a conversation with ceremonialist, teacher and author of "ritual as remedy," mara branscombe on the power of ritual, the return of innocence through wisdom, and how presence, devotion, and embodied care can become a way forward in a world in crisis.

in this powerful conversation renowned breathwork practitioner, author and teacher, ashley neese, shares her journey from addiction and sobriety to discovering rest as a deeper and more challenging practice. she and daphne explore why slowing down feels so elusive in our culture, how somatic practices can help us truly listen to our bodies, and why rest is not just self-care but a revolutionary act of healing and resistance. this episode is an invitation to reclaim rest as medicine for ourselves, our communities, and the world.

storyteller, author, and meditation guide, sarah blondin and i, explore what it means to live a heart-centered life in a world that feels increasingly fast, noisy, and pressurized. sarah illuminates how we can meet life’s intensity without abandoning ourselves, the beauty and complexity of living with an exposed heart, embracing both joy and pain, and finding grace in the willingness to feel deeply.

in this conversation with mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, and bestselling author, elena brower, we explore the nature of spiritual practice in challenging times, the sacred ordinary as a doorway to the divine; slowness as spiritual discipline and intimacy through honesty.

author of radiant rest and the luminous self and yoga nidra teacher, tracee stanley, explores the profound significance of deep rest and its transformative power on our lives, the differences between sleep and intentional rest, the importance of creating a sanctuary for ourselves, the modern struggles of perpetual exhaustion, the hurdles to genuine relaxation, and how rest can reconnect us with our inner wisdom, support healing, and empower us to show up more fully in our lives. this conversation will change your perception of rest and show how essential rest is not just to nourishing our body but to caring for our world. this is one of those conversations that can alter you forever.

julie piatt, aka srimati, “has spent decades seeking the divine in all of her life experiences. living from a deep place of devotion, srimati is a living spiritual guide devoted to reminding others of their spiritual nature so that they too can experience the full presence of their existence.” srimati is the author of the best-selling cookbooks, "this cheese is nuts!,""the plantpower way; italia" and "the plantpower way." she is also host to her own internationally acclaimed podcast, "for the life of me" with over 1,000,000 downloads in just two years. she is the founder of srimu artisanal not cheese and the spiritual community, water tiger. “srimati is a mystic, mother, musician, artist, author and healer who is a powerful living example of how to love ourselves more so that we can live our unique design in full and expansive self-expression. when we live in this frequency, we bless all life around us.” some things we talk about: how to live from the heart instead of the mind, living as a sovereign being, how srimati begins and ends each day, our most important role in life, how to live all of life as a devotional journey, a gorgeous guided meditation and our greatest superpower

nina lombardo is a yogic intimacy teacher and wisdom keeper of the sacred feminine arts. she supports women in embodying their most authentic spiritual and sexual expressions so they can experience the soul-ravishing unions they crave with life, with their lovers, and with the divine” through her online programs, her one-on-one client work and in person-retreats. some things we talk about: the difference between romantic love and the love of the universe, her journey into free, unbridled self-expression, devotion as the main driving force, how to meet the outer world while staying devoted to one’s inner truth, where physical desire meets spiritual desire, how we bring awareness into the body and, the marriage between discipline and surrender.

allana pratt is an intimacy expert, the podcast host of intimate conversations, and author of six books. she has interviewed whoopi goldberg and alanis morrisette, coached leeza gibbons on dancing with the stars and been featured on huffington post, people magazine, forbes, CBS, ABC, FOX, TLC, iHeartRadio, the GoodMenProject and more. some things we talk about: creating an intimate relationship with the universe, how to choose joy in the face of pain and suffering, the portal back into the body, how allana healed herself after a very painful crisis, the first step to manifesting and the most potent vibration to send out to the universe.

philip shepherd is gently and powerfully shifting the way we are in the world. through embodiment practices and processes, he is teaching us how to be radically whole and live free. philip is the author of three books, new self new, new world, radical wholeness and deep fitness. he is the creator of the embodied present process which he teaches online and in workshops around the world. some of the things we talk about in this conversation are: how to fill your emptiness forever, the center of stillness in the body, the only real security in life, what lies at the core of our suffering, how to know your purpose and an extremely powerful yet simple tool for coming into the body and the present

rachel rossitto is a teacher, guide, mystic, and fairy of rose medicine. having devoted the last 16 years of her life to “studying temple arts, earth-based feminine wisdom, eastern spiritual philosophy and practice, plant medicine, energy healing, the way of tea, women’s holistic health and masculine and feminine healing and integration,” rachel has cultivated a deep practice of alchemizing pain into beauty and igniting women’s wisdom, creativity, sensuality, and power. some of the things we talk about are: leading in contrast to the culture – how to root in one’s own truth, the story of rachel’s spiritual awakening following 40 days of meditation, rachel’s morning tea practice, how to become a magnetic being that radiates beauty, and the many facets and faces of the feminine.

nadia bolz-weber is the author of three new york times bestselling memoirs, an ordained lutheran pastor and the founder of house for all sinners and saints. she has been featured on NPR’s morning edition, on being with krista tippett, fresh air, CNN and in the washington post, bitch magazine, the new yorker and the atlantic. international media coverage includes BBC world service, the guardian and magazine features in germany, poland, and switzerland. some things we talk about: having grace and compassion inside of the pain, the need to be seen as good, the amazingness and the limits of social media, making space for ambiguity, being a leader by going first and never doing it alone.

daje james is “a storyteller, flower essence practitioner, and space-holder for wild-hearted leaders and creative entrepreneurs. she supports creatives in coming home to their true nature and self-initiating themselves into dharmic creative flow while boldly sharing their medicine with the world.” she is the founder of “brave school: an institute of dreaming,” creator of “wildboy apothecary” and author at “the story doula.” some things we talk about are how to use creative courage to cultivate belonging, essence liberation and how we create wholeness, the catalytic moment that led to daje’s deep connection with spirit and self, 3 questions for creating a new relationship with money and regenerative mysticism as a tool for awakening

in this episode i share my stories: the stories that make up my song. stories that defy logic, go beyond rational thinking, and yet were the exact experiences i needed to understand my place on this earth and my work in this world. this is my most personal solocast.

mandy kahn is a poet, peace advocate and public speaker. her list of accolades and accomplishments is long. in brief, mandy is the author of two collections of poetry, writer-in-residence at the philosophical research society, subject of a feature-length documentary, “peace piece: the immersive poems of mandy kahn,” and recipient of the 2018 shakespeare prize in poetry. some things we talked about: the world-altering power of peace, mandy’s health breakdown and how it led to surrender, god and a life of miracles, her earliest experiences as a mystic, what it looks like to live a life led by intuition, hope as a holy elevator mandy’s exact process for writing poetry and how she maintains her connection to creativity.

in this episode i talk about the hardest thing when crafting your own life, singing your own song: fear. as elizabeth gilbert says, "creativity is a path for the brave, but it is not a path for the fearless. bravery means doing something scary." i talk about the fear i live with every day, the truth of this journey, how to let your life speak, the terror, and freedom, in being vulnerable and staying close to the way we are made

anna lovind is the author of “the creative doer” and the founder of the creative doer community and ignite. she writes “about writing, feminism, learning to say (holy) yes and (fuck) no, sisterhood, motherhood, and her quest to re-define the creative path. anna is a gift of a human and it is an honor to share her with you a second time on this podcast.

in this episode i explore one of the most powerful questions i know: how do you use your creativity to craft a life that is yours? i talk about moving from domesticated adult to wild animal, going beyond your personal belief system, learning the language of your body, how to use your body as a tracking system to bring you home and specific strategies for singing your own song.

carrie schmitt began painting after being diagnosed with a life-threatening heat allergy in 2009. “painting became a therapeutic practice and act of tenderness amidst the darkness. with time there was healing and the birth of my life as an artist.” today carrie is a full-time artist, art retreat facilitator at her hōm: house of miracles, in steilacoom, wa, and author of “the story of every flower,” “painted blossoms: creating expressive flowers with mixed media,” and the children’s book, “a flower in her heart.” she licenses her art for stationary, home decor, clothing and other lifestyle products. some things we talk about are what it means to be a devotee of creativity, how creativity awakens you to the most alive and empowered version of yourself, transforming your relationship to creativity from fear or doubt to trust, love and divine guidance, what your art says about you, how destruction can be the most liberating part of the creative process, money, charging for our work and success in art and the power of naming and using your creativity to create your world.

welcome to my first solocast. in this episode i talk about one of my greatest loves: questions. i share about hearing a voice that changed my life, how to ask big questions, why questions matter and how they bring us freedom.

emma freeman is a "queer contemplative artist, poet, teacher and facilitator connecting deeply with words, textiles, slow stitching … passionate about sharing the transformative healing powers that our imaginations hold, the gifts of slowing way down and the power of vulnerability and sensitivity to change our lives and this world.”