From the Heart with Rachel Brathen

Latest Episodes:

Are We What We Eat? with Ella Mills Nov 17, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Rachel is joined by Ella Mills; creator of the insanely popular food blog Deliciously Ella. Ella healed herself from a devastating disease through plant based food and a healthy lifestyle and has since dedicated her life to inspiring the world through the art of cooking. They talk about how our eating habits affect our lives, the emotional connection we hold to the diet we were raised with, adding broccoli to your pepperoni pizza and how when it comes to making good choices for your body, learning by doing is the best way! Ella shares how she went from never giving food much thought to vibrantly glowing with health, and how she turned what was a small personal blog into a hugely successful business with 70+ employees. They also talk about the difficult side of social media, what it’s like to have millions of people following your every move and much more.

Healing Physical Pain, Finding Your Core and Movement As a Spiritual Practice with Lara Heimann Nov 10, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Rachel is joined by Lara Heimann; physical therapist, master yoga teacher and anatomy genius. They talk about one thing and one thing only: THE BODY. Your body is a miracle! Yet we rarely treat it as such. In this episode you get to learn some of the many misaligned cues taught by yoga teachers all over the world and why the overly flexible yoga body, though so celebrated within the yoga community, is actually inching its way closer to injury with every downward dog. Lara shares stories of working with patients with severe neurological injuries and how her MB in physical therapy helped shape a brand new form of yoga. Rachel shares her own history of jumping from teacher to teacher and, through practicing intensely, having ended up with injury or pain more than a few times in her life. They talk about movement as a deeply spiritual practice, how to form the essential habit of practicing yoga (mindfully!) every day and how to heal yoga-related pain in the lower back, shoulders and neck. They also dive into the topic of how tapping into your core can completely change your life (and how it has absolutely nothing to do with a six-pack!).

Self-Love, Fear of Dying, Rose Quartz Spheres and a Crappy Day Nov 03, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Rachel gets real and emotional about her hardships in the midst of a particularly crappy day. She talks about her contrasting struggle with low self esteem and the huge fear she carries around the wellbeing of her daughter while simultaneously feeling content and happy in leading her first teacher training. She dives into the topic of teaching yoga the "right" way, what it means to find your true voice as a teacher, cursing in class and how fear can push us into arguments with our loved ones. She also talks about the inner critic; that judgmental voice we all have at the back of the head telling us we're not good enough, and how to counter it by showing up with self compassion.

Walking Through Fire, Letting The Other Shoe Drop and Telling Your Story with Glennon Doyle Oct 27, 2017

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In this episode Rachel is joined by Glennon Doyle; #1 NYT Best-Selling author, activist, philanthropist and founder of Momastery; an online platform that changes the lives of millions through storytelling. Glennon shares the story of how she found the love of her life in soccer player Abby Wambach immediately following the release of her #1 New York Times Bestseller Love Warrior (a tale of marriage redemption!) and the value of being truthful - even when it's inconvenient. They talk about the importance of allowing your children to feel everything life has in store for them (even when it's painful), building resilience through struggle, recovering from addiction and letting the other shoe drop. Glennon gives some beautiful advice on how to heal through story telling and how when shit hits the fan and you've found yourself in a pit of dispair, rather than trying to climb your way up sometimes the best thing to do is simply to sit down.

Peace, Love and Veganism with James Aspey Oct 20, 2017

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In this episode Rachel is joined by James Aspey; vegan, animal rights activist and public speaker. James replaced drugs, cancer and bulimia with veganism, surfing and meditation and his story is an incredible inspiration to people across the globe. After being diagnosed with Leukemia which led him into drug addiction he changed his life drastically and started a journey in search of health and happiness. Through becoming vegan and experiencing first-hand the amazing ways it improved his life (and what it does for the planet!) he has since dedicated his life's work to spreading the message of loving kindness, peace and veganism. In this episode Rachel shares her struggle with having transitioned away from being vegan and how it's affected her life and together they dive into the topic of veganism, health, animals and what it means to live a life that aligns with loving kindness.

The Sleep Episode Oct 13, 2017

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Sleep is a spiritual practice and without it, we cannot function (there is a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form or torture)! In this episode Rachel shares how she got her baby girl to sleep through the night - almost! After struggling with intense sleep deprivation for two months she decided to take charge and has since read eight books, had two sleep consultations, asked the world for advice through social media and googled her way to things that actually WORK. In this podcast episode she lists all the things she applied to help set healthy sleep habits for her daughter and how, finally, they are sleeping soundly.

Becoming Yoga Girl Oct 06, 2017

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In this episode Rachel shares the story of how Yoga Girl came into existence! She talks about how her Instagram account came to be and recalls the first time anyone every recognized her from social media (not as much fun as you might think!). She tells the hilarious story of how she taught her first-ever yoga class abroad (it involves a Chipotle burrito and almost vomiting out of nervousness) after cold-calling studios and begging them to let her teach, and how that was the spark that launched her journey as an international yoga instructor. She shares what it’s been like to grow from teaching in small yoga studios to huge stadiums and concert halls, dealing with judgement from other teachers and finally harnessing her own power and allowing herself to truly shine.

The Spiritual Practice of Making Music with Trevor Hall Sep 29, 2017

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In this episode Rachel is joined by singer-songwriter Trevor Hall! Trevor shares his life story and get ready because this one comes with a TON of wisdom. He shares how a deeply rooted passion for music launched him into a successful career as an artist without ever actually setting out to become famous in the traditional sense of the word. They talk about the struggles he had to overcome to arrive at a place of living his truth, keeping up a spiritual practice while living on the road and redefining the meaning of success and abundance. Trevor shares how being dropped from a major label turned out to be his biggest blessing and what it's like being the yoga worlds favorite musician! They also talk about how to find your purpose in life, music as a true spiritual practice and Trevor shares how some very challenging health issues helped birth a brand new album.

The Flight From Hell Sep 22, 2017

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In this episode Rachel tells the hilarious story of how she flew from Stockholm to Aruba last week and how everything that could have gone wrong did (at the same time!). Prepare for some very disgusting but crazy funny storytelling! She also talks a little bit about anger and transforming it through comic relief.

The Challenges of Parenthood, Being a Stay-At-Home Dad and Becoming Iron Man with Dennis Schoneveld Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Rachel is joined by her husband Dennis and together they dive in to an honest reflection of their challenges as new parents. They talk about their recent fights over Dennis training for an Iron Man race, not having any alone time, masculine vs feminine roles and being a "modern family" with Dennis as a stay-at-home dad and Rachel as a working mom. They also touch on subjects like gender equality, feminism and learning how to make space for your own needs while co-creating partnership.