Chris Plourde - getting Conscious about the most important performance (of) your life

You'll love this conversation with Conscious Performance Coach, Chris Plourde - especially the meditation at the end!

Chris is a Los Angeles based Conscious Performance Coach, Consultant, Speaker and Mind Body Instructor with over 20 years of experience

For all the show notes and contact details head on over here.

If you love this show, please leave me a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/5starwellbeing and follow the simple instructions.

Thanks so much for listening!

For everything else 5 Star Wellbeing please head to the Evenstar Wellbeing website.

Please join me on socials as well:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIN

Music by Ian Hildebrand

Transcript

Arwen Bardsley: 0:00

All right, so welcome, everybody. I'm really delighted today to have Chris Plourde on as my guest and Chris is a conscious performance coach, which we are going to find out all about. I know everybody will be going, what is that, and we'll dig into the depths of that. So you'll understand. In his own words, Chris's goal is to help individuals and organizations gain clarity and work towards what they want in life, to create new habits and get into massive action by unleashing the greatness that is already there and owning their unique stories. Impressively, Chris has worked with and coached at well known companies such as Walt Disney, Xerox, Lululemon and Twitter. So I'm really excited to have you along, Chris, I'd love to get into I guess, what is your origin story? You know why? And how did you get to be where you are? Right now? You know, did you dream of being a conscious performance coach, as a boy?! Yeah, it would just be really good to hear the background, if that's okay with you to share whatever you'd like to.

Chris Plourde: 1:11

Yeah. Sure. Thank you for having me. First of all, yeah, no, definitely did not dream of of becoming a coach. You know, I feel I grew up in the East Coast, I'm in Los Angeles now. And I had a an upbringing of programming coming from parents, mentors, uncle's, that if you get a great job with good benefits, you're going to be happy working for, you know, a corporation or whatever the case may be. So my pursuit was once I found that in college was I'm going to get a business degree, I'm going to work for different companies such you know, that have a good reputation. And when I get in there, I'm going to climb my way up the top, and I'm going to be happy. Well, working for a variety of companies that that gave me a lot of understanding of myself. And I say that because I got into these quote unquote, great companies, and they were and they are, but what was missing was my sense of, of self was my fulfillment. And even though I was doing what I thought I needed to do, it wasn't what my soul really wanted to do. And so it was based upon that old programming that came in of someone else's idea of success. And so when I did that, after about a year or so it was like, No, this is what you want to do. This is what you want to coach people serve people. And it was always there because I started in the fitness industry. And it was working with individuals helping them find meet their goals, and eventually I worked for some companies, being a presenter for various fitness companies and traveling around the world and certifying 1000s of instructors. And that was great. And then eventually it was the depth I wanted to go deeper I wanted to find out what really made people tick. And so I started creating workshops and and getting into the mind the mind gym of it all if you would, for lack of a better word. And so that's where everything kind of developed to and eventually it became this this this how do we use performance like you would in athletics or sport or whatever, and use that same mentality in our lives in business, in performing in our personal relationships in our finances in our you know, athletics whatever, it just that have the same philosophy moving towards what you want fall in love with the journey. Yes, cross that finish line, but also love it along the way. So that's kind of the the long and the short of it, of how it started.

Arwen Bardsley: 4:00

And so did you do other education other than your business degree once you realized that you wanted to do more coaching style work?

Chris Plourde: 4:13

So there was a lot of of course there was a lot of self development within within the fitness and athletics and diving into kind of the information world so I did a lot of that on my own and pursued different courses and you know, year long courses and things that would better myself. I just recently finished a Positive Intelligence course after about a year it was on mental fitness and the neuroplasticity of changing from the left to the right brain. So there's always I think, as coaches we're always digging into things that excite us that we can share with our clients. But this was this is this is an opportunity to Yeah, work on ourselves, and then pass that on to our Clients, it's a really unique profession.

Arwen Bardsley: 5:03

Wonderful. And I noticed in the notes that I had on you that growing up, you did have an alcoholic father. And that that did just jump out at me. And I just wondered, apart from what you've already said about, I guess the male role models in your life, you know, giving you that impression that getting into a good company, and a good job equals, you know, life, happiness and success. What other? You know, was there any particular impacts that that influence of your father being like that?

Chris Plourde: 5:41

Oh, sure. Yeah. Um, you know, I think a lot of us have, whether it's an alcoholic, parent or uncle or someone who isn't showing up in the way that you think they should have shown up. And my journey with that, and him being an alcoholic wasn't about was, was at first kind of recognizing and accepting it, you know, and, but at the same time, realizing that he's a good man, like, he's a great man, like, I love who I am today. And I wouldn't have changed anything about that with either of my parents. But what I've come to terms with, they did the best job with the tools that were taught to them, they did the best job with the tools that were taught to them. And so when I was able to really, truly understand that, and grasp that and go, you know, what, you chose them, there was a reason why you went on this journey as them as your parents, and you were able to, I was able to just fuse if defuse the, the, the trigger of when he drank, right, cuz I, we've tried everything, right. He's gone some time without drinking. And he's still here with us. Great man, awesome heart, like just the fun guy. But he had his stuff that he went through in life, you know, losing a mother when he was a teenager losing my sister when we were young, you know? And so he's had this, these really hard things that he's had to deal with. But nobody taught him how to emotionally deal with the things that are going on inside him. Right? And that's one thing. I think that a lot of us, especially coaches and therapists and people that love working with people is we know that when they're ready to make that move, when they're ready to step into it on their own, then that then that's their decision. But we can't want it more for them than they want it for themselves. And we can be there when they're ready to step in and love them and have compassion for them the whole time. And that's what that's what I had to that was my lesson that I needed to learn. Is is being able to accept people for where they are, not judge them.

Arwen Bardsley: 8:05

Yeah, so true. And yeah, because, yeah, I have so many people who they know exactly what they need to do to improve their health and well being. And I'm not really telling them anything they don't know. But it's a case of until they're ready to do those things. It's not going to happen until it's enough of a priority for them, then it's not going to happen. So yeah, really true. Yeah. So alright, so I know, that you bringing that up about your dad and you know, facing his own stuff. I know, I want to talk to you about this concept of the modern masculine man. But before we do that, I think we should just get it out what is conscious performance coaching, I guess in a, you know, if you can give some examples of people that you've helped in the different ways and you know, like how it kind of works in a in a, in a session or a program, whatever it is,

Chris Plourde: 9:14

Right. So, you know, performance, I'll start I'll break it down. Performance is you know, what we think when we first think of performance, we think of the athlete, right, and I mentioned this a little earlier, and them being the best physically they can be right but what it really comes down to is that emotional fitness is understanding what's coming through you and in you is you and loving that aspect of it and not being pushing it down but accepting it for what it is taking those different things, the situations that happen for you in life and extracting those gifts that that that are there. We all have them. Do we choose to look at them. When we went through those hard times, what were those lessons that we've learned, right, as opposed to being victimized by those situations, those four or five or six things, major things that we went through as kids, or in our 20s, or whatever the case may be, that we had to form a certain mentality or certain way to live in life, and we make certain decisions, because we don't want to go back to that feeling. So what I do as a coach is, is try to reframe, or disrupt those old patterns consciously, by giving different tools by creating new habits by allowing ourselves just to kind of embrace where we're at. And then going forth and and really making a massive action plan to go Go ahead. And so you ask for, you know, an example of give you one, you know, I had a lady who worked for a major, major company here in the States, a doctor who was working as an executive, and so on and so forth. And she came to me, because she was having these anxiety bouts and eating bouts, and she wasn't sure she needed to change some habits that that were going on in her life. And so, after working for about, you know, a year or so I generally work with people for over a year or two years, sometimes longer. What we realize is those habits that she was moving into what she was eating, or whatever the case may be, wasn't about the food, it was about what the the lack of fulfillment she was getting in her in her job. It was it was seeing that the people around her were operating from fear based in recognizing that she didn't have to do that. Right. It wasn't just about surviving in her job, it was about thriving and creating a purpose and creating an action plan for her. Because I think a lot of people get into companies. And they're like, Well, I'm going to just go by their mission, and I'm going to do what they do. And I'm going to check the boxes on my job on my list and then go to the weekend. And so what we got her to realize is taking ownership for where she was at, is seeing some of those things and reframing those things that happen with to her in her life and realize that they were for her. And before you know it without even shifting it, she got promoted within the year to the Chief Medical Officer of this of this company. Right. So when I say performance, that's what she was able to come from a different high vibrational state, and then get get promoted into this really high position, which the company has never had a female in that position before. So so she's now thriving and doing amazing. And it was all because she had an opportunity to look at all the things that she wasn't looking at, instead of operating from a left brain fear place. She's now operating from a creative space within the right brain.

Arwen Bardsley: 13:03

Can you go into any more detail about you know, over that, that years journey, or whatever it is, with that client or clients in general? You know, what are you actually doing with them in the sessions? You know, what you're working through? How does it actually work? On a practical day to day level? In the session.

Chris Plourde: 13:25

Right. Yeah, well, generally, what we're doing is we're establishing Where do you want to be in a year or two, you know, and sometimes that's just about I am Here I am creating some concrete goals, but also ethereal goals. And what I mean by ethereal is, how do you want to feel when you wake up on Monday morning, right? Yes, we can go after the the amount of money you want to make or the house you want to live in or the area you want to live, that's fine, or the kids you want to, you know, birth or whatever. But I think it all comes down to an emotion. Because success is what most people go after. Right? And they think they have an idea of what success is until they get to success, that idea and they have all the things that they put down on paper. But then you ask, are you happy? Are you fulfilled? So I ask all my clients on that on a scale of one to 10? How fulfilled Are you in your life right now? And when they're answering five, six, well, I go, how much of that, of you, is your kids getting? Is your job getting? Is your spouse getting? And they're like, oh, wait a minute. So they're getting less than that five or six, because you're not able because you're not operating at that high, high level. Well, true abundance is that there is an overflow, right? There's enough for everybody that mentality, that belief of it. And when you can start putting those things into play and take care of yourself and love yourself for who you are and what you are and everybody is worthy right now no one's broken, we just have to reframe certain things that happen, then we're able to raise that cup that vibration a little higher. So we're now we're operating at a 10. Now we're operating it at on a consistent basis. And that's when life really starts to get get fun, right. But it takes work to get there. You know, people don't like change habits are meet or get new habits get meet with resistance, which people like, well, that's too hard. Yes, it's too hard. But so is getting fit, you know, physically fit, you know, when we're going to the gym, you need resistance to get fit, when we're changing our lives, resistance shows up, we need resistance to, to get to that next place, climb that next mountain in our life. And so meeting that and understanding that is where I think a lot of people can learn to dance as opposed to really fight things that show up in their lives.

Arwen Bardsley: 16:03

Mmm, love that. Yeah, I mean, we I think people forget that our, our ancient brain, you know, where we have evolved from is frightened of change. And so yes, it is really hard work. We've got to work against 1000s and millions of years of, you know, human evolution to get ourselves to change things. Yeah. So, so So are you mainly working with people? So it's, you know, like it sit down, we talk through things, you get them to do certain exercises, or?

Chris Plourde: 16:42

Yep, I'll give them a whole bunch of tools and different different gamuts that they can follow. Some of them work, some of them don't, you know, there's meditation, there's breath work, there's journaling, there's a new exercise routine, there's, you know, getting into action and making those phone calls on a daily basis. It's creating a plan, a strategy, right? Because without that strategy of where we're going, people start to flail, and then it becomes like, a therapy session. And I think there's, I think therapy is important. Absolutely. But my job as a coach is to get the acceptance of where they are right now, know that we have a vision, right? Where we're going and then create that action steps to get there. It doesn't mean we're not going to touch on the past we are we're going to hit those moments. And we're going to look at those things that have programmed us and then go does this programming still serve us right now? And if it doesn't, then we need to shift it. Because it's it's, it's, it's to the point where I like to say if you always do what you've always done, you're always going to get but you're always got. Right? So so if we can look at that and go, all right, I'm willing to work with this, but you're going to be a stronger individual, stronger man, a stronger woman, when you get out of this, it's going to you're going to be so much more powerful. I mean, that's what life is is, is growing, is getting stronger, is is unleashing that purpose that already exists within you. Right, and that's what a lot of people have a hard time seeing on their own. So yes, I work with individuals, but I also work with organizations, you know, companies will have me come in and, and work with their employees or different groups will have me come in and we need to be more connected, and how can we do that. And it's about taking off the masks and the layers that we've put on. And let's get real, let's talk about those things that, that, that really we're holding in and we're not sharing, because I'm all about authenticity. And I think that's one of the the the authenticity and vulnerability, I think is what's missing in leadership today. And so when I get to work with CEOs, and you know, I just got back from Mexico, worked with 50 CEOs from they all have their own different companies, and they needed to get more connected as a group. And so we were able to pull back those, take off those masks in those layers and really get vulnerable and shed some tears and talk about the things that that we normally don't talk about. And hopefully they're able to give that same vulnerability, not weakness, by the way, because it takes courage to get vulnerable and own your feelings, not be victimized by them, own them. And that's where they're going to get the best I feel out of their teams out of their employees is when they're leading from a heart space, not a headspace not from a checklist but from a from a really powerful, you know, essence within them. Yeah. And that's, that's where you're gonna see true change and you're gonna start to empower the people around you, just because you're stepping into something that you always should have been been in, but for some reason, somebody told you, it doesn't work like that. We all know we just have have to trust it and step into it.

Arwen Bardsley: 20:02

Yeah. And I also read that you say that you believe freedom is an inside job. So that's really, I guess what you're talking about there? Yeah. Is there anything else you'd say about that?

Chris Plourde: 20:19

It's, it's, it's all about looking at those scary little monsters that wake us up at three, four in the morning, right? The ones that come to us and they kind of you're lying there with your eyes wide awake, whether it's, you know, that that financial, you know hinderance or that thing that you haven't dealt with that relationship that was there that you really never really reconciled those things that you're not talking about those secrets. So that shame or that guilt that you're holding on to. And it's being able to give that light, right, it's being able to give it a sense of, okay, you're there I see you. But in the middle of that is where I think the joy and the freedom lies. It's looking at that scary monster and in and knowing that there's a perception that you're creating, and you're making up in your mind that it is just this awful thing that's going to kill you. And it's actually not, it's hard to look at it. But what you the example, or the metaphor I like to give is, once you look at it, and you go into it, that monster actually turns into a little teddy bear. It just wants to be seen. It wants to be held, it's a part of you. And I think that's what self love is, is is looking at all your pieces, all your parts. And going this is me, this is what I need to go through. It's owning the, the light and the shadow. Right and going this is what life is. Is it hard? Yeah. Is it worth it? No doubt. You know, it's, it's so worth it. But being able to hold that, being able to look at that, you know, and say this happened for me, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna see the best I can I'm going to extract those gifts from it.

Arwen Bardsley: 22:11

Yeah, I love that, you know, reframing even just little things in your every day. From you know, I have to do this to I get to do this. Like you're saying it's not, you know, happening to me, it's happening for me.

Chris Plourde: 22:28

That's right.

Arwen Bardsley: 22:29

Yeah, the language that we use around challenges is so important, isn't it?

Chris Plourde: 22:37

Right. That's everything, like how we talk to ourselves. You know, we literally get to bring that left brain scarcity survival way of doing things, which is how the judge that shows up, right? And you can define that in controller hyper achiever victim, like all these different judges saboteurs that, that screw with us. And for some, drive them forward, right, and get them a level of success. But research shows if we can literally reprogram that and catch that and get present with ourselves. When that is happening. We can move into that sage like place, we can move into that compassionate place. That place of you know, like I said, with my father, you know, yes, was early in my teenage teenage years, was I upset? Did I want to shift? Did I want to change? Yes. But when I realized that I could meet him with compassion, I could see him his little boy, right? Because I was able to look at my little boy and have compassion with with who I am and who I was, then I could see him for who he is. And I think that's where it's missing is, we got to look at ourselves first. So when we talk about freedom, that's where the freedom lies, is looking at ourselves. So for me, being a really sensitive kid, right, and thinking there was something wrong with me because I'd cry all the time. And then get actually getting therapy because I needed to fix this because I was broken, right? Because I grew up on the east coast and a really tough town and crying wasn't an option. And I know some of your listeners are like, yeah, no, you got to be a man. Well, I think men are missing the emotion. Some men are missing the emotional component of it. Right? It doesn't. It's not about standing in and burying your feelings because if you bury those feelings and you're holding them in, no matter how strong you are, it's going to disrupt and disease you in some way, shape or form. Right? So it's a matter of allowing yourself in the right kind of space to feel. And so I did that I built my manliness up so to speak and became this hammer and athlete and didn't get compassion. Any time something went wrong, I'd stand right back up and, you know, beat up the next opponent, so to speak, that was in front of me whether that was a job or a person or a situation. And it wasn't until I felt myself not being happy and fulfilled in my 20s, late 20s 30s, that I was like, something's got to change here. And what's missing? And that's when I found men's organizations and teams. And this wasn't about a new agey type of thing. It was about No, let's get real, let's get truthful. And it was a safe space to be to, to own where you're at in your life to look at look in the mirror and say, this is this needs to change. This isn't working for me anymore. And I got to feel these feelings and move to the next level. And so I when I realized that, that that was me, and I was a hammer, I wanted to look at that little piece of me that wasn't seen, that wasn't held. And when I could see that little boy, that that that wasn't there, that that that decided to become something, an idea of something that that he didn't necessarily know, he just thought by looking around him, I'm going to be that. And that's what I created. Again, other people's perceptions, other people's ideas put on to me, I went in that direction. And then it's about taking that programming when you finally find it, and then taking off the layers and taking off the masks and saying no, this is who I am. This is the authentic person that I want to be and live. And that's what I want to pass on to my children as well.

Arwen Bardsley: 26:34

Yeah. Do you have boys or girls or both?

Chris Plourde: 26:37

I have a boy and a girl. 15 year old boy, nine year old girl.

Arwen Bardsley: 26:42

Yeah. Yeah, well, okay. So nice point to go into this question of what is the modern masculine man? I mean, I'm sure he's those things that you've talked about, that he need to be looking at, at the little boy within the man. But yeah, how can you tell us more about that, and sort of the work that you do with men's groups? And and, you know, I guess I'm really, you know, you saying, Well, like, how you were at that wasn't working for you. And I think the whole thing is, it's not working for society, it's not working for the world, that that, you know, we have this culture of really toxic masculinity as as the main way of being as a man. So yeah, you know, how can we get more men interested in doing this kind of work? And realizing as well, that's something else that I'm really curious to get your thoughts on?

Chris Plourde: 27:43

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So first, I think the men have to get really, really real. And some women, by the way, you know that they have to get really real with where they're at right now. And be honest with themselves, like, look in the mirror and go, are you happy with the man that you are today? Are you satisfied? Are you living from a fearful place and just covering it up? So the rest of the world can not see who you are? Or are you? Are you truly happy? Are you fulfilled? What is your cup, like right now? And then say, if it's not being okay with that, like accepting it first, acceptance is the hardest part in order to change. So once you accept that, and you say, All right, do I want to go on for the next 20,30,40,50 plus years, like this? Or do I want to make a shift? And then and then you get to not do it yourself? Right? Because that's what most of us could get in trouble with. I know I was a that's was me. I did it. I wanted to do it all on my own and not ask for help. But ask for help. Right? When I finally said, I want to be a better father, a better husband. And I saw some of the the men in my life that were going to these circles, and these men's circles. And I finally went along. And I was just like, What is this these men are really screwed up? Like they're talking about all the problems they have in their life? Do I want to be in this? And it wasn't about in my naive young self was like, not understanding compassion at the time was like, no, they're not talking about the problems they have. They're talking about the challenges they have. And they're getting it out in a place in a safe place. So they're not bottling it up and isn't coming out in this passive aggressive way that's hurting and impacting other people that they love. Because that's what happens. We hold on to these things that that come out in ways that we don't want them to, again, passive aggressive anger. Anger is the cover up for sadness, right? So what comes out that way comes out if we get sick, it comes out in diseases that might occur right in when you wake up at four in the morning and Say, why am I wide awake? What is this that I'm thinking about? So it's a matter of reaching out and saying, Who are the people that I trust that I can get vulnerable with? Who can hold that space for me? Right? And if you don't have those direct people in your life right now, then do some research. There's there's hundreds 1000s of different men's organizations and groups. And yeah, some of them might be right for you. And some of them may not. But it's a matter of getting into action and saying, This can't go on, I don't want this to go on anymore like this, it's time for a change, it's time for a shift and that getting into action takes courage. And, and, and it's about taking care of you. First and foremost, put the oxygen mask on, take care of yourself, take care of it, because it like you said, this leadership that we have around this world right now. It's falling fast, right? It's not working people are just fighting every step of the way to keep this old way of being. And like I mentioned earlier, I think there's, I know, there's a new type of leadership in store, right, especially with this new world that we have. And it's coming from a place of truth, honesty, compassion, right? And that's where you're going to get the best out of your people. Because when you can really dive into that. And I think that's modern masculinity, you know, is really getting that really understanding.

Arwen Bardsley: 31:25

And do you think, you know, is there a real challenge in getting that message out? More broadly? Or do you think it is happening gradually? Now, slowly, but steadily?

Chris Plourde: 31:40

I think it's it's definitely happening. But there's some that are just are they're gonna always fight it, but you just have to decide what side you want to be on? Do you want to be in this place of just lying to yourself and, and not being the man or woman you were meant to be? And living your true self? Or, you know, do you do want to step into that power? You know, and it's just a matter of, again, getting real? And saying, Do I want to make this change, instead of waiting for everybody else to do it? Getting into that action? And making it making it happen? For sure.

Arwen Bardsley: 32:18

Yeah, Amen to that. Let's talk psychedelic journey work. That's something that absolutely fascinates me, it's actually something that I've got fairly high up on my to do list. So you know, I'd love you, I mean, then there might may well be people out there who are listening or watching this, who don't even know what we're talking about when we say that. So can you I guess give us a bit of a 101? And, you know, like, what happens, what the benefits are? And also I think it's really important for people to be aware of how to access doing this kind of work in a safe way.

Chris Plourde: 33:09

100%. Yes. So I'll just give you a bit of my backstory with this work. And my wife as well. You know, when I first got into this work, it was it was shown to me and provided by some trusted people that were doing a lot of this work and creating these, these journey groups that were all about growth and work. It wasn't about getting high or a party was all about growth, and creating a sacred space to do this work in. Right. And when I first did my, when I first really got it, I remember I was lying there and I was like I was connected to all like I understood what spirit spirituality truly was. It wasn't just about me, it was there is this expansiveness. There were these downloads of information that were coming through me, right from the medicine because the medicine which was psilocybin at the time, has this intelligence to that to it, that was just just speaking and allowing this information to come through. So psilocybin - mushrooms - are derived the fruits of mycelium Mycelium is what runs and connects all through the earth. So just to put a visual to it if you ever saw avatar, they would connect to the to the roots within the earth within their planet, so to speak. Mycelium runs like that and connects all plants and creatures to plants in this entire earth. It's the oldest living organism in on earth. What comes from that is mushrooms, or in this case, psilocybin, which is said to have these these this intelligence to it. And so what it really helps us do is break down this, this idea of ego, right? And and get to the heart and the soul of who we are, and see that we are part of something much, much bigger. And so when I was layin' there, and my wife and I, for the first time, we were like, oh my god, this is this is something that is extraordinary, that that we were able to go back into our lives and talk about it for weeks after about all the information, all the things that would come to us, that we were able to work on ourselves. And we were able to see the healing that would come through that was one of the things where I was able to see my father, for who he was, for the first time, where she was able to forgive her mother. On another time, you know, I mean, there's hundreds of different things. And so I embarked on this journey that we would go to every, you know, three or four months in these, again, in these sacred places, spaces that were created, so that we could all grow and connect and be the souls that we are today. And it's a continuous journey. And so, but like you said, you know, a lot of people will get this, the hold of these, and take it and be around energy that isn't necessarily the best energy for them. And it could lead them down this path of not such a good experience. So if I can recommend it, make sure that you have that safe, sacred space set for you. It's called set and setting. And, and that's how you want to potentially do this. And again, checking with your doctors or whatever. Because here in the States, there's there's this organization called MAPS, that to doing all this research, John Hopkins and all these others, it's talking about how it's helping with depression, it's helping with PTSD. There's a lot of benefits to to this particular plant, or these particular plants that allows people to really work through certain things that that they might have been burying, because it's not necessarily we're going to just go out and get high, it's about let's get in to ourselves and look at those scary things. So that we are able to ultimately be free within ourselves. And this is just information. It's not the end all be all. It's the information that we get and now we get to take that and integrate it and I say integrate it into our lives, because that's the missing piece. If you're not integrating it, then it's just going to become this high that you get every so often. So how do you take that and then move in? And I love working with people on the integration process of it as well.

Arwen Bardsley: 37:43

Yeah, yeah. Right. And that's where you come in as a coach. And so is it something that you continue to do every few months? Or a couple of times a year or so?

Chris Plourde: 37:53

Yes, for sure.

Arwen Bardsley: 37:54

Yeah. Okay.

Chris Plourde: 37:55

I think it's every every quarter or twice a year. Yeah. Just to kind of get that refresh, you know, just the, the, the amazing sense of connection and love that comes out of it. Like every journey you do. Some of them are, are very challenging, and some of them are extremely loving. And some of them are a mix of both. So it's, it's accepting that it is happening for you that these are gifts that are coming through you. And no matter what happens, there's, I've always felt that it was worth it. Right, because of the experience that you had. It's I never walked away from a journey. Not once and said, I wish that didn't happen. There's always lessons that happened in the middle of it that night after the next week, the next month, because the the intelligence of that medicine stays within your body as well. Right? So.

Arwen Bardsley: 38:51

Yeah, I mean, it's it's not about getting high. It's really about getting deep isn't it.

Chris Plourde: 38:56

That's well put very well put.

Arwen Bardsley: 38:58

Yeah. So I did want to talk about breathwork and meditation as well, because there's something else. And it's something that is huge in my practice as well. And something that I'm always always recommending to people that they do. So I guess I mean, it doesn't surprise me at all that that's something that you've gotten into given everything else you've spoken about. But I suppose I'm interested to hear how you did come into it and what style of meditation you are coaching people in.

Chris Plourde: 39:39

So it was very good lead in, by the way, because I was teaching meditation at a studio in Santa Monica, California, and they happen to offer breathwork and so I was like, oh, okay, I'm gonna take this class and see what this is all about. In my very first class, I took the I went Oh my god, this is something I have to teach, because it was the closest thing that came to what a plant medicine journey was, was all about. For me, it brought me to that same sense of self, just using the breath without any ingesting anything. And so this is such a big part of me coaching right now, because it allows those barriers to be broken down. Right, it's all about the disruption of the old habits. And again, yes, resistance might come up in breath work. But the flooding of the oxygen and co2 into the body allows the, the, the stuck emotions to come to the surface, and they say the issues are in the tissues. Well, this is a big piece of how we get to move that, and how we get to work with it. And again, take the layers and the mask off, this is just one more tool. And I love bringing it to two different workshops or retreats that I get to do you know, we have some really heartfelt conversations and get real and then we integrate the breath work into it. And the the talking after and what people have got is just been story after story of mystical things, or physical things or pain that's got released, or, you know, so many, you know, and sometimes it's just been, Oh, that felt nice, and I just feel great, you know, every single breathwork session is different an experience as as a journey is to for plant medicine as well. So and then moving in, I was gonna say meditation, too, is this way of, of being calm and just aligned with yourself. So this is something you know, most of my clients do I do a couple times a day. But just catching the thoughts that come through. And being able to recenter yourself into that moment into those sensations and get very present allows you to get stronger every single time. And I think a lot of people say to themselves, they don't necessarily I can't meditate, I have too many thoughts. Well, everybody has thoughts, we have 70,000 thoughts a day, right? And for you to go into a meditation, to say it's going to be perfect, right? Is is is obscure, right? It's not, you're going to have these things that come through. But again, catching them. Every time you catch a thought, and you bring yourself back to centre, give yourself a little mini high five, because you just got stronger when you caught that thought. And the more we practice, the better the deeper we can go. And the deeper we get to kind of connect to the soul. And we get to ask those questions. And those little downloads start to come in and those answers, we get to dip into our deep well of wisdom that's always there. And so you talked earlier about inner freedom. inner freedom is about trusting what is already inside of you that you have the answers internally. And we just have to go in and find those or let those be unleashed. So

Arwen Bardsley: 43:18

Yeah, yeah, I mean I always say to people that the practice of meditation is about the refocus. It's not about having an empty mind. As you said, we can't, we can't we are not designed to have an empty mind. But practice is the refocusing the self on whatever it is on the breath or, you know, the the body or whatever it is that your style of meditation you're doing. I wondered, I know you've got a free meditation on your website, which is fabulous, but I wondered if you could do a little mini tiny thing for us now. With the breath or something? Is that okay?

Chris Plourde: 44:03

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I was one of my favorite meditations. Would you like, there's a free breathwork session that you can take it's a half an hour breath work on my website. ChrisPlourde.com, you all are welcome to that. But with meditation, I don't know if you want to just do a quick breathing exercise. We can do a box breathing or if you want to do a visual of where are we where we are where we want to be. So it's completely up to you.

Arwen Bardsley: 44:34

Yeah, well, if you've got the free breathwork maybe the breath meditation would be a good one to know if that's okay, but what you know, whatever works,

Chris Plourde: 44:43

Yeah, let's, let's let's do it. That would be great. So, okay, this will probably be about a five minute or so six minute little meditation for us to kind of fall into. So you can start by just shutting Your eyes maybe just taking a deep breath in through the nose and exhale through your mouth. Maybe another one a little bit deeper. Feel that breath go all the way into the belly and exhale through your mouth again. And maybe just one more as we go even deeper into the bottom of the belly, the legs. And exhale again. And then as we close our lips and let the breath just gently come through the nose, in and out, maybe it's something you can feel or visualize whatever makes sense to you. Or even hear. Know that any point you want to go back to that breathing that is your compass that is your center point. It's bringing you back to present bringing you back to the awareness of the breath. So as we bring our attention to the space between the eyebrows we just feel our forehead relax and get supple. Our cheekbones, our jaw relaxes our neck, our shoulders drop. We feel this energy moving down our arms into our fingers as the fingers open up to the sky and we feel a little energy coming through. Back up through the arms, the upper back up and down the spine is as we call these areas out we just feel this release happen around the belly button up to the heart space. And just notice if there's any armor around the heart that we want to release and let go. If there is just allow it to fall away and open up maybe there's a little energy that we feel in the heart space swirling around. Just allow that to get bigger and move through the torso and then back down into the hips, the legs, the knees, calves, feet and toes we just completely surrender and now allow our body to relax as we go in so as we move we feel ourselves just kind of get lighter. Maybe we even start to float above our physical body as we look down we feel ourselves rising up to the sky a little more. floating up a little higher seeing the place where we were sitting or are sitting maybe as we get higher and the town that we live in the city so we move higher our region our communities, our country as we float up through the clouds into the sky, space where we get weightless. We just picture ourselves and then a snap happens. We are one year from today. We're gonna fast forward into our future one year from today so as We come back down notice where you're coming back down through the clouds are you still in that same town? In that same home and if not where have you moved to allow yourself to go there whether it's a different country a different home and wherever that is allow yourself to just land softly on that front lawn or street and you see a door you walk up knock on that door The door opens and you see you see you. A version of you one year from today. Look into her eyes, his eyes what have they learned? What do they look like? Are they happier. Does their light shine brighter? What lessons have they learned what things have they gone through? What perspective shifts? How have they shifted their lives? As you get ready to leave your self hands you a gift. And that gift can come in any way shape or form. A gift your future self is just handed you thank him or her. You embrace. You walk take one look back. You start to float back up into the sky, into the clouds gently into space. And just like that, we're back to present day. Come back down. Again floating gently. where we're sitting right now into our bodies, into our hearts into our souls. As we come in we look at the gift that's on our desk and our chair on our laps. We open it up, we ask 'What is that'? Why? What did he or she give me? What was the purpose? What was the reason? What am I taking with me? And how am I going to get into massive action to get to that future self. When you're ready just start to rub your fingers, move your toes. Breathe a little deeper. And in no rush, you can open your eyes there we are.

Arwen Bardsley: 54:02

I'm back, thank you so much.

Chris Plourde: 54:04

Thank you I was a little longer than five minutes.

Arwen Bardsley: 54:07

Not at all. Wonderful, thank you. So you're Sorry about that. so you did say your website, didn't you? chrisplourde.com.

Chris Plourde: 54:19

Chrisplourde.com? Mm hm.

Arwen Bardsley: 54:21

Okay. And I'll obviously put links in the notes is do you have any particular programs or services or offerings you want to tell people about

Chris Plourde: 54:32

Yeah, I'm currently working on a a workshop series that should be coming out pretty soon. So amplify your life, about owning your story, releasing shame and guilt putting up boundaries for you know, ultimate success and happiness. So all of these things are which allow us to kind of work on ourselves to get to where we should be or are going to be. So just tools that we'll be able to get into that. You can always book a discovery call if coaching is something you want to explore. I'll have different groups that will be, you know, forming over the next year that you can just touch back on my website. So lots of different ways to evolve and, you know, even different mens - we talked about men's organizations, but I know there are some variety of them in any given in Australia that I can give access to if that's something you're looking for. So

Arwen Bardsley: 55:28

Yeah, yeah. Great. That would be wonderful. And with the workshops you mentioned, they are do they take place online?

Chris Plourde: 55:41

Well, I I'm going to I'm working with a company right now that I might be doing them in live, but I will be recording them too. So they'll be able to have access virtually as well.

Arwen Bardsley: 55:51

Yeah. Wonderful. All right. Well, thank you so much, Chris. That's been a really fascinating conversation. I really appreciate your time and we'll put all the links to you in the notes and hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

Chris Plourde: 56:10

So nice to meet you. And thank you for having me on. Right