Growing up, my Mom instilled in me the importance of not judging a book by its cover. It’s funny, because while I almost always judge how good a movie will be by the poster picture, or, indeed, a book by its cover, I somehow remember to take care not to put people in boxes at first glance.
Alexander “Woody” Woodrow is a legit Rock Star. He is the bassist and founding member of one of the world’s largest independent bands, Our Last Night, but don’t let my preface confuse you … Woodrow isn’t a ‘wears sweater-vests by day and distressed jeans by night’ kind of guy. Just scroll his Instagram, and you’ll see that he looks the part. However, so does Tommy Lee, but the two couldn’t be more different.
Woodrow, who is also a Yoga and meditation aficionado, has authored two books this year—You Are the Rock Star: Step into Your Power and Live your Purpose, y You Are the Rock Star: Finding Your Financial Flow, which was released on October 31, 2020.
He stresses that how we view the world has everything to do with how we choose to perceive it, and since perception is an inside job, Woodrow encourages us to be curious, live in the flow of our practices, and be aware of our perceptions and their impact on how we show up.
Honestly, I wish I read his first book when I was in high school. He makes mindfulness digestible and practical; each chapter gives you the opportunity to put the power back in your own hands and take action.
Wanting to know more about this legend in the making, I had a digital-sit-down with Woodrow to investigate how a kid with a big dream dissolved his doubts and disappointments, and how he’s using his experience and influence in the music industry to inspire a movement of perspective shifts and cultivate a growth mindset among the masses.
Tell us about You Are the Rock Star.
The first book was about stepping into your power and living your purpose. It was a lot of how we can meet and reframe obstacles as opportunities, and I really believe that being the rock star of your life also has to do with having well-rounded wealth.
I mean, we have wealth in relationships, we have wealth in experience, but having well-rounded wealth is part of being a rock star of your own life, because it’s literally taking charge of your life—being willing to meet the things that come at you as opportunities to learn, so that we can keep stepping up and growing.
What does Finding Your Financial Flow cover?
(The book) is not just personal finance, it’s more like the abundance mindset, our relationship with money, and how to rewire our belief systems around money so we can attract more. It also gets really deep into concepts in the finance world.
Money is energy. Sometimes investments and diversification are going to be how you spend your day and how you put energy into yourself. Otherwise, maybe that’s going for a run, meditating or having a positive conversation with a homie.
What motivated a musician to talk money?
Six months ago, I started learning how to diversify my wealth. It started with learning about this thing called quantitative easing, which is a fancy word for printing money.
That spawned my awareness of our monetary system, and particularly cryptocurrency, because it’s so new and fascinating to me. Especially because the technology behind it is game-changing.
I started learning that the whole financial system we live in is shifting right now. We’re moving towards digital currencies. I think this is just a natural progression, because this system that we’ve had for a while, we’re due for an upgrade.
Speaking of upgrades, you have a new podcast! What guests and conversations are you looking to have?
Oh, that’s a really good question. I wanted to do something organic that shed light, whether you’re in the music industry or not, on how to overcome limiting belief systems, self-doubt, self-comparison and—how we can all become the rock stars of our own lives. Some of the people I interview are actual rock stars. I interviewed Josh Devine in the first episode, and he was the drummer for One Direction. He’s a mega boss and has a wealth of knowledge to share.
I don’t necessarily have any limits to who I want to interview on this. I simply want to talk about mindfulness and how to overcome the things life throws at us in healthy and sustainable ways.
What has been the most beautiful part of your personal growth journey?
Developing the relationship with myself, because when it comes down to it, that’s what we’ve got, and the more we work on ourselves, the easier our other relationships become.
Self-development is about creating awareness, but it’s also about doing the work. How often do you practice the way you want to live, right? It’s not about trying to be something you’re not; it’s about practicing how you want to live and developing a positive relationship with who you are.
Which spiritual or personal growth teacher has had the greatest impact on your journey?
Two major ones are both women. One is Lisa Nichols, she’s just such a powerhouse. She’s really inspired me in regard to my writing, my speaking and just how I go about life. It’s mind-blowing to be around someone with such power and presence. Her clarity in speaking and the inspiration behind her voice really have the power to transform. She’s a wealth of knowledge and she’s real, she’s authentic. That’s what I appreciate the most. She doesn’t try and sugarcoat her message.
Right next to her is a woman named Tara Stiles. When I discovered her style of Yoga, it completely changed my life. It’s really what helped me develop a positive relationship with myself. She’s been such a spiritual teacher for me. Her style of Yoga that she’s created with her husband, Mike, is called Strala Yoga. It comes from the concepts of Tai Chi, Qi Gong and East Asian martial arts, all applied to Yoga forms. It gets you in connection with you, and it gets you moving with what you have instead of trying to be something you’re not. Stiles does it in a way that puts the power in your hands.
When I discovered it, it was as if somebody had unlocked a part of me that had been dormant—it was the relationship with that kid inside of me. All of a sudden, it was OK for me to play. It was OK for me to move around. It was OK for me to bust out handstands randomly, wherever I wanted to! It made it OK for me to be me, and to do my best each day, even when my best changes.
Lastly, where do you envision your life three years in the future? What are you hoping to manifest for yourself and your business?
Three to five years for me, personally, there are a few things I would like to have. At least three books created in the You Are the Rock Star series, and I would love to sell the rights to someone, like a Chicken Soup for the Soul kind of thing.
I would love to be in a position where I own multiple homes that I rent out for passive income. I just bought my first home at the end of last year, and I rent it on Airbnb, which has been great. I’d also love to play more music personally. I want to create my own personal album. My band has an epic, heavy rock, in-your-face kinda style—I love playing it, wouldn’t trade it for the world. I just also feel called to create music from my own heart, which is a little bit of a different style.
If we’re talking three to five years, I want to have kids, if that’s in alignment with what the universe has in store for me. I’d also really love to do more retreats. I did a Yoga retreat in South Africa last year that was so epic. I would love to do more inclusive style events, too, where I can share Strala Yoga. I’ve done multiple trainings, and I love it. Maybe a self-development, Yoga, music and workshop styled retreat. I would love to create a safe space for people to heal and transform, and then continue to write, share, create music and just be.
En ese momento, have faith that I will be right where I’m supposed to be, always. I’ll continue moving, making progress and providing the space and the opportunity for others to step into their fullness, step into their power and be the rock stars of their own lives.
Woodrow’s books are available on his author page; and you can connect with him on Instagram y YouTube @WoodyWoodrow and Twitter @WoodyOLN.
«LECTURA RELACIONADA» QUANTUM-TOUCH: Q&A Interview with Richard Gordon»
imagen 1 vía Tumbral courtesy of amandadel-grosso 2 via Tumbral courtesy of iimaginedragons 3 via Tumbral courtesy tokianasheckler 4 via author
