Living in the Moment with Jade Holt

As a business owner, conference speaker and entertainer I am fortunate to meet and connect with a myriad of interesting and unique people.

Last October, I was a panelist at the Mid-Atlantic Small Business Summit in northern Virginia.  When I arrived at the venue and surveyed the room, I was greeted by a sea of dark suits and power ties.  There was one exception:  a stunning and polished woman who happened to have an empty chair at her table.  That’s the person I wanted to sit next to.

Jade Holt proved to be more than an accomplished sales professional in the security industry.  We chatted about our shared passion for positive energy and visualization, and it turned out she is actually working on a book about how people can realize success and well-being.

Thankfully, Jade agreed to meet with me in follow-up for an exclusive Q&A for this blog.

Question:  Tell me about your personal background for context and perspective.

Jade:  I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado.  The economy was depressed and the education opportunities fairly limited.  I always knew I had to get out.  Eventually, I opened up a map, closed my eyes and picked Virginia.  I was off.  I wanted an adventure; something different.

Question:  How has life been in Virginia?

Jade: I had a little bit of money when I arrived, yet needed to find a job…and fast.  I took a position with Countrywide Mortgage right before the company tanked.  It was a great group of people who worked there though, including a husband/wife that became a second family for me.

My experience at Countrywide served as a reminder about how adventurous life can be if you simply let it be.  That is an important part of who I am.

I’ve since worked as a liquor representative for eight years, as well as for a Middle East-based company with led to a lot of international travel.

Jade Holt: smiling every day.

Question:  Let’s talk about the book you have concepted.  What can you share with my readers?

Jade: Premise of the book is the gift of living in the present.  People often believe they are unable to move forward due to anxiety, tension and issues from the past.  My life has been about focusing on giving 100 percent to the present, rather than becoming fixated on future accomplishments.

Other themes I plan to incorporate into the book include the importance of remaining physical active.  When you are in a slump and you aren’t consistently working out it breeds negative energy.   I’ve been pole dancing for about five years for the exercise and I love it.

I also believe in meditation and the role that plays to cleanse the mind and managing stress.  It is a great way to be present in the moment.

My best advice for people is to smile every day and think of good things.

Best Read in 2015

Actress Olivia Munn scores big in readership on this blog.  (Photo source: Vogue)

After four years and more than 200 articles this blog has enough critical mass to shed interesting insight into what intrigues people most when it comes to hypnosis.

A review of analytics for the year points to interest in the applications for health, wellness and athletic performance.

Plus, there continues to be healthy curiosity in the answer to the most frequent question I am asked:  what does it feel like to be hypnotized?

Here are links to the four best read in 2015:

X-Men Apocalypse Star Finds Health through Hypnosis

Teens Talk Hypnosis: the Good, the Bad and the “Boring”

How the Lady Terps Achieve Zen

Peterson’s is a Jewel in Magical Clifton

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Join me on New Year’s Eve at an amazing event at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.  It is themed “Passport to the World Gala” and is hosted by Professionals in the City, one of the most profile social groups in the country.

The evening includes food and spirits, entertainment, and activities for singles and couples.  I’ll perform my “Hypnotic Experience” show at 10:45 PM and 12:30 AM.

Plus, you will receive a special discount if you use the promotional code HYPNONYE when purchasing a ticket at www.prosinthecity.com or by calling 202-686-5990.

Steph Curry Talks Confidence and Sensory Deprivation

Steph’s sweet, silky smooth jump shot is pure perfection and his ball handling skills defy what should be possible.  Is it his basketball prowess alone that has propelled the Golden State Warriors to the best start to a season in NBA history?

Not according to a recent Q&A with the reigning league MVP published by ESPN Magazine.  Here are a couple of excerpts that provide more insight into how Steph has elevated his game:

“The game is slow.  It just feels so comfortable, smooth, natural.  It’s the confidence that, when we’re out on the floor, only good things are gonna happen.”

“When I’m on the floor, I believe I am (the best player in the world).  I don’t get into why I’m better than such and such.  But that’s my motivation when I work.”

“It’s an opportunity to relax…to get away from the demands and all the stimuli we have in the world and in our lives.  When I get in the (sensory deprivation) tank I lean back, try to take a couple of deep breaths, ground myself and commence the floating.  Then it’s just me and my thoughts for an hour.”

While Steph may not be a practitioner of self-hypnosis, he subscribes to what I preach when it comes to health, wellness and exceptional living:  1) drip with self-confidence; 2) manage and mitigate stress; and 3) find time for focus and clarity.

You can read ESPN Magazine’s Q&A at this link.

What makes Steph Curry so confident and strong?  The answer may surprise you.  (Photo Source:  BusinessInsider.com)

Words of Wisdom for Teen-preneurs

A dozen teenagers gathered on a Saturday morning in Bethesda, MD to study entrepreneurship. Now, that was a sight to see.

Due to my 20+ year run as the founder and owner of a professional services firm, I was invited to speak at a session hosted by the Bethesda Entrepreneurship Academy. I realized after a quick review of the exceptional speakers recruited by Zain Yaqub (the Academy’s founder and a teen entrepreneur himself) that I needed a unique and unexpected topic.

My presentation, entitled “The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Wealth & Empowerment,” delivered just that. In what I believe was a refreshingly candid and entertaining style (hey, I perform stand-up comedy as a hobby), I sought to disabuse these future business titans of the notion that success is measured by your take home pay.

Rather, the value of business creation is in the ability to craft more meaningful and intimate relationships with family, friends, community, etc., while building a lifestyle which is consistent with a belief system.
Here are the five steps to business creation I offered during the presentation:

1. Identify the things important to you in life.
2. Make an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Define the personality type(s) you most successfully work with.
4. Construct a business plan that aligns accordingly.
5. Drip with self-confidence.

Did my message resonate?

Admittedly, it was hard to tell. The youthful audience was reasonably well engaged during my talk, yet the Q&A afterwards lacked any significant meaning or depth.

Perhaps it was merely a reflection of the date/time of the event? Or maybe I came off too much of a tyrannical type A?

Or, worse, this group may not be ready for entrepreneurship…yet?

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Interested in reading more about how visualization can improve the entrepreneurial experience?  Check out these blog posts:

Anxious Decision-Making is a No-No

Pathways to Success, Achieving Confidence through Hypnosis

Busy Execs Get Hip to the Power of Visualization

NOVA Manassas Gets Hypnotized

Colgan Hall, Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas Campus

As I swung my car off of I66 and hooked a right turn onto Nova Way, the first thing that struck me about the Northern Virginia Community College’s Manassas Campus is its pristine condition.   

The campus, situated next to Manassas National Battlefield Park, includes state-of-the art facilities housed on well kept grounds.

Thankfully, parking was convenient and plentiful, which is very much appreciated when you are hauling along an audio/sound system.

I performed my Hypnotic Experience show in the school’s Colgan Theater, an intimate venue that can house about 100 guests.  It was the perfect set up.

Cool..Hypnotic Experience made the "Hype" board.

Sponsored by the campus’ psychology club and hosted by Dr. Mocha Dyrud, my show as part of their annual “Toys for Tots” fundraiser.  As such, I was wonderfully pleased with the strong student turn-out and the number of gifts the club collected.

Here are a few observations about the show:

1. I had 20 minutes prior to the start of the show to chat up early arriving guests.  It quickly became clear that I would focus my content on the more educational version of Hypnotic Experience, rather than a pure entertainment approach.

There was a high level of interest from audience members about hypnosis and its applications.  Accordingly, I delivered an entertaining discussion about hypnosis as a tool for health, wellness and exceptional living.

2. The questions from the audience were fascinating and demonstrated a high level of engagement in the topic.  For instance, one young man inquired about the adoption of hypnotic techniques in religion.  I have never gotten that one before.   

There were also a few queries related to therapeutic applications of hypnosis.  I had to acknowledge that those were beyond my area of experience and expertise.

3. My visualization demonstration prior to asking for volunteers drew a lot of interest.  There were six chairs on stage for volunteers to experience a hypnotic induction, yet I had 2x the number of guests express a desire to participate.  I was able to accommodate the group, which is something I also try to do when performing at a school. 

4.  I used a hypnotic induction technique based on guided meditation with one of my go-to visualizations designed to generate feelings of wellness and self-confidence.  How did it work out?

Well…like most shows you could group volunteers into three categories:

Deeply entranced:  There was a group that quickly enter a state of hypnosis due to a high level of creativity and imagination.  One lady commented about the power and effect of the beach visualization I incorporate into the induction.  Even the president of the psychology club got hypnotized, which was very cool.

I also had two gentlemen each explain that they became emotional when visualizing a moment in their life when they felt a high level of self-confidence and pride.  That was rewarding to hear.

Comfortable and relaxed:  For some, an induction is a positive and enjoyable experience, yet they don’t truly achieve a state of hypnosis.  They may have been distracted during the induction.  Or simply don’t have a high level of suggestibility.   

Smirkers:  I only had one at this show.  These are people who volunteer, yet really don’t want to get hypnotized.  They spend their time on stage casually demonstrating to the audience how they remain in their conscious mind.  

 It’s all good and actually reinforces my point that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.

All in all, it was a fun and fulfilling afternoon on campus at NOVA Manassas.  I even had a couple of students who were unable to attend the show approach me in the parking lot to inquire when I’ll return.

I hope to be back soon! 

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UPDATE:  Here is the nice Email I received from Dr. Dyrud.  You can read more testimonials on my Web site at this link. 


"Thank YOU so much, Marc!  It was an awesome event with over 50 students in attendance. The students I talked to had glowing reviews and there is much interest in hosting another 'Hypnotic Experience' show soon! We would be so appreciative to be able to continue to work with you."