Sound Heals, Hearts Open with Jessica Rule & Ashley Weir

Ever wonder why a single tone can soften your shoulders, slow your breath, and make buried feelings easier to face? I sit down with Jessica Rule of Osprey Rising and returning friend Ashley Weir to unpack how sound therapy and Reiki help the nervous system shift from constant alert to genuine safety. Jessica’s story moves from childhood sensitivity and painful school stigma to her first Reiki session, the emotional release that followed, and the calling that led her to build a practice around sound baths, energy work, and even animal Reiki.

We dig into the science and the felt sense. Sound stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, easing anxiety, helping inflammation, and creating conditions where healing can happen. Jessica explains how she designs a session—starting with brighter tones, deepening into grounding gongs and drums, then gently bringing listeners back—so people can leave calm and clear, not groggy. She shares why adding vocals became a turning point, how voice carries frequency and trust, and what happens when a cat named Finn relaxes under a soft chant. From ICU humming to cultural songs at life’s edge, we explore voice as medicine and sound as community.

If meditation feels hard or talk therapy hits a wall, our conversation offers an accessible bridge. You’ll learn practical ways to start, what to expect at a first sound bath, how to notice which tones soothe or stir, and why consistency matters. We also talk integration: blending energy work with therapy, building a supportive circle, and using simple practices—self-Reiki, journaling affirmations, grounding outdoors—to stay regulated between sessions. Ready to feel sound rather than just hear it? Press play, then share what practice helps you come home to yourself.

If this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who could use a calmer nervous system today.

To Contact Jessica Rule

http://www.ospreyrisingllc.com/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3QEhzicJ/

http://www.instagram.com/ospreyrisingllc

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Jessica And Ashley
• 5:07 Childhood Gifts, Stigma, And Shutting Down
• 12:37 School Struggles, Teaching Dreams, And A Pivot
• 19:37 First Reiki Breakthrough And Emotional Release
• 23:52 Discovering Sound Baths And Training Deep Dive
• 30:37 What Sound Healing Feels Like
• 36:37 Vagus Nerve, Stress, And Inflammation
• 42:07 Triggers, Sleep, And Dropping Deeper
• 47:07 Voice As Medicine And Cultural Songs
• 53:07 Animal Reiki And The Language Of Safety
• 57:37 Community, Belonging, And Being Understood
• 1:01:37 Water Sessions, Personal Preference, And Access

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 2:17

Hello and welcome back to Empowered Ease. I'm your host, Jen Ollinger, and twice a month I sit down with remarkable women who are making a difference in the lives of others. I'm thrilled to announce my special guest this week, Jessica Rule. She is the founder of Osprey Rising. Jessica spent years holding space for children that are affected by trauma, and she's since stepped fully into her gifts, offering Reiki, sound baths, and even animal Reiki to help both teens and adults reconnect with themselves. Her work is rooted in creating safe, sacred spaces where people feel seen, heard, and free to live authentically. Today we'll talk about mental health, mental wellness, spiritual awakening, and how embracing what makes us different can be the very thing that helps us shine. I also have a second guest today, a returning guest, the insightful Ashley Weir from episode 16. Ashley is a close friend of mine, and she always brings a warm perspective and good conversation that I'm look that I look forward to. So she has an open invitation, and hopefully we'll be seeing her for more episodes. So join me in welcoming Ashley and Jessica. Let's dive in. Welcome back to Empowered Ease. I'm so excited. Welcome, Ashley and Jessica. How are you guys?

SPEAKER_01: 3:53

I'm doing good. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00: 3:55

Yay. So Ashley, you've been here before. So Jess, why don't you give us a little intro? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 4:04

All right. Well, I am Jessica Rule. I am the owner and founder of Osprey Rising LLC. I was formerly known as Rules of Healing. I created Osprey Rising to help people reclaim the parts of themselves they've always hidden. My mission is to create a space where people feel seen, they feel heard, and really help guide them back to their true authentic self. I have been on this spiritual journey since I was a little kid. And it was really hard to navigate those feelings when I was younger. And I thought it was totally normal to talk to spirits. And uh and when I say talk to spirits, meaning like I was able to connect with people that were related to me. Those were the only spirits that I was able to connect with. And I have always been divinely guided by my grandma rule. And I have a lot to thank her for because she has helped me tremendously. And I also grew up with a learning disability. And so I already felt different from everybody else growing up. I had to go to the basement for my class for my classes. And, you know, at the time I didn't realize how all those things made me feel, having to go to the basement, having to explain to my friends why I had to go downstairs and not being with my friends all the time. And you know, that was trauma for me. Being that different kid, always feeling incompetent. And at one point, I think it might have been in middle school, there was a girl, it was a sleepover. And my grandma came through during the sleepover. And I was talking to her, and one of my friends is thought that was super weird and went around the school telling everybody I was schizophrenic. And it was in that moment when a social worker took me downstairs, had a conversation with me without my mom's consent or anything like that. Like I knew what I what was real for me. And after that, that's when I like shut off my gifts. Unknowingly, I didn't know how I did it, but I think it was to protect myself because now I have everybody like looking at me like, oh, I'm that weird, different kid, you know? And I really struggled in school with a lot of insecurities and just very shy, quiet, kept to myself. At the time I didn't know, but I'm pretty sure I suffered from depression when I was younger. And when I went to high school, that's when things started to shift a little bit more for me. Um, I was doing good in school. I made new friends, and it was like almost kind of like I was being reborn into a different world when I hit high school because I went from a small school to a really big one. So it was like I didn't really see anybody I went to school with. I felt like that was like a new start, a new chapter for me. And my whole, like, I want to say sixth grade is whenever I decided I wanted to go to school to be a special ed teacher because I didn't ever want anybody to feel the way that I felt growing up. And I really feel like I could relate to them and help them regain their confidence and make them feel important and feel seen and feel heard. And so I graduated high school and I went to college. It was really hard because I was academically behind already from everybody else, but I pushed through. It was hard, but I did it. I got my associate's degree, and then I, in the middle of all that, I was working at a behavioral school. And I think that's when things started to kind of shift for me a little bit. My spiritual gifts were starting to open up a little bit more because I'm working with trauma-based children, and I was feeling everybody's pain and everybody's worries, and just it was very intense. I had a very hard time at the beginning of that job on how to car like to what's the word I'm looking for, like protect yourself? Yeah, like protect myself from feeling everything, you know, because then I would started feeling reactive because I think that's how they were feeling is reactive. But after a couple years, things started to like simmer down a little bit, and then I decided to go to school full-time. So I quit my job, I went to Umsel to get my special degree, and man, I was killing it in school. It felt so good. I had a 3.9 GPA and I had straight A's. Like it was going from having a learning disability and feeling incompetent your whole life. And then you go to college and it's like, wow, I can do these things, you know. And I feel like whenever I was going to college, it was, I felt like I was doing it for to prove to other people. I was doing it for the wrong reasons. And I didn't really realize that until I went to Umsul and went full time. And then it started to shift, like, okay, I needed to do this for me, not for other people, because the way that it made me feel like I can do these things. I'm not dumb, I'm not incompetent, I am smart. And so of course, I had to take a test in order to take the other classes so I could progress. And it was a basic skills exam. I'm like, oh no problem, I can do this. I passed everything except for one, and it was history. I've never been good at history, and I was five points away from passing, so I took it again, I took it four times, and I still had the same score. And so just when I was like on this high of like, wow, I'm doing so good, and just that feeling, right? I feel like I just got knocked down, and it was so hard to come to terms with that. But as I sat with it, I had to ask myself, like, why is this happening? Why am I being stalled to pursue this degree? And my angels were telling me, like, this is no longer your path. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I just spent all this time and money and energy into going to college for years. I was going to college for a long time. And then it's like, oh nope, this is not your path anymore. I'm like, okay, well, what is my path then? Like, where do I go from here? You know, like since sixth grade, I thought this was this is what I was destined to do. You know, I thought this is what it was preparing me for to be the best teacher. Not saying that I'm not a teacher, I am a teacher just in a different way. So I went and had my first Reiki session done because I was just like so defeated and so confused. I needed some clarity, I needed to release some things. And it was after that I was so emotional. I released so much stuff that I was carrying with me all this time from like my childhood of feeling this feeling incompetent your whole life. And I was able to release some of that. And then that's when I was like, okay, I have to accept it, I have to move on, I will eventually figure out what my path is. And I went back to my old workplace, started working back there again, and then um, I think it was in 2020. I think it was in 2020. Of course, COVID happened in 2020. So that's when more stuff just, you know, I think got surfaced for a lot of people, not just for me. Oh, yeah. Um, it was a crazy year. But I'm also grateful because it opened up my eyes to a lot of different things. That's when I went to my first sound bath was in 2020. I was like, yeah, I'm gonna go and I don't know what this is, but I'm gonna go figure out what it is. I'm very curious. I go in there and I lay down and I didn't fall asleep, but because I was just very curious, like, what is she doing? She's walking around the room now. She, what, what instrument is she playing? I just peeked my eye, like, what is she doing over there now? But at the very end of it, I was so grounded. Like, I literally felt like I was pulling, peeling my body off of the floor. And I just felt honestly, I felt high. And I looked at the practitioner. I'm like, is this normal to feel this like super chill right now? She's like, Yeah, it is. She's like, Why don't you just sit and wait before you leave? And I was like, Yeah, I think that's a good idea. It was after that that I was like, I need to know more about this. I think the world needs more of this. So I attended a few more sound baths after that, and I asked her to come to my workplace. Just because we work in such a trauma-informed school, like we need to take care of ourselves to take care of the kids. So she came to the school, and a lot of people were like, What is this? This is kind of weird, but they did it. A lot of people signed up for it, and they loved it. That's when I I'm trying to think, whenever I went and got my certification. I think it was in I think it was in March 2023 is when I got my first certification. And then a couple months later, I got my second certification. And then a couple months later, I got my third certification. I'm just continuously learning because there's so much to sound. Oh, yeah. So many layers to sound, and I think that's what's so beautiful about it. I think that's why I love it so much. And right now, I'm currently in a mentorship right now, been in it for about six months, and it's very intense in a good way. And I will have two more certifications by the end of this month. It will be in the Sound Healer Business Accelerator, and then it will also be this is a big one, the International Sound Therapy Association Association. There's only, I think, 86 members that are a part of that. So I feel very honored to be a part of that community. So yeah, I just that's me in a nutshell. I know that was a I love it.

SPEAKER_00: 16:38

No, I loved it. It was great. I had so many thoughts along the way, but I was like, man, she's on a she's flowing. So I just let you go. I loved it. It was great. I was like a great little history there. It's like I loved the whole thing. I had like I was thinking about like I did my first set sound therapy this year. Ashley knows about it. I went and like had this whole like tattoo experience, and she did this like hour long. I had always done sound therapy like for a couple years now in headphones, but never in person and with like the different instruments. Like, I don't know, there was something different about the vibration in person. And she did like an hour-long one all around me and was telling me, like, you know, you'll feel this for the next couple weeks. But I could not like I think Ashley was one of the first people I told about it. It was crazy the experience I've had. I felt like it, like it vibrated things to the surface, like it just broke things off and they floated up. And at some point, I would like move through a memory or an emotion. And I felt freer and lighter, but it was just not something that's easy to describe in the way it felt how things came up and how I moved through them. And it wasn't like I mean, while I was there, it was very relaxing, felt really cool. I had some visuals, I don't even remember them all because it's like you know, such a visceral experience having the sound bath like that. But then the next couple weeks, just it was continuing with just calm and then memories, or it was just crazy. So I like have been obsessed since I think I had one in my pool. I invited you to, I've been to one you've done, and uh want to do tons more. I've looked into that, so I'm really, really loving it. And also been getting more and more into Reiki. Ashley did my first Reiki and then recommended someone that specializes in trauma. And I did that recently and had a great experience with her. So I'm loving all this. You guys have like the combined powers of all this. But I think for a lot of people who haven't tried this before, it's intimidating. And what you start talking about in the beginning, like spirits and angels, that scares a lot of people. It does I've never had those personal experiences, but I grew up my mom, like my mom has those has had those experiences since she was like a small, small child. So like I'm like, yeah, she's not making that up. So I'm fully like, yeah, that's normal to me, because my mom told me about that my whole life, you know. So she saw her grandfather like her whole life and didn't know it was weird until like her his wife, well, her grandmother got sick and he wasn't there anymore. And then she was like, What? And then realized like other people don't see that. And then when her father passed away, he like came and like sat on her bed, and like wow, there's just like all these weird things that happen in years after that, and then who knows what else?

SPEAKER_02: 19:17

Because but so like everybody saw shadows. I'm like, Don't you see shadows in the middle of the night that like literally make your breast stop like you're so scared? No, I thought that was normal, like uh not normal. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 19:31

Well, I mean, I think a lot of people probably just aren't open to it, you know. That's what I was kind of thinking about when you were talking about it. I was like, I actually don't even think I'm open to it because I've had some like dreams that scared me of like people visiting me in my dreams that emotionally I just wasn't able to handle and they didn't come back. And so I'm always like, was that I was I wonder if that was really them? And I just they're like, Okay, she's clearly not ready.

SPEAKER_02: 19:52

Well, your mind will shut it down too because it to protect yourself. So the more that you're I try to look at it as it's not to hurt me, it's being open-minded to it of like what is the message here? I don't know. I think the more that I look at it that way, it's not as scary. It's it's okay. I'm just dumb. Yeah, come through, or maybe there's a message that I need to hear. I get, like I've told you, I get a lot of feathers, like that's when I know I'm on the right path. I have an entire little jar and it's filled with feathers. And those are all the ones that I just found this year that I'll just be walking, and this one will pop up, and I'm like, okay, I'm on the right path.

SPEAKER_00: 20:28

I love that. I love that. I recently had, well, I guess it's been a little bit. She is a death doula and was a nurse first. But we talked, oh, was she a nurse first? Actually, I don't remember. I think she was, but anyway, we talked about like the there is something very consistent about when people are in that stage where they're passing, seeing their family members. Like, and I've like noticed that forever in the hospital. They see their parents usually, but it's not always their parents, it's someone who's already passed, is usually they've they've talked about them or talk to them or say they're seeing them for a couple days. And it's not everyone, but very common that someone comes and sees you before, and it's like, I mean, there's not, I don't think there's a coincidence. Something to it, they're not making it up, right? Totally, totally. So I love this kind of stuff, and I think honestly, this kind of work, like Reiki and Soundbath, actually opens us a little more to this kind of thing. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 21:21

I was gonna share Jess, like I always learn something new when you share your story, and it's always fascinating. And I personally have actually gone to Jess's sound bath uh multiple times, and every time it's a wonderful experience. My first one was we were a friend of mine and I flew down to Santa Fe, and she found a guide there that took us around the area to Aldivore, Texas, and then he did a drum sound bath with us when we were up on a mountain. It was amazing, and so that kind of got me into like, oh, I want to try this more. And I think when I came back here, one of the first ones I went to, Jeff, was yours. So I really appreciated it. And it's just it's a completely different experience. And I think for some that have never experienced it, just try it out. So it's a fantastic you may love it, or I don't know, just it's worth giving it a try.

SPEAKER_00: 22:10

For sure. And I love something we talked about before this, and I know I've talked about it on the podcast a little bit before too is there's some there's some kinds of experiences or memories that occur like one before we have language to describe it or two that like it's just too complex to that to to describe and so things like sound baths and energy work can help give relief in those areas in my experience to some things that maybe be there isn't language to be able to process or talk about or get out in that way. Mm-hmm I love that. So I think for people who may be listening to this and like a little like nervous or just like how how do they how would they start into like learning about sound therapy or learning about Reiki and introducing themselves in kind of like a non-intimidating way. How would they do that?

SPEAKER_01: 23:04

I think starting off by talking about why sound healing works understanding that aspect of it I think will help them feel less intimidated because if you think about it everything around us has a vibration everything has a frequency. We have a frequency this this pen has a frequency we just don't see it we don't hear it but it's there we are made up mostly of water and if you think about what happens when you're playing music really loud think about what it's doing to the water it's creating a ripple effect and that's exactly what it's doing to us it's creating a ripple effect in our bodies and whenever so the vagus nerve let's talk about the vagus nerve really quick that is the longest nerve in the body and that is what delivers body to brain information and we have a branch in our ear which is activated by sound. And when that is stimulated that can also help reduce anxiety help with depression it can even help support stroke recovery.

SPEAKER_00: 24:21

Yeah we do that I work in a neuroICU and that is one of the clinical trials that's been super successful that they're trying to expand into other areas is the vagus nerve stimulator they use the ear and it's so cool because I'm like I'm into this I'm so into this where else are we using so cool to you that like it really is it it helps with inflammation a time which if you know anything about like disease process and illness like inflammation is such a huge factor and so much of it.

SPEAKER_01: 24:47

So much because I mean we store unknowingly we're storing all of our stress in our body so if you start having neck pain or hip issues like we're storing all of that in our bodies and it's nice to have something out there that will kind of help us release those things from our body.

SPEAKER_00: 25:14

And that's what it felt that's what it feels like. I really feel like if I was going to say anything about both the experience of energy work and sound therapy is it feels like a release.

SPEAKER_01: 25:24

Yeah it kind of like the sound is kind of helping you it like breaks it up into tiny little particles and then it just kind of helps you release that from your body it's really a beautiful experience. I mean you I can sit here and talk about sound therapy all day but really you have to go and experience it to truly feel and know what the experience is because sound healing is an experience it's a feeling it's the vibrations it's the sounds that you're healing or that you're hearing and something I always tell people too is whenever you're there my job is not to put you to sleep if you fall asleep that is totally okay a lot of people do that is okay.

SPEAKER_02: 26:20

I've been to where they're snoring and I'm like oh they're they're just relaxed they're just very relaxed.

SPEAKER_01: 26:25

And if that's what they needed that's why I used to think in yoga like if if that you fall asleep that's what your body needed you know yes exactly and you know I also want them to like be aware of like certain sounds that might trigger emotion or certain sounds that you're like oh I don't really like that so much. Just being aware of like what that feeling comes up what is that and I think after you go to a few sessions you know the first time it might not be as I don't want to say as relaxing but your brain is trying to figure out what is that sound? What is she doing? Oh she's walking around the room right now you know because it's new it's different you know that's how I was when I went to my first sound bath you know so I always tell people like you know give yourself a little bit of grace your first session but you'll notice like if you come regularly you will start to learn how to drop deeper into the sound because now your your your hearing is now connected to everything it's now being connected to you and it's be connected to the sound I find that some sounds like actually feel like a massage on your brain like it's like like you're like you know what I'm talking about you're just like whoa what was that like it feels like something's like actually rubbing your brain.

SPEAKER_02: 27:53

Yeah. And some people will even be like hers too which is like it's so beautiful listening to her sing and doing say that again from the beginning because the first oh Jess will actually sing while she's doing like she does some some vocals and the first time I experienced that it was that was really powerful. I mean she sounded so beautiful and I was like wow it's just like lulls you into a meditative state so I love that.

SPEAKER_01: 28:18

Thank you so much. That has been something that I have been integrating into my sessions recently after I went on to a healing retreat this year that like really opened me up like I have been reborn in a sense and that was one of the things that came up for me is like I need to use my voice more. And I didn't really know what that meant at the time obviously I was like okay what does that mean like speaker truth okay I can do that and do all these things but whenever I signed up for this mentorship that was one of the things was working on your vocals and you know humming and chants and I was like okay I'm gonna do it yay that's a very vulnerable thing to do to use your voice. So it was really nice to hear feedback from my clients and they said wow I thought that was what was one that they said oh I thought it was a recording. I didn't know that was actually you I was like yeah that was me like a mermaid.

SPEAKER_00: 29:33

Oh I love that I've had like some vocal stuff like there's like two moments I can think of that were like so powerful for me. One was um one of the first ICUs I worked in a Polynesian family uh like the oldest grandma was dying and she and that's like a matriarchal culture where like the women are really really looked at as like leaders of the family. And the other women in the family I mean there were so many of them I can't they barely fit in the room they're like trickling out but they sang to her as she passed and it was like one of the craziest things ever. I was like I mean I still don't cry thinking about it because like I feel it in my chest. It was the coolest thing ever and then I worked in wilderness therapy and one girl that was out there was native and she did some of her native stuff over a cliff one morning. She just sat on the edge and was like singing her I don't know what to call them. I don't want to insult her but she was singing her these beautiful songs of her culture and it was like vibrating through my body. I was like oh my God what is happening this is the coolest thing ever like where you just feel it head to toe. It's like oh my god yes sound can be so powerful and I always like one of the things I would like hum to my like hum songs to patients like that are in comas all the time while I was doing work without even knowing it as an ICU nurse. And it's funny because now I try to I haven't been bedside in a little while and I'm like what songs were those because I know there were two songs but I can't remember what they are. I feel like if I was in the situation they would just start coming but it's weird and I love it.

SPEAKER_01: 30:56

Yeah I I even do that with uh Animal Reiki um I have a regular client his name is Finn Finn the Cat um I was up there yesterday I noticed that he was in a little bit of distress and I went up there just to get a few things so I was like all right well why don't you come on back here Finn and he he knows he knows the routine he's like all right yes we're gonna have a session he was ready um but one thing I noticed he was doing a lot of flicking and twitching and I go over to him and he lays right in front of me and then I just started humming to him and I started singing to him you know you are safe and you are protected and his whole body stopped twitching and he just went into this relaxed state and it was such a beautiful thing to see because I didn't even think to like sing to him or anything but I think it was my voice my vibration that was helping calm him down. So that was a really beautiful thing to see just with an animal you know they they're not getting into their head about it you know yeah like how we do something yeah lovely humans especially they give you the best feedback because they're you know they're not they don't have like the ego that we have that tells us oh it's real or not or just you can just tell by their behavior. Yeah. What a great so that that's really that's really fun. But speaking about like our voice something that I've learned over the years is that you know our voice carries a frequency and when we're trying to connect with people when we're trying to create that safe space with someone you got to speak from the heart. And when you speak from the heart that travels through your voice and it creates like this safe container for people. And I have had a lot of feedback from people that I talk to and they're like you just create this the safe space for me where I can just tell you everything. And that is something I'm very passionate about doing you know I want people to feel safe and feel heard and really help them through the the hard stuff that we're going through you know so not only is sound healing beneficial you have to integrate all the other things that we're doing too having a community of people that are like minded that feel safe to talk about things that they don't feel comfortable talking to other people about that they might not understand.

SPEAKER_00: 33:40

So yeah it's just that's the theme that comes up on this podcast like every time too is community like how important it is to have a community that sees you, understands what you're saying and that you can talk to like without any fear of judgment.

SPEAKER_01: 33:57

Yes. And that that's a big one because I I have a friend who she's like you're the only one I can talk to about this stuff because if I talk to my other friends about it they look at me like I'm crazy or growing uh horns on my head or something like crazy.

SPEAKER_00: 34:12

I think it's really hard for a lot of people who date male partners because they're so much slower to adapt new things like this. Not all of them but some of them it's really hard for them to like also hear this stuff because they're I don't know I don't want to like make assumptions about men right now but you know what I mean I think it is hard sometimes to share that with your partner because they're a little more skeptical and a little less connected to that side.

SPEAKER_01: 34:33

Yeah yeah I I have noticed that guys do have a harder time connecting with it but I have also met quite a few men that have been very open and receptive to it and just like want to learn more about it.

SPEAKER_00: 34:51

Again the power of community I love that I do have a question for you before we go too far that I thought about well before we get too far away from so when I like I invited you to one at my house where I did it in my pool and I noticed that was like popping up everywhere. Like lots of people are doing the sound in the pool which is super cool. Is there something with water that changes the experience or is that just something that's fun that we've been doing just curious. I mean I don't know if I noticed the difference honestly the most powerful one I did was the one-on-one one where I was like in a room and she was circling me but it was still really cool to do it in water so yeah just my own personal experience every practitioner is different I think that's what's beautiful about this work is that everybody can create their own some people might be more drawn to doing that and that's their calling but for me personally I feel like when I am receiving it in the water I feel like there's too many distractions for me you know like people bumping into me or bug flying in my face or something like that.

SPEAKER_01: 36:01

You know what I mean? For me it was just too distracting for me because I really wanted to be in that deep relaxed state. But everybody is so different with how they receive sound. So there's a lot of people that really enjoy floating sound baths and I think that's beautiful. I think that's amazing but also keeping in mind that there might be other people that that might not be their jam and that's why it's so cool to have so many different types of practitioners out there that offer different things. So how I do my sound baths I might not be for everybody and that's okay. I have come to that um acceptance that I might not be for everybody but if that's the case I can refer them to other practitioners that might be more fitting for them. I think that's what's beautiful about this work.

SPEAKER_00: 36:57

Do you do it one-on-one with people? Do you just do group setting do you do both?

SPEAKER_01: 37:02

So next year there's gonna be more opportunities just trying to slowly ease into this business realm right right now I'm just doing groups there's gonna be more opportunities next year we're gonna have a breathwork facilitator do a collaboration with me Ashley and I are going to be doing collaborations next year. There's gonna be a lot of moving pieces that's for sure I'm I'm going to dive into more individuals but right now I think my main focus is group and then I'll eventually do a Reiki and sound integration session. So it will be a blend of Reiki and sound. So that will be more of an individualized personalized experience.

SPEAKER_00: 37:54

Oh cool I love that yeah okay so now because we're talking about that if people want to learn more about you I'm obviously I'm gonna put this in the show notes but do you want to say like your website or where people can find you in case they're just listening yes so my website is OspreyRisingLc.com that's where you can go and find the link and schedule you can schedule a Reiki session with me and there will be a direct link for the upcoming sound bass.

SPEAKER_01: 38:26

Another place that you can find me is on Facebook. However Facebook is being really difficult right now with me changing my business name it's like they don't want me to so when you search for me on Facebook it will be under rules of healing and my picture it will have a picture of my Osprey rising logo on there. I'm also on Instagram as well that one was allowed to change to my actual business name.

SPEAKER_00: 38:54

So that one is Osprey Rising LLC on Instagram love it perfect perfect do you but you do do the Reiki one-on-one is that what you're yes okay cool yeah cool cool yeah yeah and next year I plan on doing more of like the the sound and Reiki blended together Ashley since last time you're doing one-on-one raking sessions too I don't think you have well you were always doing but you have like a physical location now correct yeah so I rent space in downtown Bellville at stage holistic wellness.

SPEAKER_02: 39:29

I think she might be on your podcast soon actually so I rent space from her and clients there on the weekends and I integrate we it's usually around an hour is normally what is the best it's I I offer 30 minutes but usually a good hour is the best way to go through a Reiki session. And I also do tuning fork work on different chakras as well. So and it's the same thing with what Jess was talking about when you're you know we live our lives in that kind of sympathetic state where we're always in fight or flight because everything's coming in at us all the time. And so when you go through a Reiki session or sound bath it really puts you in that parasympathetic state relaxes you and people feel lighter and kind of calmer and like more connected to themselves at the end of the session. Just like Jeff described in her first sound bath how she felt just wow I feel almost like drunk a little bit what she said. But I mean it's more you just feel really calm and more connected and I think it's really important people that do participate and are open to it you see such a difference from the time they walk in to the time they leave. It's yeah a lot of times my clients will walk in and it's the same thing as well how I am talking 100 miles an hour you know we're talking and we're going and then at the end it's just this like calm state it is the coolest thing to witness as a practitioner and you just really help them go through their healing journey. So yes but yeah you can find me in downtown I'm still on Facebook and Instagram slowly getting my website started but yes I do one-on-one sessions and then our collaborations I also teach fitness classes so our collaborations like Jessica and I are doing one this Sunday on the 14th and I'll do a stretch kind of nice stretch and flow session at the beginning then she moves into sound healing and if people are wanting one-on-one Reiki I can go over and do one-on-one Reiki during that session or sometimes I'll just beam Reiki to the room and last time we did a session together you could really feel the energy in the room it was it was very calming and uh intense.

SPEAKER_00: 41:31

So I love that I I love that okay so one thing what I what did I want to say that came up while you were talking I totally blanked on it because I started imagining being in that room I was like ooh so relaxing. Oh I was gonna I love that you hit on this point that like these kind of things these like um like Reiki energy work sound healing they are great additions to I feel like a lot of other health work it's great preventative care it's great like I wouldn't say like it would replace therapy but I would say that there's certain times where this is what I need more than and I don't I it's hard to articulate it but I feel like there's certain parts of my own personal work that yes I need to go and talk to Therapist, and she needs to like reflect back to me what's happening and or help me move through a memory or something like that. But there's a lot of things I feel like that I need to do things like this for to put me in the place to go to therapy. Otherwise, I can't access that stuff. So for me who has had trauma and then like I work in a career that's like high stress where you're in fight or flight for like over a decade, it's this kind of work that I need to do to be in a place to get me where I can start doing the other work. So I love I don't think a lot of people realize that they're like one or the other, but the truth is it's a mix of all of it. It's not like ignoring. Yeah, it's integrating, it's not ignoring modern like health or like psychology or any of that stuff. It's bringing all of it together and finding the things that work best for you that you feel the most from. Because then I can say that changes for me from year to year, what I'm more into, what my body needs, you know, and but this is a great one and it's an easy one. I know a lot of people struggle with meditation. They struggle like being still, that is a really hard thing. These are great ways to get into those more mindful practices because they don't require as much effort, even though meditation is not effort. If you haven't done it, it can be a lot of effort. And so, like this is our like cheats to get into that space, I feel like, where you like don't have to try as hard, but you're getting the benefits.

SPEAKER_02: 43:37

Yeah. Well, and I think some people look at meditation as an escape, and that's not always what meditation is about. Sometimes it is just about sitting with your feelings in a calm state. And your mind is going to run. That is what the brain is set to do. It works all the time. So I think some people think, Oh, I can't shut my brain down. That's okay. Like that's part of it. The brain is built to do it. It's a practice. Yep. So I what I notice too is when people kind of calm down and get you're into a flow where it's almost the best way I can describe it is when you are just in the moment. You're not worried about the past, you're not worried about the future. You are just in the moment, living life in this calm state, just appreciating everything around you. That's like what you're trying to get to. And that's where when things get a little bit chaotic, being able to have the coping mechanisms to get back to that place is what is really important. And like you said, it's different for every person. Sometimes we do need to deal with the traumas or the challenges that we've had in the past, and and sometimes sitting through that emotion, it's uncomfortable, but it is a part of that journey. So some people love talk therapy, anything that works for them, you know, whether it's going to a therapist, going to a counselor, you know, talking to your doctor about what works for you, and then integrating other options like sound healing or energy work or pranic healing. There's so many different ways to go about kind of moving forward in in your life and in your journey. And that's the thing, it's not a one and done. I think every we in the US, especially, it's like, give me a pill and I'm skinny. Give me this and I'm, you know, and I'm healed. That's not how healing is. Healing is it is an everyday thing. And you like you talked about, you move through different cycles throughout your life. So and you never arrive, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 45:27

You don't arrive, it's just the path changes, you know, like maybe you're on a prettier path for a little bit, but you never, you never arrive.

SPEAKER_02: 45:35

Well, it's true. And I think sometimes when you are open-minded to being on that healing journey, it opens you up to having grace with other people. Oh god, yeah. When people are coming at you sometimes with so much negativity, and you're like, Well, I've never done anything to this person. What you realize it's not, it's not you, it's they're at a different place in their life. And a lot of times we we uh deflect our own insecurities onto other people because we haven't dealt with them yet. And so when you start going through your own healing and you're you're more open to that path, you start realizing like, oh, this isn't about me. You take things less offensively, try to get less defensive about things that are happening, and realize like maybe there's just something going on with them. And not saying that it's okay for them to treat you negatively, but you start to understand things at a different level and you have a little bit more grace in different situations.

SPEAKER_00: 46:26

And you start realizing when you get frustrated at other people, sometimes that's about you.

SPEAKER_02: 46:32

You are yes, I'm looking at you and that's a hard one that I'm insecure about in myself, and I am frustrated with you because I'm secure about it, insecure about it in my own person.

SPEAKER_00: 46:41

Or it's an inadequacy I have that I'm so frustrated at you for not, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 46:47

You see it online all the time on social media. I'm like, when people get on there, they're so brave. I'm like, you're just mad at that person's like standing up and just having the confidence to speak their mind or be comfortable and step into their own power because you're in your power.

SPEAKER_00: 47:02

Attention. Like, how many of us were raised to not be the center of attention? So it's really hard for us to watch people be okay getting attention. There's something in us that's like, you know, I don't even know what that is, but it's like, no, that's totally okay. Like it is that's it's okay to be proud of who you are and what you're doing and take that light, but like receiving is really hard for a lot of us to watch people receive so well. It's like, who do you think you are? Oh, you think you're what you are. That's awesome. Cause I'm struggling with that, clearly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 47:36

Like you said, it was realizing, like, oh, I'm just I struggle stepping in and being comfortable in my own shoes. And so that is reflecting my insecurity within myself. And now I'm being judgmental of that person because they're comfortable with who they are, and I'm not. So I love this. This is like related to like feeling. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 47:58

Okay, we're getting we're getting close to time here, but I do want to, Justin wanna ask you. I asked this to everybody, but um, what is your like go-to self-nurturing practice when things are feeling like they're spinning out of control?

SPEAKER_01: 48:11

Very overwhelming. Um I like to do self-reiki. I have all of my bowls and instruments in my bedroom. So I will just connect with my bowls, or I have a Native American flute that I like to play. Sometimes I'll play my shroudy box and do some vocals. And I like to journal. I will write down. There's this method that I was taught back in June to write down an affirmation 50 times for five days. And that is supposed to like really help you connect and feel those affirmations. And one of the biggest ones that I have been working on this year is I am worthy. And I tell you what, whenever I did it the first day, I was like, okay, that was easy. Then the second day, I, as I was in the middle of writing it, I started to get emotional because I I was now starting to feel that shift. I was starting to feel it. It was, it was almost a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, like I knew I was making a breakthrough. And then the third day, I was really emotional. And then by the fourth and fifth day, I felt those words vibrating through me. So whenever I start to feel dysregulated or feeling lost, or just really anything that comes up for me, an affirmation will come to me. And I'm like, okay, that's something that I need to work on. That's something I need to do. And I think it's like that's one of my biggest things that I like to do. However, my number one thing I love to do is to go outside and walk barefoot and just frolic outside and be one with nature. But you know, winter's here.

SPEAKER_00: 50:09

I know winter in the Midwest.

SPEAKER_01: 50:12

I know. I am a summer. I need, I need sunlight.

unknown: 50:20

No.

SPEAKER_01: 50:21

So trying to embrace the seasons of change. You know, I get that winter is for rest and renewal, and I'm going to embrace that. But those are the practices that I like to do to kind of help me stay centered. I also go to therapy too. She is also into spirituality too. So I like that we can connect through those different modalities too. So she's she kind of weaves everything together, and I like that.

SPEAKER_00: 50:52

Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_02: 50:53

Actually, I didn't have an affirmation one too. I have not heard of that. And that's like that makes sense 50 times for five days, you said.

SPEAKER_00: 51:01

Yeah, I wrote it down for myself to do.

SPEAKER_02: 51:02

I know, I saw your, I was like, oh, that was a good one.

SPEAKER_00: 51:06

That's really cool. Do you have questions for Jeff?

SPEAKER_02: 51:10

Oh, yeah. So with getting into this, what was the what made you decide on sound healing over just Reiki? Because I know that you're certified in Reiki. You have animal Reiki certification. But what drew you to sound healing kind of more as your that's that's mainly like the main portion of your business. And then the Reiki is part of it as well. So what was the the connection to the sound healing over Reiki? I guess not over Reiki, but along with Reiki.

SPEAKER_01: 51:38

I think so. I feel like it gets down into layers, different layers than Reiki does. Not saying that Reiki doesn't get into those layers because it that most definitely does, but I feel like it reaches to people more. And what's beautiful about Reiki is that you can send Reiki through the sound. So people can still get that blended energy through the sound. So I will charge my bowls up. I don't think I've told you this.

SPEAKER_02: 52:13

Um before we do it that day. Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 52:19

Yeah. So I charge my bowls, I charge my instruments with Reiki. So whenever I play them, it is also blending both of the worlds together.

SPEAKER_02: 52:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 52:30

I just really resonate with sound just because I don't know, it does something different to me. It's like listening to music and thinking about like what does this song make me feel? Like this year after my retreat, you know, she said to me, like, it all depends on what type of music you listen to is how you're going to feel. And I was like, huh. I never really thought about it like that, you know. And so listening to the music that they were playing at this retreat, I'm like, it puts me into a whole different mindset. And whenever I listen to like hip hop, you know, whenever I'm working out and running on a treadmill, I'm gonna listen to something like, you know, Snoop Dogg or something. People can connect and relate to more. And then I think that's what kind of leads them to more of like the energy work and into the Reiki, and it just kind of opens up the door more for them.

SPEAKER_02: 53:37

But yeah, that's easier to do the group sessions too. Because I noticed even in the group when I was trying to do Reiki, and it was it was just a little different than when you were doing sound healing, it's so much easier to do a nice large group session and really help a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01: 53:51

Yeah, I just I feel like in sound, I I can connect more. And the more I do it, the more I learn about sound healing. I mean, it's a continuous education. I'm continuously learning different things about sound, and it's truly beautiful, and I can't wait to just keep sharing it with everyone. And you know, I have a client who has been coming to me since the day I started. And, you know, she's even said like she's loved seeing my progression and seeing the change. And she's somebody that feels anxious all the time. And now that she goes regularly, she can, she's more aware of her body and her nervous system. She's not a like touchy-feely person. She doesn't like the hug just because that's part of like her her anxiety. And one thing that she did mention is that she really likes when I go around and play my gong around everybody or play my drum or my chimes. Like I go around everybody so that they can feel the vibrations from the instruments that I'm using. And she said that she's been to other sound practitioners where she hasn't felt that connection with it because they don't go around and do those things. But that's where other practitioners, you know, other people might vibe more with that than what I'm doing. Uh but for her, it really benefits her being a part of the vibrations. I think that's what's the fun part about sound healing is actually feeling the music, feeling the vibrations of the instruments. Um, I think she's gone to like 20 of my sessions.

SPEAKER_00: 55:46

Oh my gosh, wow, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01: 55:48

Yeah, she's she's a regular, she's she's very consistent. She might have missed maybe a few here and there, but um, she's somebody that I always look forward to seeing. But she said whenever she misses a session, she feels very chaotic and can tell like she's dysregulated when she doesn't go on a on a monthly basis. I've also they have also told me that they would like to see me do a sound bath like two times a month. But trying to figure out my schedule and trying to figure out how to navigate, you know, the rental space and all that stuff, you know, the business piece of it all.

SPEAKER_02: 56:29

Challenge. So is that do you want your own space long term? Is that where you see your business going eventually?

SPEAKER_01: 56:35

Or eventually, like that's my that's my goal is to have my own space where I can just continuously do this. And then that way you don't have to like haul everything. And you know, that can be a bit taxing at times, but I love what I do, so it's totally worth it.

SPEAKER_02: 56:55

Wonderful.

unknown: 56:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 56:57

So then would you want to own space with other healers, or would you hope to kind of own the space and then rent it out to others if they would like to use it?

SPEAKER_01: 57:05

I'm not really sure yet. I'm still trying to navigate what that looks like for me. I think I would own it and then rent out the space possibly, but I I haven't thought that deep about it. I love that.

SPEAKER_02: 57:21

And then one thing, the only other question, so you when did you start doing your first group session?

SPEAKER_01: 57:28

It was February of 2024?

SPEAKER_02: 57:38

Okay, and so how did it change and evolve? I know you're you incorporated the vocals later on, but from your first session, kind of like what were the feelings that you had while you were doing it? And like that, because I'm I know when the first time I did Reiki on someone, I was like, oh my gosh, this is really scary. And you had that imposter syndrome and all the fun things. Oh, yeah. Like, how did it evolve from like your confidence in yourself and just how you evolved your actual sound healing session?

SPEAKER_01: 58:02

I'm really glad you asked that because I have really evolved since the very first sound bath that I have ever done. I was so conditioned from I think college and just from society, like you have to do it this way. You have to play your bowls this way, you have to do it in this order. And that like got into my head, even though my teacher did not teach me like that. She's like, you can do whatever you want to do, but in my head, she's she's the best, and I want to do it exactly the way that she's doing it. But that was my own insecurities coming up, right? So my first session, I was very nervous. Like I feel like I was just I was doing it more for them than it was for me. And I think over the time, like I had to realize like I'm also doing it for me, and that's what's going to project out to them. I have to connect to it, I have to connect to what I'm doing so people can feel that. And, you know, I had floor mics, I had a speaker, I had all this equipment to amplify the sound of my Tibetan singing bowls because those are bowls that are really hard to hear in a group session. And back then, you know, I was told like crystal bowls are not the way to go and all this stuff. But over the years, like I I've realized that that's not true. Crystal bowls are pretty awesome. So I bought my first crystal bowl set, and I honestly think that's what really shifted everything for me, too, is like I don't have to bring all of my sound equipment, you know, for it to be amplified. I feel like that was kind of taking away from the experience, too. But yeah, I think it was just really connecting with myself a lot of self-discovery and being more confident in myself. And it definitely has evolved over the years. Figuring out who I am. I mean, I think we're always continuously like trying to figure out who we are. And I feel like I'm finally stepping into that space, and it's been a lot of hard work to get into that space, but it's also been the most beautiful outcome that I've had. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 1:00:33

Yeah, I love that. Well, and that's what we've talked about of like trusting the intuition. And I have some Reiki masters that I work with that are kind of like mentors to me, and that's what they said. You know, if you go into every session, you like want to do it exactly the same way, it's taking away from the actual experience for that client. So it's going in and just trusting whatever instruments you're you need to use, or how like for me, where I need to start on someone, I just trust my intuition and then and let it guide me throughout the session. And it's almost different every time you do a session with someone or you provide a group session, I'm sure it's different because you it changes from what you think that group needs.

SPEAKER_01: 1:01:12

Yeah. And so I do follow my intuition for my sound sessions and like the week leading up to it, I'll start kind of like thinking about okay, this is what I want to do, and in this order, whatever. And then more people will sign up. And I was like, oh, hold on, hang on, maybe I'll do it this way, and then I'll bring this. I'm like, you know what? I'll just bring a few instruments that I can decide whenever I get there, just to see like what the energy is in the room. Like if people are already grounded and feeling into that space, I don't need to do something very abrupt, you know, at the very beginning to help people get into that space. And it's just really reading the energy of the room, is what helps me decide how to guide the rest of the session. I love that. So just a little background on like what I do preparing for a session, like I will start off with some. Something that's a little bit more active with like the higher higher notes. And then I'll start to slow it down with the higher notes and then start slowly blending in more of the grounding deeper tones. And that's kind of like where I start to like bathe you in that vibrational sound. That's where a lot of people love that spot with the gongs and uh the deeper tones. A lot of people resonate with those more. And then after that, that's when I start to gently come back up and introduce more of the higher notes and then bring people back to their space. Because, you know, I don't want people to like wake up from like a super deep state and then have to drive, you know. So I want to make sure that they're okay at the very end that they're able to drive. So I like to activate more towards the end to kind of bring them back into the space. So, but every session is different, but that's still the flow that I follow because I want to take you from that beta brainwave state to delta and then come back up.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:25

So love it. That's so cool. Well, I think we're about out of time. Is there anything you want to add before we go?

SPEAKER_01: 1:03:34

No, I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:35

It's been so great. Thank you so much for coming. Ashley, thank you so much for coming on, too.

SPEAKER_02: 1:03:41

And for everybody, try one of Justice's sound healing session.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:44

Yes, yes, yes, yes. I can't wait.

unknown: 1:03:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:47

All right. Well, I guess we'll end it there. Thanks, guys.

SPEAKER_02: 1:03:51

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:52

Thank you.