Truth, Love & Beauty: Recent Episodes
Sara Avant Stover
Join Sara Avant Stover, author, Internal Family Systems (IFS) practitioner, and pioneering teacher of women’s yoga, meditation, and spirituality for the past two decades, as she shares dharma talks and conversations with leaders and luminaries about a more feminine path to psycho-spiritual wholeness.
Born out of Sara’s own desire to hear Dharma talks (which are what the Buddhist tradition calls wisdom teachings) through the distinct lens–and voice–of the Sacred Feminine, this podcast highlights three of the core values we must embrace on the feminine spiritual journey (and which we all need more of at this time in history): truth, love, and beauty.
Welcome home. We’re glad you’re here.
I always love hearing candid, behind the scenes conversations, and that’s what we’re sharing here today. Yes, we’re flipping the script, in anticipation of my new book’s publication this week!
To help with this, I invited my friend, relationship and executive coach, and fellow podcast host, Krista Van Derveer, to join us. We delve into a deep conversation around all things “Handbook for the Heartbroken.”
From spotting red flags in relationships to suicidal ideation and shock after loss, we explore the path of healing after the unthinkable– along with my process of writing about it. I also share some of the preparation I’ve done recently to support me in bringing my most vulnerable piece of work to the world this week.
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-order Sara’s new book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Krista Van DerVeer & The Art of We Podcast
- Krista’s heartbreak story
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect with Sara on Instagram
Mentioned in this episode:
Book Regular Order Dynamic Ad
We’re continuing our “When the Going Gets Tough” series today with Michaela Boehm, an internationally renowned expert in intimacy and relationships.
In December of 2017, Michaela experienced one of everyone’s worst nightmares. While teaching and traveling abroad, she learned that her home– including all her animals– was lost to the Thomas Fire in Ojai, California.
In the final weeks of finishing her book and with only one suitcase remaining of her belongings, when Michaela returned home to the ash and rubble of her beloved home, she embarked on a long journey of healing and rebuilding.
Michaela’s joining us today to share an intimate look inside what that time was like for her and the key daily practices and mindset shifts that helped her through such a heartbreaking time.
Known for her work with high-performing individuals, Michaela’s ongoing private clients include Oscar-winning actors, multiple Grammy-winning musicians, producers, and business pioneers. She’s the author of “The Wild Woman’s Way” and the founder of The Non-Linear Movement Method®, a powerful somatic release modality. Her work has recently been featured in Gwyneth Paltrow's Netflix Show “Sex, Love & goop” and Will Smith’s bestselling memoir ‘Will’. She lives on an organic farm in California where she rescues and rehabilitates animals.
This conversation with Michaela is the third of six I’m hosting over the next several weeks. Together, we’re diving into stories of several prominent women who weathered various life challenges– and found ways to keep showing up for themselves, their loved ones, and their careers.
I offer these to bring support and inspiration to all traversing similar dark valleys in their own lives or work AND to celebrate the arrival of my new book, Handbook for the Heartbroken, into the world on May 7.
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-order Sara’s new book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Michaela Boehm
- Connect with Michaela on Instagram
- Michaela’s podcast episode about the journaling protocol
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect with Sara on Instagram
We’re continuing our “When the Going Gets Tough” series today with Jordan Gill, a multi-seven-figure business strategist whose mission is for high-achieving business owners to prioritize rest without sacrificing revenue.
Last fall, after weathering a season of grief, coupled with chronic health challenges, Jordan got clarity that it was time to dismantle her business, let her team go, and reinvent.
Today we’re talking about how she maneuvered that time both personally and professionally. She’s a role model for listening to one’s true calling, prioritizing self-care, courageously navigating uncertainty, and staying authentic and transparent with her audience along the way.
This conversation with Jordan is the second of six I’m hosting over the next several weeks. Together, we’re diving into stories of several prominent women who weathered various life challenges– and found ways to keep showing up for themselves, their loved ones, and their careers.
I offer these to bring support and inspiration to all traversing similar dark valleys in their own lives or work AND to celebrate the arrival of my new book, Handbook for the Heartbroken, into the world on May 7.
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-order Sara’s new book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Jordan Gill
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
Welcome to the first episode in our special, six-part series: “When the Going Gets Tough: Stories of Resilience in Business and Life.”
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing conversations with six prominent women who weathered various life challenges– and found ways to keep showing up for themselves, their loved ones, and their careers in the process.
I offer these to bring support and inspiration to all who are traversing similar dark valleys in their own lives or work AND to celebrate the arrival of my new book, Handbook for the Heartbroken, into the world on May 7.
We’re beginning our series today with a very candid conversation about a life-quaking betrayal that my long-time friend and colleague, Jennifer Racioppi, experienced.
Jenn is a certified Duke Integrative Medicine Health Coach, holistic health counselor, Positive Psychology coach, and a beloved astrologer. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, MindBodyGreen, Forbes, Business Insider, The Numinous, Netflix Family, and Aerie. Her first book, Cosmic Health was released in January 2021 with Little, Brown Spark.
Together, let’s go deep over these next several weeks through these intimate conversations.
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-order Sara’s new book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Jennifer Racioppi
- Ep 12 with Jennifer Racioppi on “Manifesting Desire in Harmony with Lunar Cycles”
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
What do you do when you feel hopeless, discouraged, or frustrated? When the outer actions you’re taking aren’t yielding the results you want?
And/or when you know you’ve been getting in your own way by procrastinating or staying busy with things you know aren’t aligned with your soul’s destiny? Or you’re playing small and avoiding going after what you really want?
These are all common experiences along the path of stepping into our true callings and fulfilling our soul’s destinies. The key is not to stop here or to stay stuck here for too long.
Today I’m going to share the framework to help you become unstoppable in pursuing your destiny. It’s one I haven’t found anywhere else. This process, or ongoing initiation, into embodying our souls is an important, tender, and intricate process. And, It’s the most important work of our lives, no doubt.
So, tune in to learn how, after following this guided path, you, too, can, become the woman you’re destined to be– in business and in life.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to one of my most popular programs, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- 1) Leave a review of this podcast.
- 2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Free masterclass: Embody Your Brilliance
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
At the physiological level, it’s often said that high blood pressure is a “silent killer” amongst women because most people who have it don't have any symptoms. And that silence can be deadly.
I would say that, in entrepreneurship, at the mental/emotional level imposter syndrome can also lurk silently below the surface– stopping professional growth in its tracks, or, even worse, preventing big, dreams from being born in the first place.
Today we’re going to look at Imposter Syndrome in a new light, through the lens of the model I work within, Internal Family Systems, or IFS, so you can start letting your courage and your desires take up more air time inside you than your fears and doubts.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to one of my most popular programs, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
1) Leave a review of this podcast.
2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Free masterclass: Embody Your Brilliance
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
At least once today, you’ve likely experienced some form of self-sabotage. This could look like getting on Instagram right when you wake up, instead of taking that intended time for yourself. Maybe you stayed up too late last night watching TV when you really wanted to get enough sleep so you could wake up earlier today, feeling refreshed. Or you have a big project you know in your heart is important to you, but you keep letting smaller projects and emergencies pull you away from making any real progress on it.
Let’s be real: Self-sabotage is an inherent part of the entrepreneurial journey. The more we take risks and step outside our comfort zones, the more we’re going to contend with it. Given this, wouldn’t it be wise to cultivate the skills you need to heal your self-sabotage at the root? So that it’s not only no longer an obstacle on your path, but it’s a true ally, helping you do what it once blocked you from doing?
Yes, that’s very possible! And that’s what we’re exploring in today’s episode. In it, I share a painful experience of self-sabotage from my own life. I also share the single (surprising!) question you need to ask yourself the next time you experience it.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to one of my most popular programs, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- 1) Leave a review of this podcast.
- 2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Join us inside The Inner Critic Cure
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
I’m about to say something pretty big that’s not an exaggeration: The Inner Critic is the biggest thing I see holding women back. This is true today, and this has been true since I started doing this work twenty-five years ago. It also used to be the biggest thing holding ME back. Many of us still have unhealed experiences in our past that are keeping us overworking, undercharging, or not enforcing appropriate boundaries. These unhealed wounds are keeping us stuck at the same level in our work and lives and unable to move forward, even though we’re investing in courses and coaches.
To help shift this, today I’m talking with an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and assistant trainer, Nancy Wonder, about the pathway of healing our Inner Critics– and the Inner Little girls they’re protecting.
In our conversation, we talk about:
- How to reach a tipping point in your healing work where you consistently feel more space inside
- Why you need to stop combatting your Inner Critic, and what you need to do instead
- How an embodiment practice like yoga fit into this approach
- Ways to end inner wars and addictive patterns
- How to lessen the charge in your triggers so they don’t dominate you as much
At the end, Nancy leads you through a meditation to help you begin to make powerful shifts with your Inner Critic. Above all, healing your Inner Critic is a crucial piece in doing what you most want to do and being who you most want to be.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- 1) Leave a review of this podcast.
- 2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Join us inside The Inner Critic Cure
- Nancy Wonder
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
What does it mean to “fulfill your potential”– beyond a pithy personal development slogan? Today we’re not only unpacking how to do that, but we’re also exploring the three biggest blocks that can keep us from boldly moving toward our destinies. This is an innate process happening within each of us, and the more we can become aware of it, the more we can consciously partner with it to experience the fulfillment we most want. Today’s episode will help you do that.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- 1) Leave a review of this podcast.
- 2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-Order My New Book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Join the Waitlist for Becoming You
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- The Vital Spark (book)
- Connect on Instagram
After I closed down my business in 2019 and then decided to rebuild it two years later, I had the benefit of hindsight and past trial and error to learn from. With the wisdom of my past experience, I could more intentionally and strategically rebuild my business from the ground up (instead of duct-taping things together piecemeal). Today I’m sharing the key steps I took to do this– the very same ones I share with the women I work with– as they can be applied to any small business owner. So, rather than building your business by default, build it with a clear, intentional design. Today’s episode will help you get clear on how to do that.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- 1) Leave a review of this podcast.
- 2) Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-Order My New Book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Getting Out of Your Own Way: An IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
We usually don’t talk about trauma and business together in the same sentence, but that needs to change. And that’s what we’re doing here together today. Here’s the thing: Trauma impacts us ALL as entrepreneurs, to different degrees and in different ways– especially when you’re taking a creative risk or moving into uncharted territory. I’m going to share with you the #1 sign that your trauma may be impacting your business and some steps you can take to shift that.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Pre-Order My New Book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Getting Out of Your Own Way: An IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
Starting at a young age, we’re taught to ignore our body’s signals (like the need to go to the bathroom or drink water). As we get older, the repercussions of silencing our instincts become more and more grave. This can lead us to get (or stay) in harmful relationships, mistrust our feelings, and perpetuate an ever-widening split between our bodies, psyches, and souls.
Rather than perpetuating this split through spiritual bypassing, it’s time for us women to remember our innate strength to deeply feel– even, and especially, the hard stuff. Today I’m talking with bestselling author, artist, and transformational coach, Alexandra Roxo, about her beautiful new book, Dare to Feel: The Transformational Path of the Heart.
In its pages, she guides us to reconnect with the important messages from our souls that ALL of our feelings hold.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Alexandra Roxo
- Pre-Order My New Book: Handbook for the Heartbroken
- Getting Out of Your Own Way: An IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
Money, pricing, and enoughness, oh my! Today we’re talking about something that every woman I work with struggles with– and that I used to struggle with- underpricing and overdelivering.
It’s a recipe for burnout, resentment, health challenges, and a compromised work/life balance at large. Not to mention feelings of scarcity and financial anxiety.
Let’s not do that anymore. I’m going to share with you some key steps to take to start pricing from your true power, not the parts inside of you that never feel like they’re “enough.”
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Free Guide: 5 Money Mistakes NOT to make in 2024
- Getting Out of Your Own Way: An IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit
- Create Your Dream Business: 12-Month Mentorship & Mastermind
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
Eight years ago today, February 4, 2016, my life fell apart. I now see that fateful date as the demarcating line between who I was and who I am to become. Since then, my path of rebuilding every crevice of my inner and outer world hasn’t been easy. But it’s been beyond worth it. I’m only now beginning to stand on the deeply aligned and sturdy foundation I’ve created for myself, both personally and professionally.
Today I want to have an honest conversation with you about what this process of creating a whole, soul-aligned foundation for yourself and your business entails. I’ve found that it’s not common to find people who are genuinely doing this, much less teaching you how to do it. Since 2024 is the year of quantum leaps, the more committed you are to living your own deep truth, the more possibility there is for you to experience the miraculous in the next twelve months. If you feel the pull of that soul desire and potential as much as I do, this conversation is for you.
If you’re interested in being part of our Create Your Dream Business community, applications are open for a couple of more days for our February circle. This is a 12-month immersive IFS mentorship & mastermind circle for spiritual women entrepreneurs who are ready to bring their soul-powered dreams into the world. Here’s where to learn more & apply.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Create Your Dream Business: 12-Month Mentorship & Mastermind
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
Today's episode holds a special place in my heart, not just because we're celebrating these soulful, Self-led entrepreneurs, which I love that we are, but because I want this to be an example of what’s possible, especially for women in business. I think there's a special power in sharing our successes and our challenges, what’s working and what isn’t.
When we talk about our journeys, we normalize and validate hardships, while also empowering others to dream big and move toward their goals. When you walk away from this episode, I only want you to think, “If they can do it, so can I.” Enjoy!
Here’s where to learn more about these beautiful women:
Carrie Haynes
Emily O’Neal
Julia Forberg
If you’re interested in being part of our Create Your Dream Business community, applications are now open for our February circle. This is a 12-month immersive IFS mentorship & mastermind circle for spiritual women entrepreneurs who are ready to bring their soul-powered dreams into the world. Here’s where to learn more & apply.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Create Your Dream Business: 12-Month Mentorship & Mastermind
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
I don’t know about you, but I always appreciate hearing what people spend money on in their businesses. Overall, I appreciate having open, honest conversations about money, especially as women business owners. So today I’m taking you behind-the-scenes as I reviewed my 2023 P&L to get clarity on the top three things I chose to invest in in my business last year, and why. My intention is that this inspires you to look more consciously at how you want to spend your money and invest in yourself and your work in the year ahead.
And, as a special gift, I want to offer you free access to my on-demand course, “Getting Out of Your Own Way” (an IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit to help you cultivate inner wholeness, harmony, and Self-Leadership at the start of each day).
All you have to do is:
- Leave a review of this podcast.
- Email a screenshot of your review to hello@saraavantstover.com
It’s as simple as that!
If you'd love to watch the video versions of these episodes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel here.
Resources:
- Free Guide: 5 Money Mistakes NOT to Make in 2024
- Create Your Dream Business: 12-Month Mentorship & Mastermind
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
I know from my own journey as a business owner over these past decades, as well as the experiences of all of my students and clients, that overwhelm and disregulated nervous systems are things we need to be constantly working on. Especially for all of us who are introverted and highly sensitive (that’s me)!
Through a lot of trial and error, including a recent dip into the red zone this past fall, I’ve distilled three of my top tips for building the buffers into our business models– and our days– to operate in our optimal state as much as possible.
May this serve you in designing and refining your business this year that support you in being your best self.
Resources:
- Workshop Series: Design Your Dream Business in 2024
- Getting Out of Your Own Way: $9 IFS Daily Parts Meditation Kit
- Create Your Dream Business: 12-Month Mentorship & Mastermind
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
As we step into a new year together, it’s a potent time to really make sure that the actions you’re taking are leading you to where you want to go— that they’re strategic, thoughtful steps towards creating the business and life that are right for you.
Because you don’t want to wake up one year from now hating your life and hating your business– feeling like it’s running YOU, rather than the other way around.
I’ve been there, and it’s not fun, to say the least. So, today we’re going to talk through how to make sure that doesn’t happen. Here’s to 2024 being a year of deep inner and outer alignment that truly lights you up and leads to the fulfillment of your unique vision of success.
Resources:
- Workshop Series: Design Your Dream Business in 2024
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
As you’re listening to this, I’ve entered into hibernation for the holiday season– to partake in the medicine and magic of this season, which is all about resting, dreaming, reflecting, getting quiet, and turning within.
With this, we’ll be taking a break from sharing any new podcast episodes until the first week of January. Until then, I wanted to leave you with something that’s appropriate for this liminal window of time between the solstice and the New Year: An excerpt from a dharma talk I gave last January at a New Year’s visioning retreat here in Colorado.
I hope this serves and inspires you as you take your own time to be and reflect over the coming weeks, in the ways that feel right for you.
Happy holidays and New Year, my dear friends.
Enjoy, and I’ll see you in January!
Resources:
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Free Guide: 5 Money Mistakes NOT to Make in 2024
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
I was planning on talking about something else today, but I had such a powerful experience earlier this week that I felt inspired to veer from my original plan so I could share more about it with you.
Living in such a transactional and mechanistic culture, it’s easy to forget how magical it is to be a human being who gets to engage in the creative process. Moreover, it’s easy to forget that our businesses, and all that we share within the world of our businesses (such as books, websites, programs, and even a podcast like this), are sacred, divine beings. They’re here to partner with us, and to evolve us, in profound and mysterious ways. If we’re willing.
Today I’m sharing a recent story of how I experienced this in a big way. May this inspire you to bring this perspective more fully into your own life and work in the year ahead.
Resources:
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Free Guide: 5 Money Mistakes NOT to Make in 2024
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- Connect on Instagram
As we’re all entering into review and visioning mode for 2024, I wanted to share some common things I’ve seen over the years with the women I’ve mentored. First, it’s important to note that over 80% of women business owners are working below the 100K income level. Whether you’re ready to soar past this milestone or find yourself consistently falling short of it, there are some fundamental aspects we can explore to not only achieve it but also to potentially surpass it (if that’s something you’d like to do).
Elevating our income involves a dual process of personal healing and business growth. This is important because having more money empowers us to not only take better care of ourselves and those we love but also to be greater forces for good in the world. Let’s take a closer look together now, with curiosity, honesty, and compassion.
Resources:
- Free Guide: 5 Money Mistakes NOT to Make in 2024
- Book your her Self Strategy Intensive
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Connect on Instagram
Do you ever feel frustrated with yourself, that, despite your best intentions, work bleeds into your personal life more than you’d like it to? Maybe it keeps you from spending more quality time with your family and friends– or even with yourself? Boundaries are a big deal. Not having them can lead to overwhelm and resentment (at best) and to burnout (at worst).
These final weeks of the year are really potent ones for us to not only identify our intentions for 2024 but also to get really honest about the parts of ourselves that are likely to hinder our fulfillment of them. To help with this, today we’re exploring two, essential boundaries every woman needs in her business, as well as how to skillfully get out of your own way to embody them.
Resources:
- Getting Out of Your Own Way
- Free Mini-Course: 3 Lies that Hold Succesful Women Back
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Connect on Instagram
Today we’re taking an honest look at things we might consider to be “masculine”: business, money, success, and power. With my own change in direction to specifically serve spiritual, entrepreneurial women, I’m outlining a new paradigm for these things, and how we can all be a part of it. The path of spiritual entrepreneurship is one that invites us to see business as a potent path for healing, service, creative expression, divine partnership, and fulfilling our soul’s potential. But, before that can happen, we need to clear out old, outdated beliefs that may be hindering us from opening to more expansive possibilities for ourselves and our world.
Resources:
- Get on the waitlist for Create Your Dream Business
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
Today I’m speaking with Internal Family Systems Practitioner, teacher, and author, Robert Falconer. As a survivor of extreme childhood abuse himself, for the majority of Robert’s career, he worked with fellow trauma survivors. Yet, an unexpected encounter while assisting an IFS Level 1 training ten years ago led him to also first explore and now specialize in something that’s come to be known in the IFS community as Unattached Burdens, or UB’s for short.
In his new book, The Others Within Us, Robert investigates how these UB’s come to be– not only in our culture but also in those around the world. If you or someone you work with has things that don’t seem to heal as a result of personal or ancestral healing, you could have a foreign energy in your system, or UB.
This isn’t something that’s often talked about, yet it’s more common than you might think! Together, Robert and I unpack how we get these, what possible symptoms of a UB are, and, ultimately, how to clear them from your system, safely and gently….so you can embody all of YOU.
Resources:
- Robert Falconer
- New Year’s Visioning Retreat for Entrepreneurial Women
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
If you have some big dreams and goals but are feeling held back from fulfilling your true potential, I have something that really may help.
I’m thrilled to share a special podcast episode today that offers a transparent and thorough look into what it’s like inside Becoming You, my 8-week guided path to becoming the woman you truly are– in business and in life.
I’ve shared a lot of personal (and vulnerable) stories of my own experiences with heartbreak, and the journey to becoming more of my true Self, and building a life and work with which I’m deeply aligned.
Today, I want to shine a light on you. On your dreams, on your hopes and desires for your life and work, and on your vision for our shared world.
And I’ll share from the heart about whether Becoming You may be the right experience for you.
Whether you’re considering joining us, or you’re just a little curious what it’s all about… or you simply want a different perspective on how to create transformation in your life– this episode is for you!
As you tune in, and get a sense for the possibilities that exist for your life, I invite you to check in with yourself and see whether our upcoming Becoming You adventure is right for you.
Resources:
- Becoming You
- Sara on Instagram
- Sara's Sunday Journal
As part of a big transition taking place in my business, the other week I did something unexpected– and unprecedented– that came with some vulnerability. Today I invited my Marketing Director (with whom I’m partnering during this shift), Helen Hunter Mackenzie, to join me to talk about what went on behind the scenes of this decision.
Together, we’re having an open, honest conversation about the process we went through after pulling one of my programs from the market two days after launching it (and how this then allowed for something even better to come through).
This is for you if you need support with navigating a transition, dealing with the chaos of the creative process, or coming into deeper alignment in your work and your life.
Resources:
- Helen Hunter Mackenzie
- Subscribe to Sara’s Sunday Journal
- Connect on Instagram
Just a week into a new season, it’s the perfect time to revisit our self-care rituals. For me, Ayurveda, India’s sister science to yoga, always best supports me with that. To take us deeper into how we can all use Ayurveda to find more balance this season, I invited Claire Ragozzino to join us.
Ayurveda is more than just a set of dietary rules; it is a framework for deep self-knowledge and understanding of our bodies, minds, and relationship with nature. Claire shares her personal journey of health challenges and how Ayurveda helped her find balance and healing. From creating consistent routines to incorporating opposite qualities of doshas, Claire provides insightful tips on maintaining well-being. Join us as we delve into Ayurveda's wisdom and discover how it can bring greater balance to our lives, in this season and beyond.
Resources:
- Claire’s website
- Join the Becoming Whole waitlist
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
You may be hearing a lot about Amy Porterfield’s Digital Course Academy (DCA) in your inbox or social media feed lately.
Or perhaps you’re learning about it for the first time today.
Wherever you fall on this spectrum, I want to share with you a detailed glimpse into what my experience was like in DCA when I enrolled in it at this time last year.
I’ll also outline the pros and cons of it, to help you make the best decision for you, if this is something you’re considering.
Resources:
- Sneak Peak into Digital Course Academy
- My Digital Course Academy Bonus Experience
- Join the Becoming Whole waitlist
- Join the She Serves waistlist
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
- Women’s Retreat in Colorado
Maybe you have a dream of taking more extended time off. Perhaps you want to travel; spend more time with your children or family; rest and recharge; or you’re preparing for a maternity or sick leave.
How do you adequately prepare so you can step away with as little stress as possible– financially, logistically, and mentally/emotionally?
Today If you want to make your dream of taking a sabbatical a reality, today I’m walking you through five steps that helped me take the month of August off and mapping out a pathway for you to do something similar.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Amy Porterfield’s free masterclass (affiliate link)
- Join the Becoming Whole waitlist
- Join the She Serves waitlist
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
- Women’s Retreat in Colorado
During my time off last month, I experienced some big revelations that are changing my life, this podcast, and everything in between.
As a fellow traveler on the spiritual path, I know that you’re no stranger to endings, beginnings, and reinventions as we let life and our inner guidance lead us.
Today, I look forward to sharing more about how this is unfolding within me now.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Amy Porterfield’s “Couse Confident” Bootcamp (affiliate link)
- Join the Becoming Whole waitlist
- Join the She Serves waistlist
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
- Women’s Retreat in Colorado
Today, I invite you to meet author and coach Mara Glatzel. Together, we explore her new book, Needy: How to Advocate for Your Needs and Claim Your Sovereignty. We explore the importance of rest and self-care, and how engaging in activities that energize us can contribute to a more restful life. Mara also shares her insights on advocating for our needs, emphasizing the responsibility we have in communicating them effectively. We delve into the challenges of being our authentic selves and the social consequences that may arise. Mara's book focuses on self-partnership, the foundation for building a deep and fulfilling relationship with ourselves. Join us as we uncover practical strategies and foundational practices for self-partnership and learn how to proactively care for our needs.
Enjoy!
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
- Mara’s website & book
- Women’s Retreat in Colorado
I’m on sabbatical for the month of August, and in this episode I share all the ways I prepared my life and my business for taking this time off.
Enjoy!
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
- Women’s Retreat in Colorado
I’ve been looking forward to sharing this conversation with you– because there are so few converstaions about or among women without kids.
Today, I’m speaking with Ruby Warrington, the author of the new book, Women Without Kids, as well as the author and creator of Sober Curious. With both of these creations, she’s also known as an astute cultural commentator and true thought leader.
I appreciate how Ruby brings much more nuanced, deep thinking and exploration to this topic– from various lifestyle circumstances and choices that go into not having children, to other kinds of legacies, intergenerational trauma and healing, stereotype-busting, and more.
We go into all of this, and more, in today’s conversation.
Since more and more women are not having children for a multitude of reasons– and there will be more of us aging and maturing on the planet in future years, it’s time we bring more awareness to what Ruby calls the “rise of the unsung sisterhood.”
Whether you’re a woman with or without kids, please have a listen. This is important! And share it with others too.
Enjoy!
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Ruby Warrington
- Women Without Kids
- Interview with Jody Day on Childlessness
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
Since I first brought my business fully online 15 years ago, in 2008, I’ve learned a lot of important– and sometimes expensive!– lessons.
To save you some time, money, and energy in trial and error, I’m sharing them with you today.
This is for anyone who’s running, or thinking of starting her own business.
Join me in this episode as we dive deeper into each of these invaluable lessons, exploring practical strategies, inspiring anecdotes, and reflective exercises to help you integrate these lessons into your own business journey. Remember, you are not alone!
Together, let's co-create a world where women thrive in entrepreneurship and inspire positive change in the business landscape– with grace, wholeness, and authenticity.
Enjoy!
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
As the last part of our IFS interview series this spring, I invited Chris Burris, a senior lead trainer for Internal Family Systems Institute and one of my own teachers, back to the podcast.
Last year, Chris published the book Creating Healing Circles: Using the Internal Family Systems Model in Facilitating Groups, and has since gone on to lead numerous sold-out IFS Healing Circle facilitation trainings, which I had the pleasure of being part of this past spring.
Today, we speak about the power of healing in groups, why this is the medicine we need in these times, and what that can open up for us that one-on-one therapy cannot. In addition, we discuss: the different stages of a group process, keys to being a skilled facilitator, integrating different modalities into groups, how to know if you should do group or individual work, and aspects of ourselves that can be explicitly healed in groups. Plus, towards the end, Chris leads us through a powerful experiential meditation.
We go deep and I always find talking and learning with Chris to be inspiring! I know you will, too. Enjoy.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Chris’s website
- Chris’s book: Creating Healing Circles
- Becoming Whole
- Sara’s website
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
“I feel so much self-doubt,” “Why don’t I ever feel good enough?”, or "How can I trust myself more deeply?"
As women, these are questions we've all asked ourselves.
Since the path from self-doubt to self-worth can often feel elusive, I recently offered a free class to help make it feel more in-reach.
Today I'm sharing the recording from a free class I led this week. This is for you if:
- You keep finding yourself in relationships where you’re mistreated and undervalued.
- You work hard, even to the point of burnout, and still don’t seem to have enough money.
- You feel guilt and shame when setting boundaries.
- You feel anxious speaking up for yourself.
- You’re stuck in painful (even addictive) patterns that make you feel ashamed.
- You’re afraid of being abandoned so you sacrifice your needs to be loved.
- You’re not sure if you can trust your feelings and inner guidance.
I got a lot of positive feedback on this class, so I wanted to share it with you here, too. May this be of benefit!
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Join us in Becoming Whole
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
We’re continuing our IFS interview series this spring– where I’m sharing a handful of interviews with IFS trainers, helping us to better understand, and in turn heal, what can often be challenging parts of ourselves.
This month, we’re going to gain a really eye-opening, empowering perspective on addictive processes.
It’s a counter-cultural way of looking at things that are often very taboo. To help map this addictive process out for us, I’ve invited Cece Sykes onto the podcast today. A LCSW, as well a a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute, Cece specializes in trauma and addiction and is deeply respected for her contributions in this field.
Enjoy!
Resources:
- Cece Sykes
- Cece's new book: IFS Therapy for Addictions
- The Inner Critic Cure
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
Over the years, one of the most common struggles I support women with is their Inner Critics.
These can be perfectionist parts of us, task masters, parts that tell us what horrible or bad people we are, or aspects of ourselves that control our speech and behavior– preventing us from taking risks or going after our dreams.
In today's episode, I invite into the light of awareness the kind of relationship you currently have with your Inner Critic. I also spell out the five different kinds of relationships you can have and offer a map for how you can move yours from unhealthy or unconscious to more fulfilling and friendly.
Yes, it is possible to transform our Inner Critics into our greatest confidantes! That's exactly what we're exploring here today.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- The Inner Critic Cure
- Sara’s website
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
With the arrival of spring here in Colorado, I'm celebrating a series of new beginnings– both in my life and my work.
In today's episode, I explore the journey I've been on over the past several years and how I've moved from periods of immense uncertainty and dissolution to the shores of greater clarity.
Since we all move through these cycles of creation and dissolution, I share this to help you better navigate and trust your unique process.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.
Resources:
- Visit my new website
- Free mini-course: 7 Habits of Whole Women
- Connect on Instagram
On this Easter Sunday, and during this span of holy days across various traditions, I wanted to share an excerpt from a dharma talk I offered last year at this time in my online Internal Family Systems & feminine spirituality community, Women's House of Wisdom.
In it, I speak to the metaphysical principles behind these holidays, and what they can teach us about true, spiritual surrender, what's possible when we stop trying to control life through our personalities, and the transformative cycles of death and rebirth.
This is for you if you want to remember what's really possible for you (beyond your human limitations), are tired of trying to fix/control/manipulate life, or have simply reached a place in your life that your ego can't help you get out of.
May this be of benefit.
- Free healing guide for women
- Spring Event: Women's Yoga, Meditation & Nature Retreat
- Sara on Instagram
- Sara on Facebook
- Subscribe to Sara's newsletter
- Sara's website
Over the next few months, I'm offering a mini-series here on the podcast to help us delve more deeply into Internal Family Systems, or IFS, which as many of you know has become a core part of my work over the past couple of years (and a core part of my own healing journey for the past decade).
If you’re not sure what IFS is, stay tuned. You’ll learn more about it in today’s conversation!
Our particular focus today is on a few states of being that I know can play big roles in all of our lives, in varying ways and degrees: shame, anxiety, and depression.
And I’m inviting an IFS lead trainer and psychologist, Rina Dubin, to lead us into this exploration.
Our conversation offers an overview of IFS, an exploration of the things that we both value about this approach to healing and living, a discussion on leadership, an overview of shame, anxiety, and depression through an IFS lens, a guided experiential to get to know your inner world more intimately, and more.
Enjoy!
Recommended Resources:
- IFS Women's Circle
- Sara on Instagram
- Free Healing Guide for Women
- Sara's newsletter
- Sara on Facebook
Today I'm sharing an excerpt from a dharma talk I gave at this time two years ago in my online Internal Family Systems & feminine spirituality community, Women's House of Wisdom.
It offers some reflections for all of us on this equinox, for, even if you're not in a place in the world where you're stepping into an actual spring, we all know what it's like to transition out of a metaphorical winter.
May this talk support and inspire you through whatever changes and transitions you're currently facing.
- Free healing guide for women
- Spring Event: Women's Yoga, Meditation & Nature Retreat
- Sara on Instagram
- Sara on Facebook
- Subscribe to Sara's newsletter
- Sara's website
Today we’re welcoming my long-time friend and colleague, Heidi Rose Robbins, back to the podcast for the second time.
Heidi has been a professional astrologer for 25 years, hosts two podcasts, leads Radiant Life Retreats, pens the hugely popular "Moon Notes" on Instagram, and has written a handful of books, including her newest one, Everyday Radiance, which was just published by Chronicle.
In our conversation today we speak about:
- How Heidi and I first met twenty years ago, and the ways our paths have interwoven since then
- Heidi’s new book, Everyday Radiance, and how we can use this as a resource for more wise and inspired living, every day of the year
- Ways that grief has shaped Heidi’s life and work over the past year
- Structures and mindsets Heidi has implemented over the past several years as her success and visibility have grown
- How she shows up authentically– in her work and personal life
- What’s next for her and an overarching practice that’s most sustaining her now
Enjoy our conversation!
- Heidi's website
- Heidi on Instagram
- Heidi's new book
- Sara on Instagram
- Sara's website
- Subscribe to Sara's newsletter
I wanted to record a conversation that I've been having privately with many women in my 1-1 IFS sessions over the past couple of years-- about dating (especially if we're in our late thirties and beyond).I'm sharing what my process was like being single for several years, starting in my late thirties: learning how to date, navigating the ups and downs of online dating, and the process of becoming a more mature, discerning woman along the way.While this will most benefit you if you're dating, you may also hear things in here that can impact your current intimate relationship or other connections in your life. And, if you know of another woman that needs to hear this, please pass this along to her. Enjoy!Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorFree Healing Guide: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/7obstacles
What would it look and sound like for you to be more honest on the page– and in your life? How can writing help you to bypass your Inner Critic and access more of your essence?These are some of the questions Laurie Wagner teaches us how to answer through the practice of Wild Writing. In today's conversation, she not only talks us through how Wild Writing can help us to live more real, connected lives, but she also leads us through a practice so we can experience it together here in real time.So grab a notebook and a pen, and enjoy our conversation!Laurie's website: www.27powers.org7 Obstacles Healing Guide: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/7obstaclesSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Today I'm sharing an excerpt from a talk I gave last month in my IFS sangha, Women's House of Wisdom. In it, I share a mindset we can all take on at the start of a new year to help us get unstuck and gain momentum toward our dreams and intentions. This has helped me write books, move to new places, and even start this podcast! May it help you move closer to what you're wanting to this year, too.Free IFS & Feminine Spirituality Masterclass: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/masterclassBecoming Whole: www.becomingwholeifs.comSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Welcome to 2023! Over the past few years, it’s become an annual tradition to invite an astrologer to join us here in the month of January, to both look back at the previous year’s astrology and to look ahead to the new one. Today I’m inviting the psychological astrologer and author of the new book "Map to Your Soul", Jennifer Freed, Ph.D. We speak about her unique approach to astrology, as well as what went down in the heavens in 2022 and what's to come for us in 2023 (it's inspiring. Jennifer is a burst of joy and wisdom. Enjoy!Jennifer Freed's website: www.jenniferfreed.comBecoming Whole waitlist: www.becomingwholeifs.comSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara's FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
For the last episode of the year, I'm taking you behind the scenes of my 2022 year-end review. I share a key practice I do, as well as some revelations about what has passed and how I'll move forward in 2023. Throughout the month of December on my podcast, I'm doing a holiday giveaway, in partnership with Shambhala Publications. Enter to win one of two beautiful "Wild and Sacred Feminine" card decks (it's gorgeous!). To enter:1) Leave me a review on Apple Podcasts. 2) Comment on the Instagram post related to this podcast episode (@saraavantstover) Then, I'll announce the two winners in January! Women's Solstice Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/solsticeretreatWomen's New Year's Retreat:https://www.dralamountain.org/program/ymnrw123-replenishing-revisioning-for-2023-a-yoga-meditation-nature-retreat-for-womenJoin the Becoming Whole waitlist: www.becomingwholeifs.comSubscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
As I support more and more women with Internal Family Systems (IFS), both in 1-1 and group work, one of the most common questions I get is: how do I stay connected with this work, and with my parts, in between our sessions?In response to this, one of the books I most often recommend to help do this is written by today’s guest.Michelle Glass is a Certified Level 3 IFS Practitioner and author of the Daily Parts Meditation Practice™: A Journey of Embodied Integration for Clients and Therapists. She first came to IFS to help her heal from a childhood of abuse and complex PTSD and she now uses it to support many others. In our conversation today, Michelle and I speak about:- What her personal journey with IFS was like when she was healing from childhood abuse and complex PTSD- Ways that a daily parts meditation practice can support us in our healing journeys- What her process was like of writing her book- And, Michelle also leads us through an in-depth parts meditation, which I know many of you will want to bookmark and return to again and again.If you’re curious about IFS, want to learn some more potent and practical tools to connect with the various parts of yourself more regularly, and are needing an infusion of some new wisdom and inspiration into your healing journey, my conversation with Michelle will give you all of these.Enjoy!Michelle's website: www.thelistenerllc.comMIchelle's DPMP Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/670447663138656/?mibextid=HsNCOgSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comFree healing guide: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/7obstaclesSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
In this dharma talk, an excerpt from one I gave the other week in my online IFS & Feminine Spirituality community, Women's House of Wisdom, I share the three essential things every woman needs in her life.Free healing guide: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/7obstaclesFollow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSubscribe to my newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Something special is coming for 2022 Cyber Monday! Tune in to hear all about it.Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Connect on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
This month's guest, Daniel Foor, has been a companion on my healing journey over the past several years, through his teachings. His work on ancestral healing has been especially impactful for me, making him one of the teachers I most refer my own students to when they’re in need of excavating this layer in their own healing journeys. Daniel is a teacher and practitioner of practical animism who specializes in ancestral and family healing and in helping folks learn to relate well with the rest of life. He is a doctor of psychology, marriage and family therapist, founder and director at Ancestral Medicine, and author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. Daniel is a life-long student of earth-honoring traditions and an initiate in West African Orisha traditions in the lineage of Olúwo Fálolú Adésànyà Awoyadé of Òdè Rẹ́mọ. His recent ancestors are settler-colonialists to North America from England, Germany, and Ireland, and he now lives with his wife and two daughters in Andalusia near the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Granada, Spain. In our conversation we talk about: - The ways that western healing and psychotherapy traditions limit our process by solely focusing on the individual- Why opening up the ancestral real (including our blood ancestors and beyond) can really accelerate and catalyze so much in our own healing and experience of wellness- What made daniel pack up his family of 4 and move them from the U.S. to Spain recently, as well as how that transition is going for them- Why grief is a sacred practice, and how we can embrace it as such. - As well as the Next steps we can all take to begin to feel more connected to our ancestors, the land we live on, and life at largeI really value Daniel’s teachings and it warms my heart to be able to share them with you today. Enjoy. Daniel's website: www.ancestralmedicine.orgDaniel on IG: www.instagram.com/danielfoorSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comFree healing guide: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/7obstaclesSara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSubscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
This is an excerpt from a dharma talk I gave during an online retreat called "Creating a Beautiful Life in Hard Times"(hosted by Shambhala Mountain Center in August 2021. In it, I share a few perspectives we can all try on to help us orient to our lives– when they're feeling unpredictable, or even if the things we're experiencing are unwanted. May this be of benefit!Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribeSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
I’m happy to welcome our guest Toko-pa Turner– a woman whose presence and work I deeply admire. Blending the mystical tradition of Sufism in which she was raised with a Jungian approach to dreamwork, Toko-pa founded the Dream School in 2001 from which thousands of students have since graduated. She is the author of the award-winning book, Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home, which explores the themes of exile and the search for belonging. Sometimes called a Midwife of the Psyche, Toko-pa’s work focuses on restoring the feminine, reconciling paradox, and facilitating grief & ritual practice. As I mentioned, in our conversation today we speak about the medicine of the equinox and the autumn season, living with autoimmune illness and creating necessary boundaries and structures in ones life to support this, dreamwork and simple steps we can all take to begin more actively relating to our inner, hidden dimensions, and how we can cultivate the skill of belonging in an increasingly lonely and disconnected world. Toko-pa is a fount of wisdom, and I’m honored to have her with us today. Enjoy.Toko-pa's website: www.toko-pa.comToko-pa on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tokopaSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Today I have two more wonderful women from our community to introduce you to: Cynthia and Jadi.Both women were part of last year's 200-hour online Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training– and they're both in very different seasons of life, with very different levels of yoga and teaching experience.Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: wwww.womensyogateachertraining.comSara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.comSara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletterSara on FB: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthorSara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Today I'm once again highlighting the voices of a couple of women in our community.Meet Ann and Paige, two women who participated in last year’s online 200-hour yoga alliance women’s yoga & meditation teacher training.You’ll hear from them why they decided to say “yes” to joining the training, specific aspects that they loved about it and that are sticking with them to support them in their lives today, and what they would say to any of you listening who may also be considering joining us…Because, that’s right, regular registration for this year’s training opens tomorrow, September 12, but only for 10 days.Learn more and join us at www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribeSara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
A colleague recommended Kaira Jewel Lingo's book to me earlier this year: We Were Made for These Times: Skillfully Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption, and I have been wanting to have her on the podcast for a while to explore her work with meditation, Buddhism & social justice.Kaira Jewel is a dharma teacher who spent 15 years as a monastic in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village. Today we speak about what led her to step away from monastic life-- and what that tumultuous transition was like, ways she integrates the dharma and social justice, things she misses most about monastic life, how to work with strong emotions and the uncertainty of the unknown, and what's next on her horizon.Kaira has a strong, gentle, clear presence, and I hope what we speak about today is of benefit to you.Kaira Jewel Lingo: www.kairajewel.comWomen's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.comSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribeSara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
While I'm on vacation for these last few weeks of summer, rather than sharing my usual, monthly dharma talk here on the podcast, I'm sharing a conversation I had last summer with Sue Van Raes on her podcast, "Satiate."Sue is a functional nutritionist and founder of Boulder Nutrition and she invited me in for a conversation about my journey with women's yoga and meditation– and at large. Enjoy!Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.comSue's website: www.boundernutrition.comSara's website: www.saraavantstover.comSara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletterSara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstoverSara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Today I'm welcoming Kimberly Ann Johnson & Stephen Jenkinson to speak about the new book they co-authored, Reckoning, which came out today.
Our conversation about the times we're living in, and the culture that got us here, it's rich, nuanced, and, as Stephen says at the end, bottomless. May it spark new curiosity, insight, and reflection.
Buy Reckoning: www.orphanwisdom.com
Stephen's website: www.orphanwisdom.com
Kimberly's website: www.kimberlyannjohnson.com
IFS Women's Circle: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/ifscircle
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Sara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Today I’m doing something I haven’t done before here on the podcast: inviting a couple of women from our community for a conversation.
Today you’ll here from Kathleen Browning and Reise Eiseman-Sanchez Tanner. Both of these women are alumna from last year’s 200-hour women’s Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, which was the first time I offered this program both online and in the 200-hour format.
Enjoy!
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Some of us have experienced it. Some of us are getting closer. For others, it still seems way out in the distance.
Menopause. It's time for us all to have a deeper conversation about it.
To guide us into this, I’ve invited Susan Willson, a Certified Nurse Midwife with 45 years of experience guiding all phases of women's health.
Her new book Making Sense of Menopause: Harnessing the Power and Potency of your Wisdom years helps us to positively reframe this powerful time of our lives.
Please note– this is not just a book or a conversation for women in or past menopause. It’s for women of ALL ages. The more we get in touch with the season of life we’re in, the more gracefully we will be able to navigate the biggest transition we’ll face before our deaths– that of menopause.
Susan and I discuss why the cultural narrative about menopause being something we need to “fix” is so dangerous, how this time in a woman’s life is a real crossroads, why understanding early transitions in our lives as women will better help us navigate menopause, the (huge!) role stress plays in all of this, mid-life course corrections, and the archetype of the wise woman.
It’s a rich conversation that I hope will illuminate some new things for you about your own journey and the arc of a woman’s life at large. Enjoy!
Susan's website: www.makingsenseofmenopause.com
Abortion Healing Kit: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/abortionkit
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Today I'm sharing an excerpt of a dharma talk I gave on the final morning of my retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center this May.
In it, I share practical ways to integrate these teachings and perspectives into your daily life– in ways that are both enjoyable and sustainable.
May this be of benefit!
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
As the second part in our series on Internal Family Systems, I've invited Certified IFS Therapist and the Assistant Trainer, Crystal Jones, to join us.
Crystal and I speak about her upcoming summer sabbatical (which I find very inspiring and sense you will too), what it's like to be the second BIPOC individual in a leadership role within the Internal Family Systems Institute, how she wants to use that role to serve and amplify more voices of those like her, and what it looks and feels like when we aim to embody all of our parts.
Crystal's joy and open-heartedness are infectious. I know you'll enjoy our connection as much as I did!
Crystal's website: www.lifesourcecounselingcenter.com
Abortion Healing Kit: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/abortionkit
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Over the next couple of months, I’m offering a focus on Internal Family Systems (or IFS) here on the podcast.
IFS is a cutting-edge psychotherapeutic model that’s sweeping the world right now– if you haven’t noticed!
More than being a very effective, gentle, and transformative model of therapy (that’s been both life-changing for me and my clients), it’s also a paradigm of living. IFS gives us the tools and framework to shift from living a fear-led life to an inspiration-led life.
This month and next month’s interviews will feature some leaders in the IFS community. Now, as the first of this 2-part series, I’m welcoming Chris Burris, an IFS senior lead trainer.
Chris and I speak about the IFS model at large, and more specifically about how to transform more extreme parts like our inner critics and perfectionists into allies (rather than going to war with them).
Chris also leads us through an IFS meditation to help us get more in touch with the parts of ourselves that are most dominant right now and shares some inspiring and practical ways he uses IFS for daily self-care.
May this conversation be of benefit!
In this dharma talk, an excerpt of one I offered in my online feminine spiritual practice community, Women's House of Wisdom, in the spring of 2020, I speak on the importance of calling on the archetype of the Divine Mother at this time in history, as well as practical ways to do that.
We touch on ancestor reverence, devotion, cultivating self-trust and spiritual authority, and more.
On this Mother's Day, may this remind us of the mother within us all, and She who loves and cares for us all, always.
France retreat: www.womensinsightretreat.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
One of the themes I’ve worked with a lot in both my personal life, as well as in my private practice over the years is healing from narcissistic abuse and codepenency. And, the flip side, on cultivating a secure, healthy relationship (first with oneself, and then, ultimately, with an intimate partner).
To help go deeper into this exploration as a larger community, I’ve invited to join us today Carista Luminare, who has been nicknamed “The Narcissism Whisperer.”
Carista Luminare, Ph.D., has more than 40 years experience as a counselor, consultant and educator to individuals, couples and families. In her private counseling practice, she integrates her lifelong research on how our early bonding patterns profoundly impact our self-identity and adult relationship dynamics. She uses her unique attachment approach to rewire relationships from insecure to secure love and well-being.
Carista and I speak about:
-The four main attachment styles, which she calls LoveStyles - How to heal your attachment style to become secure, if you had a traumatic or wounding experience in childhood - Why narcissism needs to be explored as a spectrum, and how low-level narcissism can be healed (while more extreme levels cannot) - Ways to recover from codependency and to reclaim your voice and sovereignty in an intimate relationship - How to apply these pro-relational tools outside of intimate relationships -And much more
If you’re wanting to experience healthy, secure relationships– romantically and otherwise, you’ll receive a lot from Carista’s wisdom today. Enjoy!
Carista's websites: www.confusedaboutlove.com & www.healingnarcissismandcodependency.com
France retreat: www.womensinsightretreat.com
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Here we are on the equinox, welcoming the season of rebirth in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition to introducing a new name and look to the podcast today, I'm also introducing you to Miranda Macpherson, a true modern-day embodiment of the divine feminine.
Miranda's an author, teacher with the Shift Network, kirtan musician and singer, and spiritual guide who shares a holistic approach to spiritual surrender and non-dual realization based on the practice of Ego Relaxation. She's the "real deal"– bringing three decades of teaching experience in what truly works to liberate unnecessary suffering and gain traction on the path of awakening.
In our conversation today we explore everything from major(positive)life shifts Miranda has made during the pandemic, key practices that have been sustaining her during this time, what a feminine approach to non-dual spirituality looks and feels like, how she approached menopause, ways to cultivate more trust in life (especially amidst all that's erupting in the world right now), and much more.
I know you’ll receive so much from Miranda's wisdom today. Enjoy.
Miranda's website: www.mirandamacpherson.com
Miranda's new mantra album: https://mirandamacpherson.com/streams-of-grace-album/
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
France retreat: https://www.womensyogateachertraining.com/annualretreat
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Today, I want to speak about something that I get asked about a lot– and that’s how to cultivate a regular (ideally daily) spiritual practice. And, in turn, how to overcome resistance to this when it inevitably arises.
With the increasing levels of uncertainty we're facing in our world, grounding more deeply into ourselves through daily practice is more essential now than ever. We not only need it personally but also to help us show up in more skillful, open-hearted ways collectively.
In this talk, I share nine things you can focus on to help you start, or enhance, your practice. May this be of benefit!
Women's House of Wisdom & the Wisdom Circle: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Annual Women's Insight Retreat in France: www.WomensInsightRetreat.com
Becoming Whole in 2022 (Free Workshop): www.BecomingWholeIFS.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Join Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
In time for Valentine’s Day, today's conversation is aimed to help us all have more fulfilling, connected relationships– by turning towards conflict (rather than running in the other direction!).
Plus, today I’m welcoming our first male guest (during the interview I share why I’m shifting towards having mixed genders on the podcast from now on).
Jayson Gaddis, a fellow Boulderite whom I’ve known for many years, is an author and relationship export and coach. He's joining us to speak about his new book, “Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High-Stakes Relationships.”
We talk about the one thing that has been helping him the most throughout the pandemic, ways to navigate a recent fall-out I had with a friend recently, what the price tag of avoiding conflict is, a few essential skills you can start incorporating right away, and more.
May our conversation be of benefit!
Jayson's website: www.jaysongaddis.com Jayson on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaysongaddis Jason on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaysongaddisfanpage
Women's House of Wisdom & the Wisdom Circle: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Annual Women's Insight Retreat in France: www.WomensInsightRetreat.com
Becoming Whole in 2022 (Free Workshop): www.BeconingWholeIFS.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Join Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Welcome to the 100th episode of the podcast! In celebration of this, I answer your questions-- on everything from spotting red flags (to avoid destructive relationships), my favorite skincare products, the books I gift most often, the daily rhythms and practices that help me feel my best, and more.
Thank you for listening during these first 100 episodes, and, if you're new here, welcome. Enjoy!
Women's House of Wisdom & The Wisdom Circle: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Free Workshop: www.BecomingWholeIFS.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Hello friends: Welcome to 2022. I’m inviting on the podcast as the first guest of the New Year, a long-time friend and colleague, Heidi Rose Robbins.
Heidi and I met about 14-ish years ago while attending a retreat with our shared teacher, Sofia Diaz, at the Mount Madonna Retreat Center just outside of Santa Cruz, California.
We’ve stayed in touch since then, and I have always appreciated Heidi’s poetic way of living, her compassionate and concise astrology readings, and her heart-full presence.
In today’s conversation, we speak about what to keep an eye out for in terms of the astrology for 2022, as well as a review of what came to pass in 2021.
We talk about the rituals and practices that have been helping Heidi and me the most during the pandemic, and about some big, brave shifts she’s making in her life this year to better fulfilling her intention of deeper listening and spaciousness.
Enjoy our conversation!
Women's House of Wisdom & The Wisdom Circle: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#wisdomcircle
France Retreat: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#francertreat
Heidi's website: www.heidiroserobbins.com
Heidi's Instagram: www.instagram.com/heidiroserobbins
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara's Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
It feels fitting, for the last episode of 2021, to invite my own long-time mentor, Sarah Powers onto the podcast. I first met Sarah serendipitously, while assisting her Yin/Yang Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu about twenty years ago.
Since then, I've continued to study and mentor with Sarah– she's been a tremendous influence on not only my teachings but also who I am as a woman.
Today, we're speaking about Sarah's new (gorgeous) book "Lit from Within," which just came out last month. Teeming with wisdom and practices, it's one of those books that any serious yoga and meditation practitioner is going to want to have in her practice library.
Sarah and I speak about what's practices have been most supportive for her during the pandemic, how she begins (most) days, what she feels is the key ingredient to having a successful relationship (she's been with her husband for four decades), and much more.
I know you'll be as inspired by Sarah and this conversation as I was. Enjoy!
Sarah's website: www.sarahpowersinsightyoga
Women's House of Wisdom & the Wisdom Circle: www.saraavantstover.com/#wisdomlist
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Join Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Within these increasingly complex and uncertain times, we need to navigate our lives from a greater and higher place than our five senses. Rather, to best navigate three-dimensional living, we need to soar to new heights.
Today's dharma talk is an excerpt of one I gave at an in-person retreat I led this past October at Shambhala Mountain Center. In it, I tell a story of an eagle, a snake, and the power of divine communication in our everyday lives.
May this be of benefit!
Solstice Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/solsticeretreat
February Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/febretreat
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
For all who celebrated, I hope you had a nourishing Thanksgiving. And, I also want to acknowledge that this can be a (very) triggering time of year– for many people, on many levels. Especially for those who are single and/or childless (not by choice).
Mass media touts this as a time of family and togetherness. We can often feel excluded, forgotten, and not understood by family and friends who DO have children and partners.
And, we can even be discriminated against in the workplace–expected to work over the holidays so that those who have children can have that time off.
If this stretch of time until New Year's is hard for you, I've recorded a podcast episode, sharing some tips I've found helpful over the years.
Above all, we need to raise awareness that many struggle– and are alone– at this time of year (for so many reasons).
If you know someone who falls into these categories, listen in to learn how to support them.
And, if you're alone and/or struggling over the holidays this year, my heart is with you and I hope this episode offers some solace and support.
IFS Therapy Group for Women: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/ifs-group
Women's Solstice Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/solsticeretreat
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Today I'm sharing the recording of a tried-and-true practice I led several years ago during a retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center. In it, I lead an exercise called "The Four-Part Check-In."
Those of you who have been studying with me for a long time will be very familiar with this, and it's also a practice I include in both of my books.
I'm sharing it here today because I find it to be a foundational practice for us as women. It supports us in quickly assessing how we're doing at the levels of body, heart, mind, and spirit– and what we most need to care for ourselves each day.
We do this so well for others and are often very lousy at doing this for ourselves! May this guided practice help to shift this, so you can live each day more skillfully and connected to yourself.
Enjoy!
IFS Virtual Therapy Group for Women: www.womensyogateachertrainign.com/ifs-group
Solstice Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/solsticeretreat
Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover
Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Happy October! Today's conversation is fitting for this season, as it prepares us for the deep rest of winter.
Tracee Stanley is a teacher and author inspired by more than 20 years of study in the traditions of the Himalayan Masters and Sri Vidya Tantra. Her new book, Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity follows the focus of her teachings: yoga nidra, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverance.
In our conversation we explore what's resourcing Tracee the most at this stage of the pandemic, how and why yoga nidra has been so transformational for both her and her students, yoga nidra's roots as a goddess practice, how ancestral healing and race-related stress can be supported by this practice of sacred rest, and much more.
Enjoy!
Tracee's website: www.traceeyoga.com Tracee's book: www.radiantrest.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Abortion Healing Circle: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/abortioncircle
Oct. 22-24 Retreat: www.ShambhalaMountain.org
This past week, we crossed the threshold into a new season. In honor of this, today I'm sharing an excerpt of a talk I gave last week in a retreat that welcomed the Autumn equinox.
In it, I share suggestions for how to align with the energetics and lessons of this season. May it be of benefit!
Abortion Healing Circle: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/septretreat
My website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
Subscribe to my newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter
Here we are, on Labor Day weekend in the U.S. The last unofficial weekend of summer.
It’s fitting that today we also have the last episode in our summer series on women’s yoga and meditation.
I’ve been sharing this series in celebration of a more feminine approach to spirituality-- one that I highlight in my upcoming online women’s yoga and meditation teacher training. We have a wonderful circle of women forming. Registration is open for another week (www.womensyogateachertraining.com).
We’re speaking today with Susan Aposhyan, a fellow Boulderite who’s been an inspiration and support to me for many years now.
Susan's been teaching meditation, embodiment, and psychological wellness for decades. She published Natural Intelligence: Body-Mind Integration and Human Development and Body-Mind Psychotherapy: Principles, Techniques, and Practical Applications.
She's joining us today to speak about her new book, Heart Open, Body Awake: Four Steps to Embodied Spirituality.
It's a beautiful book, that's really about the path of the heart. Susan leads us through some exercises and shares more about this path in our conversation. I know you'll enjoy it.
LINKS:
www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com
Women's Equinox Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/septretreat
Susan's website: www.susanaposhyan.com
My website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
My newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
My Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover
My Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
With just about another month left of summer here in the northern hemisphere, the special series here on the podcast on “women in yoga and meditation” continues.
I’m sharing this series in celebration of the creation of my online, 200-hour women’s yoga & meditation teacher training that starts at the end of September. Registration is open for a few more weeks!
Today, as part of this series, I’m sharing the replay from a webinar-- called “Embody Your Dharma”-- that I did last week with my long-time yogini sister, Myka McLaughlin, who’s the founder of WINC-Women in Community-- an organization that helps women grow their businesses while staying steeped in sacred feminine culture.
The gathering was so sweet and nourishing, that I wanted to share it with our wider community, too.
Myka and I met 18 (!) years ago while studying intensively with a wise and radical teacher of feminine embodiment, Sofia Diaz.
We both speak very candidly about how our spiritual lineages and feminine embodiment practices inform our “dharmas,” or callings. Plus, there were lots of great questions from the women on the call about how to integrate the two in practical, sustainable ways.
Specifically, we discuss:
-How embodiment can help you discover & magnify your calling or dharma -Ways to integrate your spiritual practice with your work -Why devotion is essential to building your business -What it takes to stay the course through all of life's ebbs and flows
If you are interested in embodiment, yoga, or an integrated approach to building your business, I know you’ll get so much out of this conversation.
And, if you enjoy what Myka has to share, she’s offering a free Revenue Revolution Summit on September 1-2, with best-in-class business training for women creatives in business. If you want to start or grow a profitable and soul-centered business, you’ll get a lot out of this training! You can join for free here: https://womenincommunity.com/summit-2109/?oprid=404&ref=23133
Enjoy our conversation!
Women's YTT: www.womensyogateachertraining.com
Equinox Retreat: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/septretreat
WINC's Revenue Revolution Free Summit: https://womenincommunity.com/summit-2109/?oprid=404&ref=23133
Website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
I don’t know how it got to be August already! I’m feeling the summer wind-down starting to happen, but, here on the podcast, we’re still enjoying a special summer series on Women’s Yoga & Meditation.
I share this series to give you a taste of my 200-hour online women’s yoga & meditation teacher training (which also happens to be the world’s first women's yoga teacher training!), taking place online this year for the first time.
And, as our next guest in this series, today we’re welcoming Constanza Eliana Chinea, a Brown Latinx anti-racism educator, producer, and certified Yoga instructor. She began teaching and consulting after noticing a need for diversity and representation in the wellness industry. She now teaches Yoga teachers/practitioners and wellness entrepreneurs how to decolonize their practices, create equity for teachers of color, and build inclusive spaces in the community.
There's a wealth of information in this conversation for all of us who want to begin to shed light on our blind spots and bring more inclusivity into our practices and communities. Please enjoy this conversation with Constanza Eliana!
Constanza Eliana's website: www.EmbodyInclusivity
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Constanza Eliana on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/constanza.eliana
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Over the next several weeks, I'm sharing a special summer series here on the podcast on the topic of Women's Yoga & Meditation. In it, I'll feature interviews with interesting women in the field, as well as replays of well-loved dharma talks I've given on these topics over the years.
I’ll share stories from my own life and practice. Hard-won insights and life-changing lessons from my own mentors, answering the most common struggles you asked about when I inquired: “what’s holding you back in your yoga and meditation practice and teaching?”
Today’s episode is all about the mysterious path of women’s yoga. In it, I speak about my humble (unexpected) beginnings, the core differences between masculine and feminine approaches to yoga, and how you can trust the zigs and zags of your own journey, too.
If you enjoy this episode, please consider joining me for my upcoming 200-hour Yoga Alliance Women's Yoga & MeditationTeacher Training. Happening 100% online this year, it's now open for registration (with early bird discounts until August 12).
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there.
www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com
Women's Summer of Celebration: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/summer
Sara's website: www.saravantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
This month I'm starting a special, summer series here on the podcast, where I'm featuring interviews and talks about the path of women's yoga & meditation.
I'm sharing these in celebration of my soon-to-open (later this month!) online, 200-hour Yoga Alliance Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Trainiing.
To start this series out, I'm sharing an interview with Angela Farmer, one of my yogini-heroines for the past two decades. A luminary in her field, she's studied with some of the world's greatest spiritual masters: B.K.S Iyengar, Patabhi Jois, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and more.
But it wasn't until she stepped out of all traditions and dropped into the yoga of listening closely to her own body that she finally found what she was looking for– the experience of feeling at home in herself.
This intimate conversation with Angela, which I recorded several years ago, truly feels like sitting at the feet of a wise, female elder. She shares with tremendous honesty and clarity how she has arrived at this place in her life of truly accepting and loving herself as she is, while helping others to do the same.
You'll likely want to take some notes while listening to this, as there are so many rich nuggets to remember.
Enjoy!
Angela's website: www.Angela-Victor.com
Women's Summer of Celebration: www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com/Summer
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Summer is officially here in the northern hemisphere. Huzzah! Bike rides, swimming, hikes, picnics: this is the season of pleasure.
Yet, living in a (mostly) pleasure-adverse culture–- and emerging from the underworld of the pandemic-- can make feeling good feel hard at times.
Today I'm sharing an excerpt of a dharma talk I gave a couple of months ago during an online course I taught called "The Book of SHE Club." In this course, we covered one chapter of my second book (The Book of SHE) per week. I gave this particular talk when we covered chapter ten, “Turning on Your Brights.”
Since The Book of SHE outlines the 13 stages of the heroine’s journey-- or a woman’s path to turning crisis into opportunity-- This chapter was the first chapter in the “ascent” portion of the heroine’s journey.
I felt like this was a relevant talk to share right now given that we’re in the midst of a collective ascent. We’re coming out of the descent of the pandemic and adjusting our eyes to the light and our senses to more joy and pleasure.
And, on that note, later this summer I’m hosting a free, online gathering to support us all in coming together to cultivate more pleasure, more connection, and more fun in our lives.
It’s called “Women’s Summer of Celebration,” and it spans over 5 weeks, from July 21 to August 18. We’ll meet for 45 minutes via Zoom each Wednesday during that time. And, each week, a new guest teacher will join us to lead us through experiences from creative writing to sensual dance to devotional music therapy and more.
You can join us (for free) at www. WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com/Summer.
I’d love to see you there to celebrate with you this season!
And, for now, enjoy this dharma talk on "Opening to More Pleasure."
Women's Summer of Celebration: www.WomensYogaTeacherTraining.com/Summer
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Today I have another important conversation to share with you.
It’s for women who are childless(not by choice), women who are childfree (childless by choice), and for women who DO have children, so you can better understand and empathize with women who do not.
In her mid-forties, after years of trying to get pregnant, Jody Day found herself still childless– and overcome with grief and unsure how life could go on. Now, at the age of 56, Jody has found genuine happiness and embraced her life of involuntary childlessness by transforming her own suffering into service to other childless women.
The British founder of Gateway Women, a global friendship and support network for childless women with a social reach of over 2-million, Jody is the author of "Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Future Without Children."
Chosen as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2013, she’s a global thought leader on female involuntary childlessness, integrative psychotherapist, TEDx speaker, and more.
We speak about the problem with living in a pronatalist culture (especially when most people don't realize that we do), the fetishization of motherhood, the unconscious bias many hold towards childless women (and the historical roots of this), and how we can come together as women to begin to bridge the divide between those of us who have children and those of us who do not.
Whether you have children, don’t have children (but want/wanted them), don't want children, or still want children, this conversation is an important one to listen to and contemplate deeply. Please also share this with those who need to hear it. Enjoy!
Jody Day's website: www.Gateway-Women.com
Jody's upcoming "Reignite" Weekend: www.gateway-women.com/event-directory/
Jody on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/GatewayWomen
Jody on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/GatewayWomenUK
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#teachertraininglist
Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
This May marks the 10-year anniversary of the publication of my first book, The Way of the Happy Woman.
One of the ways I'm celebrating is to share two episodes here on the podcast, where I reflect on the ten things I've learned since then.
Those of you who have been part of this community during this time know that I've been on quite a journey. A journey of tremendous heartbreak, healing, and transformation. In every sense, I've had to learn at the deepest level what I've been teaching and writing about.
As a result, I'm a very different person than I was ten years ago. And, at the same time, I'm still very much– and even more of– myself.
It was hard to distill all I've learned into just ten things, but I did my best! I hope you enjoy part two of this conversation.
Online 200-Hour Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#teachertraininglist
Changing with Grace: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#change
Website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
This May marks the 10-year anniversary of the publication of my first book, The Way of the Happy Woman.
One of the ways I'm celebrating is to share two episodes here on the podcast, where I reflect on the ten things I've learned over this past decade.
Those of you who have been part of this community during this time know that I've been on quite a journey. A journey of tremendous heartbreak, healing, and transformation. In every sense, I've had to learn at the deepest level what I've been teaching and writing about.
As a result, I'm a very different person than I was ten years ago. And, at the same time, I'm still very much– and even more of– myself.
It was hard to distill all I've learned into just ten things, but I did my best! I hope you enjoy part one of this conversation.
Online 200-Hour Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#teachertraininglist
Changing with Grace: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#change
Website: www.SaraAvantStover.com Newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter Instagram: www.Instagram.com/saraavantstover Facebook: www.Facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor
One of the (many) shadow sides of living in a patriarchal world is the idealization of motherhood. Women are expected to be– and to want to be– intrinsically all-loving, all-nurturing mothers, regardless of our circumstances or individual dispositions. The inevitable failure to live up to this ideal leads to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and wonderings of "what's wrong with me?".
My conversation today with author, scholar, and speaker, Daniela F. Sieff, Ph.D., serves as a salve for these feelings. Through her studies of "The Death Mother" archetype (which she first discovered through working with the Jungian analyst Marian Woodman), Daniela helps to normalize these darker feelings that women can have towards their children- ranging anywhere from ambivalence to disgust. Daniela and I also speak about the impact this archetype has on those who are at the receiving end of it.
This conversation will particularly interest you if you were adopted, felt unwanted/neglected/or unloved by your mother or caregiver, grew up with a mother who was physically or emotionally abusive or absent, if you’re struggling with cancer, an addiction, eating disorder, or autoimmune disease, or if you have had an abortion, given a child up for adoption, or have felt ambivalent, or even resentful about being a mother at times.
It’s time to dispel the myth of the all-loving mother and to bring this shadow side of motherhood to the surface so we can give women the support and resources they need when they're struggling.
Daniela's website: www.DanielaSieff.com Daniela's newsletter: https://sieff.pro/subscribe
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Changing with Grace: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#change
For this month’s meditation, I’m sharing one that I led a little bit ago in an online course I’ve been teaching this winter and spring called The Book of SHE Club (which, you guessed it is a book club for my second book, The Book of SHE).
This is a meditation I led during the week when we unpacked the chapter on Unlocking the Magic in your SHE Cycles (your SHE Cycle is also your moon cycle).
I lead an activation of a woman’s subtle energy body, for, as, with so many other areas of life, we’re often taught about our subtle energy anatomy through a male lens.
This one lets you tap into your energy body in a more feminine and accurate way than you may have been taught through other yoga and meditation traditions.
I hope you find this supportive.
The Holy Mother Retreat: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#communityretreats
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Subscribe to the newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Today I’m welcoming Kimberly Ann Johnson onto the podcast to talk about her new book, “Call of the Wild: How we Heal Trauma, Awaken our Power, and Use it for Good."
Kimberly’s a somatic experiencing practitioner, sexological bodyworker, birth doula, and single mother. Her new book combines all of these modalities, and more, to create a groundbreaking, accessible, comprehensive, and– above all– feminist approach to healing trauma.
She believes that we women are stuck in a cycle of trauma, both collectively and individually, and presents for us a path to break it. Enjoy!
Kimberly's website & book: www.KimberlyAnnJohnson.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
The Deep Rest Retreat: https://bit.ly/2XWyfwM
Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Today, I want to talk about something that I haven’t spoken much about yet here on the podcast: health.
Taking care of my health is my #1 priority in life. I know that, without my health, everything else suffers.
Throughout my adult life so far, I’ve tried everything under the sun in terms of health protocols. When I was younger, some of these things worked well for me, but in recent years, they only seemed to make some inflammatory/autoimmune symptoms I have worse. Things changed when I learned of Unique Hammond.
An LA-based holistic nutritionist, Bean Protocol coach, and author, Unique has been on quite a health journey. Ten years ago she was suffering from debilitating Crohn’s disease, which stripped her 5'7” frame down to 90 pounds, with countless trips to the bathroom each day.
Today, at age 45, Unique is a radiant vision of health. Knowing Unique, seeing her, hearing her story, and how she lives her life, expands my vision of what's possible on my own health journey, especially as I approach my mid-forties, too.
In today's conversation, Unique shares what the turning point was for her on her healing journey: The Bean Protocol.
When I first heard about The Bean Protocol, it sounded very weird, to be honest. But as I learned more of the science behind it, as well as Unique's story (and those of others she’s working), I was intrigued.
I've been on The Bean Protocol ever since, and, in my conversation with Unique, we speak more about all of this in-depth.
If you're suffering from hormonal imbalances, adrenal fatigue, inflammation, autoimmune symptoms, mystery illnesses, liver imbalances, gut or skin issues, mood disorders, or are simply wanting to learn how to use food as medicine to grow older with more grace and ease (including how to reverse the growth of gray hair, naturally), you'll walk away from today's conversation with new information and perspectives for your own healing journey.
Unique's website: www.YoureGreat.com
Unique on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/UniqueHammond
Karen Hurd: www.KarenHurd.com
Lacy Phillips/Expanded Podcast: www.ToBeMagnetic.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
The Deep Rest Retreat: https://bit.ly/2XWyfwM
Newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Over the years, when I work one-on-one with women, they often share that something they want for their lives, and to gain from working together, is to establish a solid, daily meditation practice.
I love that they want this for themselves and that they see the value in this.
Because if you’re to pick one daily ritual to implement that will have the biggest impact on every area of your life, that is without a doubt a daily, meditation practice.
To help support you with this, I’m going to start sharing some guided meditations here on the podcast.
Today’s is one from a virtual retreat I led in my online spiritual practice community, Women’s House of Wisdom.
In it, we take refuge in our belly centers– known in many spiritual traditions as our “true home.” It’s the seat of our intuition, our wisdom, our highest selves.
May today’s guided meditation be of benefit.
The Deep Rest Retreat: https://bit.ly/2XWyfwM
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#subscribe
Women's House of Wisdom: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
In honor of tomorrow being the first day of Women's History Month (how did it get to be March already?!), I want to give voice to something that has afflicted nearly every woman I know at some point in her life, in some form.
It's something we started grappling with when our bodies started growing from girl to woman.
It's something our sisters, mothers, and grandmothers often suffered from.
It's something that stays with us in subtle, yet pernicious ways.
It's something that we deny, judge, and hate – but also secretly love.
Above all, it's something we stay silent about.
I want to talk today about our eating disorders.
In the opening chapter of my second book, The Book of SHE, I recounted the story of an intense, and startling, bulimia relapse I had eleven years ago when I was overcome with self-doubt and inner criticism while writing my first book.
Upon reading my story, many women reached out sharing "I, too, was bulimic in high school and sometimes have relapses as an adult. I've done so much spiritual and psychological work and these episodes seem to come out the blue. How did heal from this?"
The road to healing from eating disorders is long and complex, involving deep psychological, biological, and spiritual support.
What I've learned on my healing journey is so much more than I can share in a single podcast. In short, the overall attitude I found most transformative was to see my eating disorder as a friend with whom I'm in a lifelong relationship (whether or not it's active).
Today on the podcast I'm sharing more about this perspective shift, as well as the therapeutic healing modality I've found most effective for healing not only eating disorders, but also all sorts of other traumas and fragmentations.
This modality is called IFS (or Internal Family Systems), and it's something I've been a client of for many years, wrote about in The Book of SHE, and which I also use with my mentoring clients.
Rather than demonizing and pathologizing our eating disorders (and addictions- both soft and hard), IFS teaches us how to turn towards them and befriend them.
Mary Kruger– a Certified IFS Therapist and Lead Trainer who specializes in addiction, eating disorders, and trauma– is joining us today to speak about this revolutionary way to approach these things.
May this conversation be of benefit.
Mary's website: www.mpkruger.com
IFS website: www.ifs-institute.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
The Book of SHE: www.indiebound.org/book/9781608682898
Women's House of Wisdom: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
Happy Valentine’s Day, happy Galentine’s Day, for all who are celebrating.
And- yay- we’re just over half-way to the equinox now. This is our final stretch in the underworld that is wintertime.
Fitting for this season, today I’m sharing an excerpt from a dharma talk I gave during a retreat last month in my online women’s yoga & meditation community, Women’s House of Wisdom.
In it, I speak about “The Power of Yin.” In a world that still condemns the feminine, or yin energy-- like softening, resting, being, allowing-- we still have a ways to go before really restoring this fundamental energetic balance, first within ourselves and then on the planet.
Women's House of Wisdom: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Join the newsletter: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#newsletter
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Today, I’m looking forward to sharing with you our first podcast guest of the season, Ari Honarvar. Ari is full of treasures– a woman I sense you’re going to be seeing a lot more of in the months and years ahead. She’s a wonderful female role model for these times, in so many ways.
Ari Honarvar is an award-winning writer, visual artist, activist, and speaker who grew up in war-torn Iran. Today, she’s turned her childhood trauma into ecstatic service by bringing the medicine of Iranian mysticism and poetry to refugees and asylum seekers at the U.S./Mexico border. The Iranian Musical Ambassador of Peace, Ari has spearheaded the Drop Poems Not Bombs project and is also the Vice President of Gente Unida, a human rights border coalition.
We speak about what it was like to grow up as a young-girl in an unstable country where women and girls were stripped of their rights, what it was like to move to the United States without her family at the age of fourteen, and all the ways mystical poetry saved her life.
We also delve into the daily rituals she’s finding supportive for both herself and her family during the pandemic, as well as a deeper, more accurate understanding of the Narcissus myth, and how this can help us evolve past being such a transactional, individualistic culture.
Last, we talk about her process behind writing her first novel, the forthcoming "A Girl Called Rumi."
Enjoy!
Ari on Instagram: www.Instragram.com/rumiwithaview
Ari’s website: www.RumiwithaView.com
Ari’s interview on The Shift Network: https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/mys21a22627/a22627
Sara’s website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Sara on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Sara on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
The Book of SHE Club: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#bookclub
We women face many challenging transitions on the pilgrimage from girlhood to womanhood: menses, love and heartbreak, motherhood, childlessness (by choice or not), menopause, illness, loss, and financial devastation (to name a few).
Devoid of a central narrative, these rites of passage too often happen in shame, isolation, and secrecy, leaving women doubting their personal power, self-worth, and, at times, sanity.
Yet these very thresholds– or initiations– are what’s required to expand our personalities and nervous systems to better hold the largeness of our souls.
Today, I'm mapping out the three biggest dangers of undergoing a modern-day initiation– or transformational cycle of unbecoming and becoming. I'm also sharing three antidotes to best work with these inopportune societal conditions.
May these words provide validation and context-making for wherever you are in your process. And, as always, blessings on your journey!
For women who want to go deeper into this with me and with one another, I'm leading "The Book of SHE Club: A 13- Week Community Initiation," from February 3-May 5.
Each week, I'll lead a class where I'll flesh out one of the 13 phases of the Heroine's Journey, an archetypal map for feminine initiation, as it's laid out in my second book.
You can learn more and join us here: www.SaraAvantStover.com/#bookclub
The Book of SHE: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781608682898
Website: www.SaraAvantStover.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaraAvantStoverAuthor
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SaraAvantStover
As we near the end of 2020, a monumental year for us all, I called on my friend, colleague, and esteemed astrologer and success coach, Jennifer Raccioppi, to shed some light on the cosmic forecast for the month of December, and into 2021.
In our conversation, we talk all about Jenn’s new book, Cosmic Health, and why, from an astrological standpoint, 2020 was so intense. She shares some interesting shifts happening in a couple of weeks– most notably the new moon eclipse on December 14, and a rare astrological conjunction on Dec. 21 that will seed a paradigm shift in 2021 and beyond.
We touch on practical ways you can align with these changes, why it's imperative that you "ride your erotic edge," what her current spiritual practice consists of, her recent heartbreak and encounters with the Dark Mother, and her current growing edge.
Settle in with us, and enjoy.
Jennifer Racioppi's website: JenniferRacioppi.com
Sara's website: SaraAvantStover.com
Cosmic Health book: indiebound.org/book/9780316535298
Women's House of Wisdom: WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Audre Lorde on "The Erotic as Power": youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=xFHwg6aNKy0
Today I have a really wonderful conversation to share with you. Spring Washam is a well-known meditation teacher, author, and visionary leader based in California and Peru.
I first came across Spring this past summer, just after George Floyd’s murder when the Black Lives Matter movement really burst into the collective field. At that time I saw an online course she was offering that intrigued me, called The Dharma of Harriet Tubman.
Spring and I speak about: - Her personal visitations from Harriet Tubman - How Harriet’s an archetype so needed for these times - Ways that Black women are the backbone of this country (The United States) and why white women need to support them - What it’s like to be a biracial woman on the spiritual path - How she’s created diverse, accessible spiritual communities - What it’s like to lead “the church” of Harriet Tubman - And how plant medicine plays a pivotal role in both of our lives, especially in healing trauma
There’s a lot of richness in here. Enjoy!
Spring's website: SpringWasham.com Sara's website: SaraAvantStover.com
Today I’m sharing a segment of a dharma talk I gave a couple of weeks ago in my online spiritual practice community, Women’s House of Wisdom.
This talk was a lead-in to Part 1 of a two-part virtual retreat series I'm leading this fall, called “Preparing for the Darker Months, and Times.”
In this series, I'm sharing six teachings, as points of focus to apply and orient around when things feel more murky and uncomfortable and there’s not as much light illuminating our path to know the next steps forward.
While I am speaking directly to the energetics of the fall season here, these teachings also apply to you if you’re in the southern hemisphere. At the macro level, they also hold true anytime in our lives when we’re passing through the points in the creative cycle of dissolution and death.
Enjoy!
Join us live for Part 2 of this series in a virtual retreat on Saturday, November 14.
Learn more and register: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Even when there's a lot going on in our lives, it's important to pause and honor important milestones.
Today's SHE Talk does just this. It's a deep, honest interview that I recorded in honor of a few big anniversaries.
First, the podcast is 5! I started it in 2015 with a special interview series to mark the birth of my second book.
And, yes, the second milestone is that five years ago this Tuesday, to be exact, The Book of SHE: Your Heroine's Journey into the Heart of Feminine Power was published.
The biggest thing I want to honor today – which is the real focus of today's episode – is that five years ago my own heroine's journey took a...how should I say....unfathomable (!) direction.
I've since been warned: "Be careful what you write a book about! You'll need to embody those teachings at the deepest level."
I'll leave it at that because today's talk (in which my good friend Emma Teitel turns the tables and interviews me) goes into this in-depth.
We cover a whole range of things from:
- How we’re structuring our days at this point in the pandemic
- Specific things that are inspiring us and helping us through
- The nascent steps we’re taking on our anti-racism journeys
- My experience working in California prisons last year
- The framework of a "Midlife Transition" that I find helpful
- And, above all, and key insights from the past 5 years of my heroine’s journey
If you've been through a challenging stretch in your life (and who hasn't!), or are going through one now, I know you'll feel some relief in hearing this.
Enjoy, go gently, and I'm grateful to be on this journey with you.
LINKS:
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The Book of SHE: https://www.amazon.com/Book-SHE-Heroines-Journey-Feminine/dp/1608682897/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VM9BSK4C2WCY&dchild=1&keywords=the+book+of+she+sara+avant+stover&qid=1602095664&sprefix=the+book+of+she+%2Caps%2C750&sr=8-1
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Emma Teitel: www.EmmaTeitel.com
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Women’s House of Wisdom: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
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Healing After Abortion (articles): www.HealingAfterAbortion.Substack.com
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Interview #1 with Emma, A Candid Q & A About Abortion: https://soundcloud.com/thewayofthehappywoman/54-a-candid-q-a-with-sara
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Interview #2 with Emma, My Heroine’s Journey in Business, Life & Love: https://soundcloud.com/thewayofthehappywoman/she-stories-my-heroines-journey-in-business-life-and-love
Those of you who have been here for a while will remember that just over two years ago, in July 2018, I published a story, both on my website and here about a harrowing abortion experience I underwent in April 2017.
In case you’re interested, my story can be found in episode 53 of this podcast. Episodes 54, 55, and 56 also pertain to abortion.
At the time of publishing my story, I was also starting up abortion support circles, to help fill the gaping hole I found in women’s health care when it comes to abortion.
There is literally very very little to no adequate support for women when it comes to abortion– both in helping women to decide whether or not to have an abortion. And in how to heal after abortion. It’s not always but often is a complicated process, one that can still haunt women decades later.
Two years ago I led a pilot online program on this topic, and, since then, also led in-person abortion support circles.
Now, I’m feeling called to take this work deeper and to make it even more widely available, as, once again, a woman’s right to abortion is under great question in this country.
Listen in as I share more about this, including a new, free resource I created to help women heal after abortion.
Enjoy. And please share this with the women who need it.
Links: * http://www.healingafterabortion.substack.com
I’m happy to be here with you, after a long hiatus over the Northern summer here in the United States.
Since I last connected with you here, I moved from Santa Barbara, California–where I lived for a couple of years–back to Boulder, CO. I’m settled into my new home here and adjusting to life again at 5000 feet above sea level. It feels good and right to be here.
I was packing up and leaving the west coast right as the fires started burning there. I send heartfelt support and care for all who are impacted by the smoke, the fires, the hurricanes, the racial injustice, the pandemic, and the various confluences of all of these factors. To say it’s a lot is an understatement.
May today's SHE Talk be a place of refuge for you.
This was recorded a couple of weeks ago, on the second day of an online weekend retreat I taught with Shambhala Mountain Center, entitled “Creating a Beautiful Life in Hard Times.”
In this particular talk, I address the need to cultivate a particular flavor of wisdom in these times. And to keep looking for ways to create beauty out of limitation.
If you’re feeling boxed in or restricted in any way(and who isn’t right now?), I hope this talk gives you at least a glimmer of inspiration.
Enjoy.
Grief is taking a more prominent role in all of our lives these days, and if you haven't yet been initiated into its wild and rough ways, you're likely experiencing this, to some degree, right now. This can be confusing, given that we live in a very grief/darkness/death-adverse culture.
In light of this, I wanted to share a talk I gave a few years ago in an online course I taught called "Healing from Heartbreak." In it, I share the wisdom grief has to teach us, how we can make space for it in our lives, and the danger of not giving it a seat at the table.
My wish for you is that you welcome and surrender to grief so that it can become a powerful ally on your journey.
If you'd like to go deeper into this, I'm offering the entire "Healing from Heartbreak" online course for 50% off at www.TheWayoftheHappyWoman.com/store
And our next live community offering is a virtual yoga & meditation retreat on Saturday, May 9 on the topic of the Divine Mother. To learn more and join us, visit www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
Today's talk is a recording from one I gave on the morning of New Year's eve this past year at a women's retreat I led at 1440 Multiversity.
In it, I share how healing ourselves, our lives, and our world, is a creative act. This process of "mending" ourselves into wholeness is an art form that requires courageously weaving together all the different parts and pieces of ourselves. It requires acknowledging and resolving inner and outer conflicts, for these very conflicts are both the ground for our healing and our path forward.
Enjoy and many blessings!
You're also welcome to join me and our community for our next virtual retreat, on Saturday, May 9. This month's theme is "Calling on the Divine Mother."
You can learn more & join us at www.Women'sHouseofWisdom.com
Hello friends, I wanted to share with you a short talk today on Wake-Up Calls, mostly to offer a chance for you to think/reflect more on how this time serves as a "wake-up call" for you to live a more honest, sovereign life.
And for those who want to dive into this topic more with me and our community, I'm leading a virtual retreat this weekend (Saturday 4/11 10am-1pm Pacific) in Women's House of Wisdom. To be accessible to all right now, the retreat is pay-what-you-can. You can learn more and register here: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
In either case, I'm wishing you and your loved ones much strength of heart.
Here's the recording from our second community call held earlier this week, where Sara shares ways to draw on deeper levels of support during these trying times. May this be of support!
If you'd like to join Women's House of Wisdom, the online women's practice community (pay-what-you-can & the first virtual retreat is Saturday 4/11), you can do so here: www.WomensHouseofWisdom.com
And to learn more about Sara and her work, visit www.TheWayoftheHappyWoman.com
This evening, as rain drizzles outside, the wisteria in my garden reveals its buds, and the first case of COVID-19 was just reported here in Santa Barbara, I feel deeply called to write to you.
I've been holding this community – and our entire global family – in my heart. (I also want to acknowledge that it's been just about a year since I last published a podcast. I've been on a sabbatical of sorts since then, changing and living a lot, as I imagine is true for you too!)
And...here we are.
Amidst all the fear and uncertainty, let us remember that THIS is what we've been practicing for.
THIS is our collective time in the chrysalis, transforming together from the caterpillar to the butterfly.
THIS is the time to ground yourself, open your heart, stay present, use all your tools, and dance with the unknown.
THIS is the time to turn from me to we and to choose love over fear.
Moment, by moment, by excruciating moment.
THIS is it.
Let's look more deeply into the opportunity presenting itself. This week, the whole world is entering into a retreat of sorts.
The pendulum is finally swinging from productivity, pushing, and profits to reflection, relationships, and rest. While this extreme shift can be inconvenient and scary, it's also a tremendous opportunity for growth and healing.
I speak more about this opportunity and challenge, and lead us through a meditation and some energy practices that I'm finding very helpful right now. May this be of benefit!
Today's talk comes from a recent Facebook Live class I taught on "Essentials for a Daily Practice." A daily practice doesn't need to be strict and mechanical. Rather, it can feel supportive, like seeking the solace of a good friend. In this class, I share essentials of an effective, nourishing (and doable) daily practice. This is a potent time of year to rekindle our passion for our practice. Plus, the world is calling us to more-- and that more isn't possible without a solid foundation of a serious, daily practice. May today's class inspire you to deepen your inner sight this season.
And, if you'd like support, inspiration, and sisterhood on incorporating all of these elements into your life in 2019, registration for my year-long women's spiritual practice community, A Year of SHE, is open for a couple more days! You can learn more and register here: www.AYearofSHE.com
What if life is happening for you, not to you? What if everything that you’re experiencing is an answer to your deepest prayer? What if your greatest challenges were doorways into your greatness?
In the sixth and final Dakini’s Den episode, I share an excerpt from a class where I speak about resilience, overcoming challenging emotions, and viewing life as your initiation.
If you’re feeling beaten down by the circumstances of your life, today’s talk will inspire and uplift you.
And, registration is open one more week for A Year of SHE or the SHE Leadership Circle. You can learn more here: www.AYearofSHE.com
Today, in the second-to-last episode in the series, “Dakini’s Den,” I’m sharing a talk on the dangers of being a “solopreneur” and how service and collaboration are the highest forms of feminine leadership.
“Self-Care Isn’t Selfish,” reads one of the sections in my first book, The Way of the Happy Woman.
I wrote those words almost nine years ago, and we women were in a very different place then than we are now.
As I look around today, I see that there’s now too much emphasis on self-care. We’re overly fixated on: How can I get what I want?
How can I get the dream home? The dream car? The dream spouse? The dream job? How can I get more for me?
At the same time, we underestimate our strength. We don’t give as much of ourselves as we’re capable of because we tell ourselves the story: “I’m introverted. I’m sensitive. I’m overwhelmed.”
But here’s the thing: you may be introverted and you may be sensitive, but you’re not fragile. You’re made of all that the Universe is made of– tornadoes and rain forests, tigers and robin’s eggs. You’re all of this and everything in between.
When your self-talk shifts from “This is all too much for me” to “Dear God, please use me,” you’ll begin to see just how strong you really are.
When you ask to be used–and then open yourself to inner guidance for direction– you realize that your role here is to serve the larger whole, not just to focus on yourself.
Today’s episode is a clip from the final class I taught for this year’s mastermind, the SHE Leadership Circle.
And, if you’re looking for a circle of women who will be your mirror, your support, your sisters in 2019 as you fully step into your feminine leadership, learn more & apply for the 2019 mastermind here: www.AYearofSHE.com
Welcome back to the second half of our Dakini’s Den series. Today’s talk is an excerpt from one of this year’s SHE School classes. In it, I discuss the power of the mind.
I’ve learned over the years just how powerful my mind is. I can create heaven or hell around me, depending upon my thoughts. A Course in Miracles teaches that every thought creates form on some level. Can we just take that in for a moment?
On retreat, after a few consecutive days of being quiet, moving more slowly, resting, staying off my phone/computer, and meditating a lot, my mind starts to slow down. Rather than being a victim to my unconscious program, I can begin to see my thoughts, one at a time.
Then I can choose: Is this a thought I want to think? Who will I be tomorrow if I think this thought today? What will my life look like a year from now if I think this other thought instead?
It’s worthwhile to take some understanding how the Universe (and your mind) works so that your life can work better. Today’s talk will help you do just that.
In addition to gifting you a slice of “retreat time” in your day, this talk is also a taste of what I’ll be teaching next year in A Year of SHE: A 12-Month Women’s Spiritual Practice Community (and its mastermind level, the SHE Leadership Circle.
After a lovely group of women joined us during the early bird window last month, today marks the beginning of the regular registration window. For the next two weeks, I’ll be welcoming women into this new, expanded version of the former Red Tent and SHE School, before we officially begin on January 1.
To read all about these programs, visit: www.AYearofSHE.com
During this third episode of our Dakini’s Den series, I’m doing something a little differently. I’m inviting you to be a fly on the wall in my 2018 mastermind program- the SHE Leadership Circle.
Last week, I sat down with three (amazing!) women from this year’s circle: Lori Mihalich-Levin, a lawyer/author/founder of “The Mindful Return”; Amelia Barrett, a yoga teacher/neurologist; and Lotus Baker, a stay-at-home mom turned yoga/art studio owner.
We spoke about the biggest obstacles they overcame in their careers this past year, wonderful opportunities they created as a result of investing in themselves, how the SHE Leadership Circle helped them get where they are, and why they almost didn’t join (but were so glad they did).
Today’s talk is for you if you keep saying “I want to put my work out there”– but continue making excuses not to.
In 2019, I’m offering the SHE Leadership Circle for the second time. The “upper tier” to A Year of SHE, this mastermind has limited space and is available by application only.
(Plus, there’s a generous financial discount for women who join the mastermind by Friday, November 16.)
Learn more & apply to The SHE Leadership Circle here: www.AYearofSHE.com
Lori’s website: www.mindfulreturn.com Amelia’s website: www.neuroscienceyoga.com Lotus’s website: Playstudio.co
However gifted someone is, her intuition about you is just that. Hers. She’s still going to see you through the vantage point of her life. To some degree, her perspective is going to be a projection onto you.
This is why the safest and most accurate expert on your life is YOU. No one knows you as well as you know yourself. It’s much wiser to invest in honing your own intuition than to hire others for theirs. The former will serve you faithfully for your entire life.
It’s like the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu instructed, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Just like a sunflower seed has programmed within it all it needs to become a beautiful flower, so too do you have everything you need inside to flourish as the woman the Universe created you to be. But you won’t fulfill your destiny if you don’t get still and listen to what you should do next.
Today on the podcast, as the second episode in our Dakini’s Den series, I’m sharing an excerpt from a conversation I had with a friend and intuitive coach, Julie Cobb. It’s called “How to Be More Intuitive,” and it’s one of the over two dozen guest teacher interviews in A Year of SHE: A 12-Month Women’s Spiritual Practice Community.
This conversation was a favorite amongst the women in this year’s program, and I know you will get a lot out of it, too.
And if you’re ready to stop outsourcing your power and guidance to others (either in your personal life or in your career), I’m teaching you how to “fish” this year in A Year of SHE & it’s mastermind component The SHE Leadership Circle.
Early registration, with gifts and generous discounts, is open until this Friday, November 16. Then, our year-long journey begins on January 1, 2019!
I’d love to support you in building rock-solid intuition and living that Truth in the year ahead.
Here’s where to learn more & enroll in A Year of SHE & the SHE Leadership Circle: www.AYearofSHE.com
During the first two weeks of November and December, to celebrate the opening of my year-long programs (A Year of SHE & the SHE Leadership Circle), I’m sharing a new series on the podcast called “Dakini’s Den.”
In Tibetan Buddhism, Dakinis are manifestations of Awakening appearing in feminine form. Each of these SHE Talks is an excerpt from the “Dakini’s Den” classes I taught in the 2018 year-long programs; and today’s talk is all about turning into the blazing truth within you.
All the answers to all our problems live inside us. To heal the world, each of us needs to play our part in listening to and then acting on this inner guidance.
Even though it’s the most pleasurable and profound experience one can ever have, we still have tremendous resistance to turning to the blazing truth within us.
May today’s talk inspire you to stop looking for magic “out there” and start shedding limitations to resource the miracle that you already are.
Learn more about A Year of SHE & the SHE Leadership Circle here: www.AYearofSHE.com
Today’s podcast guest leads us into a rich and deeply needed conversation about abortion. In the fourth and final episode (for now) of the # I Had an Abortion podcast series, I interview Linda Weber.
A woman in our community led me to Linda after I published my abortion story in July. And I’m so glad she did. I feel this is the most important podcast episode I’ve ever shared.
Linda Weber is a true wise woman. She’s been a psychotherapist, spiritual counselor for women, and active feminist since 1970. She was also one of the country’s first abortion counselors and helped to start a non-profit abortion & women’s health clinic in Boulder, Colorado in 1973 (where I sought skilled counsel after my own abortion last year).
She also leads Women’s Wilderness Quests in Colorado every summer and is the author of the gem of a book, Life Choices: The Teachings of Abortion. It tackles a very complex subject with such lucidity, accessibility, and sophistication that I firmly believe it needs to be required reading material in high school. Or at least by teen girls when they become sexually active.
In this rich conversation, Linda and I explore:
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How women are the gatekeepers to new life and what we can do to embrace and honor this power.
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The fascinating– and long– history of abortion (in the world and the U.S.)
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Why Linda believes the distinction between the terms “elective abortion” and “therapeutic abortion” (used in the case of genetic abnormalities) are unnecessary.
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Ways abortion is at-odds with a woman’s learned tendency to constantly self-sacrifice
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The next steps she prescribes for women to heal en masse from the stigma of abortion
Have a listen, and let’s step it up in our work together busting stigmas and re-authoring womanhood...for ourselves and the generations to come.
Also: Welcome, welcome to all the women who joined Redemption Circle during our early registration window. If you haven’t yet joined us but still wish to, our first class is two weeks from today. I personally cannot wait!!
Here’s where to learn more & join us: www.RedemptionCircle.org
Show Notes:
Linda Weber’s website: http://www.earthskycounseling.com
Linda’s Book, Life Choices: https://amzn.to/2POIsWW
Donate to Redemption Circle on Patreon: http://www.Patreon.com/RedemptionCircle
Welcome to the third episode in the # I Had an Abortion series! I’m honored that Dr. Christiane Northrup agreed, graciously and enthusiastically, to share with us today her wisdom on this taboo topic.
No stranger to standing at the frontlines in advocacy of women’s health and wholeness, Dr. Northrup is a pioneer in this field, New York Times bestselling author, and board certified OB/GYN. She’s also one of my personal sheroes whose shoulders I stand upon to be the woman I am and do the work I’m doing today.
Listen in to learn:
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Dr. Northrup’s experiences of performing abortions, and why she stopped
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How the Patriarchy has co-opted women’s fertility and erotic energy
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Ways to re-own feminine, erotic energy by running your pelvic bowl like a business
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Why codependency is really how every woman learns to behave early on– and how abortion challenges this
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About her new book, which explores the dance between “energy vampires” and empaths
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How women’s silence around abortion is perpetuating its stigma, and how we can shift this now
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What her current, growing edge is
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Her vision of where we’re going next as women
This episode is a keeper! I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
And if you still have unfinished business around a past abortion and are ready to get complete with it, I invite you to join me in Redemption Circle. This 40-day online course is what I wish I had had access to last summer. It empowers you with the tools and perspectives you need to heal after your abortion– physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Whether you had your abortion 3 weeks or 30 years ago, it’s never too late to make peace with your past. The brightness of the future (yours and ours) depends on it!
Here’s where to learn more about the online course: www.TheWayoftheHappyWoman.com/Redemption
Here’s where to donate to the 501c3: www.Patreon.com/RedemptionCircle
Show Notes:
My abortion story: http://bit.ly/2Ja0Qot Dr. Northrup’s new book, Dodging Energy Vampires: https://amzn.to/2BwJgwp Sara's article on Energy Vampires: http://bit.ly/2MHx408 Wild, Wild Country (Osho Documentary): https://www.netflix.com/title/80145240
About Dr. Christiane Northrup:
Christiane Northrup, M.D., visionary pioneer in women’s health, is a board-certified ob/gyn, former assistant clinical professor of ob/gyn at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and three-time New York Times bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause and Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-being. In 2013, Reader’s Digest named Dr. Northrup one of the “100 Most Trusted People in America.” And in 2016, she was named one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, a group of leaders who are using their voices and talent to awaken humanity.
Internationally known for her empowering approach, Dr. Northrup embraces medicine that acknowledges the unity of mind, body, emotions, and spirit, and teaches women to create health by tuning into their inner wisdom. After decades spent transforming women’s understanding of their sacred bodies and processes, Dr. Northrup now teaches women to thrive at every stage of life. In her latest book Making Life Easy: A Simple Guide to a Divinely Inspired Life, Dr. Northrup reveals her long-hidden secrets to mind/body/spirit well-being.
As a business owner, physician, former surgeon, mother, writer, speaker, and, according to Miriam Ava Ph.D., a “rebel, rockstar and authority on what can go right with the female body,” Dr. Northrup acknowledges our individual and collective capacity for growth, freedom, joy, and balance.
When she’s not traveling, Dr. Northrup loves dancing Argentine tango, going to the movies, getting together with friends and family, boating, and reading.
Don’t miss Dr. Northrup’s cutting-edge information. Join her worldwide community on: www.drnorthrup.com, Facebook, Twitter, and her Internet Radio show Flourish!
Welcome to the second episode in the #I Had an Abortion series. Almost three years ago, I invited one of my closest friends, Emma Teitel, to interview me for the inaugural episode on my podcast, SHE Talks. Today, I asked her to come back so that we could talk about abortion.
I felt called to have this conversation with Emma, in particular, for a few key reasons:
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Emma and I have been close friends for a decade, and she was one of the extraordinary women who stood by me through the challenges of the past few years.
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Now a women’s empowerment coach and psychotherapist, Emma used to work in a women’s health clinic, where she supported women and teens during their abortions (and many other circumstances).
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Named “Cleo” in my story, Emma volunteered to serve as my own “Abortion Doula.” Her compassionate presence and skillful space holding allowed me to feel held and supported during my own, unexpected initiation of abortion.
Emma and I discuss:
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Why Birth Doulas and Abortion Doulas are really the same thing–and why women need widespread access to both
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How society’s fear of death puts abortion in the shadows, and how this harms women
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Ancient ways that our female ancestors naturally administered abortions for themselves and one another, until this information was erased from our consciousness (and, like birth, put only in the hands of doctors)
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Ways that abortion is, at its root, pro-life through honoring all the seasons of life
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How we live in a society that is fundamentally anti-woman, and the pressing need for us to reclaim our voices and our togetherness
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Why we need to hear from more women who feel relieved-- even happy-- about their abortions
Thank you to those who have contributed to the Patreon fundraising campaign for Redemption Circle! Your generous donations have allowed me to continue on with this podcast series and to begin to create the first online course on this topic. A deep bow to each and every one of you!
Redemption Circle is a 501(c)(3) and global movement to heal the stigma of abortion and create a support network that empowers women to heal physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually after an abortion.
The only way this non-profit can come into being is through the support of those who believe in its vision! The only way that we can fully honor the initiation of abortion-- that at least 25% of women around the world experience-- is to create these safe, healing spaces and communities.
You can learn more and donate to Redemption Circle here: www.Patreon.com/Redemption Circle
Show Notes: Emma Teitel’s website: http://www.emmateitel.com Inaugural podcast episode: http://bit.ly/2v6GHuv My abortion story: http://bit.ly/2Ja0Qot Redemption Circle Online Course: www.TheWayoftheHappyWoman.com/Redemption
Sisters: We’re about to cross a big threshold together. Today I’m sharing the most important story I’ve ever told.
As you read it, you have complete freedom to think and feel anything. Whatever experience you have, own it. The only thing in life that we can ever fully trust is our own experience.
The world is changing. Women are changing. We’re changing. I’m changing. What’s called for now is a whole new era of womanhood and women’s leadership. An era where each of us lives in full integrity with her inner authority– her SHE. An era where each of us values her own truth above the opinions and reactions of others. An era where we’re all free to be fully ourselves, together.
The world needs our courage. Our truth. Our audacity. Our love. And, most of all, our willingness to stand for something larger than ourselves.
Read the written version of the story here: http://bit.ly/2Ja0Qot
Donate to Redemption Circle here: https://www.patreon.com/RedemptionCircle
Welcome to the final episode of our summer season.
Confession: Sometimes reading or listening to my own teachings lifts my spirits. This was true with today’s talk.
Being human can be hard. This world can be harsh. But the challenges we face are never random. They’re here to help us uncap latent strengths within us. The more we face, the stronger we become.
To keep having the courage to say “yes” to life’s challenges-- and stay sane and true to ourselves along the way-- we need all the inspiration and support we can find.
I won’t give too much of a lead-in to today’s talk, other than I’m pretty sure it will lift your spirits, as it did mine.
I gave today’s SHE Talk on the final morning of the last SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in Thailand.
In it, I share:
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How to give every woman (all those spirits and bodies who identify themselves as female and/or woman) a seat at the table
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What’s missing from women’s yoga, meditation, & spiritual leadership
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Ways to make sense of our deepest, most painful soul wounds
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Where to look for your path and purpose when you feel lost and filled with doubt
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Why it’s good to be a heretic
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The secret power of your heart
If you’ve enjoyed the teachings shared in this summer season, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training (December 1-8 in Tulum, Mexico).
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide.
Whether you’re aching to support other women, need a retreat, or just hungry deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of beach-time, too!
www.SHEYogaTraining.com
When we hit rocky roads– inner and outer– is when we’re mostly going to want to lean on the advice of “experts.” But, as I recently heard a wise person say, “Advice is the devil.” And I would have to agree.
Leadership comes from taking refuge in your inner wisdom. It asks us to source guidance from ourselves, and then to trust the path we’re shown. Unfortunately, this approach is the exact opposite of the one we’ve been encouraged to follow our whole lives.
In today’s SHE Talk, the third in our Poolside Sutras series, I explore this in more depth. (This talk was recorded mid-way through the last SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in Thailand).
In it, I speak about:
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How to stop worrying about what other people think
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The yogic breathing exercise that Brené Brown uses with her family to calm anxiety and overwhelm
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How to get over our fear of failure
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Breaking our addiction to stress
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The most important quality for feminine leadership (rarely seen on social media)
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And more
Sisters: A daily practice that attunes you to your inner wisdom is the only way to stop desperately trying to please others and start learning to honor yourself.
Life doesn’t teach us this! But, even as adults, it’s never too late to learn this crucial lesson.
Doing so is worth it because it’s the only path to what we all want–freedom and unconditional happiness.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, now open for registration.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of beach-time, too.
www.SHEYogaTraining.com
Enough of us are waking up now that we’re starting to see the widespread erasure of undomesticated women from religion, myth, and positions of power. As the lies that we’ve been taught to live crumble, we don’t have historical references to look to to remind us of who we once were.
The only place we can look is in our own hearts and bodies. Buried deep in our subconscious, the seats of souls, lives the memories of who we truly are.
In today’s Poolside Sutra, I explore this in more depth. Today’s talk is an excerpt from a Q & A session I held mid-way through the recent SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in Thailand.
In it, we will explore:
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How to live from a multi-sensory place
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My favorite bedtime ritual for clearing energy
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Creative ways women can meditate
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The flavor of the feminine that’s being birthed through all of us right now
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Using your intuition to grow your business
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The number one thing that holds us all back
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And more.
Sleeping Beauty’s spell lives even in the yoga & meditation world. Yes, the Patriarchy also dominates our spiritual lives!
What makes you a woman isn’t a nuisance to override through your practice.
We need to learn how to reunite with our sensual, body-based wisdom. And, to make this a lifelong endeavor, we deserve practices that we enjoy returning to, day after day.
This approach of “unlearning” is what I advocate in our SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training. The next training will take place in Tulum, Mexico from December 1-8, 2018.
At the end of this training, each woman will leave with a renewed trust in her inner, spiritual authority– and with all the tools she needs to help the women in her community to do the same.
This week is the best time to register for the SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training. When you register before June 18, You’ll receive a $200 discount. Plus, two gifts to support your practice.
www.SHEYogaTraining.com
Lama Tsultrim Allione’s new book, Wisdom Rising: https://amzn.to/2JHgImL Tara Mandala: https://taramandala.org/ Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin’s #ResistanceLive: http://bit.ly/2xRCMGu Jennifer Lee’s The Right Brain Business Plan: https://amzn.to/2JGu5mY The Sacred Prostitute: https://amzn.to/2sT9qSm The Book of SHE: https://amzn.to/2HuR3sl The 4-hour Workweek: https://amzn.to/2sJ9tAV Joe Dispenza's Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: https://amzn.to/2t0l0eK I mentioned that “khandro” is Sanskrit, but I meant to say Tibetan
So many are touting the benefits of sleep these days (hallelujah!), so today I’m going to focus on sleep’s less-talked-about sister– silence. Silence is hard to come by these days. From lawn mowers to garbage trucks, traffic to TVs, we’re constantly being bombarded by... noise.
This is one of many the reasons why I offer an annual silent retreat. For seven days, women can undertake a sacred pilgrimage– away from the stresses of their daily lives, to a beautiful place in nature, and into themselves.
To give you a taste of these retreats, over the next few weeks I’m publishing some of the talks I gave at a recent one in our annual, summertime podcast series,“Poolside Sutras.”
Poolside Sutras are intimate, deep teachings — but, since it’s summer (at least here in Colorado!), they’re meant to be enjoyed on-the-go: on your hikes, chilling poolside or at the beach, or to keep you company during that road trip.
The first episode in this series is a talk I gave on the third morning of the silent retreat in Thailand this past February. A little context: we observe silence days on 3-5 (with periods of silence in the mornings and evenings of other days).
Listen in to learn:
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What powerful, feminine leadership requires
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About my surprise date with Barack Obama ;)
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How to write the ultimate script for your life, rooting out belittling, unconscious beliefs
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Ways to embrace the lost art of “crazy wisdom” to catapult your growth and healing
I believe that retreats like these are one of the very best gifts we can give ourselves. This is why I’ve been offering them annually for the past fifteen years. This is why I invest in them for myself year after year.
I invite you to join me for our next gathering, The SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in Tulum, Mexico from December 1-8, 2018. This is both for women who want to teach and those who simply need a retreat.
You can learn more & register here: http://sheyogatraining.com/
I wanted to share the audio from a talk I gave at the end of March here in Boulder at an event called “The Truthteller Tour,” hosted by Kelly McNelis, founder of Women for One.This is the first public talk I’ve given since The Book of SHE came out... two-and-a-half years ago! So, yeah. This was a big step for me.
I’m still in the wobbly space between death and rebirth, so, rather than muscling myself into a faux confidence, I gave myself permission to show up in my full rawness. To do this, I spoke about “How to Gracefully Navigate the Unknown.” Women are still contacting me, telling me how touched and inspired they were by what I shared.
I hope this talk moves something in you, too.
Show notes and links for this episode can be found at: http://www.TheWayoftheHappyWoman.com/podcast
Welcome to the 5th and final episode in the mini-series, “Disrupting the Divine Feminine.”
Whether it’s a health problem, relationship stress, the fear that the goodness you’re experiencing will fade, or simply a question mark about your next steps, we all live with varying degrees of uncertainty. It’s inescapable. Even though we like to think that our surroundings are fixed and stable, the truth is, we don’t know if we’ll be here this time next year, much less tomorrow.
Rather than spiralling down into anxiety and worry over life’s unknowns, how can you instead use uncertainty and unexpected obstacles as opportunities to be the deliberate creator of your dreams?
In today’s SHE Talk we’re exploring:
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How outdated principles of Newtonian physics are keeping us boxed inside exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, thinking/playing small, and cycles of repeating our past
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Why quantum physics can help us feel more alive, free, and in touch with the truth of limitless possibility that always surrounds us
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Ways to adapt your spiritual practice each day to move from victim to victor, sufferer to creator
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How to turn your fear of uncertainty into empowered anticipation and bold action
I’m saving the best episode for last, because this is the missing ingredient in our world...and your life!
I’ll share the tools and practices needed to cultivate a strong, inner vision in The SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle 2018.
Both of these personal development and business mastermind sisterhoods promise to to connect you to your feminine spiritual power (your SHE) so you can birth a life you love and live it powerfully.
Through integrating women’s yoga, meditation, spirituality, leadership, lifestyle, and more, The SHE School will empower you to (finally!) trust yourself and become the expert on your own life.
With cutting-edge monthly teachings from Sara, group mentoring calls, SHE Yoga & Meditation videos, online community, guest teachers, and resources galore….. You’ll receive the fierce and loving support you need to step out of the world of “same-old, same-old” to design the destiny of dreams.
Learn more & register here: www.TheSHESchool.com
Welcome to episode 4 in our mini-series: Disrupting the Divine Feminine. Our intuition was educated out of us when we were very young. Our parents told us to listen to them rather than to how we felt. Now we look to Google for advice instead of into our own hearts and minds, and we’re paying a big price.
Isn’t it time you get the education in self-trust that you never got?
In today’s SHE Talk, I share:
-Why you need to stop asking for (and giving) advice
-How we’ve become a culture that’s addicted to experts
-What steps you can take to restore trust in your own inner knowing
-The key to business success that no one’s teaching
-What a real, wild woman looks like in 2018...and how you, too, can be that free
In the SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle 2018, you’ll get the mentoring, practices, and sisterhood you need to learn to trust & life from your inner wisdom. Become a woman who lives her truth and feels alive, joyful, and free. Our 9-month journey begins on February 1.
Learn more about The SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle here: www.TheSHESchool.com
Welcome to episode 3 in our mini-series on Disrupting the Divine Feminine. And today we’re going deeper.
Externally, do you look successful and put together; but, inside, you feel like you’re really hiding. Do you feel that, deep down, you don’t want others to really see you; and, most of all, you don’t really want to see yourself?
You have the whole setup: the color-coded chakra candles, the crystals by your bed, the goddess cards, the recycled yoga mat. Oh! And let’s not forget– Mercury Retrogrades mapped out in your planner through the rest of the year. You’ve changed your external environment to be more harmonious and “Zen,” but, inside, do you really feel more whole?
In today’s SHE Talk, I discuss:
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How spiritual fads are making us overly superstitious (and are yet another form of hiding behind masks)
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Why the practice of subtracting (rather than adding more rituals, more stuff) holds the key to peace-of-mind and personal power
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How moon cycles, periods, astrology, etc. have become more ways that we give our power away
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The ritual that will reveal the freedom and connection you’re really seeking (if you actually do it)
I warned you that I’m not pulling punches anymore!
The talks in this series are a small taste of what I’ll be teaching in The SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle 2018: A 9-Month Spiritual Leadership & Lifestyle Immersion. Here’s where to learn more: www.TheSHESchool.com
Welcome to the second episode in our mini-series on “Disrupting the Divine Feminine.” In the wake of Harvey Weinstein (et al), I know it’s not fashionable for me to say this. But I love you, so I have to. For us women, becoming unstoppable in life takes being more like a man.
If you have the liberty to be reading these words right now, then the biggest thing holding you back is not outside of you. It’s not your boss, your bank account, your childhood, your lover, your kids. It’s you. YOU are what’s holding you back. YOU-- and specifically your own thoughts and feelings--are what keep getting in your way.
Now that we’re being honest with ourselves, wouldn’t it be wise to cultivate the tools to STOP doing this? Wouldn’t it be wise to learn to be bigger than your thoughts? Bigger than your feelings? Greater than the sensations in your body and circumstances in your life?
In today’s SHE Talk, I share:
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How Martin Luther King Jr. (whom we’re honoring here in the U.S. today) exemplifies key qualities of the Divine Masculine for us to emulate
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Why you need to get clear on the differences between the “shadow” masculine (ahem- the patriarchy!) and the Divine Masculine within yourself
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What the greatest women in history all have in common (it’s not what you think)
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Ways that you can start training to become unstoppable in your life...today
The episodes in this “Disrupting the Divine Feminine” podcast series are just a small taste of a much larger dose of truth I’m offering this year in my signature, 9-month spiritual leadership & lifestyle immersion, The SHE School. Learn more about it here: www.thesheschool.com
In recent years, as we’ve come to revere the Divine Feminine, we’ve replaced one set of rules (work yourself to the bone to prove that you can do the job as well as any man can) for another (drink green juice, wear crystals, and worship the moon and Mercury Retrograde to prove that you’re a good person).
Somewhere in the mix of swapping one societal code for another, we’re still missing the point. You are the creator of your life. You are god in the flesh. You are a divine being, in charge of designing your own destiny. The power is inside of you. And you’ll never find it anywhere else.
If you’re not yet as happy, healthy, whole, wealthy, successful, vibrant, or (fill in the blank), as you long to be…...maybe it’s time to admit that you’ve been looking for answers in all the wrong places. Will 2018 be the year that you finally take your power back?
If your answer is “YES,” then I invite you to come on a journey with me. Beyond the land of “same-old, same-old,” and into the Realm of Extraordinary (aka The Kingdom of Heaven Within).
Over the next few weeks, I’ll show you the ins and outs of this mystical landscape in a new podcast mini-series: Disrupting the Divine Feminine.
In today’s SHE Talk, I map out:
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The (exciting!) new model of womanhood that Oprah debuted earlier this week
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Why I’m transplanting the hottest concept from the business world into the field of feminine spirituality & empowerment
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How Quantum Physics can help us feel at home in a very uncertain world Why super-sexy, flying fairies (from a 1,000-year-old tradition in Tibetan Buddhism) hold the medicine we’re all seeking today
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What Daenerys Targaryen can teach us about embodying new levels of greatness as women
If you’re needing to remember that you alone hold the power to create your reality, I hope this episode returns you to your agency. It’s a small taste of what’s to come in the only program I’m teaching this year: The SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle 2018: www.thesheschool.com
Here we are...the finale of 2017. We made it. I both want to slap this year across the face and hug it tightly and thank it profusely. For breaking me down. For making me strong. For showing me who I am, and who I am not. And for so much more that I don’t have words for yet.
For the past several months I’ve been in a deeply internal place. I’ve gone further inside than any other time in my life. While I’m still inside of this process, I wanted to peek my head out today to connect with you before we close for our annual holiday vacation.
Today I’m inviting you into my hibernation space, where I’m sharing on the podcast:
- What’s alive for me now at the end of two (beyond!) challenging years
- Some reflections after turning 40 last month
- The form of exercise that has helped me the most (physically and emotionally)
- Two self-care rituals I’m loving
- What my new daily rhythm looks like (it’s not what you’d expect!)
- Health breakthroughs for any woman undergoing an autoimmune or mystery illness
- New frontiers in my work coming your way in 2018
This is a new way of sharing for me that feels a little unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and vulnerable. But I now know that those are indicators that I’m moving in the direction of living true to myself.
Enjoy!
We’re closing for our annual holiday vacation this weekend and will return for a fresh, new year with you on January 3.
Oh! And there’s a fire burning in my belly about the new season on our podcast that I’ll share with you then to celebrate the opening of The SHE School 2018. It’s gonna be good….
I’m sending holiday blessings to each and every one of you-- through any and everything that this season brings for you.
Show links:
The Dailey Method: https://www.thedaileymethod.com
The SHE School & SHE Leadership Circle 2018: http://www.thesheschool.com
Infrared Saunas: http://bit.ly/SaunaTherapy
Anthony Williams/The Medical Medium: http://www.medicalmedium.com
Landmark Worldwide: http://bit.ly/thelandmark
SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in Thailand: http://sheyogatraining.com
There’s nothing quite like in-person connection to really feel a strong sense of community.
That’s why today I’m excited to (for the second time this week!) do something a little bit differently on our podcast.
For the first time, I’m inviting two members from our community into a conversation with me-- and all of you. Both are very cool women who are up to equally cool things in the world. If you haven’t met them already, it’s time you do.
Meet Jennifer Racioppi, a gifted astrologer and women's coach. And Michelle Bloom, the owner of Bloom Retreat in the Bay Area. They both attended the SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training in California this past April.
In our conversation, we chat about:
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How to shift away from a yoga & meditation practice that feels stuck, rigid, and forced to one that feels organic, flowing, and authentic
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Ways to explore your sexuality in your spiritual practice so that you feel less “tight” in all areas of your life
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Why Jenn renamed our training the “Mystic Rebels Gathering” (I love this!)
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What shifts Jenn and Michelle experienced in the realms of career and motherhood as a result of letting go of all they had been taught about yoga & embracing their own truths
Jennifer Racioppi is an astrologer, holistic health counselor (AADP), success coach, and a Duke-certified integrative health coach who blends her expertise in business, positive psychology, and women's health to coach high-achieving women reaching their next level of success. Her Lunar Logic philosophy integrates the deep wisdom of both science and astrology, helping women build a foundation of resilience, step into their authentic leadership, and stay faithful to their dreams. Her motto: "Success isn’t a rhythm it’s a race.” Visit Jenn’s website here: http://jenniferracioppi.com
Michelle Long is the founder of The Practice®, a feminine yoga and spiritual practice based on connection and sisterhood. She is also the founder of Bloom Retreat, a yoga studio and wholeness center just for women in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been teaching yoga since 2003, has a Master’s Degree in Holistic Health Education, and has served and taught thousands of women in her studio since 2012. She is also a wife and mother who has lived through her share of hardships which shape her teaching philosophy for women. Michelle’s intention is to build communities of women where they are safe to unravel and show up just as they are—perfectly imperfect. Visit Michelle’s website here: http://bloomretreat.com
Learn more about the SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training here: www.SHEYogaTraining.com
“If you choose to leave, you may never return,” her mother warned.
“Who will I be if I stay?” Diana replied.
And so begins Diana, Princess of the Amazon’s, Heroine’s Journey into the unknown to discover her true power.
On a recent Friday evening, I went to see Wonder Woman: Rise of the Warrior with one of my girlfriends. Throughout the movie I’d smile and lean over to whisper in her ear, “I LOVE this movie!”
And I know I’m not alone. Since Wonder Woman’s inception seventy-five years ago, she’s been the most beloved female superheroine of all time. Yet, after nearly a century, this is the first time she’s made her way to the big screen.
I believe this is a sign: We all not only need this archetype now, but we’re ready for her. She holds the golden key for us to courageously be a whole new kind of woman.
Today on the podcast I’m doing something a little differently. I’m sharing my take on the new movie, Wonder Woman.
This archetype of a wise, sensual warrior is precisely the one we’ll be exploring and tapping into this February in Thailand.
Remember, this week is the best time to register for the upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training.
When you register before noon Pacific this coming Friday, July 21, you’ll receive a $500 discount. Plus, the option to sign up with a 6-month payment plan and two lovely gifts to help you with your practice until we meet in February.
Here’s where to learn more about this unique training to enjoy your early registration discount-- and to see where you, too, can learn to embody this Wonder Woman archetype: www.SHEYogaTraining.com
We all know the adage that good (and bad) things come in threes.
But what about when they come in fours? That’s when a “perfect storm” strikes and the universe is demanding that we radically transform ourselves-- and our entire lives.
Meet Lisa Brown, a long time sister in our community, who’s opening her arms in a big “yes” to her own perfect storm.
A few years ago, Lisa came to me as a one-on-one SHE Mentoring clients because, out of the blue, her husband of two decades asked her for a divorce. On top of this, she was preparing for her eldest son to go off to college, while grappling with the massive physiological and identity shifts of menopause. She was IN IT.
In preparation for this podcast series, I remembered Lisa’s journey with loss and heartbreak (and how impressed I was with how consciously she was facing it). So I asked if she’d like to be interviewed about it now, a couple of years later.
My email landed in her life during a very liminal time-- she was in hospice with her mother, who had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer just a few weeks before.
Today, Lisa’s speaking to us just days after her mother’s death. Listen into the fourth and final interview in this series to learn how one woman is unflinchingly allowing a series of unexpected tragedies to morph her into the woman she was born to be.
Lisa’s story reminds us: Time doesn’t heal all wounds. You do. Because heartbreak is a form of death, it often carries you straight into your core wounds — still bleeding, all these years later. It invites you to heal them once and for all. Heartbreak is shattering, but, if you embrace it, like Lisa, you can piece yourself back together more whole and holy than ever before.
In a handful of days, my new 4-week immersion, “Healing from Heartbreak: Transform through the Wild Wisdom of Grief” begins. Don’t just break down -- break through. Coming from the depths of my own soul, this feels like the most potent thing I’ve ever created. You’re not going to want to miss it. We start June 7.
Learn more & join us here: http://bitly.com/H_f_H
When a woman owns her most harrowing life experiences deep in her bones, she becomes a gift to her community-- and the world. And, yet, that process of deeply feeling, accepting, and learning from our hardships is both grizzly and grueling. It’s one that few women have the courage to endure, much less emerge from stronger and more free.
Merryl Rothaus is a testament to what’s possible for all of us when we say a full-bodied “Yes” to whatever darkness live hurls at us.
In this truth-telling conversation, Merryl and I discuss:
-Hard truths that many women face around becoming single mothers when they’re not in a relationship and are nearing the end of their childbearing years
-How she dealt with infertility struggles
-How she lived through two second trimester miscarriages-- one which ended in a 16-hour at-home labor
-What happened when she became outraged at the Divine
-How she has made peace with being a “Mother without Children,” and the fire in her belly to raise awareness around this unrecognized population of women
-Ways to stay connected with your loved ones after they pass through honoring the wild wisdom of grief in your daily life
Merryl’s the real deal. And she’s brave enough to speak out about experiences that would otherwise remain occluded in shame and cultural shadow.
Visit Merryl’s website here: www.merrylrothaus.com
Heartbreak comes into our lives like an unwelcome stranger, robbing us of who we are. Our dignity, our dreams, our self-confidence can all be gone in a flash. Yet heartbreak offers a secret message, too--a passageway to a deeper, wiser us. Heartbreak can unlock the secret to our unique spiritual unfolding, but we have to be willing to follow its mysterious, painful path.
One week from tomorrow, “Healing from Heartbreak: Transform through the Wild Wisdom of Grief” begins. It’s a 4-week online immersion that shows you how to use heartbreak to become a true heroine.
Early registration ends today! When you join us now, you’ll receive a special gift of a live 1- hour new moon ritual with me (at the end of our course), full of magic, sorcery, and manifestation practices to call in your new life after a loss.
Join “Healing from Heartbreak” now to receive your early registration gift: http://bit.ly/HBDiaries3
“I don’t know anyone who hasn’t gone through multiple heartbreaks,” Sabrina says.
She’s lived an unconventional life-- especially as a Chinese-American, seen through the eyes of her more conservative parents.
While all of her siblings got married and had children, when yet another one of Sabrina’s relationships would end, her mother would shake her head and tell her, “Sabrina, you’re so unlucky in love.”
A devout student and pioneering teacher in feminine spiritual practice, Sabrina is well-known for leading women’s circles in San Francisco and assisting David Deida at his intensives around the country. Now in her late fifties, she has dedicated her life to expressing a truer, freer form of love than convention acknowledges.
In our conversation we explore:
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The big shifts Sabrina noticed upon turning fifty, and now approaching sixty, and how she honors these big milestones
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How menopause forced Sabrina to discover a new sense of sexiness and womanhood
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Ways that Sabrina made peace with never having children of her own
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How she coped with losing her parents
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Why she’s grateful that she waited until she was in her 50s to get married
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Why the heart is always to be shared, whether it’s broken or not
Here’s where to learn more about Sabrina Chaw: http://afemininefeast.com
May Sabrina’s vulnerability and courage mirror back to you some deeper truths about you and the unique path of love that you’re living.
And if this story has inspired you, or would be helpful for a woman you know, please pass it onto her by forwarding this email to her or using the share buttons below.
What are The Heartbreak Diaries? It’s a podcast series comprised of 4 intimate interviews with women who have suffered intense heartbreak — and come out the other side stronger than ever.
And beyond being a safe space to speak up and share about our losses, this series also honors the opening of a new course I’ve been creating for the past year…. Healing from Heartbreak: Transform through the Wild Wisdom of Grief.
Because, let’s be honest: heartbreak sucks. It convinces us we’re unworthy, unattractive, and terminally unlovable. But what if that crack in your heart were really a crack in the door, and that inside you’d find more: more wisdom, more attunement, more vitality, more you? Heartbreak feels like the end because it’s also a beginning.
This 4-Week Immersion includes mentoring, sisterhood, ritual, and wisdom. We start June 7 (with a special gift for anyone who joins us before May 30).
Click here to learn more about Healing from Heartbreak: http://bit.ly/H_f_H
Heartbreak is a harsh — but incredibly potent — teacher. It carries us straight into our deepest wounds and invites us to heal them, once and for all. It pulls the rug out from under us — and asks us to find our footing amidst the freefall. Heartbreak shatters us — and demands we piece ourselves back together, more whole and holy than before.
One of the most painful pieces of heartbreak is the isolation it brings. I’m on a mission to help shift this by creating a safe space where women share not only the highs of our lives, but, more importantly, the lows.
To help us find a sense of community in our struggles, and to give voice to the losses that we often grieve in silence, I’ve created a special interview series on our podcast called “The Heartbreak Diaries.”
Here, I’ll feature 4 intimate interviews with women who’ve weathered intense heartbreak — and come out the other side even stronger. Today, please enjoy the first interview of this series, with Leadership Trainer and Coach, Krista Barbour.
On an early September morning in 2015, Krista awoke to a flurry of text messages and voicemails on her phone. I’m thinking of you…. Are you okay?!.... I’m here if you need me. Moments later, she learned that her beloved, Mark, passed unexpectedly the night before.
From there, Krista spiralled into the most unimaginable and challenging period of her life. Little did she know that living through that time would also gift her with the most profound, transformative and life-giving growth she’s ever known.
This is the first time Krista has spoken publicly about Mark’s passing; and we’re honored that she chose to share her journey, and all the wisdom she’s claimed from it, with us today.
If you’re needing more support while navigating your own grieving process, please explore: Healing from Heartbreak: Transform through the Wild Wisdom of Grief. In this 4-week, online immersion, you’ll receive support from a like-hearted community of women, weekly classes and mentoring calls with me, and the exact tools and practices you need to work skillfully with each stage of your grieving and healing process. So you don’t just break down … you break through.
Here’s where to learn more: http://bit.ly/H_f_H
Last week we also passed through the milestone of Imbolc. Here in the northern hemisphere, this marks the halfway point between winter and spring. We’re in the time of the year when the seeds deep inside the earth, like all the cells in our bodies, start to turn towards the light.
These seasonal touchstones offer us chances to pause and reflect. Winter--the season of hibernation, gestation, and visioning--urges us to prioritize stillness, inner listening, and patience with what feels gritty and uncomfortable. It’s hard, I know.
Because, even if you’re not experiencing winter geographically, you’re nose-to-nose with transition and uncertainty, and I came across something that I think you’ll find helpful.
Last week we welcomed women between 26 and 65, from 14 countries, into this year’s SHE School. One of the things that I shared with the group this past week was a SHE Talk on our theme for February, “Leaving Your Normal Life.” The first step along our 9-part Heroine’s Journey, the central lesson of this month is that a woman’s initiation into greater wisdom and power always begins with a crisis.
As my team was preparing this audio for our SHE School sisters, they voiced to me that the message I offer in it is so valuable and relevant for the time we’re currently living in that I should share a slice of it with all of you.
So please enjoy, as a gift from me to you, an impromptu podcast episode…..
In the clip from the first month’s talk in this year’s SHE School, you will learn: how to come to terms with our fundamental aloneness and groundlessness; why we need safe harbors during times of transition; a Tibetan prayer that offers an inspiring perspective on your suffering; the disposition every mature woman must take to wake up from the nightmare of addictive accomplishment and perfectionism.
May these teachings offer some salve and strength for your spirit as we step into the second half of this season, together.
And….if you’d still like to partake in this year’s SHE School journey, it's actually not too late for you to join us!
I can’t wait to support you through whatever transition you’re facing this year. Here’s where to step into The SHE School 2017 http://thesheschool.com
We all have seasons in our lives where we feel like all hope is lost and we’re desperately groping in the dark. We struggle with trusting the process of life and having faith that we can make the right decision. We feel like we’re constantly both fighting off our inner voices that tell us we can't do it whilst battling the fear to forge ahead to still claim what we want out of life.
If, like me, you’ve ever grappled with any of these things, today’s episode is for you. Tune in to learn everyday ways to surrender and trust the process of your life; how to live with true joy & calmness in the face of the truism that life is full of uncertainty and can knock you out at anytime; the best way to make any decision from you deepest, wisest self; ways to better hear your SHE (or your feminine intuition) to know irrefutably who you are and what you want in this life.
You have infinite wisdom within you. But none of it matters unless you take the time to listen to and live from it.
If you’re inspired by this 4-part seasonal series, Chaotic Calm, you’ll adore the SHE School.
The SHE School is a 9-month women’s spiritual practice community. Integrating women’s yoga, meditation, spirituality, lifestyle, and more, it’s a life-changing practice container to help you come home … to yourself.
The SHE School is the very best way to integrate the practices and principles you’ll discover in Chaotic Calm… right into your own busy and sacred life.
Here’s to a softer, saner, more spiritually connected you.
Learn more about The SHE School here: www.TheSHESchool.com
Welcome to the first class in our 4-part series, Chaotic Calm: Living from Your Confident Center in Turbulent Times.
In today’s class, I’ll share the exact practices, routines, mini-rituals, and tools I relied on in 2016 — the trial-by-fire year that brought me to my knees.
Whatever kind of initiation you’re facing right now — whether it’s learning to stay sane with a new baby on board, trying to rekindle some sexiness in your long-term relationship, or simply trying to stay connected to yourself so you don’t spiral into exhaustion — you’ll find boundless wisdom here to support you, right away.
Miniature practices create massive transformation. And the best time to start? Is fresh, in the morning …
What if--even when you get up on the wrong side of the bed-- you could easily reverse that to the right side of the bed, every day?
So you could move through your meetings and errands and carpools and random run-ins with your ex — feeling totally yourself. Vibrant. Centered. And maybe even a tad glowing.
Because how you start your day determines how you live it. And it all starts with a beautiful, doable morning ritual.
If you’re inspired by this 4-part class series, Chaotic Calm, you’ll adore the SHE School.
The SHE School is a 9-month women’s spiritual practice community. Integrating women’s yoga, meditation, spirituality, lifestyle, and more, it’s a life-changing practice container to help you come home … to yourself.
The SHE School is the very best way to integrate the practices and principles you’ll discover in Chaotic Calm… right into your own busy and sacred life.
Here’s to a softer, saner, more spiritually connected you.
Learn more about The SHE School here: www.TheSHESchool.com
Your body’s a temple -- but someone made a mess in it. And you try to meditate your way to inner peace -- but your monkey mind is flinging banana peels everywhere. You’re not doing anything wrong! These obstacles to inner peace are so common, the Buddha named them: the 5 Hindrances. Enjoy this inspiring SHE dharma talk to make coming home to yourself much, much sweeter.
Want more? Join my 9-month spiritual practice community for women, now open for a very short time at: www.TheSHESchool.com.
You’re on the verge of a new chapter in your life -- but you feel resistant and awkward. You’re about to kickstart deeper self-care (and prioritize standing in your own truth), but you’re all elbows and self-doubting.
The beginnings of things are hard. Especially when they really, really matter to us. This is the archetype of the Maiden in the Heroine’s Journey. When we understand and honor her (and bring not only our Beginner’s Mind… but also our Beginner’s HEART), we can melt resistance, bring ease into the fiery crucible of change, and say YES to our current “spiritual assignment.”
Want more support for your Beginner’s Heart? Discover The SHE School 2017, now open for a very brief window here: www.TheSHESchool.com
The beginnings of things -- even wonderful, self-caring things -- can be challenging. You sit down to meditate and your mind won’t shut up. You hop on your yoga mat and feel stiff and awkward the first 15 minutes.
Hear what I told women the opening night of my last SHE Retreat about honoring transitions and beginnings. We talk mindfulness, the two kinds of self-care practices (yes, retail therapy counts!), how to work with resistance, and an ultra-simple practice to determine your “growing edge,” in the Sacred Feminine.
Enjoy in a cozy bubble bath. Because living true to ourselves is challenging; and the journey needs all the gentleness and sweetness we can muster.
Want more? Join my 9-month spiritual practice community for women, now open at: www.TheSHESchool.com.
Over these past few weeks we’ve turned women’s yoga, meditation, and feminine spirituality inside out and upside down. Today it’s time to look at it from one final angle. Let’s explore the business of teaching yoga to women-- and the host of strings (ahem: challenges!) that come along with this gift. A fitting finale to our Poolside Sutras summertime podcast series! It’s not only for yoga teachers and aspiring yoga teachers; but it’s also for anyone who struggles with making a living from her passion.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of pool-time, too. www.SHEYogaTraining.com
In today’s episode, the second-to-last in our special Poolside Sutras summertime series, I’m sharing how I (literally!) stumbled across an embodiment practice that drastically changed my life.
Welcome to a Woman’s Guide to Yin Yoga. These practices soothe and rejuvenate me. They prepare me for whatever life is asking me to meet, and they return me to myself.
I wish for every woman to have this, too; because yin yoga is one of the best allies we can have in our embodiment tool kits. In today’s Poolside Sutra, I’ll share the unexpected story of how I found yin yoga (it involves not sleeping for 3 days straight!); ways to use yin yoga to work with adrenal fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, and more; and why this practice is one of the best ways to skillfully align our yoga practice with our hormonal cycles.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of pool-time, too. www.SHEYogaTraining.com
We can have the perfect meditation accoutrements adorning our perfect, meditative environment. But when we sit down, expecting our minds to still, distractions to vanish, and inner turmoil to cease--simply because we’re meditating--we’re setting ourselves up for failure (and usually more tension than we started with!). Meditation isn’t about seeking some tranquil space. Nor is it about overriding sadness, depression, monkey mind, or fatigue.
In today’s Poolside Sutra, we’ll explore what meditation really is- and, hopefully, you’ll discover that it’s a lot more accessible than you thought.
If you’re struggling to get (or stay) on your cushion, much less making friends with yourself once you do, today’s episode is for you.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, now open for registration.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of pool-time, too. www.SHEYogaTraining.com
Have you ever woken up too tired, too busy, too distracted to practice yoga or meditate? If so, you’re in the right place. And you’re not alone.
In today’s episode, I’ll talk about how I developed a consistent, daily yoga & meditation practice nearly two decades ago, and how I have since helped countless other women do the same; ways to create the space and time for practice (even when you don’t think you have any); practice workarounds for travel, irregular schedules, and for any woman who thinks she’s not a morning person; and how to handle boredom, low energy, and diminishing motivation and inspiration.
Starting our days in connection with the Sacred allows us to show up for life as the women we most long to be. Settle in for today’s Poolside Sutra, sisters. This isn’t some idealized, Polyanna advice, it’s down-to-earth, practical, and fiercely loving guidance to help you create a daily practice in the way that is right for you, and your life, right now.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, now open for registration.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of pool time, too. www.SHEYogaTraining.com
Welcome to our new, seasonal podcast series, Poolside Sutras: my summertime gift to you. Pull up a chaise lounge, soak up the twinkling blue view, and let’s chat about what matters most.
I’ll share stories from my own life and practice. Hard-won insights and life-changing lessons from my own mentors, answering the most common struggles you asked about when I inquired: “what’s holding you back in your yoga and meditation practice and teaching?”
Today’s episode is all about the mysterious path of women’s yoga. In it, I speak about my humble (unexpected) beginnings, the core differences between masculine and feminine approaches to yoga, and how you can trust the zigs and zags of your own journey, too.
If you love these Sutras, please consider joining me for my upcoming SHE Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, now open for registration.
At this unconventional gathering, I’ll share the under-the-hood techniques and principles I’ve used in my own yoga & meditation for two decades — and taught to thousands of women, worldwide. Whether you’re aching to support other women or just deepen your own practice, you’ll find the feminine heart of yoga and meditation there. And, yes: we’ll have plenty of pool-time, too. www.SHEYogaTraining.com
Today’s talk is a fitting closing for our “Bubble Bath Wisdom” series, because it’s all about integration. It’s about taking our insights from the yoga mat or the meditation cushion and bringing them into our intimate relationships, our parenting, our leadership, and something as foundational as the inner attitude we move through each day with.
In it, I’m sharing a few clips from some of last year’s SHE School mentoring calls. Each clip holds a question from one of the program participants. All are very deep and complex- reflecting the women who ask them.
And they all help us to see how we can take all our inner work, and start to shine it out into the world. They lead us to remember that, if we’re not where we want to be in life, maybe it’s time to stop believing our thoughts and following our same old habits. And maybe it’s time for us to source our next steps from a deeper truth about who we are, and what really matters to us in this precious life.
Listen in to learn:
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The crucial differences between discipline & devotion
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A bodily practice to activate devotional, heart-intelligence in even the worst of moments
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Ways to live your Heroine’s Journey in marriage or intimate partnership
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What to do if your beloved doesn’t have a spiritual practice
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How to stop being a victim
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The best ways share these teachings with your daughters, or women of younger generations
At the end, I share a 10-minute guided practice for full integration. It’s savasana, or the corpse pose, a posture of complete release and receptivity. Be sure not to leave this out, it’s the most important part of any yoga practice (or transformative journey) like the one we’ve been on together these past months.
Over the past two months, we’ve explored our inner voices, hormonal cycles, the Heroine’s Journey, daily rituals, yin yoga, and meditation. You may be surprised to hear that, when practiced alone, all of these can cause us to harden and insulate. They threaten to deaden us in the never-ending cycle of Drill Sargent self-improvement.
But, since this is the second-to-last episode in this podcast series, it’s now time to stitch these all together. Not with any old thread. With racy, red lace. When combined and viewed inside the larger perspective I’m sharing today, these practices return us to the deep sea of feminine devotion. Adorned with fruit, flowers, celebration, and exuberant, heart-bursting love.
Today’s talk is an excerpt from our 2014 Red Tent (now The SHE School); and it offers an initiatory glimpse into feminine spiritual practice.
In it, I share:
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How to reroute your self-sabotaging tendencies into vitality, vibrancy, and unstoppable creativity
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Why you must Be the Lover, above all else Ways to stop keeping your sexuality locked up in a little box in the bedroom
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Masculine v. Feminine Realization
*Daily ecstasy practices to spark healing and creativity
Enjoy!
Click here for the SHE Yoga Flow video: bit.ly/BBW_5
Instead of featuring one of my own talks on today’s podcast episode, I’m sharing an excerpt from a talk that one of my own beloved teachers-- Sarah Powers-- gave to our SHE School community a few years back.
We in the SHE School sisterhood love Sarah Powers. She’s an incredibly grounded, wise, globe-trotting yogini, who also happens to be a devoted wife, mother, and author.
When I first met Sarah in my early twenties, I felt I had finally found a role model for a woman who’s ambitious and successful, while also having a (very) deep practice and a nourishing home life.
Plus, Sarah has a really innovative perspective on a woman’s path to wholeness, one that has helped to create the foundation for my own work in the world.
In this clip, Sarah shares:
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The key practices she recommends for becoming an empowered, female practitioner
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How to trust your inner signals, and let go of the need for outer verification
*Ways to cultivate earthy confidence
*Why you need to have a practice that speaks to all of you, rather than just parts of you
*2 things every woman needs to thrive in life.
This conversation really helps to pull together all the “Bubble Bath Wisdom” talks I’ve shared with you so far. Again and again, women in The SHE School say how appreciative they are of Sarah’s wisdom.
And, since I first learned yin yoga while assisting Sarah’s teacher training at Kripalu all those years ago (and it has since become a staple in my life and teachings), at the end, I’ll share a guided, 15-minute, yin yoga sequence. It’s one that I taught at last year’s SHE Retreat in Mexico-- great for getting grounded, while opening your hips, shoulders, and the power center in your belly. When these get jammed up, we get lost in our thoughts and estranged from our inner knowing.
May this talk spark some inner freedom, by helping you to see things a fresh way.
Learn more about Sarah Powers: www.SarahPowers.com
See the photos for visual guidance in wide-knee child’s pose here: bit.ly/BBW-_4
Learn more about The SHE School: www.TheSHESchool.com
In today’s “Bubble Bath Wisdom” podcast episode, I unpack why we women need to include Mindfulness Meditation in our daily lives, as well as offer a practice to help you get started. We women need to cultivate our Inner Warriors. We need to know we’re strong enough to handle the storms of life. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. All too often we collapse into the Victim, or the Damsel in Distress, and, in so doing, we miss out on discovering our innate, inner strength.
So, good news! It’s totally possible to enjoy the fruits of meditation without the yuck of getting all rigid and heady about it. Listen in, and I’ll tell you how.
In this clip from the first retreat in Reversing Our “Curse,” I give an overview of how to appreciate and partner with our monthly hormonal cycles (at any age) as constant reminders calling us home. When we align with our cycles, we emerge every month renewed and empowered. At the end, I’ll share a simple, 4-step morning ritual. I never start a day without it! This will help you safeguard your sanity and creativity as you ride the (often tumultuous!) waves of your hormonal cycles each day.
The first talk of the New Year, given on the final morning of last year’s SHE Retreat in Mexico, illuminates what I recommend every woman include in her daily practice.
Because a day without practice is a disempowered day. It’s a day when we’re thrown from the helm of our ship and thrashed about by the waves of life and others’ agendas. Our habitual tendencies take over and sabotage us. And we end the day-- or, worse, the year-- exhausted and feeling like, no matter how hard we try, we’re just never enough.
Creating and maintaining a daily practice is something I know so many women struggle with. It’s one of the core things that I mentor women on; and it took me many years to establish mine. The effort was well worth it: now my morning practice is the wellspring of a fulfilled and sovereign life. I could never do what I do or be who I am without it.
At the end of this first talk, rather than sharing a practice, as I will in all the forthcoming ones, I offer a comprehensive list (not to be confused with a To Do list!), to offer an overview of the various components I recommend you include for a well-rounded home practice.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll then guide you through some of these pieces, and then you can add those teachings to your practice library and use them throughout the year.
If you suffer from the “All or Nothing” syndrome, where you think if you don’t do 1 or 2 hours of yoga and meditation a day, then it’s best not to do any at all, I think you’ll find this talk really reassuring.
Today’s episode is for every woman- busy mothers, business owners, and golden-year queens. It’s for you if you’ve never stepped on a yoga mat, and if you bring yours with you wherever you go!
It helps each of us to establish a direct, personal relationship with the Sacred Feminine, and to bring Her qualities of compassion, love, and radiance forth from within our own bodies, hearts, and minds to illuminate our daily lives.
Deep exhale. Was that wisdom talk just what you needed to slow down, re-center, and reconnect to the sacred wholeness of your feminine being? I hope so, dear sister.
We women need to build rest, contemplative quiet, and loving connection into our lives. And it’s incredible what 20 minutes here or there can do.
Imagine what would be possible in your life if you put this kind of pampering and spiritual practice on autopilot in 2016. If you had regular mini-retreats, daily self-care rituals, fiercely loving mentorship, and a supportive sisterhood to keep what matters most on your front burner.
That’s just the beginning of The SHE School 2016: a 9-month spiritual practice community for women. I only open registration once a year (every January- that’s), and we begin on February 1.
Click here to learn about The SHE School 2016: www.TheSHESchool.com
When we’re up against something big in life (which only seems to happen more frequently, with more intensity, as we get older), we need a different approach to scale the seemingly unsurmountable walls that Life places on our paths. We don’t need to become better problem-solvers. Nor do we need to become better people, necessarily.
No: we need to move in the opposite direction. We need to stop trying so darn hard. To stop taking ourselves so seriously. We need to revive our little girl magic. Yes! We need to, once again, trust and believe.
It’s in this place of surrender to something greater than us that our spiritual path really begins. And it’s in this disposition of faith, that we can finally step off the hamster wheel of incessant self-improvement and allow real, deep, lasting transformation to take root.
Welcome to the “ascending” dimension of the Heroine’s Journey, the shooting star to spiritual freedom.
And this is the fourth (and final) Bubble Bath Wisdom talk I’ll share before we resume this series after the New Year….
Bubble Bath Wisdom #4: How to Live a SHE-Centered Life
In this SHE talk, recorded during the midpoint of our SHE Retreat in Mexico, I shared:
*How to shift from living from your small, conditioned self, to living from your higher Self, or your SHE.
*Ways to create a harmonious inner family, and thus a more balanced outer life.
*The most erotic love affair you’ll ever have.
*What to do when life serves you something that seems insurmountable.
Today, bring your Inner Little Girl along (don’t let her forget her magic wand!), and let’s take a closer look at how to craft a more heartfelt, effective approach to our most pressing problems.
Deep exhale. Was that wisdom talk just what you needed to slow down, re-center, and reconnect to the sacred wholeness of your feminine being? I hope so, dear sister.
We women need to build rest, contemplative quiet, and loving connection into our lives. And it’s incredible what 20 minutes here or there can do.
Imagine what would be possible in your life if you put this kind of pampering and spiritual practice on autopilot in 2016. If you had regular mini-retreats, daily self-care rituals, fiercely loving mentorship, and a supportive community to keep what matters most on your front burner.
That’s just the beginning of The SHE School 2016: a 9-month spiritual practice community for women. We begin our collective Heroine’s Journey in February, but if your heart is already a YES, I’m sharing a beautiful collection of early registration gifts: a LIVE tele-cast Visioning 2016 ritual, a Life Design playbook (where I share my favorite tools for health, life, business, and love), my women’s yoga and meditation kits, and more.
If you’re ready to transform in the year ahead… and your butterfly chrysalis feels a little lonely (or confusing!), I’d love to welcome you to our growing circle.
Our doors are open for Early Registration until December 12 … and I can’t wait to welcome you.
Click here to learn about The SHE School 2016: www.TheSHESchool.com
Today invites the second week of Advent and the first day of Hanukkah. Yes, we’re in the thick of holy.
This weekend I’ve had the chance to drop into this sacred time more deeply. On Friday, Keith and I packed up my white Prius (Amia included, much to her delight) and headed up snowy roads to celebrate our five-year anniversary in a rustic, mountain cabin.
Relationships challenge and grows us more than anything else in this world, making them the holiest aspect of life. It’s a topic that deserves our attention here, especially at this time of year. To help us dive deeper, let’s explore one of the most primal relationships within ourselves. One within our own psyches, between our Inner Critic and our Vulnerable Child. But most especially: the dimension of the Sacred Feminine that begins to blossom from this relationship when we start to heal.
In this clip, recorded on the second afternoon of our SHE Retreat in Mexico, I shared:
*The 3 main ways we react and defend ourselves when we feel threatened, stressed, or attacked
*What our greatest strength is, as women
*Which voices in your head are running your life (and doing a really bad job at it), and what to do about it
*How to embrace the feminine dimension of meditation
*What Divine Feminine archetypes like Tara and Mother Mary can teach us about Sacred Motherhood (even if you’re not a mom)
I love sharing this fierce, yet feminine, approach to the spiritual path. That’s why I fill all of our monthly retreats with the practices we need to fully embody this, in every area of our lives, in my 9-month women’s spiritual practice community, The SHE School.
If you’re hungry for daily rituals and simple practices to spark profound shifts in your year ahead, come explore everything we’ll cover in The SHE School 2016.
What would your life be like, one year from now, if you went on retreat every month? Who would you be? What would be possible?
We formally begin in February, but our sanctuary is open now, for a limited time, to welcome you if you’re ready to put yourself on the front burner...starting now.
You’ll receive a bundle of practice supports, including my Women’s Yoga & Meditation Kits, a Life Design guide (where I share my favorite tools for health, life, business, and love). And, best of all, a live Visioning 2016 tele-retreat on Saturday, December 12th, 2015.
Click here to learn more about The SHE School 2016, and the gorgeous early registration gifts that await you when you sign up now: www.TheSHESchool.com
She didn’t see how badly she was hurting herself.
“I feel like I should be able to handle this,” she admitted. “I mean, she does so much for me. Who am I to complain?”
We were halfway through our mentoring session. I paused, remaining silent on the other end of the phone line. The space between us told me to wait: I knew she wasn’t finished yet.
“A part of me feels like I should just suck it up,” she finished. Her throat tightened around her voice, holding back a tsunami of sadness.
While spending Thanksgiving with her family, this incredibly deep, wise woman became embroiled in a familiar struggle with her mother.
Her new haircut (too short), the mess her green smoothie made in the blender, how she wanted to go for a walk instead of visiting with the cousins-- her mom shot passive aggressive jabs at them all.
No matter how calm and compassionate this goddess was in her daily life, when she visited her family, it all seemed to fly out the window. Her mom seemed to know exactly which buttons to push, causing her to regress to a tempestuous five-year-old. Every time.
“Let’s pause here,” I inserted. “I want to give some space to the part of you that feels like she can’t handle this. The part of you who wants to complain. The part of you who doesn’t want to suck it up. Can we let her be here, too?”
Her sadness swelled, and, through her sniffles, I could hear the tears starting to flow.
“Yes, that’s good,” I encouraged, “Let’s give some space to the sadness.”
Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations like this-- both with the women I mentor and with myself.
When old wounds like this get triggered, no amount of self-care can soothe us. Why is this?
Anytime there’s an inner atmosphere of stress, we know that one of our inner family members isn’t getting the attention it so needs and deserves.
Rather than colluding with our inner bully (and only increasing the emotional intensity we’re feeling), we need to pause, listen, and be a good parent to ourselves.
This is the next step along our Heroine’s Journey, which I spoke about on the second morning of our SHE Retreat in Mexico last month.
As the waves crashed to the shore in the background, and as we all settled deeper into our retreat together, I shared:
*The root reason why life can feel like such a struggle.
*The biggest challenge women face, and how to work with it.
*The 2 things that need to be present to feel safe, loved, and accepted for who you are.
*How to shift out of the stress response and inner turmoil -- immediately.
Ahhhhhh. Was that wisdom talk just what you needed to slow down, re-center, and reconnect to the sacred wholeness of your feminine being? I hope so, dear sister.
We women need to build rest, contemplative quiet, and loving connection into our lives. And it’s incredible what 20 minutes here or there can do.
Imagine what would be possible in your life if you put this kind of pampering and spiritual practice on autopilot in 2016. If you had regular mini-retreats, daily self-care rituals, fiercely loving mentorship, and a supportive community to keep what matters most on your front burner.
That’s just the beginning of The SHE School 2016: the only online course I’ll teach next year. We begin our collective Heroine’s Journey in February, but if your heart is already a YES, I’m sharing a beautiful collection of early registration gifts: a LIVE tele-cast Visioning 2016 ritual, Life Design playbooks (where I share my favorite tools for health, life, business, and love), my women’s yoga and meditation kits, and more.
If you’re ready to transform in the year ahead… and your butterfly chrysalis feels a little lonely (or confusing!), I’d love to welcome you to our growing circle.
Our doors are open for Early Registration until December 12 … and I can’t wait to welcome you.
Click here to learn more about The SHE School 2016: www.TheSHESchool.com
These women were exhausted. As azure ocean waves lapped in the background, the small group of courageous sisters settled into their cushions in the Meditation Cabin. It was the first morning of our week-long SHE retreat in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And I could see the fatigue peeking through the excitement on their faces.
It wasn’t just the fatigue of the previous day’s travel. It was the longing for deep silence, for oh-so-needed rest, for contemplation and creativity and sensuality and all those things that make women, women.
Over the next 20 minutes, I shared the first wisdom talk of our retreat, setting the context for our 7-day journey together. Fittingly, this talk was about the first stage of the Heroine’s Journey: “Leaving Your Normal Life.”
If you’ve ever heard the call to your own Heroine’s Journey (and, my dear, if you’re here, you undoubtedly have), you know it can come as quite a challenge. A health crisis, a relationship meltdown, a career shift, a financial disaster.
It’s during these tender, transitional times in our lives that we start asking questions. BIG questions. And, simultaneously, we also start asking ourselves (usually unconsciously) some really mean, degrading questions too — ones that only wage more war within us.
Sister, the Heroine’s Journey begins with asking questions.
And, if we’re lucky (and have a little loving nudge in the right direction), we can make these questions more nourishing, more liberating, more empowering. So that the very questions we ask point us towards freedom.
In this opening talk, I speak about: http://bit.ly/1QNgmrL
- How to distinguish between the questions that close the doors to your “Inner Quest” v. the questions that open doors.
- The three most important elements of the Heroine’s Journey (if you leave even one of these out, it’s incomplete).
- A quality you most need to prepare for our journey.
Over the next two weeks, I invite you to take a little time to nurture your feminine spirit with this special, seasonal series on our podcast.
Every few days, I’ll share a short, 15-20 minute wisdom talk with you (recorded live at my SHE Retreat in Mexico during early November). Each wisdom talk illuminates an aspect of feminine spirituality or a stage of the Heroine’s Journey — and has never before been heard or shared, outside the closed circle of my retreat.
Whether you listen to these from a real bubble bath, or these clips simply make you feel like you’re pampering yourself that way — I hope you’ll find some guidance, reassurance, and invitations to deepen your connection with your Self this season.
See my favorite potions and ingredients for the perfect bubble bath here: http://bit.ly/1QNgmrL
What’s Bubble Bath Wisdom?
It’s a sumptuous moment of self-care during this zany holiday season. Because the Heroine’s Journey is paved with silence, beauty, and compassionate rest.
It’s also a small taste of my 9-month spiritual practice community for women, The SHE School 2016: the fullest expression of my teachings and the only only program I’ll offer in 2016.
We officially begin The SHE School in February, but since so many of you have been patiently waiting for this, I’ve opened the doors now, for a brief Early Registration period. When you join the SHE School now (until December 12), you will receive extra, loving support for this Holiday Season, including my Women’s Yoga & Meditation Kits, an exclusive mini-retreat with me on Visioning 2016, and more.
This Bubble Bath Wisdom Series is my gift to you: to inspire moments of stillness and self-love this busy Holiday Season, to support your Heroine’s Journey, and to celebrate the opening of The SHE School 2016. If you’re curious about the teachings included in this 9-month program, or what it’s like to work with me, this series will offer you a wonderful sneak peek.
Click here to learn about The SHE School 2016 and all the extra gifts we’re giving you discerning Early Birds: www.TheSHESchool.com
Since today is my birthday, I wanted to share you with you a very special conversation-- an interview with my mom about her own Heroine's Journey. And, wow, does she have an incredible story! Over the years, I've watched my mom face her biggest fears: supporting herself financially, mothering four girls into womanhood amidst a vicious divorce, overcoming an addiction and embracing a life of sobriety, confronting her own childhood wounds that had led her to believe she wasn’t worthy of love or happiness. And finally, dedicating her life to healing and generously helping others to heal. Now as she approaches her 70th birthday, her hard, inner work has paid off. She's feeling whole and happy from within for the first time in her life.
I hope our words will spark appreciation and healing in your own mother-daughter relationships, and in your relationship with The Mother at-large. For there is nothing more sacred, or in need of healing, than this. This is also the 14th, and final, interview in our SHE Stories series, which I created to herald The Book of SHE into the world this past season.
If you've enjoyed these interviews, please let me know by leaving a review on iTunes. Thank you! And I look forward to sharing with you the next phase of our podcast next week.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
While she admits she's always been a "woman's woman," Nisha Moodley admits that her own Heroine's Journey really began when she fully took a stand for sisterhood. When faced with a divorce, followed by the dissolution of a very deep and meaningful relationship, she recognized just how much she had been deriving her sense of wholeness from men. Nisha's devastation not only led her to surrender in the lap of her girlfriends but it also initiated her into the process of "choosing herself" and cultivating her own intrinsic wholeness. Through this, Nisha learned to partner with challenging emotions as her greatest allies. This allowed her to transform heartache into one of her life's greatest gifts. Tune into our sisterly conversation to discover the tools to help you also "choose yourself."
Nisha Moodley is a Women’s Leadership Coach and the founder of Global Sisterhood Day. Inspired by the belief that the world will be set free by women who are free & sisterhood is key to a woman’s freedom, Nisha creates communities of ambitious women to support them in redesigning their lives & businesses. Find her online atNishaMoodley.com
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
The second child in a very patriarchal, Italian household, Jennifer Racioppi grew up estranged from her feminine essence. Then, in her late teens, Jenn had to have an emergency hysterectomy as the result of very aggressive endometrial cancer. By the time she was 20, Jenn had already gone through surgical menopause. Having lost the capacity to reproduce, she rejected every notion of her femininity and set out to recreate her life. A surprise initiation into understanding the cyclical nature of the moon turned out to be a massive turning point on her Heroine's Journey. By learning to let her desire guide her through life, and to manifest her desires in harmony with the lunar cycles, Jenn found the feminine heart and power that she had always longed for.
Fiery and wise beyond her years, Jenn shares with us how we, too, can bring our desire to the forefront and how to use cyclical rituals to bring them into being.
Jennifer Racioppi is a progressive women’s health and success coach who combines her deep knowledge of science and spirituality, plus astute insights, to show women how to take full responsibility for their lives and success. She expertly guides them in optimizing their health, aligning with their soul, and achieving their maximum professional potential. She is a Holistic Health Counselor (AADP), a Behavior Change Specialist + Certified Integrative Health Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine, and a Registered Yoga Teacher. Additionally, she holds a certification in Positive Psychology from Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, as well as a certification in Success Coaching from Robert Holden, PhD. Visit her online at www.Jennifer Racioppi.com.
If you would like to learn more about how to live in harmony with the lunar cycles, Jenn is also a guest teacher in my online immersion Reversing Our "Curse": Yoga, Meditation & Lifestyle Rituals for Your Cycles-- from Menses to Menopause. Learn more at www.ReversingOurCurse.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Today I invited my own business mentor, Andrea J. Lee (she's the one who encouraged me to create this podcast!) to share her Heroine's Journey with us. Living in Vancouver and of Taiwanese descent, Andrea's incredibly joyful and bubbly. I have yet to have a conversation with her when she hasn't giggled! Yet, Andrea didn't always used to be this way. Up until several years ago, she was an incredibly angry woman. Through a lot of deep, inner work and a supportive husband, she used the pain that this rage represented as her path to healing. Seeing this anger as a karmic legacy of not ever being able to be a child, she shares how she has transmuted this pain into self-love, compassion, and loving service.
Since anger is something every woman struggles with-- either lashing out or numbing out in reaction to it-- we all can, and need, to learn from Andrea's story.
Andrea J. Lee is founder of Thought Partners International, which does business online under the identity 'Wealthy Thought Leader University' -- an internationally-known company that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs upturn the status quo. Alongside the coaching team at Wealthy Thought Leader University, Andrea has taught breakthrough thinking to thousands of entrepreneurial leaders from the start-up phase through 6, 7 and 8 figure incomes. She is also Director of Strategic Planning for the Indrani's Light Foundation -- a global non-profit devoted to eradicating domestic violence, in partnership with the NGO Population Services International. Visit Andrea online at www.AndreaJLee.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Last November, Lissa Boles lost her beloved husband. In today's interview, she lets us into her space of mourning-- a little cottage on the shores of Lake Huron. She shares how she's using this incredibly difficult time to listen deeply and follow her inner direction. We speak about how death and grieving are in shadow in our culture, and ways that she's learning to respect this important time nonetheless. Towards the end of our talk, Lissa shares some important questions she asks herself daily to honor her need for space-- regardless of others agendas. In closing, she offers a way that we can all help ourselves (and those we love) in befriending grief.
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Lissa Boles is CEO of The Soul Map, a boutique entrepreneurial coaching & consulting firm providing an unparalleled astrological approach to niching, platform creation, business building ad success achievement – one based on the untouchable uniqueness of the owner’s life purpose and the trailblazing thought leadership that’s theirs & theirs alone.
Uncommon times call for uncommon approaches, which is why Lissa is dedicated to helping international change agents, thought leaders and purposeful entrepreneurs answer their life’s deepest callings though business, while restoring the soul of business itself. Visit her online at www.TheSoulMap.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
In 2009, Alexis Neely (whose artist name is Ali Shanti) knew something was wrong. Very wrong. She built multiple million dollar businesses, drove a fancy car, and lived in a posh neighborhood. Yet, it had been a long, long time since she had cried. This realization led her on a path of massive transformation. She listened to these inner cures and let her team go, dismantled her business, and moved her family to a farm in Colorado.
If you're an ambitious woman on a mission, Ali's words will move you. She speaks candidly about external versus internal success, her struggle with not identifying solely with her worldly achievements, and her desire to leave a legacy-- beyond just a financial one-- by being a mother to the world.
Alexis Neely s a new economy expert who offers a fresh perspective for your personal finance, business & life decisions. She graduated first in her class from Georgetown law and quickly scaled the ranks of "successful" entrepreneurship, built multiple million dollar entrepreneurial endeavors both online and off, wrote a best-selling book, and appeared on numerous top-rated television shows.
Today, Ali lives a new economy life as the CEO of two “share the wealth” companies and lives in community with her life partner, her ex-husband, kids and extended chosen family while traveling extensively. Visit her online at http://www.alexismartinneely.com
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Nicole and I met a few years ago when I first offered my online immersion, Reversing Our "Curse." We are both devoted to helping women heal and live in harmony with their menstrual cycles, seeing our periods as important barometers for the state of our souls. In today's SHE Story, Nicole opens up about how disoriented and tender she feels, now at the tail-end of a 5-year relationship. She shares how challenges with her mother during childhood urged her to devote her life to empowering women, how she overcame a constant feeling of unworthiness, and her favorite tools for coming back to her "spiritual center" in the midst of uncomfortable times.
Nicole Jardim is a Young Women’s Hormonal Health Coach who runs a successful 1-on-1 and group coaching business and has helped thousands of women from all around the world who are struggling with PCOS, infertility, amenorrhea, PMS and much more. Rather than treating problems or symptoms, Nicole treats women by addressing the root cause of what’s really going on in their bodies and minds. She passionately believes that the fundamentals to healing any hormonal imbalance lie in an approach that addresses the unique physiology of every woman. Visit Nicole online at www.NicoleJardim.com
You can learn more about my online immersion Reversing Our "Curse": Yoga, Meditation & Lifestyle Rituals for Menses to Menopause at www.ReversingOurCurse.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
If you haven't met Jennifer Louden yet, you're in for a real treat. A pioneer in the women's self-care movement, Jen's teeming with wisdom and infectious enthusiasm. At the tail end of one of her biggest life's transition to-date, she shares with us how she stays grounded during such massive life changes as moving and caring for an aging parent. We also dive into essential ways to avoid "drying up" creatively and how to set up sacred "containers" each day to help us honor our desires.
Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the self-care movement with her first book, The Woman’s Comfort Book. She’s the author of 7 additional books on well-being and whole living.There are about million copies of her books in print in 9 languages.
Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada and Europe, written a national magazine column for a Martha Stewart magazine, been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines, and appeared on hundreds of TV and radio shows, even on Oprah. Jennifer has been teaching retreats and leading workshops since 1992, and creating vibrant on-line communities and innovative learning experiences since 2000. She married her second husband at 50, and is the very proud mom of Lillian and very proud bonus mom to Aidan. Visit her online at www.JenniferLouden.com
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
I met Rochelle at a Qoya (dance) class that she lead during her visit to Boulder last spring. Her sensual, fierce vibrancy touched me deeply, and I invited her here to share her embodied wisdom with us. Rochelle recounts the tale of her own Heroine's Journey, and what it's been like for her to "go against the grain" in order to follow her heart and create her life's work. She speaks of opening to the power of "Mother energy" (even when one doesn't choose to birth children), the importance of getting into one's body, and a hard lesson she learned that led her to finally trust herself. In closing, Rochelle gives succinct instruction for how to reach out for divine guidance. Join us to celebrate the full spectrum of our womanhood and allow Rochelle's story to inspire you to follow your own precious heart.
Rochelle Schieck is the founder of Qoya, a movement system based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is wise, wild, and free. She has spent the last 15+ years traveling the world as a student and teacher to North and South America, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In the last 10+ years, she has led over 4,000 movement classes, facilitated hundreds of private sessions and taken women on over 20 retreats to 6 different continents (next stop, Antarctica!). Visit her online at http://www.loveqoya.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Jennifer Lee has been a dear friend and inspiration for years. Today, she reveals some stories she hasn't shared before and opens up about some tender points along her Heroine's Journey. She shares why she's risking listening to her body (over ambitiously pursuing rapid business growth alone), and both the struggle and peace that this brings. She also shares some of her favorite ways to "embrace ease" during her work week, and how connecting with her muse keeps her creative fire kindled. This sisterly conversation is for anyone who's looking for a more inspired, feminine path to success.
Jennifer Lee is the founder of Artizen Coaching and the author of Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way and the bestseller The Right-Brain Business Plan, which has helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs around the world launch their creative businesses.
After spending 10 years climbing the corporate ladder and getting tired of living her dream "on-the-side," she took the leap to pursue her passions full-time. Jennifer has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, Whole Living, Family Circle, Cloth Paper Scissors Studios,and Choice.
She received her coaching certification and leadership training through the prestigious Coaches Training Institute. She is also a certified yoga instructor, a certified Expressive Arts Facilitator, and holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA and an M.A. in Communication Management from USC. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Visit her online at www.ArtizenCoaching.com or www.RightBrainBusinessPlan.com
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Bari is one of my closest girlfriends. It then comes as no surprise that we had a really deep interview, where Bari opened up about stories she had never shared before. She talks a little bit about her work, The Art of Money, but she mostly shares tender, personal stories. We explore the "Father's-Daughter Archetype," a concept I write about in The Book of SHE, and how Bari had to rebel against her father's "way" in order to find her own inner compass. We also explore the grief process, and some recent money riddles that it took her decades to solve. Grab a cup of tea, nibble on some dark chocolate (Bari's favorite), and settle in with us for this rich, sisterly conversation.
Bari Tessler Linden, MA, is a Financial Therapist, Mentor Coach and Mama-preneur. Bari’s gentle, body-centered approach weaves together personal, couple, and creative entrepreneurial money teachings into one complete tapestry. She is the founder of The Art of Money: a global, year-long money school, which integrates Money Healing, Money Practices and Money Maps. Bari is also the Author of her upcoming book, The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness, published by Parallax Press in Spring 2016. Learn more about Bari at: http://baritessler.com/
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Running on far too little sleep is something every new mother can relate to. Alisa Vitti, hormone expert, best-selling author of WomanCode(Harper Collins), and the founder of FLOliving.com, shares with us how she comes home to herself-- especially on days when it seems impossible. She shares her story of how she overcame PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) through nutrition and lifestyle, and has gone on to help thousands of women worldwide to use food to end hormonal chaos and get into hormonal “flo.” Learn more about Alisa at www.FloLiving.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
Doing the laundry while brainstorming writing topics -- this is one of Elena Brower's favorite combinations. A mother, author, teacher, and lifelong learner, today Elena opens up about how her darkest moments (including recently overcoming a major addiction) have allowed her to become one of the world's most loved yoga teachers. Learn more about Elena at www.ElenaBrower.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine's Journey.
This is my most candid interview. Ever! Within every woman lives an inspiring story. To help us get to know one another better, here's the tale of my own Heroine's Journey. I share why and how I founded The Way of the Happy Woman, healed from severe illness, became a bestselling author, run a global community as an HSP, and created this podcast.
I also answer some questions I get asked often:
- What is my morning ritual?
- How did I get my first book published?
- What are some ways that I balance my work and love life?
- How do men, sexuality, and intimate relationships fit into a woman's spiritual path?
- Where am I now, after announcing I wanted to close my business one year ago?
My good friend, Emma Teitel, psychotherapist, coach, and women’s group facilitator here in Boulder, Colorado sat down to interview me today. You can learn more about Emma at www.EmmaTeitel.com.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
Come right this way to order your copy of The Book of SHE at www.TheBookofSHE.com. When you register your receipt there before October 30, you’ll receive an invitation to join a complimentary online women’s yoga & meditation class, as well as a live Q & A, with Sara, to help support you as you begin your own Heroine’s Journey.