Magic in the Moment: Mindfulness In Real Time

Magic in the Moment: Mindfulness In Real Time

di Clayton Platt
Salute mentaleSpiritualità
Stagione 1

The Voice in the Room: Mindfulness, Presence, and Competing at Your Best

Every high performer knows it. Every leader who has walked into a room that mattered knows it. Every person who has ever cared deeply about something knows it. That voice. The one that arrives not in the quiet but in the loudest moments, when the stakes are highest and the doors are about to open, asking: what if you blow this? In this solo episode, Clayton revisits three conversations that together offer something more honest and more durable than any formula for perfect performance. A professional squash champion who found presence in the back of a taxi in Chennai. An entrepreneur who went from breaking seven tennis rackets to sitting three month meditation retreats. And a sports psychologist who has spent his career decoding exactly what that voice is, where it comes from, and what to do when it inevitably shows up. Todd Harrity, three time U.S. National Squash Champion and Pan Am Games gold medalist, spent years struggling with performance anxiety at the highest levels of his sport. The shift came in the back of a taxi before one of the most important matches of his career. Not through a visualization or a breathing technique, though those matter too. Just a clear eyed recognition of where he actually was. I am not playing this match right now. I am in the back of a taxi right now. From that single moment of staying present, he played the best tournament of his career. Nick Hamburger's journey began with a knee injury, a meditation tape from his mother, and Joseph Goldstein's voice coming through like someone else talking. That simple realization, that the mind's chatter could be listened to rather than fought, opened a path that led through five years of building a business, a surreal appearance on Shark Tank, and eventually a three month retreat at IMS. His teacher Gil Fronsdal offered him a line that Clayton has carried ever since: the means are the ends. The present moment is not a consolation prize. It is the whole thing. Dr. Mitchell Greene, sports psychologist, traces his obsession with mind chatter back to one of baseball's most haunting mysteries. Chuck Knoblauch. An All Star. An MVP. Suddenly unable to make the shortest throw in baseball. Mitch's question has never left him: how is it that somebody so good could struggle so badly? His answer reframes everything. The chatter is not proof that something has gone wrong. It is confirmation that something real is at stake. You signed up for hard. The voice arrived because you care. Together these three voices make the case that the path forward is not to silence the inner critic, suppress the anxiety, or wait until the nerves disappear. It is to stay present with all of it, to understand that you are not your chatter, and to keep returning, breath by breath, to the only moment that is actually real. Check out all three of the full episodes featured: Nick Hamburger: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-tennis-courts-to-shark-tank-mindfulness-in-the/id1815592752?i=1000725782255 Todd Harrity: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peaceful-warrior-mindfulness-and-the/id1815592752?i=1000728122151 Dr. Mitchell Greene: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taming-the-mind-performance-pressure-and/id1815592752?i=1000713305738
S1 · E29
15 apr 2026
27:27

Letting Love In: Ray Arata on Masculinity, Pain, and Healing

What would it look like if men actually led from the heart? Not as a slogan. Not as a corporate initiative. As a daily, lived, embodied practice? That question has guided Ray Arata for over 25 years, and in this rich and deeply personal conversation, Clayton and Ray go somewhere that most leadership conversations never reach. Ray is the founder of the Better Man Movement and author of Showing Up, one of the most thoughtful voices working today on what healthy masculinity actually looks like in practice. His framework for heart based leadership rests on six principles: emotional literacy, vulnerability, authenticity, accountability, inclusivity, and love. And it is that last one, love, that sits at the center of this conversation. The one that makes executives shift in their chairs. The one Ray believes is the whole point. Clayton and Ray also share a history that stretches back to their time together in George Kinder's Seven Stages of Money Maturity work, a program that uses our relationship with money as a mirror for the deeper self. That shared foundation gives this conversation the quality of two people continuing something they started a long time ago rather than meeting for the first time. Ray opens up about growing up without a map for emotional literacy, a father who kept his feelings carefully contained and a mother whose love arrived in complicated ways. He traces the long journey from a painful divorce and a business partner's betrayal through men's initiation work, therapy assisted medicine journeys, and the unexpected teachers of a double knee replacement and a shoulder surgery that brought him to his knees in more ways than one. What he found inside all of that pain was something he had been helping others find for decades but had not yet fully allowed for himself. The understanding that he did not need to do anything to earn love. That he already was lovable. That he already was love. The conversation moves through the neuroscience of threat and reward, the difference between command and control leadership and genuine human connection, and what it actually means to see, hear, value, and respect the people we lead. Ray offers a reframe that lands hard: every employee is a pained little child inside an adult chassis, wanting nothing more than to be seen for who they are. That is love, baby. And the leaders who understand that are the ones whose teams give them everything. Clayton and Ray also explore the parallel between physical pain and emotional pain, what it means to lean into discomfort rather than resist it, and why grief is one of the most underused and most essential tools available to anyone doing real inner work. Ray's tagline says it simply and perfectly. You gotta feel to heal. That is the deal. And it will be revealed. This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered whether softness and strength can coexist, whether love belongs in the boardroom, or whether the work of becoming a better leader and the work of becoming a more present human being are actually the same work. Connect With Ray Arata: https://www.rayarata.com/ Check out his book, Showing Up: https://www.amazon.com/Showing-Up-Become-Effective-Workplace/dp/1635769116
S1 · E28
8 apr 2026
43:31

The Ego Whispers: Sobriety, Presence, and Choosing Your Better Self

What do you do when the voice in your head sounds almost reasonable? Almost wise? Almost like it has your best interests at heart? In this rare and deeply personal solo episode, Clayton shares a story he has never told on the podcast before. A business dinner. Colleagues he respects. Wine flowing naturally around a table. And a quiet internal voice making a very persuasive case for just one glass. Clayton has been sober for over 25 years. The decision was not dramatic. It came gradually, honestly, with loving input from his wife Pam, who could see what he sometimes could not. The way alcohol was quietly affecting his presence, his relationships, and the version of himself he wanted to bring to the world. He looked at it clearly and made a decision. A quiet one. A permanent one. But permanent decisions still get tested. And this episode is about what happens in that testing, what mindfulness actually looks like when desire is real, the ego is persuasive, and the present moment is the only place where any of it gets resolved. Drawing on Viktor Frankl's insight about the space between stimulus and response, 25 years of meditation practice, and a conversation with breathwork facilitator Hans Andreas Weygoldt, Clayton walks through the mechanics of that dinner moment with rare honesty. The breath. The pause. The three questions that cut through the ego's carefully constructed case. What would I gain? What would I be risking? Who would I be becoming? He also shares something that quietly moved him deeply. His son, years later, looked honestly at his own relationship with alcohol, heard the truth his partner was offering him, and made the same choice. Without negotiation. Without compromise. Just a clear eyed decision and the willingness to hold his ground. Clayton reflects on what it means to model presence and integrity without ever saying a word, and on the kind of teaching that happens quietly in the background of a life lived with intention. This episode is not only about sobriety. It is about every habit, pattern, or old identity that occasionally whispers that it deserves another chance. It is about the ego's talent for dressing itself in the clothes of wisdom. And it is about the one thing that can reliably cut through all of it: a breath, an honest question, and the present moment attended to with care. Keywords and topics include mindfulness in everyday life, sobriety and presence, staying present, meditation practice, self awareness, conscious living, ego and identity, breath awareness, stimulus and response, Viktor Frankl, personal transformation, mindful decision making, inner voice, emotional resilience, and gratitude as an antidote to fear. Watch for those moments of magic when mindfulness shows up in real time in your life.
S1 · E27
1 apr 2026
14:13

Breathe Into Now: Hans Andreas Weygoldt on Presence and Healing

In this fascinating and deeply grounded conversation, Clayton sits down with Hans Andreas Weygoldt, breathwork facilitator and emergence coach, whose personal journey from a successful but hollow career to a life of presence and purpose is as compelling as the science behind the work he now does. For 15 years, Hans Andreas ran a family business. From the outside, everything looked fine. On the inside, he was navigating depression, anxiety, and a quiet struggle with substance abuse that most people around him never knew about. The turning point came not through a traditional therapy office or a corporate wellness program, but through a transformative experience with breathwork and a journey to Peru that fundamentally changed how he understood himself and what he was here to do. What makes this conversation so rich is the intersection of the personal and the scientific. Hans Andreas walks Clayton through exactly what happens in the body and brain during a breathwork session, how circular diaphragmatic breathing shifts the ratio of oxygen and CO2 in the blood, quiets activity in the prefrontal cortex, and opens access to the subconscious mind where stored emotions and limiting beliefs live. For anyone curious about the neuroscience of mindfulness and present moment awareness, this episode delivers. The conversation moves into the territory of implicit versus explicit memory, exploring how so much of our behavior today is quietly driven by experiences and beliefs formed in childhood that we have never consciously examined. Hans Andreas shares a deeply personal story about an identity he carried for over 20 years rooted in a message he misunderstood as a child, and how breathwork helped him finally see it from a different angle and release it. Clayton and Hans Andreas also walk listeners through the 4-7-8 breathing technique live in the episode, a simple and immediately usable practice for calming the nervous system, lowering the heart rate, and stepping out of fight, flight, and freeze. Whether you are a high achieving professional, an athlete, a parent, or simply someone who wants to feel more present and less reactive, this tool is yours to use from the moment you hear it. At its heart this episode is about the space between stimulus and response, the place where real choice lives, and how conscious breathing is one of the most direct and reliable ways to find it. Learn more about breathwork, mindfulness, staying present, nervous system regulation, parasympathetic activation, self awareness, emotional release, limiting beliefs, implicit memory, flow state, present moment awareness, conscious breathing, emergence coaching, mindfulness for leaders, anxiety and breathwork, meditation and breath, personal transformation, and somatic healing. About Hans Andreas Weygoldt: Breathwork facilitator and emergence coach. Find Hans Andreas at mindbloom.com, on LinkedIn, or on Facebook as Hans Andreas Weygoldt. Watch for those moments of magic when mindfulness shows up in real time in your life.
S1 · E26
25 mar 2026
48:08

What Holds You Together: Mindfulness When It Matters Most

What holds you together when the ground shifts? Not the coping strategies or the to do lists. Not the breathing exercises or the carefully laid plans. Something deeper. The thing that is still there when everything else has been stripped away. That is the question at the heart of this solo episode, and Clayton brings four remarkable voices together to help answer it. Not tidily. But truthfully. Greg Morley found it in thirty five minutes with a London taxi driver whose worldview could not have been more different from his own. Kathy Love found it on a street corner in Buffalo on the worst day of her life, speaking to her daughters with everything gone. Ara Tucker found it in a single yellow flower on a restaurant table in lower Manhattan on September 11th. And Spencer Sherman found it in the gap between a late refrigerator delivery and the moment he almost lost his mind over it. What do these four moments have in common? None of them happened when life was smooth or convenient or under control. All of them point to the same truth. Presence is not a reward for when the hard stuff is over. It is available right now, in the taxi cab, on the street corner, at the restaurant table, in the breath before reactivity takes over. Greg's radical invitation to sometimes just do nothing, to pause before acting, before fixing, before retreating into the comfort of a quick answer, is a direct challenge to everything our culture rewards. Kathy's quiet declaration to her daughters that who we are does not change when our circumstances do is one of the most essential teachings of mindfulness practice stated in plain human language on a street corner in a city that felt nothing like home. Ara's yellow flower is a lesson in how the present moment mind actually works, holding onto what was vivid and true and alive even inside collective catastrophe. And Spencer's simple but shattering reframe, that the reactivity starts here, not out there, gives every listener the one thing that makes real change possible: agency. His closing invitation lands like a bell. You can declare right now that you have enough, you do enough, that you are enough. No one gets there by doing one more thing.
S1 · E24
18 mar 2026
23:23

Mindfulness Hidden in Plain Sight: Kira Higgs on Spiritual Longing, Presence, and Everyday Awakening

In this deeply personal and wide ranging conversation, Clayton sits down with Kira Higgs, author of Winnowing: A Memoir of Spiritual Longing in Secular Life. What began as a practical business book became something far more honest and alive: a memoir of the small, cumulative interior shifts that unfold quietly through a life of sustained mindfulness and intentional self awareness. Kira shares the origin story of Winnowing and why she abandoned the business book on day two to write something truer. The conversation explores why stories carry something that instructions simply cannot, and what that means for how we learn, grow, and stay present in our own lives. Kira opens up about how a 30 day meditation experiment became a transformative daily mindfulness practice, and how that inner work created a surprising halo effect inside her professional consulting and leadership work, shifting entire teams into greater presence and flow without a single mention of meditation. Clayton and Kira also explore the connection between mindfulness and athletic performance, looking at what happens when athletes release ego, stop performing for others, and return to the pure joy of their sport. Kira shares her own powerful experience of this on the squash court, a quiet, intimate shift into flow state that she describes as one of the most genuinely mindful experiences of her life. The episode moves into profound territory as Kira describes her journey to be with her estranged father during his final weeks, and the unexpected grace that came from arriving with a clean slate, setting aside old grievances to simply be present. She also shares her practice of reading to the newly departed, a contemplative and spiritually aware act of compassionate presence that bridges the space between this life and what comes next. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt that quiet inner flame of spiritual curiosity but struggled to find the language or the courage to follow it. Kira offers a rare and honest look at what it means to pursue spiritual longing inside a secular life, not on a mountaintop or a meditation retreat, but woven into careers, relationships, losses, and ordinary mornings. Keywords and topics include mindfulness in everyday life, meditation practice, staying present, spiritual memoir, self-awareness, inner growth, mindful leadership, flow state, intuition, grief and presence, mindfulness and athletics, contemplative practice, conscious living, spiritual longing, and personal transformation. About Kira Higgs: Award-winning communication strategist, structural consultant, and author. https://kirahiggs.com/ Pick up your copy of Winnowing at https://www.amazon.com/Winnowing-Memoir-Spiritual-Longing-Secular-ebook/dp/B0GP695SZ9
S1 · E23
11 mar 2026
55:58

Belong, Don’t Own: A Guided Lake Meditation in New Zealand

In this immersive guided meditation, Clayton shares a grounding practice recorded during a Vermont Bike Tour (VBT) journey through New Zealand’s South Island. Set beside a misty lake between rainforest, mountains, and sea, this episode invites you to slow your breathing, soften your body, and reconnect with the living intelligence of the earth. In This Meditation: Mindful breath awareness Deep connection to nature Reflection on indigenous presence and generational stewardship The difference between owning and belonging A simple three-breath gratitude practice This nature-based mindfulness experience helps you feel part of something ancient and alive — not separate from it. Perfect for listeners who love: Forest-inspired meditation Grounding breathwork Gratitude practices Eco-spiritual reflection Travel-inspired mindfulness Take a slow breath in. A long breath out. And remember... you belong.
S1 · E22
3 mar 2026
15:09

Humanity as a Strategy: Building a Top Workplace With Ed DeAngelis

Ed D'Angelis built a 450-person construction company that's been recognized six consecutive years as a Philadelphia Top Workplace. But his journey to "humanity as a strategy" started with a crisis: eight years into his business, he literally couldn't get off the floor. His body and mind shut down from relentless grinding. That breaking point led Ed to a radical realization—in an industry built on toughness and hierarchy, the key to sustainable success is recognizing and strategizing around people's humanity. Through vulnerability, education about the brain and mindfulness, and unwavering commitment from the top, Ed transformed his company culture. The result? Better retention, more innovation, safer worksites, and a business that proves caring about people isn't soft... it's smart. In this conversation, Ed and Clayton explore the practical application of mindfulness in one of the most demanding industries, the business case for psychological safety, and why the human mind's ability to adapt and feel makes it infinitely more powerful than AI. TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] Welcome and introduction to Ed D'Angelis [1:37] What does "humanity as a strategy" mean? [3:41] The breaking point: "I couldn't get off the floor" [5:16] The oxygen mask principle: self-care first [8:37] Vulnerability as a leadership tool [9:17] Teaching construction workers about the brain [10:33] We're not fighting lions every day [13:11] Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset [21:37] Why change must start at the top [25:57] Everyday mindfulness: walking the dog [32:17] System 1 vs. System 2 thinking [33:47] Try focusing on your breath for 30 seconds [39:24] The powerlifter analogy for mindfulness [40:13] Adrenaline drains you, mindfulness fills your cup [41:26] The business case: 3x higher addiction/suicide rates in construction [42:35] Strategy requires practice, not wishful thinking [46:17] The ROI: retention, innovation, and growth [52:17] Entitlement is the mind killer [54:17] Keep learning: the Einstein rule [58:26] The Thomas Edison approach to failure [1:00:17] Legacy: how you made people feel [1:02:17] Closing thoughts CONNECT WITH ED: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwarddeangelis/ LEARN MORE ABOUT EDA CONTRACTORS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eda-contractors-inc./
S1 · E21
17 feb 2026
1:03:44

What If Enough Is Already Here? | Spencer Sherman on Money & Mindfulness

What if the billionaires have it wrong? In this powerful conversation, Spencer Sherman - meditation teacher, financial advisor, and founding CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners - challenges everything we've been taught about wealth, success, and the pursuit of "more." Spencer occupies a fascinating intersection where mindfulness meets money, and his central question is revolutionary: What if enough is already here? 🎯 KEY INSIGHTS: • Why people with tens of millions still can't enjoy their wealth • The neuroscience behind "enough" and how it calms your nervous system • How checking your phone 200 times a day is destroying your finances (backed by Daniel Kahneman's research) • The "hedonic treadmill" - why first class is never enough • From "I'm swamped" to "I'm spacious" - how one phrase change transforms your reality • The 3-day rule that stops impulse purchases cold • Why your brain treats social threats the same as physical ones • How reactivity starts within us, not from external circumstances Spencer shares practical wisdom from decades of working with wealthy clients and leading mindfulness retreats, revealing that the relationship with money is really a relationship with yourself. This isn't about settling for less - it's about discovering that when you're not pitched forward fighting for more, you're not trying to prove anything. You just show up at ease. And that's when the best things flow to you. Perfect for anyone struggling with: ✓ Never feeling like you have enough time, money, or success ✓ Constant comparison and the fear of missing out ✓ Reactive decisions driven by scarcity and fear ✓ The exhausting cycle of wanting "just a little bit more" 🎙️ ABOUT THE GUEST: Spencer Sherman is a meditation teacher, financial advisor, and founding CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners. He leads retreats on mindfulness and money, and is the author of works including the Five Money Meditations and his exploration of what he calls "Money Madness." 🎙️ ABOUT THE HOST: Clayton Platt hosts Magic in the Moment: Mindfulness in Real Time, exploring how mindfulness shows up in everyday life through conversations with practitioners, teachers, and thought leaders. 📚 CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction 01:43 - The Joseph Heller Story: "I Have Enough" 04:33 - Even Billionaires Want More 07:20 - The Basketball Player Paradox 09:20 - Declare Enough RIGHT NOW 12:03 - The Neuroscience of Enough 18:07 - Growing Up in Queens 24:33 - Two Accounts: Enough Money vs. Surplus 29:13 - From "Swamped" to "Spacious" 32:50 - Phone Checking Creates Fear (Kahneman Study) 38:20 - The Three-Day Rule 45:40 - Social Threats = Physical Threats 52:20 - Reactivity Starts Within 🔗 CONNECT WITH SPENCER SHERMAN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindfulspencer/ 🔗LEARN MORE ABOUT ABACUS WEALTH: https://abacuswealth.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH MEDITATION FOR LEADERSHIP: meditation4leadership.org
S1 · E20
3 feb 2026
57:07

Beyond Willpower: Dr. Vera Ludwig on Self Regulation Without Force

What if the key to lasting change isn't pushing harder... but paying closer attention? In this episode of Magic in the Moment, host Clayton Platt sits down with Dr. Vera Ludwig, psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center, to explore a revolutionary approach to self-regulation. Forget exhausting willpower battles, Vera's research reveals how simple awareness can automatically rewire your brain and transform your habits. In this conversation, you'll discover: ✨ Why traditional willpower often backfires (and what to do instead) ✨ The "island revelation" that changed Vera's entire approach to productivity ✨ How mindfulness creates effortless behavior change through awareness alone ✨ The neuroscience behind flow states and authentic alignment ✨ Practical strategies for breaking compulsive patterns without shame or force ✨ Why working with your natural rhythms beats forcing yourself through the day. From burnout to breakthrough, Vera shares her personal journey from PhD researcher grinding through willpower studies to discovering a completely different way of living... one where energy comes naturally when you're aligned with what's true to you. 1:52 - Welcome & Introducing Dr. Vera Ludwig 2:19 - How Awareness Rewires Habits Without Willpower 3:16 - Vera's Journey: From PhD Burnout to Island Flow 5:52 - The Island Revelation: Discovering Effortless Productivity 7:28 - When Pushing Yourself Stops Working 9:35 - The Mindfulness-Willpower Connection 12:15 - Listening to Your Body's Messages 17:07 - Breaking Cookie Cravings: A Real-Life Example 20:17 - Clayton's Dessert Compulsion Story 24:27 - Working With Your Natural Rhythms (Not Against Them) 26:17 - Remote Work & Honoring Your Energy Cycles 33:29 - The "Just Like Me" Meditation Study 38:06 - Heart Rate Synchrony & Human Connection 42:24 - Sexuality, Wellbeing & Breaking Taboos 47:45 - Mindful Awareness in Sexual Behaviors 54:25 - Great Sex vs. Good Sex: The Role of Presence 58:18 - Mindful Eating & Sexual Desire: The Parallel 62:35 - Where to Learn More & Connect With Vera
S1 · E19
20 gen 2026
1:04:40
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