Soul Net

Soul Net

By Megan Lammam, Dayna Bango and Islena FaircrestSociety & Culture
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Soul Net episodes

  • Ep 19: The Benefits of Nature Learning with Meredith Dawson
    In this episode, the Sisters welcome child educator and wellness facilitator, Meredith Dawson. Meredith talks about nature as her teaching partner and the benefits of open spaces and "risky play" for kids of all ages. Her outdoor education programs such as Wild Wonder and Wellbeing Walks invite people into nature to experience connection through relational and navigational skill development. She discusses how current indoor classroom environments restrict movement and creativity, both of which she claims are fundamental for healthy development and nervous system regulation. This conversation is packed full of information and inspiration to go outside, play, and learn! Join us!
    To connect with Meredith, please visit www.thrivinglifeco.com or find her on social @aspiringthriver.
    Quotes and references in this episode include:
    "Risky Play" - Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Dr. Ian Pike, University of British Columbia
    "New avenues for investigation and action are emerging seeking optimal strategies for keeping children as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible." - Mariana Brussoni, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
    "There's no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you'll find a better connection." - Unknown
    27 min
  • Ep 18: Gratitude - Navigating Life’s Twists with Soulful Resilience
    Join the Soul Net sisters in an exploration of gratitude as a transformative practice. While the holidays bring joy, they also usher in moments of deep challenge. Dayna candidly unveils a personal tale of upheaval coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend, marking the end of a significant chapter in her life.
    In this reflective episode, the sisters delve into the essence of gratitude, offering profound insights on how this practice grounds us in the present. They introduce simple yet powerful techniques like a Noticing Practice and the Three Breath Trip. These methods act as anchors, gently guiding us toward solace in the present moment.
    Tune in as Soul Net navigates the nuanced landscape of gratitude, demonstrating its potency in not just the good times, but as a steadfast companion during life's most challenging transitions.
    22 min
  • Ep 17: Finding Love at 50 with Debbie Collins

    In this episode, the Sisters reunite with a good friend from high school, Debbie Collins, to celebrate her journey to true love and getting engaged at 50! Debbie highlights two key factors in her journey to finding love: healing trauma wounds and learning to love herself first. She shares her experiences and commitment to the work of self-love through counselling, bio feedback, meditation, and retreats. We get real about vulnerability and maturity. Of course we ask Deb if the passion and lovemaking is still hot at 50?!!! Tune in to find out!

    The retreat center mentioned in this episode is Esalen Institute. For more info, please visit www.esalen.org.

    22 min
  • Ep 16: The Myth of Meditation

    In this mini episode of Soul Net, the Sisters share about the challenges of "achieving stillness" in our grind culture. They discuss whether meditation "works" when our minds are filled with noise and our hearts are filled with hurt.

    This conversation shines a light on the fact that self-care practices, like meditation, are not about perfection or achievement. They are tools to help support deeper self-awareness and improve nervous system function. Join us for this chat! We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

    8 min
  • Ep 15: Finding Freedom In Your 50's

    In this episode of Soul Net, the Sisters challenge the narrative around mid-life crisis by sharing stories of their middle age transformations! They talk about releasing responsibility from certain roles and returning to the creativity of the soul. They celebrate this stage of life as a rebirth, a second adolescence, a new beginning. They consider mid-life as a time to grow from what has been learned and expand in areas that bring joy. Can we feel a renewed sense of aliveness and freedom in middle age? Join the conversation!

    From this episode:

    "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki

    22 min
  • Ep 14: How to Love in Times of Loss with Misha Waite
    Misha Waite is a clinical counsellor who helps youth, adults, couples and families in the areas of mental health, stress, anxiety, and grief. She joins Dayna and Megan in a discussion about love and how to stay loving while being in the messiness of life. Can we feel the lightness of love when we're in the heaviness of pain? Can we be in sadness and joy at the same time? Misha offers her experience and insight into coping with conflicting feelings and making love a priority.
    Misha Waite is a registered clinical counsellor with Tall Tree Health in Vancouver, British Columbia.
    Books and quotes referenced in this episode include:
    Bittersweet by Susan Cain
    "Happiness is a string of individual moments." - Esther Hicks
    "A walk in nature walks the soul back home." - Mary Davis
    Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
    Rising Strong by Brené Brown
    "So I'm all of love that could make it today." - Shel Silverstein
    26 min
  • Ep. 13: Getting Real About Mid-life

    In this episode of Soul Net, the Sisters share some hard truths (and laughs) about body changes, brain fog, and intimate connection during mid-life and peri-menopause. They talk about letting go of expectations to look and be a certain way. In this conversation, the Sisters explore acceptance, cycles of life, open communication, and leaning into edges that arise during times of transition.

    Some tools that the Sisters practice and discuss in the episode include: meditation, humour, and sharing experiences.
    For guided meditations, please visit Dayna Bango and Megan Lammam on Insight Timer.


    33 min
  • Ep. 12: Beautiful Boredom

    In this episode of Soul Net, the Sisters explore beautiful boredom and its opposite cousin, the hecticness of trying to have it all and do it all because there are energetic costs to the return to life as we knew it before the pandemic. There's big responsibilities in midlife. There's the sandwich generation. There's this changing world, economically, socially, politically, technologically. There are costs to doing too much beyond our ability to stay regulated. We create energetic deficits. It's like writing a check that over draws our energetic account and withdraws too many of our energetic coins, leaving us in an energy debt.

    Whereas beautiful boredom is a respite from all of that is the pregnant pause. Like an unpainted painting, an uncurved sculpture. It's possibility. It's an invitation to explore our inner world. It's our quiet moments where creativity can blossom. A chance to reconnect with our original self and dream without boundaries. So let's have a listen together friends, enjoy.

    26 min
  • Ep. 11: Imposter Syndrome

    In this episode of Soul Net, the Sisters dive into the feeling of not being good enough. For many people, the feeling of being an imposter in certain social situations is very uncomfortable. The Sisters share openly about some of their childhood trauma and old beliefs that play a part in their feeling "different" and unworthy at times. Islena sheds light on the connection between shame and imposter syndrome. Join the Sisters in listening, sharing stories and practicing self-compassion for the parts of our beings that are healing.


    References and quotes in this episode include Brene Brown and Mark Nepo.

    27 min
  • Ep. 10: Many Hats; Many Lives, with Islena Faircrest

    In this episode of Soul Net, Dayna and Megan interview Islena! Hard hat, soft toque, or tiara? Islena wears 'em all! Women wear many hats over their lifetime as mother, daughter, partner, career, income-earner, caregiver, et al.  Through this, multiple skillsmanship gets developed and we gain integrative, intuitive wisdom. Call it the way of the divine feminine, call it multi-tasking hell-- whatever you call it, join Islena as she shares the unique zigging and zagging of her soul journey from leaving home at 16, to becoming a parent, to becoming a doula & prenatal educator when her kids were babies, to becoming a family wellness educator and yoga teacher trainer, to becoming a trauma informed therapist specializing in empowering folks through their greatest adversities to find healing and wholeness. (Did she mention she's building a home with her partner? Hence the hard hat.)

    For more information on Islena's coaching, therapy, and teaching, go to www.onboardyoga.com

    33 min

About Soul Net

From the publisher's feed

Join us in the Soul Net, where we bring the realities of middle age to light and create a supportive community for healthy growth. Friends and wellness practitioners, Megan, Dayna, and Islena, dive deep into topics such as raising teens, empty nesting, menopause, death, and divorce. The hosts share personal stories and resources to support learning and connection.