The Frugal but Professional Practice (Part 10)

Hypnotist Celeste Hackett

by Celeste Hackett

Cal Banyan goes a little Bonkers

How to do a Long Distance Pod Cast

Creating Good Lighting

Dying of Really Bad Humiliation

Something Free-A Tradition Now

My husband, Christopher, adjusts the home-made lights so that they don’t shine so much on the wall behind me. I clip on my microphone and push up my sleeves on my “new” blazer I got at a re-sale shop. I think it looks new. I like to recycle. I hope the brand new coffee stain I just added doesn’t show, I think, as the phone rings and John, Cal Banyan’s technical computer guy asks, “Are you ready?”

Every few weeks for the last several months Cal Banyan and I have been doing an audio-video pod cast where we bring hypnosis news, information and advice to hypnotists around the world. I love it because it is so grass roots. I sit there behind my big old desk in my living room with Zorro, my Boston terrier usually chewing a bone at my feet off camera.

I’ll never forget when Cal asked me if I wanted to co-host the show with him. I don’t really know how I got the nerve to say yes, but I did. I had no idea how to be on-camera. I have been a radio announcer, but it is a whole different animal being seen as well as heard. Cal told me the kind of digital camera he was using and it was pretty reasonably priced and made clear pretty videos, so I decided to get the same kind. I think it cost all of $250.00.

Cal Banyan goes a little Bonkers

At first, I thought Cal was going a little bonkers doing video pod casts. I mean audio pod casts made sense to me. People could down oad those on their I-Pod and listen to them in the car or at the gym, but they’d have to sit and watch them on their computer if they wanted to see the videos. I thought hypnotists are just too busy for this, but I was wrong. Now I am realizing that there are a lot of people who don’t know how to down load to an I-POD especially people over 40 (like me) and how old is the average hypnotist in our profession?

Also, I was nervous about working with Cal himself. He excels at everything he does. What if I embarrass myself by not being able to think or talk intelligently and it’s all RECORDED AND PUT ON THE INTERNET? What if we just don’t have chemistry? What if I have spinach on my teeth through a whole pod cast? Then I laughed and thought, well if that happens he’ll probably just say nice knowin’ ya, and leave me alone and then I’d never have to worry about doing THAT again. I mean, after all, if I really stink, will he really want to put THAT pod cast on the internet anyway?

As it turns out, it’s been pretty fun! And we both look pretty good, we have decent chemistry and I haven’t been near as nervous as I thought I’d be. I cringe watching my mannerisms and am hyper-critical of my smacking (I have a mouth-noise problem as my husband says) or when I forget the camera is on me and scratch an itch (yes that has happened), but other than that it’s been not ONLY great fun but also a boost to my business. Duh. Did you think I didn’t have THAT in mind when I said yes?

So, I guess what I am saying here is that if you ever get a chance to be interviewed for TV or co-host a pod cast or if you think you might like to do your own pod cast, do it! Any form of media is more than excellent promotion. TV, radio, newspapers are ALL good and for goodness sake, do not forget the internet for blogs, and pod casts. The internet, to my thinking, is THE hottest spot for promotion there is.

The first time I saw our finished product I thought wow, it’ looks like we are right across from each other not several states away. I was very proud of how they turned out. And, something else I love about doing Cal Banyan’s Hypnosis Etc with Celeste Hackett, I’ve become a little part of living hypnosis history here. Cal was the first hypnotist to ever do video pod casts and then the first to do them with a partner and, at that a female partner. (At least to my knowledge, tell me if I’m wrong.)

How to do a Long Distance Pod Cast

Now here is a little bit about the nuts and bolts of how we do it. When we do our pod cast, we can’t see each other. I have a camera on me here in Plano and he has a camera there on him in Tustin, California. We have each other on our speaker phones, so we can hear and respond to each other. We usually do 3 or 4 recordings at a time. After recording, Christopher sends our recording to Cal’s tech guy via the computer and he edits the two together. He then puts a newly edited episode up on www.calbanyan.com about every Friday.

Creating Good Lighting

When you decide on a location for your “set” pick something that is lighter than the paneled wood back ground that I have or you are going to have to add a lot of light. But keep in mind a LOT of light is a good idea anyway because it practically washes away imperfections in your skin which is a very nice bonus!

We originally used two floor lamps without the shades for our lighting. But then we found that using shop lights, the kind like you get at home depot work better. (Use bulbs that simulate natural sunlight. Regular fluorescents cast a yellow glow that makes you look orange.) The key is to be evenly lit with a LOT of light. See this picture below of my husband’s new video studio he is building.

The long double shop lights above my head are what I am talking about. The one on the right side of the picture is attached vertically to a wood frame in this photo. There is another one on the left out of view. These lights are extremely cheap and make for great lighting.

The round light to the upper left is the halo light. It gives an effect of a halo that we liked on some video productions that we had seen. We now use that (another shop light-clip on) for Cal Banyan’s Hypnosis Etc too. Check out older versions of the pod cast and compare with newer versions to see the difference that the new lights make.

The Frugal but Professional Practice Part 10 by Celeste Hackett

Dying of Really Bad Humiliation

Now there is a lot more I could say about this subject but that oughta get your wheels turnin’. Don’t ever be afraid to do something in the media. Just do it. The worst thing that will happen is you will fall flat on your face and die of the most shameful, awful, ugly, body-shuddering humiliation in a pool of your own tears and bodily excrements I’ve done that on the radio and nation-wide via satellite and I’m here to say, it ain’t that bad really!.

Why is that? Because most people won’t even remember my stupidity in a week. And if they do they barely care. They are too worried about their own limitations, weaknesses, and lack of self-esteem. Screwing up publicly just makes them feel glad it wasn’t them. See? There is more than one way to make someone’s day. AND it keeps you humble!

Something Free-A Tradition Now

Better Aging

Very often my clients feel afraid of aging. They have learned to view aging as if there is something wrong with them. Many of them actually have guilt about it. They feel like they aren’t trying hard enough to make themselves younger. Their negative self talk about being old is ongoing and very damaging. They also often believe that since they are older now life isn’t worth living and they are worthless.

Aging is a natural part of life. It can be a most beautiful time or a frightening time. Studies show that those who age well are those who are positive in attitude, have a social circle, interesting activities, love and an active spiritual life of some sort. To be happy as you age do these things and strike a balance between healthy acceptance and gentle care-taking of the body with healthy diet and exercise.

I read recently of an aging man who said,” I do what I can to be healthy then I pray, ‘Here God, you created this body. You can take care of it. Then I forget about it and live my life as joyfully as I can.'”

For women, I like to say, stop looking in the mirror so much. Gage your beauty on how you feel not how you look. The better you feel the more you will radiate a gorgeous deeper beauty

I also teach them how to do this affirmation method. You write down your complaints about how you feel. Let’s say they are: Wrinkles, more fat, aches and pains, lack of strength, fear of being alone.

Then you have them say this to themselves: The older I get the _________ I get.

They then fill in the blank with the opposite of the negative they have been thinking. For instance:

The older I get the more radiant is my skin and smile.

The older I get the more my eyes twinkle with happiness

The older I get the thinner and healthier I get.

The older I get the better I feel all over.

The older I get the stronger I get inside and out.

The older I get the more loveable I am

The older I get the more social I am.

Now with each affirmation they are to:

say it
imagine it
FEEL it.

This exercise when done with true intention and feeling is guaranteed, over time, to make you feel wonderful about aging especially once you work out all the other emotional negatives held subconsciously through age regression.

Also, I often will just throw some suggestions in as part of a session if I think they could use it. Here are some common ones:

The older you get the younger you get

The happier you are

The more fun you have

The better you see

The stronger you are

The healthier you are

The more you laugh

The more you see the good in things

The more wise you are

The better you look

The more energy and vitality you have