#247 Dr Ron Alexander: Discovering Your Core Creativity
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Looking to upgrade your creative abilities? The new book, Core Creativity, by Dr Ron Alexander offers ways to go beyond the limitations of ordinary creativity to access the core creativity that comes from the very center of your being: the depths of your unconscious. Dr. Ronald Alexander has decades of experience working with core creatives. Using mindfulness practice, meditation and visualizations, and habits and mindsets of highly creative people, anyone can experience the flow of ideas as if from an infinitely abundant source. He is the Executive Director of the OpenMind...
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Hearing and Healing Your Inner Child
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Tune in again to Charlie's incredible talk with Shasheen Shah on managing your inner most self. As wrote about in his book . And through his work with high achieving CEOs and maverick entrepreneurs as the Founder of And see if you can hear more clearly the call (and cries) of your inner child. As Charlie continues his work in Uganda for Wells of Life. Returning next week with a full report of what he saw, heard and did there this trip.
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REVISIT Michaela Renee Johnson
The Next Chapter with Charlie
While Charlie is in Africa (working on the WELLS OF LIFE charity project), let's revisit some of our most popular recent guests. Like Michaela Renee Johnson. Michaela Renee Johnson practices and preaches a life of excitement, joy and (most of all) happiness. Which leads Charlie to happily remind us all in this episode that "yes, we are STILL allowed to pursue happiness...even in these troubled and turbulent times!" Michaels is a breath of fresh air in this episode. And a true "happiness expert". Having built a whole movement around this topic through her book "Be You, Be Happy". ...
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#246 Stephanie Allen: Discover Your Artistic Identity
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes We are in for a real treat today. I have already spent nearly three hours of discussion regarding Your Artistic Identity with our very special guest, Dr. Stephanie Allen. My problem today is not regarding “what I want to talk about,” but what I have to leave out because Stephanie has so much wisdom to share. Stephanie Allen holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota. She teaches violin to students of all ages in her school Violin Technique Coaching. But Stephanie’s expertise is not exclusively regrading violin or music in general. She...
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#245 NEW Lindsay Davis- Clues for a Meaningful and Memorable Life
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Just about one month ago we did a show with one of my very favorite people, Creative Business and Performance Coach, Lindsay Davis. For those interested, that was show #238 on the very important subject of Detachment. It was all about how to emotionally detach from stress-inducing situations. As we neared the end of the episode, we realized that a follow-up session might be very helpful and offer clarity on a subject very dear to all of us: how do we discover our purpose in life. Now… this is a tricky discussion because there seems (to me) to be two kinds of purposes: One...
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#244 Rand Sperry: Making the Most of the Years that Matter Most
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Well, it’s my first day back from 3 weeks in Portugal. I am rested and ready to go. Today’s show is sort of a last-minute idea because we feared I would be hampered by jetlag, but that is not the case. I am so happy to say that my dear friend, Rand Sperry was available to have a discussion on a subject very dear to both of us—basically it’s all about how to optimize “old age” before you reach “Old, old age.” Haha In the 2020’s we have an entirely different concept of old age than we did 50 years ago. 50 years ago, 60 was considered old. Today that is not the...
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#243 Pam and Charlie: Two Different Ideas for a Holiday
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Hey Paul. We are so fortunate today to have as a guest my “reluctant to do podcasts” wife. After more than 200 episodes she has come on the show with me only one time—and that was from Italy, probably 3 or 4 years ago. Today is special. We haven’t seen each other in more than 10 days and have probably talked on the phone only three times… because she and her friends have been sooo busy. Pam and I have different ideas of the ideal vacation. Although I do like some activity and sightseeing, I must have time to rest and do nothing. Pam’s idea of rest only comes with...
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#242 Charlie in Lisbon: Adventures in Solitude
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Hey Paul. Today, instead of sitting with you in studio, right now I am sitting on my sofa in my apartment in Lisbon, Portugal. I was out today roaming the town and finding myself surrounded by throngs of tourists. Man, I have a distaste for crowds. And I do have a bit of frustration with tourists that expect nationals to behave in ways that suit their personal desires. Life is different in a foreign country and, truthfully, that is precisely what makes a foreign country so attractive—it is “foreign.” This is a different kind of trip for me. I am spending more time in my...
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#241 Andy Hahn: The One-Hour Miracle
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes My special guest today, Dr. Andrew Hahn has just released a new book, titled “The One Hour Miracle.” And I must tell you… as skeptical as I am about such seemingly… shall we say, “far-reaching” proclamations, Andy has pioneered a process called Life-Centered Therapy that just might get you there. You will soon discover that Andy is one of the smartest guests we’ve ever had on the show… maybe that’s why he’s a Harvard grad. Andy Hahn got my attention when he told me that “our life’s work is about the revelation of who we really are.” So, without any...
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#240 Cara Stewart: Into the Mind of Charlie
The Next Chapter with Charlie
Show Notes Today is a dramatic departure from the normal format of our podcast. That because today my, friend Cara Stewart, will host the show as she interviews me as a guest on my own podcast. Initially, I invited Cara to be a guest on the show but after she and I discussed possible topics she came up with the question, “Hey, Charlie. Has anyone ever interviewed you on your show? To which my response was, “Well, not really.” After just a few moments of thought, I said, “Let’s give it shot.” So here we are. Fortunately, Cara Steward in an excellent host: she is a former...
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On today’s podcast I plan to be perhaps be just a bit controversial by challenging one of our society’s prime objectives—personal growth. In truth, this may be a follow up to the show we did with my son on the tension between personal improvement and personal contentment.
My question, I guess, is this: does there ever come a time in life when you are done growing? Do you ever get to “arrive” and be done with this exhausting effort “to be the best you, you can be?”
I can put the blame on my thoughts on author Neil Gaimen who wrote this in his poem After Silence:
And somebody has to say that we
never need to grow forever. That
we, like the trees, can reach our full growth,
and mature, in wisdom and in time,
that we can be enough of us…
Who’ll whisper it:
We’re done. We grew. Enough.
Neil Gaimen struck on chord that has been ringing in my ears for some time now: that our obsession with “growth” comes from an almost unhealthy dissatisfaction with ourselves.
Why do I have to be the best Charlie I can be? Why can’t I be, just Charlie?
I heard an interview with B.B. King when he said to up and coming blues guitarists: “Quit trying to be the best one, just try to be a good one.”
For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life