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What happens when spirituality and economics finally meet?

In this episode, I sit down again with Don Barden: economist, leadership researcher, and global strategist, to explore the powerful intersection between human energy and economic systems. With decades of experience in global business and behavioral economics, Don brings both academic depth and lived insight to a conversation that challenges how we think about work, success, and purpose.

Together, we unpack why economics is ultimately a reflection of human nature, how fear and love shape decision-making, and what true alignment looks like across our personal, professional, and spiritual lives. We also explore why so many people feel disconnected from traditional systems, and how returning to presence, intuition, and trust may be the key to building something more meaningful.

This conversation isn’t abstract theory: it’s about how we live, lead, and create value every single day.

Topics We Explore:

• The intersection of spirituality and economics
• Why energy, trust, and value drive human behavior
• Alignment between personal life, work, and purpose
• Breaking free from social conditioning and fear
• How presence, intuition, and intention shape leadership
• Rethinking success, growth, and the future of business

Connect with Don Barden: https://donbarden.com/

Learn More about The Viking Academy: https://www.vikingacademy.com

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Episode Transcript:

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Viking Academy podcast. So, if you're watching the video on this one, you'll see that I'm not in my usual spot. I'm actually up on Big White. I've been here for a couple weeks looking after my business partner's dog and uh working and uh doing some skiing. It's not it's not been a bad gig. Um, so this week on the podcast I've brought Don Barden back in because Don and I talked about after the last podcast and he said he really wanted to talk about the big subject that's coming forward for him. He's got

a new book coming out called the alignment way and he wanted to talk about where spirituality and economics intersect. The intersection between spirituality and economics. And it's interesting because everything that I've been talking about on the Viking Academy has been heavily weighted spiritually, but I'm talking about the business side. And so it seemed to be natural that we would want to have this conversation. Um, as usual with Don, he's got so many

stories. He's got so many insights that you could you can apply to your life right now. Like even if you're not an entrepreneur and you're not in economics or or any of those sorts of things, you got a job, you can still take the concepts that Don talks about and integrate it into yourselves because really what we're talking about is who we are at our core. It's really about coming back and a and a an awakening to who we are and what we're here to do, which is in alignment with the Viking Academy. It's, you know, I want I

personally I want to figure out what the [ __ ] I'm doing here. Like really, like who am I and what am I here to do? Um, and I find that exploring concepts like these and these podcast guests gets me closer to unlocking the the programming that that we've been running on. And Don and I go back into that, too. And he talks about how this intersection between spirituality and economics, it's always been there. He actually will show you that it's always been there. The energy level that or the energy

signatures that we all are is economics. It's pretty wild. And um and you know uh not only being one of my best friends, he's just really entertaining. I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did recording it. So without further ado, let's go explore.

Don, welcome back to the podcast. Was that the intro? That was the intro. Thank you. I'm glad to be back. I'll do the intro. I'll do the intro at once we're done and then it'll be at the official intro, but that's the intro to the actual in interviews. You channelneled Wolf Man Jack. Do you remember him from the 70s? He was one of those first DJs that uh Hey, good morning. Welcome to Rock and Roll. So, cool. Yeah. And there was another guy that's right in Wolf Man. Here we go. Yeah. Yeah. He was great. Um, okay. So,

you and I had a conversation about the last podcast we were on and you said, "Let's let's have a a directed conversation and you brought up a topic that you wanted to talk about." I'm like 100%. Let's do it. Let's go. Let's see where we can uh explore on this thing. And that topic would be the intersection of economics and spirituality. um it's it's happening right in front of us and nobody's talking about it. So, we spent a lot of time studying it and

looking at it, reflecting on it, and really being honest about what's happening in the world. And I'll be honest, Eric, uh once you're once you it's revealed to you, you can't unsee it. And so we're committed to helping people understand it, be free to ask questions in a safe place and start to look at their lives a little bit different because they are uniquely connected and um more so than most people think about. But we kind of get lost or people think economics is hard

or difficult or a bunch of math and they don't want to deal with it. They might have had a bad teacher or professor they didn't click with. And then at the same time there's a little deconstruction going on in the world of faith whatever that faith is where people are starting to raise their hand and go really can we talk about this a little bit deeper. So both of those things which affect our lives more than anything are going through the same growth shift and at the same time there's a entire generation of

people that are coming up and saying I want to know more. Help me get there faster. So that's what we're committed to and and helping people understand that intersection. So, and this is why when you said that I was like, well, you had me at hello. Like I mean, when you if you were to look at if you were to look at the the through line of the Viking Academy podcasts. Um, I'm constantly talking about economics like business because we're businessmen. And then most of the the guests that I have on here are are

business people. that are entrepreneurs by virtue of the fact that even if they're spiritual healers, they have their own business. So they're they're by de facto they're entrepreneurs. And so I've been talking about this this and I've seen it been it's been progressing too and I think I've shared it with you before where I've seen a lot of people working in the hard three-dimensional um worlds of like accounting, uh law. Yeah. So accountant, lawyer,

doctor, uh nurse and corporate world and now they've shifted and they're moving into the healing space, the spiritual healing space, but they come they bring into the spiritual healing space this knowledge of shall we call it the traditional professions. So it's a bl I've seen this blending happening. So when you said, "Let's let's talk about where this is happening," I'm like, "Yeah, I I can see it." Like, and I've been having these conversations, not directly on the podcast, but indirectly. So that's when

when you said, "Let's have a let's have a direct conversation about it," I'm like, "Yeah, let's go explore this." Yeah, let's do it. Yeah. So, so you and I have you and I have known each other for a while now and we've gone through a lot of personal growth on the on the on the emotional and spiritual side like we've helped each other through a lot of those things and um I'm seeing something feels it's been something has felt wrong if you know what I mean like it just it feels like when I'm doing business like I'm and and some of the

businesses I've been involved all them. You can just feel it in your gut. You're like, "This why is it so [ __ ] hard?" Like, you know what I mean? Like, why is it why is it so difficult? And we've been told, you know, business has to be difficult. It has to be hard and you have to put your nose to the grindstoneone and you got to push, you got to push, you got to sell, you got to sell. And I've never honestly I've never quite felt like that was congruent.

Yeah. And I don't know why. I can't put my finger on it. Well, there's a lot of social construct. So, if I put my doctor hat on and we look back on history, we can easily see how we got here. We needed people to stand in line. We needed people to be on the factory floor. We needed people to clock in and clock out as as a society as we grew, developed, innovative, and became more and more creative. So to do that when we make these evolutionary jumps in creativity mostly for things that are good for us like the automobile or hospital and health care to do that

we have to we have to just roll up our sleeves that is necessary to do it but the side effect from it was we taught an entire well actually multiple generations of people how to conform and they weren't conforming to themselves or their higher selves they were conforming to societal needs and They separated the two for some reason. And then religion in its wonderful um uh way of doing things. Religion in itself did the same thing. You've got to come to mass every Wednesday and every Sunday morning. You

got to do this. You got to say this. You got to say this prayer. You got to do this. So we kind of went through an evolutionary growth pattern which is reasonable and I'm glad we did where we created a humanity of conformist and we taught people how to not think and again it was necessary it was good but guess what we now have advanced ourselves with technology with connectivity I mean you're in British Columbia right now I'm in Atlanta Georgia we're talking on this thing like we're sitting across from each other. So, you know, we you and I

have said this before, this medium is not a communication device. It's a transportation device. We could have done this seven or eight years ago, right? So, all these things make our lives better. But during that, people are starting to raise their hand and they're saying, "There's something inside of me that says there's more.

What is it?" And I believe that that is a calling from our social consciousness as a group of human humans, but then also as individuals that's saying, "Hey, we did what we had to do. Now, let's get back to the truth of it." And the truth of it is that we're all spiritual beings. We're all just little balls of energy, right? And we we work together and we're all connected, you know, together. But we force ourselves to separate. Now, especially the younger

generation is coming back and saying, "I think there's more." And in doing that, they're raising their hand with a little hint of frustration and saying, "Can you help me?" And they're looking to people like you, which this podcast is amazing. Thank you for doing the Viking Academy. But they're looking at people and saying, "Can you help me get on track faster than it would be if I just stumbled down the road hoping to find it?" Because there's a lot of things hiding out there that still make a lot of money from conforming.

and they're saying, "I really don't want that." Or if I want it, how can I help revolutionize it to bring it up to par two? And I think that's what's happening in society today. That makes it makes a lot of sense. And actually, it helps reframe, shall we call it, the the stodgy oldtimer saying the kids today don't have any work ethic. Blah, blah, blah. you know, like all this crap like, you know, and I've caught myself doing it like, you know, I'm going why don't they just work harder and why don't they have more effort and blah blah blah and and it's

funny because I'm my daughter Isa, she's 13 now. And she she says some things to me. She's like, why am I why am I doing this? She goes, "This doesn't make any sense." And she can't and and sometimes I I hear my old I hear my dad in my back of my head and I'm just going to tell, "Well, you just you got to do it because it's school and just do it." And then the other side of me goes, "She has a really good point. She has a really good point." Like you're going, "Why am I why am I listening and conforming to all these teachers who like are clearly

offsite?" And that's the wonderful thing about my daughter is like I've seen her question and I it's obviously a result of her upbringing and her DNA and all the rest of it because she's seen her mom and and her dad kind of questioning authority. So, she's never really just blindly followed authority. And I've told her that. I said, "If I say something that doesn't make sense, you got to question it. It's it's okay." She'll come home from school and say, "Yeah, Dad, you'll never guess what the

teacher said today." And I'm like, "Oh, this will be good. Okay, tell me." Yeah. They said this, this, and this. And then I said, "Well, what did you do?" Well, I raised my hand and I questioned them and I said, "Well, that doesn't make sense because of this, this, this, this, and this." And the teacher just kind of stood there and stared at me and I went, "Nice work." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, that's interesting. So there are three primary principles we talk about when you take that intersection of economics and spirituality. And you just skipped to

number two by the way. Um number two is that the opposite of love is not hate, it's fear. And people think it's love hate. It's not. It's love fear. And the way fear manifests itself is in a reaction. Um love manifests itself in a response. So when you hear the old guys, and I totally dig it, and we're all guilty of it, where you say, just get to work. You know, they're not saying that out of curiosity and gratitude. They're saying it out of fear. They're reacting by saying don't ask that question. And

sometimes it's valid. Like, don't plant that seed. I need these people to be doing this. I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. Or it could be, look, I don't want to change the way I think. And you're threatening that. And so when you got kids like Laya raising her hand and saying why? Um that's awesome. That is somebody saying, "I think we can grow bigger, faster, stronger, and have a better tomorrow. I just want to know why we do it this way." But if it threatens

people, then they're going to react out of fear. And that usually comes with getting big and bold and making statements like that. So when people do say those things, they're just scared, you know, of of the future and they don't realize that it goes through a process of the economy. And you know, our friend Robin Chararma said this years ago. He said, "Anytime you're going through change, it's scary in the beginning. That's where the fear comes in. Then it's messy because you don't know what you're doing." You know, you're kind of gluing it together and figuring it out, but then it's glorious

in the end. You've got to go through those steps. And I think those old guys who say things like that in economics are afraid of that change and they're not willing to go through the scary part. But we got a whole generation of lias coming up and they're going to change the world and do something really really cool. Yeah. The I it reminded me I actually when I was going through university I uh I took one uh philosophy course and it was it I have a psychology degree. I took one philosophy course. It blew my mind at the time and I was like, I can't

handle what I don't even understand what the professor is talking about. Right. Yeah. But what it did is it opened a opened a bit of a crack in my thinking, especially the psychology side that totally opened me up like you wouldn't believe. Because all of a sudden, I was like, "Oh, this makes sense." And I remember my mom saying something to me and I asked her the question. I went, "Well, why? Why? Why is that right?" And she just she turned and looked at me

with like total disdain and anger and and and I'm I'm totally understand this that anger is just a result of fear. So anger anger is stems from fear because when they're we're fear fearful we get angry, right? Or fight or flight. And so she just got so angry at me and she's like well that's an how can you get how dare you even question it? It was like almost this wait a you're angry because I just asked that question like I just asked a question like why why is that important? And it's like I should

just inherently know that that is important and that's the way it is. And that was the I remember that I still remember that burned into my brain going holy [ __ ] she's she's not even willing to ask why. Yeah. Like not even a a question of why. Yeah.

And when you said when you just you you framed what you did there, all of a sudden I was like, "Oh, actually I feel a little it felt lighter." And that's where and and you and I have talked about this following where the like being emotional creatures. It's I was always taught as a kid that to control my emotions and don't get overly like overly emotional. But now it's like now it's like I'm switching back over and going the feeling feeling is the way. like not in an overly emotional way, but just

going, "Does this feel congruent? Does it feel right?" And when you were talking about the difference between the just asking a question and just being open to the younger generation, asking, "Well, why why are we doing it this way?" Yeah. And being open to it. The minute I felt about being open, all of a sudden I felt this lightness.

Yeah. Off my shoulders. Do you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. Because you know what that is? That's harmony. Um, if we go back to the old system, um, they taught balance, work life balance. That's a horrible term because what does that mean? You sleep for eight hours, you work for eight hours, you play for eight hours. How often is that going to happen? No, it doesn't. Well, these kids coming up now, kids, anybody under 35 to me. So, these young people coming up right now,

they're saying something a little bit different. They're asking questions. But what drives that question is that they want to deconstruct from balance and move to where they need to be spiritually and that's in harmony. And harmony only exists when your personal life, your professional life, and your spiritual life coexist at a point of presence where you don't know the difference. That everything is in harmony to do it. And honestly, Eric, I think shows like yours, I think all of social media is helping out. Um, I know

there's some bad parts of social media. There's rabbit holes. There's dark. I get that. There's also a lot of good. And what's good is that like this 10 years ago, we would have had a long conversations before we did this. Like, is it worth it talking about this? What about reputational damage? What about people who think differently? What about people who aren't exposed to it? Now, thanks to social media, there's no harm.

And it allows us to break free of those social constraints and deconstruct. And that deconstruction is running toward harmony. And harmony starts with questions saying, "Why do we do it this way?" And it's usually one of the three parts, personal, professional, or spiritual is out of alignment. And that's raising their hand going, "Hey, dude, something's up. I just want to know why." And if that scares people, they're going to react. That's from fear. If it is a person of love and a

person who says, "Look, I want to meet you where you are. I I I want to answer these questions," it goes from reacting to responding. And responding can only come from love because you're leaning in and you're answering the question or you're reflecting and saying, "Tell me more. What are you really trying to get to?" And that's such a safe place that it allows people to come back to personal, professional, and spiritual harmony. Whereas the old system was

clock in, clock out, do your thing, ring the bell, get out. And I think this is all these things are starting to collide right now. And people are going to realize that economics, which is just a reflection of our humanity, has always been there. But when we decided to construct things a little bit differently, we got off track. And what we're trying to do is remind people that that was a brief period of time in the universe's eyes at least. That was just a little flash in the in the pan. Now

we're getting back on track. And what's going to happen when we do? We're going to see growth personally, professionally, and spiritually like we never have before. And it's going to come from your daughter's generation and maybe a little bit older who are saying, "Yeah, I got a few questions here, dude. Can we talk about it?" And those who want to talk, great. those who don't well we know Darwin was right you know we'll see what happens yeah exactly so you earlier you said I jumped to number two what are one and three

oh um the number one principles that we teach when you start deconstructing and trying to understand economics and spirituality and where they collide number one is that your energy arise before you do number two is that the opposite of love is not hate it's fear and then number Three is that we are literal beings. And when you say something to somebody, it has to be so clear, concise, and cogent that they understand that harmony. They understand where you're coming to them personally,

where you're coming to them professionally, and where you're coming to them spiritually. And sometimes because we've been constructed to do this, we use words that your brain totally understands the intention of those words, but the receiver of it who's going through that evolution toward harmony might not perceive it that way. So we're having to look at words and understand perception in reality, intentions from the giver and the ability of the receiver to to take it in. So energy is number one. uh

totally understanding fear and love and then third is about the use of words because that's how we communicate and those three things are the foundation of the intersection that that's happening right now. Okay. So sorry for the benefit. So yeah. Ah okay.

Yeah. So it's for the benefit of the listener or the person who's watching the YouTube here. Um uh I had the luxury and the privilege and the honor to read your your latest manuscript for the next book that's coming out. Um it's the title's been changing. It's been shifting. We've been like I' I've been in in the primordial ooze of the beginning part of this which has been [ __ ] awesome by the way man. Thank you so much. And in that book, you're you're you're

pointing the way to this connection, this this intersection of spirituality and economics and how and how uh you know, a story and maybe just give a quick little outline of of the book's premise because I don't want to over I I don't want to overshare here if I'm oversharing the podcast right now where the book's at, but my understanding of the the book is showing how a company that and someone who's going through a difficult time in their business and they're going is this it is this all right am I doing the right thing here and then they meet someone

else who's gone out and started their own business who was in the same space and has total congruency between their spirituality and the and their economics and the company's flourishing more so every person in the organization is flourishing and joyful and open right and so it's like it's not like spirituality is on one side and then economics is on the other you know this whole thing that money is the root of all evil or that money is evil. No, the love of money is the root of all evil,

right? Um Oh, yeah. But it it's that it's that these are not polar opposites. Spirituality and like being the poor sitting there in a loin cloth and being poor. That's a higher spiritual resonance than actually being abundant, which I could never get my head around that one. Right. Yeah. I never could get my head around that one. But this is where you're bringing them together and you're saying, "No, you you can actually it's both. It's it's it's all one."

Yeah. Yeah. No, thank you. It should come out in a few weeks. We're excited about that. It's called The Alignment Way. And what it is is a narrative, which we've never done before. It's a story. So, there's not a lot of academics in it, but it takes all the other books and brings them together at that point where harmony occurs. and it's about a woman who's going through a corporate career and she's seeking she knows there's something else out there and they tell her about this other

person who's also a female and says you need to go visit her and talk to her and she will maybe you'll get something out of it because she's in total alignment the way you said. So it's a it's it's a story meant to say and we can talk about the academics all day long but at the end of the day it is a personal thing.

It's a quest. It's not a journey. It's a quest to find that spot. And um and you're right to back up on something you just said in lesson number one. We talk about your energy arise before you do. That's real. So we're all balls of energy, right? And the belief that you fake it till you make it, which a lot of businesses do. Uh-uh. That doesn't work.

You know, uh people can pick up on that. They know when you're faking it. They know when something's wrong. And so when you're walking into a meeting, you can smile and handshake and glad hand. You can do everything you want, but if deep down inside your spirit is troubled, there are people in the room that are going to know that. And when you leave, that energy is going to stay behind. They're going to go, "Man, that was a really nice guy, but you know, something just seemed off. He said all the right

things, but uh you know, it's that vibe, that that feeling." But here's where it intersects with economics, and this is an aha moment for a lot of students. the word the the thing that we do in economics is we start out in a bartering sense, right? So, let's say I'm a lumberjack and you're a farmer and you call me up and say, "Hey, dude. I really need this field cleared. Will you do that?" And I say, "Yeah." And he says, "Look, I've got all these chickens and eggs and cattle. If you'll do this for me, I need the trees cut down, but I

know you need beef and eggs. I'll trade with you." Awesome. Great. That's how economics starts is trading of value. You can value you. You are valuable to me because you can cut down these trees. I'm valuable to you because I can give you steak and eggs, right? We can come to an agreement. But what happens when you can't? When you just say, "Hey, I need you to cut down these trees so I can plow this field. I'll give you a bunch of chickens and and cows and

that'll be a good trade." And the lumberjack says, "I've got enough chickens that I don't I don't need that." So what we did in society was we came up with a value system that's based on trust. And that trust is represented in what we call currency. Whether it be the Canadian dollar, the US dollar, the euro, whatever it is. What you're doing is you're saying, "Look, I tell you what, I know you don't want the chickens and the eggs and the cows. I will give you this currency

which you'll be able to take and go buy something else with it because somebody else will take it and they do it." But you're going to bump into people who say, "No, no, no. just trade. But that currency is that point where they meet. But here's what's interesting. This is what people's brains explode on when I do it. The word currency, which we all use and we know exactly what it is, right? Dollar bills, euros, we know what that is. Nobody ever thinks about the

word. Yeah. The word currency is like the current of a river. It is energy. Money is nothing but energy and it's based on trust. We are beings that are nothing but energy and we're based on love. Love and trust are related to each other. If you genuinely love somebody, you trust them and vice versa. Doesn't mean there's not good times and bad times, but you get it right. So, the very foundation of economics is based on energy and the transfer of that energy to connect all of us. Sometimes it's a

trade. Sometimes we got to use a tool that other people can bring their energy together and we can all grow together. So the fundamental fact about your energy arriving before you do, your energy lingering after you left is the foundation of economics. And we just figured out a way to help trade that energy and make it more fluid and for all of us to work together. And that's what makes the world go round. And uh it's right there in front of you. It literally says currency current energy

your energy its energy let it flow and and and do it. So when we talk about that to people, they're like, "Oh man, my head hurts." You know, I got to digest that for a minute. But then you realize economics is just a reflection of us. And um there's I was talking to an art dealer, like a big art deal dealer in Korea this week, and um they sell big I mean like like jaw-dropping prices for this thing. And she was telling me, she said, you know, you go back to that old saying, does life imitate art or does art imitate life?

Yeah. The answer is yes to both of them, right? Because it's just a reflection. It's a mirror. Art is a mirror. And people who are really tuned to it can look at the art and tell you how the artist felt, what that energy was. In other words, it's the difference between art and a picture, right? A picture you hang on the wall, whatever. When you see it as art, then you're feeling the energy flow through it. And then I heard I was like, uh, duh. That's the same thing as economics. Then I heard the world's greatest celloist, um, a Yo-Yo

Ma, the Chinese guy, um, greatest in the world at his instrument. He was interviewed recently, I think, on the Steven Coar show, and they said, "You create this music that just goes around the world. It doesn't matter where you are. People listen to you and you fall they fall into the beauty of your creation. What's your secret? How long did you have to practice? How long did you have to learn? Who? And and he says to them, it goes he got it wrong. Music

is like art. It's like us. It's just energy. I'm not a musician playing a tune. I'm somebody that's releasing that energy to you so that you can feel it and absorb it and bring it into yourself. It has nothing to do with notes and chords. It has to do with energy and if we're creatures of love and that energy flows to you in the form of music or art or whatever, the connectivity we have is off the chart. And when he said that, it was like there's no response, you know, because that is so pure and so true. So it's

beyond economics, it's art, it's anything that's a reflection of us, it's just a reflection of our energy. And if you go to the core of who we are, we are love. So energy is love. How you use that is up to you. And when you realize that and realize words like currency are saying the same thing. It's right there in front of you all the time. Then you start to grasp what it is and how we interact as um a culture, as people, and and what makes the world great. And

that's step number one. You just gave me an unlock. Um, I was having uh yesterday yesterday I talked to Jackie Jackie Joy who's on your team and she and we had we had this conversation and all of a sudden there was like um Tammy Gransom who's been on the podcast and she's my spiritual healer. She says we get codes from one another like codes that help you unlock um like there's hidden closed doors. Like so basically we're all just having amnesia, right? Like if you think about it, we're

all just we're spiritual beings that are just had amnesia just to experience uh humanity because we just uh decided to take the yellow pill or the red pill in in in in the the the matrix, right? And I've just forgotten and and then what we do is we have conversations with one another, we share codes and then they'll unlock something. And you just gave me one there and it's all of a sudden I could and it's not cerebral like it's not a even though it's part like I get it

intellectually but I felt it felt it when you started saying alls we're doing when we live and this is what I I I heard as human beings we're just exchanging energy with one another that's all we are ever doing any moment only in present moment I'm exchanging energy or I'm focusing my well I'm focusing my energy with you and we're exchanging energy and then if you're exchanging energy at the same vibration it hits and meets and raises it comes together and then it raises if my energy is at a different level than yours there's friction because it they

don't meet the energies don't meet right right um or if you're not present like if you ever thought about this like if you're not actually present in the moment and you're focusing on the past, you're directing your energy away from the present moment. So that's why there's a disconnect. And that's why if I'm thinking about the past, I'm I'm focusing my energies on the past, which is why I feel regret and remorse for the past because I'm not in the present moment. Or if I'm focused on the future, if I'm I'm directing my energy to the

future, I feel fear. Yeah. Like right because I'm afraid because I'm not in the present moment. But when I'm whenever I've been completely present with someone, it's like that's where I'm that's where my energy is going. Mhm. And so right I I don't know if I quite articulated my understanding of what you just said, but I mean like holy [ __ ] like all we're doing energy.

But I will tell you one thing and you're so spot on with that. When we look at the past, we should learn from it, right? But you know, history does not repeat itself. There's no such thing as history. people repeat themselves. So if you start looking at patterns and you can make decisions like, "Yeah, I love working with those people, but man, they're always so fear-based and it kind of I don't feel good. I don't feel like there's there. I want to help them, but

I don't feel like it." Then that's your intuition saying maybe you should look in a different direction. It's okay. Wish them the best. But the same thing happens for the future. When people are looking out the future, it's going to go one of two ways. And 90% of the time it is fear-based. It is like a would have, should have, could have or what if, you know. And what we learned is, and this is the way to tell it, if you're looking into the future and your inner self is

asking questions, then that's anxiety. Anxiety only comes in the form of questions. And anxiety is a false fear about something that has not happened and probably won't happen. So, and and fear is good. I mean, if a T-Rex breaks through the woods here and starts coming at me, yeah, be afraid. You know, that's what it's there for. But to sit there and run through these scenarios in your head about a future that's probably not going to happen. The way you can tell is if

your inner self is asking questions, well, what if this happens? Well, what if this happens? Or what if this happens? If it's true intuition, if it's that harmonious moment where your personal, professional, and spiritual life are coexisting, it doesn't come to you in the form of a question. It comes to you in the form of a statement like this is right or this person needs help or something. So because that's not fear that is something that you need to take

action on. And we see a lot of really great entrepreneurs and innovators in in the economics world. They want to do something and they'll say, "I've got it. Let's go." Well, maybe there's some people out there who who are going to be on your team who are going to look at it and say, "But what?" But but but and they're starting to ask questions. Your job as somebody who is aligned, who is in harmony, is to help them come to the harmony. It's not to always push them away, but when you're talking to them, talk to them in statements. And for

God's sakes, don't say you believe. Say you know. So if your inner self, your higher self is telling you a statement, you know it. If it's not or it's a question, the other little buzzword to pick up on is belief. Because if somebody believes something, they're admitting to themselves that there's a percentage of that that's doubt. So even if you say, "My religion, we believe this." I'm like, "Really?" Do you? There's a little bit of doubt.

If somebody says, "I know this to be true." Okay, go with them. They're in harmony. might not be right all the time, but they're in harmony and they believe it to the best that they can. So, think about that. When you're looking to the future, when you're looking about your energy, it's okay to pull back your past experiences, your current circumstances, and your future hopes and dreams. But when that future is coming to you in the form of questions, you are not in harmony. You

are not aligned. It should come in a statement. And then that way, you know that is true. And you might not know how you're going to get there because there's thousands of ways to get there, but you know where you're going. And I think when that energy gets in harmony and directs in that way and you bring other people in and help them see it, too, it becomes an unstoppable force. I mean, look at Elon Musk. He's Yeah, we're going to Mars. He doesn't say I believe we can make it. He's we're

going. He knows he's going. He He is so in alignment with that. whether you like him or not, whe you think he's goofy, it doesn't matter. That dude is aligned. He knows exactly what he's going to do. And everybody on his team knows they're going to do it, too. So, that's the difference. That's how you can tell um if somebody's aligned and they're bringing people along or if they're not.

Man, the Oh, okay. There's so much to unpack there. Um my my brain is swimming. So I I want to look at I'm going to grab this one thing. So as if you your intuition and part of that that feeling that knowing is when it comes in the form of a question it creates anxiety and fear about the future. But you're saying that if it comes in the form if your intuition well really I don't think a question has ever been intuitive to me. Correct. I think it's always been cerebral. It's been more cerebral. Questions are always

something that my mind cranks out and thinks through, but intuition comes to me in forms. It definitely does. It comes to me in a form of a statement like I So, I went for a walk in the woods. So, I'm I'm I'm up in Speaking of your book, I'm up in Colona. I'm a big white and Colona is in the book, which is really really cool. Okay. Actually, we just moved it to Victoria, but it's okay. Oh, you did?

Yeah. Oh, you did? Okay, cool. Um uh you see again that we were in the primordial I know you were early on. We was early on. Okay. So um I was going for a walk and I was I was thinking about some shall we call it problems in in my business. Right. And this is another thing I've been refraraming. Every time I have a problem I'm refraraming it and calling it a project. Project challenge. Yeah. Because instead of calling it a problem is something that my mind thinks is

forever and has to get solved otherwise I'm going to die. like my lizard bl brain kicks in. Yeah. If I call a problem a project, it's got a beginning, a middle, and an end. And so I've I'm doing this like I call it a if you want to call it a shortcut or a hack to get my thinking right. I've just been thinking about these projects which are really problem.

That's not a hack, dude. That's harmony. That's you moving toward harmony. Because I'm seeing because I'm seeing it for what it actually is. Yeah. So there's two things I always talk about. Your brain and your mind. Okay. The brain is the organ. It's the machine that clicks things on and off. The brain only knows two things and it's number one patterns. It's looking for patterns. And those patterns are summarized in meaning. So in its search for meaning, it looks for patterns. And this goes to what we talked about with words, but we'll come back to that. If

the patterns are considered problems, yes or no, it's all no, no, no, no, no. Then the meaning it's going to find from that is this is bad. this is a no, this is a problem. If you just change it and you redefine the patterns, the brain's going to say, "Oh, this is a project. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

And when it ends, I'm going to be happy." But that's driven by the mind. The mind is that subconscious, that divine that's within you that can rationalize and rescue with it or not rescue um can kind of look to things differently and find harmony. So your mind is always saying, "Hey, this isn't that big of a deal." The mind is where intuition comes from. The mind is the statements of the truth that drive toward harmony. The brain, when it reacts to something based on fear, it's

the patterns that it knows that is seeking a different meaning. All you got to do is retrain it and tell it, "No, no, no, no, no. That's not where we're going. This pattern isn't a problem. This pattern is a project, and we know how to do projects." and your brain says, "Oh, yay. Okay." And then your brain and your mind align. And then that's where harmony comes from. And that's when your true spiritual self has a chance to go out there and be reflective into the world. So you're

doing it. You're finding harmony in the way you reframe that. Okay, that makes sense now because the mind already knows that it's not permanent, that it's it's a flow of energy that's going around. The brain is thinking problem lasts forever. When it's a problem, it's negative. It's horrible. When I said project, the brain went, "Oh, it aligned itself with the mind's way of thinking." Yeah. No, the mind's way of being. Being, not thinking, it's the mind's way of being. Okay. Yeah. Because the mind doesn't understand time. That's an important

thing to know. Your brain in its patterns has a clock and it's always looking at clocks and times and how long is this going to last? How long am I going to feel brave? What's going on? It's a monitoring system and thank God we've got it. is great, but your mind doesn't understand time. It only lives in the present. And so when you infect the mind by saying, "Oh, wait a minute.

What if this? What if that? What if this?" Your mind's going, "What? It's just now. It's just now." And we know now is in a constant movement. And as we progress through more and more presence of now, we got this because we're in harmony. But you infect that and and try to make the mind think in time like your brain does and all of a sudden then that you're out of harmony, you know, again and you need to realign it. So what you're doing is brilliant. Brilliant on

how you're doing it because a project doesn't have time. No pro. Yeah. Okay. A project doesn't have time. Project time. What is what am I doing right now in this project? Mhm. Um, you know, every time when we're talking about this stuff, this is where I I think I'm thinking to the teachings of Jesus and Buddha and uh like all of the spiritual teachers. It's like the eternal now like and and the power of now. Echarolei, the power of now. It's all these are all spiritual principles that are truths that we're we're now

applying to psychology and e economics. So, let me let me just tie that back in with the economics thing. So, I was I was walking through the woods and I'm going, I've got some projects here. Um, I've got some big contracts that are going away. All of a sudden, the mind gets into fear or worried about not doing the work with the these people. And um because I'm like going, "Oh [ __ ] where's my cash flow going?" Right? Like biggest thing for an entrepreneur is like when their cash flow dries up and they're not cash confident and they don't have the money coming in and they're like, "Oh [ __ ]

now what am I going to do?" Right? Um but there was an interesting thing that happened as I was walking through. I thought of it as a project going well that project with that client is completed right I've completed the project and so all of a sudden it felt and then I look back and I went look at I I did a lot of great work with these people over a lot period of time and I succeed and I started to feel good about that going I've left them better off than I found them. Yeah. and it's a completed project. And

I went, "Oh." But that came to me through an intuitive thought, not a pro trying to rationalize it. Like it it came to me as opposed to me forcing it. Yeah. And then the thing that came to it was this concept like I I know the Viking Academy is going to be huge. I know it. Do I know how it's going to happen? No. But I don't know how don't be married. But I know I know in my in my being that it's it's really important and that it's going to be it's going to have huge impact in the

world, right? I know it. It was like as I was walking through the woods, it was telling me it's time to let go of the accountant success formula like that that other the company that I have. It said it's time to let it it's time to let it go. And I went and I went okay. And it went, it's going to go this way. And I went, okay. And then it said, you're going to now now you're going to start attracting the right the the thing that you're supposed to be doing next. Yeah. And I just like and if you talk to talk

that way like to most entrepreneurs, if you actually have the real conversation with them, they will all under underneath they'll go, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah." But then you go, "But where's the business plan?" and where's the business model and how do you monetize and d and I'm like [ __ ] no idea.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then and and that's where that's where that conditioned conformity comes in where it's like well you have to have a clear business model and monetization in the plan and you and I have done you know this is our world but this is almost moving into a totally different realm of it's when Tammy Grantham shared this with me and it it was another one I think it'll wrap it into a bowl. She said how how we do how to do something is fear and scarcity. Yeah.

Why we do something is love and abundance. What if she said and and and but she said this. She goes magic will be the new how. Which I think is what we're talking about. There's an intersection between spirituality and economics. Like it's coming together. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. How many phrases together? Yeah. Yeah. It's always been Okay. So, but I think what I the way I articulated it is I actually broke it out into two polar opposites. And I didn't and and um

but it's bringing it's it's it's all it's always been together. We just haven't seen it. And once you see it, once you see it, you can't unsee it. Yeah. Because what you're seeing is a reflection of yourself. That is all economics is. And you know, I do media three or four days a week, interviewed all over the world, and the question I always get is, "Dr. Barton, how's the economy?" And I give them the same answer. I'm like, "Which one?" And they're like, "Well, the economy." And I'm like, "Uh, yeah." Well, I what are

you talking about? And then I go into a little bit of an answer. I said, "Look, there's 8 billion people on the world. That means there's eight billion economies. You know, you might be living a life that's you're happy and you're harmonious and the person next to you might not be feeling so good because they're they're not that way. They're constructed to think a different way. There are eight billion economies and you want to talk about the most complex

economy, it's the family. You figure out a family and you you have you have a PhD in economics, you are good. So when we talk about, you know, this stuff and about them coming together, when I mean it's always been together, it's always been a reflection of the people. But what we're seeing is people deconstructing now and asking questions like your daughter's doing and saying, "Wait a minute. There's more to this. It's bigger than us." And in doing so,

they're not overthinking. They're living in the presence. And um I had this incredible memory hit me this week that I thought was fascinating. I remember undergrad school, first year of college, whatever. I was taking him in a literature class and I had this professor who looked like he was right out of Indiana Jones. He had the tweet jacket. He was everything. He was older.

Now I say that he's probably my age now back about 40ome years ago. So he probably not around anymore. But he asked the class a really simple question. He said, "I want you to read this Robert Frost poem and and tell us what it is about." And it's a poem that starts out, "My horse must think it's queer to stop without a farmhouse near."

And it goes on to explain this beautiful cold evening. The guy's on his buggy and he's snow and he looks through the woods and he sees this light in the distance and he's drawn toward the light, the warmth of it. And what does it mean? The snow, the darkness. We wrote all this stuff down. Oh, it's the Christ message.

It is good and evil. It's coming out of the darkness. The snow represents purity. We wrote all this stuff down. and he looked at us after we'd gone through this exercise and he just laughed and he said, "Do you know what this story is about?" And we're like, "Well, yeah, it's about all this stuff." And he said, "No, it's about a dude on a horse who stopped at night and thought it was really pretty to look at the farmhouse in the woods. That's it. That

is all that poem is about." And I remember somebody said, "How do you know?" And he said, "Because I studied under Robert Frost and he told me." He said, 'What you're missing is you're not being present in the present, which is where this reflection came from. That guy stopped and said, "What a beautiful scene. Why don't I write it down?" And I'm pretty gifted at poetry, so I'm going to write it as a poem. It was in the present. There was no thinking about the future. Nowhere in there does he say

in this other stuff. You imagine that. You created that. But just go back to the present and the harmony of what Robert Frost was there and you actually see it clearer. And instead of overthinking it, which is what entrepreneurs do, instead of overthinking it, just enjoy how beautiful that scene is. Think about the beauty of the scene that he just created in a form of art for you, which is energy, which is who you are. And when he said that, it's like, woo, everything

connected. And I as an individual, even though I was really young then got to look at this and go, that is beautiful. You know, I didn't realize that at 19 or 20 years old, how the presence was being reflected then, decades after Robert Frost had died. But that's really what he was doing. He was saying, "Stop worrying about the future. Just enjoy the moment." and I'm sharing that moment with you. And I think that's the biggest problem people have when they disconnect from understanding that

you're just a spiritual being and your work, the transfer of value of that chickens, eggs, farmers, canal trees, whatever is helping other people as much as they're helping you. You're growing together in harmony and you're living in the moment. Then you're okay to say, "No, it's just a pretty it's just a pretty night. Let's enjoy the night." And what I tell entrepreneurs all the time or any clients or anybody we're working with or even students if you're spending so much time worried about the

future which is based on fear which is going to kick in that lizard brain to say to do something or not do and just go oh anxiety is going to come you're really depriving yourself of the present and the present is all we've got. So think about that. Is it worth worrying about it? No. Because when you're in harmony, the universe is going to give you more opportunities than you can handle. And you're going to be able to choose wisely.

And when that happens, abundance is there because we're all creatures of love and abundance is a reflection of love. So, you got to shake all that stuff. Now, it doesn't mean you can't you shouldn't study. It doesn't mean you have to you can't you can't just walk in and say, "I want to be a brain surgeon today and oh, I'm living in the moment." not a good idea. You got to put in the work, right? And and master your craft. But if you master your craft based on love and letting go of the future, don't

be married to the outcome. It will reveal itself as it goes. Then then are you in harmony and you will start attracting other harmonies to you and other people who want the same who need your value. They want to transfer that value. That's what we call economics. Um, and so it's about deconstructing from a lot of that stuff. So, and so let's just talk about economics like you know the law of attraction. So people hear about the law of attraction and go ah

that's just that's just they go the woo woo space like you're just talking you know you know the secret the book the secret and all the rest of that and but economics is is the law of attraction. Absolutely. you have something that that that is its purest form of economics. It's like the law of attraction. It's like well why does everybody buy an Apple Watch like why? Because they're attracted to the Apple Watch. So that's the law of attraction, right? Why do you pay $6 for a cup of coffee that costs three cents? You know the the money

the it's a great trivia question in economics. What business does the shipping container or the container of the product cost more than the product itself? And it's Starbucks is coffee. The cup costs Starbucks more than the coffee that's in the cup. So you're talking three or four cents, you know, here. So maybe 10 cents to do it. Now, yeah, you got labor and you got distribution, you got marketing, you got all of this stuff. That's fine. But think about what you're doing. Why in

God's name are you paying five and $6 for a cup of coffee? You're not buying the coffee. You're buying the experience. You're buying the smell, the aroma, the feel, the way they write your name down and personalize it on your coffee cup when you go in. That's what you're buying. You're in harmony with the moment, with the present. You're not in harmony with a cup of coffee. You might like it. You might really enjoy it really. You can get it anywhere. You can

make it yourself. But the economics is different for you because you're attracted to them for something way beyond the coffee. you're extracted to them because of the harmonious experience that they create. And there's thousands and thousands of businesses, you know, that do that. And they're not selling the product, they're selling the experience, which means they're connecting with you. And in connecting with you, you feel that energy at a completely different level. And I think what we're starting to notice now is we

really want more of that. And if it's a transactional business, McDonald's, I got my own opinion about that, but you're not ex you're not connecting with McDonald's, you're buying a hamburger, fries, and a milkshake, right? You're just transaction and getting through versus Starbucks, you're not buying coffee, you're buying experience. So that's those little hints that we're seeing around that really help us understand the spiritual connection to the economics and validate it as well. You know, it's interesting

when you talk about uh McDonald because I I remember as a kid McDonald's had all the all the characters, right? You had Ronald McDonald, you had the hamburger, you had the you know, all these different characters. Yeah. As a child, that's where the connection happened. That's where all of a sudden there was a personality that you you and you connected to this. But for some reason, McDonald's got rid of them.

Yeah. Like they're not there anymore. Yeah. They lost their way. Uh and think of what else McDonald's did. the happy meal. They didn't call it a kid meal. They called it a happy meal. Your kid will be happy. And they put little toys, you know, in there. And that was the law of attraction. It wasn't a gimmick. It was real that you were brought in to do that. Now, yeah, there are other benefits and other alternate agendas, I'm sure, but at the end of the day,

they were selling experience and they got out of that. And, you know, they're so big, it doesn't really matter. They're really a real estate company anyway. So you look at that and you're like that model's just not for me. I don't feel connected. But then you see companies like in the US, I don't know if you've got it in British Columbia yet. I know it's in Ontario, but you see Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out Burger on the West. Great products, but they're better

products out there, but why are people lined up around the block to go there? It's the experience that they create that says, "I'll pay a little bit more for a chicken sandwich or I'll pay a little bit more for an In-N-Out burger because I want to feel it. I want that vibe. I want that connection." So, when economics gets there, you see unlimited growth. Um, when it's just doing transactions like McDonald's, and I don't track McDonald's, but I know it's a good model. I mean, if you're investing, it makes money. But at the

end of the day, you see the slide. And I can't tell you that McDonald's is going to look the same way in 20 years as it does now. It's either going to be non-existent or it's going to radically change and adapt. And I hope it does because there's some really smart people there. But at the end of the day, you can start to see it all around you. It's what I meant. You can't unsee it when when you become awake and and start noticing that. And then the the fear most people have of economics because

they didn't have a good teacher or they didn't understand it or no one no one told them that it was more than interest rates and yield curves. You know that it's really just a reflection. It's an art form is is what it really really is. And if you understand people then you understand economics. And that's what drew me into it was I realized from traveling all over the world we're all the same. Now, I didn't know at the time to say we're all spiritual beings. I was

looking at it that we have all the same wants and desires, which is true. It wasn't until I was older and got a little more connected and awake and understand who we really are that I was able to interpret the words that I was using as spiritual. And you know, spiritual is not burning incense and sending Ms and all that, which is fine. I do it. I love it. There's nothing wrong with that. But at the end of the day, spirituality is also just a word that we use to reflect who we are. And

we are all spiritual beings made out of love and we want to connect. But society has constructed a certain path for us. But now we're breaking out of that again. And when that happens, everything's about to uh to take off. So, it's a good time to be here when So, I'm I want to tie this back into say something you said earlier, which is when you're working with someone that's not in alignment, like their energy's off, the energy frequencies off, and that person's resonating at a super low negative fear

level, shall we say, and you're at a higher level, and you're you're you're vi you're clearly vibrating at a different level, and you're like, It just doesn't feel right working with them. And to continue working with them, I find I feel almost like a vortex of I start feeling fear because it's almost like I'm getting sucked into that energy cycle that they have. Yeah.

Even by the virtue of the fact that if I continue to work with the person, I'm only doing it out of fear because I want to make the money. Do you know what I mean? Like as opposed to coming at it from an angle of going, "This person's suffering. Can I come in at a higher level of vibration and help them up, but you meet those people that don't want to get up?" Like you you know what I mean? Like cuz it's like you help them. You you you turn around, you see them in a in a they fell into a pit.

So then you you reach down, you pick them up, you dust them off, and you say, "Okay, follow me. Here we go." and you come walking and you're walking along and all of a sudden you turn around and look behind you and you can't see them again because they've walked five feet over there and they dropped into another pit or they've got a shovel in their hand and they're digging their own hole and you're going what the [ __ ] Like how how can how can I like what what's the deal here?

Yeah, it's it's that energy of going and so this is a personal question. How do you discern because this is where I want to get to also for the listeners and for myself. It's like we've been talking about a lot of concepts here, but how do you put it into practice?

Yeah. Knowing when you're in the right space doing the right thing with the right person as opposed to going, I'm here to help this person at that lower vibration. I can feel the the the it's like in music, you hit two two notes and if they're if it you pinch harmonics. Have you ever played the guitar? Would you you do a pinch harmonic and they totally waver if they're not in alignment. As soon as the A and the E come in alignment that the wavering

stops. The pinch harmonic goes. Yeah. How do you discern when to help that bring that pinch harmonic in alignment and when is it time to walk? Yeah. It's a three it's a three-step stool and you know all three scholars who have talked about this and thank you for the reference when you said that pitch harmonic. I could just imagine Eddie Van Halen, you know, doing how he how he would get you to go what and then woom, you know, and it happened. So,

talk about law of attraction. He would use those conflicts uh when he played to make you lean in and then all of a sudden it would come into harmony and you're like, what what just happened? But going back to everything you just said uh and you know all these people, your buddy Echart Tole, uh Dan Sullivan, and then Dr. uh Ursula Linton, which has been on your uh podcast or I don't know if it's released yet, but I know she's been on it. All three of those say

different things that rely back on the same thing. So, go to Dan Sullivan. Brilliant. Probably one of the greatest modern strategists that um I've ever met. He says it's multiplication by subtraction. You multiply your life sometimes by subtracting things out of it. You let go. you untether uh from the current or maybe the past or you untether from the questions that drive you uh crazy and create anxiety for the future. So you will multiply by subtracting things out which sounds counterintuitive till you walk your way you know through it. But then on the

other side Echart says something very interesting about spiritual growth. He says if you're working with somebody and they're just not where you want them to be you can invite them. You can hold their hand, but don't become righteous. If you think, "Oh, wait. I'm in tune. I'm aligned. I'm better than you." In other words, then you're not really in tune or alignment. That's just another ego that's using the same words that is going to bring you down like a rock. So,

if you really want to help someone and be there for them, you have to be open to it. And in doing so, you cannot be righteous about it. And so then the question becomes, well, wait a minute. Like you just said, I'm pulling them along. I'm trying to help them. I'm not being righteous. I'm not holding my nose up saying, I know something you don't know. I'm really wanting to meet them where they are. Dan's over there saying, but wait a minute, multiplication by

subtraction is very real. Where do they intersect? And Dr. Ursula said this. She taught me. She said, 'The only way it works is if that person is willing and open to it. So if you're with somebody and you're trying to help them get there and they're not open to it, multiplication by subtraction. And for God's sakes, don't be righteous and tell them you know the only way. Just let them go. If they're not open, it is not going to happen. But that goes back to another Sullivan theory where he talked about the four stages of failure,

frustrated, traditionally successful, and transformative. um if they're a failure, there is nothing you can do. In fact, if you're trying to help somebody who's in the failure mode, it's not going to work. In fact, if you do try to help them, still not going to work. And they're going to end up blaming you. So, you need to you need to step away. It's just not going to work. But if they're frustrated enough to raise their hand and say, "Hey, Eric, I

just sense something about you that is special. I don't know what you want to call it, but your energy is something that I need. Your way of thinking is doing this. I'm really frustrated, but I'm open to learning more. Now you're in. So, you got to take all three of those. Multiplication by subtraction.

Don't don't be so righteous that you think that you can help because you're not. You're just replacing one ego for another. That's false. But if that third person, if that or that person you're trying to help is willing and open like Ursula says, now you can make it happen. That the universe is just invited your way in to help another being become better. But sometimes the answer is not now. You know, it's not no forever. It's not now. And you've got to be able to discern that. You also noticed that um and I

the the higher vibration is laughing, laughter, joy, like just laugh at yourself like you like like let's take ourselves too seriously, right? Like and and I just laugh at it because I believe the universe has an incredible sense of humor. And finally, it's like it's going, "Okay, Eric, this is where you this is where my plan is for you." And this is my Viking Academy ethos. I believe everyone was brought here for a reason. We're all here to experience something. We're all here to fit into

the puzzle, but we're the only species on the planet that doesn't know why we're here, right? So, we're all So, for me, that's the whole ethos is just exploring and having these conversations and exploring the self to to figure out, well, well, where do I fit into this whole thing, right? Like, what am I here to contribute? What is my unique value contribution as Chad Jenkins would call it? And um I I just I I see this opportunity to work with somebody and I think I'm working with

them, but eventually the universe goes, "Yeah, you know, Eric, you just taking too long to actually sub to to to like to simplify before you multiply." So we're just I'm just going to move them out of your way now. Yeah. And because all of a sudden anytime something's left that fear and this is and I think this is where spirituality and the economics is is intersecting as well is going oh that person left. So a client leaves or a pro like the contract is over. you lose some. So the the revenue model

drops and instead of getting fearful and scared and that lower energy and getting freaked out is going, "Oh, great. That chapter was done. That project was finished." The universe knew that it was time for me to move on to the next thing. And here's the kicker for me is going something even better is coming. Yeah. when when I'm when I'm in that mode and I go something like because and and it's interesting I just I have I shown you this one the primal intelligence by Angus Fletcher. If I show Dude, this you and Angus, I'd love to hear the

two of you have a conversation together, man. That would be something else. This he works with special operations. So, also on your in your in your right in your wheelhouse here. Um um it's it's going to my past. This is where you were talking about before about going to the past and your experiences going all look at look at my past and when all the negative things happened in my past what came of it I go back I think about my alcoholism what happened when I actually hit the bottom worst day of my life and the best

day of my life. Yeah. every every challenge I had in the past turned out to be a blessing or this big contract disappeared and I ended up selling my accounting firm ended up getting in starting the accountant success formula got into strategic coach met my best friend Don who I'm talking to right now do you know what I mean like if I go into my past and I look at it I go oh it's an integrated past it's actually was there to serve me so when something negative happens in the moment I go oh the universe has my back because

something better's coming Yeah. Yeah. That's you never heard that [ __ ] talked about in economics. No, nobody ever tells you that. And because what you just described is and nobody likes the process, right? When you look through it, when you're in that moment, it just stinks. It is not fun at all. Billy Graham said that. They asked him, the great American preacher, they said, "You, are you afraid of dying?"

And he goes, "No, I'm not afraid of death at all." And they said, "Really?" He goes, "Yeah, but the process greatly disturbs me. I don't want to go through that. And so when you're talking about alcoholism and hitting rock bottom, worst day and the best day because it's only up from there, uh, divorce, uh, relationships, all those things. But man, when you're in it, your brain and your mind are spinning and it wants to go back and bring things up and create emotions which if not interpreted

correctly, you will react. And react comes from fear. Like, I don't know what the future's going to have. So, how dare you do that to me? That client, I can't believe they quit. You know, that you get very reactive and fearful. And that's sort of that primal mind of people who are not connected. But what you're saying now is through a little bit of life experience and some big valleys that we've all gone through. You look at it and you say, "Wow, I don't need to react. I need to respond." And

I'm responding out of love. Now, the anxiety is not anxiety anymore. is curiosity where you say, "I've got this feeling in my chest. I'm really nervous. How are we going to do this? How are we going to handle cash flow?" If you stop looking at it as a question based on anxiety and start looking at it as a statement based on love, then you're looking out at it and say, "I might not know, but I know happiness is on the other side. And if I keep going back to my past, pulling those memories, pulling

these things up, having emotions, I'm pushing myself to reaction, and I know reactions from fear, and I know it's not going to get me anywhere. So through experience, you can sit there and say, when those things happen, I don't like it. The process is not what I signed up for, but I know happiness is on the other side, and as I get through this, it's going to be bigger and better. And I think people that are aligned can see that a little bit differently. They can look at it and say, "Yeah, I know this isn't what you wanted, but guess what?

You were attached to one outcome." And the universe had a better outcome for you. And you can't do it until you've done this. I know it sucks right now, but look at the future and where it's going to take you. And that's that's that takes a minute, you know? That's that is a real deep dive into your soul, into your energy, into your being where you just have to trust. But trust, like I said in the beginning, is a function of love. You are love. That is all you are. So shed all the manufactured social

construct for a moment and just breathe. Be in that moment. Be in the present. There aren't any T-Rexes. There aren't any meteorites going to land on your head. There's none of that stuff. What are you doing right now in the moment to make your life and your loved ones better by accepting it, regulating your emotions, and letting go of the outcome. And then when you do, harmony was right there the whole time. And then you start to flow and and go with it. But um yeah,

the process sucks, you know, when you're going through it. It's just that's part of the deal. So, but that's the gift, too. That's the gift. I mean, you were you told me that story one time about and I'd love for you to share your version of it because I've kind of I'm sure I've goofed it up, but you know, before you're born, you know, the creator says, "Hey, do you want to go down there?" Now, if you if I make you a human, you're going to experience all

these different emotions up and down. But when you're just living in the spirit world, you only know love, which isn't a bad gig, but would you like to do this? And everybody signs up for it. Of course you do. That's the gift. So the sucky part of the process, ironically, is part of the gift. But if you know that happiness is on the other side, you know that you're love. You know that this gap, this void, this thing, the abyss that you now feel is in your heart or in your life, it's going to be filled up with something better.

and you're gonna be ready for it. Man, that's that's that's the part of human. That's the being. And I've said this before, we're all human, but not everyone is a human being. And the being is that point of alignment and harmony where you really get to experience what this is all about. So, I guess you got to make a decision. Are you human or are you a human being? because it's the next step up human suffering. Yeah. You know, life was a Buddha life is suffering that the Buddha said, you

know, life will happen. It it's inevitable. Like pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Yeah, that's exactly right. And Buddha actually and there's multiple layers of it. Um Buddha said there's really only three types of suffering. There's situational, a plague, a pandemic, alien invasion, zombies, whatever. It's situational. You can't control that. It just happened. But you know this too shall pass. So just hang in there. There's physical suffering. You break a

leg. You fall down the steps. You, you know, you twist your ankle. Whatever. That's physical and that's legitimate. It's going to hurt for a little bit. You're going to suffer. But then the third type of suffering is the transformational suffering. when you're going through something, the valley, the pit, the abyss, and you are suffering because you're accepting that. But that goes back to what we're saying, happiness is on the other side, and when you get through that, it'll be there. Buddha never said you suffer your entire

life. He said that it's just a series of suffering and there's really only three types. Now, over the past several thousand years, they've, you know, they've added on to that, you know, a little bit, but again, we're all part of love. suffering is part of it, but it's either physical, it's situational, or it's transformative. They all have an ending to it. And the best one is the transformational where you're growing and you're learning something new about

yourself. You're coming into alignment. But what I've learned is the older you get, the more aligned you are, the less those dips seem to impact you because you are through experience able to look at it and say, "Yeah, I don't like it, but I know it's going to be fine." And then you're okay.

In in the book and I want to come back to the book. Um you you integrated because I know you so well. You've integrated your personal experience, your past, your your highs, your lows, all the teachings. You've kind of I see it as a uh it's an inter it's it's a convergence. Yeah, your book, this book is a convergence of all the thoughts and the ideas and the experiences that you've had and your understanding and your knowing of of of where spirituality and economics are now. They've always been one, but it's at it's it's the awareness of the

oneness. What are you doing right now? What's your vision of bringing this message to businesses and how are they implementing this? because I think we haven't really talked about that so much as like what you're doing and how you're actually and again when you read the book and if anybody's out there when when the book comes out I'm going to talk about it like a ton on the on the podcast is it I understand it intuitively but for the are you finding that when here's a

question are you finding that when you talk to someone in these organizations and you talk about this something inside them resonates and they understand. So, it's not like you're having to you're not having to teach anybody anything. You're actually just helping them remember. Yes, that's a great way of putting it. You you remember who you are. And sometimes in society, in our careers, and all that we are, our competition to keep up with each other, how we look to the outside world, all those things

become like a crust around our true self and it's hardened a bit. But we know who we are. So what's interesting is a lot of CEOs or business owners will call and say, "Hey, we're really frustrated. Can you help us do this? And how would you do it?" Now, we've learned you don't go in there with a sledgehammer. Because they're going to be fearful. They're going to react to it. So what we do is when we we tap into their frustration, we say, "Let us come work with you. Let us spend some time. Let's just start talking because we want to get your team

in alignment." And right now what you're feeling this frustration is just a little scattered and because not everybody is back on your mission or they're there it's just something not right. But a doctor doesn't write you a prescription then ask you what's wrong with you, right? Check it out and then write the prescription. So we have to check it out. And in that checking out process, that's when the reveal happens.

That's when and I think we have a unique ability to do this. when we're talking to somebody, they know there's no judgment and there's it's safe to talk to us and to talk to me. So, it starts coming out and very quickly once I realize that they really want to remember who they are. They really want to find out what it is, but they're afraid to say words like spirituality.

They're afraid to say words like alignment. They're afraid to say, "I want my team so managed and so self-managed that they can go out and do great things." Because societyy's taught me that I've got to be in charge of everything. I've got to do everything. Everything has to come on me. When they when they finally get to the point where they trust us and we trust them, which is very, very fast, then we move that conversation over to this. And I've seen some of the most hardened CEOs, men and women, who you think would never buy into it, tear up and start

talking about it, going, "Thank you. You just reminded me who we are." Which means we help them fall in love with their career again. And they're just in that social construct. It's encrusted. It's hard. And they're doing great. The outside world sees them doing great, but inside they know something's off. And that off is called misalignment. All we got to do is bring it back. And it only takes a couple months, you know, to do it. And but when they do, they just take

off like there's no tomorrow. So, it's a soft pitch, you know, to to help them get there because going back to what Ursula said, they have to be open to it. They have to be willing to it. And at first, they're putting up the facade. They're wearing the mask, but then it takes off. So that's how you do it. You just talk, you know, and have a conversation and then we apply all the research, you know, the the the one thing that and I share this right now. So I'm coaching at Strategic Coach. So I'm with all these different

entrepreneurs and but I get to be myself. That's one of the things I love about Dan and Strategic Coaches. He lets me be me, which is which is so much fun because I can just be the Viking, right? But one of the things I've shared with the groups and I've I've watched all of their faces just drop when I say one of my one of my non-negotiable standards that I have in my businesses and they said and I and they said well what is it Eric? And I said I don't manage people.

Yeah. I don't manage anyone and they just they they they kind of look at stunness like going huh? How can you what? How can you not like because the old model was always a hierarchical model of control and command and I hated it, man. I've always hated it. It has never felt right to me because and and whenever I got into it, I got so frustrated because of the that no one would ever do it the right way, the way I wanted it to be done. So that was that

was level one. But level two was like it felt like I was always fighting the current and I'm going why does it feel like I'm and I was talking biting the energy. Yeah. And here's the thing. I was talking to some clients yesterday and they're having a they're they've been they're beaten the beaten beaten beaten down because they're not in alignment with their partners. And I said you guys you're trying to implement this new way of being and at the same time you're fighting

internally. So you're fighting an external war and internal. you're trying to fight two battles at the same time because you're not in alignment. And I've been using that words over and over again. I said, you're not in alignment with your business partner. And I said, you are will continue to have this problem until you guys have an alignment. And the alignment has to be towards the bigger brighter future that you all agree upon. Yeah. But if you're not going to be in alignment, you're going to be in battle all together. And and managing people

felt like a battle all the time. And that's why now when I'm working with people, I'm like, I don't manage you, by the way. I will never manage you. And they're like, "Huh?" And I said, "Nope. I not happening." I said, "We're either on the same page going the same way or we're not." And and it just makes it so much open and freer. It just feels it feels more natural and easier, which in which sometimes in my brain goes, "No, it can't be easier." But I'm like inside I know that it should be easier. Do you know what I mean? It is easier

because these are other beings made up of love. They hopefully love their work. Let them be free to be them. And you told me this long time ago. You can lead or you can be in charge. But you can't do both. Right. Yeah. So what you're saying is I'm not going to be in charge. I'm not going to manage them. But I will lead them with a series of guard rails.

And if our frequencies are aligned, if we're all operating, here's the guidelines. Here's the mission. Here's the moral compass that we operate on. Now go be you. And then you see productivity accelerate. One of the stories we just we the studies we just did about women and this is a big part of spiritual growth that's happening is we know for a fact that women are going to take over global leadership in the year 2028. So in just two years from now

women are going to be the majority of the leadership around and they do do things differently. Now it's not a girl thing. It's just something girls do which means guys can be a part of it. But what it does is it they're better at meeting people where they are and saying, "Look, you know how to do this. Go do it. You don't have to bring every problem to me." And the data says, and this is what's brilliant about what you just said, the data tells us that 94% of

the people who bring you a problem in the company know how to fix the problem. So why in the world would you say, "Give it to me. I'll be in charge. I'll go do this. versus just letting them be free to be them. 94% know how to do it. And that's what we've seen in this new social conscious of leadership driven by women is they let the people do it, which means now they're free to be creative, to be innovative, to meet new customers, to do things. They're not

hung up in the weeds. Whereas the old patriarchal system said, "Oh man, this is broke. I got to give it to the boss and let them handle it." you're talking about doing the exact opposite, not managing them because 94% know how to do it. So set the guard rails and then get out of their way. That's the future of growth and that's where alignment comes from. It's a brilliant brilliant way of looking at it. Yeah. I was interesting. I just I just created another thinking tool for the accountant success form. It's called the problemolving filter. And it was like I

said here and because here's the thing there's some people that want to be freed to think to be able to pro solve the problems because they they have it but they haven't been given the permission. We haven't given them permission to to do that. And then I believe there's another there's another sector of people that they just don't want to take the responsibility of the of the thing and they've never practiced I I think of it as the problemsolving

brain muscle. like they never had like you know the phrase is planning plan planning is absolutely critical but plans are useless is because planning is the process of learning and thinking and actually being that person to who who can make plans. So the act of planning is so critical so when the future comes and a different thing hits you you can make a different plan. You being in special operations got you know this right? You got to be able to move and shift. The you start, the enemy has a vote. The you start anything, the enemy has a vote. And so, yeah. And what

you said and that I heard somebody say this the other day that um uncertainty is scary, but certainty is absurd, right? It's absurd to think that you know exactly what's going to happen. But if you're flowing in the moment, you have all the proper tools and intentions and you're serving the people around you, your team, your customers, your family, everybody out of love, and you set those guard rails, it's going to happen. It's going to be great. And then

you have all these people that get go back to the law of attraction. Your teams, your future teams will be people that you don't even know and but they're attracted to you. Uh we just found, we just hired a new person. She's our new chief administrative officer. She's amazing. And I made a commitment this year at the beginning of the year. I said, "Look, of all the people we've studied, of all the things out there, who is at the pinnacle of get stuff

done, the people who can adapt, be challenged, hold their head up high, no matter what, they're going to get it done. And you don't have to manage them." And it's single moms. I mean, single moms are the greatest economic force on the planet. So, and I've said this before openly, it's not hard to be a single mom at all. It's impossible to be a single mom. So, you look at these women and what they're doing and you're like, um, just hire them. So, we've got

this corporate creed here where we're saying, look, when at all possible, we're going to hire every single mom we can. The right position, right place, right time. It's got to be right. But if that fit is proper, we're going to hire single moms. Well, we just hired this this woman, amazing chief administrative officer. She's already doing things that we never thought was possible because what I saw as an obstacle she sees as opportunity. And if you think about that, that's what all the hard things are. They're opportunities to do

something. And if you get that in your head and you hire the right team, you don't manage them, you let them free be free to be them, everything changes. And and I always go back to the Uber story. You know, Uber saw an obstacle when they were getting started. It's hard to get a cab or like Colona or some of these other places. It's really hard to get a cab, you know, although I think they just allowed Uber to come in there. But it's um they were like, "Wait, this

obstacle is really an opportunity if we just change the way we think about it." And if you're free to be you and you've got a bunch of people that aren't being managed, aren't being shoved into the assembly line and told exactly how to do everything, then everybody's going to look at something and not see an obstacle, but see an energy of love that if you can help solve the problem, then you're helping billions of people around the world, who's not going to be attracted, you know, to that. So everything you just said is in perfect

alignment with alignment. So that's really cool. When when is so when's the book coming out? Two or three weeks. It's in the last round of publishing and when it does, I'll make sure you get it and everybody all your readers get it and we'll we'll make it fun. Okay. Because we'll So then we'll get a link into the show notes because I'm pretty sure that this this show will air uh right after like the timing might be bang on. Perfect. So it'll come out and then we'll have a link in the show notes. So, make sure you get your people

to send me a link for that so everybody can uh can find that because um and I I can't wait to read it, too, because I know it'll have changed a little bit more because again, I was in the one of the few first readers there, which was uh was awesome, man. It's it's a it's like a it's a fire hose of dawn in the finest in in the most beautiful sense of the word, you know, fire hose. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that. Well, you know what's interesting about the the behavioral science around that is if you give 10 people the exact

same manuscript or the same speech or talk or they watch this, they can only recall 6% of what was said, but they remember 100% about how they felt. The one thing that's interesting, which goes back to the fire hose concept, is no one's ever been able to figure out what 6% each person's going to remember. So, if you have 10 people, they might remember 10 different things from it. So throwing the fire hose out there with a theme, moving people toward, you know, that intersection of economics, but telling it a story where people can

understand it. I'm really interested in what's going to be the standout things, what people are going to remember, you know, from that book because there is a lot and thank you for saying that. But that was on purpose. Yeah. Yeah. Which you do. You do things on purpose. That's that's a given, brother. Um, well, we should we should wrap this up.

We've got this. So, so the book, you're going to get me the link for the book. Uh, if people want to contact you again, it's uh your website's what? Donbarten.com. donbarden.com. You can hit me on LinkedIn and Tik Tok. Uh, believe it or not, uh, we've learned about Tik Tok. Uh, there's about a quarter million people a day sometimes that are following us on Tik Tok. Um, it's donban, Ph.D. And uh we release lessons and conversations on that uh that I

think are very beneficial to people. But if anybody sends me on any platform, if they send me a message, uh we do respond to every single person. Uh we're committed to that because I look at these types of ideas and concepts as an opportunity to help people. And if somebody asks a question, we're going to help. You know, we're going to be there. So if anybody says anything, they can do it. And also, uh, since I love your podcast and and and love you, if anybody says, "Hey, um, I'd love to get a copy of some of your older books," we'll send anybody who ask and

if especially if they say, "I was I was on the Viking Academy podcast and I heard this." We'll send whoever asked for any of the other books, uh, free ecopies, you know, of the books. So, uh, we want to share and we want to expand it and we want all this energy to connect and align. So, if they just say, "Hey, I heard you with Eric." Um, they get it for free. That's a Well, there you go, listener. You got it. There's invitation from Don. Um, go. And I've

read I've read all the books and I love them and they're like, but you can tell how much I love a book by how much I my highlighter and my pen have marked it up. Those books are major highlighted and marked up. So, um, brother, thanks again for being on the podcast. I love this. This is where spirituality and economics the intersection. Um, we're going to have there's there's I totally feel the movement of this coming forward. And again, the conversations are even the conversations I'm having on this podcast are more way

outside of where I ever would have talked about a couple years ago. Yeah. Like, yeah. Yeah. It's it's you can't unsee it. And I tell you another thing that happens once your mind gives the world permission or gives yourself permission to see what's out there. You'll find two things that I've learned. The consistency amongst the people who are aligned is insane. So you're going to listen to Echartole, Dan Sullivan, you, me, other people, and we're not all in Nirvana. not all perfect by any means, but the consistency of what everyone is saying

is so true that it's not like there's a lot of conflict among this topic. So, people are saying the same thing. But when you open your eyes and look back, you'll be looking at historical things and scripture and in your religion, especially in Christianity, and realize that Jesus was saying the same thing. You know, Jesus said, you know, heaven is within you. It's part of you. And even there's one scene, I think, in the story according to Matthew, I think it's Matthew, where he's walking down a street, there's a

big crowd, and a woman who was sick. Now, we know from the presentation of the story, probably endometriosis. In today's world, we could have probably fixed it for her, but she's hurting for a long, long period of time. She reached out and touched him and and was healed. But what happens and most people skip over that story is he looks around and it says because he felt his energy leave him. He didn't do a magic trick. His energy was pure. And she said, "You healed me." And he said, "No, I didn't.

You did." And you start looking at these stories, Buddha, Hindi, uh, Christianity, and you start saying, "Oh man, I think my fifth grade Sunday school teacher had it wrong." you know, and God bless them. They were doing their best. But that spirituality is right in front of you and it's been there. If you open your mind and you're willing to listen and if you can hear it differently, then you'll start to see again that consistency and that swell. This isn't

new. This isn't a moment where we're finally figuring something out. We're revealing what we already know. And those who are willing to do it, it's going to be amazing. It's going to be amazing. So, I'm excited about the future and thank you for doing what you're doing. You're awesome, brother. That is a perfect spot to put the cherry on top. Thanks again, man. Thank you. Thanks for listening to the Viking Academy podcast. Make sure to leave us your honest feedback by leaving a review on Apple and Spotify and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.