Stay Grounded With Raj Jana

“Everything from my past happened for me. And not only did it happen for me, it happened for me to show others that they can overcome their past as well.” Mark Crandall endured an unbelievably traumatic childhood. He was burnt with cigarettes, handcuffed inside a locked closet, and neglected by his parents. Taken into foster care age 3, life didn’t get any better. He started stealing, became addicted to drugs, and spent seven years in and out of prison. None of this was his fault. He’d been dealt a rotten hand by life and after enduring so much trauma, this was his destiny. Then Mark met Rob - his first mentor. Rob asked Mark a question that literally changed his life in a heartbeat. “What’s it like being a 25-year-old man living the ages of 3-7. What’s it like to play the victim?”This question kick-started an awakening in Mark. He began to question everything n an attempt to strip away the layers and get closer to his heart. Mark was done allowing his past trauma to define his life. He was don

“Most people base success on how much money someone is making. Based on that I was successful but felt horrible, and I knew something had to change.” This episode’s guest got his first taste of entrepreneurship in middle school when he started selling candy out of his locker. By the time he was 24, Joshua Lee was running 16 companies and generating a couple million dollars a month. To the outside world, he’d made it. He had more money than he knew what to do with. He was living a luxury life with his wife and two kids and he was surrounded by friends in similar positions. But inside, he felt horrible and miserable. His relationships had become transactional and his identity and self-esteem was driven by the figure in his bank account. Worse than that, Josh didn’t feel as though he knew himself. His in-laws didn’t feel comfortable when he talked about his business success meaning there was this whole side to Josh that was buried and unexpressed to people outside his business circles. Eventu

“Purpose is the precipice of meaning, and without meaning, we are just doing chores.”Purpose is ‘everything’. It’s the fuel that gives meaning to life and it’s the key that unlocks the motivation to act. Without purpose, there’s no reason to do the hard stuff or no incentive to step out of your comfort zone. That’s why figuring out your purpose is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give yourself. But it’s not an easy path to walk - and that’s not your fault. As a human, you have to dance through life with two competing ‘partners’. First, there’s your Monkey Mind - your reactive, inner critic, fear-fueled self. The part of you that’s desperate to keep you safe and keep you away from risk. Secondly, there’s your ‘Soul Purpose Heart’ - the part of you who’s connected to source. The wild dreaming, big loving consciousness that wants you to thrive. And the life you get to live is determined by which partner you allow to dominate your dance.This episode's guest is dedicated to helping you n

“Addictions, unlike people, will never let you down. They will always be there for you. They are your best friend because they are always there. They’re also your biggest enemy because of the damage they do to you.” This episode’s guest became an addict when he was just 11-years-old. The way it happened was quite innocent and even accidental. Michael Dash won his first ever bet during a family Thanksgiving dinner. It was an experience that led to a 20 year gambling addiction. Thanks to his addictive personality, Michael didn’t stop at gambling. Instead, he kept chasing the high. And the more he got, the more he needed. This led him to pills at college, which evolved into marijuana and cocaine. Despite these addictions, Michael was outwardly successful. Driven by hard work and addicted to doing well, Michael was earning 6-figures just two years out of school. Fuelled by the high that his addictions guaranteed, he worked his butt off to ensure he could fuel his obsessions.  But he

“When you have the courage to take that leap and go for it, you don’t need to know how it’s going to work out.” This episode’s guest was just 17 when he was stabbed nine times. Prior to this life-changing experience, Ricky Roberts didn’t care whether he lived or died. After an abusive childhood, Ricky was full of anger and resentment. He thought about suicide frequently. He’d even put a gun in his mouth and played with the trigger. But as he lay in the hospital bed watching the Emergency Staff work him, he realized he didn’t want to die after all. Instead, he wanted to learn how to live. In the darkest of moments, Ricky had been thrown an unexpected lifeline. So he grabbed this second chance and used his rock bottom moment to transform his life. Nowadays, life couldn’t be more different. Ricky is the author of seven books. He’s a youth advocate, a national speaker, and the founder of You Are Valued - an organization on a mission to inspire a movement of valuing others through community out

“I really believe that we have so many amazing gifts and talents and things to share with the world, but if we don’t feel good in our body it’s really hard to share with people.” Steph Gaudreau is a Nutritional Therapy Consultant, weightlifting and mindset coach. She’s also the highly coveted author of the brand new book, “The Core 4”, and passionate about helping women build their inner and outer strength so they can take up more space. Through her ‘Core 4’ teachings, Steph empowers women to ditch their diets, the scales, and exercise as a form of punishment. Her work is powerful, her story is inspiring, and I could not wait to go down the rabbithole with her in this incredible episode. Like lots of other women, Steph used to struggled with her weight. She suffered with body dysmorphia and was obsessed with dieting. Food ruled and Steph never felt enough. Her inner dialogue told her she wasn’t pretty enough, smart enough, thin enough or even good enough. She had problems with blood sugar regul

“Change is great, change is exciting, change is scary, but what happens on the side of scary is amazingness.” This episode’s guest is Allen Brouwer. He’s the co-founder of BestSelf.co, a Forbes 30 Under 30 winner, and the only person to have won Shopify’s Build a Business and Build a BIGGER Business consecutively.He’s a man whose entirely self-made and has redefined for himself and thousands of others what it means to be successful with tools such as the SELF Journal. In short, he’s an all-round badass!This isn’t his first time on the show. In fact, Allen was one of my very first Stay Grounded guests way back in 2017, but I wanted to bring him on again because so much has changed in his life. Allen recently became a dad for the first time - one of my first friends to become a parent. So I wanted to get him back to chat about how parenthood has changed him and how he’s learnt to juggle business with being present for his daughter.This episode is a powerful reminder of the importance of creating harmony in your

“We can’t change the past — we can just learn from it. We can look at it and wonder what we could have done differently. How can we learn and do things so that we don’t make those same mistakes today?” As a kid, Colin was obsessed with golf. He was naturally talented and eventually turned pro. Then to his horror, he realized this wasn’t the life he wanted. He hit his breaking point on the 9th tee of a golf course in Arizona. Despite being in the state for two months, Colin realized he knew nothing about the area except the golf course. It was time to quit.But that’s when the real ‘competition’ began.Until that point, golf had been everything to Colin. It defined who he was, how others saw him, and what he did. How could he make the transition to something new when he didn’t even know what it was he wanted?Business seemed like the obvious solution, but it wasn’t until he struggled as an entrepreneur for many years until he figured it out. He’s been trying to get rich quick, but that wasn’t the answer! Instead,

“When it comes to my day-to-day and my mindset, I don’t think about the past and the future. I focus on the situation at hand.” This episode's guest is the incredible Steven Kuhn -- a speaker, author, and consultant who empowers people to improve their life through the principles of honesty, integrity and transparency. He’s a man that can turn failing businesses into success and whose clients include rockstars, sports personalities, and celebrities.Steven is a big man who makes an even bigger impact everywhere he goes -- and I can’t wait for you to meet him in this show.But life wasn’t always this good. As a kid, he struggled with self-loathing and self-hatred, then after serving on the front line in Iraq, he came away with severe PTSD and suicidal thoughts.But against the odds, Steven figured out how to use these rock bottom experiences to turn his life into a conduit for joy and love. This powerful mindset has empowered Steven to turn vulnerability into a strength, pain into perspective, and hurt into love.

“Success means different things to different people. You create your own definition of success, and it has nothing to do with the type of car you’re driving or the brand of watch you’re wearing.” When this episode’s guest hit 40, he realized something had to change.Despite spending 15 years in the entertainment and hospitality industry [where he’d launched a dozen businesses], Zark Fatah didn’t have the life he wanted.His success felt superficial because it was based on material possessions. He felt lonely in love, he didn’t jump out of bed to get to work, and because he had a habit of spending more than he earned, he was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.It was a wake up call.Surely there was more to life than this? The man in the mirror wasn’t the guy he wanted to be. So he let go, deconstructed his life, and redefined himself - beyond recognition.And in this episode, you get to hear what Zark did and how his life has changed as a result.“As humans, we are all curious individuals. It’s just in our na

“Having a growth mindset is not needing to spend time growing. It’s that you can look at every situation and take away what you’re learning from it.” In a world of growing inequality, deepening environmental problems, and significant global change, we have a lot of stuff that needs fixing!And this episode’s guest is passionate about doing his bit to find and fund some of the world's most pressing problems.Meet Matt Hunter, CEO of the incredible Founders Pledge - a global community of entrepreneurs all committed to donating a % of their exit proceeds to charity. To date, the Founders Pledge has secured binding pledges of $1.6bn from 1200 business founders in 30 countries. YES! It’s incredible work, and the momentum keeps building as more entrepreneurs and business owners get onboard.For me, this is an organization that holds a promise that altruism, philanthropy, and helping others will become the new north star. It’s why I couldn’t wait to get Matt on the show.“Even in the worst moments, you can still choose

“When you show up in a present way for somebody, it is so powerful that your heart can’t help but come through.” This episode was filmed in front of a live audience making it a Stay Grounded first!Phoebe Mroczek is a fellow podcaster and marketing strategist. She thought she had her life figured out from the age of five. All she ever wanted was to play soccer professionally - and she was good enough. But when she hit 21, she realized soccer wasn’t her destiny.It was a revelation that left a massive void in Phoebe’s life - and she had to figure out how to close it.Letting go of her soccer dream made Phoebe realize that you don’t have to restrict yourself to a single identity. Instead, you can pick and choose who you want to be and how to want to show up - on a daily basis (if that feels right). This realization empowered Phoebe to create a life on her terms that’s a full expression of who she wants to be. It’s how she’s able to travel extensively, podcast regularly, and build an aligned business that lights he

“You have certain mentors that are human beings. Why keep it to one species? You can learn things you can never learn from any human from talking to a tree or a mushroom or a plant.” Drum roll please because this episode is a Stay Grounded first! That’s because it’s the very first time I’ve brought an old guest back into the interview chair.You may remember Logan ‘strongman’ Christopher from episode 35 when he revealed how an experience in the Amazon changed his life. Well, things have moved on since then. Logan has jumped much deeper into his connection with nature. In fact, he now describes himself as an emissary of nature - someone who communicates deeply with the wildlife, plants, and landscapes around him. At the surface level, this may sound a bit crazy, but hear Logan speak and I guarantee you’ll never look at nature through the same lens again.This episode is a beautiful opportunity to expand your definition of self. It’s a chance to explore how you can open up different parts of your being and i

“We are all essentially shades of shadow to light, and the shadow is just aspects of ourselves that we haven’t forgiven and brought into light yet.” Like many of us, David Newell started out on the traditional path through life. After graduating, he took a lucrative career in investment banking and all was good for a while - until he burnt out aged just 25. The burnout was so severe that David was forced to quit working and take 6 months to recover and find himself again.But as often is the case, this rock-bottom moment blossomed into an opportunity for massive healing and self-discovery. In this time, David chose to travel, invest in retreats, and get curious about life. This healing journey uncovered an enduring need to dive deep into the inner self to understand the workings of the mind. It’s where his Inner Truth podcast and business was born - work that he loves and work that provides a platform for continuous growth.Nowadays, David is obsessed with diving deeper and exploring further. It’s a journey tha

“I just want to choose happy all the time, and if I’m not loving something I’m doing, I let it go. And if it’s something that brings me joy, I keep travelling down that path.” Shari Aldrich was doing well on the traditional path through life.Working as an IT Director back in the 90s she had a secure and stable job, but it didn’t bring her joy. Like many others, she stuck it out -- until her mom and two of her siblings died unexpectedly in the space of just four years. After losing half her family in such a tiny timeframe, Shari realized that life is too short to settle for choices that don’t create joy.It’s how happiness became her ruler and empowered her to discover the work she was born to do -- massage.Nowadays, Shari doesn’t wait for happy to come. Instead, she proactively chooses it -- even when pain makes a visit. In fact, pain has been a catalyst for massive personal growth and now influences Shari’s mission to use massage to relieve one million people of pain by 2025.But her story doesn’t stop there..

“I was not scared of the illness itself. I thought, "This is just something that’s happening. It’s not going to be permanent. Either I’ll die or get better — those are the only two options I’m going to give myself."” When Aimme’s heart raced to 200bpm - even when she wasn’t doing anything - she knew there was something seriously wrong. At the time, the medical community didn’t even have a name for Aimee’s chronic condition - but that turned out to be a blessing.Aimee’s condition left her drained and debilitated. It was so severe she couldn’t even brush her teeth by herself. Aimee didn’t want to live like this. It wasn’t OK for her; so she made a choice. She knew she’d either die or get better.Turned out, life wanted the latter for her.When you’re not boxed in with a label or a specific diagnosis, you’re more able to tune into your own intuition. It’s what Aimee did. She removed toxins from her life, started eating organic, and invested in alternative therapies. The results were astounding. Aimee went from bei

“Following your heart is frequently scary but never wrong.” Today’s guest is redefining how we build and do business in the 21st century.In fact, it’s fair to say that Yanik Silver is the reason Stay Grounded exists today. He helped me put the soul in JavaPresse by giving me the tools that transformed an ordinary e-commerce coffee company into a brand that helps people “stay grounded” through the moments they love. And he’s done the same for countless other entrepreneurs too.As the founder of Evolved Enterprise and Maverick1000, Yanik’s mission is to “catalyze the catalyst”. Through his work, he empowers entrepreneurs to follow their heart, and put their fun and purpose at the heart of business. And as more businesses follow this lead, the ripples of impact spread further and further.In fact, his work is so powerful that he’s been praised by the likes of Richard Branson and his story has featured in WIRED, TIME.com, USA Today, and Entrepreneur to name just a few.So if you’re an entrepreneur who’s at a crossro

“I know people in the world today who aren’t free. They’re slaves to work, they’re slaves to stereotypes and slaves to cultures and customs they don’t even believe in. Not being in jail does not mean you are free.” This week’s guest is proof that your past doesn’t have to equal your future. You can drop the old stories, change your core beliefs, and create a life you love - even if your past says otherwise.Rewind two decades and not only was Andre serving a 100-year prison sentence, he also ran all the gang activity in the prison. You could say it was his destiny. As a kid, he felt unwanted. He felt disconnected and left out. In turn, he never saw his potential and instead followed a life fuelled by drugs, alcohol, depression, self-harming, and ultimately crime.But as is the case with many people, once he hit rock bottom he was able to turn his life around.It was during a period of solitary confinement that Andre eventually pulled the metaphorical parachute for help. His epiphany inspired him to do the work,

“If everyone did the same thing as everyone else, then no one would be creating an impact.” It was 2011 when Cathryn Lavery moved from Ireland to New York City to take up a graduate job as an architect. Despite dabbling with an Ebay store while at school, there was no question of her not following a traditional career path. And anyway, she didn’t know any entrepreneurs to guide her.But life had other plans.When Cathryn landed in NYC, her employer announced a 25% cut in her pay. Cathryn wasn’t ready to quit or admit to her parents that things weren’t working out as expected, so she launched a side hustle to help make ends meet.Before long that side hustle generated more money than her full-time job. After reading 23 carefully selected books and completing her ‘personal MBA’, Cathryn quit to become a full-time entrepreneur - and never looked back.Today, Cathryn is the CEO and creative genius behind BestSelf.Co - a multi-million-dollar ecommerce brand that develops tools (such as the SELF Journal) to help people

“There is a way in which we can ask good questions, and I think that is the bridge I often use to help people discover these latent powers within themselves and their own human potential.” What do you do if you feel pain in your body? If you’re like a lot of people, then your instinct will be to reach for the painkillers. But what if that’s not the right thing to do?Our western culture is very cerebral. We spend a lot of time in our heads, while ignoring the calling of our body. It can be hard to express emotions and even more difficult to process them. As a result, we experience a lot of dis-ease.Today’s guest has a different approach. After a back injury while playing college football, Lee Holden was told he’d be out for the rest of the season. He took pain medication, but when the pills affected his digestion he sought a different route for healing. To his surprise, acupuncture made him better after just a few weeks and he was back in the team faster than anyone predicted. This profound healing experience