Beyond the basement

Is life something that happens to you, or something you have a say in? This one’s about how much power and agency we have, or choose, in our own lived experience. If we choose none, we can fall into a state of collapse and victimhood. If we seize it all there’s a risk of becoming a bully in a state of aggressive posturing at the world. So what’s a healthier way to meet pain (and pleasure) in life?...

Ever jump to conclusions about people? Or feel a bit judgey - like you know better. Here we’ll explore what happens when we do this, how it gets in the way of relationships and how we might try something different. Assume nothing is one of the five practices of Authentic Relating (AR). I recorded this while on retreat in France, doing my level 3 leadership training in this beautiful way to redisco...

If, after doing a big or difficult thing, you quickly move on to the next big or difficult thing, taking your performance for granted - you probably had high expectations and low support as a youngster, like me. Perhaps you too are a lifelong perfectionist, hyper self-reliant type, or chronic overachiever. Hello, I see you. Join me as I unpick a recent experience that brings this to life, and the...

Is it possible to 'get on' on life, yet be more consciously lazy? What's like life with the absence of striving. This August I checked out, and gave things more space in life. And three curious, unexpected things happened, that'll I'll share in this episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.subs...

Life is all about giving and recieving. Give and take. And trying, striving, efforting to stack the odds in your favour so you get what you want only seems to make life more difficult. I'm exploring a new way to get on in life. With more grace, acceptance and allowing of what is. The universe heard me and offered a challenge with a recent experience. Here I attempt to make sense of it. This is a p...

What's it like to give and recieve one of the finest human virtues - our interest and attention? Curiosity is what drives us to explore, relate and discover. Yet I've noticed, like playfulness, it's one of the first qualities we lose when we're feeling low or under-resourced. Join me for a think-aloud exploration of what it is to be curious, and our relationship with it. This is a public episode....

Your body speaks in subtle ways. It signals what you need more of less of, keeps you safe, and gets stuff done. But do you listen though? After a period of intense study and travel, Chris is a bit fragile and restless. Join me as I explore these signals and discover a new need to hiding, being small and blending in - at odds with a lifelong habit of showing off, trying and performing. This one is...

Emotional intelligence, empathy and self-awareness all have their place, but if you're fully attuned to yourself and everyone around you, you'd never get anything done. In this episode I ponder a question put to me by Mark Walsh on a recent embodiment retreat. I make the case for both expanding awareness of your inner world, as well as numbing out - escapism from the intensity of what it is to be...

This last week I've been in Slovenia, exploring how we relate to, express, and experience life through that thing below your neck. Join me on a mountaintop for helpful insights I picked up studying with Mr Embodiment, Mark Walsh, like how to find yourself when stressed, and what other people make of you. I recorded this while having a very direct experience of the universe; all the feels you can e...

This one's for anyone curious about or new to improv. I'll dispel some myths about what it is, as well as give you a flavour of what to expect when you first try it. You'll also get a sense of how I run Leeds Improv Co-Lab - my growing community of improvisers who regularly come for open play sessions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

Here are three big insights from the lovely improvisers who came out to play this Sunday for the third Undefended Improv workshop, this time in Liverpool, hosted with my friend Jen Hardy. In opening up, relating, and revealing what it's like really being us, we uncovered some universal truths that apply to life, whether you improvise or not. This one's for anyone tired of trying so hard to follow...

Hey perfectionist: "Allow yourself acceptance and rest, trusting that there is loving, transformative power in the absence of striving." Easier said than done though, right? But what if no doing is required? Can you still progress, grow, have good things happen in life if you simply allow life exactly as it is? That's the work for every perfectionist, even though it's totally at odds with how we r...

This is one of improv's finest and most transferable principles for getting you out of a tight spot. Whether that's a tricky scene, or just generally in life when you feel low mood or motivation. I certainly feel that way at the moment, so here I explore the value in focusing on what's good - like gratitude for what's here and now or our relationships. This is a public episode. If you would like t...

Join me in the woods for a big one, exploring the case for having a more emotionally engaged experience, and how that affects quality of life. I'll also share 3 ways to change your relationship with how you feel those tricky feelings that every part of you wants to avoid. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chris...

A bittersweet one for you here, all about the way we handle change, a threshold, or something coming to an end. Also what this can invite or reveal about our inner world. I share reflections on work I've done to make endings smoother or at least less uncomfortable. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenwort...

Do kids annoy you? Or pets? What about high-vibe people? Or loafers; the rich and leisured classes; care-free folk who drift through life, unaffected. Ever feel jealous or sad you don’t? These strong reactions could be telling you something about your unmet need for play. Here I make the case for more of it in life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...

Sometimes we don't have big up-and-out-there playful energy Maybe you're flat, tired, lonely AND you have an appetite for some kind of light playfulness - you're in need of fun. In this episode we discuss that tension, and explore 3 ways to be playful and creative when you're a bit low. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episod...

A chilly swim in the English channel prompts some reflections on how the way we do one thing, is the way we do everything. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Earlier this week, 8 improvisers explored their innate qualities of earthiness, fire, water and air and how that helps you relate and express to other humans. Here's what happened and how the 4 elements help or hinder us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Do you fear becoming an arsehole if you 'indulge' yourself or even dare to put your needs first? Do your needs even matter? Because your inner child certainly thinks so, it knows you DESERVE fun and pleasure. Yet as grown-ups we deny ourselves joy. Here's another installment of how to reclaim play and build a healthier relationship with your inner child. This is a public episode. If you would like...

Tomorrow, we're exploring the 4 elements in a workshop I'm leading. Each element has a quality that can feel familiar or less so, and with it an invitation to play with a different way of showing up in the world. In this episode I explore each element and give a favour or how to get playful with your elements, and what change that can bring about. This is a public episode. If you would like to dis...

Join me for a coffee walk, reflecting on three big insights to come out of Saturday's Undefended Improv workshop in Leeds. We explore tricky conversations, why everyone is waiting for everyone else to go first, and why it's easy to drop the mask when you stay with yourself and what you really care about. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

Chris has another rant about goals and a possible antidote to find your way through life with more ease, fun and fluidity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

In this live recording, I explore who your inner child is, how it relates to creativity, and how to nurture yours so life's more joyful. Recorded live at The New Mondays creative network event in Leeds on Monday 7th May, 2024. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Leeds improv Co-Lab community is 1 year old. Here's 3 lessons I've learned (hard won) about taking risks, and turning an idea or hope into a real-life event. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com