Soul Net: Recent Episodes
Megan Lammam, Dayna Bango and Islena Faircrest
Welcome to Soul Net, a space for curious souls to contemplate life. Join Megan, Dayna, and Islena as they dive deep into real-life experiences that break us open and expand our capacity for connection. From childhood to motherhood and beyond, these soul sisters bring their unique voices and stories to the podcast as they explore the truths about being human and the courage to stay vulnerable. Join us for soulful conversations on Soul Net!
Megan Lammam, Author and Forest Therapy Guide Dayna Bango, Movement and Ayurveda Lifestyle Coach Islena Faircrest, Somatic Therapist and Yoga Educator
In this episode, we chat about deep rest as a way to pause from perceived threats and recover from feelings of hyper vigilance and stress activation. Is deep rest what our bodies are crying out for when we feel exhausted and depressed? If so, how do we rest deeply when we are living with so much noise? Join us as we explore this topic and share ideas.
References in this episode:
Jeff Foster, Depressed or Deep Rest?
Quote: "Monarch butterflies don't fly when it rains, the raindrops will damage their wings. They will rest and wait it out. This is self preservation. It's okay to rest during the storms of your life- take all the time you need. You will take flight again once the storm passes."
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Internal Family Systems coach, Bill Tierney, about identifying burdened “parts” from our past and what it means to foster a clean, unburdened environment for healing. We celebrate Bill for being our first male guest on the podcast and he shares his thoughts on the importance of healthy male and female role models and mentors in our lives.
What does recovery mean to you, and what are we all recovering FROM?This open-hearted question leads the pod's spirit of inquiry into a sensitive conversation about healing trauma with special guest and IFS Practitioner Bill Tierney. Bill shares his personal hero's journey from addiction to recovery, opening up about his crisis of faith as a young man, his multiple marriages, and his past problem with alcohol. Through the work of Byron Katie, Bill gained insight into his suffering, learned how to re-frame his thoughts, and started healing. The work inspired him to study internal family systems. Now, over 40 years sober, Bill practices IFS therapy and helps others on their healing journeys. References in this episode include: Internal Family Systems, transformative psychodynamic psychotherapy and empowering paradigm. Resources and practitioners at https://ifs-institute.com The Work by Byron Katie can be found at https://thework.com Quote by Lawrence Pearsall Jacks: "A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself he always appears to be doing both.” Bill can be found at www.billtierneycoaching.com helping and guiding others to live a better life from the inside out, with clarity, choice, and purpose.
How do we tune in to our creativity when we are conditioned for productivity? In this episode, we explore the power of creativity to transform chaos into beauty. We rediscover that curiosity, wonder, and longing are the gateways to creative expression and we remember that creations are born from quiet spaces. As we reflect on limiting beliefs and busy schedules that hold us back from being or feeling creative, we help each other to find the space within where our creative energy lives and our individual art is born. Join us as we celebrate the innate creativity in all of us and the wisdom of Rick Rubin!
References in this episode include:
- Rick Rubin, author of "The Creative Act: A Way of Being"
- Suleika Jaouad, author of "Between Two Kingdoms"
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Do you ever wonder why some of the health practices that work for your friends don’t work well for you? Do you often feel crappy even though you’re eating healthy and doing the ‘right’ things?Ayurveda - the original mind body medicine - and its practices integrate the wisdom of ancient healing traditions with the best of modern medicine to help us feel better body, mind and spirit.In this episode, Dayna, Megan, and Islena share their unique mind body types and how some of the simple practices of Ayurveda have impacted and improved their health and well-being. Join the conversation about the power of touch, paying attention to messages from the body, and how to get unstuck, all through the lens of this ancient healing wisdom.Practices referenced in this episode include:Abhyanga - self massageBasti - head oil massageDry brushingBreathwork - kapalbhati and bhrastrikaSix tastes approach to food If you’d like to learn more about your unique mindbody type and take the dosha quiz, email Dayna at bangobody@gmail.com or dm her on socials with ‘Dosha Quiz’.
How do we remain soft and loving when the world around us feels hard?? In this episode we explore the value of being receptive to life's lessons without allowing tough times to harden us. Instead through vulnerability and self-awareness, we uncover the path to resilience and growth.We reflect on personal responsibility and the power of honesty - with ourselves and others - in shaping the kinds of lives we aspire to lead.What softens your heart? What hardens your heart?References in this episode include Brene Brown and Zen Buddhist Roshi Joan Halifax “Strong back and soft front” and Rumi.
We carry a heavy load of responsibilities on our backs with the stress management of family systems, social systems, and our own internal systems. In this episode, Islena talks about feeling the intense pressure to meet work and family responsibilities during a recent bout with Covid. We come together to hold space for her and chat about what it means to unpack stress and to find faith in the universe having your back.
Dayna, Megan, and Islena kick off season 2 by taking the shame out of menopause. They share their menopausal experiences, symptoms (night sweats, insomnia, anxiety), as well as strategies for educating themselves, their partners and children about the natural female process. Tune in as they shine a light on women's health and invite men into this much-needed conversation.
References in this episode include:
- Liz Plank @feministabulous, author of "For The Love Of Men"
- Red School @red.school, educators of menstruality cycle awareness and conscious menopause
Dear Listeners, we are excited to celebrate our 1-yr birthday with an in-person video reflection! We received many gifts this year, the biggest one being YOU. Thank you for tuning in and sharing your time with us. We love and appreciate your soulful presence in our Soul Net! Wishing you all a year of forward momentum and ideas born from your heart.
In this special one-year anniversary episode, the Sisters share what it means for them to take turns giving and receiving love in the way of "netting". They share their experiences of moving between being a provider of love (holding space) and being the recipient of love (held in space). This continual dance between the divine masculine and divine feminine is what we call "the art of netting" and the Soul Net Podcast is where we practice. Thank you for joining us in this practice and supporting Soul Net this year! We love you and look forward to soul netting with you in 2024!References in this episode include:The Art of Netting, a poem by Mark Nepo in his book "The Half-Life of Angels" The Endless Vows, a chapter from Mark Nepo's book "Falling Down and Getting Up". Ho’oponopono prayer Way of the Superior Man by David Dieda
In this episode, the Sisters welcome child educator and wellness facilitator, Meredith Dawson. Meredith talks about nature as her teaching partner and the benefits of open spaces and "risky play" for kids of all ages. Her outdoor education programs such as Wild Wonder and Wellbeing Walks invite people into nature to experience connection through relational and navigational skill development. She discusses how current indoor classroom environments restrict movement and creativity, both of which she claims are fundamental for healthy development and nervous system regulation. This conversation is packed full of information and inspiration to go outside, play, and learn! Join us!To connect with Meredith, please visit www.thrivinglifeco.com or find her on social @aspiringthriver. Quotes and references in this episode include:"Risky Play" - Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Dr. Ian Pike, University of British Columbia"New avenues for investigation and action are emerging seeking optimal strategies for keeping children as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible." - Mariana Brussoni, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"There's no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you'll find a better connection." - Unknown
Join the Soul Net sisters in an exploration of gratitude as a transformative practice. While the holidays bring joy, they also usher in moments of deep challenge. Dayna candidly unveils a personal tale of upheaval coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend, marking the end of a significant chapter in her life.In this reflective episode, the sisters delve into the essence of gratitude, offering profound insights on how this practice grounds us in the present. They introduce simple yet powerful techniques like a Noticing Practice and the Three Breath Trip. These methods act as anchors, gently guiding us toward solace in the present moment.Tune in as Soul Net navigates the nuanced landscape of gratitude, demonstrating its potency in not just the good times, but as a steadfast companion during life's most challenging transitions.
In this episode, the Sisters reunite with a good friend from high school, Debbie Collins, to celebrate her journey to true love and getting engaged at 50! Debbie highlights two key factors in her journey to finding love: healing trauma wounds and learning to love herself first. She shares her experiences and commitment to the work of self-love through counselling, bio feedback, meditation, and retreats. We get real about vulnerability and maturity. Of course we ask Deb if the passion and lovemaking is still hot at 50?!!! Tune in to find out!
The retreat center mentioned in this episode is Esalen Institute. For more info, please visit www.esalen.org.
In this mini episode of Soul Net, the Sisters share about the challenges of "achieving stillness" in our grind culture. They discuss whether meditation "works" when our minds are filled with noise and our hearts are filled with hurt.
This conversation shines a light on the fact that self-care practices, like meditation, are not about perfection or achievement. They are tools to help support deeper self-awareness and improve nervous system function. Join us for this chat! We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!
In this episode of Soul Net, the Sisters challenge the narrative around mid-life crisis by sharing stories of their middle age transformations! They talk about releasing responsibility from certain roles and returning to the creativity of the soul. They celebrate this stage of life as a rebirth, a second adolescence, a new beginning. They consider mid-life as a time to grow from what has been learned and expand in areas that bring joy. Can we feel a renewed sense of aliveness and freedom in middle age? Join the conversation!
From this episode:
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki
Misha Waite is a clinical counsellor who helps youth, adults, couples and families in the areas of mental health, stress, anxiety, and grief. She joins Dayna and Megan in a discussion about love and how to stay loving while being in the messiness of life. Can we feel the lightness of love when we're in the heaviness of pain? Can we be in sadness and joy at the same time? Misha offers her experience and insight into coping with conflicting feelings and making love a priority. Misha Waite is a registered clinical counsellor with Tall Tree Health in Vancouver, British Columbia. Books and quotes referenced in this episode include: Bittersweet by Susan Cain "Happiness is a string of individual moments." - Esther Hicks "A walk in nature walks the soul back home." - Mary Davis Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés Rising Strong by Brené Brown "So I'm all of love that could make it today." - Shel Silverstein
The Sisters share some hard truths (and laughs) about body changes, brain fog, and intimate connection during mid-life and peri-menopause. They talk about letting go of expectations to look and be a certain way. In this conversation, the Sisters explore acceptance, cycles of life, open communication, and leaning into edges that arise during times of transition.
Some tools that the Sisters practice and discuss in the episode include: meditation, humour, and sharing experiences.
For guided meditations, please visit Dayna Bango and Megan Lammam on Insight Timer.
In this episode, we explore beautiful boredom and its opposite cousin, the hecticness of trying to have it all and do it all because there are energetic costs to the return to life as we knew it before the pandemic. There's big responsibilities in midlife. There's the sandwich generation. There's this changing world, economically, socially, politically, technologically. There are costs to doing too much beyond our ability to stay regulated. We create energetic deficits. It's like writing a check that over draws our energetic account and withdraws too many of our energetic coins, leaving us in an energy debt.
Whereas beautiful boredom is a respite from all of that is the pregnant pause. Like an unpainted painting, an uncurved sculpture. It's possibility. It's an invitation to explore our inner world. It's our quiet moments where creativity can blossom. A chance to reconnect with our original self and dream without boundaries. So let's have a listen together friends, enjoy.
For anyone who experiences the feeling of being not good enough or not pretty enough, you're not alone. For many of us, the feeling of being an imposter in certain social situations is real. In this episode, the Soul Net Sisters share openly about some of their childhood trauma and old beliefs that play a part in their feeling "different" and unworthy at times. Islena sheds light on the connection between shame and imposter syndrome. We hope you'll join us in listening, sharing stories and practicing self-compassion for the parts of our beings that are healing. With love, Soul Net!
References and quotes in this episode include Brene Brown and Mark Nepo.
Hard hat, soft toque, or tiara? Islena wears 'em all! Women wear many hats over their lifetime as mother, daughter, partner, career, income-earner, caregiver, et al. Through this, multiple skillsmanship gets developed and we gain integrative, intuitive wisdom. Call it the way of the divine feminine, call it multi-tasking hell-- whatever you call it, join Islena as she shares the unique zigging and zagging of her soul journey from leaving home at 16, to becoming a parent, to becoming a doula & prenatal educator when her kids were babies, to becoming a family wellness educator and yoga teacher trainer, to becoming a trauma informed therapist specializing in empowering folks through their greatest adversities to find healing and wholeness. (Did she mention she's building a home with her partner? Hence the hard hat.)
In part two of our three part series of interviews we get to know Dayna and how her passion for movement, nature and teaching led her to a successful career as a personal trainer working with celebrities, athletes of all ages and everyone in between. She shares with us how curiosity led her back to school to study the ancient healing system of Ayurveda - the science of life - and how it has helped her to manage her mental, physical and spiritual health and living with an autoimmune illness. On a personal note, Dayna shares her early experiences in athletics, burn out and how working through some of her traumas has allowed her to reconnect with her love of skiing and help heal her family relationships. She talks about single parenthood, learning to let go and leaving a legacy of health and wellness for the world. Join us for stories of love, joy and laughter as we connect with Dayna.
In part one of our 3-part series of interviews with the Soul Net Sisters, we get to know Megan and learn about her love of children's literature and nature! Megan shares her "why" for writing her debut children's book and gives us a brief introduction into her practice of forest therapy. Megan talks about tuning into the "calls" for purpose and meaning in her life. With courage and humility, she continues to try new things and create new opportunities for herself. We hope you'll join us for our soulful conversation with Megan!
For more information about Megan's book, Your Heart Compass, and her offerings as a forest therapy and meditation guide, visit her web site at www.meganlammam.com.
In this episode, Islena shares about her fear of loss and how it is connected to grief and pain held by her inner child. She describes adult behaviours that stem from unprocessed emotions from childhood experiences and generational trauma. She bravely walks us through how she is addressing her unmet needs by reparenting her inner child. This soul talk is for anyone who is doing inner child work. We call it "soft hat" work - the type of hard work that requires inward attention and gentle love and compassion for your Self. Join us on Soul Net! References and mentions include quotes by Maya Angelou and Brene Brown.
In this episode, Dayna shares a personal story about a recent event that triggered a shame response in connection with a feeling of low self-worth. The response raised feelings of insecurity along with the voice of her inner critic. For many of us, when our inner critic gets in the way of processing pain, we can fall into patterns of overcompensation (over-working, over-exercising, over-eating) to make up for feeling the lack of self-esteem. Join the Soul Net sisters as they share their experiences of navigating shame and some of the people and practices they turn to for healing. Suggested self-care practices include: acupuncture, trauma-informed coaching, shamanism, reflexology, chiropractic, and forest therapy.Recommended book: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
In this episode, we dive into the topics of nervous system exhaustion, attachment styles and how awareness helps to activate positive change. Dayna and Megan share stories about past relationships that caused pain and motivated major lifestyle shifts, while Islena shares about a recent experience when a painful memory triggers a big stress response. Knowing when and why your nervous system is activated (and exhausted) is key to taking responsibility for choices and actions that serve your soul.The episode concludes with a quote by Eckhart Tolle.
In support of Pink Shirt Day and to raise awareness about social responsibility and self esteem, we continue our conversation about growing through pain. In part two of this podcast episode, we chat about finding freedom within, permission to play, and how to build trust with our kids. Also, we explore some potential dangers that kids may encounter in person and online, including casual prejudice and peer aggression. Parents and caregivers, we stand with you in learning and growing alongside our children. Join the conversation on Soul Net!The episode concludes with a quote by Dr. Shefali.
In this episode, we explore the process of growth through challenge, how to cultivate deeper roots of strength, and how laughter can be a source of healing energy. Megan shares a personal story about witnessing her teenage daughter work through the painful process of standing up for her right to safety. We learn what it means to be an "upstander" in today's society.References and mentions in this episode include the Greek goddess, Persephone, and the Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung.
In this episode, the Soul Net sisters talk about the courage it takes to face the unknown and what it means to trust your inner knowing.Islena, Dayna and Megan share stories of letting go of relationships and trusting in the process of change. They refer to uncomfortable growth experiences as “lifeboat moments”, or those times when you are called to trust in your own strength and the support of soul friends. Who shows up with a lifeboat when you need one?Jump into the Soul Net conversation!References and mentions in this episode include Wayne Dyer and Rumi.
- Collective RebirthIn this episode, we share our thoughts on being part of the collective consciousness and how we are adapting to changes in the environment and in our relationships. We chat about cycles of life-death-life, the loneliness that we can experience on the soul journey, and remembering the power of our intuition. Join us in our Soul Net! If you have comments, questions or suggestions for upcoming episodes, please email us at soulnetsisters@gmail.com.References in this episode include Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell, and the story of Vasilisa.
In this episode, we share a brief history about our childhood connection and our respective journeys into mid-life. We gather, as we would around a kitchen table, to talk about deconstructing old patterns and how to befriend and integrate light and shadow emotions in our bodies. We dive into some hard areas like coping with anger and supporting our nervous systems during times of stress. So, what do we do to support ourselves through challenging times? We hold space for listening and sharing ideas. Today, we share some of our healing practices including meditation, writing and movement. We invite you to join us in the conversation - in our Soul Net. We believe that the more we open to our authentic Selves, the greater our capacity to love, accept and support one another with kindness, compassion and grace.References and mentions in this episode include Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, and Rumi.
Welcome to Soul Net, a space for curious souls to contemplate life.
Join Megan, Dayna and Islena as they dive deep into real-life experiences that break us open and expand our capacity for connection. From childhood to motherhood and beyond, these soul sisters bring their unique voices and stories to the podcast as they explore the truths about being human and the courage to stay vulnerable.
From Megan, Dayna and Islena:
We believe that the more we open our hearts and souls to each other, the more we learn how to love each other. And when we love and support each other, we become stronger. Together.
With a shared history of high school trauma, challenging family systems, illness, career changes, motherhood, empty nesting, menopause, love and loss, we have a depth of life experience to offer and a lot of wisdom to unearth! If you are unearthing truths in your life and seeking a soulful connection, we are here.
Join us on Soul Net!