" The stigma against receiving help with some mental challenges is terrible, and we need to stop that" with Beverly_Episode 23

"Every single person is God, individualized, walking on the planet" with Awilda_Episode 25

Awilda Rivera empowers people to step into their fullest lives—now. A former law graduate who pivoted from a predictable path after a heart attack at age 26, she blends Certified Success Coaching, bespoke travel curation, and spiritual guidance to create transformational experiences that deliver measurable growth, balance, and joy. Her coaching pairs practical strategy with personal development to convert clarity into sustainable financial and life gains; Artemis World Travel removes the guesswork from meaningful journeys with 15+ years of industry expertise so clients simply pack and show up. Author of Success Math: A Millennial’s Qualitative Approach [https://a.co/d/0gybeJlM], an ordained minister and 7th-generation shaman, she also leads the Diving Awakening Academy—a safe, collaborative space for seekers. Whether clients seek a roadmap to success, a life-changing trip, or spiritual advisement, she brings ethical rigor, heart, and a proven framework to help them claim freedom, direction, and lasting impact. Links to connect with Awilda: www.AwildaRivera.com [http://www.awildarivera.com/] www.ArtemisWorldtravel.com [http://www.artemisworldtravel.com/] Divine Awakening Academy: https://www.skool.com/divine-insight-academdy-7603/about [https://www.skool.com/divine-insight-academdy-7603/about] Bedivinelyawakened@gmail.com [Bedivinelyawakened@gmail.com] For listeners that might be new to the concept of energy healing and universal consciousness, please check out previous Beholden episodes 10, 13, 16, 17, 21, as well as the intermissions . Additionally, while editing this podcast, Allison found an episode with the Telepathy Tapes that might interest the listener - Energy Healing Part 1 [https://thetelepathytapes.com/podcast/the-telepathy-tapes-s2-e8 ] and Part 2 [https://thetelepathytapes.com/podcast/the-telepathy-tapes-s2-e9] For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services. If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/shop/Ignitewell-being]Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.* If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Participate’ in the subject line. To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website [https://ignitewell-being.com/], Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ignitewellbeing], Substack [https://d.docs.live.net/97484375fa467307/Documents/Website%20for%20Ignite%20wellbeing/podcast/interview%20questions%20with%20lali.docx#EEE;background:white;%22frameborder=%220%22scrolling=%22no%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E], or Linktree [https://linktr.ee/ignitewellbeing]. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. [https://calendly.com/ignitewellbeing-naperville] Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable. Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier. Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

"[A] person who exists deserves the human dignity of every single person. That has to be the North Star." with Qasim_Episode 24

Qasim Rashid is a human rights lawyer, author, and former nominee for U.S. Congress. He received his BSc from the University of Illinois at Chicago, his JD from Richmond Law, and served as a visiting fellow at Harvard University. Qasim’s human rights work includes supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, representing asylum seekers, and serving as a first responder to global disasters. He has published numerous books, academic law reviews, and articles across the media spectrum in TIME, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and USA Today. Qasim is the Founder and President of Just Win, a creator representation firm focused on social justice and human rights. He runs a popular human rights Substack with 177,000 subscribers titled "Let's Address This with Qasim Rashid,” and has more than 2.6 Million total social media followers. You can find him across platforms @QasimRashid. Talk to me: Changing the Narrative on Race, Religion, and Education by Qasim Rashid can be found here [https://www.abebooks.com/9780989397742/Talk-Changing-Narrative-Race-Religion-0989397742/plp]. For the listener wanting to learn more about topics discussed: Articles on racial wealth gap: https://ncrc.org/the-racial-wealth-gap-1992-to-2022/ [https://ncrc.org/the-racial-wealth-gap-1992-to-2022/] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-wealth-is-increasing-but-so-is-the-racial-wealth-gap/ [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-wealth-is-increasing-but-so-is-the-racial-wealth-gap/] https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/the-heist/racist-history-wealth-gap-redlining-maps/ [https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/the-heist/racist-history-wealth-gap-redlining-maps/] Articles on incarceration, police brutality, and race https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7331505/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7331505/] https://www.nacdl.org/Content/Race-and-Policing [https://www.nacdl.org/Content/Race-and-Policing] https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet [https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet] https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/policekillingsandassaults [https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/policekillingsandassaults] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9540942/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9540942/] https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/racial_and_ethnic_disparities/ [https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/racial_and_ethnic_disparities/] For those that prefer watching vs reading information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film)] Books mentioned in the podcast: Quaking of America by Resmaa Menakem [https://bookshop.org/a/14115/9781949481747] Radical as root or foundation, see the book The Conversation by Robert Livingston [https://bookshop.org/a/14115/9780593238561] For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services. If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including emotional and social intelligence and anti-racism, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/shop/Ignitewell-being]Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.* If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Participate’ in the subject line. To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website [https://ignitewell-being.com/], Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ignitewellbeing], Substack [https://d.docs.live.net/97484375fa467307/Documents/Website%20for%20Ignite%20wellbeing/podcast/interview%20questions%20with%20lali.docx#EEE;background:white;%22frameborder=%220%22scrolling=%22no%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E], or Linktree [https://linktr.ee/ignitewellbeing]. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. [https://calendly.com/ignitewellbeing-naperville] Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable. Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier. Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

" The stigma against receiving help with some mental challenges is terrible, and we need to stop that" with Beverly_Episode 23

Beverly Trafton is a woman of trans experience, living in the western suburbs of Chicago. She is a licensed electrologist and owns her own business, Transcendent Electrolysis [https://www.transcendentelectrolysis.com/], where she is open to serving all but centers her care for trans and gender diverse folk. In this podcast, she discusses more about her mental health journey, including partial hospitalization program (PHP) and the use of therapeutic ketamine. We also discuss the individualization of mental illness (ie pathologizing the individual) verses considering how relationship and community can contribute to or manufacture illness. Content awareness: we discuss mental health challenges and trauma. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider, and/or please consider reaching out to The Trevor Project (which specializes in suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ folks; if you are not LGBTQIA+ but have funds you wish to use to support those in crisis, please consider donating to The Trevor Project). Additionally, we discuss the therapeutic use of ketamine.We are not advocating for that use for individual listeners. If you are interested in the use of therapeutic or medical substances for your personal mental health journey, please seek out the assistance of a trained medical provider. For more information on ketamine therapy, please see this link [https://join.journeyclinical.com/ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy] For more information on trauma and the body, please see the works of Resmaa Menakem [https://resmaa.com/], Gabor Mate [https://drgabormate.com/], Judith Lewis Herman, Zhenevere Sophia Dao, [https://www.zheneveresophiadao.com/] and Emily Nakoski [https://www.emilynagoski.com/] as incredibly starting points. For more information on trans folk, please see the WPATH [https://wpath.org/]; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves [http://transbodies.com/]; GSRD model [https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/22810/bacp-gender-sexual-relationship-diversity-gpacp001-mar23.pdf]; Dean Spade’s work [https://www.deanspade.net/]; AASECT [https://www.aasect.org/] as a resource for folks wishing to speak to a sexuality health professional. Interested in listening to Beverly’s first episode?, here’s the link [https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/18d79157-8ab7-4f49-8d88-b770a455bc63/Beholden-Episode-1-with-Beverly-converted.mp3]. For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services. If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including sexuality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/shop/Ignitewell-being]Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.* If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Participate’ in the subject line. To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website [https://ignitewell-being.com/], Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ignitewellbeing], Substack [https://d.docs.live.net/97484375fa467307/Documents/Website%20for%20Ignite%20wellbeing/podcast/interview%20questions%20with%20lali.docx#EEE;background:white;%22frameborder=%220%22scrolling=%22no%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E], or Linktree [https://linktr.ee/ignitewellbeing]. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. [https://calendly.com/ignitewellbeing-naperville] Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable. Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier. Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

"Together, we are the rising tide" with Jennifer_Episode 22

Jennifer Wright-Berryman (she/her), Ph.D. is an associate professor of social work at the University of Cincinnati. She studies suicide prevention and equitable death care for LGBTQIA+ communities. Jennifer recently published the book Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death with Dr. Staci Zavattaro (University of Central Florida). Jennifer is the co-founder (with Kat Vancil-Coleman) of Equal Deathcare [https://www.equaldeathcare.org/], a website resource for LGBTQIA+ communities to access death care resources nationally and in their home state. Jennifer has also authored two novels, The Dying Five and The Dying Five, 2. More information about Jennifer and her books can be found on her website [https://jenniferwrightberryman.com/]. In this interview, Jennifer discusses her identities, the invisibility of non-heterosexual identities when married to a person of the opposite gender, privilege, "research poverty", fluidity of attraction and various intimacies beyond the sexualized, her work in bringing equity into death care, and her creative process and making time for writing. Content awareness: we briefly discuss death and suicide. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider, and/or please consider reaching out to The Trevor Project [https://www.thetrevorproject.org/] (which specializes in suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ folks; if you are not LGBTQIA+ but have funds you wish to use to support those in crisis, please consider donating to The Trevor Project). For additional conversations about death, please consider attending a Death Café [https://deathcafe.com/] (these occur regularly around the world, virtually and in-person; Allison hosts these once a month) and listening to other episodes of this podcast (such as 3, 4, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 21). For the listener that might be less familiar with the differences between equity and equality, please see a good descriptive article here [https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/equity-vs-equality/]. Essentially, equality works to treat folks equally, whereas equity acknowledges that systems treat folks unequally and works to level the systems by supporting folks in specific ways to make their experience on par with that of others. From this space of equity, equality can then be utilized more effectively. For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services. If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including death and dying, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/shop/Ignitewell-being] Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.* If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Participate’ in the subject line. To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website [https://ignitewell-being.com/], Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ignitewellbeing], Substack [https://d.docs.live.net/97484375fa467307/Documents/Website%20for%20Ignite%20wellbeing/podcast/interview%20questions%20with%20lali.docx#EEE;background:white;%22frameborder=%220%22scrolling=%22no%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E], or Linktree [https://linktr.ee/ignitewellbeing]. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. [https://calendly.com/ignitewellbeing-naperville] Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable. Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier. Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

"We can change the world by loving one person next to us today" with Christian Sundberg_Episode 21

Christian Sundberg is a project manager for complex nuclear pump and valve manufacturing projects and a public speaker, having presented at over 100 events. Additionally, Christian’s life has had a unique spiritual trajectory, which includes out of body experiences and pre-birth memories. Christian shares his spiritual perspectives and experiences in a book called A Walk in the Physical. More information about Christian, his experience, and his book can be found on his website here [https://awalkinthephysical.com/]. In this interview, Christian discusses a variety of existential and spiritual topics, including nonduality and paradox, fear and love, contrast as opportunity for growth, physical life as a highly sensitive human, psi skills, materialism, meditation, and the quantum field. (So buckle up listeners, this one is a journey that navigates through big topics. Please do come back for multiple listens as you process his words and work.) Content awareness: we briefly discuss death and suicide. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider. For additional conversations about death, please consider attending a Death Café [https://deathcafe.com/] (Allison hosts once a month but these occur regularly around the world). Resources mentioned include Tom Campbell’s My Big TOE trilogy (first book linked here [https://bookshop.org/a/14115/9780972509404]), Tom Campbell in Spain YouTube video series [https://youtu.be/0AihD2__gKE?si=US663Jg7jNPRn-Hb], Silver Birch [https://www.spiritualtruthfoundation.org/barbanell-silver-birch/], Seth Speaks [https://www.amberallen.com/product/books/seth-speaks/] (channeled by Jane Roberts), and Mike Marable [https://www.mikemarable.com/]. Additional resources that align with Christian’s work and might support the listener in their learning and deeper dives are that of Paul Selig [https://paulselig.com/], Lee Harris [https://www.leeharrisenergy.com/], and Gary Zukav [https://bookshop.org/a/14115/9780061926389]. Lastly, be sure to check out Episode 17 of this podcast with Lali to hear about her near death experience, a relative of a pre birth experience. For related writings to this topic, please see my Patreon page as well, where I discuss relationship and spirituality, regularly, and have a post about my use of We as a pronoun here [https://www.patreon.com/posts/we-as-pronoun-66261472?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link]. For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services. If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/shop/Ignitewell-being]Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.* If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Participate’ in the subject line. To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website [https://ignitewell-being.com/], Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ignitewellbeing], Substack [https://d.docs.live.net/97484375fa467307/Documents/Website%20for%20Ignite%20wellbeing/podcast/interview%20questions%20with%20lali.docx#EEE;background:white;%22frameborder=%220%22scrolling=%22no%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E], or Linktree [https://linktr.ee/ignitewellbeing]. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. [https://calendly.com/ignitewellbeing-naperville] Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable. Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier. Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.