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The calendar may have flipped, but our bodies and our nervous systems often need more time to catch up. In this episode, Giana is joined by Dee Doyno for a real, grounded conversation about this in-between moment: a liminal season meant for rest, reflection, and quiet seed-planting before any big goals take root.

From that steady place, we dive into the deeper layers of what’s been surfacing in the yoga world—particularly conversations around fair wages, studio cleanliness, and the true cost of holding space. We explore why so many January resolutions fall apart, and how the lunar new year and spring equinox offer a more natural, body-aligned reset than the pressure to “start over” on January 1st.

Together, we lift the veil on yoga studio economics: national brands profiting off the backs of their yoga teachers, beautiful spaces that still underpay instructors, and the often invisible labor teachers carry: planning, travel, emotional regulation, continuing education, and energetic care just to name a few. Fair pay and clean studios aren’t luxuries; they’re the foundation for sustainability, integrity, and real community. We also highlight models that are working—studios offering solid base pay with transparent incentives—proving that people-centered business can thrive.

Boundaries take center stage as Giana shares a recent classroom experience that sparked sacred rage—not as something to suppress, but as wise information when integrity is crossed. We talk about the myth that yoga teachers must be endlessly calm, the toll of overgiving, navigating “energy vampires,” and why consent, non-touch classes, and post-class regulation matter more than ever.

To ground the conversation, we share practical tools to support your practice and nervous system:

• ✨ A free Get Meditating Guide for anyone who feels overwhelmed, intimidated, or unsure where to begin with meditation
  👉 https://nearlyenlightened.com/ne-home#section-J3tusgFFGq
  
  
• 🌿 The Meditate to Elevate Guided Meditation Portal—on-demand practices for real life, messy days included
  👉 https://nearlyenlightened.com/meditate2elevate
  
  
• 🔥 A 30-Day Deepen Your Practice Challenge, rooted in the eight limbs of yoga (not just poses), designed to help you build consistency, self-trust, and embodied awareness
  👉 https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/form/QSI9v3Dr8UpbrSxc2I4G

If you’re ready to shed old skin, stop overgiving to overtakers, and rebuild your relationship with practice in a way that actually supports your life, this episode offers a grounded path forward.

Join us in the conversation—what boundary are you drawing this season?

 If this episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a kinder, more honest start to their year. Your support helps Nearly Enlightened continue to grow as a space for r

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When someone's attempt at a mean insult is exactly what you need to laugh, reframe, and reclaim your power. In this episode, I’m joined by Dee Doyno as we turn the infamous “yogi walrus” comment into a playful springboard for real conversation about body talk, wellness culture, and loosening perfectionism with a little humor. We even dive into AI roasts of our own Instagram selves—espresso auras, chaos energy, and brass-knuckle kindness included—because when you can giggle at your shadows, it makes healing a little more palatable. 
From laughter, we shift into depth: exploring boundaries, non-attachment, self-worth, and the difference between forgiveness and access. We talk about transitioning from a “year nine” to a “year one,” shedding old skins, and starting fresh without burnout. We also get into yoga beyond the mat—living the eight limbs, navigating life after a 200-hour teacher training, and why mentorship and lifelong learning are game-changers for real bodies in real spaces.
Plus, we’re relaunching our 28-day yoga challenge as an accessible, daily container to rebuild rhythm, integrate breath and study, and lean on community accountability. Consider it a sneak peek of what’s coming next: deeper mentorship and a teacher training that honors lineage while supporting modern life.
If you’re craving a reset that blends heart, humor, and practice, this episode is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who could use a loving nudge, and leave a review to help more curious humans find the show. Ready to learn from love and move forward with us?

Sign up for the challenge here!

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

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Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode, I sit down with soul led entrepreneur, busines  strategist and author Justine Harrington to trace how a whisper to create a  sanctuary for the soul became a living, breathing community space: Soul Sanctuary. A place for healing, movement, meditation, breath, and connectio  are treated as everyday tools for coming home to yourself.
We walk right into the messy middle together—what it’s actually like to open a physical space post-COVID, shift careers, and move through healing as a spiral where old patterns resurface at deeper layers. Justine opens up about the practices that truly help in those seasons: mentorship, therapy, systems that reduce the chaos, and the courage to say no. We talk boundaries (and how they have to be relearned as you grow), leadership that doesn’t cost you your soul, and the myth of overnight success.
We also get into intuition, fear, and the art of discernment—how to feel alignment in your body as something that changes over time, and how meditation becomes practical when you treat it not as “clearing the mind,” but as watching your thoughts pass like trains and choosing which ones you’re actually getting on.
Plus, Justine shares what’s new at the studio: weekly yoga and dance classes, sound baths, breathwork, donation-based offerings like the Thanksgiving class supporting the Rhode Island Food Bank, a group mediumship event, and a 200-hour yoga teacher training on the horizon. Soul Sanctuary is becoming a true collaborative home for holistic practitioners, creative expression, and community care.
Whether you’re a founder, a creative, or someone on your own healing path, you’ll walk away with grounded, practical tools you can bring into daily life—micro-shifts, intuitive nudges, and reminders that you don’t have to do any of this alone.
If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs it, leave a quick review, and come be part of the community: check out the full schedule at soulsanctuaryri.com/the-studio. And if you’re curious about Justine’s book Homecoming: A Guide to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Heart, you can find it on Amazon.

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In this episode of Nearly Enlightened, I’m joined by Danielle Manseau for a powerful conversation on the ethics of energy work — how to protect your own field, work safely with others, and create grounding rituals that keep you clear, present, and effective.
We break down spiritual hygiene in real, approachable language and share practical tools to reset between sessions — even when you can’t burn incense or light a candle. Think: visualization, water, breath, a short walk, or simply closing your laptop as a mindful boundary.
Danielle and I also unpack ethical red flags in the healing space — from pressure sales and miracle promises to practitioners who override your consent. We get honest about why credentials, trauma-informed awareness, and scope of practice matter so much in hands-on fields like massage, cosmetology, and yoga.
Discernment is the heart of this episode. We also talk about the shadow side of hype and influence — why ethical readers frame outcomes as potentials, not predictions, and how staying anchored in your truth keeps your intuition strong.
And because energy ethics also means caring for yourself, we dive into burnout, capacity, and energetic seasonality — how to schedule with integrity and do no harm while preserving your craft and nervous system.
Whether you’re a practitioner or client, this conversation offers real, embodied guidance for protecting your energy and working (or receiving) from a place of integrity.
If you’ve ever left a “healing” session feeling worse — or if you’re ready to sharpen your discernment and deepen your energetic care without the fluff — this episode is for you.
🎧 Press play, share it with a friend, and leave a review to tell us what resonated most.
Subscribe for more grounded conversations on body, mind  and spirit wellness. 

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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We aren't done with Life of a Showgirl yet. In this episode, I’m joined again by Marissa Rose for a real talk on sex,  power, pleasure, and purpose — through the lens of Taylor Swift’s evolving eras. From Reputation and Midnights to Tortured Poets Department and Life of a Showgirl, we explore how each chapter mirrors the collective reclamation of money, sex, and power — and how to bring that energy into your own life with grounded, embodied practices.
Through the archetypes of the lower chakras, we connect the dots between rights battles, re-recordings, and personal rebirth — uncovering what it really means to lead, love, and create from a place of secure attachment and sovereignty.
Together, we dive into:
How tantra reframes intimacy as a sacred, embodied exchange
The truth about consistency, discipline, and feminine flow
Building the inner masculine that protects and empowers your feminine
Somatic tools to turn heartbreak, grief, and overwhelm into capacity
Why the new definition of “having it all” is being brave enough to slow down
This one’s for the woman building her empire and her inner peace — the one ready to rise in power without losing softness, to be fully expressed without burning out, to boss up and settle down.
If you’ve been craving a pop-culture conversation that actually deepens self-knowledge, this episode will meet you there — honest, embodied, and full of practical wisdom you can feel in your body.
Listen now and walk away with language for your current season, nervous system practices to steady your path, and permission to name what you truly want — at home, in love, and in work.
✨ Learn more about Marissa Rose and her offerings:
Your Bliss is Your Birthright — iammarissarose.com

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Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode, I am joined by Danielle of Venus Rising. Together we unpack Taylor Swift’s latest era through the lens of healing and self-discovery. We pair The Tortured Poets Department’s gray skies with The Showgirl’s bright hooks, tracing the thread that runs through love, boundaries, and the everyday practice of nervous system regulation. From the echo of The Fate of Ophelia to the quiet bravery of Wi$hLi$t, we explore how music becomes a mirror—naming our desire to be both pursued and safe, without asking us to dim our voice or vision.

We get honest about those first listens (6 a.m. “nope,” 50 mph “okay wow”), the tension between celebrity wealth and relatability, and what it means to find value in a time when so many are feeling stretched thin—financially, emotionally, and spiritually. That opens a bigger conversation about the worth of service work—yoga, hair, healing—and the difference between burnout and fair exchange. We talk about pricing as a boundary, education as investment, and the truth that care can only exist when the caregiver is cared for, too.

And because we love to zoom out, we push back on prediction culture—the obsession with what’s “meant to be.” Instead, we talk about choosing free will over fate, trading prophecies for presence, and finding tools that help us stay grounded in our own becoming.

If you’re in a season of revisiting old patterns—reaching out to exes to rewrite rejection, running when staying would heal—we walk through gentle, embodied practices to help: slow movement, breath-led resets, and mini-pauses that teach the body what safety feels like. We also talk about the courage it takes to communicate clearly, the fear of being misunderstood or “canceled”.

If this conversation speaks to you, follow Nearly Enlightened, share it with a friend who needs a little hope today, and leave a review—what lyric or moment hit you hardest?

To find out more about Break Method click here.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

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Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode, I’m joined by Tiffany Baskett—a yoga therapist, healer, and advocate for diversity in the wellness space—for a deep and inspiring conversation.

Tiffany shares her journey from dancer to holistic healer, including how she became disillusioned with what she calls the “sick care system”—a system that often treats symptoms but misses the root causes. She reminds us that when we only focus on one isolated part of the body, we lose sight of the bigger picture and the beautiful interconnectedness of our body, mind & spirit.

We dive into some fascinating territory, like the often-overlooked fascia and lymphatic system. Did you know the lymphatic system has only been seriously studied for about 30 years? And unlike the circulatory system, it doesn’t have a pump—it depends on movement to function. Such a powerful reminder that our bodies are designed to move!

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing how Tiffany weaves together a Christ-centered approach to yoga. She beautifully bridges Eastern movement traditions with her Christian faith, showing that yoga doesn’t have to be about adopting certain beliefs—it can simply be a way to use breath and movement to connect more deeply with God.

We also swap stories about the healing remedies passed down through our families—like oregano and olive oil in my Italian household, or mint leaves for respiratory issues and castor oil in Tiffany’s family. It’s such a reminder that cultures who keep these traditions alive often experience better health outcomes, sometimes even avoiding things like menopausal symptoms thanks to herbal wisdom.

This conversation is all about remembering what our ancestors knew and finding ways to bring that wisdom into the present moment. Tune in to learn how blending ancient traditions with modern knowledge can open the door to true, holistic wellness. 

And I’d love to hear from you—what healing traditions or herbs have been part of your family’s story?

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

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Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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Giana and Dee are back together, reflecting on their recent 30-day Deepen Your Practice yoga challenge and the lessons that unfolded—on and off the mat. This isn’t just a conversation about yoga postures—it’s about the kind of transformation that starts with intention and ripples into every area of life.

They kick things off by talking about mindful consumption—from collagen to coffee—and how being more intentional with what we buy, eat, and support can become a powerful practice of wellness.

Then, they dive into what made this yoga challenge so impactful, including the unexpected ways it brought them (and nearly 50 participants) back to the heart of the practice. Giana and Dee share how even experienced yoga teachers walked away with brand-new insights, reminding us all that we’re never done learning or growing.

This experience has sparked something new: The Embodied Yogi, a 12-week mentorship for teachers and students who want to live their practice beyond the poses. If you’ve been craving more depth, more connection, and more real-life integration, you’ll want to hear what’s coming.

This episode is for anyone who’s curious about what it means to practic yoga beyond the poses, make conscious choices, and plant seeds of change—starting from the inside out.

✨ Want to deepen your practice?

The 30-Day Challenge is now available as a self-paced journey. Click here to start now!

The Embodied Yogi Mentorship opens for applications soon. Click to join the waitlist and be the first to find out when doors open!


Let’s walk this path—together.

Collagen & Coffee use code "GIANA97872" 

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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What happens when the birthday girl doesn't want to celebrate? In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Giana confesses her unexpected anxiety about turning 34, while birthday enthusiast Kat Parks tries to reignite her excitement. Together, they peel back the layers of what makes birthdays both magical and terrifying as we age.

The discussion ventures into unexpectedly deep territory as both women reflect on how COVID disrupted our celebration of major life milestones. "I didn't even have time to process turning 30 because the world was on fire," Giana admits, capturing the disorientation many felt during those years. This leads to a broader exploration of how millennials are rewriting the rulebook on traditional life markers like marriage, careers, and family planning.

Birthday horror stories bring both laughter and winces – from Kat's traumatic seventh birthday (complete with knocked-out teeth and only one friend showing up) to Gianna's bedbug-infested 30th that left her sobbing in Target aisles. These experiences reveal how birthdays often carry outsized expectations and the potential for both profound disappointment and unexpected joy.

The conversation takes a powerful turn when addressing beauty standards and authenticity. Both women candidly critique the prevalence of filters, especially among wellness influencers preaching self-acceptance while presenting digitally altered versions of themselves. "If you're telling people to love themselves while using filters – what exactly is your message?" Giana challenges. They discuss finding aging role models like Cameron Diaz and the revolutionary act of simply looking your age in today's world.

Whether you're dreading your next birthday or wondering why turning another year older feels so complicated, this episode offers solace, humor, and a powerful reminder that accepting ourselves exactly as we are might be the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Check out Kat's "Find Your Face Freedom" program if you're ready to see yourself in a new way by summer's end.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In week four of the Deepen Your Practice Challenge, Dee and I are going inward—way inward.

This episode is all about the subtle (and often skipped) limbs of yoga: pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. These advanced practices invite us into stillness, deeper awareness, and connection to the Self. And honestly? In today’s overstimulating, always-scrolling, burnout-on-the-rise world… these might just be the most important tools yoga has to offer.

I’m joined by the brilliant Dee, and together we unpack what it really means to withdraw from the senses (pratyahara)—and why this can feel nearly impossible in our notification-filled culture. We get real about what happens when we finally pause long enough to hear ourselves again.

From there, we flow into dharana, the art of one-pointed focus. In a society that glorifies multitasking, this practice is a game-changer for the mind and nervous system. Think of it as a pathway out of overwhelm and back into presence.

We explore dhyana (meditation) not as something you “get right,” but as something you experience—a chance to witness your thoughts without gripping them. Giana offers a visual comparing thoughts to passing clouds or a freight train you don’t have to board. This leads us into a conversation about the parasympathetic nervous system and how stillness is essential for true healing.

And finally, we land in samadhi—blissful awareness, the ultimate surrender. Total enlightenment may feel far off (which is why this podcast is called Nearly Enlightened, after all), but these practices can absolutely bring you closer to your true essence.

✨ If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, scattered, anxious, or just deeply disconnected... this episode is your invitation to come home to yourself.

What we cover:

• How to practice pratyahara in a hyper-connected world
• Why multitasking is destroying our focus (and how dharana can help)
• Meditation as nervous system repair
• What samadhi really means—and how it shows up in everyday life
• Personal stories of how these limbs helped us reconnect with peace, purpose, and presence

🎧 Tune in now and rediscover yoga beyond the poses—as a radical path to inner freedom.
🔗 Share with a friend who could use some stillness.
📲 Visit nearlyenlightened.com for resources to support your body, mind, and spirit.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened