Befriending Your Intuition with Heather Maguire

Meet Heather Maguire, the Unconventional Intuitive!

Heather is an intuitive guide and spiritual cheerleader. She supports big-hearted, ambitious humans to trust themselves and follow their inner knowing. Through situational and ongoing support, her clients learn how to stop trying to fix everything, and instead rely on Universal support to manifest miracles and access flow. 

Website: https://unconventionalintuitive.com/

Email: unconventionalintuitive@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnconventionalIntuitive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unconventional_intuitive

September Body Retreat: September 27th-29th, $375 Early Bird Price until 9/13

https://unconventionalintuitive.com/retreat/

Yes, your intuition is talking to you. No, you're not making it up! Here are the top 10 signs that your intuition is talking to you.

https://unconventionalintuitive.myflodesk.com/intuitivesigns

Episode References:

Kate Lemay, Artist of Conscious Evolution & Retreat Director
www.katelemay.com

Sue Bergman, Body Retreat Co-Leader

Martha Beck

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Transcript

This is the True for You Podcast, a place where we show up for ourselves fully. I'm your host, Renee Cupples. Becoming a yoga teacher helped set me free from trying to always have everything figured out and surrender to what is again and again.

If you're looking for inspiration and direction in your life, look to yourself and what you love. I am here to serve as a mirror to remind you of how amazing you truly are. Let's begin.

Welcome back to the True for You podcast. This is your host, Renee Cupples, and I have a special guest for you today. Her name is Heather Maguire. And I had the pleasure of meeting Heather at the live in love retreat on Sandy Island on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Heather is such a beautiful, sweet soul. 

And I'm so excited, Heather, to have you here and to have you share more about what you do and more about the Body retreat, which is coming up at the end of September of this year. And it's going to be in Winthrop, Maine, and it's part of the Let Your Soul Shine and Enjoy the Journey tour. So this podcast is actually part of a series of podcasts that I'm doing, interviewing the hosts of all the retreats of the Let Your Soul Shine and Enjoy the Journey tour.

And Heather, welcome. Thank you so much for joining. 

Thank you so much for having me here. I am honored to be a part of this, this sequence of retreat leaders and to be a guest of yours. Such a thrill.  

So Heather, will you introduce a little bit more about yourself, about your journey, and the work that you do?

Okay. 

So my name's Heather. I live right outside of Boston with  my family, my two kids, my husband, my two dogs.  I guess I'll start with work and the work that I do is my business is called The Unconventional Intuitive and I help people,  I really started helping people at these moments of transition, these moments of confusion and what I  have evolved with over the years is really understanding that,  that all of the messages, whether it's a mediumship message from a loved one who's passed or a channeled message that's straight from source, whatever the message is, the intent is always for, this person to love themselves more, to judge themselves less, to really lean into who they are because that's where their power is, that's where their joy source is. And so my work is really whatever the shape of it is, including this retreat to hold space, to encourage, to love and support people, to lean into who they are.  Yeah. And who I am.  I'm a girl who grew up in the mountains of Southern California in literally the middle of nowhere.

And I was thinking about it this morning because it was, you know, a question  for this podcast of who are you? And I realized the town where I grew up, Julian, California is kind of intentional  and California in some ways is kind of that way. Like, California is a destination place, right? I'm guessing there are more people who have moved to California that were born in California. 

And the town where I grew up was absolutely 100 percent that way. People  were not born into generations of Julian life. People chose Julian life and it was up on the mountains. You had to drive forever to get to anything.  And I think that really, if we ascribe to the idea that our souls in some way, choose some portion of our life's journey, was such a perfect start for me because I was with animals. I was in nature. So much space and imaginary freedom to just feel and be and explore. And that's really kind of how I still live in a lot of ways. 

Heather, that is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. And I didn't know that about you. So I love learning more about you too. Um, so the  retreat that's coming up at the end of September, the theme is body and it's based around the sacral chakra and you're actually co hosting the retreat with Sue Bergman. 

And what made you say yes  to hosting the retreat? And we'll talk a little bit more about retreat in general as well. But, I love when people find that big yes, obviously you wouldn't be hosting it if it wasn't a big yes for you.   Can you give us a little bit more information around the retreat and why it was a big yes for you? 

Well,  it was such an easy big yes, it was a big yes before it even  was offered.  Part of what I am  working on in my super secret internal laboratory is a miracle tracking system , because I really have this belief and experience and I'm gathering evidence that when you make a decision, when you change your energy, and you hold a certain energy, that's what creates your experience and what attracts your life.   And so this retreat is a piece of evidence in my miracle tracking because I decided that somehow I was going to lead a retreat and I had no idea how it was going to happen. I was overwhelmed by the idea of finding a location and getting people to show up for it and all the things and Kate said, maybe you might want to lead a retreat.

And I said, oh, you have no idea. And then to have Sue be a part of it. So I have someone with me who is so fun and such an expert at presenting and leading people through an experience,  it was as these things go even better than I could have imagined, even easier than I could have, you know, if I had tried to create it myself, so, yeah, it was a huge yes, no doubt about it.

Yeah,  and the retreat theme is body, as you said, and the language I could haul out the book. I have the book right here. The language is so beautiful. So...

Do you want to read the description of Kate's painting? So all these retreats are based off of Kate Lemay's art. There's seven different paintings for the seven main chakras, the energy centers in the body and each retreat highlights one of the energy centers. So this happens to be the painting that represents the sacral chakra and it's a really powerful one. 

Yeah, it really is. And you and I talked for a moment before we started recording about how,  it packs a punch in so many ways, from our cultural conditioning, our beliefs about who we are, our value being tied to what shape and appearance we have. And also,  the power of our bodies, especially as women, the power of our body, not to downplay the power of men's bodies in any way, shape or form, but it's such, there's so much in there and the more you can unlock yourself from judgment,  the more you just turn up the volume on your power and your abilities to just shine. So Kate's book says, "So many times we spend our lives in our heads, letting this small amount of space in our bodies dictate how we move in this world.  Our bodies wholly amplify our ability to experience the world around us.  Your mind wants to protect you. Your body is the guide to your dreams, to what you're capable of doing. When you're contemplating your dreams, take action. Feel.  Be in your body and enjoy your body. Treat it well as it is the mechanism for feeling." And every painting  has a mantra and the mantra for this is "I feel" and I love that she says take action feel  you know  the power of that is overlooked a lot. 

Oh yeah I think so often it is  feelings and our emotions that actually determine  our actions.  It usually starts with a thought and then you have a feeling about that thought. And then you decide what action you're going to take based off of that.

And  coming back to the self love piece, I think that especially is so important.   Because if you're  thinking and,   you have a lot of feelings about your feelings sometimes and you have feelings that you don't want to have, or, maybe it's even anger comes through and you're judging that anger versus if you love on it a little bit, it starts to transform and it's like, oh, there's a reason why this feeling is coming up and maybe there's a need behind it.

So, trying not to judge those feelings. Obviously, it's difficult in the moment sometimes, but it can be a really powerful practice to notice how you're feeling and trying not to judge it.  

Absolutely. Absolutely. And that's how change can happen  when you have space to be where you are,  you know.

And I think also,  We have this idea that  that our brain is the master in all of this. And I have to change upstairs before anything else can change, but there's a flow  it's like this mind, body, spirit, triad, and, most of us lean into the mind so much, but as humans, we have the ability to change what we're feeling, we can call up a feeling and we can use all of our senses to do that.

And when we're doing that, it can change our thoughts. We don't have to be wrestling our thoughts to change them. We can change other aspects of things and our thoughts will respond.  It's so simple, but it's so powerful, you know, we feel stuck sometimes  so finding the path of least resistance, I guess. 

Yeah,  absolutely.  I'm just remembering, Heather, last year at the retreat where, that you and Sue are hosting this year for Body, the theme was energy, and it was the Power Center, and I just remember, you and Sue had this, tender, beautiful moment, where you were sharing something very vulnerable, and Sue was holding space for you in that moment, and, maybe that was part of what led you guys to decide to host together because you had a bond over that weekend at that camp. And, I think it's so important to hold space for people emotionally, but I don't think that it comes naturally to everybody and it can be super vulnerable to hold space for somebody who's being vulnerable. 

And it's, it's almost uncomfortable, for both parties, A, to share, B, to, hold space for the person that's sharing and not trying to, solve anything for them, or,  just being there, right? And how important that practice is. And I always think of how it works with parenting and with children, because I'm trying to do that for my kids, just being there, but not trying to solve everything for them, kind of letting them pave their own path.

But it's so hard because you want to take control and take away their pain and whatever it is. But, it can be a really powerful practice because sometimes holding space for yourself is a little harder and it's a little easier to do it for somebody else too. So,  I just remember that moment between you and Sue and it just being so beautiful and you give the ability for others to do that as well when you're kind of showing that example and others maybe might feel more comfortable to share and to hold space for someone sharing by witnessing that. 

I think that's something very profoundly is just that,   acknowledging that it's hard to hold that space.  It's our impulse, our drive to get away from pain.  I want to solve this for you.  I want to figure out why this is happening and make it stop happening.  And like you said before, when you allow yourself to feel it, that's when something can be different. That's when change can happen. That's when healing can happen.  And so it really,  you're really offering up your own healing abilities and holding them for someone else. And there's so much trust in there of you'll figure this out,  you know. 

Yeah, you have all the power within you to do it.  But sometimes you need that reminder, because it doesn't always feel like that, that  you have the ability to solve your own stuff.  You know, sometimes you want somebody to tell you the answer, but  I don't know that it always serves you that they give you the answer, you know, because it's not your answer.

It's their answer. So yeah, it's a interesting practice.

I went on this little weekend retreat with a wonderful friend, Jean Courtney, and Jean is a decorator, a successful designer. And,  I think like the best designers, she has this way of telling you what you want,  you know what I mean? 

 And so she said, however, she said it, you know, you're gonna so here's what's gonna happen. We're gonna go on this retreat together, and I'm gonna drive and I was just like, Oh, right, of course, that's what I want to do. Naturally. And I had no idea really what I was signing up for or where we were going.

I just packed a bag and got in the car. And on the way, she said, no, this is a very, rustic retreat. We've got a comp, that's going to be a composting toilet. And I had no idea what that was at the time. And I was like, Jean, I'm along for the ride. And I trust you, whatever happened and it was a beautiful, rustic retreat, weekend retreat.

One of the first retreats I went on. And,  and it was in Vermont, in the mountains and like no cell phone, no anything, you're cut off. And I'm with plant people who are a very specific, like frequency, beautiful, incredible people, but they're different. And I felt that difference when I arrived, I was at a different frequency than these plant people who were very much, you know, planting.

And, And  by Sunday morning, something had let loose inside of me and I was just crying.  Just crying. I couldn't,  I didn't have a reason for it. I didn't have words and explanations. There was nothing wrong. It was just us letting go happening and it was showing up as all of these tears. And, so Jean and I were down at the little breakfast table and I was just crying and all of the women started trickling in and saying some version of like, Are you okay?

What's going on? And this one just wild, beautiful woman, she showed up, she had been staying off site and she rolled in and she goes, Oh, what's going on with you? And I said, I think I'm having some kind of a breakdown. I don't know. And she goes, That's awesome. Good for you. And I always remember that it was such a transformational moment that you can break down without being broken.

You know, you can crack open and it doesn't have to be neat and tidy for it to be perfect.  

Yeah, what a safe and beautiful space to be able to do it in and I love that way of holding space like good for you, you know when you're in this like  really emotional state, yeah to be celebrated for having that experience and that you can celebrate that.  I love things that are a juxtaposition of what it, you know, quote unquote should be, like somebody who's breaking down, but it's actually a way to release the nerves or the tension or whatever feelings that you're having,  it comes out in a way that is unexpected. Um, so that's something where you're like, Oh, I'm supposed to be relaxed and at peace.

And you're just having this huge release  to be celebrated and not judged for having an experience that,  you know, I think a lot of us it's easier to stay stuck and stay small and stay in the status quo and anything that's not that kind of sticks out right and brings attention to you and can be hard to manage, but, you're actually being really brave in that moment to experience it.   So it's interesting.  I just love being celebrated for expressing emotion.  I'm kind of a naturally emotional person and I think I've had, sometimes had a lot of shame around that in my life where I'm like, Oh, you know, should I really be like listening to a song in my car and just like bawling crying, but it's actually so cathartic and important to do things like that and have that experience.

And I'm like, why not? And it's actually beautiful. Usually sometimes it's just tears of joy and that a song just moves you and that you can be moved in that way and whatever memory recall it's bringing up or something like that. 

Yeah.

Also, I, I want to say to you that, you know,  I love Martha Beck and she talks a lot about the way finders.

Right.  And,  you know, that music, you have this special relationship with music. And, it's brought you a lot of special experiences and connection and like you, you have this relationship with it and  I guess you could say kind of, if there was a wave, you're at the tip of the wave  and you feeling all of that, you being able to go to that place allows you to help other people access  it.

Yeah. 

So besides to have emotional crying outbreaks, what are some other reasons why you go on retreat and why retreats important to you?  

Retreat is so important to me so important to me for probably a million reasons. You know, the interactions that you have with people, are of a different caliber than in other settings. 

The fact that your routine is broken, it throws you off balance to a certain extent and when you're off balance, you're sort of open. You're reaching for what does this mean? What's happening? So you're kind of more present. I always want to 

be  with people who are choosing  inspiration, choosing truth, choosing something more for themselves, for their life, whatever that looks like. It doesn't mean they have to climb Mount Everest or run 10 marathons, or, it could just be sharing something about themselves that they've never said before. That can be so courageous.  And I find that so inspiring. It feeds my life force fire tremendously. And it helps me, it helps me do the same.  And that's what I want to be doing with my life, I want to be, how can I just let go of everything that I think I need to do or be or have or whatever and  be more me show up more as me because that's what I'm here for.

That's how I serve. That's how I express love.  That's my highest purpose in this life.  So  no small thing retreat.  

It's so true. There's always so much to unpack and you know, everyone is so each one is so unique and different and so much about it is, is the energy of all the people that are there and making those connections and putting yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Do you want to give us any sort of sneak peeks or share about behind some of the planning that  you and Sue are doing for the upcoming body retreat at the end of September? I'm going to post in the show notes all the details of the retreat and how people  can go about signing up or sharing the information with anybody that might be interested.

Absolutely. Okay, soon. I've been having such a blast planning and we have 20 retreats worth of ideas, of course. So, in fact, we're going to do a bonus rich bonus workshop on August 27th. So sign up for the retreat. Now, you can come to the bonus workshop for free.  And,   the angle that we're coming at this work from is a celebration of a body, a celebration of all of the things that our body allows us to experience, and really a big focus on intuition and how, our body is what allows us to know things in a deeper way than our head. It's our intuition first. And, so we're really, touching a little bit on,  celebrating some aspect of our body that we feel good about while also acknowledging there are aspects of our body that have been more challenging for us to navigate in our lifetime.

We're doing some soul pampering and really just  loving ourselves internally and externally.  And there's some really fun celebratory elements as well that are going to be a wonderful surprise. We've got some  beautiful helpers who are coming to help us with all of this, and we just can't  wait to welcome everybody and to help hopefully offer them in some way, whatever it is.

Sometimes you make this giant leap and sometimes it feels like something teeny tiny happened, but it's that little crack that allows everything else to continue to open. So there's no pressure. Relax. If nothing else, you enjoy the pine trees and the lake and the amazing, incredible people. And I guarantee you walk away a different person. 

Yeah, and the food. I love not cooking for three days. That's one of my favorite parts about retreat and nourishing your body in a beautiful and healthy way, the food is always super nutritious and nourishing. And  that's just one of my favorite parts and you get to connect with people and sharing meals with them too. That's where some of my favorite connections happen, chatting with people over meals. Food and people make me happy. Yeah, and nature and like adult sleepovers and you know it's like all the things but I'm so excited to go. 

On the little page on my website for the retreat and it says come to big girl camp and be a kid again. 

Big girl camp, exactly. Yeah, I didn't go to camp as a kid and I'm always like, this is my version of camp. I get to as an adult now, you know, to go to camp.   So  Heather,  I often ask guests of the podcast to reflect on because I really want to highlight you and the work that you do and how I witness that the work that you do is honoring your authentic nature and your authentic self, and how would you encourage someone  to honor their own authenticity, to honor their truth? 

That's such a great question. Such a great question. How amazing would it be to be at like a giant dining table and just throw that question out and hear everybody's like, wow.    Well, I'm going to take it to my work and say that, you know,  what I find a lot with people is there's so much, and not because people are bad or stupid or in any way damaged...   there's just, I think, a combination of human wiring and cultural  training that tells us to constantly be looking for the ways that we're wrong constantly looking for the ways that we aren't cutting the mustard aren't doing a good enough job or whatever that is.

And sometimes that people take that to mean, well, before I can be in a relationship, I need to clear all my karmic trauma. I mean, I hear like all kinds of versions of this, it shows up in all kinds of different ways. But it's some version of I'm not good enough. I'm doing things wrong.  And so I've started doing this, I call it capsule coaching, and I really walk people through understanding the difference because people get stuck at this place.

Am I on my path? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Why is this so hard?  Is my intuition telling me I shouldn't be doing this? Or is this my fear?  Am I self doubt getting in my way? And so I find that that's a really beautiful place to work with people and meet them  and I teach them your intuition, your inner knowing doesn't feel like this.

It's not a clench, it doesn't feel like you're a failure, everyone's going to hate you, you're useless. That's not what your intuition and your inner knowing feels like. If you've got that feeling, you're in your fear.  No big deal. We've all got it. There's a lot of reasons for it. And I talk a lot about kind of  some of the causes and why it makes sense and why it's actually trying to be helpful.  And then we talk about intuition and what intuition feels like and how it's that more calm, steady presence. How it's generative. It's not contracting, constricting, stay small, stay safe. It's  breathe.  Shine. I don't know if you can hear that. That's my dog howling. 

He's like, yeah, intuition.

Let's go.  

And so in that way, I help people hear what's true for them.

Yeah, that's it. I love it.  I don't know what you do with 

it.  Okay. 

Yeah, that intuitive piece is so important  In finding that sense of self trust,  because I think to really  you know, as someone who kind of lived in a people pleaser space for a really long time. I mean, I'm still working on it, but,   it sometimes feels like walking your path and your truth and your knowing and trusting is like moving away from what other people want for you or accommodating to other people like it feels like a fork in the road   of really carving and choosing that path is like almost moving away  from other people.

But when you can get them,  not that you're trying to get people on your side. But when you can get them behind, like, this is what I'm doing, and I trust and I know that this is right for me, it allows them to maybe do that for themselves,  and to know, you don't have to walk this road with me if you don't want to. You don't have to believe and trust and know my path.

That's my job to do that. And it doesn't have to be such a separation, you know, like you can cheer me on from afar or you can walk with me if that's what you want.  You're leaving it open.  I find the more that, that you trust and that, you know, what is right for you, it becomes easier to make decisions and to move forward and to let go of some of the things or the people that might be holding you back, which can be really hard. But...

but what you're saying is really important because part of this is that we entangle well, I'm doing what I feel is right for me.

And that means you need to...  There's a real ownership and disentangling of following my truth and doing what I feel is right for me right now in this moment  from what everybody else needs to do and how they need to behave and all of that. 

So Heather, if someone were to want to work with you , either through coaching or one of your intuitive sessions, how would they go about getting in touch with you and booking a session with you? 

Absolutely. The easiest way is probably just go directly to my website unconventionalintuitive. com. I'm on Facebook and Instagram. So you can find me there. You can book through there as well, but probably just hit my website.  You can also message me.  My coaching packages, my capsule coaching is something kind of new and organic. So if that work around fear versus intuition and making choices and self trust is appealing to you, just shoot me a message and we'll make it happen.

And I also have a list for people. It's  a list of the top 10 ways that your intuition communicates with you. So for people who are curious about. Is this me? Am I going crazy? Am I making this up? You know, when you start to kind of reach for your intuition and have an understanding of it, and want to start to hear it and trust it,  it, it can be confusing.

It can be. And so this list is just a great way to help you know what to watch for and know what to notice. and to make you feel a little more grounded and safe in what you are perceiving. 

Awesome. I'll post all the information about how to get in touch with you, Heather, and more details about the body retreat coming up at the end of September. I'll be interviewing Sue Bergman as well. So get, we'll get more details about the body retreat, but thank you so much for joining me, Heather, and for your dog joining us as well, because animals are a sign of abundance and our body is the sacral chakra.

So, I love the animals chiming in and tuning in as well.  But it's been such an honor having you, and thank you so much for taking your time to join. Oh, and you know what I didn't say about our retreat?  We have this fabulous yoga teacher who's going to be teaching one of our yoga classes.  

Yes.

Yeah.  I'm, 

I'm from Winthrop, Mass. That's where I grew up. So I was so excited when I saw Winthrop, Maine on the docket. Cause I've always wanted to go to Winthrop, Maine. Cause it's the other, it's one of the other Winthrop's in new England. So,  it was a beautiful setting for a retreat and it's a beautiful time of year with the leaves changing at the end of September so it's such a nice time for a road trip and I'm happy to carpool with anybody if they want to join me and come and take yoga on Friday with me.  But yeah I'll be so excited to see you in person Heather and yeah, thank you again. 

Yes, absolutely. My pleasure.  

Take care, everybody. We'll talk to you soon.   

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