Some of my responses to the current state of political turmoil engulfing the United States, as well as the potential flow on impacts for the rest of the world….

Why does growth feel like escaping from quicksand? In this episode I discuss some of the new projects I am working on, and the impact of taking these steps is having on my mental state.

Growth is both my goal and a necessity, but that just adds to the pressure. Thus the risk of failure is increased.

Trigger warning on the introductory poem.

Embrace the present moment with this guided mindfulness meditation.

Our goal isn’t to ‘empty our mind’ or ‘attain bliss’. Our goal isn’t to do anything, other than returning our focus back to the breath.

With a focused mind we can then explore the wonder of the universe, both inner and outer.

A unique approach to coaching and how you can hire me.

This is just a short message to inform you of the coaching options that I now have available should you want them!

It would be a pay what you can/what you think it’s worth model.

Hit me up on social @zacpphillips or email: zac@zachary-phillips.com for more information and to get started.

A follower asked me to share my experiences of suicide ideation. This podcast is my response, hopefully it helps them, and you to heal, grow, recover and connect.

Mental illness is both invisible and insidious. Perhaps the reason we lose so so many to suicide and addiction; those suffering will do anything to end it, other than reach out that is.

So please, check on your friends. Even the strong ones. Especially if you notice a change, and even if you don’t.

Trust your intuition and risk an awkward conversation. Because doing so may avoid having to endure the worst phone call of your life.

How can you pin down a feeling of unreality? When even the act of focusing causes you to drift?

In this episode I attempt to explain the reality of dissociation from within the condition. Obviously this is somewhat of a paradox, but through poetry and introspection I hope to explain the state of my mind…

COVID fever dreams are wild!

In this episode I discuss how stories impact our ability to connect with our lives in a meaningful way, as well as the impact of dissociative identity disorders have on connection to the self and society at large…

My thoughts as I enter into a seven day forced isolation due to my wife contracting COVID.

I discuss how I plan to maintain sanity, the potential silver linings and what I hope to get done.

I also dive into the concept of morality, subjectivity, human fallibility and the issues around forming opinions.

Yes, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. Yes, it was shocking. But perhaps there are far more shocking and consequential acts of violence occurring as we speak?

Here is my take on the event, as well as a meta discussion of our collective response to it, and the implications of that response.

As I say in the episode, if I am wrong, please enlighten me!

Big news, I’m now earning enough from my online work to pay the rent. That’s right, my poems are paying the bills baby!

Breaking this milestone came as somewhat of a surprise. Given that I have multiple sources of income, it took until tax time for me to do the math, and realise that I had, after five years, in-fact ‘made it’.

True, I’m not living off my work, I’m not uber wealthy or well known, but the fact remains, the rent is paid, and next year is looking even better.

It’s with this in mind that I wanted to give you a rundown of my approach. What follows are the techniques, strategies, and mindsets that I am currently employing…

One of the benefits of this podcast is that I can talk freely, using this medium as a form of therapy.

If you are interested in listening to me break down my woes and come to some semblance of sanity, perhaps take a listen. But be warned, I am offloading my issues here, not providing solutions.

Escape from the stress of the world with this amazing guided meditation. Using a combination of mindfulness, breath work, body scanning, and visualisations, this session will serve as a mini day spa for the mind. Use it whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, or in need of a recharge. Enjoy.

What worries me more than the details of the latest controversy is the cycle of controversies that we are continually exposed to.

Wait a week and that issue will be replaced by another one - just as ‘offensive’, just as ‘important’, just as ‘impactful’.

I don’t buy it.

This episode explores some of the recent issues from a meta-perspective, focusing on the value of detachment and introspection to determine how we really feel about a topic, and using ‘offence’ as a way to learn more about ourselves.
I wish you well for the year to come!

Writing therapy saved me this Christmas. My therapist recommended that I take note of all of the things causing mental duress. Doing so was revolutionary. Most of the anxiety and rumination simply disappeared and I was left with a list of stimulus overloads that I could now see clearly and thus manage.

In this episode I reflect on the Christmas season, discuss the process of writing therapy, as well as discuss my creative plans for 2022.

I wish you well for the year to come!

It’s that time of year again, when festive joy is replaced by obligation and overwhelm.

In this episode, I share how December is something for me (and many of you) to endure. Survival is put at a premium and strategies to maintain some semblance of normality are introduced.

I also have a meta discussion as to the point of this podcast, coming to the conclusion that I use it as another form of writing therapy - offering up a model for you to potentially replicate for your own healing (it never has to be shared of course).

Is something missing from your life? Some undefined hole that simply can’t be filled? Perhaps it a bug of our society.

A structural fault caused by the interplay between goals, technology, geography, values and opulence.

If left unchallenged, these influences can produce a feeling of a lacking something of meaning, connection, identity and purpose.

I operate under the paradox of striving for stability whilst balancing the chaos that comes my way.

Recent global events have collided with a collection of challenging personal tragedies that has left me feeling rocked.

For the last 75 days I exercised 90 minutes or more and cut all sugar, fast food and alcohol. The results were not impressive.

It’s all to easy to fall into the trap of mass marketed diets. ‘Do this and you will look like me.’

They don’t work - at least not as quickly or exclusively as advertised.

In this episode I breakdown my journey through 75 HARD. I share my results and discuss how, whilst ‘good’, they are not as impressive as you would initially believe.

What happens when a society has no memory? When every issue feels just as important to every other issue? When we are so over saturated with conflict and controversy that we lose the ability to discern real problems from surface level irritations?

In this episode of The Reality Check Podcast I break down how technology, the news cycle, and social media is warping the social fabric of our society and creating a never ending roller coaster of conflict - all for profit.

Unless we speak our truth, our narrative will be created for us. People will believe what they see online, pushed by the curators of their individual echo chambers.

Thus other’s perception of you, and the people belonging to your groups, will not be correct. Quotes will be mined, small disagreements emphasised and conflicts stoked.

All for profit.