Stay Grounded With Raj Jana

“Experiences develop you. They define you. They refine your attitude.”This episode’s guest has been called “The Real Life Wizard of Oz" by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine because he has the ability to make the impossible, possible.Nowadays, Steve Sims rubs shoulders with celebrities and billionaires. His luxury personal concierge service, Bluefish, creates incredible experiences for its members and allows Steve to live an interesting life vicariously through his clients.But it wasn’t always this way. Steve started out as a bricklayer. As an East London boy who grew up in a low income family, he was well versed in the ‘them vs us’ culture.He’d look at the people who seemed to have it all and wondered why he couldn’t live like that. When he realized there was no real reason (and it was all in his head), he started to challenge himself to live a fuller life on a daily basis.And in this episode, Steve shares how you can do the same by using experiences to seize life by the horns and infuse everyday with surprise

“Our only job as humans is to live in our truth.”I didn’t know who Danete was when I took the empty spot next to her at dinner.It was at a mastermind. I’d set myself the intention of connecting with some incredible humans and somehow I felt drawn to that empty seat. As we started chatting, I didn’t feel like I was having a conversation for the first time. I felt as though I already knew Danette.It was beautiful, I was inspired, and I absolutely had to have Danette share her story right here - on the Stay Grounded podcast.Now there’s a reason this is episode 47.This number takes us right back to the rock bottom moment when Danette’s life transformed.Rewind 5 years and Danette had just lost her son during childbirth, she was recently divorced, and had just $47 to her name.This scenario would break most people, but somehow Danette found the courage to turn her ‘muck’ into opportunity and RISE into the phoenix of who she’s supposed to be in this lifetime.“You don’t have to love all of it, but you get to love your

“We’re all human beings and we all crave connection with other human beings.”In this episode, I get to speak with the incredible Ken Blackman - a sex and relationship expert who focuses on sex, intimacy, and connection.I believe your life is a product of your relationships - whether that’s with your friends, parents, your partner, your kids, or your work colleagues. In my own life I’ve found that the better your relationships, the better your life becomes so I couldn’t wait to get an expert perspective on something we all struggle with to some degree.We’re social beings - we CRAVE connection - but it’s also an area of lives where we can find it difficult to have what we really want.And in this episode, you’ll get some insights that will help you understand why that is.“Courage is NOT fearlessness.”Although Ken has been coaching for over 20 years, he wasn't always a relationship expert. Previously, he worked at Apple, but he found his true passion after struggling with intimate relationships himself.Ken used t

“There’s a lot more going on here than just cells floating around in my body. My mind has a lot more to do with it than I believe.” Frank started college just like any other student. He was outgoing, social, and identified himself as an athlete. But that all changed in his second semester when he got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Used to peak fitness and endless physical energy, Frank started to experience intense stomach pains and blood in his stools - on a daily basis. Sport became painful and Frank’s social life dried up because he never wanted to be far from a toilet. After 18 months of declining health, Frank put his trust in the doctors and agreed to have his colon removed. This involved major surgery and a length recovery process. Frank felt better for a few months, then the pain started all over again. In this episode, Frank tells his story of finding positivity amongst this chaos. He shares how he was able to learn from his dwindling health to take control of his life an

“Betting on yourself is probably one of the most accelerated tracks of genuine personal development that you’ll ever go down.”In this episode I dive deep into the rabbit hole with psychotherapist and the ‘Shrink for Entrepreneurs’ - Peter Shallard.Peter started his business journey in his homeland of New Zealand with a brick and mortar psychotherapy clinic. After a local business owner became a client, Peter was inspired to explore entrepreneurialism to build his own practice. This kick-started a love affair with business and how business can be used as a tool for accelerated human growth and development.Fast-forward a decade, and Peter now works with entrepreneurs to help them achieve wealth, freedom, and sanity (the ultimate hat trick for entrepreneurs) so they’re in a position to figure out ‘what next’ - because that’s the place where life gets most fulfilling.This episode is incredible. Peter is obsessed with understanding what makes people tick and why they’re compelled to do the things they do. Peter’s

“An addiction is something that’s covering up something else.”Jenn Edden has been helping people quit their sugar addiction for over 14 years. As you’ll hear in this episode, this is Jenn’s calling and she’s hugely passionate about the work she does.Jenn captivated me because you don’t often hear sugar and addiction in the same sentence. But when you learn that sugar lights up the same part of the brain as cocaine, you realize how serious this addiction can be. I guess that’s what’s most scary. How many times were you given a lollipop when you were hurt or sick as a child?Jenn is the real deal. Raised in an addictive family, Jenn admits she’s seen a lot. It’s one of the things that makes her such an authority on this subject. She knows her stuff and she’s going to get you to view sugar in a whole new way.Especially if you have kids...“First answer, right answer.”As a mom of three, it’s fascinating to learn how Jenn has drawn from her own experiences and teachings to raise kids who have high self-esteem and st

“You have to take a leap of faith that you can in fact succeed at one thing… and practice that great advice which is sometimes hard to follow which is called focus.”This episode’s guest is a rockstar!Majeed started his entrepreneurial journey when he was just 16. By the time he was 21, he’d bought and sold FIVE companies and used entrepreneurship to fund his passion for travel.Majeed is now in his early 30s and he’s married with two young children, but his mantra for life hasn’t changed. “I live to travel” and that’s what he does! He now travels the world helping experts get their stories onto stages so they can serve more people with their message through public speaking.It’s one of the reasons Majeed has such incredible insight. Through his work he gets to help all kinds of people including Olympic athletes. This breadth of knowledge and experience shines bright throughout conversation.One topic we talk about a LOT is passion. It’s so important if you want a life that’s fulfilling.So come listen in and disc

“The ego uses the past to predict the future… By holding onto the past, you’re just creating the same pattern.”This episode’s guest didn’t think she’d make it to her 40s.Raised by immigrant parents, Adamaris was brought up with the belief that you have to work hard for everything. She was taught that no one was going to give her anything - she had to do it all herself.So that’s what she did.As a high achiever, Adamaris committed to the grind and tackled life the ‘world’s way’. She worked her way through the education system to ace college and get a masters degree before landing a corporate job in an investment bank.Then she worked and worked until she reached the point where her body couldn’t take it anymore.Thanks to severe adrenal exhaustion, Adamaris’s dream fell apart. Incapable of work she had no choice, but to quit her job. Suddenly, she was $50k in debt, living at home with her parents, and so broken her body couldn’t even digest foods - only liquids.It was an insane low that became the ‘gift’ which tr

“There is no wrong way to live life.”I’m super pumped for episode 40. It’s another BIG milestone for the Stay Grounded podcast and we’ve got an incredible guest to mark this special occasion.Marc Cordon and I have similar roots. As second generation immigrants, we’ve both grown up as minorities trying to find our own version of the American dream. And it’s been one hell of a ride!As you’ll hear in this episode, Marc wasn’t always the approachable, compassionate guy you’ll hear today. He used to be ‘an angry Asian’ - desperate to not be Filipino so he could be like everyone else and fit it. But that wasn’t Marc’s destiny. In fact, standing out became the very thing that helped him achieve the success he enjoys today.Inspired by Michael Jackson, Marc is the coach that coaches the coaches. A positive psychology expert and the force behind Make Money Coaching Program, Marc’s mission is to empower people and have as much fun as possible.So settle in because you’re in for a treat! Along with some incredibly honest

“If you just work with amazing people, helping a billion isn’t as crazy as it sounds.”I first heard this guest speak at a recent event and I was hooked immediately.Dr. Steve Young has, what many would call, a crazy goal.In fact he calls his mission to help a BILLION people love their way to building their greatest legacy by providing the tools and systems for success his ‘moonshot’ goal.But as you’ll hear in this episode, it’s not as crazy as it sounds.Since 2001 Dr. Steve has personally healed over 7 thousand people and influenced countless more indirectly. Using functional medicine and drawing upon science-based principles, Steve helps people resolve their physical ailments so they can return to health and high energy.He’s all about the process - not the hacks. Specifically, Steve inspires people to transform their relationship with food so they can regain control of their body and leverage health to live a happier life.“We all have this ability of heightened intuition. Our reality is so much more than the

“I became OK with failing - with the possibility that it might not work out. That was where the freedom came.” This episode’s guest and I have a lot in common. We both have corporate backgrounds in engineering (in fact, Darla calls herself a recovering engineer!) and we both experienced similar trigger moments that ‘forced’ us to take the leap out on our own. Now, Darla’s life couldn’t be more different! As a coach, she hosts intimate retreats that help people fast-track their learning and get out of their own way. So if there’s a part of you that’s not fully satisfied with the life you live right now, this episode is for you. Like me, Darla lived her life as convention tells us to do. She did all the right things, but life still slapped her in the face. But sometimes we need to be forced backwards before we can move forward again. So if you want to get unstuck, listen in as Darla dives deep into her own journey. Along the way, she reveals the hidden beliefs and experiences that

“We have a philosophy that all emotions are good. It’s about being able to move through those emotions that’s the key - so you can move from the negative to the positive.”This episode is a little bit special because I don’t have one guest, I have two!It’s power couple Desiree and Alonto Mangandog and they’re both passionate about using essential oils, aromatherapy, and acupuncture to help people process and move through their emotions.This episode blew my mind! When we live in our heads and we’re challenged by what Alonto referred to as ‘infobesity’, we can lose sense of the power our senses have to shake up our emotions.Desiree explains how 95% of everything that goes on happens in our subconscious - it’s no wonder it can be so hard to know ourselves - so we can grow and evolve into our potential.But as you’ll see in this episode, essential oils are a powerful tool that can unlock the door to heightened emotional awareness and maturity. That’s because the right oils used in the right situation can soften us,

“Hardship is really what makes us who we are. It’s easy to be an optimist when things are going great, but who are you when things get really difficult?”Today’s guest is one of the most exciting people I’ve ever met. Ultrarunner, Charlie Engle was the first man to run across the Sahara Desert. He’s a real life action hero too - all documented in a documentary film produced and narrated by Matt Damon (yes, you read that right!)What I love about Charlie is his ability to take on and succeed at things which seem humanly impossible.Charlie is right at home when he’s neck deep in struggle. In fact, struggle has defined a whole chunk of his life. From crack cocaine and alcohol addiction, to a stay in federal prison, to the extreme feats of physical endurance, Charlie is proof you can survive anything.And that’s what we talk about in this episode. Why push yourself to the absolute limits? Why put yourself under so much pain? How do you move beyond exhaustion to achieve things most people can even imagine (wait until

“I like to see that what you do in the gym as lab for the rest of your life.” Today’s guest was not naturally athletic. As a teenager, he was thin - scrawny even. Not the pillar of strength looking back at me through Zoom. But such is the power of goals. After reading the biography of a strongman, Logan wanted to perform at a super high level too. He wanted to accomplish feats of strength that most people could only dream about! And that’s been his focus since the age of 18 - with incredible results. That’s because just like the strongman who inspired him to step up, Logan can also pull an antique fire truck with his hair! So check out this episode and discover how he did it. But fair warning! Discussing what it takes to build strength on this scale only scratches the surface of what we spoke about... “Look at what is good for you but in a multi-level type of way… What’s good for you today, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, a decade from now, or over the course

“My job is to help people find resources to improve their quality of life so then they can do things like... be happy and have some routines that make them feel fulfilled.” In this episode, you’ll meet a women who says the prison system feels like home. She’s not a felon and she’s never been convicted, instead the brilliant Dr Ashley Hampton spent time helping inmates create a new life for themselves. It’s a fascinating story... As a psychologist, Ashley loves to connect through people through their stories - and as she shares some of her own, she reveals that we’re not all that different. In fact, very often it’s our choices that separate us and not our backgrounds or life experiences. Challenge that us v them mindset, and it’s possible to feel a connection with virtually anyone - even if your lives seem like worlds apart. “That’s how you get a goal. You start small, and you move forward, and you make those steps along the way... You have to start somewhere.” In this episod

“Self care is mandatory… If you think you’re going to be at your highest performance without self care, you’re fooling yourself.” I first met today’s guest in New York at an entrepreneurial event we both attended. There was something about Julian! He had a vibe that made me feel good and made me want to be around him. And I wasn’t alone. I noticed how others had the same experience. When I asked Julian what was going on, he said it was because we had connected to his ‘inner god’ and that he was actively looking for the god in each person he encountered. We didn’t have time to go into the detail of what this meant, but I was hooked and super curious. I had to know more! So I invited Julian onto the Stay Grounded podcast so we could dig deeper into this concept. And the depth of insight this discussion unleashed blew me away - and I’m pretty sure it will be the same for you too. “By me witnessing the god in others I’m calling them up to the vibrational level of their god-selves.” I

“Writing thank you cards for me is my canvas. It’s the manner in which I express myself to the world about how I feel.” As the owner of a gifting company, today’s guest felt his was living out of alignment. Gifting involves expressing your love and appreciation to the people you care about, yet John didn’t feel this value featured highly enough in his life. Something had to change - so John committed to send FIVE handwritten thank you cards every day for one year. The Mr Thank You Project was born. But what started as a challenge quickly morphed into an incredible journey of self-expression, personal growth, and deepening relationships. When you think about thank you cards, you traditionally imagine obligatory notes sent after receiving a gift. But John knew those letters would get dry and boring pretty soon! So he decided to write cards that truly appreciated someone for who they are and what they’d done for him. It was a decision that forced John to be vulnerable and put his heart on the

“Microscopic living... It’s about going into the smallest places and finding treasure that explodes and expands to everybody else.” When today’s guest lost the love of her life in a tragic accident, her whole life plan was stripped from the table. But part of the human condition is the ability to transform tragedy and heartache into something beautiful. It’s how her husband’s death became one of the pivotal points that enabled Sheevan to become - in my words - “the Queen of Flow”. I was so pumped to talk with Sheevaun, this conversation made me so happy! I learned some incredibly profound things too. But that’s what happens when you sit down to talk about life with a business advisor, master coach, and energetic thought leader. In fact, Sheevaun has helped over 25,000 entrepreneurs, CEO's and leaders tap into their soul’s unique formula - so they can show up in the way that’s right for them. And in this episode, she shares some incredible wisdom and insight that will inspire you to challen

“Maybe in life the real risk is not taking risks.” If you’re up for a deep, intellectual conversation that gets you thinking, then you’re in for a real treat with this episode. That’s because I’m speaking with the incredible Jon Berghoff. Raised in the birthplace of Apple, Jon is a father of three and the co-founder and president of the Flourishing Leadership Institute. Jon is one of the most curious people I’ve ever met. His super smart, analytical brain is dialled into the benefit of human systems. His mind is always on because he’s constantly looking to be better. I learned so much from this episode and I’m sure you will too. Passionate about unified mindfulness (which Jon talks about in detail during this episode), Jon is fascinated with unlocking human systems to empower others to be the best they can possibly be. It’s why topics such as concentration, presence, and curiosity feature strongly - because they are keys that can unlock life. “We end up choosing work that unknowi

“If we don’t keep that attitude of gratitude then we block the oncoming prosperity.” Today’s guest has worked with powerhouses such as Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins before setting up his own venture that empowers people through accountability. But life wasn’t always so successful. As a troubled teen, Mitch danced with death - at one point being just 15 seconds away from an early exit. Fortunately, a wake up call kicked him out of the downward spiral and put him on a path where success was the only option. Since that point, Mitch has committed his life to helping others while creating a beautiful, productive life for himself. And he spills all the beans in this incredible episode. “The wisdom only comes from the arrows in your back and the times you’ve tried and didn’t make it, not from the one time that you happened to get it right and hit a home run.” Fair warning! This episode is a rollercoaster. Mitch’s backstory reduced me to tears and tingles. I’m grateful for the powerful re