Changeable Podcast

Diane’s mind used to constantly ask ‘what if?’ What if something bad happened? What if she felt anxious in public? What if it was too hot outside? What if it was too cold?  And then she was introduced to a ‘what if?’ question on the other side of things. A ‘what if?’ question that pushed her imagination in the other direction. What if I do experience anxiety in public and I live through it? What if I don’t experience anxiety? What if it’s too hot or too cold and I don’t even notice? What if things don’t turn out the way I’m imagining them? What if I’m actually okay? It’s no exaggeration to say that the way this ‘what if?’ flipped things for Diane changed pretty much everything in her experience.  She shares her transformation in the way only she can. Please listen this conversation with an incredible woman who came to see life very, very differently, all by asking ‘what if?’

It looks like things outside of us can trigger experience within us. A fight with your partner triggers the desire for a drink. The smell of food triggers a binge. Work stress triggers a feeling of overwhelm. And it really looks like some experience triggers more experience. A memory triggers a rush of anger. Hormones trigger anxiety. Sped up thinking triggers muscle tension. But does it actually work that way? Can something that’s already created, create new experience? Like so many things, it may not be as it seems.

There is one simple little misunderstanding that precedes most suffering. One simple little trap we tend to fall into, that leaves us confused and uncomfortable.  The good news is that this trap is very changeable. Seeing it as a trap allows you to sidestep it much of the time.  The other good news is that even when you do fall into this trap, you are inevitably bounced out. So, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds, but it’s still a trap you’d be wise to avoid when you can.

It’s a great question, isn’t it? Who cares about our essence, our nature, our core, when your body has an illness? Or when your mind isn’t working the way it ‘should’, or when your life circumstances are the worst you can imagine? What good is innate health when everything that’s physical and human is falling apart? Well, here’s the thing: All the big stuff like love, connection, peace, creativity, even a sense of thriving…doesn’t come from your brain or body. These things are 100% available to you no matter what’s happening physically, psychologically, or circumstantially. They come from who you are beyond those things. That is innate health. I hope this episode deepens your understanding. I have a feeling it will.

If you’ve listened to Changeable, you know that what’s ultimately behind deep, lasting change is insight. Glimpsing truth beyond the appearance of things. Seeing something about who we are and how we work. Seeing it, sensing it, feeling it…not necessarily acting or “doing” our way there. The new paradigm looks far beyond our behaviors or any strategies or tools we might use. My guest in this episode is Hale Dwoskin. Hale is the co-founder of Sedona Training Associates where they teach The Sedona Method, a method for releasing painful thought and emotion. But painful thought and emotion releases itself, doesn’t it? Experience flows. Why would we need a method to release it? I ask Hale this question in the episode, and I think you’ll enjoy our conversation around it. Overall, Hale and I see things very similarly, despite some surface level differences. To learn more about Hale’s method and his free online event, go to: https://www.learningstrategies.com/ReleasingFestaj/home?aff=34269

As we see ourselves and our experience in a brand new way, things that used to comfort us don’t in the same way. Old identities and plans no longer fit. That’s a beautiful thing! Old, limiting concepts are falling away. Although it’s a wonderful sign of change, it’s definitely not always comfortable. Listen in to hear how to navigate the uncharted waters of change with as much ease and security as possible. “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time”—Andre Gide  

Back in April, Teri had a major disappointment. It threw her for a loop. She went through all the feelings. She thought this disappointment shouldn’t affect her as much as it did. After all, she has this new paradigm understanding. What good was it if she was suffering this much? When Teri’s mind settled and she began to feel a little more like herself, she had some huge insights that I am excited for you to hear her share. There are so many common themes in the way we move through disappointment and grief. It is incredibly comforting to see how we are designed to bounce back from anything.

I constantly hear people talking about how important it is to “be okay with” their experience. They want to accept what is. Be okay with. Feel a certain way about [fill in the blank]. That looks like the ticket to freedom, the key to satisfaction, the way we experience peace. Except it’s not. Not really. What if there’s something better than being okay with your experience? What if how you feel about your experience isn’t up to you, and doesn’t actually matter at all? Perhaps you don’t have to be okay with your experience after all…

“Mental health is designed into us.” I know this to be true. But for some reason, it stopped me in my tracks when Julieanne said it in the first few minutes of our conversation. Julie talks about how so much of the change in her life came from every day interactions. Not from learning or exploring anything in a formal way, just by being in life. Also listen for when she deeply realized that she was not socially anxious. I bet you’ll be able to relate J This conversation quieted my mind and stuck with me for a while. I hope it does the same for you! You can see more about Julieanne here: https://www.julieannechazotte.com/ *** TODAY, September 23, 2019, is the first day of school! The Little School of Big Change is now open. The new students are finding their seats and taking in the first lessons. I’d love for you to join us! https://dramyjohnson.com/the-little-school-of-big-change/  

Our understanding of how human beings work is undergoing a pretty massive transformation. Love, compassion, and understanding used to look like qualities we could bring into our lives to combat the very real problems of separation, confusion, and disconnection. Now we know that love, compassion, and understanding are who we are. They can’t be absent. Separation, confusion, and disconnection are experiences that come and go. They are ultimately made of thought, so they are illusory. Old ways of supporting people simply don’t make sense in the new era. Does it make sense to make change happen when we see that it’s always happening by default? Does it make sense to go into the past when we see that we exist in a steady stream of brand new experience? Does it make sense to try to fix someone when we see they can’t possibly be broken? In this episode, I talk about a handful of psychology and personal development ideas, comparing how they looked in the old paradigm to how they are viewed from the new paradigm. So much has changed, and even more is changing! *** Next Monday, September 23, 2019, is the first day of school! The Little School of Big Change begins one week from today. You can still pre-enroll to save your seat and to save $49 off registration. I would love to be able to walk you through this understanding over the next 6-weeks! https://dramyjohnson.com/the-little-school-of-big-change/

In this episode, we explore exactly how to stay stuck in a habit. Step by step. (Because I love steps). How to dig your heels in and stay right where you are. Do these 5 things and I can pretty much promise you’ll be as stuck as ever. Don’t do them…and you just might start feeling un-stuck. Here’s the article I reference throughout the episode: https://dramyjohnson.com/2018/04/the-definitive-guide-to-staying-stuck-in-a-habit/ *** The Little School of Big Change begins SOON! Like, really soon. September 23, 2019. Beginning this week, you can catch the incredibly in-depth, totally free 4-part video series Change that Sticks. These videos go deep into why our change attempts don’t work and where we can look instead. Register for the series here so that you receive the videos as soon as they begin on the 12th!  https://thechangeseries.com/

For decades, Susan rarely left her house. She couldn’t bear to have visitors. Service calls were routinely cancelled last minute. Friends and family knew to keep a distance while she coped with her anxiety the best she could. Little by little, as Sue immersed herself in the New Paradigm understanding, she began to see things differently. She didn’t instantly start running all over town. But she began to feel as if she could. As if she would, someday soon. Then, she did. Sue came to a call with her nails done one day, from a nail tech who came into her home. She had a fresh haircut. She shared how she had made it to the park she dreamed of visiting. Little by little, her bike rides extended beyond her “safety zone”. Sue’s safe zone is larger than it has been in 20+ years. Best of all, she sees that it’s all made up. She absolutely knows that it’s only a matter of time until there is no safety zone. Susan’s story is full of hope and patience and strength. I know you’ll feel it as you listen! *** Do you want a sneak peek inside LSBC? Check out The Little School of Big Change Highlights Series at https://www.thelittleschoolofbigchange.com/highlights to see 5 “highlights” from various lessons in the school that will begin to show you a brand new way to view yourself and your experience.

Years ago, I wrote an article about how my little dog Buddha dug into my lap during fireworks season. She’d claw and scratch and burrow her way into me, running for her life from the loud booms all around. Except, she obviously wasn’t running for her life. She had no idea that she was 100%, perfectly safe. I talk with people every day who are exactly like Buddha. Fearing thoughts and feelings that are made up and can’t possibly hurt them. They don’t know how safe they really are. In this episode, I unpack how the very things that make our experience feel scary and dangerous are actually our clues that it absolutely safe. *** Here’s the Buddha article (originally written in 2014): https://dramyjohnson.com/2016/07/you-have-no-idea-how-safe-you-really-are-a-story-about-buddhas-fear-of-fireworks/ Do you want a sneak peek inside LSBC? Check out The Little School of Big Change Highlights Series at https://www.thelittleschoolofbigchange.com/highlights to see 5 “highlights” from various lessons in the school that will begin to show you a brand new way to view yourself and your experience.

Crystal Saltrelli is a well known health coach who helps people with a stomach issue called gastroparesis. When Crystal began coaching around this issue, her support centered mostly on diet and lifestyle. It didn't take long for her to see that stress or “mindset” as she called it at the time was playing a big role, too. But as a health coach, Crystal wasn't quite sure what to do with that. She shared positive thinking and gratitude-type exercises with her clients and helped them manage stress the best she could, but she knew something big was missing. When Crystal's own anxiety became an issue, she was introduced to the New Paradigm. Relatively quickly, she began to see this understanding as the most helpful thing she could share with anyone, no matter what they are going through. In this episode, Crystal also shares her own candid ups and downs with her physical health and how this understanding has helped her. Whether you have physical health issues or not, there is so much to hear in this conversation! See more about Crystal here: https://livingwithgastroparesis.com/

If you’re scanning these show notes for the one word that is the key to everything you’re looking for…I’m not going to include it here. You have to listen to the episode to find out. Do you have a guess though? It’s the key to everything you’re looking for and the worst advice you’ll ever hear. You find everything you’re searching for when you do the magic word. But someone advising you to do the magic word almost never helps. In fact, the advice usually results in the opposite of the magic word. Enough riddles already, just listen to the episode!