Empowering Chats with Susan Burrell

Embracing Possibility

Ep #193 - Embracing Possibility, An Interview with author and speaker Michele Neff Hernandez.

In this Empowering Chat I welcome Michele Neff Hernandez for a very timely and amazing conversation. Michele is the author of a new book entitled, Different After You, Rediscovering Yourself and Healing after Grief and Trauma. Michele is a widow. And through her experience of losing a spouse she learned things about herself that she didn’t know. This personal trauma led her to write this book and become a motivational speaker on behalf of others who have lost a spouse or a partner.

She also developed a non-profit called Soaring Spirits International that provides research-based programs and a community of peers for those that have lost a spouse or partner. Michele speaks to groups of all types about grief, hope and the healing impact of love.

Michele’s own personal loss of losing her husband in 2005 brought about her most transformative realization about how grief changes us. She was no longer the same person and could not return to being that person. She needed to work through her grief and her loss in order to rebuild her life as a resilient and empowered individual. One that was fully capable of living life fully and even joyfully.

Different After You is not just for those that have lost a spouse or partner, it can also help those that are recovering from a life changing experience or trauma.

 

To learn more about Michele Neff Hernandez: MicheleNeffHernandez.com

To purchase Michele’s book, Different After You: MicheleNeffHernandez.com/book

To learn more about how I show up in the world I invite you to visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

Are You Boundless & Free?

Are You Boundless and Free? A Solo Show with Susan Burrell

Are we growing yet? This Empowering Chat is all about GROWTH. I put that word in all caps on purpose. To both grab your attention and to challenge you to step out of your box. Join me for this conversation about change, growth and doing today what maybe you couldn’t do last year, or last week or even yesterday.

I want to challenge you to journey to the edge of your boundaries. By definition a boundary is called a frontier. I like to think of it as the place where we face the unknown. The unknown challenges of our lives, our thoughts, our feelings.

With everything that is going on in our world today, mass shootings, Covid, the war in Ukraine, where do we find Hope? Where do we find Truth? And where do we find Happiness, Freedom and Peace?

All of that and so much more is found within you. You are the frontier of potential. In the words of Ernest Holmes, we must create a larger vision beyond the old vision and limitations.  He goes on to say, and I quote “. . . all weightiness and confusion must be eliminated and we must think back to that which is boundless and free . . .”

For me what that means is that as we must push the frontier of our potential out into the world, and focus on what is good in our lives. We  must grow from the inside out. And as we grow our awareness, we can begin to awaken a greater influx of hope, love and peace. And then growth and change can begin.

If you want to reach your highest potential and journey into that frontier of change then I invite you to do just that. Be fully who you are. Empowered. Happy. A light leader expressing love.

Thank you for listening. To learn more about how I show up in the world I invite you to visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

The Luminous Afterlife

Ep 191 - A Q & A with Matthew McKay author of The Luminous Landscape of the Afterlife.

In this extended podcast, I welcome author Matthew McKay to my Empowering Chats. This is Matthew’s second time on my show. In this episode Matt and I, along with some of the students from my Luminous Landscape workshop, join in for this interesting and deep conversation about what it means to crossover into the afterlife.

Matthew has graciously offered to answer our questions about the afterlife based on the book he wrote in partnership with his deceased son, Jordan. There is no better source of information on death and the afterlife than someone who has died and lives in spirit. Channeling his late son, Jordan, Matthew McKay offers a post-death guide for the living, revealing in vivid detail what to expect when we die and how to prepare for the wonders of the afterlife.

I held a workshop earlier this year that was based on Matthew’s book of the same name, The Luminous Landscape of the Afterlife. And now I welcome you, my dedicated listeners to share the next 90 minutes of Q & A with Matt, myself and my students.

I’d like to share the following quote with you to jumpstart this chat about the luminous path. This quote is lifted directly from Matthew’s book. And even if you have not read the book this podcast is still worth a listen. So, I invite you to take a deep listen and feed your curiosity.

“A window into the world of spirit, an invitation to listen at the curtain between worlds, and a clear awareness that death is neither an end nor even a loss. It is merely the time when we finally remember who we are and where our home is.”

For more about Matthew McKay please visit his website: SeekingJordan.com

To Purchase Matthew's Book please visit: amazon.com/Luminous-Landscape-Afterlife-Jordans-Message/dp/1644112841

To learn more about me please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

Nurture Your Inner Goddess

EP#190 - Nurture Your Inner Goddess - An Interview with Author, Theater Critic, Mosaic Artist and Educator, Dawn Reno Langley.

I opened my interview with Dawn with the question, “Why focus on the Goddess?”

Dawn’s response centered around the fact that because she wasn’t seeing or hearing anything about goddesses anywhere else, except in her yoga studio, she felt the need to begin journaling about the goddess. Which then led to her writing about the Divine Feminine.  

Before long she began her research and expanded on her journal writing to create her book, “You Are Divine, A Search for the Goddess in all of Us.” Her research took her down many rabbit holes, as she describes it, and through the digging and excavating she uncovered many ancient stories about the Divine Feminine. Including the fact that herbal medicine and the practicing of ancient medicine began mostly with women. And later as medicine evolved, the practice of it became dominated by men.

Dawn and I share many of the same views and in discussing her book we both went off on some tangents that made for a lively conversation.  The dominating theme of this podcast was the feminine versus the masculine.  And how now in present day the feminine is beginning to take center stage and gaining dominance over the masculine. The balance of the two is really what is needed in the world right now. 

As we see the masculine energy breaking down, the feminine energy is taking hold and I feel Dawn’s book is coming just at the right moment in time. The book is filled with empowering first-hand experiences of the divine feminine from spiritual teachers and students from around the world.

Dawn believes everyone holds the divine within them, and sometimes it can be hard to find. Learning to see “your-self” by looking into the metaphoric mirror is powerful and an important step in finding that divine being that lies within.

This book is a jumping off point and it can be read in bits and pieces and help you find respect for yourself. I think it is also a great book to read in a circle with other women. In a safe circle environment it is easy to open up the dialogue and think about how you can find your own divine feminine and search for that goddess that lies within you.

To learn more about Dawn Reno Langley visit her website: DawnRenoLangley.net

To purchase Dawn's Book, You Are Divine, visit:

DawnRenoLangley.net/you-are-divine

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: SusanBurrell.com

Releasing Tangled Energy

EP#189 - Releasing Tangled Energy – An Interview with Meditation Teacher and Author, David Gandelman.

 

David Gandelman is a spiritual teacher, author, and guide, whose mission is to awaken souls on their path of growth into being human, and living an enlightened, purpose-driven life. He is the author of 7 Energies of the Soul.

David and I share a lively conversation in this podcast about meditation, life struggles and finding the gifts in those tough experiences. David began meditating at the young age of 16. And he noticed how his life took a radical shift, simply by feeding his passion of sitting still. That became the thing that he would do define him. As his life journey progressed he went on to live in the Himalayas and travel through India. He was hungry for knowledge and in his own words he became a “Guru Chaser” seeking out Gurus from around the world to learn from.

He studied Eastern spiritual traditions while living in the Himalayas and he also spent 7 years as the director of a school for intuitive development and mysticism in Hawaii. David’s teaching style is one that connects energetic experience with ancient wisdom traditions, and he adds humor to create a safe atmosphere for people interested in learning to meditate.

I am fascinated by his new book, 7 Energies of the Soul.  As an empath reading this book, I especially appreciated the way David explained the archetypal energies of the soul. He gives you exercises and meditations to help you understand your special energies or gifts. His book offers a detailed guide to each of the seven archetypal energies of the soul, which helps you work toward spiritual and energetic balance.

Spiritual masters throughout millennia have always taught that the answers to life’s most tangled questions lie within. In the pages of David’s book I feel he has clearly laid out the ancient path that lies before us. And by letting go of what we perceive to be true, I believe with a little help we can re-focus through meditation to find the balance and the happiness we all seek in life.

 

To learn more about David and is work visit his website at: meditationschool.us

To purchase his book: meditationschool.us/the-seven-energies-of-the-soul

To learn more about how show up in the world visit: susanburrell.com

To explore Insight Timer visit: InsightTimer.com

Radiate Your Light

Ep #188 - Radiate Your Light - A Solo Episode with Susan Burrell

In this solo episode I talk about radiating your light out into the world. So what does that mean? I looked up the word radiate and it literally means to "emit rays of light." 

So now I ask you, "Are you claiming the peace and radiance that you are?" 

The theme for the month of June is Radiance and that is what this episode is all about. Bright light, cheerful radiance. 

Sometimes life circumstances make us feel not so hopeful or cheerful. I know for me that has been the case quite a bit lately. It is during these times that I take the time to re-evaluate my life. As spiritual beings we are constantly in motion and evolving. So I encourage you to take the time to reflect where you are in your life. And recognize what your triggers are and how to move through your daily challenges so that your radiance can shine through. Are you holding on to those things that no longer serve you?

It's important to try and keep your mind quiet and give yourself some space to just be. Mornings are my favorite time to be in a place of peaceful mindset. If afternoons or evenings are best for you then make that time for yourself and claim the peace that you are – because as you claim it for yourself it will emanate out to those you come in contact with.

I encourage you to send out peace on the wings of love and forgiveness.

When you connect with your own source energy then you can radiate it out to the world.  What you radiate out will naturally radiate back to you – so why not send out love and kindness and all those good qualities that you wish to receive?

Radiate & Shine Brightly. Be a Radiant Light of Love.

 

Changing Lives, an interview with Activist, Dawn Manske

Ep #187 - Changing Lives, An Interview with Activist and Entrepreneur, Dawn Manske.

My guest for this Empowering Chat is an incredible individual who is fighting human trafficking with style. I am honored to welcome Dawn Manske, CEO of Made For Freedom to my show. Her story of courage and innovation is awe-inspiring.  You may need Kleenex by your side as you listen to her journey of how her innovative social company came to be. Made For Freedom, uses fashion to empower victims of sex trafficking and other marginalized situations.

The 10 years Dawn spent in China teaching English helped her to understand the unbalance produced by the devaluation of the girl child. This was her first exposure to poverty levels she had never seen before. In 2007 she viewed a documentary about sex trafficking that deeply affected her. She desperately wanted to see this horror and injustice come to an end but she had no idea what could be done from her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

And this is where the pants come in. Dawn shares her story of how her dream to help rescue and restore girls being victimized started with a pair of pants. Made For Freedom arose as the number of compliments she received from complete strangers about her super-comfortable fisherman pants, (purchased in Thailand) soared. It was stories like these and others that compelled Dawn to make the following pledge, “If there is any way I can help girls like this by selling pants, I will sell pants.”

That pledge marked the beginning of Made for Freedom, and Dawn hasn’t looked back since. Her journey and deep dive into business strategy and product development, has brought her in contact with people in St. Louis and around the world who are fighting for survivors. She has built a team of brilliant people who cheerfully lend their abundant and diverse skills to Made For Freedom. She partners with centers that are located in the United States and abroad to sell products made by the survivors of human trafficking. It is a win-win situation. The women and girls are given dignified employment with skills that empower them to walk away from their former life and create a beautiful new life with a purpose.

Together, with her partners, they are all committed to doing everything in their power to help women around the world know that we are all Made for Freedom.

To learn more about Made For Freedom and to purchase their products visit: MadeForFreedom.com

To learn more about Dawn Manske visit: MadeForFreedom.com/our-story

To learn more about me and how I show up in the world please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

 

”Revealing The Hidden Layers” with Scott Clover...

Ep. #186 - Revealing The Hidden Layers An interview with Intuitive Healer and Podcaster, Scott Clover

This is the second time I have interviewed Scott for Empowering Chats.  He and I made a deep connection when I first interviewed him last year and I have since tapped into his intuitive gifts and energy healing for myself. We have also become friends. And so, I am pleased to once again have him as my guest on Empowering Chats.

In this episode we take a look at the many layers of story that we all carry, sometimes to our own detriment. For many, me included, when we run that toxic story about our life or our family of origin it can take root in our body and show up in physical ailments.

And worse, when we placate the story to the point where we don’t recognize it anymore is when the healing really needs to take place. Scott says observation is 55% of what is needed to heal. He helps his clients, like he has helped me, to see the pattern for what it is, so that the healing can begin. In Scott’s observations when the stories get locked in the body over many years it can show up in the body as sickness or other physical challenges.

Scott uses his intuitive sense, which I like to call divine intelligence, to get to the root of what may be causing his client’s challenges. He always aims to start at the root to heal the “issues” showing up because if you can't get at the root and tackle it from that vantage point then the “problems” will continue to show up. It’s all about revealing the hidden layers and exposing them to the light. Those roots must rise to the surface in order for the healing to begin, and in Scott’s experience it is much easier to yank out the root rather than just respond to the topical symptoms or issues.

Scott also emphasizes the importance of giving back to yourself and replenishing yourself in order to stay healthy. Over giving will eventually catch up with you and may show up in your physical body as sickness.

Scott is not only a friend but has also become an important part of my journey in uncovering the toxic stories and releasing that which no longer serves me. He really is a gifted healer and I am so grateful for his gifts, both personally and for the greater good he does in the world.

If you are interest in learning more about Scott Clover please visit his website at: ScottClover.com

You can find his podcast on all the major platforms and on his website at: ScottClover.com/podcast

Please visit my website to learn more about how I show up in the world: SusanBurrell.com

”Unlock The Burnout Barriers” with Anne Bérubé...

Ep #185 - Unlock The Burnout Barriers. An Interview with author, Anne Bérubé.

I have to start by exclaiming how impacted I was by my guest for this episode of Empowering Chats. I joked with her at the start of our interview about how much I felt her latest book, entitled, The Burnout Antidote, A Spiritual Guide to Empowerment for Empaths, Over-Givers and Highly Sensitive People was written specifically for me. Anne Bérubé is an author and a teacher / coach, and she also runs workshops she calls “Happy Sessions."

Anne and I had a lively and insightful conversation about those choices we make and how we find ourselves in burnout situations. So much of what Anne has written about speaks directly to me. And I have a feeling it will do the same for many of my listeners. Anne shares how she  used to carry a limiting belief that you can’t experience burnout when you are living your purpose. If you are living your purpose, how can you burnout?

That’s when she realized that the place she was giving from was not sustainable because it was based on beliefs of needing to please and be needed, or liked by those she was serving and helping.  And so, she found herself going through this process of digging deep to finding out who she was at her core.  She had to ask herself, “Who was I before people started needing me?”

Anne talks about the power of the patriarch and how that differs from the energy of the feminine. She goes onto express that feminine power is the source embedded in our earth, we are all sourced from the feminine. She feels we all need the grounding of our Mother voice, the one that says: “I am holding you. I am nurturing you. I am not going anywhere. I love you.” Anne and I both agree that we need to learn to love ourselves like that and recognize the masculine energy is actually a servant to the feminine and when they work together it can be powerful for everyone involved.

To learn more about Anne Bérubé visit her website at: AnneBerube.com

To purchase her book visit: AnneBerube.com/podcast-books

And for more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: SusanBurrell.com

Am I My Own Best Friend?

Ep. #184 - Am I My Own Best Friend?  Today’s Podcast launches a new theme for the month of May. This month, all of my Empowering Chats will focus on the theme of Enthusiasm. This episode is a solo show where I ask this very important question of how to become your own best friend.

And so, I want you to think about this for a minute: Can you be your own best friend? What does that look like? Feel like? In order for me to get the answers to these questions I had to go deep within, to see myself from a new perspective.

First I had to discern what a best friend is. To me a best friend is someone who is loyal and listens without judgement. A best friend loves me unconditionally and accepts all of me.

So again, I ask myself, can I be my own best friend? And I ask you: Can you be your own best friend and see yourself with fresh eyes? I think we already inhabit those qualities we see in our best friends. I challenge you to try and see yourself how others see you. Embrace your courage, your wisdom and all your special qualities.

Your riches reside within you, so go find your brilliance, your opulence and the freedom to love yourself and be your own best friend.

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com