Why Curiosity May Be the Key to a More Meaningful Life
Seline Shenoy
(YouTube Transcript)
Aneta (00:03)
Seline welcome to the Live the With of Your Life podcast.
Seline Shenoy (00:08)
Hi Aneta I'm so happy to be here with you. How are you today?
Aneta (00:12)
I am great. Thank you so much. And I was so looking forward to our conversation. As I was learning more about you and listening to some of your podcasts, I thought this is a like minded person, so I cannot wait to dig in and learn more about your story.
Seline Shenoy (00:27)
I'm glad that you reached out and I'm so happy to be on your show because yeah, I definitely see a lot of synergy between what we're both trying to get out there into the world. So yeah, it'll be interesting.
Aneta (00:37)
Yeah. And I wanna say congratulations. So your podcast has I think over two hundred and fifty live episodes at this point. Is that right?
Seline Shenoy (00:48)
Yeah, about that much, yes.
Aneta (00:49)
Wow,
congratulations. So your podcast is called The Nomadic Soul. And did you
Seline Shenoy (00:53)
Actually it's called the Dreamcatcher.
Aneta (00:56)
the Dreamcatcher. Your book is the Nomadic Soul. So the Dreamcatcher,
Seline Shenoy (00:58)
Exactly.
Aneta (00:59)
how did you come up with the name the Dreamcatcher when you wanted to launch your podcast?
Seline Shenoy (01:05)
Ooh, that's a good question. So actually, the Dreamcatcher was the name of my blog originally. Like I started my blog four years before I started the podcast. And
Aneta (01:16)
Okay.
Seline Shenoy (01:18)
why the Dreamcatcher? I'm not sure if you're familiar with this traditional spiritual artifact that Native Americans use. Right? So obviously
Aneta (01:26)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Seline Shenoy (01:28)
that was an inspiration. I love Native American spirituality.
It's something that I always resonated with. So I also love the fact that it was kind of like you could see a double meaning in it, double symbology. You could see it as sort of artifact that kind of catches on to our dreams and makes sure that we hold on to the things that we really believe in, that we really want to manifest in our lives. And in addition to that, I loved
the aesthetics of it. I thought it was so beautiful with the feathers and everything. And the the middle of the of the middle sections of the dream catcher is like a web. So I thought a web reminds me of interconnectedness and that we are all in this sort of together, the sense of oneness. And the feathers to me symbolize creativity and having a sense of lightness about life. So
altogether I felt it was perfect. It was the perfect name that I could use for my platform. First for the blog and then later on the podcast.
Aneta (02:34)
I love it. I love how thoughtful you are about every single piece of that. And they are so beautiful. I think I had a dream catcher above my bed and they seemed very symbolic and something
Seline Shenoy (02:44)
Yeah.
Aneta (02:45)
that's so beautiful and something I think that most people understand. I'm curious when you started your blog, what were you hoping to gain with your blog? Was there intention or did you just want to start exploring themes?
And putting it out in the world.
Seline Shenoy (03:01)
Hmm. So I'm gonna admit that when I started it, I was actually looking for a way to heal myself. I was on the heels of a very difficult personal phase in my life. I went through a tumultuous breakup and an identity crisis. I didn't know who I was anymore. I had completely lost touch with the part of me
That I felt was authentic to who I am and is aligned with my ideals and my values because I was trying to build my life and my identity around the person that I was with. So I lost myself. So the blog was really a way for me to reconnect with myself. It was an experiment, to be honest with you, Aneta. Of course there was a part of me that was hoping that
someone will find this helpful. I just put it out into the ethers and I just said, okay. so to be honest with you, it was a therapeutic way for me to get in touch with who I am and also activate the creative juices in me. And I think people really, really
Connected with that. They could feel my authenticity, my rawness, because I was really writing from that place. I wasn't trying to be somebody. I wasn't trying to pose as an influencer or just use these pretty words or anything just to come across in a certain way. I was just me and I had something to say. I had a voice that I was trying to start exercising after it was suppressed for so many years.
So I think it just came out onto the keyboard and it just grew from that. And then over time I added more structure to it. I became more thoughtful about building a content strategy and really listening to what people were liking the most and building my pillars around that.
Aneta (04:47)
It's so interesting because I don't know if I share this too often, but when I was still in corporate and I also was in the stage of discovery and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and I knew I wanted to leave eventually, I just wasn't ready yet. I started
Seline Shenoy (05:01)
Mm-hmm.
Aneta (05:02)
an anonymous blog and I used the two names of the streets I grew up on, which was Alexandria Drive and Klein Drive. And so I was Alexandria Klein,
which is interesting because my initials are AK now anyway.
Seline Shenoy (05:15)
Yeah.
Aneta (05:16)
And I started a blog just because I also was trying to find a voice. I had so much to share, but I felt like I couldn't do it under my real name yet because I was still
Seline Shenoy (05:26)
Hm.
Aneta (05:27)
in corporate and still in the role. But it was me dipping my toe into something for myself and really finding the voice and then gaining confidence and
seeing what people resonated with. And so when you started getting readers and people were commenting, what did you notice that was a common theme? What were people resonating with from what you were writing?
Seline Shenoy (05:50)
Yeah.
I think the connective tissue and all the messages that I was getting was that people did not feel understood. They did not feel connected to anything meaningful. and a lot of people were concerned about their relationships, finding people who could really see them and see them for who they really are. My most viral post is the one on soulmates.
I can't tell you like how many people commented on that post, reached out to me, and they were just pouring out their heart talking about the things that they've gone through, the relationships that didn't work out, and how lonely they are. I mean, it was overwhelming. I was like, wow, there are some really lonely people out there. It's like even if we do have people around us,
they're not feeling connected to them. They're not feeling satisfied with whatever relationships they have in their life. And that really struck me. And I felt really sad about it. I love the fact that I could get these unique lens now because I have people reaching out to me. I'm getting
stories, I'm getting insights into different lives that are going on all around the world, which I wouldn't have had that perspective if I was not brave enough to put my work out there. And it's a privilege for me and I hold all the people who reach out to me with so much regard. I feel a sense of honor that that they trust me with it.
Aneta (07:23)
Yeah, I think it is extremely brave to put yourself out there and to start sharing and to be vulnerable. And yet I think that that's the part that resonates with people is because
in relationships, sometimes even with those that are close to us, could be friends, could be family, could be romantic relationships, sometimes the intimacy and the vulnerability is missing, which I think
Seline Shenoy (07:46)
Correct.
Aneta (07:47)
is part of the reason that we feel lonely
beause it might not feel like a true connection. It could feel transactional or it could be surface level. Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (07:55)
That's right. That's right.
Aneta (07:56)
and so as you were making these connections and more and more people were reaching out, how did that start to shape what you were thinking that this could turn into?
Seline Shenoy (08:08)
So I reached a pivot. I was thinking about how I can balance my needs, my creative curiosity. Because there's certain things that I loved exploring with what people really wanted content wise. So it was a balance that I was trying to strike for a couple of years. because a lot of the things I like to write about are not necessarily
what most people want to read. I love writing about history, culture, archaeology, ancient cultures. I also love self-help, don't get me wrong, but I was like, how do I satisfy my own curiosity with the need to cater or provide solutions and answers to my community.
So that took me a while. That took me a while to strike that balance and to sort of blend both needs that I was contending with of at that time. So I'd say I've done it pretty successfully. but of course every day I learn something new. I'm also looking at other content creators and seeing what they're up to. The blogging space has become very saturated.
I mean when I started out, there were a few of us. So I had a bit of like first mover advantage, as they call it.
Aneta (09:18)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (09:18)
But later on the space started getting more and more cluttered and then the quality of the content was starting to dissipate. It was not as good as it used to be. So that's why I felt like authenticity became even more important.
Because if you wanna stand out, you gotta be real. You gotta show people that you really mean what you say. And that's something I'm very conscious about now.
Aneta (09:40)
Absolutely. You said the blog came first and then the podcast of the same name came second.
Seline Shenoy (09:45)
Yeah.
Aneta (09:47)
Why did you want to start a podcast?
Seline Shenoy (09:51)
well when I was in my early twenties, I fantasized about having a talk show because I loved Oprah. Right?
Aneta (09:58)
Of course.
Seline Shenoy (10:00)
I watched her throughout the mid-90s and the late 90s. I was like, man, that looks like so much fun. And at that time there were no podcasts. So I just shelved that dream because I didn't think it was possible
to get to that stage and to get the opportunities and the breaks to have a talk show. I didn't even entertain that. But later on I said, now's my chance. There is a way to be able to have had those kind of conversations on the internet. So I just went for it. I mean initially when I started Aneta, I was terrified.
I'm sure a lot of podcasters can relate to this. And I started as an audio only podcast. I was I need to find my bearings first. Because if you're being filmed at the same time, it's scary, right? The camera's on you and you're a lot more self conscious, at least in the initial stages. So once I got past that and then I started incorporating video I think
that was after about what, a year and a half, two years? Yeah.
Aneta (10:55)
Mm-hmm.
I think that happens with a lot of us. And I remember I gave myself a month to figure it out. I said, it's
Seline Shenoy (11:02)
Okay.
Aneta (11:03)
not gonna be perfect. I went back and I listened to all the people that I listened to their podcast and
Seline Shenoy (11:08)
Mm.
Aneta (11:08)
I listened to their very first one.
And so I thought, you know what, it's only gonna get better. I'm only gonna learn more. People are gonna expect it to be more real.
And I think that it's great training ground just to be able to have conversations
Seline Shenoy (11:21)
It is.
Aneta (11:22)
with someone else and to be present
so yeah, of course I was terrified as well. And I still thought, I'm gonna do it anyway. And it's just a great way to meet people, but I've just been so blessed just to meet people from all over the world like yourself,
Seline Shenoy (11:36)
Mm-hmm.
Aneta (11:36)
to hear about their stories, to feel very encouraged about the great work that is being done in the world, because we're only shown
bad things in the media, on the news, all these things. But there's really great people like yourself doing amazing work. And
Seline Shenoy (11:52)
Thank you.
Aneta (11:52)
I do feel like highlighting these stories is a positive way to contribute to society. So what are some of the top themes or lessons or any favorite stories that you have from your podcast? Cause you've been doing this for several years now. You've had hundreds of conversations. So anything
stand out that you think is helpful for us to talk about today?
Seline Shenoy (12:13)
So you mean to say the podcasts that really stood out to me or the ones that did
Aneta (12:18)
Yeah, it could be an episode,
a guest, or maybe it's just a theme that comes back over and over again.
Seline Shenoy (12:25)
Well I love all my guests, but the one who I really enjoyed speaking to was the former VP of Disney Imagineering, Joe Garlington.
he's a recluse. He doesn't have his own website, he's not on social media, and he used to teach at USC. Speaking to him was just a lot of fun. I'm a huge fan of Disney, the movies,
the animated movies all of it i love the archetypes that they presented really spoke to me as a young girl and shaped me so just speaking to him about the thought process behind all the rides and how much thinking goes into that creative process you don't appreciate just how much work goes behind the creation of all of them and what I noticed was he
did an amazing job at balancing wisdom with humor. I've always liked that combination because I'm a bit of a trickster myself. I got the bit of the trickster archetype, which I don't bring out so much. But I think
Aneta (13:21)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (13:21)
that's what really I connected with. First of all, it was a lot of fun talking to him. I was laughing a lot, which I don't normally do. And it really opened my eyes to
the intricacies of human creativity and different ways that we can tap into this wellspring that we have within us. He talked about the things that he did to bring it out of him and how he was so expansive in his thinking that we could find inspiration from anywhere. And that's something that really stayed with me for a long time and it inspired me as a writer. It inspired me
when it came to writing my books and it was a paradigm shift for me personally and yeah, it was one of my favorite conversations. Yeah.
Aneta (14:04)
that's wonderful. It's so nice
when you get to meet someone for the first time and
Seline Shenoy (14:08)
Yeah.
Aneta (14:08)
you learn maybe you're surprised by something that they share or it's something that you couldn't find, like you said, on his website. So it was just something unexpected. And I do think that so many of us we crave fun and creativity and inspiration, but we don't necessarily see ourselves as that any longer either
Seline Shenoy (14:27)
Yeah.
Aneta (14:28)
it was never developed as a child, or maybe someone told us we have to put childish things away. And yet I just find myself just constantly gravitating. You and I were talking a little bit about big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert or by Rick Rubin. Yeah, the
Seline Shenoy (14:41)
I love that book. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Aneta (14:43)
creative act. And I feel like that really does lend to more life in everything that we do. Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (14:49)
Absolutely. Yeah. And
I think we need a bit of levity and humor. even
Aneta (14:54)
Mm-hmm.
Seline Shenoy (14:55)
when it comes to our personal development. I think we tend to take it a bit too seriously. Hey, let's go on silent retreats. Let's
bliss out or let's talk about this tool for manifestation.
Let's talk about stoic philosophies. I love all of that. But sometimes I feel like, hey, it's nice to have a laugh once in a while, not to take everything
Aneta (15:13)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (15:14)
so seriously. Because that can shift the frame that we have
Aneta (15:18)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (15:18)
when it comes to how we view our life and life in general. So
Aneta (15:22)
Mm-hmm.
Seline Shenoy (15:23)
I'm a big fan of humor, awe, wonder. I think we
Aneta (15:27)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (15:28)
definitely need to inject more of that in our life because that is also fundamental to our soul and what our soul needs.
Aneta (15:34)
Absolutely.
Absolutely. And I don't know about you, but I feel like when I slow down, when I'm more present, when I'm able to actually just notice the things around me, I
Seline Shenoy (15:46)
Yeah.
Aneta (15:46)
naturally am lighter. I naturally find humor and joy in some of those things.
Seline Shenoy (15:52)
Correct, yeah.
Aneta (15:52)
It's like when we rush from thing to thing, we just don't create space or time for any of that.
Seline Shenoy (15:59)
Right, right. I mean you just walk down a busy street in any big city and people are just like just rushing to work and like get out of my way. It's like chill. Like just
Aneta (16:12)
I know.
Seline Shenoy (16:13)
stop for a minute, look around you. This is life. It's gonna end one day. Like take it all in. Appreciate the small things.
Aneta (16:20)
Yeah, absolutely.
And you can feel it. Like we were just in New York City quick trip this weekend, and
Seline Shenoy (16:26)
gosh. Yeah.
Aneta (16:29)
we drove. I mean, Cleveland, and anytime we drive there, I could physically feel the energy changing as we get closer
Seline Shenoy (16:34)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Aneta (16:36)
to the city. It's so powerful. So I'm curious
Seline Shenoy (16:38)
Exactly.
Aneta (16:39)
what are some of the things that you love to do just to kind of create your own sense of presence or to slow you down or just to
give you the space to be creative and to do the work that you do.
Seline Shenoy (16:51)
Hmm. Music is a big one for me. I love music. You should see my playlist. I've got music from every decade,
Aneta (16:58)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (16:59)
almost every genre. It's like I wake up and it's like, okay, what am I feeling today? Am I feeling new age music? Okay, I'll play Deep Forest. Another day I
Aneta (17:05)
Mm-hmm. Uh-huh.
Seline Shenoy (17:08)
was like, okay, I'm feeling a little bit like I want to jam. So I'll listen to hip hop and R B. So music has been very instrumental in activating different sides of me.
I pay attention, what am I feeling today? It's like kind of what I feel like eating today, what am I craving? Unfortunately I think that music these days are not like the music in the yesteryears. I feel like we've lost the soul. Okay, many people are gonna disagree with me, but maybe I'm a bit of an oldie that way. But
Aneta (17:33)
Yeah. Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (17:36)
I really love good lyrics, good melody, and that's where the music from the eighties, the nineties and
some of the seventies songs, it really excelled at. So music has been a huge source of inspiration for me and kind of getting me into that centered space that
Aneta (17:52)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (17:53)
that I'd like. Yeah.
Aneta (17:54)
Yeah, me too. And now Spotify makes it so easy. Just you
Seline Shenoy (17:58)
Yeah, I know.
Aneta (17:58)
can pick playlists by mood and then you know it's so easy to find new artists as you're creating
Seline Shenoy (18:04)
Right.
Aneta (18:05)
playlists for just about everything, which I think is amazing.
Seline Shenoy (18:07)
Yeah. Mm.
Aneta (18:09)
But you grew up multicultural, is that correct? You've lived in multiple places and so how has your experience growing up
In Dubai, work in the States, how has that sort of influenced who you are today and maybe the identity that you have, but also how you can relate to other people?
Seline Shenoy (18:29)
The biggest thing that my multicultural background instilled in me is empathy and a sense of openness to different ways of living, different ways of being, different ways of thinking. I think one of the biggest maladies in the world is ethnocentricism. My way is the right way. No,
Aneta (18:50)
Right.
Seline Shenoy (18:50)
it's not. There's so many ways of seeing things. There's so much diversity.
Not just in looks, but in viewpoints. And I think that's what gets us into trouble when we feel like there's only one way of doing things. And my way is the right way. So since I was a kid, I've been exposed to all these different countries, these different cultures. And I think that completely changes the landscape of your inner being. Especially at a young age. I mean
my first trip was when I was what, three years old. I think my parents took me to London. I went to the US when I was four. So just being in those different environments it changes everything. It changes everything. And I believe that all of us should try to get out of the city that we're in or the town that we're in, even if you can't manage to do international travel as much as you want to.
Please get out to a new side of town, go to another state, just go to somewhere different that shows you that there is more beyond what you can see, and that there are different kind of people out there. Because without that, you can't be a responsible citizen, you can't be somebody who
really connects with other human beings. Someone who connects with other human beings. You just can't, because you have to be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. And that only happens when you know that they're gonna be different. And different is okay. It's okay.
Aneta (20:13)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (20:13)
In fact it's beautiful. It really makes the world a much more interesting place.
Aneta (20:18)
I agree. And I think that travel, you learn about others, you learn about other cultures. There's so much growth in that. But I always find that whenever I travel, I always still learn a lot about myself because when we are in our comfort zone, when we're in a very familiar setting, we can be much more theoretical. We can be much more philosophical about life. And
Seline Shenoy (20:42)
Hmm. Yeah.
Aneta (20:43)
yet when you find yourself maybe in situations that are new.
That are different or that are challenging in any way, we're always shown our biases. We're always shown any patterns of dysregulation that we may have, how we respond when we're stressed. And at the same time, from a growth perspective, you can be stretched and you can grow so much when you are in
Seline Shenoy (21:07)
Yeah.
Aneta (21:07)
those situations. And so I find that it's like the connection to others and growth in that way, but also just
a deeper connection and realization about myself. I don't know if you experience the same thing when you travel or
Seline Shenoy (21:20)
Yeah.
Aneta (21:20)
yeah.
Seline Shenoy (21:21)
It yeah, thanks for sharing that. That's beautiful insight. it reminds me of an experience that I had in Iceland. I went to this
Aneta (21:28)
Mm-hmm.
Seline Shenoy (21:29)
town in the northern part of Iceland called Acuri. I might be butchering the name. sorry to any Icelanders here. But I attended a Viking festival. So I went there and I met
native Icelandic lady and she was showing me around. She took me into this I'm gonna say it was like a sort of tent. And she made me sit down and she did a rune reading for me and it was pretty fascinating. Are you aware of what runes are? They're like those like a fortune telling sort of device that they use to sort of like tarot cards and Oracle cards, but did just done on stones with like
symbols on it. So
Aneta (22:09)
interesting. Okay.
Seline Shenoy (22:10)
yeah, Norse symbols. So after she did the reading, she looked at me and she said, we look so different, but yet we are so alike. And she smiled.
Aneta (22:19)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (22:20)
And I was like, okay.
I loved how she was perceptive enough to see that
we were both human beings and we were connecting on some common human themes, We were
Aneta (22:31)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (22:31)
talking about my personal life, we were talking about my work and I think she was just highlighting the fact that we are going through all these common life themes, these common situations that most human beings go through and at the same time but we look different. You know, she was tall, blonde, blue eyed and I'm dark haired and tan
so said she said that completely out of the blue and I was but like, okay.
Aneta (22:53)
Yeah.
I think that that's one of the things I love podcasting, but also traveling too, is that when you do meet somebody different or new and when you're open and you get
Seline Shenoy (23:05)
Mm.
Aneta (23:05)
to be yourself and share and they do the same, it's always such a compliment when people make those acknowledgements like, Wow, we actually are so similar as humans. Most of us want
Seline Shenoy (23:16)
Yeah.
Aneta (23:17)
the same things
Seline Shenoy (23:18)
Mm-hmm.
Aneta (23:18)
for ourselves,
for our family, for those that we love. And that's when we make those strong connections. I think that that's when we want to then experience more of life and we don't feel like
Seline Shenoy (23:28)
Mm-hmm.
Aneta (23:29)
we need to shelter or to keep ourselves in such a small box. And when we're able to do that, the life is so big. There's such potential
to live such a richness when we're open to those experiences. So I love that that you got to experience that and that she did too in that moment of sort of mirroring. That's quite beautiful.
Seline Shenoy (23:50)
Yeah. Yeah.
Aneta (23:53)
Yeah. did you always know you wanted to be an author?
Seline Shenoy (23:56)
That's good question.
I always loved books. So I
Aneta (23:59)
To read them.
Seline Shenoy (24:00)
yes, I mean I started reading books since I was fifteen. I mean like self help books. I started pretty early on. Once I started watching Oprah, then I was like, okay, I have Wayne Dyer and Sheryl
Aneta (24:10)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (24:11)
Richardson and Deepak Chopra and all these mainstays
Aneta (24:13)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (24:14)
on her show. And I was like, hmm not that I understood a lot of it. I mean I was fifteen.
Aneta (24:18)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (24:19)
old 16 years old I was like a lot of it went over my head but somehow I was pulled towards that and
I could feel myself really activated by whatever I read in those books. So I felt like okay there's something here. There's something here. But regarding being an author I don't think I had the confidence
to be honest with you, Aneta, I was like, I don't know if I can do it. But I was always good at creating content even like in high school. I was so good at writing notes, my classmates were like, Can we borrow your notes? Because I was known for making very like clear, detailed
Aneta (24:53)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (24:54)
summaries of everything that we were learning. So I guess those were like the early
signs that I could do something with those skill sets, right? I had those skill sets early on. So I just read a very interesting book by Jim Collins called What to Make of a Life. I don't know if you heard about it, but it's it's fascinating. It's one of those massive
Aneta (25:14)
Ooh, I'm gonna write that one down. What to make?
Seline Shenoy (25:17)
What to make of a Life by Jim Collins. And in it, the basic premise is that we're all coded to do something really, really well from an early age.
And he presents different case studies of people from history and he chronicles their journey about how they were able to find what they're naturally coded to do. And it was fascinating. And as I read it, I was like, Yeah, I did have that coding to write, to create something, to fashion something, like get all this information from different sources and sort of fashion it in a way that is consumable.
I mean my audience in high school were my classmates or so but
Aneta (25:50)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (25:52)
it's a fascinating read and it really changes how you see your gifts and how you can tap into them and work on building them and using them in a way to help others and to be of service to others.
It's something I highly recommend to your listeners. Yeah. Yeah.
Aneta (26:07)
I I appreciate the recommendation. I'm always
adding new things to my list. So I'll save it next. Is it the same Jim Collins that wrote Good to Great, like the leadership book in the 90s? Okay. it's interesting. Okay, I'm excited to read it.
Seline Shenoy (26:17)
Yes, the same the same this is his newest book. Hmm.
Aneta (26:23)
so going back to your book, I want
Seline Shenoy (26:25)
Mm, yes.
Aneta (26:26)
to learn more about the nomadic soul. I'm curious when you set to write your book. I always ask authors this question: did you have
an idea of the book you wanted to write and then you came up with the title later or did the title come to you and then you wrote based on the title?
Seline Shenoy (26:47)
I would say the title came to me first. I
Aneta (26:50)
Okay.
Seline Shenoy (26:50)
knew I wanted to do something about being a seeker in life and
Aneta (26:54)
Mm.
Seline Shenoy (26:55)
taking that sort of frame and presenting it to the world because I feel like I've been a bit of a nomad my whole life. My spirit is nomadic. I never resonated with the traditional way of being. My culture always felt
constraining to me. I had to be a certain way. I had to follow a certain life path. I was too curious. I was too much of an adventurer to fit into that mold, that cookie cutter mold. So I was like, okay, I'm sure there are other people like me out there. In fact, I think everyone should try to be a seeker because at our core
we are these sort of curious beings who want to be, who want to grow, who want to evolve and reach our highest potential. So I wanted to create a framework that can help people get there and to express that side of them, that expansive side of them, their higher self, in other words.
Aneta (27:49)
Yeah. were there any particular books that inspired this book of yours in terms of maybe the
Seline Shenoy (27:55)
Yeah.
Aneta (27:56)
way it was designed or elements that you found effective in other books?
Seline Shenoy (28:01)
Hmm. Dr. Martha Beck, her book Finding a North Star was definitely
Aneta (28:06)
Mm-hmm.
Seline Shenoy (28:08)
one of the books that inspired this one. I was lucky enough to speak to her on my podcast. She's a fascinating lady. Besides that,
to be honest with you, it was a lot of the archetypal journeys I saw in Disney movies especially from the nineties, where I saw, the hero's journey, right? They set off on these quests and the kind of what they go through in their story, how it expands them and how they had to learn how to deal with the challenges in their life. So just seeing the whole trajectory of their life,
was something that really sparked this idea of a journey. So I took that metaphor of a journey and I was like, okay, how can I fashion it in a way that most people can relate to because not everyone is gonna have those kind of monolithic stories that we see in these movies. So I was definitely inspired by those movies.
Aneta (29:01)
you did a solo podcast on this, I think recently too, talking
about what some of our favorite maybe characters what they represent in their journeys, which I really
Seline Shenoy (29:10)
Mm.
Aneta (29:10)
enjoyed. I thought that that was really great. I think was one of the most recent ones. Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (29:12)
Thank you. Yeah.
Aneta (29:14)
What is the hope with the book? Obviously as an author, we want people to get their hands on it and we have some sort of an intention, but what is your hope for the people that find your book and they read it?
Seline Shenoy (29:26)
I want them to see that their life is more than just the mundane, basically. That they're just not waking up going to work and attending to the kids, cooking at home, doing the laundry. No, I want them to see their life as an adventure. I want them to go on these quests. And to make their life more awe inspiring, more grand.
Whatever that means to them. I don't know what that would look like. For each individual is gonna be different. But just to live outside that box that you talked about earlier, right? That box that they might be finding themselves in. And it doesn't always require a bunch of money. A lot of people think, that that's that's a luxury. That's a privilege that only the rich can afford. No, not necessarily. You could
expand your life by just going for a hike and looking out at nature or just spending time with the people you love, connecting with them on a deeper level, getting to know somebody you're curious about. Because people are fascinating, Aneta, I love meeting people from any background. Like wherever I go, I like to strike up a conversation if the other person is willing. Because all these vignettes from other people's life
it's almost like you get to live a different life. And also learning about different ways of thinking, that they view something so differently. I try not to argue with people and impose my beliefs on them. I like to hear what they are thinking and understand why they think a certain way. Because then
that would challenge my own thoughts and help me learn more. So I think just developing that sense of openness, being the sort of explorer in life, I want to instill that perspective on into other people by writing this book. Yeah.
Aneta (31:08)
Mm-hmm. I
love that. Are you familiar with Donald Miller?
Seline Shenoy (31:13)
No, I'm not.
Aneta (31:14)
Okay, so he's a business coach and business author now. He has a company called Story Brand, but he
Seline Shenoy (31:18)
Mm-hmm. Okay.
Aneta (31:20)
used to be a fictional author when he was very young in his twenties. He wrote a book called Blue Like Jazz that turned it into a movie. And
Seline Shenoy (31:27)
Mm.
Aneta (31:28)
the screenwriters met with him and they wanted to turn the book into a movie, but they
Seline Shenoy (31:32)
Mm-hmm.
Aneta (31:32)
said we have to really adapt it because in a great screenplay in a movie.
It reads differently. And so, no one wants to see you sitting on a couch eating ice cream. That's not an interesting thing in the movie. And yet,
Seline Shenoy (31:44)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Aneta (31:47)
like you said, so many moments in our life are pretty mundane. And there's a lot of ordinary moments in every given day. So he decided to study screenwriting because in the hopes of creating a better story of his own life through
Seline Shenoy (32:01)
Mm.
Aneta (32:01)
the arc of what does it mean to be the protagonist? What does it mean to be on your own?
life's journey, right? This nomadic, this adventure. So
Seline Shenoy (32:08)
Yeah.
Aneta (32:10)
he wrote a book about those adventures called A Million Miles and a Thousand Years. It's really good. And it was written probably in the 90s, if I think back on when I read it, but it was so good. And because of that, he developed a framework called the Story Brand, which then he now uses for helping people identify who their ideal clients are in business and being able to really create the arc of the
protagonist, your ideal client, what they need and how to speak to them. So it's really an interesting book, but it started with him saying, How do I live a better story of my own life? using
sort of the principles of screen writing and what makes a good story on screen so that you
Seline Shenoy (32:49)
I love that.
Aneta (32:49)
are living it. Yeah, it's really good. And I just thought it was
Seline Shenoy (32:52)
That sounds really
intriguing. I'm gonna look into that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Aneta (32:54)
Yeah, yeah. Million Miles in a
thousand years. It's an oldie but goody.
Seline Shenoy (32:59)
Yeah.
Aneta (32:59)
and then the story brand I think you'll really enjoy because it might be similar to your nomadic soul journey, which I'm excited to actually
Seline Shenoy (33:04)
Mm. It does sound similar.
Aneta (33:06)
read. Yes. so any more books in you? Do you have any
Seline Shenoy (33:11)
Yeah,
in fact I just finished writing my third book and right now
I'm hunting for publishers, which is the tough part. So yeah.
Aneta (33:18)
Yeah. Yes. Would you
ever self publish or are you just looking to go the publisher house route?
Seline Shenoy (33:25)
I am looking for the publisher house route for so many reasons. There's so many advantages
Aneta (33:28)
Okay.
Seline Shenoy (33:30)
to that, but it's a tough market right now, especially for the self help genre.
Aneta (33:32)
Yeah. Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (33:34)
So crossing my fingers.
Aneta (33:36)
Yeah, absolutely.
No, I wish you what's this latest one about? Can you share? No? Okay.
Seline Shenoy (33:41)
Ooh no. But this one
I can only say that this book is more about the constraints and limitations that we face in life. So the nomadic
Aneta (33:50)
Well
Seline Shenoy (33:50)
soul was more about let's expand, let's get out
Aneta (33:52)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (33:53)
there, let's explore. But this one's more about okay, what do we do when we're like stuck? So in a contraction, right?
Aneta (33:57)
Mm. in a contraction. Like wow.
And that's huge because working with so many clients as a coach, like the fears, the limiting beliefs, the doubts, all of those things, even
Seline Shenoy (34:09)
Yeah.
Aneta (34:10)
just our inability sometimes to see ourselves outside of the identity that we have formed and then try to protect
Seline Shenoy (34:16)
Yeah.
Aneta (34:17)
for so long is so critical. So that much success to you to find the great publisher because I think that
Seline Shenoy (34:22)
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Aneta (34:23)
Yeah, we need that. Everybody needs to learn more about that. So Seline, if people want to work with you, if they want to learn more about you, tell us all the different ways that folks can best find you.
Seline Shenoy (34:35)
I would appreciate people's support listening to the Dreamcatcher podcast. It's on my website and it's available on all podcasting platforms. It's called the Dreamcatcher. And you can check out my blog if you prefer the written medium. So you can find it at the dreamcatch.com. And you can also follow me on Instagram at Seline Shenoy. I post some very interesting things there on a regular basis. I promise I don't put selfies of myself.
Aneta (35:00)
Yeah.
Seline Shenoy (35:00)
Like
That's one of my pet peeves. if you're in the self-help field, like we don't we don't need to see your selfies, we need good content. So yeah, those are the different ways that they can reach out. And if they're just curious about me and my philosophy and want to get a general feel of everything I put out there, just check out my website, selineshenoy.com. yes, and my book, The Nomadic Soul.
I do have a dedicated book page which is the nomadic soul book,
Aneta (35:21)
Absolutely.
Seline Shenoy (35:22)
thenomadicsoulbook.com. There's also an audiobook version if you prefer listening.
Aneta (35:27)
That's wonderful. So good.
Seline Shenoy (35:28)
Yeah.
Aneta (35:29)
Seline, thank you for doing the work that you do and for being such a bright light in this world. We need more
of it. And I asked all my guests a final question, which is what does it mean to you to live the width of your life?
Seline Shenoy (35:44)
To live the width of my life means always stepping outside my comfort zone, always listening to my hunger for learning, curiosity, and just getting out there, living my life. I think of someone like an Anthony Bourdain, he didn't just go and taste foods, he really relished in life and the aliveness of everything.
Of course he had a tragic ending, but we can definitely say that he lived his life to the fullest and he really took in everything with all his senses. And that's the way I interpret living The width
Aneta (36:18)
The width?
Seline Shenoy (36:19)
of your life. You can just luxuriate in everything that life has to offer because as I said, this is finite.
So really live your life while you have it.
Aneta (36:30)
I love it. Thank you so much, Celine. I've really enjoyed our conversation.
Seline Shenoy (36:34)
Thank you, Aneta.
And I have to say you're an amazing host from one host to another. You ask lovely questions and you're you're
Aneta (36:40)
Thank you.
Seline Shenoy (36:40)
great conversationalist.
Aneta (36:42)
Thank you. it's such a privilege and such a joy for me to be able to have these conversations. I'm sure you feel
Seline Shenoy (36:47)
Yeah.
Aneta (36:48)
the same way on your podcast.