In this final episode of Being: In Practice Season One, Erin and Dani talk all about Being! From recapping parts of this season, to sharing stories of the importance of being to each of the co-hosts, this episode is personal, vulnerable, and also covers many facets of the collective practice of being. This episode contains Erin sharing the story of the death of a family member, and Dani mentions suicidality and mental illness recovery - these stories are shared in trauma-informed ways, but as always, please listen at your discretion. Full of validation, thoughtful dialogue, empowerment, and resources, this episode is a heartfelt exploration on the theme of this podcast - the messy and multidimensional experience of being human.

Key highlights: 

• There is possibility in being because we are all whole and enough, and even if there are behaviors that are no longer serving us, we can move towards self-acceptance and self-trust

• The choices that are possible for us to evaluate in every moment can influence our perspective, our presence, and can be a radical anti-capitalist and anti-oppression act of self-reclamation

• The only thing that is actually real is the perception of the experiences a person is having at any given time - we assign meaning to our experiences and our ways of being and that is the lens through which we live

• Debunking the conditioned and immature ideal that “happiness is a choice” or that happiness is the goal of life - and providing insight around skills-building for regulation, emotional processing, and cultivating joy as more sustainable alternatives

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

In this deep dive, Dani and Erin discuss grief. This episode is very special for many reasons, throughout the season Erin has talked about how grief is one of their favorite feelings, so they had been looking forward to recording this episode with Dani. During the recording, Erin’s grandfather died; he was hit while walking by a drunk driver. Erin found this out right after we got done with recording, their brother had called them during. Erin also edited this episode. 

It was special to discuss grief while this all occurred. Dani and Erin remind listeners that grief is a universal human experience, but it’s depths and nuances often go unexamined. We get into the intricate facets of grief, shedding light on how we process, cope with and understand this misunderstood emotion/experience. 

Key Highlights:

• The Nature of Grief; We begin by contemplating the very essence of grief. What does it mean to grieve, and how do we navigate this emotional terrain, especially in a society that frequently undervalues the expression of emotion

• Unacknowledged Grief; One of the challenges we face is the tendency to overlook or suppress our grief. There are numerous aspects of life that call for mourning, but we often struggle to give ourselves permission to do so.

• Diverse Sources of Grief; Grief is not confined to the loss of loved ones; it extends to various life transitions, such as divorce, job loss, or even positive changes like marriage, graduation, and moving. We explore how even joyful events can evoke feelings of grief.

• The Non-Linear Path of Grief; Grief doesn't follow a linear trajectory. It is characterized by fluctuating intensities, with moments of profound emotion followed by periods of relative calm. We discuss the significance of creating spaces to process our feelings of grief.

If you are interested in working with Erin or Dani or are looking for episode resources, visit our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

In this dynamic conversation, Dani and Erin interview author, artist, and content creator Chuck Copenspire about the collective, and fluid, experience of identity. Chuck shares his wisdom as a creative thinker, as queer trans man, as a parent, as a person who has held many identities in career and otherwise - and is currently going through multiple major life and identity transitions. We dive into so many facets of what it means to both claim certain identities as acts of reclamation in self-discovery, and also accept how they can (and most often do) change throughout our lives. Touching on elements of ego, the survival self, queer identity, spirituality, gender identity, sexual identity, identity in career as entrepreneurs and employees, as parents, as people with mental illness, disabilities, and neurodivergence (with mis-diagnoses and late diagnoses), we also explore how all of these can be fluid. We provide examples, context, and supportive resources for anyone grappling with identity in any form, or for those curious about what it means to embrace, or shift, pieces of identity with trust, self-acceptance, and empowerment.

Key highlights:

• Regulation and self-validation are key pieces to accessing different parts of identity, and being receptive and open to shifting identities, while recognizing that it can serve us to unwaveringly identify with true core parts of ourselves as a part of integration

• External perception and conditioning often drive identity until we decide to influence and discover for ourselves what pieces of identity feel true for us, which can be a lifelong unfolding process

• Accepting and embracing changes in identity often comes with reckoning with grief, resistance, shame, fear, and the versions of ourselves we thought we would be - and why we deserve support for processing these pieces

• Impermanence and fluidity are a part of our reality because we are humans, and part of reconciling with non-attachment and identity is supported by reconnecting with the cycles of Earth and the natural world

• Endings or changes in identity don’t have to be perceived as failures, because they are just transitions, and new beginnings

How to reach Chuck Copenspire: https://magicalweirdo.com and @magicalwierdochuck 

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

Dani and Erin interview Laura Rose, a somatic religious trauma coach and expert on healing from attachment wounding and indoctrination. Whether you have religious trauma or experience in religion or not, this conversation provides valuable resources on the impact of trauma and conditioning on our mental, emotional and physical states of being. Laura explains how trauma is any unresolved experience in your nervous system, no matter if it’s some large experience or small, related to religion or not, trauma is unprocessed experiences that are stuck in our bodies. Trauma is somatic, including religious trauma, and if you've ever wondered where to start in somatic trauma recovery, attachment healing, or nervous system regulation, this episode will provide brilliant insight and guidance for a path forward. Key highlights: - Religious trauma like all trauma is unresolved (or unprocessed) experiences that are 'stuck' in our nervous system. Religious trauma comes from things such as harmful indoctrination, which is often coupled with maladaptive coping mechanisms - We acknowledge in this episode that we all have trauma because we're all wired with nervous systems. It's impossible for anyone's nervous system to completely and perfectly process all negative/traumatic experiences we have - We also know and discuss that not all religious experiences lead to trauma or cause it; but in some cases, religious experiences can stunt social skills, by offering conditional love based solely on shared beliefs. This isn't healthy—it's a shortcut that bypasses genuine connections How to reach Laura Rose: www.religioustraumatoolkit.com and laura@religioustraumatoolkit.com

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

Dani and Erin have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Devon Price, a social psychologist, author of “Unmasking Autism” and “Laziness Does Not Exist,” professor and specialist on neurodivergence. We dive deep into the nuance and complexities of how neurodivergent folks can both accept the limitations of disability, and embrace the ways it makes us different, while working towards self-advocacy and reshaping a world that actively disables neurodivergent (and all disabled) people. Whether you’re neurodivergent or not, or suspect you might be, this episode is full of wisdom, examples of putting shared tools into practice, and dialogues a brilliant re-imagining for using neurodivergent thinking to create individual lives and community structures outside of current exploitative, capitalistic structures for a radically liberated, accessible world.

Key highlights:

• Identifying neurotypicality as a system of oppression that harms everyone, with extremely narrow standards for what it means to “function well” in western society, and as a tool for maintaining the social order of productivity culture

• Reframing autism and neurodivergence as not just a disability but also a social identity, and drawing parallels between that and the queer experience that also requires building distress tolerance and other tools for maintaining regulation and safety in the unmasking process

• Guidance for beginning to unmask for yourself and in your relationships, find community as a neurodivergent person, as well as lots of tips for cultivating value-alignment, reclaiming autonomy and authenticity, and discovering the Redemptive Self through integration and self-discovery

How to reach Dr. Devon Price: https://devonprice.medium.com/

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

Burnout, feeling stuck, stress, overwhelm - things so many of us have experienced, yet something so few of us have enough support around. Erin and Dani interview The Bad Therapist™ Felicia Keller Boyle, LMFT, a business coach for therapists who is also a therapist with a private practice where she specializes in co-dependency and substance abuse. Throughout this vulnerable and empowering conversation, Felicia’s expertise, insights, and anecdotes reveal how patterns of codependency can contribute to cycles of burnout.

Whether you’re a therapist, in a helping profession, anyone who could use support around managing stress, overwhelm, over-giving - or just curious to begin learning how to identify and change codependency or symptoms of burnout in your life - this episode helps lay a foundation for moving through these aspects of conditioning to break free of codependent dynamics, start healing from burnout, and begin living a life more true to who you are.

Key highlights:

• Examining how systemic oppression, as well as codependent and capitalistic conditioning, can influence us to constantly over-extend, which can lead to harmful somatic symptoms, chronic illness, self-betrayal, overwhelm, and compound stress  - major contributors to burnout - and where to go from here

• Illuminating people-pleasing, self-sacrifice, codependency, enmeshment, and even compromise as detrimental to relationships - and how to start changing these patterns

• Tips on how to begin taking radical responsibility for your experience where you have influence (even if that circle of influence is small) while taking into account the very real-world barriers people face, especially those with marginalized identities

• Encouragement and a supportive framework for validating your struggles with stress, burnout, and overwhelm, beginning to make changes wherever you can, and getting the support you deserve

• Reframing “selfishness” as an opportunity to tune into our needs and take care of ourselves so that we can actually show up for our loved ones and the things we care about with integrity and authenticity

How to reach Felicia Keller Boyle: https://www.thebadtherapist.coach/

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/

In our shared human experience, our bodies serve as invaluable tools for self-regulation and emotional awareness.

The human body, as a vessel of sensory experience, offers a profound conduit for connecting with our emotions. Erin, for instance, employs a guiding affirmation—'I acknowledge the safety of feeling _____ within my body'—to facilitate her clients' reconnection with their emotions and physical selves.

Dani eloquently expresses the symbiosis of emotional security and bodily comfort through affirmations like 'My heart finds solace in safety, my body embodies the concept of home,' or 'I am secure and content within the embrace of my body.'

Tears, often considered an emotional stretch, can be seen as a means of emotional catharsis and growth.

Our conversation delves into topics such as queer body dysphoria/morphia, challenges faced by disabled individuals, the complexities of chronic illnesses, and the nuanced realm of disordered eating.

We explore the concept of dissociation, both from and into the body, investigating the ways it impacts our emotional experiences.

A poignant subject we touch upon is the grief associated with a profound shift in self-perception—moving from identifying with one type of body to confronting a different reality, such as the transition from an able-bodied identity to one marked by disability or chronic illness.

We critically examine the misguided notion that unbridled happiness can unilaterally remedy all bodily concerns—a perspective that fails to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of embodiment work.

A core principle emerges: Each of us possesses agency over our bodies, empowered to make choices irrespective of underlying motivations.

Just as our consciousness evolves through various stages, our bodies, too, undergo transformative phases—akin to the natural process of aging—whether augmented by surgical interventions or not.

In this enlightening episode, Erin and Dani interview licensed therapist and retired sex worker Karlee Coffey, LPC, on all things sex, and learning to embrace sex-positive sexuality. * * Content warning: we do talk about sexual abuse and trauma throughout the episode, mainly in talking about support for those who’ve experienced sexual trauma. * * Karlee shares her wise and unique perspective as a massage therapist, former stripper, and currently-practicing therapist on disrupting normative shame-based sex culture to create shame-free, pleasure-centered sex and sexual experiences. We cover many spectrums of sexuality, sexual identities, and ways of engaging with sex, share personal insights around reclaiming sexuality for ourselves, and offer suggestions for anyone interested in deconditioning from harmful sexual norms.

Key highlights:

• De-stigmatizing sex work and reframing it as an opportunity for reclaiming empowerment, teaching consent, modeling what giving and receiving pleasure in healthy ways can look like, and disrupting heteronormativity

• Highlighting the vast importance of consent in sex and life in general, and defining sex as only sex when it is consensual 

• Breaking free of shame in sex, divesting from obligatory sex and sex based in power dynamics, and reclaiming pleasure as a core element of what sex is

• Embracing sexual liberation as a multi-faceted process and highly personal experience, exploring many possible facets including queer sex, disabled sex, asexuality, polyamory, teaching sex-positivity and consent in parenting, and more

How to reach Karlee Coffey: https://kcmassageandcounseling.com/

Find episode resources on our website: https://beinginpracticepodcast.com/