Beyond the basement - podcast cover

Beyond the basement

Chris Kenworthychriskenworthy.substack.com
Join Chris for unscripted reflections on the wild, tender and playful experience of being human. Each episode is like an intimate voice-note to you, with lively insight from the edge of discovery. People say you’ll recognise yourself in these adventures and encounters. And hear clarity, perspective and truth - with deep appreciation for life’s messy magic as it’s really lived through your body. Chris Kenworthy is an improviser, facilitator and embodiment coach. Find me at chriskenworthy.co.uk or @chriskenworthy on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Episodes

Given time, stuff changes

Welcome to a new segment: BtB nightz... Where Chris tries to make sense of bedtime philosophy. This one's about the nature of change, its inevitability and how it comes to our rescue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

May 03, 20248 min

Allowing for the possibility of imperfection

Lessons from the dancefloor in what happens when we quieten the mind and let the body do the talking, or more accurately, listening. This one is all about how old habits show up in new ways. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

May 03, 202419 min

Choose nonviolence, fun & mischief on Mondays

An odd thing happened recently. I realised I actually quite like Mondays these days. If you're anything like me, the start to the week often loons heavy with foreboding and an urgency to resume the grind. Here's an alternative, to reclaim your week. I'd add that this might help in how you relate to any tricky thing in your life; work, projects, people - not just Mondays. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chri...

Apr 30, 202414 min

Why all that matters is you, me, in the here-and-now - Improv Dairies

It's been a while, but I've just returned from a super workshop in Lancaster where I bumped into myself again and learned more vital and pressing lessons in what it means to be human. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Apr 29, 202417 min

Your needs and getting them met

After mind-reading, expressing needs and getting them met (or not) is probably the single biggest cause of relationship turmoil. Here's an exploration of honouring self and other, a practice from Authentic Relating, and what it teaches us about life and happiness. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Apr 27, 202416 min

Authentic Relating lands in Leeds. But what is it?

This Friday (26th April) sees the first, regular, Authentic Relating workshop in Leeds. Come for human kindness, connection and deeper-than-usual conversation. Here I'll give you a flavour of what to expect and why you need it in your life. Info here: wearewellness.co.uk/workshops/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Apr 25, 202419 min

What happens when you actually unplug from the day-to-day rush

I took a WHOLE week off. I know, what a luxury. Before, during and after that I noticed the effect disconnecting from work can have on the body and mind. Here's what I found, plus invitations on how to make the most from your time off. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Apr 23, 202418 min

Why I stopped giving advice (and you should too)

Yes the irony hasn't escaped me in the title and nature of this episode. This one's all about how to better motivate, inspire and empower someone when they come at you with a problem or expressing discomfort. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Apr 17, 202413 min

Welcome everything, reveal your experience

These two are core practices from authentic relating that really help me navigate life's challenges. And life dealt me a sizable one recently. So I took that as an invite to practice what I preach... One of my edgier episodes. In case you're left wondering how things are after this episode - I now have a clean bill of health. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Apr 12, 202416 min

Undefended discoveries

Last Saturday a bunch of improvisers explored what it's like to welcome and reveal your inner world, in a warm and fuzzy workshop I hosted called Undefended Improv. Here's an exploration, insights and juicy finds. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Apr 08, 202430 min

How would life be with a bit more mischief?

This word keeps popping up in life recently. At a session planning Leeds festival of play, in improv and from feedback I receive about my vibe. Here's an exploration of what it might be, and how I suspect we could all use a bit more curious, playful and flirty vibes in life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Apr 04, 202422 min

Ever noticed this sneaky perfectionism?

Maybe you take your high standards and expectations for granted. There's nothing wrong with having them, but they can leave you feeling bruised and tender, if you're relentlessly striving and pushing yourself. Join me pool-side as we explore what could be going on inside, if you're sad, dissatisfied or frustrated. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Apr 03, 202410 min

How to cope with being antagonised

We've been exploring finding your calm, when people piss you off, upset you or otherwise knock you off-balance. I'm doing some embodiment training in Somerset, here's some helpful techniques I've been learning. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Mar 29, 202417 min

When you care just enough to stay unhappy

A micro reflection on bringing about stuff you really care about, or not. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Mar 27, 202410 min

What to expect from 'Undefended Improv' workshop this April

A quick walkthrough of the journey into more rewarding, heartfelt and blissful improv that I'll be taking people on next month. I explain some thinking behind the workshop, what's in store and how it all goes together into a deep yet gentle learning experience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 22, 202422 min

Unlocking happiness summit 2024

Later today I'll be exploring how to unlock more connection and play in your life, with my friend Anya Pearse. Anya is hosting the 2024 Unlocking Happiness Summit. I'll share our conversation on socials once it's published. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Mar 18, 202418 min

Feel the fear and do it anyway = BS

There's a part of you that's utterly terrified to experience certain feelings, and it'll do anything to prevent that. Yet those very same feelings are often what stand between us and what we really need. This short exploration examined what's really going on, and how we might comfortably navigate tricky reactions, without brutalising ourselves. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 16, 202412 min

Expression isn't indulgent, it's a necessity

There's a particular kind of bliss in sharing what it's like being you, regardless of how that's met. When you write, talk or otherwise create, you're meeting a fundamental human need to be seen/heard, valued and understood. Some reflections on what's going on and how to get more in your life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 14, 202418 min

3 levels of listening

Tonight at the Leeds improv Co-Lab, we'll be playing a listening game to reveal more depth in conversation, and get closer to our fellow humans. In this episode I'll explore an Authentic Relating game that helps to do this - which has value in everyday life, as well as Improv. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 13, 202424 min

Get out the way of the universe

Gosh it's TOUGH bringing an idea to life, isn't it? Especially when you really care about the things you want to create. This could be a career, relationship, business, or (if you're me) a workshop. Here are some reflections on how we defend and deny ourselves the things which our hearts desire. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 11, 202422 min

Trance, breathwork and trusting your body

I had a delightful evening huffing and puffing myself into euphoria at a breathwork session, during a recent retreat. Join me on my morning-after walk through a rural valley, reflecting on what it's like to meet yourself. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Mar 07, 202420 min

Spooky WW2 bunker

There's something about old, abandoned relics of recent history that hits me in the guy every time. They're so evocative to me, alive with the past presence of humans. Join me as I unashamedly geek out on a bunker I discovered on a recent walk on the Lincolnshire coast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 06, 202416 min

Reveal your experience, even when it's angry and big

What happens if you DARE to tell the truth about what it's like being you. I've just been on another retreat and I took a risk, when I had a BIG reaction to something that happened there. In this episode I explore one of the 5 practices of authentic relating. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Mar 05, 202420 min

Curiosity: the antidote to fear

Chris stops driving for a wee, where he meets a man with a camera in a layby. This leads to a chance encounter and a rare experience in nature. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Mar 01, 202411 min

You're allowed to enjoy this: lessons I'm doomed to learn over and over again

There's a possibility that the thing you're nervous about doing, could actually go well! Yes, I know. You're allowed to have fun. Despite expecting and preparing for the worst to happen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Feb 29, 202412 min

How you walk says everything about who you are

I take a secret phone break from the weekend courses I'm on, all about embodiment. This is the art of how we physically express and relate to the world through our posture, state and physiology - what your body is up to. This playful little game I talk about can reveal a lot about you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Feb 25, 202413 min

Determined to defend

I’ve a theory that as we near possibility of those things we want most (at an innermost, spiritual level), we meet and expose layer after layer of defence. Defences unwittingly created in youth to avoid the pain, like disappointment, shame, judgement, loneliness and everything else. Feelings we stand a good chance of experiencing if we take risks, and things (inevitably) go wrong, in pursuit of what we desire. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or ...

Feb 22, 202426 min

3 games to play in nature

When it comes to finding calm and contentment, all the evidence points to how much we pay attention to nature while we're in it. If you know it's good for you, but find your mind races while you take a walk in the park, try these games to bring you into the here-and-now. Solo friendly. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com...

Feb 22, 202417 min

Irreverent & defended

Chris gets ambushed by an inconvenient old friend in front of everyone. This prompts a short reflection on how we relate to the myriad parts of ourselves that we'd prefer weren't there, yet live inside all of us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Feb 22, 202411 min

Absolutely perfect

Join Chris on a park bench as we dive into the big P: perfectionism. What it is and how it shows up - as the urge to fix, correct, improve and make better or right. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Feb 20, 202428 min
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