Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Stephens.

Charles, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s hard to say exactly how I started. I spent last weekend reading through seven years of journals and realized that all that I’m working on now is sort of a continuation of everything I’ve been learning, experiencing, and doing my whole life.

I have always had this sense that everything is ‘connected’. As a kid, I loved reading the encyclopedia – especially the sections on space, nature, and humanity. I wanted to be an astronaut, an archeologist, and even an electrician. If it involved exploring where we came from and where we might be going, I was all about it.

I think this largely had to do with my parents. They gave me a great example of what it means to be open-minded and spirited. I didn’t go to church or have a curfew, but I was always given some model of what was right. I had great opportunities to play sports, try instruments, and make movies with our camera and computer, which really allowed me to experiment and figure out a unique path of my own.

Studying abroad in Spain really shook things up for me though. After four months living in Madrid, I remember coming back home and questioning EVERYTHING. Why were things in Orange County the way they were? Why was I doing the things I was doing? Why were the people in Spain doing the things they were doing? My mind was blown by all the differences, but I knew the similarities couldn’t be coincidence.

I was determined to get to the bottom of it all. The people, the places, the culture, the politics, the art, the cuisine…what was the ‘creative force’ behind all these things?! I started a radio show and blog to explore these topics and the common thread that I called the ‘Substrand’. I was on a mission to understand it all!

Fast forward five years and I was working at a top brand consulting firm in New York City, helping organizations find their ‘why’ and tell their stories. It was great, I loved the idea of what I was doing, but over time I became less and less engaged with the work itself. I loved the excitement of big city life but I got overwhelmed with it all and wound up disconnected from my job, from my family, and from myself.

So a few tough conversations later, I left the firm, put all my things in storage, and with the little savings I had set out for Asia. I had always told myself I’d take a solo trip across India before doing things with the ‘Substrand’ again. I had no clue what to expect, didn’t even really know what I was looking for or trying to do, but just opened myself up to fully experience whatever was to come my way.

And experiences sure came my way! I found myself sleeping with camels in the desert, bungee jumping off cliffs, touring chai farms, producing commercials, and meditating in caves. I even fell in love with a beautiful woman in the Himalayas.

We brainstormed everything together… the girl and I. After hours trekking through the mountains we would lay under the stars talking about all those things you’d imagine seeing in a sappy rom-com – our passions, fears, hopes and dreams, big ideas, and futures… for ourselves and each other.

Things heated up and I fell hard, but the romance soon crumbled. Coming out of the trip my ego was a bit depressed, but my soul was refueled and refreshed. Because I had put myself on the line, going deeper than I’d ever gone – with anyone else and myself. It was the journey of a lifetime, and a connection made that will last forever.

After this, I started seeing everything in a whole new light. The sense of curiosity, adventure, and passion I had as a kid began to resurface. That ‘creative force’, the Substrand, which was once just a fuzzy idea, a mystery to be explored ‘out there’… became something personal, a reality that I experienced ‘in here’. All the threads started to come together, and I finally began to tap into my center… once again.

I’ve grown a lot on this trip. I learned things about myself, about others, and about the world that I never imagined. I experienced a new realm of possibilities that exist within me. And I set out on a new mission to keep on making greater connections – ones that evolve our world, our communities, and our lovely human beings.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road!

The biggest thing I’ve had to overcome is myself. The idea I had of myself that is. We all have an image in our brains of who we are, of what people think of us, of what we think we want, of what we believe we’re capable of. But what was in my head wasn’t necessarily what was in my heart.

For the longest time, I identified with being smart and charismatic, and of wanting to be successful in the business world. That was me. But when I got into consulting and was put in the room with people smarter and more charismatic than me, I felt I wasn’t good enough. My confidence shrank and I started to doubt myself and my abilities. These qualities and the desire to be successful in itself was not enough to keep me engaged, inspired, and energized. I had to go deeper.

Traveling and taking the time to experience myself in new environments allowed me to discover new things about myself. When I fell in love in India, I literally knew ANYTHING was possible. I found support and inspiration from the girl, but I also started to remember the passion and purpose that was already inside myself.
It was this spark, this intense conviction that everything was right, that would get me through all obstacles regardless of sheer strength or skills. It wasn’t a thought or even a feeling… but it was a state of being I realized was the real me.

This said, overthinking has always been one of my biggest challenges. Don’t get me wrong I love the mind and what it’s done for me, but it’s really been the biggest thing that’s held me back from expressing and reaching my full potential in the past.

My adventure experiences in India got me out of my head, but I needed to find a way to integrate my learnings into a new lifestyle and practice back home in LA and New York. So I actually decided to travel back out to India for another two months to live in an eco-village, study yoga and meditation, and start up the Substrand once again.

The training has given me the tools to stay as clear, calm, and collected as possible on the daily and LA and New York. It opens me up to look at things more holistically, to take a step back from thoughts and sensations and into a more creative place. Meanwhile, just starting the Substrand and working through all the ways to bring it to life has been a meditation in itself – it’s no longer just a hobby but a way of life.

Substrand – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What started out as a mission to explore connection, has transformed into a mission to create connection. That’s what the Substrand is all about – helping people connect deeper with themselves and the world, so they can create from a higher state.

Right now, all of our energy is going into the podcast. We’re sitting down with epic beings to share their stories and strategies. From gurus to entrepreneurs, celebrities to local heroes – we’re having conversations that bridge gaps and uncover real stories and strategies for becoming a better human.

There’s no one-size fits all approach to personal growth, which is why one episode might be a conversation on yoga and meditation, another on business innovation, or even exploring social media, stereotypes, and perception. We focus on uncovering the themes and truths that can be applied to daily life and whatever you’re working on.

2020 is going to be an exciting year for us. We have a slate of amazing guests who’ll be appearing on the show, and some other fun projects in the works in the product and experience space. There’s a lot of activities and retreats out there based in yoga, but many are still very one dimensional. What we’re creating isn’t a method, or a practice, or a trend. What we really want to do is to help create you.

This said I’ll just finish by saying that we all have an energy to be tapped, an epic story to be told, a bigger self to be realized. This goes for EVERYBODY, and when we deeply know, love, and express ourselves that’s when we connect with greater and become who we were born to be!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me means setting goals and diligently working towards them.

This can be telling yourself you’re going to make your bed every day and then doing it. Or it can be setting the intention to be more present with a loved one and then doing it. I think success lies somewhere in between the thought and the action.

The outcome isn’t always going to be what we want, but it’s maintaining discipline throughout the process that helps us grow… which is the real goal for me.