NATURE LOVER | DANCER | AUTHOR | DEVOTED TEACHER | TRUSTED THERAPIST |
Joanne Rodrigues
Joanne Reid Rodrigues is an experienced broadcaster, speaker, and author. In youth, she had a binge-eating disorder and was obese and often unwell. She totally transformed her own life, and has since been an agent of transformation for countless thousands over the last 35 years.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Joanne had a passion for teaching from a young age. In 1986, she founded her highly successful Slimming Together programme and became a writer for The Sunday Post – Scotland’s bestselling Sunday newspaper. She studied nutrition and advanced stress management, gaining professional qualifications in science-based nutrition and cognitive behavioural therapy, and now specialises in trauma, stress, and eating disorders. In her 30s, Joanne became profoundly interested in spirituality and began her own journey of self-observation and transformation.
She relocated to Los Angeles, where she lived for some years and wrote her books: Life Transformation Diet, and Slim, Happy & Free. While in LA, Joanne taught her programme at The Agape International Spiritual Centre, and for The City of Malibu, among other prominent venues.
In 2008, she created her unique Authentic Confidence programme for people keen to take their spiritual development to the next level. Her raison d’etre is to encourage and help people become aware of their value.
Joanne currently lives in Jersey, a beautiful island between England and France, with her husband Zak to whom she has been happily married since 1982.
www.JoanneRR.com
My 10 Best
(In no particular order)
Love Is Letting Go of Fear
In my teens I’d had binge eating disorder and, in my 20s, I’d had many challenging life events – some of my own making. When I was 29, I went for a healing session. The practitioner recommended A Course in Miracles, which I bought along with the workbook. He then recommended the smaller publication, Love Is Letting Go of Fear as an introduction to A Course in Miracles. I’m so glad he did. At 29, I wasn’t ready for A Course in Miracles – I read it in my 40s. But Jampolsky’s book, so kind and easy to assimilate, complete with illustrations, was perfect for me at that time. Until this book, the concept of choosing peace of mind as a single goal was unknown to me. I’d thought a turbulent state of mind was my natural state. This book taught me I had a choice. It was my entry point into my own journey of self-observation and discovery. Jampolsky imparts deep teachings in a simple format. I still love this little book.
No Ordinary Moments
To this day, No Ordinary Moments, is one of my favourite books. After reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior, No Ordinary Moments – the guide book on “The Peaceful Warrior’s Way” – was Dan’s direct coaching. This is the book that taught me (and all Dan’s readers) how to apply the teachings and embrace The Peaceful Warrior’s way of life. In No Ordinary Moments, Dan’s gentle but clear guidance helped me gain a degree of self-discipline, which resulted in improved self-trust, and, what I call, authentic confidence. No Ordinary Moments is a timeless classic, and one I still love dipping into.
Way of the Peaceful Warrior
I read Way of The Peaceful Warrior when I was 32. My mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease when she was 53; it was devastating. I was definitely seeking. The student was ready – beyond ready – and the teacher appeared in the form of this book. When I finished Way of the Peaceful Warrior, I cried. I felt overwhelmed with love and relief. I connected so deeply with Dan and his timeless wisdom teachings through the character of Socrates. Finally, I’d found a spiritual path that was so right for me. I felt at home. I flew out to San Francisco and did Dan’s Courage Training in Sonoma. The following year I returned for his final Metamorphosis Training. For me, this wasn’t just a life-changing book. It actually resulted in me living in California for some years, and meeting many wonderful people. I travelled with Peaceful Warrior groups to Peru and Costa Rica, and of course, London. This book opened up a new world for me; and Dan ultimately encouraged me to write books of my own. He introduced me to his editor, Nancy Carlton, and Nancy worked with me on my books too.
Living Buddha, Living Christ
I’ve read and loved many of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books. He teaches profound truths in a simple way that makes his books easy to digest. Living Buddha, Living Christ was an important book for me. I grew up in a city where sectarianism was common – even schools were divided into those for Catholics and Protestants. As a young child, I grasped the sacredness of Jesus Christ; a feeling in my soul that accompanied me through childhood. I attended church, but I never found the connection or the soul nourishment I needed. In my 30s, I’d been shocked when a Christian Church minister accused me of “going against the teachings of Christ” because I’d mentioned the word karma. No matter how I debated it, I was told I was wrong. The experience gave me a clear understanding of the difference between Churchianity and Christianity. Living Buddha, Living Christ taught me more about Jesus Christ than I’d ever learned in any Christian Church I’d attended. Thich Nhat Hanh put into simple words what I’d always known to be true: Enlightened masters recognise and embrace one another – it’s the unenlightened students who fight!
Answers
Again, in my 30s, I travelled to Thalheim in Germany with my husband and my sister to receive Darshan from Mother Meera, the beloved avatar. A Divine Incarnation of the Divine Mother, Mother Meera’s book(s) Answers are direct, practical, and authentic. I never fail to feel nourished, peaceful, and strengthened by Mother Meera’s answers. I’ve read Answers in my 30s, 40s, and now 50s, and through every phase of life, I find wisdom, love, and peace in her guidance. On our first journey to Germany, we received two Darshans. We returned another year and had two more Darshans. The Mother works in silence, and through the gaze of her eyes directly into yours, she sees into every corner of the soul and gives light where it’s needed. Her guidance is stable and loving. The Mother says: “Remember the Divine. Take care of your family and do your job. Try to do everything wholeheartedly and the Divine Grace will shower on you naturally.” And I love Mother Meera’s guidance to go directly to God. She tells us, “All religions are rivers that lead to the ocean – go directly to the ocean.”
The Second Coming of Christ
I had always felt a strong desire to really understand the teachings of Jesus. I prayed about this and asked that I could find a clear version of Jesus’s teachings in a modern language that I could understand and relate to. One day, I walked into The Quiet Mind Bookstore in The Agape International Spiritual Centre, and right there was a massive 2-book volume: The Second Coming of Christ – The Resurrection of the Christ Within You by Yogananda. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I rushed to grab the box set, which was very heavy. I read all 1500-plus pages over a couple of years. Yogananda tells of how Jesus appeared to him and helped him with the discourses to ensure the original meaning of his teachings wasn’t lost. How I loved learning about “the lost years” – Jesus from age 12 to 30 – tales from Jesus’s childhood and years in Tibet. The comparisons of Jesus’s teachings with Krishna’s guidance to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita are a banquet for the soul. Transcending sectarianism, this work endorses one God, one human family.
Man’s Search for Meaning
While this book is considered one of the most important books on psychology ever written, I consider Man’s Search for Meaning to be deeply spiritual. Viktor Frankl was a professor of psychiatry who spent three years in concentration camps, including Auschwitz during the Second World War. He survived his time in these most unimaginable conditions, where man’s inhumanity to man knew no boundary. One of Frankle’s most poignant teachings is that we are endowed with the spiritual freedom to choose our attitude in any circumstances – even the most abhorrent. He tells us we have the spiritual freedom to bear our sufferings with dignity, bravery and unselfishness, or, in the bitter fight for self-preservation, we might relinquish our dignity and become no more than an animal. To me, this book is the ultimate testimony to the spirit of humankind, and also the ultimate reason why we must choose to be an instrument for good.
The Heart of The Soul
Following on from his bestseller, The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav gave us The Heart of the Soul. As someone who has lived through binge eating disorder, now healed for many years – decades, in fact – and as a qualified therapist and successful coach in this field, I found this book absolutely brilliant in highlighting the spiritual root of all addictions and self-defeating behaviours. This is the best book I’ve ever read on the subject of Emotional Intelligence. For anyone who wants to transcend self-defeating patterns – either psychological or behavioural, or both – The Heart of the Soul is a comprehensive guide book that never stops giving. Page after page of insightful, meaningful and constructive guidance, written in a down-to-earth manner. Along with Dan Millman’s No Ordinary Moments, Gary Zukav’s The Heart of the Soul offers timeless wisdom and guidance to help us transcend self-defeating habits and manage our lives.
Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit
According to Dan, Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit is his final book. I hope he changes his mind! But if this is his final book, it’s a perfect way to tie up The Peaceful Warrior Saga. The book isn’t released till January 2022, but I had an advanced copy, and I couldn’t put it down. Dan’s genuineness and authenticity are even more evident in this book. I won’t give too much away pre-publication, but this is a candid memoir. I love that Dan writes about his Courage Trainings at Westerbeke Ranch back in the 1990s. I was able to relive an experience, which, as I look back over my life, still shines brightly as one of the highlights. Dan Millman has been a true friend and mentor to me over many years. In public and in private, he lives his teachings. And his example has been his greatest gift. His work has impacted my life in a profound way. Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit already has a special place in my heart, for Dan’s journey and my own journey are connected.
Autobiography of a Yogi
When I was 42, I relocated to Los Angeles. I was no stranger to California, since I’d been spending a lot of time out there. I was a frequent visitor to Lake Shrine, one of the most beautiful centres of Yogananda’s Self Realization Fellowship. I’d been dipping in and out of Yogananda’s writings for a few years, always feeling a warm connection and a consistent wisdom and sincerity. When I read the famous Autobiography of a Yogi and learned of the lineage of Krishna, Babaji, and Jesus Christ, Lahiri Mahashi, Sri Yukteswar, and Yogananda, I knew I had found a true path to the Divine. What surprised and delighted me about this book is Yogananda’s sense of humour, and his enchanting use of language and turn of phrase. Autobiography of a Yogi is a feast for language lovers, and it’s a spiritual masterpiece. My favourite chapter is The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar with the descriptions of the astral world. Just beautiful.