Stay Grounded With Raj Jana

“Vulnerability to me is an expensive gift, and you shouldn't expect it from cheap people.”“I mean, the quality of your life comes down to the quality of relationships. If you want good quality relationships, you have to be able to embrace vulnerability and that uncertainty sometimes.”Jayson Gaignard is a rare breed of entrepreneurial leader because of his willingness to be visible when vulnerable. The old way to succeed was to wear a mask and pretend to have it all figured out. Jayson challenges that paradigm and proves how being vulnerable with others about your struggles, hardships, and even failures can lead to greater levels of impact in a world hungry for connection & belonging.  Named one of Forbes’s “Top Networkers to Watch” because of his ability to curate highly coveted events, Jayson is the founder of Mastermind Talks - an exclusive community that serves as a container of support, inspiration, and deep belonging for entrepreneurs who value impact and collaboration alongside business. J

“ I think our culture has tricked ourselves into thinking there are cute things that we can do that will make us automatically on the other side of the doorway, and there isn't. You have to walk through the doorway.” Although darkness is an inevitable aspect of life, our culture offers few pathways through it. In many ways, modern life has distanced itself from indigenous rituals that have been used for thousands of years to provide clarity & direction. As a result, many people lose their footing and struggle to make sense of life’s darkest moments. As a Jungian psychotherapist, Dr. Joanna LaPrade believes mythology can offer a roadmap for all of us to experience the fullness of our human potential.When you study myths and explore the similarities between your life and that of the Gods and heroes of the many worlds, you might find that we’re not that different. In every mythic tale lies a story of how life’s challenges and discomforts are here to reveal more of who you are. In her work, Joa

“Doing the work is the journey of questioning. Once you question and you become aware, it's making choices.” Over the last four years, I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on my inner work journey. I chose to turn myself into my own research project, and this time in my life has been a period of massive growth, reflection, and expansion. In this episode, I’ve paired up with my beautiful life partner Gina to open up about the rock bottom experiences that brought us to our knees, and how we used those experiences as catalysts to shift the way we lived our lives.The journey of increasing awareness is potent, powerful, and profound. Eventually, you uncover the underlying factors that are unconsciously creating your reality. It’s the work that returns you to your personal power. It’s a rich inquiry that elevates your ability to choose differently and shift the course of your life for good.I hope this week’s episode is a glimpse of the ecstatic level of fulfillment possible w

“We can learn something from everyone. Mirrors exist everywhere. All of nature is contained in the fractal pattern of a single leaf or a single feed” About 4 years into my personal growth journey, it became clear that there was only so much inner work I could do on my own. My solo efforts often gave me a breakthrough, but my deepest inner work always came when engaging in community. Community-based healing is THE most powerful catalyst and an accelerant for personal growth because of the abundance of mirrors. When you’re surrounded by others, it’s harder to hide your flaws. When you’re surrounded by tribe, you begin the journey of seeing yourself the way others see you. When you’re healing alongside others, there’s more opportunities to find your blindspots and reveal the places where there’s more work to be done. In this episode, I’m joined by my partners at the Humans Are Good Foundation, Mike Cline & Emily Rasowsky. Together, we’ve pooled our resources, skills, and healing experienc

“Even though on paper I had all the markings of someone successful, I didn't feel it. That really confused me.” As a 250th episode special, I wanted to share all the lessons I’ve learned from investing multi-six figures and thousands of hours into my personal journey to create a life of alignment and liberation that I feel so grateful to be living today. When I started this podcast, I had no idea about the journey I was about to take. The journey to internal liberation isn’t easy. My life has changed entirely since releasing my first episode in 2017, but the path to this point has been riddled with the most extreme highs and lows. The game of BEING is confusing because it’s filled with guesswork, detours, and setbacks.But hindsight brings clarity. As I reflect over the past eight years (and the thousands of dollars and hours I invested), I’m clear on what worked and what didn’t. I’m now confident about what levers to pull and where to focus my time, energy, and resources so I can keep

“So much of our desires are culturally programmed desires. If I can begin to understand who I am, then I can begin to stop doing the things that are not for me and are not me. ” Trey and Grace Stinnett are the founders of the Academy of Conscious Entrepreneurs - an organization that helps people grow a company without sacrificing time at home by aligning business with personal flow. Informed by mental models and personality profiles such as Wealth Dynamics and Human Design, Trey and Grace empower clients to elevate their consciousness at home and work. What I loved most about this episode was hearing how Trey and Grace have integrated their work into all aspects of their live, creating a path for conscious living. These philosophies have informed their parenting, too, empowering their children onto the path of authentic, self-aware living from a young age. Creating a life of flow and alignment can be part of our legacy, and in this episode, Trey & Grace share how to make that vision a reali

“Infinite possibility lives in the unknown. Can I trust the frequency of truth and presence over the ego hits that my mind is craving?” I’m just back from my first ever Burning Man experience, and it was life-changing. In this month’s reflection episode, I share the raw integrations and lessons from my time in Black Rock City. Stepping out of the constraints and conditions of everyday life into an environment with zero judgment and radical inclusion, driven by a gifting economy, was wildly transformative. For the first time in my life, I got to experience the frequency of liberation -- where I could feel the infinite possibilities of the human spirit and potential. Burning Man allowed me to experience a life that side-steps the ego and follows the calling of the heart. In the infinite expanse of the desert landscape, I felt safe to calibrate to the speed of my soul. There’s so much to talk about and reveal. I’m grateful to have Georgina El Morshdy with me to guide the conversation. “The jo

“I think identity alchemy is finding who you are at the core.” How do you identify and define yourself when you have multiple interests, multiple talents, multiple ways you see yourself interacting with the world? For Nick Onken, the answer is Identity Alchemy - the creative art of deconstructing who you are [and who you’ve been] so you can discover the essence that sits at your core.    This episode’s guest is Nick Onken - a creative alchemist who dances between the roles of photographer, hat designer, podcaster, artist, and entrepreneur. He’s lived a creative life where his curiosity has guided him to shed identities and redefine himself as his work and life have shifted and evolved.  In this episode, Nick and I explore the creative power we can all access - to unleash our inner genius. “Art inspires, art is the language that transcends and inspires people without language.” Nick Onken has been commissioned by top tier brands such as Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas

“Words are like magic and sentences are like spells. They can take on multiple meanings. They can put things in motion. They are so powerful.” Justin Sharpe is the serial entrepreneur with several companies and a wide range of lived experiences.Listen to this conversation, and you’ll get an insight into how a deep-thinking entrepreneur processes his thoughts, experiences, and personal stories. It’s this depth of thinking that first drew me to Justin. I was inspired by his insatiable commitment to scrutinize himself for the purpose of knowing his truth.This episode dives deep into Justin’s personal life philosophies. We learn how his mother’s origin story led to an incredibly difficult childhood and how Justin chose to see his life through a more empowering lens and create a beautiful life for himself.  You’ll hear about the tools and practices Justin uses to go inwards and create his realities. We also explore definitions of purpose and how who you are can matter more than what you do. “Choosin

“The process of enlightenment may be realizing that reality in life exists for us and that we have the capacity to transform it and our relationship to it just by perspective alone.” Craig Villani has been in the yoga space for decades. A teacher since 1999, Craig has guided thousands of facilitators and instructors through one of the world’s most challenging hatha yoga teacher training programs. For Craig, yoga is about creating space for transformation, connection, exploring oneness, and knowing self. In this episode, Craig shares how the gift of witnessing and participating in human transformation empowered him to “midwife it, facilitate it, and assist it.” Craig’s insights about transformation, combined with his lived experience, make him a must-hear guest. I’m rarely blown away by people because of the amount of work they’ve done on themselves. Craig is the exception. Blurb 3: Why the listener wants to listen to this episodeKey takeaways:Why is the word ALLOW so powerful. What is

“I believe every morning when I wake up, and I give gratitude for the fact that my family's still alive and my kids are healthy that I'm living my dream every with my eyes wide open.”This episode brings the Feast It Forward series to a close with a doozy of a conversation with visionary thinker Katie Hamilton Shaffer. Katie is the founder and visionary behind Feast It Forward - an intentional cultural lifestyle that combines food, wine, music, and philanthropy spiked with design. Inside this unique, no judgment, adult playground, people can connect, come together, and thrive. Katie’s story is one of joining dots, thriving because of NO, and following the call to serve in a big way after her mentor’s daughter was diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder Rett Syndrome. Tune in and get activated by Katie’s visionary gifts, her tenacity to live her dream, and her unshakeable commitment to leaving her blueprint in a world of naysayers. “Oddly, I am I'm fueled by no, and, and the fact that faili

“True liberation is found in the journey of self-love” After my experiences during July 2022, I’ve come to believe that the entire game of life is about discovering how to love yourself.The month started with a vulnerable conversation with Gina about codependency and outsourcing the responsibility we both have to self love. What followed was a month of expansive exploration round what it means to love myself and a renewed commitment to creating a f*ck YES, 10/10, conscious and flowing relationship. I’m sharing everything I learned in this episode, so it’s full of practical tips as well as vulnerable personal reflections. You’ll discover self-love examples and definitions to understand what self-love looks like. You’ll explore how life offers mirrors to ignite a self-love expansion. And perhaps most valuably, you’ll learn my systematic framework for loving yourself. As usual, Georgina El Morshdy is here to help guide the conversation. This one’s a doozy. Don’t miss it!“When you live in your hear

“I'd watch so many people find their way through painful experiences so that when I experienced mine, I had this deep sense of knowing that I wouldn't get lost in it, that I would meander out eventually.” Dr. Sherry is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, yoga teacher, mental advocate, and bestselling author who’s just published her latest book - Touching Two Worlds. Through her company, ZenFounder, Dr. Sherry empowers leaders and entrepreneurs to do hard things by exploring creative ways to get unstuck.Despite grief being a certainty, most of us struggle to navigate the landscape of loss. Dr. Sherry lost her dad to cancer and her brother to suicide within six months of each other. In this episode, Dr. Sherry shares what she learned through her experience of “touching two worlds.” This conversation is a potent exploration of death, loss, and grief inspired by Dr. Sherry’s own lived wisdom combined with her experience guiding others through painful experiences.  Sherry’s wisdom inspires

“Resistance is a doorway and on the other side of that doorway can be a lot of power.”It was such a joy to meet Jetta Blaine at the Feast It Forward Festival. Jetta is a lifestyle integration coach that specializes in using the plant medicine Kambo to facilitate shadow work, catharsis, and rapid transformation. Jetta has a gift for holding space for medicine journeys that guide people to a place of deep healing and purging. I have been wanting to bring on more experts to discuss plant medicines on the show for some time now. In my experience, plant medicines and substances are incredible tools for expanding consciousness and revealing aspects of our inner world that we can’t see. Although I have never personally tried Kambo, I’m very inspired to learn about different types of substances and rituals for healing & transformation. I was very grateful for the unexpected opportunity to learn about a new healing modality with someone so experienced and skilled with the medicine.Tune in now to hear Jet

“You never want to be the person that accepts your situation and complains when you get there.” It was such a buzz to record this episode live at the Feast it Forward Festival. Kosha Dillz is an improv artist and freestyle rap teacher who performs in the street all over the world. He’s been rapping for over 20 years, and one of his songs, “Cellular Phone” - was featured in a Bud Light Superbowl ad. Kosha Dillz has a special gift for freestyle. As an artist, he can rap about anything and everything (as you’ll hear at the end of the episode). Through his artistry, he dreams of uniting various groups of people for the better. Kosha Dillz’s story is one of hustle, determination, humility, and inspiration. It’s a tale of NEVER giving up. “One day, you're gonna have to truly get down to the bare bones of why you do what you do.” As you’ll hear in the episode, it takes a particular sort of courage to be able to freestyle. Kosha Dillz shares with us the pressure of having to wow the crowd wit

“This month has been doing the work, having the journeys, experiencing the energetic upleveling, and clearing my own beliefs about myself and the way the world is supposed to be and stepping into my power as a creator.” Welcome to my June reflection. This one’s a big one! Hands down, June 2022 has been one of the most powerful months of growth and evolution I’ve ever experienced in the 4-5 years of my choosing to go inwards. This month, I learned to look at my life with radical responsibility for everything that’s showing up - no matter how incredible or challenging. I got to remember that I am the cause of all that I see and that insight gifted me a new lens to look at the world. Thanks to powerful healing experiences with gifted mentors and deep conversations with myself, I’ve been able to uplevel in so many ways. I’m grateful for all the mirrors that showed up in June, each of them empowering me to step out of my own way and reclaim the knowing that I am the creator in my life. “How can

“You will find music that will speak to what you are going through at any time in your life.”I recorded this conversation with Christian Swain LIVE at the Feast it Forward Festival. Christian is the founder, producer, and host of the Rock n Roll Archaeology Project. He’s also involved with Pantheon Podcasts. He’s the lead vocalist of Tinman and has been playing with his band for the last 17 years. Christian also describes himself as a political raconteur. As you’ll hear in the show, he has interesting insight on all kinds of topics. It’s one of the things that made this episode so powerful to record. This episode was a reminder to me that there’s always a thread to be found in a great conversation. It doesn’t matter who I talk to, there’s always a route back to topics that help us remember who we are. Through these conversations, we get to meet life with presence to connect back with what is - allowing the energy of the moment to inspire everything we do and everything we become. “Tragedy opens up a

“You have the power to manifest anything you want, you just have to put it out there. If you can put it out there and feel it as if it's occurred, it's on its way, it's going to happen.”My conversation with Steve Little - AKA “The Activator” was the catalyst for some amplified personal growth this month. Steve is the CEO and managing partner of Zero Limits Ventures, a M&A advisory, investment banking, and consulting firm. Steve has been an entrepreneur for 45 years. He sold his first business when he was just 15 for $250k. Since then, Steve has architectured 6 nine-figure tech exits and led the M&A teams for 9 tech acquisitions. Steve is also massively purpose-driven who generously gives his time and money to a wide range of global initiatives including Younglife Africa (which you’ll hear about in the episode). What I loved most about Steve is the way he integrates energetics into the way he operates in business. Steve reminded me that there are unconscious forces that create our realit

“I just made a decision in the seventies when I went to culinary school to change my life and this career and everything that I've done in my career has supported those changes. It's just given me a place to be so grateful because it's been successful.” Chef Rick Moonen is a multi-award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur known as the “Godfather of Sustainability”. He’s currently the Master Development Chef for Perry’s Restaurants and Chef Advocate for Feast It Forward, which was where we met and recorded this interview. For over 25 years, Chef Rick has been a leading advocate for the sustainable seafood movement. He’s been featured in everything from USA Today, to Forbes, Food & Wine, SAVEUR, and GourmetMagazine. He’s also received a number of awards to acknowledge his advocacy for sustainability including Chef of the Year by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2011; and Humanitarian of the Year by the American Culinary Federation in 2013.It was such a privilege to grab this quick conversation wit

“When you're triggered, how the hell is your triggered mind supposed to understand the wisdom of the universe?”This episode is my May reflection. As usual, some BIG stuff has been moving through me. The constant challenges and up-levels result from choosing to walk my own unique path through life. When you’re looking for the lessons and practicing a lifestyle of awareness, it’s impossible to NOT grow.  But it’s impossible to avoid frustrating setbacks as well! This month, I found myself asking “Why is this happening to me?” Do you ever find yourself asking that question? For me, this conversation shows up anytime my life doesn’t match my expectations. For example, when I believe something should have happened faster or when I wish I were further along my path.In the past, these thoughts would get me in a funk. But because of my steady reflection practice, I know there’s a lesson I need to learn (or an experience I need to have). I’m learning to let go of my own attachments and align with the un