In this episode, Gay Hendrick brings his life and professional wisdom to the podcast and shows us how we can turn criticism into creativity. In one of the more powerful podcast episodes I’ve ever recorded, Gay helps empower us to understand that beyond name, form, career - we are pure consciousness and helps us understand how taking responsibility for our thoughts and habits can change our lives. Gay shares his breakthroughs early on in life and helps us connect the dots between generational trauma - and, what we can do about creating new generational patterns.  Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., has been a leader in the fields of relationship transformation and bodymind therapies for more than 45 years. After earning his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Stanford, Gay served as professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Colorado for 21 years. He has written more than 40 books, including bestsellers such as Five Wishes, The Big Leap and Conscious Loving (co-authored with his co-author and mate for more than 35 years, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks), both used as a primary text in universities around the world. His latest book, The Genius Zones and explores his breakthrough process to end negative thinking and live in true creativity. Today we cover:  Gay’s early life influences, including his grandparents and how the months prior to his birth influenced his relationship to emotions, food and self.  Gay’s encounter with Ram Das in his early 20’s and how this planted seeds for continued growth  How Gay defines enlightenment  Gay shares why recommitment needs more press  The role of self-blame and criticism and how they color and block creativity  How we can nurture ourselves into creativity and expansion Why taking radical responsibility for your life isn’t about blame How taking responsibly is both invigorating and creative!  How do view each decade in clinical psychology  The role of our family’s generational trauma and experiences in our current lives  What congruence is and why it’s so important for aliveness Why emotions are essential for us to embrace who we really are Gay offers news ways to view emotions like anger and fear  What Gay is currently unlearning  To learn more about Gay and Katie Hendricks, visit: https://hendricks.com