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Something wild happens when your life hits a season you can’t “power through.” I’m sharing a personal update I’ve been living inside of lately: pregnancy, the humbling first trimester, and what it forces me to release when my usual productivity stories stop working. If you’re a mom, a caregiver, a go-getter, or anyone moving through change, this is for the days when success looks like making it to bedtime and calling that sacred.
We talk about tiny rituals as spiritual practice and realistic self-care. Not the fantasy of two uninterrupted hours, but the two-minute practices that bring you home: lighting a candle, making tea, watering a plant, stepping outside barefoot, taking five deep belly breaths, or putting your legs up the wall. I share how these micro-rituals build steadiness, protect your peace, and help you reorient when your nervous system is loud and your mind is spinning.
Then we go deeper into community as medicine. I reflect on the kind of relationships that don’t just validate you, but actually help you remember who you are. That also means grieving false belonging, noticing where familiarity isn’t alignment, and trusting your nervous system before your thoughts catch up. We unpack expansion vs contraction, boundaries around gossip, and why nature is such a powerful teacher when you’re tempted to hurry.
If you’re craving depth and ceremony, I also share details on the Beyond the Veil retreat (July 25 to 26 at Woodmont Day Camp in upstate New York) and what we’re creating together with shamanic journeying, grief wisdom, and sacred space. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
✨ Three Elena Truths
- Your nervous system often recognizes what belongs long before your mind catches up.
- Tiny daily rituals have the power to keep you connected to yourself when life won’t make space for long spiritual practices.
- Every meaningful life requires grieving the relationships, expectations, and identities that no longer align with who you’re becoming.
📖 Journaling Prompts
- Where in my life am I staying because it feels familiar rather than deeply nourishing?
- Which relationships leave my body feeling expansive? Which leave me feeling contracted?
- What tiny ritual could help me remember myself every single day?
- What version of myself am I grieving right now?
- If I trusted my nervous system more than my fear, what would I lovingly let go of?
📚 Resources & Quotes Mentioned
Books
Quotes Mentioned
- Carl Jung: “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
- Marianne Williamson: “Your playing small does not serve the world.”
- Lao Tzu (attributed): “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
- Joseph Campbell: “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
- Inspired by Rick Rubin: The goal isn’t to be finished; the goal is to stay connected to the work.
🌿 Mentioned in This Episode
🌙 Beyond the Veil Immersion Retreat
Join Elena and a collective of experienced death doulas, spiritual practitioners, and ceremonial guides for a weekend exploring death, grief, ritual, and living more fully.
July 25–26 (Day Passes Available)
You’ll experience:
- Shamanic journeying
- Workshops on death, grief, and end-of-life care
- Sunrise yoga
- Ceremony
- Community around the fire
- Practical tools for supporting yourself and others through loss
Learn more & register: Beyond the Veil Immersion Retreat
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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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