We all look to teachers at some point in our lives to guide us on our journey, but, as Lorena and Renu discuss in this episode, teachers cannot replace the vital importance of taking responsibility for your own life and avoiding passive deference to what has worked for others. Renu shares ancient Indian parables that poetically illustrate both the essential differences in each human being's path towards growth and the uniqueness of our personal natures.

This podcast is produced by Terra Firma Audio.

Conflict and struggle are inevitable, as Lorena learned all too well in her medical journey, but how do we address this conflict and continue to grow as people without simply causing more pain? Such is the focus of this week’s episode, in which we are joined again by Renu, who shares her knowledge of the primary yogic principle of Ahimsa, which stresses the importance of doing no harm to others without becoming complacent in our lives.

This podcast is produced by Terra Firma Audio.

Season Two begins with a story in gaining wisdom through conflict from our friend and healer, Renu Namjoshi. Her and Lorena discuss the universal archetype of "The Hero's Journey", spanning from departure, to initiation, and finally, the return with sacred wisdom. Renu explains the importance of conflict in each of our own journeys, examining why stressful trials must be viewed as opportunities for growth, rather than lapses of destruction.

This podcast is produced by Terra Firma Audio.

Season 2 of "On My Way with Lorena Junco Margain" launches soon! In this season we bring back Renu Namjoshi, as well as a few other very special guests, to continue our conversations around physical and spiritual health, learning to listen to yourself, and building a better future for you and your loved ones. Remember...we're all on our way!

The million dollar question for this week is...how’s the poop? Laugh all you want, but, as Renu will explain in this bonus episode, your gut is your body’s second brain and its overall health is essential for several bodily functions, including serotonin production and restful sleep. Lorena shares the importance of becoming a powerful self-advocate in her recovery journey, and the girls open up about how womanhood and motherhood come with unique challenges to physical and spiritual health.

This week, Lorena and her guests talk about the art of healing and what brings them each joy in their difficult moments. Lorena discusses how she uses art to help her focus on forgiveness rather than fear. Renu delves into how color, particularly of our clothing, is directly related to the energy of our chakras and plays a vital role in balancing our mood and changing our outlook.

The importance of medical expertise and scientific knowledge can hardly be overstated, but what about the ability to listen to your own body and intuition? This week, Lorena and her guests expand upon some of their medical struggles while emphasizing how direly important it is to listen to yourself throughout the journey and not just to the advice of your doctors and loved ones.

Lorena shares her incredible story of a life-altering malpractice surgery that left her physically and emotionally devastated for years. She details her struggle towards recovery, and confesses that while her initial drive was to seek legal revenge against her doctor, she eventually chose a path of forgiveness and committed to trying to affect real change by sharing her arduous journey with others. Her guests share their view on the enormous importance of forgiveness in achieving happiness, and how holding onto anger and resentment for too long is a spiritual poison like no other.

A Common Thread

Quite often, immigrants to the United States live in isolated, tight-knit communities; but they still find a common thread of struggle with all immigrant groups. Lorena’s guests share their experiences, and challenges, in creating a new life in America while trying to both preserve their natural heritage and reconcile conflicting traditions with their families abroad. She shares her own experience of immigrating to the United States from Mexico after her family received imminent threats of violence, and how, fearing that she may not get to see them grow up, she used her passion for art to try and cultivate her personal/familial story within her home to communicate this invaluable knowledge to her young children.

Friends And Family As A Lifeline

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being. When Lorena was going through her most intense medical struggle, her friends helped pulled her through. It’s not always easy to build and maintain friends but there are so many benefits to having solid friends in your world. Listen in to today’s episode where Lorena and friends (Lulu, Yuni, and Elizabeth) talk about Lorena’s journey and how their friendship helped bring them all closer in the middle of this major challenge.

Episode Two Guests:

• Host: Lorena Junco Margain

• Lulu Archer

• Yuni Steen

• Elizabeth Elias