Conditioning to Consciousness

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Your Body Isn’t the Problem — It’s the Portal

What if the very thing you’ve been taught to distrust — your body — is actually the gateway back to intuition, wholeness, and truth?

In this episode, I’m joined by Vanessa Long, coach, author, and guide, for a deep and grounded conversation about why so many of us feel disconnected from ourselves — and how the path back isn’t through fixing or overriding the body, but through listening to it. We explore intuition as a lived, embodied experience, how trauma and patriarchal conditioning pull us out of our bodies, and why reclaiming embodiment is both personal healing and collective resistance.

We talk about how systems like capitalism and patriarchy thrive on disconnection— especially disconnection from intuition — and why so many people (particularly women) feel burned out, numb, or “off” without being able to name why. Vanessa shares how tools like Human Design, astrology, NLP, and somatic awareness can help us reconnect to our natural rhythms, discern true intuition from fear, and rebuild self-trust from the inside out. This conversation is honest, earthy, and practical — less about spiritual bypassing, more about learning how to live inside your body again.

Chapter markers are included, so you can jump to the parts that resonate most—whether you want to explore intuition, embodiment, systems of oppression, healing trauma, or practical ways to start listening to your body today.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why disconnection from the body is learned (not natural)
• How intuition actually communicates — beyond “hearing a voice”
• The link between patriarchy, capitalism, burnout, and embodiment
• Trauma, dissociation, and why the body holds wisdom the mind can’t access
• Using tools like Human Design and astrology to reconnect with your innate design
• Why your emotions aren’t the problem—they’re information
• Simple ways to begin rebuilding trust with your body and intuition

If you’ve ever felt like your body is something to manage, fix, or override — this episode is an invitation to see it differently. Your body isn’t the problem. It’s the portal.

Connect with Vanessa - 

Visit www.vanessalong.com or to book a soul design reading, visit this link. You can also find Vanessa on Threads and Instagram at @vanessalong_v7

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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In this episode of Conditioning to Consciousness, we step into a deep, unscripted conversation about decolonization — not as an abstract theory, but as a lived, embodied process that touches our minds, bodies, relationships, and connection to the land.

I’m joined by Mars Amante, a psychic medium, animal communicator, and spiritual guide whose work lives at the intersection of activism, intuition, and reconnection. Sometimes the best conversations unfold when you throw away the plan. 

In this episode, we talk about how the systems that shape us are deeply intertwined, and how they survive by keeping us disconnected: from our bodies, from each other, from nature, and from our own inner knowing. We talk honestly about identity, privilege, burnout, fear, and responsibility, while naming the importance of listening to voices that have been speaking about these realities long before they entered mainstream consciousness.

A central theme of this episode is that decolonization is not just political — it’s personal. It shows up in how we rest, how we work, how we define success, how we relate to our children, and how safe we feel asking questions. We explore how colonial and capitalist conditioning trains our nervous systems toward urgency, obedience, and survival — and how reclaiming rest, intuition, and embodiment becomes a radical act of resistance.

We talk about Mars' journey into activism, spirituality, and reconnection with the land, emphasizing that while we may not be able to dismantle every system at once, we can begin by decolonizing the self. We talk about returning to the body, honoring boundaries, reconnecting with nature, and remembering that humans are not separate from the ecosystems we inhabit — we are part of them.

This conversation also holds space for nuance and accountability. We acknowledge the limits of our own perspectives as white and white-passing women, and we emphasize the responsibility to educate ourselves, diversify our sources, and listen deeply to Black, Indigenous, disabled, queer, and marginalized voices. Decolonization, as Mars reminds us, requires ongoing learning — not comfort.

Throughout the episode, we return again and again to one guiding question:
 Are our choices rooted in fear — or in love?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, disconnected, or quietly questioning the systems you’ve been taught to live within — this episode offers reflection rather than answers, curiosity rather than certainty, and an invitation to begin where you are.

Topics we explore include:

• What decolonization really means beyond buzzwords
• How colonial systems shape identity, worth, and success
• The role of the nervous system in disconnection and burnout
• Why rest, intuition, and embodiment are part of the resistance
• Raising children who question authority with compassion
• Reconnecting with nature as a path to healing and resistance
• Love vs. fear as a daily decision-making compass
• The importance of listening to voices outside our own lens

🎧 Listen now and join us in asking better questions — of ourselves, of our systems, and of the world we’re helping to shape.

Connect with Mars at https://www.magicalmars.com/ or in Instagram or Threads at @intuitivemars 

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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What if empathy isn’t weak — but dangerous?

In this solo episode of Conditioning to Consciousness, I break down a cultural shift that keeps coming up in my research -- a growing narrative that empathy is irrational, manipulative, or harmful. A quiet but powerful “war on empathy” is taking shape — and it’s deeply connected to emotional suppression, nervous system dysregulation, and the systems shaping modern Western culture.

We’ll explore:

• How emotional disconnection starts in childhood
• Why chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation reduce our capacity for empathy
• The difference between empathy, sympathy, and compassion
• The rise of books and public figures arguing that empathy is dangerous
• What science says about emotions and empathy

If empathy improves relationships, leadership, mental health, and even physical health — why is it being framed as a threat?

This episode connects the dots between emotional suppression, cultural conditioning, and the systems that benefit when we stay disconnected. We’ll look at how empathy has existed across cultures for centuries — from Buddhist karuṇā to Ubuntu’s “I am because we are” — long before the word itself was coined in 1909.

Most importantly, we’ll talk about what changes when we rebuild emotional capacity.

Because empathy isn’t weakness. It's nervous system strength and capacity. It's inner authority -- and it might be the very thing that disrupts what keeps us divided. 

If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who’s ready to feel — and think — more deeply.

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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In this episode of Conditioning to Consciousness, I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Philipose, a scholar, spiritual guide, and longtime educator whose work lives at the intersection of systems theory, feminism, spirituality, and collective healing.

Together, we explore the hidden architecture of power—the systems of capitalism, patriarchy, racism, colonialism, and scarcity thinking that quietly shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to one another, and how we understand what’s possible in our lives. These systems don’t just exist “out there.” They live inside us, shaping our beliefs, our nervous systems, our sense of worth, and even our capacity to rest, create, and trust ourselves.

Dr. Philipose brings decades of experience teaching gender and women’s studies alongside deep spiritual training in energy work, meditation, yoga, and spiritual counseling. In this conversation, she breaks down how these systems became normalized over centuries, how they are interconnected, and why burnout, disconnection, and division are not personal failures—but predictable outcomes of living inside structures that reward overwork, obedience, and control.

We talk about the 1492 paradigm, racial capitalism, the invention of scarcity, and how control over bodies—particularly women’s bodies—became central to maintaining empire and hierarchy. We also explore how intuition, creativity, emotional intelligence, and connection to nature were systematically suppressed, not because they are weak, but because they make people less controllable.

Just as importantly, this episode isn’t only about deconstruction—it’s about reorientation. We discuss what it looks like to reconnect with the body, with nature, with intuition, and with inner authority as part of a larger paradigm shift already underway. Dr. Philipose shares how spiritual awakening, nervous system regulation, and consciousness work are not escapes from reality, but essential tools for collective transformation.

In this episode, we explore:

• How capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and colonialism are interconnected systems
• Why burnout and disconnection are systemic, not personal failures
• The concept of the 1492 paradigm and how it still shapes modern life
• How scarcity thinking fuels competition, fear, and division
• The suppression of intuition, creativity, and rest—and why reclaiming them matters
• How reconnecting with nature and the body supports collective healing
• What paradigm shift looks like on an individual and societal level

Elizabeth Philipose, Ph.D., has been an educator in universities in two countries for over twenty years. She teaches courses about globalization, coloniality, social justice, ecological consciousness, and decolonial feminism. She has published articles on international human rights, the laws of war, the politics of pain, transnational friendships, and sacred pedagogies. She is trained as a spiritual therapist, coach, and movement chaplain, and works with people to support their social justice advocacy. Her abiding passion is always with the people and projects that transform, heal, and inspire us to recognize our inseparability from the whole and be positive stewards of this precious life.

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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This episode is about choosing curiosity over comfort.  In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Amy McDonald to name the system of white supremacy directly, explore how it was built and maintained through U.S. history, and talk about what it looks like to begin deconstructing it in ourselves and our communities.

The opening acknowledges an important truth: this is a conversation between two white women, speaking from one perspective. That’s not a disclaimer to dilute the topic — it’s a reminder to widen the lens. This episode is an invitation to stay curious, resist shutdown, and keep expanding the voices you learn from, listen to, and follow.

Amy shares how relearning U.S. history — especially the Reconstruction era and its aftermath — became a turning point. Together, we explore how identity, belonging, “comfort,” and community have been shaped by white supremacy for generations; how empathy can be conditioned out of communities; and why many people resist naming the system even when they can feel the consequences of it.

We also discuss how algorithms reward division, why in-person conversations still matter, and what actionable steps white women can take to disrupt inherited patterns — not through guilt or performance, but through honest reflection, education, and community-building.

In This Episode, We Explore

• Why the phrase “white supremacy” triggers shutdown — and why staying present matters
• What Amy discovered when she began relearning U.S. history through firsthand accounts
• Amy’s framing: white narcissism vs. white supremacy
• How belonging and identity can be weaponized (and why “community” can become a trap)
• The role of empathy erosion in white America (and why it matters right now)
• Why “comfort” is a pillar of white supremacy — and how discomfort becomes the doorway
• The algorithm problem: why social media platforms reward division and outrage
• Why movements historically relied on in-person organizing and relationship-building
• Practical steps for white women: books, diverse spaces, and learning to leverage power responsibly

Amy McDonald is a podcast host and political organizer-minded educator who uses historical research and systems thinking to help people understand how we got here — and what it will take to shift what comes next. She hosts The Foolish Optimist, featuring interviews with emerging candidates running for office outside the traditional political machine.

Resources & People Mentioned (as referenced in the conversation)

Books

• The Empathy Gap: It’s Black and White — Tammy Triolo
• Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy — Heather Ann Thompson

Creators / Accounts Amy Shout-Outs (verify handles/spelling before publishing)

• Tammy Triolo (also known online as “Delusional Influencer”)
• The White Woman Whisperer
• Portia Noir

Amy’s work

• Podcast: The Foolish Optimist
• Social: @amymaccc (Amy Mac — A-M-Y M-A-C-C-C)
  
  

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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In this episode of Conditioning to Consciousness, Jess is joined by returning guest Danielle Polgar, an astrological advisor with over 20 years of study and 13 years of therapeutic client work, to break down the major astrology transits happening right now — and why so many of us feel like we’re living inside a collective “system upgrade.”

While natal chart astrology can help you understand your personal patterns and soul curriculum, this conversation focuses on current transits, including concentrated Aquarius energy, a solar eclipse in Aquarius (Feb 17), Saturn completing a karmic chapter at the final degree of Pisces, and the profound Saturn–Neptune reset at 0° Aries (Feb 20). Together, Jess and Danielle explore how these transits reflect what’s unfolding in the collective psyche: disruption, awakening, destabilization of old structures, and the invitation to reclaim self-agency.

This isn’t astrology as prediction — it’s astrology as pattern recognition, nervous-system awareness, and a grounded tool for navigating chaos with clarity. Danielle offers practical ways to work with the energy — especially through embodiment, discernment, and reconnecting with the present moment — so you can respond rather than react.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why astrology can be understood as a kind of cosmic weather report
• The archetype of Aquarius: disruption, innovation, collective consciousness, and the individual’s role within the group
• Why “organized chaos” can be a doorway to death and rebirth
• Locating Aquarius in your chart — and what it may be inviting you to shift
• Why this moment can feel like a Tower moment (and what comes after)
• How nervous system regulation supports self-agency during intense collective change
• Practical grounding tools: embodiment, nature, and returning to the present moment
• Why “no one is coming to save us” is not despair — it’s empowerment
• The difference between reacting from fear vs. responding from awareness
• How to “dream and do”: moving from imagination into aligned action

Key Themes + Takeaways

1) You’re not imagining it — this is big energy

2) Aquarius invites a new perspective — and a new role

3) Grounding is not avoidance — it’s the foundation for effective action

4) The future isn’t something we wait for — it’s something we participate in

Connect with Danielle Polgar

Danielle Polgar is an astrological advisor who has studied astrology for over 20 years and has worked with clients therapeutically for 13 years. Her approach uses astrology as a framework for understanding purpose, growth, and the soul’s curriculum — offering practical insight into both the natal chart and current transits to support empowered, conscious living.

Connect with Danielle
Website: https://www.daniellepolgar.com/
Substack
Instagram: @danielle_polgar

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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In this episode of Conditioning to Consciousness, we explore patriarchy not as a political talking point or a blame narrative, but as a hidden operating system or a script running beneath the surface of our lives that shapes how safe we feel to speak, lead, rest, succeed, and be seen. This conversation is an invitation to look more deeply at how systemic conditioning lives not just "out there" — but inside the nervous system, the subconscious, and the body. 

I’m joined by Dr. Anne Whitehouse, PhD, former Cambridge scientist, author, and subconscious empowerment expert, whose own journey through extreme burnout and chronic illness led her to uncover how deeply inherited power structures affect our health, confidence, and sense of safety. Together, we unpack how patriarchy operates beneath conscious belief — showing up as fear of visibility, chronic self-doubt, people-pleasing, overworking, and the persistent feeling of being “too much” or “not enough.” We explore how these patterns impact everyone — both women and men alike — by suppressing balance, intuition, emotional expression, and embodied power.

This episode bridges science and spirituality, weaving together nervous system regulation, subconscious programming, ancestral and collective patterns, and consciousness work. Rather than asking who to blame, we focus on what it looks like to see the script clearly, interrupt it with compassion, and begin building something new, something more whole — internally and collectively. If you’re interested in healing burnout, reclaiming your voice, understanding why speaking up can feel unsafe, or engaging in conscious change without bypassing the body, this conversation offers both clarity and grounding.

To connect with Dr. Anne Whitehouse, visit: 

www.drannewhitehouse.com or find her on Substack at: https://drannewhitehouse.substack.com/ 

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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Creativity is something we often see "reserved" for the talented. Otherwise it's seen as indulgent, frivolous, even wasted time. In this episode, we gently dismantle that myth. 

I’m joined by writer and creative guide Allegra Chapman for a rich, grounding conversation about creativity as a nervous-system practice, a form of self-care, and a path back to self-connection. We explore why so many people believe they’re “not creative,” how early experiences — especially in the early school years — can create lasting creativity wounds, and why our culture actively discourages imagination, play, and rest.

Together, we talk about creativity as embodiment: using the hands, the senses, and the body to regulate the nervous system, quiet mental noise, and access intuition. We discuss creative practices as a kind of moving meditation — especially for neurodivergent minds — and why making something doesn’t need to result in a masterpiece to be meaningful. The process itself is where healing, insight, and clarity live.

This episode also touches on the deeper layers of creativity: how productivity culture, burnout, and constant output disconnect us from our inner worlds; how creative expression can restore a sense of agency and purpose; and why reclaiming imagination is quietly radical in a system that benefits from exhaustion and compliance.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your creativity, stuck in freeze, overwhelmed by productivity pressure, or unsure how to rest without guilt, this conversation offers a softer way back. Creativity here isn’t about talent or outcome — it’s about permission, presence, and remembering that expression is part of being human.

Topics we explore include:
creative self-care, nervous system regulation, embodiment, creativity wounds, neurodivergence and creativity, creative meditation, burnout recovery, intuition, and reclaiming imagination as a form of healing and resistance.

This episode is an invitation to play, to listen inward, and to reconnect with yourself — one small creative act at a time.

About Allegra

Allegra Chapman is an author, columnist and creative therapy practitioner. As an AuDHD mother, she is passionate about supporting creatives who don't fit into society's boxes to claim and embody their creative power. Allegra's latest book, Creativity Is Your Self-Care, is out now. 

Allegra is graciously offering listeners a 20% discount on her membership. Follow this link: 

 https://yourcreativefix.substack.com/becoming

Contact Allegra at any of these links: 

Website: https://creativefix.net/

Substack: https://yourcreativefix.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allegra_chapman/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@allegra_chapman

And for more guidance on building a creative practice, her book, Creativity Is Your Self-Care, has 52 simple, low-demand activities to help you build a regular habit that connects you to your deepest self: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creativity-Your-Self-Care-exercises-emotional/dp/B0DJ1H4Z6L

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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It's all just heavy right now. And unstable. Chaotic. Overwhelming. 

It's hard to keep up with everything that's happening. For a lot of people, the easiest response is to shut down -- not because we don't care, but because caring feels like too much. 

But that's the point -- the shut down, the apathy. When we check out, harmful systems advance. 

This episode takes a grounded approach to the hidden cost of not speaking up -- what it does to the body and nervous system when we repeatedly override our truth, suppress our voice, or disconnect from what we know deep down is not okay. We'll also cover how to break the cycle and start (or continue) speaking up. If you've felt overwhelmed, confused, numb, angry, or frozen - these are normal responses to prolonged uncertainty and collective stress. 

But the way through this is by going through it. Not around it. 

This isn’t a call to panic or perform. It’s an invitation to slow down, get regulated, and reconnect with what you stand for. To remember that using your voice doesn’t have to look loud or confrontational -- it can look grounded, intentional, and rooted in love. We talk about practical, sustainable ways to engage: speaking up in small moments, modeling values for our kids, building community, and choosing participation over apathy.

Most of all, this episode is a reminder that you are not weak for feeling this. You are not broken for needing rest. And you are not alone in the tension between wanting to stay safe and wanting to stay true. When we tend to our nervous systems and align with our values, using our voice becomes less about fear -- and more about integrity, care, and connection.

If you’ve been feeling the weight of the world and wondering what to do with it, this conversation is for you.

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.

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In a world that feels heavy, chaotic, and — at times — genuinely unreal, it’s easy to swing between two extremes: doom-spiraling until your nervous system shuts down… or trying to “love-and-light” your way through realities your body knows are not okay.

This episode lives in the middle path.

I sat down with Kelly Stegman (aka The Boho Witchery) for a conversation about spiritual activism — the meeting place between inner work and real-world change. Kelly’s approach to witchcraft is one of the most grounded, accessible, and empowering perspectives I’ve heard in a long time. Here she reminds us of something we’ve been conditioned to forget: You already have what you need.

Witchcraft, in Kelly’s world, isn’t reserved for the “gifted,” the initiated, or the people with a perfectly curated altar. It's intention. It’s sovereignty. It’s the quiet power of choosing what you believe, what you’ll protect, what you’ll build — and then taking steps that move the needle.

Sometimes it looks like lighting a candle or setting a simple intention. Sometimes it looks like putting that intention behind a donation, a conversation, a boundary, or a decision. Sometimes it looks like saying: I refuse to stay numb.

Through this conversation, we explore ideas like:

If we can manifest safety, love, and expansion for ourselves… why wouldn’t we include our neighbors?
If we’re brave enough to ask the universe for guidance… why wouldn’t we also ask for justice, truth, and protection — collectively?

This is where Kelly’s work becomes powerful in a way that feels radically human: she’s building community-based spirituality through monthly community circles (free to attend) and her Patreon — spaces where people gather to set shared intentions, co-create energetic momentum, and then pair it with real-world action.

Because intention without action can become performance. And action without intention can become burnout. The medicine is in holding both.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Signs and intuition (and why specificity matters when you’re asking for guidance)
• How to tell the difference between intuition and fear in the body
• Why “spirituality” that ignores reality isn’t spirituality — it’s avoidance
• How community circles work, and why shared intention is a form of collective power
• The simplest way to start practicing: intention as everyday magic
• Why witchcraft is, at its core, about self-empowerment + sovereignty
• And why every person has gifts — we’ve just been trained to doubt them

More than anything, Kelly offers this reminder -

The first step to getting started happens exactly where you are — with what you have — when you choose connection over collapse.

Because the truth is: we shift the world the same way we shift anything — one coherent choice at a time.

Connect with Kelly

https://www.threads.com/@thebohowitchery

https://www.instagram.com/thebohowitchery 

Patreon is Witchery13

If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world if you took a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend who needs it. And make sure you hit follow so you never miss an episode of Conditioning to Consciousness.

You can connect with me on Instagram @jesscallahan_, join my Substack community at conditioningtoconsciousness.substack.com, or explore more of my work at jesscallahan.com.

Thanks for listening — I’m so grateful you’re here.