In this episode I sit down with my partner, Travis Cartwright, to explore how we can orient ourselves towards love and connection in a world that can feel dark and bleak. We explore the danger avoiding the shadow aspects of reality, and the gifts that come from a willingness to come into contact with the messy, feral, dark parts of life.

Travis is a cancer survivor who now works in herbal cancer care; he also works as a paramedic and comes into contact with pain, darkness, death, and discomfort on a regular basis. His deep connection to nature through herbalism, bow hunting and other rewilding practices has been his guide and compass since his teens after growing up in a community riddled with violence and disconnection. Travis offers a message of hope through forming relationship with the living world and living a life of meaning from an embodied, experiential place.

May this episode act as a reminder to turn our attention to nature, and let its wisdom lead us through the darkest nights.

Trigger warning: We discuss acts of violence, homophobia, death, cancer, and general hardship throughout the episode.

Somatic Sisterhood Circle

The Somatic Sisterhood Circle is a weekly touch point to attune to the wisdom of your body while being held in sisterhood. Each circle includes embodiment practices and meaningful conversations. The next eight week series will be focused on Reclaiming Womanhood: Healing from Good-Girl Conditioning.

Society asks girls and women to shrink themselves. Be good, pretty, capable (but not too capable), take care of others, sacrifice yourself, and do it all with a smile. Our depth, magic, eros, fierceness, intellect, and aliveness has been controlled and manipulated. Our wildness has been repressed. This circle is about freeing ourselves from the good girl conditioning and embodying something more raw and real. Learn more.

Stay in Touch!

Althaea Herbals on Instagram: @althaeaherbals

Marie's Substack: @marieembodied

Book a somatic therapy and/or herbalism session.

Why do people join cults and why do they stay? How does spiritual, mental and emotional trauma impact physical pain? Today I sit down with my sister, Danii Zak, to discuss her her complex journey through trauma, chronic pain, and religious abuse.

Danii shares about several key traumatic events that shaped her life, including a devastating natural disaster and a life-altering car accident that occurred while she was studying to become a pastor at a cult-adjacent religious organization, Hillsong Church. The conversation delves into the impact of these experiences on her mental health and the development of chronic pain. Danii discusses her healing journey through somatic therapy, emphasizing the importance of understanding the connection between trauma and physical pain. The episode will invite you to think for yourself, reclaim your truth, and take agency over your life.

Trigger Warning: In this episode we discuss trauma, religious abuse, chronic pain, and suicidal ideation.

Resources

Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed

Curable: A Different Approach to Chronic Pain

Stay in Touch!

Danii on Instagram: @heal.with.danielle

Danii's website: https://www.thewellnessjourney.ca/

Marie on Instagram: @althaeaherbals

Marie's Substack: @marieembodied

Book a somatic therapy and/or herbalism session.

Feeling stuck, small, or disempowered in your life? Jump into this conversation where I explore what it means to reclaim your personal power on an embodied level. This episode will encourage you to take accountability for the things you can change, while recognizing and accepting circumstances and dynamics that are out of your control.

You'll learn about early imprints and how they shape our relationship with power in the present, how to spot unhealthy power dynamics, and how to widen your nervous system's capacity to hold more personal power. If you're ready to creating real lasting change in both your inner and outer world - this episode is for you!

Ready to step on your path of embodiment? I invite you to explore my upcoming program, Reclaim Your Power. This is an eight-week somatic program that will provide you with the tools and guidance that will support you tto step into the version of yourself who embodies your power, protects your boundaries, and lives in deep self-trust.

Lasting change doesn’t happen through sheer willpower; it happens when your nervous system feels safe and resourced enough to expand its capacity to hold more power. Learn more here.

Stay in Touch!

Instagram: instagram.com/althaeaherbals/

Substack: https://substack.com/@marieembodied

Book a somatic therapy and/or herbalism session.