Some of you might recall the name Joshua Greenfield from the renowned entertainment duo Brothers Green. Together with his sibling Mike, the two went viral online for their fun chemistry in the kitchen which made it to the airwaves of MTV, airing internationally.
This was the picture of success for most entertainers and artists, but Joshua shares with us today his newfound happiness from stepping away from the spotlight.
As Joshua puts it, we’re all creating an image of who we are through some kind of channel. Whether it be YouTube or TV, or any online presence, there is a version of us there that we try to hold up. He shares that it reached a point, where he couldn’t take up the façade any longer.
“Holding on to this idea of who I am will create suffering for myself,” Joshua shares, “putting meaning to this person who we think we’re supposed to be, created more struggle.”
In leaving his celebrity image behind, Joshua found himself a path to rediscover his true self.
“Leaving brothers green was one of the most freeing things that ever happened to me. I was starting to get caught on this character [and] it led me to this journey of who am I really beyond that character.”
After leaving Brother Green, Joshua rekindled his love for cooking and found more purpose in his kitchen.
“What I love about food is the connection,” he shares, “now I teach more about mindful eating and conscious consumption helping people make a healthy relationship with nature and what they’re eating. Instead of making it about the food, it’s about how it makes you feel.”
Additionally, in this journey to self-discovery, Joshua searched for ways he could connect more to his internal self. He learned from different communities, Buddhist teaching, and on his journey, he even lost his shoes.
Being born in a family of Podiatrists, Joshua was aware of most of the science that surrounds it. He also points out that there is a deep connection between our souls and our soles.
Using online platforms like TikTok, and YouTube, Joshua connected with like-minded people who now join him in the Free the feet movement. Together they promote reconnecting with nature and walking barefoot.
“I believe in Free the feet,” Joshua says, “I help people develop a relationship with their feet because our feet ground us to the Earth.”
Learning from Clint Ober’s story in Earthing, Joshua says that people are like conduits of electricity where energy flows. Having this energy flow through and out to the ground is key because stagnant energy leads to a lot of our pains. Freeing our feet from shoes and the like is a way we can let this energy out.
Joshua notes that when he hikes with people who don’t walk barefoot, he always talks to them about it in hopes to encourage them.
“Recognize that your foot is a seedling,” he narrates, “when you take it out of the shoe it’s vulnerable, but if you’re smart and you take care of it, it will grow to this beautiful flower.”
This year, Joshua and other barefoot advocates will be running a barefoot marathon, and he openly welcomes those who are interested in joining.
YouTube: You Enjoy Life
TikTok: You Enjoy Life
Instagram: @youenjoylife
Books: Cooking with your Best friend & Conversations with your Best friend
