Black History Month BONUS release drop! We remastered three episodes with prominent black expat leaders of the Bali community, centering on the intersectionality of consciousness, spirituality, activism and plant medicine. On this episode, we fearlessly bridge the worlds of spirituality and activism with the one and only, Nadine McNeil of Universal Empress. Her mission as a yoga teacher, speaker, wisdom mentor and humanitarian is to ignite infinite possibility in people around the world and share yoga with diverse underserved communities. She is the founder of the BadAsana Series ©: Yoga with Weights and long-time teacher at the Yoga Barn, the largest yoga and wellness facility in South East Asia. Prior to her deep dive into yoga in 2008, Nadine travelled the world in service of the UN, UNICEF, Global Volunteer Network and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for nearly two decades. These and other experiences rooted Nadine’s continued devotion to activism. Additionally, her globally expanding Women’s Circles are rooted in her mantra: when one of us suffers we all suffer. Yet when one of us heals, we all heal.This conversation was igniting on all levels, bridging the medicine of activism and spirituality into one potent conversation. Contrary to the perception that Yoga is all love, light and OM, Nadine shines a light on what’s typically overlooked — that for real change (and real movements) to happen, we must access our anger and injustice, the “most potent emotional frequencies in Dharma.” By reaching for the lessons within our fire and rage, we can then ignite transformation in the direction of justice, move beyond the “danger of the single story,” and collectively challenge what Reverend Kyodo Williams calls the “impoverished imaginations” of our times. With the Old World crumbling, humanity needs a new story that includes all voices and identities -- leaning gracefully into the complexity of who we are, not simply what’s perceived as “normal” or comfortable to face this existential crisis. Inspired by the work of Kyodo Williams, author of “Radical Dharma,” we cover wide ranging topics that centers spirituality as a force for activism, helping us show up in the world in our true Dharma and extraordinary differences. We travel landscapes far and wide, including:• As a woman who is “Jamaican by birth, Universal by outlook,” how Nadine claims her identity as one that was significantly shaped by a lifetime after leaving Jamaica at age 16.• What is actually dangerous about “the single story” and how she brings this concept alive in her own engagement with diversity.• After spending 22 years with the UN in emergency response and humanitarian stints, what broke the camel's back and inspired her on the path of Yoga.• What role can (and should) Yoga play in current COVID times of systems collapse, racial injustice explosion, and the collective sentiment of rage and violence worldwide.• Unpacking the “Democratization of Yoga,” what she describes as the removal of the illusion of elitism attached to the practice in modern times.• In response to Kyodo Williams’ TEDx talk where she famously declares, “I don’t want your love, I want your justice for the people of different ethnicities, cultures and countries,” what Nadine feels is the role of love in a time of violence (and whether Yoga requires that we love everyone).• How we can compassionately and gracefully transform violence into something of value for ourselves and community.• How to navigate the scarcity mindset as a person on the spiritual path who shows up in contribution, yet not always manifesting their highest financial abundance.• How Nadine transformed dwindling interest in online Yoga (on both sides) during COVID-times into abundance and “keen intuitive and observation skills to discern how [she] could best serve others.”• How culture needs to shift right now to break through our impoverished imaginations and hold more space for difference and diversity.Follow Nadine at https://www.universalempress.comMore about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.

Black History Month BONUS release drop! We remastered three episodes with prominent black expat leaders of the Bali community, centering on the intersectionality of consciousness, spirituality, activism and plant medicine. On this episode, we get deep with Melvin Hart, a Neuromuscular Therapist, Shamanic Medicine Practitioner, Intuitive Coach, Healer and Spiritual Nomad who has worked with hundreds of people from around the world and participated in 100+ plant medicine ceremonies, helping his clients integrate their experiences into everyday life through his platform, the Evolutionists. As an Indian-Black man raised Hindu in New York, he has never checked any conventional boxes. In fact, at age 18, he found himself unjustly locked behind bars for the next 8 years (“his grandfather was a senator; his family grew up in law enforcement. So I kind of got the wrong end of the deal.” - NYPost). According to the ACLU, 1 out of 3 Black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as compared to 1 out of every 6 Latino boys and 1 out of 17 white boys. While his formative years were influenced by an institutionally racist criminal justice system and years of “seeing the worst side of humanity,” he prevailed against all the odds to come out not simply alive, but incredibly resilient, in service, and powerful beyond measure.• In this poignant conversation, we travel all the lifetimes Mel lived and wisdom collected along the way, covering a wide ranging conversation that includes: • What it was like to be indicted unjustly at the ripe age of 18 and actually experiencing “the worst side of humanity”• His transition from prison to the real world, and how he picked himself up by his bootstraps despite the staggering reality that former inmates face each year (650,000 men and women nationwide in the US return from prison to their communities, and face nearly 50,000 federal, state, and local legal restrictions that make it difficult to reintegrate back into society)• While he evolved a successful career merely 5 years following prison, Mel gave it all up to heed his greater calling for ayahuasca in the jungles of Peru — what he saw and how it changed the game forever • How plant medicine is not the silver bullet, but rather the amplifier of who you already are and who you want to be• The kind of world he envisions as a Shamanic Practitioner and his reaction to George Floyd’s wrongful murder and the traumas confronting humanity today -- “you can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of you ignoring reality” • Mel’s personal spiritual practice that combines his diverse background, accountability structures, and multidisciplinary approach to healing More about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.

Black History Month BONUS release drop! We remastered three episodes with prominent black expat leaders of the Bali community, centering on the intersectionality of consciousness, spirituality, activism and plant medicine. On this episode, we sit down with the legendary Swaady Martin, one of Africa’s most recognized young leaders, influencers and tastemakers. She’s a multi-awarded serial entrepreneur most notably of YSWARA (a socially-conscious gourmet tea company contributing to the reversal of the African commodity trap) and a changemaker-activist who has founded Tounche Global Consciousness Summit (events that have brought consciousness transformation to 2000 diverse individuals worldwide), a Racial Reconciliation Circle in honor of James Patterson (her father and former Black Panther Party Leader of Brooklyn), and THE LOVINGKINDNESS BOMA (a collection of children’s books to cultivate greater love, kindness and compassion within the family). Formerly a GE executive of 10 years, she pursued her own hero’s journey that has evolved over continents and projects at the intersection of inner growth activism, conscious entrepreneurialism, and her great love for Africa. Among her many honorable accolades, she’s been named on Oprah Winfrey’s “O Power List” for Africa in 2014.In this dynamic conversation, we cover her life’s journey in these core explorations:• What it was like to grow up as the daughter of a Black Panther Party Leader in Brooklyn, and how early life exposure to activism influenced her worldview later on as an “inner world activist”• Her love for her corporate days as a former GE executive, stemming from her lifelong dream of becoming a businesswoman as early as 6 years old • Making the transition from corporate to conscious (and serial) entrepreneur of YSWARA and how this business brought her love of African culture, values and ancestral wisdom to the forefront of business storytelling• The impact YSWARA had on the local African communities and plantations she’s worked with, which is more relevant than ever today in what Harvard deems as “the age of corporate social justice”• How diversity is missing from the healing + consciousness communities worldwide, and why Tounche Global Consciousness Summit emerged to meet that gap with new voices, perspectives and cultures • The critical work of running a weekly James Patterson Racial Reconciliation Circle (named in honor of her father’s role as Black Panther Party Leader) in light of George Floyd’s murder and the explosion of racial injustice worldwide • The inspirations and intentions behind writing a collection of children’s books that places diverse girls at the forefront of storytelling• Her love letter to Bali and how this oasis of beauty and biodiversity has supported her during these COVID crisis timesMore about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.

In episode 25, we go bold with the legendary Cindy Gallop to explore new aspirational models for human sexuality, body positivity and social justice in the sextech industry. While her background spans 30 years in brand-building, marketing and advertising (having started up BBH in New York and named Advertising Woman of the Year), she founded social sextech platform Make Love Not Porn to promote good sexual behavior and good sexual values, which she launched at TED 2009. Her other software IfWeRantheWorld is now taught as a Harvard Business School case study to enable brands to implement the business model of the future -- Shared Values + Shared Action = Shared Profit.As the world’s first ever human-curated and crowdsourced social sex video sharing platform, Make Love Not Porn (MLNP) celebrates not just the most private part of our lives (sex), but essentially -- everything. Real world everything to do with body parts, intimacy and relationship dynamics in the bedroom. Nothing feels more powerfully supportive to body positivity than real humans watching other real humans (Make Love Not Porn-stars) have sex. According to Cindy, “people want us before even knowing we exist.” In this pandemic alone, website traffic has nearly tripled, while the last 9 years has seen 100% organic growth. MLNP has seen positive universal acceptance and been recommended to couples by sex therapists. In an age where the average age of a child coming across hard core porn is 6-8 years old, parents have also weighed in with the significance of how this platform could help socialize and normalize sex for their children to develop healthy, happy and loving sexual relationships. All that to say, MLNP has the potential to completely reimagine the landscape of human sexuality with “education through demonstration.”As a champion of diversity, gender equality and social justice in white male-dominated tech and advertising industries, Cindy embodies that it is completely possible to live a very different life and still be extraordinarily happy. In fact, the lockdown is the perfect opportunity to re-actualize everything, since all bets (of what’s considered status quo) are off. In this dynamic conversation, we cover: • The journey from advertising legend to sex tech founder of Make Love Not Porn• The emotionally moving impact MLNP has had on human sexuality, relationships, intimacy and love• How Make Love Not Porn-stars model aspirational culture and the importance of creating a “how-to” platform for real world sex • The 3 biggest barriers to becoming the next Facebook for social sex• The hurdles female-founded sex tech startups face (compared to male-founded startups in the same category)• What sex tech is and why we haven’t even begun to see the enormous potential for this trillion dollar category• Cindy’s favorite female-founded sex tech startups (plus the rich diversity present)More about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.   

In episode 24, we imagine the new story of humanity, progress, and cultural leadership with Emily Viola, a Cultural Strategist and Head of Planning (North America) at Futerra, a B-corp certified change agency that joins the magic of creativity and the logic of strategy to make sustainability so desirable, it becomes the new normal. She combines over 20 years of consumer insights and brand planning with the study of market dynamics and future technologies, specializing in Gen Z, Millenial and Multicultural audiences. While sustainability is here to stay, the scope of how we think about this word has expanded massively, thanks to the rising fluency of Gen Z and Millenials. What began as silo-ed discourse around environmental stewardship, risk mitigation and reporting about pollution and bad practices has transformed into a mindset and collection of practices to consider the longevity of our species -- from the air we breathe to the water we drink, all the way to how businesses benefit all stakeholders and address social and environmental justice. Thus, the scope of sustainability must evolve to imagine a better future, in order to change the world.All that to say, traditional cause marketing campaigns, greenwashing and glossy mission statements can only take brands so far. Through original research, Emily and the Futerra team affirmed the inevitable -- that today’s Gen Z and Millennial populations have a higher aptitude and fluency for sustainability (“only 41% of consumers felt products were providing the right amount of info on sustainability, while 86% of corporate experts thought consumers were satisfied”). They expect brands to be truthful over perfect and demand greater sustainable proof at the product level. How will brands today avoid becoming future dinosaurs and lead the movement from the inside out?In this incredibly imaginative and culturally rich conversation, we explore:• Why it’s critical to integrate logic and magic to create a new story for humanity• Why “honesty” is the new “transparency” and what Gen Z and Millenials expects from truthful brands today • How to think about building a sustainability strategy for brands that want to do better• How to become a cultural leader in 2021 (think: intentional energy) • The importance of dialectical thinking to reimagine the nature of progress• The power of “perspicacity” and moving from “ism” to “ish” to catalyze innovationMore about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.   

On episode 23, we explore the exciting intersectionality of business, adaptive leadership and new ways of being with Mansi Jain, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and Transformational Facilitator with over a decade of experience coaching leaders, teams, and organizations across industries and geographies. She integrates modern research and ancient wisdom around psychological, spiritual, and systems development, while also drawing on her background in consulting with McKinsey & Company, leading a large-scale organizational transformation from the ground up and teaching through Wharton's Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania. At her core, Mansi is guided by a purpose to co-create a world where we continually choose love over fear.Amidst headlines in Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Time Inc. pointing to more feminine models of leadership surfacing in 2021 around authenticity and emotional agility, there’s much to unpack about the shape of leadership to come in our world’s most influential organizations. Having worked with leaders to explore their capacity for holding deeper states of vulnerability and presence, Mansi shines a light on what is possible when leaders reimagine the fundamental nature of “leadership.” The old story was around providing answers while the new story centers on creating space for the answers to be born. For her, it’s about the skillful ability to bring together the right people, courageously admit that you don’t know, and encourage your team to play in the mess -- even going so far as to create conflict where it’s needed to ultimately deepen into a clear path forward. This then begs the question, what would it take for leaders to show up as their full self and encourage their teams to embody the same? In this spiritually rich conversation, we cultivate curiosity around:• Examining leadership at the interplay of reactivity vs. creativity and fear-based vs. love-based• What it means to cultivate leadership at the intersectionality of complexity theory, adaptive leadership and wisdom traditions. • The power of dropping into nature in her transition from a multinational firm like McKinsey to an independent consulting practice • What love would look like at the organizational level (against the backdrop of “Women are Better Leaders During a Crisis” - Harvard Business Review)• The reimagining of courageous conscious leadership in a moment that’s filled with uncertainty and despairMore about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali. 

On episode 22, we drop into the body and rediscover authenticity with Rick Smith, an Authentic Relating (AR) Expert with a background in classroom teaching and education consulting. Over the past twenty years, he’s spoken to over 100,000 people in fifteen countries on five continents. His best-selling book Conscious Classroom Management has now sold over a quarter million copies, and continues to touch the lives of teachers and their students.This conversation is an experiential taste of authenticity (and how to integrate this into modern day leadership), much like a mindful yoga flow for communication. In this dynamic conversation, we unpack the true meaning of Awakened Leadership and how it all begins with learning how to lead yourself. We explore the power of listening, presencing and adopting the mantra “I don’t know” to cultivate this potential. Not to mention, so much of where we begin starts by fundamentally relaxing the nervous system in a new way. From here, everything else becomes possible. While AR began as a movement in San Francisco in the late 90s, it has grown worldwide to 14 different countries and is catching fire not just in New Age-y communities, but in spaces we’d probably expect least -- businesses, the corporate sector and conflict transformation. According to Rick, this has everything to do with “people discovering themselves and creating tools to carry it forward.” Key topics we cover include:• Why Authentic Relating is so much more than “The Club Where You Bare Your Soul To Strangers,” as featured in The Atlantic• How leaders can balance vulnerability and authentic power at the same time, especially when imposter syndrome kicks in• The key qualities of stepping into awakened leadership, including “shifting from performance into presence” and “inner apology to inner authority” • The importance of presencing and calming the nervous system to tap into power (and practices to support this)More about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.   

On episode 21, we dive deep with social entrepreneur Arthur Woods to explore all things diversity, equity and inclusion and how this triad comes to life operationally in today’s organizations. Arthur works at the intersection of equity, inclusion and technology and was named as Forbes 30 Under 30 and 40 Under 40 by BEQ. He is the author of Hiring for Diversity, a three-times TEDx speaker and has advised leading brands from Disney, Sonos and MetLife to the Smithsonian (with a background at Google). Most recently, he is the Co-Founder of Mathison, a talent marketplace helping employers recruit and retain professionals from underrepresented communities globally. While evidence from McKinsey shows a strong and consistent case for diversity and profitability, the question still remains -- how do today’s leaders operationalize DEI and move from intent to impact? It’s not enough to simply hire for diversity or build solutions at the organizational level. The truth is, to build inclusive systems and culture where everyone feels empowered to be themselves and show up fully, leaders must rise to the occasion and commit to both a mindset and behavior change. When leaders change, everything changes -- everything from redesigning the hiring process to be more equitable to enabling members of our most underrepresented communities to discern which organizations they choose to work for (and from there, holding their leaders accountable to act on their inclusive promise).Speaking from personal experience, Arthur embodies his own call to action -- to empower not just leaders, but also job seekers to demand the inclusivity they wish to see in the workforce.In this episode, we cover wide ranging topics:• What “forced innovation” looked like in 2020 and the potential it has to integrate with inclusive leadership • Unpacking the triad of diversity, equity and inclusion and which one currently presents the greatest challenge• The vision (and business model) of Mathison to diversify hiring through the Equality Hiring Index and reinvest profits in our most underrepresented communities • What a healthy DEI culture looks like, and why real change starts at the level of leadership • A call to action for leaders and job seekers in 2021More about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.

On episode 20, we go deep with Charley Wininger to unpack the layers of MDMA as a powerful gateway medicine to a new paradigm. Charley Wininger is a psychotherapist in private practice who just published his book “Listening to Ecstasy,” a personal narrative and guide to the safe, responsible use of MDMA for personal healing and social transformation. Licensed as a Psychoanalyst and Mental Health Counselor, he specializes in relationships and communication skills, and has been treating couples and individuals in his Manhattan and Brooklyn offices for over 30 years. He has often been featured in The New York Times and Newsday as “The Love Doctor”, and has appeared several times on TV and recently featured on Forbes for his book. In this post-pandemic world that has only exacerbated the #1 mental health issue of loneliness in our country, the story of MDMA (“chemical of connection”) is a highly relevant one. As a psychotherapist who grew up as a hippie and student radical during the countercultural movement, Charley has spent the last 50 years experimenting with psychedelics (and the last 20 with MDMA), which has informed his own approach to his psychotherapy practice. What might it feel like to drop into deeper states of empathy and compassion to dissolve the defenses and embody more of you who truly are? While simple, the potential of this question and exploration of it is profound (with or without psychedelics), given all the “isms” that plague our culture, be it racism, sexism, homophobia and all other systemic prejudices that go unseen and unexamined in society. Integration of our psychedelic experiences is the key to true transformation. In this episode, we cover wide ranging topics:• The experience of “coming out of the chemical closet” as a lifelong integration practice • How to safely and responsibly use MDMA for personal and societal healing (and why integration is the key here)• What an MDMA “roll” typically looks like with Charley and his community, with “set and setting” all consciously considered• What does listening to ecstasy mean in 2021 times and its capacity to heal our world’s most pressing and seemingly impossible problems like systemic racism and violence• The long term therapeutic benefits MDMA could have on veterans and victims of PTSD after just 2-3 sessions and supportive therapy• As an instrumental member of the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) community for the last 20 years, what kind of world he envisions for the psychedelic spaceCheck out Charley’s new book “Listening to Ecstasy” here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Listening-to-Ecstasy/Charles-Wininger/9781644111161 More about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.   

On episode 19, we welcome the sage wisdom of Beth Weinstein, a spiritual business coach helping current and aspiring entrepreneurs, coaches, spiritual leaders and healers align with their purpose and grow their business so they can help more people, create consistent income, and have an online business working from anywhere on earth! She is also the founder of the “Psychedelics, Sacred Medicines, Purpose and Business” annual summit, where she hosted Rick Doblin and Paul Stamets to name a few legendary pioneers in the field.“When you experience certain powerful psychedelic experiences, all of a sudden you see for example, ‘That’s what life would be like if I lived from my heart. That’s what it could be like.’”The old story of working so hard to make a good living and life is simply falling away. In its place, we examine the new story of doing what you love and living abundantly from it, with tools like psychedelics, Burning Man and Vipassana (though there are infinite more) to help us come back into alignment and find our true path forward to create this New Earth. Her own experience of “coming out of the psychedelic closet” is one example of how each individual story creates the change we all want to see. Other consciousness-expanding topics we cover include:• Why it’s not enough to just be spiritual, but to integrate activism into our spiritual practice for growing an abundant heart-centered business• The importance of “coming out of the psychedelic closet” to fully integrate our transformational experiences• What the embodiment of sacred medicine, purpose and business looks like• Reexamining the need for a “certification” to start a psychedelics integration coaching business• The new story of embracing both spirituality and abundance in 2021• Envisioning the spiritual business space in 10 yearsMore about the show: https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcastProduced by Resonance™, the creative practice of Dig | Seed | GrowThis show is hosted at Destination Outpost, a coliving and coworking community based out in Bali.