Listen Now

BEI VITA Core team members Julian (fitness and wellness coach), Nathan (business expert), and Morgan (mental health lecturer) gather over the 2021 winter holidays to roundtable their thoughts on wellness in 2021. A great ‘fly on the wall’ listen to 3 leaders in their field, brain jamming, sharing, and enjoying quality time together.

@rory.ella.bray and I @julianho.ca chat about nutrition … but more about the psycho-socio-emotional side of nutrition and our relationship with food. We chat about how food impacts the culture of fitness, the negatives of diet culture, and tips for intuitive eating (a modern paradigm that can help with building a healthy relationship with food).

On this episode, @dustinpym and I, @julianho.ca chatted about mental fitness in the @sweatandtonic recording space. This conversation was spawned by a recent newsletter put out by Fitt Insider. It wrote about how mental health is now mainstream, and that in the pursuit of high performance, mastering the mental muscle has become yet another facet of health to optimize. Evidently, the business of mental health and mental fitness are trending focal points for investors, but at the frontline level, how are they being managed, treated, supported, and invested in by professionals/ practitioners for their participants/patients? The numbers showcase a lot, but often times, reports don't provide the whole picture, just like how stats and metrics can't provide us the whole picture of our health and fitness. Listen in on Dustin and Julian's conversation about their frontline work with mental fitness.  

I noticed that my buddy Dustin Pym was on another level this morning, so I decided to hit record. Dustin chats freely about the ‘awareness of mastery’ and then flows into how he uses rap and hip hop music as education for life. Some great little nuggets from two guys just having a great conversation.

In this episode Julian and Dustin chat about the mindset of "Work in Progress" and how it helps them to stay humble, but also to keep on keeping on during tough times. The notion that we are all works in progress balances the extremes of too much ego and not enough ego. By acknowledging that we are works in progress even at the "top", is a way to keep the ego in check, it also reminds us that the work-in-progress mindset is a silver lining when we hit rock bottom, and to be kind to ourselves on the journey of growth and development. 

A quick trailer introduction of what this podcast is all about! 

This episode with @julianho.ca and @dustinpym is an unpacking of stress. They talk about how they cope, manage, mitigate stressful situations when they come, when they're in the stress, and what they do after they subside. Hear about common stressors in class and how Julian and Dustin offer help to their students.  This podcast is about the wellness side of fitness, talking about those unsaid matters that matter more than we know, especially how they impact our performance in class (and beyond). Shout outs go to @sweatandtonic for supporting our efforts which in turn support you the listener!

My pal @dustinpym and I @julianho.ca kickoff season 3 of our @sweatandtonic S&T Show (which is all about the wellness side of fitness), with a conversation about things that bring about discomfort and disconnection. We discuss common issues and not-so-common issues that arise in the mind at a fitness class, and share ideas on how to accept the discomfort and disconnection, as a necessary part of the process.  

A reading of my newsletter article that shares my current integration process from a life changing trip to Costa Rica and back to the life I have in Toronto. To read the article and see the photos, visit www.julianho.ca and subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

2.0 is a people-platform for key-opinion leaders and subject matter experts to share what’s in their head through their hearts. The boutique experience enables an intimate and interactive ambiance. The safe space allows people from all walks of life to be authentic, creative, and original. The tone therefore encourages immersive intra/interpersonal connections. Our presenters voluntarily share their innovations, stories, and struggles as a display of their gratefulness and devotion to creating positive social innovation and impact.  Presentations can range from lecture, facilitation, Q&A, innovation share, show and tell, movement demonstration, group discussion, experiential learning, hands on workshop. This April Mindshare was comprised of 4 presentations: David Powell - Community's Heartbeat Elizabeth Couse - Celebrating Diversity & the strength of Vulnerability Nikhol Rei - The Spirit of Community Jordan Leonard - A Speaker Panel on Showing Up & Cultivating Community with Intention Thank you to our venue host Caribeans Coffee and Chocolate, our friends and staff at La Ruka Hostel, and to El Puente The Bridge, a charity that directly funds initiatives that help indigenous communities in need. 

The Mindshare is a 'boutique Ted Talks', a conscious networking event that I originally designed for the Toronto fitness industry 5 years ago, but it spread to various industries through changemakers within them. What makes it special is the curation/facilitation method, the diversity of talent, and our altruistic spirit (we donate all event proceeds to charity).  We ended up raising enough funds to provide an Indigenous community called the Bri Bri, enough soccer balls ⚽️ and equipment for their brand new youth soccer league!!!! Thanks to @elpuentethebridge for deploying our efforts towards such a fitting and uplifting endeavour 🙏👊⚡️(the sport of soccer has gotten me through so much in life!) This is ‘the work’. Touching lives. Change making. Purpose embodied. Applied social permaculture. Our higher calling. Bringing people together. Bridging the gap. Leading from the heart. Learning for the soul. Sharing stories and ideas. Quality time well spent.

The Mindshare is a 'boutique Ted Talks', a conscious networking event that I originally designed for the Toronto fitness industry 5 years ago, but it spread to various industries through changemakers within them. What makes it special is the curation/facilitation method, the diversity of talent, and our altruistic spirit (we donate all event proceeds to charity). I’ve always dreamed of taking @2.0toronto experiences like the Mindshare, internationally ... with the help of the amazing team at @larukahostel ... the incredibly talented leaders in Puerto Viejo ... and of course divine timing and alignment of the universe, we did just that. The success of the Mindshare represents much more than I can explain with words. This one was truly a gamechanger in my life. You know that feeling when you do something that feels so right on so many levels, when so many other things are unknown and uncertain ... I guess that’s how I’d explain it. With so much love, kindness, compassion, and flow, let us continue to 1. Show up, 2. follow up, and 3. fill up (your cup). May the force be with us all. Huge thanks goes out to the speakers: @danniedakini Derek Quiros @inesitazuriaga @thealphadad @elizabethcouse_ @dexlew Andre Nova Rozanne Dioso-Lopez @thekonductor Our supporters: @larukahostel @eatfruitfully @juju_juicyjungle

This track is pure motivation. Words of encouragement. Wisdom for breaking through.

THE PANELIST PRESENTATION YOU NEVER SAW OR HEARD This event was one of the most humbling, confusing, embarrassing, yet enlightening of my life. It was an invitation to speak at Canfitpro’s International Conference in 2018. I gathered my most talented friends from the 2.0 community to speak with me as a panelist on Industry Innovation with a sub theme of time and space. I brought together these local leading experts in technology, life science, entertainment, education, and entrepreneurship to speak their minds. It doubled as a demonstration as much as it was a presentation, showcasing the need to cross-pollinate with other industries in order to grow beyond our inner circle of fitness. Unfortunately, the scheduling and promotion gods were not on our side that day. We had a very disappointing turnout of 5, less than the number of presenters. It hurt. But it was eye-opening at the same time. My peers also felt what I felt. The let down. The waste of time. The false promise. But miraculously, our bond, and their trust in me and this thing we called ‘2.0’ helped us get through it, together. It truly felt like we were all willing to go down on a sinking ship together. And that was what kept us going. Some would argue this was just an awesome hangout session of incredible humans doing what they love without the need for external validation. But I believe this gem was meant for another medium for another time perhaps in a different dimension. Hope you take the time to listen to this incredible podcast. Thanks to Cecily Milne, William Greenblatt, Nsuani Baffoe, Paluna Santamaria, Tyler Sammy, and Lauren Howe.

Cary Chittley @caryphysio and I discuss all things self care, restoration, and injury prevention. We definitely go next level on certain topics but we keep to our discussion theme quite spot on. Many gems to be had in this episode, so be sure to listen all the way to the end. Visit www.caryphysio.ca for more details on how to get treated by the best in the business.

Nicole Divell @womanofthesoul and I discuss all things mind-body-soul connection. This episode has a continuous flow of golden nugget takeaways that come from personal experiences, expertise, and evidence-based research. We reviewed our month of collaborative work and the mindset coaching theories/strategies we deployed to our students during our RUN LAB workouts at Riverdale Park, in downtown Toronto.

Song created April 2020. Inspired to create this piece by this video by Mark from pianobreaks.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAUcTepSJww&t=3s

Guided Meditation engineered by Toronto Sound

Randi-Mae is a Mindfulness and Self-Care Instructor, Counselor, Author, Workplace Wellness Consultant & motivational public speaker. Randi-Mae Stanford-Leibold is an author, mindfulness facilitator and a professional speaker. She focuses on wellness in the workplace, compassion, self-care and personal development. Questions: 1. Why the head? Tell us about your background in mindfulness, meditation, neuroscience, and mental health.   2. What has your heart? Tell us about your passions, hobbies, lifestyle & leisure activities. 3. What do you have your hands in right now? Tell us about your current projects and initiatives. 4. What soothes your soul? Tell us about your routines, rituals, habits that keep you high functioning for your family, friends, clients. 5. How has your spirit kept on with COVID 19, Black Lives Matter, and all the uncertainty of 2020. Podcast Highlights: - Her attempted suicide aided brought her to Mindfulness practice. - Her lost of a supervisor to suicide sparked work on grief in the workplace. - Self-experience AND Self-education are keys to counseling, teaching, coaching, and being a leader - Taichi practice became a go-to - Accelerator program outfitted her with the tools/skills/business acumen to grow beyond her capabilities - "​Entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey "​ - Your foundation is created by life building you up and breaking you down - When you want to know if something is right, you have to feel it - ask yourself  "did I get goosebumps yet?" - "Goosebumps is life saying yes". Goosebumps is the antenna to our union with life and the universe, perhaps our cosmic intuition. - Having a counsellor allows you the time and space to dedicate truly and purely to self reflection and change - (As leaders) we have the tools, but we too need a sounding board and mirrors, it allows us to remember that we are humans that need support", "we lead but need to be led, we too need to be held." - What this world needs is collective action to lift each other up, lift our collective consciousness, engage, check in, trusting and embracing in the now." - When troubled on unsure, remind yourself of the long lineage and ancestry that has also gone through their fair share of trials and tribulations. Resources: Wellnest - Psychotherapy UofT Race & Healing Program with Aina-Nia Ayo’dele Grant, Allison Hill, Yami Msosa, and Randi-Mae Stanford-Leibold Mindwell U - Corporate Mindfulness, Meditation & Mental Health Training