Unleash Your Life‪!‬ Kenton and Rebecca Whitman of ReWild University

In a world built upon consumption, what happens if we question the paradigm and instead cultivate happiness with what we have? This is a big topic that goes WAY beyond "things", and incorporates our basic state of mind and motivation. Come along as we explore the power of loving what you have!





Here are this episodes' Action Points:Foster Your Mindfulness Practice-- We talk about this all the time, but it's that vital. A mindfulness practice will change your life! =)Make a "What I Want" List-- Make a list of what you want in life. Not the usual list (a million bucks, a hot new mate), but the things you think those million bucks will get you. What is it you REALLY want in life, at the base?Examine a Current Action-- Take a current action you're engaged in (maybe you're looking for a new job) and ask how that action is tied to a goal. Then ask what you really want to get from reaching that goal. Awareness of this kind can sometimes reveal new creative ways to get what you are really after, or help you realize you may already have what you want (it might just have been hiding in disguise).Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!

We all want to eat healthy, don't we? But what diet is best? Raw vegan? Paleo? Whole 30? Mediterranean? Join us as we leave behind specific diets and instead talk about how loving our food, eating consciously, and losing food fears can transform our health and life enjoyment!





Here are this episodes' Action Points:Do Some Positive Food Research-- When you're cooking, take a moment to research some of the health benefits of one of the ingredients. Then, share with your family how good that food is for them. It will add some positive placebo effect to your eating and help undo food fears.Have Fun With Your Next Meal-- Instead of cooking being a chore, make it fun! Try new ingredients (foraged food anyone?), cuisines, recipes, or cooking techniques.Add a Focus Affinity Before You Eat-- Take a moment before you eat to get into a mindful state. Share some gratitude, pray, or do something else to bring you present moment.Make a Meal To Share-- Cook for friends or loved ones! Cooking for others ties all of this together, invoking the power of positive social connections and conscious cooking.Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!

We all have a "baseline" of happiness in our lives, and research shows that the ups and downs of life (which we spend so much time trying to acquire and avoid, respectively) don't really impact that baseline very much. So the secret to happiness isn't arranging our externals appropriately so much as cultivating an inner joy. But how do we do that? Come along as we explore how to shift that baseline!







Here are this episodes' Action Points:



Smile-- Smiling is almost magical in its ability to change our own attitude (and it's contagious!). Take a short-duration task and try smiling the whole time. How do you feel? How do those around you respond?



Invite Someone-- Foster more human connection in your life by inviting a friend or three to tea, a campfire, a hike, etc. Human connection is a proven life enhancer!





The Gratitude Bowl-- Fill a bowl with pieces of paper on which you've written all sorts of things in your life. People, objects, abilities -- things both tangible and intangible. Then, once a day (or as often as you like!) pull one out and imagine that you no longer have that thing. What does it feel like to have lost it? And then reverse things and feel gratitude for having it.



Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!

Hi Friends! Need a good vacation? What if we could take a vacation right now? As in, NOW? This moment? Well, we can if we learn to cultivate a "vacation mindset". You've heard us talk about this before in the guise of an "adventurer's mindset", but in this episode we give some mindful advice about how to soak into each moment as if you were on the beach.







Here are this episodes' Action Points:



Explore!-- We often walk the same paths in life, literally and figuratively. What happens if we veer a little off that path? Often, adventure is waiting for us down the "road less travelled".



Try the "Artist's Eye" Exercise-- Artists often see the world in colors, textures, shapes, and shades of light. What happens if we harness that eye? We start to appreciate the world around us more and see its true beauty.





Talk With Strangers-- It can be intimidating, but every human being is a treasure-trove of experiences, ideas, and perspectives. When we start to strike up conversations, we can learn a lot.



Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!

Last season we started a tradition of talking about five books from our shelves and how they've influenced us. This season, we keep the tradition alive! Come with us for an adventure into nature poetry, magic, science, and a bit of intergalactic fun!







Here are this episodes' Action Points:



Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver-- Spend some time sitting quietly in nature, just observing. It can be 10 minutes or a whole afternoon. Then, try writing a poem, just to honor one of your observations.



The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben-- Go try to find some fungi! Specifically, the tiny filaments in soil or rotten trees that are the fungi's real "body" (the mushrooms are just the "fruit" of the fungus). Sit with or touch these filaments, and recognize that you're coming in contact with a being that few of us ever see in our lives.





The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery-- Explore an element of nature that you're unfamiliar with, especially with children or especially if you are fearful of the thing. Spiders are a great example. What can you learn about this element? Explore online or at your library, and you'll learn a ton!



Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham-- Delve deep with one plant in your yard. Research it online. Can it be used medicinally? Is it edible? Does it have utilitarian uses? And what traditions saw the plant as sacred? There are many stories waiting with every plant.



The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams-- Play a fun mind game by pretending you're an alien who just landed on Earth. What do the inhabitants look like? What are they up to? Observe the world through the eyes of humor, and you might just find that much of our human endeavor looks rather ridiculous!



Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!

We all know that our environment has a profound effect upon our beings. But we're not often intentional about shaping our environments, or not aware of how we are an integral part of other people's environments. Join us as we discuss how we can be more conscious about the people, colors, sounds, and other experiences that make up each day.







Here are this episodes' Action Points:



Notice Your Physical Responses-- When you next are experiencing a soothing or stressful situation, tune in to how your body feels. A tense throat? Long, soft breaths? Clenched jaw? As we learn to notice what our body is doing, we gain insight into our emotional state.



Change a Situation With Your Tone of Voice-- Next time someone is angry, fearful, stressed, or anxious around you, see if you can shift their state of being simply by speaking in a relaxed way.



Try an "Intentional Environment" Day-- Take one day and see if you can be as conscious as possible about all of your sensory input.





Extra Credit: Transform Your Perspective-- Sometimes we can shift our environments, but sometimes we can't. Instead, we can shift our perspective. Next time you're dealing with something you can't change, see if you can reframe it and look at it through a different lens.



Send us an email or visit rewildu.com and let us know what you thought of this episode! These podcasts are 100% supported by people like you! Keep them coming by becoming a patron through Paypal or Patreon at rewildu.com. Love to you all!