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Nearly Enlightened
Join Nearly Enlightened's host Giana Giarrusso and discover the body, mind and spirit connection! The Nearly Enlightened Podcast is for the soul-centered seeker who is on the path of personal growth and spiritual development. This podcast takes a light-hearted approach exploring topics rooted in themes of mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Nearly Enlightened
Building A Sanctuary
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In this episode, I sit down with soul led entrepreneur, busines strategist and author Justine Harrington to trace how a whisper to create a sanctuary for the soul became a living, breathing community space: Soul Sanctuary. A place for healing, movement, meditation, breath, and connectio are treated as everyday tools for coming home to yourself.
We walk right into the messy middle together—what it’s actually like to open a physical space post-COVID, shift careers, and move through healing as a spiral where old patterns resurface at deeper layers. Justine opens up about the practices that truly help in those seasons: mentorship, therapy, systems that reduce the chaos, and the courage to say no. We talk boundaries (and how they have to be relearned as you grow), leadership that doesn’t cost you your soul, and the myth of overnight success.
We also get into intuition, fear, and the art of discernment—how to feel alignment in your body as something that changes over time, and how meditation becomes practical when you treat it not as “clearing the mind,” but as watching your thoughts pass like trains and choosing which ones you’re actually getting on.
Plus, Justine shares what’s new at the studio: weekly yoga and dance classes, sound baths, breathwork, donation-based offerings like the Thanksgiving class supporting the Rhode Island Food Bank, a group mediumship event, and a 200-hour yoga teacher training on the horizon. Soul Sanctuary is becoming a true collaborative home for holistic practitioners, creative expression, and community care.
Whether you’re a founder, a creative, or someone on your own healing path, you’ll walk away with grounded, practical tools you can bring into daily life—micro-shifts, intuitive nudges, and reminders that you don’t have to do any of this alone.
If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs it, leave a quick review, and come be part of the community: check out the full schedule at soulsanctuaryri.com/the-studio. And if you’re curious about Justine’s book Homecoming: A Guide to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Heart, you can find it on Amazon.
Nearly Enlightened Podcast
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Welcome to the Nearly Enlightened Podcast, a high-five toolbox designed to help you connect to your body, mind, and spirit. I am your host, Fiona Gerusso, and I am here to share tools, conversations, and insights to help you on your journey of self-discovery. This podcast is all about exploring what it means to live a conscious, connected, and nearly enlightened life because the truth is the answers aren't outside of us. They already lie within. Let's dive in. Today I am joined by Justine Harrington. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, a best-selling author, a wellness guide, and a business systems strategist. She is the founder of Soul Sanctuary and the Studio, a holistic wellness space and studio devoted to community connection and inner transformation. She is also the owner of Just Like Magic, where she helps simplify the chaos for business owners through strategic systems and workflow support. She's also the author of best-selling book, Homecoming, a guide to get out of your head and into your heart. She joined us back in June of 2024 and she is back. Justine is back. Welcome. Thank you, thank you. So happy to be back. I'm so happy to have you. Um so Justine and I partnered together this summer and we launched the studio in Soul Sanctuary. And before we talk about that, talk a little bit about your vision for Soul Sanctuary.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. So I opened Soul Sanctuary three years ago. So um fall of 2022. And at that point in time and since then, um I have just really been focused on community. And at that point in time, I was really craving in-person connection. This was like coming out of, you know, COVID era where people got a little more isolated, things really um became more prevalent online, online communities, which I think are wonderful and great and a great way to connect. Um, but there's just there's just some magic to in-person connection that you can't quite replicate in the digital environment. Um, so I was really just craving in-person connection, community of like-minded people, um, people who were also very focused on personal development, um, inner growth, and having those kinds of conversations that like are meaningful conversations, not just like about the weather, but about like, you know, your deep personal wants and desires and what's standing in your way. And let's talk about the blocks and like let's really dive in. Like, I love those conversations. Um, and I know that there's a lot of other people out there who are doing that, you know, personal development and inner work too. So I wanted to basically like find those people and be a beacon of light for those people to all come together and connect um and connect in meaningful ways. So that was kind of the origin of Soul Sanctuary. I am also an entrepreneur. Um, and I think owning your own business, whether it's as being a service provider or I work a lot of one-on-one with clients, um, many of them are not physically in the state, but I work with them remotely, and it can just feel very isolating at times. Um, being an entrepreneur, being a business owner, especially for like you are the all the things in your business, um, it can feel very lonely. And I don't think it should, and I don't think it has to. And I think that we're all honestly better together and can like rise together and support each other. And um, yeah, I just think that we can all benefit as business owners, as humans, when we collaborate and come together. So that was another reason for opening Soul Sanctuary. We have um we shouldn't know this number, but I think it was quite 12 different service providers who work out of the space. So we have everything from a shaman, um, hypnotherapy, a medium, tarot reader, uh, massage therapist, um, someone who does cranial sacral, someone who does energy healing. So we have kind of like a large variety of different holistic practitioners for Galda Space. Um, and we all collaborate and we all, you know, help each other and are sounding boards for each other and are here to support each other and give each other healings, give each other healings because don't we all need that?
SPEAKER_01:Um honestly, it's one of the best perks of being here. Like even today, I was just sitting. Danielle's been on this podcast a bunch. She has an office here, and I was just like sitting in her office for a little while while she got ready for her client, and just like that, just having that sisterhood kind of is kind of the best.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and so needed. Yeah, so needed. It's being a business owner is hard, being a human is hard, being a human in business extra hard sometimes. And so, like just knowing that you're not doing it by yourself and that you do have support and that you do have um people that you can lean on, and just like when you're having a crappy day, like being able to have that like in-person connection with someone to like share that space with you or just like help you shift out of that mood, whatever it is. Um, yeah, it's so important and like not something that you readily get when you're a service provider, entrepreneur, like kind of like operating out of your home or in uh an isolated space that's not more of a community environment. Um, it's like so needed to know that you're not alone. So very much what we're all about here.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and connection and community are so important to me too. And I think that's why this partnership came so um like naturally. And we were connected through Miss Jamie Gray, and she's been on the podcast before. Um, she is like one of my best friends and mentors, and I wouldn't know you if it wasn't for her. So that's like kind of funny. Um, she brings a lot of people into my life, and I'm sure you feel the same. She's like the great networker. And you offered me this summer, like, I'm a projector in human design. So I felt like this was like the perfect projector invitation to come in and bring my expertise on yoga and movement. And um, yeah, like I was, I think it offered me a shift in uh a time and space when I was really looking to do more and not necessarily to do more, like expend energy out, but just to expand my reach. And I really appreciate that this is such a collaborative space, and like there's so many people to collaborate with. Like Danielle and I have obviously done like a million, she's been on my podcast a bunch. Um, but she also we're doing a sound bath coming up in January together, and I just love having those kind of relationships where people are collaborating and they're not competing. And this is definitely the space for that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. And like I yeah, I feel like Jamie Bray is a connector of people and I love her so much. She's also one of my dear friends and mentors, and I also love being a connector of people, and that's like one of my favorite things about Soul Sanctuary and about uh my role in the community is like I get to to forge those connections and help to build those relationships. So, like if someone comes in and is like, hey, I'm looking for energy healing, or like I'm in a lot of pain, like, do you have anyone who can help me? Like, I don't do all the things, I don't want to do all the things, but I have people who do many of the things. Um, so I can always like connect people to somebody who's actually going to help them and be able to support them and um be able to meet their needs. And like I just love making that connection and like seeing um really shifts being built. That's really, yeah, that's really what we're all about here.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I love that. And so you said you kind of opened this space during COVID times and it was like slightly after that. So, what was that really like? Because people were very um like getting comfortable being in their home and not being connected. So, what was it like opening up like a physical brick and mortar location during this kind of like time of uncertainty?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um it's kind of like a scary leap of faith.
SPEAKER_00:You really live for it when you said it like that. I honestly just didn't really, I just didn't really think about like that piece of it. Like I just knew that this was something that I needed and I was craving. And honestly, that's like how a lot of my decisions about Soul Sanctuary are made. Is like I was like, what do I need as a human and like what will I benefit from? And I just deeply believe that like the things that I need, other people are looking for too. And it might not be, it definitely isn't everybody. Um, this space is definitely for uh a certain type of person, as like all spaces are, like you're not supposed to be for everybody, and that's okay. Um, but I just knew like and very much trusted and believed like this is something that I literally am craving deep in my bones, like on a cellular level. So I know other people are too. And I just focused on that. Um, you know, and I think this applies to business and it applies to life. Like you're never gonna, you're never gonna make everyone happy. You're never gonna be the person for everyone. And if you try to be, that's just exhausting and is not gonna end up well for your mental state and your wellness. So I always just try to focus on the people I am here for um and the things that I can control, which like I can control my actions, I can control how I choose to show up, I can control how I portray our community and our space and like how I connect with people when they come into our space. Like those are all things I can control. I can't control what you know, people at large decide to do with their time or like everybody is craving this space or wants the space or what other people think about the space. Um, so it's it's much easier said than done. And it at times, of course, like you know, you can spiral in your head and get to those places of like trying to do all the things that be for everyone. But I always am just trying to like come back to that space of I know that the people I'm here for are gonna find me. And I trust that. And I trust that um that's going to actually benefit the community more, is really just focusing on those people who we are here for. And I that's just how I, that's just kind of how I'd operate. Um, I think it's I think it's important to like see all sides from a business perspective, but like you can't ruminating on things you can't control just never is never helpful.
SPEAKER_01:No, and it kind of takes us out of the purpose of like what we're here to do and creating something like this, like that that's a deep purpose work and like feeling the call from your soul. And like it it took a great leap of faith too to kind of do this, especially because this is like a second career for you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. Um, it was definitely a big leap of faith. And it's funny um, because when I think back to like that decision-making time, I was working um at a company I worked remotely um at the time that I decided to open Soul Sanctuary. And I took a step back from working at the company um that I was working at to focus on opening this, and then I was able to build up my consulting business once this was kind of up and running. But um yeah, it was a big leap of faith. And I just honestly like I just didn't feel like I had any other choice. Like it was just some very obvious next step for me. Like this just felt it felt inevitable to open the space. Um, and the more I tried to be like, oh, that's a future plan. Oh, like when I have like X amount of money in the bank, or like, oh, and I'm like retired, this would be a fun thing. Um and I definitely felt that way at first. And then like the more I pushed it away, like just like the more kind of like friction and resistance I felt inside and unsettled I felt inside, and like the thing that I was doing at the time is no longer felt like I just felt like I was in the space where I couldn't keep doing what I was doing. I had really had no choice. And of course, you always have a choice. Um, I did have a choice, but like that was the feeling inside. It was like this is just an inevitable thing that was gonna happen, and the more I fought it, just like the more unhappy I felt. So I just like had to had to do it. When the purpose calls, yeah, you can't, I mean, you can ignore it, but it it doesn't feel good.
SPEAKER_01:No, it doesn't. And like everything that you do tries to get you into alignment, which is like you're like going down this path and you're like, oh, well, this is what I've committed to, but you know, call it whatever you want. God, spirit, the universe, like whatever I call it. God, God like pushes you back on the right path. It's like, okay, you might not think right now is the right time, but think about it. Like, if you waited till you retired, that's probably 30 years from now. That's a long time. That's a long time. And like almost the ship would have sailed, like somebody else would have opened this place. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. I very much, very much believe that. Like, um, I think it's Elizabeth Gilbert talks about this in being magic of like ideas kind of like they they come to you, they drop in, but like they will go to another person. Like, if you don't like take action on that, like that idea almost has like an energy and essence of its own, and like it wants to be brought into the world. So, like, if you don't take action on that, that idea is going to the next person and the next person until it actually like becomes you know, fully realized in this reality. Um, and I very much felt that was so sanctuary, like it had an energy of its own, uh, very much separate for me. And it was like, it was, it was ready. Um, and I just the my most favorite thing is like when I get that affirmation, because don't get me wrong, it's a it's a lot of work. The space is a lot of work. It has been, it's um, you know, as three years in, like it's definitely uh I'm in a flow, I have the systems in place, it's definitely easier than it was in the beginning, but it's still a lot of work, it's a lot of energy.
SPEAKER_01:Um it's like an ever-evolving thing.
SPEAKER_00:Ever evolving, yes, always. Um yeah, it's I forget what my point was here. I don't come back to how much work it was. Um yeah, but it it's always had like that energy of its own. And it just, I feel like I was just the conduit to bring it into reality, and this is where I was going with it. It's my favorite thing is when like I get that affirmation of like people who come in and say, I've been looking for this space. Thank you for creating the space. This space is so magical, this space feels like home. Like people say that to me, and that's when I'm like, right, like that's the reason, that's the purpose. Like, yes, it's a lot of work, and there's a greater purpose for this space that goes like so much beyond me.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I think that's kind of how the studio was born here because it wasn't an original part of Soul Sanctuary. We just launched it in September, and um it's like an evolution of the space. But even speaking to what you were just saying, it's like every teacher that came in here and auditioned, everyone said the same thing. They were like, This space feels so good. This is such a nice space for yoga, for movement, for meditation, um, because we're way more than a movement space, we're way more than like a gym, a yoga studio. Uh, we have a lot of like breath work, sound baths. So we really touch on all of the limbs of yoga, which uh that was what really felt aligned to me. Um, so I can attest to that. Like I've I've seen the people come in and have that same experience where they like light up and it's uh just like this cozy magical space. Like we had Danielle's soundbath last week, and the room was packed and it was like buzzing with energy, and it was just like such a nice way to spend a Tuesday night. I was like, yes, this is why we're doing what we're doing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And I feel like you need those, you need those affirmations and validations from like the universe of like, yes, not only is this bigger than you, but like it is needed, like what we're doing is needed. And again, like not by everybody, and we're not for everybody, and like, and that's and that is that's fine. That's exactly how it should be. But like there's so many people who are looking for this. Um, so yeah, that's definitely like my my favorite part of of all of this is like when I get to meet those people and hear their reactions and hear the impact that this space and the teachers here and the practitioners here have had on them um and their lives. Like that's that's really okay. That's like really magical.
SPEAKER_01:So you said that you really opened the space because you felt a call of like a space like this being needed, and you needed the the tools that a place like this offers. Um, so what inner tools have helped you the most through this journey?
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Um all of them. All of them. All of them. Yeah, it's very, it's really interesting. So like I opened Soul Sanctuary at a point in time when I was like, I had done a lot of like deep healing work. Um, I I wrote a book kind of about the the beginning of my healing journey and what that process was like and like the tools that I've learned that other people can um hopefully benefit from. The book's called Homecoming of Guide to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Heart. And I have done a lot of healing work. I've like done a lot of work on like, you know, my deeply rooted inner beliefs and my blocks and what I really wanted. Um, and just like that of that process of getting in touch with my emotions and learning to trust myself, learning how to care for myself in like a real meaningful way. Um, and I was like feeling really good when I opened Soul Sanctuary. Like I was like aligned, and I was like, this is the right thing. And um, you know, like I said, it felt inevitable and I just felt like so good to be like on that path. And then I opened Soul Sanctuary and it was really hard. Like I felt like everything I learned about myself, like I was like, oh, I got boundaries on block. Like I'm good out the window. I had to like completely relearn how to have boundaries in like a completely new setting.
SPEAKER_01:Um, because in a lot of ways, like I kind of like disrupted my norm of life and created a new norm, which was like, sorry, because you're in a space that it's like, oh, I'm in my little comfort zone. Things are comfy right now. But when you have that pull and it's like, okay, like go do this, like take the leap. And I think you kind of talk about this in your book, um, like how people had brought it up to your attention on paraphrasing that you were kind of like skating on the surface of things, and people are like, no, you need to go a little bit deeper. I feel like that is the life of an entrepreneur, too. Like you, you kind of you start off, you may be like skating on the surface, and then it uncovers like all of this stuff that you might have touched on before, but now it's on like an even deeper level. And something that's coming to like my awareness now is like healing isn't linear, healing is a spiral. So sometimes you hit these same, like, let's call them pain points or healing opportunities. You hit these same points on different levels. And I feel like being an entrepreneur definitely like takes it up a notch. Like I follow Audrey, I don't know how to say her last name, but she owns the Nitro Bar in Newport. She's just recently gone like very viral on TikTok and social media, and she gives a lot of like entrepreneur advice and she says get a therapist. Like every entrepreneur needs a therapist. And I have never felt that more than this year. And I think you know, like a couple of weeks ago, I got a therapist and I was like, all right, let's do this. But you hit these same, like you think you've like healed these wounds, opportunities, like whatever you want to call them. And then something goes around and you kind of come back to these same themes, but on a deeper level or in a different way. And it's just like never-ending fun.
SPEAKER_00:Never ending fun. Yeah. And that was like my experience exactly. Like all of these lessons I thought I learned, all these tools I thought I honed, and like had like, you know, I like I had them down pat. Like I was like, yeah, I'm good. Like all that in a completely new environment. Like, there's so much I had to learn when I I had never owned a physical space before. I never, I never been um, you know, a community leader in this capacity before. I had never had responsibilities that like I then had in this physical environment. And yeah, I had to like literally like I had zero boundaries at first. And then I was like, what is what is going on? Like I thought it was good. I thought I learned this already. And then I was like, no, like yes, yes, you did. And that's preparing you for where you are now. But like now you're learning it in a newer, deeper way. And you get to see like you get to like learn more things about yourself. You get to like stand in your power a little more. And like sometimes you have to feel a little powerless to like really like level up and like be like, okay, what is that, what's the next iteration or like next level of this lesson look like for me? And like, how can I get in touch with myself a little bit deeper? And like, and this is life, like it embs and flows, and like sometimes you're gonna feel like, oh, I got this, and then sometimes you're gonna feel completely out of whack again. And like that's the process of getting to know yourself more and um becoming more self-aware, becoming more self-compassionate, learning what you actually want and how to how you you want to show up in the world. Like, you don't just have it and you have it. Yeah, you just you have to like it.
SPEAKER_01:You have it and you work for it. You show up and you work for it every single day. And I think, like, I mean, Audrey talks about this too on her social medias. Like, people think that this happened overnight. Like it might look that way on social media, it might like look that way to the outside, but people don't see like the sleepless nights or when we're up at 10, 11 o'clock at night texting each other about things for the studio, and then like the next morning at seven o'clock, it's like it's a lot. There's a lot that goes into it behind the scenes that just doesn't people just don't make it overnight. No, even though social media like likes to make it look that way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, and like and everything that you have done in life and learned in life, and like all of the inner work you've done, all the relationships that you built, like it all accumulates and it all brings you, you bring it all with you. And so, like, even things that may not feel connected to like where you are today, it's very much still part of you. And I really believe like like it's a culmination of everything in life and your decisions and your what you've learned and everything that you that brings you to this moment. Um, and so like nothing is overnight, everything is years and a lifetime in process. And um yeah, and then some of those things you get to choose that, you know, like some of those things are conscious choices, some of those things are just experiences that happen to you, but like it all brings you to to where you are today, it all informs who you are and how you show up today. Um, so yeah, that whole like overnight, yeah, that's it's just that's not even no, it's not even accurate.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, totally. So if somebody who is listening to this podcast and they feel like they're like sitting on an idea, like what would you tell them? What advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_00:Get a mentor. Um, whatever that looks like, like it could be a therapist, it could be a good friend, it could be an actual business coach. Get somebody to talk to because if you let that sit in your head, like we are all our own worst enemies. Like things get very sticky when they live in our head. Like we can like overthink them, we can spiral. Um, I don't, we don't see ourselves clearly as humans. Like it's just facts. Like, we don't. We have so many preconceived notions, we have so many inner beliefs, like that it all gets very tingled when it lives inside of you and lives in your head. So the best thing you can do for any idea is speak it out loud and have a sounding board with someone that you trust and respect. Um, I always say like a good litmus test is like, is this person living a life that I respect and would want for myself? And the answer is no, they're not the person to give you advice. It doesn't make them a bad person. It doesn't mean anything, but they're not the person to give you advice. Um, and also if it's an idea for a business, um, it's always helpful to talk to somebody who's done it before. Um especially like if it's like a business, if if you want, even if it's a career move or um transitioning to a new company or opening a business, like talking to someone who's done it before and getting the reality of it is imperative.
SPEAKER_01:Or just kind of like they've made the missteps and they might have good insight to kind of and like you're gonna misstep, you're gonna fumble, and things are gonna happen, but you're gonna learn from it. But sometimes you can learn from other people's failures, and that's like that's really good, solid knowledge to have. That's wisdom right there. Yes, yeah, 100%.
SPEAKER_00:And like so often we we create these stories in our head, like for like better or for worse. And I think knowing the reality of a decision that we're thinking about making is is so important. Um, because like sometimes we'll make up a story of like, oh, it's hard, or I have these roadblocks, or this, I I can't possibly do this. Um, it's good to get that reality checked. And sometimes we build up the story in our head of like, oh, when I do this thing, like life is gonna be perfect, it's gonna be so easy, and like this is gonna solve all my problems. And like that's never the case either. So you gotta have reality check on both ends of the spectrum, I think is really important. And the best way to do that is to talk to somebody who's done the thing or is doing the things that you want to do.
SPEAKER_01:So, another question kind of piggybacking off of this. So, when you have like one of these dreams or ideas or projects in your head, like how do you know that it's in alignment? This is kind of a hard one.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, I think it's I think it's a feeling and not a knowing. Yeah. So like alignment is one of those like buzzy spiritual words that like like what is it? What is it? What does it even mean? Um, and I think like I I'm a spiritual person and I I feel very, you know, again, ebbs and flows, but like I do my best to stay clear, like my channel clear, so I can be connected to spirit, to the universe, um, so I can hear those nudges. But I really think that like the universe sends us these very quiet kind of nudges that like we have to be intentional. We have to slow down, we have to listen within ourselves to be able to hear them. Um, and I think that that those are like the nudges towards alignment. And the thing with alignment too is like it changes all the time, like all the time. Like what is right for you and what is like going to feel best for you is going to change. Right. And that is not just okay, but expect it. Um, and I know I've fallen into the like pitfall before of like um kind of like hitting my head against against like a wall, trying to like do the same thing because it was once in alignment and it no longer was, and I wasn't accepting that. Yeah. Um, so yeah, I think so, like live a life of alignment is like you need to slow the fuck down and listen to yourself and like be able to listen to those like quiet soul nudges that are like pushing you in the right direction and just know it's not a one and done thing. Um, and I always like this is always really helpful for me to remember too. Um, if it's like incessant chatter, like that is like that's your head, that's your mind. And your mind usually is a little liar.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's all yeah. I mean, it's even it's even like saying, like, when something like this gets planted on your heart, your brain wants to keep you safe and your brain's like, no, stay in this nine to five with your 401k and your healthcare and your insurance and like all of this stuff, but that's not necessarily in alignment. Like you could be going to that nine to five and being feeling like the life is being drained out of you. And don't get me wrong, like being an entrepreneur, sometimes you feel like the life is being drained out of you, but it's in a very different way. Like when you don't listen to those calls, you're like not trusting your intuition. So you kind of do have to keep your brain in check and and know and like really trust your intuition. And that was something that you had said to me when we uh had started this. Like you really have to listen to those gut feelings and and and listen to them and and move accordingly, because I think you had said, like, if you don't, like I made mistakes in the early days of Soul Sanctuary, like not listening to those nudges. And I think that's important advice, not just as an entrepreneur, but just like in general, because the more you hone that intuition skill, that intuition sense, like the more you trust it, the more reliable it comes. And you just you don't even think twice about it anymore. It's like, oh, that intuition speaks. It's like, okay, gotta listen to that. Cause if I don't, then I'm going to literally like create more chaos for myself.
SPEAKER_00:A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. And then once that intuition, once you feel that, once you feel that nudge to also just understand your relationship with your mind and know that your mind is going to enter the conversation and is going to have probably like doomsday scenarios and is going to want you to go down a fear spiral that keeps you paralyzed. Like that is all just a part of being human. And like the thing that I continue to like, I think, realize and learn and really try to integrate over and over again is like when when the mind enters the conversation and there is like a little bit about doomsday spiral or fear spiral, that doesn't mean, hey, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me. It means I'm a human. And I have a brain that's trying to keep me safe. And like B, it doesn't mean that the next course of action that I'm feeling like I should take is wrong. And that's where, like, just I think it's important to kind of bridge the gap between your intuition and your mind and to know your relationship with both of them so that you can make because your brain is just trying to keep you safe. So some of what it has to say might be very useful and valid. Some of it might be absolute garbage. And like you just like have to have that discernment to be able to be like pick apart, like, okay, what's useful here and what can I use in my decision making? And what is just absolute fear spirals that actually it's not based in reality and will never happen. Um, so just to like understand your relationship with your mind and know that it will enter the conversation, it might have some useful things to say and it might have some absolute garbage things to say, um, and to be able to just acknowledge that that's part of being human and be able to use discernment and take the steps that feel right to you and take like take the information that you need to from your brain. But um yeah, just being able to like listen to those soul nudges, know that whatever your brain comes up with may or may not be true, most likely is not true, but some things can be useful and just take steps accordingly.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I love that. So we have lots going on at the studio coming up in the next couple of months and especially this weekend. Um, so let's chat a little bit about that. We have on Saturday, we have um just like a community event, all of our classes are gonna be five dollars. So if you are in the Rhode Island area and you want to come take some awesome classes, we start the morning off with Zumba, and then we have uh a foundation's beginner yoga class and then a slow flow type of class. Um, later in the day we have a medium um doing group reading, and that is uh there will be a cap on that. So if you're interested in that and you're in the area, you just want to snag your spot. Um, and then weekly we just have yoga classes, dance classes, we have breath work, we have sound healings. In January, we'll be starting a teacher training, a 200-hour yoga teacher training led by me. Led by Gianna herself. Yeah, I'm really excited about it. So I have partnered with my friend Crystal, who has also been on this podcast before. So we're using her teacher training through Body of Light Yoga School. It felt very aligned to me. It felt very much like something I would create. So again, like being a projector, I love these collaborations and these invitations. And it was, it was um a very had a couple of very aligned invitations this past year, which was very good for where my mental health was. Um, any anything you want to add about the studio in SoulSyncray? Anything going on that I missed?
SPEAKER_00:Uh, we also have a donation Thanksgiving class. How about Thanksgiving wedding? Yeah, so all donations, it'll be live by Gianna. I believe it's at 9:30. I believe so, yeah. Um it's donation based, and all donations we're gonna donate back to Rhode Island Food Bank. Uh, that is family friendly. So if you have younger kids, um, probably like 10 and older that want to join and just have some peace and movement and gratitude time uh Thanksgiving morning, that will be happening as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and all donations are going to go to the food bank. And I I feel really passionate about this because, first of all, when I was living in Arizona, my yoga teacher always did holiday yoga and it was always packed and it always just felt like such an amazing way to start the holiday. You like you start really grounded and you're surrounded by like all of these people who are in the same heart space, and it just feels like a little extra community vibe, and it's just like a great, especially if you're going to spend the day with family, there's no deeper healing than spending time with your family. So it just puts you in a really great headspace and you feel really great, really grounded. And also for this class, we'll be giving back. And I love this is karma yoga, right? So it's giving back, and I think now with the time I you know, we all know the government shutdown and all the snap benefits, and there's like lots of discourse around that. So I just think it's a really great way to give back to the community, and karma yoga is important. We just um did kitty yoga for 10 lives cat rescue, and we raised over$2,000 for that organization. And this was like the second time this year that I did that for them. And I just love that I'm able to like use my gifts to give back to the community, and even though it's like maybe small, um, it still makes a difference. And I'm excited for thank you for reminding me about the Thanksgiving yoga because I'm really excited to be the leader this time and like to lead a class through holiday yoga um because it has been so meaningful for me in the past, especially like when I was living in Arizona, it was like COVID times. I wasn't around family, didn't fly home. So it was like really nice to have a space to go and just like feel it's like familial vibe. So I'm excited to start to offer that here. I'm really excited about that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we have so much stuff happening, it's like hard to remember it all sometimes.
SPEAKER_01:I know. So you'll just have to go to our website at soulsanctuaryri.com slash the studio and check it out because literally every single week, like we have our core classes, but then every single week we have amazing workshops, pop-ups, um, community events, like not just not just yoga or movement classes, but we even have a monthly um women's circle that's happening. There's one happening on November 30th. And I just think all of these offerings, like such, it's so amazing that all these offerings happen under one roof.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And that's really, I think, the the thing that both of us are most excited about with the studio is it's really not not to say it's not just a yoga studio, but like it's just it's it's a lifestyle, and that's really what we're trying to um support people with. It's like, yeah, it's great when you come to a class and um you know you have the hour to yourself, and that's that's potent and powerful and can like really um like make a big impact in how you feel and the rest of your day, but like also like what are you bringing with you when you leave this building? Like I think that's what's really important. And we're not just a place um where we are a place you can come and chill out for an hour, but like also like we want you to to bring like this into your everyday life. Like we want to give you the tools and support you so that you can be able to bring like what you learned within this building into your everyday life and just like make those like small micro changes that like over time lead up to the to really big changes. Um, so we really are here like for the whole you and to support you as a human and um help you build a lifestyle that makes you feel good.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and that's what felt so aligned for me to come in and collaborate here was because everything I do with Nearly Enlightened, it's like offering the tools that I have learned. And now we can really like take that to the next level with the studio here at Soul Sanctuary because every single thing that's on the schedule is a concrete tool for you to have through your healing journey, or just like to support you being a freaking human on this planet. And I love that that's hard.
SPEAKER_00:That's pretty hard.
SPEAKER_01:That'd be hard, especially these days. 2025 really gave us a run for money. You were still here. We're still here. We're still here, two more months, less than two more months left. Like what six weeks? Yeah, yeah. Crazy.
SPEAKER_00:2026. We're ready for you. We ready. Are we?
SPEAKER_01:Can we freeze time right here? I don't know. Kidding. Um, are there any reminders that you would like to let the listeners know?
SPEAKER_00:Um, I don't think so. Definitely if you're local, um come check us out. If you can't make it on Saturday for Open House, like Jenna said, we have so many other events. Um, feel free to reach out if you go to our website. We've got lots of contact forms, fill out any of them, they all go to me. Um, I'm happy to chat, answer any questions you have. Uh, if you're interested in my book, you can buy that on Amazon. Again, it's homecoming, a guide to get out of your head and into your heart. It is an interactive workbook. So there's there's lots of juicy props for you to explore tools that I talk about on your own. Um, it really is a healing journey in and of itself. I like to say it's the cheapest therapy you can get. 1590. Yeah, that really is. Yeah. Um, so feel free to check that out. And yeah, thanks for thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know if you know this, and I don't know if I mentioned it on our last podcast that we did. It's been so long now, I don't remember. But when um when I went through homecoming, there is a part where you talk about meditation and what you say about meditation, I actually use in my meditation course. I hope because you you said like you were so adverse to meditation when you first started your healing journey, because we were like, well, how the F am I supposed to clear my head? And I love that you bring that up in your book because it's impossible. And I always say this in my meditation class like, we are not here to clear our minds. If we clear our minds, we would cease to exist. And you had talked about it, or somebody had told you that it's kind of like watching a train go by. And I use that visual now in all of my meditation courses because I thought it was like so potent and powerful, because we're not trying to clear the mind. That's not what we're trying to do here with meditation. And I think taking that pressure off makes it a lot more accessible.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think that's the block for most people when they first are thinking about meditation or when they hear of meditation. Like, I think that's the unrealistic expectation that for whatever reason we all have and we're like, oh, that's impossible. So we might as well just not try. Like, I think for so many people, that is the block. So it's really important to like address that like head on. That is not the goal. Uh, like I was saying before, when it comes to like, you know, tapping into your intuition, it's understanding your mind, it's building a relationship with your mind. Like that is the point of meditation, kind of understanding how your mind works so that when it kicks in in those moments of fear or when it's it's trying to stop us from doing something, or um, you know, it's just part of being human. Those fear spirals are real. Like you can understand, oh, hey, this is how my brain works. I'm in a fear spiral. Nothing that is going through my mind right now is based on reality. Let me pause, recenter so I can take action that's actually aligned and like what's right for me rather than getting stuck in the what ifs that live in my brain. So it's just building that relationship. Like that is the importance of meditation. And like just being still long enough that you can start to listen to that inner voice, those inner nudges. Like that's it.
SPEAKER_01:Justine, thank you so much for being here with us today. Um, I know we mentioned you can reach out to us via SoulSanctuary.com or slash the studio. Where can people find you if they want to connect with you?
SPEAKER_00:Uh, you can find me on Instagram. I have probably too many Instagrams, but my personal uh I believe it's justine.l.harrington. You can find me there. You can reach out to me at Justine at soulsanctuary.com. Um, and I'm happy to chat. If anyone has any questions or just wants to um, yeah, just wants to connect, I'm happy to chat.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of the Nearly Enlightened podcast. If this conversation resonated with you, I would love it if you shared it, left a review, or if you want to reach out and let me know your thoughts. And if you're looking for more ways to deepen your connection to body, mind, and spirit, check out my Meditate to Elevate Guided Meditation portal or visit nearlyenlightened.com for more resources. Until next time, stay curious, stay connected, and remember the answers already lie within. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.