Welcome to the New Years Eve 2017 Bootleg Broadcast Episode!

Today’s show is a live recording of a mindfulness talk I gave October 27th, 2017 in my hometown, Aspen Colorado. The event was recorded at Aspen Shakti, the day before I led a meditation at the Lead With Love festival. The Shakti talk was arguably the most intimate and vulnerable public presentation I've ever given. It was a considerable act of courage just to show up and be as open-hearted as I was, but even more so to follow through with releasing it as a podcast episode. I sat on this recording for a couple of months, not sure if I was ready to publish such a brutally personal presentation. I bared my soul. I talked about my past as a criminal, drug dealer, drug addict, and many of my most profound and most personal struggles and insecurities. I even spoke about my spirituality- my relationship with GOD. I cried. Twice. I mean, who in their right mind records that, then puts it out into cyberspace? Well, I guess I do if it serves a higher purpose. And the purpose was, is, and always will be to help others overcome the challenges we all face by sharing how I'm overcoming mine.

As I was reflecting on the passing year, and my most valuable lessons, it suddenly occurred to me what my single most impactful discovery has been: The immense power of keeping it real and giving zero f**ks. That's the moment I knew I owed it to myself to go ahead and publish this episode, come what may.  

This year, I have found to my surprise that the more authentic, vulnerable, and honest I am- the more intensely people resonate with my message. So if I want to make a meaningful contribution to society, I must be willing to sacrifice my pride, and just bring the truth to every situation I find myself in. Even if that situation is a very public talk or podcast episode.

It's been such a massive internal revelation to find that after a lifetime of being afraid to allow myself to be seen and to be vulnerable publicly and privately, that those fears were unnecessary and illogical. They were in fact, phantoms. It turns out that it's perfectly safe to be seen, to be known.  It's become so clear to me that the more open and honest I can be, the more significant the positive impact I can have in the world. A simple concept, but for me, this has been a genuinely liberating year, having experienced this truth at depth.

So that's what this Bootleg Broadcast is all about: Surrendering to your highest potential and creating a space for others to feel free enough to do the same. The net result of all of this is real intimacy and unconditional love. And that's what we're all looking for in the end, isn't it?

As I wrap up 2017 and set my goals for 2018, I've taken some time to reflect and to apply gratitude for all the gifts I received via this podcast.

Here's a brief recap of The Life Stylist Podcast 2017:

The show hit 1 million downloads! That was the goal I set in 2016, and thanks to listeners like you we made it! We even cracked the iTunes top 200, ranking at 118 at our highest point. That's out of tens of thousands of other podcasts. So huge for a brand-new show! I’m also really stoked to have the podcast hosted on Spotify, which was another goal this year.

Now, on to the 2018 podcast goals:

To hit 5 million downloads, and to continue to improve the production quality of the show and the magnitude of future guests.

Want to help me to achieve my goals for the show in 2018?

Here are a few ways in which you can support the podcast:

1. Keep sharing the show with friends and family! Text and email it to people, share it on Facebook and Instagram. Tell the world you're a listener.

2. Join the new Life Stylist Podcast Facebook Group. This is an excellent way for us to stay in touch, and for you to meet and hang with the other listeners. Find the group here: www.facebook.com/groups/thelifestylistpodcast

3. Follow me (@lukestorey) on Instagram, to watch my live feeds, and stories. Instagram is where I share my most outrageous and hardcore content, mainly because it drops from the feed after 24 hours.

4. Shop at my online store to help support the mission, my work, the show, and our sponsors. Go to www.lukestorey.com/store where you will find every single health-related product that I recommend. You'll also find tons of exclusive discount codes there as well. So everyone wins.

5. If you feel like being a super-fan, mega- supporter, you can make a one-time or recurring monetary donation on my support page: www.lukestorey.com/support

6. Subscribe to my email list, so you get notified of new episodes, videos, podcast recording live streams, and all of the links and show notes from each episode!

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In the US text the word 'lifestylist' to the # 44222. (one word, all lowercase)

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Thank you so much for supporting The Life Stylist podcast this year, and I am beyond thrilled to keep delivering the goods directly to your eyes and ears in the coming year.

The highest blessings to you and yours,

Luke

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• I was so sick this whole trip, including this particular night
• I have a rule: THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Never cancel a gig. In 30 years of playing music, public speaking, photo shoots, school of style classes, or interviews, I have NEVER missed a gig
• The main topic of this talk was surrender, and it was so perfect that i was so sick, because I had no energy to put up an egoic front
• My childhood in Aspen, and my history of crime and drugs there, and the story of my first & last trip to jail
• The cult-like boarding school I was sent to as a teenager, and how it saved my life
• What it was like to live as a drug addict
• The profound spiritual experience I had when I got sober at 26 years old
• How I use the podcast as a tool for my own growth
• How I have used the principle of surrender to solve other negative habits, and addictions
• The experience of getting sick on this trip and following through with the talk without any preparation whatsoever
• Why I eventually quit music in favor of fashion, and later quite that to start the podcast
• The perils of entrepreneurship
• How the ego sometimes motivates short-sighted career choices
• The importance of not playing small and going for broke
• How to avoid negative thoughts and emotions, even when things aren’t going your way
• Why peace of mind is more valuable than being right
• How the only way around pain is to go right through it
• The immense power of surrender action
• The fact that love is the most powerful force in the universe

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