Rise 2 Realize Podcast

Have you ever been stuck on a level of a video game, about to quit? You call a friend who has already played that level and made it through. But who do we call when we're stuck in the game of life? To learn its rules, we need a player who faced the game over, crossed beyond the veil, and came back to tell us what happened. In Episode 3 of Season 2, Arda Ozdemir follows the clues: Dr. Ian Stevenson...

Have you ever watched someone play a video game? One mistake, and the screen goes dark. Game over. Then the screen lights up and asks a simple question: Do you want to play again? If you were the creator of life, which game would you design: one shot, one chance, or plenty of chances to learn from your mistakes and rise to higher levels? In Episode 2 of Season 2, Arda Ozdemir picks up where the be...

It was the summer of 1981, a warm afternoon in Bebek, Istanbul. A 14-year-old watched a beggar collecting soda cans from the garbage bins, just as a brand-new Porsche pulled up right behind his cart. Two lives from opposite parts of the city, only a few feet apart. That scene raised a question that stayed with me for decades: Is life random, or is there a system running beneath the surface? In thi...

Season 2 of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast walks through my new book, The Meaning of Life: The Path toward Enlightenment , one teaching at a time, every Wednesday. We begin with a personal story from Istanbul, 1981: the strangest encounter between a beggar and a Porsche driver, and the questions it raised. Why is there such a big difference in the way we live? Is life random, or is there a system that...

In this episode of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast, we explore where your emotional suffering really comes from. Most people try to fix their lives on the outside, without seeing the inner conflict that quietly drives their mental and emotional pain. I explain how two main inner personas shape your experience: the Vulnerable Self , which carries your old wounds, insecurities and unprocessed feelings; a...

In this episode of the Rise 2 Realize Podcast, I introduce the "Not‑Real Self" – the version of you built from fear, expectations and old survival strategies. Even if your life looks fine from the outside, this hidden self may be the reason it still doesn't feel truly fulfilling. I explain how the Not‑Real Self is formed through family expectations, cultural roles and emotional wounds, how it show...

The other day I was wondering about the phenomenon of bullying and started contemplating about what bullies really want. And this quote streamed into my consciousness. "He bullied his friends to get their attention, because receiving hate filled the emptiness of love he felt." Certainly, I had my share of being bullied in my life, more than I'd like to - but I never thought about what bullies real...

How do you prepare yourself emotionally for a social gathering that you're anxious about? How can you stay centered and grounded against all potential family drama, especially these times over the holidays? What can you do to break free from the negative experiences that you had faced in previous years? Please join me in this episode as we explore together some practical answers to these questions...

In this Episode 63 "Levels of Consciousness, Stairway to Happiness", I'd love to introduce you to the levels of consciousness and how you can use this knowledge to live a happier life?  First of all, did you know that your consciousness level is 100% correlated to how happy you are and how smoothly your life flows?  If you'd like to get to those high-flowing, you better start climbing up the stair...

In this episode, I'm sharing a guided meditation to help you Ease Pain using Breathwork called, 3 by 3.  Over the last 15 years, I watched hundreds of my clients reduce the intensity of their pain and stay calm and relaxed by using this breath technique.  Some of them even felt a sense of power and control over their body. I hope you can achieve similar results.   

The death of Arda's father was not a surprise, as he had been very ill over the past 3 years, experiencing a slow decline. Nevertheless, the loss of a father or a mother, whatever the relationship, evokes feelings, emotions, and reminiscing about what was and what could have been. Join Arda on his trip to Turkiye and listen in on his thoughts on life, death, yearning, loss, and accepting the inevi...

Arda is guiding you how to quiet your mind, and calm your thoughts with a simple breathing technique, called Square Breathing.  In this technique, you'll draw an imaginative square with every movement of your breath.  Every time you inhale, you'll count to 5. Then, you'll hold your breath for 5. Next, you'll exhale slowly while counting to 5, and finally, you'll hold your breath out for a count 5...

Even though an emotional reaction is neither good nor bad, at the end of the day, it is an energy drainer, leaving you feeling depleted afterward. Worse yet, these situations often lead to conflict with others, leaving you even more exhausted and drained. Negative thoughts rush into your head and occupy your mind for hours, for days—maybe even for weeks. Sometimes you can't easily shake them off o...

Our brand-new episode, no. 58, opens up with an interesting discussion about two monks, Ekido and Tanzan, having a debate about whether helping a girl to cross a muddy road is a noble thing to do or is to be avoided, because it's  against their sacred oath of "thou shall not near women!" How did Tanzan move on so quickly, without being bothered by either Ekido's judgment or his own violation of a...

Do you realize that we all live life according to restrictive and limiting patterns stemming from thoughts and beliefs we hold true about ourselves and the world around us? Check it out: As children, we register and conform to the attitudes, mindsets, and ideologies of our parents, teachers, friends, family, and society. As we age, we are replete with messages about ourselves that simply aren't tr...

Are you feeling stuck? Confused? Lost? Not sure if you are coming or going? Maybe you should read Arda's book, The Art of Becoming Unstuck. In this exclusive interview, Arda explains why he wrote a life skills training guide, a manual to live your best life right now. As you listen, you will learn how to identify and become aware of self-defeating belief systems and patterns acting like sandbags,...

In this first episode of the Ask Arda Podcast Show with Elizabeth Ouellette and Arda Ozdemir, you will dive deep into the very personal life of Arda himself. From Turkey to Australia and finally to the US, you'll learn how Arda turned his life upside down, inside out, to follow his inner calling to help others become unstuck and live a life of their dreams. From VP, Finance in a high-tech Silicon...

Life is an emotional rollercoaster ride. One moment, you're up, feeling happy, and next, you find yourself down and feeling anxious and depressed.  Your emotional reactions contribute to this rollercoaster ride. Whenever you react, you lose energy , you lose momentum, and eventually, you lose your happiness.  In this guided meditation, Arda walks you through the Rise 2 Realize 3 by 3 Breath Techni...

In this video, Elizabeth, Beth, Jon and Arda discuss powerful tips for you to have a stress-free holiday this year. They covered: 1. How to navigate difficult people and situations in holiday gatherings 2. What our favorite "go to" communication strategy is to handle difficult conversations and arguments 3. Which one is a better strategy, "I feel" statements or Aikido (leveling) or Open-ended ques...

In this episode, Arda, Elizabeth, Beth and Jon explore the process of forgiveness and how it affects our emotional and mental well-being. They discuss what forgiveness really means. According to The Art of Becoming Unstuck, page 225, forgiveness is defined as "releasing of others from their responsibility to act in a certain way according to our expectations, beliefs or value systems." In a way, t...

Do you experience anxiety? If so, what are your tools to deal with anxiety? In this episode, no. 51, Arda, Elizabeth and Beth, Rise 2 Realize Life Coaches, discuss anxiety and how to overcome it when you experience it next time in your life. They covered the following questions: 1. What is the difference between stress and anxiety? The terms are sometimes interchanged, but there are important diff...

In this 50th episode of The Art of Becoming Unstuck podcast show, Elizabeth, Beth, Jon and Arda discuss everything about People Pleasing: Are you a people pleaser? What are your tendencies? How do you feel after you "people please"?   How do you break free from your People Pleasing tendencies? What are the communication strategies that can help you set boundaries? How did you become a People Pleas...

A few months ago, Valeria Teles, Fit For Joy (fitforjoy.org) interviewed me for her podcast show, A Quest for Well-Being, and graciously permitted that interview to be republished on Rise 2 Realize podcast. So here it is, an intimate, spiritual conversation exploring the purpose of life, higher conscoiusness and ultimate happiness. Enjoy!

Are you aware of your perceptions that give meaning to your life? Do you know your emotional reactions are direct result of your perceptions? Join the conversation. Enjoy.

As irritating as they can be, triggers are actually here for a reason. They serve as an invitation to understand the root cause of your emotional reactions in life. The message that each trigger carries is a substantial one because every time you're triggered, you have a chance to learn about your Self.