The Skeptical Shaman

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) talks to Whitney Abke, host of the Soul-ish Podcast, about navigating the odd twists and turns that come with a real deal, bonafide spiritual journey-- and, in this case, one that started out in hardcore Christianity. Whitney grew up as a non-denominational Christian pastor’s daughter, even attending seminary an...

In this very special GROUP episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) facilitates an illuminating discussion with three of her incredible TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching clients-- and artists and spiritual practitioners in their own right: - Abigail Kochunas of Sacred Healing Art LA - Karen Cadiero-Kaplan of Wisdom Collective - Laura Oxendine of Thrown L...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Casey Balsham, stand-up comedian and host of the Never Not Tired and Shady Shit podcasts. Not only is Casey a new mother and busy, working comedian, she’s also obsessed with all things shady: serial killers, true crime, scam artists, cults and more! Rachel and Casey spill some major tea, digging i...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Cardsy B, aka Rebecca Szymczak, the host of the Hex and the City podcast and author of The Saturn Diaries. Cardsy B is a working witch, tarot card reader, and intuitive coach that has published her own tarot deck-- a bit like our host here at The Skeptical Shaman. In this episode, we explore the quest...

In this very special Halloween-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Angela Gore—a real deal working archeologist that specializes in Beringian archaeology: the study of the earliest humans in North America. In this episode, we pivot from the usual, cliché Halloween content, opting instead for a deeper dialogue around our connection to the...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Tirrell Cherry, certified hypnotist, coach and the host of the Magic Meets Mind podcast. Tirrell has had an extraordinary adventure through the world of new age coaching, recently taking a crucial break to reset, recalibrate, and get back to center. Why was this "retreat" for Tirrell so nece...

In this episode of the Skeptical Shaman Podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Kate Waldwick of Cronos Astrology to chat all things astrology…and SYSTEMS!!! Kate is a pretty smart lady, especially when it comes to complex systems: their functionality, interdependencies, and behaviors. Not only is Kate an MIT grad and current high-level employee at a giant tech company, but s...

In this episode of the Skeptical Shaman Podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Elisha Halpin, a nervous system-training coach that works with individuals wanting to get out of adrenal fatigue, effectively retraining their brains to not freak the f*ck out all the damn time. Elisha calls herself an ‘awakened academic’, having extracted herself from the grind of higher education to...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Nichole Bigley of the incredible podcasts A Psychic's Story, Supernatural Matters, and A Psychic Story: Kids' Edition. Nichole is also a psychic intuitive that has been I’ve been talking to angels her whole life. It started at a very early age when her memories of before being born on Ea...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White of TOTEM Readings sits down with The Tarot Lady herself: Theresa Reed. Not only has Theresa been a professional tarot card reader for her entire adult life, she's translated her arcane know-how into success as an author, having created a multitude of published works: The Tarot Coloring Book, Tarot For Troubled Times, Astrology...

This episode is very near and dear to my heart, as it will surely be for any of you familiar with our work here at TOTEM and "friend of the program", Roger Oney. In this episode, I sit down with my friend of more than 15 years (yes, we're very, very old) and producer of The Skeptical Shaman podcast to talk about the literal and figurative end times. We chat about the energetic and s...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Colleen Soisson, Ayurvedic Practitioner and actual wellness expert to discuss the tension inherent to getting healthy and embodied in a world built on convenience and time-scarcity. Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old form of holistic medicine from India, mirroring much of what makes Chinese medicine (an...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White sits down to chat with real deal, actual hero and cult whistleblower Susan Dones, MA LMT. Susan was featured in the HBO's The Vow, a docuseries detailing the rise and fall of  NXIVM: an American-based "personal development" program that was, actually, a highly abusive cult. NXIVM's leader, Keith Raniere, is curr...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) interviews Lianne Arends, researcher and author of the in-progress book series titled “The Godessy”.  Lianne’s life’s work is all about researching and understanding the origins of the Ancient Mystery Teachings, which have been shrouded in secrecy for millennia. The Godessy is historical fiction, detailing the story of...

In this episode of the Skeptical Shaman, host Rachel White chats with "The Emotional Entrepreneur": Scout Sobel. Not only is this the title of Scout's book, but it's also her life's mission statement. As the owner of Scout's Agency and the cohost of the "Okay, Sis" podcast, Scout is upending every pre-conceived "rule" of what it means to be a woman...

Ralph Sarchie is a retired NYPD Sargent and an active Traditionalist Catholic Demonologist and Exorcist. Ralph’s story can be found in the book Deliver Us From Evil, which was also converted into a film of the same name. Ralph refers to his efforts as a police officer as “the Job”, calling his work as a Demonologist and Exorcist “the Work”. Ralph joins me, Rachel White, host of the Skeptical Shama...

In this episode of the Skeptical Shaman Podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Britt Sandkulla-Sinclair of Golden Thread Alchemy to discuss what it's like to "come out of the broom closet" as a witch. Britt is a witch, astrologer and integral coach. She's been a practicing witch for 20 years, mainly as an individual practitioner. Through her practice, Bri...

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman, host Rachel White sits down to chat with Abigail Kochunas of Sacred Healing Art. Abigail is an actress, artist, psychic and energy worker and the owner of Sacred Healing Arts in Los Angeles. Abigail is also the author behind the "My Post Cult Life" Substack, detailing her experiences and insights across narcissistic abuse, cultivated from 14 years...

We’re about to start an incredible journey, exploring the world of woo and addressing the burning questions for the “spiritually homeless”. In the Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White will talk to everyone: the cynics, the skeptics, the curious, and the true believers. Why? Well, the truth is always somewhere in the messy middle. Rachel White is the owner of TOTEM Readings and a trained sha...