Know Your Ancestors

Ep 78: This week we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations! In this encore episode, I sit down with ancestral healing guide Torie Feldman of Sacred Ancestry as we explore the stories hidden in her family tree. Together we uncover immigration journeys, courageous women, ancestral homes in Europe, and the power of combining genealogy with personal reflection. Whether you're just...

Ep 77: This summer I'm bringing back some of my favorite guest episodes from Know Your Ancestors — conversations where we really dug into identity and what it means to understand yourself better through your lineage. Julie Taylor has always felt deeply called to a piece of land in Provo, Utah. She moved her family back from Connecticut for it. She kept her last name after marriage because of i...

Ep 76: This summer I'm bringing back some of my favorite guest episodes from Know Your Ancestors — conversations where we really dug into identity and what it means to understand yourself better through your lineage. And I couldn't think of a better place to start than episode one. Brittany MacLeod was our very first guest, and this episode is one of my favorites simply because of how much...

Ep 75: I get this question all the time: "But what if there's barely anything about my ancestor?" So in this episode, I'm showing you exactly what's possible. I chose my second great-grandmother for the Ancestor Power Project — a woman with one photo, no memories passed down, no journals. Just records. And what I discovered is that even when you can't find more records, y...

Ep 74: Some seasons just pile on. In this episode I'm getting a little real about a hard few weeks — and the moment I grabbed a book of ancestor biographies off the shelf and let my grandparents remind me what I'm built from. If you've got a family history book collecting dust, this is your sign to open it. And if you don't have stories like that yet — I'd love to help you find...

Ep 73: I've been seeing a lot of content lately about reconnecting with ancient, pre-colonial ancestry — and while I love that conversation, I think something important is being skipped over. The ancestors who shaped us most are the close ones. Our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. Their patterns, tendencies, and traumas live in us whether we acknowledge them or not. In this episode,...

Ep 72: If you've ever felt a pull toward the land your ancestors came from — like some part of you belongs somewhere you've never been — this episode is for you. In the summer of 2024, I traveled to Northern Wales with most of my family to stand where our ancestors stood, 100 years after my grandmother left as a four-year-old girl. And it changed me. In this episode, I share what that expe...

Ep 71: A lot of people think that genealogy research is super hard, confusing, and overwhelming. But it's actually a very doable thing....and is easier now than ever. In this episode I walk you through how to get started and share a couple tools that can help: 1. The FamilySearch Research Wiki: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Main_Page 2. Family Tree Foundations - Self-guided Online Cours...

Ep 70: You feel it… that pull toward your roots. Wanting something deeper, but not knowing where to start. In this episode, we’re talking about culture—and why so many of us feel disconnected from it. Because it didn’t disappear. It was forgotten. I share why this disconnection happens and how you can begin finding your own culture again—without borrowing from others. Inside, we cover: - Why “whit...

Ep 69: If you’ve ever thought, “I want to learn about my ancestors… but I don’t even know where to begin,” this episode is for you. There is so much information out there, and it can feel overwhelming fast. But the truth is, getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode, I walk you through three simple steps to begin researching your family history in a way that is grounded, mean...

Ep 68: Last week, I ran a free 3-day challenge—and what came out of it surprised me. In this episode, I’m sharing the real reason behind the Ancestor Power Project … not just what it is, but why I felt called to create it in the first place. This isn’t just about building a family tree. It’s about understanding your ancestors as real people—what they lived through, what they carried, and how their...

Ep 67: This is the final day of the 3-Day Ancestor Power Challenge — and where everything shifts. You’ve chosen an ancestor. You’ve started uncovering their life. Now… you begin to understand what it means for you. In this episode, you’ll be guided to find what I call the “connection click” — that one detail that makes your ancestor feel real. The moment they stop being just a name…and become some...

Ep 66: In Day 2 of the 3-Day Ancestor Power Challenge, we slow down and take a closer look at a single record. Instead of collecting more and more documents, you’ll learn how to see more in what you already have. Choose one record—like a census, vital record, or newspaper—and write down every detail you can find. Small details matter. This is where real understanding begins. By the end of today, y...

Ep 65: This episode is Day 1 of the 3-Day Ancestor Power Challenge. Today, you’ll choose one ancestor and begin getting familiar with their life — using only what you already know. If you want to fully participate in the challenge (with the worksheet + community support), you can join here: 👉 Get the worksheet + join the challenge + join the FB group: https://knowyourancestors.co/powerchallenge

Ep 64: You’ve done the research. You have the names, the dates, the records… So why does it still feel like something is missing? In this short episode, I share what changed for me — when my ancestors became more than information… and started to feel like real sources of strength, wisdom, and support. ✨ Join the free 3 Day Ancestor Power Challenge 👉 https://knowyourancestors.co/powerchallenge Fo...

Ep 63: What if understanding your ancestors could change how you show up in the world today? In this episode, I sit down with Hilary Giovale, author of Becoming a Good Relative, to explore what it really means to be in relationship with our ancestors — especially when their stories include colonization, harm, and difficult truths. Hilary shares her personal journey of uncovering her lineage and th...

Ep 62: Every year thousands of genealogists gather in Salt Lake City for RootsTech, the largest family history conference in the world. This year I attended as part of the media team, and in this episode I’m sharing my honest thoughts about the experience. What are the classes actually like? What trends are emerging in genealogy right now? And what surprised me most about being there? I talk about...

Watch on YouTube Ep 61: Public historian Charlie Eve (@thehistorymagpie) spends his days uncovering hidden stories from Britain’s past — but what happens when the history turns personal? In this episode, Charlie joins me to talk about working-class history, storytelling, and why ordinary lives matter just as much as kings and wars. Then, I guide him through an Origin Initiation — a focused explora...

Watch on YouTube Ep 60: Last week, I talked about inheriting traits from our ancestors. In this episode, we go deeper. Your Origin Story isn’t just about noticing patterns — it’s about exploring the full arc of your lineage. We look at immigration, occupation, land, trauma, resilience, and the historical forces that shaped the lives of your direct-line ancestors. Because when you understand what t...

Ep 59: In this episode, I share pieces of my own origin story — from growing up with large family reunions that gave me a deep sense of belonging, to recognizing patterns of builders, dreamers, and problem-solvers in my lineage. We inherit more than eye color and last names. We inherit strengths, sensitivities, relationship patterns, endurance, and instincts. When we understand where we come from,...

Ep 58: When people start researching their family tree, one of the first questions I hear is: Should I use FamilySearch or Ancestry? In this episode, I’m walking you through the real differences between these two platforms, how each one works, and why I personally use both in my own research. I recorded this episode because I see so much confusion — and honestly, a lot of frustration — when people...

Ep 57: What if understanding your ancestors could help you feel more grounded and supported in your life today? In this episode, I’m sharing a recorded class where I introduce a new way of approaching genealogy — not just as research, but as a way to understand patterns, resilience, and meaning across generations. You’ll be introduced to my Rooted Lineage Method, a 5-step framework for exploring y...

Ep 56: What do you do when one census record changes how you see your entire family? In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Rae, who shares the powerful and unsettling story of her second great-grandmother, Susan—an ancestor who spent more than 30 years in a state mental hospital and was largely erased from family memory. What started as casual genealogy research turned into a year-long search thr...

Ep 55: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about heritage, belonging, and what happens when culture slowly disappears. This episode isn’t about politics. It’s about something quieter, and deeper. What happens when people stop speaking their language? When traditions aren’t passed down? When we don’t know where we come from — and start wondering if we even have a culture at all? In this episode, I sha...

Ep 54: What if your birth chart holds clues about your ancestors, your family patterns, and even the roles you’re here to play in this lifetime? In this episode, I’m joined by Melanie Marisol, an ancestral astrologer who helps people understand their lineage through the lens of astrology—specifically the fourth house , the part of the chart connected to family, roots, and ancestry. We talk about:...