As autumn deepens and the earth turns toward decay, we are reminded that death is not the end, but an essential movement in the great cycle of life. In this episode, death worker Madeline McCauley joins Amber to explore death as a continuation of connection — a return, a transformation, a sacred act of belonging.
Together they speak to the beauty in degeneration, the paradox of wellness culture, and the necessity of grief as praise. Through reflections on miscarriage, ecological burial, fungi intelligence, and ancestral remembrance, Madeline invites us to move toward death with reverence rather than resistance.
A tender conversation on how embracing death restores our relationship to life, nature, and the unseen threads that bind us all.
Show Notes:
Resources:
Bailey-Boushay House | Seattle HIV/AIDS Care
Death Doula Education - A Sacred Passing
Sun Goddess Matcha Green Tea | Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha | Pique
The Body Is a Doorway: A Memoir: A... book by Sophie Strand
The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise by Martin Prechtel
Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul by Stephen Jenkinson | Goodreads
Take the Spirit Oceano Pledge | Sea Burials & Green Burials
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Madeline’s IG: @nealbamj
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
Episode 10 · Songs of the Mountains, Medicines of the Earth
In this episode of Sacred Rite, Amber sits down with herbalist and founder of Mountain Song, Mary McCallum. Together they explore what it means to walk the plant path with integrity, live in reciprocity with the land, and cycle our resources back into our communities.
Mary shares her journey from personal healing to becoming a clinical herbalist rooted in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She offers insights into small-batch, seasonal medicine-making, the importance of supporting local growers and artisans, and her vision for Mountain Song Gardens & Herb School.
Listeners will also receive practical herbal wisdom for immunity, stress relief, and everyday care—along with inspiration for beginning a home apothecary or small herbal practice.
This conversation is a reminder that healing is both personal and collective, and that when we align with the rhythms of the earth, we create medicine for ourselves and our communities.
Show Notes:
Resources:
National University of Natural Medicine - NUNM - Portland, Oregon
The School of Evolutionary Herbalism
Build Your Home Apothecary | Herbal Medicine Course - Mountain Song Education
Mountain Song → Mary’s Website (use code SACREDRITE15)
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Mary’s IG: @mountainsongmedicine
Mountain Song → Mary’s Website
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
In this powerful episode, Amber sits down with birth doula, mama circle facilitator, and author Carson Meyer to explore what it truly means to grow together — in birth, in motherhood, and in community.
Carson shares insights from her new book Growing Together and her virtual circle series that support women in preparing for birth from a deeply embodied, intuitive place. Together, they unravel the complexities of the birth industrial complex, challenge modern assumptions around medicalized birth, and explore what’s possible when women choose home birth, free birth, and wise woman ways.
This conversation also opens the portal to early motherhood — including the often-silent truths of breastfeeding beyond infancy, toddler weaning, and how to stay grounded in your own rhythm amidst the noise of modern parenting culture.
Topics we cover in this episode:
Reclaiming birth as a sacred rite of passage
The ripple effects of the industrial birth complex
Home birth and free birth as ancestral, sovereign choices
The role of doulas in a shifting birth landscape
Breastfeeding, weaning, and mothering from intuition
The power of ritual and community in postpartum care
Whether you're pregnant, postpartum, or walking the path of reclamation, this episode offers a gentle but radical remembering.
Resources:
Growing Together Book - Carson’s AMAZING book!
https://www.nurture-neuroscience.com/
Gentle-Night Weaning with Carson Meyer
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Carson’s IG: @ccmeyer
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
In this heart-opening episode, tea guide Mina Lee shares the sacred art of Tea Ceremony as a path of love, presence, and connection to the Dao. Rooted in ancient Chinese tradition, Mina’s practice reminds us that tea is more than a drink—it is a living wisdom, a spiritual teacher, and a ritual of remembrance.
We explore the deeper meaning of working with tea ceremonially, the importance of how tea is grown and processed, and why drinking the bud and the mature leaves matters—for our bodies and the earth. Mina’s story is one of devotion, slowness, and listening—and she gently shows us how tea can become a daily act of reverence.
This episode is an invitation to meet the sacred in the simple.
Pour a cup, take a breath, and join us.
Resources:
Awaken the Heart's Wisdom | Living Tea
Serving Is Different From Helping And Fixing, by Rachel Naomi Remen
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Mina’s IG: Mina Lee (@minajlee88) •
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
In this episode of Sacred Rite, Amber Young welcomes Owen Lindsay — regenerative farmer, wild seed steward, and the gardener behind the herbal apothecary Mythic Medicine. Owen shares his journey into land-based living, the wisdom of hugelkultur, and the essential connection between soil minerals, plant vitality, and human health.
We explore the power of wild seeds, the art of growing for medicine, and simple practices for tending the earth in reciprocal relationship. This is a nourishing conversation for anyone drawn to healing through land, lineage, and living soil.
Topics include:
• Hugelkultur and regenerative farming
• Mineral wisdom from soil to self
• Ethical wild seed collecting
• Gardening for herbal medicine
• Listening to the land
Show Notes:
Resources:
Amber M Hill (@mythicmedicine) • Instagram photos and videos
Medicine Stories | Podcast on Spotify
Medicine Stories - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Owen’s IG: @strutsfreely
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
In this episode of the Sacred Rite Podcast, we sit down with Sparrow, the heart and hands behind Sparrow Clothing Company, a small-batch clothing brand rooted in ancestral wisdom, sustainability, and sacred slow fashion.
Together, we explore what it means to make clothing with intention—from seed to stitch—and why the clothes we wear matter more than we think. We trace the journey of fast fashion and its global consequences, and we imagine what becomes possible when we return to slower, more soulful ways of dressing and creating.
Sparrow shares her personal story, her connection to textiles, and how she sees clothing as medicine, ritual, and reclamation. This episode invites you to rethink your wardrobe not just as a style statement, but as a spiritual practice and an act of cultural remembering.
Topics we explore include:
The difference between fast and slow fashion
How the fashion industry affects the planet, labor, and our bodies
The art of handmade, small-batch clothing
Natural fibers, ancestral dyes, and creative intention
Clothing as resistance, story, and stewardship
Accessible shifts toward a more conscious wardrobe
Listen in for a conversation that weaves together craft, care, and culture—and invites you to come back into right relationship with what you wear.
Show Notes:
Apps:
Depop - buy, sell, discover unique fashion
Poshmark: Buy and sell fashion, home decor, beauty & more
Online Consignment:
Moon Child PNW (also a store front in Olympia, WA)
PopUp Kids Consign + Shop – PopUp Kids Shop
Favorite Brands:
Rudy Jude Clothing - Naturally Dyed and Happily Sewn :) – RUDY JUDE
The Simple Folk | Organic Womenswear, Children's & Baby Clothes
Christy Dawn - Regenerative, Ethical & Timeless Dresses & Accessories
Gaia Conceptions - Elevated sustainability
Beachwood | High-Quality Linen Clothing
Indigo Luna - Women's eco-conscious yoga & lifestyle
Discover the finest certified organic baby & kids brand in the US – Makemake Organics
Organic Baby & Toddler Clothes | Colored Organics ®
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Sparrow’s IG: @sparrow_co
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
In this episode of Sacred Rite, I speak with Teresa Angeles, educator, mother of six, and author of The Montessori Home and Beyond. Together, we explore how parents can bring the wisdom of the Montessori method into their everyday lives—no classroom required.
We dive into what makes Montessori different from traditional education models, why the first six years of life are so crucial, and how parents can nurture independence, curiosity, and emotional connection at home. Teresa shares from her personal journey raising six children with Montessori principles, and offers practical advice, templates, and encouragement for families at all stages.
This episode also touches on the growing cultural shift away from standardized education and toward more holistic, child-centered approaches. If you're seeking a more conscious, connected path to parenting and education, this conversation is for you.
Resources:
Teresa’s Book: The Montessori Home and Beyond
Teresa’s Website: Montessorifamilies.com
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Teresa’s IG: @nurturingyourchildsheart
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
Episode 4 – Sacred Rite Podcast
🎙️ “Tending the Future: Food Forests, Perennial Gardening & Permaculture in Practice” with Brandon Dean of Healthy Homestead Design
How do we design landscapes that feed not just our bodies, but our ecosystems, communities, and spirits?
In this episode, I’m joined by Brandon Dean, founder of Healthy Homestead Design, a regenerative land design company rooted in permaculture, perennial gardening, and holistic home-scale abundance. Together, we explore the transformational power of growing with intention—from suburban backyards to full-scale food forests.
We talk about:
🌱 The story behind Healthy Homestead Designs
🌿 What permaculture really means (in everyday language)
🌾 Food forests, perennial gardening & how they work together
🍓 Favorite perennial plants for home gardens and families
🛠️ Practical ways to begin—even with a small space or shady yard
🌀 How gardening can deepen our connection to land, self, and community
Brandon shares his insights on designing systems that are regenerative, low-maintenance, and deeply rooted in ecological reciprocity. Whether you’re planting your first herb spiral or dreaming of a homestead, this conversation offers grounded guidance and inspiration to grow with the rhythms of nature.
Resources:
Alderleaf Wilderness College | Nature & Survival School
How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns? - Freakonomics - podcast
pfaf.org (Plants for a future)
Picturethisai.com - Plant ID app
Books:
Brain Maker - book
Practical permaculture - book
Gaia's Garden - book
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Brandon’s IG: @storyofbrandon
Permaculture | Healthy Homestead Design | United States
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
Episode 3 – Ayurvedic Spring Renewal: Detoxing Rituals for Balance & Rejuvenation
with Ayurvedic Doctor Sarah Kruse
As the earth begins to awaken from winter’s slumber, spring invites us to lighten, cleanse, and renew. In this nourishing episode, Ayurvedic Doctor Sarah Kruse joins Amber to explore how the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda can guide us through this seasonal shift with intention and vitality.
Sarah shares her personal journey into Ayurveda and breaks down its foundational principles—including the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha)—in a way that’s both accessible and inspiring. Together, they dive into how spring’s Kapha energy can bring both growth and stagnation, and how we can support our bodies and minds through simple, at-home detoxing rituals.
From foods and herbs that naturally clear heaviness to daily self-care practices, breathwork, and spiritual cleansing, this conversation offers gentle yet powerful tools to help you align with nature’s rhythms. Whether you're new to Ayurveda or deepening your seasonal practices, this episode is a beautiful guide for springtime renewal.
✨ Topics Include:
Understanding the doshas and spring’s Kapha energy
Signs of imbalance and how to restore harmony
Gentle detox practices for home use
Strengthening your digestive fire (Agni)
Ayurvedic rituals for emotional and spiritual cleansing
Creating sattvic spaces and setting spring intentions
Resources & Links:
Sarah’s Website: to set up an Ayurvedic Consultation or service
Spring Cleanse at the Dayaalu Center & Online: May 5-14, 2025
Ignite Your Life Reset Program: starts April 21, 2025
https://love.embrace-ayurveda.com/igniteyourlifereset
3 Month Ayurvedic Health Coaching:
https://embrace-ayurveda.com/3-month-health-coaching/
Banyan Botanicals: for high quality Ayurvedic oils, herbs, supplies and articles
The Ayurvedic Institute: Dr. Vasant Lad's school, store and resources
Kerala Ayurveda: for high quality oils and herbs
The Kitchari Queen: delicious kitchari kits and teas
Book suggestions:
The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies - Vasant Lad
Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life - Claudia Welch
The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook - Kate O'Donnell
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
What does it really mean to come of age? Across cultures, rites of passage once marked the sacred transition into adulthood—guiding young people through challenge, initiation, and community support. But in today’s world, these traditions have been lost, leaving many to seek validation through risk-taking and unhealthy behaviors.
In this powerful episode, I sit down with Nicky Wilkes to explore why reviving rites of passage is urgent—especially for young men. We discuss how structured initiation fosters resilience, purpose, and connection, and why now, more than ever, we must reclaim this lost wisdom.
Join us as we uncover the deep impact of mentorship, sacred transitions, and how we can create meaningful initiations for the next generation. It’s time to bring back the rituals that shape strong, grounded, and conscious adults.
Show Notes:
Resources:
The Rites of Passage Institute
Journeymen - Inspiring the Men of Tomorrow
Men's Rites of Passage - Illuman
Books:
Connect with us:
Amber’s IG:@Sacred.rite
Nicky’s IG:@nickywilks
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
Your dental health could be the missing piece to your overall well-being.
In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode, Cassidy shares her personal journey of discovering the hidden dangers of root canals and how they may be silently impacting our health. Through research, experience, and holistic healing, we explore the crucial connection between oral infections and chronic illness - empowering you with knowledge, awareness, and the courage to take charge of your health!
Resources:
Documentary: Root Cause on UNIFYD TV
Podcast: The Voltage in Our Bodies with Dr. Jerry Tennant on the Darin Olien Show
You can find a Holistic Biological Dentist on the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine website here: https://iabdm.org/location/
Cassidy's Wholistic Biological Dentist:
Wholistic Dental Care - Mukilteo, WA (Mention Cassidy or Sacred Rite Podcast for $50 off your initial exam!)
Research:
One in four people are chronically sick
4 important facts about root canals | News & articles | UnitedHealthcare
Products:
Simplicity Biome, use CASSIDY for 20% off
Perfect Supplements, use CASSIDY for 10% off
Connect with us:
Amber's IG: @sacred.rite
Cassidy's IG: @fromcassidy
Podcast Music & Art:
Satori Ki's IG: @satori_ki
Album: The Passage
Kate Graham's IG: @starkissedkate
