Discover the transformative power of deep listening with this simple practice designed for finding your peace, purpose & power everyday. No Zen required. Sit on your sofa in the morning with a cup of coffee and enjoy! Includes guided, step-by-step SOUL PRACTICE. Science-based, filled with spiritual-wisdom and life experience, the SOUL practice helps you let go of old patterns and hidden beliefs so you can unleash deep peace, discover your purpose and express your greatest power.  Join Anne as she guides you through the science, steps, and personal insights of listening deeply to connect with your true self. Anne Alexander is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, woman of depth, and writes FINDING HAPPY  Practical and profound, the SOUL PRACTICE follows the letters of SOUL..... S = Sit, Settle, Sift through your thoughts O = Open-hearted awareness of your thoughts and feelings U = Understanding with curiosity and compassion  L = Let go of the old and lean into LOVE Get unstuck & find your happy with this simple daily practice for peace, purpose & power.    EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Introduction to Listening Deeply 03:00 Understanding the Practice of Listening Deeply 05:55 The Science Behind Listening Deeply 08:53 The Journey to Self-Love 11:45 The Importance of Daily Practice 15:06 The Steps of Listening Deeply 23:55 Sifting Through Thoughts 28:00 Open-Hearted Awareness 31:46 Understanding Your Emotions 38:01 Letting Go of Old Patterns 49:58 Embracing Your Lovable Self 51:25 Embracing Your True Self 58:14 The Power of Expansiveness and Creativity 01:04:42 Guided Practice: The Soul Practice  01:22:11 Closing Reflections and Future Practices

Get inspired and empowered as "Anne-with-a-Plan" shares the surprising twists -- and choices -- on the road to happy with Sufi wisdom for modern times. Enjoy the Tale of the Sands to help you navigate your path, listen for guidance and choose wisely.  Listen to a "Once upon a time" tale, this is a delightful story of a confident stream who suddenly gets stuck in a desert.....and needs to find her way out so you too can learn how to:  Get Unstuck Move beyond Fear  Find Deep Fulfillment    What's your "desert" right now? Sometimes the way out of "stuck" isn't "more the same" or fighting the obstacles in your path. Instead it's listening deeply and finding your flow, choosing a different path on your road to happy. Listen and see..... Subscribe  SIGN UP for the Finding Happy newsletter - FREE Invite a friend ooxx Anne THE TALE OF THE SANDS  Once upon a time, there was a beautiful stream making its way from its source in the tall misty mountains, traveling through green valleys, meadows, forests. The stream moved along without effort, splashing and frolicking day and night, making music as it flowed. At last, the stream reached the sands of a big desert. Just as it had crossed every other barrier, the stream tried to cross the desert. But the stream found that as fast as it ran into the sands, its waters disappeared. The more the stream flowed, the more it disappeared. The stream was convinced that its destiny was to cross the desert. It would be happy on the other side. And yet, there was no way to cross the sands. Frustrated, annoyed, the stream heard a voice whispering.... "The wind crosses the desert, so can you!" "But the wind can fly. I'm a stream. I can't fly," the stream grumbled at the sands. "The wind can help you. Allow yourself to be absorbed by the wind, and it will carry you across in its arms." The stream did not like that. It was afraid that it would lose its individuality if it merged with the wind. What guarantee was there that would ever be regained? The voice in the sand said, "You cannot in any case remain the same stream you are today. By hurtling at things in your usual energetic way, you're going to disappear into the desert, or you'll turn into a big, boggy quagmire. But if you allow the wind to take you, you're essential part will be carried away and you will form into a stream again." Ignoring the voice of the sands, the stream kept trying to cross the desert all on its own, flinging itself angrily into the desert again and again and again. The sands whispered: "Come, this is the way!" When it heard this, certain echoes began to arise in the thoughts of the stream. Dimly, it remembered a state in which some part of it had been cradled in the arms of the wind. The stream raised its vapor to the welcoming arms of the breeze, which carried it above the desert for many miles and released it as a soft rain on the roof of a mountain. Because this stream had had its doubts, it was able to remember the details of the experience and reflected, "Yes! Now I have found my identity!" The sands whispered, "We know ... because we see this happen every day and because, we the ands, we extend all the way from the desert to the mountains"  And, that, is the Sufi story of the Stream and the Whispering Sands.  Hope you enjoy, Anne Tags: happiness, personal growth, change, Sufi wisdom, metaphors, self-discovery, overcoming obstacles, emotional well-being, transformation.

Get off the self-help treadmill -- and find your happy.  Mel Robbins has amassed a huge following with her "Hello Friend!" podcast persona, but all of those shiny interviews can keep you stuck, sitting in the "kiddie chair" and not getting closer to feeling happy, alive, energized, filled with purpose and excitement for your life.  The real path to finding happy is an inside job.  Lao Tzu said it best: "At the very center of your being, you know who you are." Join me and let's focus on the real work and the real path to happy: Get Unstuck: Identify the invisible traps holding you back Get Smart: Discover what's truly new & next for you Get Going: Live powerfully on purpose Finding Happy is a call to action. Each episode contains valuable resources, insights from science, from neuroscience, wisdom from around the world and life-changing practices Subscribe to the podcast SIGN UP for the FREE Finding Happy newsletter   Invite a friend  Peace & All Good Anne 💗 TRANSCRIPT --- Mel Robbins is NOT your friend  Today, I want to share something that I think is really important to know: Mel Robbins is not your friend. If your goal is to be happy, energized, doing what's important to you, I don't think that's the path. I don't think following Mel Robbins is the path. Mel Robbins pretends like she's your friend with her "Hello, friend!!" persona. And it's always the same: Look at this shiny object I've got here today!!!! You can sit at the little kiddie chair while me and my important friends talk about important things. The problem isn't just being treated like a poor relation, the problem is that it's perpetuating a cycle of constantly looking outside of yourself It's like, "Looky, looky, looky. Today I've got a new shiny object for you!!" And yes, look, they are fascinating shiny objects. She does great interviews. She has very intelligent guests. She's doing a masterful job. But .... To get happy, genuinely really happy, is an inside job. The path is clearing and cleaning out all of the crap that is holding you back. And my guess is that you probably have a lot of invisible hooks. We all do. So the work is identifying those, clearing them out, cleaning them out, and digging deep into you, into understanding, really knowing who are you and why are you here, and then acting on it. That's the path. Otherwise, you just stay stuck. Otherwise, you're sitting at Mel Robbins' little kidde chair. forever. Today, I want to focus on some very, very wise words that were said 2,000 years ago by the Chinese emperor Lao Tzu. He said At the very center of your being, you know who you are, and you know what you want. The trick is getting to the center of your being. And the trick is figuring out what is really going on inside of you so you can act on it. And that requires a roadmap. You can do it. You're smart, you're ambitious, you want a bigger life for yourself. So join me and let's get going. Let's get to finding your happy. If that sounds good to you,  Subscribe to the podcast SIGN UP for the FREE Finding Happy newsletter   Invite a friend  Peace & All Good Anne 💗

Feeling "stuck" can be the "start" of finding YOUR happy. Introducing a podcast dedicated to getting unstuck and guiding you to genunine happiness. Finding Happy is for smart, ambitious people, especially those  feeling stuck ("secret hiders" like host Anne Alexander, author of 2 NYT bestsellers ) -- -- Get Unstuck: Identify the invisible traps holding you back -- Get Smart: Discover what's truly new & next for you -- Get Going: Live powerfully on purpose Feeling stuck? Want to find your happy?  Anne was a "secret hider" feeling "fucked stuck," trapped in a facade of busyness while everything in her life seemed to be falling apart. Losing her job, going through a divorce, and facing the challenges of single parenting three kids. "Stuck" can be your wake-up call, urging us to pay attention "Stuck can feel really ugly, but it's actually a gift." Finding Happy is not just a podcast; it's a call to action for those who feel trapped in their current circumstances. Each episode contains valuable resources, insights from science, from neuroscience, wisdom from around the world and life-changing practices #1 Subscribe to the podcast #2 SIGN UP for the FREE Finding Happy newsletter   #3 Invite a friend Peace & All Good Anne 💗 TRANSCRIPT --- from Stuck to Happy  Oh my God, I am so glad you're here. This is my first episode of Finding Happy, and truth be told, I am excited and I'm terrified, which of course is a great way to begin any big adventure, and that's what we're embarking on. Finding Happy is an adventure. It's a road trip. It's a journey. It's you and me. It's hitting the road......where do we begin?  Start with Stuck  Well, I'd like to begin with stuck. I was a secret hider, trapped in like a busy, busy, "everything is fine" kind of persona.  Everything was not fine, but you know.... Life has a really weird way of saving you. Things can look really, really, really, really ugly, but they're actually a gift, like a really weird fucking gift that you don't want, that you completely, entirely want to reject, but it's actually a fucking gift. I think that stuck is actually a weird fucking gift, because it's finally when life comes and says, pay attention. Well, that's at least what happened to me. All of a sudden:  I lost my job, I got divorced, I had a car accident, I was single parenting, three kids, 24-7. I was in the midst of total fucked stuck...... Fortunately, I'm sure I am like you, resourceful. You just have to figure this shit out, and for me, it wasn't the eat, pray, love, pretty version. This isn't bolting off to Bali, this isn't sitting on a mat in India. No, it's like hard fucking work, and ultimately, I wouldn't change it for the world. I really did get from fucked stuck to happy. That's why I'm doing this roadmap, because along the way, there is an extraordinary amount of tremendously valuable information, like amazing resources, insights from science, from neuroscience, wisdom from around the world, practices that really, really, really work, that are life-changing, but no one is putting it all together. So, of course, I decided, fuck it, I will, and this is the result. This is the roadmap, and I want for it to be a radical roadmap, because radical means getting to the root. -- Let's get to the root of what's really keeping you stuck, so you can let it go.  -- Let's dive into what's really your purpose, like really, really -- Let's figure those things out and go for it.  So, if that sounds good to you. #1 Subscribe. Hit the subscribe button. #2 Sign up for the Finding Happy newsletter. There is lots of great stuff in there that is not in the podcast. #3 Share. Invite a friend to join you. There's strength in numbers. 

Ask, wonder & explore life's biggest questions. Mind-expanding, heart-opening conversations -- deep with spiritual insights across faiths and wisdom traditions -- and guided prayers, mediations and spiritual practices to bring you peace, purpose and personal connection with the divine.  In this podcast, host Anne Alexander (two-time New York Times bestselling author) explores prayer with insights from Anne Lamott's book Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.  This podcast was originally published as an episode on SOULCANDY / God for Beginners, a podcast also by Anne Alexander, and is now part of her FINDING HAPPY podcast series.  For more, check out AnneAlexander.com

Join this conversation with Anne Alexander as she talks with Dr Harv Powers on how to know when God is speaking to you. Learn how to tune into the way that God communicates with you -- when you have ears to hear and eyes to see God's divine presence -- and how you can co-create with God.  "Dr Powers and I talk about how to tune in and know when God is pinging you because there have been moments where Harv has said to me, hmm, well, maybe God is pinging you." "And I'm like what, what, what, wait??!!!?? God is pinging me?" Includes GUIDED PRAYER for deeper spiritual connection.  For more, check out AnneAlexander.com Dr Harv Powers is the author of Redemptive Leadership and he is pastor, mentor to top CEOs and clinical psychologist. 

PRACTICE Enjoy a mindful, heart-focused breathing practice to quiet depleting emotions, restore resiliency, calm your mind, body and spirit with Jenee Johnson, mindfulness expert and thought leader on reclaiming the joy of people of African ancestry. This PRACTICE-ONLY episode goes with the full conversation in Episode 9 GET RIGHT WITHIN about mindfulness, racial awareness and reclaiming joy with Jenee Johnson talking honestly about transforming the Black experience in America and finding the quiet inside that restores resiliency, inspires and energizes. Jenee Johnson is a mindfulness pioneer dedicated to accelerating human flourishing. More about Jenee Johnson . 

Thrive from inside with the power of mindfulness, racial awareness and reclaiming your joy with Jenee Johnson, thought leader, mindfulness expert, talking honestly about transforming the Black experience in America and finding the quiet inside that restores resiliency and inspires calm confidence.  In this open and honest conversation, Jenee shares insights from her new The Right Within Experience, an experiential mindfulness program committed to the reclamation of humanity, joy and wellbeing for people of African ancestry. In this episode, Jenee and Anne talk about the power of practicing sankofa, an African word which translates as "retreive" meaning to go back and get or reclaim the complete, exalted right to express your full humanity and thrive and how mindfulness, prayer and spacious contemplation can help along the path. This includes the ability to pause, taking a moment to reflect and consider how to respond to what is happening around you and to you; know what burdens are yours to carry, and what are those of others to acknowledge and accept. Jenee and Anne also discuss Jenee's spiritual practices and beliefs, including getting quiet regularly, opening yourself and finding God's hand in your life and how to search for "sparkly crumbs" in your path. PRACTICE: RECLAIM YOUR JOY This episode closes with Jenee leading a heart-focused breathing practice that quiets depleting emotions, calms mind and body and helps bring about a sense of deep coherence. For more about Jenee Johnson More about Anne Alexander 

PRACTICE Meditative Prayer for Deeper Spiritual Connection and feel a deep resonance with the Divine for the good, just and loving, led by psychotherapist and pastor Dr Harv Powers.  This episode includes only the mediative prayer and can be enjoyed as part of a daily contemplative practice.  For the full podcast conversation with Dr Harv Powers, tune into EP 8: FINDING YOUR DEEPER PURPOSE on how to go beyond simple life hacks to core transformational change, allowing you to live from a much deeper place, rich with meaning, spiritual insight and attuned to the Divine. Also, discover how the harmonic frequency of God -- where you can hear and feel the presence of the Divine -- is always available to you on Episode 8: Finding Your Deeper Purpose.  More about Anne Alexander    

Discover real transformational change that takes you to a much deeper place, rich with meaning, spiritual insight and attuned to the Divine. Psychotherapist and pastor, Dr Harv Powers talks with Anne Alexander about why growth happens when you hit the bottom, core transformational change and how your worst crisis can reveal your greatest strengths & deeper purpose and  how the harmonic frequency of God -- where you can hear and feel the presence of the Divine -- is always available.  INCLUDES: Meditative Prayer for Deeper Spiritual Connection as a guided prayer and deeply peaceful meditation, led by Dr Harv Powers. For more, check out AnneAlexander.com