Episodes
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“This was the deepest surrender I’ve ever had to give way to a medicine.” - Nick Onken
Today I am excited to share with you some takeaways from my personal plant medicine journeys in 2023 and to explain in-depth my most recent recent experience with a new plant medicine for me: the Tree of Light plant medicine. I just got back from this amazing trip to Peru and in this episode, I explain the ceremonies I took part in and talk about managing ego deaths.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And please leave me a Rating and Review!
“It was very subconscious. What I learned, I don’t even know; it was very in the body.” - Nick Onken
Some things we learn in this podcast:
Nick’s 2023 plant medicine recap [1:46]
What is the Tree of Light medicine [13:52
]Takeaways from the Tree of Light ceremony [18:22]
How to manage ego death [29:33]
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Nick on Instagram
Get your Nick Onken original hat at Onken Made -
“In this moment, are we bridging our own gaps?” - Rev. Briana Lynn
Today I continue my conversation with Reverend Briana Lynn. Last week we discussed unraveling religion from society and culture and how to avoid the pitfalls of leadership.
In this episode, Briana shares how she came to be at peace after having spent so much of her life trying to escape her own body. She argues that art is anything we interact with or participate in. She and I also discuss the importance of both celebrating the kink in each of us and avoiding the guru-fication of the self.
Listen in as we talk about learning to be okay with things as they are while also striving for personal growth.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And please leave me a Rating and Review!
“The battle or the journey that we all have…is about bridging the persona and the person.” - Rev. Briana Lynn
Some things we learn in this podcast:
How does Briana define identity alchemy [4:00]
What are the dangers of adopting a persona to mask your personhood [5:54]
How to close the gap between persona and person [14:29]
When is judgment healthy [22:27]
How does Briana Lynn define narcissism [30:08]
Ways to work through Narcissistic Personality Disorder [33:31]
Can judgment be a good thing [39:58]
How to create from a place of self-expression [42:17]
Final takeaways from Briana [45:49]
Links Mentioned:
Listen to Onken Radio Episode 222: Burning Religion and the Witches with Rev. Briana Lynn
Sign up for the Free Masterclass for Entrepreneurs: Go from Invisible to Influential
Connect with Reverend Briana Lynn on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Orgasmic Oracle Mystery School -
Episodes manquant?
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“Our greatest joy comes when we are giving our purpose for the highest good of the most people that we can.” - Rev. Briana Lynn
Today I talk with Reverend Briana Lynn about the journey of getting to a place of self-expression. Briana is a coach, mentor, and ceremonialist and the Founder of the Orgasmic Oracle Mystery School. We talk about treating ourselves like a piece of art and how to use our angst as fuel. We also touch on the ideas of bottling of our ecstasy and mastering energy.
Listen to this episode to learn more about burning witches, unraveling religion from society and culture, and how to avoid the pitfalls of leadership.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And please leave me a Rating and Review!
“The more I stepped away from the church, the more hungry I was for spirituality and actual experiences of God.” - Rev. Briana Lynn
Some things we learn in this podcast:
Briana’s journey [6:17]
What is Briana’s work [11:24]
How do people get in the way of their full self-expression [12:50]
What is Briana’s religious background [24:12]
How to avoid the pitfalls of leadership [33:00]
What do people get out of religion [42:14]
How to unravel religion from society and culture [50:05]
What is the history of the witch [55:37]
Are witches relevant today [1:02:49]
Links Mentioned:
Sign up for the Free Masterclass for Entrepreneurs: Go from Invisible to Influential
Connect with Reverend Briana Lynn on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Orgasmic Oracle Mystery School -
“Your identity is a blank canvas for who you want to be.” - Nick Onken
Today I share some of the identity alchemy that I have been working on and go into detail about what it means to master ourselves. These past few years I have been going through some major changes that I talk about.
I have been doing some serious work to grow as a person and I've been searching for a partner who is on the same path. Identity alchemy and the five C's of self-mastery are helping me to get where I want to go. What do commitment, containers, and celebration have to do with becoming who are meant to be in this world? You can learn all of these things in your head, but if you’re not practicing them, they don’t get integrated into this vessel that we call our earthly body.
In this episode, I define what self-mastery actually is and share a list of the five C’s that you can implement in your own life. I also explain how to use containers and introduce my upcoming Identity Alchemy course.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And please leave me a Rating and Review!
“Self-mastery is something you have to care about.” - Nick Onken
Some things we learn in this podcast:
What does it mean to master oneself [3:37]
What are the five C’s of self-mastery [5:23]
How is Nick working towards mastering himself [7:05]
What are containers [7:52]
What is Nick’s Identity Alchemy course [12:33]
The Five C's of Self-Mastery:
Care and awareness
Commitment
Containers
Consistency
Celebration
Links Mentioned:
Listen to Onken Radio Episode 215: The Statistical Importance of Building Your Personal Brand with AJ Vaden
Connect with Nick on Instagram -
“Like a lot of men, I was convinced that nothing would change until I hit rock bottom.” - Connor Beaton
Today, serial guest Connor Beaton and I discuss what it means to be a good, healthy, grounded, and responsible man. In this episode, Connor opens up about his own personal journey to manhood and explains how he reconciled his relationship with men. We also unpack men’s complicated relationship with porn and talk about the roots of that relationship.
Listen in as Connor and I explore the shadows of men’s psyches, break down the patterns of arousal, and discuss his new book.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And please leave me a Rating and Review!
“When we are in some kind of pursuit of developing ourselves we are more fulfilled.” - Connor Beaton
Some things we learn in this podcast:
What is men’s work [4:29]
How does work spill over into relationships [6:56]
What is the end goal of men’s work [10:46]
Connor’s journey with men’s work [13:40]
What are some key takeaways from Connor’s book [20:26]
Is Connor’s new book also for women [33:05]
Which topics are covered in Connor's new book [35:25]
What effect does porn have on men [43:06]
How to understand male arousal [48:14]
What does sexual mastery look like [59:13]
Links Mentioned:
Listen to Onken Radio Episode 129: Connor Beaton – How Personal Growth Catalyzes Your Creativity
Listen to Onken Radio Episode 200: Creating Together in Partnership with Vienna Pharaon and Connor Beaton
Get your copy of Men's Work by Connor Beaton
Learn more about Onken Made
Connect with Connor Beaton on Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | ManTalks -
“I’m really interested in activating a collective sovereign awakening in this lifetime for humanity.” - Kaia Ra
Hello, my friends! Welcome to another episode of Onken Radio (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your divine creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
Today, I’m excited about my special guest Kaia Ra, the author and channeler of The Sophia Code, a fantastic book on activating your higher self and consciousness through the works and knowledge of the ascended masters. I'm excited to talk about channeling divine creativity and getting out of the way for even more creativity to flow through you.
This podcast is all about consciousness, creativity, and exploring their intersection. Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come from my interview with Kaia Ra:
“I discovered at an extremely early age that creativity is a state of mind. It's not about an artifact. It's not even about an action. It's about tuning into how your consciousness can download solutions in any moment, whether it's traumatic or blissful — and everything in between.” - Kaia Ra
I’m excited to have her on the show to discuss her teachings, the various courses she offers, and even her activated pieces of jewelry she creates with the different ascended masters. As a multidisciplinary creative, I’m excited to share her wealth of knowledge and unlock the spiritual tools to tap into our divine creativity with you.
Let’s jump straight in!
Who Is Kaia Ra?
Kaia Ra started life in perhaps the most traumatic way: Human trafficking at an elite level.
She and other children were trafficked for their talents, psychic gifts, and creativity. So began a very painful journey of recovering from slavery to sovereignty of what divine creativity could be for her.
“I believe a lot of compassion was generated along that healing journey for anyone that's ever struggled with creativity because I know what it's like to feel so painfully vulnerable in accepting the gifts of my own creativity and being seen in them. I believe that's a pretty universal feeling for a lot of people that have survived being on this planet. … The pain that I've personally experienced during creativity, I feel, is a universal pain that we're all collectively transmuting together.” - Kaia Ra
Kaia Ra spent about seven years in seclusion and training with ceremonial elders during her thirties as part of her healing journey. She spent her time listening and getting hyper-focused on her mission. It was around ten years ago at Mount Shasta where she had a larger-than-life experience.
“All the physical reality melted down. I was [home] and went to sit on my couch to channel some stuff for a book I thought I was writing. The book got downloaded in that moment where I was taken into the light — and it was just light. I watched the physical house melt down, [and] I watched the atomic structure of reality dissolve. In that light, I was asked to channel The Sophia Code as a declaration of humanity, sovereign divinity given to us from the ascended masters.” - Kaia Ra
Thus the Sophia Code® book, which became an international bestseller within four days of publishing and became a phenomenon in 32 countries, was born.
Her journey didn’t end there; while doing much healing around artistry, Kaia also started designing a jewelry line.
Ascended master Isis told her she would create jewelry someday, which felt crazy because she had no idea how. After a trip up Mount Shasta, a holy mountain, Kaia Ra was contacted by her now business partner about jewelry work.
The timing was incredible; years later, all their jewelry is hand carved in Bali, a country where channeling is a part of their culture.
Let’s hear how Kaia Ra thinks about activating your divine creativity.
Learn How to Activate Divine Creativity -
“How we feel, move, and be in life directly affects our business.”
- Nick Onken
Hey guys, welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the creative entrepreneur's body, mind, and soul. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
Today, instead of interviewing someone, I have decided to share 11 tools that I use as a creative entrepreneur to scale my business — and look after my mental health, too, as I’m my own boss! You might not have your own business yet, but what I’m sharing can help you start your journey and figure out how you can become an entrepreneur.
So wherever you are on your journey with entrepreneurship, I hope my 11 tools for entrepreneurs resonate and help you.
Let’s get started!
1. Personal Development
I find personal development essential in the journey of entrepreneurship because how we feel and move in life directly affects our business. I've interviewed successful people like Scooter Braun, Usher, Donna Karan, AJ Vaden, and Gary Zukav to name a few — and the biggest thing for them is a growth mindset.
Personal development makes you a better human being and positively affects your business. That growth helps you weather storms — all the ups and downs and challenges that come with being your own boss as a creative entrepreneur.
Personal development can come in different ways from books to courses. Some examples of courses I’ve done are MITT, which is Mastery In Transformational Training, a a course geared explicitly toward emotional intelligence and leadership training. I was able to apply what I learned to my business and how I run it now.
I’ve also attended the ALA (Ascension Leadership Academy), run by my friends Brad and Jenna, which helped me develop a better and bigger space of possibility for my business and life.
Personal Development is one of the biggest keys, and the tools that I've acquired over the last few years while building my own business have helped me weather all the ups and downs.
2. Morning Routine
This tool is crucial to creating the best platform for personal development and productive days. Developing a healthy morning routine has been essential for me, especially as I’ve learned to create discipline to get the morning started right and to build healthy habits for my mental health.
Creating a consistent morning practice or routine helps get the train on track for the rest of the day.
My morning routine starts as soon as I wake up, and I don’t check my phone (no messages, emails, or anything). I meditate for 20 minutes, followed by a gratitude practice for a couple of minutes before I move into my movement practice of working out. That usually takes about an hour, at least.
Some people like to journal as part of their morning practice, and there is no right or wrong way to do that — so try different things to find the right routine that works for you.
3. Meditation
I practice Ziva meditation, taught by Emily Fletcher. Meditation teaches you to stay centered and keep inner peace for moments when chaos unfolds. I find it useful as a way to look after my mental health.
It's a mantra-based meditation to de-stress the mind and remove the monkey chatter to balance me out. I can wake up with my mind starting to chatter constantly, and Ziva meditation helps me align myself, get the stress out of my body, and clear my mind.
I include the gratitude practice as part of the meditation practice. Gratitude shifts your emotional makeup and way of being, and we all have something to be grateful for — especially because we’re alive! Gratitude sets a wonderful vibration for the day ahead to ground me in what I have instead of focusing on what I don’t have.
Getting my mind centered and focused with these two practices in the morning allows me to drop into the following tool.
4. Movement & Exercise -
“We can all be polyamorous.”
- Meleza Morris
Hey guys, welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
Today, I’ve got an extra special guest for you to discuss elements from our sexuality that can help us build our Identity Alchemy. It’s essential to establish trust with your partners, and finding an expert to help us navigate the awkwardness that can surround sexuality, sex, tantra, polyamory, gender-bending, and love with meaningful relational communication is not that easy. That’s why today’s guest is an intimacy coordinator expert.
I wanted to have her on the podcast because my own sexuality is currently something that I've been exploring. Here’s a taste of her wisdom:
“There is a deeper psychological plane that is required to understand before being able to integrate many of the BDSM kink world or the tantra world, the sacred sexuality world, or just sex in general. If we are not understanding of our agency, of our sovereignty, it's very challenging to lead a life where we're gonna find happiness, in the way that can actually break down all of the little sticky parts that have stuck to us because of our early childhood development, because of our little-t and our big-T traumas.”
- Meleza Morris
Wherever we are along our journey to unpack our deepest loves or avoid overstepping the line of safety, communication is the key. That’s why I wanted to talk to Meleza today, and she speaks about how it’s all about creating the space to explore these things.
Let’s jump right in!
Who Is Meleza Morris?
Meleza Morris is a Certified Intimacy Coordinator for TV & Film, a devoted consultant in the Queer lifestyle community, and Sacred Sexuality Architect. Meleza is fluent in English and Spanish and can help others as a certified Health Coach, trauma-informed sex educator, facilitator, and kinkster.
Meleza is committed to being a part of a movement that helps to create impactful solutions — a Sexual and Consensual Awakening. They desire to connect through creative and pioneering conversations, lay pathways to defeat adversity with folks representing large demographics, and continually build bridges around gender, erotic empowerment, body positivity, consent, and cosmic evolution.
Meleza currently resides in Miami and travels for work frequently. They recently decided to ask clients to put the cash they wished to pay them inside something fun — one was a baby Yoda blanket — and although such a small shift, it creates excitement every time for her now because one of her love languages is gifts. Now, she gets more excited to see what people put the money into than she does to get paid!
Meleza’s sexual awakening started at a very young age. They were always very curious about sexuality, so their Barbies were having sex. Meleza felt attracted to boys and girls and remembers their dad catching them naked with others in the closet.
It was the first and only time their dad laid hands on them. Still, that experience shifted their whole life because that moment was when something curious and pleasurable became taboo, stigmatized, and something to be disciplined. Thus their journey started with constantly trying to decipher what's okay and what's not okay.
It wasn’t until they were 24 that Meleza embraced what they now know as polyamory. It was the first time they had heard the term polyamory. Still, they realized that throughout their relationships in their teenage years, yes, they were wholly invested in their boyfriend and loved them dearly, but they still wanted to have sex with other people.
“When I realized there is a community of people who believe it is possible to have ethical, conscious relationships with multiple people through conversations, agreements, contracts, negotiations, -
“It takes courage to be able to do plant medicine.”
- Nick Onken
Welcome back for another episode of ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), folks! Our purpose is simple: to help you explore the world from creativity, consciousness, and everything else in between to help you optimize your life to its fullest expression.
I am grateful to have you here to learn from yet another crazy experience in my journey.
Today, I want to share about the plant medicine retreat that we recently concluded in Tulum, Mexico, called the Metamorph. It was the first time I ever co-hosted a retreat, which I did with my cosmic counterpart, E11even, while also experiencing a personal metamorphosis through the guided use of plant medicine. It was such a thrilling and surreal experience at the same time!
This short retreat helped attendees transform who they were into the next version of themselves, which is the identity alchemy that I talk about a lot — connecting people with yourself by telling your story. The inner alchemy, and the identity alchemy piece of it, is really who are you on the inside, and all these things, including plant medicine, are mere tools to help you go through that process of finding yourself.
The metamorph plant medicine retreat we just did was a process to help us actualize more of who we were, and unleash who we're supposed to be in this world. The impact we’re meant to create sometimes gets hindered by all the negative stories we tell ourselves, so if we can free ourselves, that will make the most significant impact.
Now that you have a little brief about today’s topic, I can’t wait to share my beautiful spiritual experience with you all. Plant medicine is a fantastic tool that helps us identify ourselves by working through past trauma if done under the watchful eyes of the right mentors and with the right intention. I hope this inspires you to get one step closer to transforming yourself into the best YOU!
My Private Session: An Eye Opener
Before the retreat began, I got a chance to do a private session that lasted for about 5 hours and was truly eye-opening. It started with a micro dosage of peyote, which helped me drop into my body, opening up the way for energy work.
One of the mentors has extraordinary power to see this energy field and identify where trauma is blocking your myofascial tissues.
She started by moving through my body, finding the blocks, and pushing that energy out, and was also able to tap into my guides and see who they are, which too was a unique experience. In the middle of it, she pulled me back, and we started talking about the things she found and asked me about what I had gone through in life.
Then she connected me to my guides: a white male puma, a female black hawk, a peacock, a female dragon, and a monk!
It was crazy to have them articulated because I've definitely felt them come through in my life in the form of interactions or personality and character traits. So it was really resonant for me.
We then did some more bodywork and finished with some Rapé, a tobacco-based shamanic snuff that is forcefully blown through the subject’s nose. In most cases, including mine, it causes the users to purge and helps release the toxins and dark energies that don’t serve you.
It Takes Courage to Trigger Your Transformation
Bravery is a tool to take you to your own place of self-expression on plant medicine journeys. We have all these traumas, and the dark and negative energy loops around us, the weight of which leads us into self-doubt, paving the way for fear and trauma.
Spiritual journeys like these are about breaking free from those constructs, but facing your demons is not easy.
Only 5% of our brain is conscious, while 95% of our brain remains untapped, which immediately reflects the enormous potential that we possess but hardly realize. It’s essential to understand our thoughts and patterns and be conscious of the stories we live in and how those stories... -
“People are following people more than companies more than ever before.”
- AJ Vaden
Hey guys, welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
Today, I’ve got an extra special guest for you to discuss critical elements that help us build our identity alchemy by focusing on building a solid personal brand. To do that these days, it’s essential to establish trust with your audience.
I met both AJ Vaden and her husband Rory through our mutual friend, Lewis Howes, who many of you might know from this podcast. Here’s a taste of some of her wisdom:
“60% of Americans said the number one most important thing that dictates who I purchase from is testimonials. What do other people have to say [about] working with you? That is the cheapest, fastest thing you could do to grow your business. Testimonials are by far the most important thing.”
- AJ Vaden
I wanted to have AJ on the show to speak more about the strategies for building a personal brand. If you are interested in doing a personal brand photoshoot with me as I did with Rory and AJ, you can visit here to get more information and submit a form to see if we're a good fit.
But right now, let’s jump straight in!
Who Is AJ Vaden?
AJ Vaden started a company called a Brand Builders Group with her husband, Rory Vaden, and is an international speaker, million-dollar producer, and co-host of The Influential Personal Brand podcast. As a personal brand strategist, she challenges and inspires people to reinvent themselves as part of building and monetizing their personal brand. AJ has personally worked with thousands of individuals to help them focus their expertise, expand their reach, build their reputation, and brand the one thing no one else has — their name.
Over the last ten years, she has been a part of the founding, launching, and building of a very successful 8-figure coaching business, a multi-million-dollar consulting business, and a 7-figure speaking business. Along with her company, Brand Builders Group, AJ was featured in a 3-page spread in Success Magazine on the impacts of personal branding and recently being named one of the Top 5 Personal Branding Speakers of 2019.
Her client roster includes working with top-level executives from organizations such as Bridgestone, Verizon Cellular Sales, Home Franchise Concepts, and DirecTV as well as working with well-known speakers, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs, and online influencers such as mega podcast host Lewis Howes and original “shark,” creator of the infomercial and serial entrepreneur, Kevin Harrington.
AJ has taken 25 years of setbacks, successes, and tragedies and distilled them into simple yet powerful lessons that will help anyone become better than ever.
What People Care About
Brand Builders Group recently conducted a study in the United States using a third party, The Center for Generational Kinetics, which is free to download here. From their six months of gathering research, AJ shares the number one thing people highlighted as important when evaluating a personal image and brand.
“The number one thing is: It's all about the authenticity of the human connection. One of the biggest things that we've learned and what we buy into is that people don't care much about what you sell and what you do — they care more about who you are. We've been doing these own studies with our own set of audiences, and we will post something about our study, a podcast, or some piece of original content, and it gets a third of the engagement of posting a video playing tee-ball with my two boys.”
- AJ Vaden
I wasn’t expecting to hear that. It’s interesting, too, that AJ has tested the research and seen the effect of posting personal things above a more formal piece of content and getting mo... -
“Are psychedelics the Google Maps to the kingdom of heaven?”
- Brian Muraresku
Hello and welcome to another episode of ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey because it’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level.
Today, my special guest is a good friend of mine, Brian Muraresku. He is the author of the book The Immortality Key. — This is a topic that I've been quite fascinated with recently because I grew up in a very conservative Christian home, but over the last few years, I've been diving down the rabbit hole of plant medicines, and this book unveils a phenomenal storyline. Brian went to the Vatican and spent some time there with the elders in the library, and he shared in this book his discoveries about how ancient people were tapping into the divine and discovering transcendent portals into the universe.
In this episode, Brian and I discuss what was in ancient wine, what they drank at the last supper, and when Christianity became mainstream. He also shares some of the research he came across while writing his book that points to early psychedelic use within the communities that gave rise to Christianity. While looking into the historical records of mysticism and the birth of religion as we know it, Brian found examples of people seeking out the meaning of life by bringing about experiences of “mini deaths” and coming out on the other side understanding their true identities.
Who Is Brian Muraresku?
Brian Muraresku is a lawyer who has been practicing globally for more than fifteen years. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit. He is also a member of the New York Bar and an alumnus of Georgetown Law. In 2016, Brian Muraresku became the founding executive director of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, and their works were featured on ESPN and CNN as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post.
Brian has appeared on several media platforms including CNN, Goop Podcast, The Jenny McCarthy Show, Vice Magazine, the Tom Hartman Show, Reddit Ask Me Anything, and more.
His debut book is The Immortality Key, which aims to uncover the ancient wine, what they drank during the last supper and the connection of wine to the birth of Christianity.
The Ancient Wine and the Role of Women
It's no secret that wine is a big part of many cultures around the world. In fact, wine has been around for centuries and played a major role in ancient civilizations. Wine continues to be an important part of contemporary culture, and it's fascinating to explore its history, how it has evolved over time, and the role of women in the preparation of wine for religious rituals.
“There were many women mentioned in Paul's letters … consecrating wine. So whether that was a proper Eucharist or a hybrid of something pagan, Christian women were typically in charge of mixing these potions, both in early Christianity and all those ancient Greek cults that I was mentioning and probably deep into prehistory. Now, women are gathering the herbs. Women are mixing these potions, and these are the same women like Circe in Homer's literature who become our witches much later on. It's always women who possess this really deep, drug expertise.”
- Brian Muraresku
Ancient wine is believed to be significantly far off from the wine we know today. Tracing back to the time of Homer and the Roman Empire, wine was considered like a psychedelic spiked with toxins, herbs, plants, and potentially lethal substances that produce hallucinogenic and intoxicating effects. Also, ancient wine has been at the core of many rituals, including Christianity.
Wine and the Beginning of Christianity
Christianity's communion wine has been at the core of worship since the Last Supper. Today, it remains a focal point of the Christian liturgy where Christians... -
“Create your moments.”
- Nick Onken
Hello, my fellow alchemists! Nick Onken here for our last solo episode of 2021 on ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the soul, mind, and body of the creative entrepreneur. Today, I'm going to recap 11 things that I learned this year. 2021 has been another crazy year, but life is always a learning process. It’s important to keep on learning new things as we face the new year, and I think having that attitude of either winning or learning is essential.
Every year, we go through different pieces of our life’s journey, and this past year was quite a journey — it's been a different space of life, a different space of creation for me. I’ve been diving into new modalities and new mediums, especially the medium of music, learning how to DJ, and now I'm learning music production. Just following where my joys and passions are and the things that I'm interested in is a huge piece of growth. That’s why I am sharing with you my stories and the lessons I’ve learned this year.
Eleven Things I Learned From the Past Year
Every day, we are exposed to new information, perspectives, and opportunities that can help us become a better version of ourselves. Sometimes these lessons come from our own experiences. Other times they come from the people and things around us. For 2021, these experiences served as lessons we can learn from, and I’m sharing with you the eleven things I’ve learned from this past year.
1. Health Optimization Is Important
There is no question that optimal health is important. After all, if we're not healthy, we can't enjoy life to the fullest extent possible. Fortunately, there are things we can do to keep ourselves in our best shape, from eating a healthy diet to getting enough exercise. Being able to dive into health and wellness has been something that's become an actually bigger passion of mine over the last couple of years. I’ve learned that by taking steps to improve our health, we can boost our energy levels and feel better overall. So don't wait — start optimizing your health, and you'll be glad you did.
2. Identity Alchemy Is Never Ending and Is a Personal Growth Process
We all have moments in life where we feel like we need to change but just don't know how. We want to become something new but struggle with figuring out who that is and where to start. This is natural! It's a sign that you're growing, evolving, and becoming more yourself. Transformation is never easy, but it's always worth it.
The journey of self-discovery is an endless one, and there's no wrong way to do it. So let go of your doubts and fears, and just dive in! Identity alchemy is a process that I've been developing over the last couple of years, primarily oriented toward creating a personal brand that aligns with who you are from the inside out. But the identity alchemy process deconstructs and curates, and it is becoming something that I continue to go through over and over in my life. As we grow, we let go of old identities and create new ones.
3. Uncomfortable Conversations Are Growth
Life is all about growth. If you're not growing, you're dying. It's as simple as that. One of the best ways to grow is by having uncomfortable conversations. Yes, those conversations make your stomach churn and your heart race. However, if you want to grow, you have to face them head-on. So get out there and have those uncomfortable conversations!
4. The Universe Has Bigger Plans
It's easy to get bogged down by the small stuff. The day-to-day grind of work, bills, and household chores can be overwhelming at times. However, it's important to remember that we're all a part of something much bigger. The universe has big plans for us.
This is an interesting one because my mom passed away this year from cancer. She's been battling it for a couple of years, and at a certain point, we knew this day would come. At one point, I went out to LA to visit my parents, -
“It’s an in-your-face moment.”
- Nick Onken
Hello, my friends! Welcome to another episode of the OnkenRadio podcast (previously NION Radio), where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
I appreciate you being here, and today is going to be slightly different as I share my recent experience and the lessons I’ve learned from my mother passing away a couple of weeks ago. I’m still navigating how I feel, but it’s fresh, and talking through all of it helps me process my emotions and get things out instead of all bottled inside. Who knows — maybe I’ll discover something new with you.
Have you lost a parent? Maybe a dear friend? A partner? With all the craziness from COVID, perhaps you understand exactly what I’m going through. Losing a parent is a new experience for me, and I will do my best to walk you through everything, so let’s jump right in.
My Momma’s Journey With Cancer
My momma was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, and that news was shocking. The idea that my momma, one of the sweetest people on the planet, could get cancer tore my world apart.
The doctors caught cancer in stage one, and she immediately had surgery to remove the tumor from the pancreas six months after detection. I live in New York City, but I flew out to Seattle for the surgery. Being there for her during that time of need taught me a valuable lesson about making an effort to fly out more. Supporting a loved one through cancer had never entered my mind, but that’s how quickly things can change.
My focus became supporting my momma and my dad and spending as much time with family as possible. Jumping across the country frequently isn’t easy, but it became vital to me.
I’m one of the lucky ones who had both an amazing set of parents and a great upbringing filled with encouragement and love, and I was able to return what they’d given me.
Our worldviews might not be identical as my parents are conservative Christians, and that upbringing didn’t resonate with me — no matter how hard I tried to believe it. I simply see our differences as how we operate and move through the world — it’s only a different perspective. Whatever works for them works for them, and the same goes for you — whatever works for you, works for you!
I’ve been on a journey to expand my consciousness, tap into other worlds, and learn to bridge the gap between this world, the matrix, and other worlds. I’ve come to realize the movie The Matrix feels more like a documentary now than a movie! I saw a clip of Bruce Lipton, a doctor dedicated to bridging science and spirit, talking about our world as a hologram — and we are consciousness receptors in human form.
Developing that perspective has shifted how I see and interact with the world, which created a different journey with my momma’s health. Early in 2020, we received the awful news: Her cancer spread to her liver and stomach. The doctors decided to take her off chemotherapy because it was doing her body more damage than good — they gave momma three to six months to live.
Unfortunately, she ended up having even less than that.
Differing Views on Cancer Treatment
Our differing world views came to a head as we discussed how to deal with cancer. Hearing their point of view was a battle for me. I believe in alternatives that work in conjunction with Western medicine, and throughout my life, I’ve discovered many different healing modalities that aren’t tested or seen in the light of day because, in my opinion, they don’t support the profit incentive that currently exists.
I witnessed first-hand the world of Western medicine and big pharma’s focus on profit and keeping people dependent on medications and processes. It’s not all bad. There are certainly places where Western medicine is helpful — I just don’t believe it’s done with the best in... -
“All of these things around joy and pleasure are so penalized and stymied in this country for the business of capitalism.”
- Grace Harry
Welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It's my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I'm so glad you're joining me on this journey.
In today's episode, we will talk about how you can cultivate joy in your life. I think that many people start this creative business journey with the best intentions of creating a joyful or fulfilling work environment for themselves. Yet the reality is that a lot of times, we beat ourselves up. We feel like we're working really hard and not getting any results. Then we start to think, "Oh well, maybe I just don't have enough energy to do this full time, or maybe I don't have all the skills that I need. Maybe I just don't have what it takes, and there's no way I could get to this next level."
But what we really need to do is get ourselves some joy snacks! Joy snacks are the little things that give us a quick boost of energy to focus on feeling good and being inspired for a little bit longer.
Our guest for today is my dear friend, Grace Harry. Grace is a boss and a keeper of wisdom. Most importantly, she is a joy strategist. So, what does that even mean? It means she teaches people how to take control of their own joy in life. It's been a pleasure to witness her go through her own deep work over the last couple of years!
Read through as Grace and I discuss the many times we shift identities throughout our lives, how to cultivate our own "joy snacks," and what we lose when we don't protect our joy.
Who Is Grace Harry?
Today's guest, Grace Harry, is a Joy Strategist, among many other things. After dropping out of high school in tenth grade and working for The Cosby Show, Grace ended up working in the record industry for 27 years. When she decided to move on from the industry, she was the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services at Def Jam Records. She has also worked for MCA Records, Jive Records, and Geffen Records.
We had met through our friends, Scooter Braun and Usher. We all ended up on a bit of vacation together a few years back, and I really loved getting to know Grace and all that she represents. She shares her fear that people are forgetting how to be themselves and explains that, now, her thing is people who create art to connect with others. She and I talk about how to get back to how we feel and the process of shedding the things that don't grow us.
She has done a tremendous job of moving herself to find her own joy and help share that with others. So with that, I bring you, Grace Harry!
Shifting Identities Throughout Our Lives
I believe that our identities change over time because of the different experiences that we have. In the process of changing, we all shed and let go of our previous identities so we can step into new and brighter ones.
I asked Grace to share about how her identities have changed over time, and she shared,
"Growing up, my mother and I moved to different places every year. I went to six elementary schools, one middle school, and four high schools and still didn't finish after 10th grade."
- Grace Harry
This experience allowed her to meet new people. Yet for every encounter made, all she craved for was to be wanted. So she had to create for herself these new identities to keep up with these personalities she met along the way.
Over the years, Grace would find herself being a chef at The Cosby Show. Then she would work in the record industry for 27 years, running creative and marketing and digital at times and working with artists in so many exciting ways. She had her third divorce, and those changing identities all came down to one thing:
"I can't get rid of them. When I look in the mirror, -
“You have to allow the messiness and the struggle.”
- East Forest
What’s up, my fellow earthlings? Welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), a space where we explore the worlds of creativity, consciousness, and everything else in between. My goal is to help you optimize your life and to unleash your full potential, and I am so grateful to have you all on this journey with me.
I can’t wait to introduce today’s guest on my podcast — East Forest. East is one of my favorite musicians and a kindred creator. He has created music that has been monumental in my own personal journey through psychedelics and mushrooms. Experiencing my magic mushroom journeys through East’s music has truly been transformative and life-changing.
“There is a glue that unifies everything I do. My podcast, talks, retreats, writings, events, and the music I make are all about inviting introspection. It’s a form of trusting an individual’s inherent wisdom as they dive into their inner world and learn to make their own decisions. I want to share the experiences, tools, and sounds that I have learned for other people to get closer to their own essence.”
- East Forest
Through his music, East aspires to bridge the tools of our past with our rapidly advancing future by forging a modern pathway that can act as an antidote to our way of life in this fast-paced world. He has toured extensively around North America and through parts of Europe, bringing his message to thousands.
East is an incredible artist, and his soulful music is loved by many across the world. I can’t wait for you guys to feel inspired by this man’s life and journey. Let’s get to know him a little more —
Who Is East Forest?
East Forest is an American musician who plays blissful and immersive electro-acoustic music. East’s natural talent for creating soundscapes helps him speak directly to one’s heart and can unlock profound spiritual experiences.
After experiencing depression early on in his childhood, East started using psychedelics and creating music for others on their own psychedelic journeys. What began as an experiment with music turned into a pathway for spiritual growth for many because of the compatibility of East’s music with meditation, technology, and psychotropic substances.
Due to his music’s nature and popularity, East has collaborated with multiple personalities like the late psychologist and spiritual leader Ram Dass and artists including John Hopkins, Nick Mulvey, Dead Prez, and Peter Broderick, among others. He has also partnered with Google, Johns Hopkins University, Yale Psychedelic Science Group, and he has even been a TED speaker.
East is a creative soul brother, and I’m excited to share with you this episode where we talk about creativity, healing, mindset, psychedelics, and how music lies at the core of it all.
Using The Power of Music to Heal
After a brief stint as a photographer, East started making music while under the influence of magic mushrooms. This unlocked a new dimension for himself that allowed him to use his music to help people heal, and over the years, he created a musical language that formed the backbone for all his work. It’s incredible how East channels his music into a tool for healing.
“I don’t know how it works, but it’s a lot about humbling myself and trying to clear my way to open myself to those energies. … I also do a lot of rehearsal, which is a matter of getting fluent with the same gear — … it’s sort of doing any sort of exercise to get your muscles in shape — … and one of the biggest things I am rehearsing is improvisation. … I realized that I couldn’t plan it, and started discovering what worked and what didn’t [while I performed]. … And when I reach a point where I feel that it sucks to keep going … or when things are not working, then I keep returning back to the process and the flow and allow it to develop.”
- East Forest
Through the launch of East’s first album, -
“Follow your feels.”
- Nick Onken
Welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio) — the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey.
Today, we’ve got something slightly different. I want to share 11 excellent life-optimization hacks that have helped me out over the last few years to access my creativity. Not only that, each has been instrumental in helping me live a better life and feel good. I’ve been disciplined about learning what techniques there are and figuring out what works for me over the last couple of years.
It’s important to realize that not everything I share will work for you, but these 11 optimization hacks can start your journey. I’m excited to share them, so let’s get into this episode!
Personal Development
There was a time my business was failing, so I decided to enroll in the Mastery In Transformational Training (MITT) that my friend Lewis Howes introduced me to. It focuses on teaching about living in possibility and how our negative thoughts construct limiting beliefs. Once I understood the limiting beliefs creating my life, I could break free and build new beliefs that have been game-changers for the last few years.
Interviewing hundreds of guests on this podcast has shown me that any form of success starts with mindset — I can safely suggest that this is a great place to start.
Not all beliefs are conscious, though, and through my emotional intelligence leadership course, I learned that the subconscious mind makes up 95% of our beliefs while the conscious mind represents only 5%! Traumas and belief systems are embedded in the subconscious, so utilizing tools like psychedelics such as psilocybin and ketamine to navigate the subconscious — to rewire the subconscious — can be tremendously advantageous.
It’s on the rise, and people are using psychedelics for therapy to treat depression, PTSD, and addiction. I’ve learned the important difference between medicines and drugs — medicines help heal trauma while drugs tend to focus on symptoms.
Psychedelics can be daunting, but more studies are coming out showing how highly transformative they are, and if you’d like to hear more on the subject, Episode #185 talks about my journey with psychedelics.
Health
Health has been one of the most significant investments I’ve committed to over the last ten years and that I’ve accelerated to optimize my body during the last three years.
As I get older, I’ve become more in tune with not just how my body looks but, more importantly, how I feel after eating foods like carbs and sugar. To start, I changed my diet to include fewer carbs and sugars.
It’s important to recognize that everyone’s body works and reacts differently based on our sensitivities to different foods. Eating fewer carbs and sugar is working for me — but you’ve got to investigate what’s good for you and create healthier habits. A documentary that helped shift my perspective, That Sugar Film, shed light on what sugar does to your body.
The effect of sugar hits home too because my mother has cancer, and sugar feeds cancer. My decision to decrease my sugar intake has become abundantly clear for longevity. It’s taken discipline and new habits, but it’s been hugely rewarding, and I can feel it physically.
Avoiding sugar doesn’t mean sacrificing taste either! If this too feels daunting, listen to Episode #78 with Rocco Dispirito, where we discuss incorporating healthy eating into your lifestyle.
Supplements have also become a big part of my regime, and after loads of experimenting to feel what worked best I settled on Organifi. When I’m on the road, it’s easy to add their sachets to water and all the nutrients and electrolytes I need. When I’m at home, I have my protein smoothies, which start my day off perfectly. -
“Whose story was I living?”
- BLU
Hey, fellow earthlings! Welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
As a creative person, I believe it’s essential to integrate creativity into every part of your life — mind, body, spirit, business, and anything else you can think of! That kind of creative alchemy is what I live and work for, and I want to inspire you to do the same.
Today, I’ve got an extra special guest for you. She’s a personal creative hero of mine, and her art and mission to bring beauty to the world has massively inspired me in my own career as a photographer and creative entrepreneur.
Her name is BLU, and she’s here today to teach you how to deeply listen and carve out your own unique path in this world. Here’s a little preview:
“The more people living from their heart, living from that gift, and the more people sharing their creative gifts unabashedly and like fully just going for it — it will heal the world.”
- BLU
It’s so true. Whatever your creative gift is, it is essential that your creative projects, at their core, are true to you. When you’re being your true, authentic self, that’s when you can impact the world in a big way.
And you guys, that’s just a little taste of the love bombs BLU dropped in this interview. We’re about to dive into a ton of knowledge taken from the transformative journey she has been on. Today, she’s going to help us discover that our greatest struggle can actually be our superpower. Let’s go!
Who Is BLU?
BLU or BLU Cosmic Eagle is an artist and musician from England. She grew up in a boarding school for girls and served in the Royal Air Force before moving to the States to attend college in Florida. She found herself living a perfect textbook life, but she felt empty inside — like all of her creativity that she enjoyed as a young girl was stripped from her and replaced with a sterile cubicle. She knew her life had to change.
Her neighbor invited her to try magic mushrooms or shrooms for the first time, and that led her on a path to becoming a curious mystic. She discovered that everything she grew up knowing may have been false, which included her internal narratives. When she learned that she would gradually lose her hearing due to an incurable hereditary disorder, she decided to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a musician. She bought a guitar and went traveling with it.
Now an accomplished musician, BLU had to work through her own shifting identity alchemy to reach the point she’s at today where she sees her hearing loss as an invitation to listen deeper. She encourages others to turn their traumas into their greatest gifts in her recent TEDx Talk where she shares the amazing story of how she turned limitation into liberation.
In this episode, BLU explains what it looks like to live to blow your own mind. We also discuss what it was like for BLU to lose her hearing, the difference between prayer and performance, and why she wants everything in her life to be beautiful.
Making Beauty a Calling
BLU’s name is an acronym for “Beauty, Love, and Unity.” She named herself when she discovered that her life’s work is to bring beauty and light everywhere she goes. By renaming herself she was rebirthing something new in her life.
“If I was to summarize everything in my life’s work, it is to restore beauty, love, and unity on the planet again.”
- BLU
BLU does try to bring beauty into as many facets of life as possible, whether that’s how she decorates her house, how she treats her body, how she interacts with people, or how she creates her art.
She explains that the artificial glamour pushed on us through society is a false beauty that completely distorts what true beauty is supposed to be. -
“Our ego is our teammate.”
- Nick Onken
Hello my fellow alchemists! I’m your host, Nick Onken, and we're back with another solo episode of the ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. Today. I'm going to talk more about identity alchemy, and I want to share with you my journey of finding my self-worth and my identity.
As I've gone through this journey myself, I've realized that the more you attach your self-worth with the identity that you put out into the world — whether that's your career, your relationship, or your family — if you're solely attached to that identity, what happens when that goes away? What's left for you?
What I have learned through my 20 years of experience as a photographer is something that I am applying to help people tell their visual stories and build their brands. People want real authenticity, and the story you are telling the world is what needs to resonate. This is where identity alchemy comes in — to help you tell a personal story that is authentic to who you are and allows you to find your self-worth.
My Journey of Finding My Self-Worth as a Photographer
Photography is a personal and creative outlet for me. I often find myself putting my heart and soul into my work. It's always been something that fills me with joy, but my journey wasn’t an easy ride — it’s had ebbs and flows.
Believe it or not, I actually started out as a graphic designer. I went to school for graphic design. I bought a digital camera to start shooting for my design work, and that was the start of my journey as a photographer who has been building and enhancing brands for almost 20 years now.
When I started doing commercial photography, I figured out that it was what I really wanted to do. Being a commercial photographer is who I wanted to be in the world. So I pursued my passion, even to the point of slaving myself away, working up to 16 hours a day doing foot tests, photoshoots, building my portfolio, designing my website, and marketing myself. I was living in a small room in a house in Santa Monica where I paid $800 in rent per month.
When I moved to Los Angeles, I started all over again, building my business from scratch. It was a long journey, but I knew that's what I wanted. I wanted to be a commercial photographer shooting campaigns for lifestyle photography, traveling the world, and doing various campaigns. Eventually, I got a job for Nike shooting some pro sports players that catapulted my career as a commercial photographer.
However, after completing the job for Nike, I wasn’t able to get another photoshoot job for the next two years. So, I started to question myself. I started to question who I was. I started to question if what I was doing was the right thing. A mentor told me, “Just keep going. You’ve got to keep pressing through because nothing happens overnight.”
It’s true! Success doesn’t happen overnight. When we look at others’ Instagram stories, sometimes we envy their successes. But what most people don't realize is how much work goes into achieving success. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and commitment to reach your goals. There will be times when you want to give up, but if you push through the hard times, then the good ones will come.
For me, the good came in 2008 when I finally got my first big advertising campaign. It was a full production campaign with 30 people working under me on the set in Miami, Florida. It was a campaign for Secret deodorant, which ended up being a huge print ad. I could still remember sitting on planes and noticing somebody flipping through a magazine and seeing my ad — it was a cool feeling and an ecstatic experience.
When I moved to New York at the peak of my career, I was throwing parties and going around the city till 2:00 to 4:00 AM every night, drinking, partying, and eating whatever I wanted. Money was constantly flowing while the campaigns were ru... -
“I have made a conscious decision to evolve without pain.”
- Maejor
Hello, my friends! Welcome to another episode of the Onken Radio podcast (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!
Today, I’m excited about my special guest and music master, Maejor. I really wanted to have him on because he is all about frequency and healing the world through frequency in his music. He’s produced albums and songs for Justin Bieber and is also a leukemia survivor.
All these things have given him a unique perspective on life, making him a great guest to talk to about the alchemy of life. We will also share with you his mission to heal the world through frequency by creating all of his music in 432 Hertz and other healing frequencies.
Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come from my interview with Maejor:
“I believe this year has been a rebirth in many ways for myself [and] for a lot of people. How can I use this moment in this time in the best way to give love? I’ve made a conscious decision now to evolve without pain.”
- Maejor
Maejor is a quality guy who feels deeply connected and has the greatest heart. In my opinion, I think most people that reach his level of success live in a different world — one that’s not tapped into what most people experience. What I really appreciate about Maejor is he’s still tapped in and because of that is challenging his own creativity to be a light in the world for healing.
Who Is Maejor?
Brandon Michael Green, known by his stage name Maejor, is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. Maejor has written and produced songs for several prominent artists in the music industry — most extensively Justin Bieber — and is half of the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) duo Area21 alongside Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.
In honor of Maejor’s grandmother, Edna Mae, who passed away, he used her name in the spelling of Maejor because of the closeness of their relationship and her impact on his life.
Maejor has been producing music from the age of 17, and it’s been his focus ever since.
“I always had a vision that I was going to do something very positive and impactful for the world — I don’t know where that came from. I just had that thought when I was a kid.”
- Maejor
As Maejor’s career progressed, big names started noticing him in the industry. Part of his vision for making an impact in the world was to create centers that teach underprivileged kids music. However, this plan always felt like something “down the line” that he was going to do. The success in his twenties led him to rapidly build on the momentum he was creating until he was dealt a devastating blow.
“I got leukemia when I was in my twenties. [I thought] ‘Whoa, this is pretty crazy — what does that mean?’ I never [even] knew that word, I never [even] knew what that was. My timeline switched [from] ‘something I’m going to do [in] 20 years’ to ‘who knows [if] I’m going to be around [in] 20 years?’ What could I do now?”
- Maejor
Maejor’s second chance has given him a different perspective on life and how to create an impact in the world using his music. It’s a great honor to bring you his story and dive into the creative process that he’s developed. Maejor’s connectedness to the world we live in and journey through spirituality made this a magical interaction.
Let’s jump straight in!
How to Remain Present
The past year has created chaos in most people’s lives, and while it’s easy to say things like “Be more present,” putting that into practice when the world feels like it’s collapsing around us is another story. Maejor shares how he remains present and what he does to create space to hear messages tapping him from the universe.
“One thing that’s helping me is a regular meditation practice. -
“Nick was such a huge part of capturing the beauty of our relationship.”
- E11even
Hello friends! Welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey.
Today, I’m excited to bring to you another episode with my dear friend, Eleven. We chatted in Episode 204 about their transition to non-binary. As a follow-up, we both decided to create another podcast that dives deep into how our relationship has progressed since we first met in 2013.
We’ve been able to explore different spaces in our lives as friends, creative collaborators, and Eleven’s even been a muse for me, my photography, and ONKEN hats. Today’s episode is all about blurring the lines between the muse and the artist as we explore beyond friendship. Let me just give you a little preview here:
“We’re dealing with sexual identity and identity alchemy and it makes a lot of different processes. [Throw in] a kindred relationship with best friends [and we are] blurring the lines between the artists and the music in a really potent and powerful way.” - Eleven
Through all of our experiences, we’ve remained friends. As our friendship deepens, we wanted to share that journey with you while challenging ourselves and our friendship in a space of vulnerability. It’s a powerful episode I hope you find value in as well, so let’s go!
Who is Eleven?
Growing up as Lynette Cenee, Eleven was raised in a world blended between religion and stage magic, with parents that were both involved in the church, as well as practicing magicians. This provided a pathway to growing up as a performer and developing a keen understanding of hair and makeup to create all the glitz and glamor needed on stage.
“I found myself living in LA and getting cast to be the hair and makeup [person] for some really incredible projects. I felt very conflicted, because I grew up on stage as the talent, and then found myself behind the scenes thinking, ‘Okay, this is great [but] I really want to be the one that people are preparing to be on screen.’ I just needed to believe I’m worthy of it, and decided to start seeking outside of being the hair and makeup [person], and seeking casting calls to be the talent.” - Eleven
Choosing to focus on being in front of the camera again led to an opportunity to be cast on a new TV show that required hair and makeup professionals on camera as experts. Participants would be given help to launch a new YouTube channel with a whole production company behind them, as well as a team of 13 people to manage all the social media components. That’s what launched the career of Lynette Cenee — the name Eleven was given at birth — for the next 10 years.
The show focused on creating different beauty videos while also telling Eleven’s story transparently online, which included their marriage in 2015. It was a challenging relationship requiring a lot of alchemy to work through. It was after deciding to leave the marriage though that Eleven was invited to visit Peru.
“I had been feeling the call towards doing deeper plant medicine work with ayahuasca. This whole evolution began in 2018, and it’s been this wild journey into this space of psychedelic Renaissance and deeper work and a whole new transition. A new avatar kind of made its way through the process and now I am identifying as Eleven — a non-binary cosmic being, and it feels more myself. I’ve never felt this authentic and true, and it feels great.” - Eleven
Each step along Eleven’s journey to becoming the person they are now has built upon the lessons they’ve learned at each growth stage.
Nick and Eleven’s Backstory
Eleven and I were first introduced on set in 2013 when our mutual friend Scooter hired us for the Teen Vogue photoshoot of Tori Kelly. Eleven said:
“I remember this whole thing about, - Montre plus
