Spiritual Grit Leslieann Hobayan

How many of us stuff down our feelings when it comes to sadness or grief? How many of us try to hide our tears or look away when we are not able to? Our society has taught us to repress the emotions that make people uncomfortable. It has taught us that we are wrong or weak when we experience things like rage or grief. What happens when there's a buildup of these emotional energies that stay trapped in the body? When there's nowhere for them to go, the body starts to break down. Tune into this week's episode where I talk about how to discern between qualities of fear that might be haunting you from expressing yourself. And how you might move through that in order to open a valve to release tension and creates softness in your body, which leads to overall well-being.





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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:


Oracle card: The Suit of Swords


Poem: “Wow” by Hafiz



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 Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:


Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com


Instagram: @leslieannhobayan 

Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

In case y'all didn't know, eclipses are portals of transformation. Everything you hide in your shadows comes to the surface. So for those of you who watched the solar eclipse, how do you feel?

In this week's episode, I'm posing some questions for deep inquiry. From looking at what stories we are addicted to about ourselves to examining the relationships of our lives, asking if they are worth nurturing or if they are draining us. Break out your journals when you listen to this one! It's time for a deep dive. 

We're living in a time where our masks can no longer hold. Curtains are being pulled back. Veils are being torn down. There's no more hiding from yourself or from the truth of yourself. Everyone is showing themselves, whether they intended that or not. Pales-tine is helping us see that. So how do we deal with the loss and ensuing grief of the lives we used to know? The ones in which we had so many friends who understood us and now are no longer aligned because they continue to insist on holding on to how things used to be when really, that's not possible. Not in the face of gen0cide. Tune in to this week's episode to find out how to move on in life without the people you thought would always be there.

There's a lot of talk about one's purpose in life and often, in the West, it is individualistic: what will fulfill one's desires? How can one manifest the car/house/partner that they want?



In this week's episode, I'm talking about what your purpose in life actually is and how you can get closer to figuring it out. Also, if your life's purpose isn't about you, then what is it about? Who is it for? And is anyone paying attention?



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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:


Oracle card: The Ten of Cups


Poem: “A Great Need”by Hafiz



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 Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:


Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com
Instagram: @leslieannhobayan
Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

In this week's episode, I'm in conversation with Sophia Ali Khan, activist, public interest lawyer, and Canadian-based author of *A Good Country: My Life in Twelve Town and the Devastating Battle for a White America*.



We talked about a wide range of things, playing with the intersection of activism and spiritualit: from the current genocide (do we take the first flight out to Rafah?) to resonance with our ancestral homeland (what is embedded in our DNA that signals we are home?); from balancing being a mom with activism (how does one guide one’s children through the practices of fasting during Ramadan?) to what true spirituality and faith look like. (Hint: It's not all white flowing robes and kumbaya).



Come along with us on this meandering road of understanding what our role might be in this life as a human during this particular moment in time.



Listen in today!



About Sofia Ali-Khan:

Sofia Ali-Khan is an anti-racist storyteller, author, and public interest lawyer. Her book, A Good Country: My Life in Twelve Towns and the Devastating Battle for a White America was published by Random House in 2022 and won the 2023 Nautilus Gold Book Award for Social Justice. Writing at the intersection of politics, race, history, and Muslim America, her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and other publications, earning her a Pushcart Prize nomination in 2022. She has appeared as a featured storyteller on The Moth's Mainstage in Boston and Philadelphia and at the Manhattan Public Theater. Sofia lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, kids and cat, and is presently at work on her first novel with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.



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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:


Oracle card: The Queen of Swords


Poem: “Please Stop” by Sophia Ali Khan



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 Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:


Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com


Instagram: @leslieannhobayan 


Email: leslieann@suryagian.com



Sophia Ali Khan


https://www.sofiaalikhan.com/


https://www.instagram.com/sofia_alikhan/

In this week's episode, I'm talking about how important it is to have nervous system resilience when speaking your truth. It's okay if your voice shakes. What's key is being able to bounce back after feeling so vulnerable. Listen in to learn the four stages to help strengthen resilience so that you can speak your truth.





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Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned:


Tarot Card: Justice


Poem: “Cucumbers and Prayers” by Hafiz



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 Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:


Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: ⁠leslieann.substack.com⁠