3 Crones Podcast

Tamara, Virginia and Susan are back together all three after a summer hiatus following the passing of Tamara's dear husband BJ.  

True to form, the conversation weaves in and out of every avenue of approach towards life's ultimate questions.

We don't have the answers, but benefit and grow through the asking.

Tune in.  We think you'll be moved and awakened.

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

"Maybe we can't change the world, but maybe we can nudge it." 

So says Siobhan Bedford, professional artist and dear, dear friend.  This episode is a really wild ride with so many beautiful twists and turns...art as a devotional practice of light, dark and infinity, leaving the corporate world to create soul work, the tender loss of miscarriage, reimagining the legends of Eden and of Eve as the Grandmother of all creation and the play between generosity and reciprocity.

Plus there's so much more!

Siobhan blessed us with the use of her art to use as our cover art and has inspired 12 humans shy of 108 with her stunning heart project, The Mandala Mala Project.

Her thoughtful and intuitive take on so many aspects of life and creativity shine through in this conversation where Susan dispenses with all professional interview parameters and flings herself into true enthusiasm with her guest!

Visit Siobhan's Website here.

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

Surf the waves of this beautiful and revealing discussion with Elizabeth Montalbano, a freelance writer, journalist and therapeutic writing mentor.  Liz is an American expat living in Portugal who has intentionally created a new kind of life for herself through healing, exploration and surfing! 

You'll be inspired by her story and enamored by the way she shares a choice-full journey and her interpretation of how to live in awareness and kindness, while navigating the challenging passages of life and relationship.

We discuss her work life as a journalist, her passion project Mermaid Mentoring* and the way she inhabits sacred space in the ocean by riding the early morning waves and precious, dawning light.

Liz lives in Portugal, but visits the US often to be with family and care for her dad; so we get to enjoy her company at ocean earth wind fire on a regular basis and she always brings an authentic and globally aware perspective that refreshes the soul.

*Mermaid Mentoring is a therapeutic writing program aimed at empowering women through self-reflection and authentic self-expression.   Liz says: 

"I want to help them reclaim their stories and own truthful experience of life, both the mess and the miracle of it. I want to inspire women to create lives that reflect their true selves rather than let the circumstances of their lives shape who they become. I want them to know they don't need to live up to anyone's expectations for what their lives should be—not even their own. And finally, I want them to know it's never too late nor is it selfish to pursue a dream or a passion just for the sheer joy of it."

Learn more and engage with Liz at https://www.mermaidmentoring.com/

Find Liz on Instagram: @lizoleeta and @mermaid_mentoring

Enjoy her writing on Medium HERE!

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

This is our first episode of a new project we're calling Women the World Over! 

The 3 Crones are opening up a new avenue of communication with women...when we say, "we want to hear from you", we mean it!  Tune in as we launch "mini-episode"* interviews with listeners, friends and mentors...women like you...maybe YOU.

Please contact us if you would would like to join the conversation and be interviewed on 3 Crones Podcast! 
(Yes, I know I'm using too may exclamation points...I'm excited😂)

First up is Virginia with her dear friend and guest, Holly Cusumano, a writer and artist who describes herself as "the worst retired person ever".   I believe you'll find her to be most magical as she shares her flash fiction, whimsical ancestral art creations, reflections on being a survivor of uterine cancer and insights as a woman consciously building legacy.  Her parting words (and a poem too!) about connecting to women everywhere as a way to live into purpose truly bring us...women the world over...full circle.

Here are the links you need to learn more about Holly Cusumano!:

The Backstory  A little art book of flash fiction
Story Cards
Holly's Instagram


*note:  We conceived of these installments being shorter, hence the "mini" label...tiny morsels of exchange with women you want to listen to and learn from.  But we're having such a good, good time with this that these interviews are nearly full-length, and joyfully so!  You've probably noticed...we love to talk.

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

This episode is arriving somewhat behind schedule and on the date of July's Blessing Moon.  Only a matter of days after we recorded, Tamara's dear husband BJ passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones at home.  Tamara shared with us that during the week leading up to his death, he was referring to the transition as "when I go on ahead".  Deep breath.

Not only have we taken a pause to honor this devastating loss and blessed life turning, Virginia and Susan "saved" this recording to play for our guests on retreat held on the Elk River June 22-25.  Normally, our third Crone, Tamara, nourishes us with her cooking and with her wisdom on retreat, so she was sorely missed.  Hearing her voice while resting in a deep psoas release was a way for the women to dive deeper into the Moon's mysterious realm of darkness and also death.  

We know that you too will feel into Tamara's sharing of this ancient and feminine wisdom way that offers us all a path through movement, connection, challenge and moonbeams to heal our relationships, our tender hearts and our lives.

Please contact us via instagram if you have any questions or request for links and information shared in this episode.

All blessings.

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

Virginia invites Susan and Tamara to explore role models, archetypes and the choice of looking to the world stage and our local communities to identify those shining ones who inspire and encourage us.

How do you embody an archetypal example of arrival, growth and manifestation?  Who do you look to who helps you to create the life you want?

We touch on many aspects of the feminine divine:  Midwife, seed saver, poet,  Mother, creatrix, Visionary, activist, Shamana and of course, Crone.

Drawn to conversation by a new deck and course created by Anodea Judith, She Rises, we riff on who and what moves and guides us onward.

Ina May Gaskin Spiritual Midwifery
Greta Thunberg Climate Change
Brene Brown Researcher

These are only a few of the names we drop as we seek and honor the elemental and eternal heroines of history and of our own time.

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

Join Virginia and Susan in welcoming Sherry Sidoti back to the program!  Sherry's new book A Smoke and a Song, A Memoir is coming out August 1 and we dig into all the rich crevices of storytelling with Sherry, her process and path, through her journey of reflecting, remembering and sharing this most intimate tale.

A Smoke and a Song is Sherry’s story of her quest to make meaning from the memories homed in her body.  Told with tenacity, tenderness, and wry humor, Sherry stumbles towards self-actualization, spiritual awakening—and, despite it all, love. This is a story steeped in art and spirituality that explores the complexities of transgenerational maternal bonds, attachment, loss, and leaning into our wounds to find the wisdom.

And in Susan's words: 
“A Smoke and a Song makes me feel like I’ve stumbled upon a beautiful explorer’s locked diary and picked the lock. The narrative is both delicious and filled with disaster, careening at breakneck pace through a life fully engaged in raw, sensual, and inspiringly elevated consciousness. You’ll be completely riveted by Sidoti’s story—this book will help you see and digest the deepest questions and twists of your own life and relationships. It’s a book you will thrill to read and one you’ll keep close for a long time to come.” 

You're going to love hearing Sherry talk about those twists and turns in her own voice, and come August 1, you're going to LOVE reading this memoir!

Preorder your copy and find Sherry here: 

Author of A Smoke and a Song: A Memoir  (She Writes Press)

August 1, 2023

Please consider pre-ordering today on:

Amazon

Bookshop
Barnes & Noble

www.sherrysidoti.com

IG: @sherrysidoti

FB: Sherry Sidoti

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

We three Crones embody and know all three aspects of the Goddess...as do ALL women!  This time around, we talk about mothering and the Great Mother.  What do mothers need, what do they offer and how does the sacred archetype of Mother apply in our mundane and difficult lives, whether we have borne human children or not?

~If we are the mothers of our own precious and vital dreams, what comforting words would we whisper to the frightened one curled in our laps? 

~And also, how as Crones (or from our Crone wisdom) can we mother younger generations of women and the world at large? 

~Can we create legacy through the act of mothering whether or not we have children? 

~What would you say to your younger self from the wisdom you hold now? 

~What are the mechanics of tending, nourishing, nurturing and good care that you bring to your creative projects, your business, your family and your community?

Questions and more questions, and no thought of actual answers...just another heartfelt conversation about living this life authentically and from the deepest knowing of our souls with LOVE.

The First Forty Days:  The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother
Heng Ou (Author)  Amely Greeven (Author).    PS. the congee recipe and Mother Bowls are delish!

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

Imbolc is the cross-quarter point between Yule and Ostara which means we're headed ever closer to Spring which means we probably could use some consideration and reflection around what we truly want out of this next season/year/cycle/rebirth in our lives.
Virginia, Tamara and Susan talk about healing, choices, growth and responsibility in the Chariot year...about how to pause and listen to our natural and organic instincts so we can facilitate meaningful changes, making room for joy.

Between the Worlds Podcast, Amanda Yates Garcia
Episode 75, The Chariot Year

Early Spring Salad for Imbolc from Tamara
2 to 3 Endives 
Handful of dandelion greens 
Savoy or Napa Cabbage 
Toasted pumpkin seeds 
1 Large navel Orange or Grapefruit peeled and sliced in rounds ! 
Shave or finely slice all the veggies mix in with dressing ! Sprinkle seeds on top and enjoy the fresh bitter taste of new growth ! 

For the dressing 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/2 a squeezed lemon 
Small handful of chopped fresh mint ( can sub with a tsp of dried mint ) 
1 tsp honey 
Pinch salt and pepper 

Imbolc Poem, Gale Duff

The Goddess Path, Patricia Monaghan

Find Your Goddess, Skye Alexander

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.

There's a meme out there that goes like this:

me:  Hi sky daddy
God:  I really wish you would stop praying like that

Hilarious.

How do you pray? 
Is there an overlap between prayer and spell-casting? 
What are spells, anyway?

The Crones chat about this and more in our first episode on 2023.  Spirit has a way with us, that can be confounding and mysterious...listen as Virginia, Susan and Tamara pick and poke at the edges of how and why to ask, thank and compliment the Great One...what/whoever they believe that is!

The Winter of Listening, David Whyte

The Lost Spells, Robert MacFarlane

Support the show

Please rate, review and share our podcast!  We love our listeners so!

For the podcast instagram page and to contact us:
http:/instagram.com/3cronespodcast

For Virginia, Tamara & Susan on insta:
http:/instagram.com/virginiamckinnie
http:/instagram.com/sheentamara
http:/instagram.com/susanleemadden

For Susan's sanctuary in Chester County, PA:
http:/oceanearthwindfire.com

Editing by Tessa Hall.
Cover art by Siobhan Bedford.

We're three Crones, sharing our real-life experiences and insights to encourage all women to step into their truth and agency...no easy feat in a chaotic world; but essential nonetheless.  Join our virtual circle for inspiration, en-COURAGE-ment and some much needed laughter.