Profiles in Quarantine

2020 has been about getting to the next level of relationship with ourselves. The lockdown, fear, anxiety, and instability of our current world produces a lot of stress and energetic impact on our personal well being and has also asked us to consciously create an inner stability from which to navigate the chaos.  As Nikola Tesla once said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” In this episode I talk with Erika Gombosova, a self-described “energy Sherlock.” I call her an energy mover and shaker. A nurse by trade, empath, and highly sensitive person, Erika is a cutting edge thinker who has been studying alternative energy modalities for over 20 years. She currently practices exclusively in the realm of energy healing and is an expert practitioner in the rapidly emerging field of quantum biofeedback. Erika shares how you can neutralize the effects of long-term trauma, current trauma, and external effects with quantum biofeedback. Talking to Erika is a trip. She shares her unorthodox personal life journey and her first-hand discovery of the impact of childhood experiences and perceptions of those experiences and how they impact who you become as an adult. She shares her hilarious trial and error approach to learning how to navigate extreme sensitivity to other people’s energy. Through it all, she challenges our cultural norms around labeling and suppressing certain critical emotions like anger, and the impact that has on the body, and invites us to explore the complexity of our own energetic systems now with the help of a high tech navigation system that will make even the most vocal skeptics curious. Erika breaks down the powerful, easy-to-use process of quantum biofeedback and how to apply it in a personalized way to accelerate healing and self actualization. Exclusive offer for listeners: www.erikag.us/energy-report/

Meet the gracious, bright, analytical octogenarian Ellen Olson Gilbert, former nursing educational leader, chief nursing officer for psychiatric hospitals, and also my mom. As a person who’s lived ¾ of a century, she’s seen a lot. It was super sweet and cathartic hearing about her experiences as a child of gypsy nurses, how life choices she made early shaped her work experiences with contact tracing during Tuberculosis, creating a revolutionary approach to nurses training, and champion of mental health. She shares how constant change has impacted her life and the impact of centuries old collective trauma on our world today. She also reveals a deep, lifelong tendency that she has released due to her reflections in quarantine. There’s even a moment of healing between us as her story unfolds. I love you mom! (Pardon the sound. We couldn't get the Zoom to work but we Midwestern girls are scrappy and determined so we made it work.) Poetry Credit: "Change, The Inevitable" by Jack Harris. 

Evans Bowen, Depth Psychologist, blogger at The Perpetual Pilgrim, and author of the book "Pilgrimage, A Modern Seeker's Guide" talks about using quarantine to tap into the unconscious and find deeper strength and courage to live more of life. She talks about her own personal pilgrimage that took her from her quiet life as an East Tennessee housewife to the center of the Egyptian revolution in 2011 and traversing 500 miles of the Camino Real in Spain. She shares her insights on the importance of returning home, tapping into the energy of our ancestors for connection, and how to make every step of life sacred.  

Psychotherapist Val Tate talks about how she navigates her own complex world sheltering in place with her ex husband, her son, her current partner, his son and girlfriend, 9 chickens, a dog, and a cat. She shares her own strategies for navigating the roller coaster of moods and owning our inner landscape in a variety of relationship constructs, how to make the transition from WFH to family time, and gives me advice on navigating a long distance relationship with a healthcare worker.  She also provides valuable resources including the suicide hotline: 800-273-8255 and a free 15 minute consultation to help you determine what type of emotional support you need @ valtate.com.

Just six weeks ago, yoga instructor Katy Steadman had never heard of Zoom, owned a clunky old computer, and lost 90% of her income from her various studio jobs in San Francisco. Financial pressures aside, Katy’s loyal local students needed her more than ever but Katy didn’t even know how to get in touch with many of them. Within a week, Katy launched her online studio offering four live classes a week. Now, she supports not only her local clients, but a fast-growing global community of people who join each week to experience Katy’s unique blend of in-the-moment cultural insights, philosophy, humor, and digitally hands-on yoga adjustments. Katy shares her story along with glimpses of her wish for the post-pandemic world plus a little David Whyte poetry.