From the Heart with Rachel Brathen

In this episode Rachel is joined by none other than beloved international singer, Seal! True to the spirit of the From the Heart podcast, Seal begins the episode by giving a refreshingly honest answer to how he is feeling in his life now compared to a year ago. He shares how his perspective has changed from feeling helpless, victimized and isolated to feeling simply fantastic – and the incredible story that brought him there. After being forced to search for answers, Seal discusses the three major changes he recently made in his life, from how he lets go of control to his guidelines for connecting with other people. Offering beautiful wisdom and serious life advice – join Rachel and Seal as they discuss true happiness, the lessons they’ve learned from their children, finding your life purpose and everything in between. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does alignment mean for you? What do you need to feel good? Recognizing what is truly important for you is the first step to living a life rooted in your own truth. Rachel begins this episode speaking from the heart on how she has compromised her alignment over the previous weeks. Through being tired from working non-stop for too long and getting caught up in late-night Netflix episodes she lost her routine of getting up before sunrise. She speaks on the patterns of misalignment that have showed up throughout her life – and how she even compromised herself for social media(!). Comparing this to times in her life where she has felt 100% aligned, Rachel recognizes it is simple acts of self-care – simple things like waking up early, staying active, keeping your house in order – that bring the most peace to her life. With that, she speaks of the need for true rest, which does not take place in front of a television. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel shares her all-time favorite books on Yoga and Spirituality. She dives into the words that came along with her on adventures, the stories that supported her, and the passages that changed her life. Books often represent so much more than the paper they are made out of. To Rachel, her books are sacred keepsakes that are filled with little notes, letters, and pictures that tell the story of what she was feeling as she held these books in her hand. Do you have books in your life that you return to again and again for many different reasons? From “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass, Pema Chodron’s “When Thing’s Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times” to Rasha’s “Oneness”, join Rachel as she shares the personal connection she has to her favorite books and stories from her own life inspired by each one. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel continues sharing with the rest of her Yoga Teacher Training group on their Inner Critic. The group shares the judgmental, disapproving thoughts they harbour when that negative voice we all have in our heads is leading the way. Now hearing from 50 women from 15 different countries that have shared their most hurtful thoughts they carry about themselves, it becomes so evident that no matter where we come from or how old we are - we are all the same. Then turning toward the Inner Best Friend - the women share the voice that speaks to them with unconditional love and support. What does your inner critic say to you? What would life be like if we spoke to ourselves the way we speak to our best friends? Tune in for the final part of this emotional and vulnerable episode. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel invites her Yoga Teacher Training group to join her in sharing a piece of what their inner critic - that judgmental, disapproving voice we all carry in the back of our heads - speaks of, and what life is like when we live from that place. 52 women from 15 different countries share from a place of deep vulnerability and then turn toward the Inner Best Friend - a voice that speaks with unconditional love and support. What would life be like if I spoke to myself the way I speak to the people I love? Tune in for a very different and heartfelt episode. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel is joined once again by yoga teacher, physiotherapist and anatomy genius Lara Heimann. Currently leading a yoga teacher training together, Rachel and Lara discuss everything from their best mothering tips to Lara’s sustainable home. Diving into a deep conversation on the role functional anatomy plays in a yoga practice, Lara breaks down simple poses like downward facing dog, plank, and chaturanga, and notes the common misconceptions people typically bring with them to class. With social media glorifying the overly bendy yogi, they discuss the need to move away from the idea that yoga is simply a pose. Instead, Lara expresses the need for us to be constant critical thinkers when moving in our body in order to protect ourselves from injury. We can find this sense of confidence in our practice by truly connecting to our core – the center of our bodies where all is integrated. It is through our core that we find our sense of courage and strength in ourselves, and ultimately our goals and purpose in life.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel begins this episode by sharing the immense feeling of gratitude she has carried with her lately. Currently immersed in leading a yoga teacher training, she speaks of the deep bond of sisterhood that has been apparent since this new group stepped into the shala. Sensing an overall shift in the feminist movement, Rachel shares how inspiring it is to be surrounded by women that uplift and support one another. As we all move along our journeys towards healing, it is crucial to have a community we can turn to that will listen to our struggles and give us tools to move through them. Only by working through the dark and defining moments from our past can we begin to create real change in the world. Rachel dives into the pivotal moments of her life that have shaped her, and how they changed throughout the years, as she was able to open up about them. She ends the episode with the single most defining moment of her life today – and how it is different from all the rest. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel is joined by her husband Dennis on their 4th wedding anniversary – after they both almost forgot it. They begin by diving into the intense Spring they had; traveling from country to country in Europe, with a toddler and a dog, while working towards a major business launch. Dennis touches on what traveling means to him after growing up on a tiny island. He also shares what it was like to be on his own with the baby, and his brave decision to travel across the Atlantic with her alone. Getting into questions from listeners, Rachel and Dennis discuss their favorite and least favorite things about one another, what Dennis thinks his life would be like if he never met Rachel, his previous girlfriends (even one that Rachel didn’t know about), and when they plan to have more kids.As a married couple that are raising a baby and running a business together, Dennis and Rachel conclude by sharing how they compromise to make things work, routines that keep them together, and what’s important at the end of the day – like celebrating their anniversary. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel speaks of her time away from her husband and baby girl and the epiphanies that accompanied her during this time alone. She recollects on her past, and how her childhood shaped her into a ‘fixer’ who always put other’s needs before her own. Now as a working mother, Rachel notices how her attention is pulled in thousands of directions, and still never on herself. After six days on her own, Rachel speaks of the shift she felt in her inner energy and how she reconnected to the grounded and calm person she is at her core. Diving further into this topic, she discusses the ways she can keep this feeling of space and translate it into her everyday life. She realizes that to be a better mother, wife, friend, boss, and more the best thing she can do is take care of herself first. We all need to make sure our cup is full before we try to fill others. It is possible to use the resources we have to arrive to a place where prioritizing ourselves is natural. Recognizing this is the first step, then we can go squeeze our loved ones. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel speaks on the importance of taking alone time to rejuvenate and practice self-care. With the demands of everyday life, taking time for ourselves can be challenging but is so necessary if we wish to offer our best selves to the world.Rachel begins the episode by sharing the emotions that surfaced as she left her baby girl and husband back in Sweden and arrived to Aruba alone. She discusses what led her to travel home early and why leaving Lea Luna was especially challenging for her this time. Diving further into this topic, Rachel speaks of the guilt and shame she places on herself as a new mother and how we are often our own worst critics. With five days of alone time ahead of her, Rachel shares the fears she faced, what led her to a shift in mindset, and how she plans to fully embrace this opportunity to unwind, practice self-love, and focus on what she wants to do, guilt-free. She ends by sharing the first moments she spent grounding herself back home – the best destination of all. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices