In this episode, Darshana is joined by Monique Castro, a licensed marriage and family therapist of Navajo and Mexican descent, and the founder and CEO of Indigenous Circle of Wellness. Together, they explore Indigenous worldviews of healing, kinship, matriarchy, and belonging, and what it means to return to relational ways of living in a culture shaped by individualism and disconnection.

This conversation moves through lived experience, lineage, culture, and professional practice, offering a grounded and expansive look at healing as something that happens in relationship, across generations, and in connection with land.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it means to return to Indigenous ways of healing
• Kinship as a worldview rooted in interconnection with people, land, and more-than-human beings
• Collectivist approaches to wellness versus Western individualism
• Growing up in a matriarchal and matrilineal Navajo household
• Wisdom as leadership rather than domination or control
• How matriarchy shapes decision-making, family structure, and community care
• Two-Spirit identity as sacred within Indigenous traditions
• The role of Two-Spirit elders in family and community life
• Gender beyond binary frameworks
• College, dating, and leadership culture shock for women raised in matriarchal homes
• The impact of colonization, relocation, and church systems on Indigenous identity
• Reconnecting to spirituality outside of religious harm
• Healing as remembrance rather than fixing
• Creating belonging and chosen family
• Land as a living source of wisdom and reconnection

About Monique:

Monique Castro, LMFT (Navajo/Mexican) is the Founder & CEO of Indigenous Circle of Wellness, a thriving multi-site private psychotherapy and wellness practice serving communities across Southern California and virtually statewide. Rooted in culture and community, Indigenous Circle of Wellness centers the healing of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color through therapy, wellness circles, and leadership development.

Connect with Monique:

• Website: https://www.icowellness.com/
• Instagram: @indigenouscircleofwellness | @moniquecastro.coach

Connect with Darshana:

Darshana has supported thousands of people across the world to claim their Erotic Wholeness. Whether you begin with a self paced journey taken from the comfort of your own home or work with her directly for the transformational experience of a lifetime, your path to the pleasure, power and purpose you’re truly made for is just a step away!

Learn more:

• DarshanaAvila.com/offerings

• DarshanaAvila.com/community

• YouTube.com/@darshana_avila