Standing in the Light

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we explore a path to transformation that works with the part of us that has been guiding our lives all along: the subconscious.

I’m joined by Deborah Yager, founder of Yager Training and creator of Your True Alchemy, where she teaches a powerful approach to healing that allows transformation without re-traumatization.

Together, we talk about the patterns that quietly shape our behaviors, the loops that keep us stuck, and the possibility of change that doesn’t require force — only awareness and alignment.

This conversation opens the door to a new way of understanding yourself — one rooted in compassion, curiosity, and the belief that there is an inner intelligence within you that already knows how to heal.

Reach out to Deborah about anything we discussed in this episode!https://yagertraining.com/meetdeborah/

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we explore the art of living as a way of being present within the life you already have. Through the lens of what I call splendid mundanity, this conversation invites you to reconsider the ordinary moments you move through every day—the routines, the pauses, the in-between spaces—and discover the depth and meaning that already exist within them.

This is an episode about attention, presence, and the subtle shift from managing your life to actually inhabiting it.

A Simple Practice from This Episode:

Choose one everyday activity—making coffee, walking, folding laundry—and experience it fully without distraction. Let it be exactly what it is, and notice what shifts when you’re truly present for it.

In this episode I discuss the Ancestral Hawaiian wisdom of the Bowl of Light.

Listen to Trevor Hall's Bowl of Light

Read about The Bowl of Light here:

https://www.healinghandsbodywork.com/a-really-good-massage-blog/your-bowl-of-light-ancestral-hawaiian-wisdom

In this episode of Standing in the Light, Laura welcomes Dallisa Hocking, a fifth-generation psychic medium, intuitive coach, and spiritual teacher, for a thoughtful conversation about the challenges many people feel in today’s world.

Together, they explore a question that many are asking right now: Why does it sometimes feel like things are getting worse before they get better?

Dallisa shares her perspective on the energetic and societal shifts happening around us, and why periods of disruption can sometimes precede transformation and growth. Rather than focusing on fear, this conversation looks at how individuals can remain grounded, compassionate, and intentional even when the collective atmosphere feels uncertain.

Laura and Dallisa also discuss how each person has the ability to influence the world in small but meaningful ways. From practicing kindness and mindfulness to strengthening intuition and self-awareness, they explore simple daily choices that can help improve not only our own lives but also the broader communities around us.

At its heart, this episode is about remembering that even during challenging times, every individual has the capacity to bring more clarity, compassion, and light into the world.

✨ Why periods of societal difficulty can precede transformation
✨ How individuals can remain grounded during uncertain times
✨ The role of intuition and awareness when navigating change
✨ Practical ways to bring more compassion and positivity into daily life
✨ How small individual actions contribute to broader societal change
✨ Choosing hope, growth, and purpose even when circumstances feel heavy

The conversation reminds us that while we may not control every challenge facing society, we always have the power to choose how we respond. By focusing on personal growth, compassion, and intentional action, each of us can contribute to a more hopeful and balanced world.

Website: www.SpiritAndSpark.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/dallisahocking

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAtgAkuewh2CK6T2BscEXg/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/dallisa

What if the Bible wasn't something to master — but something to meet you where you are?

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we approach Scripture not as a rulebook or a debate — but as a library. A collection of 66 books written across centuries, by dozens of authors, capturing nearly every human emotion and life season imaginable.

Whether you're in a season of wandering, rebuilding, grieving, leading, falling in love, or searching for something you can't yet name — there's likely a book that meets that moment.

We walk through the Old Testament, the poetry and wisdom literature, and the New Testament as a kind of spiritual map. Then we explore a fascinating thread: how some of history's greatest scientific minds — Newton, Einstein, Galileo, Kepler, Francis Collins, and Stephen Hawking — each engaged with this same text, in profoundly different ways.

Some saw it as divine revelation. Some as moral framework. Some as metaphor. Almost none dismissed it casually.

The invitation today isn't blind belief or automatic dismissal. It's something more interesting: thoughtful engagement.

This episode is for the longtime believer who's lost their map. For the skeptic who's curious but cautious. For anyone asking, "Where do I even start?"

Start where you are. There is light for exactly the chapter you're in.

In this reflective and unifying episode of Standing in the Light, we explore the enduring question: Why do people follow Jesus Christ — and what does his life mean for us today?

We begin by looking at who Jesus was historically: a Jewish teacher in first-century Judea whose radical message of love, humility, forgiveness, and justice transformed the world. From there, we move into the deeper spiritual dimension often described as Christ Consciousness — the awakened awareness of divine love and unity that many believe lives within all of us.

This episode explores the powerful meaning behind the phrase “I Am,” rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and echoed in the teachings of Jesus, and how that sacred identity points to the divine spark within every human being.

We also examine the shared foundations of the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur'an — highlighting their common call to justice, compassion, prayer, and moral accountability. In a time when division dominates headlines, understanding our shared spiritual roots can become a bridge rather than a barrier.

We revisit the transformative Jesus Movement of the 1960s and the cultural impact of the “What Would Jesus Do?” movement inspired by Charles Sheldon, exploring how these waves of faith sparked renewed commitment to love in action.

Most importantly, this episode offers a heartfelt call to embody the spirit of Jesus in our daily lives through demonstration. Through forgiveness instead of retaliation. Through listening instead of labeling. Through courage rooted in compassion.

In a polarized world, what would it look like to live the question: What would love do? and to revisit What would Jesus do?

This conversation invites you to awaken the light within, recognize the divine image in others, and become part of a new movement — one heart, one choice, one act of grace at a time.

What actually happens in the brain when we forgive? In this episode, we dive into the scientific evidence behind forgiveness and why letting go of resentment improves cardiovascular health, lowers anxiety and depression, and strengthens emotional resilience. This conversation blends research from Stanford and Harvard with timeless spiritual insights, offering listeners a grounded, evidence-based understanding of why forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools for personal growth and inner peace.

Additionally, I read "Don't Feel Guilty, Learn From the Past" by Doug Hooper in his Book 1 of You Are What You Think.

In this episode of Standing in the Light, I explore love as a foundational force that shapes our biology, psychology, and spiritual experience. Love is the original state we are born into, the connective tissue of human relationships, and the guiding principle that can bring healing even in the face of pain, fear, and separation.

We begin by reflecting on the history of Valentine’s Day and how its roots in courage, devotion, and sacrifice remind us that love has always been something worth choosing, even when it is difficult. From there, we dive into the science of love, examining how oxytocin, dopamine, and mirror neurons help explain our deep capacity for empathy, emotional synchronization, and connection with both people and even our pets.

The episode also explores how love functions as a spiritual principle through the lens of A Course in Miracles, which teaches that love is the only truth and that fear is an illusion. Forgiveness is reframed as a powerful process of releasing perception and choosing peace over suffering.

We then look at the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman and how understanding the ways we give and receive love can transform our relationships. By learning to identify our own primary love language — and those of the people closest to us — we can shift from unconscious patterns into intentional, conscious connection.

To close, we ground everything in a real-life story by reading an article from Doug Hooper’s You Are What You Think, Book One, titled “The Power of Love Transcends Prison Walls,” reminding us that love’s capacity to heal and transform exists even in the most unlikely places.

Happy Valentine's Day!

For a few love songs, check out my husband's hits on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you listen :)

"Real Love"

"One True Love (Live)"

"My Love is Gonna' Take You Up (Live)"

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we explore the hidden system that runs most of our lives: the subconscious mind. While we often think change happens through willpower and conscious effort, neuroscience tells a different story. Nearly everything we do — our habits, emotional reactions, self-talk, and relationship patterns — is driven by subconscious programming built from repetition, emotion, and early experience.

We dive into how the subconscious actually works, why it prioritizes what feels familiar over what feels healthy, and how deeply emotional experiences become stored as identity. You’ll learn how thoughts aren’t just abstract ideas, but physical signals that travel through neural pathways in the brain — and how the principle of neuroplasticity shows us that the brain is constantly rewiring itself based on what we repeatedly think, feel, and imagine.

This episode breaks down why affirmations often fail, how identity-based change creates lasting transformation, and why visualization and emotional awareness are powerful tools for building new neural circuits. We also explore how the nervous system learns through experience, not logic, and how you can gently train your subconscious to support growth instead of staying stuck in survival patterns.

If you’ve ever felt like you know what you want, but can’t seem to get out of your own way, this conversation will help you understand why — and how to begin working with your mind instead of against it. Because real change isn’t about forcing positivity. It’s about teaching your brain what it’s safe to believe about who you are becoming.

In this episode I dive a little deeper by reading Doug Hooper's "Your Potential Powers Are Lying Dormant", article 10 of You Are What You Think Book 1 to discuss how we can visualize success and make it happen!

*The experiences and perspectives shared in this episode are the guest’s own and are shared in the spirit of conversation and reflection. They may not reflect the views of the host or the podcast. Listeners are invited to take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and engage with the discussion in a way that feels supportive and right for them.

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we invite listeners into a calm, thoughtful conversation that doesn’t ask for belief — only curiosity. Our guest, Barbra Banner, shares her personal experiences with unexplained phenomena and how those moments led her to explore structured training in psychic studies, mediumship, and trance work.

Rather than framing these experiences as answers, this conversation focuses on how people interpret meaningful moments in their lives, especially during times of grief, uncertainty, or transition. Barbra brings a uniquely grounded perspective shaped by more than 35 years of work supporting individuals in high-stress environments, including crisis hotlines, hospital emergency rooms, and on-scene crisis response teams.

Together, we explore how listening — to ourselves, to others, and to experiences we don’t immediately understand — can be a powerful tool for reflection and healing. This episode creates space for skeptics, seekers, and everyone in between, encouraging thoughtful engagement without pressure to agree or define what the experience “means.”

As always, listeners are invited to take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and remain open to the conversation unfolding.

Guest: Barbra Banner
Certified Medium with Helping Parents Heal
Listed with Mark Ireland’s Certified Medium Registry

https://bannermedium.com/

*During this episode Barbra provides a reading and upon further reflection I do recognize elements of the conversation that remind me of my Grandmother. Grandma used to hold my hands so tightly I could feel her rings, and she would slip Charleston Chew candies into my palms, and kiss me right on the lips. She loved very strongly, and we do tell the story of how she used to come over to our house on the weekends and she would finish the cereal left over in our breakfast bowls. I think the conversation with Barbra reminds me of my grandmother rather than my grandfather, and the "hands" and "cereal" memories warm my heart. Rest in peace Grandma K, Grandpa K, and Grandpa D. You are so loved.

In this episode of Standing in the Light, we invite listeners into a calm, thoughtful conversation that doesn’t ask for belief — only curiosity. Our guest, Barbra Banner, shares her personal experiences with unexplained phenomena and how those moments led her to explore structured training in psychic studies, mediumship, and trance work.

Rather than framing these experiences as answers, this conversation focuses on how people interpret meaningful moments in their lives, especially during times of grief, uncertainty, or transition. Barbra brings a uniquely grounded perspective shaped by more than 35 years of work supporting individuals in high-stress environments, including crisis hotlines, hospital emergency rooms, and on-scene crisis response teams.

Together, we explore how listening — to ourselves, to others, and to experiences we don’t immediately understand — can be a powerful tool for reflection and healing. This episode creates space for skeptics, seekers, and everyone in between, encouraging thoughtful engagement without pressure to agree or define what the experience “means.”

As always, listeners are invited to take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and remain open to the conversation unfolding.

Guest: Barbra Banner
Certified Medium with Helping Parents Heal
Listed with Mark Ireland’s Certified Medium Registry