E20: The Humanity of Self-Love

Fearless Self-Love

We all have multiple identifiers - maybe it’s your profession, a hobby, a belief, or your relationship to others - that make up who we are. These identifiers are just part of what makes us wonderfully human. And self-loving self-care shows up in every one of these arenas. Join me as I talk with Michael Joseph - a therapist, musician, and athlete - as we talk about self-love on many levels, the importance of paying attention to energy, and how emotions can propel us forward into a life with greater self-love.

• Why paying attention to energy is necessary
• How to use emotions as fuel
• How to experiment with your life

Links Mentioned

Crossfit

Ayurveda and Doshas

Zone of Genius

Zone of Excellence

Show Highlights

2:52 Easeful Living Practice - Hydrate

6:38 Introducing Michael Joseph

9:39 Self-love from a therapist’s, athlete’s, and artist’s perspective

14:31 Anti-personal growth weeks

18:30 Anxiety, depression, and dosha imbalance

20:08 Paying attention to energy

24:04 Zone of Genius and Zone of Excellence

26:32 Capacity to control our attention

28:12 “Dangerous” self-care

31:00 Capacity to pause and reflect

35:02 Tools of self-love

41:15 Using emotions as fuel

44:12 Experimenting with your life

Favorite Quotes

“Who you are as a person matters.” - Michael Joseph

“Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re bringing tools of your humanity to a situation. You just have to learn how to use them.” - Michael Joseph

“Anxiety moves us. Anxiety moves the world. If we didn’t feel anxious about things, we wouldn’t propel ourselves forward.” - Michael Joseph

“If you’re energy is low and you’re going on sleep deprivation, you’re not loving yourself.” - Michael Joseph

“If you’re meditating and you fall asleep, or you’re in savasana and you fall asleep, you probably needed it.” - Andrea Catherine

“Maybe we serve ourselves best - maybe we love ourselves best - when we’re tapping into those things that really feel nourishing and exciting and help us feel connected to who we are.” - Andrea Catherine

“Learning how to disappoint people gracefully is kind of a hallmark of mental health.” - Michael Joseph

“One thing that’s wonderful about being human is that we can stand down some of our instincts.” - Michael Joseph

“We have permission to pause until we’re ready.” - Andrea Catherine

“It’s OK to say to ourselves and to the world, ‘let me think about that.’” - Michael Joseph

“Self-love also means standing inside uncertainty.” - Michael Joseph

“Self-love is knowing how to use our emotions as fuel.” - Michael Joseph

“You’ve tried everything? Do the opposite.” - Andrea Catherine

“The opposite of fear is curiosity.” - Michael Joseph

Meet Michael

Michael Joseph is a therapist, musician, rock climber, basketball player. He’s spent the last 30+ years of his life exploring in his own life and with his clients the nature of love, life, emotional suffering and emotional joy. He feels privileged to be in a profession where he has the opportunity learn something everyday about life in conversation with the people who come to him.