Wisdom Without The Guru

Poop, Self-Help & Letting Go with Angela Jamieson

In this special episode, I welcome back Angela Jamieson to talk about her unusually titled book, Using No. 2 to Get to No. 1: The Shockingly Insightful, Full-of-Crap Self-Help Book. Yes, the book really does connect poop and personal development — and, as Angela explains, that is exactly the point. Through humour, digestive metaphors, personal stories, and very relatable observations, Angela explores how letting go is not only something the body does but also something we often need to do, emotionally, mentally, and in the way we approach life. Angela shares how the idea for the book first appeared many years ago, why it took time to become what it is now, and how her own experiences with family, work, parenting, loss, self-help, and everyday human awkwardness shaped the final version. The conversation touches on everything from toilet paper rationing and international toilets to comparison, people-pleasing, conscious choices, and why no one else’s personal development formula can be copied exactly. We also discuss the link between the book and Angela’s work around relaxed productivity — especially the idea that life does not always need to be approached with more pressure, more achievement, or more seriousness. Sometimes, the most useful insights come through laughter, honest reflection, and remembering that we are all human. This episode is a funny, grounded, and surprisingly thoughtful conversation about self-help, connection, letting go, and learning to trust your own internal diagnostics. Angela’s book is available through major book retailers, including ebook formats, and the audiobook is expected to be available through Audible. About: Angela Jamieson is a former engineer turned Relaxed Productivity Advocate, speaker, publisher, and bestselling author. She helps busy professionals get more done by doing less—but smarter. She's recently published Using No. 2 to Get to No. 1, the cheekiest self-help book you didn’t know you needed.  Connect at: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-jamieson-b857a7/], IG [https://www.instagram.com/angelajamiesonfung], Website [https://www.angelajamieson.com/], Aimee Bronson [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aimee-Bronson/author/B0BC6SKWXS?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4a8605b4-62c0-47e4-a671-ce55f4914d4a] We'd love to hear from you 🥰. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe ✔️ Share with someone who needs this message ✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app ✔️ Subscribe and support here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/support] or here [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ☕ 🙏  Follow us for video clips and more: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithouttheguru/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.without.the.guru], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@WisdomWithoutTheGuruPodcast]

Culture, Identity, Loss & Redefining Success with Angela Jamieson

Author and creator of Relaxed Productivity, Angela Jamieson, joins me to speak about identity, culture, ambition, family history, grief, creativity, and what it means to redefine success. Born in Canada to Chinese immigrant parents, Angela grew up between cultures, with family roots connected to the building of the Canadian railroad and prairie life in Saskatchewan. Her early love of maths, music, writing, and travel eventually led her into engineering — a career that took her from Canada to the Netherlands and Brunei, while raising children abroad and building a life across continents. We explore: *  growing up Chinese Canadian while feeling culturally shaped by more than one world  *  how travel, family history, and education influenced Angela’s career path  *  building an international engineering career while raising children abroad  *  the loss of Angela’s father and how it changed her view of success  *  the idea of relaxed productivity and why doing less can sometimes create more  *  creativity, romance writing, spirituality, and the different parts of a life that do not always fit neatly together  After years of professional ambition and leadership, her father’s cancer diagnosis and death made her question what she was working so hard for. That turning point led her into personal development, a more spiritual yet still practical way of thinking, and into creating her work around “relaxed productivity.” This is a wide-ranging conversation about belonging, achievement, family, creativity, and learning to build a life that makes room for more than one version of who you are. About: Angela Jamieson is a former engineer turned Relaxed Productivity Advocate, speaker, publisher, and bestselling author. She helps busy professionals get more done by doing less—but smarter. She's recently published Using No. 2 to Get to No. 1, the cheekiest self-help book you didn’t know you needed.  Connect at: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-jamieson-b857a7/], IG [https://www.instagram.com/angelajamiesonfung], Website [https://www.angelajamieson.com/], Aimee Bronson [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aimee-Bronson/author/B0BC6SKWXS?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4a8605b4-62c0-47e4-a671-ce55f4914d4a] We'd love to hear from you 🥰. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe ✔️ Share with someone who needs this message ✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app ✔️ Subscribe and support here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/support] or here [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ☕ 🙏  Follow us for video clips and more: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithouttheguru/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.without.the.guru], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@WisdomWithoutTheGuruPodcast]

Grief Beyond the Funeral: A New Path with Megan Malick

In this special episode, I welcome back Megan Malick to discuss her book A New Path — a workbook and planner created to support people navigating grief while also managing the practical realities that follow the death of a loved one.  After losing both of her parents within three months of each other, Megan found herself overwhelmed not only by grief, but by the paperwork, legal processes, financial accounts, and responsibilities involved in settling an estate. That experience led her to create a resource combining emotional support, grief education, practical tools, planning systems, and reflective exercises.  The conversation explores: *  the emotional strain of being both a grieving family member and executor  *  how grief affects memory, concentration, and daily functioning  *  practical ways friends and family can genuinely help  *  the hidden mental load that comes with paperwork after loss  *  spiritual rituals and grounding practices during grief  *  why preparing information in advance can ease the burden for loved ones  While some of the logistical examples are US-based, many of the emotional and practical aspects discussed apply universally. This is a conversation about grief beyond the funeral — and the responsibilities many people are left carrying afterwards. About: Megan Malick is a therapist turned grief and logistics coach, author, and speaker. She is the founder of A New Path, where she supports grieving hearts and soul-o-preneurs through the sacred terrain of life, loss, and legacy. Blending Brainspotting, spiritual care, and deep listening, she helps clients meet the practical with presence—transforming paperwork into ritual. Rooted in her own journey through grief and transformation, Megan’s work invites a slower, wiser way of living, where even endings become portals to meaning, memory, and mystery. Connect at Substack [https://meganmalick.substack.com/], Website [https://a-new-path.com/] We'd love to hear from you 🥰. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe ✔️ Share with someone who needs this message ✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app ✔️ Subscribe and support here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/support] or here [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ☕ 🙏  Follow us for video clips and more: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithouttheguru/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.without.the.guru], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@WisdomWithoutTheGuruPodcast]

Grief, Trauma & Evolving Faith | Megan Malick

What do we actually mean when we talk about grief—and what happens when the beliefs that once grounded us begin to shift? Megan Malick shares experiences from across her life that connect to different forms of grief—some recognised at the time, others only understood later. From early disruption and loss of stability, to navigating bullying and coping responses in childhood, through to uncovering trauma in adulthood, changes in relationships, and the physical and emotional impact of infertility, her story moves through multiple moments where something changed, ended, or no longer felt the same. Alongside this, her relationship with faith evolves. What begins as a structured, inherited understanding is questioned, challenged, and gradually reshaped through personal experience, spirituality, and practice. The conversation explores: * different forms of grief, including those that are not always named * how experiences can live in the body before they are understood * shifts in identity within relationships and changing roles * what happens when faith no longer feels stable or certain * losing both parents within a short period of time This episode reflects both the many forms grief can take, and how a person’s relationship with faith can shift, expand, or be redefined through lived experience. About: Megan Malick is a therapist turned grief and logistics coach, author, and speaker. She is the founder of A New Path, where she supports grieving hearts and soul-o-preneurs through the sacred terrain of life, loss, and legacy. Blending Brainspotting, spiritual care, and deep listening, she helps clients meet the practical with presence—transforming paperwork into ritual. Rooted in her own journey through grief and transformation, Megan’s work invites a slower, wiser way of living, where even endings become portals to meaning, memory, and mystery. Connect at Substack [https://meganmalick.substack.com/], Website [https://a-new-path.com/] We'd love to hear from you 🥰. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe ✔️ Share with someone who needs this message ✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app ✔️ Subscribe and support here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/support] or here [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ☕ 🙏  Follow us for video clips and more: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithouttheguru/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.without.the.guru], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@WisdomWithoutTheGuruPodcast]

Exploring The Call of the Sacred Rebel | Debi Barr

In this episode, Debi Barr joins me to discuss her book The Call of the Sacred Rebel and the path that led her to write it. We talk about how the book evolved over time—from early ideas during her corporate career to a later shift toward questioning expectations and choosing a different way of living.  We begin with her earlier work on Reiki, where she shares her perspective that it’s not something you simply do, but something you live. That distinction carries through into this book and the way she approaches both her work and her writing.  In this conversation, we explore: *  how easily people can find themselves adapting to expectations without realising it  *  the role of internal beliefs and emotional patterns in shaping external experiences  *  the balance between intuition and taking action in everyday life  *  what it can look like to step forward when being visible doesn’t feel straightforward  Debi also reads selected passages from the book, including reflections on energy, personal memory, and the balance between intuition and action—what she describes as the “mystic” and the “magician.” We also touch on the writing process itself, including revisiting personal experiences and how that shaped the final book. This conversation explores themes of self-expression, personal choice, energy, and how internal beliefs can influence the way we experience and shape our lives. About: Debi Barr is a soul guide, mentor, and bestselling author of The Call of the Sacred Rebel. She helps people reclaim their power and remember who they really are - through deep energetics, spiritual mentoring, and creative expression. Her work blends spiritual insight with unapologetic self-expression, guiding others to live with courage, clarity, and purpose.   Connect at FB [https://rocksnrituals.co.uk/thedebibarr], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/debibarr], IG [https://www.instagram.com/rocksnrituals/] We'd love to hear from you 🥰. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe ✔️ Share with someone who needs this message ✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app ✔️ Subscribe and support here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2442632/support] or here [https://buymeacoffee.com/wisdom.without.the.guru] ☕ 🙏  Follow us for video clips and more: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithouttheguru/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.without.the.guru], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@WisdomWithoutTheGuruPodcast]