OM By The Beach - Fascinating People in the Hotseat – Details, episodes & analysis

Today, I’m joined by Sheerah (Marty Ethier), a trauma expert, consciousness mentor, and founder of Shifts in Perspective. Sheerah is a best-selling author and a trained practitioner with the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Based in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Canada, she supports individuals in transforming trauma into self-leadership through somatic awareness, emotional integration, and conscious awakening.

In this deeply reflective conversation, we explore why healing is not about escaping pain, but about integrating it — and how trauma, when approached with presence and compassion, becomes a gateway to authentic freedom. Drawing on neuroscience, lived experience, and embodied spirituality, Sheerah offers powerful insights into how reconnecting with the body restores wholeness, clarity, and inner authority.

Questions I asked:

• Many people try to rise above their pain, but you teach integration instead of escape. What does true trauma integration look like, and why is it the doorway to authentic freedom?
• How do emotions act as signals rather than obstacles, and what happens when we learn to sit with them instead of resisting them?
• You speak about the illusion of separation as one of the deepest human traumas. How does recognizing this illusion change the way we relate to ourselves and others?
• How does somatic awareness help reconnect spirituality, leadership, and healing — especially for people who have lived through long-term trauma?
• What does authentic self-leadership look like when trauma has been integrated rather than suppressed?

Website with Social Media Links:

https://www.shiftsinperspective.ca/

 This episode was brought to you by Josef Schinwald from OMbythebeach.com.

Today, I'm excited to welcome Smita Joshi, an award-winning author and transformation coach. Smita is the author of the 'Karma & Diamonds' series, which draws from her own life experiences to guide readers on a profound journey of self-discovery. With a career that spans from leading roles in the tech industry to impactful teachings on personal and spiritual growth, Smita's insights offer a transformative perspective on navigating life's challenges.

Questions I asked:

Smita, how do you define the "illusion of separation" in your work, and why is it important to recognize this illusion in our lives?

What are some effective ways to bridge the gap between our perceived separate selves and our higher selves? How can listeners apply these concepts in their daily lives?

Smita, in your Karma & Diamonds series, you delve into themes of self-discovery and personal transformation. How do these themes relate to the illusion of separation, and what insights do you hope readers take away from your journey through these stories?

Website with Social Media Links:
https://www.smitajoshi.com/

Listen to it on YouTube.  This episode was brought to you by Josef Schinwald from OMbythebeach.com.  

Giovanni Dienstmann - Meditation Expert, Best-Selling Author, and Self-Discipline Coach. Giovanni is the creator of Live and Dare, one of the top five most popular meditation blogs on the planet. As an international author, meditation coach, and speaker, Giovanni is an expert in helping people overcome anxiety and stress to live a more calm and centered life.

He is the author of the best-selling book Practical Meditation, which is available in eight different languages and has popularly been called “The Meditation Bible”. His newest book is called Mindful Self-Discipline: Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions

Giovanni’s clients range from stay-at-home parents to entrepreneurs, C-level executives, and pro athletes.  His acclaimed program Limitless Life has helped thousands of people master their mind, find contentment and clarity, and have greater well-being in their lives.  To learn more about Giovanni and his work, visit LiveAndDare.com.   

Quote: “In the twenty-first century, survival of the fittest means survival of the focused.”

Talking points:

• Giovanni's journey of mindful self-discipline
• What is self-discipline, the benefits of self-discipline
• Willpower and meditation/mindfulness
• The difference between forming good habits and mindful self-discipline which includes habits but is more effective when it comes to reaching your goals
• The 3 pillars of mindful self-discipline: aspiration, awareness, and action

Giovanni's books and websites:

- Practical Meditation: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
liveanddare.com

- Mindful Self-Discipline: Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions
mindfulselfdiscipline.com

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Heather Conn is the AUTHOR of numerous books and has been published in 50+ magazines and newspapers across North America,  including The Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal, and Globe and Mail. Her expertise lies in writing about spirituality and trauma healing, storytelling, and as a writing coach in trauma-related memoirs. Heather has taught the online creative nonfiction course Writing from Pain to Power for the University of King’s College in Halifax, NS, Canada, and teaches creative writing for the City of Port Moody. Over more than three decades, Heather has taught at many venues, including Simon Fraser University and Capilano University.

Moreover, Heather is passionate about reaching people interested in spirituality and spiritual practices to help lead them to profound transformation, growth, and healing. She shares her own healing in her memoir and in November last year, she gave a presentation to an audience of 140 about Trauma and Truth-telling in Memoir: The Risks and Rewards of Revealing Secrets. 

Quote: "From meditation and yoga to seven months in India, I have spent several decades exploring a variety of spiritual practices. I embrace “eclectic spirituality”; for me, that incorporates concepts and practices from Tibetan Buddhism to pantheism and Taoism. My spiritual mentor from about twenty years ago promoted a concept of Oneness, which I still follow. I believe in a Divine Essence that powers and unites us all."

Talking points:

• Being on a spiritual path, striving to find compassion and forgiveness, and living with greater inner peace (her own spirituality draws on the Buddhist teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Taoism).
• How trauma affects people, and how we can  create a trauma-informed culture, and support survivors
• How to write your own book or story about trauma,  healing, and personal empowerment
• Her SoulCollage Deck

Her Memoir:
No Letter in Your Pocket: How a daughter chose love and forgiveness to heal from incest

Her Website:
https://www.heatherconn.com/

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Oliver Alfonso Miro is a Facilitator for self-healing.  He is an expert in frequency fields, Merkaba (body frequency), emotions, and self-healing. He is a good friend here where I live in Mallorca, Fornalutx. He has been a tireless seeker for years of spirituality from within, he has dedicated the last few years to feeling the energy through the chakras and Nadis (little chakras), reaching self-healing. He defines himself as a person who allows himself to feel living in the here and now.

Questions asked:

• Tell us about yourself, Alfonso. How did it all get started with you? Your spiritual journey, and your self-healing expertise?
• So when you talk about meditation. What does it mean to you, what is your practice?
• You are facilitating a Self-healing retreat online. Please tell us more about it.

Alfonso's FB profile: https://www.facebook.com/oli.miro
His FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/644345932812158

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Roy Coughlan is a world-class podcast coach.  He is helping people create a successful podcast. He has produced and edited over 800 shows and has interviewed a lot of famous people including Miki Willis, David Icke, Patrick Moore, Dr.Sherry Tenpenny, Dr Dolores Cahill, Dr. Tom Cowan, Dr Andrew Kaufman and Thomas Renz, to name a few.

Having 5 Podcasts that have all been in the Top 5% with 4 getting into the Top 0,5% of International Podcasts, makes him the authority and go-to expert for podcast hosts both for corporations and solopreneurs.

What we talked about:

• His journey before he started with meditation and podcasting
• What got him into mediation
• His practice of meditation
• His 5 Podcasts and how he gets such a huge audience on each of them

How to reach out to Roy:
https://bio.link/podcaster

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Faisal Hoque was born in Bangladesh and found himself in the boardrooms of Fortune 100s by the time he was 27. As a thought leader, his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fox, CBS, Financial Times, Mergers & Acquisitions, Huffington Post, and Leadership Excellence among others. Named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in Technology"​ and one of the "Top 100 Thought Leaders"​.

As a thought leader, he has authored a number of award-winning books on leadership, innovation, mindfulness, resilience, organizational transformation, and entrepreneurship, including the #1 Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller Lift – Fostering the Leader in You Amid Revolutionary Global Change (Fast Company), and the #2 Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller Everything Connects – Cultivating Mindfulness, Creativity, and Innovation for Long-Term Value (Fast Company). His work has appeared in Fast Company, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, Fox, CBS, Financial Times, Mergers & Acquisitions, Forbes, and Leadership Excellence, among others.

Quote:
“I am originally from Bangladesh. When I was in High School, I did a lot of reading that were written in Bengali, my native language. It is a derivative of Sanskrit. There were a lot of mindfulness, Buddhist, Sufi, and Hindu influences in what I was reading. Many years later, when I was in Japan for the first time, I took a detour; and traveled through various parts of the country that tourists just don’t visit. I ended up at a Buddhist Monastery and it triggered a profound internal transformation.”

Questions asked and what we talked about:

• Tell us about yourself, Faisal.  How did it all get started with you? Your experience in Japan in Buddhist monasteries, and your rise to the top thought leaders of the world?
• So when you talk about mindfulness, for you it is about being mindful of your personality and also of your higher self. How do you see yourself?
• A third book is ready to be published! Business, spirituality, cooking, ... tell us more about your third book now being released.

Website, social media, and books
https://faisalhoque.com/

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Ken W. Stone, The Soul Archeologist, is a spiritual teacher, messenger, and healer. He is the founder of The Resonance Experiment, and author of the forthcoming book Resonance: The Path of Spiritual Mastery.
 
God expresses through Ken in a unique way: when people sit with him in transmission, they have a profoundly different experience of the Divine in their body. For example, he has worked with a number of advanced former students of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who each said, unprompted, following their initial session with him, “that was the deepest spiritual experience of my life.” Moreover, he received testimonials about his work from extraordinary people like Dr. Bruce Lipton, Father Thomas Keating, Derek Rydall, and Reverend Dr. Lorraine Cohen to name a few.
 
Ken shares his gifts with a spiritually diverse, growing international audience through a variety of virtual and in-person programs, retreats, and one-on-one work.

Questions asked and what we talked about:

- Rumi, the 13th-century Persian Mystic once said that "you are not a drop in the ocean, you are the ocean in a drop." Why is it that we feel separated from it all even though we have the entire universe within us?
-  Why it is rare for mystics to find a road map and structure which takes the reader by the hand and guides them to a direct encounter with God?
- Session with Ken and afterthoughts.
- Can you tell us more about your forthcoming book? Why are you writing it and for whom is it?

Website and forthcoming book:

https://kenwstone.com, Resonance: The Path of Spiritual Mastery https://kenwstone.com/books/

Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/ken.stone.spiritual.teacher
https://twitter.com/energy_worker
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenwstone/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKXH001ZKJ9TO5JNK7ER6_Q

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Meagan O’Nan is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and vulnerable storytelling expert. She is the author of the award-winning book, “Creating Your Heaven on Earth,” and “Courage: Agreeing to Disagree Is Not Enough.” Moreover, she has shared the stage with inspirational speakers such as Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the best-selling book, “The Four Agreements,” and Meagan has appeared multiple times in local and national media. Most fascinating, she has received personal praise from Desmond Tutu for her “splendid work for God and God’s children.”

Questions asked and what we talked about:

• What is the Power of Vulnerable Storytelling?
• Would you like to talk about your upcoming book, Held And Free - New Degree Press, January 2023, your journey of spirituality and memoir?
• Why there will always be mysteries, things we will never know in our lifetime...

Website:

Meagan O'Nan's website is www.meaganonan.com

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.

Dr. Sunil Raheja is a Psychiatrist, Leadership and Management Coach, and author of the book Dancing With Wisdom: A Sacred Quest to Restore Meaning, Purpose and Fun to Your Life and Work. 

It is his privilege to work with senior leaders who feel stuck  - empowering them to re-engage with deeper purpose and live life in crescendo, so their best days are still to come. Sunil has worked as a psychiatrist for over 25 years. He lives in London, England with his wife, Sally. They have four grown children.

Sunil is a founding circle member of the John Maxwell Team with experience in teaching and training in the areas of leadership and management.

Questions asked and what we talked about:

• What made you write this book and who is this book for? 
• How would you define wisdom as distinct from knowledge?
• Would you please explain the parts in your book pertaining to desiring wisdom, developing wisdom, and deepening in wisdom?
• Please tell us more about your program, your podcast, and your blog based on the book.

Website:

On Sunil's website drsunil.com, you will find the book, the workbook, the podcast, and the blog, plus his contact information.

This episode was brought to you by OMByTheBeach.com with your host Josef Schinwald.