Still Waters With Li

As we close the first year of Still Waters with Li, I wanted to end with a conversation that matters. Depression is real. It’s not weakness. It’s not a character flaw. It’s not a spiritual failure. In this Year One finale, I explore the difference between coping skills and treatment, the danger of taking unqualified opinions as clinical truth, and why seeking professional support can be one of the...

Season Finale 🌿 This season, we explored trauma, identity, burnout, grief, rest, boundaries, and the quiet ways survival can pull us away from ourselves. And if there is one truth I hope you carry forward, it is this: Healing is not becoming someone new. It is returning to the parts of yourself that survival buried. In Episode 8, we close The Roots and the River with the wisdom of I Ching Hexagra...

Some of us were taught that being needed meant being loved. So we overgave. Overexplained. Overextended ourselves trying to keep peace, avoid conflict, and carry what was never ours alone to hold. Episode 7 of Still Waters with Li explores the quiet truth that boundaries are not cruelty, rejection, or selfishness. They are clarity. They are honesty. They are protection for the parts of us that sur...

Healing is not always light. Sometimes healing sounds like grief. In this episode of Still Waters with Li, Li explores the emotional experience of outgrowing the survival version of yourself, the part that learned to stay guarded, hyper-independent, over-responsible, or constantly strong in order to survive difficult seasons. Together, we explore: * why healing can feel unexpectedly sad * the grie...

Rest is not laziness. Slowing down is not failure. In this episode of Still Waters with Li, Li reflects on completing practicum while balancing life as a full-time mother, wife, counseling student, and military contract worker, and the intentional choice to care for herself before burnout takes over. This conversation explores: * What self-care actually looks like in real life * Why helping profes...

Somewhere along the way, you became the strong one. The one who holds everything together. The one people rely on. The one who keeps going…no matter what. But strength like that isn’t always a choice. Sometimes, it’s something you learned in order to survive. In this episode, we explore the hidden cost of always being the one who carries it all: emotionally, mentally, and relationally. We’ll talk...

This episode is personal. Li shares what it means to live between cultures, growing up as a first-generation biracial Chinese American with roots in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and a second-generation Portuguese American raised by a first-generation Portuguese mother. Layered onto that…life as a former military spouse and current work within the military community. This isn’t just a conversation about ide...

In this episode of Still Waters with Li, we move from awareness into action. Inner child work is often misunderstood as something soft or abstract, but in reality, it is deeply rooted in how we learned to survive, attach, and regulate ourselves in early life. Reparenting in real time means recognizing the parts of you that are still responding from those earlier experiences and choosing to meet yo...

In this opening episode of The Roots and the River, Li explores the truth about trauma that often goes unrecognized. Not all trauma is loud. Not all trauma leaves visible scars. Some of it is subtle. Repeated. Normalized. And because of that, many people don’t even realize they’ve been shaped by it. This episode breaks down: •What trauma actually is beyond extreme events •Developmental and relatio...

You were never meant to walk this path alone. In the final episode of this series, Li explores the role of guardians, ancestors, spirit allies, and trusted people who help protect and guide us, often quietly, and often when we need them most. Through the lens of Hexagram 13 — Tong Ren (Fellowship) from the I Ching, we look at how connection strengthens protection, how community stabilizes the spir...

Boundaries are more than emotional tools, they’re energetic architecture. In this episode, Li explores how boundaries shape your spiritual safety, emotional clarity, and personal peace. When you learn where you end and others begin, you protect your power without shutting yourself off from connection. Drawing from Hexagram 60 — Jie (Limitation) in the I Ching, we examine how structure, limits, and...

Not every doorway needs to be opened, and not every energy should be provoked. In this episode, Li breaks down what happens when we stir spiritual or emotional waters without awareness: the consequences, the energetic backlash, and the lessons that follow. We explore how ego, curiosity, or emotional triggers can invite energetic disruption, and how humility and respect restore balance. Guided by H...

Not every thought, feeling, or spiritual message comes from truth, and not every connection is aligned with your energy. In this episode, Li breaks down the real meaning of discernment: slowing down, checking in with the body, and learning to separate what’s yours from what isn’t. Through personal reflection and the guidance of Hexagram 26 — Da Xu (The Taming Power of the Great) from the I Ching,...

Energy doesn’t just exist in the spirit world, it flows through people too. In this episode, Li unpacks how both spirits and humans can influence our energetic space, sometimes by invitation, sometimes by resonance, and sometimes through unhealed wounds. You’ll learn how to recognize when you’re carrying energy that isn’t yours, how to stay grounded in your own vibration, and why awareness is your...

Under the steady glow of the Beaver Moon, we pause to reflect on what it means to build inner protection as the colder season approaches. In this episode, Li guides you through grounding breathwork, a reflection on seasonal preparation, and the wisdom of I Ching Hexagram 24 — Return. This moon reminds us: slowing down isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom. Whether you’re feeling scattered or in need of quie...

Energy speaks, even when no one says a word. In this first episode, Li invites you to notice the subtle movements of spirit and emotion that flow through your daily life. We explore what it means to feel the “vibe” of a person or space, how unseen energy impacts your body, and why awareness is the first step in spiritual protection. Rooted in the wisdom of Hexagram 53 – Jian (Gradual Progress) fro...

On this night of masks and moonlight, Li explores transformation through the lens of Hexagram 49 – Revolution. Halloween becomes more than costume and chaos, it becomes ceremony. A shedding of the old skin. A quiet awakening to courage. Through reflection, storytelling, and a guided Still Waters Pause, this episode invites you to kindle your inner flame, not to burn, but to illuminate. Themes: tra...

Healing isn’t about erasing who you were, it’s about walking forward without carrying the shame of old stories. In this closing episode of Breaking the Chains, Li reflects on what it means to live your truth after liberation. Through the wisdom of Hexagram 32 – Héng (Duration), we explore the sacred art of sustained alignment, not rushing to prove change, but choosing authenticity again and again....

When the world grows quiet, truth speaks softly. On this Hallows’ Eve, Li guides you through the thinning of the veil, between life and loss, past and becoming. This episode invites you to release what no longer holds you, honor the ancestors who walk beside you, and listen to the wisdom stirring beneath the surface. A stillness practice, breathwork ritual, and closing blessing help you ground thr...

Joy can feel unfamiliar after a lifetime of survival. In this episode, Li explores what it means to allow joy back into the body after trauma, silence, and emotional exhaustion. Drawing from Hexagram 58 – Duì: The Joyous Lake, we learn that joy isn’t about forced positivity, it’s about breathing freely again, choosing pleasure without guilt, and letting softness coexist with strength. 💧 Includes:...

Boundaries are not walls, they are sacred truths that protect your peace. In this episode, Li explores how boundaries become a form of spiritual and emotional integrity. Through the wisdom of Hexagram 9 – Xiǎo Chù: The Taming Power of the Small, we learn that change doesn’t have to be dramatic to be powerful. Gentle restraint, steady clarity, and small, consistent choices create lasting transforma...

In this Scorpio Season mini episode of Still Waters with Li, we journey beneath the surface, where clarity replaces illusion and truth becomes the anchor. This reflection invites you to slow down and meet your emotions with clear eyes and steady breath. Li shares the guidance of I Ching Hexagram 46 (Shêng – Pushing Upward), offering grounded insight into transformation, emotional containment, and...

EPISODE 3: Reclaiming Your Voice and Power Silence was once your survival. Now it’s time to speak from truth. In this episode, Li explores what it means to reclaim your voice after years of suppression, self-doubt, or spiritual conditioning. With guidance from Hexagram 34 – Dà Zhuàng (Great Power), this conversation reminds us that true power isn’t loud or forceful, it’s calm, rooted, and sovereig...

EPISODE 2: Breaking the Illusion of Obligation Not every duty is sacred. Some are chains disguised as love. In this episode, Li unpacks the ways guilt, cultural conditioning, and spiritual control teach us to follow out of fear instead of truth. With insight from Hexagram 17 – Suí (Following), we explore what it means to yield with discernment rather than obedience, and how to walk in alignment wi...

The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhōngqiū Jié (中秋节), is a time of reunion, reflection, and gratitude beneath the full moon. In this special episode of Still Waters with Li, we explore the legends of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, the meaning of mooncakes and lanterns, and the deeper invitation this season offers: to honor fullness and emptiness in our own lives. Join me for guided reflection and a Sti...