The Spiritual Feminist

This podcast episode is probably the most vulnerable one to date. I feel called to share my personal story of being diagnosed with the condition ‘vaginismus’, and the journey of disconnect with my body and trauma around my female sexuality with you. In the hope it will break stigma and taboo and that it perhaps will find some of you dealing with something similar - or even the same. 

 Vaginismus is the involuntarily contracting, squeezing and tightening of the muscles of your pelvic floor. This can mean that it is painful for you to have sex, or that it is impossible.  My experience is the latter.  There is 'lifelong' vaginismus - having this condition without no direct sexual trauma that has caused it - and 'acquired' vaginismus - which does point to direct physical trauma.  In this episode, I talk about getting diagnosed with vaginismus, the trouble I had with this condition throughout my past relationship and beyond and about having various different types of physical therapy to heal it. I talk about the successful therapy at a policlinic of a hospital, as well as the more spiritual outlook I have on my vaginismus now.  I believe that there is much past-life trauma that is stored in my pelvic area which I now carry around with me in the form of vaginismus. Talk about my spirituality, feminism and womanhood coming together!  I hope this episode will help some sisters out there, silently suffering with the same effects this diagnosis can bring. If you want to reach out and talk about it, please email me: thespiritualfem@gmail.com  If you live in the Netherlands and are interested in the treatment I talk about, check out the LUMC.  And once again, thank you for this safe space that has allowed me to talk about my story. It's such a healing experience for me and I'm so grateful we're all here to support and inspire each other. This sisterhood rules and I'm so happy to be a part of it! ~ Let's hang out on Instagram (@thespiritualfem), and check out the website for all the current offerings (www.thespiritualfem.com) ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com ~ The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us ~ Nothing is missing, you are already whole. Everything you need, you already carry within you  

Ah, the first pod of the year is here! I hope you're excited to dive deep into a personal chat with me about my word for 2021, soft intentions and a big life update. I like to think that to live in true alignment is to have things come your way, to have words choose you and pets find you. This has definitely been the case this month, ever since I found the switch inside of my system and I turned it. This switch symbolises me choosing to root down in the now. My dreamy personality, (subconscious) attachment to past lives and my anxious side have always had me live in the future - whether that was next week or next year. There was always a sense of 'not settling', of 'what's next'. And this month, I chose to turn the switch and sit with my Self in the present. To make the 'longing to be' the ultimate intention. It may not sound radical to some of you, it may even sounds like common sense, but for me it was a true decision from my divine masculine for my divine feminine within. Grounding in the present moment to heal my anxiety, to find happiness and to thrive. Root down in my city, my home and my social circle to fully experience life. To find belonging in an around me, in the present. This and more (hello Nala!) is what I talk about in this chatty episode of the pod! So tell me, what is your word for 2021? How did it find you? And what is your relationship with belonging?  ~ Reach out! Send me a DM on Instagram (@thespiritualfem), send me an email (thespiritualfem@gmail.com) and check out the website (www.thespiritualfem.com) ~ I mention the book 'Belonging' by Toko-pa Turner ~ Check out Weaving in the Wild Woman! ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com ~ The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us ~ Nothing is missing, you are already whole. Everything you need, you already carry within you

What a WILD RIDE has 2020 been right? In this intimate solo episode, I wanted to sit down and talk about how I embraced my inner Wild Woman this year. AKA - how did I use & trust my intuition this year? What lessons did I work through? What have been the biggest themes and how did I use my inner fire to work through them?  I take you along these reflections with me using the four elements of Air, Water, Earth and Fire. I link 2020's lessons to these elements and I reflect on how they played a role in the lightness and darkness of this year.  From Bali back to the Netherlands, from starting my own business to diving into my past lives, from suffering with the worst mental and physical health (possibly ever so far) to feeling my inner fire burn brighter than ever before: 2020 has given me a lot and yes, like I wrote in my journal on December 31st 2019 (little did we know..!), I am ready for the lessons and blessings. I received them, I am grateful for them and I am looking forward to doing it all over again for another trip around the sun (metaphorically ey...) in 2021!  What have been your lessons and blessings of 2020? How have you been embracing your inner Wild Woman this past year? I would love to hear from you!  Send me a DM on Instagram (@thespiritualfem) or an email to thespiritualfem@gmail.com.  I am launching my brand new offering 'Weaving in the Wild Woman' in the new year, and you can pre-order your access now with Super Early Bird discount and exclusives.  Check out my website for all the details. I would love to welcome you into this journey and guide you on the path home to your intuitive feminine.  I wish a magical, wonderful & empowered 2021 for you, with mystical signs, grounded practices and a whole lot of fun. Thank you so much for being a part of the Spiritual Fem community. I am so grateful for you <3.  ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Mathilda and I met through the Instagram sphere a while ago and have found the nourishment of each other’s support and listening ear throughout 2020. Our hours-long Zoom chats keep inspiring me and I am excited to bring Mathilda’s wisdom to you through this episode!

 Mathilda Littlehales is a holistic space holder and training in psychotherapy and breathwork. Throughout her upbringing, she already familiarised herself with the importance of the connection between body, mind & soul. The periods in her life in which she experienced anxiety and depression made her interests shift from solely nutrition and physical wellness to a focus on mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing - both in her own personal life and professionally. 

In this episode, Mathilda shares her thoughts on feeling the darker emotions. She compares it beautifully to the butterfly’s journey, in which darkness is part of the metamorphosis. Darker (or more negative) emotions exist within each of us and we need to allow them to allow change in our lives. 
Mathilda vouches for a re-sensitising of our emotions - learning how to connect with the body to fully feel through our emotions.
 She shares the poem ‘The Guesthouse’ by Rumi as an example of how we can navigate our feelings and emotions through the body. 

We also touch on inner child work and how this is inextricably linked to feeling all of our feelings. Mathilda shares a few practices to connect to our inner child and heal any wounds that may arise in the process. 

 We also touch on the spiritual and wellness industry and what spirituality means to us. Tools can be great but the true divination happens within, wouldn’t you agree? Mathilda shares how she finds the magic in the mundane, immerses herself in nature and connects to unconditional love for herself and for others to truly feel into spirituality. 

 ~ Find Mathilda on Instagram (@hip.n.happy) ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Sanne and I met through Instagram and very quickly figured out we only lived 30 minutes apart! Oh, the wonderful synchronicities of the Universe! Sanne is a wild woman, fire keeper & forest dweller. She’s a nature-based coach and holistic herbalist, inspiring others with her deeply rooted connection to the land. Can you tell why I am so excited to have her on the podcast? Her way of living inspires me beyond words and I am so happy to be able to share her wisdom with you in this episode! 

 We talk about Sanne’s health journey and how immersing herself in nature has helped her healing process. She touches on the reciprocal relationship with nature we can all have: nature gives back if you give too! The abundance of the land is magical if you choose to see and feel it. We also reflect on two of Sanne’s favourite nature-based practices: the ‘sit-spot meditation’ and the ‘medicine walk’. She mentions how ‘every step is a prayer’, tying in nature and spirituality and inviting us to prioritise our connection to the land. It will give you so much in return! Sanne also talks about how nature can acts as a mirror and how she uses this in her work as a coach as well. 

 This year has shown me that nature is spiritual and that human’s connection to the land is inherently spiritual as well. Sanne really lives by this philosophy as well and I am so grateful for our connection. 

 ~ Connect with Sanne (@runningwithsheep) and check out her offerings on Instagram (@thewildrootsguide) and on her brand new website: 

https://thewildrootsguide.com ~ In the episode, we mention the books ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ (by Robin Wall Kimmerer) & ‘If Women Rose Rooted’ (by Sharon Blackie). I recorded a podcast on the latter title, which is episode 54. ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Cato Vermeulen is an Evolutionary Astrologer, meaning that she uses astrology to dive deep into karmic patterns and past lives. As she describes in this episode, astrology can help us unlock our fullest potential and live in alignment. Cato mentions how self love needs self acceptance, and knowledge about your soul’s blueprint can help you with this!

 In the episode, Cato enlightens us about the importance of our South Node [comfort zone] and North Node [purpose] in our charts (and uses mine as an example!). We also discuss the Sun, Moon and Rising signs and what they can mean for you. All this knowledge helps us to uncover our karmic tests of this lifetime - the lessons our soul is going to be confronted with, as well as parts of our personality. Diving deeper into this allows us to support ourselves on our life’s journey, rather than resist the natural course of evolution of our soul.

 My biggest takeaway(s) from this episode? That connecting to cosmic wisdom can be incredibly empowering. Astrology isn’t meant to shock you with new information about yourself - it’s more of a deep remembering! Welcome to the homecoming to yourself - this is YOUR permission slip to embrace all sides of you! 

 ~ Find Cato on Instagram (@asabovesobelow.eu) and contact her if you want to dive deeper into your soul’s blue print! 
 ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Dr. Sarah Coxon is a women’s mentor, empowerment guide, all-round priestess and author of the forth-coming book ‘The Way of the Priestess’ - as well as part of my sisterhood! I’m so excited that Sarah and I got together again, 1,5 years after our initial podcast recording (before she became my mentor for a year!) to reflect on 2020 and talk about all things limitless living, being a woman in process and priestesshood. 

 In this episode, we talk about the reclamation of the female body and how this is a radical, daily practice. We are being asked to constantly rewire ourselves, especially because of the daily input from (social) media and society in general. 
We also, of course, dive deeper into the concept of priestesshood and how this reflects a sense of divine integrity in the way we live our lives. In Sarah’s words, priestesshood is being a divine channel and to live with purpose. To move from a place of authenticity and ask yourself what mark you’re here to leave on the planet! 

 We also reflect on Sarah’s writing process for her forthcoming book ‘The Way of the Priestess’, and how she dealt with limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome along the way. Sarah points out the responsibility we have to share our stories and do so from a grounded, intuitive place.

 ~ Find Sarah on Instagram: @drsarahcoxon

 ~ Sarah's podcast The Way of the Priestess ~ Pre-order the forthcoming book 'The Way of the Priestess' ~ Listen to the first podcast episode I recorded with Sarah, #10 of the Spiritual Feminist podcast ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Join the Virtual Retreat here: https://www.naturegoddess.world/retreats 

I met my beautiful soul sister Mirai during our Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in Bali in March. We very quickly found out we lived only 15 minutes apart at the time and that we were working with very similar themes in our personal lives as well as professionally. A true bond was created - especially when we were able to travel back home together amidst the pandemic chaos. 

I love how the Universe works her magic and offers us these synchronicities, and I love it even more that Mirai and I have the opportunity to combine our shared love of spirituality and the divine feminine and pour that into a sacred offering for you :). 

In this podcast episode, we talk about Mirai’s journey of mental health struggles and how the path of Yoga helped her heal from within. The divine feminine has always been a huge aspect of that healing journey for her and in the episode she explains how and why. We talk about different practices and tools you can lean into to meet your inner divine feminine energy. And we announce The Divine Feminine virtual retreat we are hosting on 21-22 November 2020!

 If you feel inspired by this podcast episode, join us for a weekend of yoga, meditation, connecting in sisterhood and healing from within - all from the comforts of your own home. We will provide guidance and inspiration and you will feel fully supported throughout! We would love to hold space for you. 
 Sign up here: 

https://www.naturegoddess.world/retreats ~ Find Mirai on Instagram (@earthlingmirai) and check out her platform Nature Goddess (@omnaturegoddess , https://www.naturegoddess.world)

 ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

By now, you know I like to debunk some myths floating around in the spiritual sphere. Whether these are spoken out loud or more subtly implied, I’m not about any narratives that seemingly empower us but in all reality still oppress us. Lately, I’ve been feeling into what it means to me to invest in my spiritual self development journey. Investing in terms of time, energy, attention and, yes, money. Why do I read this book, why do I hire this coach, why do I engage in this course? What is my intention behind it? In this episode I feel into both sides of this coin. In my opinion, it’s necessary to take a step back and root down in our intentions and choices in this space. I think investing in yourself is radical, empowering and a beautiful lesson in self worth. It usually means the acceleration of your journey home to yourself. And that is something that couldn’t ever be expressed in $$$.
BUT - are you buying that course and investing in that coach because of that? Or because you (subconsciously) may believe that you NEED to do this in order to be spiritual and empowered? I think there is a narrative in the spiritual world that you need to be throwing your money, time and energy towards all of these offerings all the time in order to be a ‘true’ spiritual being. And I think that’s actually setting us back from the true empowerment process.
You were spiritual even before your soul decided to come into your physical body onto this earth - exactly for that reason. You don’t NEED anything to peel away the layers of conditioning - it can be incredibly helpful to have mentors and books to show you the way and to inspire you (and I am eternally grateful for the people who have and will do so) - but nothing outside of you will innately make you a spiritual, empowered human being. You already are all that! ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.

Jocellyn is one of those women who - in my eyes - just GETS IT. She uses spirituality in such a grounded way which - unsurprisingly of course! - really speaks to me. When I first listened to her podcast Soul and Mindset, I knew she had so much medicine to share and couldn’t wait to ask her onto mine. Here we are! 

In this episode, Jocellyn and I talk about how she got to a place of rooted spirituality and self development. We explore the concept of embodiment and why this is so important for our spirituality. Jocellyn reflects on the idea of ‘urgency’ linked to patriarchal belief systems and invites us to lean into a sense of relaxation and embodied integration with everything. 

We also talk about embracing and befriending our anger, which Jocellyn has created a whole course around. I think to embrace our anger is a rebellious act - not just in our patriarchal society but also in the spiritual community. Life’s not just love and light and that’s okay! Embracing our anger allows us to heal and process and come closer to our soul. Jocellyn talk about how this process has looked like for her, how it has empowered her throughout her life and specifically with everything that has come up in 2020 (socially, culturally, politically!). In her course ‘Befriending Anger’, she brings you on a journey to meet your anger and let it take up space. Sit in the discomfort - you will meet sides of yourself that are so worth exploring! ~ Check out Jocellyn on Instagram (@soul_and_mindset) and visit her website for more wisdom and her course 'Befriending Anger'. Use discount code '25ONME' for $25 discount on it!  ~ Visit the Spiritual Fem website & join the community on Instagram ~ and let me know what you thought of this episode! I would love to hear from you. ~ Music credits go to www.purple-planet.com. The Spiritual Feminist is an online platform and a safe space for women who'd like to dive deeper into spirituality and female empowerment. This podcast is about exploring a deeper connection within ourselves and with everything around us.