Start being conscious of your thoughts

Are you really choosing your thoughts, or are they chosen for you?

We love to believe we’re free thinkers. We choose what we eat, what we watch, who we follow, and what we believe. But if we’re honest, a lot of our “choices” are hand-me-downs from conditioning, fear, convenience and the loudest voices in the room.

Most of the time, our minds are not giving us the truth; they’re giving us protection. The moment we try to change, the ego steps in to protect us. The fear of the unknown kicks up, and suddenly we’re back in old patterns: eating the same foods, hanging out with the same people, scrolling the same media, telling ourselves we’re choosing, when really, we’re repeating and choosing our conditioning.

I’ve been on a transitional journey with health and life for about 25 years. At times I’ve been intentional, other times I’ve been completely lost. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this: we need to audit more than just our food and movement. We need to audit what we read, listen to, and who we allow to influence us. Self-awareness is the first step!

When news became fear

I never really read the news; they called me ignorant, but I just lived in my own bubble. Now I see that’s what got me here, because when Brexit came, I was curious because it felt like it would impact my life. I started reading to understand, and I got hooked on the drama of it all. Then lockdown hit. Suddenly, I was consuming headlines daily, and with them came a sense of fear. It triggered something old in me - trauma from growing up under communism, where authority ruled through fear.

It took me a few years to untangle that reaction. And when I started my online business in 2021, one of the first choices I made was to stop reading mainstream news, stop listening to the radio, and stop consuming whatever the government or corporations wanted me to hear. Instead, I became intentional: choosing music that lifted me, following people online who lived the kind of life I wanted. They started to call me a conspiracy theorist.

But the truth is, the media isn’t neutral. Governments, corporations, advertisers - they all pay to shape what we see. Fear and control sell. And once you start noticing, it’s everywhere.

What media hygiene could look like:

• No autoplay/headline news scrolling. Read a specific long-form source.

• Intentional silence beats background noise.

• Follow people living the outcomes you value. Mute the rest.

• If a post spikes your nervous system, pause before believing or sharing. Make unfollowing part of the normal

• Virality ≠ validity.

Living in a Small Village

Being back in the Czech Republic brought this into sharp focus. In a little village, traditions run deep. People do things the way they’ve always been done. And on one hand, there’s beauty in tradition. But there’s also a narrow-mindedness, a pack mentality and a lack of questioning.

For example, when it comes to food, companies hijack the system. They create ultra-processed products designed to override our body’s natural signals. They call it “A new recipe”, but what was wholesome in the past is now full of cheap ingredients. You think you eat the normal food (often labeled like your grandma used to do). Your body expects nourishment, but instead it gets synthetic fillers, addictive flavourings, and empty calories. That mismatch keeps us eating more than we need, chasing satisfaction we never quite reach.

My advice is to start reading the ingredients, and if you don’t understand them and wouldn’t find them in your kitchen, it’s bad news.

Your Brain Is a Bodyguard, Not a Philosopher

Here’s what I’ve learned: your brain’s first job is to keep you alive, not to make you free. And it equates familiar with safe. It might sound like this:

“Start next month.” “I’ll start when I feel ready” “It’s not perfect”

“What if you fail?” “What will others think of me?” “What/Who will I leave behind if I change?”

“Who do you think you are?” “Someone has already said/written/done this!” “Why would they listen to me?”

“You can’t afford that.” “You don’t have time”

That’s why change feels scary. Just this last trip to London with no plan, my brain screamed: “What if it’s a waste of money? What if it’s a waste of time?” But deep down, I wanted to go. I wanted to see friends, dance at carnival, and be in the energy of the city. The fear was just conditioning. I went anyway. Being more present didn’t blow my life up; it expanded it. The bodyguard did its job. I did mine: I led.

For the first time, I’m learning to live more in the present. To loosen my grip on planning. To trust the signs from the universe instead of obsessing over control, and that’s scary for the mind.

Relationships: Who you listen to matters

We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. And here’s the hard truth: many people never update their circle. They stay surrounded by childhood friends, schoolmates, and colleagues. Then, when they try to grow, they get labelled as “different” or “arrogant.” What’s really happening? Their growth is shining a light on someone else’s stagnation. And that triggers fear.

My way of dealing with this has always been stubborn. If I didn’t fit, I’d walk away and do my own thing. It made me a bit of a loner. But it also got me here. Over time, I’ve found other “misfits” - people who don’t fit the mould either, but who are building and co-creating their own way.

Questions to ask when receiving wanted or unsolicited advice:

Does the person have a valid point/information supported by an experience and results?

Does it fit my situation/lifestyle/season of life? 

Will it get me to my goal?

Education: Staying Young by Staying Curious

School taught us to obey the bell, not to think freely. My parents still wonder why I’m “always studying something.” But constant learning is what keeps us young.

I’m learning Spanish now. My grandfather lived to 99, and he was always curious - always interested in new things. That’s the real fountain of youth: keep expanding your worldview, keep discovering. Never stop re-educating yourself, not because someone permits you, but because your soul craves it.

The Point

Your choices are only as free as your inputs. Food, media, relationships, education - they’re all programming you. If you don’t consciously choose, the world will choose for you.

The best thing you can do is audit your influences:

• What are you eating?

• What are you reading?

• Who are you listening to?

• And most importantly — how do you feel afterwards? Expanded or contracted?

  
  

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness. When you choose your inputs with intention, you slowly become free from fear, conditioning, and the stories other people place on you.

Why Coaching matters

As a health coach, I don’t tell people what to do. I lead by example. My job is to hold up a mirror and offer perspective - because sometimes the mind is too tricky to see through alone.

There’s a massive advantage in having someone who sees from the outside, who can reflect patterns to you, who has your back while you learn to trust yourself. That’s why coaching works: not because the coach has all the answers, but because the coach helps you find your own.

If you’re tired of being held by hidden influences and ready to start living by choice, not conditioning, I invite you to step into this journey with me.

Your freedom starts when you choose your influences.