Everybody. This is Justin Recla, your host of Incorporating Superpowers, and today’s episode is going to be very unique. There’s going to be a lot of different nuances, and things that we take an examination of my guest today is Marcus Bird. I was just joking around with him prior to the show. Marcus is like this international man of mystery. He’s done a thing, or two of the world. He used to be a professional skier. He’s a pilot, comes from the corporate world, and he’s very involved in the wellness industry, and so today we’re going to be talking about moving beyond the practitioner trap. So, if you’re in the wellness industry, if you’re a coach, if you’re a wellness expert, you’re going to want to pay attention to what Marcus has to say because this trap that he’s talking about is the thing that is keeping everybody small. And what we’re going to be talking about today is how you can move beyond that, and expand out, and step into the greatness, and can help create a world that is ready to see more of that. Marcus, welcome to the show.
Oh, thank you so much, Justin. It’s great to be here.
This is good stuff. So, what’s your backstory? You got these superhuman abilities, private pilots, professional coach, wellness industry leader. What’s the backstory?
Yeah, yeah. Well, it all started back in when I was a corporate jedi, and yeah, that’s it. And I was doing well in the corporate world. I was a senior manager of a national company. I had a corner office, I had the right car in the garage. I had the right wife, the right house, in the right suburb. I had all the right things. And one day I just went back on my chair, and I went, “Wow, aren’t I great?” And the minute I did that, I put my hand on my heart, something came over me, and I put my hand on my heart, and I said, “But there has to be more than this. It can’t be this. This can’t be all of it.” And I went on a crazy journey after that, because two weeks later I got myself chronic fatigue syndrome, and pretty much laid in bed for about two years, and just went on this crazy healing journey because doctors all sort of said to me, “No, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ll be fine.”
And I realized that the only person who’s going to heal me, was me. And so I did. I just went on this healing journey, learned a whole lot about me, of life, the universe and human nature, and whatever else, and the universe and what’s really going on out there. And then through that process, to cut a long story short, I became a therapist. I went out, like most therapists, and did the right thing, did what they told me to do, which was to go, and work in a clinic, which I did for a while. And then I went, “Hang on a minute, I can do this myself.” I opened my own clinic, multimodality clinic, and then I had another, awakening moment, which has led to this, which was now I’m trapped. Once I stepped in the corporate world, now I’m trapped in a clinic, and I’m not sharing all of my magic with a global audience with, and making the impact that I knew I was here to make.
So, let me ask, and I know this is not just unique to you, because I’ve talked to so many people that feel that way, they trade one prison for another. Right. How much of that do you think, that can be equated to a person’s own fear, or versus they’re just not knowing?
Yeah, I think there’s two aspects that you say. I think there is no other way. I know in the wellness industry a lot of people, no one’s given another choice. It’s like, what you do when you graduate is you go, and work in a clinic. That’s all you do. And they don’t train them, or teach them or open up to possibility. I’m a big believer in the power of possibility. That you have to sit there, and just say something that doesn’t exist, and then go create it. Right? It’s the story of most great entrepreneurs, et cetera, et cetera. So, I think that’s definitely one aspect they’re not given another path except go, and work in a clinic one-to-one. I think that’s part of it.
I think the underlying, or the subconscious psychology around it is fear based. I think one of the reasons why corporate works so well, not that we can argue whether that’s true, or not, but why people flock to that is because it’s safe. Right? And you’re in a framework that makes sense. And that’s not just logical, but they tell you what to do, right? So, when you’re born, your parents tell you what to do, when you go to school, the school tells you what to do, and then you go to corporate job, and they tell you what to do. Right? Really safe. But I don’t believe that’s the true essence of who we are. I think the true essence of who we are is freedom, and infinite potential. And we keep boxing ourselves into these safety zones that I don’t know.
So, I’m going to stretch here, and you use the word, you had this awakening. That really led you to helping others, and everything else where you got life you had this awakening, and realizing that “No, that you can plan bigger and whatnot.” Would you equate that to a spiritual journey, or how would you describe that?
Yeah, it was definitely a spiritual awakening. Before that moment I knew, I mean, you know things about spirit, and you know things about intuition, and those sorts of things. But until I went through that experience, I really didn’t know the depth of it. I didn’t know how deep the rabbit hole went, but I went down some major deep rabbit holes, like crazy deep rabbit holes. And my consciousness just exploded into a million pieces, and then slowly was built back together. And so from that moment I could see what was possible for people. I could see what was possible for myself. And so, I went on the journey to actually start to open up to that possibility.
But now I can see the possibility for people, and I can see how we hammered ourselves in, and I can see what we’ve created on a planetary sort of notion to keep us trapped, in a way, without going there just yet. But yeah, I went really deep, and it was probably the best time, and worst time of my life. Chronic fatigue is a pretty horrible thing to have. I couldn’t socialize. I couldn’t go out. I couldn’t listen to the TV or radio. I’m pretty much stuck in a dark room most of the time being in excruciating pain, and exhausted. Yet at the same time, it was the most amazing experience in my life, because I got to connect, truly connect, with the universe.
With what you described, I think there are so many people that are going through that right now, and folks, if that’s you, you’re listening to the show. The one thing I want you to take away from anything that you hear from this show today is what Marcus just shared, and Marcus, I honor you for sharing that information because there’s so many of us that have had that awakening, and are still trying to listen to ourselves. You had the awakening for a purpose, folks.
Yeah, absolutely.
You tapped into that spiritual energy for a reason. Start listening to it. Just like Marcus said, “Your parents told you what you do. Your boss told you what to do.” Guess what? If you had an awakening, spirit has told you what to do. Follow it. It is the key ingredient. And where you get in your own way is in your own mind. Marcus, this is amazing. I absolutely love the story, and your courage to share this. There’s so many people that need to hear that you went from being in chronic fatigue, constant pain, not socializing, to having this awakening, and let me just ask, are you still experience the chronic fatigue?
No. I mean, I learned how to get over it through the spiritual experience. I went really deep in, and healed deeply within, and naturally I ate better, and I had vitamin therapy, and I did a whole lot of other physical stuff, but it was more like I meditated three to four hours every day, because that’s all I could do. So when I was lying there, I was going, “I have to heal myself, because no one else is going to. What can I do?” I can’t go for a run. I can’t walk outside. So I went, “Well, the only thing I can do is meditate.” So, I did. I meditated, and meditated, and I meditated, and that was crazy, so then I learned about my body, and my health, and why I was sick, what was the reason I was sick?
And then that opened up the healing potential. And there for there it was about honoring. So, the way I came away from chronic fatigue, because it’s really just a guide for me, right? The way I keep away from it is honoring the spirit, honoring my essence, and the truth of who I am. And when I do that, I get 10 times more energy. And when I don’t do that, I start to get fatigued. So, in some way, it’s a blessing that I’ve had it because it’s now my guide, it’s almost like a guiding lot from me when I see my light goes dim. Right?
Yeah. I love that. You know, for me it’s my daughter. She’s, she’s my gauge. She is such a barometer because of the way we raised her.
…by the way. I’m like “Holy moly.”
Thank you. For me, she’s the barometer. When she’s off, I know that there’s something off within me, and she’s a phenomenal mirror of spirit in that sense for me. This is such an important work folks. This is the level of working in your business, and your own business that where most people overlook, because I think it’s just the task. They think it is just the getting shit done, and it’s not.
Well, that leads to hustle, right? I mean if you just focus on action, which is important, you’ve got to take action for sure, but if you’re just focusing on action, you’re hustling, and that’s the good way to get sick, or you’ve got to balance it with the mind, the emotion, and definitely the spirit, that deeper work.
This is good stuff. I’m going to go down this rabbit hole a bit further, Marcus, but before we do, and get really get into the meat, and potatoes of what the work is you do in the world, where can people go find out more about you?
Yeah, they can go to marcusbird.net, or wellnessleadershipacademy.com they’re the two sites that I have, and obviously social media, they can get me on Instagram at Marcus Wellness Leader, or on Facebook, Marcus Bird.
Perfect. Perfect. Stay tuned. We’re talking to Marcus Bird about moving beyond the practitioner traps, so stay tuned. We’ll be right back.
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