Being Authentic - with Agi Keramidas

Agi Keramidas All About the Voice

Agi Keramidas, Podcaster and Knowledge Broker, followed a prompting to first leave Greece for the UK, and then leave his dentist practice to start podcasting. Today Agi’s Personal Development Mastery Podcast is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally!

Agi Keramidas is a voice for personal development through authenticity and this is his story.

[1:19] Personal development mastery
[4:22] From shy to shine moment
[9:31] About making a difference
[14:11] Taking a leap of faith and following the voice
[18:51] Top 3 benefits of having a podcast
[23:54] Message to the past self
[25:38] Message from the future self
[28:03] Stand out and be authentic

“From challenges come the biggest realizations” – Agi Keramidas

” You’re not looking at a person, you’re looking at the universe. You either believe in oneness or you don’t” – Victoria Rader

Find out more about Agi Keramidas
https://agikeramidas.com/

Personal Development Mastery Podcast
https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/

Be authentic you by shifting the fear that dims your inner light. Move away from fear to love with our 5 minute free meditation FROM SCARED TO SACRED
Get it here yu2shine.com

Create your 2022 with Manifest mE journal. Learn and lean into the Universal laws of manifesting that bridge your dreams with your reality.

Happiness is possible, and we have 2 amazing apps that can help you achieve that!
Start your day with a blessing or a powerful random message aligned with what you need the most at the moment from iHappy mE app

Download iHappy mE on Apple App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ihappy-me/id1495559535
Download iHappy mE on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yu2shine.iHappyMe&hl=en_US&gl=US

Affirm your day with iHappy Daily, set a reminder to receive a message at the time you need the energy boost.

Download iHappyDaily
on Apple App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ihappy-daily/id1457918684
on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yu2shine.ihappydaily

Check out my seed-based supplements that boost my immunity and give me energy! https://rainintl.com/vicarader

Victoria Rader [00:00:02] In the world of many internal and external voices, the voice you listen to is the voice that dictates your life, would you like to discover a clear path to a life of freedom and fulfillment? Then welcome to All About the Voice podcast, where we focus on awareness, alignment and action in order to live a life of abundance. I am your host, Victoria Rader

Victoria Rader [00:00:29] Agi Keramidas podcast or knowledge broker followed, prompting to first leave Greece for the UK and then leave his dentist practice to start podcasting. Today Agi’s personal Development Mastery podcast is ranked in the top 2 percent of all podcasts in the UK. Here is Agi, a voice for personal development through authenticity. All right, and here with me is a new friend, but I have a feeling a soul I have known for a very long time. I Agi Keramidas. Agi welcome to All About the Voice podcast.

Agi Keramidas [00:01:06] It’s a real pleasure to be here. I’m very excited for this conversation.

Victoria Rader [00:01:11] Now, Agi, your podcast, you kind of come through as a podcaster knowledge broker. I will want to dig into both of these concepts, but your podcast is called Personal Development Mastery. How did you come up with that name and that podcast?

Agi Keramidas [00:01:30] The name personal development has been my big calling and my passion since about 2016, when I went through a mid-life crisis of some kind which urged me to go into personal development. I realized very quickly it became a passion of mine and the title mastery of the podcast. I think it came as an inspiration. You know, I was doing this kind of brain dumping and finding and ideas, but that popped out to me, and it only I realized many months after I had started the podcast that inadvertently, by naming it personal development mastery, I had set the bar very high for myself without even knowing it. So then I needed to actually rise up to the mastery of it. So I love it.

Victoria Rader [00:02:24] How do you define somebody to be a master?

Agi Keramidas [00:02:31] That’s a great question, and I will not even go near that title for myself and for me, my study is a journey. It’s not about arriving somewhere and then you can say, I have mastered that. I will leave that completely vague. And for me, mastery is the art of perfecting your craft or whatever it is in this case, personal development. Sure, it’s ongoing. Yes.

Victoria Rader [00:03:00] You know, and I find that so many of us are woken up to that inner calling through a crisis we go through. And you’ve mentioned the midlife crisis. Take us through that journey to the degree that you feel comfortable sharing.

Agi Keramidas [00:03:12] Sure. I had just finished the master’s degree, so my background is in dentistry, a dentist by profession. So I had finished a master’s degree. And instead of feeling very motivated to pursue that knowledge that I had acquired, I felt very unsatisfied and empty and not really wanting to do any of that. And that really led me to some kind of exploration because it didn’t make sense. And that led me to some personal development and that led me to Tony Robbins event, really, where I had the big click, a big shift and then from a very shy and introvert person, which I had been all my life, I wouldn’t speak out to two people because I was shy or reserved. I turned very, very quickly. I went into public speaking. I started the podcast, so it was a very quick change in why my whole behavior really, and I’m not sure if I’m answering your question or if I’m taking it to a different direction. So I take it for yet.

Victoria Rader [00:04:17] We’re going in the direction that we’re supposed to be going so that I’m convinced that, okay, going from that almost from shy to shine moment, you know, you’ve got shy to shine. What was the shift

Agi Keramidas [00:04:33] the shift was realizing a limiting belief that I had in the background that was running, playing like a voice inside my head without me even realizing it all my life. And it was telling me that people do not care of what you have to say. What you have to say is not interesting to anyone. I don’t know where I picked that from my childhood at some point or how it formed like that. But it was only then when I realized that, Oh my god, this is what is happening or what has happened. And then the shift was the understanding that awakening to that fact that this is not who I am all my life, I thought, that’s who I am. I’m a closed person. I’m shy, I’m an introvert. But I realized that this was not who I was. It was merely a behavior that I was having based on the beliefs. And then, of course, you know, when you start your personal development journey, you go deeper and learn about all these things. Yeah. So that was this thing that changed things and then massive action to implement because it is a big year.

Victoria Rader [00:05:49] Tony is big on massive action. I understand that so well, but I’m fascinated by this journey of a shy man who’s got a master’s degree, ironically. And then we talk about mastery of master. So, you know, it’s too late for you to say you’re not a master. You have a degree to show for it.

Agi Keramidas [00:06:08] You’re right. You’re right.

Victoria Rader [00:06:11] But so I want to go back to you being a little child and what were your dreams? What did you dream of becoming? What did you want to be?

Agi Keramidas [00:06:22] It’s funny now that you’re asked me about them. There were two things. One was completely fantasy, which was to be an airplane pilot, which I think I just picked up from someone as a friend of mine. And I carried on for a few years. But what I realized that I did have a big desire when I was a teenager rather than a child was acting. That obviously never happened because I was persuaded by my parents to go to university and become a dentist. But that was something that I had inside of me, and I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue it. Sometimes I think that doing the podcasting now is a different way of myself expressing. So I’m not on a stage, but like playing in a theater, but it is a different stage of speaking.

Victoria Rader [00:07:21] That’s beautiful. You know, I’ve heard just recently, actually John Asraf talk about our identity has to match our destiny. In order for us to fulfill it. You know, and when we go from, I guess, an identity that’s been conditioned for us by other people to hearing the call of the destiny and in your case, to share the light that is in you and to bring on people of significant presence and influence in the world and to shine their wisdom. You know, you’ve shifted, you’ve upgraded your identity in a way to be more aligned with your destiny, you know, and so that’s what an actor does in my mind. That’s what a great actor does. They become the identity of the role they have to play. And so you acting your identity aligned with your destiny, your podcast. My understanding is in the top two percent of podcasts in Great Britain incredibly, incredibly successful. Tell us a little bit about your podcasts. What are some of the top lessons you have learned from doing it?

Agi Keramidas [00:08:21] Where do I start and with episode 185 now? It’s been a very fruitful. Then, as you told me earlier on, I wasn’t planning on any of this. If they’ve happened a very big learning, it came to mind the moment you ask the questions, I will share it. I’m sure there is a reason for that. I was interviewing someone who could channel knowledge from the stream and I had the opportunity to have it live just to ask a couple of questions. And one big thing that I learned because I asked, show how could I share my methods, like with the podcast to more people, which was that question came to me. And the answer I got back was that the amount, the numbers, the quantity of the people that get the message is irrelevant. He actually called it, it’s very three d. Rather than that, it is the alignment of the people who are ready to receive the message, which is the most important thing, and that actually, it made such a big impression when I heard that maybe six seven months ago, I kind of stopped looking so much at how my numbers, my broadcasting numbers are going and rather focusing on, you know, expressing myself in the way that will present a coherent message or my message or my guests message that will make an impact, make a difference really to the person that listens to it. And if that is one person, that’s amazing because that one person might have an impact that will impact millions. So it was a very big realization that came to me when I had that interview on the podcast. Yeah, making just one, which was the biggest highlight. But apart from that, I had so many learning something we could talk for hours about that I’m sure you have that

Victoria Rader [00:10:26] You know, that message is very aligned to, I think, to the core of who I am. You know, years ago, I had one of the businesses with my brother actually. I do a lot of spiritual training and he’s done physical training and we had luxury apartments where he conducted trainings with other trainers for the luxury apartments. And I would come in and I would conduct stress, religious training and spiritual guide training, all of those things. And so they’ve booked an event for 50 people on stress, release and alignment of a peaceful alignment. I was very excited. I prepared. I had brochures, everything you know, prepared to our presentation came into the building and there were two rows of twenty five seats and there was one person sitting in the front row and I stood there. This is about seven years ago now, I guess, and I stood there and I looked at her and the spirit immediately came through me and was very clear that you’re not looking at a person, you’re looking at the universe. You either believe in oneness or you don’t. And so right now is your chance to walk the walk until there’s a day. You know, I’ve spoken to thousands of people till this day. I don’t know that there was a more impactful event in my life to be presented to one knowing that she is a universe. So I applaud you and we’re very aligned. And how about struggles? How about struggles? What’s been the biggest struggle? And for somebody who’s new on this journey like me or somebody who’s just thinking of starting a podcast, what a possible setbacks and struggles to be looking for, to learn from you.

Agi Keramidas [00:12:01] For me, the biggest one was I started doing everything on my own. I wanted to learn it. I had some free time at three years ago when I started. So the struggle was learning everything in a way that I present a quality podcast. This podcast I have now is my second one, so I had to learn many things. So the struggle was really keeping learning, which took time and at some point in early 2020 when the lockdown happened and I was stuck at home. I went from one episode a week to two, which I have been doing since then. Two episodes a week showed the struggle was finding the time really to do two episodes a week. But you know, I found the time because I felt it was asked of me to do a show. So go to two episodes a week and the moment I did it, and now I’m just reflecting back what was picking at the moment I did, or very soon afterwards. The moment I went from one episode a week to two episodes a week, podcasting changed from something I was very passionate about to something that is my mission, that now I have really the mission to pass the message to these people and in my way, you know, contribute to the shift in human consciousness in the way that I can with my own piece of the painting to paint it as well as I can. That’s how it felt to me. Sure, I know you asked me about the challenge, and I probably went in a different direction. But yeah, from challenges come the biggest realizations I think.

Victoria Rader [00:13:45] I trust that. I trust that fully. One thing you’ve said so beautifully, you said, you know, I felt it was asked of me and that’s of course for me. That’s the whole point of the whole podcast that it’s all about the voice. You know, so when you say that it was asked of you, what was the feeling? And I know that you’ve been following that feeling through your life. Talk to me a little bit about the journey of following that. It’s been asked of me kind of a voice.

Agi Keramidas [00:14:11] Yes, it’s a beautiful topic and the biggest moment. Or maybe the first real big moment that I was very much aware of it was when I left my life in Greece. I was about thirty five years old at the time and I felt a void inside of me on the outside my life seemed to be really well. I was. I had my dental practice. I was engaged. There was, you know, friends, but I was feeling really empty and I had this. I will call it what you say, the voice. I used to call it my instinct, or some feeling that it was calling me to England and I had no idea why, but I was always even from a kid that was fascinated about anything English. So I started hearing that more and more and feeling it and daydreaming about my life there, and I realized that the only thing that draws me towards that is something internal, something instinctive. I don’t know anyone that I have nothing there. My life is here, everything is here. But I took the big leap because it really felt so good. And to my life in Greece, wash, it didn’t seem like I would ever have the kind of life that I wanted, even though I didn’t know what that was. But I knew very well that what I was living there that was not right. I could feel it rather than explain it. And I’m sure that anyone who has had the similar experience knows very well that feeling, and I understood it as a guidance. And when I moved to the UK after a year after I made my decision and to my arrangements, I realize and I realized that a little bit later on that I was helped. So things happened. I met the right people. I had the opportunity and giving them an example to rent a flat after a week of being in the country, which you normally need to have a credit history and things like that. So it was an extremely fortunate situation and things like that that happened like a reward if you wish for choosing or for selecting to go with what was asked of me. It’s funny. I haven’t spoken about this in such a way, so thank you for your question of the way you asked it.

Victoria Rader [00:16:40] It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful journey, you know, and as you were talking your ancestors, what are your deep ancestors qoute came in from Seneca said that destiny now how does it go? Willing destiny guides. Unwilling destiny drags them, you know, so I think, but I think once we’re all willing and I call it, you know, once we’re aware and we’re aligned and we take action, then there is the abundance that comes in. In this case, it’s the law of serendipity. It’s the universal law, serendipity or things just work out. And then sometimes our inner fears of non deserving it kick in and we sabotage the good. We go back to learning the slow way, you know, because heaven forbid. Things will be aligned for us, so yes, that’s a beautiful journey. Now I know that usually things make more sense, looking back, looking back now. Does the move to England have that practical meaning in addition to this spiritual call?

Agi Keramidas [00:17:45] Of course, 100 percent. It allowed me so many. What was the fact that we’re having this conversation here now, the fact that they changed my speaking language, my everyday language from Greek to English and then I had the opportunity to find my voice. I call it like that sometimes from shy to public speaking and being able to connect with, you know, have all these conversations and speak with some amazing people on my podcast and elsewhere at events and things like that. This I can’t see how any of that might have happened if I was still living in my hometown doing the job that my mum was doing before me. So it for me, it felt like not what was my calling. Again, I changed a little bit to the subject of your question.

Victoria Rader [00:18:43] You have not, you have beautifully guided us to exactly where we have to be going. So this is this is the beauty of it all. So the question I guess I have is that if you were to give me top three benefits of having a podcast because I know this is your clearly your passion, this has become a calling and unfolding into your really destiny. Like we’re using big words, but that’s what I see unfolding in front of me. This is what’s happening. So what have been the three benefits you’ve gotten from it?

Agi Keramidas [00:19:17] The first one that comes to mind is the ability to express myself. Because before three years ago, even, you know, when I was doing my some public speaking, you don’t speak all the time. So, with podcasting, I have really listened to myself speaking and expressing or articulating some thoughts that otherwise I wouldn’t have. And that’s very valuable because you understand better who you are. That’s one you should say, didn’t you? I have a very massive one for me. And I think with people that do interview style podcasts like yourself, I’m sure you will find something for me. That is the the people that I had the opportunity to speak with, which there were times when I started my podcast, I was speaking with many coaches because of personal development and Tony Robbins environment and so on. And I felt like I was having a one to one coaching session with a different person every week, so it felt very beneficial for me. Apart from the listeners, that would get the conversation because I was asking the questions, I wanted to find out first of all. So yes, some amazing people that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak otherwise. Even for half an hour. I had the blessing to speak with Brian Tracy about a month ago and would have thought that I certainly would have believed the event and told me a few years ago that that’s what I would be doing. So for me, it really served us the best or a very I’m trying to find the right words anyway a vehicle for my evolution, shall we say. So that’s two. And you said, do you want another one, the third one.

Victoria Rader [00:21:15] It’ll come, it’ll come, and we’ll all benefit from it. I’m going to get a sip of water. Will you thinking.

Agi Keramidas [00:21:23] You know? Yes, the third one is that now that I think about it, it’s clear that this became from a hobby or something that I was curious about and intrigued about. It became a passion. It became a mission, at least for now. This feels like really my mission for the time being, and I think that, you know, finding one’s mission or having the feeling that this is the right place, the right time for me, what I’m doing right now, I think that’s a very tremendous benefit, isn’t it’s to be able to realize that.

Victoria Rader [00:21:58] Well, I think what I would like for both of us realize the power of your three very intuitive answers because the first one was expressing yourself, which is speaking your truth and then evolving through interaction and to fulfilling your mission. That, my friend, is a definition of personal mastery if anybody wanted to come up with one. So now we’ve defined your podcast where there’s three steps the development goes until you’re authentic. You know you have to live your truth as you live your truth, you empower others to do the same, and that opens your freedom to fulfill your mission. And there’s the beauty to me. Is that the chance that I get to interview people like you that are unconsciously competent and the joy that I have is to just let them peek into their unconscious competence and become consciously competent, you know, I’d say, Oh, that’s why I’m doing this podcast, because these are the three top benefits I’m getting. It’s amazing. It’s just amazing to me.

Agi Keramidas [00:22:57] How amazing you have asked like that? Because I hadn’t, you know, generally these questions, what are the three most important or the most important are very difficult to answer because it’s not just three or just certainly not just one answer, but yes, you allowed me the opportunity to answer intuitively, as you said, which I’m grateful for that.

Victoria Rader [00:23:18] Thank you. Well, now I have these three questions that I usually ask, as you have mentioned to one of the episodes, but they always come out a little bit different. But I know that my family here that listens, you know, I have the feedback there will listen through any interview to get to the last three. I’m like three minute interview with that. Is that anyway? So I want you to kind of think of your life, and I know that every person who is appearing to be successful is successful has had their fair share of challenges and maybe dark moments in their life. And so if we had some kind of this magic wand right now for you to go back to any point in your life where you probably need encouragement the most, you need support the most, I want you to tell me where your mind is taking you. What moment is that? And more importantly, Agi today, what would you tell that Agi that needed the support?

Agi Keramidas [00:24:19] I think in more important than which period of my life, I mean, that period we talked about earlier about leaving my home country to move to the UK. That’s a great example of a situation I could go back, but we saw this as well. The what I would say. I think it’s the same as I would say. It applies to all of them. And that is that, don’t worry, I have faith. It’s going to be alright. This too shall pass. When you feel it inside you and you do it, it’s going to be alright. It’s going to be exactly as it mean to be. Just have trust and follow the path. I think it would be this kind of words of reassurance that there is a bigger picture out there and it’s going to be alright.

Victoria Rader [00:25:10] That’t beautiful. That’s beautiful, you know, just a couple of days ago, I was reading an article by Sean Dean, and I’ve never read anything by him. And there was this quote that he said that the doubt is the breeding ground for spiritual hurricanes, you know, and your antidote of just this quiet faith and that this too shall pass. I think it’s beautiful. We’ll be all right. So all right, now, we’re going to take you forward in future and Agi from twenty years from today, comes in, sits right by you there, and what does he have to tell you? What do you need to hear today from him?

Agi Keramidas [00:25:52] I think it would be, and forgive me if you get to background noise at the same time, I think it would be similar to what I just said in a way, because it’s one thing to say it’s going to be all right. And there is a different level when things go difficult to actually embody it 100 percent and leave it. Sure, there is, you know, an element of doubt. Sometimes that is this really what is right? And so that piece of advice that trust that it’s going to be alright provided what you’re doing what feels in your heart that it is the right thing to do. Keep doing it. And don’t worry about the details, of course. Work hard, but make the effort. You know, that will have a phrase in Greek from the gods of Olympus. So there was a phrase that you have to. Yes, the gods will help you, but you first need to take the action yourself. So it was something like that. Someone’s cartwheel broke and he was waiting for the gods to help him move on with his journey. And the gods said, We will help you, but you know, lift your arms and take the wheel and start fixing it, and then we will help you. So, yeah, a similar thing. Then it’s going to be all right. It’s going to be awesome.

Victoria Rader [00:27:28] And I love that it’s going to be alright. Follow your heart though, right? Follow your heart. It’s exact. Did not get missed on me. That’s a powerful advice. And finally, the third thing if there was one thing on one phrase or one teaching one story, whatever it is that you would like to share by which the listeners will remember you by what would be your impact for our family if there was only one thing you could convey

Agi Keramidas [00:27:53] when you say one thing, how long can this thing be?

Victoria Rader [00:27:57] Hey, you know, we can go on Einstein your time. You know,

Agi Keramidas [00:28:03] I have a phrase that I always send in my own podcast, which came out of my own transformation, which is a standout. Don’t fit in. And by that, I mean, stand out. I mean, be authentic. Be true to who you are. It doesn’t mean stand out in any other way, but in a way that show the world who you are. And if that is different and it is different because we each are unique. Don’t be afraid to show it to. Don’t try to fit in. We are so much conditioned to fit into patterns and behaviors and actions that it’s not who we are. And to doing them for the wrong reasons to fit in, to conform. It’s yeah, it doesn’t serve anyone. So that’s really how I explain my phrase stand out. Don’t fit in and If it was like an epilog or a phrase, I would use that simple phrase, which I love using.

Victoria Rader [00:29:05] No, I love that. Well, thank you for being authentic and for standing out and believing what you preach. It’s been wonderful to have you.

Agi Keramidas [00:29:15] Thank you very much. Absolute pleasure.