EZ Conversations

In this week's episode, I welcome Terry Stroud. Terry and I recently connected in our last Master's in Counselling Psychology course and exchanged many thoughtful reflections and ideas regarding family systems therapy. Terry is a mature student who has worked with teens in the past, became an electrician (often called the "site counsellor" by those from other trades), and is now excited to become a psychologist and counsel people of all ages. He is passionate about the LGBTQ+ community, mental health, and doing a touch of crocheting in his free time. Having suffered from a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), his life has been reshaped into a desire to help people see just how powerful the mind and brain can be on our entire bodies.

In this episode, Terry and I talk about his journey through Functional Neurological Disorder, how he dealt with it and what he learned from it. Terry talks about his mindset and what has helped him through this experience in life. Terry also shares how this entire experience impacted his wife and kids. We also talked about Terry having some realizations regarding intergenerational trauma and how he has applied what we recently learned in our course together. 

You can find Terry on Med-Mastadon under terryjstroud. 

In this week's episode, I welcome Terry Stroud. Terry and I recently connected in our last Master's in Counselling Psychology course and exchanged many thoughtful reflections and ideas regarding family systems therapy. Terry is a mature student who has worked with teens in the past, became an electrician (often called the "site counsellor" by those from other trades), and is now excited to become a psychologist and counsel people of all ages. He is passionate about the LGBTQ+ community, mental health, and doing a touch of crocheting in his free time. Having suffered from a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), his life has been reshaped into a desire to help people see just how powerful the mind and brain can be on our entire bodies.

In this episode, Terry and I talk about his journey through Functional Neurological Disorder, how he dealt with it and what he learned from it. Terry talks about his mindset and what has helped him through this experience in life. Terry also shares how this entire experience impacted his wife and kids. We also talked about Terry having some realizations regarding intergenerational trauma and how he has applied what we recently learned in our course together. 

You can find Terry on Med-Mastadon under terryjstroud. 

In this week's episode, I was excited to welcome Steve Fader. Steve is someone whom I have become friends with recently, and we have shared some very deep, honest and raw conversations. Steve is an entrepreneur at heart, but most of all, he is a man who has gone through his Hero's Journey and has come back to support others and guide them through their journey. The Hero's Journey has become a theme for me, and I have covered various aspects of it in previous episodes, such as the rites of passage and atonement. 

For Steve, it started with the work ethic instilled in him as a young child, although highly traumatic, and built him into the man he is today.  The lessons about the world he learned through this upbringing were rooted in the fact that the world was not easy. If he wanted more, he would have to fight for it. Throughout the first 30 years of his life, he realized how difficult the world could be to navigate alone, and he chose to make sure he developed into the type of man that would not allow circumstances to dictate his future happiness and success.  

He learned that success isn't as simple as hard work = Success.  Many times he worked hard and achieved nothing but physical and mental anguish. He realized that If he wanted more, he needed to change many aspects of the way he saw the world and build on how he was brought up. The foundation was cracked and stressed but not irreparable. And proper discipline and hard work through personal development were going to be key. There is no growth without change.

Upon achieving success, be it through learning from failure or an actual successful endeavour, it dawned on him that he was here to help people realize that they could also achieve what they wanted. The 'elevator back down' analogy describes trying to elevate the people around you. In martial arts, the saying was 'Iron sharpens Iron, ' which he still tries to live by today. If he can manage his way to the level of success he has achieved, he can perhaps help others realize their potential. That is something that, over time, has become a big focus of his, for better or worse. Over the years, he realized that not everyone wants or is prepared to succeed. He believes that success and failure are equally as substantial. Either of these things can change who you are, better or worse. 

Now, Steve tries his best to put good into the world and works hard to provide for himself and his wife. He ensures his wife, his closest and strongest supporter, is protected and provided with the life most people dream of. He always continues the journey of personal development, as it is the only way he can succeed and continue to have the chance to effect change in the world. Respect and loyalty are two of the main drivers of his intention. He believes that everyone deserves both until they prove they do not. He stays on the journey to succeed and help others succeed because he would like to see as many people as he can become happy in his life. He feels that building an army of successful men with the same ability to effect positive change in the world is part of his calling. He was told he was a monster for so long that he began to believe those things and quickly realized that this might be true to a certain extent. But now, as a monster, he owes himself to control and direct that aspect of his personality for good and not evil. Many times in his life, circumstances could have played out differently.  He chose a different path at several pivotal times in his life, and those choices led him down the road he rides now.

In this week's episode, I was honoured to welcome Darren Smith. Darren was born and raised in Calgary.  After High School, he attended the University of Calgary, where he got a degree in Sociology focusing on criminology, before joining the Calgary Police Service in 2004.  He has since returned to school several times, being trained in management, police leadership, major crime investigations, and incident command. He is currently completing his Master's Degree in Public Safety.

Since joining, Darren has worked in various areas within the service.  He has worked in and supervised patrol, has worked in surveillance units, including the city's Auto Theft Team and the public safety unit, and was deployed to both the G8 in Toronto as well as the Olympics in Vancouver.  At 29, he was promoted to Detective, working on significant crime investigations, including attempted murders, robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults, abductions, and all crimes against persons. He has been awarded several times by the police service, City, and Province, for the teams and investigations he has led and been a part of.

Darren has a passion for preventing family violence.  He supervised the Domestic Violence Team for many years, teaching domestic violence prevention and investigation to police officers, other agencies, and civilians.  He was later transferred to the Homicide unit, where he worked on several homicide files, many of which involved domestic violence, before moving to the offender management unit.  Darren is currently a Staff Sergeant in the Calgary Police Service, supervising the Child Abuse Unit.  Having supervised and led hundreds of police officers for over a decade, Darren also has a passion for ensuring the mental health of his officers and their families and ensuring they have rewarding careers and lives.

In this episode, Darren and I talk about his passion for being a member of the Calgary Police Services and why he loves to work with people. We also discuss the mental health challenges first responders face and the impact first responders have on our society due to their dedication and the sacrifices they make. 

I am honoured to welcome Dr. Romi Ran to this week's episode. Dr. Ran is a British Clinical Psychologist, Coach and Speaker. She has over 15 years of experience working with individuals across the age span looking to transform their lives. 

Dr. Ran's specializations include:

- Food, Eating and Body Image

- Wellbeing and Conscious Living

- Cultivating Work and Life Satisfaction

- Relationships, Parenting and Family Support

- Improving Mental Health

- Eastern Meditative Practices

She provides 1:1 sessions to clients from across the globe and conducts workshops, webinars, and retreats to some of the world's largest businesses, hotels, and wellness venues across the UK, Europe and the Americas. 

Romi received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oxford in the UK. Before that, she worked as a Research Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, where she was involved in several research studies on self-harm and suicide. 

Romi has also devoted much of her time and interest to practicing Tibetan Buddhism. Her continual studies and meditative discipline both inform and enhances her professional work. She is especially interested in sharing the often unknown overlap between Eastern and psychological traditions and recognizes the need for both to ensure transformational growth. 

In this episode, Romi and I discuss eating disorders and the relationship people have with food. We also cover the mental health aspect of eating disorders and how people can improve their overall well-being through their relationship with food. 

Please find Dr. Ran on Instagram @drromiran or her website: www.drromiran.com

I am honoured to welcome Dr. Romi Ran to this week's episode. Dr. Ran is a British Clinical Psychologist, Coach and Speaker. She has over 15 years of experience working with individuals across the age span looking to transform their lives. 

Dr. Ran's specializations include:

- Food, Eating and Body Image

- Wellbeing and Conscious Living

- Cultivating Work and Life Satisfaction

- Relationships, Parenting and Family Support

- Improving Mental Health

- Eastern Meditative Practices

She provides 1:1 sessions to clients from across the globe and conducts workshops, webinars, and retreats to some of the world's largest businesses, hotels, and wellness venues across the UK, Europe and the Americas. 

Romi received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oxford in the UK. Before that, she worked as a Research Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, where she was involved in several research studies on self-harm and suicide. 

Romi has also devoted much of her time and interest to practicing Tibetan Buddhism. Her continual studies and meditative discipline both inform and enhances her professional work. She is especially interested in sharing the often unknown overlap between Eastern and psychological traditions and recognizes the need for both to ensure transformational growth. 

In this episode, Romi and I discuss eating disorders and the relationship people have with food. We also cover the mental health aspect of eating disorders and how people can improve their overall well-being through their relationship with food. 

Please find Dr. Ran on Instagram @drromiran or her website: www.drromiran.com

In this week's episode, I bring on Dr. Stephan Poulter. Dr. Poulter is a renowned Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist in private practice with over thirty years of experience. He brings a unique perspective to his practice and writings as a former law-enforcement officer, seminary graduate and ordained minister. 

Dr. Poulter has authored seven books: The Shame Factor, The Father Factor, The Mother Factor, You Ex-Factor, The Art of Successful Failure and Father your Son. His Professional directive is always to help diagnose, treat and understand the power of our relationship world. His newest book, The Shame Factor, is a culmination of over twenty thousand hours of in-person clinical experience addressing the insidious nature of shame. 

Dr. Poulter works with a wide range of people specializing in the father-son/daughter relationships and our relationship to psychology and spirituality. Dr. Poulter is married and the father of four children.

In this episode, Dr. Poulter and I discuss the beginnings of shame and how shame impacts men in their lives. Dr. Poulter explains how he addresses shame in the various chapter of his book, The Shame Factor. We also discuss some of the ways we can normalize conversations around shame. 

Please find Dr. Poulter on Instagram @dr.stephan_poulter_

stephenpoulter.com

In this week's episode, I welcome Mike Pantile. Mike is a dedicated Christian, husband and father. Mike is a self-employed fitness professional, a personal trainer, an online coach and a gym owner. His life is centred around helping others become better, fitter, stronger versions of themselves, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mike is also passionate about writing on masculinity, marriage and fatherhood. Mike lived a reckless life before becoming a dad, and quickly after his wife gave birth to their daughter, his heart was softened, and his life changed for the better. Through the process of writing and idea exploration - his main objective is not only to help himself become a better Christian, father and husband; but also to help others in this same way. Mike feels like he's on fire for everything he does, and he would like to give all glory to God for the blessings he has.

In this episode, Mike and I talk about forgiving our fathers. We both talk about why we must have forgiveness for others to move forward in our lives and be better parents to our children. The aspect of forgiveness can hold us back and prevent us from genuinely embodying our awakened Self. 

Please find Mike on Instagram @Mikepantile. 

In this week's episode, I am excited to welcome Zack Blakeney. Zack works as a self-mastery and consciousness coach and is the founder of the Conscious Creators Community (C3). He empowers conscious entrepreneurs with the self-knowledge and skillset to transcend fear, permanently liberate limitations and unlocks invincible self-belief. His unique methodology and processes create fast, repeatable results that collapse time on achieving long-term success and personal fulfillment.

In this episode, Zack shares the story of his porn addiction which ultimately led to his marriage ending. Zack and I talk about working on ourselves, awakening and tapping into our consciousness. Zack also talks about his C3 coaching model and explains why this model is so effective. 

Links

C3: Conscious Creators Community: https://bit.ly/3tdqRgd

The Journey to Nobody Transformation Training: https://thejourneytonobody.com/training

Entrepreneurs and Life Coaching: https://creatorscontext.com/coachingprograms

Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/zackblakeney/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-blakeney-00a16a10b/

Tik Tok Profile: http://www.tiktok.com/@zackblakeney

In this week's episode, I am excited to welcome Faraz Ramji.  Faraz is a certified teacher of Search Inside Yourself, a leadership program founded at Google that teaches Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence to individuals and organizations worldwide. He is also completing the Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher’s Certification Program (MMTCP) and undergoing training to become a professional coach with the Coactive training institute (CTI). He believes these skills are essential in our rapidly changing and unpredictable world. Because of Faraz’s background, he is mainly focused on bringing Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence and other mental health interventions to entrepreneurs and leaders within organizations because he believes in the impact of such work on individuals and the people they interact with. Faraz currently spends his time between the UK and East Africa (Nairobi and Kigali), where he remains involved with the projects he founded.

Faraz studied Development Studies and Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) and also completed a business transformation program in Nairobi with Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (Seed)

Faraz is a successful entrepreneur; he co-founded Norda Industries Ltd. (www.norda.co.ke) in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007. He was the Managing Director until 2018 when he stepped back to the Board to pursue other interests. He grew the company into one of the largest snack manufacturers in East Africa with annual revenues of approx. $10 million and employing over 250 people directly and hundreds more indirectly.

Faraz is also the chairman of EDD (www.edd.rw). This Rwandan non-profit works to rehabilitate former-street children and educate other vulnerable children with a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning. The organization has rehabilitated and reintegrated over 600 former street children into society.

In this episode, Faraz shares his journey and discusses why emotional intelligence is crucial in the corporate world. We discuss how leaders can nurture more of an emotionally intelligent environment and how people can build mindfulness into their life, even in the workplace.

Please find Faraz on LinkedIn.