Ep 169: What if average is enough?

In this episode, I had a deep and inspiring conversation with Allyssa Rivera, a dance and movement therapist, about the profound role of dance in connecting to the body and our inner worlds. She explained how dance, for her, is a way to "remember the fullness" of her human experience—embodying vitality, exhaustion, and everything in between. This episode is an invitation to embrace the power of dance, movement, and witnessing—whether you're feeling stuck, grieving, or joyful—because these practices help us navigate the complexities of being human. In the context of our upcoming WILD retreat series, she highlights how moving through disconnection and stuckness allows us to meet ourselves authentically. It's not about creating a polished, performative dance but engaging with what feels real and present in the moment. Want to learn more about the WILD retreat series? Join Allyssa, myself, and two other women as we co-facilitate these day-long online retreats designed to help women reconnect with their wild nature through somatic practices and storytelling. Learn more and sign up at: www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman. Learn more about Allyssa here:  www.movingsoulsdancetherapy.com https://www.instagram.com/movingsouls.dmt/    

In this episode of The Embodied Podcast, I’m joined by my dear friend and colleague, Tracy, for a profound conversation about the power of communal spaces in the healing process. Tracy shares her wisdom on the importance of creating retreat spaces where mystery is invited to lead, rather than the needs of the ego or the pressures of trauma. Tracy reflects on how retreats allow space for deeper, more mysterious aspects of the self to unfold. In the context of our upcoming WILD retreat series, she highlights how working with fairy tales and somatic practices can align us with our nature as creatures of mystery. Tracy also delves into the significance of community in healing, using the metaphor of fractals to explain how, though we are all unique, our human experiences often mirror each other on a deeper level. By embracing both commonality and difference in a retreat setting, we create a rich, interconnected space for transformation. She likens this to a mycelial network, where the group’s diversity strengthens and nourishes everyone involved. For those who might feel apprehensive about communal healing, Tracy reassures listeners that everyone brings their own unique magic to the group. She emphasizes that healing is a reciprocal process, where giving and receiving happen in a safe, supportive space. Our WILD retreat offers a gradual introduction, starting online and eventually transitioning to an in-person gathering, providing the space to ease into this communal experience. Want to learn more about the WILD retreat series? Join Tracy, myself, and two other women as we co-facilitate these day-long online retreats designed to help women reconnect with their wild nature through somatic practices and storytelling. Learn more and sign up at: www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman. Learn more about Tracy here:  https://www.uncontrollablyme.com/ https://www.instagram.com/uncontrollably_me/  

In this episode of The Embodied Podcast, I sit down with the insightful Mackenzie Amara to explore a profound topic: the importance of creating ritual spaces that foster transformation through subtraction. This conversation dives into the essence of transformation—not by adding or manifesting new traits, but by shedding the illusions and layers that obscure our true selves. Mackenzie reflects on a common trend in psychospiritual circles where healing is often approached with an ego-driven mindset. Many people attempt to control their individuation process by curating personality traits they think will help them “improve” or “manifest” an ideal life. Mackenzie challenges this approach, arguing that true transformation arises not from selecting characteristics to embody, but from letting go of illusions, allowing false selves to burn away, and embracing the mysterious unfolding of what already exists within. Throughout the episode, Mackenzie shares her journey with this process and offers practical insights on the attitudes and practices that have guided her. She also discusses her role as a facilitator in the upcoming WILD retreat series, where she, myself, and two other women will co-create transformative spaces for participants to explore their own individuation. Interested in joining us for the WILD retreats? WILD is a series of day-long online retreats designed to help women reconnect with their instinctual selves through somatic practices, storytelling, and community. Learn more and sign up at: www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman You can learn more about Mackenzie here: https://www.mackenzieamara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/__mackenzieamara__/

After a break since February 2023, I'm thrilled to return with fresh episodes of The Embodied Podcast! In this short first episode, I dive into personal updates, including my own initiations, growth, and reflections on life over the past year, as well as what has been inspiring me during this time away. I'm also excited to announce my upcoming retreat series, WILD, beginning this November. The WILD retreat series is an invitation to embrace your deepest, most instinctual self in a community of women. Through movement, storytelling, and somatic exploration, we’ll reconnect with the wild nature inside us. Want to learn more? Visit www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman for full details on how you can join us in this transformative experience. Thank you for tuning in, and I can't wait to journey with you again!

In today's episode, I discuss why precision and particularity are important when exploring and working with images. Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com  

In today's episode, I discuss a particular pattern in the nervous system called global high activation. In this state, one can experience a sense of exhaustion or chronic overwhelm from being physiologically in a constant state of high activation whilst that activation is being suppressed by a dorsal vagal shutdown. This is like driving a car with the foot on the gas and the brake at the same time. I have discussed this pattern in different podcast episodes, such as: Ep 151: Addiction to falling in love Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com  

In today's unique podcast episode, I offer a sneak peek into the introduction call of my most recent workshop series called The Mother Archetype workshop series. This episode is a recorded replay of our live group call in which we opened a discussion on the particularities of the mother archetype. Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com

In today's episode, I open up a conversation about what it means to be average. What are the true motivations behind being exceptional? Do we actually deeply fear being forgotten? Unaccepted? Unloved? The interview article with Marion Woodman can be found here. Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com

In today's episode, I dive into how we can possibly learn to make contact with and support ourselves through recurring bouts of pain in a way that honor's the body's subjective experience. I use a client example to show how body armoring and muscle tension can correlate with each other and how we can respond in an alternative way to manual manipulation. Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com

In today's episode, I discuss why this show isn't built upon foundations or intentions of fixing your problems. "Okay then, Danielle, then what is the show about?" I go into this a bit more deeply in the episode, and I use the James Hillman quote, "Evidently, a genuine solution must have the capacity to stabilize. It must sustain a condition, not merely dissolve it," to give flavor and context to my intentions behind the episodes! Enjoy the show! Be sure to rate, review, and share the show with those who you feel would enjoy the show! Thanks for listening! To join my free community, head to https://dr-danielle-mcginnis.mn.co/share/ To follow me on social media, head to @drdaniellemcginnis To find my website, head to www.drdaniellemcginnis.com