[00:00:00] Shannen Michaela Jones: I was convinced that I wanted to go to university and be a lawyer and was really studious, which was good to develop, but away from my nature, which was play and fun and, learning for the sake of being curious rather than the curriculum that was required. And then, a switch just flipped when I was 16 and I decided to get into like circus performing I became friends with chainsaw jugglers and pierced weightlifters

[00:00:23] Nathan Maingard: Are you feeling lost in the chaos of the world, unsure of your path forward? Do you yearn for a life of freedom and joy, but feel trapped by societal norms and expectations? Look no further than this episode of the We Are Already Free Podcast, featuring the insightful and inspiring Shannen Michaela Jones.

[00:00:44] When you hear we are already free, What comes up for you? Pure change. It's a shift in awareness. It's the ultimate truth, isn't it? Getting outta the matrix. We have a choice. Joy, nature, I am more powerful than I realize I am. Human beings are [00:01:00] so powerful. the answers are in being a conscious, being. Spiritual being is living a human body experience. It's simple, it's here and it's now, you don't have to go out and find it. Eat real food. Just shining your light so bright. We are already free. You're free. you are a walking map. Have always been free.

[00:01:17] You are always free. Already free. We are already free.

[00:01:20] Nathan Maingard: Welcome to We Are Already Free, the podcast inspiring down to earth seekers to live a meaningful life right now. I am Nathan Maingard. Empowering Wordsmith transformational guide, breathwork and cold immersion facilitator and your host, bringing you authentic conversations with delightful guests who defy society's norms simply by living authentic lives.

[00:01:44] Nathan Maingard: Listen to this podcast to shake off limiting beliefs and embrace the freedom within so you can deeply connect with yourself and all you love.

[00:01:53] Nathan Maingard: In this episode, Shannen shares her journey from good student to circus performer to global citizen, [00:02:00] offering valuable insights and practical advice for anyone seeking to break free from the norm and live life on their own terms. She discusses the power of play and the importance of prioritizing fun, as well as the challenges and benefits of living abroad and embracing unconventional paths.

[00:02:16] Nathan Maingard: But perhaps most importantly, Shannen speaks to the fear and uncertainty of a rapidly changing world, the need to unlearn old programming and beliefs, and the struggle to find our authentic selves in the face of societal pressure. Through her own experiences, she offers hope and inspiration for anyone seeking a more joyful and fulfilling life.

[00:02:38] Nathan Maingard: Shannen is actually the world record holder for foot archery. I'll share a link to some of the things she can do while doing handstands and foot archery. And I mean, it, beggars belief that the level of skill that she's developed in this area of extreme and supreme fun. So don't miss this powerful episode of the We Are Already Free Podcast, and join us on the journey to a life of [00:03:00] freedom and joy.

[00:03:01] Nathan Maingard: Shannen shares about embodying joy and living your best life. Birth tourism, collecting passports legally, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, using social media to spread truth and impact lives.

[00:03:14] Nathan Maingard: And near the end, Shannen shares an interesting perspective on climate change. So listen out for that. And this of course, only scratches the surface.

[00:03:23] Nathan Maingard: A huge thank you to my sponsor for this episode, Zencaster, the ultimate web-based podcasting solution. I've saved countless hours since I moved over to their platform. If you're thinking about starting a podcast or already have a podcast, but maybe struggle with the time and the technicalities of getting good recordings, I personally recommend Zencaster. Zencastr's Modern podcasting stack allows you to do everything you need for your podcast from record to publish in one place.

[00:03:50] Nathan Maingard: I particularly love how it allows me to record in the best quality, even though the internet connection in my off-grid solar powered studio is not the most stable.

[00:03:59] Nathan Maingard: So [00:04:00] thank you Zencaster for solving that problem for me. Go to zencaster.com. That's zencastr.com/pricing. And use my code, WEAREALREADYFREE and you'll get 30% off your first three months of Zencaster Professional.

[00:04:16] Nathan Maingard: I want you to have the same easy experiences I do for all my podcasting and content needs. It's time to share your story.

[00:04:22] Nathan Maingard: Before we begin, I want to congratulate Shannen and her partner on the birth of their son, born in between the recording and .release of this episode. I'm honored to have been witnessed to the maiden to Mother journey of Shannen. Thank you so much, Shannen, for sharing your journey with us. Please find links to Shannen, the retreats she hosts in Costa Rica, our bonus chat and more in the show notes at alreadyfree.me/38. For now, please enjoy this episode and thank you for being here.

[00:04:52] Nathan Maingard: How have you managed to maintain so much fun in your life? You hold the world, Guinness World Record for foot archery and like shooting a [00:05:00] balloon while on a skateboard, doing a handstand moving and like, I mean it's, it's, it's astonishing to me that anyone would think, you know what, I'm gonna dedicate like so much time to this.

[00:05:10] Nathan Maingard: And I say that in with utmost admiration. So like, how have you prioritized so much fun in your life and what has it taken for you to, to do that?

[00:05:17] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, great question. It's certainly been a long, a long journey. I'd say that most of us have this desire to have fun in their lives, you know, as a child and through traditional schooling, I really like got to a point where I like was losing touch with that aspect of myself.

[00:05:38] Shannen Michaela Jones: I can. Looking back, really recall feeling less childlike and less fun, when I reached, you know, 12, 13, 14, and just more into the routine, I was convinced that I like, wanted to go to university and be a lawyer and was just like really studious, which was good to develop, but kind of away from my nature, which was just like play and fun and, [00:06:00] learning for the sake of being curious rather than like the curriculum that was required. And then, yeah, a flick, uh, a switch just flipped when I was 16 and I decided to get into like circus performing cause I'd previously done gymnastics. And that exposed me to like a whole world of like, fun. Like I, I became friends with like chainsaw jugglers and pierced weightlifters and, That exposed me to groups of people that were doing like social media full-time and teaching meditation.

[00:06:32] Shannen Michaela Jones: And I was just like all of a sudden, like exposed to way more options than school, um, necessarily offered. And I saw these different paths that I could go down. Um, and from that point onwards, like I still kept up with my studies and whatever, but you know, I began, uh, exploring more and, um, performing more and dabbling in busking and traveling around in my car and was just like more adventurous [00:07:00] and fun and connecting to that child, like playful self that was always there that I just forgot about.

[00:07:05] Nathan Maingard: so there's a reason I asked you about that and it's because I have so mad. It's a bit of context for you cause we don't know one another and I'm very excited to be meeting you. So thank you for coming on. It's super ra so I've been a songwriter and a, and a writer, a lover of lyrics and words for my entire life, and I started writing songs when I was about 15. At some point I became a professional musician, uh, also busking here and there playing music, et cetera.

[00:07:31] Nathan Maingard: Um, but for whatever reason, that wasn't like the core thing that was calling me forward. And I've had to go through massive dark night of the soul and death of the old self to. Be reborn into my current self, which is Yeah. You like, oh, I know how that feels. Um, but the, the current self is, is really, I realized that part of what I was missing in the music was that the music was always a medicine music about service and transformation and connection.

[00:07:57] Nathan Maingard: And so I needed to move into more of that in my own life. And [00:08:00] now I include, so I do coaching and I, a part of that is still creativity and poetry and songwriting and, and supporting people. In, in improving their, their personal mythologies because we are all running personal mythologies. And those, whether those are empowering or disempowering, that kind of dictates how our lives turn out.

[00:08:15] Nathan Maingard: But all that being said, I have shifted into a more empowered state in the last recent while connecting more to my warrior and my king, and I'm practicing that and showing up for that. And what's happening is I've noticed that I, I'm actually realizing I struggle to connect with. Authentic joy, because I'm so focused on and not joy, I feel joyful a lot of that time.

[00:08:35] Nathan Maingard: I feel satisfied. I feel like I'm doing a good job and I'm enjoying myself in that way, but I've lost that like childlike, spur of the moment, Ooh, let's just do this cuz it's fun kind of thing, at least at this moment. And that's, I think one of the things that called me to you and wanted. Me, like, why I wanted you on this podcast is I see that in you.

[00:08:53] Nathan Maingard: I see that, that thing of that beautiful human thing of like, let's just do this cuz it's fun. Anyway, so, so do you have [00:09:00] like, Because you also abandoned the circus at some point, right? So I, I'm curious to hear, like you first, you, you, like, I flipped a switch and went, right, I'm gonna be in the circus. And then you flipped another switch and went abandoned that, and now you're on this whole other path that's, that's quite well very outside of, of what society tells us is allowed and okay.

[00:09:19] Nathan Maingard: And truthful and all the rest. And you're living this life of like freedom and sovereignty and I'm curious to know what were the pivotal moments that inspired you either to first join the circus and then also to leave the circus? Like what were those switch points for you?

[00:09:32] Shannen Michaela Jones: Oh, I can totally resonate with like what you were saying about being the performer, being the artist, and like that being your identity and how necessary it is to like completely, uh, go in the opposite direction to. Um, yeah, I think, well one of the reasons why I chose to get into circus performing and I was, I was a super performer as well, so I had a 40 minute show where I was micd [00:10:00] up and you know, you get your little circle and you do your. Uh, speaking and new tricks, and then you have the audience and you're familiar with it.

[00:10:07] Shannen Michaela Jones: But a lot of people dunno. There's like a whole subculture of like street performers that travel around and like do this thing. And I think what attracted me the most initially to that lifestyle was like the freedom and the sovereignty of it. Um, yeah, you had the, I had the ability to make money wherever I wanted to in the world and you know, that level of freedom and not depending on anyone else, but your income is like huge.

[00:10:34] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, it can be really empowering for sure. Um, And then also as a performer, like the street performing versus doing like a, a show for somebody else was also like another aspect of freedom. Because when you're like doing a circus show and you're being hired by a company, you know, they have like the role that they want you to play.

[00:10:53] Shannen Michaela Jones: Whereas if you're on the street just doing your own act, you can swear if you want to, you can like say whatever you want [00:11:00] to, and you're responsible ultimately of like your own character and the environment that you are creating. Um, but then that evolved into like, um, and I think a lot of artists face this.

[00:11:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: When your passion turns into your source of income, it can kind of swindle the creativity of it. So brutal. And then I realized that like my whole identity was like about the things that I could do and not so much about the things that I, um, felt to be true in my heart and the things that I wanted to say. And then, yeah, so I was already kind of having those realizations and my dad, he's really into music.

[00:11:47] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, but it's always been a hobby throughout his life. And he just would always make fun of me and say, you know, I've got more freedom with my art than you do, because he doesn't have any attachment to money. Um, making, so, so that got me [00:12:00] thinking. And then, and please tell me if I'm rambling, if this is too much.

[00:12:05] Nathan Maingard: No, no, you're on it. I'm in.

[00:12:08] Shannen Michaela Jones: And then the pandemic happened and the whole arts industry was like absolutely destroyed. And there was like no foresight of when things would return and you knew you had to be vaccinated in order to like do shows when they did return. And, um, Yeah, I was just in a little bit of a muck cause I didn't know, like I, I dedicated like six years of my life to doing this thing that was no longer like an essential service.

[00:12:34] Shannen Michaela Jones: And, um, yeah, I was so confused. I didn't know what I was going to do from that point onwards. And I was like a receptionist for a while and then I worked at like an ice cream shop and just like completely re-skilled, um, re-skilled, went into hospitality basically. When things returned, which then led me to posting on TikTok, like my circus skills.

[00:12:56] Shannen Michaela Jones: Cause you know, it was the perfect platform really. I knew people were making money [00:13:00] online and, you know, I would see other girls like doing the splits and going viral and thinking, you know, I can do way cooler stuff than, than that. Um, so, The pandemic led me to posting online, which kind of blew up my account on TikTok initially.

[00:13:16] Shannen Michaela Jones: Like my first video got like 18 million views, which was just a lucky, um, break. Like I'm, it was just right place, right time, right video. Um, So when I first jumped online in these online spaces, I was purely only posting like circus tricks. And then the comments that I would get, um, like from my archery videos, they're all very much the same.

[00:13:39] Shannen Michaela Jones: Well, you know, so inspiring. It's really cool what you do. How long have you been doing it for? And I would just get like the same comments and same questions over and over and over again, which I was grateful for a hundred percent. That initial audience. Um, but I was just like, oh, this isn't, like, I've got more to my personality than what I can do.

[00:13:58] Shannen Michaela Jones: I'm more [00:14:00] than just like the tricks that I've developed and the skills that I've learned. And then that led me to kind of drifting a little bit away from posting so much of the circus stuff online and instead being really selective with it. And, Instead, you know, sharing a bit more of like my beliefs and the reconnecting with the freedom and the sovereignty, which has always been there along this journey.

[00:14:20] Shannen Michaela Jones: and kind of, doing a little bit more with the impact and the reach that I have in my online communities than just like, look at me, look at this like, trick that I can do. I'm just not making it my whole identity. So that was like a lot. Sorry about that, but.

[00:14:40] Nathan Maingard: are all good. It's a, it's an interesting story and I, I think for, for all of us now who are navigating the death and rebirth of society, of everything we've ever known, you know, all of us being raised in this, Dis-ease culture that has said, follow daddy, follow mommy. We'll take care of you. We have your best interests at heart.[00:15:00]

[00:15:00] Nathan Maingard: Meanwhile, it's left so many of us disenfranchised and, and sick and like feeling like there has to be more to life. So I appreciate your story and I invite you to just enjoy telling it because it's beautiful and I know that someone is listening right now and going, holy shit. Like this is, this is exactly what I needed to hear today.

[00:15:18] Nathan Maingard: Interesting. You talk about, like, I think it's such a good way to get information out. It's almost like you meme'd yourself, you know, you created, because of this, this unique skill that you have. You created content that ha like tells a massive story. Like this is a very particular story to seeing someone doing a handstand on a moving skateboard, shooting a fucking bow with their feet.

[00:15:36] Nathan Maingard: Like that is not a, it's not something. So I could ever just scroll past to be like, ah, whatever. It's like, what? The fuck am I seeing? This is ridiculous. This is amazing. And uh, and so then taking that, like my friend Roaman, uh, Riccardo, he's, he, he does this be calls himself an artivist. And he writes, he's a very, very good songwriter and he's been writing songs about personal power and about spirituality and connection and [00:16:00] like showing up and sovereignty.

[00:16:01] Nathan Maingard: He's been doing that for years. And when the pandemic or the lockdown specifically hit, he started writing these like one minute snippet songs about like, one song is why are we still listening to Bill Gates? And it, and it went viral and, and like, and it's a fucking great tune. And it, and it's so catchy.

[00:16:18] Nathan Maingard: And he's, and, and so then a lot of people were saying to him like, oh, you're just jumping on the bandwagon of whatever. And, and he's like, dude, I've been writing about this kind of stuff for years. But what he did is he realized he could use something that would just catch people. Get that moment of like shock and awe and now his message is spread so much further.

[00:16:35] Nathan Maingard: He's playing beautiful shows in Portugal. He's like got a much bigger following who are now people who are now listening to a beautiful brother and as well to you, a beautiful sister who is speaking truth to the world, to people. And so anyway, I'm just honoring you for That's so fricking claim it. Own it.

[00:16:50] Nathan Maingard: You're doing great. I'm into it.

[00:16:54] Shannen Michaela Jones: The internet is such a crazy, powerful place, and short form content has just like [00:17:00] revolutionized how you're able to get the message out and it can be so, um, I mean, it's a good and a bad thing. You know, these TikTok algorithms and how they're like competing to suck away as much time as possible, but you know, Uh, learn how they work.

[00:17:19] Shannen Michaela Jones: You can definitely use it to your advantage. And like you said, uh, spread truth and get, get the message out there in a much larger scale than if you were to create like a longer form YouTube video. Like how short, how concise, how catchy can you yeah, relay the information that you want to get out there into the world.

[00:17:40] Shannen Michaela Jones: It just feels like a bit of a game. Um, but yeah, really cool that. Basically anyone can just go viral overnight and then just like, um, yeah, I did the bow arrow. You've got all the eyes on you. Like my channels are getting between like 40 to 60 million impressions a month, which is just like [00:18:00] nuts. Like, you know, look at me, look at the, the bow arrow trick.

[00:18:03] Shannen Michaela Jones: And then it translates into, let me tell you about, yeah, like the lockdowns or fluoride or like using it. To like, uh, create these conversations.

[00:18:17] Nathan Maingard: Well let's, let's talk about that a bit more. I mean, I'm curious cuz you do have this, you know, you got a massive following and you are using your influence to touch on specific topics. When you said in your intake form, I was curious to know, did you mean birth tourism or was it birth comma tourism?

[00:18:31] Nathan Maingard: Because you said birth tourism as one. And I'm like, is that actually birth tourism? Because if so I really wanna know what birth tourism is. And you also said health and wellness, et cetera. So I'd love to hear like, I don't know, kind of what got you into exploring these areas and, and, and how do they relate to how you want to live a sort of free and a sovereign life.

[00:18:51] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um, birth tourism is something that I've really been delving into since falling pregnant. I'm, uh, 35 weeks now at the moment, [00:19:00] so yeah, definitely the time is nearing The portal is right in front of my eyes. And I guess over the past few years, this concept of being a global citizen has really emerged.

[00:19:13] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, these are various reasons, you know, the pandemic, um, the lockdowns, like people wanting to escape, but not necessarily like being able to leave their, their home country. So, um, and there's also a thing called flag theory, where, you know, At the moment, most people have like their business, their investments, their residency, their citizenships, like all in one country, which can kind of be a negative thing if you're at the mercy of just like one jurisdiction.

[00:19:42] Shannen Michaela Jones: Jurisdiction. So, um, so this idea of like collecting passports and setting up bases around the world is like an avenue to freedom and sovereignty to some degree, um, because travel freedom does equal personal freedom. Previously I thought that that was only like an [00:20:00] opportunity for the, wealthy, there are countries where you can gain citizenship and get an extra passport, but they require like a $150,000 investment into the country's real estate, and that's like per person.

[00:20:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: So it seemed like this massive barrier to entry to get started on that journey of collecting passports. Or, you know, um, maybe like your parents have, uh, like British citizens and then their citizenship can pass down. But you know, you can't really control that. It's just like a luck of luck of the draw.

[00:20:33] Shannen Michaela Jones: And then I started researching into birth tourism, which is another form of immigration. And the term it falls under is just soli, which means that if you have a child born on the soil, they become essentially a citizen of that country. And then by that route, the parents, are, citizens by descent. So there are like 31 countries in the world currently that offer [00:21:00] birthright citizenship, this form of immigration.

[00:21:02] Shannen Michaela Jones: There are some first world countries, first world. People don't really like those terms, but it's like America, Canada, and then some more developing countries like, um, El Salvador, cost Rica, Brazil, and between, you know, um, so yeah, you essentially travel abroad, give birth to the baby, they become a citizen, and then the parents become automatic residents with a pathway to citizenship, you're essentially collecting a passport and it is a form of investment, form of immigration.

[00:21:31] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah.

[00:21:33] Nathan Maingard: You have officially just blown my mind. that's fucking crazy. That's so cool. That's great to know about. I'm gonna look more into that. What a, what a trip.

[00:21:42] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm writing a little, uh, informational product about it at the moment, so in a few months time, that'll be ready and I'll be able to, to share more, cuz there's really not that much information online about it. And, Um, like the reality of the situation isn't [00:22:00] all, uh, it, sometimes the information online is not as accurate, so it's hard to like do the research and find the resources and to like commit to doing something like, you know, moving across the globe for a passport.

[00:22:11] Shannen Michaela Jones: But yeah. Yeah, it's uh, certainly something to consider if you are pregnant or you know, your family.

[00:22:19] Nathan Maingard: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, thank you for sharing that. And it's interesting, while you were speaking, I, I thought of one of the, the sort of, I don't know what to call this, but it's almost like ancestral missing. Like I miss things that I've never experienced. And one of those things is that I know my ancestors were nomadic and that I would've been in a tribe where we followed a certain route.

[00:22:38] Nathan Maingard: Or or routes every year that were seasonal that followed, like, when's the food gonna be best on the coastline? When's the weather gonna be nice? And we, and we didn't need to own anything. I know this is, in my case, many thousands of years ago. I dunno when my family would've been doing that, but I miss that.

[00:22:53] Nathan Maingard: Uh, and that's part of what I enjoyed about being a traveler. And then, Within the context of our current [00:23:00] societal sort of consciousness, it's like travel itself is quite extractive. It's like we're taking, you know, we're flying these big metal machines over the oceans of the earth and, and this, it's like, but it also harkens back to a time of that kind of like, when I hear you speaking, I get that little ache.

[00:23:17] Nathan Maingard: Where it's like, oh man, just to be that free again. And interestingly enough, I've kind of swung to the opposite now where I'm rooting. Currently we're building a house and we've bought a piece of land in a little eco village in South Africa and, and feeling like getting more of a rooted in place thing.

[00:23:33] Nathan Maingard: And I don't know whether that will last or not. I don't know what's gonna last at this point. Everything is up for, up for like questioning right now. But I just hearing you, I see that modern connection to that ancient desire for liberty in motion.

[00:23:47] Shannen Michaela Jones: Mm. Yeah. Beautiful. I think there's um, definitely room for both, both being rooted and both the explorer different seasons.

[00:23:56] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, absolutely.

[00:23:58] Shannen Michaela Jones: Beautiful.

[00:23:58] Nathan Maingard: Abso freaking. [00:24:00] Absolutely. Um, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna jump like sideways across sort of topics that you are really knowledgeable about or that at least you seem from my perspective to be knowledgeable about one of them being Bitcoin, which you are really into, like you love Bitcoin. I think you even did it something recently.

[00:24:15] Nathan Maingard: You may have done multiple, but I'm pretty sure I saw one where you said Costa Rica's cool cuz they accept Bitcoin all over the place and um, Yeah, it was. Yeah, I thought so. Okay. So I'm curious to know what you think the benefits are of cryptocurrency for those who are looking for a more authentic life in these times.

[00:24:32] Nathan Maingard: And, and then specifically, how has adopting Bitcoin impacted your life personally,

[00:24:37] Shannen Michaela Jones: Well, I'm still very much on my learning journey about Bitcoin and what is money and this exchange of energy. Um, but the more I'm learning about it, the more I'm just like consistently blown. Away. And there's a lot of people that are really passionate about Bitcoin and the tech side of things.

[00:24:53] Shannen Michaela Jones: But what attracted me was like, again, the freedom, the sovereignty aspect of it. Having money that is [00:25:00] like untouchable essentially from the government's untraceable and untrackable. Um, I guess. It comes back to the pandemic again, where, you know, they're restricting bank accounts for, for participating in protests against the, against the mandates and, you know, you could be fined for protesting and all the, the digital ID stuff like, they're able to, they were able to track you and it, it was pretty impactful in Australia.

[00:25:29] Shannen Michaela Jones: But you know, you hear of these stories in Canada as well and it's like, it kind of made me realize. That I wasn't as, uh, truly free as I once thought that I was. And the fact that these governments have so much control over your money is, is not necessarily a good thing. So it's like, what is the.

[00:25:49] Shannen Michaela Jones: Alternative. Um, Bitcoin, I think is the freedom money. There's this very clear push towards, um, cbdc's and digital currencies [00:26:00] where the governments are going to like essentially fade out cash and then replace with this digital system. And Bitcoin is like the alternative that is fighting away from the C V C D CVC narrative that they are definitely implementing.

[00:26:15] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um,

[00:26:15] Nathan Maingard: Hmm.

[00:26:17] Shannen Michaela Jones: I guess, yeah, inflation. Obviously is, is a huge thing. You know, the dollar is like being, uh, fading into oblivion. So what is the alternative? You know, property, gold, silver, bitcoin. That is kind of what made it desirable to me in the first place. Like if your money's in the bank, you know, you are losing money, you know, they've got control, they've got access over it.

[00:26:42] Shannen Michaela Jones: And the whole reason why we moved over to Central America was to document how Bitcoin was being adopted in these parts of the world. Because, you know, we're still so early and so many people don't, um, have that reference that like [00:27:00] Bitcoin can be used as a currency and it is being used in communities here in Costa Rica.

[00:27:05] Shannen Michaela Jones: Like you can. Uh, in the zone that I'm living at the moment, it is called the, the Bitcoin jungle. And essentially you can pay for your meals, basically at every restaurant here, you can buy things in Bitcoin, you can purchase things at the supermarket, get your local produce at the farmer's market, taxis, hotels, like it's being used as a currency here.

[00:27:29] Shannen Michaela Jones: In El Salvador, they've made it legal tender, so it's like a legal currency there as well. And the same thing is happening and you know, we think it's really interesting to come to these places and seeing how it's practically being used and bringing power and freedom back to these communities.

[00:27:45] Shannen Michaela Jones: More specifically, like in these parts of the world, the banking systems are pretty, pretty crappy. Like you regularly see locals lining up for like two, three hours at the bank and you know, there's only one ATM in town and it [00:28:00] has like a $10 ATM fee, um, to get money out. And that's if it is even like working or not.

[00:28:07] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, we were talking to locals who had stories about giving house deposit money to the banks, and they would just like lose it. how do you send money from me to you over in South Africa without like significant fees or it, it's just making the peer-to-peer transactions a lot more simpler, less transactional fees.

[00:28:26] Shannen Michaela Jones: I'm just going on and on and on tangents, aren't I?

[00:28:29] Nathan Maingard: No. No, this is the important stuff. I, I think, cuz I don't know much about it and I also feel like a lot of people I know we like, know about Bitcoin, but, and I have friends who are so into Bitcoin and, and people I respect, but so far it's just felt, it's felt too distant. And I think in my mind, like I'm always comparing it to, oh, it's like an you like buy it and you hope it gets worth more so you can ma make it back into my dollars and then you have more money than you started with.

[00:28:53] Nathan Maingard: But what I'm hearing from you and what I'm picking up in general is like, There's a, actually one of my friends, he's like, dude, when you start [00:29:00] spending Bitcoin to buy things, that's when you kind of start to understand the difference. Not just using it as a way to store value, but as a way to actually make exchange outside of the old system.

[00:29:10] Nathan Maingard: So that's what I'm hearing from you. So, yeah, that's great.

[00:29:13] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, totally. It can totally be used as a either or. Some people feel very passionately about the fact that it should just be a store of value, whereas, you know, if you come to these communities, they see it as like an amazing alternative to like cash or the dollar.

[00:29:28] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So I have so many directions I want to take this in. That's the, the challenge of three, three-dimensional reality is I have to make a choice. Sorry, what was that?

[00:29:41] Shannen Michaela Jones: I need to get better at like, concisely explaining my points. I can just ramble.

[00:29:51] Nathan Maingard: No.

[00:29:53] Shannen Michaela Jones: Question,

[00:29:53] Nathan Maingard: I don't consider, I would, I would be curious to challenge you on that, that concept of what rambling is. There's a beautiful, [00:30:00] um, comic that I'll actually sh I'll see if I can track it down and share it with you afterwards. And actually I'll put it in the show notes as well for, for the lovely listener.

[00:30:07] Nathan Maingard: But, uh, it's basically don't say sorry. If you wanna say thank you. And so it has.

[00:30:16] Shannen Michaela Jones: I'm so, oh, sorry. Oh my gosh. I almost said that again. Yeah. It's just something that people, the universe just keeps sending that message through various people. Like stop saying, sorry, stop apologizing. It's fine. There's room, there's space. Yeah.

[00:30:32] Nathan Maingard: It's a big lesson though. I mean, I think so many of us have had to learn that one. I'm still learning that one. And it's a beautiful practice. I love words. I love speaking. And at oftentimes I will just go into a whole rant about something I'm excited about and the practice is at the end of that to pause and just say, thank you for listening.

[00:30:49] Nathan Maingard: And give a little chuckle cuz I'm a bit sheepish cuz I love to speak. So, so it's like, that's the, instead of, you know, because it's creating a, a sort of unwritten contract. If at the end of when you've said something [00:31:00] that you're passionate about and you really care about and you're excited to share it however you share it, and then at the end of that you're like, I'm sorry I'm rambling.

[00:31:06] Nathan Maingard: You've kind of made a contract that I didn't agree to necessarily or that the listener didn't agree to. And so you have a choice there to make a different contract, which is to assume. That I'm listening because I'm enjoying what you're saying and I'm just grateful to be here with you.

[00:31:20] Shannen Michaela Jones: Hmm. Yeah, definitely noted. Uh, it's definitely a rabbit hole when you dissect what words really mean. Um, like an example the other day I was talking to my landlord, um, and she just told me, stop saying that you understand. Just tell me that you, you innerstand what I'm saying? Cause she doesn't wanna have that, um, Like hierarchy.

[00:31:44] Shannen Michaela Jones: When you are standing under someone, like listening to them, you're giving them this like authority and this power. Whereas innerstand feels more like they're both mutually on this same level. And that's just one word, one example of the many that we use in our vocabulary that just like, uh, sweep over our heads or we just [00:32:00] finally accepted without realizing like the power that we're giving to these words.

[00:32:03] Shannen Michaela Jones: That means so much.

[00:32:06] Nathan Maingard: Yes. I just have been practicing that. So there I find that I go through phases with different words. So the one that most recently has been coming for me is trying, and I'm getting much, much better now. Often I'll catch myself before I even say it, but if I do say it, then I can shift it because it has a synonym.

[00:32:22] Nathan Maingard: Trying can also be practicing. It's the same thing, but it has a different. Totally different, uh, intention and and power to it. So when I say, you know, I'm, instead of I'm trying to do this thing, it's like I'm practicing and so suddenly it's like, wow, I'm already successful because I, in just practicing is success.

[00:32:40] Nathan Maingard: So yeah. Anyway, that's what the word for me. Currently. Do you have any words that you're particularly like playing around us right now?

[00:32:48] Shannen Michaela Jones: Hmm. Not at the moment. I think I, I've, yeah, it was just the other day that she mentioned Understand once that's something that I'm trying to break the habit of. [00:33:00] Um, and then the please and the Thank you, please. Thank you. Uh, the apologizing excessively is something that I'm working on currently. Yeah.

[00:33:10] Nathan Maingard: And what do you think that apologizing, do you have a sense of what that's connected to for you? What do you feel like you're apologizing for?

[00:33:18] Shannen Michaela Jones: uh, I think I'm just trying to practice taking up space and allowing myself the time to say what it is that I need to say. And I think it's just developed from habit or some kind of people pleaser tendency, um, that, you know, gets drilled into, through like the schooling system or some kind of competitive sport or something. yeah, I think now it's mostly habit.

[00:33:47] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, I feel, where did I, I read that somewhere that most of what we do, or maybe it was Joe Dispenza or something, by the time we're an adult, most of our thoughts on a daily basis are just habit. The things that we think and we run in our minds is [00:34:00] literally just automatic that there's not a like 98% or some ridiculous amount, and that's the big, that's the big.

[00:34:07] Nathan Maingard: Gift that we have, the opportunity is to practice at different habits that set, and I mean, I'd love to know this about you, so to, to set a Guinness World record and to do the things that you do. I mean, you must have a, a level of commitment to your practice that I would love to, to sort of embody more of in myself.

[00:34:26] Nathan Maingard: Do you have a sense of, of what it is that you connect to or how is it that you have maintained such a, a level of dedication to the things that you care about?

[00:34:35] Shannen Michaela Jones: I don't know if it's like an aspect of just my personality or. Or whether it's something neurological, but I just get really like obsessive and I like, um, I don't know if obsessive is the right word, because it doesn't have like the nicest connotations towards it, but I just really enjoy like routine and habit and doing things, um, [00:35:00] structurally at the same time is like, I like completely uh, avoiding them as well, you know? I, I, I don't know. I like, there's certain little traits in my life where I could just like eat the same thing, uh, every day for the next like, two years and not get tired of it. Or I could just do the same level of like, training and know exactly how it is. And that like, um, journey of self mastery is something that I've always kind of, um, enjoyed or been drawn to.

[00:35:28] Shannen Michaela Jones: But yeah, I'd say it largely just has to do with my like personality. I tend to like that, those tasks of repetitiveness.

[00:35:37] Nathan Maingard: Interesting. Yeah, so that's an interesting one. So I had to just look up cuz I'm, I'm such a fan of etymology. I think etymology gives a great insight into where we've come from as far as speaking. And words go, like it gives, gives the sense of what the root is and obsess from the Latin, uh, is to watch closely, to besiege, to occupy, to stay, to remain, to [00:36:00] abide, and literally to sit opposite to.

[00:36:03] Nathan Maingard: So in a sense, when I hear that, I think, wow, what a beautiful thing to sit opposite to the things we care about so much that we become so familiar with them, that we become masterful.

[00:36:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: So interesting. Great, great. I'm gonna develop that habit.

[00:36:20] Nathan Maingard: Say that again.

[00:36:22] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, I, I should be looking at words more in the same way that you just did, you know?

[00:36:27] Nathan Maingard: It's a lot of fun. I, I recently, I just made a post on my Instagram about this because it just made me so happy that, cuz in my work coaching people and in my, my own life as well, but I noticed the word come up a lot and the feeling come up that's associated with it, which is, I'm weird, you know, I'm, I'm weird, I'm different.

[00:36:44] Nathan Maingard: People call me weird. I feel weird. I feel like an outsider. And so I just had the thought the other day. I was like, I have a feeling this word has something in it for me. And I went and looked up the etymology and the, the, the, the root of the word weird is from like English weir, [00:37:00] wyrd, which the original meaning of is one who controls their fate,

[00:37:05] Shannen Michaela Jones: Whoa,

[00:37:11] Nathan Maingard: right?

[00:37:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: Good one. Oh hmm.

[00:37:18] Nathan Maingard: Hmm.

[00:37:18] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah. Wow. Very, very interesting. I, um,

[00:37:22] Nathan Maingard: Yeah. I love that. And well, based on what you talk about a lot as well, I, I, I thought that made, you know, it makes sense that that word would become a negative word in our society because our society doesn't want people to control their own fate. So of course that's gonna become an insult. You're weird.

[00:37:38] Nathan Maingard: Well, thank you for that compliment.

[00:37:41] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. Cause it's really, uh, going to turn things around in my life, like on a small scale maybe, but yeah, that, that belief. I feel like I've carried along with me for many years and now it's like an avenue to [00:38:00] transmuting it into something so positive and beautiful. So thank you.

[00:38:06] Nathan Maingard: oh man. Such a pleasure. That brings me a lot of joy to hear that. And speaking of joy, uh, do you understand, I feel like you're about to say something I.

[00:38:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: Oh, I was just going to, um, mention, do you have kids?

[00:38:20] Nathan Maingard: I was just about to ask you about your pregnancy and having a baby. I do not yet have kids, and my lovely lady, Carly and I are, are seriously talking that like the time is, the time is nigh. So I'm excited. Is that, what is that? Yeah. Talk about it. I'm excited.

[00:38:35] Shannen Michaela Jones: it just made me think when you were talking about how, um, referencing Joe Dispenza and how 98% of our beliefs are, um, Habit and this transition from maiden to mother and falling pregnant has like completely shifted my world upside down. And I'm realizing how much unlearning needs to be done, not learning about birth and learning about childhood, and learning about raising children, but like [00:39:00] unlearning of my own programming.

[00:39:02] Shannen Michaela Jones: And it's like the perfect, um, I think children and bringing life into this world is like the opportunity to do that cuz we go so many years of like programming and then, you know, bring life into this world and then the unprogramming begins and it's just like never So I just wanted to mention that.

[00:39:21] Nathan Maingard: Beautiful. What do you feel like you're unprogramming or you have unprogrammed, like what's shifting for you?

[00:39:28] Shannen Michaela Jones: I first started learning about. Birth itself, birth and labor, and how birth has turned into this like medicalized industry that is really profit driven, not necessarily supportive of like women's physiological, like hormonal process for birth. so previously prior to falling pregnant, all I knew about birth was like the one born every minute, like your water breaks, and then there's this big medical emergency, and then the doctor needs to come in and like, save you.

[00:39:57] Shannen Michaela Jones: And it's like, um, [00:40:00] Turned into this process of really understanding that like birth is actually a non-medical event. Birth has been, in the care of midwives and women and, and we are so programmed, and I had this. Personal belief to think that like in order to have a a, a safe birth or a birth in general, I needed to like, give my power away to an external, resource.

[00:40:24] Shannen Michaela Jones: Whereas, you know, it all comes, like we have the ability to birth in our dna and we've been doing it for thousands of years. And, and that was like the start of the journey, um, reframing how I, uh, saw birth and labor and pregnancy. And then it phased into like, what am I going to be modeling like with my children?

[00:40:47] Shannen Michaela Jones: Like what, what have I picked up from my childhood and what am I gonna repeat? What like subconscious behaviors am I like, um, passing down and like, how intentional can I be with like raising this little human? [00:41:00] Because inevitably you're going to. Um, pass down all that you are to this person who is watching so eagerly so, yeah.

[00:41:08] Shannen Michaela Jones: And it's like my whole world is like the walls of being, uh, shattered.

[00:41:16] Nathan Maingard: Yo, I You're talking about language, the word, when doctors say, I'm, I delivered a baby,

[00:41:22] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah.

[00:41:23] Nathan Maingard: no, you didn't.

[00:41:27] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah. It's an odd one.

[00:41:30] Nathan Maingard: Yeah. That's beautiful. I, I, I feel like I've avoided, as, I've avoided manhood, I've, as I've avoided being a man for a lot of my adult life. I mean, I'm 39 now and I spent most of my, well, all my 20, most of my twenties. I was tr I started the practice of turning around back towards myself in my mid twenties and it was been an on off journey ever since.

[00:41:51] Nathan Maingard: But I really feel like in these last few years, having met Carly and having deepened into commitment and into, yeah, choosing my life. Being like no one [00:42:00] else is responsible for the shit or the beauty that is unfolding. I'm the one who gets to dictate am I being a king or am I being a a, a, what's a victim?

[00:42:11] Nathan Maingard: And so, Yeah, I just really feel like children or the opportunity to have a child is, is like the next level piece. And my, one of my dear friends James, who lives in the area, he, they've got a beautiful son now. I just love him so much. He's a epic, epic little dude. And uh, and James was saying, he's like, when I became a father, I, it was obviously the hardest thing beyond what you can imagine.

[00:42:33] Nathan Maingard: And I discovered reserves and parts of myself that I just did not know existed that I could not access until I became a dad. And so, uh, when I'm hearing you speak, I'm hearing that you are currently, as you say, in that transformation from maiden to mother and, and having to let go of a lot of old stuff.

[00:42:51] Shannen Michaela Jones: And how, what a blessing it is to have your priorities change and to go through that transformation and, and take radical responsibility over your [00:43:00] entire life and your family and your being and your community. And, and that is freedom. You know, and there's this, Narrative that gets played that like transitioning into this phase of life is like a, a lack of freedom or a loss of freedom, but I think it's quite the opposite.

[00:43:15] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, this is, well, this leads me into the, the final question I'd love to ask you, which is, when you hear the words, we are already free, what comes up for you?

[00:43:23] Shannen Michaela Jones: We are already free. It is our birthright. And I think you can access that level of freedom without going anywhere. Just through the power of your mind and meditation and, and distancing and detaching from the beliefs and the programs that you have ingrained within your being. I also acknowledge that the systems and the environment that we're in aren't necessarily supportive of our freedom.

[00:43:54] Shannen Michaela Jones: So, We are already free. I think it's a bit of the mental and the physical. [00:44:00] Mentally we are already free and we can get to that point, but physically, there's certainly a game to, to finding freedom and a fight, to finding freedom in this, in this world currently, because as optimistic as I am, that's why I'm bringing children into the world.

[00:44:13] Shannen Michaela Jones: There are people at the highest level that want freedom and want our control, and, and there's this like collective fight back towards freedom that's being explored through like Bitcoin and birth tourism and, um, holistic practices and ancestral, um, health pillars that are like reemerging and this, this sense of freedom.

[00:44:37] Shannen Michaela Jones: Um, It's certainly desired and, and, and it feels like there's this, fight that's happening right now for freedom and I think that we're all pursuing that path and, and ultimately we will win, but it does feel a bit in limbo at the moment. Does that make sense? Am I'm being a bit wishy-washy?

[00:44:57] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, I hear you. I mean, I, it's, I think that's part [00:45:00] of the game is that we can't know that the outcome is gonna be what it's gonna be like. We, we are facing the potential end. I think the, the end of freedom. Because we have to face that to be really faced with. It's like, uh, I realized recently that, you know, beautiful visions of the future are very attractive and, and motivating.

[00:45:18] Nathan Maingard: Like, oh yeah, that's, yeah, I want to live in a beautiful world. But what really gets humans to take action is feeling the pain, is actually becoming aware of how much pain we are in right now. And I think it's getting harder and harder to ignore that pain. And so that is then the invitation and, and part of that pain is we may not ev this, like this is a serious thing.

[00:45:39] Nathan Maingard: We may be the slaves to the machine, the top-down control a hundred percent within the next 10 years. You know, like that could happen. And so there is a beautiful invitation to be already free now because it's time, it's time to stop waiting around for that, what, whatever the outcome ends up being. So I, that's what I get from, from what I'm hearing you say.

[00:45:59] Shannen Michaela Jones: Totally. [00:46:00] I think, um, it was really confronting to face like the collective amnesia that happened after the pandemic and after the lockdowns were, Lifted and how quickly people were to like move on from things. Meanwhile, like this extreme surveillance and censorship was like implemented, while that big distraction was going on.

[00:46:22] Shannen Michaela Jones: And we can, you know, meditate and find peace, within our own being and, you know, create alternative communities and like find freedom in those ways. But unless we like, activate this like warrior spirit and fight back. Like, you don't just wanna be sitting in meditation as they, Go down this path.

[00:46:41] Shannen Michaela Jones: So, yeah, it's good to hear that a lot of people are, oh, I hate the term, you know, waking up. But, you know, more and more people are becoming aware of this and, uh, seeking, alternative communities aside from like what the mainstream and the narrative and, and the ploys that they are implementing at the moment, so yeah. Yeah. Resonate [00:47:00] with all that you're saying? Um, the changes near, the changes coming, I feel it. Many, many people feel it and, power on.

[00:47:08] Nathan Maingard: Power on. Uh, that just made me think of the Power Rangers for some reason. What did they didn't say Power on, I don't think. I can't remember what they said anyway. Um, but, so I just had a guest on a few episodes ago at Dougald Hine and he's written a book called At Work in the Ruins, and he's comes from a lifetime of being an environmentalist.

[00:47:27] Nathan Maingard: He's one of the people he was involved in. Um, Extinction rebellion, things like that. And his whole thing now is like, it's time to stop talking about climate change and actually acknowledge that we are at the end of a world, at the end of a society, like the things are ending and we can, how do we find meaning in the ruins of what was?

[00:47:46] Nathan Maingard: And I think it's a beautiful. It's a powerful and beautiful thing to acknowledge that we, there's no escaping, there's, we can't go far enough to get away from the pollution. For ex example, he used an example, which is a sad one, but it's, this is good. It's like we gotta [00:48:00] start having this, like this meeting, this feeling of intensity around it.

[00:48:03] Nathan Maingard: I think where, and he's like these whales that this one community that lives in some far place, that's. You know, they protected these people and they, they actually hunt whales for their livelihood, for their lives, for their food that's there. It's been their traditional way, and the whales can't really eat them anymore because their, their flesh is, is becoming toxic.

[00:48:21] Nathan Maingard: And, and the guy was like, someone was speaking about it and, and a man said, the whales are not toxic. The nature is, Has become tough. The nature is poisoned, the ocean is poisoned, and this is a hard thing to, to acknowledge, but we have done this as a society, as a collective. And when we like take this then into quantum physics and how we're all the self-reflecting itself, the power that seems to exist for me in this moment is that you as an individual, me as an individual and each of us who's listening to this, we can meet that poisonous part of ourselves and we can become friends with that and become, come into a relationship with that and transmute that.

[00:48:56] Nathan Maingard: As all good alchemists do, and that's where the real [00:49:00] transformation happens because there's no escaping ourselves. And so, I don't know. I felt like I was rambling a little there, but I'm curious to hear what you think about that.

[00:49:08] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, I think the climate change one is, An interesting topic for sure. Like there's no doubt that we are, um, you know, polluting the earth and, and causing, uh, disruption in these natural environments. But I also think that it can be used as a tool to like keep us in a state of fear and ultimately, you know, when not like the human race could completely die out and the earth will still thrive and continue on without us, you know, Yeah, it's, it's an interesting one because I mean, I certainly think there's something, uh, to be said with the way that it's being positioned. Like, like, um, how they're using, uh, this like fear of climate change as like a tool to keep our collective consciousness down. And like, there's a lot of people, being [00:50:00] diagnosed with, I don't know if it's like climate depression or something, but basically there's like a massive, uh, generation of like young people that no longer wanna have kids because they think that, you know, kids are the problem and you know, are overpopulated and then we're causing climate change.

[00:50:14] Shannen Michaela Jones: And like that narrative can certainly play out. But that is kind of beside the point that you were trying to make, which is like, yes, we all have the power to make the change. And that of course, I a hundred percent feel and resonate with.

[00:50:26] Nathan Maingard: Hmm. No, it's a good, I, I think the words climate change is, is, uh, like with anything, it can become loaded. I think the empowerment is, it's obvious to me. I don't need to wonder if, if me and my people are having a negative impact overall on the environment around us right now. I can see it. Like, I don't have to, no one, I don't need a scientist out there telling me, you know, climate change.

[00:50:48] Nathan Maingard: I don't, that's too big right here in my local community. I can see that we are polluting the rivers and we are killing the oceans and like I can see us doing it. So that's the place where I have power to Not even, [00:51:00] I can't make that much change. I'm one dude, but I can change inside. I can find a, a way of, A different way of being within myself that includes mourning, that includes the loss of, of all that has been so that I can make space for what is coming without, as Dougal Hines says, he's like, maybe the old world isn't worth saving.

[00:51:18] Nathan Maingard: So we've ca if we keep thinking we can go back somewhere, we're denying ourselves the opportunity to witness the birth that is trying to happen right now. And I think there's something beautiful in that.

[00:51:28] Shannen Michaela Jones: Yeah, absolutely. I think, there's only one way forward really. I think, um,

[00:51:32] Nathan Maingard: Yeah.

[00:51:33] Shannen Michaela Jones: it is, uh, blissful ignorance to think that we can go back to anything the way that anything was. I think we can learn from the past, but you know, the future is there and it is what we essentially make, make of it. And, and all of those woowoo washy, um, that do ring true.

[00:51:52] Nathan Maingard: Yeah, that's why the Heroes journey exists. You know, like there's a reason for that is that we are all in the heroes journey, and there there is redemption within [00:52:00] that st Arc. There has to be redemption within the, the, the story of the hero who confronts the worst darkness and faces absolute defeat. Um, that's.

[00:52:09] Nathan Maingard: That's the narrative we're currently playing out. So again, thank you so much Shannen. I've deeply enjoyed your, your presence. And I really, more than anything, I, I just appreciate the joy that you, you bring the fact that you can, you can do fun stuff and, and that that can be enough. Uh, at least that's what it's, I, when I see that, I see that I can do fun stuff and that can be enough and that that's beautiful and I really want more of that in my life and, and for all of us, cuz.

[00:52:35] Nathan Maingard: You know, fuck it. We are infinity experiencing itself. We might as well have fun. Um, so yeah, thank you again for coming on. I really appreciate it.

[00:52:42] Shannen Michaela Jones: Thank you so much for holding space and allowing me the, yeah, the time and space to, to connect with you and, and your, hopefully your audience and hopefully mine and yeah. What a beautiful opportunity this was.

[00:52:58] Nathan Maingard: Thank you again to Shannen [00:53:00] Michaela for your presence on the We Are Already Free Podcast. You can find links to Shannen, information on the retreats she hosts in Costa Rica, and many of the things we talk about at alreadyfree.me/38. That's also where you'll find a link to the Patreon where you can access bonus conversations with guests.

[00:53:18] Nathan Maingard: Get a personal shout out on the podcast and many other lovely perks. Thank you for valuing this podcast as much as I do.

[00:53:26] Nathan Maingard: In this episode, we covered prioritizing fun, birth tourism, bitcoin sovereignty, and much more. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and please be sure to share. Thank you for being here with me.

[00:53:37] Nathan Maingard: Dear listener, I love being me with you. And together we are remembering that we are already free. I'll see you soon and please reach out if you have any thoughts or feelings to share at alreadyfree.me/38. Until next time, I'm Nathan Maingard, checking out and wishing you blessings on the path.