Shows
Desire As Medicine Podcast102 ~ Hungry Ghosts: When Desire Becomes InsatiableHave you ever caught yourself mindlessly eating chocolate or clicking “next episode” on Netflix into the early hours, even when you’re no longer enjoying it? Brenda and Catherine talk about the “hungry ghost” state: a craving that seems bottomless, never fully satisfied.In this episode, they explore the Buddhist concept of the hungry ghost (Preta in Sanskrit), beings with enormous bellies and tiny mouths, eternally yearning but never fulfilled, and how this ancient metaphor shows up in modern life. Whether it's through binge-watching, emotional eating, impulse shopping, or draining relationship patterns, they reveal how these behaviors often poin...2025-08-0629 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast101 ~ Desire vs. Discontent: What Your Frustration Is Trying to Tell YouWhat if desire shows up before we even have the words for it? In this episode, we explore how desire first emerges - not as a clear thought, but as a whisper, a spark, a sensation in the body. Long before we can name it, it’s already speaking to us.We share personal stories (including Brenda’s not-actually-about-the-beach vacation dilemma) to show how subtle desires, when ignored, often morph into resentment. In a world that trains us to focus on problems rather than possibility, we rarely ask: What do I truly want?Together, we unpa...2025-07-3025 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast99 ~ What if the thing you're missing...is rest?In this episode, we dive into the deep medicine of sacred rest. What happens when you intentionally put everything down and step away from the constant pull of work, screens, and to-dos. Through the lens of Brenda’s personal Shabbat practice, we explore how ritualized pauses create room for desire, clarity, and real connection.We live in a culture that celebrates hustle and constant output. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, creator, or all of the above, honoring your need for rest isn’t indulgent, it’s essential.Let’s talk about how creating boundaries around dow...2025-07-1620 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast98 ~ Clean Asking: Create Intimacy, Not DistanceHave you ever noticed how the same desire can be received completely differently, simply based on how you say it? The way we communicate our needs and desires shape the quality of our relationships more than we realize.In this intimate and insightful episode, we unpack the subtle (and powerful) role of syntax, tone, and word choice in expressing desire. Whether you’re navigating romantic connection, friendship, or family dynamics, the shift from blame to vulnerability can open doors to deeper intimacy.Brenda shares her personal practice of saying, “I have a desire…” to invite curiosit...2025-07-0915 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast96 ~ How To Ask For What You Want (Without Sabotaging It)What happens when you ask for something you deeply desire, and it’s met with rejection?In this episode, Brenda and Catherine explore the art of asking for what we want while staying rooted in self-worth, even when the answer is “no.” Through honest personal stories—from diamond earrings to a fridge full of Pellegrino—they unpack how to hold desire cleanly, without attachment to the outcome.This is not about getting what you want—it’s about loving that you want it.They explore the nuances of desire as a personal pract...2025-06-2531 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast95 ~What No One Tells You About Getting What You WantWhat happens when life feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet of desires? When every opportunity feels irresistible and you want it all—right now?In this episode, Brenda and Catherine dive into the emotional terrain of competing desires and the tough choices we must make when we can't have everything at once. They explore what it means to move through life’s “candy store” with discernment, drawing from personal stories and hard-earned wisdom.Brenda shares a powerful, vulnerable account of her divorce—a soul-driven choice that led to emotional upheaval, financial strain, and years of shame b...2025-06-1840 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast94 ~ Scroll, Shop, Binge: How We EscapeWe all want freedom but are our go-to comforts actually keeping us stuck? In this revealing episode, Brenda and Catherine explore the fine line between real freedom and sophisticated forms of avoidance.From Netflix binges to spontaneous vacations, they examine how common pleasures can sometimes act as distractions from discomfort. Through honest personal stories, they uncover how facing limitations, rather than escaping them, builds deeper resilience and lasting liberation.This conversation invites you to explore your own habits with compassion and curiosity. What are you avoiding? What would true freedom really feel like?2025-06-1138 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast91 ~ Freedom From The InsideWhen we’re young, freedom feels like staying up late, eating candy for dinner, and having no one tell us what to do. But as we grow up, that surface-level idea of freedom gets challenged. True freedom, is not about indulging in everything, it’s about having genuine choice and the ability to act from our values, not our wounds.Brenda and Catherine explore their personal paths to authentic freedom. Brenda opens up about breaking free from perfectionism and people-pleasing, where retail therapy once offered short-lived comfort but not true satisfaction. Catherine shares how her struggle with over...2025-05-2124 min
Desire As Medicine Podcast90 ~ Seeing Red Cars: How Your Brain Filters RealityEver wonder why some people see kindness everywhere while others only notice rejection? It’s not the world that’s different, it’s our perception. Brenda and Catherine explore how our brains filter reality based on our beliefs, often without us realizing it.Using Tony Robbins’ “red car” experiment as a jumping-off point, they speak to how 95% of our brain activity happens unconsciously. These mental filters shape everything from our relationships to our opportunities. Beliefs like “I have to do everything alone” or “nobody wants women to succeed” can become self-fulfilling prophecies, until we learn to spot them.Through...2025-05-1425 min
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 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 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 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 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 (Tool Box 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