We Won't Die Wondering - The Podcast

Every now and again you'll come across someone and/or something that touches you so profoundly, it stops you in your tracks, demands your full attention and helps to make sense of your human experience of life in all its messy, brilliant, maddening glory... Briony Greenhill and 'Thank You For Your Heart' is one such person and song for me. Having her accept my invitation to come play is a treat for the soul. And she doesn't disappoint! We laugh. We cry. We go deep. We get curious. We get silly. We get serious. We dare to explore and share it all... Unpacking the origins of the song, how she's managed to come to peace with so much of who she really is, how improvised singing has provided such a medicine for her healing journey and how she so wonderfully manages to teach others to do the same... At nearly 2-hours, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Enjoy. And please do let me know your thoughts. RJx --- Watch Briony sing 'Thank You For Your Heart' here. Visit: https://youtu.be/duNDBPXNj6k?si=CU-psDep1YIhhC0h⁠ Find out about all that Briony offers here. Visit: https://www.brionygreenhill.com/⁠ The books Briony mentioned: 'Soulcraft' by Bill Plotkin 'Play' by Stuart Brown Ask a question or share a note of appreciation with me here. Email me: ⁠⁠⁠rajames1977@gmail.com⁠⁠ ⁠ Find out about all that I offer with We Won't Die Wondering. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠www.wewontdiewondering.com⁠⁠ ⁠ Find out about my coaching for small business owners. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠www.ryan-james.co.uk⁠⁠ ⁠ Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating.

Let's be honest, the topic of this episode got your attention didn't it?! Yeah, the first time I stumbled upon Sam Ntatalika, she got mine! Her Facebook feed is real, funny, touching, interesting and given her profession and area of expertise, she regularly goes 'there' too. Which is precisely what prompted me to ask her on my podcast. How to have mind-blowing sex in midlife... I don't want to die wondering, do you? Let's go 'there'. How do we do it? Top tips and secrets? Biggest barriers and hang-ups? Debunking myths and mysteries? Adding novelty and adventure? Responsive vs. Spontaneous desire? Taboos and traumas? Self pleasure? So many questions. So many deeply fascinating, enlightening, enlivening, real, refreshing, relieving answers and insights revealed. Let's do this! Enjoy RJx --- Book a FREE discovery call with Sam:  Visit: https://linktr.ee/sam_ntatalikas Follow Sam on Facebook: Visit: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/sam.ntatalika⁠⁠ The book Sam mentioned: 'Come Together' by Emily Nagoski Want to share a reflection or note of appreciation? Email me: ⁠rajames1977@gmail.com ⁠ Want to find out about my Wonder Wander events? Visit: ⁠www.wewontdiewondering.com ⁠ Want to find out about my coaching for small business owners? Visit: ⁠www.ryan-james.co.uk ⁠ Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating.

What if… 'The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.' ~ Robert Henri What if…  The object isn't to find your purpose... The object isn't to win more clients… The object isn't to grow your business… The object isn't to enjoy a better relationship… The object isn't to find your true love… The object isn't to become a BCorp… The object isn't to 'heal' or 'awaken'... The object isn't to overcome depression... The object isn't to sleep better… The object isn't to get fit & healthy… The object isn't to have better sex... The object isn't to get to 'Santiago'... It's to be in that wonderful state which makes the fruition of all these things INEVITABLE. ❤️ --- This is the opening gambit to an extraordinary new book by the creative genius that is Rick Rubin - the guy that musicians choose to work with when they need a reset. And in this episode I explore and unpack the principle behind this BRILLIANT idea... The fact that we always, already intuitively KNOW what's needed to make something 'inevitable' without effort! And in this episode both challenge you to consider what you already KNOW and share with you my own truth too. A perfect place to kickstart 2024. Not that it's time specific! Enjoy RJx --- Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating. Want to share a reflection or note of appreciation? Email me: rajames1977@gmail.com Want to find out about my 'Wonder Wander' events in nature? Visit: www.wewontdiewondering.com Want to find out about the coaching I provide? Visit: www.ryan-james.co.uk

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is learn to say 'NO'. No matter how good the idea might seem or what other people might think, what's important is how much we're willing to honour ourselves and our truth and what feels right for US. Or to put it another way... 'Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.' In this episode you hear me share two ideas that call into question this very notion and have demanded my full respect and attention. One of which everyone loves and I've always felt tempted to revisit... This being that day, on the brink of going live, something deep inside of me just screamed 'NO' - this is me honouring that. A window into my world and what I've been wrestling with and how I finally came to realise what was good and right for me in the hope that it will help you tune into what feels good and right for you. PLUS I also share an 18 minute 'P.s.' of what I truly long for you this Christmas, New Year and every other day from here on in! Enjoy RJx --- Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating. Want to share a reflection or note of appreciation? Email me: rajames1977@gmail.com Want to find out about my 'Wonder Wander' events in nature? Visit: www.wewontdiewondering.com Want to find out about the coaching I provide? Visit: www.ryan-james.co.uk

Stuck doing a job she didn't particularly enjoy, feeling uninspired by her life circumstance, Fiona Eadie had an urge to follow 'The Artist's Way' (by Julia Cameron - worth a read in itself!) and see what came of it... What came was an emphatic soul's calling to go learn the art of 'storytelling'... Guide by some super helpful, kind, encouraging souls along the way and committed to the invitation to follow her joy, the universe responded in kind and opened up a whole new abundant world of possibilities and opportunities beyond her wildest dreams... Effortlessly & joyfully. Dive in and listen to this brilliant, beautiful story of what can happen when we tap into the real magic of daring to not die wondering. This is GOLD. It's so relatable. And who better to tell that story than a professional storyteller that's walked the walk and loves her work?! Enjoy. RJx --- Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating. Want to share a reflection or note of appreciation? Email me: rajames1977@gmail.com Want to find out about my 'Wonder Wander' events in nature? Visit: www.wewontdiewondering.com Want to find out more about Fiona Eadie? Visit: www.fionaeadiestoryteller.com

Virtually a year ago to the day, I interviewed the brilliant Claire MacKinnon as she dared to step out from under her executive corporate coaching persona and show up as most unapologetically, unfiltered, brilliant, beautiful, messy, glittery & biscuity self... Once a week, every week in an email newsletter. Just sharing what's really here... No matter how she felt or who might read it. One year later I was keen to hear how it has all unfolded, what's she's learnt, what she's gained, what she's come to realise... Fully cognisant that as a result of this commitment alone, she's had her most lucrative, abundant financially successful and rewarding year in business yet - so it's not just been a nice thing to do! Enjoy. RJx --- Like this episode? Please leave me a review and/or star rating. Want to share a reflection or note of appreciation? Email me: rajames1977@gmail.com Want to find out about my 'Wonder Wander' events in nature? Visit: www.wewontdiewondering.com Want to find out more about Claire MacKinnon? Visit: https://glitterandbiscuits.substack.com/ AND/OR https://www.clairemackinnon.com/

Does the arrow seek the target or does the target draw the arrow? Is it just that you follow your calling or is it that the thing you feel called to do, calls you in? Only as and when it, you, the time and circumstances are aligned? I stumbled on this idea whilst reading 'Greenlights' by Matthew McConaughey. It took a while to land but when it did, it disarmed me so much that I felt called to get behind the WWDW microphone once more and explore and unpack just how juicy and relieving and playful and creative an inquiry this really is... And it feels GREAT to be back doing it too. Maybe, just maybe the true art of not dying wondering comes in giving up trying so hard to make anything happen at all... And we trust the magic and mystery of it all?! Curious. Cosmic. Juicy. Liberating. Dive in, see what I make of it. Feel free to reach out and let me know what lands for you. rajames1977@gmail.com Please leave a rating as you feel appropriate and called. And please visit www.wewontdiewondering.com to explore other podcast episodes I've recorded, future adventures in nature I'll be organising and read more of the coaching I provide. Thanks for listening. Go well, Ryan

I bloody love Claire Mackinnon. Or should I say 'Aphrodite Jones'. Your average everyday girl next door, come divine burlesque dancing goddess! Really, I think she's bloody GREAT! So relatable. So real. So human. So honest. So curious. So playful. And so f**king done with trying to fit herself into nice, neat corporate shapes and spaces... So much more than the 3000-character LinkedIn marketing posts she was contorting herself to write to help promote herself... Listening to the call from deep within to shake off her shackles and dance out of the box she had placed herself in, she eventually gave birth to 'Glitter & Biscuits' her new Substack newsletter... The place she is taking great delight in expressing her whole self more fully. This being the very creation that inspired me to get back behind the microphone to record this episode. And boy oh boy does she not disappoint! This is Claire MacKinnon - corporate leadership coach, mother, wife, friend, dancer and recovering ass-kissing people-pleasing perfectionist (her words not mine!) in surround sound, fully-reclaimed, sexy, sassy, silly, messy, unprepared, unfiltered full bleed. And it's a thing of pure unadulterated joy. Better still, by its very nature, it's also a permission slip and invitation to the rest of us to follow suit, just be ourselves and do something we love just for the simple, joyful sake of it... And see where it takes us... Knickers in the air, let's go! WOOHOO!!! Hahaha!! Listening back, this interview makes my whole body smile just as much as the moment I made it.  Enjoy --- Claire’s Substack: https://glitterandbiscuits.substack.com/ Claire’s burlesque teacher as mentioned in the interview: Showgirl Awakening --- Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering And feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

Why are we here? What is the point of it all?  To live our best lives? To do our best work? To find happiness?  Where do we find happiness? Happiness according to who? By who's rules? Is that your head or your heart talking?  Is it 'you' or an old narrative you're still trying to uphold? Is that a conceptual idea or reality, in the here and now? Join me as I dive back into another deeply fascinating conversation with the truth drug that is Kate Maryon, my therapist and one of my most valued teachers. Someone who has dared to face her own stuff head on and find peace in amongst it all, who now helps others do likewise.  Brace yourselves, we go way, way, waaaaaaay out there. And as always, I take it upon myself to pull it right back to the moment, to make it digestible and relatable to us in our every day lives... Which of course is exactly the point Kate is trying to help us see and feel. Reality. The true nature of things. The joyful relief in letting life touch us as it unfolds. Ooft.  Enjoy.  --- Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering And feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

'There is a woman.... and the way she wears her wildness is intoxicating. Luxurious, ferocious. stylish... she is untamed of heart but sophisticated of stance. Beautiful and alluring, daring and accomplished, fierce and free, she is unapologetically herself. She strikes a cut-glass pose between the simple and the sensuous. There is a radical richness and a down-and-dirty decadence that crackles through her limbs and flies from her hair. Lit from within, she is glorious to behold.' (Words lifted directly from www.ninapowell.com) That woman is Nina Powell. A metaphorical rock star. A real life Goddess. A woman who completely and utterly owns her own life force and sexual energy, both inside the bedroom and out in the world, and knows how to wield it with such presence and power that it will make you purr and roar in equal measures. And better still, knows how to help others unlock and live their most wild, divine, orgasmic life too.  And in this podcast I dare to go there and to try to find out for myself what she's eluding to... Well, brace yourself, cos whilst I knew this would touch on paradigm shifting stuff, boy she does not disappoint! We go deep. It gets juicy. And together we produce yet more 'We Won't Die Wondering' podcast gold! Enjoy.  --- Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering And feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

'It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.'. This is the opening line to the extraordinary poem The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.  A poem introduced to me by Nick Clitheroe, a good friend of mine who I interviewed in my last podcast as he shared his profound wisdom in the face of his own probable imminent death. Well worth a listen if you haven't done so yet. Either way, at the tail end of that podcast Nick set us all an 'invitation' of his own... To dare to show up more fully as ourselves in the world, to honour him and each of us in the process. It took me a good 24 hours to let my heart guide me on what best to do... And then it hit me like a bolt between the eyes. This podcast episode is the first piece of my resounding response. My own lion's roar! 'YES Nick... and Oriah... I hear you!' Now strap yourselves in, I've got some things I need to say.  And then when you're ready reach out to me. I want to know what you're going to do to honour the invitation too. Together lets inspire one another and honour both Nick and ourselves in doing so.  Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering   Feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com 

For most of us it's not that we're 'dying' wondering but that we're actually 'living' wondering instead! We forget that we still have that choice.  But how might you come to reflect on your life and the choices you've made and meaning of it should you find yourself faced with the very real potential of your imminent departure from this world? Well, that's the reality facing my dear friend Nick Clitheroe at the date of this podcast conversation, 12th October 2021.  An extraordinary human being who I had already had the privilege of interviewing back in early June (Ep16) regarding his brave decision to handle his own healing journey and face down cancer on his terms. Only it seems he has been unsuccessful in his efforts.  And yet, even now, there's something remarkable about how he's choosing to show up to life (and death) in this moment and embrace it as an opportunity to be more fully himself and see where it may take him.  It takes a while for us to warm up but once we get going it just gets all the more curious. And we save the best till last.  Enjoy.  Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering   Feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

'Ultimately, all of the stuck places in our life are only solved by going through something... They don't just magically disappear, that is the fantasy of childhood!' ~ OOOFFFTT!  It was way back in early 2017 that someone first handed me a copy of James Hollis' book 'Finding Meaning in the 2nd Half of Life - How to Really, Finally Grow Up' - the inspiration for my own We Won't Die Wondering tagline.  So not only was it inevitable that I would eventually ask James to join me on this podcast many years later but an utter joy and honour to have him say 'yes!' and then help serve up such a deliciously insightful conversation too!  And true to form, I didn't hold back from speaking my own truth and volunteering exactly how vulnerable, frustrated and humbled I was feeling in 'this' precise moment in my journey and process, aiding our ability to go so much deeper and help me draw so much more value from him, not just for my benefit but yours, as the listener, too.  What's the difference between your ego and your soul? What's the difference between a job and a vocation? What's so important about the 'middle passage' of life? How do you let your soul speak and trust it to guide you? What's getting in the way? How do we meet life and let it work through you? Tune in as we explore these questions plus MUCH, MUCH more!  Come join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering  Feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

In 2019, 41 year old 'purpose coach', Nick Clitheroe, was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Wallop. Sh*t got real.  Taking advice from his doctors he chose to do the most sensible thing suggested and had surgery, undertook a course of chemotherapy, switched up his diet and took time out to rest and recover. Whilst he considered the process a pretty chastening, humbling experience, all went as well as could be expected. He was on the mend.  That was until... WALLOP... 2 years on and his bowel cancer returns. Now what does he do?  Faced with the prospect of undergoing virtually the same process as before but with considerably lesser chances of success, Nick has chosen to get curious, turn and face himself and his cancer head on, and take his healing journey into his own hands.  This is a man who quite sincerely will not die wondering, knowing full well that his life quite literally depends on it.  Is his cancer here to teach him something? Does his body have more wisdom to share than his doctors could ever know if only he can find a way to understand it? Is this is a gift from the universe inviting him to fully embrace life and all that lies within (and without)? The gloves are off.  Listen in as Nick and I explore and unpack all that he's learning and wants to share about what it really means to 'heal' and 'live' life. Join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more. Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering Feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com

'As I breathe this moment with a simple breath, the world grows clearer with this new lense and I could smile... As I surrender the worry that I'm not enough, my heart grows wider, wide enough to feel... To feel that we are one, we are 'gold' and we raise up, raise...' When you really listen to the lyrics of the sublime new song 'Gold' by brilliant singer/songwriter, Tallulah Rendall you quickly come to realise that the wisdom offered comes straight from her heart to yours, from a place of real, raw truth and lived experience.  Coupled with the fact she's also a qi gong and meditation teacher, somatic experiencing practitioner and creative workshop facilitator, I thought it was too juicy an opportunity to overlook the possibility of getting her on my podcast to explore more, so reached out and asked her... This is that interview and it is indeed 'We Won't Die Wondering' podcast GOLD!!! But what is 'gold'? Where and how do we find it? What's getting in the way? Why is it so difficult to find? What does it mean to 'do the work'? What does it mean to be brave? What does it really mean to 'love yourself'? And why is it so important?  Dive in as we go deep in conversation around what it really means to be human, in all our messiness.  And stay tuned right until the end as Tallulah treats us all to a live, goosebump-inducing, acoustic performance of one of her new songs!  Join the We Won't Die Wondering community for latest news, discussions, events and much more. Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering Feel free to send me your thoughts on this podcast and any further reflections you may have: rajames1977@gmail.com 

I don't know about you but learning how to love and accept myself is just about the most elusive lesson I've yet to learn with any sense of mastery. And in the absence of knowing how my inner critic runs amok and can make me feel a fool. Worse still, it can play havoc with my sense of self worth and happiness too. In fact, of all the things I don't wish to die wondering about this is numero uno... And so, as of the beginning of this year (February 2021) I made a declaration to myself to stop and turn and face and learn how to go within, knowing that in the absence of doing so I shall forever go without.  In my quest to do just that I was introduced to Don McAvinchey. A man who walks the walk, talks the talk and has guided over 30,000 other people over 30 years of practice in how to loosen the grip of the inner critic and learn to love and accept themselves. This was a man I needed to speak with...  This is that conversation. Be warned... I get seriously vulnerable and we go seriously deep. No punches are pulled. The gloves are off. This is life lesson gold for anyone that's drowning in self doubt and overwhelm. Enjoy.  Join the community: www.facebook.com/groups/wewontdiewondering

You find me on this episode at another crossroads in my life. Having come so far and yet still feeling like I'm missing the point somewhat. Feeling like I'm still getting wrapped up in how to will things to work and exhausting myself in the process, not really being any the better for it.  Time to double down on my quest to not die wondering. The gloves are off. A line is being drawn in the sand. I want to go deep with this whole life adventure of mine. Not just for me but as an advocate for us all. But how? What now? What's missing? Where do I start from here? First stop this personal mentoring session I recorded with Tom Evans, the most curious, cosmic and intuitive man I know.  A man 20 years ahead of me in this journey, who's written 17 books, amassed over 50,000 active followers on meditation app Insight Timer, has given up charging for his time yet still more financially abundant than he's ever been before, who has no set plan for anything he now does and yet is still achieving and enjoying things far beyond anything he ever thought possible almost without ever seemingly breaking sweat!  What does he know that I'm still clearly yet to learn?  Find out here. 

Tune in as I interview David Hieatt, Mr Howies, Hiut Denim and DO Lectures himself about what it means to be alive, backing yourself and DOing your own thing. As you'll quickly learn, he wasn't a man that necessarily had the means or the qualifications. Instead he just put himself in the right environments to learn from good people before taking the plunge and backing himself to DO his own thing... With great success and the occasional spectacular fail along the way! We explore the need to keep asking ourselves the right questions and lots of them. The importance of time and how we spend it. The merit in taking risks by placing lots of small bets as we go. What typically holds us back and how to get over it. The importance of investing in hungry people. How to run a better business (and a business better) and why. And lots more besides. David is not a man to die wondering. This interview explores what we can learn from his example of just getting stuck in, DOing more the right ways.   If you enjoy this episode I'd love to know your own thoughts and reflections at rajames1977@gmail.com

Join me as I take a deep dive into what it really means to say 'F**K IT' in our lives with the author and creator of the books and infamous retreats of the same name and fame, John C. Parkin. An insanely curious, dry witted northern bloke with a healthy and very humorous knack for helping people to let go, relax and get back to all that's really important in life.  The mere presence of this chap makes me chuckle! We ebb, we flow. We stop, we start. It's silly and it's serious. It's so 'yes, and', it's delicious!  I love hearing from listeners! Send your reflections, questions and possible suggestions for future guests to rajames1977@gmail.com Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wewontdiewondering/message

Join me as I take a deeper dive into the life changing magic of saying 'f**k it' and the idea that 'you'll never hold it right if you can't let it go'. In life, your relationships, your work projects, your kids, the ideas you have for yourself, your Instagram 'strategy', how to show up in the world. Repeat after me... 'F**K IT!'. Not so much the things themselves but the ideas you have about them and the way you think things 'should' be. F**K. IT. Warning, I say 'F**K IT' A LOT in this episode. Sorry mum.