In this heart-opening conversation, Nicholas Janni and William Ayot explore language not as mere words, but as psychoactive energy - living vibrations capable of healing and awakening. They invite us to move beyond surface narratives into the deeper currents of speech that embody presence, precision, and truth.
William shares moving poems such as The Remembrancer and Of Hares, Grace, and the Miraculous, while Nicholas offers frameworks that bridge leadership, coaching, and the artistry of words. Together, they reveal how poetry and authentic language can act as a psychoactive force - opening hearts, evoking collective grief and joy, and reweaving our capacity for genuine human connection.
This is more than a conversation - it is a living transmission, an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and rediscover language as medicine: a bridge between soul and society, and a path to leading with presence, courage, and heart.
William Ayot is a poet, teacher, author and ritualist. In his thirties he experienced a personal crisis, which led to years of intensive study, under a remarkable group of poets, psychologists and medicine teachers. He has worked in rehab centres and prisons, led initiatory rites of passage for adults and youth, and for over a quarter of a century, delivered arts-based programmes on leadership issues across four continents. He now works with individuals and groups, using poetry, personal-work and ritual. Writing includes the play Bengal Lancer, three collections of poetry (E-Mail from the Soul: New & Collected Leadership Poems, won The People’s Book Prize) and the prose book Re-Enchanting the Forest: Meaningful Ritual in a Secular World. He is currently writing a novel, preparing another collection of poetry, and building a ritual garden in rural Monmouthshire, South East Wales.
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In this deeply resonant conversation, Sola Akingbola invites us into the heart of his new album - an offering that goes far beyond music. He and Nicholas explore how sound becomes a vehicle for self-inquiry, a compass through uncertain terrain, and a bridge back to presence.
What begins as a dialogue about music unfolds into a soulful meditation on purpose, creativity, and transformation. Sola speaks of sound as a living language - one that captures feeling, invokes memory, and anchors us in the truth of our experience. Drawing from myth, personal journey, and the shared wisdom of years in conversation, Nicholas and Sola explore what it means to meet the unknown with awareness, to remake ourselves again and again, and to allow sound to guide us home.
This episode is an invitation to listen differently - not just to music, but to life itself.
Sola Akingbola is a British-Nigerian percussionist, composer, and solo artist best known for his role in the Grammy-winning band Jamiroquai, where his dynamic rhythms helped shape the group’s iconic sound. Blending his Yoruba roots with funk, soul, and global influences, Sola creates music that bridges tradition and innovation. He’s also an award-winning composer for TV and theatre, with credits including Bob Hearts Abishola, Hamlet, and Othello. His solo work, described as “Black Atlantic Funk,” channels ancestral rhythm into contemporary expression.
Ifanla | Sola Akingbola and the Eegun Rhapsodies | Live at Abbey Road Studios
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This episode is a celebration of what becomes possible when we listen from the body, move from the core, and allow the wisdom beneath thought to lead the way.
Nicholas and his guest Orly Portal reflect on the deep call that shaped both their life’s work: to return home to the body - down to the pelvis. From Nicholas’ formative years with Grotowski-inspired theatre to Orly’s profound “downing” practice, they explore how reconnecting to this core center opens a gateway to whole new levels of perception, direct knowing, and creative expression.
Together they speak about intimacy, presence, gravity, and vulnerability - not as abstract ideas, but as living, somatic truths. Through their stories, we hear how the journey home to the body is not linear, but cyclical, courageous, and deeply human.
Orly Portal is a choreographer, dancer, singer, and musician, founder and artistic director of the Orly Portal Dance Company. She created a unique dance language that mergesancient traditional dances with contemporary movement. She is also the developer of the Orly Portal Method - a distinctive teaching method cultivated over three decades and taught worldwide.
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Orly Portal's Dance Piece on Youtube
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This episode is a call to remember what is irreplaceably human. "What does it mean to walk a Way - and who are we becoming as machines begin to outperform us?"
In this searching and profound dialogue, Nicholas and Michael explore what it means to live with purpose, depth, and presence in an age of accelerating artificial intelligence. Through the lens of Japanese arts, the silence before a drumbeat, and the ritual of tea, they reflect on Ma - the space before action - and the radical act of slowing down.
Together, they unfold: What is devotion in a distracted world? What does identity mean when stripped of external validation? And how do leaders hold space amidst fear and fragmentation?
Ten Principles for Surviving and Thriving In What Is To Come by Michael Watkins
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In this illuminating conversation, former rugby star Danny Cipriani and Nicholas Janni share their experiences of "the zone". For Danny in rugby, it was a state of perfect flow where he felt most at home on the field. "When I was playing, it was a guide back home to my being."
Danny describes how sport allowed him to move instinctively, free of thought, reading energy and making decisions that even opponents couldn't predict.
Host, Nicholas Janni, who spent decades exploring similar states with actors, describes how the rehearsal room sometimes became a ‘miracle field’, and how awakening the body was always the key portal to ‘the zone’.
They discuss how life, fame and expectations create layers of protection. They explore how the state of flow is fundamentally connected to love, and how Danny’s path to healing involved recognising that both his mastery on the field and his struggles off it were guiding him deeper to his authentic being - a journey of moving from innocence through difficult experiences toward what host Nicholas Janni describes as a "higher innocence."
#Sports #Presence #LeaderAsHealer #NicholasJanni #DanielCipriani #DannyCipriani #MatrixDevelopment
This profound conversation between leadership transformation experts Nicholas Janni, co-founder of Matrix Development and Amy Elizabeth Fox, CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership, offers valuable insights for anyone looking to deepen their leadership approach or create more humane workplaces.
If you've felt the limitations of traditional leadership models or experienced the disconnection in modern organizational life, this dialogue illuminates a gentler path forward.
You'll discover how healing personal wounds and reconnecting with your body's wisdom can naturally expand your awareness and ability to create psychological safety for others. The speakers share thoughtful perspectives on fostering spaces where authentic connection flourishes and deeper understanding emerges.
This episode is especially valuable for leaders, coaches, and practitioners who sense there's more to leadership beyond conventional frameworks. Nicholas and Amy offer a warm vision of leadership as "being a blessing" - sharing an embodied, heart-open presence that gradually transforms organizations and brings a sense of the sacred back to our work lives. Their conversation reflects a growing movement responding to our challenging times by bringing more humanity into leadership through personal healing and awakening.
This dialogue is part of the Inspirational Dialogue Series hosted by The Matrix Development, offering intimate, soul-rich conversations with change-makers who are redefining what true leadership means.
#TraumaInformedLeadership #Presence #LeaderAsHealer #NicholasJanni #AmyElizabethFox
In this powerful conversation, Nicholas Janni sits down with Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath to explore the deep connections between faith, love, resilience, and leadership in the face of adversity.Dr. McMurry-Heath, the first Black graduate of The Duke University MD/Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program and former President & CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, shares her personal and professional journey navigating the challenges of senior leadership as a Black woman in the U.S.
In this dialogue Nicholas and Michelle explore:
The power of light and love to overcome darkness and hate in challenging times
Finding inner sovereignty and dignity when facing fear and uncertainty
The importance of community and collective strength in times of division
How trauma and suffering can become sources of transformation and growth
Leadership lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. and other transformative leaders
Nicholas Janni explored the depth of devotion - to presence, self-mastery, and service, not just in leadership but in life. When we commit to inner and outer alignment, continuous transformation, and leading with integrity, we cultivate a deeper sense of purpose. True devotion goes beyond discipline - it opens the door to lasting impact and fulfilment.
