Magic, Medicine and Mayhem

Every ending is a new beginning, but it doesn't always feel that way--and it didn't in the spring of 2017. I was freshly divorced, with a storage unit full of stuff but no house to put it in, a job that I was just about to quit and no future plans at all. So I decided to ride my bicycle across the United States of America. On my own. Four and a half months later, I realized that the hard...

So, what’s your story? This is one of the many ways that we modern humans get the conversation going. It’s one that I use a lot, actually. Maybe because I’m a writer, and a trained journalist. And because I'm a curious person, which is probably what drew me to that work in the first place. This podcast has been quieter than usual for a bit because I’ve been following my curiosity to see where...

"In strange and uncertain times such as those we are living in, sometimes a reasonable person might despair. But hope is unreasonable and love is greater even than this." (Musician Robert Fripp) Whose heart doesn't hurt these days? We might, in this turbulent period, find it logical to believe that the darkness has won. However, as Robert Fripp said so beautifully, hope is not logic...

If you're looking for a different way to live--one which is grounding, nourishing, inspiring and supportive--look no further than tomorrow's episode. Join me and the wise Amy Terepka for a timely and playful conversation on how we can simply but powerfully reconnect ourselves with the natural world--one tree or plant at a time.  Inside this episode, you'll get to know Amy and how sh...

Join me to celebrate my favorite spooky holiday: Samhain (aka Halloween)! We'll get into my crazy outfits for this year and the history of Samhain before I guide you through a protection spell I crafted just for the occasion. What you need to for the protection spell mentioned in the episode (and you'll need to prepare it before listening if you want to do the spell with me): A candle +...

There's proof in the abundance of nature, especially at harvest time: We really can have it all. A supportive community full of people who love us for you for who you really are. A healthy, loving romantic partnership. A job that springs you out of bed, because you're passionate about what you're doing. A life which is in balance between work, travel, exercise, friends and family ti...

Happy 9-9! In numerology, the number 9 represents completion, but not finality--it's like the ending of one cycle and nearly the beginning of another. To me, it's like a portal... Come with me as we take advantage of this powerful moment on the cusp of leaping forward to take a magical pause. Our hectic world shoves us from one thing into another, and it's always asking "What&a...

"The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." -Henry Miller The human mind is a marvelous thing, in essence a little mini-computer capable of the greatest and worst ideas on earth. And thus, it holds the greatest key to making our worlds either marvelous or terrible, tragic or heroi...

Why do I take you with me on these walks in Tuscany? Is it just because I like to walk? Yes. Is it because walking in Tuscany ain't half bad? Well, yes. But there are other, deeper and more important reasons for this that definitely involve you, your wellbeing and even the wellbeing of the whole planet. Curious? I'll explain everything in this episode. Of course, we'll also be immer...

One day you're partying with your friends, and the next day you're in the emergency room--and that's just the start of the wacky journey you are still on now. No, unfortunately this isn't a hypothetical situation... This is what happened to me about three weeks ago, and I'm going to explain everything to you in this episode. You'll also hear what else I have been up t...

The first episode of this year is all about renewal and magic: from Italy's beloved Christmas Witch (La Befana) to the enchantment of the great outdoors--even in winter! Join me as we take a bewitching journey through the historic and modern celebrations and traditions surrounding La Befana and learn why it is that my 2025 work year started on January 7th. Afterwards, we'll head out toge...

The year 2024 is about to blow out of here, like the last of the fall leaves in a gust of icy wind. Join me for one last walk in the Tuscan hills before we say goodbye to this year--but this time, we're not in the hills above where I live. We're somewhere completely new and different! This time, I'm exploring right along with you as I take in the sights, sounds, smells and feel of t...

As a child, I believed 100 percent that mermaids roamed the oceans, unicorns thundered through the forests and fairies hid behind trees just a second before we saw them. Thankfully, adulthood never convinced me to leave behind the belief that if I looked at things just so, something magical might happen. Throughout years of transforming and adapting to new workplaces, living spaces, roommates and...

No man is an island. No witch, either. And that's what my guest today--fellow witch, yoga teacher and MUCH more--Caterina Esteves, are here to talk about. Well, not only--we'll touch on what it means to be truly authentic, the self-sabotaging behaviors that keep us from that end, what blocked Catarina for so long, and how she both overcame crippling anxiety and societal pressures. Whethe...

November is kind of a sad month, isn't it? Yet--even as the days shorten and the temperatures drop--it doesn't have to be so melancholy. For ancient Celtic people and the Ireland of yore, the month of November is the start of the Celtic new year, which began on October 31st. The Celts called it Samhain (pronounced Sah-win).    The Celtic day also began at sundown instead of at sunrise. S...

The day of the election was a week ago now, but the repercussions will be felt for some time. As Trump's supporters continue to celebrate, those of us that were hoping for a fresh new take on America that would have included a colored woman president grieve and wonder how to move forward. Speaking with others who voted for Kamala, I sense the despair, the angst, the "What now??"  If...

Black cats, witches dancing around a bonfire under a full moon, the dark, misty forest, mysterious caves guarded by Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts--this extra special episode has all the spooky stuff this season demands! But not only... Start in ordinary reality and embark on a wondrous journey--or, as the Celts and my ancestors say, an Imramma. You can learn more about the concept and history of Imramma...

When I take my clients back to their roots, I mean two things: I mean, some of my ancestors came from Ireland, England, Wales, Germany and France–where did yours come from? Let’s learn about them, and from them. And then let’s go even deeper and see if we can pick up where some of those ancestors left off. It’s the start of a journey both of remembering and of choosing a new, sustainable and compa...

Join me for a new, immersive kind of walk in the Tuscan hills above where I live. This time, it's YOU having a wander in the foggy Tuscan hills. Feel the mist on your skin. Hear the rain as it falls on your umbrella. Gaze upon the olive trees laden with fruit. Feel that you are really and truly in Tuscany, having a stroll in the autumn weather. In this episode, you'll also learn why I&ap...

Perhaps you feel at home where you were born--or perhaps you never have. Maybe you've finally found a place to put down roots, after ages of wandering... Or it could be that you're still on the move, seeking that place whose heart calls to yours. It could also be that home is exactly where you are, and you're happy to follow the call of the road wherever it leads you. In any case, f...

As the darkness of Halloween/Samhain and winter approaches, as the light wanes and the shadows lengthen, many of us feel a tug on our hearts. Perhaps it's more than the bittersweetness of summer's exit, but a deep and primordial call to go within. The dark journey to the Underworlds undertaken by Inanna or Persephone, the descending into the depths to shine a light on what's there a...

All around you, the seasons are changing--can you feel them? Can you see them? Hear them? Out in the olive groves, fields and oak forests above my house, all you need to do is go for a stroll in order to immerse yourself in the transition. Are you ready to come for a walk with me? Also in this episode: strange and wondrous guest appearances by Horse, Old Tuscan Man and Fig. You're not going t...

“In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible.” (Sarah Dessen, "Along for the Ride") Come outside with me and let's savor this collection of weeks when anything is possible. Let yourself be engulfed in the sensations of summer: the sights,...

Do something every day that scares you," said Eleanor Roosevelt (hopefully listening to me talk isn't one of them). In this episode, I'll update you on the things that are making my heart race--both in Magic, Medicine and Mayhem and in my personal life. After all, they've both been entwined since my broken hip was what spurred me to create a podcast in the first place. Join me...

🌳Reconnect with nature. Re-wild. We hear these phrases a lot these days, but what do they actually mean? How can someone in this busy modern world plug themselves back into nature? 🌳Find out when you come on a walk with me in Tuscany. It's July, so we're going outside together to see what July looks like, smells like and feels like. As I wander through olive groves and oak forests, you...