The Inciting Incident

Tim Shields
  • 5.0 (20)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The inciting incident and the dream are connected by one thing—a process I call dream tethering. Since I was a young man, I've always been fascinated by the transformative human journeys behind successful changemakers. As a successful writer behind some of today's most impactful books in the self-development industry, I continue to chase the next level of success, and I want to bring you the interviews and tools to help transform your life. These are the stories about how today's changemakers tethered to their dream. My name is Tim Shields, and this is the Inciting Incident.

  1. 1D AGO

    The Inciting Incident That Changed a Doctor's Path with Dr. Bahar Esmaili | #45

    In this episode, Tim sits down with Dr. Bahar Esmaili, a clinical dentist that became airway centered, whose daughter's health crisis became the catalyst for a complete shift in her life's work. What began as a mother's concern over her daughter's health unraveled into a deep exploration of breathing, nervous system regulation, and the hidden forces shaping human vitality. Tim and Dr. Esmaili explore how posture, breathing, gravity, and stress all shape the human experience and why most chronic disease may actually be a loss of adaptive capacity rather than a specific pathology.   Connect with Dr. Esmaili: Instagram: @theairwayqueen YouTube: @TheAirwayArchitect Website: thevivosinstitute.com

    1h 30m

  2. FEB 5

    Healing as a Mission, Not a Prescription with Dr. Mark Sherwood | #44

    In this episode of The Inciting Incident, Tim speaks with Dr. Mark Sherwood, former professional baseball player, SWAT officer, and law enforcement veteran turned functional medicine practitioner, about the moments that redirected his life and redefined his understanding of service. A single statistic about first responder life expectancy became the catalyst for a profound shift in Dr. Mark's life. What began as a mission to protect and serve on the streets of Tulsa evolved into a global calling to help people reclaim their health, their agency, and their lives.  Along the way, Dr. Mark shares the story of a childhood dream carried for 15 years, a calling delivered through an unforgettable dream, and the realization that wellness is about far more than prescriptions.   Connect with Dr. Mark: Personal Website: drmarksherwood.com Company Website: fmidr.com Instagram: @drmarksherwood YouTube: @livingyourwellnesslife

    1 hr

  3. JAN 29

    Your Nervous System Remembers Everything | #43

    What if the reactions running your life aren't conscious choices—but unprocessed memories stored deep in your body? Licensed marriage and family therapist, trauma resolution specialist, and bestselling author Laurel Wiers joins Tim Shields to unpack how trauma, betrayal, and early attachment wounds quietly shape our relationships, nervous systems, and sense of self. From the science behind the amygdala and fight-or-flight responses to the profound healing power of inner-child work, Laurel explains why talk therapy often hits a ceiling—and what actually creates lasting change. Together, they explore how subtle childhood moments can echo for decades, why betrayal is uniquely destabilizing, and how regulating the nervous system can unlock freedom, clarity, and authentic connection. In this episode, you'll learn: Why trauma isn't the event—it's what never got processed How the nervous system drives relationships, triggers, and attraction What real healing looks like when you stop outsourcing safety and rescue yourself If you've ever wondered why awareness isn't enough—or why your body reacts before your mind—this conversation might be your inciting incident.     Host: Tim Shields 🎙️ The Inciting Incident with Tim Shields 📸 Instagram: @timshieldswriter 🌐 Website: therealtimshields.com Guest: Laurel Wiers 🧠 Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist | Trauma Resolution Specialist 📘 Author of Betrayed Not Broken

    1h 2m

  4. JAN 22

    What If Healing Starts in the Feet? with Victoria Salomon | #42

    What if healing doesn't begin in the mind—but in the feet? This week, Tim sits down with Victoria Salomon, experienced practitioner of Systematic Kinesiology, Biomechanics, and Clinical Massage, for a conversation about biomechanics, trauma, and human potential. What begins as a discussion about posture and movement opens into a deeper exploration of how the body stores memory, how the nervous system finds safety, and how alignment can quietly reroute an entire life. Together, Tim and Victoria explore the relationship between meditation and mechanics, joints as energy centers, and why so many people search for healing without realizing the vehicle itself is misaligned. Content Warning: Suicide   Connect with Victoria: Website: ixcheltherapies.co.uk Instagram: @theixchelsystem

    1h 18m

  5. JAN 15

    When Reality Stops Making Sense with Adam Apollo | #41

    What happens when you experience something no one ever taught you was possible?   In this episode, Tim sits down with futurist and consciousness researcher Adam Apollo to trace the moment his understanding of reality cracked wide open. What began as a visceral teenage experience sent Adam down a lifelong path of questioning mainstream science, reexamining ancient wisdom, and exploring the deeper mechanics of time, memory, and matter.   This conversation moves through personal awakening, what past-life memory really is, and what happens when curiosity takes you past the edge of the official story. Connect with Adam: Website: adamapollo.com Instagram: @adam_apollo Book: Lifetimes The Gatework Protocol

    1h 18m

  6. JAN 8

    When the Veil Thins: Angelic Ancestry with Dr. Alisha Das | #40

    What happens when the world you thought you understood quietly falls away and something far larger steps in?   This week, Tim sits down with Dr. Alisha Das, a spiritual intuitive and global authority on angels, for a conversation that moves far beyond belief and into lived experience.    From a childhood marked by early encounters with unseen realms, to a pivotal awakening in her twenties, to a recent, very real brush with devastation during the Pacific Palisades fires, Alisha traces the moments that reoriented her life and her understanding of what it means to be human. Connect with Alisha: Website: alishadas.com Instagram: @alishakdas Podcast: Live Your Love Book: Your Angelic Ancestry

    1h 11m

  7. 12/18/2025

    The Near-Death Experience That Changed Everything with Happy Ali | #39

    What happens when a single moment shatters the life you thought you were living and reveals the one you were meant for? This week, Tim is joined by Happy Ali, a transformational coach, intuitive guide, and master hypnotherapist whose life has been shaped by moments that demanded surrender rather than certainty. From profound personal loss to prophetic dreams, Happy reflects on the moments that forced him to listen to his soul when the world told him to do otherwise. Tim and Happy explore how ignoring the soul's guidance often invites louder lessons, why suffering can become a doorway rather than a sentence, and how learning to recognize which inner voice to trust can change everything. Connect with Happy: Website: happyinsights.net Instagram: @happyinsightsofficial YouTube: Happy Insights Channel Books: The Intuition Bible & The Charisma Within

    1h 6m

  8. 12/11/2025

    The Battle For The Soul with Dr. Joanna Kujawa | #38

    This week, Tim sits down with scholar, spiritual detective, and author, Dr. Joanna Kujawa. She breaks down why UFO encounters, Marian apparitions, psychedelic visions, and ancient goddess traditions might actually be expressions of the same phenomenon arriving through different doorways of consciousness. Together they explore her book Alien Goddess, the dark side of AI, the rise of the feminine, and why humanity might be standing at one of the most important turning points in its spiritual evolution. It's a mind-bending, paradigm-rattling journey that asks a simple question: What if the message has been coming through for centuries, and we're finally ready to hear it? Connect with Joanna: Website: joannakujawa.com Books: Joanna Kujawa Instagram: @drjoannakujawa.author YouTube: Dr Joanna Kujawa Spiritual Detective

    1h 11m
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5
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

The inciting incident and the dream are connected by one thing—a process I call dream tethering. Since I was a young man, I've always been fascinated by the transformative human journeys behind successful changemakers. As a successful writer behind some of today's most impactful books in the self-development industry, I continue to chase the next level of success, and I want to bring you the interviews and tools to help transform your life. These are the stories about how today's changemakers tethered to their dream. My name is Tim Shields, and this is the Inciting Incident.

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Shields
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Inciting Incident