Practically on Purpose

It’s 2 a.m. and the baby monitor crackles to life.Ugh.

In the stillness of the night, I’m jerked out of sleep into the chaos of early motherhood: feeding, rocking, holding, breathing. Every moment is permeated with exhaustion, yet glows with something deeper; a love so vast it reshapes me.

In this episode of Practically On Purpose, I share an unfiltered reflection on those middle-of-the-night feeds, the shifting tides of identity that accompany motherhood, and the deeper lessons hidden in diapers, naps, and sleepless nights.

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This 30-minute guided meditation is part body scan, part visualization, and part energetic grounding ritual, all inspired by the beautiful physical environment and soundscape of the Hudson Valley.

We’ll cultivate a gentle flow of energy that will help you:

* Release tension from head to toe

* Reconnect with your own power and joy

* Feel calm, centered, and uplifted

If you try this, I’d love to know how you feel after. Please drop me a comment below!

Wishing you radiance and ease,

Allie

Jessica’s life is a masterclass in breadcrumb-following: from MIT → CIA weapons of mass destruction analyst → stand-up comedy → full-time energy healer and Reiki teacher

She shares how debilitating migraines ultimately pointed her toward Reiki, complex PTSD healing, mediumship, and a life guided by intuition. Along the way we talk about attunements that feel like psychedelics, babies who show up as “little stars” before they incarnate, why Reiki is “the jazz of healing,” and how to tell the difference between intuition and fear.

I’ve known Jessica for nearly a decade, and her story still makes my jaw drop. She’s been an inspiration to me as I step into my weirdness. I’m so excited to share her magic with you.

In today’s episode:

1. Jessica’s unconventional path: from the CIA to comedy to Reiki

2. How a health crisis cracked her open to a new way of being

3. What a Reiki session really feels like — and why it’s been called a “sober psychedelic”

4. Developing intuition (even if you were trained to ignore it)

5. The link between trauma, sensitivity, and spiritual gifts

6. Surrender vs. control: the spiritual practice no one warns you about

7. Parenting, purpose, and healing intergenerational pain with humor and grace

8. Why integrating all your parts — even the weird ones — is the real work

Three nuggets I’m still chewing on

1. Critical thinking belongs in the healing room. Woo and logic were never meant to live in separate zip codes.

2. Intuition feels calm, even when the message isn’t. It’s direction and a built-in safety check.

3. Surrender isn’t the same thing as passivity. And loosening the grip often moves us faster than white‑knuckling our way to “results”.

Connect with Jessica

Sessions & trainings: http://www.loveandlightservices.com/

Instagram: @jessicabrodkin

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

02:50 – Opening Blessing & Spiritual Invocation

03:58 – How Jessica and Allison Met

05:30 – Jessica’s Wild Career: CIA, Comedy, Energy Work

07:06 – How Jessica Got Recruited to the CIA

09:14 – WMDs, Iraq War Era & Early Agency Life

11:15 – Physical and Mental Breakdowns at the CIA

13:00 – Discovering Reiki After Debilitating Health Crisis

14:23 – Jessica’s Mystical Family Roots & Alternative Medicine

16:00 – Two Major Life Collapses & Seeing Spirits

18:00 – Misdiagnosis, PTSD & Awakening as a Medium

20:05 – Jessica’s Lifelong Relationship with Comedy

22:00 – Launching Her Stand-Up Career in a Tough Industry

24:00 – Becoming a Healer: From Spirit Messages to Self-Taught Reiki

25:45 – What a Reiki Healing Session Feels Like

28:00 – Sober Psychedelic: Energy Shifts Without Medicine

29:20 – Predicting Allison’s Children in Early Sessions

31:00 – Feeling Future Baby Souls & Energetic Attachments

33:00 – Spirit Guides, Ancestors & Energies That Join Sessions

35:00 – Drumming with Guides & Teaching Reiki Experiences

37:00 – The Power & Disruption of Reiki Attunements

38:15 – Psychedelics, Shadow Work & Letting Go of Control

39:20 – Intuition vs. Fear: How to Tell the Difference

41:00 – Building a Relationship with Your Intuition

43:30 – Developing Intuition Through Play, Nature & Stillness

45:00 – What Jessica Is Still Unlearning & Healing

46:50 – Advice for Seekers on the Path of Meaning & Purpose

48:15 – Accepting Duality: Joy, Darkness & the Monstrosity of the World

50:00 – Spirituality & Critical Thinking: Why We Need Both

51:10 – Where to Find Jessica & Her Current Offerings

52:03 – Roasting Tech Bros at Comedy Shows

52:26 – Closing Gratitude

After making partner in Big Law, Laurice Rutledge Lambert found herself asking, “Is this it?” Laurice joins me for a conversation about leaving behind external markers of success to build a life, and a law firm, Aligned Health Law, grounded in people-first values.

They explore the dark night of the soul that followed her decision to walk away, the spiritual practices that anchored her through fear, and the kind of leader she’s becoming now: one who protects her team, fires clients who cross the line and puts integrity above ego. Along the way, they talk about motherhood, coaching lacrosse, spiritual surrender, and the difference between chasing success and defining it for yourself.

Key Themes:

* Leaving Big Law and reclaiming autonomy

* Building a values-driven business from scratch

* Coaching, motherhood, and leadership as spiritual practice

* Moving from scarcity mindset to abundance

* The quiet power of journaling, surrender, and getting still

Resources Mentioned:

* Wishes Fulfilled by Wayne Dyer

* Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani

* Jessica Joines (spiritual executive coach)

Timestamps

0:00 - Laurice's "Is This It?" Moment After Making Partner

0:39 - Introduction to Practically On Purpose and Allie Canton

0:50 - Introducing Laurice Rutledge Lambert

1:19 - Laurice's Journey from Big Law to Aligned Health Law

3:10 - Redefining Leadership Beyond Traditional Big Law

4:09 - Laurice Describes Her Approach to Leadership and Mentorship

4:57 - Inspiring Others to "Bet on Themselves"

5:44 - The Contrast Between Aligned Health Law and Big Law Culture

6:44 - A Full Circle Moment: From Painful Exit to Supportive Connection

9:55 - The Genesis of Aligned Health Law: Identifying a Market Need

13:30 - Overcoming Fear and Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship

14:48 - The "Dark Night of the Soul" in Entrepreneurship

16:10 - Transformational Practices: Limiting Beliefs and Reconnecting with a Higher Power

18:47 - Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance Mindset

20:00 - Recognizing and Navigating Fear Spirals

21:05 - Embracing Periods of Calm and Presence

22:38 - Stepping into a New Identity as a Leader and Inspirer

25:09 - Practicing Law with Principle: Humility and Gratitude in Action

25:59 - A Real-World Example of Valuing the Team Over Personal Gain

29:59 - Terminating Client Relationships Based on Values

33:57 - Finding Flow and Happiness Beyond Work: Coaching and Family

37:17 - Rapid Reflection: Books, Teachers, and Ideas That Changed Laurice's World

38:18 - What Laurice Used to Think Mattered But Doesn't Anymore

39:09 - Laurice's Guiding Mantra: "I Am Enough"

39:41 - Overcoming Workaholism and Embracing Exhale

40:48 - Advice for Those Questioning Their Path

A few years ago, I skipped a family funeral to attend a client pitch.

I was a third-year associate at a BigLaw firm. Someone said my background was “indispensable” to the meeting. No one blinked when I said I couldn’t go. I told myself it was the right thing—important, even.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about that version of me. And about a new friend who casually mentioned she was going to “phone it in” at work until it was time to make a big leap.

At first, I laughed. Then I realized: her “phoning it in” still looks like doing her job. Well.

In a world that teaches us to overachieve as proof we belong, simply meeting expectations can feel like rebellion.

My latest piece is about ambition, boundaries, and the esteem-shaped holes we try to fill with gold stars.

In this episode, Nneya Richards joins me to talk about what it means to walk away from the “default path” and build a life that may not be “legible” (h/t Paul Millerd) but is deeply aligned, creatively, personally, and spiritually.

Nneya is a writer, speaker, travel expert, and true multi-hyphenate who’s been ahead of the curve for years. From early bylines at Teen Vogue to building a life across New York, London, and now Italy, she shares how she’s crafted a career that doesn’t fit into a neat box—and why that’s her biggest strength. We talk about the unspoken pressures of elite schools, the privilege baked into creative industries, and the courage it takes to live outside the lines. Nneya opens up about motherhood, identity, rest, and the surprising magic of discomfort. This one’s for anyone questioning the script they were handed and wondering what else might be possible.

Thanks to Mutual Benefit for the outro music!

She did everything right. Harvard trained lawyer, federal prosecutor. But inside, Amanda was unraveling. Raised in a tight-knit Arab American immigrant community, she was taught that success meant stability. A job, a title, a marriage. But the path that promised security left her burnt out, disconnected, and questioning everything.

In this deeply personal conversation, Amanda shares how trauma, identity, faith, and cultural expectations shaped her life and how breaking away from it all led her to meditation, spiritual healing, and a return to her roots in Islam. This is a story for anyone who has ever looked around at a “successful” life and thought: Why do I still feel so lost?

In this episode, Allie reads her recent essay "Reclaiming the Golden Rule" about why the Golden Rule isn't child's play but instead is an urgent message for our time.

She also leads a 10 minute guided meditation practice based on the essay to help us cultivate an open heart.

Many thanks to Mutual Benefit for the rad intro/outro music.

What if letting go of the five-year plan is the first step toward actually feeling like yourself?

In this soul-forward conversation, I sit down with Catherine Pao, a former tech exec turned holistic leadership coach who helps high-functioning humans make friends with their intuition.

She’s also the incredible human who supported me last year through some of the most challenging parts of stepping into my next chapter (working title “former lawyer & spiritual weirdo overshares on the internet”).

Together, we wandered through:

* the moment she walked away from startup life and into a fog of uncertainty (and possibility)

* how structure, when it’s not weaponized by your inner overachiever, can actually support your creativity

* why “wintering” isn’t laziness, it’s preparation

* the unexpected creative project that quietly re-lit her business (and her spirit)

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating a transition or craving a life that feels more like them.

Chapters

00:00 Nature's Influence and Personal Reflection

01:58 Career Transitions and Self-Discovery

04:01 Navigating Uncertainty and Trusting the Process

06:52 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Intuition

11:00 Balancing Intuition and Structure

18:51 Embracing Seasons of Life and Transition

28:13 Trusting Yourself in Times of Change

Guest Info:

Catherine Pao is a holistic leadership coach and creativity mentor who helps people integrate their intuitive, creative intelligence with their strategic, intellectual power. She works with ambitious creative spirits, executives, and leaders who desire living life from deeper alignment with their unique soul blueprint.

Her work supports clients in reconnecting with their inner wisdom, unlocking creative flow, feeling a deep sense of thriving and trust in life, and experiencing life as effortlessly abundant—both in their work and within themselves.

Catherine has coached founders, leaders, and teams at Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Nextdoor, GitHub, Rippling, and numerous startups through executive coaching, group programs, and leadership development trainings.

Formerly, Catherine led digital marketing and growth product teams at Blue Apron, DigitalOcean, Fab.com, and Microsoft. She holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering and Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, is a certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC), and a 300-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT-300).

Her current creative delights include: crafting collage mandalas, curating immersive Spotify playlists, dancing 5Rhythms, and exploring the ASTAR creative process.

Learn more at www.catherinepao.com or follow her on Instagram @catherinepao.

Music thanks to Mutual Benefit!

An essay on learning to honor intuition.