What if nothing is wrong with you — you’re just living out of alignment?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Gary, founder of The WHY Institute, to explore identity, purpose, and what happens when we spend years muting who we really are.

From a life-altering medical crisis to discovering the deeper patterns behind human motivation, Gary shares how finding your Why can change everything — from your career and relationships to your energy, mental health, and sense of meaning.

This conversation goes far beyond business or branding. It’s about remembering who you are and giving yourself permission to live as that person.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why feeling anxious or depressed can be a symptom of misalignment

• The difference between Who you are and What you do

• Why passion disappears when you’re in the wrong role

• How people unknowingly mute themselves to fit in

• The nine core “Whys” that drive human behavior

• Why purpose creates energy — and misalignment drains it

• How discovering your Why can change relationships, careers, and families
  

  This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, exhausted, or quietly disconnected from themselves — and is ready to understand why.

  
  

• 🎧 Listen slowly. Let it land.

  
  📱 Connect with Gary

  Website

  Facebook

  Instagram

  LinkedIn

  Youtube

  Beyond Your WHY Podcast

  
  

  📱 Connect with Brian

  ⁠Facebook⁠

  ⁠Instagram⁠

  ⁠YouTube⁠

  ⁠Website⁠

  👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

  Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

  
  

What if the thing you’re avoiding is the thing that frees you?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Akshay Nanavati — Marine veteran, explorer, author, and seeker — for a raw conversation about solitude, suffering, and what it means to truly master yourself.

Akshay shares his journey from addiction and PTSD to extreme solitude — including darkness retreats, polar expeditions, and voluntary suffering — not as acts of punishment, but as a way to build an honest relationship with himself.

This episode isn’t about doing hard things for ego or validation. It’s about learning the right kind of hard — the kind that leads to integration, presence, and peace.

In this episode, we explore:

• Survivor’s guilt and life after war
• Addiction as an escape from the self
• Why solitude is one of the most powerful teachers
• Darkness retreats and sitting with discomfort
• Voluntary suffering vs. self-destruction
• The difference between force and alignment
• Why “the only way out is through” is a lived truth
  

This is a conversation for anyone who feels restless, numb, or disconnected — and is ready to stop running.

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

In this deeply moving episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Vanessa Medina to talk about healing after trauma, the quiet strength required to rebuild a life, and why trusting your village can be the difference between survival and transformation.

Vanessa shares her story with honesty, clarity, and wisdom—exploring what it means to show up for your future self even when the present moment feels unbearable. Together, they discuss grief, healing, nervous system regulation, and the permission to experience joy again after pain.

This conversation isn’t about fixing or rushing the healing process.
It’s about honoring it.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why strength doesn’t always look like certainty

• The importance of trusting your village during trauma and transition

• How daily intentions and small wins can create stability

• Why healing is not linear—and that’s okay

• What it means to show up for the version of yourself you’re becoming

Pour a drink, take a breath, and join us at the table.

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter⁠

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business here

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Brian Bogert for a deep, nuanced conversation about intent, impact, emotional safety, self-protection, and the invisible patterns that shape how we show up in the world.

As a custom mocktail is crafted at the bar, the conversation unfolds into territory most people avoid—how past pain creates armor, how performance becomes a defense mechanism, and why being “misunderstood” is often less about intention and more about behavior, energy, and nervous system responses.

Brian Bogert shares personal stories from childhood trauma, identity, masculinity, and leadership, offering a grounded perspective on what it really takes to move from knowledge to wisdom, from protection to presence, and from isolation to connection.

This episode is not about fixing yourself.
It’s about understanding what you’re protecting—and what it’s costing you.

In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between intent and impact

• Why self-protection often creates disconnection

• How nervous system patterns shape communication

• Performance as a survival strategy

• Emotional safety as the foundation for intimacy and leadership

• Why nuance matters more than platitudes

• Letting go of armor without losing strength

📱 Connect with Brian

Website

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter⁠

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business here.

In this first episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Jeff Grogan for a raw, honest conversation about cancer, mindset, identity, and what it means to keep building -even in the hardest seasons of life.

While undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for a second cancer diagnosis, Jeff chose not to let his circumstances define him. Instead, he built a profitable business, deepened his purpose, and re-wrote the story he was living inside.

As Brian crafts a custom cocktail inspired by Jeff’s journey, the two explore fear, faith, identity, and the power of the stories we tell ourselves—especially when life hands us something we didn’t ask for.

This episode is about resilience without spiritual bypassing, hope without denial, and choosing to live fully while you’re still here.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it means to choose meaning in the face of uncertainty
• Why mindset shapes biology, behavior, and identity
• How fear can be seductive—and how to step out of itThe difference between pain and suffering
• Why hard things can become teachers instead of stop signs
• The five life lessons Jeff learned while facing cancer and building anyway

✨ Want to take the lessons with you?
We put together a simple one-page reflection with the five lessons Jeff shares in this episode.
Download it here if you’d like a quiet reminder of what stayed with you.

📱 Connect with Jeff

Facebook

📱 Connect with Brian

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Website

👉 Get Brian's Newsletter

Welcome to The Spiritual Speakeasy Show - where the stories we share become the medicine we didn’t know we needed.

Launching January 6, this show brings you into raw, soul-deep conversations about resilience, awakening, healing, intuition, identity, and the moments that change us forever.

No gurus. No gatekeeping. Just real people telling the truth about what broke them… and what rebuilt them.

If you're craving depth without dogma, wisdom without ego, and connection that feels human — you’re in the right place.

🌟 BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN WE LAUNCH
Get early access + updates delivered right to your inbox:
👉 https://thebuddhabartender.myflodesk.com/x1ijv346pp

✨ WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEASON ONE:
• Conversations that move from heartbreak to breakthrough
• Stories of survival, reinvention, and self-discovery
• Spirituality that’s grounded, accessible, and real
• Emotional truth-telling that lingers long after the episode ends
• Practical insights for navigating your own healing journey

Hit Subscribe and pull up a seat at the bar.
Your spirit is welcome here.