When the Mind Says “This Shouldn’t Be Happening”: A Guided Meditation

The Identity Shift That Changes Everything with Alan Cohen

In this deeply grounding episode of The Awareness Podcast, Jody Agard sits down with bestselling author and spiritual teacher Alan Cohen for a heartfelt conversation about identity, awakening, peace, and the freedom that comes from no longer trying to hold together a false sense of self. Together, they explore what Alan calls The Crucial Identity Shift — the movement from living through conditioning, pressure, and self-image… into a more authentic, peaceful, and spacious way of being. This conversation gently points beyond striving, self-improvement, and spiritual efforting — and toward the recognition that what we truly are has never been broken or separate from peace. In this episode, Jody and Alan explore: * How conditioning shapes the false sense of self * Why so many people feel exhausted trying to “be someone” * The connection between suffering and identity * Living from truth while fully participating in ordinary life * Awakening in the middle of work, parenting, relationships, and responsibility * Why joy, gentleness, and lightness matter on the spiritual path * The subtle trap of turning spirituality into self-improvement * Letting go of striving and relaxing into what has always been here Alan also shares insights from his upcoming two-part teaching series with the Center for Awakening, The Crucial Identity Shift, beginning June 8th. Rather than trying to become someone new, this conversation invites you to remember what has always been true beneath the noise, pressure, and conditioning. What if the struggle you’ve carried isn’t actually who you are? What if beneath the roles and expectations placed upon you… there remains something untouched, whole, and waiting to be remembered? In his new two-part series, Alan Cohen guides a compassionate yet profound return back to the truth of who you’ve always been. Through practical insight and grounded spiritual guidance, you’ll explore how to live from that deeper identity in everyday life — navigating challenges with greater clarity, peace, and presence. As this deeper identity becomes more embodied, even ordinary moments begin to feel different. This series offers a practical path for bringing spiritual truth fully into daily living.  👉🏼 Click here to learn more and reserve your spot. [https://tinyurl.com/alan-cohen-series-2026-pc] Support the show [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QRNUHPJZ9AKSU] Deepen your spiritual awakening experience with ongoing live teachings! Free to join. Find out more here.  [https://tinyurl.com/awakeninglive-25-pd] Listen + Subscribe Stay up to date and tune in at centerforawakening.org/podcast [https://www.centerforawakening.org/podcast] ... You can also access the Awareness Podcast on your favorite podcast app and on the CFA YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-5DJ5h6_G_H-U9a5PHlt6R1MZBq1zMo]. This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Awakening, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the journey of awakening to our true nature — and the natural peace and happiness that is always present. Explore courses, events, and resources at: centerforawakening.org  [https://hub.centerforawakening.org/]

When the Mind Says “This Shouldn’t Be Happening”: A Guided Meditation

“This shouldn’t be happening.” It’s one of the mind’s most automatic reactions. To stress. To noise. To discomfort. To unexpected moments life places in front of us. In this episode of the Awareness Podcast, Jody Agard gently explores what happens when we stop resisting what’s arising… and begin noticing the deeper peace that remains underneath the reaction. This guided meditation becomes an invitation to let everything arise naturally; the thoughts, emotions, sensations, resistance, even the sense of “me”, without needing to fix, suppress, or control any of it. This meditation may support you if you’re experiencing: * Overthinking * Emotional overwhelm * Stress or anxiety * Frustration with life circumstances * Mental noise or racing thoughts * Resistance to what’s happening * Spiritual awakening or self-inquiry * A longing for deeper peace and acceptance This isn’t about becoming emotionless. It’s about recognizing that what you truly are remains untouched beneath every passing experience. ✨ Another way to go deeper… Every moment of life reflects a deeper choice — love or fear. In his new two-part live series, “LOVE OR FEAR, THE CHOICE IS YOURS,” Oliver Blue guides a powerful exploration into the two root perceptions that shape all experience. You’ll begin to recognize fear as a learned pattern — not who you are — and discover how to meet life with greater clarity, peace, and freedom. Because beneath every struggle, every story, and every moment of contraction… love has been present all along. The choice is simple. The experience is Infinite.   👉🏼 Click here to learn more and reserve your spot. [https://tinyurl.com/oliver-blue-series-2026-pc] Support the show [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QRNUHPJZ9AKSU] Deepen your spiritual awakening experience with ongoing live teachings! Free to join. Find out more here.  [https://tinyurl.com/awakeninglive-25-pd] Listen + Subscribe Stay up to date and tune in at centerforawakening.org/podcast [https://www.centerforawakening.org/podcast] ... You can also access the Awareness Podcast on your favorite podcast app and on the CFA YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-5DJ5h6_G_H-U9a5PHlt6R1MZBq1zMo]. This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Awakening, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the journey of awakening to our true nature — and the natural peace and happiness that is always present. Explore courses, events, and resources at: centerforawakening.org  [https://hub.centerforawakening.org/]

Lisa Natoli on the 40-Day Program: Healing, Peace & Awakening {BONUS EPISODE}

In this special bonus episode of The Awareness Podcast, Jody Agard sits down with Lisa Natoli for a heartfelt conversation about the transformational journey of the 40-Day Program — a FREE, community-based experience rooted in the teachings of A Course in Miracles, healing, inner peace, and awakening to our true nature. Together, Jody and Lisa explore what makes this journey so powerful and why the 40-Day experience is less about adding more to yourself… and more about gently undoing the layers of fear, struggle, old stories, and false identification that keep us feeling separate from peace. In this conversation, they discuss: * Why true transformation comes through embodiment, not just information * The gentle “undoing” that naturally unfolds during the 40-Day journey * Releasing old beliefs, emotional patterns, and limiting stories * Finding peace in the middle of external chaos and uncertainty * Why this work feels deeply supportive during difficult seasons of life * The power of community, consistency, and daily practice * What participants can expect throughout the 40 days Whether you’re brand new to this work or returning again to deepen your experience, this episode offers a beautiful introduction to the spirit and intention behind the 40-Day Program. The 40-Day Program for Transformation with Lisa Natoli is a free guided journey designed to support healing, inner peace, self-inquiry, and a direct experience of the truth of what you are. And yes — it’s completely FREE. Begins on June 10th, 2026 — registration will remain open through June 14th. ✨Join the 40-Day Group Journey here. [https://tinyurl.com/40-day-program-2026-pc]✨ Support the show [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QRNUHPJZ9AKSU] Deepen your spiritual awakening experience with ongoing live teachings! Free to join. Find out more here.  [https://tinyurl.com/awakeninglive-25-pd] Listen + Subscribe Stay up to date and tune in at centerforawakening.org/podcast [https://www.centerforawakening.org/podcast] ... You can also access the Awareness Podcast on your favorite podcast app and on the CFA YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-5DJ5h6_G_H-U9a5PHlt6R1MZBq1zMo]. This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Awakening, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the journey of awakening to our true nature — and the natural peace and happiness that is always present. Explore courses, events, and resources at: centerforawakening.org  [https://hub.centerforawakening.org/]

Surrendering the Story: A Guided Meditation for True Peace

In this deeply grounding episode, Jody Agard guides you through a gentle guided meditation for surrender, emotional healing, and true inner peace. Life can sometimes feel heavy. There are transitions, change, and plenty of uncertainty. Trying to hold everything together. And yet beneath all of it… there is something here that does not move. This meditation is an invitation to notice any resistance to what’s arising and gently rest as the awareness that is already whole, already present, and already at peace. In this meditation, you’ll be guided to: * Release the pressure to control or fix life * Allow thoughts and emotions without resistance * Explore the difference between awareness and experience * Gently inquire, “Who am I without the story?” * Rest in the unchanging presence beneath fear, sadness, and uncertainty * Experience surrender as openness rather than defeat This is the heart of non-dual meditation, not escaping life, but recognizing the peace that is your true nature and that which remains untouched in the middle of it. This meditation is especially supportive if you are: * Moving through change or transition * Feeling emotionally overwhelmed or heavy * Supporting someone you love through difficulty * Struggling with fear, uncertainty, or helplessness * Longing for peace that isn’t dependent on circumstances You don’t need to “become” peaceful. You are the presence in which peace already exists. And you are already home. ✨ Another way to go deeper… What if the struggle you’ve carried isn’t actually who you are? What if beneath the roles, conditioning, and expectations placed upon you… there remains something untouched, whole, and waiting to be remembered? In his new two-part live series, “THE CRUCIAL IDENTITY SHIFT,” Alan Cohen guides a compassionate yet profound return — from the conditioned self you were taught to be… back to the truth of who you’ve always been. Through practical insight and grounded spiritual guidance, you’ll explore how to live from that deeper identity in everyday life — navigating challenges with greater clarity, peace, and presence. As this deeper identity becomes more embodied, even ordinary moments begin to feel different. This series offers a practical path for bringing spiritual truth fully into daily living.  👉🏼 Click here to learn more and reserve your spot. [https://tinyurl.com/alan-cohen-series-2026-pc] Support the show [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QRNUHPJZ9AKSU] Deepen your spiritual awakening experience with ongoing live teachings! Free to join. Find out more here.  [https://tinyurl.com/awakeninglive-25-pd] Listen + Subscribe Stay up to date and tune in at centerforawakening.org/podcast [https://www.centerforawakening.org/podcast] ... You can also access the Awareness Podcast on your favorite podcast app and on the CFA YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-5DJ5h6_G_H-U9a5PHlt6R1MZBq1zMo]. This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Awakening, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the journey of awakening to our true nature — and the natural peace and happiness that is always present. Explore courses, events, and resources at: centerforawakening.org  [https://hub.centerforawakening.org/]

You Are Not Broken: A Guided Meditation into Pure Presence

Reconnect with inner peace through this deeply calming guided meditation into pure presence and awareness with Jody Agard. So many of us move through life believing something is wrong with us. That we need to heal more. Fix more. Improve more. Become someone better. But what if the deepest healing comes not through effort… but through recognizing what has always been whole? This guided meditation is a gentle invitation to release the constant inner fixing and rest as the pure awareness that exists before thought, before identity, and before the story of “me.” In this meditation, you’ll be guided to: * Let go of the pressure to heal or improve yourself * Notice thoughts and emotions without identifying with them * Rest in the quiet presence of “I Am” * Experience awareness beyond the body-mind * Allow fear, discomfort, and emotions without resistance * Recognize the stillness that remains untouched beneath all experience Thoughts may come and go. Sensations may rise and fall. But what you truly are remains unchanged. This meditation is especially supportive if you: * Feel emotionally exhausted from constantly “working on yourself” * Struggle with anxiety, overwhelm, or self-judgment * Long for a deeper sense of peace and wholeness * Are exploring awareness, awakening, or non-duality ✨ Another way to go deeper… What if the struggle you’ve carried isn’t actually who you are? What if beneath the roles, conditioning, and expectations placed upon you… there remains something untouched, whole, and waiting to be remembered? In his new two-part live series, “THE CRUCIAL IDENTITY SHIFT,” Alan Cohen guides a compassionate yet profound return — from the conditioned self you were taught to be… back to the truth of who you’ve always been. Through practical insight and grounded spiritual guidance, you’ll explore how to live from that deeper identity in everyday life — navigating challenges with greater clarity, peace, and presence. As this deeper identity becomes more embodied, even ordinary moments begin to feel different. This series offers a practical path for bringing spiritual truth fully into daily living.  👉🏼 Click here to learn more and reserve your spot. [https://tinyurl.com/alan-cohen-series-2026-pc] Support the show [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QRNUHPJZ9AKSU] Deepen your spiritual awakening experience with ongoing live teachings! Free to join. Find out more here.  [https://tinyurl.com/awakeninglive-25-pd] Listen + Subscribe Stay up to date and tune in at centerforawakening.org/podcast [https://www.centerforawakening.org/podcast] ... You can also access the Awareness Podcast on your favorite podcast app and on the CFA YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-5DJ5h6_G_H-U9a5PHlt6R1MZBq1zMo]. This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Awakening, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the journey of awakening to our true nature — and the natural peace and happiness that is always present. Explore courses, events, and resources at: centerforawakening.org  [https://hub.centerforawakening.org/]