It’s been a minute ya’ll! The winds of change are blowing. There is a lot to reflect on right now, and Anna is here to be your mirror. In this ep, she gives us a tarot reading to check in on where we are at and how to get to where we are going as we drop into a new year. But before that, Anna is going to take some time to tell us where SHE is going, where she has been and what we can expect from her as she taps deeper into creativity and transformation herself. 

Over the last few years, we’ve all been digging around, tilling soil and trying to plant new things. Have you been feeling like it’s time to turn a new page? We have! With so much going on in the world, it can be hard to get real with yourself about what you want, what is working or even what your motivations are for the things you dedicate your time to. Let’s take a minute to sort ourselves out and see what the next chapter looks like.

Resources :

Write or Die

Kate Devine

Sarah McColl

Tell Me Why You Love It Submissions

Channeling the Magician A Creative Cohort with Anna

Book a Session with Anna

Follow How to Be Human on Instagram

Follow How to Be Human on Substack

We know you know that you should probably start meditating again. But what many of us don’t know is exactly what it really is or if we are doing it right. There are different types, different reasons to try it, and many excuses for not ; so we asked Vanessa the Aquarean to talk to us all about it.

Vanessa is a psychic, tarot reader, medium, occult enthusiast and astrologer. Her podcast, The Aquarean, deep dives all these themes and more with a grounded yet magical point of view. She knows what’s up and is down to experiment with the unknown. On this episode, she shares what meditating can feel like for folks with trauma or mental health issues, why it is important to quiet the mind, and other very fun takes about our intuition overall. 

Resources Mentioned in the Episode + Where to Find us

The Aquarean

The Aquarean on Instagram

The Aquarean Podcast

Discount Code for The Aquarean 30 Day Meditation Journey - THEAQUAREAN25

Book a Session with Anna

Find Anna on Instagram

To Suggest a Topic Email - [email protected]

Follow How to Be Human on Instagram

Follow How to Be Human on Substack

HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting

HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting

 HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

It’s Halloween people, and boy are things a little scary. The veils are thin, but the vibes are heavy. This time of year is always both a reality check and a point of surrender, but this go round is especially penetrating.

Scorpio season is deep fall. It refuses to look away. If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed right now, you are not alone. One of our favorite tools to walk us out of a stuck point is our bestie, the tarot. In this mini episode, Anna gives us a reading on grief that holds us and helps us take a breath and get clearer on what the best way to be engaged during this spooky, spooky season.

Book a Session with Anna

Find Anna on Instagram

To Suggest a Topic Email - [email protected]

Follow How to Be Human on Instagram

Follow How to Be Human on Substack

HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting

HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting

 HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

As much as we fight it, social media has become a marketplace for us all. We are constantly on our devices, our algorithms telling us what to eat and buy and our parasocial relationships edging closer and closer to replacing our real ones.

Lee Tilghman was at the height of her influencer game when she had a sharp realization that the cost of living under a lens was higher than the checks her sponsored content was bringing in. After building Lee from America, her online wellness persona that garnered over 300k followers, she realized that she had been housing her own pain in the identity she crafted. This life changing revelation rocked her finances and her life in Los Angeles. She talks to Anna about how she came to realize she was in over her head and how she found her authentic voice once she set the Lee from America brand down. 

Where to find us:

Lee's Website

Lee on Substack

Lee in the New York Times

Book a Session with Anna

Find Anna on Instagram

To Suggest a Topic Email - [email protected]

Follow How to Be Human on Instagram

Follow How to Be Human on Substack

HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting

HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting

 HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

We all have a story. We are born into family legacies, we develop personalities, we meet people and see ourselves in each other. Who we are finds its way into both the mundane and the expansive throughout our lives, usually in a variety of modalities or forms of expression.

Sarah McColl is a writer who shares her curiosities and her point of view in a beautiful way. Her honest and tender memoir, Joy Enough, chronicles her mother’s death and the divorce Sarah went through concurrently. It left us stunned. Anna and Sarah go deep on all of the things that come up in every stage of clarifying your own story, the ebb and flow of creativity and productivity, and tons more food for thought about living life and feeling feels. 

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Beth Pickens - Make Your Art No Matter What

Off the Grid Podcast

Making a Life As An Artist - Andrew Simonet

Marlee Grace

Where to find us:

• Learn more about Sarah McColl
• Subscribe to Lost Art
• Read Sarah's Book Joy Enough
• How to Be Human Instagram
• Anna's Instagram
• Book a session with Anna
• To suggest a guest/topic, or just get in contact [email protected]

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

Connection is one of the most essential, yet sometimes precarious of human needs. We have never been more connected or more isolated, and over the last few years boundary discourse has loomed large online. It seems everyone is working on theirs, or at least reading about them, and sometimes it feels like we are getting it wrong. 

Enter Dr. Josh Mirmelli, Licensed Psychotherapist and round two How to Be Human guest. He is back with us to answer our questions about all of that and more. There are many common misconceptions about what a healthy boundary is and how to communicate them safely. Dr. Josh will walk Anna through some possible ways we misinterpret them, and give us tips on how to set some that work.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

“Is Therapy Peak Making Us Selfish” Bustle April 2023

Jessica Lanyadoo

Ghost of a Podcast 234 ‘How to Have Boundaries with Family”

Ghost of a Podcast 260 “Boundaries for Introverts

Where to find us:

• Learn more about Dr. Josh
• Follow Dr. Josh on Instagram
• How to Be Human Instagram
• Anna's Instagram
• Book a session with Anna
• To suggest a guest/topic, or just get in contact [email protected]

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

We’re back! It is fall!  Part of us is raring to go commune with leaves and pumpkins, part of us wants to crack books and learn something new, and then there is the (not so) secret third thing of the season that involves magic, spirituality, grieving and self inquiry before the winter ahead. 

One of the best ways to come back to yourself and the magic inside is with tarot! Anna gives us a fantastic reading of the energies that lie ahead that is validating, yet not sugar coated. We are taking responsibility for our lives through strengthening our intuition and being real with ourselves and others. Whatever is coming up, we can handle. Feel it all and keep it moving, night awaits.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Ryan Marquardt Astrology

Clairannoyance with Ryan Marquardt + Megan Lund

WTF is Tarot and How Do I Do It - Book - Bakara Wintner

Bakara’s New Class - WTF is Tarot Intensive

Where to find us:

• How to Be Human Instagram
• Anna's Instagram
• Book a session with Anna
• To suggest a guest/topic, or just get in contact [email protected]

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

Vanessa Hardy is back for a little astrology jam! Venus is already halfway through her retrograde #venusday, and now Mercury is getting ready to park it for a retrograde that begins August 23rd. This has been a summer of many astrological shifts, and we talk a lot about how to honor the changes while also keeping our own good sense intact. 

We also answered some listener questions! We cover creativity and pregnancy, a listener with a natal Venus retrograde who deserves more than a fairweather lover, Sabian Symbols, and memorable blows to our ego. We close this episode out with some thoughts about addiction, and if you are struggling we encourage you to stay the course and use some of our resources below for help. 

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements Stephen Arroyo

Sabian Symbols

Visionary Activist Astrology

https://dopeisdeath.com/     Podcast and Film on the use of Acupuncture in Harm Reduction

https://harmreduction.org/

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alanon

SLAA

Codependents Anonymous

Where to find us:

• Book a session with Vanessa
• Subscribe to View of an Hour Vanessa's Substack
• Find How to be Human on IG
• Find Anna on IG
• Book a session with Anna
• To suggest a guest/topic, or just get in contact [email protected]

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

Empathy has exploded in mentions in the past few years but do we actually get it? Anna's asking questions and curious about are we nailing empathy or have we gone somewhere else?

Anna and astrologer Vanessa are also working on a cosmic advice episode! Plz submit your questions about Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, your own chart, running a spiritual business, tarot, whatever you plz and we'll take a stab at answering using are most magical of skills. You can submit your question via email, IG or the speakpipe.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Brene Brown empathy video

Where to find us:

• How to Be Human Instagram
• Anna's Instagram
• Book a session with Anna
• To suggest a guest/topic, or just get in contact [email protected]

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy

If you are a fan of this podcast, there is a good chance you are someone who deserves to take up more space. But listener, we will bet that your own self awareness, compassion and perhaps even naivete has led you to confuse confidence in others with arrogance. We all want to find the right mix of proudly being who you are and knowing when you are the expert in the room, but the fear that we are being rude or selfish often makes doing that very difficult for folks who care about other people.

In this mini episode, Anna jumps in to share her experience with clocking arrogance in people, and she shares some great musings from the How to Be Human community. Pro tip here, if you are concerned with sounding arrogant, you are likely on the right side of the coin and deserve a little brag sesh. It’s Leo season!

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Nimity Online

The Subtle Difference Between Arrogance and Confidence

This American Life Episode

Where to find us:

• How to Be Human Instagram
• Anna's Instagram
• Book a session with Anna

Episode credits:

• HTBH is Produced by Anna Toonk and The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH is edited by Iva Hristova at The Wave Podcasting
• HTBH Show Notes are written by Vanessa Hardy