S2E1: The Beggar and the Porsche Driver
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
It was the summer of 1981, a warm afternoon in Bebek, Istanbul. A 14-year-old watched a beggar collecting soda cans from the garbage bins, just as a brand-new Porsche pulled up right behind his cart. Two lives from opposite parts of the city, only a few feet apart. That scene raised a question that stayed with me for decades: Is life random, or is there a system running beneath the surface? In this first episode of Season 2, we explore that question together. I share how it followed me through a successful corporate career, to a breaking point at 39, and into a journey of self-discovery. I...
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Season 2: The Meaning of Life
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
Season 2 of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast walks through my new book, The Meaning of Life: The Path toward Enlightenment, one teaching at a time, every Wednesday. We begin with a personal story from Istanbul, 1981: the strangest encounter between a beggar and a Porsche driver, and the questions it raised. Why is there such a big difference in the way we live? Is life random, or is there a system that explains it? From there, we peel the onion of life, explore the levels of consciousness, and discover the rules of the game of life, so you can rise from fear and realize your Real Self. These...
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67. Where Emotional Suffering Comes From
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
In this episode of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast, we explore where your emotional suffering really comes from. Most people try to fix their lives on the outside, without seeing the inner conflict that quietly drives their mental and emotional pain. I explain how two main inner personas shape your experience: the Vulnerable Self, which carries your old wounds, insecurities and unprocessed feelings; and the Conditioned Self, which tries to hide all of that behind masks of strength, capability and perfection. These two parts pull you in opposite directions and create a constant...
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66. Who's Your Not-Real Self?
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
In this episode of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast, I introduce the “Not‑Real Self” – the version of you built from fear, expectations and old survival strategies. Even if your life looks fine from the outside, this hidden self may be the reason it still doesn’t feel truly fulfilling. I explain how the Not‑Real Self is formed through family expectations, cultural roles and emotional wounds, how it shows up in your daily choices, and why living only from this adapted self creates a quiet sense of emptiness. You’ll also receive a simple, practical exercise to help you start recognizing...
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65. What do Bullies Want?
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
The other day I was wondering about the phenomenon of bullying and started contemplating about what bullies really want. And this quote streamed into my consciousness. “He bullied his friends to get their attention, because receiving hate filled the emptiness of love he felt.” Certainly, I had my share of being bullied in my life, more than I’d like to - but I never thought about what bullies really wanted from me when they were putting me down and mocking me. Did they want my attention? Did they feel threatened by me? Did they want to engage or have an interaction? After all, maybe...
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64. Thanksgiving Tips for Emotional Sanity
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
How do you prepare yourself emotionally for a social gathering that you’re anxious about? How can you stay centered and grounded against all potential family drama, especially these times over the holidays? What can you do to break free from the negative experiences that you had faced in previous years? Please join me in this episode as we explore together some practical answers to these questions. Arda
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63. What are the Levels of Consciousness?
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
In this Episode 63 “Levels of Consciousness, Stairway to Happiness”, I’d love to introduce you to the levels of consciousness and how you can use this knowledge to live a happier life? First of all, did you know that your consciousness level is 100% correlated to how happy you are and how smoothly your life flows? If you’d like to get to those high-flowing, you better start climbing up the stairs of consciousness. Well, if you decide to do so, you have to rise through 3 very distinct levels of consciousness. I’m sure you know the first one. Most of us are pretty...
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62. Easing Pain with Breathwork
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
In this episode, I’m sharing a guided meditation to help you Ease Pain using Breathwork called, 3 by 3. Over the last 15 years, I watched hundreds of my clients reduce the intensity of their pain and stay calm and relaxed by using this breath technique. Some of them even felt a sense of power and control over their body. I hope you can achieve similar results.
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61. Grieving the Loss of my Father
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
The death of Arda’s father was not a surprise, as he had been very ill over the past 3 years, experiencing a slow decline. Nevertheless, the loss of a father or a mother, whatever the relationship, evokes feelings, emotions, and reminiscing about what was and what could have been. Join Arda on his trip to Turkiye and listen in on his thoughts on life, death, yearning, loss, and accepting the inevitable fate awaiting us all. Reflecting on these most recent experiences, Arda has returned with a renewed commitment to live life even more consciously, to its fullest potential, where harmony,...
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60. Square Breathing Practice
Rise 2 Realize Podcast
Arda is guiding you how to quiet your mind, and calm your thoughts with a simple breathing technique, called Square Breathing. In this technique, you'll draw an imaginative square with every movement of your breath. Every time you inhale, you’ll count to 5. Then, you’ll hold your breath for 5. Next, you’ll exhale slowly while counting to 5, and finally, you’ll hold your breath out for a count 5 to complete the cycle. Let’s do a few cycles of Square Breathing together.
info_outlineIn this 50th episode of The Art of Becoming Unstuck podcast show, Elizabeth, Beth, Jon and Arda discuss everything about People Pleasing:
Are you a people pleaser?
What are your tendencies?
How do you feel after you "people please"?
How do you break free from your People Pleasing tendencies?
What are the communication strategies that can help you set boundaries? How did you become a People Pleaser?
What to do with the guilt - and the fear that you feel when you start saying no to others and yes to yourself?
All answers are in this episode. Listen in. Join the conversation.