Be Mythical

This week’s show is with Mark Walsh. Mark has spent the last 20 years helping people get out of their heads and into their bodies—sometimes gracefully, sometimes not. He’s the author of The Body in Coaching and Training and Embodied Meditation, and hosts The Embodiment Podcast, which has over 3 million downloads. He also ran The Embodiment Conference, ambitiously featuring 1,000 teachers and half a million attendees, which happened to be the world’s largest Zoom event.

As the founder of Embodiment Unlimited, Mark has trained over 2,000 embodiment coaches across 40+ countries (some of which still let him back in). His latest project, Feral Philosophy, is a deeper, more unfiltered look at embodiment, free from the usual wellness clichés.

His work has taken him from an alcoholic to a psychology graduate; from war zones to boardrooms; from teaching yogis and coaches to working with police and military personnel. He also co-founded Sane Ukraine, now run by Ukrainian professionals to provide trauma and embodiment training for therapists, trainers, and coaches.

With a background in psychology, aikido (black belt), and various movement practices—including yoga, meditation, dance, bodywork, and improv comedy—Mark blends deep expertise with a refreshingly direct, down-to-earth style. He’s worked with companies like Google, Unilever, and Shell, though he’s much happier when he’s not wearing a suit.

He swears more than most coaches, dances worse than he thinks, and isn’t a fan of fluffy self-help talk—but he is passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves in a real, practical way.

In this potent and timely conversation, Lian journeys with Mark into the heart of the crisis facing young men today. Together, they explore the four profound disconnections at the root of modern suffering - body, social, ecological, and spiritual - and how restoring these essential connections can guide young men from isolation to purposeful living.

Reflecting on Mark’s own transformative journey from troubled youth to mentor, they discuss the critical role of strength and embodiment in building resilience, character, and spiritual depth. Mark shares how genuine community and meaningful rites of passage can fill the void left by our culture’s forgotten initiations, nurturing the very soul of young men.

Drawing from mythological truths, ancient principles, and real-life experiences, Lian and Mark highlight how reconnecting with nature and spirit can profoundly heal both individual lives and wider cultural decay. They illuminate practical pathways for guiding young men back to themselves, toward greater meaning, joy, and wholeness.

Ultimately this conversion shines a light on how we might help young men return to themselves, reclaim their inherent value beyond societal expectations in our fractured modern world.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Physical strength is not merely a superficial pursuit; it is a foundational virtue that creates resilience, self-awareness, and deeper character in young men, providing a doorway to emotional and spiritual growth.

  • In a culture that has largely lost authentic initiation rituals, young men face isolation and confusion - yet re-establishing community, connection to nature, and meaningful mentorship can profoundly alter their trajectory.

  • The modern meaning crisis arises from deep disconnection - body, social, ecological, and spiritual. To heal this, each of us must consciously reconnect, embracing practices that nurture the soul, restoring a sense of genuine meaning and purpose.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

 

Be Mythical

Join our mailing list for soul stirring goodness: https://www.bemythical.com/moonly

Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth: https://www.bemythical.com/unio

Go Deeper: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper

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Thank you for listening!

There's a fresh episode released each week here and on most podcast platforms - and video too on YouTube. If you subscribe then you'll get each new episode delivered to your device every week automagically. (that way you'll never miss a show).

Direct download: podcast_496_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:03am EST

This week’s show is a special one in which Be Mythical Soul Guide Sara J. Sanderson interviewed Lian about all things living a sacred life, inspired by our current UNIO quest: The Sacred Life Quest.

In this thought-provoking episode, Lian and Sara explore the profound connection between magic and practicality, diving into how we can bring sacredness to the most mundane aspects of our daily lives.

Sara’s questions guide Lian into reflections about how we often compartmentalise our lives, seeking life hacks for efficiency and solving problems, yet forgetting the inherent magic that resides in those very moments. They discuss how the act of seeking ‘quick fixes’ might sometimes lead us away from the soul-nourishing practices that offer deeper, more lasting fulfillment.

Lian and Sara touch on the essential concept of sovereignty - how we can embrace the power of choice in the midst of daily life and take responsibility for our projections, which shape how we perceive our reality. They also explore how consciously creating rituals can be a bridge between the practical and the mystical, offering tools to navigate the balance between work, family, self-care, and spiritual growth.

Ultimately, the episode serves as a reminder that life doesn’t have to be a dichotomy of the practical and the magical - it can be a union. Lian and Sara invite listeners to reflect on how they might approach their own lives with more intention, sovereignty, and reverence, transforming everyday actions into sacred rituals that honour both the spiritual and practical aspects of existence.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • The search for quick solutions can sometimes distance us from what truly nourishes our soul. This conversation invites us to question whether the practical hacks we rely on are truly fulfilling and soul-aligned or merely temporary fixes.

  • We can infuse even the most mundane tasks with magic and intention, turning them into meaningful rituals that connect us with something larger than ourselves.

  • Recognising and taking responsibility for our projections is essential for reclaiming our sovereignty, ultimately leading us to a life that feels more authentic, nourishing, and aligned with our deeper purpose.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

Be Mythical

Join our mailing list for soul stirring goodness: https://www.bemythical.com/moonly

Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth: https://www.bemythical.com/unio

Go Deeper: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper

Follow us:

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Thank you for listening!

There's a fresh episode released each week here and on most podcast platforms - and video too on YouTube. If you subscribe then you'll get each new episode delivered to your device every week automagically. (that way you'll never miss a show).

Direct download: podcast_495_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:17pm EST

This week’s show is with Caitlín Matthews. Caitlín is an internationally renowned author, a teacher of shamanic training programme, a facilitator of Systemic Ritual® and the co-founder of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies (FÍOS).

Caitlín is the author of over 80 books, including Diary of a Soul Doctor, Singing the Soul Back Home, the Art of Celtic Seership, Celtic Devotional and The Celtic Book of the Dead. Her books have won a number of awards. She is known internationally for her work on the spiritual, mythic and ancestral traditions of Britain and Ireland. She teaches and works with communities and spiritual institutions worldwide from Iceland to Portugal and from USA to Australia.

Caitlín is a co-founder of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies (FÍOS), which is dedicated to the sacred arts that shape the landscape of the soul, via vision, dream and memory. FÍOS hosts masterclasses with exemplars of living, oracular sacred traditions that are rarely recorded in writing or given an honourable place in modern society. Caitlín has had a shamanic healing practice in Oxford for the last 30 years, working in the community to deepen connections to the ancestral traditions which are our heritage.

In this conversation, Lian and Caitlín journey into the systemic context of shamanism - understanding how deeply interconnected we are, not only to each other but to our ancestors and the broader web of life. Together, they explore how our personal stories intertwine with ancestral narratives, shaping who we are in profound and often unseen ways.

Lian and Caitlín reflect on how rituals, myths, and collective stories hold powerful keys to healing, transformation, and understanding. They journey through ancient mysteries and modern examples - from the Tarantella rituals of Southern Italy to the haunting power of ancestral stories triggered in unexpected moments.

Drawing on the metaphor of the spider’s web, they illuminate the delicate balance of our interconnectedness. These threads reveal how epigenetics and cultural perspectives deeply influence our experiences of illness, healing, and personal crisis.

This episode invites listeners to reconnect with the hidden threads of their own lives, transforming unconscious ancestral burdens into sources of wisdom, insight, and strength.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Healing isn't solely individual; it requires recognition of our systemic context, including familial and ancestral influences, to uncover deeper truths and lasting transformation.

  • Myths and stories are not merely tales; they can either awaken healing narratives or stir unresolved ancestral wounds, influencing our lives profoundly.

  • Cultivating daily awareness of our interconnectedness helps us navigate life's complexities with greater sensitivity, understanding, and alignment.

Resources and stuff that we spoke about:

Be Mythical

Join our mailing list for soul stirring goodness: https://www.bemythical.com/moonly

Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth: https://www.bemythical.com/unio

Go Deeper: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper

Follow us:

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Thank you for listening!

There's a fresh episode released each week here and on most podcast platforms - and video too on YouTube. If you subscribe then you'll get each new episode delivered to your device every week automagically. (that way you'll never miss a show).

Direct download: Podcast_494_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:53am EST

This week’s show is with Arthur Haines. Arthur is a Maine hunting, fishing, and recreation guide, forager, ancestral skills mentor, author, public speaker, and botanical researcher.  He grew up in the western mountains of Maine, a rural area that was home to swift streams known for their trout fishing. He spent most of his childhood in the Sandy River Valley hiking, tracking, and foraging.

Arthur now runs the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, Maine, where he teaches human ecology, focusing on the values of foraging, wildcrafting medicine, and primitive living skills.  He continues to spend a great deal of his free time practicing his skills as a modern hunter-gatherer.  

In 2017, he authored “A New Path”, a comprehensive work on nature connection and rewilding, detailing how to incorporate ancestral practices into modern living. 

As a research botanist for the Native Plant Trust, he completed an inclusive flora of the New England region titled “Flora Novae Angliae” and has authored over twenty publications in peer-reviewed journals and books, including naming species of plants new to science.  His series of YouTube videos has inspired thousands of people interested in foraging wild edible and medicinal plants.

In this show, Lian and Arthur explore the foundational principles of masculinity - strength, bravery, mastery, and honour - not as outdated relics, but as essential qualities for men navigating modern life. Arthur brings a rare, embodied perspective to this discussion, having lived as a hunter, forager, and practitioner of ancestral skills. His insights are not theoretical - they are drawn from direct experience of what it means to provide, protect, and live in alignment with primal masculine virtues.

This isn’t just about men. If a woman desires a man who embodies these virtues, her role in allowing and encouraging them is crucial. Arthur and Lian discuss how trust, receptivity, and honouring polarity create space for masculinity to thrive, while competition and control can diminish it. They explore the challenges modern culture presents and the ways women can either stifle or inspire the best in men.

Together, they unpack why masculinity and femininity are complementary forces, not opposing ones. From the importance of honour to the role of provision and protection, this episode offers a rich exploration of how men and women can create stronger, more aligned relationships, families and communities.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Masculine virtues are amoral - honour defines their application. Strength, bravery, mastery, and honour are essential masculine traits, but without an honour code, they can be misused. True masculinity is about how these virtues are wielded for the good of family, community, and the land.

  • Women shape the masculine through trust and receptivity. If a woman wants a man who embodies these virtues, she must create space for them. Trust is essential - without it, masculinity cannot emerge. Relinquishing unnecessary control allows men to provide, protect, and lead, while women refine and steer the vision.

  • The primal masculine thrives in purpose and action. Arthur’s experience as a hunter and provider highlights how men are wired for challenge, risk, and responsibility. These qualities are not obsolete but deeply ingrained, and when honoured, they allow men to show up fully in relationships, family, and community.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

Be Mythical

Join our mailing list for soul stirring goodness: https://www.bemythical.com/moonly

Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth: https://www.bemythical.com/unio

Go Deeper: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper

Follow us:

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Thank you for listening!

There's a fresh episode released each week here and on most podcast platforms - and video too on YouTube. If you subscribe then you'll get each new episode delivered to your device every week automagically. (that way you'll never miss a show).

Direct download: podcast_493_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:22am EST

This week’s show is with Richard Nikoley. Richard was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, the son of a German immigrant. He attended a private, church-run high school before moving on to Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga for his first year of college. He later transferred to Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, along with minors in mathematics/computer science and naval science. During his time at OSU, he was a member of the NROTC unit and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the U.S. Navy upon graduation.

Richard’s naval career began with eight months of training in San Diego, California, followed by a deployment to Yokosuka, Japan. There, he served on the USS REEVES (CG-24) from 1984 to 1987 in various roles, including Assistant Missiles Officer, First Lieutenant, and Electrical Officer. He then joined the U.S. SEVENTH FLEET aboard the USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19) from 1988 to 1989, managing a substantial fuel budget as Assistant Fleet Scheduling Officer and Assistant Logistics Officer.

After five years in Japan, Richard moved to Monterey, California, to study French at the Defense Language Institute. This led to an exchange officer position with the French Navy from 1989 to 1992, where he served as Navigator on the FNS COLBERT (C 611) and FNS DUQUESNE (D 603). He left the Navy in 1992 and returned to the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1993, Richard founded a company that grew significantly over a 20-year period. Although he was married for much of that time, since 2019, he and his former spouse have maintained a friendly relationship while pursuing separate lifestyles.

Since January 2020, Richard has been living in Thailand as an unintended expat. Initially planning to be digital and nomadic, he decided to settle more permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, he built a house in a rural province and wrote extensively about COVID-19, masks, lockdowns, and global drug trials - earning recognition for his insights.

Currently, Richard manages multiple income streams while engaging in various creative pursuits. He writes, makes videos, takes long walks, swims and snorkels in the tropical ocean, rides a motorcycle without a helmet, and enjoys cooking and eating exquisite food. A self-proclaimed gym junkie and honorary "Bro," Richard is known for his clever and well-crafted writing.

In this show, Richard and Lian explore the intersections of artificial intelligence, truth, and human evolution. They discuss Julian Jaynes’ theory of the bicameral mind, the rapid development of AI, and the deeper question of what it means to be conscious.

Richard shares how his skepticism about AI turned into curiosity. He describes AI as a logic machine - highly intelligent but without awareness or intrinsic values. They examine whether AI’s ability to process vast amounts of information makes it an unlikely yet powerful force for truth.

Together, they reflect on AI’s role in democratising knowledge and the philosophical implications of intelligence without consciousness. Could AI push humanity toward greater awareness, or does it merely highlight our limitations? As technology continues to evolve, this episode challenges listeners to consider: what does it mean to be truly intelligent, and what does it take to be conscious?

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • AI operates as a logic machine, not a conscious entity. While AI can simulate human intelligence, it lacks self-awareness, emotions, and personal values. However, its ability to analyze information might make it one of the most effective truth-seeking tools we’ve ever created.

  • Intelligence and consciousness do not always go hand in hand. Drawing from Julian Jaynes' theory, Richard and Lian discuss how past civilisations perhaps functioned without the kind of self-awareness we assume is universal. AI, like early humans, can operate with intelligence but without a conscious inner world.

  • AI could redefine human potential rather than replace it. As AI automates tasks and challenges traditional roles, it may not eliminate jobs so much as shift human focus toward creativity, philosophy, and problem-solving. Rather than competing with AI, humans may need to expand their own awareness.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

Be Mythical

Join our mailing list for soul stirring goodness: https://www.bemythical.com/moonly

Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth: https://www.bemythical.com/unio

Go Deeper: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper

Follow us:

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Thank you for listening!

There's a fresh episode released each week here and on most podcast platforms - and video too on YouTube. If you subscribe then you'll get each new episode delivered to your device every week automagically. (that way you'll never miss a show).

Direct download: podcast_492_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:21am EST

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