Self Care Spotlight

For the final installment of Season 5’s theme, relationships as self care, we’re talking adult friendships with The Joy List founder and author of Unlonely Planet, Jillian Richardson. During a global pandemic where seeing your friends isn’t an option, this conversation felt ironic and yet timely. Jillian told Alyssa she doesn’t really see herself as a friendship expert, but more like a communication expert, but isn’t that what we’re really talking about with mature friendships? From how friendship is like dating to how to communicate hurt feelings, Jillian provides beautiful, tangible communication techniques and wisdom. Because in a world where loneliness is just as detrimental as smoking (Jillian' drops stats), having these kinds of conversations is imperative to us finding conscious friendships to have these kinds of conversations with. This was one of the most anticipated topics of this season, and it doesn’t disappoint!
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Show Notes including books and trainings mentioned: alyssakuzins.com/self-care-spotlight/the-joy-list

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To some, embodiment, pleasure and sexuality might seem like frivolous topics during the global pandemic of Corona virus, but Alyssa and guest, Andrea, sacred sexuality and feminine embodiment coach, wholly disagree and share why. In today’s episode, we discuss the importance of a devoted self-pleasure practice (and how it evolves), tuning into when you’re ready to be entered (by yourself or another) and how to let your partner know, de-armouring the cervix, crystal wands and yoni eggs, and the voice-yoni connection. If any of this sounds new or even scary, rest assured that Andrea and I break it down in this sisterly conversation that will have you ready to embrace your feminine essence and pleasure in the most delicious way! Andrea even graces us with her Vocal Alchemy to seal all this juiciness!
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Show notes for this episode including Andrea's group program, The Vessel- click here

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What does it mean to be a “man?” Why should women care about understanding men’s sexuality? Sacred sexuality coach and healer Matthew Ayriss, offers up an analysis to the confusing situation modern men find themselves in. On one hand they’re raised to “man up” and on the other end, they reject this toxic masculinity at the expense of embodying healthy masculinity. He explains in depth how the lack of support in men’s sexuality work and emotional mastery impacts boys and therefore our relationship with men. And what about women being “too much” for men to handle? He zones in on how the Masculine can uniquely hold space for the Feminine’s dynamic range.Chalk full of tangible tips and real-life examples, this episode is bound to serve you, especially if you identify as a man or are in relationship with men

Show notes at alyssakuzins.com/episode90

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If I said the secret free diet, I wouldn’t be talking about food; I would be talking about a secret free love partnership. Season 5 is all about relationships as self care, so what about the ultimate committed relationship? Marriage. February’s guest is Ted Talk speaker and NYC’s top marriage + relationship coach, Laurie Gerber. I asked questions like, why are less young people getting married? How has marriage changed? Where does she see it going? Are people inherently good? Why do we lie? And how do you have the hard conversations, especially when they’re deal breakers? We have all lied and we have all been lied to. This is a fascinating episode about using radical honesty to have the most fulfilling love partnerships that align with your values, not expectations.
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Show notes include:

• Laurie' Ted Talk "Secret Free Diet"
• Your $75 off coupon code + link to Inner U course
• The Art of Honesty pdf outline to having hard conversations

Please head to thejournaldeck.com/episode89

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Got 2 minutes? Share your biggest takeaway or why you love listening to the show, and I'll put you in the self care spotlight! Leave me a voicemail at 412-218-1229. xx 

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Season 5 is all about relationships as self care. The intention? To strengthen and understand our most important relationships, starting with you and your inner child. Because self care might have the word “self” in there, but we all know that how we interact with others, has everything to do with our own self worth, joy and what we bring with us from our childhoods. Whether you had a wonderful or not so wonderful upbringing, our childhoods shape our lives deeply and we all have hurts. Alyssa Mancao, a psychotherapist with a specialty in EMDR and the inner child, sat down with me to discuss the value in working with your inner child, destigmatizing therapy, the current trend of therapy, validating your unique childhood wounds, and she offers up a beautiful exercise to speak to your inner child. This episode had me thinking about my own upbringing, and it’s clear to me where I still have work to do to step fully into my power. It starts with you. Let’s journey back.
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SHOWNOTES: thejournaldeck.com/episode-88 

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SEASON 4 FINALE-- Wrapping up a season of inner healing, for the first time ever, Alyssa brought on a friend. Not an expert, an author or a coach, Jennifer Watt is simply a real woman doing the work. If Alyssa could pinpoint one person in her life who has done the work to heal trauma and personal wounds, it would be her dear friend and retreat assistant, Jen. Having been in therapy since she was 18, Jen, now 33, felt honored to share her healing journey and openly shares about foster care, finding out she was adopted, being raped, body image, mother wounds and contemplating suicide (trigger warning). Keeping it raw yet light, the ladies share a laugh about what she really thought while attending her first retreat led by Alyssa. Now in a place where she feels more beautiful and alive than ever, Jen shares the healing tools that helped her get here, in the hopes that her story will reach someone who needs to hear it. You might cry or laugh as these two soul sisters have a real talk conversation about what it means to do the work on the path of healing through the femme.
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Show notes: thejournaldeck.com/episode87

Jen answered a prompt from the Goddess Edition Journal Deck- shop here.

Alyssa referred to episode #35 Winter's Gift of Darkness & Holiday Blues- listen here.

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Soft. Soften. Softening. You hear your yoga teacher use this language, and when you start talking about Feminine energetic qualities, you will undoubtedly start hearing about it too. But what is it? How do we get there in a hyper masculine culture that makes our soft edges feel rigid? And what about the notion of being soft AND fierce? Admittedly, it can feel quite esoteric, and after a client jokingly said to her, "Wtf is soft?" Alyssa realized that so many of us are struggling with this concept of soft that feels unreachable and unsustainable. Alyssa breaks down her interpretation of soft from the lens of resistance and leaves you with a question you can ask yourself at any time to come into softening. She also offers up two hands-on suggestions and concludes with softness in the context of romantic relationships.
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SHOWNOTES: thejournaldeck.com/episode86

DEALS: The Journal Deck Black Friday Sale coming soon! Be sure to follow us @thejournaldeck or join our mailing list HERE so you don't miss out on our BIGGEST sale of the year- Woo!

YOUR VOICE MATTERS: Did this help you think of soft in a different way? Share your favorite thought from an episode, leave a question, or some love by dialing 412-218-1229 to reach our Google voicemail box. Alyssa listens to them personally. 

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What is it about some people that makes them feel magnetic? Why do some people comes across as so alive, while others are struggling to get by and constantly exhausted? According to meditation and mind expert, Rajshree Patel, it’s about Vital Force, i.e. life force energy. This book has changed the game for me; it has impacted how I go about my self care practices and how I teach. It all comes down to Energy Intelligence. We’ll talk about Rajshree’s former life as an LA prosecutor to how she is now one of the founding teachers of the world-renowned Art of Living Retreat Centers. Today’s topics include: what is Vital Force and how to cultivate it, Shiva and Shakti, Big Mind vs. head space, why mindfulness meditation may not be for you, the art of no focus attention, and conscious journaling. She even offers up her favorite breath work exercise and has a free bonus course offering to walk you through the book’s teachings on a deeper level. 

And guess what? You can now give me a call with the Self Care Spotlight Google Voice Line!! Tell me your favorite thought, leave a questions, or comments by dialing 412-218-1229 to reach our voicemail box.

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Show notes including The Power of Vital Force book and free book bonus course at:
thejournaldeck.com/episode85
-bonus course only available through October 1, 2019

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Welcome to the Fall 2019 season! This season, we're focusing on healing, and we begin with trauma. That might seem like a heavy topic for starting a season, but just like the leaves, fall is a season to let go. We face the dark to go towards the light. And speaking of trauma, we have all experienced it. Trauma is defined by something feeling unexpected, unprepared, and felt out of your control. But despite the fact that many of us deal with trauma and live in chronic low level stress in our daily lives, we're often not taught how to process it in a healthy manner or we feel shame or guilt for needing time to heal. In today's episode, I'm joined by Reita Johnston to talk about Somatic Experiencing and looking to the body for cues to healing. Just like animals, we have built in systems to heal from traumatic experiences, we have just forgotten how.
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Call Me!! Leave me some love, questions, or comments by dialing 412-218-1229 to reach the Self Care Spotlight voicemail box. I can't wait to hear about your favorite moments!

Shownotes:
thejournaldeck.com/episode84 

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Have you ever felt like you were too much? Have you every felt scared to put the real you out there and be seen? Have you ever felt shameful about your self expression, your sensuality or worried about looking egotistical? Are you afraid of changing because of what others may think or say? This is wounded Feminine energy. She often lives underneath wounded Masculine energy. We all have both energies inside of us and yet we struggle to embrace our wholeness because we often feel fear, shame, and guilt around releasing our femininity and sensuality: i.e. being seen. Alyssa shares her personal journey into how we can move through this process. She also announces her new member-based intuitive movement workshops- FEMME PGH!
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FEMME Invocation Mp3 + want the juicy scoop on FEMME PGH? Enter your email.
alyssakuzins.com/femme

Early bird launches the week of August 11th for 1 week only. I'm calling in 14 women to be SEEN. 

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