Priestess of Ordinary Things

”You Have A Body. Now Deal With It” with Rosi Miller

"You have a body. Now deal with it."
This is one of the many lessons learned by somatic resilience client Rosi Miller.
She and Kate unpack this and much more in this short case study on what it's like to do somatic resilience work with me 1:1.
You'll hear about:
- some common indicators that somatic work might be for you - the impact of 'little t' traumas - ways resistance might show up in somatic work, and possibilities to approach and navigating it - some of the basic principles and practices of somatic work, including 'titration' and 'window of tolerance' - how somatic resilience can impact your partnership and parenting - the slow and unglamorous side of 'healing'
Are you also wondering if "this whole life in a body thing has to be so hard??" If so, come on over to the Sanctuary Northwest.  SNW is a center for resilience and culture, where Kate offers seasonal group rituals and 1:1 somatic resilience sessions.  
Book a FREE 20-minute consult to find out more: www.thesanctuarynorthwest.com/sessions

Healing from Racism, Reclaiming Power with Liza Njuguna

Liza Njuguna (she/her) (lee-ZAH joe-GO-nah) is trained as an economist, and now is a strategist, facilitator and author.  
In this episode, Liza and Kate discuss the importance of personal power in a culture trained to "look up" for answers.  Liza also shares about her journey of racial healing, and how to be most effective as well as most human in change-making.  We explore principles of economics, the use of AI and technology, and allyship across ideology.
Connect with Liza Njuguna and her work:
On social: @lnstrategies
Get on the waiting list for Liza’s book at www.healingfromracism.com
Follow along with Liza’s video series on YouTube, Healing from Racism: Lessons from the Tao Te Ching. 
Learn more about Liza’s coaching program: Aligned Momentum Mastery Program

Struggling with Doubt?

Today’s podcast is for people who struggle with or are in a season of doubt. 
This might show up as:
-Paralysis, overwhelm or indecision-Your mind going in a million places at once-An inner collapse of ‘not good enough’-A low-grade hum of anxiety in the background 
If that's the case for you, have a listen to some of Kate's reflections and lessons learned about living with doubt, including:
-recognizing Doubt in the physical body-managing secondary symptoms of Doubt-lessons about Doubt from the ancestors and the natural world during the season of Lughnasa-how to befriend or at least live with (a little more) peace along side Doubt.

Advocating for Children through Nature and Play with Meag Diamond

Meag Diamond is a passionate educator and advocate for nature and play based learning.  She is the founder and director of Chavitos Nature School, a bilingual outdoor education program for children Pre-K through 8th grade in Tacoma Washington.
In this episode, we talk about what it means to be an advocate for children, racial identity formation, alternative education models, the challenges of going against the grain, and the importance of play, simplicity and diversity in learning spaces.  Meag also shares the down and dirty 'play-by-play' of building her school, tough lessons learned, and how she is expanding her work to support nature-based schools get off the ground.
Connect with Meag and learn more about Chavitos Nature School: 
Website: www.chavitosnatureschool.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063583900874
 

Hot Take on the Gospel of Mary

In honor of the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene (July 22) I welcome in this powerful priestess' presence.  Through a basic break-down and simple somatic encounter of the much-discussed Gospel of Mary, my hope is that disillusioned Christians might find a spark of curiosity or reconnection to this complicated lineage.  And for non-Christian, my hope is that it might be a window into this dominant (and historically dominating) tradition that actually isn't monolithic.
Have a listen to learn about a couple of upcoming offerings for folks recovering from religion as well as folks wanting to explore the first steps of their priestess path.
Explore more with these resources mentioned in the podcast:
A New New Testament ed. Hal Taussig
Vibin' with Mary Magdalene: A Guided Somatic Encounter
 
Upcoming Offerings with Kate:
Rebuilding the Temple
Priestess School
 

Swimming in the Ocean of Whiteness: Bonus Episode with thy nguyễn

This is a follow up bonus episode to the previous conversation with thy nguyễn in response to a question I asked after we stopped recording: 
"Is there anything else you'd wanted to talk about?"
thy shares more about the ways they are grappling with whiteness: the exhaustion of swimming in it, what surviving it feels like, how it centers itself in all ways, and the double binds and landmines of attempting to engage it.
thy nguyễn (she/her/they/them) is a viet refugee descendant, queer, and chronically-ill person who sings, writes, and resides in the stolen lands of the puyallup tribe. during the day, thy works as associate director of grants/data/operations at the ywca-seattle and manages their independent consulting business delivering coaching and facilitation to individuals/groups across puget sound; during the evening, she holds spaces for creative resistance, healing, and expression as a community organizer with the people's assembly; and during the night, they write songs and dream of ways to build towards a free and just world. thy formerly went by the name, "cathy", was crowned poet laureate of the city of tacoma in 2015, and pens her writings by the moniker of jd.
 
Connect with thy's coaching / consultation / facilitation, which aims to bring together people and ideas for critical thought, creative engagement, and collective action. supporting BIPOC queer/trans folx to step into our power, wherever we are in our journey and the world: www.thynguyen.org
Connect with and support black and brown community resources in Tacoma: 
The People's Assembly - a grassroots collective aiming to build a cross-cultural and intersectional movement grounded in anti-racism and directed at advancing Black liberation and social justice for all: www.tacomapeoplesassembly.com
Mattice Beauty - Black female veteran owned beauty supply store and "community auntie" in Tacoma www.matticebeauty.com
Parable Books - Black LGBTQ+ owned book store and community space in Tacoma: www.parabletacoma.com
 

Love, Hope & Justice for the World We Deserve with thy nguyễn

thy nguyễn (she/her/they/them) is a viet refugee descendant, queer, and chronically-ill person who sings, writes, and resides in the stolen lands of the puyallup tribe. during the day, thy works as associate director of grants/data/operations at the ywca-seattle and manages their independent consulting business delivering coaching and facilitation to individuals/groups across puget sound; during the evening, she holds spaces for creative resistance, healing, and expression as a community organizer with the people's assembly; and during the night, they write songs and dream of ways to build towards a free and just world. thy formerly went by the name, "cathy", was crowned poet laureate of the city of tacoma in 2015, and pens her writings by the moniker of jd.
In this conversation, thy and Kate explore what it's like to nurture love and hope while living within oppressive systems.  thy speaks with poetic strength and candor, offering insights on demystifying mutual aid, the power of young people, abolition as an un-siloing of our existence, and what love and justice look like in the microcosm of our lives.
Connect with thy's coaching / consultation / facilitation, which aims to bring together people and ideas for critical thought, creative engagement, and collective action. supporting BIPOC queer/trans folx to step into our power, wherever we are in our journey and the world: www.thynguyen.org
Connect with and support black and brown community resources in Tacoma: 
The People's Assembly - a grassroots collective aiming to build a cross-cultural and intersectional movement grounded in anti-racism and directed at advancing Black liberation and social justice for all: www.tacomapeoplesassembly.com
Mattice Beauty - Black female veteran owned beauty supply store and "community auntie" in Tacoma www.matticebeauty.com
Parable Books - Black LGBTQ+ owned book store and community space in Tacoma: www.parabletacoma.com
 
 

The Inconvenient Jesus

In this episode, I share some of my own priestess origin story beginning with an unexpected (and unasked for!) encounter with Jesus.  
I share about how Jesus didn't appear is the dewy-eyed shepherd or personal lord and savior.  He arrived as a steady holding felt presence, equal partner and lover.
I also share about how this experience was a kind of initiation onto a spiritual path.  I didn't know where it was going, but despite my best efforts I couldn't resist it's pull.
Through this I was given the chance re-examine the impact of Colonial Christianity on my body and on our world; and to re-encounter and invite back into my sense of self the ancestors of my own Christian lineage that I had denied and exiled--particularly Jesus.
My hope in sharing this is by no means to sell you on Jesus -- rather that there might be threads that connect for you, or inspire you towards the next step on your sacred path, whatever that looks like.
 

Neurodiversity, Animism and Dancing with Limitation with Shante Zenith

Shante Zenith is an earth poet edge weaver: an artist-facilitator-guide attuning to primordial nourishment through the nervous system, creative expression, and relating to wider ecological bodies of support.
In this conversation Shante shares honestly and light-heartedly about the beauty and struggles of neuroatypicality, disability, navigating dominant 'care' systems and institutions, and mutual aid.  We also explore Shante's journey to and definition of animism, as well as how she is shaping and leaning on her work and practice while attempting to survive capitalism with a disability.  Shante has a voice of depth, candor and levity in describing what in means for her to still find life and connection within limitations, supported by a shifting paradigm from 'trauma-informed' to 'nourish-informed'.  
Follow and Connect with Shante:
Website: www.earthpoetedgeweaver.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/shante.zenith
Support Shante's Mutual Aid Fund Directly:www.gofundme.com/f/dt69ps-shantes-support-web-for-mutual-flourishing
 

Sustainable Risk: An Oracle of the Ordinary

This episode is an introduction to 'The Oracle of the Ordinary' -- a semi-regular podcast theme that I'll be rolling out.  Think of it like pulling a Tarot card from the natural world and/or the small, quiet or ordinary circumstances of life, and letting it speak a message into our lives.
This particular Oracle comes from an encounter with a tiny special teacher, and opens up an exploration about relating differently with the energies of "security/safety" and "freedom/risk". 
Kate reflects on one aspect of ancestral assimilation into Whiteness, and how this oracle might orient us towards a small mending of security-fixation. 
If you experience fear or freeze in the face of uncertainty, or struggle to to take sustainable risks towards your own growth, this Oracle might support you towards living more fluidly with the innate uncertainties of life.