Today I’m joined by Rich Johnson. Rich is a wellness practitioner and co-founder of Sacred Humans, a platform dedicated to emotional calibration and self-healing through sound frequency work. Having met over a decade ago in the London CrossFit community, our parallel paths eventually crossed again on the other side of the world, on Gubbi Gubbi Country. As Rich approaches his 50th birthday, he reflects on the challenges and breakthroughs of maintaining personal authenticity within relationships. Rich talks about transitioning away from “people-pleasing,” navigating relationships through personal evolution, and processing deep-seated childhood experiences through introspection, plant medicine and sound frequency work.

Scroll down if you’d like to watch the conversation or if you’re listening on Spotify please visit the Substack page here.

Key themes from the episode

The Evolution of Relationships

Rich discusses re-framing his past relationships from failures to essential chapters of learning, realizing he was the common denominator in his relationship patterns. Allowing him to shift from the “nice guy” persona and anxious attachment styles to building healthier, more grounded boundaries.

Life Milestones as Wake-Up Calls

How the passing of his father at age 60 and his brother’s early-onset Parkinson’s diagnosis served as profound catalysts for prioritizing personal wellness, lifestyle alignment, and longevity.

The Healing Journey (Somatic and Spiritual)

Rich details his 11-year journey with plant medicine, the somatic processing of grief and childhood trauma, and finding a space of deep forgiveness and unconditional love. He shares the daily tools he uses for ongoing self-care, including Yin practices, Qigong, and the science behind the sound frequency work offered through Sacred Humans.

“I feel so secure now that if those relationships move on, I’m fine. That is not who makes me. My identity isn’t a direct reflection of how much the other person is there for me or not there for me. If I’m fully in my power, it doesn’t matter.”

I hope you enjoyed that conversation, I know I did! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing about what people take away from these conversations!

If you’d like to know more about Rich and the work that he offers through Sacred Humans, . Visit the website or on Instagram.

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Go deeper

If you’re enjoying the vulnerability of the podcast and appreciate introspective, thought provoking content, consider checking out my personal publication Musings On Life and Such Things here.

Much love

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