The JOY Hour Hosted by Ella Mesma. Episode 79: Blooming Bravely with Tanya Richam-Odoi

In this episode of The JOY Hour, I sit down with Tanya Richam-Odoi who is craniosacral therapist, sound healer, choreographer, and community instigator - to explore the journey from professional dancer to healer, and what it means to bloom bravely into your authentic self.Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional trauma, challenging family relationships, and psychological demands in the dance industry.Land Acknowledgement: Recorded between Shipley and London, England. We acknowledge the colonial histories of the UK and honour the diverse communities whose lands and labour built these cities.Timestamps:00:01 - Welcome and introduction00:33 - Tanya's incredible journey from age 902:01 - Training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance02:46 - Phoenix Dance Theatre and critical acclaim03:04 - Moving into choreography and teaching03:59 - The psychological demands of dance05:03 - Dance as healer and grounding force05:40 - Discovering craniosacral therapy07:15 - How craniosacral therapy works09:53 - Where Tanya is joining from and recent joy13:42 - What Tanya is journeying right now16:28 - The ongoing journey of healing work20:19 - Giving permission to be multifaceted23:09 - Awakening joy as purpose of the work25:41 - Growing up without emotional availability28:11 - Boundaries and embodied experience29:19 - Stephen King quote and the healing journey31:09 - Where to connect with TanyaIn This Conversation We Explore:Dance as the healer that kept Tanya grounded from age 9 through traumaThe transition from professional dancer to craniosacral therapist after intense experiences with DV8What craniosacral therapy is: tuning in, listening to the body, sound healing, and facilitating the body's own healingTanya's first craniosacral session and feeling "unplugged from the matrix"Working with the Performance Ensemble of elders (60+) and the "bloom bravely" concept of moving from seed to full expressionAuthentic self and showing up fully, especially for perimenopausal women and neurodivergent clientsBoundaries as the Great Wall of China and embodied practice over book learningThe vision for community arts in Shipley and being a "community instigator"Awakening joy as the purpose of therapeutic workHow therapy and healing work is as much for the practitioner as for clientsThe multifaceted human experience and giving permission to be silly, beautiful, and genius all at onceGrowing up as an African-Scottish woman in Dundee without emotional availabilityThe power of holding safe space where nervous systems can settle and bodies can be heldAbout Tanya:Tanya Richam-Odoi is a craniosacral therapist, sound healer, choreographer, and self-described community instigator based in Shipley, West Yorkshire. Resources Mentioned:Stephen King quote: "Things conceived by minds and made by hands can never be quite the same, even if they try their best to be identical, because they're never the same from day to day or even moment to moment."Dundee Rep TheatrePhoenix Dance TheatreDV8 Physical TheatreNorthern School of Contemporary DancePerformance Ensemble Leeds (10-year anniversary)Methodist church in Shipley (potential social arts and culture centre)Critics Circle National Dance AwardsDancing Times magazineConnect with Tanya:Website: https://www.theayapractice.com/about-tanyaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_aya_practice/LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tanya-richam-odoi-b56a4b71In-person sessions: Shipley, West YorkshireOnline sessions: Available worldwideConnect with Ella Mesma:Website: mayagandaia.com | goddxxpath.comFree Gift: Grab a free practice from Journal to JOY at mayagandaia.com/joyhourgiftSubscribe to The JOY Hour:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1e2AslgK9q1hnEimdgQHzrApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-joy-hour/id1849505845YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ybUzyvIV4PVoZ3S9ZK1pEGKuY7XcY8MLike, Subscribe, and Share!