September 19, 2023 • 22 mins
Excited for a real, raw conversation about personal growth, meditation, and relationships? Asher Vast, a renowned filmmaker, and I delve deep into these topics and more in this engaging episode of Axé All Day Podcast. We kick things off by addressing the elephant in the room - the importance of meditation for personal growth. Shattering misconceptions and guiding you through a quick one-minute exercise, Asher demonstrates how accessible meditation can truly be.
Exploring the benefits of meditation beyond the mat, we share personal experiences to highlight how this practice has significantly shaped our lives. We underscore the power of patience and consistency in personal work, and how transformative changes don’t happen overnight. It's a candid conversation about the hardships and triumphs we've faced in our journeys towards self-improvement.
The episode concludes with a meaningful dialogue about personal growth within relationships, touching on the delicate balance of change acceptance and responsibility. We also delve into the red flags in relationships and the importance of self-reflection and accountability for growth. This episode is a powerful reminder that the journey to self-improvement can be challenging, but oh so rewarding! Tune in and join us on this enlightening journey.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andrew Carroll (00:00):
Welcome to the Ashe All Day Podcast.
I'm so excited to have you here.
I'm so excited to be in yourtemple, where you truly create
magic.
Asher has quickly become one ofmy favorite human beings.
He does the work he comes fromhis heart and all that he does.
(00:21):
He is a passionate artist, oneof the best filmmakers I've ever
met.
The tribe that you havesurrounded yourself with is a
group of absolutely impeccablepeople that are authentic and
honorable and walking inintegrity with what they believe
in fearlessly.
Oh, that is quite theintroduction.
Asher Vast (00:42):
First of all, thank you for having me on your show.
I really appreciate it.
I have not been on very manypodcasts.
I have not had the opportunityto really share this type of
experience and this whole vibewith a lot of people.
I'm excited to be here and it'san honor.
I don't know that I could liveup to that in a way that's
(01:07):
evident to the audience outsidewithout showing you literally
showing you videos and ourprojects and things that we've
done.
But maybe you can see that atyour own pace.
There's only one, asher vast,out there, so I'm pretty easy to
find.
If you want to see what I'vedone, I exist on the internet.
(01:27):
There are no other ones.
It's really easy to track downwho I am and what I've done, but
it's all a process too.
Part of that is Part of thatprogress, and that journey has
come from meditation, like thefocusing that I've been able to
do, and the progress that I'vebeen able to make in my own
(01:49):
ventures has come from beingable to to pull that value and
that attention where it needs tobe and not let my emotions and
distractions get the better ofme and, you know, eat up my time
.
Basically.
Andrew Carroll (02:07):
Would you be open to just leading us in some
breathing together?
Asher Vast (02:11):
Yeah, I have.
I've found a lot of value formeditation and I understand that
you have as well, absolutely soI don't really know how to kick
it off for other people.
I guess this is a real personalthing for me and it's not
something that I've done a lotfor with other people.
(02:32):
So I mean, yeah, I'm alwaysinterested in sharing my
experiences and things that I'velearned with it.
So let's do one minute for theaudience's sake.
We're going to do one minutebecause that is enough for now.
Okay, so let's go ahead andstart it, and we're going to
just start with long, deepbreaths, and you can either
(02:53):
close your eyes or open them,and it's up to you.
Anybody who is in the audiencefollowing along, you're welcome
to join us.
It's really there's not thatmuch to it, but you can watch me
and see how I'm breathing andjust how I'm sitting and how I
am, and then you can find yourown way to be at peace or at.
(03:18):
You can find your own way to bein the moment, where you are
and what works for you.
So here we go.
I'm going to start and that'sone minute.
(04:33):
So I think for a lot of peoplewho are just starting out, maybe
one to five minutes is a goodstarting point, because I know
it's really difficult for a lotof people and it was for me too,
and that's important toacknowledge, because when you're
first starting out withmeditation, there's a lot of
(04:54):
doubt about if what you're doingis right and even if you
believe in meditation and youhave done the, you've done your
research and you understand themedical implications, you've
read about the studies, you knowthat it reduces blood pressure,
overall anxiety, increasesgeneral well-being, like all of
these things Like, even if youknow all of that going into it,
(05:19):
you can still have questionsabout whether you're doing it
right and you may doubt yourselfsometimes, and that was a big
thing for me, and I feel likethere are times where I almost
didn't make it in my meditationjourney just because there's all
these questions I had andnobody to answer them.
I didn't have a person that Icould ask them to.
(05:39):
I was literally learningeverything from stuff I read
online and watching YouTubevideos, so it's from other
people that I've gained someinsight, just by watching them,
but I never had a personalconnection with somebody who I
was able to ask them about itand ask them their experience, I
mean here and there, yes, butnever really anybody who I could
just dive into it with.
(06:01):
So the reason.
I'm talking about all this isbecause the doubt and the
uncertainty of maintaining thepractice is kind of rooted in
your ability to just try it andsee what happens for yourself.
But you have to do it for awhile to see the results.
For all you out there who aregetting started with meditation,
(06:23):
you don't need to start with 15minutes.
You can start with five minutes, you can start with two minutes
.
It's it's about creating that,that process and that that
discipline to know that, allright, every day I'm going to
put aside this amount of time,whatever that time is for you,
and to to to honor that time andto stick to it, and so that's a
(06:47):
part of the journey that that'salso a part of what builds the
conditioning of the benefitsthat you can receive from from
meditation is is knowing that itplays a role in your life and
that it's just as important astaking a shower, going to the
gym, brushing your teeth.
Meditation is right up there forme.
(07:08):
And I think it is for a lot ofother people too.
I don't know how thattranslates to the audience and I
don't know how all of you doyour meditation out there, and
what works for you might notwork for everybody else, and
what works for me might not workfor you and that's OK.
But it's finding what works foryou.
That is what counts, and tryingdifferent things is is really
(07:30):
what matters in the end, becausethat's how you find your way,
absolutely.
So everybody has their own waythat they're going to find in
their life to do the things thatthey want to do, their process,
their direction, and it's goingto be different for you than it
(07:50):
is for everyone else, and whatworks for you is is not what
works for everyone else, andthat's OK.
And it's about finding your pathand your direction in the way
that that really speaks to youand that you understand and that
(08:12):
you find value in.
And that journey is a realpersonal journey and that's the
way it should be.
That's the way it's always been.
Andrew Carroll (08:21):
Pay attention to everything that Ash or just
shared with you, because thereare some really important
nuggets in all of that.
Asher Vast (08:28):
It's been something that's been really powerful in
my life and I highly recommendit to anybody who's trying to
improve themselves, reduceanxiety, reduce general stress,
and just allow themselves to bein the moment and focus on the
objective and the outcome,without letting this part of our
(08:50):
brains that loves to tellstories and loves to overanalyze
everything take the wheel.
So, rather than being apassenger in our experience,
rather than being, you know,somebody sitting in the back
seat of the car as somethingelse is driving it on this
journey, to be the one at thewheel and to be in control of
(09:10):
what's going on, especially whenyou need to be, because we're
not always in control, andthat's OK, but to be in control
in our experience and in ourpresent state, is what's
important, especially when weare working on something or
doing something that is crucial,that has a lot of writing on it
(09:32):
.
Things can get stressful andwhen you utilize meditation in
your daily life, you're able tochannel that focus and you're
able to channel that line ofsight in your mind with your
goals, and everything else justkind of falls along the wayside.
(09:52):
Those other things could be,those stressors, those anxieties
, like I have anxiety with beingin front of a camera, like it's
something that I haven't donevery much, because I very much
enjoy being behind the camera,because I'm a technical guy and
I'm also, you know, a filmmakerand a graphic designer and an
(10:16):
editor and a lot of other thingsthat there's things that I
enjoy doing and, like those allinvolve me editing and working
with things that I've capturedof other people.
So to be on the other side ofthe camera is really interesting
experience for me and I haveless anxiety about it now than I
(10:36):
used to, and I think again,that comes right back to
meditation andbeing able to just center myself
and realize that all of theuncertainties and the things I'm
really self-conscious aboutkind of just in my head, and a
lot of the problems that youknow have arisen from being
(10:58):
anxious and overreacting andbecoming too emotional without
even realizing I was doing.
It were just because I wasn'treally focused and I was letting
that storyteller in my brainjust kind of go to town and just
, you know, just take the wheelwhen it should have been me.
(11:20):
And with all of that being said, it's kind of a long-winded way
of saying that you know I founda lot of value in meditation
and that I want to share howother people can grow from it
and tell my own story in a waythat resonates with other people
, because I know that otherpeople can benefit from it too.
Andrew Carroll (11:42):
One of the biggest things that comes up,
reflecting on what you said, istrying for yourself, doing for
yourself, even in that space,and it's important for people to
know that you have beenconsistent with this practice.
You just had your two-yearmeditation birthday, yeah, yeah.
(12:02):
So, acknowledging that, thatconsistency, I think a lot of
people get lost in the sauce andthink that this, the work, the
spiritual work, this personalwork, this personal evolution
path, is an overnight thing.
Well, you didn't, let me, notyou on everyone.
(12:24):
I didn't get to be a 300-poundmiserable, adulterous,
unfaithful liar overnight.
That was a accumulation ofyears of just self-abuse.
I'm not even going to reflecton anybody else that I was in
relationship with because whatcomes down to his relationship
(12:44):
was self.
And my journey started with more, with the mindfulness type of
stuff.
I mean the first time my momsent me to therapy or anything.
I think I was probably thesecond or third time I ended up
on like summer juvenileprobation painting out houses
and stuff in Montana because Ihad been a delinquent, you know,
(13:04):
ended up.
I mean I was forced medicationat 10, 11 years old for being
hyperactive.
Looking back on that now and asI meet more and more creatives,
I was a creative kid that wasbeing squashed by a traditional
education system and the kind ofsociety that I was in, without
(13:25):
a lot of options, and maybe youcan attest to this too, but
you're an incredibly creativeperson.
What I see in you is that youfearlessly go and try and do so,
that you can figure out andunderstand what is my path, what
is my way, what is what worksfor me.
And you shared even more deeplythat vein in your life, that
(13:50):
common thread in your life, asyou were speaking about
meditation, that you didn't havea lot of people to talk to
about it, but you had a lot ofinformation available to you and
so you dug into it, and I wouldventure to guess that you are
an expert in how Asher doesmeditate now.
Asher Vast (14:09):
I guess I'm an expert compared to what I was.
Yeah, sure, Right.
Andrew Carroll (14:14):
And this is a lifelong practice.
This is a lifelong practiceWherever someone is at right now
.
If meditating for 30 seconds isall you can do, do it
Absolutely and be consistent.
There's going to be fear onthis journey.
You're going to be terrified attimes and a big part of that is
because you have been told thatbeing human means that you need
(14:39):
to be constantly busy and neverslow down and take time for
yourself.
And when you actually stop andbreathe and take a minute and
step back, oh fuck, then I haveto realize like I'm doing all
this shit that I don't careabout and it's out of alignment
with who I am and I'm 45, 50years old now and what I'm in
(15:03):
this relationship with somebodythat I'm just here because
society said we're a good fit,or like our family thought we
were cute together, like thereare so many big things that are
going to come up.
This work is not for the faintof heart and you, my friend, are
so blessed to have an amazingpartner in your life.
She's so beautiful and the waythat you guys support one
(15:27):
another's work it's incredible.
That takes two committed,dedicated, open-hearted, pure
love people To be in that place.
Absolutely, yeah, yeah that'sit.
Asher Vast (15:41):
I'm really grateful for that.
We've met and that you knowwe've been able to spend the
last ten years together and,yeah, this is it's.
It's been a real wide and, yeah, I'm super lucky.
Andrew Carroll (15:55):
Well, that has nothing to do with it, man.
You, from what I know of you,are intentional and we've all
made mistakes and we've beenwild and all those kinds of
things, but we manifesteverything that we need right
and you have a partner who hasbeen with you on that to your
meditation journey, and We'vetalked even more deeply about
(16:15):
how psychedelics have helped usheal from a lot of different
things and that work, which ishuge to be with someone who
loves you and themselves so muchthat they're like Yo.
You're going on this journey ofpersonal evolution.
I'm so excited to see who youare meant to be.
Absolutely that my friend is agift.
(16:38):
It's beautiful that is yeah, somany people get stuck in that
rut of I I can.
Asher Vast (16:45):
I can only love you if you're who I who you are when
I met you when you put it likethat, like I've, I've witnessed
that throughout my life withother relationships, and, you
know, people grow apart andthat's a natural part of just
Becoming more mature, growingolder, finding who you are.
Yeah, you know the the personthat I am now is very different
than the person that I was 20years ago, even 10 years ago.
(17:09):
I feel like I'm a differentperson, you know absolutely, and
to be able to accept that, youknow, knowing that that what
you're doing is making you abetter person and it's taking
you closer to your goals andallowing you to be more active
in the pursuit of of, you know,taking others along with you on
(17:30):
this journey and and basicallybeing that inspiration for other
people.
It's, it's.
It's just life-changing,because you realize that you
know, after, after you've beenon this journey and after you've
, like, put in the time and anddone some work, that, like, you
(17:53):
Are in control and it's it.
It's not something that you canreally explain to people, and
here I am trying to explain itto everyone but like I can say,
I can say like from my ownjourney that like being on that
path and realizing that it's apath is the most important, like
part of the journey and it's.
It's like just Trying to stayfocused and and realize that
(18:18):
things aren't gonna always workout in your favor, that you're
gonna make mistakes, but theystill are working out in your
favor, right, like that's thetrippiest thing of all of it.
Andrew Carroll (18:29):
I had done a lot of work by the time I got to
Seattle in January and I stillwas like my life is falling
apart broken heart, no money,like this whole leaving an
abusive relationship situation,like living in my buddy's
basement for months.
And but it was exactly what Ineeded, man, yep.
If it hadn't been for that, Iwouldn't know you, I wouldn't
(18:51):
know.
You know the night cry I'mrocking their shirt right now.
We wouldn't have been on thatmusic video shoot.
I wouldn't know incrediblepeople like Emilio and Tish and
andraica, my dear sweet friendTony Poe, like all these people
that came into my life.
Because I chose Andrew, becauseI am in control.
(19:13):
Everything that happens to mein my life is my responsibility.
That's right.
And People, here's an openinvitation.
I want you to just take aminute, even if you pause this,
but make sure you come back like, subscribe and share all that.
But I want you To stop andthink about, from the first day
that you went to school, howmuch has been programmed into
(19:37):
you that you are told you haveto give away your control to
somebody else for x, y or z inorder to fit in, in order to get
along, or so many of us aregiven this idea of.
I mean, I was guilty of it whenI I Was such a poor partner, I
(19:57):
was not a good husband, I had somuch shadow going on in my life
and I could not speak my truthto anyone, so I was unfaithful,
I cheated so much.
And it wasn't until I was in myprevious relationship in
Germany that it happened to meand my punk ass had the audacity
(20:18):
to Be like how could you dothis to me?
Do you see that?
Like how ridiculous that is.
But even in that moment, whensomething flips my whole entire
world upside down, somethingthat I had been doing and being,
like, oh, it's fine, whatever,like no big deal, then it
happens to me and I have theaudacity to be a victim about it
(20:40):
.
Well, that entire relationship,I had been ignoring red flags
because she was smoking hot.
Yeah, so like what?
But I knew, like.
I knew I couldn't trust her.
I knew, like all these things,but relationships are a
playground in a sandbox in whichyou can do some of the deepest
personal work that you ever getthe opportunity to do 100%, and
(21:00):
so I was definitely.
I mean, I was repeatingpatterns with her, I was
examining a lot of stuff and Iwas being gaslit a lot and
manipulated and I could see itall.
But I thought that I could bethe savior, right, and that we
might, could, we might, be ableto do this work together, right,
and that wasn't the case.
(21:21):
It was the best thing that everhappened to me, because now I
will never go back to any ofthat stuff ever, and I know that
because I got on a plane withnothing, a backpack full of
clothes, and I moved across theworld to my new community.
That's amazing.
Asher Vast (21:38):
That's the story that I've told me about this
before.
I mean, obviously the audiencehasn't heard that, but like
you've shared this with mebefore and that was really
touching to me because I haven'tbeen in the situation that you
were in, but I can relate in myown way.
You know, in past relationshipsand knowing, especially when
you talk about theaccountability of being able to
(21:59):
identify the things that werehappening, that were going wrong
, were our fault.
You know a lot of it was ourfault and that's something that
we have to reflect on and and,just you know, acknowledge
before we can do the work.
Welcome to the Ashe All Day Podcast.
I'm so excited to have you here.
I'm so excited to be in yourtemple, where you truly create
magic.
Asher has quickly become one ofmy favorite human beings.
He does the work he comes fromhis heart and all that he does.
(00:21):
He is a passionate artist, oneof the best filmmakers I've ever
met.
The tribe that you havesurrounded yourself with is a
group of absolutely impeccablepeople that are authentic and
honorable and walking inintegrity with what they believe
in fearlessly.
Oh, that is quite theintroduction.
Asher Vast (00:42):
First of all, thank you for having me on your show.
I really appreciate it.
I have not been on very manypodcasts.
I have not had the opportunityto really share this type of
experience and this whole vibewith a lot of people.
I'm excited to be here and it'san honor.
I don't know that I could liveup to that in a way that's
(01:07):
evident to the audience outsidewithout showing you literally
showing you videos and ourprojects and things that we've
done.
But maybe you can see that atyour own pace.
There's only one, asher vast,out there, so I'm pretty easy to
find.
If you want to see what I'vedone, I exist on the internet.
(01:27):
There are no other ones.
It's really easy to track downwho I am and what I've done, but
it's all a process too.
Part of that is Part of thatprogress, and that journey has
come from meditation, like thefocusing that I've been able to
do, and the progress that I'vebeen able to make in my own
(01:49):
ventures has come from beingable to to pull that value and
that attention where it needs tobe and not let my emotions and
distractions get the better ofme and, you know, eat up my time
.
Basically.
Andrew Carroll (02:07):
Would you be open to just leading us in some
breathing together?
Asher Vast (02:11):
Yeah, I have.
I've found a lot of value formeditation and I understand that
you have as well, absolutely soI don't really know how to kick
it off for other people.
I guess this is a real personalthing for me and it's not
something that I've done a lotfor with other people.
(02:32):
So I mean, yeah, I'm alwaysinterested in sharing my
experiences and things that I'velearned with it.
So let's do one minute for theaudience's sake.
We're going to do one minutebecause that is enough for now.
Okay, so let's go ahead andstart it, and we're going to
just start with long, deepbreaths, and you can either
(02:53):
close your eyes or open them,and it's up to you.
Anybody who is in the audiencefollowing along, you're welcome
to join us.
It's really there's not thatmuch to it, but you can watch me
and see how I'm breathing andjust how I'm sitting and how I
am, and then you can find yourown way to be at peace or at.
(03:18):
You can find your own way to bein the moment, where you are
and what works for you.
So here we go.
I'm going to start and that'sone minute.
(04:33):
So I think for a lot of peoplewho are just starting out, maybe
one to five minutes is a goodstarting point, because I know
it's really difficult for a lotof people and it was for me too,
and that's important toacknowledge, because when you're
first starting out withmeditation, there's a lot of
(04:54):
doubt about if what you're doingis right and even if you
believe in meditation and youhave done the, you've done your
research and you understand themedical implications, you've
read about the studies, you knowthat it reduces blood pressure,
overall anxiety, increasesgeneral well-being, like all of
these things Like, even if youknow all of that going into it,
(05:19):
you can still have questionsabout whether you're doing it
right and you may doubt yourselfsometimes, and that was a big
thing for me, and I feel likethere are times where I almost
didn't make it in my meditationjourney just because there's all
these questions I had andnobody to answer them.
I didn't have a person that Icould ask them to.
(05:39):
I was literally learningeverything from stuff I read
online and watching YouTubevideos, so it's from other
people that I've gained someinsight, just by watching them,
but I never had a personalconnection with somebody who I
was able to ask them about itand ask them their experience, I
mean here and there, yes, butnever really anybody who I could
just dive into it with.
(06:01):
So the reason.
I'm talking about all this isbecause the doubt and the
uncertainty of maintaining thepractice is kind of rooted in
your ability to just try it andsee what happens for yourself.
But you have to do it for awhile to see the results.
For all you out there who aregetting started with meditation,
(06:23):
you don't need to start with 15minutes.
You can start with five minutes, you can start with two minutes
.
It's it's about creating that,that process and that that
discipline to know that, allright, every day I'm going to
put aside this amount of time,whatever that time is for you,
and to to to honor that time andto stick to it, and so that's a
(06:47):
part of the journey that that'salso a part of what builds the
conditioning of the benefitsthat you can receive from from
meditation is is knowing that itplays a role in your life and
that it's just as important astaking a shower, going to the
gym, brushing your teeth.
Meditation is right up there forme.
(07:08):
And I think it is for a lot ofother people too.
I don't know how thattranslates to the audience and I
don't know how all of you doyour meditation out there, and
what works for you might notwork for everybody else, and
what works for me might not workfor you and that's OK.
But it's finding what works foryou.
That is what counts, and tryingdifferent things is is really
(07:30):
what matters in the end, becausethat's how you find your way,
absolutely.
So everybody has their own waythat they're going to find in
their life to do the things thatthey want to do, their process,
their direction, and it's goingto be different for you than it
(07:50):
is for everyone else, and whatworks for you is is not what
works for everyone else, andthat's OK.
And it's about finding your pathand your direction in the way
that that really speaks to youand that you understand and that
(08:12):
you find value in.
And that journey is a realpersonal journey and that's the
way it should be.
That's the way it's always been.
Andrew Carroll (08:21):
Pay attention to everything that Ash or just
shared with you, because thereare some really important
nuggets in all of that.
Asher Vast (08:28):
It's been something that's been really powerful in
my life and I highly recommendit to anybody who's trying to
improve themselves, reduceanxiety, reduce general stress,
and just allow themselves to bein the moment and focus on the
objective and the outcome,without letting this part of our
(08:50):
brains that loves to tellstories and loves to overanalyze
everything take the wheel.
So, rather than being apassenger in our experience,
rather than being, you know,somebody sitting in the back
seat of the car as somethingelse is driving it on this
journey, to be the one at thewheel and to be in control of
(09:10):
what's going on, especially whenyou need to be, because we're
not always in control, andthat's OK, but to be in control
in our experience and in ourpresent state, is what's
important, especially when weare working on something or
doing something that is crucial,that has a lot of writing on it
(09:32):
.
Things can get stressful andwhen you utilize meditation in
your daily life, you're able tochannel that focus and you're
able to channel that line ofsight in your mind with your
goals, and everything else justkind of falls along the wayside.
(09:52):
Those other things could be,those stressors, those anxieties
, like I have anxiety with beingin front of a camera, like it's
something that I haven't donevery much, because I very much
enjoy being behind the camera,because I'm a technical guy and
I'm also, you know, a filmmakerand a graphic designer and an
(10:16):
editor and a lot of other thingsthat there's things that I
enjoy doing and, like those allinvolve me editing and working
with things that I've capturedof other people.
So to be on the other side ofthe camera is really interesting
experience for me and I haveless anxiety about it now than I
(10:36):
used to, and I think again,that comes right back to
meditation andbeing able to just center myself
and realize that all of theuncertainties and the things I'm
really self-conscious aboutkind of just in my head, and a
lot of the problems that youknow have arisen from being
(10:58):
anxious and overreacting andbecoming too emotional without
even realizing I was doing.
It were just because I wasn'treally focused and I was letting
that storyteller in my brainjust kind of go to town and just
, you know, just take the wheelwhen it should have been me.
(11:20):
And with all of that being said, it's kind of a long-winded way
of saying that you know I founda lot of value in meditation
and that I want to share howother people can grow from it
and tell my own story in a waythat resonates with other people
, because I know that otherpeople can benefit from it too.
Andrew Carroll (11:42):
One of the biggest things that comes up,
reflecting on what you said, istrying for yourself, doing for
yourself, even in that space,and it's important for people to
know that you have beenconsistent with this practice.
You just had your two-yearmeditation birthday, yeah, yeah.
(12:02):
So, acknowledging that, thatconsistency, I think a lot of
people get lost in the sauce andthink that this, the work, the
spiritual work, this personalwork, this personal evolution
path, is an overnight thing.
Well, you didn't, let me, notyou on everyone.
(12:24):
I didn't get to be a 300-poundmiserable, adulterous,
unfaithful liar overnight.
That was a accumulation ofyears of just self-abuse.
I'm not even going to reflecton anybody else that I was in
relationship with because whatcomes down to his relationship
(12:44):
was self.
And my journey started with more, with the mindfulness type of
stuff.
I mean the first time my momsent me to therapy or anything.
I think I was probably thesecond or third time I ended up
on like summer juvenileprobation painting out houses
and stuff in Montana because Ihad been a delinquent, you know,
(13:04):
ended up.
I mean I was forced medicationat 10, 11 years old for being
hyperactive.
Looking back on that now and asI meet more and more creatives,
I was a creative kid that wasbeing squashed by a traditional
education system and the kind ofsociety that I was in, without
(13:25):
a lot of options, and maybe youcan attest to this too, but
you're an incredibly creativeperson.
What I see in you is that youfearlessly go and try and do so,
that you can figure out andunderstand what is my path, what
is my way, what is what worksfor me.
And you shared even more deeplythat vein in your life, that
(13:50):
common thread in your life, asyou were speaking about
meditation, that you didn't havea lot of people to talk to
about it, but you had a lot ofinformation available to you and
so you dug into it, and I wouldventure to guess that you are
an expert in how Asher doesmeditate now.
Asher Vast (14:09):
I guess I'm an expert compared to what I was.
Yeah, sure, Right.
Andrew Carroll (14:14):
And this is a lifelong practice.
This is a lifelong practiceWherever someone is at right now
.
If meditating for 30 seconds isall you can do, do it
Absolutely and be consistent.
There's going to be fear onthis journey.
You're going to be terrified attimes and a big part of that is
because you have been told thatbeing human means that you need
(14:39):
to be constantly busy and neverslow down and take time for
yourself.
And when you actually stop andbreathe and take a minute and
step back, oh fuck, then I haveto realize like I'm doing all
this shit that I don't careabout and it's out of alignment
with who I am and I'm 45, 50years old now and what I'm in
(15:03):
this relationship with somebodythat I'm just here because
society said we're a good fit,or like our family thought we
were cute together, like thereare so many big things that are
going to come up.
This work is not for the faintof heart and you, my friend, are
so blessed to have an amazingpartner in your life.
She's so beautiful and the waythat you guys support one
(15:27):
another's work it's incredible.
That takes two committed,dedicated, open-hearted, pure
love people To be in that place.
Absolutely, yeah, yeah that'sit.
Asher Vast (15:41):
I'm really grateful for that.
We've met and that you knowwe've been able to spend the
last ten years together and,yeah, this is it's.
It's been a real wide and, yeah, I'm super lucky.
Andrew Carroll (15:55):
Well, that has nothing to do with it, man.
You, from what I know of you,are intentional and we've all
made mistakes and we've beenwild and all those kinds of
things, but we manifesteverything that we need right
and you have a partner who hasbeen with you on that to your
meditation journey, and We'vetalked even more deeply about
(16:15):
how psychedelics have helped usheal from a lot of different
things and that work, which ishuge to be with someone who
loves you and themselves so muchthat they're like Yo.
You're going on this journey ofpersonal evolution.
I'm so excited to see who youare meant to be.
Absolutely that my friend is agift.
(16:38):
It's beautiful that is yeah, somany people get stuck in that
rut of I I can.
Asher Vast (16:45):
I can only love you if you're who I who you are when
I met you when you put it likethat, like I've, I've witnessed
that throughout my life withother relationships, and, you
know, people grow apart andthat's a natural part of just
Becoming more mature, growingolder, finding who you are.
Yeah, you know the the personthat I am now is very different
than the person that I was 20years ago, even 10 years ago.
(17:09):
I feel like I'm a differentperson, you know absolutely, and
to be able to accept that, youknow, knowing that that what
you're doing is making you abetter person and it's taking
you closer to your goals andallowing you to be more active
in the pursuit of of, you know,taking others along with you on
(17:30):
this journey and and basicallybeing that inspiration for other
people.
It's, it's.
It's just life-changing,because you realize that you
know, after, after you've beenon this journey and after you've
, like, put in the time and anddone some work, that, like, you
(17:53):
Are in control and it's it.
It's not something that you canreally explain to people, and
here I am trying to explain itto everyone but like I can say,
I can say like from my ownjourney that like being on that
path and realizing that it's apath is the most important, like
part of the journey and it's.
It's like just Trying to stayfocused and and realize that
(18:18):
things aren't gonna always workout in your favor, that you're
gonna make mistakes, but theystill are working out in your
favor, right, like that's thetrippiest thing of all of it.
Andrew Carroll (18:29):
I had done a lot of work by the time I got to
Seattle in January and I stillwas like my life is falling
apart broken heart, no money,like this whole leaving an
abusive relationship situation,like living in my buddy's
basement for months.
And but it was exactly what Ineeded, man, yep.
If it hadn't been for that, Iwouldn't know you, I wouldn't
(18:51):
know.
You know the night cry I'mrocking their shirt right now.
We wouldn't have been on thatmusic video shoot.
I wouldn't know incrediblepeople like Emilio and Tish and
andraica, my dear sweet friendTony Poe, like all these people
that came into my life.
Because I chose Andrew, becauseI am in control.
(19:13):
Everything that happens to mein my life is my responsibility.
That's right.
And People, here's an openinvitation.
I want you to just take aminute, even if you pause this,
but make sure you come back like, subscribe and share all that.
But I want you To stop andthink about, from the first day
that you went to school, howmuch has been programmed into
(19:37):
you that you are told you haveto give away your control to
somebody else for x, y or z inorder to fit in, in order to get
along, or so many of us aregiven this idea of.
I mean, I was guilty of it whenI I Was such a poor partner, I
(19:57):
was not a good husband, I had somuch shadow going on in my life
and I could not speak my truthto anyone, so I was unfaithful,
I cheated so much.
And it wasn't until I was in myprevious relationship in
Germany that it happened to meand my punk ass had the audacity
(20:18):
to Be like how could you dothis to me?
Do you see that?
Like how ridiculous that is.
But even in that moment, whensomething flips my whole entire
world upside down, somethingthat I had been doing and being,
like, oh, it's fine, whatever,like no big deal, then it
happens to me and I have theaudacity to be a victim about it
(20:40):
.
Well, that entire relationship,I had been ignoring red flags
because she was smoking hot.
Yeah, so like what?
But I knew, like.
I knew I couldn't trust her.
I knew, like all these things,but relationships are a
playground in a sandbox in whichyou can do some of the deepest
personal work that you ever getthe opportunity to do 100%, and
(21:00):
so I was definitely.
I mean, I was repeatingpatterns with her, I was
examining a lot of stuff and Iwas being gaslit a lot and
manipulated and I could see itall.
But I thought that I could bethe savior, right, and that we
might, could, we might, be ableto do this work together, right,
and that wasn't the case.
(21:21):
It was the best thing that everhappened to me, because now I
will never go back to any ofthat stuff ever, and I know that
because I got on a plane withnothing, a backpack full of
clothes, and I moved across theworld to my new community.
That's amazing.
Asher Vast (21:38):
That's the story that I've told me about this
before.
I mean, obviously the audiencehasn't heard that, but like
you've shared this with mebefore and that was really
touching to me because I haven'tbeen in the situation that you
were in, but I can relate in myown way.
You know, in past relationshipsand knowing, especially when
you talk about theaccountability of being able to
(21:59):
identify the things that werehappening, that were going wrong
, were our fault.
You know a lot of it was ourfault and that's something that
we have to reflect on and and,just you know, acknowledge
before we can do the work.
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