One of the central themes in my book, Escape Bound, is validation. I am working to develop a script for an episodic reality tv show that I’m hoping will explore this topic in a highly visible format. In this project we ask the following questions: Whose measuring stick are we using to measure ourselves? To…
photo by Callie Rounds In June, 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Mike Dooley, an internationally renowned inspirational author and speaker, published one of my blog posts on his website. The post was titled “The Gift of Loneliness”. Last week, I wanted to send the article to a friend, who was struggling with loneliness…
Early Thanksgiving week, I was working on a painting project with one of my nearest and dearest friends. I tend to get introspective around the holidays. And much to his chagrin, I launched into esoteric spiritual reflection… aloud. Spirituality is one of my favorite topics and one of his least favorite topics. Since we were…
Emotion is powerful. It’s transformative. But all-too-often, it feels beyond our control. We observe something wanted or unwanted. We have a positive or negative interaction. The experience or interaction elicits an emotional response. Like leaves in the wind, we move along life’s path in a seemingly random emotional pattern, subject to unseen forces beyond our…
Last year, my daughters and I did the Asungate trek in Peru, which took us to 17,000 ft. (5,200 meters). Laying in my tent at 15,000 feet, under a full moon, I felt more at home than I would have felt in my own bed. Motion is my art form. Movement is the thing that…
Ceremony has had its roots in every culture, throughout all of human history. Whether honoring birth, death, marriage, rites of passage, or the changing of the seasons, ceremony marks the passage of time and provides context to our lives. In indigenous cultures, many of these traditions include the ceremonial use of plant-based medicines. The United…
Just over two years ago, my husband and I went through a divorce… and I have yet to go on a date. I told myself many stories as to why that was the case. First, I simply wasn’t interested in dating. Then, a highly itinerant lifestyle prevented me from developing close relationships. When I finally…
Today, I received the final chapter comments from a developmental editor for my book, Escape Bound. In his final commentary, this editor, who has a PhD in literature and has spent 18 years working as a professional writer for a research institute, made the following observations: His critique helped to crystalize a thought, which had…
There is a lot of talk in spiritual circles about this new age of enlightenment. More than any time in human history, we are seeing a mass evolution in human consciousness. This movement is yielding a huge influx of newly ascended masters. What the heck does spiritual awakening look like and how do you know…
Two days after my ayahuasca experience, I was struggling to regain my footing. I hadn’t eaten since the end of the ceremony because I didn’t want to “get off the ship”. In my mind, if I ate, the ceremony would be over. Most people who’ve attended a powerful retreat can relate to this feeling of…