A winter squall hit the moment we sat down to record—perfect timing for a conversation about meeting the storm without losing yourself. We welcome Lacee Gengenbacher, a licensed mental health counselor turned shadow witch, to explore how shadow alchemy transforms fear, shame, and reactivity into clarity, choice, and real power. Together we unpack a grounded path from talk therapy to parts work, somatic intelligence, and sacred journeying—practices that turn “I don’t know” from a roadblock into a guide.
Lacee shares how Internal Family Systems helped her listen to protectors instead of battling them, and how curiosity plus love creates room for the shadow to reveal its gifts. We discuss the difference between ego advice and channeled guidance, what it means to be the “hollow bone,” and why triggers are invitations to alignment rather than proof of failure. A powerful story about her son on the basketball court shows compassion in action, while a raw account of neighbor conflict becomes a lesson in boundaries, cords, and redirecting energy back to source.
In this episode we explore:
• living the storm metaphor with intention
• moving from licensed counselor to shadow witch identity
• IFS parts work reframed as alchemy
• somatic cues as truth signals in the body
• journeywork as a container for the “I don’t know”
• triggers as invitations to alignment not shame
• cords, protection, and redirecting energy to source
• compassion in conflict and community dynamics
• shop as portal: tools, tarot, spell bar, and sessions
• practical ways to witness and release shadow
We also step inside Mountain Witch, Lacee’s Bozeman shop—a portal for practical magic. From tarot for direction to shadow alchemy sessions and a hands-on spell bar, the space is designed to help you slow down, hear your body, and anchor new beliefs with ritual. If “positive vibes only” has ever felt hollow, this conversation offers another way: receive the energy, learn its message, alchemize what’s heavy, and decide what stays. Subscribe now, share this with a friend who’s ready to meet their shadow, and leave a review telling us which part of you is asking to be seen next.
Visit https://www.mountainwitchmt.com/ for more information!
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