A Quest for Well-Being

— We heal through connection, reducing isolation, judgment and having supportive people to go along with us on our journey of healing. Our society and culture perpetuates standards of "masculinity"; what it means to be male, through norms of encouraging male power, dominance, and privilege, while discouraging and disapproving the expression of emotions for males. These stigmas and beliefs perpetua...

— Every human being has a unique gift to offer to the world and this is our purpose as humans on this planet. We have been offered this life, so let's make the most of it by doing something great, something worthwhile, something we can be remembered by. An individual's sense of purpose goes beyond simply achieving a particular goal; it involves making a positive impact on the world, no matter how...

— There can be challenges along the way in life. There is no need to feel alone! In the event that you are feeling overwhelmed by difficulties, trauma, or loss, therapy might be of assistance. Courtney believes in developing skills, overcoming obstacles, and achieving your personal goals based on your strengths. Valeria interviews Courtney Walraven — She graduated with a Master's in social work fr...

— In order to understand anxiety, we must first understand that it is a normal response to stress. A person who feels anxious is likely facing a new and unknown experience. If you think back to a time when you applied for a sports team, attended a job interview, or met someone new and unknown, fear and anxiety were likely present. Stress signals are sent by the body to keep you safe and secure. Th...

  — "Mom, Thank you for simply trying. For always admitting that you didn't know it all, but you learned from one child to the next. Thank you for being all examples of both what to do and not do. You gave me permission to become the best parts of me. You encouraged me to stand firm on the foundation of God...believing that if I followed him, he would keep me. He has. I have watched you grow and e...

— When you're doing your best, ticking the boxes but you're not truly happy it is time to access your own Self-Help Support Squad, workshops, trainings and dedicated message support. It's not your fault that you don't have the internal toolkit to get through life well on your own.  You will have it now! Valeria interviews Rochelle Knowles  — She is a business owner and certified Health & Life Coac...

— "There is always a journey each of us needs to take. I am grateful for my journey. It was healing and spiritual. When a tough journey enters our life, it is for a reason and instead of fighting it, embrace it. Though not easy at first, doors close and open for a reason. We learn, become stronger, brace a higher power and the most important is never, ever, give up on yourself!" — Mary Valeria int...

— Have you thought about meeting your therapist outdoors and walk together while the therapeutic processes unfold? If not, it's time for an added natural healing component! Nature! This is not a new practice method. In fact, it is a very ancient concept. Aristotle and Socrates famously walked during lectures. Sigmund Freud often walked with patients during the analysis process. Although it is unkn...

— "Stories are how we as people communicate. They are instrumental for how we relate to members of family, community, or strangers who we find deep compassion for." Valeria interviews Douglas Weissman — the author of "Life Between Seconds." Douglas Weissman is a Los Angeles native who has lived in Florence, Rome, Sydney, and San Francisco. He can always be swayed by a good cookie or bad ice cream...

— "I am here, fully experiencing my body ... yessss," she read, "I am taking responsibility for my life ... yessss." Valeria interviews Stephanie Hrehirchuk  — she is the author of over 20 books, including the multi-award-winning memoir, An Accidental Awakening: It's not about yoga; It's about family. She's written about everything from the chakras and Ayurveda to motherhood and dream yoga. Stepha...

— Dance is one way of taking initiative to exform when the tears won't come, or when they won't stop. When we have something that needs shaking loose or sweating out in high kicks, the wild mosh, the crowd surf. And dancing together is even better than dancing alone. One Oxford study of pain revealed that dancing in sync with a group made dancers able to bear more pain. (Of course, they didn't con...

  — When we resolve the illusion that we are separate from Source, the illusion of the physical world will resolve itself. 'Live long and prosper.' - Mr. Spock said  —  You are life everlasting and power far beyond your limiting beliefs. Know who you are as an aspect of Source and the creator of your reality. The end of duality is yours through understanding, intention, and practice. Be bound for...

  — As a health-focused chef, Ellen lives by the well-known motto: "Let food be thy medicine." It is obvious that eating more fruits and vegetables is in your best interest, but simply knowing that is not enough. By embracing the connection between self-care, better choices, enhanced gut health, cognitive functions, and hormonal balance, we begin to heal. Plus, food inspires! It gives us the oppor...

— Love is the Universal Goal. Because love is what we are, it is what we have always looked for.  We have discovered that we don't always understand what love is.  And if one doesn't understand what it is then how can one achieve it? Valeria interviews Collin Hansen  — Core is Collin's passion. You might wonder what that means.  To him, it is happiness, fulfillment, joy, connection, kindness, conf...

— "Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don't get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. — Life's work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into the circle wak...

— Laurie provides a safe space where clients can reveal their challenges and together work to uncover the thoughts, emotions and behaviors that create obstacles to well-being. To better understand unhealed patterns, there's a stage of exploration of events from early life that have created automatic reactions. As you become more conscious of these automatic responses, you will find that you have m...

—  As Survivors of Childhood Trauma, we have been conditioned to expect bad things to happen. We are often overwhelmed by negative expectations about our lives, our relationships and about trying new things. Because the brain gets programmed to expect negativity, our feelings, thoughts and behaviors reinforce unwanted outcomes. And the negativity loop continues. With that conditioning, we learn to...

— "The state of full consciousness exists in the absence of all thought: not only the strategic thoughts which revolve around our material and personal existence, but also the intellectual faculty of observing and witnessing is no longer called for. I knew I was creating myself and the whole world. Just by being in the state of constant, inexhaustible inspiration, in effortless and peaceful ecstas...

— Learning how to reprogram your subconscious mind is one of the most amazing life-changing experiences we will have. Your subconscious mind has the power to show you who you are in the deepest levels of your being. Yet, most of us will spend our entire lives entrapped by our subconscious programs. In this episode, Steffo Shambo will explore and guide us to move into conscious awareness, retrain o...

— You are experiencing an intentional life? Do you know what it really means to be intentional and what it is like to do think and act with intention? And most important, can we all live intentionally? Valeria interviews Kelsey Schad  — she is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas and holds a master's degree in psychology as well as master's in counseling from Houston Bapti...

  — "The belief that I am a separate individual that exists within creation is strong.  The perception that I was born and I will die, but while I'm here I am going to do the best that I can.  I want to succeed, I want to get as much for me and mine as I can. This is basically what happens lifetime after lifetime.  We descend down into creation.  We have our life. We go through ups, we go through...

— "We cannot handpick which emotions we do and don't want to feel. If we numb or ignore some of them, we crate distance from all of them. Feeling disconnected and numb to our emotions, life can also lose a sense of vitality and zest. In cutting out feeling vulnerable, we have also sacrificed feeling so much joy, peace, and goodness." Valeria interviews Dr. Pauline Yeghnazar Peck — She is a license...

— "Find Freedom, Joy, and Purpose — No matter what you've been through, no matter what you currently face, there is hope. You deserve a life worth living, full of joy and free from distress. You deserve a space to become your best self. " Valeria interviews Christian Holmes  — He is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, Christian has had the priv...

— "How did I get here?" This question arises after the realization that the person you have spent a substantial amount of time with may be a narcissist. "How could this happen? How did I not see? How did I allow this for so long?" Do any of these questions sound familiar? They probably do because they are all a part of the beginning process of healing yourself from this trauma. What I am here to t...

—"One of the pillars of integrating psychedelics is exploring the relationship we have with death. This is a matter of integrating the reality of death—death in general and your death in particular—into your experience of living. Integrating death, as a part of the larger integration of your work with psychedelics, is ultimately a spiritual preparation. "There is no fundamental difference between...