The Art of Relating

Ep. 20: Unfreezing From Performance with Julie Anne Shapiro

What does your voice have to do with the male gaze? More than you think. In this conversation, I sit down with Julie Anne Shapiro — vocal sound healer, theatre artist, ritualist, community builder and guest teacher inside Awakening the Wild Woman — to explore the profound intersection of voice, performance, and somatic healing. We talk about what it means to stop performing for the gaze and start expressing from the body. About the difference between singing to be chosen and singing to be close to yourself. About containment, wildness, and why the most magnetic thing you can do is stop giving yourself away. In this episode: 1. Why your voice freezes when you're performing for approval — and what unlocks it 2. The paradox of containment: how holding your energy in actually makes you more magnetic 3. What musical theater taught us both about unfreezing from perfectionism 4. The "pick-me girl" pattern in performance — and in dating 5. How ritual theater and sacred sound healing reconnect us to our bodies 6. The balance of masculine and feminine in art, voice, and life 7. Why the most compelling performers aren't the most technically perfect — they're the most present 8. Working in nature as a somatic and vocal practice 9. The feminine without the masculine as a wildfire without containment Join Awakening the Wild Woman Learn more [https://www.somatic-spirit.com/awakeningthewildwomanapply] Work with Julie Learn more [https://www.j-shapiro.com/lessons.html?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio] Follow Julie on IG @trulie_julie_ [https://www.instagram.com/trulie_julie_?igsh=aTdnYTdlbDZqb2Y3] Song: Ayla Nereo “Seeds" [https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKvXE40MoEB7yBy1uspcm?si=686baaddd4344109]

Ep. 19: The Peace Work Happening in Israel + Palestine You Haven't Seen with Ann Bradney

I sit down with my teacher Ann Bradney, founder of Radical Aliveness, to talk about her ground-breaking work facilitating a two-year leadership training program in Israel that brings together Israeli Jews and Palestinians Within this program, Ann leads deep process groups where participants learn to hold intense emotions, face painful truths, and stay connected across seemingly impossible divides. The program began before October 7th—and even as terror broke out, leaders from both sides risked their lives to keep meeting. Amidst all the outrage and polarization we see in the media, this quiet, steady peace work has been happening behind the scenes, on the ground. Ann shares bittersweet, heart-wrenching stories of what unfolds when people from vastly different worlds choose to meet in their differences, stay with the mess, and keep coming back to one another with the hope of creating a different future for generations to come. We explore: →The core principles of Radical Aliveness: Knowing I Don’t Know, Being Willing to be Changed, Honoring Multiple Perspectives, Welcoming Everything, Cultivating a Non-Shaming Heart, and Do No Harm/Do Your Part →What it takes to hold real conflict without forcing resolution →How a group that began before October 7th continues to meet across checkpoints, grief, and fear →Why allowing difference—rather than sameness—creates the conditions for peace This episode is about courage, humility, and the quiet miracle of people staying in the room when the world says they shouldn’t. Support the Israel + Palestine Peace Leadership Program Donate [https://radicalaliveness.org/peace-leadership-program] Ann’s Letter’s From the Program Learn More [https://radicalaliveness.org/letters] Radical Aliveness Principles Learn More [https://radicalaliveness.org/principles] Song: Ayla Nereo “Seeds" [https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKvXE40MoEB7yBy1uspcm?si=686baaddd4344109&nd=1&dlsi=04c059f0e2784785]

Ep. 18: Real-Time Rupture Repair with my BFF Kate

This isn’t a conversation about relational repair—we’re actually doing it in real time.  Kate (my best friend of 22+ years) and I hit some big ruptures this past month. We were in an intensive training together, then went straight into a retreat that I hosted at my house. We were both at our limit… and we hit three big triggers that needed to be resolved later.  In this episode, we work through repair for these recent ruptures:  → When she missed her flight and I couldn’t show up how she needed → A trigger around money and unspoken expectations → A painful rupture at the end of a retreat day when we both needed totally different things  If you’ve ever felt afraid of conflict in your closest relationships, this one’s for you.  Work with me: Schedule a Discovery Call [https://calendly.com/somaticspirit/discovery] Book a Session [https://calendly.com/somaticspirit/1-1-somatic-spirit-session-clone-1] Song:  Ayla Nereo “Seeds" [https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKvXE40MoEB7yBy1uspcm?si=686baaddd4344109]

Ep. 17: Anxious Attachment, Heartbreak & Coming Home to Self with Brittany Frank

This is the other side of the story.  In this deeply honest follow-up to “Avoidant Men CAN Heal,” we hear from Brittany—somatic experiencing practitioner, attachment re-patterning guide, and James’s partner—about her lived experience navigating anxious attachment, rupture, and the long, disorienting path of healing.  We talk about what it felt like when James said “you’re not the one” in front of a room full of people, how heartbreak cracked her open, and what it really took to rebuild herself—body, mind, and spirit—after the breakup.  Brittany shares the tools that held her through the spiral, the rage and tenderness she had to reclaim, and how practicing devotion (not just processing) changed everything.  We explore: → The somatic reality of anxious attachment and what healing actually feels like → How to tell the difference between a boundary and an ultimatum → Why spiritual compatibility matters—and why it doesn’t mean sameness → What intimacy practice looks like now in her marriage to James → How relationship can become a sacred, daily path to presence  This conversation is a balm for anyone who’s ever clung to crumbs of connection, doubted their worth, or wondered if they’d ever feel safe in love again.  If you're healing, holding on, or learning how to let go—this one is for you.  Work With Brittany  Touching the Earth Somatics [https://www.touchingtheearthsomatics.com/] Song:  Ayla Nereo “Seeds" [https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKvXE40MoEB7yBy1uspcm?si=686baaddd4344109]

Ep. 16: Avoidant Men CAN Heal with James Nepenthe Frank

In this intimate, soul-bearing conversation, James Nepenthe Frank—Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, dharma teacher, and former monk—shares the journey of transforming from emotionally unavailable and intimacy avoidant to a man fully devoted to love.  We discuss the alchemy of group somatic work, radical honesty, and the quiet, relentless devotion of spiritual practice.  Together, we explore how healing attachment is not just psychological—it’s spiritual. How relationship, when met with courage and reverence, becomes a living altar. A path to awakening. A place where even avoidant men can heal.  If you’ve ever felt stuck in longing, shame, or old relational patterns, this conversation will remind you: it’s never too late to choose love.  Tune in for a transmission on grief, transformation, and the sacred possibility inside every connection.  Apply for James’ Mens Group  More Info [https://www.nepenthesomatics.com/mens-work]  Somatic Process Group Waitlist  Sign Up Now [https://www.somatic-spirit.com/somaticprocessgroups]  Radical Aliveness Group Docuseries  Watch Now [https://radicalaliveness.org/the-group-documentary]  Song:  Ayla Nereo “Seeds" [https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKvXE40MoEB7yBy1uspcm?si=686baaddd4344109]