Shows
Desire As Medicine Podcast89 ~ The Art of Stillness in an Anxious WorldBrenda and Catherine explore how that anxious inner hum - the persistent urge to do something – might actually be an invitation into stillness, not more action.Brenda shares how her former need for order and perfectionism once kept her from being present with her kids. A pandemic moment of realizing “the dishes don’t have to be done today” shifted everything. Constant motion, she reflects, is often a way to avoid discomfort and deeper self-connection.Catherine adds insight from her own pattern of trying to fix others as a way to e...2025-05-0738 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast88 ~ Relationship is the Curriculum: What We Learn From Each OtherThe profound difference between solitary self-discovery and maintaining authenticity in relationships is the heart of this week's conversation. We dive deep into what it means to be "a monk on the mountain versus a monk in the city" – exploring how much easier it is to feel connected to our highest self when alone than when navigating the complexities of human connection.Relationships serve as our most powerful mirrors, reflecting back aspects of ourselves we'd never see alone. That momentary sting when someone doesn't return our greeting or the discomfort of having our opinions challenged – these friction points aren...2025-04-3040 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast87 ~ Why Friendships Are Complicated (and Worth It)This episode explores the beautiful complexity of women’s friendships, challenging the myth that deep connection happens effortlessly.Catherine & Brenda share personal stories about how our own relationship grew through intentional investment - what we call “coins in the fountain.” True sisterhood takes time, vulnerability, and the courage to navigate discomfort. Many of us were never taught how to build lasting, soul-nourishing friendships.We dive into common patterns, like collusion, jealousy, and conditional support, and how unlearning them opens space for authentic connection. We also acknowledge the often-overlooked grief that comes when friendships shift or end, a...2025-04-2352 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast86 ~ Seven Types of FriendshipsHave you ever considered that all your relationships don't need to serve the same purpose? In this episode, we explore friendships, and dive into seven categories of connection that enrich our lives in different ways. We decided to reference ~ Lane Moore's book "You Will Find Your People," we unpacked how soul friendships, chosen family, long-distance connections, situational bonds, trauma-bonded relationships, surface-level interactions, and one-sided friendships each play unique roles in our social landscape. Rather than judging these varying depths of connection, we celebrate how each serves different needs at different times in our lives. It was refreshing t...2025-04-1653 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast85 ~ The Power of Slowing DownReady to experience what might be waiting on the other side of being busy? Take a deep breath and join us on this exploration of presence as a radical act of self-care.The phrase "slow down" is often repeated in personal development circles, but what does it actually mean to slow down in a world where moving from thing to thing is a normal way of life in the western world. Slowing down might sound simple, but for many of us, it feels as unattainable as becoming a billionaire overnight. Brenda and Catherine dive deep in...2025-04-0929 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast84 ~ Sisterhood: Showing Each Other What's PossibleWhat happens when we surround ourselves with women who genuinely back our dreams? Our window of possibility expands beyond anything we could imagine alone. In this soul-stirring conversation, Brenda and Catherine explore how witnessing others achieve what seems impossible fundamentally rewires what we believe is possible for ourselves.Brenda shares a life-altering story about hosting a celebration in hospice for her dying grandmother after a friend suggested the idea of a "margarita party." This single suggestion transformed not just her grandmother's final day of consciousness into one filled with joy and connection, but changed her e...2025-04-0328 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast83 ~ Power of Sisterhood: Exploring HonestyBrenda and Catherine pull back the curtain and explore their own sisterhood and the transformative power of truth-telling in female friendships. They share how their relationship began with an act of honesty and vulnerability, setting the stage for an authentic connection that transcends conventional women's relationships.Episode Highlights:• How Catherine was mentoring Brenda's daughter and it led to moments of truth, sparking their friendship• How honesty and truth-telling form the bedrock of transformative female friendships• The concept of "cleanup" - taking responsibility when communication lands poorly without blame or defensiveness• The importan...2025-03-2638 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast82 ~ Power of Sisterhood: High Level RelatingWhat does your ideal sisterhood look like? In this episode, we imagine a world where sisterhood is a powerful tool for empowerment and support. This episode explores the often overlooked yet profound dynamics of female connections, encouraging a shift from surface-level interactions to deep, meaningful relationships. We share our personal experiences and discuss how vulnerability can enhance the bonds we share with other women, allowing us to be our authentic selves.Join us as we investigate what sisterhood truly means in our lives and how it can transform our experiences into something truly rich and fulfilling. Through e...2025-03-1935 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast81 ~ The Distraction Trap: How Story Keeps Us SpinningHave you ever struggled with allowing yourself to feel your feelings? Are you someone who gets very involved in the "story"? Where the facts get blurred because the story is so loud. Are you willing to feel the fullness of your emotions? And perhaps let others see you in your tears and snot?Emotions are the core of our human experience, yet many of us struggle with openly feeling and expressing them. This unique episode dives into vulnerability, raw feelings, and authentic connections. Desiring deeper interactions means embracing our true emotions.We dive deep into i...2025-03-1244 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast80 ~ How to Be Someone People Can Be Honest WithEver wonder why receiving feedback (aka honesty) can feel horrendous? In this conversation, we unravel the art of receptivity in relationships, revealing how to transform unwelcome criticism into opportunities for growth. Join us as we share our personal stories and practical tips for handling criticism, feedback and honesty with grace and openness. Brenda's reflections on parenting illuminate the power of non-reactivity in maintaining genuine connections, providing a heartfelt guide to becoming approachable and sustaining deep relationships.While we explored the dynamics of receiving feedback gracefully, this episode emphasizes the importance of approaching criticism/ho...2025-03-0530 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast79 ~ Why Receiving Feels So Hard (and How to Change That)What if embracing the art of receiving could transform your relationships and enrich your life? Join us as we navigate the often overlooked skill of receiving with grace. We talk about the societal norms that lead women to struggle with the basic art of receiving. Brenda and Catherine offer a fresh perspective on how mastering the art of receiving leads to deeper connections and a more fulfilling life, inviting listeners to reflect on their own reception practices. Highlights of this Episode:• We share our personal journeys with receiving • Importance of recognizi...2025-02-2633 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast78 ~ The Truth About Expansion: What No One Talks AboutHave you ever wondered why after every big moment in life there's a period of things feeling crunchy, or it all just falls apart?We invite you to explore the dance of expansion and contraction, a universal rhythm often overshadowed by society's relentless pursuit for more. We share our personal journeys, revealing how moments of joy and success naturally transition into times of integration and balance. These quieter phases, much like the stillness of winter, are crucial for genuine growth. In our conversation, we shed light on the importance of embracing these cycles without judgment, t...2025-02-1923 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast77 ~ Navigating Conversations When Things Feel StickyFor our Valentine's Day episode, we explore and demonstrate how to navigate sticky conversations. Often, when disagree or maybe even judge each other, we tend to disconnect. But there's another way. We can hold space for each other and lean in regardless of our differences, connection is still a possibility. On this episode of the Desire as Medicine podcast, we (Brenda and Catherine) invite you to be open to connection regardless of your differences. Navigating conversations when there are differences isn't easy but it is possible. Our candid conversation celebrates the richness found in our ow...2025-02-1238 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast76 ~ Behind the Scenes: The Plot Twist, the Tears, and How We Got Back on TrackIn this Behind the Scenes episode we unravel our personal journey of podcasting, marked by unexpected challenges and triumphs. We vulnerably share how the start of 2025 threw curveballs our way, including a tech glitch that swallowed an entire episode, Catherine's bout with sickness and Brenda's dog unexpectedly dying. Through these experiences, we discovered the power of balancing desire and fear, and how perfectionism and conflicting desires shape our lives and creative process. We dive into our experiences of navigating desire amidst life's unpredictability, sickness, the overall messiness of living a life led by desire and truth. Embracing a...2025-02-0642 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast75 ~ Choice: Embracing Sovereignty in Every DecisionThis episode focuses on the power of choice in our lives, exploring how our decisions shape our reality and emphasize personal empowerment. Listeners are encouraged to shift their perception of choice, recognizing that even not choosing is, in fact, a choice, and to embrace their agency in every choice.• The inevitability of choice and its role in personal empowerment • Fear as a barrier to decision-making • Recognizing that not choosing is still a choice • The importance of timing in making decisions • The impact of self-love on choice-making • Happiness and attitude as choices we can actively make...2025-01-3123 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast74 ~ Universe's To Do List (Toolbox Edition)Discover how surrendering control can lead to a more fulfilling and peaceful life. Brenda and Catherine introduce a simple yet powerful exercise that will help you focus your energy, time and attention on what truly matters by separating what you can control from what you can release to the universe. Tired of letting anxiety and futile worries dictate your day? This episode will show you how to have more sanity in your life, encouraging personal empowerment and trust in the co-creation process.By embracing this practice, you can conserve energy, reduce stress, and put your va...2025-01-2416 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast73 ~ F*ck Your Fears with Shane KulmanUnleash your power within by embracing your desires as we welcome Shane Kulman, a celebration expert and champion of creative self-expression. Shane shares her audacious philosophy of "F*ck Your Fears," encouraging everyone to overcome personal limitations for creative expansion.Shane's dynamic approach to life, underscored by her "10 Commandments," helps sensitive and creative individuals harness their full potential through curiosity, authenticity, and joy.This episode explores the transformative connection between desire and fear, as Shane shares her personal journey of working with her own fears, and how they intersect with play, curiosity and self expression.2025-01-241h 01
Desire As Medicine Podcast73 ~ F*ck Your Fears with Shane KulmanUnleash your power within by embracing your desires as we welcome Shane Coleman, a celebration expert and champion of creative self-expression. Shane shares her audacious philosophy of "F*ck Your Fears," encouraging everyone to overcome personal limitations for creative expansion. Shane's dynamic approach to life, underscored by her "10 Commandments," helps sensitive and creative individuals harness their full potential through curiosity, authenticity, and joy.This episode explores the transformative connection between desire and fear, as Shane shares her personal journey of working with her own fears, and how they intersect with play, curiosity and self expression. 2025-01-161h 01
Desire As Medicine Podcast72 ~ Desire as a Spiritual Practice with Sarah TrudeauUncover how desire can become a transformative spiritual practice as we welcome our guest, Sarah Trudeau, a devoted mother, accomplished writer, and seasoned teacher with a rich background in Buddhist meditation and yoga. Listen as Sarah shares her insights on the "wave of desire" and how Elizabeth Gilbert's concept of the muse has informed her understanding of desire as a powerful life force.Desire holds the key to our spiritual growth and personal transformation, guiding us toward authentic expression and co-creation with the universe. In this episode, we continue our exploration of desire, discerning between ego-driven and...2025-01-081h 01
Desire As Medicine Podcast71 ~ Word of the Year for 2025As they welcome 2025, Brenda and Catherine explore their practice of choosing a word of the year as a guide. They each share and digest their words of the year from 2024 and how their words integrated and grew them over the past 12 months. Through reflections on their past years and the themes of trust, softness, and commitment, Brenda and Catherine encourage listeners to embrace their desires and share their own words.Episode Highlights:• Benefits of exploring a word of the year • Brenda's exploration of SOFTness and femininity• Catherine's journey through CONSISTENTLY COMMITTED• The diffe...2025-01-0121 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast70 ~ Unwrapping 2024: 6 Questions To Close Out Your YearThis episode is OUR GIFT to you... an extra episode that walks you through 6 powerful questions to close out 2024 well.AND ….We are on the hot seat ourselves, answering these same 6 questions about our own lives.It’s real, raw, and packed with insights to inspire your own reflection.Grab your journal, tune in, and join us for this heart-opening practice. Let’s make space for more of what you desire in the new year. Episode Highlights;• Acknowledging the ups, downs and lessons learned from 2024 • Importance of daily hab...2024-12-2531 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast69 ~ How To Have More (Havingness Expander) (Toolbox Edition)Can embracing your deepest desires lead to a life of fulfillment and gratitude? Together with Brenda and Catherine, let's explore the transformative power of desire and gratitude in shaping who we aspire to become. Brenda shares the "havingness expander" practice by Regina Thomas Shower, a tool designed to open our hearts to receive and appreciate more in life. How to have more is truly a skill that isn't spoken about enough. Catherine brings a heartfelt story from her past, illustrating how gratitude and faith became her anchors during turbulent times. We unpack the spiritual practice of embracing desire, acknowledging...2024-12-2417 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast68 ~ How to Create Lasting ChangeIn this episode, we pull back the curtain of our own lives and share how we each created big change. We share how we shifted from conventional careers to entrepreneurs and lives led by desire. We highlight the initial discomfort of wanting something different. By surrounding ourselves with inspiring people and remaining open to new ideas, we learn to listen to our inner voices and chart new courses in our lives.Relationships are at the heart of our discussion as we explore how to transition from unfulfilling interactions to truly meaningful connections. Reflecting on our e...2024-12-1853 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast67 ~ How To Navigate Emotional Triggers (Tool Box)What if you could transform your relationships by simply mastering the art of honest communication? In this episode, we tackle the often avoided territory of expressing emotions, sharing our personal journeys and struggles along the way. Brenda opens up about how concealing her feelings bred resentment, and Catherine reveals her past limitation to a narrow emotional spectrum. Through our stories, we unravel the common responses of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, and provide practical strategies to break free from these automatic reactions. Our aim is to help you express emotions openly, facilitating more honesty with yourself and t...2024-12-1118 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast66 ~ Making Decisions with ConfidenceEver find yourself craving something as simple as dinner out with a friend, only to realize how complex the decision-making process actually is? Join us as we unravel the intricate layers of understanding and expressing desire. We share a playful story about a dinner outing together that turned into a lesson on how our values, conditioning, and external influences shape even the smallest decisions. Our conversation is a deep dive into the art of truly knowing what we want and highlights the joy and fulfillment that comes from living in tune with our authentic desires.W...2024-12-0426 min