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A voice for the seekers. A compass for the sensitive. A balm for the quietly breaking hearts.
The Soul Mechanic Diaries is a tender voyage into the unseen. Part journal, part confessional, part cosmic toolbox. This podcast is where stories meet spirit, and pain becomes poetry.
Hosted by Ryan Koriya, a first-generation Zimbabwean artist, VIP holistic life coach, consultant, seasoned nomad, and investigative soul.
This series invites you to eavesdrop on the lived experience of someone navigating identity, intimacy, polarity, creativity, trauma, and the long road back to inner alignment.
Co-create real moments, reflections, honest riffs and raw memories that spark unexpected clarity. Through the lens of emotional alchemy, relational truth, and human design, you may find your own story between the lines.
This is a space for the bold, the brave, the sensitive, the neurodivergent, the seekers, and the silent strugglers. Whether you're an artist, a coach, a misfit, or a quiet rebel trying to feel more at home in your skin…
The Soul Mechanic Diaries reminds you that you're not broken. You’re being recalibrated and re-ignited in this unprecedented times.
Come as you are. Mask off. Armour down. Heart Open.
Here, your sensitivity is your superpower, your wounds are welcome, and your unfolding is your revolution.
So it's already halfway through 2025. Half a decade since the global pandemic and the lockdowns and what a wild time it has been. I hope this finds you well. And to be honest, I'm simply grateful to still be here. It has not all been fun and rainbows this past decade even, and I'm sure most of us have paid a hefty price losing loved ones, losing forms of stability, feeling the strain mentally and emotionally.
Ryan:On my side, there were days back then that were really bleak, really really bleak. Things really were falling apart around me, feeling as if hope had left the room entirely. But as they say, there is always a silver lining to the storm. So I'm just glad that I know myself well enough to navigate mental and emotional challenges with minimal damage and of course this is something that I take pride and enjoy in helping other people also do. So here we are on the other side.
Ryan:I'm excited to share with you what I'm currently up to and maybe how you can be involved in the next even more exciting chapter. So welcome to my Intimate Diary Style podcast. I've called this first episode the Courage to Speak, because even sitting here recording this feels edgy and raw because you know in the world we live in, in my culture, in many other cultures speaking of your dreams sharing your struggles or declaring your plans out loud can feel dangerous and intimidating. You know there seems to be, I don't know this like deep rooted fear, right? That if you share too much you will be cursed, blocked or sabotaged and worse still there is also this fear of judgment or resentment perhaps from those around us especially friends, family and even perhaps for not having the dreams or thoughts that they expect of us.
Ryan:It's an interesting topic isn't it? Anyway here's the thing though as someone who works deeply with the unconscious mind and with tools like hypnosis which is about reprogramming the unconscious mind it's like software in your brain. We go in there and we show you what is really going on and that you're not even aware of unconsciousness, right? Very interesting. So I help people from various backgrounds overcome such fears and transform, helping them transform their lives, right?
Ryan:And I know for a fact that the stories that we tell ourselves hold immense power and these stories are happening constantly daily day in day out like it's if you've ever tried to just be still or stop thinking or meditate you know exactly what I'm talking about. That is the data, that's the programming and whatever's going on in there 100% is a reflection of what your outer world becomes. So back to the thoughts. So these thoughts yeah they set the tone for what we attract and what we believe, what we deserve, what kind of energy that we will amplify around us and if you believe you must keep everything hidden for example you will reinforce this sense of secrecy, mistrust and fear. And if you believe you can share courageously you will invite authenticity, trust and more connection.
Ryan:So authenticity in this way also works as a filter right so helping you see who truly supports you who you may not be able to trust because they don't really want to to see you rise or are willing to help you or or you know want to rise with you. So that is why this podcast is my way of reclaiming that courage and modeling it. This is how I live my life but I'm usually doing it offline. You don't see me doing this because I'm busy living the life right. So I'm trying to help sort of show you how it is that I live and how I'm achieving the incredible things that I'm achieving and it may surprise you as to how little I have while I achieve the things that I do.
Ryan:Again it's all about speaking your truth. So for me speaking the truth is an act of liberation and of course authenticity and speaking your truth is powerful but there is also a need for discernment right so you've got to also choose wisely what it is that you share and how you share it and of course with whom. So in a future episode I'm sure we will dive deeper into this idea of silence and safety and how it relates to the culture and family and fear. But for today though let's just get to know each other better. So you can call me Ryan Correa also known as the soul mechanic and it's something that I'm just very very truly grateful, to welcome you because I'm glad you're here and I really do mean that.
Ryan:We live in a world where everyone seems so time poor right no one's got time and everyone seems to be craving this instant gratification I want this now I want things now I've messaged someone they haven't gotten back to me it's been thirty seven minutes you know this is the world we live in I don't have the time to be here waiting are you coming or you're not coming what's going on so I'm just like if you're here choosing to slow down and explore these unseen realms with me I really honor you for that truly. So welcome! So what we're going to do on this podcast is we're going to go deep and we're going to get meaningful and we're going to be inspirational and I want it to be mind expanding, healing sometimes it will be confronting but in a good way because growth needs that energy we we stay comfortable we don't really grow so it'll be intriguing I'm sure there'll be a lot of intriguing moments in this podcast a lot of people have said to me Ryan you need to write a book you need to share what's in your brain because the way you work dude like you're from another planet so I'm like hey let's just share me being me so yeah it's gonna be fun healing, sometimes confronting, mind expanding, intriguing and everything in between.
Ryan:And that's why I've called this podcast The Soul Mechanic Diaries. I like that ring. It's got a ring to it. So anyway, I'll be going a bit deeper into what the soul mechanic actually is in the next episode. But for now, on our intimate journey together, what you might feel at times is like you're eavesdropping on someone's unusual, but hopefully eye opening and inspiring journey through life.
Ryan:And it's a journey that might give you permission to live your own life in a more authentic and self fulfilling way. So quick rundown about me. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, a beautiful country in Southern Africa which is nestled between South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, and Namibia. I was born at independence, funny enough in 1980 and my generation felt like a grand social experiment as the former British colony of Rhodesia became this new hopeful rainbow nation called Zimbabwe and the excitement was eclectic. It was like so interesting being a kid in that time.
Ryan:Bob Marley even wrote a song called Zimbabwe, right, and you may know the song and he performed it live at a stadium concert at our independence. And Stevie Wonder wrote the line peace has come to Zimbabwe in his track Master Blaster jamming and jamming till the break of dawn. You know that song I'm sure? So it felt like the world was really rooting for us in the 80s and the 90s as the promising young rainbow nation emerging from a racially segregated Rhodesia and a you know we had roughly about a fifteen year long civil war for liberation before that and I don't think many people know our history and just how much trauma that has brought through the lines of generations because of it. So over the next two decades that independence dream evolved into something closer to a national tragedy, one that most people outside of our borders might not fully understand.
Ryan:So this podcast will I guess explore how that story shaped people like me and hopefully help you understand why Zimbabweans have become so resilient and unbreakable in spirit. You might even know some Zimbabweans living in your country and perhaps recognize these unique qualities in them. A broad skill set, a strong work ethic, a high level of education, confidence with the English language and an ability to blend in while still bringing a spark of African optimism and connection and community to their surroundings. So you may even notice that many Zimbabweans are bringing their innately nurturing qualities to industries like medicine, nursing and care work. So I myself have been largely nomadic in my adult life and that's a long time nurturing my music dream and embracing a holistic coaching mission that has taken me across The UK, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, The US, Australia, New Zealand, and many more.
Ryan:So there is a method to the madness and I will share that with you as we get to know each other a bit better. So right now I am speaking to you from Poland. It's summertime, it's warm, it took a while to get there but it's picked up and it's nice and sunny and I'm enjoying it being here. So after spending last summer in America, reconnecting with my network, planting seeds for new projects and rediscovering how well things tend to go and flow for me over in The US. If life had sort of lined up differently for me, I would have probably been living in America twenty years ago and would have achieved way more success by now.
Ryan:And I still believe it is a land of opportunity despite all of its challenges and have many anecdotes to prove it. Probably will tell you a few of those as we go in this series. So in 2025, I am now back on track with my music and my VIP coaching work. So coaching wise, I support higher level creative, successful and sometimes public facing people who need a safe place to unpack their inner worlds. Musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, artists, and the folks who seem to have it all together, but still need grounding, clarity, and a special kind of support and honest reflection.
Ryan:So I sometimes am flown in to work with my VIP clients in person and I often live in their homes, although I also do sessions online and you can find out more about my VIP coaching by visiting the link in the show notes. So if that sounds like something you're interested in, have a look. I do coaching, in different ways as well for people who are not in the VIP space. So definitely stay tuned. What else is happening in 2025 which is exciting is that I'm reconnecting with my first love of music.
Ryan:Being away from the mic and the guitar for too long felt like a very cruel form of amputation and music is it's my therapy you know and it's something that unites people beyond language or culture. I really really have a lot to thank for music in terms of allowing me to get to where I am and helping me get through from my childhood years as well. So music wise I'm reviving I See Hearts which is my acoustic project. So think Damien Rice, early Bon Iver, early Coldplay, Acoustic Seal, that kind of vibe. And I'm also building a live band again in Europe after the live launch I did in Zimbabwe late last year, and I'm calling the band project Cup Tea No Sugar.
Ryan:Cup Tea No Sugar, which will be my collective band energy on stage. So that mainly blends blues, rock, funk, soul, pop, reggae, that kind of vibe. So I'm very excited about that. I really really miss being on stage with the band. So we actually filmed the first live Captino Sugar gig in Zimbabwe in December.
Ryan:So stay tuned, yeah, to find out more about that when we've released the film. So since I'm doing things in my own way, in case you hadn't noticed, this is also a journey about being neurodivergent and trusting the road less traveled. So one of my favorite quotes is this: Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist. And that to me really speaks to how I may be doing things in ways that are obviously not what's generally taught or sold as the standard practice and believe me there are reasons for that. So stay tuned to find out what these reasons are and what these sort of rules or beliefs that we are sort of governed by that I'm choosing to not follow and sometimes there's no choice.
Ryan:It's like this is just the way I know how and can. So the results can be quite surprising Because our world is changing very quickly and many things that used to work simply just don't work anymore. And that often includes how we relate to each other, how we love, how we build our sense of purpose, and even my musical mission that's going to stay alive as it always has wherever I am and however I can. I'm going to just really keep going for it and I've got very big goals now which I didn't have early on and that's because I wasn't always confident about my music But diving into the busking and performing across four continents multiple times, mostly in my thirties really helped build my self esteem and there's been just way too much proof to doubt my abilities any longer. I know I can get there and in a very, very exciting, profound way.
Ryan:So I'm dreaming big and I'm living it, I'm going for it. So welcome to the journey. You're going to be alongside me if you choose to follow and yeah just to understand and witness how I just do the things I do and I've done so many cool things that just weren't documented. I was in the moment in different countries doing different things but no one was really filming for me so I don't have the footage. So yeah it's time to really get it going.
Ryan:So yeah success in music still needs investment, it needs a team and so in the meantime I just had to gather the crucial skills and knowledge over the years for myself to make sure that I could keep relevant, keep up to date and keep producing music and releasing and just growing. So skills I'm talking about that I do everything DIY and have done, things like music production, branding, touring, songwriting, video editing, web design, performance, psychology, adaptability, you know, all of these skills that are needed, persistence, patience even, anything needed to get from an idea in my head to a song that's out in the world. So yeah, I'm closer than ever to those musical dreams now. And we'll be giving you the scoop on how I wrote, produced, and released my songs such as Drowning in Space, which is a favorite, which I recorded in my bedroom in a Vibe Backpackers in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe called Shoestrings. And that was nearly a decade ago.
Ryan:And the music video too, Drowning in Space, is a visual sort of point of view POV journey of me touring across four continents, bringing this good energy to people around the world and doing it all solo and self managed. So it's quite a crazy story. Like as I unpack, you'll get an idea of how I've done what I've done and I'm going to go through my music and show you song by song how I wrote and how I produced and how I just made all that happen. So this year, I'm focusing on building a team and attracting new powerful collaborations, and some of them you will probably recognize. So yeah.
Ryan:Moving on to the next topic. Let's look at the relationship coaching side of things. So I myself am also currently creating a course for women on mastermind.com about how to find and keep a high value man because that seems to be a struggle for many women right now. And then after that course I will launch a course for men because men too are desperately in need of support and guidance. You know, was once one of them myself and I'm going to tell you my story and how I got here because believe me, it wasn't easy being a guy or being a man or figuring out what that looked like when I was a teen and so it's my pleasure to help other men find their way through the minefield.
Ryan:So what else? Yeah, we have to in terms of relationships and you know masculine and feminine, we have to strengthen both legs of our human experience. The feminine and the masculine, the left and the right, the yin and the yang. The favoritism of one over the other clearly is not working out for us as a whole. Holistic relationship and intimacy coaching is honestly one of my favorite parts of what I do and in fact I have dedicated a whole podcast to relationships and intimacy and it's called Love Code Sigma which lives under the umbrella of the attraction playhouse.
Ryan:So if you wanted to explore dating, intimacy, polarity, attraction, and conscious relating, you'll also find a link in the show notes to that podcast. Next up, through all of my projects, what I'd say that the thread is that is always present is it's about helping people, it's about healing, connection, helping people live powerful authentic fulfilling lives. This is really my why and it's important because it runs through everything that I do. So it may look like I'm all over the place like neurodivergent but there was a reason and there is even a necessity for it to have evolved the way it has and that's why it's important now to come onto the podcast, be more front facing and connect with like minded people and more importantly identify and connect with very important people and opportunities that are going to allow me to get to the next beautiful chapter. For as long as I can remember I have been deeply interested in people, in self development, personal growth and honest self inquiry.
Ryan:Not just these past twenty years but since childhood. And I was always asking those bigger questions and apparently that is also very much as expected of me as an Aquarius and we are now in the age of Aquarius so exciting. So it's part of what led me to remain T total actually my whole life. I did not drink alcohol, smoke or use recreational drugs and never started and it does surprise people especially as a touring musician but that's just me. And there's no judgment I just honor everyone's rights to live their story and I'm obviously sometimes around such people which is no big deal.
Ryan:My role is to help people understand their biases, their triggers, relationships and to support them in their growth with curiosity and compassion. So growing up for me, there was no real language for intimacy beyond the surface. No one really explained polarity, masculine and feminine energetics energetics or healthy self worth. We had to learn the hard way through heartbreak, failure and self doubt. And remember my generation, we were the first generation of Zimbabwean kids as well.
Ryan:But what if you don't have to do that? We have so much access nowadays. And so what if you could hear honest stories from someone who has been working and walking through these paths for decades and also get a kind of roadmap for navigating a world that is now faster than ever before and more disconnected, not to mention even more confusing. Right? We have such a surplus of information and not all of it is relevant or honest or true or in the right context.
Ryan:Plus loneliness is now a true epidemic. So that is why I am grateful that I took the leap to leave my day job in London twenty years ago. Crazy when I think about that moment and I didn't realize just how fundamental it was. So I left my day job in West London in Richmond and I decided to just go for the dream of music, know, to study the skills that I needed to coach, to trust the unknown and to build a more aligned life even though I didn't really have the map so to speak. So that's why I'm here now ready to help others who are waking up to the same truths.
Ryan:Those who believe that there has to be more. So this podcast will gather those tools, those stories, those golden threads I wish I had as a kid. And if it helps even one person, as they say, then that's great, especially to feel less alone, or a little braver, then it's definitely worth it. So in the coming episodes, I will take you back to my early childhood, including a story from grade one where I faced one of my first deepest identity challenges, which was very life forming for me. And I'll share conversations with inspiring guests, share lessons from my travels and the raw voice note style reflections that have become my trademark.
Ryan:And of course, I will boldly be reaching out to interesting people, some of them high profile like Celine Dion, who I believe I could help with her healing journey as well as other creative heroes I would love to connect with for various reasons. This comes back to the the fear I told you about. I would never, you know, have mentioned or thought of mentioning such things a few years ago but now it's like I am willing to get out of my own way and to reject the collective fear and just really trust myself and with this much life experience that I've got about who I am and how I work and what's really true for me, it's time for action. So yeah, I would love to connect with all these different people and let's see how it goes. And if the stars align, you will get to witness these exciting developments right here on this podcast.
Ryan:So buckle up because this is going to be quite a ride and otherwise I'm honored, You are here for it. So till next time. We'll see you in the next one. Hey. Thanks for hanging out with me on the Soul Mechanic Diaries podcast.
Ryan:You'll find the relevant resources and links in the show notes below. If this resonated with you, please do follow the show on your favorite podcast platform and maybe even share it with someone who could use a spark of hope today. In the following episodes, I'll be sharing deeper stories about healing, purpose, and the wild ride of creating a life you actually love in our dynamic and modern times. So keep tending your soul garden cause that's where your dreams, your peace of mind and your potential can continue to grow. Till next time.
Ryan:See you soon. Ciao.