A Voice of Her Own

By Deva Davisson

A woman’s journey to agency, authority, and action. This is a podcast about showing up.... more

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How many episodes does A Voice of Her Own have?

The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.

A Voice of Her Own episodes:

February 02, 2023The Power of Sexual and Relational Liberation with Rachel
Rachel in her own words: Rachel lives with her husband and children on the shores of Lake Michigan on what is the land of the Anishinaabe People. She cares for a garden with her community of friends and neighbors, a practice that allows her to tend to her love for land and connection with others. She is exploring the concept of liberation in relationships by challenging the narrative that any particular relationship needs to look a certain way in order to fit the cultural norm. Her own practice of polyamory has informed the ways she understands intimacy and how she works within that intimate container to build deep, vulnerable, compassionate, and brave relationships with others. She continues to prioritize the work of shifting the cultural narrative away from simplifying through labels and "othering," but to open to the realm of curiosity, openness, and complexity. To support her in this journey of cultivating relational liberation, Rachel uses the books and tools and practices offered by adrienne maree brown, bell hooks, and Resmaa Menakem. She is deeply grateful to all the folks who have done and are doing the work of re-thinking what it means to be in living, dynamic relationships with one another, as she finds herself standing on the shoulders of many brave souls in doing the work of co-creating new and liberated relationships.
“We get to co-create these relationships however we want to - and that is what society really doesn’t want you to believe.”
My conversation with Rachel was a poignant case study of what it means to embrace agency, authority, and action as a woman, and what it means to be brave. I’m really moved by her willingness to show up and be incredibly vulnerable and forthright about her journey from a conservative Christian upbringing to her own liberation as a woman, as a sexual being, and as a human seeking connection and community.
Rachel and I discussed:
Rachel’s identity as a polyamorous person
the role of agency as a woman in a conservative Christian upbringing
the ingrained expectations of marriage and the cultural messaging that surrounds it
the importance of experiences outside the “bubble” and “echo chamber” to grow perspective
how the taboo of having amorous feelings outside of your primary partnership is a deep cultural message not limited to a conservative Christian agenda
the unexpected gifts of seeds sown many years previous as we grow into ourselves
the benefit of allowing spaciousness in our lives and how it allows serendipity to emerge
Rachel’s discovery that polyamory was an inherent part of herself that would have to be suppressed to make her marriage work
the wider perspective of polyamory in relation to commitment and community, and how it isn’t about sex
how intimacy and sex are conflated terms that don’t necessarily lead to or spring from one another
open marriage vs. polyamory vs. swinging vs. non-monogamy - some real world definitions
the bravery of leaning into your sense of self without knowing the outcome
fluidity vs. uncertainty and releasing control
unexpected insecurities and trusting what’s true for yourself
recognizing your partner as a sovereign being
the liberation of realizing you can’t - and won’t - be everything to your partner
Rachel’s decision to use a pseudonym and walking the line between public and private
the connection between your sexuality and how you show up in all aspects of your life
unwinding oppressive cultural systems through body awareness and relational mutuality
Links mentioned in this episode:
Resmaa Menakem and My Grandmother’s Hands
bell hooks
Thomas Hübl
Open Marriage by Nena and George O’Neill
Learn more about consensual non-monogamy

Shout-outs:
Neurogan
Use this code at checkout to receive 25% off your first order: EQUINOX25
Scribd
Use this link to get 60 days free:
https://www.scribd.com/g/8w1vki
Hungryroot
Use this code to get $50 off your first grocery delivery:
https://www.hungryroot.com/r/A2KV2H
...more
1h 26min
January 26, 2023The Witch Wound with Deva Davisson
Have you ever had an irrational response to being seen, like a controversial post or a photo you put on social media? Have you found yourself censoring your true feelings and opinions so you’re not singled out? Do you tone down your sexiness or strength for fear that you’ll be labeled or even shunned?
These are all modern manifestations of the witch wound, a term for the intergenerational trauma women carry from the atrocities of the witch trials of Europe and the American Colonies.
This is a deep episode that you might find somewhat triggering, much like the experience of the witch wound itself. There’s a lot of information here about trauma, how we inherit it, how we hold it, and how it keeps us from our full potential in business and in life.
If you’re looking to step into your power in any aspect in your life, knowing these unconscious triggers is vital to your expansion. I end the episode with 6 actionable steps to help move through whatever trauma may be holding you back from success and joy.
In this episode I discuss:
the visceral reaction I had to the term “the witch wound” and how an embodied reaction can be a way to know when to pay attention
the intergenerational trauma of the witch trials of Europe and the American colonies
separating out the cultural idea of witch from the historical genocide
how the witch wound is non-denominational and applies to women of all beliefs
the repercussions of being outspoken, sexual, assertive, or not obedient
the ways in which we react to being seen, being bold, or putting ourselves in the spotlight
our ‘irrational response’ to being seen and heard, and how we censor ourselves
the consequences of being ‘othered’
how this might keep us from being successful or pursuing our purpose
what we mean by intergenerational trauma / transgenerational trauma / historical trauma and how it affects all of us, regardless of our conscious knowledge of the history
ACES, what they are and how they are related - but separate - from historical trauma
the legacy of ACES and historical trauma in the body and nervous system
epigenetics and how historical trauma affects the expression of our DNA
the systems of oppression that we inherit both explicitly and implicitly
how secondary trauma has a profound effect on us and how common it is
the empowerment of understanding your own process, and the power of reframing your responses
what happens to us when we have a trauma-response, and how the trauma we experience has dramatic and obvious consequences
how the witch wound and intergenerational trauma is a response to an experience that happened to someone else, but still remains credible threat of violence to women
my own process of recognizing my nervous system response to trauma and threats
how I learned to recognize my triggers and keep myself under nervous system threshold
my own strategies for using the body’s inherent wisdom to regulate and reset
making different choices before you move into a trauma response
the takeaway: six strategies to use if the witch wound feels resonant to you and you want a way to move forward when you recognize your own responses to it:
name it
un-shame yourself
titrate your experience and your change
allow yourself to respond with different choices
ritualize your experience
seek and find co-regulation
I didn’t talk about the work of the next two links on the podcast, but wanted to link because I used their writings on the witch wound as part of my research:
Jade Eby
Celeste Larsen
Links mentioned on the show:
Denise D-T
Witch by Lisa Lister
ACES - Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris TED Talk
My own process: Freeze for action: neurobiological mechanisms in animal and human freezing
Equusoma
Dr. Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing
Dr. Stephen Porges and polyvagal theory
Dr. Dan Siegel and interpersonal neurobiology
Some reading on trauma:
My Grandmother’s Hands - Resmaa Menakem
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk
Healing Collective Trauma - Julie Jordan Avritt and Thomas Huebl
Waking the Tiger - Dr. Peter Levine
Some articles on intergenerational trauma:
Intergenerational trauma
The legacy of trauma
Understanding Intergenerational Trauma and Its Effects
Cultural trauma and epigenetic inheritance | Development and Psychopathology | Cambridge Core
Shout-outs:
Kelly Diels
Neurogan Use this code at checkout to receive 25% off your first order: EQUINOX25
Scribd Use this link to get 60 days free: https://www.scribd.com/g/8w1vki
Hungryroot Use this code to get $50 off your first grocery delivery:
https://www.hungryroot.com/r/A2KV2H
...more
57min
January 19, 2023The Power of Pleasure with Stacey Ramsower
Stacey Ramsower is a somatic sex educator, holistic perinatal consultant, and doctoral student in clinical psychology. Combining guided somatic awareness with ritual and ayurvedic wisdom, Stacey’s calling is to educate and empower women to ‘imagine inhabiting your body as a site of power, pleasure, and trustworthy wisdom.’
“Pleasure is the primary motivational force… Pleasure is the impulse for that capacity to create.”
This conversation was so powerful!
When we think of the most fundamental underlying belief that inhibits a woman’s agency and sense of self as an authority, we unearth the belief that our bodies are dirty, shameful, and unworthy of love and respect. This belief - which is instilled in women from birth - keeps us small and in cycles of shame and self-hate, and in people-pleasing and neediness for approval and external validation.
How do we change this and claim the power of our sexuality and embodied self? We change our relationship to pleasure.
In this conversation, Stacey and I discuss:
discovering the pleasure of simplicity in the midst of overarching complexity
external vs. internal rituals as energetic orientation
how the body is primary to our experience of well-being and healing in relationship
the year of saying ‘no’ and how boundaries are loving even when you’re keeping them with yourself
how we discount our creativity in favor of productivity, and that to create space for creative play, we often have to say ‘no’ to other things, even things we enjoy
the connection between women’s pleasure and women’s agency in the world
how lack of nuance and binary thinking leads to shame and secrecy around pleasure
outcome driven sexuality and how that’s reflected in our outer lives
the power of women’s sexuality to transform the way we move in the world
understanding our embodied sense of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ so we can recognize if something is truly for us
the simple practice that allows us to increase our own ability to recognize what is in alignment and what’s not
the Wheel of Consent (Dr. Betty Martin) and the way we are habituated to be in relationship to our pleasure
expanding our own capacity for pleasure and recognizing the externally imposed expectations we bring to the bedroom (and the rest of our lives!)
the energetic impact of blame and resentment and a ritual to move through it to determine your own needs

Find Stacey at:
https://www.staceyramsower.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sacredbody_staceyramsower
Stacey’s Emotional Processing Ritual
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Wheel of Consent by Dr. Betty Martin
The Heart of Trauma by Bonnie Badenoch
Dr. Dan Siegel
Dr. David Schnarch and Passionate Marriage

Shout-outs:
Neurogan
Use this code at checkout to receive 25% off your first order: EQUINOX25
Scribd
Use this link to get 60 days free:
https://www.scribd.com/g/8w1vki
Hungryroot
Use this code to get $50 off your first grocery delivery:
https://www.hungryroot.com/r/A2KV2H
...more
1h 3min
December 30, 2022 A Voice of Her Own
Welcome to A Voice of Her Own!
In this short episode, we explain what we're all about, and why we're worth a listen. Enjoy!
...more
6min

FAQs about A Voice of Her Own:

How many episodes does A Voice of Her Own have?

The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.