Partners in Sublime: Elevating personal growth through psychospiritual wisdom

Shagun Chopra
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Self-Improvement

Welcome to Partners in Sublime, where we explore personal growth and self-actualization through a psychospiritual lens. Join your host, Shagun Chopra, on her quest to answer life's many questions, big and small, by tapping into the teachings of Depth psychology and Vedic philosophy. Each episode will feature illustrations of Chopra’s real-world experience coaching clients through their personal journeys. Listen weekly as Chopra skillfully blends her clinical psychology training and experience with wisdom traditions to share life-changing insights, authentic stories, and practical ways to experience the sublime.

  1. Is spiritual bypass necessary? Ava is unexpectedly calm after a blindsiding breakup

    Jun 2

    Is spiritual bypass necessary? Ava is unexpectedly calm after a blindsiding breakup

    We've all had that friend who just went through something devastating and seems almost too okay, or been that person ourselves, turning to faith or practice or the certainty that everything happens for a reason, and finding, at least for a while, that it actually works. In this episode, Shagun explores spiritual bypass, a term coined by transpersonal psychologist John Welwood for the tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep unresolved emotional pain, and makes the case that it may be less a failure of the spiritual path than a necessary resting point along it. To illustrate what spiritual bypass actually feels like from the inside, she shares a live coaching session with Ava, who arrives less than a week after a blindsiding breakup with parents involved and marriage on the horizon, and is, somehow, calm. The session raises a question that Shagun then takes on directly from her own experience: what is the difference between genuine peace and the kind of peace that comes from not yet having let yourself feel what's actually there, and what happens to everything we leave unfelt? 00:00 Introduction01:52 What is Spiritual Bypass06:04 Why spiritual bypass isn't as bad as you think12:06 Navigating Emotions: The Impact of Breakups12:25 Coaching session with Ava: Navigating post-breakup grief29:09 Session debrief: Understanding Ava's grief journey and spiritual bypass potentialAbout the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show, visit shagunchopra.com/ask - all coaching clients are assigned a pseudonym and given the option to not share their video Disclaimer:  Conversations on Partners in Sublime are for educational purposes only, and do not constitute medical or psychological advice or treatment. Please consult a licensed professional for any mental health concerns.

    39 min
  2. When niceness becomes a trap: Selena's inability to say no almost ruins a long-awaited dream

    May 19

    When niceness becomes a trap: Selena's inability to say no almost ruins a long-awaited dream

    We are all taught to be nice. Through years of conditioning, being praised for sharing, being corrected for asking for too much, being rewarded for going along, we learn that niceness is the price of belonging. But what happens when being nice means overriding your own body's signal? What happens when the most spiritually evolved-sounding justification is actually just your ego managing away something it finds threatening? In this episode, I coach 'Selena' through a situation that most of us would brush off as minor - answering a call she didn't want to answer - but underneath that small incident is something worth excavating: a shadow self who already knows exactly what to say and how to say it, and has simply been waiting to be trusted. We move through the Jungian concepts of persona and shadow, explore how rationalization and reaction formation keep us loyal to a pattern even when that pattern is working against us, and use active imagination to help Selena meet the version of herself she has been keeping out of sight. We also touch on the Vedantic concept of the kavach, sacred armor, and raise the fundamental question: if the soul is genuinely indestructible, what exactly are we protecting, and from what? 00:00 Introduction02:54 How we get conditioned to be nice04:34 How the ego keeps us stuck in people pleasing mode06:06 How to stop being compulsively nice with shadow work07:29 Coaching session with Selena: Being nice and regretting it28:59 Session breakdown: New age spirituality, ego defenses, alter ego imaginationAbout the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show, visit shagunchopra.com/ask - all coaching clients are assigned a pseudonym and given the option to not share their video Disclaimer:  Conversations on Partners in Sublime are for educational purposes only, and do not constitute medical or psychological advice or treatment. Please consult a licensed professional for any mental health concerns.

    37 min
  3. How to connect with our higher self? Dorothy's job pays the bills but doesn't make her happy

    May 5

    How to connect with our higher self? Dorothy's job pays the bills but doesn't make her happy

    We use the word "self" constantly, in therapy, in spirituality, in everyday conversation, but we rarely stop to ask which self we are actually talking about. In this episode, Shagun breaks down three distinct understandings of the self, from the everyday ego self to the IFS Self to the Jungian Self, and makes the case that it is this third, deeper Self that we most need to learn to connect with. Drawing on Edward Edinger's concept of the ego-Self axis, she walks through how that connection strengthens and breaks across a lifetime, what ego inflation and deflation actually look like in real life, and five concrete ways to stay connected to your higher self, one of which is beautifully illustrated through the coaching session with "Dorothy." Dororthy's situation is familiar to many, she has a job that pays the bills but costs her too: her sleep, her presence, and her sense of purpose. Shagun uses active imagination to offer Dorothy's higher Self the space to speak, and what emerges is not a plan or a prescription but a single unexpected symbol that points her back to something she already knows about herself. 00:00 Introduction01:25 What is your higher self04:01 Do we live in a conscious universe05:13 How the ego-Self axis works09:02 What is ego inflation and ego deflation14:19 How to stay connected with our higher self22:03 What myth teaches us about the higher self24:07 Coaching session with Dororthy: Work is not aligning with purpose46:02 Session breakdown: Recognizing ego, higher self, and symbolismAbout the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show, visit shagunchopra.com/ask - all coaching clients are assigned a pseudonym and given the option to not share their video Disclaimer:  Conversations on Partners in Sublime are for educational purposes only, and do not constitute medical or psychological advice or treatment. Please consult a licensed professional for any mental health concerns.

    52 min
  4. Why we abandon ourselves: Ana's grief and losses unravel the spiritual life she had built

    Apr 21

    Why we abandon ourselves: Ana's grief and losses unravel the spiritual life she had built

    We think self-abandonment is the falling apart: the life that becomes unrecognizable, the person we no longer see in the mirror. But the abandonment begins much earlier, in the quiet moments when we refuse the parts of ourselves that don't fit the life we have constructed. In this episode, we explore why self-abandonment moves in two directions, what Jungian shadow work and Vedantic philosophy reveal about both, and what it takes to find the integrated middle rather than swinging between extremes. The episode features 'Ana' who came to this session after two years of accumulated loss had quietly dismantled the spiritual life she had carefully built. The anger had arrived. The practices had disappeared. And she no longer recognized the person she had become. What emerged in our session together was something more uncomfortable and more liberating than a simple path back: the recognition that the self she is returning to cannot be the one she left behind. 00:00 Navigating Grief and Anger02:47 The Impact of Spiritual Communities on Emotional Expression05:06 Decisions and Life Transitions07:11 Reconnecting with Passions and Career Aspirations09:22 Finding Balance in Life Choices11:41 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Acceptance13:45 Visualizing a New Path Forward16:36 Coaching Ana: Navigating Emotional Turmoil and Overwhelm17:41 The Journey of Self-Compassion and Presence19:22 Confronting Grief and Loss22:33 Lessons in Vulnerability and Acceptance25:03 The Role of Family and Legacy27:10 Embracing the Wounded Self27:28 Connecting with the Higher SelfAbout the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show, visit shagunchopra.com/ask - all coaching clients are assigned a pseudonym and given the option to not share their video Disclaimer:  Conversations on Partners in Sublime are for educational purposes only, and do not constitute medical or psychological advice or treatment. Please consult a licensed professional for any mental health concerns.

    57 min
  5. Why don't we feel like ourselves? Miley is drowning in the mental load of new motherhood

    Apr 7

    Why don't we feel like ourselves? Miley is drowning in the mental load of new motherhood

    What does it actually feel like to not feel like yourself? Not the dramatic breakdown version, not the crisis that announces itself clearly, but the quiet, persistent sense that the person you used to be has become strangely inaccessible. In this episode, we sit with that experience without rushing toward resolution. Through a live coaching session with Miley, a new mother navigating the overwhelming mental load of early motherhood, we explore what happens in the messy middle of a major identity transition - when the old self has loosened its grip and the new one hasn't yet arrived. We look at the concept of liminal space, why our culture's favorite tools for managing motherhood stress keep us stuck at the surface of our experience, and what it actually takes to move through a threshold rather than around it. About the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show (anonymously or otherwise), visit shagunchopra.com/ask

    1 hr
  6. Am I actually good enough? Tony in anxious about making a good impression at his new job

    Mar 24

    Am I actually good enough? Tony in anxious about making a good impression at his new job

    Most of us have asked ourselves some version of this question, whether it shows up as "did I respond fast enough?" or "am I pulling my weight at home?" or just that low hum of not quite measuring up that follows us into even our best moments. In this episode, we sit with that question seriously, tracing it from Alfred Adler's inferiority complex through Brené Brown's hustle for worthiness to the Vedantic teaching that dissolves the question entirely. Then we go into a live coaching session with Tony, a tech professional who is days away from starting his dream job and already consumed by anxiety about whether he can show up fully at work while still being present for his wife and two-year-old at home. What happens in this session is quietly remarkable. Tony doesn't solve his anxiety. He listens to it. And what his inner world offers in response is the last thing anyone, including Tony, expected. About the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show (anonymously or otherwise), visit shagunchopra.com/ask

    1h 20m
  7. How to resolve an identity conflict: Retired military vet Max cannot put his old ways aside in a new career

    Mar 10

    How to resolve an identity conflict: Retired military vet Max cannot put his old ways aside in a new career

    When we transition into a new identity, do we have to leave the old one behind? And what is the difference between our identity and what we present to the world? Max spent twenty years in the military before stepping into the world of mental health care, and four years later, he is still caught between two versions of himself. In this episode, we explore the psychology of identity conflict through the lens of Jungian analytical psychology, looking at how the ego constructs identity, how the persona and shadow work together to create internal splits, and what it actually takes to move toward a more integrated sense of self. Through a live coaching session with Max, we witness what happens when a neglected part of the psyche finally gets to speak, and what it has to say is both surprising and deeply moving. If you have ever felt pulled between who you were and who you are becoming, this episode is for you. About the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show (anonymously or otherwise), visit shagunchopra.com/ask

    1h 1m
  8. How toxic positivity traps us: Maya moved abroad for opportunity but finds herself paralyzed by choice

    Feb 24

    How toxic positivity traps us: Maya moved abroad for opportunity but finds herself paralyzed by choice

    We've been taught that negative emotions are problems to fix: signs that we're not grateful enough, not evolved enough, not thinking positively enough. But what if anger, sadness, envy, and fear aren't obstacles at all? What if they're messengers carrying vital information about what we truly need and want? In this episode, we explore how the positive psychology movement, while revolutionary in many ways, can trap us in a rigid persona that cuts us off from our authentic self. The session features Maya, a new Indian immigrant in the US, who has everything she needs to build the life she wants: resources, opportunities, clear goals. But she can't take action. Through a powerful visualization, she discovers that her unconscious isn't sabotaging her. It's protecting her authentic self from external expectations. We discuss the function of negative emotions, the shadow side of positive psychology, and what it means to choose wholeness over perfection. This episode features insights from Jungian psychology, Vedic philosophy, and the myths of Persephone and Kali. About the host: Shagun Chopra is an individuation coach, speaker, and educator. Her unique approach combines Jungian depth psychology with ancient Vedic wisdom to create the ultimate personal transformation. She supports professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives in bringing their wildest dreams to life and leapfrogging their career, business, and relationships. To learn more, visit shagunchopra.com Join the show: To ask a question or get coached on the show (anonymously or otherwise), visit shagunchopra.com/ask

    53 min
See All (18)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Partners in Sublime, where we explore personal growth and self-actualization through a psychospiritual lens. Join your host, Shagun Chopra, on her quest to answer life's many questions, big and small, by tapping into the teachings of Depth psychology and Vedic philosophy. Each episode will feature illustrations of Chopra’s real-world experience coaching clients through their personal journeys. Listen weekly as Chopra skillfully blends her clinical psychology training and experience with wisdom traditions to share life-changing insights, authentic stories, and practical ways to experience the sublime.

Information