Holding On to Yourself When the World Tries to Define You: 23 Years, Six Books, One Story

Holding On to Yourself When the World Tries to Define You: 23 Years, Six Books, One Story

What does it take to stay whole when so much of life has been spent inside systems that tried to reduce you to a label? Today's conversation is for anyone who has ever felt unseen, misread, or unwritten by the world around them. Yusuf sits with author Barry Deeks, whose 23-year journey through hospitals and institutions became the soil for six published books and a feature film, The Man Who Can. This episode is a quiet meditation on perseverance, the healing power of writing, and the sacred work of refusing to let your story be told for you. ABOUT THE GUEST: Barry Deeks is the author of The Bizarre and Enchanting Life and the subject and creative force behind the feature film The Man Who Can, drawn from his own lived experience. He has written six books spanning autobiography, philosophy, science, and fiction, including a near-equivalent of his autobiography and works on conspiracy theory and religion. A Note for Our Listeners: Before you press play, a gentle word. Our guest Barry Deeks is a survivor of a catastrophic road accident that temporarily affected his ability to speak. At times in this conversation, his words may not sound as clear as he would like them to, but every thought he shares is considered, intentional, and deeply felt. We ask you to listen with patience and with an open heart. Please do not judge Barry on how his voice sounds, only on the depth of what he is offering. His presence in this conversation is itself an act of courage, and the meaning lives in his words, not in their delivery. Thank you for showing up for this episode with the kindness it deserves. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Writing can become a soapbox, a lifeline, and a quiet form of resistance when other voices try to define you * Perseverance without the promise of an outcome is one of the most profound forms of faith a person can carry * Meaning rarely arrives in a straight line — sometimes it's stitched together by the small reactions of the people closest to you * A good moral compass and being able to feel fortunate inside difficult circumstances are quiet acts of healing * Honest storytelling — even when the world isn't ready for it — is a way to reduce stigma around mental health, one reader at a time CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: * Books and film: search for The Bizarre and Enchanting Life by Barry Deeks (Wattpad) and The Man Who Can on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZnQ5Ai2Ark] EPISODE CHAPTERS: * [00:00] A Life That Refused to Be Reduced — opening reflection on identity and institutions * [02:30] Welcoming Barry Deeks to Sacred Harmony — six books, one film, one extraordinary journey (approx.) * [04:15] Beyond Tragedy or Triumph — what the real story actually feels like from the inside (approx.) * [08:00] Writing as Soapbox and Survival — how the page became a sanctuary (approx.) * [13:20] The Books Behind the Story — philosophy, autobiography, fiction, and the questions that drove them (approx.) * [18:45] Meaning Inside a Non-Linear Life — fortune, moral compass, and finding hope in hard places (approx.) * [23:10] Where to Find Barry's Work — books, film, and a closing invitation (approx.) 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #sacredharmony #mentalhealthawareness #writinghealing #livedexperience #healingjourney #mentalhealthstigma #spiritualpodcast #honesthealing #mentalwellness #authorinterview #innerstrength #healingstories

Finding the Sacred in Ordinary Life: Presence, Past Lives, and Letting Go, with Ali Christos

We are taught to seek the sacred in temples, mountains, and far-off retreats. This episode is for anyone who searched the big places and missed what waited in the small ones. Ali Christos shares how presence turns ordinary moments sacred, and how seeing life as a longer story softens fear, grief, and the pressure to get everything right. ABOUT THE GUEST: Ali Christos is a quantum hypnosis practitioner, former yoga teacher, author, and musician based in Toronto, helping people find healing through the subconscious. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * The sacred is not somewhere you travel to. It is already here, revealed when you slow down enough to notice. * Presence is the practice: a slow breath before reacting, tea made slowly, the phone away at dinner. * Seeing life as part of a longer arc can ease fear of death and soften old patterns. * Dry, disconnected stretches are normal on any path. Return gently, without forcing. * Meet yourself with self-compassion. The sacred never leaves, our awareness of it just gets clouded. CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: Website: qhhtwithali.com [https://www.qhhtwithali.com/] (book a complimentary call, watch session videos, find his books). Also myspiritualteacher.ca [https://myspiritualteacher.kit.com/d5c9588f88] for books and music in English, Hindi, and Spanish. EPISODE CHAPTERS: [00:00] The Quiet Sacred: why it lives in small moments, not big places [04:00] A Night in Rajasthan: the near-death experience that woke him up [10:30] The Sacred Within: reconnecting beneath the noise and conditioning [16:00] The Tuesday Version: presence inside a busy, ordinary day [21:00] A Longer Arc: what considering past lives can open up [26:30] When the Sacred Goes Quiet: returning gently through dry seasons 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #SacredHarmony #EverydaySacred #Presence #Mindfulness #SpiritualAwakening #InnerPeace #QuantumHealing #PastLives #SelfCompassion #LettingGo #ConsciousLiving >

Finding Peace by Seeing the Other as Human, with Aryeh Green

What if peace was never really about borders or agreements, but about the human heart underneath the conflict? This episode is for anyone weary of division, or quietly carrying grief across deep difference. Aryeh Green shares how acceptance, humility, and forgiveness become the real foundation of peace, between nations and within ourselves. You will leave with a gentler, more honest way of seeing those you were once taught to call the other. About the Guest: Aryeh Green is the author of Finding Peace in the Promised Land. He has lived in Israel for over forty years, served as a policy advisor, and works at the meeting point of peace, renewable energy, and democracy. Key Takeaways: * Peace is not drawn on a map. It begins with acceptance, humility, and a willingness to forgive. * Inherited grief does not move through negotiation. It moves through being witnessed. * One genuine human encounter can soften a story we have carried for years. * Lasting peace asks us to hold it as a shared goal, not only a signed agreement. * Seeing another as fully human is where reconciliation quietly begins. Connect With Aryeh Green: * Book, Finding Peace in the Promised Land: available on Amazon (paperback, hardback, ebook) and major platforms * Email: aryeh.green@gmail.com [aryeh.green@gmail.com] * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aryehgreen * Website: myisraeltrail.com Episode Chapters: [00:00] A Space That Holds No Side — opening with care, naming neutrality and shared grief [02:30] Where Peace Begins — peace as an idea, a place, and an inner state (approx.) [06:30] The Biggest Misconception — why peace was never about maps or borders (approx.) [12:30] The Pattern Beneath the Conflict — moving from hatred toward humanity (approx.) [18:30] When the Heart Softens — the real encounters that change the story (approx.) [24:30] Grieving Every Life Equally — peace that starts within us first (approx.) [28:00] Where to Find Aryeh — his book and how to reach him (approx.) 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #SacredHarmony #FindingPeace #InnerPeace #Forgiveness #Healing #Reconciliation #SeeingTheOther #PeacebuildingPodcast #SelfHonesty #EmotionalHealing #MindfulLiving #PeaceWithin >

Consciousness, Healing, and Coming Home to Yourself After Life Rearranges Everything with Joe Hehn

When life rearranges everything, when grief takes the version of you that knew how to live, the question is no longer how to return to who you were. It is how to keep living. On Sacred Harmony, Archita sits with Joe Hehn, mindset teacher and spiritual guide, for a tender, sacred conversation about consciousness, healing, and what it means to come home to yourself after loss. After losing his wife Jessica, Joe left everything he knew and spent more than a decade walking through the deepest contemplative traditions in the world, Buddhism in Nepal, Taoism in China, self-realization in India, Stoicism in Europe, Sufism in the Middle East. He shares the message he would give his scared younger self at the airport, the perspective shift that transformed his grief, and why healing is not a return but a becoming. If you are carrying something you cannot replace, this conversation reaches you gently where you are. ABOUT THE GUEST: Joe Hehn is a mindset and spiritual teacher, author, speaker, and corporate consultant who concentrates on mindfulness, manifestation, and meditation. After the loss of his wife Jessica, Joe spent more than a decade studying contemplative traditions across the world, Buddhism, Taoism, self-realization, Stoicism, and Sufism, looking for a way to keep living. He is the founder of Enlightened Evolution, the creator of the Joe Hehn mindset app, and the author of the novel Dreams of Antiquity: The Awakening, an intimate expression of his sacred journey. Based in Carlsbad, California, he now guides individuals and corporations through sustainable practices that reprogram the mind and reconnect to the heart. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Time does not heal all wounds. Perspective does. And a shift in perspective takes time, which is why time looks like the healer when really it is the changing view that heals. * This life is a chapter in a much longer book, not the whole story. Reframing death as a transition rather than a finality dissolves the imprisoned mindset that grief leaves behind. * The present moment is the doorway out of the prison of suffering. Tasting, smelling, breathing, feeling, those small sensory pockets are where peace quietly returns. * Suffering grows in the gap between what is and what you wish was. Non-attachment to what is missing is the practice that gently brings you back. * Healing is like rehabilitation. You can rebuild your mind the same way someone in a wheelchair rebuilds their body, with repetition, time, and the right resources. * You are never alone. Whether you call them angels, guides, mentors, or loved ones in spirit, lean on them. Ask for help and expect it to arrive. * Grieve the person you lost, and grieve the version of yourself that lost them. Then embrace who you are becoming. CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: * Website: joehehn.com [https://joehehn.com] * LinkedIn: Joe Hehn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hehn/] * YouTube: Joe Hehn [https://www.youtube.com/@joehehn] * Linktree (all platforms): linktr.ee/joehehn [https://linktr.ee/joehehn] * Book: Dreams of Antiquity: The Awakening (available via his website) * App: Joe Hehn App (mindfulness and manifestation, available on iOS and Android) * Email: info@joe-hehn.com [info@joe-hehn.com] EPISODE CHAPTERS: [00:00] Welcome to Sacred Harmony — coming home after life rearranges everything [02:30] The message Joe would give his scared younger self at the airport [06:00] The biggest misconception about healing — it is not a return [10:30] Why perspective heals, not time alone [14:30] Life as a chapter, not the whole book — reframing death and loss [18:45] The deathbed in Bolivia — the gray space between not wanting to live or die [23:00] Non-attachment, present moment, and rebuilding consciousness like a body [27:00] A closing word — you are never alone, lean on the help that is already there (timestamps approx.) 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #SacredHarmony #ConsciousnessHealing #GriefJourney #SpiritualAwakening #MindsetMastery #JoeHehn #PresentMoment #LossAndHealing #LifeAfterLoss #MindfulnessMeditation #SoulJourney #DreamsOfAntiquity #InnerWork #PerspectiveHeals #SpiritualGuides

Asylia and the Sacred Art of Sanctuary: Ancient Greek Healing Wisdom for Modern Seekers with Dr. Edward Tick

There is a quiet question many of us are carrying without naming it: Where do I go to be held? In a world that asks us to keep producing and performing, the ancient Greek practice of asylia, a sacred guarantee of safety and soul refuge, feels almost forgotten. This episode is a slow walk back toward it. Host Nazish sits with Dr. Edward Tick, who has spent forty years on the Greek island of Poros learning from its 3,000-year sanctuary tradition. Together they explore what real refuge looks like, why our modern lives feel so spiritually thin, and how anyone, anywhere, can build a small sanctuary inside their own home, their own week, their own inner world. ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. Edward Tick is a therapeutic mentor, pilgrimage guide, educator, and poet, internationally recognized as a thought leader in cultural and war trauma healing. He is the author of eight books, including The Practice of Dream Healing, Soul Medicine, and his most recent work, Passage to Poros: In the Sanctuary of the Sea God. For four decades he has led pilgrimages to the sacred Greek island of Poros, bringing ancient healing practices to veterans, seekers, and anyone whose soul is asking for refuge. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Asylia is the original word for sanctuary — an inviolable space of safety, presence, and soul restoration that ancient cultures protected fiercely and our modern world has quietly lost. * A city is not a community — being surrounded by people is not the same as being held. Real sanctuary asks for eye contact, shared stories, and slow presence, not crowds. * Sanctuary is not just rest, it is reawakening — ancient sanctuaries paired safety with ritual, dream incubation, and spiritual practice so people left changed, not just paused. * You can build a sanctuary in your own home — an altar, a quiet room, soulful music, a dream journal by the bed, a screen-free weekend. The sacred does not require a flight. * Dream incubation is a practice you can borrow today — write your question, place it under your pillow, pray and meditate before sleep, and watch what the unconscious offers back. * Travel as a pilgrim, not a tourist — go with intention, openness, and the willingness to be changed, or you will return exactly the same as you left. CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: * Website: https://www.edwardtick.com [https://www.edwardtick.com] * Email: dredtik@gmail.com * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-tick-ph-d-59177111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-tick-ph-d-59177111] * Books: Passage to Poros, The Practice of Dream Healing, Soul Medicine (available on Amazon and through Inner Traditions) EPISODE CHAPTERS: [00:00] Cold Open — The Island That Has Held the Broken for 3,000 Years [03:30] How a Poet Led Dr. Tick to Poros (approx.) [07:45] Asylia Explained — Why Sanctuary Is a Sacred Right, Not a Luxury (approx.) [13:20] The Modern Loss of Sanctuary, From Crowded Cities to Quiet Desperation (approx.) [18:40] Real Refuge Isn't Rest, It's Restoration (approx.) [23:10] Build Your Own Sanctuary at Home — Altars, Dream Incubation, Soul Time (approx.) [28:00] Closing Reflection — May You Find Your Sanctuary, and May It Find You Back 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #SacredHarmony #Asylia #SacredSanctuary #SpiritualPilgrimage #AncientHealing #DreamIncubation #SoulHealing #InnerPeace #MindfulLiving #HealingJourney #SpiritualGrowth #SacredSpace #EdwardTick #PassageToPoros >