Gavin Meenan welcomes Ray Rolando back to the studio for a deep, grounded conversation on intuition, presence, service, and the nature of being. Together, they explore how sensitivity, awareness, and breath reveal who we really are beneath distraction and attachment. The discussion moves through faith, karma, past lives, and how to stay centred amid projection, success, and material desire.

🧭 Show Notes

• Reflection on their previous conversation and listener feedback
• Ray’s work facilitating retreats in Wexford and the idea of “listening to the field”
• Learning to notice signs and intuition from childhood
• How presence differs from planning and control
• Gavin’s practice of going to the forest to “sit and be”
• Discussion on stilling the mind and the illusion of control
• The question: “Who’s speaking when you say your own name?”
• Presence, distraction, and metaphors in films and scripture
• The yogi’s statement: “The point of the breath is service.”
• Exploring service, karma, and multiple lifetimes
• Religion, intuition, and the journey from fear to understanding
• The difference between being a human being and being human
• Attachments, loss, and redefining self-worth beyond roles or jobs
• Tracking emotional origins and ancestral programming
• Mirrors, reflection, and neutrality — “not buying into either praise or insult”
• Perfection versus polish, and “moths to flame” as self-realisation
• Letting go of ownership: the Rolex story and attachment to time
• The practice of breathing and returning to the present moment

💬 Memorable Quotes (verbatim from the text)

• “You asked me, what’s next? I don’t really know what’s next.”
• “We come here for deep work.”
• “Sensitivity is often deemed as a weakness.”
• “The power of being instead of doing.”
• “We use thoughts to distract ourselves from ourselves.”
• “They say returning to nature returns us to our own nature.”
• “I wonder what my next thought’s going to be.”
• “Who’s speaking when you say your own name inside your own mind?”
• “The point of the breath is service.”
• “God’s love was delivered with fear — I didn’t understand that messaging.”
• “There’s no wrong way to be spiritual.”
• “Are you a human being, or are you being human?”
• “Imagine your life without it — that’s how you know if you’re attached.”
• “The more you try to own something, the more it owns you.”
• “Start with this — take a breath for three seconds.”
• “Because of that, we’ve forgotten who we are.”

In this episode of the Modern Warrior Podcast, I sit down with James McAuley—a man whose story is one of grit, growth, and radical personal transformation. From the hard edges of addiction to spiritual awakening and self-discipline, James lays it all bare.

We talk about hitting rock bottom, finding hope in unexpected places, and what it really takes to rebuild your life from the ground up. James is real, raw, and deeply reflective—and this is one of the most powerful redemptive stories you’ll hear. Let’s get into it.

Episode Summary – Key Points

• James came in with zero filters—and I loved that about him. From the first minute, he was open about the chaos, the addiction and the shame that marked his younger years.
• He spoke about how easy it was to get pulled into that life when there’s no direction, no belief, and no one holding you to a higher standard. By his teens, he was lost—on the streets, in trouble, and spiraling fast.
• What stood out was his humility and hunger for change. He didn’t romanticise his recovery. He was brutally honest about how hard it is to start again when you feel like you’ve already ruined everything.
• He found his way back through structure, faith, and fitness. He talked about how the small daily wins—getting up early, training, journaling—started to rebuild the trust he’d lost with himself.
• James was big on gratitude, and not in a cliché way. He’s genuinely thankful for what most people overlook: peace, presence, clarity, his son, his second chance.
• We explored how men often numb out rather than reach in. James believes the antidote is connection—to yourself, to a purpose, and to something higher than ego.
• His story is a reminder that recovery isn’t just possible—it’s powerful. And that discipline, honesty, and service are the real markers of success—not what’s in your bank account.
• I left this conversation feeling more grounded, more grateful, and more inspired to own every part of my journey—just like James is doing with his.