Metamorphosis with Vaness

This season is less about having answers, and more about learning how to listen — to yourself, to others, and to what’s unfolding in this new paradigm.

My journey has led me to an exciting artist residency in New York, where conversation, creativity, and human connection have become the medium for my up-coming exhibit.

Centered around the symbol of the butterfly, each episode unfolds inside a shared “cocoon” space, where people from all walks of life are invited to create, reflect, and speak honestly about the experiences that have shaped them.

As I sit with my guests to create butterfly art for the exhibit, a collective portrait of metamorphosis emerges — a record of what it means to change, to outgrow, and to become your true self in real time.

In this opening episode, I sit down with Vaness Henry — shamanic practitioner, storyteller, and one of two producers behind this podcast — to introduce the origins of this season and the deeper intention behind the work. Together, we explore what it means to build something rooted in co-creation rather than control.

We entertain the idea that everyone is inherently philosophical, and when given the right environment, people naturally reveal the deeper truths they hold within.

In this era, is how we nurture one another more powerful than our nature?

Explore the role our relationships have in shaping our health and identity, and the courage it takes to leave behind lives that no longer feel aligned.

Welcome to the Metamorphosis Season of Fairy Tea.

Highlights:

• A season-long exploration of transformation through art, conversation, and co-creation
• The cocoon as a shared space for honest dialogue and creative expression
• How connection and relationship become catalysts for personal change
• Why uncertainty is a necessary part of becoming something new
• The role of the body, environment, and relationships in shaping our evolution
• Letting go of control and learning to trust the unfolding process
• Creating or finding meaning in your life

About Vaness

Vaness Henry is a journalist, shamanic practitioner, and Human Design Variables guide who helps people listen to their bodies and understand the patterns shaping their health and lives. A cancer survivor, her work is rooted in lived experience and a grounded, intuitive approach to healing and transformation. She is also one of the producers of Fairy Tea Podcast through Six-Two Studio, supporting the storytelling and creation of the show.

Fairy Tea is produced by Six-Two Studio.

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Fairy Tea is a deeply personal podcast where I share the raw, honest messiness of life, exploring how to break free from societal expectations and follow the heart’s calling. Blending storytelling, spirituality, folklore, and self-discovery, Fairy Tea is both magical and real, whimsical yet grounded. It’s a space to embrace uncertainty, face challenges without fear, and stay curious about the possibilities ahead. Through my experiences, I invite listeners to see that a new way of living is possible — one that is intuitive, soulful, and uniquely their own.

Instagram: @fairytea.podcast or @akayourfairygodmother
Email: akayourfairygodmother@gmail.com

Transcript

Sophie (00:00.148) We sit together in communion, we sit together in relationship in this cocoon that holds us. So it's a lot about the structure that gives us this space because why do we not all the time like craft, you know, in our everyday lives? We always say, I should, I should, but we don't ever do it because like time runs away and we're busy like with our lives. But if you have like a structure that

allows you to do it. Like it's all about the structure that holds you in time and space.

Vaness (00:33.678) We're in an interesting time right now in that there's a lot that is artificial, is being produced without a human touch, and to sit in communion with someone and use your hands, whether you're baking bread, whether you are making art together and making butterfly-inspired postcards, or you're sharing tea.

having that type of human touch and exchange I think is very healing at this time in our life of rapid change. And what I'm hearing in every episode is that you have a way of spotlighting that we each have a story. Every single person has a story. And what does it mean to be human at this time in this changing era?

Sophie (01:22.238) Welcome to Fairy Tea, where we sip on the ethereal wisdom of the fairy realm and uncover its ancient secrets for healing, pleasure and rest. I'm your host Sophie, here to sprinkle a little enchantment into your everyday life. Think of this as one great unfolding experiment. An invitation to dance with magic, trust the unseen and let curiosity lead the way.

Sophie (02:01.762) to a brand new season of Fairy Tea. It's a whole different ballpark this time around. And I was sort of getting nervous to like how to create the transition between the first season and the second season. So luckily I got help from my dear friend, Vanessa, Vanessa Henry. Hi. I'm so good.

Vaness (02:27.244) Hi, how are you?

Sophie (02:29.334) I'm so happy to be here and I'm very thrilled to have you with me to introduce the new season of this podcast. And you are the perfect person to do this because you're actually producing my podcast.

Vaness (02:44.064) Yes, my husband and I are from 6-2 Studio. And yeah, we are the editors, the producers behind the scenes helping you bring fairy tea to life. We were there for your first season of when you were interviewing people and exploring this concept that you had and all this kind of beautiful sound and imagery. And then when you came to us about this artist residency that you were doing in New York, because you're always kind of traveling the globe, you have such an amazing story, you are really living that sort of fairy persona.

And when you got this artist residency and this project unfolded that was really centered around the butterfly and the transformation and the metamorphosis that we go through as human beings, it was a very exciting project and it was just naturally very different from what you were doing in season one. So I think if you're introducing this show this season, what is this artist residency? Like what is this that you hooked up for yourself and

based on the people that are gonna be involved in this project that you're talking to throughout this season, how did this all come to be?

Sophie (03:48.59) So the first season of Fairy Tea was very much like an introduction to me as a person, right? It was very close to what I do and who I am and how I move through the world. And at the very beginning of like, how do I embody my, what I call like my fairy essence, my magical essence? How do I translate this in a world that inherently doesn't operate with aspects like that?

So it was at the very beginning and then through the first season, like it was almost like this experiment where I started to embody that more and more and it naturally started becoming like an ecosystem. Totally. It started just with myself and then it started to become bigger than myself and it grew like from the inside of me, like outside of myself and into

the different aspects of what make me me. And I think what's very interesting with this artist residency, I only ever replied to one single artist residency. I also knew I wanted to live in New York City. This was just this like, I was so determined to make this work, no matter what I knew, even if it's just for six months, there was just this burning knowing inside of me. And so I applied to this one artist residency in New York City and all I did was

kind of obviously in a very eloquent way, but I was listing or putting together all the aspects that make me me. Which is very interesting looking back. And it was very much revolving around the butterfly, talking to people and creating a safe space. Because what I find so interesting and fascinating about talking to people is everyone

is so inherently philosophical. Or at least whenever I talk to people, like I bring this out of people. Like this is my fairy essence that I think, like this fairy godmother essence that like, whenever I'm in a room, like even with strangers sometimes, and they don't know me at all, and they come out and they like share their profound thoughts around life. And I think sharing these things and getting glimpses of people's insights and such an intimate.

Sophie (06:09.91) and relatable way at the same time, because we all try to figure out how does life work? How do we do this? We're all babies in a way. We're all children and trying to figure it out. it's like, I think to me, it's so healing to connect to people through this and to not keep this to myself, because there's not a lot of space where we give for this. In our everyday lives, there's not a lot of space of like, let's ponder life.

It's happening more in the background. So I really wanted to showcase this. I wanted to showcase that everyone is inherently philosophical. You can actually do podcasts, make a podcast with every single person because every single person has something to say. And then I wanted like a little bit of experimentation in there because that's my favorite thing is like, how do I figure things out? Like, yeah, put myself in a city. I don't know anybody. Like I had like two friends.

in the city when I got here. Like, how am going to make a podcast season with like 13 people coming in? And just like exposing myself in that way and then like making it work seemingly through magic. Like I don't even know what I did. And I have more people that want to do it than I can actually host. It's a good place to be. But I also think it's so interesting because it had to be New York. I don't think the same thing would have worked.

Vaness (07:28.502) a good place to be.

Sophie (07:35.746) back in Switzerland, I'm originally from Switzerland, I don't think it would have worked there. It really is a good environment here, even though it's like in so many ways, it's like the anti-thesis to New York.

Vaness (07:47.854) I think we're all wondering what the heck you put on your application for your artist residency that you just got put one thing on and you got it and this opportunity unfolded.

Sophie (07:56.994) I'm literally telling you, I was like, I'm gonna talk to people. I'm gonna like track the process, because the studio, I invite people into my studio. So here's the, I'm gonna tell you how I...

Vaness (08:11.342) Let's hear the process, Sophie. Yes.

Sophie (08:13.454) I'm going to tell you the process. I invite people into my studio, people that are one way or another related to me in like a loose sense, right? I've had my landlord coming in. I've had my Pilates teacher coming in. I've had my spiritual mentor coming in. Like it's just people from all branches of life that are somewhat connected through me. I consider myself like the embodiment of the butterfly effect of like tying those things together, right?

And then I take them through a kind of ritual in this space and this space. So it's hard to describe this without having felt it, but you have to think of this space as like a little capsule, a little cocoon, literally, but more so energetically. Like I actually worked energetically, like I conducted magic on it.

Vaness (08:57.422) For sure, a little cocoon.

Vaness (09:07.726) You know when you had Manu in, who's a healer, you guys did Feng Shui and energetically aligned the space? Yes.

Sophie (09:14.968) That's another thing and another baseline precondition for this whole project was like, nothing of this project I can do alone. So it's very fitting that today we're together and we're introducing the show together because it is all about surrendering and opening yourself up to the collective, to connection, to co-creation. So all of the project and all of the magic is an inherent co-creation.

Like once something turns relational, it becomes magic. That's kind of like the core thesis of it all. So the magic that I did on that I worked on the cocoon, I could have never done by myself. I'm not that well, like I know a little bit about magic, but like I'm not well enough worse to do what we did. So I needed her to do this and I needed people to like help me furnish the space and I needed people.

to come in and to give me two hours of their day. And when you step into this space, you live in a different paradigm. And it's very interesting. I don't have to tell this to anyone. Like people come in and they're like, why is it so comfortable here? It's like, yeah, because it's magic. It's actually, it's working on you. because it informs your body. It like, you're just like in there.

Vaness (10:37.41) Cast a spell! Yes.

Sophie (10:43.448) There's no competition in there. There's just, they're like the principles, the core principles are just, love, abundance, co-creation, joy. And you feel it, you come in and then that has an effect in your body. And then what we do is we connect to the symbol of the butterfly through painting or creating butterfly postcards. And that really is the

First off, it's to connect to the symbol, to connect to the teachings of the butterfly, but also to keep your hands busy. So when we talk, it's really just this like stream of consciousness and you don't even like worry about your words anymore. just, whatever wants to come up, comes out.

Vaness (11:30.882) You're making a craft together. You're making a piece of art together.

Sophie (11:35.382) And we sit together in communion, we sit together in relationship in this cocoon that holds us. it's a lot about the structure that gives us this space because why do we not all the time like craft, you know, in our everyday lives, we always say, I should, I should, but we don't ever do it because like time runs away and we're busy like with our lives. But if you have like a structure that

allows you to do it. Like it's all about the structure that holds you in time and space.

Vaness (12:09.176) We're in an interesting time right now in that there's a lot that is artificial, is being produced without a human touch, and to sit in communion with someone and use your hands, whether you're baking bread, whether you are making art together and making butterfly-inspired postcards, or you're sharing tea.

having that type of human touch and exchange I think is very healing at this time in our life of rapid change. And what I'm hearing in every episode is that you have a way of spotlighting that we each have a story. Every single person has a story. And what does it mean to be human at this time in this changing era? And it is inherently human to go through these massive life experiences that transform us and shape us and carve us.

throughout our life. My background is in journalism. I was an author and a journalist in a past life. And my work now is oriented around shamanism. And I'm a shamanic practitioner by trade, I guess you could say. And through so much of my work doing sound journeys and musicality, my husband and I have this production company where we produce podcasts, YouTube shows that are like this. But for me as the shamanic practitioner, when this little creature comes before me and she self-declares she's a fairy,

I'm immediately interested because the fairy in the shamanic world, if we're translating her and reading her, there's a lot of omens around trickery. Not that the fairy is going to come play a trick on you, but that perhaps, you know, if they want to have fun, sure. But that not everything is what it seems. And play is available in every single corner of life. And perhaps that play is actually medicinal.

And perhaps what's needed now is to come back to our lore, our stories, our culture. You know, there's rich fairy culture and lore coming out of Switzerland, where you're from. It's no surprise to me that that is something that you connect with and are inspired by. So over in my world, as the observer and writing and this fairy comes and she wants to do a project oriented around the butterfly, the wings, of course she would be connected to this. And she simply wants to go and bump into people

Vaness (14:33.07) pull out their soul through conversation and show the humanity in them and anchor it all around this butterfly and this musing. So what's unfolded now or what has bloomed and blossomed and taken off, you decided I want to go to New York. This is the character I'm playing now. I'm going to go have fun with it and touch people spiritually, emotionally, energetically, and I'm going to figure it out as I go.

And to make everybody more comfortable, we're gonna sit down and do an art project together. And at the very end, there's going to be an exhibit of all these postcards and all this art. Do I have that correct? Is that true? How does it feel for you when I narrate your project back to you like that?

Sophie (15:12.59) Absolutely.

Sophie (15:19.534) so cool. It's so cool because I mean, yeah, I have a million thoughts that go through my mind because I'm like, yeah, the trickery is so foundational because it's like, that's how I kind of like swap back and forth between those paradigms, right? It's like you make it seem like something, but then people want to feel how it might feel. So they actually feel it.

There's an element of performance in it, but really it's my true core.

Vaness (15:53.016) But that's performance art. Yeah, that's performance art. You're putting your soul on the table, you know?

Sophie (15:57.922) But it's like dressing it as art really gives me the freedom to like.

Vaness (16:04.706) think that's needed at this time.

Sophie (16:06.442) And it makes for this whole work to be a portal because the main takeaway of it is you step in and you don't look at it as like you're here and the artist there, but you step into it and you understand you're part of the art. The people that step into it are part of my work. They leave parts of their essence there. They take a part of the essence from the project with them. And it's like a little seedling.

that remains within everybody who's been touched with it. And it creates, I honestly feel like I'm not even like doing anything. And I think that's one of the biggest teachings that I got from the butterflies. Like becoming by being. You're not becoming by forcing, but you're becoming by being. I don't make anything. I don't make anything happen. I just hold the space. I hold this vessel.

Vaness (17:02.09) Nothing can happen if somebody isn't there holding the vessel and holding space. I just want to make sure you're not being dismissive of the fact that you have gathered everyone. You had this brilliant idea. You're the one who decided the butterfly is the muse at this season of life. And you essentially invited everybody into the space to contemplate that. I wonder, there's some amazing conversations in here this season.

Do any stand out to you that you're very excited about? Because I know I'm very excited that the fact there's some non-English speaking ones, like you have some German speaking language or Swiss German, I think is another one. I didn't even realize there could be a difference. So that was very educational for me and fun to look at. What are you excited about? What conversations are extra sparkly?

Sophie (17:48.6) I love this question because every so often I get asked which butterfly is your favorite butterfly.

Vaness (17:56.11) Ooh!

Sophie (17:58.094) And it's the same thing for me. like, can't tell you this. They're all equally amazing. They're all equally unique and beautiful. And even if, you know, by now, like my studio is like halfway full with like butterfly drawings and paintings and creations, I can't pick a favorite. They're all so unique. And the beauty of it is like, they're all made of the same simple materials. It's all...

watercolors, a bit of collaging, as some gemstones, some glitter glue. It's all the same materials. Not one single one looks remotely similar to another one. They're all so inherently unique and special. And that's just, I think, just a beautiful metaphor for life itself, for humankind itself. all, we all belong together. We're all this swarm, right? This like shawl of...

I don't know, what do you like refer to as a?

Vaness (18:57.356) The shawl of bees, here's my cloak.

Sophie (18:59.768) we're all so inherently special within this. And we can celebrate each other's uniqueness and we can amplify it. And we can create, like we can only really co-create from the place of like acknowledging our own uniqueness, our own magic. And then we can bring the magic together and cook something up that none of us could be cooking up by ourselves. I think that's a really cool part.

Vaness (19:27.918) What do you think is the teaching of the fairy? What can we learn from the fairy?

Sophie (19:34.744) honoring our magical essence.

Vaness (19:38.456) love that.

Sophie (19:39.566) living from our magical essence and let that live through. And then following the butterfly. think following the butterfly really is nothing else but like following what feels alive. And when you follow what feels alive, it's impossible to get it wrong, right? It might be difficult at times, but you can never get it wrong. There's no getting it right anyways. It's like just yesterday I...

I want to quote myself, but I made this voice message to my sister and I told her, was like, right and wrong are human concepts. Life is not a human concept. It doesn't apply. There is no right or wrong in life. So I think it's that. think it's surprising about that.

Vaness (20:29.71) Should we start making our art? I am the only person who wasn't in person with you. So I went out this morning and I actually went and bought a postcard. I'm in the Okanagan, so I bought a postcard from a local Okanagan artist named Ashley Green. And it's my favorite postcard, I've bought it before, but I'm actually gonna cover it with some art. And I have some colorful paper, I was just gonna cut out colorful shapes of butterflies, glue them onto it, and then write on the back and send it to you.

So mine would come from a faraway land, perhaps? And what supplies are you using?

Sophie (21:03.854) So I have a little like watercolor set that I'm gonna also make like a little butterfly just next to this. what I wanna do with you is kind of like, as this is the intro episode, I want us to start with the same ritual that I start every episode, love. Like in all of the episodes, I want us to create something together and

and share our shared lore because first off, I love our lore. Secondly, storytelling always. So yeah, Vanessa, you have to know that I'm like such a big fan of like the butterfly effect because when I, and you know about my story because you produced my podcast and my first season is all about how I even got here, but I've had a weird burnout, right? I quit working as a lawyer and I went to see

Vaness (21:37.038) Storytelling.

Sophie (22:01.91) this very, at the time, very quintessential acupuncturist. And I think I went to see her one or two or three times. And by that time we started talking and we started, similarly to what I do with everyone, we started getting to know each other, go more deeper into certain details. And she mentioned that she has a human design certificate.

And she did those readings. was like, what is human design? I think I've heard this once before, few years back, didn't really know what it was. Honestly, it sounded to me a little creepy. I was like, human design? That sounds so weird. Yeah. But I really liked her. I liked her energy. I liked her exchange. I was like, you know what? At this point, I'm desperate. I'm going to try literally anything.

Vaness (22:56.234) trust and vibes, right?

Sophie (22:57.902) Yeah, and she was really excited because I think I was one of the very first readings that she did professionally.

Vaness (23:04.512) you initiated her.

Sophie (23:06.124) Yeah. she, she prepared it like, and she was, she was really like, she did a great job. And essentially I remember the first thing that she told me was like, okay, I looked at your chart and you're a unicorn. Yep.

Vaness (23:24.142) You're a fairy, actually, but there is unicorn energy, absolutely.

Sophie (23:28.514) I mean, same, same, potatoes, potatoes. And I was like, that checks, tell me more. And so she goes on and I think that was the very first introduction that I had to this language that then became over the years became like a really, really important tool for myself. A lot of things I couldn't pack into like language, or I only had like negative, like self-deprecating language around like certain aspects of

who I was and what I did and you know. And from there, I don't exactly know how I think I started, you know, listening to podcasts and like following certain.

Vaness (24:10.652) creators.

Sophie (24:11.308) Yeah, certain creators and I thought more into the theme. And at some point someone talked about this, you know, the priestess of the variables or like the person that you should. Yeah. was really like, someone was really hyping you up and was like, this is, this is if. Yeah. If you want to learn about the variables, which is like.

Vaness (24:32.066) You want to sing in my praises, I hear.

Sophie (24:38.242) you know, a little further in depth into human design. There's like a surface that like similar to astrology, like you at the beginning, you learn new signs, then you get more into like houses and different placements and the conjunctions and the whatever. And, and so what you do is like very much like, like further into the whole understanding of the whole system. Yeah. It's pretty deep. And I started following you.

Vaness (25:01.402) deep.

Sophie (25:06.862) And I was mesmerized with like, does she even, you know, it's like when you witness someone so far into their element, think even if you don't understand it, even if it doesn't speak to you, but just like witnessing you and your magic at the time was very, very special. And it ignited something. And I bought a course from you.

I don't remember what it was called, but it was just this like variable training where you learn in depth about your own variables and your colors, whatever environment. And this was actually something that carried me through some very dark days, very, very much in the beginning when I just moved to Columbia and I had no freaking idea what I was going to do, how all of this is going to play out.

I knew something was coming. knew like I was on the right track, but I had absolutely no evidence outside of myself. Right. And so I remember I had nothing to do. I didn't know the language well. And I was kind of like in this country where I didn't know anyone. And I would spend hours in my bedroom, just like watching your videos and taking like very like in-depth notes, which I normally don't do.

But I was desperate.

Vaness (26:28.098) So why were you so desperate?

Sophie (26:29.826) Just because I was so scared that I have just fucked up my life. That I left my lawyer career for something that is not real. That I would go back after a couple of months with like a beaten dog and be like, my God, like nothing worked out. I don't know. I knew I felt something and it felt alive, but I had no idea what I was looking for.

Vaness (26:32.398) What were you scared of?

Sophie (26:59.148) I mean, looking back now, it's so easy to say, it was, you know, it was predetermined. And this is my reality now. So it's hard to remember the time where this wasn't my reality, but just a year ago, my podcast didn't even exist. Little over a year ago, I was in the jungle of Peru and this whatever entity told me fairy tea, fairy tea. And that was everything I had, right? A name.

And the loose idea of wanting to do a podcast, and for some reason, or for obvious reasons, because I admired you and I wanted to work with you and I wanted to get in closer proximity with you. I was like, this is actually perfect because I want to do a podcast and then I can work with this person that I've been in.

I mean, now we're like, now I'm confident with you. Like, I was so starstruck in the beginning. I was like so shy and I was so scared to, you know, say anything because I was like, this is my idol.

Vaness (28:01.742) This was exceptionally kind. Thank you for sharing this with me. Part of why I'm so charmed is because in that study of human design, we have the same energy. We are both this rare design type. And so I understand that you would look at me and be like, my God, like there's another, there's another one out there. Okay. I know for me, if I find somebody who has similarities to my energy out there, it's very affirming, you know, and I'm very inspired by them.

I mentioned before I'm a shamanic practitioner and the core essence of my work is helping people to understand how their body is talking to them and to learn how to listen to their body. And a lot of my work is actually oriented around health and preventative health, as in like, what do I need to know about my own body in order to be well? Because there is so much information out there now and it's all very good information, but it doesn't all apply to us.

So at this age, how do we filter through what is for us and what is not for us? And we're at this time where we're needing this acute discernment to boldly, bravely say, no, that's not for me. Ooh, I like that. I'm moving toward that. And why I feel this is so important is because when we are not listening to our bodies, when we are going against the grain, when we're pushing hard, when it doesn't feel good, when it's feeling unnatural,

We're actually engaging in self-harm to contort yourself this way and make yourself be who your parents want you to be or who your partner wants you to be. In my work, when we behave that way, what that leads to is illness. And so my work using the human design system, using the body graph as a sort of scan to examine the energy centers we have, which is an expansion of the chakra system, which more people are familiar with that language.

It's just a mutation of how we understand ourselves as human beings. And the name human design is looking about the deeper energy that courses through each person and that we're each different. I've been a human design variables guide for over a decade, but the way that I teach it is very specific to me in that I use it as a healing modality. I think it is a healing tool. And I think that each

Vaness (30:28.078) person, they hear their own alignments, can move toward radical health. And at this time in my life, I'm kind of being called into this chapter where I have to figure out how to talk about this without having to go through the whole human design system, you know, without having to drill down and explain it. Because if someone is sick, they don't have the luxury of going and learning that whole thing. What do I need to know? And so that's kind of what I'm tasked with at this time in my private practice.

How can I use the information I've accumulated, the stories that I've seen? And the reason I care about this is because I was sick. I had cancer as a child. I lost a parent to cancer. I was very touched by cancer in my personal story. And so I grew up in the hospital. And so even though I am not a doctor, I can speak the language of what is neutrophils? What is cyclophosphamide? What is doxorubicin? How does my hemoglobin work? Because that was just my natural environment of survival.

So now when I go into spaces and I'm talking about healing the body, it is lifestyle medicine. It is not putting pills in the body that treats a symptom superficially without actually understanding what has this person gone through, what have they injured, and how is their body talking to them. So for example, when I look deep into your soul and I look at your energy, you have these predetermined symptoms.

where if you're not honoring your instincts, if you're not speaking and using your voice, you might get sick in these specific ways. You might have issues with your mouth, with your teeth, with your tongue, with your jaw. And let's just say you do, or you get this chronic cold, that's your body's specific way of talking to you. It's not necessarily the way my body would talk, so I might not have to watch for that. So it's this time, in my opinion,

of empowering each other to listen to our bodies and to be discerning about what is for us and not for us so we can move toward these kind of greater states of health. So you found me while I was right in the middle of that journey of figuring out how do I share this with the world? How do I connect with sick people? But also somewhere I'm also called a lot. I'm a parent, so I get called into parenting a lot because parents want to know.

Vaness (32:46.712) How does my child need to eat and be nourished? And what do they need to have around them environmentally to support their development? And that's really where I specialize. So now I'm like, well, how do I talk to parents? How do I talk to sick people? How do I talk to parents? How do I talk to creatives who are wanting to optimize, understand their energy, or with a lot of entrepreneurs? Because you don't want to be unwell in your business. don't want to be unwell in your life. And I think when we start to recognize like,

the relationships I'm in, which is a lot what your show is really deeply examining. The relationships are my environment. People are my environment. If I'm in an unhealthy romantic relationship, I am unhealthy. If I'm in an unhealthy dynamic with my coworkers, I am unhealthy. And I do take that home with me.

It stays with me because if I go live that way throughout my day, I'm spending a significant amount of time doing something that doesn't feel good in my body. And if I live my whole life that way, what do I think is going to happen to me? I think the body will get deeply confused somewhere, try to be what it's not, and the cells might get confused and start to grow things or behave in ways that is not natural to them. I've been tracking different types of cancers, specifically MS and lupus.

and a variety of illnesses and all the patterns they all share energetically. And I think because of my background in journalism, I like to watch, I like to observe, I like to ask the questions, I like to document. And once you accumulate enough data, it just kind of starts to prove itself. So I'm kind of in a time in my life where I'm like, I focus on doing the projects that are fun for me and...

making the art I want to make in the world because life is too short not to do that and I'm not interested in spending my time doing things I don't enjoy. I'm not interested in working with people who are not open to hearing my perspective because I recognize my work would not be for everyone. And to be honest with you, I think everybody is sort of being called right now. I think you're being called with the way the world is shifting and we're entering truly this new paradigm. We're seeing that the way the world is structured is no longer working.

Vaness (34:55.372) And we happen to be the generation who's alive to help build what the future is going to be. And I think that's actually very exciting, even though it could sound scary.

Sophie (35:04.332) I think even like us working together in a way like you, when you just shared, think it's again, it's like just seeing you and your element and like, that's, that's magic. It's like bringing all the ties together, right? You have your shamanic route and then you have your human design and then you, bring it together and you, you cook it together and then it becomes this.

Unique thing that makes you you and your work you and being in that is so freaking cool and I know that from experience because I Again, I was this little mouse. I was like I want to do a podcast and I hit you up and You in a way worked That magic that you just explained you work that on me You were like girl

Vaness (35:54.584) Do what you want.

Sophie (35:55.79) Yeah, do what you want. Be unapologetic about it. Speak your truth. Your truth needs to be out there. And you have, and that astounds me time and time again, because you still do this after over a year. You have such magically like time, like divinely timed way of checking in with me.

Vaness (36:20.716) You do always like that, hey? Yeah, you always have a little tickle with that, I like that.

Sophie (36:25.1) Yeah, I was like, wow, how does she know that I needed those exact like this little like nudge this little like, you're so good at filtering out. I can ramble and ramble and ramble and you're like, that's what you want. I made a decision for myself. It was like, I'm sick and tired of being like, of seeing everything that's wrong and not changing anything. But like actually changing things like

We never talk about how hard it is to rewire certain patterns to rewire. Cause it's so scary. Like your body, like the, the amount of times my body goes into absolute nervous dysregulation because I try it's something that I've never tried before because I'm like, well, the old thing hasn't worked. So I have to go a new path, but I never know whether that path is actually going to work or it's just going to lead, you know, lead me astray. So like.

And then I have to come back to like regulate myself. it's like a very, it's a very invisible journey in, in, in a lot of ways. And you have a natural understanding of that. like working with you. And I said that before to you with you and your husband is like, it feels like working within a new paradigm. Cause we completely focus on different things. And I, I, I'm 100 % convinced that.

the output is as good as not better. Cause it's everything carries a certain energy, right? If we work together in this generous way with one another in this way of like, I want you to honor your body as much as I want myself to, you know, you want me to unlock and then you work together in like this collaborative, supportive way. And then what we create carries that energy. think that

time and time again, that's another layer of my project also is like, the process is magic. The end product is kind of like a fringe benefit. It doesn't really matter. The project itself and the energy that you weave into that process is what's going to ripple out, is what's going to carry, is what's going to touch.

Sophie (38:42.092) Working with you has been a journey, a healing journey. Like I feel like you kind of like shamanically accompany me and like look at me today and look at me a year ago. Like I, I'm so curious what's your perspective on that because it's been such a transformation.

Vaness (38:59.192) To be totally transparent, I have a hard time imagining you as a lawyer. You are such the embodiment of this beautiful woman in her 30s with this rich past, rich set of experiences. She's traveling the globe. She's following her spirit. And she moves like a fairy. I think...

You know, my goodness, I got into this book series, this fiction series a couple years ago, it all about the fairy realm, and I was like, Sophie, go off about fairies, because we are in a time where things are so, they're dismantling. They are in the process of breaking down, and that is scary. And so we're in this time, I truly feel, of needing to be re-enchanted.

to remember there is something numinous and magical in the atmosphere within us. We have this incredible creature form that has all these powerful senses and abilities that we're just learning how it works. And we have this divinely beautiful spirit that comes in and sits at the seat of our soul and witnesses this profound experience on earth that can end at any time. It can end at any time.

Like as I'm listening to you and you're like, I want to do this, I want to do that. And it's got to feel this way and that way. And I'm like, and it's got to be fucking fun. Cause if you're not enjoying yourself along the way, what is the point? And that's the first marker. If you are living your life and you are not enjoying yourself, just admit that that's the first step in some type of radical transformation. You stop running and denying from this thing chasing you and you turn around and you face it and you look at it you make it real.

And as soon as you do that, as soon as you acknowledge the wound, acknowledge the ache, you move toward accepting that it's really there. And in that sinking and acceptance, something will change. You will shift. It may not look how you think it's gonna look, but you will because you've stopped running from the thing that's haunting you and chasing you. So when I think about who you were, I don't know her. I only know this person.

Vaness (41:16.526) And you know, I haven't particularly witnessed the big grand transformation because I feel like it happened privately somewhere. And then you emerged and said, this is who I am. And I said, hello, you. Nice to meet you. You're sparkly and fun, flitting around the globe, impacting people and leaving your little fairy dust everywhere. And I just think that's very inspiring.

Sophie (41:40.088) Thank you. What I'm doing is like I'm mythologizing myself.

Vaness (41:44.994) What's your lore? What's your story? Re-enchantment. You know, that's what I mean. Like, this inherent magic.

Sophie (41:51.576) people around me have so much fun participating in it. That's what I always look for is like the inherent like win-wins. Like it's fun for me. Like it's the funnest thing for me, but it's so much fun because people have a way to connect with me like through the butterfly thing. It's like, it's such a wonderful connection point. I literally did like this week I had a person from Canada send me.

I'm napkins.

Vaness (42:22.072) You're getting your first fame gifts. That's fun.

Sophie (42:25.24) How freaking cute is this?

Vaness (42:28.142) That is so cute. my god.

Sophie (42:30.444) This win-win situation for me is like at the core again, it's like the butterfly. then I like weave this really, ecosystem where everyone who wants to can be involved and have their own experience of it. And it feels like it's just at the very, very, very beginning of everything. And I think that ties back to what you just shared about like, first off, if you're not happy, but also.

Way harder than acknowledging that you're not happy is like acknowledge what you actually want. Like I felt so, I've been so conditioned into not wanting what I want and into thinking that I choose what I want. Like what the fuck? Like you want things and you just want them. And there's no way of like arguing with that. You can still, you know, you can put it into like, is it going to kill someone that maybe just don't do it? But.

Ultimately, like you have no saying over what you want. And I think that was a very important lesson for me. And from that, I know, and this ties again, ties back to like the specific energy type that I am. If I don't do what I inherently want to do, my energy runs out in no time. Like that's what happened when I was a lawyer. I got burned out to a degree that was

It's cruciating. And I didn't even, my job wasn't even like crazily demanding or anything. I was working for the university. That's about as chill as it gets. It wasn't aligned for me. And so I very much realized that like the thing that I do has to be something that I inherently like that lights me up. And so this project in a way, and also my application for this residency was really like me putting together all the juiciest.

Vaness (44:04.354) But I wasn't a lion for you.

Sophie (44:24.514) choose the parts of the things that I love doing most and creating my own little playground that happens to be a healing modality and of service. And I, I do believe that it's of the utmost service because my heart's core, because it's so indulgent, because it revolves around me and like, like I get all the attention.

Vaness (44:52.472) Yeah.

Sophie (44:54.754) Being indulged in being self-centered is inherently good.

Vaness (44:59.118) Right, when did that become a bad word? Why are we taught it's so bad to focus on ourselves? Why are we taught that every single person must come before us? Who declared that to be the way? I don't think anyone did. I think it is just what simply happens when we are looking at each other and comparing to one another. So what kind of world would we live in and what would it feel like to be alive if we were always reflecting back to each other who the individual is? And it was up to ourselves to take back

our personal authority, not give our power away. It was up to us to follow our dreams, not build the dreams our parents had but couldn't build. You know, a lot of it is that. It's not wanting to disappoint someone, it's wanting to be a good girl or a good boy, or whatever that may mean to you. And then we wake up. You know, a lot of people get to 40 and they're so miserable because they've built this whole life on someone else's story and they have a breakdown or they get sick and they have that opportunity, that moment where they could shift it.

And then also that doesn't happen to some people. Why? How are they living? What are they doing? May we understand? May we watch them as an example? How's your postcard looking?

Sophie (46:09.07) It's coming together.

Vaness (46:11.301) my God, look at me.

Sophie (46:13.102) I love the little like coming three dimensional aspect. See, that's so cool that like having people create postcards is like every single time someone comes up with something new. Whenever I think, I've seen it all. Like for example, Manu, my spiritual mentor.

Vaness (46:18.232) Thank you?

Vaness (46:34.52) I love that conversation.

Sophie (46:36.718) We created this beautiful butterfly and then we hung it together and she looks at it and she's like, you know what? I think mine has to hang upside down. And I was like, absolutely. Yours has to hang upside down. That's what's going to happen. everyone who sees it is like, yeah, that's how it's supposed to be.

Vaness (47:00.3) Yeah, like people do what you want, have fun along the way.

Sophie (47:05.346) we can do what we want and people celebrate you for it. Cause it's like, you, if you kind of like remain in like this old paradigm, you're like, you're, just going to be isolated. Yeah. You, you know, this whole narrative of like, you have to let go of everyone who doesn't support you, but then it, paints a picture of you being all alone, but true to your, to your desires. And I don't think that's true at all. In fact, like me being like, I'm a fairy.

Vaness (47:30.542) I

Sophie (47:34.168) I had no evidence in the real world of that being of resonance in any way. I was just like, you know, I'm just going to state it and everyone was like, okay. And then lo and behold, one year later, I have so many new friends. Truly some of the, like the girl that I went on the road trip with is one major example. I don't think I would have met her if I hadn't worn my magical essence on my sleeve.

Cause it was like, was this, this thing of like us recognizing each other. And she's one of my closest friends now. In fact, I'm going to visit her tomorrow in Chicago. So I believe that like you can only win. I know how this sounds cause it's always like so easy to say it in hindsight and it's still so scary. You know what you said just earlier about.

having to acknowledge and make it real that you're miserable, that whatever you do is not working for you. Do you know how many internal deaths I died accepting that fact? Like I wholeheartedly thought my life would collapse on me.

Vaness (48:35.118) First step to healing.

Vaness (48:46.606) And here you are, stronger than ever, with no-

Sophie (48:48.554) No plan out, no alternative with no nothing. And yes, here I am. And it's like, you have to step through the portal. You have to take the leap and you will always be one way or another. You've got to be helped, but you have to take the leap. And I think that's the biggest teaching. I keep like learning this over and over and over because you've re-encounter it every time again, right? You like reach another threshold and you're like, my God.

the last two weeks I was in this liminal space where I like, I'm realizing I'm like letting go of old stuff, but I'm not fully arrived in a new things. And it was so uncomfortable. So many old feelings that came up. Totally. I hate this.

Vaness (49:31.874) You know, I have a note on something that you said because I saw myself in it. I heard my own story and I do want to say it to you because I think that you will feel it. When you are building this awareness muscle and you are learning what it means to be you and how it feels to be in your body and what those unique feelings are for you, because not everybody experiences what you experience. It takes a lot of heart to look around your life.

and realize you're in unhealthy dynamics. For example, realize you're in unhealthy relationships, that you perhaps say yes to everything when you want to say no, that you feel unseen in front of your caregivers or your parents or your spouse or your friends. And that feels awful. And the thing is, when you admit that it feels awful, you do get to change the dynamic between you and that person. When you are radically honest, yes, people may fall away.

You know, we have to take a responsibility that we play a part in these roles in our relationships and we contribute to the unhealthy dynamics. Not everyone in your life is the problem. Not everyone outside is who you should be blaming. That's giving your power away. When you recognize the role you play within the dynamics, within the relationships, you can change it. And there are times where there is this confrontation that you do need to have.

because you're hurting or they're hurting or it's just all fucked up. And sometimes you do lose those people. Other times you just need time to go on so that you can feel your feelings and you will circle back and find each other even if it's years later. I do not feel in my heart that the world is filled with bad people or that people are born bad. I do think we could be conditioned into doing things and nurtured into doing things that maybe we wouldn't do on our own or maybe aren't in our best interest.

But what has proven true for me, when I started to let go of the unhealthy relationships, allowed myself to feel the devastation and heartbreak that I was feeling from losing that valuable person. But knowing something wasn't right and that I too played a part in that, it's not their fault, they're not bad, I love them forever and into the beyond and always will. But what happened was I made space.

Vaness (51:52.696) for new dynamics to come in. I wanna see what it's like to be in a healthy friendship. I wanna be surrounded by people who champion me and support me. And that's the only way I'm going to meet my friends and my people. We will not tear each other down. We will not belittle others. We will champion and lift each other. And I'm only willing to live in a reality where I'm surrounded by people like that. So lo and behold, if somebody doesn't meet those requirements,

they're not in that orbit with me, they're in something else. And so for me, the reason I always champion to people, yes, sometimes you need to break up with people. Yes, there might be some times where it feels lonely, but sometimes you're in an abusive dynamic and you need to get out of there. And you might not even realize you're in abusive dynamic because that has been your whole life. And only when we get

of our original family and go meet and make our own families do we realize shit that was maybe not okay that we did that in my origin story in my origin site in my origin family and so it was so healing for me to then make friendships make relationships that blew my expectation out of the water I didn't even know we could connect in this way I didn't know someone could hold my heart and my spirit that deeply I didn't know that it wasn't only war and fighting that I had to expect I didn't know

Peace was what was available to me. So for me, it was so worth the breakups, the shifts away. I don't hold any ill will in my heart towards those people and I send them love when they come into my mind. But I also don't need to have them with me in this version in my life if that doesn't feel right for me. And I have dabbled with, let's circle back and see if it's time. And I've had the cases where it was and the cases where it's like, no, I know why we're not together, you know?

There hasn't been the shift that I need here or in some cases, this is very telling even of my own energy. Sometimes I don't like who I become around certain people and that's okay. It's up to me to be discerning and what's for me and what's not. And also to not take anything personally, because everyone is on their own trip. They have things going on that I don't know about. So if somebody loses it on me, can I offer them grace? Can I go, hey, my friend, that was intense.

Vaness (54:11.404) You know, and you'd be surprised when you turn around and face the thing instead of running from it. It's incredibly disarming.

Sophie (54:18.684) absolutely. think, what you speak to is deeply resonant with my own experience. And what helped me a lot was like understanding that it's, everything is very circumstantial, right? You and I come together and we create something like a third entity. it's like, that third thing can be very explosive. That third thing can be very kind and loving and sweet. That third thing can be super boring.

It's not you or I. I have a tendency to always blame myself.

Vaness (54:53.56) I did it. I fucked it up. I must be the problem. Yeah. Yeah.

Sophie (55:00.692) It's not them either, but it's like this third thing that like, and you're absolutely right. This also goes through stages and it can perform and morph and whatever, but ultimately...

Vaness (55:13.566) You know what though, Sophie? It's not you and it's not them and it's not me, but it is us.

Sophie (55:19.342) Yeah, no, 100%. And so what?

Vaness (55:21.582) What does it mean to be an us, to be a we, to be in relationship, to be in dynamics like that? And this is something very unique about your energy and the way you're designed and made and put together and assembled. You are so about the other. So much of your learning comes through the other. Your brilliant insights and awareness don't always happen in isolation in your room by yourself. Oftentimes, it's a flash when you're crossing the street and you see someone in a beautiful coat and they wink at you and it's like, who the hell are you?

You know, I'm so drawn to you. And I think because you're an example of someone who follows that magic as it's sprinkled through the atmosphere, you do resonate to the valley. So you are always in this cacophony of information and connections and opportunities kind of around you that like you could go anywhere. You could do anything. And I feel like you had that experience and that transformation and are now this example of I'm doing it. And you know what? It's not as scary as I thought. In fact, it's liberating and it's freeing.

Sophie (56:20.174) Absolutely. And I think one major aspect of this is, you also touched on this briefly before, is like, how do you even know what that means? Because theory and how it feels are two different things. I think before you feel it, you don't really know what it is. you need, I think what was most crucial for me is to have like a point of reference.

And I think that's also, again, a part of my work is like to create this point of reference. This very like, what does freedom in that sense, what does being in a space, being in relationships with others without any expectations in like this healthy state of like, you are you, I am me, and we're just going to respect each other. What does that feel like? And I think once you have that seedling, you can grow that.

Vaness (57:06.242) We respect each other.

Vaness (57:14.688) Some people don't know. Some people don't have that example.

Sophie (57:15.978) Exactly. you, it's like, you need to have like this point of residence. You need to create this point of reference because once you do, it's so much easier. It becomes so much easier to be like, to discern, right? Cause if you don't have a point of residence, how are you supposed to discern? How are you supposed to discern what is healthy and what is it?

Vaness (57:37.634) Right, so here we are. No one expects you to know how to listen to your body if you've never been taught. If your entire experience has no, do it this way. Mom says it's like this. Dad says it's like that. Don't eat with your mouth full. Don't talk like, no, no. If you're constantly controlled and you're conditioned away from listening to your body, that's where you are. That's what I mean about acknowledge, admit, accept, turn around and face it. I don't know how to listen to my body. I don't know what my signals mean. Okay, that's where we are.

Now you get to enter into the fun experiment of learning what that is for you. And that is honestly a very exciting place to be. Because then when you realize your body is talking to you, you feel magical. That's that re-enchantment. You feel like, oh my god, this is not my body. It does not belong to me. There is a spirit part of me. There is a part that's watching and noticing this stomach is growling. should I eat? Of course you should eat.

you're even questioning is you know you're you're far from yourself. So the way I like to describe it is is that spirit sitting at the seat of your soul. Are they at command? They're witnessing. Are your spirits scattered running amok and you and you're flying by the seat of your pants and responding to this person and that person trying to make everybody happy about yourself. If you are that's that's where you are. There's nothing wrong with where you are but just admit where you are. So once you admit where you are and accept where you are you'll know where to go and you can start listening to your body.

Sophie (59:04.27) Absolutely. think this point of like no judgment towards yourself, stop like taking out that judgment. then what I'm hearing from you is like creating that point of reference within yourself. Right. Creating this relationship, this loving and kind relationship with yourself. And you're right. Like going on this journey and like figuring out your body and figuring out what you want and what you don't want. It's like, it's the coolest thing ever. Like once you started, you cannot...

stop anymore. Like it's just this point of like getting started.

Vaness (59:36.076) The journey is what's fun, right? Yeah, not the destination.

Sophie (59:39.298) But during like experimenting with like what works, what doesn't. How could I tweak this? So indulgent. It's so, it's so fun.

Vaness (59:49.262) So I finished, think. I think my postcard is done. I'm seeing I'm going to have to put in an envelope to send it because of this 3D thing that I've decided to do. But I wanted to thank you for including me my husband and our company, 6-2, in this project, but also on a personal level, because you really said some very beautiful, kind things to me. Thank you for that. You touched my heart. I'm not going to breeze. I'm going to copy that down when I'm having a low day. I'm just going to go listen to this.

And I'm excited for what you're making and how it's received. And I hope that the exhibit portion goes well and is like what you want and you have fun with it and that you are so enriched by your experience in New York, however long it is, whatever you decide to do. It's truly just a privilege to watch the journey unfold because it's really fun and it's really exciting. You meet some really cool people, Sophie.

Sophie (01:00:37.282) Yeah, thank you. It's been so cool to unveil this new season, this new... It feels like a very natural progression of what started out. It's a little more conceptualized, but honestly, I approach it as art in a way of, how can we push the boundaries like podcasting, making podcasting actual art?

And I think everyone should treat their lives like that because if you understand, I mean, is art? Art is creation, creation is life. Like we're all art. And like coming from that place and like honoring the things that you make. And that's kind of like what wants to come through that. So I'm very excited for everyone out there to listen to all the different...

Cause they're all kind of the same, but they're all so different, right? They all have like such a different flow, such a different...

Vaness (01:01:34.06) Well, I think what you're displaying is we're all human.

Sophie (01:01:37.038) Yeah, everyone has, I mean, you said that in the very beginning, and I love that sentence. Everyone has a story. Engage with people's stories. That's, if I can, if I can share one piece of wisdom that I have today is like engage with people's stories because it's what makes them magical and weave them together with your own and, just let it unfold because that's truly what's happening here is like things just unfold more than anything.

Sophie (01:02:12.568) If this episode stirred something in you, I'd love to hear about it. Send me a little whisper on Instagram at fairytea.podcast or just write the words fairy wings in my DMs. That's how I'll know you were here.

Vaness (01:02:40.652) This was a 6-2 studio production. Find us at six-two.studio for all your creative sound needs.