True North Alignment - Where Purpose Becomes Inevitable

What if creating the life you want has less to do with forcing outcomes — and more to do with the state you're creating from?Seth Monk spent eight years as a Buddhist monk and has dedicated much of his life to meditation, healing and understanding the inner patterns that shape our experience.In this episode of True North Alignment, Seth and I begin with a conversation about Burning Man, synchronicity and the strange things that seem to happen when people become more open, present and connected.From there, we explore playfulness as a pathway into flow, why fear can sometimes create the very outcome we're trying to avoid, and how becoming aware of what is happening inside us gives us the space to choose what we create next.Seth shares what eight years as a monk taught him about observing thoughts and emotions without automatically acting on them, and why healing doesn't necessarily mean eliminating our wounds — but changing our relationship with them.We also explore creation itself: how the state, intention and energy behind our actions become embedded in what we create, and how small shifts in the way we relate to ourselves and others can completely change what happens next.A playful and deeply insightful conversation about synchronicity, presence, fear, healing, flow and becoming a more conscious creator of your life.Connect with Seth MonkDiscover Seth's work and his book *Buddhist Cake* at sethmonk.com.Connect with Keith HodgeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithphodge/

What if the drive that made you successful is also the thing you now need to let go of?Ryan Hopkins is a bestselling author and workplace wellbeing expert. But behind his work is a deeply personal story of bulimia, anxiety, losing his identity and eventually turning some of the experiences he was once most ashamed of into his purpose.In this episode of True North Alignment, we explore Ryan's journey from struggling with control and self-worth to building a career dedicated to helping others live and work differently.Then the conversation moves into something Ryan is experiencing right now.Having left employment to build his own business, he has more freedom and space than ever before — and he's discovering how uncomfortable that space can feel.We explore whether a lifetime of hard work, ultramarathons, achievement and constant doing has been driven by a deeper belief that he needs to suffer, strive or prove himself to be enough.What happens when we stop doing? Why can space itself create anxiety? And can we create extraordinary things without needing to suffer for them?A vulnerable conversation about success, wellbeing, purpose, enoughness and learning to create from a different place.Connect with Ryan HopkinsFind Ryan on LinkedIn and discover his bestselling book, *52 Weeks of Wellbeing*.Connect with Keith HodgeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithphodge/

What happens when the people inside an organization stop waiting for answers and start thinking, choosing and creating for themselves?Heather McGonigal is CEO and co-founder of Empowering Leadership Teams, where she helps entrepreneurial businesses develop teams that can think more strategically, take greater ownership and contribute their best ideas.In this episode of True North Alignment, Heather and I explore what it takes to move from reaction to creation — both individually and inside an organization.We talk about why some of the most valuable thinking in a team can remain hidden, particularly when quieter or more introverted people don't feel able to contribute, and what leaders can do to create an environment where more of that intelligence comes forward.Our conversation then moves beneath leadership into the human experience itself: what happens when we're operating from fight, flight or freeze, how we regain choice when emotion takes over, and why creativity often requires us to stop pushing and create enough space for something new to emerge.Heather also shares her own experience of doing deeper inner work, the practices she uses to interrupt old patterns, and why she believes being a good human being matters more than ever in a culture she sees becoming increasingly dominated by ego.In this conversation:• Building teams that think more like CEOs• Bringing out the best thinking in introverts and extroverts• Psychological safety and empowered teams• Moving from emotional reaction into choice• Why creativity needs space• The relationship between inner work and leadership• Reframing the stories that keep us stuck• Creating alignment around shared goals• Purpose, leadership and contribution• Why being a good human being mattersA conversation about leadership, creativity and what becomes possible when we move beyond reaction and return to choice.Connect with Heather McGonigalEmpowering Leadership Teams: empoweringleadershipteams.comCoffee Chat: empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffee-chatConnect with Keith Hodgehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/keithphodge/

In this episode of True North Alignment, Keith Hodge is joined by Joel Burgess, embodiment and business coach to CEOs, founders and coaches, and founder of the Elevated Coaching Collective.After spending five years building a food-tech company, raising £1 million and reaching a seven-figure valuation, Joel finally found product-market fit—only for the business to be wiped out by COVID. Left with significant debt and a young family to support, the years that followed became both a rebuilding of his business and a profound inner journey.Through that experience, Joel discovered a principle that now sits at the heart of how he lives and works:“Whenever I focus on me, I collapse. Whenever I focus on service, I expand.”Together, Keith and Joel explore what it means to build and create without being driven by fear, pressure or the need to force an outcome.They discuss:Why service has become the foundation of Joel's approach to business.How to face fear rather than allowing it to dictate your decisions.Why Joel does the opposite of what his mind tells him when he feels emotionally activated.The shift from pushing harder to becoming still and allowing clarity to emerge.Joel's surprising perspective on hope, fear and “hopelessness.”What it means to become empty enough to receive rather than force.How the body communicates our internal state.The crossover between embodiment and Keith's work with True North Alignment.How we can use the body not only to recognise emotional patterns, but to consciously embody a different state.The episode concludes with Joel guiding Keith and the audience through an embodiment practice designed to cultivate stillness, presence and the experience of returning to centre.A conversation about business, service, fear, embodiment and what becomes possible when we stop pushing long enough to hear what is actually true.Connect with Joel BurgessInstagram & YouTube: @coach.joel.burgessConnect with Keith HodgeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithphodge/

In this episode of True North Alignment, Keith Hodge is joined by Marcia Martin—one of the pioneering architects of the modern human potential movement.From helping grow est into a global phenomenon, to working alongside Tony Robbins, Roger Hamilton, Jack Canfield, and many of the world's leading transformational organisations, Marcia shares the principles she has learned from decades of building movements that genuinely change lives.Together they explore:What it really means to live in alignment with your purpose.Why awareness is the foundation of personal growth.The difference between teaching and true transformation.How to help people discover their own inner wisdom.The role of leadership in creating lasting impact.Why most organisations struggle to scale.The crucial difference between delivering a powerful product and enrolling people into it.The architecture behind building movements that endure.Marcia also reflects on her bestselling memoir, Sex, Power and Transformation, sharing what inspired her to tell the untold story of the human potential movement, the lessons she learned about power and integrity, and why writing the book has given her a profound sense of freedom to create the next chapter of her life.Whether you're building a business, leading a team, guiding others through transformation, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of purpose, this conversation is filled with timeless wisdom from someone who has spent more than five decades helping shape one of the world's most influential personal development movements.Connect with Marcia MartinWebsite: Marcia Martin | Transformational Leadership, Coaching & Human PotentialConnect with Keith HodgeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithphodge/If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who is committed to creating meaningful impact in the world.