Jan. 28, 2022

We’re Here, We’re Queer, and We’re Not Going Quietly

Our inaugural episode, where Jonathan and Britt introduce themselves, ask the tough questions, and raise the uncomfortable topics on all our minds. From confronting social justice struggles to exploring personal growth and development issues, from mastering healthy relationships to debating current events, no topic is off limits as they explore ways to help everyone leap into life with a greater sense of clarity, passion, purpose, and joy.

Jonathan and Britt play with your preconceived notions, and tackle ways to help you feel more alive, embody your values, and savor the fullness of each moment. They will rattle your cages and lift you out of your comfort zones, as well as leaving you feeling engaged, informed, and connected. 

Join us on this wild ride, as we delve into the tough stuff and plumb the depths of our souls. You won’t want to miss it!

Transcript

Jonathan [00:00:02] Welcome to "Not Going Quietly," the podcast where we inspire growth, beat down biases and get into all sorts of good trouble with co-hosts Jonathan Beale and Britt East.

 

Britt [00:00:11] No topic is off limits as we explore ways to help everyone leap into life with a greater sense of clarity, passion, purpose and joy.

 

Jonathan [00:00:19] So get ready to join us for some courageous conversation because "Not Going Quietly" starts right now.

 

Britt [00:00:30] Everyone, my name is Britt East, and I am here on the inaugural episode of "Not Going Quietly" with my dear friend and spiritual mentor and guide Jonathan Beale. Jonathan, it's so good to see you. I'm so excited about this podcast. How's it going today?

 

Jonathan [00:00:48] It's going well. Yeah, me too. The first one is always an interesting one, so it's kind of that that first step into the unknown. And so I think I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it. We'll see.

 

Britt [00:01:01] Yeah, you know, I think it's so important to be speaking courageously about all the topics that none of us really want to talk about, that we all try to avoid and get down to those searing truths and expose our tender hearts unabashedly, completely, courageously. And I'm really hoping this podcast can be a format for us to do that together. And also with a wide array of guests.

 

Jonathan [00:01:31] Yes, absolutely. And mean, I'm anticipating lots of discomfort and I'm anticipating a lot of very determined courage. And and it's going to be a really interesting and fun process. You know, one of the things that we said when we were coming up with the concept of this was that that it gets to be something that people just aren't doing and that we get to really step firmly into. Yeah, the discomfort of it all and find what's underneath. Because because that's the point right underneath it all is. More connection, more community, more understanding, more. Yeah, just a deeper flow with sauce, right?

 

Britt [00:02:23] Yeah, I mean, it all starts with vulnerability, curiosity, empathy, the realization that while we know a lot, there's a whole lot more out there that we don't know. And that's why we're going to be talking to all these amazing people and learning from each other. There's going to be so much laughter and so much tears that it's just going to be a wild ride, and I'm super excited for it.

 

Jonathan [00:02:50] Yes, I think one of the things that we've kind of really been cultivating individually right before we even met was this this idea of just leaning into and learning from life? And I think this is an opportunity to do that on a level that that perhaps we haven't before.

 

Britt [00:03:08] Yeah. So in case you guys don't know me, like I said, my name is Britt East, and I am an inspirational speaker and the author of the multi-award winning, bestselling book "A Gay Man's Guide to Life." I've been working in the personal growth and development space for two decades now on a variety of modalities. But my the core of my practice is the 12-Step program, and I got into that through a program called CODA (Codependence of Sex Addicts Anonymous), which is kind of like how Al-Anon is to Alcoholics Anonymous. It's the companion program. It's no less about addiction. It's just a little bit less known. But we still work the 12 Steps. The principles we still experience the promises. If you're if you're familiar with that jargon, remember your work on the 12 Steps and it's been the foundation for all the other work I've done, whether it's meditation or yoga or Buddhism or the Hoffman process, talk therapy, coaching, whatever, whatever I've delved into, that was the source and that was the start of my spiritual transformation. And I think you will find that invariably it informs the way that I think especially about personal growth and development. I tend to be no nonsense. I tend to be straightforward. I tend to go for the jugular because that's just the way that I learned to communicate and to experience togetherness through that program.

 

Jonathan [00:04:43] I don't really know how to follow that, but I'll give it, I'll give it my best shot. If if you haven't heard of me, my name is Jonathan Beale and I am a coach, mentor, self-proclaimed Magus podcaster, YouTuber and in my history started about, yeah, 15 years ago, my my personal development journey started about then, and that's when I really started diving into the concept of supporting people with their mental health. That led me through all sorts of experiences in my life, which I'm sure we'll talk about later on in other episodes. But let me on a spiritual journey led me to finding who I was to overcoming lots of my biases and my my, my beliefs about the world and how, you know, they shaped how I showed up in the world, and I got to use a lot of that experience to support other people through coaching and various other means. I yeah. And then I follow that Britt, award winning author.

 

Britt [00:05:57] First of all, you're the one who inspired the books. I mean, know what is the thing I wanted to say was that in case you can't tell from my gorgeous accent, I'm from the U.S. and Jonathan in the miracle technologies from the U.K. I live in Seattle, he's living in the UK, so we're coming to from opposite sides of the world, which is really cool, and I suspect we will be having guests from all over the world.

 

Jonathan [00:06:25] So yes, it's going to be a logistical joy. But yes, I'm currently in the UK and I don't actually currently don't have a fixed abode. And so I'm kind of floating around the UK.

 

Britt [00:06:43] I want to tell you something we haven't discussed before. I'm really envious about that. I have been living in a house now for 12 years and it's the longest time I've lived in this single place in my entire life. And I've got this itch to be on the road again. And maybe that's because of the pandemic and our travel has been so constrained and I've been really fortunate to be able to travel all over the world and all over the US, and I really miss that. But I think there's also something deeper where I if I'm going to own my unique requirements for freedom. Part of that is this journey. Mentality or spirituality, where it's like I'd like to be on the move. Hmm.

 

Jonathan [00:07:35] I get that. And and it does do a lot for spiritual growth when when you are constantly faced with not really knowing where you're going to be next. It does. It forces you to confront some things. I am probably in the opposite position to you right now and I am desperately craving a long term home because there's something really grounding about having a nest and having somewhere that you can return to. And so, yeah, I think this is great because it's a meeting of me in the middle of finding the best of both. And that's really, you know, what we're about is creating lives that are in alignment in and attuned to you, and and for me, that's a bit of both, right? That's like having a fixed face at some point, maybe in the next few weeks, who knows? And also having the freedom to explore I know the world, as it is right now, limits us a little bit, but I understand the desire.

 

Britt [00:08:34] And the grass is always greener, right? I mean, it's like, you know, at least for me, it's so embarrassing and humbling and humorous that I just sit back and watch my little monkey mind spin over all the things I don't have, all the things I wish I had, all the if only thinking: if only I had a little more freedom than my life would be better. If only I could move, then I would be happier. If only I lived where there were more sunshine than magically all of my troubles would disappear. That one might be true, actually. Yeah, definitely true. Yeah. So where are some of the places you live, Johnathan? Because I've always wanted to live in another country and I've never gotten the opportunity...

 

Jonathan [00:09:25] I have lived a little bit in Australia. I've lived in Bali, in Indonesia, I've lived in Thailand for a bit. I lived in Spain for a few years and all over the UK, and that's expanding. Um, I'm trying to think if there's anywhere else. It's incredible. Yeah, in a few places, a few time zones have experienced some different seasons. It's really interesting. I'm a real fan of seasons. I've come to learn wet and dry. Don't necessarily work for me. I do like a good autumn or fall Americans. But yes, no, it's time for me. Travel is is the ultimate way to experience new ways of being because different cultures present to you entirely different perspectives on the way to move through the world and to get direct experience of that is mind blowing and mind opening and shifts everything. And I do have to credit traveling and moving around the world for most of the big leaps in my personal and spiritual growth over the last five or six years, to be honest.

 

Britt [00:10:50] Well, yeah, and you know, maybe it makes sense then why you might want to have some roots after all of that trouble, maybe you're entering another season or something, I guess we'll find out. But it's really cool that you've been able to do that. I would love to live in another country at some point. We'll see. I'll see what the cards hold. I will tell you that I'm married. I've been married for 12 years, and the first thing my husband said when I told him about the podcast and I told them I was partnered Jonathan on it is he asked me. He thought for a second, asked me, Are you going to end up doing one of those fake British accents? Because he knows much to my utter humiliation that whenever I go somewhere else in the world or hear somebody else speaking a different accent, my mouth starts. I can feel the shape of my mouth changing. This is a pre apology, and I can just feel my, you know, the accent starting to bubble out. And Jonathan's caught me a couple of times, starting to stray away from my American accent into the realm of some sort of a butcher trans-Atlantic. Yeah. Oh, it's so this is a pretty apology. If I go that it is absolutely subconscious. But that's all he was concerned about is, you know, am I going to embarrass myself by switching on them? And also, it's a terrible I mean, I can't do accents. I think I'm not a mimic. So it's utterly humiliating. But you know, there you go. That gives you some insight into his personality.

 

Jonathan [00:12:32] I most definitely cannot do an American accent. Never going to happen. Australian a stretch, but just American. I'll do it anyway.

 

Britt [00:12:45] Good. So you were telling us that you've been moving around a lot. What was the most recent move for you?

 

Jonathan [00:12:53] The most recent move...

 

Britt [00:12:55] Was it last night?

 

Jonathan [00:12:56] Yes.

 

Britt [00:13:00] Well that's pretty recent.

 

Jonathan [00:13:02] Yes, it was last night I was in a place for just over a month. I am here for 17 days. I don't know where I'm going to be after here. So, yeah, there's an element of the unknown about my life on a really large security level scale, which is fun. But yeah, last night I am currently here on my own, waiting for the others to arrive in a couple of days time. So, yeah.

 

Britt [00:13:41] You know, you say it's fun, but. And I said, I'm kind of envious, but I imagine it's also terrifying not having...being somebody that likes to control my environment. I like to control every aspect of my life as some kind of silly illusion of security. So is there any of that in any of that mixed in as well?

 

Jonathan [00:13:59] I one thing that I have noticed most recently is I've seemed to be going through this kind of mega ego death of like, I can't afford to hold on to any of the concepts that my ego think keep it safe because I just don't have the space or capacity to be in an internal battle on that scale. And so I'm kind of I'm in this space of really coming into flow and surrender and accepting that the universe has gotten me and that whatever happens, I'm going to be supported. And so it's been really liberating. And what's really interesting about that is all of the all of the moving around like Dunham is decided to happen in the last couple of weeks is kind of bizarre right ahead of when I think I'm just about to move into a permanent home. So interesting. All right.

 

Britt [00:14:56] What is an ego death?

 

Jonathan [00:15:00] Good question! And so our ego really serves one purpose and it to keep us alive. It's the voice in our head that tells us who we are. It's the the conscious driving force of us that is actually underpinned by unconscious beliefs. So it's essentially the part of you that wants to maintain your identity. And so an ego death is when that identity is threatened to such an extent that you are forced to let go of what identity in that sense means to you in that moment. And um, and to also let go of any preconceived ideas about who you are to make room for whatever is next. I think that's probably the easiest description I can make. You can probably add to that.

 

Britt [00:15:51] You know what, actually first came to mind for me was our difference in styles that you're such an optimist and you used language like, I get to let go and find the value in experiencing this death. And I was sitting there thinking, it sounds a little bit like being flayed. It sounds like terrible. It sounds horrible and painful and scary. And you're like, and I get to run with the wind in my hair and like a shampoo commercial or something. So it's like, OK, great. So I just want to acknowledge, I mean, that's what listeners are going to notice a contrast in our styles as we go forward.

 

Jonathan [00:16:44] Yes, quite a stark contrast. I am ever the optimist, and Britt is absolutely right. It does feel like being flayed and going through the seven levels of hell, and it is horrible. And ever the optimist, yeah, it's like a roller coaster. Yeah. Yes. Yes.

 

Britt [00:17:17] So how do you know when the ego is done dying? I don't even know the right words for it. Like what happens at the end? Like is it? Is it just like the wheel of fortune? The cycle shifts and you and you find you, you just start to experience a shift in your perceptions? Or is there some ceremony or rite of passage? What happens?

 

Jonathan [00:17:39] It's an individual thing. Actually, I don't. This is one of those questions. Back when I was a personal trainer, which is where I kind of started my personal development career. The answer to any question always had to be it depends because there are so many factors to a human being that you can't possibly account for them all and give a straight answer. However, I will do my best. Um yeah. Like for me, my experience of it is that there's a crossover. There is a period where my ego is still trying to assert itself, and the next version of myself is allowing what is coming through to be. There is a deliberate element to it. I am choosing the next version of myself in this process. I am choosing the beliefs that I'm going to be holding. I'm choosing how I'm going to be showing up in the world and choosing to actively believe in those things. And there's a period of grief and. As you grieve essentially the death of the last version of yourself because you don't just a part of you doesn't just die and then you're like, Oh, well, that was cool. Like, it's a real thing and you feel it. And and and the key in that process for me is remembering that that person is still a part of me in some way right now. I, as a part of me, I still get to look back and see who that person was. I'm not really explaining this process very well. I'm doing what I normally do. You'll get a lot of this. If you keep listening to me going off on tangents and not really knowing where I'm going, but ending up where I decided I was going to go. So stick with me. And so I think it really does depend on the person. There are elements of ceremony that you can bring in a ritual that you can bring in to close out and to say goodbye. Forms a funeral or dispatchers or, you know, various other elements. There are certainly lots of rites of passage in life that we miss out on. Certainly for men these days, when you go from a boy into a man, there's a there's a part of you that that really you need to die off to allow you to step into the next phase. That can be a thing. There are many, many, many.

 

Britt [00:20:04] So it sounds like you've been through this before.

 

Jonathan [00:20:06] Yes, multiple times.

 

Britt [00:20:09] And what what precipitated this one? Was there an event or just kind of happened? Or how do you recognize it when it's kind of settles upon you?

 

Jonathan [00:20:19] So there's I have experienced two ways. One is when I've been really deliberate about choosing the next version of myself. And so I have done a gradual process of releasing the old fashioned and stepping into the new. The other is. Rock bottom or or like a Harajuku moment, like a moment of...there is something about me that has to change. Like I in order for me to move into the next phase of my life, something must change. And the most recent one was that for me, it was a moment of realization of I'm holding onto things that aren't serving me anymore. I'm holding on to beliefs and patterns that allowing me to be all I'm capable of being. And so it was a real moment of I have a choice here. I can step through this portal and leave behind that, which no longer needs to be a part of me or I can stay there. And for me, the choice was really clear. I think I there was a part of who I was being and how I was showing up in the world. That just. Wasn't a benefit any more, and you get to make that choice actively. All right. If you want.

 

Britt [00:21:48] It reminds me in my life, and I shared about this before on numerous podcasts and really wrote about it in the book where there was a moment in my late twenties where my world was obliterated. And so it was like an utter flattening. And I actually now and I'm thinking about that and thinking about your earlier words. I actually can kind of see the optimism there because there was a tremendous sense of freedom and liberation, which I highly sensitive to. So maybe that's why it appealed to me. But this opportunity to create the life that you always wanted, like if you are a sculptor peeling away the clay, that's not part of the life that you want to lead. And so I think at first when you were saying that, I was like thinking, Oh gosh, here it goes against the sunshine. But actually, now that you brought me here, it's like, Oh yeah, I actually remember feeling that in my life like, Oh, wow, yes, it's horrible. But the dialectic is still true. It's like both things can be true. Yes, it's horrible. And they have this opportunity. You get to shape the life that I've always wished I would have had had things gone. Maybe a little differently.

 

Jonathan [00:23:05] Yeah, there's a there's a moment where you realize that you are. You have more control over who you are than you realize a moment where suddenly you're faced with the prospect that, oh, if I do things, if I show up differently, if I can't be who I want to be, then things will change and I get to have what I want. I get to have the life that I want and not from a place of, like greedy greediness or I gluttony or anything like that from a real place of like, I deserve my place in this universe. I am here for a reason. I am led by my heart and my desire to do good in the world. And so in order to do that, I need to be supported and the universe wants to support me in doing that. And so I get to make a conscious choice to step through and into that. And yes, it's optimistic and it sucks.

 

Britt [00:24:00] You know, not all of the language makes sense to me, but a lot of it does like it's just simple math. If I change a part of the equation, the whole equation changes. And so, like you said, if you start to change your life or your outlook, then invariably other aspects of your life are going to change and you'll build momentum and then one foot in front of the other. A few years from now, you'll be someplace wholly, completely different. That seems like a really simple, logical thinking that you don't have to be kind of World War Two to resonate with. And, you know, I find that really appealing because I like the idea. Maybe it's a little bit of self-deception, but I like the idea that we have choice. I do believe in exigent circumstances and extrinsic forces shaping our lives. I do not believe that, you know, everything has a meaning or that, you know, we're meant to be here. You know, I think there's all sorts of forces largely beyond our control that have brought us here and they work in concert with choice. And so I I because there is such chaos. You know, what's really in our face right now as a global community, there's such chaos that we're all forced to confront. I cherish my choices and I and I tend to be deliberative about them because they're so precious to me, they feel may be few and far between. And so I cherish them and I recognize their power. And so I think if you if one is in a space where you know, our life has been flattened, that many kind of extreme and I'm not saying that's where you are. But if we're in a space where we are starting new or turning a chapter or even a page, one of the thrills is that we are, I think, exposed again, exposing our tender hearts to to a greater power of choice. We've removed some of those external forces from our lives. We've created space and we're holding space where choice has more impact.

 

Jonathan [00:26:18] Yes, I agree. And I could go down a whole rabbit hole here, but I feel like we should probably talk about why we're doing this podcast. Some of us will be here for hours. You know how it will go? Do you want me to start on that? Yeah. Okay, so. One, while we were in the conceptual phase, one of the things that came through really loud and clear was the idea of. Challenging our preconceived ideas, beliefs, biases and doing it in a way that meant that we went on a journey and that we could take you along on the journey with us. Because we have we actually both have very different experiences of that. The next episode, we're going to talk about my experience about that, so stay tuned. But we also did a lot of kind of mental and emotional tussling with the fact that we are who we are in creating this podcast. And what that means. I'm going to let Britt. Expand upon that a little bit.

 

Britt [00:27:46] Well, you know, we have very different voices, very different world views and experiences, and we cherish each other's company and have learned a lot from one another. And so I see this podcast is two things that might sound kind of in conflict and one way. It's two friends and spiritual brothers getting a chance to sit down with one another and have deep conversations over a cup of coffee metaphorically and and even invite all sorts of amazing guests into that experience to stimulate the conversation. And so in one sense, it's really convivial. It's really like tapping into that friend genius that you don't have to think about when you get together together with your friends and all of us. And our guest is Jonathan alluded to. And in another sense, we're also homing in on and ferreting out the most searing truths that none of us want to discuss because there's so much value in holding those conversations. As I said previously, the cornerstone of my spiritual practice is the 12 steps where we say we are only as sick as our secrets. And I had just come back from a family gathering a few weeks ago where a lot of secrets had been festering for decades and were revealed in really important ways. And it just brought this all home to me again, that secrets are dangerous and longed to be shared because our hearts longed to be joined and we longed to be seen as we truly are in our greatest gift to the world is exposing our tender hearts and allowing others to see us and holding space and that vulnerability. And so these two elements of the podcast, I think, are going to create a really beautiful tension where it'll be, to a certain degree, like minded people getting together to have a chuckle and to have some passionate conversations, but then also to go for the jugular and ferret out the things we don't want to discuss because we know it's too all of our mutual benefit.

 

Jonathan [00:30:06] Yes, one of the things that we talked about was in sensing the discomfort in pressing each other on the discomfort because it's not for me like, well, yeah, no holds barred, no prisoners perspective, but in a loving and kind way, right? Like part of this exploration is that is that we get to have real conversations from a place of nonjudgmental, from a place of love and kindness, with a desire to understand, come into deeper acceptance and and learn new ways of seeing the world in a really safe container of really safe space.

 

Britt [00:30:53] Yeah, I think of it as afflicting the comfortable. And that includes ourselves and each other that whenever we find ourselves a little pleased with our behavior, our choices, our actions a little cozy that there's hopefully at least in this space, an element of distrust that in those moments we're either basking in some bias or preening and some privilege that needs to be exposed so that we can be more fully together, more fully and experience the present moment more fully and all of its richness. So I think there is, like Jonathan alluded to, there is likely going to be some prodding and poking like we will be respectful. Maybe not that polite. We will be kind. Maybe not that nice. And I think there's subtle differences in there that hopefully reveal some of the tension that I'm hoping to bring to this podcast, where we will challenge ourselves and our guests on each other, all for the betterment of all of our listeners and you and us and all of humanity.

 

Jonathan [00:32:10] So I'm going to share an example because as you are talking, all I could help to think was knowing my past and knowing the shifts in perspective I've had in my life and knowing yours and knowing, yeah, just knowing a bit more about your story than what came through me was, Oh God, I'm going to be the one who gets it the most. Because because I have come from a very, very different upbringing, one that. Has meant I have I have seriously shifted my view of the world multiple times over the last 15 years and and so the fear is coming out that, holy shit, I'm going to be challenged the most.

 

Britt [00:33:10] I thought you were going to say something different. I thought you were going to say, you're going to be challenged the most, which is true. Yes, because I'm kind of a brat.

 

Jonathan [00:33:19] Well, I mean, there's that too. But I have, as you well know, I have my ways of asking questions where I sneak up behind you. So don't you think that you'll be getting away with this, but I will be challenged the most? And that's uncomfortable. And here we are.

 

Britt [00:33:42] It's good. It's definitely going to be a wild ride, and I'm so excited, we've been brainstorming on guests and I'm so excited about some of the people that are that are going to be joining us there. It's going to be thrilling. We have all sorts of people from all sorts of walks of life, all sorts of different locations around the world that we're going to be bringing to you. Some, you know, have never been on podcast before, and some are veterans, some you might know, some you might not know. I just think it's going to be a wild ride and I'm really excited.

 

Jonathan [00:34:19] You and me both. It is going to be challenging and really fun at the same time. So we've kind of told them a little bit about what to expect. Should we should we dig into some of our commitments, but we really want that kind of stuff. Great. I'll let you stop them.

 

Britt [00:34:43] Well, you know, like I said, I commit to not being nice. Yeah, I commit to being impolite because I am a brat and I've got a really big mouth and I'm a very little impulse control. But I like I said, I do commit to being respectful and kind. I commit to going to the places that scare me and exposing my fears and showing all of my feelings. I commit to exploring my imperfections. Like I said, I'm a control freak, and so I want to manage and manicure my reputation, especially when exposing it to the internet and social media. I want everything to be polished and look just so I want this whole experience deep down to be like a stock photo. So I'm going to move all of those impulses to the side. And that's my commitment and to show you the unvarnished truth as I'm experiencing it in the moment, whether that's listening to a guest or riffing with Jonathan, I'm not going to hold back for the sake of my reputation.

 

Jonathan [00:36:07] I love that. A mirror of that and more...

 

Britt [00:36:14] We had to go for more.

 

Jonathan [00:36:16] No, I don't. I'm not going for more. I don't think that I can't go for more. You've pretty much covered it. I would probably say in in a much less articulate way. Oh, because because it provides the vocabulary. I don't know, but I commit to all of those things and and I'm quite used to doing that online. In fact, I think how we came to know each other was through my vulnerability series on YouTube. And so I'm quite used to showing up and being at a mass and plastering all of my dirty secrets all over the internet. So my commitment is to continue doing that. 

 

Britt [00:37:12] Yeah, I think I found you on Facebook first and then that led me to YouTube. And I remember thinking, Who is this guy saying all this stuff? Doesn't he know he's on YouTube? It's like people can hear you! 

 

Jonathan [00:37:42] And that does amazing thing to your psyche. Once you once you're like, Well, it doesn't matter, because all of my dirty secrets on the internet, like suddenly, I feel very liberated by that because no one can hold anything over me because I've done it myself.

 

Britt [00:38:02] Yeah, again, we're only as sick as our secrets, and I completely agree. Maybe I'm not as I haven't been as brave as you put it on YouTube. And so that's really exciting to see for me to see what you're going to do next. But but you're right, I can see how I'd be completely liberating because, you know, if you're meeting somebody, they can just Google you and it's like, Oh, there it is. Yeah. So there it is.

 

Jonathan [00:38:30] It is. Yes. Cool. So what? Why don't we do?

 

Britt [00:38:40] You know, I'm not going to let our guests get away with anything. Yes. And and I probably am not going to tell them that, otherwise they might not join us! So I'm hoping they'll just watch the first few minutes of this. You know, it's probably not the best recruiting strategy for guests, so I might sugarcoat it a little bit. Maybe be a little manipulative, but when they're here in the hot seat, I'm not going to let them get away with anything. And that's not to produce gotcha moments. It's to bypass our and their defense mechanisms. I have been a podcast guest as I was promoting my book and I know how easy it is, especially when faced with sort of facile, mindless questions to slip into a rote sales pitch. And that is not what I'm interested in. I do not care about your sales pitch. And so where guests are, guests have a lot of podcast experience. I'm going to be looking for ways to find and how I can keep them off balance and keep them on their toes. Not because, again, I'm not trying to ambush or have a gotcha moment. It's more just about spontaneity requiring true spontaneity. So I'm not going to let them get away with anything. And then that also means that I cannot let myself get away with anything. I cannot let myself because that would be duplicitous. I cannot hold them to a different standard. And so I have to also be willing to bypass my little speeches and the little rote taglines. And I can't just start going on, you know, giving you a sermon or giving you a baby on a sales pitch. And so I'm going to commit to being in the moment. I'm going to require that they are in the moment and and so I won't allow them to give us a canned pre-fabricated speech that you could get on any podcast. And I'm hoping that will add a lot of value to you, the listener in watching.

 

Jonathan [00:40:55] And and while it takes that approach, I have this superpower of asking single questions that tear the universe apart for people. So I'm going to be doing that. And that's always fun. You'll see it in their eyes.

 

Britt [00:41:11] If you watch on YouTube, you'll notice I've been in that position, I've been interviewed with Jonathan But on previous podcasts, and he's right. It's like he creates a singularity, and the universe into the black hole sucks out all of the oxygen and you're like, Oh no, I'm floating in space. Where am I? There's nothing to do but reveal an open source of the fullness of the moment, and it's almost like a jazz musician. You have to give it. Yes, there might be some structure in the framework, but you ultimately have to submit to the moment. Yes.

 

Jonathan [00:41:54] Yes. Yes. Cool. OK. I don't know if we did what we won't do that we near enough. Why? Why do the listeners care?

 

Britt [00:42:06] I think, look, there's obviously a lot of podcasts out there, but I think we're going to be different. I mean, I'm sure everybody says that, but I think it's really true for us because what we're going to do again is go to the places that scare all of us and a lot of podcasts assiduously. Avoid that a lot of podcasts are purely about entertainment or celebrity. And we are not for any segment of society. We're speaking to all of society. We're not constrained by our identities or our guests identities. We are opening our hearts to everyone. And we're going to own exactly who we are and where we've been. And so I think those conversations are thrilling and few and far between. And so I think especially in this age of technology where we feel so isolated, this is a way to leverage and harness the true intent of the technology to bring us together in ways that we otherwise could not. Jonathan and I for us to sit in the same room to. And take a lot of time we live on opposite sides of the planet, and that's going to be true of a lot of our guests, so the technology is miraculous in that way that it facilitates the conversation. But we're going to move beyond, you know, beyond that and really get to the heart of the matter and and and based on what we will do, what we don't do, what we're requiring. I think we're going to uncover some thrilling areas that will relate to anybody and resonate with anybody from any walk of life.

 

Jonathan [00:43:50] Yeah. And we're really taking a there's a there's no topic that's off limits. We have really happy to go to the depths of any of it. And, well, happy is an interesting choice of words. We want to go to the depths because we see the value in that right. I mean, one of my favorite quotes is C.S. Lewis, and it's often and this always happens. It's about friendship. And it's like what you two? I thought it was only me. And it's like friendship is born. In those moments when we realize that we are, there are more similarities than there are differences. And what we get to do through this process is expose those similarities. And as part of that, come closer together. Right? Yeah.

 

Britt [00:44:48] Know it's beautiful. Beautiful.

 

Jonathan [00:44:52] OK. So. Did we cover everything?

 

Britt [00:44:58] I think so. I think this is a good start.

 

Jonathan [00:45:02] Exciting. Cool. So if you if, if if we have made this episode like if we decided that this is a good enough episode, you can catch it on your favorite podcast and on YouTube if you want to watch.

 

Britt [00:45:20] And stay tuned for more shenanigans.

 

Jonathan [00:45:21] Yes, there will be plenty of shenanigans. There will.

 

Britt [00:45:24] Yes. You've been listening to "Not Going Quietly," with co-host Jonathan Beale and Brit East.

 

Jonathan [00:45:35] Thanks so much for joining us on this wild ride as we explore ways to help everyone leap into life with a greater sense of clarity, passion, purpose and joy.

 

Britt [00:45:43] Check out our show notes for links, additional information and episodes located on your favorite podcast platform.