051 | Bringing Your Body Back into Balance with Jaime Morocco

 
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After being on birth control pills for years growing up, Jaime Morocco was surprised to discover her natural menstrual cycle did not return when she went off of them. After years of focusing on fitness, this brought up a new question, "What do I need to do to bring my body back into balance?"

Jaime discovered that over-exercising and dietary restrictions were at the root of not having her period. After trying many protocols including gaining back weight and adding more healthy fats into her diet she was able to find that balance.

Jaime is passionate about supporting others to connect to their intuition and inner wisdom when it comes to feeling good in their body.

We also discussed the power of manifestation, pursuing our dreams as entrepreneurs and the journey of marriage in our conversation. 

In this episode we discussed:

  • Jaime's story: her journey of healing and why she left the world of Silicon Valley & moved in with her parents and boyfriend at age 30 in order to pursue her dreams of entrepreneurship
  • Coming into acceptance with the divine timing of life
  • The power of manifestation (& letting go of outcomes)
  • How connecting to your intuition and feminine energy can guide your body back to health
  • The impact that our eating choices, and what's underneath those choices, have on our overall wellbeing
  • The fact that it is OK to love your body as it is - right now 
"We have to appreciate how much our body does for us, second by second. Our body is doing a thousand things for us right now as we sit. Bringing that awareness inside is really helpful...Those little things are so important. And in that sense, there is SO much to be grateful for."

Stay in touch with Jaime:


Jaime Morocco is an expert weight loss coach and online personal trainer. She specializes in helping women bust through their weight loss plateaus and finally create the body that looks AND feels how they want it to. Jaime is a former Silicon Valley techie turned passionate entrepreneur - a self-proclaimed hustler with a heart.

She believes in empowering people to be their greatest versions of themselves - which begins with how we take care of and FEEL in our bodies. She is also currently pursuing advanced nutrition degrees in Nutritional Therapy & Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.

 

050 | Rising Above Adversity: Miss USA to MBA with MacKenzie Green

 
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I met MacKenzie sophomore year of high school, and it has been amazing to watch her journey unfold over the years to where she is now. After dedicating her entire life to swimming, on the path to be in the Olympics, life took a surprising turn, and she was asked to surrender those plans. After taking some time to grieve what she thought her life would be, she created a new dream. 

Before she knew it she was participating in her very first pageant to be Miss District of Columbia, and to her surprise, she won. She went on to compete in Miss USA and soon after graduated from Columbia University with an MBA. 

In our conversation we also talk about MacKenzie's life growing up ~ what she learned from her father, Ernest Green, who faced extreme adversity and racism in his life when he became the first black man to graduate from what was one of the nation's largest all-white high schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

MacKenzie's story reminds us to stay strong in the face of adversity, always remember our dreams and reminds us we are often so much more capable than we could ever imagine. 

"You don't get a testimony without a test. When you are in those storms, when it feels like everything around is falling apart, or that it is too much to handle - know that whatever you believe in wouldn't give you more than you can handle. Look at it like 'wow, this is one heck of a storm, and it will be one heck of rainbow.' "

In this episode we discussed:

  • MacKenzie's reflections on Beyonce’s epic performance at Coachella
  • How letting go of an identity ~ dreams of being an Olympic swimmer ~ allowed MacKenzie to open to new opportunities and growth
  • MacKenzie's journey of becoming Miss DC and a top participant in Miss USA
  • The impact MacKenzie's father, Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine & the first black man to graduate from the one of the nation's largest all-white high schools impacted her life
  • Cyber bullying and the vulnerability that comes with being in the public eye 
  • MacKenzie's journey to body positive thinking 
  • How the fear of success can often hold us back more than our fear of failure
  • The gifts in our challenges 

Stay in touch with MacKenzie:

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MacKenzie Green is a graduate of Columbia Business School with a concentration in entertainment and marketing. MacKenzie is the Vice President of the Media Management Association conference, member of Hermes Society, a Lord Laidlaw Scholar, and social media ambassador for Columbia Business School. Previously she interned with Harper’s Bazaar Magazine as an assistant to the Editor In Chief, Paramount Pictures (Worldwide and Domestic Market Research), and spent the fall with NBCU Ad Sales on Lifestyle brands

She is a graduate of the University of Miami, with a double major in broadcast journalism and sports administration and on the Provost Honor Roll.  While at UM she was named station manager at UMTV, the first African American and first female to hold this position in the 29-year history of the station.  She also held duties as UMTV-News Vision Lead Sports Anchor (Emmy-nominated); Sports Desk Commentator; Feature Reporter for which she won two SunCoast Emmys. She was also a UM Alumni Association Ambassador; and EDGE Reporter for the Miami Hurricane campus newspaper.   

She serves as a board member for the University of Miami Young Alumni Council. She served on the National board for the National Council of Negro Women, serving as Young Adult Vice Chair. Additionally she was a UCLA Riordan MBA Fellow, served as the 2013 Class Chair and Riordan Gala Co-manager. To commemorate the 57th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Ms. Green was awarded the Legacy Award by the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute, cited as a “Legend in the Making.”  

Some of her charitable services have included: The Links Inc., Capital City Chapter; The Sisterhood LA; Relay For Life, team captain; Georgetown University Hospital, patient advocate; Washington Hospital Center, physical therapy volunteer; Reading Is Fundamental Book Drive; Juvenile Diabetes Association; Television Advocacy; and Metropolitan AME Church, Junior Stewardess, WDC.

At 21, she graced the runway for the very first time as a beauty pageant contestant, winning the swimsuit and evening gown categories on her way to the premier top honor—Miss DC USA 2010, and competing on the Miss USA stage on NBC.  She has championed teen self-esteem and health and fitness for low income families, all under the umbrella of education and inclusion.

 

 

049 | Awakening Shakti & The Rise of the Feminine with Lisa Schrader

 
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Talking with Lisa was like a deep breath of fresh air. I felt a total permission to slow down, remember my body, my breath and my heart.

For all of you who have been moving fast, trying to "do it all", just waiting for that moment to have a sacred pause, you are going to love taking this time to surrender to the feminine in this conversation with Lisa today. 

I hope you enjoy the show! 

"This quality of magnetic, shakti, potency came from me learning to love myself, me learning to delight in the birthright of my own sacred sensual self as a woman."

In this episode we discussed:

  • How Lisa shifted from a lifestyle of overachieving to finding balance with her feminine essence
  • A turning point in her life when she had two miscarriages and how that brought her deeper on her path
  • Sacred Sensuality and tapping into our Feminine Power
  • Finding Balance as Modern Day Lovers, Mother and Leaders
  • The miracle of being invited to be on "Oprah" to talk about tantra with her past husband
  • A guided embodiment practice to connect to your innate feminine essence
  • Embracing aging and the body as we grow and change 

Stay in Touch with Lisa:


Lisa Schrader, the Founder of Awakening Shakti, has impacted the lives of thousands of women for almost two decades as a workshop leader, author, speaker and coach. Her work has been featured on Oprah, Oxygen and VH1. She is on the faculty of The Shift Network where she has hosted the global Shakti Summit on “Sensuality, Sex and the Sacred.” She is the author of "Kama Sutra 52: A Year's Worth of the Best Positions for Passion and Pleasure" from Quiver Books. She also has a private practice supporting clients worldwide and is recognized as a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation. She lives a life rich with deep relationships, connection to nature and abundant joy in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California.

www.AwakeningShakti.com

 

048 | The Art of Feminine Abundance with Meredith Rom

 
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Special Announcement: The Sovereign Circle begins on May 2, 2018: A 9 Month Feminine Leadership Initiation + High Priestess Sisterhood. Only a Few Spaces Left! Find All the Details At Risingwomenleaders.com

If you find yourself drawn to my work I imagine you have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others.

I imagine you desire to birth something and be a part of the awakening of a new paradigm.

I also imagine you desire to be financially empowered AND have the time and space to do what you love ...

Most likely you are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrificing in order to get there.

I believe in you stepping into your fullest potential.

Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating space to do what makes you come alive, everyday.

I believe this is possible for you.

In the last year the qualities of the feminine have been my greatest teachers... The qualities of BEING, FEELING, SURRENDERING, ALLOWING, MAGNETIZING, and stepping into greater TRUST.

I know it is not always easy to honor these qualities in a culture so focused on achievement and doing, but I believe the feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective.

There are so many of us that are waking up at this time and many of us are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that.

The new way is seeing abundance as a state of being, an embodiment we can cultivate within ourselves...

So...I've decided to re-release of my most popular webinars from last summer on the Rising Women Leaders Podcast.

My intention in sharing this wisdom is to help you reconnect to your innate feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you...

In this episode you'll learn:

  • 10 Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Ancient Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to  Manifestation
  • A Look inside my Upcoming Program The Sovereign Circle
"In the feminine model, it's all about responding to life with love. And with that we can take the art of manifestation a level deeper, using practices that involve not only our mind, but also our body."

As an added bonus, I'm including notes from the webinar for you below!

Opening: Deep breaths and welcoming you into the art of receiving. Receiving your breath. Receiving this moment. Femininity and abundance are so much about opening ourselves to receive. 

Imagine the web of other women here with you tonight. Beautiful women who are here to support you in stepping into your greatness. Women who are invested in you becoming the best version of yourself. 

We welcome our guides and teachers, anyone that has been important to you in your life.  I will call in the feminine teachers I have been working with Amma, the divine mother, Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, Mother Mary, she of a thousand roses and Mary Magdalene, she of a thousand angels.

For the last few months I’ve been going to women circles with a mentor of mine where we hold hands and from woman to woman we Imagine as we gather we are turning to each other and holding each other’s hands, and we go around the circle and say to each other “Sister, I see you, I honor you, and I welcome you to this circle.” 

This space is now declared as safe and as sacred, a space where we can open to our highest callings and join in sisterhood in support of becoming our highest selves. Aho

I’m going to share:

  • Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to Manifestation

But since you’re taking the time to be here:

Close your other windows, close the door, be fully present and stay the entire time…Because: At the end I’m going to give you a practice that you can start using in your life right now that will help you begin to create huge shifts in your life related to inviting in more abundance. 

WHY: 

If you’re here today, I imagine you:

Have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others, a desire to birth something, the new paradigm,  Desire to be financially empowered  AND do what you love everyday

Are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrifice and are ready to let it be easy

I believe in you stepping into your full potential. Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating the space to do what you love, everyday.

And I believe this is possible for you. And you can do it with ease and with grace, Honoring a feminine way of being and living.

So, a little about me:

Growing up in New York, I naturally followed a more masculine model of achieving and doing. I loved the feeling of checking my next “to-do” off the list, getting that A+ on the test I stayed up late to study for, and often sacrificed self-care in the name of “getting it all done.” 

While I do feel there’s an important place in our lives for structure, action and achievement, if our body starts sending us signals to slow down, I believe it’s important to listen to them. 

When I found myself with stress, exhaustion, and chronic pain as result of being overworked, I began to reevaluate my life. The yoga classroom became my sanctuary, a space to just be through feelings of stress, difficult emotions and pain in my body. Through allowing myself to feel, and to breathe, without the immediate need to fix or change my life, everything began to shift. 

Without knowing it, this was my first moment of discovering the sacred feminine, which has become a great teacher to me in this life. Just being, holding, loving myself as I am is such a powerful way of being in the world.

Through being, I discovered my intuition, my inner guide, who led me on my path to California, soon after to India, and back to California where I live today. 

Now living in California, my life’s work is of a coach and a yoga teacher, and I found that my masculine model of pushing and forcing really did follow me even though and there were some challenging moments in my business especially in the beginning.  

Recently I heard a metaphor, of a woman giving birth - when it is time for her to birth her baby - a universal force moves through her and she just needs to surrender. The more she can surrender the easier it will be - 

This is what I believe for our creative gifts, that when we honor the feminine we can be patient and surrender, wait for our ripeness, and allow our creative gifts to be birthed through us. 

I believe…

The feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective. There are so many of us that are waking up at this time, and we feel a deep calling to join together as a sisterhood in love and support of each other. 

We are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that. 

The new way is Abundance is a state of being within ourselves and when we begin to live and breathe it, everything outside of ourselves will mirror that. 

My Intention today is to help your reconnect to your feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you. 

In our culture we have faced some challenges and conditioning around money and abundance:

~ How we are raised - all the conditioning we are given and how that conditioning created limiting beliefs in our psyche 

~ Many of you are probably familiar with the teachings of The Secret and The Law of Attraction - it’s based on the idea that your thoughts become your reality, and if we shift our thoughts to think more positively we will attract more positive things in our life.  

This helped me a lot in my life, but as a culture we have actually accelerated past these level of teachings that are all about the mind - which is very powerful but it does not take into account the power of the womb and the body.  These teachings were mostly about enforcing our power of will to command the forces of life to work on our behalf - what it doesn’t take into consideration is life is co-collaborative we are not always responsible - if something bad happens we think somehow we created it and are getting it wrong - we can actually feel ashamed like it is our fault which can lead to shame and self-blame.

The truth is life is always in every moment happening for us, not to us. And when we look at the model of the feminine  it is very cyclical — we are living a human experience - there are times of expansion and contraction - your spiritual path is not about how great you are manifesting but how you are responding to life. 

How you respond to what you are presented with. Sometimes bad things happen. But if you can really truly love yourself through those hard times, that is going to evolve you so far and you really open yourself to miracles.  The feminine model of manifestation the power of our thoughts are helpful, but it actually goes beyond into using your body, your womb and responding to life with love. 

The Solutions:

I’m going to share with you as much as I can today, and for those who want to go deeper, you’ll hear more about how you can do that at the end of the call, so be sure to stay for that.


Take a moment to meditate/journal - what is it I truly desire? What does my heart really long for?  Who is my higher self? 

1. Connect to Your Higher Self - Higher self meditation - how can I be more of this person right now?

When I first did this meditation I imagined the kind of home this woman lived in, I saw that she wore organic clothing, lots of light colors, she meditated in the mornings, her home was minimal. I began making decisions based on what my higher self would do. What she would buy.  And at the time it felt really far off but little by little I have been watching myself become more and more of her each day. 

Tip: Connect to your higher self and ask how you can become more like her

2. Tell the Truth:

What is not working for me? 

The moment you tell the truth to yourself - it sets you free

As soon as we tell the truth there is more space. 

When we bring your shame into the light - fear, rage, the moment those truths hit the light they can instantly transform, truth sets us free from the prisons we live in

Accepting our truth - we create the space for something new. 

Story - Last spring I wrote a letter of acceptance. I wrote out all the things that were not working in my life and I started it with I accept. I was having health challenges, some relationship challenges, money challenges, and I just wrote it all out. I accept that this is going on.  

I actually found this letter yesterday, and so much of what I was writing there has transformed. Taking the space to acknowledge and accept what was not working in my life was incredibly liberating, and taking that step actually created the space for everything to change. 

3. Clear the Space to Receive: 

Around this time, I found the book the Life changing magic of tidying up and I went to work. 

When we declutter our lives we actually create more space to receive. 

Face yourself with everything you own and ask - Do I love this? Does this spark joy? Does this represent who I am today?

There is a true alchemy that happens when we let go of what no longer serves us in our surroundings. It clears stuck energy and frees up space. 

Clothes, Books, Papers, Miscellaneous & Kitchen, Mementos

The funny thing is before I found this book I kept telling myself - I need a bigger home - I don’t have enough space, and I was driving myself crazy looking for a place to move. Now actually when I went through this book and cleared out so much, I suddenly stopped feeling that aching desire to move to a bigger house. My house transformed so much. It created new possibilities and my partner and I actually created an outdoor bathtub which we have been using so often. My home has been becoming more and more of a sanctuary. 

Another tip: Receiving compliments - a way you can practice opening yourself to receive - For example usually when we receive a compliment it can be so easy to deflect and immediately compliment the person who is giving it. it can actually feel uncomfortable at first to simply say thank you

4. Set Your Lens for Abundance:

  • Making more money is not necessarily going to make you feel abundant however, feeling abundant will very likely lead to you having and making more money …

- The feminine is so much about trust. Trusting; Money comes when we trust money is going to come - the universe truly wants us to be abundant, but life isn’t all about getting our way, it is a co-collaboration it’s about how we respond

Let money flow - Find a balance of saving and giving. Connect with your body and spend money on things your heart lights up about. That money will come back. TRUST.

- When you look for the abundance all around you, that is what you will find and that is what you will attract more of 

  • altar with things you have and things you want

5. Be the Queen: 

The Queen is a leader, she is sovereign, powerful, autonomous. But she is absolutely of service. She puts aside her fears in service to her people and something so much greater than herself. 

Much of my path has been about trusting in my voice. I have worked through some really tremendous fears and doubts around trusting myself and my voice. And I have known that this fear has absolutely been calling me deeper into my purpose. 
So what has really been helping me is the mantra: I am a Queen. I trust in my voice. Now when I step more and more into the role of the Queen, when I follow my intuition and I really deeply trust in myself, abundance follows.  This requires moving beyond our fears. This requires taking up more space.  There is an immensity of power that comes with being a Queen and as a Queen we accept that power. We step closer to our edge. We honor our power. And when we do that, abundance comes. 

Treat yourself with Exquisite Care: 

How would a Queen treat herself?

~ Body wisdom practice - Abhyanga - self oil massage - actually being aware and conscious and speaking to your body. I love you. Thank you. You matter. I bless you. Wow this practice has felt so loving, and literally makes me feel like a Queen.

~ Find your signature scent

~ Feed yourself delicious meals, take care of your body. 

6. Respond to Life with Love: 

~ Practice of Just Being 

~ Inevitably bad things happen - hard things happen - can you hold yourself with love 

~ How to Handle Comparison - story of Jillian - seeing other women as a reflection of your own greatness 

~ You are done with trying to fix your emotions and you are willing to feel them. That is the true invitation of the feminine to take her place in you. The feminine is all about wrapping her essence arms around the parts of you that feel separate or split from their wholeness so they can be loved back into being. 

~ If there is something you really want to manifest there is a good chance that part of you does not want it, see if you can journal with that part of yourself, hold her, understand her, listen to her and gain deeper clarity into why you haven’t been receiving what it is you want so badly

7. Save and Give

Having enough - saving and giving are two ways to tell your mind and your body, I have enough - you begin to create subliminal messages that i have enough - and when you are in a state of enough - you are not attached and more comes to you 

~ Think about the organizations you want to give to and give consistently. The organization I love to give to is Amma - amma.org - she has so many service projects around the world and I really trust my giving is put to good use 

~ I’ve also been practicing being more generous with friends, every time I do this, the opposite of what my fear mind wants to do - It feels so healing - Shifting a mindset of scarcity (Story of Quan Yin)

8. Surround Yourself With What You Love:

Pleasure is an antidote to our fear, doubt and worry. When we are in enjoyment - we expand our magnetic field and we attract the right people and situations to us

- Make a list of what brings you Pleasure 

- some items on my list include: raspberries, roses, a clean space without clutter, light, warmth, bubble baths, friend dates, clean clothes from the dryer, holding my cat, sunsets, leading calls like this one, singing, red lipstick, yoga, giving gifts and surprising people I love

9. Release Attachments:
~
Story of Vipassana Center, I’ve been with my beloved for about 5 1/2 years, and for the last year I’ve had a pretty strong desire to get engaged. Vipassana Retreat - realized I was thinking about it so much - I was putting so much of my attention and energy on something I didn’t have, I was putting pressure on myself to make something different than what it was, and I realized the absolute misery I was putting myself through. So much about the vipassana practice is about PATIENCE. I allowed myself for hour after hour to be with my breath and I had a visceral experience that I was the cause of my own misery. I was causing my own suffering by focusing SO MUCH on what I didn’t have.  

Cried for a long time in one of the silent meditations because I just felt so sorry - I realized I had such a loving partner and the things I loved most about him and our relationship was: sharing our dharma of teaching and singing together, of spending time in beautiful natural environments and going out to dinner sometimes - that was what brought me true, genuine happiness. I realized instead of focusing on what I didn’t have that was what I needed to focus on. When I did, our joy increased our relationship strengthened, and low and behold 3 months after that retreat, my partner proposed to me. 

~ Feminine Abundance is about co creating with life - letting go and trusting

10. Practice The Art of Feminine Abundance (A Feminine Approach to Manifestation) : 

I recently heard this story from my mentor Marin Bach-Antonson: The Story of a man who was studying a tribe and the lead tribesman invited the man to go with him to the top of the mountain to perform a ritual for rain...

He was honored and went with him wondering what dance/instruments he would use. He got to the top and stood with his palms open - 5 minutes passed and he said - ok we’re done, let’s go.  What did you do? I felt the rain on my skin, I felt the puddles beneath my feet. I felt with all my senses.  

And it rained. 

Meditation - body prayer : Feeling your body, your womb and anchoring it into the Earth

Call to Action

  • So I know I shared a lot today, a lot to practice and to implement. Now some of you may run with the information and start using it and create huge shifts in your life - and I also imagine there are some of you that want to go deeper. You want community, you want a guide. You want the support and the accountability of a mentor. 
  • So for those of you who feel called to go deeper, I invite you to my latest program, The Sovereign Circle.  (Switch to Screen share)

 

Closing: 

May we join together as the sovereign women we are. May we honor the light within our heart, and step more and more each day into the role of our highest selves. 

I honor you sister for being here with us today, and I bow to you Namaste.

 

047 | Yoga & Social Justice with Michelle Johnson

 
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The truth is racism still exists. It exists in our subconscious - as a memory in our bodies from our ancestry. It exists from past traumas of our ancestors still yearning to be healed. It exists in our conditioning, our society and how many of us were raised...

Many people have been in denial of its existence, but with Trump taking office, what has seemed to be under the surface for many has only become more and more real. People of color have seen and experienced it all along, and thankfully, more and more of us have been waking up to this truth.

Not long after I set the intention to further educate myself about white privilege and racism, I received an email out of the blue from a friend I haven't talked to in years ...connecting me to Michelle and her work.

So what can we do? I sat down to talk with Michelle Johnson to learn more about privilege, oppression and racism and her unique approach of integrating the teachings of yoga with social justice. I am so grateful to share her wisdom with you all today.  

“Racism is not just impacting people of color. The system of oppression is not just harming people of color, it's harming all of us because we are connected. We’re just not conditioned to see that connection.”

In this episode we discussed:

  • Michelle's story: What it was like growing up and feeling different and not fitting in
  • Michelle's definitions of privilege and oppression
  • How Michelle integrates healing and embodiment into anti-racism trainings
  • How to approach the discomfort, fear and emotional charge of race conversations
  • About Michelle's new book, Skill in Action
  • Actual steps we can take to create change in our world and way of being
  • The role of speaking up on behalf of everyone even when we ourselves are not the oppressed
  • Michelle's vision of hope and how she stays motivated in a world where there is still so much suffering and injustice

“One must be connected with their breath to feel their body. A connection to the body allows one to feel their heart. A connection with the heart allows one to become clear about their values so that they may connect with their humanity. When one sees their own humanity and realizes that others are suffering around them they have the opportunity to connect with the oneness of all beings and our shared humanity. From the breath, body, heart and awareness of humanity, one must take action. No one can exist without taking action. Skill in Action.”

~ from Michelle's Book, Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World

Links in this episode:


From Michelle:

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I have a deep understanding of how trauma impacts the mind, body, spirit and heart. My awareness of the world through my experience as a black woman allows me to know, first hand how privilege and power operate. I understand the toll that oppression can take on individuals and the collective physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

I am a social justice warrior, empath, yoga teacher and practitioner and an intuitive healer. Whether in an anti-oppression training, yoga space, individual or group intuitive healing session, healing and wholeness are at the center of how I approach all of my work in the world. I've spent many years on the front lines of justice movements craving a space for healing through ritual, ceremony and sacred practice. While working in many non-profits with missions focused on justice I didn't find a space that centered healing as a tool to create justice. So, I created my own space and way of working.

I create healing spaces in many different ways working with individuals and groups. I lead anti-racism trainings, yoga workshops focused on the intersection of justice and yoga and I offer intuitive healing sessions to support social justice workers, healers and activists who are on the front lines and struggling with how to sustain themselves as they do their good work in the world.

I have a background as a licensed clinical social worker and I have been teaching yoga for ten years. I began my own teacher training in 2014 and recently wrote a book about yoga and justice, Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World. I inspire change that allows people to stand in their humanity and wholeness in a world that fragments most of us. There are myriad of ways to work with me. I hope to support you on your healing journey and path towards wholeness in whatever capacity allows you to live your fullest life.

 

046 | Channeling Mary Magdalene with Mercedes Kirkel

 
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Special Announcement: The Sovereign Circle: A 9-Month Feminine Leadership Program and High Priestess Sisterhood is Now Open for Enrollment! Learn more and consider joining us this May

It's hard to put into words how much gratitude I have for the wisdom I have learned from Mary Magdalene through the channeling of Mercedes Kirkel. From the moment Mercedes' book, Mary Magdalene Beckons landed in my hands, all the questions I was holding in my heart began to find their answers...

Questions like: Why am I here? What is my mission? How can I serve our planet and the rise of the divine feminine? all began to come together with such clarity. 

I am honored to share this conversation with Mercedes with you today. I hope the wisdom she shares is of service to you, and your growth.

May we continue on this path of ascension, rising together in unity. 

With all my blessings, 

Meredith

"Outside events of life don’t cause our feelings, they cause us to get disconnected from our divinity. And when we are disconnected, these feelings show up to help us get reconnected."

In this episode we discussed:

  • How Mercedes knew she was a channel for higher forces and how she strengthened that ability and skill
  • In an essence: Mary Magdalene’s message for humanity at this time
  • Mary's process for feeling our pain
  • Mercedes' first connection with Mary
  • Her experiences with going to sacred sites in France related to Mary Magdalene
  • What it was like sharing her own personal experiences with tantra in her second book, Sublime Union
  • What challenges she has faced this year and how she is overcoming them
  • A real time channeled message from Mary Magdalene for listeners

Stay in touch with Mercedes:


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Mercedes Kirkel is an award-winning author and channel for Mary Magdalene. In 2010, Mary Magdalene began coming to Mercedes daily, giving extraordinary messages for humanity's spiritual growth. These messages became two best-selling books. The first book, titled Mary Magdalene Beckons, describes how to live in your heart and unite your Feminine and Masculine. The second book, titled Sublime Union, contains Mary’s instruction on sacred sexuality, along with Mercedes’s fascinating story of engaging the practices with her partner.All of Mary Magdalene’s messages are universal and are not affiliated with any religion.

Mercedes offers online courses, private sessions via phone and Skype, and Yeshua-Magdalene Love Retreats. Learn more at www.mercedeskirkel.com.

 

045 | Unearth Your Unique Brilliance with Meredith Rom

 

::Are you ready to shine?::

I received so many sweet messages about the webinar I led last week, that I decided to share it with you on the podcast! In this free class I cover tools to:

  • TAP INTO YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
  • UNTETHER YOURSELF FROM OLD STORIES AND LIMITING BELIEFS
  • SHINE LIKE THE DIAMOND YOU REALLY ARE...

You'll also LEARN:

  • 3 Steps to Uncover and Heal Whatever is Holding You Back from Shining in Your Unique Brilliance 
  • Tools to Feel Difficult Emotions as A Pathway to Freedom and Unlimited Potential (With Guidance From Mary Magdalene)
  • How to Identify Core Beliefs Formed in Memories From the Past
  • The Foundations of EFT Tapping Therapy and Matrix Re-imprinting 

I hope you enjoy it!

Love, 

Meredith

P.S. The Sovereign Circle ~ A 9-Month Feminine Leadership Program + High Priestess Sisterhood (Limited to 12 women) is coming soon! Sign up at risingwomenleaders.com to be the first to find out when enrollment opens :)

044 | Living in Alignment with Your Womb with Maga J. Ayala

 
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Special Announcement: Enrollment is open between now and March 21st for The Diamond Mentorship, a 3-month 1:1 program to claim and embody your unique brilliance with Meredith Rom. Learn more + apply right here.

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What I learned from Maga in this episode was truly transformative. I had just gone through a week on my moon cycle, trying to push myself to get clear on a schedule for the next month of business promotions, but literally all I wanted to do was stay in bed. It was so hard for me to feel motivated and get clear on what was coming. I kept wondering why I wasn't able to "get my act together." 

Then magically, a few days after my moon time, a surge of energy rushed through me and I was more productive than ever. Suddenly I had the mental clarity to take steps forward and was able to make a clear schedule for the following month. 

It wasn't until I talked to Maga that I realized this was all related to where I was in my cycle. Learning the archetypes for each phase of a woman's menstrual cycle was so enlightening to my path as an in-tune Priestess and Business woman. I now saw a way I could use these two aspects of myself to support each other.

What a relief it was - To realize there are times of the month where I just need to let myself go totally inwards and be a hermit, and times of the month that will be completely aligned for me to have the mental clarity to see into the future and take action.  I had heard this kind of wisdom before, but something about how Maga shared it really "clicked" for me. 

I think this wisdom of becoming more in tune with your womb and cycles is a true gift to every woman. I hope you enjoy the episode!

“The awareness of the cycle builds a sense of self trust. You know that no matter what is going on around you, you have this intimate understanding of what your inner landscape is doing so you can lead from a place of authenticity.”

In this episode we discussed:

  • Maga's recent journey of conscious uncoupling and her decision to cut off her hair
  • Living in alignment with your womb and menstrual cycle
  • The different archetypes for each phase of your cycle as a woman 
  • The Spiritual qualities of a woman's menstruation and practical strategies to plan a workflow around your cycle.
  • Feminine embodiment
  • How vulnerability plays a part in emergent leadership
  • The role of desire in a woman's self-actualization

Special Gift from Maga: 

Receive your very own cycle tracking chart right here. 

Stay in touch with Maga:


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Maga is a divine feminine leadership coach that activates highly-sensitive women to come alive in their desire, lead with confidence, and remember how to live in alignment with their menstrual cycles in order to birth their creative businesses into the world. As a sound and energy practitioner, Maga also magically weaves her voice work and energy healing into the women's circles she facilitates that guide women to reconnect to their bodies, voices and their unique feminine spirituality. She believes that all women are Radiant and strives to support them to shine in all she does.

 

043 | Plant Spirits, Starseeds & Priestess Studies with Erin Rivera Merriman

 
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Special Announcement! Rising Women Leaders is now on Patreon. Pledging $1, $3, $5, $25 per episode allows us to continue creating new content and fully devote ourselves to the mission of women rising in their unique brilliance. Become a Patron Today.

One of the things I loved most about sitting down to talk with Erin was when we touched on the topic of comparing ourselves to other women. I think one of the deepest wounds that can really be a challenge when stepping into true sisterhood and community is when we get stuck comparing ourselves to other people. It brings us right into the question of wondering, is there really enough for everyone?

How can we be so similar to each other, carry a similar mission and still be special and unique? These are just some of the questions we explored in this week's episode.

We also discussed our shared journeys of navigating chronic pain and how that relates to being an empath, Erin's definitions of a "starseed" and "priestess" and which plant spirits will guide you into a deeper embodied experience of abundance.

 "Are people healed? Are people hearing the cosmic song? Are people vibrant and thriving in their bodies? Are people moving joyfully, dancing through their day to the grocery store? No! The job is not done and we need more people on the team!"

The universe would not give so many people the same mission unless it was a mission that was so big it couldn't be done by just one person...

In this episode we discussed:

  • Erin's journey with fibromyalgia and isolation to finding her place in connection with the land, plant spirits and community
  • When surrender is the most powerful tool
  • Ancestral ties & cycles of the inner Feminine and Masculine
  • The medicine of connecting with sacred land
  • Healing in community
  • Comparison & the limiting unspoken agreements between women 
  • Plants as Spirit Guides and which plants will support you to have an embodied experience of abundance
  • The gifts of Kava
  • Erin's definition of "Starseed" & "Priestess"
  • How to have spiritual devotion AND a family

Stay in touch with Erin:


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Yaya Erin Rivera Merriman is a Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner, Ritualist, Goddess Scholar, Mother and Artist. Best known as the director of Active Culture Family, Erin walks a path of community stewardship and service to Gaia through her rolls as lead facilitator of the Medicine Mandala Green Magic Apprenticeship program, and as Priestess of Bridge Temple, a remote off-grid mystery school, healing sanctuary, culture farm, and library of earth magic located on sacred land in the Cleveland National Forest of San Diego, CA

 

042 | The Heroine's Journey of Becoming Enough with Amanda Johnson

 
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When Amanda Johnson and I found each other we saw so many parallels in our journeys - writing and publishing our first books, running a crowdfunding campaign to do so, taking steps to be more visible and share our stories and the journey of remembering we are truly worthy of our dreams… 

If you’ve ever felt inspired to write a book, are ready to release the judgments of your own inner critic, or follow your true heart’s desires, this conversation is for you.

In this episode we discussed:

  • Amanda’s experience of writing and birthing a book

  • Her journey of “becoming enough” and what “enough” means to her

  • The role of desire in our lives

  • The inner critic ~ how to speak with her to gain the wisdom she is here to give

  • The Heroine’s Journey and how we often “reject the call” before following our heart’s desires

  • Leaving a marriage after choosing to trust and listen to her inner voice

  • The grace and flow of life takes on when you start listening to your intuition

  • How Amanda and I handle comparison with other women in the realm of entrepreneurship and social media 

  • The books Amanda plans on writing next! 

Stay in touch with Amanda:

  • Amanda’s website: www.amandajohnson.tv

  • @beingamandaj (social media handle for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)


Amanda Johnson has one mission: to inspire recovering perfectionists and over-thinkers turn their critic into their ally so they can reveal their wholeness within and go from “never enough” to “always okay.”

Amanda is an author, teacher, and radio show host with more than 10 years of experience performing, educating, facilitating, and consulting. Her passion for inspiring others—be it a 2nd-grader or a CEO—and ability to connect with those she interacts with are unleashed by her wit, charm, and eloquence, making her message resonate deeply with her audience—to reveal your wholeness within and go from “never enough” to “always okay.”

She shares her message in writings, videos, group training programs, and her weekly Being Inspired radio show so people can recognize their wholeness and start being good with being them.

You can learn more and receive some free goodies when you sign up on her website. She can also be found on social media @beingamandaj.

 

041 | The Inner Work of Decluttering & Home Design with Maggie Minor

 
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“The objects we have in our house are incredibly emotionally charged. The things we buy to numb ourselves or fit in, they can make us feel stagnant or obligated and we bring that energy into our home.” 

One of my secret loves is home decoration. Last summer I went through a huge purge after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It brought me such a sense of peace in my home that I actually had the women in my program The Sovereign Circle go through the exercise too!  

It was a joy to sit down with Maggie Minor of Maggie Minor Designs in the latest RWL podcast episode to discuss the deeper emotional layers that are involved in the decluttering process.

She shares how we need to address the void that comes when decluttering and invites us to ask, “How do we avoid just filling it up again with stuff?” Maggie shares her experiences of sitting with the discomfort of growing, evolving and letting go of the need to fill the void with more stuff to create space for greater joy and inner and outer alignment.

She also shares about her recent big leap moving across the country, listening to her body’s wisdom, and the time she spent in the Peace Corps. I hope you enjoy the show! 

“Our homes are a three-dimensional vision board. So if we design our space to be in alignment with what we want, we are gonna get their quicker. It’s going to create flow in our lives.”

In this episode we discussed:

  • How joining the Peace Corps and living in Bulgaria informed Maggie’s life today
  • Life transitions and taking a leap ~ listening to inner guidance to move across the country 
  • An exercise to connect with your inner knowing about making a a hard decision 
  • The emotional cleanse that comes with decluttering your life
  • Resolving emotions and stories we carry with forgiveness work 
  • Curating your space to increase focus and a positive mindset
  • How home decor can improve your mood and the areas of your house to focus on first 
  • Her book about being a humanitarian worker 
  • Sharing a space with someone else and how to navigate designing the home together 

“You always know the right answer…If we align ourselves with our bodies, and let the fear leave our bodies, the answers will appear. They are not always the answers we want, but they are always the right answers.”

Links in this episode:


Maggie Minor believes that what we surround ourselves with has a profound affect on our subconscious and that by simply making a few changes in our home décor we can uplift ourselves and open up our mind to new possibilities. She is the founder of Maggie Minor Designs, a resource for room designs and artwork that provides bold women with the resources to homes and offices that inspire them.

In her former life, Maggie spent almost 15 years traveling the world…as a graduate student in Australia, a student and backpacker in Europe, a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria and a humanitarian worker working in Asia and Africa. Her memoir, Adventures of a Curious Sculptor, recounts her long journey from adventurer to artist….and her appreciation for all of the beauty that surrounds us.

 

040 | Spiritual Shift, Waking Up & Fierce Love with Sabrina Riccio

 
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It was such a blessing to sit down with Sabrina Riccio in this week's RWL podcast episode. Sabrina laid down truth bomb after truth bomb, telling it like it is with authenticity and fierce love. If you are feeling the call to "wake up" and release the blocks that have been holding you back from standing in your full, radiant truth, this episode is for you. 

"If you don't honor yourself, people aren't going to honor you. Standing your ground is about honoring what you are truly feeling. That takes courage - to dive in and see what you're really feeling. A lot of people don't do that. A lot of people are scared of feeling." 

In this episode we discussed:

  • Sabrina's story of getting struck by lightning + the spiritual shift that happened afterwards
  • Her story of watching the eclipse in Oregon this past summer
  • The rise of the feminine, the goddess, the creatrix of all life + the power of Mary Magdalene
  • The importance of self-care, slowing down and honoring our feelings 
  • Honoring the journey + trusting the process, embracing all facets of the human experience
  • The spiritual experience of buying her first home in Joshua Tree
  • Fostering a relationship with spirit 
  • Letting go of "being a warrior" and becoming a vessel of light
  • Her three year sabbatical of healing: visiting John of God, reading A Course in Miracles, becoming a coach and Kundalini yoga teacher
  • Her dreams of writing a book

"The struggle isn't real. You have the choice with your actions. Are you actually doing things that bring you joy? Are you actually doing things that make you feel whole? Are you actually living your dreams? or Are you working towards achieving them?"

Connect with Sabrina: 

Check out her latest e-course, Stay Woke


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Sabrina Riccio (Shiv Inder Kaur) is the internationally known Soulistic Alchemist and Spirit Guide behind Shamanessa Goddessa. Catalyzing and anchoring a conscious paradigm shift, Sabrina's work empowers souls to reclaim their power by being real, being authentic, and embracing vulnerability. Sabrina believes we anchor the Sacred Reunion of the Divine Masculine & Divine Feminine within by learning to honor and transmute our shadows through the practice of unconditional self-love and through radical forgiveness.

As an Aquarian Priestess, she has held workshops at some of the world’s greatest festivals including Burning Man, Bhakti Fest, and Desert Hearts. Her passion for Kundalini Yoga, Spirit Medicine, Psychedelics, and self-study has allowed her to support those who are on the path of living and creating a balanced, conscious life.

As a soulistic alchemist, Sabrina works with plant medicines, Kundalini mantra, and reiki infused luna love and light to support sacred spaces with her Shamanic Dream apothecary line to help you live in ceremony. She is the host of the Sovereign Goddess Podcast helping medicine women and goddesspreneurs build their queendom with grace. Sabrina also offers ecourses and Kundalini Yoga Meditation experiences to help people cultivate a daily practice.

 

039 | Resilience, Radiance, & Recovery with Elena Brower

 
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"Integrity matters. If you are in integrity, timing will be on your side."

It was an honor to sit down with renowned author and yoga teacher Elena Brower in the latest Rising Women Leaders podcast episode. We spoke of her journey: discovering yoga, becoming a teacher, finding her voice and more recently letting go of addiction, stepping into her power as a wellness advocate and team leader for doTERRA and the beauty that comes when you step into your highest alignment.  We spoke of the power when a woman steps into wealth and abundance, how to honor our grief and pain, and what to let go of to deepen our personal practices.

There is in an elegance and grace to everything Elena creates... Be sure to check out her new journal, Practice You as well as her other offerings listed below.

In this episode we discussed:

  • Discovering the path of yoga 
  • Finding your voice as a teacher
  • Being a mom and how that relates to spiritual growth and practice 
  • Elena's journey with addiction, sobriety and recovery
  • Her thoughts on stepping into wealth "...how absolutely perfect it is to be financially independent as a woman, and how important it is to be that example for many many thousands if not millions of other women, so I'm okay with that..."
  • Her love of essential oils
  • Elena's favorite morning rituals
  • The rise of the feminine & awakening of our collective consciousness
  • Her new journal, "Practice You"
  • Healing from the loss of her mother and thoughts on moving through grief and pain 
  • The importance of the early morning hours for personal practice

Connect with Elena: 


Elena Brower is a renowned author, yoga teacher and speaker. Influenced by several yoga traditions including Parayoga and Katonah Yoga, she is recognized internationally for her expertise in combining physical alignment and the art of attention. Since 1998, Elena has been offering these practices as a vehicle for approaching our world with realistic reverence and gratitude. She is the author of Art of Attention, a yoga workbook that has been translated into six languages and the creator of Teach.yoga, a virtual home for yoga teachers worldwide. Her new book, Practice You, will be out in September 2017 from Sounds True.

Elena is also an executive producer of On Meditation: Documenting the Inner Journey, a film that intimately explores meditation experiences, and has contributed to the Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and Yoga Journal. Experience Elena's filmed practices on YogaGl, and her Audio Meditations on elenabrower.com/meditation.

 

038 | Relationships, New Motherhood & The Role of the Priestess with Katie Burke

 
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Just days ago this amazing woman, Katie Burke gave birth to her second child. I was lucky to sit down with Katie in early September when she was 32 weeks pregnant to hear about her role as a Priestess, the birth of her first child, and navigating marriage, a business, and family all while being on a personal growth journey of ascension and awakening.

Sitting down to talk with Katie felt like reuniting with an old friend. I decided to share the video of our conversation today as well so you can get a behind-the-scenes look into our intimate conversation.

In this episode we discussed:

  • The magic of conceiving and giving birth to her first child
  • What it means (to Katie) to be a Priestess
  • Moving through fear and doubt around claiming the role of the Priestess
  • Mary Magdalene, Isis and the guides that came to Katie during her awakening 
  • How to navigate your personal growth while being in a marriage
  • Tips on making it through hard times in a relationship while being on an awakening path together
  • How to connect with your guides and open your own channels of communication with divine guidance and intuition
  • What's to come in Katie's business 

Stay in touch with Katie:


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Formally a digital marketing guru and graduate student of strategic communication, Katie Burke began her Divine Feminine Awakening and remembering when she conceived her daughter. This journey of self-healing and radical self-worth led to the Modern Priestess Movement and her own self-actualization.

Katie administers the Feminine expression of Christ Consciousness coming from the spiritual traditions of Mary Magdalene, and the Ancient Egyptian Teachings of Isis & Hathor.  She currently is pregnant with her second child and enjoying the summer with her daughter and leading bi-monthly meditations with her partner, Ben Burke. 

 

037 | Kundalini Yoga & The Magic of Motherhood with Myrah Peñaloza

 
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"As mothers, we are the baseline frequency of the nation. I strongly believe that everything that is conceived of on planet Earth is because of the mother."

I'm so grateful to introduce you today to Myrah Peñaloza, clothing designer, mother, and Kundalini yoga teacher.  I first discovered Myrah on instagram @myrahpenaloza and quickly fell in love with the intention, beauty and authenticity of her posts. 

I followed along on the journey of her pregnancy and excitedly read her birth story after her daughter Soleil was born. 

Myrah reminds us of the power we have to create change in the world as women and mothers and I'm excited to share her wisdom with you all today. 

"Becoming a mother showed me what a BIG responsibility we have on planet Earth."

In the episode we discuss:

  • How Myrah found kundalini yoga and how it changed her life
  • The importance of personal practice as a yoga teacher
  • What Myrah learned from her teacher Gurumukh
  • The biggest lesson Myrah has learned from becoming a mother
  • Balancing having a biz and a new baby
  • How she navigated post-partum depression
  • What women’s circles have brought to her life
  • What's coming in her new line of  Kundalini yoga gowns

Stay in touch with Myrah:

Websites:

Social:


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Myrah recently followed her heart from California to Canada. She is a Clothing designer, Kundalini Yoga lover & educator, she is obsessed with banana pancakes, sharing tea, her 7 month old (on the 20th) daughter Soleil & women's circles. Myrah is the co-founder of  Edmonton, AB based BLOOM Festival which is celebrating its 5th Annual production October 5th-8th. Her Kundalini Yoga inspired clothing line has been adorned by woman across the entire globe. She has also founded a women’s circle network that is in 5 different countries called La Luna Social. Myrah has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for close to 10 years and has taken over 900hrs of Yoga Teacher Training. She has led retreats around the world and is currently planning a retreat in Spain called The Bloom Retreat in February 2017. Her mission is to create space, opportunities and experiences to empower woman. 

 

036 | Self-Worth, Money & Your Inner Psychic with Anastasia Holland

 
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After three years of making very little money in her business as a psychic,  Anastasia Holland got serious about learning business strategy and putting herself out there. 

She had an idea: to have conscious conversations with women about their relationship to money. She was genuinely curious about how these women she admired got to where they were. How did they make it all work?

 So she launched her  first summit, "Worthy" and within a few weeks her business catapulted. 

The clients started coming in more than ever before. She announced a mentorship program and watched her income skyrocket. 

But it wasn't all easy. There were upper limits to navigate, and burnout to recover from.  

I'm so grateful to share Anastasia's wisdom with you all today:

"My whole perspective of life has changed because as I gained success financially in my career and I finally had this total freedom that I craved for so long,  I realized that I didn't feel that different.

That has catapulted me into finding out what really gives me joy. What really gives me peace. What really gives me freedom. And love and connection.

I think if I didn't have that success I would always be chasing and never be able to face the part of myself that was still in a lot of pain and had all these desires other than money and career."

In this episode we discussed:

  • How Anastasia first discovered her psychic abilities (and how you can too)
  • Anastasia's story of selling everything she owned to start fresh and up-level her life and business
  • Doing business your own way and finding balance with feminine flow in business (aka avoiding burnout)
  • Anastasia's story of leading her first summit, Worthy. How it catapulted her business, brought her to new upper limits and what she learned about herself and how  she wants to do business along the way
  • Beyond money and success, what Anastasia learned brought her  true joy
  • The throat chakra - how Anastasia has honored her voice
  • Anastasia's growth edge and how she is showing up to face her fears
  • The self-worth demon Anastasia still works with and how she keeps showing up despite her fears

More links: 

Enjoy the episode :) 

With love, 
Meredith


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Anastasia Holland is a Psychic Strategist, Business Mentor, Writer And Self Worth Warrior For women. Through her 1:1 psychic sessions, mentorship programs, and workshops she reminds her clients of the work they are meant to do in the world and help them do it in a way that is strategic, effective, and most aligned based off of their unique blue print, purpose, desires, and path. She believes that self-compassion is magic, that we don’t need to be fixed, but instead nurtured, encouraged, and let loose. Her work is committed to reminding you of your power and that you can absolutely do business and life in whatever way you choose. 

To book a session with her, or find out more about her work head to her website www.anastasiaholland.com

 

035 | Feeling Our Feelings with Erin Telford

 
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Two weeks ago my community in Sonoma County was shaken awake in the middle of the night by unexpected wildfires raging through the city and countryside.

In the days afterwards, there was an immense amount of grief, fear and shock in the field. For days I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering if I would need to evacuate.  (Luckily I didn't need to, we have had to just be careful about the air quality, which has significantly improved this week).

I watched as this powerfulevent invited people to  deeply listento the land and the call of their own heart. I saw people around me stepping into their truth, alignment and gifts like never before. I saw people  coming together in love and support of one another. I felt the love and support of this community in a new way. 

Over the past two weeks I have been reflecting on the   powerful metaphor of life, death and rebirth. I have been asking  myself:

What do I wish to burn away right now? and

What in my life would I hold on to? 

It has been incredibly clarifying on what is truly important to me. (And surprisingly there was a lot I saw I could let go of) 

with this powerful time of destruction & rebirth, there are a lot of emotions to be felt.

In the midst of all the events happening in our world, again and againwhat I keep coming back to for healing is feeling our feelings. Letting the grief, the anger, the fear come to the surface to be loved. 

And that's what today's episode on the Rising Women Leaders podcast is all about.

It wasa joy to sit down with another sensitive soul and kindred spirit Erin Telford to speak about healing our hearts, honoring our emotions and listening to our "soul whispers."  I hope you enjoy it. 

"Healing is not about calming down. It’s not about blunting your feelings. It’s about moving the lifetime of pain energy out of the body. "

In this episode we discussed:

  • What ignited Erin's healing journey
  • The experience of her first breathwork ceremony 
  • Listening to her soul whispers and her decision to leave NYC
  • An inside peek of the book she is ready to birth!
  • Healing the heart ~ Erin's experiences with heartbreak and her thoughts on healing the heart when letting go of someone you love
  • What Erin attributes to her success as a spiritual business woman

"When you know your value is not negotiable by outside situations, you're pretty solid."

Links in this episode:

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Erin Telford is a certified Breathwork teacher, acupuncturist, Reiki Master, and herbalist.  Her mission is to guide people to look within, open their hearts and heal their relationship with themselves.  She holds safe, sacred space for change through therapeutic conversation and lifestyle counseling.  She is fiercely committed to doing her own personal work because she knows that she can only take her clients as deep and as far as she is willing to go.  Her one on one sessions and workshops empower her clients to connect to their intuition so that they can find the answers they are looking for.  She has been featured in Shape Magazine, Nylon, NY Magazine, Well + Good, The Numinous and in Refinery 29 as one of “6 Women Who Are Redefining Wellness in New York City.”

 

034 | Cultivate Inner Radiance with Cait Scudder

 
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Have you ever met one of those people you instantly feel so calm and centered in their presence? That's how I felt talking to Cait. She is a vibrant soul who followed her heart leaving "the grind" behind in New England to embody inner radiance in Bali, Indonesia. 

You'll feel yourself transported to Bali as you listen to this episode - you'll even hear the roosters crowing outside with the sun rise!

"There's a difference between angular commitment and a just as powerful force of fierce devotion. I see fierce devotion as the fuel for courage." 

In this episode we discussed:

  • Trusting in the divine flow 
  • The courage it takes to own and embody our gifts, to live our light out loud 
  • How to handle the muck (not being afraid of it, learning to befriend and expand self-love massively during these times) 
  • Taking the leapand  being okay with not-knowing 
  • Radiance and what it means to live aligned, in truth and on fire 

Learn about Cait's Radiance Rising Retreat Coming up in Bali inMarch 2018 


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Cait Scudder, MAT, RYT-500, is a lit-up transformation catalyst that empowers women to uncover, embrace and embody the most dazzling version of themselves. She is a radiant living coach, writer, speaker, and yoga & meditation teacher living in Bali, and is also founder of the Radiant Living School. Cait holds programs, workshops, and retreats around the globe for soul-centered women on a mission to shine. Connect with her at caitscudder.com and learn more about her Radiant Living School program here.

 

033 | The Magic of Cacao with Sena Shakti Shellenberger

 
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On August 29th I’ll be joining together with friends Sena Shellenberger and Denell Nawrocki to lead a women’s circle and cacao ceremony in honor of the release of my book, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India. 

A few weeks ago I had the honor of sitting down with Sena to talk about her journey of leaving her job in Silicon Valley, traveling for 8 months to rediscover her freedom and relocating to Sonoma County where she shares the magic of cacao in ceremonies and online courses.

In this episode we talk about:

  • How sena found cacao and the cosmic experience of her first ceremony in Mexico
  • Listening to our Intuition - how Sena gathered up the courage to leave her job at Google to follow her heart on an 8-month journey in Peru and Costa Rica before starting her own business where she now shares the magic of cacao with others
  • How important our dreams are and how they can guide us
  • What it really means to surrender to our divinely guided messages
  • Sensuality practices to tap into the feminine
  • Sena’s online course: Open Your Heart with Cacao

Sena and I have an event coming up on Tuesday August 29th details are right here.

Other links mentioned in this episode:

And be sure to follow Sena on instagram here and buy ceremonial cacao here. (Use coupon code tesorasacredcacao for 10% off!)


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Sena is a carrier of cacao medicine, ceremonialist and people empowerer. She builds deeper pathways to self-acceptance, self-worth and self-love through ceremony, sound, yoga, meditation, plant medicine and coaching. She’s here to support our shift into heart-centered living.

After working 5 years in Silicon Valley, she spent eight months finding inner freedom in the jungles of Peru + Costa Rica. She is passionate about creating safe, nurturing spaces to share her wisdom and support our collective healing. Recently following her heart to Sonoma County, CA Sena leads women’s circles, cacao ceremonies, international retreats. She recently launched an online cacao course. 

 

032 | Mindful Men Series: Money & Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman

 

Lately I’ve been reflecting on what it means to have “enough.” 

Last month I was lucky to sit down with a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place, Spencer Sherman.

I found it really interesting when he shared, “Giving and saving are two ways to tell your body and mind, ‘I have enough.’” 

Mindfulness and meditation have greatly helped me shift my relationship to money.  

I remember even just a few years ago when I had accumulated a large amount of savings, yet my mindset was solely focused on what I didn’t have. Because of that, I didn’t take a moment to reflect on everything around me. Instead I kept pushing myself. 

Now, I do my best to remind myself of what I have, with gratitude. A mantra I use often is, “I have everything I need, and I welcome so much more.”  (Thanks to Gabrielle Bernstein for that one)

Shifting my mindset around money and focusing more on generosity than on scarcity has helped me let go of the need to grasp on to the next prospective client, the bigger house, or next new item for my wardrobe.

And I have to say, it’s been so relaxing to take that pressure off. 

The funny thing is, the more I soften and rest into the trust that I have everything I need, I feel like so much more abundance is coming to me.

I’ve consciously been letting go of the grasping, the feeling of “getting the short end of the stick” and really honoring where I am at and what I have. 

It’s not an easy practice, I know, and sometimes I still get stuck in the mindset of “I don’t have enough.” So that’s why I’m excited to share with you my latest podcast episode all about Money and Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman. 

“The less attached I have been, the more ease I have found with money, the more it comes to me.” ~ Spencer Sherman

A few months ago it became clear to me that I’d like create a “Mindful Men Series”  to honor the perspective of the divine masculine and share the voices of men I see around me honoring their gifts and purpose while giving back to the world. 

After listening to the episode, I’d love to hear, what does enough look like for you? How do you cultivate a feeling of enough?  Let me know in the comments over on instagram. 

I’m also excited to share that this Fall Spencer and I are collaborating in an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program locally in Sebastopol.

Save the date September 5, 6:30 - 9 pm at The dhyana Center for a free orientation to learn about the program.

In this episode we discuss: 

  • Discovering your true net worth 
  • The best day/worst day of Spencer’s life 
  • The missing piece one of his clients discovered to living a joyful life after having “made it” in the financial world
  • Meditation and how that has affected Spencer’s relationship to money and how he relates to clients in his business
  • The first step to take to bringing more awareness to your finances 
  • Abacus’ approach to wealth management and sustainable investing 
  • Our upcoming course, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Save the date for Sept. 5 for a free orientation)
  • Spencer's book, The Cure for Money Madness

I hope you enjoy today’s show. It may be just what you need to earn more money, start saving and giving, or maybe to just cultivate more peace of mind.

With love,
Meredith

P.S. Join me this coming Wednesday August 9th for my next webinar, The Art of Feminine Abundance where I’ll be sharing more about my insights on wealth, joy and abundance. Click here to sign up.

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Spencer Sherman is a financial expert, public speaker, teacher and author. Spencer has taught classes and spoken to audiences across the U.S., including at Esalen and Kripalu. He has practiced meditation since 1983 and is a qualified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He is a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place. Spencer and his wife Janine live in Sebastopol, CA with their 2 children.