The Spiritual Perspective

‘When we're talking about diversity, it's not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.’ This is a quote by Ava DuVernay that rings true in many ways throughout our conversation with today’s guest, Natalie Paterson.  Natalie is a spoken word artist, educator, and activist and in today’s show, we talk to her about her relationship with po...

Keith Mitchell has lived a rich and varied life as a successful linebacker for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, a construction mogul, and lately, a Yoga and nutritional teacher.   In this episode, Keith walks us through it all and talks to us about his darkest times as well as the moments that gave him hope. We kick off the show by hearing more about Keith’s childhood and his unshakable desire t...

If you are at a crossroads in your life, between sticking with the conventional path and taking a leap of faith in the direction of your passion, you're going to get a lot of inspiration from hearing today’s guest tell her story in her own words.  Author and comedian, Sarah Cooper’s viral TikTok Trump impersonations have led to a Netflix show called Everything’s Fine , which is a comedic comm...

Here is another story behind that of a change-maker who was hungry, creative, and innovative in his younger years. One day realizing that he was living on autopilot as he was nearing his late 30s, early 40s. It all came to a head when he found himself hiding in alleyways in Santa Monica, California, smoking cigarettes while wearing a green gardening glove so that his wife wouldn’t find out. His na...

When the word “genocide” comes to mind, one might think these heinous acts occurred deep in history. Yet they’ve occurred as recently as 1994, when 800,000 innocent Tutsi Rwandans were attacked by their fellow countrymen.  Today, we speak to Consolee Nishimwe about her experience surviving the Rwandan Genocide and how her life as a survivor. We open the show by learning about the history between t...

Today’s guest is somebody who inspires a lot of people with his words. His name is Adam Schmalholz, but you may be more familiar with his stage name, IN-Q, which stands for IN-Question. IN-Q is a National Poetry Slam champion, award-winning poet, multi-platinum songwriter, recent first-time author, and one of the most electric spoken word performers on the scene.  In this episode, you’ll discover...

Today we are back with another story behind the story of a change-maker who is an absolute podcast role model. In this episode we welcome Rich Roll, a champion swimmer turned alcoholic, turned lawyer who ended up having a few run-ins with the law himself. Rich’s incredible story about hitting rock-bottom and clawing his way back to sobriety is one that has inspired many along the way. After going...

One of the biggest obstacles our society faced in 2020 is mental health, with a surge in cases around the world. So for this episode, we’re going back through stories that are specific to navigating mental health. The objective is to give you tools and inspiration for dealing with the darker forces that can haunt all of us at different times and in different ways, whether external or in the case o...

When he hears the word ‘changemaker’, we imagine someone’s who’s predestined to take on some special role in following their inner calling. What Light has found through having dozens of these conversations is that changemakers are often just like us. Today’s guest is Steven Reed, a childhood friend of Light’s and someone who, back in 2019, became the 57th mayor of their hometown of Montgomery, Ala...

In the internet age, the idea of reinvention and our lives' seasons have become more prevalent and accepted. Our episode today explores and exemplifies these ideas along with many others, as we talk to artist Matty Mo, also known as The Most Famous Artist. We hear from Matty about his wild journey through business and the art world, as he talks about his days in startups, how he effectively l...

This podcast is about a lot of things, like hope and perseverance, but, if there is one thing that all of Light’s guests have in common, it’s that, at some point in their life, they discovered that the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel was inside of them all along.  This week, we hear from someone who had to die in order to find his light. After being shot, he flat-lined and, while he ob...

Mindfulness, intention, and meditation might be common concepts in the Western world now, but this is a relatively recent development. Joining us on the show today to talk about these subjects and the important role that she and her family have played in the dissemination of these powerful tools, is Mallika Chopra.  We get to hear from Mallika about her interesting childhood, what is was like to w...

Today’s guest is one of the smartest, best-informed, and most insightful voices on all things health and wellness. His name is Shawn Stevenson, and he is a highly sought after speaker, the author of the best-selling books, Sleep Smarter and Eat Smarter .  He is also the host of the very popular podcast, The Model Health Show. Listeners will discover that Shawn is basically a walking health encyclo...

The phrase “at the end of the tunnel” can be reminiscent of death. While this podcast isn’t about death itself, it often addresses the death of the part of ourselves that believes we don't have what we need in order to pursue our passion, our purpose, or our calling in life. It's a rebirth of what's truly important, which is saying yes to whatever is in our hearts. These conversatio...

The path to life as a professional athlete is narrow and difficult, and also one that can be easily misunderstood. Logan Gelbrich is intimately aware of this journey, having made it himself, and then veered from the original course he had projected. Logan is the Co-Founder of DEUCE, a wildly popular gym that does things a little differently. He is on the show today to talk about the roots of this...

“I wish I hadn't worked so hard. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends” – these are some of the words Bronnie Ware realized kept coming up over and over again from those she cared for. Bronnie is today’s guest, a former palliative nurse who took these words and wrote an article in 2009 called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying .  L...

If you remember the amazing conversation we recently had with Edwin Raymond, you might recall the stories about his childhood friend 'Buffet'. Today we are joined by 'Buffet', whose real name is Jim St. Germain, to hear his inspiring story about arriving in the US from Haiti, and how he was able to transcend the harsh realities of unsafe neighborhoods and incarceration. His boo...

Click here for full episode transcript. Episode 22: Show Notes. “Manifest the life that you want with the power of your words. When you raise your vibration with gentle words and encouraging thoughts, positive changes occur.”  This is what the landing page of the WORDAFUL Community website says, and today’s episode is all about the power of words. Today’s guest is Liz Hernandez, a Mexican American...

Today, we have an experimental episode in store. Having had some amazing guests on the show who have told us their backstories and shared with us their inspirations, why limit them to those that still walk the earth today? One of the historical figures that are very intriguing is Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist that was born a slave, who eventually became one of the most prominent abolitionist...

Online health platforms were already on the rise before the pandemic of 2020, but we have seen a sharp uptick in the utilization of video classes and communities since quarantines have kicked in. One such community was built by Adriene Mishler, and had humble beginnings as a yoga class hosted on YouTube in the early 2010s. 'Yoga with Adriene' grew steadily after a slow start, and by the...

Although the issue of police brutality and racial profiling has been prevalent for decades, in many ways, 2020 will be remembered as the year in which the levee broke. Here on the show with us today is Edwin Raymond, someone who is positioned better than anyone to speak on the systems of law enforcement, the problems we see, the limitations on officers, and the action that is needed on so many lev...

An amazing career path does not have a set shape or direction and the limitations that external expectations put on our hopes for ourselves can stunt the blossoming of the most unlikely of flowers. Ava DuVernay is a priceless example of this! She joins us on the podcast today to share her amazing and surprising story and all the twists and turns that have led her to the highly regarded position sh...

The path to self-discovery and self-love is not often a straight one and the theme of our winding journeys as humans is a common one on this podcast. Today's episode underlines this idea, as we are joined by poet, Diego Perez, who is more commonly known as Yung Pueblo. He is the author of the widely acclaimed collection of poems, Inward , and has grown a notable online following, starting fro...

Brain disease often starts decades before the diagnosis, and if only people knew that the foods they put in their body can either make or break a healthy brain, they would make different choices. Today’s guest is Max Lugavere, author of Genius Foods and The Genius Life, here to talk about the journey that led him to his life’s purpose – helping people truly understand nutrition. Max had been on tr...

Food apartheid is different from a food desert because it is man-made, and the lack of availability of healthy food disproportionately affects communities of color. This week’s guest is somebody who's working toward eliminating what she calls the food apartheid. Olympia Auset has made it her mission to find solutions to America’s food deserts, which are communities that lack access to afforda...