Father's Day can stir up complicated emotions, especially for those whose relationships with their fathers are marked by distance, hurt, or unmet needs. Whether navigating grief, confusion, or seeking clarity about father relationships, it's important to explore why these feelings are valid and how to honor your experience.


• It's okay to feel multiple emotions at once – grief, gratitude, resentment, and joy can coexist
• Don't diminish your pain or judge yourself for setting boundaries with fathers who hurt you
• Our biological need for parental love creates deep-rooted fears when that love seems conditional
• Two things can be true: loving your father as a fallible human AND acknowledging your hurt
• Journal prompts can help navigate complex father relationships: what would you say if you knew it would be heard?
• Consider how you might give yourself what you needed but didn't receive from your father
• Try writing letters – one to your father with unspoken truths, one to your younger self with words you needed
• Ask yourself "dear heart, what do you need today?" and try to provide that care for yourself

Resources

Loving What Is, Revised Edition: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life; The Revolutionary Process Called "The Work" by Byron Katie

Related episodes:

Episode 5 - Journaling

Episode 11 - Forgiveness and one way to get the apology you always wanted

Episode 41 - Answering a Listener Question about Navigating Difficult Relationships with Aging Parents

Episode 67 - Integrating the Essential Truth We Are Both Human and Divine

Questions or Comments? Message me!

In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at how our personal experiences—and cultural narratives—shape the way we view men. While toxic masculinity and male violence are real and must be addressed, there’s another side to the story that’s often overlooked: the presence of good, kind, emotionally available men who are doing the work, showing up, and helping to heal the collective.

You’ll hear about a client’s honest frustration, a simple social interaction with two very different interpretations, and the invitation to explore your own biases and beliefs. This isn’t about denying harm—it’s about widening the lens.

As Father’s Day approaches, let’s challenge ourselves to notice the men who are doing it right. Because healing comes not only from calling out darkness, but from amplifying the light.

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Discover the powerful distinction between requests and demands that can transform your relationships by honoring each other's autonomy and choice.

• Requests honor the possibility of hearing "no" without emotional fallout
• How we respond to someone's "no" reveals whether we're making requests or demands
• True requests are rooted in openness while demands are rooted in control or expectation
• Four key elements to help distinguish between requests and demands
• Ask yourself: "Can I handle a no without punishing them emotionally?"
• When someone asks something of you, explain the need that prevents you from saying yes
• Even in close relationships, we're allowed to ask for anything but aren't entitled to everything
• Dr. Marshall Rosenberg: "Please do as I request only if you do it with the joy of a child feeding ducks"

Resources:

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg PhD

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We all experience moments where we fall back into patterns we thought we'd outgrown, but spiritual growth isn't measured by whether we struggle but by how quickly and gracefully we move through challenges.

• Six powerful questions that can unlock deeper understanding and movement

1. What facet of the heart is needed right now? (acceptance, presence, invincibility, authenticity, gratitude, joy, forgiveness, or compassion)
2. Dear heart, what do you need today? A question that cuts through autopilot mode
3. What's the priority? Am I avoiding something by focusing on this instead? Helps redirect when you're getting sidetracked
4. Is this useful? Helps identify when you're wasting energy on things beyond your control
5. What am I believing or what story am I telling myself? Distinguishes between facts and beliefs
6. What can I learn here? Transforms challenges into opportunities for growth

• Bonus questions include looking for silver linings, identifying true feelings, and aligning actions with the person you want to be
• Remember that sometimes we need others to help us see clearly - reaching out is strength, not weakness

Logistical Note: I am taking a break next week and will be back with new content on June 9th.

Related episodes:

Episode 59 - Discovering the Facets of the Heart and Their Healing Wisdom

Episode 64 - Breaking Free from BS: How Your Belief Systems Keep You Stuck & What to Do About It

Episode 9 - Assumptions

Episode 7 - Heart Based Meditation

Episode 6 - Curiosity Required

Episode 5 - Journaling

Book suggestions:

Loving What Is, Revised Edition: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life; The Revolutionary Process Called "The Work" by Byron Katie

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We explore the profound truth that we are spiritual beings having a spiritual experience in human bodies, and how fully understanding this concept unlocks radical acceptance and forgiveness. This episode unpacks how to hold the paradox between human pain and divine purpose.

• Bad things happen to good people, and even devoted spiritual seekers struggle with acceptance and forgiveness
• The spiritual path isn't about avoiding mistakes but learning to accept our fallibility while striving to improve
• Every one of us is the villain in someone else's story at some point
• We live in two worlds simultaneously: the world of divine truth and the world of humanity
• Life isn't random but provides opportunities for spiritual growth through relationships
• On a human level, no one asks for suffering or pain, and suggesting otherwise is spiritual bypassing
• To transform energies like victimhood, fear or hate, we must first fully experience them
• The integration of human and divine perspectives is a process that requires patience and self-compassion

If you learned something or enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it or leave a review and make sure you're following so you won't miss Friday's episode about my other favorite questions to ask myself when I get stuck or I'm having a tough time.

Related Episodes:

Episode 5 - Journaling

Recommended Reading:

Your Soul's Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born by Robert Schwartz

Radical Forgiveness: A Revolutionary Five-Stage Process to: Heal Relationships, Let Go of Anger and Blame, and Find Peace in Any Situation Paperback by Colin Tipping

Questions or Comments? Message me!

The seventh chakra, located just above the crown of the head, represents our connection to spiritual insight, wisdom, and higher consciousness, governing our right to know and seek both intellectual knowledge and spiritual truth.

• Sahasrara (thousand-fold) is commonly associated with violet or white light and represents transcendence beyond the material world
• Opening the crown chakra means surrendering attachments, rigid belief systems, and the need to control
• Our early experiences with authority figures deeply influence our ability to trust and surrender to something greater
• Consciousness is both our final destination and means of travel—the unified field in which all existence is embedded
• Attachment becomes a major obstacle at the crown chakra level because it prevents us from opening, expanding, and transcending
• Spiritual addiction occurs when we use spirituality to escape the more demanding work of the lower chakras
• Meditation creates space to expand awareness beyond identity, preference, and time
• Finding balance means honoring both our divine nature and human experience without judgment

If you learned something from this episode, please consider sharing it or leaving a review, and make sure you're following the show so you'll be notified when new episodes drop later this week. For questions or thoughts, click the message me button on Spotify or email rootsofarise@gmail.com.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 7 - Heart Based Meditation

Episode 64 - Breaking Free from BS: How Your Belief Systems Keep You Stuck & What to Do About It

Further Resources for Chakra Exploration

Episode 63 - the Sixth Chakra: Seeing Yourself and the World with Clear Vision

Episode 60 - The Fifth Chakra: Unlocking Authentic Communication and Self-Expression

Episode 57 - Fourth Chakra Introduction

Episode 52 - Third Chakra Introduction

Episode 47 - Second Chakra Introduction

Episode 44 - First Chakra Introduction

Episode 43 - Introduction to the Chakras

The Chakras by C. W. Leadbeater

Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith

Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith PhD

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Intuition is not a mystical gift for the chosen few but a natural skill available to all of us. We explore what intuition really is, how it manifests, and practical ways to reclaim this powerful inner resource.

• Intuition is unconscious pattern recognition—our subconscious picking up on information our conscious mind can't process
• Fundamentally passive, intuition responds to presence and receptivity, not force or willpower
• Meditation creates the settled mind necessary for intuitive awareness to emerge
• Doubt blocks intuition by activating the analytical mind and drowning out subtle knowing
• Common manifestations include nagging feelings, clarity, bodily sensations, and symbolic images
• Intuitive messages typically arrive as brief phrases or symbols rather than lengthy explanations
• Acting on intuition strengthens it, while ignoring it weakens the connection
• Start with non-emotionally charged questions about simple choices
• Ask "what serves my highest good?" rather than "what should I do?"
• Remember that intuition provides data points for decisions but doesn't control them

If this episode sparked your interest in developing your intuition or answered questions you've had, please share it with a friend. For questions or to share your intuition experiences, message me on Spotify or email rootsoftherise@gmail.com.

Related episodes:

Episode 7 - Heart Based Meditation

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We dive into the power of illusion, especially the self-created kind that keeps us stuck in patterns of suffering when reality doesn't match our expectations. Our BS (belief systems) create self-reinforcing cycles where confirmation bias selectively gathers evidence to support what we already believe, shutting down our natural curiosity and critical thinking.

• Most of our limiting beliefs aren't original – they were modeled, inherited, or absorbed before we could evaluate them
• Illusions persist because they protect us from uncertainty, form part of our identity, and represent loyalty to family patterns
• Confirmation bias filters reality to match existing beliefs, making us interpret everything through our established worldview
• We often unconsciously sabotage ourselves to prove our negative beliefs true
• Breaking free requires replacing illusion with vision – not escaping reality but transforming it
• The word "yet" is powerful in keeping possibility alive: "I haven't found fulfilling work – yet"
• Questions that help unravel illusions include: What might I be getting wrong? What belief shapes my reality? What assumptions have I never questioned?

Email me at rootsoftherise@gmail.com with your thoughts or use the message button on Spotify. If you found value in today's conversation, please share it with a friend or leave a review.

Related Episode: Episode 6 - Curiosity Required

Book: Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life; The Revolutionary Process Called "The Work" by Byron Katie

Questions or Comments? Message me!