My choice to use the word 'CULT' scares some people away from the work I do on & off the pod. So why do I continue to use it? Because it's the right word. For years, when I was involved in wellness 'cult'ures where shady shit was going down... I would on occasion, google the word 'cult' and scan the clickbait criteria, my heart pounding all the while. I was desperately on the hunt for ANY evidence to assuage my anxiety. I'd breeze past many...
In the intro to this week's episode, I share a little bit about my 2019 trip to the island of Vis, just off the coast of the Croatian mainland. I thought I'd drop in a few pics to offer a visual for those who are interested. Pictured Here (in order): Walking through Komiža on the island of Vis One of the weathered books at the registrars office Three distant family members I located while on the island The cemetery where my Yugoslavian...
Tomorrow I start teaching again. And, another reminder that the photo I posted a few days ago of me dancing is from eleven(ty-million) years ago - a point that’s very relevant to this story. About an hour ago, I dug out some dance attire that I haven’t worn in years. What you see here is what I’ve held onto after two decades of teaching - 32 pairs of dance pants, 20 sports bras in almost every color, and about two dozen tops (not pictured...
This photo was taken by Mark Downey way back in 2011. We are friends who used to dance together. He's an award-winning photographer, and this photo shoot was an exceedingly generous gift he once gave me. I still treasure every image; he effortlessly captured my love of dance in a way that I’ve never been able to express in words (and that’s saying a lot). Follow him on the socials! His travel photography will blow your...
I woke up at 5am to the sound of rain against my window, and as I write these words to you I'm surrounded by darkness... feeling right at home in it. I used to need ALL the lights to be on - at.all.times. I was afraid of the dark for good reason; it used to be unsafe for me to be there. And now here I am... doing this work, hanging out in the shadowy, milky depths... feeling lighter than ever. This isn't a humble brag. It's a testament to...
Here are 8 arguments commonly used to deflect responsibility and/or diminish the experience of folks who've have experienced abuse. Personally speaking, I encountered every one of these lines of defense in new age 'wellness' communities where I worked and studied for two decades... AND I was also, at times, very much guilty of perpetuating them. Mental health awareness isn't just about how to respond in a moment of crisis... it's also about...
I gotta be honest… this photo, taken about a year ago, now makes me #cringe a little. There's no denying that my relationship with Sedona has been complicated by an exploration into cult dynamics and recovery. In today’s release and the last solo episode before an exciting guest line-up, I share about the supreme ambivalence that I feel living so close to all the new-age action… what I feel (or rather, what I don’t feel) while...
The Frog Cup is one of my most beloved childhood possessions, and I tell its origin story in Ep.39 of the podcast. (p.s. I love you, Mom) “When I was a little girl, I really hated cow's milk. But my mom, she loved the stuff. The creamier the better. And she'd been brought up learning about the food pyramid, had been persuaded by the dairy industry's clever Milk It Does A Body Good marketing schtick that drinking milk was absolutely essential...
Today is typically podcast rollout day, but I’m on a break! In part because I have another big project that requires my attention, but also because… I made a promise to myself 3 years ago, that when I catch myself getting lost in the hustle, I will no longer power forward. I’m gonna press pause & regroup. Even if it means letting people down, risking momentum and engagement and all the capitalist other-things that pretend to make the...
We planned our trip to Boulder six months ago having no idea how perfectly timed it would be. It’s surreal being here, especially on the other side of sharing my ‘cult’ure journey publicly for the first time - a bittersweet fustercluck that began within a three mile radius of where I sit right now, typing these words. The studio where I danced and sweat six days a week… the no-longer-a-dojo where I first learned to meditate… the sushi...
