calming our mind, but it physically transforms our mind and body.  We also dive into our childhood wounds, how it has affected us in our adult life, and what we have found to be successful in our healing process. And as a bonus, at the end of the episode, Emily offers us a transformative 5-minute mediation practice that you can use as a tool for yourself. Emily Fletcher is the creator of The Ziva Technique and the founder of Ziva, where she developed the world meditation training program. She is also a best selling author: she wrote Stress Less, Accomplish More - Meditation for Extraordinary Performance. She is one of my best friends and overall, a meditation legend. What we discuss: [00:08:16] How meditation calms our chaotic energy [00:11:43] The cerebral processes that occur in meditation that make us more empathic [00:12:29] Bypassing our emotions vs. allowing ourselves to feel them [00:23:13] How the body is a record of our past [00:24:13] How meditation is healing: de-exciting our nervous system [00:27:15] 5-minute meditation exercise Instagram: @emilystellafletcher Website: zivameditation.com Book: zivameditation.com/my-debut-book

What’s keeping you from claiming your true powers? Are you even aware of the powers you hold within you and how you can tap into them? Today’s conversation is with one of my closest friends and widely known, Mr. Jim Kwik. We talk about his book, Limitless – a fabulous read! Jim’s main niche is about memory, focus, and accelerated learning, although the book content is much wider than that. While our imagination might make us think that being limitless is a synonym for perfection, in this episode, Jim explains it in a much more tangible and human way: Limitless is about advancing and progressing beyond what we believe to be possible. Jim has created a three-part framework that he breaks down for us in this episode. This framework acts as a lens to see what holds us back and to construct our self-awareness to "unlimit" the areas that are in our way. Plus, we both talk about what makes us come alive and our purpose - both fundamental emotional factors for reaching our full potential. Jim is a renowned brain coach, a memory and speed-reading expert, international speaker, and a social entrepreneur. He has been featured in many programs and podcasts and his book, Limitless, became an instant New York Times bestseller and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller. What we discuss: [04:45] Jim’s go-to practices for dealing with stress and anxiety [05:53] Defining what it means to be "limitless" [11:11] Why we need to have a sense of purpose in our lives [15:36] What makes Jim feel alive? [16:52] What makes Aaron feel alive? [20:52] Opening our own mechanisms through the love towards another person [27:03] The antidote for feeling stuck [27:20] The 3 M’s: Mindset, Motivation, Methods [29:06] What Jim would change in the current western educational system Find more from Jim: Website: www.jimkwik.com Instagram. @jimkwik Book: www.limitlessbook.com

How can we cultivate an environment in our homes and lives that brings us closer to Nature? How do psychedelics help us see our lives from a different perspective? What can we do to slow down in a world that seems to never stop?   In this episode of The Align Podcast,  we discuss Kyle Kingsbury’s vast mesmerizing experiences with psychoactive substances and how that affects his intuition and inner trust, which in turn allows him to connect deeper with his family and see himself from different angles. We also cover why Kyle’s family created their own“eco-field” and how they fully enjoy nature from their home by dedicating themselves to keeping their home low-tech.    Plus, we cover Kyle’s experiences and perspectives with polyamorous and monogamous relationships, as well as what we think about what is happening in the present, modern world.   Kyle Kingsbury is the host of the Kyle Kingsbury Podcast, is an optimization expert, everyday shaman, full-time coach on the Fit For Service Fellowship and a former UFC fighter.     What we discuss:                      09:07: How does the environment we create shape the way we think and feel?   13:48: Creating resonance with green space   18:54: How does visualizing and exposing yourself to nature promote healing?       24:09: Discussing mediums to channel your emotions           28:10: Using art as a tool for