Music Is My Mantra

Susanah Stokes - From Millitary to Mindfulness Teacher

🎙️ New episode of Music Is My Mantra is here — Episode #44 is a journey from the battlefield to embodied healing. I’m joined by Susanna Stokes — former Marine Corps officer, Afghanistan veteran, and now mindfulness teacher and energy priestess guiding others through transformation. Susanna shares how music was a lifeline during deployments, how moments of disillusionment cracked open her path to deeper truth, and how plant medicine, ceremony, and song became tools for healing and service. Today, she blends her military discipline with spiritual wisdom to help others reclaim peace, purpose, and connection. 🎙️ Episode Highlights: 🔹 Growing up in a military family and serving two tours in Afghanistan 🔹 Finding medicine in song and music during deployment 🔹 The breaking point that shifted her perspective on war and service 🔹 From Facebook corporate life to spiritual awakening in the Bay Area 🔹 Guiding others through psychedelics, ceremony, and conscious embodiment 💡 Takeaways: 🌱 Healing begins when you reclaim your voice and spirit 🎶 Music carries us through survival, faith, and freedom 💫 Transformation often comes from breaking open 🔥 True service is guiding others into wholeness 🎧 Listen now to Episode #44 — From Military to Mindfulness Teacher with Susanna Stokes: 🌐 Website: https://courtneymckenna.rocks/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymckenna/ 🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneymckenarocks P.S. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn pain into profound purpose, Susanna’s story is proof that healing is possible. ✨

Tim Thomas - Breathwork In Bed

🎙️ New episode of Music Is My Mantra is here — Episode 43 takes us from the battlefield to the breath. I’m joined by Tim Thomas, former Australian Special Forces commando turned breathwork teacher, who discovered in the silence of combat that the breath is life’s hidden rhythm. After facing PTSD, adrenal fatigue, and near-death exhaustion, Tim transformed his pain into purpose — creating the Breathwork in Bed app to help others reclaim rest, energy, and peace. His story is raw, real, and a powerful reminder that the simplest tool we have — our breath — can unlock the resilience and restoration we’ve been searching for. 🎙️ Episode Highlights: 🔹 Lessons from combat: the human spirit under extreme pressure 🔹 Why mental health is often a physical disconnect problem 🔹 The link between poor sleep, burnout, and self-worth 🔹 Simple breathwork tools to reset stress and unlock energy 🔹 How breath becomes the soil for our dormant gifts to flourish 💡 Takeaways: 🌱 Sleep is the foundation of creativity, connection, and healing 💨 Breath is a chemical override that restores balance instantly 🔥 Rest isn’t weakness — it’s the real performance edge 💫 We all carry ancestral strength waiting to be awakened 🎧 Listen now to Episode #43 — “Breathwork In Bed with Tim Thomas”: 🌐 Website: courtneymckenna.rocks/podcast 📸 Instagram: @courtneymckenna 🎥 TikTok: @courtneymckenarocks P.S. If you’ve ever thought rest was optional or felt trapped in burnout, Tim’s story will show you how breath can be your greatest ally. ✨

Mendeleyev - An Improved Life & Circle Singing

🎙️ New Podcast Episode of Music Is My Mantra – Episode #42, and it’s a deep dive into music, community, and creative freedom. I’m joined by Mendeleyev — baritone singer-songwriter, producer, and voice improvisation facilitator — whose career has taken him from The Voice (Team John Legend) to opening for Ben Harper, Jackson Browne, and Madison Cunningham, to leading circle singing communities in Los Angeles Trained by Bobby McFerrin, Mendeleyev blends improvisation, folk, funk, and electronic sounds into storytelling that’s raw, playful, and transformative. In this conversation, we explore how communal singing opens doors to healing, why vulnerability is essential to artistry, and how experimenting with formats (like his album In Waves) can reshape how we experience music 🎙️ Episode Highlights: 🔹 The power of circle singing and carrying forward Bobby McFerrin’s legacy 🔹 How community singing breaks down barriers and invites play 🔹 Stories from Harmonize, his LA-based vocal improv collective 🔹 The making of In Waves and reimagining one song across 15+ styles 🔹 Lessons from collaboration, improvisation, and living in creative “flow” 💡 Takeaways: 🌱 Music is a playground — improvisation reconnects us with joy 🎶 Community and call-and-response can heal self-consciousness 💫 Innovation in format creates deeper listening experiences 🔥 Authentic expression transcends genre and expectation 🎧 Listen now to Episode #42 — “An Improved Life & Circle Singing” with Mendeleyev: 🌐 Website: courtneymckenna.rocks/podcast 📸 Instagram: @courtneymckenna 🎥 TikTok: @courtneymckenarocks P.S. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when music, play, and community collide — this episode will inspire you to step into the circle. ✨

Kyle Flemming - Music Therapy

🎙️ New Podcast Episode of Music Is My Mantra – Episode #40. I’m joined by Kyle Fleming — board-certified music therapist, assistant professor, and clinician specializing in child and adolescent mental health — who shares how music therapy bridges creativity, science, and compassion. From its roots in World War I hospitals to modern trauma-informed care, Kyle takes us through the history of music therapy, his own journey into the field, and what makes music such a unique tool for healing. Today, he works with kids, teens, and communities, using music to unlock expression and transformation where words often fall short. 🎙️ Episode Highlights: 🔹 The origins of music therapy and how it became a clinical practice 🔹 Kyle’s journey from musician to therapist and educator 🔹 Four core methods of music therapy: receptive, recreative, compositional, and improvisational 🔹 The difference between “musicians on call” and certified music therapists 🔹 Stories of transformation—from dementia care to trauma recovery 💡 Takeaways: 🌱 Music therapy is for everyone, not just kids or older adults 🥁 Creative expression helps process trauma when words can’t 💫 Small musical moments can spark life-changing breakthroughs 🎶 Protecting your own musical practice is vital for therapists and musicians alike 🎧 Listen now to Episode #41 — Music Therapy with Kyle Fleming: 🌐 Website: https://courtneymckenna.rocks/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymckenna/ 🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneymckenarocks P.S. If you’ve ever wondered how music can heal, connect, and transform lives, this conversation is a powerful reminder that music is medicine. ✨

Sophia Torrini - Tap Into Your Best Self

🎙️ New Podcast Episode of Music Is My Mantra – Episode #40 and it’s a journey into emotional freedom, healing, and self-empowerment. I’m joined by Sophia Torrini — certified EFT practitioner, neuro change consultant trained by Dr. Joe Dispenza, and founder of Tap Into Your Best Self. Sophia shares her powerful story of survival and transformation — from a near-death surgery and 16 years of health struggles to discovering EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and using it to rewire her brain, release trauma, and reclaim her life. Today, she guides others to break free from old patterns, master their emotions, and embody their most authentic selves. 🎙️ Episode Highlights: 🔹 How unprocessed emotions get stored in the body and create illness 🔹 Why tapping on meridians calms the nervous system and rewires the brain 🔹 The science behind EFT: down-regulating stress genes and activating healing 🔹 Stories of clients overcoming trauma, panic attacks, and limiting beliefs 🔹 Why embodiment and rewriting memories are keys to lasting change 💡 Takeaways: 🌱 Healing begins when you acknowledge and process emotions 🧠 The body holds patterns that the mind alone can’t solve ✨ Tapping is a simple, accessible tool for deep transformation 💫 There’s always another version of you — whole, healthy, and empowered 🎧 Listen now to Episode #40 — Tap Into Your Best Self with Sophia Torrini: 🌐 Website: https://courtneymckenna.rocks/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymckenna/ 🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneymckenarocks P.S. If you’ve ever wondered how to move past fear, trauma, or limiting beliefs — this conversation will show you the path to lasting transformation. ✨