Wize Woman STORIES

A migraine that becomes a mystical transmission. A grief so deep it cracks open into love. A woman who goes from “please don’t let me see ghosts” to teaching a high-frequency healing system built around the heart. I’m your host, Delia Quigley, and my guest Renata McConnell shares the true story behind her path as an artist, healer, and spiritual teacher who bridges the visible and invisible worlds.We start with Renata’s childhood in Ontario, her early sensitivity, and the losses that changed everything, including the death of her sister and her first child. Renata describes how intuition and “knowing” became her compass, then walks us through the very human steps of becoming a practitioner: Donna Eden Energy Medicine training, Cindy Dale’s apprenticeship, and a shamanic awakening connected to Peru and Q’ero elders. If you’ve ever wondered how energy medicine, Reiki, shamanism, and crystal healing can fit together, her story shows how one modality can prepare you for the next.Renata then explains Quantum Crystalline Energy Healing, including the 2013 download of symbols and teachings and why her nervous system needed months to stabilize. We talk about crystalline frequency as pure love without requiring religion, how multidimensional healing can locate and clear imprints across time, and what her four levels target: chakras, hormones and organs, fascia, spine and nervous system, and ultimately the heart.Finally, Renata shares the 2020 moment that sparked her book, The Awakening the Crystalline Heart, including 55 days of channeling on judgment, resentment, anger, hope, and bliss, as well as “key codes” and crystal pairings associated with Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. If you’re in a season of spiritual awakening and want a grounded map back to love, this conversation offers language, tools, and a steady reminder that healing can be gentler than the path that created the wound. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs heart support, and leave a review with the biggest question you’re sitting with right now.Support the show

You can hear the moment Martha McCabe learned the world wasn’t fair, because she never stops seeing power clearly after that. Growing up in Albany, New York, she watches corruption operate in daylight and learns to track who gets protected, who gets harmed, and how authority covers for itself. That early education becomes the foundation for a legal career built around one question: when power is abused, what can you actually do about it?Martha takes us from the early days of women entering law in larger numbers to the sharp end of civil rights litigation as a young lawyer in 1970s Texas. She talks about the culture of rural East Texas, the role of narrative and rhetoric, and the reality of taking cases that make people angry. One case still lands like a punch: a woman reports being raped in a county jail by a trustee with special privileges, and when Martha files a federal civil rights lawsuit over abusive conditions, the backlash escalates fast. Listening to her describe threats, retaliation, and the local politics around justice is a masterclass in how systems defend themselves.Then the story pivots to environmental law and public health. After Love Canal, Martha joins the New York State Attorney General’s office and gets dropped into the “alphabet soup” of environmental regulation, eventually defending pesticide notification rules all the way to the Second Circuit. From there we connect the dots to today’s EPA rollbacks, corporate influence, Texas Gulf Coast sacrifice zones, and the high-stakes difference between the U.S. model of proving harm and Europe’s precautionary principle. We also talk about reinvention: getting fired, earning an MFA in creative writing, and deciding what legacy really means when progress comes in waves.If you care about civil rights history, environmental justice, women in the law, and what it takes to keep showing up, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the show

She arrives in Carrboro, North Carolina, with three kids, $11,000 in debt, and no clean roadmap, then builds a personal chef business that grows into Food Fairy, a service that nourishes families across the Triangle. Talking with Terri McClernon, we follow the thread that runs through every chapter of her life: food as connection, creativity, and a way to survive, even when the numbers don’t add up and the ground shifts under your feet. We go back to her 1950s kitchen-table roots and her early pull toward cooking, then forward into the vegetarian movement and Back to the Land years, where she learns self-reliance the hard way. Terri shares how a simple marketing flyer and one client’s comment gave her the name “Food Fairy,” and how community support, mentoring, and timely loans helped her keep the doors open without losing her integrity. If you care about women entrepreneurs, personal chef services, local food culture, and building a mission-driven small business, you’ll find practical detail here, not platitudes. The hardest moments bring the biggest lessons: the market crash that wiped out most of her clients, COVID shutting down in-home cooking, the pressure of payroll, and the disciplined use of PPP to keep her team employed. We also talk about her next evolution, building a commercial kitchen, and launching a nonprofit vision that includes gleaning farm vegetables and making soup to give away. Terry reflects on aging, meditation, stress, and the steadier inner peace that comes from surviving the hills and valleys. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the show

A black snake keeps showing up at my window, and instead of turning away, I start paying attention. That single choice becomes the start of a creative trail I never planned, one that runs through a hip injury, a hidden stone house, and four years of living close to nature's raw sounds and seasons. What begins as fear slowly turns into curiosity, and curiosity turns into layered photographs that reveal mandalas, circles that mirror the cycles we live through in our bodies, relationships, and inner lives.As the mandalas take shape, I realize they aren’t just art. They become a mindfulness practice and a self-inquiry tool that helps make the invisible visible, especially the emotions that quietly “run” us. I share the framework that emerged from the work: challenges that hold our darker emotions, tools that represent our higher capacities like compassion and kindness, and actions that bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be. We talk about the mind as a system, the familiar loop of thought to emotion to reaction, and the moment where we can choose something different.You’ll also hear what happened when I brought the mandalas into a gallery and invited people to ask one honest question. The stories that followed, daily returns, tears in front of forgiveness, and real shifts in long-held pain, made the next step obvious: create something people could hold and return to. That became the Mindful Mandala Cards, a practical guided reflection deck designed for emotional healing, mental clarity, and everyday mindfulness, even through the delays and uncertainty of COVID-era production.If this story sparks something in you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, share it with a friend who needs a gentler way through hard emotions, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What feeling are you ready to understand instead of outrun?Support the show

What if wisdom isn’t something you chase, but something that catches you when you slow down enough to notice? We sit with Anita Peterhansel—yogi, counselor, island elder—whose life moved without plans or credentials, yet landed in a steady, luminous clarity. From Amsterdam’s peep shows to Ibiza’s beaches, she practiced in unlikely places, listened harder than she spoke, and let purpose announce itself in real conversations and daily movement.We trace the arc from intelligence to awareness: how facts and strategies can carry you far, then suddenly feel thin in midlife. Anita helps us name the wisdom body as the layer that turns stories into insight—why we chose certain partners, postponed old dreams, or underestimated our strength. She describes life as a series of invitations: jump or don’t, learn either way. During COVID, people began to call—friends and friends-of-friends in distress—and her “sharing” emerged. No funnels, no branding, just presence that relieved suffering enough for people to come back. The feedback loop became her proof.Anita’s practice is refreshingly human. She never had a formal yoga teacher; the body taught her. She walks for hours, swims, dances, and adapts movement to season and energy, using motion to quiet the loud mind and dial up intuition. She feeds a deep spiritual hunger with books and long listens, using teachings as soul food rather than trophies. We explore practical tools for a fast, noisy world: five minutes of stillness before the phone, a walk that resets your nervous system, a single story you can retire today. Like Ayurveda, once you feel a bit better, the system remembers how to heal itself.If you’re navigating midlife questions, craving meaning beyond productivity, or beginning a practice without a map, this conversation offers grounded guidance. You’ll learn how small, repeatable actions invite big inner shifts; how to spot the narratives that create pain; and how to turn your life into a quiet monastery wherever you live. Subscribe, share with a friend who could use gentle clarity, and leave a review with the one practice you’ll try this week.Support the show

What if your thoughts aren’t you—but weather moving through a wider sky? We dive into that gap between thinking and awareness with Jacky Fernandez, a mental health counselor and Zen teacher who bridges clinical tools and contemplative practice. Together we unpack how rumination fuels depression, worry feeds anxiety, and why fighting your mind rarely works. Instead, Jacky lays out simple, humane ways to begin: feet on the floor, breath in the belly, listening to birds, and mindful walking for restless bodies.From trauma and addiction recovery to years of Zen training, Jacky’s path shows how small, steady choices shape the mind’s climate. We talk about modern distraction—phones, social feeds, and outrage cycles—that pour other people’s thoughts into our heads. Then we get practical: exercise before extra meds, watch how alcohol and sugar hijack mood, and use retreat lessons at home by stacking supportive conditions. Clarity isn’t just calm; it’s energy returning when mental noise drops.A highlight is our deep look at self‑compassion. Jacky shares midbrain‑first practices that actually soothe: hand on heart, warmth, a shawl, tea, softening the jaw, and gentle touch. These gestures teach safety from the body up, so the mind can follow. We also explore koans and single‑point focus to slip past overthinking and touch direct insight, using the image “each branch of coral embraces the bright moon” as a guide to hold everyday mess and luminous clarity at once.You’ll leave with a grounded playbook: meet yourself where you are, curate the conditions you can control, and practice short, repeatable moments of presence. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck in worry or rumination, and leave a review telling us one small practice you’ll try this week.Support the show

What if sustainable energy isn’t something you chug but something you sense? We sit down with healer and teacher Lynn Goodman to rethink vitality from the inside out—through breath, slow motion, and the subtle intelligence running through your body. Instead of pushing harder, Lynn shows how to feel chakras as real sensations, set clear boundaries in busy spaces, and stabilize your system so screens and noise don’t hijack your mind.Lynn’s path from reflexology and Shin Tai bodywork to Light Body Activation offers a grounded framework for working with the energy body without mystification. She explains how a quiet nasal breath drops you into parasympathetic calm, while slow, precise movement lights up proprioception and reveals the “outer body” as a semi-permeable field you can strengthen or soften on purpose. We explore why bright digital inputs can overstimulate kundalini channels—and how simple practices rebuild resilience so you can think clearly, rest deeply, and feel more at home in your skin.We also dive into conflict repair and telepathic listening. Lynn walks us through a practical heart-centered reset that dissolves power struggles in minutes by adjusting the solar plexus and awakening the higher heart. From there, she opens a thoughtful window into telepathy as imagery-based, high-frequency communication that favors clarity over control. The conversation crescendos with “world work”: broadcasting coherent heart energy into the global information grid, and aligning with the soul body for wiser choices and a steadier life.If you’re curious about sensing your energy body, creating healthy boundaries, and cultivating calm without caffeine, this conversation is a gentle masterclass. Explore Lynn and Saul’s guided processes and classes at Shintai International to take the work deeper. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review—what practice will you try first?Support the show

Pain, tightness, and fatigue often seem like isolated problems, but what if they’re messages from deeper stories your body is holding? We sit down with somatic therapist and former professional dancer Marcia Ward to explore how fascia, breath, and intention can quietly reshape not only how you move, but how you see, choose, and feel. Marcia traces her journey from rigorous ballet technique—where beauty can mask strain—to structural integration, a method that reorganizes connective tissue so the body aligns with gravity and returns to fluid, effortless motion.Together we unpack the five bodies—physical, energy, mental, wisdom, and divine—and how change in one layer ripples through the rest. Marcia shares vivid examples of clients who release old wrapping, then rediscover creativity, clarity, or the courage to make life shifts. We talk about aging with curiosity, building strength without re-tightening fascia, and replacing ego-driven goals with a listening practice she calls the “Department of the Interior.” You’ll hear practical ways to begin: somatic movement classes, structural integration (Rolfing, Soma), and simple developmental patterns that reset coordination in minutes.If you’ve pushed through pain in yoga, sports, or daily life, this conversation offers a gentler path. Learn how intention organizes the nervous system, why hydration and fascial health matter, and how breath anchors the subtle bodies. The result isn’t perfection; it’s a grounded ease that feels like coming home. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review telling us one pattern you’re ready to unwrap.Support the show

Doors don’t open themselves; we open them with the way we arrive. I wanted the New Year to feel less like a sprint and more like a crossing, so I explored the rituals that make time feel sacred and change feel possible—without the pressure cooker of perfect resolutions.I start with a sensory memory: chili that slow-cooked all night, cornbread stacked high, a fire rumbling while friends drift in from the cold. From there, I name what a ritual really is—purposeful action done with presence—and why it beats a rule-bound resolution every time. You’ll hear from my circle of Wize Women, whose practices range from throwing the I Ching to choosing a word after meditation, from clearing closets and calendars to writing down every win so the mind stops leading with failure. I hold space for humor too: a neighbor who calls the police, a guest in a green silk gown, and a mischievous nun who breaks the tension with a one-liner that sends everyone into laughter.The throughline is alignment. Most goals start in the head and stall. I explain how to engage the five bodies—physical, energy, emotional, mental, intellectual, and Divine—so intention is grounded, fueled, felt, focused, and meaningful. That’s where real change takes root. You’ll hear practical ways to review your year without shame, release what no longer fits, and step forward with a word, a breath, or a bowl of Hoppin’ John as your quiet ceremony. Along the way, I share how this very podcast grew from a year of steady writing into a home on Substack, and how a single intention to teach again sparked an invite to a live platform within days.And here's the LINK to the live, free class I'm teaching on January 9, 12:00 PM EST.Come for the warmth, stay for the tools, and leave with a simple plan to cross your threshold inspired. If this conversation helps you reimagine your New Year, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—then tell me: what ritual will you carry into the year ahead?Support the show

A year of conversations distilled into one clear invitation: choose balance you can feel, not perfection you can’t keep. We look back with our friend and returning voice, Debra Fernandez, to explore the real passage from warrior years into wize woman seasons—and why strength often looks like peace, boundaries, and steady daily rituals rather than constant fight.We unpack the language that shapes identity. What if “warrior” doesn’t mean conflict, but the courage to live aligned? What if wisdom is action you can sustain? From there, we move into intuition as a first signal—the felt knowing that arrives before analysis—and a minimalist approach to prayer that many of us already practice without naming it: thank you and help. Mindfulness ties it together by training simple awareness of breath, body, and thought, creating space to respond rather than react.Then we get practical. Food as medicine sits at the center of better energy, clearer mood, and steadier sleep. We trace how meat-heavy, salt-forward, ultra-processed patterns pull us toward extremes, and how macrobiotic balance offers a useful middle path—think whole grains like brown rice, beans, vegetables, minerals, and fewer industrial sugars. We talk menopause numbers, protein needs, gut health, and the sanity of cutting refined sugar and ultra-processed foods first. We widen the lens to chronic disease trends, the “media diet” that trains our nervous system, and the responsibility of personal choice within a community. Compassion becomes the operating system: care for yourself in a way that lightens the load for others.If you’re ready to feed your body and your brain better, honor intuition, and adopt small practices that actually stick, this conversation gives you a clear starting point. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a steady middle, and leave a review to tell us one change you’ll make this week.Support the show

Menopause isn’t a diagnosis to endure; it’s a transition you can understand and navigate with confidence. We sit down with functional medicine nutritionist Erin Parekh to unpack the real biology behind hot flashes, weight changes, and brain fog—and why replacing guesswork with lab data is the fastest path to relief. From defining perimenopause to clarifying what “menopause is one day” actually means, we connect the measurable shifts in hormones to the lived experience women feel every day.Erin shares a practical framework that starts with foundations: stabilize blood sugar, build and protect muscle, and support digestion so your body can clear hormones efficiently. We dig into the estrobolome and why constipation, low fiber, and narrow diets can recirculate estrogen and fuel symptoms. You’ll learn how to build plant diversity into your week, leverage fermented foods over one-size probiotic pills, and use component cooking to assemble nourishing meals in minutes. We also talk frankly about alcohol, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, including how a short stint with a continuous glucose monitor can uncover personal triggers that standard advice misses.When it comes to interventions, we sort signal from noise. Thoughtful HRT—paired estrogen and progesterone, with conservative testosterone when appropriate—can protect bones and brain health when used alongside strong lifestyle habits. For those who prefer alternatives or need added support, we cover herbal options like black cohosh, vitex, and ashwagandha, and evidence-backed supplements such as vitamin D, fish oil, CoQ10, and creatine for muscle and cognition. The theme throughout is clarity: know your numbers, choose targeted tools, and give your body what it needs so midlife feels steadier, stronger, and more you.If this conversation helped you feel more grounded, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more women can find science-based support through menopause.Support the show

In this episode, we push back on the idea that chronic disease is “normal” and explore how food, movement, and mindset can shift outcomes. Andrea shares healing choices after a thyroid diagnosis, Alex opens up about fibromyalgia and symptom management, and Gina maps a prevention-first approach with nutrition and community.• the cultural normalization of sickness and the medical revolving door• sugar-heavy food culture as a driver of inflammation and disease• Andrea’s non-pharmaceutical path after a thyroid diagnosis• living with fibromyalgia, flares, and symptom-by-symptom care• nutrition, goal setting, and functional lab insights with Gina• group accountability, yoga, meditation, and meal prep routines• Delia’s injury, arthritis, surgery, and dietary triggers like sugar• building agency through daily habits and compassionate self-careVisit deliaquigley.substack.com to discover more.Support the show

Creativity doesn’t begin with applause; it starts with the quiet decision to be honest. Delia sits down again with longtime friend and collaborator Deborah Fernandez to examine the intimate terrain where limits, talent, and truth meet. Through stories from decades in dance, teaching, and visual art, we explore why “good or bad” is the wrong question and how authenticity can turn constraint into fuel.Deb shares the pivotal moment a student felt truly seen—and how that recognition unlocked an unusual choreographic path. We dig into the tension between audience expectations and artistic courage, teasing apart commerce from compromise without dismissing the value of craft. From Cy Twombly’s polarizing scribbles to Coppola’s self-financed audacity and Fosse’s iconic style forged from physical limits, the conversation maps how boundaries can sharpen voice rather than stifle it.We also wade into AI as a creative tool: what counts as authorship, why process still matters, and how friction can be part of meaning. Aging and curiosity take center stage too, as we talk about vigilance, practice, and why many people rediscover aliveness through simple making—paint, clay, or song—well beyond their careers. The throughline is clear: intention directs the work, constraints shape it, and honesty gives it life. If you’ve felt stuck at the blank page, this episode offers a way forward—set a small constraint, get present, and ask what wants to emerge through the boundary.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs creative courage, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. Your stories and reflections keep this conversation alive.Support the show

What if creativity isn’t something you have or don’t—but a way you move through the world? We open that door with three artists whose lives stretch from stage and circus to studio and garden, and with stories that show how passion, talent, and skill braid into a durable creative life. You’ll hear how a choreographer treats stuck moments as puzzles to flip and reframe, why a former performer fell in love with pastel during a trance-like afternoon of nine cherries, and how a painter chases beauty, connection, and freedom without letting perfection steal the joy.Along the way, we step into a vivid Tampa memory where a spontaneous Navy dock photoshoot becomes a lesson in reading the room, working the moment, and capturing the shot without losing the story. We talk about saying no to one dream to build another—from touring with a dance troupe to creating a yoga and cooking school—and how the same creative spark can design classes, gardens, and spaces that change how people feel. Mentorship threads through it all: the kind that names difference as a strength and invites a student to follow a path before it has a name. We honor the elders who built their own studios, learned new crafts, and taught, by example, that a creative life is the biggest canvas you’ll ever work on.These conversations land on a clear truth: creativity is a mindset you can practice anywhere—art studio, kitchen, classroom, or conversation. Replace “Is it good or bad?” with “Is it authentic?” Trade perfection for persistence. Use curiosity to unstick problems. And remember that voice isn’t found by waiting; it’s grown by making. If this resonates, tap follow, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review—what’s one place you’ll apply creativity today?Support the show

When people rise up in protest, there's always hope the world will shift. Yet change comes slowly and the deeper structures of power often remain unmoved. Women who have stood on the frontlines of protest—from environmental actions to anti-war demonstrations—share their stories of persistence, disappointment, and resilience.• Virginia Kennedy recounts her arrest at the White House while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline and the unexpected connections formed with other women in jail• The importance of "building bridges" rather than creating division when communicating about environmental justice• Sharon Pontier reflects on protesting the neutron bomb outside Jimmy Carter's church in 1978 and how our voices "go through time"• The 1984 Peace Ribbon project that grew from a small beach gathering into a 15-mile ribbon surrounding the Pentagon and Washington landmarks• First-hand accounts of the Standing Rock water protector movement and its lasting impact despite the pipeline being built• Experiences at Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park and the collective response to economic injustice• Mary Oliver's poem "The Buddha's Last Instruction" and its connection to making ourselves "a light" through activism"If there's something that's pulling at your heart, join in and find out more about it. Bring your body to the cause. You will be rewarded with the power of the light."Support the show

Delia Quigley shares her personal journey through decades of yoga practice, from discovering Bikram yoga in the 1980s to studying with masters like Sri K Pattabhi Jois and the 120-year-old Swami Bua. She reveals how yoga transformed not just her physical body but her entire approach to life.• Starting as a neophyte in the early 1980s, when yoga teachers were scarce and information was limited• Teaching up to 16 yoga classes weekly during the height of her teaching career• Learning the deeper meaning behind Sri K Pattabhi Jois's famous words "Practice yoga, all is coming"• Studying with remarkable yoga masters, including a centenarian Swami Bua, who survived his own funeral pyre• Understanding that yoga practice extends beyond physical postures to encompass all eight limbs• Discovering that true yoga practice offers the choice between living in fear or living in joy• Experiencing how consistent practice creates a deep connection with universal energiesFollow Delia on Substack for Sunday Guidance, Wednesday Wisdom, this Stories podcast, and Mindful Mandala wisdom insights. Begin the day with love, spend the day with love, fill the day with love, and end the day with love. That is the way to God.Support the show

Four remarkable women share their transformative journeys of healing serious health conditions by changing how they eat, proving the power of food as medicine over several decades.• Andrea Beeman discovered macrobiotics while supporting her mother through cancer treatments and later healed her own thyroid condition by refusing conventional treatment in favor of dietary changes• All effective diets share one thing in common: they eliminate processed foods and shift the body into a different energetic pattern• Listening to your body's specific needs is more important than following any particular dietary dogma• Delia shares a powerful story about a family whose severe arthritic "chicken feet" hands directly resulted from their daily chicken consumption• Polly Pitchford's experience as a wellness coach taught her that healthy doesn't have to be hard—small changes can lead to significant improvements• The body has remarkable healing capabilities, especially when supported with whole, unprocessed foods from nature• Christina Campion experienced a profound transformation through macrobiotics, regaining her health and weight after severe hyperglycemia• To begin your healing journey, keep a detailed food diary for a week to identify patterns and find a qualified holistic nutritionist or health coach for guidancePlease visit fivebodywisdom.com to learn more about our contributors and deliaQ.com for more health wisdom.Support the show

Every kitchen tells a story. Behind each stovetop and cutting board stands a woman with wisdom earned through years of transforming raw ingredients into sustenance for body and soul.This episode takes you on an intimate journey through women's relationships with their kitchens - spaces that become far more than meal preparation stations. They evolve into sanctuaries where creativity, heritage, healing, and love converge in the simple act of cooking.The conversation deepens as we explore how cooking nourishes all five bodies - physical, mental, energetic, wisdom, and divine. The kitchen becomes a temple where daily necessity transforms into spiritual practice. As one guest beautifully states, "When you cook mindfully, you're not just preparing a meal - you're feeding the whole self and those you love."Whether you're an enthusiastic home cook or someone who rarely ventures beyond the microwave, these stories will transform how you view the kitchen. They invite you to discover the power of presence in food preparation and the profound connection between what we cook and who we become. Listen, be inspired, and perhaps find your own culinary sanctuary.Support the show

Ever noticed how the world keeps getting louder? Headlines scream, social media buzzes, and division seems to amplify daily. Yet beneath this cacophony, a quiet force is rising – one that doesn't demand attention but profoundly shapes our lives: the power of prayer.This isn't about religion. It's about connection. As our guests reveal, prayer transcends boundaries and belief systems. "You don't need to be religious to pray," one woman shares. "You don't need the right words. You only need a willingness to listen, to ask, and to align with something greater."Through intimate stories and personal revelations, we journey into the heart of what prayer means in contemporary life. We explore how prayer affects each of our five bodies: physical, energetic, mental, wisdom, and divine. When we pray, our physical body softens, our energy rebalances, our mental storms calm, our wisdom deepens, and our divine self remembers its connection to everything.The thread connecting all these experiences? The understanding that prayer isn't about getting what we want, but aligning with what is. As one woman's sister wisely notes, "All prayers are answered, although not always in the way we were hoping for."Ready to explore your own relationship with this universal force? Join us for an episode that might just transform how you understand the quiet whispers of your heart.Support the show

Through fascinating personal stories, we journey into the mysterious realm of women's intuitive knowledge. You'll hear from a mother who woke in the night feeling her son's terror as he faced life-threatening cold in remote Canadian mountains - at the exact moment it was happening. Another woman describes the "seismic" feeling that compelled her to flee an arranged marriage in the middle of the night, forever altering her life's trajectory. These aren't coincidences; they're examples of a profound intelligence that operates beyond rational thought.Drawing on yogic wisdom and contemporary understanding, we explore how intuition operates through what host Delia Quigley calls our "five bodies" - physical, mental, energy, intellectual, and divine. As the renowned yoga teacher BKS Iyengar put it, "Intuition is super conscious knowing in which you know before you know how you know." This episode offers practical guidance for reconnecting with this innate wisdom: protecting your boundaries, honoring natural rhythms, creating space for stillness, and refusing to allow others to repress your vivid energies.Whether you've always trusted your inner voice or are just beginning to recognize its whispers, this conversation invites you to honor the wisdom that resides within. As one guest powerfully states: "Listen - this voice is your heart speaking. It is the knowing before anything reveals itself." Share this episode with the women in your life and let your own intuitive voice be heard.Support the show

Resilience is more than just bouncing back—it's the quiet, fierce strength of the human spirit that helps us adapt, grow, and thrive through life's most challenging moments.• Defining resilience as the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity and emerge stronger• The physical and emotional toll of caregiving, as shared through Janet's story of caring for her Vietnam veteran brother• Finding sustainability in challenging circumstances, illustrated by Doris who found hope watching chickadees survive harsh Maine winters• Veronica's powerful journey of resilience through childhood trauma, loss, and career transition• How resistance actually builds resilience through the sacred cycle of becoming• Resilience manifests differently across our five bodies—physical, mental, energetic, intuitive and spiritual• The power of tools like therapy, yoga, support systems, and creative expression in nurturing resilienceVisit mindfulmandala.com to learn more about Delia's Mindful Mandala cards, created as a tool to help shift from darkness to light in challenging situations.Support the show

Delia Quigley transports us through the transformative stages of womanhood, from the tender "maiden years" into the complex terrain of female adulthood. This deeply personal exploration features voices spanning generations – from 11-year-old Lexi navigating social media pressures to women in their warrior years reflecting on motherhood and self-discovery.At the heart of this episode lies a profound examination of how society shapes, judges, and often diminishes female experience. We hear raw testimonies about first periods, changing bodies, and the confusion that ensues when young women aren't properly educated about their own physiology. Delia vulnerably shares how her debilitating menstrual pain vanished when she transformed her diet, lamenting the knowledge gap that causes unnecessary suffering for countless women.The conversation takes a revealing turn when 25-year-old Annabelle reflects on dating much older men in her late teens and early twenties. Her candid assessment of hookup culture – "I guess you know we've all done it. But to me it wasn't really fun" – captures the complex emotional landscape many young women navigate while exploring intimacy and relationships.Most captivating is Delia's personal story about her mother presenting her to Air Force cadets at 17 – a generational ritual where daughters are subtly offered as potential wives. This poignant anecdote perfectly encapsulates the tensions between maternal expectations and a daughter's emerging sense of self, while acknowledging the powerful but often unspoken forces that shape women's choices.Through musical references, personal confessions, and cross-generational dialogue, this episode celebrates the female journey in all its complexity. As Lexi wisely reminds us, "Being older doesn't mean I can't connect with you... We're all still learning." Join us for this enlightening conversation that honors the transitions, challenges, and profound wisdom that emerges through every stage of a woman's life.Support the show

How many ways can you say the word "mother"? Divine mother, mother nature, mother earth, grandmother... The list continues as we delve into this powerful archetype that shapes our world in countless ways.We've gathered voices from women across different walks of life to share their raw, honest experiences of motherhood—both biological and chosen. From the woman who knew early on that having children wasn't her path, to another who unexpectedly became a mother to her sister's children after tragedy, these stories illuminate the many facets of nurturing life.The physical journey of motherhood receives special attention from our health expert, who explains how pregnancy depletes a woman's resources as the developing baby "borrows" nutrients and energy from its host. Morning sickness? Try electrolytes and ginger tea. Postpartum exhaustion? It's not just depression—it's nutritional depletion that requires deep nourishment and community support. In earlier times, the entire tribe would help when a baby was born, allowing the mother essential recovery time that our modern society rarely provides.Perhaps most profound is our exploration of the psychological "mother complex" that stays with us throughout life. Even after our mothers are gone, their influence shapes who we are and how we move through the world. As one guest poignantly shared after her mother's passing, she felt both grief and a curious lightening—and recognized that now the real work of understanding her mother's influence could begin.Whether you're a mother, have a mother, or embody mothering energy in other ways, this episode invites you to reflect on this fundamental human relationship and its power to both wound and heal. Listen, reflect, and perhaps discover new ways to honor the mother energy in your own life.Support the show

Menopause isn't a medical condition to be "fixed"—it's a powerful initiation into the warrior stage of a woman's life. This episode challenges everything you thought you knew about this profound transition.When estrogen levels naturally drop, something remarkable happens beyond the physical symptoms. That vital life force that once supported fertility undergoes redistribution, creating energetic turbulence that can manifest as hot flashes, emotional shifts, and sleep disruptions. But what if these aren't problems to medicate away? What if they're messengers pointing to deeper wisdom?We explore natural approaches with holistic health coach Andrea Beeman, who shares how phytoestrogenic foods like beans and seaweed, herbal teas including red clover and hawthorn berry, and even the occasional hoppy beer can support this transition without suppressing its transformative nature. Rather than pushing away emotional changes, we discuss the value of sitting with them, asking: "What needs to change in my life? What unresolved issues are surfacing now?"The warrior stage represents women reclaiming power that's been systematically suppressed. Drawing from Sidra and Hal Stone's work on sub-personalities, we examine how the emerging warrior energy conflicts with the "guilty daughter" archetype—that voice constantly worried about what others will think. This liberation from external judgment opens doorways to authentic self-expression, creativity, and spiritual growth.Sharing a powerful story of warrior initiation from Africa, we illustrate how women have always recognized and honored this transition across cultures. Far from being the beginning of irrelevance, the post-menopausal years can be when your true life begins—when accumulated wisdom and experience become your greatest assets.Ready to reframe menopause as empowerment rather than decline? Listen now and discover how to embrace your warrior energy with grace, purpose, and power.Support the show

As she enters the Warrior stage, a woman undergoes a profound transformation, physically, intellectually, and energetically. Menopause signifies reclaiming her energy, shifting the focus from reproduction to self-empowerment. This period invites questioning, shedding societal expectations, and forging a new path rooted in authenticity, purpose, and wisdom.Join Delia and special guest Andrea Beaman as they lift the veil on a woman's special journey of transition and transformation.Support the show

In this episode, Delia expands on the multiple stages of a woman's life, focusing on her years as a Wize Woman.Support the show

In this first episode, Delia interviews herself, diving into something deeply personal: how women perceive their bodies, particularly their body parts. We all have stories about our bodies, inherited from our families, shaped by culture, and often distorted by comparison. Delia will share a story about her genetic tree and how it has influenced the shape of her body because, let's be honest, you don't always get to choose which features you inherit!Support the show

In the first episode, Delia will interview herself, diving into something deeply personal: how women perceive their bodies, particularly their body parts. We all have stories about our bodies, inherited from our families, shaped by culture, and often distorted by comparison. Delia will also share wisdom from an 80-year-old woman who beautifully captures women's complex relationship with their aging bodies. Included are audio clips from Delia's tribe of wise women who have generously contributed different perspectives on this topic.Support the show