16h ago

The Power of Yes, And — Changing the Conversation, Changing What's Possible — with Taryn van Schalkwyk

What if two simple words could change the way we communicate, the way we see ourselves, and even the possibilities we create together? In this episode of Conversations for Change, Becky welcomes Taryn van Schalkwyk back for a fascinating exploration of “Yes, And”—a foundational principle of improvisational theater that offers a surprisingly powerful approach to everyday life. In improv, “Yes, And” means accepting what another person brings to the scene and building upon it rather than shutting it down. But as Taryn explains, this practice reaches far beyond the stage. What happens when we replace our habitual “No, but” with curiosity? When we listen to understand rather than respond? When we make room for someone else's perspective without needing to agree with everything they believe? Drawing on her experience as an improv performer, workshop facilitator, and director, Taryn shares practical exercises that help people rediscover their creativity, embrace imperfection, and become more comfortable with the unexpected—including the wonderfully liberating practice of doing a failure dance! Together, Becky and Taryn explore how the same principles can transform our relationships with children, our conversations with others, and perhaps most importantly, the conversations we have with ourselves. As their discussion unfolds, it becomes an exploration of something even deeper: how we release the need for control, reconnect with our natural capacity for joy, and learn to approach life's uncertainties with greater openness and trust. And what might become possible if we brought that same spirit of curiosity, acceptance, and cooperation into our communities and the wider world? Because changing the conversation isn't just about finding better words. It's about creating the space for something new to emerge. Topics explored The power of “Yes, And” in improv and everyday lifeMoving from defensiveness to curiosityListening without judgmentThe difference between acceptance and agreementLetting go of perfectionism and the fear of failureThe liberating practice of the failure danceParenting, children, and honoring individualityReconnecting with childlike joy and creativitySelf-awareness and the conversations we have with ourselvesReleasing control and embracing uncertaintyFinding inner peace in a chaotic worldTransforming relationships through conscious communicationCreating cooperation, connection, and new possibilitiesFor more information on Keith Johnstone, pioneer and founder of modern improvisational theatre, please visit this link: https://www.keithjohnstone.com/

Oct 12

The Magic of Being Here — Nature, Gratitude & the Beauty of Being Alive

What if some of the deepest healing we experience comes not from trying to change anything, but simply from being fully present to the extraordinary beauty of life? In this reflective solo episode of Conversations for Change, Becky takes us along on early autumn mornings on the river, where moonlight filters through the fog, Orion shines overhead, and the natural world awakens around her. From playful otters and diving seals to brilliant sunrises, abundant gardens, and the gentle turning of the seasons, she shares the wonder of being immersed in a living world that continually invites us back into gratitude, joy, and connection. But this is more than a reflection on the healing power of nature. It's also a celebration of the moments we share with one another—the laughter, conversations, memories, and simple pleasures that make a life feel rich beyond measure. As the seasons change and familiar moments slip into memory, Becky reflects on the preciousness of a world where nothing stays the same, and where that very impermanence makes our time together all the more beautiful. Perhaps we don't always need to search for something more. Sometimes the greatest gift is simply remembering how extraordinary it is to be here. Topics explored The healing power of naturePresence, wonder, and gratitudeAutumn mornings on the riverThe beauty of the changing seasonsOur connection to the living EarthJoy in ordinary momentsFamily, grandchildren, and shared experiencesNature as a source of inner renewalImpermanence and the preciousness of lifeRemembering what truly matters

Oct 5

What Story Are You Telling Yourself? — Changing the Stories That Shape What’s Possible

What if some of the things we experience as fixed realities in our lives are actually stories we've been telling ourselves for so long that we've forgotten they're stories? In this episode of Conversations for Change, Becky explores the often-unconscious narratives that shape how we see ourselves, what we believe we're capable of, and what we allow ourselves to imagine for our lives. Drawing on a transformative experience from many years ago, Becky shares how a three-day program invited her to reconnect with dreams she had set aside—and then confront the stories she had created about why those dreams were no longer possible. The challenge was simple but profound: If you choose to keep the story, you may also be choosing to give up the dream. That experience became the beginning of more than a year of meeting regularly with a small group of people committed to questioning old stories, taking meaningful action, and supporting one another as they created different lives. Through openness, vulnerability and the willingness to be lovingly called back into awareness, those conversations became a catalyst for real change. But the episode reaches beyond our individual stories. What happens when we begin asking the same questions about the stories we hold collectively? What new possibilities become visible when we stop assuming we already know what can and cannot be done? Near the end, Becky recalls a question that changed her perspective decades ago. Faced with a situation she had never encountered before, she was reminded of something obvious but liberating: She had never done this before. So why should she already know how? What if, instead, she could approach it as a game she'd never played before—and simply see what could happen? Perhaps humanity is standing in a similar place now. We are living through enormous change without a finished instruction manual for what comes next. And rather than demanding that we already know the answers, perhaps we can give ourselves permission to become curious again—to question the stories we've inherited, experiment, imagine, and discover possibilities we couldn't see from inside the old story. Because sometimes the first step toward changing our lives—or our world—is simply recognizing: That's a story I'm telling myself. And then asking: What else could be true? Topics explored The stories we unconsciously tell ourselvesHow childhood experiences shape our worldviewThe difference between reality and our interpretation of realityDreams we've abandoned along the wayRecognizing the stories that keep us stuckSelf-awareness and the observer perspectiveVulnerability and being truly seenThe transformative power of supportive communityMoving from powerlessness to choiceLetting go of old narrativesCreating new possibilitiesNavigating change without already knowing the answersPersonal and collective transformation To learn about the people who created On Course: A Journey Home, Michael and Paulette Sun, please visit their website https://www.one-now.com/. And if you are interested in the latest evolution of the On Course 3-day workshop, you can visit Mile Hi Church.

Sep 28

The Direction of Travel

Creating the More Beautiful World from the Inside Out What does it really mean to say that transforming the world begins with transforming ourselves? In this episode of Conversations for Change, Becky explores what inside-out transformation looks like in everyday life—not as an abstract spiritual idea, but as a moment-to-moment practice of becoming more conscious of how we feel, how we respond, and the direction in which we're moving. It isn't about perfection. It's about awareness. Drawing on the idea that our inner state affects what we bring into the world, Becky explores the difference between compassion and taking on the suffering around us, why guilt and blame leave us powerless, and why tending to our own inner state can be an act of responsibility rather than avoidance. The question becomes not whether we ever feel frustrated, angry, afraid, or overwhelmed—but whether we recognize when we're there and remember that we can choose what happens next. From healing old wounds and soothing our nervous systems to gratitude, laughter, nature, and simply giving ourselves and one another a break, this episode is an invitation to become more awake to the energy we carry into each moment—and to begin moving deliberately toward what we want to create. Because perhaps we don't create a more loving, compassionate and joyful world by suffering harder over everything that's wrong. Perhaps we create it by becoming part of the energy—and eventually the action—of what we want to see instead. And that journey begins inside. Topics explored: • Inner transformation and outer change • Awareness and the observer self • Personal responsibility without blame • Joy as a conscious practice • Emotional patterns and the direction of travel • Healing trauma and soothing the nervous system • Compassion, guilt, and spiritual bypassing • Moving from reaction to conscious response • Gratitude and reconnecting with life • Becoming part of the solution • Creating change from the inside out

Sep 21

From Autopilot to Awareness — Rewiring the Patterns That Keep Us Stuck - A Conversation with Marianne Kamleitner

What if feeling stuck isn't a sign that something is wrong with you—but that the patterns shaping how you think, feel and respond have become less flexible? In this second conversation with energy healer Marianne Kamleitner, Becky explores Marianne's work with brain networks and how our patterns of thought, focus, emotion and intuition influence the way we experience everyday life. Marianne introduces three networks at the center of her current work: the central executive network, associated with focus and completing tasks; the default mode network, where reflection can turn into self-criticism, rumination and old stories; and the salience network, which helps us recognize what matters, feel our emotions and connect with intuitive impulses. Rather than operating independently, these networks continually interact—and when their patterns become less flexible, we may find ourselves overwhelmed, second-guessing ourselves or simply functioning on autopilot. Together, Becky and Marianne explore how energy work may support greater flexibility within these patterns, allowing subtle but profound changes to unfold over time. Marianne shares what happens during her group brain-network sessions and why the work is never exactly the same twice. Ultimately, the conversation moves beyond the brain itself into a deeper exploration of presence, self-trust and inner knowing. What happens when we stop expecting ourselves to know the entire path ahead and instead become quiet enough to recognize the next impulse? What changes when we learn to catch an old pattern, pause, and consciously choose whether we still want to follow it? Perhaps transformation doesn't always arrive through one enormous breakthrough. Sometimes it happens through a series of small internal shifts that gradually allow us to feel safer within ourselves, see more possibilities, trust what we know—and show up differently in our lives and in the world. Topics discussed Brain networks and energy healingThe central executive networkThe default mode network and the inner criticThe salience network, emotion and intuitionMoving beyond autopilotThought patterns and early conditioningBodyTalk and brain-network workGroup energy healingPresence and self-awarenessTrusting our inner impulsesSubtle versus dramatic transformationFinding safety within ourselvesInside-out changeBecoming more conscious of how we respond to life 🌿 Connect with Becky https://beckymundt.com/ 🌿 Connect with Marianne https://www.letyourbodytalk.at/groupsessions/ 🌿 Learn more about the work of Dr Laura Stuvé, PhD, Co-Creator of the BodyIntuitive system of mind-body medicine https://www.mindbodyscience.com/

Sep 14

The Poetry of Synchronicity - Becoming Who We’ve Been Looking For

What if synchronicity is more than coincidence—and our ability to experience it depends in part on how open we are to what lies beyond our ordinary perception? In this solo episode of Conversations for Change, Becky explores the subtle realms of energy and consciousness that exist beyond what we can see, hear or touch, and the growing willingness in our culture to take these experiences seriously. From energy healing and intuitive perception to the mysterious synchronicities that arise between people, she considers what becomes available when we move beyond skepticism and fear into greater openness, curiosity and awareness. Drawing on Jung's exploration of synchronicity, the Seth material, experiences within The Light Conduit, and observations from her own relationships and life, Becky reflects on consciousness as a kind of connecting field—and on synchronicity as a beautiful expression of what can happen when we come into resonance with one another. The conversation eventually turns toward an even larger question: What if the transformation we're experiencing isn't simply about changing the world around us, but becoming more conscious of who and what we already are? Perhaps our work is not always to focus harder on everything that is broken, but to become clearer about what we want to bring forward—and to recognize the role our attention, expectations, gratitude and choices play in what we experience and contribute to the world. That distinction between pushing against what we don't want and turning toward what we do want becomes one of the episode's central ideas. And perhaps synchronicity is part of the poetry that appears when we do. Topics discussed Subtle energy and realities beyond ordinary perceptionSynchronicity beyond simple cause and effectJung, consciousness and the “poetry” of synchronicityMusic, resonance and energetic alignmentIntuition and energetic connection between peopleGroup consciousness and The Light ConduitSeth, thought constructs and consciousness “containers”Attention, expectation and conscious creationMoving from resistance toward what we want to createHumanity's evolving awareness of consciousnessGratitude, openness and allowingBecoming “who we've been looking for”

Sep 7

Expect the Unexpected | Consciousness, Healing & the Nature of Reality with Csilla Antonovsky

What happens when an experience challenges everything you thought you understood about reality? Csilla Antonovsky returns to Conversations for Change for an expansive exploration of consciousness, healing, extraordinary states of awareness, and the surprising ways our inner world may shape the reality we experience. Becky and Csilla begin with a fascinating subject: psychedelic-like experiences without psychedelics. Both share personal experiences arising through meditation, altered states, nature, and spiritual practice—moments of extraordinary light, presence, altered perceptions of time, and out-of-body and altered-body experiences. These experiences can be exhilarating, disorienting, and sometimes difficult to explain. But perhaps their greatest gift is the way they invite us to question the boundaries of what we believe is possible. As Csilla describes, once an experience changes your understanding of reality, the search for deeper understanding often begins. The conversation then moves naturally from extraordinary states of consciousness into healing the past. Drawing from both therapeutic practice and spiritual experience, Becky and Csilla explore what happens when we revisit painful experiences from a new perspective—particularly through inner-child work—and discover that changing our relationship with the past can change what we carry into the future. What becomes possible when we step out of an old story long enough to witness it? Can healing a belief change what we expect from life—and therefore what we're able to recognize and receive? And what changes when we stop trying so hard to force transformation and instead become still enough to allow something new to emerge? Ultimately, this is a conversation about consciousness expansion, personal transformation, curiosity, intention, surrender, and reclaiming our creative relationship with life. Perhaps the real magic begins when we recognize that the reality we've known is not necessarily the only reality available to us. As Becky says: “What you allow becomes possible.” Topics discussed Psychedelic-like experiences without psychedelicsMeditation and altered states of consciousnessExtraordinary experiences and the nature of realityThe higher Self and expanded awarenessShamanic experiences and connection with animalsTime distortion and synchronicityInner-child work and healing traumaRevisiting the past from the witness perspectiveBeliefs, expectations, and conscious creationIntention, surrender, and effortless creation ✨ Learn more about Csilla Antonovsky and explore her work here: https://www.quantum-seeding.com/ https://www.lightconduit.org/ 🌿 Connect with Becky https://beckymundt.com/

Aug 31

The War Without, the Peace Within — A Conversation with Taryn van Schalkwyk

How do we find peace within ourselves when the world around us seems anything but peaceful? In this expansive and heartfelt episode of Conversations for Change, Becky sits down with Taryn van Schalkwyk—a South African of Lebanese descent now living in Bahrain—for a conversation about spiritual awakening, inner transformation, surrender, heart-centered living, and finding purpose in a rapidly changing world. After a 19-year career as a lawyer in South Africa, Taryn found herself confronting a deeper question: Who am I without all the titles? Her move to Bahrain created the space for an unexpected spiritual journey that challenged her analytical mind and opened her to intuition, energetic sensitivity, healing, and a growing awareness of a larger purpose. Living amid uncertainty and conflict has also brought Taryn face-to-face with a powerful contrast: the war without and the peace within. Together, Becky and Taryn explore what happens when we stop allowing external circumstances to determine our internal state—and begin discovering the still, grounded center within ourselves. Their conversation moves through surrender, fear and faith, heart-mind coherence, connection with nature, imagination, consciousness expansion, and the growing realization that perhaps we don't transform the world by trying to change everyone around us. Instead, transformation begins within. As we become more grounded in our authentic selves, we can stop trying to fix or persuade others and learn instead to hold space, remain present, and allow our lives to become an invitation. And perhaps we can meet the unknown with something else as well: curiosity. Drawing on her experience with improv theater, Taryn offers a wonderfully simple way of approaching life and everything we don't yet understand: “Yes, and...” An invitation to remain open to possibility—and to a future we may not yet be able to imagine. Topics discussed Spiritual awakening and inner transformationFinding peace amid uncertaintySurrender, fear, and faithDiscovering who we are beyond our rolesIntuition and inner knowingHeart-centered living and heart-mind coherenceHolding space rather than fixing othersConsciousness expansionImagination and conscious creationMeeting the unknown with curiosity

Conversations for Change

The Power of Yes, And — Changing the Conversation, Changing What's Possible — with Taryn van Schalkwyk

The Magic of Being Here — Nature, Gratitude & the Beauty of Being Alive

What Story Are You Telling Yourself? — Changing the Stories That Shape What’s Possible

The Direction of Travel

From Autopilot to Awareness — Rewiring the Patterns That Keep Us Stuck - A Conversation with Marianne Kamleitner

The Poetry of Synchronicity - Becoming Who We’ve Been Looking For

Expect the Unexpected | Consciousness, Healing & the Nature of Reality with Csilla Antonovsky

The War Without, the Peace Within — A Conversation with Taryn van Schalkwyk

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Conversations for Change

Episodes

The Power of Yes, And — Changing the Conversation, Changing What's Possible — with Taryn van Schalkwyk

The Magic of Being Here — Nature, Gratitude & the Beauty of Being Alive

What Story Are You Telling Yourself? — Changing the Stories That Shape What’s Possible

The Direction of Travel

From Autopilot to Awareness — Rewiring the Patterns That Keep Us Stuck - A Conversation with Marianne Kamleitner

The Poetry of Synchronicity - Becoming Who We’ve Been Looking For

Expect the Unexpected | Consciousness, Healing & the Nature of Reality with Csilla Antonovsky

The War Without, the Peace Within — A Conversation with Taryn van Schalkwyk

About

Information