In other's stories we hear our own...
Join us as we dive into these spiritual questions...
What is a sacred story that has shaped your life?
How is your sacred story evolving now?
How is Spirit/Mystery currently calling to you?
Sacred Stories with Julia Freifeld: In Each Other's Bones
Some conversations reverberate in our being. This one continues to invite me deeper. What are the new beginnings present in each moment?
Author Julia Freifeld is filled with contagious passion for life and a heart open to receive the deeper meaning offered to us in life's unfolding. She shares with richness, whole-heartedness, and inspiration about her new memoir, In Each Other's Bones: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Living.
In Each Other's Bones is Julia's journey of seeking holiness. Over 10 years, Julia navigated her husband Mark's diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disease, being a caretaker without losing her connection to herself, and the loss of her husband. This book is Julia’s journey of beginnings, endings, goodbyes, and creating anew.
Julia's story invites us to consider:
*What beginning might be present in each ending or loss? How can you stay open to beginnings alongside honoring your own emotional journey?
*As a caretaker, how are you being invited to deepen your connection to yourself in new ways?
*Dating after loss and second chapter relationships filled with richness, complexity, and tenderness.
*When you look back on moments in your life that shaped you the most, what is the deeper purpose and meaning you now have the perspective to understand?
*What rituals, art, or writing might be powerful in tending to beginnings or endings? For more guidance with rituals click HERE.
SPIRITUAL PARTNERSHIPS with Dr. Zenia McLaughlin + Rabbi Jessica K. Marshall
Zenia + Jessica's Sacred Story:
Join Rabbi Jessica Marshall and her partner Dr. Zenia McLaughlin as they are interviewed by Natalia Volz. This intimate conversation explores:
- How they met and the personal growth they did before they connected.
- How spiritual partnerships differ from other love relationships.
- Navigating sticky moments as a couple.
- Honoring both an individual and shared relationship to Spirit.
- The power of playfulness!
Jessica and Zenia are interviewed by Natalia Volz, a heart-centered guide specializing in guiding folks through healing relationship transitions.
Resources mentioned:
Calling in the One by Katherine Woodward Thomas
* * * *
Zenia and Jessica's story invites us to consider:
~Who do we each need to become to hold what we most desire?
~How might we turn toward another in sticky moments?
~What is your relationship with play and where might playfulness enter your life in new ways?
Sacred Stories with Dr. Ezzie Spencer: re.love
Sometimes a simple statement from a friend catalyzes extraordinary transformation. Dr. Ezzie Spencer, creator of the re.love method and best-selling author of Lunar Abundance: Cultivating Joy, Peace and Purpose Using the Phases of the Moon, shares a Sacred Story about a moment that spurred profound inner healing and a professional pivot.
We dive into how our greatest gifts can come from our deepest wounds and what courageous inner exploration looks like. Dr. Ezzie shares how uncovering the root of our patterns enables us to change our relationship with ourselves and what we are able to receive from others. When we are able to lovingly BE with it, and FEEL it, we can transmute old imprints.
Ezzie's story invites us to consider:
~What Unconscious Vows might be keeping you from what you truly desire?
~How might you create your high-vibe love field?
~How do we dance between setting healthy boundaries and putting up a fortress wall?
Dr. Ezzie brings that magical mix of profound tools coupled with a light touch to the sacred work she offers. Her joy and passion emanate in this Sacred Story!
Sacred Stories with Bronwyn Saglimbeni: Writing on the Wall
When a rockstar communications coach starts droppin quotes from the Talmud mid-podcast, you know it's going to be a good one! Bronwyn Saglimbeni holds that magic mix of authenticity and electricity, join us for this inspiring conversation!
Bronwyn is a communication coach who guides those she serves to shine--from a stage in front of a thousand people, on camera, or at a small gathering in a conference room.
Bronwyn's Sacred Story takes us back to 2001, when she was broke, unemployed and floundering around for what to do in the wake of 9/11 & massive economic downturn. A profound dream that changed the course of her life.
We each have sliding door moments in our lives, this conversation explores our inner knowing that wants to guide us if we choose to listen.
Bronwyn's story invites us to consider:
What are the ways your intuitive, higher wisdom likes to speak to you? A few common ways to tap in include: dreams, a full-body expansive feeling, noticing coincidences, seeing particular objects (like feathers) or animals that show up at moments you’re receiving guidance or meant to pay attention.
We’re hit with a lot of guilt about safeguarding time for JOY and pleasure. Our worth is often tethered to whether we are good, busy, & putting others first. AND yet, how we we show up for others is DEPENDENT on feeling FULL, brimming. Our creativity and inspiring, electrifying communication depends on filling our spirits with pleasure.
Does reframing your creativity as a vital part of how you serve the world offer you a sacred permission slip to prioritize what fills you up? (We need your creativity whether you’re a teacher, a parent, or vice president of the United States)!
The Talmud teaches that we will be called to account for every legitimate pleasure we did not enjoy.* What is one simple pleasure you might relish more often? Popcorn for dinner? Babies in sunglasses? The easy grin of your beloved? Can you make a list of the things that bring you pleasure and make sure to infuse one into each day?
If you knew you only had 10 years left to live, what would you stop doing? (Inspired by Rochelle Meyers).
*Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12.
**I recommended Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity by Edwene Gaines.
Sacred Stories with Wil Fisher: Sacred Drag
Wil Fisher is founder of Willfully Living, a life coach practice dedicated to helping GBTQ men live lives of freedom and joy!
Wil's Sacred Story explores the healing power of drag as medicine for self-exploration. We dive into queer spirituality, ways we can each get playful with gender, and surprising gender fluidity in Jewish sacred texts.
Wil's story invites us to consider:
~Using totem animals as part of our spiritual practice (they can appear anywhere--in dreams, when we are in nature, seeing repeated pictures of particular animals, etc.). As we learn about the animal's symbology, we can honor qualities we are stepping into, or releasing, or creating new paradigms of behavior.
~The idea of authentic validation. As young people, we may feel shame in realizing something is different about us. As a coping mechanism, we put on a facade that is then validated. This facade fills a void, but it does not allow us to be truly seen. Authentic validation is a process of getting quiet with our own heart and own own spirit to strip away default responses & instead validate ourselves authentically.
Sacred Stories with Selena Lael: Radical Self-Love
You know those moments when you’re lying awake in bed at 3am? Occasionally, something magical transpires. Connecting to Selena Lael’s meditations in the wee hours soothed my heart with radical self-love.
I’m thrilled to share Selena’s wholehearted & Divine wisdom about how we bring radical love and groundedness to each moment--especially the messy ones!
Selena’s Sacred Story explores...
Receiving love in a way we didn’t even know we sought.
A step-by-step approach to hit reset when feeling an overwhelming sense of urgency.
What it means to live this quote, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” ― Alfred D. Souza
A soul-stirring guided meditation at 1:01:17 in the recording.
Sacred Stories with Kyla Mitsunaga: The Oneness of "WITH"
Kyla Mitsunaga’s joyful spirit is proof that vibrancy leaps across physical distance. I felt Kyla’s heart during our first conversation between Denver and Korea when she named me as an honorary Asian soul sister and I bequeathed her an honorary Jew! She brings whimsy and a storyteller’s flare to this laughter-filled conversation of integrating past wounds into JOY and connection.
While simultaneously leading a workshop on happiness and struggling with depression, Kyla knew this irony was meant to be a teacher. She discovered Theta and the practice of subconsciously replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones. Kyla shifted her negative energy and resolved to offer these transformative strategies to help others. Befriending herself in new ways opened doors of connection. Only when we are with ourselves can we truly be with others. Recently, I saw this play out in my own life when my harsh inner critic mercilessly repeated judgments about milestones that should have happened by now and stories of fear that dreams would not manifest. Once I realized this mental berating was my ego in fear, I could shift into honoring self-love in deeper ways. I could then extend this compassion toward others without holding them in the tight grip of deadlines. As you listen to this Sacred Story, notice if there are similar patterns you can rewire offering a gentle path to shift negativity.
As Kyla did more research on happiness, she found a correlation between happiness and profound connection to others--empathy, non-hierarchical sharing, and a sense of oneness. She termed this distinction “With vs At” to capture the truth that when we communicate WITH others instead of AT them, we can change our lives. Jewish theologian Martin Buber had a similar concept called “I/Thou” to describe mutual, reciprocal relationships that transform us. I/Thou and WITH interactions are special in that they can unfold with strangers and intimate relationships. Both frameworks require true presence with ourselves and others. I/Thou and WITH connections are a portal to the Divine. Our conversation invites each of us to consider how we can foster more WITH relationships in our lives.
Kyla and I connected via the one and only Nessy Quarantello, whose Sacred Story of healing breathwork can be found HERE.
Kyla’s story invites us to consider:
~ Happiness directly correlates with less judgment and more forgiveness. What is one way I can shift from judgement to open-hearted acceptance?
~ If our 3 core wounds are “I’m not enough”, “I'm different”, & “something is unavailable to me”, does one tend to be your default? What is one new story that wants to be told instead?
~ Kyla’s definition of happiness = total alignment with yourself and your core values. What are your core values? Can honoring one of them in a new way offer a deeper experience of happiness?
Sacred Stories with Dr. Rebecca Ray: The Universe Listens to Brave
Dr. Rebecca Ray's Sacred Story:
The second I heard Dr. Rebecca Ray speak, I knew her wisdom around breaking old psychological patterns, model of deep authenticity, and wicked sense of humor would make for a transformative Sacred Story. Join Beck and I for this vulnerable conversation about exploding paradigms for how we envision our love stories and professional horizons.
Beck’s romantic relationships in her 20’s left a heck of a lot to be desired. She was holding out for a 6’4” cowboy before finally deciding she’d be single forever at the ripe age of 33. When she met Nyssa, the soul-love Beck felt was scary. “Life brought me something more wonderful than I ever could have imagined, if only I’d let myself have it.”
Beck was fearful at first to fully accept the deep love Nyssa offered because it went against everything she had assumed about her life. Our subconscious is so good at resisting new experiences because it equates unknown with unsafe. Beck saw this sneaky pattern playing out in her and knew that if she did not dive into it more deeply, it would sabotage what she was building with Nyssa. Creating a new paradigm for relationships--something more wonderful than we ever could imagine--is exhilarating and scary. She reminds us that entering into this perspective takes courage, and that courage often includes softness with ourselves and others.
Beck exploded another paradigm in her professional life. After profound burnout running a private psychiatric practice, Beck challenged her own assumptions about what her life as a psychologist could be. She danced with old patterns of pessimism and impatience (self proclaimed specialties) when transitioning to writing, teaching, and podcasting. This shift into trust and patience in the face of income uncertainty was another invitation to be brave alongside her fear.
I know this dance well. Leaving a beloved job because my soul knew I was meant to be nestled in the Rockies and working for myself was scary. It was challenging to explain it to family members who didn’t get it, and it was scary to leave behind a steady salary! I have never regretted honoring that deep knowing about the life I want to create for myself. When fear arises, I return to the truth that it’s not fear that keeps us safe, but intuition.
Each of us can learn from Beck’s insights about how we show up for our own inner truth, our own soul-alignment.
I connected with Dr. Rebecca Ray via Aléa Lovely. Our sacred community only grows! Find Aléa’s Sacred Story HERE.
Rebecca’s story invites us to consider:
~ What are the ways my fear about getting what I truly want sabotages my ability to receive? For instance, if I am scared about professional freedom, in what ways does repeating a story of lack or fear block me from the openness to uncover new potential professional opportunities?
~ What assumptions about your life are asking to be released? What “shoulds” feel like heavy burdens of doom? What new rules can you create for how to honor the life the Universe wants to give you?
~ What permission slips might your 80 year old self offer you NOW that you don’t have to wait to receive until you are 80?!! Harnessing the sagacity of our 80’s is a beautiful way to use our inner wisdom to step into aligned living. Stay tuned for my visiting your 85 year old self meditation for one of my favorite ways to shift perspectives!
Sacred Stories with Lyssa Mandel: The Cosmic Serpent
Lyssa and I met at an incredible retreat in Joshua Tree National Park.* Our shared Jewish upbringing and love of nature-based spirituality led to a soul-friendship. From that first moment I felt Lyssa’s multitudes--she brings them to this sharing of her Sacred Story.
Lyssa began her spiritual journey as a skeptic. At the age of 28, after reading The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby, she realized that the connection between science and Spirit lives in the wonder and precision of our own bodies--that scientific truths are evidence of God. She reminds us that Spirit does not only exist as an external force, but lives within each of us as a tiny “benevolent parasite” and can act as a guide, if we listen.
Shifting her thoughts about Spirit led Lyssa to embrace the Divine inside of her via messages from inner guides. Guides can show up in many forms... as internal or external messages, sensations, or emotions. When we sit with our emotions and ask them to be our guides, we offer ourselves permission to receive their teachings. Sometimes strong emotions can feel overwhelming, yet when we hold them with curiosity, we can replace a fear of feeling with a deeper wisdom of how to care for ourselves in new ways. For example, after a recent consult with a business strategist, l left feeling overwhelmed and agitated. Asking the emotions to give me a message helped me realize that being hit with a dose of other people’s advice or structures felt like a giant “heck no!” from my body. From there, I was able to come back home to my own inner knowing about the best path for me.
Lyssa’s story invites us to consider:
~ What understanding(s) of the Divine most resonate with me? Via the miracles of science? A sense of Oneness among all beings? My own inner wisdom or intuition? A moral force within me?
~ What messages are my emotional guides trying to send me? How are feelings in my body (physical pain, sadness, confusion) inviting me to learn something new about myself?
~ Are there soul-friends in my life that I’d like to connect with in new ways?
*This is the retreat where I also connected with Sacred Stories guest Keira Poulsen. Listen to Keira’s Sacred Story HERE.
Sacred Stories with Puja Sue Flamm: Grief as a Sacred Opening
Puja Sue Flamm joins Sacred Stories to share tender musings on grief after journeying through the recent losses of her father, mother, and close friend. Her gentle, warm presence invites us into a sacred opening: one of surrender and gentleness with ourselves.
Puja reminds us that we often reside in our heads; the spiritual call is a practice of continually coming home into our physical being. This loving check-in with what’s occurring physically is also a portal to Spirit. We can ask ourselves, “What does my body want to tell me?” as a way to connect to the wisdom of embodied living. For me, the tightness in my stomach takes me right back to childhood events. This tightness is a loving reminder to offer compassionate reassurance to younger Jessica that these are simply old coping patterns, and to come home to the truth that in this moment, I am perfectly cared for.
These are called practices because we continually come back to them--sometimes multiple times an hour! Puja and I are both deepening into them in new ways. We see our growing edges--hers the pressure to transition from in-person teaching to teaching online, mine finding peace within months of post-Covid symptoms--as an invitation to trust the wisdom of our bodies and allow the Universe to guide us through shifts in how we serve our communities and ourselves best. May our discussion inspire new ways to hear the guidance our bodies offer.
Puja’s story invites us to consider:
~ How does an experience of grief want to open me in new ways?
~ What are the “timelines” I have created for myself and how can I honor my body’s natural pacing?
{I have found that timelines often come with “should’s.” ie: “I should be over this by now”}. If something is taking longer than we think it “should,” we know it means something to us. There are ways to let emotion move through our body and help us progress, but arbitrary timelines tend to make us feel less-than.
~JOY as a practice of connecting to our heart-center. Listen to Puja’s beautiful JOY meditation at 40:52 in the recording. Smiling like a Buddha releases feel-good endorphins!
~The practice of putting our hands on our heart and repeating, “I am here with you” as a way of coming home to our bodies. I like to set a bell on my phone for 11:11 and 1:11 each day as a reminder of this practice.
Sacred Stories with Vanessa "Nessy" Quarantello: No Greater Love
The first time I spoke with Vanessa “Nessy” Quarantello, I knew I had met a soul sister...we shared that perfect combination of authenticity and wisdom. Our experiences growing up were different, yet we responded to them with similar patterns of caretaking and overly identifying with the suffering of others. Vanessa and I both used our healing from childhood experiences to inform how we guide others in our work.
I’m so pleased to share this wholehearted conversation with Vanessa as she shares a Sacred Story of transforming her painful experiences into a journey of soul-alignment. Like many processes of self discovery, this winding road led to Vanessa leaving corporate Wall Street to devote herself to breathwork--the space between our thoughts and Spirit.
We reflect on the power we each possess to repattern our nervous system by changing the way we breathe, using the energy of music, and evoking laughter to help reset our body’s stress response.
The Hebrew word for breath is ruach, which means spirit, wind, or Divine life-force. Vanessa leads us in a guided breathwork practice that taps directly into our ruach--with just 4 breaths, we are offered a portal to Spirit and peacefulness.
I am so grateful to LaEisha Howard for introducing me to Vanessa. LaEisha's Sacred Forgiveness story can be found HERE. In elevating each other’s gifts and offerings, our community grows!
Vanessa’s story invites us to consider:
~ How do I best connect to peace in my body--music, laughter, meditation, journaling? Try engaging in Vanessa’s breathwork practice for 7 days (at 41:28 in the recording).
~ What does “Being Great” mean in the context of my life right now?
~ How can I honor the balance between giving love and allowing myself to receive love? When do I want to create boundaries vs. break down boundaries?
~ With whom do I feel my energy most reciprocated?
Sacred Stories with LaEisha Howard: Sacred Forgiveness
Join us for this expansive conversation with LaEisha Howard as she shares her Sacred Story about the power of forgiveness and gratitude, practices we can use to help us stay present as we navigate past struggles. LaEisha teaches us how to bring these qualities into a daily prayer practice of blessing the sticky spots and elevating gratitude each day.
LaEisha also shares with us a story from her memoir about her mother, who used to remind her: treat everyone with love, as you do not always know what is going on beneath their surface. This beautiful reminder is such a sacred way to honor one of my favorite Ram Dass quotes, “Treat everyone like God in drag.”
LaEisha's story invites us to consider:
~ How can I claim a prayer practice for myself?
~ How might I infuse resilience and intention into my prayer practice?
~ How do we best process and grow: via writing, therapy, prayer, nature time, or meditation.
~ What might be one next step in allowing ourselves to let go of any grudges we hold?
Sacred Stories with Kiné Corder: Living Like There's No Tonight
Join us as Kiné Corder shares a powerful story of generosity, connection, and living with intention.
Kiné’s philosophy became “live like there’s no tonight” after she suddenly lost two of her close friends. For her, living like there’s no tonight means choosing to do what’s most important to your heart today. We know too well that tomorrow is not always guaranteed.
Kiné also explains the process of hypnotherapy and how it allows individuals to heal from trauma by “changing their song.”
Kiné’s story invites us to consider:
~ What are some important steps I want to take “tonight”?
~ How can I step out of my mind and listen to what my body and soul are telling me?
~ To whom in my life can I offer generosity?
~ How can breaking my goals into smaller, more manageable steps help me prioritize my values?
Sacred Stories with Aléa Lovely: Receiving Higher Wisdom
Join us as Aléa Lovely tells a sacred story about learning to trust the Universe to guide her towards action and healing. She shares her journey from a life of manifestation to one of surrendering to her feminine energy and Spirit.
We explore the difference between anxiety and intuition, and how the two can sometimes be mislabeled. Aléa encourages each of us to trust our intuition, as it often leads us in the right direction.
Aléa’s story invites us to consider:
~ Who are we without our titles, relationships, and work?
~ How can we allow Spirit to guide us, instead of always seeking control?
~ What is the difference between our anxiety and our intuition?
Sacred Stories with Keira Poulsen: Crossing the Sea
Join us for a powerful spiritual discourse as Keira shares her sacred story of waiting for the seas to part despite eerie silence from the heavens. We discuss what it means to make a leap of faith when listening to Divine messages. We also consider the power of directly saying to Spirit, “Show me!”
Keira explains how to balance living a spiritual life with taking intentional action as an entrepreneur. She believes that if we trust help from spiritual realms, we are never alone in our pursuits.
She shares one of her favorite songs, Oceans Where My Feet May Fail, by Hillsong UNITED
Keira’s story invites us to consider:
~ How do we receive holy messages?
~ How do we navigate not knowing what to do or the heavens going silent?
~ Practicing trust and forgiveness when feeling unheard or unseen by intentionally creating our own sacred spaces.
Sacred Stories with Aubry Hoffman: The Whispers of Our Heart
Join us as the Queen of Intuition tells a powerful story about how her atypical education has shaped the course of her life. We discuss the power that lives in each of us to discover our own unique ways of working and healing. Aubry’s message invites us to accept that we each have a path that may look nothing like that of other people in our lives.
Aubry’s story encourages us to consider:
~ What if what you want feels like something that has never been done before?
~ How can we let go and trust the pull of our heart?
~ Where in our lives can we practice even more openness?
~ How do we heal, work, and love in our own unique ways?
Sacred Stories with Rabbi Heather Miller: Keeping It Sacred
Join us for an expansive conversation with Rabbi Heather Miller exploring inclusive Jewish community and claiming Judaism for ourselves. We discuss the power of having our own identities affirmed by those we love and honoring others through spiritual depth, openness, and joy! Rabbi Miller’s story reveals the humanness of trying to find our place. She reminds us that we share many more similarities than differences.
Rabbi Heather Miller invites us to consider:
~ How can we create spaces within the Jewish community that are welcoming to all people?
~ What are ways we can affirm those who may have different backgrounds than our own?
~ How can we strive to be creators of Judaism instead of consumers?
~ What do our own spiritual identities look like and feel like?
Erin Celeste: Sacred Power
Join us for this deeply powerful conversation as Erin Celeste shares a story about finding her own voice and how that emerges in her relationships. We explore the universal human question, "Can I trust to be loved as my true self?" Can I show up as I truly am and be deeply loved for that? Erin clarifies external vs. internal power and offers tools for how we can shift old stories about ourselves. She also reveals a compelling way to diffuse conflict.
Erin's story invites us to consider:
~How do we hold someone else in sacred space when they are feeling triggered and vulnerable?
~The embodiment practice of asking the other person, "What do you feel in your body right now?"
~If you are feeling stuck in a relationship, discerning whether to keep working on your relationship or accept that it is not a good fit.
~How do we start to dismantle old structures that keep us in suffering?
Paul Sanders: Somatic Listening
Paul dives into tangible skills that help partners to understand each other's differences.
We explore the practices of sitting with discomfort, listening with empathy, heart coherence meditation, and intentionally raising the frequency of every cell in our body. He shares how the practice of somatic listening--hearing another without needing to respond has changed his relationship.
Paul's story invites us to consider:
~How might I bring playfulness to my meditation practice?
~Where is an invitation to practice somatic listening in our own life?
~Is there something or someone in our lives that might flow more easily if we step back to listen versus grip tightly and force it?
Sacred Questions with Alison Gold
Our conversation explores Alison's core life questions which emerged & deepened during her time on sabbatical.
1. How do I want to contribute to the world?
2. What do I want the rhythm of my life to be?
3. What/Where do I consider home?
We also speak about a magical place called the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland I hope to be able to visit there one day!
Alison's story invites us to consider:
~Where do life's important questions get raised for you?
~How would you answer her core questions? What others would you add?
~What for you is "love in action?"
Sacred Surrender with Robin Wald
Our conversation explores Robin's growth, healing, and transformation over the last five years since ending a 24 year marriage. We dive into the lessons of growing into our own power, surrender, trust, intuition, and inner listening.
Robin's story invites us to consider:
~During times of uncertainty, how can we connect to the Divine as an indwelling place, the Shechina, in Hebrew?
~How can we deepen our own inward listening, without judgment?
~Using tarot as an intuition validator.
~The dance between inner knowing versus listening to a force larger than us. Duality consciousness versus unity consciousness.
Excited to create a sacred story together?