Moonwise

In this episode of Moonwise, we talk with Sydney Blum about her experience of working with intuition and psychic gifts. We talk about the importance of energetic boundaries, intention setting and consent. She shares her own story of developing a code of ethics as a psychic medium as well as advice for people who want to engage more with their intuition in daily life.

We also talk about:

• Balancing intuition and intellect

• “Invisible” childhood friends

• Practical intention setting for busy parents

• Bringing magic into daily life

• Expanding our understanding of what’s possible

Sydney Blum is a nonprofit systems change leader who has embraced her calling as an intuitive guide, intergenerational clairvoyant, and intuition development mentor. Sydney has helped hundreds of people around the world through her intuitive readings, spiritual mediumship, and intuition development mentorship.
She holds a BA in Sociology at the University of Chicago and an MSc in Ecological Economics at University of Edinburgh. Sydney blends a lifetime of psychic-sensory attunement with 15 years of formal non-profit leadership experience, designing and scaling holistic community programs and innovative affordable housing solutions.
Sydney is the host of The Intuitively Aligned Podcast with Sydney Blum and The Intuitively Aligned Newsletter on Substack. Sydney and her husband, two children and their elder boxer dog live in Toronto, Canada which the traditional territories of many First Peoples, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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In this episode of Moonwise, Ama Boakye joins us from Ghana to share an urgent message from the trees. We talk about the possibility of collaborating with nature and the ancestors to create more wellbeing in our world. We discuss the difference between following your heart versus following the voice of intuition that leads to true growth. We also dive into Ama’s unique story, from being raised in Belgium to traveling the world and awakening to a spiritual way of being.

We also talk about:

• The effects of artificial light on our health

• The role of grandmother and grandfather trees

• How to open communication with the ancestors

• Listening to nature

• Trust and taking the unknown path

Ama Boakye is a joyful woman who loves the wonders of life and the teachings of nature. She was born and raised in Belgium and has lived in different countries in South America. Ama is based in Ghana now and she is creating a multifunctional community center within nature, where the local and global community can come together in unity, heal, create and learn. She especially wants it to become a safe space for the local youth.

Ama supports people in different ways in their personal and spiritual growth. In these changing times, her passion is to support people who have an idea, dream or project that they want to bring in the world but are still holding off for one reason or the other. Ama is an aura reader, intuitive coach, inner child healing and breathwork facilitator, group ritual facilitator, and she does cowry shell sessions for individuals, couples and groups. 

Ama likes learning from her ancestors in the spirit realm and tuning in with nature spirits. She loves to witness transformation in people, especially when people start to live more in their strength and talents and closer to their spirit. She also likes to write and listen to peoples’ life stories.

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In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Megan DeBoer about financial wellness and how we can reimagine our relationship with wealth and money. We talk about why money is often linked with self worth and intergenerational trauma and why women in particular struggle with empowerment around wealth. She shares her unique approach of guiding folks into a healthy emotional relationship with money through curiosity, compassion and intention.

We also talk about:

• How money can be tied to core wounds

• Avoidance/obsessive patterns with money

• Historical context of women, power and money

• Internal vs. external signifiers of wealth

• Learning to be ok with earning and receiving

• Infusing financial choices with reverence

Megan deBoer, founder of Tended Wealth, is a wealth doula in every sense of the term. She defines wealth as a multifaceted state of abundance in relationships, health, community, environment, and—of course—finances. Megan is a skillful tender of the relationship between inner shifts and outer results, using money as an entry point into full-spectrum wealth and reinfusing the word with its etymology of well-being. Through her background as a literal birth doula and a certified Financial Recovery Counselor, Megan is equipped to transform her clients’ finances from states of potential into breathable, harmonious financial realities. While she currently specializes in empowering self-employed individuals to radically increase their earnings, her voice also plays a vital role in the greater movement of our cultural narrative around money. Megan knows that money is only one energy and currency in our world—albeit a powerful one—and undertakes the joyful work of untangling dialogues of scarcity and fear in order to reweave them into new narratives of possibility, integration, and evolution.

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"We spend so much time in the human mind worrying about what we don't want. We're so good at that. But what are you here for? What kind of life do you want to create?" - Krishna Avalon

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Krishna Avalon about healing subconscious beliefs. She shares her experience of why she added Psych-K work to her healing practice after years of doing acupuncture. We talk about tools for moving on from old stories, learning to ask the right questions about what you really want and how subconscious beliefs can impact our health, happiness, finances and relationships.

We also talk about:

• How neuroplasticity works

• Understanding which programs you are running

• The hidden frequency we share with the world

• Why the stories, music and media you consume matters

Krishna is a licensed acupuncturist, certified holistic health coach, psych-k facilitator, pranayama breathwork guide, and somatic practitioner who has guided over 26k patients and clients to their health and wellness goals for the last 20 yrs. She currently specializes in subconscious transformation and the nervous system.

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"Mistakes are portals to freedom." - Erin Chalfant

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Erin Chalfant about navigating the borderlands of our lives by working with the elements. She shares her insights about the Celtic wheel of the year, how to fail gracefully and connect more deeply with inner knowing.

We also talk about:

• Overcoming perfectionism

• Grace and surrender

• Navigating the mists of inbetween times

• Learning to ask for help

• How the elements weave into our modern life

• Initiation in the Avalonian tradition

• Connecting with intuition and our internal compass

• Embracing the wild unknown and surprising ourselves

Erin Chalfant, MA, MFA is an Author, Educator, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She is rooted in Indigenous Earth-Based Wisdom Practices, Hatha Yoga, Hakomi (Mindfulness-based Somatic Psychotherapy), Buddhist Meditation.

She has worked with women in re-storying their relationships with their bodies through an understanding of nature, been trained in Zen Hospice Care, and also works with at-risk youth and teens in mind-body techniques for recovering after trauma.

She is currently accepting clients of all ages and backgrounds who are navigating big life transitions and wanting to find purpose and fullness in their pursuits. She is adept in integration work for plant medicine experiences and also creates powerful ceremonial and sacred spaces for deep work. Check out The Crossroads Mentoring Series for more details on current offerings.

She completed her first book, The Other Side of the River: Stories of Women, Water and the World, under the pen name of Eila Kundrie Carrico in 2015 (Womancraft Publishing), and continues to work on forthcoming projects focused on Wilderness and Rites of Passage and engaged activism for the mutual thriving of people and the planet.

Erin is offering a discounted first one-hour session of $90 for Moonwise listeners (reg. $144)

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"Birth is a transformational event, it's a rite of passage, it's an initiation. It is an event that is meant to change you. And it's meant to bring you to the very edge."

In this episode of Moonwise, host Dorothee Sophie Royal shares her thoughts about the transformative portal of birth and the keys that made her second postpartum a joyful experience.

She touches on:

• Learning to care for our bodies as a part of Mother Earth

• Connecting with the goddess in birth

• A bit of her own birth story in the water

• Envisioning your most empowered birth

• Plans, gear and herbs that helped in postpartum

“When a woman decides she has had enough of living by anyone else’s rules but her own, she usually decides to change her life.” - Jessie Harrold 

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with coach, women’s mentor and doula Jessie Harrold about supporting women through radical life transformations. We discuss her approach to rites of passage as identity shift and why she feels we’re collectively being called toward transformation. We talk about reconnection with our authenticity and reclaiming parts of ourselves that were framed as “too much.” Jessie shares her 4-element model of radical transformation and why a framework for navigating these shifts is so helpful.

We also talk about:

• The lack of research in Western culture about rites of passage
• Why the shift to motherhood is so profound for many women
• How capitalism conditions us to believe mother is a demotion
• The importance of rewilding and connecting to the earth
• Core competencies we gain through a rite of passage
• Mothering as a counter-cultural act

Jessie Harrold is a coach, women's mentor and doula who has been supporting women through radical life transformations and other rites of passage for over a decade. Jessie works one-on-one with women and mothers, facilitates mentorship programs, women’s circles and rituals, and hosts retreats and wilderness quests. Jessie is also the author of "Project Body Love: my quest to love my body and the surprising truth I found instead,” as well as the forthcoming title, “Mothershift: Reclaiming Motherhood as a Rite of Passage.” Jessie’s work has been featured in Spirituality & Health, Green Parent, Expectful and Explore Magazine. She is also the host of The Becoming Podcast. Jessie lives on the east coast of Canada where she mothers her two children, writes, and tends to her land.

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In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with herbalist and holistic wellness facilitator Tamu Mosley about the spiritual significance of perimenopause. We discuss her experience of hosting a women’s womb circle for those going through this transition and some of the common symptoms and themes that have come up. We talk about reframing the menopause process as a potent opportunity to step into our power and how she embraced her own grey hair. Tamu shares her personal insights and tips for self care in perimenopause, including herbal allies and practices that have been supportive on the journey.

We also talk about:

• Mourning the end of the child bearing years
• Honoring your last moon blood
• Stepping back from habits of care-taking
• The importance of sharing our stories in community
• Unapologetically sharing our gifts with the world

Tamu Mosley is an Oakland born mama of 3, a teacher, a wholistic wellness facilitator, a kitchen alchemist, a home herbalist & herbal maker, and a budding flower essence practitioner. Tamu is founder and CEO of Wholistic Shine (established in 2014) and Uchū Botanical (established in 2018). She is deeply nourished by a consistent self care practice cultivated over the past 27 years that includes preparing healthy plant based meals, natural skin care & herbal remedies in her ‘kitchen healing laboratory’, seasonal wholistic detoxes, yoga, connecting with nature and working with flower essences.

Tamu is passionate about a wholistic approach to eating and living by bringing more mindfulness and intention to daily choices along with cultivating wellness practices that support mind, body and spirit. She is honored and humbled to support others on their wellness journey by inspiring, educating and empowering them through her Wholistic Shine and Uchū Botanical offerings.

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In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with diviner Gregory Meredith about the magic of runes. We discuss runes as living beings and why a good question can spark healing and transformation. He shares his story of reconnecting with ancestral knowledge and how the runes came to him. He shares insights about fatherhood, magic and respecting the role of the feminine and our nonhuman kin.

We also talk about:

• Prioritizing experiential knowledge
• Reframing the rune origin story of Odin
• Ancestral terror and persecution of divinatory arts
• Dismantling human and white supremacy in European lineages
• The birth of a new story for humanity

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with author, doula and spiritual mentor Kelly Van Zandt about the transformative power of the postpartum time. She shares her insights about new motherhood as a unique opportunity for growth and how this often looks and feels like an unraveling of the self.

“You are allowed to take down your facade to make space for your full potential.” - Kelly Van Zandt

We talk about:

• Meeting ourselves with compassion
• The complexity of feeling loss, grief and joy at the same
• The big shift from the external to the internal world
• The true length of the postpartum process
• The leadership skills and wisdom gleaned from motherhood

“The warrior of light, the warrior for love, they’re not the ones who have the swords out battling people. They’re the ones who stand rooted for what’s right and true. That’s what the warrior feels like for me. It’s standing in integrity, standing for truth, standing for life, standing for love and being a mountain, really...unshakeable.”

— Natalie Zacharias

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with healing practitioner Natalie Zacharias about embracing our inner warrior and staying calm in chaos. She shares her experience with energetic discernment, healthy boundaries and stepping into personal sovereignty especially in confusing and troubled times.

We also talk about:

• Overcoming childhood programming
• Working with collective grief
• The difference between intuition and fear
• Our true creative potential as humans
• Continuing to choose life on our path

“Your joy matters, it's the greatest strength you have.” - Woman Stands Shining

In this episode of Moonwise, I speak with Diné grandmother, activist, artist, and ceremonial leader Woman Stands Shining about joy as strength and remembering our role as women in the sacred hoop of life.

Woman Stands Shining is a voice for global peace, and her paintings are created as tools for individual, earth, and global healing. She has presented at numerous conferences, events, and indigenous gatherings around the world. She lives in Taos, New Mexico, and hopes all peoples of the earth "can learn from Indigenous experience and re-member themselves and their own birth-right relationship with Mother Earth." Woman Stands Shining draws upon the deep Indigenous sciences of thriving life to reframe inquiries about sustainability and balance, and she is devoted to supporting the next generations, the “Women’s Nation” and the “Men’s Nation” in being functional members of the “Hoop of Life" and upholding the honor of being human.

In our conversation, she talks about women's role as visionaries for the community and her powerful experience in the moon lodge. She reminds us that in this time of great transition as a species, we need to listen to the women because they are built to give and receive instructions from Mother Earth about how to be on the planet now. She says, "we need the feminine language again." She urges women to express themselves, "the way you think is needed, your language that's not linear is needed, your emotional content is needed."

She also affirms that the role of woman as spiritual conduit transcends cultural differences. She says, "I've put women of every race in moon lodge and the same thing happens to them every single time."

We also talk about:

• Joy as a compass for life
• A woman's body as a spirit gateway
• Navigating the dark night of the soul
• The non-linear nature of the feminine language
• How the European witch hunts are connected to the suppression of indigenous peoples
• Being a translator of indigenous culture to the modern world

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"Love is present in all spaces where things grow." - Susan Lipshutz

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with sacred feminine activist  Susan Lipshutz, LCSW about the magic of mentorship. Susan shares her experience with finding mentors in her life and we talk about our own relationship over more than ten years of working together. We discuss vulnerability and alchemy in mentorship relationships and the importance of healthy boundaries and reciprocity. Susan also offers advice for those seeking mentorship in their lives.

We also talk about:

• The difference between a mentor and a teacher
• The importance of intergenerational friendships
• Being seen by another before you fully see yourself
• Seeking a mentor vs. a mentor finding you
• Intimacy and respectful exchange
• Listening to your intuition
• Getting out of your comfort zone

"How we welcome babies has the impact of changing the entire world." - Sarah Dickey 

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with soul doula and childbirth educator Sarah Dickey about holding space for transformation. We talk about how our birth story influences the way we meet life and how we can hold ourselves in difficult moments. Sarah shares her insights about conscious conception, somatic memory and reparenting ourselves.

We also talk about:

• Working with preconception energy and intentions
• Dreaming and collaborating with spirit
• Heart-centered hypnosis
• Calm Birth meditation practice

Sarah Dickey is a transpersonal coach, heart-centered hypnotist, published author, and APPPAH childbirth educator with a particular focus on prenatal and perinatal psychology.

"Highly sensitive people need a little bit more time to adjust to changes and new experiences because we are processing so much information at any given time." - Anna King

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with clinical social worker and perinatal mental health specialist Anna King about parenting as a highly sensitive person. We talk about the characteristics of this evolutionary trait and some of the gifts and challenges that it presents.

Anna shares tips for dealing with overstimulation and how to support HSPs so that they can thrive in parenthood. She also shares her unique insights about why HSPs are at a higher risk for postpartum depression and anxiety and some of systemic and cultural barriers for understanding this trait within communities of color.

We also talk about:

• HSPs and altered states of consciousness
• Inequity in maternal mental health
• The myth of the “strong black woman”
• Expanding our concept about what it means to be a parent

Anna King, LCSW, PMH-C, (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker and certified perinatal mental health specialist who uses an integrative, trauma-informed approach in her work grounded in reproductive and transformative justice.

Anna serves as Clinical Training Specialist at Maternal Mental Health NOW, where she curates training events and curriculum and facilitates live and pre-recorded training to educate providers on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Prior to joining the MMH-NOW team, she served as a full-time social worker in the emergency department and eventually found her home when she transitioned to serving a birth center and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Throughout her experiences, Anna has realized the significant barriers to care for birthing people, especially for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), and queer, trans, and gender diverse individuals and families. Her work centers on the embodied liberation of marginalized groups in reproductive spaces.

She is also currently a part-time psychotherapist with ARC Counseling and Wellness and a third-year Ph.D. student in the Integral and Transpersonal Psychology program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Her research interests include spiritual activism, the highly sensitive person (HSP) trait, birth and postpartum tradition, and the transition to parenthood as a rite of passage.

"I think a lot of our problems with our health, when it comes to women, is how we're valued or not valued in our communities."

— Nicolle L. Gonzalez

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Diné nurse and midwife Nicolle L. Gonzales about her mission to make birth sacred again. We talk about birth equity, trauma and weaving traditional practices with medical care. Nicolle shares her experience of growing up with ceremony, birthing her own children, the challenges of leadership and carving her own path to promote reproductive wellness and community care.

We also talk about:

• Systemic racism and inequity in maternal care
• Engaging a community in preparing for birth
• The benefits of culturally appropriate care
• The challenges of work/life balance as a midwife
• Speaking up and self worth as a woman
• The importance of sharing women’s joy

Nicolle L. Gonzales is the  Founder of Changing Woman Initiative whose non-profit mission is to “renew cultural birth knowledge to empower and reclaim indigenous sovereignty of women’s medicine and life way teachings to promote reproductive wellness, healing through holistic approaches.”

She received her Bachelor’s of Nursing and her Masters of Nurse-Midwifery at the University of New Mexico. She is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives and is certified with the American Midwifery Certification Board. She has over 12 years’ experience as a nurse and has worked as a Nurse-Midwife doing full-scope midwifery for the last 10 years.

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"Women are the original creators of life. We’re the ones who are able to turn spirit into matter with our bodies.” - Rachael Jean

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with midwife and educator Rachael Jean about honoring pregnancy and birth as a sacred rite of passage. We talk about the wild feminine, parenting as a path of mastery and the missing piece of self care for moms. Ashley shares her experience of working with the five elements to support new mothers with creativity, empowerment and healing.

We also talk about:

• The shadow work of motherhood
  
• Shame, grief and death
  
• Ancestral healing
  
• Embracing the mystery
  

Rachael is the creatrix of the Elemental Birth Rites course journey and has been nurturing and caring for the seeds of this project for several years.  Having come to midwifery with a background in Alternative Healing through her study of massage therapy, sound healing, herbal medicine, and many other modalities, she always felt a deep call to fuse these passions.

She witnessed many homebirth scenarios where women were left traumatized or let down by how their birth stories transpired. She felt a powerful need to honor the holistic experience of birth by addressing issues beyond the physical reality that had shown to play out and contribute to challenging births.  She created a synthesis based on her personal study of ancestral healing, transpersonal psychology, and earth based spirituality that became the basis of the Elemental Birth Rites course journey.

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"We as a culture are not necessarily skilled in the deathing and dying process, nor are we aptly prepared for it." - Anne Murphy 

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with ceremonialist and death educator Anne Murphy about navigating the sacred wilderness of grief. We talk about aging and eldership, moving through loss and creating ceremonies that deepen community wellness.

We also talk about:

• The importance of initiation rites
  
• Honoring our elders
  
• Ancestral healing
  
• Why death is invisible in our culture
  
• Death as a wake up call to life
  

Anne Murphy is a ceremonialist, death educator, home vigil guide and community organizer in the death movement. She brings strength, beauty and balance to support people with a heart-centered approach to death care.

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"Impeccable listening is the roadmap of paying close attention.” — Queen Afua

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Queen Afua about intuition and healing through impeccable listening. We talk about listening to the voice of your womb and learning to trust spirit. Queen Afua shares her tips for longevity, immune boosting practices and how to turn your home into a wellness retreat.

We also talk about:

• Trusting spirit
  
• Healing with plants
  
• Turning your home into a retreat center
  
• The meaning of the Ankh
  
• The rise of the feminine
  

Queen Afua is a Master Holistic Healer and Herbalist, Polarity Practitioner, and lay midwife. She is the author of seven best-selling wellness books, including the popular book SACRED WOMAN which comes out this month in a 20th Anniversary Edition. Queen Afua is the Mother of Womb Wellness Movement and is founder of Womb Yoga Dance. Among her many celebrity clients are Erykah Badu, Vanessa Williams, Stevie Wonder, Lauren London, India Arie, and Common.

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“Flowers are a reminder of what you can do to be kind to yourself and what you can do to be more present.” - Heather McKittrick 

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Heather McKittrick about healing with flowers. We talk about going beyond traditional talk therapy with nature connection, presence and creativity. We discuss the magic of flowers and why they show up during major life transitions. Heather shares her tips for bringing more joy into our lives and leads a beautiful 7-minute guided floral meditation.

We also talk about:

• Plant allies
  
• The power of setting intentions
  
• Healing anxiety, depression and PTSD
  

Heather McKittrick, LPC, CADC-I, LMHC, SUDP is a licensed mental health therapist and certified substance use disorder counselor since 2017. She is the founder and creator of Floral Healing Therapy, which combines floral arranging with talk therapy. Clients arrange flowers in counseling to heal from depression, anxiety, stress and trauma.

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“Every single person’s voice is a blueprint...our voices are each unique.”

— SOPHIE COOPER

In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Sophie Cooper about finding your sacred sound. We talk about the voice as a bridge and how singing can be a healing practice. We discuss reverence for tending to a song and the way sound connects to the unseen. Sophie also shares her tips for beginners and those wishing to activate their own voice.

We also talk about:

• Vulnerability
  
• Ancestral songs
  
• Humming for stress relief
  
• Sounding without judgement
  
• The connection of songs and seeds
  

Sophie Cooper is a song carrier, songwriter, artist, mother and life-long student of personal healing and collective transformation. As a voice coach, she brings together more than a decade of dedication to a ceremonial path, the tools gathered from numerous sound and voice teachers and over 10 years of somatic experience as a Qigong practitioner.

Sophie founded Voice Alchemy in 2016 to support embodied healing and vocal empowerment through voice lessons, singing workshops and group singing circles. You can listen to Sophie's original album of music ‘Rewilding’ on Bandcamp, iTunes, & Spotify.

She says, “I want to express my gratitude to all the indigenous teachers, elders and communities I have had the incredible honor to spend time with and learn from. I have received such help in my personal healing from these relationships. It feels important to me to acknowledge the dedication of indigenous peoples to keep the ancient ways alive even with the ongoing violence and imposition of European Colonialism. As a descendent of European settlers and immigrants on Turtle Island, it is my hope to be a good ally and do my humble part to participate in the healing and repair that is being called for at this time. May my voice be used in service of this intention.”

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