Steps to Freedom: Awareness, Appreciation & New Thinking

— The world is constantly nudging us—pulling, pushing, cajoling us—toward our heart’s longing and our true expression of joy. Yet our conditioned mindsets can resist these gentle but insistent signals, too often dismissing synchronicity and serendipity—the very language of this magic—as little more than accident or annoyance. Playful but potent, Be the Magic nudges us, too, showing us how to open ourselves to this ever-present guidance to live a more peaceful, passion-filled, and enthusiastic life. With deep wisdom and a light-hearted tongue, Diane Pienta serves up personal stories and lessons learned, in a collection of uplifting and actionable daily practices designed to train us—our minds, our bodies, and our hearts—to become joyfully tuned-in to the guidance presented to us at every turn. Pienta’s clear, strong vision provokes us to fully recognize that we inhabit this beautiful planet for a mere blink of an eye, and Be the Magic shows us that when this grand realization is nourished by small daily acts, our magic inevitably blooms—in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in the world herself. Valeria interviews Diane Pienta — The author of “Be the Magic: Bite-Sized Nuggets of Wisdom to Feed your Joy, Nourish your Soul and Open your Heart.” Diane is also a forest therapy guide, healer and creativity mentor who loves to help others reclaim and share their unique gifts through spiritual tools of all types. Her life is devoted to Nature, Creativity, Connection & Community. A passion for helping others has been a thread throughout her previous 25-year business career in the hospitality, consulting and real estate fields.  A cancer diagnosis, chronic infections and subsequent adrenal burnout redirected her to a spiritual and alternative path of healing.  She credits the power of Nature, Creativity, Energy Medicine, Sound and Spirituality with her health and loves to share so that others can live a vibrant, joyful life. Diane spent the last 20 years experiencing, studying and sharing numerous healing modalities and she intuitively weaves Nature, Art, Writing, Sound and Movement in her work. She understands how knowing one’s gifts and sharing them with the world is a pathway to peace and healing. Offering forest therapy walks, qigong classes, writing and creativity workshops, sound healing sessions and individual coaching sessions, Diane creates space for others to play and discover their own innate wisdom.  She has deep compassion for people who are in transition periods and loves assisting others to “unlearn” limiting beliefs and patterns. As a writer, Diane uses words to heal and create peace. She loves and honors the land deeply and is devoted to help others reclaim their connection to this magical world. In her spare time, she can often be found hugging a tree at sunrise, dancing with the moon, fiddling, felting or gathering wonder-makers to frolic and picnic at sunset. In addition to her healing certifications, she holds a BS from Cornell University, a certification in Positive Psychology from Whole Being Institute and has studied at the Radcliffe Institute. To learn more about Diane Pienta and her work, please visit: https://www.dianepienta.com/

— Throughout the centuries, psychiatric disorders have caused more emotional and physical suffering than any other human condition, yet despite modern advances in neuroscience, the underlying cause of these perplexing conditions remains unclear. Also lacking is an understanding of the manifold ways that the underlying driver of mental illness can affect physical health. However, all of that could be about to change thanks to God’s grace and the tireless efforts of the many clinicians, researchers, and thinkers around the world who have continued to probe virtually every aspect of human psychology, biology, and behavior in an effort to solve the mystery of mental illness. The integration of their hard work and one doctor’s relentless efforts to get to the root of mental illness has led to a new hypothesis that integrates the traditional belief that nearly all psychiatric disorders are caused by environmental stress with the emerging belief that nearly all psychiatric disorders are caused by brain pathology. The new hypothesis, which is the first to combine psychology, biology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurocircuitry, neuroarchitecture, molecular genetics, and mind-brain dynamics to explain virtually every phenomenon that has been observed in psychology and psychiatry, is based on the simple premise that psychiatric symptoms are driven by pathological hyperactivity in the brain circuits that correspond to them. The most common cause of this hyperactivity is cognitive-emotional stress superimposed upon a constitutional hyperexcitability of the neurological system. The recognition of this simple but elusive dynamic is beginning to revolutionize the treatment of mental illness. It has catapulted Dr. Binder’s success rate in treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia, from around thirty percent to nearly one-hundred percent and reduced the average time to symptom- reduction from around six months to six days! What’s more, this pathology-based approach to treatment is more normalizing, more sustainable, and more affordable than any other treatment modality yet developed. To learn more, listen to this episode! Valeria interviews Dr. Michael Binder, a holistic adult and adolescent psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and pioneer of the first comprehensive psychophysiological hypothesis of psychiatric disorders. With more than thirty years of clinical experience treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders, Dr. Binder has published 25 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 7 books, and 45 educational YouTube videos. Over the last twenty-five years, he has enjoyed a success rate that is now approaching 100% and, due to his extraordinarily high patient retention rate, has been able to observe the long-term sustainability of his treatment approach, thus validating his work more strongly than most research studies are designed to do. Despite having trained at some of the best psychiatric teaching hospitals in the Untied States, Dr. Binder was, early in his career, disappointed to find that less than half of his patients were responding adequately to psychological and pharmacological interventions. Moreover, even after consulting with some of his most distinguished professors, Dr. Binder’s success rate in treating patients remained unacceptably low. However, unwilling to accept the limitations of psychiatric care at that time, Dr. Binder began to pray for his patients and ask God to help him develop a more effective treatment approach. The Lord answered his prayers by alerting him to his own need for spiritual healing. He also began to enlighten him about the underlying cause of mental illness, a revelation that has taken the doctor more than two decades to fully grasp, implement, and reduce to writing. In January of 2024, Dr. Binder completed The Racing Mind: Brave New Insights Untangle the Ancient Mystery of Mental Illness. The doctor firmly believes that this 336-page, comprehensive textbook of psychiatry, which has been more than twenty years in the making, would, if turned into a curriculum for every psychiatric training program in the country, bring a swift end to the mental health crisis! Beginning in April of this year, The Racing Mind, which is valued at $3,000.00, will, for a limited-time introductory offer of $250.00, be available at BinderFoundation.com. To learn more about Dr. Michael Binder and his work, please visit: https://drmichaelbindermd.com/, https://www.binderfoundation.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@binderfoundation

— “If you want to live a more fulfilling and loving life, you have to dig deep into your pain and own it in your body. We are human beings. We come with negative and positive emotions. Allow yourself to be human. Being human is being love.” Valeria interviews Ker Yang — She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and specializes in emotionally-focused therapy for couples and individuals founded by Susan M. Johnson.  Ker Yang started her journey in search of love when she entered her graduate studies in 2014 as a result of an unhealthy relationship. Clinical experience/education and being a client, herself were the perfect combination in aligning Ker Yang to understand what love means which has been a healing and spiritual journey. She has learned that love is about doing what your heart desires with a supportive team. This requires being accepting of all of your emotions including your pain. Although the journey is challenging, she believes that everyone has the strength and courage to survive it and come out on the other side. Therapy with Ker Yang is simply just being human. Being human is being love. Ker Yang is dedicated to helping others be on a similar healing journey and heal one heart at a time. To learn more about Ker Yang and her work, please visit: https://www.keryanglmft.com/

— Our body keeps somatic traces of all our traumatic experiences. When exposed to a stimulus that reminds the body of a past danger, the viscero-somatic memory linked to this danger is reactivated, creating the base of a disruptive emotional response. Emotional Resolution  — EmRes® — helps the body recognize that the perceived danger is nowadays obsolete. EmRes® allows the body to integrate traumatic information and to tune-in to our current reality instead of reacting through a past memory. To do this, we commit to experiencing the viscero-somatic response, without controlling our physical sensations or our environment. EmRes® connects you to the origin of a difficult emotion through your physical sensations and modulates the unwanted emotional response permanently. This simple yet rarely used physiologic capacity is innate to all human beings. Valeria interviews Cedric Bertelli — He is a recognized expert in Emotional Resolution® (EmRes®), a revolutionary approach to emotional healing that has transformed the lives of countless individuals.  As the Founder and Director of the Emotional Health Institute, Cedric has dedicated his career to helping people overcome stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other debilitating emotional patterns using the EmRes body of work. At the Emotional Health Institute, Cedric and his team provide trainings and education to mental health professionals, coaches, and educators, helping them to integrate Emotional Resolution into their practices. In addition, Cedric works directly with clients, providing individualized support and guidance to help them overcome emotional challenges and improve their overall well-being. To learn more about and her work, please visit: https://www.cedricbertelli.com/ and https://www.emotionalhealthinstitute.org/

— Mindful eating is more than just chewing your food slowly; it's about cultivating a deep awareness of the entire eating experience. Mindful eating is paying attention to your food, on purpose, moment by moment, without judgment. It is an approach to food that focuses on your individual awareness of the food and the experience of the food. It has little to do with calories, fat, protein or number of carbohydrates. Always come back to the basics: Breathe and check for hunger. Assess your food with all of your senses. Slow down, place your spoon or fork down between each bite. Investigate your hunger; make a point of checking in with your body part way through the meal. Chew your food thoroughly, 35 to 50 times per bite. Savor your food, this includes mindfully choosing what you are eating. Valeria interviews Jennifer Heard — She is an Integrative Wellness Specialist dedicated to transforming lives.  Her journey is deeply rooted in personal experience, having overcome the challenges of Celiac disease. This struggle ignited her passion for natural medicine, mindfulness-based nutrition, and the pursuit of optimal well-being. Armed with a Ph.D. in Natural Medicine and an array of certifications, including Mindful Nutritionist, Health & Nutrition Life Coach, MBSR, and yoga therapist, Jennifer is committed to guiding individuals on their paths to vibrant health. Her unique blend of academic knowledge and personal resilience allows Jennifer to connect with clients on a profound level. To learn more about Jennifer Heard and her work, please visit: https://www.naturaljenn.com/

— “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a woman, I put away childish things. We need to all start speaking as an adult, thinking as an adult and reasoning as adults.” Valeria interviews Tamiko Powell — She is the author of  “The Word: There Is No Other Way.” Tamiko, a native Californian, author, and advocate for morality and ethics, presents herself as an Independent Candidate for the presidency of the United States. Her journey from childhood to adulthood has shaped her belief in the importance of speaking, thinking, and reasoning as adults. Tamiko envisions a united America that prioritizes the well-being of its citizens and strengthens the nation's moral fabric. She calls for open-mindedness and change, emphasizing that her candidacy offers a path to a better future. Tamiko stands ready to lead the nation toward a brighter tomorrow, urging voters to embrace her vision for a more cohesive and ethical America. To learn more about Tamiko Powell and her work, please visit: https://tamikoforpresident.com/

— When we go through trials, we end up dying to some part of ourselves, and that not only carves us into a new person with greater resilience and capacity for change but also one who understands that death on all levels is simply another rite of passage. As we walk through the dark places in our life and accept our losses, we die to what the ego and mind mistakenly think is the best life path for us. The darkness helps us touch into our vulnerabilities, and each loss allows us to die just a little more, so that when life takes from us, creation brings something new into our lives. Any life form that stops growing dies. In nature, death is not an end. Death only leads to new creation, opening doors to new dimensions of reality. This is true whether we physically leave our bodies to engage in a new adventure of life or if we stay here as a polished stone ready to be kind to ourselves and be in service to all of life. Valeria interviews Sandra Ingerman — She is the author of  “Walking through Darkness: A Nature-Based Path to Navigating Suffering and Loss and many other titles.” Sandra Ingerman, MA, a world-renowned teacher of shamanism, is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods with modern culture. She’s taught for 40 years, including workshops worldwide on shamanic journeying, healing, and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. Sandra is a licensed marriage and family therapist, professional mental health counselor, and a board-certified expert on traumatic stress. Watkins Body Mind Spirit magazine honored her by including her in their 100 Most Spiritually Influential People of 2020. She was also chosen as one of the Top 10 Spiritual Leaders of 2013 by Spirituality and Health magazine and was awarded the 2007 Peace Award from the Global Foundation for Integrative Medicine. She’s authored 13 books, including Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self... Medicine for the Earth... Walking in Light... and The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life. Sandra and Hank Wesselman's book, Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation, won both the 2011 COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) Visionary Award and the 2011 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award). Since the 1980s, thousands of people have healed from past and present traumas through Soul Retrieval, the classic cross-cultural shamanic healing method Sandra teaches. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods into our modern culture addressing the needs of our times. Sandra is known for gathering the global spiritual community together to perform powerful transformative ceremonies as well as inspiring us to stand strong in unity, so we do our own spiritual and social activism work while keeping a vision of hope and being a light in the world.  She is passionate about helping people to reconnect with nature.  Sandra joined in partnership with Renee Baribeau to create a weekly, 30-minute podcast called The Shamans Cave. Coming out soon is Sandra’s new book she co-wrote with Llyn Roberts on Walking Through Darkness: A Nature Based Path to Navigating Suffering and Loss. To learn more about Sandra Ingerman and her work, please visit: https://www.sandraingerman.com/

— You should feel like yourself at all times because life's too short. How many times have you felt as though you couldn't see through the clouds and didn't have the energy to part them? What have you tried to change your feelings, including therapy, medication, yoga, and gratitude practices that haven't worked? The feeling of being energized, alert, and upbeat, relaxed & carefree, and comfortable with yourself awaits you with The power of functional nutritional therapist! Valeria interviews Laurie Hammer — She is a functional nutritional therapist helping moms overcome anxiety through practical & nutritional methods. She specializes in balancing the brain through targeted amino acid therapy and brain detox from life stressors whether they be physical, chemical or emotionally driven. Laurie is also a homeschool mom who loves to share on the love for learning and how to provide the best environment and family culture for our kids to thrive in. To learn more about Laurie Hammer and her work, please visit: https://www.lauriehammer.com/,  https://www.facebook.com/takebackmybrain and https://www.instagram.com/thecalmmomcommunity/

— “Humans do not enter a world which is inherently structured. We must give the world a structure which we ourselves create.” ~  Dr. James T. Webb “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released startling new statistics on the rise of deaths by suicide in the United States, which are up 25 percent since 1999 across most ethnic and age groups. These numbers clearly point to a crisis — but of what kind? Many argue that this is a crisis of mental health care, that people are not getting the services they need. The proposed solution is better therapies, more effective antidepressants and greater access to treatment. This assessment may be correct. However, the suicide rate has increased even as more people are seeking treatment for depression and anxiety, and even as treatment for those conditions has become more widely available. An additional explanation seems to be needed. As a behavioral scientist who studies basic psychological needs, including the need for meaning, I am convinced that our nation’s suicide crisis is in part a crisis of meaninglessness.” ~ Clay Routledge Valeria interviews Dr. Sheena Sachdev — She is a licensed psychologist who specializes in Existential Psychology.  She treats individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, relational issues, and trauma. Her phenomenological approach ensures that each individual has a spotlight on their subjective human experience and perspective. Dr. Sachdev is an advocate of group therapy and has initiated several groups at each site she has worked with including: a yoga/meditation group, a mindfulness group, creativity groups, and existential depression and anxiety groups. To learn more about Dr. Sheena Sachdev and her work, please visit: https://www.drsheena.com/

— Thinking about Universal Consciousness as God or All That Is may seem totally abstract and difficult to comprehend. But once you begin to understand how one universal consciousness is primary, and that our “personal” consciousness is a part of that infinite ocean of consciousness, and that consciousness is creative and creates the physical as well as the non-physical, and that the universe, therefore, is one wholeness AND is alive because consciousness is the same as life, and that the One Consciousness is good and desires the experience of life to be good because that is the true expression of wholeness, then you begin to see how the universe and the workings of the universe make complete sense. The universe and God can be understood and related to. Well-being is holistic and includes all aspects of you – body, mind, and spirit – awakening is and should be all about achieving greater well-being. That’s a very good thing, and the goal of awakening should always be a happier, healthier, more abundant you! Valeria interviews Raymond Posch — He is the author of  “Awakening to Wholeness: How to Live Consciously, Creatively, and Abundantly.” Raymond Posch is a podcaster, spiritual explorer and wayshower, folk singer, writer, and speaker. His podcasts are Our Spiritual Life (running 4 years as of December 2023) and New Ways of Being (launched in November 2023). He loves exploring spiritual awakening and the evolution of human consciousness. He is the author of the book Awakening to Wholeness. His earlier career was in information technology and project management. To learn more about Raymond Posch and his work, please visit: https://raymondposch.com/