Back in October 2019, I had the profound privilege of engaging in a deeply moving conversation with Nancy Levin on the Embodied podcast. Nancy is a remarkable poet, bestselling author, and a treasured voice on Hay House Radio. 

This heart-to-heart dialogue was not just a discussion, but a journey through the transformative power of self-discovery and healing.

The impact of losing mentors: Lessons from Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, and Debbie Ford

Nancy opened up about her life experiences, including her time with inspirational figures like Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, and Debbie Ford. It was touching to hear her describe the significant impact of losing these three influential friends, colleagues, and mentors. Their absence has undoubtedly left a void, but also a legacy of wisdom and courage that continues to inspire.

A central theme of our conversation was the exploration of parental and societal conditioning, and how these factors shape our paths. 

Nancy shared her narrative...

For most of my life, I couldn't see all the things I was doing out of habit, but that I truly didn't want to do.

The belief that I had to was so ingrained in me.

It's very easy for highly sensitive people like us to betray ourselves.

We don't even know we are doing it. Especially if the circumstances of our upbringing brought us to overuse our empathy in service to others, it's become our default setting. And often to the detriment of our self-preservation and our joy.

The role of empathy in self-betrayal

Empathy is such an important (and needed more than ever right now) human quality. It allows us to understand and share the feelings of others, and to know what others need. It is essential in building a resilient and creative society. I think it should be part of the school curriculum because it is the building block for everything else if we want to lead a healthy and meaningful life.

Empathy is at its strongest when we are young kids. If it is modelled to us, it stays intact...

New Year’s resolutions are typically goals that we set for the coming year and results we plan to achieve.

For example: “This year I will exercise, meditate, or somehow succeed more… and I will stress, drink, and overeat less.”

The challenge with future goals 

Optimistic and caught up in the spirit, "New Year’s Eve You" makes promises on behalf of "Future You," and "Future You" never has a chance, because goals set in the future often stay in the future, and we find ourselves making the same resolutions the following year.

There is only ever right now.

That's why deciding what you will be in the future is never as powerful as making changes in the present moment.

Start thinking about how you want to live your “nows.” The best way to make your intentions a reality is to re-conceptualize resolutions as daily, even hourly, commitments—more like “New Now’s Resolutions.”

Kickstart your New Year's...

This is an energy healing visualization taking you into each chakra and each element. I invite you to see for yourself how your body communicates energy and information with you. Take your time with this meditation and do it often. It is incredibly revealing.

Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Slow your breathing down and deepen your breathing. With each exhalation, feel your body softening, relaxing, melting. When you breathe deeply like this, you engage your parasympathetic system, and you let your body know that it is safe, that something new can happen.

As you continue to breathe deeply like this, I invite you to bring your attention all the way down to the base of your spine. Take your time. Follow your focus, your awareness down through your body all the way down to the base of your spine. When you are there, take a deep breath into the base of your spine, allowing your body to soften even more now...

Video: Anne Bérubé describes invoking the energy of Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of fire, as a source of courage, boldness, and action, emphasizing her powerful feminine energy as an ally for initiating change, pursuing passions, and embarking on new ventures with confidence.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

In the past couple of months, we've been exploring the shamanic tradition of the ancient Hawaiians, the Lumerians, a long, long time ago, which is called Huna, H-U-N-A. And this month, we're going to tap into the energy of Pele. She is the Hawaiian Goddess of fire, and she lives on the Big Island. And she has her own volcano. And she's a powerful, powerful ally. And I want you to think of her as an ally, almost like a sister, her energy is always available for us to tap into. And we use her energy when we need courage, when we need to be bold and clear, and we when we want to get things going, when you want to make things happen, because she is the fire. She represents and...

This interview was conducted by Jennifer Ackad, embodiment and authentic transformation mentor, and was initially broadcast on The Authentic Woman You Are Online Series and Interactive Training in March 2021. You can explore The Authentic Woman You Are community platform via this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theauthenticwomanyouare. 

Embodied authentic women: Nurturing the gift of empathy without burning out

Empathy can be a superpower, a profound gift that allows us to connect deeply with the energy of others and the universe. But for empaths and those who naturally give more of themselves, it's a delicate balance to maintain. In a recent enlightening conversation on The Authentic Woman You Are Online Series and Interactive Training, I spoke with Jennifer Ackad and unpacked this delicate balance.

Ready to dive deeper into mastering your empathic abilities? Join me at the Oceanstone Seaside Resort for a transformative retreat. Learn More About The Happy...

Anne Bérubé - Awakening Uli

Video: Anne Bérubé on using the divine mother energy, Uli, to heal her relationship with her biological mother by understanding and embracing unconditional love.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
When I first connected with her energy, it was through my teacher, Laura Kealoha Yardley, on Kauai, and after a couple days of this intensive training with her, it became very clear that I needed some help with my relationship with my own mother, my earthly mother, my biological mother. And Laura suggested that we bring in the energy of Uli. And the way that she presented it is that we all share this divine mother, we all share this primary, primordial mother essence within us and that energy is a representation and a manifestation of Divine Love, of unconditional love, of love with no opposites. And it manifests as an experience of unconditional love inside the body, and the heart, in the human being. And so connecting with that energy allows the...

Fully feeling the depth of each moment without barriers is a capacity and gift we all possess. We were born sensing our entire body, inner world, and the environment around us, initially without the need for protective walls. We were born fully trusting the people around us, but we did not yet know how to discern what the energy meant. We were new to the world with the powerful instrument of our high sensitivity and, for the first few years, entirely depended on others to protect it.

Understanding the essence of a pure heart

At the centre of our unguarded high sensitivity, at the core of our being, was the most precious thing of all: our pure heart. No matter how old or young our soul is, where we were born and to whom, our gender, race, or ethnicity, we all were born with a pure heart. No exception.

Do you trust that your heart is pure and acts in your best interest? How deep can your trust go? Can you take full responsibility for its safety? Can you feel safe and be sensitive...

This podcast conversation was recorded on October 22nd 2022. 

Last fall, I had the joy of welcoming my dear friend and beautifully authentic spirit, Nancy Regan, to the Embodied podcast. An author, professional communicator, presentation coach, and an inspiring beacon of light, Nancy had penned her first book, From Showing Off to Showing Up: An Impostor's Journey from Perfect to Presence.

About Nancy's book

Nancy’s creation is a divine amalgamation of memoir and self-help, a true call to authenticity, and a guide to living a fearless life. What touches my heart deeply about her book is its gentle encouragement for readers to embrace intimacy with themselves and to find acceptance in every fragment of their being. This approach mirrors Nancy’s journey, and her transformation is interwoven within the words, an echo of her soulful dance with acceptance.

Connecting on a personal level

Our exchange on the podcast was filled with giggles and moments of genuine...

Video: Anne Bérubé on the role of healing symbols in Huna philosophy.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
And so in the Huna tradition, there's a series of healing and manifesting symbols that people use to either heal themselves, heal someone else, or manifest a desired outcome. And so the way that Laura taught the symbols to me was very different than maybe other teachers in Hawaii. Instead of just giving me the symbol, she would actually wait for the symbol to reveal itself to me in time. So one night, after spending a couple of days with her, I had a dream of the Waha-Hamama symbol, it was in her awareness, she wanted to share it with me, but she wanted to wait until the symbol would reveal itself to me, I had a dream about it. And the next morning, I didn't know it was a symbol. And we were painting, that was one of the ways that she shared with me through art. And I started to paint the symbol. And that's when she knew I was ready to consciously receive this symbol. So what...