Burnout, Chronic Illness & Ayurveda: What Happens When You Finally Listen to Your Body (with Monica Stein)

Monica Stein had it all on paper—a successful engineering career at Boeing, a steady paycheck, and all the external markers of “making it.” But her body kept whispering… then screaming. Multiple cycles of burnout, a five-car crash, and eventually a mystery illness forced her to finally ask: What if I stopped powering through… and started listening?

In this raw and uplifting conversation, Monica shares her powerful journey from chronic illness to energetic alignment, from logic-driven engineering to deeply intuitive healing. We talk about her experience with Ayurveda, Reiki, Human Design, energy clearing (yes, even houses), and what it looks like to build a life rooted in self-trust.

Whether you’re navigating burnout, feel disconnected from your body, or just want to understand what “energy healing” even means—this episode will shift something in you.

Connect with Monica Stein

Website: www.omthenticyou.com

Podcast: Prana and Possibilities (available on all platforms)

Event: Align & Shine: Learn to Clear Energy! with Ayurveda with Monica

Want More?

Grab your Human Design chart here

Want to unpack it together? Book a 1:1 session here

Subscribe to A Beautiful Fix on Apple or Spotify

Ready to feel more alive and aligned? Grab my free guide, Finding Your Beautiful Fix: Simple Shifts to Rediscovering Your Inner Power !

Subscribe to Tracy’s weekly Sunday Love Note, Thought Gems, at abeautifulfix.com—your weekly reminder to pause, breathe, and choose your focus.
to help you reset, reconnect, and rediscover what’s possible.

Support the Show

💕 Love this episode? Follow & leave a quick review—it helps others find A Beautiful Fix!

💬 Join the conversation on Instagram & Facebook @ABeautifulFix or find me on LinkedIn: Tracy...

Transcript

Burnout, Chronic Illness & Ayurveda: What Happens When You Finally Listen to Your Body (with Monica Stein)

[00:00:00] I left Boeing like three times and then I returned. So like this me back and forth. I know. It was crazy.

'Cause the universe is like, enough, enough, enough. But then one day I was walking through the gate to get into Boeing. And as I was reaching the gate. There was something inside of me that said, that's enough. You're done.

You're done. And I'm like, oh, okay. So now I'm listening. And I said, okay. Okay. I'm done.

[00:01:00] 

My guest today is Monica Stein, host of the Prana and Possibilities podcast, and a guide for women seeking to reconnect with their energy, purpose, and potential. She blends ancient wisdom with modern embodiment practices to help women live more intentionally and vibrantly. But what makes Monica's story even more powerful is the path she took to get here.

A former engineer who. Experienced multiple cycles of burnout. Monica spent years pushing through until her body quite literally said enough. After several [00:02:00] months of illness and limited success with traditional medicine, a workshop at the Chopra Center focused on Ayurveda sparked something. By day four, she saw a glimmer of her health return.

That glimmer became a turning point, leading her down a path of eastern healing, mindfulness, and eventually the deeply intentional way of living. She now embodies and shares and for the human design. Curious among us, Monica is a three five generator. Monica, I am so honored. You're here. Welcome to a beautiful fix.

Thank you. I'm so excited that this, like, we could make this connection and I can show up. I am so excited. I, I can't even wait to dig in because I've recently just started talking about human design on my own podcast. I heard. And, um. And it's all about energy. It's all about energy. So when I binge your podcast, prana Possibilities, which [00:03:00] we'll get into, I thought this is just perfect.

This is perfect. 'cause you literally live in the world of energy. And I thought what a wonderful way to just introduce my listeners to again, the power of energy. Yes. Thank you. Um, and that's something that I'm realizing. I, you know, I started the podcast and I had this intention, and then I started noticing like what was happening with all the action I was taking previous podcast about, you know, that you had shared about, right.

Take action, action, action. Um, and I'm realizing like there's some shifts that are happening and then I, I said, wait a minute, Monica, wait a minute. This is all energy, right? I just had to reframe it, see it from a different perspective, step away from it. But it is all energy. And what I noticed is that I don't just have anybody on my podcast, like I could find that somebody is interesting, and I think to myself, oh, this is an interesting topic.

Like, I'd love to have this person on my podcast. [00:04:00] And then after the conversation I'm like, no, this doesn't feel good at all. Like the, the, the conversation is delicious. The idea is delicious, but the person is not delicious to me, so I don't make the offer. So like I, everything that I like, I'm actually practicing all the things, like, I've studied so many different modalities, but I actually, the things that I offer, the things that I talk about is my, my practice, my daily practice, my weekly practice, my monthly practice.

So it's always there. It's always available if I'm listening. I love it. Well, and we're gonna, we're gonna dig all the way in, but first I would love it. I would love to begin with the version of you before the shift. So what did life look like when you were in the engineering world, and what were the signs that things weren't quite aligned?

So it happened, unfortunately, it happened several times. Okay. But I don't listen to the universe right away. I don't listen to the [00:05:00] messages. I, as you said, I keep powering through because one, what, what does this job, what does this career mean to me? Well, it means everything. I grew up in poverty. I studied really hard to be an engineer, and like I took myself out of that rut.

I, I did it like nobody helped me fill out my applications for college. Nobody helped me to find all of the. You know, the grants and the loans, that was all me. So I was taking care of myself. So when you have this opportunity that has been gifted to you, and as my dad liked to remind me, like working for Boeing, you know, working for the government is so good because like you'll always have a job, you'll have your benefits and it, and it was so true at the time, it was so true.

Now I can't speak to anything of what Boeing is doing, but wait, my. I have to stop you there. Did you work for Boeing? Yeah. My son is working for Boeing right now. He's an aeronautical engineer. I love it. What are the cha? [00:06:00] He graduated and moved straight to. California to work for Boeing. I Oh, so he works down here?

Okay. Yes. I grew up in Seattle, at Boeing, in the plant. Okay. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He, he had a choice between the two, but he wanted to be in the space division. So he, he's in El Segundo, I believe. That's, that's where he was. Oh, okay. Okay. That's amazing. A two, 3-year-old. Yes. I'm sorry, but go, go ahead. That's amazing.

That's okay. But when we have this, this gift that's been presented to us of. Having some stability when you grew up with none really. And we moved from place to place, like from one home to another home to Brazil back here, back to Brazil, back here, and you know, so it's, it's a lot. So having that stability and that comfort of getting paid and knowing what I can afford, the financial stability.

It was really delicious to me. And when we have a job, even if we don't like [00:07:00] it, we feel like there's purpose. Yes. We feel like there's community, right? So there's so many benefits to being at a, at a space in a corporate job or a job, even if it doesn't fit us. Yes. So I had to make my own way. So with my first job at Boeing, I was actually in the factory.

I was Elias and engineer. Basically as they were building, as the mechanics were building the airplanes, there were things that needed to be fixed. Maybe there was a dent. Maybe the hole became bigger. Maybe they needed a new rivet because. The other rivet was not available. Maybe like, who? I don't, I don't know.

So many things. It could be so many things, these fixes, um, to build the airplane to safety. And so they would write these, um, they're called rejection tags. We're rejecting it for this reason, so I would evaluate it. And tell 'em how to fix it. Some I, I keep it very simple, but some of them were complex redesigns.

[00:08:00] Um, so that was my first job there and I really loved it. I worked on the 7 4 7, which is the, the double decker. And I remember, my gosh, walking into the factory for the first time and seeing these airplanes, these massive seven four sevens on their, um, on their jack. So they were lifted up because they didn't have the tires.

You couldn't put the weight on it. And I remember walking under it. I didn't have to duck. Like it was just so tall. Woo. Okay. And I'm, I'm not, I'm not short, but I'm not tall. I'm like, I was five five at the time. I feel like I'm shrinking now, but I was like about five, five, you know? So being able to, to walk underneath the airplane and just, oh my God.

Like it was so, like, there was so much awe in that yes, this, this. The structure. My, my background is civil engineering. I studied structures, but this huge structure that flies in the air, like it was so powerful and I felt so blessed to be able to be in this job. Well, at some point I recognized within myself [00:09:00] that I'd had enough that I didn't wanna do this anymore.

I was in that job for about two years and it was time to move on, and I had a manager that came in, a temporary manager. And he was actually a manager for one of the departments in stress analysis for the airplane. And so I had a conversation with him and I said, you know, is there any way I can kind of move to a group in stress analysis and see how I might enjoy that?

Because I really wanted to get a feel for the different departments at the Boeing company. And so I moved over to stress analysis. It was kind of like at the, the, the simplest of stress analysis. We were evaluating secondary structures like labs and galleys. Uh, it was terribly boring. I just, oh my gosh. I was like in tears.

Didn't know what to do with myself, the projects. But this, but this information gives me so much more information about me and what I love to do and what I don't like to do, right? Yes. So that's how I was receiving it. Yes, one year projects, not for me. [00:10:00] Stacks of paper like this, not for me, you know, taking a, a weight and dividing by nine G, two G three, G one and a half G.

Not for me, too simple. Not a challenge. Did not enjoy it. So the challenge I guess in itself was, it was not a challenge, so it was challenging for me anyway, so I knew that that wasn't it. My biggest, and I won't get into all of the details of my whole Boeing career, but. There's something that happened where the universe actually said, okay, stop it.

You really need to leave. You need to leave. Now, I still didn't listen, but what happened was I was on my way home. From work, and I was in this, I ended up being in this five car accident. I was stopped. It was on the highway, so we were, everyone's going 60. I was on the highway. I was stopped because I happened to see that there was a backup, so I slammed on my brakes.

I was really grateful I didn't hit the car in front of me and my immediate thought was, look at the rear view mirror. Is anybody [00:11:00] coming? Please let them stop before they hit me. Yes, did not happen. Ended up being a five car accident. Uh, the car in front of me was actually a lightweight pickup truck. They ended up, I don't know how many feet in front of me from the impact.

The guy behind me, oh my God, I heard like baby crying and their car was perpendicular to mine and hit the routine wall. And like that. And I could, I didn't go back to work. I couldn't. I just, I mean, I didn't break anything. Thank God I didn't break anything. I had spasms. My doctor said it would take at least a year and a half for me to recover and I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't do this.

Not a year and a half. I had just gotten married one year into my marriage and I like, I couldn't do anything. I was sleeping all day because I couldn't sleep at night. I was in too much pain. Physical therapy, chiropractor. And it still, it took longer than the 18 months that the doctor suggested just to heal just to, and not even the fear, not even the [00:12:00] PTSD of being in a car, but my body just to heal and be able to walk and have enough energy.

That should have been my, my clue to stop. But I wasn't doing anything else. I didn't know what to do. My only recourse was myself and I got a job at Boeing and. I'm gonna go back to Boeing. So eventually I reapplied and I ended up in this job that was really good and the universe still kept sending messages, even though I almost feel like the universe plays a lot of jokes on me.

Anyway, so it was, it was a, it was a good job. I really enjoyed it. Um. And then I had my favorite job, which was certifying airplanes. Oh my gosh. Like it was so good. And this is, this is me leaving, ugh, me. I left Boeing like three times and then I returned. So like this me back and forth. I know. It was crazy.

You were boomer. 'cause the universe is like, enough, enough, enough. But then one day I was [00:13:00] walking into the factory and or walking through the gate, sorry. To get into, into the plant. Into the, into Boeing. And as I was reaching the gate. There was something inside of me that said, that's enough. You're done.

You're done. And I'm like, oh, okay. So now I'm listening. No car accident, no bad experiences at work, no crappy bosses, you know? Right. It's, it's all, it's all male, male, chauvinistic. Right. Energy. Um, and I said, okay. Okay. I'm done. I'm done. So, okay. So let's, let's unpack this a little bit. So couple of things.

You mentioned that the universe kept sending you signs. Can you share what some of those signs look like? I mean, the very last one, you clearly heard something and I'm wondering what made that. Different for you? What made you listen? [00:14:00] That's, oh, I said, I'm like, I hear you. I'm ready. So instead of leaving the company, I found a different Yes, which ended up being terrible.

Ended up being terrible. Not a fit. Oh my gosh. I ended up taking ale. This was, oh my god, such a, sorry. I'm saying it was a poo show. Okay. Like that last, that last year and a half was a poo show. Um. Then I listened. Then I listened. Why? Just circling back purpose, community stability. That is why I could never leave.

Yes. And so that's why I said to my husband, I'm like, I am done. I left finally in 2013. I said, that is enough. I said, I need out. I need out. Not just out of Boeing, outta Seattle. I can't be here. Wow. Because if I am here, I will always. Be going back to Boeing. I won't try anything else. I have my friends, I have my doctors, I have my community.

I have my volunteer [00:15:00] stuff. But I will always go back to Boeing. I will always go back to being an engineer and I have gotten sick. I have like taken multiple leaves of absences. I have, I mean, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm grateful that they paid for my MBA. I'm grateful, but there was.

So much that, and I didn't have the tools. I wasn't, maybe I had some tools, but I wasn't using all the tools to take care of myself. And there was actually like one point where I was sick for three weeks and I went to the doctor and she's like, Monica, you have to, you have to come to me sooner so you don't end up, end up on anti.

Biotics. I'm like, oh, that was like one of my clues too, like start listening to your body. Yes. You can't do it. All right. You can't go boom, boom, boom, every single day, five days a week. Go to work, have fun on Saturday, have fun on Sunday, and not take any downtime for yourself. Exactly. So Monica, were you always in touch [00:16:00] with energy and the universe, but I think engineer.

The stereotype, I think are ones and zeros and very, you know, very practic logical. Yeah. Were you always in touch with that or did something happen to kind of bring that into your life? So my dad who passed away about 20 years ago, so I can't really ask him only in my heart, and I'm not sure if I know the answer.

I believe he was going through some midlife crisis. Anyway, he was working in retail and he met this, from what I remember, I was a, I was very young. I, I must have been like eight years old or something like that. Up and he met this woman who was a psychic, and she brought him into her circle of healers and psychics.

And when he started learning these things, I believe he probably felt a shift in his own life. He was a very, my dad is Brazilian, very passionate, did not have a good life growing up. Mm-hmm. Um, and so he got angry a lot. Like things just didn't work out for him. And so I think finding this path to [00:17:00] healing was very important.

For him. And he came home one day and he had this box of cassette tapes that that was titled Meditation for Children. And he sat with my sister and I and he said, we're gonna meditate. We're, let's listen to this tape. And that's what we did. And to this day, if I go to a therapist or I go somewhere and somebody says to me, think about your happy place.

I go back to sitting there with him, but also listening to. The gentleman who was, who was recorded right this meditation that says, go, like walking through this meadow and seeing the butterflies and the deer and hearing the birds and you know, like the, just this place. Yes, that is where I go to. So I must have been like eight or nine years old.

I don't know. He also taught us reiki, which I didn't know at the time was Reiki. My cousin told me it was Reiki. I just, I had no idea. For me, it was just like he taught us to heal with our hands. Wow, what a gift. [00:18:00] What a gift. Yep. What a gift in so many ways. And the fact that he's, that he had you listen to those cassettes and all these years later, it's still your happy place.

You still can, can go there. Yes. And so when my sister and I went to the Chopra Center in 2015, she had actually called me up and she said, I need a break for my life. And I said, okay. So we did a little research. We ended up in San Diego at the Chopra Center. And it was for this, um, this workshop. It was a seven day workshop called Seduction of Spirit.

We didn't know what we were signing up for, just that it was a week long and we were gonna be sharing a room and spending time together. Yes. And it was meditation. It was meditation. And Deepak taught, taught us how to meditate with the four. So questions. He guided us through it. And this was like full circle for me.

Full circle and I love the meditation. And 10 years later, I'm still leading the meditation. I got certified I, and I'm leading the meditation still [00:19:00] today. Well, not today on Mondays. But anyway, I, so when I heard that you went to the Chopra center, it, it immediately, I, there was probably around that same timeframe I was looking into the Chopra Center and that whole experience.

I ended up not doing it, but. I the fact that you were actually taught by Deepak. I don't know if he's still, if I don't think all the sessions are done by him, that that's a gift. They're, um, it's, it's evolved a lot over the years and I think they're finally, it feels like the energy shifted. It feels like they're coming back home.

I don't know that Deepak is teaching it anymore. Yeah. Um, he's got his own thing, you know, he's getting older and mm-hmm. You know, they don't have the retreat center anymore. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. Yeah, so it's, um, they weren't in alignment with, with LaCosta. They took a break. It was the pandemic they found a home at in Arizona that for some reason didn't work.

Um, and now they're, I feel like it's coming back home through their new, their new avenue, their new [00:20:00] path right now. So, so when, when you were at the Chopra Center, is that where you also learned Ayurveda? Yes. So in order to get certified in meditation, I needed to come back for another workshop, a four day workshop, which was on Ayurveda.

And at the time, oh my gosh, the workshop was very over my head. My sister came with me, we were both certified in meditation, and I asked her because like, yes, I'm a scientist engineer, but her background's biology. And so I asked her like. Are you understanding all of this? Because I imagine that all of these people mostly who are in the audience, are lay people and they have like doctors and researchers and talking about all this data and it's like a little bit over my head and she goes, yep, they, they could be speaking a little bit more to us.

And so that kind of started me with my curiosity about Ayurveda. They also had us fill out these assessments, these Ayurvedic assessments. And I filled [00:21:00] it out and we go to this table and they say, oh, you're, this is your dosha, this is your imbalance. And I'm like, well, how do you know? Well, because it says it right here.

And I'm like, but how do you know? And they couldn't explain to me like, like what was it the number, was it like, what was it that was telling them? Like, why weren't they sharing that with me? And I was so curious. And I was like, okay, well one day maybe I'll study Ayurveda, but I'll just leave it for now.

I'm not gonna worry about it. I'm here because I wanna get certified in meditation. So that was in 20, early 2016, late 2016 and December of 2016, I got really sick. Really, really sick. And I went to urgent care. I went to doctors, went to specialists, and nobody could figure it out. And I had already signed up when I was healthy, quote unquote healthy when I was healthy.

Um, I had signed up my husband and I to go in December 20, uh, February of [00:22:00] 2017, so just a few months later to go for this Ayurvedic workshop that was six days long, just to learn about Ayurveda, receive daily massages, eat nourishing foods. So, and I got sick two months before that and I wasn't getting better.

And so I reached out to the Chopra Center. I said, look, I am signed up for this Ayurvedic workshop here. Here's everything and what do I do? And they said, well, we'll have you see a doctor on the first day. If you can get on an airplane, come we're going to help you. And I went and I did about 80% of the program.

There's a lot of yoga and meditation there, but I did the massages every day. I talked to the doctor. Um, and it was really beneficial. And as you, you know, in the introduction you had mentioned, you know, day four, day four, I finally saw like a little, like, literally a little bit more light and I'm like, oh my God, I think I'm starting to feel better, but here's what happened.

Doctors can't give me a pill for what was wrong with me. There was no [00:23:00] pill to fix what was going on. And that was my lifestyle. I started to, and this became like a whole other, oh my gosh, like an aha moment. I was following my husband's schedule. He was going, he was watching TV late, going to bed late. He was having dinner at like seven o'clock.

Like I was following his schedule, and I'm, and it just, it, it, it accumulated. It accumulated and it made me sick, and I couldn't figure it out. And then while I was sick, I started listening to myself. I started asking myself questions. What time do I want to have dinner? Mm, what time do I want to go to sleep?

What do I feel like eating? What is going to be nourishing to me? I started asking myself all these questions before I even learned what I was meant to learn in Ayurveda during those six days. Those six days taught me that I was validating myself, that I was checking in with myself, because that's what Ayurveda [00:24:00] is.

It's checking in with your energy. It's checking in with yourself. It's looking at. Not only your age, not only the season of your life, not only the environment outside the seasons outside, it is looking at where do I feel imbalanced? What am I feeling? Am I feeling too hot? Am I feeling too thirsty? Like how do I balance that out?

What is going on? Am I feeling a little too lightheaded? Right? So this listening to my intuition, trusting my intuition, again, because. With all these jokes, the universe was playing on me. Um, I started to doubt myself. Yes. Right? And so how do I get back to me? And so this was an experience in learning how to listen to myself.

So when I had another event, um, we have heart disease that runs in our family. Um, I had called my sister to ask her to light a candle for me. I said, here's what's going on. Please light a candle, say a prayer for me. I'm not feeling well. [00:25:00] She immediately called my husband afterwards and said, take her to the hospital.

'cause we have heart disease in the family. So we went to the hospital and, and everything was fine except for the doctor said to me, you have asthma? And I said, no, I don't have asthma. And she's like, yes you do. It's rare in adults, but you have asthma. And I'm like, no, you gotta take this medication. No. Is there another way?

Is there another way? Because I don't have asthma. Eventually I succumbed and I said, well, let me try it out. Let me try out this medication. It's only seasonal, so I take the medication, my voice changes, um, and I don't, and then with the albuterol, the, you know, I'm just like, I, I don't feel well. It knocks me for a loop for three days.

I can't function for three days. Something's wrong. So this is all during the pandemic. So I start looking online for an allergy specialist. [00:26:00] And I find this woman who's in Berkeley, so she's like half an hour or so away from me, and she has great reviews and thank you. She's an immunologist and a doctor of Tibetan medicine.

Oh, oh my gosh. Eastern. Western. Yes. Thank you. This is what I want somebody holistic, so I go to see her. She takes insurance too. So I go see her and I say, I tell her my whole story. And she says, I hear what you're saying. Let's do some tests. She did the exact same allergy tests, breath tests that they did at the allergy specialist to determine I had asthma, except she shows me the graphs afterwards, she prints out all of the results and she says to me, you're right, you don't have asthma.

I have one more test to do to tell you what it is to, to see if that's what it is, and that's what I have and no medication necessary. I've been monitoring myself. And I just breathe. Wow. [00:27:00] You have to listen to yourself. Doctors know a lot, but you need to listen to yourself because you know yourself best.

Yes. Yes, that is, and we can end right there because that is my whole podcast, is I think that's the journey we go on in life. We start off, I think we start off when we're kids kind of trusting ourselves for the most part, I think least in my experience. Then something kind of happens where the world just, I don't know, you just, you give away all your power to all these external things, and then I think in your fifties it kind of comes back and you realize, oh.

I know what's right for me. So that's what I was gonna ask. I have so many questions I wanna, well, well, lemme forget, don't lemme forget. I wanna ask you about your dosha, but. Okay. Um, when you were telling the doctor, I don't have asthma, was that a, a true knowing of no, I don't have asthma? Or was it like, no, that can't be right.

I'm, I'm 50 and you're telling me I have asthma. Like, or did you just It was both. No, it was both. It was both. It [00:28:00] was both. I knew it. Like I knew it in my soul. You knew it. I knew it. And then also, but here, right. But here sometimes. It's not so good to listen to right in your head, your brain, right. You need to listen to your heart, to your spirit, right?

Your body because your spirit knows best. Yes. So I am a Vata, um, in Ayurveda. That's my dosha. My husband I remember is I think a Pitta. Okay. And so I was curious with you and your husband, 'cause you were saying that you were kind of going on his schedule, not yours. Are you guys different doshas? We are. So, I am Pitta.

Vata, but I, I tend to go Vata like. To the extreme. And so that's why I have to, so Ayurveda for me, was very interesting. When I started learning it, it answered a lot of questions I didn't know I had, like why I love certain scents, why I love oatmeal in the morning, right? Yes. It's grounding me. I need grounding food in the morning for me.

So I'm Pitta Vata, and my husband is Kafa [00:29:00] Pitta. Okay. More More kafa. More kafa. Yes, more kafa. And so he, he can, he can go to bed later. He can have, he can function and, and, and it's kind of unusual 'cause Kafa needs like a lot of sleep and he doesn't need it. So that's where the Pitta comes in. Um, but yeah, he's just, he's very stable.

He doesn't have to eat at certain times. You, Tracy will have to eat at certain times. To be grounded, you need more structure. And I. I like structure, so I need that for the va. But the Pitta, I need to keep cool, like cool because I will, I might be overly passionate about things. I used to get really, really angry at just the littlest things.

If it didn't go my way, and now I know that that's an imbalance, and so I can, I can check myself, right? And that's how human design is also so interesting, right? All these tools. Give you more information about yourself and, and if you don't resonate with it, that's okay too. But like when I was studying human [00:30:00] design, I was like, oh my God.

Yes. Totally. And strength finders. I have a friend who does strength finders. Yes. Oh my God. I'm like, oh, thank you. Well, this makes so much sense now. It, it validates who you are and it gives you the confidence. To be who you are and not question yourself. Like, why am I not like the other person? Well, hello.

We're all unique people. That's right. We're, yes. It some say that human design gives you a language, just simply a language to describe or explain why you are, you know, the way you are. It's a permission slip. Um, it's a permission slip. These are all permission slips. Permiss, yes, and, and validations to who we are.

And hearing you say that, I think, I think I'm incorrect. I think my husband was kafa. It's been a while since I've looked into Veda. Well, is he, is he fiery? Is he fiery? Yes, for sure. I mean, he could bes personally plus kafa. Yeah, but I, when you said that, I thought, Hmm, I should do it again though, because does shame in Ayurveda, does it evolve or is it [00:31:00] you, you're kind of No, so we're We're basically the same.

We're basically the same because when we look at our. Okay, so what we look at an assessment, any freebie assessment online will tell you what your dosha is. Dosha really means imbalance, but what we're really looking for is the energy. And when you take these freebie quizzes online, these assessments, yes.

What it tells you is who you are at your core, right? This is the energy that you were born with based on the energy of your mother and energy of your father. This is you at conception. This is your energy ev, so you will. Stay very close to this, very close to this, it won't change. Um, what happens is we get imbalances, that's the word, dosha in imbalance.

And that's where we have to figure out who are we really, who are we, when we're balanced, and who are we when we're not balanced? And when we're not balanced, we have to figure out, like how do we bring ourselves back into balance? Right? And in Ayurveda, is it food? Is it exercise? Is it meditation? [00:32:00] Is it 'cause we heal through the senses.

We have our own inner pharmacy. So how can we come back to balance? I love it. My only thing with Ayurveda that steered me, not really away from it, but was just, um, at the time my sons, I have four sons. Were, were really, really small and we already had health issues. We had, they had food allergies, so, so dinnertime and mealtime was just always fun in the, at our house.

And then when I thought about Ayurveda, I thought. I can't imagine if I take this on and learn more about it. I'm a Vata. This one's a Pitta. You know, I was just trying to picture, it felt very complex to me, but it's something I would love to return to. So, you know, it's very interesting that you say that.

And it can be complex, but really not, because if you, so Ayurveda looks at the six tastes and it's sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter astringent. If we're eating for our, for our constitution. We're all, you can still make the meals, but what you [00:33:00] wanna focus on is if you're Vata, you want to eat more of the sweet, sour, and salty, because that's gonna be more grounding for you.

So you could still have all of the foods out there, but eat you. You, for instance, must eat like 75 to 80% of the sweet, sour, salty, and the remainder pungent bitterness, stringent, whatever that looks like. So the same could be said for any of the other doshas. But I will also say this. If you include all of these foods, all of these colors of the foods with all these nutrients, and you allow your family to eat intuitively, they will know what to eat and how much to eat.

Wow. Because our body knows, our body knows what we need and how much, but we always wanna be in homeostasis. Mm. Well. VNA King, can you talk to us a little bit, I don't wanna get into your podcast as well, but a little bit of just about energy in [00:34:00] general. 'cause I know you do energy clearings. You do energy clearings on people, homes, offices.

Yeah. Yeah. Can you talk, tell us a little bit about that? Yeah. So, you know, when I was a child, my dad taught us reiki, which I didn't know was reiki. But in 2006 I actually took a class. Reiki actually got certified Level one. Level two. I never did wanna move on to mastery. Um, and now I'm actually studying Celtic Reiki, which is also very interesting.

This is, so before I was studying USI lineage, and that is coming, you know, from, from above. And Celtic Reiki is trees. So it's the energy of trees, which is interesting alignment for me because we wanna be grounded, especially when we're Vata. We wanna be more grounded and it so it's energy from the earth.

Um, and because I also dabble a little with essential oils and flower essences, like it's the trees again, right? Yes. So it just, it all, it all fits together and I'm always curious. I love to learn anything, anything new. Um, I do too. [00:35:00] And so I, I felt, I felt called to study this lineage as well, so I'm in, in the process of it.

Um, reiki is really interesting, um, which is, it's a little bit different than energy clearing. So Reiki, um. Okay. Reiki is a 2,500 year old Japanese healing modality that harmonizes the system. The practitioner is the vessel for healing. They don't do the healing. They are the vessel for all the healing to come through to you for your highest good.

Okay. Energy clearing is a different modality and I started studying with my teacher, Jean Haner in 2008, and I studied different modalities with her, uh, face reading, uh, nine star key, which looks at, so this, this is all Chinese, um, Chinese medicine based. She is not Chinese. Her mother-in-law was Chinese.

And so she got passed down. All this information, all this learnings, and so nine star key. Um, it, it we, [00:36:00] it's a Chinese medicine has a nine year cycle and so the nine star key looks at what year you are in, in the cycle and it gives you some guidance on what could happen, what your year might look like.

And that starts late the year before. So like October nob, anywhere from October the year before to February of the current year. Um, and that kind of tells you what the energy will be like. So I love that too. Nine star key. Yes. Um, but the energy clearing that I learned with her is a, an eight step process.

And what I look at is, um, it's clearing any accumulated stresses on you that you've accumulated by just here, you know, EMF, right? It's my energy, the energy of your family. Anybody who's just walking by you, we attract the energy. How big is your aura? Does it overlap into somebody else's aura? That energy can get meshed up with you.

So I clear all of that right away. That's the first thing I clear. And then I [00:37:00] go through the elements, which are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. And each one of those is for something different. So we're clearing ancestral, we're clearing any kind of heart issues, love issues, we're clearing any anxieties and worries.

Um. Purpose, vision. So all, all sorts of things, we're just clearing it. Um, and then I, then I bring you back together, all those elements back together and I ground you. This to me is so, has been so powerful and has made such a difference because once I learned that I was able to then go to the advanced studies.

The advanced studies include clearing situations in the past, in the future. Um, I've cleared so many different. Interesting situations for people. Um, divorces, um, dental visits, trips, travels, like really interesting. Um, you can also clear spaces and energetic clearing of [00:38:00] spaces. And with that I clear, EMFI clear microwave, I clear earth stresses any accumulated stresses, emotional stresses in the home that may be yours if probably is yours because you're living there now.

But it's all the stresses from before from the other people who've lived in the house, from the guests that come in from all the tears. We don't, we don't clear the happiness, we don't clear the good stuff. We're clearing all the yuck. Anything that doesn't serve you, we are clearing that and just taking it away.

Starting you from scratch. And this has been so brilliant too. I cleared a house that was, has been on the market for over a hundred days and. That is a highly unusual here in the Bay Area. And so I approached the realtor and I asked him, I'm like, Hey, would you know background engineer? But this stuff works.

Yes, I'm not all woo. Just a little bit, just, you know, putting it out there, [00:39:00] but think about it, right? Because otherwise what? What's happening? It stays on the market longer. You keep dropping the price. Nobody wants to drop the price, right? Yes. I said, gimme a chance. Okay. He's like, great. He's like, can I pay you afterwards?

Sure. Okay. So I cleared the house and, and I said to him in the email, after I cleared it, I said to him, you know, and I don't normally do this, but I, I felt called to do it. So I checked in to see when they would get an offer. And so I messaged him in the email. I said, okay, you're gonna get an offer within a couple of days of this particular date, and wouldn't you know it two days?

Before. Before they got an offer. Mm-hmm. Oh my God. Yeah. So like this is what happens when you're in alignment. Yes. This is what happens when you're in alignment. You can receive, anybody can be a vessel for receiving. You just need to be in alignment and want to receive. So I was, I, go ahead. Sorry. I, I just, I need to know what the realtor said.[00:40:00] 

I need to know what he said. Well, that's the thing. I don't know. I thought he think maybe, he thought it was like so weird. He didn't even thank me or anything. It was very weird. I got paid eventually. There was a whole thing about that, but it's all good. I did a clearing on that. It was very strange. Okay.

But I, well, because that's the thing though. People think it's strange, like how would I know? People are like, I'm not a psychic. I was just tuning in and here's the thing about energy clearing. I can ask. Like for today. For today, I can clear a situation for today. It worked. Maybe like tomorrow, the situation changes and the energy shifts.

So like for instance, I, my friend was thinking about moving to somewhere in California and her options were Southern California or Northern California. And so I asked my pendulum, I was just playing around. I used my pendulum here and here's one of my pendulums and you know, pen, anybody can use a pendulum.

Okay. Really all it tells you is. Like your energy, like it's reflecting your energy. [00:41:00] So like it could be a yes or a no, and everybody can play with it. So I was just playing with it and it said that my friend was gonna be moving to Northern California, and I'm like, okay. And I would check in every once in a while.

She was like here, there everywhere looking for a house. And then one day I asked and it said Southern California. And I'm like, oh. So I called her up and I said, what's going on? And she said, well, we put a, we put an offer on a house in Riverside. And I'm like, oh, okay. Well then my pendulum makes sense then.

Thank you very much. Except for I had told my husband before I even started asking the pendulum. Or the universe. I said, she's gonna move to to Sacramento. I know she is. And I said, just put that in your back pocket. So when it happens, you remind me. 'cause I don't know how long this is gonna take and wouldn't you know it, she moved to Sacramento.

I just, I just think it's this, it's so cool. It's so, I love it. It's so cool. I had this woman call me because she had no clients. She's a like a mortgage broker. [00:42:00] She had no clients. Nobody was coming in office was dead. She said, please, please. And I went into her office just to go feel it and I said, okay, I'll do it for you.

I wasn't sure I wanted to do it, so I cleared her office and I came back a week later to give her a summary and she said, oh my God. She goes. I have five new clients this week. Nice. So all, all we really need to do is shift the energy. Change the energy, like when we're aligned and we're paying attention, like not, these are great things that happen.

Don't get me wrong. There are sometimes when we're shifting energy, there's a little bit of chaos that can ensue something that you don't like, something you don't agree with. It's not all, you know, sparkly, you know, unicorns and everything, but it has to happen to shift. Right. Things leave. Things come in and it's not only based on you, it's based on whoever else is involved, right?

The house. Yes. Like it's not just the [00:43:00] realtor, it's who's coming that has to ship. So when I clear the house, I balance it, but at the same time, those people need will be attracted to it. They need to get the message to come and look at it. Right. And. So funny. I'm in this networking group and I met this gal and, um, apparently we live short, long story short, she lives in my neighborhood.

She saw me and I said, oh, this is where I live. She goes, oh, I used to live down the street with a little library. And I said, oh, was that your house? That just sold. And she goes, yeah. And I said, I just cleared that house for it to be sold. She goes, oh my God, I need to hire you. That was amazing. Wow. So that house that was on the market for over a hundred days that I cleared was her parents' house.

Oh my gosh.

Like it's such a teeny tiny world. It it, it, it is. And it's [00:44:00] so interesting because. Everything's energy and we know that we, everything is energy. But even though we know that, we all say that and we get it, we don't get it. Like, we don't talk about, we don't apply it. We don't apply it. We don't apply it. We don't know how to, we're not taught these things in our school system.

You have to take some kind of course or run into someone who does what you do. Yeah. To understand, I'm just thinking about everything we've talked about, Ayurveda and human design, energy between reiki, it's, it's all energy. It's all energy. Right? The food, even with the Ayurveda, right? Like it's. The food that you eat.

All the food has energy. Yes. That's why they suggest like eating more fresh foods and don't eat leftovers and Yes. You know, so, you know, that's all. That's all energy. It's all energy. And you know, one really nifty way to do it is to there, well, there's a couple of ways. I actually created a podcast about it, but, 'cause I was undergoing this, there was this.

Anyway, my husband had to go to the vet. We had an emergency vet situation. And anyway, I was out on a walk and I was like, okay, I don't have a [00:45:00] pendulum on me. Usually I use the pendulum like, what do I do now? So I'm like, I talking to my husband and I said, okay, hang on a second, Adam. I need to check on something.

And I just put the phone away and I just stood there and I said, okay. This vet or the other vet and like, I'm just noticing where my body's moving. Yes. Like is it moving forward, leaning in, and it's just a subtle movement, it's just paying attention? Or is it leaning back? And another way you can tell is like, is your chest constricting?

Mm. Right. Or is it expanding? Right. So kind of like notice. Notice what feels positive, notice what feels positive, notice what feels negative in your body, and that can give you an answer. And the answer I gave him was, unfortunately, it was the. The one that said they had a two hour wait, and I said, I know they said two hour wait, but go.

I cleared the appointment, I did an energy clearing on the appointment for my dog. My husband was in and out, like he left the house, came back home within 45 minutes. Oh my gosh. Like it's, it's all, it's [00:46:00] all there. We can all do it. Yes. Mm-hmm. We can all do it. Right. We just, we just need to be present and we're, we're, we're always like fighting fighters.

Filling our lives with like all these things, like to do whatever, that we just don't take time to be, be, and receive. Right. I agree. Um, question for you though, this is something I've always wondered about. I love, I work with pendulums, I also do the, the lean. All, all of it. Yep. But I then heard, I kind of stopped working with my pendulum.

'cause I heard that you can influence, if you can are asking, if you're asking it a question about something you're passionate about, something like should I, you might be influenced, but if you're asking a question about something you're detached from, more than likely it's going to be, um. It's going to be a, a true reading.

Yeah. So then I thought, well, I'm always asking questions about like, should I do this? Or I, I thought if I'm influencing it. So can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah. And we can, okay. Yeah. Okay. So my teacher, my teacher, Jean Haer, she would say, don't ask these kinds of questions, but I play around with it [00:47:00] and it's okay.

Yes. Um, I, I just, I, I, I detach. I detach because you're right. So we're showing this video, right? You're showing the video? Yes. Okay. So. This is my Yes, and I'm just holding it. So just look at my fingers. I'm not doing anything, but I'm thinking, and I'm gonna say out loud, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

That is my, no, I'm not moving my fingers. I'm not making it go any other way. It's just doing it itself. You can't influence it, so you do need to be detached. But look how hard it was and how long it took for it to give me the no. Yes. It wasn't immediate, right? It took, it took a lot of work. So, you know, so at that point, you know, like you can trust or not trust, but ultimately what you're gonna do is kind of like when you flip a coin, right?

Heads yes, tails, no. And then you see what you hope for. Yes. Because that's your true answer, right? So that's like your [00:48:00] body too, right? Like, am I leaning in, am I leaning? If you're on the fence, this is my own experience. If you're on the fence, oh my God, just don't do it. Just step away. Step away. It's gonna be a learning experience either way, but step away.

It's just so good. Well, I, I could literally talk about this all day. I mean, it's, it's what I love. But, um, but before we close it, so I wanted to do, um, my beautiful fix speed round. Which is very, very slow. Um, and then, and then at the end, I want you to tell people how they can work with you and find out more about what you do.

'cause it's just fascinating. Can people do this virtually or do you have to physically be in the space? Yeah, so I actually, no. So I have done remote energy clearings of spaces. I actually teach a class virtually on using the pendulum and clearing. Um, I had my last one. Earlier this year, and then I'm gonna have another one starting in [00:49:00] September.

Mm-hmm. Um, and we're gonna learn a little bit more. Like we can learn how to clear our pets, we can learn how to clear situations, we can learn how to clear adverse effects of medication. When we were going through the whole COVID and everyone was wanting to get a vaccine, I was completely opposed. But my husband said, please, please.

And I'm like, fine. Like my body didn't want it. I said, I'm not getting COVID. And, and I just, so I had my friend who is super magical. I said, please clear adverse effects for me of this, of this COVID vaccine. And she did. And I did it for her. And we had like nothing, A little bit of fatigue, nothing. Yes.

Like it was just, you know, and I had all these, and my husband was like, shivering and like whatever. He was sick for three days. And yes, my husband, he didn't ask me to clear him, but so I'm like. You have, like, I need permission. I need permission to do something. Just like in reiki, I, you, you need to gimme permission to be that, to be that vessel, to be that conduit for [00:50:00] you.

Okay? So yes, I do it virtually. Yes. And in person. That's so cool. I love it. Okay, so let's close with our beautiful fixed speed round. These are just short questions. Just help us get to know what lights you up. So Monica, what makes you come alive? Uh, what makes me come alive? I love fostering dogs. Oh, I love fostering dogs.

I just, I love, I can't do it right now. My dogs are so old and one is kind of like very close to the end, and I needed to take a break. But I love when they come here and I get to know who they are and find the right home for them. Right. They heal. And then we find the right home for them. So I love, that's one of the things that lights me up.

The other thing that lights me up is like seeing like my students, my clients, their faces. Like after a session, oh, I'm like, oh yes, this is my purpose. This is why I'm here. Yes. How I've always wanted to foster, I love animals, [00:51:00] but how, how do you say goodbye? That's the part I'm always like, I will fail every time.

Yeah. It's, it's, it's, it's a little bit hard, but if you're doing it through the right organization. It's, um, if you're doing it through a private rescue, for instance, you are, you, you are part of the process. You get to meet the people. You have a, you can have a say and say, you know what my intuition says, no, this isn't a good fit.

Mm-hmm. Um, you can do a home visit, you can ask about home visits and see like what that looks like. Um, yeah. So there, there are ways to, to be okay with it. That's such a beautiful, beautiful thing to do. And also I, like, I have the intention of. This dog is going to go to a home like mine or Badger. And every time I drive by the shelter over here, 'cause it's, it's a really nice shelter.

Um, every time I drive by I just say the little prayer and I say it out loud and I'm like, I hope you all find homes like mine are prayer.

What's a song that instantly shifts your mood or makes you feel something? [00:52:00] Oh my gosh. Um. Um, shut up and dance with me. I don't know his name, but shut up and dance with me. This one, she's my destiny. Okay. That's one of them. That's one of them. Because really like, shut up. Stop it and just come, let's flow with the energy.

Just dance with this. Yes. Come on. That's how it really speaks to me. I love it. Shut up and just dance to me. Okay. Is there a book that cracked you open or stayed with you long after the last page? Matchmaking for begin. Matchmaking. For beginner. For beginner. So weird. Okay. I'm gonna tell you why this is a funny story.

Okay. So I was going on this trip and it's, I usually buy a book, I bring books with me when I go on a trip, but I also usually buy one at the bookstore. At the airport? Yes. Because something always. Speaks to me. Yes. We have the best, we have the best selection. Yes, right. I know, right? So I'm like, okay. But they're [00:53:00] always full price.

And so there's this new bookstore, which supports the local library where I'm at, and I actually volunteer there now, and it's a used bookstore, so people just bring all their donations. Nobody gets paid, they're all volunteers there. It's a really nice store. I walk in and I see this book and I'm like, huh.

Hmm, let me look at it. Oh, sure. It's a light enough read for me on the airplane. Yes. So I'm like, okay, I'm gonna buy this. I start reading it and I'm like, this sounds really familiar. And I'm like, what the heck? So I go to my Kindle. I had apparently bought it before, so I'm like, okay, well maybe I'm meant to read this again.

And this is, this is very interesting because now I'm in Kathy Heller's world. And I'm reading this again and I'm like, so it lands a little bit differently. This book, matchmaking for Beginners, it's a story of, you know, in the background it's, you know, the story of this woman [00:54:00] and she meets some people.

Okay, anyway, and, but here's the thing, there are sparkles. The universe is always there, but you just need to, you just need to pay attention. Yes. And so there's a little bit of magic in this book. With the universe, with listening, listening to your intuition, and it's all pretty subtle but overt. So that's why I love it.

I am not. Getting rid of this book. I highly recommend it. It's gonna keep, that's one of those books that will keep showing up in your life. For sure. Yeah. I love it. So what's your favorite little indulgence or guilty pleasure? Something that just brings you joy? Uh, laying on my new couch. I bought a couch.

We had a couch for like 20 years. I said, we need a new couch. We bought a new couch and I love just laying there with the dog. I sit there, it's like. Bright. It's the front, it's the front of the house, like all these trees. And I just sit there and I read. I read, and sometimes I take a nap. But like [00:55:00] it's just so comfortable and such a juicy space.

I wasn't spending any time in the living room. My dogs are spending more time in the living room than me now. I feel invited just to go sit there and relax and have a reading time. Yes, just like open up any kind of book and just, this is delicious. And I do this in the afternoons. Most afternoons. I love that.

I love that they take the nap with you. There's something about the filling their weight next to you that just calms me instantly. Mm-hmm. So what's one thing that always reminds you how beautiful life really is? Oh,

it's a really good question. I did not give that any thought. Um.

I think it's when, when I am able to see a silver lining in whatever chaos is going on, [00:56:00] I, I just, I tend there, I have a lot of friends who are very, I mean, I'm upset too by whatever's going on in this country. Mm-hmm. But they really like live it. And they talk about it, and I'm like, right now we have no control over that, but what I can control is me, right?

Mm-hmm. So it's just remembering that I am the light and that everybody has a light, and that there is a purpose for all of this at some level, even though we can't understand it, there's still a little fear in me about what's going on, but I think there's. Much like the pandemic. I feel like there's a silver lining to the pandemic.

I didn't see it at the time, but people are now like, oh, I'm sick. I'm not gonna go to work. And I was one of those people who was sick and just kept going back to work, back to work, back to work. Right. Spreading the germs. Right. I wasn't taking care of myself. Right. That's how it ended up being three weeks and on antibiotics, like [00:57:00] that's not what you want.

So I think that. Speaks to me. Right? Being out in nature, going for walks. This is a reminder that we, were we willpower through in our each, in our own individual way, whatever that looks like. Mm. The trees keep coming alive. They keep coming back. Well, not all of them, but they, they come back, right? Yes.

They're nurtured and they're healing. Oh Monica, that was beautiful that, thank you for saying that. 'cause it is, these are, um. Troubling times. And you know, when all of this first started, and I don't like to talk about politics on this show because I want this to be an escape for people. I want this to be something, you know, that builds them up.

But I will say, I struggled with this. Do I even continue talking about the things I'm talking about during these times? And someone said to me, in the darkest darkness, light shines the brightest. [00:58:00] Mm-hmm. And I took that and said, okay, I'm gonna keep going. That is my, that is my sign. So, yeah, I just feel like sometimes, oh, I speak for myself.

Like, are we just glossing over it? Like I recognize what's happening. I don't really watch the news. I try not to talk about it, but I still, I need to be the light because there's a lot of people relying on me. Mm-hmm. Right. To keep the vibe high, to keep them calm. Yes, I know this. And so if I'm like that right, like all like freaked out about everything, then that energy is gonna ripple out of me to all of them.

Yes. I have no use to them. That's right. I, I am, I am their signal. I am their home. I need to continue to be that for myself, uh, because otherwise I'm putting my health at risk and I don't wanna do that again. Right. I'm, I, I'm tired of being sick. Yes. I want to be healthy. I choose to be healthy. I decide to be healthy, so I need to do the best things that I can [00:59:00] for myself to take care of me so that within all this darkness, that I can still be a light and that I can find the light in other people.

Because I believe we all have light. Yes. And we can all help raise the collective consciousness we can. We absolutely can. Well, Monica, thank you for sharing your journey so openly today. And I know so many women listening, uh, will see themselves in your story and walk away with hope and practices to reconnect with their own vitality.

But before we wrap. Where can listeners find you, your podcast, PR and possibilities or your offerings? My podcast? Yep. PR and possibilities. Um, sign up for my email list. Um, you can just go on my website, om authentic u.com. O-M-T-H-E-N-T-I-C. It's a little play on om and authentic. Um. Anyway, you can sign up for my newsletter there.

It has like most of [01:00:00] my, like my updated stuff, I, I host a virtual meditation weekly mostly. Um, and yeah, and that'll tell you like more things, like more classes. It's very short. Um, I keep it, I keep it really short. Um, so yeah, I think that's, that's where you can find me. I'll be offering a few, like, energy clearing sessions pretty soon.

Or if you just wanna have a one-on-one with me, I'm happy to have a chat too. Get to know you better. So you can get to know me better. Wonderful. Well, we will include all that information in our show notes. And, uh, so thank you again and to everyone listening and remember, your next beautiful fix might just be a breath, a pause, or a shift in how you choose to care for yourself.

So until next time, stay high on life. One beautiful fix at a time.

[01:01:00]