Healers Get Vulnerable

My friend Alicia is opening up about healing the traumas she experienced giving birth. You'll hear how these painful experiences opened her up to things she never would have expected, like psychedelics and listening to her ancestors. Alicia Taverner, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist in Southern California specializing in trauma, relationships, and psychedelic integration. Her work explores the intersection of psychotherapy, psychedelic integration, Indigenous wisdom, and the lifelong practice of remembering who we are. Here's some of what we talked about: Having panic attacks and intrusive thoughts after the birth of her son Getting on medication and going to a weekend training Having birth trauma with her second birth Exploring healing with psychedelics Working through her birth traumas with redo experiences Continuing this healing work little by little Doing indigenous work with psilocybin in an apprenticeship program Connecting with her ancestors and guides Becoming a much more spiritual person How her healing journey has changed her work as a therapist Show notes at https://anniezam.com/podcast/262

My friend Maegan has been a successful couples therapist, group practice owner and business coach. In this conversation she opens up about tapping into her psychic gifts, even though at one point she would have said "no way" about that possibility. Maegan Megginson is a spiritual strategist and sabbatical coach for small business owners who want to recover from burnout, reconnect with their intuition, and design sustainable ways of working. Her approach blends practical business wisdom, therapeutic insight, and grounded spiritual guidance, offering entrepreneurs a new way of doing business. Here's some of what we talked about: What happened when Meagan felt the limits of talk therapy several years ago Discovering the power of psychedelics in her healing journey Leaving success behind (as she used to define it) Hitting her resistance about having psychic abilities Finding mentors and honing her psychic gifts Embracing enoughness over scarcity Working with boundaries and discernment Being a sexy spy (you'll have to listen to understand) Show notes at https://anniezam.com/podcast/261

When Cody Cook-Parrott showed up for this conversation, I assumed they were about to talk about leaving social media. I had just finished their book The Practice Of Attention, Cultivating Presence In A Distracted World. I had been through my own leaving social media journey, and found their voice around this supportive and affirming. But I'm always open to what area of healing my guest is wanting to talk about, and Cody showed up ready to talk vulnerably about what is up for them right now: money. You're going to hear a lot of wisdom around money healing, because Cody's been working in depth around money for a long time, and you're also going to hear their vulnerability and struggle, because as of the recording, according to their own definitions, they were 2 days solvent after financial relapse. Cody Cook-Parrott is a writer, artist, and movement practitioner who builds simple structures that help artists make work. Their focus is attention, creative ecosystems, and research—so your practice becomes a scaffolding to grow steadily—online and off. Shout out to my good friend Podge Thomas (https://www.podgethomas.com/) for introducing me to Cody's work. Here's some of what we talked about: After being in and out of financial solvency, Cody is 2 days solvent today as of the recording Engaging in a 12-steps program around finances The difference between solvency and being debt free Finding their "enough number" Guardrails and money healing Spiritual solutions to money Show notes at https://anniezam.com/podcast/260  

Relationships bring out our unhealed wounds. My guest today shares how painful relationships used to be for her, and a big moment that helped her start healing. Lawanda Jackson is a licensed somatic therapist and the co-founder of Light Heart Therapy along with her wife Phoenix Jackson. She's passionate about creative expression, embodiment, and joy. She lives her life directing her attention and energy toward things she's naturally drawn to, where she feels an internal yes. Here's some of what we talked about: The desperation she used to feel in her relationships Realizing she felt hatred for her little one inside and then healing that wound How she made a huge shift, put her foot down, and decided to BE the one she was waiting for Connecting to her spirituality Finding her path as a somatic therapist Advice for people wanting to connect to self-love and self-compassion How she finds the right practitioners Show notes at https://anniezam.com/podcast/259

Every time I've talked to Mercedes Samudio, something has happened to my nervous system that was just total trust. I feel her integrity and vulnerability and I walk away feeling inspired. After this particular interview, I felt like everyone I know should hire her and get trauma healing from her. I also feel grateful for this interview because I am a Brainspotting practitioner and I believe so deeply in the power of Brainspotting. Mercedes explains it in a way that will help you really get why it is so effective. And she talks about how receiving Brainspotting changed her healing trajectory. Dr. Mercedes Samudio (she/her), DSW, LCSW, AfroNerd, author, and mental health advocate, empowers Black families through trauma-informed care, pop culture scholarship, and innovative healing frameworks. Founder of Shame Proof Parenting®, she integrates geek culture and social justice into culturally responsive practices, mentorship, and clinician supervision, championing mental wellness, resilience, and representation. Here's some of what we talked about: Her wakeup around her own unhealed trauma in 2020 Using EMDR and also identifying its limits Why the process of Brainspotting can hold marginalized identities and bodies particularly well (in the hands of the right practitioner) Discovering Brainspotting and then diving all the way in How Brainspotting works Convincing her therapist to learn Brainspotting Recovering young parts of herself in her trauma healing journey Integrating new boundaries into her work to prevent burnout Show notes at https://anniezam.com/podcast/258