"In times marked by turmoil and uncertainty, honeybees offer a powerful example of how to turn toward each other, to deeply commit to creating conditions for survival of all beings, and to build a future where all can thrive." —Michelle C. Johnson & Amy Burtaine

Bees are life-giving. They are vital pollinators that support our food supply, and they are also teachers with healing and wisdom to share. 

In this episode, host Tracee Stanley sits down with coauthors of Wisdom of the Hive: What Honeybees Can Teach Us about Collective Wellbeing, Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine, bee-lovers and bee-tenders, activists, and individuals deeply committed to healing work that supports bringing individuals, the collective, and our entire ecosystem back into balance. 

They discuss being drawn into the mysterious and sacred world of the bees, connecting with the bees and cultivating a non-extractive relationship, the deep lessons from the bees, and so much more. 

Order your copy of Wisdom of the Hive here: https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive 

 

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She teaches workshops and leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide. She is the author of Skill in Action, Finding Refuge, We Heal Together, and more.

Connect with Michelle: https://www.michellecjohnson.com/

Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. Her trainings for meaningful social change include work with Google, the DNC, and the ACLU. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the co-author of The Facilitator's Guide for White Affinity Groups.

Connect with Amy: https://www.amyburtaine.com/ 

 

Connect with host Tracee Stanley:

2026 Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Tracee Stanley & Dr. Chanti Tacoronte-Perez—the interest list is now open!  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/empowered-wisdom-yoga-nidra-teacher-training-interest-list/ 

Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!):  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/ 

Website: https://www.traceestanley.com

Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley 

Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 

The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast

 

 

 

“All of the lineages of yoga nidra are pretty magical. It’s so important to have different perspectives and to allow permission for each of us to be creative and to be open in recognition of who we are.” —John Vosler

In this episode of Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley welcomes her longtime friend John Vosler, who leads Yoga Nidra Certification programs and holds multiple certifications in various healing modalities. Their inspirational exchange dives into the power of yoga nidra as well as: 

• How John (accidentally) first experienced the practice of yoga nidra

• The yoga nidra teachers and lineages that invited him onto the path to learn more

• The question that Tracee gets the most in her level 2 yoga nidra teacher trainings

• Responsibilities of yoga nidra facilitators  

• How yoga’s teachings—including pairs of opposites, Sutra 2:48 (the loosening of all effort), samskaras, and kleshas—intersect with yoga nidra

• Yoga nidra as a tool to help us balance our nervous system and remember who we are

• Much more!

About John Vosler: John Vosler is dedicated to guiding others back to the truth of who they are—the unchanging, unshakable presence beneath all thoughts, emotions, and experiences. With over 25 years of experience as an energetic bodyworker, meditation teacher, and facilitator of Yoga Nidra, John has helped thousands of clients reconnect with their innate wholeness and inner healer. His work bridges ancient wisdom and modern science, demonstrating how sensations in the body, the flow of emotions, and thought patterns are deeply interconnected. Through meditation, movement, holistic bodywork, and Conscious Coaching, John’s Los Angeles-based practice—and his retreats worldwide—offer profound opportunities to rest deeply, release old conditioning, and live from a place of clarity and love. Known for his intuitive presence, heartfelt compassion, and a sense of humor that keeps things real, John creates safe and transformative spaces where people can honestly remember: nothing is broken, and nothing needs fixing.

Connect with John at JohnVosler.com and check out his upcoming retreats:

A Yoga Nidra Retreat: Rest, Restore, and Remember Yourself at Omega Institute on August 17-22 https://www.johnvosler.com/omega-retreat-august-2025 

I AM Yoga Nidra™ Certification Retreat with John Vosler and Kamini Desai at at Omega Institute on September 19-28 http://johnvosler.com/omega-retreat-sept-2025 Deep Dive into the True Essence of Self Retreat at the Imiloa Institute in Costa Rica on April 21-26, 2026 https://www.johnvosler.com/2026-costa-rica-retreat 

Connect with Tracee:

2026 Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Tracee Stanley & Dr. Chanti Tacoronte-Perez—the interest list is now open!  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/empowered-wisdom-yoga-nidra-teacher-training-interest-list/ 

Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!):  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/ 

Website: https://www.traceestanley.com

Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley 

Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 

The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast

“Tea ceremony is about creating space to connect with the experience of being alive.” —Colin Hudon, founder of Living Tea

 

In this conversation, Tracee Stanley, teacher and author of The Luminous Self and Radiant Rest, is joined by Colin Hudon, founder of the Telluride-based business Living Tea, to discuss: 

• The benefits of tea ritual
• The difference between a “living” tea and the tea bags you find at the market
• Tea as a medicine and longevity herb for its effects on physiology as well as its ability to calm the mind, open the heart, move stagnant energy
• 5 approaches to preparing and serving tea
• How to start a daily tea ritual practice

 

Want to explore tea ceremony, yoga nidra, and meditation with Colin and Tracee in the breathtaking mountains and deep forests of Telluride? Join them for a transformative 4-day retreat on May 22-26, 2025. Learn more the retreat at https://www.livingtea.net/pages/retreats

Learn more about Living Tea at livingtea.net

Connect with Tracee:

Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!): https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/ 

Website: https://www.traceestanley.com

Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley 

Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 

The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast

We’ve been separated from the profound wisdom and kinship in the natural world... it’s just waiting to be remembered. In the latest episode of Radiant Rest, host Tracee Stanley welcomes Crystal Marie Higgins—a lineaged Initiated High Priestess in Celtic traditions, an Initiated Witch, as well as a yoga teacher, a folk herbalist and an ethical marketer—to dive into the ways we can rekindle our relationship with the green realm. 

They discuss:

• How to attune to the cycle and rhythms of life

• Crystal’s path of studying Celtic wisdom, earth and plant wisdom, and becoming initiated witch

• The wisdom of plant and herbal allies, and how to deepen our relationship with them

• 3 guiding principles to know before harvesting a plant

• Much more!

 

If you’d like to deepen your relationship with plants, Crystal is hosting a yearlong online course, Journey with 13 Herbal Allies, which starts on May 2. (Register by March 31 for Early Bird pricing and a free gift!) 

Learn more here: https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/journey-with-herbal-allies-crystal-marie-higgins/

 

Connect with Crystal

Explore Crystal's herbal offerings and upcoming plant walks at crystalmariehiggins.com

Learn more about Crystal's boutique Seasonal Herbal Box at seasonalherbalbox.com

Follow her on Instagram at @crystalmariehiggins

   

Connect with Tracee

Order Tracee's books:

— Radiant Rest: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest

— The Luminous Self: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self

Website: traceestanley.comSign up for Tracee's newsletter https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Follow Tracee on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tracee_stanley

Rest is not only restorative—it connects you to your inner wisdom and is a portal to revelation. That's the theme of a new book, Rest Is Sacred: Reclaiming Our Brilliance Through the Practice of Stillness, by Octavia Raheem, who joins Tracee Stanley, author of Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self, for a conversation about rest as a deep spiritual practice. In this conversation, they discuss:

• What inspired Octavia to write Rest Is Sacred
• Powerful lessons around distraction
• Rest as a form of protection and nourishment
• How rest connects us to our dreaming selves
• Much more!

Order Octavia's book, Rest Is Sacredhttps://www.restissacred.com

Join Octavia's next Mastermind, Devoted to Rest® https://www.octaviaraheem.com/devoted-to-rest

 

Mentioned in this episode: Dr. Gail Parker http://www.drgailparker.com "That which you seek is seeking you." —Hafiz "There is nothing new under the sun. There are new suns." —Octavia E Butler

About our guest Octavia Raheem is a wife, mother, author of three books, Pause, Rest, Be (award winning), Gather, and Rest Is Sacred. She is a rest/restorative coach, yoga + meditation educator, and former wellness studio owner. She is the creator of Devoted to Rest™, a transformational rest focused experience for visionary women leaders making a high impact in their fields. Within her rest and work she threads time tested practices, depth skill and knowledge about what supports rest and what doesn’t, wisdom rooted in Black American Southern traditions, and intuition into a blanket of experience under which individuals can gather and rebuke stress, fatigue, and burnout. Her offerings lead driven, inspiring, creative, and purpose centered individuals and companies to awaken the fullness of their potential and power through rest.

Connect with Tracee

Order Tracee's books:

— Radiant Rest: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest

— The Luminous Self: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self

Website: traceestanley.comSign up for Tracee's newsletter https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Follow Tracee on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tracee_stanley

 

What determines the path of discovering our true Self? Sometimes it begins with realizing who we are not… 

In this conversation, host Tracee Stanley and Caverly Morgan, spiritual teacher, non-profit founder, speaker, and author of The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together as well as A Kids Book About Mindfulness, dive into the increasingly vital call of these times to remember who we really are, not only for ourselves but also for the collective. 

This rich discussion covers:

• Caverly’s experience as a monastic practitioner

• How our approach to practice can reinforce our karmic knots

• Bringing practice into our lives vs. bringing our life into practice 

• Snapping out of our culture’s illusion of grasping for “one more thing” when wholeness is something you can only experience, not consume

• Experiencing timeless reality

• Recommends practices for these heartbreaking times

• Wisdom found in Caverly’s book as well as Tracee’s book, The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to Remember Who You Are

• The power of healing in community

• Much more!

 

Connect with Caverly and her books:

The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together

A Kids Book About Mindfulness

Tracee's books:

• The Luminous Self
• Radiant Rest

 

Visit TraceeStanley.com to find out more and join her newsletter to discover more events and retreats that center rest, creativity, and earth-centered practices.

 

About our guest

Caverly Morgan is a spiritual teacher, non-profit founder, speaker and writer who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach. She is the author of The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together as well as A Kids Book About Mindfulness. Caverly is the founder of Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that created the nation’s first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. Her practice began in 1995 and has included eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She has been teaching contemplative practice since 2001. Caverly leads meditation retreats, workshops and online classes internationally. Learn more at caverlymorgan.org.

Dreams are messengers of insights, prophecies, and creative inspirations, a doorway to discovering more about what lies in the depths of our being. Paying attention to our dreaming life is a way of weaving practice into a full cycle of a day and honoring the states of consciousness that we usually dismiss as not real or unimportant. They are also a way to help us heal.

In this episode of Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley hosts a fascinating conversation with Athena Laz, an intuitive, dream teacher, psychologist & author of The Alchemy of Your Dreams and The Deliberate Dreamers Journal, about dreaming as a powerful pathway to healing. They discuss:

• The story of how Athena discovered the world of dreams and the power they behold

• Different types of dreaming, including lucid, cognitive, and prophetic dreaming

• How to work with dreams and the symbols that arise in them

• What happens when we don’t pay attention to what our dreams are trying to tell us

• The difference between lucid dreaming and astral projection

• The lucid dream that revealed to Tracee where, exactly, she would eventually move to

• Much more, including a visualization practice to connect with the dreaming world

 

Resources

Learn more about Athena

Athena's books:

• The Alchemy of Your Dreams: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Lucid Dreaming and Interpretation
• The Deliberate Dreamer’s Journal

Robert Monroe, a researcher of alternate states of consciousness

Tracee's books:

• The Luminous Self
• Radiant Rest

 

Visit TraceeStanley.com to find out more and join her newsletter to discover more events and retreats that center rest, creativity, and earth-centered practices.

 

About our guest

Athena Laz is a bestselling author and expert in the field of dreams, spirituality, and psychic intuition. Her bestselling books, The Alchemy of Your Dreams: A Modern Guide to Lucid Dreaming & Interpretation, and The Deliberate Dreamer’s Journal are out now and have been translated into more than 13 languages worldwide. She has a new book and oracle deck coming out with Hay House in 2025.  You can discover her work at www.athenalaz.com, and find her on social media: @athena_Laz.

 

Separation from nature is causing illness not only to ourselves but all beings and systems on the planet—yet our relationship with earth holds the potential for the healing we need, says Jeanine Canty, PhD, author of Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet and teacher of ecopsychology. In this episode, Jeanine joins host Tracee Stanley to share wisdom and tools from ecopsychology to expand our hearts and consciousness and bring about collective repair. 

They discuss: 

• The definition and origin of ecopsychology, and how it differs from western psychology

• Collective narcissism, and how it’s fueling a crisis

• Pathways to healing through an awareness of our reciprocity with all beings

• Tools and practices to disrupt the false self and shift into the ecological self 

• Much more!

 

Resources:

Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet by Jeanine Canty, PhD

 

About our guest:

Jeanine M. Canty, PhD, is a professor of transformative studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, telecommuting from Boulder, CO. Formerly the chair of environmental studies at Naropa University, she continues to teach at Naropa and at Pacifica Graduate Institute’s ecopsychology certificate program. A lover of nature, justice, and contemplative practice, her teaching intersects issues of social and ecological justice, ecopsychology, and the process of worldview expansion and change. She is both editor and contributor to the books Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women’s Voices and Globalism and Localization: Emergent Approaches to Ecological and Social Crises. Her newest book is Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet (Shambhala Publications, 2022). Other selected works have been featured in A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and The Work of Our Time, The Wiley Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology, The Body and Oppression: Its Roots, its Voices, and its Resolutions, Shadows and Light: Principles, Practices, Pedagogy, and Multicultural Perspectives of Contemporary Transpersonal Counseling. She is a certified meditation instructor as well as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR).

What are the lessons you’re tired of learning? In yoga philosophy, the kleshas are patterns that create suffering, and exploring them can help us find peace and ease in our personal lives and within the collective. In this conversation, Tracee Stanley is joined by author, activist, spiritual teacher and practitioner, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer Michelle Cassandra Johnson, whose new book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal & Collective Healing is a guide for turning towards—instead of away from—our suffering, not only to better understand why we suffer but also to also open up pathways to freedom. 

Tune in as Tracee and Michelle discuss:

• Why we resist suffering and how yogic tools and practices can help us overcome our samskaras (patterns)

• How avidya (ignorance) fuels our feelings of separation—especially from nature—and is at the root of suffering 

• The prevailing wisdom of honey bees 

• Why spiritual bypassing leads to more suffering

• Surprising lessons Michelle learned while writing her book

• Much more! 

Michelle’s new book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal & Collective Healing, is available now wherever books are sold! Learn more here.

Connect with Michelle and explore her books, offerings, and events at michellecjohnson.com

How does life shift when we give ourselves permission to slow down? In this episode, host Tracee Stanley and Rosie Acosta, author of You Are Radically Loved: A Healing Journey to Self-Love, dive into the ways we can savor the little moments and find peace in the practice of slowing down—even when we’re in a season where it feels like everyone is speeding up.  

They discuss: 

• Why it’s important to intentionally slow down into presence

• Sacred boundaries and the practice of “compassionate no”

• Examining our tendency to fill our schedules 

• Why we live in an optimization culture

• Much more!

Connect with Rosie at radicallyloved.com and instagram.com/rosieacosta

Tune in to her podcast, You Are Radically Loved, here

More about Rosie Acosta, in her own words: 

I’m an Author, Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher. I am a first generation Mexican-American, grew up in the early 90’s in East LA during the “Decade of Death.” We are talking drive-by shootings, gang violence, everything one would need to grow up with PTSD. I’ve been on a 20-year journey through yoga and mindfulness, that completely changed my life. I've been teaching for over fifteen years. From my East Los Angeles roots to working with Olympic athletes, NFL champions, NBA All-Stars, and veterans of war, my mission is to help people overcome adversity and embrace self-love. Currently teaching on the #1 Meditation App, Headspace.