Watch this episode on YouTube.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and soulful impact happens when we slow down enough to live and lead from the deeper truth inside.
We are so addicted to speed in our culture. It’s the water that we swim in. This is especially the case in the world of entrepreneurship — i.e. “Do More Faster” or “Move Fast and Break Things.”
I love going fast when that’s what is called for. But too much of anything — even a good thing — gets out of balance.
Slowing down can be really hard to do when you’re programmed to believe that moving fast equals success, and operating from a consciousness of scarcity and threat. But taking the time to slow down in a mindful, intentional, and soulful way is key to discovering and embodying the deeper truth of who we really are.
And it’s only after we’ve done that that we become truly unstoppable.
My guest on today’s episode is an incredible example of this.
Steven Schlafman is the founder of Downshift, the world’s first decelerator — helping high performers slow down in times of professional transition.
Formerly a partner at a New York Venture Capital firm, Steve (aka Schlaf) was forced to wake up and slow down due to a lack of sustainability in his own lifestyle.
Now 10 years into a deep journey of self-healing and self-discovery, I believe Steve and Downshift are poised for a greater level of genuine impact, success, fulfillment and freedom than anything that the prior version of Steve could have imagined.
And I that’s a direct result of the consciousness and soul-rooted place that he and his team are leading from.
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Links & Resources
* Follow Brooks on YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn
* Soulful Impact: soulfulimpact.co
* Downshift: Apply for the Spring ‘25 Decelerator Cohort
* Follow Schlaf on X or LinkedIn
* Schlaf’s Substack: Where The Road Bends
* William Stafford Poem: The Way It Is
* Get newsletter updates & future episodes delivered to your inbox: Subscribe to Soulful Impact on Substack
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Chapters
04:30 The Wisdom of Slowing Down
07:36 Deceleration and Connection
10:20 The Birth of Downshift
13:17 Challenges of Modern Acceleration
16:22 Facing the Fear of Slowing Down
19:32 The Cost of Speed
22:28 Confronting Personal Pain
25:34 The Journey to Authenticity
29:44 Facing the Pain of Addiction
32:53 The Journey to Sobriety
36:28 Embracing Life's Cycles
38:36 Exploring the Concept of Soul
43:40 Trusting the Inner Knowing
50:53 The Four Windows of Knowing
54:55 The Importance of Choice in Personal Growth
57:11 Navigating Existential Questions in a Changing World
01:01:02 Shifting Paradigms: From Extraction to Cultivation
01:04:46 Nature as a Teacher: Insights from Soulcraft
01:14:47 Fatherhood: Balancing Presence and Ambition
