The Self-Explorers Club Podcast

Episode 24: Marty Simon

Marty Simon is my first podcast guest who I met over Substack. This episode was our first time speaking, and it won’t be our last. I started enjoying Marty’s Substack a while back. It’s called Spirituality for Effective Living [https://substack.com/@martysimon] (the same title as his book), where he shares practical, non-religious spiritual teachings. The intention? Let go of stress and anxiety. Open to joy, love, and peace. I loved this conversation. From the opening minute I could tell Marty genuinely lives what we shares. It’s evident in his energy, the way he talks, the way his demeanor welcomes everything. Marty Simon is an access point to spirituality, one that invites people to directly experience the benefits of spiritual wisdom without dogma or suspended belief. The benefits of these teachings are right here, right now, which is, after all, the only place we can experience anything. In short, this conversation opens a doorway to inner peace for anyone open to it. Follow along with Marty on Substack here [https://substack.com/@martysimon]. Pick up his book here [https://www.amazon.com/Spirituality-Effective-Living-Teachings-Unenlightened/dp/B0FVG4KJ4Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DV22ADLLI00V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uZQBZU-FpHxGbJBlyk7QX0qgKhhybvV5NaFnWBJnbvAb2_ERcyHx6_pxBbJJfLtiQyy-COEkdEcqZq9ya6UdcQ1Tg1VRMDlqTumeqgUH37BD5nR2jYWk-F6hHXziJJBjuBXtLboEre-h4y5IJr8THC-Ns0wh4ENpx0UwexGGAsdnJivkklnSFjB6qyqmRAmaME4oXIEraBsCljp447UZp_Xx-gbmWkSPtARfk8MiYko.XvRtG2l8W0A3dt3MMAYfBY9Xuz7y8QGppCjEt0BbSuk&dib_tag=se&keywords=spirituality+for+effective+living&qid=1763096808&sprefix=spirituality+for+eff%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-1] (I know I am). He has also invited any listener to reach out to him directly for more information on joining his meditation group. Enjoy Episode 24 of The Self-Explorers Club Podcast. And share this with anyone you think might benefit from listening. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.selfexplorersclub.com [https://www.selfexplorersclub.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 23: Joline Seavey

Sometimes I talk about non-local consciousness; if there’s such a thing as a non-local hug, Joline’s nailed it. There is a warm embrace that her presence provides, no matter how many miles apart we are. I had the pleasure of working closely with Joline during my time at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where we partnered on selecting and collaborating with world-renowned Visiting Faculty members to bring the training curriculum to life (among other things). Today, I’m honored to call her a friend. And even though we don’t stay in touch frequently, when we reconnect there is this sense that we’ve been present in each other’s hearts all the while.Joline Seavey is a spiritual empowerment coach supporting people with embracing spirituality to live from their hearts instead of their heads. She has 18 years of experience in the mental health field as a licensed social worker (a background we share), and has worn many hats and positively impacted many lives over the course of her career, including mine. You can follow along with Joline on Instagram @Joline.Seavey [https://www.instagram.com/joline.seavey/] and learn more about her and her offerings on her website (JolineSeavey.com [https://www.jolineseavey.com/]). I love this episode. There is gold here, sprinkled throughout the conversation from start to finish. Please enjoy Episode 23 of The Self-Explorers Club Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.selfexplorersclub.com [https://www.selfexplorersclub.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 22: Rosemary Taurasi

Rosemary Taurasi is the embodiment of spiritual integrity. You can sense the depth of her spiritual practice simply from being in her presence. Her wisdom carries through her interactions, teachings, writing, and services, which invite us to return within to ourselves and live from that place. I’ve been grateful to know Rosemary as a respected peer in this space and work with her as she has brought more offerings into this world. Last month I attended one of these offerings myself, a virtual workshops (which I’ve also sent my mother to), and got to experience her healing gifts firsthand. Rosemary holds a Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Psychology and is a Certified Transformational Life Coach, Yoga and Meditation Instructor, and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. With over 13 years of experience teaching yoga, a meditation-and a daily personal practice spanning more than 30 years, and over 20 years in social services leadership, Rosemary has a deep understanding of what it is to be human and how to navigate the realities of life as a spiritual being. To hear from Rosemary, subscribe to her Substack, Awaken, Align, Come Home [https://rosemarytaurasi.substack.com/]. To explore Rosemary’s work and book a complimentary session with her, visit her coaching profile hosted on Zoee [https://zoee.com/providers/transformyourlife/]. Enjoy Episode 22 of The Self-Explorers Club Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.selfexplorersclub.com [https://www.selfexplorersclub.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 21: Kyle Cease

Kyle and I met at The Omega Institute during a retreat called Your Soul Is Not For Sale [https://www.eomega.org/workshops/your-soul-not-sale] (which he will be providing again this May). I signed up after reading his book, The Illusion of Money [https://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Money-Chasing-Stopping-Receiving/dp/1401957447], which transformed by relationship with money and, more importantly, abundance. That retreat shifted a lot for me, both personally and professionally. I experienced profound realizations within myself. Through Kyle, I witnessed a powerful, refreshing example of what it can look like to support others on a deeply healing, spiritual level. Afterward, I embarked on a 90 day meditation and writing experiment, which you can find this on my Substack. Kyle has inspired me as a coach, writer, and human being. Today, I’m honored to call him a friend, and I’m eternally grateful our paths crossed on those three days in May.To learn more about Kyle, visit www.KyleCease.com [https://www.kylecease.com/] and follow him on Instagram @evolvingoutloud [https://www.instagram.com/evolvingoutloud/]. If you want to experience the retreat where I met Kyle, the entire audio recording is available along with other courses and resources at KyleCease.com/courses [https://www.kylecease.com/courses]Enjoy Episode 21 of The Self-Explorers Club Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.selfexplorersclub.com [https://www.selfexplorersclub.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

I used to be a spiritual seeker

I used to be a spiritual seeker. A man on a sacred quest. A pilgrim moving toward something holy just beyond the horizon. There was a time when I lived as though the next book would unlock my freedom. The next teacher would reveal the path. The next spiritual practice would grant me peace. The next breakthrough would finally deliver me into the version of myself I was trying to become. It looked like growth. It looked like ambition. It even looked like devotion. But underneath it was a quiet assumption: I am not there yet. There is something I do not have.There is something I must find.There is somewhere else I need to arrive. Seeking implies disconnection. It is fueled by lack, even if dressed in good intentions. Seeking implies something is missing. And I no longer believe that. I am not a spiritual seeker. I’m a spiritual explorer. A Self-explorer. Exploration is different. Exploration does not assume absence. It assumes wholeness. When I explore, I am not chasing something that’s missing. I’m curiously moving through what’s already here. I am curious about the terrain of my own being. The valleys of grief. The sharp cliffs of fear. The quiet lakes of contentment. The enchanted forests of desire and doubt and creativity and love. Nothing is missing. It’s all right here within me. The breath in my lungs.The thoughts moving through my mind.The sensations in my body. An explorer does not walk into a forest to find something missing, but to experience what’s there. That’s how I relate to life now. I am not trying to transcend my humanity. I am not trying to purify myself into some enlightened abstraction. I am not climbing toward a spiritual summit where I will finally plant a flag and declare myself whole. Wholeness is the starting point. The invitation is not to become complete. The invitation is to Know that I already am, and live from that place. There is something deeply relieving about this shift. When nothing is missing, there is no frantic searching. No desperate hunger. No sense that time is running out. There’s no hurry toward some illusory solution to a problem that I created. Instead there is curiosity. What happens if I look here?What happens if I feel this fully?What happens if I try this? Exploration invites presence. Seeking invites tension. The same tension created from trying to pull a piece of fabric apart, from trying to separate something from what it already is. When I was seeking, I was often bypassing the moment in front of me in favor of a better one I imagined somewhere else. I was optimizing my consciousness. Upgrading myself. Engineering my enlightenment. Working toward an outcome, a different version of myself. A different experience of reality. Now I am interested in the texture of this moment. The way sunlight hits the floor. The way my chest tightens before a difficult conversation. The way my heart sparks when I do what I enjoy. The way love feels when I let it in. The way the tension from my shoulders releases when I remember I’m inseparable from God. Exploration is intimate. It requires courage too. Because if I realize nothing is missing, then I can no longer seek resolution in the future. I have to meet what is here in all its forms. But that is the adventure, the one I’ve found to be the greatest of all. Because when I stop seeking what’s missing, I realize what’s here. And I move through my inner landscape the way an explorer does. Attentive. Engaged. Sometimes uncertain. Always curious. Often surprised. I’m not looking for treasure. I’m playing in it. I am here. And what a miracle it is to be here.I used to be a spiritual seeker.Did I find what I was searching for,or did I simply realize I never had to search at all? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.selfexplorersclub.com [https://www.selfexplorersclub.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]