WEBVTT
00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.679
Welcome everyone to Doing Business with a Servant's Heart Podcast.
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:05.439
I'm your host, Steve Ramona, and I'm thrilled to have you join us today.
00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:13.599
The podcast is dedicated to exploring the idea of doing business and living life with a purpose, serving others and yes, achieving success.
00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:20.719
We believe that when you when we approach our work and our lives with a servant's heart, we can truly make a difference.
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:26.959
We create this for show for you because we want everyone to be motivated, inspired, and educated to make an impact in your world.
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:35.439
Whether you're an entrepreneur, a community leader, or simply someone looking to bring more purpose into your daily life, this podcast is here to support and uplift you.
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:36.959
So let's dive in together.
00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:38.560
I want you to think about today.
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.239
This guest is going to be incredible.
00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:41.359
I love this guy.
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:46.000
I want you to think about how you serve today and what impact will you create today from that service.
00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:46.879
Very important today.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.079
Don't wait till tomorrow.
00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:53.040
Let's explore these questions and embark on this journey of serving others and achieving success.
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.959
Thank you for being here and welcome once again to doing business with a servant's heart.
00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.000
But that being said, impact was a lot of my monologue.
00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.920
This gentleman is impacting in a way that the world needs.
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:08.240
I know it sounds kind of audacious or pervacious, whatever that word is.
00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:13.599
But if we follow what Sam, my guest, is going to talk about, I think the world will be a better place.
00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:15.199
Sam, welcome to the show.
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.599
Steve, thanks so so much for having me.
00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:18.879
What an awesome intro.
00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.319
I'm so stoked to be here.
00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:22.800
Yeah, this is and we're live close.
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.840
He's about uh 20, 25, 30 minutes away.
00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:31.680
It's always cool when you have somebody local being being a guest and you know helping my uh audience to grow.
00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:36.319
I want to start with mental health's a big problem in the world and it's not getting better.
00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:41.680
How did you prioritize mental health become such a such a for focus in your life and career?
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.560
Well, let's again chills already.
00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.240
Let's just go straight to the deep end.
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:51.280
So back in um like 16 years ago, it was 2008.
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:55.120
So yeah, about 16 years ago, Super Bowl Sunday.
00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:08.000
Um, I actually witnessed uh a friend hang himself, and we were in the living room, and that was, I mean, there's some we could just talk about that, the whole thing, right?
00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:13.680
So that was one thing now, and I was 19 years old within six months of that happening.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:25.280
Um, my mom's cousin was murdered by her husband, and he killed the twin boys on the sixth, uh their sixth birthday party, uh, their six-year-old birthday party.
00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:30.719
And I mean, between those two events, like that that really messed me up.
00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:42.560
And I went to Chico State in Northern California, which is a very notorious party school, and I ended up joining like the top frat and just living above the most popular bar in town.
00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:51.439
And I repped monster energy drinks, uh spring breaks trip, all the things, and really, in hindsight, a lot what I was doing was numbing myself, right?
00:03:51.599 --> 00:04:00.319
And then I got into entrepreneurship uh right before I graduated, and I've always been passionate about mental health since then.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:17.360
I would say like 2008 or so, but even growing up, like I very much have been uh dealing with depression and just like not feeling like this place, this planet is home and seasonal effectiveness disorder, things like that.
00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.600
That even though growing up in California, you know, it's still a thing.
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:31.839
And then in 2019, all this culminated in building my business to a million-dollar company with no employees, just virtual assistants.
00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:41.519
And I had a top podcast and was known as the VA guy, wrote three books in a year, was named to Silicon Valley's 40 under 40 list that year.
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.279
I was uh dating an NFL cheerleader for four years on and off.
00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:50.319
And uh, from the outside, like I had everything that I had wanted and I'd been chasing.
00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:55.120
And you know, anyone could look at my life and be like, wow, that's so like that's amazing.
00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:05.920
But I was just putting on a front and I was I was very depressed and I hit this numbing depression, and then a plant medicine known as ayahuasca found me.
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.920
And after sitting with that medicine, I changed my entire life.
00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:16.160
It was people say this medicine is like 12, 14 years of therapy packed into a single night.
00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:21.199
For me, it felt like an entire lifetime or lifetimes of therapy.
00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:28.160
And since then, back in April of 2019, I've drastically made a 180 on my life.
00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:28.879
Wow.
00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.639
And ayahuasca is their Aaron Rodgers plant that I call it.
00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:34.399
That's the one he's been taking, right?
00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.879
Yeah, he uh he kind of made it a little bit more popular recently, for sure.
00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:39.600
Yeah.
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.040
So what an incredible story.
00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:48.720
I'm I'm glad you're here because I'm sure there were times you probably just I'll just leave it at that.
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.399
What do you do to really use this breath work?
00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:56.319
It sounds like you help with mental health and PTSD and all these issues.
00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:57.439
How's the breath work?
00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.160
Breath work is fantastic.
00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:08.560
Like I did my first breathwork journey, we'll call it, a week before ever sitting with ayahuasca, and I literally felt reborn.
00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:09.839
So let's rewind.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.240
Breath work is a very trendy term right now.
00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:24.720
In fact, uh, I believe from 2023 to 2024, in just one year, internet searches went up by 40% on the term breathwork.
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.000
And it means so many different things to different people.
00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:49.360
And as a certified yoga instructor and a certified breathwork practitioner, uh, I'm very passionate about delineating and teaching what breath work is, because a lot of times when we say the word breath work, we're talking about just like simple exercises to shift from fight or flight to rest and digest.
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:56.240
And for that reason, I like to call those breathwork exercises as opposed to a breath work journey.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:02.959
Now, a breath work journey is a deep dive into your psyche where we're doing a certain style of breathing.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:09.279
And your listeners uh might be familiar with holotropic breathing or Wim Hof breathing.
00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.720
It's kind of similar to that, or even transformational breath.
00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:19.759
There's a lot of different styles out there, but most of these styles are all activating the same thing, and it's just different ways to get there.
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:28.240
And what we're doing is it's a specific style of breathing to stimulate or simulate a trauma response.
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:39.439
So I like to think of it like this: if we were to imagine a lion chasing a gazelle in the Serengeti, if that gazelle is lucky enough to get out alive, what does it do?
00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:47.120
Well, that that gazelle starts to shake and convulse because it's now releasing that trauma it just experienced.
00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:52.399
Moments later, you'll see that gazelle just chilling and chomping on some of the foliage.
00:07:52.560 --> 00:08:02.240
Whereas with humans, we are trained from a very young age, from being a child and having a temper tantrum to not express ourselves.
00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:07.120
We're making a scene, we're being disruptive, we're being dramatic, all these things.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:15.680
When really what the child is doing is they're letting that energy that they're experiencing move through their body.
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:23.600
So as a result, we start to constrict, we start to contract, and we start to disassociate from feeling from a very young age.
00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.480
And that stays with us as we grow up.
00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:33.840
So the idea of doing a breath work journey is to allow your body to get into that trauma response.
00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:42.639
So those stored energies and traumas that are in your body from like your whole life can start to move out of your field.
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:48.639
Like, literally, when I did my first breath work journey, I literally felt reborn.
00:08:48.799 --> 00:09:05.039
Not everyone has as intense of an experience that I had, but a lot of people have like maybe uh memories from repressed, suppressed memories, or maybe loved ones that have passed that have lived uh visited them in their experience.
00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:15.200
It's a very profound experience, and that is very good for what you allude to PTSD and uh overcoming trauma, all that type of stuff.
00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:22.000
Last thing here, going back to breath work exercises, which are to get shift into rest and digest.
00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:28.960
I think of that as a daily maintenance or daily practice, and that's something we can do at any point in our day.
00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:36.799
Maybe it's the morning, maybe it's the evening, or maybe just starting to notice how you feel throughout the day and just taking a couple minutes for some deep breathing.
00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:41.679
We can talk about the different styles so that you can start to shift into rest and digest.
00:09:41.840 --> 00:10:02.559
So, again, just to wrap it all up in a bow, the two styles of breath work or the two things to know are breath work exercises for rest and digest on a daily maintenance, and breath work journeys to release it's a deep journey of releasing trauma, PTSD, all of those sorts of things, which might be like something you do monthly, quarterly, or annually.
00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:04.240
You don't do it all the time.
00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.600
So that's the long term, and the rest and digest is the short term.
00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:09.759
Oh my god, I've got this big meeting coming up.
00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:15.120
Do some breath act uh breath breathing to calm me down from that uh fight or flight.
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:17.600
Oh my god, I'm gonna mess up this meeting or this podcast.
00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:18.879
Is that what you're saying?
00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:19.679
100%.
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:20.480
You got it.
00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:22.639
Phenomenal, phenomenal.
00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:24.799
Audience, I hope you're taking notes, man.
00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:34.480
This is because you've got the the the secret sauce, that's probably the wrong word, but a way to really handle trauma, which we deal with almost daily.
00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:40.960
Yeah, I mean, you know, a lot of people are starting to speak out about this type of stuff more and more.
00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:48.080
Um, what I feel my secret sauce is more than that is this six-step breath process that I developed.
00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.320
And the word breath is an acronym.
00:10:50.480 --> 00:11:00.399
And this is the process and framework that I'm teaching on stage when I uh do keynote speeches for companies and in my new book, Overcome the Overwhelm.
00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:05.120
And the very high level of that, if you will unpack it, I'm happy to.
00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:11.440
But the high level is to understand that emotions are energy in motion.
00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:17.919
So, kind of like everything that we just discussed, these emotions that we're feeling are designed to be in motion.
00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:23.840
But when we constrict and we tighten, that energy gets stuck and it gets stored in the body.
00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:34.080
Now, taking this a step further, science teaches us that we have a 90-second physiological response when we experience an emotion.
00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:48.960
So if we put this together, now we can understand, hey, if I can just give myself a few minutes, you know, I'm not going to like put on a stopwatch and count to 90 seconds, but just a couple minutes, take a time out, focus on my breath, and allow this energy to move through me.
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:53.440
Now, where the pundits kind of come in is like, well, no, I still feel that way.
00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.840
And it's like, well, your body has processed it, but now your mind is reliving the past.
00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:02.000
So now you're reliving it and your body is re-experiencing it again.
00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:04.320
So, what do we do in those 90 seconds?
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:05.840
That's the acronym breath.
00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.000
And the high-level version of that is just three simple themes.
00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:16.879
It's first breathe, then you feel, and then you leave the experience thinking intentionally, like positive affirmations.
00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:19.679
That's like, you know, six steps can be a lot to remember.
00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:25.120
So summarizing it in those 90 seconds, breathe, feel, and think intentionally.
00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:26.639
Can we do an example?
00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.879
Would you be okay?
00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.879
So trauma just hits you.
00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.639
I guess do you need to know what kind of trauma?
00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:36.480
You probably so trauma hits you, and you got these 90 seconds.
00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:38.159
Let's go through the three steps.
00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:43.519
Yeah, let's let's uh think of it as like a trigger, yeah, versus like a traumatic event.
00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:49.039
But this is something I I speak about uh all the time because it's super relatable.
00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:59.840
And typically when I experience a trigger, subconsciously, meaning I'm not aware that I'm doing this because our subconscious makes up 95% of our awareness, which we don't have access to.
00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:19.840
I'll just kind of be like, I'm not really hungry, but I'll walk over to the cupboard and I'll but grab a big bag of pistachios, not like a small bag, like a big bag of pistachios, and walk over to the trash can or the counter, which has like a trash can that pulls out, and I'm liver literally just hovering over this, cracking shells.
00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:22.720
And I'm telling myself, like, oh, it's okay.
00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:30.000
I'm I'm mindfully eating, but like I'm cracking cracking these shells, thinking, like, oh, like I'm I'm earning the pistachio, right?
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:39.279
But after like five minutes of doing this or eating a half bag of pistachios and just like scavenging on this, I'll think to myself, what am I doing?
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.600
What am I avoiding from feeling?
00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:49.759
And it's in that moment that I get an opportunity to shift from reacting, which is reacting for me is emotional and binge eating.
00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:53.600
For a lot of us, it can be scrolling on social media or any of these things.
00:13:53.759 --> 00:14:04.879
And once you get to that point on whatever it is for you that you find yourself in a reactive type uh mindset, and you think to yourself, what am I doing?
00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.360
Now you have the opportunity to respond.
00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.960
So the six steps applied would look like this.
00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.320
I I typically would have a few pistachios still on my palm.
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.720
Go, I'm gonna finish those naturally, right?
00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:17.679
I'm gonna enjoy those.
00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.399
Then I'll seal up the bag and I'll put the bag away.
00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:26.000
I'll walk over to uh take a seat, typically on my couch or find a chair, sit down.
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:30.559
And the first step of the breath process is breathe to slow down.
00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:33.679
So I'm gonna close my eyes and nothing fancy here.
00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:38.639
I'm just gonna inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth.
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:47.279
And by letting the exhales be longer than the inhales, that helps to get us to shift into rest and digest.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:53.279
Next thing is the second step, which is the R in the breath process, relax to feel.
00:14:53.440 --> 00:15:04.240
Now I'm going to allow myself to feel these energies moving through my body, and this is where we might start to experience a little bit of resistance.
00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:10.720
So, what we're going to do is get curious, which brings us into the third step, which is energy to reveal.
00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:19.679
And now, as I'm continuing to breathe, just slow deep breaths, I'm going to start to ask myself, what is this energy here to teach me?
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.159
What can it reveal something to me?
00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:23.039
What is the lesson?
00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.120
What am I avoiding from feeling?
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:32.399
And this is truly the part where like a lot of us get stuck because especially in a work day, right?
00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:39.360
If you have a meeting coming up or you're in the office or whatever the situation might be, you're like, no, no, no, I don't have time for that.
00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.600
I I can't look at this right now.
00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:47.600
But the truth is we need to accept it, which is why the fourth step is accept to surrender.
00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.360
So whatever's coming through, we need to find ways to accept it.
00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:55.600
I talk in the book and other places about different ways to do that.
00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:07.039
One modality is through parts work, internal family systems, a psychotherapy practice, getting to know the different thought forms and building relationships with them and giving them names that can help to accept.
00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:13.759
And then finally, after those first four steps, and we've accepted and we've learned what this lesson is.
00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:17.039
Now we can alchemize it and we can transform it.
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:21.759
This is the tea in the breath process, transform into empowering beliefs.
00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:32.320
And we're going to use I am statements because to say I will be or anything other than like I am is to tell your subconscious, I am not that.
00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:45.279
And your subconscious takes it as factual evidence, being like, oh, I'm not that, which is why I like to joke and say Stuart Smalley from SNL in the 90s, he was right, with you know, I'm this, I'm that, and all these things.
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.120
It's like, yes, you are that.
00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.639
This is the time to invoke the power of positive thinking.
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.960
And finally, the H in the breath process is habits to integrate.
00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:07.839
So as a result of what was shown to me through step three, energy revealed and what I've accepted and what I'm transforming, what different habits and behaviors am I going to actually take action on?
00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:17.759
Because I'm very much someone who's about taking action and integrating what we learn so that we're not continuously just coming back to the six-step breath process.
00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:29.680
Cause I tell people all the time, like, if you find yourself like always needing to come back to like go through this process and you're processing the same thing, then there's a few things going on here.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:40.240
Either one, you haven't fully got to the lesson and accepted it, or two, you haven't integrated and taken action on what it is you need to change in your life.
00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:42.160
So you don't have to keep coming back to this.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:52.720
But this six-step breath process is the number one tool that you can use at any point in your day to overcome anxiety, stress, or any triggers.
00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.519
Now, trauma is that that's a little bit deeper.
00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:02.400
We can expand this breath process, and it wouldn't be necessarily in two minutes, but we can use this same framework for sure.
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:03.920
Just know it takes longer.
00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:05.279
Awareness is what I'm hearing.
00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:11.279
Sam, the the you being aware of all this anxiety trauma, and that's what you're doing with these steps, right?
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.640
100%.
00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.200
Yeah.
00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:14.960
That's so freaking powerful.
00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:23.440
I rarely say frickin' my podcast, but that is just amazing because that's I think the problem with people that I'm not an expert, but what do I do?
00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.519
I have this, but what do I do?
00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:28.640
You go, here's what you do to it.
00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:30.799
I'm gonna be very blunt, but you know what I mean.
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:31.839
100%.
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:32.640
That's it.
00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:32.960
Yep.
00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.960
And and this is what you do with your clients.
00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:41.359
You bring them in, give them a game plan of breath work and breathe and the acronym and all that.
00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:46.960
So when they're on their own, because we have to take action, you can't be on my shoulder 24 hours a day.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:50.000
You so you educate to allow people to learn this.
00:18:50.400 --> 00:19:01.519
Well, I do have a breath club, which is a monthly membership, and it's less than$50 a month, and we meet weekly to uh do breath work in real time meditation shares in real time.
00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:17.920
But the real benefit of it is there's a WhatsApp community where like anytime someone's experiencing something, I'm teaching people how to communicate like nonviolent communication and hold space for other people and offer reflections as well as I'm coaching in there as well.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:32.000
So, like a lot of times when something's coming up and we schedule some uh a session with say therapists, by the time we get to that session, we're like, well, I was feeling this way, but now it's I'm feeling that way.
00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:38.480
So to your point of like, I can't always be there doing it for or with uh all the clients.
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:46.000
We do have the WhatsApp community where it's like, you know, the more people that are learning how to hold space, we can jump in and support each other in real time.
00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.279
That's huge.
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:52.319
And again, you just give them more opportunities, and that's available to anybody.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:56.160
I know WhatsApp is just like social media or Facebook or anything you just jump on.
00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.880
That's that's a servant's heart right there.
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:03.759
What do you think is the biggest challenge of people working and breathing?
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.880
Uh can you ask that another way?
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.480
So what do you think?
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:13.599
What's a piece of advice you tell somebody says, hey, I do breath work and it's not working for me.
00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:20.240
Um, I I think it's honestly super simple to just focus on your inhales and exhales.
00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:24.160
Like I'll try to speak for about two minutes because I can be long-winded sometimes.
00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:42.960
But uh for you, Steven, anyone listening, right now, just focus on slow inhales through the nose and even longer and slower exhales through the nose and notice your breath because so often when we're in conversation with someone else, we are thinking about what we're going to say next.
00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:51.440
So if you notice your thoughts are coming up when you're trying to be present with that other person, come back to your breath, focus on that.
00:20:51.599 --> 00:21:04.319
And not only will you find that you're starting to be more present and not have those ping-ponging thoughts back and forth in your mind, but also this is training your nervous system to breathe.
00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:15.759
Because most of us, uh, yes, we the breath is the only function in our body that we can consciously control, and also we can not consciously control it, just happens, right?
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:20.319
So, because of that, a lot of times our breath becomes choppy and shallow.
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:36.480
So as we're communicating with someone else, or maybe even just listening, listening to a podcast, or even watching a movie, a show, whatever, focus on your inhales and exhales, not only to clear your mind, be more present, but also you're training your nervous system to breathe in that way.
00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:42.480
This is what audience, this is what a successful person does to be more successful, to give value to you.
00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:43.839
He just gave you a great tip.
00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.240
I'm I'm I'm writing it down, I'm gonna use it.
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.319
And for free.
00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:51.440
He's like, try this, and you know, there's other reasons we won't get into it.
00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.240
So I really appreciate you doing that because you're out there to help people.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.720
Yeah, you would need to make money, we gotta live and all that.
00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.839
You've been very successful, but you're still out there with a servant's heart.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:03.519
Talk about your podcast real quick so people can access that.
00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:04.000
Yeah.
00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:04.799
Thanks, Steve.
00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:06.720
My podcast is called Soul Seeker.
00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.200
I've been doing it since 2019.
00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.359
And I've talked about it.
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:17.519
Luckily for me, I have a title that is very vague that Soul Seeker.
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:19.839
It can go in a lot of different directions.
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:31.039
So it's morphed and evolved over time from talking about the human origin story and psychedelic therapy to just basic mindful practices for business professionals.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:37.440
So there's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, anything that has to do with mindfulness, spirituality, like it.
00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:38.319
We go deep.
00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:42.480
We also keep it kind of uh practical and accessible for beginners.
00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:45.680
But yeah, it's called Soulseeker S-E-E-K-R.
00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:46.799
Yeah.
00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:48.160
Soul Seeker, I love it.
00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.119
So reach out there, I'll have the link in the in the show notes.
00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:52.960
Um, also to the book.
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.079
Name of the book again.
00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:55.359
Where can we find it?
00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:57.359
Overcome the overwhelm.
00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.279
And that is on Amazon.
00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:01.839
And my website, samkbert.com.
00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:05.839
And just super simple, Sam Kbert with the B uh.com.
00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:08.480
And there you can find links to everything.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:15.440
Really active on um uh YouTube and Instagram and try and be more active on LinkedIn too.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:16.400
Yeah, thank you.
00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.200
I was just gonna ask you.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:18.880
See, we've we're our minds are thinking alike.
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:20.240
I just how can the people reach out?
00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.400
So go to samkbert.com.
00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:24.799
I like to end with something personal.
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.920
So you're in Santa Cruz and people don't know Santa Cruz, it's the beach area, it's beautiful, it's quiet.
00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.000
We were just talking about why you moved out there.
00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.200
So, what does it look like on a Friday night in Santa Cruz for Sam?
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.240
What does he do?
00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:52.720
Oh, Friday night in Santa Cruz uh for Sam is hanging out by myself, being in my own energy and trying to resist working, maybe just uh catching the sunset on the beach or maybe watching a movie or something.
00:23:52.960 --> 00:24:13.119
But I mean, I am single at this point right now, and one of the things that uh was such a gift for me personally during the lockdowns with respect to the devastation it caused was I realized how much anxiety I had when Friday nights came and Saturday.
00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:19.039
It was like I felt like I needed to, I needed to be out there doing things with people or with friends.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:23.599
And it's like I actually prefer just being in my own energy a lot of the time.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:27.039
So releasing any of the guilt and shame and just be like, yeah, I'm gonna own this.
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.440
I'm just chilling by myself and just doing my thing.
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:31.519
I actually enjoy it a lot, you know.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:33.119
Yeah, own your own energy.
00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:33.680
That's what I do.
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:34.559
I'm gonna remember that.
00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:35.599
That's really good.
00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:37.200
Um, thank you, Sam.
00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:39.680
This has been incredible.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:45.759
I I just I'm gonna get the book because I'm fired up because I'm sure a lot of this is in the book that I can use.
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:50.640
Um, and I'm gonna share this with a lot of people because I deal with entrepreneurs, talk about stress and anxiety.
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:53.039
Well, you know that I know you work with a lot of them.
00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.960
Um, you know, go to YouTube.
00:24:55.039 --> 00:25:02.000
This will be on YouTube in a couple days, comment on it, reach out to Sam if you reach out to me if you need to connect with them, because this is powerful.
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:06.160
Guys, this is not a CRM or an AI product.
00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.400
This is a life changer.
00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.920
And I hope you, if you don't agree with me, send me a message.
00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.920
I don't mind, because let's talk about.
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.240
But what he just showed you today in like 26 minutes, it's changed my life already.
00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.599
I can't wait to dive into it.
00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:22.559
So, also don't forget my TV show, Together We Serve.
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.920
It's Fridays at 2 p.m.
00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:25.119
uh Pacific, 5 p.m.
00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:25.759
Eastern.
00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:30.000
And as always, me and Sam, thank you so much for watching and listening to this episode.
00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:33.359
We'll see you on the next episode of Doing Business with a Servant Sire.
00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.240
See y'all.
00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.679
Welcome everyone to Doing Business with a Servant's Heart Podcast.
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:05.439
I'm your host, Steve Ramona, and I'm thrilled to have you join us today.
00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:13.599
The podcast is dedicated to exploring the idea of doing business and living life with a purpose, serving others and yes, achieving success.
00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:20.719
We believe that when you when we approach our work and our lives with a servant's heart, we can truly make a difference.
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:26.959
We create this for show for you because we want everyone to be motivated, inspired, and educated to make an impact in your world.
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:35.439
Whether you're an entrepreneur, a community leader, or simply someone looking to bring more purpose into your daily life, this podcast is here to support and uplift you.
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:36.959
So let's dive in together.
00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:38.560
I want you to think about today.
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.239
This guest is going to be incredible.
00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:41.359
I love this guy.
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:46.000
I want you to think about how you serve today and what impact will you create today from that service.
00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:46.879
Very important today.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.079
Don't wait till tomorrow.
00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:53.040
Let's explore these questions and embark on this journey of serving others and achieving success.
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.959
Thank you for being here and welcome once again to doing business with a servant's heart.
00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.000
But that being said, impact was a lot of my monologue.
00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.920
This gentleman is impacting in a way that the world needs.
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:08.240
I know it sounds kind of audacious or pervacious, whatever that word is.
00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:13.599
But if we follow what Sam, my guest, is going to talk about, I think the world will be a better place.
00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:15.199
Sam, welcome to the show.
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.599
Steve, thanks so so much for having me.
00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:18.879
What an awesome intro.
00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.319
I'm so stoked to be here.
00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:22.800
Yeah, this is and we're live close.
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.840
He's about uh 20, 25, 30 minutes away.
00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:31.680
It's always cool when you have somebody local being being a guest and you know helping my uh audience to grow.
00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:36.319
I want to start with mental health's a big problem in the world and it's not getting better.
00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:41.680
How did you prioritize mental health become such a such a for focus in your life and career?
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.560
Well, let's again chills already.
00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.240
Let's just go straight to the deep end.
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:51.280
So back in um like 16 years ago, it was 2008.
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:55.120
So yeah, about 16 years ago, Super Bowl Sunday.
00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:08.000
Um, I actually witnessed uh a friend hang himself, and we were in the living room, and that was, I mean, there's some we could just talk about that, the whole thing, right?
00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:13.680
So that was one thing now, and I was 19 years old within six months of that happening.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:25.280
Um, my mom's cousin was murdered by her husband, and he killed the twin boys on the sixth, uh their sixth birthday party, uh, their six-year-old birthday party.
00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:30.719
And I mean, between those two events, like that that really messed me up.
00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:42.560
And I went to Chico State in Northern California, which is a very notorious party school, and I ended up joining like the top frat and just living above the most popular bar in town.
00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:51.439
And I repped monster energy drinks, uh spring breaks trip, all the things, and really, in hindsight, a lot what I was doing was numbing myself, right?
00:03:51.599 --> 00:04:00.319
And then I got into entrepreneurship uh right before I graduated, and I've always been passionate about mental health since then.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:17.360
I would say like 2008 or so, but even growing up, like I very much have been uh dealing with depression and just like not feeling like this place, this planet is home and seasonal effectiveness disorder, things like that.
00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.600
That even though growing up in California, you know, it's still a thing.
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:31.839
And then in 2019, all this culminated in building my business to a million-dollar company with no employees, just virtual assistants.
00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:41.519
And I had a top podcast and was known as the VA guy, wrote three books in a year, was named to Silicon Valley's 40 under 40 list that year.
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.279
I was uh dating an NFL cheerleader for four years on and off.
00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:50.319
And uh, from the outside, like I had everything that I had wanted and I'd been chasing.
00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:55.120
And you know, anyone could look at my life and be like, wow, that's so like that's amazing.
00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:05.920
But I was just putting on a front and I was I was very depressed and I hit this numbing depression, and then a plant medicine known as ayahuasca found me.
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.920
And after sitting with that medicine, I changed my entire life.
00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:16.160
It was people say this medicine is like 12, 14 years of therapy packed into a single night.
00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:21.199
For me, it felt like an entire lifetime or lifetimes of therapy.
00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:28.160
And since then, back in April of 2019, I've drastically made a 180 on my life.
00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:28.879
Wow.
00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.639
And ayahuasca is their Aaron Rodgers plant that I call it.
00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:34.399
That's the one he's been taking, right?
00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.879
Yeah, he uh he kind of made it a little bit more popular recently, for sure.
00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:39.600
Yeah.
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.040
So what an incredible story.
00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:48.720
I'm I'm glad you're here because I'm sure there were times you probably just I'll just leave it at that.
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.399
What do you do to really use this breath work?
00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:56.319
It sounds like you help with mental health and PTSD and all these issues.
00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:57.439
How's the breath work?
00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.160
Breath work is fantastic.
00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:08.560
Like I did my first breathwork journey, we'll call it, a week before ever sitting with ayahuasca, and I literally felt reborn.
00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:09.839
So let's rewind.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.240
Breath work is a very trendy term right now.
00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:24.720
In fact, uh, I believe from 2023 to 2024, in just one year, internet searches went up by 40% on the term breathwork.
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.000
And it means so many different things to different people.
00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:49.360
And as a certified yoga instructor and a certified breathwork practitioner, uh, I'm very passionate about delineating and teaching what breath work is, because a lot of times when we say the word breath work, we're talking about just like simple exercises to shift from fight or flight to rest and digest.
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:56.240
And for that reason, I like to call those breathwork exercises as opposed to a breath work journey.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:02.959
Now, a breath work journey is a deep dive into your psyche where we're doing a certain style of breathing.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:09.279
And your listeners uh might be familiar with holotropic breathing or Wim Hof breathing.
00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.720
It's kind of similar to that, or even transformational breath.
00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:19.759
There's a lot of different styles out there, but most of these styles are all activating the same thing, and it's just different ways to get there.
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:28.240
And what we're doing is it's a specific style of breathing to stimulate or simulate a trauma response.
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:39.439
So I like to think of it like this: if we were to imagine a lion chasing a gazelle in the Serengeti, if that gazelle is lucky enough to get out alive, what does it do?
00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:47.120
Well, that that gazelle starts to shake and convulse because it's now releasing that trauma it just experienced.
00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:52.399
Moments later, you'll see that gazelle just chilling and chomping on some of the foliage.
00:07:52.560 --> 00:08:02.240
Whereas with humans, we are trained from a very young age, from being a child and having a temper tantrum to not express ourselves.
00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:07.120
We're making a scene, we're being disruptive, we're being dramatic, all these things.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:15.680
When really what the child is doing is they're letting that energy that they're experiencing move through their body.
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:23.600
So as a result, we start to constrict, we start to contract, and we start to disassociate from feeling from a very young age.
00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.480
And that stays with us as we grow up.
00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:33.840
So the idea of doing a breath work journey is to allow your body to get into that trauma response.
00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:42.639
So those stored energies and traumas that are in your body from like your whole life can start to move out of your field.
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:48.639
Like, literally, when I did my first breath work journey, I literally felt reborn.
00:08:48.799 --> 00:09:05.039
Not everyone has as intense of an experience that I had, but a lot of people have like maybe uh memories from repressed, suppressed memories, or maybe loved ones that have passed that have lived uh visited them in their experience.
00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:15.200
It's a very profound experience, and that is very good for what you allude to PTSD and uh overcoming trauma, all that type of stuff.
00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:22.000
Last thing here, going back to breath work exercises, which are to get shift into rest and digest.
00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:28.960
I think of that as a daily maintenance or daily practice, and that's something we can do at any point in our day.
00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:36.799
Maybe it's the morning, maybe it's the evening, or maybe just starting to notice how you feel throughout the day and just taking a couple minutes for some deep breathing.
00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:41.679
We can talk about the different styles so that you can start to shift into rest and digest.
00:09:41.840 --> 00:10:02.559
So, again, just to wrap it all up in a bow, the two styles of breath work or the two things to know are breath work exercises for rest and digest on a daily maintenance, and breath work journeys to release it's a deep journey of releasing trauma, PTSD, all of those sorts of things, which might be like something you do monthly, quarterly, or annually.
00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:04.240
You don't do it all the time.
00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.600
So that's the long term, and the rest and digest is the short term.
00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:09.759
Oh my god, I've got this big meeting coming up.
00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:15.120
Do some breath act uh breath breathing to calm me down from that uh fight or flight.
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:17.600
Oh my god, I'm gonna mess up this meeting or this podcast.
00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:18.879
Is that what you're saying?
00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:19.679
100%.
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:20.480
You got it.
00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:22.639
Phenomenal, phenomenal.
00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:24.799
Audience, I hope you're taking notes, man.
00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:34.480
This is because you've got the the the secret sauce, that's probably the wrong word, but a way to really handle trauma, which we deal with almost daily.
00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:40.960
Yeah, I mean, you know, a lot of people are starting to speak out about this type of stuff more and more.
00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:48.080
Um, what I feel my secret sauce is more than that is this six-step breath process that I developed.
00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.320
And the word breath is an acronym.
00:10:50.480 --> 00:11:00.399
And this is the process and framework that I'm teaching on stage when I uh do keynote speeches for companies and in my new book, Overcome the Overwhelm.
00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:05.120
And the very high level of that, if you will unpack it, I'm happy to.
00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:11.440
But the high level is to understand that emotions are energy in motion.
00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:17.919
So, kind of like everything that we just discussed, these emotions that we're feeling are designed to be in motion.
00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:23.840
But when we constrict and we tighten, that energy gets stuck and it gets stored in the body.
00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:34.080
Now, taking this a step further, science teaches us that we have a 90-second physiological response when we experience an emotion.
00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:48.960
So if we put this together, now we can understand, hey, if I can just give myself a few minutes, you know, I'm not going to like put on a stopwatch and count to 90 seconds, but just a couple minutes, take a time out, focus on my breath, and allow this energy to move through me.
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:53.440
Now, where the pundits kind of come in is like, well, no, I still feel that way.
00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.840
And it's like, well, your body has processed it, but now your mind is reliving the past.
00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:02.000
So now you're reliving it and your body is re-experiencing it again.
00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:04.320
So, what do we do in those 90 seconds?
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:05.840
That's the acronym breath.
00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.000
And the high-level version of that is just three simple themes.
00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:16.879
It's first breathe, then you feel, and then you leave the experience thinking intentionally, like positive affirmations.
00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:19.679
That's like, you know, six steps can be a lot to remember.
00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:25.120
So summarizing it in those 90 seconds, breathe, feel, and think intentionally.
00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:26.639
Can we do an example?
00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.879
Would you be okay?
00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.879
So trauma just hits you.
00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.639
I guess do you need to know what kind of trauma?
00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:36.480
You probably so trauma hits you, and you got these 90 seconds.
00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:38.159
Let's go through the three steps.
00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:43.519
Yeah, let's let's uh think of it as like a trigger, yeah, versus like a traumatic event.
00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:49.039
But this is something I I speak about uh all the time because it's super relatable.
00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:59.840
And typically when I experience a trigger, subconsciously, meaning I'm not aware that I'm doing this because our subconscious makes up 95% of our awareness, which we don't have access to.
00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:19.840
I'll just kind of be like, I'm not really hungry, but I'll walk over to the cupboard and I'll but grab a big bag of pistachios, not like a small bag, like a big bag of pistachios, and walk over to the trash can or the counter, which has like a trash can that pulls out, and I'm liver literally just hovering over this, cracking shells.
00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:22.720
And I'm telling myself, like, oh, it's okay.
00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:30.000
I'm I'm mindfully eating, but like I'm cracking cracking these shells, thinking, like, oh, like I'm I'm earning the pistachio, right?
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:39.279
But after like five minutes of doing this or eating a half bag of pistachios and just like scavenging on this, I'll think to myself, what am I doing?
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.600
What am I avoiding from feeling?
00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:49.759
And it's in that moment that I get an opportunity to shift from reacting, which is reacting for me is emotional and binge eating.
00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:53.600
For a lot of us, it can be scrolling on social media or any of these things.
00:13:53.759 --> 00:14:04.879
And once you get to that point on whatever it is for you that you find yourself in a reactive type uh mindset, and you think to yourself, what am I doing?
00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.360
Now you have the opportunity to respond.
00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.960
So the six steps applied would look like this.
00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.320
I I typically would have a few pistachios still on my palm.
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.720
Go, I'm gonna finish those naturally, right?
00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:17.679
I'm gonna enjoy those.
00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.399
Then I'll seal up the bag and I'll put the bag away.
00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:26.000
I'll walk over to uh take a seat, typically on my couch or find a chair, sit down.
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:30.559
And the first step of the breath process is breathe to slow down.
00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:33.679
So I'm gonna close my eyes and nothing fancy here.
00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:38.639
I'm just gonna inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth.
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:47.279
And by letting the exhales be longer than the inhales, that helps to get us to shift into rest and digest.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:53.279
Next thing is the second step, which is the R in the breath process, relax to feel.
00:14:53.440 --> 00:15:04.240
Now I'm going to allow myself to feel these energies moving through my body, and this is where we might start to experience a little bit of resistance.
00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:10.720
So, what we're going to do is get curious, which brings us into the third step, which is energy to reveal.
00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:19.679
And now, as I'm continuing to breathe, just slow deep breaths, I'm going to start to ask myself, what is this energy here to teach me?
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.159
What can it reveal something to me?
00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:23.039
What is the lesson?
00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.120
What am I avoiding from feeling?
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:32.399
And this is truly the part where like a lot of us get stuck because especially in a work day, right?
00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:39.360
If you have a meeting coming up or you're in the office or whatever the situation might be, you're like, no, no, no, I don't have time for that.
00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.600
I I can't look at this right now.
00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:47.600
But the truth is we need to accept it, which is why the fourth step is accept to surrender.
00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.360
So whatever's coming through, we need to find ways to accept it.
00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:55.600
I talk in the book and other places about different ways to do that.
00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:07.039
One modality is through parts work, internal family systems, a psychotherapy practice, getting to know the different thought forms and building relationships with them and giving them names that can help to accept.
00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:13.759
And then finally, after those first four steps, and we've accepted and we've learned what this lesson is.
00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:17.039
Now we can alchemize it and we can transform it.
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:21.759
This is the tea in the breath process, transform into empowering beliefs.
00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:32.320
And we're going to use I am statements because to say I will be or anything other than like I am is to tell your subconscious, I am not that.
00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:45.279
And your subconscious takes it as factual evidence, being like, oh, I'm not that, which is why I like to joke and say Stuart Smalley from SNL in the 90s, he was right, with you know, I'm this, I'm that, and all these things.
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.120
It's like, yes, you are that.
00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.639
This is the time to invoke the power of positive thinking.
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.960
And finally, the H in the breath process is habits to integrate.
00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:07.839
So as a result of what was shown to me through step three, energy revealed and what I've accepted and what I'm transforming, what different habits and behaviors am I going to actually take action on?
00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:17.759
Because I'm very much someone who's about taking action and integrating what we learn so that we're not continuously just coming back to the six-step breath process.
00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:29.680
Cause I tell people all the time, like, if you find yourself like always needing to come back to like go through this process and you're processing the same thing, then there's a few things going on here.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:40.240
Either one, you haven't fully got to the lesson and accepted it, or two, you haven't integrated and taken action on what it is you need to change in your life.
00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:42.160
So you don't have to keep coming back to this.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:52.720
But this six-step breath process is the number one tool that you can use at any point in your day to overcome anxiety, stress, or any triggers.
00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.519
Now, trauma is that that's a little bit deeper.
00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:02.400
We can expand this breath process, and it wouldn't be necessarily in two minutes, but we can use this same framework for sure.
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:03.920
Just know it takes longer.
00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:05.279
Awareness is what I'm hearing.
00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:11.279
Sam, the the you being aware of all this anxiety trauma, and that's what you're doing with these steps, right?
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.640
100%.
00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.200
Yeah.
00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:14.960
That's so freaking powerful.
00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:23.440
I rarely say frickin' my podcast, but that is just amazing because that's I think the problem with people that I'm not an expert, but what do I do?
00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.519
I have this, but what do I do?
00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:28.640
You go, here's what you do to it.
00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:30.799
I'm gonna be very blunt, but you know what I mean.
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:31.839
100%.
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:32.640
That's it.
00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:32.960
Yep.
00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.960
And and this is what you do with your clients.
00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:41.359
You bring them in, give them a game plan of breath work and breathe and the acronym and all that.
00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:46.960
So when they're on their own, because we have to take action, you can't be on my shoulder 24 hours a day.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:50.000
You so you educate to allow people to learn this.
00:18:50.400 --> 00:19:01.519
Well, I do have a breath club, which is a monthly membership, and it's less than$50 a month, and we meet weekly to uh do breath work in real time meditation shares in real time.
00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:17.920
But the real benefit of it is there's a WhatsApp community where like anytime someone's experiencing something, I'm teaching people how to communicate like nonviolent communication and hold space for other people and offer reflections as well as I'm coaching in there as well.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:32.000
So, like a lot of times when something's coming up and we schedule some uh a session with say therapists, by the time we get to that session, we're like, well, I was feeling this way, but now it's I'm feeling that way.
00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:38.480
So to your point of like, I can't always be there doing it for or with uh all the clients.
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:46.000
We do have the WhatsApp community where it's like, you know, the more people that are learning how to hold space, we can jump in and support each other in real time.
00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.279
That's huge.
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:52.319
And again, you just give them more opportunities, and that's available to anybody.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:56.160
I know WhatsApp is just like social media or Facebook or anything you just jump on.
00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.880
That's that's a servant's heart right there.
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:03.759
What do you think is the biggest challenge of people working and breathing?
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.880
Uh can you ask that another way?
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.480
So what do you think?
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:13.599
What's a piece of advice you tell somebody says, hey, I do breath work and it's not working for me.
00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:20.240
Um, I I think it's honestly super simple to just focus on your inhales and exhales.
00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:24.160
Like I'll try to speak for about two minutes because I can be long-winded sometimes.
00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:42.960
But uh for you, Steven, anyone listening, right now, just focus on slow inhales through the nose and even longer and slower exhales through the nose and notice your breath because so often when we're in conversation with someone else, we are thinking about what we're going to say next.
00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:51.440
So if you notice your thoughts are coming up when you're trying to be present with that other person, come back to your breath, focus on that.
00:20:51.599 --> 00:21:04.319
And not only will you find that you're starting to be more present and not have those ping-ponging thoughts back and forth in your mind, but also this is training your nervous system to breathe.
00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:15.759
Because most of us, uh, yes, we the breath is the only function in our body that we can consciously control, and also we can not consciously control it, just happens, right?
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:20.319
So, because of that, a lot of times our breath becomes choppy and shallow.
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:36.480
So as we're communicating with someone else, or maybe even just listening, listening to a podcast, or even watching a movie, a show, whatever, focus on your inhales and exhales, not only to clear your mind, be more present, but also you're training your nervous system to breathe in that way.
00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:42.480
This is what audience, this is what a successful person does to be more successful, to give value to you.
00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:43.839
He just gave you a great tip.
00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.240
I'm I'm I'm writing it down, I'm gonna use it.
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.319
And for free.
00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:51.440
He's like, try this, and you know, there's other reasons we won't get into it.
00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.240
So I really appreciate you doing that because you're out there to help people.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.720
Yeah, you would need to make money, we gotta live and all that.
00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.839
You've been very successful, but you're still out there with a servant's heart.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:03.519
Talk about your podcast real quick so people can access that.
00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:04.000
Yeah.
00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:04.799
Thanks, Steve.
00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:06.720
My podcast is called Soul Seeker.
00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.200
I've been doing it since 2019.
00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.359
And I've talked about it.
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:17.519
Luckily for me, I have a title that is very vague that Soul Seeker.
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:19.839
It can go in a lot of different directions.
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:31.039
So it's morphed and evolved over time from talking about the human origin story and psychedelic therapy to just basic mindful practices for business professionals.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:37.440
So there's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, anything that has to do with mindfulness, spirituality, like it.
00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:38.319
We go deep.
00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:42.480
We also keep it kind of uh practical and accessible for beginners.
00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:45.680
But yeah, it's called Soulseeker S-E-E-K-R.
00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:46.799
Yeah.
00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:48.160
Soul Seeker, I love it.
00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.119
So reach out there, I'll have the link in the in the show notes.
00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:52.960
Um, also to the book.
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.079
Name of the book again.
00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:55.359
Where can we find it?
00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:57.359
Overcome the overwhelm.
00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.279
And that is on Amazon.
00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:01.839
And my website, samkbert.com.
00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:05.839
And just super simple, Sam Kbert with the B uh.com.
00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:08.480
And there you can find links to everything.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:15.440
Really active on um uh YouTube and Instagram and try and be more active on LinkedIn too.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:16.400
Yeah, thank you.
00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.200
I was just gonna ask you.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:18.880
See, we've we're our minds are thinking alike.
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:20.240
I just how can the people reach out?
00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.400
So go to samkbert.com.
00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:24.799
I like to end with something personal.
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.920
So you're in Santa Cruz and people don't know Santa Cruz, it's the beach area, it's beautiful, it's quiet.
00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.000
We were just talking about why you moved out there.
00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.200
So, what does it look like on a Friday night in Santa Cruz for Sam?
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.240
What does he do?
00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:52.720
Oh, Friday night in Santa Cruz uh for Sam is hanging out by myself, being in my own energy and trying to resist working, maybe just uh catching the sunset on the beach or maybe watching a movie or something.
00:23:52.960 --> 00:24:13.119
But I mean, I am single at this point right now, and one of the things that uh was such a gift for me personally during the lockdowns with respect to the devastation it caused was I realized how much anxiety I had when Friday nights came and Saturday.
00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:19.039
It was like I felt like I needed to, I needed to be out there doing things with people or with friends.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:23.599
And it's like I actually prefer just being in my own energy a lot of the time.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:27.039
So releasing any of the guilt and shame and just be like, yeah, I'm gonna own this.
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.440
I'm just chilling by myself and just doing my thing.
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:31.519
I actually enjoy it a lot, you know.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:33.119
Yeah, own your own energy.
00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:33.680
That's what I do.
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:34.559
I'm gonna remember that.
00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:35.599
That's really good.
00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:37.200
Um, thank you, Sam.
00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:39.680
This has been incredible.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:45.759
I I just I'm gonna get the book because I'm fired up because I'm sure a lot of this is in the book that I can use.
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:50.640
Um, and I'm gonna share this with a lot of people because I deal with entrepreneurs, talk about stress and anxiety.
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:53.039
Well, you know that I know you work with a lot of them.
00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.960
Um, you know, go to YouTube.
00:24:55.039 --> 00:25:02.000
This will be on YouTube in a couple days, comment on it, reach out to Sam if you reach out to me if you need to connect with them, because this is powerful.
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:06.160
Guys, this is not a CRM or an AI product.
00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.400
This is a life changer.
00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.920
And I hope you, if you don't agree with me, send me a message.
00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.920
I don't mind, because let's talk about.
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.240
But what he just showed you today in like 26 minutes, it's changed my life already.
00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.599
I can't wait to dive into it.
00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:22.559
So, also don't forget my TV show, Together We Serve.
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.920
It's Fridays at 2 p.m.
00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:25.119
uh Pacific, 5 p.m.
00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:25.759
Eastern.
00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:30.000
And as always, me and Sam, thank you so much for watching and listening to this episode.
00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:33.359
We'll see you on the next episode of Doing Business with a Servant Sire.
00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.240
See y'all.
