Inner Work: A Spiritual Growth Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Inner Work 145: Can we use substances mindfully on the spiritual path? Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of INNER WORK, I explore whether it's possible to remain on the spiritual path - and continue evolving - while using substances such as alcohol and drugs.

Join me for a discussion on:

can alcohol use be compatible with the spiritual path?
the importance of identifying our intentions and motivations for using substances
how to notice if a particular substance or behavior is hindering your growth
being mindful of how we're bonding with others, especially if some of our relationships are built mostly on substance use

Towards the end of this episode, I asked my husband and lifelong spiritual seeker Garrett to chime in with his first-hand experience of psychedelics and "tripping" (since I have none!).

I extend my deepest gratitude to Kris for writing in and sparking this episode! Your openness and vulnerability in sharing have served all of us.

IMPORTANT NOTE: everything in this episode is based on my personal experience, opinions, and observations as an intuitive healer. I'm not an addiction specialist or mental health counselor. Please use your common sense and intuition about what's best for you, and seek professional help if needed.

Want to work with me? Please explore my upcoming course, Journey to the Center of Yourself: Discover Your True Purpose, below. Enrollment is now open:

https://josephinehardman.com/work-with-me/journey-to-center-of-yourself-discover-your-true-purpose/

You can also connect with me via https://josephinehardman.com or by sending a note to me@josephinehardman.com

Thank you for being here, and please keep doing your inner work!

Music & editing (and special appearance) by Garrett "The Wizard" Demers

AWAKENING: Being vulnerable (with friends and others) Nov 12, 2022

Show notes

Being vulnerable requires a great deal of courage, presence, and transparency with ourselves and others. What happens when you're vulnerable with someone, and they can't receive, honor, or reciprocate your vulnerability?

This episode of AWAKENING explores both the benefits and potential consequences of being vulnerable with people in your life. I share a few personal anecdotes of being vulnerable in 2022 and how my friends and family members have responded.

Join me for a discussion of:

what it really means to be vulnerable with yourself and others
why some people have a more limited capacity and tolerance for vulnerability
how to accept where others are while being true to yourself and your need for deep connection
how to deal with a vulnerability hangover
how to decide whether, with whom, and how much to share when big things happen in your life

Thank you for tuning in and supporting the podcast! Your presence here means the world to me.

Please be kind to yourself and others - we're all doing the best we can with what we have and where we are right now.

To explore my upcoming course, Journey to the Center of Yourself: Discover Your True Purpose, click below:

https://josephinehardman.com/work-with-me/journey-to-center-of-yourself-discover-your-true-purpose/

To connect with me or explore my other services, please visit https://josephinehardman.com or send a note to me@josephinehardman.com

Music & editing by G. Demers

Inner Work 144: Ten major healing lessons of the past year Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

As the year draws to a close, I've been reflecting on the major healing lessons of 2022. These are derived from my own personal life, but I'm sure many of these points will resonate with you deeply. Join me for this episode of Inner Work where we take stock of the past year and explore what we've learned, what we've let go of, what we must still release, and what lessons we can bring with us into the next year. This episode focuses primarily on the healing process - whether you're healing your emotions, mindset, physical body, relationships, or any other area of your life. Please help me fulfill the goal of keeping this podcast on air and free of ads! Any amount that you're able to contribute will go directly towards the costs of creating, hosting, and producing the podcast. You can donate as a one-time contribution or sign up to support the podcast on a monthly basis. Here's the link to donate:

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

To connect with me, you can visit https://josephinehardman.com or email me@josephinehardman.com to suggest a question or topic for a future episode.

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

AWAKENING: How to bring your spiritual insights down to Earth Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Recently, a listener of this podcast asked me an important question: how do we bring our insights and healing down to Earth, to share them with others? How do we embody our spiritual insights?

In this episode of AWAKENING, I answer this question and talk about:

how to avoid using spirituality or spiritual tools (like the Akashic Records) as forms of escapism
how to periodically review your spiritual insights and lessons, to see whether you're actually applying them in your life
a personal story of how I've been applying a recent spiritual insight in my own life
questions to help you come into greater integrity with yourself and your spiritual principles

Thank you to Alix for writing in and suggesting this topic! To submit your own question or possible topic, you can write to me@josephinehardman.com. To explore my work and services, head over to https://josephinehardman.com Please help me fulfill the goal of keeping this podcast on air and free of ads! Any amount that you're able to contribute will go directly towards the costs of creating, hosting, and producing the podcast. You can donate as a one-time contribution or sign up to support the podcast on a monthly basis. Here's the link to donate:

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

Inner Work 143: The Healing Power of Compassion with Jessica Flanigan Brown Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

My guest for this episode is Jessica Flanigan Brown, clinical nutritionist and author of The Loving Diet. Jessica has been practicing clinical nutrition for 25 years, specializing in gut restoration and disordered eating, especially in mid-life. She's getting certified as a compassion teacher at Stanford University School of Medicine's CCARE Applied Compassion Training program. Jessica helps others get in touch with the healing power of their heart through a practical approach.

In this interview, we talk about the marital separation that broke Jessica open and how she turned to compassion as an essential practice to begin healing.

Among other topics, we also talk about why so many of us carry a core belief of being broken, flawed, or unlovable - and how we can begin to shift that.

To explore Jessica's work, go here: https://thelovingdiet.com/

To connect with me (Josephine), please visit https://josephinehardman.com or send a note to me@josephinehardman.com

Thank you for being here, and please keep doing your inner work!

Music & editing by G. Demers

AWAKENING: Are you giving your power away? Oct 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of AWAKENING, we'll explore the ways in which you might be handing over your power and decision-making to others.

We'll run through some common examples of how (and why) we might do this in daily life, how it feels in the body when you give your power away, and some specific steps to start taking your power back - on every level.

In the episode, I mention a resource for developing interoception, or body awareness. For that, go here:

https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/daily-activities-that-can-help-develop-self-regulation/ Thank you to Sarah for writing in and sparking this episode! To submit a question or topic suggestion, you can write to me@josephinehardman.com. To explore my work and services, head over to https://josephinehardman.com Please help me fulfill the goal of keeping this podcast on air and free of ads! Any amount that you're able to contribute will go directly towards the costs of creating, hosting, and producing the podcast. You can donate as a one-time contribution or sign up to support the podcast on a monthly basis. Here's the link to donate:

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

Inner Work 142: On Being an Empath with Dr. Judith Orloff Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

My special guest for this episode is Judith Orloff, MD, the "godmother of the empath movement." Dr. Orloff is a psychiatrist, empath, and intuitive healer. She is also a New York Times bestselling author and UCLA psychiatric clinical faculty member. Her books include The Empath's Survival Guide, Thriving as an Empath, and Emotional Freedom.

Dr. Orloff has written a new book called Affirmations for Empaths: A Year of Guided Journaling. In this episode, we talk about:

what it means to be an empath
the challenges of being an empath, especially if you were not heard or acknowledged for your gifts as a child
how to survive in our modern world as empaths
Dr. Orloff's new book and how affirmations can help you heal and fully claim your gifts of empathy & intuition

You can purchase Dr. Orloff's new book here: https://www.soundstrue.com/products/affirmations-for-empaths-1

And visit her website here: https://drjudithorloff.com

To explore my (Josephine's) work and services, please head over to www.josephinehardman.com or write to me@josephinehardman.com

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

AWAKENING: Living the life your Soul is calling you to live Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

On the path of awakening, you might be called to begin living in a different or new way. This can happen when you're truly listening to your heart and tuning in to your inner guidance.

In this episode of AWAKENING, I respond to a listener's email about how to begin aligning with the lifestyle and way of living that most resonates with you (and how to release limiting beliefs and fears along the way).

Join me for a discussion of:

having the desire to live a peaceful, simpler life where you get to express yourself creatively or live in community with others
the importance of clarifying WHERE your desires are coming from, and WHY you're desiring these things
giving yourself permission to live a life that is right for you
clearing out internal blocks, fears, and limiting beliefs so you can create your desired lifestyle
an introduction to Byron Katie's The Work - you can explore this for yourself here: https://thework.com

Thank you to Jenna for writing in and sparking this episode! To submit a question or topic suggestion, you can write to me@josephinehardman.com. To explore my work and services, head over to https://josephinehardman.com

Please help me fulfill the goal of keeping this podcast on air and free of ads! Any amount that you're able to contribute will go directly towards the costs of creating, hosting, and producing the podcast. You can donate as a one-time contribution or sign up to support the podcast on a monthly basis. Here's the link to donate:

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

Inner Work 141: Hunger, Desire, and Your Relationship with Food Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

This episode of INNER WORK is a spiritual exploration of hunger, desire, and how we relate to food. This discussion will be especially helpful if you have (or have ever had) a disordered relationship to food and eating. We'll examine what your relationship to food might have to do with your deeper hungers and desires, particularly if you're not fully allowing yourself to feel or express those desires. We'll also explore how the way you relate to food can often point to deeper places in yourself that are not being fulfilled or tended to.

In this episode, I quote from two books: Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnston, and Women Food and God by Geneen Roth.

IMPORTANT NOTE: this podcast contains a discussion of disordered eating. If this is triggering to you, please skip it. This podcast is not a substitute for medical or psychological advice, and I am not a doctor or eating disorder counselor. Please seek the proper help and advice following your own intuition and common sense.

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

To explore my work and services, please head over to www.josephinehardman.com

I deeply appreciate your presence and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers

AWAKENING: Navigating the fall and winter months (and seasonal depression) Sep 17, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of AWAKENING, I answer a listener's email about how to cope with seasonal depression during the fall and winter months. Join me for a discussion of:

why you might feel anxious or fearful as fall and winter approach
the spiritual meaning of the fall and winter seasons
how this time of year can help us go within to examine what we really need (and what needs to be expressed or felt)
spiritual and practical strategies to support yourself throughout the fall and winter months

Thank you to Chelsea for writing in and sparking this useful discussion! To submit a question or topic suggestion, you can write to me@josephinehardman.com

https://square.link/u/I4Zt8YSE

To explore my work and services, please head over to www.josephinehardman.com

I deeply appreciate your presence, support, and willingness to do your inner work! Thank you for being here.

Music & editing by G. Demers