
Cozy mysteries with a witchy twist.







Melanie Snow is the pen name for established and prolific non-fiction author Wendy van de Poll. In this episode of the podcast, Wendy wears her fiction author hat and reads to us from the first book in the Spellwood Witches series, Witch's Tail.



In the introduction I share that writing the December short story for my patrons has been a bit like driving on square wheels...and that I'm okay with that. Sometimes creativity is smooth and easy, sometimes it takes more effort and a little more coaxing to get a story onto the page.



Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor







This week's mystery author




Melanie Snow is the pen name for Wendy Van de Poll, a bestselling author, pet loss grief coach, and animal medium. She is the author of The Spellwood Witches, a paranormal cozy mystery series.



Her books weave together positive magic, snarky forest faeries, and insightful animals with fun and eclectic humor.



She has been followed by wild wolves in minus sixty degrees, hissed at by a mama bobcat, and played ball with a wild owl—among other animal encounters.




To learn more about Melanie and all her books visit WendyvandePoll/melaniesnow







Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.







Excerpt from Witch's Tail



Prologue




Lativia Spellwood sat on her ghostly throne of branches on the summit of Mount Katribus, with many other ghosts swarming around her reminiscing about life and drinking wine. The ghosts of Witchland residents always came to this clearing after they died to stay near Lativia for guidance and to wait until they were ready to pass on to the afterlife. Lativia had been dead for hundreds of years but had still not passed on, for her work overlooking Witchland and its forest was not yet done. One day, it would be, and she was beginning to welcome that time, or she was growing very tired.





Animals, Magic and Mysteries with Melanie Snow

Unbroken explores the Inside-Out nature of life and how this understanding can lead to letting go of unwanted habits, including overeating.

Social Sciences

Science & Medicine

Science

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Life Sciences


One Sunday afternoon in April a traveller and a podcaster meet and share a drive through the mountains of Vancouver Island. As a result, the podcaster is deeply moved by the message the traveller, and the universe, had for her.



You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below.



Show Notes




* Clarification about the traffic light metaphor



* Trusting a good feeling that comes with an unusual experience



* Following that good feeling



* Listening to nudges from the universe



* Listening to the feeling behind the words someone is sharing



* Learning to relax as a spiritual practice



* Noting the miracles and synchronicities that happen to us




Resources Mentioned in this Episode




* Michael Singer’s books are The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment



* Dominic Scafidi and Grace Kelly’s Living Miraculously course




Transcript of Episode



Hello explorers and welcome to Unbroken. I’m Alexandra Amor. This is episode 59. Thank you for being here with me today.



I want to remind you that if you’re interested in joining the Unbroken Community, or at least getting on the waitlist there, you can do that at AlexandraAmor.com/community. That’s going to be an interactive twice monthly group call, lots of interaction with me, lots of support, lots of community, as the name implies, and connection with your fellow explorers. And all the details are on that webpage. As I said, AlexandraAmor.com/community. 



Second thing. Last week in Episode 58, partway through, I talked about the red, yellow, green light of truth of tuning into or leaning into connecting with our intuition about moving forward, which is going to connect to today’s show, actually. My friend who listens to this episode pointed out to me, she said, “When you’re talking about the red, green, yellow light, are you seeing that visually?” which made me realize, Oh, I didn’t really explain that properly, then.



The light metaphor that I used, really just explains a feeling. 



So when I say I would get a green light in my body, what I mean is, I feel it somewhere inside me. Now I specifically feel that feeling in my solar plexus, that’s the place where I always feel everything. You know how we talk about it, we have a gut feeling, I think that’s where that expression must come from. Because I always feel those things in the area of my solar plexus. Sort of behind my belly button. That part of my body.



When I feel green light feeling it’s there. I don’t see a green light or anything. Same with red, and then yellow. The yellow light’s kind of interesting, because it’s either it’s a little bit binary, you know, it’s a yes or no, very often. And I guess sometimes it feels like a well, you know, maybe maybe not, there’s a bit of hesitation there, it’s less, perhaps less dramatic than a full a no, full stop. So that maybe we could classify that as yellow light.



In your own experience, you might, if you give the traffic light metaphor a try,

The Hitchhiker and the Podcaster


Our bodies are the vehicles in which we move through life. Our thinking can be the fog that sometimes fills up the windshield we are looking through. Thankfully, we all have factory installed GPS to help guide our way.



You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below.



Click the image below to learn about the Unbroken Community and join the waitlist.






Transcript of Episode



Hello, explorers, and welcome to episode 58 of Unbroken. I’m Alexandra Amor. I’m here today to talk about the windshield of life. I’ll get into that in just a moment. And it is really the one thing I think that when we see it about life, when we understand this idea, this metaphor, it really does change everything, including our ability to deal with things like anxiety, or depression, or unwanted habits like overeating. So we’ll get into that in just a second. 



I do want to mention again about the Unbroken Community that I’m starting up. So if you’re interested in joining a group of like minded people, having some one-on-one coaching from me, meeting regularly, twice a month to do that, and learning from the coaching that other people receive as well, go to alexandraamorcom/community. You can learn all about what I’m thinking of for this community. And learn more about the details, including the 10% off that you’ll receive for all my books and courses, and a library of videos that will be available, all that kind of stuff, Alexandraamor.com/community. And there, you can sign up to join the waiting list. 



The community hasn’t started yet, if you’re listening to this, as I’m recording in early April 2024. But I want to gauge the level of interest and just see if there’s enough interest in having a group like that. So that’s where you can go to learn more about that and sign up if you would like further information when the group comes together, and when it will be meeting and all that kind of stuff.



All right, let’s get on to this metaphor that I’ve got for you today about the windscreen of life.



This came to me the other day, and I jotted it down, probably more than a week ago. And I’ve been sort of contemplating it ever since. I really like it, I think it really explains a lot about what we’re trying to get our heads around when we’re exploring this inside out understanding. So it looks like this. 



Picture a car, for me, any kind of car doesn’t matter what kind of car it is, could be your car could be your fantasy car, whatever it is. And that car is going to be a metaphor for us for the way that we move through life. And in every car nowadays, anyway, there’s always a windscreen protecting the driver and the passengers, the interior of the car from what’s on the outside. And so like I said, yeah, the car is a metaphor for you for your body. It’s the vehicle that you are using to move through life. 



The windscreen is our ability to see. 



It’s as clear as possible. We want it to be clean and clear so that we can see what’s happening outside of the vehicle, outside of the car. And then what happens?

The Windshield of Life


Life has an unerring knack for presenting us with challenges and opportunities for change. Dr. Linda Pettit explores our innate intuitive nature and how we can use that to help us navigate the curves that life brings to us.






Dr. Linda Sandel Pettit is a distinguished author known for her insightful work, including her acclaimed memoir, Leaning into Cuves: Trusting the Wild, Intuitive Way of Love.



With over five decades dedicated to writing, four decades immersed in counseling psychology, and two decades serving as a spiritual mentor, Dr. Linda brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her practice as a speaker, writer and mentor.



Unafraid to delve into divine wisdom, deep feminine knowing, and intuition, Dr. Linda empowers her clients to tap into their innermost truths. Through her guidance, she inspires and facilitates the release of pure love, allowing individuals to express their authentic selves fully.



You can find Linda Pettit at LindaSandelPettit.com and on Instagram at lindasandelpettit.



Click the image below to learn about the Unbroken Community and join the waitlist.






You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below.



Show Notes




* Discovering that anxiety is thought created 



* What if being calm and in a good feeling is how we’re meant to exist?



* The only thing that ever gets in the way of love is our thinking



* Using self-reporting instruments to gauge how clients were being helped by the Three Principles understanding



* How our intuitive knowing is a life raft for us



* How mystical experiences are the norm or all of us



* Examples of listening to intuitive knowing and letting it guide us



* Why waiting for the moving parts of life to align is important




Resources Mentioned in this Episode




* Linda’s book Leaning Into Curves



* Book: The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews




Transcript of Interview with Dr. Linda Pettit



Alexandra: Dr. Linda Sandel Pettit, welcome to Unbroken.



Linda: Thank you. Good to be here.



Alexandra: It’s lovely to have you here. So why don’t we begin with a bit of your background? 



Why don’t you tell us who you are and when you came across the Three Principles?



Linda: I have kind of an interesting background. I started out in journalism and public relations. And then I found my way into the helping professions. I was a counseling psychologist for 30 some, 35 years. And now I do speaking, and writing and mentoring. 



I came across the Three Principles about what was exactly 21 years ago. So when I met my husband, who many know in the Three Principles world, Dr. Bill Pettit, he’s a psychiatrist. And he had been mentored by Sydney Banks, the man who shared the principles originally. Or boy, even at that point, I think it had been close to 20 years. And so I got introduced through Bill. 




Leaning Into Curves with Dr. Linda Pettit


When we strive for perfection are we doing ourselves a favour or adding unwanted stress into our lives? When it comes to eating well and resolving an overeating habit, I think embracing the beautiful messiness of life is much more helpful.



Click the image below to learn more about the Unbroken Community.






You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below.



Show Notes:




* The top 3 ways perfection is a mistake



* How needing to be perfect increases the amount of thinking we’re dealing with



* Why perfection is boring



* How important the messiness of life is



* On the unkindness of perfection




Transcript of Episode



Hello explorers and welcome to episode 56 of Unbroken. I’m Alexandra Amor. I’m here today to talk about perfection, and how it’s a mistake. 



Before I jump into that I wanted to mention, in case you didn’t hear me last week, that I’ve put together a page of information about a community I’m starting, called the Unbroken Community. 



You can join a join up for the waitlist for that community at: 



AlexandraAmor.com/community



I want to find out if there’s interest in this sort of thing. So there’s a whole bunch of information on that page that I just mentioned, about what the community will look like, when the group coaching calls that we’ll have, the pricing and all the other details about what’s involved, whether it’s a good fit for you, there’s information there about that, and whether it isn’t. 



I think it’s always really important in these situations to make it clear what the offering is, and one of the ways to do that is to make it clear that this might not be a good fit for you. If so, you’ll see a little list of bullet points about that as well. So lots of information there.



Check it out: AlexandraAmor.com/community if you’re interested in connecting with me, connecting with others who are wanting to resolve unwanted habits, like overeating, but it could be any kind of unwanted habit as well. Because as I said last week, they all have the same root cause. So yeah, check that out.



All right, so now let’s talk about perfection. In the last few weeks, since I had my coaching call with Tanya Elfersy \that you can listen to on episode 53.



As I said, a couple of weeks ago, my eating habits have been way better. 



I’m so grateful for that. And I’m really happy because it feels like I turned a corner. I had had more insights, learned some more stuff as we do. It’s an ongoing journey. It’s never over is it really? I think as long as we’re alive, we’re going to be continuing to learn. 



Since then, since that corner that I turned, I’ve noticed some more some thinking and more thinking that I’m comfortable with about perfection about holding myself to a standard when it comes to eating that feels a l...

Perfection Is A Mistake


When was the last time you felt deeply heard? Nurse and Three Principles practitioner Wendy Williams shares the impact deep listening has on both the listener and those being listened to. We also discuss the priceless benefits that understanding every human’s innate resilience can have for nurses and other healers.




As a nurse educator and clinician for over 25 years, Wendy Williams helps people facing extraordinary (and ordinary) challenges to move forward with grace and ease. She is an experienced mental well-being educator.



As Wendy sees it (and teaches it), we are meant to thrive in this world, but sometimes we get stuck. Whether it’s being swept up in the whirlwind of everyday life or struggling to overcome a major life hurdle, getting back on track, and moving forward can, and will, happen quite naturally. Wendy’s deep experience mixed with her practical and kind-hearted teaching & education point the way forward.




You can find Wendy Williams at ForwardWithWendy.com and on Facebook at Find Your Way Forward.



You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below.



Show Notes




* Paying attention to work we’re naturally drawn to



* Recognizing an awareness of our innate well-being



* How in any circumstance in life we can react in any number of ways depending on our thinking



* On the universal intelligence that flows through everything, including us



* The benefits for healers like nurses of knowing about our innate resilience



* The difference between deep listening and active listening




Resources Mentioned in this Episode




* Wendy’s Deep Listening class with Lori Carpenos, April 5 to 7, 2024



* Sydney Banks’ book The Missing Link



* Beyond Recovery



* Jacqueline Hollows’ book Wings of an Angel




Transcript of Interview with Wendy Williams



Alexandra: Wendy Williams, welcome to Unbroken. 



Wendy: Thank you very much for having me. I’m excited to be here with you. 



Alexandra: Oh, I’m excited, you’re here as well. So let’s begin with a little bit of your background.



Tell us about yourself and how you got interested in the Three Principles.



Wendy: Sure thing. Well, I live in the northeastern part of the United States near Boston, Massachusetts, I have been a nurse for more years. I got married at the ancient age of 38 to a guy that I just adore, even as we speak, I adore him. 



I have been a nurse, like I say, for a very long time, specializing for years in conditions like HIV AIDS, cancer, hospice, so I’m a real pro at the bedside when people are saying goodbye. And, a lot of what I do happens to do with ongoing or chronic pain. 



I’m still practicing as a nurse in that regard. But I’m also having a real focus on bringing the Three Principles to a wider community in health c...

Animals, Magic and Mysteries with Melanie Snow

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