First Serve with Sina Haghighat

#10: Just Breathe with Hanna-Jade Browne

We all breathe, but do we know how to breathe properly?  Are we aware of its full potential? Through your breath, you can self-regulate by controlling your autonomic nervous system. Breathing can reduce stress levels, improve your sleep, enhance creativity and boost your immune system.  

In this episode, Hanna-Jade Browne takes us through her breathwork journey and highlights the benefits of breathwork along with the transformative impact her practices have had on the people she has worked with. Her unique integrative breathwork practices stem from dedicating almost 10 years to studying, practising and sharing natural healing. She has spent time in India practising ‘Rebirthing Breathwork’ and is trained in Hatha yoga and Ayurvedic studies in the Himalayas. She is also a qualified therapeutic practitioner in integrative Breathwork and has shared her practices worldwide, both in person and online.  

Tune in to learn how you can utilise your breath to unleash your full potential and regulate your mental states.

 

Connect with Hanna-Jade:

Instagram | @embodhi_breath

Website | www.embodhibreath.life

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Resources:

https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/breath-vids

#9: The Best of First Serve - Season 1

We have come to the end of Season 1 of First Serve with Sina Haghighat! In this episode, we are bringing you the key insights from each episode:

• #1: Listen Like a Hostage Negotiator with Richard Mullender
• #2: COVID-19 - Serving on The Frontline with Dr Hamid Hashemi
• #4: Transforming How We Move with Luke Rust
• #6: Serving Others Through Contagious Positivity with Jessica Dowdall
• #8: We Are All Leaders with Sina Haghighat

Season 1 has taught us about the importance of listening, community, our environment, spreading positive energy and leadership. These are skills that enable us to serve others to the best of our abilities and to build stronger relationships.

Season 2 will be filled with more interesting conversations and guests!

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Show Notes:

The importance of listening [01:03] Listen to understand [02:08] Everyone is unique [03:56] What makes a good negotiator? [05:46] How to become a better listener [07:37] Reactive vs proactive [09:33] Solitude vs loneliness [12:36] Mental health impact of COVID-19 [14:00] Expressing gratitude [17:51] Autonomous vehicles [23:01] Current global climate [26:10] Tesla driving experience [30:50] Goal setting [39:50] Resistant to change [41:06] How to delegate [51:20] How to use your superpowers [54:07] How to build a high performing team [57:37]

#8: We Are All Leaders

Most of us think that leadership isn't for everyone or that we need to reach a certain age in order to become a leader. You don't need a title to be a leader. The reality is that we are all leaders. We are leaders of our own lives and within our friends and families. If you want to get anything done, it requires leadership. If you want to experience change, it requires leadership. And most importantly, you can’t do it alone. You need a team around you. A team that is aligned to your movement, to achieve greatness collectively and edge everyone closer to their ambitions. It’s about collective leadership and co-creation. 

In this episode, Sina Haghighat talks through his leadership experience with David Sint from the Tech Allies Network. Sina dives into what it was like to manage a global team as the youngest team member and how he went about assembling a high performing team. The leadership attributes he mentions can be applied to building your own team.

Resources:

Drive (Daniel H. Pink) - https://amzn.to/2JZMw82 

Leadership Blog Post

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Facebook | FirstServePodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

Connect with the Tech Allies Network:

Instagram | @techalliesntw

Website | www.techalliesnetwork.org

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#7: Build Success Habits That Stick

We tend to set goals that are focused on achieving outcomes rather than honing in on the process. As a result, we either fail to reach our goals, or meet them but cannot sustain them. If you want to be a top performer, if you want to have more meaningful relationships, if you want to live a healthy and prosperous life, you need the processes and systems in place to take you to the next level. Your life is the sum of your habits and if you want to experience any type of transformational change to enhance your quality of life, you need to focus on your habits. Not on your goals. 

In this episode, Sina Haghighat takes you through 5 steps to build success habits of your own and provides his own personal examples that have put him in the best shape of his life both physically and mentally. The habits he has instilled have raised his self-awareness, increased his confidence, provided structure and stimulated learning and growth. By applying these steps, you will experience transformational change.

If you have enjoyed the last 3 solo episodes, on discovering your purpose, setting goals and building success habits, Sina will be launching an online course soon which dives into these areas in more detail. The course is all about you, your journey, your strengths, your passions and your purpose. If you want to raise your self-awareness, gain confidence in your skills and talents and build success habits to you perform at your best, then this course is for you. Register your interest at www.sinahaghighat.com/subscribe  

 

Books:

The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg) - https://amzn.to/34KmAVV

Atomic Habits (James Clear) - https://amzn.to/320w8u8

High Performance Habits (Brendon Burchard) - https://amzn.to/3jM9fkn

7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey) - https://amzn.to/2JoWks5

 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

 

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#6: Serving Others Through Contagious Positivity with Jessica Dowdall

We can all be affected by mental health problems and they affect around one in four people each year! In support of World Mental Health Day on 10th October, Jessica Dowdall shares a personal story with regards to her Dad's mental health. She emphasises that spreading positive energy is the catalyst for change and that we can all be there to serve others who have had their mental health impacted. Focusing on your welling by taking time for self-care, self-awareness, building meaningful relationships, spreading positivity and pursuing your passions, is key to living a fulfilled life.

Sina Haghighat will be running a half marathon to raise money for Mind, a mental health charity. If you would like to support this cause, here is the link to the donation page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sina-haghighat 

 

Books:

Flourish (Martin Seligman) - https://amzn.to/36JeXk9

 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

 

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Connect with Jessica:

Instagram | @jessica_dowdall

 

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#5: 10 Steps to Crush Your Goals

Have you set yourself goals and failed to achieve them? We set ourselves so many goals at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year, we haven't come close to what we set out to do!

Where do you want to be? What does success look like to you? Are your goals aligned to your WHY? Are you putting yourself outside your comfort zone to grow? We need to consider these questions when defining our goals. If you improve the way you set goals, you stand a much better chance of reaching a fulfilling destination and you will enjoy the journey along the way.

In this episode, Sina Haghighat takes you through the common reasons behind why we fail to reach our goals and outlines 10 steps to help you crush your goals. You will learn how to set effective goals and follow through on them. Being goal-oriented will enable you to have a positive approach to life and not be phased by setbacks. Goals also directly contribute to productivity and are strongly associated with success. 

This episode is the second episode of a 3-part series. In episode 3 (5 Steps to Uncover Your WHY) we went through some self-discovery to uncover your purpose. In this episode we created goals that are aligned to your purpose and in the next episode, we are going to talk about habits that we can incorporate into your daily lives to achieve your goals. At the end of the series, you should have a clear pathway to reach your full potential. 

 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Facebook | FirstServePodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#4: Transforming How We Move with Luke Rust

Are we conscious about the way we move around? Will we even own vehicles in the future? In this episode, Luke Rust speaks to Sina Haghighat about the transition towards sustainable mobility; covering the emergence of electric and autonomous vehicles along with their benefits and challenges. 

Luke works at Immense, where he helps cities, automotive manufacturers and fleet operators access the insights they need to the efficiently move people and goods using data-rich modelling and simulation tools. He is passionate about the intersection of technology, transportation, and energy, and possesses a balance of technical and commercial experience within the domains of intelligent mobility, sustainable energy, and the built environment. He also holds an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London, where he led research into climate-friendly operation of autonomous vehicle fleets. 

 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#3: 5 Steps to Uncover Your WHY

Many of us go through our lives without knowing our WHY. As a result, we feel like something is missing, we are not really fulfilled. Finding your purpose is the key to living a fulfilled life. You can serve others in your unique way through your purpose. You just need to uncover it, and serve it to the world to make a positive impact!

In this episode, Sina Haghighat takes you through 5 steps to uncover your WHY. He has followed these steps personally and has raised his self-awareness through the process. You will learn how to eliminate the noise and limiting beliefs, reflect on your transformational experiences, uncover your skills, expertise and talents, identify your passions and interests and define your purpose statement. You will make better decisions that serve your purpose, you will gain a sense of direction, you will know how to utilise your strengths, and most importantly, you will live a fulfilled life by being in pursuit of your purpose.

This episode is part of a 3-part series, where we will start off with some self-discovery to uncover your purpose, followed by creating goals and building success habits to pursue your purpose. At the end of the series, you should have a clear pathway to reach your full potential. Stay tuned for the next episode on goals!

Books:

The Power of Meaning (Emily Esfahani Smith) - https://amzn.to/2EXvPaR

Find Your Why (Simon Sinek) - https://amzn.to/33F480P

Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) - https://amzn.to/34BEMkZ

Unf*ck Yourself (Gary John Bishop) - https://amzn.to/2Ew5yR1

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) - https://amzn.to/3jmL0cL

 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Website | www.sinahaghighat.com

 

Credits:

Audio Engineer and Sound Designer: Dr Manu Houssaini

Podcast Theme Song edited & Programmed: Dr Manu Houssaini

Mixed & Mastered: Dr Manu Houssaini

#2: COVID-19 - Serving on The Frontline with Dr Hamid Hashemi

Dr Hamid Hashemi has been working on the COVID unit of the hospital since the pandemic started. He shares his experiences of working on the frontline, in a period where the world is facing unprecedented medical challenges and provides some insights into how we can transform our healthcare and well being.

Mentions:

Grant Study 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

#1: Listen Like a Hostage Negotiator with Richard Mullender

Do we really know how to listen? In this episode, Richard Mullender speaks to Sina Haghighat about the importance of listening and the common communication mistakes that we make. Richard is a former Hostage Negotiator and has had experience negotiating with the Taliban, dealing with extortion threats overseas and diffusing domestic sieges. His approach has had a global impact, where he has shared his insights with the UN and FBI. As the demand for his listening skills grew, he went on to establish the Listening Institute to teach the business world how to listen like hostage negotiators. By listening to understand, rather than reply, we can build more meaningful and authentic connections, therefore improving our listening skills is key.

Books:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - https://amzn.to/2XDtqJ8 

Connect with First Serve:

Instagram | @firstservepodcast

Connect with Sina:

Instagram | @sinahaghighat

Show Notes:

Why is listening so important [06:00] Listening vs speaking [07:22] Know your audience [08:48] Listen to understand [09:28] What makes a good negotiator? [11:40] Different phases of a negotiation [16:08] Importance of negotiation skills [18:11] Active listening is not really listening [19:53] Ask open questions [21:00] How to remove fear [22:50] Virtual communication [25:10] Everyone is unique [27:29] How can we become better listeners? [34:40]