This week on The Quiet Life Michael speaks with Rachel Hunter - Mother, Yoga + Meditation Teacher, Supermodel, and Author. She talks about where she came from and who she was as a young woman, the challenges she's faced throughout her life as well as the joy's, and how she found her way to where she is today through quiet practices. She shares what it was like to face judgements throughout her life in the public eye, why she loves feeling resistance within, and the moment she realized she was running from being fully herself.  Rachel was born in New Zealand and left home at 17 to become a supermodel on the other side of the world in New York City. Her career took off, landing her with FORD Models and on the pages of Italian Vogue, Australian Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Revlon Covergirl, and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She found herself married by 21, further thrust into the public eye, and soon after her daughter and then son were born. After years on and off the road traveling, she started to ask herself existential questions - who am I? Where am I going? She left her high profile marriage and became immersed in motherhood, exploration, and work. She rode the waves of life until her mother's diagnosis and ultimate demise to cancer. In her mother's final days, Rachel asked her what she regret - her mother's reply changed everything. She said “I regret not being + doing me! Being fully who I wanted to be!” Rachel stepped off a plane in India in 2017 to process her grief, never intending to teach. She has since spent many hours studying yoga and meditation in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has found her place as both a student and a teacher of these ancient wisdoms and philosophies. You can find out more about Rachel on her website https://www.rachelhunter.com/ where you can join  her online yoga membership, Rituals. You can also follow along with Rachel on Instagram @rachelhunterx. For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

This week Michael speaks with music artist RIOPY. RIOPY is a pianist with a passion for meditation and using binaural beats to heal the brain. In this episode he talks about his creative process for writing music, how music and meditation are more than passions - they are necessities for him and help him to feel safe, and shares his knowledge about how and why binaural beats are healing. Tune in to learn more about the power of music and how it heals the mind.  RIOPY was born and raised in the French countryside and at an early age he began to teach himself the piano when he discovered an abandoned instrument. He didn’t have access to printed scores, so he began to compose music in his head. At 21 he moved to London and this is when his international career began. His unique, rhythmically-driven approach to performing his own compositions soon got him noticed. He has performed at the Royal Opera House, Steinway Hall as well as a unique performance from inside the clock tower in St Pancras, London. His music has been featured in film trailers for the Oscar winning The Shape of Water and The Danish Girl amongst others. His piano works have also been heard in documentaries broadcast on the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, as well as in advertising campaigns for many household companies. RIOPY was looking for ways to support his own mental health and developed an interest in neurosciences - especially how brainwaves are believed to represent the full spectrum of human consciousness. Through this he discovered the benefits of meditation, and has been meditating twice a day ever since as it helps him to get more easily to a state of calmness and happiness. He creates binaural beats which sync the brainwave with the beats, guiding you into a state of relaxation and healing. You can learn more about RIOPY on his website https://www.riopymusic.com/, follow him on Instagram @riopymusic and Facebook here, watch videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Riopyjp, and listen to his music including his latest release Bliss on Spotify here or where ever you go for music.  For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

This week our guest is Jason Headley - a writer, director and teller of tales. In the episode, Jason talks about the risks he took along the way to becoming a movie writer for Pixar, and shares the initial reason he moved to San Francisco (one that had nothing to do with writing and his reasoning is brilliant). He talks about his creative process, how he was introduced to meditation, and why he created "F*ck That: An Honest Meditation." Tune in for a few laughs, and deep wisdoms.  Jason is the co-writer of Pixar's film "Onward" which was released last year. He wrote and directed the feature film "A Bad Idea Gone Wrong" which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival. His short film "F*ck That: An Honest Meditation" has been featured at Banksy's Dismaland and he’s released a book by the same title with the purpose to help you find peace with the challenges that surround you, because they are (fucking) everywhere. You can find out more about Jason and his work here, listen to his meditation here, buy his book anywhere you buy books, watch the move Onward on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, and follow along with Jason on twitter @jason_headley or instagram @heyheadley. He's also turned his meditation into an app which you can download here.  For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

We've all undoubtedly spent more time with ourselves in the last 18 months then we ever have before. This week Michael speaks with Francesca Specter, the alonement specialist. She coined the term to encourage alone time to be as buzzy as self care, and asks people to consider how they dedicate their time alone - what is the experience, what is the length of time, how frequent. Have a listen to perhaps gain a new perspective on why spending time alone isn't a negative thing nor the same thing as being lonely. She shares solitude skills to support you on your journey towards alonement, as well as ideas and suggestions of where to even start, especially if you're in a relationship.  Francesca is an author, podcaster, and journalist, and you can find out more about her here. Her first book “Alonement: How to be alone and absolutely own it” was published in March of this year, and she’s also a freelance journalist for multiple publications. She hosts Alonement, which is a podcast about the positive side of spending time alone. This word Alonement is Francesca Specter's empowering new word to express valuing your own company and dedicating quality time to yourself, whoever you are and whatever your relationship status. You can follow along with her on instagram @chezspecter and @alonementofficial. For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

This week on The Quiet Life Michael sits down with Dr. Robin Hart to chat about mental health. They talk about how important it is to have things that nurture us, excite us, and challenge us, as well as the uplifting impact of bringing more play into our lives. Dr. Robin shares some tools for supporting ourselves as we transition further outside the home while the pandemic shifts, and offers suggestions of when speaking with someone other than family or friends might be helpful and who else you can turn to if you choose to do so. Dr. Robin Hart has extensive education, research and experience in cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy. He has a particular interest in working with a range of anxiety disorders and depression, family and relationship problems. He works with an integrative clinical approach, and has created Companion, an app that shares tools to support mental health for the modern worker. You can download Companion app for Android here and for Apple here, and follow along on Instagram @cbtcompanion. You can contact Dr. Robin Hart via The Basil Street Practice.  For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

This week Michael sits down with meditation teacher and author Jillian Lavender. They cover all things meditation - from where to start and how to sustain your practice. Jillian offers honest glimpses into her journey not only as a meditation teacher but also as a meditator and a mother, commenting on how the acceptance and popularity of the practice has changed since she first started and sharing her perspective of where it's headed.  Jillian learned to meditate in 1995. She was living in Sydney, setting up a publishing company and spending her life on a plane, tired and stressed. She went to a course recommended by a friend and quickly noticed a massive impact on her stress level - she was still busy, but it was all more manageable. Five years later she quit her job, traveled, and ultimately trained to become a meditation teacher. She has been teaching Vedic Meditation since 2003, working with individuals to maximise performance and achieve success in all areas of their personal and professional life. Her students come from a range of different background and she's passionate about teaching people how meditation can fit their busy lifestyle. She is a cofounder of the London Meditation Centre as well as the New York Meditation Center with her partner Michael Miller, and they also teach worldwide. Jillian's debut book "Why Meditate? Because it works." is in stores July 8th. You can order a copy here. The book delivers a modern, accessible and trustworthy explanation of what meditation is, and most importantly, what it will do for you. Jillian delves into why a daily meditation practice is so necessary for your busy life, and busts common myths while she explains the science and benefits of meditation in a clear and easy way.  You can follow along with Jillian on instagram @jillianlavender and find out more on her website https://jillianlavender.com/. For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

On this episode Michael talk to Light Watkins, listen in as Light offers his thoughts on when to ignore advice (even if it has the best intentions) and shares the challenges and lessons he's learnt on the way to a quieter life. Light is an author, meditation teacher, podcaster, and founder of The Shine Movement. He has been practicing meditation since 1998 and teaching meditation since 2007. He’s considered a thought leader in the wellness space and has a specific passion in showing regular people how to turn meditation from a chore to a delight. His podcast At the End of the Tunnel is all about the hope in humanity, and his latest book called Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration was recently released. He’s been sending out Light’s Daily Dose of Inspiration emails for over 5 years (subscribe here) and has taken his most loved Daily Doses and compiled these together for Knowing Where to Look. For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. If you haven't already downloaded our recently re-launched app, you can click here for iPhone and here for Android. As listeners of The Quiet Life, use the code thequietlife to receive a 30 day all access trial. You can enter the code here and find directions on how to use the unique code you receive to start using the app. Happy meditating!

This week Dr. Punam joins Michael to talk about all things healing. She believes healing is a process, and talks about it from the perspective of  a mother, a wife, a doctor, and simply a human being. She shares how one of her greatest healings in life thus far blended into the early experiences of the pandemic, the ways in which her family and even her patients support her own sense of well being, and not only what she hopes to instill in her 7 year old son (and later her almost 1 year old daughter!) but what he teaches her daily. She talks about life as a GP in the NHS, the role of lifestyle medicine in her practice, and how she creates quiet in her life despite being a busy mum and full-time doctor.  Dr. Punam Krishan is a mum, NHS GP, writer, life coach and co-host of the Medic Mum podcast. She has a keen interest in human stories, and believes that so much can be learnt from each other and from one another’s experiences. In her own words, she understands and witnesses daily how complex healing is. You can find out more about who she is (and what she does!) on Instagram @drpunamkrishan on Twitter @DrPunamKrishan and listen to the podcast she co-hosts The Medic Mum Podcast and follow it on Instagram @themedicmumpodcast. You can also find her often on the BBC offering her knowledge and advice.  For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. You can also download our app for both iPhone and Android as a new exciting update is just around the corner!

This week Molly J Forbes chats all about nurturing our own hearts, nurturing the hearts of the children in our lives, and how she's finding her way to a more authentic and true existence in the world. She shares from real lived experiences of how she (and we all!) get it wrong sometimes, how we don't have to know everything or strive to be perfect, and the importance of allowing curiosity and the space to seek answers to arise in our lives. This is a brilliant conversation we hope you'll enjoy! Molly is a mother, podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat - for both moms and kids alike. She is the founder of Body Happy Org, co-host of the Body Cons podcast, and author of Mother’s Always Right blog. Her FIRST book is out April 1, 2021 and is titled Body Happy Kids, you can order it here. You can read Molly's blog here, follow her on instagram @mollyjforbes, watch her YouTube, listen to her podcast BodyCons, and check out The Body Happy Org for all sorts of resources for parents, teachers, and anyone with young people in their lives.  For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. You can also download our app for both iPhone and Android as a new exciting update is just around the corner!

Today we celebrate International Women's Day with a guest who has made it her life's work to advocate and promote empowerment, rights and equality for women around the world. This week Brita Fernandez Schmidt sit's down with Michael to discuss why she uses the word in-powerment today instead of empowerment, the most valuable lessons she's learned, and how she shares them to help elevate others.  Brita believes that every woman has a fierce power to fulfill her dreams. She coaches women to help them transform their lives by awakening, and acting on, the power they have within. She frequently writes and speaks publicly about the challenges women face all over the world in the context of poverty and conflict. Originally from Germany, Brita went to school in Venezuela and has throughout her career worked with women from many countries around the world. She now lives in the UK with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. Her first book, Fears to Fierce is out now! You can learn more about Brita and the work she does on her website www.britafs.com and you can follow along with her on Instagram @britafs, on Facebook here, Twitter @BritaFS, and LinkedIn. While she strongly believes that we are not our job titles (something you know is a pillar of ours here at Just Breathe!), we like to point you to where you can find out more about ways to connect with Brita and the work that she does. Brita currently serves as the Executive Director of Women for Women International - UK and is the Senior Vice President for Europe and External Relations globally. She co-founded Women for Women International in Germany in 2018. Brita is also the Chair of the Network Gender Action for Peace and Security and Chief Adviser to Fair Share. Previously she was the Programmes & Policy Director at Womankind Worldwide and she started her career as Policy Officer at the European Women’s Lobby. For more conversations like this and to join our community visit justbreatheproject.com and follow us on instagram @justbreathe. You can also download our app for both iPhone and Android as a new exciting update is just around the corner!