617. How to Start an American Cult - with Keith Martin-Smith
The Embodiment Coaching Podcast
Release Date: 07/30/2024
The Embodiment Coaching Podcast
I sat down with two highly experienced breathwork facilitators, Emily Ray Henderson and Simona Dvorackova, to explore what breathwork actually does beneath the hype. We talk about why breath has become so central right now, from nervous system regulation and everyday stress, through to trauma release and altered states of consciousness. We explore how breathwork helps complete unfinished stress responses, why the body holds tension and memory, and how conscious connected breathing can release things without needing to analyse or relive the past. We also get into safety, facilitation quality,...
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Dr Helen Machen-Pearce and I explore what real confidence actually is and why so much of what we call confidence collapses the moment it meets reality. We talk about the difference between confidence and competence, and why untested confidence often looks loud, brittle, or performative. We look at how confidence lives in the nervous system, not just the mind, and how embodiment practices like centering, grounding, strength, movement, and relaxation shape how we show up. We explore gender, class, culture, and age, and how confidence looks different across life stages. We also touch on...
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I sit down with Flouer Evelyn - one of the most skilled dance teachers I know and a long-time member of our Embodiment Unlimited faculty. We dive into what actually makes a great teacher: classroom management, clarity, time-efficiency, group regulation, and how to hold a room without killing the vibe. Flouer shares how she weaves embodiment models into her partner-dance work — from centering and co-regulation to elements, U-curves, and even sneaky ETK poses. We also explore follower/leader dynamics, nervous-system awareness in dance, working across cultures, and the real art of improvising...
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In this episode I chat with Ranko Cerić in Zagreb to explore how economics, trauma and identity shape the Balkans and the rest of Europe today. We look at how Yugoslavia fell apart, why ordinary people can be pushed into fear and extremism, and how current migration and cost-of-living pressures are creating similar tensions in the West. We also get into land, belonging and the dysregulation that comes with cultural dislocation. A grounded, honest conversation about what really drives division - and what might help us move beyond it. Find out more about Ranko's work here: ...
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I sat down again with Dr Helen Machen-Pearce for a dive into transformational learning. We look at what actually creates real change, and why transformation has less to do with collecting ideas and more to do with how we experience ourselves in the moment. Helen explains how the nervous system, emotional safety and embodied presence shape the way people learn and grow. We talk about the difference between insight and integration, why some people stay stuck even with the right knowledge, and what helps learning go from conceptual to genuinely transformational. See more of Helen's work here: ...
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I'm joined once again by my colleague Dr Helen Machen-Pearce to talk about real learning, not the tidy version sold in courses. We dig into how learning shows up as humility, awkward practice, and repeated failure, and why unlearning is often part of the job. We talk about concrete ways to set up experiments, how the body and attention shape what we actually absorb, and why learning is less about info and more about becoming different. Expect practical examples, honest stories about getting it wrong, and simple approaches to turn curiosity into lasting change. See more of Helen's work here: ...
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I spoke with Carolina Padilla, an embodiment teacher, CEC course manager and cultural activist from Colombia, about how embodiment can be a force for healing and leadership. We explored how movement, community and ritual help people reconnect to belonging, and how these practices can repair the social and cultural wounds left by colonisation and conflict. Carolina shares her perspective on leading from the body, working with collective trauma, and why cultural context matters when teaching embodiment. See more from Carolina here: ----------------------------------------------- As a special...
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I spoke with Dr. Kandis Lock about what true healing looks like in a time of quick fixes and chronic stress. We explored how naturopathic medicine approaches health through connection - between body systems, emotions, lifestyle and environment. Kandis shared insights from her clinical experience, including the patterns she sees again and again in modern illness, and why many people don’t really need more pills - they need better awareness, rhythms and rest. We also talked about working with patients who feel stuck, the limits of Western medicine, and what holistic care looks like when it’s...
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I talk with Myriam Hadnes about what good facilitation actually looks like, and why it matters now more than ever. We cut through the jargon and compare facilitation, coaching and training, then get practical about how you create learning that sticks. Myriam and I dig into nervous system overload, psychological safety, and why embodied practices outperform information-only approaches. We also cover difficult conversations, holding space for emotion, boundary-setting, and what facilitative training looks like in an era of AI and endless content. If you run groups, teach, or coach, this...
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I spoke with coach, youth worker and martial arts teacher Ranko Čerić about how technology is shaping children’s lives, health and attention. We explored what happens when screens become a constant presence from early childhood, how digital habits affect brain development, and why society has been slow to treat this as a public health issue. Ranko brings a systems view, looking at how parents, schools and the tech industry each play a role in shaping the digital environment children grow up in. We also talk about attention, addiction, social learning and what a healthy relationship with...
info_outlineAuthour and zen priest Keith joins me to talk the meta-crisis, Buddhism and therapy, integral theory, shadow, how to be a cult leader, why embodiment matters for spirituality, American spirituality, the US Civil war, woke, men’s work, and what young men need. A far reaching thoughtful one.
Learn more about Keith here: https://www.keithmartinsmith.com/
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Keith Martin-Smith is an author, ordained Zen priest, Northern Kung Fu lineage holder, and coach. He has written extensively on the integration of spirituality and psychological shadow, most recently in his book, "When the Buddha Needs Therapy" He just launched an integrated martial arts school in his home town of Boulder, CO, designed to bring the best of traditional martial arts into a single location and experience.
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