Nov 30, 2023
There was
quite a reaction to our last session with Dr Gregory Smith, the guy
who faced extraordinary trauma, turned his back on society, walked
into a forest and stayed there for 10 years. Over the four seasons
of The Mojo Sessions, there have been some definite themes appear.
The guys at Doublestar, the production team behind The Mojo
Sessions, suggested we do a Megamix of five trauma-related
conversations back to back as a holiday superset. It's a long-form
episode containing five conversations in all.
We start with
Iris Gardner, the wife of former Navy Seal Commander-in-Chief,
Jason Gardner. Iris had a brutal upbringing, living in a house with
a sexual predator who was a friend of the family. Iris is brave,
humble, and out to share her story so that we can benefit from her
learnings. Starts:
00:07:50
Then we meet Preethaji, who runs the O &
O Academy in India. Preethaji has such a simplistic way of
demonstrating how many of us, through our thoughts and actions,
live in a world of suffering. This conversation shows how we go
from a suffering state into a beautiful state. I've interviewed
Preethaji a few times, and I find her approach to life and her
philosophy a huge advantage. Starts 01:49:15
Sarah Woodhouse is a research
psychologist who specialises in trauma. We talk about trauma and
traumatic experiences. What Dr Sarah wrote about in her book
"You're Not Broken" is that many people who are suffering from
trauma or a traumatic experience say that they feel broken. Sarah
is fantastic. This conversation sets up how we can reframe trauma
and traumatic experiences. Starts 03:01:00
I first heard Dr Bruce Perry in a conversation with Oprah on
'Oprah Soul Sessions'. At that time, Oprah said that her
conversation with Bruce Perry was one of the most important she had
ever had. Oprah realised that rather than exploring what was 'wrong
with her', the better question was 'what happened to her?'. Anyone
who knows me or has heard me speak in the last number of years will
know that I think Dr Bruce Perry's book (written with Oprah)
entitled "What Happened To You", is a most valuable resource, as
what happened to you quite often is anchored down in a backstory.
Starts - 04:15:07
The lovely Yemi Penn spoke to us about rewriting our story.
Your past does not equal your future. By embracing and
acknowledging your past and rewriting that narrative, we can change
it to how it can benefit today. Yemi is the author of the book "Did
You Get The Memo", which is about changing that backstory. Starts
05:27:37
Listen to all five Megamixes back to back or break them up on
several days as you go to and from the office or away on a road
trip. These five conversations form the first in a Megamix series
that will centre on one particular topic each time, which, for this
Megamix, is trauma.
One thing that occurred to me when we were putting this
together was that when you know somebody who is struggling, perhaps
experiencing a challenging time of their life, or facing trauma or
a dramatic experience, I think this Megamix is gold—five opinion
leaders who each have an amazing story, philosophies and content to
share. If you know somebody and think they can benefit, shoot them
the link to this Megamix on trauma.
THE ORIGINAL SESSION INFO
EP 109: Iris
Gardner - Building The Strength To Emerge From The Darkness
Iris Gardner spent her childhood off the grid, an ideal life
in the woods for a kid, totally off-grid, heading out on horseback,
confronting mountain lions, reading books, growing and hunting
their food, until the day a sexual predator moved into the house.
This family friend would throw the life of a young 5-year-old child
into unspeakable darkness. Hear a remarkable story from a truly
remarkable lady who has emerged from that darkness with a message
that will change how we view life and the lives of our
children.
EP 110: Preethaji - Creating A Life of Purpose, Free From
Suffering
Preethaji, one of the world’s leading female philosophers,
founded O&O Academy, a philosophy and meditation school, with
her husband Krishnaji. She believes that you can live, as many do,
a mediocre life with a contrived purpose, but a great life, career
or relationship can only happen with an authentic purpose.
Preethaji works with corporate leaders to discover purpose,
connection and how to live in a beautiful state. Preethaji leads us
to a whole new way of discovering love, passion, and
creativity.
Ep 223: Dr Sarah Woodhouse - The Disempowering Enemy
Within
Dr Sarah Woodhouse is a Research Psychologist specialising in
trauma, helping people face this world and their past. Her book
'You're Not Broken', teaches us what trauma is (it's
probably not what you think), how to recognise it, why it's there
and how your past is likely holding you back. Sarah explains the
pitfalls of ignoring awkward, upsetting episodes and how true
freedom comes from looking back at your past with honesty. Using
the latest research-based techniques, her own experience, and her
twelve years of trauma research, Dr Sarah Woodhouse speaks with
authority on this critical topic.
Ep 226: Dr Bruce Perry - Heal Your Mental and Emotional Wounds
and Move Forward
Professor of Psychiatry at Northwestern University School of
Medicine, Chicago, Dr. Bruce Perry's new book 'What Happened to
You?' was written with Oprah. 'What Happened to You?'
is a book that helps heal our mental and emotional wounds, wounds
that many carry for decades and never give a thought to. Through
groundbreaking scientific & emotional insights on behavioural
patterns and actual brain science, Dr Perry explores how we can
shift our approach to personal trauma by asking what happened to
us. Oprah believes her first conversation with Dr Perry was
one of the most important and impactful of her career.
Ep 323: Yemi Penn - Rewrite Your Story
Documentary producer Yemi Penn believes we should create our
own memo. Author of 'Did You Get The Memo?', Yemi, born in
Nigeria, has endured her fair share of trauma for herself and her
family, including childhood abuse and homelessness. Yet, today Yemi
is a self-made millionaire, owning multiple businesses across
multiple countries. Yemi shares mindset adjustments to rip up our
old backstory and create the new life we want, daring us to create
a new narrative for our life and ultimately write our memo.