The Cycle Breakers Podcast

Manifestation is everywhere, and a lot of it misses the point. If you've done the visualizing, affirming, and "doing the work" but still feel stuck, this isn't a failure of mindset or discipline. It goes deep into the nervous system and subconscious mind. In this episode, I break down manifestation through a trauma-informed, neuroscience-based lens, to address how complex and generational trauma can impact our ability to manifest the way we're taught in new age realms. We'll look at why survival patterns override our conscious efforts, and what actually creates the conditions for successful desire attainment & goal achievement. In this episode, we explore: How trauma reorganizes the system around survival instead of expansion Why affirmations and visualization fail when the body doesn't feel safe How generational and complex trauma shape what feels possible to receive What actually creates the conditions for sustainable manifestation   Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Spring 2026 cohort starts in May) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program  Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

In this episode of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, I'm joined by Jordin Tootoo - former NHL player, mental health advocate, and the first Inuk athlete to play in the league. Jordin spent 13 seasons in the NHL, playing with the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, where he became known for his toughness, grit, and relentless presence on the ice. But beyond the game, his journey is one of resilience, healing, and redefining what strength truly means. Growing up in Rankin Inlet, Jordin learned early lessons from the land - lessons that shaped his identity, discipline, and ability to endure long before professional hockey entered the picture.  He also shares why vulnerability is essential for Indigenous men, and how healing and sobriety didn't just change his life - they fundamentally changed how he showed up on the ice and beyond it. This is an honest conversation about masculinity, healing, and breaking cycles - on and off the rink. In this episode, we explore: Lessons from the land growing up in Rankin Inlet How failure can become a powerful motivator for growth Why mental health doesn't disappear with success or status The importance of positive encouragement in Indigenous communities Why Indigenous men need space to embrace vulnerability How healing and sobriety transformed Jordin's playing style and life LINKS Jordin's Instagram Jordin's Website Jordin's Book - All the Way: My Life on Ice Jordin's Books - Mind Over Matter Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program  Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

MINI TIPI is a Canadian brand that brings authentic Indigenous designs to life through woven blankets and accessories that carry stories and traditions. Co-founded in 2016 by Trisha Pitura, a member of Nipissing First Nation, and Melanie Bernard, from Quebec City of settler descent, MINI TIPI is shaped by their professional and personal experiences. Finding the void of authentically designed Indigenous textiles back when starting their business has led them to create what we know MINI TIPI as today; an industry leading lifestyle brand that creates authentic designs and collaborates with Indigenous artists to share knowledge and create high-quality products locally.  In this episode, we discuss: the origin story of MINI TIPI & how it got started from "native-inspired" to designing authentic Indigenous textiles what matters most in seeking a business partner the strengths each woman brings to the brand BTS of the Dragon's Den journey (what you don't see on TV) advice to prepare your business for investors how they gifted Martha Stewart a blanket LINKS MINI TIPI Website MINI TIPI Facebook MINI TIPI Instagram Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (enrolling for Winter 2026 Cohort) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Angelo McHorse, known as the Cognitive Native online, is a tribal member of Red Willow People of Taos Pueblo. He is a husband, father of 3, entrepreneur, and everyone's favourite uncle. He is the co-founder of Bison Star Naturals, alongside his wife, Jacquelene.  In this episode, we discuss: perceiving "riches" beyond money staying growth-minded while walking in two worlds Uncle advice for adopting a "glass half full" outlook overcoming victimhood through ancestral wisdom developing mental fortitude to thrive LINKS Angelo's Instagram Angelo's TikTok Bison Star Naturals Website (use code COGNITIVENATIVE at checkout) Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Capacity building is everywhere right now - in corporate spaces, community work, leadership conversations, and funding rooms. But most of the time, it stops at skills, strategy, and external preparation. In this solo episode, Rachael Hunt explores what's often missing from the conversation: internal capacity building - the ability for the nervous system to actually hold more responsibility, leadership, visibility, and expansion without tipping into survival. This is a grounded, trauma-informed conversation about leadership, sustainability, and what it really takes to grow without sacrificing yourself in the process. In this episode, Rachael unpacks: Why burnout has become normalized, even among high performers The difference between external and internal capacity How nervous system regulation expands your ability to hold more leadership, success, and visibility Why over-functioning and over-achievement are often trauma responses, not personality traits How somatic work and subconscious reprogramming create sustainable, embodied growth   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 Cohort starts January 28th) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

This is the first solo episode back for Season 2. Today's conversation is rooted in Two-Eyed Seeing - the ability to hold Indigenous worldview (the medicine) and modern science (neuroscience) at the same time, without one overriding the other. This episode explores how Indigenous women can remain rooted in culture and values while navigating modern systems, and how the Freedom Method™ bridges these two worlds in a liberating, empowering way. In this episode, Rachael discusses: the gift of not belonging in western systems the origins of Two-Eyed Seeing  how The Freedom Method™️ disrupts western norms in a good way using neuroscience as a tool to undo what colonization did to the nervous system intersecting modern tools with Indigenous wisdom is the movement LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 cohort start Jan 28th) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Gabor Maté is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver's Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in 43 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his ground-breaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country's highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller. His next book, Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and their Adult Children is expected to be published in late 2027. In this episode we discuss: how to understand the root of trauma  the biology of trauma generationally & in utero the link between colonization & addiction debunking Indigenous stereotypes around abuse & alcoholism why Indigenous women have higher rates of autoimmune illness how to heal our trauma (it's possible) how Indigenous culture has impacted Gabor's journey LINKS Gabor's Website Gabor's Instagram The Cycle Breakers YouTube Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

As we close Season 1 of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, Rachael reflects on what it truly means to live and lead from a place of being Creator-guided - trusting in divine timing, surrendering control, and walking in alignment with Spirit. This episode is a gentle reminder that even when the path feels unclear, Creator is always showing us the way. Stayed tuned for Season 2, coming early 2026! In this finale, Rachael shares: What it means to live Creator-guided from an Indigenous worldview How to recognize the calling from Creator What to do when you feel disconnected or unsure of the path How Creator-guidance transforms the way we lead, create, and build legacy LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Darion Ducharme is the founder and Owner of Teqare, a proudly Indigenous-owned education company based in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, Manitoba). Through Teqare, Darion empowers communities across Canada with engaging workshops on cyber safety, financial literacy, and city life skills, bridging the digital divide for youth, adults, and elders in both urban and remote communities. A recognized national speaker and Mastercard Game Changer Award recipient, his work has been featured by Global News, CBC, The Globe and Mail, and SAY Magazine. With over 70 First Nations and hundreds of schools trained in the 2024–2025 school year alone, Darion continues to inspire digital confidence, safety, and opportunity for the next generation of Indigenous leaders. In this episode, we discuss: Darion's journey to entrepreneurship  from making to stewarding money  2 key financial literacy tips we all need why cyber security for First Nations communities is needed the latest scams to watch out for  the future of tech & AI LINKS Darion's Instagram Darion's LinkedIn Teqare's Instagram Teqare's YouTube Teqare's TikTok Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

This week's episode is inspired by a recent conversation with a client who is in the thick of building her movement - she feels like she's not just growing her business but changing an industry. This is legacy work, and I know this season she is in all too well. As I shared with her my business pivot and the journey of building the Cycle Breakers Movement, I knew that there was medicine in it for others as well. This is what I wish I had heard 2.5 years ago when I was starting over from scratch. If you take anything away from this episode, let it be to stay persistent & consistent. In this episode, I riff on: how to reframe setbacks as setups overcoming victimhood to stand in your power  what the gestation period in business growth looks like why remembering the challenges will serve you  holding the vision through low moments   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

In this episode, I'm diving into a topic that can feel heavy, painful, and all too familiar for many of us - lateral violence. We'll talk about the deep roots of this cycle in colonization, residential schools, and intergenerational trauma - and why understanding this helps us see it's not about you, but about the wounds others carry. Most importantly, I'll share how to hold yourself powerfully, protect your energy, and keep showing up in your truth and authentic expression. If you've ever been on the receiving end of judgment, criticism, or sideways energy from your own community, this episode will give you the perspective and tools to rise above it with grace, strength, and clarity. In this episode, I riff on: what lateral violence is why it's so prevalent examples of how it shows up  how to navigate without perpetuating more harm a solutions-forward approach to lateral violence   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Join the fall cohort of the Freedom Method™️ Certification - a science-backed, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led program. Get 6 certifications in 3 months. Enrol here. This week, I'm diving into a truth I've been sitting with: success has less to do with hustle or strategy, and everything to do with how safe we feel in our bodies. Success lives in the nervous system. In this episode, I share my own journey with nervous system healing and why it's not just about breathing or meditating more - especially when you're carrying complex, intergenerational, or early developmental trauma. In this episode, I riff on: Why safety shapes your capacity for success How old patterns keep us looping in survival The window of tolerance & holding more with ease The vagus nerve as a key to regulation + resilience How the Freedom Method Certification helps you embody and share this work   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (we start October 1st) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Join the fall cohort of the Freedom Method™️ Certification - a science-backed, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led program. Get 6 certifications in 3 months. Enrol here. This week we have a special guest joining us. Tupaarnaq Kopeck is an Inuk woman from Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and she's passionate about supporting Inuit and Indigenous communities with personal finance and investing. Her background is in banking, and she also studied business and psychology, so she loves combining practical financial tools with an understanding of how our experiences and emotions shape money decisions. Her mission is to help people heal, feel empowered, and build long-term financial strength in ways that are culturally meaningful and accessible.   In this episode, we discuss: Tupaarnaq's experience growing up Inuk while navigating two worlds navigating financial shame and how to reconcile with the past a transparent look at building a business & community from scratch how to keep holding the vision when results aren't coming in her mission and what keeps driving her forward   LINKS Tupaarnaq's Instagram Tupaarnaq's TikTok Tupaarnaq's Website Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Join the fall cohort of the Freedom Method™️ Certification - a science-backed, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led program. Get 6 certifications in 3 months. Enrol here. This week's episode is an ode to the resilience, tenacity, personal growth and trust that it takes to build a movement. Rachael shares exactly how she layed the foundation for the Freedom Method™️ - brick-by-brick - throughout the past 7 years derived from lived experiences and divine guidance. You know how they say, "until you've walked a mile in these shoes..." rings so true as we explore how the greatest medicine we will ever gain is through life itself. In this epsiode, Rachael riffs on: what Iggy Azalea has to do with this episode  taking pressure off yourself how each pillar of The Cycle Breakers Movement evolved from personal hardship how to recognize life's burdens as blessings how you can bring challenges into your work powerfully   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (cohort starts October 1) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Join the fall cohort of the Freedom Method™️ Certification - a science-backed, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led program. Get 6 certifications in 3 months. Enrol here. Just a few days late, but worth the wait! This week's episode is a recap of my time in Yellowknife for a speaking engagement for a group of Indigenous entrepreneurs. I am feeling so grateful for the opportunity and after a few days of reflection, I wanted to share my takeaways with a motivational and empowering flare! Bottom line: don't give up on the vision - good things come to those who persist! In this episode, we discuss: the highlights of my week in Yellowknife  lessons I've learned in the past 2 years  why holding your own vision is the most important job how to surround yourself with like-minded folks how to navigate rejections  LINKS  Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (starts Oct 1) Registration for The Freedom Method™️ Info Session (Sept 11)  

Join the fall cohort of the Freedom Method™️ Certification - a science-backed, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led program. Get 6 certifications in 3 months. Enrol here. A weekend visit with one of Rach's best friends resulted in a cathartic trip down memory lane and a handful of lessons, realizations, and appreciations for the beautiful journey we call life. This episode serves as a reminder of the good medicine it is to reflect on how far we've come. It invites listeners to consider the cycles and seasons of their own life, as benchmarkers of personal growth and evolution. In this episode, Rach discusses: her multi-faceted 7-year entrepreneurial journey  what each business iteration taught her starting over from scratch as evolution  reflecting on the past as healing using past successes and fuel for future wins LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Registration for Cycle Breakers Movement Info Session (Sept 11) Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program   

This episode is deeply personal, but its intention is one filled with hope. One year ago I left a toxic relationship that became one of my greatest gifts and teachers. I am celebrating this milestone because even though it may have been the obvious decision, it was not an easy one. I know this is not a unique situation but I know it is a challenging one, so I hope that my story can empower someone else to walk away. In this episode I share: my personal experience with narcissistic abuse  the difference between overt and covert personality disorders a reflection on my life then and now words of encouragement and support for anyone who needs it (my DMs are always open)   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (fall cohort now enrolling) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program   

Chyana Marie Sage is a Cree, Métis, and Salish memoirist, journalist, essayist, poet, model, screenwriter, and public speaker from amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton). She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University - where she was the first Indigenous graduate - and later taught as an adjunct professor. After living in New York City, she returned to Canada and now lives in Toronto, working as Storyteller and Content Writer for Indspire. Her debut memoir, Soft as Bones (House of Anansi, May 2025), became an instant national bestseller. She is the founder of the Soft as Bones Storytelling Foundation, alongside her sister Chayla Delaney Rain, dedicated to healing through the arts. In this episode, we discuss:  definining moments that shaped her life path how cultural healing helps break generational cycles the medicine her debut memoir, Soft as Bones, offers her readers turning rock bottoms into rebirths LINKS Chyana's Instagram Chyana's Youtube Chyana's Website Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

Save up to $1000 on The Freedom Method™️ Certification until end of day July 31. Use code EARLYBIRD1000 at checkout when you opt to PAY IN FULL here. This week's episode unpacks a core theme that has been coming up for Rach lots during Mercury Retrograde. She explores the subtle and insidious ways we are holding ourselves back that we may not be consciously aware of. You'll hear her real-life accounts of how's she's been allowing herself to take up more space and be seen in her true essence. In this episode, we discuss: the ways in which we dim our light without knowing how the Visibility Wound is impacting you embracing our natural essence tips & takeaways to take up more space in networking spaces LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Pay in Full Promo Code: EARLYBIRD1000 (ends July 31) Payment Plan Promo Code: EARLYBIRD111 (ends July 31) Email rachael@freedomschool.co with questions 🫶🏻 Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 

There comes a time when you realize the fear, self-doubt, or stuckness you've been carrying… isn't even yours. In this episode, we explore how generational trauma gets embedded in your subconscious, nervous system, and spirit — and what it takes to truly shift it. I'm sharing the deeper science behind this work, how trauma shows up in ways we often normalize, and the multidimensional healing approach we use inside The Freedom Method™ Certification. In this episode, we explore: How generational trauma imprints onto the subconscious and nervous system Why mindset work alone isn't enough to break the cycle The hidden ways trauma impacts clarity, success, relationships, and inner peace My 3-layer healing approach: subconscious, somatic + spiritual The mission behind The Freedom Method™️ Certification   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Pay in Full Promo Code: EARLYBIRD1000  Payment Plan Promo Code: EARLYBIRD111 Email rachael@freedomschool.co with questions 🫶🏻