The JOY Hour

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:Recorded between Ibiza and London. We acknowledge the colonial histories of Spain and the UK, and honour the diverse communities whose lands and labour built these cities. ABOUT THIS EPISODE:Canay Atalay is a regenerative innovation architect who works at the intersection of business, AI, and planetary regeneration... and in this conversation, she invites us to question one of the assumptions we most take for granted: that technology and nature are separate things. They are not. We are not.We talk about human agency in an age of AI, why your body is still the most sophisticated technology available to you, and how the quality of what you are feeling shapes everything you create. This is one of those conversations that asks you to sit with a tree, look honestly in the mirror, and take responsibility for the energy you bring into everything you touch.🎁 FREE GIFT FOR LISTENERSGrab your free gift from Journal to JOY: mayagandaia.com/joyhourgift IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE:Why AI is not separate from nature... and neither are youHow your emotions shape the reality you are co-creatingWhat "recoding" means in business and personal transformationStrength training, embodiment, and women in leadershipWhy asking the tree in your garden might give you better answers than you expectTIMESTAMPS:00:00 Welcome02:04 The gym, accumulated stress, and a moment of recognition: this is the life I was dreaming of06:15 What her daughters reveal about ego and what is truly meaningful09:44 How the world is a mirror of what we have not yet integrated within ourselves15:50 Finding discernment with AI: what is good for me, and what is good for us?19:33 Thoughts are using humans, not the other way around25:19 Forgetfulness and remembrance... the game of being human29:21 Have you asked the tree in your garden?39:27 Canay's invitation: drink water, bless it, move it, be grateful for it ABOUT CANAY:Canay Atalay is a regenerative innovation architect and founder of the RX Innovation Institute and The Heroines, curator of Heart Masters Ibiza, and host of Regenerative Innovation with Canay at Harvard Business Review. She advises executives and boards on cultural transformation, intelligent systems design, and token economics across organisations and ecosystems. RESOURCES MENTIONED:RX Innovation InstituteThe Heroines: theheroines.coHeart Masters IbizaCONNECT WITH CANAY:Instagram: @canay.atalayLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/canayEmail: [email protected] WITH ELLA MESMA:Website: mayagandaia.comFree Gift: mayagandaia.com/joyhourgiftLISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-joy-hour/id1849505845Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1e2AslgK9q1hnEimdgQHzrYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ybUzyvIV4PVoZ3S9ZK1pEGKuY7XcY8MACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:Music by LamRock. Thank you to Canay and to you for listening.

In this conversation, we explore what it means to find your own rhythm in life... We talk about structure and freedom, manifesting dreams into reality through Lifebook, how to show up as your authentic self, and why martial arts, healing work, and teaching are all expressions of genuine human connection.LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:Recorded between London and Antwerp. We acknowledge the colonial histories of the UK and Belgium, and honour the diverse communities whose lands and labour built them.🎁 FREE GIFT FOR LISTENERS:Download your free Joy Hour resource at www.mayagandaia.com/joyhourgiftIN THIS EPISODE:Why choosing your rhythm is more important than the choreography itselfThe journey from physiotherapy to energy healing to teaching to stunt fight choreographyHow healing work taught Cliff that the heart matters more than techniqueStructure and freedom: the paradox of real freedom living in structureManifesting through Lifebook: writing down your dreams and watching them unfoldThe childlike energy of curiosity and awe... and how to keep it aliveThe power of community and doing things togetherFrom lightsaber videos to Netflix sponsorships: the unfolding of a creative dreamTIMESTAMPS:00:01 - Welcome and introduction 06:06 - Michael Jackson and keeping childlike energy alive11:28 - Cliff's teacher in Malaysia: the missing piece is feeling13:09 - Healing people with your heart not just technique24:24 - Inner and outer journey: we need mirrors from other people28:26 - This year my journey is more rhythm40:37 - Love for Wushu sparked again after prison in Indonesia43:22 - Creating Team Kai and the lightsaber journey48:06 - Lifebook: the sacred book holding your visionABOUT THE GUEST:Cliff Tang is a Belgian-born Chinese energy healer, body worker, stunt fight choreographer, and newly minted teacher based between London and Antwerp. His journey reflects a deep commitment to learning from lived experience... beginning with medical school, then physiotherapy and manual therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and training in bone setting with a master in Malaysia who taught him the most crucial lesson: healing happens through the heart, not through technique alone. That teaching shifted everything. When Cliff returned to Belgium, his clients began releasing emotional baggage simply by being given space to feel. His work evolved to include intuitive energy healing, and he now teaches physical education to children aged 9-12, bringing that same heart-centred approach to helping young people discover their own light. Beyond that, Cliff is part of Team Kai, a stunt fight choreography group that creates martial arts content for films, recently sponsored by Kenjo Sabers. He's a dreamer who writes his vision down, takes small consistent actions, and trusts that the rhythm of life will carry him where he needs to go.RESOURCES & MENTIONS:Lifebook: A vision-crafting program for imagining your life across multiple categoriesMindvalley platform & Vishen LakhianiChinese bone settingPhysiotherapy and manual therapyTraditional Chinese medicineWushu (modern martial arts)Team Kai (stunt fight choreography group)Kenjo Sabers (high-quality lightsaber sponsorship)Jackie Chan films and philosophyBruce Lee philosophy: truly express yourselfHubert Goddard and tonic function theoryCONNECT:Cliff TangInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaizen_projectElla MesmaWebsite: www.mayagandaia.comBook: https://mayagandaia.com/journal-to-joy/Current offers: https://mayagandaia.com/links/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellamesma/LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO THE JOY HOUR:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-joy-hour/id1849505845Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1e2AslgK9q1hnEimdgQHzrYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ybUzyvIV4PVoZ3S9ZK1pEGKuY7XcY8MACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & THANKS:Music: LamRockEverything else: Brought to you by Ella and guests ❤️Enjoyed this episode? Like, Subscribe, and Share!

In this episode of The JOY Hour, I sit down with Tanya Richam-Odoi who is craniosacral therapist, sound healer, choreographer, and community instigator - to explore the journey from professional dancer to healer, and what it means to bloom bravely into your authentic self.Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional trauma, challenging family relationships, and psychological demands in the dance industry.Land Acknowledgement: Recorded between Shipley and London, England. We acknowledge the colonial histories of the UK and honour the diverse communities whose lands and labour built these cities.Timestamps:00:01 - Welcome and introduction00:33 - Tanya's incredible journey from age 902:01 - Training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance02:46 - Phoenix Dance Theatre and critical acclaim03:04 - Moving into choreography and teaching03:59 - The psychological demands of dance05:03 - Dance as healer and grounding force05:40 - Discovering craniosacral therapy07:15 - How craniosacral therapy works09:53 - Where Tanya is joining from and recent joy13:42 - What Tanya is journeying right now16:28 - The ongoing journey of healing work20:19 - Giving permission to be multifaceted23:09 - Awakening joy as purpose of the work25:41 - Growing up without emotional availability28:11 - Boundaries and embodied experience29:19 - Stephen King quote and the healing journey31:09 - Where to connect with TanyaIn This Conversation We Explore:Dance as the healer that kept Tanya grounded from age 9 through traumaThe transition from professional dancer to craniosacral therapist after intense experiences with DV8What craniosacral therapy is: tuning in, listening to the body, sound healing, and facilitating the body's own healingTanya's first craniosacral session and feeling "unplugged from the matrix"Working with the Performance Ensemble of elders (60+) and the "bloom bravely" concept of moving from seed to full expressionAuthentic self and showing up fully, especially for perimenopausal women and neurodivergent clientsBoundaries as the Great Wall of China and embodied practice over book learningThe vision for community arts in Shipley and being a "community instigator"Awakening joy as the purpose of therapeutic workHow therapy and healing work is as much for the practitioner as for clientsThe multifaceted human experience and giving permission to be silly, beautiful, and genius all at onceGrowing up as an African-Scottish woman in Dundee without emotional availabilityThe power of holding safe space where nervous systems can settle and bodies can be heldAbout Tanya:Tanya Richam-Odoi is a craniosacral therapist, sound healer, choreographer, and self-described community instigator based in Shipley, West Yorkshire. Resources Mentioned:Stephen King quote: "Things conceived by minds and made by hands can never be quite the same, even if they try their best to be identical, because they're never the same from day to day or even moment to moment."Dundee Rep TheatrePhoenix Dance TheatreDV8 Physical TheatreNorthern School of Contemporary DancePerformance Ensemble Leeds (10-year anniversary)Methodist church in Shipley (potential social arts and culture centre)Critics Circle National Dance AwardsDancing Times magazineConnect with Tanya:Website: https://www.theayapractice.com/about-tanyaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_aya_practice/LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tanya-richam-odoi-b56a4b71In-person sessions: Shipley, West YorkshireOnline sessions: Available worldwideConnect with Ella Mesma:Website: mayagandaia.com | goddxxpath.comFree Gift: Grab a free practice from Journal to JOY at mayagandaia.com/joyhourgiftSubscribe to The JOY Hour:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1e2AslgK9q1hnEimdgQHzrApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-joy-hour/id1849505845YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ybUzyvIV4PVoZ3S9ZK1pEGKuY7XcY8MLike, Subscribe, and Share!

Lil Muxoll Nielsen is a neurobiologist-turned consciousness mentor who blends hard science with ancient wisdom... and she wants you to know that joy is not just a feeling; it's a biochemical choice. In this conversation, we explore why our nervous systems keep us stuck, what horses can teach us about shaking off trauma, and what it actually means to experience orgasmic expansion. Lil breaks down the science of how our cells literally change their receptors when we choose joy over survival... using the most delicious metaphor involving coconut and chocolate sprinkles.Content Warning: This episode references trauma, somatic release, and Kundalini energy experiences.LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Recorded between Munich and Southern Denmark. We acknowledge the colonial histories of Germany and Denmark, and honour the diverse communities whose lands and labour built these nations.🎁 FREE GIFT FOR LISTENERS: Download your free Joy Hour resource at www.mayagandaia.com/joyhourgiftIN THIS EPISODE: Why your nervous system might be the thing holding you back from joyThe coconut vs chocolate sprinkles metaphor: how our cells changeWhat horses teach us about releasing trauma and moving onKundalini energy: what it feels like and why it mattersThe difference between trauma release and Kundalini activationFull body orgasmic expansion... and why it's our innate stateMaking the difficult times "exquisite pain"Choosing joy as an everyday expression, not a destinationTIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Introduction00:29 – Welcome, and where is Lil joining from?01:34 – Recent joy: the foal bringing heart explosions02:45 – Ella's joy: nervous system relaxation through Rolfing03:46 – Lil's journey from neuroscience to embodiment06:21 – The embodiment part of neuroscience08:29 – Ella's honeymoon and the nervous system shock of re-entry09:57 – Why the body's adaptation process is slow11:30 – Coconut sprinkles vs chocolate sprinkles: how cells change14:08 – Kundalini and connecting to source15:07 – Horses, shaking and trauma release20:39 – Kundalini yoga, KAP and energy rising22:06 – What Kundalini activation actually feels like25:41 – Being an ambassador for orgasmic expansion29:27 – How to connect with Lil30:36 – ClosingABOUT THE GUEST: Lil Muxoll Nielsen is a neurobiologist, consciousness mentor and embodiment facilitator based in Southern Denmark, surrounded by her husband, four horses and a dog. She blends modern science with ancient wisdom to support embodied transformation... helping people remember that we're not here to merely survive life but to consciously create it. Through coaching, Kundalini work, Sensory Energetics and retreats at powerful nature sites, Lil facilitates what she calls orgasmic expansion into joy, aliveness and creative power. She is currently writing her book on the science of magic, Quantum Intelligence, launching soon.RESOURCES & MENTIONS: Kundalini activation and alignmentSensory EnergeticsTrauma Release Exercises (TRE)Quantum Intelligence: the merge of spiritual and scientific approaches Rolfing Structural IntegrationCONNECT:Ella MesmaWebsite: www.ellamesma.co.uk | www.mayagandaia.comBook: https://mayagandaia.com/journal-to-joy/Current offers: https://mayagandaia.com/links/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellamesma/Lil Muxoll Nielsen (The Infinite Me)Website: https://www.theinfinite.me/Instagram: @discover.theinfinitemeLISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO THE JOY HOUR:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-joy-hour/id1849505845Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1e2AslgK9q1hnEimdgQHzrYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ybUzyvIV4PVoZ3S9ZK1pEGKuY7XcY8MACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & THANKS:Music: LamRockEverything else: Brought to you by Ella and guests ❤️Enjoyed this episode? Like, Subscribe, Comment and Share! Thank you!