Parenting Beyond the Mold: Jasmine's Story | Healing Heroes

In this episode, we explore what it’s like to parent a child who processes the world differently without rushing to label, diagnose, or “fix.” Jasmine shares how motherhood reshaped her path as she learned to trust her intuition while raising her neurodiverse son. Joined by Hero and Somatic Healing Practitioner Nicole, she reflects on slowing down, honoring her son's differences, and grounding herself through yoga, sound, and touch. 

Together, they explore how embodied practices help parents and caregivers reconnect with themselves and stay in the present throughout the day. 

What You Will Learn

• [00:07:30] Early signs that prompted Jasmine to trust her intuition about her son’s development
• [00:14:00] Why curiosity, observation, and acceptance shaped her parenting approach over time
• [00:20:00] What gets lost when children are viewed primarily through developmental metrics
• [00:21:30] The impact of slowing down and nurturing a child’s natural passions
• [00:27:00] Yoga as a way to slow time and stay present during major life transitions
• [00:32:30] Why sound-based practices help caregivers reconnect with sensations and emotions in the body
• [00:36:30] The nervous system effects of vibration, singing, and sound in regulating the body
• [00:49:30] A simple practice for listening to intuition through breath, sensation, and stillness

Let’s Connect!

Nicole Kim

Website

Chandler Stroud

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn 

Mixing, editing, and show notes provided by Next Day Podcast.

Transcript

[00:00:00] 

Chandler Stroud: Hey guys, it's Chandler and welcome to The Healing Heroes. I promise you.

Chandler Stroud: I'm Chandler Stroud, an executive wife and busy mom of two who after years of living with anxiety. Health struggles and an unshakeable feeling like I should be happier, made a profound discovery that [00:00:30] changed everything. Join me on a journey where unexpected paths lead to healing and more happiness. On this show, we will explore unconventional ways to unlock more joy in your own life with the help of my very own healers.

Chandler Stroud: And trusted advisors, the Healing Heroes. Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Healing Heroes podcast. I'm your host Chandler, and today we're sharing another hero [00:01:00] heroine conversation, a format where I sit down with one of our healing heroes alongside a woman. Whose lived experience brings this work to life in a deeply moving and human way?

Chandler Stroud: Today's conversation explores motherhood, intuition, and what it means to honor difference without immediately framing it as something to fix. You'll hear from Jasmine, a yoga teacher. T body worker [00:01:30] and mother who shares her experience of trusting her maternal intuition while navigating her son's autism diagnosis, and finding ways to stay connected to herself through her caretaking and her devotion.

Chandler Stroud: She's joined by Hero Nicole, who many of you know from previous episodes as an expert in yoga, sound healing, and Thai body work. Nicole also happens to be co-hosting a yoga retreat with Jasmine in spring of 2026 in Costa Rica, which [00:02:00] is already completely sold out. Congratulations ladies. So for anyone interested in joining in the future, definitely follow one of these ladies on social so you can be notified the next time they get together in this very special place.

Chandler Stroud: Before we begin, I'd love to share a little bit more context about today's guests for our listeners out there. Jasmine is a yoga teacher and Thai body worker who works with individuals and groups through embodied intuitive practices that emphasize [00:02:30] presence, sound, and heart-centered connection. She is also the mother of a neurodiverse son Rustin, and her work is deeply informed by her lived experience of caretaking, devotion, and listening inward.

Chandler Stroud: Now for Nicole, I've introduced her many times on the show before, but for new listeners joining us today, Nicole is dedicated to holistic healing and aspires to guide individuals to self-discovery and holistic wellbeing through the fusion of yoga Thai body work, the [00:03:00] transformative power of energy, and the resonant frequencies of sound healing while creating a space where both the body and spirit find restoration and balance.

Chandler Stroud: Nicole. Jasmine, thank you so much for being here today. I'm so excited for this conversation with you both. 

Nicole Kim: Thank you, Chandler. Excited to be here too. I am. 

Jasmine: Thank you so much, Chandler. 

Chandler Stroud: Welcome, Jasmine. We're so excited to have you, and as is custom on the show, we love to just start the [00:03:30] conversation with a few very light warmup questions for each of you, Nicole, I'm gonna start with you today.

Chandler Stroud: What's been feeling most alive or meaningful in your work lately? 

Nicole Kim: I guess the energy of the people. There's so much going on in the world right now. I've always felt a really deep need to, to help and support, but I think in this time it, it, it feels even more apparent and just feeling the impact that I'm able to, to process with these individuals and help them [00:04:00] navigate the challenges.

Nicole Kim: So it's just been a. Big time of, of feeling needed in a way that I haven't really felt in a while. And so that's been motivating and, and seeing those results. 

Chandler Stroud: Well, we're very grateful for your work and lucky to have you. I know yoga has been definitely a place that I have gone to find retreat and peace in these crazy times, and I'm just really grateful that you are there to offer that support when people need it.

Chandler Stroud: [00:04:30] So thanks for doing what you do. Jasmine, what's one small moment recently that helped you feel grounded or present? 

Jasmine: My family has been doing cacao ceremonies at home, and this is something that we're doing every week. Multiple times a week. I was lucky enough to be in Guatemala in December and I brought back like a questionable amount of cacao and, and have it [00:05:00] in my refrigerator, you know, not with any particular reason other than just like.

Jasmine: Just have it at the ready for whoever is at the table at the time. And what's really beautiful about that is that my son has really loved it so much. Not just because it's sweet, not just because it's cacao, but because he loves the ceremony and just the, the ability to ground and be proud, you know, in practice together.

Jasmine: It's really been profoundly healing. Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: I bet, [00:05:30] and I love that you said that. I actually went to my first cacao ceremony last year at Katy Wee's Happy camp down in Mexico. And truly this ceremony moved me to tears. It was so beautiful and so. Stunning to watch. It just felt meaningful and like, I don't know.

Chandler Stroud: I'm not surprised to hear you say that, but like I am surprised that it's something you've brought into your home like that's so cool. It never occurred to me to do that. 

Jasmine: [00:06:00] Yeah, absolutely. And, and you know, you can be extremely considerate in finding sources of, of cacao where they're from. I was really lucky to be able to be in this space and directly working with and learning from the indigenous women's collective that we actually received this cacao from.

Jasmine: It was really special, but something that was really cool about Guatemala was that. Ceremony is just something that's done. Like it's not, it's not waiting for any opportunity where it's the right time. [00:06:30] Every time is the right time. And so I really took that to heart and and have been integrating that into my, my home, into my daily living.

Jasmine: That ceremony is, is just sacred when you're attending. When you're really committed to paying attention and tending and it can be so sweet and simple. 

Chandler Stroud: That's so beautiful. Well, thank you for sharing that, Jasmine, and you've inspired me to maybe investigate bringing that home to my own children as well.

Chandler Stroud: 'cause it really was like such [00:07:00] a cool experience. It was like nothing I had ever engaged in before. 

Jasmine: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: Which is saying a lot because I've tried a lot of really new kind of eye-opening practices on the show, so you know, this one is really up there. It was so beautiful. Jasmine, to the extent that you're comfortable sharing, can you take us back to those early years with your son?

Chandler Stroud: What were you noticing and what did your intuition start to tell you? 

Jasmine: So my son [00:07:30] was a very early active, developed child. He learned to sit and crawl very early. He was about you know, four, barely four months old when he was sitting up and he was crawling well before six months old, and he was walking at 10 months old and he was a very active kid.

Jasmine: And he also, he actually. Spoke a lot too. He had a lot of language developed before the time that he was 12 months old. But it, you know, of course it's like when it's your own [00:08:00] baby, you're, you become like the toddler translator or the baby translator. Mm-hmm. Like, you understand what words they're saying, but other people totally may not.

Jasmine: Right? 

Chandler Stroud: Yeah. 

Jasmine: And so that just became something that was more and more obvious to me. I was noticing that Rustin was using a lot of scripting and so he would. Take and quote from books, like a whole storyline of books to describe something that could be very simple, like, I want milk. Like, he would just, he would quote, and [00:08:30] so while I thought it was really impressive how he had this depth of language, it was just not, it wasn't functional.

Jasmine: It just didn't seem like there was, there was a functionality to his, you know, simple organic conversations that we were trying to have. Right. So saying yes and no to things was like saying it in a complete sentence. If he, yes, he wanted to have something, it wasn't like, yes. It's like, I do want to have that train and I want to put it on the track instead of yes or no, you know?

Jasmine: [00:09:00] And so I was noticing, you know, things like that. I was also noticing that we would, we would say his name, but he wouldn't look at us. So it, it's called social referencing, right? When, when a. Child will develop social referencing. They hear your their name and so then they look up and they look at you. And he would never look at us.

Jasmine: But if we had a directive like Rustin, it's time to go. He wouldn't look at us, but he would walk up and he would go, right. But he also didn't really have an issue with having eye contact [00:09:30] necessarily. It was just in these little nuanced spaces. And so I. So it was about like 18 months when I was starting to suspect that Rustin was, was developing differently from his cohort of kiddos that were in music class and, and over at the rec center.

Jasmine: And, and so I brought it up to Garrick, my husband, and he's like, no, there's, you know, it doesn't really seem like that he's, he's totally. With his peers. I'm like, yeah, he is [00:10:00] with his peers and I'm noticing things I can, I can see that there's just, there's just something a little outside of the box.

Jasmine: There's just a little different way of him being in a group. You know, I, I was really gifted and being able to have this like full dedicated mother. Hood, you know, this time being with him 24 hours, you know, for better or worse I guess we can, we'll be tired and exhausted as moms as well doing that.

Jasmine: [00:10:30] Absolutely. But it was such a, it was such a blessing. I mean, it was so, it was so helpful for me to just to. To be alongside with him and see his world through his, you know, as best as I could through his eyes. It, it really gave me this way of being able to touch into that intuitive space. For him, it, it helped to identify some things that seemed like he really could have.

Jasmine: Potentially been a little, you know, a little on the spectrum. And so we, [00:11:00] sure enough, at his two year appointment at the pediatrician, he was flagged on the mcha, which you know, he was flagged for like, oh yeah. He, he definitely has some, some things that, that make us, you know, suspect that he would be autistic or on the autism spectrum.

Jasmine: And so they recommended to go to a developmental pediatrician. And if anybody has gone through this process with Neurodiverse kiddos or anyone who's having developmental delay, perhaps at this [00:11:30] age, having to go to a developmental pediatrician can take a long time. Sometimes these appointments take months and months, and when you hear something like autism spectrum disorder.

Jasmine: You want early intervention, right? Because you hear that, you know, the highest success rates for, for being able to address some things that can be really impactful is early intervention, right? And so I'm like, oh my God, he's two. How am I gonna have early intervention this, this [00:12:00] old 2-year-old, you know?

Jasmine: And, but. I, so I, I went ahead and just, and, and sought a different route, an alternative route. I went to the birth to three, which was, it's the state funded program that's at in Connecticut, and went ahead and went through the diagnosis process with them. It was really a wonderful thing, I have to say. They were able to bring a team in, do evaluations, determine yes, Rustin does have autism spectrum disorder.[00:12:30] 

Jasmine: Reston also has speech delay and these are grounds for him to have intervention and so they were able to support in the home.

Chandler Stroud: Wow. 

Jasmine: Yeah. It was, yeah. And, and I have to say it, you know, I, I wish that I would've been able to be alongside myself at that time. Hmm. It wasn't like a process of curiosity that was like, oh, this is really.

Jasmine: Magnificent. This is really interesting. Of course there were elements of that, but it was really, it. [00:13:00] It was different. Difficult, you know, it was, it was against the grain. Yeah. It was not something that my family or that my husband's family had experienced, you know? So we were really just kind of like pioneers in this experience.

Jasmine: We were a little alone in that way. Hmm. So we were really learning a lot. We were learning about autism. We were learning about caring and just being parents at the same time and, and, and that's a lot that can, yeah, that can be really heavy. [00:13:30] I mean, I. It's hard to be a, a new parent in general, I would say.

Jasmine: Mm-hmm. But then to have, to field questions that people don't understand about what that means, what, who is your child, then if that, if they have a, a diagnosis, you know, you have to advocate in some of the strangest spaces. So yeah, it was, it was heavy. But I, I will say, and I wish that I had the. Just the [00:14:00] little foresight.

Jasmine: You know, I wish that I could have seen a little bit of, a little bit of how he is now, like, you know, eight years later, just absolutely amazing, you know, really well-adjusted, very happy, really connected with people, able to make really deep friendships, meaningful friendships. Hilarious, creative. You know, this kiddo is thriving in all the ways that I could ever ask for and [00:14:30] more.

Jasmine: Yeah. So I wish that I had a little bit of insight into that, but at the same time, you know, I acknowledge that it was the practices of. Of being curious, of observing, of advocating, of, of being real, about what our situation is, accepting, what is that allowed for, you know, the path to unfold in the way that it has.

Chandler Stroud: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing all of that, Jasmine. That was beautiful [00:15:00] and I love hearing how well he's doing now and how happy he is and the depths of his relationships and I, I just have to say, listening to you speak, I think obviously that's in large part to him and his own resilience, but also you and the fact that you did listen to your intuition and you were curious.

Chandler Stroud: You did see the world through his eyes versus anyone else externally who was looking in at you both. And I [00:15:30] just, I think that's really special and you guys must have a very close bond. 

Jasmine: Hmm. Thank you. We really do. I always like to say that Rustin is my, my guru. He's my teacher. You know, after all, he, he was the one who made me a mom.

Jasmine: In the process, you do kind of, you, you get a lot of questions, you know, like, oh, is it a genetic thing? Is it, is it nature? Is it nurture? Do you think that it was. Vaccines. Do you think that it was, you [00:16:00] know, any number of things that people just, they, they have a curiosity and maybe like, not the most t hacked, I would say.

Nicole Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Jasmine: But also, you know, they, they're really just trying to understand and, and they don't really know, you know, they don't really know where to begin. And so I'm not dismissing anyone's experience if they've said that, you know, that the autism. Diagnosis of their child happened in the same correlation or at that same time as an as a [00:16:30] vaccine.

Jasmine: And therefore they feel that I don't feel that that's the case for my son. However, you know, in the process of, of. Discovery. When you're learning about diagnosing, when you're learning about the evaluation process, the thing that can be really hard as a parent is hearing all of these things that your child has, has a deficit in, you know, or has behavior.

Jasmine: You know, it's not typical behavior, and so there's a lot of space of comparison. It can be really hurtful. [00:17:00] But I, and, and I've said this to Nicole before too, it's like there's, there's this tiny little bit of understanding deficit. Understanding character or understanding things that are just so small and minutia, like when it comes to the whole full scope of who your child really is.

Chandler Stroud: Mm-hmm. 

Jasmine: You know, like, here's, here are these little things that are the inconsistencies. And yet like, look at these absolutely amazing ways that he connects with people. 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Jasmine: You know? And so. [00:17:30] I really, I really held onto that. I really have reminded myself, you know, this is really difficult to have to talk about the things that he's lacking because he has so much.

Chandler Stroud: Mm-hmm. 

Jasmine: Because he offers so much and, you know, to the, to the questions about why do you think he's this way that I had from people? I, you know, I really think that children who are neurodiverse. [00:18:00] Children who are on the spectrum really, truly are an answer to the prayer that like, this world has been praying for this, this world is needing, these, these kiddos are, are absolute healers.

Jasmine: Rustin is completely a healer. He's a very intuitive kid. So I'm, I'm, you know, I'm really. I'm kind of choking up a bit here just to think of that, but it's like [00:18:30] that's, that is the bomb. That is, that is what heals me in moments of questioning, you know me of questioning his wholeness, you know me of questioning my wholeness as well.

Chandler Stroud: Well, you. Speak with such love that it would be impossible to hear about. Rustin and your relationship [00:19:00] and what he's capable of without that not coming through, I mean, he sounds absolutely incredible. Absolutely incredible. And I just sit here watching you in absolute awe for how you've advocated for him and how you've showed up for him.

Chandler Stroud: And. I just like I see it. I hear it in your voice, and he's just, he's so lucky, Jasmine. He's so lucky. I mean, what you're saying is so beautiful [00:19:30] and it reminds me, I mean, and I think this is very relevant to what you were sharing when we first spoke. You shared a very powerful perspective with me about not reducing children to metrics or limitations as you're doing so beautifully right now.

Chandler Stroud: Can you talk a little bit more about what gets lost when we focus only on areas of need? 

Jasmine: When we reduce to these academic metrics of, you know, level [00:20:00] of social development, social engagement, literacy, reading, math, all of those skills, executive functioning, these are helpful and it's a. Really important that we have these.

Jasmine: I think that that's, you know, that's the limitation of the system that we, that we have as, as education and, and medical systems. But really there's, there's a need to, to really come into these practices or come into spaces and gather around the [00:20:30] whole child Beyond physical cognitive ability, there is also this conscious being that expresses.

Jasmine: Just a full spectrum and a full litany of, of love and care and connection and curiosity in their own way. And it's just if, if we give that space, if we slow down and if we, if we, if we take, take a bit of pause on the urgency to try to normalize, right? Like, to try and get them to be in [00:21:00] spaces of, of typical peers is what, you know, we hear.

Jasmine: If we're, if we're taking our time to let our kid express and foster the things that, that just light them up. You know, for, for Rustin it's, it's drawing, it's trains. I literally met up with Nicole the other weekend. We, like, we flew out from Denver just to have a weekend to, to be in the subway system.[00:21:30] 

Jasmine: And 

Nicole Kim: I love that to have that experience through his eyes, Jasmine, to, you know, for me being on the subway is not so much fun. But to be with your child who loves nothing more than a train you, you're able to experience things and, and, and an appreciation that you wouldn't have had. 

Jasmine: Yeah. It's so amazing.

Jasmine: Like 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Jasmine: Being just like full throttle in love with something. Yeah. And so passionate and so. Just, it just lights [00:22:00] him up to be able to be in, in like something as mundane as, as a commuter train, you know? Mm-hmm. But being able to just be with him and slow down my life enough, you know, not rush him into spaces of like, oh, well, let's try and do all of these sports and let's try and do, let's get into all these spaces.

Jasmine: It's like. We have an extra weekend, like we have an extra day. Let's, let's go on some trains. And just to be with a child who expresses so much passion in their thing, [00:22:30] you know, their special interest, it's it. It brings so much joy. And what's cool is that it's like, not just in my own life and experience but just like Nicole said, it's like something that you would take for granted is now something that you'll probably revisit.

Jasmine: You'll hear a train and kind of get excited. You know, and it's just, that's this special thing about kiddos who are on the spectrum, like kiddos who are autistic are. Are so passionate and so [00:23:00] happy and vivacious and with things that you ordinarily would take for granted. And so it just has these little opportunities for you to like find the little joys in life.

Jasmine: In 

Chandler Stroud: a big 

Jasmine: way. So 

Chandler Stroud: in a big, big way. And so beautifully said like that is what most of us are missing. What Rustin has is what most of us are missing. We just go through this world just completely disconnected from ourselves and our bodies and don't have the ability, [00:23:30] we have the ability, we just don't.

Chandler Stroud: Remember to appreciate these moments that just like to take something like a train and feel that, like that whole body sensation and that pure unadulterated joy is just like, Ugh. That's the dream. That is the dream. 

Jasmine: And I think that that's what is so special about Rustin and that's so special about kids in general, right?

Jasmine: The wonder and curiosity of [00:24:00] children, if we're just able to, to just peer into the world a little bit the way that they do, you know, it just brings such obvious joy. 

Chandler Stroud: Yeah. Yeah, it does. Jasmine, you've described caretaking as both full on, but also deeply fulfilling for you, how has motherhood reshaped your understanding of purpose and calling?

Jasmine: Oh my God. It, it completely took [00:24:30] all aspect of, of purpose, of what I thought was my purpose. And just completely transformed it into something, you know, like it was yeah, I you know, being a mom was something that I had always wanted to be and, and having the opportunity I. Even building with that hope and that dream and, and wanting a family, it doesn't quite prepare you enough for just how much transformation happens you completely when your baby is born [00:25:00] or when you are receiving your child, whether it is from, from birth or adoption.

Jasmine: You know, when you're coming into these spaces as a parent. You are born as well, like you are in a threshold. You are walking through a threshold of, of a transformation that you are on a totally new path. And there's so much beauty in that There's, there's so much fulfillment in walking that path. You know, it's, it's not that every moment is happy [00:25:30] or that you get the rest that you, that you ordinarily would have before, you know, but we adjust.

Jasmine: We're pretty resilient creatures, you know, we're, we're able to, to get by and I have to say one thing that really. Not just gets you by, but brings that fulfillment is, is just the reminder of this relationship and just how precious, how rare, how sacred this relationship is. To have, to have [00:26:00] unconditional love is, is really something that I don't know that it's obvious anywhere else.

Jasmine: In the same way. 

Chandler Stroud: I think you're right. And I loved what you said. I mean, we all think about that moment. We see our child for the first time and it's, it's truly a threshold. It really is where you are completely transformed, whether you're conscious of it or not, it's happening and I've never thought about it that way, but it's like, that's so well said and so [00:26:30] meaningful.

Chandler Stroud: So thank you for sharing that. I think that's gonna resonate with a lot of our listeners today. I know you mentioned yoga had been a part of your life since college, but it sounds like it took on new meaning during pregnancy and even early motherhood. For you, I know we talked about it as a grounding practice early on in your motherhood journey.

Chandler Stroud: What did that practice give you during such a transformative time in your life? 

Jasmine: Hmm. [00:27:00] Yeah, it, it really gave me the magic of slowing down time. 

Chandler Stroud: Hmm. That is 

Jasmine: magic. It really is magical. I mean, yoga is. Can, can truly have that magical power of just a stilling you like just being still for a moment and being kind of beyond parameter of time just to really saturate and soak and marinade in a space.

Jasmine: And when I was pregnant, I had the opportunity to do prenatal yoga and I can't [00:27:30] tell you a time in my life where I've ever. Transformed physically, energetically, everything, you know, spiritually, I was transforming so much because I, this was my becoming, you know, this was a really big transformation for me.

Jasmine: And every week is different, right? You get these little apps that show every week, your child is this, this, this, right? But, but meanwhile there's a lot of that happening within you. And so yoga gives you this really beautiful backdrop, this, this, [00:28:00] like this space. To, to really feel that. To breathe into it and to move intelligently into it, to have empowerment of being able to move while being in this change, you know, it's, it's a really beautiful practice.

Jasmine: If, if I were to do it again, 100%, it's like a non-negotiable. And actually it was that time of prenatal, like I was just there as a student. Just [00:28:30] understanding how precious that is. Like what a, what a gift to, to be able to find that, that time of really being present, that time of appreciating the change, not, not, you know, begrudging it, not, not feeling like it's just discomfort or that I'm never gonna get back.

Jasmine: It's like I never wanted even to look back. I was just so happy being where I was right there. I had a really wonderful yoga [00:29:00] teacher who facilitated these classes and, and she inspired me to do a yoga teacher training, and that's when I was like, okay, yeah, I think I could probably do that at some point, you know, and she really encouraged.

Jasmine: She's like, you know, I know that you're. You're a very new mom, but maybe you should consider, because there's this program and, and they do have prenatal they have a prenatal teacher training. Maybe you could, maybe you could start your teacher journey with [00:29:30] that. And so there I was like six months.

Jasmine: Postpartum enrolled in a, in a yoga teacher training. And, and I really do think that the teachings of yoga, the teachings of meditation and breath and, and movement and the, the philosophy really gave me so many tools to be able to navigate. Everything that I needed to in the moment, but it really gave me a voice.

Jasmine: A voice as a mom [00:30:00] that needed to advocate in spaces that ordinarily you wouldn't consider. 

Chandler Stroud: I bet it did. Thank you for sharing that. It's such a powerful practice and I know has saved me and I love hearing about how it saves and serves others, so really appreciate you sharing. Jasmine for parents or caretakers listening right now who may feel overwhelmed or isolated in their life, what would you want them to know?

Jasmine: I would want them to know [00:30:30] that it does feel absolutely isolating. It is a very unique experience, and yet there are so many people who are navigating very similar waters. I feel that. Finding a cohort, you know, or finding, finding some people who are navigating it at the same time is really helpful.

Jasmine: That was an immediate kind of place that, that felt so cathartic and and helpful for [00:31:00] me, was to be able to have other parents. We didn't even have to say anything, you know, we were just in the room together and, and had that. Just a deep understanding. I think that that's really helpful. I know that it's very groundless, but there are so many things that we can ground and just slowing down with your baby, just slowing down with your kiddo, even as intense as some moments can be, just being [00:31:30] present, being with them, the, the capacity of what we can endure is just, is limitless.

Jasmine: Absolutely limitless, and especially if we can anchor it into something that that is our purest expression. And I do believe that it's that unconditional art, you know, the space of heart. So no matter how difficult an experience, whatever parents are going through, you know, I. I, I invite you to really anchor into the relationship of, [00:32:00] of yourself in, in the heart, right, and anchor into the relationship that you have with your, with your family, with your, with your children, in the purest form.

Chandler Stroud: Nicole, what do you notice when people, especially mothers and caretakers, reconnect with their bodies through intuitive movement or sound in particular? 

Nicole Kim: I think that they are just so surprised in the power of that experience. And I just had that experience [00:32:30] over the weekend with a group of women who had never been introduced to sound.

Nicole Kim: And there was one woman in particular who said to me, I have a really hard time settling. And, and I move and I move all night when I'm sleeping. And I just want you to know, is that okay if I'm gonna be moving around? And I said, yeah, absolutely. Whatever you need to do to, to settle in and to feel safe in your body.

Nicole Kim: And it was wild because she didn't move at all. She settled in. She grounded so quickly. And, [00:33:00] and she was amazed by what she was feeling in her body. And so. Again, as I always say, it's so magically powerful that when you go into it with an open mind and then you're able to have that experience, you're able to feel things and connect with things in, in ways that you just didn't even realize that it, you know, things were living within your body, sensations, emotions, and, and you start to process things.

Nicole Kim: I feel that mothers in particular, are so connected with [00:33:30] the experience of motherhood and, and the needs of their children that they put. Their own needs kind of in the the backseat. And so with these experiences, they're able to reconnect and observe and maybe be that mother to themselves that honor that inner child that needs to be nurtured just as much as their own physical child needs to be nurtured.

Nicole Kim: And so it can be a very emotional experience for many people. 

Chandler Stroud: Yeah, I bet. [00:34:00] And I know we've talked about that on the show before, but it is like such a great. Gateway for just treating yourself with more of that compassion and looking at yourself in another way because you're like feeling into that experience versus just thinking into it.

Chandler Stroud: I think it's so hard to like think about loving ourselves versus just like being in a room with you, listening to you play those beautiful bowls. You just like feel into that. It's just different 

Nicole Kim: and you step away from the story in your mind. Yeah, [00:34:30] if I need to or I should have, or you know, I'm processing something and you're just feeling, and when you're able to go into that space, that blissful space, it's, it's just so therapeutic where time literally flies by, you know, it was an hour and everyone was saying, oh my gosh, that I thought that was only 20 minutes.

Nicole Kim: I thought you just started. And it was funny because going into it with a group of new people. They asked, how long will it be? And I said, I don't know. Anywhere between 45 minutes and [00:35:00] an hour specifically, because if I saw that movement, then I probably would wrap it up a little bit faster and there was no movement at all, an hour in.

Nicole Kim: And so, yeah, it's, it's just, it's a very special experience. 

Jasmine: Add to that actually, Nicole, and that I, I think that the skill as a provider of, of that space, when. When she came to you and said, Hey, I'm pretty restless. This is just tend, this tends to be [00:35:30] me. This tends to be what shows up and that you allowed that and that you gave her that soft landing space of accepting what is, I think is really powerful.

Chandler Stroud: Yeah. 

Jasmine: And maybe that, you know, can translate into her ability to really land properly into her body in that moment because she was being seen in the moment. 

Nicole Kim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Exactly well 

Chandler Stroud: said Jasmine. Thank you for that. I know you two bonded over your shared interest in vibration and [00:36:00] sound during your 300 hour trainings together at Kaya Yoga.

Chandler Stroud: What drew you both to these practices? 

Nicole Kim: Hmm. You wanna go first, Jasmine?

Jasmine: Yeah. I mean, sound is like, that was my first teacher. My mom was my first music teacher. She was an opera singer. And, you know, every night being saying lullabies was just that, that place of reassurance, of connection and bond. [00:36:30] And it's something that I've also carried on as a mother, and it's something that I've learned as a mother that that is not just a process of calming my child, not just of soothing them in the moment, but it also did that for myself.

Jasmine: And so I really learned how just profound that, that downregulation is when you sing. You know, Steven Porges talks about it in the polyvagal theory about vibration, and specifically humming or chanting or singing. Using your [00:37:00] voice is a really nice way of being able to have that, that regulated kind of nervous system, right?

Jasmine: So you're going into that parasympathetic activation, you're slowing things down, you're allowing for rest with, with sound, and so. That was really my interest. I was really piqued. But then Nicole actually piqued my interest too, because when we were in the 300 hour, we were in a meditation section, and she comes out and she has this, like, [00:37:30] she has this little, this little bag with, with her bowls, right?

Jasmine: Like it's, it's her, you know, her singing bowls. And she was like, I'm going to teach my class now. It's like, Nicole, you, you're doing this like sound healing for, for your dropping class. And she's like. Oh yeah, 

Chandler Stroud: yeah. 

Jasmine: And I was just like, oh my God. Level unlocked for my, my teaching experience of being able to tap into an energy that I really wanna cultivate for myself.

Jasmine: And for my students, like right at [00:38:00] the, like the, the very beginning of class. And so it was really Nicole that was like, she kind of opened my eyes into this kind of whole world of, of yoga, of not a yoga being an integrated part of the Asana class where you're, you're moving your body, you know? Yeah. 

Nicole Kim: I love that.

Nicole Kim: And then you ended up getting your harmonium right after that? I think. 

Jasmine: Yeah, it was shortly after that I, you know, then I started discovering just ways of being able to integrate sound in the way that I know. Yeah. [00:38:30] Which is through sound with voice, singing and harmonium, which is a, it's like a portable, a little organ that you pump it with your hand, so there's like a bellows that that pumps the air into the, the reeds.

Jasmine: Yeah. It's really cool. 

Nicole Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Chandler Stroud: Very cool. I would love to hear you play that sometimes. 

Nicole Kim: It's beautiful. I bet. So my journey was a little different and I, I also do energy work and energy work like Jasmine with her [00:39:00] mom and her mom singing energy has been a, a, a part of my life since I was a little girl. And, and so I became an energy worker and healer.

Nicole Kim: And it was funny because I was working with a particular woman who offered restorative yoga and sound and, and I was doing intuitive work and, and energy work and we, we did a little exchange with each other and, and I wasn't super excited about her offering to be quite honest. And then when I went into [00:39:30] the experience and she played her bowl, this is a long time ago, I was.

Nicole Kim: Blown away. That was my first real experience with sound. And because I'd been doing energy work and then to feel it in vibration, I discovered the power of it. And I immediately said, you know what? What bowl is that? What is it tuned to? And I bought a. Very large version of that particular bowl and it still is my, my favorite bowl.

Nicole Kim: And that was the beginning [00:40:00] of the journey of using the bowl. And so when I would work with clients one-on-one, I would play it, but then I started to just add more bowls and more, and then turned into chimes, and turned into gongs and all the things. And so I started to go to a lot of different events and through my different.

Nicole Kim: Trainings with, with energy. We incorporated different elements of sound and I just think that they compliment each other so well. They, they're different, but yet so similar and there's something about. The sound where [00:40:30] you're able to work with large groups of people and they're able to benefit in such a magnetized way versus when you're doing just energy work, you don't really get the same impact.

Nicole Kim: And so I started to see how healing this is and, and that you can work with a lot of different people and that they can benefit from it. And so I just looked at it as a way of helping more people and expanding more. And, and it just sort of evolved from there. 

Chandler Stroud: Thank you for sharing both. I think that's so [00:41:00] cool.

Chandler Stroud: I just, I love hearing how you guys find these really just different but effective practices that are not as mainstream. I think they're sound in particular is now very mainstream. 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: But at the time you guys discovered and started practicing sound healing, I feel like it was still very, very new.

Chandler Stroud: Mm-hmm. I mean. Not in that. It goes back probably for, you know, years and years. Hundreds of mm-hmm. 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: Years back, but [00:41:30] generations even. Yeah. But in terms of like what women is in particular, we're looking to, to support their peace and calm and healing journeys, I feel like it's relatively new. 

Nicole Kim: Mm-hmm.

Chandler Stroud: Jasmine. You've described Thai body work as an offering of love from the heart. What does touch communicate that words often can't? 

Jasmine: Hmm. You know, touch is that sense Perception that is directly [00:42:00] connected to the heart. The heart chakra is the, and the sense perception of, of giving and receiving from, from that kind of sense, perception of touch.

Jasmine: That is something that. Has its own kind of inexplicable communication. It's like wordless communication, right? It doesn't, it, it transcends and it's beyond, right? There's, there's just so much more richness and context and, and depth and [00:42:30] texture and ability to listen, ability to, to receive guidance from our clients.

Jasmine: Based on their bodies, based on how they're showing up. There's, there's so much communication happening within the practice of touch. 

Chandler Stroud: Yeah, no, I mean I absolutely believe that. I mean, I've even seen that across a lot of the other modalities we talk about on the show, raw thing, myofascial release. But Nicole, I know you also practice type body [00:43:00] work.

Chandler Stroud: Is there anything you'd want to share or add about the magic of touch? 

Nicole Kim: Yeah, it's, it's so powerful that the body is just such an intelligent being and within itself, aside from what's going on in our minds, but the simple act of lifting a person's feet up and how they respond, whether they are able to relax into it or they're very stiff and rigid, it tells you a lot.

Nicole Kim: Wow. We're, we're, you know, we're, we're. Having a hard time letting go or, or trusting or, you know, being [00:43:30] present. And, you know, there's this act where we call it double Dutch. You just kinda move the leg side to side and you give 'em a little shake. And so people that are more rigid, I'm, I'm going to give them a little bit more of a shake to just soften into it and, and to allow yourself to receive.

Nicole Kim: And so I, I find it to be just such an intelligent. Practice even, you know, just touching around the clavicle and people can have an expression of tears and and they don't even realize that it's just like practicing in yoga. When you're in those restorative poses, you have the [00:44:00] similar expression in Thai body work.

Nicole Kim: And so it's, it's magical. 

Chandler Stroud: Yeah. Well. I mean, my experience with you felt very magical and excited to do it again soon. Yeah, so I totally agree. I know you guys are, as I said at the beginning, both co-hosting this beautiful retreat in Costa Rica just coming up this spring. I'm curious, what kind of experience are you intentionally creating and what do you want?

Chandler Stroud: People to leave with. [00:44:30] 

Nicole Kim: Oh my gosh. Well, you know, this is something Jasmine and I have been talking about for years. It's just ever since we met, we knew that we wanted to do something together and we find ourselves in these like incredible conversations. And so I think we're very similar but yet different in a way where we compliment each other in such a fluid way.

Nicole Kim: And so. I believe our intention is really just having this very immersive, restorative, [00:45:00] therapeutic experience of truly being able to connect with yourself, not having to be anything outside of just being, and allow yourself to feel safe and trusting, and so. Within the experience, so we'll have lots of restorative offerings.

Nicole Kim: We'll have asana and movement, we'll have sound. And so I think that we, we offer so many different modalities and to be able to weave it all together and compliment each other, it, it's just going to be a [00:45:30] very diverse but yet incredibly therapeutic experience. We also have a really great group of people coming and so I, I just see.

Nicole Kim: Everyone really connecting and, and it's interesting how that happens, how the universe kind of pulls people together with similar themes in their life, whether it be loss of loved ones and maybe some illnesses that they're navigating through. And so they're coming into it with, I am wanting to look for a deeper purpose in life, or I am, I'm ready to [00:46:00] receive in a deeper way.

Nicole Kim: And so it's just this like very. Open energy, and so it's going to be really incredible in the things that we're going to do with 'em. 

Chandler Stroud: It sounds amazing. Jasmine, do you wanna add anything? 

Jasmine: Yeah, I mean, totally echoing everything that Nicole said. I would also say, you know, the, the daily practice that we offer in the backdrop of, of this beautiful space that's just paradise, this blue zone in, in nos, Sara, [00:46:30] which is in Costa Rica, it's in the zone of koya.

Jasmine: And it's a really special place to completely strip your identities, your roles and responsibilities to, to, to just be in, in a very raw form in some ways, because there is a vulnerability about that. Right. But it's a, it's a supportive vulnerability because. You know that you're cared for, you know that your meals are there, they're healthy, nourishing meals.

Jasmine: That's, [00:47:00] you know, the, the structure of the day is just enough, you know, just enough to feel a lot of activity has happened and yet there's a lot of downtime that really stretches the day. And so it's really. It's nice to get, kind of get lost in that rhythm a little bit. I always find on retreat you get really surprised at how long it's been, how long you've been there, like day two, day three.

Jasmine: You're like, really? Is that it? I feel like I've been here [00:47:30] for weeks and I think it's because we are really, you know, we're leaning into these practices that just provide stillness and quiet. You know, reflective practices being very intentional and present and really looking forward to doing this with Nicole because as she said, we've.

Jasmine: We've been dreaming and scheming a lot. 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Jasmine: And really, you know, we really align with a lot of our [00:48:00] philosophy on, on the practices and the way of bringing it home. And so I think that's gonna be a really fun thing too, is to see how this particular group can carry on the tools and the practices that we, that we guide, how they can bring it home.

Chandler Stroud: Yeah, well you guys have so much passion for these practices and I think that comes through individually, but especially when you two get together and talk through this, and I just, I think it's gonna be really a very special experience for those who are able to [00:48:30] participate. And I just really hope that I can join next year, guys, because I'm so jealous.

Chandler Stroud: Ugh. It's what I need right now. Costa Rica, yoga, sound healing, Thai body work, all the things. Yep. I need it all. I mean, gosh, what a time. But I am so excited to hear how it goes, and I'm excited that you guys finally get to be present together and with this special group after so much planning and dreaming and wishing that this could come to life because [00:49:00] it's time, it's coming to fruition.

Chandler Stroud: That's just so magical. 

Jasmine: Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: Beautiful. It's, 

Jasmine: we're we're due. 

Chandler Stroud: You are, we are. Oh. It's so exciting, guys. Nicole, as we close, what's one gentle way our listeners can begin listening more closely to their own intuition and into their own bodies. 

Nicole Kim: Taking a moment to pause. Taking a moment to pause and slow down and you know, have to be away on vacation, can [00:49:30] be anywhere.

Nicole Kim: And just take that moment to sit down, connect with your breath. Feel your body. I always say acknowledge the story in your mind because yes, it is a story. This, your thoughts don't define you. Your thoughts are not you. It's a story. And so when you can step away from that and just feel the sensation in your body, that's where the wisdom comes in.

Nicole Kim: That's where you're able to really know what it is that you need. [00:50:00] Maybe that is simply just slowing down, or, or maybe that is a, a bigger change in the, in your life. But when you go back to the story in the mind, when you're so busy, you know, you're moving around and you're not really listening, then that can lead the way.

Nicole Kim: And so our bodies are so intelligent. When we take that moment to pause, to slow down, to breathe, then we know exactly what it is that we need. And so those simple things you could do that you know, at home, in your bedroom. You could be sitting in your car just [00:50:30] closing your eyes and just taking a deep in hell and feeling the feet, connecting with the earth and just listening, doing a little scan of the body.

Nicole Kim: And that's so simple. 

Chandler Stroud: It is. Yeah. And it's so simple that I think so many women feel like they're doing it wrong sometimes just sitting in silence. Like that's how I felt for so long. But I would just encourage women to just keep at it because it gets, it's like any muscle, right? The more you practice, the more you train it, the more natural and easy it becomes.

Chandler Stroud: And I'm [00:51:00] still working at this. I've always done guided meditations, whether it be like sound meditations, or. Guided meditations through an app like the Calm App or Peloton. But only recently have I just started sitting alone in a quiet space and I'm like, I'm doing it wrong, I'm doing it wrong. And then I'm like, no, you are not doing it wrong.

Chandler Stroud: Just sit and be quiet and just get better at it. So like just. Keep trying. Th I just wanna encourage women to keep trying. 

Nicole Kim: Come back to your breath, come back to sensation, [00:51:30] feel it. Imagine those thoughts just sort of floating away like clouds. And, and that's really the looping story. And sometimes it's so active that it's, it's hard to come back, but sometimes it's more accessible.

Nicole Kim: But without the routine and process, then you, you don't know. And so the more that you do it, the easier and more accessible it becomes. 

Chandler Stroud: Yes, I totally agree with that. 

Nicole Kim: Yeah. 

Chandler Stroud: Thank you Nicole. Jasmine. Nicole, thank you so much for being here today. I had so much fun with you both and I really look forward [00:52:00] to doing this again soon.

Nicole Kim: Oh, thank you so much for having me. It was so nice to be here. 

Jasmine: Thank you so much, Chandler. I really, I really appreciate so much being in this space. It, it really is. It's very healing to be able to share and, and I'm really, really grateful for you, for holding what you do. 

Chandler Stroud: Well, thank you for saying that.

Chandler Stroud: You have just inspired me so much today and have been such a breath of fresh air and [00:52:30] vulnerability and realness in what is right now a really. It's kind of dark and scary world, and I'm just gonna clinging to conversations like this where I can, because I see all of you and I am just, again, so appreciative that you can bring that to this conversation and are willing to.

Chandler Stroud: So thank you for being here. Both of you and to our listeners, if today's conversation resonated with you, please consider sharing it with [00:53:00] someone who might need it. You can also visit healing heroes podcast.com to meet our heroes, explore resources, and share your ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening, everyone, and until next time, remember.

Chandler Stroud: Be curious, be courageous, and be kind to yourself. You've got [00:53:30] this.