On the first day of 2016 I took off my clothes and jumped into a freezing cold body of water.
For so long I had avoided cold water, knowing that my body already runs on the cold side and I wanted to do everything I could to stay comfortable. But on New Year's Day, when I was on a hike with a group of friends and we came upon a gorgeous pond, I just knew I had to do it.
I felt amazing afterwards.
But a week ago I went up to Orr Hotsprings with my partner and found myself avoiding the cold plunge at all costs.
I watched as my partner jumped in the icy cold pool on the first night and wondered how he could do it when it was already so cold outside. Even though I knew I would feel amazing afterwards, I was still avoiding it.
Until one moment I just knew I needed to jump in. It was time to stop procrastinating and just go for it.
So I did.
And what I noticed as I jumped out was that I could suddenly fully sustain being in the cold air outside. My body was warming up more quickly from the inside.
Suddenly I stood a little taller, spread my collarbones a little wider and walked with confidence upon the cool, hard Earth.
So often in life, we do everything we can to avoid the "cold plunge." Those things that scare us, those things that feel difficult or challenging. We procrastinate and put them off...
But the thing is, as soon as we stop avoiding it, we feel bigger and stronger than ever before.
This is what the past year has been like for me - continuously jumping into a cold pool of water. It has not always been easy, and at times it has felt like too much...
But as I sat interviewing Achintya Devi for the Rising Women Leaders podcast and hearing her speak of finding the gifts in our challenges and difficulties in life, and how relieved and powerful we feel when we face them head on, I knew it has all been worth it.
Achintya spoke:
As we close out 2016, I knew this was the perfect episode to leave you with.
Achintya speaks so powerfully of what is happening in our world right now, how women are being called to embody their divine feminine sovereign power and how we can fully activate and align on our path.
Listen to the episode here.
For this episode especially, I urge you to listen all the way to the end.
About three quarters of the way through we touch on some deeply meaningful topics that I think you will want to hear. You may want to have a tissue on hand.
From Achintya:
In this episode we discuss:
Tomorrow I will be entering ten days of silence at a Vipassana meditation retreat with my friend Karen. I know there may be some challenge and difficulty that arises with meditating for ten hours a day, ten days straight, but I am willing to face it head on. I welcome any good thoughts coming my way (I will be in silence and away from all technology December 20 - 31).
Know that I am wishing you an empowered and loving end of 2016 and I deeply look forward to connecting and sharing more inspiring content with you in the New Year.
With love,
Meredith
Achintya Devi is the Founder of Goddess Rising, a Global Sisterhood and School of Women’s Wisdom & Moon Mysteries, dedicated to activating and empowering the Wild Sacred Feminine within women worldwide through Moon Priestess Trainings and Leadership Certifications, Wild Sacred Women Retreats, a HerStory Rising Publication and an Online Global Moon Sisters Temple.
As a Women’s Wisdom Guide & Teacher, Ordained Priestess, Wholistic Health Practitioner, Acupressure Therapist and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher, she is especially passionate about women reclaiming and embodying the rhythm of their Womb Moon Wisdom and rising together in sisterhood to reawaken the collective Feminine Power for lasting transformation within and to serve as Sacred Feminine Leaders in this era of great Planetary Awakening.
Achintya is from British Colombia, teaches and travels internationally and is based on the island of Maui.
Hello beautiful sisters,
I have a new podcast episode for you today with goddess Ashly Rose Wolf of Femme Rising. I have been admiring Ashly's luscious images and designs on her instagram feed for some time now so was *over the moon* excited to sit down with her and ask my questions about shakti, cycle syncing, sensuality and feminine wisdom.
Here's what you'll find in today's episode:
Releasing shame around sexuality and letting go of "numbing out" that is so prevalent in our culture
Tips to tap into your natural, sensual, feminine nature
How to access the magic that lives in your hips!
Why sensuality + cycle syncing + shakti are key ingredients for self-love and living an empowered, confident, feminine life
Tips on what to eat and how to plan your lifestyle around your body's natural rhythms throughout the month
Tuning into the cycles of the moon and how to use that energy to feel empowered around your own natural cycles as a woman
I hope you enjoy today's episode! If you're traveling you can listen to it on the iTunes podcast app on any iPhone for easy listening.
Wishing you all lots of rest, self-care, self-love & time to tap into your sensual nature this long holiday weekend... <3
With love,
Meredith
Bio: Ashly Rose Wolf is a Women’s Health and Sensuality Coach who helps women reprogram their relationship with their bodies so they can live healthy, sexy, beautiful lives.
Using cycle syncing, sensuality practices, holistic nutrition and an ancient yogic science, Ashly helps women activate their sensual and cyclical wisdom to unlock their full feminine potential.
When she’s not leading the sensual revolution with Femme Rising, you can find her doing sensual yoga, playing outside with her little adventure dog Zuri Girl, soaking up Vitamin Sea and always, always, always stopping to smell the roses!
You can find her on instagram @femme.rising and on her website here.
When I first watched Lyla June Johnston's music video, "All Nations Rise," it gave me chills and I felt an immediate calling to interview her for the Rising Women Leaders podcast.
Lyla's video soon went viral on Facebook, with over 1.6 million views, providing a powerful platform for Lyla to share her message of compassion, peace and prayer during turbulent times.
I spoke with Lyla just days after she returned from Standing Rock last month. I left this interview feeling filled with so much hope, passion, and devotion to our Mother Earth as well as my own dreams and ambitions. I hope you will find the same.
Please take the time this week to listen to the full episode, and I encourage you to share it with your friends. The time has come for us all to rise together.
Love,
Meredith
In this episode Lyla shares:
Links in this episode:
Lyla is calling in assistance, management and administrative support in organizing her performances and speaking opportunities. If you feel called to learn more, please contact her here.
Lyla's Bio:
Lyla June Johnston was raised in Taos, New Mexico and is a descendent of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) lineages. Her personal mission in life is to grow closer to Creator by learning how to love deeper. This prayer has taken her on many journeys and materializes in diverse ways.
She is a student of global cycles of violence that eventually gave rise to The Native American Holocaust and the destruction of many cyclic relationships between human beings and nature. This exploration birthed her passion for revitalizing spiritual relationships with Mother Earth and cultivating spaces for forgiveness and reconciliation to occur between cultural groups. She is a co-founder of The Taos Peace and Reconciliation Council, which works to heal intergenerational trauma and ethnic division in the northern New Mexico. She is a walker within the Nihigaal Bee Iiná Movement, a 1,000-mile prayer walk through Diné Tah (the Navajo homeland) that is exposing the exploitation of Diné land and people by uranium, coal, oil and gas industries. She is the lead organizer of the Black Hill Unity Concert which gathers native and nonnative musicians to pray for the return of guardianship of the Black Hills to the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota nations. She is the also the founder of Regeneration Festival, an annual celebration of children that occurs in 13 countries around the world every September.
In 2012, she graduated with honors from Stanford University with a degree in Environmental Anthropology. During her time there she wrote the award winning papers: Nature and the Supernatural: The Role of Culture and Spirituality in Sustaining Primate Populations in Manu National Park, Peru and Chonos Pom: Ethnic Endemism Among the Winnemem Wintu and the Cultural Impacts of Enlarging Shasta Reservoir. She is a musician, public speaker and internationally recognized performance poet. Lyla June ultimately attributes any achievements to Creator who gave her the tools and resources she uses to serve humanity.
She currently lives in Diné Tah, the Navajo ancestral homeland which spans what is now called New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. She spends her free time learning her engendered mother tongue, planting corn, beans and squash and spending time with elders who retain traditional spiritual and ecological knowledge.
On Friday I made an instagram post for the women in my community who I knew were feeling the energies of what is happening at Standing Rock.
As sensitive beings, we can so easily pick up on the emotions in the air around what is happening to our Mother Earth as well as the anger and emotions from the tribes protecting their water.
I wrote this message as a reminder that we are all doing our part to heal the collective...as I believe how we treat ourselves is a valid place to start in healing our world. (Scroll to the bottom of this message to read the full post).
And today I have a new podcast for you, on the power of self-love.
To me, self-love is about knowing how to show up for ourselves when challenges and difficulties arise. When we create that foundation of self-love, that's when we can live beyond our fears and fully share our gifts with the world, knowing that no matter what happens, we will be okay.
In many ways, it's much easier to do acts of self-care like yoga practice, meditation, and healthy eating when everything is going smoothly...
But if you can call upon these acts in times of challenge? That is where the real work comes in.
What I share in the podcast, is a talk I wrote under the guidance of KC Baker this summer as part of her speechwriting course. (If you are planning to join me for my Celebration event, Yin Yoga, Tea & Book Reading, you may like to wait to hear it in person there.)
I share the story of one of my greatest challenges, where the world felt like it was falling apart, and instead of becoming a victim to my circumstances, I chose love, awareness and forgiveness. I also write about this experience in detail in my book, Synchronicity.
That single choice made in a moment of complete distress, went on to dramatically alter the course of my life.
Choosing to love and forgive is not always easy, I know. But I believe it is a true path to miracles. I hope my story will inspire you in your own path of self-love and forgiveness.
>>>Listen here<<<
There are only 4 days left to pre-order your early copy of Synchronicity and donate to the Kickstarter campaign. We are so close to reaching the goal! Check out all the latest stats and make a contribution right here.
With love,
Meredith
--
Sister, I want you to know you are doing your part.
By healing your own psyche, you are altering the collective consciousness.
By loving yourself, you are healing the collective consciousness.
I believe how we as a whole, are treating the world is a direct reflection of how we as a whole, are treating ourselves.
Tearing up the Earth, using up our resources solely for financial gains, polluting the airs, polluting the waters...How many people do you see in the world today treating their own bodies this way?
As we heal ourselves, we naturally heal the collective.
Sister, every time you shift a thought of self-hate to self-love, you are doing your part.
Every time you show up to your yoga mat, you are doing your part.
Every time you nourish your body, every time you meditate, every time you pray, even every time you do something that brings you joy, you are doing your part.
I believe when we AS A WHOLE, collectively love, nurture and cherish ourselves, it will be directly reflected in how we love, nurture and cherish our Mother Earth.
Let's rise together.
In our prayers.
In our devotion.
And in our ability to take small steps toward healing ourselves, healing all beings and healing the great mother who holds us all.
View this post on instagram: http://instagram.com/meredithrom
This is one of the more fun and playful readings from my book, Synchronicity. Learn more about the holy mountain of stillness and light, Mount Arunachala in the town of Tiruvannamalai, India and meet Shankara, one of the main characters of the book (who I almost instantly fall in love with)...Enjoy! To pre-order your copy of Synchronicity, follow the kickstarter campaign here: http://kck.st/2dTEZpS
In today's book reading of Synchronicity I take you back to my first month in India where I recount my time at Amma's ashram in Kerala. Amma gives a speech on the beach at the Arabian Sea on how we can give back to the whole of humanity and collaborate between religions. I then volunteer teaching English at an orphanage, and I tell the story of how I first found my voice as a yoga teacher. To learn more about the book, visit the Kickstarter campaign: http://kck.st/2dTEZpS!
Love,
Meredith
This past week I have been immersing myself in the life and teachings of Mary Magdalene. My friend recently brought out a pile of books she was giving away where I picked up The Magdalene Manuscript and began to learn more about the mystery and magic of her life.
As life's synchronicities would have it, Mary Magdalene happened to be the topic of my next podcast interview with Faye Wylder. Faye has been such a positive force in my life, and brings so much light, love and encouragement to other women.
I'm beginning to really see the power of calling upon ascended masters like Mary Magdalene to reconnect with source energy. If you have been intrigued to learn more about Mary Magdalene and want to learn more about how you can work with the unconditional love she has to offer, I highly recommend you listen to today's show.
In this episode you'll learn about:
Links in this episode:
With love, Meredith
I believe we all have the power to transform our greatest moments of pain and suffering into our greatest moments of awakening.
But I know from personal experience it is so hard to see the light when it feels like the world is crumbling beneath our feet. Today I want to share with you one of my more difficult moments in the first reading of my book, Synchronicity. (Watch the full video about it here! http://kck.st/2dTEZpS)
I take you back to over six years ago where I found myself sobbing on the floor after going through total heartbreak (something that I know so many of us are familiar with).
I share about the challenges and hardships I faced that eventually led me into my greatest moments of awakening...the moments where I began to live beyond my fears and follow my intuition first across the country and then to the other side of the world to India.
This book is a story of finding forgiveness, of transformation, of healing and ultimately of finding love within.
I look back and see my hardships as profound gifts. It was these moments that prompted my greatest awakening, and I hold them in my heart with gratitude.
But today I wanted to share with you where I was and what my life was like before I found the inner peace I speak of now.
If you feel called to hold the book in your hands and read the whole story of transformation, I invite you to watch the kickstarter video and contribute to the campaign : http://kck.st/2dTEZpS
Supporters have a chance to receive an early signed copy of the book, coaching sessions for women on a heroine's quest, a self-care gift box, and 40 day meditation practice, among many other rewards. Check them all out right here!
I hope you enjoy this podcast and opportunity to learn more about my story.
Stay tuned for more podcast episodes and sneak previews of the book coming soon...
With love,
Meredith
First I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to watch the video and contribute to the kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/2dTEZpS) for the release of my book, Synchronicity. I am so grateful for all the love & support that has been coming in!!
And I'm excited to share a new episode today on the podcast! I sat down with one of my inspirations, Katie Dalebout to talk about podcasting, book publishing, journaling and body image.
I first discovered Katie's podcast, Let it Out (formerly the Wellness Wonderland) through my friend Jasmine who was raving to me about it. Over the past year I've enjoyed listening to the inspirational speakers, authors and experts she has on the show. I also recently read Katie's book, Let it Out and was amazed reading the introduction of how this book came into manifestation. (Listen to the episode to hear Katie tell the story herself).
I'm so glad to be back to sharing these interviews with you!!
Here's what to expect in today's episode:
Love,
Meredith
Through her writing, workshops, and podcasts, millennial blogger, yoga teacher, and podcast host Katie Dalebout explores creativity is a gateway to developing a positive body image and true holistic wellness. She’s a contributor to Refinery29, Mind Body Green, and her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Yahoo Health, and The Daily Mail. Her first book was published with Hay House in April 2016 is a collection of journaling tools to help people find self acceptance beyond their physicality. Sign up for her weekly newsletter and receive her ‘Favorite Things: Quick Start Guide’ here or visit her blog, or on Instagram, Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube.
Last week I sat down with another Rising Woman Leader, Ashley Burnett, to talk about her journey to uninhibited leadership.
One of the things I love about Ashley is that she can have a fierce get-stuff-done attitude at the same time as embracing everyone around her with so much love.
I've been honored to get to know her over the past few months since she moved from SF to the countryside in Petaluma, CA and I can't wait for you to get to know her through today's show!
Here's what you'll find in today's episode:
I would LOVE to hear what insights you gained from the episode and how you will use the archetype of the QUEEN to live and love more fully in your life. Let me know in the comments here.
With love,
Meredith
When I imagine a woman fully empowered in her voice, I think of Noelani Love.
I first met Noelani in Hawaii when dear friend Erica Jago and I led a workshop at her studio. Since then I've watched Noelani come more and more into her voice as a mantra singer, teacher and retreat leader.
I've seen Noelani go for her dreams, speak up for her needs and stand for her beliefs. When we reunited in Bali, Indonesia last May for the Rising Women Leaders Bali Retreat, I wasn't even surprised when she took the floor at Ecstatic Dance at the Yoga Barn to sing the closing song with her ukulele. I watched in amazement as she gathered over a hundred of us to sing along with her that day.
On today's episode of the Rising Women Leaders Podcast, I asked Noelani if she would share about her experiences of finding her voice and how her unique experiences of motherhood and childbirth have shaped her into the woman she is today.
In this episode you'll discover:
Links in this episode:
What did you take away from today's show? and How will you add more pleasure to your life with sound? I'd love to hear in the comments below.
With love,
Meredith
A few months ago I sat down to be interviewed by Luna Love, the host of Ladies Who Lead Podcast. I had a great time sharing with her about my personal story of how I came to do the work I am doing today.
I talked with Luna about growing up in New York, what inspired me to take a leap to move to California after college, become a yoga teacher, travel to India and eventually start my own business. In the episode I also share my "4 Keys to Feminine Leadership" and the women who have inspired me most over recent years.
Here's what else you'll find in this episode:
Did you enjoy this episode? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Love,
Meredith
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I'm back with a new podcast episode this week with Becca Piastrelli of The Dabblist.
I was first introduced to Becca at a women's retreat in Sonoma, and soon after attended one of her Sisterhood Soiree events. I was immediately drawn to her sense of humor and genuine love, care, and encouragement for the women around her.
In this episode Becca shares how she listened to her inner calling to rediscover her feminine nature as well as start a successful online business supporting women to reconnect to creativity and sisterhood.
We also share about the shadow side of sisterhood and leadership, how to handle comparison in a world of growing women’s entrepreneurship and how to create structures of support in your life to rise above your biggest challenges.
In this episode we discuss:
Links in this episode:
Becca Piastrelli is an online entrepreneur who is part Artemis, part Athena. Her Artemis comes out in her work on TheDabblist.com where she holds space for women to awaken their creativity, stop chasing perfect, and work with their hands again in a space of creative sisterhood. Her Athena comes out in her work with bloggers and online business owners, helping them authentically market and build their tribes online. A nature devotée and lover of plant wisdom, Becca likes to dabble in deeper understanding of the moon and it works its magic both within the feminine body and out in the world. You can find her extrovert-ing with fellow creative women while drinking entirely too much coffee and likely making overly animated facial expressions.
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Karen Prosen and I were immediately drawn to each other when we first met in downtown Sebastopol, CA when she came to look at the office space I was renting at the time.
Our connection deepened over the coming months when she joined my very first group coaching program for women two years ago and over time has become a dear friend, collaborator and teacher of mine as well.
Like myself and many of us, Karen's path of healing and service began with the body. I invite you to pause today and listen to today's episode to learn about how Karen left a life of modeling around the world to becoming a true servant to the divine and the awakening of our collective consciousness.
My hope is this episode helps you remember to truly take care of and love your body as a temple so you can become a living vessel for spirit to move through.
In this episode we discuss:
Links in this episode:
How will you choose to treat your body as a temple and vessel today? I'd love to hear in the comments below.
With love,
Meredith
Karen Prosen is a facilitator, meditation guide, artist, and a wellness + business coach integrating yoga, Buddhist philosophy and social justice into her offerings. Earning her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Karen hosts retreats, meets with clients over the phone and at her office in Sonoma County, CA, and designs personalized meditation recordings. She supports people of all walks of life in transcending cultural paradigms and remembering that they are already living temples and clear vessels.
In this month of love and especially self-love, I decided to sit down with spiritual mentor, soul alchemist and dear friend, Jessica Sandra of Sacred Soul Cove.
I felt called to bring light to the topic of "Reclaiming Divine Feminine Sexuality" after listening to a video interview with two female yoga mentors of mine. One of them shared about her story of sexual abuse in her life and how she was able to transform the experience into a source of empowerment. The week after, I then had a friend open up to me about her experience of sexual abuse she had in her first year of college. It became clear that this was a topic I wanted to address and share with my community.
I am so happy to introduce you today to Jessica Sandra ~ a woman doing amazing work in the world by sharing her story and supporting women to transform past experiences of abuse and trauma into empowerment and self-love.
In this episode we discuss:
I hope you enjoy the episode. I'd love to hear your comments below.
With love, Meredith
--
Jessica Sandra is a spiritual mentor, soul alchemist, and liberator of the wild woman within. She helps women reconnect to their divine feminine essence, come to fully embody and express that essence, and cultivate a life that is deeply in line with their soul. Her work involves the transmutation of past sexual trauma and pain into divine feminine connection and power. Her vision is for women everywhere to live in full expression of their truth, embodied and full of their own life force energy.
I have a new podcast to share with you today on the topic of "Falling in Love with Yourself."
I feel this is such an important topic because we really do need to value and love ourselves in order to live happy, fulfilled lives where we are able to give back at our fullest capacity and live up to our highest potential.
Just an example from my life yesterday: I knew I wanted to sit down and record this podcast first thing, but I woke up in a terrible mood. I had a headache, my muscles were aching in my back, and overall I wasn’t feeling very positive. Just the thought of sitting down at my computer to record this podcast felt impossible.
So instead of forcing myself to do what I didn’t actually have the capacity to do, I paused and checked in with myself.
I knew I had a choice: I could dive into work and my to do list and probably have a pretty grumpy day... OR I could really honor and take care of myself first, even though I had a million things to do on my list.
I knew I needed to slow down and take care of myself.
So I tidied up my room and chose a YogaGlo class (I highly recommend Yogaglo if you struggle with keeping up a home yoga practice) and I found a class with Elena Brower on how to, "Value yourself to Master Yourself."
The whole class was about taking the time to take care of yourself.
I realized, "I really need to have an innate sense of value in order to take care of and fall in love with myself..."
Owning my innate value has been a big part of my inner work over the last few years, and I have come a long way. Valuing myself shows up in how much money I earn, how healthy my relationships are, what I choose to wear and how I create the environment around me.
After my morning yoga practice and self-care time, I felt SO much better and I sat down to record this podcast feeling so filled up with love that I couldn’t wait to share with you all.
In this episode, I share:
There are only 5 days left to receive $100 off when you join Vision. I hope to see you there!
Warmly, Meredith