The Urban Grief Shamans

What happens when the life you've meticulously built suddenly feels like it belongs to someone else? This is the question at the heart of our profound conversation with Kelly Sparta. Grief isn't just about losing someone—it's about losing identities, futures, and versions of ourselves we thought we were supposed to become. Kelly Sparta shares her transformative journey from childhoo...

Rebecca Shaper shares her transformative journey through loss, trauma, and healing, emphasizing the profound connection between humans and their dogs. She highlights the role of nature and spirituality in overcoming grief, offering insights on how to find messages from our loved ones beyond death.  • Exploring the historical bond between humans and dogs  • Rebecca's personal experiences with...

Dedication: This episode is dedicated to all military members, veterans, first responders, emergency room physicians, nurses, and hospital security teams. Your courage, resilience, and service are deeply honored. In this heartfelt episode, Carmen Theobald shares her transformative journey from surviving trauma to embracing post-traumatic growth through her work with horses. She recounts her life-c...

Episode Summary: In this powerful episode of Urban Grief Shamans, host John Moir sits down with Betti Rooted Lionheart, a compassionate shamanic healer and spiritual empowerment advocate, to explore the profound connection between grief, ritual, and healing. Betti shares her journey of reclaiming lost parts of herself, overcoming deep despair, and discovering the transformative power of shamanic h...

Losing a sister to cancer at 19 is a profound and life-altering experience, one that our guest bravely shares in this heartfelt episode. Through vivid recollections, we journey with them through the sacred final moments of their sister's life, the spiritual encounter that followed her passing, and the intricate dynamics of a family grappling with loss. Witness the mother's serene accepta...

What happens when a life marked by epilepsy and emergency medical work collides with a spiritual calling? This week, we welcome Chris Wasco, a compassionate hospital chaplain and former EMT paramedic, to share her remarkable journey of healing and spirituality. Chris opens up about her life with generalized epilepsy and how it guided her spiritual path, transforming her approach to healing others....

Unlock the secrets to understanding and healing from relationships with narcissists in our eye-opening conversation with therapist and shamanic practitioner Alex Solomon. We promise you'll gain profound insights into the roots of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), its ties to childhood trauma, and the manipulative behaviours it engenders. Alex shares invaluable strategies for setting bo...

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Bob Martin, a man whose life story reads like a film script, transitioning from a mob lawyer during Miami's tumultuous "Cocaine Cowboy" days to a serene meditation teacher and Mindfulness Coordinator at Elon University. Bob shares the riveting details of his past and the profound spiritual awakening that reshaped his future. Guided by the...

In this enlightening episode, a native New Yorker and urban shaman, shares his deeply personal journey into shamanism sparked by a significant loss in 1996. He recounts how a spiritual workshop helped him rediscover laughter and joy amidst grief, leading him to explore shamanism's rich practices. Tony describes the serendipity of his spiritual awakening through various workshops in New York C...

Merging Minds and Spirits Please don't hesitate to leave a comment here. An insightful dialogue between host John Moir and his guest, Diane Puchbauer, discussing the integration of psychology, shamanism, and the profound impact of horses on healing and personal growth. Diane shares her journey from a troubled relationship with horses in her youth to embracing shamanism and energy psychology,...

Jen Frey's grandparents' garden was more than just a patch of earth—it was a sanctuary where plants spoke and the heart could heal. As she walks you through her family's legacy of organic gardening and the profound wisdom that plants offer, we'll uncover the intertwined dynamics of nature and nurture. Discover the shamanic paths, herbal remedies that have shaped Jen's jour...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter Have you ever faced a shattering moment that reshaped your entire existence? Meet Ashmeeta Madhav, a beacon of strength in the turmoil of loss, who joins us to share her transformative journey through grief. She brings a reservoir of resilience as an educator, author, and grief support advocate, teaching us that our darkest times can lead to profou...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter In this episode of our podcast, we delve into the transformative journey of blending shamanic practices with traditional psychotherapy. Our guest, Alex Solomon, a seasoned therapist with a rich background in both realms, shares their insights on the challenges and revelations encountered when integrating these seemingly distinct approaches to heali...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter This compelling episode delves into the seldom-discussed realm of men’s grief and the cultural silence around their emotional expressions. Our guest, Carl Rabke, a seasoned practitioner in somatics, embodiment work, and grief rituals, shares his profound insights into the intersections of physical embodiment and soul work. Through his journey of he...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter Personal Reflections and Insights on Forest Therapy Walks Feel the pulsing heartbeat of the earth and the whisper of leaves as Brenda Martin, a forest therapy guide, leads us on a quest for tranquillity amid the forests' embrace. Her insights promise more than just a walk among trees; they offer a doorway to the soul's unspoken dialogue w...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter When Mora File, a teacher and healer with a background in shamanic practices, joined us, she shared valuable insights about the stages of womanhood. She spoke about the transition from maiden to mother, and then to crone, emphasizing the crone's role in embodying wisdom and life's cycles. Mora highlighted the importance of recognizing and...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter Have you ever felt like you've lost a part of yourself due to life's challenges? Elaine Egidio, an experienced practitioner in shamanic healing, joins us to discuss how soul retrieval can help regain one's complete sense of self. She shares her insights on recognizing when parts of our essence may be concealed due to past traumas and...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter In our latest discussion, we were joined by Catherine Grey Hughes, a teacher and shaman practitioner with a deep understanding of psychopomp, the practice of guiding souls after death. Catherine shared her insights on how soul transitions affect both the living and the deceased. We talked about the reasons why some souls may stay behind and how the...

Subscribe to our Light Through Shadows newsletter In our latest episode, we talk with Kathy Gleason from “As I Live and Grieve” about the relationship between grief and creativity. We explore how historical periods, from the Renaissance to the Blues Era, have shown that sorrow can inspire great art. Kathy shares her own stories from childhood, explaining how these early encounters with grief shape...