Rooted & Wild

We say it all the time: everything is energy. But what do we actually mean when we say it?In this solo episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk explores one of the most familiar phrases in modern spirituality by following the idea of energy through physics, biology, quantum theory, ancient healing traditions, consciousness, psychic perception, and energy healing.What begins with the scientific story of energy quickly leads somewhere stranger. Henry explores the quantum world, why Ant-Man and Interstellar offer fascinating ways to imagine realities beyond ordinary perception, and how invisible signals already surround us through radio waves, satellites, Wi-Fi, electromagnetic fields, and frequencies. If our phones can receive information we cannot see, what might living organisms be capable of sensing?Drawing from his own experiences as a psychic and ThetaHealing® practitioner, Henry shares what it is like to perceive specific information during readings and healing sessions, and asks whether some experiences we call “energy” might also involve information, consciousness, intuition, or something we have yet to fully understand. The episode also explores the emerging possibilities of frequency-based and bioelectronic medicine, quantum biology, the mysteries of consciousness, and the ancient human belief that healing may involve more than the physical body alone.Rather than forcing science and metaphysics into the same explanation, this episode invites us to remain curious about both, while asking a more personal question: What are you actually sensing when you feel the energy of a person, place, or experience?The episode concludes with a guided meditation and personal energy inventory designed to help you quietly observe what expands you, what depletes you, what your body notices before your mind does, and what experiences in your own life may still remain unexplained.Notice first. Interpret second.Because maybe “everything is energy” isn't the conclusion.Maybe it's the beginning of the question.About Henry HawkHenry Hawk is the host of Rooted & Wild, a ThetaHealing® practitioner, herbalist, functional genomics and nutrition coach, psychic and intuitive reader, certified chef, and lifelong student of spirituality, nature, human behavior, and the healing arts.Through Rooted & Wild, Henry explores the places where science, spirituality, ancient wisdom, culture, healing, and the natural world intersect, inviting listeners to question what they believe, remain curious, and develop a deeper relationship with themselves and the world around them.Connect with Henry on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/henry_hawk/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if one of the most ordinary things you do every day is also one of humanity’s oldest spiritual mysteries?In this solo episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk explores why breath, spirit, life, and air became so deeply entangled across human history. Long before anyone understood oxygen, carbon dioxide, the lungs, or the nervous system, people recognized something profound: the living breathe, and when life ends, the breath disappears.Travel across thousands of years of history as Henry explores ruach in Judaism, pneuma in Greek philosophy and Christianity, rūḥ in Islam, prāṇa in the Upanishads and yoga, qi in Chinese philosophy and Daoist traditions, Buddhist mindfulness of breathing, and the Diné understanding of Holy Wind. Rather than suggesting these traditions were all describing the same thing, Henry examines what each actually meant and why breath became sacred in such different cultures.Then the episode turns to modern science. What actually happens when oxygen enters your lungs? Why does carbon dioxide help trigger the urge to breathe? How can something normally controlled automatically by the brainstem also be consciously changed? And could that unusual relationship between breathing, the autonomic nervous system, emotion, and consciousness help explain why humans discovered breathwork thousands of years before modern neuroscience?The episode concludes with a gentle guided breathing practice designed not to force or manipulate the breath, but simply to experience something your body has been doing since the first moments of your life.Because perhaps understanding the biology of breath doesn't make it any less sacred. It may make it even more extraordinary.About Henry HawkHenry Hawk is the host of Rooted & Wild, a ThetaHealing® practitioner, herbalist, functional genomics and nutrition coach, psychic and intuitive reader, certified chef, and lifelong student of spirituality, nature, human behavior, and the healing arts.Through Rooted & Wild, Henry explores the places where science, spirituality, ancient wisdom, culture, healing, and the natural world intersect, inviting listeners to question what they believe, remain curious, and develop a deeper relationship with themselves and the world around them.Connect with Henry on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/henry_hawk/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What makes you alive?It sounds like a simple question, but the deeper you go, the stranger it becomes.In this solo episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk explores the mystery of life through science, philosophy, theology, ancient wisdom, and human experience. From Aristotle’s ideas about the soul and Darwin’s theory of evolution to abiogenesis, the Big Bang, the extraordinary conditions that allow life to exist on Earth, and humanity’s enduring belief in a Creator, this episode asks what truly separates living matter from everything else.Henry also explores ancient concepts of vitality such as prana, qi, pneuma, and ruach, the mystery of consciousness, and the possibility that being “alive” may extend beyond the physical body through beliefs about the soul, spirit, ancestors, and the afterlife.Rather than asking you to choose between science and spirituality, this episode invites you to consider the many ways humanity has tried to answer one extraordinary question:Why are we here, and what does it mean to truly be alive?By the end, Henry brings the question back into everyday life with a simple reflection on the heartbeat, breath, and biological miracle happening inside of you every moment.Because perhaps the first step in understanding life is simply remembering how extraordinary it is that you are here at all.About Henry HawkHenry Hawk is the host of Rooted & Wild, a ThetaHealing® practitioner, herbalist, functional genomics and nutrition coach, psychic and intuitive reader, certified chef, and lifelong student of spirituality, nature, human behavior, and the healing arts.Through Rooted & Wild, Henry explores the places where science, spirituality, ancient wisdom, culture, healing, and the natural world intersect — inviting listeners to question what they believe, remain curious, and develop a deeper relationship with themselves and the world around them.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if wealth isn't only about how much money we have, but about whether our resources support a life in which we can actually be well?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined again by Dr. Njideka N. Olatunde, ND, PhD, MSW, CRI, founder of the Focus On Healing Wellness Institute, to explore an often-overlooked relationship: the connection between financial wellness, physical health, emotional stress, and our experience of pain.Dr. Olatunde’s work takes an unusually broad view of pain. Through her Touchology™ framework, she considers not only physical and emotional discomfort, but the financial pressures that can contribute to stress and affect overall well-being. Her work specifically brings physical and financial wellness together within what she describes as a generational health-wealth legacy. Money may seem far removed from a conversation about healing, but financial uncertainty can become a significant source of stress. And when we’re worried about paying bills, accessing healthcare, supporting a family, maintaining employment, or preparing for the future, that pressure doesn't necessarily remain confined to a bank account.So what does it mean to become wealthy in health as well as finances?Dr. Olatunde and I explore the idea that health and wealth can function as interconnected resources. We look at the emotional and cultural beliefs we inherit around money, the ways financial stress can influence quality of life, and why creating greater financial stability can be considered part of a broader conversation about wellness.We also discuss generational health and wealth. What are we teaching our families about caring for their bodies? What are we teaching them about money? And how might greater health literacy and financial literacy help future generations build lives with more stability, choice, and resilience?This theme is central to Dr. Olatunde’s broader work. Her Touchology Wellness Experience has explored financial pain alongside physical and emotional pain, including conversations about transforming financial stress and examining how money patterns can be emotional, cultural, and generational. Because perhaps true wealth isn't simply something we accumulate.It is also the health, knowledge, stability, resources, and choices we are able to carry forward—and eventually pass on.In this episode, we explore:• The connection between health and wealth• Financial stress as part of whole-person wellness• How stress can intersect with our experience of pain• Physical, emotional, mental, and financial well-being• What it means to be wealthy in health• Financial stability and quality of life• The emotional relationship we have with money• Cultural and generational beliefs surrounding wealth• Health literacy and financial literacy• Access, resources, and choices in healthcare• Creating healthier relationships with money• Building resilience rather than simply reacting to crisis• Preventative approaches to health and wellness• The long-term costs of neglecting our health• Family wellness and financial wellness• Generational health• Generational wealth• Dr. Olatunde's concept of a health-wealth legacy• Expanding our definition of what it means to live a wealthy lifeAbout Dr. Njideka N. OlatundeDr. Njideka N. Olatunde, ND, PhD, MSW, CRI is the visionary behind Focus On Healing Wellness Institute and an advocate for holistic approaches to pain relief and whole-person wellness.Her work spans more than four decades and includes naturopathy, reflexology, pain-relief education, wellness advocacy, authorship, speaking, research, and the development of her Touchology™ framework. She is also the host of the Touchology Wellness Experience podcast. Through her work, Dr. Olatunde advocates for greater integration of traditional health practices with conventional healthcare and explores physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellness as interconnected aspects of the human experience. She is the author of Reflexology Today: A Family Affair and has made education around touch, reflexology, pain relief, family wellness, and generational health central to her work. Connect with Dr. Njideka N. Olatunde:FocusOnHealing.comTouchology Wellness Experience PodcastRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What happens to us when there is no longer enough space to simply be?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined once again by Amy Rogg, creator and facilitator of Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®, for a deeper exploration of something many of us experience but may struggle to name: compression.Compression can show up physically as tension, bracing, shallow breathing, constriction, or the feeling that we need to make ourselves smaller. It can happen mentally when our attention becomes crowded by information, expectations, decisions, and constant stimulation. And culturally, it can emerge from systems built around urgency, productivity, consumption, speed, and the expectation that there should always be more.Amy’s work with Underbelly was created specifically in response to what she describes as the loss of slowness and spaciousness in dominant culture. Through rest, embodied movement, music, stillness, relational exploration, and nervous-system co-regulation, her practice invites people away from incessant stimulation and toward a slower, more receptive relationship with themselves and one another. But spaciousness isn't necessarily about having an empty calendar or escaping to somewhere quiet.It's about what happens inside us when there is enough room to feel.Amy and I explore the body's continual movement between expansion and contraction and what can happen when contraction becomes our default way of living. We talk about the subtle ways we brace against life, override sensation, rush toward answers, fill silence, consume stimulation, and lose contact with the quieter intelligence of the body.We also move beyond the individual.If our bodies are compressed, what happens to our relationships? Our creativity? Our ability to listen? Our capacity to tolerate complexity? And what happens when entire cultures become organized around speed?Underbelly intentionally centers qualities that our accelerated culture can leave little room for: rest, boredom, emotional digestion, subtlety, listening, parasympathetic capacity, communion, complexity, and attuned relationship.Perhaps healing isn't always about adding another practice, solution, or piece of information.Sometimes healing begins when we create enough space for what is already inside us to finally unfold.In this episode, we explore:• What Amy means by compression and spaciousness• How compression can manifest in the physical body• Expansion and contraction as natural bodily experiences• Tension, bracing, holding, and constriction• Why modern life can leave us feeling internally crowded• Speed, urgency, productivity, and incessant stimulation• The nervous system's relationship with space• Why slowing down can reveal sensations we've stopped noticing• Rest and boredom as meaningful human experiences• Emotional digestion and allowing feelings time to move• Why we rush toward answers, certainty, and solutions• The difference between fixing ourselves and listening to ourselves• Creating space for complexity and contradiction• How compression affects relationships and connection• Individual regulation and co-regulation• Returning agency to the body• Movement, stillness, breath, and embodied awareness• How culture shapes the way our bodies experience the world• Reclaiming slowness without abandoning modern life• Creating more spaciousness in ordinary momentsAbout Amy RoggAmy Rogg is the creator, steward, and facilitator of Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®, a non-verbal somatic journeying practice incorporating rest, embodied movement, music, stillness, and relational exploration.Her work responds to the loss of slowness and spaciousness in modern culture by creating environments where people can explore nervous-system regulation, emotional digestion, listening, subtlety, relationship, and embodied awareness without being pushed toward a predetermined outcome. Amy has a B.A. in television and film production, studied acting and improvisation in Los Angeles, has taught yoga as an E-RYT 500 and meditation for more than a decade, is a certified herbalist, and has engaged in and facilitated somatic and relational movement practices since 2012. Connect with Amy Rogg:Website: AmyRogg.comPractice: Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the thing children need in order to experience more freedom isn't fewer boundaries, but a stronger foundation beneath them?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined once again by Elisabeth Stitt, parenting expert, author, educator, and founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching, for a conversation about the surprising relationship between structure, safety, independence, and freedom in childhood.Elisabeth often describes parents as the architects of their families. After 25 years as a public-school teacher and more than 50,000 hours working directly with children, she has seen how the structures surrounding a child can influence the way they experience themselves, their family, and the world. But structure doesn't have to mean rigidity.We explore why predictable routines, clear expectations, consistent boundaries, family rituals, and dependable adults can actually give children more room to explore. Elisabeth teaches that structure can help children feel secure, create opportunities for independence, and strengthen connection within the family. That distinction becomes especially important in a culture where parents can feel pulled between two extremes: tightly controlling their children's lives or giving them so much freedom that the child is left without a dependable framework.What if there's another way?Elisabeth and I talk about creating a childhood in which children know where the walls are, metaphorically speaking, so they can confidently explore everything inside them. We discuss boundaries without domination, consistency without inflexibility, and freedom that gradually expands as children develop the skills to handle it.We also explore a bigger goal of parenting: we aren't simply raising children who behave well today. We're preparing human beings who will eventually need to navigate life without us. Elisabeth's work emphasizes supporting children while keeping limits and progressively helping them become responsible, independent adults. Because perhaps the safest childhood isn't one where parents remove every obstacle from the path.It's one where children are given strong enough foundations that, eventually, they trust themselves to walk the path on their own.In this episode, we explore:• Why children need structure• The difference between structure and control• How predictability can contribute to a child's sense of security• Why boundaries can create freedom rather than restrict it• Routines, rituals, and clear family expectations• Consistency without becoming rigid• The relationship between structure and emotional regulation• Giving children age-appropriate independence• Why parents don't need to constantly entertain their children• Allowing children to experience boredom, exploration, and self-directed play• The balance between freedom and parental responsibility• How over-managing children can interfere with independence• Letting children solve problems rather than immediately solving them for them• Creating a family culture intentionally• Identifying the values you want your home to embody• Connection as the emotional foundation of family life• Raising capable children rather than simply compliant ones• Gradually expanding freedom as children demonstrate readiness• Preparing children to become confident, responsible adults• What it really means to become the architect of your familyAbout Elisabeth StittElisabeth Stitt is an author, parent educator, certified life coach, retired public-school teacher, mother, and stepmother. She spent 25 years teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, working with thousands of children and families before founding Joyful Parenting Coaching. She is the author of Parenting as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Joyfully Navigating the Trials, Triumphs, and Tribulations of Parenthood, built around the idea that effective parenting isn't simply an instinct we're expected to possess. It's a collection of skills that can be learned, practiced, and strengthened. Her approach helps parents identify their core values, establish clear expectations, build stronger connections with their children, and create family structures that support both security and independence.As Elisabeth puts it, good parenting is found in the countless small interactions that help children feel safe, secure, and connected. Connect with Elisabeth Stitt:Website: ElisabethStitt.comJoyful Parenting CoachingBook: Parenting as a Second LanguageRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if some of the challenges women face in the workplace aren't about their ability to succeed, but about the history of the systems they're being asked to succeed within?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined once again by Valerie Alexander, workplace happiness and inclusion expert, speaker, author, and advocate for the advancement of women, for a fascinating look at how we got here and what that history means for women navigating corporate life today. Valerie is also the author of How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having “Female Brains”), which draws on evolutionary biology, anthropology, sociology, and her own corporate experience to examine women working within systems historically designed by men. We go back much further than the modern office, exploring Valerie’s perspective on human evolution, hunting and gathering, traditional divisions of labor, patriarchal social structures, and the eventual development of workplaces whose expectations and definitions of leadership were largely established by men.Those structures didn’t disappear simply because women entered the workforce.Women have made extraordinary gains in education, employment, management, and leadership, while many workplace norms developed during eras when women had far less economic and institutional power. The history of women’s participation in American work shows just how dramatically those roles have changed, particularly over the last century. So what happens when ancient assumptions and historically male-designed systems collide with the realities of a modern workforce?Valerie and I explore the unwritten rules women encounter in corporate environments, the behaviors traditionally associated with leadership, the ways women may adapt themselves to succeed, and why some systems that once reflected the societies that created them may no longer serve the workplaces we’re building today.And importantly, this isn't about men versus women.It's about understanding where our systems came from so we can become more conscious about which parts still make sense, which don't, and how women can navigate the world that exists today while helping shape what comes next.Because succeeding in a world built by men doesn't have to mean becoming more like one.In this episode, we explore:• Human evolution and the historical division of roles between men and women• Hunting, gathering, survival, and how Valerie connects that history to modern behavior• The development of patriarchal social and economic systems• How the modern workplace was historically shaped by men• Why some workplace norms may have outlived the circumstances that created them• Women’s changing role in business and corporate America• The unwritten rules of professional advancement• Leadership, confidence, competition, and collaboration• Why competence alone doesn't always determine who advances• Gender expectations surrounding authority and leadership• The pressure women can experience to adapt to male-established workplace norms• How women can recognize the system without allowing it to define their value• What women can do differently to advocate for themselves and their careers• Why changing workplaces benefits from the participation of both women and men• What a more equitable model of leadership could look like• How women can succeed as women, rather than believing they must become more like menAbout Valerie AlexanderValerie Alexander is a globally recognized speaker and expert on Workplace Happiness, Equity & Inclusion, and the Advancement of Women. Her TED Talk, How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias, has been viewed more than a million times and is used as a training resource in classrooms and boardrooms. Her books include Happiness as a Second Language, Success as a Second Language, and How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having “Female Brains”). Before becoming a speaker and screenwriter, Valerie worked as a corporate securities lawyer, venture capital consultant, investment banker, and Vice President of Business Development for technology startups, giving her firsthand experience inside the corporate systems she now examines. Connect with Valerie:Website: SpeakHappiness.comLinkedIn: Valerie Alexander / Speak HappinessRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if some of what we call ADHD could be explored not only through a diagnostic label, but through the body, nervous system, nutrition, and our relationship with stimulation?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Luis Mojica, somatic educator, nutritionist, founder of Holistic Life Navigation, and author of Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma, for a fascinating conversation about ADHD, dopamine, food, and nervous system regulation.Luis brings a particularly personal perspective to this conversation. He has spoken openly about living with an ADHD diagnosis and how his symptoms seemed to shift depending on what he ate. His exploration eventually brought together two areas that are often discussed separately: nutrition and somatics. Rather than reducing ADHD to a single explanation or suggesting that nutrition replaces appropriate medical care, we explore a broader question: What else might the body be telling us?Luis shares his perspective on how nourishment can influence energy, stress responses, glucose balance, and the nervous system, while somatic practices can help us become more conscious of sensations, impulses, activation, and the ways we seek regulation. His larger body of work integrates whole-food nutrition, somatic practices, and self-inquiry as tools for understanding the relationship between the body and stress. We also explore dopamine and our attraction to stimulation, what cravings may communicate, the difference between judging a behavior and becoming curious about it, and how learning to listen to the body can change our relationship with the very symptoms we’ve been taught simply to suppress.This isn't a conversation about denying ADHD or replacing the label with another one.It’s an invitation to look beyond the label and become curious about the whole human being living underneath it.In this episode, we explore:• ADHD through the lens of the body and nervous system• Luis’s personal experience with an ADHD diagnosis• Dopamine, stimulation, and regulation• Why we may continually seek stimulation• The relationship between food, energy, and attention• Blood sugar, glucose balance, and the nervous system• Stress hormones and states of activation• How nutrition can influence how we feel in our bodies• Cravings as information rather than moral failures• The difference between stimulation and nourishment• Somatic awareness and learning to witness what is happening inside us• Stress, trauma, and patterns of dysregulation• Moving away from shame and toward curiosity• Why the same behavior may serve different purposes in different people• Building a more conscious relationship with food and the body• Looking beyond a diagnosis without dismissing its value• What regulation can look like in everyday lifeAbout Luis MojicaLuis Mojica is a somatic educator, nutritionist, founder of Holistic Life Navigation, and author of Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma.His work brings together somatic practices, nutrition, and self-inquiry to help people better understand their bodies and their responses to stress and trauma. Drawing in part from his own experiences, Luis teaches people to become more curious about sensation, nourishment, stress responses, and the ways the body attempts to protect and regulate itself. Through Holistic Life Navigation, Luis teaches internationally through courses, workshops, retreats, speaking engagements, and his podcast. His work encourages a shift away from fighting the body and toward developing a more conscious, compassionate relationship with it. Connect with Luis MojicaWebsite: HolisticLifeNavigation.comInstagram: @holistic.life.navigationBook: Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and TraumaRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the parts of ourselves we’re most tempted to hide are actually asking to be understood?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Kari Balderston, mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor, for a conversation about shadow work and what can happen when we become willing to meet the parts of ourselves we’ve rejected, suppressed, feared, or simply learned not to see.The “shadow” is often associated with darkness, but shadow work isn’t about deciding that something inside us is bad. It’s about bringing awareness to what has been pushed outside the light of our conscious understanding.Kari and I explore the patterns we inherit and accumulate, the emotions we avoid, the ways old experiences can continue influencing our present lives, and how greater self-awareness can create room for choice, compassion, and change.Through her work with intuitive channeling, energy healing, Reiki, ThetaHealing®, oracle cards, and herbalism, Kari approaches healing through a spiritual and energetic lens. We talk about what it means to listen beneath the noise of everyday life, become curious about our reactions, and recognize the places where discomfort may be pointing toward something that wants our attention.Because shadow work isn't about eliminating the darkness.It's about discovering what becomes visible when we're finally willing to look into it.In this episode, we explore:• What shadow work actually means• Why everyone has a shadow• The difference between darkness and something being “bad”• How parts of ourselves become hidden or suppressed• Recognizing unconscious patterns in everyday life• Why certain people or situations can trigger powerful reactions• Fear, shame, anger, jealousy, and other uncomfortable emotions• What our triggers may reveal about ourselves• Inherited and ancestral patterns• Bringing compassion to the parts of ourselves we struggle to accept• The relationship between shadow work and authenticity• Spirituality without bypassing difficult emotions• Intuition, energetic awareness, and inner listening• How Kari incorporates spiritual and energetic practices into her work• What happens when hidden patterns become conscious• Finding greater freedom through self-awareness• Why our darkness may contain qualities, wisdom, and strength we've forgottenAbout Kari BalderstonKari Balderston is a mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor whose work blends intuitive channeling, energy healing, and herbal medicine to support transformation of both spirit and body.Rooted in partnership with Spirit, angels, and guides, Kari works with clients to illuminate patterns, reconnect with their authentic selves, and create greater clarity, calm, purpose, and inner freedom.She is a Usui Reiki Master, ThetaHealing® practitioner, graduate of the Angel Alchemy Academy, certified oracle card reader, and trained in The Science and Art of Herbalism through Rosemary Gladstar.At the heart of Kari's work is the belief that healing doesn't always come from becoming someone new. Sometimes, it comes from becoming willing to meet more of who we already are.Connect with Kari BalderstonWebsite: www.apothekarihealingarts.comInstagram: @apothekari_healing_artsEmail: [email protected] & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if magic isn’t something we have to find somewhere else? What if it’s already woven into the ordinary moments of our lives?In this special episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk shares his firsthand experience attending the Los Angeles red carpet premiere of Practical Magic 2 alongside Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Maisie Williams and more.From walking the green carpet and stepping into a recreation of the Owens’ magical world, to meeting actors and creators, seeing the extraordinary fashion, celebrating with Midnight Margaritas, and finally sitting down to watch one of the most anticipated sequels nearly three decades in the making, Henry shares what it was like to experience a story that has deeply influenced his own relationship with nature, mysticism and everyday magic.And don’t worry: there are no spoilers.But this episode goes far beyond the premiere.Why does Practical Magic resonate so deeply in 2026? At a time of political division, economic uncertainty, institutional mistrust, grief and an exhausting news cycle, why are so many people turning toward astrology, tarot, herbalism, ritual, intuition, ancestral practices and alternative forms of spirituality?Are we searching for supernatural answers, or are we searching for wonder, meaning, agency, connection and hope?And just when the evening seemed to be over, one unexpected experience brought the entire night, and the meaning of practical magic, full circle.Maybe magic isn’t always thunder, spells and extraordinary happenings.Practical magic is everywhere. We just have to remember how to notice it.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if one of the most powerful things we can do as we age is simply keep moving?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Jody Florman, Certified Wellness Coach, for a conversation about movement, strength, aging, and why staying physically engaged with our bodies becomes increasingly important as we move through midlife and beyond.While muscle is an important part of the conversation, this episode is really about something bigger: movement itself.Walking. Lifting. Stretching. Bending. Carrying. Getting up and down from the floor. Maintaining balance. Using our bodies in ways that remind them what they are capable of doing.Jody and I explore why movement shouldn't only be viewed through the lens of exercise, weight loss, or appearance. As we age, it becomes part of maintaining our independence, confidence, mobility, resilience, and ability to participate fully in our own lives.We also talk about the mindset that can accompany aging, especially for women in midlife. When did we begin accepting the idea that getting older automatically means becoming weaker, slower, more fragile, or less capable?Jody challenges that narrative.Rather than treating movement as punishment for what we ate or something we have to endure to change our bodies, what if we began seeing it as an investment in the life we want to continue living?Because the goal isn't simply to add years to our lives.It's to remain capable of living those years.In this episode, we explore:• Why movement becomes increasingly important as we age• The difference between simply exercising and building a life that keeps us moving• Why maintaining muscle matters in midlife and beyond• Strength, mobility, balance, and physical confidence• Everyday movement as an important part of long-term wellness• Why becoming less active can create a cycle of further physical decline• Rethinking our assumptions about what aging should look and feel like• Movement as a tool for maintaining independence• Why strength isn't just about appearance• The relationship between movement, energy, and confidence• How our beliefs about aging can influence our behavior• Moving away from punishment-based approaches to fitness• Finding forms of movement that are realistic and sustainable• Starting again after periods of inactivity• Building trust in your body• Why midlife can become a period of physical reclamation rather than declineAbout Jody FlormanJody Florman is a Certified Wellness Coach who works with women in midlife who are ready to feel strong, vibrant, and fully at home in their bodies again.A lifelong creative, designer, muralist, entrepreneur, and problem-solver, Jody's unconventional career has taken her from London to Los Angeles and through multiple chapters of personal and professional reinvention.Today, she brings that same spirit of rebuilding to women's wellness, helping clients improve physical confidence, energy, strength, body image, and the mindset patterns that can keep them stuck. Her approach combines health and wellness coaching, breakthrough tools, and intuitive energetic work with an emphasis on sustainable change.Based in Sedona, Arizona, Jody coaches privately and continues to expand her work around fitness, movement, mindset, aging, and women's empowerment.Her philosophy is simple:Aging is inevitable. Feeling old is optional.And midlife isn't a crisis.It's a reclamation.Connect with JodyWebsite: https://www.jodyflorman.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What happens when the life that looks successful from the outside is quietly making you unwell?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Juan Carlos Pleitez, entrepreneur and world traveler, for a conversation about burnout, health, work, freedom, and what can happen when we finally give ourselves permission to live differently.For years, Juan Carlos traveled the world feeling healthy, energetic, and young. Then, within just two years, his health began moving in an entirely different direction. Despite maintaining what appeared to be a fit physique and building a successful career, he found himself overweight, pre-diabetic, mentally exhausted, and burned out.Eventually, he began questioning whether the very definition of “success” he had been pursuing was costing him his well-being.So he left his job.What followed surprised him. Within a month, Juan Carlos lost 10 pounds without making drastic dietary changes. But the larger transformation wasn't simply about weight. Stepping away from the environment that had depleted him gave him an opportunity to reconsider his relationship with work, food, stress, travel, time, and the kind of life he actually wanted to create.In our conversation, we explore world travel not simply as an escape, but as an opportunity to step outside familiar expectations and see life differently. We talk about burnout and the body, the relationship between stress and health, reconnecting with yourself, and why creating more freedom may sometimes require challenging ideas about productivity that we've accepted without question.Today, Juan Carlos is building his own startup around a very different philosophy. His team works approximately 3.5 to 4 days per week, intentionally leaving room for the ordinary things that sustain a human life: preparing nourishing food, exercising, seeing friends, running errands, resting, and simply having space to live.His story raises a question worth considering:What if success isn't about fitting more life around our work, but creating work that actually leaves room for our life?In this episode, we explore:• Juan Carlos's journey from world traveler to career burnout• The unexpected health changes that accompanied chronic stress• Becoming pre-diabetic despite appearing physically fit• What happened after he finally left his job• The relationship between stress, the body, and our everyday habits• How travel can challenge our assumptions about how life is “supposed” to look• Reconnecting with your authentic self• Food, nourishment, and creating healthier routines• Why wellness requires time, not simply good intentions• Rethinking productivity and traditional work culture• Building a startup around a 3.5 to 4-day work week• Making room for exercise, cooking, relationships, errands, and rest• The difference between achievement and fulfillment• Creating a life with greater freedom and flexibility• Connecting who we are today with the person we hope to become• Why changing your life may be more possible than it initially appearsAbout Juan Carlos PleitezJuan Carlos Pleitez is an entrepreneur and world traveler whose personal experience with burnout profoundly changed the way he thinks about health, success, work, and freedom.After years of traveling the world while feeling healthy and energetic, Juan Carlos experienced a rapid change in his well-being while pursuing a successful career. Within two years, he found himself overweight and pre-diabetic and eventually recognized the toll that stress and burnout were taking on his life.Leaving that career became the beginning of a larger transformation in the way he approached food, health, work, and his future.Today, Juan Carlos runs his own startup and is intentionally experimenting with a different model of work, including a 3.5 to 4-day work week designed to give his team greater space to care for their lives and well-being alongside their professional responsibilities.Connect with Juan Carlos PleitezLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juancarlospleitez/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if digestion is about far more than simply how well we process our food?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Elizabeth Marie Swamy, Ayurvedic Doctor, Ayurvedic Doula, yoga teacher, and founder of Vedic Wild Ayurveda, for a conversation exploring digestion, energy, and the pursuit of balance through the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda.At the center of Ayurvedic philosophy is the understanding that digestion influences far more than the stomach. How we digest and assimilate what we take in can shape our energy, vitality, rhythms, and overall sense of well-being.Elizabeth helps us unpack some of Ayurveda’s foundational ideas and what they can teach us about living in greater relationship with our bodies. We explore the importance of agni, or digestive fire, how Ayurvedic traditions understand individual constitution and imbalance, and why the same food, routine, or wellness practice may affect two people very differently.We also talk about food as nourishment rather than simply nutrients, the relationship between digestion and energy, the importance of daily and seasonal rhythms, and what it means to begin noticing the subtle signals our bodies give us.Rather than approaching wellness as another rigid set of rules, Elizabeth brings us back to something much more intuitive: learning to listen, observe, adjust, and meet ourselves where we actually are.Because perhaps balance isn't a fixed destination we finally reach.Perhaps it is an ongoing relationship between ourselves, our environment, our nourishment, and the rhythms of nature.In this episode, we explore:• The foundational philosophy of Ayurveda• Digestion as a cornerstone of Ayurvedic health• Agni, the Ayurvedic concept of digestive fire• The relationship between digestion and energy• How Ayurveda understands balance and imbalance• Individual constitution and why wellness isn't one-size-fits-all• Food as nourishment for the whole person• How our daily rhythms can influence how we feel• Eating in relationship with the seasons• Learning to recognize the body's signals• Rest, nourishment, and restoration• Elizabeth's journey from yoga into Ayurveda• How becoming a mother deepened her relationship with Ayurvedic wisdom• Bringing ancient practices into modern life• Developing a more compassionate relationship with our bodies• What it means to live in greater harmony with natureAbout Elizabeth SwamyElizabeth Marie Swamy is an Ayurvedic Doctor, Ayurvedic Doula, yoga teacher, and founder of Vedic Wild Ayurveda, where she supports women through restorative postpartum care, nourishing meals, and holistic healing rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom.Elizabeth began studying Ayurveda through her yoga teacher training before continuing her education at the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, where she became an Ayurveda Health Counselor. She later studied under Dr. Anusha Sehgal at Boston Ayurveda Inc., earning her Ayurveda Practitioner certification in 2022 and becoming an Ayurvedic Doctor in 2025.Her calling to postpartum care became deeply personal following the birth of her daughter. After struggling with her own recovery, receiving Ayurvedic postpartum support profoundly changed her experience and inspired her to help other mothers feel cared for, nourished, and supported during this important transition.At the heart of Elizabeth's work is a belief in meeting people exactly where they are, with listening, compassion, encouragement, and a deep respect for the rhythms of nature.Connect with Elizabeth SwamyVedic Wild Ayurveda: https://www.vedicwild.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vedicwildayurveda/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

When chronic back or neck pain begins interfering with everyday life, is surgery always the inevitable next step?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Dr. Brad Wolf, a chiropractor who has been practicing since 1997 and specializes in working with people experiencing chronic pain and serious spinal conditions.We explore the world of non-surgical spinal care, including the ways practitioners may approach conditions such as herniated and bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and disc-related pain before or alongside more invasive interventions.For Brad, this work is also deeply personal. His interest in holistic health began after a childhood marked by asthma, allergies, recurring illness, and immune challenges. At 18, he began searching for different ways to support his health, exploring Tai Chi, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, herbalism, Ayurveda, massage, and eventually chiropractic care.That journey ultimately led him to earn his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1996 and dedicate his career to helping people better understand and care for their bodies.Together, we discuss chronic pain, spinal health, aging, movement, lifestyle, and what it means to explore conservative approaches to care while recognizing that there is no single solution appropriate for every person.In this episode, we explore:• Why chronic spinal pain can become so difficult to resolve• Herniated and bulging discs• Degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis• When non-surgical approaches may be considered• Chiropractic approaches to spinal health• Understanding pain beyond simply treating symptoms• The relationship between movement, function, and recovery• Brad’s personal journey from childhood illness into holistic health• The practices that shaped his philosophy of wellness• Supporting the body as we age• Taking a more active role in long-term health• Why individualized care matters when navigating chronic pain• The importance of understanding your options before making major healthcare decisionsAbout Dr. Brad WolfDr. Brad Wolf has been a practicing chiropractor since 1997 and specializes in helping people experiencing chronic pain and spinal conditions explore non-surgical approaches to care.His interest in health began through his own experience. After struggling with asthma, allergies, and recurring illness throughout childhood, Brad began exploring holistic approaches to wellness as a young adult, including Tai Chi, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, herbalism, Ayurveda, massage, and chiropractic care.He later became a licensed bodyworker and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating in December 1996.Today, Brad and his wife, who is a functional medicine doctor and chiropractor, work with patients experiencing complex health concerns and injuries. His broader philosophy emphasizes caring for the body proactively, supporting healthy aging, and helping people understand the range of options available to them when navigating pain and spinal health.Connect with Dr. Brad WolfWebsite: https://ihealthnc.comYouTube — Innovation Health: https://www.youtube.com/@innovationhealth1609YouTube — Living Healthy for Life: https://www.youtube.com/@LivingHealthyForLifeNowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovationhealthcharlotteRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What happens when someone is promoted because they’re excellent at their job—but no one ever teaches them how to lead people?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Valerie Alexander, globally sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author, and expert on workplace happiness and inclusive leadership, for a conversation about one of the most overlooked problems inside organizations: the accidental manager.Many managers never set out to become leaders. They were high performers, subject-matter experts, loyal employees, or simply the next person in line for promotion. Suddenly, they’re responsible not only for their own work, but for motivation, communication, conflict, trust, performance, and the emotional climate of an entire team.And without the right preparation, even well-intentioned managers can unintentionally damage the very culture they’re supposed to strengthen.Valerie and I explore the difference between being good at a job and being good at leading people, why management requires an entirely different skill set, and how poor leadership quietly affects morale, retention, engagement, psychological safety, and ultimately the success of an organization.We also look at the human side of workplace culture: unconscious bias, communication, belonging, happiness, expectations, and the everyday behaviors that determine whether people feel supported or depleted by the environments in which they work.Because workplace culture isn’t created by mission statements hanging on the wall.It’s created in thousands of small interactions between people—and managers sit at the center of many of them.In this episode, we explore:• What Valerie means by the “accidental manager”• Why strong individual contributors don’t automatically become strong leaders• The leadership skills managers are rarely taught• How poor management quietly damages workplace culture• The difference between management and leadership• Communication, expectations, and psychological safety• Why employees often leave managers rather than companies• How unconscious bias influences leadership decisions• The relationship between workplace happiness and performance• Why inclusion is a leadership responsibility• The cost of promoting people without preparing them to manage others• How leaders shape trust, morale, and belonging• Recognizing when management habits are creating disengagement• What organizations can do to better develop new leaders• How managers can become more intentional about the culture they createAbout Valerie AlexanderValerie Alexander is a globally sought-after keynote speaker on workplace happiness, inclusive leadership, and the advancement of women.She has delivered transformative talks for Fortune 500 companies, international conferences, and government agencies including NASA, the CDC, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Air National Guard. Her TED Talk, How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias, has been viewed more than one million times and is used around the world as a training resource in leadership and education.Before dedicating herself fully to workplace culture and happiness, Valerie built an unusually diverse career as a corporate securities lawyer, investment banker, technology executive, startup founder, screenwriter, and director.She is the bestselling author of Happiness as a Second Language, Success as a Second Language, and How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace, and holds the registered trademark on “…as a Second Language” for self-help publishing.Valerie currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Culture, Leadership and Narrative at Launch Fayette in Georgia and sits on the board of the Peachtree City Convention and Visitors Bureau.Connect with Valerie AlexanderWebsite: https://www.speakhappiness.com/About Valerie: https://www.speakhappiness.com/about-valerie/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakhappiness-keynotespeaker/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if imposter syndrome isn’t a personal defect, but something almost everyone catches at some point?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Rachel Burr, executive coach, leadership consultant, speaker, and author of Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformation, for a funny, irreverent, and surprisingly revealing conversation about imposter syndrome.Rachel has a particularly memorable way of describing it:Imposter syndrome is psychological chlamydia.It’s uncomfortable. People don’t necessarily want to admit they have it. You can walk around with it while looking perfectly fine to everyone else. And perhaps most importantly, you’re definitely not the only one who has it.Behind the humor is a very real experience. Accomplished, intelligent, capable people can reach a new level in their career or life and suddenly wonder whether they actually belong there. We compare our internal uncertainty to everyone else’s external confidence. We discount what we've accomplished. We worry that eventually someone will discover we aren't as competent as they think we are.Rachel and I explore where that voice comes from, why success doesn't necessarily make it disappear, and what happens when we stop treating self-doubt as evidence that we're unqualified.With more than 20 years of experience working with leaders and organizations, and master's degrees in both clinical psychology and organizational development, Rachel brings together an understanding of human behavior with the humor that characterizes her work.We also talk about the messy territory between confidence and competence, why growth so often puts us face-to-face with uncertainty, and how becoming something new almost inevitably means spending some time feeling like we don't know what we're doing.Maybe the goal isn't to finally reach a point where we never doubt ourselves again.Maybe it's learning that feeling like an imposter doesn't mean you are one.In this episode, we explore:• Why Rachel calls imposter syndrome “psychological chlamydia”• What imposter syndrome actually feels like• Why highly capable people can still question whether they belong• The gap between how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves• Why accomplishment doesn't automatically create confidence• Comparing our internal uncertainty with other people's external certainty• The fear of eventually being “found out”• Confidence versus competence• Self-doubt during periods of growth and transformation• Why unfamiliarity can masquerade as inadequacy• Perfectionism and the pressure to prove ourselves• Learning to recognize the stories we tell ourselves about our abilities• Using humor to take some of the power away from insecurity• Why transformation can feel messy before it feels empowering• Moving forward even when we don't feel completely readyAbout Rachel BurrRachel Burr is an executive coach, leadership consultant, speaker, and author with more than 20 years of experience working with leaders and organizations. She holds two master's degrees in clinical psychology and organizational development, bringing a deep understanding of human behavior to her work alongside a refreshingly irreverent sense of humor.Rachel is the author of Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformation, a humorous memoir about the messy, sticky, very human reality of change.Drawing from her own missteps, triumphs, and “goo-filled” moments, Rachel reframes transformation as something we don't cleanly bypass but courageously move through. The book combines storytelling, practical insight, and experiential exercises that invite readers to examine where life is working, where it isn't, and what might be calling them toward change.Connect with Rachel Burr📘 Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformationhttps://ButterflyGooBook.net/🔗 LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmburr/📘 Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/rachel.m.burr.1📸 Instagram: @catamentumRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What can decades of athletics teach us about pain, injury, recovery, and the way we care for the human body?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Christal Geier, D.O.M.P., CAT(C), B.Kin, founder of Take Flight Osteopathic Wellness, to explore three lessons from the world of athletics that have profoundly influenced the way she approaches clinical pain care.Christal’s relationship with the body began long before she discovered osteopathy. Raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and immersed in athletics throughout her life, her own experiences with injury sparked a fascination with how the body functions, compensates, adapts, and ultimately heals.That path led her first into athletic therapy and kinesiology, and eventually to osteopathy, where she encountered a philosophy that changed the way she understood both pain and healing.Together, we explore what athletics can teach us about listening to the body rather than simply overriding it, why the location of pain doesn’t always tell the whole story, and how recovery can require looking beyond an isolated injury to understand the person and body as an interconnected whole.We also examine an idea central to Christal’s work: the body is not merely a collection of parts to be repaired. It is an intelligent, adaptive system with an extraordinary capacity to reorganize and heal when given the appropriate support.For athletes, pain can easily become something to push through, silence, or overcome. But those same lessons extend far beyond sports. Whether you're navigating an injury, chronic discomfort, changes in mobility, or simply trying to better understand your own body, this conversation invites a different question:Instead of only asking how we make the pain disappear, what might change if we also asked what the body is trying to tell us?In this episode, we explore:• Three lessons from athletics that inform Christal’s approach to pain care• What athletic experience teaches us about the human body• The difference between pain and the underlying source of dysfunction• Why the site of pain may not always be where the problem begins• Injury, compensation, and adaptation• When pushing through discomfort can become counterproductive• What recovery actually asks of the body• Athletic therapy, kinesiology, and osteopathy• Looking at the body as an interconnected system• Why movement matters in understanding pain• The body's capacity to adapt and self-regulate• Working with the body rather than simply trying to control symptoms• The osteopathic philosophy of health and healing• Christal's concept of the “inner physician”• How lessons learned through sport can apply to everyday health and longevityAbout Christal GeierChristal Geier, D.O.M.P., CAT(C), B.Kin, is the founder of Take Flight Osteopathic Wellness and has spent more than 25 years helping people restore balance through osteopathic care.Raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and shaped by a lifelong involvement in athletics, Christal's own experiences with injury sparked an early fascination with the body. She pursued athletic therapy and kinesiology before eventually discovering osteopathy and a philosophy that transformed the way she understood health and healing.Today, her work is grounded in a deep respect for the body's innate wisdom and its capacity for self-healing when appropriately supported.Christal is also the creator of Tapping into the Inner Physician, a course designed to help people reconnect with the inner intelligence that can guide their health and well-being.Connect with ChristalWebsite: https://takeflightosteo.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeflightosteoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/takeflightosteopathicwellnessRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if anxiety isn’t simply something happening in your mind, but a response your entire body has learned in an attempt to keep you safe?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Luis Mojica, somatic therapist, trauma nutritionist, founder of Holistic Life Navigation, and author of Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma, for a conversation about the relationship between trauma, anxiety, the nervous system, and nutrition.When we experience chronic stress or trauma, the effects aren't necessarily confined to our thoughts and emotions. They can influence the way we breathe, digest, eat, move, respond to sensation, relate to other people, and experience safety within our own bodies.Luis's work brings together Somatic Experiencing, self-inquiry, and whole-food nutrition to help people understand these responses differently.Rather than approaching anxiety as something we simply need to eliminate, we explore what happens when we begin listening to the body's signals. What is the nervous system attempting to communicate? How can trauma shape our relationship with food? And what does it actually mean to cultivate a greater sense of safety from within?Luis also introduces us to the relationship between food and nervous system regulation, exploring nourishment not through restriction or another perfect diet, but through the question of what helps the body feel supported enough to regulate, recover, and reconnect.This is a conversation about moving beyond the divide between mental and physical health and recognizing that our experiences, emotions, nervous systems, and nourishment are deeply interconnected.Because sometimes the question isn't simply:“How do I stop feeling anxious?”It may be:“What does my body need in order to feel safe?”In this episode, we explore:• How trauma can live through physiological patterns in the body• The relationship between anxiety and the nervous system• What it means to develop an internal sense of safety• How chronic stress can affect our relationship with food• The connection between nourishment and nervous system regulation• Luis's approach to trauma-informed nutrition• Whole foods as part of supporting the body through stress• Integrating somatics, nutrition, and emotional awarenessAbout Luis MojicaLuis Mojica is a somatic therapist, trauma nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, where he teaches people around the world how to work with stress and trauma through whole foods, self-inquiry, and Somatic Experiencing.Through Holistic Life Navigation, Luis offers online courses and webinars, in-person workshops and retreats, trauma-informed support groups, a monthly membership and newsletter, a weekly podcast, and educational content through his YouTube channel.He is also the author of Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma, which explores the relationship between food, the nervous system, and our emotional lives.Connect with Luis MojicaHolistic Life Navigation:https://www.holisticlifenavigation.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/holistic.life.navigation/Get the Book:Food Therapy: Conscious Eating to Navigate Anxiety, Stress, and Traumahttps://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-bookRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What happens when grief changes not only the life we are living, but the way we understand life itself?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I welcome back Stacy Parker, grief educator and author of Grief As a Second Language, for a deeply human conversation about what can emerge in the years and decades after profound loss.After the death of her first daughter, Alyssa, in 1997, Stacy entered a world she never would have chosen. Grief became part of the language of her life. But over time, that experience also began shaping the way she understood spirituality, meaning, purpose, love, and her relationship with something larger than herself.This conversation isn't about finding a silver lining in tragedy. It isn't about suggesting that everything happens for a reason or that grief is something we eventually conquer.Instead, we explore a more complicated possibility: that loss can change us, and that growth and grief can exist alongside one another.What happens to our spiritual beliefs when the unimaginable happens? Can grief deepen our relationship with mystery? How do we begin making meaning without needing to explain why something happened? And how can a life altered by loss eventually become a life that still contains purpose, connection, beauty, and even joy?Drawing from nearly three decades of lived experience and years spent supporting other grieving families, Stacy brings a perspective that honors both the devastation of loss and the extraordinary capacity of human beings to continue becoming.Because growing from loss does not mean leaving behind the person we lost.Sometimes, they become part of who we grow into.In this episode, we explore:• How profound loss can reshape our understanding of life• The difference between moving forward and “moving on”• How grief can challenge our existing spiritual beliefs• Spirituality after the death of someone we love• Finding meaning without forcing an explanation onto tragedy• Why grief and growth aren't opposites• Continuing bonds with those who have died• The ways loss can change our priorities and sense of purpose• Making room for joy without betraying our grief• How grief evolves across years and decades• Supporting bereaved parents and families• The importance of community when living with loss• Allowing spirituality to emerge through experience rather than certainty• What Stacy has learned through supporting other grieving people• Building a meaningful life that still makes room for the person who is missingAbout Stacy ParkerStacy Parker became a grief expert following the death of her first daughter, Alyssa, in 1997. Since then, she has devoted much of her life to understanding grief and supporting others navigating profound loss.Stacy and her husband have been deeply involved with The Compassionate Friends, beginning as facilitators of their local chapter in 2000. They later co-chaired the 2004 TCF National Conference in Hollywood and assisted with the organization's 2012 International Conference.She has volunteered with Our House Grief Support Center in Los Angeles, served as a parent advocate at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, and served on the board of the Children's Hospice of America Foundation.Stacy is also a certified grief educator through David Kessler's program, has appeared as a guest on Open to Hope, and is the author of Grief As a Second Language: A Guidebook for Living With the Loss of a Loved One.Connect & Learn MoreStacy's Book: Grief As a Second Languagehttps://www.amazon.com/Grief-Second-Language-Guidebook-Living/dp/1725918897The Compassionate Friends:https://www.compassionatefriends.org/Love, Mama Grief Retreat:https://www.1440.org/events/scotts-valley/love-mama-grief-retreatGrief Healing Collective:https://drlauraberman.com/griefhealingcollective/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if sound could help us better understand the relationship between our emotions, nervous system, and the energetic patterns we carry?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Jessica Maria Garcia, Advanced Biofield Tuning Practitioner, Associate Counselor, sound healer, Kundalini meditation teacher, and Emotional Empowerment Guide, for an introduction to Biofield Tuning and the ideas behind this sound-based wellness practice.Biofield Tuning works with the concept of the biofield, the field of energy and information believed to surround and permeate the human body. Using tuning forks and sound, practitioners listen for and interact with areas of perceived dissonance within that field, with the intention of supporting greater coherence and wellbeing.Jessica walks us through the foundations: What exactly is a biofield? What is a practitioner listening for? Why tuning forks? What might someone experience during a session? And how does Jessica understand the relationship between sound, stored emotional patterns, and the nervous system?We also explore the broader role sound can play in our internal experience. Jessica brings more than a decade of experience in emotional and energetic wellness to the conversation, integrating sound-based practices with meditation, counseling, and biofield awareness.Rather than requiring you to already understand or believe in energy work, this episode offers an opportunity to get curious about the practice itself and the framework through which practitioners understand it.Because sound is something we don't only hear.We experience it through the body.In this episode, we explore:• What Biofield Tuning is and where the practice comes from• What practitioners mean by the human “biofield”• How tuning forks are used during a session• Sound, vibration, and resonance• What a practitioner is listening and feeling for• The concept of energetic dissonance and coherence• How emotional experiences may be understood through a biofield framework• Jessica's approach to emotional regulation and nervous system balance• What someone might experience during Biofield Tuning• How Biofield Tuning differs from other forms of sound healing• The relationship between sound, meditation, and energetic wellness• Jessica's integration of counseling and energy-based practices• Developing greater awareness of patterns we may be carrying• Creating space for emotional processing and personal growth• What newcomers should know before experiencing Biofield TuningAbout Jessica Maria GarciaJessica Maria Garcia is an Advanced Biofield Tuning Practitioner, Associate Counselor, sound healer, Kundalini meditation teacher, and Emotional Empowerment Guide with more than 10 years of experience in emotional and energetic wellness.Her work integrates sound-based practices, meditation, and biofield awareness to support emotional regulation, nervous system balance, personal growth, and greater resilience. She is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment where individuals can explore unhelpful patterns and develop greater alignment and wellbeing.Connect with Jessica Maria GarciaWebsite: https://healingforallhumans.comPsychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/jessica-maria-garcia-frazier-park-ca/1599589Biofield Tuning Practitioner Profile: https://biofieldtuning.wildapricot.org/Sys/PublicProfile/71251123/5227372Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

Why is it so easy to know what we “should” eat and still choose something completely different?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I welcome back Sherry Strong, food philosopher, chef, nutritionist, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and bestselling author of Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward, for a conversation about the wonderfully complicated relationship between food and being human.Most of us have experienced the little debate at the dinner table. One voice reaches for nourishment, health, and the choice we know will make us feel good. Another wants the cake, the comfort food, the second helping, or whatever happens to taste irresistible in the moment.The angel and the devil.But reducing our food choices to simply “good” and “bad” misses something important.Food is tangled up with pleasure, memory, culture, celebration, convenience, emotion, habit, biology, relationships, and sometimes rebellion. We don't make decisions about what we eat as perfectly rational creatures. We make them as human beings.Sherry and I explore what happens when we bring more curiosity and less judgment to the dinner plate. How do we pursue health without becoming rigid? How do we enjoy pleasure without abandoning discernment? And what happens when shame, guilt, perfectionism, or moral judgment become part of our relationship with food?Rather than another conversation about the perfect diet, this episode looks at the humanity behind our choices and how we might build a relationship with food that leaves room for both nourishment and pleasure.Because perhaps eating well isn't about always listening to the angel or defeating the devil.Maybe it's about understanding why they're both sitting at the table.In this episode, we explore:• Why knowing what is healthy doesn't always determine what we eat• The “angel and devil” dynamic behind food choices• Why labeling foods as good or bad can complicate our relationship with eating• Pleasure, nourishment, and the tension between the two• The roles of emotion, memory, culture, and comfort in food• Shame and guilt around eating• Perfectionism in wellness and nutrition• Why willpower doesn't tell the whole story• Developing greater awareness around our choices without becoming obsessive• Navigating indulgence without turning it into moral failure• How modern food environments influence what we want• Reconnecting with real food while still acknowledging our humanity• Finding a more sustainable relationship with nourishment• Moving from judgment toward curiosity• Creating food choices we can actually live withAbout Sherry StrongSherry Strong is a food philosopher, artist, chef, nutritionist, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and bestselling author of Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward, featuring a foreword by Mariel Hemingway.She is the former Victorian Chair of Nutrition Australia and former Melbourne President of Slow Food and has served on advisory boards consulting with the Australian Government on public health policy. Sherry has shared the stage with Jamie Oliver, cooked in Martha Stewart's studio kitchen, presented at TEDxTokyo, and appeared extensively across television, radio, and international media throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.Today, she helps individuals and families reclaim their health through real food, nutritional wisdom, lifestyle transformation, and live blood microscopy.Connect with Sherry StrongWebsite: https://www.SherryStrong.comSweet Freedom: https://www.sweetfreedomlife.comThe Clean Blood Protocol: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581254851796Book: Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forwardhttps://www.amazon.ca/Return-Food-Going-Back-Forward-ebook/dp/B0B4F7RR9KRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if our exhaustion isn’t simply a personal problem, but a natural response to a culture that has forgotten how to slow down?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by Amy Rogg, creator and facilitator of Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®, for a conversation about reclaiming slowness in a world organized around speed, urgency, productivity, stimulation, and more.Underbelly is a non-verbal somatic journeying practice using rest, embodied movement, music, stillness, and relational exploration to create space for a slower body. Rather than prescribing what participants should do, feel, or become, the practice asks something increasingly rare of us:What happens when we stop being told what to do and give ourselves enough space to listen?Amy describes Underbelly as a response to the disappearance of slowness and spaciousness from modern culture. We explore the consequences of living inside systems that continually prioritize urgency, consumption, transaction, instant gratification, extraction, and incessant stimulation, often at the expense of our nervous systems, relationships, communities, and the planet itself.This conversation invites us into another rhythm.One that makes room for nervous system regulation and co-regulation, emotional digestion, rest, boredom, nourishment, subtlety, complexity, listening, and communion.We talk about learning to lovingly hold ourselves exactly as we are rather than constantly trying to fix ourselves. About softening into feeling rather than overriding it. About honoring the body's rhythms and needs. And about allowing space itself to become a teacher.Amy also takes us inside the experience of Underbelly, where movement may emerge alongside stillness, meditation, writing, witnessing, human connection, or simply doing nothing. There is no performance to achieve and no predetermined destination. Each gathering responds to what is actually alive within the people and the space in that particular moment.Because perhaps our bodies don't need another method for becoming more efficient at surviving a fast world.Perhaps we need places where we are finally allowed to become slow again.In this episode, we explore:• Why Amy created Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®• What we've lost through the acceleration of modern life• Slowness as something deeper than relaxation or self-care• How speed and constant stimulation affect the nervous system• Nervous system regulation and co-regulation• Why Underbelly is intentionally non-verbal and non-prescriptive• Rest, boredom, stillness, and “doing nothing”• Emotional digestion and creating space to actually feel• Somatic and intuitive movement• Listening to the body's quieter forms of intelligence• Moving from pushing and controlling toward listening and yielding• Learning to live inside questions rather than demanding immediate answers• Holding complexity, nuance, and uncertainty• The importance of subtlety in an increasingly extreme world• Relational dynamics and the spaces that exist between us• Creating environments that allow organic unfolding• Why slowness matters not only for personal well-being, but for our relationships and greater ecosystem• Reclaiming sanctuary in an age of screens, excess, division, and accelerationAbout Amy RoggAmy Rogg is an activator and nurturer of the human spirit and the conduit, steward, and facilitator of Underbelly: The Art of Slowing Down®.Her approach isn't to fix, control, or push, but to tend to the ever-changing human condition as we relate to ourselves, each other, and the planet. Her work centers on creating atmosphere, being led by the moment, sensing group energy fields, conversing with the nervous system, and cultivating loving, intentional spaces where life's vital intelligence can do the work it already knows how to do.Amy holds a B.A. in television and film production and studied acting and improv in Los Angeles. She has led yoga as an E-RYT 500 and meditation for more than a decade, is a certified herbalist, and has been facilitating and engaging in somatic and relational movement practices since 2012.After chapters in the Bay Area and New York City, Amy is now based in Maui.Connect with Amy RoggWebsite: www.amyrogg.comInstagram: @amyroggRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

Every family has a culture. The question is: are we creating it intentionally, or simply inheriting it?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I welcome back Elisabeth Stitt, author, award-winning parent educator, certified life coach, and founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching, for a conversation about one of the most powerful things parents can shape: the culture of their home.Family culture isn't created through one big conversation or a perfectly articulated set of values. It's built quietly, every day, through the rituals we repeat, the behaviors we model, the expectations we establish, the stories we tell, and the ways we respond to one another when life gets difficult.Elisabeth explores how parents can become more conscious of what their family is actually communicating about love, responsibility, belonging, conflict, connection, and what matters most.We also look at the cultures we inherited from our own families. What do we want to carry forward? What no longer serves us? And how can parents intentionally create something different without feeling like they have to get everything right?Because ultimately, family culture isn't about creating a perfect home.It's about creating a place where children know who they are, what their family stands for, and that they deeply belong.In this episode, we explore:• What “family culture” actually means• How family culture develops whether we're intentional about it or not• Identifying the values you want your household to embody• The influence of our own childhoods on how we parent• Deciding which traditions and patterns to carry forward• Breaking family patterns that no longer serve us• How everyday rituals create connection and belonging• Modeling values rather than simply talking about them• Creating meaningful family traditions• Navigating differences between parents and blended families• How families approach conflict, mistakes, and repair• Helping children feel safe, secure, and connected• Creating culture through millions of seemingly small moments• How family culture evolves as children grow• Building a home children continue to feel connected to into adulthoodAbout Elisabeth StittElisabeth Stitt is an author, award-winning parent educator, certified life coach through the Coaches Training Institute, retired public school teacher, mother, and stepmother.After spending 25 years teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, Elisabeth saw firsthand how much responsibility parents carry and how little meaningful support they're often given. Today, through Joyful Parenting Coaching, she works with parents around the world to develop practical parenting strategies grounded in child development principles, strong family values, and meaningful connection.She is the author of Parenting as a Second Language and brings more than three decades of experience working with children of all ages, from the toddler years through adolescence and the transition into adulthood.Her philosophy is simple but powerful: good parenting is created through millions of small gestures that help our children know they are safe, secure, and connected.Connect with Elisabeth StittWebsite: www.elisabethstitt.comYouTube: @elisabethstittInstagram: @joyfulparentingcoachingFacebook: Elisabeth StittLinkedIn: Elisabeth StittRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the challenges of our time aren’t only asking us to do more, solve more, or move faster, but to remember something we’ve lost?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I welcome back Michael Kass, founder of Story & Spirit, for a conversation about what it means to re-member the Sacred and why restoring a sense of connection, meaning, and reverence may be essential to how we meet this moment in history.We live in a time of enormous complexity. Our attention is fragmented, our institutions are shifting, technology is transforming how we relate to one another, and many of us feel increasingly disconnected from ourselves, our communities, and the living world around us.Michael invites us to consider another way forward.Rather than treating the Sacred as something confined to religion, ritual, or a particular spiritual tradition, we explore it as a way of being in relationship with life itself. A recognition that we belong to something larger than our individual identities, ambitions, fears, and stories.And the word re-membering matters.Because perhaps the work isn’t about discovering something entirely new. Perhaps it is about bringing the fragmented pieces back together. Remembering our bodies. Remembering one another. Remembering our relationship with the natural world. Remembering meaning, mystery, and the things that cannot always be measured.Drawing from 25 years of work spanning storytelling, embodied leadership, breathwork, organizational transformation, and coaching, Michael explores how these ideas can move beyond philosophy and become something we actually practice in our relationships, workplaces, communities, and everyday lives.Because meeting the times may require more than better strategies.It may require remembering what we consider sacred in the first place.In this episode, we explore:• What Michael means by “re-membering” the Sacred• How the Sacred can exist beyond traditional religious frameworks• Why modern life can leave us feeling fragmented and disconnected• The relationship between story, meaning, and belonging• Reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and the wider living world• Embodiment as a pathway back into relationship• Creating space for mystery, reverence, and wonder• What leadership looks like when humanity and connection come first• Bringing the Sacred into organizations and everyday work• How storytelling shapes the worlds we create together• Meeting uncertainty without immediately trying to control it• The role of ritual and intentional gathering• What our current moment may be asking us to remember• Moving from individual transformation toward collective connectionAbout Michael KassMichael Kass, founder of Story & Spirit, is a convening designer, facilitator, consultant, and embodied leadership coach who works with organizations and individuals to weave new stories that bring us into greater connection with ourselves, each other, and the wider world.Over the past 25 years, his work has ranged from touring an award-winning solo storytelling show across the United States to helping teams navigate periods of intense growth, facilitating breathwork rituals around the world, and coaching founders and multinational CEOs through profound transitions.Michael is an ICF Certified Executive Coach, Certified Breathwork Facilitator, author of Story Maps: Wayfinding Tools for the Modern Seeker, and serves on the Board of Directors for Wild Gift.Connect with Michael KassWebsite: www.storyandspirit.orgPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PEqbjjjA6gkwnMvQiz2bq?si=74c2aaf18f6a4ecbLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkass1Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if an oracle card isn’t simply something we interpret, but a doorway into what we’re already being invited to see?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I sit down with Kari Balderston, mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor, to explore the intuitive and energetic world of oracle reading.We move beyond the idea of cards as simple fortune telling and into something deeper: how oracle cards can become tools for channeling, reflection, energetic awareness, and spiritual connection.Kari shares how she approaches a reading in partnership with Spirit, angels, guides, and intuition, allowing the imagery and symbolism of the cards to help illuminate patterns, questions, and messages that may be waiting beneath the surface.We explore what it means to channel energy through a reading, how a reader learns to distinguish intuition from their own thoughts, and why the same card can carry profoundly different medicine depending on the person, moment, and energy surrounding it.We also talk about developing your own relationship with oracle cards, choosing and working with a deck, trusting what comes through, and allowing the cards to become less about predicting the future and more about creating a conversation with yourself, Spirit, and the unseen.Because sometimes the medicine isn’t in knowing exactly what comes next.Sometimes it’s in seeing what is already trying to reveal itself.In this episode, we explore:• Oracle cards as tools for intuition and spiritual connection• The difference between reading cards and channeling through them• How Kari prepares energetically for a reading• Working with Spirit, angels, guides, and intuitive messages• Learning to trust what comes through• Distinguishing intuition from your own thoughts and expectations• How imagery, symbolism, and energy interact during a reading• Why the same card can hold different meaning for different people• Using oracle readings for clarity, reflection, and personal transformation• Developing your own relationship with an oracle deck• Moving beyond fortune telling and prediction• The role of ritual and intention in intuitive practice• How oracle work can illuminate patterns we may not consciously recognize• Finding the “medicine” within the cardsAbout Kari BalderstonKari Balderston is a mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor whose work blends intuitive channeling, energy healing, and herbal medicine to support transformation of both spirit and body.Rooted in partnership with Spirit, angels, and guides, Kari works with clients to illuminate patterns, reconnect with their authentic selves, and create greater clarity, calm, purpose, and inner freedom.She is a Usui Reiki Master, ThetaHealing® practitioner, graduate of the Angel Alchemy Academy, certified oracle card reader, and trained in The Science and Art of Herbalism through Rosemary Gladstar.Connect with Kari BalderstonWebsite: www.apothekarihealingarts.comInstagram: @apothekari_healing_artsEmail: [email protected] & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the life you actually want is waiting on the other side of a risk you’ve been afraid to take?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined by executive coach, leadership consultant, speaker, and author Rachel Burr for a funny, candid, and deeply human conversation about risk, transformation, and what it takes to stop settling for a life that merely feels comfortable enough.With more than 20 years of experience working with leaders and organizations—and master’s degrees in both clinical psychology and organizational development—Rachel understands the complicated ways we keep ourselves safe, even when that safety is keeping us stuck.We explore the space between knowing something needs to change and actually being willing to change it. Why do we remain in “comfortable discomfort”? What happens when fear of failure becomes fear of fully living? And how do we distinguish reckless risk from the intentional risks that move us toward the people we actually want to become?Rachel is also the author of Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformation, a humorous memoir about the messy reality of change. Because transformation rarely looks graceful while we’re inside it. Before the butterfly emerges, everything familiar has to dissolve into something Rachel affectionately calls the “goo.”And maybe that’s the part we don’t talk about enough.You don’t get the wings without going through the goo.This conversation is about getting honest about what’s working, acknowledging what isn’t, loosening our grip on certainty, and finding the courage to deliberately risk something familiar in pursuit of something more alive.In this episode, we explore:• Why meaningful change almost always involves risk• The difference between intentional risk and recklessness• How “comfortable discomfort” keeps us stuck• Our fear of failure—and what it costs us• The question of whether we truly believe we’re enough• Why transformation is messier than we like to admit• Learning to move through uncertainty instead of avoiding it• Rachel’s concept of “Butterfly Goo”• Using humor to navigate difficult seasons of change• Recognizing when the life you’ve built no longer fits• Taking purposeful risks toward the life you actually wantConnect with Rachel Burr📘 Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformationhttps://ButterflyGooBook.net/🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmburr/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.m.burr.1📸 Instagram: @catamentum Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if eating well became simpler when we stopped asking what the latest diet tells us to eat—and started asking how the human species was actually designed to eat?In this episode, I welcome back Sherry Strong, food philosopher, chef, nutritionist, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and bestselling author of Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward, for a deeper conversation about our relationship with food.Modern nutrition can feel overwhelmingly complicated. We're surrounded by competing diets, constantly changing recommendations, highly processed foods, supplements, marketing claims, and conflicting ideas about what is supposedly "healthy."Sherry invites us to step outside that noise and look at food through a different lens: the human species living within a diverse natural world.Drawing from decades of experience in nutrition, food culture, public health, cooking, and holistic wellness, Sherry explores the philosophy behind returning to real food and understanding the way humans have historically interacted with nourishment.Rather than approaching nutrition simply through calories, restrictions, or another list of foods we're allowed and forbidden to eat, this conversation looks at the bigger picture—our food environment, the quality of what we consume, our relationship with cooking, and the cultural shifts that have dramatically changed the way we nourish ourselves.We explore what has happened as we've moved further away from whole foods and traditional food preparation, why convenience doesn't always serve our health, and how reconnecting with food can become an act of nourishment rather than another exercise in perfection.Because perhaps improving the way we eat doesn't require another complicated diet.Perhaps it begins by returning to food.In this episode, we explore:• What it means to think about food from a human-species perspective• Sherry's philosophy of how humans are designed to eat• Why modern nutrition has become so confusing• Moving beyond diet culture and constantly changing food trends• Real food versus highly processed food• How our food environment influences our choices• Reconnecting with cooking and food preparation• Traditional food wisdom and what modern life may have forgotten• The relationship between food quality and nourishment• Sugar, junk food, and the challenges facing modern families• Developing a healthier relationship with eating• Why food is about more than nutrients and calories• Sherry's philosophy of "going back" as a way of moving forward• Making sustainable changes without turning food into another source of fear• Rediscovering pleasure, connection, and simplicity around foodAbout Sherry StrongSherry Strong is a food philosopher, artist, chef, nutritionist, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and bestselling author of Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward, featuring a foreword by Mariel Hemingway.She is the former Victorian Chair of Nutrition Australia and former Melbourne President of Slow Food and has served on advisory boards consulting with the Australian Government on public health policy.Throughout her career, Sherry has shared the stage with Jamie Oliver, cooked in Martha Stewart's studio kitchen, presented her food philosophy at TEDxTokyo, and appeared extensively across television, radio, and international media throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.Today, she works with individuals and families around real food, nutritional education, lifestyle transformation, and live blood microscopy.Connect with Sherry StrongWebsite: https://www.SherryStrong.comSweet Freedom: https://www.sweetfreedomlife.comThe Clean Blood Protocol: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581254851796Book: Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forwardhttps://www.amazon.ca/Return-Food-Going-Back-Forward-ebook/dp/B0B4F7RR9KRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

After 100 conversations about health, healing, spirituality, the body, relationships, identity, and what it means to live a meaningful life, one question keeps rising to the surface: What does it actually mean to be well?In this special 100th episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry steps behind the microphone alone—not to celebrate a number or look back at favorite moments, but to reflect on the deeper patterns that have emerged across one hundred conversations.We live in a time with seemingly endless information about how to optimize ourselves. Heal your nervous system. Improve your sleep. Fix your hormones. Strengthen your body. Work through your trauma. Set better boundaries. Eat differently. Meditate. Take supplements. Find your purpose.But somewhere along the way, wellness itself can become exhausting.What if being well isn't about finally fixing everything?What if wholeness isn't a destination at all—but our ability to remain in relationship with ourselves as life continues to change?In this deeply personal and practical solo episode, Henry explores what Rooted & Wild has revealed about the relationship between body and mind, healing and becoming, ancient wisdom and modern knowledge, curiosity and certainty, and perhaps most importantly, knowing something versus actually living it.Because information about transformation isn't transformation.Understanding boundaries isn't setting one. Knowing you need rest isn't resting. Learning about grief isn't grieving. Knowing who you are isn't necessarily living as that person.This episode invites you to move beyond consuming more information and instead consider four deceptively simple questions:What does my body need from me now?What belief or story am I ready to question?Where am I being invited into greater honesty or connection?What makes me feel meaningfully alive?Then comes the challenge: choose one—and do something with it.Henry also shares what's ahead for the solo episodes of Rooted & Wild, which will increasingly become spaces for integration: exploring the connections and contradictions between guest conversations, examining ideas he's wrestling with, questioning assumptions, exploring seasonal and spiritual themes, and asking how everything we're learning can become something we actually embody.One hundred episodes later, perhaps the goal isn't to have fewer questions.Perhaps it's to have better ones.And maybe becoming well isn't about accumulating enough information to finally perfect ourselves.Maybe it's learning to hear ourselves beneath all that information—to know when we need medicine and when we need rest, when we need discipline and when we need tenderness, when we need another person's wisdom and when we need to trust our own.When we need roots. And when it's time to grow wild.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if aging well has less to do with trying to stay young—and more to do with becoming stronger?In this episode, I sit down with Jody Florman, Certified Wellness Coach and living proof that vitality doesn’t have an expiration date, to explore strength, resilience, body confidence, and what it really means to thrive as we age.At 68, Jody challenges many of the assumptions women are handed about getting older. Rather than accepting midlife as the beginning of inevitable decline, she sees it as an opportunity to consciously rebuild—to become stronger physically, clearer mentally, and more grounded in who you are.And Jody knows something about rebuilding.Her life has taken her through a creative career spanning design, mural work, entrepreneurship, London, Los Angeles, and now Sedona, alongside divorce, financial collapse, burnout, reinvention, and more than one experience of starting over.Those experiences ultimately shaped the work she does today.Together, we explore why physical strength becomes increasingly important as women age, but also why strength is about much more than muscle. It influences confidence, independence, energy, resilience, and our relationship with our changing bodies.We talk about the stories women absorb around aging, body image, fitness, beauty, and what we're supposedly capable of after a certain age—and what happens when we decide those stories no longer belong to us.Jody also shares her approach to creating sustainable wellness without punishment or perfectionism. Instead of chasing impossible standards or temporary transformations, she encourages women to build habits and lifestyles they can actually carry forward for the rest of their lives.Because aging is inevitable.Declining into a smaller version of yourself doesn't have to be.Perhaps getting older isn't about desperately holding onto who you used to be.Perhaps it's an invitation to discover how powerful you can still become.In this episode, we explore:• Why strength becomes increasingly important as women age• Rethinking cultural narratives around women and aging• Building and maintaining physical confidence in midlife and beyond• Strength, energy, mobility, and independence• The relationship between physical strength and emotional resilience• Body image as our bodies change• Moving beyond punishment-based approaches to fitness• Why perfectionism can sabotage sustainable wellness• Creating habits you can maintain for the rest of your life• Starting over without believing you've started too late• Mindset and the stories we tell ourselves about aging• Reclaiming creativity, confidence, and possibility• What Jody has learned about vitality at 69• Why your strongest years may still be ahead of youAbout Jody FlormanJody Florman is a Certified Wellness Coach who works with women in midlife who are ready to feel strong, vibrant, and fully at home in their bodies again.A lifelong creative, designer, muralist, entrepreneur, and problem-solver, Jody's unconventional career has taken her from London to Los Angeles and through multiple chapters of personal and professional reinvention.Today, she brings that same spirit of rebuilding to women's wellness, helping clients improve physical confidence, energy, strength, body image, and the mindset patterns that can keep them stuck. Her approach combines health and wellness coaching, breakthrough tools, and intuitive energetic work with an emphasis on sustainable change.Based in Sedona, Arizona, Jody coaches privately and continues to expand her work around fitness, mindset, aging, and women's empowerment.Her philosophy is simple:Aging is inevitable. Feeling old is optional.And midlife isn't a crisis.It's a reclamation.Connect with JodyWebsite: https://www.jodyflorman.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if healing isn't only something that happens to us—but something our bodies already know how to participate in?In this episode, I welcome back Christal Geier, founder of Take Flight Osteopathic Wellness, for a deeper exploration of one of the foundational ideas within osteopathic philosophy: the Inner Physician.After more than 25 years working with the human body, Christal has developed a profound respect for its innate intelligence. Rather than viewing symptoms simply as problems to eliminate, her work invites us to become curious about what the body may be communicating—and to recognize the extraordinary capacity for self-regulation and healing that exists within us.But in a world where we're often taught to look outside ourselves for answers, have we forgotten how to listen?Christal shares the philosophy behind her course, Tapping into the Inner Physician, and explores what it means to develop a deeper relationship with the wisdom of your own body.We discuss how osteopathic philosophy approaches health, why pain and dysfunction can be understood as information, and what may become possible when we shift from fighting the body to working with it.This isn't about rejecting medical care or believing we should heal everything ourselves. It's about recognizing that the person experiencing the body is also an important participant in the healing process.Because perhaps the body isn't simply a machine waiting to be repaired.Perhaps it's an intelligent, dynamic system constantly communicating, adapting, compensating, and attempting to move toward balance.And learning to hear that language may change the way we understand healing.In this episode, we explore:• What osteopaths mean by the Inner Physician• The body's innate capacity for self-healing and regulation• Learning to recognize the body's signals• Pain and dysfunction as information• Moving from fighting the body toward listening to it• Why symptoms may be only one part of a larger picture• The philosophy behind osteopathic care• Developing greater trust in the intelligence of the body• The relationship between awareness and healing• How Christal's background in athletics, kinesiology, and athletic therapy shaped her work• More than 25 years of lessons from working with the human body• Christal's approach to working with clients in person and remotely• Reconnecting with ourselves as active participants in our health• The inspiration behind Tapping into the Inner Physician• Creating the conditions that may support greater balance and well-beingAbout Christal GeierChristal Geier, D.O.M.P., CAT(C), B.Kin, is the founder of Take Flight Osteopathic Wellness and has spent more than 25 years helping people restore balance through osteopathic care.Raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and shaped by a lifelong involvement in athletics, Christal's own experiences with injury sparked an early fascination with the body. She pursued athletic therapy and kinesiology before eventually discovering osteopathy and a philosophy that transformed the way she understood health and healing.Today, her work is grounded in a deep respect for the body's innate wisdom and its capacity for self-healing when appropriately supported.Christal is also the creator of Tapping into the Inner Physician, a course designed to help people reconnect with the inner intelligence that can guide their health and well-being.Connect with ChristalWebsite: https://takeflightosteo.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeflightosteoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/takeflightosteopathicwellnessRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What can astrology reveal about the way we love, connect, communicate, and experience relationships?In this episode, I sit down with astrologer, AstroCartoGraphy practitioner, shamanic healer, and registered nurse Corrie Cooperman to explore the fascinating world of romantic compatibility through astrology.While many people know their Sun sign, relationship astrology goes much deeper. The birth chart offers a complex picture of how we experience attraction, intimacy, emotional connection, communication, conflict, commitment, and partnership. When two charts come together, astrology can provide another lens for understanding not only where two people naturally connect, but also where differences and challenges may arise.Corrie brings more than three decades of professional astrological experience to this conversation. Practicing professionally since 1993, she combines technical astrological knowledge with intuition, psychological insight, and a deep understanding of the spiritual dimensions of the birth chart.Together, we explore how astrology can help us better understand our romantic patterns, recognize what we need from partnership, and approach compatibility with greater awareness.Rather than reducing relationships to whether two zodiac signs are simply "compatible" or "incompatible," this conversation invites us into something much richer: understanding the unique energetic dynamics between two individuals.We also explore the deeper purpose relationships can serve in our lives. Sometimes the connections that challenge us most can reveal hidden patterns, unhealed wounds, unmet needs, and parts of ourselves asking to grow.Because perhaps romantic compatibility isn't simply about finding someone who perfectly matches us.Perhaps it's also about understanding who we become in relationship with another person.In this episode, we explore:• What astrology can reveal about romantic compatibility• Why compatibility involves much more than Sun signs• How birth charts illuminate our relationship patterns• Attraction, intimacy, and emotional connection in astrology• Understanding what we need from a romantic partner• Where harmony and tension can appear between two charts• Communication and conflict within relationships• The difference between attraction and long-term compatibility• How relationships can reveal opportunities for personal growth• Recognizing recurring romantic patterns through the birth chart• The psychological and spiritual dimensions of astrology• Using astrology as a tool for greater self-awareness• Why challenging astrological connections aren't necessarily "bad"• How intuition and technical astrology can work together• Approaching relationships with greater curiosity and understandingAbout Corrie CoopermanCorrie Cooperman is an astrologer, certified AstroCartoGraphy practitioner, shamanic healer, and registered nurse who has practiced astrology professionally since 1993.Her work has been published numerous times in The Mountain Astrologer, where she has written about Saturn returns, Chiron in the birth chart, and the psychological and spiritual dimensions of astrology.Corrie is also a graduate of Alberto Villoldo's Healing the Light Body Program and has practiced shamanic healing since 2003. She completed extensive advanced training with The Four Winds Society, where she also served as an assistant teacher.Known for combining technical astrological expertise with finely tuned intuition, Corrie helps clients understand themselves more deeply, explore the roots of life's challenges, and reconnect with the talents, desires, and sense of purpose they have carried within themselves all along.Learn more about Corrie:https://www.corriecooperman.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if touch could become a language for understanding pain—not only in the body, but in the emotional experiences we carry with us?In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Njideka N. Olatunde, ND, PhD, MSW, CRI, founder of the Focus On Healing Wellness Institute, to explore her work with Touchology™ and the relationship between touch, reflexology, emotional trauma, chronic pain, and whole-person wellness.Dr. Olatunde has dedicated her career to exploring the cultural integration of traditional health practices with conventional approaches to mind, body, and emotional wellness. As a naturopath, Master Reflexologist, pain relief educator, author, thought leader, podcast host, and consultant, her work asks us to reconsider the role that intentional touch can play within our healing journeys.At the center of our conversation is Touchology—Dr. Olatunde's approach to understanding and utilizing the power of touch as part of emotional and physical well-being.We explore how emotional experiences can intersect with physical pain, why healing may require us to look beyond symptoms alone, and how reflexology and touch-based practices can offer another perspective for people seeking greater connection with their bodies.Dr. Olatunde also shares her work advocating for medication- and addiction-free approaches to pain relief, particularly within the larger conversation surrounding chronic pain and the opioid epidemic.This conversation invites us to think differently about something profoundly human and often overlooked: touch.How does it affect the way we experience safety, connection, stress, and pain? What happens when we begin listening to the body rather than simply trying to silence its discomfort? And how might traditional healing wisdom exist alongside contemporary approaches to health?In this episode, we explore:• What Touchology is and the philosophy behind Dr. Olatunde's work• The relationship between touch and emotional wellness• How emotional trauma may intersect with the experience of physical pain• Reflexology and the therapeutic use of touch• The connection between mind, body, and emotions• Looking beyond symptoms when exploring chronic pain• Traditional healing practices and conventional medicine• Cultural perspectives on health and healing• Becoming more aware of the body's signals• Touch, connection, and the human experience• Medication- and addiction-free approaches within pain management• Chronic pain and the broader opioid conversation• Empowering people to participate more actively in their wellness• Bringing traditional wisdom into modern conversations about health• Expanding the ways we think about healingAbout Dr. Njideka N. OlatundeDr. Njideka N. Olatunde, ND, PhD, MSW, CRI, is the visionary and creative force behind Focus On Healing Wellness Institute and an advocate for integrating traditional health practices with conventional approaches to mind, body, and emotional wellness.She is an author, thought leader, podcast host, Master Reflexologist, pain relief educator, and consultant whose work has focused extensively on helping people living with chronic pain explore medication- and addiction-free approaches to pain relief through touch and reflexology.Through her work with Touchology, Dr. Olatunde continues to expand conversations around touch, emotional trauma, pain, cultural healing traditions, and whole-person wellness.Connect with Dr. Njideka N. OlatundeWebsite:focusonhealing.comTouchology Wellness Experience Podcast:touchologywellnessexperience.comLinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/njidekanolatundeInstagram:https://instagram.com/evolving_butterflyYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@changingliveswithtouchologyFree Medication & Addiction Free Pain Relief Poster:touchologyreflexology.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if resilience isn't about pushing through—but learning how to come back into relationship with yourself?In this episode, I sit down with Hollie Rottman, Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant, to explore what it means to choose aliveness in a culture that often rewards disconnection, overwork, and endurance.For high-achieving people, burnout can be difficult to recognize. We become skilled at functioning, performing, producing, and meeting expectations—even when something inside us is asking for a different way of living.But the body keeps communicating.Hollie's work brings us back to that intelligence.Drawing from more than 20 years of experience in leadership, organizational culture, executive coaching, and somatic practice, Hollie helps people reconnect with their bodies, emotions, boundaries, and inner wisdom. Her approach integrates somatic intelligence, Internal Family Systems (IFS), breathwork, relational intelligence, and leadership development to help people move beyond reactivity and toward a more grounded, sustainable way of being.Together, we explore the relationship between the nervous system and resilience, why boundaries are something we embody rather than simply communicate, and what becomes possible when we stop overriding ourselves in the name of productivity or success.We also look at leadership through a different lens—not simply as strategy, authority, or performance, but as the capacity to remain present, connected, and responsive when life becomes difficult.Because renewal isn't necessarily about becoming a better version of the person who learned to survive.Sometimes it's about recovering the parts of ourselves we had to disconnect from along the way.And ultimately, choosing aliveness means learning to inhabit our lives more fully.In this episode, we explore:• What it means to choose aliveness• The body as a source of intelligence and information• Recognizing burnout in high-functioning, high-achieving people• Somatic approaches to resilience and renewal• Moving beyond pushing through and overriding ourselves• How the nervous system influences the way we respond to stress• Embodied boundaries and why boundaries are more than words• Reconnecting with emotions and inner wisdom• The relationship between somatics and leadership• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and understanding our different inner parts• Moving from reactivity toward grounded choice• Breathwork as a pathway into greater awareness• Navigating high-stakes career and life transitions• Sustainable, values-aligned leadership• Generative conflict and relational intelligence• Building trust without abandoning ourselves• Creating a life that doesn't merely function—but feels aliveAbout Hollie RottmanHollie Rottman is an Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant specializing in burnout prevention, embodied boundaries, and transformative leadership during high-stakes life and career transitions.She brings more than 20 years of experience designing leadership programs, shaping organizational culture, and building markets across global financial firms, national health initiatives, and nonprofit boards.Hollie is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), and holds a Master's degree in Human Resources Management. She is Strozzi Somatics® certified, has completed Internal Family Systems training, is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile, and facilitates healing breathwork through the School of Prana in Lisbon.Through Rottman Consulting, Hollie also co-leads work on generative conflict with her partner, Jim Rottman, bringing together somatics, leadership development, and relational intelligence to help individuals and teams cultivate greater trust, resilience, and meaningful impact.She is also the host of the Feminine Warrior Mindset podcast.Connect with HollieWebsite: https://hollierottman.comInstagram: @hollierottmanLinkedIn: @hollierottmanPodcast: Feminine Warrior MindsetRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if pain, tension, and dysfunction aren't simply problems in the tissues—but responses being organized by the nervous system?In this episode, I sit down with Aline Wachsmuth, a longtime Rolfer, movement practitioner, and student of the body-mind, to explore P-DTR (Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex)—a highly precise, neurological approach to understanding how the nervous system processes information and responds to the body.Aline's fascination with the body began through dance. While earning her BFA in Dance from Florida State University, she experienced Rolfing Structural Integration and became fascinated by the subtle patterns of tension that could influence movement, awareness, and physical possibility. After moving to San Francisco to dance professionally, that curiosity eventually led her to massage therapy and the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.After 15 years of practicing Rolfing, however, Aline continued searching for additional ways to work with the people who came through her door. She began studying craniosacral therapy and eventually discovered Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex, a form of functional neurology developed by Dr. José Palomar.P-DTR offered another entry point: the nervous system.Rather than relying solely on where someone feels pain or dysfunction, P-DTR uses specific testing to investigate how the nervous system is receiving and responding to sensory information. For Aline, it opened the door to a remarkably precise way of assessing patterns and informing treatment.Together, we explore the relationship between the brain, nervous system, sensory input, movement, and the body's compensatory patterns—and what can happen when practitioners begin looking beyond the location of a symptom.In this episode, we explore:• What P-DTR (Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex) is• The principles behind this approach to functional neurology• How the nervous system interprets information from the body• Why the location of pain may not tell the entire story• Proprioception and the body's internal awareness of movement and position• How neurological testing can help identify patterns of dysfunction• The relationship between sensory input and muscular responses• Rolfing Structural Integration and Aline's 15 years of practice• How dance shaped her understanding of movement and the body• Craniosacral therapy as another way of working with the nervous system• Moving from structural approaches toward neurological investigation• The value of precision when assessing complex physical patterns• How different modalities can offer complementary perspectives on the body• Developing a deeper relationship with the intelligence of the body-mindAbout Aline WachsmuthAline Wachsmuth has spent her life exploring movement, embodiment, and the mystery of the body-mind.Beginning as a dancer, she earned her BFA in Dance from Florida State University before moving to San Francisco to dance professionally. Her own experience with Rolfing Structural Integration introduced her to the ways tension patterns could influence movement and ultimately inspired a new direction in her work.Aline became a licensed massage therapist and trained at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration. She has now practiced Rolfing for 15 years while continuing to expand her understanding through modalities including craniosacral therapy and P-DTR.Her curiosity extends beyond her professional practice into Pilates, Gyrotonics, and ceramics. She lives with her husband, daughter, two cats, and dog in the San Geronimo Valley north of the Golden Gate Bridge.Connect & Learn MoreAline Wachsmuth / True Balance Rolfing:www.truebalancerolfing.comP-DTR USA:https://www.pdtrusa.com/Dr. Ida Rolf Institute:https://rolf.org/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if being a good parent isn't something you're supposed to instinctively know how to do—but a language you can actually learn?In this episode, I sit down with Elisabeth Stitt, award-winning parent educator, author of Parenting as a Second Language, certified life coach, and founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching, to explore a reassuring idea for anyone raising children: parenting is a skill.Kids don't arrive with an operating manual, yet parents are often expected to somehow know exactly what to do. How do you set boundaries without creating constant conflict? How do you discipline while maintaining connection? How do you prepare children for the realities of life while still giving them the safety and security they need to thrive?Drawing on more than 50,000 hours working with children and parents and over 30 years of experience—including 25 years as a public school teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area—Elisabeth brings both practical wisdom and compassion to the complexities of raising children.We explore why effective parenting isn't about getting everything right. Instead, it's built through the countless small interactions that help children feel safe, secure, connected, and loved.Elisabeth shares how parents can become more intentional about the families they're creating by identifying their core values, understanding child development, establishing clear expectations, and developing tools that make everyday parenting feel less overwhelming.Because parenting can be difficult—but it can also contain tremendous joy.And when parents stop believing they're supposed to already have all the answers, they can begin learning, practicing, adapting, and becoming more confident in the way they lead their families.In this episode, we explore:• Why parenting should be viewed as a learnable skill• Letting go of the belief that parents should instinctively know what to do• Building safety, security, and connection with your children• Why the small everyday moments of parenting matter so much• Setting clear boundaries and family expectations• Parenting from your core values• Understanding the developmental needs behind children's behavior• Creating greater harmony and calm within the home• Moving beyond fear that you're "doing parenting wrong"• Balancing guidance, discipline, connection, and independence• Preparing children for the challenges they'll encounter in life• Strengthening the parent-child relationship through every stage of development• Becoming the "Architect of Your Family"• Finding more joy in the parenting journey—even when it's hardAbout Elisabeth StittElisabeth Stitt is an author, award-winning parent educator, certified life coach through the Coaches Training Institute, retired public school teacher, mother, and stepmother.After spending 25 years teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, Elisabeth saw firsthand how much responsibility parents carry and how little meaningful support they're often given. Today, through Joyful Parenting Coaching, she works with parents around the world to develop practical parenting strategies grounded in child development principles, strong family values, and meaningful connection.She is the author of Parenting as a Second Language and brings more than three decades of experience working with children of all ages—from the toddler years through adolescence and the transition into adulthood.Her philosophy is simple but powerful: good parenting is created through millions of small gestures that help our children know they are safe, secure, and connected.Connect with Elisabeth StittWebsite: www.elisabethstitt.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elisabethstittInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyfulparentingcoaching/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.stitt/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-stitt/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if some of what you're carrying didn't begin with you? And what if your ancestry holds not only wounds to be healed, but gifts waiting to be reclaimed?In this episode, I sit down with Kari Balderston, mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor, for a conversation about ancestral healing, inherited patterns, spiritual connection, and the wisdom that can move through generations.When we think about ancestry, it's easy to focus on what has been passed down that we would rather leave behind: family patterns, limiting beliefs, emotional wounds, fear, grief, and ways of relating that seem to repeat themselves from one generation to the next.But lineage is more than what needs healing.Our ancestors may also represent resilience, intuition, creativity, strength, knowledge, spiritual connection, and gifts that have traveled through generations before reaching us.Kari's work explores both sides of that inheritance.Blending intuitive channeling, energy healing, Reiki, ThetaHealing®, herbal medicine, and connection with Spirit, she helps people identify and release patterns that may be keeping them disconnected from themselves while creating space for greater clarity, freedom, joy, and alignment.Together, we explore what it can mean to heal our relationship with our lineage without rejecting where we came from—and how we can begin distinguishing between what is truly ours, what may have been inherited, and what we're ready to stop carrying forward.We also explore the other side of ancestral work: receiving.What wisdom survived because of the people who came before us? What strengths are already woven into us? What happens when ancestral healing becomes not only an act of releasing pain, but also an opportunity to reclaim the resources, gifts, and deeper sense of belonging available through our lineage?In this episode, we explore:• What ancestral healing means• How patterns can move through families and generations• Recognizing what may no longer be ours to carry• Releasing inherited emotional and energetic patterns• Family wounds, beliefs, and recurring cycles• The relationship between intuition and ancestral connection• Working with Spirit, guides, and healing energy• Why ancestral work isn't only about trauma• Recognizing the strengths and gifts within our lineage• Reclaiming intuition, resilience, wisdom, and spiritual connection• Breaking patterns without rejecting our ancestors• Creating greater freedom for ourselves and future generations• Energy healing, Reiki, ThetaHealing®, and intuitive channeling• The role of herbal medicine in supporting the body and spirit• Returning to a deeper relationship with ourselvesAt its heart, this conversation asks us to look at lineage differently.We can honor where we came from without carrying everything that came before us.We can release what no longer serves us.We can receive what strengthens us.And perhaps healing the lineage isn't about erasing the past, but changing our relationship with it—so that what moves forward is more conscious, more whole, and more free.About Kari BalderstonKari Balderston is a mystic, healer, medicine woman, and energy counselor whose work blends intuitive channeling, energy healing, and herbal medicine to support transformation of both spirit and body.Rooted in partnership with Spirit, angels, and guides, Kari works with clients to illuminate patterns, reconnect with their authentic selves, and create greater clarity, calm, purpose, and inner freedom.She is a Usui Reiki Master, ThetaHealing® practitioner, graduate of the Angel Alchemy Academy, certified oracle card reader, and trained in The Science and Art of Herbalism through Rosemary Gladstar.Connect with Kari BalderstonWebsite: www.apothekarihealingarts.comInstagram: @apothekari_healing_artsEmail: [email protected] & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the experiences that wounded us could also become the raw material for who we are meant to become?In this episode, I sit down with David Brower for a deeply personal conversation about identity, emotional healing, self-expression, relationships, reinvention, and the lifelong process of turning our most difficult experiences into opportunities for transformation.Growing up highly sensitive and intensely self-conscious, David learned early what it felt like to suppress parts of himself out of fear of how others might perceive him. Feelings of isolation, separation, and uncertainty followed him into adulthood—but they also became the beginning of a much larger search.After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and realizing that the expected path of law school wasn't truly his, David bought a one-way ticket to Paris at 22 years old.He barely spoke French. He knew almost no one. And suddenly, everything familiar disappeared.What followed became an education that no classroom could have provided.Through immersion in another culture, David began discovering the importance of presence, sensuality, belonging, human connection, personal responsibility, and consciously choosing the direction of our lives.That journey eventually led to a remarkable 20-year career in the global entertainment industry, including a decade with IMAX, with work spanning approximately 50 countries across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.Yet professional success eventually raised another question:Who am I when achievement is no longer enough?David began again.He immersed himself in coaching, behavioral change, leadership, personal development, relationships, and experiential learning—not simply to master another methodology, but to better understand himself.In our conversation, we explore what David has learned through decades of repeatedly stepping beyond certainty and into the unknown: that relationships are central to life, that we have more agency than we often acknowledge, and that transformation requires us to actually feel and experience life rather than intellectualize our way around it.We also discuss David's creation of Sensorial Experience Day (SED)—an immersive experience designed to help people disconnect digitally, reconnect humanly, awaken their senses, and rediscover parts of themselves that modern life can easily suppress.In this episode, we explore:• Transmuting emotional pain into personal transformation• Sensitivity, self-consciousness, and suppressed self-expression• Why intellectual understanding alone doesn't necessarily create healing• Having the courage to abandon the path you're "supposed" to follow• Starting over and learning to live with uncertainty• How moving to Paris transformed David's relationship with life• Sensuality, presence, food, culture, and the power of our senses• Why our need for meaningful human connection is fundamental• Taking responsibility for our choices• The relationship between vulnerability, trust, and belonging• Success, status, and realizing when achievement is no longer enough• Reinventing yourself at different stages of life• Becoming an active participant rather than a spectator in your own life• Getting outside the comfort zone and allowing experience to become the teacher• Disconnecting digitally to reconnect humanly• Why relationships may ultimately be one of our greatest vehicles for transformationThis is a conversation about choosing to participate fully in your own life—including the uncomfortable parts.Because transformation isn't necessarily about erasing what happened to us.Sometimes it's about learning how to take what we've lived through, reconnect with our capacity to feel, choose differently, and allow those experiences to become part of something larger.Connect with David BrowerWebsite:https://davidbrower.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if masculinity isn't something men need to abandon—but something they're being called to expand?In this episode, I sit down with Mark Grayson to explore what it means to be a man in a culture where many of the old definitions of masculinity no longer seem sufficient.Through his writing, conversations, and work with the Naked Man Collective, Mark has spent years examining the expectations placed on men: strength, success, independence, emotional restraint, certainty—and what can happen when those expectations leave little room for vulnerability, intimacy, tenderness, self-examination, and the full range of human experience.Our conversation explores a new language of masculinity—one that doesn't require men to reject strength, but invites them to reconsider what strength actually means.We talk about vulnerability without weakness, emotional honesty, relationships, identity, purpose, and the courage required to become more fully ourselves. At the heart of the conversation is the idea of wholeness: integrating the parts of ourselves we've been taught to hide rather than continuing to perform a narrow version of who we're supposed to be.This isn't about defining the "right" way to be a man.It's about creating more room for men to discover who they actually are.In this episode, we explore:• How traditional ideas of masculinity shape men's identities• Why many men struggle with vulnerability and emotional expression• Expanding our definition of strength• The difference between performing masculinity and inhabiting it authentically• Relationships, intimacy, and emotional connection• The pressures men experience around success and self-reliance• Why vulnerability and strength aren't opposites• Moving beyond rigid expectations of what a man "should" be• Reclaiming the parts of ourselves we've learned to suppress• Masculinity as an evolving conversation rather than a fixed identity• What it means to move toward greater authenticity and wholenessAbout Mark GraysonMark Grayson's path has moved through education, media, social impact, spirituality, civic engagement, and writing.After working his way through Harvard College and Columbia Business School, Mark began his career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. He went on to help launch and scale organizations including the educational television production company Rabbit Ears, the education nonprofit All Kinds of Minds, and Rocket21, a safe online platform designed to help young people begin exploring their dreams for the future.At Trinity Spiritual Center, Mark developed a series of conversations with prominent thought leaders that drew comparisons to Krista Tippett's On Being. He has also written more than 50 essays as a Featured Columnist for The Good Men Project, exploring masculinity, relationships, identity, personal growth, and what it means to live a fuller human life.His work culminated in Getting Naked, a framework for men interested in moving beyond traditional definitions of masculinity and toward greater authenticity, connection, and wholeness.Connect with Mark GraysonNaked Man Collective:https://www.nakedmancollective.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if postpartum recovery wasn't something to rush through—but a sacred period of rest, nourishment, and rebuilding?In this episode, I sit down with Elizabeth Swamy, Ayurvedic Doctor, Ayurvedic Doula, yoga teacher, and founder of Vedic Wild Ayurveda, to explore the ancient wisdom of Ayurvedic postpartum care and what it can teach us about supporting mothers after birth.In a culture that often celebrates "bouncing back," Ayurveda offers a very different perspective: slow down, rest deeply, eat nourishing foods, stay warm, and allow the body and nervous system the time they need to recover.Elizabeth shares how her own difficult postpartum experience after the birth of her daughter transformed her understanding of maternal care. Receiving support from a fellow Ayurvedic practitioner became a pivotal part of her recovery—and ultimately inspired her to provide that same level of nurturing care to other mothers.We explore the Ayurvedic understanding of the postpartum period, why food is so central to recovery, the importance of warmth and grounding, and how seemingly simple acts of care can have a profound impact on a mother's physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.We also talk about something modern culture frequently overlooks: the mother needs mothering, too.Whether you're expecting, newly postpartum, supporting someone who has recently given birth, or simply curious about Ayurveda and women's health, this conversation offers a beautiful perspective on what recovery can look like when we honor the body's natural rhythms instead of fighting them.In this episode, we discuss:• The Ayurvedic approach to postpartum recovery• Why rest is essential after childbirth• Using food as nourishment and medicine• The importance of warmth, grounding, and routine• Supporting digestion during the postpartum period• Why Ayurveda views postpartum as a unique window for healing• Caring for the mother's nervous system and emotional well-being• Elizabeth's own postpartum experience and how it changed her life's work• What an Ayurvedic doula provides for new mothers• Reconnecting with nature and the body's natural rhythms• Creating a postpartum experience centered around compassion rather than expectationAbout Elizabeth SwamyElizabeth Marie Swamy is an Ayurvedic Doctor, Ayurvedic Doula, yoga teacher, and founder of Vedic Wild Ayurveda, where she supports women through restorative postpartum care, nourishing meals, and holistic healing rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom.Elizabeth began studying Ayurveda through her yoga teacher training before continuing her education at the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, where she became an Ayurveda Health Counselor. She later studied under Dr. Anusha Sehgal at Boston Ayurveda Inc., earning her Ayurveda Practitioner certification in 2022 and becoming an Ayurvedic Doctor in 2025.Her calling to postpartum care became deeply personal following the birth of her daughter. After struggling with her own recovery, receiving Ayurvedic postpartum support profoundly changed her experience and inspired her to help other mothers feel cared for, nourished, and supported during this important transition.At the heart of Elizabeth's work is a belief in meeting people exactly where they are—with listening, compassion, encouragement, and a deep respect for the rhythms of nature.Connect with Elizabeth Swamy• Vedic Wild Ayurveda: https://www.vedicwild.com/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vedicwildayurveda/Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

Administration might not sound like wellness—but what if the systems behind our work have everything to do with how well we actually feel at work?In Part 3 of my three-part conversation with Whitney Shinkle, we explore the often-overlooked connection between administration and holistic workplace wellness.Policies. Processes. Roles. Communication. Decision-making. Expectations. Resources. These structures may operate quietly in the background, but they profoundly influence how people experience their work every day.When administrative systems are unclear, inefficient, or disconnected from the people they're meant to support, the result can be frustration, unnecessary stress, burnout, and dysfunction. But when they're thoughtfully designed, those same systems can create clarity, stability, trust, and the space people need to do meaningful work.Drawing on more than 25 years of experience across humanitarian, economic development, nonprofit, and social impact organizations, Whitney brings a human-centered perspective to something we don't often associate with wellness: how organizations actually function.This conversation challenges the idea that workplace wellness is primarily an individual responsibility. Sometimes the problem isn't that people need to become more resilient—the organization itself needs better systems.In this episode, we discuss:• Why administration belongs in the conversation about holistic wellness• How organizational systems affect stress and well-being• The hidden cost of unclear roles and expectations• Why good processes can actually give people greater freedom• Creating structures that support rather than exhaust employees• The relationship between administration, culture, and organizational health• Why burnout isn't always an individual problem• Building organizations that are both effective and humane• How thoughtful operations allow mission-driven organizations to create greater impactAbout Whitney ShinkleWhitney Shinkle is an expert builder-operator who has spent more than 25 years helping mission-driven organizations optimize for impact.Her career has spanned the humanitarian, economic development, and social impact sectors, working with organizations ranging from grassroots nonprofits to multilateral organizations and multinational corporations.Whitney has a particular passion for helping small- and medium-sized nonprofits strengthen their strategy, operations, and people operations, creating the infrastructure organizations need to fulfill their missions without losing sight of the human beings doing the work.Connect with Whitney Shinkle• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-shinkle-161b764/This episode concludes our three-part series, How to Think About Holistic Wellness at Work, exploring work, culture, and administration—and how each contributes to creating organizations where both people and purpose can thrive.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What creates a truly healthy workplace?It's not ping-pong tables, wellness perks, or mission statements hanging on the wall.It's culture.In Part 2 of this three-part series on Holistic Wellness at Work, I sit down again with Whitney Shinkle to explore the invisible force that shapes every organization: its culture.Culture influences how people communicate, collaborate, solve problems, navigate conflict, and ultimately whether they thrive or burn out. Whitney shares why organizational culture isn't something that simply exists—it's something leaders intentionally create through everyday decisions, systems, and behaviors.Drawing on more than 25 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations maximize their impact, Whitney offers practical insights into building workplaces where trust, belonging, accountability, and purpose can flourish together.Whether you're leading a nonprofit, managing a team, building a business, or simply hoping to contribute to a healthier workplace, this conversation provides a powerful framework for understanding the connection between culture and holistic well-being.This is Part 2 of a three-part series exploring holistic wellness through the lens of our work, our relationships, and the systems that support meaningful organizations.In this episode, we discuss:Why culture is the foundation of organizational wellnessThe difference between intentional and accidental cultureBuilding trust, psychological safety, and belongingHow leaders shape culture through everyday actionsAligning values with organizational behaviorPreventing burnout through healthy workplace systemsCreating environments where people and purpose thrive togetherAbout Whitney ShinkleWhitney Shinkle is an expert builder, operator, and strategic advisor with more than 25 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations maximize their impact. Her work spans the humanitarian, economic development, and social impact sectors, partnering with organizations ranging from grassroots nonprofits to multinational corporations and multilateral institutions.Whitney specializes in strategy, operations, and people operations, with a particular passion for helping small- and medium-sized nonprofits build the systems, culture, and leadership needed to create lasting change.Connect with Whitney Shinkle• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-shinkle-161b764Don't miss Part 3 of this series, where we explore the often-overlooked role of administration and how strong systems can become a powerful foundation for organizational health, resilience, and long-term impact.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What does holistic wellness at work actually look like?In Part 1 of this special three-part series, I sit down with Whitney Shinkle to explore one of the most overlooked aspects of well-being: our work.Many of us spend a third of our lives working, yet we rarely stop to ask whether our work is aligned with our values, supports our well-being, or allows us to make the impact we're truly capable of making.Drawing on more than 25 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations thrive, Whitney shares why healthy organizations begin with healthy people, how purpose and operational excellence can coexist, and why building sustainable workplaces is essential for both individuals and communities.Whether you're a nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, executive, manager, or simply someone looking to create more meaning in your career, this conversation offers practical wisdom for rethinking the relationship between work, purpose, and holistic wellness.This is Part 1 of a three-part series exploring holistic wellness through the lens of our work, our relationships, and ourselves.In this episode, we discuss:• What holistic wellness at work really means• Why purpose alone isn't enough to build healthy organizations• The relationship between leadership, culture, and well-being• Preventing burnout while maximizing impact• Building organizations where people can truly thrive• Aligning your work with your values and mission• Creating sustainable success in mission-driven organizationsAbout Whitney ShinkleWhitney Shinkle is an expert builder, operator, and strategic advisor who has spent more than 25 years helping mission-driven organizations maximize their impact. Her work spans the humanitarian, economic development, and social impact sectors, partnering with organizations ranging from grassroots nonprofits to multinational corporations and multilateral institutions.Whitney specializes in strategy, operations, and people operations, with a particular passion for helping small- and medium-sized nonprofits build the systems, culture, and leadership needed to create lasting change.Connect with Whitney Shinkle• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-shinkle-161b764Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss Parts 2 and 3 of this powerful series on holistic wellness and living a more integrated, purpose-filled life.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if pain isn't your body's enemy—but one of its greatest teachers?In this fascinating episode of Rooted & Wild, I sit down with Christal Geier, D.O.M.P., CAT(C), B.Kin, to explore the philosophy of osteopathy and a radically different way of understanding the human body.Rather than viewing symptoms as problems to eliminate, Christal explains how pain and dysfunction can be seen as messages—valuable information that, when properly understood, can guide us back toward health, balance, and wholeness.Drawing on more than 25 years of clinical experience, Christal shares how osteopathic philosophy recognizes the body's remarkable capacity to heal when we remove the obstacles standing in its way. We discuss the body's innate intelligence, the relationship between structure and function, and why true healing often begins by listening instead of simply treating symptoms.The conversation also explores Christal's unique journey into distance healing during the COVID-19 pandemic, her work helping people reconnect with what she calls their Inner Physician, and why empowering individuals to trust the wisdom within may be one of the most important shifts in modern healthcare.Whether you're living with chronic pain, searching for a more holistic approach to healing, or simply curious about the body's incredible intelligence, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on what it truly means to heal.In this episode, we discuss:• What osteopathy really is—and what it isn't• The philosophy behind the body's innate ability to heal• Why pain and dysfunction are forms of communication• The connection between structure, function, and overall health• Moving beyond symptom management toward true healing• Distance healing through the principles of osteopathy• Connecting with your "Inner Physician"• Learning to trust your body's wisdomAbout Christal GeierChristal Geier, D.O.M.P., CAT(C), B.Kin, is the founder of Take Flight Osteopathic Wellness and has spent more than 25 years helping people restore balance through osteopathic care.Raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and inspired by a lifetime of athletics and injury recovery, Christal began her career in athletic therapy and kinesiology before discovering osteopathy. Her work is rooted in the belief that the body possesses an extraordinary capacity for self-healing when given the right support.Today, Christal works with clients both in person and remotely, integrating osteopathic philosophy with a deep respect for the body's innate wisdom. She is also the creator of Tapping into the Inner Physician, a course designed to help individuals reconnect with the inner intelligence that guides healing and well-being.Connect with Christal Geier• Website: https://takeflightosteo.ca• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takeflightosteopathicwellness• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeflightosteoRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the greatest transformation doesn't come from changing who you are—but from learning how to truly listen?In this thought-provoking episode of Rooted & Wild, I sit down with Michael Kass—founder of Story & Spirit, executive coach, breathwork facilitator, author, and leadership guide—to explore the profound practices of attunementand cultivating what he calls the self-transforming mind.Together, we examine how our stories shape our reality, why true leadership begins with self-awareness, and how slowing down can help us reconnect with ourselves, each other, and something far greater. Michael shares insights from decades of working with founders, CEOs, organizations, and communities, revealing how presence, curiosity, and embodied awareness can become powerful catalysts for lasting change.This conversation moves beyond productivity and performance into something deeper: how we cultivate a way of being that allows us to navigate uncertainty with wisdom, resilience, and compassion.Whether you're leading a business, navigating a life transition, seeking spiritual growth, or simply longing to feel more connected in an increasingly distracted world, this episode offers practical wisdom and timeless insights.In this episode, we discuss:• What attunement really means and why it matters• The difference between the self-authoring mind and the self-transforming mind• How the stories we tell ourselves shape our lives• Leadership through presence, curiosity, and connection• Breathwork as a pathway to deeper awareness• Navigating uncertainty with greater resilience and wisdom• Cultivating a more meaningful relationship with yourself and the world around youAbout Michael KassMichael Kass is the founder of Story & Spirit, where he works as a convening designer, facilitator, consultant, embodied leadership coach, and ICF Certified Executive Coach. For more than 25 years, he has helped individuals, founders, CEOs, and organizations navigate profound personal and professional transformation by weaving together storytelling, leadership development, breathwork, and human connection.Michael is also a Certified Breathwork Facilitator, the author of Story Maps: Wayfinding Tools for the Modern Seeker, and serves on the Board of Directors for Wild Gift. His workshops and keynotes have been featured at conferences including SOCAP, Opportunity Collaboration, 501(c)onference, and Points of Light.At the heart of Michael's work is a simple but powerful mission: helping people bring greater humanity, connection, and a sense of the sacred back into their lives and work.Connect with Michael KassWebsite: https://www.storyandspirit.orgPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PEqbjjjA6gkwnMvQiz2bqLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkass1Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

Long before grocery stores and modern conveniences, the first harvest meant survival. It was a sacred moment of gratitude, community, and honoring the land that sustained life.In this solo episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk explores the rich history and enduring wisdom of Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-na-sa), one of the four great Celtic fire festivals that marks the beginning of the harvest season. Discover the mythology of the Celtic god Lugh, the touching story of Tailtiu, and why this ancient celebration continues to hold profound meaning today.More than a history lesson, this episode is an invitation to pause and reflect on your own life. What seeds have you planted this year? What have you cultivated? And what are you now ready to harvest—not only in your work, but in your relationships, personal growth, and spirit?You'll also discover simple ways to celebrate Lughnasadh in your own home, including:Creating a meaningful harvest ritualBaking or sharing bread as a symbol of gratitudeConnecting with seasonal foods and local farmersReflecting on your personal growth over the past yearHonoring nature's rhythms and embracing a season of abundanceWhether you're drawn to Celtic traditions, seasonal living, herbalism, or simply finding deeper meaning in the changing seasons, this episode offers timeless wisdom to help you slow down, give thanks, and reconnect with the natural world.Because the greatest harvest isn't always what we gather from the earth.Sometimes it's who we've become along the way.Learn more about Henry Hawk:https://www.henry-hawk.comFollow Rooted & Wild for weekly conversations exploring herbalism, folklore, spirituality, seasonal living, ancient traditions, and the wisdom of the natural world.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the health of your blood could reveal the health of your entire body?In this fascinating episode of Rooted & Wild, I sit down with Sherry Strong—food philosopher, nutritionist, chef, bestselling author, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and internationally recognized wellness educator—to explore the world of live blood microscopy and her groundbreaking approach known as The Clean Blood Protocol.Drawing on decades of experience in nutrition, public health, and holistic wellness, Sherry explains what our blood may reveal about inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, digestion, oxidative stress, parasites, and overall vitality. We also discuss the critical role of healthy fats, whole foods, and lifestyle changes in supporting the body's natural ability to heal.Beyond blood analysis, this conversation explores why modern diets have drifted so far from the way humans were designed to eat, how sugar and ultra-processed foods impact our health, and why returning to real food may be one of the most powerful forms of medicine available.Whether you're passionate about preventative health, functional nutrition, or simply curious about a different perspective on wellness, this episode offers practical insights and thought-provoking conversation.In this episode, we discuss:• What live blood microscopy is and what it can reveal• The philosophy behind The Clean Blood Protocol• The connection between nutrition, inflammation, and overall health• Healthy oils, nutrient absorption, and supporting the body's natural detoxification• The impact of sugar and ultra-processed foods• How returning to real food can transform health• Building sustainable habits for lifelong wellnessAbout Sherry StrongSherry Strong is a food philosopher, artist, chef, nutritionist, certified Live Blood Microscopist, and the bestselling author of Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward, featuring a foreword by Mariel Hemingway.She is the former Victorian Chair of Nutrition Australia, former Melbourne President of Slow Food, and has served on advisory boards consulting with the Australian Government on public health policy. Sherry has shared the stage with Jamie Oliver, cooked in Martha Stewart's studio kitchen, presented at TEDxTokyo, and has appeared extensively across television, radio, and international media throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.Today, she helps individuals and families reclaim their health through real food, nutritional wisdom, lifestyle transformation, and live blood microscopy.Connect with Sherry Strong• Website: https://www.SherryStrong.com• Sweet Freedom: https://www.sweetfreedomlife.com• The Clean Blood Protocol: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581254851796• Book: Return to Food: How Going Back Is the Way Forward – https://www.amazon.ca/Return-Food-Going-Back-Forward-ebook/dp/B0B4F7RR9KRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if your greatest wound wasn't something to overcome—but the very doorway to your deepest wisdom?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, Henry Hawk sits down with astrologer and shamanic practitioner Corrie Coopermanto explore the profound archetype of Chiron, often known as the Wounded Healer. Together, they unpack the mythology, astrology, and spiritual significance of Chiron, revealing how our deepest wounds can become our greatest gifts when met with awareness, compassion, and intention.Whether Chiron is making significant transits in your chart or you're simply navigating a season of healing and self-discovery, this conversation offers practical insight and spiritual wisdom for embracing the parts of yourself that are asking to be seen, understood, and transformed.About Corrie CoopermanCorrie Cooperman is an astrologer, AstroCartoGraphy practitioner, shamanic healer, and registered nurse who has been practicing astrology professionally since 1993. She is certified in AstroCartoGraphy and has been published numerous times in The Mountain Astrologer, writing on subjects including Saturn returns, Chiron in the birth chart, and the psychological and spiritual dimensions of astrology.A graduate of Alberto Villoldo's Healing the Light Body Program, Corrie has been a shamanic practitioner since 2003 and has completed extensive advanced training with The Four Winds Society, where she also served as an assistant teacher. Her background as a registered nurse brings an additional layer of practical health and wellness knowledge to her work.Known for blending technical astrological expertise with finely tuned intuition, Corrie's readings help clients better understand themselves, uncover the root of life's challenges, and confidently move toward the future they desire. She believes one of the greatest gifts of her work is helping people rediscover the talents, desires, and purpose they've always carried within themselves.Learn more at:https://www.corriecooperman.comRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

For the first time on Rooted & Wild, the microphone is turned toward podcast host Henry Hawk (formerly David Allen Tracy).Joined by guest interviewer Jen Legaspi, Henry shares the deeply personal story behind changing his name, coming out as gay, embracing his spiritual path, and learning that the greatest transformation begins when you stop trying to become someone else and finally give yourself permission to be who you've always been.This conversation explores identity, authenticity, healing, purpose, spirituality, and the courage it takes to release old expectations in order to live a life that feels fully aligned. It's an honest, vulnerable, and deeply human conversation about what it means to come home to yourself.About Guest Interviewer Jen LegaspiJen Legaspi is a trauma-informed coach who helps people rebuild self-trust, quiet self-doubt, and reconnect with their authentic inner voice. With warmth, compassion, and thoughtful curiosity, she creates space for conversations that invite healing, transformation, and genuine connection.Learn more at:https://jenlegaspi.comAbout Henry HawkHenry Hawk is the creator and host of Rooted & Wild. He is a transformational guide, ThetaHealing practitioner, herbalist, functional genomics and nutrition coach, certified chef, interior designer, and psychic medium. Henry believes our greatest calling is to remember who we truly are and to build lives that reflect our deepest values, intuition, and purpose. Through his work, he helps others navigate personal transformation with authenticity, compassion, and a touch of everyday magic.Connect with Henry HawkWebsite:https://www.henry-hawk.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/henry_hawk?igsh=dmNsazZpeGt6bnYw&utm_source=qrRooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What does it mean to belong when you’ve grown up everywhere—and nowhere—all at once?In this expansive and deeply resonant conversation, we’re joined by Vicki Abadesco, a visionary entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, speaker, coach, and mentor whose life and work are rooted in personal growth, transformation, and global perspective. Raised across Asia, Europe, and North America, Vicki embodies the lived experience of a Third Culture Kid—someone shaped by many cultures, languages, and worldviews, yet often left navigating questions of identity, home, and belonging.Vicki is renowned for her unwavering commitment to empowering others to live purposeful, heart-led lives. Through her organization, Soul Shoppe, she and her team have touched the hearts and minds of more than one million elementary school students with a transformative conflict-resolution and peacemaking curriculum. Her work has helped nurture a generation of emotionally intelligent young people—capable of building strong relationships, resolving conflict with compassion, and fostering inclusive, connected communities.Together, we explore the emotional, psychological, and spiritual terrain of Third Culture journeys—the gifts of adaptability, empathy, and global awareness, alongside the grief, rootlessness, and quiet loneliness that can accompany a life in motion. Vicki shares how growing up between worlds shaped her sense of self, relationships, leadership, and purpose, and how true rootedness doesn’t always come from one place, but from learning how to belong within yourself.This episode is for anyone who has:Grown up internationally or between culturesFelt deeply connected yet perpetually out of placeLearned to read rooms, people, and cultures early in lifeQuestioned identity, home, and where they truly belongIt’s a conversation about liminality, resilience, emotional intelligence, and the beauty of living beyond borders—externally and internally.🔗 Learn more about Vicki and her work:https://www.vickiabadesco.comIf you’ve ever felt like your roots travel with you, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.

What if the spine isn’t just structural—but central to how the body heals, adapts, and thrives?In this episode of Rooted & Wild, we sit down with Dr. Brad Wolf to explore how chiropractic spinal care can serve as a powerful form of nervous system preservation—and why it plays a critical role in long-term health, resilience, and aging well.Dr. Wolf shares his deeply personal journey, beginning with a childhood marked by asthma, allergies, and chronic immune weakness. From frequent ER visits and inhalers to gasping for air on the soccer field, simply breathing felt like a daily struggle. As a young adult, he searched relentlessly for answers—exploring Tai Chi, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, herbs, Ayurveda, massage, and eventually becoming a licensed bodyworker himself.But it was his first chiropractic adjustment—initially driven by curiosity—that changed everything.As Dr. Wolf began receiving regular chiropractic care, his immune system strengthened dramatically. Illnesses that once lingered for weeks began resolving in days—or even hours. This profound shift set him on a lifelong path, ultimately leading him to earn his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis in 1996.In this conversation, we explore:The spine’s relationship to the nervous system and immune functionWhy chiropractic care is about preservation—not just pain reliefHow the body can heal without drugs or surgery when interference is removedAging better, living pain-free, and reclaiming agency over your healthWhy modern health culture urgently needs a paradigm shiftWith obesity on the rise, ultra-processed foods everywhere, and medication often used as a first response rather than a last resort, Dr. Wolf makes a compelling case for returning to foundational principles of health—starting with the nervous system.Over the course of his career, he has helped tens of thousands of people avoid spinal surgery, recover from herniated and bulging discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and discogenic pain—and most importantly, get back to truly living.It’s never too late to take control of your health.To age better.To live pain-free.To become the best version of yourself.🔗 Learn more & connect with Dr. Brad Wolf:Website: https://ihealthnc.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@innovationhealth1609YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivingHealthyForLifeNowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovationhealthcharlotte?igsh=MTJlNnp1aG52MndqaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr🎧 Listen in and discover why chiropractic care isn’t an alternative—it’s essential.Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Henry Hawk. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.