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"John Halcyon & Hug Nation" ✨#97
69 Plays21 days ago
In this episode of Stay Sparked, we turn the spotlight on co-host John Halcyon Styn to explore the story behind Hug Nation—a movement that has been spreading gratitude, connection, and compassion online for over 25 years. John shares the unexpected origins of Hug Nation, from the early days of internet webcams to the powerful influence of his grandfather, Grandpa Caleb, whose wisdom and presence helped shape the heart of the project.
What began as a simple weekly online hug grew into a global community centered around gratitude, vulnerability, and the reminder that “the world would rather hug you than hurt you.” Together, John and Betsy explore the deeper philosophy behind Hug Nation, including the power of group gratitude, practicing kindness as everyday activism, and how small acts of compassion ripple outward to create meaningful change.
John also shares how the practice expanded during the pandemic into daily gratitude circles that continue to connect people from around the world. This conversation is a heartfelt invitation to become a “love ambassador” in your own life—showing up with courage, authenticity, and small daily acts of kindness that make the world a little brighter.
✨☕ This episode is sponsored by www.BecomeLucid.com Lucid is a functional mushroom and nootropic brand designed to fuel mental clarity, focus, and long-term brain health. Their flagship product is a premium mushroom coffee blend infused with clinically studied nootropics—crafted to deliver clean energy without the crash.
✨🎶 MASSIVE Thank you to Dub Sutra for their beautiful opening music. Check out their incredible music catalogue online. https://dubsutra.com
🎙️HOSTS
✨BETSY FINKLEHOO is a healer of massage therapy, CranioSacral and Dharma Coaching. She is an 8 year burner and has spent the last several years seeped in the personal development world, cultivating her passion for transformation and growth. Her recent project, The Power Affirmation Journal and virtual group empowers women to cultivate self awareness and healthy habits so they can live in greater freedom, mind body and spirit. http://poweraffirmation.com/
✨JOHN HALCYON is full-time Love Ambassador. He is the founder of Hug Nation youtube channel and daily zoom gratitude circles. He is co-founder of the Pink Heart Burning Man camp and the 1st Saturdays project for people experiencing homelessness. In his free time he coaches groups and individuals on how to live joyfully and authentically. http://LifeStudent.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Hug Nation and Hosts
00:00:01
Speaker
On today's episode, we get to peek behind the curtain of John Halcyon and Hug Nation, the journey of creation of this movement that started over 25 years ago. We're going to get to hear some of the inside scoop from learning about Grandpa Caleb to where Hug Nation is now and how it's making a positive difference in the world far and wide.
00:00:27
Speaker
Enjoy the episode. Hello and welcome to Stay Sparked. We are two longtime friends here to share conversations aimed to light you up. I'm Betsy Finkelhoo, the creator of the Power Affirmation Journal and Somatic Bodyworker.
00:00:43
Speaker
I am John Halcyon, Stinn, host of the Hug Nation YouTube channel and Heart Centered Men, men's groups. We always love starting with gratitude here and in most of our conversations. And so love to check in with you, John Hilsey. And what are you grateful for today?
00:01:01
Speaker
I am grateful for the Zoom gratitude circles that I have been hosting. This weekend, we're celebrating six years of three times a day Zoom
Celebrating Gratitude Circles and Sponsorship
00:01:13
Speaker
circles. We started during COVID. I host one of those of the three, but I'm just so grateful and I'm so aware of how the practice has impacted my life, my lens, and my relationships.
00:01:27
Speaker
Wow. Congratulations. That is a very deep commitment. Wow. Way to show up. Thank you. Six years. Yeah, that's awesome. What are you grateful for?
00:01:39
Speaker
Well, today I'm grateful for my mom. My mom is the sweetest little lady. She is just wonderful. i got to see her yesterday and spend some time with her outside. It's warming up here in North Carolina. And i live about an hour and a half from her. And so I get to visit her a couple times a month, sometimes more.
00:01:59
Speaker
um but I'm just really grateful for this amazing quality time with this amazing woman called my mama, my mountain mama. Yeah, you I almost said my mom because I get to spend the weekend with my mom, too. And boy, so grateful for that relationship and watching her continually grow into a more and more amazing woman.
00:02:22
Speaker
Hooray for moms. Hey, moms. Hey, well, I'm going to give a little... And we're going to give a little shout out to our sponsors, Lucid. This is a mushroom nootropics drink that we have got been enjoying for many months now. They make a variety of nootropic mushroom drinks that have either coffee or my favorite is the cocoa drink that has mushrooms in nootropic. I drink that to calm my system down.
00:02:53
Speaker
um Now they actually just came out with the Super Boost version, which I'm super excited to try So thank you to our friends at Lucid. Check them out on becomelucid.com.
00:03:05
Speaker
I'm also a fan of their chai. o yeah, their chai is really good too. I haven't had that one in a while. Yum, yum, yum. So we'll be sipping on our lucid while we have a little chat today.
History and Evolution of Hug Nation
00:03:17
Speaker
and i am particularly excited about this conversation because we get to dive into the world of John Halcyon and Hug Nation.
00:03:27
Speaker
And so for those of you out there who have been following John Halcyon, for those of you who don't even know who this person is, which is probably rare, Because you're so known and loved by so many.
00:03:40
Speaker
um We're going to get to go a little deeper and knowing who you are and what you've created. And so the intention is for us to ask you some questions and see what wants to come out, especially in relation to Hug Nation. This is like my favorite topic.
00:03:59
Speaker
All right. i I know. I love that. I love hearing you talk about yourself. You're pro. Now, on every episode of Stay Sparked, do you hear John introduce himself as the founder of Hug Nation YouTube channel.
00:04:14
Speaker
And so I wanted to open up a conversation for those people that don't even know what that is, for you to just share what is Hug Nation? Where did it come from? and what's it all about?
00:04:28
Speaker
Oh, boy. I wish I had an elevator pitch to explain it, but i I think I'll start with how it began and that will lead into ah but a better understanding.
00:04:40
Speaker
So I was very excited and active in the early days of the Internet. And one of the things that I was... able to do or was stupid enough to do was i moved into a webcam house for two years where everything I did was broadcast online. We had 27 cameras with night vision and audio. So everything I did.
00:05:03
Speaker
And while we were there, we started thinking about ways that we could use this tool to demonstrate the possibilities of the internet. This was in 2000. two thousand So that was a time when a lot of people still felt that the internet was uncool or for nerds. and ah But I was noticing, especially by using webcams, how powerful it was as a way to connect with people all over the world. It it eliminated geographic boundaries.
00:05:36
Speaker
And so we started doing sort of experiments in the house. My grandfather, Caleb came in and did a Thanksgiving, like grace. And we have people from all over the world kind of sitting quote unquote around the table, sharing their gratitude. And i mean, that was the moment I like, Oh shit, this is real. Like people were, I couldn't see that people are bawling. You know, like I thought I was gonna alone today. And, and,
00:06:03
Speaker
And so the more we started thinking about what could we do, what could we do, this then nine eleven happened. And, you know, the the it's hard to remember, that like right after it happened was just overwhelm, horror.
00:06:23
Speaker
And then there was this brief chapter when, at least in the conversations that I was in there was this thought that, What if this is the smack that gets us to to knocks us out of the patterns and the behaviors that are that create a landscape in the world that creates this kind of possibility?
00:06:44
Speaker
Like maybe we need to make some big changes. And almost immediately after those conversations were happening, our administration was like, Hey everybody, let's get back to shopping. you know, let's get the economy going. And then the narrative started to talk about us and them, us and them. As we now know, they were getting us in, you know, in in the mindset so that we would be more open to conflict and war.
00:07:11
Speaker
But as that's happening, us, them, us, them, i'm I was like this evangelist for the possibility of the web. I'm like, there's no them anymore. Like you can, with a click, you could talk to somebody in Iraq. You could, like, this is, the the old models don't work. i'm like well, how can we use the web to show that?
00:07:30
Speaker
and I was like, what if we once a week got as many people as possible in front of webcams and hugged ourselves and just it said, like, no matter what the news is saying, let's acknowledge that the world would rather hug you than hurt you.
00:07:47
Speaker
and share us hug. Because my experience traveling the world was that every country I went to, no matter what the reputation of that country was, if you met an individual person, they would invite you to their home.
00:07:59
Speaker
They would serve you tea. And i was like, the internet is this digital tool that now gives us the possibility to sit have tea with anyone in the world. And so we started doing that. We started doing a weekly hug and a weekly reminder that we're connected. We're family.
00:08:19
Speaker
And wow was a beautiful idea. it didn't get a ton of traction. Until, uh, buddy, a couple years later, my grandmother mother passed away and i went to go see my grandfather, who was a Baptist minister, retired at the time.
Influence and Legacy of Caleb
00:08:42
Speaker
um And he'd helped thousands of people go through transition, but this was his partner of 65 years, his soulmate, his driver, you know, and so I went to see him and was like, Grandpa, hey, how you doing?
00:08:59
Speaker
And he said, did you know that for $4, I can get a shuttle anywhere in the city? like amazing. you see Yeah. So I went down to the market and I had a ah list of things I needed. And I said, excuse me, uh, my wife has recently changed her residence to heaven. Could you help me find a few things?
00:09:16
Speaker
And I was just like this guy, man. I'm like, am i'm a great though man, you always help me see the glass is half full. And he leaned back and he looked me in the eyes and he said, It's a beautiful glass.
00:09:29
Speaker
wo And I literally physically felt electricity in my body in that moment. like zo And at that time, ah earlier that year, I'd won the Webby Award for best personal website for my site, cockybastard.com. I was legally, technically, officially the most narcissistic person on the entire internet.
00:09:54
Speaker
Think about it. in In that moment, zi I was like, oh my gosh, I have been learning how to use all these tools so I can hand the microphone to this beautiful old man.
00:10:07
Speaker
i said, Grandpa, would you be my co-host for Ignatian? He said yes. And so then then once a week, I would visit him and we would broadcast together. And it became his final congregation.
00:10:21
Speaker
it was not religious. It was about gratitude. Okay. It was about him telling stories, but more than that, it was about being in the presence of a man who had lived 90 plus years aligned with his values of He, he, he, using Jesus as his model, le he was less attached to church, very committed to the teachings of Jesus, which also helped me get over a lot of my baggage around Christianity.
00:10:56
Speaker
Um, and so then our audience really grew and And then we did that for three years until he passed right before he turned 95. Is all of that still live, by the way? people watch all of that? That's still on Hug Nation YouTube channel. there's the playlist on Hug Nation YouTube channel of Grandpa Caleb and you can you can see it. yeah i I don't think I'm overselling it that He had a vibe, you know, he he had ah a presence of gratitude that ah makes a difference of of, I mean, and especially i learned a lot by visiting weekly in his retirement village. know There's aging is hard and there's two distinct schools that I witnessed at his retirement community.
00:11:49
Speaker
Those that get constricted and get really focused on the aches and the pains and how little they get visitors and the people who soften and just start going, wow.
00:12:06
Speaker
i Every time i would i would I would have lunch with him before we broadcast, he'd be like, he would ask the the waiter a waiter person, Could you could you list off all of our dessert options? You're not going to believe this. I've never had it so good. You're like it just constantly just being wow, wow, wow, wow. um So and and that changed my life being around him.
00:12:31
Speaker
When he passed, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue doing it because he seems to be the obvious vehicle for this message. At the time, i was pretty hardcore into Burning Man and ah had a healthy love of chemical usage and just didn't feel like...
00:12:51
Speaker
ah But people, when he passed, people said, I'm kind of getting into the wheeze here, but people said, why do you take it on the road? You're restricted by his frail body.
00:13:02
Speaker
Why don't you take this on the road? And so within two weeks, I had bought an 84 motor home, painted it pink, had pink wings painted on the side because of my favorite picture of him and had his ashes mixed into the paint job of the wings.
00:13:17
Speaker
And on the side of it it says the world would rather hug you than hurt you. And it's still parked outside, although it's currently in a, you know, I registered it as not road ready right now.
00:13:29
Speaker
um So we went on a tour and got to meet a bunch of people. And then I continued to do Hug Nation weekly. This unifying people through hugging, hugging themselves, hugging each other, just getting into the attitude of gratitude. Yeah. Primarily posting on YouTube, spreading this message. And so this was it predated YouTube. So we had to find whatever tools were possible to to do broadcast. And we went through one technology after another as they started and folded, started and folded.
00:14:03
Speaker
and And in the early days, we had like an a FTP, an uploading image that would upload an image of us like every three seconds and then a streaming radio station. So like our our show was like a slide frozen, frozen, frozen as we were trying to talk.
00:14:25
Speaker
Wow. So really, like, I just want to reflect that you're a pioneer of of the Internet. You saw the potential of being able to connect people far and wide, and especially from that place of love and gratitude and positive reminders that the world would rather hug you than hurt you.
00:14:46
Speaker
And how powerful that Grandpa Caleb got to be the catalyst for Absolutely. To take flight to really get get moving. And then how amazing that you had this vehicle like he was a vehicle and then you turned him his energy into a literal vehicle.
00:15:04
Speaker
Yeah, if i I, mean, if you're watching the screen, his picture's on the wall right there.
00:15:14
Speaker
this is Grandpa Caleb. And so then I, um that was 2007 that he passed, and I continued it weekly.
00:15:26
Speaker
year after year after year after year. And then when ah COVID started, i i was actually in Costa Rica and had I was debating if I was gonna stay down there because it was beautiful there and they had plenty of toilet paper and like, maybe I should just stay down there.
00:15:46
Speaker
But then I realized that if people are stuck inside on their computers, that they're gonna be craving ways to connect And I'm arguably the world expert at connecting through webcams. Like, I don't know if anyone else has had as much practice with trying to connect and feel love and hugging through the computer than me. so I was like, i mean, I'm not a doctor, but I think I have a necessary skill. So I flew back and in in meditation had the the the download, you need to host gratitude circles twice a day, every day.
Adaptations During COVID and Ongoing Activities
00:16:25
Speaker
At the time, i I thought it was going to be for a month, you know? Six years later, we're now three times a day still hosting those gratitude circles. And ah at the end of every single one, we say on behalf of Grandpa Caleb and we all hug ourselves. Hug. Yes, I love that. So these gratitude circles are essentially a part of Pognition.
00:16:47
Speaker
Absolutely. Pognition is sort of the umbrella for gratitude circles for your YouTube channel for so much of your work. Yeah. And it's it's it's the gratitude circles.
00:16:59
Speaker
There's a few things I think of are infused in the practice. One is Gratitude and group gratitude, because i think scientific community and spiritual community is very clear that gratitude lists are important and helpful and scientifically proven to lift your baseline happiness.
00:17:19
Speaker
But what I've discovered over these last six years, especially is group gratitude amplifies that. Because you don't know the limitations of your own lens of what you're seeing until you hear other people share stuff.
00:17:37
Speaker
And you get to go, I too have a working washer and dryer. odd i i too have use of both my hands. I too have refrigeration. oh my gosh, I too. yeah and And so your lens of what you start to pay attention to just keeps growing. And I think that is that is why this is a practice that I'm so dedicated to and is is I evangelize so much is because the brain's natural tendency is to focus on what are the dangers? you know
00:18:11
Speaker
we are we We evolved to to survive and gratitude is not a survival tool. So you have to consciously choose to to spend time and energy in gratitude.
00:18:25
Speaker
Otherwise, your survival body will go, i i could give a shit about those flowers. What if there's a bear over there? you know you or Or then you apply it to, what if I'm late to this meeting? Oh, God. And we have an out of proportion stress to to everyday life. But gratitude is the antidote to that.
00:18:49
Speaker
So the one of part is the gratitude. The other part is reminding yourself that there are millions and millions and millions of people out there like you.
00:19:01
Speaker
We get these narratives of us, them, us, them. and The news is what's wrong. The news is examples of people that are being, ah you know, cruel or unjust or corrupt, you know. And so if if you let the narrative of the of the establishment dictate your understanding of the world,
00:19:25
Speaker
It is lonely. It is scary. It is dangerous to reveal your truth. But hug nation is that daily or whenever you need a reminder like, oh, right. No, there's lots of us.
00:19:42
Speaker
yeah And. If you can find the courage to be that in the world. It's activism. It's important. It helps that other person out there that is overwhelmed with that story of like, oh, my gosh, everyone's out to get me. There's no good people. I got to watch my back. And then they see you being kind, patient, joyful. And it's like, OK, OK. And brad the ripples that that that.
00:20:15
Speaker
impacts the world with are you you'll never know. But my part of my faith is that it's important. Yes, absolutely. So well said. Thank you for your leadership to continue to bring this forward and invite people into this practice.
00:20:32
Speaker
And I think you spoke to something that I'm curious about. um You said, you know, it takes courage. And so how do you summon your own courage to keep showing up and hosting these gratitude circles and keep showing up to your message of unifying people with love and gratitude and hugs?
00:20:56
Speaker
I feel like I've quite blessed over the course of the my journey in that anytime have been scared about
Vulnerability and Connection
00:21:09
Speaker
revealing something true, i have been met with love. You know, that we have, ah we're raised by people who love us and want to protect us to to hide the vulnerable stuff, to to let the world know that you're in control, you got it handled, you know, that you don't need them. and but Like, it that is a safe place.
00:21:36
Speaker
Um, but it is, it keeps you separate because no one really gets to see who you really are. And my experience has been, and, you know, started practicing it before in 98, 99, you know in the first internet, it was sharing vulnerable things about myself and realizing that those were not places of weakness. Those were cracks where the love gets through.
00:22:08
Speaker
one i And it is true that there are people that will take advantage of it. There will people that will try to use that to hurt you. But the more that you own it, the less power it has.
00:22:22
Speaker
You know, if I say... Oh my gosh, I really struggle with ah my skin, you know, my complexion, it breaks out and I totally sometimes i i judge myself. I don't want to go out in public. And if someone responds to that with, you have bad skin. It's like, um, right.
00:22:44
Speaker
Just said that. Yeah. But if you live in fear of somebody noticing your pimple and then someone goes, oh, you got a zit, it it's feels terrible.
00:22:55
Speaker
Like it is horrific. So I've learned over time that the the more you can find a place of discomfort and just reveal it and make it your truth, the the more invincible you are.
00:23:11
Speaker
Absolutely. And there's ah there is a comfort within yourself rather than just getting totally disrupted. Because, of course, people are going to be judging you no matter what.
00:23:23
Speaker
Right? And i am so curious with within the context of that, you know, I've gotten to witness you for so many years just continuing to... Be vulnerable, model vulnerability, model authenticity, model this sort of leadership and bringing people together for good causes um and just really allowing yourself to be so deeply seen online. And I love hearing that a lot of that has come from practice.
00:23:51
Speaker
um And i what I get really curious about is how do you navigate your own internal state when there are people coming at you? You know, because there are trolls and there are people that are going to try to, you know, burst your gratitude bubble. And they're, you know, going to try to say like, yeah, well, the world isn't all rainbows and butterflies or whatever they're going to try to say.
00:24:14
Speaker
So how do you personally navigate that? Oh, I mean, I do occasionally get some pretty poison filled venom thrown at me.
00:24:27
Speaker
um A couple things that that really helped me One is Rondoss story that he often tells something about, you know, if you go through the woods and you see a gnarled tree and you see a fresh new tree, you don't go, oh, that's a good tree. Oh, that's a bad tree. you know, they're,
00:24:46
Speaker
It's all beautiful. and um And that idea of of judging something that is true is a little bit of insanity.
00:25:01
Speaker
It's like going outside and going like, oh, that's an ugly cloud. Like, oh, I don't like the color of that flower. It's like, Well, that has nothing to do with the perfection of God's reality. you know like If you are shooting venom at me based on me trying to be as authentic as possible, you can take it up with God. you know you take like This is this is my truth.
00:25:25
Speaker
On the contrary, if I'm trying to be cool, if I am trying to present in a certain way and then somebody gives me an attack that is hurtful, it's hard because then it's like going to an audition and having the director say, you're not good at this and that hurts.
00:25:42
Speaker
But if somebody says, i don't like what you are. Then that's there. What does that have to do with me? There's nothing to do with you. Yeah. And over the time, i've I've really gotten clear on how much of that is projection. And I even understand that.
00:26:02
Speaker
you know there There was a time when I had bright pink hair. I would do ah ah a daily little sunset parade on a pink fur bike. And it was confronting to a lot of people.
00:26:15
Speaker
yeah More people would go, yeah, as they drove by. But there were certainly voices that yelled at me. and i was one of those people that cheered you on. That was actually how I met you. yeah You were on your pink furry bike with your pink hair and this beautiful woman you were dating at the time.
00:26:34
Speaker
And my my current partner knew you and yelled out to you. And and we both were like, yeah. I was like, I don't know who that amazing person is, but I'm going to cheer him on. And you came over to our car and he said hello. And that was the first moment I met using this magical human that you are. but That's so awesome. and And that goes back to that, like, there is activism in shine in a way that is...
00:27:01
Speaker
quote unquote, too much for our culture, too kind, too loving, too bold, because it attracts the people that are in the alignment. It gives more permission to people that are scared.
00:27:13
Speaker
Like basically if you see me on a pink fur bike and pink hair and you're about to buy a new bike and you're like, Boy, this one is ah is a pretty bright blue. Is it too much? Of course it's not too much. Did you see the guy on the pig bike? you know Yes, exactly. You're a permissionary. Yeah.
00:27:29
Speaker
I love that word. And I love that that the the the power that that gives to me and others to turn what could be just simple acts into powerful acts of activism.
00:27:46
Speaker
Yes. Another thing that i noticed, you know, that, you when people are yelling something from a car, it's almost always a truck that they're yelling from. ah yeah it said and You and, know, a lot of things about my sexuality or whatever. And I have, have compassion and sympathy for the mindset. This is a person who I'm, I'm guessing has been socialized to believe there is a there's an appropriate way to live.
00:28:16
Speaker
There are certain compromises that you need to make. There are certain little impulses that you need to shut down. you know, you you you need to get up at a certain time of work. You need to do this. And you follow those rules your year after year after year. And then you see somebody flaunting and saying, fuck that, I'm not going to follow those rules.
00:28:40
Speaker
As a that person in the truck has got a few choices. They can say, whoa, have to totally reevaluate my concept of reality.
00:28:51
Speaker
Or I can say, attack that thing for breaking the rules. And it's so much easier to attack.
00:29:03
Speaker
So if I hear the attack from that place of this person is struggling with their own prison, it's like, I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry. Yeah, that can bring up so much more compassion rather than just fighting back.
00:29:20
Speaker
Yeah, that's a big one. That's really powerful. And, you know, i love that this is coming through now. Here we are in 2026. You started this off at another big time in history.
00:29:33
Speaker
And so much changed since then. But that message is still very important. that the world would rather hug you than hurt you. And so how are you finding that message ah reaching people now?
00:29:49
Speaker
is Is it mostly the gratitude circles? Are you, yeah, what are you noticing how it's landing now in the state of the world? i mean, it it it's, it's, it's sad, it's encouraging, it's poetic, how parallel it is. you know it is i think it's more important because now there are so many more sophisticated voices that are broadcasting the narrative of us-them.
00:30:24
Speaker
um I
00:30:29
Speaker
it's i feel like it's it's Yeah, I feel like it's more important and more necessary. And especially it's and and to understand that activism is is important because this is a time when most people that I cross paths with are struggling to figure out what they can do to bring more harmony into the world.
00:30:52
Speaker
Like it needs it now. And it's easy to make the conclusion there's nothing I can do. But Hug Nation is about, well, whoa who actually, you can be a love ambassador. You can be kind. You can be a permissionary. you can You can add teeny, teeny, tiny bits of compassion into the world all day long. And you don't have to wait until you get your graduate degree. You don't have to worry until you go 100 days without raising your voice. You are fully qualified right now to, in your next interaction,
00:31:32
Speaker
Bring into it a little bit of kindness. Be kind. Yes. And kindness is essentially a hug. yeah i You don't have to touch someone, to hug someone.
00:31:44
Speaker
You can hug someone with a smile, with an act of kindness, with a kind word. And I think that that seems like the the essence of what Hug Nation is about, right? Spreading kindness in different ways.
00:31:57
Speaker
Hug Nation isn't about a physical hug because we're not actually together. It's it's about the intention of connectivity. One of our mottos is it doesn't matter where your feet are. It matters where your heart is.
00:32:09
Speaker
And so Hug Nation is about saying, i i'm i want to to feel into this connection that I have with fellow human beings.
00:32:20
Speaker
Yes. Yes. I love that. I'm creating a coherent field. where there's harmony, right? Because the that the other word that I hear really strongly in your message is creating harmony.
00:32:31
Speaker
And that's what the world needs. And I love, love getting to hear some of the backstory around your perspective around division and how that's been threaded through this whole thing, especially through the internet.
00:32:43
Speaker
And so to be a love ambassador here to sing a message of oh harmony, of unity, of connection, It's so valuable and so needed. Yeah. well and And another part of that is is recognizing that Everyone who is having a human experience is struggling with the same things, you know, parallel struggles with safety, doubt, with trust, with, you know, whatever your journey is right now and your struggle. i mean, the the details that the person that you consider your villain, the person that you consider your, whatever the roles are being played by different people, but
00:33:37
Speaker
Every human is struggling. And it's so if you can if you can sink into a a less detail oriented and a more feeling specific.
00:33:48
Speaker
Camaraderie, I think that's also one of the ways that we can make progress. Yeah. Like i i hear i see someone make a political post that I go, what the fuck are you talking about? And then I go, wait a minute, this person.
00:34:03
Speaker
has fear this person is scared for their family you know or whatever like okay i understand that i understand that i don't know what the steps are for us to be you know ah hugging in person together but at least recognizing that is part of the hug nation idea as well is like can Can we recognize that there is a a collect a Venn diagram that we do overlap in our humanity?
00:34:35
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. That is so beautiful. And that is just, once again, compassion. Yeah. It is to be able to move from that place of of compassion, guiding our thoughts, which is basically thinking with the heart.
00:34:50
Speaker
Right. Rather than contributing to the fight with our own judgments, our own frustrations, our own fear, that just creates more division. So I love I love, love, love this conversation. And I'm so curious as to just how people can get more involved with Hug Nation. And is there any way like somebody that might be listening right now is healing the sparks? They're like, oh, my God, Yes.
00:35:14
Speaker
Yes to this message. Yes to Hug Nation. Yes to unification. Yes to harmony. But how how do i participate? I want to play in in being an ambassador of love. So how would you invite people to to dive into this?
00:35:29
Speaker
pardon Just send me your bank routing information. No, I'm just just kidding. Just kidding.
00:35:37
Speaker
ah there's There's a number of ways that I think under this Kong Nation umbrella are activities and projects that that I invite people
Engaging with Hug Nation's Community Events
00:35:45
Speaker
to. the Every day 9 a.m., do a broadcast on YouTube Live. It's under Hug Nation.
00:35:54
Speaker
um And I should say all these things are linked at lifestudent.com. So you can find these things ah fairly easily, lifestudent.com. And so at 9 a.m. is this live broadcast where I'm on camera and people in chat are sharing their gratitude. So we're all listening other's gratitude.
00:36:09
Speaker
At noon is a Zoom call that is open it to all. These are things are both free. ah And that you never takes, never longer than 30 minutes. People share a minute or so. you don't have to share, but it's beautiful. And I welcome you to join in that.
00:36:25
Speaker
um not directly Hug Nation, but influenced by is First Saturdays, which is a outreach for people experiencing ah houselessness or people that are needy. And that's in San Diego based every first Saturday.
00:36:39
Speaker
And it's another way to just practice this. How can we practice kindness and connection? And it's it's so much more than giving clean socks and food to people. It is It is recognizing that the most, the quickest, most powerful way to raise your joy is to participate in raising someone else's joy.
00:37:08
Speaker
And so that's, we do that once a month. a Um,
00:37:15
Speaker
I love it. Yeah, I think those are the the the the big ones. i have a, if you're an unlife student, I've got a couple books that are available. I also do one-on-one coaching if people want to like really ah get their gratitude practice kickstarted into something that's going to change your life.
00:37:33
Speaker
And then I occasionally had have men's gatherings that are, again, not specifically Hug Nation, but I bring, there there's a certain philosophy that is heavily Grandpa Caleb and Burning Man influenced.
00:37:46
Speaker
And that is what drives Hug Nation in everything I do. So beautiful. This is just so inspiring. So many sparks. Yes, yes, yes. Is there anything else that you want to share about Hug Nation or about the journey that feels um helpful for our listeners to just continue to feel the sparks?
00:38:11
Speaker
I mean, I would just share the note, like there was a time in my life when I had a self definition ah or I felt like I was flaky and unable to to commit to things. And I just kind of followed my inspirations and, and I judged myself for that. And, but you know, Hug Nation has been ha going for 25 years.
00:38:37
Speaker
And for Saturdays has been going for 16 years. And these gratitude circles have been going for six years. And there is an instinct, I think, or a desire when we feel like the world needs help.
00:38:51
Speaker
for us to figure out what is the grand gesture? What is the charity that I need to start? What is the fundraise? Like, what is the big thing I need to do to to heal the world?
00:39:04
Speaker
And my path has been show up every day a little bit. And sometimes what being Hug Nation, what being a love ambassador means is.
00:39:18
Speaker
Directing whatever you got to yourself. If you need a day or a week or a month of self-care and that compassion and that love and that forgiveness that you're putting in the world is for you, that potentially is more important.
00:39:34
Speaker
It's still activism. It still is helping the world. If you can get your vessel as healthy as possible, that is that that is not selfish work.
00:39:47
Speaker
It absolutely important. And and in in fact, I would say if you bypass that and jump into fixing the world. It's like doing mean surgery with rusty tools. It's, it's, it it might feel like you're doing a good, but it's dangerous.
00:40:03
Speaker
So small little reaction. Let me tell one more, one last story is that, so when the gratitude circle started in, we we this group was gathering and we had people from all over the world, which is why we added one that was three in the morning my time, because there are so many Europeans that wanted to do at their noon.
00:40:21
Speaker
And there was a ah a regular named Anna, who lived in Kiev. and when Russia invaded, she fled to the full Polish border.
00:40:36
Speaker
Another active member in our community in Paris drove down and picked up someone else in Germany. And then the two of them drove 10 hours, another 10 hours to the Polish border, picked up this woman and her children and at the border and and found these refugees a place to live.
00:40:56
Speaker
So they were, before that, they were practicing this idea of every day looking for little ways, holding a door open, being kind, being nice, and just getting the practice so that they are identifying as a love ambassador. They're identifying as someone who's in Hug Nation.
00:41:14
Speaker
And then knock, knock, knock. The opportunity came to be heroic and they did it. And that is how it works.
00:41:25
Speaker
You don't wait for your chance to do something important. You just look, how can you be a little kind every day? And then that it it makes a difference.
00:41:39
Speaker
It makes a difference. Yeah, so powerful. The ripple effect. Yes. Thank you so much for this message. I feel so much inspiration in my system. So, so much of aliveness.
00:41:53
Speaker
And I hope the people out there that are listening are also feeling that kind of energy. It's like that electricity you spoke to when Caleb shared. I can feel that in my system right now. This is so good. Thank you so much for being such a spark.
00:42:08
Speaker
a powerful force of goodness in the world. I'm so honored to get to be ah here with you today and getting to share our Stay Sparks journey, which, hey, by the way, is going on almost three years.
00:42:20
Speaker
So here's another one that is just a little bit of sparks out there. so and cheers and high five. ah So thank you so much. This was great. And um all the everything you shared in the show notes. So for those of you out there that want to work with John oneon one on check out life student dot com and always pop on. I love popping on to the live streams as well in the mornings. It's such a sparkle.
00:42:46
Speaker
the just the boost of positivity to start the day so yeah make sure you check that out um and then just for me i love also hearing from you all out there you can find my work on power affirmation.com and find some of the things that i'm passionate about too but today it was all about you and i'm so grateful thank you for being willing to go deep into the journey of hug nation and how far you've come Thank you so much. And boy, is the journey more pleasant, more fun, more exciting with with fellow collaborators like you.
00:43:21
Speaker
Thank you, beautiful. I love you. Oh, I love you so much too. Yeah, let's close with a hug. We're going to wrap our arms around ourselves and in the spirit of our closing, gratitude and affirmation with a big squeeze, just affirming, i am a love ambassador.
00:43:39
Speaker
i am a love ambassador. I am a love ambassador. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. We get to make a positive difference in the world every day in our own unique ways with love, with kindness, with hugs.
00:43:57
Speaker
On behalf of Grandpa Caleb, thanks for being here with us today. Mmm.
00:44:05
Speaker
Has this conversation sparked you? Send us a note or leave a comment on the Stay Sparked Instagram page or YouTube channel. Reviewing us on Apple Podcasts really helps too. But most helpful of all is when you share us with a friend.
00:44:19
Speaker
We are so grateful to our sponsor, Lucid, makers of delicious functional mushroom and nootropic drinks. And special thanks to Dub Sutra, creators of our beautiful intro and ending music.
00:44:30
Speaker
Find links to me, Betsy, and all of this good stuff in the show notes.
00:44:36
Speaker
Stay Spark friends.