Practice You with Elena Brower
Content and conversations for times of transition and change. Join me in discussion with renowned luminaries and dear friends to explore life's myriad transitions, our understandings and our responses. What does it mean to be present, to shift our perceptions, to engage with the world meaningfully, with dignity and care? With respect for the ancient practices and the modern wisdom that continue to inform and elevate our exchanges, each episode is an invitation to Practice You.
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Episode 222: Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
08/02/2025
Episode 222: Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
On befriending the mind; when negative emotions have positive outcomes, and the practice of coming home to yourself. <ul> <li>(0:00) — Introduction</li> <li>(1:34) — Discussion on Sadhvi's Book "Come Home to Yourself"</li> <li>(3:05) — The Importance of Spirituality</li> <li>(10:58) — Bringing the Mind to Your Side</li> <li>(24:45) — Using Anger Constructively</li> <li>(41:07) — Daily Practice and Service</li> <li>(47:41) — Evening Routine and Community Involvement</li> <li>(49:57) — Closing Remarks and Future Plans</li> </ul> Bestselling author, a world-renowned speaker, serving on the United Nations Advisory Council on religion, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati is a renunciate monk, living in an ashram on the banks of the Ganges River in Rishikesh, India. Originally from Los Angeles, California, and a graduate of Stanford University, she holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has dedicated her life to sharing the profound wisdom from the ancient Vedic tradition of India, as well as serving local communities. Her new book, Come Home To Yourself, is a journey through the heart of householder practices, befriending the mind, mastering the emotions and living a life of exemplary presence. RESOURCES
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Episode 221: Mara Branscombe
07/19/2025
Episode 221: Mara Branscombe
On embodying the creative, intuitive, fortifying feminine spirit at every stage of our lives. (0:00) - Introduction to Mara Branscombe and Her Work (2:01) - The Importance of Ritual in Daily Life (5:27) - Elemental Wisdom and Connecting with Nature (8:53) - Exploring the Archetypes in "Sage Huntress Lover, Queen" (14:58) - The Role of the Sage and Huntress Archetypes (20:20) - Navigating the Transition from Huntress to Lover and Mystic (29:41) - The Queen Archetype and Leadership with Love (32:32) - The Weaver Archetype and Centric Consciousness (35:49) Conclusion and Call to Action Author of Ritual as Remedy (Findhorn Press, 2022) and Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen (Findhorn Press, 2023), Mara Branscombe is a yoga and meditation teacher, author, artist, ceremonialist, and spiritual mentor. Teaching for twenty years, she runs international retreats, corporate leadership programs, and online personal development programs. She is a regular contributor for Spirituality and Health and Wanderlust, and lives with her husband and two daughters in Vancouver, Canada. Ritual As Remedy: Embodied Practices for Soul Care Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen: Access Your Power and Creativity through Sacred Female Archetypes
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Episode 220: Colleen and Jason Wachob
07/05/2025
Episode 220: Colleen and Jason Wachob
On our commitment to joy as key to longevity. On prioritizing curiosity, compassion and empathy for true well-being. (0:00) - Welcoming Colleen and Jason Wachob (4:04) - Overview of "The Joy of Well Being" (5:25) - Colleen's Story and the Importance of Breath (15:23) - Jason's Insights on Connection and Loneliness (21:15) - Real Food Chapter and Nutrition Philosophy (27:47) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts (34:29) - Closing Remarks and Future Plans Jason & Colleen Wachob are the husband and wife Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of mindbodygreen, the leading independent media platform dedicated to well-being with 15 million monthly unique visitors which they launched out of their Brooklyn apartment back in 2009. Jason is also the host of the popular mindbodygreen podcast, and together Colleen and Jason recently co-authored The Joy of Well-Being: A Practical Guide to a Happy, Healthy & Long Life. Colleen graduated from Stanford University with degrees in international relations and Spanish and Jason graduated from Columbia University where he played varsity basketball for four years.
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Episode 219: Nan Seymour
06/21/2025
Episode 219: Nan Seymour
On our imperiled bodies of water, focusing on the majestic Great Salt Lake, and the urgency of divesting from harm. (0:00) - Introduction to Nan Seymour and Her Work (3:18) - The Great Salt Lake and Its Significance (6:06) - Human Impact and Environmental Concerns (9:07) - Efforts to Protect the Lake (13:58) - Hope and Future Actions (18:23) - Nan's Poetry and Personal Connection (26:01) - Community Engagement and Future Plans (31:27) - Closing Remarks and Resources Nan created in order to foster voice and authentic connection. Everyone is welcome in her circles. This community-held writing practice was designed for anyone willing to pick up a pen. A recent highlights River Writing as a method of repair for what is broken in our relationship with the natural world. Her debut poetry collection, was published by Toad Hall Editions in the summer of 2021. Nan's story lake woman leaving, a modern myth, was awarded the 2022 Alfred Lambourne prize by Friends of Great Salt Lake. As the poet-in-residence on Antelope Island, Nan led day-and-night vigils on behalf of the imperiled Great Salt Lake throughout the 2022 and 2023 Utah State legislative sessions. During her weeks on the receding lake shore, she assembled the praise poem called , ;a collective love letter containing over 400 individual voices from lake-facing citizens. The epic ode is a community cry for this essential ecosystem's full restoration. In the May 2023 , Nan offers a reflection on relationship with the lake from the perspective of two winter vigils. Nan continues to advocate for legally defensible personal rights for ecosystems, including Great Salt Lake. Her work gives voice to their inherent right to live, flourish, and evolve in natural way. The words emerge from a devotion to repairing the breach between humans and the rest of the sentient, singing earth.
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Episode 218: Christie Tate
06/07/2025
Episode 218: Christie Tate
On the finer practice of friendship, tending to ourselves in order to be present, and learning what it means to be a good friend. (0:00) - Introduction and Author Background (2:48) - Discussion on the Book's Title and Theme (5:02) - Reflections on Meredith's Role in the Book (7:56) - Navigating Joy and Sorrow in Friendships (12:45) - Exploring Spirituality and Recovery (16:13) - Healing and Overcoming Envy (21:05) - Supporting a Friend Through Illness (26:39) - Maintaining Friendships After Loss Christie Tate is a Chicago-based writer and essayist. She has been published in The New York Times (Modern Love), The Rumpus, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Eastern Iowa Review and elsewhere. Kiese Laymon selected her essay, , as the winner of the New Ohio Review’s nonfiction contest, which was published Fall 2019. In this episode, we discuss B.F.F., her latest book, which strikes a deep chord of love and understanding.
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Episode 217: Chelsey Luger
05/24/2025
Episode 217: Chelsey Luger
On the ways in which we can respectfully learn from Indigenous cultures about creating instances of meaning, integrity, health and happiness. The Seven Circles encompass a series of interconnected, intersecting circles to help us all live well. (0:00)- Introduction and Guest Introduction (2:54) - Overview of "The Seven Circles" (3:49) - Movement as an Antidote to Addiction (10:28) - Connection to Land and Environmentalism (16:46) - Spiritual Aspects of Land and Prayer (21:46) - Ceremony and Its Role in Wellness (38:11) - Resources for Allies and Cultural Revitalization (38:42) - Final Thoughts and Gratitude Chelsey Luger is a writer, multimedia journalist and wellness advocate whose work focuses largely on reclaiming healthy lifestyles and positive narratives in Indigenous communities. She is Anishinaabe, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (maternal) and Lakota from Cheyenne River and Standing Rock (paternal). She holds a BA in history and Native American studies from Dartmouth College, and an MS in journalism from Columbia University. Luger has written for the Atlantic, Self Magazine, the Huffington Post, Well + Good, Indian Country Today and more. She is a former VJ (on-air talent), script writer, and producer for NowThis News. She is a trainer/facilitator for the and is the cofounder of , an Indigenous wellness initiative. Luger has worked as talent, cultural consultant, producer, content creator and copywriter for brands such as Nike, Athleta On Running and REI. She is originally from North Dakota and now resides in O’odham Jeved (Arizona) with her husband, Thosh Collins, and their children. Chelsey and Thosh are the authors of now available everywhere books are sold.
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Episode 216: Ash Canty
05/10/2025
Episode 216: Ash Canty
On serving and shifting the narrative around death, dying and our transition to the other side. On entering into deep heart healing and becoming ourselves. (0:00) - Introduction (3:01) - Ash's Journey and Personal Background (7:04) - Ash's Work and Certification (13:13) - Ash's Approach to Death Coaching (14:57) - Stories of Helping Clients (29:25) - Ash's Retreats and Private Spiritual Coaching (39:05) - The Impact of Healing on Generations (43:25) - Final Thoughts and Gratitude Ash Canty is a wonderfully queer, Afro-Indigenous-made Psychic Medium and Death Walker, supporting others to consciously and gracefully face their death. Ash's work serves those actively dying as well as those wishing to feel more connected to their own spirit in everyday life. Ash also supports you in connecting with loved ones with mediumship readings, guiding you in transforming your grief into even deeper wells of meaning and aliveness. This work of walking with grief and death found Ash after being diagnosed and hospitalized with a chronic illness called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It was in their most challenging days and scariest moments where death was close---that Ash realized what it was they would offer to this world. "It was when I began to face my own death from my long term chronic illness that I was initiated in the astral plane by my grandmother Ida Canty, who was in spirit. She told me I would be supporting others in the physical world, lessening their fear of death and being a bridge of communication from the spirit realm to this physical realm." Certified as a death care provider through Alua Arthur's Going With Grace program, Ash's hope and prayer is to bring about healing from the other side and a profound peace regarding life after death.
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Episode 215: Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling
04/26/2025
Episode 215: Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling
On remembering our original state; the use of quantum energy to boost regenerative competency and overall health. (0:00) - Introduction to Philip von Holtzendorf-Fehling (2:47) - Understanding Quantum Energy (4:21) - Practical Applications of Quantum Energy (10:55) - Impact of Quantum Energy on Water and Food (15:27) - Scientific Evidence and Research (21:04) - Personal Experiences and Practical Uses (23:01) - Accelerating Cell Recovery and Physical Benefits (29:19) - Spiritual and Consciousness Benefits Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling is a coach, conscious entrepreneur, and energy healer. In parallel to a successful international business career, he constantly worked through blockages and barriers that had prevented him from fully connecting with his true self. With that, he also started to see energy fields and developed his unique skills as a healer, and he went through two decades of training in shamanic and other energy healing practices. During his business career, he's worked as an executive for several companies, including T-Mobile International and T-Mobile US, where he served as Vice President. He’s the founder and CEO of Leela Quantum Tech and Quantum Upgrade. While he’s also a passionate bio- and bio-energy hacker in his personal life, he’s also a kundalini yoga teacher, a father of two, loves dogs, and is currently No. 2 in the Tennis Senior US Nationals (Men's 50). Code ELENA means 10% off.
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Episode 214: Shirin Etessam
04/12/2025
Episode 214: Shirin Etessam
On the six key steps to freeing ourselves from the inside out. (1:44) - Overview of "Free to Be" (4:02) - Heart Detox and Self-Care (6:21) - Body Detox and Self-Care (8:58) - The Role of Play in Neuroplasticity (13:28) - Finding Your True North (15:28) - Rewriting Your Story (20:01) - Conclusion and Closing Remarks A proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Shirin Etessam is an entrepreneur, producer, creator and founder. Shirin founded OML TV, a popular platform dedicated to streaming and curating quality, queer female content, and OML Originals, a female-led production company telling diverse female stories through a vast spectrum of film and television genres. Her book leads us away from the prioritization of accomplishment toward a simple, structured, six-week reset for mind, heart and body. Shirin lives in Marin County with her wife and two children.
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Episode 213: Mallory McDuff part 2
03/29/2025
Episode 213: Mallory McDuff part 2
On our last best act, planning for the end of our lives and aligning our end-of-life choices with our values. Exploring new, sustainable practices such as green burial, aquamation, conservation cemeteries, home funerals and human composting. (0:00) - Introduction and Background of Mallory McDuff (2:05) - Defining Green Burials and Their Importance (5:47) - Exploring Cremation and Aquamation (14:06) - Choosing a Green Burial Site (29:53) - Personal Stories and Final Wishes (36:28) - Practical Considerations and Resources (36:39) - Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks In this second conversation with Mallory McDuff, environmental education professor, we discuss her book, Our Last Best Act. She is the author of four books, with essays featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post and more.
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Episode 212: Mallory McDuff part 1
03/15/2025
Episode 212: Mallory McDuff part 1
On the women who've designated themselves as voices for the Earth and prioritizing joy amidst the truths of our times. (0:00) - Introduction to Mallory McDuff and the Podcast (1:52) - Hannah Herman's Connection to Mallory McDuff (4:49) - The Power of Climate Storytelling (6:20) - Colette Pichon Battle's Story (12:03) - Ayanna Elizabeth Johnson's Focus on Ocean Justice (24:50) - Mari Copeny's Activism in Flint, Michigan (36:11) - Kendra Pinto's Fight Against Fracking in New Mexico (44:55) - Conclusion and Call to Action Mallory McDuff discovered the field of Environmental Education as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic, where she saw the critical importance of integrating local communities in conservation. She's the author of four books examining the intersection of spirituality and the climate crisis: (OUP, 2010), (New Society Press, 2012), (Broadleaf Books, 2021), and (Broadleaf Books, 2023). She also co-authored a book for practitioners (OUP, 2015) and written more than 50 essays for the New York Times, Washington Post, WIRED, Newsweek, and more. In this episode, we discuss Love Your Mother. Much of her writing draws on her life at Warren Wilson College, where she lives with her two daughters. In her classes, students collaborate with diverse community partners—from youth to senior citizens—to teach and learn together using the forests, farms, and fields of the campus.
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Episode 211: Alua Arthur
03/01/2025
Episode 211: Alua Arthur
On living your fullest life so you can meet the end with grace. (0:00) - Introduction and Book Reading (2:08) - Alua's Journey from Law School to Death Doula (3:57) - Meeting Jessica and Reflecting on Judgments (7:04)- Alua's Background and Going with Grace (9:23) - Alua's Childhood and Adaptability (12:47) - Life in Los Angeles and Death Doula Work (14:37) - Peter's Illness and Its Impact (18:11) - Reflecting on Peter's Death (20:02) - Alua's Family and Legacy (24:43) - Final Thoughts and Resources Author of BRIEFLY PERFECTLY HUMAN: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, Alua Arthur is the most visible death doula in America today. A recovering attorney and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization, Alua has been featured on The Doctors and in Disney's Limitless docu-series with Chris Hemsworth, as well as Vogue, InStyle, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. Her TED talk entitled “Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life,” went online in July 2023 and has already received over 1.5 million views. Alua has appeared on dozens of podcasts, and a Refinery29 video feature on Arthur and her work received ten million views across social platforms. For her clients and everyone who has been inspired by her humanity, Alua Arthur is a friend at the end of the world. As our country’s leading death doula, she’s spreading a transformative message: thinking about your death—whether imminent or not—will breathe wild, new potential into your life. Warm, generous, and funny AF, Alua supports and helps manage end-of-life care on many levels. The business matters, medical directives, memorial planning; but also honoring the quiet moments, when monitors are beeping and loved ones have stepped out to get some air—or maybe not shown up at all—and her clients become deeply contemplative and want to talk. Aching, unfinished business often emerges. Alua has been present for thousands of these sacred moments—when regrets, fears, secret joys, hidden affairs, and dim realities are finally said aloud. When this happens, Alua focuses her attention at the pulsing center of her clients’ anguish and creates space for them, and sometimes their loved ones, to find peace. , Alua's work Alua's TED Talk: This has had a profound effect on Alua, who was already no stranger to death’s periphery. Her family fled a murderous coup d’état in Ghana in the 1980s. She has suffered major, debilitating depressions. And her dear friend and brother-in-law died of lymphoma. Advocating for him in his final months is what led Alua to her life’s calling. She knows firsthand the power of bearing witness and telling the truth about life’s painful complexities, because they do not disappear when you look the other way. They wait for you. Briefly Perfectly Human is a life-changing, soul-gathering debut, by a writer whose empathy, tenderness, and wisdom shimmers on the page. Alua Arthur combines intimate storytelling with a passionate appeal for loving, courageous end-of-life care—what she calls “death embrace.” Hers is a powerful testament to getting in touch with something deeper in our lives, by embracing the fact of our own mortality. “Hold that truth in your mind,” Alua says, “and wondrous things will begin to grow around it.
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Episode 210: Chazz Scott
02/15/2025
Episode 210: Chazz Scott
On the gift of childlike faith, guarding your mind and the crucial connection between your well-being and your success. (0:00) - Introduction (2:50) - Chaz's Journey to Writing the Book (5:40) - Guard Your Mind and Meditation (12:09) - Self-Talk and Affirmations (16:13) - Work toward ascension and childlike faith (21:58) - Success and Self-Care (26:33) - Conclusion and Call to Action Chazz Scott is an author, speaker, mindset and resilience coach. He is the founder of Supra Mentem, a consulting firm specializing in training leaders in peak performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His clients include the D.C. Hospital Association, the Maryland Association of Election Officials, and the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce. Chazz is the Executive Director of Positively Caviar, Inc., a nonprofit focused on using optimism to build resilience and disrupt youth mental health stigmas. He lives with his wife in the Washington D.C. area. Chazz is the author of his latest book, , which seeks to bridge the gap between wellness and accomplishment by illuminating a simple principle: our outward success is only as viable as our inner well-being. On Amazon:
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Episode 209: Arli Liberman
02/01/2025
Episode 209: Arli Liberman
On sonic gratitude, developing our deeper gifts, the peril of expectation, the potency of the present, and the beauty of self-acceptance. (0:00) - Musical Journey and Transformative Work (5:12) - Early Career Challenges and Breakthroughs (12:25) - Personal Transitions and Professional Growth (14:57) - The Power of Gratitude and Creative Process (15:38) - The Role of Meditation and Yoga in Creative Work (19:35) - The Impact of Friendship and Support (19:57) - Arlie's Musical Projects and Future Aspirations (20:21) - The Influence of Elena's Writing on Arlie's Music (20:42)- The Importance of Self-Acceptance and Present Moment Awareness Arli Liberman is an award-winning screen composer, producer and guitarist who creates vibrant, immersive music for film, TV, multimedia and live experiences. With an unwavering dedication to his craft, Arli's approach to music serves as a transformative force that resonates both on and off the screen. As a screen composer, Arli has worked on a wide range of films, including Sam Kelly's gang movie 'Savage', winning the 2021 APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award. In 2024, he collaborated with Tiki Taane to create the score to the historical drama in Te Reo Māori 'Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End' directed by Mike Jonathan, with the theme song 'Hold On To The Dream' featuring Louis Baker, released as a single. Arli composed the original score for NZ film 'The Mountain' (2024), with music by Troy Kingi, directed by Rachel House and produced by Piki Films and Sandy Lane Productions. In 2023, he scored 'Stylebender' a documentary directed by Zoë McIntosh about Nigerian - New Zealand mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya, which was premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. His signature sound can be heard on the 36th America's Cup theme, the opening titles of the FIFA Women's World Cup, The All Blacks Experience at SkyCity, and in the Auckland Art Gallery's filmic exhibition Te Mata. As a solo artist, Arli is also prolific, with his fifth solo album coming out on Bigpop Records, in addition to creating a new collaborative album with renowned composer Rhian Sheehan due out in 2024. Arli's production work on Ngatapa Black's album 'I Muri Ahiahi' earned a nomination for Māori Album of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and he has performed at MoMA New York and the Montreux Jazz Festival, among other international festivals. Originally from Israel, Arli was a member of the groundbreaking White Flag Project, a pioneering crossover band uniting Palestinian and Israeli musicians. Under the mentorship of platinum-selling English record producer Mark Smulian, he was urged to 'find the back door of the electric guitar sound', which marked the beginning of Arli’s journey in developing his sonic identity. In 2009, Arli moved to Aotearoa New Zealand, where he continued to develop his innovative approach to music and began exploring the synergy between composition and visual storytelling.
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Episode 208: Rocío Marte
01/18/2025
Episode 208: Rocío Marte
On rest as our birthright and the vital importance of remembering to pause. (0:00) - Rest and relaxation with a focus on honoring ancestral heritage and claiming birthright to rest. (5:09) - Rest and self-care, with a focus on yoga nidra and inner peace. (13:06) - Rest and self-care with a meditation course and 21-day program. Born in the Caribbean Dominican Republic and living now in Mianjin/Brisbane, Australia, Rocío is dedicated to finding inner resources of ease. Offering Restorative Yoga, Meditation and Nidra for almost 10 years, building bridges with community and world, Rocío is a woman of color, devoted to honoring the space her ancestors missed to pause. Claiming rest today, she nurtures the lineage before her. She encourages us to "Think less. Feel more."
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Episode 207: Melissa Berry Appleton
01/04/2025
Episode 207: Melissa Berry Appleton
On growing up at fifty, practice as a modern-day chaplain and cultivating a domestic monastery. (1:48) - Parenting Practices and Transitions (3:51) - Addiction Recovery and Personal Experience (5:33) - Talking to Children About Addiction (10:02) - Living in a Domestic Monastery (15:24) - Marriage and Personal Growth (23:50) - Chaplaincy and Palliative Care (26:13) - End-of-Life Celebrations and Legacy (29:07) - Connecting with the Community and Future Plans Melissa Berry Appleton is a Buddhist Chaplain, lay ordained in the Soto Zen Prajna Mountain Order, by Roshi Joan Halifax of Upaya Zen Center. Currently serving as a Chaplain with the University of British Columbia Okanagan, British Columbia Interior Health Physicians and the clinical counselling and social work graduate intern practicum program, Melissa has worked as a front-line worker in geriatric cognitive impairments, palliative care, and residential treatment centers for addiction. Almost complete with her Masters of Clinical Counselling in Psychology she's practiced and taught yoga, somatics and meditation for more than 20 years. Melissa is mama to three incredible humans now launching as young adults; her deep commitment to practice in the Domestic Monastery is her greatest source.
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Episode 206: Octavia Raheem
12/21/2024
Episode 206: Octavia Raheem
On rest as the way to reclaim your brilliance, at the altar of now. (0:00) - Octavia's Background and Introduction (2:16) - Losing Parents and Spiritual Connection (2:58) - Rest as a Healing Practice (16:03) - Reading from the Book "Rest is Sacred" (16:19) - Personal Reflections on Rest (16:38) - The Power of Rest and Collective Care (27:01) - Daily and Collective Rest Practices (27:19) - Protecting Energy through Rest (31:57) - Practicing Self-Care and Listening to Oneself Octavia Raheem is a mother, author, yoga teacher and practitioner, and activist. She has received national attention for her work training yoga teachers and diversifying the yoga and wellness industry. Her work as a yoga professional focuses on practical tools to teach individuals how to manage stress, anxiety, and fatigue through yoga and meditation in a way that is accessible to all levels/abilities, and restorative to the nervous system. Her work has been featured in Yoga Journal, Mantra magazine, Well+Good, CNN, WXIA, and Atlanta Magazine. Excerpt from by Octavia F. Raheem: Divine One of Rest, You said come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. You said I will fight for you; you need only to be still. You said be still and know. And here we are. Here, being this portal within these pages. Here, being this place. Here, at this altar called right now. We come in gratitude for our Ancestors who are well enough in spirit to tend to our wellness. Because of them, we found a way to rest. We made a way to rest. We are here to reclaim rest as our birthright. Let it be so.
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Episode 205: Mirabai Starr
12/07/2024
Episode 205: Mirabai Starr
On the temple of your regular life, and the daily practices of attention, surrender and wonder. (0:00) - Introduction to Mirabai Starr and Her Work (2:16) - Discussion on "Ordinary Mysticism" (5:15) - Accessibility and Intended Audience of "Ordinary Mysticism" (7:18) - Personal Stories and Everyday Mysticism (11:34) - Mirabai's Identity and Role as a Young Elder (14:29) - Current Rituals and Spiritual Practices (19:03) - Memories from Taos and Early Influences (21:29) - Embodying Contemplative Practice (25:44) - The Practice of Wonder and Surrender (32:13) - Final Reflections and Mantra Practice Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author, internationally acclaimed speaker, and a leading teacher of interspiritual dialogue. In 2020, she was honored on Watkins’ list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Drawing from 20 years of teaching Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos, Mirabai now travels the world sharing her wisdom on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss. She has authored over a dozen books including Wild Mercy, Caravan of No Despair, and God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Mirabai has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary contemporary translations of the mystics John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila, and Julian of Norwich. Mirabai offers the fruit of decades of study, teaching, and contemplative practice in a fresh, grounded, and lyrical voice to a growing circle of folks inspired by the life-giving essence of feminine wisdom. Mirabai continues to teach seminars, workshops, and retreats, both in person and through her online community Wild Heart. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.
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Episode 204: Nisha Moodley
11/23/2024
Episode 204: Nisha Moodley
On the soul of our work, the re-indigenizing of our minds and the vital force of sisterhood. <ul> <li>(2:21) - Nisha's Background and Family Life </li> <li>(4:09) - Hiro Boga's Influence on Nisha's Work </li> <li>(7:55) - The Concept of Devotion and Partnership </li> <li>(10:43) - Civilization and Disconnection </li> <li>(15:26) - The Muse and Creative Practice </li> <li>(23:37) - Global Sisterhood Day and the Importance of Friendship </li> <li>(36:43) - Cultivating Friendship and Community </li> <li>(42:52)- Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts </li> </ul> Nisha Moodley is an integrative leadership coach that holds her work – and our collective work – within devotional, animist relational ways. Nisha has 15 years of experience leading mastermind groups, online courses, and nearly 60 retreats. She was first trained to work with subtle energy nearly 30 years ago, and has since received in-depth Health Coach and Executive Coach training, become a Family Constellation facilitator, and deepened her practice through breathwork training, Ancestral healing, and archetypal studies. All of these teachings and modalities (and others) are integrated for guidance that works not just on the level of mindset, but also through much deeper listening and moving. Nisha is the mother of two small children, a newbie land steward, constantly seeking to understand the deeper systemic and historical implications of the individual and collective challenges we face today, weaving those considerations into the work as well.
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Episode 203: Dr. Kamilah Majied
11/09/2024
Episode 203: Dr. Kamilah Majied
On bringing joy to justice; learning how to bear witness to our oppressive patterns and tendencies; fierce compassion as a quality of mind, heart, body and spirit. (2:41) - Engagement with Music and Nature (4:23) - Application of Enlightened Mind (9:06) - Oppression and Human Revolution (17:41) - Emergent Strategies and Joyful Just Action (28:38) - Fierce Compassion and Self-Care (37:54) - Language and Terminology (46:32) - Conclusion and Resources Dr. Kamilah Majied is a mental health therapist, clinical educator, researcher, and consultant on advancing equity and inclusion using meditative practices. Drawing from her decades of contemplative practice and leadership, Dr. Majied engages people in experiencing wonder, humor, and insight through transforming oppressive patterns and deepening relationships toward ever-improving individual, familial, organizational, and communal wellness. Author of Joyfully Just: Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated Living
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Episode 202: Elise Loehnen
10/26/2024
Episode 202: Elise Loehnen
On the origins of our best behavior, managing undue shame and the price women pay to be good.
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Episode 201: Sophie Schauermann
10/12/2024
Episode 201: Sophie Schauermann
On radical self-responsibility and reprocessing our childhood shame to empowerment and creativity. (2:42) – Sophie’s Personal Journey and Research on Highly Sensitive Children (5:17) – Understanding Rooted Rhythm Therapy and Parent Coaching (8:19) – The Nature of “Big Feelings” and Their Impact on Children (10:08) – Practical Tips for Parents of Highly Sensitive Children (15:36) – The Role of Authenticity and Congruency in Parenting (20:55) – The Role of EMDR in Therapy and Parenting Sophie Schauermann, LCSW is a licensed therapist and parent coach based in Denver, CO. Her passion and expertise lie in supporting highly sensitive children (and their parents) in harnessing their sensitivities into their superpowers. She is the founder of Rooted Rhythm Therapy and Parent Coaching, which was born out of the belief that children must get to know the beat of their own drum in order to confidently reach their potential…and that the best kind of parent is one that is Rooted in their own Rhythm. Sophie supports her clients with Synergetic Play Therapy, EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) Therapy, and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. She has over 10 years of experience working closely with children and families in many settings, including the Harvard Medical School’s laboratory for youth mental health, the public school system, community based mental health programs, and now in private practice. Her greatest learning, however, lies in her personal story of healing and growth into the person that she is today. Sophie is the proud wife to another therapist and bonus mama to two amazing kiddos that she couldn’t imagine life without.
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Episode 200: Ryan Haddon
09/28/2024
Episode 200: Ryan Haddon
On resetting after betrayal and spiritual abuse, shifting self-loathing, and service as crucial to our healing. (1:00) - Reinventing oneself after doors close in life. (4:56) - Addiction, self-loathing, and recovery. (11:31) - Addiction recovery, self-discovery, and service. (17:25) - Healing from trauma and supporting others. (21:18) - Spiritual betrayal and abuse of power in a spiritual community. (27:24) - Healing from past traumas and finding freedom in one's 50s. Ryan Haddon is the Director of Programming at Sage + Sound’s dedicated space for mental and emotional fitness, called The Study. She is an old friend, a certified Life and Spiritual coach, a clinical Hypnotherapist and certified meditation teacher with over 18 years of experience with hundreds of clients around the world. A sought-after public speaker for corporate retreats such as the international talent agency CAA, for three Tapping Solution Summits, Visionary Women and more.
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Episode 199: Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, PhD
09/14/2024
Episode 199: Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, PhD
On hospicing modernity, an invitation to hold many paradoxical layers of complexity, to stretch your heart, to know vulnerability as your strength. (1:00) - Colonialism, identity, and family history. (7:10) - Modernity, its definition, and its impact on society, culture, and the environment. (16:53) - Modernity, colonialism, and their impact on humanity's mental health and well-being. (26:20) - Education, storytelling, and connection to nature. (32:50) - Indigenous perspectives on psychology, including the concept of the "bus" representing the multiplicity within the self. (39:08) - Modern society's disconnection from nature and self, with a focus on indigenous knowledge and practices for healing and growth. Dr. Vanessa Machado de Oliveira Andreotti has served as a Latinx professor at the University of British Columbia, now Dean of the Faculty of Education of the University of Victoria. Dr. Andreotti is a former and a former . She is the author of (2021) and one of the co-founders of the (GTDF) Arts/Research Collective. Most of her published articles and OpEds are available at . She began her career as a teacher in Brazil in 1994 and has since led educational and research programs in countries including the UK, Finland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Brazil, and Canada. Andreotti works across sectors in international and comparative education, particularly focusing on global justice and citizenship, Indigenous and community engagement, sustainability, and social and ecological responsibility. Her research examines relationships between historical, systemic, and on-going forms of violence, and the inherent unsustainability of modernity. Andreotti is one of the founding members of Gesturing Decolonial Futures Collective () and Teia das 5 Curas, an international network of Indigenous communities mostly in Canada and Latin America. She currently collaborates with these groups to direct research projects and learning initiatives related to global healing and wellbeing in times of unprecedented challenges.
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Episode 198: Paula Arai
08/31/2024
Episode 198: Paula Arai
On activating compassion through our simplest offerings of forgiveness, care, gratitude and respect. (0:30) - Japanese rituals for beauty, harmony, and love. (10:00) - Cleaning and its connection to healing and mindfulness. (16:36) - Organizing and decluttering, with a focus on the importance of forgiveness and creating more space in life. (24:49) - Healing, self-care, and relationships. (31:48) - Buddhist teachings, suffering, and healing through interconnectedness and self-reflection. Paula Ara was raised in Detroit by a Japanese mother, and did Zen training in Japan. She obtained her Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University in 1993 and is now the Eshinni & Kakushinni Professor of Women and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California. She is the author of Bringing Zen Home: The Healing Heart of Japanese Women’s Rituals, Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns, and Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart Sutra. Her work has been a tremendous force in my own spiritual formation.
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Episode 197: Alicia Mathlin
08/17/2024
Episode 197: Alicia Mathlin
On the duality of resilience, the vitality in softening, the shifting landscape within a diagnosis and finding deep, lasting peace. (5:32) - Cancer treatment, body connection, and self-love. (11:35) - Resilience, grief, and legacy after cancer diagnosis. (18:07) - Starting a foundation and creating a membership community for personal growth. (24:59) - Spirituality, self-forgiveness, and patience with a guest speaker. Alicia Mathlin is the founder of Meditation Pusher, a unique meditation, mindfulness and mindset training company. Alicia has been teaching dynamic teams, professional athletes, entertainers and young people for almost a decade. She teaches in a warm, funny and relatable manner. Alicia is also a yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist and the founder of Theine Foundation. Her background is in international business (London, Paris), and her favourite food is a proper pain au chocolat. The Practice is a membership community rooted in friendship, not mentorship. It is a quiet and elegant place online created to help you access your peace, activate your power, and unlock your potential on your own terms and in your own time.
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Episode 196: Cory Allen
08/03/2024
Episode 196: Cory Allen
On steady practices of self-awareness to redefine yourself as often as you wish, and trusting yourself in any situation to make strong choices that serve.
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Episode 195: Eboni Banks
07/20/2024
Episode 195: Eboni Banks
On the importance of self-trust, repression v. suppression, the vitality of solitude for development of our intuition, and the prioritization of feeling over discursive thinking. (1:00) – Intuitive healing and spiritual gifts with Ebony Banks. (4:49) – Nonprofit work, plant-based eating, and community service. (11:32) – Plant-based diets, spirituality, and entrepreneurship. (15:43) – Trauma, healing, and self-trust. (22:24) – Healing from trauma and rape through self-awareness and spiritual practices. (28:33) – Forgiveness and healing after trauma. (37:04) – Intuition, self-trust, and body awareness. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Eboni Banks is an Intuitive Healer and Author who has been aware of her intuition since childhood. She is from a lineage of healers and wellness practitioners on both sides of her family. Eboni’s maternal great-grandmother read palms for a living in the 1940s. Her late father was a social worker and hypnotherapist who owned and operated a private practice mental health clinic. Eboni's inspiration to serve others began as a child while spending time in her dad's office and observing his healing work. As a trauma survivor, Eboni has learned to use her wealth of inner spiritual resources to thrive on her own healing journey and is now inspired to teach people how to do the same. To access their intuition to heal the stuck parts of their lives that prevent them from living their desired life. Eboni's main spiritual gift is Clairtangency, which means clear touch and is the ability to receive information and impressions through touch. She is passionate about charitable work and has worked with nonprofit charities for the past 13 years as a development consultant, targeting social justice, pediatric healthcare, and equitable education. In 2016 Eboni received the Osborn Elliott Award for Outstanding Community Service for a volunteer-led organization she founded, which taught people living in Brownsville, Brooklyn, about the importance of incorporating plant-based eating into their diet. Eboni considers herself a mystic and enjoys exploring the balance of physical and non-physical life. She practices yoga, meditates, and listens to mantras in her spare time. Eboni currently lives in New York City, where she shares her thriving spiritual practices with clients.
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Episode 194: Cynthia Redhead
07/06/2024
Episode 194: Cynthia Redhead
On presence, living on a prayer, devotion and what it means to pause. (1:00) – Meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth with a meditation teacher. (10:01) – Mindfulness, meditation, and prayer with a focus on personal growth and self-care. (20:34) – Simplifying life, death, and spirituality. Originally from Lima, Peru, Cynthia is a first-generation Latina immigrant to the States, currently living in Texas. As a meditation and mindfulness teacher, mentor, and lifetime student, her two greatest passions are creating and teaching. Cynthia’s deepest joy is to see her students and clients befriend all aspects of themselves to live a more present and compassionate life, one breath at a time. Cynthia has been teaching in-person and online since 2018. For her, teaching is not only sharing the practices and wisdom she’s learned from her teachers, but also being of service to her students and clients to teach/mentor for her own experience. Cynthia’s meditation classes may include Sound Healing, Kirtan, Mantra meditation, aromatherapy, minerals, journaling, and many other holistic healing modalities. She loves to travel around the world for work and play. Cynthia’s other passions are painting, watching the waves of the ocean, drinking coffee or matcha, and chasing sunrises. She dreams about going to Bali, Indonesia and leading meditation retreats around the world. Digital meditation programs and classes for self-study: YouTube channel with free resources:
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Episode 193: Ash Johns
06/22/2024
Episode 193: Ash Johns
On prioritizing our connections with our ancestors as a way to elevate our work and the quality of our present relations.
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