Ten Days of Silence — What Vipassana Actually Taught Me

Ten Days of Silence — What Vipassana Actually Taught Me

I went into a ten-day silent Vipassana retreat in Vietnam. No phone. No talking. No distractions. Ten hours of meditation a day. Before I went in, I was terrified. I'd never sat still that long. I'd watched others do it and quietly assumed I wasn't capable. But something called me to it — and I decided a long time ago that when I commit, I see it through. The first three days were brutal. My mind raced through twenty-five years of random memories. My back and knees ached constantly. People around me started leaving. By day three, I was counting minutes on a clock, convinced I couldn't do it. Day four changed things. You learn the actual Vipassana technique — scanning your body from head to toe, observing sensation without reacting. I discovered that pain isn't solid. When you map it precisely — this corner of my knee, this edge of my ankle — it fragments. It becomes workable. That's when something shifted. You're not learning about impermanence in the Vipassana discourses. You're sitting there and proving it to yourself through your own body every hour. Every sensation arises. Every sensation passes. You stop craving the comfortable ones and stop fighting the painful ones. Equanimity. That's the practice. I never stopped shifting in my seat. I never had a breakthrough moment where the pain vanished. But somewhere between day three and day nine, my relationship to discomfort changed. I stopped fighting it. On day eleven, we broke silence. Reconnecting with the people who sat next to me for ten days — people I'd never spoken to, never made eye contact with — felt like something I can only compare to coming down from psilocybin with someone. That same depth of recognition. That same feeling of being seen. Integration is hard. I'm back in a busy city. My evening meditations are sometimes seven minutes. But I'm not harsh with myself about it — because that's also the practice. The fuse is longer. Reactions are milder. Things pass faster. If Vipassana is calling you, you'll know. And if you're ignoring it because you're scared — you'll probably regret that more than ten days of silence ever will.

There Was More Life in Those Five Years | Daniel Wang on Love, Loss & Living Fully

Daniel Wang lost his wife Sherry to breast cancer three years ago. What followed was grief, depression, and addiction. What turned it was a dream. Sherry appeared — calm, happy, surrounded by her friends wearing her clothes. She wasn't there to come back. She was living. And she asked him: "Are you looking after yourself?" This conversation moves through the before — who Daniel and Sherry were together — through the fall, and slowly, toward the return. It's about love, loss, presence, and what it looks like to rebuild when the person who knew you best is gone. Daniel describes his current essence as a "vigilant mouse." Observing. Grounded. Present. Someone who has learned that awareness isn't passive — it's survival. 📩 Find Daniel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandydandub/ [https://www.instagram.com/dandydandub/]

Falling in Love With My Life Again | Reflections from Hoi An

For four months, I’ve been travelling through Asia searching for… something. Sri Lanka showed me what I didn’t want. Bali showed me how connection can sometimes become distraction. And then Hội An slowed me down enough to finally hear myself again. In this episode, I reflect on the routines, rituals, loneliness, insights, and uncomfortable truths that surfaced during this chapter of my life. We talk about: * building routines that genuinely support you * the difference between presence and performance * why even our passions can become pressure * contact improv and the idea of the “third entity” * self-love that isn’t performative * jealousy, comparison, Instagram spirals * learning to stay with yourself when things feel uncomfortable * and the strange distance between digging a hole at the beach feeling completely free… and waking up the next morning scrolling your phone for two hours This isn’t a polished transformation story. It’s a reflection on a process that’s still unfolding. And maybe that’s the most honest thing I can share right now. If this episode resonates with you, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. Share it with someone who might need it, leave a review, or send me a message on Instagram. Until next time — Follow your intuition, do everything with love, and just see where it takes you.

The Person You're Still Becoming | Danny Rahim on Purpose, Growth & Sobriety

Danny Rahim's story begins with adversity. Growing up with a mother facing severe mental health challenges and experiencing profound loss at a young age, Danny was forced to confront difficult realities long before most people do. In this conversation, we explore how those experiences shaped the person he became—and how they eventually led him toward coaching, purpose, and a deeper understanding of himself. We dive into Danny's Sober 365 journey, the social pressure surrounding alcohol, and what happens when you remove a coping mechanism that society has largely normalised. Rather than focusing solely on sobriety, this conversation explores identity, habits, self-awareness, and the stories we tell ourselves. We also discuss Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS), the power of self-talk, the impact of ADHD on behaviour and decision-making, and why the people we surround ourselves with have such a profound influence on our lives. Throughout the episode, Danny shares practical insights on creating lasting change, finding joy in everyday life, and navigating both success and struggle with perspective. Topics we explore: • Growing up through adversity and its lasting impact • The link between childhood experiences and adult behaviour • Danny's Sober 365 journey • Why alcohol is so deeply embedded in modern culture • Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS) • ADHD, self-awareness, and personal growth • Habits, consistency, and long-term change • The importance of your environment and social circle • How the words we use shape our reality • Finding purpose and meaning in your work • "All of us will die, but not all of us will live" • "This too shall pass"—for both difficult and beautiful moments Connect with Danny: Instagram: @dannyrahimcoaching Website: dannyrahimcoaching.com Learn more about Danny's coaching, the Sober 365 journey, and the Elev8 Human Performance community through the links above. — If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might benefit from the conversation, leave a review, and subscribe to Grow with the Flo for more honest conversations about growth, anxiety, identity, connection, and what it means to live a life that actually feels like yours.

How I Overcame (Toilet) Anxiety (And Reclaimed My Freedom)

Two years ago, I couldn’t walk twenty minutes from my front door without knowing there was a toilet nearby. Today, I’m travelling through Asia with no fixed plans, no mapped-out exits, and no certainty about what comes next. In this deeply personal solo episode, I open up about my experience with anxiety and toilet anxiety — the shame, the isolation, the avoidance, and the long process of slowly rebuilding trust with my body and nervous system. This isn’t a “5 steps to fix your anxiety” episode. It’s an honest conversation about what actually helped: * Understanding the gut-brain connection * Exposure and facing fear * Breathwork and nervous system regulation * Acupuncture, movement, journalling and community * Learning to sit with uncertainty instead of fighting it Most importantly, this episode is about the relationship we build with anxiety over time. Because freedom isn’t the absence of anxiety — it’s learning that fear no longer gets to run your life. If this has been part of your story too, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. Follow your intuition, do everything with love, and just see where it takes you. #Anxiety #MentalHealth #ToiletAnxiety #PersonalGrowth #HealingJourney #Podcast #GrowWithTheFlo #Agoraphobia #MentalHealthAwareness