Ruby Fremon Leading with Integrity in a Changing World

[Speaker 3] (0:00 - 2:03) You are now listening to the Here for the Truth podcast, hosted by Joel Rafiti and Erasmus Stelionesis. All right, everybody, welcome back to Here for the Truth for episode 21. Today we have an incredible guest for you, but quickly before we get into that, shout out to our latest top tier patron, Sasha Rozovsky. We really appreciate you listening, your support, and it means a lot. As always, the first half of this episode will be free, available to the public, and the second half accessible to our patrons and our members. Now without further ado, today we have for you Ruby Freeman. Here's a little bit about Ruby. Ruby is a certified life coach, NLP practitioner, leadership mentor, speaker, and author of Potent Leadership. She has helped thousands gain the confidence to quit performing, crystallize their messaging, and lead their movements with integrity. An expert on personal growth and inner work, Ruby is host of the top rated podcast, Potent Truth, formerly known as Today's Thought Leader, and has appeared in over 100 publications and podcasts. She works with her clients one-on-one or in group settings, at her live retreats, and in her collective. Known for her big heart, no bullshit approach, and shamanic gifts, Ruby's work bridges the gap between practicality and spirituality, offering leaders an opportunity to create true inner expansion. Her favorite topics to speak on include potent leadership and conscious entrepreneurship, which have landed her on stages around the world. Ruby sees herself as an advocate for humanity and uses her online presence to encourage her community to question the narrative and cultivate true sovereignty of mind, body, and spirit. She currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and their two dogs, Luke and Leia. Ruby, such a pleasure to have you here. Thank you for being here. [Speaker 1] (2:04 - 2:19) Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be in a space where we can actually dive deep, unfiltered, and I have a feeling this conversation is going to get really, really good. So buckle up, listen. [Speaker 2] (2:20 - 2:25) But first off, please tell us about your love of Star Wars based on the names of your dogs. OK, let's just start there. [Speaker 1] (2:27 - 2:40) Yeah, I mean, so growing up, I'll start here. Growing up as a child, I had the pink canopy bed, like the whole canopy bed with pink bedding. And then my wallpaper was Star Wars with the Death Star. [Speaker 3] (2:42 - 2:43) So I love it. [Speaker 1] (2:43 - 2:45) I've got a good balance of all of it. [Speaker 3] (2:46 - 3:26) Love it. All right. Ruby, the world is pretty fucking crazy right now. It's pretty insane. The landscape has changed dramatically to what it was two years ago, three years ago. There's a lot of people who, I guess, step into a leadership space and into coaching and mentoring roles who all of a sudden now are faced with this conundrum of speaking their full truth about what is actually going on and still maintaining their practice and their business. What is your message at this point in time to such people? [Speaker 1] (3:29 - 3:50) Stop performing and start leading, you know, start looking beyond the veils of illusion and really diving deep into what's actually currently taking place in our world, because despite how you may feel at this point in time, it is impacting every single one of us. And if you have yet to feel the impact, you will. [Speaker 2] (3:53 - 4:07) Yeah, what have you noticed as you've spoken more out in terms of what's happening in the world, maybe getting outside of just maybe the work, the message that you've been sharing up until a couple of years ago, what have you noticed has been the feedback? [Speaker 1] (4:09 - 7:47) So I think a little context will be helpful. So January 2020, I believed almost exactly the opposite of of a lot of what I believe now. I had very different political views being a Canadian. I had very different views on the pandemic when it first happened in March. It was a weird time, you know, something didn't feel right, but I actually couldn't put my finger on it. And it took a few months of of me feeling into my body and my nervous system and noticing like something doesn't feel right. And then all the social justice, you know, protests and shit happening, like things just didn't make sense. And I am a naturally curious individual. So I started asking more questions. And that's what supported me in dissolving my own internal matrix and programming. So I did have a community of people who possibly also were on those same beliefs. So when I started speaking up, I was met with a lot of hate. And I lost I can I can tell you right now, I've lost every single one of my Canadian friends. And I was born and raised in Canada. I didn't move to the U.S. until 2013. So that that's like 30 plus years of my life. So I've lost friendships that spanned over a decade and I've lost family members, you know, just due to a difference in beliefs, not because I've been disrespecting them or putting them down, but because I choose to believe what I believe. So it was it was a there was a massive shift in my community at the beginning and there was a lot of hate. And some days it was really hard to show up online because I would literally get DMs that say, I hope you get this and die. Like these are the DMs I would get. I hope you get this and die or you are murdering millions of people. I'm actually directly quoting things that I've gotten. But I also could not not say anything like I couldn't stay quiet. And I think what's been taking place for me and for everyone else is that what took place in 2020 and what's still taking place has. Asked us to dive deeper into what it is that we truly value, it's brought what we value and what we hold most sacred to the surface. And for me, it's integrity, it's justice, it's truth. And so for me to stay quiet, that just doesn't resonate, doesn't align with who I'm being. So at the beginning, it was really tough because I was met with a lot of hatred, but at the same time, I couldn't stop. And at some point my community started evening out, you know, that everyone just weeded themselves out. You know, occasionally I'll still have some people that are. Just wanting to hate, but people have weeded themselves out, but it did dramatically shift my business, and that was something that I wasn't expecting at all, especially because it still felt like I was operating from my values, but perhaps now it's more at the forefront. It's seen, it's felt, and it's rubbing up against other people's belief systems. [Speaker 3] (7:48 - 8:37) Yeah, one thing that has definitely become more, I would think, objectively visible to most people is who really is living in integrity and authenticity and who is not, right? I feel like that polarity is much clearer than what it was before this happened, because now all of a sudden there's almost like a clear litmus test of who's actually there. And I mean, what you speak of is an experience that so many of our listeners obviously resonate with and we've been through, et cetera. But yeah, that's one thing that I've found as well. You know, just continue to speak your truth. And eventually, I mean, the tribe does come and the weeds do pluck themselves. So, yeah. [Speaker 2] (8:38 - 9:37) Yeah, I completely resonate with that, too. And I've said this on other podcasts is in the last 17 months, the most amazing, beautiful human beings have entered into my life. It's just been great. And some other people from my past, it just kind of faded away. Now I've kind of gone down a lot of these rabbit holes for a long time and been in the health and wellness world and definitely challenging government, pharmaceutical industry, et cetera. But I just like what Joel said and what you said, the tribe that's coming when you stand in your truth and speak out has just been such a beautiful thing. And I just feel such a connection with some of these new people. I've known them for a month, two months, three months, and it's just been a beautiful thing. So I totally I'm all about it. I'm all about standing up, speaking your truth and dealing with the hate because that's part of it. You know, your main thing is leadership. And so talk a little bit about that, too, like like what what makes a good leader? [Speaker 1] (9:38 - 13:00) Yeah, what's interesting is we're also undergoing a massive paradigm shift in leadership. And if we go back generations and generations to our ancestors, to the days of like tribal leadership, it was very different than what we're seeing in, for example, like corporate leadership or this weird influencership, which is now being masked as leadership. And leadership was once this rite of passage. You know, you had to earn your way into leadership. And then it became this weird macho is stick kind of like standing on a pedestal, speaking down to people. I'm the expert because I say I'm an expert. And then with the rise of social media and digital media, it became this title that anyone can claim. All you ought to do is type leader in your bio and you're a leader. Right. And with that, the rites of passage are gone. And because it's been mixed up with social media, there is the influencership that has come into play with all of it. So now just because you have a blue checkmark means you're a leader. You're it means that you're someone I need to trust. No, that means you're selling shit. You're probably selling your soul. Right. No, I'm not. I'm not knocking anyone the blue checkmark. Anyways, I just want to get that straight. But we have to we lost our ability to discern who is actually truly leading and who is not. And I always say like every single leader has influence, but every single influencer is not a leader. It's not the same thing. And so the shift that I see for leadership is no more pedestals. We're done with that. It's time to bring us back into the tribal ways of leadership, of leading as a community, of being able to see people eye to eye, of sitting around the fire with your people and not in the middle of the room on a pedestal with a microphone or a megaphone speaking at them. It's about really deeply understanding the people that you are leading. It's about creating connection and seeking to understand while also paving the way for this vision that you want to lead them into. And in saying that, embodying that vision, being the fullest embodiment of everything that you teach, preach and share so that you are operating from a place of integrity and a place of transparency and a place of congruence. And then the final thing I see for leadership today that that's really, really needed and has been missing for a while is humility. It's like people, we got into this weird state where if we wanted to be perceived as an expert or a guru or a leader, like we can't have any faults, like we know everything and that's not the case. You know, we, I don't know everything. Some days I feel like I don't know shit. Right. But it's about having the humility to actually acknowledge that and approaching everything as if you're a student. And I think that is what makes the best leaders. And that is the direction that I would love to see us go in when it comes to leadership. [Speaker 3] (13:04 - 14:08) Thank you. Yeah, no, highly, highly resonant. And I mean, it definitely feels as though that's the shift that is, I mean, taking place, especially like on a physical level, we don't know, I mean, how things are going to play out going forward with, I guess, the way mainstream society is venturing, you know, and as people begin to leave, leave the cities and leave the major hubs, there really is going to be a reemergence of some element of the tribal aspect, right. Of smaller communities of deeper, deeper connectedness and the kind of leadership that you're expressing at this point in time. So, yeah, that's, that's, that's potent. Definitely. What were your views on, around these issues such as, you mean, vaccines and mandates and et cetera, et cetera, prior to the, prior to the, I guess, scandemic, how far along were you and how much of a, of a gap did you have to bridge for you? It's when this actually started. [Speaker 1] (14:09 - 14:22) Yeah. So when it comes to health, uh, luckily I was, um, born in the very early eighties in Canada before they started injecting children with what is it now? Like 70, I think it is 70. [Speaker 3] (14:24 - 14:24) Yeah. [Speaker 1] (14:25 - 18:59) So I was on a totally different schedule. However, I was always a very sick child and I was on antibiotics on and off my entire life, which completely wreaked havoc on my system. So by the time I was 22, I crashed, like literally my, my body was working against me and my health had gone down the hole. I was an addict. Um, thank you to pharmaceuticals. And so my. Distrust with the healthcare industry started around the age of like 20, 21, 22. And when, when I was really at this, um, Turning point where I decided to shift from the medical industry to holistic care, because I realized that being an addict to all these pills that they're giving me and then pills to, to help the reactions from the other, these other pills, like none of that was working. And so I started cleaning up my life by diet, dietary changes, by working with naturopaths, by, by moving my body. Um, and we're talking like, this is almost 20 years ago. I've been on this health regime. And so I have learned firsthand that the health industry is an industry. So that wasn't a very far stretch for me to go. I've also looked into the heavy metals and detoxing from boxes. And when I migrated from Canada to the U S this is crazy. I had to get vaccinated to go from Canada to the U S it didn't make any sense. And I tried to argue it. I tried to find other doctors, but there was no way in hell that you could actually legally enter the U S unless you got your flu shot, unless you were up to date with all your HEPs, unless you had, um, a chicken pox vaccine, chicken pox, chicken pox, it doesn't make any sense. And so I had to get the flu vaccine, which I've never gotten in my life. And I also had to get the chicken pox vaccine, which was completely absurd. And I, at this point I had gotten my health after like 10, 12 years of really working on my health and my gut and everything. I got to a place where I was feeling really good. And then my first two years in the U S I was sick again and I couldn't put it all together. I was thinking, is it the water? Is it the food? Like what's different? And then I realized, oh my God, I got these two stupid vaccinations that are filled with heavy metals that my body just doesn't like. And for anyone listening, who thinks that, oh, maybe this is an exaggeration. Like, so we have to understand that every body is different. For example, if any of you have never gotten a test from your doctor to see if you have the MTHFR gene mutation, go get that. Okay. Because more, a lot, they're saying that a huge majority of the newer generations have this gene mutation. And it means that you cannot detox a lot of toxins from your body as quickly as other people. So I am deeply impacted by toxins. I'm deeply impacted by mold, by heavy metals, by all this stuff. So when this experimental injection came up, that was parading around as a vaccine, like it just didn't feel right. And I remember kind of seeing where this was all going to go, um, last summer, summer of 2020, when I started asking more questions and the mask mandates kept going. And I was living in LA at the time. And things were insane in LA. Like people wanted you to wear masks to go and go for a run on the beach. We weren't even allowed on the beach for a while. And I live five blocks from the beach. And I was like, you don't want me on the beach. They literally caution taped the entire beach. And so that's when I started asking questions and I knew at that point, I was like, they're going to mandate some sort of like vaccine and a lie to people. And then it's going to become this annual thing. And I just started connecting all these dots and sure enough, it's all come true. And so the part that was the biggest, like, whoa, mind fuck for me, it was politics. That was the biggest mind fuck and social justice issues. That was the biggest mind fuck. But the medical side of things and health. I feel like I've been priming my entire life for that. [Speaker 2] (18:59 - 19:02) Yeah. Were you in the Venice area? Venice, Santa Monica? [Speaker 1] (19:02 - 19:03) At Redondo beach. [Speaker 2] (19:03 - 19:04) Oh, got it. [Speaker 1] (19:04 - 19:20) And then prior to that Santa Monica, but yeah, Redondo beach, which is thankfully not Santa Monica where they had like these giant metal fences at which, by the way, how much did you spend on that to fence off the entire beach? You know? Yeah. [Speaker 2] (19:20 - 19:29) We lived five blocks from the beach in Santa Monica. And right when this thing started, I was like, oh, this is the thing. Okay. Let's bounce. And we ended up moving to Topanga Canyon. [Speaker 1] (19:29 - 19:31) So yeah. Yeah. Good move. [Speaker 2] (19:31 - 19:32) Still Cali, but we're in our own little bubble. [Speaker 1] (19:33 - 19:33) So yeah. [Speaker 2] (19:34 - 19:35) The fun police, huh? [Speaker 1] (19:36 - 19:36) Yeah. [Speaker 3] (19:38 - 19:43) Dude, they got flagged out. Yeah. It just blows my mind. You get taped off like the carousel is like taped. [Speaker 2] (19:44 - 19:55) The amount of money that has gone into instituting all these drastic measures just blows my mind, you know, it's beyond me. [Speaker 3] (19:55 - 19:59) And still with zero evidence of transmission outdoors, mind you. [Speaker 1] (20:00 - 20:01) Right. [Speaker 3] (20:01 - 20:10) Like doesn't that right there just give the gig up? It's like, but yeah, common sense ain't so common as they say. [Speaker 1] (20:10 - 20:33) No, because people were completely like when this first happened and the whole asymptomatic myth came out, that's what everyone like everyone started believing. Oh, asymptomatic. I still have it. You still have it. You could have it. These kids are walking diseases and it's like, wait, they've already disproven that. And you still want to believe it. [Speaker 2] (20:34 - 20:45) Yeah. And that's perfectly healthy people that look amazing. And then just like attach a label of like disease carrying being onto them. [Speaker 1] (20:45 - 21:05) Like, well, I'm glad you said that because where else in history have we seen this? And this is what people get so mad at me for when I compare it to the Holocaust. Right. Like where else in the world did we see this? How did they label Jews back then? What did they say about them? They were dirty, caring, dirty humans. It's the same thing. [Speaker 2] (21:06 - 21:44) Yeah. And yet you bring up these parallels and people are just like, oh, don't be so dramatic. Like, I can't believe you compare it to something like that. Like, well, okay, let's rewind. It wasn't like when this started happening in 1939, like, you know, Hitler was considered like he wasn't just saying kill everyone when things started, you know what I mean? So it's been a gradual process, you know, and then you have all these people that are sitting there going, I just can't believe those people just allowed that to happen. And yet they're sitting here saying you shouldn't be allowed to get groceries or go to a restaurant, you know, and they can't make the connection that they're doing the same exact thing. You're so privileged. Yeah. [Speaker 1] (21:44 - 21:49) Yeah. Oh, I can't even tell you how many times I've been called that in the past, like two years of my life. [Speaker 2] (21:49 - 21:51) You're racist for not getting the vaccine. [Speaker 1] (21:51 - 21:52) That too? [Speaker 2] (21:52 - 22:39) Huh? You're misogynistic. Mind you, in LA County, the most hesitant regarding getting the vaccine are African American and Latino populations. So by instituting vaccine passports, in essence, you're instituting new Jim Crow laws where they're going to be the most impacted. So you have people on the left, which we can get into your journey about politics and change, the people on the left who are preaching or advocating for vaccine passports, not everyone. And yet these communities that they champion and say that they're behind are going to be the most impacted. And they can't even explain that. It's like, it's like, cannot compute, mindfuck, uh, code red. So anyway, so I'm interested, I'm interested to hear a little bit about you, like how, how was your journey in terms of being, becoming more awoken to things from a political standpoint? [Speaker 1] (22:41 - 26:09) So as a Canadian, I will say that we are a little more sheltered from the insanity that is us politics. And we are also shown a very specific where we're spoon fed a very specific narrative on Canadian television about you about the U S and I didn't really realize that until I moved to the U S and had lived here for a few years, that there's a very specific narrative of you of Americans that is being fed to Canadians. And with that, uh, you know, Republicans were always painted as bad and, you know, and, and like liberal, because where I grew up in Canada was the West coast. So we were very liberal. Um, so we had liberal viewpoints. We're all about social justice, save the earth, save the planet, all the things, world peace. And we were shown that Republican, they don't lie with align with any of this. And then you put someone like a character, cause he is a character like Trump. Right. And then the media blows up and they take all of his, like all the things that, that make him kind of like abrupt and they blow all that up and they hide all the good that he's doing. And they, they had this perfect, perfect depiction to show the world how bad this political party is, you know, and there's also always been this, the labeling factor with politics. Like, I don't like to identify myself as any label, although do I align more with one political party than the other? Yes. But even in saying that there was a lot of things that that political party stands for that I don't really agree with. So it's not as black and white as they want us to make it seem. Um, where they were really got to me last year. And I really kind of flipped the switch from blue to red. And I'm now in this state of like, hoping that there's something new that arises from this is with all the social justice and how it was being weaponized and, and still to this day, people won't see it. And that's fine. Um, because you're not willing to see it, not wanting to see it, but I got curious, you know, why are all these protests allowed to happen? But these other protests are not, you know, what's actually going on here and why is there a new social justice issue or, um, activist issue every week during this pandemic? Like what, why, and they're, they're utilizing this as weapons to pin humans against each other. And it's so fucked up. And when, once you see it, you can't unsee it. And so for me, it's not like I say, switching from blue to red. And at the same time, it's like, I'm not a hundred percent either, but I can see. How manipulative politics can be and how so much of what it is, is just a fucking performance. [Speaker 2] (26:12 - 27:13) Yeah. Yeah. Straight up political theater, age old strategy, divide and conquer utilizing these different movements to just keep pitting people against one another, you know, left, right backs, anti-vax. It's just, it just keeps going on and on and on and on. And it's, it's like, once you remove yourself from that and observe it, you know, take a bird's eye view and go, ah, okay. That's what's happening. I think that's when that introspective process goes to a whole nother level. And I'm in the same page as you, like I don't identify as a left or right, you know, I'm an individual human being with the ability to critically think in different scenarios. And, and yes, based on what's been going on, especially around the vaccine issue, I lean more right, more libertarian, more, more just don't fucking tell me what to do. Let me live my life. I'm not going to hurt anyone, but this is the, this is how they get you. Cause they think with this whole COVID thing that, but you know, your decision to not do a thing is hurting everybody. You know, that's how they get people into this whole thing and put people against one another, which is a whole nother conversation. [Speaker 1] (27:13 - 28:00) Well, that's, that's, you know, the whole, the rise of shame culture and cancel culture last year, right? Like, this is why people are so afraid to show up. They don't want to be shamed, whether it's publicly or in their DMS or in their emails or have their business shame, they don't want to be canceled. Right. A lot of people rely on their digital presence. Journalists are being canceled. Like doctors are being canceled and a lot of people's livelihoods are at risk because of, of the rise of shame and cancel culture, but what a perfect weapon to bestow upon humanity, you know? And, and I'm sure you've seen like Facebook started that like, oh God, what is it called? If someone you suspect is a conspiracy theorist, you can report them to Facebook. What? [Speaker 2] (28:01 - 28:07) More parallels to a World War II or pre-World War II. It's, it's, what's my mind? [Speaker 3] (28:07 - 28:12) Good actors go to Hollywood. The best actors go to politics. All right. Yeah. [Speaker 2] (28:12 - 28:41) And again, that, that saying that I heard recently, it's like sociopaths and psychopaths, they utilize, they co-opt your virtue and use it against you. And so you have well-meaning individuals that really care about, they want to care about their, their friends, their family and do the right thing. And they just get, they just get hacked. You know, the psyche gets hacked and it's used against them and it's used against others. And it just further perpetuates this me versus you ideology, which is a big reason we are where we are. [Speaker 1] (28:41 - 28:41) Yeah. [Speaker 3] (28:42 - 29:06) Well, it's really, it's really rooted in self masochism. It's, it's you against yourself on the, on the primal level, you know? And because, because that, that inherent lack of self-love is, is, is missing. It's like, I'll take up any cause for, for anyone else other than for myself, you know, for any, any issue, any social justice issue. That's, that's, that's how I see the psychology of social justice anyway, personally. [Speaker 1] (29:07 - 29:12) Yeah. And then you're, there's something wrong with you if you don't take a stand for it. [Speaker 3] (29:12 - 29:12) Yeah. [Speaker 1] (29:12 - 29:43) Um, I, uh, another influx of, uh, of a type of DM that I get a lot is anytime there's a new issue in our world that arises, uh, and I don't share about it because I don't like to share about everything. I want to really understand things before sharing. I'll sure enough, get a DM from someone. How dare you not speak up right now? Or how can you not speak up right now? How can you not be using your platform for good? And it's like, do you see what I'm speaking up on right now? I speak up on the shit that people don't dare to speak up on. [Speaker 2] (29:43 - 29:44) Yeah, exactly. [Speaker 3] (29:45 - 29:49) No, when, when the whole platform, how are you not speaking about this? Yeah. I get that one all the time too. [Speaker 1] (29:49 - 29:49) Yeah. [Speaker 2] (29:50 - 30:45) Yeah. And I didn't have a large platform. My old page had more followers, but not like crazy amount of following. And it's like, I remember I shared like a testimonial. Someone gave me for a human design reading on, um, like the day everyone was posting black squares and someone like responded to me and was just like, mind you, this person has totally jumped to our side. But I had a civil conversation and ask questions and kind of mirrored back certain things within that, that ultimately got the person to apologize to me. And I wasn't like, I was trying to get an apology, but it was just like, I've been talking about vaccines for years, you know, all of a sudden, like the media tells you to get an uproar because of the whole George Floyd thing. And now you're like this woke activist that cares about people like, give me a fucking break, you know, and I'm not trying to say I'm better than you or not, but like, let's use our rational minds and not be taken away emotionally by every new thing that gets blasted on the media. It's like, what new thing shall we be outraged about? [Speaker 1] (30:45 - 30:46) Yeah. [Speaker 2] (30:46 - 30:57) Okay. Like that enough should be like a signal to humans. Like we're going off track. Like you're literally just in outrage because of some new thing, then that goes away and then there's a new thing. [Speaker 1] (30:57 - 30:58) And it's right. [Speaker 2] (30:58 - 31:00) This is blows my mind. [Speaker 1] (31:00 - 31:05) Yeah. People have lost their ability to think freely, but they're not even conscious of that. [Speaker 2] (31:05 - 31:06) Right. [Speaker 1] (31:06 - 33:28) Because they've been so in doctrine, they've been running on this autopilot for so long that they don't actually see they're not conscious to the fact that someone else is pulling the strings, you know? And I'll be honest, like when, so it was, it was the George Floyd issue that really busted open my matrix. And I was just like, what the fuck? And when that first happened, I was enraged because I watched the video and I was like, this is fucked up. And so I started speaking up on it. And then I also started feeling the shame and the rage and the unhealed trauma and the unresolved trauma and everything was escalating. And all of a sudden white people were bad. My husband's white. He's a white male. And he was experiencing some hate from people and for being a white male. And I have lighter skin. So a lot of people don't know that I am actually full on Indian. And it was just like this weird, like, oh my God, what is happening? And then I saw a lot of my white clients getting a lot of hate and feeling like they had to bend down or bend over. It was really, really bizarre. And it, that was the influx of shame culture that really had me saying, what the fuck are we doing? You know? And I paused, I hit the pause button. I took a break from social media to recalibrate. And that's when everything began to crumble. But it's as human beings, it's easy to react, right? We see something, we witness something, we hear something and our nervous system goes into fight or flight and we have a reaction. What's difficult is from that reactive state, choosing to respond. And we can only do that when we get ourselves out of fight or flight, which is why a lot of people right now are just operating on fight or flight. They're, they're operating on reactivity. It takes a lot more work to calm the nervous system, even when you're in a reactive state to get yourself to a place of responsivity. And we have to do that right now, because that is the only way that we open ourselves up to asking more questions, to being more curious, to being able to actually see another human being as a human being and not as some label. [Speaker 3] (33:30 - 33:55) Yeah. I mean, finding your center is something that's so imperative at this point in time, because so many people, they don't even know what that is. They don't even know where their core is, right? They're just receiving information, reacting to information, receiving information, reacting. There's no, there's no process through your own psyche that takes place. You know, it's just, what is it that I want to react to at this point in time? [Speaker 2] (33:56 - 34:19) Yeah. And our social, you know, social engineers and architects of control, they understand this about human beings. So we're constantly put in this traumatized state, constantly trying to traumatize us, put us into fear, because once you stop operating from a place of, let's say, more rationality, or like you said, having that space to consider different options, you can just be led around wherever they want to take you. Yeah. The herd, right? [Speaker 1] (34:19 - 34:25) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Fuck the herd. Yeah. [Speaker 3] (34:26 - 34:28) Yeah. Fuck the herd. [Speaker 1] (34:30 - 34:40) I mean, what is a herd? I'm a, I'm a super zombie freak too. So I love like walking dead and stuff, but you want to stay, stay clear from those herds. Yeah. You know what I mean? [Speaker 2] (34:40 - 36:20) I hear you. You know, I, I started watching the walking dead and then I stopped for a few years. And then last year I was like, you know what? It seems like the world's moving in this direction. Just need to get, you know, get an idea and see how they're living their lives. Like what I need to prepare for and train for. So I started watching it again and, and caught up, but, but I agree. It's like, stay away from the zombies, stay away from the herd. And we've had brilliant thinkers, philosophers that have been talking about this. I mean, one of the greatest books is, you know, Gustave Le Bon, you know, he wrote in the late 1800s, The Crowd, The Study of the Popular Mind. And he goes so deep into this, you know, just understanding how a person who lacks a certain level of selfhood, their consciousness is going to get absorbed by the crowd mind. And then you end up taking part in the narcissism of the crowd, you know, where it's like, there's an inability to think independently, to think critically, to separate yourself from that. And the work at the end of the day, you know, we can focus externally all the time, but always comes back home doing the inner work. You know, you turn off your TVs, close your eyes, you know, eat healthier, learn about your nervous system, get bodywork, you know, heal your nervous system, the things you're talking about, that's the solution. You know, it's not drawing up a million signs and marching with the fucking 500 people, rah, rah, rah, you know, like, doesn't mean you can't do that. I'm not knocking all forms of like protest, but where's this attention inwards? You know, and that's the missing solution. It's something that Joel and I are big fans of, obviously, based on your bio and the work you do. It's like, you have to do the inner work. That is the solution. [Speaker 1] (36:21 - 38:57) Yeah, and that's the work that's not as glamorous, right? Like, it's really fucking socially accepted and will get you a lot of points if you post a picture and stories of you at some social justice protest, right? But they don't see the inner work is what people don't see is the work that you're putting into yourself, but it is felt, you know, like, it was like what you were saying at the beginning, the people who really lack integrity. We're feeling that like we can feel that now we can see it. Those who are ready to see it. And it's only going to become the difference between the two is only going to become louder and more prevalent as we continue as this whole shit storm continues to unfold. The ones who are really performing, they're going to start looking like straight up fools. And the ones who are willing to take a stand, who are doing the inner work, who are in congruence with everything that they value, who are embodying what they want to see for humanity, their presence is going to be known. And we're just in this weird time right now where it's like, we're still at the beginning stages of this. People hate it when I say this, but we're still at the beginning stages of what's about to unfold. And this is a time when the division is going to continue to get greater. But at some point we're going to divide so far that we'll be able to see a lot of things that we never saw before. And so I have a lot of hope and I have a lot of faith, but it requires us to continue going. And I can say, speak for myself here. The only way that I can continue showing up like this as a projector in human design is by going into my sauna after this recording, you know what I mean? It's by taking five hours every morning just for me. It's about devoting myself to my fitness, to my health, to keeping my mind, body and spirit really strong. And anytime that I feel like I'm starting, my nervous system is starting to act up, which tends to be on the daily. If I'm spending too much time online, I hit the pause button and reset. And that's what I need to do for myself to continue showing up in this way. And I share that for anyone listening, because it's your responsibility to take care of yourself. No one else is going to do it for you, you know, and if you really want to be the embodiment of sovereignty, then you got to take radical responsibility for your life and your health and your freedom. [Speaker 2] (39:00 - 40:28) Yeah. Let that small, let that land for a little bit because like a breath. Yeah. Such a simple message. And yet to get that through the noise, the noise of all the distractions of the little internet, the big internet, you know, from all the stuff, it's like, how do you quiet down? How do you just turn off and tune back into yourself? Yeah. I'm going in the sauna after this, I'm getting some body work and it's necessary, but I feel it. I feel it. I live in nature in Topanga, we're surrounded by trees and there's times where I'm just like, I'm on my fucking computer and I'm in this and I'm like not being present with my wife and I'm being all fucking like intense and Jersey Greeked out and just fucking passionate. And I'm like, okay, just take a deep breath, chill, go for a walk. You know what I mean? Like, it's just, it's imperative. I can't show up as a husband. I can't show up as a healing practitioner. I can't show up as a leader. If I'm not taking care of myself, charity starts at home. You have to fill your cup first or else you're performing or else you're performing like I love it. I love your phrase. You know, I'm a former actor. So you're performing, you're putting on a mask. You're, you're just, you're, uh, overcompensating your people, pleasing, whatever the case may be. You're not standing in your truth from a place of presence and it's obvious and it's becoming more and more obvious. [Speaker 1] (40:28 - 43:14) It's becoming more and more obvious. And, um, we're still, and we're still going to have those who are not going to see it, but that doesn't matter. Right. Um, I was just reading this research paper and it was like, uh, it only takes 3.5% of a population to create a revolution. And, um, there's been many research papers done on this and that's it. Like we just need 3.5% of us to take a stand and a real stand and not a performative stand, you know, like a real actual fucking stand we need. Yes. We need parents to talk to the schools. We need, um, you know, we're seeing now a lot of nurses and doctors walking away from their jobs because they don't want to get the mandated vaccine. And this is what we need. We need to do this. We need to take a stand for what it is that we want to see in humanity. Um, and this isn't just about talking the talk, it's about actually embodying these changes. And, you know, like, it's funny because I was writing my book in 2020. And when I started writing my book, the concept was there, but I definitely went back and started rewriting a lot of chapters in fall of 2020. Like I started deleting a bunch of shit because my own beliefs around leadership and what humanity needs started to shift so radically that I had to include it in the book. And it's like, that's, I share that because I know there's so many people who are experiencing similar radical shifts in what they believe and you're not alone in it. I think we're all experiencing, you know, a dissolution of the matrix and the programming that we once had. And this is actually a really beautiful time for us to reclaim, you know, our voices, our spirit, our values are what we hold most sacred. Um, and return to the ways of our ancestors and, and the more tribal ways of living life and, um, being with the earth. And yeah, it's, it, it's a, it's an interesting time indeed. And it's one that I'm like, holy shit, God, like you put me here in this moment, in this fucked up time in humanity for a reason. And what a blessing, what an honor. And I'm just going to do you good, God. Like, this is my conversation with God each day. Like, okay, I'm going to take this. I know you put me here for a reason. I've got to do this. And that's just what I want to invite everyone listening to hear because we were all placed here at this time for a reason, you know, you got to believe that. [Speaker 2] (43:15 - 44:26) I've heard. Oh, Joel, are you going to say something? I was looking for a quiet go for it. I've just heard so many beautiful stories amongst the last 17 months of people who are doing just that, where they're like, you know what, this job doesn't resonate with me anymore. This relationship that I've been in for 10 years just isn't right. You know, even some people, when it comes down to the vaccine passport, they're like, I don't want to fucking go to restaurants. Anyway, I'm going to grow some food. I'm going to cook my own food. You know, so there's this level of, like you say, going back to our ancestors and the ways of the past is like even focusing on some of the simple things in life. You know, I think it locked down, whatever it caused people to slow down and get more internal. You know, my wife's a projector too. And she's like, I loved, I mean, we kind of lived quarantine life anyways. We both work from home, et cetera. But she's like, I feel like the whole world kind of like slowed down to like my pace a little bit, you know, as opposed to that fucking generator go, go, go, go, go nonstop. So she was, she was feeling it. And I think it's, it's provided a lot of insights to people. And I think people that have answered the call because for others, it's been a dive into more fear. [Speaker 3] (44:27 - 45:33) Yeah. This is, this is the quote, which just what you were saying reminded me of this is the hardest time to live, but it's also the greatest honor to be alive now and to be allowed to see this time. There is no other time like now. We should be thankful for creation, did not make weak spirits to live during this time. The old ones say, this is the time when the strongest spirits will live through. And those who are empty shells, those who have lost the connection will not survive. We have become masters of survival. We will survive. It is our prophecy to do so. That's by Tia Carson, Ghost Horse. So that's the way that I see what's, what's going on for sure. You know, like we're all feeling that call right now and that's what the compression, that's what this, this pinch is. And I mean, I'd be hitting a sauna after this too, if I didn't have two kids, but you know, how, how is it that you connect with your ancestry and how do you bring your ancestors forth in your presence to embody and live that, that message? [Speaker 1] (45:34 - 49:11) Well, to be honest, there isn't, I don't have a lot of history on my actual ancestors. Like we, I've been curious about it, trying to dive into our family history and there's just, it's just like ends. And so me being someone who is very devoted on a plant medicine journey since 2018, I've been exploring just other indigenous tribes and ways of communion and have been really drawn to that and noticing how it doesn't matter what culture or where in the world these indigenous tribes are. They all seem to have the same elements, you know, the community, the communion, the, the connection and living off the land, you know, not trying to seek out more, but how to enrich what they have. And that's what fascinates me. You know, like tomorrow I'm, I'm, I finally got invited to a sweat lodge. I get to Swiss sit in my first sweat lodge experience tomorrow, but I'm always looking for right now. I'm always looking for ways in which I can connect to others and to other lineages, because I feel that this is, there's a really big re-initiation into these ways. And, you know, I, I'm a children of a child of the eighties. And so I didn't, I grew up with like cereal and fast food and, and all the, the, you know, the internet came into my life. And so everything is really easy and at the, at my fingertips, and I don't really know how to live off the land in the way that I really want to know. And so I've just been, luckily I'm in Texas where there's a lot of like, um, living off the land type courses and retreats that you can do, um, that are also seeing a resurgence, you know, because I, I think that people are seeing how the old ways, depending on corporations to take care of you, that that's just not working. And there's a real freedom and empowerment that comes from knowing that you can take care of yourself and knowing that you have a community around you. And I think that's the most beautiful thing that I take away from all of the ancestral lineages that I've looked at is the community aspect and how that has really been missing in our lives for a long time. And, um, you know, I've had a similar experience over the past year diving into some of the deepest friendships ever. Like, I feel like these, these are my people. These are my homies, you know, like we get it. We value the same thing. I will sit in around a fire with you and it feels so good to have community, but it's because we have dropped even deeper into our values and really understand what is meaningful to us and we create connections with other people based upon that. And so we're really connecting at a soul level at a heart centered level. And, um, yeah, I think that's what, that's the piece of the ancestral work that I really cherish the most is the community and how we can build upon these communities and create new communities and connect on even deeper levels where we actually truly take care of each other. [Speaker 3] (49:11 - 50:17) Yeah. And especially like when everything we're experiencing now, we'll continue to experience the design to detach us further from the earth, detach us further from our ancestry. Right. Even, even on a physical level with, I mean, the, the march towards transhumanism, et cetera, et cetera. Like the solution is for me, definitely primarily to connect even deeper to your roots and to the earth. Right. To reclaim those aspects of ourselves. And that's something that obviously really, really grounds you and senses you as well and puts you in a place to deal with reality from, you mean, from that warrior spirit, from that warrior aspect, being aware of what's going on, but also having two feet on the ground and knowing, knowing you're rooted, knowing where you stand. So that's something that I'm looking to do more of. And I, I implore a lot to do so as well. And it's fine. Find it. If you can find ways to find your personal roots as well, like discover your personal pagan history. Like what, what was that? What were they into? You know, I feel like that's such an empowering thing. [Speaker 1] (50:18 - 50:19) Yeah, definitely. [Speaker 2] (50:20 - 51:47) I know what the Greeks were into, you know, they weren't crazy as shit. I mean, you just have to read mythology and all that stuff and you can get into it. Um, but, uh, yeah, community is so huge and, and, and I think it's so important to grow more of it because there are so many people out there who they don't have, they don't, they're like the only person in their friend group or in their family that is challenging the consensus narrative and they're feeling so alone. And I've met many of these people and I've said this before on other podcasts, but, you know, one of the missions of my wife and myself is to build community. And we've been having these beautiful gatherings in the Pena Canyon and bringing all these people together. And it's been fucking awesome. And like you said, it's a connection on this level where it's, it's like the bullshit is just not even there. You're there knowing that you share this common purpose, this common view aligned with nature, aligned with respect for your body, respect for one another, not living in fear. And it's just like, it's so lovely. It's such a lovely feeling. I mean, I hug a person for the first time and I just met him five minutes ago and I'm like, you are my soul family. You can just feel it. And I don't know, to me that like, that shit brings tears to my eyes. This is like, it's such an incredible thing. And I want more of it, you know, I want to create more of it. And I want, man, I just love it. [Speaker 3] (51:47 - 52:28) And I mean, look, look, look, look what that's targeting, right? Like, I mean, I'm in, I'm in Sydney, we're in the ninth week now of this fucking stage four lockdown, right? Like masks completely mandated, even outdoors. You're only allowed outside for an hour to exercise only. You can't be more than five kilometres from, right? Et cetera, et cetera. No, no hugging, no cut, no nothing. You can't even have family come and visit. Like this is, this is what the war is on. It's on community, right? It's on, it's on detaching us from, from these incredibly natural instincts that we all share and have. Um, so the enemy, the enemy always gives away what the antidote is at the same time. [Speaker 1] (52:28 - 52:28) Right. [Speaker 2] (52:29 - 52:54) Yeah. I love, I love like looking at language and the words that are used, you know, like lockdown, just looking at the definition of lockdown. I just real quickly, the confining of prisoners to their cells, you know what I mean? Like that alone should just shine a light on like what the agenda is, you know, more control. Yeah. And this is what they're trying to normalise, the new normal, right? [Speaker 1] (52:54 - 52:55) Right, right. [Speaker 2] (52:56 - 52:58) Yeah. Fuck that shit. I'm escaping from Alcatraz. [Speaker 1] (53:01 - 53:02) Definitely. [Speaker 3] (53:08 - 53:09) These little silences. [Speaker 2] (53:09 - 53:41) I love the moments of silence sometimes, you know, you talk about something so passionate where you're in alignment and then it's like, all right, what, what direction do we go in next? What question do we ask? Yeah. Okay. Let me, okay. Well, my question is this, cause I want to get more into your hero's journey, like your journey in life. Like how, how did you get into being a voice for leadership and doing the work that you do? Like, you know, what were you into when you were eight years old and then 14 years old and like, what got you to what, where you are now? [Speaker 3] (53:41 - 53:47) And like, what were the major rites of passages as well that, you know, may have allowed you to go through the underworld cycle to actually step into that. [Speaker 1] (53:48 - 1:00:59) Yeah. Great question. And thank you for positioning it as the major moments of rights of passions. Cause sometimes when people ask for your life story, I'm just like, Oh my God, that's such a fully loaded question. How much time do I have? How big, like birds, I've you eagles, I've you like, where do you want me to go with this? So I'll start by saying I'm an Indian woman of Sikh religion and first generation born first generation, meaning my, my parents were born in India. I am the first child in our family to be born in Canada. And so I was raised as a first generation child of an immigrant family. So my parents did their best and tried to raise us under the same rules that they were raised in India, which doesn't really work when you're in a different country. So my entire life I was taught and shown that I wasn't, it wasn't safe to be me. Anytime I would question my parents in Indian culture, you don't question your parents. And again, I was always a naturally curious individual. So anytime I questioned them, I'd be shunned, I'd be punished. And so slowly I just started to learn that, okay, it's not safe to be me. I shouldn't ask questions. I just do what they say. And I became very compliant at a very young age. And I got married at a really young age. I got married when I was 20. And my entire life, I felt like I couldn't speak my truth. And at some point in my twenties, I didn't even know what my truth was, because when you're not speaking it, you lose touch with it. And when you lose touch with it, you don't even know who you are anymore. And I left that marriage after five and a half years of being married, realizing that it just wasn't the situation I wanted to be in. And during that marriage, I also experienced a suicide attempt, which obviously I'm here. So it was a failed suicide attempt. And that was really sort of one of the rites of passage, where when I came to, I realized that I'd been given another chance, but it's up to me to do what I want to do with it. And that was what got me into more of a holistic route of support. Um, but my twenties were really interesting. You know, I went from being an addict to pharmaceuticals, to being an addict to recreational drugs and alcohol. And it wasn't, and, and it was because I was always treating the physical ailments and not really looking at the internal. When you are shown for so much of your life, that it's not safe to be you, that wreaks havoc on your psyche, on your emotional, mental wellbeing, on your spiritual wellbeing. And so for me, by the time I was in my late twenties, full-blown addict, um, really just bypassing my emotional field, uh, at the cost of my health, um, there was a massive disconnect, you know, a massive disconnect between who I was being, how I was showing up and who I truly was at the center. And I didn't even know who I was because I had never given myself the opportunity to explore that. So it took, um, 2012. I hit rock rock bottom, uh, ended a four and a half year, very abusive relationship and had that experience that brought me out of my body, uh, to really observe myself for the first time, like no more blaming my parents, no more blaming these stupid ex-boyfriends and ex-husband, no more blaming people in my life. Every choice in every decision I'd made had led me to that moment, you know, and that moment of really finding, of being an addict, of, of being in abusive relationships, of living a very toxic lifestyle surrounded by toxic people. So I started to take radical responsibility for my life in 2012. And that was my first taste of personal development. That's when I started listening to personal development gurus and attending events and workshops and reading books. And I loved it. You know, I had gone to therapy, but therapy and therapy serves this purpose, but this whole like idea of coaching, this felt like really cool. Like I can actually change my life. Amazing. And so I decided to go back to school to become a coach. I didn't know that this is the direction that I was heading in to do this work that I do today. All I knew at that point in time was that if I could get myself out of rock bottom, I wanted to help other people do the same. And as I was getting myself out of rock bottom, I was sharing online in a very transparent way. I started an anonymous Tumblr account. Do you remember Tumblr? Anonymous Tumblr account because everyone knew me on social media because I worked in nightlife. So I started an anonymous account and shared my heart. Like, here's what I'm going through. Here's what I'm experiencing. And it was like decades of pent up energy of not being able to speak my truth just started pouring out on Tumblr. And then one day I had the bravery to share it on Facebook. And that's when I started getting flooded with messages and I realized there is power in being transparent. You know, there's power in really reclaiming our voice. And so all of that led me into the world of coaching and I just wanted to help people. And how leadership came up was the more, the deeper I dove into the coaching industry, like the personal development industry, the more I started to see the performances. Like everyone is just performing because now everyone and their mom is a life coach, right? Everyone wants to be like Tony Robbins, but so many people are doing this without integrity, without really embodying the work, without really diving into the inner work, but instead by just getting these online certifications and saying that they are an expert in X, Y, and Z. And that's what got me into leadership was this lack of integrity that I was seeing in this space and really having this vision of what leadership needs to be. And so I infused, you know, my coaching, my NLP, my shamanic gifts and like all of that and my no bullshit demeanor, wrap it up with a lot of love and work with coaches so they can ditch their fucking performance because we're done with it, you know? We're so, I think people are so done with the performing. They're so done with the facade. They're so done with the masks in every way, shape and form. And there's a real yearning for something that feels real in our world. And if I can support in making that happen and having people reclaim what I call their potency and so they can weave that potency into their leadership and into their work, then I feel like I've done my job, you know? [Speaker 3] (1:01:00 - 1:01:02) So what is potency to you? [Speaker 1] (1:01:03 - 1:01:49) Potency is the medicine that we all have to offer when we're being the fullest expression of who we be. You know, like we've all heard the question, what is your USP or unique selling proposition? I don't believe that there is one single thing. I believe it's the totality of all that we are, you know, the totality of it, our beliefs, our values, our tonality, our voice, our presence, our energy, all of it. That's what makes our potency. But just like my story, so many people are taught that they're too much or not enough. And so you dial it down or you change, you shapeshift or you wear masks and pretend and perform because you just wanna, it's self-preservation. You just wanna keep yourself feeling loved. And so to me, potency is when you're being the fullest expression of everything that you are. [Speaker 3] (1:01:50 - 1:02:03) Yeah, and you can't really do that without being transparent, right? You can't do that without self-knowledge, without knowing yourself because if you're still hiding from yourself, how can you possibly express who you actually are? [Speaker 2] (1:02:05 - 1:03:00) You know, that's one of the things that I've had issues with the coaching industry is just like, first of all, you're right, it has gotten oversaturated, but there was just this period of time, I don't know when it was, maybe five years ago, four years ago, it was like everyone's copy just sounded the same and everyone was doing the same thing and using the same formulas and the same techniques and the same numbers and the same this and the same that. And it was kind of nauseating personally. So I applaud you for the work that you do and supporting these coaches to become more who they are. You know, maybe they say fuck every other word, you know, and that's who they are, as opposed to just like, I'm sounding all polished and I just went to a workshop and this is how I'm supposed to do things. Now that's part of the learning process. You're gonna take things in, you're gonna leave what doesn't work, you're gonna take other things, leave what doesn't work, but at the end of the day, you gotta come back to who you are and your essence and how you be, you know, how you be in the fullest. [Speaker 3] (1:03:02 - 1:03:33) Yeah, I got something for you. So numerologically, you're an eight, okay? And this is esoteric numerology. So esoteric numerology is determined by, there's a 10 day period that you were born to, which connects to one of the 36 constellations that the ancient Egyptians actually charted. And each one of those 36 constellations are linked to a card of the minor arcana of the tarot. Which is tens of thousands of years old and then just so happens to be 36 of them. So this is your personal card. It's the eight of disks, okay? [Speaker 1] (1:03:34 - 1:03:35) He looks kind of sad. [Speaker 3] (1:03:36 - 1:04:15) No, he's not sad as well. He's very interested in what he's doing. So this card literally means interesting work projects underway, discipline paying off, detail and skill, concentration, consistency, providing a unique product or service, honesty, good work ethics, prudence, dependability, ingenuity. So, I mean, coupled with, in the esoteric system, you're an Aries rising, right? So Aries is that leader. It's that assertiveness. It's the commandeering. That's ruled by the emperor card. The emperor is the leader. So there's absolutely synchronicities and divine connections to where you found yourself. [Speaker 1] (1:04:16 - 1:04:23) Interesting. Cause I always thought I was a Virgo rising, Virgo sun, Virgo rising. And I was like, well, shit, I'll just be a Virgo my entire life. [Speaker 2] (1:04:24 - 1:04:32) There's all these different systems, you know, where there's overlap and there's things that like human design will share certain things, numerology. And anyways, Joel, you're about to say something on that. [Speaker 3] (1:04:33 - 1:05:26) Yeah. So when you were born, you were born conventional Virgo, but the constellation of Virgo was actually due to the procession of the equinoxes in the house of Libra. So your son is actually Libra. And I don't do Western astrology. I don't do conventional astrology. I believe it's got a lot of holes in it. I do things the way the ancients did them. And so for the ancients, they determined the rising sign by what was opposite the sun. And what was opposite the sun was the constellation that was visible in the sky on the night of your birth. So this is what the sun was pointing at, but the sun was illuminating. So that was Aries for you. Aries was the constellation that if someone looked up at the sky with empirical observation, they would have seen. And that's your first house. That's your core sense of self, your core temperament. And Aries, literally, if you're going to pick a later sign or a later card, it's that, you know? So, yeah. [Speaker 1] (1:05:27 - 1:05:27) Oh, shit. [Speaker 3] (1:05:27 - 1:05:45) Maybe that makes a bit more sense astrologically now. And I think a lot of people are confused with astrology because, I mean, people go get conventional astrology readings, do their own Western astrology charts, but it's not really resonant. There's not authentic connection there. And there's a reason for that. So, yeah. [Speaker 1] (1:05:47 - 1:05:48) Fascinating. [Speaker 3] (1:05:48 - 1:05:49) Yeah. [Speaker 2] (1:05:49 - 1:06:16) Yeah, I love all these esoteric systems. And again, anything that can support you really reclaiming, I think, who you are, knowing who you are. And I think some of these systems help shine a light on that, which can be really powerful. I think the other thing I wanted to point out too is I believe all three of us are first generation children of immigrants to where we are. Both my parents born and raised in Greece. Joel, you can share where you're from. [Speaker 3] (1:06:16 - 1:06:23) Yeah, my dad was born in Palestine, Jerusalem, Palestine. My mom was born in Lebanon. You mean I'm first generation Australian. So, yeah, we all share that. [Speaker 2] (1:06:24 - 1:07:05) And what you said really, I think was really important is that our parents, out of the goodness of their hearts and wanting us to be safe. I mean, I can only imagine what they dealt with leaving everything they knew to come to this land. And then very often what they do with first generation children, it's like they keep you sheltered. They want you to kind of be in that little bubble and follow the rules. And part of that hero's journey that I think has been the case for all of us, especially based on what you said is how do we exit that? Exit that conditioning and decondition ultimately to find out who we're meant to be. And I value some of my certain aspects of my first generation nature. [Speaker 3] (1:07:07 - 1:07:41) Yeah, but one of the hardest things for me to overcome as a first generation child was to like, because they went through so many hardships and they did it tough, et cetera, was to actually look back and consider that maybe they made mistakes or maybe there was faults in the way I was raised or to just like even have any kind of, you mean, condemnation or fault finding towards them. And that was one thing that held me back for a long time was not being able to cross that bridge or, you mean, to consider that, oh, my mom and dad might've done something wrong or screwed up because of that conditioning and that programming was so, so heavy. [Speaker 1] (1:07:43 - 1:09:27) Yeah. And it's like, it took me a really long time. It felt like it took me a really long time to be able to look at it and be like, man, they were just doing the best that they could with what they had, what they know, what their experience. Like that's it. That's really it. And, you know, a huge part of my side note and not really side note, but a huge part of my plant medicine journey has also been like in breaking those ancestral patterns. And I'll just show this one because it was such a profound experience. I was in Peru in the jungle doing a 14 day dieta. With the Shipibo tribe. And it was like this one ceremony where I dropped in right away. And all of a sudden I see my mom and in front of me and she kisses me on the cheek and she's got tears in her eyes. Then I see my grandmother. She kisses me on my cheek. Then I see my great grandma. Then it keeps going. And I start seeing these women that I haven't even recognized. And it was because I have been breaking the pattern of like keeping quiet. You know, I still observe it to this day in my mom. And it's not because she's punished for speaking her truth, but it's so deeply ingrained in the programming. And so we as these, you know, children of immigrant families, like we do come with a lot of this ancestral trauma. But what on the flip side, we also come with this tenacity that I think is not found in other breeds of humans. Like we have a tenacity and a resilience to us that is incredible. And because we've seen our parents build something from nothing, you know, we've been there. And so we know that it's possible. So I think we actually make the best leaders. Just going to say that. [Speaker 2] (1:09:27 - 1:10:09) I hear you. My father had a second grade education. My mom had a sixth grade education. They grew up. My dad grew up on an island in Greece. My mom grew up in the mountains. And, you know, they came here with my dad first and then he went back and, you know, met my mom and brought her here. But my dad worked like 20 hours a day, you know, like seven days a week, for God knows how long, just to build and provide and work and build a business. And so I have gratitude for that. And that's not the life that that's not the life that's for me. You know, I had to go on my own journey and deal with what came up by saying kind of no to the family business or no to their worldview to certain degrees, of course. [Speaker 3] (1:10:09 - 1:10:24) So, yeah, anyways. Yeah, my dad was exiled from Jerusalem, right? From Palestine. Forcefully removed from their homeland. And he came here and he built the largest independent ready mixed concrete manufacturing business in the Southern Hemisphere. [Speaker 1] (1:10:25 - 1:10:25) Wow. [Speaker 3] (1:10:26 - 1:10:55) So, like, you know, you're going to talk about, you know, the tenacity and leadership and willingness and drive, like how I still I still don't even know, you know, but yeah, that's that's that's within us. And that's what all of us we've all witnessed that. We've all seen that and we know what is possible, you know, but a lot of it also is out of this. It was out of necessity, right? And necessity often is the is the primary driver and the primary motivator to actually get someone across the line, I find. [Speaker 2] (1:10:56 - 1:11:31) And to circle back to what we've been talking about the beginning is like, I feel like in our country or in the world, a lot of a lot more people are being faced with this necessity with everything that's going on to change their ways because we haven't I mean, we kind of we haven't really faced we've had our individual journeys, but it's not like we've lived through World War Two or all these crazy things. We've kind of lived a pretty, you know, good life to a certain degree. And to face something like what we're facing now, I think, is new. So it is facing it is forcing people to really take a deep look inside. [Speaker 3] (1:11:32 - 1:12:02) And that's what it's like. And necessity is certainly hardened again right now. You know, I mean, there's a lot of people that this is the hill that they're going to die on. There's a lot of people that there's a strict, hard boundary line. They're not going to they're not going to take this jab. They're not going to be dictated to, you know, and they're not going to compromise themselves to what society wants. If that if that compromises their integrity. So there is real necessity to find their own ways and to carve their own paths, which that wasn't there before, you know? [Speaker 2] (1:12:03 - 1:12:25) Yeah. And how many generations that have built up small businesses that have that have gone under, you know, during this time, people with their family, had this business that just couldn't survive. So again, you talk about necessity is a lot of people are faced with making decisions that they haven't had to face or even there may be some of their ancestors haven't had to face. So, you know, we're living in interesting times and people's right. [Speaker 3] (1:12:25 - 1:12:30) People's kids are involved now, right? The children are on the line. The children are on the line. [Speaker 1] (1:12:31 - 1:13:31) Yeah. That's, you know, it's like when this first started, I saw how, you know, if we look at just Maslow's hierarchy of needs and our basic human needs, you know, we've got our needs for safety, physiological needs. All of those were being threatened on a collective scale. Like these are the things that were being threatened. And these are still the things that are being threatened right now. And so people are operating from this place of necessity because their needs aren't currently being met. And the ways in which their needs were previously being met are no longer aligning with who they are today. So it is an exciting time for us to find other ways to fulfill these needs that we thought we once believed we needed to get fulfilled by government or healthcare, all these other external sources and uncover the ways in which we can start to fulfill these needs ourselves within our communities, within our families. [Speaker 2] (1:13:33 - 1:13:42) Yeah. Quick question, you were in the nightlife, was it in L.A. or was it somewhere else? [Speaker 1] (1:13:42 - 1:13:43) No, in Vancouver. [Speaker 2] (1:13:43 - 1:13:44) Oh, Vancouver. [Speaker 1] (1:13:44 - 1:13:49) In Vancouver, yeah. I was the top female promoter for many years in Vancouver. [Speaker 2] (1:13:49 - 1:13:54) I was just curious. I was in New York City, like in that world, but I was just... [Speaker 1] (1:13:54 - 1:14:34) Yeah, I mean, Vancouver is kind of like a little New York and a little L.A. They like to think of it that way, you know, small city, big heads. But it was fun, you know, I helped produce 7,000-person raves and like 100-person intimate concerts. I worked with some of the best artists in the world, very, very glamorous and extremely toxic, extreme, like, I don't know, like you guys get project, you guys get human design. I don't know how as a projector, I know how as a projector, I dealt with that. This is why I turned to drugs and alcohol, but it was intense. Some of the best days of my life and also the worst days of my life, for sure. [Speaker 2] (1:14:34 - 1:14:40) I think that sums up nightlife culture pretty well. Some of the best days, some of the worst days. [Speaker 3] (1:14:40 - 1:14:52) Oh, yeah, same. I mean, but that's kind of over now. Hey, like, I don't know, but I spent some nights in Vancouver and some of my best nights were in Vancouver partying. Maybe I ended up at one of your clubs or something. [Speaker 1] (1:14:53 - 1:14:55) I was just about to say, maybe you're at one of my parties. [Speaker 3] (1:14:56 - 1:15:00) Yeah, it would have been like, I think 2011 or something like that. [Speaker 1] (1:15:00 - 1:15:03) Okay, yeah. That was like peak time for me. [Speaker 3] (1:15:03 - 1:15:05) Yeah, wow. There you go. [Speaker 1] (1:15:05 - 1:15:06) Yeah. [Speaker 3] (1:15:06 - 1:15:11) Those were good days. That's for sure. Lots of learning experiences. [Speaker 1] (1:15:11 - 1:15:13) That was a rite of passage on its own. [Speaker 2] (1:15:13 - 1:15:36) Yeah. Oh, definitely. Definitely. I think back to all those times in New York and I bartended at hot spots and it was fun. It was great. But my life is so far now. You know, my wife and I both work from home. Like, we don't go out. We cook food. Like, I don't, we have gatherings at our home. We're not like popping pills at E and fucking dancing all night and play in the morning. I mean, I just, my body can't handle that shit, you know? [Speaker 1] (1:15:36 - 1:15:41) And waking up to street dogs in your house with chips everywhere. Or was that just me? I don't know. [Speaker 2] (1:15:41 - 1:16:28) That might've just been you, but we all have our crazy stories, you know? And, and I, you know, it's like, I don't want to look back and be like, oh, I can't believe I did all that. It's like, that's part of my journey. It's part of who I am. And even with some of the other things that have happened, you know, people say like, do you have regrets? Like, okay, cool. Maybe there's certain things that I can say, oh man, I wish that didn't happen. But then everything that happened, led me to who I am and what I'm doing and how I'm living and my beliefs. And, and so it's hard to knock it. You know what I mean? It's like this weird thing where it's like, oh man, I wish that didn't happen. I wish I didn't have this super traumatic birth. I wish I didn't deal with health issues as a child and et cetera, et cetera. And yet part of that could also have impacted who I am and really getting really into health and questioning authority and questioning the healthcare system, et cetera, et cetera. [Speaker 1] (1:16:29 - 1:17:07) So yeah, every single experience, every single moment, every single minute of our life has led us to where we are today. You know, I've always, always had a life of no regrets. You know, are there times in my life that make me go, hmm, definitely. But I don't regret those things, you know? And I have, I have no shame for those things. And I fully own all those parts of me because they have all helped shape me into who I am today, you know? And, and if we regret an experience in our life, then we're actually denying a part of our life, which isn't fair to the human being that you're, that you are today. [Speaker 3] (1:17:08 - 1:17:12) Yeah, well, it's, I guess it's closely linked to repression in that sense. [Speaker 1] (1:17:14 - 1:17:15) Yeah. [Speaker 3] (1:17:15 - 1:17:32) Yeah. All right. Well, pretty close to wrapping this thing up. What's your, what's your, what's your, you have your entire audience right now. What's your key message for this moment in time to anyone listening? [Speaker 1] (1:17:33 - 1:17:36) Get your heads out of your asses and wake the fuck up. [Speaker 2] (1:17:38 - 1:17:41) I mean, are you joking now? I don't know. Are you? [Speaker 1] (1:17:41 - 1:17:45) I don't know. That can be, that can be option A. [Speaker 3] (1:17:45 - 1:17:49) Yeah. I like option A. I like option A. What's option B? [Speaker 1] (1:17:50 - 1:18:21) Option B is, right now, more than ever, humanity is in need of real leaders, not performers. Humanity needs to hear from you, your voice, your message, your medicine. That's what humanity needs. Not just another cookie cutter version of someone trying to chase the blue check mark or gain a larger following because what we're fighting right now is so much bigger than that. And we need to keep that fight alive. We need to keep this revolution alive. [Speaker 3] (1:18:21 - 1:18:45) Yeah. Definitely. And I mean, that's, that's my message as well. We're all so unique. You know, we're all different. We're not, we're not, well, we're not the same as these globalists would have you believe. So go talk to yourself, go study yourself, go find out what really lights you up, what really drives you, what it is that you really want to aim towards. And you know, figure that out and aim at something. Sure. [Speaker 2] (1:18:45 - 1:19:19) Start somewhere, you know, start speaking your truth somewhere and whatever that is. Because there are a lot of people out there that I know, they're like, I don't know, should I say something? Should I post something? Should I say something to my friends? I let my partner really know how I feel. And so you got to start somewhere and deal with it, you know, deal with what comes up. This is part of the process. So yeah. Thank you so much really for making the time. I'm so happy that we, that we connected. And is there anything like you want to share in terms of like, where can people find you? And what are your, what's your social and websites and projects and all that? [Speaker 1] (1:19:20 - 1:19:21) I mean, we'll have it all listed too. [Speaker 2] (1:19:21 - 1:19:22) Yeah. [Speaker 1] (1:19:22 - 1:19:53) You can find me on my website, rubyframon.com. That's a great place to go. As long as my social media is still up and running, you can find me at I am Ruby on all social media platforms. And if you dig my message, you will definitely dig my book. So grab my book today, Potent Leadership. And finally my podcast, Potent Truth, where I do nothing but spit out the potent fucking truth all day, every day. Not every day, once a week, but yeah. [Speaker 3] (1:19:54 - 1:19:56) Fuck yeah. Yeah. Fuck yeah. [Speaker 1] (1:19:57 - 1:20:09) So yeah. Thank you so much for having me. This is definitely, I've been doing a lot of podcast interviews this year because of the book, but this is by far, I'm already going to say it and say this right now. One of my faves. [Speaker 2] (1:20:09 - 1:20:11) Oh, thank you so much. [Speaker 1] (1:20:11 - 1:20:16) Yeah. It's so, so cool. Such great energy in this virtual space. [Speaker 2] (1:20:16 - 1:20:21) Cool. I'm wondering if it's because both our podcasts have truth in the name, maybe that could be why. I'm not sure. [Speaker 1] (1:20:22 - 1:20:25) Maybe because we're all truth seekers and we're not afraid of speaking the truth. [Speaker 2] (1:20:25 - 1:21:23) I don't know. And honestly, that's our focus with this podcast is we want to celebrate people like yourself, people who are truth seekers and freedom fighters and share your story too, you know, your hero's journey story. Cause there's people out there that are, that might be addicted to things right now and think like, fuck, like I can't, I'm not, there's not, there's no hope for me or I'm not going to do. And it's just like, that's part of this process, you know, the Phoenix rising from the ashes where you've gone through certain things in your life. And it's just like, look at who you are. Like, I look at you and you're glowing and what you've created, it's beautiful. And yet the rites of passage, the passages that you mentioned earlier, it's just, I don't know, it's just an inspiration to anyone who's watching that, you know, maybe you haven't found your thing. And it's like, just keep doing the work, look inwards and who knows what will be there. And so we're, I'm just so happy to have met you and thanks for really offering up your time. [Speaker 1] (1:21:23 - 1:21:37) Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you for that. And you know what you just said, no mud, no Lotus, right? We've all got to get through that shit and to find ourselves, it's not an easy task, but it's one that is definitely worthwhile. [Speaker 2] (1:21:38 - 1:22:42) Yeah. And not being ashamed of it too. It's another thing I love, you know, people who openly share their stories of like where they were, cause it's like, no, I have this image on social media and I have to present a certain way. And you're like, nah, fuck, I've been in the mud. You know, I did some fucked up shit in my life. You know, I wasn't always the greatest guy in relationships. You know what I mean? It's just like, how can you have compassion for yourself and stand in your truth and realize we're going through this, like it takes time. You know, it's like the, what is it? The statue of David. You know, I went and I saw that when I was in Florence and it was like, that started off as like this big block and you're just kind of like chipping away and this thing comes out. And so life is part of that. It's a metaphor for life is we come in to this world with conditioning from family, from culture, from society, et cetera. And it's like, what work do we do to decondition, to chip away? So who we are meant to be comes forth and you know, we're on that journey. I think we continue to be on that journey until whatever happens, you know, wherever we go into the next incarnation. [Speaker 1] (1:22:42 - 1:22:43) Yeah, definitely. [Speaker 3] (1:22:44 - 1:23:17) Yeah, man, shame. Shame's a massive block. It could be the biggest block, you know, it really could be, but own yourself and love yourself. And I really think that, you know, at the root of this self, self-love solves most of these issues. And just working through that, yeah, there you go. Ruby, it's such a pleasure to have you here, to have this conversation. We really appreciate it and appreciate your time. Everyone, thank you so much for listening to Hear for the Truth. And we'll see you in a couple of days. Peace. Peace.