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In this episode I explore the deeper nature of relationship and the patterns that can quietly erode connection over time. We are always in relationship, all the time - with others, with ourselves, and with life itself, and the quality of our relationships is deeply connected to the relationship we have within ourselves. Relationship can act as a mirror, reflecting back aspects of ourselves we may not otherwise see, and in intimate relationships, this reflection becomes even clearer,  sometimes revealing patterns, expectations, and unconscious behaviours that can create tension and disconnection. In this episode, I share one of the most practical and transformative insights in relationship work - the four behaviours identified by John Gottman that can damage connection if left unexamined. These are - Criticism Defensiveness Contempt and Stonewalling Through reflection and real-life insight, I explore how these patterns show up, why they arise, and how awareness of them can begin to transform the way we relate. Because ultimately, the most powerful shift we can make in any relationship is not trying to change the other person,  but becoming aware of what we bring into the space between us.

In this, I explore what it really means to find balance in our lives. We often think of balance as something external - how we divide our time between work, family, rest, and the things we enjoy, and while this has its place, many people still feel stressed, overwhelmed, or disconnected, even when their lives appear balanced on the surface. So what is missing? This episode looks at the deeper truth that real balance is not created through time management, but through inner balance. Through reflection and personal experience, I explore: Why external balance doesn’t always lead to inner easeHow stress often arises from disconnection from the present momentThe impact of pressure, comparison, and expectationThe importance of being fully present in whatever we are doingHow life’s challenges can become a practice of returning to awarenessWhy communication and honesty support inner balanceEven in full, busy lives, with work, relationships, responsibilities, and peronal goals it is possible to remain connected to ourselves. Balance is not about doing less or perfectly organising our time. It is about how we are within the life we are already living.

In this episode I explore what it means to move forward in life without losing ourselves. Modern life is often full, with our work, relationships, family, responsibilities, not to mention our goals!  It’s easy to become caught up in everything that needs to be done and slowly drift away from a deeper connection to ourselves. And yet, alongside everything we do, there is always an awareness present,  quietly witnessing our thoughts, actions, and experiences. This podcast explores that being still and conscious, is not to step away from life, but to remain connected to that awareness within it. This episode is a reflection on: Staying connected to presence in everyday lifeThe difference between awareness and reactivityHow stress often arises from fear and lack of presenceThe impact of comparison and external expectationsReturning to self-acceptance, compassion, and inner easeLiving from presence rather than conditioningOften, it is in the most challenging moments that we come to know ourselves more deeply. And it is also in these moments that we are most likely to lose ourselves in stress, fear, or exhaustion. By always returning to awareness, again and again, we begin to move through life in a different way. We can still have goals. Still move forward. Still engage fully with the world. But without losing ourselves in the process.

In this episode, I explore the creative nature of each moment and the space that exists between what happens to us and how we respond. So much of our lives is shaped through conversation – not only with others, but within ourselves. Each interaction is like a thread, weaving the tapestry of our experience, aqqqqqnd yet, often we find ourselves repeating the same patterns, the same words, and the same reactions. In any given moment, there are countless possibilities available to us. Different ways we could speak, act, or respond. Each one subtly shaping the direction of our lives. So why do we tend to stay in familiar loops? Often it is because we are not fully present. We act from conditioning, from learned patterns, from the past replaying itself in the present moment. But there is a space. A space between stimulus and response. And in that space lies the potential for something new. This episode is a reflection on: • The creative nature of every moment • How unconscious patterns shape our lives • The idea of “3000 possibilities” in each moment • The gap between stimulus and response • How awareness allows us to pause and choose differently When we begin to notice our habitual reactions and gently create space before responding, we open the door to change. Because when we react, we re-enact the past. But when we pause, we create the future.

In this episode, I explore what it really means to trust, and why the search for trust outside ourselves can never fully resolve the deeper longing within. We often look for trust in other people: in partners, teachers, therapists, friends, or those we see as authorities.  We hope that if someone is reliable enough, consistent enough, or “trustworthy” enough, we will finally feel safe. But even when we choose someone as an authority, it is still our choice. And at the deepest level, everything comes back to us, to our perception, our expectations, and the meaning we give to our experiences. Perhaps the question is not whether we can trust others, but whether we can trust ourselves. Human beings are shaped by their conditioning, their experiences, their beliefs, and their patterns.  When we begin to see this clearly, something shifts within. and Instead of expecting others to behave in certain ways, we begin to recognise that we can trust people to act according to their nature - whether that is predictable or unpredictable!. From there, trust takes on a different quality. It becomes less about controlling outcomes and more about trusting our capacity to meet whatever arises.Trust as an inner state rooted in awareness and presence. Through personal reflection, including experiences of loss, disappointment, and growth, this episode leads us inward, toward a deeper kind of trust, one that is not dependent on certainty, predictability, or other people behaving in particular ways.

In this episode of Bodhisattva Conversations, I explore a powerful and sometimes uncomfortable idea that there is no-one to blame! Blame looks outward and backward, focusing on who or what caused our current situation, whereas responsibility always looks inward and forward.  It asks how we meet our lives now. Blaming others, whether our parents, partners, colleagues, or past circumstances, can feel justified.  And of course, our experiences have shaped us... Our childhood, relationships, and life events all influence who we become. But when we continue to blame, we subtly give our power away. As long as someone else is responsible for how we feel or how our life unfolds, our freedom depends on them changing. Excuses can also be surprisingly subtle. They often sound like quiet identity statements: “It’s just how I am.” “I would, but I’m not ready.” “When things settle down.” “They always do this to me.” These narratives can keep us tied to our wounds and patterns. Ironically, excuses can sometimes feel safer than freedom. Taking full responsibility does not mean blaming ourselves. It means recognising that we are no longer unconscious or unaware. We have the capacity to observe our reactions, our patterns, and our choices. One of the key practices is learning to stay with discomfort instead of immediately projecting blame outward. In those moments, we can begin to see what our reactions are protecting and where we are still holding onto old identities. When we stop blaming, we reclaim the power to live differently.

In this episode of Bodhisattva Conversations, I explore the subtle but powerful difference between being in joy and enjoying something. Enjoyment is often connected to outer experiences - a beautiful day, a delicious meal, a moment of success, time with people we love. These moments are wonderful, but they are naturally temporary. Joy, however, is something different. Joy is not dependent on circumstances. It is a deeper inner state of ease that arises when we are no longer in conflict with ourselves or the present moment. Much of the inner work we do is a process of recognising where we have become identified with our reactions,  where we believe that something outside of us has made us feel a certain way. Yet often what the outer world actually does is reveal where there is unrest within us. When we become aware of this, something shifts. Instead of chasing experiences that temporarily help us feel better, we begin to cultivate stillness and awareness within ourselves. From that place, we can experience joy even when we are not necessarily enjoying what is happening in the moment. A rainy day, a difficult conversation, a challenging life situation - these may not be enjoyable, but they do not have to take us out of inner ease. This episode is a reflection on how to stop searching for joy outside ourselves, and instead recognise the stillness within that has always been there.

In this episode of Bodhisattva Conversations, I explore the nature of relationship, and what occurs in “the space between” us and the other. There is always a space between two people.  An invisible field made up of tone, attention, intention, nervous system energy, and unspoken emotion, and whether we are relating to a partner, a friend, a colleague, a child, or a stranger, we are always contributing something to that space. We are the common denominator in all of our relationships. This episode seeks to shift the focus from asking whether others are “the one,” “a good friend,” or “meeting our needs,” toward a more empowering question: What am I placing into the space between us? Am I bringing reactivity or reflection? Defensiveness or curiosity? Ease or tension? Blame or ownership? Relationship is a mirror. Intimacy is a magnifying glass. The closer someone is to us, the more clearly we see ourselves! We can observe our patterns, our wounds, our capacity to love. Recorded on the eve of my 12th wedding anniversary, this episode is also a reflection on shared intention to relate consciously in long-term partnership, and the appreciation that arises when two people both care about what they are contributing to the relational field. This is not about perfection. It is about awareness and about taking responsibility for our side of what we put into the space. An exploration of how we create harmony or conflict, safety or unease, healing or hurt - moment by moment - in the space between.

In this episode of The Practice of Being, I’m joined by writer and spiritual mentor Sashi Radley, for a conversation that weaves together creativity, presence, love, loss, and the mystery of life itself. Sashi shares how writing is not simply a craft for her, but a profound space of being. It is a place where the mind stills, time expands, and something deeper moves through her.  We explore her latest novel, Secret and Re Birth, Book 2 in The Ancient Power series. The book is a captivating time-slip adventure spanning present-day Britain and ancient Britannia, where supernatural powers, betrayal, and retribution shape destiny. The novel stands alone while continuing the journey that began in Secret and Ritual. Beyond fiction, Sashi is also the author of the much-loved non-fiction book Unleash Your Inner Psychic, and she works as a soul and face reader, spiritual development mentor.  Sashi is also a 'Mindful Artist' - and through art, writing, and spiritual practice, she describes how creating becomes a doorway into stillness, a way of letting the day dissolve onto the canvas or page. Our conversation moves through themes of love, life, and death, and how we can remain present in the midst of joy and triumph as well as sadness and loss.  At its heart, this episode is an exploration of how creativity and spiritual awareness can anchor us in being, even as life continues to unfold in all its complexity.

In this solo episode of Bodhisattva Conversations, I explore the practice of being with uncertainty,  and the truth that the only thing we are ever certain of is that nothing is certain! As human beings, we go to great lengths to construct safety. We build structures around money, work, relationships, identity, and even our spiritual beliefs. We tell ourselves that if we arrange life carefully enough, we will be protected from change. But everything changes. This episode is not about abandoning stability or rejecting the practical foundations of life, shelter, food, work, security.  They support our human survival!  Instead, this podcast questions where stability becomes identity, and where safety becomes attachment. What if uncertainty is not something to conquer, but something to live with? What if the fleeting nature of life is what makes it precious? When we truly accept that people will not stay forever, that circumstances will shift, that outcomes are not guaranteed, something relaxes.  We begin to appreciate more. We say thank you more often. We listen more closely. We treasure the ordinary moments that are, in truth, extraordinary. The deepest safety may not be found in controlling life, but in learning to remain present within it.

Most of our suffering is not caused by life itself, but by the restless mind reacting to life. In this episode, I explore what it truly means to still the mind not by suppressing it, but by gently training it so that we are the master of our mind! There is a saying that it makes a wonderful servant and a terrible master! We look at: Why the mind becomes addictive, doubtful, critical or negativeThe subtle ways we seek relief from discomfortHow inner restlessness fuels reactivityThe difference between forcing silence and allowing stillnessAnd why freedom is not found in perfection, but in non-entanglementDrawing on contemplative wisdom and lived experience, this episode reminds us to 'press pause', and to discover the clarity that emerges when the mind no longer needs to escape. Stillness is not emptiness. It is fullness.

Not Getting Stuck in Pain | Healing Trauma & Living More Fully Pain is an inevitable part of being human, but suffering arises when pain isn’t met, processed, or allowed to move. In this episode of Bodhisattva Conversations, I explore how trauma and unprocessed pain can keep us stuck in survival patterns, and how healing becomes possible through awareness, presence, and compassionate self-listening. Rather than bypassing pain or rushing “healing,” this conversation gently examines: The many forms trauma can take - past and presentHow unhealed pain shows up as patterns in our livesThe way the body holds what the mind cannotThe non-linear stages of healing and integrationWhat truly supports transformation and inner freedomThis episode investigates how to move from survival into living - from contraction into choice, and to remember that healing does not mean erasing the past, but no longer being ruled by it. This reflection is for anyone on a path of self-healing, inner work, and presence.

In this episode of The Practice of Being, I reflect on death, not as something to fear, but as one of life’s greatest teachers. From early childhood moments to spiritual traditions, lived experience, and sitting with people at the end of their lives, this episode explores how learning to die allows us to live more fully, consciously, and lovingly. We look at why the fear of death arises, how identification with the body and mind creates suffering, and how practices such as presence, meditation, and self-inquiry help us remember who we truly are. When we begin to clear attachment to the created self - our stories, identities, and conditioning -  something profound is revealed: what we truly are was never born and can never die. This is an invitation to meet death gently, to soften into life, and to live from a deeper knowing that there is no ending,  only a change of experience.

In this episode, I explore what it really means to raise our vibration, not through forcing positivity, but through awareness, clearing, and presence. We are energetic beings, and our thoughts, emotions, and lived experiences all shape our vibration.  Many of the feelings that lower our energy, arise from early experiences and repeated psychological loops that play out again and again in our lives. In this episode, I share how becoming aware of these patterns, and learning to pause, breathe, and meet what we’re feeling, allows energy to move and our vibration to naturally rise. We explore: What vibration is and how we sense it in ourselves and othersThe link between thoughts, feelings, and childhood conditioningClearing emotional loops rather than bypassing themEveryday practices that support a higher vibrationNervous system regulation and the role of the bodyIdentity, responsibility, and remembering our true natureRaising our vibration is not about becoming someone else, it’s about coming back to who we truly are.

In this episode of The Practice of Being, I explore the practice of non-resistance -what it is, what it isn’t, and how it can transform the way we meet life. Non-resistance does not mean passivity or giving up. It doesn’t mean we stop stretching, growing, or acting. Instead, it simply suggests that we meet life as it is, without forcing, imposing, or resisting our experience. Drawing on lived experience, Taoist wisdom such as wu wei, and simple embodied metaphors, this episode explores how resistance can be part of our flow, how acceptance creates real transformation, and how stillness can exist even within action. I look at: What non-resistance really meansHow embracing resistance can lead to growthPresence, breath, and releasing tension in the bodyLetting life move through us rather than pushing against itIdentity, conditioning, and remembering who we truly areWhy acceptance and love sit at the heart of everythingI explore and embrace our human experience and suggest that we remember that even in challenge or sorrow, there is a deeper place within us that knows all is well.