There are few individuals who make an indelible impression on me, and to many of you it might be surprising that Russell Brand is one of those people. Here’s why. I see in him the melting pot of humanity. He is unafraid to openly and honestly be all of who he is. Impassioned, imaginative, creative, raw, funny, curious, challenged, rude, dynamic, inspired, intelligent, caring, sensitive, kind, generous, compassionate. I could go on. He brings all of himself, all of this, to others – to inspire growth and make a difference. I knew that, if we were to get together and have a conversation, it would be one of meaning and value. Somehow, it seemed inevitable.

So, he kept showing up on my radar and popping into my conscious field.

When my team realised Russell would be doing a tour in Australia, we thought it would be a wonderful synchronicity if I were to meet with him.

A week before anything was arranged or confirmed I happened to ‘bump’ into him on the astral planes as I was busily going about my ‘night-time service’. I sat down with him, had a nice chat, and when he realised our agents had corresponded, he got very excited and said, “We have to meet!” So, the very next day I put a date (3/3/20) in my diary to make sure I kept it free to meet with Russell. All of this was yet to be arranged or confirmed.

And, well, a week later a call came in with the request for a meeting and to film a podcast with him. You guessed it; on the very day I had marked in my calendar.

So, what happens when kindred souls sit down to talk about life, spirit and the world we are living in? Synergy. Flow. Magic.

We could have talked for hours. It’s a little ironic that Russell’s podcast is called ‘Under the Skin’. Because we barely scratched the surface. But we did touch on some very interesting things. In the first instance Russell was very curious about the esoteric aspects of my life, so I shared some snippets about the more mystical and ‘ethereal’ events. Beyond that, we moved into reflections on the world as it is – the challenges we are facing, how we are living, the disconnect and dissonance that pervades the world as we know it, and new (and ancient)  ways we can approach this. We talked about the risks of continuing down the same track – the risks to our individual and collective well-being, and the symptoms of dysfunction that are already at large. That clearly, we are in critical need of a reframing. 

Since that podcast the world has almost turned upside down. It is even more evident that we are at great risk of compounding an already degenerated state if we do not find the awareness we need to navigate our way through this unprecedented crisis. Russell and I talked about the pervasive impact our disconnection has had on us all, that the cracks have been showing for a long time, and that the escalated rates of mental health issues is stark evidence of our societal dysfunction. 

Now, more than ever, we need to adopt regenerative actions. These begin with a reconnection to our self, a restoration of our relationships at home and actions that serve our mental and physical health. It’s from this we can take the opportunity presented to us – to pause and re-set ourselves – and set a ripple of regeneration in motion.

I outlined the four pillars on which the well-being of our lives depend: our connection to nature, relationships with each other and all beings, a deep connection with our inner self, and the cosmos. These are all resting on one central tenet: all life is interconnected and interdependent. When these principles are upheld, life is sustainable. Life is sacred and bound in loving relationships. All is regenerated and regenerating.  When these pillars are destabilised or broken, the whole foundation of our lives and our world falls apart. Clearly, this is what we are experiencing now. However, Russell agrees too, that hope is not lost. 

We talked about the profound opportunity available to us during these times of crisis – that there is a great awakening, and along with it, an opportunity to change the way we think and live.

It starts with you, your family and your home. It begins with the small steps of taking care of yourself, doing the things that restore you and reconnect you to your own source of strength, wisdom and peace within and learning to hold that presence. It’s giving priority to having deeper, more meaningful conversations with your loved ones.  And taking time to be in nature. Not only does this have a proven restorative effect on human physiology, it puts us back in touch with the true nature of life. We begin to rediscover what is most essential, and find renewed appreciation for the simple things in life; the things that matter most. From these simple actions we can be uplifted, inspired and reinvigorated.

We have all hoped for a better world, for the restoration of greater meaning and value. We all have a vision of deeper connections, greater love and unity. We seek to re-dream, restore, rewrite, reinvent our lives. We have already started taking steps in the right direction, and now is our opportunity to make the re-set together. We are the activists, the scientists, environmentalists, changemakers, mothers, fathers, teachers, healers, Greta Thunbergs and Russell Brands of the world …  

We are all united by this time of great possibility, to usher in a new world. This is it. This is our time. No matter what our age or background, nothing can separate us. We are united in our cause for change… We are all part of an unstoppable wave. A new generation. The ReGeneration.