The Cycle Breakers Podcast

Rachael
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The Cycle Breakers Podcast is for those of us who have been chosen to be the ONE in our lineage to transmute pain into power & wounds into wisdom. Hosted by Rachael Hunt, First Nations Chippewas of Nawash, Intuitive Indigenous Mentor & founder of Freedom School & The Freedom Method™️. This is an homage to her roots as an Aniishnaabe Kwe (translated from Ojibwe, meaning indigenous woman) This podcast weaves in personal storytelling, amplifies Indigenous voices, and features the inspiring journeys of those who have been passed the torch by their ancestors to build legacies. Conversations range from finding & pursuing your purpose to overcoming adversity to divine & spiritual connection to walking the red road to manifesting your dreams to subconscious & energetic healing, and most importantly building relations with our kin.

  1. Bob Joseph: Beyond the Indian Act, Self-Government & Sovereignty

    2D AGO

    Bob Joseph: Beyond the Indian Act, Self-Government & Sovereignty

    In this episode, I sit down with Bob Joseph, President & CEO of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., who has been educating organizations on Indigenous relations since 1994. He is the author of 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act and 21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government, and brings both lived experience and generational leadership to this work. An initiated member of the Hamatsa Society, Bob holds a chief's seat in the Gayaxala (Thunderbird) clan of the Gwawa'enuxw Nation, part of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. His chief name, K'axwsumala'galis - "whale who emerges and presents itself to the world" - reflects the depth and visibility of the leadership he carries. Together, we explore what it means to move beyond dependency on the Indian Act and toward self-governance and why this moment in history calls for a different level of responsibility, education, and action. In this episode we explore, Reclaiming the potlatch ceremony Understanding free, prior & informed consent An approach to training that creates behavioural change  Breaking the cycle of dependency on the Indian Act The evolution of Indigenous Relations since the 90's Moving toward self-government LINKS Bob's Website Bob's Instagram Bob's Books Bob's LinkedIn  Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

    1h 28m
  2. Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass, Lessons from Gift Economies, and the Reality of Windigo

    FEB 26

    Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass, Lessons from Gift Economies, and the Reality of Windigo

    In this conversation, Rachael is joined by Robin Wall Kimmerer - writer, scientist, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation - to explore what Indigenous teachings offer us in a time shaped by overconsumption, disconnection, and ecological crisis. Drawing from her work in Braiding Sweetgrass & The Serviceberry, Robin reflects on reciprocity as a way of life, the consequences of living in a market economy, and what happens when consumption replaces connection. Together, they examine how the Anishinaabe tale of Windigo is not relic of the past, but mirrors the systems shaping our present reality. This episode is an invitation to rethink abundance, materiality, and belonging, and to consider what it truly means to live in right relationship with the natural world, and with one another. In this episode, we explore: Recognizing the material gifts of the natural world The difference between a market economy and a gift economy How the tale of Windigo reflects modern systems of excess and extraction What The Honourable Harvest teaches us about reciprocity & right relationship What we need to understand about the Seventh Fire Prophecy LINKS Robin's Website Plant Baby, Plant Website Robin's Instagram Plant Baby, Plant Instagram Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program  Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

    57 min

  3. FEB 19

    How Trauma Impacts Manifestation: A Trauma-Informed & Science-Backed Approach

    Manifestation is everywhere, and a lot of it misses the point. If you've done the visualizing, affirming, and "doing the work" but still feel stuck, this isn't a failure of mindset or discipline. It goes deep into the nervous system and subconscious mind. In this episode, I break down manifestation through a trauma-informed, neuroscience-based lens, to address how complex and generational trauma can impact our ability to manifest the way we're taught in new age realms. We'll look at why survival patterns override our conscious efforts, and what actually creates the conditions for successful desire attainment & goal achievement. In this episode, we explore: How trauma reorganizes the system around survival instead of expansion Why affirmations and visualization fail when the body doesn't feel safe How generational and complex trauma shape what feels possible to receive What actually creates the conditions for sustainable manifestation   Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Spring 2026 cohort starts in May) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program  Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

    33 min
  4. Jordin Tootoo: From the North to the NHL, Mental Health, Masculinity & Vulnerability

    FEB 12

    Jordin Tootoo: From the North to the NHL, Mental Health, Masculinity & Vulnerability

    In this episode of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, I'm joined by Jordin Tootoo - former NHL player, mental health advocate, and the first Inuk athlete to play in the league. Jordin spent 13 seasons in the NHL, playing with the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, where he became known for his toughness, grit, and relentless presence on the ice. But beyond the game, his journey is one of resilience, healing, and redefining what strength truly means. Growing up in Rankin Inlet, Jordin learned early lessons from the land - lessons that shaped his identity, discipline, and ability to endure long before professional hockey entered the picture.  He also shares why vulnerability is essential for Indigenous men, and how healing and sobriety didn't just change his life - they fundamentally changed how he showed up on the ice and beyond it. This is an honest conversation about masculinity, healing, and breaking cycles - on and off the rink. In this episode, we explore: Lessons from the land growing up in Rankin Inlet How failure can become a powerful motivator for growth Why mental health doesn't disappear with success or status The importance of positive encouragement in Indigenous communities Why Indigenous men need space to embrace vulnerability How healing and sobriety transformed Jordin's playing style and life LINKS Jordin's Instagram Jordin's Website Jordin's Book - All the Way: My Life on Ice Jordin's Books - Mind Over Matter Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program  Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

    1h 3m

  5. FEB 5

    MINI TIPI Co-Founders, Trisha Pitura & Mélanie Bernard: From Stay-At-Home-Moms to Dragon's Den & Building an Indigenous Brand

    MINI TIPI is a Canadian brand that brings authentic Indigenous designs to life through woven blankets and accessories that carry stories and traditions. Co-founded in 2016 by Trisha Pitura, a member of Nipissing First Nation, and Melanie Bernard, from Quebec City of settler descent, MINI TIPI is shaped by their professional and personal experiences. Finding the void of authentically designed Indigenous textiles back when starting their business has led them to create what we know MINI TIPI as today; an industry leading lifestyle brand that creates authentic designs and collaborates with Indigenous artists to share knowledge and create high-quality products locally.  In this episode, we discuss: the origin story of MINI TIPI & how it got started from "native-inspired" to designing authentic Indigenous textiles what matters most in seeking a business partner the strengths each woman brings to the brand BTS of the Dragon's Den journey (what you don't see on TV) advice to prepare your business for investors how they gifted Martha Stewart a blanket LINKS MINI TIPI Website MINI TIPI Facebook MINI TIPI Instagram Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification (enrolling for Winter 2026 Cohort) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

    59 min

  6. JAN 29

    Cognitive Native (Angelo McHorse): Uncle's Advice, Uplifting Native Peoples & Adopting an Abundance Mindset

    Angelo McHorse, known as the Cognitive Native online, is a tribal member of Red Willow People of Taos Pueblo. He is a husband, father of 3, entrepreneur, and everyone's favourite uncle. He is the co-founder of Bison Star Naturals, alongside his wife, Jacquelene.  In this episode, we discuss: perceiving "riches" beyond money staying growth-minded while walking in two worlds Uncle advice for adopting a "glass half full" outlook overcoming victimhood through ancestral wisdom developing mental fortitude to thrive LINKS Angelo's Instagram Angelo's TikTok Bison Star Naturals Website (use code COGNITIVENATIVE at checkout) Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Freedom Method™️ Certification Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

    59 min

  7. JAN 22

    Internal Capacity Building: Holding More Without Burning Out

    Capacity building is everywhere right now - in corporate spaces, community work, leadership conversations, and funding rooms. But most of the time, it stops at skills, strategy, and external preparation. In this solo episode, Rachael Hunt explores what's often missing from the conversation: internal capacity building - the ability for the nervous system to actually hold more responsibility, leadership, visibility, and expansion without tipping into survival. This is a grounded, trauma-informed conversation about leadership, sustainability, and what it really takes to grow without sacrificing yourself in the process. In this episode, Rachael unpacks: Why burnout has become normalized, even among high performers The difference between external and internal capacity How nervous system regulation expands your ability to hold more leadership, success, and visibility Why over-functioning and over-achievement are often trauma responses, not personality traits How somatic work and subconscious reprogramming create sustainable, embodied growth   LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 Cohort starts January 28th) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

    30 min

  8. JAN 15

    Two-Eyed Seeing: Neuroscience Meets Indigenous Worldview

    This is the first solo episode back for Season 2. Today's conversation is rooted in Two-Eyed Seeing - the ability to hold Indigenous worldview (the medicine) and modern science (neuroscience) at the same time, without one overriding the other. This episode explores how Indigenous women can remain rooted in culture and values while navigating modern systems, and how the Freedom Method™ bridges these two worlds in a liberating, empowering way. In this episode, Rachael discusses: the gift of not belonging in western systems the origins of Two-Eyed Seeing  how The Freedom Method™️ disrupts western norms in a good way using neuroscience as a tool to undo what colonization did to the nervous system intersecting modern tools with Indigenous wisdom is the movement LINKS Rachael's Website Rachael's Instagram Rachael's LinkedIn The Cycle Breakers YouTube The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 cohort start Jan 28th) Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders  Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

    26 min
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About

The Cycle Breakers Podcast is for those of us who have been chosen to be the ONE in our lineage to transmute pain into power & wounds into wisdom. Hosted by Rachael Hunt, First Nations Chippewas of Nawash, Intuitive Indigenous Mentor & founder of Freedom School & The Freedom Method™️. This is an homage to her roots as an Aniishnaabe Kwe (translated from Ojibwe, meaning indigenous woman) This podcast weaves in personal storytelling, amplifies Indigenous voices, and features the inspiring journeys of those who have been passed the torch by their ancestors to build legacies. Conversations range from finding & pursuing your purpose to overcoming adversity to divine & spiritual connection to walking the red road to manifesting your dreams to subconscious & energetic healing, and most importantly building relations with our kin.

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