DR PATRICIA BOWMER
#56 Finding Purpose with Dr Patricia Bowmer
“Sometimes we build barriers in front of our progress. Then, forgetting it was we who built them, we stand behind these barriers and judge then solid & insurmountable.
Patricia Bowmer’s mission in life is to, ‘help us to live life fully, passionately and purposefully’. When I first discovered Patricia and her purpose in life I just knew that I had to have her on the podcast. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have now spent just over 2-hours in her company, bouncing our approaches to self-growth and personal development off one another. A psychologist and life coach, personal trainer, instructor of powerful group exercise classes, author, past radio presenter and an avid enthusiast of trail running and adventure racing, I knew I was in for a treat. However, this conversation exceeded my expectations.
“Perhaps I ask the wrong question. The real question is not whether we are sparrows or eagles; it is what we do with who we are. It is whether we behave with courage, with grace. It is whether we fly in freedom.”
Patricia’s journey began at Cornell University where she studied biopsychology. Throughout this time she enjoyed horse riding and running, and through studies and athleticism became interested in the mind-body connection and neuroscience, something we discuss enthusiastically in this podcast episode. After several years in pharmaceuticals as a Quality Assurance Inspector on a factory floor, she realised that many working people were unhappy and unmotivated. Desiring to change this, she completed a PhD in Organisational Psychology, writing her thesis on motivation and exercise adherence. Her focus became how to encourage, motivate and inspire individuals, using fitness and health as a vehicle for change.
Some years later, Patricia and her husband relocated to Hong Kong where she worked in many roles, including as a radio presenter. There, she was overjoyed to adopt two Hong Kong babies, and learn how to balance work and family. They have since returned to Melbourne, Australia, to raise their children. Patricia is now learning to channel her gypsy spirit into ‘playing local’, seeking adventures that make her toes tingle whilst not detracting from her parenting role.
Some years later, Patricia and her husband relocated to Hong Kong where she worked in many roles, including as a radio presenter. There, she was overjoyed to adopt two Hong Kong babies, and learn how to balance work and family. They have since returned to Melbourne, Australia, to raise their children. Patricia is now learning to channel her gypsy spirit into ‘playing local’, seeking adventures that make her toes tingle whilst not detracting from her parenting role.
“Each place, each time, a potential source of pleasure and joy. Be awake. Be aware. Be slow enough to see the magic. Be fast enough to embrace it when it comes. Learn your lessons, through both happiness and sorrow. Throw yourself, upside down, right side up. It doesn’t matter which, over those barriers you have set up.”
Patricia has used her story and experiences to write two books, a heroine’s novel called Akilina and an inspirational book called In Pursuit of Joy where she shares her ‘Life lessons from exhilaration’. I read both the books prior to our conversation and I can ascertain that they are both thought provoking and an insight into the journey of personal growth that we all find ourselves on. In her words, her work and her writing is to ‘inspire, and encourage you to take action.’ So, it is with this knowledge that I am excited for the imminent release of her two new books. Stay tuned!
It was so uncanny how many parallels Patricia and I have in our journeys, from the difficult challenges to the shining lights, and I am so grateful that this has led us to this Sunday morning conversation in a hotel room in urban, central Melbourne. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!
It was so uncanny how many parallels Patricia and I have in our journeys, from the difficult challenges to the shining lights, and I am so grateful that this has led us to this Sunday morning conversation in a hotel room in urban, central Melbourne. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!
Topics covered in this podcast:
- Patricia’s journey and how this has led to her outlook on life
- The heroes journey
- Archetypes and values, and how you discover yours
- Avoiding the trap of adding values into your life ‘because you should’
- Gaining rapport with your unconscious mind
- The mind-body and body-mind connection
- Stress
- Raising a family
- Juggling parenthood with personal careers and a desire to play wilder
- Patricia’s writing and her books
“Sometimes we don’t notice ourselves changing. It can be a subtle process. The beauty is that often you may be closer to who you wish to be than you realise.”
Further quotes from this conversation and Patricia's writing:
- “I know the joy in living my values. This joy has made the pain for change worthwhile”
- “It is the doing that matters. Each step we take we can learn from.”
- “Sometimes we build barriers in front of our progress. Then, forgetting it was we who built them, we stand behind these barriers and judge then solid & insurmountable.”
- “You become someone new the moment you decide to break through a barrier.”
- “Meditation can bring me things that movement cannot.”
- “Sometimes we have a way to grow before we become the best we can be, at any given moment.”
- “Often we don’t know when great transformation is upon us… sometimes it is not transformation but revelation.”
LINKS MENTIONED IN PODCAST
HANNY ALLSTON
Website – www.hannyallston.com.au
Blog - www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/
Instagram - @hanny.allston
Hanny Allston Training Resources
Guidebook – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/trail-running-guidebook.html
UTA Training Packages - http://www.hannyallston.com.au/ultra-trail-australia.html
FIND YOUR FEET
Website – www.findyourfeet.com.au
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/findyourfeetaustralia/
Instagram - @findyourfeet
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/findyourfeetaustralia/
Instagram - @findyourfeet
CODE WORD: Podcast
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For 20% at the checkout at Find Your Feet