- It's once again time to get gutsy with Liz Hall
and her expert guests on the Gutsy Babe podcast.
- Today's guest is a soul called Joel, also known
as Joel Cross.
He is a Grammy nominated musician, poet,
and meditation teacher.
His unique blend of artistry
and spirituality has garnered him a dedicated
following worldwide.
Hi, Joel. It's so good to see you.
- So good to see you too.
- Thank you for being on the Gutsy Bay Podcast, .
- Oh, it's my pleasure. My pleasure.
Thank you for having me.
- So, I just wanna say,
and I believe, you know, I'm just such a huge,
huge fan of yours.
I love following you on your journey through social media.
I have your journal, I listen to your music,
and I just love to share your message, uh,
with anyone I come across. So, thank you.
- Thank you so much. I so appreciate you
and supportive of the years.
It was, um, wow, what,
almost two years ago when I was touring,
and we did a show at your space.
So it was, it was a really wonderful, really wonderful.
So thank you. Thank you for your support.
- Oh my gosh. Um, of course, of course.
So, I, I know we have some questions,
but I just wanna just have a free flow conversation
and, uh, share, just share with us
what you got going on, who you are, what you're doing, um,
what your message is, if you don't mind.
- Hmm. . Um,
I don't generally do very well with like labels,
but I'll, I'll try to give an explanation here.
Um, I'm Joel.
I was a musician for a long time,
but, um, I guess these days I combine music
and mindfulness, um, along with, uh, meditation.
And so much of what I'm about is
really being an advocate
for mindfulness through all of my gifts.
So that includes, uh, playing the guitar, writing, singing,
uh, poetry and creating mindfulness experiences.
Um, and at the core of my
sharings is really a belief that we have the ability to,
um, self evolve.
If we show up for ourselves,
we can change the way we experience the world
and, um, have a positive impact, um,
changing the world from the inside out.
So I just try to do my share and, um, supporting that shift.
- Well, you're doing a beautiful job.
Um, I have a personal story to share with you.
Um, so I don't know, uh, if you know that I, I have a
gut health product that I created, um, a couple
of years ago, and it's kind of a wild story, um,
because I had personal gut health issues, I had issues
through my health many years, uh, prior.
Um, and I was since then being able to, you know,
help myself kind of cure myself, go into remission
and help with, uh, this gut help that now helps.
I'm just trying to share with other people.
But it was so funny when, not funny, I,
when I was in my kitchen,
like working up all these ingredients, I was listening to
your song that you sing, um, the, uh, energy mantra.
- Okay. - Which is one of my favorites, as you know.
And it was on repeat.
I honestly, probably for like a couple of hours
and I was just in a zone in my kitchen,
like working up this whole master ingredient plan
of, um, well now it's something really, it works, uh,
but something's really beautiful.
And it was funny because my husband came into the kitchen.
He's like, you were in a trance.
You were on some other like, dimension.
You know how many times you listen
to this energy song on repeat?
He is like, it was definitely a couple of hours. .
- That's amazing. I love that.
I love that. Oh, that's beautiful.
- So I feel like you've been personally on my journey with
me. . - .
- I so love that because, um, I feel like
before I recorded it
and shared that I would sing it to myself on repeat in that,
in that same way.
Uh, and I, I would find myself in a trance
of just being aligned with that energy, our power,
our ability to love and expand and grow.
And, um, it's, it's, it's so fulfilling to know
that you had the same experience.
- I really did. - Amazing product
that's helping people. That's
wonderful. - .
- Yeah. I really wasn't a trance for a couple hours,
several hours, and it was a beautiful experience.
So thank you, .
- Oh, you're so welcome.
- . So how long have you been meditating
and is there any kind of certain skill
to teach maybe me to start with meditation?
That would be nice.
- Um, well, let's see.
I've been meditating almost 15 years now. Okay.
I guess 14. And, um,
my first meditation was purely intuitive.
Mm-Hmm. . Um, and so I, I,
I sat down in the corner of my room.
I was kind of drawn to it intuitively,
just coming up in my circles and, um, very loud.
And I sat down,
I put on some music I found on YouTube Mm-Hmm. ,
you know, those droney things.
And then I said, I'm just gonna try this
and I'm gonna follow my intuition, my own inner guidance.
And the first thought I had was, okay,
I'm gonna clear my mind.
So with each inhale,
I'll just focus on whatever thought is biggest in my mind.
With each exhale, I'll visualize it, um, being, you know,
kind of, uh, dissolved in the air as it leaves my body.
- Ooh, I like that. - Yeah.
It was a beautiful starting point.
Um, and so maybe that's a great place for everyone to start.
Once I actually studied meditation, I, I learned that
that's a very common practice.
You know, breathing in, you focus on something,
breathing out, you focus on something, right.
You always connect to the breath.
'cause the breath is in the present moment.
And, um, so I mean,
have you meditated at all before, or?
- I've tried, but I've never had it
explained to me like that.
So I think that will definitely help me.
So I'm gonna def I'm gonna try that. So thank you.
- Oh, well, good. Yeah. You're welcome.
Um, it's, I think the ultimate goal is just being present
with, with where you are.
Mm-Hmm. . And if you're just focusing on the thought instead
of trying to get rid of the thought or it's a problem,
or all the things that we usually do
become so self-critical.
Mm-Hmm. , um, there's a shift in our state of being, right?
Like, okay, tuning in, having this thought,
breathing out, let it go.
Sometimes it happens in one breath, sometimes it happens,
takes five, 10 breaths.
But just sit with it
and be present with it until another thought comes
in and do the same thing.
And after a while, you kind of open yourself up to
a calmer, clear, more grounded mind, simply
because you're not at war with yourself.
Mm-Hmm. . Right. You're just allowing
and letting go, allowing and letting go.
And that's a, a beautiful state to be in
with life, allow and let go.
Right. So, so yeah, it's a great place to start.
- Oh, I'm, I'm looking forward to trying
that, but thank you.
- You are welcome. - So what,
where are you currently on your journey?
Are you in the mountains? Are you ?
- Um, so yeah, about a year and a half ago.
Well, I traveled for two years, pretty much full time.
And then I felt the call to kind
of like settle down somewhere, at least have a home base.
Mm-Hmm. . And, um, I was looking in East Texas for a while,
not too far from my family,
and wasn't finding exactly what I wanted.
And, uh, was on a call with my brother kind of talking
through my process
and he recommended, he's like,
why don't you go further east?
Beautiful. And what you essentially want is a nice little
place for yourself in, in nature with the creek
and so on.
And, um, and so I was like, okay, why not?
And I looked and there was a, a brand new listing
that had been up for less than an hour.
I was like, that looks like exactly what I want .
And so the next day I came and saw, saw the land
and loved it was so lit up for my soul within
and, uh, ended up putting in an offer.
And so I've been here now for about a year and a half.
Um, and soon I'll be building a little cabin.
And, um, it's kind of funny
'cause people ask me like, so you live in Arkansas now, ,
and yeah, I do.
Um, but it makes perfect sense.
'cause, um, looking at it from another vantage point,
I looked up my, uh, astrocartography mm-Hmm. ,
and, um, didn't know anything about, about it beforehand.
And my son and my mercury are like this close
and right in between is the, the rural area that I'm in now,
which is all about feeling at home with yourself, um,
being in a safe space to be more yourself and teach
and share and write, which is exactly
what I've been doing here.
And so it's like, oh, well, of course, of course.
This is why I'm drawn to this area.
- That's beautiful. You put it out in the universe
and the universe delivered.
Mm-Hmm. - . Yeah.
So, um, I'm here
and maybe, uh, like a few months ago
I was in Peru for a retreat
and I got the, the travel bug again.
So maybe, uh, in the coming months
or a year, I'll, I'll get back on the
road, uh, intermittently. Yeah, I would
- Love that.
You have to hit me up when you're in California.
- I definitely will. You know, my brother's, um,
is out in Pasadena now, so Yes.
I'll have to come up. Yeah, right. , is he
- Really?
Oh my gosh. What? That's wild.
- Yeah. About a year, year and a half ago.
So next time I'm out, I'll definitely have to, um, say hello
and hopefully connect with you guys.
- Yes, please do. Please, please do.
So you mentioned, uh, teaching and training.
Are you, are you, um, doing any retreats yourself?
Are you, can you share any of, of that with us?
- Yeah. Um, so I've been, uh, so I did my first
international retreat in Peru this summer.
And the Rise retreat, it's all about walking, meditation
and connecting to the earth and, um, exploring new places
and kind of the same process of allowing and letting go.
But, um, it was all about sharing the practicality
of mindfulness through practicing while you're in motion,
which is truer to our regular everyday life.
Mm-Hmm. , right. We're not always just sitting and quiet
and silent and, you know, kinda estranged from the world.
We're engaged. And so, um, we
meditated of course, in, uh, the mornings
and had deep discussions, but we went out into Peru
and, um, there's, there's such a, a rich history of, um,
a connection to the earth through the ink and traditions
and plant medicines.
And so there's a lot of sacred, um, sites to visit.
And, um, we visited Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain
and, um, rainbow Mountain Hike was, uh, a symbolism
for our energy, our chakras aligning
and as you ascended, um, viewing each stage of the journey
as a different energy
and a point of connection with yourself.
And, uh, so we practiced walking meditation all the way up
with plenty of breaks, and it was so beautiful,
such a beautiful, rich experience.
So, um, that was my retreat.
And then I just got back from, uh, Casaro, California.
Um, I collaborate with a few other creators
who are in the environmental space, who,
and in the ecological space all about really returning
to our creative essence, the natural way of being.
Um, so seeing what we do as a part of the whole Right.
Not just a person over here teaching meditation
or there's not just a business here,
but you're a part of your community, right?
Mm-Hmm. And your community is a part of the
entire global community, right?
Mm-Hmm. . So how are we connecting what we do internally
and professionally with how we serve the world?
Right? Mm-Hmm.
bringing in, um, other ways to view capital, other ways to
step out of duality, say,
how can we move past this is happening?
And this is the resistant force to reconciling
and transcending those systems, to seeing all
of it as a part of the whole.
And how can we meet all the needs
and balance everybody's, um, desires and purpose
and mission, also taking care of the planet and the animals
and doing everything with, um, aligned, uh,
sustainable intention.
- Wow. That's beautiful. I love that.
- Yeah. It was a, a really beautiful experience
and it's something that, we'll, um,
that was our second year doing it,
so we'll probably be doing it next year, next fall.
Um, so people are interested in those kinds of things. Yeah.
There's, they can sign up at my, uh, website
for my mailing list,
and I'll be sharing as soon as, um,
soon registration's available for those events.
- Yeah. I think I'd love to sign up.
- Oh, wonderful. Hopefully we'll see you at the next one.
- Yeah. How many people did you have in your Peru trip?
- Peru trip was very small.
Uh, we started out with a, a handful of folks
and things happened.
Yeah. And they had to back out.
So it actually ended up becoming a one-on-one trip.
- Um, oh, that's beautiful.
How intimate and special was that?
- It was really beautiful.
Um, I called, uh, the woman who ended up going,
and I let her know very transparently.
I said, Hey, we had a small group,
and now you're the last one.
They, they had come up. Are you okay with that?
Wanna be fully transparent? If you want to go, we're going.
- It was all in. - It was all in. Yeah.
And, um, it was beautiful. It was exactly what she needed.
And, um, we had a great connection with the locals there
that were supporting us as we moved around the land
and, um, this beautiful, powerful, soulful exchange.
And so I think in this work I've been surrendering
to allow Right.
And let go whatever big vision I had for it,
or other vision I had for it, letting that go.
And it was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
- Well, that's beautiful. I feel
that nature is healing on its own.
That's where I feel that I'm also closest to God.
And, um, something personal about me is
that I actually, uh, wanted
to be a park ranger, and I went to school for
that - .
Wow, that's amazing.
- And I actually lived in Yosemite National Park
in my early twenties.
- Amazing. And
- I did solo backpacking trips by myself when I was young.
I wouldn't do that now, but I
did - .
Wow. That's awesome. That's awesome.
- A lot of people don't like know that about me
or people that know me now or even see that with me.
But yeah. So, um, I even lived in Alaska,
like I was very adventurous when I was young, and I Wow.
Did all kinds of pile things out in nature.
And so that's something that I've been drawn.
I think there's something that aligns me with you is
that I been there, I lived in nature by myself.
I meditated, I guess it was my own way
of meditation without even knowing That was meditation back
then, because it's not, back then they didn't call it that.
I don't know, .
- Right. - That's maybe they did.
I just didn't, wasn't aware.
I was in my own world with nature
and, um, in my own thoughts,
and it was a beautiful time.
And it's still the most special time
that I look back in my life.
And Yosemite is my favorite place in the
world to me.
Like I've, I've spent a lot of, um, quality time
with myself in Yosemite and just being in the outdoors.
So I love that you're on your journey
of being in the outdoors and exploring.
So thank you. 'cause it brings back my inner self
and I need to get back there, basically.
That's what I'm telling myself. I know.
I need to get back into nature.
- Okay. Yeah. Well, that's beautiful. Um, you're welcome.
Yeah. Nature is such a healing force.
I mean, it's a, it's a tricky thing in modern society
because, um, the way it's structured, we, we have to engage
with each other in, in the city in some way, right?
Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. . And, um, but the earth is our home.
We're supposed to be connected to it, you know? Yeah.
And, and that's part of our true nature.
So how do we balance, you know, depending on what your life
requires, right?
Yeah. How you temper that
with some real intentional time in nature,
um, that's so important.
And, and that is enough for, for most people to, to, to get
that balance and regulation they need.
Yeah. You said it's like,
it's not usually called meditation.
I was just talking to, do you know Scott Tatum, the, uh,
friendly reminder guy? You
- Can't, yeah.
- Yeah. Um, we had a conversation yesterday
and he was saying basically the same thing.
He's like, well, I don't meditate, but, but,
but hiking is my thing.
I'm always outside. And I'm, I was like, you meditate, man,
that, you know, but it's, it's the same thing, you know,
it's attention with intention, right?
You're trying exactly intention
to whatever's happening in your emotional, mental world
with the intention to find peace and calm and groundedness.
Right. And nature's the greatest support for that
because it's always in that state. ,
- You learn so much from nature.
- Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. , I certainly,
- I received messages now from you
where this morning I received, dear one, you are whole,
you are loved, you are
wonderful - .
- Thank you for that. I read them every morning, I wake up
to them and it fills my heart. So thank you.
- Oh, you're so welcome. You're so welcome.
And those are, um, messages from my heart to you,
to the collective, to whoever's, um, open to receiving them.
You know, it's, uh, every day, you know,
I do the How's your heart practice?
And there's a moment to just connect
to the heart space and breathe.
And then I share a thought and idea.
But those are never planned out.
It's just whatever's coming through my heart,
my love channel in that moment.
And, um, it's, it's for me as much
as it is for everyone else.
Um, but that's been my practice
for years in my private space, just holding space to be with
whatever's happening within me,
but also knowing that I'm always guided
and supported by my heart, my intuition, my connection
to something bigger than me.
Mm-Hmm. . And, um, I think early,
maybe when I was around 18, 19 years old,
when I started journaling is when I discovered this,
you know, I would journal all of my frustrations, all of my,
you know, things I was frustrated with life about.
And then once all of those were out mm-Hmm.
, there was this beautiful wisdom and love and comfort
and guidance that was just coming through,
and it was always there under the surface.
And that's, I think one
of the beautiful things about meditation is when you take
that time to kind of be with those emotions, they get
to stay in motion and actually be processed
or let go or lightened.
Mm-Hmm. , once you do that, you can connect
to the still calm knowing, right?
Mm-Hmm, . Mm-Hmm. . So the easiest way I
know how to express it, right?
When you align with that frequency,
your own still your own calm, then you're connected to
the knowing, right?
Intuition, the divine, your guides,
whatever language you use for it.
Yeah. It's always there if we make ourselves available.
And so I, um, my whole,
uh, I guess mission with social media is I, I imagine most
of us are kind of in the busyness, right?
the, the opposite of still calm.
And knowing we're like avoiding and busy and distracting.
And, and then you happen upon
something that's a little different.
It helps you to slow down and reconnect. You know?
So whether you get the, the regular message
or the, the video practice, it's, um, it's,
it's very important to, to tap in and remember those things
because most of us wake up so busy that we don't realize
that we have a, the power to shift our energy and our focus.
So I'm glad. No, you're, it's resonating with you.
- Oh, it's so resonating with me. So thank you for that.
You're absolutely correct. It is people avoiding
and the busyness and the noise, right?
And when people do come across your page,
you instantly have this calmness,
and you're having people stop and listen and feel your heart
and your message with what's coming in with them.
So it works. So keep doing what you're doing. Thank you, .
- Thank you. I'm glad to hear that.
- Yes. Um, if you could only recommend three mindful
practices of for conscious evolution, can you share that
- Just three mindful practices for conscious evolution?
Nothing major, um, ,
- We're just three tips. Three tips.
- Sure, sure.
Um, honestly, the first one is just to,
to journal like, so easy.
Yeah. And I would say I have my rise journal,
which is an expansion of what I'm gonna, um, recommend.
But if you just start with the first, um, letter
of the framework, which is release,
we're always in an exchange with the world around us, right?
And there's a thought and idea every time you look someone
in the eyes or you walk through, you know,
a certain space on your way to work and so on and so forth.
And so just to clear your cannabis, kind of like, uh,
what I just shared around kind of letting go
of all your frustrations, well, that's just frustrations.
But aside from that, you have everything in
between energetic exchanges and ideas and feelings.
So just taking a moment to just write without judgment,
everything that's on your mind, stream of consciousness,
kind of letting it go on the page.
And when you can slip into a state of non-judgment,
even if your ideas are coming out very randomly,
they make no sense, and you recognize that
and you can just let it be what it is, we shift into a state
of allowing and letting go and presence, right?
That's what that whole practice is about. Mm-Hmm.
, when you're in that state, you remember, oh, I don't have
to approach life with so much, uh, illusory control.
Mm-Hmm. , right? I can just be a witness
and recognize that I'm already okay.
Right? And that's, that's a beautiful foundation, right?
To help shift your consciousness.
Um, the second one I would suggest is walking meditation.
So whenever you're walking, it's already beautiful to,
you know, be on a nice little trail or at a nice park.
Mm-Hmm, . Um, but if you tune in
and as you're walking, become present
with the breath, right?
Breathing in, breathing out, I tend to, um,
do a four count in, four count out.
Mm-Hmm, . So it's every four steps.
Align it with my steps, and then I check
to see if my body's relaxed, right?
So four in, four out, let's,
how are my toes just turning your awareness
to your toes as you're walking ?
Are they relaxed? If not, as soon as you become aware
that they're not, they start to relax.
It's a funny thing that happens.
, we get unconscious to ourself. Yeah.
And then slowly work your way up.
You know, the ankles, the soles of your feet, calves, knees,
the hips, the torso, everything else.
Um, and that's a beautiful practice.
'cause it helps us to address a lot
of things that are under the surface.
Um, and then the third tip,
it's meta loving kindness practice.
It's my, it's the, it's something I never miss.
Um, and mental loving kindness comes from
eastern traditions.
And it's all about practicing love for yourself,
for someone you care for deeply,
someone you have challenges with in your life.
Mm-Hmm. . And then for everyone everywhere. Mm-Hmm. .
Um, and there's usually about four
or five phrases, um, that you send to all of these folks.
And, um, the whole goal is to remember
that love is a verb, right?
And it's a skill that we cultivate.
And we can't just say, I love people
and not actually be sending them love,
actually practicing love for them in an
intentional, conscious way.
Um, so when you stop
and you say these phrases, which are,
may I be healthy, right?
Mm-Hmm, , may I be happy?
Mm-Hmm, , may I take care of myself wisely?
May I be safe and protected?
May I be peaceful and at ease, right?
And I do the same thing for you
and someone I have difficulty with.
May all beings, um, have those same blessings.
When you're focusing on an individual
or focusing, especially when you're trying to grow
with someone that isn't the easiest person in your
life. , - ,
- You step out of judgment with that person as well, right?
Mm-Hmm, , you, you witness, oh, there's resistance there.
What is that about? What,
what is this person reflecting about me?
Mm-Hmm. , right? And what is life presenting
as an opportunity here for me
to have the peace and the calm I want?
And almost every time I realize that
what I'm really upset about is
that this person is triggering something within me
that I'm not ready to face.
Mm-Hmm. So I get to own my emotions, take my power back,
and show this person some compassion.
And what I've found is, even if I don't say anything to
that person at all, because my energy has shifted Mm-Hmm.
or dynamic shifts,
- Right?
- They show me some random point
of kindness, and I'm like, what ?
And then I go, oh, well, of course,
but I'm also more able to receive it.
And so those are three practices I would recommend that are,
um, simple, yet have a profound shift in our
consciousness, for sure.
- Yeah. They were powerful. Those are great tips.
So thank you for that.
- Of course. - Beautiful.
So please share what you have coming up
and how people can find out more about you
and how they could be come part of your community.
- Sure. Um, so the community, um,
the beautiful soul is community.
Every day we connect for meditation, we have weekly
discussions around whatever's coming up in your life
where we get to kind of talk through these things
and how, um, our practice could support whatever
challenges life is presenting, as well as monthly workshops
and weekly sound baths.
Um, and it's all about returning to your heart, returning
to your authentic nature, um, to the gift of mindfulness.
And so that's available, um, at my website.
And, um, in January we'll be doing a
30 day meditation challenge.
So, um, for those who are new to meditation,
are just curious, but they're not ready to sign up
for a membership, um, it's a great time to kind
of dip your toe in and to see how it would feel to be a part
of, uh, the practices that we offer and share.
See what shifts in your life, you know, um, um, so many
of the members, um, at a member telling me just today,
she said, you know, this came during a,
a very challenging time in my life,
and I've never felt so much ease and flow
after being a, a, a regular meditator.
And I go to sleep more easily, I'm less irritable.
And I find I have deeper relationships
with people in my life because I'm more open
and available to them and myself.
And it's, you know, a very simple thing.
But, um, such a profound shift can happen when we set the
intention to show up every day.
So people wanna join the 30 day Meditation Challenge,
or the community they can, um, sign up at my website is
so called joel.com.
- On an ending note, can you sing a little
energy mantra song for me? . .
It'll just be for me.
- Oh, you want the energy mantra, ? Okay.
Let's see. Just a little bit of it. I'm trying to think.
What's a good point? Um hmm.
Let's see. Everything that I need, I already have,
and everything that I have is all that I need.
And anything I desire I will receive.
'cause my reality is created by me. .
- Oh, that fills my heart. Thank you.
- Oh, you're welcome. I love that
mantra, - .
It's been such a pleasure, Joel, thank you from the bottom
of my heart for coming on and having a little chat with me.
- Well, thank you so much, Liz. It's been my pleasure.
Thanks for having me.
- Well, that's it for this episode.
Don't forget to hit the subscribe button
for more gutsy babe content.
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