The Journeys We Take Podcast with Jen Craig-Evans

Collectively, we are in a time of distress. We are tired, burned out even, and trying to get through an impossible time with an inconclusive end date. One year into the global pandemic, stories of the impact on our mental health is surfacing while we all try to do our part in this thing called covid. Many have turned to wine'd down culture and self medicating. And yet, many have also turned to using this time to commit to sobriety. Jesse's story is about the latter. It is a story of distress during childhood, feelings of abandonment, finding community in unconventional and often judged places, and his ultimate journey to recovery. Here's a bit about Jesse's story in his own words. Tune in to his episode to hear it all, from start to finish. Trigger Warning: Discussion of substance misuse and active addiction 'I grew up in a Christian home with a loving family who did everything for me. But that doesn’t stop the disease of addiction. Growing up in a world where I didn’t feel seen was scary. I felt there were walls around me that seemed to allow things in but never out. As time went on, I felt like I was suffocating. When my body felt like it couldn’t take what was going on in my head any longer, I found opiates to numb the pain. This new drug gave me a sense of light and comfort within my dark, lonely walls. Once the substance hit, my mind felt free. Years went on with no hesitation of my self prescribing ways. I was 18 years old when I was introduced to IV use. As soon as the needle hit my vein, the drugs rushed in and my body sat still. It felt like the seas were rising and the clouds were falling all for me. When I turned 20 I decided to move to Vancouver BC. At this time I had no idea but I was already in full addict mode. I couldn’t control my obsessive behaviours. Without even knowing where I was headed I ended up at Hastings and Main. This is where I would find my peace, my people. It may be hard for others to understand, but this was my community. And trusting in other addicts saved my life. I was lost there for 6 suffocating years in the grip of that places’ strength. It was an ultimatum from my mom, plus a knowing that I couldn’t continue to survive the way I was going that spurred the decision to move back to Ontario. I got back together with the same girl who made my walls crumble down at 15. We truly believed we needed each other. Both damaged and in desperate need of love, we clung on tight. We ended up getting married and divorced within a year. I needed to get honest with myself. I finally asked for help and checked into treatment. I accepted my fate. The times where I felt the suffocation of those walls growing higher and denser all seemed like a bad dream. I decided to start letting people in to help me move through the uncomfortable feelings. The more honest I became with myself, the more of a connection I felt. Believing in a higher power was essential in my recovery. I’ve grown to love the person I am. They say we come into the program with no self worth and in time get it back. For me, walking away from something I loved so much but able to see clearly that it was destroying my spirt was the greatest gift I could have given myself. The more I bring gratitude and acceptance into my life the more I am connected to a power greater than me.' You can connect with Jesse via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.barnard.16 Or by email: jessestephenbarnard@gmail.com

The real challenges of growing up homesteading. Her husband's battle with cancer. How motherhood changed her. Her art as the muse through which she's coped these past few years. And lot's of good real talk, busting the bullshit of being sold your own dream by influencers on social media and within your community. This conversation has all of that and then some. And it's very powerful. We laugh, we cry, we joke and we get really real. Sherrice was recently featured and a part of the Canadian women's book project pursuit: 365. Most of her spare time right now is spent in her art studio. Her work is emerging and collectors around the world are taking notice. In the interview we talk about her husband’s cancer remission, and sadly that battle is being fought again. They are facing this as a united and strong family. Sherrice is a wise woman. She is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Writer & Artist. Mostly a fabulous wife & mother, she is dedicated to connecting creators with soulful strategies for their businesses and lives. Sherrice has mentored women in business and life through her signature programs Manifesto & Mapping, greatlife design mastermind & Greatlife Retreat. She is always looking for the contradiction, the truth and the willingness to be with all of it. You can connect with Sherrice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiosherrice/ Check out her art on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/692555881198512 or her website: https://www.studiosherrice.com/

Mental health advocacy: a theme near and dear to my heart, and the foundation, really, of this podcast. And this week's episode is with a guest who contributes so much time to mental health advocacy; through his music, his spare time on social media, and the work he does at a coach with To Be Magnetic. This episode walks the listener through Atarah's life journey. We talk about the adversity he faced in childhood, and the resulting trauma. We talk about his incredible music career, with a pitstop in fashion school and as a designer. And then we talk about his most recent challenges with mental health, leading him through the shadow to the other side where he now finds himself doing great work in the world to support others. All this after having hit many rock bottoms, and ultimately finding the tools to pull himself up and through, now sharing that road to well-being with others. You can find Atarah on IG @atarahvalentine His music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hbjqhUp1vrybHxlf8kg1I?si=7_HlHs8XRmayRT-1pZmG9Q and if you'd like to work with him, on the TBM coaching page: https://tobemagnetic.com/coaching-with-atarah

Even if you're not a yoga teacher, or even in the arena of being a yoga person, this episode has about a thousand excellent mental health journey takeaways. If you grew up in a dysfunctional household, this one is for you. If you identify with having experienced childhood trauma, this one's for you. If you wound up in a relationship that eerily reminded you of one of your parents from the for-mentioned childhood, this one's for you. If you identify as a misfit, underdog, rebel or introvert, this one's for you. And if you're a yoga person, this one's also for you. Nyk Danu Is a Yoga therapist, Yin Yoga teacher trainer and Business Mentor for Yoga Teachers. She lives in the enchanted city of Victoria on magical Vancouver island, where she teaches Yoga to Misfits; GenXer’s (and sometimes Y) who are not human pretzels. The Underdogs, Rebels, Introverts, Geeks and Bookworms. When Nyk is not teaching Yoga, You’ll find her expanding her personal tattoo collection, walking by the ocean, or curled up at home watching Star Trek or immersed in a book. Trigger Warning: discussion of domestic violence, childhood abuse and substance misuse You can connect with Nyk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nykdanuyoga/ & find her latest offerings: https://nykdanu.com/students/yoga/victoria-class-schedule/ https://nykdanu.com/teachers/yin-yoga-teacher-training/

If you're part of the wellness world, including communities that practice things like yoga, meditation, and breath work, then you likely have come across your fair share of 'spiritual bypass.' This being the idea that if you just 'think positive,' you will transform your life and heal all of your inner shadow stuff. In this conversation with Natalie, we call bullshit. As Natalie shares her story of a difficult upbringing, including parental mental health challenges and serious addiction, alongside separation from her extended family, she speaks candidly about her healing process. She connects with the idea of life being a long journey home; a non linear process of insight and integration that is never ending. She shares how she certainly would never think that all the challenges of her life are behind her or that she is somehow "healed" of her pain, but that she is deeply invested in the process of learning how to live with a sense of connected ease and joy. This has informed her work as an educator and storyteller. Her career began with teaching yoga, a source from which she was able to find many tools for her own healing journey. She speaks to the reasons she has stepped back from teaching yoga full time, and into a role of greater community facilitation through programs like her upcoming 13 Moons Circle. And the part I enjoyed nodding along with the most was that we certainly cannot bypass past pain and trauma with positive thinking, or even rely per se on the tools that have worked in the past. It takes an on-going commitment to show up with humility and willingness to dive deep. All the better if you have a good community to have the real, gritty conversations with. You can connect with Natalie via the links below: https://www.natalierousseau.com/ https://www.instagram.com/natalierousseau108/ Or join her upcoming year long course 13 Moons: https://courses.natalierousseau.com/p/thirteen-moons-circle (this one starts on March 21st) Resources for Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Training https://www.yogaoutreach.com/training-2 http://ajnayoga.ca/advancedprogram/

If you've been hanging out in the wellness forums of the internet at all the past few years, you may have noticed that the popularity of plant medicine is on the rise. And with it, sometimes, a concern around these 'journeys' being facilitated in a safe and supportive way. We go there in this episode. Justin is someone who grew up in a small Ontario town and experienced challenges in growing up, from bullying to mental health struggles, and self harm for a period of time. After moving to Vancouver, he made up for lost small town time. Namely by getting the adolescent partying out of his system that he had been missing. And then, he found himself drawn to another path. Always a musician, drums being his first love and instrument of choice, he found himself enthralled in curiosity around the use of psychedelics. For fun at first, to be sure, but then increasingly so as a means by which to heal his struggles with depression. This conversation is important because Justin shares his journey with the ever-growing-in-popularity amongst the wellness scene Ayahuasca, and p erhaps most importantly speaks to taking the decision to partake very seriously. We talk about the preparation, intent and integration of going down this road with good support. And, that it's really not for everybody. We chat about Justin's healing journey through his own mental health struggles, his work as a massage practitioner and ceremonialist, and his recent journey into fatherhood. Also! Justin is the great talent behind this podcast's tunes. You can connect with Justin via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinvolution/ https://www.instagram.com/medicine.massage/

Whether you've experienced trauma, mental health challenges or been actively swept up in substance misuse, it can be said that many of us are recovering from something. This conversation speaks to recovery and sobriety with a set of fresh eyes and perspective. And in this episode, we cover a lot more than that. We talk about Valentine's journey, beginning with a family and religious community of origin that simply did not embrace them for who they were, and unfortunately included abuse. They grew to reject the church they had loved when they realized that their sexuality was something considered shameful and wrong according to the religious rhetoric. We speak about their search for self, including discovering a love for dancing, music and the rave scene as a first glimpse of common community. Valentine speaks to their time swept up in substance use disorder, a time of being homeless, and ultimately how finding the practices of meditation and buddhism spurred the beginning of a journey to recovery. We talk about Valentine's personal take on recovery, what it has looked like for them and the incredible and supportive community they find themselves in now. Valentine shares about their family ultimately finding healing and common ground, including their ability to be expressive and embraced as who they truly are. You can connect with Valentine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goingsomewheresober/ Trigger/Content Warning: Discussion of childhood (sexual) abuse, substance use, homelessness and recovery

In a time where there is so much uncertainty for us as a collective, Crystal's story speaks to how she has navigated just that, moments of uncertainty. Including moving back to Canada from Florida in the middle of a pandemic! She shares her journey as a professional athlete, transitioning to motherhood, cheering her husband on at the Olympics, and some deep, juicy conversation on just being a good human being. This episode is about listening to your heart, stepping into the unknown, trusting you'll be caught, and alchemizing what life delivers to serve your superhero origin story. You can connect with Crystal on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/the.conscious.queen/ Or on her website: https://whatwouldcavewomando.com/

In this episode, Jeff VanIsle talks about what it was like to grow up in rural Nova Scotia, the challenges he faced in embracing his sexuality, and the move that brought him to Vancouver Island to pursue a dream and accept the challenge of living authentically. You can connect with Jeff on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffvanisle/ And support his music on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeffvanisle

We find ourselves collectively in a time of isolation; both literally from other humans and more existentially as it relates to belonging. This episode with Salwa was timely as it relates to the above in that one of the greatest themes we discuss is just that; Belonging. Salwa shares her story and journey up until now, which includes her family coming to the United States from Uganda when she was three years old (ish). She talks about her memories as a young black girl going to school in a predominately white neighbourhood and school, as her family settled in Seattle. We talk about her experience of feeling 'other' and how that shaped the way she found herself showing in the world as she grew up. Salwa shares her insight around her personal rock bottom and feeling disconnected from herself and her emotional expression. She speaks to her journey from that moment of clarity, to all of the tools she has learned to cultivate along the way; leading to what she refers to as entering a new season of life to embody her truth and speak boldly. We talk about how deeply impactful it was for her to return to her birth place in Uganda in 2018, and how re-learning to speak and write in her native language has provided a bridge to deeper connectedness and belonging. Salwa is a TBM coach who specializes in identifying and excavating the truth from our own personal shadows, especially the aspects of ourselves we don't want to look at. You can connect with Salwa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salwa.yazmin/ Or to book a session: https://tobemagnetic.com/coaching-with-salwa

I met Ned just over ten years ago. My mother had just passed away. I wanted a tattoo that I had been arguing with my mum about from her perspective as a public health nurse. And so after she passed, my mum's good friend introduced me to Ned. It was a healing experience unlike any other, and I now have a full upper back and good chunk of both arms inked at Ned's hand. I have had the honour of listening to many of his stories in my hours spent in his tattoo chair, and I am so excited to share many of them with you here now. In this episode, we discuss Ned's journey through life up until now; his struggles, his dark and challenging mental health times in which he shares feeling suicidal, the support he received and sought out, and the other side on which he has found himself for many years now. He is an incredible, self-made tattoo artist and mental health advocate. He does so much for his community through mental health advocacy, fundraising, education through his three published books, and his work with U Matter. Ned has devoted the last 20 years of his life studying spirituality and self help. He spent eight years with the Ishaya Monks, eventually he took vows and became a monk for one year. For the last 27 years he has been a self-employed tattoo artist. His experience as an artist spurred his awakening and his time with the monks helped deepen it. Ned's curious spirit and willingness to love has enlivened his ability to be a teacher to many. Ned attended the University of Western Ontario to study Psychology and English. Over the years he has facilitated workshops and talks in schools, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Police Collage, Rogers Daytime TV, Unifor 2017 EFAP/Addictions Conference. In 2016, he became an Ordained Minister. Currently, he is extra busy creating extra resources for his Umatter site, including free, full access to the audiobook version of Be Love. He says, 'This is a notable time where we need to come together and lend support wherever we can. There has never been a more critical moment in our history where we need as many conscious people as possible. The darkness the world is experiencing is a great call for us to reach into our soul and to unify with others. It is my aim to create heartfelt connections with others and to support the personal empowerment of all beings. Your empowerment and deeper awakenings will not only give this planet hope, but it will also assist others to rise to their greatest potential.' Connect with Ned on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nedburwell/ or on his Websites for his other content: www.umatter.ca www.endlessboundaries.ca

Sara's story is potent, powerful and inspiring. In her recently published book, Rewild Her, she explores the pain, loneliness and potency of her journey that has led her here. In this episode, we chat about her journey thus far. We explore the topic of loss, grief, domestic violence, addiction, and the human experience that is seeking relief from our pain. She gets very raw and openly shares about this period of her life in detail, giving the listener a glimpse into the world of deep pain, but also the real and powerful possibly of what can be on the other side. Today, Sara is doing powerful work as a Life Coach and is a budding author with a very important story to share. You can connect with Sara on Instagram: https://instagram.com/re.wildco?igshid=mxzq2i704q87 And you can find her professional offerings as well as her book, Rewild Her, here: https://www.rewildco.ca/

In this Episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Soniko Waira. Soniko was born in the city of Kitu, Ecuador. He'll tell you that growing up in a city of 3 million people led him to a loneliness and disconnection from nature. During his time living in this city, he was deeply drawn to the arts culture, leading him to his first love of and self immersion in music. For a time, he participated in the party scene, which we talk about, before he realized he was being called to live another way. He describes himself as a musician, artist and visionary. Currently, his work is taking him all over the world where he meets with many wise elders from different indigenous cultures. Upon moving to Canada several years back, he spent time with the Sinixt people on their traditional territory, commonly known as the 'Slocan Valley' here in the Kootenays of British Columbia. We talk a fair bit about this time he spent with this community, including his invitation to live with them for a year and his key take aways by way of lessons learned. And we go on to chat about how this has informed his work as a spiritual teacher and creator of his work called the Heart Map Experience. He shares this work in the form of workshops, ceremonies, and vision quests. You connect with Soniko, his music and his work through the following: website: www.heartmapexperience.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonikomusica Instagram: www.instagram.com/soniko_w Music: www.soundcloud.com/soniko_w

In this episode I have the honour and pleasure of chatting with Sam Streeter. Sam has recently put her role as a yoga/ meditation teacher and mentor on hold to be a full time new mama. For well over a decade she has dived into deep self work, exploration and life experiences; discovering new layers herself all along the way. Sam says she thrives and feels most purposeful in community. She has designed a chosen family with her closest friends who share the same core values of communication, vulnerability, honesty, support, and a willingness to change. We talk about dysfunctional family dynamics, rebellion, abuse, grief, mental health, the journey of self discovery, love, pregnancy through a pandemic and how life has come full circle. Connect with Sam on Instagram @_samstreeter

This is the origin story of the podcast; that is how I have come to find myself sitting on the floor of a closet, with an old foam mattress topper wrapped around me, speaking into the ether of a microphone with who knows who on the other end. In this episode, I share with you how the podcast was born out of a strange calling during an exquisitely challenging time; right in the middle of our collective chaos that was 2020. Podcast Music by my dear friend Justin Barnard https://www.instagram.com/justinvolution/ Sound Engineering done by the talented Adnan Coban https://www.instagram.com/aceymusic/

The Journeys We Take Podcast Trailer/Introduction