In this inspiring episode, I sit down with my friend Susie Transou, founder of Hearth and Soul, a unique retail concept that feels more like a home than a store. Susie shares her fascinating journey from growing up in the beer industry and running a large beverage distributorship with her husband to launching a completely new venture at age 50.

We discuss the pivotal moment at a birthday party where a life coach's vision sparked the idea for Hearth and Soul, and how Susie turned that spark into a reality within 48 hours. Susie opens up about the transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of community, hospitality, and the courage to ask for help, both professionally and personally.

Our conversation delves into the challenges of self-care for high achievers. Susie shares the concept of "the goose and the golden egg," emphasizing that to continue producing, one must take care of oneself. We also touch on the power of vulnerability, sharing our struggles, and the profound impact of her mother's openness about addiction on Susie's own comfort with sharing her story.

You'll also hear about:

1. (03:40) The birthday party retreat and life coaching session that planted the seed for Hearth and Soul .
2. (05:27) How Hearth and Soul was born in 48 hours with a vision of a "kitchen" gathering place for community .
3. (10:00) Susie's realization that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness, and crucial for success in work and motherhood .
4. (17:00) The three core pillars of Hearth and Soul: Home, Friend, and Family, and how they shape the customer experience .
5. (29:51) The "goose and the golden egg" analogy for self-care: why taking care of yourself is essential for sustaining achievement .
6. (36:59) A therapist's assignment for Susie to sit still with her daughter for 15 minutes a day, and the challenge of simply "being" .
7. (43:08) Susie's definition of "Rewrite the Mother Code": being open to new and different ways to mother beyond traditional roles .

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more about Susie Transou & Hearth and Soul

1. Shop online at hearthandsoul.com
2. Follow Hearth and Soul on Instagram

Follow Dr. Gertrude:

1. Learn more on Dr. Gertrude’s Website

In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Harper A. Bailey (the pen name of Teosha Bailey), a public health leader, speaker, and author of the powerful new memoir It Was Her. Harper shares the deeply personal and spiritual journey of bringing her book to life, a process she describes as a "co-creation with God and my ancestors."

We discuss how the idea for her memoir came to her four years ago as a "God idea," and how a vivid dream on her birthday finally pushed her to commit to writing it. Harper opens up about the vulnerability of sharing her story, particularly the heavy first chapter about her mother's transition, and the writer's block she had to overcome. She reveals her unique writing process, which included creating a sacred shrine with photos of her ancestors, using music and scents to set the mood, and dedicating time for writing retreats around the world, from Hawaii to Rome.

Our conversation also touches on the healing power of storytelling within families. Harper shares how her book has sparked profound conversations with her son, aunt, and cousins, allowing them to see her in a new light and uncover hidden family histories. We explore the concept of "self-mothering" through the creative process, the importance of celebrating small milestones (like hitting word counts with ice cream!), and the profound realization that wholeness is our birthright.

You'll also hear about:

1. (03:52) The vivid dream that finally pushed Harper to write her book after being stuck for a year and a half .
2. (04:14) How Harper gifted herself a writing retreat at a hotel and left with a complete outline for her memoir .
3. (07:59) Her "YOLO Mother's Days" tradition: traveling to Rome with her aunts instead of doing the traditional "pancakes and construction paper" routine .
4. (15:37) The detailed "shrine" Harper created for her writing sessions, featuring photos of her ancestors to remind her she wasn't alone .
5. (18:10) Using the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) and sensory details like music and incense to create a sacred writing space .
6. (26:37) How her book has opened up new dialogues with her family, including her son realizing what she was going through as a mother .
7. (29:59) Harper's core message for readers: "Wholeness is your birthright," and you have the power to reclaim your narrative .
8. (41:20) Her definition of "Rewrite the Mother Code": being authentically who you are, mothering in any season, and learning how you want to be mothered yourself .

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more about Harper A. Bailey

1. Buy her memoir, It Was Her
2. Follow Harper on Instagram
3. Learn more about Harper on her

In this profound episode, I sit down with Chameli Ardagh, a yogini, mystic, and founder of Awakening Women. Chameli shares her powerful personal journey, beginning with a childhood in Norway deeply connected to nature but marked by family volatility. She recounts her early escape into spirituality as a way to transcend suffering, only to realize later, through a pivotal moment of reckoning, that true spiritual awakening requires full embodiment and confronting our own internal "warfare".

Our conversation delves deep into the concept of the Divine Feminine and how patriarchal structures have historically co-opted or erased goddess wisdom. Chameli illuminates how ancient myths, from the Greek god Apollo to the Norse god Odin, reflect a pattern of conquering and stealing feminine wisdom rather than honoring it. We explore the transformative power of women gathering in circles, leaving dogma at the door, and using embodiment practices like dance and song to reconnect with their innate spiritual authority.

Chameli passionately describes her work in creating spaces, both online and through retreats in Greece, where women can reclaim their "golden mead" of wisdom without needing a middleman. We discuss the critical need for a new way of living that honors the "mother code" at the center of existence, moving from power-over to power-with, and birthing a future rooted in balance and love.

You'll also hear about:

1. (04:05) Chameli's upbringing in Norway and her early spiritual seeking as an escape from suffering.
2. (07:46) Her "9/11 moment" of realizing her internal state mirrored the warfare in the world, leading to a shift from transcendence to embodiment.
3. (14:33) Meeting the goddesses as a "hall of mirrors," revealing that all expressions, even anger and lust, can be holy.
4. (20:48) How mythology illustrates the "top-down, exploitive energy" of the left brain conquering the body and feminine wisdom.
5. (30:36) The story of Odin stealing the "golden mead" of wisdom from a giant goddess, a metaphor for patriarchal appropriation of feminine knowledge.
6. (34:39) The importance of not burning down the old structures but "walking away" to create new, life-affirming systems.
7. (40:36) Chameli's Summer Goddess Ashram in Corfu, Greece: a space for women to refill their inner wells through dance, ritual, and connection.
8. (53:23) Chameli's definition of "Rewrite the Mother Code": a reclamation of the mother principle as the center of life and a rewriting of our future in partnership with evolution.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more about Chameli Ardagh

1. Learn more on Chameli's Website