Send us Fan Mail Open to the magic is not a tagline for Lisa Dunford Dickman. It is the name she gave to the experience that saved her, and eventually to the retreat she now leads so that other women can have it too. In this second and final segment of the Reignite Resilience Podcast's conversation with transformational coach, writer, speaker, and African safari retreat leader Lisa Dunford Dickman, cohosts Natalie Davis and Pamela Cass follow Lisa into the deepest and most personal chapter of her story: the four years she lost her mother, her uncle and godfather, her mother-in-law, and her father, one per year, wave after wave, while returning to Africa again and again to be held by something she could not name but could not live without. This segment opens with the final miles of the Camino de Santiago, the moment Lisa's foot stopped hurting after communing with a tree that grows from the inside out, and the discovery that another woman on the trip had the exact same experience without knowing Lisa had it first. It moves through Lisa's first ten minutes on an African safari, watching a pride of lions tear a zebra carcass in half from twenty-five feet away, and the moment she knew with absolute clarity the difference between what is real and what is not. It goes deep into grief, into an owl encounter after her mother died that left her feeling more loved than she had ever felt in her life, and into the heart stent she navigated recently while continuing to do her work and live her life. From all of that, Lisa built the AWE system: a three-step coaching framework designed to help people gain awareness of their protection patterns, lay down the burden of self-effort and striving, and step into what becomes possible when you stop trying to banish the parts of yourself that have always been trying to keep you safe and instead love and include them. The retreat itself is not just a trip. It is eight nights beginning at the Indian Ocean at a beach villa with whales spouting in the distance, followed by six nights on safari with game drives twice a day, sundowners in the bush, hot chocolate with amarula cream, outdoor pools, claw-foot tubs, luxury canvas suites raised above the forest floor, and a guide named Doomy who once walked within five feet of a lion without his gun and came back to the car laughing. In This Episode: The Camino miracle: Lisa's foot stopped hurting after communing with a 400-year-old tree, and another woman on the trip had the same experience without knowing it What happened in the first ten minutes on an African safari that showed Lisa the difference between what is real and what is not Four years of grief: losing her mother, her uncle and godfather, her mother-in-law, and her father one per year, and how Africa held her through all of it The owl encounter after her mother died: two owls, a campfire, a song about Mary, and the most loved Lisa has ever felt The AWE system: awareness of protection patterns, willingness to lay them down, and embodying what becomes possible on the other side What the Open to the Magic in Africa retreat actually looks like from the inside, and why it is a transformational experience, not just a trip The More Life List: Lisa's free anti-bucket list PDF for anyone ready to start imagining what they really want Lisa is a featured speaker at Reignite Live 2027 on January 22nd in Loveland, Colorado, and her Open to the Magic in Africa retreat takes place in November. Both links are in the show notes. Connect with Lisa Dunford Dickman: 🌐 opentothemagicinafrica.com 🌐 themorelifelist.com — Lisa's free anti-bucket list PDF 📚 Live Like a Lioness: Reclaiming Your Bright Birthright as a Powerful Divine Creator — forthcoming 🗓️ Open to the Magic in Africa Retreat: November 12, 2026 Connect with Reignite Resilience: 🌐 reigniteresilience.com 📧 podcast@reigniteresilience.com 📘 Facebook | 📸 Instagram | 🎥 YouTube: Reignite Resilience Podcast 🗓️ Reignite Live 2027: January 22 in Loveland, Colorado Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who has been waiting for permission to follow what feels warmer. Support the show Subscribe to Our Weekly ThinkLetter Facebook Instagram Check out our Book Series: Meaningful Success: How Clarity and Alignment Drive Real Achievement The Quiet Gift: A Journey of Self Worth and Resilience Magical Mornings Journal Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The co-hosts of this podcast are not medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided by the podcast hosts or guests is solely at your own risk. Pamela Cass is a licensed broker with Kentwood Real Estate Natalie Davis is a licensed ...