Remembering Our Humanity Through Land, Ritual, and Community with Brooke Benincosa
Release Date: 05/01/2025
Stepping Into a New Era
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This episode feels different, and that’s because I am different. This is the first episode I’m recording on the other side of a deep personal and professional transformation. I’ve let go of old identities, old offers, old stories, and I’m stepping into a new era of my life and business. If you’re at a crossroads right now, if you feel like you’ve outgrown something but are scared to let it go, this conversation is for you. We’re talking about identity shifts, entrepreneurship in the age of AI, and what it really looks like to honor your evolution instead of clinging to what used...
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When to Stay and When to Leave: Processing My Breakup with Relationship Coach Karen McMahon
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This episode is a deeply personal one. I sat down with my dear friend Karen McMahon, and while she’s known as a high-conflict divorce strategist, this conversation goes far beyond divorce. It’s about personal power. It’s about self-abandonment. It’s about the moment you realize you’ve been editing yourself to keep the peace, and what it takes to finally come home to yourself. Karen supported me through a major breakup, and what she helped me see changed everything: sometimes what we think is “chemistry” is actually a dysregulated nervous system. Sometimes what we call love is...
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Curating Like Hermès: Creating a Brand People Want to Buy From with Raphaëlle Granger
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There comes a point in so many creative careers where what once felt exciting starts to feel heavy. The work may look successful from the outside, but internally, something feels off. In this episode of Play It Brave, I’m joined by photographer Raphaëlle Granger for an honest conversation about what it really looks like to outgrow a brand, walk away from work that no longer fits, and rebuild from a deeper place of artistic truth. Raphaëlle shares her journey from building a successful adventure elopement brand to realizing that the work she had carefully created no longer aligned with who...
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Why Photographers Aren’t Booking Like They Used To — and What To Do About It with Alicia Daw
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On today’s episode of the Play It Brave podcast, I’m talking about something many people in the wedding industry are quietly feeling but not always naming out loud. Photographers who used to book 15–20 weddings a year are sitting at just a handful. Retreats are being canceled. Educators who used to sell out instantly are extending deadlines. And behind the scenes, my DMs are filled with the same question: “Is it just me?” So today we’re talking about it honestly. I invited my friend Alicia Daw — an experienced luxury wedding photographer who has spent decades in this industry —...
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Is AI Destroying Art or Saving It? with Noella Andres of Imagen
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On this episode of Play It Brave, we’re diving into one of the biggest conversations happening in photography right now: AI. The excitement. The skepticism. The “Is this going to replace us?” energy. All of it. I brought on Noella Andres from Imagen AI to talk about what AI in editing actually is (and what it isn’t). Noella has spent over 20 years supporting photographers in finding more freedom in their workflows, and her move into Imagen fits perfectly with that mission. Together, we unpack how AI can support your artistry instead of threaten it, how it integrates into Lightroom, how...
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The Sales Call Mistakes Costing You Luxury Clients: Live Coaching with Jasmine Ortiz
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Talking to Trees and Dealing with Depression: D’Arcy’s 2025 Reflection
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Welcome to the final episode of 2025 — the year of the snake, the year of shedding skins that no longer fit. If this year felt like a raw unraveling, a call to deeper truth, a refusal from the Universe to let you live inside half-truths or “good enough,” this episode is for you. As has become tradition, I invited one of my wisest, most grounded friends — Casey — to interview me about my year. She’s someone who’s seen my behind-the-scenes, the unglamorous parts, the sacred parts, the parts that never make it to Instagram. And because this was a year of immense change, grief,...
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The Art of High-End Weddings with Dawn Weisberg of Tularosa Flowers
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In today’s episode, I’m talking with my friend Dawn Weisberg of Tularosa Flowers about what it actually takes to create and book large-scale luxury weddings — not just from a “pretty” standpoint, but from a strategic, energetic, and logistical one. Dawn and I both came to the wedding industry later in life with long creative careers behind us — mine in directing and acting, hers in costume design for film and television. We get into how those backgrounds shaped the way we approach weddings as world-building: cinematic, intentional, immersive, and deeply rooted in storytelling. We...
info_outlineIn this soul-nourishing episode, D’Arcy welcomes back her sister Brooke Benincosa to share the sacred story of how they co-steward Nightingale Cabin—a healing sanctuary tucked into the Utah mountains—and the vision they’re bringing to life through retreats, land rituals, and community gatherings.
Together, they explore what it means to live in deep connection with nature, rhythm, and each other. Brooke shares how she was called to create healing spaces rooted in reverence for the land, and how her journey with nursing, healing, and intuitive wisdom shaped the work she now offers.
They dive into the importance of rites of passage, conscious transitions, and returning to simplicity in a world of increasing noise and complexity. You’ll hear stories of sheep-shearing, singing around fires, making bone broth, bartering with neighbors, and cultivating beauty as a way of life.
Brooke introduces two powerful retreats that you can join her for:
Retreat Dates & Offerings:
May 30–June 1, 2025: Purification for Clarity Weekend
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A transformative weekend at the Nightingale Cabin, where nature meets inner peace. Immerse yourself in a sacred space designed for reflection, healing, and reconnection.
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Experience the power of sweat lodges, qigong, breathwork, fire ceremonies, silence, community, and reconnection to the land.
Sep 5–11, 2025: Lady of the Lake Priestess Initiation Retreat
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This week-long immersion will take place at a fairytale location in Wales, UK, where we’ll dive into the magic of weaving and remembering.
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Immerse yourself in nature's beauty as we explore ancient crafts, connect with our creativity, and rediscover the stories that shape us.
Whether you’re seeking community, healing, or simply a deeper connection to Mother Earth, this episode invites you to explore what it means to reclaim your humanity in a rapidly evolving world.
As Brooke says:
“We haven’t even scratched the surface of our full human potential. The land remembers. The body remembers. We just have to slow down and listen.”
Topics We Cover:
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The sacred origins of Nightingale Cabin
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Building community rituals rooted in earth wisdom
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Rites of passage, grief work, and feminine embodiment
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Why simplicity is often the most powerful form of healing
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The vision for a self-sustaining sanctuary: orchard, barter, and creative play
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How unplugging from technology can unlock true clarity
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Why healing doesn’t have to be heavy—it can be joyful, beautiful, and full of song
Interested in joining or hosting at Nightingale Cabin?
Brooke and D’Arcy are beginning to open the cabin to others who want to host retreats, workshops, or soulful gatherings. A website is coming soon to explore rentals, offerings, and available dates.
To Connect or Apply:
DM @darcybenincosa or @brooke.benincosa on Instagram
(And yes—"weirdos" are welcome! The playful, creative, heart-led kind.)
Meet Brooke:
Brooke Benincosa is a registered nurse turned modern day medicine woman. She is an energy worker, reiki master, trauma healer, and wellness embodiment coach. Brooke provides a unique perspective with her certifications in both Eastern and Western healing modalities. Her mission is to guide people on a path of long-term healing and wellness.