Healed by Fire with Michael Vladeck | #6

Why Our Education System Is Failing Us with James Edwards | #7

What if the way we were taught to live, learn, and succeed is completely out of alignment with how life actually works? In this powerful conversation, educator and regenerative design thinker James Edwards shares the story of a lifelong question that began in childhood while observing nature: Why does modern society feel so disconnected from the world that sustains us? From Montessori classrooms to martial arts, documentary filmmaking, and a life-altering midlife depression, James reveals how each turning point pushed him toward a deeper mission to reconnect humans with nature, intuition, and each other. Together, James and Maira explore what it means to live and learn in harmony with the world around us and why education must evolve if we want a thriving future. Key themes from this episode: • Why conventional education trains obedience instead of curiosity • How reconnecting with the heart can transform the way we live and lead • The principles behind regenerative education and why they matter now If you’ve ever felt that the modern world is moving too fast, too disconnected, or too far from what truly matters, this conversation will remind you that another way of living and learning is possible. Slow down. Listen deeply. And rediscover the wisdom that was there all along.

Healed by Fire with Michael Vladeck | #6

What if the worst moments of your life were actually your initiation? Psychotherapist and guide Michael Vladeck shares the raw story behind his transformation from a suicidal, rage-filled teen to a deeply embodied teacher of human potential. After surviving a suicide attempt at 17 and living nearly eight years with late-stage incurable cancer, Michael discovered that nothing was “wrong” with him. He was simply human and uninitiated into his own experience. In this intimate and powerful conversation, we explore what it really means to heal, to embody, and to take radical responsibility for your life without shame. In this episode, we dive into: • Why nothing is wrong with you and why that changes everything • The alchemy of gentleness and radical accountability • How to process trauma instead of being defined by it • Why embodiment is the key to real transformation • How facing death can radically clarify how you live Michael’s story is not about bypassing pain. It is about relaxing into it, metabolizing it, and discovering the intelligence within your own nervous system. If you have ever felt broken, lost, depressed, or unsure whether change is possible, this conversation is your reminder that transformation is real and it is available to you. Your struggle is not proof that you are failing. It may be proof that you are being initiated.

The Parasympathetic Mechanic with Stephen Terrell | #5

What if healing isn’t about fixing yourself—but about being deeply, safely met? In this powerful conversation, Stephen Terrell—psychotherapist, teacher, and self-described parasympathetic mechanic—shares the story behind his life’s work: a childhood shaped by profound trauma, instability, and loss, and a long, nonlinear journey toward nervous system regulation, compassion, and relational safety. Together with Maira, Stephen explores how early adversity became the medicine he now offers others through therapeutic touch, somatic regulation, and radical presence. This episode is a masterclass in slowing down, listening to the body, and letting go of the healer’s ego in favor of creating the conditions where healing can naturally emerge. In this episode, you’ll explore: * Why the parasympathetic nervous system is the foundation of safety, connection, and healing * How “doing nothing” can be profoundly therapeutic * Reclamation vs. release: integrating trauma without abandoning parts of yourself If you’re a clinician, healer, or human longing for deeper regulation and real connection, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are—and gently invite you further in. This podcast wasn't always called Healing For Grown Ass Adults. A year and a half ago, when I started recording and preparing this podcast, it was called Life Mystic. As you listen to this episode, know that I was going through the process of figuring out how to be me in an expression different from my role as a somatic therapist and psychedelic medicine practitioner. I invite you to listen to this conversation with an open mind and an understanding that we are all always in process.

How to Be Less Lost with Jay Moon Fields | #4

What if healing isn’t about becoming better—but about finally coming home to yourself? Somatic coach, writer, and Hey, Wait podcast host Jay Moon Fields shares her deeply human journey through shame, embodiment, spiritual awakening, and the hard-earned wisdom that came from learning to forgive herself. From living wild and free in nature to navigating marriage, betrayal, bankruptcy, and legacy-breaking moments, Jay reveals how the body—not the mind—holds the key to real change. Together, Jay and Maira explore what it truly means to live somatically, how choice emerges through embodiment, and why having a good experience of yourself might be the most radical practice there is. In this episode, we explore: * Why embodiment creates real choice (and ends survival-mode living) * Healing shame through self-compassion, not self-improvement * What it means to be a mystic in everyday, modern life If you’ve ever felt disconnected, contracted, or quietly lost—this conversation is an invitation to soften, breathe, and remember who you are.

Healing the Shame That Splits Us with Isaac Archuleta | #3

What if the very thing you were taught to hate about yourself became your greatest gift to the world? In this deeply moving conversation, Maira sits down with queer therapist and founder of I Am Clinic, Isaac Archuleta, who shares his journey from growing up as the son of conservative ministers—steeped in toxic and traumatic shame—to reclaiming his body, his desires, and his inherent value. Isaac opens up about the moment his healing began, how shame became trauma in his nervous system, and the powerful tools that helped him integrate his identity, heal developmental wounds, and transform suffering into service. Together, Maira and Isaac explore how mindfulness, somatic therapy, inferential CBT, relational repair, and psychedelic-assisted therapy can reconnect us to our bodies and restore a felt sense of safety, dignity, and self-trust. In this episode, you’ll hear about: * The difference between everyday shame and traumatic shame—and how it hijacks the nervous system * Why authenticity is the lived experience of inherent value, not just a mindset * How somatic healing, titration, and relational repair can turn a “torture chamber” body into heaven on earth If you’ve ever felt split inside, disconnected from your body, or unworthy of love, this episode is an invitation to remember who you are—and to discover what becomes possible when shame is no longer in the driver’s seat. This podcast wasn't always called Healing For Grown Ass Adults. A year and a half ago, when I started recording and preparing this podcast, it was called Life Mystic. As you listen to this episode, know that I was going through the process of figuring out how to be me in an expression different from my role as a somatic therapist and psychedelic medicine practitioner. I invite you to listen to this conversation with an open mind and an understanding that we are all always in process.