Listen Yourself Alive Part 2
Listen Yourself Alive
Part Two
Recently, I gave a talk at a conference on Spirituality and Deep Listening in Prague - The Listening World Summit. My talk is called Listen Yourself Alive. The theme for the whole day was Why Does Listening Matter? and the overall theme for the conference was Listening That Connects.
Some of the people there use these principles in their corporate executive training work, their psychotherapy, for others, it's the basis of their performance coaching with high-level athletes.
Essentially, it's the core of conversations that change everything in people's lives, and this is the basis of my work with people who want more out of life.
Here is part two of my talk (if you haven't, go back a week and read part one):
The frequency of listening, of receptivity, is in all things. It's in the sunshine and the rain, it's in the anger and the joy, it's in the best day ever and the worst day ever and all the days in between. The most fun is when the plans go sideways, and you end up doing, saying, eating things you would never have expected. When listening started coming alive for me, I remembered times where I had listened and trusted and found myself on the most unusual adventures.
One of the most disgusting, fun and joyful things I've ever done came about completely randomly because my husband and I listened and followed, and I kept thinking "Well, why not?".
This is a story about listening to life itself and your life coming alive.
I had an opportunity to go to Australia and work at a friend's clinic in Brisbane for 6 weeks. We lived in her apartment, drove her car and surfed on her surfboard. We became friends with her fantastic neighbours and had regular afternoon Devon cream tea.
The thing is, though, initially the whole thing seemed impossible and crazy. But I kept saying yes, and then things kept lining up. I was able to find someone to fill in at my clinic for the exact time. She needed short-term work while setting up her own place in the next town over. Her husband had just been transferred to our area on short notice, and they had to move from up north of Thunder Bay quickly.
My husband's work approved a six-week paid leave for him. This doesn't happen, and I still don't know how it came to be.
I got licenses and visas in strangely short time frames.
So, we went to Australia.
Then, while there, we decided to drive up from Brisbane to the Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. I wanted to go snorkelling and see it. Again, it looked like it wouldn't be feasible, but once I decided on it, it just seemed to happen.
So, I listened to what I wanted and didn't worry or even think about How because I had no way of making any of these things happen. They just lined up.
We found ourselves staying in a B&B in a very rural small town right at the bottom tip of the reef. We were going out the next day on a catamaran to snorkel the reef from a coral cay island (Lady Elliot Island). This was the early days of the internet, and no Airbnb. We simply drove into a town (Agnes Water/1777) and found a place to stay because people had vacancy signs outside their houses. The place we stayed at was a gorgeous rambling old farmhouse with a giant screened-in wrap-around deck/porch. We met an older Australian couple and went out for dinner with them. When they found out I'd never had raw oysters, they took it upon themselves to order some so I could try them despite my never ever wanting to eat a raw oyster (ever). It seemed a constant conversation in Australia how people thought I should eat oysters. My husband also seemed to delight in telling all the people that I'd never had oysters. (Inland Ontario in the 1980s is not a place to grow up eating oysters.)
So, I found myself shooting back an oyster and having to clamp my free hand over my mouth to stop from spitting it back out. It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever put in my mouth! I remember forcing it down. Now, raw oysters, especially on a coast somewhere, are one of my favourite things, so I'm glad I listened to the very small voice that said: "Just eat it". Then, after dinner, when we got back to the house, the husband of the couple we'd just met and were now fast friends with, after the gorgeous dinner on the restaurant veranda in the cool of the evening in a rural Australian summer's evening, says to us, "Right, now we're for a bit of cane toad golfing". What?!?
Cane toads are an invasive species in Australia and kill everything around them with their poisonousness. They kill off everything in the natural ecosystem and wreck crops, kill insects, small lizards, birds, spiders, larger animals and yeah, just about everything. Farmers are encouraged to trap and kill the toads to reduce the blight. So, my new bluff friend handed me a large golf club - perhaps a driver - I don't know - and out we went adventuring on the large lawn littered with these gross creatures. We lined up and swung away! Those suckers flew! It was so disgusting. And in contrast to the oysters, something I have never done since.
Listening to the life inside of us via the simple knowing of what it is we want to do in any given moment can lead us on the weirdest and wildly fun adventures. I would have never guessed that any of that was something that I would have done.
The overall theme for the first day of the Summit was Listening Matters. Listening matters because life matters. Being alive matters. Being lit up about life matters.
Stay tuned for next week, Part Three of Listen Yourself Alive.
With Love,
Sara Joy
Upcoming Events
Immersion Retreat - Registration Opens June 15!
We are holding our annual Immersion Retreat on Saturday, September 19, 2026, in Guelph, ON. This is a day to fully immerse yourself in the peace, joy, and aliveness already within you. The one-day, small-group Immersion Retreat invites you to experience a profound shift in how you live and feel. You’ll dive into the transformative wisdom of the Three Principles and melt into the restorative power of relaxing, healing bodywork. This is your chance to awaken to a life filled with ease, clarity, and deep fulfilment.
In this sacred, nurturing space, we’ll journey together to:
• Rest in Deep Peace: Discover the quiet stillness at the core of who you are through the gentle wisdom of the Three Principles.
• Embrace Effortless Flow: Learn to move through life with grace and ease, guided by your innate wisdom.
• Rejuvenate Body and Soul: Surrender to healing bodywork that soothes your nervous system and restores your vitality.
• Ignite Your Aliveness: Uncover the joy and love within you, opening the door to fresh insights and a life you truly adore.
Contact Nancy for information at frontdesk@drsaraoneill.com or 519-880-0003.
More Content Like This
Wondering what Sara Joy is seeing fresh and new each day? Check out the Daily Muse - https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/daily-muse
Free Video Series! I recently created a free video series for clients and people wanting to know more about her work. This is "The Basics" about her approach and what she wishes everyone knew in life to live more alive in all areas.
You can access it here: https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/. Just scroll down until you find Get Started - Free Mini Course
The Listening World Podcast - A World That Listens: Experiences in Deep Listening - Join Sara Joy O'Neill from The Listening World in conversations with thought leaders, fresh voices, and others about truly listening from the inside out. You can find the podcast on a few platforms, but here are two:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3omzBIBBbKFslA5zpcUQiG?si=5d06e5a77e444115
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZLFZ7J18RnM?si=qN4uxv6hqevzriu0