Truth & Transcendence

Following on from the theme of letting go, Catherine Llewellyn explores what can happen when we stop trying to change our feelings and instead surrender to what we are actually experiencing. Catherine shares a personal experience from a relationship in which sexual chemistry had changed. Rather than continuing to try to restore the feelings they thought they should have, they asked a simple question about what each of them wanted right now. The resulting clarity and willingness to feel what was actually present transformed the situation. From there, Catherine explores how the same principle can apply in our other relationships and choices. When we stop trying to control our feelings, we create space for clarity, reflection and natural change. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is tell the truth about what we feel in this moment and allow that feeling to be what it is. #LettingGo #EmotionalAwareness #TruthAndTranscendence ================== Where our conversation went: 00:06 Continuing the theme of letting go through emotions and states of being 00:18 A relationship in which sexual chemistry unexpectedly changed 01:21 Trying to change feelings rather than surrendering to what was actually happening 01:41 Asking a simple question that changed the dynamic 02:25 The liberation that came from accepting the truth of the present moment 02:50 Why we aren't designed to feel the same way all the time 03:33 The trap of trying to change feelings we don't like 03:47 Fully surrendering to feelings of rejection, disappointment and confusion 04:12 How surrender broke the loop and allowed the relationship to change naturally 04:36 Applying the same principle to other kinds of relationships 04:43 Using present moment clarity when considering whether to work with someone 05:27 How clarity can free up energy for reflection and allow a choice to emerge 05:45 Moving out of limbo by acknowledging what is true right now 06:03 Returning to the relationship with clarity and simply going for a walk 06:27 Letting go into the feelings we are actually having 06:49 Why feelings naturally change when we stop trying to control them 07:03 Making space for different philosophical perspectives 07:31 An invitation to surrender more deeply into what you're actually feeling 07:42 Telling the truth to yourself and, where appropriate, to others #podmatch #EmotionalFreedom #SelfAwareness #ConsciousRelationships Where to find Catherine: ========================= ✦ Make the most of your calling; Book an Exploratory Call with Catherine: https://beingspace.world/#explore 🤝 Join our Being Space Community ✦ Podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com ✦ Podcast: https://different-points-podcast.com/ ✦ Website: https://www.beingspace.world ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEINGSPACEcatherinellewellyn ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingspace.world/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingSpaceWorld ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingspace.world Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Catherine Llewellyn welcomes Nico Verresen, former Muay Thai champion, psychologist and founder of Burnout Boxing Experience. Nico explores his lifelong relationship with intensity and how a passion that took him to the top of combat sports eventually led him to a very different mission: helping people embrace intensity rather than automatically seeing stress as something harmful. After years of fighting, Nico's body finally forced him to stop when severe eye injuries ended his competitive career. The experience helped him recognise that intensity itself wasn't the problem—it was how we related to it. He now works with people to understand their nervous systems, embrace challenging experiences and develop the presence to choose how they respond. They explore stress as an adaptive system, the difference between stress and suffering, why our beliefs about stress can influence how we experience it, and how challenge can become the “spice” that makes life more alive. Nico also shares how his relationship with intimacy and intensity has evolved, and why emotions such as stress, anger and anxiety can be understood as messages rather than problems to suppress.   #Intensity #NervousSystem #TruthAndTranscendence   ================== Where our conversation went: 01:18 Nico's lifelong attraction to intensity and where it began 04:00 Discovering Muay Thai and becoming deeply immersed in combat sports 05:54 The medical diagnosis that ended Nico's fighting career 07:47 Recognising the parallels between his father's work ethic and his own drive 08:47 Why suffering your way to the top is a losing game 09:09 Nico's new mission: helping people embrace intensity and stress as part of adaptation 09:48 Learning to notice bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions and impulses—and choose how to respond 11:18 Why many people may need to “turn up the volume” rather than reduce intensity 12:00 Why humans are built to handle intense challenges 14:09 What happens in the body when we experience stress 15:13 How secondary stress—our thoughts and judgements about stress—can make things worse 17:20 How extreme pressure can create intense presence and focus 19:25 Reframing fear and stress as excitement and preparation 20:04 Why our beliefs about stress can affect how we experience it 20:46 Research exploring how different beliefs about stress affect performance and physiology 24:07 The difference between wanted and unwanted intensity—and why people can fear intensity 25:09 Why getting older doesn't necessarily mean having less intensity in life 26:01 How embracing intensity can improve sleep, performance and enjoyment 27:17 The transformative power of challenge and rites of passage 29:19 What we may have lost by becoming disconnected from healthy forms of challenge and intensity 30:22 Experiencing intense presence without danger or suffering 32:05 Finding intensity after giving up competitive fighting 32:31 How heartbreak, relationships and fear of intimacy shaped Nico's relationship with intensity 33:50 Realising that his deepest way of relating is to go fully and deeply into what he loves 34:00 Reassessing his work and finding new sources of intensity 40:54 Learning to experience emotions as messages rather than problems 41:25 Recognising sensitivity and emotional intensity as a potential strength 41:47 Stress, anger and anxiety as signals from the nervous system—and learning to listen   #podmatch #StressMastery #Aliveness #PersonalTransformation   Where to find Nico Verresen: https://burnoutboxingexperience.com   ========================= ✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling? Book a Clarity Call with Catherine: https://beingspace.world/clarity 🤝 Join our Being Space Community ✦ Podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com ✦ Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/different-points-podcast/ ✦ Website: https://www.beingspace.world ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEINGSPACEcatherinellewellyn ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingspace.world/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingSpaceWorld ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingspace.world Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Picking up from the previous episode's theme of letting go, Catherine Llewellyn explores what happens when we stop forcing ourselves and instead listen to what the body is actually asking for. Using her experience with yin yoga as a starting point, Catherine reflects on the Western tendency to push harder, do more and strive to get things “right”. She contrasts this with surrendering into a comfortable stretch, allowing the body to find its own version of a pose, and discovering that letting go can create more relaxation rather than more effort. The conversation then expands into food, emotions and relationships. What if, instead of automatically responding to hunger, anxiety, discomfort or habitual patterns, we paused and tuned in to what the body is really asking for in that moment? Catherine invites us to become more alive to our bodies, our relationships and ourselves by releasing into what is actually present rather than pushing ourselves beyond it.   #LettingGo #BodyWisdom #ConsciousLiving   ================== Where our conversation went: 00:07 Letting go as a continuation of the previous episode's theme 00:20 Catherine's experience of yin yoga and the invitation to let go into a pose 00:55 The Western programming to do more, try harder and push through difficulty 01:26 How forcing a stretch can create more tension 01:36 Modifying the pose and discovering that less can actually give us more 02:20 Allowing tension to melt away by relaxing into what feels comfortable 02:36 Surrendering into the body's experience rather than forcing it 02:59 Applying the same principle to fitness, nutrition and how we relate to our bodies 03:39 Pausing to ask the body what it is actually hungry for 04:00 Listening to the body's specific request rather than letting the mind embellish it 05:21 Recognising that cravings may be asking for comfort, connection or something else 05:43 Discovering that the body may be asking for a hug—or for some distance 06:03 Bringing more aliveness into relationships by tuning into what the body is asking for 06:57 Letting go into what the body wants: food, hugs, lovemaking, walking or yoga 07:21 Releasing into the body's limits rather than pushing, yanking or forcing ourselves 07:28 Asking: Are you listening to what your body is asking for? 07:42 Tuning in, surrendering and allowing ourselves to enjoy the experience   #podmatch #BodyAwareness #SelfAwareness #LettingGo ========================= ✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling? Book a Clarity Call with Catherine: https://beingspace.world/clarity 🤝 Join our Being Space Community ✦ Podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com ✦ Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/different-points-podcast/ ✦ Website: https://www.beingspace.world ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEINGSPACEcatherinellewellyn ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingspace.world/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingSpaceWorld ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingspace.world Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Catherine Llewellyn welcomes Stephen Ferrara, a lifelong spiritual student, teacher and coach who spent decades building a successful financial services business before selling it to focus fully on his spiritual path. Stephen introduces the idea of the “inside life”—the part of ourselves that can observe our thoughts, emotions and experiences rather than simply reacting to what happens around us. He explains how this inner awareness has helped him live from the inside out, including through the profound losses of his son and his wife. They explore spiritual awakening, the difference between intellectual learning and true transformation, and why Stephen believes that life itself is the teacher. Stephen also shares how spirituality and material success can coexist, his approach to coaching through listening rather than motivation, and why inspiration and higher purpose matter more than external achievements. The conversation also leads to Stephen's book, Grief to Gratitude: Embracing the Inner Pathway to Healing and Peace, which grew from more than 20 years of daily journaling and the life lessons he discovered by looking back through his journals. #InsideLife #SpiritualAwakening #TruthAndTranscendence ================== Where our conversation went: 01:44 Stephen's early relationship with spirituality and discovering the “inside life” 04:21 The observer, the impact of technology and moving from living “outside in” to “inside out” 05:34 The power and responsibility of choosing how we respond to life's challenges 06:08 Finding a different way through profound grief and traumatic experiences 08:17 Why spiritual understanding isn't necessarily a linear process 08:42 How openness and transformative books can create sudden shifts in understanding 11:38 Why the right mindset matters—and why spiritual learning can remain purely intellectual 12:18 Life as the teacher: learning through direct experience 14:26 How Stephen's spiritual path and his career in financial services came together 16:28 Building a large financial services business and recognising the role of timing, opportunity and gratitude 17:21 Why spiritual depth and material success don't have to be opposites 19:04 How love of people and a desire to help shaped Stephen's approach to business 22:18 The importance of mentors, role models and learning from others 24:03 Stephen's approach to coaching: deep listening, asking questions and not needing to have all the answers 25:44 Moving beyond motivation towards inspiration and higher purpose 27:04 Finding fulfilment within rather than through external possessions and achievements 28:09 Creating a space for genuine connection, love and higher-consciousness learning 28:54 Who Stephen works with—and helping people discover their deeper potential 32:13 Grief to Gratitude: the book born from 20 years of daily journaling 33:16 How journaling became a way through grief and helped reveal the turning points and lessons in Stephen's life 38:14 A message for teachers, leaders and others working to be part of the solution 39:00 Why Stephen believes more people are moving in a positive direction than the news might suggest 40:54 David Hawkins, consciousness and the possibility of a wider shift in human awareness 42:17 The value of meaningful, significant conversation #podmatch #SpiritualGrowth #ConsciousLiving #GriefToGratitude Where to find Stephen Ferrara: https://stephenferrara.com Book: Grief to Gratitude: Embracing the Inner Pathway to Healing and Peace https://a.co/d/05y4lv7H ========================= ✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling? Book a Clarity Call with Catherine: https://beingspace.world/clarity 🤝 Join our Being Space Community ✦ Podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com ✦ Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/different-points-podcast/ ✦ Website: https://www.beingspace.world ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEINGSPACEcatherinellewellyn ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingspace.world/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingSpaceWorld ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingspace.world Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate

Decluttering is usually framed as getting rid of things we no longer need. But what if we looked at it differently? In this episode, Catherine Llewellyn explores the possibility that what we are releasing may be of real value to someone else. From jewellery and household possessions to tasks, responsibilities and even relationships, Catherine invites us to consider not only what something is worth to us, but whether it still fits who we are now. Letting go can create space for us while simultaneously creating opportunities for other people. This is a different way of thinking about decluttering: not as removing something unwanted, but as contributing something that may have greater value elsewhere. #Decluttering #LettingGo #TruthAndTranscendence ================== Where our conversation went: 00:05 Why decluttering has become such a familiar part of modern life 00:28 The possibility that what we no longer need could be of great value to somebody else 00:50 Jewellery as an example: looking beyond financial value to whether it still fits who we are 01:47 Letting go because someone else might benefit more from what we have 02:17 Clearing a relative's home and discovering that things we don't value may be valuable to others 03:07 Moving beyond the idea that decluttering is simply about getting rid of things 03:23 Applying the same principle to tasks and responsibilities 03:29 Could someone else enjoy, develop through or benefit from the tasks that no longer suit us? 03:52 Decluttering as contribution rather than disposal 04:03 Asking what we are contributing and what opportunities we are creating for others 04:18 Letting go of an item, a task—or even an aspect of a relationship 04:35 Creating space for ourselves while making another person available for relationships that may be a better fit #podmatch #ConsciousLiving #PersonalGrowth #LettingGo ========================= ✦ Stepping more deeply into your Calling? Book a Clarity Call with Catherine: https://beingspace.world/clarity 🤝 Join our Being Space Community ✦ Podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com ✦ Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/different-points-podcast/ ✦ Website: https://www.beingspace.world ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEINGSPACEcatherinellewellyn ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingspace.world/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingSpaceWorld ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingspace.world Support the podcast: https://truthandtranscendence.com/donate