SOULING

⏳ Two weeks ago I deleted Instagram, Facebook & TikTok from my phone. I was mindlessly scrolling and it was taking up between 3-4 hours a day! I wanted that time back. It got me thinking about how and why this happened in the first place. As an author, marketer & behavioural scientist in the making, I did some digging & here’s an interesting frame I think we could consider. 🤔 What is happening?  💁♀️ Why is it happening?  😱 How can we actively change it? What is happening:  👁️🗨️ Eli Pariser coined the term ‘filter bubble’ which refers to the algorithm bubbles created by social media & search engine giants. These bubbles are used to share & prioritise content that’s personalised to the individual on the platform. The more a user engages on the platform, the more data is gathered and then personalised content. This content loop means the user gets to experience a world that is perfectly tailored to their needs & makes things 'convenient' for them. Oh how lovely… but wait, why is this really happening? 💰 Increased dwell times means more attention grasped means higher advertising revenues. 🔢 The more data gathered the more powerful these platforms become. ⏰ Keeping users scrolling for longer gives platforms a competitive edge = + advertising dollars. Capturing our attention for longer is the aim of the game. 👹 A perceived sense of ‘value’ is created in the users mind the more consistent, enjoyable & tailored the content is. Fulfilling instant gratification needs is paramount. 🎖 Rewards, recognition, dopamine & habit forming… it does what it says on the tin. The more individuals are recognised for dwelling, engaging, creating, buying the more they are rewarded. 🎑 Confirmation bias - the more people see the same info, news, politics, content the more steadfast they become in their views. ☯ Polarisation creates virality - the more polarised we become the more outrage there is and therefore more dwell time. 🔎 In other words, search & you will find. Perhaps instead of an #AlgorithmBubble, #EchoChamber we could consider this a mental prison or cognitive confinement. Dwelling in a digital space that holds us locked in a pattern confirming our own stupidity seems ludicrous? How can we actively look to change this?  🛑 Stop dwelling on the platforms 💻 Remove them from your phone, access them on your desktop only 📰 Consume news from other places you normally wouldn’t - don’t forget there’s a whole world out there with differing views. 👥 Practice open conversations, allow discomfort & disagreement. When did we become a world that can’t critically think, have open, and interesting debate? 🙉 Instead of trying to change other people’s opinions listen & try to understand how another shoe fits? 👓 Search for other things on your social media you might not normally: influencers, news. Time to stop feeding the beast me thinks... goodbye mental prison, hello more internal harmony, critical thinking & introspection.

Loved chatting to Heidi Horne on her podcast, MindFlip Moments. We covered so many topics in a short 13 minutes. 😍 From self-worth, to productivity and identity, to relationships, to insourcing and self-validation techniques. Get your ears around it. SOULING #podcast #mindset #change #identity #selfworth

Absolutely loved being part of this event last night to support sustainability professionals. It was an honour to hear Bob Carr speak and consider all future possibilities when it comes to climate and global relations. We believe one of the most important things that sustainability leaders can do is to spend time in introspection, self-reflection and selfcare. The book Souling is a broad piece of work backed by behavioural science theories and ideas to support individuals on a deep journey into themselves through a variety of gateways. It was for this reason we attended last night to discuss the individuals work in the challenging context we face. #sustainability #climate Finding Nature Nathan Robertson-Ball

👥 Excited to be running our first workshop based on ideas and principles in the book, this one will be focused on the shadow. This workshop is certainly not for the faint of heart, but the fierce of heart. It's the kind of workshop good for a person who's already quite deep into working on themselves, has the ability to strongly self-reflect and be brutal about the reality of who they are. It's asking the tough questions and digging into the depths of our unconscious minds to pull forward patterns of behaviour that need change and need to be brought into the conscious. If this sounds like you, we look so forward to seeing you there. #event #northernbeaches #psychology #shadow #ego

I look forward to being part of this amazing event this Wednesday evening at Customs House in Sydney with Finding Nature. 🌳 🎫 Use the code SOULING at checkout to take up one of 5 free available spots, thanks to my partnership with Finding Nature. 2024 has already been characterised by unprecedented global uncertainty. While regional instability and conflicts have played a role, we have concurrently experienced increasing climate calamity and the ongoing rise of populist governance with nationalistic domestic policies. To further confound these variables, in 2024, 40% of the world's population goes to the polls. But with many potential changes in play, where might leadership in the next era of climate action take us? And how will these factors drive and affect the efforts and outcomes of climate action globally, regionally and domestically? Join Bob Carr, NSW's longest continuous serving Premier and former Foreign Minister who is uniquely placed to appreciate the complex and intertwined forces that will be shaped by the evolving efforts to decarbonise the planet, and the shifting patterns of election results. This is a night not to miss as Bob is joined in discussion by Nathan Robertson-Ball from Sydney sustainability-focused enterprise Finding Nature to unpack and help make clear how Australians should observe the tectonic shifts around the world and what they mean for meaningful and effective climate action. #event #sydney #climateaction https://lnkd.in/gNgSQeWP

Looking forward to my next guest in the COLLECTIVE CHANNEL, Natasha Ritz. We will talk about her experience running multiple social enterprise businesses, as well as her new book, “Souling”. Join us *LIVE* on IG next Thursday April 11th, 8:00PM EST|11am AEST. https://lnkd.in/gg_-VCVU See you there! #feminineleadership #womenleaders #womensupportingwomen #goodnews #worklifebalance #healthandwellness

What is the book, SOULING actually about you ask? Well, here’s a little video explainer from my launch event on March 22nd. 1. The Foundations of Souling, things like emotions, vulnerability, self awareness, collective awareness, the ego, the shadow, spirituality, masculine and feminine energy. 2. The Soul, the noun, focused on death, birth, renewal, suffering, wholeness, love. 3. Souling, the verb, the action of experiencing your soul - a range of gateways to access yourself from therapy, coaching, breathwork, sound, movement, learning to say no, sex, kink, tantra and beyond. Get your copy: https://souling.au #booklaunch #author

On Friday last week, a side project that two of our Melon's have been working on came to life. 📚 Natasha Ritz wrote her first book called SOULING and, Vicki Inglis created the illustrations and cover artwork. We absolutely LOVE seeing our team work together on creative endeavours outside of the work we do. Creativity is in all of our bones and seeing it come to life in unique and different ways is awesome. There was a real love fest there with our team! 😍 #melons #events #creativity #art #booklaunch #illustration #creatives #teameffort #sideshustles

I absolutely loved chatting to Nathan Robertson-Ball from Finding Nature on his podcast. This was a long form chat about everything: 😮 Politics 🤡 The patriarchy 🤖 Work 🌊 Spirituality 🙃 Self-reflection and beyond. If you want to take a deep dive into SOULING this is a great listen. Also particularly love the concept of Finding Nature for professionals working in the sustainability and climate space to explore themselves as nature and further, nature itself. What are our roles in this time of climate crisis and beyond and how do we have impact individually and collectively? Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gi3i-7fy #podcast #findingnature #souling #climate #sustainability #socialenterprise #worklife

A little book pre-launch event lol for your Monday arvo... recommend watching with sound on... 🔊 SOULING launching tomorrow! #booklaunch #author