The Rich Roll Podcast - Don’t Compromise: Living An Expansive Life, The Divine Throughline, Thoughts on Bowie & Why All Roads Lead To Meditation

Episode Date: January 14, 2016

Technically this is another episode of Ask Me Anything. But this week we don't actually answer listener questions. This week we riff. This is a conversation about embracing the journey of becoming more of who you truly are. It's about the commitment to evolve into your most authentic expression. It's about the beauty and power of living an uncompromising, expansive, creative existence. There was a man who exemplified this ethos like no other. A man who never compromised. A man who expressed his creative truth with every fiber of his being, all the way down to his final breath. That man is the singular David Bowie. May you rest in peace, Ziggy Stardust. Today we reflect back on a remarkable life. From his example we mine the path to unlocking your own personal truth. And we weave our way back to one immutable truth — all roads to personal growth lead back to your commitment to you. As a related aside, and in case you missed it, enjoy this short movie about my recent visit to Beirut, Lebanon to run the marathon. I didn't run for time. I ran for peace. An experience that uplifted me, then broke my heart. That's what travel does — it breeds empathy. 2016 is all about video for me. So if you enjoyed this little movie, subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I'll be uploading a new video every week, so lots of cool stuff soon to come. For fun daily videos on my morning routines, nutrition, training, podcast behind the scenes and random musings, add me (iamrichroll) on Snapchat! In any event, enjoy the conversation. Peace + Plants, Rich

The Rich Roll Podcast. The Rich Roll Podcast. Is that the truth? That's true, actually. Excellent. You, in fact, are. You're in the right place. We're brought to you today by recovery.com. I've been in recovery for a long time. It's not hyperbolic to say that I owe everything good in my life to sobriety. And it all began with treatment and experience that I had that quite literally saved my life. And in the many years since, I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. And with that, I know all too well just how confusing and how overwhelming and how challenging it can be to find the right place and the right level of care, especially

because unfortunately, not all treatment resources adhere to ethical practices. It's a real problem, Thank you. to support and empower you to find the ideal level of care tailored to your personal needs. They've partnered with the best global behavioral health providers to cover the full spectrum of behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, gambling addictions, and more. Navigating their site is simple. Search by insurance coverage, location, treatment type, you name it. Plus, you can read reviews from former patients to help you decide. Whether you're a busy exec, a parent of a struggling teen, or battling addiction yourself, I feel you.

I empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you. Life in recovery is wonderful, and recovery.com is your partner in starting that journey. When you or a loved one need help, go to recovery.com and take the first step towards recovery. To find the best treatment option for you or a loved one, again, go to recovery.com. or a loved one, again, go to recovery.com. Hi, Julie. Hi, Rich Roll. How are you?

I'm pretty good, actually. Excellent. It's been a little spell since our last... Have you missed me? I have missed you. It's been a long time. Are we going to get intimate now? Since I've seen you. What do you mean?

It's been a long time since I was on the podcast. When was the last time? A long time ago. It was... Oh, come on. A couple weeks. It was, let's see. Oh, no.

Way more than a couple weeks. Three weeks, maybe. No, it was before my father passed away. It was just before that. Yeah. So it's been six weeks now. No, it was four weeks. It's not two weeks.

It was like mid-December. Mid-December, I think. Because before the best of episodes. It was actually... yeah, exactly. Anyway, well, since then, quite a bit has happened. Your father indeed did pass away. He did. I think, let's talk about the D word, the last time you were on?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so that was right before he passed. Right. He did indeed pass, and it was actually kind of a beautiful process, right? Yeah, it was one of the most profound experiences of my life and we were extremely blessed as a family to have been able to experience that kind of a death. It was absolutely magnificent and blessed and it's still blowing my mind daily. What aspect of it is so profound for you? It was the, first of all, the opportunity that we had

to actually sit with him and express both sadness and extreme loss and grief and also joy and celebration for the amazing life that he had and for the role that he played in our lives for the courage that my mother showed throughout the entire time and and for her willing her willingness to let him go and to actually want that for him um and the ability of my brothers and sisters to show up in uh in with so much heart and so much beauty. And, and we just, we really did, we really did a great job. We did an amazing, amazing job and to honor him also as, um, to honor his life

in a sacred way through ritual and through this blessing of actually, you know, honoring the body and wrapping the body and offering roses and washing it with rose water. And it was truly magnificent. And we were there for his last breath. And I can say it was a divine passing. It was an experience unlike any other that I've ever been part of. And it's a weird thing because, you know, everybody dies. But it's very uncommon to be around death or to be in the presence of somebody either in the midst of their passing or in the aftermath of their passing. To like literally stand with a dead body

is a very impactful thing. And I think what was most notable and kind of emotionally impactful for me was the fact that your father was surrounded by family for, you know, two weeks, ten days. It was actually less. It was about a week. Yeah, so every day, though, everybody kind of congregated. You know, not everybody was there all the time. But for the most part, like every evening, there was, you know, we were all there.

And we were able to kind of be a family around him. And he would go in and out of kind of conscious awareness. But, you know, he knew that we were all there. And it was just sitting around telling stories and looking at pictures with your mother and playing music and singing to him and going in and visiting him in his room and then coming back out and eating food. And it was very akin to sort of sitting Shiva in the Jewish tradition, which is what you do in the aftermath of the passing. But that was going on prior to it all the way up until the moment. And you were lucky enough to actually be there at the moment. I was with the girls at their play in Malibu,

and right as the play commenced, I got the text that he had passed. So right after the play, we left and joined you. But at that moment, everybody was there with him. I mean, you can't, you know, it's, it's the culmination of a life. Like what, how else would you want to go out? He went out peacefully surrounded by people he cared about who were honoring him in the best possible way. It was truly magnificent. It was, uh, and it was something that, you know, it, it's, uh, again, like I would like to share this with people and, you know, I may write about it or I may, I don't know, I may create something because, um, you know, nobody gave me permission to

do what I did. Nobody gave, you know, I, I didn't like, you know, learn this step-by-step from someone else. It's like, you know, I asked my mother for her permission. My dad had given me his permission in the recent weeks. And, um, I just did what felt, what felt loving to me and honoring to me and beautiful to me. And you don't need anybody's permission to honor, you know, a life like that. And it's very, I think, disconnected that in our culture, we just somebody passes or they get near

the end and you try not to see them or keep people away from them. Or, you know, you don't, you don't want to look at it. It's almost like, okay, they've died. Let's whisk them away, you know, put them in a plastic bag and take them away so that we don't really have to look at it or we don't really have to visit it. And the truth is is that it's a magnificent, beautiful rite of passage. It's, you know, it's a birth into another existence. So it's, um, it's very, it was very easy and it was very loving. And my mother thanked me many times, and my brothers and sisters as well,

for being able to facilitate that for them and say, okay, this is what we're going to do, and this is a ritual that we're going to do and we're going to participate in. And he was truly divine. I mean, truly magnificent. And even, you know, the hospice nurses who, by the way, I need to, for my mother and for all of us, just acknowledge the beautiful role that hospice plays. I mean, it was one of the cutest things is one of the nurses, Lucille, I think her name was. What they do is they rotate the nurses. And I think they do it so you don't develop an attachment to one of the nurses, Lucille, I think her name was, what they do is they rotate the nurses,

and I think they do it so you don't develop an attachment to one of them, and maybe them with the family. It's probably, you know, could be very hard. But it was so cute, because one of us would take turns sleeping there, and one of the times, you know, I was trying to rest on the couch,

and it was the middle of the night, and she was giving her shift up and welcoming the the next nurse in and she was there bragging about my dad you know like that she had known him his whole life you know so i just thought it was she was like do you know what he did you know he was he was still flying his airplane two years ago and you know how many kids he has and you know what he does for work? And it was so sweet. It was like, she didn't want to leave him until the next person understood his humanity and who he really was when he wasn't sick or wasn't, you know, dropping his body. So hospice was just incredible. And that is a magnificent service that we had. So I just want to acknowledge all the hospice community and from my heart, thank you for the role that you play in all of our lives. Because, you know, every passing is different. And it's,

you know, it's not always easy, and it's not always smooth. And, you know, quite frankly, we had a very, very easy, you know, my dad had very, you know, in the scheme of things, a very easy passing. So anyway, it just, it blew my mind. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that this would ever have come to pass, especially with my father specifically. And we're in a whole different place right now. So anyway. Yeah. And for people that are listening that might've missed the other episode where we talked about this, I mean, your father was 92 when he passed. He lived quite a remarkable life. He was an adventure, you know, an adventurous soul, a bush pilot, you know, a mountaineer, very much an outdoorsman.

You know, he raised you guys in Alaska and just loved the outdoors and, you know, literally lived out his remaining two years year and a half here in just a year and a half which was not his choice no kind of kicking and screaming you had always said you know this is a guy who's going to end his life by flying his bush pilot into a side of a mountain because he's not a guy who would want to get old but he he did grow old gracefully and despite the fact that you know for a guy like that to be locked up in a body that doesn't work very well anymore and be in a place that he doesn't want to be he was a pretty good pretty good sport and spirit about the thing all the way to the end yeah absolutely well he loved his

grandkids and his kids and loved music and we were just so blessed that he played harmonica with us at the book release party of the plant power Way at the Skirball. That was really, really something. That was a life event. And my dad also was a civil engineer, and he worked his entire lifetime. He's responsible for many of the large cultural centers in Alaska. And his last job was with a job manager of the entire construction of a massive museum in Anchorage that was designed by David Chipperfield. And it was $100 million project. And he was working on that just four years ago. So he, he had the great, you know, blessing of actually making more money at the end of his life

than he ever made. And he kept trying to retire and he, they just wouldn't let him, they would send a car to pick him up or, you know, so he was very, very respected and, you know, was responsible for a lot of, a lot of building, a lot of design in Anchorage. Well, I have two observations on that. The first is that in part that is, you know, like that's a testament to his character, but it's also a function of the way Native culture works in Alaska. Because so many of his colleagues and peers and people that he worked with were, you know, Native Americans. And that is a culture that puts a little bit more value and respect on the elders. So he was somebody who was in high demand well past his expiration date in the kind of traditional modern culture of working and retiring when you're 65. So people kept calling him to work and to work and to work. And he was like, I don't know how much longer I can do this.

But it was a sign of respect to bring him into that project and help him see it all the way through to its conclusion, which is beautiful. And that museum is incredible. It's magnificent, yeah. The second observation that I have is exploring this idea of really being occupied in your passion all the way to the end. Because as we all know, David Bowie just passed away. In my opinion, I think in a lot of people's opinion,

one of the most remarkable my opinion, I think in a lot of people's opinion, one of the most remarkable artists of our, of our time. And, you know, we, we should all just feel blessed that we got to live at the same time as this guy. And he was a, you know, sort of a everlasting font of incredible creative output and that creative output, the sort of spigot on that faucet never got turned off. And what's super interesting is how he kind of really just orchestrated his entire passing. Like he figured out, like he knew that he was gonna be,

he knew he was sick, obviously he knew he was sick, but he knew he was nearing his end. And he kind of created all of this creativity to kind of be this giant crescendo to the end of his death by putting out this album. And there's the video that he put out, like, all this stuff that kind of all came out right around the time of his passing. It was like he scripted the entire thing like a Broadway show. Yeah, well, you know, I first of all, I agree wholeheartedly. And for me, when I feel into the vibration of David Bowie, even when he's alive or when he's passed from this world,

it's one of complete triumph, complete victory, because he is an individual who has lived his life authentically from the very beginning with without without with abandon, without any hesitation in who he was, even if it was against what everybody else felt. And so here's somebody who has pushed the boundaries, who has been an extraordinary artist in many different ways, and who, you know, also has a beautiful family and beautiful children and just really such a full life lived in such honesty and authenticity and truth. And of course, he has never missed an opportunity in his life to express his gifts. And he chose and he took a perspective, he chose to make his passing another creative expression

and knowing how many millions of people are going to be watching. And so he's sharing some very expanded concepts and some very spiritually laced music and videos. And it is changing the frequency of people who watch it. It is giving them an opportunity to expand. So once again, even in his passing, he has offered us the gift of expansion through his art and his music. Yeah, he never breathed in inauthentic breath in his life. Like the idea of compromising his gift or his art to please another or to fit some kind of, you know, uh, marketing campaign or something like that. Like it doesn't

even enter into that guy's consciousness, you know, and, and, and the strength, you know, to stand in that strength is, is something truly to behold. You know, it really is remarkable because the level of charisma, you know, oozing out of that guy, you know, you look at, he's gone through all these different obvious incarnations and, you know, these sort of alter ego personas that he adopted over the years that are, you know, hardly mainstream, you know?

And the fact that he was able to kind of bend the mainstream to his will is is truly something that you don't see very often right and it shows a very evolved being because he was exploring and expanding and testing things he was never safe he was never in the box he was always just you know just you know blowing your mind going to another place, you know, and even even his current music, again, he's pushed the envelope, you know, it's very complex. And, and it's just, he's a he's a true artist, but a true expanded soul. And, you know, so it's like, when, when I feel David Bowie, there's nothing about me that can feel sad or disappointed, or, you know, he's, he's just a

triumph. And of course, I feel compassion for his immediate loved ones who knew him, his wife, his children. Yes, of course, that, you know, it is so sad to see somebody go that we love. And I'm sure that it's immense for them because I'm sure the relationship was extraordinary, as is everything else about this man and this being. But if you really view the life, I mean, isn't that the kind of life we're all trying to lead? Isn't that the kind of life that you and I are talking to, that we're aspiring to, that we're talking about, you know, connecting with your authentic self and being yourself and being true? It's just a triumph. What a beautiful, beautiful being. And I am sure he is flying so freely and so far and wide that you know we can't

even imagine where he is but what what a beautiful beautiful well done life yeah exactly um he had the level of his uh aptitude for understanding where he stood and and unwavering, you know, sort of his commitment. You know, like he was so committed to who he was that the question of him moving one way to the left or the right would never even come up. And how many people are there that are like that? Yeah. I mean, can you imagine like a record executive saying to him like, and how many people are there that are like that. I mean, can you imagine like a record executive saying to him like,

yeah, we like it, but we think it should be a little bit more like this. Could you put on this teal sweater? Like for most, even very, very successful people, they feel that pull of the little compromises that must be made for the purpose of commerce. But I can't even imagine that even being on the table for somebody like that. And I think that you're right when we're talking about aspiring to a more authentic existence. He's iconic in that regard. Absolutely he is.

And when you're breaking paradigms, when you're writing a new way, when you're creating a new way, it's like you don't fit into anything. And there's an extreme amount of judgment. I mean, trust me, there is, there are tons of people that question him or think he's a freak or, you know, whatever. I mean, so it goes with the territory, but you were, you were never going to tell him to fit into some, somebody's idea of what success is. And because he was so committed and persistent and just continued to express himself at such a high level, like no matter what, it's like pretty soon you see the truth,

you see the power in it, you see it for what it is and you understand that it's beyond anybody's idea of what success is, like in quotes no record executive or film producer would have said okay this is how you're going to do it and that's a great idea

you know you imagine telling David Bowie what to do no I was with him? I was near him once in my life. Oh, really? Yeah, I was picking up some photos in a photo lab in like 1989, maybe 1990. And I'm just standing in the lab, small space, like probably 6 feet by 12 feet.

And he came in to pick up his photos. We were both looking at our photos through the loops, like at the counter. Oh, but not like a photo mat. No, just like a nice lab. Yeah, like a film lab. And of course I was like, oh my God, like there's David Bowie right there.

But I didn't say, I said hello to him. That's all. Like when we walked out, it was kind of like the door, like, oh, hello, hello. I was like, oh my freaking God, that's David Bowie. Do you feel the presence, the charisma? I feel that he gave me the creative transmission, and it has changed my life since. No, I didn't really think that.

We were talking about this at family dinner the other night, and it was Tyler who told the story. He had overheard Dave Grohl talking about it from the Foo Fighters. He said the Foo Fighters played some concert, some set, and they just worked their butt off to get the crowd into it from the Foo Fighters. He said like the Foo Fighters played some, some concerts, some set, and they just worked their butt off to get the crowd like into it and riled up and excited. And it was like, they were just working so hard to like get a reaction out of the crowd.

And then when their set was done, like David Bowie, who was the, the headline act that night walked out is from what I understand. I could be butchering the story, but David Bowie walks out and just kind of quietly raises his hand in the sky and people just went bananas and like completely just lost it. Like that's the level of like strength that somebody like that can hold when they're carrying

that level of like authentic, you know, creative power. It's so impressive. He just had it. I mean, every single thing about i mean every single thing about him every single thing about him and yeah just the way he held his finger up was extraordinary so how can we be more like bowie i don't think that's that's the wrong that's the wrong aspiration not like david bowie but to like embody the ethos you know the sort of his rule book once again meditation meditation meditation get my meditation program.

Start meditating. Get in touch with really who you are. Who are you? Do you know who you are? I mean, or are you living someone else's life? Or are you pining for objects or experiences that someone else has that you think is going to make you happy?

The answer is only inside your own heart. And you only, like, it's your life. So at the end of your life, it's your life. Like, you can't blame Rich if you don't figure out who you are. You can't blame me, and you can't blame David Bowie either. So the thing is, is find out who you are and be that. Express it. Embrace it.

You know, honor it. And make it special. Make it precious. Understand that you're an emanation of a God force, of creation of the cosmos. You were made specifically for a purpose, a specific purpose to express yourself. There's not another one of you in the entire universe.

Not another one of you exists in the entire universe. Think of the specialness of that. And so if we have one purpose in life, it's to find that and be that no matter what anybody says. And the only way to answer that question for yourself is to, is to commit to that level of inside work of introspection of meditation and of mindfulness. Like that is the path and the journey. And it's been, you know, it's the beginning of 2016 and you know, it's that time of year where you kind of reflect on, you know,

the year that passed and look forward and and kind of vision for the future. And I've been very introspective about the journey that we've been on. You know, it's, it's been a long road to get to this point. And I'm so grateful to be sitting with you right now doing this. Like when I say doing this, I mean, yes, the podcast, but like everything that we're doing, even in the last two weeks, so many remarkable things have happened. Um, you know, this thing came out yesterday on a website called greatest. They listed their 100, you know, most fluent, most influential people in like health and fitness. Right. And so for the second year in a row,

I made this list and I'm actually very high up on the list and they have this whole algorithm about influence, about how they come up with these numbers. And the whole thing is like really silly. And I certainly, this is not why we do what we do. And, and none of that really matters. But at the same time, like I would be lying if I didn't admit that, like, you know, it's, I'm grateful and honored to be included, you know, in that group of people. And you can say, well, this person doesn't belong or whatever, it doesn't matter. Because when I look back over the years that it took to get to this place where we have a voice in a conversation at all is kind of a remarkable thing. And it's been a long road, right? It's been well over 10 years to get to this point. And so it's always interesting to me when I get emails from people or messages from people,

and they want to know like, what is the smoothie? Like I got a message from somebody today who was kind of angry with me because I've never posted like the exact things that I ate every single day when I did the seven day juice cleanse that's in Finding Ultra. And this person was feeling like betrayed by this or gypped by that. And I'm like, all right, well, I could share that. It's not that big of a deal, really. But I think implicit in that why it's so loaded is that people think that these things are what holds the answer. Like if they just get that recipe for that smoothie, or tell me the workout that you're doing, or, you know, what is it this what is the specific, you know, you know, what is it this, what is the specific, you know, uh, you know, what do you, what do you listen to when you train?

Like all these little things that are details, but they're missing the big picture. They're missing the most important thing, which is what you just said, because all of that other stuff is basically, it's all good and important. You know, it's important how you feed your body and how you move yourself physically. They're all pieces in the puzzle. But to be focused on that when you're myopic about the absolute most important puzzle piece, like the fundamental core of this whole thing, which is what you're speaking to, is to be blind to the journey itself. Yeah, it's true. It's true. And it's the thing that, you know, because let me just say, sorry,

to finish that thought, you know, that 10 year journey of going from where we were to where we are now is truly a function of doing that inside work that, you know, to go from that sort of pupae and blossom into the butterfly, so to speak, was a painful process that required, you know, a tremendous capacity for faith and walking forward when, you know, the world was collapsing around us and people were telling us we were crazy. Like we were not exactly being supported, you know, in, in the way that we would have preferred and it's all fine. And I look back on it with nothing but gratitude for how the whole thing kind of evolved into where it is now. But I guess the point that I'm making is, is that it doesn't happen overnight, and it does require a great deal of focus and hard work and commitment. And when you look at a life like David Bowie and his level of commitment to what he was doing, you can see how that manifested in this extraordinary life. And I think that the kernel

of that exists within all of us. It's a matter of whether we're willing to look at it and fertilize that that that seed and allow it to grow when we're being pressured all around us to do otherwise. a version of something that we were created that we do specifically. Like it's that thing that you do that no one else that you know in the whole world can do it. And it can be any combination or anything on the full spectrum. It doesn't all have to be rockstar. You know, it can be every, it can be gardener. It can be, you know, a mother, it can be anything. So but I really, I know and it's interesting because I actually launched my own podcast,

Divine Threeline, on the 26th, sorry, 22nd of December. Yes, which we were going to get into. But yeah, like, it's very exciting. You finally, you know, jumped into the podcast world. How many episodes do you have up now? I have eight. Eight already. I'm doing two a week.

Yeah, you do. So you do a podcast episode and then the following day you put up kind of the spiritual practice that goes with that. Yeah, actually on the same day. I put both up on the same day. So one is the episode and then one is a healing technique. So it's actually a practice because I find that there can be a lot of discussion about the issues and talking and talking and talking. But until we really get into the practice and the techniques to actually activate these new spiritual awarenesses in our being, it can be just a lot of talking, which actually never—you can talk about a peach, but until you eat it, you don't really know what it is. So the techniques are designed to actually lead you into the juiciness of your soul to actually find out who you are. The analogy would be, you know, talking about spiritual principles all day long doesn't

actually mean that you're actually doing anything. It's sort of like talking about the workout that you're going to do, but not actually doing the workout and then going to bed that night thinking that you trained. Exactly. So it's very intellectualized. So we, you, you, you know, it's, it's about getting into the experiential. And so the reason that I brought up the podcast right there is because, you know, again, it's like, I've, I've known my whole life and I've been spiritually driven my entire life and it is what informs everything that I do. And so to not embrace that or not cultivate that or not honor that, not as the second, third, fourth, 15th, 16th item, but the first item, that is the shift for me. And, you know, again, I say it all the time, I'm not religious, I'm not talking about religion,

I'm talking about spirituality. And it is, you could call it the force, you could call it creation, you could call it creativity, you could call it love. You know, I like to call it God sometimes because that's just, that's how big it is for me. But I want to, um, um, I want to speak to these perspectives on what it really means to live a life divine, what it really means to live a spiritual life and how do you cultivate this reverence and this, I mean, think of the reverence and the beauty of David Bowie actually creating these musical and visual gifts and a message around his exit. Like, that is just so geniusly amazing. And not everybody gets that opportunity because some people leave quicker and they you know they can't and they're not david bowie also but the fact that he chose that and could create

that i mean that is honoring a transition and that that act in and of itself catapulted him into an expansion even greater so even in his death he was expanding i mean and and you know you know a normal human being would have just said you you know, I'm going to, oh, I'm going to, you know, just be with my family. And I'm going to, you know, go out quietly. And he, you know, he went out with like the biggest bang ever. I mean, I haven't seen a reaction to someone passing on this level. And I can't remember, like my entire Instagram feed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people just posting pictures of David Bowie like yeah and seeing seeing the video and seeing all the spiritual energy that's just emanating through it I was just smiling my my head off

just completely completely delighted at what he has created and you, you know, it's a- Like creating to his last breath. Yeah. I mean, he's still like, like it's like he's everywhere and eternally always, like he's everywhere. He's not to be missed. Like I'm not missing him at all.

I'm experiencing him right now, you know? And again, you know, I understand, you know, as human beings, we have very, very real connections to the people we love. And I'm not making light of that to his immediate family. And I've, you know, feel very deeply in my heart for their loss. And, but I'm looking as a cultural icon and as all of us and as somebody who was an inspiration and who is somebody that we all, you know, grew up with and experienced things with.

I mean, what a, what a, what a triumph of a life. Just incredible. Just incredible. So again, it's like we're back at this spirituality thing because we have this death thing that's going to happen to all of us. So we can either buy, and it's all okay. Like, you know, 2016 might be about you buying, you know, eight more shiny red bikes. And if it is, enjoy it.

And I really mean that. But 2016 also might be about possibly looking a little deeper into creation into nature into our connection into the stars into the cosmos into the nature of, you know, of, of space, into harmony into our own inner relationships and, and in the real life, you know, not our own inner relationships, and in the real life, not in the Instagram life or not in the Facebook life, but in the real life. How are your relationships at home? And how deeply are you connecting with the people that you're living with?

How dare you compete with me by launching a podcast? There was a moment, you know, we had fun because Julie launches her podcast. And as Apple does, like they overinflate new shows. Are you saying that my show is overinflated? That came out wrong. I don't mean that but like when a new show comes out apple does a great job of like kind of boosting it a little bit so that it gets eyeballs on it because that's great for new shows so that they can you know get an audience they can get a little traction right and that happened that happened when i launched my podcast and i was under the i was under the impression that it was doing a lot better than

i was like oh my god it's so high in the ranking. You don't realize until you've been doing it well. Oh, and then it kind of like settles to its level or whatever. But nonetheless, so yours comes out, and it's like in the new and noteworthy. And then it hits like the health rankings, and you were like way above me for like two weeks. And you would send me texts with like a screen grab of like the, I was like, yeah, that's great. You know, it's like my wife starts,

who launched you as a podcast talent? You did. Who you are, I know. You did, honey. You created me. I owe you everything. But the truth is your show is, it's not like my show at all.

You don't even really do interviews. It's you. The amazing thing about how you do your show is, and it's something I could never do, is do your show is is and it's something i could never do is you literally just sit down and close your eyes and you just start channeling whatever is going on like you don't prepare anything you're not interviewing any anyone and for me the absolute hardest part of doing this whole podcast like i can sit across from someone like yourself and just you know shoot the shit forever but when i'm in office alone, and I have to do the intros, I get all up in my head. And I can't like, it's a weird, like, like seizure that happens where

I just feel and it's, it comes off sounding weird, it doesn't sound natural. And then I'll rerecord it. And it just becomes this whole thing. Like, so the idea for me that I would do a podcast where it's just me talking into the microphone, that sounds like a nightmare. I don't think I could do that. And that's your gift, you're able to just sit there and do it and then have brad who you know is our friend and and your engineer and you guys play music together at the culmination of the podcast and all that he's kind of there as a quiet sounding board for you um but for him to just sit there and kind of watch you do that and his eyes just kind of go wide because he's like how did you come up with all that stuff?

And then he's transformed as a result of that experience. He's like, oh my God, I can't believe like what you said. I feel so different now, you know, which is really cool. So I'm excited for you and I'm excited to see, you know, where you take the whole thing. So it is, did we even say the name? It's Divine Throughline. Divine Throughline, yeah.

And I mean, you know, that's again, like the healing technique I channel, and I'm actually designed it that way that I'm channeling it in the moment. I'm trying to be open to not just using like a standard technique of something else that I know because I'm pushing my own boundaries and allowing me to channel what's appropriate in that moment. So that's kind of interesting. So I do that episode totally by myself. And then Brad is doing the other episode with me recording that.

And it's interesting because we're doing music. So there's music performance. So I do have different musicians in my life that are guesting on it. And then that also steps into some conversation. So we'll see how it all kind of goes. But definitely music is a big, big part of it. And that makes also steps into some conversation. So we'll see how it all kind of goes. But definitely music is a big, big part of it. And that makes me really happy. Right. Well, the other thing you're doing where you're copying me is now you're putting videos on YouTube channel.

Well, actually, Jaya has been telling me our eight year old, she's like, Mom, you know, what are you doing? Like, why don't you do videos? You're not with it and and then uh when we started to do music um suddenly it just it was again like just in the moment like it wasn't planned the same way divine through line happened i wasn't planning it was just like in the moment okay let's record this it was kind of the same thing it was like hey let's make it a video and lay all shoe and if you're gonna do that and since your episodes are so much shorter you should just shoot the whole thing maybe the whole podcast up on on on episodes are so much shorter, you should just shoot the whole thing. Maybe we should.

Put the whole podcast up on YouTube as well. That's what you should be doing. Okay. Will you be my podcast development advisor? I think you already are. I just did. You just did. Yeah, but now I'm done.

Okay. Oh, you're not helping me anymore? No, I just fly in and I give you a piece of advice like that. And then you leave. And then I leave. So the big question is, are you ever going to come on my show? This is the first that you've asked me i didn't think that you had guests well i mean you would be special what would we do that's different than what we're doing right now i don't know maybe nothing

just sit there quietly just see i could actually film you meditating which would be extraordinary and i could put that up on youtube yeah which would be something that would be making, I'm making a YouTube video about meditation right now, which is also hilarious. So I know. So it is, it is, well, I think I'm going to title it like I suck at meditation. That's better. That's good. But here's the thing. No, like, so i've made this decision that in 2016 it's going to be about video for me and that doesn't mean i'm i'm losing interest in the podcast if anything it's the opposite but i just see an amazing kind of opportunity in video and it's something that i've never really invested in or explored and it it kind of started because in our travels,

kind of promoting the Plant Power Way and all these talks that we were giving, people would come up at the book signings and say, oh, you know, I came here to see you because I watched all your videos and I just had to, you know, come and hear you talk. And I'm like, what videos? You know, I've had a podcast. I've had a YouTube channel since I think like 2008, 2007 maybe. And there's videos up there, but I haven't put any videos up there in ages and ages and ages. So it's just never something that I've paid attention to or put

any time or thought or intention behind. But it happened so many times that I thought, or thought or intention behind. But it happened so many times that I thought, this is silly. It's such a powerful medium. YouTube is, I think it's the second or third most visited website on the entire internet. And it's just an avenue that I haven't really explored. And it's fantastic as podcasting is.

I mean, it's truly the ultimate best medium to have long form nuanced conversations, but it's still kind of one dimensional when it comes to how you can like truly impact someone and the moving image is obviously the most powerful thing. So why are we not doing that? Why are we not doing more of that? And I think a part of it for me was fear. Like, I don't really know how to edit and what am I going to say?

And there's all these sort of arguments that I would use in my mind that would prevent me from just getting into it and being willing to make videos that aren't good as a process of learning and getting to a point where potentially it could be just another avenue of connecting with people and being of service. Cause, um, what was I going to say?

Well, I think you're very, no, what I just want to say, I think, I think it's very dharmically in alignment for you. I mean, meaning to say, I think that you're suited for it. I think you're supposed to do it. And you know, you and I made a movie together called down dog, which is really amazing. You directed that you were a great director. And I think you have an aesthetic. You have a great aesthetic. And you can see it in your photographs. I'm sure your listeners are all agreeing with me right now. Your photographs are insane. They're amazing. And you're a huge fan of Casey Neistat. I mean, there's a reason for that.

There's a little shadow artisty there. Yeah, it's a little too much of a show. Yeah, I need to step outside. But no, it's true. But he's been very influential on me. And he's also been incredibly encouraging and supportive. Yeah, and it's nice. You guys have a nice relationship. That's not that's, that's a good thing. You know, that's it. That's a good thing. But I think it's absolutely in alignment with with with what you have to express inside of you and i think it's the next evolution and i think it's beautiful i think it's amazing and i would like to even see more artistic from you like more i i hope you do make a film someday i hope you do um you know take that because i've always said like when i was painting and when I was being an artist uh I mean like in photography

or also in painting and sculpting I I knew that if you started painting or sculpting that you were going to be really good I've always felt that about you I don't know if I could paint or sculpt I think but I feel but I feel pretty pretty confident behind a camera and I'm excited to see you know where this is going to lead but but you know I've made this commitment and I've made the commitment public that I'm going to put out a is going to lead. But I've made this commitment, and I've made the commitment public that I'm going to put out a YouTube video every week. And that scares me. What did you make this week? Well, I've done a podcast every single day.

I made mine. I made mine yesterday. You're ahead of me? Like, why are you copying me here? Leave me alone. And then I'm doing a podcast with Mishka tomorrow. This will be four podcasts in a row yeah so then the next day I think I'm going to set aside just for production and I'm going to

make a video and then you know complete it over the weekend I'm not sure what it is yet and I've got to figure out like how I'm going to do this going forward but the most recent video that I put up is my video about traveling to Beirut and running the marathon there why I went to run the marathon there and then what happened in the wake of that. It was very cool. And it's a really cool, really proud of that video. And I didn't do the editing on this one. I'm still teaching myself how to edit. Michael Lubin did a great job editing it. And thank you, Michael. So that's up right now. So for people that are listening and have never been to my YouTube channel, it's just youtube.com forward slash rich roll uh subscribe please uh and uh and mine is ananda srimati is it

i only have two i only have two videos up so don't i'll let you know it's ananda srimati that's my well i'll link to it in the show notes of this episode but funny but yeah so i'm excited about really developing youtube as an additional platform. And the only way that that impacts the podcast is that we're not going to be doing a second episode every single week. When I was doing two every week, it really did become a full-time occupation. There was very little time or room to do anything else. So now we're going to go to the second weekly episode will be biweekly. So it'll be one episode in a week, and then the following week,

there'll be two and then back to one. So I'm going to try that for a while. And that just frees up more time to do some of this video work. And the other thing on the kind of video tip that I've been doing is putting up Snapchat stories every day. I really do think Snapchat is the future, even though people might laugh and think it's just for kids.

It's actually a really cool, powerful medium. And I've been having fun doing morning routines every day. So I drink the tea and then I do the meditation and then I do the journaling. And I kind of share that in kind of a humorous way on Snapchat in the morning. And people have been really enjoying that. And you're laughing

before and it gets back to this whole thing that we were talking about, which is meditation, right? So the comical part of it is that I historically have had fits and starts with meditation. Like I get into it and I'm really good about it for a while. And then something happens and I'm out of it and then I'm back into it. And that's another thing about 2016 for me is that that is going to be of the utmost priority. And I think when I, when I hold myself out on Snapchat to share that every morning, it holds me accountable to doing it because then people are like, Hey, how come you didn't share your thing? Right? So it helps me to do it when I have that impulse of like, Oh, I'm late and I can't do it and I have to leave and get out the door. So you can follow me on Snapchat as well, which is IamRichRoll.

It's the only account that I have that isn't my name because Rich Roll was taken. So it's IamRichRoll. Okay. Are you going to get on Snapchat now too? Let me know how that goes. I don't know if I am. I think not. I need, you know, who knows?

I don't know. Again, like my question about that, about sharing that every day would be, is that interfering with your ability to go deep and to just really be in your sacred space? of that. And that's something that I think you're correct about. And I'm wondering whether there's a way to kind of do it in a very quick way so it's not interfering or to do it when you're done and say, I did it to check in with it or something like that. So I don't have the answer to that yet, but I will say that knowing that I kind of said, okay, I'm going to share this, gets me to do it when I have an impulse to not do it. My question is, is when you're doing it, are you thinking about doing it? Or are you thinking about having done it? Or are you really just in your soul?

Well, first of all, you're presuming that I have the ability to reach a state of no mind. And I would hardly say that that's the case. So usually my mind is spending a million miles an hour about all kinds of stuff. That might be one or two of the things that are. But if I could be your counsel, this like you're my, you're my podcast counsel. If I could be your counsel on meditation, I would say that's why you should be doing my humming meditation so that you can drop into a moment of stillness. Because right now when you're sitting-

If I do that, then I can Snapchat too, because it'll take care of removing the thoughts from my mind. You might, you might. But you will find a visceral reaction because the main part of the meditation is this humming. And your humming, it's an active meditation. So it's basically clearing all the residue from your being. And if you're lucky, you'll get a moment of where you drop in. And that's what is really amazing. I'm cool with it. And I love doing that meditation.

I get self-conscious if anyone else is around though. I feel like I need to be in a room with the door shut and nobody else around. You can do it in your car. You can do it anywhere. You need to pull over. So when I wake up in the morning, I just go into my car and sit in the car and do it.

Yeah, exactly. And then come back into the house. Right. or you could just do it here you have this one space it is kind of funny in our house and this is also rich people there's people coming in and out of the room all the time like in the morning meditation like it's constantly getting interrupted but mostly it's you and me in the morning that are crossing uh crossing paths a little bit yeah it's super early it is but yeah, I mean, it's interesting because now it's like, are you meditating here? No, I'm meditating here. I'm like, you have a meditation

room upstairs. Go upstairs. What are you doing here? Leave. But sometimes I do Like you're being a hog. I do open eye meditation and I need to see the sunrise for that. I know, I got mad the other morning. I was like, oh, you took the teapot and you're going to sit in here when you have your own room upstairs

that I'm not allowed to go into? And then I tell Rich, just because you started meditating a week ago, don't think that you have domain over the house. That's not fair. Oh, and because you're such a spiritual person, you get to do what you want without repercussion? That doesn't work either. No.

So we have to work that out, obviously. Well, that gets into our expansion plan. Tyler's girlfriend, Leah, lives with us as well right now. How many people do we have all these people here. And we really are functioning in this kind of like, you know, sort of socialist socialist structure. It's like a work camp in a good way. Like everybody's got jobs. And we're finally moving forward on creating the garden and Tyler and Leah are going to move down the hill into a teepee that they're going to erect. And we're looking into getting storage containers to convert into live workspaces. And we have Andrew here who's really, he's become like property manager, helping us out with all kinds of house-related stuff.

And Leia, with her expertise in sustainability and composting and gardening, has really kicked us off into the new year with a lot of energy and excitement about how we can better utilize this beautiful piece of property that we have. Yeah. And it's been, I mean, it's been a long dream of mine, something that I've been trying to sort of get going for a long time. And I thought I was going to do it around homeschooling. And I had called together

groups of people at two different times and, you know, made a huge heartfelt plea and failed both times. So I kind of let it go. And then when I wasn't looking, suddenly it just sort of set up around me, but with our immediate family. But put a pin in that for a minute, because that's kind of a powerful thing that you just said, because in the prior incarnations, it was very much chasing like there was a lot of energy put into trying to make something happen and being very attached to an outcome and having that not really work out you know the way that you wanted it to and then a releasing of that and kind of letting go and then the allowing and just kind of standing here and then it comes to you yeah it's true and i mean informed by i've always had a feeling

that that was what this land was for. And that informed, you know, many of my decisions on, you know, fighting for the house and not wanting to leave. And I mean, I've had so many discussions and so many meditations and so many, you know, so many meetings about this. And so, but I did think at the time, I could see an avenue to it through homeschooling. And I just, I couldn't get other families to join me in that. I think it was way too early. It was a little bit early. But what's interesting is, is that Leah was one of the teachers that I actually had asked to come and join me. And she even went to Dom and her and did like a spiritual study there,

which is this Italian spiritual community that's absolutely fascinating and incredible. It's in Torino, Italy. And then she did this on the heels of having graduated from Soka University, a beautiful Buddhist university, and she was the head of the garden there. So Leah had had us come down and play a gig there, like to bless their native garden. And then the years kept going, right? And little did I know, how would I know that when Tyler grew up, that they would fall in love and enter into a relationship together? Right, and that she would be living here when, it dates back prior to that,

because she was Mathis and Jaya's babysitter when they were like babies. Yeah, for years. And I know her mother very well through meditation circles and such so it's it's kind of sister leah is now isa i mean yeah isa i always do that i know well they're very much alike they're like these blonde fairy twins it's tutoring mathis which is great too yeah she's beautiful as well so so when is she moving in that's how i'm you know that's all i can hope that can hope. We're going to need more container spaces.

Exactly. We're joking. Brad's saying that he wants to just, he's like, I'll just buy a tiny home. And he could just pull the truck up. And Brad's here in his tiny home being loaded off. We actually really, really had our first community meeting last Sunday where jobs were determined, roles were accepted and embraced. And I'm really, really excited to see what we're going to create together

as a community. And the good thing is that the energetics, the relationships between all of us are just stellar. They are amazing. Everybody really, really cares for every other member of the community. And how cool was it that Jaya and Mathis were in that planning meeting and that they're taking responsibility at their level. And, you know, I've already seen a shift in that.

It was really, it's really, really, really good. Really, really cool. Yeah, well, I think that's a result of of them feeling empowered like when they're invited in and taken seriously as a legitimate member of you know what we're doing here then they feel like oh you know that's like an esteem boosting thing and they want to take ownership of that and then they feel good with their role or their task, which is cool. It was really, really great. And so, yeah, so that's going to be a whole journey and we're looking forward to, you know, the twists and turns and kumbaya, kumbaya,

man, more kumbaya, it's going to be great. I mean, that could be the subject of some pretty cool YouTube videos as we kind of, as this thing evolves, like kind of sharing what we're trying to do here, which is exciting and interesting and, you know, different. And we don't know, we don't have the answers or how it's going to go or anything like that, but it's going to be cool to see how it evolves. We all have a really good feeling about it. Everybody's very inspired and very committed and, and, uh, we are blessed to have so many amazing community members and family members around us. And then what else is going on, rich?

That's it. We got to wrap it up here in a minute. I got to go. We're going to talk about the relationship course a little bit. Oh, we should. Right. So Julie and I are getting ready to record another online course for mind,

body green. And this one's going to be all about relationships, which is kind of funny. It's kind of good. Why is it funny? Well, it's funny because it marks an evolution in kind of what we're doing, like from, oh, Rich is the triathlete,

and then, oh, Rich is like the vegan guy, and then it's like, oh, then it's the cookbook, and it's about the food, and like when did it become about relationships? You know, it's like, but there's a lot of, I think it's a result of the podcast and the work that we're doing together. People are really responding to the relationship aspect

of, you know, how we function. You know, we're not only in our marriage, but as business partners and how we're raising our kids and how we try to keep our relationship healthy and how we navigate conflict and all of that. For whatever reason, people like, we get tons of emails emails like, how do you do this? How do you do that? And, and it's, and it's weird, because my initial thought was like, well, I'm not a therapist, like, what do I know? You know what I mean? But the truth of the matter is, is that we've been

married for how long? I don't know. I don't know. 16 years. Is it good that we don't know this or is it bad? I think it's good. 16 years. We've been together like 17, 18 years, right? And we both come from a series of relationships, both good and bad. You've been married a couple times before. You've been in a good marriage. You've been in a not-so-good marriage. And I've been in a not-so-good semi-marriage.

I don't think you could call that a marriage, but a relationship. Quasi-marriage. And going through recovery. We have a lot of history. semi-marriage I don't think you could call that a marriage but a relationship marriage and you know and going through recovery like we have a lot of history you know a lot of experience we've gone through yeah we have a lot of experience you know there's been a lot of bumps in the road financially collapsed right we were able to survive that yeah and come out the other side not broken but stronger and and so I think that they're for me it's like getting to that place of being able to own like oh yeah i actually do have something to say about this that i think can

be helpful to other people so julie and i've been working really hard to kind of piece this course together and figure out how to structure it and create something that i think will be helpful to people so i think it will be good we're're shooting that in like two weeks and they turn those things around pretty fast. So that'll be up on MindBodyGreen this spring at some point. And our intention is to really, really film it much like the podcast. So, you know, we, you know, we want it to be really authentic and just really sort of in-depth conversation. So we've identified the map and the broad strokes, and then we're going to go deep into these subjects and try to see if we can share some of our experience that may prove helpful or supportive to anyone in relationship or family. You have your YouTube channel, which is exploding. Yeah, I don't know about that. We're doing video. You are working on the Nut Cheese book.

You are also working on your memoir. And you are also working on a book on Ayurvedic nutrition. That's right. Which is, you're in the early phases of that. So you're literally writing. Also a cake book. And a cake book. You're writing four books, doing a podcast, making music, raising children, creating this

community, doing online courses. This is the Julie that I fell in love with because this is the Julie that knows how to do many, many, many things at once and do it gracefully and well, which is something I could never figure out. How does that work? Because I'm very much somebody who just goes all in on one thing and just wants to hide from humanity and just see it through to its conclusion and then when it's done i move on to the next thing like that's how i've always functioned being with you has

helped me learn to try to do it you know to entertain the possibility that i can do it a different way which challenges me but has been good mean, I'm still very much that guy who likes to focus on one thing at a time. But I used to be a guy who just said, this is your career and this is your job and this is what you do. And now I do do lots of things. And now you're a relationship expert.

I'm a relationship expert, yes. I'm a relationship expert. It's like those people that they give you their business card or they tell you what they do. And they're like CEOs of six companies. I'm like, well, that means you actually don't really do anything. You know, like if you're spread too thin, you actually do any of these things well. Hopefully that's a mindset you're going to let go of. But no, to be doing the podcast and working on another book and doing videos and all of that. It's pretty crazy and cool and awesome. So, so yeah, lots of fun, exciting stuff. And it really is truly to

kind of bring it around, um, bring it full, full, full circle to the beginning. All of these things are flowers and fruit born from, you know, seeds that were planted a long time ago and cared for, um, you know, through hard times and good so that we could get to this place where we're now enjoying them. And so when, when you look upon this or you kind of have this perception of what we're doing based on something you read on the internet or something like that, it's very easy to go, oh, well, you know, how did that happen? Like, what was the secret? And it's just not that simple, you know? It's a very long, hard road of being very dedicated and committed through very difficult times of holding on to nothing but, you know, the air, you know, and your faith to try to live more in accordance with your heart.

And it is and has been and will continue to be the warrior's path, but to be able to stand in this place where we are right now and feel convicted about the work that we're doing, to feel good about it, the work that we're doing, to feel good about it, and to know that it is in full accord and alignment with what we're supposed to be doing is an incredible feeling. And it's a feeling I never thought that I would have. Yeah, it's extraordinary. And being in that fruits so many extraordinary experiences. It means so much beauty in our lives.

So many profound experiences and just beautiful experiences and open flowing creativity and, you know, and, uh, it's beautiful. And now, you know,

there are different seasons in life for different, different types of experiences and things. And, you know, now is a time for us to really express these gifts that we've been cultivating for many, many, many years. So it's in full alignment. I feel blessed. Thanks for talking to me today. Thanks for having me on, Rich Roll.

Are we going to take us out with one of your songs today? Yeah, let's see. Let me think of which one. Why don't we... You don't have it chambered? Didn't have it chambered this time. All right, well, while you think about that, I just want to mention to people

that it would mean a lot to us if you took a moment to give us a review on iTunes, to subscribe to Julie's podcast, to find ThruLine, to follow me on Snapchat, I am Rich Roll, and of course subscribe to my's podcast, Divine ThruLine, to follow me on Snapchat, IamRichroll, and of course subscribe to my YouTube channel. There's too many things to subscribe to. It feels weird to ask people

to do all these different things. Just let them know. You know what? If you like what we're doing, you know where to go. Check it out. That's it. Okay. What song? Let's go out with Be Loved. Be Loved? Be Loved. Let's do it. Okay. Thanks.? Let's go out with Be Loved. Be Loved? Be Loved.

Let's do it. Okay. Thanks. Peace. Plants. Namaste. Be love. Be you.

Be love. Be true. I'm yours, you'll see. Be love, be free. free buzzing through the fields I feel the trees reminding me of you hummingbird

butterfly there's just so much that we can be Together Be loved Be you Be loved, be you. Be loved, be true. I'm yours, beloved, divine. Buzzing through the fields, I feel the trees reminding me of you.

Hummingbird, butterfly. There's just so much that we can be together. together be love be true be love be you I'm yours You're mine Be love Divine

Divine Divine Divine Divine