Mindfulness Mode

Noah St. John is an author, a key note speaker, and a money expert. In fact, he helps people make money who gave up on the idea long ago. Noah is the only author in history to have published with all of the following: Hay House, HarperCollins, Mindvalley, Nightingale-Conant, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul publisher. Contact Info Website: NoahStJohn.com Newest Book: Get Rid of Your Headtrash About Money by Noah St. John Get The Newest Book For Free: www.SendMeABookNoah.com Book: The Book of Afformations by Noah St. John Most Influential Person Louise Haye Effect on Emotions I grew up very angry and depressed and I was suicidal when I was twenty-five. When I say I was suicidal, it wasn't that I was depressed and considering it, I decided to commit suicide. I remember that moment very clearly when I was twenty-five. I had decided to do it [commit suicide] and I went to do it. At the very last minute, a miracle happened. I can only call it a miracle that saved my life. I tell that story in The Book of Afformations. But then after my life was saved, I said to God, I don't know why you chose me or spared me, but I'm going to devote the rest of my life to serving you and to serving humanity. It wasn't until five years later I discovered Afformations and success anorexia and wrote all these books. It's [mindfulness] definitely played a huge role. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is huge. It's so important. I often say to my clients or on interviews, just the simple act of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth; it just can't help but center you and bring you into that present moment. Suggested Resources Book: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Haye Book: The Science of Mind by Dr. Ernest Holmes App: N/A Bullying Story I was definitely bullied as a child, mostly by my older brother. He was definitely a bully. I know he didn't mean to be. Honestly, he's got some emotional problems we found out later. I just thought he was a bully. Definitely, mindfulness would have helped me because what I realize is that I tried to become somebody that I'm not and I became a people pleaser. I became this doormat that people would and did walk all over. I let so many people take advantage of me. That's one of the reasons I ended up $40,000 in debt and living in my parents basement because I was still letting people walk all over me, letting people take advantage of me, trusting the wrong people, not listening to my inner self, my inner knowing, but listening to all the wrong people. So bullying has had a very big effect on my life. And of course, in a negative way. I think not just mindfulness would have helped, but certainly having tools and skills to stand up for myself. What's funny is that my wife and I recently went back to Maine. That's where my family still lives. I saw all of the things that would have really pushed my buttons before, but because I practice mindfulness and I use my afformations and all the methodologies now, I was aware of them and I didn't let them push me around. I was proud of myself. I realized I guess I've grown and that's awesome.

Win Charles is an artist, a speaker, a disability activist writer, a podcaster and a true inspiration to everyone she connects with. She has cerebral palsy, but she hasn’t let that stand in her way of achieving huge successes. She has a thriving Jewelry Design Business, she’s authored several books, she’s host of a terrific podcast called Butterflies of Wisdom and she has declared 2017 her Year of Warriorness. Contact Info Website: Win Charles Podcast: Butterflies of Wisdom Twitter: @WinKellyCharles Email: AspenWin@gmail.com Books on Amazon: Search 'Win Charles' Newest Book: The Mosaic of CP by Win Charles Most Influential Person My Biological Mom Effect on Emotions My emotions stay steady. I have Cerebral Palsy and so mindfulness has affected my emotions in a good way. Thoughts on Breathing Why are you asking me this question today when I had technology problems? I told myself to breathe and I still haven't got my technology issues solved. I told myself, take a deep breath and that's what I did. I took  a deep breath before I did any of my other stuff because I knew if I didn't do that, it would all go upside down. Suggested Resources Book: I, Win: My Journey With Cerebral Palsy in a Non-Disabled World by Win Kelly Charles App: Headspace Bullying Story I was not bullied by my school. But I have certainly been bullied by my own family. That's a sad story. Right after my mom died I was bullied and called horrible names by a person who knows better. And, I was emotionally abused at work; not the job that I'm at now but when I first started teaching preschool I was emotionally abused. My family knew what I was going through and they saw the circumstances and I actually lost my job in 2009. I bounced back and I actually got a job at the primary school I went to as a student. My original boss was my principal. That was just weird. The person who taught me kindergarten is still up there teaching. It's weird having colleagues who taught me when I was younger. I've been doing this job since 2010.

Tyler Basu is a prolific content creator, marketer, and online success story. He is content manager for Thinkific, a widely sought-after platform for creating and selling online courses. He is creator and host of the Podcast called Lifestyle Business Magazine and Publisher of the online Magazine of the same name. He is a contributor to numerous online publications including Entrepreneur, Influencive and Addicted2Success. Contact Info Website: TylerBasu.com Blog: Lifestyle Business Magazine Blog Podcast: Lifestyle Business Podcast Most Influential Person My father-in-law (I've never seen him upset in my whole life). Effect on Emotions My wife teases me and says I don't have emotions. The majority of the time I'm very, very calm. It's difficult to upset me because, in the grand scheme of things, most things that happen to me are not that big a deal. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is something that I've practiced. I think it was Tony Robbins or one of those influences that introduced me to that. In the morning or at night, the same time that I'm sitting down to reflect on the day and express gratitude, I'll just take some time to focus on breathing. Even a few times throughout the day, if I need a break, I'll drink some water and focus on breathing. It calms me down before I jump into something else. Suggested Resources Book: The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod App: N/A (Pen and paper) Bullying Story I can think of quite a few stories. I was beat up quite a few times as a kid. One time, I didn't even see it coming. Two other kids were fighting. You know how everyone gets in a circle to watch a fight in schools? I was standing there eating some Skittles and I must have said something cocky or lippy. This was grade 8 or 9, and all of a sudden one of the kids who was about to fight the other kid started to turn around and start hitting me.  And with the Skittle; when he hit my face, the Skittle popped out my cheek and I ended up needing stitches to close up half my mouth for a few days. This is just one example and one of the times I learned to think about what I was about to say before I started to say something dumb that might offend someone. It was a good experience in a way. Me and that kid became friends after that; we worked it out. I'm not saying that bullying is a good thing, but if there's something in your life that's hard on you, find a way to appreciate what's happening, because hopefully, you're getting strong because of it. Your ability to tolerate hardships increases. Business is tough, so if you don't have the thick skin or if you are not willing to make the calls and present your ideas and get shot down; if you're not willing to get out there and still keep going when other people are giving you a hard time or don't believe in you, then you're going to have a really hard time of it. Whatever you can do to develop some thick skin and some mental toughness is generally a good thing.

Nancie Vito is a transformational life coach, public health professional and certified health educator specializing in helping people go from functioning to flourishing. She works with creatives, aspiring entrepreneurs and other professionals who want to get unstuck, prevent burnout and take steps towards what they really want in life. She holds a master’s degree in public health with an emphasis on prevention and mental health and is in the process of obtaining a graduate degree in organizational psychology. Since starting her business Flourish in 2009, she has been mentioned or featured in online publications such as Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen and Marie Claire UK. Contact Info Website: www.NancieVito.com FB: Facebook.com/FlourishWellness Most Influential Person Corey Keyes (A Sociologist and Psychologist) Effect on Emotions Mindfulness has helped me be much less reactive and much more conscious of my behavior and how my behavior effects others. In general, much calmer. Thoughts on Breathing I love the whole concept. It just brings me back to center, it helps me become grounded. It's something I can do anywhere; on a plane, on a subway. In the middle of a workday I can take some conscious deep breaths and have a change within seconds. Suggested Resources Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle App: Calm

Gareth Young is an experienced, corporate businessman who decided to transform his life. He did this by undertaking a journey that took him into the unknown. As a result of his explorations into life's meaning, he now feels more connected in his relationships and he feels his life has far more depth than ever before. He explains, 'I've learned a new way of being with people'. Gareth is anxious to share the profound lessons he's learned with the world through his podcast which is called, A New Business Mindset. Contact Info Website: GarethJYoung.com Podcast: A New Business Mindset Most Influential Person Nisargadatta Maharaj - Hindu Teacher and Author Effect on Emotions I used to be scared of my emotions and now I embrace them. My emotions used to be overwhelming and now they're a really, really important part of who I am and I cherish them. Unless you move through this process and experience it, it's kind of counterintuitive because my emotions are much deeper, much richer, and I'm much more sensitive to them. Yet I am much deeper and much stronger and much more able to hold those healthily. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is an enormously powerful practice. If there's a stressful moment, if you intentionally drop your breath to the belly, it slows and stabilizes everything. Paying attention to breathing just slows things down and brings peace. Suggested Resources Book: I Am That: Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Book: Pointers From Nisargadatta (Free Download) App: Insight Timer Bullying Story I have absolutely been bullied. I was bullied as a mature adult without recognizing it at the time. As a child I was bullied, but nowhere near as much as some kids, but some. I would tell you, mindfulness, would not just help me get through it, mindfulness would have allowed me to see more clearly what was happening. In those situations as an adult, I would have been much more aware of the dynamic in a couple of relationships and I wouldn't have stayed in those relationships. I would have just moved on much more quickly. As a child, it's not just that I would have been able to deal with them better, and survive them better, I would have responded to the behaviour in different ways that would have been much more healthy for all concerned.

Cindy Ashton is a performer, singer, musical theatre actress and a blast of energy. She inspires people wherever she goes and is known for her ability to entertain anywhere, anytime on the spot. Her natural ability combined with her Second City comedy improvisation experience has a lot to do with this part of her sparkling personality. She studied performing arts, Opera and Kinesiology so she’s all about movement. One of her most recent projects is a TV show called Cindy Uncorked, described as a daring, hilarious and intelligent talk show that tackles important women's issues from a fresh perspective. Contact Info Website: www.YourPersuasiveVoice.com (For Speaker Training) Website: www.CindyUncorked.com (For TV Show) Most Influential Person Madonna Effect on Emotions I don't get triggered very often anymore. I find that I don't react. I just listen and am present with people and so I don't take things personally. Thoughts on Breathing Constant. I constantly check in with my breathing throughout the day. Am I breathing down into my pelvic floor? Am I dropping into my body? It's about being mindful of it [breathing], 24-7 so I'm present. Suggested Resources Book: Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit and Joy in the Female Body by Tami Lynn Kent App: Yoga Glo (Over 4000 Yoga classes of all types) Bullying Story I've been bullied most of my life until the last few years. As a child, after three heart surgeries, leaving scars on me ... I was born with a twenty percent chance of living. The whole left side of my body was structurally damaged at birth. I had to have casts on my legs to learn how to walk. I had a lisp and had to have speech therapy to learn how to speak. I was a very deformed looking kid. So I was always the girl who was ugly and unworthy and beat up on the play ground for being ugly and having scars. By the time I got to high school it didn't stop. I was the girl who could never get a boyfriend. I was too ugly for any man to ever want to date me or be with me.  

Giovanni Marsico is a connector of superheroes. He is is the founder of the wildly successful Archangel Academy which is an organization bringing together mission-driven entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place. Archangel proceeds go to The Archangel Fund, which is used to provide micro-loans and donations to entrepreneurs and charities making the world a better place. On September 7th, he will again host the Archangel Summit in Toronto, which will unite two thousand passionate attendees who will grow and prosper as a result of their Archangel experience. Included in the impressive list of featured speakers are Lewis Howes, The Shark Tank’s Daymond John, MeToWe’s Marc Kielburger, and Danielle LaPorte. Giovanni is directed, centered and focused as he prepares for these large scale events which seamlessly interweave music, high calibre speakers, and video, to create a masterpiece presentation. Contact Info Company: Archangel Website: www.ArchangelSummit.com Coming in Fall 2017: ArchangelAcademy.com Most Influential Person Dr. Stephanie Estima / Phillip McKernan / Jesse Elder Effect on Emotions I feel that I'm constantly growing and being more and more awake and aware to the idea that I am the perceiver of the emotion, the feeler of the emotion, but I can also be the narrator, the actor, the audience. I can be different roles and I can step back and watch this happening and not think that it is me. I am the one perceiving. For me this is really important because I'm not attached to what is happening. The emotions become a guidepost for my intuition giving me messages about what's happening in the moment. Thoughts on Breathing It's such a simple thing that we all don't understand. I used to suffer from really bad panic attacks and anxiety. Scientifically I learned that when you start feeling adrenaline or cortisol, you actually hold your breath, or you breathe shorter breaths. Then your body kicks in more adrenaline and says, hey, you're not breathing. Start breathing. But then you feel more of a panic and it leads into a panic attack. I remember learning square breathing from a nurse. One of my panic attacks was so bad, I thought it was a heart attack. I called the ambulance. It was just a very deep panic attack. This one awesome nurse taught me square breathing and how important breath is when you're feeling anxiety. It is the easiest way to get centered, ever. Last week at the Archangel Show, Elizabeth DiAlto said, "It's very complicated, just breathe." Suggested Resources Book: Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill App: N/A Bullying Story It's part of my origin story. I'm a comic book geek and that's part of the story. When I was in fifth grade, my school did IQ testing which I think a lot of schools do and I was labeled as gifted. I didn't know what that meant, so I asked my parents. They said, you're really, really smart, you have a high IQ. Cool. No judgement. But that year I started getting bullied in class for being smart which is something I can never understand. I remember one day, a bunch of kids ganged up on me and said, 'stop doing so well on your test, you make us all look bad.' I thought, what? I went home crying and now had this negative charge to the idea of being gifted. It was strange for me. Shortly after, I started getting into comic books and I discovered the X-Men. The very first page I opened, there was an image that said, Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. And there was that word again. But now it actually meant something different. It meant you had a super power. So now it kind of shifted everything. I fell in love with the X-Men. When people ask me, who's your favourite comic book character? I say, Professor X. I think I'm the only person who says that. Usually people say Iron Man or Batman, or Superman. Mine is Professor X. Since then, I've actually modelled the Archangel business plan after the X-Men. Our Master's group is like the X-Men, a team of super heros that are creating change. The superheros are also teachers for the gifted school, which is Archangel Academy (this program coming out in the fall), and the Summit. I owe everything to being bullied, which led me to the X-Men. If you connect all these dots, I'm here because of all that.

Timothy Carroll is a leadership expert who, through his study of cognitive behaviour sciences and psychology has equipped himself to coach high level achievers. Also a successful athlete, at only 16 years old he represented New Zealand at Four World Championships as a barefoot waterskier. Later, in 2008, he participated as a performance coach at the Beijing Olympics for a Swedish equestrian riding event. Through his elite coaching, Timothy has helped top companies in Europe greatly boost their bottom line including Schneider Electric Group, Kuwaiti National Petroleum Co, Yellow Pages and Mannheimer Swartling. In spite of all these successes, Timothy is down-to-earth, gentle and generous in his desire to share his incredible wisdom. Contact Info Company: Carroll Consultancy Website: CarrollConsultancy.com Blog: LinkedIn.com/in/TimothyCarroll Podcast: Facebook: @TimothyCarroll and @TimothyJCarroll Timothy Carroll's Book: The Evolutionary Leader: Five Steps to Dramatically Develop People and Performance by Timothy Carroll Most Influential Person Dr. Deepak Chopra Effect on Emotions Well I think mindfulness has helped me to be a much happier and more fulfilled person. I've learned to get on top of my mind and and see in my mind. I'm aware of my thinking process. I'm able to step back from that and not get caught up in all of those thoughts that come up inside. My focus is on the gap between those thoughts. I have a good friend of mine who's a world record holder in free-diving. So he's diving down 120 metres on just one breath of air. And I said to him, What are you thinking about. What's your experience when you're diving down that deep? And he said, well you know, I have this little devil on my shoulder that comes up when thoughts come and go. Sometimes it says, you know this could be the last breath you ever take. When I'm diving my mind will tell me, hey turn around you're going to die. And I don't pay attention to that anymore because it doesn't suit me to dive deep into the ocean. But out of curiosity what are you paying attention to? And he said I'm paying attention to the silence between those thoughts. And the deeper that I dive into that silence, the deeper I dive into the ocean. And that's my experience as well as an athlete. And when I'm interviewing other athletes, [I ask], what were you thinking about when you broke that world record, when you broke that personal best? They all say I was thinking nothing. And so this is the peak performance and if that's what is found when the mind is still, then you've got to make that the number one thing in your life. Learn how to still your mind and get out of the way of yourself. Thoughts on Breathing We build this internal turbulence. Very often when I talk to my clients about taking the time to just be and challenging them to just sit and be and do nothing but be present with their breath, they find that extremely difficult to sit for even five minutes. The first thing I do is talk to people about literally training in neurology, training your nervous system to be still. It's something that we typically only do when sleeping. To be able to do it regularly on a consistent basis and practice just being, and stopping minding, or doing mind is a great skill. That's what I first teach executives and athletes when we first begin. Your responsibility is to just focus on your breath and if you get lost in your thoughts, come back to it. That's all you are responsible to do. Suggested Resources Book: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success By Deepak Chopra Book: The Evolutionary Leader: Five Steps to Dramatically Develop People and Performance by Timothy Carroll App: n/a Bullying Story Mindfulness and meditation is something that you practice sitting down and its typically in that way. If you look at mindfulness, mindfulness is really around taking that into every moment. so that you practice being super present in every moment, not just when you're sitting for twenty minutes in the morning or in the evening, but you're actually being right here, right now in every possible moment. Bullying for me is a big issue; it's an ego-based problem. Our ego is the part of us which develops. We're pretty ego-less when we're born. Then we develop this mind and self-image and judgements. Deepak Chopra says ego stands for Edging God Out. When we're stuck in our ego, it's very easy for us to point the finger at someone else and project. In psychology we talk about projection, and projecting our unresolved issues upon others or for a young kid who is being bullied at home, then we imitate that and we take it out on other kids at school. I think mindfulness is a huge support for people to step out of their ego and to be able to become aware of their feelings and to breathe through those feelings when they come out. Instead of projecting those feelings unto someone, and hurting that other person, really being able to take full responsibility for what is coming up within that person and then breathe through those feelings. An emotion always has a beginning, a middle and an end and when those emotions come up, and you breathe through them and allow the energy of the emotion, energy in motion; e-motion to move through you. If I had learned that when I was younger, there's plenty of times growing up in an all boys Catholic school in Wellington in New Zealand where kids are mean. And we can see how mean kids can be. There are many times when I was bullied in the past where I would have benefited from [knowing] how to deal with the emotions that come up with that. Definitely people who have chosen to bully would benefit from that too.  

Antar The Navigator is a screenwriter, author and coach. He’s passionate about using his own rocky story to inspire and motivate others to make the best of their lives. In his late teens, robbing banks and drug trafficking became his life, resulting ina six-year prison sentence. While in jail he experienced an epiphany which changed Antar into a person intensely focused on helping others. In his books, Antar teaches you how to reach your true consciousness and how meditation and prayer is a solid way to help you move forward. Contact Info Company: www.StayInTheMiracleInstitute.com Website: www.AntarTheNavigator.com Free Gifts from Antar worth $5100.00 Book: The Secret of the Infinite Intelligence by Antar Most Influential Person The Honorable Wallace D Muhammad (Antar was his personal assistant) Effect on Emotions What happens to us in this life, the body is the cocoon. You can't see what's going on inside me. I look like the same person that you saw last week but I'm not. Thoughts on Meditation The first meditation I learned to do was Transcendental Meditation and I did it for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Then I came up with a meditation of my own. It's astral projection. It's called Bequello. It's an acronym. Bequello is the mantra. It stands for Beyond Earth Quantum Universal Energy Light Laser and Oṁ.  Bequello. You don't concentrate on your breath or your mantra, you're actually on an assignment while you're meditating. You're traveling while you're meditating. Suggested Resources Book: As A Man Thinketh by James Allen Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Book: Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill Book: The Secret of the Infinite Intelligence by Antar Bullying Story So I was bullied. Like I said, I grew up with the wrong crowd you know. So we're what they call people of the street, people of the night, people of the vampires. I mean we're out doing things to other people. What people don't realize is that if you are a criminal, or you're a thug or whatever you want to call it, you're living with the murderers, you're living with the rapists, you're living with the gangsters. Other people are scared of these people. We're living with them, next door to them, you know. So [we're talking about] people that are just dangerous people. And there was this one guy; he was the ultimate bully. I'm not going to mention his name because he was so big. He's a totally different person now. I was really young and I was growing up and getting involved in the criminal life. I remember one day I was playing basketball at the Boys Club and he got mad at something. I don't know what he was mad at. I did something in the basketball game and I'm kind of looking the other way now. Whatever I did, he was looking over at the basketball. He's a pretty big guy and he threw it [the ball]. He hit me on the head with it. It knocked me off my feet. I wasn't going to fight him or get into a conflict with him because I was scared of him, and he knew it. A lot of people were scared of him. And he was waiting for me. What are you going to do? Well you know I'm not really ready to do anything. And then he started approaching me like he was going to hit me again. And I'm young and smaller than him and I'm scared to death. And there was another occasion that he looked like he was going to get aggressive on me. He didn't really have to do anything to me. All he had to do was look at me a certain way and act like he was going to get aggressive with me. And those are the only two or three occasions in my life that I could remember where I know that I was being bullied and harassed by this guy. And when I grew up, I decided that I was not going to be bullied any more.

Raised in Alaska, Damion Lupo is part Alaskan, part Texan and 100% Reinvention. He's a four-time college dropout who cut his teeth in the trenches of real life, becoming a self-made multimillionaire by age 25. He's the founder of Yokido, holds a black belt in Aikido, is a practitioner of yoga and a student of Reiki. He's a lifelong student of Austrian economics and runs a precious metals company based in Austin, Texas. Damion spends his time teaching and lecturing on the art of Reinvention with his unique teaching style focused on his personal life experiences and the process for developing consciousness and awareness to the truth. His personal philosophy of self responsibility influences his Yokido practice and his financial theory around retirement planning. Contact Info Company: Total Control Financial Website: www.DamionLupo.com Social Media: Twitter & FB @DamionLupo Most Influential Person Frank Allen Effect on Emotions It, [mindfulness] let me let go of the anxiety, the stresses, the ability to ask what is true. It allows us to let go of the stuff; the beliefs. We peel back these onion layers, and whether that was sitting in an office and chatting or whether that was on the dojo and we're throwing each other around. Always  repeatedly asking that question, you keep going deeper. To me this is what a great coach does or a great therapist; they just hold space because we are our own inner guru. We are all black belts. We have all this stuff in us. What we have to do is find ways to get outside of all of the barriers and blocks. Somebody that's holding space will ask questions to where we start peeking around the corners and we start seeing things and we show up because it's already inside us. Thoughts on Breathing One of the things that I really hated ago was, years ago, when I was stressed out, when my financial world was really at the peak. At the time I was spending a lot of money, making a lot of money and there was a lot of toxicity going on. And one of the problems was I took a break from martial arts for a couple of years where I wasn't really training and I don't think I was really breathing; very shallow breathing. And so there was a lot of dead air. There's a lot of dead life. There was just nothing going on deep down in my lungs and really pushing through my body. And so one of the things that I shifted to - I started learning about Transcendental Meditation. I started learning how to deep breathe and to really take breath all the way in and slow it down. And it's funny because if you think about this, the world is going so fast. Anything we can do to slow things down, even if it's for seconds or minutes a day, can change everything because we start seeing things. Otherwise we're just running, we're in a rat race all the time. So that was probably the one key thing was slowing it down and being able to focus on that. Literally thinking about my breath, counting my breath. It seems crazy or simple or like you know OK I've heard that before. All right. Well great. How often are we doing it? And that's really the question. How often can we get in that space where we're paying attention to our breath? And that's what I'm doing now more than ever. Back then one of the side effects of not being there, that toxicity, was the anxiety and the stress. And it was causing me to be really nauseous. And typical system answer; hey we'll give you drugs, let's give you clonopin or something. And the breath work has allowed me to shift away from that. So I haven't touched any of that stuff for many many years. But I think if people don't focus on their breath they're going to be stuck in big pharma and a lot of the other numbing agents whether it's drugs or alcohol or these different things and the breath can absolutely solve anything. Suggested Resources Book: Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard App: Calendar Bullying Story Boys, the amount of bullying that I've experienced. I mean one of the most intense events in my life was when I was in junior high up in Alaska. I had a kid come on the school bus and he pulled a 357 pistol out into my head and said he's going to kill me. And that's a pretty intense bullying experience. Not very many people know that I had that experience. And it's I think that was one of the things that made me feel like I need to be able to be in the space where I can do something; that I'm not going to be a victim. And so now, one of the things that I train on is is being able to move gently around that type of thing. So if that were to happen [again], if somebody were to pull a gun on me or to pull a knife or whatever, I'm naturally, instinctually going to move around it. And I'm going to deflate or de-escalate the situation. And those type of events didn't just stop in junior high. When you're out there disrupting and that's what I tend to do because I don't follow systems very well. I tend to say this is a bad idea, which makes people crazy that are really focused on protecting their system. I tend to disrupt a lot which pushes the system back on me and I'm OK with that because I'm doing it for something that is more impactful and freeing people in pretty much every case these days. So I've had lots of different pushback from people telling me I was crazy. In 2010 for example I was on a a campaign and I was volunteering and I got fired as a volunteer. So that tells you how bad of an employee I am. And after this thing happened I was watching the Internet and I noticed people were saying that I had been fired. And so there were these anonymous trolls that were out there and this happens on Facebook. I mean people are sadly committing suicide. Kids are committing suicide when this stuff happens. It's horrible. And my experience was just this onslaught of people being negative and just attacking me, telling me how terrible of a person I was. And I was defending it and I finally said, wait a second, let's just be honest. What happened? I got fired. I wish that I had quit. And that was one of the moments I realized I had to just be with the truth and the truth was I was a terrible employee. I didn't follow the rules I was trying to break the system because I wanted to win. And I just acknowledged it and that was a big step I think in the right direction, acknowledging the truth. It was allowing and I can take that and redirect it. And that's one of the principles of Akido. It's being with the energy and allowing it. You can redirect it but you're not going into it. You're not fighting it. And that's a very common thing when we think about conflict. We don't think about turning and blending with something and accepting it and saying thank you for it. We think about saying no you're wrong and I'm going to get into a fight and I'm going to win. I'm going to beat you. And that usually doesn't end very well.

Tommy Breedlove is the founder of Choose Goodness, a company dedicated to helping executives and entrepreneurs focus beyond the financial bottom line. By empowering leaders, Tommy bridges the gap between humanity and profitably. He transforms organizations to attract and retain the best and brightest people, create a loyal customer base and promote goodwill within their communities. Choose Goodness provides both the rational and emotional perspectives to the strategic and financial decision making process. Contact Info Website: choosegoodnessnow.com Email: tommy@choosegoodnessnow.com Twitter: @choosegoodness Facebook: @choosegoodnessnow Most Influential Person Nancy Vedo Effect on Emotions It made me from a fear-based to a loving-based person. I start with love now 90 percent of the time as opposed to a fear based mentality. Thoughts on Breathing Oh. Breathing is my mindfulness so it starts there and goes back there no matter what. If I find myself in a planning mode or remembering mode or a future mode, I always go back to the breath and start with the breath. Also have gratitude for your breath because at the end of the day it's actually what keeps us alive. And so breathing to me is everything. And so it's everything about how I live my life and in the choices that make it. It starts with the breath. Suggested Resources Book: Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan App: Oprah & Deepak’s 21-Day Meditation Experience

Dr. Russell Jaffe is scientist who is certified in Clinical and Chemical Pathology. He has more than 40 years of experience contributing to molecular biology and clinical diagnostics. He has spent his career searching for deeper wisdom and insight into how humans can enjoy better health. Being incredibly curious and yet skepical, he set out to prove that many holistic forms of health and healing systems were not particularly valid, or at least not scientific. Instead, his discoveries changed the direction of his career and he became deeply engrossed in the study of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, meditation, homeopathy and manipulative arts. Contact Info Website: DrRussellJaffe.com Online Book: Perque.com/alkway Health Tests: Betterlabtestsnow.com Most Influential Person Bonti (My Mentor) Effect on Emotions Well I would like to think that I am a bit more kind and compassionate. My experience is that emotions are now like the weather. They affect me. I am aware of them. I watch them because for me it's a dynamic of engaged non-attachment; engaged with what I'm doing, this conversation for example. But nonattached to the outcome and therefore able in fact more than able, willing and practicing the art of living. And if you want to fully be in the moment and feel the fullness of the moment, practicing non-attachment is very helpful for mental health. You can easily get overwhelmed with the emotions. That's the astral level of life. But then there is an electromagnetic level or an astral level and maybe beyond that a spiritual, or soul level. And in my tradition as well as in my science, all of it is grist for the mill, all of that is part of the art of living. Practice Non-Attachment To Experience The Art of Living Says Scientist Dr. Russell Jaffe Practice Non-Attachment To Become Compassionate Says Scientist Dr. Russell Jaffe Non-Attachment Leads To Compassion Suggests Scientist Dr. Russell Jaffe Thoughts on Breathing Our breath is a refuge. That's a classic Buddhist concept. What that means is that when most people feel what's called fight or flight response, some of us practice the third way which is fortitude. So yes we can flee, yes we can fight. But both of those are afflictive and harsh. The other choice is fortitude. Fortitude means being calm in the midst of everyone else's turbulence. It means letting your breath engage you as the witness of your life because when I say non-attachment I mean that as we're having this conversation part of me is watching me and us have this conversation, this communion, this connection, this meaningful moment. Suggested Resources Book: The Science of Breath by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, and Alan Hymes Book: Active Meditation: The Western Tradition by Robert R. Leichtman, Carl Japikse App: Timer App Your Meditation Practice I had the great good fortune of just doing it. I was told to take twenty minutes, twice a day, and be. And during that time of twenty minutes, I should just repeat the sound that I was given, it was whispered in my ear. There was a whole ceremony. It was lovely in the sense that it heightened my attention to that particular sound for me. What I did was the lowest of the low tech versions. I picked one place. I sat there for twenty minutes twice a day and I learned to measure approximately what twenty minutes was without any device. I have no problem, if you want to set your phone to tell you when the time that you allot has passed so that you don't have to be preoccupied with whether its going to be nineteen, twenty or twenty-one minutes. The essence of meditation is to be, to be with your breath, to be with a sound, to be with an image, to be with whatever it is that you are inclined to be with.

Jordan Cowe is a certified wine educator, a meditator, and co-founder of Be Wineful. Jordan is one of approximately four hundred people worldwide to achieve the designation of Certified Wine Educator since its inception in 1977, becoming the youngest to do so in 2015. Jordan has taught at  conferences and events across North America spreading interest in unique and unknown wines. Jordan has also suffered for many years from Panic Disorder and agoraphobia [a fear of going outside]. His desire to succeed in the world of wine and live a happy life led him to create his system of Winefulness. He is now dedicating himself to spreading happiness, joy, and relaxation with wine. [show-notes-bio] Contact Info Company: Be Wineful Website: BeWineful.com Facebook/Twitter: @BeWineful Most Influential Person  Steve Abma, my therapist. Effect on Emotions I've become much calmer, much less reactive, so I don't experience anger. Well I do occasionally, but it takes a lot. But I mean I don't experience much anger. I don't experience many extreme emotions. I'm just always pleasant and happy. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is essential. You're always breathing so you always have your breath with you. If I'm in an environment where I start to get worked up or start to get stressed out, I can always come back to my breath and I can just shut out everything around me and just focus in on the breath coming in and out of my nose. I can meditate in the middle of a crowded building at this point. I can sit down on a bench in the middle of the casino here. We went for dinner the other night, I freaked out and I just sat on the bench in the middle of all these people. I was able to go into meditation and I used the breath. Suggested Resources Book: Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Danny Penman Book: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn App: Headspace The Science Bruce: So Jordan what's the science behind this? Is there science that tells us about the combination of wine and mindfulness. What is the science? Jordan: Well it's a mix of things. I mean the sensory side of meditation is very important. So as far as mindfulness meditation it's ability to help many things, that's been widely spread. As far as anxiety, high stress, as far as depression, mindfulness fits there. Now the one thing that has been noted in the past, especially for people with attention deficit disorder which is me, hence why I can get distracted easily. Typical breath, focus, and things like that doesn't always work well. I get distracted very easily and they get frustrated. So having another method into meditation is very useful for them. So I mean obviously in a clinical environment they're not going to be using wine, they're going to try and come up with other systems. For somebody who needs a stimulus that's intense to keep them on track, that's a wonderful side. The other side of it is, wine from a science point of view, for the meditation itself. Obviously a slight bit of alcohol does allow people to loosen up a little bit. It allows people to be open to new ideas. It allows people to accept something different. It puts people into a very happy and relaxed mode for the most part to begin with. The other cool side about wine, as a wine science point of view, it is one of the only fruits where when you ferment it, the complex sugars and the complex organic compounds, they break down into things that smell like other things. When you ferment a blueberry or a peach wine, they smell exactly like blueberries or peaches. But because of the way yeast evolved it can actually break down some of the other more complex components of wine. And so when you pick up a wine there can be hundreds of different aromas emanating from that glass. You're giving somebody something in front of them where there's so many possible reactions and there's so many things in front of them that it forces them to open up to the stimulus. So you just give them one aroma, they smell and they're done. The brain can shut off where you have them sit there with the wine, like up their nose and they're smelling it. They just sit there with it. It's constantly changing. There's constantly new things happening in their brain. It's triggering new memories, triggering new emotions. You can sit there for 15 minutes and your brain will always have a new stimulus. That's the important thing for me.

Sharon Carne is passionate about the healing power of sound and music. She has developed stress reduction programs making use of the healing power of sound. Sharon has produced sound healing recordings and is frequently invited to speak for corporate and private events – many of them based within the medical community. Sharon also has written a book called, “Listen From the Inside Out”. Contact Info Company: Sound Wellness Website: SoundWellness.com Book: Listen From The Inside Out by Sharon Carne Blog: Sound Wellness Blog Most Influential Person My good friend Tina and also my sister. Effect on Emotions Mindfulness calms my emotions so much. That deep breath is one of the first places you go to. Then whatever situation I'm in, whatever the mindfulness tool I bring in. A sound or an internal sound. One of my favourite things is to listen to the bird songs as I go on my walks. That's my mindfulness walk. My mindfulness meditation. Thoughts on Breathing The breath brings me right back. It always does that. Suggested Resources Book: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn Book: Listen From The Inside Out by Sharon Carne App: Authentic Tibetan Singing Bowls by Oceanhouse Media Bullying Story We had quite an experience in our own family with our older son. When he was in grade 7, he moved to another school. About six of the kids who were his best friends in grade 6 in the previous school were in his group at school. Our older son has always been my teacher for integrity; since he could speak. At that age of grade seven when you're twelve or thirteen and peer pressure becomes an important part of the social milieu and so he would say, I'm not going to do that, that's not right.  He started getting bullied, which ended up after several months with an enormous amount of angst. He was crying himself to sleep at night and he came home one day and said, mom, I'm not going back to school. He was just vibrating with stress and frustration and anger. He actually hit a kid, which is why he said he was not going back to school. I said, OK. Another of his friends was being homeschooled at that time so I called his mom and said, what do I do. She coached me on what to do and so I called the school and said I was taking him out to be homeschooled and explained that every intervention I've tried had not worked. So, it was one of the things that really helped Will, whenever he was really super stressed, it would affect his stomach. I found a CD. It was called Chakra Chants by Jonathon Goldman. I said, just stay in bed, Will. I know your stomach's hurting and this is psychological hurting so it was real. I would put the CD on and he would come down sixty minutes later saying, I'm all better, Mom. It was amazing. It helped him so much, having it in the background and encouraging him to allow the sound to do it's work, even though he wasn't focusing on it.

Jaimal Yogis is an author and teacher of creative writing. He is widely known for his best-seller, Saltwater Buddha, a masterpiece novel and documentary film which tells the story of a young surfer’s spiritual journey as he experiences monasteries, meditation and mindfulness as part of his fascinating search for eternal truth. His most recent book called ‘All Our Waves Are Water’ is to be released in July. Jaimal skillfully uses the sea as a powerful metaphor to explore questions about the nature of the true self.    Contact Info Website: JaimalYogis.com Social Media (IG, Twitter, FB): JaimaYogis Most Influential Person My mom. (She always did Yoga and meditation daily). Effect on Emotions I think mindfulness has enhanced the good emotions and it's helped me let the bad ones go. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is my mindfulness practice. The breath is always there. It's something to focus on and it's just so pleasant, just taking a breath and being there with it. It's amazingly rich. Suggested Resources Book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryū Suzuki App: Headspace Bullying Story In the surfing world, a lot of people think of surfers is like really peaceful, zen dudes, but it gets pretty tense out in the water sometimes. I actually had a story in Saltwater Buddha about a time when I was surfing in Santa Cruz and it gets really crowded and I was just I  in my intermediate level of Surfing. I got a great wave, I got a barrel when I got inside and that was one of my first waves like that. I was feeling really confident and got a little overconfident and I dropped in front of a guy on my next wave. That's sort of the biggest faux pas in surfing. When you drop in on someone it's dangerous but it's just an etiquette issue. A lot of beginners don't realize this and if you break rank essentially at one of these uber competitive surf breaks like in films like North Shore and Point Break you know you can really invoke wrath. I did that and and the guy was a young local guy who just started spewing all kinds of invectives and every four letter word and then some. This was for maybe 45 minutes. This guy wouldn't let it go and I kept thinking, should I get out of the water or should I apologize. I ignored him and eventually I was pretty seething inside. It was mindfulness that really brought me out of it. There was a point where he was shouting all these homophobic obscenities at me. I remember seeing his neck bulging and his face really red and I thought the fact that he was really suffering in this situation. He was the one who had no control over his anger. I was suffering too. It was sort of a mutual situation. That little thought of compassion switched me out of it.  I wasn't quite as offended. I almost felt a little bit of compassion to this guy who clearly had no anger management skills. I breathed and I remembered a Zen story where a Samurai is seeking an advice from a Zen master and he goes to the Zen master and he says, Sensei, teach me the difference between heaven and hell. The Zen master says why would I teach a cretin like you? You're an uneducated Samurai. This is a high teaching. I wouldn't stoop to that level. This is a very respected Samurai.He picks up the sword and he's about to slice the the monk and just as his eyes are bulging and he's about to drop his sword, the Zen master says, wait. He says, that right there is hell. The Samurai thinks about it and he realizes that he's been given this great teaching and he realizes that his emotions got the best of him. Then he bows to the Zen master. (Hear more on the podcast interview).