This episode explores the concept of "learned helplessness" and how it helps explain why many of us tend to give up too soon when faced with difficult challenges. I share my reflections on living in Portland, Oregon, where the thrum of DHS helicopters disrupts the tranquility of our otherwise peaceful neighborhoods. Additionally, I delve into Carl Jung's insights on discovering our true power and examine why both the Dalai Lama and Jane Goodall advocate for having hope in an overwhelming world. For further inspiration, I recommend Jane Goodall's final book, "⁠The Book of Hope,⁠" and The Dalai Lama's new film, "⁠Wisdom of Happiness.⁠"

Lynnsey Robinson is a Certified Hypnotherapist featured in Psychology Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and HuffPost. In this fun and inspiring podcast, Lynnsey tells us how we can find and overcome our subconscious blocks and shift our money mindset. We also talk about what kept Lynnsey from answering her calling until later in life, even though she knew it as a child, and what you can do to follow your purpose, too. If you're ready to hear a spiritual pep talk and transform your life, this podcast is for you! Check out Lynnsey's website and Instagram⁠⁠.

It's the perfect time to answer your calling because so much within and around us is in flux in today's tumultuous world. My clients often find their purpose after experiencing a life disruption because it thrusts them out of their routines and creates space for them to grow into a greater version of themselves. This podcast explores how you can expand beyond your former limits, too, by using superheroes as role models. I also use Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung's concept of the golden shadow to help you uncover your greatest gifts and tap into the power within.

Patty Wilde, Associate Professor of English at WSU Tri-Cities, is quickly becoming a recognized leader in her field. Her new book, ⁠⁠Winning Our Wonder,⁠⁠ uses cutting-edge research to explore how stories of women who served in the American Civil War have evolved over time. Patty shares inspiring insights on how she found her calling to write and teach, better ways to tell our stories, and the importance of asking ourselves what we want to do with our wild and precious lives. You can preorder her remarkable book on ⁠Amazon⁠.

Rev. Abigail Schairer is a rising star featured in Science of Mind magazine who started her own church and created two popular retreats to empower women and next-generation leaders to thrive in today's world. We talk about how this vibrant young visionary found the courage to leave her job at Stanford to answer her calling to be a minister and how you can find your right career, too. She inspires us to find hope and create a strong vision to make the change we want to see in today's turbulent times. Check out her ⁠SisterSpirit Retreat⁠ at the Seabeck Conference Center on April 3-6 in Seabeck, Washington. 

Internationally renowned power experts ⁠Annie Blair⁠ and ⁠Carol Zahner⁠ show us how to redefine our relationship with power and become empowered leaders, regardless of how overwhelmed or marginalized we may feel. They explain⁠ how bullies are created and the difference between power-over and power-with mentalities. They guide us through a simple embodiment practice that helps us move forward whenever we feel stuck or blocked, which led me to make a breakthrough on air. Check out their “⁠Get Smart About Your Power⁠⁠” workshop beginning on February 25.

Feeling overwhelmed by our crisis-filled world? You’re not alone. Mythologist Michael Meade ⁠ suggests we may be in an apocalypse, but there’s hope. Bestselling author Diane Dreher, Ph.D.,⁠ shares insights on how to find our personal power during troubled times by learning from the resilience of those who survived the Dark Ages. They defied authority, discovered their greatest gifts, and ushered in the Renaissance, which means “rebirth” in French. Diane encourages us to take the free ⁠VIA character survey⁠ to identify our unique strengths and join communities to harness our power and make positive change.

My beautiful mother, Ingrid, passed away recently. This podcast shares the wonderful gifts I discovered she had while going through her things. It also covers why knowing what makes you different from your parents enables you to thrive as your true self. According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, "the greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents." Mythologist Michael Meade says we come into the world with our own gifts and life journeys, unique from our parents. The answer to finding your authentic purpose lies in living between these two poles.

Dr. Steve Koc joined an ashram at age 16 and became a rockstar chiropractor in Beverly Hills with clients such as Michael Jackson. We talk about how Steve combined his passion for spirituality with his expertise as a doctor of chiropractic to create a thriving practice and why having empathy for others is good for business. We also discuss how you can find your unique gifts and build a successful business. After working with celebrity clients, Steve shares what he learned about truly living a rockstar life. He now lives in Oregon and has produced award-winning music, videos, and art, including his inspiring metaphysical fiction book The Seeker. 

Catherine Ming T'ien Duffly is an Associate Professor at Reed College in the Theatre Department. While pursuing her BA in History, Kate found her calling to combine social justice and theater and pursued a PhD in Performance Studies from UC, Berkeley. She now teaches socially engaged and community-based theatre, race theory and performance, directing, and puppetry. We talk about Kate's love of teaching and the cool parade she's putting on to boost community joy. This podcast shows you how to combine your gifts to find your bigger calling, too. It also gives you tips and clues for creating passion projects to boost your well-being and help make the world a better place. Kate is the president of the board of Oregon’s Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) theatre company ⁠Theatre Diaspora⁠. ⁠Learn more⁠ about her First Annual Everything Under the Sun Parade in Sellwood, Portland, OR, on June 15 and free puppet-building workshops on June 5, 8 and 12.

Laura Goff left a career as a graphic designer to follow her calling to become an extraordinary acupuncturist. In this fun interview, Laura discovers one of her superpowers on air. We explore how she uses this gift to design websites and diagnose clients and how our strengths often crossover into different areas of our lives. We also talk about how you can find your right career by discovering what puts you in a flow state and why sometimes your current occupation only needs to be tweaked a bit to become a calling. We also discuss how Laura decided to become a Qi Gong and Yoga teacher and integrates these "energy medicines" into her practice at Whitney Green Acupuncture. If you'd like to turn your career into a calling, this podcast can show you the way.

⁠Joel Kroeker is an internationally known pop star, music-centered psychotherapist, and psychoanalyst with a private practice in Victoria, British Columbia. We discuss how curiosity can lead us to discover our unique superpowers. We also talk about when it's time to answer our true calling and how to end one career and start another. Joel received a Master's in ethnomusicology but dropped out of the Ph.D. program to sign a record deal with Universal/True North Records. He spent ten years traveling the world as an award-winning singer-songwriter. Still, he felt called to get a second Master's in music-centered psychotherapy and eventually trained as a Jungian analyst in Switzerland. Joel blends his passions and expertise in his amazing TED talk and new book, Jungian Music Psychotherapy.

Eddie Watkins, Jr. is an amazing bass player, singer, and songwriter from Detroit, MI who has recorded with renowned musicians such as Barbra Streisand, Santana, Cher, and Diana Ross. We talk about how he discovered his musical talent at age seven and the best ways to identify your own superpowers. We also discuss how Eddie became a sought-after session bass player for Motown, but success and the fast life led him down a path of substance abuse and recovery. Hitting rock bottom became an opportunity for Eddie to experience a spiritual awakening and answer his higher calling. On January 13th, Eddie launched his Peace on Earth Tour to promote unity across our nation. Give his music a listen!

Jahmal Lake has a high-powered career in high-tech and is making the world a better place with his nonprofit organization ⁠Our Kids Read⁠. As its Executive Director, Jahmal is devoted to improving literacy in African-American, Indigenous, and Latinx elementary school children nationwide. His enthusiasm and energy are contagious! Jahmal and I talk about how you can answer your own greater calling by tapping into your authentic power and connecting to something bigger than you. For those living in Portland, OR, Boys and Girls of America recently partnered with Our Kids Read and is looking for local volunteers to read to students from February through April 2024. To learn more, check out ourkidsreadinc.org.

Kay Kostopoulos is a triple-threat actor, singer, and dancer who teaches acting and communication skills at Stanford University's Theater Department, Graduate School of Business, and School of Medicine. Kay talks about how she grew up in a working-class family and was able to create her amazing life, giving us hints and clues for finding the power and confidence to succeed as our true selves, too. I was lucky enough to take her classes and they changed my life! Kay has been featured in O Magazine and performs as “Black Olive Jazz” with the finest jazz musicians in the Bay Area and New York City. She will be performing at Pangea in NYC on November 16th at 7 PM. (Listen to Shake it Up, the song that opens the podcast.)

Hannah Onstad is a powerhouse businesswoman who answered her calling to write fiction after climbing the corporate ladder. She's also one of the first and brightest students I taught as a psychology professor. We talk about what inspired her to go to graduate school two years ago and get an MFA in Creative Writing even though she's wanted to write since she was a young girl. We discuss what stops us from pursuing our dreams, how to find values-aligned work, and the importance of reclaiming our purpose later in life. Hannah is now publishing impressive ⁠book reviews⁠ and working on a novel while running a successful consulting company. She will be in conversation with Manuel Munoz, author of The Consequences, at Orinda Books in Orinda, CA on October 7th at 3 p.m.

Maria Williquette is an extraordinary psychotherapist and yoga instructor⁠ who heals us on the mat with her words. Her classes and retreats are always packed with adoring students, and I'm happy to be one of them. Maria's secret to success comes from combining her therapy and yoga superpowers in her dual careers. She also stays present with her clients and comes from the heart in everything she does. We talk about how to find your calling by giving yourself the space to notice what makes you come alive. We also discuss ways you can merge your unique gifts and why being kicked off the path you thought you should be on can help you find your true purpose.

Reverend Dr. Sunshine Michelle Coleman is an inspiring Senior Minister at the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living in CA. She shares her life experiences, tools, and concepts for living a greater life and ⁠authentic self-expression⁠. Sunshine Michelle has a doctorate in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. We talk about how she left a career as a model to go into Human Resources while studying spirituality on the side and eventually combined her superpowers to answer her higher calling to be a minister.

I am deeply inspired by Buffalo Child, a Plains Cree Native American who generously shares his wisdom and culture to help us tap into the sacred every day. We talk about the importance of slowing down, living in balance, and removing false labels put on us by others so that we can shine as our true selves. Renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung's concept of the golden shadow leads me to believe that our buried superpowers are nuggets of gold that can light the way to our purpose. We also discuss how Buffalo was called to lead a powerful Summer Solstice ceremony at Serpent Mount and how we often find our calling by being true to ourselves in the moment.

Rudy Zambrano is a fantastic ⁠⁠hairstylist⁠⁠ and an incredibly kind person. I met him after I got lost on the way to my first gig in Portland during the Rose Parade. Hundreds of people passed by before Rudy came out of nowhere to help. We talk about how Rudy struggled as a gay Latino man to be his true self and follow his calling. The #1 regret of the dying is that they wish they'd dared to live their purpose, not the life others expected of them. Learn how Rudy persevered and you can, too. Rudy and I also discuss how most of us (except the ⁠⁠dark triad personality⁠⁠) can develop our kindness superpower and the surprising ⁠⁠health benefits⁠⁠ of being kind to ourselves and others.