Beachside Banter w/Bee

Healing Through Aloha: Empowerment and Connection at Kahuna Falls with Rachael Popky

Bee Season 1 Episode 21

Want to know more? Let's Chat!

Have you ever wondered how the mystical energy of Hawaii could transform your life? Join us as we chat with Rachel Pomke, the inspiring director of the Kahuna Falls Retreat Center. Rachel shares her compelling shift from a life of activism to one of creating solutions through coaching and retreats. Her journey highlights the power of empowerment and transformation, not just for herself but for the facilitators, residents, and guests at her center. Dive into her narrative of nurturing positive change and learn about a client's remarkable path to self-confidence and fulfilling work.

Picture yourself surrounded by the enchanting landscapes of Hawaii — this is where Rachel's retreats find their home. Discover how the blend of mountains, oceans, and rainforests on the Big Island provides a unique grounding and clarity, believed by some to echo the ancient civilization of Lumeria. Rachel and I discuss how this setting is a catalyst for personal transformation and deeper connections with nature. Hear insights into the transformative power of coaching, helping prevent burnout and offering clarity on life's path amidst Hawaii's captivating aura.

Craving a taste of Hawaii beyond its scenery? Our conversation takes a flavorful turn as we explore the exquisite local cuisine that retreat guests indulge in. From savoring the freshest pineapples to embracing structured activities and relaxation, retreats offer a culturally rich alternative to traditional vacations. For those interested in leading such experiences, Rachel offers guidance through her Sacred Retreat Success program, ensuring impactful and respectful retreats. Embark on a journey toward inner peace and personal growth, with Rachel as your guide, providing mentorship in tuning into intuition amidst life's noise. Connect with her and explore the transformative possibilities awaiting you.

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Rachael Popky is a Sacred Empowerment Coach, Global Guide, and Director of The Center at Kahuna Falls Retreat Center in Hawai’i. Her work in empowerment and the healing arts is deeply rooted in her degree in Activism and Social Change. She believes that when we heal ourselves, we heal the world.

As we navigate these times of rapid transformation, she is committed to helping others birth new paradigms, do the inner work, and embrace the abundance that surrounds us. Her mission is to revolutionize the way we do business by fostering soul-driven, purpose-led, and ethically grounded practices that empower the collective. Rachael is dedicated to reminding us of the unity that connects us all and inspiring everyone to walk in beauty.

FIND Rachael here: FACEBOOK | SUBSTACK

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Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, hey, everyone, it's another episode of Beachside Banter with Bea. I'm Bea Davis, your host, and today we are here with Rachel Pomke. She is the director of the Kahuna Falls Retreat Center and just an all around amazing person. I'm super excited to have this conversation. Rachel, if you want to go ahead, take it away, introduce yourself. Let everybody know why you're here and what you stand for.

Speaker 2:

Wow, thank you so much. It's such an honor to be here, very grateful, I am actually coming to you from the big island of Hawaii. I am actually right now on the sunny side, which is Kona, and our retreat center is a little bit more on, like the rainforest side, and so it has beautiful waterfalls, and I'm excited, though, because I love a balance of both. So I'm coming to you from the sunny side today and I am a global retreat guide and I am also the director of the center at Kahuna Falls, and really my passion is about making a difference. I really want to impact people's lives positively any way that I can, so throughout the years I've done that through coaching and support and mentorship, and also through hosting retreats, and now I get to kind of expand that reach through leading the retreat center, because really, every person, the hundreds of people that come through our retreat center every year, they go back to their communities, and I know that the ripple effect just continues that they get to impact their communities, and so it's such a joy. Absolutely, it sounds like your background's kind of in like social change and activism and that sort of thing. Is that what kind of inspired you to start the retreat and get everything going.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, my background is in. My degree is actually in activism and social change, and in my 20s, you know, I was super idealistic, like I went to this school in San Francisco, wanted to join the Peace Corps, wanted to change the world, and you could catch me at a protest, you could catch me organizing, doing things like that, and that was really like something I was very passionate about was wanting to just see real change and progress in my lifetime, and some of the movements that I actually was able to work on in my lifetime actually did create like real change in my own lifetime, which was incredible to see. But I also, once I started having my kids, I really realized that there was a couple ways that I was going to really make a difference. One was the way that I raised them. Two was actually, instead of necessarily fighting up against things, which can kind of be like some of the opposite energy that I want to put out I decided I wanted to actually be part of a solution rather than always writing up against things, and so that's when I actually got into the coaching industry and I started doing what I call sacred empowerment coaching, and now I've coached from at-risk teens to leaders of giant you know, global companies. And so it's been really beautiful to be able to see just like this whole process of like supporting people on their journey and their level of empowerment.

Speaker 2:

And so when I started doing the coaching, it just kept evolving and it kept shifting and it kept growing and eventually I ended up here in Hawaii and had this opportunity to take over this retreat center, being the director over here and it had already been functioning for about 20 years.

Speaker 2:

But it was exciting because what I've been able to do is kind of shift it and like it's funny the Fab Five if you've ever watched Queer Eye, you can find it on Netflix, jonathan he says he zhuzhes things up.

Speaker 2:

And so I kind of feel like that's what I got to come into the retreat center and do and just like, yeah, a little like modernize it, bring it into this current space, and also like really create a grounded vision for what we're doing up there and like solidify the mission and help make sure that all the people that are coming, the facilitators that we serve because we work with facilitators all around the world who have their own audiences, who host their own retreats, and we host them at our center, but not only to have the facilitators in line with the mission, but also the people that live on site. I really want them to actually experience the change and transformation and the growth that's possible up there as well. So it's amazing because really what we get to do up there touches so many people's lives, from the people that live there to the people that come and also the facilitators who host there.

Speaker 2:

Wow, I love that, so you said that when she started, like the coaching era and all that, you really started to see a shift and a change in other people. Could you give me an example of, maybe like a feel good story? You know one of my favorite clients that I've worked with. She had been pretty shy, she had been kind of lacking some self-confidence and had tried all these different modalities and I don't discount any of the other modalities. I think therapy is amazing. I think all the different tools in the toolbox can be great for people to try them out, but for her, after trying so many of them, what she found was that coaching was one of the most impactful things for her because for the longest time she had this messaging that there was something wrong with her.

Speaker 2:

And when I coach people kind of what I consider that sacred empowerment coaching it's really about helping people learn about their own purpose, that they came here just as they are. Warts and all the ups and downs of life, like all of it. We come as we're supposed to, to make you know whatever mark on this world we're supposed to, and so really through the process of coaching her, it wasn't about like I need to change all these things about me, it was more like I just need to love myself and accept myself. And it's so cool because I'm watching her right now just flourishing. She actually, um, finally found like some work that feels really soul aligned for her, that she gets to share with people in her community.

Speaker 2:

She's been writing a blog on substack and I'm one of her like top fans because I also just love that continued support of my clients, like I love seeing them win, because I feel like I'm winning too. And the thing that is important to distinguish about coaching it's not that I'm like leading people, telling people what to do. I may be a teacher in some moments and a guide in some moments, but really it's a linking of arms with people and it's like figuring it out together. And so I think a lot of people get confused about what coaching is and think you have to be perfect to be a coach or that you have to you know, know all this stuff or be like spiritually awakened. You know, know all this stuff, or be like spiritually awakened and actually like, ultimately, you just have to show up, be a really good listener, be able to offer like really good feedback in the moment to your clients and just support them in their empowerment.

Speaker 1:

I'll be honest with you. I think a misconception is that a lot of time people think that, hey, I got a coach, like they're going to make my life decisions for me and things are going to be a little bit easier. But really that's not the case, because they're really just there to kind of guide you along the way and also teach you the things that you need to know in order to make you know what you need to be successful.

Speaker 2:

So I have learned that I've worked with a few coaches throughout my life, and if you have not, I would 100% suggest it Just because it just because it's not only like it's not therapy is great, like it's great to be able to go to somebody and talk to somebody about all the things that are going wrong in your life.

Speaker 1:

But coaching is not necessarily that it's more of a let's work together so that we could build and make this like dynasty or whatever it's called.

Speaker 2:

So I feel like a lot of people need to kind of take that back and maybe change their thought process on what it is and all of that, but I definitely recommend it If you have not worked with a coach, even if it's just somebody who could be your hype man and be like hey, you're doing a great job, you got a $15 sale, that's awesome, you know, just something like that. I feel like that's what's lacking for a lot of people, and if they could just get that hype man, then they'll continue to be more successful and get more things done. I love my two cents. I love the way you articulated that. Yes, totally. So you need a cheerleader. We all do Exactly, Exactly.

Speaker 2:

I know that me personally, like before I started working with a coach and I don't work with one regularly like I should. I have a few friends that are in coaching and and you know we'll sit down and we'll have conversations and that sort of thing. Before I started doing that, it was a lot of like OK should I keep going Like why am I still doing this?

Speaker 1:

Is this even worth it for me? Like I can't.

Speaker 2:

And then when I started to kind of talk to my coaches, they were starting to like reconfigure my brain, so to speak, and it was more of a hey, even if it's not the greatest of all wins, you still got C or you still got this or you still got that or whatever, and it really just kind of was like, hey, okay, maybe I should keep going. So without that coaching, I don't think that I would be here where I'm at. I'd probably be working a nine to five, bored out of my mind, miserable, because I'm working, you know the machine or whatever, but I don't know. Anyways, that's just my two cents. I think it's great.

Speaker 2:

I love people who can also be coaches, because it takes a special kind of person. You know they have to be caring and that's a lot of energy you have to give out. So do you feel like, because you're living in Hawaii, you can like kind of tap into the earth, so to speak, and kind of refill and rejuvenate easily, absolutely Like? Nature is definitely one of the places that I recharge. And you know as much as I love living on the island and love being at the beach and love, you know, swimming in our waterfall on the property. I'm a mountain girl and so that was something that really drew me to the Big Island too is that there's just everything here. You get the mountains, you get the ocean, you get the rainforest, and so I definitely love connecting with the energy here of just this beautiful place. But there's something that is just palpable. Like the first time I ever landed here on the big island and I got off the plane, I could just feel the energy here. Um, it's very powerful because it is with the active volcano we have, um kilauea here on the island, and it's not currently erupting at the moment, but it is active. With that, when it is erupting, what's happening is it is deciding where new land is going to get created, what the landscape is going to look like, and so it's this very transformational energy itself here on the island being that new earth is created here, and so I think that we can tap into some of that kind of transformational energy too, of just the energetics of what is here, like naturally.

Speaker 2:

But then there's also something that I feel is a little bit mystical. But then there's also something that I feel is a little bit mystical. You know, a lot of people say that Hawaii was ancient Lumeria, and so, you know, in the kind of like woo-woo spiritual world, there's an idea that there was, you know, the civilization that was here that did have more peace, that did have more unity, that functioned in a very different way and that it disappeared. And so it's interesting because there's thoughts that Hawaii and the landmass of Hawaii was actually rumored to be what is left of Lumeria. And it's fascinating because most people don't know but all of the Hawaiian islands are actually connected and they're just connected.

Speaker 2:

It's like a huge mountain range but it's underwater, and so you're saying the islands that we enjoy are just like the tops of these mountain tops, kind of scattered along the ocean. And so here on the big island, we have monica, and monica is actually the tallest mountain on earth, which many people don't know, because it from the um bottom of it at the ocean floor to the top. That's what makes it the tallest really. Yeah, I, I'm definitely one of those people.

Speaker 1:

I had no idea that they were connected. It makes sense, though, if you look at the tallest. Really, yeah, I'm definitely one of those people. I had no idea that they were connected.

Speaker 2:

It makes sense, though, if you look at the map, they look like they're all like in a line.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, huh, yeah See.

Speaker 2:

I learn new things every single day, and that's my favorite part about this show.

Speaker 1:

I love it when people are like oh here, fun fact. And I'm like huh, and no idea. Gosh, I don't even know where to go from that.

Speaker 2:

My mind was like I think you literally just blew my mind a little bit. Going back to the magic of Hawaii, I've heard from a few places.

Speaker 1:

I actually have a cousin who has moved down there. I think he's been there for 20 or so plus years and he has told me a gazillion times that there's no way in hell that he could ever live back on mainland.

Speaker 2:

because it's just this completely different feel it's. You know it's just, you feel like you're grounded, you have a clear path in life. It's easier to like I don't know, you're clear minded. Maybe I don't know what it is, but like is that why you decided?

Speaker 1:

on that, or would you have done this retreat?

Speaker 2:

somewhere else, given the opportunity for it. So I had been hosting retreats a lot of like the Southwest area of the mainland, and I've hosted retreats at sacred sites that you know. To me they're very powerful places where you can kind of connect into this ancient energy or this kind of portal-like energy. And I came to the Big Island with my husband and we had already been kind of wanting to leave the Southwest where we had been living. We have three boys and it just felt like we wanted to give them a little bit more of a small-town vibe. It's funny because some people who live here in Hawaii consider themselves expats, which is funny because, of course, like we're still part of the United States. There is this feeling that it is different here, and so we wanted something different for our kids and we had been kind of looking at different places to move and he and I had both lived in Colorado and California and all these different places and we're kind of like checking things off the list like no, no, that's not it. So when we came here to the Big Island, like I said, when we stepped off the plane, there was just a feeling. It was palpable. And then we also kind of started doing some research like is this something that is sustainable for our kids? Is this something that would be good for them? So we toured schools and we checked things out and it was interesting because there's an actually very like it's kind of a little bit of a mystical, like divine connection story of how we ended up here.

Speaker 2:

My coach at the time was my mentor back in the Southwest where I'd been living. She was hosting a retreat here and she was hosting the retreat at the retreat center and she had heard that the owner of the retreat center was going to attend the retreat she was hosting. And it's interesting because in the 20 years he really hasn't attended many retreats there. He lives back on the mainland. This is more of like a sanctuary for him, not his actual business, and he has another company on the mainland. So he, like something, told him he needed to be at this retreat. He didn't quite know why, but he rearranged some things on his schedule and he came.

Speaker 2:

And so my mentor was kind of like oh no, like I've got all these women coming to this retreat and I feel like I need a guy to come, so like there's another guy for the owner to this buddy with. And so it's funny because over lunch one day, you know, she's like roping my husband into coming to this retreat and he's kind of like, okay, you know, and it's tough, he would call himself retreat adjacent because he had seen me host all these retreats over the years and he was kind of like, okay, that's her thing. He didn't really exactly quite know what we did at these things, you know. And so he was like, okay, like Hawaii, and, like I said, we were considering it for our family move. And so we we took the leap and we ended up coming to this retreat and we met the owner and I do have a godfather that lives on the island as well and so through that visit we were like, yes, like this is it?

Speaker 2:

oh, and it was interesting because I think that was in an October. By January we were shipping a vehicle out here and then by that next July, like we had closed on our home and we had moved the whole family here. So it was kind of like we said, yes, we started making moves and then just the doors started opening for us. At that point it was never on the agenda to run the retreat center. But what was OK?

Speaker 2:

Back up that conversation with my mentor, my coach at the time, she said I don't know, because she's very intuitive there's something that tells me that the two of you are supposed to run this retreat center. And she just had this weird hunch. And it is off-grid, it's on 40 acres, it's powered by a hydroelectric system from our waterfall and my husband and I we own an off-grid property on 10 acres in New Mexico and, you know, have a background in property management and things like that. So she was kind of like you know, some of these things were like wait a minute, these puzzle pieces. But at that point it didn't even really make sense because there was caretakers that were living on the property, that had been managing it for a while. At that point, Okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so we make the move just on our own, like following the energy, following our hearts, following what felt right for our family. Like I said, that July of that year we closed on our house and we started moving here. Well, the month before that the caretakers who had been there 10, 15 years told the owner we're ready to retire, what? And so perfect, yeah. So it was interesting because then it just all kind of was like okay, and then he asked us cause we had really become good friends and was like, yeah, you know, maybe this would be a good fit for the two of you. And so my husband's background was in carpentry and he had been building sets in the movie industry in New Mexico. That's cool. And so it was just an interesting way to like mold all of our background and, like you know, our resume fit. But it was also like spirit knew something. It was like all orchestrated in this wild way, yes, and so it's been very interesting how it all unfolded and we've been really grateful because, like you said about was a cousin that lives here in the island.

Speaker 2:

Well, the island is very the islands can be particular about who gets to live here, and I don't say this in like an ego type of way. But some people will literally like get eaten up and spit out and the island's like nope, and they'll be packing up and moving home within two years, or they'll have weird stuff happen, or just the doors don't open for them. Stuff happen or just the doors don't open for them, and for whatever reason, just like the series of events that just kind of like allowed us to be here, we were like I think the island likes us, like I think it's a yes and so we're really grateful, and it is one of those things that it's hard to think about living anywhere else now. Yeah, wow, that like that literally gave me goosebumps. Thinking about that. Like I literally think that that was. This has been your guys's calling literally from day one.

Speaker 1:

And you just had it. Took you a long time to get to the right path, but now that you're on it, it's like, yeah, that's amazing, that is such a cool story.

Speaker 2:

Describe a day in the life of one of your retreats? Is it like, mostly because I, because some of them are like mostly yoga-based or, you know, mostly food-based or something like that? Do you guys have like themes? How does that work? Well, so what we do is we actually open up our calendar to facilitators that inquire about hosting their own retreats, and so we get just a variety of so many different kinds of retreats, from yoga, teacher trainings, corporate retreats to, like BIPOC, healing retreats, shamanic beekeeping, I mean it is. So that's a new one. Yeah, like there are so many different things. A new one. Yeah, like there are really neat so many different things.

Speaker 2:

Um, culinary retreats that people are using the facility to host their retreats, and so I would see easily kind of just like create, you know, this nice container so they can just show up and like be, take action and do host, facilitate their retreat and host their guests, and we kind of take care of all the back end stuff and, um, stay sure that things are cozy and comfy for them and operational.

Speaker 2:

And so, you know, usually at the retreats and I've hosted some retreats there myself, so I can speak to my retreat specifically, and then also some that I have seen other people host, but typically it's really funny People coming from the mainland. A lot of our guests are coming, you know, flying over. They wake up really early because they're still on the time zone from the mainland and we really invite people to just like wake up, help themselves to some coffee and tea in the morning in our lodge area and then we have this beautiful lanai that overlooks the ocean and we're on the east side of the island and so you can see the sunrise from that side oh wow, yeah really nice kind of moment of like arriving at the center, waking up, kind of when you normally wake up, getting your tea or coffee and then just sitting and watching the sunrise.

Speaker 2:

And then usually they'll have a caterer come in and serve breakfast, a private chef serve breakfast to their guests, and then usually there's like an agenda through the day of different activities that the facilitator is putting on and little breaks throughout, maybe a lunchtime. Sometimes there's little excursions that the facilitators will plan and include in their agenda and then, you know, typically there's also downtime for exploring the property. People can also hire our team to take them to do waterfall adventures at the waterfall, and so really, you know, it just depends on the pace of the retreat itself, but typically that's kind of what the day looks like, like a lot of connection with the other retreat participants, amazing local foods and then just beautiful teachings and kind of like different rituals or whatever yoga, qigong. Maybe you're going off for a massage appointment, because we do have a massage and treatment room at the facility. So you saying can look a little bit like that for a participant. Wow, that's awesome. So if you wanted to be a facilitator, how would you go about creating one of these retreats. So you know, we work with a lot of people who already have, you know, an audience and who have people that they are coaching or working with and things like that, and maybe they want to host a retreat or they have before. So oftentimes I'll just get an email inquiry and we do have an out vacation process, because we really do want to make sure that people are aligned.

Speaker 2:

For me it's really important because, even though I live here, I still consider myself a visitor here in Hawaii. You know it's really important because, even though I live here, I still consider myself a visitor here in Hawaii. You know it was the kingdom of Hawaii that was forcefully overthrown by our government and there are some very delicate ways that we have to like walk in beauty here and respect the local culture, and so we want to make sure, too, that the people that are coming through and facilitating that they are giving back in some way, that they're hiring locals, whether it's a local caterer or chef or excursion or things like that. And so that's kind of where our application process comes in, to just kind of make sure that there's alignment and they understand kind of that clarity of what we would like to see. And then also I actually am launching a program to train retreat facilitators.

Speaker 2:

Oh, and I. So I'm using, you know, everything that I've learned in the past 10 years to be able to really teach people how to facilitate, because a lot of people get real starry-eyed and they think, oh, I'm just going to host this retreat Right, and there's so many layers to it, and so I really want to help people not only host profitable retreats, but impactful retreats. Okay, so I teach people how important it is to facilitate and manage the groups, because group dynamics can be really interesting when you're bringing a bunch of strangers together. So there's a skill and an art to doing that as well, and so I'm very excited about launching Sacred Retreat Success so I can also train facilitators. They can come to our center, get training, and then they can come to our center get training, and then they can go ahead and put their retreat on the calendar that next year. So as far as like, uh, pricing goes, does it seem to be kind of one par with, like you know, a regular vacation, or is it more expensive and how?

Speaker 1:

does that work?

Speaker 2:

well, each facilitator, they're going to determine the pricing themselves. Oh, depending on, depending on, you know, whatever it is they're offering. So if they're coming in with a certain level of expertise and whatever the investment it took for their trainings to arrive at the place that they're at to be able to share the wisdom they're sharing or hold the space that they're sharing, you know their fee as the facilitator might merit a different rate depending on where they're at. And then the chef, you know hiring these caters on the island. The food is expensive here, and so that is one thing you know. That is probably one of the bigger costs.

Speaker 2:

And then you know, just overhead too, for our facility, and so it can range, depending on the retreats you know, from maybe $2,000, $3,000 to $9,000, just depending on how long it is to what the offerings are, what you're going to get. Will you get certified in the process if you're at this particular retreat? But I do find that for a week-long vacation, if you were coming to Hawaii, you're probably going to spend something very comparable. If you're going to stay at a resort, if you're going to be drinking Mai Tais, if you're going to be doing excursions, it all adds up and so I think it actually simplifies things for people because you can just like plug and play, you can show up and you can receive, and people will guide you along the way and um yeah, so I think that it's probably comparable to a normal vacation, but then also, if you're coming for a certification, it might cost a little more.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but then you're getting an amazing experience out of it too. That seems to be a little bit more like down to earth and culturally immersive as opposed to like you know going and staying in a resort.

Speaker 2:

I usually tend to be one of those people who could try to get like an Airbnb or something like that, so I can pretend that I live there for however long it is my stay.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, so.

Speaker 2:

I tend to try to head to that direction, but I feel like you would get more of your money's worth with a retreat than you would with maybe just going to a resort there in Hawaii. So that's really cool.

Speaker 2:

Let's talk food. Food is like my absolute favorite thing in the whole entire world. What kind of food am I going to get at these retreats? I know you said it kind of varies upon the catering and that sort of thing, but what do you see most often?

Speaker 2:

You know, typically one of the companies that we partner with that oftentimes the facilitators hire they can do vegan, they can do omnivore, they can do vegetarian, they can do Ayurvedic right, they can do all these different things, but typically we see an omnivore menu. Oftentimes there is like local fish served, which is more something that we're so lucky to have A lot of ahi, tuna, tuna and there are different kinds of ingredients, like the breadfruit or the purple potatoes and just different things that they incorporate. You know we have beautiful avocados on the island, we have amazing pineapple, just different fresh fruits and things that oftentimes some of the fruits that the catering company will bring in people have never had before Star fruit or dragon fruit and so that's also really fun, because I have found that my retreat guests they come and they're so blown away. They're like I don't eat like this at home and normally I would maybe like be like, oh, like I don't want all that like organic, vegan stuff.

Speaker 2:

But when it is prepared the way that it is, it is just so lovely, and usually everybody is asking the chef for recipes, and I know that one of the chefs with the catering company we work with she's actually in the process of putting together a cookbook, because so many people ask her when they're leaving the retreat. Like first they ask her can you come and move home with me? Can we just pack you in the suitcase? Yes, and then they also are like, okay, well, if we can't take you, then do you have a, you know, a cookbook? And so that's fun too to be able to bring some of that back home. Yeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 1:

I can't tell you how many chefs I have asked personally to come home with me. I will put you up. I will find you a place to stay. You don't even have to cook every single meal, just a couple times a week, week, and I'm happy. Yeah, like please, that's so funny yeah, gosh, just it sounds amazing.

Speaker 2:

So one of the things that I have found anytime I go to any island, it seems like the fruit is so dang good.

Speaker 1:

Like we went to French Polynesia Islands, we were over in Morea, which is close to Hawaii, so I would assume they're kind of similar in taste or whatever.

Speaker 2:

They have the best pineapples I have ever eaten in my whole life.

Speaker 1:

It was literally like you just cut it open. It is so juicy and so delicious I didn't even like pineapples until we went on that trip and I'm like, hey, babe, make sure you grab a pineapple.

Speaker 2:

He's like why I will eat it for breakfast all the time.

Speaker 1:

Now it's not nearly the same, but uh so yeah. So I love that, like dragon fruit. I've had. The best banana I think I had in my life was in Puerto Rico, for whatever reason, I don't know why, but it's just.

Speaker 2:

Oh. So, yeah, that's. That's. My favorite part is being able to try, like the natural, just the stuff that comes from the land itself, like the fruits and that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

Um, the starfish are yeah, barf it yeah, yeah, starfruit, that's what I'm trying to say. Starfruit, um, I tried in jamaica once and it was literally like I don't even know. It was some sort of like tropical explosion in my mouth and I'm like this is just absolutely divine, but we can't find them here, they don't have them in missouri. So right, and if you find them, they're not very ripe and they don't taste good. So it's just like why am I even trying? Yeah, yeah, we actually have 11 different varieties of bananas growing on our property. Yeah, it's amazing, and I can't eat mainland bananas anymore, like it, just I bet. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I, I definitely like, like I said like we eat bananas here now and just like, no, I bet. Yeah, I definitely like I said, like we eat bananas here now and I'm like, so I wish this was a Puerto Rican banana.

Speaker 2:

But whatever, it's fine, I'll eat it Like I feel like I'm living in the slums over here, because our bananas just do not taste the same.

Speaker 1:

For listeners who feel stuck in life.

Speaker 2:

What's one piece of advice that you would give to them, because I know that you have, you know direction and that sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

And how can they get a hold of you so that they can take advantage?

Speaker 2:

of your coaching. Well, thank you so much for asking For me. I think one of the most transformational things that you can do is listen to your own intuition. Can do is listen to your own intuition like cultivate your own intuition. And so what happens for people is we have this internal compass that knows, and it gets kind of broken in our lifetime and we have to recalibrate it to our own true north, and so I have processes that I teach people to be able to do that.

Speaker 2:

But really what happens is we end up getting you know, society telling us to be a certain way, our parents, other people's beliefs, our own fears there's so much noise, right, and so really I feel like, genuinely, we all know the way and it's important to learn how to cultivate that relationship with your intuition. So when you do tap in and you ask yourself like you're stuck and you're like which way should I go, you can trust what's coming through for you, that it's not coming from a place of the monkey mind or the fear or the anxiety. We don't want that running the show. We want that right now we're running the show, and so I think that is one of the most empowering things that we can do. Let's trust our sass.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. That's amazing. I love that.

Speaker 2:

So I feel like you would be a like just just this little vibe that I'm getting from. So I feel like you would be like just this little vibe that I'm getting from you. I think you'd be a great coach and a great listener.

Speaker 1:

So anybody who is looking for a coach, I think Rachel might be your gal, just throwing it out there, rachel, where can everybody find you?

Speaker 2:

Well, thanks for asking, so you can find me. It also it's so funny. My kids make fun of me so much, but I do hang out on Facebook still. They're like see book mom, like what's that smell thing? It's still a thing. And that's where I'm probably most active on social media. My company's called divine destinations and so you can also find me at divine destinationscom and you can also find me at divinedestinationscom and you can learn more about some of the coaching programs Like I mentioned Sacred Retreat, success and things like that. But you know, I'd love just like shoot me a friend request on Facebook, because I just love connection too. I always want to be very like, approachable and available for people, and so I'm going to be someone that will respond, and it will be me, not a bot. That's amazing. I love that. Yeah, it's really hard to find people who are still doing their own social media.

Speaker 1:

You could tell that I am one of those people because it's so scarce High five last time for that. I'm just saying that stuff's crazy. So real quick, before I end every show, I always ask one last question what does paradise mean to you?

Speaker 2:

Well, it's interesting because my company is called Divine Destinations.

Speaker 2:

And I do think that that really kind of just reminds me of what paradise is. But what paradise is too like, it's not so much of always the outer, like sure, like I live in a beautiful place, it's gorgeous here, like I can see the ocean from my window and there's gorgeous palm trees. But really paradise is also this inner journey. The divine destination is also inside of you that you can reach and that comes through having a sense of peace, through joy. That's paradise. When we can ground ourselves in those types of things, it really doesn't matter where we are. We can be anywhere on the planet, but if we have those things in our heart and with our in ourselves, we're living in paradise. That is a fantastic.

Speaker 1:

I think that might be my favorite answer so far. Yeah, I agree, a lot of times people don't really realize that you don't necessarily have to live in the most beautiful place in order to have, you know, that paradisiacal feeling. All you really need is just calm and inner peace, and once you find that you're, you know you're living the life. So that's awesome. Thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate this conversation. I've learned a lot. I definitely will be in touch with you because I feel like one of those treats would be a lot of fun for me to host. I've got a few people in mind already. So yeah, we will keep in touch and we'll talk soon. So I appreciate it. I'll talk to you soon.

Speaker 1:

Hey there, beach lovers. That's it for today's episode of Beachside Banter with Bea. I sure hope you had as much fun as I did. Hey, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed the show. You can catch me on all social media platforms at life, love and travel, and if you've got a question or you just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to slide into my DMs and I'll make sure to get those answered for you. Big thanks to everyone who joined me today and for all of you tuned in and until next time, enjoy your week.