The Loving Challenger

***Note - this is a NEW podcast series The Matriarchal Collective. Please follow the new channel for more episodes like this!

What does it mean to become a Matriarch in a culture that has largely forgotten how to initiate women through the stages of their lives?

In this first conversation of The Matriarchal Collective, I sit down with Brazilian-born writer and thinker Adriana Forte for a wide-ranging exploration of women's cyclical minds, perimenopause and menopause, modernity, motherhood, grief, community, and the return of the Matriarch.

Adriana is currently preparing her book The Matriarch and the Machine: Breaking the Spell of Modernity in Women and the World. Rather than releasing it as a finished work from a single authoritative voice, she is inviting women into the process. Beginning this fall, she’ll release the book chapter by chapter through C-Lab, sharing unfinished material and inviting readers to grapple with the ideas, add their own lived experiences, and help shape what she calls the “Spell-breakers notes.” As Adriana explains in our conversation, if the Matriarch is collective, she wants the book itself to be touched by the collective too.

• 01:41 — What does it mean to be a Matriarch?
• 05:50 — The Matriarch as a counterbalance to modernity
• 10:55 — Perimenopause, menopause & the changing female mind
• 15:17 — Cycle dysphoria: cyclical bodies in a linear culture
• 24:01 — Grieving fertility, aging & the loss of elder models
• 29:19 — “Waking up from the middle” without rites of passage
• 32:10 — Why we need women, community & loving challenge
• 37:13 — A different model of leadership: collaborative & mycelial
• 42:14 — The Matriarch and the Machine, HRT & choices in context
• 49:02 — Releasing the book collectively + the return of the Matriarch

And this conversation is only the beginning. The Matriarchal Collective is a growing space for women exploring the thresholds of midlife, the wisdom of our changing bodies, and what becomes possible when we navigate these transitions together. Join the conversation on Instagram: The Matriarchal Collective on Instagram

We're looking to connect with more incredible woman to be interviewed on The Matriarchal Collective podcast - message me at [email protected] - thank you!

IG @matriarchalcollective - for more inspiration!

In this episode, Megan and Mercy Kostucki explore the revolutionary potential of personalized music created through AI, designed to support emotional healing, self-discovery, and new identities. Discover how sound and metaphors can bypass the mental mind to connect deeply with your emotional and somatic systems.

You'll learn:

• How custom music serves as a powerful coaching and healing tool
• The science behind sound perception: faster than light and its impact on the body

• Practical applications: from emotional breakthroughs to wedding rituals
• The role of metaphors as Trojan horses into the subconscious

• The emotional and transformation potential of creating songs for specific memories and desires
• Ethical use of AI: tools for empowerment rather than purely entertainment




Connect with Mercy here!

• Sonic Rewrite — Personalized AI music creation
• Sonic Union Studio — Wedding and event-focused custom music
• Mercedes-Nam Kostiuki on Spotify — Find her music on Spotify
• LinkedIn - Mercedes Nam Kostiuki

Tuning into your desires, wants and needs is the path to self-love. In this episode you'll hear the 4 step process to follow these desires to a more loving relationship with yourself!

- Self-Awareness

- Self-Acceptance

- Self-Worth

- Self-Care

Want to continue this conversation and learn how to love yourself THROUGH and with your desires? Let's talk! Grab 20 minutes on my calendar (free): https://calendly.com/meganbhatia/20min

In this episode, Megan invites you to turn your daydreams into daily reality. Learn how to identify the feelings behind your dreams—like freedom, rest, or joy—and start generating them right now, even in small ways. Discover how to become a better partner to yourself, set healthy boundaries, and create a life that feels more alive and aligned.

💫 Free 20-minute clarity call: Uncover what your daydreams are really telling you.

Have a situation you'd like support with? Send a DM to @lovingchallengers on IG

Through the lens of Context, Contrast, and Continuum, I introduce a new mental model—one that honors nuance, invites integration, and transcends the binary habits that shape much of our perception. I like to call it the evolution of yin and yang symbol and it's very useful in everyday life. What do you think of the episode? Let's talk about it! Reach out on IG @lovingchallengers or send me a message [email protected] Learn more about the Loving Challengers Community click here!

Changes are coming in fast now!!! Are you feeling it too? There are a lot of examples in nature that I lean on in this episode...maybe you can relate? - Metamorphosis- Cell walls/boundaries- Paradox of sovereign beings that are also dependent on the world around themIf any of this helps YOU to find yourself, or create an empowering narrative for your life...well, fantastic!!! If you find a desire to actually TALK about some of these topics, you can schedule a call with me here: https://calendly.com/meganbhatia/20minIG: @lovingchallengers

I host women's sharing circles where you get to show up and lean into your intuitive wisdom and POWER! More information here: https://thelovingchallenger.myflodesk.com/lcc

This is one of my FAVORITE topics these days because the skill-set of emotional intelligence, and trusting your "knowing" is going to be your internal guidance system in a world that is changing incredibly fast!!!

Your body knows what you need...and what you don't need...and that's going to guide you day to day to create a life where you can thrive.

This episodes contains practices, AND it's really just the tip of the iceberg on this topic! If you want a deeper dive...let's connect!

DM on IG @lovingchallengers or email [email protected]

Set up a free 20 minute call and we can talk more about this!

https://calendly.com/meganbhatia/20min

Show notes:

Podcast: The Power of Partnership with Riane Eisler

Yep - it's that time of year again!

Even if you're excited and enjoy the Holiday season, it can definitely be more stressful than your usual schedule. I will personally be heading back to the States for the Holidays and will be following my own advice, lol!

5 Ways to support yourself through the Holidays...

1) Carve out solo time

2) Be responsible for your nervous system

3) Use boundaries

4) More compassion, less comparison

5) Create moments of JOY!

Feeling stressed and want support? Set up a FREE 20 minute connection call with me! Get on my schedule here. I promise you will leave with at least 1 practical skill that you can use during the Holidays...and after, to create more loving relationships with yourself and others.

IG @lovingchallengers

I am here to Lovingly Challenging you to step into your own personal power and create a life you love through...

- one-on-one coaching

- Weekly community calls

- 6 Month Self-Love Journey

Hello loves! Sharing some reflections just after my 45th bday...

What are personal boundaries?