How to Cultivate Your Authentic Voice With Sam Jones

100 EPISODES! Wow. I can't believe how amazing this podcast journey has been. Over the last week, I have been flooded with inquiries on social media – so who is going to be the special guest for the big episode 100? A lot of speculation. Big names getting thrown around with anticipatory question marks. I understand the appeal. But this landmark has me sentimental. Thinking a lot about what was going on in my life when I made the decision to start this show. And when perceived through this lens, there is only one person appropriate to sit across from me for 100 — the same person who sat across from me for #1. Julie Piatt. The wheel turns. We come full circle. Revisit. Reflect. Give thanks. And move forward. So much has changed since November 2012 when the show launched. To take a quantum leap forward, we must connect with and better understand the past. So I went back and listened to that very first offering — for the first time since I recorded it. Admittedly rough. Unpolished. Nervous energy, echo chamber audio and uncertainty converging in a vacant warehouse on an organic farm on the north shore of Kauai. Just me, Julie, a couple really bad mics and no expectations or idea as to where this leap would land. And yet I was dumbstruck by just how much the show has stayed true to the seed I planted that day. I vividly recall that day. My son Tyler and my nephew Harrison jerry-rigging their musical equipment to manage the audio. I remember the theme music they wrote and recorded in the warehouse just hours before the first show — a riff they came up without much thought and always intended as “temp” until they wrote something better. Julie and I sitting across from each other, wondering just what we might talk about. Two years later and I'm astonished at just how little has changed. Today Ty (who is now my producer and the guy behind all the show music) and Harrison strummed guitars and checked audio levels as I set up in our garage. That temp theme music still begins each episode. And Julie and I still stare across at each other before every show we do together, wondering just what the conversation might bring. But what really struck me about that first episode is that my improvised introduction and meandering thoughts, words, intentions and aspirations for what the show might become mirror exactly what the show has indeed become 100 episodes and hundreds of recorded hours later — compelling long-form conversations with inspiring, paradigm busting minds and personalities in health, wellness, nutrition, fitness, entrepreneurship, creativity and spirituality with one singular goal – to help you discover, uncover, unlock and unleash your best, most authentic self. Although I know I have gotten better at this, I still consider myself rather amateur behind the mic. But I’m proud of the show we’ve built. A show that has promoted dialog around new ideas. A toolbox of inspiration and education for transcending your circumstances. A platform for unlocking your inner potential – in whatever form that may be – by introducing and discussing new (sometimes controversial or fringe) ideas with the hope that you will take what resonates with you and not only use it, but share it. The Power of Community I send the show out into the ether every week. But it's you, the audience, who has taken what alone is nothing more than an inert digital file comprised of ones and zeroes — and fertilized it. A seed you have fostered into something much bigger and more important than a simple weekly .mp3. Something remarkable: Community.

18 Aug 20142h 1min

I like to think this show sparks that fire by seeking out and sharing the stories of those who fan my flames. A mixed bag of inspiration and education. A diversity of in-depth conversations: life experiences, incredible personal stories, tales of transformation and a wealth of information to light your personal path towards maximum life satisfaction. A grab-bag toolbox to help you escape the status quo doldrums of life, raise your personal vibration and simply live better. At the end of the day, it's all about story. Others sharing theirs so you can begin to reframe, tell and live a better story of yourself. It’s easy to keep doing what you’re doing, propelled by a story you tell yourself about yourself, in whatever shape or form that may take. Life has a momentum like that. A particular gestalt. The relentless pressures and priorities of daily life take over and before we even consciously realize it, we fall victim to a rut we justify under the rubric of routine. The rut is easy. It's the default imprimatur of social acceptance. Do what you're told. Don't ask questions. Shut up and keep shopping. Play that video game. Escape. And numb out your latent voice; your inner potential; and the world at large. To escape this prison we must first change the story. This begins with the inside work. Investigate what makes you the only you there is. Develop a sense of self that renders your intuition not just reliable, but the only true compass directing your path. Walk through the fear that constrains the emergence of the true self. Unleash the courage to blaze your own path. And execute. Because talk is cheap. And action is everything. Doing this is hard. Maybe the hardest thing you will ever do, it's like a salmon swimming upstream. Or setting sail in stormy seas in a canoe without a paddle. But let's flip our perspective and view this path through a new pair of glasses. Not from a perspective of struggle and hardship but instead as more of a letting go. Rather than fight, surrender. Rather than climb a mountain, let's fall into who you really are. A natural process as effortless as a snake shedding an old skin. This is what faith is all about. It's about understanding that that shed skin will soon be replaced with a new one that fits more perfectly. It's about being comfortable that that perilous, oar-less canoe will somehow self-orient to flow in the current of your true life purpose. And the idea that when the sea settles, you will find yourself no longer in that rut, but effortlessly gliding in a special, secret current with your name on it. The eddy of your personal life purpose if you will. I realize of course that this all sounds counter-intuitive, if not downright weird. Letting go to ascend? Surrendering for the win? Hippy-dippy new-age crap! I get it. I used to feel the same. It took me years to really understand that it is the firm grip — attachment to ideas and behaviors — that keeps us stuck. And that freedom comes when we let go and release that grip and our attachment to behaviors and patterns and beliefs we mistakenly presume comprise our identity. These are truths. Spiritual laws if you will. Incredibly powerful tools I have used to get and stay sober; change my life path; and become more fully myself. Keys I continue to rely on daily to constantly challenge myself to grow and expand my horizons. This is all a long way of saying that we all have the power to just start telling a new story about ourselves. This is what Robin Arzón is all about.

11 Aug 20142h 12min

Today we go off-grid. As some of you know, this show was launched from a yurt on Hawaii. It was about a year and half ago. At the time, we were at a crossroads. Unsure about our family's future in Los Angeles, we were looking for something new and different. Then out of the blue, a unique opportunity arose and we seized it. An opportunity for myself, my wife and our kids to see and embrace a different approach to life. Next thing we knew, we found ourselves living at Common Ground– a living, breathing organic farm on the north shore of Kauai. For three months we ate and lived off the land (well, mostly). Our kids learned farming and permaculture harvesting food in the gardens. We cohabited in communal yurts shared with a bevy of energetic young people passionate about the environment, sustainability, food and soil. All told, we embraced a completely new and different experience of daily existence, cementing the idea that we have choice when it comes to lifestyle. The notion that — all of the plenty excuses aside — we don’t have to live the way everyone else does. A powerful concept we wanted our kids to see, understand and experience on a fundamental, tactile level. It takes courage to step outside the norm. In our case, we obviously returned to Los Angeles. In all honesty, I just wasn’t ready for that level of disconnect on a permanent basis at this stage in my life. But that doesn't mean it wasn't invaluable, because it was — an experience I will always treasure and never forget. It's an understatement to say that it broadened my horizons. As a family unit, we were permanently changed. A powerful and constant reminder that there is another way. Always another way. During our time on Kauai, I got a call from my friend Evan Rock. A successful young, enterprising commercial real estate executive, I first met Evan when he was dating the young woman who frequently babysits for our little girls. I didn’t know much about him at that time, other than that Evan was a young man with a plan. Dreams of making it big financially. Driving a Porsche and living large. But not too dissimilar from me, Evan happened to be undergoing his own personal transformation. Something Julie calls dismantling. Taking stock of his life, he began to critically evaluate how he was spending his time. He discovered meditation. Unlocking, he then started asking himself questions — big questions. What am I doing and why? What makes me truly happy? How can I better serve myself, my fellow man and the planet? This practice soon led Evan to yoga, then plant-based nutrition. An increase in vitality led him to fitness, even dipping his toe into triathlon. As he continued to search and expand, he ultimately adopted a full fledged high-carb fruitarian lifestyle. I'll never forget running into him at Whole Foods in Tarzana about two years ago. Clad in suit & tie on break from his commercial real estate firm across the street, I watched Evan devour an entire watermelon for lunch to the bemusement of fellow lunch-goers. This is a long way of saying that Evan was undergoing some fundamental, core changes and looking for more. During that phone call I could hear the earnestness in his voice. Mental gears turning, Evan expressed a deep curiosity about the hows and whys of what we were doing in Kauai. I could tell a plan was starting to hatch in his mind. Fast forward to about 5 months ago when I discovered that Evan hadn't just quit his job, he completely cashed out of his comfortable life of financial security. The new owner of a nice chunk of property on the Hilo side of the Big Island of Hawaii, he just up and moved there.

4 Aug 20142h 21min

Everyone loves a good transformation story. We like it even better when it’s super dramatic. Preferably framed to appear like it all went down like some kind of overnight miracle. Bonus points for million dollar paydays, instantaneous cures, extreme but effortless weight loss and age reversal. But that’s just not how this stuff works, people. Growth and change are hard. And never overnight. It’s a process. 2, 3, 5 even 10 steps backwards for every single step in the right direction. Rinse & repeat, generally in obscurity. It requires dedication, faith, time, toil and pain — because getting out of your comfort zone is just that: uncomfortable. It means taking an honest look in the mirror and objectively evaluating your unpleasantries, missteps and weaknesses. Shedding light on blind spots. And grappling with demons, hardwired patterns and deeply ingrained perspectives on ourselves and our place in the world. But change is also simple. It begins with a basic a decision to do (or not do) something; anything. A decision generally followed by tiny — sometimes almost imperceptible — changes in behavior made consistently over extended periods of time. In other words, the trite annoying adage is true. Baby steps do move mountains. True, sustainable personal growth rarely comes about by changing everything overnight. Instead, it’s about exploring and ultimately developing some level of mastery over just a few small yet important shifts – or even just one aspect of how you spend your time each day. Adopt this approach – a slight shift in perspective and behavior – and you just might be amazed at how impactful this can be on your life experience. How you see, feel about and ultimately interact with yourself, others and the world at large. Do this — and like today's guest — you just might find yourself 10% Happier*. Dan Harris. This guy is impressive. Young and ambitious, Dan joined ABC News in 2000 and quickly rose through the ranks under the mentorship of broadcasting legends Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer. Today he balances duties as co-anchor of ABC News' Nightline and co-anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America on top of filing reports and filling in on air throughout the week on various ABC News programs. Along the way, Dan has covered some huge stories. He reported on the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona, and anchored natural disasters from Haiti to Myanmar to Hurricane Katrina. He has also covered combat in Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, including six visits to war-torn Iraq. The job is a relentless pressure cooker. The stress mounted, compounded by multiple tours as an embedded journalist in conflict ridden areas of the Middle East. Depression ensued, followed by self-medicating with recreational use of cocaine and ecstasy. Ultimately, these factors conspired to take a serious toll on Dan's mental and physical health. And it's here that things get interesting. In June 2004, it all caught up with Dan (as these things are wont to do), ultimately manifesting in a very public panic attack on national TV – on Good Morning America of all shows – in front of 5 million people.

27 Juli 20141h 24min

Finding balance in life. Developing trust in something bigger than yourself. Surrendering your self-will. Relying on faith to guide you. And the courage to risk it all for the sake of living your best, most authentic life. Today marks the return of my erstwhile co–host, mother of my children and my wife of 11 years. Julie Piatt. Last week we celebrated our anniversary by renewing our vows. A small little ceremony with just the kids, it was a meaningful way to pay tribute to this journey we've taken. Bringing the kids into the equation, all six of us took the opportunity to share our own “vows” by expressing gratitude for what each member of the family brings to our communal band. It's important to create ceremony around seminal moments. To pause. And take the time to honor each other. It was profound. An event that brought us all closer to each other. And more connected to the journey ahead. After being married for many years its easy to fall into cruise control – my across the board default mode. Whether its fitness, diet, profession, relationships, or (in my case) sobriety, it doesn't take much to convince ourselves that everything is cool, then ease off the gas. Personally, taking things for granted is my pastime. Avoiding this pitfall is a daily practice that demands a level of focused consciousness around all aspects of my life to help me understand that there is always improvement to be had. That growth requires constant work and pressure and focus. But a crucial truism I learned very early on in recovery is that there is no stasis. In every given moment you are either growing or regressing. Moving towards a drink or away from a drink. Heading towards something better or lapsing backwards into bad habits, behaviors, addictions, assumptions, modalities, whatever. Without attention, my life can quickly spiral out of balance. Prone to obsessiveness, it's my nature to lose myself. To become so immersed in what I am doing, whatever it is – training, writing, podcasting – that I lose sight of the bigger picture. Other aspects of my busy life that require my attention. And more often than not, these aspects are the most important aspects. Balance — the primary topic of today's conversation — is the fickle lover I am always courting yet struggle mightily to master. It's like squeezing a water ballon. Just when you think you've got it compressed, something pops out. Squeeze the bulge down and it pops up somewhere else. Always see-sawing from over focusing on one aspect of my life at the distress of another. Story of my life. The more work I do on myself, the better and bigger my life gets. With this comes more opportunities to get out of balance. Which means even more work to keep all the plates spinning at the same speed. The irony. Of course we all struggle with balancing our busy lives. It’s not easy. So today is all about trying to better understand the mechanics behind maintaining proper life balance to avoid the common pitfalls. And keep us on track, moving in the right direction. Julie — a much more innately balanced person than I – is perfectly suited for this conversation, always helping me see the objective truth of how I am acting and helping me bring things into focus. She is bursting with wisdom on the subject so I though this would make for a very dynamic and hopefully helpful conversation for you. Enjoy! Rich

21 Juli 20141h 58min

Oh snap — s*$%t is about to get real! Back by popular demand, I am overjoyed to bring together two of my most popular repeat guests on the RRP — John Joseph and Mishka Shubaly– for an epic threesome. Call it my Post-Punk Algonquin Round Table: uncensored ruminations NYC style on sobriety, writing books, eating plants, running ridiculously long distances, expanding consciousness, walking a spiritual path and PMA — John's personal mantra for positive mental attitude. I cannot overstate how much I love these guys. And on the mic they never disappoint. As you might suspect, the Cro-Mags' frontman aka Bloodclot returns to do what he does best — incite, provoke, educate and entertain. Straight talk directly from the streets of the Lower East Side with one singular, driving purpose: getting people to “wake the f&*k up”, expand consciousness and take control of our lives. Not to be outdone, Mishka fills the co-host role today and holds his own with JJ (not easy), rounding out the conversation with his always humorous, astute observations on the creative, athletic, sober life. But the predominant subject of today's show revolves around the release of John's new book — a completely updated and rewritten version of his previously self-published cult hit: Meat Is For Pussies: A How To Guide For Dudes Who Want to Get Fit, Kick Ass and Take Names* If you're a long-time listener to the show, my boys need no introduction. If you're new and unfamiliar with these phenomenons, I urge you to check out my earlier introductory posts and tune into their multiple previous appearances (hyperlinks to previous shows in the below Notes). As for JJ, suffice it to say the guy is a true American original. Lower East Side thief, abuse survivor, drug dealer & brawling gutter rat reborn as spiritual warrior. CBGB Street Poet. Punk-ass Robin Hood. Plantpowered Ironman. Spiritual evangelist. A life story so astounding, I can only describe it like this: “Take a little Charles Bukowski, add some Hugh Selby, Jr., throw in a little Jerry Stahl and finish it off with a light dusting of Paramahansa Yogananda. Then toss them all in a Martin Scorcese movie, douse the whole thing in kerosene and light it on fire. That is John Joseph.” But John is also one of the most spiritual, giving cats I have ever met. The guy who will always engage a stranger on the street; and literally move mountains to help a less fortunate soul in need — and never ask for anything in return. A the end of the day, all you really need to know about John is condensed into this little gem that recently appeared on Vice.com– the most entertaining “how to make a green smoothie” video of all time: Meditation; service; sobriety; GMO's; the “V” word; the nutritional plight of the everyman; balancing life as both an athlete and creative person; and what it means to truly be a man — these are the topics of the day.  And yes, we address head-on the heated controversy swirling around the title of John's new book. My opinion? This is a great book. It's not written for the converted. It's written for the guy who wouldn't pick up VegNews Magazine if it was the only thing left on the entire planet to read.

14 Juli 20142h 25min

I started this show because I truly believe that too many of us are wasting our lives in a reflexive daze. Disconnected from who we are, what makes our hearts beat and what we truly need to be happy. Just trying to make it through the day intact. Pay the bills. And make ends meet so we can numb out to Dancing With The Stars. Living for the weekend, we celebrate by getting drunk and then do it all over again. You know what I’m talking about. It's no way to live. Believe me, I tried. Remember when you were a kid? No older than 11 when the world was wide open. Everything was amazing. Even the tiniest of things could provoke endless fascination. Pure joy in the simplest of activities like running around in the yard with a garden hose; jumping off a diving board into a pool or riding your bike around the neighborhood with friends. The effortless ability to be truly present in the world. Gifted with an innate sense of wonder – and a moral compass that naturally understood right from wrong, good from bad. Then we grow up. That child falls by the wayside. Drops away. Or simply becomes repressed as we morph out of that natural state of what it is to be fundamentally alive, only to step into the objective, material fear-based world of ego, status, and comparison that leaves us obsessed with the past and maniacally pre-occupied with the future yet never fully present in the now. This is the chronic collective human condition today's guest calls being lost in the rational world. A state of being that all too often leaves us anxious, afraid, depressed, isolated, lonely and sometimes even desperate – resigned to a life we're not sure we ever really even signed up for. I know what that’s like. I've been there. And so has today’s guest. But there is a way out. Because that inner child is still there – lurking deep down. We just have to find a way to access it. Tap in. Find a way to bring it to the surface. Unlock and unleash it. This is the path to the authentic self. This is the path to wholeness. This is what it means to be alive. And happy – not in a blissed out unicorns kind of way but in the sense that your life has directed meaning – a purpose that brings true satisfaction. SLOMO. That’s right people. Slomo. What the hell is a Slomo? It's not what. It's who. I first became aware of this world class character when an award-winning short documentary about a very strange man by an enterprising young filmmaker named Josh Izenberg landed on the home page of the New York Times at the end of March. What followed was 16 minutes of pure unadulterated awe-inspiring beauty about a man going boldly where most men fear to venture – letting go of all the trappings of his comfortable, previous existence to instead to pursue the simplest of lives. A life based on faith, purity, movement and the pursuit of what he calls “The Zone” – in his own highly unique and incredibly peculiar way. I implore you – before listening to this episode, please watch this short documentary. The experience of our conversation just won't be complete without it.

7 Juli 20142h 38min

Today we’re back with some heavy nutrition talk! There is so much confusion out there about diet, food & optimal health. It's enough to make even the most discerning, conscientious consumer’s head split wide open in frustration. Exasperated, we end up simply paralyzed — continuing to perpetuate unhealthy eating habits that enslave us to an inevitable future of disease, obesity and dependence upon the pharmaceutical industry. My humble opinion? Last week's Time Magazine cover story on the comeback of butter doesn't exactly help matters. Seriously? To help set matters to rights and slice through the wide swath of confusion, obfuscation and downright misinformation, I am pleased to host the lovely and sagacious Sharon Palmer RD. For the uninitiated, “RD” stands for Registered Dietitian. But a more apropos professional acronym just might be “PPRD” – for PlantPowered Registered Dietitian. Sharon is the editor of the award-winning health newsletter Environmental Nutrition, and a nationally recognized nutrition expert who has personally impacted thousands of people’s lives through her writing and clinical work. She is the author of The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan For Achieving Optimal Health, Starting Today* and her new book Plant-Powered For Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps and 125 Delicious Recipes* comes out on July 8 (available now for pre-order). These are books that empower everyone — whether vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous — to put that Plantpower manifesto into practice by adopting a largely or entirely whole-foods, plant-based diet and thereby reaping such benefits as weight loss, optimal health, and longer life. Indeed, the Plantpower / Plant-Power meme isn't just alive and well, it's picking up steam. What's great about Sharon is her easy-to-grasp, personal approach to food and diet, an approach that marshals the most up-to-date findings in nutrition to explain both why you should eat more plant-based fare and exactly how to do so. But more interesting that that (to me at least) is our dialog about transcending diet altogether. The idea that true wellness stems from adopting a more long-term, sustainable, holistic mind-body-spirit lifestyle approach to not only what you put in your mouth, but how you spend your time and actually live on a day-to-day basis. This is the approach that changed my life. The approach I do my best to embody daily. And the approach I continue to rely and fall back upon to keep my life balanced and in check (with varying degrees of success I might add). So it was great to hear Sharon echo this perspective. I sincerely hope you enjoy the conversation. If you do, tell a friend! Peace + Plants, Rich

29 Juni 20142h 1min