This week’s episode brings Part 2 of our series, Accessing Your Gifts, Talents, and Magic. We started last week with the discussion on how to identify our gits; today, we’re shining light on how to activate the magic in our DNA. When we reference our gifts and magic, we’re talking about our creative expression and joy, the things that speak to our soul and that many of us are crying out to do. For a lot of us, somewhere along the way, we began suppressing that expression and in Part 2 we offer s...
May 06, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 157
It’s no secret that we love a good series; this week brings Part 1 of How to Access Your Gifts, Talents, and Magic. This topic was Nick’s idea as he’s a big fan of magic and creating space for us to explore the gifts that we all possess. Part 1 focuses on our ability to identify our gifts. There are many of us who are on the journey of exploration yet we don’t know what it is that we’re looking for or how to go about the process of identifying our gifts. If you don’t know what you’re looking for...
Apr 29, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 156
We welcome a very special guest in this week’s episode…..one that may come as a bit of a surprise. You may have an idea of who it is, as we’ve mentioned our guest - The Mystic Next Door, in some of our previous episodes. He steps into the guest seat and talks to us about his journey into creating The Mystic persona, fully stepping into it and why he felt he had to hide being the incredible healer that he is. Our wish is that this episode will spark more of that mysticism, more of that higher sel...
Apr 22, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 155
This week’s episode is a personal one. It touches on conversations that we’ve had during our earlier episodes about radical authenticity, ruthless honesty, and courageous vulnerability. Speaking of vulnerability, we deep dive into a very vulnerable moment for Nick. He has a confession that he shares with us, along with the lessons that he garnered from it. We talk about this often that, in every situation in our lives (even in the challenges), there’s a spiritual lesson if we’re willing to see i...
Apr 15, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 154
This week’s episode welcomes a very special guest, a magical being whose presence in the studio created such an awesome vibe throughout the entire building: Nicola Moras. Nicola is an online visibility expert, sought-after speaker and author of , a guide for business owners on how to generate financial results from social media and digital marketing. Nicola helps clients around the world achieve visibility, impact, and profits, enabling them to become ‘professionally famous’ online. She joins us...
Apr 08, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 153
This week’s episode is a juicy one - it’s the last (at least for now) of the India Series. We jump right in at the top of the episode with the discussion on Mental Conviction. This topic came up while Kisma was at the Vedanta Academy and she wanted to share some of the amazing lessons that came from the discussion. Kisma raised the question, ‘what is the difference between fanaticism and conviction?” To sum up Swamiji’s response (or at least attempt to), the differences between the two come down...
Apr 01, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Welcome to part 3 of the India Series: So You Think You Can Meditate. Meditation has become immensely popular within the past decade. There are countless apps, programs, videos, books on how you can incorporate meditation into your life. We really love the fact that it’s also being introduced, in Western Culture, to younger audiences - even being integrated into some school curriculums... It’s beneficial, no question about it; everyone from athletes, to CEOs and even presidents, are mediating. W...
Mar 25, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 151
This week brings Part 2 of the India Series: It’s Not What You Think. With wanting to share more of Kisma’s experience at the Vedanta Academy, we dive into a bit of a heavy topic: that the world in an illusion. We read a few passages from Swami Parthasarathy’s, , to share some of Vedanta’s philosophy. Not to worry, we bring it full circle with examples of how this shows up in our everyday lives, along with tips and practices that can be used to challenge many of the illusions that show up in our...
Mar 18, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 150
We’re very excited about our reunion this week! Kisma’s back from India and we’re looking forward to bringing you some of the amazing highlights from her trip. In true Illumination Podcast fashion, we’re kicking off a series about some of the teachings at the Vedanta Academy. In part 1 of the series, we’re discussing a day in the ashram life - an ashram is a spiritual community. It’s a place where people go to live, stay and study. There’s a bit of a difference with the structure at the Vedanta ...
Mar 11, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 149
We’re very excited this week to welcome our special guest, Marc Cordon, to Illumination Podcast. As we mentioned last week Kisma is away on her trip - she sends her love and light from India and will be checking in soon; be on the lookout for a special solo episode or two. Marc a positive psychology coach, the author of Beyond Resilient: The Coach's Guide to Ecstatic Growth and co-founder of Joy Revolution. He’s received coaching accolades from the Institute for Professional and Excellence in Co...
Feb 25, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 148
We’re back this week with a special send-off for Kisma…..she’ll be back, not to worry. Kisma is heading to India. As many of you know, we speak often about the Vedanta Academy and Swami Parthasarathy - it’s been over a year since Kisma last made the trip and the calling came in. India is such a magical place and it speaks to the essence of the show: Ancient Wisdom. This podcast exists for us to bring that Ancient Wisdom to your modern days and we want to present these teachings in a way that tru...
Feb 18, 2019•31 min•Ep. 147
We couldn’t resist, we’re back this week with an addendum episode for the Spiritual Detox Series: Part 4 - Five Things You Can Do to Stay Clean and Clear. This addition was inspired by the late, great Wayne Dyer. We were watching a video of his where he was discussing the corrosion of the spiritual core, it painted a very vivid picture of that impact on the spirit and inspired us to think through a simple set of preventative measures. What most resonated with us about Wayne’s work was his abilit...
Feb 04, 2019•38 min•Ep. 146
This week we’re joined by a very special guest, Jenny Carr, to discuss Healing from the Inside Out. Jenny is a Mompreneur, international best selling author, speaker and a leading expert on inflammation. Jenny is also a testament to this work - having overcome a near-death experience by becoming a fearless advocate for her health and getting into action to remove the inflammation from her body, all while maintaining a positive outlook - filled with gratitude, love, spiritual surrender and accept...
Jan 28, 2019•43 min•Ep. 145
Jan 21, 2019•31 min•Ep. 144
This week, we bring you part 2 of our Spiritual Detox series, Emotional Freedom. Last week, with part 1, we talked about what happens when you have certain things in your life that don’t support who you are, what you’re doing and offered tips on how to navigate that. In this episode, we’re discussing what’s going on in your head, your heart, and what needs to be solved and resolved in order for you to be on (what Kisma likes to call) the “Divine Success Track,” where you’re facing forward, towar...
Jan 14, 2019•33 min•Ep. 143
Happy New Year, Everyone! We hope that your 2019 is off to a great start. We’re starting the year with a 3 part series: Spiritual Detox. Today’s episode (Part 1) was inspired by an interview we had last year with Peg Fitzpatrick () about creating community over competition. Often times we find ourselves in a cycle of comparison and can feel like someone else’s gain automatically equates our loss. This is the antithesis to the Law of Supply, which states that there is more than enough for everyon...
Jan 07, 2019•30 min•Ep. 142
As we bring 2018 to a close, we wanted to re-release one of our favorite episodes: How to Be Ultra Spiritual with JP Sears. JP Sears is one of the funniest, most innovative, enlightening and inspiring spiritual leaders. As an emotional healing coach, most famous for creating a connection through his humorous approach, JP connects with a vast audience through his courses, , and has spread his message via a new medium with the release of his book . JP is someone who speaks to such truth in such a ...
Dec 31, 2018•51 min•Ep. 141
This episode was recorded around mid-December, as we were all starting to think about the things that we want to see shift in the New Year. New Year’s Resolutions are a big part of that conversation. What would you like to happen in 2019? It invites and inspires reflection on where things may have gone awry this year, where didn’t we step up to the plate? It’s also important to acknowledge and appreciate the areas where we DID step up. When approached in the right way New Year’s Resolutions can ...
Dec 24, 2018•20 min•Ep. 140
In this episode, we discuss how to make the present moment perfect. As we get closer and closer to the holidays, we want this to serve as a reminder to identify and be in the perfection, don’t take on any of the chaos. There’s perfection all around us, at every moment and we’re often conditioned by our beliefs to automatically focus on what’s wrong with a situation or to wish for things to be other than they are. Not only does this prevent us from seeing the beauty and perfection of a situation,...
Dec 17, 2018•24 min•Ep. 139
This week’s episode is about finding your purpose - this is a question Nick and Kisma receive often. This time of the year, in particular, starts to raise this question, more and more, as people are beginning to reflect on the current year and plan for 2019. We’ve all asked that question in some form or another: “why am I here?” , “what does it all mean?”, “what am I supposed to doing?” , “is this it?” We all have a purpose and discovering it is a large part of our journey - it’s important that ...
Dec 10, 2018•28 min•Ep. 138
In this week’s episode, Kisma (aka “The Master of Gift Giving”) shares her insights on intentional gift giving, along with a list of her favorite gift ideas. Last week, Nick and Kisma talked about the impact and causes of Festive Stress - gift giving was among the top contributors. Along with being an additional expense, many people get very stressed about picking out the “right” gift. Nick and Kisma encourage us to reignite the joy in gift giving, and receiving, that we experienced as children ...
Dec 03, 2018•24 min•Ep. 137
This episode was recorded right before the Thanksgiving Holiday, and Nick and Kisma kick off the discussion about getting into the holiday spirit (Kisma already has her Christmas music set in the car). As great as the holidays can be, they’re also a time of increased stress and elevated anxiety for a lot of people. Tune in for a mindful discussion on some of the approaches and practices that you can implement to safely (and peacefully) navigate any festive stress.
Nov 26, 2018•28 min•Ep. 136
Each and every person can have gratitude. When you look at everything with gratitude, it propels you. It allows you to stay in movement and become powerful. Energetically there will be a shift in your tone and attitude giving you a sense of humility.
Nov 18, 2018•34 min•Ep. 135
Who do you need to be to, have what you want? Many people don’t think about this in these terms. It’s an important part of the process in goal setting and goal “getting”. A very common phrase is, Be – Do - Have.
Nov 11, 2018•33 min•Ep. 134
Both Nick and Kisma have a deep appreciation for discipline in their lives. However, many others don’t even want to hear about discipline. It feels restrictive and repressive to some and not something they want more of in their lives until they learn what it really is.
Nov 04, 2018•31 min•Ep. 133
There are some thoughts around the word sacrifice that make it seem like a “bad” thing. There is a positive energy to the attitude of giving up, letting go. Giving something up for something greater is sacrifice.
Oct 28, 2018•36 min•Ep. 132
What Is Value? http://illuminationacademy.net/ink131 Money is one example of value. You can burn paper money to stay warm, you can exchange it for something of value...food, clothing, services, etc… It’s important to understand what you are really looking for.
Oct 22, 2018•28 min•Ep. 131
Kisma believes that when we go for “the real success”, that serves and makes an impact on the world, it’s easier to get because we are working with the Laws. When business comes into accordance with the Golden Rule, then we will have success.
Oct 14, 2018•41 min•Ep. 130
Forgiveness is super important for health of the mind, body and soul! To live life as a Divine Being, forgiveness is the first requirement. This does not mean it’s ok to allow people to steal from or harm you and become “happy-happy” and not do anything.
Oct 07, 2018•46 min•Ep. 129
When focused on what others do wrong, your sending that energy out and will boomerang right back to us. This creates resistance, stopping your flow of love, health, and abundance in all things.
Sep 30, 2018•39 min•Ep. 128
