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In this episode, I speak with Sara Rian, a poet, licensed therapist, sex therapist, and mother, about the deeply personal ways grief and loss have shaped her life, her relationship with motherhood, and her creative journey. Sara shares how losing her mother to suicide in 2018 transformed her poetry and became a way to process trauma, honor her grief, and maintain a connection with someone she loved. She also reflects on the profound impact of losing her oldest son and how these experiences have shaped her understanding of love, loss, and what it means to keep moving through life while carrying grief.
Sara opens up about the vulnerability of writing through grief, why she eventually chose to remove her first two books from publication, and how poetry has become a way to honor the people she has lost. We explore how grief can remain part of our lives rather than simply diminish with time, why there is no single right way to experience loss, and how allowing ourselves to feel deeply can create space for healing and self-discovery. Sara also shares how her experiences have challenged cultural expectations around grief and the pressure to move on or return to normal.
We delve into how loss intersects with motherhood, including Sara’s reflections on becoming a mother after losing her own mother, the generational patterns she wanted to understand before having children, and the ways grief can resurface through major life transitions. Sara shares how she continues her relationship with her mother through poetry, family rituals, and conversations with her daughters about the grandmother they never met. Our conversation explores the complexity of loving and grieving, the importance of mothering ourselves, and how we can honor those we have lost while creating new experiences and relationships for ourselves and the generations that follow.
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Don't miss Sara's moving perspective on honoring grief, continuing our relationships with those we've lost, and rewriting the inherited beliefs that shape how we love, mother, and heal!
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In this episode, I speak with Sara Daves, founder of the Sigma Femme Society and creator of Relational Field Intelligence and the Sovereignty Framework, about the inherited patterns, emotional conditioning, and family dynamics that shape who we become and the choices we make. Sara shares the deeply personal experience of losing her son and how that loss became a catalyst for reexamining purpose, freedom, and what it means to live a life aligned with who we truly are.
Sara explores the distinction between purpose as something we do and purpose as who we are, sharing how she came to define her own purpose and translate it into missions that serve a larger vision. We also delve into conflict resolution, unity consciousness, and the importance of making choices that align with our values. Sara shares how her work has evolved through purpose coaching, feminine embodiment, and Family Constellations, ultimately leading her to develop a deeper understanding of how we are constantly influencing one another within the relational field.
We explore the unconscious loyalties and family patterns that can keep us from experiencing true sovereignty, including the mother wound, caretaking, achievement, and the adaptations women develop in response to their environments. Sara introduces the alpha and beta archetypes as different adaptations and discusses the importance of integrating rather than over-identifying with either one. Together, we look at sovereignty not simply as the freedom to do whatever we want, but as the ability to make conscious choices, take responsibility for our impact, and remain aligned with our values even when it is difficult.
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Don't miss Sara's inspiring perspective on purpose, sovereignty, family patterns, and the possibility of bringing what we inherit into conscious awareness so we can choose what continues with us!
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In this episode, I speak with Deborah Stanley, founder of Deva Pathways, about her deeply personal journey of reconnecting with the womb, feminine wisdom, and the cyclical nature of women’s lives. Deborah shares how years of spiritual exploration, travel, motherhood, living off-grid, and eventually moving through perimenopause led her toward a deeper understanding of the womb as a source of embodied wisdom and feminine power.
Deborah opens up about the ways women can become disconnected from their bodies through cultural conditioning, shame, and inherited patterns. We explore the different archetypes and energetic qualities she associates with the womb, the relationship between the menstrual cycle and the seasons, and the importance of recognizing ourselves as cyclical beings. Deborah also shares how tracing the stories and experiences of mothers, grandmothers, and previous generations can illuminate patterns that continue to shape our lives.
We delve into motherhood, birth, attachment, intuition, and the pressure to find the “right” way to mother. Deborah reflects on raising her children in an off-grid woodland community, the importance of having a village around mothers, and the freedom that comes from giving ourselves permission to get things wrong. Together, we explore how reconnecting with our womb wisdom can help women trust their intuition, reclaim forgotten rites of passage, and create new patterns for the generations that follow.
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Don't miss Deborah’s powerful perspective on reconnecting with the womb, reclaiming feminine wisdom, and trusting the intuitive knowledge that has always been within us!
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In this episode, I speak with Dr. Aumatma Simmons, founder of the Holistic Fertility Institute, about the deeply personal and professional journey that led her to a holistic approach to fertility. Aumatma shares how her early exposure to meditation and spirituality shaped her understanding of health, eventually leading her away from a traditional pre-med path and toward naturopathic medicine and the integration of mind, body, and spirit.
Aumatma opens up about how her own relationship, intuition, and desire to become a mother became the catalyst for her fertility work. Her personal questions led her to challenge some of the messages women receive about fertility and to explore the ways physiology, emotional experiences, trauma, beliefs, and intuition can intersect throughout the fertility journey. She shares how working with clients revealed patterns that helped shape her approach and why she believes fertility care can involve much more than simply pursuing a positive pregnancy test.
We delve into the cultural messages women receive about their bodies and fertility, including the expectation that conception should happen easily and the tendency to place the responsibility for fertility challenges primarily on women. Aumatma discusses the emotional impact of repeated disappointment, the importance of addressing trauma and belief systems, and the process of creating new messages for the body. We also explore how the idea of fertility can extend beyond conception, into leadership, creativity, business, and everything we seek to bring into the world.
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Don't miss Aumatma's inspiring perspective on fertility as a journey of self-discovery, healing, and creating fertile ground for what we want to bring into the world!
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In this episode, I reflect on a recent weekend spent with my daughter Morgan, her close friends, and their spouses at our home in Ireland to celebrate her 30th birthday. What began as a birthday gathering unexpectedly became a mini retreat for me, bringing together women and couples standing at very different thresholds of motherhood, partnership, and family life.
Watching a young mother care for her nine-and-a-half-month-old brought me face-to-face with memories of my own motherhood — including the parts I had forgotten, the overwhelm I remembered, and the old questions about whether I had been enough. As I witnessed her navigating the daily realities of new motherhood, I realized how easily we can see the beauty, thoughtfulness, love, and care in another mother while being unable to recognize those same qualities in ourselves.
We explore the power of witnessing rather than fixing, correcting, or offering advice. As I prepare to become a grandmother, I share how this experience helped me imagine a different role — one rooted not in expertise, but in seeing the mother and reflecting back what she may not yet be able to see for herself. In doing so, I also discovered an opportunity to offer that same compassion to the younger mother I once was.
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Don't miss this deeply personal reflection on motherhood, grandmotherhood, self-compassion, and the transformative power of truly witnessing one another!
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Follow Dr. GertrudeIn this episode, I speak with Jennifer Marcou, international leadership coach, author, mother of three, and former Microsoft and American Express executive, about what it means to lead with confidence without changing who you are. Jennifer shares her journey from a career in corporate leadership to coaching introverts and ultimately writing her first book, Lead with Quiet Confidence.
Jennifer and I explore the often-misunderstood experience of introversion and the ways that workplace culture can favor extroverted behaviors. We talk about how introverts can learn new behaviors without becoming someone they are not, and how small, intentional actions can build confidence over time.
We also connect these ideas to motherhood, exploring the pressure women experience to follow inherited expectations about how they “should” mother. Jennifer shares how trusting your own wisdom, quieting the critical voices, and becoming clear about your own values can help you make decisions that feel authentic to you.
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Don't miss Jennifer's inspiring perspective on embracing introversion, trusting your own wisdom, and building confidence without becoming someone you're not!
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Learn more about Jennifer MarcouIn this episode, I’m joined by Laurette Rondenet, CEO of Edlong, host of Owning Your Legacy, and a mother of five, for a deeply moving conversation about what it truly means to lead with authenticity. Laurette shares the remarkable journey of becoming the unexpected leader of her family’s business and how embracing both strength and vulnerability transformed the company’s culture.
Together, we explore the unique challenges of balancing motherhood with executive leadership, navigating grief while raising young children, and making the heartbreaking decisions that sometimes accompany leading with integrity. Laurette reflects on the lessons she inherited from both of her parents, revealing how freedom, trust, and values became the foundation of her own leadership philosophy.
We also dive into the concept of authentic belonging, creating environments where people feel genuinely seen, heard, and empowered. This conversation is a beautiful reminder that our greatest legacy isn’t what we build, but how we make others feel along the way.
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Learn more about Laurette RondenetIn this episode, I speak with Bose Giwa, intuitive guide and founder of The Soul Unlocked, about the lifelong journey of reconnecting with our inner knowing and learning to trust ourselves through life’s greatest transitions. From an early age, Bose sensed an intuitive wisdom that guided her decisions, yet it took years of questioning, grief, and profound personal transformation to fully embrace it as her life’s work.
Bose shares the beautiful story of our serendipitous meeting at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference before taking us through her remarkable path, from growing up in a loving Nigerian family and challenging cultural expectations to discovering that her greatest teacher was never a guru, but her own intuition. Her reflections invite us to become curious about the stories we inherit and the beliefs we choose to keep.
We also explore the devastating losses of her father, close friend, and brother, and how grief became the catalyst for awakening a deeper connection to spirit and purpose. Rather than offering answers, Bose reminds us that healing begins when we stop searching outside ourselves and remember the wisdom that has always lived within.
You’ll also hear about:Don’t miss Bosé’s inspiring perspective on remembering your own inner wisdom and discovering that the greatest guide you will ever have is yourself.
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In this episode, I speak with Suzi Lula, psychotherapist, transformational coach, and author of The Motherhood Evolution: How Thriving Mothers Raise Thriving Children, about the profound inner journey of motherhood and what it truly means for mothers to thrive. Drawing from decades of guiding women through personal transformation, Suzi shares how one simple comment from her young son became the catalyst for completely redefining her experience of motherhood.
Our conversation explores the cultural expectations placed on mothers, the importance of prioritizing our own well-being, and why thriving ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can offer our children. Suzi explains how healing perfectionism, embracing self-compassion, and reconnecting with our authentic selves creates healthier families and more fulfilling lives.
We also discuss the courage it takes to rewrite inherited patterns, navigate guilt, and choose presence over perfection. Suzi offers practical wisdom for mothers who long to experience greater joy, purpose, and freedom while raising emotionally healthy children.
You’ll also hear about:
(01:25) Suzi's journey into transformational work and the inspiration behind The Motherhood Evolution
(06:18) The moment her young son changed the way she viewed motherhood
(12:06) Why thriving mothers raise thriving children
(19:48) Healing perfectionism and releasing unrealistic expectations
(28:37) Rewriting inherited beliefs about motherhood and self-worth
(36:42) Cultivating self-compassion, presence, and emotional resilience
(45:10) Practical ways to nurture yourself while caring for your family
(52:30) Embracing motherhood as a path of personal and spiritual evolution
Don't miss Suzi's inspiring perspective on how transforming ourselves allows us to transform the generations that follow.
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In this solo episode, I invite you into a deeply personal reflection on my recent journey to Malta and Gozo, where attending a transformational retreat became an unexpected invitation to reconnect with the sacred feminine in entirely new ways. As I share stories from this experience, we explore how travel, place, and ancient wisdom can awaken parts of ourselves that have long been waiting to be remembered.
I reflect on the powerful symbolism woven throughout Malta's rich spiritual history, from its prehistoric temples to its enduring devotion to the Divine Mother. Together, we examine what it means to move beyond inherited beliefs and rediscover the Mother Code through presence, curiosity, and embodied experience.
This conversation is an invitation to trust the unfolding of your own journey, allowing places, people, and life experiences to become teachers. As I unpack the insights from this retreat, I hope you'll discover your own opportunities to reconnect with intuition, feminine wisdom, and the deeper currents guiding your life.
You’ll also hear about:
(02:08) Why attending a retreat in Malta shifted my perspective
(06:41) Discovering the hidden spiritual history of Gozo and Malta
(11:32) The connection between ancient temples and the Divine Feminine
(17:46) Releasing inherited beliefs and embracing curiosity
(24:18) What the Mother Code revealed through travel and pilgrimage
(31:06) The importance of slowing down and listening for inner wisdom
(37:14) Integrating retreat experiences into everyday life
(42:09) Continuing the journey of rewriting our relationship with the sacred feminine
Don't miss this heartfelt reflection on how one journey became a powerful reminder that the Mother Code is always inviting us home to ourselves.
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