Alright, good morning Joshua. Thank you so much for being with me

today. Thank you so much for joining. True Hope cast to have

a conversation. How are you doing today? What is going? Well, I'm

great Simon. Thank you so much for having me. It's great to

finally be with you and looking forward to a great conversation. Wonderful. Well

as an introduction what it just let our audience

know. Let me know who you are. What is it that you

do?

Sure, so I am based in northern New

Jersey not too far from New York City and by profession

I am a real estate

guy. It's funny how we always kind of identify ourselves

by what we do but I never really look at it

like that too much because I am feel like

more of a learner a citizen of the world always looking

to grow always looking to improve and I think

more recently I've really took

a step in that direction with the new book. I've written what's helped

me especially but also to hopefully help others

Incredible wonderful. Well from your

website, you are a personal growth

specialist. That sounds like that's what that's the kind

of the image like that I get across there. And yeah, I

was just interested to learn a little bit more about what does

that mean? What does that mean in Europe in your particular

fields and how you know how you've gained the

experience to assist people with their own

personal growth. Obviously that

that could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people when

we all have different areas where I

suppose we want to focus our growth because there's obviously

we're you know, we're much more than just our business. We're much more than just

our family or a relationship. So for you and your work,

how how what does the personal growth mean?

I think for me it starts with this idea that

as humans were always looking to improve but more

really to evolve and really to grow.

For so long. I think that I forgot that

piece of our development in

life as we've gotten better as we've learned the

idea is really for us to grow and I've

struggled for a long time in my life

and always leaned on this idea of self-help.

And trying to understand how we can maybe just

help ourselves improve and I think that distilling it

down making it even more simple and just the idea. Is that

how do we grow? And so when I talk about personal growth it's

the idea of finding something within us that's

true to us. That's more authentic that almost

Roots us in a foundation for being

rather than doing and I think ultimately that's how

we get to a source of growth in our lives in

growth comes in a lot of ways, right it can come from what we

do on our work what we do in our personal lives

that fulfill us, but really they're not mutually exclusive.

It's all one in the same. How do we grow as a human

being?

That word authentic is very interesting because I

feel for a lot of people if you were to ask them. What

what what's your authentic self?

You know, what is your authentic self want to do to grow? You

know, what does that look like? I think because we're so

wired to be controlled a little bit by the external world and

I'll you know in our little groups within our culture

as a huge Society. We kind of get pushed

in certain directions because you know, we want to fulfill our

role in society, but that's not really getting through to our

like internal core.

Authentic self. So how do you help people filter through

that that trouble because I'm sure

for a lot of people that can be quite difficult because we don't spend a whole lot

of time internalizing figuring out what it is that we

truly like one for ourselves because we're not

really wired like that in our society. How does

that how does that work for people? It's so well said because

I think authenticity sometimes gets misused

in the idea at least for me when I think about being

authentic it's what's inside of us and then what

we reveal to the outside world.

And it can be that simple but really it

has to do it really has to do with being true

to ourselves. And so when I think about how

do we get to authenticity to me? It has

to do with openness openness to what comes in

our lives and not trying to control like you said every single

element.

And I think it really starts with having.

a foundation

and understanding of what really drives us and so

in my book The Unicorn and you what I talk about is these

principles because I feel like we all have them they don't

necessarily have to Define us. But ultimately they inform our

behavior and inform sort of what we present

to the outside world.

And it says so much about ourselves when we're able to

be that principle that we are and I outlined

five of them which we'll get into but I think that's maybe the

first step of authenticity. It's defining our values our

principles basically saying, who are you and then

are you brave enough to be that person in the world?

how

how do people usually respond to that particular question because

it's a big question. It's date. Yeah, people don't usually, you

know, we don't have that conversation every day when

we meet our friends and family, right? It's really, you know,

when when you ask people. Oh, hi Simon, how you doing?

And people you know, it's usually just like yeah, I'm fine. How are you? Right usually

this we just go through this kind of like monotonless script

that we go through that like really getting to

the core of it. But that that question that you're

asking that authenticity base.

Such a beautiful such a beautiful open vulnerable

question. How do people usually respond

as you is there some resistance there or do you do you

have to coax that authenticity out of people a little bit guide them

there a little bit more coaxing and you're so

spot on because I think about this idea.

You know so much when we meet people or at least, you know in my

world off in the quit the first question is, what do

you do?

Not really. Who are you?

Or how do you spend your time? It's always about

rooted in kind of what we do whether it's for a living and really

asking you how do you make your money which says nothing

about us and I think that

to your point a lot of people sometimes are taken aback

by that because it requires so much vulnerability because

really what you're asking is who are you, you know at

your core deep down what motivates you what drives

you but what brings you peace and joy, which is really I think

at the heart of so much of what we're doing.

I think that you mentioned another word and we're

getting into all the great great words this idea of authenticity, but

vulnerability.

I'm a Believer and I talk a lot about this in the

book this idea of vulnerability. These days has become going

deep in all these things and they're much

in Vogue and I think being vulnerable it's benefits

are not really just for its own sake I think

what we can get from being vulnerable in answering

a question like that. If it's asked is that we're able

to identify these emotions and then not just in ourselves but in

others as well and that makes us more kind that makes

us more grateful. It makes us more humble and I think it

allows us to accept things a lot easier, too.

Yeah, that's a really interesting perspective. I love the idea

that

I think it's so interesting that.

I wouldn't have considered myself to be a vulnerable individual

until I was maybe 28 29 30

and that coincided perfectly with

me finding exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to learn about

nutrition and then I wanted to help people heal their

bodies and feel as awesome as I

did with my transition.

And people can't it's very very

difficult to people to be that vulnerable because

it's it's you have to kind of put so much to the

side. You have to put so much of what you've learned to the side.

So many of the personalities that you've created within your

within your circles because obviously we're so

so defined by the the groups

in which we you know connect with and

you know, whether that's a football team or a sports team or a church or

something whatever that moment may be and that's obviously very

important part of our culture is to be is to

commune and to be within these groups, but when it comes

to yourself and your true authentic self, especially if you

want to personally grow and evolve and change and and learn

new things, yeah, it could be very difficult to

be that open vulnerable and especially like

man like an open vulnerable man. Like that's not really

it's not really it's not really a word

that you would describe.

Most men anyway, but like I'm really really blessed my

vulnerability because I don't think it would have led me to my wife and

have the ability to deal with young children. You

know, it's it's very very challenging. So just

without vulnerability piece. Where do

you do we think do you think that we especially as

males you think we lose that as we get older and

go into school and things like that and we're told what a

man is. Do you think we lose that piece and we have

to refind it and we have to go and see Specialists. We have to

read books we have to do a lot of self work to refine to

refine that and vulnerability piece.

That's obviously so powerful in regards to

our own personal development. I think so and I'd love that

you share that. I'm wondering as you were talking about you finding

this vulnerability in your life towards the

end of your late 20s. Did you find that it came from

a place where you were ultimately?

Getting comfortable with what?

Your purpose was your mission all of these things that

you know, you finally came to terms with

was it an acceptance that you found?

On the inside that you just knew this was something and you

were able to then ultimately.

You know Embrace more than anything else because as we get

to our late 20s, you know, we've had some life experience, but

now we're getting into a point where like you're saying maybe you're having

a family and you can only be probably a better spouse and and

parent if you have or if you're more in touch with that did

that was it no surprise that it came towards your late twenties as

life events happened.

Certainly, obviously, you come to a certain period of light period of

time where you want to consider a family

and you want to consider your career. What are you going to do for the rest of

your life? Do you want to be doing that? Same job that you're doing in your 20s? You

know, I was I was a preschool teacher in Sweden and I really really liked my

job. I wouldn't say I loved it. I did

certain a lot loved certain aspects of it but a couple

of things happen to me in my late 20s where it really kind of break it

broke down belief systems. I had specially around nutrition and

food and fitness and weight and

What it what it took to feel feel good

and what feeling good really meant. I just had a

bunch of those belief systems just to completely eradicated with a couple of different

things that happened and it's to

start making me think differently and then I started thinking differently

about food and then nutrition and I was just starting to you know, fire and

wire new new circuits in my brain and that

addictive process filtered out into other areas of

my life as well. And I feel like I just started like breaking

down walls and was super open to being wrong and

super open to being incorrect about things and

you know got grasping new knowledge and

it was very very it was super addicting because I was

used I feel like I was starting to use my brain for its actual

purpose and it was beginning to evolve

rather than just being this rigid plastic.

Thing in my head. That was no already completely

programmed by the time I was 28 just

so many so many big changes started to happen for

me at that time. That's such a great share and I

appreciate hearing that because you said the word

open a few times and I alluded to before and I

think that when we're talking about the original question the idea of our

wiring is men are we resistant to

that to being open and I think so much as of it

use your spot on it's really open to being

wrong or at least to open to changing and pivoting

and shifting and not feeling

like we're anything less if we do decide

that this wasn't quite right or we need to go in

another direction or I just was not correct and

that's okay and I think so much of our

you know,

Our ego gets in the way all the time man or

woman, but I think for men especially there's a hesitancy to

admit when there is something not going right

and the power really comes from that vulnerability

to say it is and I'm happy to make the change.

Yeah, I always think about school and how school I

kind of messed me up and messes a lot of kids up in regards to.

You there's no there's a bunch of questions in the in the

book in the textbook and all the right answers. The

one right answer is in the back and you're not supposed to look at the back because

that would be cheating, but it's there anyway, but

And there's only one answer for like some of these questions when we

just know like when you go into the real world and you

know, you get a job. It's about collaboration. It's about not just

about finding one answer because that's not that's not

how that's not how the world works. You know, that's not how people work together

especially in a incredibly Dynamic business setting where

the you know, one thing in the industry can

completely evolve and completely change everything. So there's a whole

new

a whole new basket of potential opportunities and

potential answers to it. So I always think back to to that

and that rigidity that created as an

18 year old and then for another 10 years you just

believe that you know, there's one answer and if

you don't and if you don't know the answer, you should either just like lie or

be ignorant to the fact that you don't know the answer rather than being. Oh, that's

really I've never thought about that. That's interesting. Like tell me more about that. I

didn't didn't know that that was not a part of my knowledge before please enlighten

me and that just opens up my brain to actually

hearing that different perspective taking in that knowledge

rather than be like rigid to it and putting my defenses

up because you know, I'm 25 and I should know the answer

to all of these things already, you know, and that's not it's not

beneficial at any age. That's a

really profound memory because what

was coming up for me as you were saying that was my

feeling as a young boy and

as a student and I was probably the kid in class that was

more introverted. Someone gave me a great turn.

Raise the other night. I was socially comfortable but I

could be extroverted more introverted Tendencies

and I was the kid in class who would be

afraid to ask the question because exactly

to your point.

I thought there was only one answer.

And so I'm afraid of what could come from asking what would either

I would perceive to be a dumb question or the fact that I

don't know what that one answer could be when they're that's not

how the world Works their number of ways to collaborate and

work together and work through things. So I really I

love that because everything that we do in our

lives inform, you know, the future and going back

to how we are taught through education and you have the perspective of

having been an educator that it's really

it that's very powerful and I remember

distinctly feeling that hasn't see

to speak up for fear.

Absolutely, certainly isolates a lot of individuals that halt that

whole set up and rather the classroom being

this collaborative process where you discuss things

through and you create space where people can just

you know blurt out wrong answers and understand why that

might not be right or wrong or whatever. But yeah, it's

it's just a very interesting environment that

blocks a lot of creativity, but I don't want to just spend 40

minutes with you bashing the school system. It's incredibly under

resource. It is a lot of issues of that we

could talk about right another episode. That's another episode but

I want to I want to learn more about your book. So it's called the unicorn

in you what led you to

writing a Congratulations, by the way writing a book is no easy

feat. So, why did you write it and who's it

for?

I wrote this book.

I began the idea for this book around the start of

covid which now we're talking past two years ago.

I always say that this book really started many many

years before that. But the idea for it came around March

of 2020 and I had read a

lot of books that I considered personal growth and development self-help books.

And around the time of this real change in the world.

I was trying to draw from those books that I had read

and nothing came to me very instinctually everything

that I had read before which was wonderful

was always much of a process. It just

didn't feel very natural or organic.

And I said, how do I get this feeling of being lighter

right now?

And I felt like in order to be light.

I first had to be solid. That was the first breakthrough I

had and that allowed me to say. Okay. What makes me

solid. It's about having a foundation for being rather

than doing.

And so what I did was I started to think about some principles

in my life that mattered as we stuck started speaking

about in the beginning.

And I always began with this idea of kindness. I just

felt like there was always room for more kindness in

the world. And I knew that kindness also was something that gave

me a sense of peace and joy because it took the focus off of

myself.

And so from there I started to think about some

of the other principles and I really wanted to sort of just distill down

these ideas into almost a Back to

Basics perspective not a process, but just

an approach to say to folks what matters in your life.

What do you know to be true?

What do you know for sure and allow that to kind of fuel you

in terms of these fundamentals in our life that we can just

draw from much more naturally and organically that was

the impetus and what prompted the start of the book.

and you've spoken about these principles these foundational principles that

you obviously lay out with in more detail in the

book and you can give us a brief overview of that because I

think the foundation or aspect of any

Book that's looking to serve and look into support and looking

to help and guide people through something having that

like foundational process is very important for

a lot of people who are looking for obviously point

one of like where to begin from and I'd love

to know about a little bit more about that Foundation aspect from your

from the book.

The idea of that Foundation I think comes from having structure and

then ultimately a framework so very quickly the

principles that I outline and in many ways. I think I'm what

I'm trying to do is prompt people to think about which principles drive

them.

But what underpins my theory and thesis

is that kindness gratitude Integrity

humility and acceptance our

five principles that can lead us to

a greater path of peace and joy and from each

I take one sort of ingredient that I think that drives

each for kindness. That's about compassion for gratitude.

It's awareness Integrity. I

believe we need decency humility, which

I think is very underappreciated. I think perspective is

required and acceptance really has to do with flexibility. So

those five things with those five key ingredients

helps us get underneath and understand. Okay. Why

does this lead me to peace and joy and then

how can it help lead me to peace and joy, I try to make it very

very simple. There's nothing groundbreaking an earth-shattering

except the fact that it's delivered in a way that

I think

Resonates with people because it allows them to

just really simplify their mind about being rather than

doing.

Well, I think the web resonate there absolutely just

popped that me I think that those five principles you just

mentioned there. There's a commonality between

all of them and they all they all resonate an

incredibly High energetic frequency. Whenever

we are in a state of kindness or gratitude or

Integrity our our whole Aura.

Oh energy completely shifts completely changes

and there's some amazing people who know do

scientific studies on brainwaves and

regards to when people are in a stating the state of gratitude and

prolong gratitude and what that actually buy a

chemically and physically does to the human body is absolutely amazing

the research and that is just it's just incredible.

So that's really really cool that

You're starting the starting individuals out

and you and your teaching the big the foundation aspects of this book

from a really powerfully energetic Place rather than

a lot of people who try to let's just take

dieting for example in January every year people start

off that process with a foundation of

guilt. They start off with the foundation of probably anger

and jealousy other individuals, especially through this

medium of social media and

and that is a complete those are completely different emotional states that

carry a very different weaker energetic

frequency rather than starting it

from a position of kindness gratitude understanding Integrity.

These are incredibly powerfully energetic forces

that

Drive those initial changes that you want to make and we'll allow

an individual to really go through your book

and really go through it with with the high frequency

where they're able to obtain the information and be actually really excited

about continuing and

developing and what do you

think about that in regards to that those principles having that

that energetic connotation? That's probably

one of the most unique

And really positive takes I've heard on the book and what

I present because and I don't know that

I even considered it that way and what's your suggesting

is? I think very very powerful is that

When we do anything what is kind of underpinning it

what is driving it? And as you said January people

start, what's it coming from? It's not coming from

a place of positivity. Maybe it's that guilt could be

fear. It's not starting out in a

good place and that doesn't necessarily set us up for success. And

I think that's why someone asked me about the order of these it

was very intentional. I think kindness is key. I

just think that kindness is everything and it solves a lot.

And as I move into gratitude, you know, this idea gratitude

to me is the easiest principle to get started with it's

like, you know exercising you're working out.

It doesn't matter what you do just do something and I

think you know, I was always asking people what's your

gratitude practice because I think you also have to change it up a little bit and

integrity sits squarely in

the middle because I think that's just about being solid and

people think Integrity could be honesty or you

know other elements of it, but I think decency really

is what drives that and so these are all positive

things humility as I mentioned under appreciated. The

reason why I always emphasize that is because humility is

about perspective and for me it has to do with our

sense of significance, but even more so our insignificance in

the world,

And it really reduces the size and scope of

our self-importance and acceptance acts as

this anchor because acceptance then says, okay. I'm going

to root myself in reality.

I'm going to acknowledge. What is rather than regret

what isn't and I'm gonna use flexibility to

help drive this home because I can handle

conflicting emotions in my mind. I have to stretch or

bend or flex and and capability of

handling this and so, you know, I think

that's a long way of getting to something that you really highlight. Is

that where are you starting from? And in many ways this Foundation or principles

has to do with the foundation itself. Is it rooted in

something that's positive.

Yeah, that's really powerful. And I think that I think I

find it interesting that we absolutely need books

like this in our

in our world in our lives in the specially for a lot of for a

lot of young individuals who nobody spoken about the difficulties of

those ages. And we you know, we're we kind

of get stuck and bound to certain personalities

and we try and be the

person that we think that we should be based on our

external and it could be very difficult to recapture that

creativity that authenticity that we have as you know

quite young children that is just, you know, kind of it's not developed

really with with our school

system. So what do you think that why do

you think that

All people a lot of people need books like

this and need these foundational principles that

I believe that we all understand and know

but we need it's not enough to to

know these days. We have to knowing how how

to do something is a lot more important. So can you

what if your thoughts been around? I'm obviously when you wrote this

book, you bet a lot of books beforehand and you're pulling

together a lot of information with your own personal experience with your

own very unique wonderful take on all

of this. But why do you think that there is

this really die in

Need for this type of information and this type of framework? It's

a really good question because there's so much

product and material not just

books but in this space

And for me, I think that the need comes

from this idea of how do we

continue to grow exactly to the point of your first question. I wrote

this book actually for myself.

I knew that I was going to be struggling or I

was afraid of struggling. I wish I had written this book

many years ago when I really struggled I didn't

have the emotional resources do it. You know,

this is the book. It's not a big book and at

the same time it's meant to be a warm kind of guide and

this is the nightstand book that I used to like to always reference.

Those books though. They were a little more complicated and they

required me to say okay, I

have to do this then I need to do that and they

were very intellectual and very helpful. But

when I needed to come back to it, I couldn't

recall it that instinctively.

But I think anything that's have helped to us. That gives us comfort.

Is useful and so that's more broadly

why I think we need books like this, but why I

think this book connects with people is because it

really just says let's simplify this

let's let's go back to principles that are someone Universal

that are Timeless. They're not going to go out

of style and allows us to just say, okay. How

do these play into your life? And if you do just

this if you just think about the things in your life that

matter

Could you relieve some of that burden and

weight that we carry and reduce some of that anxiety? This isn't

a book about finding your purpose or finding happiness, which

used to be my goal the broad?

Audacious goal of I just want to be happy but this is

deeper. This is about peace and joy, which I believe is

about Harmony. It's about contentment and in many ways

a lot more manageable.

And I think depending on where somebody is when they pick this book up

whether they are maybe struggling with.

The business side of their life or relationships whether that's

the marriage or friends or family or self-care

personal development type of

things. I think that it's not specific to it

any of those areas, but it will give people that kind of

understanding and catalysts to recognize what

they can accomplish in any of those areas rather than

it being quite specific to one aspect and I'm glad you

said that I appreciate that that recognition because

in many ways when we were publishing the book and the idea

was okay the positioning of it obviously everything becomes a marketing

for me again, I wrote it to myself if it helped

one person, that would be great and it did it helped me.

But I really did feel that this was for everyone in the

proof has been borne out since its release in that I have

heard from people that are 20 years old that have

talked to me about how much it's helped them. I've talked

to people in their late 70s.

Who again connect with this in ways it'd

be like, you know what this really helps simplify my life. I've reduced some

of that anxiety.

And I've also spoke to corporations and some of their employees

and talked about how these principles again they

apply to anything in the business world. So I do believe there's

a universal appeal and something that everyone will

find something when

Very cool. How does the common thread of selflessness lead

to this path of peace and joy

that you that you've been discussing so well, yeah and you you

picked out that exact thing is that what I think connects all

of these principles is that idea of selflessness

and

For me. This has been sort of talked about

as a bit of an unselfhelp book, which I really love

that.

Sort of identification because what it's saying

is number one.

Selflessness is everything it's not about ourselves. But also in

the traditional self-help book. This isn't

going to tell you what to do. This is about more of

guiding you through in a way that's much more natural and organic

but selflessness is at its core selflessness is

what in many ways takes that weight of

expectation and ego away from us when

we're working, you know, for example, dealing with kindness kindness

to me is

the first and easiest way to sort of find peace

and joy because for many people it gives us a focus activity.

For many people it just feels good to be kind

to people and more than anything else. I think kindness allows

us to let go of our judgments which in many way let's go

of those that that weight of, you know expectation and

worry and stress many ways giving

people the benefit out. So releasing judgments. It's releasing

so much more than that, too.

It's really does sound like the book is like a power energy

Reclamation book.

Which you can try with that. I think

that may be the best phrasing I've heard yet. It is a

Power energy Reclamation is that kind of the idea? It's

true energy vibration and you do

a lot of work on this and and you're certainly more well versed

than I am on this, but I think energy

Is everything being in tune with it picking up

from it but also what it really provides and I think you're

exactly right is that this is about energy kindness gratitude

Integrity humility and acceptance It's

all energy vibration.

Yeah, I think so many of these self-help books

are.

Maybe a little bit too directional. I think a lot of some people

are going to really resonate with that type of

direct nature. But a

lot of people are not because they're just everyone's just so wildly beautifully

uniquely different and what you

know what your book can do for a lot more people than that's just

say this self-help book that just helps you make more

money or something like that, you know, you you're giving people

that power on a foundational level to figure out it exactly

how they can how they can do it for themselves and and again

find out who they are. And is that what they really want is

that is you know is is that true authentic individual

that they're expressing right now?

actually then or is it just a product of

their environment which you know can really lead

people down a very

unauthentic route

so having your book and having the ability

to really recognize these foundations of kindness gratitude

and all this wonderful high energy

states just literally puts people

in a in a different perspective to

even actually bring these things to themselves because we know

like energy attracts energy and I totally believe that

if you were to put yourself in the ultimate form

of receivershiping gratitude for longer periods

of time, you're going to pull those things that you

do want and you do need in your life whether that is more Finance

or that is that person that you've been looking for if it's

an answer to

a riddle that you've had for years, you know, I think I truly

believe that when you put yourself in these in this energetic

States these things come to us in very unusual circumstances

in places that we would never lead

to expect it, and I'm sure

As you've written this book and you you've got the feedback. I'm sure a lot of people have

really had their

eyes.

Wide have had their minds blowing in regards to

like what come to it. What's coming to their life since

they put themselves in these states of gratitude and

love Simon. I'm sending you on the book tour because you

are going to be the best Ambassador and you know,

I'm sort of I would say that I'm new to this appreciation for

the connection to energy, but you

are so right and

Those who know no those who are in

that and understand that they know and those

that come to it. Then they can't believe how life-changing it

is to really be connected to the energy here and you actually

even alluded to this idea of like our uniqueness,

you know, the unicorn in you I wrote

it. It was based on a story with my niece

and nephew that that sort of symbol of

the unicorn but it really has to do with exactly you're talking about that's

special part of us that unique

part of us. That's what the Unicorn really represents. It's it's

our greater potential and ambition and all that really

has to do with our specialness. That's all.

I've completely agree with you and I think when we can find the mysticism in

life, we can find the mystical within ourselves.

I think that's where we create absolutely phenomenal

things and things that we never thought that we were capable

of and we can't do that without this Foundation or aspect

of of putting ourselves in that energetic State

and yeah that whole unicorn side of things that

the mysticism behind that is just you know, it's

This beautiful. I love it. Thank you. And you know what? It's interesting

when we talk about all those those elements

the beautiful parts of life that you just mentioned. You know,

I go back to that principle that I really have been focusing

on humility one piece of advice that

I give to people and again, this isn't a Direction.

But it's this idea of cultivating all.

Because I think that's that one piece that helps

us.

Reduce our sense of importance because when

we're out there in the world and we're able to stop for

a second and I joke that it may require us to put our

phone down for a little bit. But when we cultivate on

the world that's where we're able

to then feel lighter and understand our place

in it and all the beauty that's around us, too.

Wonderful houses kindness and gratitude help create

that foundation for you know being and

changing that state of being to put ourselves in a position

to move forward. I think kindness and gratitude

and you probably articulated it

better is this idea? They become almost energy

states and I think that we're coming from

a position of kindness and gratitude. I mean to start with

kindness I talk about releasing judgments,

but so much of that really has

to do with almost putting yourself in someone else's

shoes. And I think that's an incredibly powerful way

to go about giving benefit to the doubt using our

sense of imagination that I think is so so important

and kindness really

Is often the kindest thing we can do for ourselves, even though

we're doing it for someone else.

Gratitude I still believe is just one of the easiest things to

get started with if anyone is listening, you know,

and they're looking for ways. It doesn't have to be this involved thing.

Maybe it's something that you jot down in the morning or even just

take a moment of recognition or at night. Maybe you just reflect

on your day, but I guarantee you that if you were able to

at the end of each day write down something that you are

grateful for. You should have a very long list whether it's

a clean glass of water that you were able to have a meal and

interaction with a loved one.

A some part of nature that you looked at

and that in and of itself helps create that

Foundation to your original question for peace and joy.

Beautiful who's influenced you or any particular

authors and particular books or individuals in your life

that influence you to create this to create this book in

this and this and this

whole I mean, it's a it's a complete concept. It's beautiful. Thank

you. And you know, I I used to

read a lot of fiction and for me, it was my Escape, but I enjoyed that

so there are a lot of works of fiction that I really enjoy that

probably informed a lot of you know these feelings

but also that this influence

From the personal growth and developments that

I can't say that there's anyone that is really had a major

influence. I enjoy what each of them is brought but I

think most recently I've been

And I've referenced in the book as well. You know

a lot of Maya Angelou's poetry I think

has influenced me just into the terms of a way.

I've been navigating and gliding through life and I tell

a story in the book, especially

the outset and you probably remember this there was

a point during the last two years where people were

saying,

Gosh, everything is like Groundhog Day. It's just

the same thing over and over again based on the the movie.

and I quote Maya Angelou in the book in the unicorn and

you and I say

You know today is a beautiful day. I've never

seen this one before.

And even that change in perspective rather than saying

this day is like all the others. It's a complete

shift in our sense of gratitude and appreciation and perspective. So,

I would say Maya Angelou's poetry has recently has

influenced me.

Wonderful. I appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you

very much Josh where where can people connect with

you as the best place for them to go?

So I am fairly new to the social media world, but they

can find me on Instagram and tiktok

now even the unicorn and you.

I have a website with the same name the unicorn and you.com book

certainly is available at Amazon Barnes

& Noble some independent bookstores thankfully or in

Good Fortune carrying it and you could always connect with me at Josh

kramer.com. I love hearing from people. I'm happy to

send you a book if you're unable to purchase one yourself and love to

get everyone's feedback.

Wonderful and make sure I'm gonna personally be ordering one myself.

I'm very very interested to read more about the especially these.

These foundational principles that sounds super interesting and it

sounds like you've broken them down in a very easily digestible manner

to easily put into

people's lives right away. So I'm very interested to to learn

more about that and it's that type of book is right up my

street. So I'm very very interested to read about it.

That's great. Awesome. Well, I want to thank you

so much again for taking the time to speak with me today

Josh. I am genuinely excited to learn more

about your book. I'm very happy that we got to get this

conversation in and I got to meet you and I got to learn more

about what you do. So thank you so much for taking the time today likewise. Thank

you Simon. Thank you for all you're doing. I appreciate

it. And here's to your continued success as

well. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Well, that's it

for this episode of True. Hope classificial podcast the

true hope Canada everybody for more information about anything that we've

spoken to links to get connected with Josh. I'll make

sure in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet,

but that's it for this week. We will see you soon.