A Quest for Well-Being

• Connecting to the Power of the Great Mother

  — We are not here on Earth to be alone, but to be part of a living community, a web of life in which all is sacred. Ceremonies and rituals are powerful tools that promote and sustain healthy changes as we move though life's passages. They help you release old patterns, call in healing energies, bring empowerment to new intentions, honor rites of passage, and connect you with a deeper sense of support and guidance from Spirit in your life. Sandra work with you to create ceremonies that best support your intentions, and to honor your life transitions in a meaningful and sacred way. As a non-denominational ordained Minister of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and Shamanic Practitioner, Sandra works with clients from diverse cultural traditions, spiritual beliefs and practices. Valeria interviews Sandra Lloyd — She is Urban Shaman, Shamanic Hypnotherapist, Spiritual Midwife, Modern Alchemist, Ceremonialist, Badass Cosmic Mother, Shamanic Healer and Speaker. As a Certified Hypnotherapist through the Foundation of the Sacred Stream in Berkeley, CA, Sandra has received expert training in Depth Hypnosis, Shamanism, Buddhist Psychology, Energy Medicine and Hypnotherapy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology. Sandra's path of healing service has been informed by two separate diagnoses and recoveries from cancer, as well her work since 2004 providing hands-on, unconditional support and advocacy for pregnant and birthing women navigating the complexities of the initiation of birth and passage into motherhood. Energetically "holding space" in the birth environment, and grounded in her connection with spiritual allies, she has been privileged to assist the safe and empowering passages of hundreds of new lives into this world.  In the summer of 2014, Sandra journeyed to Peru to join an expedition with Alberto Villoldo and Marcela Lobos of the Four Winds Society. Taking part in daily teachings and ceremonies, led by renowned medicine men and women, deepened her understanding of the ancient teachings of shamanism and of the Q'ero. She received the Munay-Ki rites of initiation directly from these master shamans and lineage keepers in ancient places of power in Peru's Sacred Valley. Since 2016, Sandra has continued her training in shamanic practices designed for spiritual evolution and healing with don Oscar Miro-Quesada, respected kamasqa curandero and altomisayoq adept from Peru, founder of the Heart of the Healer Mystery School and originator of the Pachekuti Mesa Tradition of cross-cultural shamanism. As a Shamanic Practitioner, Depth Hypnosis therapist, Ceremonialist and Birthkeeper, Sandra Lloyd/Urban Shaman brings ancient healing practices to guide her clients in addressing challenges that arise in relation to fertility, reproductive choice, pregnancy, miscarriage, labor, birth and the powerful initiation of Motherhood. She offers contemporary applications of shamanic practices (altered states/shamanic journey, regression, soul retrieval, power retrieval, removal of energetic interference) for releasing old patterns, uncovering and healing core woundings/trauma, and (re)connecting to one's authentic self. To learn more about Sandra Lloyd and her work, please visit: https://www.sandralloyd.net/

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  1:10:25
• The World Of Adoption: The Challenges, The Joy, & The Lessons

  — Charlyn Spiering has been along the adoption and foster parenting path many times with a variety of organizations and in several capacities. Since beginning her journey, she has learned a lot from her own mistakes and the experiences of adoptees and first mothers that have allowed her insight into their lives. Together we can look at the realities of what adoption and foster care is like today and see where you might fit in. As a coach, Charlyn walks alongside you and help you understand the process and the responsibility we have as adoptive and foster parents to the children and first families we interact with. Valeria interviews Charlyn Spiering  — She is  an adoptive parent, a former foster parent, and a former foster care volunteer.  In the last couple of years, Charlyn has been actively podcasting and writing about many topics from all sides of adoption and foster care. She has talked to adoptive parents and foster parents, but also adoptees, birth mothers, and others. Charlyn doesn’t just interview people about their personal stories, but she also gets their ideas to improve adoption and foster care. One goal of this strategy is to encourage creative conversations about how to make these institutions better for everyone involved. This has truly broadened her understanding of how the systems we have in place and the support we lack affect people within this community and beyond. Charlyn can only do so much to change the structure we have, but she feels she is in a unique position to work with individuals who have been touched by foster care or adoption, helping them build confidence and reach their goals. Most recently, Charlyn has become a professional life coach offering services to people touched by adoption or foster care. She thinks it is important when helping people within adoption and foster care move toward their desires that the person they work with understands common issues they may face and can compassionately help them find a way through. To learn more about Charlyn Spiering and her work, please visit: https://adoptgrowthcoaching.com/

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  1:00:50
• Personal Oracles: Guiding Us To Live In Spiritual
& Physical
Harmony
With
All Of Life

  Personal
 oracles
 have
 been
 around
 for
 as
 long
 as
 people
 have
 inhabited
 this
 planet.
 Almost
 every
 religion
 and
 culture
 throughout
 history
 has
 embraced
 its
 own
 oracle
 stories
 and
 practices.
 The
 ancient
 Babylonians,
 for
 example,
 looked
 to
 the
 clouds
 for
 oracle
 messages.
 Called
 Nephomancy,
 cloud
 gazing
 is
 one
 of
 the
 oldest
 and
 most
 widely
 used
 forms
 of
 divination
 in
 the
 world.
 The
 Druids
 used
 it
 extensively
 but
 called
 it
 Neladoracht.
 Also
 in
 the
 western
 world
 were
 the
 ancient
 Greeks,
 who
 still
 retain
 a
 reputation
 for
 being
 oracle
 aficionados.
 For
 them,
 oracles
 were
 wellsprings
of
divination
and
prophecy
available
to
all
citizens,
from
the
common
worker
to
kings,
 philosophers,
 and
 religious
 leaders.
 Oracles
 addressed
 personal
 issues,
 politics,
 philosophy,
 religions,
law,
social
mores—no
topic
was
taboo.
 This
 understanding
 of
 the
 relationships
 that
 bind
 together
 natural
 forces
 and
 all
 forms
 of
 life
 has
 been
 fundamental
 to
 their
 ability
 to
 live
 for
 millennia
in
spiritual
and
physical
harmony
with
the
land.
 Valeria interviews Ann Bolinger McQuade  — She is the author of  “Everyday Oracles: Decoding The Divine Messages That Are All Around Us.” Ann Bolinger-McQuade is a regular contributor to magazines, a popular workshop facilitator and radio talk show guest. Ann shares her curiosity and passion for discovering the hidden obvious and encourages us to tune into the guidance and support that surrounds us all. Bolinger-Mcquade’s perspective of the world as alive, nurturing and filled with personal oracles springs naturally from her Native American ancestry. As a child growing up in Kansas she was intrigued with the idea of having Native American ancestors, but never considered her heritage relevant to her life. Her ancestral imprints began to emerge when a series of personal events that were triggered by her breast cancer diagnosis sent her hurling onto what she describes as an invisible moving sidewalk. (Imagine the people carriers in airports.) She believes that at certain times we all land on such a sidewalk, designed to carry us to a specific destination. This particular sidewalk transported her to a place where oracles that were hiding in plain sight seemed to magically appear at precisely the right time. Ann coined the term personal oracles to describe those mysterious messages that guide and often comfort us, and in so doing illuminate an interconnected world that is tuned in and available to us at all times. Ann makes her home in Tucson and Taos with the love of her life --- her husband Kenneth --- and her dog Pandora and a cat named Moon Boy. For the many blessings in her life she gives thanks. To learn more about Ann Bolinger McQuade and her work, please visit: https://everydayextradimensions.com

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  49:24
• Profound Ritual: The Transformative Power of Fire Walking

  —  “Believe it or not, we have all fire walked before. Every single one of us. We have all gone through difficult times, life transitions, radical change. Fire transforms. If we remember each of our life’s big challenges and the resulting change, then we all know fire, we’ve all walked through fire. The question is, was it done with intention or not? Was it a ceremony in your life or an utter mess? Community fire walking gives us an opportunity to re-wire some of those past transitions and to embrace a broader perspective. It allows each of us another chance to go through the fire, this time with clear intention and support, to make it to the other side.” Valeria interviews Jen Hudziec — She is the author of “Ancestral Healing: A Guided Journal for Observations, Reflections, and Connections With Your Ancestors.” Jennifer Hudziec is a Ritualist. Her whole life has been shaped by the transformative powers of ritual. As a child she was raised Roman Catholic but was an animist at heart spending all her waking hours outdoors communing with the natural world. Jen departed institutionalized religion when she was 18 and began a lifetime of exploring various spiritual paths. The common thread in each of these paths was ritual. It was through ritual, initiations, and rites of passage that she transformed her life and found her true calling as a Ritualist.  As a Ritualist, Jen holds a safe and tender space for ancestral healing, spiritual mentorship, and rites of passage including death & dying support. She also has a passion for teaching and passing on what she has gleaned from all her experiences and training. She is truly dedicated to being able to meet people where they are and therefore provide a spectrum of offerings from free online rituals to group work, and private sessions.  To learn more about Jen Hudziec and her work, please visit: https://jenhudziec.com/fire-walks-jen-hudziec-ancient-pathways-1 and https://jenhudziec.com/

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  58:34
• From Fear To Love: Manifestation, Flow & Emotional Well-Being

  — “I believe that each human being has a UNIQUE GIFT to offer to the WORLD. I found mine and I made it my mission to support you to discover it, to develop it, to own it and share this gift with the world”. ~ Flora Valeria interviews Flora Bami!  She is an award-winning ICF PCC Integral Coach and Holistic Wellbeing expert, trained in happiness, mental health, mindfulness, NLP, mental fitness, yin yoga and yoga Nidra. She has over 16 years of international corporate experience in Finance, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, and Wellbeing across big multinational organizations.  Flora is an optimist, passionate about people’s growth and on a mission to have positive impact on our world. She is a motivational speaker, writer and often guest speaker on podcasts.  Her mission is to support you in reaching your potential, improving your well-being, and boosting your happiness through my ‘’from fear to love’’ holistic coaching framework. To learn more about Flora Bami and her work, please visit: https://www.florabami.com/

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  55:49

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