BOLD Perspectives with Archie del Ray

Overcome Procrastination: The Emotionally Intelligent Approach

This episode isn't about another productivity hack. I'm not offering you another set of steps or techniques—no pomodoro timers, no "remember your why" exercises. Instead, we invite you to try a radical shift in perspective: What if procrastination isn't a problem to be fixed, but a message to be heard?

Procrastination often signals an inner conflict—part of you is resisting, and for good reason. Just like a child who refuses to do something they don’t feel safe or understood in doing, your mind resists when it feels unseen. And just like with children, the key isn’t force—it’s listening.

In this episode, we explore a simple, powerful exercise to help you listen to the part of you that procrastinates. You’ll learn how to understand its needs and address the deeper reasons behind the resistance—so you can move forward with much less inner friction.

Chapters:

0:00 Procrastination Unveiled
2:04 The Illusion of Self-Sabotage
4:39 Understanding Our Inner Child
6:20 The Power of Listening
9:10 Embracing Emotional Waves
10:34 Unconditional Acceptance
15:44 Dialoguing with Your Inner Self
17:23 Moving Beyond the Mind

The Question Gap: A Simple Exercise to Bring More Humanity into Work

The "old days" of slavery and the Industrial Revolution may seem distant, but their legacy lingers in today’s work culture. Much of how we work, and how we see ourselves at work, stems from centuries-old systems of oppression, where people were valued not as humans, but as labor. Even now, often without realizing it, we carry the belief that we must prove our worth, hide our true selves, and maintain a "work persona" distinct from who we are outside of our jobs.

In this episode, we explore the shared responsibility between individuals and stakeholders in shaping healthier, more human workplaces. We dive into the importance of emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and what it truly means to bring your whole self to work.

Plus, I’ll guide you through a practical exercise called "the question gap", that you can start using today to create a greater sense of safety and authenticity at work—one small step toward shedding the artificial "work self" and welcoming more humanness into your professional life.

 

Chapters:

00:00 Industrial Revolution's Legacy
01:52 The Work Persona
05:36 Authenticity in the Workplace
07:10 Rethinking Professionalism
08:33 Exploring Holacracy
11:09 Emotions in Work Culture
12:16 Meeting Emotional Needs
15:55 The Power of Questions
17:55 Inviting Humanness to Work

What TRIGGER Actually Means (Not What You Think)

These days, the word "triggered" gets tossed around to describe almost any emotional reaction. But in doing so, pop culture has blurred an important psychological distinction hidden in the word itself. A trigger isn't just any reaction—it's a pre-loaded emotional response set off by a specific cue, much like how pulling a gun's trigger sets off a chain reaction to fire a bullet that was previously installed.

In this episode, we use relatable, real-world examples to unpack the difference between a natural emotional response and an emotional trigger. While both are valid and healthy, a trigger often unleashes feelings that were stored away in the past—and aren't really about the present moment at all.

You'll also learn a simple, surprisingly effective trick to tell whether you're experiencing a genuine emotion in the now, or if something old just got triggered. Spoiler: the architecture of how this works is weirdly fascinating.

Chapters:

    00:00:05 Understanding Triggers in Emotional Reactions
    00:02:40 The Mechanics of Emotional Triggers
    00:07:34 The Impact of Past Experiences
    00:12:48 Distinguishing Healthy Reactions from Triggers
    00:17:16 The Long-Term Effects of Emotional Protection

These 4 Skills Will Make You Un-Burnout-Able

Traditional burnout advice—like "just take a vacation"—misses the mark. To become truly resilient and burnout-proof, we first need to understand what burnout actually is and why it happens in the first place.

In this episode, we dive into the root cause of burnout: misalignment. Once we recognize this, it becomes clear that the real solution lies in developing the skills that foster alignment—within ourselves and our lives. These core elements of alignment can be understood through four key dimensions: mind, body, emotion, and soul.

To achieve lasting alignment, we must treat each of these dimensions almost like separate “bodies”: the intellectual, emotional, physical, and soulful aspects of our being. By the end of this episode, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how to cultivate these skills—and how aligning your whole self can protect you from burnout for good.

Chapters:

00:00:07 Introduction to Unburnoutable Skills
00:05:23 Understanding Purpose and Intention
00:11:00 The Power of Surrender
00:11:57 Retraining the Body
00:16:09 Clearing the Mind
00:20:00 Integrating the Four Bodies

Feelings Aren’t Flaws - Understanding Emotions as a Built-In Compass

Despite the wide range of religions, spiritual paths, and belief systems, there’s a truth many of us can agree on: We are both physical beings—flesh and blood—and spiritual, boundless, eternal in nature. This duality raises a powerful question: How do we navigate life as both etheric and earthly beings?

The answer lies in what you might call a “middle man” between the two worlds: the heart. Often described as our “second brain”, the heart plays a central role in connecting our physical experience with our non-physical essence. It's also the gateway to what I call the emotional body.

Far from being a design flaw, our emotions are an essential feature of being human. The emotional body serves as a moment-to-moment guidance system—always signaling the next step on our unique path.

In this episode, we’ll explore how even the most uncomfortable emotions—like anger, fear, or sadness—are designed to help our "two beings" stay aligned, resulting in a life full of flow and meaning.

Chapters:

    00:00:28 Emotions as Human Experience
    00:05:33 Shifting Perspectives on Guidance
    00:06:36 The Emotional Body Explained
    00:09:36 Nourishing the Emotional Self
    00:12:32 The Heart as a Guidance System
    00:17:10 Understanding Anger and Fear
    00:20:49 The Role of Sadness in Values
    00:25:32 Listening to Inner Guidance

Balancing the Scales: 3 Levers to Heal the Global Yin-Yang Imbalance

The many crises defining the 21st century—whether political, societal, personal, educational, or otherwise—share a common thread: we often attempt to solve them through an overly “yang” (masculine) approach. We exert more force, impose more control, and try to will nature into submission, all in the pursuit of peace and stability. Yet in doing so, we overlook the “yin” (feminine) qualities—intuition, receptivity, compassion—that are equally vital. These softer, often invisible skills and perspectives are neglected, undervalued, or simply unrecognized.

In this episode, we explore three powerful levers that could help restore the natural balance between yin and yang within our human systems. By doing so, we increase the chance not only of surviving—but of thriving—in alignment with who we are truly meant to be.

Chapters:

00:00:09 Underlying Causes of Our Crises
00:07:04 Technological Progress vs. Emotional Dark Age
00:10:34 The Importance of Emotional Literacy
00:14:08 Rethinking Decision-Making Processes
00:19:05 Aligning Personal and Collective Goals
00:25:48 Embracing Harmony and Wholeness