Welcome back to another episode of the conscious locker room podcast. My name is Telly O'Connor and I'm the host and creator of the show and I'm really excited to introduce you to this week's guest but before I do that, I just want to remind you quickly that there are two days left to register for the embodied living incubator. So this is a 10 week online program with myself and a bunch of Epic speakers. We will explore a whole bunch of topics. So ifLooking to increase the level of fulfillment you have in your life. If you're looking to increase the confidence that you lead various aspects of your life. And if you're looking to deepen the level of connection and intimacy that you have in your relationships, then this is definitely something worth looking at and you don't have much longer to look at it. So we close registration in two days. We kick things off next week and we still have a couple of spaces available for both men and women so If you haven't checked it out of this is the first you're hearing of it then head over to my Instagram at tally O'Connor all the details are there or you can head straight to the website tell you a kind of dotco forward slash embodied - living so go and check it out. If you've got any questions or if it's something that you really want to do, but there are some obstacles in the way. Hit me up. Either email me or send me a message so we can we can make it happen really looking forward to getting stuck into that next week. So this week's guest is a good brother of mine all the way over in Scotland. So Mark John Brown, we've we've never met in the flesh. We got connected by a mutual friend. And yeah, I have developed a really deep deep connection. I really resonate with the work he's doing in the world and it's just a really authentic good man. So Mark John Brown, he's a vastly experienced coach and writer who also acts as a voice for or both transformational business and for the world's indigenous population, here's walk the path of shamanism for well over a decade and in the world of modern institution and business, he originally qualified and operated As an interpreter and translator before moving on to write copy for some of the world's biggest corporations nowadays when he's not training Jiu-Jitsu investing in crypto currency or tending to his only remaining property brokerage company you can find MJ be writing copy for some of the world's most successful transformational businesses as well as providing plant medicine integration and life coaching for individual clients facilitating transformational group work sitting in ceremony with ancestral cha shamans or indulging in his favorite activity of them all spending time with his beloved Peruvian wife and their young daughter and Mark is very much a family man amongst that extensive list of hats that he can work. Where he definitely wears the the family man hat in and amongst it as well. So I really enjoyed this this conversation with Mark. He definitely Blends experience of different worlds deep in the Shamanism path and working a lot in ceremony and working with indigenous cultures and in the world of business and blending those two and his take on authentic masculinity and she him sharing his story of how he sort of went from a Burly tough Scottish bloke to sort of accessing. Learning to work with his emotions in a powerful way. So you could show up more fully in his work and in his family life and he share some powerful lessons on that front. So without further Ado enjoy the podcast. All right, we're on so MJB. Thanks for joining me and taking the time to come and have a chat with me on the podcast man. Totally all see. Thank you very much for having me man. Yeah been looking forward to this one. We've yeah, we always have such I always leave our conversations feeling more fired up and more excited for life than then when I came into them. So yeah soon as I decided to start the podcast on you and your With you would be on the cards. Not not too far far into it. So I'm glad we've made it happened. And I know you're busy man right now. So I just want to acknowledge you for taking the time to sit down with me. Thank you, brother. Yeah, it has certainly been in the air for quite a few months. I felt it coming and felt it coming and felt it coming and well finally it is here. So yeah like to be here in this space with you brother. Let's dive in so I'll kick things off the same way. I've been kicking off each of these conversations. And that is with a love you to share a significant challenge that you've overcome in your life and what the main thing you learned from overcoming that challenge was. Yeah. So significant challenge that I've overcome in my life is Dealing with I can a broken family, right and I can have three rough upbringing man and not an easy up bringing lots of like domestic abuse, alcoholism and drug addiction. And yeah the way that I yeah, I'm overcoming all of this in this lifetime is just taking radical radical responsibility for my role in all of it and for my own life Yeah. Yeah, I love it. Talk to me speak speaking to that radical responsibility a little bit more like what did what did that actually look like for you? Yeah, so being really clear with boundaries bro, right? And because we yeah this whole concept, I'm sure everybody who listens to that this podcast will have heard the saying fill your cup first and so to be able to take radical. possibility for my own space for my own unfoldings and for the nourishment of my own cup for the nourishment of my own cup dedicating myself to my own development my own and you know, I know that some of my family members might might not even listen to this man, but I know that some of them may feel like I've been like a bit selfish thus far or they may feel some kind of resentment towards me because I've like, you know pick myself up and like really taking myself to to hold all new levels man, but it is time it is time now because my cup is much more fool than it has ever been right and and it is time now just this year you noted earlier on today. Just mean you were just discussing that. Level of healing that's happening in my family at the moment and that is because that is because I have enough overflow no to give to people you know, but hey, I'm 30 years old bro, right? It's taken me 30 years, right, but I had to fucking, you know, close myself off from not exactly close myself off but in the becoming involved in the emotional deficits and the victimhood and the lower can a human Expressions really safeguarding myself from that to cultivate my own life force within the little container that I created for myself in order to really fucking knuckle down and focus on me, first of all, and then of course my wife and then of course my daughter now that that like my cup and my family cup is kind of more food than it's ever been. It's spreading. Why don't you know, and I'm here. relationships with like I said a relationship with my mother that has been full of toxicity our relationships relationships with you know, I went for dinner with my two cousins who are the daughters of my mother's sister. I went for a dinner with him last month for the first time in my whole fucking life. Yeah, and I instigated that I said, hey, like let's go for dinner together, right and let's pop family stuff and let's like let's feel good about our family. You know, let's do that. Yeah. Does that answer the question brother? Yeah, yeah very much. So and it's you speak to such an important point and something that I've really discovered in my journey as well. I remember when I first sort of started to take that responsibility for how I wanted to show up in my life. I immediately went to Big service got to change the world. How can I go and serve and help all these people out there when I'd only barely just got myself too. To level and it's like the importance of coming back to know me and then my little tight unit of my family and then and going out like that. I feel like in the coaching world the Spiritual Development world. There's a lot of people that are you know, maybe trying to help Jim and Bob and courses for these people yet. Yeah change the fucking world. Yeah their own felt like family stuff is cooked and they're not happy in there. So I feel like That that point is a really important one because it could for me. What I'm feeling is the foundation for longevity in the work that I do because I'm like I'm not going to recoil from this whereas before I've gone out and you know done a lot but then had to recoil because my base wasn't sorted and it's like I guess only with time I'm 1031 yesterday. So it's taken me a long time as well. Yeah, but that that Foundation And I've noticed it just in the way even just through social media like how you've been just showing up. There's just I don't know you just feel really solid in everything you're doing at the moment. So yeah, I want to acknowledge that as well, man. So yeah, what's yeah, what's um, what's exciting you most right now in this disservice as the cup Earth overfloweth? What's what's what's exciting you most right now. Yeah, I'm I'm I mean there's a couple of things right so I'm doing I'm in the middle of this like a tweak mentorship with Georgia morally and Silver Star Trek who I know you know, yeah. Yeah silver. Yeah, it's true brother silver story from my homeland as well man. So amazing. We're in the middle of an eight-week mentorship as a couple mean my wife as a couple with Georgia and silver. And so I'm I'm really there's like I said, there's several things to mainly that are screaming at me as I shoot into their energy. And one of them is that is the potential that is brewing with my wife because my wife is reaching all new levels of self-expression and empowerment and I'll invite you better to connect with her more after this podcast man. You know what she's doing. Yeah. She's just beginning to flourish man. And this is her right here. I am the grandmother, huh? But of love, but this little poster behind me, that's my wife the grandmother hummingbird of love and she is really just spreading her wings and doing amazing things. And at the same time I'm as always we've both been doing pretty amazing things just that it's all reaching new levels. And what is happening now is that we're starting to lay the foundation with no hurry at all. There's no rush brother, but we are laying the foundation to work together and make previously previously. SLI trying to work together because we're both such strong fucking leaders. Like she's like, yeah sure hold me up on the on the pedestal but on the pedestal, you know what I mean, but she'll hold me up and be like, yes. My husband is amazing. Yes, and I hold her up and I'm just like fucking hell. This is my wife. She's a badass jiu-jitsu fighter. She's an amazing massage therapy. She's a fucking bad-ass Peruvian Shaman, like, you know, all these different things. I'll hold her up and be like, well my wife she's amazing but too Work together and bring something into the world together. Holy moly. It's like it's like holding 2 plus ends of a battery together, right? Hmm. And yeah so far so far, but now we're reaching all new levels of depth and I know you and Cat will appreciate this stuff man. Yeah, and we're getting all new levels of depth the connection that we've we've got is just it's really beginning to flourish so much money, and I'm looking at her and I'm seeing her in an all new light man. And hmm. So that that that's happening man, you know, and that's that's after having Advent having ventured out into the world of polyamory and you know, looking outside of ourselves for really what we work in are trying to develop within our little name. Yeah, so that's that's that's exciting me. But also In this process, I'm feeling very fucking excited about working with masculine men. Yeah, man with a strong dose of masculinity, right? I like I feel I feel like perhaps I was a little bit in balanced in my own masculine expression in my life and it was always about being tough being able to fight right being able to be strong and do the acrobatic Either fucking star of the show and tan tan tan tan like, you know poof where the the knight in shining armor and whatever right? And yeah, and now I'm like, well actually, you know, taking all the shining armor off and let's see what soft animal heart is below that and and what is it saying? What does it need? What is it feeling? Right? What does it need in this moment, huh? About a hug for mummy. You know, I like to be held by women by the feminine to be held into to receive to receive to open into receive two soft in to be more gentle to be silent to be quiet to listen to the beat of my own heart. What is it say and it and I mean, I've kind of been developing this as you know for a few years now, but I think that it's just it's kind of reaching its Pinnacle now. I've been involved in like been involved in like sacred theater and heart Circle work been working with Christian Pinehurst over in Holland quite a few times and it's just opened me to all new levels and through the Transformations that I've lived in this year, bro. Like I'm looking at guys like I'm like man you I want you to feel this medicine man this medicine that I've just tasted of my own heart. You know, let ya have a taste of it man, like I invite you invite you into the space come and have a taste of this medicine because it's game-changing man, you know, it's game-changing. So yeah, that's what's most exciting me those two things. Very exciting both really exciting thing. Yeah. I've got a I've got ya some questions for both both aspects of that. Let's um firstly dive into to and you said like this balance masculinity and you said that you were maybe unbalanced in your masculinity in your earlier years and it's something that I've definitely witnessed and experienced myself and it's almost as if if we tip too far either end of the spectrum that was more softer feminine sort of mr. Nice guy masculinity or this machismo much. Oh Tough Guy look at me and I'll you know, it's kind of weird. Start with two options and to each option. The other option looks not very appealing. So the macho guy would look over at the other guy be like well, I don't want to soften because I might end up like him and then the softer guy would be like, well, I don't want to toughen up and find my balls because then I might end up like that guy over there who's disconnected from his emotion and it's really finding that that balance and that Harmony and I'd love you to speak to to your journey with really developing that Harmony and and the Work. Yeah, I know deep breath and and yeah and the work that like I guess yeah your personal journey and then any tools or things that you find that a lot of guys are benefiting from as well in that. I have a one that comes straight to my main brother is starting to my heart and my mind is to is to man it's so big as well as to learn how to feel right because we can like even in our fucking meditations, right and this is this is something that gets me a little bit is like, oh you're feeling shit. Yeah, just meditate, you know like yeah, okay meditation Works in in many of these scenes. And scenarios, but it doesn't serve all the time man. And when we're coming from a place of strong masculinity. That's like must fix must fix ya like it must come most quiet in most relaxing. You know that yeah. Yeah. Yeah must must witness must witness this feeling must witness, right? How about feeling it instead of instead of like fucking looking at it and witnessing it and unlike analyzing it and figuring out like just feel it man. Fucking feel it get into your body. Is it anger smart your fucking chest and get out my you know, get it the fuck out like feel it process it get it through your body. See what's on the other side of that because on the other side of that. Well, I'm sure you know, you don't cut it. Yeah, there's Be a there's maybe a fucking emotional meltdown on the other side of that. But then again on the other side of that emotional nothing what happens complete unwinding of nervous system absolute Divine relaxation that you've never fucking experience in your life before right? That that is the Holy Grail really that's where we want to be living in with a with a the potential to unwind our nervous system at the fucking drop of a hat because of tools that we develop right tools that we develop and we work with and this is why you're talking of tools. That's one of them create a fucking Sacred Space for yourself to get in there and get digging into all those emotions and feel them feel them. And hmm and yeah. Yeah words I used earlier. Either do it like, you know, I work I worked with a one others who is a phenomenal and I had a one-on-one session with a client and we had a you know, we had a ceiling to floor mirror and since we weren't in circle and interacting with other people, it was just this client and the mirror and I kind of guided them through, you know, feeling and expressing and and what I call sacred feelings or two. Just acting out acting out what it is. What's the sin that caused the trauma? What's the scene? Where is it? Take us back there and let's let's let's replay and just instead of bottling up what we bottled up fucking let it out. Let it out. How does it feel you know? Yeah. Yeah and then creating space to integrate it because I feel like we're all walking around with so many unintegrated events and it's almost like there's all these incompletions. Ins and unintegrated events that were walking around with that wind us up like you say and it's so only when we can go back and integrate them which happens on that physiological level that you say feel it then can we create the space and then it's like all of a sudden I can breathe a bit deeper. I can feel my partner a bit deeper. I've got a bit more creative inside. I've got a bit more connection to my purpose and it's it's the breeding ground for all of it. And and because its peak it reminds me of like the difference. I had a conversation with a guy recently about sort of mental health and emotional health and we kind of Clump them together as or mental and emotional well-being and what you kind of touched on before was almost like the distinction between like yes, I can have awareness and witness my emotions. It's almost like that mindfulness that yes. Okay. I'm aware that this is happening. And then there's also actually the Bill, it's a skill of being able to feel it as well. Both sides of that if you get stuck in because you can go and feel too much as well. And I've been in that world to where there wasn't enough witnessing. There wasn't enough of that other and that's just as unproductive as well. So it's like it's like yeah, and I feel like yeah, like yeah that that integration and and understanding you don't need to go there forever like and I'd love for you to speak to that a little bit like once you go in and you go into these places, it's you spending a relatively short time feeling it or processing it or whatever. It may be and then once you go there then you can carry that versatility with you into your relationships and all of that like yes speak to your experience with that. Yep, cool. So yes spot on man. And again, it's too after to right so you got to for expression and release and then to for integration. And so I use other there you go. I use journaling mindful journaling, right? So just just witnessing the so going back into the experience in a kind of meditation session. Just like going taken myself back there. Yeah and journaling just journaling of the experience to kind of witness what happens what unfolds? How does it affect me and and upon can integrating this knowledge it bring it makes it it kind of it's difficult to explain man, but I think it it makes it like somehow it makes it easy because because I can feel right I can feel because I'm getting writing involved. I'm activating so many more senses when I'm reliving it just not live like in the flesh in the cannon alive moment. I'm I'm reliving it through witnessing in it witnessing it and I'm writing it also some activating all these different senses, which is really helping it to like sink in right? Yeah, and once it sinks in It's like a brings into a kind of embodied awareness which then in my everyday interactions makes it kind of. Easier for me to speak my truth. I know that I hope that makes sense man. Yeah, yeah very much. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah that man's so it's like when I feel something after living this process and when I'm just interacting with my wife, for example, when something comes up, it's much easier for me to know what will happen. If I just process it there in them, right? Yeah, boom live in the moment gives process and express and be raw in a very raw. Yeah authentic expression of what is going on for me right there. And that is speaking my truth, right? Yeah. Yeah, I love it and that embodiment of it that you speak to like that feeling it and then integrating it creates a space in your nervous system. So because at the end of the day, it's like what's the point of all of this so we can live with more joy and liver a better life. So it's like then once you've got that space as things pop up if you've embodied it because I know initially in my Learning Journey and I don't know if yours was similar. I know I speak to a lot. Lot of guys where they're listening to podcast doing all these things and they they know a lot they know a lot but very little is actually embodied. So not much is actually changing and it's almost like they get more anxious because they know so much they know what they should be doing, but they're not able to do it and that Gap almost gets bigger. Like did you have that experience at all? Yeah. Yeah. I have experienced it and I'm like, yeah. Yeah. Oh man, and you know Brother, I'm Scottish and your your will probably come from similar Roots, right? There's a lot of there's a lot of guilt and shame running through the Celtic and Irish and Scottish especially and and I think that yeah Scottish and Irish people while I'm Scottish Rite, we really don't do ourselves. Any favors when we give ourselves an opportunity to feel more guilty because it's already running like that's something that ancestrally we have to process in big fucking ways. Right? And so yeah knowing this right? Oh shit. Yeah, like I know this, but I just fuck I couldn't like I just couldn't take myself to act the way. I know I should have and then guilt shame. Fuck you. Beating yourself up, right? It's just unhealthy. It's so unhealthy you start questioning yourself as well. Like like why am I still feeling all AG with that person why or when I'm in that circle of people that and these are conversations. I'm just saying words that I said to myself in the past, you know, like yeah, you know decade or so like Mmm Yeah, like why am I still feeling that way? Why do I still feel triggered when he says that and why why am I still feeling offended by this like, yeah. Yeah, I know that I should be yeah this yeah, and it's because well, I mean in my case in my own experience. That what I've just said about like this sacred theater and the feeling the emotions and really learning to process and release them. That was my missing link man. That was the bridge that was the bridge to bring it into my body and to embody and live it and breathe it. Yeah feeling and not feeling stupid about it, right? Yeah. You can feel like a bit of an Obe. Yeah. Yeah yourself into I fully understand it, you know, especially guys coming from backgrounds that need like, you know, lots of boxing training lots of much alike. Martial arts training very masculine energy in your leg is I'm going to take myself into a place where I'm going to like scream and maybe like cry and feel like a bit of a dick Ray. Yeah. Well the Judgment it's so it's so deeply ingrained. I found my resistance to it was still so strong even After I'd started doing the work, so I started doing the work felt the benefit of it understood. It had literally seen tangible changes in my life and there would still be that little voice of judgment. Yeah that I would have to quiet because it's just so societally culturally all of it deeply ingrained that you're a pussy that it's going to be really an attractive to the opposite sex that all of these things are there and it's just so that resistance it does lesson but in my experience it still hangs around like it's still Still there? Yeah, bro. Yeah. Yeah. I mean I still experience the even just at my Last Retreat that I did what I was doing exactly this kind of work which was when the end of August beginning of this month right? Like I still took a little bit like I had to in order for me to open up for me to self lead my own process. I needed somebody else to involve me in their process right sacred theater thing I'm talking about. And that kind of broke the ice from me in that particular one, but it's always there bro. It's not it's similar to its similar and this may take a conversation in another Direction but it is similar to fear and like when so when I'm for example competing in Jiu-Jitsu like feeling fear and just going with it. Anyway, it's similar feeling that like what if I look like I know but yeah, you know continuing you just going through the living. Yeah, and let's talk about the crossover. I'd love to hear as you expand. Your emotional agility your ability to feel to have that awareness and to actually know feel what's going on inside and process that more skillfully. Yeah has that transpired into your ability to handle fear with jiu-jitsu your ability to be present in those situations or or in your relationships. I'd love to hear whether whether flow over has been. Yeah. No absolutely man, like with my really I love that you see with my relationships as well man, because that's that's like that's the juiciest fucking talking about but I'll first touch on like Jiu-Jitsu and I mean even even even even today today as we talk I have in my system a certain level of anxiety and fear because I know that after we finish this conversation I'm going to change your Jutsu and I know that there are I mean we have got some fucking bad-ass martial artists and fighter in a in our club and it's expanded even more of just brought brought in like as multiple time boxing champion as well to start training with those and there's some real top-end like badass fucking martial artist who are like, you know, winning all sorts of stuff and I know I know in my system. I know that I'm going in there after having elapsed quite a bit with my training regime and I'm probably well. I'm definitely not in Tip-Top shape just now and you know, yeah, there's that there's that fear of like like, you know, fuck what if they fuck me up, you know, and like, oh what if I look like a knob as well, like what if I look like a knob just getting submitted over thing there is that right? I can feel it. I can feel it in my system as we talked but what this has given me Is the power of understanding and feeling and experiencing the fact that my breath is the bridge between that panicky anxiety state and disembodied wisdom. That is just constantly unwaveringly Faithfully shouldn't into my body in this moment here and now and that is all that matters and everything else. You know, it's secondary. It's like accessory, you know. Yeah, it's just yeah, it's just a story right? It's just a fucking yeah my story and and and all I need to do is just be present with my body and my being and that's all that I need all my body needs. All my journey needs is to be present with myself and to make sure that I myself am nourishing myself. Hmm. Nothing else. Make sure that I get adequate amounts of exercising the please make sure that I get adequate amounts of technique developed in my class right to improve my Jujitsu skills, right just me. That's all that's all that matters. And yeah, man, you mentioned in the relationships as well. So and so I part of I mean, like I said, I had a really fucking turbulent. Childhood teenage time and that caused a strong feeling of lacking safety when being in the company of other people right and that it's still quite heavily into my adulthood as well. And I love that it a lot of the time like, you know, let's see. I remember two thousand and two thousand and 10 and 11 right? I remember I was witnessing I was in this I was in circles of people who were like I gazing and you know going to that place of kind of deep present connection with each other through through things like eye gazing and that bro, that made me flip my lid man, I could not handle that shit. My nervous system would just go burn like a fucking fuzzy television that loses its signal right Miss II couldn't deal with that shit man, you know like that level of vulnerability of like exposing myself and Actually being seen whoa. Now. My second guest speakers on our skin. Is there as a and and no - excellent that you asked me this question my love it. No now it's like again my breath is the bridge right? My breath is the bridge between the heightened kind of nervous system. State and the embodied wise presence and awareness and and so if any kind of nervous or anxious waves do come and hey like I still witness them right? I'm not going to say that all awkward. I'm totally, you know don't experience any that she arrived. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like yeah, if any of that comes like I know that I've got the tools to just like bring myself. Daddy back to presence the moment my body and this allows for real depth of connection as well. And I gazing man. I love it. Now. I love the adventure that I gives and takes me on before because it feels like I'm marriage with the universe when I get with the person and what it does is brings a whole lot more relevant to the conversation right when you can really be present with somebody it makes the conversation so much. More fucking relevant and you realize how much bullshit you've got going on right but you would normally if you weren't so present with the person you would normally just vomited all over them, right and sharing this fucking yeah and end up sharing in this vomit party, right? Because we can because you know, if the other person's living something similar to yourself and going through the same like can I unease and consent get is feeding off a year on he's like the conversation is You know, there's no real depth to my normal self and and actually, you know, sometimes what it's brought me is sometimes like I met with my old friend Veronica just a couple of weeks ago, you know, and we're not seen each other in about about a year or something. She's gone through a whole lot of transformation. I've gone through a whole lot transformation reconnecting with her like the conversations that we had. They actually didn't contain so many words, right? They didn't contain So Many Bodies. We were just like so present with each other and only speaking. What was truly truly relevant to the moment into my heart to her heart to our Collective heart in that space in that time. It was just such a delicious experience man. I love it. I love it. Yeah, I love it. And I love that you share that ability to connect like doing this work developing. Your emotional agility has developed your ability to connect with presents in relationship, which Like what percentage what percentage of conflict in relationship would you put down to having a wound up nervous system or being disconnected from your Center? Like now having now you've experienced the other like what percentage Yeah of conflict because I would I say a lot of couples I work with a lot of people most conflict is just like not even really there. It's not even really there. It's just this disconnection from this Center. Yeah, like what percentage would you throw out for your your personal experience brought to be honest matter? I'd pretty much say it's entirely based on that because like 100% right? I mean, yeah, some people might disagree but in my experience it fucking is because the word conflict it doesn't have to like a lack of resonance doesn't need to bring conflict a lack of resonance can be consciously worked through and if he couple needs to separate because they're simply a lack of resonance. Now that can be done consciously in a clean manner with no conflict, right? And yeah man fucking so I would say I would say all of it bro like yeah all of it. Yeah. Yeah, so it's like it Comes when you put it like that, it becomes a fairly handy skill and tool to have then to be able to reconnect with this face. So like what when you say the breath is the bridge and now that like, yes you need to go and maybe like have a coach or go to workshops or Retreat experiences to sort of dive deeper into this work. But then on a day-to-day basis your awareness is it simply breathing into your belly? Is it like what do you actually physically do like so for somebody listening they're like like they can relate to what you're talking about and they're like a cool. I know those moments when I feel myself getting stressed. What what do you actually do in those moments when you have that awareness? So first of all, like like you said like you might need a coach to do this or whatever, but I mean, you can create you can create and this may be something that you know, we fucking produces a guide to creating Sacred Space to you know, our container for you to actually feel your Oceans so I think that it's I think that it is it is quite important for you to have. Well, this is my experience broad. Right? So if I was talking me of before I would say, yeah, it is quite important to be able to have those spaces where you can feel your emotions because you need to experience what it is like on the other side of feeling them because once you once you actually process that and integrate that then it Gives you that strong like cellular. It is cellular, but I feel it in my cells the strong cellular reference point, right? It's like this the neural Pathways will always point back to those fucking cellular experiences right point back to that. But so I think the breath is is what of course we have the conditioned like neural pathway pattern. Right, but then the breath to can a witness what is going on in separate ourselves from from that pattern living out that pattern to bring awareness to it to remember to then can I just go up neural pathway that is you know, not very healthy and probably not a good idea right now. Yeah, you know, it's the breath just kind of like rewinds that neural pathway takes it back. Back to his route and then re paths it right and goes boom. Yeah. So this is the because I know I know on a cellular level what it's like to just feel this now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah love it. Yeah that makes a lot of sense like it the breath like it creates the space to go somewhere new essentially. It's like when we're into reaction State then it's Old pattern condition reaction is that the breath can be liable? Okay, I can see what's about to happen. And I normally go left. I'm going to choose to go right. And then the yeah, yeah. Yeah, beautiful. Awesome. I'd love you to speak into your head on a frame it. I guess throughout your development Journey the importance of maintaining a physical practice. So having a strong physical practice whether that be through I know Jiu-Jitsu right now a lot of martial arts background. I know a lot of acrobatics but whatever physical practice it may be and if you've noticed the correlation when that's been strong and that practice has been consistent how its impacted your mental emotional Spiritual Development. Yeah, it's great that you asked me this question right now, right because I was just saying I've kind of of laps just a little bit with my training regime. Usually I train like five. Is a week, you know, that's not that's my Norm until I feel like I need a bit of a rest and I'll maybe drop down to three days a week or whatever always just in tune with my body though. And I am a guy that's like very fucking physical. So I do need like a lot of like a lot of the times you can just see that you tried to sit me down for too long of like my feet start twitching of it yet movement is my medicine, right? Yeah, bro, and so It is a lot easier and I think I feel like things I feel like that dropping into the breath and choosing the conscious path live in the moment. I feel like I feel like it is easier. When I'm in good physical shape and and I have I'm feeding my body regularly with all the endorphins that it gets fed with through exercising and when I'm running that chemistry in my body, I just feel like it is it just doesn't take so much effort. Yeah to like to do that to to draw that neural pathway back through the breath and then Realign it and go boom. This is the this is the pathway of I'm choosing and when I'm not in the greatest kind of physical shape or when I'm not like I don't have a regular physical practice. I notice that it does take that little bit like I will breathe deeper and I will hold the breath. I will hold the breath for that bit longer and I can feel it. It's almost as if the chemistry in my body when I'm X when I when I have a good physical practice, it's almost at it as if it just gives that gives the breath that easier Pathway to drop in deeper into my doesn't have as easy access when my body is tight tense. You know what I'm not when I'm kind of like it in my physical practice. So yeah. Yeah, bro. It's yeah, it's also like I just me personally when I feel like why in fact all of us, I think that there is the potential of us go and literally fucking insane if if we don't move right if we don't move like what me, what made to move? Yeah. Yeah. So so I do I do like I do. Yeah, I do Jujitsu regularly. Like I said, my normal training regime is about 5 days a week sometimes four, but when I feel like I Getting do need it that little bit extra space hold of the movie, you know two or three days in a week, but generally it's like five days and and then in between times like I'm I'm standing on my hands. I'm like doing different yoga poses. I love that. What's it called the like, what's that post called on my knees kind of like suppose child's pose? Yeah, exactly stretch out the shoulders and a lot of release from that. Yeah and just just like Moving around on the floor man. Just just flowing with myself. And also just allowing myself to like feel my body as well. I can just be like, yeah, it's really acquainted so that I have the map of my body in my mind and in my being so that I know like what I feel like right now it's also a part of creating that kind of intimacy and relationship with myself right really running my hands all over my body all over man and just like yeah just feeling it. Yeah, I love it. And I love it. Yeah, and and he's raised such a good point in that knowing loosening up and being able to feel your body because it's if you don't know what loose and movement feels like then you don't know what tension and stiffness feels like so I feel like a lot of people are walking around tense stressed and tight, but that's just normal because I don't know any different so it's like that. That movement in that Mobility creates that contrast it's almost like the equivalent of that emotional contrast that we spoke to earlier and then being able to have that and then feel that in your body. Yeah, I couldn't agree more and then that we would go insane if we weren't moving and I think I can remember where the quote was from but it was like if we're thinking more than we're moving we're setting up ourselves for mental disharmony. Does that move more than you think and they stagnant Lifestyles that were yeah, I know it's like and it just feels true to me that feels so true and it's that okay. There are very few issues. That can't be somewhat dissolved by a 15-minute run, you know at least alleviated a little bit, you know, so it's like as much as we delve in in this deeper work is important I love and and I think yeah why I resonate to to just to work. You're doing and what you're putting out is is it's always very grounded in that physical practice as well. And I feel like that it carries a lot of extra potency because of that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for the for the observation. Thank you. I want to Circle back and talk into a little bit relationship stuff. But but more so you're a family man your father. Husband you're doing a lot of work in the world. You're on purpose you're providing your serving you wearing a lot of hats like how I'd love for you to just share even just your experience in terms of wearing all those different hats like how you've managed your personal work your connection to your purpose financially providing and then then your service in the world and then family man father. Husband so yeah, I'd love for you to speak into your experience with that because it's a no a constant struggle for for myself. I don't even have kids yet, but that that Harmony I don't really like the word balance. But Harmony amongst those moving pieces is is an art form. So I'd love for you to yeah, share some of your experience on that two of my biggest tools my man two of my biggest tools for that. Time blocking and transitioning in the words of Brendon burchard, right? Mmm. I'm blocking and transitioning and having and also well, let's put a third tool in there having a wide overview and been able to take the satellite view of things. Right and time blocking is so fucking important but equally important is transitioning between those time blocks, right? I don't know if this makes sense to I mean, yeah, so to speak, I just clarify a bit more. So time blocking means dedicating myself 100 fucking percent to one thing over a specific period of time that I will Mark in my diary at the beginning of the week. So last night I just did it Sunday is my day for time looking for the rest of the week. I just set my time blocks and okay. I'm not like rigid and I'm not going to get all guilty and shameful if I fucking, you know, Miss one thing or you know it I love for fluidity and it but the fact that I set it and I set the intention it's powerful and so like from let's just say for example, nine till 11:00 in the morning. I know that I'm writing for some clients right from to Tool. So from 11 until to I block out for the purposes of my Jujitsu training from 2 p.m. Until 5 p.m. For example, I will carve out for either. In creation for online teachings and courses and stuff or one on one coaching with with clients or even the delivery of online kind of course stuff, right and in between these I transition adequately right? So I will so after this conversation. I will close everything down in my laptop. I'll make sure I switch my laptop off. I'll sit here and I will can make almost ceremonially. Yeah, it's going to ceremony. Yeah ceremony. All right, I'll just sit here and I'll just take a couple of breaths and I'll click like or just revised in in the eye of my mind. I'll just look over everything that we've just done my really feel it and just take a moment to just like allow it to sink into myself and then I'll kind of close that book with great gratitude. I'll just play it cool. That's done. Thank you. Now. What am I moving into? What am I? What am I going to okay? Opening this book of Jiu-Jitsu, right? So I'm going to go and get my kit ready my top my shirts my water bottle just organize myself in that yet cool. But before I get off my arse right here and go and get all that stuff ready. Like what's my intention? Why am I doing it, right? Breathe into this set on my attention my intentions, right? This is why I'm gonna eat ya bum bum bum bum boom move into and just be as present as possible with it. I am Guilty of sometimes you are fairly often getting caught up in Social Media stuff in the middle of like if I'm going if I'm on my journey or whatever, I'll just find myself sometimes going through social media and whatever and if I catch myself being like Benji with it, then I'll return back to my intentions and stuff right now and I do of course I catch myself. So I just like return to me boom. Em, but then yeah again come on a training and I get the bus home when I come home and I unpack my stuff ready to put it in the washing machine. Whatever. I just do it again. I just do the thing again. I just close that book with a few breaths and just like give a gratitude when I opened my new book like, you know the next chapter from 2 p.m. To 5 p.m. Or might even break that down even more to 2:30 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Right and just keep doing that. That's the way I do this. It keeps me sane clear very clear in my head. And and then also there's the part of the family part where by for example, you know yesterday. I took about people traveled from fucking Newcastle in the north of England from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland under my guidance to come to a plant medicine ceremony, right and in the end because of the Stuff I have gone on behind it. I fell into my body and whatever. Yeah, just shooting them with myself. And I was like, you know what man like I'm just not feeling this like I'm not going to do the ceremony. I'm just going to stick. You know, I'm going to keep my keep up with my responsibility of taking them preparing them and whatever and then I'm just going to come away and I'm going to come and I'm going to be with my family. Hmm. So there's that element as well, especially man, especially when it comes to funding right like if inside my heart and my mind my body my body's like Pulling me towards my family. Yeah, I'll just be like, yeah fuck everything else and I'm going to answer this call because it's clear to happen right now. So even so everything the time blocking all the commitments everything it will literally go out the fucking window unless it's like a really important commitment right like a client or with her, you know. Yeah, if it's like a coaching client on a writing client or whatever. Of course, I'll find a way to kind of keep that commitment and then answer the And but if not if it's like yeah, if it's yeah, like other things anything else training or whatever. I'm doing a ceremony for myself. Yeah. I just close that and go answer the call to be with my family. Hugely massive value those two things because time locking is something I love and do but that transitioning is I don't do as intentionally as like you say ceremonial stop and I'm sure it could take 60 seconds. I'm sure less stop breathe gratitude close it off cut any like just energetically physically close that down breathe sit and gratitude. Okay, what's next and presently move into that that thank you for that. I'm sure there's a lot of people that are listening saying thank you for that as well because I think the schedule is great but intentionally move, especially in this day and age. So many different things happening so many different hats to actually physically again that breath being the connection Point physically take yourself from one to the other and cats in the next room and she's probably going to be cheering being like yes transition so I can be sometimes it can takes time. You know, like if I'm in work mode and I don't switch off then I won't be able to be with cat. But unless I've intentionally and actually done that then you won't physically be there. So yeah, that was that was amazing. And one thing I didn't mention bill was the third element that I mentioned at the start which was the satellite view the can a bird's eye view. Yeah, which is like especially when it's to do with so when it's work or fan is generally it's either work or family, right? And and of course the self self nourishment through hobbies and stuff like that, but Like those are the two Strongest Ones work and family. So I will I will gain a bird's-eye view like so when an opportunity comes in or when something comes in, I'll gain a bird's-eye view of the situation. Like what is this serving as a serving my work or my family, right? And again, you know the self nourishment part and hobbies and things that I actually like to fill my own cup that comes into it as well, but I will only talk to work and family because of the to like, you know be strong. Guest and part of feeling like up anyway is being with my family, right? So, yeah, and so just getting like a bird's eye view and I kind of remember what is my intention like what am I wanting to go with my work? So for example, this this this this podcast right here, like it helps me to kind of serve people into and to get my message, right so and there's different there's different elements, you know, there's different elements. So it's connecting with you brother. It's it's also Having you as well, you know, and yes serving you but also serving all of you listeners. So like does it fit with the intention of what I wish to achieve and what I want to go and when I say achieve but just mean I don't really like, you know the championship. I just you know what I mean, like what I'm trying to establish. Yeah, and if it clicks then boom, you know, we'll go with it and we'll make it fit. Into the time blocking and make it work and that time blocking might be like a fucking three-month span of time. For example, if I'm creating like a course like you know, and and if not, then I'll just like respectfully and skillfully. Hit the exit door. I know yeah that powerful important to little word. Yes, exactly. Yeah, beautiful. Thanks, man. Those three points. Yeah some good reminders in there for me, and then some fresh stuff in there for me as well personally. So, so thank you. Thank you for that, beautiful. So I'm just mindful of time because I know you do have to get to your training, but I'd love to wrap up by a bye. Hearing a bit about what your vision is right. Now what you're what you're speaking and what you're bringing into the world in terms of your vision for what you want to create for your family for your work because I truly believe in the power of speaking and acting our Visions into existence but speaking it and sharing it. So I'd love to just give you the platform to yeah share. What's what's exciting right now? What are you creating? What are you putting energy into beautiful? Yeah. No. Thank you so much. I love And given the opportunity to see these words and for my family for my work. I love that. You said that as well you do that very well, bro. And yeah for my family like yeah, I'm in the middle of of closing the gap between my Peruvian family and and US basically they it's a lot of a I've set up until now I've felt it being like a lot of responsibility and I've kind of felt myself shying away from it a little bit right? I'll just be honest just learning something up until this year. I felt myself like kind of shying away from it because it just feels like a lot of responsibility and but it does feel it feels so part of my fucking mission not just my mission, but my joint mansion with my wife and that is to just close the gap between us here. Whatever we are in the world and my wife's Family over in Peru and what I mean by that is it's primarily Financial right? Because there's a lot of them, you know, there's a lot of dear dear beloved family members in Peru who we fucking adore absolutely love they when my daughter goes in amongst them all I just switch off and relax because you know, I just my nervous system just unwind because I just know how much care and love is poured into her when we go there. It's just that level of connection with them and but they come From Shanti time they come from a ghetto. I really fucking heavily impoverished and also crime-ridden area of Peru. And so yeah, we are currently like yeah increasing our financial signature in the world to be able to reach out and I mean, it's already started right? We're already given them some land over there mainly. And and we're already talking about like, you know bringing them over next year to visit Europe for the very first time I would be the first time that they're out of their country never fucking mind. Probably either neighborhood bro, like never mean, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, so that's massive on my heart and I can feel myself welling up a little bit as I say those words man. It's very very big on my heart and and yeah what else work-wise so I'm just I'm soaked. Towards helping, you know, heavily masculine men just soft and open and it says that's where I'm at on the main front. Like I just okay. Yeah, let's fucking smack each other in the face for like an hour. Yeah good. They were can do that but then afterwards like let's let's let's process that and let's move into everything that we've talked about in this in the small incision. That's Big M. And I've also this has been the year of reconciliation right reconciliation of family relationships personal relationships relationship with self and also relationship fuck relationships with Argentina as well. Which will this will be a you know plant the seed know we'll leave that for another day bro. But yeah, I've had some Journey with the country of Argentina and that's been reconciled this year as well, but big one reconciliation on all fronts plant. Essence man and I've been working with plant medicine since 2009 man, right? I've been working with Ayahuasca since 2011. I've been working with Partners is a long time and yeah, I've kind of gone through a bit of a journey with them and coming into this year. I was a no, you know, I'm not that's not what I'm going. That's not what I'm doing. But essentially I'm just denying myself my own truth in doing so right now I am where I am. I'm putting together a three months plant medicine preparation program. Man, I'm also running 12-month mentorships for people coming out of a plant medicine ceremony so that I can help them to integrate into their modern everyday lives, which is I told you, you know, I left some guys there at a ceremony yesterday pick them up this morning and they know that over the coming weeks. Like I'm here to help them integrate those experiences and bring them fully into everyday life. Yeah, man, and of course in the middle of all of that bro is, you know, one of the tools that I do. You use for these purposes for the integration and the embodiment of all the lessons is like heart Circle work secret sacred theater cymatics elements of breath work as well. And all of that is is part of the program managers part of what helps us to bring all the fucking plant medicine wisdom and lessons into our bodies and into our everyday lives. So that's that's Yes, that's what I'm out. Of course. Of course. How could I almost forget and I'm the I am the bridge bro. I am the like I just feel it. I know it I am part of a group of people in our world right now who are serving as the bridge between the indigenous and the modern and I'm helping indigenous spokespeople. I'm going to be with quit south suburb on Isla Mujeres in Mexico in about three weeks time, man, and I'm going to be going deep with that guy. I'm here. And I know that my standpoint will hold some levels of controversy. And I know that I will lose I am losing some kind of like friends. Let's just say or some like acquaintances and on both sides, but I'm right fucking in the middle man helping to to keep Traditions alive language alive, right and culture alive whilst at the same time integrating money making the modern world, you know, what is known in capitalism as progress right? Just making friends what just making friends with all of it and helping both worlds to come together. And as part of that I fucking absolutely love to see and to witness the Amazonian tribes that are like coming into the modern world and starting to speak to parliament's and Governments, and I'm there bro. I'm with them. I'm sometimes interpreting for them. Right? I'm sometimes translating things for them from their language to our modern languages. Yeah, and and oh and one thing also on that front, I want to just say because I know that there might be a few kiwis that listen to this but I fucking hold your country in the highest regard on that front because you've done it so fucking well and you continue to do it like So well to be modern but to hold your fucking traditions and yeah, this print was as they say this time. Yeah, I just I look at the kiwis and that the Maori I'm just say wow, these guys like it just fucking doing it doing it exactly The Thing uniting Two Worlds in their hearts and in their everyday lives boom. And so that's it bro. That's yeah, that's love it. I love it man. Love the vision. I love the passion and it's such important work and we'll have to tie up another conversation. Mission soon around those two things that you work with the plant medicine but also that indigenous reconnection and that it's just such important work that reconnection to the sacred for the people that are disconnected from it. And yeah, it's such important work to be doing in to have people like yourself being a bridge for it seeing both sides of the coin. It's it's it's really important in these, you know, what could be seen as chaotic time. So yeah, I just want to acknowledge you for that in the the role you play in that. Thank you, brother. Thank you. And before we wrap up, can I just acknowledge you as well? I just want to say that I was going to say they know this morning. We were talking before this podcast. But yeah, let's say it live on air right your your your heart your heart for the is fucking massive and I almost feel your energy like like an uncle or a grandfather. Like you're just always there in the background spilling and Bring your heart and your soul in your love into the world. You're always there. You just always there. I feel your presence all the time, you know, even when we don't talk, I just know yeah, he's thinking about me sometimes right? He's got my back, you know, and it's a quality that you know, yeah, it's very unique man, because I feel like your heart is the size of the world and the universe and Eternity like and it's just always there. It's almost like the great spirit bro that you just feel it permeating your world all the time you and your presence bro. That's how I feel you it so it's a very beautifully balanced feminine with with masculine expression and presence in the world that you hold and Yemen. I'm just grateful for for you always being here and for doing this man for doing this podcast and serving the world in such beautiful ways - oh, yeah. Thank you. Mmm. Thank you deeply deeply receive man. For those words beautiful. Well, we'll wrap it up there. Let's let's quickfire where can people find you. I'll have all your the link the links in the show notes for everybody who's listening. But yeah right now we're working people come and connect with you for some more MJB love love. Yes, cool, man. Yeah man, go get some mjv love and yeah, so my website isn't exactly a reflect. I feel like it's not going to doing Justice. This to exactly where I'm at in life right now, but it does give a good overview of what I'm doing. Maybe not in the most pretty manner, but you can visit that website. It's mer see - John thn Brown and bearded wnd.com. So that's mark - John Brown.com. My insta handle is just act Mark John Brown with no - no punctuation. Mer CGH in be a little WN my Facebook is Mark John Brown with no other punctuation, my am I My public page is marked. John Brown ancient ways real Humanity modern Excellence so he can swing by my stuff there. I post quite a lot on the socials and I do I do it with the prayer in the hope and the trust that it's going to serve a lot of people. So if you want to come and check it out. I hope that it serves you also. Hmm, and I highly recommend I'm always every time you sharing something the vibe is always you can feel the intention is to just raise the vibe and it's Always really honest and authentic as well. So I'm definitely go and check out Mark stuff on the socials brother. Thank you so much for taking the time and looking forward to ya doing this again real soon and that is a wrap. Thank you so much for listening guys. I hope you got a lot out of that conversation. I know I did especially that stuff at the end around transitioning in between time blocks freaking Game Change. I've implemented that and it's been serving me really well, so as always guys, I hope you loved it if you Share the love share this with a friend take a screenshot share it on your stories. And if you do make sure you tag myself Talia Connor and Mark John Brown, especially over on Instagram share the love tagger so we can get around you and head over to the whatever podcast app you're listening to this on whether it's apple or Spotify and give the podcast to review takes about 20 seconds of your time and benefits us hugely. So if you could do that that would be much. Much appreciated so until next time be well.
Today’s episode was jam packed with both the practical and the profound. We dove into a variety of topics all linked to developing and embracing the full range of healthy masculine qualities and how that flows on to benefit both our work life and our family life. Key Points: - How taking radical responsibility was the key to overcoming a rough upbringing. Beginning to work with masculine men   Tasting the medicine of our own hearts. Finding harmony in our masculinity. Facing our emotions properly. Using journaling to embody our awareness    Processing Ancestral wisdom    Masculine conditioning in society    The positive effects in Marcs life from doing this work    Making sure YOU are nourished first    Why Breathe is key    Where conflict actually arises from    What should we do when we get stressed    How a physical practice influences us    How we can sustainably where lots of hats    Time Blocking and transitioning    Remembering our intention every day   Relevant Links and Website: Marc-John Brown Marc-John Brown is a vastly experienced coach and writer who acts as a voice for both transformational businesses and for the world’s indigenous populations. He has walked the path of Shamanism for well over a decade and, in the world of modern institution and business, he originally qualified and operated as an interpreter and translator, before moving on to write copy for some of the world's biggest corporations. He then amassed an array of experience both succeeding and failing spectacularly launching and growing several corporations of his own. Nowadays, when not training jiu-jitsu, investing in cryptocurrency or tending to his only remaining property brokerage company, you can find Marc-John writing copy for some of the world’s most successful transformational businesses, as well as providing plant medicine integration and life coaching for individual clients, facilitating transformational group work, sitting in ceremony with ancestral shamans, or indulging in his favourite activity of them all - spending time with his beloved Peruvian wife and their young daughter. 