her Self: IFS & Spiritual Entrepreneurship

Today I'm once again highlighting the voices of a couple of women in our community. Meet Ann and Paige, two women who participated in last year’s online 200-hour yoga alliance women’s yoga & meditation teacher training. You’ll hear from them why they decided to say “yes” to joining the training, specific aspects that they loved about it and that are sticking with them to support them in their lives today, and what they would say to any of you listening who may also be considering joining us… Because, that’s right, regular registration for this year’s training opens tomorrow, September 12, but only for 10 days. Learn more and join us at www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

A colleague recommended Kaira Jewel Lingo's book to me earlier this year: We Were Made for These Times: Skillfully Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption, and I have been wanting to have her on the podcast for a while to explore her work with meditation, Buddhism & social justice. Kaira Jewel is a dharma teacher who spent 15 years as a monastic in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village. Today we speak about what led her to step away from monastic life-- and what that tumultuous transition was like, ways she integrates the dharma and social justice, things she misses most about monastic life, how to work with strong emotions and the uncertainty of the unknown, and what's next on her horizon. Kaira has a strong, gentle, clear presence, and I hope what we speak about today is of benefit to you. Kaira Jewel Lingo: www.kairajewel.com Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe Sara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

While I'm on vacation for these last few weeks of summer, rather than sharing my usual, monthly dharma talk here on the podcast, I'm sharing a conversation I had last summer with Sue Van Raes on her podcast, "Satiate." Sue is a functional nutritionist and founder of Boulder Nutrition and she invited me in for a conversation about my journey with women's yoga and meditation– and at large. Enjoy! Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sue's website: www.boundernutrition.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Sara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

Today I'm welcoming Kimberly Ann Johnson & Stephen Jenkinson to speak about the new book they co-authored, Reckoning, which came out today. Our conversation about the times we're living in, and the culture that got us here, it's rich, nuanced, and, as Stephen says at the end, bottomless. May it spark new curiosity, insight, and reflection. Buy Reckoning: www.orphanwisdom.com Stephen's website: www.orphanwisdom.com Kimberly's website: www.kimberlyannjohnson.com IFS Women's Circle: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/ifscircle Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Sara on IG: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on FB: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

Today I’m doing something I haven’t done before here on the podcast: inviting a couple of women from our community for a conversation. Today you’ll here from Kathleen Browning and Reise Eiseman-Sanchez Tanner. Both of these women are alumna from last year’s 200-hour women’s Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, which was the first time I offered this program both online and in the 200-hour format. Enjoy! Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

Some of us have experienced it. Some of us are getting closer. For others, it still seems way out in the distance. Menopause. It's time for us all to have a deeper conversation about it. To guide us into this, I’ve invited Susan Willson, a Certified Nurse Midwife with 45 years of experience guiding all phases of women's health. Her new book Making Sense of Menopause: Harnessing the Power and Potency of your Wisdom years helps us to positively reframe this powerful time of our lives. Please note– this is not just a book or a conversation for women in or past menopause. It’s for women of ALL ages. The more we get in touch with the season of life we’re in, the more gracefully we will be able to navigate the biggest transition we’ll face before our deaths– that of menopause. Susan and I discuss why the cultural narrative about menopause being something we need to “fix” is so dangerous, how this time in a woman’s life is a real crossroads, why understanding early transitions in our lives as women will better help us navigate menopause, the (huge!) role stress plays in all of this, mid-life course corrections, and the archetype of the wise woman. It’s a rich conversation that I hope will illuminate some new things for you about your own journey and the arc of a woman’s life at large. Enjoy! Susan's website: www.makingsenseofmenopause.com Abortion Healing Kit: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/abortionkit Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

Today I'm sharing an excerpt of a dharma talk I gave on the final morning of my retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center this May. In it, I share practical ways to integrate these teachings and perspectives into your daily life– in ways that are both enjoyable and sustainable. May this be of benefit! Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.SaraAvantStover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

As the second part in our series on Internal Family Systems, I've invited Certified IFS Therapist and the Assistant Trainer, Crystal Jones, to join us. Crystal and I speak about her upcoming summer sabbatical (which I find very inspiring and sense you will too), what it's like to be the second BIPOC individual in a leadership role within the Internal Family Systems Institute, how she wants to use that role to serve and amplify more voices of those like her, and what it looks and feels like when we aim to embody all of our parts. Crystal's joy and open-heartedness are infectious. I know you'll enjoy our connection as much as I did! Crystal's website: www.lifesourcecounselingcenter.com Abortion Healing Kit: www.womensyogateachertraining.com/abortionkit Women's Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: www.womensyogateachertraining.com Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#newsletter Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor

Chris Burris, an expert in Internal Family Systems therapy, discusses transforming inner critics and perfectionists into allies through IFS therapy. He shares practical ways to use IFS for daily self-care, emphasizing the importance of compassion and connection in personal growth.

In this dharma talk, an excerpt of one I offered in my online feminine spiritual practice community, Women's House of Wisdom, in the spring of 2020, I speak on the importance of calling on the archetype of the Divine Mother at this time in history, as well as practical ways to do that. We touch on ancestor reverence, devotion, cultivating self-trust and spiritual authority, and more. On this Mother's Day, may this remind us of the mother within us all, and She who loves and cares for us all, always. France retreat: www.womensinsightretreat.com Sara's newsletter: www.saraavantstover.com/#subscribe Sara's website: www.saraavantstover.com Sara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/saraavantstover Sara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saraavantstoverauthor