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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.

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

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

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