A girl in a red cloak. A wolf in the woods. A grandmother's house at the end of a path.

But I promise you, you have not heard it like this.

This is the episode where we talk about what a shadow actually is. Because if you've been curious about shadow work but something about it feels dark, or scary, or like it requires you to drag yourself through every painful thing that's ever happened to you — I want to clear a few things up.

In this episode we use Little Red Riding Hood — the original, oldest written version, as a mirror for exactly what happens when those hidden parts go unexamined. And what's standing at the door when they finally come knocking.

In this episode we talk about:

• What a shadow actually is — and what it absolutely isn't (hint: it's not your trauma and it's not your bad days)
• Grandmother as the fully constructed, socially acceptable self — what happens when you suppress the shadow so completely you lose even the instinct to recognize it
• Red's red cloak versus the path she was told to stay on — and why leaving the path might not be the mistake the story wants you to think it is
• The Wolf as unintegrated shadow — why he knows Red's destination before she does, and what that says about the parts of us that have been ignored the longest
• The woods as liminal space — what it means to go off the approved route and into the parts of yourself you've been told not to look at
• The "what big eyes you have" scene as a pattern you probably recognize — looking directly at something that's wrong and talking yourself out of what you know
• Which character you are right now — and why that's actually your starting point

Whether you've been circling shadow work for a while and never quite known where to begin, or you're brand new and trying to figure out what all of this even means — this is the episode that lays the foundation. Story by story, shadow by shadow, this is how we learn to stop being afraid of ourselves.

If you want to go even deeper, grab my free workbook Shadow Work in Three Tales: Folk Narratives to Begin Your Transformation — three folk tales from around the world, each paired with shadow readings, journal prompts, and guided meditations. Find the link on the show's website or come find me on social media at Wisteria Moon Works..

Wisteria Moon Works is a shadow work coaching practice rooted in folklore and story structure. This podcast explores folk narratives from around the world and the shadows, patterns, and archetypes living inside them — because your story was never meant to stay stuck.

Coaching is not therapy. If you are in crisis please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.

Do you ever feel like you can see exactly where you want to be — the greener pasture, the better life, the next chapter — but no matter what you try, you just can't seem to make it across the bridge?

You've tried the mantras. The vision boards. The "just believe it until it's real" approach that everyone on social media swears by. And maybe it worked for a little while. Or maybe you're still standing on the same side of the river wondering what's wrong with you that it isn't working.

Nothing is wrong with you. You just skipped a step. And that step is shadow work.

In this episode we are cracking open one of the oldest folk tales in the world — Three Billy Goats Gruff — and using it as a mirror to look at two of the most common patterns that keep us stuck on the wrong side of the bridge: self sabotage and toxic positivity.

Because here's the thing about that troll under the bridge. He's not the villain. He's the part of you that got shoved into the dark and told it didn't belong — and he's done being ignored. You can't just trip trap your way over his roof and expect him to let you pass.

In this episode we talk about:

• What the bridge, the river, and the two pastures in the tale actually represent in your real life
• Why the littlest goat's self sabotage keeps sending her right back to where she started
• The toxic positivity trap the medium goat falls into — and why "just push through it" is keeping you stuck in the same patterns on repeat
• What it actually means to face your shadow, and why it's less about slaying the monster and more about finally being resourced enough to have a real conversation with it
• The one question worth sitting with after this episode: what boundaries in yourself are you not respecting that is making your shadow demand so much from you?

Whether you've been chasing the next big self improvement trend and hitting a wall, or you're just exhausted from feeling like an impostor in your own life, or you're ready to stop running from the scary parts and start actually moving toward what you want — this episode is for you.

This podcast is for women who are done performing. Who are ready to stop waiting for the version of themselves that feels ready enough and start doing the real work of getting to know who they actually are — shadow and all.

And if you want to go even deeper, grab the free workbook Shadow Work in Three Tales: Folk Narratives to Begin Your Transformation — three folk tales from around the world, each paired with shadow readings, journal prompts, and guided meditations to help you begin your own journey across the bridge. Find the link on the show's website or come find us on social media at Wisteria Moon Works.

Wisteria Moon Works is a shadow work coaching practice rooted in folklore and story structure. This podcast explores folk narratives from around the world and the shadows, patterns, and archetypes living inside them — because your story was never meant to stay stuck.

Coaching is not therapy. If you are in crisis please seek support from a licensed mental health professional.

This is the episode where we pull back the curtain on what this show is and why shadow work and folklore belong in the same conversation. If you have ever felt like something is running your life and you can't quite name it — this is where to start. Come meet your host, learn what's coming, and find out why your shadow might be the most interesting character in your story.