Miscellaneous
Self-care is a conversation that I've been wanting to dive deep with and am thrilled to be talking about it with Monica Ballard, a massage therapist, reiki practitioner, yoga instructor, and fellow podcaster. Monica shares about her her life and work, using her personal journey to inform her professional passions around radical self-care. We start our conversation with several book recommendations in the self-help genre, then weave our way through the concept of radical self-care as it relates to authenticity, awareness, integrity, and integration, and, finally, end on one of the most beautiful stories about crocodiles and the Never-Not-Broken Goddess. I found this entire conversation to be informative, thought-provoking, and profound and am truly excited to go back and listen again because of the nuggets of wisdom Monica shares throughout. I’d love to hear from you! What stood out most from Monica’s interview? What does the concept of radical self-care mean to you and how can you take steps to come into integrity in your own life? Topics Discussed: An introduction to Monica Ballard and what she does Monica's bookclub and the books that they've been reading so far (see Resource Links) How radical self-care came into Monica's life and what it means for her Why Monica says self-care and authenticity go hand and hand The root of radical self-care is deep listening and awareness Integrity as integration of body, mind, and spirit Why the core of self-care is about giving yourself what you need in the moment Monica's mantra of do no harm, but take no shit How we view others and what that says about how we view ourselves Why you cannot ask another person to do what you are unwilling to do for yourself Activating your feminine gifts through self-care What your psychic womb is and how to use it in your day to day life Why Monica says that anything we overuse can be turned into a weakness How to know when your out of alignment with your feminine energy Symbols as a way to bring us back to the core of who we are What do you desire and what are you willing to receive Desire as a gateway to uncovering your purpose and passion The story of Akilandeshwari, AKA the Never-Not-Broken Goddess Monica’s definition of everyday magic and how it shows up in her life Connect with Monica Ballard online: Website Subscriber Wellness Hub (where the Book Club lives) Facebook Instagram INHABIT Creation Lab IN{HABIT} Podcast Resource Links: The Upside of Stress* by Kelly McGonigal The Willpower Instinct* by Kelly McGonigal Come As You Are* by Emily Nagoski Ph.D. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying* by Bronnie Ware The self-care post (from Emily) The story of the Never-Not-Broken-Goddess (from Monica) Hit me up: Twitter: @emilylevenson and #somekindofmagic Instagram: @emilylevenson and #somekindofmagic FB Page: Emily Levenson * This is an affiliate link.