The Unknown Path

How a Vegas Showgirl became a Bestselling Author & Sacred Storyteller: The Cynthia James Story

Cynthia James is an incredible human who has lived so many lives inside one life, it's hard to sum her up. I first met Cynthia earlier this year, sharing a stage at a conference before a mutual friend reconnected us months later. What's really stayed with me isn't the showgirl years or the cheque Ed McMahon handed her on TV — it's what got passed down to her through her lineage. Cynthia comes from a line of women who survived a great deal, and what came down to her through her grandmother wasn't the weight of it — it was a knowing. A voice in the body she learned to trust over her own mind, the thing that kept telling her when a chapter was finished, long before it was convenient or rational or anything she wanted to hear. In this episode:  * Growing up in a redlined Minneapolis neighbourhood she didn't know she was being kept inside * One of the first Black showgirls on the Vegas strip, and her grandmother's reaction to the feathers * The Star Search producer's single question before the finals, and the $100,000 that followed  * The song running through her head when she woke up crying during a painful divorce  * A conversation about what it costs to trust that voice, and what it gives back.  ⸻ Cynthia James: Emotional integration leadership coach, international speaker, author of six books, and host of The Women Awakening Podcast. Website: cynthiajames.net [https://www.cynthiajames.net] Instagram: @cynthiajames777 [https://www.instagram.com/cynthiajames777/] Cynthia's Books: [https://www.cynthiajames.net/store/] What Will Set You Free · I Choose Me · Does My Voice Matter ⸻ This conversation touches on trauma and healing. If it brings something up for you, be gentle with yourself, and reach out to someone you trust. The Unknown Path is a podcast about the untold stories behind success — real conversations with extraordinary people about the parts of their journey nobody asks them about. theunknownpathpodcast.com [https://theunknownpathpodcast.com] Instagram: @jemfuller [https://www.instagram.com/jemfuller]

From a Rebel to a Maverick: The Yannik Silver Journey

At 14 he was cold-calling dentists to earn his first car. By his 30s he'd built a multi-million dollar internet business — and then walked away from it because the life he'd built and the life he was meant to live had stopped resembling each other. Confession — when we first got introduced, I jumped on the call not knowing who I was meeting. We just connected straight away. It was only afterwards that I went and looked him up and realised how many people this man has made an impression on. And here's the thing — the credentials are real. But they're not who he is. Yannick is someone who has spent decades doing the inner work alongside the outer work. Who sees synchronicities not as coincidence but as communication — a love letter from the universe across time and space. There's a story he tells in this episode about a chance meeting and a pizza dinner that ended with a blank cheque for hundreds of families in the Himalayan mountains to have their children's education funded. The number of things that had to align for that moment to happen is staggering. Yannick just calls that Tuesday. In this episode: — The moment he threw a cereal bowl across the room and what it forced him to confront  — Why he sold his Aston Martin but kept his ticket to space  — Non-dominant handwriting as a tool for accessing wisdom beyond the front brain  — What he asked his 111-year-old self — and the answer that became Maverick 1000 The question he left me with: What might be within your grasp if you went higher in your thinking? ⸻ Yannick Silver is the founder of Maverick 1000, author of Evolved Enterprise, and one of the early pioneers of digital marketing turned cosmic catalyst. Find him at maverick1000.com and 1000sunsparks.com. ⸻ The Unknown Path is a podcast about the untold stories behind success — real conversations with extraordinary people about the parts of their journey nobody asks them about. theunknownpathpodcast.com Instagram: @jemfuller

The Soul Behind the Sale: Melissa Bernstein on Purpose, Pain & Rebirth

She built one of the most beloved toy brands in the world. What nobody knew was she spent the first 20 years of her life in a profound meaning crisis. Melissa Bernstein co-founded Melissa & Doug Toys with her husband Doug at 22 — just dating, no money, no design training.  Over 32 years they grew it to over 1,000 employees and a global brand. Then they lost it. Not the way they'd planned. I met Melissa recently and knew straight away this conversation needed to happen. What she carries about creativity, darkness, identity, and starting over in your 50s is exactly what nobody else had ever asked her about. In this episode:  * The childhood existential depression and "psychic entropy" she never talked about publicly *  Hiding in stores on weekends, pretending not to know their own toys, watching strangers pick one up for the first time  * The three Ps that shaped her: perfectionism, pleasing, performance  * The real ending of Melissa & Doug and the identity crisis that followed  * Rebuilding from scratch in her 50s, Lifelines, and Viktor Frankl's logotherapy  * Why the meaning is always in the striving — never at the top of the hill  One of the most honest conversations I've had on this show. ⸻  Melissa Bernstein: melissa@lifelines.com| Melissa and Doug [https://www.melissaanddoug.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnFX2XJ7QdLDOCxofdO34ptoDLbtdClH7PVa03g7bh9KWisWVisunWO-N3ADw_aem_FFTOberT3UxyvQOEmQFf5w&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3_a1dennhazgelxz] | lifelines.com [https://www.lifelines.com%20]Find Melissa on Instagram @melissabernsteinofficial [https://www.instagram.com/melissabernsteinofficial/] The Unknown Path is a podcast about the untold stories behind success — real conversations with extraordinary people about the parts of their journey nobody asks them about. Website [https://jemfuller.com] | Instagram: @jemfuller

Beyond the Crowd Noise: Simon Madden on Confidence, Conviction & Courage

"If you don't understand the struggle, you'll never understand the success." — Simon Madden.  This week I sat down with one of my childhood heroes. Simon Madden played 378 games for Essendon, won two premierships, a Norm Smith Medal, and four Best and Fairests — and almost none of this conversation is about that.  In this episode:  * Why "overnight success" is the most misleading phrase in sport  * Being called "two yards of pump water" at 16, and what Simon did about it  * Getting sacked as captain at 23 and ending up on the interchange bench in the seconds and the question that turned it around * Confidence, conviction, courage: Simon's framework for what he calls "a whole performance"  * Losing his dad at 13, and what his mother taught him about just continuing  * Ubuntu — "I am because we are" — and the philosophy that runs through everything Simon believes about teams  The line I'm carrying out of this one: it's not what happens to you. It's how you respond to it. ⸻ Simon Madden is an AFL Hall of Fame inductee and former Essendon captain who now works with businesses, schools and charities on leadership, culture and performance. ⸻ The Unknown Path is a podcast about the unseen journeys behind success — the failures, turning points, and quiet moments that shape lives we admire from the outside. Website: theunknownpathpodcast.com [https://www.theunknownpathpodcast.com] Instagram: @jemfuller [https://www.instagram.com/jemfuller/]

Be Like Water: Lee Holden on Qigong, Energy & Walking the Dao

What if the key to navigating the unknown isn’t pushing harder — but learning to soften and flow? In this expansive episode of The Unknown Path, Jem Fuller sits down with Lee Holden, a globally respected Qigong teacher and founder of Holden Qigong. Drawing from Daoist philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine, and decades of practice, Lee shares how ancient energy arts can help modern humans reconnect with vitality, clarity, and inner balance. From studying with Daoist master Mantak Chia to bringing Qigong to a global audience through PBS and international programs, Lee reflects on the deeper purpose of energy work — not as mystical escape, but as a practical path toward health, presence, and conscious living. On this episode: * The Daoist roots of “The Unknown Path” and meeting life with relaxation instead of contraction * How stress shapes the nervous system — and why it’s considered the root of illness * Lee’s journey from psychology student to Qigong teacher and energy practitioner * Training with Mantak Chia and early experiences of Qi and life force energy * The difference between Qigong and Tai Chi — and why Qigong is accessible for beginners * Ancient Chinese medicine as preventative health care * The Three Treasures: Jing (body), Qi (emotion), Shen (spirit) * Technology, humanity, and the future of consciousness About Lee: Lee Holden is an internationally recognised Qigong teacher, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and founder of Holden Qigong. Trained in acupuncture, herbalism, and Daoist internal arts, he studied closely with master Mantak Chia and helped translate foundational teachings for Western audiences. Through global programs, retreats, and PBS features, Lee’s work focuses on making ancient practices accessible for modern life — helping people cultivate vitality, reduce stress, and reconnect with the body’s innate intelligence. Links & Resources Holden Qigong: holdenqigong.com [https://www.holdenqigong.com] Docu-Series: superhumanexperience.io [https://superhumanexperience.io] About the Unknown Path Hosted by Jem Fuller - Author, Coach, TedX speaker, The Unknown Path explores the real journeys behind transformation — the unseen stories, challenges, and turning points that shape meaningful lives and movements.