

Belonging: Conversations about rites of passage, meaningful community, and seasonal living
Becca Piastrelli
Welcome to Belonging, a podcast that explores being alive in the age of loneliness. Becca Piastrelli is your host and guide on a journey of courageous reconnection as we explore topics like rites of passage, cultivating meaningful community, seasonal and cyclical living, and what it means to be a good ancestor in these times. She has thought provoking conversations with friends, teachers, elders, and ancestral medicine keepers to help support you in bringing more meaning and connection to your life. She also pops in here and there to share updates and learnings from her own story because we were meant to do this together - cosmically holding hands as we walk the spiral of life. You can expect to be challenged by new (or old) ideas, face your beliefs and what systems informed them, get curious and brave to tell the truth about the deeper, harder things, and feel comforted in the knowing that you don’t have to navigate it all alone.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 19, 2019 • 1h 7min
33. Belonging to Spirit after Leaving Patriarchal Christianity with Barbara Erochina
This episode covers such an important topic that so many womxn have confided in me about on my retreats and in our work together: a complicated relationship with patriarchal Christianity and a fear of engaging with spirit in a different way.I asked Barbara Erochina to come on the podcast with me to talk this out because she is a real deal expert on this.Barbara used to be an Evangelical Christian—once on the path to becoming a pastor—who has wandered on the journey to belonging and now works with a purpose of deep spirituality, liberation (especially queer liberation and love). She is an emotional wellness coach and a non-religious spiritual leader. Formally trained in psychotherapy, ministry, and coaching, Barbara offers emotional and spiritual support through one on one coaching, couples and group work, writing, teaching, ritual, and facilitation. In this episode of Belonging, we talk about Barbara's story of immigrating to Canada from Russian, becoming an Evangelical Christian, and having to let go of that sense of belonging in her community when she came out of the closet and decided to leave the Evangelical Church.Barbara really walks up to that uncomfortable edge with me of examining each of our desires to explore spirituality and divinity and freedom of others to express their relationship to spirit in whatever way feels right for them, while at the same time recognizing that Christianity perpetuates incredibly harmful and oppressive systems within our world.This episode isn't an "anti-Christianity" call-out, but just as we examine our relationships with White Supremacy, and Colonization, and Cultural Appropriation, and Racism, and the ways our ancestors have, we have, and we still do perpetuate these things, Barbara and I invite you to gently begin to examine your belief systems with self-compassion so that we aren't continuing to hand down the harmful aspects that have spiraled out of these institutions.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/barbara-erochina/Follow Barbara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewithcards/ and https://www.instagram.com/bewithweddings/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

Aug 12, 2019 • 1h 2min
32. Navigating Marriage, Spiritual Transformation, & Witchy Life with Tim Piastrelli
Many of the people I work with come to me feeling "different" or "weird" and afraid of expressing their interests and spirituality to their partner because they're afraid of being rejected for it. Or maybe they wish that their partner could be more similar in their spiritual beliefs, but they're having a hard time relating in that way.So today on the Belonging podcast, I'm sharing a conversation I had with my husband, Tim, about building a life and relationship together as two extremely different people. We talk about what Tim thinks about all my "witchy stuff," how we communicate, how I've slowly introduced Tim to my spiritual/seasonal/ancestral ways, and how Tim suggests approaching your partner (or anyone!) who might initially be resistant to the witchy ways.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/partnership-spirituality/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

Aug 5, 2019 • 1h 6min
31. On Money, Worth & Capitalism with Thais Sky
Thais Sky, a coach and therapist, joins the host to discuss the complexities of money, worthiness, and capitalism. They explore the connection between money and self-worth, challenge the narrative of constantly being productive, and embrace the feeling of abundance and pleasure in life. The conversation also touches on the challenges of charging for their work and finding balance between joy and justice.

Jun 24, 2019 • 29min
30. My Rituals as a Cyclical Being
I've gotten a lot of similar questions from listeners of what they'd like to hear me cover on this show. One of the main themes is that there's a curiosity about my personal practices and rituals—and I get it. It's fascinating to get a peek into how other people do things, especially if you're trying to figure out what works best for you. I hesitate to share my rituals very often because I want to be clear that this is just what works for me right now (and it will likely change before long). This isn't meant to be a singular guide on "what to do to be a Spiritual Person" because however you find that sacred connection is right and personal to you. With that said, in this episode, I am sharing some of my treasured practices from gathering in circle with womxn, to meditation, to living with the seasons, to learning how to quiet my mind, and to how I have built a relationship with the plants.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/cyclical-rituals/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

Jun 17, 2019 • 1h 2min
29. The Magic of Human Design with Aycee Brown
In today's episode of Belonging, I'm talking about my current favorite modality for knowing yourself: Human Design. This is a powerful tool for helping us understand our best way to navigate throughout the world (similar to astrology, or Enneagram, or Myers-Briggs). I invited Aycee Brown to have this conversation with me. Aycee is a Human Design Expert (a Projector!) whose mission is making Human Design more approachable and understandable. Together we talk about the origin of Human Design, how it's a key to knowing yourself better, how different types interact with each other, and how you can put this information to work in communicating with other people.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/human-design-aycee-brown/Follow Aycee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayceebrown/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

Jun 10, 2019 • 31min
28. Defining success as a spiritual being
I shared an Instagram post recently about how I'm rewiring my brain to recognize success in the work I do now—even though it doesn't match up financially to where I was when I quit my corporate job. The response to my post was clear: you all want to hear more about this. So in this episode, I'm sharing my journey of redefining success for myself and reworking my relationship with the "hustle" mindset, with capitalism, with being able to slow down according to how my body wants to be in each season, and how I've realized what I'm compelled to do as my mission in this world.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/defining-success/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

Jun 3, 2019 • 1h 17min
27. Conscious Dying and Death Midwifery with Jerrigrace Lyons
Recently, I went through a death midwife training, and it's something that I've been getting so many questions about ever since, so today on the Belonging Podcast, I've invited Death Midwife, Death Educator, and Founder and Director of Final Passages, Jerrigrace Lyons, to join me in talking about our simultaneous aversion and fascination with death. We're talking about conscious dying and how to consider our options to make choices around our own deaths and the deaths of our loved ones to truly connect with them and aid in our grieving process. And how this embracing and connection with death can bring a depth of awareness and celebration into what it means to be alive.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/conscious-dying-death-midwifery-jerrigrace-lyonsFind out more about Jerrigrace's death midwife trainings: https://finalpassages.org/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

May 27, 2019 • 1h
26. Ancestral Constellations & Conscious Dreaming with Grandmother Sarah
Grandmother Sarah, a wise elder and mentor in dreamwork and healing ancestral trauma, joins the host to discuss topics such as the power of healing ancestral trauma, the importance of being a conscious dreamer, and how to develop a dream practice. They also delve into the concept of healing sentences in constellation work and explore the significance of dreaming and ancestral wisdom.

May 20, 2019 • 1h 10min
25. Shaking the Amnesia with Lyla June
I'm so honored to have Lyla June joining me on the Belonging Podcast today! Lyla is an internationally renowned public speaker, poet, hip hop artist, and acoustic songwriter of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) lineages. Her music focuses on intergenerational and interethnic healing. In this episode, she shares her journey with connecting to her European ancestry and how it conflicts but also supports her connection with her Diné and Tsétsêhéstâhese ancestry. Much of that journey is a beautiful lesson in forgiveness and compassion for imperfect ancestors who have carried deep trauma through the line.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/lyla-june/Follow Lyla on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lylajune/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/

May 6, 2019 • 55min
24. End of a Lineage with Darla Antoine
This episode of the Belonging podcast is another throwback. Darla Antoine had come to me a few months before, identifying as both a First Nations Okanagan Tribal Member and as a descendant of Celtic ancestors, offering up her expertise in ancestral healing work through food and a sense of place. Being a woman of European ancestry with the same passions, I knew Darla would have so much to share in ways I could never possibly see or experience, so I was thrilled to hop on a call with her and listen alongside you.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/end-of-lineage/Follow Darla on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlaantoine/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of https://www.quwutsunmade.com/My book Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self is now available wherever books are sold! My intention with this book is for it to be your guide to reconnecting with the earth, your ancestors, and your communities as you come home to your whole self. Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. Root & Ritual is meant to be a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom. Find more information at: http://rootandritualbook.com/