Hey birthy peeps,
​
Friends. I was SO blown away by your responses to my last "What in the World?" newsletter. I am so touched that it is resonating with you! 

It's already time for that next update! So, you may ask, "What in the World" has Augustine been listening to/ reading/ dreaming about? Look no further...

2.) I'm watching Will Smith bungee-jump out of a helicopter! ​

I’ve been watching the incredible Will Smith and his accepted challenge with the Yes Theory Men to Heli Bungee over the Grand Canyon for his 50th birthday.

First of all, how can Will Smith be 50?!?

And second, this video is epic for its raw vulnerability, a rare quality in celebrities. His message is so right on. As Will is standing on the edge of the helicopter, about to let go, he's feeling fear wash over him.

At this moment, the stunt master said to him, “You can basically only get hurt if you try to hold on." This is exactly it. This is why labor hurts, some part of you (or maybe many parts) is holding on to the status quo, to the way it was, to the familiar. And it hurts like hell to hold on - that death grip on life rings the joy and pleasure right out of the now. Indeed this is why anything in life hurts.

This is all past thinking. To be present right now, you must have zero attachment to outcome - You must let go. I have often said labor is a opening and birth is a letting go. THIS is just the microcosm of life. It’s beautiful sacred practice for living. Opening and letting go is the true human experience - it’s what we’re here to do. It is also the pathway to joy and freedom and ,ironically, balance - cause it's at this place were it's possible to co-create with the universe.

This man (and his whole family) are living out loud with such clarity and grace, we should all be watching!

3.) I'm researching the effects of heat and global warming on mothers and babies. ​

Climate change is affecting the most vulnerable. Read what I'm reading:
"Environmental extreme temperature and daily preterm birth in Sabzevar, Iran: a time-series analysis"
"The impact of high ambient temperatures on delivery timing and gestational lengths"

Hey Birthy Peeps,
As I travel the world, I wanted to send bi-weekly updates your way of what I'm presently processing. I want to share what I'm reading, watching, listening to, researching, and contemplating. The more I read, the more I learn, and the more I want to spread the love!

So, without further ado.....What in the World have I been interested in lately??

1) I'm re-watching for the 131st time, this amazing speech by Jim Carrey! ​

"I like telling people to create before you consume. So rather than waking up in the morning and consuming your newsfeed or your social feed or your email inbox, take five to 10 minutes or 20 minutes, to create that change that you want to make, or make a little progress towards the dream. Take one step towards solving a problem that you really know you need to solve.” GOLD, right?!?
This book from such an epic online business expert has been such a highlight for me! ​

​"We have a mind blowing impending disaster if we do not act. There is a potential of 1-2.6 million maternal deaths due to cesarean section between 2020 and 2050." -Hannah Dahlen

If it isn't obvious, we just need a lot more midwives!! Enough is enough.

I have just landed in Singapore -  the food , the gorgeous weather, the people... amazing. But let me tell you, I had some profound time of reflection as I traveled here. If you want to hear more about that, watch my new travel VLOG.