A New Way of Being

The cost of constant distractions and how to get your focus back. In this episode, we explore the huge cognitive cost of constantly checking your phone and how it impacts your ability to focus and perform at your best. My guest is Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus, who sheds light on the “switch cost effect” – the mental toll of constantly switching between tasks. Johann explains how multitasking lowers your IQ in the short term, even more so than smoking weed, and offers simple steps to rediscover the joy of focus. One of these steps is pre-commitment, a strategy that involves binding your future self to stay on task. We also discuss how focus is the gateway to achieving flow, the state in which we feel and perform at our peak. In a world that’s increasingly demanding our attention, it’s more important than ever to find ways to reset, refocus, and get back into flow. To help with this, I’ve created a free mini-course to help you beat burnout and improve your focus. In just a few minutes a day, I share proven techniques to help you reset and find that much-needed flow. This course is available for a limited time, and I would love for you to join me and let me know what you think. JOIN HERE: https://www.simonmundie.com/free-burnout-mini-course My book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Website: simonmundie.com YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore a thought-provoking question: Is self-improvement really the path to happiness, or is it a trap that keeps us chasing something we already have? My guest is Joan Tollifson, an author, teacher, and lifelong explorer of the nature of being. Together, we discuss why the idea of “improving yourself” is inherently flawed, how meditation helps us access peace and creativity, and the value of simply taking some moment to 'be' in our lives. We also touch on: What actually is the “self” we’re trying to improve? Recognising the aware presence that doesn't need improving Meditation and its many different forms - and how we both 'do it' The power of taking moments of stillness to just 'be' The opportunity that being triggered presents us with Finding peace and ease by dropping the stories we tell ourselves My free mini-course on Beating Burnout and Finding Flow: https://www.simonmundie.com/beat-burnout-mini-course Joan's website: https://www.joantollifson.com/ Joan's Substack: https://joantollifson.substack.com/ My book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Website: simonmundie.com YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ Joan's books include Bare-Bones Meditation: Waking Up from the Story of My Life (1996); Awake in the Heartland: The Ecstasy of What Is (2003); Painting the Sidewalk with Water: Talks and Dialogs about Nonduality (2010); Nothing to Grasp (2012); and Death: The End of Self-Improvement (2019). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive deep into the topic of imposter syndrome, a feeling many of us have faced at some point. While it’s often seen as something negative, what if imposter syndrome is just a normal part of the human experience? I’m joined by Dr. Russ Harris, the author of The Happiness Trap and The Confidence Gap, as well as an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Harris offers a refreshing perspective on imposter syndrome and shares research-backed strategies to help us navigate these feelings with more confidence and self-compassion. My free mini-course on Beating Burnout and Finding Flow: https://www.simonmundie.com/beat-burnout-mini-course My book: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Website: simonmundie.com YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rejection is something we all experience, and for many the experience can be brutal. But even when we go to a social event, part of the reason we tend to stick to the people we know is to avoid the pain of feeling rejected, however slightly. So this is a universal issue. In this episode, I sit down with author, therapist and non-dual teacher Nic Higham to unpack one of the most challenging human experiences. Whether it’s the sting of a passing comment or the deeper wounds that stick with us, rejection has a way of leaving its mark on our sense of belonging. Nic and I explore how these moments can shape the stories we tell ourselves – often ones of unworthiness – and why, instead of resisting rejection, we are better off embracing it. Nic introduces the concept of radical inclusivity, where rejection is welcomed as part of life’s natural ebb and flow. Using metaphors like the ocean, he shares how facing rejection with compassion can lead to a stronger sense of wholeness. We also dive into the role of the inner child and how unmet needs can leave us chasing external validation rather than recognising the acceptance we already have within us. Nic offers practical tools, including strategies from Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and exposure therapy, to help navigate rejection without being overwhelmed. My book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself draws on some of my favourite interviews over the last six years. In it, I seek to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. 'This book captures the magic of being in flow . . . Highly recommend' RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 'Entertaining and enlightening' MATTHEW SYED 'This book will challenge your thinking on what success truly is and will give you tools to "succeed" in life in the truest sense of the world. This is definitely not just another book about sport and those who happen to be good at it' -- GOLDIE SAYERS 'The intention behind this book is beautiful, and I highly recommend it' RUPERT SPIRA 'The best guide we have to what it means to be human' AMOL RAJAN Order here: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Champion-Thinking-Success-Without-Yourself/dp/1526626497/ Website: simonmundie.com YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ Substack Newsletter: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices