074 ALTERNATIVE Medicine: What athletes need to know about PLANT medicine & REIKI

Buckle up for this episode as I sit down with my wonderful friend Stephanie Neville. Stephanie is a former professional volleyball player and current Reiki practitioner living in Montreal, Canada. She is an advocate for plant medicine, meditation and mindfulness to promote mental health and spiritual growth.

In this episode Stephanie and I discuss:

🌱Her Ayahuasca journey in Peru
🌱Benefits of  Ayahuasca and Plant Medicine for spiritual growth
🌱Stephanie's transition from volleyball to Pharma to being a reiki practitioner
🌱What the healing modality of Reiki actually is and does for people
🌱How mindfulness impacts daily performance

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Kerri

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Transcript

Hi, I'm Kerri bicskei, professional athlete, licensed therapist and mindset coach. I created Ready, set, mindful as an online mental health resource for athletes and high performers like you. And this is the Ready, set, mindful podcast.

 Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Ready Set, mindful podcast. I am your host, Kerri Bicskei, former pro volleyball player, turned therapist, and mindset coach. If you're an athlete or a high performer wanting to improve your mental performance, you're in the right place. Stay with us for this episode.

I'm so excited to have my guest, Stephanie Neville on the show. She's a friend of mine. She's also a former pro volleyball player. Uh, went to college at Florida State University. She's a Reiki practitioner and an advocate for alternative medicine, and she lives in Montreal, Canada. So welcome to the podcast staff.

Hey. Hi. Thank you so much for having me, Carrie. Of course. We did another podcast. Gosh, what episode is that? We'll have to link it in the show notes. We did a. An episode a while ago, but now so much has changed. Uh, so we have to do another one. Right. Absolutely. I'm so excited. So Steph and I, just for a little bit of context, we know each other from our college days through our mutual friend Jordana, who introduced us, and we've just kinda stayed, stayed connected over the years and both have really similar interest in, you know, plant medicine and healing and mental wellness.

And so it's just, I don't know, it's just super cool how we have volleyball ca you know, as a, as a connector and then we also vibe on this other level and you've have such an interest in that, which I think is so amazing. Yeah, absolutely. Aw. Always good discussions when the two of us are chatting. Yeah, I love it.

I'll have to come and, uh, how is it over in Montreal? No, I, I have to come and visit again soon. I loved it so much there. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It's getting beautiful. It's now like, I mean, we're in Celsius, but like 20, 22 degrees sunny. It's like finally spring is here. Everybody's happy, everybody's excited. So it's a good time of year.

Oh, I love it. The weather changes people, right? Yeah. Oh totally. Everyone's got a little pep in their step. They're like, yeah. Feeling themselves. I love it. Yeah. Um, so let's get into, I mean, you've played volleyball for probably as many years as I have. I mean, it's been such a massive part of your life and, you know, how was that transition for you?

I'm doing transition week, uh, you know, on my social media channels, just cuz like now is the, the stage where we're transitioning. Uh, as we said, like with the weather, uh, seasonally, and then also a lot of student athletes are getting ready to graduate, maybe go play pro, maybe their career's ending. Um, but how did you kind of transition from playing volleyball and then getting interested into this fullness space where you're at right now?

Why don't you kind of give people a little bit of background? Yeah. Uh, good question. Um, so I mean, it was kind of a gradual journey, I would say, like in terms of, uh, my interest, uh, in the wellness space. I, I can't say that I was really interested in it when I was playing volleyball or even right after I graduated, but it kind of was born at a necessity.

Um, when I feel like sort of the pain of avoiding those uncomfortable feelings got big enough that I had to say, wait a second, let me take a pause here and figure out what's going on. And then it sort of became my new. Obsession is, I, I don't like the word obsession, cuz it feels too, it's almost like a negative connotation, but I became fascinated with, with wellness.

But yeah, in terms of, uh, transitioning outta sports, it was, it, I feel like it was a, a gradual transition. I mean, when I first graduated, I still played a lot of volleyball. I still played volleyball today, but you know, when I, it's com it's almost like you have to come, like, come to terms with that identity, that piece of you dying, like, okay, I was a full-time athlete and now like you have to embrace the unknown.

But, um, yeah, so I played a lot of volleyball when I first graduated and then I went back to Play Pro cuz I had sort of always been curious about what that would've been like. And the company that I was at at the time had just been bought out and so the culture didn't really fit anymore. So it seemed like a great opportunity to kind of go and, and fulfill that dream.

Uh, and then after I came back from playing pro, I still played a lot of beach. I mean, I really love, I mean, I think you, you and I both, and, and athletes in general, a lot of them graduate and they still have that love for the game, right? So loved, loved, um, the opportunity to play beach, uh, competitively in, in the US and Canada just at, you know, high level tournaments after I graduated.

Now I feel like. I just realized there's on only so many hours in the day and I feel like I'm destined to do more. So as much as I love volleyball and I'll still definitely play, it's not as big of part of of my life as it was even the, like, the five years after I graduated when I was still playing like every weekend.

Um, but yeah, it's al there'll always be that, that place in my heart for it. But it's just like, you know, there's more, I feel like everybody grows and evolves and now there's like something calling me like, okay, let's put our energies into developing something in the wellness space cuz my soul is speaking to me, even if I don't know exactly what that's gonna look like yet.

So, yeah. Yeah. I, I mean, I love everything that you said there. And the thing that makes me the most curious is just when you said the painful realizations or like those painful space that you were in kind of called you to take a pause and figuring out like what was actually happening. Can you talk a little bit about.

What was popping up for you and why you felt like you wanted to address that, or it was important for you to kind of address those emotions and address that like space that you were in at that time? Yeah, I mean, I just got to a place where I was really feeling low and you know, to the point where I decided to go to a therapist to figure out what was going on it.

I didn't really know how to handle those feelings and I just said, okay, well I'm gonna start somewhere. Um, and I just sort of. Became more aware of, you know, the feelings that I was experiencing and started to pause and pay attention to them even though they hurt like hell and didn't feel comfortable.

Um, and then it was sort of like a gradual, I think there was something in my being that was sort of calling me towards that path of, okay, let's pause, let's take a, a little bit more of a, a dive inwards here. Versus just avoiding, avoiding avoiding, you know, uh, with alcohol, with, you know, being busy all the time with friends with this and that.

Um, it, it, it came to a head and, um, I mean, I'm so grateful that it did, because that's, sometimes that's the, the shift you need to, to change course. Um, but then it kind of, Has naturally evolved gradually since, since that time that I, that I decided to go to the therapist. Um, I, I remember she introduced me to a book called, um, the Untethered Soul, which I think you're familiar with.

And it was Michael Singer. Yeah, Michael Singer. Oh my gosh. I still go back and read that book. I've recommended it to like all my friends and family. It's like, as you know, life changing, it really makes you pause and think like, who is that voice inside? You know? Um, and then I actually, because I was still dealing with a lot of these heavy feelings that were, I.

Difficult to deal with at the time. I also, I'm sure the universe brought me to, to a, a reiki practitioner, Reiki master in Toronto, who I still see today. Her name's, uh, Vivian o Sal, and she's phenomenal. And I, I've recommended a lot of people to her. She's one of the best I've been to in the world. I've seen, you know, reiki practitioners in Bali and Toronto, and, and she's maybe the best I've, I've been to.

Um, and she. She, she was, you know, amazing because she not only helped me with reiki, which was amazing cuz that high vibrational energy and just sort of getting your chakras back in balance. But she also took me through exercises to sit with the feelings and ask the feelings what they're trying to say and give it space to come up and be felt and, and sort of see what memories were coming up.

Which isn't always easy cuz you're impatient and you don't want to, you know, we don't, we aren't taught to sit with those feelings and really give them your undivided attention. We're we almost, we just naturally go into avoiding them so that, you know, I learned a lot working with her and um, yeah, then I started to sort of develop my own.

Daily mental health and, and sort of inner wellness practices that I've found really, really help and have really helped me let go of a lot over the last, I would say the last seven years has been like a journey, uh, an amazing journey with, with times where I've felt euphoric and times where I'm like, whew, I feel like I want to call a mental health line.

Cause this is very intense. You know what I mean? Like, but yeah, I've, I've had that, um, that feeling all along of, uh, this is okay, this is good. This is coming up for a reason. It's a good thing this is coming up even if it feels incredibly uncomfortable. So long-winded answer, but going in the right direction.

No, no. That's so cool. Well, and I think like as athletes too, like so much of that like, I see you and I'm listening to you and I've been around you, and I'm like, that's been there the whole time. But like, as an athlete, your energy and like your emotions and these other interests and connections are kind of suppressed, right?

Because you have this one track mind of, uh, you know, going through pre-season and season and, and going through these, these goals. Throughout your volleyball career, and you don't have a to a ton of time to process things. And it is easy to avoid and to stay busy because that's kind of like the nature of being like a con, a competitive athlete and like a, a type A person, right?

And so, yes, when you do allow like some of that quietness and some of that space, then you're like, oh, is this who I really am? Is this what I, I'm giving myself time to kind of like pay attention and this is who I really am. Like how cool, you know, but Totally. So it's like an interesting phase that you're in.

You're probably like, have I been like this for way longer than maybe I've just given myself time to come to groups with that. I've always been spiritual or like, this has always been in you, but you just, the athlete journey just doesn't really allow for the processing of emotions. You're like, just grind it out.

Like, we don't have time for this. We gotta move on. Kind of shelve, shelve emotions and shelve the feelings, right? Totally. Totally. Yeah. It's wild. I think like, I mean, I'm so curious to, to know, like, I know we've talked about, um, your journey and, you know, you said the last seven years have been a journey and then more recently you went to Peru, right.

Um, and did an ayahuasca retreat. And I'm so excited to just have you explore that a little bit and tell me, you know, like what prompted you, I guess, like a two-part question. What prompted you to take that trip and then what did you, like, what did you hope to get out of it? And then yeah, and then we can kind of go from there.

Yeah. Yeah, it was, um, the reason I I decided to go down there is, I mean, I think I'm, I'm big on the universe kind of sending you things when you're ready. Now I, I trust the universe a lot more and I listened to what the universe is saying through signs and through messages delivered through people. And, and a couple years ago, I think three or four years ago, my sister said, Hey, you know, my sister was living in, uh, London, UK at the time, and she had.

Heard, uh, a female entrepreneur come and speak who had, uh, this, this woman had previously worked in corporate America, found like, or corporate like UK I guess, but, um, had found it very toxic. And her, you know, people were addicted to work and she just didn't like the environment, um, where she was at. And so she left after going to this ayahuasca center in Peru, she had this like, life-changing experience and then she decided to leave and start her own.

Um, I think it's a coaching business. Her name's Jodi. Uh, I'll have to look up her last name. But, uh, anyway, she had spoken in her book about the temple of the way of light, um, which then Katie said, this just sounds like it would be up your alley, like everything she was talking about. And she raved about this place in Peru.

And so I, I looked it up and I was just like, had this. Inner knowing that at one point I was gonna be going there. And so it had been on my radar, it had been on my notes and my iPhone for, I don't know, maybe two years. And then I decided in 2019, okay, I'm gonna sign up for, for one of the retreats. And so I signed up and I was supposed to go in April of 2020 and that's when Covid hit.

And so like, uh, the re retreat was canceled cuz everything obviously was shut down, especially right at the beginning. Nobody was sure what was going on. I was a little disappointed, but I was also like, You know, this is not the time that I'm supposed to go. I have a bit, obviously I have a bit more work and I trust the universe that I'm gonna go when I'm supposed to go.

So they, um, gave everybody a credit, uh, so that they could, you know, keep the funds and, and stay open during the time that they were closed. And it's an. Absolutely phenomenal retreat center. This community that I, I, I have, I'll have to look up the name of the owner. I, I forget it offhand, but he is, he's done incredible things there In Peru, they have this whole community that involves like the, um, the indigenous people that, that live in, uh, aikidos in, in Peru.

And, and so the whole community's part of this like, ecosystem to help facilitate this healing center, which is just literally transforming lives. So it made sense. They, they, they kept the money and then they, they basically said it's an open invitation to come back whenever, you know, the center opens again and you're able to travel.

So I continued to work during the, you know, pandemic on myself and a lot of meditation, a lot of breath work, a lot of in introspection, you know, reading books similar to Michael Singer's book, you know, Joe Dispenza content, all that type of stuff. Mm-hmm. And then, um, I also, the other thing that was interesting is, You know, in, during that pandemic period, I think beginning of 2021, I came across medical medium information, which I started to apply frequently, like daily in my life and started to do his nine day cleanses, which I really think helped to clean out a lot of the toxins that were in my body.

That, you know, maybe that was one of the reasons I needed to pause and wait before going down there. You know, it's all, all working for your greater good all the time. Um, so I was very happy that the trip was delayed and then when I went, it was just absolutely unbelievable. I, I mean, I can't say enough good things about the experience.

I, I must say it's, I, you know, I'm, I try not to say to people, you need to go do this cuz it has to be a, a decision that people come to for themselves. But Right for me, I'll speak to my experience. It was absolutely life changing. Um, the sort of, How do I even, I, I mean, I have pages and pages of notes that I went back to and, and wrote after each ceremony because it was so incredible.

And I wanted to remember every single sensation that I felt. Um, it's healing bootcamp, if you will. So it was difficult at times because there's really strong emotions that come up to be felt because, I mean, I don't know if you want me to get into a little bit of, of what you experienced and how the, how the retreat works.

Um, yeah. Yeah. I think, yeah, I think like that would be really interesting to kind of go into like maybe your expectation versus like what happened and then maybe just any, any fears that you had or like resistance to, to, you know, taking the medicine and then what kind of came, what kind of came about. I think that that could be helpful and, and the number of, of ceremonies that you had, you know, and how each one maybe was.

Was impactful for you? Yeah, yeah, totally. I know it's a lot. Yeah, no, please. I mean, I, I, I love talking about it, so Absolutely. With pleasure. Um, the, um, so there were six ceremonies over, I wanna say it was nine days that we were there. I'd have to go back and look, but, um, so that was, it's, it's actually quite intense cuz some people will go and do, you know, one, one ceremony or two ceremonies maybe.

But you know, I actually, I actually loved how it was set up because it was um, basically like, uh, we did one ceremony, then we had a break, then we had two days on, one day off, two days on that type of flow. Um, and it was, that's a lots of process. Good time for processing, not going back to back, uh, into it.

So that's good. Yeah. And it was also just the perfect setting for healing cuz you're in the middle of a jungle. You fly into a ketos Peru, which is in the Amazon. Um, Iquitos itself is a little bit of a. You know, a lost city, if you will. There's a lot of cocaine and drug trade and things like that. But, you know, they're, um, you know, it's, it's a very authentic experience.

And, and obviously there's good things that go on in that city as well. But you basically take a, um, uh, a, a bus and then a boat like three hours into the jungle. So you're very much, uh, in, in the, in the wild, uh, you know, surrounded by nature, which was just so healing in itself. You're sleeping in a Tao that has, you know, just screens to the outside.

And so you hear the full chorus of the jungle every night, which was just amazing. I, you know, I recorded it on my iPhone so I could go back and listen to it. I remember listening to that. You're like, yeah. Listening to all the different, it was super loud. Yes. I was so surprised at how loud it was. I was like, thank God I, I listened to their packing list and brought earplugs cuz I, I wouldn't have been able to sleep without it.

But it was also like just the coolest thing ever. Cuz you're like, how many creature, like so many creatures creating this symphony every night. Wow. But yeah. So it was, and you know, one of the. One of the coolest things was just meeting the shipibo healers, um, that are there. So this is, you know, these, um, authentic shipibo, um, lineage that, you know, they've, they've passed down their healing wisdom generations upon generations upon generations.

And it's just incredible to meet them because you, you realize that they've dedicated their life to helping people heal and move through stuck emotions and release these emotions so that they can basically hold a higher vibration and just experience more joy and love and light, and allow more abundance into their life.

And they follow a strict diet so that they're able to vibrate high enough to be able to do the work that they're doing. And, you know, I was just in awe watching them come in. Just, you know, the fact that these people exist just sort of. It restores your faith in humanity, if you will, that, that these people exist and they're just operating out of pure love for Yeah.

People in humanity and, um, you know, they didn't speak any English, so they have, um, they have translators that are, are when every time they came in to talk to the group, but one of the things they asked us to do the first day that we got there was just trust them. And, you know, I had, I didn't feel a lot of fear going into the retreat.

Um, some people were petrified, um, but everybody was happy that they went by the end of it, um, skipping ahead, like people were just, even if they found it very, uh, Uh, scary for them to face these emotions. They were all like, almost brought to tears, like literally brought to tears that they went, but I wasn't, I wasn't scared for some reason.

Um, but maybe I had like a little bit of, uh, you know, tight shoulders. And then as soon as they said, just trust us, like, we're here to help you. I just relaxed into the experience. Um, the one time I did feel some fear was the first ceremony because they, I was, they sit you in a circle and, uh, they number the beds that you're on, and there's 23 people from all over the world.

And I happened to be positioned at bed number one. So the, when it was time to drink the first shot, they said, okay, Stephanie, you're up first. And that then my heart was beating. And it was, you know, we laughed. The people that I was on the retreat with are now, I'm such good friends with them. Cuz you go through this deep bonding experience and they're all like, yeah, we had one eye open on you just to make sure you were okay and still alive.

I was like, yeah, still kicking. But, um, yeah. Yeah. So that was the one time that my, my heart was beating outta my chest. But, you know, it was such a phenomenal experience. You take a shot, they, it's kind of, um, they give you like a half shot the first ceremony to see how you're. How your body responds to it.

Um, the people that were smaller tended to that half shot was enough for them. Whereas like myself, I'm six foot three, a hundred seventy five pounds, and some of the guys, um, you know, they felt a little bit, um, of something with that half shot. But then the next night it's kind of like a okay, an art, like, would you like more this tonight?

So you kind of figure out where that sweet spot is for you and your body, right? Yeah. So, um, that first night I was just sitting there and it takes like about half an hour to kick in. Um, and so the first night I was sitting there, I was like, I don't, I don't feel anything and I don't feel anything at all.

Then I realized that my eyes were closed and I was just swaying. I'm like, okay, now I'm starting to feel something. And, uh, but yeah, it, it felt incredible. It was like that first time that I took the Ayahuasca, it was like all of a sudden just this amazing life energy shot through every cell in my body was like, every cell in my body was waking up.

It was, I can't even, it's hard to describe. It's almost like something you have to feel. But um, and then my body just wanted to dance. Like my arms went up and I just was like, Dancing, just like going with the flow of the music. I felt like in your own, your own world, you're not worried about anybody, you know, watching you and things like that.

Um, but it felt incredible. It was like my whole body was alive responding to the ayahuasca. Um, cuz the Ayahuasca is just this incredible intelligent plant medicine that you know is there to help you. And um, so basically the way it was described to me was the ayahuasca is the medium that helps the healer connect to your energy field.

Mm-hmm. Um, so the way it works in ceremonies, everybody goes up and they take their shot and they go back down and sit, and then the healers start to sing. In the middle there was. Four of them, two women and two men, I guess it's rare. It's not common as much to have the, the women maestros. Um, so it was very special to have their energy there as well.

Um, but they basically then they tell you, you know, the, they, they perform in what's called an ker row on you, which is a sacred song. So they sing to your energy field. And this song that's been passed down literally from generations to generations to generations of healers is designed to help, um, release trapped emotions in your body, which is the cause of a lot of anxiety and fear and things like that.

Um, these things that we are become too fearful for, you know, it's too fearful for us to process in the moment so it gets stuck in the body. Right? Um, and so they, the one piece of instruction that they have for you is like, when the healers come around, please sit up. Um, and then. You can lay back down once the, the healer is done and moves on to the next, and then you receive four IROs the whole night.

Um, the ceremonies last for a couple hours. I think it was like four hours or something like that. And so every time a healer comes around, you're instructed to sit up so that your energy field is ready for, to receive the iro. Yeah. Um, and basically my experience, every time I received the icaro was very, very interesting.

It was unique every night. Um, but I could, it was pretty consistent every night that I threw up once during the ceremony. So this is, I guess, very common. A lot of people would either throw up or, you know, go diarrhea and that's like a, a physical purging and like a s in the body and, um, energies that needed to kind of be released and be felt.

Um, and so most of the time it was, it was, I, it felt a little bit uncomfortable, but it was still not something that like, really, I found very. Fear. Like I, I, I didn't, I, there was only once where I felt like, oh, I don't wanna feel this. And I was done. You know, that, that, that it felt very challenging one night where it was like my whole body was just resisting this deep, intense, fear-based feeling that was like, literally came from the depths of my soul.

Um, because you, in order to release it and or right before you throw up, you feel it fully with your being. Um, so there was that one night when I was just like, oh, I'm out. I'm, I'm tapped out. But obviously you're, you're in it then there's no going back. So, but I felt like, you know, fear to the, to the deepest degree that I've ever felt it.

And then it was gone and then I threw up and it was, it was, and I, your body just every night after I threw up, I just felt so much relief. I felt so light, I felt euphoric. I felt. Feelings of love, like the deepest I've ever felt in my life. Like it truly felt like my heart was open. I was feeling love for my family members, for everyone in my life.

I felt compassion for all of humanity. Like the, the spectrum of emotions that you feel is just so much deeper than anything I've ever felt in my life. Maybe the only thing that was was close to that is maybe a reiki session. I've had similar deep feelings like that, but anyways, I'm going on and on. But it was, it was incredible.

No, I, I love that. I think it's so, it's so amazing. Like what do you feel like is the biggest thing that's shifted for you? Cause I think everyone who I talked to who has had experiences with either psilocybin or ayahuasca or melan, whatever it is, um, you know, they have that amazing experience and then they go back to their nine to five or they don't find a way to like nurture that.

That, that experience, and so it kind of fizzles a little bit. Um, and so I'm curious how Yeah, how you feel like you've, you've kind of changed after, after that experience and how you're kind of taking that with you day to day. Yeah, great question. Um, it was interesting because, um, I had this experience during the ceremony, um, where I had, it was almost like I, I realized, That I was a, like, on the deepest level, I had this ex like experience that I was, I'm a soul, having a human experience.

Like I felt separated from my I human identity. Like I was looking down at her like, oh, you know, and with compassion, like she's really trying her best. And I felt like I had this agreement with the universe that, okay, are you ready for this, um, assignment that we're gonna give you to spread love and light?

Um, you know, we'll give you next steps. We'll reveal them when, when, when we're ready type of thing and when you're ready. And I said, yes, I agree. Uh, and I had a conversation with the, with one of the healers there. To just describe that experience, uh, because I was a little bit freaked out after that. Um, because I, I had been asked to say goodbye to my parents.

That's what the ayahuasca and the universe was telling me. And I, that's the only time that I was like, whoa, no, I, no, I have way more to do on this planet. I thought I was, it was, I misunderstood and thought, oh, I'm, I'm dying. I'm leaving the planet. And that was not what was happening. It was an ego death of sorts.

That's the ego death, right? Yeah. Is that what that is? Where people, I've heard about that, where like, my acupuncturist has done ayahuasca like nine times and she's like, oh my gosh, every time I feel like I, you know, I have this, this death experience. But, but yeah. Do you feel like you experienced that, that ego death, or was that how it was explained to you by the healer?

Yes. That's how it was explained to me by the healer. And, and afterwards, I, I realized, oh, okay. Cuz it's basically you, you're having this realization that your parents aren't actually, your parents is the way he described it to you. They're playing that role of your parents in this lifetime, in this human experience.

But the universe, we're all the universe, we are the universe experiencing itself. Do you know what I mean? So it was like, yeah, gosh, when you say that like slow and like, just, just like rewind that, that's like such a wild realization that your parents, and it's something like when you turn a certain age, I feel like you start looking at your parents in a different way.

They're like more human. And then they're, and now from what you're describing, it's like, oh, they're, they're. Their own beings and like have their own very separate experience and like, yeah. It's, it's so interesting what a trip to hear you talk about it. Yeah. And it was such a trip during it. I was just like, whoa, mind blown.

Like it, and it's right. I was trying to, and it feels a little bit uncomfortable because it's beyond your level of thought that you're accustom to thinking, you know? So that was an expansive ceremony, to say the least. Wow. But I did, I did. Um, what's the word? Um, retract from that a little bit because I was like, no, I'm not ready to let them go.

So that's obviously an attachment that I have to work with, you know, my identity of being their daughter and they're my parents in this lifetime. Um, but afterwards he explained it to me. I, and this, I, this is a precursor to your, to your question. So that's why I felt it was relevant. But he basically said, yeah, you know, did you, did you say yes to that agreement with the universe?

I said, yeah, I did. I said, yes, you know, I'm ready to spread love and light and, and, uh, ready to, to serve on a deeper level. And he said, okay, you know, that's fantastic. Um, that's an ego death of sorts. And then he said, don't be surprised you might go into depression once you leave here. I was like, oh, great.

Well, I thought you were supposed to go onwards and upwards. Right, right. Yeah. Gotta go back to go forward. Right. Yeah. So he kind of prepared me for that in a little bit. And, and it has been, I mean, there's been ups and downs since I left, right? Right after I left I felt so open and I was just pouring love and I was, you know, explaining to my parents how I just, I felt my mo mother's love and my father's love, like showering me with like pink and green light respectively.

It was just an unbelievable feeling. Um, and so I felt very open right when I left and then I started traveling for two weeks in Southeast State or in, in South America. And it was, um, a little difficult, like it was a deeper, uh, But I, I've always had, like I said before, like it with always this underlying knowingness that everything's okay and that everything that's coming up is for your greatest good.

It's coming up to be felt so that you can acknowledge it and release it, and then ultimately vibrate at a higher level. Um, but it still makes it a bit challenging. And I find that, you know, when I'm, when I'm eating well and when I'm really meditating and doing breath work, it makes it easier to handle these feelings that are coming up.

Um, but it's kind of been like ups and downs since I left. Um, but I feel like I, it's all good, you know? Um, but definitely some, it, it, it kind of like takes you deeper into that uncomfortable feelings that, cuz it's like, okay, now you're even ready for the next layer type of thing. Um, but on the, on the flip side, I've also had like, felt, I felt way more connected to people when I came back into, um, you know, my, my normal life, if you will.

And I feel so much more naturally. Um, Grateful about my relationships in my life and just my experience working at my job, even though I know that I want to move into the wellness space and I'm probably not gonna be here forever. Um, just I, I naturally find myself feeling more grateful than ever before.

Um, and also just I feel more aware of my feelings and how do I describe this, um, my choices in how I want to interact with other people and how I like in terms of reacting or responding calmly to things like I can see myself, I can see my ego and identify when it's acting up and choose not to go there much easier than I did before, if you will.

Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I love that. That's so amazing. The way that you actually describe that is the way that I. Talk to my clients about meditation. Like it's one of the benefits that meditation provides you is just that choice and that like empowerment over your responses. And to feel like Michael, Michael Singer talks about this in his book too, right?

Like, you have to, um, you know, just listening to your inner roommate and, and realizing like when that's your inner roommate is, is saying something and, and trying to get you to respond in a certain way and you need to kind of like take a step back as the observer, you know? Um, yeah. So medi meditation is just like so cool for that, and it's like the most powerful tool.

So if anyone's listening here, I mean, plug to meditate. Go check out a five minute guided meditation, uh, at ready set michael.com to, to just dip your toe in the meditation waters because it's such an amazing tool. And it sounds like, I mean, ayahuasca just. Really gets you there, uh, you know, faster and allows you to kind of, uh, choose, choose a different direction in nine days versus, you know, meditation's a, a slow role for sure.

Right? Yes. You can't always see the, you can't always see the benefits, is what I tell people too, but they're, they're working underneath the surface, right? And, and it comes out in your responses and your interactions with people. You've probably, I don't know, ha, have people told you maybe just from seven years ago, like what stuff, like, you're really, you're really different or you, you seem so much more, you know, X, Y, z just because your vibration has changed.

I'm curious like what your re responses have been from people who are close to you. Yeah, I think I've noticed, like, you know, because I try to bring a lot of positivity and try not to complain as much as possible, uh, at work. Um, and I, you know, I've, I've gotten feedback from my colleagues that they really enjoy being around me and my presence.

I'm sure there's time I, I piss them off too, and they're probably just not vocal about it. But, but, um, yeah, like I, I, I find that, um, You know, I get, uh, genuine compliments around, you know, enjoying working with me and things like that, maybe more than I, I ever did before. Um, which is nice. I love to see that.

I'm not looking for the compliments, but I, um, and I genuinely enjoy working with them too. Um, I find that the one thing that was, that was maybe more difficult to accept is you start to move away from some of the relationships that you used to gravitate towards when you were vibrating at a lower frequency.

Oh, it's not to say, you know, that's a, yeah, that's a, that's such a tough one, right? Like, kind of leaving people, or situations or phases of life, kind of, you know, just, just leaving those things. Right. It's, it's always so fascinating. Like home Yes. Can be really hard. Yeah. And I still have so much love for all those people.

It's just, you know, I feel like we used to be on the same wavelength where we were focused on. What is wrong and complaining about things not going right and, you know, gossiping about other people. And now I, I choose not to do that because I literally notice my state of being fall into a lower vibration when I do that.

I mean, I'm not perfect, but I'm so much more aware of that. I'm like, I'm choosing to not focus on that. I'm choosing to focus on something else because I, I know it's better for them. I know it's better for me. I know it's, it's a waste of energy. Whereas before I was unconscious and just used to fall into those patterns and we almost bonded over that.

Like, you know, a little gossip here and there, little complaining about people that are annoying at work and it's. It's just toxic for your vibration. So, um, I find that a lot of the times when peop, you know, when you are in that low vibration, you want people to do the same and reciprocate versus trying to, okay, let's focus on the good.

It almost irritates the ego. So I find that the relationship isn't as cohesive as it used to be. I still have so much love for those people, but I don't gravitate towards them and vice versa. They don't gravitate towards me as much, which has been a little bit hard to accept sometimes, but it's, you know, there's all love there and it's part of the process, you know, but yeah, for sure there's a Canadian process.

Yeah. I love it. That's, yeah, I, I. You can definitely attest to that. You gotta kind of set, you know, when you start to protect your energy or notice ways where you're really negatively impacted mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and you start asking yourself those questions like, who am I hanging around?

Like, what are these conversations that I'm having? Like, where am I placing my attention and is this serving me? Like, I always ask my clients to ask themselves this question, like, is this still working for me? Hmm. Like, is this relationship still working for me? Is this work situation still working for me?

Like, maybe things serve you, um, for, for phases like the phase of life that you're in, or. The relationship that you're in. But if it's not something that you've found at this higher vibration or that person's not willing to kind of like move there with you, then like, shit, you gotta, yeah. Just, you got a really hard decision to make, right?

Like it's, it's like do I wanna grow or do I wanna kind of stay here because it's comfortable? But if you don't have that awareness to kind of separate that you do have that choice and you have to disrupt the autopilot decision, then like you got no chance. You're just gonna keep flying in that relationship and that situation.

Right. And just maybe be unhappy. Totally. Totally. And I find that it's there, you know, there's times when I, you know, cause there's still work in an environment where there's varying degrees of awareness, I would say, in the environment that I work in. And some people are, as much as I love them and, and think they're amazing people, you know, caught in that unconscious phase of, you know, I bond with people by talking shit or, you know, complaining and, and.

You know, it, I, I still struggle a little bit with the feeling of needing to be liked sometimes. That used to be really strong in my vibration to the point where like, I would betray myself to make other people happy. And then I felt even lower about myself. Like that was, we're talking seven years ago when I was a sales rep, and I used to just go over, you know, a sales call and just beat myself up to death about it, saying, oh, you did this wrong, da da da da.

And you know, that person probably doesn't like you. I, I spent so much energy worrying about being liked, and now that vibration is, I've let a lot of that go, but it's still a little bit alive in me. I can see it. And so I find sometimes that when I'm in a group of people that, you know, are still in that kind of unconscious, you know, let's gossip to have fun, uh, you know, you maybe laugh at something that you.

You know, otherwise wouldn't have, uh, just to sort of not make them feel bad or things like that. And I struggle with that a little bit cuz sometimes I'll go home and say, why did I laugh at that? I, I, I don't like bringing other people down, you know, I'm gonna not do that next time. But it's tough because it causes friction if you're not sort of making them feel good about that joke type of thing.

So that Yeah, for sure. That's still a learning experience for me is like, how do you sort of get people to meet you up here instead of coming down here to make them feel comfortable and feel good, you know? Yeah. That's, that's so valid. That's, that's such a good question. I mean, that's such a good question to ask yourself and I mean, you're human at the end of the day too, right?

So there's like a little bit of grace that you have to give yourself, but how much are you going to, you know, sacrifice or compromise or, uh, you know, to, to not have that confrontation or that issue? Like what is it worth? It? You know, what's it worth to you type thing. Yeah. So it's such a, such a hard balance because yeah, we work with people who we don't always, like, we wouldn't choose to, we're around people all the time that we, you know, that maybe we don't have that, that choice to be around people at certain times.

And so yeah, there's so many decisions to be made throughout the day and like to be conscious and aware all the time can be kind of mentally exhausting. But I think like that's the beauty of meditation and just practicing. Yeah. Mindfulness though, because it makes it a little bit more of like your default wiring so that it's not as hard, just like habits, right?

Like you don't really think before you brush your teeth, you're kind of on autopilot. And so when you've been meditating and doing your breath work and. Doing your kind of mental wellness, non-negotiables, then it's, it becomes more of a default wiring so that you don't have to consciously make those decisions.

And it doesn't seem so hard all the time. Cause that's just you, it's just who you are and how you respond, you know? Um, totally. But that's the, it's a long game. Like the meditation's a long game, so people like Yeah. You know, do the five minute meditation. That's amazing. Like the more you can kind of build, build yourself up and get used to it and keep, you know, get that momentum and confidence up.

That's amazing. Um, but just, no, it's a, it's a slow role and it, it'll help with other things, but it does take a little bit, right? Like you meditate, you know? Yes. Um, you know exactly like what, what that kind of, what that slow role looks like. But it's worth it, isn't it? Oh. So worth it. It's good. Who wants to like, have control over their responses or to like, feel like you can choose another way or like you're outside of yourself a little bit and can like, Understand that there's two directions you can take for like your response.

You know, it's just the coolest thing, so. Oh, so cool. Yeah. And, and I love just the feeling of your point of attraction changes when you choose to start your day that way. I think Kobe Bryant said, I, I reposted a video that he had posted before he died, saying like, I start my day with a meditation because I want to set the tone for the day.

And you know, he, I think he said something to the, I'm paraphrasing, but you basically felt like he was always playing catch up. You know that life was coming at him. If he didn't meditate, but when he did, he just got into that calm, you know, peaceful, you know, I choose to respond instead of react state of mind.

And that just shifted the, the way his whole day and week and year and life went. So 100% it's, yeah, it's so important. I think. Yeah, that's something that people can kind of take away from this is like the, the meditation is, is just a really, you know, it's, it's super important to kind of choose to be proactive versus reactive.

And I'm curious for you, cuz in talking about, you know, plant medicine and you work in pharma, right? Like, it's so, it's like very, I'm sure your, your, your colleagues are like, oh, how was your ayahuasca trip? Like, that's hilarious. But what, what do you feel like more people understood about plant medicine to promote healing?

Like maybe what, what are some common, you know, kind of. Arguments that you've encountered, or like funny, like silly comments of like, oh my gosh, you believe in that shit, or, you know, whatever. Um, what, what, what do you, what would you say to like, somebody who was wanting to heal, but plant medicine seemed maybe like too far, too far off the, off the handle for them?

Yeah, great question. Yeah. Honestly, like, I, I laugh about this with myself a lot. It's like literally a Seinfeld episode. Like, pharmaceutical brand manager just starts talking to her. All things about ayahuasca. They're like, I love it. I'm waiting for that meme. Let's go. Yeah, seriously. But, you know, literally the other day, you know, my, my colleagues were teasing me.

The ones that are close with, they were like, yeah, we didn't know if you were gonna come back or if you were going into like some, you know, uh, organ transplant, like drug scheme. And I was like, no. Like, but uh, yeah. So they were, you know, at first when I talked about it, you know, just saw some like. Just blank stares.

Like people were just like, isn't that illegal in Canada? I'm like, yeah, it is illegal up here. I don't agree with it being illegal, but it is illegal here. It's not illegal in Peru. You know, it's, I, but there was ultimately, I could see there was curiosity. I could see it in their eyes, even if they didn't understand it.

And even if they're, you know, their mind is giving them all the reasons why this is not safe and you know, people shouldn't be doing it and it's illegal and da da da da da. You know? And especially I found that there was more receptivity to learning about it when I came back. Cuz when I came back I was like, Oh my gosh.

Like my interactions with people. I just felt like it was like a dance or an art form. I just felt so connected to people, you know, I still feel connected to 'em, but I felt especially connected when I came back from being in the jungle for a month, you know, or you know, being in, in South America for a month in the jungle for 10 days coming off of this amazing retreat.

And I could just, people, I could see them making comments like, you look different, something's different about you. I can see it in your eyes. Like, and I could, people were more gravitated to talk to me than I had noticed before. Like they just wanted to be around and ask questions and there was like an ease about our energy exchange.

It was really amazing to witness. And I found that people who before were maybe not as open to hearing about it, were like, oh, asking more questions because they could just see it in my physical presence. That's something how cool. Yeah, so that was really cool. And I, you know, I now, you know, one of my colleagues comes around, he's like, I just needed some of your shock or energy.

Like, he doesn't really understand any, but like, you know, they make jokes about it now, but in a, like, in an open way. Whereas before, like, pe some people were closed about it. Yeah. I don't know. I, I, I guess I would just say, you know, to people who are thinking about it or want to, you know, or just wanna know more about it, like try to keep an open mind cuz there's a lot of social conditioning, you know, that we go through.

You know, the things that are actually good for our souls are, we're told they're not and we're told to avoid them and we're told that it's bad and we shouldn't do them. And, um, I, I think energy speaks for itself. And so if you meet someone who goes on a trip and you notice a shift in their energy and you're curious about that, like, you know, ask more questions, it doesn't mean that you should necessarily go on the trip.

It has to feel right for you. But for me, it was a life-changing experience and I would definitely do it again. And if, you know, my closest people that I love decide that they want to do it, I would be so happy for them because it's just, I know how phenomenal it is in terms of accelerating that, that road of healing for them.

Yeah. Oh man, there's, yeah, there's, there's so much there. I think the social conditioning piece, especially that you brought up, is so, it's, it's so important and it's good to kind of, you know, just get curious with things that make you, you know, your body feel good and your mind feel good, and to just kind of disrupt the, the cog or like the, the cycle of what we've been conditioned to, you know, To hear that's good for us to eat or good for us to take, or good for us to supplement with or, and what's not good for us to take.

And it's, it's all like, not to sound like super negative. I don't wanna be, I don't wanna sound super negative, but yeah, once you kind of pay attention to the, the messaging that that's out there Right. And you kind of feel like, I feel like I'm being marketed to like all the time. Right? Like my, my main, my, you know, my main thing is like, okay, everything is kind of a business and people want money and power.

Like whether it's governments or pharmaceutical companies or insurance companies. Like, it's all kind of, I would love to believe that people have my best interest at heart and would love for my mental health and physical health and spiritual health to be, you know, top priority. But it's, it's not right.

So kind of once you start to have that, Awakening of like, oh, there are like other things at play here. And I kind of have to be a really conscious consumer and a really conscious participant in my own healing, mentally, physically, you know, spiritually, emotionally, all the things. Then you can truly like, get curious with what works for you rather than just being like, you know, proactive versus reactive.

Right? Oh, I'm just gonna take this cuz like, I don't know, my mom's taken it for 40 years and like, just sounds good. Right? Yeah. No. Is that working for your body? Like, does it, yeah. What's what's your decision making process here? We gotta figure out, um, what actually works and maybe look at some out of the box solutions that, um, aren't being broadcast like in our media, you know?

So what works for you and your body ultimately? And no one should ever, ever, ever tell you what is good for, for your individual body, right? Like, you know that so, Yes. Listen to that. Totally. Yeah. And I, I mean, just to compliment, I agree with everything that you're saying and to compliment that, I think the one thing that I've learned over the last seven years is I trust my inner guidance more than anything else.

Now, if my inner guidance is telling me, yeah, that's, you should go do that, that feels right. That's what I listen to. Not the person on the news who's telling me, ayahuasca's illegal and you're bad if you do it. And you know what I mean? It's, and that's a shift because before definitely I was very, um, susceptible to, and not to say that everything that you hear on the news isn't true, but there's a lot of things that maybe are, you know, Exaggerated.

Yeah. And misguided. Or there's intentions behind them to help with profitability over actually helping someone in holistic healing and things like that. So I think in this confusing world, I think the one constant is like if you get still what feels right and that's what I try to follow, but Right. Yeah.

I love that. I think it, it takes it, it takes more time and it takes healing to like get to that point. And I think that's where sometimes people get lost is because we want these quick fixes and we want someone to trust. We want that security blanket. And so oftentimes it's the easy route, right? To not do your own fact checking and go through these extra processes of figuring out what's right for you.

It's easy and convenient and it saves time to, you know, Believe your, believe your government and believe the media and believe that the food pyramid is like exactly where it should be, right? Like, yay. Yes, but no. Like it actually, we have to kind of be our own advocates and just go that extra step because.

It's, yeah, it's, it's gonna be better for you and your personal journey, right? Rather than to just take, take the pill and to, um, I'm gonna get you in trouble with your pharma company. But, but you know, the quick fix, it's like, it's a quick fix for a reason. It's because the underlying, you know, symptom is kind of still at play.

So why do we think it's a quick fix, right? Like, we gotta ask that deeper question. Totally. I feel like there's just an aversion in our society to sit with things that feel uncomfortable, and that's one of the biggest learnings that I've had is, and I did it even today, like I, you know, wasn't, I was an uncomfortable feeling is kind of an, I don't know if it's a clip season and it's bringing stuff up, which is again, a good thing underneath it all, but it, right, it feels hard sometimes in the moment.

Um, but you know, I, I, I think that's when you really lean on your tools the most. Cuz it's great, you know, when you're feeling, you know, amazing and euphoric, it's like, yeah, let's go meditate. And when you feel like shit, you're like, oh, this feels awful. Like it's, it's hard to do one conscious breath right now.

But, but leaning into those practices, like, and I just did it, you know, before I jumped on the call, I just went and put my hands on my, you know, uh, stomach and my chest and I just consciously sort of went within and, and, and did some conscious breathing exercises for a good half an hour. And I felt a shift in my state.

And it's just, that's when, you know, um, we need to. We need as a society, I think, to be, learn that it's okay and to, to, to help, to tell your body it's okay to feel this uncomfortable feeling. You're safe to feel this uncomfortable feeling. You don't have to avoid it by dating someone, you know, binge eating, watching tv, scrolling too much.

You know what I mean? And, but that's the hardest thing is just getting yourself, training yourself to, in those moments, okay, I'm gonna go get still instead of trying to run away from it. Yeah, yeah. To do the hard thing. Yeah, that's exactly what you don't wanna do. The thing that you don't wanna do in that moment is the thing that's best for you.

Like, yes, don't wanna, you don't wanna go for the run or you don't wanna go to yoga, you gotta get your mad and you gotta get out the door. But no, go to fucking yoga. Go, go for that run. Go meditate. Yeah. Do the thing. Yes. And it's, it's always like just a bite size chunk. I think too, like for people who really struggle to just take that action step, I think.

Just the five minutes, right? Like go do the five minute meditation. Um, yes. You know, at readies mindful.com. Go, go and just do that right now for five minutes. Yes. It's little baby steps that we can do to just make ourselves proud in that moment. And you, you will shift your mood, right? Like it's, you're shifting your mood by what you're focusing your attention on.

So if you're gonna sit on the couch and continue to Netflix, then you're just gonna sink a little bit deeper and deeper. Yes, totally. Oh my gosh. So I wanna get into like what Reiki actually is, right? Well, we have, we've spent a lot of time talking about ayahuasca and I'm so fascinated with Ayahuasca. I could talk about it all damn day.

Yeah. But with reiki, I'm super curious and, um, you know, for anyone who's listening who wants to maybe get curious about that as a healing modality, what can they expect? Like what, what is, what does a Reiki session actually look like? Yeah, great question. So, so basically what happens in a, in a, in a reiki healing session is, um, you know, uh, the Reiki practitioner is basically the conduit who opens themselves up.

They've been attuned to the reiki energy, which means their body acts as basically like a funnel to allow this high vibrational universal energy to come through. And, you know, um, Basically merge with your energy field. And, uh, so, you know, I open myself up to the reiki energy, the per, and basically what you, what you do during a reiki session is you just lie down, you relax, you do some, you know, a couple conscious breaths, deep breathing at the beginning to kind of get into a, a nice, calm, meditative state.

But then you just relax. It's very, it's a beautiful experience. And the reiki energy is intelligent, universal energy, life force energy that knows what to do based on you and your individual energy field and what you have going on. And it helps to balance your chakras. So a lot of the times people will experience feelings of calm, peace, you know, equanimity during and after a session.

Um, And like, you know, but there's, there can also be, um, you know, feel you, you might want to cry or release, which is, you know, it's ultimately an amazing thing every time you, you, um, feel like you need to, to, to cry and let something go, um, that's, that's again, a good thing. We need to shift the, the cultural narrative around that.

It's a, it's a great thing when you cry and let yourself experience and feel those emotions. Um, but yeah, I mean, everyone that I've given Reiki sessions to has really loved the experience. It's basically high vibrational energy, um, you know, being concentrated in your direction for, usually it's around 40 minutes and there's a series of positions that the Reiki practitioner will go in, like all the way down your body, including all of your chakras.

Um, and, you know, there's a way to test before and after, like, okay, are your chakras in balance? And, you know, time and time again after, you know, before some, some people might have chakras that are, that are, um, outta balance. And then after the session like. Almost every time the chakras are all in alignment.

And I think, uh, you know, my mom, for example, has half an hour after the session she's said, wow, that stuff really works. I, you know, I feel so calm and, and peaceful after that session and people experience their energy differently. Um, you know, my, a lot of my family members see colors. And that's a common thing that you can experience during a session is because there, there's colors associated with each of our major chakra energy centers.

So, for example, purple people will see purple when you're working at the top of the head, cuz that's the color that's associated with the crown chakra. Or green is the, is the heart chakra. So people will see bright, vibrant green. A lot of people are very visual. Um, other things that, you know, my family have experienced and they've, they've said this publicly on videos that, you know, promoting, promoting the reiki sessions.

So I'm not, not, uh, sharing anything they're uncomfortable with, but, um, You know, my mom, for example, saw nature scenes. She's very connected to nature. Um, she says she feels nature signs before significant events. Like, you know, my, her younger brother has, has red hair and she saw red Fox run across the road when he was getting married.

Just, you know, things like that. They, she, she knows that the universe speaks to her through nature signs. And so she saw in her very first Reiki session, um, you know, it was almost as if someone was painting a mountain with wild flowers and it brought her to tears cuz she was just like, wow, what was that like?

You know? It was so, people experience the energy very differently and it's, so, it's, it's, I love debriefing with my clients cuz I never know what they're gonna experience cuz it's personal to them. But, you know, in a nutshell it's, it's sort of bringing you back into alignment and it's a very pleasant experience for pretty much everybody.

Oh, I love it. Even if you Yeah. Are just kind of laying there and. Maybe you're resistant to what's happening or you, you're, you stay stuck. I mean, sitting in that stillness again, just being, you know, being there with yourself is, is probably a good benefit, right? Like I, yes, I, I remember in Spokane, I was so sad to leave Spokane because there was this breaky practitioner there in Evie and she was amazing.

I went to her and I like laid on her heated massage table with like an infrared mat and she had crystals and like sound bath all around and I was like laying on the table and I had such a sensory experience, like it was wild. Like, I thought she was like touching me, like when she was kind of like over my.

My shoulders and then like over my, my abdomen, I felt like buzzing, like I felt warmth and then just like an openness and it was crazy. I was like, are you touching me? She's like, not touching me. It was so somatic and it was just wild. She didn't touch me like the entire time, but I just felt like I was in such a wild meditative state, like so deep into my state.

Like I felt like I'd slept like eight hours when. She finally was like, okay, like get off my table. No, she was like, stay there, stay there as long as you need. Like, so gracious with her time, I was like there for like two and a half hours. It was insane. Um, but yeah, I felt just such an amazing release. I was like, I'm hooked.

I'm coming back to you like all the time. Right. And then I saw another practitioner, um, here like in Tampa and I just didn't have that same experience. I was like, oh, it's not all across the board. Right? Like, just like you can get different therapists and different practitioners. Like you get find one like you did with your, your practitioner and uh, Toronto and you gotta like, you know, that person is is your person, right?

Yes. But man, Reiki was so cool. I would go back to Spokane just to have that experience again cuz it was your, your energy field is just like, it's so important and it's so underrated. Yes. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I, I, you know, I've had a lot of Reiki sessions and one of my, you know, it's varying experiences each time, but a lot of times I just feel so present after the session, which just, it kind of reminds you of like, oh yeah.

Like this is the state, this is our true nature, this is our true state. You know, things are blissful, things are good. You're calm, you know, you're, you're focused on the present moment instead of focusing on regrets from the past or worries about the future. And it, it's a nice refresher, if you will. Yeah, yeah.

Like, oh yeah. We're not meant to look at a bunch of screens and be overstimulated all, all hours of the day, right? Like, not, not where our natural state has, was meant to like lead us. But, um, yeah. So I wanna, we talked about this a little bit earlier, but I wanna know what your, like non-negotiables are.

Like, what is, what are like your. Your top non-negotiables for reaching that high vibration state, like Steph 2.0? Like what do you need to do to even make it out the door? Totally. Yeah. Great question. So, I mean, I think meditation is my number one. Um, you know, I try to meditate every day for at least 20 minutes a day.

You know, I live in a busy. You know, downtown Montreal corporate world. So it's not always easy, but it's like, you know, they say everybody should meditate 20 minutes a day unless you're busy, and then you should meditate an hour a day. Right, exactly. I love that. I love that quote. Yes. Yeah. And so, you know, it's like, it's, and it's, it's, you change the wording from, you know, I don't have time to this, to, it's not a priority.

It's not a priority to me to, for me to meditate. Okay. Then you gotta figure out what are you prioritizing over the meditation, because you, if you can't find 20 minutes for yourself during the day, then, you know, I don't know what you can find time for, but, uh, so, you know, it, it takes a little bit of discipline, but I, I like to do it in the morning because then I just, You know, if I wake up and I, and I seize the day and get myself into that nice calm, you know, response over reactive state, I just find that the day flows so much better and I attract amazing experiences throughout the day.

So if I have a lot of time, I'll also do, um, breath work. I try to do both. I, I do, uh, the, I follow the sadian chorea breath work. Um, it's, I don't know if you've heard of, um, um, oh my gosh, I'm blanking right now. Um, the, the, the leader's name I'll, uh, it'll come back to me, but, um, basically there's the, uh, a leader from in India who, uh, founded this Cian Korea breath work, cuz I guess there's all these different types of breath work and, um, so many, yeah.

And so he, he put together like a series of, um, a few different types of breath work, a calming breath work and energizing breath work. Uh, and that it's a way to kind of reset your system. He describes it like, um, oral hygiene or like showering, like we should do this energetic hygiene every day. Yes. Yes.

And so I notice a huge difference. And, um, so I try to do those two things in the morning. Um, wake up a little bit earlier to get them done. And, um, you know, the other thing that I've kind of added to my repertoire is these medical medium cleanses. And, um, and also the medical meeting morning cleanse, which I do ver like I pretty much do every day now, which is, um, starting your morning with 16 ounces of lemon water, uh, either at room temperature or cold.

And then waiting 15 to 30 minutes and doing 16 ounces of celery juice. You can start with less if 16 ounces is too much for your stomach, uh, and then you wait another 15 to 30 minutes and then you do, I do like a. Um, his, his, uh, liver rescue smoothie, which is a combination of banana, uh, frozen pattaya and wild blueberries.

And it's just super amazing and hydrating. And his, I guess the morning cleanse, the concept there is you're helping your liver to clear out everything that it's worked hard to bring up overnight. Um, and not bombarding it with radical fats before noon, because that's harder for your liver to process. And it's, you know, your liver needs to, in the world that we live in, with all the toxins that we're exposed to in the air and the food and everything, heavy metals, you need to give your liver, you need to help your liver, I guess, clear that out in the morning.

So I find it makes a big difference in my state when I start my day like that. And I naturally gravitate towards that now. And then every couple of months or so, I, I go an extra mile and I do his nine day cleanse, which takes a little bit of discipline cuz you're cutting out coffee. Alcohol, I don't really drink alcohol anymore anyways cause I find it lowers my state.

But, uh, coffee, you know, uh, alcohol, any sort of, um, oils. You, you know, you're, Minimizing, uh, intake of that step and really maximizing your fresh fruits and vegetables. And you can have meat the first couple of days, but then after that it's, it's very much plant-based. And men do I see a difference in my state.

I'm just naturally more optimistic, especially at the end of that nine days. Like I tell you, I'm like, I could take on the world. I'm just, I, I really do see a difference in the way that my cells are functioning. Like they're just, they're, I feel like they're operating the way they were supposed to operate when I eat like that.

Um, yeah, but it's, it's a bit challenging cuz you know, you, you're in the kitchen a lot, but it's, it's worth it to me. Uh, and basically the, the benefit of doing that is every time you do that deep cleanse with the nine days, you bring up all these deep-seated toxins that are in the liver and get them out so that your body can just spend more energy on functioning well instead of trying to cleanse your liver from being overburdened with all these heavy metals and things and pesticides and things that are in our environment, unfortunately.

So for me, those are three things that really have made a difference and I. You know, are my non-negotiables, cuz I just love the way I feel when I apply them in my life. Ugh, that's so amazing. I think, yeah, I mean with, with anything, it kind of depends on your intentionality of what you're wanting to. How you wanna create your reality, right?

I mean, it's like, are you somebody that wants to not have this disruption in your autopilot and disrupt your liver functioning and your cells and your emotional state? Because it's like the uncertainty of how that's gonna impact you, or like the length of time it's gonna take to get you there, or how hard it's gonna be is like totally like too much for you.

Yeah. Do you wanna just stay, stay comfortable and stay stagnant? Or do you know that you're totally optimized mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally by doing this hard thing and so it's fucking worth it to do it, right? Yeah. So it's like, yeah, it's worth asking yourself that question. Like, am I going to cyclically, like keep repeating this pattern?

Or do I wanna like just disrupt and do something different and maybe my life will be so much better. Maybe my reality will be. So much better. My functioning, my relationships, all the things. Um, so yeah, the discipline piece is like, I mean, you have that from being an athlete and yes, it's hard, but like the other side is like pretty cool, right?

It's, it's worth it. Totally. And I, you know, I, I like to come back to this quote that I've heard. You know, there's, which choose your heart. There's the heart of staying the same and feeling those emo feeling stuck emotionally and feeling like you don't have motivation and inspiration and you don't feel alive.

Or there's the pain of, and the difficulty of trying to create those new habits, which feel uncomfortable at first. It feels uncomfortable to sit down and meditate. It's, it feels uncomfortable to play volleyball the first time you ever played, but you develop that skill. So I try to, when things feel hard and I don't feel like meditating, I try to, okay, choose your heart.

Am I gonna stay the same or am I gonna. Develop that muscle and create that new habit, which I know now based on my own personal experience, will lead to only good things. Ugh. For sure. It's that like in the moment decision that's the hardest to make, right? So you have to like do the things that like allow your higher functioning self to, to come out and play a little bit more.

Like, I always like to describe like, um, to people, like, is your emotional, is your toddler brain driving? Or is like, you know, Taylor 2.0 driving, like, who do you want driving the fucking car? Like I don't want my emotional brain driving all day. Yes. Like that person would just like, You know, blow clients off and just like sleep and like, you know, whatever run red lights and like w like we don't want that.

We don't want the toddler driving like at all. Right. Like, uh, so rational brain, we gotta connect with that, that self, you know? I love that though. Choose your heart. That's amazing. Um, and just kind of wrapping up, I know we've gone so long, but I couldn't help it because it's all just so important to talk about.

Um, but what advice would you give to 18 year old Steph? Or maybe just you? Yeah, I mean, 18. Let's, let's pick with 18, which you're probably, you're just going off to f s U, just this little vulnerable Bambi, like, yeah. Okay. How, how would you describe yourself then? And what would you say to that girl? Oh my gosh.

Yeah. In terms of how to describe myself? Yeah, I was, I mean, I was very. I was naive for sure, but I, you know, I had this, uh, on the positive side, I was very trusting of people. Um, but, you know, I, I find that I was, um, I needed to awaken a little bit. Uh, but I mean, I, I don't regret anything. Uh, but in terms of how I would coach myself, if I could go back and have that million dollar conversation, I would say a few things.

I would say enjoy the ride for one thing, you know, because I feel like we're always just, uh, you know, once I get here, I'll be happy. And once I've accomplished this, then I'll accept myself and just enjoy the journey. Trust that life is always working for you. Um, I think that now I really understand that.

And when I. Universe does something, you know, plays that wild card that I don't really understand. I, I have trust now, and it just feels real. I, I wish I would've understood that a little bit more back then and I would've spent less energy resisting what, what is, uh, if you will. Um, I also would tell myself not to be so hard on myself.

It was really, really hard on myself and it really internally, I think, caused a lot of damage. Uh, somewhere along the way I picked up, and that was one of the things the Reiki practitioner said to me, Vivian, no, Sal, she said, you need to change that internal dialogue. Like it is really, really toxic the way that you motivate yourself and talk to yourself.

And now I'm so much more aware of it and I. Still notice myself, that voice who does that sometimes, but it's not nearly as strong as it was before. And, and my enjoyment of life has changed for the better because of shifting those habits. But, you know, I wish I would've sort of picked up on that a little bit earlier.

I think I would've enjoyed my experience even that much more. Um, and yeah, I, I think I would just say, um, try to love yourself a little bit more cuz I, there was a lot of things I didn't like about myself and that's not a fun place to be. And you know, just put in that time to develop that relationship with self.

It's worth it. Yeah, for sure. All back to the internal dialogue, right? And the Michael Singer book, like The Untethered Soul, I think I'll link that in the show notes for people who really wanna know a little bit more about their inner roommate and how to shift your relationship with, you know, your relationship with your, with your self talk.

Because yeah, it can, it can totally transform your. It's the way that you relate to yourself and the world and Right, because then you're shitty to yourself. How, how is your energy? How are your interactions, how are your relationships? Your insecure, your self-loathing? Like your confidence is not where you want it to be.

Body image is probably in the tank comparing to other people. Like, it sucks, especially for females. We're really vulnerable. And 18 too, like my God, and in Spanish all the time. You're just like, yeah. Like, oh my gosh, give me, gimme all the confidence, right? Yeah. It's wild. So, um, yeah, thanks for sharing what you'd, what you'd, uh, yeah, what advice you'd give to yourself.

I know that's, that's all super solid advice. For sure. Maybe a hug. Absolutely. Maybe she needed a hug too. Yeah. Yeah. More hugs and more hugs for my inner child. I think she was a little bit neglected back then too. I'm sure you do some inner child work. Yes. Oh my gosh. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. So it's, it's important, I think through meditations is a really cool way to, to do that and connect and to kind of go back and, and, and do some of that work cuz the, the visuals can be really powerful for trying to, to heal in that way, you know?

Um, totally. So there's so many ways to heal or so much we talked about in this episode from, you know, therapy to meditation to ayahuasca and um, you know, there was a quote by Dr. Gabriel Matay I thought was like, really cool too. And he was talking about ayahuasca in. You know, is, is not, it's not a drug in the Western sense, you know, something you take to, to get rid of something.

But when it's actually used, you know, I'm paraphrasing, but it, when it's actually used properly, um, you know, you have access to a part of yourself that you wouldn't normally have access to. So it's the part of the brand that holds those emotional memories and you can kind of reconsolidate them with awareness and transform your experience, you know, and I think, um, y your experience that you described with ayahuasca is just like, so cool.

And it fits that to a T, right? Yes. Opened yourself up to a whole new, you know, a whole new level. Absolutely. You know, it's funny because Dr. Gama actually went to the temple of the way, A light That's the center that he went to. Yes. Yeah. No, I, I don't know if you, I, I think I told you that before. I remember.

I know you remember, but just I did, I, yeah, I remember. Hi, I listened to him on the, the Joe Rogan podcast, and he talked about his experience there and how the people, healers actually would, it was hilarious because he talked about how he was there to lead a retreat, right. And they're like, oh, sorry, dude.

Like you're 70 something years old, and I'm sure you think you've done work, but like you're actually like, not, you need to like have your own healer and do your own work. And he was like so taken aback by it. Well, like. I mean, handled it super gracefully, but it was just kinda laughing like, yeah, I'm like, there you go.

I'm 72 freaking years old and thought that I'd done like so much work, but clearly the people healer stop saw right through me. I was like, oh. So that's hilarious. That's funny, but what an yeah, what an amazing, what an amazing man. And it sounds like an amazing retreat center and you know, I'm excited to have that experience someday too, and I'll definitely reach back out for all of your, your guidance with that.

But, uh, but yeah, thank you so much for just sharing your experience. I know it's just, just important for people to kind of hear. You know, you'd be really vulnerable in talking about that and you're articulate, kind of describing the experience and um, you know, and just reframing like what it is for people who maybe have this fear or or curiosity to what it is.

You know, it's good to kind of put a framework around that, what that looks like, who it's for, and you know, so thanks for doing that. I super appreciate that. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on. It's always such a pleasure and I love our conversations. Yeah, this was amazing. And I'll be sure to link all of the fun things that we talked about in the show notes.

Uh, okay, everybody, this was a long one. Hopefully you got something out of this episode. And if you're someone who's interested in dipping your toes in the meditation space, make sure to go check out those short and sweet guided five minute meditations. They're on YouTube or ready set mindful.com. And yeah, we'll see you on the next episode.

Thank you so much, Seth. Thank you. Bye everybody. Bye. Let's see.

 Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of the Ready Set Mindful Podcast with me, Carrie Bisch Gay. If you like what you hear, make sure to like, comment and subscribe to the podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram or visit ready set mindful.com for free resources, courses, and other ways to work with me.

Until next time, be well. Stay mindful.