The Shadow Side with Safrianna

Make America Sick Again with Dr. Matt Van Auken

Guest — Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH The Buddha's Medicine: thebuddhasmedicine.com Living Seasons Project: thebuddhasmedicine.com/offerings-events/the-living-seasons-project --- In this episode of The Shadow Side with Safrianna, host Safrianna Lughna, LCPC, MS, welcomes back returning guest Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH — triple board-certified physician and director of The Buddha's Medicine clinic in SE Portland, Oregon, with more than 15 years of Ayurvedic study and practice — for a frank, wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of U.S. policy, environmental health, and individual wellbeing. Recorded in mid-March 2026, the episode takes a clear-eyed look at the wave of regulatory rollbacks affecting air quality, water safety, pesticide protections, and healthcare access — and asks the pointed question: what does all of this mean for our bodies? Dr. Matt brings both clinical expertise and Ayurvedic wisdom to the conversation, grounding the discussion in the foundational importance of clean air and breath, and tracing very real health consequences — from respiratory disease to endocrine disruption — when environmental protections are stripped away. Together, Safrianna and Dr. Matt examine the impact of PFAS (forever chemicals), glyphosate and pesticide deregulation, cuts to federal health agencies, and the ongoing erosion of healthcare affordability. They also address the outsized influence of industry lobbying on public health policy and nutritional guidelines, and what it means for ordinary people when those structures operate without accountability. The conversation doesn't stop at the problem. Safrianna and Dr. Matt close with grounded, accessible guidance for navigating these challenges: building community and mutual aid networks, eating seasonally and simply, voting with your spending, reducing plastic and chemical exposure at home, and bringing mindful, energetic intention to how we nourish ourselves. Dr. Matt also shares details about his newly launched Living Seasons Project — an Ayurvedic seasonal preventive health program available through The Buddha's Medicine. The episode ends with a call to collective resilience: we are still here, we still have each other, and that is where hope lives.

Rebels By Design with Adriana Keefe

In this episode of The Shadow Side, Safrianna sits down with Adriana Keefe — the Human Design Priestess — for a rich, wide-ranging conversation about what it means to be wired for rebellion, and how the wounds that shape us can become the very source of our power. Adriana opens up about her history of surviving sexual and physical abuse, and the long arc of her healing journey — from a young woman who kept moving forward without fully understanding why, to a mother whose daughter's birth became the catalyst for finally speaking out. Together, Safrianna and Adriana explore how generational trauma, the wound of receiving, and disconnection from the womb and sacral center intersect with both personal healing and collective transformation. The conversation weaves through human design — particularly the sacral center as the seat of joy, creativity, passion, and life force — and what happens when survivors are cut off from that space. Adriana speaks candidly about the layers of her own money journey, her experience as a mixed-race (half Puerto Rican) white-presenting woman navigating identity and belonging, and how she is learning to trust herself as a voice in the world — cautiously, deliberately, and authentically. Safrianna and Adriana also reflect on the shadow side of self-development culture: the trap of constant healing work as a substitute for actually living, and the radical act of letting life be easy. The episode closes with an invitation to approach shadow work with curiosity and play rather than a fixing mindset — and a reminder that the power to rebel already lives inside you. CONNECT WITH ADRIANA Adriana Keefe — Website: https://adrianakeefe.com The Magnetic Rebellion Community: https://themagneticrebellion.com Podcast: The No BS Human Design Podcast — available on major platforms Instagram: https://instagram.com/adrikeefe CONNECT WITH SAFRIANNA Website: https://Safrianna.com Substack: https://Safrianna.substack.com Email: Guide@Safrianna.com Podcast Hub: https://the-shadow-side-with-safrianna.captivate.fm/listen

Imagining Our Way Through with Dr. Melissa Bird

Dr. Melissa Bird — lay preacher, public speaker, author, podcaster, and congressional candidate https://drmelissabird.com [https://drmelissabird.com/] --- Season 2, Episode 1 | “Imagining Our Way Through” | Guest: Dr. Melissa Bird In the first episode of Season 2, Safrianna Lughna welcomes back Dr. Melissa Bird — returning guest, dear friend, and fellow disruptor — for a wide-ranging conversation about imagination and creativity as radical, healing acts for turbulent times. Drawing on Dr. Bird’s concept of the “creativity timeline” and Safrianna’s own journey toward writing her second novel, the two dig into why adults are conditioned to abandon creative play — and how that conditioning is rooted in white supremacist, patriarchal systems that reserve artistic freedom for a narrow class of people. They explore how reclaiming imagination isn’t escapism; it’s resistance. It’s alchemy. It’s what keeps us from taking our darkness out on each other. The conversation moves through shadow work, the soul’s calling, the seduction of overconsumption, the “shitty shoulds,” self-made prisons (hello, Devil card), and the both/and nature of being human in a turbulent moment. Dr. Bird reflects on running for Congress, needle felting as stress relief, and meditating to Metallica. Safrianna reflects on unhooking from the American Dream and the urgent, tearful realization that now is the time to write. They close with card pulls from their respective decks — Transformation (Living Altar Oracle) and the Sword of Light (Gateway of Light Activation Oracle) — both pointing toward the fire of this moment and what it’s asking of us. A joyful, grounded, and fiercely honest Season 2 opener about why your creative expression matters — not just for you, but for the collective.

Building the World We Actually Want

Building the World We Actually Want — The Shadow Side with Safrianna, Season 1 Finale (Ep. 21) In this Season 1 finale, licensed trauma therapist and Queer-Spirit Guide Safrianna Lughna reflects on the collective uncovering that unfolded across 20 episodes of The Shadow Side — and makes the case for what comes next: building the world we actually want to live in. Safrianna synthesizes the major shadows named throughout Season 1 — from the profit-driven healthcare system and domestic abuse tactics operating at a governmental scale, to the BITE model of authoritarian control, the quick-fix trap, and the generational trauma cycles that keep us stuck. She highlights the healing frameworks, tools, and wisdom that every guest brought to the table, from spiritual awakening and seasonal rhythms to neurodiversity, intergenerational healing, and inclusive community building. From there, she introduces the concept of regenerative activism versus reactive activism — exploring how sustainable change requires us to move beyond the urgency of rage into long-term, self-care-rooted action. She makes the case that individual healing IS collective liberation, and that the quality of our inner work is what separates sacred activism from performative activism. The episode closes with practical guidance for listeners ready to build a better world, including guarding your energy as sacred, building support systems before crisis, honoring your seasons, questioning hierarchy, practicing joy as resistance, and finding people who can hold both your shadow and your light. She Discusses: — A synthesis of the collective shadows uncovered across Season 1 — Reactive activism versus regenerative activism — and why sustainability matters — How individual healing moves into collective liberation — The difference between sacred activism and performative activism — Practical steps for building the world we actually want — Why compassion must start with yourself before it can extend outward — Joy and pleasure as resistance, not reward This podcast is for anyone ready to explore uncomfortable truths, do the inner work, and contribute to collective healing. If you're tired of surface-level conversations and ready to go deeper, this is your space. Contact: Guide@Safrianna.com | Safrianna.com

When Gaia Suffers

When Gaia Suffers — The Shadow Side with Safrianna Ep. 20 In this solo episode, licensed trauma therapist and Queer-Spirit Guide Safrianna Lughna explores what happens to highly sensitive people when the planet itself is suffering. Drawing on her own lifelong connection to earth energy — from childhood days in the branches of her "mother maple" to her work with clients navigating climate grief — Safrianna introduces the concept of Earth Sense as one of three foundational intuitive gifts every human carries. She breaks down the difference between empathy, energy sensitivity, and earth sense, and explains what it means to be a "trifecta" — someone carrying all three. For those with earth sense, environmental disasters aren't just sad news events. They land in the body as grief, dread, and overwhelm sourced directly from the planet herself. Safrianna offers grounding practices, practical tools for managing energetic and informational overload, and a guided breathwork and visualization to help listeners reconnect to the earth, send healing energy, and come home to themselves. She Discusses: — The three foundational intuitive gifts: empathy, energy sensitivity, and earth sense — What it means to be a trifecta and why it hits differently right now — Why doom scrolling is an energy leak, not an act of care — How to create containers around news consumption — The difference between self-sacrifice and sustainable activism — Why ceremony and community are acts of resistance — A guided grounding practice to send healing through the roots This podcast is for anyone ready to explore uncomfortable truths, do the inner work, and contribute to collective healing. If you're tired of surface-level conversations and ready to go deeper, this is your space. Content Warning: This episode discusses climate grief, environmental anxiety, and collective suffering. Contact: Guide@Safrianna.com | Safrianna.com [http://safrianna.com/]