Modern Mystics Podcast

In this episode of Modern Mystics, Stephanie and Kasia sit down with relationship and life coach Chris Davids for a wide-ranging conversation about attachment styles, nervous system regulation, authenticity, and what it actually takes to build secure, healthy relationships. Chris brings nearly two decades of clinical experience, blending neuroscience, somatic work, emotional intelligence, and spirituality into a grounded, practical approach to healing. Rather than relying on labels or diagnoses, his work centres on understanding behavioural patterns, regulating the body first, and learning skills that translate into real-world relationships. The conversation explores how childhood experiences shape adult intimacy, why so many people repeat the same relationship dynamics, and how becoming secure begins with awareness of the nervous system rather than willpower alone. Chris also shares his own journey through divorce, reinvention, and the personal growth that ultimately led to his viral rise on social media, where millions now engage with his relationship insights. We talk openly about: • What “authenticity” actually means in relationships • Attachment styles explained simply: secure, anxious, dismissive, and fearful avoidant • Why nervous system regulation is the foundation of emotional health • How trauma lives in the body and how somatic work helps release it • The anxious–avoidant cycle and why it causes so much confusion and pain • Co-regulation, conflict, and how healthy partners respond to distress • Dating in the age of social media and instant options • Masculine and feminine communication patterns • Building security through lifestyle, boundaries, and self-trust • Dopamine detoxes, routines, and modern nervous system overload • What real commitment and love look like in long-term partnerships Chris also explains how he works with clients, from individual coaching to group programs and couples work, and offers tangible starting points for anyone who recognizes anxious or avoidant tendencies in themselves. This episode is a deep dive into the psychology of connection, the biology of safety, and the inner work required to show up fully in love. Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com Follow Chris Instagram | @evolvedbychris

In this episode of Modern Mystics, Stephanie and Kasia sit down with Ryan John Phillips for a raw and deeply human conversation about identity, trauma, resilience, and what it really means to rebuild a life. Ryan is a former Western Hockey League player whose early experiences in elite competitive sports were marked by physical and verbal abuse, hazing, and fear. What began as a love for the game slowly turned into anxiety, loss of self-worth, and substance use as a way to cope. Long after leaving hockey, the psychological impact surfaced in vivid ways, shaping his mental health journey well into adulthood. Ryan shares how the collapse of his hockey career led him down a very different path, including incarceration in a U.S. federal prison, separation from his daughter, and the complete dismantling of the identity he had built around success and status. From there, the conversation traces his unexpected transformation, from prison to Southeast Asia, where his life shifted toward humanitarian work, advocacy, and spiritual growth. We talk openly about: Abuse and silence in competitive sports culture The long-term mental health effects of trauma and concussions Identity loss after sports and success Incarceration, accountability, and rebuilding from nothing Guilt, redemption, and learning to live with integrity Advocacy, storytelling, and using lived experience to help others Ryan’s story is not about glorifying the past, but about honesty, responsibility, and choosing a different future. Today, he is an international motivational speaker, humanitarian, and mental health advocate who continues to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage people — especially men and young athletes; to speak up and ask for help.   Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com  

In this episode of the Modern Mystics Podcast, we sit down with Mat Auryn, one of the most influential voices in contemporary witchcraft and psychic development. Mat shares his personal origin story, beginning with a childhood shaped by foster care, trauma, sensory deprivation, and vivid dream states, and how those early experiences became gateways into altered states of consciousness, psychic perception, and meditative awareness. We explore how hardship can open perception rather than close it, touching on themes of ego death, shamanic initiation, and the thin boundary between waking consciousness and the dream world. The conversation moves through Mat’s early encounters with energy awareness, spirits, and intuitive sensation, as well as the cultural and symbolic impact of media like The Craft on a generation of seekers. Mat reflects on how witchcraft, for him, was never about aesthetics or rebellion, but about survival, agency, and reclaiming personal power. We also dive into Mat’s formal training and professional evolution, including studying under well-known teachers, working as a psychic reader in Salem, Massachusetts, and eventually becoming a writer, educator, and bestselling author. Mat discusses how psychic development, meditation, and magick are inseparable disciplines, and why training perception is foundational to any serious spiritual practice. This episode explores: Trauma, altered states, and early psychic perception Dreaming as a survival mechanism and spiritual doorway Ego death, initiation, and shamanic parallels The relationship between meditation, energy work, and magick The evolution from personal practice to public teaching and authorship Why psychic skill is trained, not inherited A grounded, honest conversation about power, perception, and what it really means to walk a magical path in the modern world.   Connect with Mat Auryn Instagram | @matauryn https://auryn.net Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

What if tantra had nothing to do with performance, technique, or spirituality as something to strive for, and everything to do with presence? In this episode of The Modern Mystics Podcast, we sit down with spiritual teacher and author Chandresh Bhardwaj for a grounded, honest conversation that dismantles common misconceptions around tantra and brings the focus back to embodiment, intuition, and inner authority. We explore how tantra lives in creativity, breath, sensory awareness, and everyday presence, not in aesthetic rituals or external validation. Chandresh speaks to how modern culture conditions us to outsource our inner guidance, seek authority outside ourselves, and mistake proximity to spirituality for real transformation. This conversation moves through masculine and feminine dynamics, clearing mental narratives, reclaiming agency, and reconnecting with authentic human connection. Rather than chasing transcendence, this episode invites a return to the body as the place where truth, power, and clarity actually live. This is tantra stripped of performance and spiritual posturing, and returned to what it has always been about: living fully embodied, awake, and self-led.   Connect with CB Instagram | @cbmeditates cbmeditates.com Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

In this episode, Kasia and Stephanie sit down with coach, energy healer, and cycle breaker Riley Murtha, a self-described former “queen of self-sabotage” who rebuilt her life from chaotic 20s, toxic relationships, blackout nights, and burnout into true alignment, nervous system regulation, and purpose-led work. Riley shares how a narcissistic relationship, a Saturn return, and a full “tower moment” in 2020 left her with no job, no home, and no relationship and why that blank slate became the doorway into retreats, coaching, Himalayan Kriya, and deep emotional healing. She opens up about masking confidence, attachment styles, body image, substance use, and the moment she realized she wasn’t broken… she was just profoundly disconnected from herself. We talk about what it really takes to get unstuck: radical self-honesty, self-worth, and the “moreness” that pulls you forward when you’re sick of your own patterns. Riley explains how she works with women to clear emotional blocks, regulate the nervous system, and use somatic practices, dance, and energy work to release what’s stored in the body. We also get into spiritual community red flags, guru culture, addiction to “big breakthroughs,” and why integration and curiosity matter more than chasing the next high. If you’ve been looping the same patterns, feeling stagnant, or quietly thinking “I’m so sick of my own shit,” this conversation will remind you that there is more for you and it starts with getting deeply, lovingly curious about who you really are. Connect with Riley Instagram | @rileymurthaa rileymurtha.com Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

In this episode, Kasia and Stephanie sit down with Jenna Herbut, a lifelong entrepreneur, the creator of the original Booty Belt, the founder of Make It, and the visionary behind Conscious Lab, one of Vancouver’s longest-running creative community spaces. Jenna takes us through her real journey, including the early inventions, the risks she took when she had no roadmap, and the lessons that shaped her as she built multiple businesses from scratch. We talk about what it actually takes to stay committed to your ideas, how to evolve when the world shifts around you, and why creativity, intuition, and community matter more than ever in business. Jenna opens up about the highs and lows of running Make It, building Conscious Lab, and navigating years of entrepreneurship with honesty, humour, and hard-earned wisdom. This is a grounded conversation about business, purpose, resilience, and the new landscape entrepreneurs are stepping into. We also touch on how technology and AI fit into the bigger picture. If you are building something, rebuilding something, or trying to find direction in your own work, this episode offers clarity, encouragement, and a lot of inspiration.   Connect with Jenna Instagram | @jennaherbut Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic https://kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

Some conversations take you far beyond the familiar. They stretch your perspective, challenge your assumptions, and invite you to sit with ideas that don’t always fit neatly into the frameworks we’re used to. In this episode of Modern Mystics Podcast, Kasia and Stephanie sit down with Victoria Pippo, a spiritual entrepreneur whose work blends intuition, energetic principles, and her own lived experiences. Victoria shares the lens through which she understands energy, channeling, and personal expansion, a lens that is uniquely her own. The conversation moves through intuition, energetic boundaries, and what it means to trust your inner voice, while also touching on topics like extraterrestrial intelligence, entity release, and the energetic narrative behind “normalizing” 50K weeks. Whether or not you share Victoria’s worldview, the episode raises important questions about discernment, self-trust, and staying anchored in your own power when exploring unconventional spiritual ideas. This is a grounded discussion about listening deeply, maintaining sovereignty in spiritual spaces, and understanding the difference between insight and influence.   In this episode: • The role of intuition in developing a personal spiritual practice • How Victoria interprets her experiences with channeling • Her perspective on releasing negative energies • Why discernment matters when exploring metaphysical teachings • How energetic mindset influences personal capacity • Tools for staying grounded, centered, and protected • Approaches to visibility without compromising your field • The importance of questioning narratives — even in spiritual work Connect with Victoria Instagram | @victoriapippo Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

Some dreams do not feel like dreams. They feel like messages. They feel like someone, or something, is trying to get your attention. In this episode of Modern Mystics Podcast, Stephanie and Kasia sit down with Olya Schmidt, an artist who works at the intersection of intuition, symbolism, and the subconscious. She brings a dream that shook her, a dream filled with clocks, the number eight, and the sense that time was not moving in a straight line. What begins as a simple dream analysis turns into a deeper conversation about destiny, timing, and the North Node and South Node, the two points in astrology that reveal your soul’s direction, your past-life patterns, and the path you are meant to grow into. This is a conversation about what happens when your inner world refuses to be ignored.   In this episode: • The dream that made Olya question the nature of time • Why symbols return when you are on the edge of growth • What clocks and the number eight reveal about cycles and timing • How dreams act as pressure points for change • How your North Node points to your destiny • What your South Node reveals about your past patterns • How to use dreams and astrology together to understand your life direction • The difference between a dream and a message   Connect with Olya Instagram | @paintpaperstudio Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music @kasiamusic

Why do some people move through life with ease while others feel constantly stuck, burnt out, or uncertain? In this episode of Modern Mystics Podcast, hosts Stephanie and Kasia explore the world of Human Design which is a framework that reveals how your energy, intuition, and purpose are uniquely wired. Their guest, Lisa Littleton, helps people decode their energetic blueprint so they can live with clarity, flow, and authenticity. Together, they explore how understanding your Human Design can completely shift the way you make decisions, manage relationships, and find alignment in your life. In this episode: • What Human Design reveals about your patterns, potential, and purpose • How misalignment creates burnout and resistance • Practical ways to realign your life using your natural energy • How this framework deepens intuition, creativity, and self-trust   Filmed at Yaletown Podcast Studio, Vancouver. Resources Mentioned: • Discover your Human Design free: myhumandesign.com • Get your free Gene Keys profile: genekeys.com/free-profile Connect with Lisa Littleton Website | https://newearthrhythm.com/ Instagram | @iamlisalittleton As a gift for tuning in, enjoy 20% off your Human Design or Gene Keys reading with code MODERNMYSTICS at checkout on www.newearthrhythm.com. Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast https://modernmysticspodcast.com/ Follow #Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern Website | https://www.themindfulmodern.ca/ Follow #Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic Website | https://kasia.music/  

Recording artist and spiritual practitioner Kasia and entrepreneur and coach Stephanie sit down in Vancouver to share how Modern Mystics began and what inspired them to create a global conversation about spirituality, business, and authenticity.

In this episode of the Modern Mystics Podcast, Kasia and Stephanie sit down with Niraj Naik, founder of SomaBreath and former pharmacist turned breathwork pioneer, to explore his extraordinary journey from underground music producer and corporate healthcare to global wellness educator. After facing a life-threatening autoimmune illness and being told surgery or experimental drugs were his only options, Niraj turned inward. Through breathwork, meditation, music, Ayurveda, cold exposure, and radical lifestyle shifts, he rebuilt his health and developed the foundations of what would become SomaBreath. The conversation moves through the science and spirituality of breath, how rhythmic music can guide altered states of consciousness, why intermittent hypoxia and breath holds may influence longevity, and how healing trauma does not have to be dramatic or destabilizing. Niraj also shares his views on group breathwork versus one-on-one facilitation, the importance of nervous-system safety, and how daily practices can quietly transform energy, mood, and resilience. Kasia and Stephanie dig into ancient Vedic ideas of Soma, the role of visualization and affirmations in rewiring the subconscious, why gut health sits at the centre of emotional wellbeing, and how music and sacred geometry visuals can deepen meditative states. Plus: running massive raves at nineteen, producing music for Wim Hof, studying under yogic teachers, building global breathwork communities, Cambridge-validated research into altered states, and simple breathing rituals listeners can start using today.   Follow Niraj Soma Naik Instagram: @nirajnaikofficial   Explore Soma Breath Instagram: @somabreath soma-breath.com linktr.ee/nirajnaik   Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram: @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com   Follow Stephanie Instagram: @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca   Follow Kasia Instagram: @kasiasmusic kasia.music mysticmeditations.com  

In this special Ask Us Anything episode of the Modern Mystics Podcast, Kasia and Stephanie dive into listener-submitted questions about burnout, energetic boundaries, entrepreneurship, manifestation, sound healing training, and the books and podcasts shaping their current thinking They explore what it really means to protect your energy as a spiritual practitioner, how aftercare rituals matter just as much as the session itself, and why nervous-system awareness and trauma-informed facilitation are essential when holding space for others. The conversation also wanders into favorite reads like Psycho-Cybernetics and Atomic Habits, visualization practices for meeting your future self, building wealth from purpose rather than pressure, and the realities of launching creative ventures in the wellness world. Plus: outdoor sound baths, immersive audio spaces, community event calendars, cats interrupting podcast recordings, and why imagining your future life in detail might be the most powerful ritual of all. In this episode, we cover: Preventing burnout as a healer or facilitator Energetic hygiene, protection rituals, and after-session grounding Books and podcasts influencing our work right now Visualization and “future self” meditations Whether certification is required for sound healing Trauma-informed practice and nervous-system safety Designing sound journeys like musical compositions Building community in the wellness space   Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com

In this monthly AMA-style episode, Kasia and Stephanie sit down to answer real questions from students and community members about sound healing, music, and building a spiritual business in Vancouver. They talk openly about what it’s actually like to run a wellness practice, produce music, and stay creatively aligned while navigating money, growth, burnout, and visibility. The conversation also explores why developing a clear why matters more than any trend, modality, or marketing strategy, especially for anyone who wants longevity in this work. This episode is candid, practical, and rooted in lived experience. No fluff. Just honest reflections, lessons learned, and grounded guidance for sound healers, musicians, and conscious entrepreneurs. Follow Modern Mystics Podcast Instagram | @modernmysticspodcast modernmysticspodcast.com Follow Stephanie Instagram | @themindfulmodern themindfulmodern.ca Follow Kasia Instagram | @kasiasmusic kasia.music | mysticmeditations.com