Honor Your Spark

The Creatures of Change podcast ended up being way more meta for me than I’d planned…After recording a season of 6 episodes with incredible guests, I landed on clarity about MY next big change professionally— which measns hanging up my hat with this iteration of podcasting to make room for the next thing.But these episodes will live on as a mini-season within my main podcast feed, because the conversations were incredibly inspirational and instructive examples of embracing change— perhaps none more than the guest for the final episode, Dr. Caitlin Faas.Caitlin has basically rebuilt her life in the last 3 years. Some of those changes were chosen and planned, but other life-altering ones unfolded completely unexpectedly, bringing down the house-of-cards identity that we so often build around our roles. I am incredibly inspired by Caitlin’s resiliency, adaptability, vulnerability, and humility through her process of change, and honored to call her a friend.About CaitlinCaitlin Faas, Ph.D. is a certified master life coach instructor who helps experts get out of the hamster wheel for good. Common issues include: overeating, overdrinking, and overworking. She was a tenured psychology professor and department chair before leaving to be a full-time entrepreneur. Dr. Faas has worked with thousands of professionals every year who were once addicted to running in the hamster wheel of endless expectations. She is also the author of Unstuck: Three-step system to help high achievers move from stress to flow. Dr. Faas delivers easy-to-follow advice about “growing up, showing up, and cleaning up” your life and explains the data-backed scientific roots of your stress from emotional, social, economic, academic, and mindfulness perspectives,Additional Links + ResourcesThe Life Coach SchoolThe Summers School of Yin Yoga and the River Bird Sangha with Josh & Terry SummersInstinctive Meditation with Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to

*Announcement*Creatures of Change podcast is no longer releasing new episodes. The episode archives will remain available in the same podcast feed as Valerie’s new show, Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast. Happy listening! You never know when an old acquaintance will chance to cross your path again.In this case, Melanie Reese— a therapist I worked down the hall from for over a year— saw the news about this podcast and reached out about being a guest. In this ~40 minute conversation, we connected on a deeper level than we ever did during that whole year.It was a joy to hear Melanie share some of the growth and healing she’s experienced personally throughout the pandemic, and how that continued evolution has allowed her to support her clients in new and deeper ways.In this episode, Melanie and I talk about the the huge business leap she took just prior to the pandemic (spoiler alert, it involved OFFICE SPACE 💀😂) and what she learned weathering that challenge, the process of shedding her Christian identity (and the difficulties that arose in some family relationships), and how her own experience of living with chronic pain and illnesses has continued to evolve along with her spirituality, impacting the way she approaches her client work as well. About MelanieMelanie Reese is a board-certified, psychotherapist and owner of Trauma Therapy of Nashville, LLC, a private practice specializing in holistic trauma healing. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner. Melanie and her team of therapists specialize in the treatment of trauma, women’s issues, relationships and chronic pain & illness. Melanie’s education and professional background in both the mind and body gives her a unique and effective approach to therapy with clients. She works heavily from a neuroexperiential perspective, using modalities such as Brainspotting, EMDR, mindfulness, somatics and body movement. As an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Melanie also helps guide clinicians in their development as skilled therapists and individuals. Additional Links + Resources@traumatherapynashville on InstagramThe Surrender Experiment by Michael SingerPerrennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent - edited by Rabbi Rami ShapiroThe Daily Stoic podcast with Ryan Holiday: Episode with guest Daniel Lubetzky (founder of KIND Snacks)

*Announcement*Creatures of Change podcast is no longer releasing new episodes. The episode archives will remain available in the same podcast feed as Valerie’s new show, Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast. Happy listening! I found Jenny Blake online way back in 2015— I don’t recall exactly how, but probably after hearing her on someone else’s podcast.I resonated immediately with her message, her love of systems, and unique ideas about personal and professional growth. I followed everything she’s created since— her podcasts, different iterations of her online communities, and her two books, Pivot and Free Time.I am honored to call Jenny not just a mentor, but a friend (a friendtor!) — and I continue to be inspired by her all the time. If you are navigating a career transition, Pivot — the book and the podcast — are a must. And if you’re an entrepreneur, Free Time (the book and the podcast) is a goldmine of strategies for making your business and life run more smoothly so you can reclaim more of your most precious asset: your time.I hope you love this conversation with Jenny Blake— and if you do, make sure to check out the show notes for the link to my 2019 interview with her on my previous podcast, and where you can join her online community!About JennyJenny Blake is an award-winning author, podcaster, and keynote speaker who loves helping people move from friction to flow through smarter systems, powered by Delightfully Tiny Teams. Her third book, Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business (Ideapress, March 2022) will free your mind, time, and team for more of your best work. Jenny’s previous book, Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (Portfolio/Penguin Random House, 2016), won the Axiom award for best business book in the careers category.Celebrating over a decade of running her own business after five years at Google, Jenny now licenses her content to clients like Google and CHANEL. She hosts two podcasts with over one million downloads combined: Free Time for Heart-Based Business owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake to help others navigate change.After working at a Silicon Valley startup, then at Google for five years in coaching and career development, Jenny moved to New York City in 2011 to launch her own business. She loves yoga and buys too many books. Jenny lives in Manhattan with her husband and angel-in-fur-coat German shepherd. Learn more and take the Free Time quiz at ItsFreeTime.com.Additional Links + ResourcesIn addition to all the links in Jenny’s bio above that you should definitely check out—✨ Listen to her 2019 interview on my previous podcast, “What’s the F***ing Point?”✨ If you listen and know you need more Jenny in your life, join me in her BFF community!✨ One Stone Creative - the podcast production co Jenny uses that I mention in the intro (run by a fellow BFF member!)✨ Never tried Peloton? Use this link to try the app free for 60 days! (yoga, barre, strength, outdoor walking/running tracks— all kinds of no/low-equipement stuff aside in addition to their treadmill & bike classes)

*Announcement*Creatures of Change podcast is no longer releasing new episodes. The episode archives will remain available in the same podcast feed as Valerie’s new show, Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast. Happy listening! When I first met Rosa Castano in 2019, she was kicking ass and taking names in the tourism industry— which is BIG business here in Nashville. Fast forward 3 years and 1 pandemic later, and she’s now a mom and CEO of her own business offering wellness coaching/education services to businesses and individuals.Rosa is one of those dynamic people whose personality and gifts far exceed anything I could say in writing. In this conversation, we explore not only her own personal career pivots, but also what she has learned from embracing changes, big and small. Rosa truly walks her talk, and was a joy to sit down with for this conversation. I hope you love it!About RosaRosa Castano spent more than five years as a seasoned expert in the Tourism & Hospitality field, leading sales campaigns across the country for two of the largest tourist industries in the Nashville, TN market. Like many others in the space, Castano was forced to pivot to a new path after the COVID-19 global pandemic put a halt to her tourism career. The shift allowed Castano to take the time to re-evaluate her career aspirations, landing her with an industry she has long been passionate about: the wellness industry. Throughout her years working successful careers in the tourism and corporate sectors, Castano knew wellness would always be a priority for her life.Outside of work, she completed a 200HR Yoga Teacher training in 2019. With this certification, Castano began to lead yoga classes for her former employers’ wellness programs. Since the pandemic, Castano completed an additional certification adding a 200HR Meditation Teacher training. With the full time focus on wellness, Castano is trailblazing ahead with her business where she offers Workplace Well-Being both in the Corporate Setting and for Individual One-on-Ones.Follow Rosa on IG @wellbeingwithrosa For full show notes on this episode, visit https://gaiacenter.co/blog/creaturesofchange-03.

*Announcement*Creatures of Change podcast is no longer releasing new episodes. The episode archives will remain available in the same podcast feed as Valerie’s new show, Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast. Happy listening!Ray Holloman (often at his most hilarious in tandem with his wife Alicia) is one of those people whose posts cause you to actually cackle.He’s witty, kind, silly, freakishly productive, obsessed with dinosaurs— and until 6 years ago, was living in a body that didn’t feel like his own.In this episode of Creatures of Change, Ray shares about how transitioning his gender not only resulted in feeling more at-home in himself than he’s ever felt, but also equipped him to embrace all kinds of other changes, including leaving a company he’d been with for 12 years.We also talk about balancing change with routine, because the comfort zone is NOT an inherently bad place to hang out. Also, for real, read Ray’s bio below… the man is HELLA impressive. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed having the conversation!About RayRay Holloman is a Black, transgender man that lives in the south. His unique identity gives him the ability to see multiple sides of marginalized communities. Ray currently works doing Disaster Recovery for a large tech company. Ray has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Belmont University, and Masters degrees from Lipscomb University and Tennessee Tech University. Ray is married, with 4-ish dogs, 20-ish chickens and 9-ish quail.Ray has worked with groups including Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, Trans Empowerment Project, Nashville Technology Council, and other various nonprofits. He currently chairs the New Leaders Council Pride Caucus Transgender education subcommittee, is on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, and chairs the Tennessee Department of Health HIV Prevention Transgender Task Force. Ray enjoys sharing his story to educate the public about transgender and queer people. In his limited spare time, he enjoys farmstrong, quilting and cooking.For full show notes on this episode, visit https://gaiacenter.co/blog/creaturesofchange-02.

*Announcement*Creatures of Change podcast is no longer releasing new episodes. The episode archives will remain available in the same podcast feed as Valerie’s new show, Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast. Happy listening!Welp, not to make it ~aLL aBoUt Me~ 😝 but for the first episode of Creatures of Change, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the changes I’ve made or experienced throughout my 36 years so far.Once I finished outlining the 10 changes I wanted to touch on, I realized that in many ways, I sort of accidentally told the story of my life (in 30 minutes— buckle the F up! 😂).That’s pretty cool to think about: my intention was to talk about changes, and it turns out that those changes were all the moments that were either pivotal in getting me to where I am today, and/or are a big part of my daily life now. This insight just reaffirms my excitement about exploring change with a variety of guests on future episodes.This new podcast, Creatures of Change, explores the concept and practice of change from a variety of perspectives: stories of folks who’ve made huge changes in the trajectory of their lives, others who have made small but lasting and impactful changes in their day-to-day lives, and— we’ll also just nerd out about the science of human behavior, and how we can get better at executing the small changes, and embracing the big ones.Oh, and if you’re looking to make a change in your life and want some guidance and support to set yourself up well for it? We’ll also do episodes featuring coaching with podcast host Valerie Martin, who happens to be both a therapist and self-development supergeek.For show notes on this episode, visit https://gaiacenter.co/blog/creaturesofchange-01.

Hi y'all! I am popping in. In the podcast feed over here for a moment to share. Share an exciting update. You may have heard this if you listened to Bodyful episode 24 with Mary Reynolds Thompson that recently aired: the podcast is relaunching in the new year! It will still live in this same feed, but will be revamped as Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast.  More to come on that with a trailer soon, but for now, I just wanted to give you a heads up on what to expect in the feed between now and then (including  why you're seeing so many episodes come into your feed over the next week!) :POver the past few months I did this wonderful little mini season of Creatures of Change podcast on a separate feed, and those will coming into this feed so that they can live here and be found here instead of getting lost in internet purgatory—they are really excellent conversations. There are five episodes so far and one that I am finishing up editing the 6th/final episode, and we'll post one episode each day starting this Sunday December 18th, through December 23rd. Also sometime between now and the New Year, there will be one more episode of  Bodyful airing that's a really excellent conversation with stylist Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet.  So stay tuned for those episodes over the next couple of weeks, followed by the exciting relaunch of Bad Bitch Therapist podcast in January. Thank you so much for being here... trailer for the new pod format coming soon!xoVal

Every now and then you come across a writer whose words and ideas just hit you bone-deep.For me, most of them have been people whose words make me feel more intimately connected with the world around me: Mary Oliver, Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Richard Powers, Bill Plotkin— and most recently, Mary Reynolds Thompson.When I started digging into Mary’s work in preparation for this conversation, I felt that rare but familiar deep resonance. In her latest book, A Wild Soul Woman, she explores five landscape-based archetypes she’s written about previously, this time specifically in the context of how they show up in womens’ lives.In this episode, we explore about everything from burnout and addiction recovery to defining what it means to move through the arc of the human experience in your own “shero’s journey.” About Mary Reynolds Thompson (she/her)Mary is an award-winning author, internationally recognized speaker, and a facilitator of poetry therapy. A pioneer in the spiritual ecology movement, her focus is on the transformative power of landscape archetypes and nature metaphors to reveal our true purpose and right relationship with the planet.Author of A Wild Soul Woman and Reclaiming the Wild Soul, a 2015 Nautilus Award-winner, Mary’s writings have also appeared in numerous other publications and anthologies. Through her books, courses, and talks, she reaches creatives, change-makers, and seekers who long to awaken to their most courageous and Earth-connected selves and have the impact they desire.To learn more or contact Mary, visit maryreynoldsthompson.com and follow her on Instagram @wildsoulwriter. Stuff Mentioned + Additional Resources:“The Song of a Wild Soul Woman” - written, creative interpretation by Dancing Wolf, creative interpretation by TreeSistersBodyful Episode #12: Jill Dunkley on Being in Right Relationship with the World Inside & OutsideTreeSistersJungian psychologist and writer Marion WoodmanThe Work that ReconnectsAnimas Valley InstituteWomen Who Run With the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola EstesUntamed by Glennon Doyle----------------------------------------------------Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a rating/review wherever you listen to podcasts!NOTE FROM VAL: In 2023, my podcasting is shifting gears... so stay tuned for an exciting announcement about that soon, and Bodyful episodes will remain on this feed to continue to be shared and enjoyed!✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to

As a person who’s never been into sports, the thought of walking into a boxing ring is more than a little intimidating— but that’s exactly what I did yesterday with the support of trauma-informed boxing coach Cleveland Hughes.Not 10 minutes prior, I called it a “boxing rink” 🤡 😂 — so suffice to say, I don’t know much about boxing. But even with just a few minutes of instruction, it was so clear to me how useful these skills could be, not only to develop physical strength, but also sharp mental awareness, bodyfulness, and perseverance.In this conversation, Cleveland and I talk about his journey to boxing, and his decision to gain further education to become one of the world’s first trauma-informed boxing instructors through his signature program, Healing Mitts. We also commiserated about some of the ways the fitness industry can be inherently harmful, especially for trauma survivors, when leaders do NOT have a fundamental awareness of trauma. About Cleveland Hughes (he/his)Cleveland Hughes is a boxing coach and the developer of the Healing Mitts Intentional Boxing Training System. In 2009, a therapist suggested to Cleveland that he try boxing to help him cope with my anxiety and depression. He noticed the life lessons he was learning in therapy also applied to boxing. Through deep inner work, he gained the skills necessary to fight back against his mental health issues and trauma. He knew that he wanted to help people heal through the sport of boxing.With 15 years of experience coaching boxing, and additional education on trauma-informed best practices, Cleveland developed Healing Mitts to help empower people struggling with mental health issues. He is proud to be a trauma-informed boxing coach and a mental health advocate.He currently offers group and private coaching in-person in Miami and Nashville (soon fully relocating to Nashville), as well as coaching online.You can learn more about Healing Mitts at healingmittsboxing.com (a work in progress, more coming there soon!) and book a virtual or in-person session with Cleveland at the website or through DM on Instagram @clevelandh.boxing, where he shares tips and resources on boxing and mental health. Stuff Mentioned + Additional Resources:Cobra Kai (if you watch it, track down the original 3 karate kid movies first — they are a must for backstory!)Bodyful episode 19 with Laura Khoudari on Healing Trauma One Rep at a TimePolyvagal theory----------------------------------------------------Did you love this episode? Please tell a friend, and subscribe to Bodyful for a new episode every 2 weeks!✨ For Previous Bodyful episodes and show notes✨ Sister podcast Creatures of Change✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to

In 2018, I went to a hypnotherapy training near Seattle. It was not your traditional therapy training— there were maybe about 30 of us staying at essentially a large cabin in the woods for about 6 days, sharing a room with 3 random strangers.One of my roommates, Jasmin Cage, happened to be from Memphis, just a couple hours down the road from me in Nashville— and we hit it off instantly. Both yoga teachers, both vegan (for the animals and other reasons), both Enneagram 7 squirrel-brains. 😝I’d always regretted not staying in touch with Jasmin after the training… one of those things where, after a few months had passe, I felt like I’d missed the window. Wouldn’t it be “weird” to reach out a year, 2 years later? Would she even remember me? But 4 years after that training, this August, Jasmin popped into my inbox with the gift of reconnecting AND reminding me an important lesson that avoiding doing something based mostly in worrying about what other people might think is just plain SILLY.In this conversation, Jasmin and I shared our candid thoughts on hypnosis/hypnotherapy, the yoga world, and got into a nuanced discussion of drinking culture, sobriety (including her new project Sobrietree), and… well, we had so much to cover that we’re planning to do a part 2, coming soon!About Jasmin (she/her)Jasmin Cage is a Memphis, Tennessee-based fine artist and RYT-200 (soon to be 500) yoga instructor. She is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Heart-Centered Hypnotherapist, and a Certified Y12SR practitioner (Yoga of 12 Step Recovery). Jasmin currently teaches yoga, breathwork, and meditative practices at Lakeside Behavioral Health Systems- a network of inpatient psychiatric facilities in west Tennessee. She recently launched Sobrietree, a project incorporating yoga, art, and spoken word.You can find out more about Jasmin and her work at jasmincageart.com and on Instagram @sobrietree.For full show notes including links to resources mentioned in the episode, visit https://gaiacenter.co/blog/bodyful-22.----------------------------------------------------Did you love this episode? Please tell a friend, and subscribe to Bodyful for a new episode every 2 weeks!✨ For Previous Bodyful episodes and show notes✨ Sister podcast Creatures of Change✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to