Wake Up Project: Inspiration + Courage + Kindness

Michelle C. Johnson is a clinical social worker, activist, yoga teacher and author of 'Finding Refuge: Heart Work for Healing Collective Grief' and 'We Heal Together: Rituals and Practices for Building Community and Connection'.  Michelle has a Masters degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill - and has offered training for the likes of Duke University, Google, This American Life, Auburn Seminary, Lululemon, and many others. In this conversation, Michelle shares:  .  Stories and lessons from her honeybees .  The role of the heart in healing and finding integrity  .  The powerful link between grief and aliveness .  How grief can stagnate in our bodies and cause illness in our bodies and culture .  The role of healthy grieving in addressing our collective wounds   .  How spiritual practices can help us hold our brokenheartedness and wholeness at the same   time.    Michelle brings a beautiful perspective on the role of grieving - grounded in community, embodiment and ritual. All dedicated to our

Today’s conversation is with Josh Schrei. Josh is a renowned student of mythology - and host of The Emerald Podcast (a podcast mind you that i’d highly recommend you check out). In this episode Josh shares personal and mythical stories to remind us of the hidden treasures to be found in times of sorrow - Articulating grief as part of the cycle of shedding, releasing, and returning to what he calls the “meadows of joy”. As you will soon experience in this conversation, Josh brings a profound understanding of mythology - and his ability to articulate its significance, makes him a rare voice in our world. During this episode Josh shares: • Personal stories of wildfires, grief and his young sons • The pervasiveness of grief underneath the surface of all our lives • Why grief is a vital part of the life cycle - and intimately connected with joy • How mythology has always served as a timeless reservoir of wisdom, capturing the essence of our collective experiences. With all my heart, thank you for being here.

Today’s conversation is with Shauna Janz. Shauna offers a beautiful invitation into what she calls the “larger currents of resiliency” - which includes the wisdom of our bodies, our hearts, our ancestors, the natural world, ritual healing, imagination and altered states of consciousness.  As you will experience, Shauna brings a very tender, embodied and respectful approach to working with grief.  In this episode, Shauna explores: • The importance of building strong personal “river banks” to allow the rivers of unmetabolized grief to flow into the larger oceans of life, and not flood or overwhelm our lives • How the skills of grieving has brought her closer to her “birthright of joy” and her signature as a “lover of life” • What to do when we feel like we are going to get lost if we allow our grief to come forward • The impact of our severance from the “deeper wells of knowing” - including how we relate to our bodies, ancestors, ritual etc.    

I’m honored to be in conversation with the distinguished business professor George Kohlrieser - who is one of the world leaders incorporating grief into Executive Education.  In this enlightening conversation, we explore:  • How unresolved grief can make leaders cold hearted, emotionally detached and unable to bond with people • Why so many leaders fail to recognise they carry grief  • The obstacles and opportunities for leaders to work through grief  • The “creative force” that is unleashed when grief is metabolized   

For me, this is one of the most important conversations I’ve ever published. In today’s episode, Rosemary Wanganeen shares her personal story of being part of the Stolen Generation, reconnecting with her ancestry, going through a deep grieving process - and ultimately forgiving the atrocities committed on her people.  Rosemary Wanganeen is a proud South Australian Aboriginal woman, Kaurna Elder, and founder of the Healing Centre for Griefology. Rosemary believes that grieving and wellbeing are intimately related - and that the health of Australia’s future rests in our ability to integrate the losses we have in our nation's history. In this episode, Rosemary explores:  • Why indigenous Australians maintained regular grieving ceremonies• The importance of not having the body accumulate “grief energy” • The impact of Plato calling grief "illogical" and a "weakness" • The invitation grief offers for forgiveness and re-kindling spirituality  • Whether Australia will ever have a dedicated “Day of Grieving”  

Like many of you, sorrow has entered my life in a myriad of ways - and it wasn't until I read Francis Weller's book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, that I began a soulful relationship with grief. Francis Weller is a psychotherapist, author and wise elder who extends an invitation for us to remember what it means to be a Human Being. During this rich conversation, Francis offers beautiful perspectives on sorrow, shame, vitality, beauty making, depression and the “Five gates of grief”. May we all undertake an “apprenticeship with sorrow” and come closer to living and loving more fully. Love, Jono  

This episode is an insight into Jono’s grief work, and how he arrived here. His dance partner in this conversation is his friend (and previous therapist) Kate-Marie Mutsaers. Kate-Marie has over 25 years experience as a community facilitator, somatic therapist, body worker and movement facilitator - walking alongside people in private practice, prisons, disaster settings and dance floors across locations as varied as Central Australia, the Middle East, India, Papua New Guinea and now France where she currently resides.  But Jono didn’t ask Kate-Marie to join him because of her bio. He asked Kate-Marie because of her groundedness, her heart and integrity. She’s a beautiful person to talk with, and she’s been an incredible support for Jono in his life. Jono hopes this conversation gives you a glimpse into where he’s at - and why he’s so drawn to offering grief work during these challenging times. Jono also hopes you also enjoy getting to know Kate-Marie and her stunning presence. Whatever the shape of your

This trailer offers Jono's prayer for this podcast - while introducing grief as a gateway into depth and aliveness. This season will explore intimate conversations about grief with somatic practitioners and leaders in business, indigenous wisdom and mythology.

Many of us have been raised to think that men have to act in a certain way. You know the story - be tough, invulnerable, in control, unemotional etc. This has led to an epidemic of loneliness, depression, dysfunction and suicide. This podcast explores some of my experiences and hopefully catalyses a new way of thinking about modern masculinity.

Emiliana Simon-Thomas Phd is the Science Director at the Greater Good Science Centre at the University of California Berkeley. She is one of the leading authorities uncovering the deep roots of human goodness and she specialises in the biological underpinnings of prosocial states like compassion, kindness and empathy and how they benefit well-being and psychosocial functioning. Her programs are hugely popular and offered in online formats for over 400,000 students. During this wide ranging conversation, Emiliana shares how modern science all points to human beings being wired for compassion and connection. At one point, Emiliana said “Biologically, we’re built to dedicate ourselves to each other.” Emiliana also shares how the “achievement model of success” is letting so many people down and the perils of misunderstanding the word “happiness”. Instead, Emiliana speaks of the importance of experiencing our rich and diverse emotions like anger and sadness while also learning how to foster more resilience, connec

In this episode, I share some recent experiences of sadness and death. From these experiences, three valuable insights have emerged for me. My hope is that these insights may lead you to a deeper appreciation for life.

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s Super Soul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for Keeping It Real on Your Spiritual Path—from One Seeker to Another, The Fire Starter Sessions and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into eight languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Her website has been named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes. During this very nourishing conversation we explore topics such as discipline as a path to liberation, how the “lie of inadequacy” drives so many poor decisions and how softness and tenderness could be one of the signs of genuine spiritual maturity.

Marc Lesser co-founded the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) with Google engineer and author of the New York Times bestseller, Chade-Meng Tan. He is the CEO of SIYLI taking Google’s #1 training program to thousands of senior executives, entrepreneurs and professionals around the world. Previously, Marc founded a multi-million dollar publishing company, managed a Zen monastery for 10 years and has written three books including ZBA: Zen of Business Administration. He now sits on the SIYLI board with the likes of Arianna Huffington and the VP of Google’s People Development, Karen May. During this very personal conversation, Marc shares his fascinating story from childhood to living in a Zen centre, founding a multi-million dollar publishing company and then teaming up with a Google engineer to create the hugely successful Search Inside Yourself Program. Moved by the pain of loss and the love of psychology and literature, Marc shares what what influenced his path to Zen, entrepreneurship and bei

Welcome to this “Mini-Podcast” - short reflections (around 5-10 mins long) with ideas, tools and resources to help you live a more mindful, brave and kind life. In this episode, I reflect on the power of staying focused on small things. In a world that glorifies the large and the flashy, it can be hard to see the value in the everyday actions. However, by learning how to calm our minds and be of service in this moment, we begin to create a meaningful living. Keep it simple. Focus on the small. This way you will take care of your soul, your relationships, and everything.

Elena Brower is one of the leading yoga teachers in the world having risen to acclaim on the New York yoga scene. She is also a mum and artist who is devoted to helping people live more meaningful and loving lives. Elena is a graduate from Cornell University and has studied with several master yoga teachers for over a decade. She is the author of “Art of Attention: A Yoga Practice Workbook for Movement as Meditation” that guides us into an exploration of presence, elegance and deeper life purpose. During this conversation, Elena shares how for a long time, she wasn’t proud of who she was. In fact she felt a discrepancy between her public and private life that led her to carry around the weight of shame. It was her journey to sobriety and telling the truth that allowed her life to more fully open up. We speak about the power of integrity and telling the truth and how shame can impact creativity, immunity and parenting. Elena also shares her daily rituals that she utilises in her daily life and during her paren

In this episode I share the practice of “loving kindness”. This practice is thousands of years old and more recently scientists are discovering its observable impact on emotional, physical and social wellbeing. By pairing breath with emotion and wishes we begin to generate more warmth for ourselves that naturally radiates out to others. I’d suggest experimenting with this practice for 5 minutes a day - and may it be of benefit to you and those around you. Welcome to this “Mini-Podcast” - short reflections (around 5-10 mins long) with ideas, tools and resources to help you live a more mindful, brave and kind life.

Marianne Williamson has written four #1 New York Times Bestsellers and her teachings have influenced millions around the world. Newsweek magazine named Marianne as one of the “50 most influential baby boomers” and she has been a popular speaker at Google and regularly appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live and Good Morning America. In 2014, Marianne ran for US Congress in an attempt to start a bold new conversation in politics. She is the founder of Project Angel Food that serves over 1,000 meals per day for people suffering with AIDS in Los Angeles. Marianne co-founded the Peace Alliance and sits on the board of RESULTS that works to end hunger and poverty throughout the world.

**Big Announcement** Danielle LaPorte is coming to Australia! Join the Priority List at WakeUpProject.com In this episode, Wake Up’s Jono Fisher shares an experience that reminded him of our basic goodness and our connection with one another. He also shares a Kindness Card story that touched him. Welcome to this “Mini-Podcast” - short reflections (around 5-10 mins long) with ideas, tools and resources to help you live a more mindful, brave and kind life.

Lyn White is is one of Australia’s most courageous leaders who believes in the power of our everyday choices to create a kinder world. She is the Campaign Director for Animals Australia - Australia's leading animal protection organisation. Their investigations and campaigns are recognised the world over for protecting the most vulnerable and abused animals in our society. In this inspiring talk given at the 2015 Mindful Leadership Forum in Sydney, Lyn shares her very personal journey and her belief that human beings have a profound goodness within them, with the potential to fulfil a new kind of ethical standard. A rally cry for each of us to dedicate ourselves to creating a more kind and compassionate world. Lyn White was a South Australian police investigator for 20 years before becoming the Campaign Director for Animals Australia. Lyn’s work has been profiled extensively in major Australian media. She is an Australian of the Year Finalist and in 2014 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Golbie Kamarei founded the pioneering BlackRock meditation program. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager with $4.7 trillion in assets under management and over 12,000 employees. During this conversation, Golbie shares her personal journey beginning with attending meditation retreats through to bringing these learnings into her work environment. She began with a weekly mindfulness class in the New York City office and over the next two years more than 1,500 employees in over 30 cities and 17 countries became part of her program. But something more began happening, “People began showing up with humanity and compassion - friendships were being created that were beyond normal work colleague relationships.” Golbie Kamarei was the former Global Program Manager at BlackRock asset management. She is now a Corporate Wellbeing and Performance Consultant leading training for multinational firms including the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2015, Golbie was recognised as a Corporate Culture Champion by Berkel