Alive & Kicking: Stories of Waking Up with Kay Eck

Please note: This interview contains depictions of violence and sexual abuse. Please listen with care for yourself and others.This week's guest is BakeR Gendron, whose life took her from a small town in rural Indiana to Chicago, California and Phoenix where she served as a political activist supporting LGBTQ rights, leading a life which transcended labels. That journey took an abrupt turn toward the spiritual while tending to her dying partner as she began experiencing flashbacks of previously buried trauma. Decades of healing gave her the compassionate wisdom to serve others to develop the skills and insight to begin to heal themselves.Intuitive reader, spiritual healer, coach and teacher, BakeR Gendron is the Director of Gateway Cottage Wellness Center in Sedona, Arizona. She has worked for decades, both privately and with groups, to empower clients to live life fully and joyously! Assisting to remove barriers to success, happiness and wellbeing, she facilitates holistic healing by integrating mind, body, and spirit. Through BakeR's own healing journey, recovering from childhood trauma and abuse, she is inspired to teach others how to heal themselves, and to facilitate healthy change. She facilitates spiritual retreats and classes for people seeking to make major life changes and to connect with their own higher selves. Connect with BakeR here: https://www.gatewaycottagewellness.com/baker-gendron http://thepsychiccoach.net

An existential crisis can throw the average adult into a state of uncertainty at best and inner turmoil at worst. Kay's next guest, John Schieke, was just six years old when he started to ponder the deepest questions. As a child, he was mentally and emotionally ill-equipped to handle these queries and barely had the vocabulary to describe what he was experiencing to others. The resulting alienation and stress made him vulnerable to the substance abuse that, by the age of 18, very nearly took his life. Now sober, John shares his ongoing journey from confusion to clarity and offers hope to young people struggling with similar challenges.

In episode 41, Sarah Lindgren talks with Kay about how early trauma influenced so many of the decisions she made throughout her life. Until, that is, she became conscious of how healing can soothe the grooved patterns, opening her up to a life of greater freedom, self-compassion and wisdom. Now, she shares all that with others as a guide, teacher and leader.Sarah is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (200 E-RYT) working to empower students in public classes, workshops, and yoga retreats. She is also a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) and offers one-on-one apprenticeship programs.  She teaches others how to nurture themselves through grounding and embodiment practices so they can begin to truly love the lives they live.Sarah's path of profound self-realization began while first practicing yoga as an expectant mother. She began to dig deeply into the absence of self-love and empowerment within, to understand the body-mind-spirt connection and to find new routes to healing and wholeness. She has and continues to study with numerous internationally recognized teachers, completing advanced trainings including Yoga to Transform Trauma, all with the intent of meeting people where they are with greater knowledge and understanding of yoga practices and philosophy.  Learn more and connect with Sarah here:Website Sarah-Lindgren.comInstagram:  108.Sarah Facebook:  Sarah.Lindgren.YogaUpcoming Retreat:  https://truenaturetravels.com/retreats/yoga-iceland-sarah/

Please note: This episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual abuse, alcoholism and drug use.In this episode of the podcast, Columbia native Catalina Osorio describes how her early life forged in her an "eat or be eaten" ethos that nearly destroyed her. She shares her journey out of the despair caused by a life of extreme violence and into the immediacy that grace grants everyone no matter what their circumstances. Her well-earned wisdom is a miracle beyond resiliency.Catalina was born in Colombia in 1981 into a violent family, in a dangerous neighborhood in a turbulent time. She lived in continuous, extreme physical and emotional trauma, without noticing she was completely burying her past. Later, while living in Paris, after a night of heavy drinking, she was plunged into a situation that triggered a physical knowing that she had been raped. But because there was no clear evidence, there was no proof that a crime had been committed. Thus, she began to feel the terror of losing her mind. Her chaotic lifestyle continued until the responsibility, drugs, alcohol, sleeplessness and uncontrollably racing mind brought her body to severe illness and her mind to the breaking point. Depressed, suicidal and facing a possible hysterectomy to remove fibroid tumors, she heard a voice encouraging her to take a path of true healing rather than surgery.Six years later, Catalina is living in peace and no longer allows her past to unconsciously run everything. She does not claim to be a teacher, to be enlightened or to know it all. She only knows that all of her pain has been created by a misunderstanding of what was happening. She believes we are powerful creators having a unique experience that is meant to add something to the divinely perfect tapestry of LIFE. You can connect with Catalina at catosga@gmail.com and her Facebook Page.

In this episode of Alive & Kicking, Lisa Stokke talks with Kay about being parented, parenting adults and the unique challenges of mothering in the age of awakening.As founder and Executive Director of Next 7, an organization that advocates for healthy food systems, Lisa has been working to bring awareness to the importance of organic and regenerative agriculture. Previously, inspired by the lack of clean food choices for her four children, she co-founded Food Democracy Now! She works with farmers, scientists and policy leaders around the world  to increase nutrient density in food and crops.A 20-year passion for plant medicine led her to start Temple Tree Aromatics – a company that sources sustainably wildcrafted and organic botanical essential oils and functional blends.She lives in Boulder, CO.For more information about Lisa and her work, visit:Next7.orgTempleTree.coBionutrientinstitute.orgInstagram: @Lisa_Stokke

Born in Memphis Tennessee to a navy captain father, Valerie Iron's early life was rich with travel, culture and experience. But despite her joy for that life, a journey into the dark night of the soul brought her to the brink of despair. Throughout, her core wound of unrequited love presented itself again and again leaving her feeling utterly alone in the world. Eventually, Valerie gave herself over to healing through art and sound. But it would be a very long time before she would find the love of her life -- herself. Valerie Irons is an artist, sound alchemist, breathwork practitioner and kirtan wallah practicing in Sedona, AZ since 2014. She offers group and private sacred sound sessions including “Soundwave Journeys” using her Soundwave Bed™. She offers guidance along the journey of awakening through sound, breath, meditation and creativity. With deep gratitude, she is dedicated to divine healing through the arts.Connect with Valerie and her work here:http://www.laughingbluebutterfly.com/http://www.valerieirons.com/

After achieving the financial goals he set for himself by the time he was in his late 20s, Majid Zafer was looking at very early retirement. But the feeling he was chasing through accomplishment was fleeting, leaving him questioning everything he believed about life and success. Thus began his spiritual journey to live a purpose-filled life.  

Despite growing up in the suburbs, Sarah Richelle Starnes describes her formative years as wild, feral and imbued with nature. Her immersive relationship with the natural world expresses itself in myriad ways from her approach to her own education, the wisdom of the body, the power of animals to heal, an all-encompassing curiosity, a compassion for all life and the beat of her own drum.  Sarah has been offering yoga, sound journeys, integrative bodywork, energetic balancing and trauma healing for over twenty years around the world.  Some of Sarah's passions include soaking in hot springs, acro yoga, teaching yoga with animals, slacklining, aerial arts, dancing, training horses, foraging, mushroom hunting, cooking nourishing food, and making plant medicines.  She shares alignment-focused practices and transformational experiences in a variety of forms.  Sarah's teaching style embodies her playful nature and deep desire to help humanity heal and connect with the strength and beauty within.You can find Sarah's work at https://linktr.ee/sarahnatureyoga

In celebration of the release of her second book Dear Human (available now) , Kay invites Ashley Livingston to ask her the questions she's been asking the Alive & Kicking guests.Kay Eck is the author of Dear Human and Divorce: A Love Story. For more info, please visit kayeck.comBuy Dear Human here: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Human-Kay-Eck/dp/1736583123/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Dear+Human+Kay+Eck&qid=1628125383&sr=8-1

Growing up poor but delightfully untethered, Todd Fink's most memorable educational and spiritual experiences happened in nature. It was there, in nature, that the seeds were planted for his unique approach to inquiry and understanding which views every issue and idea through three lenses -- the artistic, the scientific and the mythological. In his work, including the Kind Mind Podcast and a new book, he draws from a deep well of curiosity in order to explore timeless topics concerning  the human condition. Often that exploration takes him straight into the heart of his own tenuous existence. Connect with Todd below: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com www.MichaelToddFink.com https://www.facebook.com/michaeltoddfinkhttps://www.instagram.com/michaeltoddfink/@michaeltoddfinkHost of the Kind Mind podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/684aK4V6c2t0mfzEMgOdErCo-founder of The Giving Tree Band: https://www.facebook.com/thegivingtreeband"Beauty is in the Brain of the Beholder" | TEDx Talk:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLcgAGo-xvQ

Growing up on an enlivened farm with her grandparents as guardians, no set religion other than cycles of nature, Taylor Godfrey's life was unconventional from the start. An early connection to her surroundings helped form an acute awareness of life itself.  When intuition implored her to process her earlier years of sexual abuse, she had no other choice but to be with her trauma and catalyze her journey into one of healing and honoring the human experience. Taylor is a writer of healing and the spiritual path. She is a shamanic energy medicine practitioner and life doula. Currently writing a memoir and a collection of essays, she can be found at:https://www.facebook.com/taylor.r.godfrey/https://www.elephantjournal.com/profile/taylorrose/Reset.me InnerJourneyWholistics@Gmail.com

Dack Quigley had an unconventional, some would say near perfect, upbringing. His parents urged him to do whatever he wanted to do, celebrated his every choice and loved him unconditionally. As a result, success came easily to him -- lucrative career, committed relationship, home on the beach in Hawaii and plenty of friends. He had "won the game".  But the question that gnawed at him -- Is this all there is? -- propelled him on a search for a higher purpose.

Sue Gaskell was born on the living room floor as the 10th of 11 children in Derbyshire, UK in 1946, and her life did not necessarily get less dramatic or difficult.  She endured tragedies, breakdowns, and plenty of painful endings before realizing that the only one she could not find compassion for was herself. She committed to connecting with her angry, frustrated and abandoned inner child which created the healing that would become the compass for and work of her life. 

Born at four pounds and addicted to cocaine to a teen mother in trouble, Carmen Santiago-Keenon suffered a childhood filled with abandonment, danger and abuse. After being removed from her home, bouncing between foster care and facing potential placement in a group home, she was adopted into a faith-filled family that saw a small spark in need of kindling. Often challenged by ingrained generational trauma, Carmen set about on a quest to heal her past, uproot conditioned thinking and uncover her true nature. Carmen Santiago-Keenon is currently working on her brand The 30 day Me-Tox which is an exploration of detoxing from yourself (EGO), connecting clients to the resources she discovered on her own journey of choosing to walk consciously through life. You can reach her via email at: Carmen.Me.Tox@gmail.com or on her career website at:  www. diversify-solutions.com.

Having graduated from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Max Friedstein believed his career as a professional dancer was about to begin. But a mysterious and debilitating medical condition created a detour that dramatically shifted his lifestream. Without a career, a relationship or a plan, the only way out was in.Learn more about Max at maxfriedstein.com.Find Max and his team at The White Rabbit Reveals online at thewhiterabbitreveals.com; on YouTube at https://youtube.com/channel/UC2yVFr3DpBcV7mKMjfvWOAA and on Instagram at @thewhiterabbitreveals.a.way

Growing up with immigrant parents in a small, homogenous midwestern town bonded sisters Tasha Gomes and Lisa Scott together in more ways than one. But it wasn't until Lisa left home to experience the wider world of college that they started to grow toward one another as both biological and soul sisters. One is mystical; one is pragmatic but their shared spiritual journey is in divine harmony.As a Nurse Case Manager across multi-therapeutic areas ranging from Oncology to Diabetes Education, Lisa guides patients through a wide variety of care journeys. Tasha is an empath, energy worker and empowerment coach supporting clients in reaching their highest potential. You can find Tasha's work at www.divinelifemotivation.com

Though his childhood in Sao Paulo, Brazil was rich in culture, art and community connection, Zon Carvalho felt called to a deeper spiritual experience. After years of chasing redemption from external sources, he found reclamation and his true power in self-love. Zon is a graphic and visual artist, passionate advocate for self-exploration and self-expression and a pioneer of new creative paradigms. Connect with Zon via email at Zon@Zontopia.com, at his website www.zontopia.com, or on social media @zonpower (IG) and Faceboook.com/zontopia 

Despite great loss and grief throughout her life, Amy Merritt chooses to lead with empathy, love, and deep compassion for others.  Cultivating goodness out of a garden of challenge is her superpower. As a 500E-RYT yoga instructor, teacher, and mindfulness blogger, Amy specializes in gentle yoga, meditation, and yoga for Cancer Thrivers. She is available for group and private instruction via Zoom. Connect with Amy via email at amyluwho2@att.net, through her blog, or on Instagram @the_yoga_goat.

 High vibrational conscious artist Be Bradley has learned to speak only from what he knows. His honesty and openness regarding the dark aspects of human nature and the truth of the spiritual path have created an online support system for thousands. In this episode, Be shares his story of childhood abuse, adult responsibility, and how he has created a life of art.  Please note that this episode contains explicit content regarding childhood sexual trauma, sexuality and drug use, so it may not be for everyone. Find  Be's music and merchandise at www.betherapper.com. Follow him online on Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Facebook, and on TikTok @betherapper. Abums:12 Strands Activated (2019) https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/be16/12-strands-activated-3Alchemist (2020) https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/be16/alchemist-6Metamorphosis (2021) https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/be16/metamorphosis

Kirsten Barfoot arrived knowing she had a mission but felt held back, treated as an outsider as she moved as a child from South Africa to New Zealand to Australia. Throughout her life, the lens, or evidence procedure as she calls it, of unworthiness reappeared until she felt she had lost everything. At that moment, Kirsten realized she had everything, and she was everything. This became Kirsten's message and her purpose.Opportunities to connect further with Kirsten and her work can be found at  https://linktr.ee/kirstenbarfoot and www.kirstenbarfoot.com.

As a gregarious child whose parents didn't know quite how to raise her, Stephanie Martin had to learn to create the safe space to be herself, for herself. The skill she cultivated early on has served her family, clientele, and community ever since and made it possible for her to leap when she feels the universe pushing at her back.www.myomsweetom.netwww.facebook.com/myomsweetom

Fred Burks' interesting ride on Planet Earth has been fueled by a clear understanding that his mission is to shine a light into the shadows, not to condemn but to heal. His journey has taken him into governmental and diplomatic circles. His spiritual path has taken him deep within. Now, he uses his considerable research skills to document the dark side of human history as well as to highlight its beautiful legacy -- to make peace with it all and find love and optimism in the balance.  www.peerservice.org - Website of the nonprofit PEERS that I manage describing all of our websiteswww.weboflove.org - Website focusing on strengthening the interconnectedness of all of uswww.WantToKnow.info - Website focused on shining a light into the shadows for the good of allwww.transformationteam.net - Free online course designed to ignite your magnificence

A loving home with attentive parents did not preclude writer Elizabeth Rago from facing crippling anxiety after a series of traumatic events rocked her family. Her ongoing recovery journey has forced her to take a hard look at her herself, develop strategies for living well in a threatening world and create an online platform to lift and support other women in her hometown. Website - mdwcares.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/elizabethrago/ OR https://www.instagram.com/themoderndomesticwoman/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheModernDomesticWomanTwitter - https://twitter.com/bethragoThe Modern Domestic Moms podcast on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, etc.@mdmthepod on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mdmthepod/

It makes sense that the dynamic Lexie Wilson would one day help individuals learn to disentangle themselves from toxic relationships. She first had to free herself from the controlling religion that had driven her familial ethos for multiple generations. That included forgiving her caregivers for not knowing how to help her through the early trauma that led her to years of self-harm. Today, Lexie helps women recover from multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs) and other toxic relationships. Lexie Wilson is a brilliant powerhouse, therapist-turned-life-coach, and speaker. Connect with her on her website, and check out her engaging podcast Conversations with Lexie: Helping Leaders Protect Their Energy via Spotify or your favorite podcast platform. 

For Jillian Bieritz - astrologer, stylist and yoga teacher - stepping into love has been a slowly evolving skill. Never feeling fully embodied, she turned to the rave scene and drugs at a young age at first to feel more and then to feel less. Meeting her now-husband marked a turning point that would carry her through the traumatic loss of her second son, Ryder.  Her luminous path of embodiment and healing affirms the power of self-love. To learn more about Jillian's offerings, contact her at aquarianmoon1111@gmail.com.

Recorded live on December 10th, 2020,  returning guest Alexa Schill chats with Kay about children -- Who they are, what they need, what gifts they have come to share, what challenges they face, and what role they are playing in the ascension of humanity. Alexa Schill is the author of Harriet the Hippoyogamus a beautiful book that reminds children that "connecting with this moment is what it's all about." Her follow-up book, Harriet's Rainbow Block Party was released June of  2020.  Follow Alexa on Instagram and Facebook. 

Christine Howard's life-long cultivation of her awareness of the world beyond the physical helped her survive and heal a life of intense abuse and trauma.  Through a sudden stint in the military, panic attacks in early adulthood, heartbreaking losses, and conscious uncoupling from her husband of many years, Christine was continuously being called to pay attention to her life. She did and still does with the knowing that she can get through any challenge and come out better for it. 

Caitlin Slade resonates with Theo Von's quote, "I was born with an uncomfortable spirit."   As a brilliant home school success story, Caitlin pushed herself relentlessly toward academic achievement including an early graduation from high school and college at 16. But self-doubt and crippling anxiety led her into an ongoing battle with disordered eating. In this episode, Kay and Caitlin talk about her heroic path toward self-compassion and kindness.Caitlin Slade is a masterful visual artist and cyclist living outside Chicago, Illinois. Follow @the.walkiest.lady on Instagram to see her latest work. 

Via Facebook Live on 11/11, Kay asks Aaron to help us understand the lives we are living right now through astrology,  ancient yogic philosophy, breath awareness, earth mirrors, inner-insight, presence, and permaculture. Follow Aaron on Facebook at Seeds of Awakening, on Instagram, or connect with his many offerings including Life Path and Soul Reflection astrology readings at www.aaronogden.com.

Conscious entrepreneur and innovator Kevin Miles joins Kay to talk about how life as an Army brat, preacher's kid, college athlete, and Morehouse College grad informed his non-traditional views of spirituality and his drive to create economic opportunities for the Black community.  Kevin Miles, MBA, is a professional entrepreneur with a passion for developing the potential hidden in human beings and in what he calls  “blue ocean” markets.  He is the founder and CEO of  Beach Logic Ventures. Find Kevin's podcasts  What Problem Are You Solving? and New Earth 2020  on your favorite podcast app. View Howard Thurman's Address "What Do You Want, Really?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUsG4B8VKqQ&t=318sDiscover I Am The Word by Paul Selig https://paulselig.com/books/i-am-the-word/

Just in time for Halloween, which happens to be her birthday, Christi Cousin joins us from New Orleans at the intersection of religious and psychic traditions. She says she was rigidly religious until the pressure of law school cracked her open to astrology and Feng Shui. Since then she's been merging the spiritual and the logical in her unique and powerful way.Christine Cousin is an Attorney at Law and mysticist in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Learn more about her astrological offerings at Celestial-Alchemist.com.  Follow @LaurelStreetGifts on Instagram to be the first to know when Christi's new line of intentional candles is available! 

Buckle up! Kay Eck and returning guest Matthew Patti talk about relationships and how the current climate has pressed them up to our noses! Matthew Patti is a visionary, futurist, modern mystic, and global leader in conscious business growth. He is the founder of Innerversal Academy™ and creator of the Zero Limits: Shape Your Best Life™ program. Find Matt on Facebook or via www.MatthewPatti.com.

As a child, Yolanda Lozano crisscrossed the US - Mexico border often enough that by the time she returned to this country permanently at the age of 16, she had little sense of language or culture and a lot of familiarity with upheaval. Her journey to know that the "mother within" was guiding her throughout helped her find a place of service and divinity in sound and light. Yolanda Lozano is a spiritual guide and healer residing in Geneva, Illinois. She has spent the last forty years helping individuals and groups heal and find a sense of well-being as they reconnect to Source and their inner guidance. Among her tools are crystal bowls, gongs, her voice, nature and healing environments, flowers, and the beautiful Fox River that flows through her hometown. Yolanda is on Facebook as Yolanda Lozano, and on Instagram at @yoliturtlesque. Find more opportunities to connect with Yolanda on her website yolandahealinghearts.com.

Kay Eck and returning guest Diana Schieke meet at Kava Diem River Cafe in St. Charles, Illinois on September 30, 2020. Recorded with a live audience and live-streamed via Facebook. The topic of conversation this week: Surviving and thriving in the era of The Rabbit Hole. Diana Schieke is a certified, registered yoga instructor as well as a certified specialist for organic foods and organic farming regulation. Diana can be found at www.dianaschieke.com, on YouTube, and on Instagram.

Men's mental health and the true relationship between vulnerability and strength are just some of the important topics Brandon Courter discusses in this episode with Kay Eck. Undiagnosed learning disabilities and mental illness made it nearly impossible for Brandon to succeed in a traditional school setting. That and our culture's disordered obsession with productivity made healing exponentially more difficult. Nonetheless, he challenges men to make mental wellness as routine as going to the gym. Now, he says, his spirituality lies in really listening to people. Coder by day, concrete artist by night, Brandon Courter continues to forge his own path of health, balance, community and empathy. 

Kay Eck and returning guest Lisa Marie Trunkenbolz meet at Kava Diem River Cafe in St. Charles, Illinois on September 16, 2020. Recorded with a live audience and live-streamed via Facebook. On the docket: Life 2020-style and how we are maintaining equilibrium while surfing the deck on a rocking boat.  

Gerontologist and end of life doula Neda McGuire brings her willingness to talk about hard things to this conversation as we track her journey from her homeland in Iran through growing unrest leading up to the Iranian Revolution. The path that had her crisscrossing the globe, oftentimes to escape grave danger, sometimes without her family, engendered in her a graceful resiliency. But not without great cost. Neda talks about those things as well as her experience with and work in immigration, the refugee crisis in Syria and elsewhere, aging, and death. Now a resident of St. Croix in the American Virgin Islands, Neda McGuire is the owner of Aging Matters and a member of Aging Life Care Association and the International End of Life Doula Association.  Neda has a Master's degree in Gerontology and a Master's in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia. She was recently featured in an article on her end of life work in The St. Thomas Source. Find Neda on social media here. Tune into Neda's next Death Cafe on September 23, 2020, online. More information at https://deathcafe.com/deathcafe/11564/. Additional links mentioned in this episode - Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, available on Audible here and through your local bookseller. 

Writer and local farm to table chef Quenby Schuyler joins Kay on this not to be missed 11th episode of Alive & Kicking. Quenby talks about the hard "smacks" life delivered along her route of learning to let go.  Christian school educated, Quenby repeatedly sought stability in being "normal" until a life-threatening medical experience after the birth of a child led her to what she calls "the battle for Quenby's life". These days, Quenby says, " I wake up. And I surrender." Quenby Schuyler is owner and head chef at Q's Kitchen, a holistic meal prep company and caterer in suburban Chicagoland.  Find Quenby on Facebook and follow her on Instagram @soulrebelkitchen. Lucky locals can scope out her delicious meal offerings at QsKitchenMealPrep.com. 

As an award-winning poet, nonfiction writer, and writing teacher, Thea Sullivan chased her career down all the predictable avenues until the voice of her intuition took her in a completely different direction. In this episode of Alive and Kicking: Stories of Waking Up, Kay Eck talks with fellow author, Thea, about her young life looking for meaning, her struggle to write authentically from the intellect and how all that changed when she began channeling "the guides". Thea shares about her developing relationship with the guides and how it has changed how she writes, what she writes and why she writes. Thea Sullivan holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown University and an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College, but her passion is teaching people to connect with their Coach or Guide within. Thea is currently offering a choice of individual intuitive readings and intuition coaching sessions as well as a ten-week online course: The Path of Personal Mastery: Trusting Your Intuition for Spiritual and Personal Success. Learn more about these opportunities at BigPictureGuidence.com, join Thea's free Facebook group, The INTUITIVE WAY with Thea and the Guides, and follow Thea on Instagram @BigPictureGuidance. 

As a 24-year-old food activist, Boulder, Colorado transplant Lydia Stokke represents the next generation of conscious creators, bringing a fresh perspective of awakening in today's consumer culture. Lydia's childhood as the daughter of a food activist and founder of Next7.org was instrumental in launching her into her life's work as a sustainable food champion. Lydia thrives on creating connection, presence and joy as she embraces being-ness as miracle and consciousness is a gift. Lydia Stokke-Schmidt is the project manager of Next7, a grassroots organization dedicated to a thriving future for the next seven generations. Learn more about Next7 at www.next7.org, or follow along on Instagram at @next7org.  Lydia blogs at www.medium.com/@lydia.stokke and you can find her Instagram at @alydia_janes. 

Growing up empathic with a strong sense of obligation, Sage Acharya's understanding of herself crumbled when she immigrated to the United States from London, England. With awareness and a great compassion towards herself and others, Sage talks about how her own childhood informs the conscious parenting of her American children and her relationships with her husband and parents. Her experience of awakening to codependency and enmeshment has made Sage Acharya a valued therapist in her private practice where she skillfully guides her clients to hold "whatever arises". Sage has a master's degree in community counseling and is practicing as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois. She is certified as a Registered Dual Disorder Professional (RDDP) and certified by the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy to provide guidance in mindfulness techniques. Sage lives with her husband and her two children in the suburbs of Chicago. She can be reached online at her website www.becounseling.com and on Facebook. 

Ashley Livingston grew up in fear of not measuring up to the well-established standards of her family's Evangelical Christian faith. Today she talks to Kay Eck about the pain of rejecting her inner knowing and living a life that promised joy and peace but delivered little. Ashley shares the heartbreak of stepping off a path prescribed by others, the light she found and the practices that led her to discover her inner divinity and worthiness.Ashley Livingston is a professional coach through Co-Active Training Institute, actively helping others connect with their divine selves, as well as a mother of five. She currently resides outside Chicago, USA. Ashley can be found on Facebook, and Instagram, and welcomes emails at ashleylivingston0718@gmail.com. 

Modern permaculture educator Aaron Ogden joins Kay from his third-generation family homestead in Ojai, California, USA.  They discuss wide-ranging topics including healing family legacies, the earth school, betrayal, love, spirituality, masculinity, femininity, and the gifts of intuition in this episode of Alive & Kicking.Away from the microphone, Aaron Ogden offers clients services in astrology, healing bodywork and Ancient Earth Traditions. He leads yoga and nature retreats world-wide. Follow Aaron on Facebook at Seeds of Awakening, on Instagram, or connect with his many offerings, including an annual men's gathering at AaronOgden.com - Consciousness for Resilient Living. 

Children's author, yoga and meditation instructor Alexa Schill joins Kay Eck to talk about growing up with an abusive, schizophrenic parent, substance abuse, managing anxiety throughout life's stages and what our children have to teach us about living in a constant state of surrender.Alexa Schill is the author of Harriet the Hippoyogamus a beautiful book that reminds children that "connecting with this moment is what it's all about." Her new book about inclusion in our communities is due out in 2020. Alexa can be found on Instagram and Facebook. 

In the inaugural episode of Alive & Kicking, Kay Eck speaks with yoga teacher, studio owner, artist, writer and wildly-progressive being Lisa Trunkenbolz about her moment of awakening on the day she planned to take her own life. Lisa shares the trauma and insecurity that led to a path of recklessness that introduced her to drugs, alcohol and perilous behaviors that simultaneously threatened and saved her life.Lisa Trunkenbolz is the owner and lead teacher at Bloom Yoga Studio in Saint Charles and Bartlett, Illinois, a certified personal trainer, a Reiki Master Practitioner, an extraordinary artist, and a mom. Lisa can be found at www.lisatrunkenbolzart.art, on YouTube, and on Instagram.

Kay Eck talks with Diana Schieke about growing up in Germany and the U.S. and her personal experience of waking up. Kay and Diana discuss disordered eating, coming to peace with difficult feelings, and integrating friendships, family, mainstream culture, and the awakened life.Diana Schieke is a certified, registered yoga instructor as well as a certified specialist for organic foods and organic farming regulation. Diana can be found at www.dianaschieke.com, on YouTube, and on Instagram.

From their locations in France and Australia, Kay Eck and Matthew Patti discuss awakening to live your best life. Matthew shares his own path from sport, to medicine, to quantum exploration and reminds us that we each are the "One Thing".Matthew Patti is a visionary, futurist, modern mystic, and global leader in conscious business growth. He is the founder of Innerversal Academy™ and creator of the Zero Limits: Shape Your Best Life™ program. Matthew can be found at MatthewPatti.com, and on Vimeo.