Ep 27: Creativity, Purpose & the Art of Making a Buck with David Nichtern

Ep 28: Executive Coaching & Men's Inner Work | Frank Mesa on Radical Reinvention

Frank Mesa spent 30 years at MTA Metro-North — starting as an assistant conductor and working his way to Chief Operations Training Officer, responsible for developing 7,000 employees in one of America's most demanding and high-stakes environments. Then he walked away and started over. In this episode, Frank breaks down his ERD framework — Evolve, Revolve, or Devolve — a decision-making system he developed to interrupt emotional and habitual reactions and consciously choose the path forward. It's simple, it's practical, and it works. We get into emotional intelligence, frustration tolerance, and why communication clarity can make or break a career. We talk about what it took to rise from entry level to the executive suite, the real dynamics of being a large Black man in corporate America, and why Frank is a fierce believer in meritocracy over entitlement. And we close on something every man needs to hear right now — Frank's answer to what men need that nobody is giving them. This one has edge, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Don't miss it. Topics covered: * The ERD decision-making framework — evolve, revolve, or devolve * Emotional intelligence and frustration tolerance as career superpowers * Leading transformation inside a century-old institution * Virtual reality and innovation in workforce training * Meritocracy, DEI, and the railroad standard * Race, stature, and navigating power dynamics in corporate America * Men's identity, masculinity, and self-belief * What Frank knows now that he wishes someone told him at 30 Connect with Frank Mesa: Mesa Solutions Inc. | Author of Alchemy — It's As Easy As ERD

Ep 27: Creativity, Purpose & the Art of Making a Buck with David Nichtern

What happens when you stop choosing between the sacred and the worldly? You get David Nichtern. Grammy-nominated songwriter. Four-time Emmy winner. Buddhist teacher for over 50 years. David wrote "Midnight at the Oasis," played with Jerry Garcia and Paul Simon, and spent two decades studying under the legendary Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Today he runs Dharma Moon — a global platform training the next generation of mindfulness teachers. In this conversation, Martin and David go deep on what meditation is actually for, the nature of consciousness and the self, why creativity and commerce aren't in conflict, and what 50 years on the cushion teaches you about business, relationships, and being alive. They cover: * Why most people get meditation completely wrong * The Buddhist psychology of the six realms — and why we all hoard something * "Unambitious presence" — the most underrated concept in mindfulness * How pressure is a privilege and what the cauldron of difficulty actually produces * Why bullshit walks in business — and how dharma makes you a better entrepreneur * Leaning into living, all the way This one moves. Philosophy, laughs, real talk about money, creativity, and what it means to keep evolving past 50. Visit: dharmamoon.com [http://dharmamoon.com] AlchemyNow: alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca]

Ep 26: Trauma Therapy & Emotional Healing | What Real Recovery Looks Like with Julie Brams

Julie Brams has spent over 30 years helping people get out of their own way — in the therapy room and in the forest. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist, eco-psychologist, and certified Forest Therapy guide whose work sits at the crossroads of inner healing and the natural world. In this conversation we go deep. We talk about nervous system dysregulation as a cultural disease, not a personal failure. We explore why self-love remains the wound underneath every wound. We get into Forest Therapy — Shinrin Yoku — and why nature isn't just a backdrop for healing, it's the therapist. We talk about couples, why two dysregulated people create a third dysregulation called a relationship, and why individual work always has to come first. Julie also shares her Nautilus Gold Award-winning book The Nature Embedded Mind — and why reconnecting to the rest of nature isn't spiritual luxury. It's clinical imperative. If you've ever felt like you don't belong in the world as it is — you might just be more awake than you think. Topics: Forest Therapy | Shinrin Yoku | Mental Health | Self-Love | Eco-Psychology | Nature and Healing | Couples Therapy | Nervous System Regulation | Mindfulness | Meditation | Indigenous Wisdom | Ecological Crisis | Mind-Body Connection Connect with Julie: Website: juliebrams.com [http://juliebrams.com] | experiencelemental.com [http://experiencelemental.com] Instagram: @juliebramslmft

Ep 25: Your Voice Knows You're Stressed Before Your Mind Does | Alex Fredericks, ToneWell

What if your voice was broadcasting the state of your nervous system — and you didn't even know it? In this episode I sit down with Alexander Fredericks, founder of ToneWell and a man who has spent over two decades bringing other people's ideas to life across music, cleantech, neuroscience, and wellness technology. What started as a mission to save his wife's health became a decades-long journey into frequency, resonance, and the body as signal. We cover a lot of ground in this one — from navigating dyslexia and touring the world as a music executive, to building a platform that reads your health through a 30-second voice note. But the conversation that emerges is really about something deeper: how men suppress, perform, and lose themselves — and how the voice is one of the most honest things about us. In this episode: * Why your voice reveals what your mind hasn't admitted yet * The science of frequency, resonance, and voice biomarkers * The performance mask — where it comes from and what it costs you * Imposter syndrome, ego death, and knowing your own value * "If you can see it, you can be it" — and why fake it till you make it is a fraud * How stress physically changes your voice * Speaking from the diaphragm vs. speaking from fear * Entrepreneurship as initiation Chapters: 0:00 — Intro 0:36 — Dyslexia, music, and finding his path 3:20 — Touring in the nineties — pirate ships and Rand McNally maps 10:44 — The methodology behind 50+ product launches 16:11 — "If you can see it, you can be it" 27:21 — How a health crisis led him to frequency medicine 35:06 — The voice as mirror — what it reveals before you admit it 43:34 — How ToneWell actually works 51:43 — The performance mask and men's suppression 1:07:02 — Authentic voice vs. consumer voice 1:13:27 — Using your voice to regulate your nervous system 🎙️ Odyssey & Alchemy is a podcast about self-examination, inner transformation, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from actually doing the work. Subscribe: Try ToneWell: tonewell.co [http://tonewell.co] AlchemyNow — Guided meditations for the whole family: alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca] #voicebiomarkers #menswork #nervoussystem #entrepreneurship #tonewell #selfleadership #mindfulness #stressmanagement #odesseyandalchemy

Ep 24: Demonic Beings and Black Magic removal with Shaman Sondra Bailey

What happens when a nurse trained in evidence-based medicine becomes a target of black magic — and survives to heal others? Shaman Sondra Bailey spent years bed-bound, stripped of her home, her career, and custody of her child. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong. The tests came back clean. What they missed — and what Western medicine has no language for — was a deliberate, sustained dark energy attack orchestrated by someone she trusted. In this raw and eye-opening episode, Sondra walks us through the invisible architecture of suffering: what black magic actually is, how it works, and how most people are living with its effects without ever knowing it. From generational curses to soul fragmentation, entity attachment to spiritual warfare — this conversation goes places most podcasts won't. In this episode: * What black magic actually is — and how it differs from Hollywood mythology * Signs and symptoms most doctors misdiagnose as anxiety or depression * How generational curses operate across family lines — addiction, illness, poverty, divorce * Soul retrieval: what a fragmented soul is and how you get it back * Jinn, reptilians, and the beings operating just outside our visible spectrum * Archangel Michael — who he is, how to call him in, and why religion kept this from us * Portals, phones, TVs, and why social media may be more than just an algorithm * Simple daily practices to cleanse your energy and protect your home Sondra is a Certified RN, Reiki Master, and Shamanic Practitioner affiliated with the Porch Creek Nation. She works with clients worldwide. 🔗 Find Sondra at shamansondra.com [http://shamansondra.com] | @ShamanSondra on Facebook & TikTok ---------------------------------------- Odyssey & Alchemy explores the journey inward and the transformation that unfolds from it — conversations with inspiring voices in physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Hosted by Martin Prihoda. 🎧 Calm your nervous system between episodes → alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca] ---------------------------------------- Tags: black magic, shamanic healing, spiritual warfare, energy healing, soul retrieval, Archangel Michael, generational curses, entity attachment, Reiki, spiritual protection, ancestral trauma, jinn, shamanism, inner transformation, nervous system, mental health, spiritual awakening, podcast