The Change Paradox

Dearest friends of the Change Paradox, old and new, As you’ll hear in today’s Afterthoughts episode, this will be our last episode of the show, at least in its current format. I’m sad to share this news but also very proud of what we have done over the past year and at peace that it’s the right thing for now. I have really loved this experience, most of all the wonderful guests I’ve had the pleasure of talking with and the enthusiastic feedback from so many of you. I suppose this long-deliberated decision came down to a few converging factors. For starters, it turns out podcasts are an incredible amount of work! And all that prep time puts an incredible number of other important things on the back burner, sometimes for too long. It’s time to get back to those, including more rest than I have gotten in some time. Whew. Secondly, we succeeded in covering exactly what I’d hoped to: As expected, change indeed has remarkable paradoxical elements in many different fields, and the exploration of that is meaningful and helpful to many. I hope you’ll watch for those elements as they turn up in your lives for years to come. I certainly will. While we could interview hundreds more to make the point, I think we have made it well already. Most important, and most subtle, of all, I have this indescribable sense of feeling both “complete” here for now, and as though there is something really important waiting to fill the space. Perhaps a new adventure will bring me to new things I’d like to share with you. If so, we’ll most certainly be back! And we’ll be in touch, too, most likely by posting something new in this space. Please keep your subscription active in case we do. Unless and until that time comes, The Change Paradox will remain available but not be added to. So, to all of you who have supported us and the show, our heartfelt and sincerest gratitude. You, most of all, have made these hundreds of hours worth it. All episodes, including the Afterthoughts episodes, will be available publicly so that you can return to them as often and long as you wish. Please reach out if you have questions or concerns, or if you’d like to share some observations of your own about these two seasons. You’ll find me at dodge@lotus-center.com. I’d love to hear from you. Before we go, let’s all raise a glass to Pete and Andy, the show’s very skilled producers and closest friends. I can’t thank you both enough for so generously lending your experience to this novice’s dream of exploring something so esoteric. You couldn’t be more wonderful to work with, and I enthusiastically point our fans here to your many other informative and entertaining shows at TruStory FM. Mahalo. More love, not less, everybody. 🙏🏼 Dodge

Dodge presents a set of readings from Dr. Greyson's book, "After".

Hey all... This week we try to unpack near-death experiences in the wake of Dodge’s conversation with Dr. Bruce Greyson. It leads to jealousy and a review of ‘Defending Your Life’ staring Albert Brooks, in addition to some key lessons on adapting to change in our own lives without having to pass through near-death ourselves. Thanks for doing the work, as always, Pete

Hey everybody... it's Pete. I have a distant aunt who used to tell me of all the times she almost died. A sample: she was once bit by a black widow spider. The spider was indeed black but examining it on the heel of her shoe there was no way to determine if it had been married. She swore it nearly did her in. Nearly attacked by a bear while camping. Though the bear was never actually seen, there was some evidence that her cooler had been pilfered. Almost fell into an icy river while rafting and could have drowned, she'd tell us. I think there was an asteroid in the mix at one point. She called these her near-death experiences, and given the frequency of them over her life you'd think some element of the cosmos might have been trying to collect a debt. But no, in fact she passed peacefully in her sleep, surviving the onslaught of perils through which she lived. In fact, none of these were near-death experiences, no matter how close she might have come to dying. I know this now because our guest today is one of the world's leading experts on the science and significance of the Near-Death Experience. Bruce Greyson, M.D., is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia and joins us to share his work studying these things and the people who have experienced them over nearly five decades. What sets Dr. Greyson's work apart from the rigorous empirical research of my long lost aunt is that his subjects actually died. In some way, shape, or form, they stopped functioning physiologically, had an experience, and came back later. The stories you'll hear in today's show serve as a tour through the incredible similarities in those experiences and the work of Dr. Greyson and his team to understand them. If you'd like to learn more, we encourage you to pick up his book, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond. Links & Notes Bruce Greyson, M.D.After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond by Bruce GreysonUVA Division of Professional Studies on Facebook

A journey through the Tao Te Ching with William Martin.

Hey everybody... This week, Dodge and I are unpacking his conversation with William Martin. We try to have a simple conversation on a simple concept and fail terribly. But that's the path of the Tao, right? Thanks to William's guidance, we know not to beat ourselves up about such things, but move through it. We appreciate you moving through the conversation with us. Thanks for showing up. — Pete

Hey everybody... it's Pete. At one point in our conversation today, Dodge will say that he's going to try to explain to you all what the Tao is. Our guest, who has been studying and thinking about the Tao for more than three decades says in response, "Good luck with that." That pretty much says it all for me, too. I've read a bit, thought some, studied my fair share. But the Tao is one of those pesky constructs, an intellectual raccoon trap, and just when I think I have a handle on what it means for me, I get my metaphorical fist stuck in the bottle and can't break free. That's why we're glad to have William Martin on the show with us today. He's written many Tao-inspired books, including The Parent’s Tao Te Ching, and his latest, The Activist's Tao Te Ching. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Western Theological Seminary, he has worked as a research scientist for the Department of the Navy, a clergyman, and a college instructor in counseling, communications, and the humanities—and for many years, conducted workshops and seminars on the application of Taoist and Zen thought to the issues of everyday life. All that is to say, we're in good hands with Bill today. He's not a high mystic — an oracle on the hill — he's a guy who has worked hard to understand this thing in a way that can make it approachable to the rest of us. We deeply enjoyed talking with him and hope you do, too. Links & Notes Freedom, Simplicity, and Joy — William Martin's Home on the WebBuy the Books • William Martin's Amazon Author Page

Jerry Campbell offers a meditation designed to help you find a new connection to your body.

Hey everybody... This week, Dodge and I are unpacking his conversation with Jerry Campbell. There will be wordplay, for sure, but also a review of the story of the lonely amygdala and its journey to find purpose through extreme sports. There's a reason Jerry has developed a reputation for being a therapist's therapist. We appreciate you joining us for a conversation on what that means this week. Thanks for doing the work... — Pete

Hey everybody... it's Pete. Jerry Campbell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He's been doing the work since 1975. In those early years, he worked in an agency, supervising therapists serving as head of therapy, a road that eventually lead to private practice in 1988. Judging by his reviews online, it's no question how Jerry has developed a reputation as a therapist's therapist. He joins Dodge today to talk about his approach. As he says it, it's "an integration of mind, body, and spirit modalities within a family systems framework. I like to say I work with people navigating their own hero's journey, get more of what they want, and have a transformational experience." Around these parts, anyone who trucks out Joseph Campbell is aces from the jump. They take on learning and fear this week, with a provocative dance with our friend the amygdala. Key in on the three F's — Find, Focus, and Follow. It might just turn out that this trio is a powerful set of F-words you can really set your mind by. Thanks for doing the work, Pete

Ted Klontz offers an experiential exercise on financial peace.

Hey everybody, it’s Pete... Dodge and I do our best to unpack a triggering conversation for the both of us. Money’s tough. Too few of us are doing the things to maintain a healthy relationship with it. We’re trying to figure out why. We hope this conversation helps someone out there to move their own ball down the field just a bit. Thanks for all you do, Pete

Hey everybody... it's Pete. Raise your hand if you've never had any challenges with money. Look around. See that? You're all alone. OK, all gimmicks aside, it's money week and that's scary. Jobs won and lost. Health care, insurance, education. Bills coming due. Major, unexpected expenses. It's no understatement to say that how we relate to money defines how we relate to the world around us. Ted Klontz is back on the show with us this week. Last time he came around he was talking about readiness for change. What we didn't cover in that conversation is a non-trivial part of his career: financial behavior. And he doesn't do it alone. Brad Klontz, Ted's son, is a founder of the Financial Psychology Institute and an associate professor in Financial Psychology at Creighton University. He's spent much of his professional career helping people with money and wealth issues and together with his father has written books such as Wired for Wealth, and Mind over Money. Their latest, Money Mammoth, dives deep into the psychological barriers that stand between us and our financial success. Talking about money out loud is terrifying for a lot of us. Together, Brad and Ted help us to approach this subject with a little less trepidation thanks to the knowledge that we're not doing it alone — many of us feel this way, and many of us are looking for change. We hope you find a dose of that change today in their conversation with Dodge Rea. Links & Notes Money Mammoth: Harness The Power of Financial Psychology to Evolve Your Money Mindset, Avoid Extinction, and Crush Your Financial GoalsWired for Wealth: Change the Money Mindsets that Keep You Trapped and Unleash your Wealth PotentialMind over Money: Overcoming the Money Disorders That Threaten our Financial HealthFinancial Psychology Institute

Hey everybody... This week Dodge and I do our best to unpack this conversation with Lynne. We come at this discussion from very different perspectives so much of this week is devoted not so much to Lynne and her work, but to how we approach those things that run counter to our worldview. I'll be honest, I was a wreck going into this one, but I'm happy with how it turned out. It's challenging, personally, but deeply satisfying as we remember that it's about the journey, not the finish. Thanks for showing up.

Hey everybody... it's Pete. It's April. I hope, after everything we've been through, that you're someplace you can walk outside, fill your lungs with clean air, and breathe deep. If we ever needed a spring full of new life, it is right now. So let us take advantage of it by reveling in it and letting ourselves grow through that nourishment. Journalist and author Lynne McTaggart joins Dodge today to talk about her work. She's written seven best-selling books, and the scope of that work makes it practically interview malpractice to attempt to cover it all in one conversation. They start by approaching her work chronicling the work of scientists and researchers in the field of consciousness and her own observations of the power of intention. Speaking personally here, there's a lot I don't understand in this space and, frankly, hearing much of it causes my walls to come right up. But as I've learned from Dodge time and again, just because I don't understand a thing, just because it doesn't fit into the worldview of my collected experience, doesn't mean I should stop asking questions. There are so, so many questions to be asked. Ultimately, this is a conversation anchored in hope. And here at The Change Paradox, we want to provide a platform for more hopeful conversations. We can't think of a better way to continue a hopeful investigation than with this one with Lynne McTaggart and Dodge Rea. Links & Notes Download The Power of Eight Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Your Own Power of Eight Circle by Lynne McTaggartLynne McTaggartFind Lynne's Books • Amazon Author Page

Victoria brings an exercise to help us all breathe into abundance.

Victoria Castle with an exercise to help us all break the trance.

Hi everybody, We dish on the Trance of Scarcity and Victoria Castle's perspective on generosity. Thanks to you all for showing up and doing the work right along with us. — Pete

Hey everybody... it's Pete... I just finished editing this week's conversation and I have to tell you it hit me where it hurts... you know, that place in the solar plexus that goes hollow when someone outs you effectively as having been lying to yourself? Yeah. That place. This week, Dodge and Victoria Castle are continuing their conversation on her book, The Trance of Scarcity, with a special focus on the Cycle of Abundance, building a routine of breaking out of the trance and focusing instead on myriad possibility around us. I tend to be wired a bit more conservatively when it comes to these kinds of conversations so it's easy for me to take the critic's perspective and start poking around at them. What this show has demonstrated time and again is that this poking behavior is usually rooted in fear and — to take Victoria's word — arrogance. But that veil of fear and arrogance breaks down when confronted with a few things they discuss this week. You should be on the lookout if you're wired like me: generosity costs you nothing. You don't have to tithe to be generous. Sometimes, an act of generosity is a simple wish of goodwill toward others offered when they least expect it, and that might be enough to spark a practice of grace in yourself. Once more, you can find her book where books are sold, link to the Amazon page in the notes. But please, support your local booksellers if you're able. And, if you haven't done it yet, there are things in the works around the Trance and, while they're not quite ready yet, if you'd like to hear more about what's coming up from Victoria and Dodge in whatever form it may take, please visit trustory.fm/trance and leave your name. I promise, we won't sell your information, but we will let you know as soon as we have something new out there in the world you might be interested in. Thanks for coming back for part two. Our usual Afterthoughts episode is coming next week. We hope you enjoy this continued conversation with Victoria Castle and Dodge Rea. Links & Notes The Trance of Scarcity by Victoria CastleSign up for Trance newsSupport The Change Paradox by becoming a member today

Hey everybody... it's Pete... As I write this, Victoria Castle and I just jumped off of a quick FaceTime call to talk about a new project. I say that with the full intention of practicing what it will sound like when I drop her name in conversation with friends in the future. Did it sound OK? Just ... you know, casually telling you that Victoria Castle and I FaceTime? Dodge introduced me to her book, The Trance of Scarcity, a few years after she'd written it. Must have been 2010 or thereabouts. It's not an undersell when I tell you it transformed the way I think about myself. It's a book that drills deeply into the heart of our inner imposter and churns there. It skewers your limiting beliefs and negative self identity in a way that's both real and gentle at the same time. That she agreed to be on this show, to me as a fan, seems like she's the victim of a prank, some ruse, a hornswoggle. What's more, she stuck around to talk to us for an entire two episodes. The first is dedicated to The Trance of Scarcity, that numbed state we find ourselves in when we're convinced that lack, struggle, and separation represents our ultimate fate. Part two, coming next week, is dedicated to the Cycle of Abundance; a salve to scarcity that reminds us what can be when we adjust our mindset accordingly. You can find her book where books are sold, link to the Amazon page in the notes. But please, support your local booksellers if you're able. While we're at it, we've got in the works around the Trance and, while they're not quite ready yet, if you'd like to hear more about what's coming up from Victoria and Dodge in whatever form it may take, please visit trustory.fm/trance and leave your name. I promise, we won't sell your information, but we will let you know as soon as we have something new out there in the world you might be interested in. Thanks for sticking with us. This show is a continued honor to produce and deliver to you. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Victoria Castle and Dodge Rea. Links & Notes The Trance of Scarcity by Victoria CastleSign up for Trance newsSupport The Change Paradox by becoming a member today