Soul Net

Megan Lammam, Dayna Bango and Islena Faircrest

Join us in the Soul Net, where we bring the realities of middle age to light and create a supportive community for healthy growth. Friends and wellness practitioners, Megan, Dayna, and Islena, dive deep into topics such as raising teens, empty nesting, menopause, death, and divorce. The hosts share personal stories and resources to support learning and connection. Megan Lammam, Author and Forest Therapy Guide Dayna Bango, Movement and Ayurveda Lifestyle Coach Islena Faircrest, Somatic Therapist and Yoga Educator

  1. Sep 9

    Ep 49: Five Authors, one book--the story behind Parts Work Guidebook.

    There Are No Bad Parts — Finding Your Way Back to Yourself. What if the parts of yourself you struggle with most aren't actually the problem—but parts of you that learned how to survive? Join us as Dana & Megan turn the mic towards their longtime friend & co-host, Islena Faircrest, to celebrate the release of her new Parts Work Guidebook, co-authored with 4 fellow IFS practitioners. They explore what Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work can teach us about our personalities, protective patterns, shame, trauma, relationships, and coming home to ourselves with greater compassion. Islena shares how the five-author Guidebook grew from years of community practice, why it's accessible to complete beginners, and how its 23 guided exercises help us become curious about our thoughts, emotions, body sensations, impulses, and recurring patterns. Hear about a free community practice group supporting the book, the importance of going slowly rather than trying to “fix” ourselves, and Islena's unexpected journey from yoga teacher and coach into IFS. We explore shame, why there are no bad parts, how protective patterns can soften when we understand their origins, and how IFS helped Islena make peace with some of the “prickly parts” emerging through midlife & menopause. Sometimes the very things we thought were “in the way” may actually be the way home. Xo TIMELINE: 00:00–02:00 — From high school friends to published authorsDana and Megan introduce Islena and celebrate this full-circle moment with their longtime friend. 02:00–04:00 — How five practitioners created one guidebookThe four-and-a-half-year collaborative process and how the book grew from a community practice group. 04:00–06:00 — You don't need to know IFS to beginWho the Guidebook is for and how Parts Work can complement professional therapy. 06:00–08:00 — What exactly is IFS?A simple introduction to the idea that our psyche naturally contains many different “parts.” 08:00–10:00 — There are no bad partsWhy IFS doesn't pathologize reactive or uncomfortable parts, and how protective behaviours develop. 10:00–12:00 — Shame, survival and the “fracturing” of ourselvesHow overwhelming experiences can shape our beliefs, protective strategies, and sense of self. 12:00–14:00 — How shame gets under the skinExploring the “I'm bad and wrong” story and the role of compassion in healing. 14:00–16:00 — Attachment, childhood and our earliest relationshipsHow early relationships & attachment experiences can shape our internal worlds. 16:00–18:00 — Living in an overstimulating worldWhy modern stress & overstimulation continue to challenge our nervous systems. 18:00–20:00 — How Islena found IFS almost by accidentHer journey from yoga teaching and coaching into Internal Family Systems. 20:00–22:00 — Surrender, connection and life's unexpected giftsA personal reflection on connection, leaving home young, and reconnecting decades later. 22:00–24:00 — 23 exercises to get curious about yourselfWhat readers actually do in the Parts Work Guidebook and how the exercises uncover patterns. 24:00–26:00 — Your own pocket coach, mentor and guideWhy slowing down, journaling, and reflection can build an ongoing relationship with yourself. 26:00–28:00 — You don't have to do the work aloneInside the free Parts Work Practice community & guided sessions. 28:00–30:00 — Why this isn't a book to read in one sittingThe value of titration, practice, and taking one small step at a time. 30:00–32:00 — The “prickly parts” of menopause and midlifeBoundaries, people-pleasing, maturity, and the parts that emerge when we're no longer abandoning our own needs. 32:00–33:30 — Softening the parts we once judgedUnderstanding the “why” behind our protective patterns can create compassion & help us shed light on the parts we once tried to hide. Learn more about Islena and her work at www.onboardwellness.com and find the Parts Work Guidebook and free Parts Work Practice community at www.partsworkpractice.com.

  2. Mar 31

    Ep 47: Navigating the Chaos of our Times

    We are living in very challenging times that call on us to show up with courage and love. In this episode, we are talking about some of the poor leadership that we are seeing around the world along with the tactical manipulation of media and women. If you feel exhausted, triggered, and disgusted by the ongoing methods of mass confusion (and destruction), you are not alone! We’re feeling it too and taking this opportunity to connect and share some self-care practices to help keep you safe, strong and grounded during these times. If you have self-care practices to share, we'd love to hear from you. Join us in the spirit of strength, love, community and conversation. Meet us in the Soul Net! References in this episode: The Map of Consciousness Explained by David R. Hawkins Offerings include: Try a 5-minute H Drill technique (H-Pattern Eye Movement Test) recommended by Dayna Try a 5-minute breathing exercise offered by Islena Try a 5-minute sensory writing exercise offered by Megan: pick a sense to explore. Write one sentence describing what you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. 🎧 Episode Timeline: 00:00 – 03:30 Naming the Collective Weight Returning after a pause, the hosts acknowledge the emotional toll of recent global events and open a space for collective reflection, care, and reconnection. 03:30 – 07:00Information Overload, AI, and the Erosion of TrustA conversation on misinformation, AI-generated content, and how confusion is shaping our sense of reality and safety in the world. 07:00 – 10:30Finding Ground in ChaosThe importance of surrounding yourself with people and communities that help regulate your nervous system and bring you back to steadiness. 10:30 – 14:00Women, Triggers, and Collective MemoryExploring how current events activate deep wounds—especially for women—and the historical normalization of harm now being seen more clearly. 14:00 – 17:30Stepping Back from the NoisePractical self-care: reducing media intake, recognizing doom-scrolling, and creating internal safety to stay grounded and present. 17:30 – 21:00Regulation Through Nature, Touch, and JoyFrom “less gym, more joy” to sensory grounding—how reconnecting with nature, the body, and simple pleasures restores vitality. 21:00 – 24:30Feeling It All Without Numbing OutWhy allowing ourselves to feel collective grief and discomfort is part of growth—and how to move through it without overwhelm. 24:30 – 28:00Community, Belonging, and Healing Hyper-IndependenceThe power of finding your “tribe” (human or otherwise) and recognizing hyper-independence as a trauma response we can evolve beyond. 28:00 – 31:30Raising Your State: Books, Music, and Micro-PracticesAccessible ways to shift your internal state through conscious inputs—what you read, listen to, and surround yourself with. 31:30 – 34:30Simple Nervous System Tools (Sensory + Neural)Practical exercises—from sensory awareness to neural drills—that build safety in the body and brain in just minutes. 34:30 – 36:00Closing Breath + Returning Home to YourselfA guided breath practice to settle the nervous system and a gentle reminder: you’re not alone—come back to your body, again and again. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic and uncertain, we explore how to stay grounded, connected, and emotionally regulated amidst information overload, collective anxiety, and shifting global dynamics. With simple, embodied practices, this episode offers a steadying reminder that coming back to yourself—and to each other—is both your anchor and your power. Xo

  3. 11/12/2025

    Ep 46: Surviving (& thriving) in Holidays

    Join Dayna, Megan, and Islena in what it really means to “gather without expectations.” Inspired by the Ram Dass quote, “If you think you’re enlightened, spend a week with your family,” we bring light to emotional literacy, generational conditioning, and how family gatherings—especially during the holidays—can awaken our oldest, most defaulted patterns. We bring warmth & humor towards how chosen family, boundaries, and self-awareness help us stay grounded and compassionate amid old dynamics. 🕰️ Timeline 00:00 – 03:30 | Opening reflections on Ram Dass quote03:30 – 06:00 | Emotional literacy in families of origin—generational differences and survival values.06:00 – 09:00 | Chosen family vs. family of origin—finding safety and emotional intelligence in friendships.09:00 – 14:00 | Dayna’s story: her father’s visit triggers old patterns; witnessing her younger self and re-parenting through awareness.14:00 – 17:00 | Healing through ritual—how writing, yoga, and Vedic chanting restore self-connection.17:00 – 20:30 | Inner child work, “bids for connection,” and how unmet needs resurface during gatherings.20:30 – 23:30 | Boundaries, chosen family, and learning to stay regulated around triggering relatives.23:30 – 26:30 | Mirroring in relationships—how our parents reflect our unhealed parts and opportunities to reformulate connection.26:30 – 29:30 | Recognizing triggers as invitations to awareness; managing expectations with compassion.29:30 – 33:00 | Closing insights—releasing expectations, witnessing loved ones with grace, and blessings for presence during the holidays. Memorable Quotes: "May your holidays be blessed with no expectations!"

  4. 10/15/2025

    Ep 45: Getting Witchy!

    In this episode of Soul Net Sessions, we share some of the ways we celebrated this year's Autumn Equinox with rituals welcoming change, honouring the light within the dark, and bringing warmth into our homes and bodies. We get witchy as we explore life and death, new moons, tarot cards, and the fire within! ✨ Cold plunges contrast therapy • Ayurveda • Feminine energy • Ritual & rebirth ✨ As the wheel turns to Fall, seasonal rituals reconnect us to nature, body, and spirit. From cold plunges and candles to sacred boredom, cozy up with us and slow down to find the magic in the mundane. Timestamps: 00:00 – 02:00Soul Net Sessions at Henry’s Studio in Vancouver, BC. during Autumn Equinox and the meaning of seasonal transitions. 02:00 – 04:00Islena shares her ritual of ocean plunges in Point Roberts as summer wanes. Body memory, climate, and menopause in changing seasons. 04:00 – 06:00How cold plunges affect midlife women, Ayurvedic perspectives on vata and pitta doshas, and finding your personal window of tolerance in ritual. 06:00 – 08:00Ritual as play and honoring your body’s edge. Using sunrise swims and moments of stillness to reconnect with life force energy. 08:00 – 10:00Autumn rituals for warmth and grounding: lighting candles, fire, sun symbolism, and the power of gentle contrast therapy for the nervous system. 10:00 – 12:00Dayna shares her inward Equinox rituals: journaling, meditation, rest, and “sacred boredom.” How spirituality evolves from external gatherings to inner quiet. 12:00 – 14:00When commercialized wellness doesn’t align — trusting your felt sense. Discovering the magic in the mundane and creating ritual through simple acts. 14:00 – 16:00Everyday rituals: fire-lighting, washing dishes, greeting the sun, and connecting to primal elements of Earth, warmth, and ancestry. 16:00 – 18:00What feels truly aligned in ritual? Discerning authenticity, resonance, and what actually regulates the body versus what overstimulates. 18:00 – 20:00Reflections on connection — from youthful ecstatic experiences, to sacred choices like Islena purchasing her burial plot. Joy, death, and belonging to place. 20:00 – 22:00Death rituals and personal agency: choosing how to leave, death doulas, and assisted dying as acts of consciousness and ceremony. 22:00 – 24:00Letting go as seasonal practice. Humor and heart in shadow work — Islena's “Dr. Death” moments and embracing life through awareness of mortality. 24:00 – 26:00Megan shares her Autumn ritual: tarot with the Empress card, embodying feminine energy, and rebalancing emotional boundaries. 26:00 – 28:00Honoring self, releasing energy drains, and choosing relationships and environments that nurture intuition and soul connection. 28:00 – 30:00Ritual as personal and evolving. Preview of next episode on gratitude and community.

  5. 09/12/2025

    Ep 44: The importance of joy in hard times

    In our newest Soul Net Session, we delve into making time for joy amid life’s challenges. We discuss how continuous growth and learning can reshape our narratives at any age. Megan shares uplifting stories of joy found in nature and a rainy-day swim, while Dayna recounts returning to a sport she loves after a hiatus, detailing the joy and pain that followed. The sisters recognize the recurring themes of joy and pain, light and dark, as they navigate new experiences and revisit the old. Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Welcome, Soul Net community intro03:30 – Podcast growth, learning new skills, new beginnings06:00 – Early autumn reflection, fresh starts, world events09:00 – Coping with uncertainty, finding levity, joy snacks12:00 – Nature nourishment, sit spot club experiences15:00 – Adventures: swimming in rain, embracing mystery18:00 – Rediscovering travel, feminine inspiration21:00 – Quebec City drag brunch, gender reflections24:00 – Beach volleyball, athlete archetype, aging & change27:30 – Sport adaptations: resilience and menopause30:00 – Honoring personal growth, closing life loops33:00 – Memoir writing, integrating trauma and creativity, invitation for next episode, shout-out to cohost Islena36:00 – Joy and pain coexistence, wisdom for balance39:00 – Roots, autumn equinox preview, closing thoughts Join us as we explore how to find joy amidst global uncertainty and personal growth. Broadcasting from Henry’s studio, we celebrate new beginnings, the value of community, and the power of “joy snacks”—small, nourishing moments—from nature walks to adventures in beach volleyball and drag brunches. We reflect on honoring the athlete archetype, embracing change in midlife, and integrating pain with creativity and purpose. With resilience, balance, and honoring the inner child, we invite you to seek levity and meaning—especially as autumn approaches and the world feels heavy. ----- Available wherever you stream podcasts, or watch on YouTube to see our smiles. If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to follow, like, and share.

  6. 08/10/2025

    Ep 43: Feminine & Masculine Energy

    Beyond Gender, Into Balance: We all carry both divine feminine and masculine energy—but how do we actually recognize them, heal the wounded parts, and bring them into harmony? In this special video episode, Megan, Dayna, and Islena share stories, cultural insights, and practical tools to help you move between nurture and structure, receptivity and action, softness and strength. You’ll learn how these energies influence relationships, parenting, work, and self-care—and how to balance them in yourself and others. Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction & welcome to Soul Net Sessions02:26 – What are divine feminine and masculine energies? (Ayurvedic view: Ida & Pingala, earth/water vs air/fire)04:32 – The dance between structure (masculine) and nurture (feminine) in work and parenting07:27 – Healing the wounded feminine: ancestral patterns, conditioning, and self-definition09:35 – Raising sons to embrace both energies with ease10:43 – Healthy masculine modeling vs. father/mother wounds13:05 – Relationships that allow us to rest in one energy while honoring the other15:11 – Practicing underdeveloped energies and finding supportive spaces16:00 – Navigating emotional expression in professional and personal settings17:28 – Dysregulation patterns: sadness vs. anger, fire vs. water19:30 – Co-regulation in relationships and the role of balance in ease20:29 – Understanding your energy body as a remedy for unease21:17 – Simple practices to invite balance (opposites in Ayurveda)22:38 – How complementary energies work in partnerships24:59 – Why some men resist calling their nurturing side “feminine” and the role of conditioning25:34 – Tips for nurturing your feminine and masculine sides27:14 – Closing reflections: dancing between energies in daily life Final Musings: From Ayurvedic perspectives to midlife awakenings, from wounded feminine healing to embracing healthy masculinity,  join us as we explore the dance between the divine feminine and masculine energies that live within us all—beyond gender, beyond stereotypes, and deeply rooted in our energetic bodies. Together, we unpack personal stories, ancestral influences, cultural conditioning, and practical ways to nurture balance.

  7. 06/03/2025

    Ep 42: Exploring Grief and Loss

    The Soul Net sisters share on ways we experience grief and loss in our lifetime. We explore the desire to return to the safety of the womb during times of deep grief, somatic messages in the body, running from our feelings, learning to celebrate endings and so much more. Join us for a heart centered episode as we find our way through hard places and open to laughter and lots of love. Show Notes: How we carry grief, how we learn to name it, and how midlife opens doors to healing and self-compassion. 0:00 – 2:20:Welcome & setting the theme: grief as a shared but rarely named experience. The hosts reflect on childhood grief and the absence of language or tools to process loss. 2:21 – 3:52:Unresolved childhood grief: the loss of a father, unacknowledged until years later. How avoidance and shame can bury early loss. 3:53 – 5:20:Freezing and emotional shutdown as grief responses. Stories of grandparent loss, and how grief later surfaces in adult relationships. 5:21 – 7:27:Cultural patterns around “moving on.” The survival strategy of emotional detachment. How midlife reveals old, unprocessed emotions. 7:28 – 9:37:Grief in menopause: losing fertility, identity shifts, and reckoning with aging. The practice of death meditation as a grounding tool. 9:38 – 11:09:The “curse” of living in times of change. Exploring grief as a lifelong return to the womb’s lost safety. Body language and curling inward as unconscious grief signals. 11:10 – 13:13:The human drive to recreate certainty and be “liked.” Grief as a foundational rupture we spend life trying to repair through meaning-making and achievement. 13:14 – 15:09:Embodied grief during sleep: how the body holds emotion. Learning to unfurl from protective postures and meet grief with curiosity and compassion. 15:10 – 16:25:Hair loss and feminine identity: the gift of confronting appearance-based attachments. Self-love as a product of acceptance, not achievement. 16:26 – 17:40:Reframing grief as a series of endings we rarely honor. The power of grief rituals, death meditations, and somatic practices for integration. 17:41 – 19:39:Grief and gratitude as healing partners. How honoring past chapters and parts of ourselves softens the emotional edge of loss. 19:40 – 21:18:Finding spiritual connection with lost loved ones. The comforting ritual of “keeping the love alive” through nature, memory, and presence. 21:19 – 22:00:Closing words: grief, anger, fear—all welcome. Remembering the healing balm of love and the courage to feel. "When I reflect on grief, I feel like it's a midlife emotion as we go through menopause; we are no longer the vessel that creates life, we're going to create other things. So there is a loss of that whole era and chapter of our lives as well." ~Dayna Bango

About

Join us in the Soul Net, where we bring the realities of middle age to light and create a supportive community for healthy growth. Friends and wellness practitioners, Megan, Dayna, and Islena, dive deep into topics such as raising teens, empty nesting, menopause, death, and divorce. The hosts share personal stories and resources to support learning and connection. Megan Lammam, Author and Forest Therapy Guide Dayna Bango, Movement and Ayurveda Lifestyle Coach Islena Faircrest, Somatic Therapist and Yoga Educator