Virtuish

Episode 17 is our December check-in with Ashley & Kelsey. We're both in very new phases of life - a new home, a new baby, and the new states of being that come along with these upgrades. We're dropping in to give you a window into each of our processes as we learn to navigate what life is currently throwing our way. We discuss birth plans, having our basic needs met, learning to feel comfortable with vulnerability, when your shit catches up to you and when you're forced to slow down and surrender. 

If  you like the way we tell stories, please subscribe, leave us a review,  and share. This small contribution goes a long way. As always, these  conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.  Connect with us on Instagram @virtuish_

On Episode 16, Kelsey has an extended conversation on the topic of “gurus” with Ellen Geis. They reflect on listening to recent exposes about Teal Swan, lack of accountability in the “New Age,” and how learning about the Satanic Panic gave Ellen a new understanding of current happenings. They share candidly about their personal experiences exploring new age teachings over the course of the pandemic; experiences of guilt, and shame, and confusion. Finally, Ellen shares her biggest takeaways and a valuable dose of wisdom for others who are curious, questioning and trying to figure out things for themselves.

On episode 15, Kelsey & Ashley are following up with listener responses to their inquiries about the concept of a guru and our varied experiences with them. They really want to know, what makes someone qualified and trustworthy as a leader, and why do we seek out people who we think know better than we do and give them such power over us so easily? Why are we so innately attracted to confidence? How do we become more discerning and remain open without getting taken advantage of?

They discuss common themes that come up in the submissions, laugh a little bit at the idea of the “wannabe guru”, and do their best to pull apart the complexity and vulnerability of the nature of seeking and wanting to make deeper understanding and meaning of our experiences.

Ashley & Kelsey open the Pandora's box that is the concept of "the guru." They speak about the experience of having a guru or guru-like figure in their lives, what it meant, and what that relationship was like. They discuss learning to trust themselves; the transformation of their own spiritual identities; abuse of power; guilt, shame, remorse, and taking full accountability to deconstruct and understand what landed them there in the first place.

They candidly share their personal answers to the questions: What does the concept of a guru mean to you? Is there a distinction between teacher and guru? Have you had experience with a guru, and how did that come to be? What did this experience provide you? What was your relationship to trust with this person? Did you ever ignore red flags or second guess yourself? Do you still have guru-like figures in your life?

Ashley & Kelsey check in with their latest life updates, reflections, and musings. They discuss the "free birth" movement, studio building, reaching across the political aisle, and creating space for inspiration. The episode closes with how we reintegrate all the parts of ourselves after a massive transformation.

The new monthly format on Virtuish will include a monthly check-in as well as a longer-form topic/interview, plus the occasional bonus episode.

Episode 10 is our Season 2 opener! We are cleaning up our audio act and jumping in with some updates. We’ve collected ourselves through some big personal life changes and we’re back with higher quality sound and more focused conversation! On Episode 10, we discuss Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how we- collectively- are getting it wrong by working it from the top down.

Thank you for listening and making the first season of Virtuish a success! If you like the way we tell stories, please subscribe, leave us a review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out as we work to improve sound quality and general presentation.

On Episode 9, we wrap up the end of 2021 and the end of the first season of Virtuish. We share reflections on our experiences over the last year; what we are paying attention to and learning including healthy coping mechanisms for when we can’t overcome experiences related to anxiety, depression and grief, and what we both believe is the most spiritual thing we can do in our human experience. Thank you for listening and making the first season of Virtuish so wonderful.

If you like the way we tell stories, we ask that you please subscribe, rate, review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out as we work to improve sound quality and general presentation.

On episode 08, we dig a little more deeply into what we’re calling “apocalypse porn,” or the fetishization of the collapse of society. We discuss our relationship to fear, the unconscious exploitation of it, and that sensationalizing "the collapse" is not ethical or even remotely new; we believe we can do better at finding ways to promote progress than to activate fear and spread the dystopian message that those who aren’t willing or able to rise above 3D consciousness deserve to die as we build a new earth.

On episode 7, we take a break from discussing conspirituality and share personal stories and insights about spending time with family during the holidays. We explore the ways in which we have found peace in our relationships (particularly, with our parents), through trauma and grief and the vulnerabilities of being seen by those who know us best (and, sometimes, don’t know us at all).

As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like the way we tell stories, we ask that you please subscribe, rate, review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out.

On Episode 06, Kelsey & Ashley examine the rise of the life coaching industry - in particular, during the pandemic. They discuss the MLM-like structure of mounting costs and courses and the fine line between investing in yourself versus being pressured into financial instability.

They question what makes someone feel entitled to guide others in an industry that is totally unregulated, with no set code of ethics and no accountability - and how this relates to the "colonizer mindset."

This is not to say there aren't great and respectable coaches and programs that are immensely helpful. This episode is hoping to inspire  discernment when identifying healthy boundaries, financial ethics and grounded guidance in the life coaching industry.

As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them. Please subscribe, review & share.

Episode 05’s conversation is with our friend Kaysie Markwardt. In 2017, Kaysie, who is a yoga teacher and reiki  practitioner, started a program teaching yoga nidra to inmates at two California prisons, Folsom Prison and CSP Sac. She shares with us intimate details of her life story and how working through her own trauma led to a path of healing through breathwork, yoga nidra, and reiki.

We discuss the ethics of practices that bring you into presence and acceptance rather than methods that promote escapism - and how that relates to the "conspirituality" we're seeing in 2020/2021. We close out by discussing our frustrations with the "BLM conspiracy" argument and she lays out some hard data on race statistics in the prison population.

In Episode 04, we respond to a listener's question about forgiveness. Over the pandemic, so many of us have watched our world and communities shift. What happens when our ideologies and values change from those around us - or vice versa? How do we forgive ourselves for going down paths we now see as destructive? How do we offer forgiveness to those that misled us? We talk about finding objectivity, compassion and acceptance and letting the grief process take as long as it takes. As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like the way we tell stories, we ask that you please subscribe, rate, review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out.

In episode 3, Kelsey, Ashley and their friend Jane Almirall explore another conversation about ethical spirituality, with a focus on reading tarot/receiving tarot readings (and other divination tools), plus our common themes of learning discernment, nurturing nuance (both/and) within ourselves, and paying attention to the commodification of community and how it affects our relationships with ourselves and others. Jane is an artist and a tarot reader with a pragmatic approach to being in the role of a guide for other humans. Even if tarot isn’t your drug of choice, the conversation is easy, relevant and grounded. As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like the way we tell stories, we ask that you please subscribe, rate, review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out.

In episode 2, Ashley and Kelsey explore the concept of 5D and the common threads between new age fixation on "The Great Awakening", ascension, and any other brand of fear-based, doomsday-prepping religion. Spoiler: The threads are the same no matter how you try to spin it. xo

As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like the way we tell stories, we ask that you please subscribe, rate, review and share. This small contribution goes a long way to help us out.

In this episode, Ashley & Kelsey are exploring the concept of ethical spirituality, what it means and how we can truly honor ourselves and those around us in our pursuits to nurture the human spirit.

We recorded this episode on August 5th, 2021. I hope everyone who listens will engage with highest respect, no matter their own experience- positive or negative- with guru jagat or any other teacher. Thank you for listening.

As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like this content, we ask that you please subscribe, review & share!

This episode is an unofficial, incomplete and messy as hell introduction to the concept of Virtuish. Kelsey and Ashley Allen discuss their experience with spirituality, politics and the insecurity-driving American system over the last year.

As always, these conversations are ongoing & we'd love you to be a part of them.

If you like this content, we ask that you please subscribe, review & share!