Body Wisdom Academy
Welcome to 'Body Wisdom Academy,' the podcast where ancient wisdom meets modern science in the journey of holistic health and trauma recovery. I’m your host, Alyssa, and each week, I’ll be diving deep into the sacred practices and somatic tools to support you on your journey of deep inner healing, awakening,and transformation. Join me as I interview inspiring guests from the fields of holistic health, somatic therapy, and spiritual growth. Whether you’re seeking healing, purpose, or a deeper understanding of your self, this podcast is you sanctuary. So, take a deep breath and let’s embark on this journey of awakening together. IG: @thealyssastefanson
Body Wisdom Academy
From Anxiety to Empowerment: Casey Riley's Breathwork Path
After losing her job, Casey Riley, a dedicated somatic breathwork practitioner from Phoenix, Arizona, found herself unexpectedly pulled into a world that would transform her life. Casey's journey into breathwork began with uncertainty but quickly became a powerful tool for overcoming anxiety and panic attacks. Through her story, you’ll learn why so many people are turning to breathwork as a gentle yet effective method for stress relief, trauma release, and personal healing. Discover the profound impact breathwork can have on the nervous system and why patience and persistence are key in achieving true transformation.
Explore the emotional intricacies of breathwork facilitation, particularly when personal and professional boundaries become blurred. As we navigate these challenges, we discuss the mental health implications for practitioners and the need for self-reflection and perseverance. Find out how maintaining a balance between ego and humility can be tough yet necessary for sustaining passion and avoiding burnout. The conversation offers an honest look at the fears and doubts that come with stepping away from life-changing work while emphasizing the resilience required to keep moving forward.
Don't miss our discussion on the importance of expanding real-life connections within the industry. Moving beyond online interactions, the conversation highlights a shared desire to host retreats and create transformative in-person experiences. Whether you're a breathwork enthusiast or curious about its potential, this episode invites you to explore the healing journey and the continuous balance between personal growth and professional fulfillment. Join us for an enriching and heartfelt exploration of self-discovery and community building.
Follow Casey on IG: @healthfulcasey
Website: breathwithcasey.com
Alyssa's IG: @thealyssastefanson
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In today's episode, I had a wonderful conversation with my dear friend and fellow somatic breathwork practitioner, casey Riley. Casey and I connected about a year and a half ago. We were both mentoring together in one of the online somatic breathwork trainings and Casey also hosts group sessions in Phoenix, arizona. I actually had a chance to meet her in person last year last spring and she also mentors new breathwork practitioners, helping them start their businesses. And I absolutely love Casey because she is just such a bubble of positive light. She is hilarious, she is so much fun, but she is also just a wealth of wisdom and depth.
Speaker 1:And, if you do, please take a moment to leave a five-star review and share on your social media and reach out to Casey and I and let us know what you think. So, casey, you are the perfect person to talk to about somatic breathwork because you are so immersed in the world of it. You had your own profound journey which led you to become a practitioner. You're also a mentor in the trainings, which is where we met and connected and became friends, and you also help people build their breathwork businesses as well. So first of all, let's start with what drew you to somatic breathwork over other breathwork modalities.
Speaker 2:That's such an interesting question because my journey into breathwork it was so random. To be honest, I wasn't really seeking any of this out. At the time where I found somatic I was actually, I had just been fired from my job and I was sitting at this desk. A lot of stuff has happened at this desk, by the way, we'll talk about it later but I was sitting at this desk and, um, I came across their page and I had done breath work a couple of times and I just saw their Instagram and they were holding a training, like two weeks from that day, right down the road from my house, and something in me was just that full body, yes, where you are on default mode and like pulling out the card typing in the information. It's like Whoa, I'm going. There wasn't any thought or any logic behind it. It was almost like this default action, and so I can't really tell you why I chose somatic over anything else, because I wasn't seeking it out. I really feel like this sought me out. It was a very wild experience.
Speaker 1:I love that and, honestly, that's been for me myself my journey with a lot of things, where it was like when you know, you know like you have to do something and it's just an intuitive knowing, an intuitive hit. And yeah, definitely, by the sounds of it, it sought you out, especially the journey that it's taken you through. And so we're first. So did you try a breathwork session before signing up for the training, or was the training your first time that you actually tried breathwork signing up for the training, or was the training your first time that you actually tried breathwork?
Speaker 2:No, so I was introduced to breathwork about a year, maybe a year and a half before, and I remember I went to my first group session out of pure desperation, like most people find themselves. I was not feeling good, I was really anxious, I was having panic attacks. I mean my whole life completely flipped upside down due to a head injury. And I was having panic attacks I mean my whole life completely flipped upside down due to a head injury, and I was just losing myself. And so I was seeking out all these different modalities to feel better.
Speaker 2:And I found myself in a breathwork session and it actually wasn't with the somatic team, it was somebody else's session. And I went in there with so many high hopes, like this is going to heal me and fix me, and woohoo, and it really was uneventful. It like did absolutely nothing for me. I got the crampy hands. I'm like that's cool, I guess, but it really didn't do anything profound for me. And then I dropped it for a year and a year later decided to like pull up a YouTube video and start doing daily practices and it was a daily practice that really started to shift my life. So I hadn't experienced it with the somatic team before, but I had experienced it before. But it really was the daily practices that drew me into wanting to get certified, to learn, to really to deepen my practice and just to see if I would enjoy facilitating it.
Speaker 1:I love that you mentioned that your first time was anticlimactic, because so often, you know, we see online people having these big experiences and, yes, that can happen. But usually our first experiences aren't like that and even for me, like my first experience was just doing breathwork online and it was hard to even get out of my head into my body, like it was hard to really even get into it initially. So it is really important to keep trying and, yeah, everyone gets into it for different reasons. For some people it's just more of that stress release and to help them with anxiety to connect with themselves, because sometimes people struggle to even meditate. So sometimes breathwork is a better option for them, or for some of us it has been really helpful for trauma release. But it doesn't always have to be these big experiences and sometimes those big experiences can even set us back if we have them too soon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I experienced that with plant medicine. So before I got into breath work, I was doing a lot of plant medicine and I fully believe that that completely disrupted my nervous system. I did not have the tools to integrate. I was a wreck for quite some time after and I just kept doing it, thinking that that would help me, like, overcome everything that I was going through this spiritual awakening and it was just too much, too soon, no support.
Speaker 2:And then when I found the breath work and I realized how profound it was, but what a more gentle experience it was, because it wasn't eight hours long, it was only an hour. And although it can still be very, very intense at times we know this it wasn't. It wasn't eight hours long, it was only an hour. And although it can still be very, very intense at times we know this it wasn't. It's not eight hours of a substance taking you on a ride, it is all yourself. And so when I had those two comparisons, I'm like why would I do this plant medicine again? So unintentionally you know I didn't go in with much intention but now when we have these modalities like breathwork, I mean it's just so powerful and tends to be a more gentle experience versus the other medicines, of course.
Speaker 1:I actually the very first time I went to a breathwork ceremony and it wasn't a somatic breathwork, it was actually a very intense, like two hour holotropic breathwork. It was way too intense for me. I had a similar experience that you did with plant medicine, like it destroyed my nervous system for a little while. It was actually really hard to recover from because it was just too much, too soon, too fast, which was one of the reasons I really loved somatic breathwork, because it is much more gentle and there's so much medicine in gentleness. We don't have to have like these super intense experiences. Often the more gentler experiences can be much more profound and much more sustainable.
Speaker 1:But one of the men who was in that ceremony he had mentioned that breathwork for him was just as potent as doing ayahuasca, like he had the same realizations during a breathwork session, which is really powerful. And I actually went to my first plant medicine ceremony like in-person plant medicine ceremony this past summer and breathwork set me up for it because I was so able to drop into my body, I felt so prepared and the integration was a lot easier after because of what breathwork taught me and all these other somatic modalities. So I think breathwork can be a really powerful tool If plant medicine is the route that you're wanting to eventually take, to start there because you really want to be able to drop into your body, um in the ceremony, to really have to get the most out of it right. Otherwise you can experience a lot of dissociation after a ceremony as well.
Speaker 2:And to train your body, that hormetic stress we talk about. If you do breathwork sessions and you're able to integrate and come back and integrate and come back, you can still have a really obviously intense experience with plant medicine. But your body is going to be more capable of that adaptation versus staying wrecked like you and I did. And I don't know where I'm going with this Cut, this part. I totally lost my train of thought. Oh, and I was going to say, in my recent breathwork sessions I have had equally as profound experiences as I've had in my ayahuasca journey, so I can completely relate to that. I'm talking about somatic releases, mental awarenesses. I mean I've reached that point in the breathwork practice now, and all within an hour, which is absolutely insane to me. I'm like why on earth would I do this for eight hours? That is way too much.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and you hear from so many people to have who have been using plant medicines for a long period of time and now don't touch it. And it's not even necessary, like you don't have to. Yes, you can have powerful realizations in ceremony, but you can really truly have those experiences on your own through doing deep somatic practices and shadow work. It's not necessary, you don't have to take that path. Of course, for some people they do have a calling to do that, but you don't need to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's nothing wrong with it. I know when I share this, a lot people are like well, are you against plant medicine? And I'm not. And it's not to say I'll never do it again.
Speaker 1:I just went in with zero plan, zero intention and zero support, and that was. I would never recommend that for anybody, and I think that's the way that most people go into it. You think about it historically like it was always just like the sages that would like use these plant medicines, like the elders would use them, and that was after years of doing inner work. And now, just because not that that it's. It's a great thing that now it's starting to become more widely used and we're starting to see a lot of the benefits of using plant medicines. But there's also a shadow aspect to that as well. Right, like with everything.
Speaker 1:So people are going into it hearing all these benefits of doing it without any preparation, without any integration, which can hinder your development, like it can hinder your growth. So it's super important to be able to prepare yourself beforehand and obviously set and setting is super important. Yeah, absolutely yeah. So let's dive into so share. Can you share a little bit about what brought you to breathwork initially? Like what was your journey that you felt this strong calling to even need to go this route of trying to do breathwork? What were you struggling with during that time?
Speaker 2:with during that time. Yeah, so what led me to breathwork was a head injury. So six years ago I was just, oh my gosh, actually now making the connection. I haven't really shared that piece of it. The head injury I actually sustained it in a plant medicine journey. It was the morning after and I got up to go use the restroom and I completely blacked out and fell back and hit my head and sustained a really really bad concussion and I I mean my whole life turned upside down after that moment.
Speaker 2:I went for, I went into that weekend like a social, vibrant, outgoing person, just full of life, and woke up that morning and everything changed. I was having so many symptoms post-concussive symptoms that just would not go away. I was dizzy, my blood pressure was low. All of a sudden I would get dizzy when I stand up and that was causing a bunch of anxiety and the anxiety was causing panic attacks. So, slowly but surely, like I would start getting panic attacks while driving and at restaurants. A little by little, I would just start staying in and not going anywhere and my entire life was just becoming so, so small and, as I mentioned, desperate for relief, I found myself in a breathwork session, hoping that it would heal this injury and I had heard it was as powerful as plant medicine. So I'm like this is going to be the thing that fixes me and heals me and, as I mentioned, it wasn't very eventful but something called me back and that's really like what led me to this practice and I don't know what was calling me back, kind of like what led me to the practitioner training. It was just this innate thing of keep going, keep trying.
Speaker 2:Little by little, my anxiety would lessen, little by little, I would jump in my car and drive places and I'm like whoa, I didn't have to pull over, I didn't have a panic attack, like little by little, my life was getting better and I wasn't having these explosive climatic sessions, like you mentioned, for an entire year. I wouldn't even say I had anything profound happen in this breathwork session, but I kept going and just my spirit just turned back on little by little. And when I went to the breathwork session I had that first, really, really profound somatic release, like one of those sessions that you see on the videos, and after that I realized, like whoa, there's a lot happening in my body. This is a feeling I have not felt, naturally without a substance, and I really want to start bringing this to other people so that they can experience it as well, because again, like my anxiety all of a sudden like just lessened completely. I'm like where'd it go?
Speaker 2:You know, I was going out to eat again, I was seeing my friends again. It wasn't like an exact moment, it was just these little things that started changing. I'm like, wait a second, this is working. And this is the only thing I really changed, in addition to, like, mindset work, of course, but that was like the thing I was doing every single day.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, and it's like we live in such an instant gratification culture that we want to be healed instantly. But working with our nervous system, it takes small, tolerable steps that add up over time, and that's why it's so important it's like keep track of these little wins, because these little tiny wins over time lead up to like a tiredly different life. All of a sudden, you look back a year later and you're like whoa, like that's where I was at a year ago. I couldn't even leave my home, and now I don't need anxiety, right? So, yeah, that's incredible. So how has your journey evolved with breathwork over the past few years?
Speaker 2:You know, I always get asked like people are shocked when I tell them I still do monthly sessions myself, like I still participate in them. People are like wait what? Like yes, no-transcript. I'm just going to admit it. I can always see the positive in people and things and situations and I really don't let myself feel fully the truth of a lot of situations and breathwork for me allows me to really feel the truth. And so over the years my practice has been stronger than ever. I still do my daily breath work every single morning. It's a 10 minute Wim Hof video I do on YouTube and I still go to a monthly session every time you know there's one available in my area. So my practice, my love for it, has been stronger than ever.
Speaker 1:I'm always so surprised when people are surprised that practitioners still engage in their own work. It's like you have to, you should be engaging in your work more than anyone else, right? Um, especially, too, it's like we're always healing and growing, like you're. You never reach a destination. Of course, you get to a place where it's like maybe you don't need these all the time, but you still desire to use them because they're benefiting your life. It's the same as like I still. I still go to three 12 step meetings a week.
Speaker 1:I'm not scared that I'm going to drink, but I know how important it is to maintain that ego right, Like that inflated ego that will show up if I don't go right, Because it's sneaky.
Speaker 1:And these things sneak back very, very subtly in ways that we don't realize. So say, for an example, you stopped going to a breathwork session and you're like you know, I really don't need this anymore, Like I'm not needing these monthly practices, I'm feeling good. You probably won't notice, just like we said, small, tolerable steps. You won't notice initially, but then six months, all of a sudden you might have like anxiety again and you're like what happened? You're like, oh yeah, I stopped doing breath work for six months. Like that's how it happens with doing any type of inner work that we've really found to be beneficial in our lives. I've had to like step up my game even more because always layers right there's there's always deeper layers that we get to. Just how I like to explain it is our ego shows up in more subtle, sneakier ways rather than very obvious, when in the very beginning of our healing journey right.
Speaker 2:So yeah, absolutely, it is very, very sneaky and I love that you mentioned like, yeah, you could take some time off. But then next thing, you know, you're like why am I so anxious all of a sudden? And that's with anything, the foods that you eat, even if you stop drinking coffee. And then you're having like a little bit of coffee here and there and you're like, wait a second, I quit this because it gives me heart palpitations. Of course I'm feeling them again, you know, because I'm having it here and there. Like those little little things start to compound and make a big difference.
Speaker 2:And so I always tell people like I go to these monthly sessions not to fix me or heal anything at this point. I go in just to have an opportunity to express whatever's needing, to come up in that moment, with zero expectation, and it's just, it's like journaling. You have to have some type of practice to X the pressure and these repress like emotional reservoir, like a way to get it down somehow. It doesn't have to be breath work, but have something that you do to empty your tank emotionally.
Speaker 1:Totally, totally. It's like you wouldn't stop going to the gym once you get your body where you want it to be. Yeah Right, so it's having something body where you want it to be yeah Right, so it's having something. It doesn't have to be necessarily weight training. It could be yoga, it could be cardio, like whatever it is for you that's supporting you and your health. It's exact same thing for working with our nervous system. So what are some ways that you've been able to utilize breathwork in your business? Because one of the things I love about somatic breathwork is you can use it in so many different ways, whether it's retreats, whether it's online sessions, whether it's doing in-person group sessions. So what are ways that you've been able to utilize it?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I am very consistent with hosting monthly group sessions for the community here in Phoenix and Scottsdale. I love just connecting with so many different people in different walks of life. So monthly group sessions I do lots of retreats, lots of masterminds, both in person and virtually. People think that like, will a virtual session do anything? I'm like, oh yeah, especially for these busy entrepreneurs that never give themselves a moment, it'll do a lot for them, for them to lay down in silence for an hour.
Speaker 2:So that has really been the main way that I utilize breathwork in my business.
Speaker 2:I'm stepping away from more one-on-ones just because I do love the group environments more.
Speaker 2:But with that I've expanded into business coaching and consulting for new practitioners as well, because my background is in business and community development and content creation and all of those things.
Speaker 2:And so when I was able to utilize that beautiful part of my life and create a successful business for myself, I like love helping other people create that, because I know so many practitioners like just want to be practitioners and the whole business side is so foreign to them. But I'm like you're so wonderful. How are you going to reach people if we don't reach people? And so that is like something that I just absolutely love doing and it just brings me so much joy to actually support these new practitioners, reach their communities, because so many people just give up because it's hard. It really is, especially when you're not like wired for that stuff and sometimes all you need is somebody to like give you the roadmap that works, and then they're like thank you, this is all I needed, and then they can go off and do that. So, as you mentioned at the beginning, I'm very much so immersed in this whole breathwork realm and that's the main way I utilize it.
Speaker 1:I love it. I've had one of my clients go to you to help her set her somatic breathwork business up and you just helped her so much and you're just so incredible at what you do. Like you're just everything with your content creation. You're just an incredible practitioner. So, yeah, you're absolute perfect person If anyone's looking for someone to help them launch their breathwork business. Because you're right that so many of these practitioners are just these heart led leaders who have no experience on the content creation or the business side of things and that can feel really overwhelming-led leaders who have no experience on the content creation or the business side of things and that can feel really overwhelming. So, just to have someone there to even help them work through those blocks too, which you're really really good at right, Because there are so many blocks when it comes to social media or just starting a business as practitioners that they have to work through. So I love, love that you do that. I love, love that you do that.
Speaker 2:And so what motivates you to continue to do this work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, this work is not for the faint of heart. I'm sure you get asked this all the time too. How do you conserve your energetic hygiene in a place where there's so much emotional purge and release? People come into these sessions and I don't know how you hold a session like this.
Speaker 2:That was crazy and for a while that didn't really have an impact on me. I was really able to separate the two and it felt very fulfilling for the majority of the time. And then earlier this year I had a little check-in with myself Like why am I still doing this, you know, like is this still fulfilling to me? Am I still showing up with love and joy Like I was at the beginning? Because you can kind of go through the motions at some point. But really, what brought me to that that point was this year has truly been the hardest year on me emotionally in my personal life. I've never considered myself to have any like mental health issues or challenges or anything like that, but this year I really realized, like your mental health is not well. This year I was going through so much emotionally. I find it really easy to express myself and feel my feelings in a breathwork session, like I mentioned. But in my day-to-day life I'm not used to that and this year I mean everything was coming up Memories, emotions, shame, guilt, disgust, anger, rage. I mean everything was coming up Memories, emotions, shame, guilt, disgust, anger, rage. I mean everything. Just from the most random memories were coming up and moving through me at any given moment. And so I personally felt like I was an emotional wreck this year.
Speaker 2:With that, I started to feel really like I don't want to say sick, because that's not the word, but I started to feel really dysregulated and mentally and physically unwell after I would host group sessions. So March through June I would host these sessions. They would be amazing and I would feel really fulfilled after. But when I would get home I would be completely disassociated from my body and that was something I had never experienced in the two years at that point of facilitating this work. And I was like why am I feeling unwell after holding these sessions? And so you ask like what motivates you to keep doing this work?
Speaker 2:Well, I had a really hard check-in with myself why am I doing this? First off, why am I feeling unwell after holding these sessions Is something different in the sessions, is something different with me? What's going on? Do I even want to be doing this? Is it worth doing this if I continue to feel like I can't even describe it physically and mentally unwell, like if you have ever experienced, like if you've ever been on mushrooms, and you feel like you know where you are, but like you're seeing everything from a very detached point of view, like I see my pets right there and I know they're my pets, but like I feel nothing for them. Like this very detached, disassociative feeling. That's what I was feeling after the sessions and it started to get really, really scary because I didn't feel like I was in my body at all. And so I did this hard check in with myself Like why am I still holding these sessions? Do I want to still hold them? Are the sessions causing me to feel this way? What is going on here?
Speaker 2:And then, on top of that, I'm an emotional wreck because I'm processing everything in life that's coming up. So this wave just hits me of just confusion and concern and a lot of fear. To be honest, like I was very scared for a few months this year and I had a moment of should I just stop doing this, like maybe I'm not fit for this, maybe it's too much, I don't know if I can do this anymore. And so a pattern of mine is, when something really scary like that happens, especially physically because of the head injury, I have some like PTSD about it turning into something so big. My pattern is to typically like run, like get away from the fear, anything that's setting you off, like leave and just don't come back. That's a problem Run. And I did not want to do that with this, because I know in my heart how much like I love this work and how much it has changed and impacted my life.
Speaker 2:But I had to like really check in and be honest with myself. Like if breath work, you can't do this anymore. Like who are you without this? And so I'm diving in and peeling back all these layers and this is happening month after month for four months straight. I'm getting like more unwell after these group sessions and it's building and becoming even more scary. And so I have this check-in with myself.
Speaker 2:I'm sitting right here I said earlier a lot of stuff goes down in this chair right here and I asked myself I'm like why are you doing this? And I started answering the questions. I'm like, why are you really doing this? Like, what like do you want to be doing this? Like, what are you gaining from this? Is this about your ego or is this about service? And really peel back the layers.
Speaker 2:And I was sitting here thinking like, oh my gosh, casey, I don't know if you're showing up from a true place of love and passion anymore. I think your ego is getting a little bit too big, which is really hard for me to share. But I think that this is coming from, like driven from your ego, and not from from love. And I sat here and I was like no, no, no, no, no. Like that can't be it. Like I know that's not it. Sure, that's a piece of it, I think, but like I don't think that that's it. So I kept like peeling back the layers and I remember I couldn't get up, like I tried to leave and it was like, nope, sit your ass back down and finish having this conversation. And so I'm sitting here like okay, okay, okay, what's really going on here?
Speaker 2:And as I peeled back those layers, I realized that, yes, this work was definitely feeding my ego. Right, it feels good when you are providing a space for people to transform their lives. Like that feels good for you as a practitioner to hold these big events and have all these people come and have so many positive responses from it. Like that definitely was fueling my ego and I still truly was doing it from a deep, deep place of love and service. I just needed that hard check-in with myself and so when I had that hard conversation with myself, I said okay, well, do you want to keep doing this or are you going to stop Because now you're not feeling well? So we did the check-in. Maybe that'll give us some clarity. You do want to keep doing it. Let's go into the next session with curiosity, pure go in with pure love and, like joy, take expectation and ego out of it. Hold the session and see how it feels now, now that you've really done this deep dive into your soul and heart and got really vulnerable and honest with yourself, and let's see if you feel unwell after this next session.
Speaker 2:So I go into the next session and it ended up being so beautiful and I was driving home and I'm like am I going to feel unwell when I get home? Like it was a genuine fear of mine and I remember like being like God, like please, like no, like I want to feel good about this. I love doing this, but like, if I feel unwell, like okay, I'm taking that as a sign that there's more digging to do here. And I went home and I felt fine. I felt fine, I felt alive. I felt like, oh my gosh, for the first time in four months I didn't feel completely drained and disassociated from my body. I actually felt alive and fulfilled and super, super happy again.
Speaker 2:And so every session after that that was in August I completely go into my business from a different place of just remembering why I'm actually doing this, because it has wholeheartedly transformed my life and I want other people to feel that freedom that I felt through this work.
Speaker 2:And that is what motivates me to keep going, because the first couple of years, like I shared with you even before this call, it was just like fun and exciting. We're going through the motions and doing the thing. It's like great, great, great, great. And then there comes a point in your business where you need reflection and I think for me, all of this stuff came up because I'm like, why am I feeling this way after a session, month after month? This is not coincidental here, and so I think there's always a point where you need to check and reflect and then approach from a new perspective and a new curiosity and a new lens, and that will offer you more perspective on if you're on the right path or not. And so just recently, a few months ago, I like recommitted myself to this practice and this work after a really, really rough, freaking year. I will tell you that much.
Speaker 1:Casey, thank you so much for sharing that, because I think this is one of the most important conversations that we can have and I think this is going to be extremely relatable for a lot of people, especially for those who are on this spiritual awakening path. Like we said, we both had a spiritual awakening years ago and so that was what brought us initially to this. Work, anyways was to be of service, because it was something that so profoundly impacted and changed our lives. And, of course, we're human and ego can get in the way and so often we're so quick to look at okay, what do I need to change? What modality do I need to use, like if I'm feeling sick and out of alignment and having anxiety? But sometimes it is just our own ego and I explained to you at the beginning, before we even started recording was.
Speaker 1:I had a very similar experience. I needed a major ego deflation this year and I think many of us this is going to sound woo-woo, but that's okay. I think many of us on this path just with. Whatever your beliefs are, this doesn't resonate with you, leave it, but there are a lot of changes happening on the planet right now and anything that is not in alignment with us actually living in our greatest integrity and alignment with our soul's mission has got to go and we're going to have to confront these aspects of ourselves. And kudos to you, because I know how difficult it is to look at that, because it is so deflating, it is so hard to look at it, but once you do, it feels like such a relief. And I went through something very, very similar, actually, during ceremony. That was what came up for me during the summertime was I needed to go through an ego deflation in order for myself to be of greatest service?
Speaker 1:And we're human and the thing is, entrepreneurship is so hard it isn't not for the faint of heart whatsoever because you have to deal with so much like just building a business and putting content out there and putting yourself out there is hard to do as it is, and sometimes you're like, hey, I need to try this to grow my business. And sometimes you're reacting from a place of scarcity and so, and you're just trying to grow your business and make a living and our ego can get in the way, right, and it's really hard for our ego to not get in the way. And then all of a sudden you're like what happened. I'm so out of alignment with who I was when I initially started this, when I was coming from a place of complete soul alignment and just heartlet leadership and wanting to help people, because we're all human and that is a really hard thing to confront.
Speaker 1:So I want to commend you for that and speaking about that hard enough to go through it but then to go on and actually share that story. But I think so many people are going to find that so relatable, because I think a lot of people are either going through that now or they will be going through that in the future, and maybe it's the whole Pluto entering Aquarius that's bringing that up for a lot of us too. But there's something because it's not just you that I've heard this from. It's from other people as well and, yeah, I love that you shared that. That was so incredibly relatable and it's helpful to know that we're not alone, because it's really hard to go through that, like it is not an easy path to have to take, to confront those parts of yourself whatsoever.
Speaker 2:It's not. And what actually encouraged me to share this was I was working with a coaching client and she was having a very similar experience and we were having just a conversation like this on a coaching call and she was she's moving through it too, and I'm like, and she was she's moving through it too and I'm like I was there this year. I promise we will get through this. It's just a. It's an opportunity to self-reflect and check in, you know, and it's okay if you don't want to continue doing it. If you're, you know, you go through the questions and ask yourself and you realize like you actually know, like I need a shift or whatever, that's fine. But let's make sure we're doing this from a fully conscious state and an empowered state and we're not running and we're not fleeing and we're not avoiding our egos. We're actually facing it and confronting it and forming a relationship with it so that we can make a conscious choice. Because another thing I shared with her and I would love your thoughts on this as well is with entrepreneurship. This might sound bad, but I know people can relate. We need a healthy dose of our egos being stroked to keep going. Because if I don't feel good about myself and I don't feel good about what I'm doing. Why would I keep doing it in the first place?
Speaker 2:And I think that there is that where we find that healthy balance of not letting the ego take over but also acknowledging like you're freaking amazing, alyssa, like what you're doing is incredible, your clients love you, your community loves you. Like, yes, soak that in, yes, absolutely. Let that motivate you to keep going. And let's remain humble while we're at it. And that was something that I definitely had to check into, because I'm like it's good to feel good about your work. It is good. That's how people end up in soul-sucking jobs when they feel unseen, not validated. They're not reaping any type of emotional benefit from the work. It just becomes a job. And so that was something I was asking myself too, and I was like well, wait, a second Casey. Like this is also good and it's motivating. And this is why you do it, because if you didn't feel this fulfilled, you would have quit this years ago. So still be mindful of receiving the love and the praise, but also don't be operating only from that. I would love your feedback on that Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And another thing, too is I think people think because if they see us online, they see us having this business they just assume that we get positive feedback all the time, but there's been months where it's like I haven't received anything and sometimes I'm just getting beaten up and I'm just getting negative feedback from people because we get a lot of negative. I've definitely experienced that and that has caused me to question things too, like why am I doing this? Right? And we do need to know that the work that we're doing is helping people. Like that's the purpose of us doing that. So, of course, we appreciate the positive feedback, but it's like if we're doing it from a place of needing it like I need that external validation but doing it from a place of just wanting to serve, and then when we get that feedback, it's like oh yes, I am making a difference, I am on the right path, I'm going to keep going and it is really important. It's such an important reminder and I need to remind myself of that of making sure that I'm giving people, like reaching out to people, if you think that they're doing a really great job, even if you, like, are watching their content, their content is helping you, like, let them know that, because I think often we think that people are receiving it and they're not.
Speaker 1:And I actually got, um, quite a bit. Actually. This was when I actually really started to check my ego, cause I'm like, is that how I'm being viewed? And I was able to self-reflect because I was getting a bit of like pushback from people who were saying to me like, oh, you just think and I mean not to you, we shouldn't take everyone's opinion so personal. But I was getting feedback from people that they were saying she just thinks that she's so much better because she has this, you know, this Instagram following or this podcast. I'm like, oh, is that how I'm being viewed? I didn't take it to heart, because it's the same thing. The ego likes to think that it's better than or less than.
Speaker 1:So super important not to take things to heart and think that you're a horrible person, but to take things, um like, consider them right, like we consider positive feedback and consider negative feedback. I'm like, oh, is that how I'm appearing? That is not how I want to appear, because that doesn't help anyone If that is how I'm showing up on Instagram and I might not be aware of it, but if that's how I'm appearing, that is not helping anybody. So I need to check myself and maybe come at it from a different place, which is what I really needed to do. But at the same time, if someone's giving you positive feedback, take that into consideration too and be like oh, maybe I am doing a really good job. I should continue to do this Right, because the whole purpose of the work that we're doing is to support people.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, it's just, it's like that beautiful balance right With everything, and for me, that's something that I always struggle with. It's like knowing that I'm amazing Cause I am and stay humble case, and I definitely feel like I was majorly humbled this year and it was, it was good, just like you said you needed it. I think I needed it as well and, um, and yeah, it's funny, it makes you show up in a different way because it's like I hear you loud and clear, god, I hear you. I've heard you for four months. I don't, I don't want to continue feeling this way. I'm going to shift, I'm going to change and show up in a different way so that I can continue doing.
Speaker 1:what I love just from 12 steps because we do deep shadow work with the 12 steps is don't take yourself so seriously. So if you do catch yourself in your ego, have a sense of humor. So now when I catch myself at it, I'm like, okay, I was in my ego again. Like time to deflate yourself, alyssa. But also just have a light sense of humor with it, like it's not that serious, right. Like we all get pulled off center. We are all human, we all can find our way back. Yeah, so can you share with us a bit about the services that you offer, if people were wanting to work with you?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I host monthly group sessions for the Scottsdale and Phoenix area pretty much every single month. I've been leaning a lot more into masterminds and retreats. I feel like I just love that. I love when you bring an experience like this, because a lot of retreats and masterminds I kind of follow the same framework and when you bring in a practice like somatic breathwork, it really is an attendee favorite. I hear it all the time Like, yes, everything like that we did was great the massages and the workouts and all this. Yes, everything like that we did was great the massages and the workouts and all this stuff. But like the breath work, we know how powerful it is and it really really leaves an impact on people's lives and so for me, like seeing that and here goes the ego again and then knowing I made a huge impact on that on a bunch of people's lives who may have never experienced this before, I just get so happy and so fulfilled leaving those settings. So I am really leaning into more of that in this upcoming year.
Speaker 2:And then, as I mentioned, the business coaching and consulting for new practitioners and really all of my clients so far including yours, who is in your community as well I have been blessed with the best clients ever. Like they are so smart and sharp and they consider themselves like not business minded but subconsciously they kind of are. I'm like you are so like, give yourself some credit here. You are coming so prepared, you know exactly what you want, you know your numbers, like you just need a plan now. And so I've been working with the most incredible people and they're so fun to work with because they actually take the roadmap, implement it and then you see them bringing this work to their communities, and so I'm really leaning into that as well more in the new year. But, as we mentioned at the beginning of the call, it really is this ecosystem of all things breathwork and it's just. It's such a fascinating industry and we meet the best people in it, and those are really the current offerings and what I'll be expanding on in this coming year as well.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Thank you so much, and we'll link all of that in the show notes as well. So I'll link your Instagram so people can follow you so much. And we'll link all of that in the show notes as well. So I'll link your Instagram so people can follow you. Anything else that we didn't cover that you think that we should get across about somatic breathwork?
Speaker 2:I'm curious about what you're up to in this next coming year. I know you had a little check-in with yourself this year and like questioned what you want to continue to expand on. So I'm just curious, like, what are you expanding on this year?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for me, for sure, it's in-person stuff I have been. One thing that really came up for me is just spending too much time online Isn't healthy for me mentally and it's not healthy for my clients, and we can make some powerful connections online, absolutely, but in person is where we're at and that's really what we should all be striving to do. I personally want to be hosting more retreats.
Speaker 2:I want to do more collaborations, which I will be doing as well in the new year with other people in the industry, because I'm craving that in-person connection, like I need my own mental health and I believe that my clients need that, and I really, really want to suggest to people to yes, like online masterminds I have an online mastermind like they're powerful, they're potent, but also make sure that you're getting in-person connection is so important forward to seeing you expand in that capacity as well, because I see that with a lot of online coaches where it's great, but then you kind of get used to it and if you're feeling the call, you know other people are feeling the call to shift, and I feel like whenever you follow your own desires, like other people who are feeling, that will just follow as well, and so I'm excited to see you hosting more in-persons retreats and sessions and masterminds whatever that looks like for you, because you really do hold such beautiful space and you have such a loving energy where people just feel so safe in your presence and cultivating an in-person experience.
Speaker 2:I can just see that being so beautiful for you.
Speaker 1:Thank you. And we are mirrors, so you see yourself in me. So thank you, casey. Hopefully one day we'll be able to. We've never even hosted a session together, so hopefully one day we'll be able to do come to Phoenix, seriously, come to Phoenix.
Speaker 2:I'll probably have an event going on and you can just come in with me awesome.
Speaker 1:Okay, thank you so much. This is a good occasion thank you for having me.