Hello and welcome to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me your host Caroline Partridge. In the first of an incredible two-part episode, I talk to Master Coach, Speaker and Mentor Allan Kleynhans. Allan shares his extraordinary life story charting his childhood in the racist and segregated South Africa of the 1960s and 70s, through military service and the horrors of the Angolan Civil War to a life plagued with guilt and shame and inevitable alcohol and substance abuse. Please join me as we look at life through a different lens. KEY TAKEAWAYS We are all moulded and formed by what we are surrounded by as children. Most people’s value systems and beliefs are formed by age 7 and unless this is questioned, they’ll continue to see the world in the same way. Witnessing police brutality from a white officer to a black man is what created the long-lasting feeling of being unsafe, a feeling Allan couldn’t shake for many years. He lived in a tough neighbourhood and was also bullied at school. Violence was part of daily life. After finishing school, Allan went straight into the military where his exposure to brutal violence continued. After leaving Angola, Allan felt very conflicted by what he had witnessed and been a part of and the religious upbringing he had experienced. A lot of us don’t work through our traumatic experiences, we suppress them. Allan discovered after leaving the military, that he needed to learn to process what he had experienced so it wouldn’t permanently damage him. Reading Napoleon Hill’s classic work, ‘Think and Grow Rich’, was the catalyst that made Allan realise he needed to change his life. You can read every book but until you are ready to start to heal yourself it’s only knowledge you have, nothing more. Allan attended a Tony Robbins event and incredibly was able to share his story, make Tony cry and even get a hug. Tony advised him to let go of the past and embrace love. We have to let go of all feelings of shame to move forward, shame is directly associated with self-annihilation. BEST MOMENTS ‘Most people will keep living out of the paradigm that they’ve created in their earliest years' ‘Traumatising experiences are deeply ingrained and we remember them’ ‘I became obsessed with learning’ ‘Until you can do really deep healing on yourself, it’s just stuff, knowledge that you have’ ‘I’ll never forget it, it was like he [Tony Robbins] poured love into me with his eyes, his intention is really powerful and really pure’ ‘That was the first time I felt unconditional love from a human being and this was a stranger’ ‘Our shame silences us’ ABOUT THE GUEST Bio Allan Kleynhans is a walking lexicon of human development and potential, having studied psychology, philosophy, the behavioural sciences and consciousness for 33 years and counting. His vast knowledge and expertise as a passionate and highly skilled facilitator on the subjects of human behaviour, communication, self-mastery, conscious leadership and spiritual psychology have helped many thousands of people to make significant personal and professional breakthroughs. He loves helping people transcend the limiting mental constructs of their human psyche to create lives of true fulfilment, outrageous success and authentic self-expression. Socials & Links: https://www.instagram.com/allankleynhans/ www.facebook.com/allankleynhans https://www.facebook.com/AllanSpeaks/ GUEST RESOURCESThink & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/0091900212How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034Consciously Creating Circumstances - George Winslow Plummer - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consciously-Creating-Circumstances-Winslow-Plummer/dp/1585093106Unlimited Power - Tony Robbins - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlimited-Power-Pa-Tony-Robbins/dp/1471167526 ABOUT THE HOST B