It's A Surreal Life

Life is filled with seasons.Some bring momentum. Some bring certainty. Some bring joy.Others bring redirection. Discomfort. Grief. Uncertainty.In this episode of Relationship to Self Theories, Sirel and Crystal explore the many layers of relationship we have with our experiences and the seasons that shape our lives.Together, they challenge the idea that growth only happens during the moments that feel good.Because often, the experiences we resist the most are the ones carrying the greatest wisdom.This conversation invites listeners to consider a different perspective.What if redirection is just as valuable as momentum?What if discomfort is not a sign that something is wrong, but an invitation to pay attention?What if every season of life is asking for relationship rather than resistance?As the conversation unfolds, Sirel and Crystal explore the connection between the body, self trust, and the ability to navigate life from inner knowing instead of fear, rejection, or external influence.Because every experience has something to offer when we are willing to stay present long enough to listen.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

What happens when the identity you’ve built no longer feels like you?In this episode, Sirel sits down with David Klick for a conversation that challenges some of the most common narratives surrounding men, women, emotions, strength, and success.We live in a world that constantly tells us who we should be. Be stronger. Be more successful. Be more emotional. Be less emotional. Be desirable. Be respected. Be accepted.But underneath all of these expectations is a deeper question: Who are you without the performance?Together, Sirel and David explore the social pressures that shape identity, the attachment to outside validation, and what happens when we build our lives around perception instead of relationship to self.This conversation invites listeners to look beyond labels and explore the deeper layers beneath them.What does narcissism actually mean?What are emotions?What is strength?What is weakness?And how often are we defining ourselves through the lens of society rather than through our own lived experience?As the conversation unfolds, one truth becomes clear:The relationship we have with ourselves determines our ability to navigate success, failure, relationships, criticism, judgment, and the expectations of others. Because the strongest foundation is not built on performance. It is built on self awareness.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

There comes a point where we have to stop asking whether a system is functioning and start asking what kind of human experience that system is creating...In this episode, Brittanye and Sirel explore the deeper layers beneath modern education, authority, and the environments shaping future generations.What happens when survival becomes normalized?When performance outweighs connection?When compliance becomes more valued than curiosity?Through personal experiences, community stories, and honest reflection, this conversation uncovers the emotional and relational gaps many children and families are navigating silently every day.But this is not just about schools...It is about the nervous systems being shaped within them. The identities being formed within them. And the kind of relationship children are developing with themselves while moving through them.Because education is never just academic...Children are learning what safety feels like What pressure feels like What their voice means What connection means What being human meansThis episode invites a larger reflection around systems, evolution, emotional intelligence, and what it would look like to create environments that support both learning and humanity.Because systems do not change until the conversations around them do.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this first episode of Relationship to Self Theories, Sirel and Mica explore what it means to build a relationship with yourself, your nervous system, your inner authority, and your capacity to hold lifeThis conversation opens the door into deeper questions around addiction, disconnection, performance based identity, and the way survival patterns shape how we move through the world.Together, we explore what it could look like to raise future generations with a stronger relationship to themselves instead of simply teaching them how to fit into systems and expectations.Because this is not just a conversation about relationships...It is a conversation about learning how to be human.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

Season 2 begins with a reflection.In this introductory episode of Relationship to Self Theories, Sirel explores the relationship we have with ourselves, our nervous systems, and most importantly, our capacity.Building from Season 1 and The Nervous System Series, this conversation reflects on how the nervous system adapts to past experiences and protective patterns. Many of the responses we carry today are not signs that something is wrong with us. They are learned forms of protection shaped by experiences the body once perceived as necessary for survival.This episode explores what it means to move beyond survival patterns and begin building a conscious relationship with yourself.At the center of the conversation is capacity. The ability to hold life, experiences, emotions, identity shifts, and change. Capacity becomes the foundation for how we move through the world, how we receive life, and how we build relationship with ourselves and others.This reflection also explores questions such as:What does it feel like when your body signals yes or no Do you recognize your own capacity What does presence actually feel like Can gratitude become a lived experience instead of just an ideaThrough personal reflection and awareness, this episode opens the door to a deeper understanding of self relationship, authenticity, nervous system awareness, and human potential.This season is about MEGAmorphosis.Not becoming someone else.Becoming fully aware of who you already are.🎙️ Listen on all podcast platforms.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

What if failure is not the end, but the exact process that builds your capacity, resilience, and ability to create a life you actually love!In this episode, we sit down with Misty Dawn Smith, a mother, business owner, and guide for entrepreneurs navigating strategy, capacity, and the relationship they hold with their work and themselves.This conversation moves beyond the surface of success and into the reality of what it takes to build it.The pressureThe setbacksThe moments that feel unbearableBecause what we often label as failure is not the end. It is expansion.We explore how the breaking points in life are often the exact moments that build the capacity required to hold moreMore responsibilityMore growthMore lifeThis episode brings it full circleYour relationship with yourselfYour bodyAnd your nervous systemThat is what shapes the trajectory of your life. Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode, we are joined by Amber, a nurse from Canada, whose personal experience with perimenopause opened her eyes to something deeper. A level of disconnection many women are living with inside their own bodies.What started as a physical shift became an awakening. Not just for her, but for what so many women are quietly navigating without support, without education, and without being seen.This conversation goes beyond symptoms. It moves into identity. Because what is often labeled as a midlife crisis is something much deeper.A grieving.A reckoning.A transformation that many women are walking through alone.We explore how women stepped into equality within systems that were never designed with their bodies in mind. And now we are asking the real question...How do we actually support women in a world that has normalized survival?Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

This episode is a personal reflection on awareness and what it means to be in relationship with your own life.I share pieces of my own experience and how my understanding of awareness has evolved over time. Instead of trying to fix ourselves, this conversation explores what it looks like to build a relationship with our experiences and the human we are becoming.We talk about authenticity, self value, and the freedom that comes from no longer walking on eggshells around who we are. When we begin to meet our experiences with awareness instead of judgment, a different kind of relationship with life begins to form.I also reflect on words and ideas that have shifted in my own vocabulary and perspective, including how I now view concepts like triggers, healing, and retreat.This episode invites listeners to explore what awareness means in their own lives and how building a relationship with yourself may be the most important relationship you ever develop.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of The Nervous System Series, we explore the layers of relationship and how every relationship in our lives begins with the one we have with ourselves.We talk about what it means to build a relationship with your own value, authenticity, and nervous system. When we understand and support our internal experience, we create the capacity to show up in connection with others in a more grounded and honest way.This conversation also looks at the idea of community and what a true village really means. Authentic connection is not built through proximity alone. It is built through shared value, integrity, and people who are willing to show up as themselves.Ultimately, this episode is about learning to be with your experiences, understanding the human you are, and building a relationship with yourself that allows every other relationship in your life to grow from a place of truth.Key topics include• The layers of relationship • Why self relationship is the foundation of connection • Leading with integrity in how you show up • The role of community and the idea of a true village • Building an authentic relationship with yourselfHave a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of The Nervous System Series, we explore the different levels of awareness in human experience and how those levels shape the way we relate to ourselves and others.We discuss how relationship has layers, from unconscious survival patterns to conscious connection. At the center of that conversation is the nervous system, the core line of our anatomy that connects brain, body, perception, and response.Every human has a nervous system, and it influences everything we think, feel, and do. Yet unlike buildings that are constructed with structural codes to ensure safety and stability, we often live without understanding the biological structure that holds us.We explore how survival states are designed to be temporary. The fight, flight, freeze, and protective responses of the body are adaptive and necessary, but they are not meant to become a lifelong baseline. When survival becomes the default state, connection, creativity, and regulation become harder to access.This episode looks at what it means to move from unconscious reaction to intentional awareness, and how building a relationship with your nervous system changes the way you experience life.Key topics includeLevels of awareness and unconscious patterningHow relationship has layersThe central role of the nervous system in human behaviorSurvival as a temporary state, not a permanent identityWhy nervous system health is foundational to sustainable livingThis conversation invites listeners to consider what it means to build internal structure that supports safety, capacity, and connection.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of The Nervous System Series, we focus on practical tools for building safety in the body and developing a working relationship with your nervous system.We explore what safety actually feels like at a physical level and how states like presence and gratitude are not just ideas, but measurable nervous system experiences. This conversation breaks down how regulation is built through repeated signals of safety, not pressure or perfection.We discuss accessible nervous system tools that support grounding, awareness, and regulation in everyday life. We also introduce the concept of nervous system rehabilitation, what it looks like, how long it can take, and why it is available to anyone willing to practice and build awareness.This episode emphasizes that regulation is not reserved for crisis recovery. It is a trainable capacity that supports clearer thinking, better relationships, and more stable emotional responses.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of The Nervous System Series, Sirel & Mica explore how trauma lives in the body and how the nervous system stores and responds to life experience.We break down the idea that the body remembers everything, not just the painful moments, but also the safe, neutral, and connecting ones. Your nervous system builds patterns from what you repeatedly experience. Over time, those patterns become automatic responses to stress, relationships, and everyday challenges.We use a simple training model to explain this. Much like a learning system that adapts based on input, your nervous system responds based on what it has been shown and what it has practiced. These responses are not flaws. They are learned protection strategies.In this conversation, we discuss how reactions are formed, how early connection shapes regulation, and why many adult responses are rooted in nervous system conditioning rather than conscious choice.We also talk about what it means to change those patterns. Lasting change is not about forcing different behavior. It starts with retraining the automatic responses of the body through awareness, safety, and regulation.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

“When we first learn to drive, we are hyper aware. Every movement feels intentional. Every decision requires thought. But over time, something shifts. The body learns. The nervous system memorizes the pattern. Eventually, you find yourself arriving somewhere without recalling every turn. That is not carelessness. That is embodiment.And this is how our entire lives are shaped. Our nervous systems are constantly training. Learning what is safe. Learning what is dangerous. Learning how to move through the world without asking our permission.”For forty years, Mica's body carried cycles it could no longer hold. Not because she was weak, but because her nervous system had reached its limit. What followed was not collapse, but awakening. Through safety, presence, gratitude, relationship, and growing capacity, Mica found a new way to live inside her body and her life.I am honored to welcome Mica, a trauma informed somatic practitioner whose own lived experience became the doorway to her work. Through her personal testimony, she learned to support herself and now holds space for others with depth, integrity, and embodied wisdom.In this conversation, we explore the foundations of nervous system health, its role in human anatomy, and the science that explains why our bodies respond the way they do. This is not theory. This is biology. This is humanity.Contact & Follow Mica here.https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1KwBsdaJhi/?mibextid=wwXIfrHave a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of It’s A Surreal Life, Sirel shares a powerful reflection on advocating for children and their emotional well being. She speaks from a place of awareness and lived experience, exploring what it means to truly listen to children in a world that often asks them to be quiet, compliant, and disconnected from their feelings.The conversation opens with an honest look at the challenges facing the current generation, including the silencing of children’s voices and the impact of chaos, pressure, and overstimulation on their nervous systems. Sirel explores the role of educators and school systems in shaping children’s inner worlds and invites a reimagining of education that centers emotional intelligence, nervous system health, and human connection.Through personal stories and thoughtful observation, this episode brings attention to how rigid structures and punitive practices can affect a child’s self worth and emotional development. Sirel encourages listeners to question what we have normalized in schools and to consider how these patterns ripple into adulthood and society as a whole.This episode is an invitation to parents, educators, and communities to come together with greater awareness and compassion. It is a call to create environments where children feel seen, supported, and safe to be themselves, because the future is shaped by how we care for children today.Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

It’s not shadow work.It’s nervous system work.Because liberation happens the moment your body feels safe enough to hold the life you’ve been praying for.If you find yourself searching outside of yourself for clarity, validation, peace, direction, or connection... It's time to come home to the only place the answers have ever lived.🪞 Schedule a Surreal Mirror Session with me. I’ll hold space as you reflect, regulate, and reconnect with the truth already within you.You are the mirror. You are the medicine.✨ Surreal Mirror Link#mirrorsessions #reflectionwork #embodiment #selftrust #liberation #surreallife #nervoussystemhealing #becomingwholeHave a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode Alysha Lee shares her journey of self discovery and healing through the lens of Human Design. She opens up about her struggles with self expression, trauma recovery, and embracing nature as a source of freedom.  Alysha courageously recounts one of the most harrowing chapters of her life, when she was held captive by her abuser, who was also her husband, and abducted across state lines. Her willingness to revisit and share this part of her story is deeply powerful, shedding light on the realities of abuse and the strength it takes to break free. Sirel and Alysha are joined by Jennifer, the Human Design expert of the podcast, who guides Alysha in understanding how she was born with a unique gift. Through Human Design, Jennifer helps Alysha recognize how she moves more aligned in the world and how embracing her natural design supports her journey of expression and empowerment. Beyond the personal, this episode reveals how vulnerability and expression become powerful catalysts for growth and connection. Listeners will walk away reminded of the strength it takes to share your story, the beauty of embracing your truth, and the ripple effect it creates in the world.🎙️ Tune in to witness the journey of becoming.You can read more of Alysha’s story in her memoir “Everything I Might Have Missed,” available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble,Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this episode of It’s a Surreal Life Podcast, Jamie opens her heart about her journey from a childhood shaped by addiction and trauma to a path of recovery, self discovery, and spiritual awakening. Her story is one of resilience, and the power of finding strength within community.Sirel and Jamie explore the raw realities of motherhood from childbirth and postpartum struggles to the ways modern medicine intersects with women’s health. The conversation also dives into alternative approaches to healing including autism support, heavy metal detox, and the surprising release that comes through self induced tremors.Beyond the physical, this episode unpacks generational trauma, identity, and what it truly means to rise above the shadows of the past. Listeners will walk away reminded of the courage it takes to heal, the beauty of transformation, and the freedom that comes from reclaiming your power.🎙️ Tune in to witnessd the journey of becoming.You can follow Jamie’s continued journey ➡️ wisdom_in_motherhood and stay connected with her story and the wisdom she offers daily. Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

In this transformative episode, join Jessica Jane as she delves into the journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Through candid discussions, Jessica shares her personal experiences of overcoming societal conditioning and embracing her true self. Discover how she helps women unlock their potential, break free from limiting beliefs, and step into their most confident, unapologetic selves. Whether you're navigating life's chaos or seeking inspiration, this episode offers a safe space to explore the power of self-awareness and the courage to pursue a life aligned with your true purpose.Want to connect with Jessica Jane? Check out her work here https://www.instagram.com/jessicajane_og/ and see how she’s helping women step into their most unapologetic selves. After you listen, let us know your favorite takeaway... tag us on Instagram and join the conversation. And, if this episode resonates, leave a rating and review so more people can find It’s a Surreal Life and rise with us. Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/ 

Welcome to It’s A Surreal Life. I’m Sirel Rayburn, and this is where sovereignty meets self-creation. Through raw stories and real conversations, I share how we break free from fear, reclaim our voice, and remember the power we already hold. This is about overcoming adversity, embracing truth, and choosing the life you’re here to live. Have a story to tell? Send us a text.Support the showIf today’s conversation spoke to you, don’t forget to follow It’s a Surreal Life so you never miss an episode.Feel it ~ Speak it ~ Live it!!  💌 Connect with us: [email protected] |         https://www.instagram.com/itsasurreallife/ 🌟 Leave a review and share this episode to help us grow the Surreal Life community.Follow Surreal Life Productions https://www.surreallifeproductions.net/ for future Events, Retreats and more Community connections! https://www.instagram.com/surreallifeproductions/