Invitation to self-discovery

Hello and welcome to my podcast Dots & Doors! I’m Diandra and this is where you’ll hear me sharing insights from my own journey and observations, as we dive into life’s twists and turns together, we’ll explore the art of self-discovery, and the power of questioning what we think we know. Each episode, we’ll chat about everything from embracing your journey to navigating the beautiful nuances and complexities of our world. 

We’ll dig into the stuff that makes us think—We’ll explore how the environment we live in and the influences we absorb shape our worldview, dive deep into our inner worlds and our innate creativity, and so much more (I’m still figuring out what this is all about).  We’ll challenge the “shoulds” and beliefs that hold us back, discuss the beauty of growth, resilience, and authenticity. Each episode, we’ll chat about everything from finding your path to fostering creativity, and navigating the beautiful nuances and complexities of our world. 

I’d like to be upfront that I don’t have all the right answers and I am on my own personal journey of exploration. I encourage you to embark on your own path, question what I or other people say and take the advice you encounter in your life with a pinch of salt. Find your own unique path that answers all your questions. Remember, things change—including the truths we hold.

If I ever come across like I know it all, I really don’t. I hold my own biases, as much as I try to be aware of them, so please feel free to challenge, question, and explore everything I share, even if it seems well-founded; see if it applies to you—it’s okay if some things don’t. Your journey is yours, and what works for you may be different from others' experiences—and there’s so much beauty in these differences. Embracing them is part of what makes life so interesting. As Erich Fromm beautifully put it, each and every one of us is a cosmos of our own, never the same as another, never to be repeated. 

I believe we all have something valuable to learn from each other, especially when we share our perspectives openly, sincerely, and respectfully. It’s important to be willing to hear opposing views and keep an open mind, creating a mutual exchange. I’m here to share my perspective and keep the conversation going.

In this podcast, we'll explore ideas from big thinkers like Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, Erich Fromm, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and many more. Each of them had their own take on individuality, self-discovery and what it means to live a fulfilling life: Jung talked about the process of individuation or becoming whole by embracing all parts of ourselves, the feminine and masculine, as well as the light and shadow of our psyche. Maslow emphasised the importance of self-actualization, which is realising and fulfilling one's true potential in the world..Fromm’s take on this revolves around the concept of becoming fully human by embracing our freedom, innate creativity, and capacity for love, and Krishnamurti encouraged breaking free from societal norms and conditioning to truly understand ourselves. Together, we’ll unpack their insights and see how they can help us live with more purpose and authenticity.

So, as we move forward, I’d like to encourage you to give yourself permission to explore who you are beyond who you’ve been told you are and what makes you you.This is incredibly important, even though the journey may not always be straightforward. In today’s fast-paced, outcome-driven society, where instant gratification is often prioritised, embracing a non-linear journey allows you to cultivate resilience, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of yourself. It will ultimately guide you to cultivate genuine connections while living authentically, and truly recognise and appreciate the beauty of life.

Instead of rejecting or trying to sort out all the contradictions in yourself and life, I’d like to encourage you to learn to embrace them; approach them with curiosity, as opposed to fear, and you will gain valuable insights about yourself. We will learn how to accept our complexity, our strengths and weaknesses and to trust that this is all part of the beautiful journey that is life!   

I’d like to close this podcast with a quote that I personally live by, one that guides my journey of self-discovery and reflection. It’s by Jiddu Krishnamurti, and it goes like this:

“Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organisation, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection.”

For me, this serves as a reminder that self-understanding is something personal, something we each explore through how we relate to the world around us and within us. It encourages us to release the habit of excessively searching for answers outside ourselves and to focus on cultivating awareness, presence, and understanding in the relationships we form and everyday experiences.