Beyond Belief: Healing, Curiosity & Choosing Your Lens
From Episode 21 of Do You Feel Heard? Podcast
Summary
In this thought-provoking episode, hosts Ian Mychal and Derrick Jones are joined by Mark Anthony—a teacher, communicator, and explorer of emotional healing. Together, they break down how beliefs shape our reality, the power of questioning our lenses, and how curiosity can lead us out of judgment and into connection.
With candid reflections on suffering, trust, and how to actually embody the wisdom we claim to know, Episode 21 offers a soulful invitation to examine your truth, rewrite old narratives, and let go of what no longer serves.
Pull Quotes
“If I believe you’re against me, that will color everything I hear from you.” – Mark Anthony
“All suffering is belief.” – Ian Mychal
“Curiosity is the doorway to compassion.” – Mark Anthony
“When I stop needing to be right, I get to grow.” – Mark Anthony
“You have the power to change the lens you’re looking through. Right now.” – Derrick Jones
The Power of Belief
The episode opens with a deceptively simple question: What beliefs are you holding that are shaping your current experience?
Mark challenges listeners to reflect on the “lens” they use to interpret the world. If you believe people are out to get you, you’ll find evidence for that. If you believe you're unsafe, even kindness can feel threatening.
“Beliefs are not truths. But we live like they are.”
Ian builds on this, suggesting that all suffering stems from belief—about ourselves, about others, about how the world “should” be. The more we attach to these narratives, the more we limit our freedom.
From Resistance to Receptivity
One theme that threads through the conversation is the idea of resistance—how tightly we grip to needing things to go a certain way.
“When you stop resisting what is,” Derrick says, “you begin to see what’s actually there.”
The trio discusses how releasing resistance can open up space for healing, learning, and more meaningful communication. But that can only happen when we stop needing to be right—and start getting curious.
Curiosity Over Judgment
Curiosity becomes the cornerstone of emotional freedom in this episode.
“Curiosity is what breaks the cycle,” says Mark. “It’s how we move from judgment to empathy.”
Rather than reacting to discomfort or difference with fear or defense, curiosity allows us to stay present and investigate. What am I feeling? Why did I react that way? What might they be going through?
When we respond with curiosity, we open ourselves—and others—to healing.
Creating Safety Without Control
Mark also touches on how some people mistake control for safety—overplanning, overprotecting, micromanaging their environment. But control doesn’t eliminate fear—it amplifies it.
“Safety isn’t about control. It’s about trust. Trust in yourself. Trust in your ability to respond.”
This insight leads to one of the most powerful takeaways: You can choose a new lens. Even when it’s hard. Even when you’ve been hurt before. Especially then.
Head Knowledge vs. Embodied Wisdom
Derrick brings up the difference between knowing something intellectually and actually living it out. You can read all the books, go to all the workshops—but if you don’t integrate the insight into how you show up daily, it’s just “head knowledge.”
“We often think understanding is the end. But understanding is only the beginning of practice.”
True transformation happens in the embodied doing, not the knowing.
Who Are You Becoming?
The hosts and guests reflect on how identity can get in the way of growth. When we cling to roles—“the nice guy,” “the victim,” “the smart one”—we lose the flexibility to become someone new.
“Your ego doesn’t care if you’re happy,” Ian says. “It cares if you’re right.”
The path to healing asks us to let go of the need to be right… and instead ask: Who am I becoming?
Final Reflection
Episode 21 is a mirror held up to the mind. It challenges us to pause, breathe, and ask:
What am I believing right now—and is it helping me or hurting me?
With compassion, humor, and honest storytelling, Mark, Ian, and Derrick remind us that while we can’t always control what happens, we can choose the lens through which we view it.
And that choice can change everything.