In this final FETCH First Friday of the year, I’m coming to you solo with a gentle winter reflection for you and your dog.

There are some exciting developments unfolding behind the scenes, and even though I’m here alone this month, I’ll be sharing more with you soon.

Inside this episode:

• Winter as a Sacred PauseWhy the darker months call us to slow down, rest, and tend to our inner roots, and how our dogs naturally model this seasonal wisdom.

• The Water Element + Kidney Support (TCM) Simple ways to nourish the water element in both you and your dog, including warming foods, broths, lifestyle shifts, and energetic themes of the season.

• A Season of ReleaseAs we move from a 9 year into a 1 year (and toward the Year of the Horse in February), this is a natural time to acknowledge what we’ve shed, and what we’re still ready to let go of with gratitude.

• Not “New Year, New You”Why I follow the seasonal wheel instead of rushing into resolutions, and how January can become a month of deep rest, clarity, and seed-planting.

This episode is an invitation to enter winter with softness, presence, and trust — in yourself, your dog, and the slow magic working beneath the surface.

Connect with me!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama

Website: https://mysticdogmama.com

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

In this second conversation in a series with Deb Matlock - a spiritual ecologist and guide in embodied, Earth-rooted spirituality, and the founder of Wild Rhythms - we move beyond the idea of having one power animal or soul dog and into a more expansive, reciprocal relationship with the wild world.

We explore how connection is our birthright, why your dog is walking beside you on your unique spiritual path, and how every being in your life carries its own medicine.

Together, we dive into intuition, ceremony, meaning-making, and practical ways to open the door to the more-than-human world — without cultural appropriation and without getting lost in rules.

If you’ve ever wondered how to deepen your spiritual relationship with your dog, the land, or the beings you meet along the way, this is your permission slip.

Topics We Explore:

• What “empowered spirituality” really means
• Why our dogs walk with us on our personal spiritual paths
• Rethinking power animals, spirit animals, and soul dogs
• How to honour your own ancestry and lived experience
• Why seeking just one special guide can limit your spiritual growth
• How to validate your own intuitive experiences and simple, practical tools to check in with your intuition

Mentioned in this episode: Emily Esfahani Smith, The Power of Meaning

Connect with Deb Matlock

Website: https://wild-rhythms.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildrhythms

Connect with me!

Website: https://mysticdogmama.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com

Come join my free Facebook Facebook group, my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

In this episode, Deb Matlock, a professional nature-based spiritual life coach and a nature connection practitioner and educator for more than 25 years, and I explore what it means to live in deeper relationship with the more-than-human world. We talk about wild rhythms, junction points, and the moment we’re living in - a moment when old systems are falling away and new forms of kinship are calling us forward.

Deb shares how her childhood bond with her dog Jenny, and a lifetime of connection with animals and the outdoors, led her into environmental education, life coaching, and nature-based work. Together, we look at kinship as re-membering - bringing the members back into a world shaped by extractive models - and what shifts when we understand “community” as all beings, not just humans.

We explore communication with other species, reimagining ceremony, and creating the kind of inner spaciousness where wisdom can land. We sit with the hard, beautiful questions too: What does it mean to be human among so many beings? Why are our particular dogs with us? How do we bring our wild soul forward and be of service to the highest good each day?

We also touch on how AI might offer new perspectives on interdependence - and how empathy, when allowed to lead, changes everything.

This episode is an invitation to remember that there is no real disconnection, only the perception of it - and that every relationship, especially the one with our dogs, can guide us back into the wild web we’re already part of.

Connect with Deb Matlock

Website: https://wild-rhythms.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildrhythms

Connect with me!

Website: https://mysticdogmama.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com

Come join my free Facebook Facebook group, my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight