Exploring the Seasons of Life Cynthia MacMillan

“There is a voice inside that does not use words. Listen.” ~ Rumi
Guest Introduction:  Welcome to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan.
I have conversations with coaches, spiritual explorers and thought leaders from all walks of life about beginnings, endings, and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 
In this episode, I’m thrilled to dive into the work of Judith Maxey, whose exploration into alternative and traditional healing practices began while pursuing a Master’s degree in Applied Anthropology, exploring the cultural roots of healing.  
Judith is the owner of Almus Energy Medicine, has been practicing energy medicine for over 15 years.  She is an experienced and certified Usui/Holy Fire® and Karuna Reiki® master teacher, mentor, shamanic practitioner, meditation guide and essential oil specialist. In 2023, she also became a certified End-of-Life Doula.
Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Welcome Judith. I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation.
Judith: “There's always an underlying level of grief. Right now, I feel, in part because of the pandemic we just simply did not acknowledge the grieving that might have happened. That should have happened because we have a very, in my opinion, narrow perspective on what grief is.”
Judith: “I'm a doTERRA wellness advocate, so I use mostly doTERRA oils. I believe in their quality, but I use a Snow Lotus aromatherapy oil that was created by a Five Element Acupuncturist, and it's called Sedate Metal and so from the Chinese medicine perspective. It's about metal and it's very good in fall for the lungs where we hold grief and it is a blend of Copaiba balsam, Atlas cedarwood, Amyris, and Geranium.  And I would never even attempt to blend it the way that Peter Holmes does. It's just an amazing blend. I keep it in my office.”
Judith: “I'm so happy that there are end-of-life doulas  for the person who is passing and also for everyone involved  and that's what I found was really there was so much learning  in my end of life doula training  about that about the  interactions between the caregivers and what was happening for everyone how to be  aware of the cues and  Like everything else, Cindy,  again, I feel like I say a certain few things throughout the conversation, but it's about being present.”
Judith: “And then I started, in the same community as my Reiki teacher, I'll give her a shout out, Colleen Benelli, Licensed Reiki Teacher, The International Center for Reiki Training. She was also involved in The LightSong Community of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. So, I started doing core shamanism training as well.”
Judith: “You are meant to use us and, and we're meant to work together. And so, I started bringing in essential oils, the plants to my work.  And I just feel like the combination of the shamanic practices that, I'd say in general, allow you to work with larger energies than yourself, Reiki, and the miracle, the magic of the plants, you know, getting to work with those three in a session with someone is a powerhouse. It's so supportive.
Judith: “I would suggest, your ceremony be specific to you and what you're comfortable with. And most importantly, what you will actually do.  You know, we can look at a lot of different ceremonies, but what calls to you? Do you want to gather in a big crowd? Do you want to gather with your three closest friends? In the darkness, with a candle? Being grateful?  Saying out loud what you want to get rid of?  You know?  I think those elements are the important part. Again, gratitude, community, release, and calling in what you would like for the new year or your life. I'll say that I would suggest those same elements for any ceremony.
Judith: “Forgiveness is so much larger than that.

“Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind and spirit.  The realization that everything we do, think, feel and believe has an effect on our wellbeing” ~ Greg Anderson
Guest Introduction:  Welcome to the Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast! I'm your host, Cindy MacMillan and I'm thrilled to have you here. Today, we're diving into the extraordinary world of holistic living in our new series, Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life.
Holistic living, it's not some fancy buzzword. It's like coming home to yourself – body, mind, heart, and soul. Imagine showing up for yourself in every way possible, like you're your own best friend, therapist, chef, and personal cheerleader. It's about nurturing all those parts of you that make you, well, you.
Now, wholeness – that's where the magic sparkles. It's embracing your stories, your scars, your stumbles, and your soaring moments, and realizing they're all essential brushstrokes that create your masterpiece. You're not a puzzle with pieces missing; you're a tapestry woven from the threads of your experiences.
Holistic living isn't about adding more to your plate; it's about savoring every bite, every breath, every precious moment.
Prepare to unlock the doors of your heart and mind, inviting in a world filled with love, connection, and profound insights. Let’s dive in?
Shā Sparks is an energetic catalyst and fearless communicator who sparks leaders in transition, who are unclear, go from fear to fired up about their life and business. Through her renowned Spark Your ALPHA program, Shā’s audiences and clients experience more confidence, amplified emotional intelligence, and the spark that ignites their fearless action.
Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Welcome, Sha!
Sha: “It's not just a one and done and we become this beautiful butterfly. No, I think sometimes our butterflies become different butterflies depending on the season of life that we're in. And I know for my own I have overcome so many different adversities and, you know, came out one butterfly with each one of those.”
Sha: “I think all of them, we go through a little bit of grieving process because the identity of who we've been is disappearing. And part of us is like, I don't want to lose that part. And, honestly, we don't technically lose it, but it just shifts and molds into, you know, like we're a piece of clay.”
Sha: “I started to capture my own thoughts, like really understand that my voice in my head, that inner voice that we all have, was not helping me and propelling me. It was holding me back and hurting me. And so, I just started a brain dump, is what I call it and write down all the negative things that I would say to myself.”
Sha: “I knew that we are a mirror of what we see. So, I then started to think about all the people that I admire. I started researching billionaires and millionaires and successful leaders of all walks of life and just started to write down the characteristics of what I admired in them. And then I wrote the two most powerful words in the English language before each one. I AM.
Sha: “I took an improv class, a comedy improv class for a year.  And it was just so much fun and so out of my comfort zone. And it was not about being funny at all.  It's, it's about surrendering to the process and being able to dance with your partners on stage and say, yes.
Sha: “So that my brain was picking up and noticing how whenever I saw a cigarette or anything that looked resembled a cigarette, it reminded my brain that I don't want it.”
Sha: “Confidence is a journey. You gain confidence all along the way just by doing little things and then acknowledging yourself for doing those little things and patting yourself on the back.”
You can find Sha Sparks at: Website Instagram FaceBook Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life Series
The Healing Power of Sound Baths with Stephanie Weber
Trust in Your Soul wi

Guest Introduction:   Hello and a warm welcome, friends, to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast! I'm your host, Cindy MacMillan, and I hope you're finding inspiration and connection in our new podcast series – Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life. And if you happen to be joining us for the first time, a heartfelt welcome to you, new friends.
Throughout this series, I've had the privilege of chatting with some incredible healers and experts in various modalities. From the transformative power of sound baths to the profound wisdom of yoga, the sacred art of womb healing, the realm of angels, and the soul stirring beauty of poetry, we've delved into the diverse practices and perspectives that contribute to our holistic well-being.
My goal here is to offer you insights, stories, and practical advice. Wisdom. Wisdom that can inspire you to live a more authentic, balanced, and fulfilled life. Whether you're a seasoned explorer of these healing paths or just beginning your journey, there's something for everyone in this series. 
Go ahead and cozy up with your favorite drink, find a snug place to unwind, because we're about to embark on a deeply inspiring conversation.
Terry Dulin is a fourth-generation paranormal practitioner. She was raised in a metaphysical environment by her mother who is a professional psychic, trance medium and healer. She started assisting her mom doing healings at the early age of 12. She initially learned Reiki in 2002 to assist her mom in her practice. In 2008 she had a spiritual calling - a strong desire to do something more. She was led for Reiki to be a stronger presence in her life. In 2009 she learned Reiki II and a few months later she took the ART/Master class. Terry traveled to Southfield MI in 2010 to learn Karuna Reiki ® from William Rand.
Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Terry: “It really was not until 2008 to 2009 when, Reiki, and I didn't know Reiki was going to be this, divine force in my life. I had a spiritual calling, you know, for me, it's God. My spiritual calling is God, right? So, God was, encouraging me telling me I needed to do something more with my life than what it was.” 
Terry: “I have to tell you, it's been an amazing journey to see how it has shifted, altered and really propelled me to be where I'm at and who I'm meant to be.” 
Terry: “Every practitioner has their own way of practicing, right? Doing Reiki. So, they might ask someone, you know, for permission to touch.” 
Terry: “You can have an intention, you can go in with having, say, pain on your knee, or with your knee, and the Reiki energy will know that something is off in your body, and that say maybe the root cause is the hip.” 
Terry: “Just like we don't necessarily always get along with every person. So, every relationship is different. Every Reiki experience is different. If you really want to come from a stance of true knowledge, my encouragement would be to have a session.” 
Terry: “I of course would encourage you to find someone within your local area. I’m a Licensed Teacher with The International Center for Reiki Training. I am a member of the Reiki Membership Association. So, my encouragement would be to start there at Reiki. org and they have a link on their website to find a practitioner in your area.
You can find Terry Dulin at: Website Phone# 219-712-0507 Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life Series
The Healing Power of Sound Baths with Stephanie Weber
Trust in Your Soul with Sonee Singh
Empowering Your Inner Wellness Warrior: Insights from Joyce Jimenez
Journey of Healing with Alana Keddie
Conversation with Julie Jancius: The Angel Medium
Ceremonies and Healing with Stacy Mitchell
Conversation with Yoga and Reiki Teacher Jerry Mikutis

"Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Guest Introduction:  This podcast is for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey who are ready to lead healthier and happier lives and improve their emotional well-being.
I interview coaches, spiritual explorers and thought leaders from all walks of life about beginnings, endings, and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 
Welcome back to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan.
I am really excited about today’s interview and before we jump in, I want to say thank you for being here.
Today’s guest is Jerry Mikutis. She is a Licensed Reiki Master Teacher with the International Center for Reiki Training, a yoga teacher and crystal practitioner and I am so excited to share this conversation with you! 
Let me tell you a little more about Jerry Mikutis. She has been enthralled by yoga ever since her first class in 2005 as a means for mental clarity from the stresses of life. The sense of peace the practice cultivated kept her coming back to the mat and the physical benefits soon made themselves evident. Her yoga practice eventually led her to subtler practices such as Reiki and other methods of energy harmonizing, such as connecting with the beauty of crystals. She facilitates yoga and Reiki classes as well as meditations online. Jerry lives in Chicago with her 2 cats Rosie and Milo and dozens of plants and looks for the magic everywhere.
 Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Welcome Jerry.
Jerry: “I had this coupon, a postcard, that your first class was free. And I remember that the class completely transformed me. It showed me the stillness within me; I was probably like a hundred pounds heavier, and I couldn't do any of the poses.” 
Jerry: “Yoga was just really showing me how the body relates to the mind. So that was my introduction to yoga during a really difficult time in my life. It gave me that sense of peace and clarity.” 
Jerry: “I came from a very linear, logical thinking family. My dad was a math teacher. All my friends from college were, that were in my life at that time, they were just very logical thinkers.” 
Jerry: “That really made me realize even more that we’re always in communication with each other. It may not be words, it may not be eye contact, but it's within what we carry in our energy field.”
Jerry: “When people ask me what crystal they should get, I almost always say, like, start off with rose quartz, because it's soft pink, the crystal itself isn't soft, because it's quartz, but the colors are soft pink. I think of it as the light of the heart, the light of connection with others, the light of connection with the divine.” 
Jerry: “So we have cats that like to sleep. So, they teach us how to rest and to sleep and take things slower. I have two cats.” 
Jerry: “So back to your question about how I find the magic. I think Chicago is a very nature centered city in itself in so many ways. I live about three blocks from Lake Michigan, which is one of the largest lakes in the world.”
You can find Jerry Mikutis at: Website Instagram FaceBook Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life Series
The Healing Power of Sound Baths with Stephanie Weber
Trust in Your Soul with Sonee Singh
Empowering Your Inner Wellness Warrior: Insights from Joyce Jimenez
Journey of Healing with Alana Keddie
Conversation with Julie Jancius: The Angel Medium
Ceremonies and Healing with Stacy Mitchell

“You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the ocean in a drop”. ~ Rumi
Guest Introduction:  Hello and a warm welcome, friends, to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast! I'm your host, Cindy MacMillan, and I hope you're finding inspiration and connection in our new podcast series – Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life. And if you happen to be joining us for the first time, a heartfelt welcome to you, new friends.
Holistic living—it's not just a fancy buzzword. Think of it as returning to the very essence of yourself – your body, mind, heart, and soul. Picture a world where you show up for yourself in every way imaginable, like you're your own best friend, chef, and personal cheerleader. It's about nurturing all those beautiful facets of you that make you, well, uniquely you.
But here's where the magic truly begins – wholeness.  It's embracing your stories, your scars, your stumbles, and your soaring moments, and realizing they're all essential brushstrokes that create your masterpiece. You're not a puzzle with pieces missing; you're a tapestry woven from the threads of your experiences.
Grab your favorite cozy beverage, find a comfy spot to sit back and relax, because we're about to dive deep into a truly inspiring conversation.
Stacy Mitchell has been a Life-Cycle Celebrant® since 2005, co-creating and officiating meaningful ceremonies across the life-cycle based on the beliefs and values of her clients. She is also a Reiki Master/Teacher, certified Soul Realignment advanced practitioner and Soul Regression therapist. Her goal is to provide others with the tools and knowledge they need for self-empowerment and self-healing through the weaving together of these offerings.
 Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Welcome to the podcast, Stacy.
Stacy: “In Hinduism, there is an understanding that the cycles of life are birth, life, death, and rebirth and in the Western world, we tend to stop with just death, right?  Not that rebirth part; but it's not a full cycle if we don't have that fourth.” 
Stacy: “For me, life isn't about exploring cycles. It's about living into each season and cycle.” 
Stacy: “I think as time goes on, we really begin to understand that we are a part of the cycle, and so we are living the cycle, whatever, that cycle that we're in is in that moment.  And really, that’s the key to integration, I guess, is that that ability to just live the cycle rather than  peering in from the outside and say, oh, what's this?”
 Stacy: “In the ceremony co creation process or the healing process, as a practitioner, the most important thing for me is to be an active listener.  Active listening requires you to lay down any preconceived ideas or agendas about the work, or the people that you are speaking with.  And it also requires a presencing in the moment,  to be fully there in that moment, and not  thinking in the before time, thinking into whatever's in the future,  not jumping ahead mentally or even verbally,  but to really just take in what is said  to marinate in those words  and the emotions that the words invoke  and to listen  between the lines  in order to hear what the silence is saying.”
Stacy: “It can really be eye opening to, to see, like your friend, you know, to see how other cultures treat food and treat the sharing of food. And I'm sure you're aware that even in the West, sharing food after a ceremony, especially a funeral, is, like, one of the most important parts of the experience. So, it's not just, what happens within the ceremony itself, but that moment of breaking bread together, that moment of being...In community and feeding each other and in some circles would be called feeding the soul, right?”
 You can find Stacy Mitchell at: Honor Your Voice Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life Series
The Healing Power of Sound Baths with Stephanie Weber
Trust in Your Soul with Sonee Singh

"Your intuition will tell you where you need to go; it will connect you with people you should meet; it will guide you toward work that is meaningful for you – work that brings you joy, work that feels right for you." – Shakti Gawain
Guest Introduction:  I'm your host Cindy MacMillan and you are listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast! We're currently immersed in a fantastic series called Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life.
Holistic living, it's not some fancy buzzword. It's like coming home to yourself – body, mind, heart, and soul. Imagine showing up for yourself in every way possible, like you're your own best friend, therapist, chef, and personal cheerleader. It's about nurturing all those parts of you that make you, well, you.
Now, wholeness – that's where the magic sparkles. It's embracing your stories, your scars, your stumbles, and your soaring moments, and realizing they're all essential brushstrokes that create your masterpiece. You're not a puzzle with pieces missing; you're a tapestry woven from the threads of your experiences.
Holistic living isn't about adding more to your plate; it's about savoring every bite, every breath, every precious moment.
Julie Jancius is The Angel Medium™ and host of the #5 spiritual podcast, Angels and Awakening, which receives over 2 million downloads a year in 80+ countries around the world. Julie is a world renowned angel expert on a mission to teach you how to connect with your angels and loved ones on the Other Side in order to make living “Heaven on Earth.”
Get ready to open your heart and mind to a world of love, connection, and spiritual wisdom. Let's dive in!
Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: Welcome, Julie!
Julie: “I think it's really, really fascinating that throughout time we have all fought and throughout history on so many different points when it comes to religions, but angels are this fundamental piece and thread, that is woven in between all religions and all religions seem to remain consistent on there are divine helpers, right? God, Universe, Source did not set us up to fail.”
Julie: “Archangel Michael is here as a strength that when we're really having to have courage and resilience and be courageous; we're able to step into that and let our self-doubt and our fears go.”
Julie: “When you're working with somebody who you resonate with on all levels, your heart chakra is just completely open, your energy, your consciousness, your mind. You're completely open to that teacher and because you're more in that state of being, you're absorbing more of what they're trying to say instead of you being in a state of where you're like filtering what they're saying.”
Julie: “I started writing for the third largest newspaper in Illinois when I was 14 years old, and I loved journalism even back then because every day was going to be different. I didn't know what stories were going to pop up that week, who I was going to get to interview or talk to and I still love that today. I don't want to know what the rest of my life is going to be like, I enjoy, the magic.”
You can find Julie Jancius at:
Website Instagram YouTube IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE WITH JULIE JANCIUS YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH:
Holistic Living: Embracing Wholeness In Everyday Life Series The Healing Power of Sound Baths with Stephanie Weber
Trust in Your Soul with Sonee Singh
Empowering Your Inner Wellness Warrior: Insights from Joyce Jimenez
Journey of Healing with Alana Keddie