The Inside Circle: The Courage to Heal While Incarcerated with Eldra Jackson III
Jul 26, 2021
Show notesEldra Jakson III, Co Executive Director at The Inside Circle
Eldra Jackson III
Eldra served 24 years of a life sentence; the last eight were spent sitting with Inside Circle eventually leading to his release from New Folsom Prison in 2014. A living example of successful rehabilitation and re-entry, Eldra has dedicated his free time on the outside to serving at-risk youth, and acting as a facilitator, trainer, and mentor. He is a writer and sought after public speaker on the topics of at-risk youth advocacy, effective criminal justice rehabilitation and turning around ‘toxic’ masculinity. He also hosts the Inside Circle Podcast.
The Inside Circle
The Inside Circle exists to reduce recidivism and all forms of violence-physical, emotional, and psychological— in our prisons and communities. Using the power of human connection found in peer-guided healing circles, Inside Circle transforms lives, reducing violence inside and outside adult and juvenile prisons, lowering recidivism rates, and building social-emotional literacy.
They Operate regularly within and around California State Prison, Sacramento (New Folsom), Sierra Conservation Center, and New Jersey’s Juvenile Medium Security Facility. They have ignited and run programs in an array of adult and juvenile detention centers and community settings across the United States.
After sitting in group with Inside Circle for an average of 3 years, members show shifts in resilience, empathy, self-regulation, and perspective taking. For participants, There’s an 80% decline in the number of “115” rule violations. 70% of participants dropped 1-3 security levels. 44% of the men who were serving and went through the program are no longer in prison but instead serving their communities and contributing to society, and 0% of released participants returned to prison within three years of release. For more on The Inside Circle watch The Work documentary available on Amazon.
Discussed In This Episode:
Eldra’s background and his story
What went through Eldra’s mind when he was sentenced and his first years in prison
Toxic masculinity, Eldra’s definition of it, and how it impacted his life
What we need to know about prison life
Racial segregation in CA prisons and why this remains in practice
The Circle — how Eldra found it and how it heals
What led to Eldra’s freedom and eventual release
The adjustment to being out of prison and the biggest challenges
How To Heal Trauma, An Interview With Deborah Thompson Cox, SEP
May 31, 2021
Show notesDeborah Thompson Cox, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Deborah Thompson Cox
Deborah Thompson Cox has a private practice specializing in addressing the after-effects of childhood trauma in adults. Deborah is based in the Greater Los Angeles area yet her work with others extends across the country. Deborah’s work with clients is designed to support the self-healing intelligence of the body’s life energy. She views the body and mind as one coherent system, and both can be affected by a combination of healing modalities. This elastic body of work is inclusive of the following approaches: Somatic Experiencing (SE) which guides the client’s attention to their bodily sensations, connecting these to their thoughts, expressions/movements, images and emotions in a way that opens the neural pathways and allows trauma-bound (adrenaline-produced) energy to discharge. Quiet spaciousness between interventions allows the profound, and healing, reorganization of the body-mind. Early Attachment Patterning which provides a foundational understanding of the four core Attachment Styles, their origins, the way they reveal themselves in relationships, and methods for transforming attachment hurt into healing. I use the terms Secure, Avoidant, Ambivalent, and Disorganized Attachment. Somatic Integration which promotes the body’s capacity to hold and expand a wide range of emotions via how the energy runs through the body which includes understanding Defense Mechanisms and how the Brain Develops throughout early childhood via Family Dynamics. And finally, She fuses these modalities by introducing the client to a mindful practice of yoga and meditation based upon the ancient wisdom of Kundalini Yoga. Contact Deborah @ dthompsoncox@gmail.com or go to her website here
Discussed In This Episode:
How educating yourself on trauma can begin the process of healing trauma
The amygdala function in the brain & The nervous system
High-Vibe Feng Shui • Grief and Infant Loss • with Ashley Cantley
Apr 26, 2021
Show notesAshley Cantley
Ashley Cantley
Ashley Cantley is the Author of High-Vibe Feng Shui: 11 Steps to Achieving Your Best Life. She is passionate about living well and helping others do the same through the ancient principles of Feng Shui. Her modern practice pulls from Traditional Chinese Medicine, shamanism, Ayurveda, and current studies of energetics to design a life of abundance. As a certified Feng Shui expert and a Red Ribbon Professional (the highest recognition) through the International Feng Shui Guild, she has worked with celebrity clients and has been featured as a go-to source for media outlets such as Bravo TV and Real Simple.
Discussed In This Episode:
The lifestyle of Feng Shui
What is modern Feng Shui according to Ashley Cantley
Intuition and deepening your relationship with yourself
Being authentic and how that’s the only way to “do Feng Shui right”
Why using environmentally friendly products matters
Being intentional in everything you do
Tips from the Feng Shui toolbox
Mantras
The Sacred Pause
Having faith and trust in the sacred pause
How doing all of the “spiritual work’ doesn’t stop life from happening
How Ashley is moving through her stillbirth and grieving her baby girl
How to support others when they’re in deep grief and trauma
Heal Yourself From Depression: An Interview With Amy B. Scher
Mar 29, 2021
Show notes
Amy B Scher:
AMY B SCHER is an award-winning and bestselling author of four books on human-ing and healing. She’s been featured in Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, CNN, CBS, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus and more. Scher was also named one of Advocate’s “40 Under 40.” Amy’s books have been translated into thirteen languages and endorsed by notable authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray Love); Vikas Swarup (Slumdog Millionaire); and Sanjiv Chopra, MD, MACP, Harvard Medical School and (Brotherhood with Deepak Chopra). Amy lives in New York City with her beautiful wife and bad cat. www.amybscher.com
Discussed In This Episode:
A balanced view on what depression is from an energetic standpoint
Burying ourselves for others and the ramifications
Being practical — what you have to do vs. what can you choose
The symptoms of depression
How indecisiveness plays into depression
People-pleasing
surrender to where you are.
Wanting to move forward but not needing to move forward
What is self-healing? Doing the parts that no one else can do but you!
Combining Western and Eastern
Amy B Scher’s 3-step approach to energetically healing depression
What is energy therapy
Changing thoughts, emotions and beliefs. Releasing stuck energy
The Sweep script for changing our beliefs and why that’s important
Why we sometimes subconsciously keep ourselves sick
Amy B Scher advice! The brave lifestyle of staying healthy and depression free
Living authentically
Boundaries and how they play a role in depression. Boundaries and being an empath
Getting into action “Sometimes we forget when we are spiritual people and we’ve been using these tools that we can also just DO STUFF”
The combo of gentleness and tough love
The fear of being unloved based on living our lives for ourselves
Harm vs. disappointment
What is the path of least resistance?
Taking on other’s feelings
Amy B Scher advice! How to start taking action today — tell yourself the truth!
* Encore* 34. Breast Cancer • Sex and (Self) Love After a Double Mastectomy with Amy Marcs – Jackie Shea
Oct 21, 2019
Show notes
Amy Marcs, Sex and (Self) Love after a Double Mastectomy:
In 2009, Amy received a breast cancer diagnosis and intuitively knew that a double mastectomy was her best option—no easy decision for “a petite Jewish girl with great boobs.” (No easy decision for anyone, ever). Marcs loved her breasts—her journey through the grieving process is heartbreaking, touching, inspiring and hilarious. It’s a grieving process that many sick people can relate to as all of us lose a part of our identities we were once attached to. We get down to business in this episode, intimately discussing sex and (self) love after a double mastectomy. Today, on the other side, Amy (and her new boobs) tours her one woman show, “Nice Tits,” and speaks out about the specific pains of breast cancer and double mastectomies. (http://nicetitstheshow.com )
Weekly Challenge:
“Take your broken heart and make it into art” -Carrie Fisher
I love this challenge, my friends! Amy wrote as a way to move through her experience so it’s only fitting that her challenge to you is to find a creative expression on your journey. I did it, and it worked wonder. Check out how creativity helped me heal in this blog post on my photo 365 challenge. You can do anything: Paint, draw, garden, take photos, write, sing, pick up an instrument, color, act, dance, knit, sew, make pottery, and the list goes on. There’s no shortage on creative outlets, AND you have the time (and energy)! Commit to ten minutes a day if you can and if you’re bed bound like I was then pick something low-impact. Keep me updated on my Instagram @sheajackie. I’ll be looking for you #holweeklychallenge
Discussed in this Episode:
DCIS
BRCA genes
How Amy got diagnosed (when mammograms don’t work)
Amy’s treatment protocol
Double Mastectomy
Finding a doctor right for you
Amy’s grieving process (goodbye parties for your boobs)
Encore • Mindfulness and Chronic Illness • Accept What Is • Surrender and Be Free
Sep 24, 2019
Show notesNichole Proffitt, mindfulness coach for women, somatic experiencing practitioner
Mindfulness and Chronic Illness:
Nichole Proffitt ( http://www.presencemindfulness.com/ ) had been seriously practicing meditation for years when her first fibromyalgia symptoms developed, and (plot-twist) meditation was making it all worse. This isn’t an episode about traditional meditation and using it to heal from illness. It’s an episode about accepting what is, seeking out your truth, surrendering to your truth, and then being willing to let go… of everything. The closer Nichole got to her absolute truth ( whether that truth was that she couldn’t hang out with toxic people anymore, or eat her favorite foods, or stay up past 10pm even though she’s always been a night owl) and the more she surrendered to them, the healthier and happier she has become. She said, “These truths, as hard as they are to come by, and even harder to live by, are what give me back my life… the years, relationships, friendships, jobs and everything I have lost.” THIS is mindfulness and chronic illness.
Ask yourself deeper questions and become open to your own deeper answers. What a doozy, huh? This may seem totally overwhelming. Often, it’s those deep—DEEP—answers that we are trying to avoid so that we can hang on tightly to our own visions. But, this week, gently try to go inward, listen just a little closer, and allow small parts of your truth to emerge. Tune in to the episode to hear more about how to actually do this. Follow me @sheajackie for weekly challenge updates and more wellness fun.
Discussed in this Episode:
Trauma
Violence/ rape
Illness and trauma link
Why healing your trauma is necessary to heal your illness sometimes
The desire to be fully well
How coping mechanisms can make us sicker
What happens to our learned coping mechanisms when we get sick
Rage
Building up a reference point for pleasure and delight
Grief
Nichole’s darkest hours and how she made it through
Encore • Feng Shui for Health and Wellness Optimization with Ashley Cantley
Sep 03, 2019
Show notesAshley Cantley, Feng Shui expert, manifester, mama bear
Feng Shui for Health:
Ashley Cantley was drawn to this ancient Chinese practice when faced with healing from a toxic relationship. Similarly, I only started putting attention on my living space when I was sick and doing some healing of my own. Most people who have a current #lifegoal of “heal from illness” are in bed, and, in that case, shouldn’t the bedroom feel like a sanctuary? I believe that my living space is a reflection of how I am in the world, and I committed to making my whole home a giant vision board: Everything in it should make me feel good! Essentially, how to feng shui for health. That being said, I knew very little about the actual art and science of Feng Shui, so I was pretty pumped to get Ashley on and talk about practical suggestions to use Feng Shui for health and healing. How is Feng Shui an extension of holistic health? And how does it enhance other self-care practices? How can we make small changes in our home to enhance our health? Listen in here!
Find Ashley for more Feng Shui tips on IG @fengshuiash and at her blog and website here.
Weekly Challenge:
This one can be a real game-changer! Clean and de-clutter the center of your home or living space. The center of your home is where the health and wellness energy resides. Of course it’s in the center, right? It can be the most important piece of our lives. After a deep clean and serious de-clutter, purchase a swarovski crystal here and hang it.
In the episode (around minute 20) we get into the deets behind WHY this crystal is the jam! Follow me @sheajackie on IG for weekly challenge updates.
Discussed in this Episode:
What Feng Shui is
My personal journey of de-cluttering to heal
Why Ashley turned to Feng Shui after a break-up
How changing your space enhances your energy
The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up
What is a Feng Shui cure
Acupuncture
Traumatic Miscarriages
Feng Shui for fertility
Little adjustments you can make to enhance your health (like the sheet color on your bed!)
Encore: 55. How to Heal Anxiety with Amy B. Scher
Aug 12, 2019
Show notes
Amy B. Scher, How to Heal Anxiety
Amy B. Scher ( https://amybscher.com/ ) is the best-selling author of the new book How To Heal Yourself From Anxiety When No One Else Can. As an expert in mind-body healing, she uses energy therapy techniques to help those experiencing emotional and physical challenges to move on and heal permanently and completely. Amy has been featured in CNN, CBS, Cosmopolitan, Washington Post, and more. Most importantly, she lives by her self-created motto: When life kicks your ass, kick-back. In this episode get an in-depth look at how to heal anxiety.
Discussed in this Episode:
What inspired Amy to write this book
What anxiety is
How to know if you have anxiety
How to heal anxiety
To-do lists: The debate! And how to make them work FOR you.
How does technology add to our anxiety
What happens when you avoid your feelings
Big traumas vs. smaller traumas and which is more harmful?
Anger
Immune system and feelings
Talk-therapy downfalls
Decision making
Emotional Freedom Technique
Letting go
Why you don’t need to worry
Perfectionism
Thymus gland tapping
Old beliefs
Muscle testing
When to turn toward your feelings and when to turn away
This episode, Amy teaches us how to use thymus gland tapping to help us heal stuck emotions, anxiety and our immune systems. Did you know that the Thymus gland is the master gland of the immune system? Learn how to use it to benefit you.
Encore: Healing from an Act of Violence• Forgiving Your Perpetrator
Jul 29, 2019
Show notes
Megan’s Story:
Twenty years ago, on a beautiful Monday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, Megan was violently attacked and sexually assaulted by a stranger. It was luck that saved her life, but the emotional wounds carried on for years to follow. In this episode, Megan bravely shares her story and the tools she used to navigate this random act of violence. Today, in her big, full life, she is free from the power he had over her, and she has come to a place of total forgiveness.
Interested in forgiving your perpetrator? If you want to contact Megan please write to me first and I will put you in touch
Weekly Challenge:
This is straight from Megan’s toolbox: Write a fear list and then (plot-twist) write a gratitude list twice as long! I love this challenge. I always say that I don’t “gratitude-list my way out of feelings,” but I use them to get a more balanced view of reality. When our fears are raging, we often lose sight of what’s real—gratitude can help. Give it a try and tell me what you think.
Follow me @sheajackie for weekly challenge updates.
28. Encore: Everything You Need to Know about Vaginal Steaming with Steamy Chick Founder Keli Garza
Jul 08, 2019
Show notesSteamy Chick
Vaginal Steaming 101:
How many of you are shaking your heads in amusement? How many of you are doing that but also VERY curious? And how many of you are just like, this sounds weird but I am excited! After so many years dealing with periods that are so heavy I’m left chronically anemic, I had an entirely open mind when I first heard about vaginal steaming. Five months ago, a friend responded to a Facebook post I had written (Ladies! Any and all advice to slow the flow??) emphatically suggesting vaginal steaming. That was only five months ago, but the idea of steaming my uterus piqued my interest so much that I have been following around Steamy Chick on social media, reading her blogs, and steaming at home myself since. I’m so pumped that Keli Garza, founder of Steamy Chick, came on the show and now I get to share this gem with all of you!
This episode is your vaginal steaming 101 course. We discuss its ancient origin (this is not some new trend, you guys), exactly how, when, and why to steam—steaming has been shown to help with everything from infertility to missing periods to blood clots. Plus, it literally feels like a sauna for your uterus. Those of you who are following along with my period series, this episode is part II. I am still in my trial period with vaginal steaming and will have a lot more to say about it in the coming months, but, for now, ENJOY this vaginal steaming 101 course.
Weekly Challenge:
Steamy Chick challenges us to steam at home this week! You don’t need to buy anything, you can steam using things you already have: A pot, some tea, salt, and water. I just finished steaming five days in a row as per Keli’s suggestion, and I’m meant to wait until the end of my period to steam for three more days (find out why in this episode!). So, my steam may or may not be lining up with the weekly challenge, but I WILL be waiting to hear from all of you on this! Dear naysayers, what have you got to lose? NOTHING. Unless your pregnant then PLEASE do not do this because you absolutely have something to lose.
Follow me @sheajackie for more weekly challenge gems
Discussed in this Episode:
How to vaginal steam
Why to vaginal steam
Who should/ shouldn’t vaginal steam
When to vaginal steam
How I got introduced to vaginal steaming
Success stories
How Keli ended up on this life path
Why Keli has dedicated her life to this work
Why tampons are so harmful
What to use instead of tampons
The signs that your period is not right
The signs that you aren’t getting a full uterine cleanse
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