The Discomfort Practice
The Discomfort Practice explores the value of discomfort in shaping who we are, how we are in the world and how discomfort can be a catalyst for positive social evolution. Betsy speaks to leaders, activists, athletes, creatives and others about comfort zones, having a conscious ‘discomfort practice,’ and the superpowers that lie on the other side of discomfort. Come get uncomfortable with Betsy... You can follow Betsy on: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thebetsyreed/ Twitter https://twitter.com/thebetsyreed LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebetsyreed/
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Episode #112: Season 4 Wrap-Up
01/28/2024
Episode #112: Season 4 Wrap-Up
In this final episode of Season 4 of The Discomfort Practice, Betsy looks back at some themes that arose over the course of the year+ it has spanned, before taking a brief hiatus to prep the launch of Season 5 in March 2024. What she found in looking back was some striking themes - the greatest of which was love. This has woven its way into many episodes, including: with Kim Polman, founder of Reboot the Future, whose ethos is based on the Golden Rule with Daze Aghaji, who talked about creating change from a place of love with Pilar Garrido, Minister for the Economy in Costa Rica during the Covid-19 pandemic with Dr. Terence Lester, a public policy advocate for people experiencing homelessness Betsy’s own solos have focused a lot on love, with a couple of favourites linked below: On loving all parts of yourself A love letter to introverted moments Betsy would love to hear from you. Get in touch via any of the platforms listed below to let her know what you have found helpful, uplifting or positively challenging, as well as what you’d like to hear more about or hear an interview with in Season 5. Connect with Betsy: Betsy on Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media! Be sure to come back for Season 5, launching in March 2024.
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Episode #111: Betsy By Herself on What You're Meant to Bring to the World
01/14/2024
Episode #111: Betsy By Herself on What You're Meant to Bring to the World
In this solo episode, Betsy journeys her way through a personal question at the moment: 'What am I meant to be a channel for on this earth? What is meant to come through me?' It's a very personal question, and there are no wrong answers. She talks about experimenting with being a channel for love, and how that has transformed her life in just a short span of a few months. As with most of Betsy's solo episodes, she leads listeners through practical steps to uncover their own answer to the question she's pondering. What 'special sauce' are you meant to bring to whatever is meant to flow through you? And what is that 'thing' you already probably channel into this collective existence? Settle yourself in and prepare to enjoy this brief, meaty episode. Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop her a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #110: Dr. Terence Lester on Opening Our Eyes to Things We’d Rather Not See
01/01/2024
Episode #110: Dr. Terence Lester on Opening Our Eyes to Things We’d Rather Not See
In this episode, Betsy speaks to Dr. Terence Lester, an activist and scholar who focuses on bringing justice to those suffering from poverty and racism. The founder of LoveBeyondWalls.org and The Dignity Museum, he is also the author of three books: 'I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People,' 'When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together' and 'All God's Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity.' Three ideals drive Terence: (1) anyone can make a difference, (2) we don’t live forever, (3), and it’s worth dedicating one’s life to ensuring no one feels invisible. This explains his life and work. Betsy and Terence chat about Terence's own life path, from highschool dropout who himself experienced homelessness and spent time in jail, to accomplished scholar, public policy PhD and an advocate for those experiencing homelessness who has received numerous awards for his work. They discuss the impact being un-seen and excluded from community has on a human soul experiencing homelessness and dive into the concept of dignity as something every human intrinsically deserves. Settle yourself in to listen and prepare to be inspired (and possibly challenged) by this interview. Connect with Dr. Terence Lester: Website: The Dignity Museum and Twitter / X: Instagram: / Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop her a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #109: Betsy by Herself on Appreciating the Things That Have Made You
12/10/2023
Episode #109: Betsy by Herself on Appreciating the Things That Have Made You
Looking back at your life, at some of the things that have been difficult or even traumatic, how have those things actually been part of your path to becoming who you needed to become? And how have some of the most difficult things you might have gone through actually been divinely chosen training to create the ‘architecture’ of your life, or gain skills you needed to deliver your mission in the world? Betsy thinks out loud while asking these questions and shares how she has come to appreciate how she now appreciates her own Fundamentalist Christian upbringing for the spiritual practices and discipline it provided. Because those are the practices that helped her to become who she now is. Give yourself space and a bit of time to dive inside and apply the questions Betsy asks to your own life and background, then feel free to get in touch! Let Betsy know how this episode lands for you, and what gems emerge as you ask the questions she poses. Settle yourself in, and let’s get uncomfortable… Connect with Betsy: Betsy on Instagram: Betsy on Linkedin: Betsy’s Website: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop her a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #108: From the Archives - Paul Davis On Following Your Purpose
11/27/2023
Episode #108: From the Archives - Paul Davis On Following Your Purpose
We're trying a new thing over here and have dug out a great episode from our archives. This is a revisit of Episode 55, which is a juicy, insightful interview with Paul William Davis, an intuitive personal advisor, an entrepreneur, a best-selling author, an award-winning business growth consultant, speaker with the best Irish accent you're likely to hear all day, lol. Betsy and Paul deep dive into how you go about figuring out what your personal purpose is and how important intuition - your 'knowings' - are (and you'll get an idea of why Betsy includes it in the coaching framework she has developed and uses with her own clients). Tune in for some beautiful insight into how you can 'tune into' your intuition and create the life you truly want because you've taken the time to listen to signs you might be being sent by the Universe. Rushing through life and missing them could be causing you immense frustration or struggle, but that doesn't need to be the case. So if you're struggling or know someone who is, or might even be encountering some mental health challenges, Betsy and Paul cover that. They talk about how not knowing your purpose in life can be the greatest trigger for depression (and how to address that). So whether you're listening to this toward the end of the year in 2023 or another time of year, take some time to consider your own purpose and how you might live it more deeply, more powerfully, and more easily and happily in the coming year or months. Connect with Paul William Davis: Paul’s Website: Paul on Linkedin: Listen to his Podcast: Connect with Betsy Reed: Betsy on Instagram: Betsy on Linkedin: Betsy’s Website: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop her a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #107: Betsy by Herself on Exploring Her Shadow Side
11/13/2023
Episode #107: Betsy by Herself on Exploring Her Shadow Side
This solo was recorded in November 2023, off the back of a 5-day spiritual retreat with teacher Sabrina Lynn in Ibiza, in which 22 wild souls went deep into their shadows. And healed themselves, their ancestral line and things they didn't even know they were healing for the collective. Shadow work is a term that many know and some of you might not. They are the part of us we haven't yet owned. The things we're ashamed of, don't want to deal with, won't look at, don't want to acknowledge are part of us. We stuff them in the basements of our souls, convinced that dealing with those things will kill us. But what they actually need is love - to be escorted into the light of consciousness and integrated, so we can decide what role they should (or shouldn't) play in our lives. Because if you look around you in the world out there at conflict, at the painful things we do to each other as humans, you can bet at the root of all of it is unhealed personal and collective shadows. Betsy talks about her own path into shadow work, of healing her inner child so she can step more fully into herself as a mature adult. So settle yourselves in and prepare to get uncomfortable. See if any part of this episode speaks to you. And if it does, feel free to reach out. DM Betsy on Instagram or contact her through her website. She always loves to hear from you. Connect with Betsy: Check out Betsy's teacher Sabrina Lynn talking about shadow work on her podcast, . Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop her a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #106: Carlos Zimbron on Fuckup Nights and Why Celebrating Failure is Important
10/29/2023
Episode #106: Carlos Zimbron on Fuckup Nights and Why Celebrating Failure is Important
In this episode Betsy is joined by Carlos 'Charlie' Zimbrón, Co-Founder and CEO of Fuckup Nights, as well as The Failure Institute. Betsy and Charlie say the word 'fuck' a lot cuz... clue's in the name, really. So if you enjoy 'swear words' as occasional punctuation and appreciate a free-flowing, un-edited conversation, you're gonna LOVE this one. Fuckup Nights has become a global movement driven by community of people who share professional failure stories on a monthly basis in 200+ cities in 62+ countries. It's a link I often share with the execs who take the online course I lead for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Because, as Charlie talks about in this episode, failure, resilience, innovation and creativity are all inextricably linked - and necessary. Few things are more uncomfortable than failure, but feeling safe enough to share and celebrate fucking up as part of the process of innovation (and of being human) is an important aspect of creating a better world. Charlie shares the story of how a good old carne asada with mezcal among a diverse group of friends in Mexico City, mixed with a desire to be able to 'see behind the curtain' and hear the REAL story behind the speeches we've all heard at confererences, led to the birth of Fuckup Nights. Settle yourself in, grab a mezcal, check out the link to Fuckup Nights and prepare to enjoy this episode. Connect with Charlie and Fuckup NIghts: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Be sure to subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop Betsy a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. And please do tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #105: Betsy by Herself on Making Magic
10/16/2023
Episode #105: Betsy by Herself on Making Magic
In this episode, Betsy talks about a subject that is near and dear to her heart (and her life): living magically. She talks about her own experience of having created a life that is full of synchronicity, support, ease, alignment and, well, MAGIC. As is her way, she encourages others to 'let things be magical' and talks about how she has learned to stop getting in the way of letting life and the good things that are meant for each of us flow. She also talks about the importance of trusting the timing of things you might want to happen - or to manifest. Listen to Betsy's insights on the ways she has found greater flow in her life, by creating practices and consistency over the years so that she can trust her intuition, know what she truly wants and trust that what is meant to come to her will and what is not meant for her will leave. So get yourself a cup of tea or take a walk, press play and hear all about Betsy's 'Mariah Carey Approach to Manifesting,' and why the phrase 'HOW is not my problem' is part of unlocking the greatest gifts life has sent to her lately. Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review and Share. Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. Please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop me a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into Betsy's other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #104: Betsy by Herself on Creating Ease for Yourself
10/01/2023
Episode #104: Betsy by Herself on Creating Ease for Yourself
In this solo episode Betsy revisits a topic she loves to talk about: how her changed relationship with ease - and having greater ease with being at ease - has positively impacted her work, her productivity and her understanding of the world. She shares why she's become evangelical about helping others to create more ease in their lives, stepping away from the conditioning that 'the grind is the thing' and examining their own relationship with NOT choosing ease. Maybe you can relate to this: Is hardship, struggle, feeling like you've worked really hard perhaps an 'existential kink' for you? Do you feel you don't deserve magic, or abundance, or pleasure in your life unless you've worked for it? Betsy walks you through how to create a 'Week of Ease' for yourself, as an experiment and as a way to step back and observe your relationship with ease. She shares how scheduling naps and weekly date nights by herself has helped her to recalibrate her natural un-ease with ease, and helped her to build it into her life as a habit. So settle yourself in, get comfortable to get uncomfortable, and step on The Discomfort Practice train with Betsy. We promise this one's a good one... Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop me a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow the audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #103: Oyin Adebayo on Empowering 1million Black Women
09/17/2023
Episode #103: Oyin Adebayo on Empowering 1million Black Women
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk to the mighty Oyinkansola ‘Oyin’ Adebayo, the Founder and CEO of Niyo Enterprises, which is an ecosystem of brands that exists to economically empower Black women to be builders of high-impact ecosystems. Oyin’s personal purpose is to empower Black women globally to upskill, transform their careers and create a world-class black female ecosystem of entrepreneurs. Niyo Bootcamps has trained over 500 black women to be upskilled in various tech roles through the “Black CodHer” Bootcamp & Black Disruptor bootcamps, several of whom have gone on to create their own tech businesses or work for big-name companies. Oyin arrived in the UK at the age of 12 from Lagos, Nigeria and struggled to fit into a culture in which she was suddenly an immigrant. That, combined with her awareness of the poverty she saw in her native Nigeria, led her to start focusing on social-impact work even while still in school. Fast-forward to now and she’s still working to make life better for young women, their families and wider communities. We talk about why and how the world doesn’t work for the majority of people, how focusing on race and racial justice must be more than just philanthropy and how leaders need to be having more uncomfortable conversations in order to truly make the world work. It’s a zesty conversation with some great soundbites for your brain to grab onto and chew over as you go about your day. Please do enjoy it! As mentioned in this episode - Connect with Oyin: Oyin’s Oyin on Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop me a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow the audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media.
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Episode #102: Betsy by Herself on the End of a Personal Seven Year Cycle
09/03/2023
Episode #102: Betsy by Herself on the End of a Personal Seven Year Cycle
This one is a bit of a chuckle, friends. I recorded it in August 2023, on the day I was marking seven years of living in Spain. I reflect on seven year cycles and who I've become over the past seven years. Who I've rediscovered I am, as I've let go of conditioning that kept me from being my truest, most powerful version of myself. In that seven years, the UK left the European Union in the most ill-conceived divorce in a while. I got married and left my marriage, in one of the best-conceived ideas in a while. As I wade into the discomfort of getting more personal on this podcast, this one felt like it hit a sweet spot. I danced on the edge of my own discomfort, as I shared from the heart, no filter, about myself. But it also felt freeing. So may you find some 'moments' for yourself as you listen. Some messages that resonate in your soul. Some moments that make you smirk or laugh out loud. Some truth about yourself as I share my truths about myself and who I'm re-becoming in this time of rapid change and change in consciousness. Some will step up to a higher consciousness and some will not. But if you're here listening to this, you're with me. We're stepping up... Listen, subscribe, rate and share. More heartfelt requests on that below. Connect with me: Rate, Review, Learn, and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop me a five-star and written review, follow, and share. Get in touch! And don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media.
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Episode #101: Isidra Mencos on Lust and Pleasure as a Pathway to Self-Discovery
08/20/2023
Episode #101: Isidra Mencos on Lust and Pleasure as a Pathway to Self-Discovery
In this episode of The Discomfort Practice, I speak to Isidra Mencos, who was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, about her journey through life as a young woman who grew up under Franco, a repressive dictator, and came of age as Spain was massively changing after his death. We talk about what happens when a young woman who grew up in a place where kissing in public was illegal finds herself suddenly free to explore whatever she wants. Speaking to Isidra was something of a bridge between my US past and my Spanish present. There are definite parallels in our backgrounds. Isidra moved to the US in 1992 to complete a PhD at UC Berkeley in California. Following that, she established herself as a teacher at Berkeley, a writer and editor, and a corporate executive. In 2016 she quit her plush corporate job to finally focus on her lifelong dream of being a creative writer. She has been widely published in literary journals and general interest magazines, but what drew me to Isidra was the recent publication of her memoir, Promenade of Desire, which narrates the journey of the shy María Isidra as she experiments and evolves. We talk about the beauty of desire and the freedom that exploration - sexual and otherwise - can give all of us to become who we truly are and to love our full selves. Our conversation took us to some uncomfortable yet juicy and important topics. So come get uncomfortable with us… and find pleasure in the episode if you can! Connect with Isidra: Buy and read Isidra’s book, Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn, and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media. And buy Isidra’s book, Promenade of Desire :-)
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Episode #100: Betsy by Herself, Celebrating and Reflecting on 100 episodes!
08/06/2023
Episode #100: Betsy by Herself, Celebrating and Reflecting on 100 episodes!
This is episode 100 of The Discomfort Practice! I reflect back on how focusing on discomfort as a path to wisdom and finding my own superpowers has reshaped my perspective since launching the podcast in October 2020. Join me for a guided exercise in which you have the opportunity to reflect on what uncomfortable circumstances you've experienced over the past few years and gain a perspective of gratitude for them. As a 'birthday gift' for episode 100, I ask you to please subscribe, like, leave me a 5-star and written review and SHARE an episode with someone to help me reach new ears. Thank you for listening and I look forward to having you join me for the next 100 episodes. Get in touch:
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Episode #99: Charles McCarrick on Consciously Building Confidence
07/16/2023
Episode #99: Charles McCarrick on Consciously Building Confidence
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I’m talking with Charles D. McCarrick, entrepreneur, inventor, lead visionary (or ‘Chief Comedian’) and lead scientist of Micro-Ant. With more than 10 patents to his name, he pioneers and supplies unique equipment to the communications industry. Charles' most defining characteristic is enthusiasm—for new ideas, for the people who work with him, and for continuous improvement. By cultivating people's confidence and creativity, Charles has forged a top-notch team that delivers new technologies into the hands of customers and value to investors. In this episode, we’ll talk about his own life lessons and how they have transformed him, as he talks about his book “Lessons My Brothers Taught Me” that was published in 2022. It’s built on the idea that you are your own business - your own brand. One review describes it as ‘the funniest business book I’ve ever read,’ which in my estimation is high praise indeed. We dig in deep to the process Charles has developed called the 4S Transform - Saleability + Sensibility + Sustainability + Scalability = Success. The crux of Charles approach is that the quality of one's character plays a dominant role in the success of any transaction, personal or professional. Settle yourself in for this inspiring episode. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: Making the difficult decision of having to let go of an employee (and also friend) in business. How it was a life-defining moment in his life and changed Charles’ perspective in business. (4:00) How the impact that character has in your success in life and business. (8:00) Defining your motivation for going into business and how that affects your success. (10:20) How Charles became an inventor: with 10 patents under his belt. (19:30) Charles believes the key to his success is the ability to do mathematics in 3-dimensional images. (20:10) The 4S Transform process that is essential to success: saleability, sensibility, sustainability and scalability. (25:30) Understanding what motivates you is critical, built from your character, that drives you in business. (39:38) Connect with Charles: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #98: Betsy By Herself - A Love Letter to Introverted Moments
07/02/2023
Episode #98: Betsy By Herself - A Love Letter to Introverted Moments
This solo definitely builds on past solos about transitions and life processes because, surprise surprise, I’m still in a big life transition. This is a love letter to other secret introverts and to quiet moments. It’s to those of you out there who crave quiet and alone time and to just be left alone for a while - regularly or from time to time. Right now I need and crave a lot of solitude, a lot of quiet time, because I'm going through a big internal process and building the architecture of my life for the coming years. It’s about running a business, but it’s also about becoming. Being who I need to be to deliver what I feel is my mission in the world. I’m currently spending a lot of time letting things flow, letting things drop into place and letting things ‘occur’ to me. And to do that I’ve created a quiet little bubble of beauty and solitude and I am loving it. Because it allows me to hear my intuition. To guide myself. To not get tangled in the noise of ‘shoulds’ or ‘shouldn’ts’ or simply the thoughts of others. I encourage you to challenge any narratives you have around allowing yourself to take time to be quiet, to be introverted, introspective. Because this is what a lot of us need right now and it’s what the world needs us to choose to do. It’s in that space that you can connect with who you ARE and what your instincts tell you. It’s also space that we all need to change our narratives and thinking that really won’t serve us as we move into a new stage of human history, and a new stage of your individual life. Please do reach out to me if this episode resonates and you’d like to reflect on your own ‘knowings’ and thoughts around some of the things I talk about and your life right now. I’m here to support you and I would love to connect. Enjoy and big love to all of you listening. If you’d like to learn more about Human Design, as mentioned in the episode: Find out what type you are and download your chart at Read about what Human Design is Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a 5-star and written review on this podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps me to reach new listeners and, hopefully, to reach someone on exactly the right day with exactly what they needed to hear. Let me know what you think of this episode and others!
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Episode #97: Matisse Dupont on “Transitions.”
06/18/2023
Episode #97: Matisse Dupont on “Transitions.”
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I’m excited to bring back a past guest: cultural consultant, performance producer and content creator Matisse Dupont. Matisse has spent the last decade facilitating interactive lectures and workshops on gender, sexuality, culture and identity. I enjoyed witnessing their evolution on social media - from being a TikTok-er famous for educating others about gender to showcasing their talents as a multi-disciplinary artist to founder of volunteer-run LGBTQIA+ community theatre company, The Queer Theatre Project. Matisse and I explore their life changes and public persona. In this episode, we focus on that and explore how Matisse has realigned and reconfigured who they are publicly to reflect where they are personally. They’ve recently navigated burnout as a content creator and dealt with a concussion, which stopped them using technology at the height of their TikTok fame. Matisse shares how time away from what they had become known for opened up space to re-assess and enjoy other aspects of themselves and their talents. We talk about how creating a mindfully artistic practice can open up space to explore - and how you don’t ever have to stick to just one thing for the rest of your life. Matisse is an inspirational example of how you can completely change your life, realign with your purpose and not get caught up, staying in the constraints of what people already know you for (or your comfort zone). Settle yourself in for this refreshing and motivating episode. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: Shaking up the Discomfort Practice, having Matisse introduce themselves. (1:30) The discomfort of changing trajectory: from having a successful career and being known as an expert in a field to then starting something completely new. (3:30) How dealing with a severe health issue affected Matisse as a successful content creator and gender educator. But how this time out, gave Matisse perspective. (5:50) How the social media algorithm was dictating the way to unauthenticity and interacting on social media in a combative way, as well as leading to burnout. (13:00) How Matisse’s love of art came out of this period of discomfort in their life. (18:20) Meditative quality to painting as a creative outlet. (22:00) The transformative practice of not feeling stuck to one job or creative outlet, and being able to constantly evolve and transition. (31:00) Matisse’s leaving message: “Change takes time, but not as much time as you think it’ll take.” (40:00) Connect with Matisse: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #96: Michael Youngblood on the Value of Beautiful Questions
06/04/2023
Episode #96: Michael Youngblood on the Value of Beautiful Questions
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Michael Youngblood, co-founder and CEO of Unsettled, an award-winning travel community for those who embrace the unknown and value meaningful human connection. He has worked in more than 60 countries, collaborated with the White House on entrepreneurship and global development, advised Fortune 100 companies on remote work, and has taught courses on entrepreneurship and globalisation on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of Innovations journal, a publication about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges that is jointly hosted by MIT, Harvard, and George Mason University. Michael is a member of the inaugural TED Residency, a member of Sandbox, and an avid sailor, mountain biker, and global explorer. Michael and I discuss Unsettled’s manifesto as a process and a guiding philosophy for how to live, through embracing the uncomfortable and the unknown. MIchael shares his own thoughts on navigating anxiety and depression in work and life, and the importance of taking time for self-reflection. We explore some ‘beautiful questions,’ and hopefully help those listening to discover something themselves with those questions (or discover their own questions to help them explore and find their way of being, living and doing in this rapidly changing world). Many of us know that we can’t do things the way they’ve always been done, so this is a timely conversation. Just know that you’re not alone. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: The uncomfortable childhood experience of holding hands with his adoptive black sister and being the target of hate speech, showed Michael early on the levels of prejudice and inequalities existing in the world. And how that led to him studying social sciences, as the pathway he saw to change social structures. (5:40) Michael views all questions as beautiful, as they open you up to possibilities, whilst seeking new answers. (13:00) What is your dream underachiever job? (17:20) Getting clear on what is important to Michael, with time and space for self-reflection. Opening yourself up to new opportunities, that reflect your desired lifestyle and pace of work/life balance. (27:20) Unsettled manifesto: being more than a travel company. It’s a process and philosophy for living: embracing the unknown and the uncomfortable. (32:30) How Michael has dealt with and found tools to overcome anxiety. (42:40) 70% of people quit a job within 18 months of an Unsettled travel experience. (47:40) How to create your own reality. (57:30) Michael’s affirmation that he comes back to at the end of every day: “Despite everything, today was a great day.” He has choice and agency to see today as a great day, despite what might have happened in it. (1:00:00) Connect with Michael: Blog on “Becoming CEO Of Unsettled” Connect with Betsy: is a Beautiful Question? Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #95: Betsy By Herself - It's Safe Now to Be in Your Own Power
05/21/2023
Episode #95: Betsy By Herself - It's Safe Now to Be in Your Own Power
A few months back, when I was sitting in a mushroom ceremony, I got the message loud and clear ‘It’s safe now to be powerful.’ And it was a message that I knew was for me, but also one that I had been given to share with others. And, so, in this episode, I talk about what the world needs from you. How it needs you to be able to un-block those parts of you that you’ve censored, shut down, inherited shame around because your ancestors shut that part of their power down to be safe. I ask a few questions in this short, unscripted, completely spontaneously-recorded episode. I know this is meant for someone, so if you've found this episode and something has really 'landed,' I'd love to hear from you. Some of the questions I ask in this episode: What of your own power are you denying or rejecting? What parts of you are you afraid to bring to the world? What parts of you are you keeping out of the limelight, out of your work, out of your consciousness because they’re so dangerous you’re scared to bring them to the world? What would the impact be if you allowed yourself to bring yourself fully to the world, in all of your power? What would change? If you ever find yourself thinking ‘I wish I could…’ ‘I CAN’T do that…’ it’s pointing you toward something that you probably need to bring to the world. That’s part of being fully powerful in the world. 'It's safe now to be powerful.' This message is important as we go through this particularly wild time in human history. Because what the world needs from you, what a lot of us need from you, is for you to be fully powerful. . Listen to this episode, chew it over, enjoy, and let Betsy know how you found it. Please pass it around like a good book. Like it, leave The Discomfort Practice 5 stars and a written review wherever you listen. As always, thank you for your time. Stay uncomfortable...
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Episode #94: Nik Govier on Neuro-Diversity being a Superpower
05/07/2023
Episode #94: Nik Govier on Neuro-Diversity being a Superpower
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Nik Govier, the Founder & CEO of Blurred - a fast growing global management, sustainability and communications consultancy based in London. She is a regular feature in PR Week’s Top 10 Power List and was named PR Communicator of the Year in 2021. But the last five years have been a whirlwind of personal challenges and change, from leaving her previous business with nothing after building it for 12 years to facing a cancer scare during the pandemic.Nik is proudly neurodiverse (dyslexic and ADHD) and, having decided to be very public about having had six miscarriages, she is an outspoken advocate for a ‘charter for female health’ in the PR sector, which is predominantly female. How did Nik not only survive, but thrive, with a new business and sense of mission? In this episode, we’ll talk about how she has navigated a loss of identity, the importance of no agenda meetings with people you don’t know and the profound power of a coach - for you and your team - among many juicy topics we dive into. Nik most certainly chooses guts over fear. She shares how she went from being the mindfulness class sceptic to its greatest advocate and what strengths she finds in neurodiversity (and why she hires neurodiverse people). Nik really leads the way by showcasing the benefits of having a diverse team force and creating policies and approaches which not only support, but protect her team’s health. She’s created a business that can hold the future, because it has the perspectives needed to create diverse solutions to tricky problems. So get comfy and tune in. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: How the discomfort of Nik’s childhood with undiagnosed Dyslexic and ADHD and having school reports unfairly categorizing her as lazy and careless has led her to spending her entire professional career proving people wrong. (6:20) Neuro-diversity is a superpower for Nik, but she recognises that is the case, because she comes from a middle class supportive background. (8:10) The motivation behind having a diverse workforce, and what that looks like. (11:30) How having a workforce that is diverse is fundamentally about bringing different skill sets, ways of thinking and perspectives that enrich the workplace and the team working there. (19:20) Dealing with complex issues with systems that support her diverse team-force. Supports her team with a grief policy (including issues such as miscarriage, menopause, transition, fertility, etc). Providing coaching, support, financial support, time-off and flexible working. (22:05) Blurred is built on a foundation of principals surrounding diversity and supporting your workforce, which lead them to instantly receiving a high rating from B Corp (certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency regarding inclusivity, policies, etc). (29:50) Nik’s own discomfort practice: meeting strangers, which has led her to the House of Lords to meeting fashion photographer Rankin. (42:30) How a mindfulness body scan is the only form of meditation that works for Nik, for an ADHD or easily distracted brain. (45:10) Lasting message: even if you are neurodiverse, introverted, dyslexic or from a disadvantaged background: you have everything you need. Find a place and space that can accept you, and if you can’t, build one. (53:30) Connect with Nik: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #93: Betsy By Herself on Navigating the Chaos of A Transition
04/23/2023
Episode #93: Betsy By Herself on Navigating the Chaos of A Transition
In this solo episode, I reflect on the chaos, the confusion and the landing back in Spain after 3.5 happy months in Mexico. I wonder 'Did I do the right thing in coming back here?' muse aloud about 'Why am I here?' and navigate through my own process of feeling like I've landed in chaos... and I'm not sure why. I share a reading from the School of Metaphysics, where each Module I study as I go through training to become a certified Metaphysical Therapist, is completely aligned with whatever is going on in my life. Every time we expand, every time we unblock a part of our lives that needed to be unblocked, every time we get closer to fully remembering who we are and how powerful we are... we will experience discomfort. Chaos is what shows us what we really want to stop doing or who we want to stop dragging with us. I talk about how 'taking my hands off the wheel' is something I'm trying out - because my ability to steer my life is limited by my own imagination and experience. So for some Betsy Musing Out Loud, as well as some hopefully helpful thoughts on how to navigate the unknown and appreciate chaos, give it a listen. And reach out if it's landed for you. Email me at / IG me @thebetsyreed and spread the word. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop me a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help me grow the reach of this podcast. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #92: Margaret Heffernan On Willful Blindness
04/09/2023
Episode #92: Margaret Heffernan On Willful Blindness
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with entrepreneur, author and someone I’m rather a big fan of, Margaret Heffernan. We chat about Margaret’s sixth book Uncharted, which lays out an inspiring picture of what can lie on the other side of uncertainty - which is a discomfort we as humans naturally avoid. We also dive into her own practice of surrendering to experiencing discomfort, by which she has not only learned new things, but grown as a person. Margaret's TED talks have been seen by over 15 million people. You read that right! 15 million people. She's also written six books (so far). Her third book Wilful Blindness is one that I picked up last year and found more incredibly relevant now, during a pandemic, than ever - even though it was published in 2014. It was a finalist for the Financial Times Goldman Sachs Best book award and the Financial Times named it as one of its “Best business books of the decade”. Margaret has done a lot of things and done them all well. She worked in BBC Radio for five years where she wrote, directed, produced and commissioned dozens of documentaries and dramas. But just to add to her cool points, she then also produced music videos with Virgin Records. She was once described by the Financial Times as the most formidable lobbying organization in England, which is high praise indeed. She bought and sold leading Internet businesses as a chief executive and was named one of the Internet's top 100 by Silicon Alley reporter in 1999. She's won many, many awards. Margaret really is a leading thinker and her now-or-never attitude is so inspiring, so tune in and enjoy! Key Points Discussed: Taking the experience from discomfort to euphoria: being encouraged by her father as a teenager to ask for forgiveness rather than permission (6:00) That experience has helped support her in her speaking engagements now: she speaks freely. Saying what others are thinking, but are too afraid to say (8:00) How writing a BBC play, opened up Margaret to looking at where abusive attitudes to nature come from (16:18) How important it is to do something, however small. Margaret became part of her local Parish Council and hosted events to help people reduce their energy consumption, carbon footprint and enhance biodiversity (23:38) How positivity is contagious: you can be the catalyst for change (26:30) Surrendering to the practice of experiencing discomfort in many different parts of her life, has helped Margaret not only learn new things, but grow as a person in so many different ways (33:02) How ethical decisions being made by economists are a disaster waiting to happen (42:58) How reframing the way you view uncertainty in your mind, can actually open you up to new exciting possibilities (49:54) How the early death of Margaret’s first husband when she was 30 gave her a really visceral experience that it’s always now or never time. That is how she lives her life (56:46) Connect with Margaret: ’s Website Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #91: Betsy by Herself on Turning Off the External Noise to Hear Yourself
03/25/2023
Episode #91: Betsy by Herself on Turning Off the External Noise to Hear Yourself
I sat down to intentionally record this episode without any notes and with minimal preparation, because I felt strongly this was a message that needed to come through me. It's one I needed to articulate and it's something someone out there needs to hear. The message is this: turn off the external noise so you can hear yourself and tap into your own wisdom. I've been given wise counsel and channeled messages from intuitives three times in the past month to 'cut out the external influences for a while in order to gain clarity and confidence in your inner knowing, to set loose your creativity to do what you need to do in the world.' And one of those intuitives on Instagram), without knowing anything about me, told me what it is I am meant to do in the world. And it is EXACTLY what I do in the world, though you might not know it from the official wording of my website. So I've done a cull - of emails I'm subscribed to, of social media accounts I follow - and am still circling what this 'diet' from external influences is meant to look like. But in having to un-subscribe / unfollow those external influences that flow to me every day, I began to realise a) how many there are and b) how much I want to rely on them for confidence in my own intuition. My own 'knowings.' So this episode is me planting a flag at the beginning of a process of creating quiet - of turning off all of the radio noise - so I can hear my own voice. My own intuition. My own knowings. And if that lands for you, I invite you to do the same. Reach out and let me know if you're going to do the same. I'd love to hear your process and share mine. Feel free to connect and to share this episode with others.
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Episode #90: Dan Schnur on Forging Your Own Path When Everything Shifts
03/12/2023
Episode #90: Dan Schnur on Forging Your Own Path When Everything Shifts
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with Dan Schnur. We chat about the discomfort of his career trajectory: going from being one of the top Republican political strategists and campaign officials in the US to leaving and not affiliating with any political party. (In a bi-partisan political system where you’ve been a big player, that’s a big move.) Dan gives an elegant master class in how to leave your comfort zone, forge your own path and stay true to yourself when everything shifts… and shifts again. Because that’s just life. Dan’s resume is impressive. He previously worked on four Presidential and three Gubernatorial campaigns, as one of California's leading political strategists. He served as the national director of Communications for the 2000 Presidential Campaign of US Senator John McCain, and was the chief media spokesman for California Governor Pete Wilson. He's been an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He's the founder of the leading University of Southern California (USC) LA Times state-wide political pol and currently teaches courses in politics, communications and leadership at UC Berkeley.The list could go on… Join us for Dan’s remarkable, humble and thoroughly enjoyable style and story about the process of going through discomfort to create your own freedom on the other side. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: As a college undergraduate, Dan was not particularly academically motivated and he was asked to leave. Even though it was uncomfortable moment, Dan was able to see this as an opportunity to move to Washington to pursue his interest in Politics (6:30) One of Dan’s favourite quotes: “If you don’t take risks, nothing good will happen.” And how taking risks has played out in his life (11:20) The risk Dan took from having a successful career the Republican Party to leaving to become an Independent Politician (16:10) The generation that leads society out of a crisis, is one that is exceptional (Gen Z) (31:50) The News by definition is going to look for conflict and controversy. It’s easy to sucked into that narrative, as all the acts of kindness aren’t reported on (42:20) How interacting with others with different views is uncomfortable, but is needed in order to grow and learn (52:20) How helping others energises Dan: when you do something that puts someone else in a better mood, it boosts your mood too (57:40) Dan quote: “For every decision I ask myself: What’s the best thing that can happen? What’s the worst thing that can happen? The overwhelming majority of the time, the worst thing that can happen, isn’t that bad. So it’s worth a try.” (1:04:18) Connect with Dan: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media! --
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Episode #89: Selina Donald on Bringing Sustainability To The Event Industry
02/26/2023
Episode #89: Selina Donald on Bringing Sustainability To The Event Industry
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with my former client, friend and general badass Selina Donald. Selina has done so much already in her life, so prepare yourself to be inspired to think differently. She has worked on large-scale events, such as the Olympic and Para-Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and Vivian Westwood’s climate revolution. She worked on England’s 2018 World Cup bid for the Rio Olympics and has been part of the senior management team for ITV events. She co-founded the sustainable events agency The Bulb, which helps companies produce sustainable, creative and meaningful events. She also often passionately speaks on issues of women’s empowerment, female entrepreneurship and gender equality. We chat about the current unsustainable practices of the creative and events industry, and how Selina has been proving through her own work that it’s possible to be creative, exciting and environmentally responsible. We will get into what sustainable brands can do when their events don’t reflect their company values (because, spoiler alert, they often don’t). We also dive into how Selina structures her day to allow the time and space to make conscious, sustainable choices in her own life and business. This is a super fun episode full of laughs, so tune in for Selina’s inspiring story and so much more. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: How Selina being a vegetarian as a child triggered her to how sustainability could be applied to her career (3:40) The discomfort but also movement that has come in the events industry, because of the Pandemic, which has ended up working to Selina’s advantage (10:40) How the discomfort of the failure of her first business Bulb 101, made her take a step back and come back with knowledge from the failures and resurrected into a sustainability consultancy for event organisers (12:55) Being burnt out and moving back in with parents at age 35, with no savings and no pension (17:00) How learning to put a value on her time made Selina charge for her worth and say no to things that don’t reflect that. Protecting both her energy and her time (21:15) The power of saying No (24:50) The environmental and sustainability issues that the Event industry faces (29:40) Making the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies the most sustainable events possible. As well as bringing sustainability to the forefront (36:35) Working on Lush’s naked packaging and other brands/artists on recycled materials (38:05) How Selina’s hatred for her legal career took her through another story of failure to an exciting career (48:25) How composting at events is not actually a viable sustainable option (54:10) Connect with Selina: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media! --
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Episode #88: Betsy by Herself on Creating Rituals to De-stress and Create Focus
02/12/2023
Episode #88: Betsy by Herself on Creating Rituals to De-stress and Create Focus
How can you create habits that support you through times of stress, that help you to create milestones in your day and life, to function optimally? In this solo episode I share ways in which I have created more rituals over the past year and talk listeners through the science-based approach I teach clients to set habits. My intention in recording this solo is to help others consider how they might better support themselves by taking a moment to become more conscious of what habits they’d like to set and to take tangible steps to ensure they happen. Intention often needs action to bring it to life, so I hope this little solo helps listeners to do just that!Enjoy listening and share with me what habits or rituals you decide it’s time to create for yourself. It might just be starting your day with a thought about what you’re grateful for, or doing squats while you brush your teeth or setting reminders in your daily calendar to pause and breathe (all of which are things I have done or am currently doing). Reach out and let me know, and if you want support, just ask! You can find me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a 5-star and written review on this podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps me to reach new listeners and, hopefully, to reach someone on exactly the right day with exactly what they needed to hear. Let me know what you think of this episode and others!
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Episode #87: Leyla Acaroglu on How Design Can Save The World
01/29/2023
Episode #87: Leyla Acaroglu on How Design Can Save The World
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with innovator and designer (among many other things) Leyla Acaroglu. We chat about how small incremental changes are not enough any more to save society from climate change impact, but instead need to change systems and approaches to regenerate our planet, in order to survive. We discuss how important design is in creating that change and take listeners on a journey with us, so you don’t have to be left wondering what you need to know. Leyla loves problems, because she understands that they are just challenges in disguise! Leyla’s insight breaks through some deeply-entrenched environmental folklore around things like recycling and discusses the true impact of the products and materials we use every day. As a designer and consultant, that’s just how Leyla sees the world. So plug yourself into this episode and enjoy hearing Betsy talk to an award-winning designer, sustainability provocateur, social scientist and entrepreneur who creates tool and businesses that design a sustainable and regenerative future. Leyla is a mainstage TED speaker, a LinkedIn Changemaker and a United Nations Environmental Programme Champion of the Earth.And she's also the founder of the UNSchool of Disruptive Design. This is a juicy episode that challenged Betsy’s thinking, so tune in for Leyla’s positive story and so much more. Enjoy!
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Episode #86: Pilar Garrido on How Leading With Love Benefits Communities
01/15/2023
Episode #86: Pilar Garrido on How Leading With Love Benefits Communities
In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with political scientist and economist Pilar Garrido. We chat about her experience leading a sustainable economic development policy in Costa Rica for a green and inclusive economy, as well as designing innovative financial instruments for critical public investment projects. We will also get into what adaptation for climate change is. Pilar leads with a human touch, transforming our ideas of what a leader should be. Pilar has been a key figure, using her government minister role to steer Costa Rica's ambition to be one of the five countries piloting the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG’s were launched by the United Nations in 2015. Their aim is to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030: all people enjoy peace and prosperity. So, buckle yourself in for this episode and be inspired by a politician who governs with both heart and strength. She has served as Chief of Staff, Deputy Minister, Minister of Planning and Policy, Technical Secretary of the Sustainable Development Goals in Costa Rica and as Costa Rica's co-ordinator of the Economic cabinet. A woman of many talents! This is an inspiring episode, so tune in for Pilar’s positive story and so much more. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: The discomfort Pilar experienced whilst becoming a politician and minister at a young age, especially during the Pandemic, as she describes as being like on the front line (5:20) Choosing to work from a place of love (08:20) Making difficult choices and creating policies to protect people during the Pandemic (12:20) Pilar’s journey from political scientist to advisor to politician (14:50) Costa Rica’s initiatives to put humanity and sustainability first, before economics (23:40) How to have a big impact in politics: where your job is not forever (27:00) Part of Pilar’s legacy: diversifying an economy that has previously heavily relied just on tourism, so that it is healthy and robust (31:00) The IDG framework (that Costa Rica are one of the first countries to pilot), which aims towards eradicating hunger, poverty, sustainability and ensuring human rights. The IDG’s (Inner Development Goals) consists of five dimensions: Being (relationship to self); Thinking (using your brain); Relating (and caring about others in the world); Collaborating (social skills and society) and Acting (driving change) (36:40) How everyone can do something small, that will collectively make a big impact (46:00) Pilar’s optimism for the future (51:10) Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!
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Episode #85: Betsy by Herself on Life Transitions and Shedding Skin
01/01/2023
Episode #85: Betsy by Herself on Life Transitions and Shedding Skin
If you’ve listened to some of my recent solos and interviews, you’ll have picked up that I'm on the cusp of entering a new stage of life. I’ve packed up my life in Barcelona, put my things in storage, finished up my academic year as a Professor and am headed to Mexico on a one-way ticket in just a few days. The preparation for leaving one stage of life and stepping into the next has gotten me thinking a lot lately about transitions and nature and my place in the whole rhythm of things. And, during the deep discomfort and anxiety that has come up as I’ve been in the deep discomfort of not knowing what comes next, of a big transition, I haven’t been the nicest or happiest or most serene version of myself. It's been interesting to observe and it’s gotten me thinking about a snake shedding its skin. As a Wyoming Kid, I have always been taught that, during seasons when you know rattlesnakes are shedding their skin (which they do regularly), do whatever you can to avoid them because they’re scared and blind and MEAN. They can’t see very well, so they’re more likely to strike. But then I started learning more about the process of a snake shedding its skin - and WHY it sheds its skin regularly - and it all started to feel like a very relevant personal metaphor for big moments of transition. So settle yourself in and consider how this metaphor might be relevant for you, and be sure to listen to the end, when I share one of my favourite poems of all time, Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a 5-star and written review on this podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps me to reach new listeners and, hopefully, to reach someone on exactly the right day with exactly what they needed to hear. Let me know what you think of this episode and others!
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Episode #84: Daze Aghaji on the Power of Love to Create Change
12/25/2022
Episode #84: Daze Aghaji on the Power of Love to Create Change
In this episode, I chat with a young leader who got me excited and optimistic about the future. Daze Aghaji is a climate justice, regeneration & well-being activist with a fascinating story and a skill at delivering it. You are in for a real treat with this interview, as. Daze shares how growing up with an awareness of climate change has shaped her and Generation Z. We talk about how climate change is not the issue, but, rather, toxic systems are - and climate change is just a by-product of them. She shares her own story, as someone who is disrupting, innovating and inspiring change, leading by example and showing the impact young people can have in demanding serious action on climate change. Daze is a multi-faceted talent and climate activist from London who focuses on regenerative culture intersectionality; radical social justice and youth political engagement in her work. She herself lives with intersectionality as a black woman, a daughter of immigrants from Nigeria and as a professional who grew up in poverty. In 2019, (before the pandemic took off), she was the youngest candidate to stand in the European parliamentary election. Daze’s advocacy for racial systemic change has led her to work with many leading charities, NGOs and grassroots changemakers around the world. She has strong ties with the climate movement, Extinction Rebellion, and she's currently a creative director at Earthrise Studios, which is an environmentally focused media company, as well as a consultant for a variety of NGOs. She's also an artist in residence at Vitalogy, and a monthly contributor to Sky TV's climate show. She gave a TEDx talk in 2021 that I loved was about how we're going to solve climate change. Stay tuned for her inspiring story and so much more.
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Episode #83: Matthew Williams on Being an Inventor and Mastering Public Speaking
12/04/2022
Episode #83: Matthew Williams on Being an Inventor and Mastering Public Speaking
In this episode, I chat with the Founder & CEO of IONATE, inventor Matthew Williams. He is a systems architect by nature, mechatronic engineer by education, design leader and facilitator by passion. Having spent his career in the front seat of global systems-engineering companies, Matthew is equipped with a unique insight on how to build the most efficient electrical systems. Sustainability and where we get our energy from is increasingly important to our survival and thriving on this planet, because we can't continue to run on the type of resources that we've used for power in the past. Matthew is originally from Australia. And early on, he recognized the technological disconnect between power grids and energy transition, basically getting away from fossil fuels. So his mission for the past 10 years has been to tackle this challenge. Matthew and his team at IONATE are building the technology backbone of a productive, decentralized and decarbonized power system of the future. Matthew is on his way to be the OG of the new way we create and run the power grid. As well as sharing uncomfortable moments in his business and personal life, Matthew shares an empowering outlook on how he deals with public speaking, failures and setbacks. Stay tuned for his inspiring story and so much more. Key Points Discussed: The discomfort in Matthew’s childhood from being an introvert and choosing a customer service role to confront his struggle has helped him in later life with public speaking (5:17) How Matthew uses his understanding of the amygdala (the brain almond): and that the physiological response to fear, anxiety and excitement is the same to help with his public speaking (8:16) Overcoming business failures and how that’s helped him shape the success of his new business Ionate (11:13) The technology Matthew and his team have invented to create a functional way to deal with the worldwide issue of utilizing renewable energy and overcoming the issues of connecting it to the grid (18:24) How the technology is also about bringing down energy bill costs (24:47) How an early life lesson from his father about dealing with setbacks in a less emotional, more rational approach has been an inspiration for him (27:37) How a combination of a good engineering brain, a planned approach and also passion for creating change helps him overcome nervousness or fear that he encounters (42:32) Connect with Matthew: Connect with Betsy: Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five star and written review, follow and share how it has benefited you. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!
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