Becoming a heart-centered leader with Alister Gray.
The following interview is a transcript excerpt from The Heallist Podcast episode. Listen to the full audio version below and subscribe to get notified of new episodes.
Join us for a conversation with Alister Gray, a catalyst for the Love movement, as he shares his journey from entrepreneur to mentor of the heart. Alister is on a mission to serve millions of people,helping them live the life they imagine and find greater meaning and purpose within themselves. Through coaching, teaching, training, writing, and speaking,he's empowering individuals to embrace their innate gifts and spread love.
In this episode, discover the balance between being and doing as Alister unveils his personal transformation. Explore practical wisdom and the power of self-inquiry in bridging creativity and joy. Dive into the heart of courage and healing, confronting shadows and embracing light.
Learn about Alister's work with entrepreneurs, business owners, coaches, academics, and creatives from all walks of life, including founders, CEOs, Grammy Award winners, musicians, and employees at world-renowned brands like Google, Nike, and Dropbox.
Plus, uncover how Alister is building the Love movement through courses, programs, and the "We Are Love" initiative,dedicated to fostering inclusivity and personal growth.
The Essence of Love and Action
Yuli Ziv: People in this space love to talk about love, peace, and high vibes, but they don't do much about it. You are actually one of the people doing something about it and creating a whole movement, so can you talk about that?
Alister Gray:Yes, when you connect to this sense of purpose and mission, love and action is when you marry the being with the doing. I had to relearn how to be. I had to remember how to be, and connect to who I really am, how do I connect to this space within me that is purposeful and full of ambition and aspiration to make the world a better place?
Once I found that within myself, I was able to reintegrate the doing part of me and say let's bring together all the skills and experience I have to push this mission forward. It's a disservice to people who would benefit from the experiences I've had. It's a disservice to future generations. I'm a father, I have an eight-year-old girl, and I feel there's a real responsibility to take action.
Yuli Ziv: Can we talk more about what shape and form this beautiful concept is taking, and how you are building it?
Alister Gray:In 2022, I had a moment of pure clarity around my mission and purpose—love being at the center, and how to awaken people to our essential nature or true nature. I wrote down these eight stages of awakening love. I knew this was what I was to teach—my life's work.
That's at the heart of what I'm creating now—a community dedicated to awakening to their true nature, true self, and creating courses and experiences that allow people to dive deeper into this process of self-inquiry. A collection of my own journey,the things I've learned along the way.
The I Am Love course we created and ran as a beta for the first 12 months. I took 75 people through that course and wanted to find out if what I knew was powerful and could have a significant impact. I wanted to test it, bring people into that experience to refine my abilities to teach the course.
Right now, we're turning that course into an evergreen course to reach and impact more people. I turned my attention towards the We Are Love community and launched it in January. We're now growing, with members coming from all over the world, from different walks of life—a diverse community. It's really beautiful to have people coming together to unite in love. Everyone is coming together with this openness, authenticity, and vulnerability. It's a beautiful space for healing,realization of self-love, acceptance, and deeper connection.
The Impact of Social Media and Community Building
Yuli Ziv: That's so beautiful, and how do those amazing souls find you?
Alister Gray:In 2022, after a powerful awakening, I had a love-hate relationship with Instagram. After realizing my mission to teach love, I felt I should start posting daily. During walks, I'd have insights about life and decided to film these thoughts. I began posting 60 or 90-second reels on Instagram, adding music and quotes from spiritual leaders. After a year, my content went viral,attracting attention and inquiries about my work. We had launched a free meditation class, which helped people find and connect with me.
Yuli Ziv: It's incredible that after a year of daily posts, you achieved a breakthrough. Many seek instant success on Instagram and quickly get discouraged. Around day 300,you hit your stride but kept going. This journey isn't for everyone due to the energy required. However, your perseverance, treating it as a service to yourself, is admirable.
Alister Gray:Enjoyment was key. The walks were something I did every day, and I was already thinking about all these subjects whether acceptance, forgiveness, death,trust, letting go, surrendering, gratitude, appreciation. The enjoyment factor was most important. I found a way to express that never felt like too much effort. I was already walking each day, already thinking, and all I had to do was pull out my camera and speak from my heart. The effort felt like not a huge amount, very few barriers to entry.
For me this was something new—it felt like a wave of creativity came in that space, because when I made things easy from a technical perspective, I was simply able to share. If you have a preference, a way you wish to create and express, whether writing, music, videos, then if you can create an environment that allows you to do that every day with the least amount of effort, then the enjoyment comes.Once you enjoy the process, you want to do more of it. The creation process required consistency, but also non-attachment to the outcome.
I thought I'm going to share this every day because I know these messages resonate with me, but also resonate with my clients, so I can trust they're going to resonate with someone. As long as I keep posting, they're going to arrive into the hands of someone who maybe needs to hear this message today. I still take that approach—an idea comes, and I don't overthink. I think, “Okay, that's today's message. Someone needs to hear this,” and I create from that place. Consistency is key, but also finding enjoyment and love for what you're expressing is essential.
It was like this is what's in my mind and I'm going to put it out there. It felt way less pressure than previously, where I would overthink what I needed to share, the message,how it may be perceived. All of that dissolved when I began speaking from my heart and sharing what was truly me.
Transformation Through Self-Inquiry and Love
Yuli Ziv: Let's jump back to the 75 people you led in this beta test group. Can you share what was their experience and your learnings from giving this course for a whole year? Any profound learnings you took from that, or something that completely changed your mind after hearing feedback, or any transformational stories?
Alister Gray:One that comes to mind is we had a member going through difficulties in their relationship, feeling out of alignment with their husband. I invited them to trust the process and said everything they're looking for is here and now. I said if you open yourself up to this inner journey, I promise things in life will begin to change.
Over this experience, this individual began sharing how the relationship between her and her husband was beginning to change. She would often say it feels magical, a different way we're communicating, feeling more intimate. By the end, the relationship had transformed because these internal barriers dissolved and there was an opening for them to unite back into love, to remember they share their being. The impact is huge, as these were individuals married for 30 or 40years and suddenly they felt back in love.
This is something we've seen with many members—the way they feel by themselves, the love and self-acceptance they have, often translates into deeper connections with those closest to them. This process of self-inquiry, this realization of our essential nature, which is love, begins to filter out into our relationships and everyday experiences.
Yuli Ziv: I can definitely relate to that and think that's a very beautiful story. People come to this work because they're looking at how to change this person. What you realize is the person is perfectly fine. It's us that needs to be changed,and the energy between us.
Alister Gray:Yes, and it's a powerful share because I think that's the realization most of the 75 people had—the realization that life is changing because I'm changing on the inside. For some, it was discombobulating and felt like they were being challenged in a way that was really making them question life and how they're living.
This was done with so much compassion, love and holding that safe container for all the uncomfortable emotions, feelings, and thoughts to arise as well. Because when I talk about love, it's one of the most courageous journeys one can go on.
It's one of the most difficult paths to walk—the path to love within ourselves, to recognize our true nature, because we have to go through all the mud, darkness, and shadows.We have to allow space for all of that to be as it is as well.
People came into the course thinking the title was I Am Love, and some thought this is going to be lovely, and then find that it’s deep work. This is real and we're healing,connecting to parts of ourselves deemed unlovable, rejected, pushed away. We're dissolving these barriers within ourselves and it's a beautiful experience to witness.
Journey to Love and Awakening
Yuli Ziv: I find you to be a fine example of someone who talks about love comfortably,creating a movement while maintaining your masculinity. I admire how well it blends with who you are—authentic, heart-centered, and connected. Can you share how you became so comfortable with this idea and what it took to get there?
Alister Gray:15 years ago, I never thought I would be doing what I am now. I was always interested in personal development and was very entrepreneurial, even running a car washing business at 11. My journey of healing and awakening began with meditation around 2010 or 2011, while working as an executive in London.
Overwhelmed and under pressure, I was losing myself in my mind, working long hours and partying at weekends. My life was a cycle of working hard and partying harder, which led to hospital visits. My girlfriend noticed the change and suggested meditation.That was the moment that got me to think about meditation.
My meditation journey began with Deepak Chopra's guided meditations, introducing me to concepts like the field of pure potentiality and the cosmos. This sparked my interest in meditation and Eastern mysticism. I became open to the idea that I'm not just a finite being.
A significant part of my awakening was a plant ceremony in 2014, which led to deep internal healing. I surrounded myself with supportive people, found a spiritual mentor,and engaged with an intuitive healer. I explored new practices like kundalini yoga, kriya yoga, and breathwork, realizing I had never truly loved or accepted myself.
Another ceremony led to a profound experience of oneness, where I was shown my mission to "Be love." The message, "Do not dim your light for anyone. Share this message of love," was clear. It showed me that with my experience in running businesses and creating courses, I have everything I need to share this message.
I'm comfortable because I've been called to do this. Even if I didn't want to, I had no choice—I was summoned. After the ceremony, I shared my love with clients and family, emphasizing that "We are love, this is our essential nature, and the answer to all problems. If we connect to this, everything resolves itself." I knew I had to share this message and be comfortable with it.
Yuli Ziv: Many of us had experiences that shook us up, like a medicine ceremony or a retreat that changed our consciousness and set on a new path. We often feel summoned to something greater. Because of your business experience, it quickly formed into something concrete, into inspired action, then you can share it with the world.
Alister Gray:It's powerful. A big challenge is staying out of our own way. We get powerful downloads that awaken us to a mission. After the ceremony, I shared my experience. A friend messaged me, "stay awake," which resonated deeply. When inspired, there's a potent energy of creation.
Yet, returning to the real world, we overthink or doubt. His message, "stay awake,"became my mantra. I incorporate this into everything I create every message,post, email, and conversation. It's a daily reminder to stay awake, share the love, and keep moving in this direction with my mission.
The Future of the We Are Love Movement and Foundation
Yuli Ziv: With this message of staying awake, what's next for you, with this love movement? Can you share what's coming up?
Alister Gray:The We Are Love community is our focus, aiming to grow our membership and reach as many people as possible. We're also working on a foundation. Last September,we held our first We Are Love not-for-profit retreat in Italy at Mandali,partnering with 20/20 Levels, which serves young people from inner city London,including young black people and ethnic minorities. They offer programs to helpthese youths realize their potential.
We brought 15 young people from 20/20s alumni to Mandali, delivering the eight stages of awakening love. A challenge in this industry is its accessibility mainly to those with resources. I've been fortunate to participate in life-changing programs and retreats,but many don't have access or awareness. Our goal is to make this work more available, especially to young people lacking access.
Yuli Ziv: It's inspiring to hear about your work, and it aligns with our Heallist Foundation's mission for inclusivity. We aim to support individuals from underserved communities who can't afford certification in the healing arts, enabling them to serve their communities. Making the holistic community more inclusive is a very powerful mission.
Alister Gray:Thank you, Yuli. Collaboration is key. Without partners like Mandali and 20/20Levels, our vision wouldn't be possible. What Heallist is doing—uniting the community and emphasizing strength in unity—is powerful. Our mission focuses on partnership, support, and uplifting one another. "A rising tide lifts all boats" truly captures our goal to foster love and connection to spread far and wide.
