In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Brian Galke, expert in facial recognition, emotional intelligence, and human connection, for a conversation that changes how you see people — literally.

From reading facial features to understanding communication styles, this episode explores how subtle cues shape trust, relationships, leadership, and connection in a digital world that’s losing touch with face-to-face humanity.

As Brian crafts an old fashioned behind the bar, the conversation unfolds around identity, intuition, sales, leadership, parenting, and why understanding people has never mattered more.

This isn’t about manipulation. It’s about awareness, empathy, and meeting people where they are.

In this episode, we explore:

• How facial features reflect communication styles

• Why connection beats persuasion every time

• The difference between body language and facial recognition

• How emotional intelligence impacts leadership, sales, and relationships

• Why human connection is the skill of the future
  

  📱 Connect with Brian Galke

  Speaker website

  Website

  Instagram

  Youtube

  LinkedIn

  TikTok

  Facebook

  
  

  📱 Connect with Brian

  ⁠Facebook⁠

  ⁠Instagram⁠

  ⁠YouTube⁠

  ⁠Website⁠

  👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

  Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

  
  

• 
  

What if the difference between being stuck and moving forward is learning how to create options?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Thax Turner, Vice President at Shamrock Foods, for a grounded conversation about discipline, identity, forgiveness, and building a life when you start with very little.

Thax shares his journey from a childhood marked by instability, scarcity, and free lunch lines to leadership in corporate America — not as a highlight reel, but as a study in mindset, daily rituals, and personal responsibility.

This episode explores what Thax calls the “immigrant mindset” — the ability to turn hardship into fuel — and why success is less about talent and more about consistency, forgiveness, and creating options where none seem to exist.

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up without stability and learning resilience early

• Why discipline creates freedom, not restriction

• The immigrant mindset and internal grit

• Creating options instead of waiting for them

• Forgiving yourself as a leadership skill

• Why everyone has a backstory you can’t see

• Daily rituals that compound over time
  

This conversation is about self-responsibility without shame — and hope without illusion.

⁠Facebook⁠

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

What if clarity didn’t require complexity?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Joey Dziedzic, education coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks and former public school teacher, for a grounded conversation about core values, consistency, and what it actually means to be “all in.”

Joey shares what it looks like to support young athletes navigating pressure, culture shock, and identity — and why a single, clearly lived value can act as a compass through uncertainty, mistakes, and growth.

This episode explores leadership without ego, simplicity without shortcuts, and why most people already know what to do — they’re just not doing it.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why one core value is often more powerful than many

• What “all in” really looks like in daily life

• The role of consistency in growth and performance

• How simplicity creates clarity and momentum

• Supporting humans inside high-pressure systems

• Why values make course-correction easier, not harder
  

This is a conversation about doing less — and living more honestly.

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian welcomes Brittany Anderson - entrepreneur, strategist, and leadership consultant - for a conversation about what leadership looks like when it’s built around people instead of pressure.

Brittany explains why most operating systems fail to account for human energy, emotional intelligence, and alignment — and how leaders can stop forcing growth and start building sustainable teams.

This conversation explores:

• why force-driven leadership burns people out

• the difference between effort and force

• leadership archetypes and self-awareness

• people-first operating systems

• why alignment creates real scalability

As always, the conversation unfolds over a handcrafted cocktail - because stories flow better when people feel at ease.

📱 Connect with Brittany

Website

Align-PS

Instagram

Linkedin

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

What if nothing is wrong with you — you’re just living out of alignment?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Gary, founder of The WHY Institute, to explore identity, purpose, and what happens when we spend years muting who we really are.

From a life-altering medical crisis to discovering the deeper patterns behind human motivation, Gary shares how finding your Why can change everything — from your career and relationships to your energy, mental health, and sense of meaning.

This conversation goes far beyond business or branding. It’s about remembering who you are and giving yourself permission to live as that person.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why feeling anxious or depressed can be a symptom of misalignment

• The difference between Who you are and What you do

• Why passion disappears when you’re in the wrong role

• How people unknowingly mute themselves to fit in

• The nine core “Whys” that drive human behavior

• Why purpose creates energy — and misalignment drains it

• How discovering your Why can change relationships, careers, and families
  

  This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, exhausted, or quietly disconnected from themselves — and is ready to understand why.

  
  

• 🎧 Listen slowly. Let it land.

  
  📱 Connect with Gary

  Website

  Facebook

  Instagram

  LinkedIn

  Youtube

  Beyond Your WHY Podcast

  
  

  📱 Connect with Brian

  ⁠Facebook⁠

  ⁠Instagram⁠

  ⁠YouTube⁠

  ⁠Website⁠

  👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

  Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

  
  

What if the thing you’re avoiding is the thing that frees you?

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Akshay Nanavati — Marine veteran, explorer, author, and seeker — for a raw conversation about solitude, suffering, and what it means to truly master yourself.

Akshay shares his journey from addiction and PTSD to extreme solitude — including darkness retreats, polar expeditions, and voluntary suffering — not as acts of punishment, but as a way to build an honest relationship with himself.

This episode isn’t about doing hard things for ego or validation. It’s about learning the right kind of hard — the kind that leads to integration, presence, and peace.

In this episode, we explore:

• Survivor’s guilt and life after war
• Addiction as an escape from the self
• Why solitude is one of the most powerful teachers
• Darkness retreats and sitting with discomfort
• Voluntary suffering vs. self-destruction
• The difference between force and alignment
• Why “the only way out is through” is a lived truth
  

This is a conversation for anyone who feels restless, numb, or disconnected — and is ready to stop running.

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business⁠ here⁠

In this deeply moving episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Vanessa Medina to talk about healing after trauma, the quiet strength required to rebuild a life, and why trusting your village can be the difference between survival and transformation.

Vanessa shares her story with honesty, clarity, and wisdom—exploring what it means to show up for your future self even when the present moment feels unbearable. Together, they discuss grief, healing, nervous system regulation, and the permission to experience joy again after pain.

This conversation isn’t about fixing or rushing the healing process.
It’s about honoring it.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why strength doesn’t always look like certainty

• The importance of trusting your village during trauma and transition

• How daily intentions and small wins can create stability

• Why healing is not linear—and that’s okay

• What it means to show up for the version of yourself you’re becoming

Pour a drink, take a breath, and join us at the table.

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter⁠

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business here

In this episode of The Spiritual Speakeasy, Brian sits down with Brian Bogert for a deep, nuanced conversation about intent, impact, emotional safety, self-protection, and the invisible patterns that shape how we show up in the world.

As a custom mocktail is crafted at the bar, the conversation unfolds into territory most people avoid—how past pain creates armor, how performance becomes a defense mechanism, and why being “misunderstood” is often less about intention and more about behavior, energy, and nervous system responses.

Brian Bogert shares personal stories from childhood trauma, identity, masculinity, and leadership, offering a grounded perspective on what it really takes to move from knowledge to wisdom, from protection to presence, and from isolation to connection.

This episode is not about fixing yourself.
It’s about understanding what you’re protecting—and what it’s costing you.

In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between intent and impact

• Why self-protection often creates disconnection

• How nervous system patterns shape communication

• Performance as a survival strategy

• Emotional safety as the foundation for intimacy and leadership

• Why nuance matters more than platitudes

• Letting go of armor without losing strength

📱 Connect with Brian

Website

📱 Connect with Brian

⁠Facebook⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Website⁠

👉⁠ Get Brian's Newsletter⁠

Thank you to Desert Candle Works for providing candles for today's episode. Support their small business here.