wounds to wisdom

There's a moment you recognize if you've lived it. You can see what you want. You can feel that something needs to change. And you are completely frozen at the edge of it. That's the threshold. And in this episode, I'm talking about what it actually feels like to stand there. Not from the other side, but from inside it. The grip. The resentment that builds when you don't move....

n this episode, I sit down with Ronni Robinson, a certified eating disorder recovery coach and author of Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey . Ronni spent 30 years struggling with binge eating before finding her way to recovery over 17 years ago. We explore how coping mechanisms like binge eating often develop in childhood as responses to emotional needs that weren't being met. Not...

Last week I shared that I was stuck in freeze - overwhelmed by what's unfolding in this country and unable to process it all. This week, I want to offer something to actually help. In a women's circle I held this week, I heard the same thing from woman after woman: it's not just the collective crisis. It's holding our personal lives - struggling marriages, financial stress, grief,...

I am heartbroken. The country I was sold is a farce. The Epstein files are showing us just how deep the corruption goes. I'm disgusted—not surprised, but disgusted. As an SA survivor, this moment is incredibly triggering. Even the commentary on the files brings a surge of helplessness to my system. As an empath, I feel the pain of the victims. As someone who has survived my own trauma, it all...

Yesterday I turned 42. I love birthdays. Not the celebrating necessarily - that's complicated. But the threshold of it. The closing out of one year and stepping into a new one. A personal new year that isn't tied to a collective restart. 41 was an incredibly difficult year for me. It didn't let up. One thing after another, after another, for the entire year. And somewhere in the midst...

I've been thinking about wind. About chaos. About what happens when you spend your whole life trying to control everything. There's a wind card in the Mystical Shaman Oracle deck, and every time I pull it, I think the same thing: I f*ing hate the wind. It represents chaos to me. The uncontrollable. And I realized something this week. I've been using over-preparation as armor. My way of...

What happens when life doesn't follow the script you were handed? When loss cracks you open and forces you to ask: who am I without all these roles, all these expectations, all these stories I've been told about who I'm supposed to be? In this episode, I sit down with Tracy Laskos, author, conscious leadership advisor, and founder of Wings of Truth, to talk about the seasons of unraveling we all g...

This week I'm sharing a replay of last year's gratitude meditation as I recover from a cold that's taken my voice (you'll hear my raspy attempt at an intro before we dive into the meditation). This meditation is my thank you to you - for being here, for doing this work, for continuing to tune in and walk this journey with me. May this Thanksgiving give you a moment of rest, peace,...

Ever notice how something small can suddenly feel like the end of the world? And then you either go into full control mode trying to manage every detail, or you completely give your power away hoping someone else will fix it? In this episode, I break down three interconnected shadow archetypes that show up especially strong during stressful times (hello, holiday season): the catastrophizer, the mi...

What happens when you spend years chasing gold stars and external validation, only to realize you've lost yourself completely in the process? In this deeply honest conversation, intuitive color and interior design specialist Lynne Niehaus shares her journey from molecular biologist to soul-aligned space creator - and how dismantling her "perfect life" became her greatest breakthrough. Lynne Niehau...

In this raw and unfiltered episode, I'm doing something different. I'm sharing my real-time processing of the November 4, 2025 election results - not as political commentary, but as an example of shadow work in action during collective crisis. This episode explores what happens when we get triggered by current events, how we "other" people whose beliefs threaten us, and why the only path forward r...

This weekend marks Samhain—also known as Halloween or Día de los Muertos—the sacred threshold between the light and dark halves of the year, when the veil between worlds is thinnest. This isn't just about costumes and candy. This is the moment when we honor our ancestors, acknowledge what's ready to die within us, and make space for what wants to be born. In this episode, I share what Samhain actu...

Three moments in 24 hours. Each one pointing to the same truth. Each one asking: when are you going to stop pretending you're not this? In this vulnerable episode, I share what it actually feels like to stand at an identity threshold—not the comfortable kind where you know what's on the other side, but the kind where stepping through means you can't go back. I walk you through three pi...

In this very personal episode, I share my intimate experience with two shadow archetypes that shaped my life from age six: the Fixer and the Caregiver. I explore how these protective patterns develop in childhood—often through being thrust into adult roles too early—and why they persist into adulthood even when they no longer serve us. You'll discover the subtle but crucial differences between...

In this raw and vulnerable episode, I share the midnight note that changed everything – a truth I'd been carrying but didn't realize I needed to address. A month and a half ago, I woke up having written something that made me deeply uncomfortable: "I want to be Tina Melendez." I dive into why reclaiming my birth name isn't about my marriage or legal documents – it's about honoring the little girl...

In this special anniversary episode, I'm celebrating one full year and 40 episodes of Wounds to Wisdom! When I started this podcast, I committed to just 20 episodes—believing that if I could make it past that milestone (where most podcasters quit), I'd know this was meant to continue. Today, I'm sharing the profound personal growth that's happened through showing up week after week, including: 🌿...

In this deeply vulnerable episode, I share from the depths of one of my darkest seasons - the overwhelming grief, the physical recovery challenges, and the realization that I've been living in protective patterns that no longer serve me. I explore the reality that most of us can't just step away from our responsibilities to heal in isolation, despite what we see modeled in spiritual commun...

In this deeply moving episode, Andrea Louth shares the transformational journey that took her from complete overwhelm to empowered living, while juggling a full-time career, two children, and serving as primary caregiver for her terminally ill mother. Andrea reveals the pivotal moment when she realized that trying to do everything alone wasn't strength; it was a path to destruction. Her story...

In this powerful conversation with intuitive writing coach Dani Fankhauser, we explore the deep connections between our creative blocks and life patterns. Dani shares her journey from journalism to mystical writing practices, revealing how the struggles we face in our writing often mirror exactly what's happening in our relationships, business, and personal growth. We dive into the pain of rejecti...

In this raw and vulnerable episode, I share from the depths of my own shedding phase—that sacred space where your soul demands you examine every structure in your life and ask: "Is this truly mine, or was it built from wounds and conditioning?" Fresh from taking an unintentional break from all business activities, I explore what it means to let your soul lead the way, even when it feels completely...

In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with Master Healer Cheryl Pace, founder of Be the Change – The Healing Collective, to explore her profound transformation from burnout to awakened healer through a near-death experience and subsequent paralysis. Cheryl shares her powerful journey of ignoring the universe's gentle nudges until life literally stopped her in her tracks – first through a near-...

In this deeply personal episode, I share what five weeks of post-surgery recovery revealed about the profound relationship between shadow and light. While healing, I discovered something unexpected: the more I've learned to sit with collective pain and personal darkness, the more beauty I'm able to see and receive. This led me to wonder—is our capacity to experience beauty only as deep as our abil...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with licensed therapist and professional intuitive Annamarie Green to explore her profound journey from devastating loss to creating revolutionary healing methods that bridge clinical psychology with energy work. Annamarie shares her raw and honest story of losing her partner to suicide while raising a toddler as a young mother, and how traditional therapy wasn...

In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of my cousin Danielle, who would have been 42 today. Seven years after losing her to addiction, I'm finally ready to own the truth she saw in me before I could see it myself - that I'm a writer. Danielle's last question to me was simple but life-changing: "Why aren't you writing?" Three weeks later, she was gone. But her...

In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with Leigh Ober, certified wellness coach and founder of Compass Coaching Collective, to explore the journey from addiction and eating disorders to profound healing and purpose. Leigh shares her powerful story of spending nearly a decade in and out of treatment facilities, achieving physical recovery, yet still feeling like something was missing. She disco...