This episode is personal.

Li shares what it means to live between cultures, growing up as a first-generation biracial Chinese American with roots in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and a second-generation Portuguese American raised by a first-generation Portuguese mother.

Layered onto that…life as a former military spouse and current work within the military community.

This isn’t just a conversation about identity.
It’s about adaptation, survival, and the quiet cost of constantly shifting to fit environments that don’t always hold all of who you are.

In this episode, we explore:
•The weight of inherited cultural expectations
•What happens when you’re always adjusting but rarely just existing
•The emotional reality of living between worlds
•And how to begin integrating the self you had to become

Grounded in clinical insight and guided by I Ching wisdom, this episode holds space for the complexity of who you are, without asking you to simplify it.

In this episode of Still Waters with Li, we move from awareness into action.

Inner child work is often misunderstood as something soft or abstract, but in reality, it is deeply rooted in how we learned to survive, attach, and regulate ourselves in early life. Reparenting in real time means recognizing the parts of you that are still responding from those earlier experiences and choosing to meet yourself differently.

This episode explores how these patterns show up in everyday life, through emotional triggers, communication, boundaries, and self-talk, and how intentional, consistent care begins to reshape them.

Guided by Hexagram 27: Nourishment from the I Ching, this conversation invites you to reflect on how you sustain yourself emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

This is not about becoming someone new.
It is about becoming someone who finally shows up for themselves.

In this opening episode of The Roots and the River, Li explores the truth about trauma that often goes unrecognized.

Not all trauma is loud.
Not all trauma leaves visible scars.

Some of it is subtle. Repeated. Normalized.
And because of that, many people don’t even realize they’ve been shaped by it.

This episode breaks down:
•What trauma actually is beyond extreme events
•Developmental and relational trauma
•Cultural and intergenerational patterns
•How survival becomes identity
•Why what “looked fine” can still leave an imprint

Grounded in clinical insight and supported by the DSM-5-TR framework, this conversation brings clarity to what many people have felt, but never had language for.

This episode also includes an I Ching reflection:
Hexagram 57 — The Gentle (The Wind)
A reminder that what shapes us is not always forceful, but it is still powerful.

If you’ve ever thought,
“Nothing that bad happened to me…so why do I feel like this?”
This episode is for you.

Take a breath.
You’re not broken.
You adapted.

You were never meant to walk this path alone.
In the final episode of this series, Li explores the role of guardians, ancestors, spirit allies, and trusted people who help protect and guide us, often quietly, and often when we need them most.

Through the lens of Hexagram 13 — Tong Ren (Fellowship) from the I Ching, we look at how connection strengthens protection, how community stabilizes the spirit, and how discernment helps us choose the right people and energies to walk beside.

💭 In this episode:
•Understanding spiritual and human guardianship
•How fellowship strengthens your energetic boundaries
•The Support Circle practice for grounding in connection
•Learning to receive protection, not just give it

🎙️ “Protection isn’t a solo mission, it’s a circle.”

#StillWatersWithLi #SpiritualBoundaries #SpiritAllies #AncestralWisdom #HealingJourney #IChingWisdom #EnergeticProtection

Boundaries are more than emotional tools, they’re energetic architecture.
In this episode, Li explores how boundaries shape your spiritual safety, emotional clarity, and personal peace. When you learn where you end and others begin, you protect your power without shutting yourself off from connection.

Drawing from Hexagram 60 — Jie (Limitation) in the I Ching, we examine how structure, limits, and clear edges actually create more freedom and balance in your life.

💭 In this episode:
•Understanding the difference between walls and boundaries
•How energy leaks happen, and how to close them
•The Energy Line practice for instant clarity
•What Hexagram 60 teaches about limit, balance, and peace

🎙️ “Boundaries don’t block love, they block chaos.”

#StillWatersWithLi #EnergyBoundaries #SpiritualProtection #HealingJourney #IChingWisdom #SelfPreservation #InnerPeace

Not every doorway needs to be opened, and not every energy should be provoked.

In this episode, Li breaks down what happens when we stir spiritual or emotional waters without awareness: the consequences, the energetic backlash, and the lessons that follow.

We explore how ego, curiosity, or emotional triggers can invite energetic disruption, and how humility and respect restore balance.

Guided by Hexagram 36 — Ming Yi (Darkening of the Light) from the I Ching, this episode teaches why sometimes the wisest move is to protect your light rather than prove it.

💭 In this episode:
•How spiritual provocation shows up in modern life
•Why “energy poking back” is real and predictable
•The Reset Ritual for clearing stirred or chaotic energy
•What Hexagram 36 teaches about protecting your inner light

🎙️ “When the unseen responds, it’s not punishment, it’s correction.”

#StillWatersWithLi #SpiritualBoundaries #EnergyProtection #ShadowWork #HealingJourney #IChingWisdom #SpiritualAwareness

Not every thought, feeling, or spiritual message comes from truth, and not every connection is aligned with your energy. In this episode, Li breaks down the real meaning of discernment: slowing down, checking in with the body, and learning to separate what’s yours from what isn’t.

Through personal reflection and the guidance of Hexagram 26 — Da Xu (The Taming Power of the Great) from the I Ching, we explore how patience, clarity, and grounded awareness empower you to navigate both spiritual and human relationships with confidence.

💭 In this episode:
•How to tell when energy isn’t yours
•Why discernment requires slowing down, not reacting
•A simple “Pause Check” to help you sort truth from emotion
•Understanding the power of restraint and clarity in spiritual interactions

🎙️ “Discernment isn’t about knowing instantly, it’s about waiting long enough for the truth to reveal itself.”

#StillWatersWithLi #SpiritualDiscernment #EnergyAwareness #IntuitiveClarity #HealingJourney #BoundariesAndSpirit

Energy doesn’t just exist in the spirit world, it flows through people too.
In this episode, Li unpacks how both spirits and humans can influence our energetic space, sometimes by invitation, sometimes by resonance, and sometimes through unhealed wounds.

You’ll learn how to recognize when you’re carrying energy that isn’t yours, how to stay grounded in your own vibration, and why awareness is your first form of protection.

Rooted in the wisdom of Hexagram 44 — Gou (Coming to Meet) from the I Ching, this episode explores what happens when powerful influences cross our path, and how to respond with clarity, not fear.

💭 In this episode:
•Spotting energy shifts in conversations and spaces
•Understanding resonance and energetic “openings”
•Creating boundaries without losing compassion

🎙️ “Awareness doesn’t mean avoidance, it means choice.”

#StillWatersWithLi #SpiritualBoundaries #EnergyAwareness #HealingJourney #SpiritualGrowth

Under the steady glow of the Beaver Moon, we pause to reflect on what it means to build inner protection as the colder season approaches. In this episode, Li guides you through grounding breathwork, a reflection on seasonal preparation, and the wisdom of I Ching Hexagram 24 — Return.

This moon reminds us: slowing down isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom. Whether you’re feeling scattered or in need of quiet shelter, this episode offers space to reset and reconnect with what sustains you.

🌀 Featuring:
•Reflection on the Beaver Moon’s symbolism
•I Ching insight from Hexagram 24 – Fu / Return
•Journal prompts + affirmation
•A 2-minute Still Waters Pause

📖 Journal Prompt:
What do I need to feel protected and grounded this winter?

🎙️ Tune in and build your inner lodge with intention.

Energy speaks, even when no one says a word.
In this first episode, Li invites you to notice the subtle movements of spirit and emotion that flow through your daily life.
We explore what it means to feel the “vibe” of a person or space, how unseen energy impacts your body, and why awareness is the first step in spiritual protection.

Rooted in the wisdom of Hexagram 53 – Jian (Gradual Progress) from the I Ching, this conversation reminds us that boundaries and intuition don’t appear overnight, they grow, slowly and steadily, as we learn to trust our senses.

💭 In this episode:
•Recognizing energetic shifts in people and spaces
•Understanding how awareness protects your peace
•How to ground yourself through observation, not fear

🎙️ “Awareness is the first gate, and by noticing what moves through you, you begin to protect what belongs to you.”

#StillWatersWithLi #SpiritualBoundaries #EnergyAwareness #PodcastSeries #SelfProtection #HealingJourney