Embrace The Dark and The Light

In this episode, Kelly Ann Street discusses her personal experience with grief following the loss of her dog, Winston, and explores the various forms of grief that individuals may encounter. She emphasizes the importance of understanding grief's complexities and supporting oneself and others through the grieving process.

Takeaways

• Grief manifests in various forms
• Support others by acknowledging their grief

Chapters

• 00:00 Grounding in Grief
• 01:34 Personal Journey with Winston
• 07:51 Understanding Different Types of Grief
• 18:00 Navigating Grief and Supporting Others
• 23:20 Embracing Grief and Apologies

This conversation is all about anger, from its origins within us to its significance in the context of my own pregnancy and postpartum experiences. You can find yourself in these stories, even if postpartum rage wasn't your experience, because we all experience anger, even if we stuff it down for years or decades.

I go into how anger's primal nature serves as a protective emotion, and the importance of acknowledging and tending to it with tenderness. The discussion also emphasizes the connection between anger and grief, shedding light on the complex emotional dynamics at play. You'll learn my tools for working with anger and how I move through it as a work in progress.

Takeaways

• Anger is a primal and necessary emotion that serves as a boundary-protecting signal.
• Tending to anger with tenderness and acknowledging its connection to grief is essential for emotional well-being.

Chapters

• 00:00 Landing in Our Bodies
• 01:02 The Uncomfortable Emotion
• 03:13 Primal Anger and Survival
• 05:05 Postpartum Anger and Boundaries
• 07:23 Healthy Anger as a Boundary-Protecting Emotion
• 11:13 Tending to Anger with Tenderness
• 13:22 Channeling Anger Appropriately
• 16:50 Anger and Grief

RESOURCES

• Gabor Maté — physician and author known for his work on trauma, addiction, and the mind-body connection. His work on anger and boundary violation, and the link between chronic anger suppression and physical illness, appears across his books, most notably When the Body Says No. (Recommend citing this specific title on air for accuracy.)
• Thich Nhat Hanh — Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and teacher. His teaching on anger — treating it with the same tenderness a mother gives a crying baby — is most fully laid out in his book Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames. Worth naming this title directly since it's the most anger-specific source in his catalog.

This conversation with therapist and author, Kelly Ann Street, explores balance and the importance of embracing both light and dark, coming out of the Fall Equinox time, where the light is equal to the dark in our day. I cover the story of Persephone, the meaning of balance, the gap between story and reality, and how to think about, or reframe, the seasons of life.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• What's one thought you've been carrying in shame this week? Run it through the three questions and see what it says: "Where did this come from? What does it want me to know? How do I feel about it?"
• Where in your life are you all light, or all dark, and what might be leaking out sideways?
• And is there a season you've been calling a failure that might just be your December?

Chapters

• 00:00 Embracing the Light and the Dark
• 03:03 The Story of Persephone
• 07:03 The Meaning of Balance
• 11:07 The Gap Between Story and Reality
• 12:57 Understanding the Seasons of Life

The conversation explores the belief of innate badness instilled in us from an early age and the impact it has on our trust in ourselves and others. It delves into the concept of inherent goodness and the need to reframe our understanding of sin and trust. The episode invites listeners to embrace curiosity and self-trust.

Takeaways

• Innate badness belief impacts trust
• Reframing sin and trust
• Embracing curiosity and self-trust

Chapters

• 00:00 The Belief of Innate Badness
• 02:56 Impact on Trust and Self-Trust
• 08:13 Reframing Sin and Trust
• 14:44 Embracing Curiosity and Self-Trust

Kelly sits down for a conversation with her birth doula, Kat Stangler of Golden Hour Birth Services, to talk about what it's like to help shepherd new life into the world and how Kat helps empower women to get the birth they want and lean into the magic of surrender.

The conversation explores the role of a doula, emphasizing advocacy, comfort measures in labor, and the power of surrender. It explores the importance of communication and how comfort measures shape the birthing experience, highlighting the transformative nature of surrender. The discussion concludes with a reflection on the significance of self-advocacy and empowerment.

Takeaways

• Advocacy in doula work
• Comfort measures in labor
• The power of surrender

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Doula Work
• 01:24 The Role of a Doula
• 03:21 Advocacy and Communication
• 13:06 Comfort Measures in Labor
• 16:10 The Power of Surrender
• 21:56 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Kelly Ann Street shares her thoughts on turning 40 and reflects on the concept of sisterships, the unlived life, and the importance of presence and choice. She encourages listeners to embrace their chosen path while acknowledging the roads not taken.

Buy my book here!

Takeaways

• Embracing the choices we've made
• Reflecting on the unlived life

Chapters

• 00:00 Turning 40: A New Perspective
• 03:46 The Concept of Sisterships
• 06:23 The Unlived Life
• 12:28 Reflecting on the Past
• 15:11 Becoming and Growing
• 19:19 Staying Present and Embracing Choice

Today, I was joined by the fabulous and fantastic Celina, of Essence of the Moon. We talked about tator & oracle cards, the process of self-reinvention, and a little moment of gratitude for our respective supportive spouses!

The conversation begins with a reflection on self-remembrance and evolves into a discussion about reinvention and spirituality. It then delves into connecting with deities, honoring the departed, awakening, and receiving support. Finally, it concludes with a focus on a creative project - the creation of a tarot deck.

The conversation delves into the creation of an Oracle deck, the synchronistic timing of events, the use of Oracle decks in daily life, the importance of trusting intuition and messages, reading Oracle cards intuitively, and the themes of release and renewal.

You can find Celina on YouTube and on her Ko-Fi:

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Essenceofthemoon-i6n
• Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/essenceofthemoon

Takeaways

• Reinvention after loss and hardship
• Connection with deities and spirituality Synchronicity in creative projects
• Trusting intuition and messages

Chapters

• 00:00 Journey of Reinvention
• 03:07 Discovering Spirituality
• 07:53 Connecting with Deities
• 12:59 Honoring the Departed
• 21:00 Awakening and Support
• 29:04 Creative Project: Tarot Deck
• 31:39 Creating the Oracle Deck
• 34:07 The Synchronistic Timing
• 38:32 Using Oracle Decks in Daily Life
• 49:33 Trusting Intuition and Messages
• 52:32 Reading Oracle Cards Intuitively
• 56:40 Release and Renewal

In this episode, Kelly Ann Street explores how modern society’s constant consumption of curated images and narratives acts as a 'veil,' distorting our perception of reality. She offers practical insights on reclaiming mental space, fostering discernment, and reconnecting with the present moment to maintain peace in a hyper-informed world.

Key topics include:

• The concept of the 'veil' and how media distorts our view of reality
• The impact of social media and constant news on your nervous system and mental health
• Dunbar's number: our brains are wired for about 150 meaningful relationships
• Propaganda as framing and omission, and how celebrity culture and reality TV exemplify it
• The importance of discernment: choosing what to consume and how to respond
• Practical exercises for staying grounded and conscious in a world of information overload
• The idea of viewing the 'apocalypse' as a revealing — pulling back the veil and seeing clearly
• How to turn witnessing into actionable compassion rather than overwhelm

Resources:

• Robin Dunbar and Dunbar’s Number
• Thich Nhat Hanh and mindful consumption
• Book: "The Attention Merchants" by Tim Wu

• Kelly's Website
• Kelly's Instagram

Timestamps:00:48 - Thinking about the metaphor of veils and what it reveals
1:05 - The distortion of reality through media and technology
1:25 - How we mistake curated images for actual life
1:53 - Managing our nervous system amidst global chaos and information overload
2:11 - Grounding exercise: noticing five things in your environment
3:20 - The human design: we are not built for this constant influx of stimuli
3:37 - Dunbar's number and the limits of meaningful relationships
4:06 - Historical perspective: Slow-paced life vs today's rapid information flow
5:31 - Our biological response to threats and the overstimulation of modern media
7:55 - How propaganda shapes perception through framing and omission
8:41 - Celebrity culture and reality TV as examples of curated narratives
9:42 - Avoiding cynicism: seeing through the veil with clarity, not despair
10:11 - The importance of conscious discernment
11:03 - A client’s story: overconsumption of news leading to overwhelm and helplessness
12:27 - Differentiating caring from consuming: taking action versus being overwhelmed
14:10 - The power of intentional response: turning witnessing into doing
15:47 - The concept of nutriment: what you consume through eyes and ears
16:44 - Choosing your mental diet and practicing discernment
17:12 - Practical steps for curating your media intake and relationships
19:10 - Focused witnessing: only take in what you can truly manage
20:11 - The true meaning of ‘apocalypse’: unveiling and revealing, not destruction
21:06 - Moving from awareness to deliberate action for peace

Remember: Seeing through the veil is an act of clarity and sovereignty — to decide consciously what you allow in, and how you respond, ultimately bringing you back to your true life and peace.

In this episode, Kelly Ann Street explores the deep-rooted barriers to asking for help, including trauma responses, shame, and societal pressures. She offers insights into how support is integral to our human system and provides practical practices for cultivating the courage to seek what we need.

Main topics covered:

• How trauma responses shape independence and shame
• The misconception of strength versus vulnerability
• The concept of interbeing and relational support
• Practical strategies for asking for help without guilt
• The role of support in mental and emotional resilience
• The analogy of yoga props and emotional ladders
• Common blocks like fear of being a burden and self-reliance as safety
• The importance of observing when we resist support and how to gently reframe it

Resources:

• Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Yoga props and support systems
• Book: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

• Instagram
• Website

Timestamps:

00:00 - The impact of trauma responses on independence and shame
00:37 - What independence really masks — trauma responses wearing socially acceptable masks
01:04 - Shame’s quiet message: Needing help means something is wrong with you
01:47 - The double bind of competence and strength as shame disguises itself
02:54 - Reframing all forms of support as informational, not verdicts
03:45 - Edges and support, how they shift over time and what that reveals
04:10 - The concept of interbeing: nothing exists in isolation — support is natural
05:06 - Practicing asking for help without narrative or apology
06:05 - Observation practice: Notice where you are white-knuckling support or help
06:27 - The simplicity of the ask: "Can you help me?" as a powerful practice
07:47 - Reflecting on the body’s responses — where do you clench when thinking of asking for help?
08:17 - Introduction of the “Blocks and Ladder” metaphor: props in yoga and emotional support
08:35 - Using props like blocks is a sign of awareness, not weakness
09:23 - The false belief that asking for help means failure or weakness
10:13 - Common blocks: being a burden and self-reliance as safety
11:22 - The origins of the fear of asking for help and how to gently work through it

Note:This episode emphasizes that support and asking for help are natural and vital parts of the human experience, often disguised by shame or societal expectations. Gently reframe your perspective and practice small asks—your relational edges are always shifting, and support is a key to resilience.

Kelly Street shares her personal journey of embracing her shadow, writing her book 'Embrace the Dark,' and the importance of accepting all parts of oneself for healing and growth.

Chapters

00:00 Embracing the Dark: An Introduction

03:24 The Journey of Writing 'Embrace the Dark'

06:03 The Process of Shadow Work

08:05 Personal Growth and Vulnerability

17:11 The Aftermath of Publishing

19:27Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

You can find the audiobook at Audible, Spotify, or paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million (or ask about it at your local bookstore or library!)