Stories of Astonishing Light with KJ Nasrul

"Look down at your bodywhisperthere is no home like you"  - thank you Rupi Kaurthe sun and her flowers   

Welcome back to the second part of an extremely vulnerable conversation in which Meghan "Meg" Thomas - podcast hostess, and breathwork teacher - talks to KJ about the discovery that she is donor-conceived. She opens up about her journey of reclamation now that she has learned the truth.  Meg shares what happened once she decided to "Click Connect" after submitting her DNA into 23 and Me, which includes meeting half-siblings. She began leaning into curiosities such as Genetic Mirroring and embracing the potency and impact of unearthing her astonishing story. Compassionate Considerations

In this extremely vulnerable conversation, Meghan "Meg" Thomas - coach, podcast hostess, and breathwork teacher - joins KJ on SOAL to share her deeply personal story publicly for the first time.  Meg and KJ touch on themes of identity, reclamation, and the power of storytelling. Their dialogue serves as a catalyst for further discussions about fertility, adoption, and donor-conceived children. Welcome to the transparent, heartbreaking work of unearthing for reclaiming.   Compassionate Considerations: 

Today's new SOAL gallery features artist, writer, and best-selling author (and Dream Guest for KJ)  Elle Luna and luminous Sound Healer and Shamanic Ritual Guide Andrea Tomasi in conversation exploring the intersection of art, breathwork, and the creative spark. Compassionate Considerations:

Today's episode features a joy-infused, nervous system-soothing conversation between kindred spirits Brenda Winkle and KJ. The ladies contemplate ways to recover and enhance our intrinsic power: our intuition. As a trauma-informed Reiki Master, Brenda helps highly sensitive people, over-achievers, perfectionists, people pleasers, and empaths set boundaries, protect their energy, and heal their nervous systems. She holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership, and a BS in Music Education, and spent 26 years of her career in elementary and choral music classrooms.She stepped away from full-time teaching and now runs her business full-time but still volunteers on a regional board as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair. She has been trained as an Advanced ThetaHealing® Meditation Technique Practitioner, and a trauma-informed Breathwork Facilitator.Compassionate Considerations: 

This week's episode is less of an interview and more of an intimate chat between KJ and her friend Lilian Wee. Moving away from home and relocating to a new place of residence thousands of miles away can be extremely challenging and lonely. Adjusting to a new culture, falling in love, and navigating relationships all in the middle of a world health crisis? This could be the breaking point for some folks, but not for Lilian. Leaving her home in Singapore to live and work in Houston, Texas (while in the offshore energy & shipping industry!) became the invitation for Lil (as her friends know her) to step into her resiliency and create a community for other immigrants, nomads, and transplants to connect on themes of finding roots and "home" from wherever they are in the world. Compassionate considerations:⭐ Choose relationships that help you create a sanctuary or home. ⭐ Asking for support via therapy is a form of self-compassion and advocacy and can be done without shame⭐ COVID practically force-clarified how people defined home: connectivity, community, safety⭐ Assess whether you're embracing or isolating⭐ Self-care & resiliency practices = committing to time with self in nature, with beloved animals, meditation, breathing and yoga, and a nap! ⭐ Self-care is intentional and attainable Please Rate and Review This Podcast if the stories shared here have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories Connect With LilianLinktr.ee:  resilient_and_rooted IG: @heartopenconvers_asians Pod: Heart Open Convers_asians Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Join KJ & Norman in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia to recover your creative design.  Next Retreat: May 30 - June 5, 2023IG:  @MusingsOnOther Web: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Book A Hello Call with KJ:  https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallReceive alerts for upcoming Creativity & Healing Gatherings - Newsletter Episode Background Music: Composed & Performed by KJ Nasrul Intro & Outro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Support the showFollow KJ in her worldly adventures, and receive notifications when her next events (Creative Recovery Workshops, Bali Wellness Retreats, and Storyteller Evenings) take place.- Join The Story Squad and receive Love Notes Here- Visit here: Bliss Begins Within.com

In the official Season Four Kickoff, Jo Dodd and KJ share stories of their own experiences about how difficult and overwhelming it can be as a woman, let alone a mother, thriving in a working environment that's rigid, fast-paced, and insensitive.A mum of four, an author, speaker, and coach, Jo has published three children's books as well as a one-of-a-kind picture book for mums called 'Dear Mama Bear with the F*cked Up Hair.' This book, which tells an authentic, poignant, dark, sometimes humorous story of motherhood, is based on Jo's journey of silently battling depression for over a decade.Within the past few months, Jo has pivoted her business to focus on perimenopause and menopause awareness.  Jo has launched her own podcast Dear Peri and Meno Pause and is building a community called MenoShine, where she encourages women to learn, laugh and lead their way through midlife while changing the stigma associated with mental health and menopause.Compassionate Considerations: Do you experience physical symptoms indicating emotional distress?Two things you can do to manage overwhelm immediately:Physical space disruptionReleasing feelings through tearsSpeaking to ourselves in the present tense signifies embodiment (vs. future or past tense which implies detachment or denial from the current situation)People pleasing and martyrdom are actually the cause of physical and emotional sicknessAre you able to communicate and ask for what you need from your support network?Connect With Jo Website: https://livinginjotopia.com/ IG: @livinginjotopia Book: Dear Mama Bear With The F*cked Up HairPodcast: Dear Peri & Meno PausePlease Rate and Review This Podcast if the stories shared here have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Join KJ & Norman in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia to recover your creative blueprint.  Next Session: May 30 - June 5, 2023IG:  @MusingsOnOther Web: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Book A Hello Call with KJ:  https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallReceive alerts for upcoming Creativity & Healing Gatherings - Newsletter Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Support the showFollow KJ in her worldly adventures, and receive notifications when her next events (Creative Recovery Workshops, Bali Wellness Retreats, and Storyteller Evenings) take place.- Join The Story Squad and receive Love Notes Here- Visit here: Bliss Begins Within.com

In the Season Four Premiere, KJ checks in with you all on the day she leaves to host her second Bali Creativity Recovery Retreat. After a varied, expansive 2022, this new season greets 2023 already brimming with rich conversations between artists, healers, and visionaries... Welcome back to the  Stories of Astonishing Light! Compassionate Considerations:- How long has it been since you've truly dropped in and listened? - When have you last intentionally let things be?  Episode Mentions: Poem by Morgan Harper Nichols from All Along You Were BloomingFall in love with the art of living. Fall in love with letting things be. Fall in love with listening. Be still in the sun, where the winds ever-gently blow, knowing it is here, in moments like this, you are living,and you will grow.   Please Rate and Review This Podcast if the stories shared here have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Join KJ & Norman in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia to recover your creativity. Next Session: May 30 - June 5, 2023Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Book A Hello Call with KJ - https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallBe notified about upcoming Creativity & Healing Gatherings - Newsletter Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Support the showFollow KJ in her worldly adventures, and be notified when her next events (Creative Recovery Workshops, Bali Wellness Retreats, and Storyteller Evenings) take place.- Join The Story Squad and receive Love Notes Here- Visit here: Bliss Begins Within.com

In the Season Three Finale,  Mai-kee Tsang and KJ contemplate their efforts in unsubscribing to the culture of urgency. Here is a compassionate conversation between friends who've experienced Othered pressures and seek trauma-informed care for themselves and fellow guides in the wellness space. Mai-Kee is a SUSTAINABLE VISIBILITY® Mentor, ICF Certified Trauma-Sensitive Leadership Coach & Podcast Guesting Strategy Trainer. She helps underestimated and underrepresented humans in business take an intersectional and trauma-sensitive approach to visibility, so they can feel safely seen while they grow their businesses.Compassionate Considerations: Do you exercise agency over who gets to witness your work?A Trauma-Sensitive Approach to conversations begins with curiosity and mindfulnessHow might we preserve capacity and integrity as space-holders (coaches, therapists, podcasters, healers, speakers)?Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review for this podcast if these stories have astonished you as well.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Resources Connect With Mai-Kee Website: www.maikeetsang.comIG: www.Instagram.com/maikeetsangConverse with Consent Workshop OfferFree Gift: www.MaikeeTsang.com/25Experts>> Ep 75 background music is "Seashell" Composed & performed by KJ Nasrul>> Intro & Outro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ Want to work with KJ? Only three (3!!!) spaces remain in all of 2022  to work with KJ in an intimate container of replenishment, rediscovery, and release of familial stories so that you can continue healing others.  Creativity VIP Day Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com   Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther  @AdopteeSociety Recover your creativity in an intimate 1:1 Intensive or Small Group CREATIVITY VIP DAY Join KJ & Norman in lush Bali, Indonesia for a 5-Day Creativity Retreat! Clubhouse @kjnasrul  Facebook & TwitterSupport the showFollow KJ in her worldly adventures, and hear when her next events (workshops, retreats and Storyteller Evenings) take place.- Join The Story Squad and receive Love Notes Here- Visit here: Bliss Begins Within.com

After an unexpected and adventurous 6 month hiatus, KJ and her beloved listening gallery The Stories of Astonishing Light Podcast returns today! We're in Ultra Celebration Mode because KJ brings her friend and colleague Lauren Bryson, Certified Nutritional Consultant, back to SOAL to chat about the premiere of Lauren's new podcast Go Play In The Dirt! Listen in as Lauren shares her wealth of knowledge and witness the way these friends jam about the impactful connection between nutrition and mental health.  Considerations: The impact of nutrition in healing from complex trauma is vast. How might one prepare for a big transitional event (i.e. a move) through the lens of nutritional wealth? What we ingest in our bodies informs how (if?) we healthily respond to stress. Want to work with KJ? Only three (3!!!) spaces remain in 2022  to work with KJ in an intimate container of replenishment, rediscovery, and retelling of familial stories. Find out more here >>> Creativity VIP Day RetreatsEnjoying the podcast? Please leave a review for the podcast if the stories shared here have astonished you as well. Let KJ know what you've missed and what you'd like to hear more about!  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Resources  Go Play In The Dirt Podcast  Lauren Emerson Wellness  Lauren on Instagram  EWG.org  Environmental Working GroupJoin KJ in an intimate Intensive CREATIVITY VIP DAY Join KJ & Norman in Bali, Indonesia for a 5-Day Creativity Retreat! Ep 74 background music: "Butterfly" Composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within The Website Glow Up: https://blissbeginswithin.com   Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @AdopteeSociety KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the showFollow KJ in her worldly adventures, and hear when her next events (workshops, retreats and Storyteller Evenings) take place. - Join The Story Squad and receive Love Notes Here- Visit here: Bliss Begins Within.com

"We are being held in all moments.” ~ Erica Skone-Rees   KJ welcomes her friend and creative collaborator Erica Skone-Rees to the Astonishing Story Gallery today. Erica is a mindfulness & meditation teacher, chronic illness warrior, and healing arts practitioner. For the last 3 and 1/2  years, she has navigated recovery from mold toxicity and Lyme disease which required her to identify and embrace her own resourcefulness. Erica is dedicated to living her full potential, at her highest vibration; her Heart's Work is to empower others to do the same. Compassionate Considerations:Your pain may reveal your purpose. Invite your discomfort into a dialogue, and request it impart its wisdom upon you. Even on your darkest days, you can find joy. Create space with nonjudgmental observation and pauses to embody wise action; to become responsive instead of reactive.Episode Mentions - Erica Skone-Rees: Web www.ourwovenpath.com  &  www.ourwovenpathlifestyle.comInstagram @ourwovenpath & @ourwovenpathlifestyle   *Mention this podcast ("SOAL") and receive 30% off a group or class! Ep 72 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.   https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesConnect With KJ & Bliss Begins WithinOnly three spaces left in June to work with KJ 1:1 in an intimate experience!  Rediscover your creativity while replenishing and re-narrate your familial stories so that you can continue sharing your medicine with the world.Schedule a chat with KJ here >> Healing Our Healers and Creativity & Compassion DaysIG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  The Creatives' Coworking Cohort is Open NOW! DM Suzanne & KJ with questions Receive invitations for monthly creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Clubhouse @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterSupport the show

Showing up messy, showing up [40 minutes!] late, showing up Real. This is what Self Care looks like for KJ- sitting with streaky mascara in her car outside her massage therapist's studio, holding a Live Instagram #mondayswiththemuse session. After this solo show, stay for a sneak listen from next week's guest Erica Skone-Rees of Our Woven Path Erica is a mindfulness guide, chronic illness warrior, and healing arts practitioner. She guides us into the present with an invitation to arrive wholly.  Considerations: How do you practice self-care? Do you prioritize time and spaciousness to honor rest, reset, and self-compassion?Are you engaged with the surrounding Creative Intelligence? Do you like the IG  Lip Ring Filter? Because KJ sure does. Want to work with KJ? Only one space in May remains to work with KJ 1:1 in an intimate container of replenishment, rediscovery, and release of familial stories in order to continue uplifting others. Bookings in June and July are beginning to fill up! Reach out to sign up for Healing Our Healers and Creativity & Compassion DaysEnjoying the podcast? Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions Pop Up Creativity Workshop: Rediscover Your Hidden Healing Artist 4/30/22Creatives' Coworking Cohort is Opening its Doors on May 8th! DM Suzanne & KJ to sign up! Join KJ in an intimate 1:1 Intensive or Small Group VIP DaysMeet Erica Skone-Rees of Our Woven Path Ep 72 background music is "Seashell" Composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com   KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SOALPodcast)

Author and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) Karen Sprinkel Ancelet joins KJ today in a conversation about bridging our highest identities so that we can truly thrive even while there is suffering. Dear friends for over fifteen years, KJ and Karen "Sprink" explore evidence that healing IS possible. In her work, Sprink acts as a witness to the process and offers direct guidance and techniques to help one attain the life they want to live with ease and wisdom. Compassionate Considerations from this Story: Our healing and self-nourishing are to be embodied every single day. To begin opening up to deep uncovering/recovery, take 30 seconds at a time. We are conscious, phenomenally-minded mammalsRest is an integral part of the whole healing process. Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.   https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Web  karensprinkel.comTheThrivingSelf.comYouTube:  The Thriving Self LinkedIn Facebook Dr. Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing Multiple Intelligences (Gardner) Ep 71 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins WithinThree spaces are available in May to work with KJ 1:1 in an intimate experience of replenishment, rediscovery, and release of familial stories so that you can continue sharing your medicine with the world.Sign up to chat here >> Healing Our Healers and Creativity & Compassion DaysIG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Creatives' Coworking Cohort is Opening in MAY! DM Suzanne & KJ to join! Receive invitations for monthly creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Clubhouse @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SOALPodcast)

Question: How sexy are the topics of healthy dirt and regenerative agriculture? Answer:  SO VERY.  Especially as we realize how

 "The Wounded Healer is not someone who was wounded and is now healed. It is someone who continues to courageously break open the self and ego as a means for deep integration." ~Kim Krans, Archetype Deck, HEALER CardDearest Ones, how do you as highly sensitive people, healers, and caregivers (because we all give and care for someone else) hold your grief?KJ returns after spending more than a month in her childhood home caring for her mother who became suddenly, frighteningly ill. Compassionate Inquiry:1. How do I make space to breathe and nourish?  2. How do I handle the changes from a child to a caregiver role?  3. How can creativity and self-compassion be lifesaving? 4. How do you decide how you'll spend your time and with whom?KJ discovered she holds a need to connect with other Healers for regeneration, grieving, and releasing untold stories that emerged with becoming a caregiver.  Want to work with KJ? Only three spaces are available for April and May to work with KJ 1:1 in intimate containers of replenishment, rediscovery, and release of familial stories in order to continue uplifting others. Reach out to sign up for Healing Our Healers and Creativity & Compassion DaysEnjoying the podcast? Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions Jen Morris' (Spotlight Listener)  SOAL Episode: Well Rounded Creativepreneurs  Creatives' Cohort is Opening its Doors very soon! DM Suzanne & KJ to sign up! Help For The Helper by Babette Rothschild Ep 69 background music is all composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Join KJ in 1:1 & Group VIP Days KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SOALPodcast)

“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.”  - Hafiz Concluding part two of the conversation about attracting, visualising and accepting gifts,  Beth Hewitt introduces us to her methodology including the strengthening of her intuition with the aid of Oracle Cards she uses in her work.  Beth Hewitt is a Spiritual Performance Coach, Speaker, Author, and Hostess of the Visualise You Podcast, where she shares the transformational stories of people who have taken a leap to follow their soul calling. She is a gifted intuitive. Story Points: It can be difficult when we're not willing to let go of our preconceived ideas and Shoulds We'll use these words all of the time without recognizing we are sabotaging ourselves  Enhance your active listening skills. There is a transformation in being heard & understood. Pay attention to your defensiveness. Defensiveness is a protectiveness and reminder of compassionate inquiry.  Beth's Self-Compassion and Replenishment practices include: Surrendering to the flow, detaching from the outcome, and morning meditation to set the tone of the dayEpisode MentionsThe Visualise & Thrive Membership doors will open again soon! Join KJ in The Club! Visualise You Facebook Group  Website: BethHewitt.com   Podcast: Visualise YouEp 68 background music is all composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive alerts for upcoming Creativity events with KJ here  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SOALPodcast)

In a return after a hiatus, KJ FINALLY connects with her dear friend, Beth Hewitt with this intimate two-part conversation. Beth is a Spiritual Performance Coach, Speaker, Author, and Hostess of the Visualise You Podcast, where she shares the transformational stories of people who have taken a leap to follow their true soul's calling.Manifesting for the first time at just four years old, Beth specializes in gratitude & the power of visualisation. She helps people move from unfulfilled to passionately living life purposefully with clarity and clear intentions.Story Points: Knowing from a very young age that our work would be NON- TraditionalUnderstanding that we are gifted, intuitive beings alreadyThe majesty and miracles that happen when flow and intuition work in tandemEpisode Mentions: The Visualise & Thrive Membership is OPEN NOW! Join KJ in The Club! Visualise You Facebook Group  Website: BethHewitt.com   Podcast: Visualise YouEp 67 background music is all composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive alerts for upcoming Creativity events with KJ here  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SOALPodcast)

KJ and her friend,  illustrator and author Dingding Hu welcome community over competition by meeting a couple times a month to churn on seedlings of ideas and current experiences. Hailing from China, Dingding is currently based in New York City and she specializes in drawing bubbly characters as well as serendipitous storytelling all of which can be found at her studio and site Hu Is Hungry.KJ and Dingding discovered the riches of consistent jam sessions as artists, Asian women business owners, trying to form safe spaces for all of us “Weirdo Kids” (coined in KJ and Dingding's first Story Exchange, Episode 43) to gather and riff on concepts that build up instead of tearing down. Compassionate Considerations Curiosity and collaboration may be the antidote to fears Seek reframe opportunities in all feedback  (or any "Unsubscribes")Flip the negative self-talk by noticing the overwhelming evidence supporting The Good that you already do Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Hu Is Hungry Weekly Newsletter  Monday Mimosas  Instagram  @HuIsHungryThe Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Receive Notes for upcoming Creativity events with KJ  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Ep 66 background music is all composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Want to join our Podcast Creator's Winter Cohort? Contact Us here:   All The Things Podcast with The Magical Cartographers is LIVE! Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

"Who am I to do this?" This isn't an interview, but rather a  super casual jam session between friends, fellow artists, and podcasters about the fascinating and ever-hovering topic of Imposter Syndrome (IS).  KJ and her friend, the gifted land and seascape photographer Margaret Soraya wonder: Is the pervasiveness of IS due to it having been labeled? Is it across cultures, genders, and all professions? Takeaways & Ponderings 1. Is Self Awareness is key?  - Knowing boundaries and knowing what is uncomfortable? - Having the conversations out loud and often will invite increased self-awareness 2. Gain confidence from doing- Movement invites momentum and un-sticking  - What happens when resources aren't available to take action? 3. Imposter Syndrome reveals our harsh self-talk  -   We are harshest on ourselves with comparison and evaluative/critique -   Would we speak so cruelly towards our best friends? Towards a child who is learning? Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Website  https://www.margaretsoraya.com/ Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/margaretsoraya/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/quietlandscapes/Podcast: Quiet Landscapes with Margaret Soraya Receive alerts for upcoming Creativity events here  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Ep 65  background music is all composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Join us for our Wellness Series on Self-Care! Email us at:  TheLightHealers96@gmail.comWant to join our Podcast Creator's Winter Cohort? Contact Us here:   All The Things Podcast with The Magical Cartographers is LIVE! Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

KJ  invites friend and SOAL fan-favorite Lauren Bryson, a certified holistic nutritionist, back to the show to usher in 2022 with a tantalizing topic: nutrition and gut health to support overall physical and emotional health. Lauren understands the therapeutic value of real, nutrient-dense food and she recognizes the impact the environment, chronic stressors, and mindset have on our whole health. She created Lauren Emerson Wellness, to guide clients 1:1 on achieving their health goals. She is also a wellness facilitator with Bauman Wellness and teaches kids cooking classes with Kids Cooking for Life. Some nourishing niblets  from today's conversation: 70% of our immune system is located in our gut Feed your [sexy] microbiome with sexy nutrients (oh hiiiii, sauerkraut!) Self Compassion means advocating for and prioritizing our own immunitySelf Care equals proactive nourishment by getting outside and playing in the dirt!  Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Website www.laurenemersonwellness.comIG @laurenemersonwellnessFB https://www.facebook.com/LaurenEmersonWellness/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-bryson/Want to join our Podcast Creator's Winter Cohort? Contact Us here:  Meet The Magical Cartographers on All The Things Podcast Ep 64 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulIntro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Join us for our Wellness Series on Self-Care for the New Year!  Email us at TheLightHealers96@gmail.com for more information. Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive love notes & invitations for creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList KJ on Clubhouse @kjnasrul KJ on Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

"To truly choose to love is heroic" - bell hooks It's the final episode of 2021. Today, KJ holds space to honor themes and threads of this unparalleled year: the practice of self-compassion by setting boundaries, participation in creativity, and listening to the dialogue of our body. Compassion is activism. Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesHave you thought about starting your own podcast? Join KJ and dear friend Suzanne Dressler this Winter in an intimate Creatives' Cohort to learn how to launch your own show with the surrounding support of other new podcasters.  Email KJ (kj@blissbeginswithin.com) with questions! Listen in to the Fan Favorites of SOAL 2021:   Ep 44 - on  Somatic Psychology with Arielle Schwartz      Ep 31 - on Gut Health, mental wealth with Lauren Bryson Episode Mentions: The  Majesty of bell hooks Closing Compassion Meditation gifted from  Fresh "Lev" White Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Ep 63 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulConnect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive love notes & invitations for creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Clubhouse @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

Join KJ and enchanting Voice Actor Amanda Sellers in an uplifting conversation about vocalizing our requests for The Good. Amanda is the mother of 2 amazing boys, a musician, a Voiceover mentor, and a meditation teacher. She has also co-founded TheVoiceOverSchool.com and is the creator of the #1 Mindfulness tool, Abundance Wands. You've probably heard her dulcet voice across campaigns for mega brands such as Axe, Nike, Apple and Roomba! Her bedtime meditation for kids and her happy morning guided visualizations are regularly featured favorites on Insight Timer. Whether in a resilient response to burnout, or in lulling her young son to sleep, Amanda and KJ explore ways our voices call in wealth, creativity, and wellness. Takeaways: 1. The Courage to start new projects can be driven by the question: "What's next, Dreamer?"2. For combatting Imposter Syndrome:  move through it, feel the fear, do it anyway.3. The most successful voice talent speaks from the heart and not of the head. 4. Tips for Self-Compassion:  a) Practice gratitude by writing down five things for which you're grateful; b) Write down your goals as if they've already been achieved; c) Verbalize mantras to aid your gratitude and compassion practices: "Thank you for this day. "Thank you for these little moments; and, "look for The Good." Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your words and thoughts are the fuel for this little listening gallery.  https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Amanda Sellers VoiceOver The VoiceOver School  Abundance WandsAmanda on Insight Timer Amanda on Instagram @missamandasellers Ep 62 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulOutro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Join us for a Wellness Workshop: Compassion & Boundaries During the Holidays:  Email  kj@blissbeginswithin.com or thelighthealers96@gmail.com Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive love notes & invitations for creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Clubhouse @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

When and how did you know you belonged?  When and how did you know you had found your tribe? Today, KJ jams with her Karaoke crew--The Magical Cartographers--about the nuances and complexities of belonging and how our desire to connect with others shapes our decisions and the way we show up in the world every day.  Today, in addition to reminiscing about Def Leppard concerts, KJ introduces you to three astonishing, spicy women who are mapping out the uncharted territories through storytelling, with the mission to create space for folks to gather and share their experiences about being authentic, doing things differently, and bringing voice to diverse ideas and perspectives. This is all in an invitation for you to do the same. Please join us? You are always welcome in this tribe,  Healers.  Takeaways and Considerations: 1.   We are absorbing, sensitive creatures in our youth. 2.   How is your idea of belonging informed when you found no representations in the “outside world” that looked like you? 3.  Where do the weirdo kids, the feral ones, the dreamers fit in? 4.  Is belonging about being accepted for who we truly, genuinely are? 5.  Whom in your life fits that description- of accepting and supporting you in all your facets? Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. You could be the next SOAL Spotlight Listener Review featured on the show! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: All The Things Jocelyn Lindsay  https://linktr.ee/jocelynlindsayAll The Things Ish Modak https://www.instagram.com/ishmodakmd/All The Things Mel Morris https://link.wtfwithmel.com/Intro and Ep 61 background music: Original Piano Compositions written & performed by KJOutro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive Love Letters from KJ https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Facebook & TwitterClubhouse @kjnasrul Support the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

In this season of gratitude, KJ names appreciation for burning out, coastal train rides, and actress/director Kristen Stewart. This Tiny Astonishment almost wasn't published; the podcast was nearly placed on an indefinite hiatus.  How does one come back from bouts of exhaustion and overwhelm, especially during these charged and tender times? KJ shares her recommendations for reconnecting with joy and creativity, even if you feel you've lost it wholly, even when you don't expect it. First step-  embrace your #Other. Secondly, give into it.  Takeaways: Go back to the BeginningAllow it to be effortlessThis is not your first time (accomplishing, succeeding!) Listen to the landscapeCelebrate the joyful lesson  Please leave a review for this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. You could be SOAL Spotlight Reviewer featured on the show! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: Opening Poem:  Don't Hesitate by Mary OliverA Quiet Landscape Podcast  with Margaret Soraya:  KJ's recent interview on self-care, compassion and  creativity  Ep 12 Tiny Astonishments:  Embrace Your Other Musings On Other Blog - KJ's first forays into public storytelling from 2010Kristen Stewart in the movie Spencer All Ep 60 background music is composed & performed by KJ NasrulConnect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive love notes & invitations for creative gatherings  https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Clubhouse @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

It's another SOAL Special featuring an Astonishing #WOCHealer! Ms. Noor Pinna is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and transformative mindset coach. She helps women break free from the barriers of shame, emboldening them to advocate for themselves and their communities, and to embody resiliency. Noor guides women to celebrate deeply nourishing self-care rituals byway of designing healthy boundaries and reframing any cognitive dissonances. She has administered mental health services internationally, notably in the support of Afghan women.KJ and Noor, instant kindreds, dive into charged topics including  the cost of shame, our discomfort in honoring our accomplishments, and the curious and glorious bravery of what is deemed the “ Midnight Brain". The episode opens with Noor's reading of her own exquisite composition, a poem that garnered the attention of Ted Talk organizers, and led to an invitation to share her musings on Shame Resilience from the massive TedX stage. Noor is in the process of publishing her first book, The Sun Still Rises. Takeaways: Comparison is a killer, a robber of joy Our unique stories are our assetsShame carries a high cost What is your Midnight Brain prompting you to do? Celebrate and Honor every step of your creative process A Shame Resilience Practice:  a) Body scan b) Notice where the discomfort is in the body c) Observe in curiosity d) Engage in conversation with the tension and uncomfortable thoughts e) Listen Please review this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. You could be SOAL Spotlight Reviewer featured on the show! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstoriesEpisode Mentions: TedX Talk: https://youtu.be/2Kg7BIjA3p0Website: www.noorpinnacoaching.comInstagram: @Noor_Pinna  Facebook: Noor-Pinna-Coaching Facebook group:  Resilient Mindset Book Rec: The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor Ep 59 background music are Original Compositions written & performed by KJIntro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ - Psychology Today IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive Love Letters from KJ https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

Today KJ opens the  SOAL listening gallery for a story from Shanna Windle, an attorney turned holistic-subconscious mind-hacker with a mission of helping  us utilize the natural resources within ourselves to make changes and regain control in certain arenas of our lives. Using the award- winning  approach of Rapid Transformational Therapy Hypnosis, Shanna guides her clients towards finally, completely breaking negative patterns in emotions and behaviors that have kept them from living their full potential.In the aftermath of grief and loss, including a divorce and the death of her mother, Shanna experienced the deterioration of her own emotional and physical well being. She sought answers to rising questions about mental wellness, maladaptive behavior patterns, and sustainable health which led Shanna to the decision to leave a 15-year career in law. She created a holistic health and Rapid Transformational Therapy practice based in Florida, Shine Wellness. Takeaways  Hypnotherapy defined differently: Guided visualizations with a specific goal in mind. Carry the intention of uncovering the  beliefs that may be obstacles to wholly healing.  Habits are dictated by the subconscious mind. 95% of everything we do- our thinking, our actions and our feelings- derive from our subconscious.  We have the capacity to rewire our thinking patterns to create new habits! Our brains possess the ability for plasticity and flexibility.Recalibration through prayer, time spent with kids and family, visualization and connecting with nature are all ways to practice self compassion and restore balance.Please rate and review this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your review may be featured on the show, AND  you're eligible for a FREE, private 1:1 call with KJ! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories Episode Mentions: Website: www.Shinewellness.orgIG:  @shine_wellnessTT: shine_wellness_shannaFB: @shinewellness.orgResource: Marisa Peer, Founder and Creator of RTT Resource: Psychology Today/Hypnotherapy Ep 58 background music, Original Compositions written & performed by KJIntro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Work With KJ https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallIG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive Love Letters from KJ https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

Childhood friends KJ and Dr. Nina Flores jam about empowered presence as biracial Women Of Color.  Dr. Flores is an Assistant Professor with the Social & Cultural Analysis of Education master's program in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach. There she engages students in deep analyses of issues concerning justice, power, and resistance. Nina's writing and research on topics such as gender-based violence, and harassment experienced at academic conferences has been featured in several esteemed Academic journals including Gender & Education and Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis as well as  national outlets: Washington Post, Huffington Post, Ms. Magazine Blog, Progressive Planning Magazine, and the OC Weekly.Today KJ and Nina discuss messaging around harassment and safety and the multitude of layers comprising true Self Care, including boundary setting and designing our "Dressed Up" Outsides in both feminine expression and armor. Takeaways:We can be impactful when we release our material attachments, even if only for minutesSelf Compassion is multilayered, whole, and an active intentionality What is your armor as you walk out your door today, Ladies? Please rate and review this podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your review may be featured on the show, AND  you're eligible for a FREE, private 1:1 call with KJ! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: IG  https://instagram.com/BellHookedMe Email Nina at Nina.Flores@csulb.edu Book Rec: Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown Book Rec: Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit Ep 57 background music, Original Composition performed by KJIntro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Work With KJ https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive Love Letters from KJ https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

Tis the Season!  KJ assesses and honors qualities of gratitude for all the challenges and blessings bestowed in the months of August and September. KJ  has returned with the first Tiny Astonishment (solo show) of Season Three after unexpectedly taking a month off from podcasting to experience a number of fairly significant events. KJ's husband NN became a US Citizen! She and said American Citizen Husband subsequently got dropped by COVID. KJ quit her 9-5 corporate healthcare job to pursue creative endeavors and to expand her expressive arts and trauma informed counseling practice Bliss Begins Within Psychotherapy.  .... and she returned to school. September was something special... Nevertheless, KJ welcomes Fall with open arms and a grateful heart. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your review could be read on the show, AND you're qualified for a FREE private 1:1 call with KJ! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Book Rec - Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner SOAL's Astonishing WOC Healers Series - Meet Yasmin Afrazeh & Judy Tsuei What is EMDR Therapy? Gratitude Meditation  written by Nate Klemp of Mindful.Org Ep 56 meditation music, "Seashell", Composed & Performed by KJIntro & Outro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Work With KJ https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Receive Love Letters and Announcements from KJ https://bit.ly/BlissBeginsList Facebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get startedSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

Hey Rebels and Misfits! Welcome to the newest episode of the SOAL Season 3 Mini-Series: Astonishing women of color healers. Today's #WOCHealer  is Judy Tsuei. She's a yoga teacher, Reiki, healer. Writer and speaker on all things, mental health for Asian-Americans. She is the hostess of F*ck Saving Face, a podcast that is both assuring and provocative while empowering Asian Americans to rebel against upholding the model minority standard. Judy aims to redefine what it means to be strong, courageous, and to break taboos placed on us by the generations that came before. Judy & KJ explore charged topics today:  *Storytelling can bridge generational gaps  and destigmatize discussions around Mental Health. *We can create and be new models for Asian beauty. Here's to redefining beauty and wellness for the new line of advocates! Takeaways: Names,  pronunciation-all  language--is significant in shaping our relationships and our cultural identity. There are struggles with loneliness and isolation for Asian Americans including those of us who are Biracial Asian Americans.Is there a place for you where you truly felt like you were home? Where you belong?Who creates the definition of “Beauty” in Asian-American Culture?  Your experience is real, even if no one is talking about it.  ACKNOWLEDGE. It happened.Help Destigmatize Mental Health Issues such as depression and suicidality by talking about it and also addressing it through a lens that is racially considerate.Start with healing ourselves, for when we do, we disrupt, maybe stop  intergenerational trauma.Self Compassion Practices include accepting and receiving love. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Leave a review for your chance at winning a Free 1:1 Consult with KJ! Episode Mentions:Featuring Judy Tsuei Podcast: F*ck Saving Face Website: Fck Saving Face Instagram: @FckSavingFaceF*ck Saving Face Patreon Ad/show background music: Original piano composition by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

KJ jams with her friend Jen Morris on today's new SOAL. Jen is an actor, Certified Health Coach and the host of the Well-Rounded Actor, a show that helps actors become Today's Triple Threat - mentally, physically and financially WELL. She ardently believes that actors are built for business - and not just show business. She started her first business as a struggling 26-year-old NYC actor and grew it to a multiple 6-figure earning vehicle while continuing to go after her acting goals and do motherhood on her own terms. Jen is on a mission to help more actors put their talents to work in high impact, income producing businesses that can give them the leverage they need and fulfillment they deserve.  Takeaways: 1.  Who are we waiting for to grant us permission to take action?  2.  Awareness can arrive as an external source offering feedback 3.  Grant grace and the time to others and ourselves to make decisions  4.  Notice when fear prevents us from stepping in to our alignment.5.  Imposter Syndrome impacts everyone, even artists and performers. 6.  We have innate talents and skills, but we struggle accepting this.  7.  Self Care Practices :          a.  Ask for what  you need           b. Realize that not everything is going to be your thing, that's ok.Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Featuring Jen Morris- 29 Entrepreneurial Ways Actors Can Make More Income & ImpactQUIZ: Discover Your Actorpreneur ArchetypeWebsite: MeetJenMorris.comInstagram: @meetjenmorrisFB Group: The Well-Rounded Actor Podcast: The Well-Rounded ActorAycee Brown: Is My Aura On Straight? Podcast Vasthy Mompoint  https://vasthyandfriends.com/Ad/show background music: Original piano composition by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Facebook & TwitterSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

When was the last time you experienced divine play? "Lila" is a Sanskrit word used in Hinduism and yogic philosophy, loosely translated as "play", and "delight in the moment." Today's new episode explores these concepts and is the first interview of a new mini-series: Astonishing WOC Healers. KJ will share conversations held with healers, social activists and educators who are Women of Color. Meet Yasmin Afrazeh, a Certified Kundalini Yoga instructor, Radiant Child-trained Children's Yoga teacher and Therapeutic Art Life Coach. She is the founder of House of Lila, a space for children to learn mindfulness through Kundalini Yoga and expressive arts including movement and storytelling. House of Lila grew from Yasmin's vision to help children preserve their natural wisdom and radiance, and regain their inherent state of being--of joy, awareness, creativity.  Spanning across Persia and Australia and solo road trips within the badlands of Montana, KJ and Yasmin recall the lessons on how to wholly surrender with wonder.  Takeaways: We already know what to do. We have innate wisdom within .  House of Lila could be a  mantra and lifestyle. "Lila" means "to divinely play".  Hold the space for delight and embrace the outcome of fluid, creative energy.  Are we missing opportunities for living in the present? We're always planning the next step,  doing instead of being. Our natural state is joy, lightness, innocence and possibility. Observe and admire children, as they are the most wonderful teachers.  Admire their freedom, and their wild imagination. They remind us, Everything's possible. Bow into service, of something greater than us.  “I am a small part. I am held. I am fine.” Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website: www.houseoflila.netInstagram: @house.of.lilaPoem:  Inquire Within by In-QAd and show background music: Original piano compositions by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Facebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get startedSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

** BIRTHDAY & NEW SEASON CELEBRATIONS  ** Today's opening episode for the third season of SOAL is the nourishing, concluding conversation with Yoga & Meditation teacher and Certified Sound Healer Deva Munay.  In the first part of this conversation [Episode 49], we learned that Deva's home community had perished in a California wildfire earlier this year, and friends and neighbors came together in a mission to raise money for a rebuild. And during such already charged times,  Deva separated from her longtime love. We ponder ways we recover from such  layered devastation and grief.  Takeaways: Deva's mantra: Hold to the center. Inquiries: What is the Divine Plan? Is this for our protection?   Response: We must learn to entrust that something will be there to hold us in our journey through destruction and pain. Inquiry: How can we be nourished while we encounter and discard old patterns?Response: Follow the sound. Please enjoy a mini sound bowl healing session (about 14 minutes long)  Deva created exclusively for SOAL listeners in this soothing, quiet season premiere. Episode Mentions: Deva's Website SacredSound.Love Listen to excerpts of Deva's  sound journeys Instagram @DevaMunay Ep 52 Background Music: Original Piano Composition by KJ Nasrul Show Intro & Outro Music:  Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Support This PodcastIt is our one year anniversary (Happy Birthday, SOAL!)  and we hope this will be just the first of many more years of reveling in these astonishing stories around and within us.  Please consider supporting and celebrating this podcast by subscribing and downloading  your favorite episodes. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories BONUS- Every review you leave enters you into a drawing to win a FREE 1:1 session with KJ!Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Book A Hello Call with KJ - https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallBe notified about upcoming Creativity & Healing Gatherings - Newsletter KJ and Bliss Begins Within on Facebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link to get started. Support the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

**BONUS** Here's a  SOAL Second Listen to hold you until the Season 3 premiere. In the Fall of 2020, KJ was featured on the incredible podcast Go To Gal as hosted by Jaclyn Mellone. Today, just as she did on Go To Gal, KJ shares observations after years of studying resilience: People exhibit common elements which indicate high resiliency levels. Do you possess these elements too? In the second part of this mini episode, KJ invites you to connect with your body's wisdom in stressful moments byway of guidance from resilience expert Linda Graham and Mindful Magazine.  Takeaways: Are you able to access your basic needs to be safe in the world? Name at least 2 supportive resources in your life:  a person or community on whom you can rely for encouragement and kindness. Do you celebrate your ability to overcome difficult situations? Natural Breathing can be a powerful exercise in regaining control when you're fearful; Also, it can regulate and soothe the autonomic nervous system. The Heart and Hand Meditation can help restore calm and equilibrium to the mind-body; and also  summons memory of cherished, safe moments with a loved one- prompting the release of oxytocin. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: How To Build Resilience - Go To Gal Podcast Ep 148 Mindful.Org  article by Linda Graham on resilience and the body's wisdom Show background music is an Original Composition by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music by Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Roundtable Podcast with KJ  & Friends - CONNECTED! Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubFREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get startedSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

“We are ourselves creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.” -Julia Cameron, The Artist's The Way  It's Episode 50 and the Season Two Finale for this Listening Gallery of Stories and Healing Salves. KJ celebrates her 11 month journey since starting Stories Of Astonishing Light  by honoring her beginnings and returning to creativity.  Takeaways: 1. Spotlight Listener Review  from AJ OptimistReceiving your words wholly and gratefully, AJ! Reviews invite you into a chance to win a 1:1 session with KJ Reviews help spread the word about this 2. Four Universal Healing Salves Did you stop

Sound is one of the oldest and most natural forms of healing known to our planet. Sound frequencies can restore one's mind, body and spirit back to a state of balance. KJ welcomes Certified Sound Healer Deva Munay to explore what this means today in our Pandemic-riddled world. Deva has traveled and studied healing modalities across many landscapes, including Belize, Peru, Indonesia, and Egypt with the hope of incorporating the wisdom of these cultures into her sound journeys. Her mission is to create a unified field of pure awareness, with the intention of invoking deep states of healing, transformation, awe and wonder.In this first half of a two part conversation, KJ and Deva recall discovering the restorative properties of sound--- calm and tranquility; a technique to quiet the mind chatter!-- through extensive travel to post -injury recovery. The ladies also acknowledge that while this was a year of heartache and grief (on a personal and global level), it introduced new resources for wellness to a new audience. Somehow the world crisis prompted a return to a common mode of communication, a bond through an ancient language. Takeaways: 1.  Seek surroundings completely different than your known, familiar world. 2. There is this collective consciousness. Whether we're physically touching or not, we are constantly impacting our world and one another. 3.  Even in grief, this is what I can understand: destruction and transformation can lead to a higher good.4.  Nothing is ever truly lost; it is transformed. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  BONUS- Every review you leave enters you into a drawing to win a FREE 1:1 consultation with KJ!Episode Mentions: The Seven Wonders of Sound Esalen Retreat This Weekend  July 16th-18th! Deva's Website SacredSound.Love Listen to excerpts of Deva's  sound journeys Instagram @DevaMunay Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Roundtable Podcast with KJ  & Friends - CONNECTED! Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this Support the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

How do you dig deep and summon your resilience in a crisis?  Today's SOAL friend Sophia Noreen Syed returns to the show to share her experience as she witnessed the incredible success and then the halting of her product-based start up company Also Sophia  during the pandemic.Sophia Noreen is a Toronto-based physiotherapist, podcaster, multi-business owner, mama and mentor for women entrepreneurs. KJ and Sophia Noreen became fast friends last year as they launched podcasts and created coaching courses together in the midst of a world health crisis. Today the ladies catch up, support each other's accomplishments and detours, and return to the drawing board as women entrepreneurs embodying resilience through creativity and compassionate reassessment.Takeaways:  Be willing to be introspective; self assess. Question: What am I willing to do? What might I delegate elsewhere?        2.   There are projects, people and places who deserve the BEST of you.  Question: Where is my zone of genius? Where are my skills and talents best utilized?       3.  Essential Self Compassion is doing something else. Question: How might I start small to re-engage in my wellness routines? Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website Also Sophia Podcast  Boss It Podcast Instagram:@BossItClub Ad and show background music: Original Compositions by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Roundtable Podcast with  KJ  & Friends - CONNECTED! Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubFREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get startedSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

How do you move forward as an adult after a childhood filled with abuse and trauma? Today's SOAL guest is Terri Kozlowski, a Native American Warrior,  certified life coach, blogger, and author of the book "Raven Transcending Fear". She is also founder of the Soul Solutions Podcast and YouTube Channel. Terri specializes in empowering women by teaching them to set personal boundaries, reframe the stories they tell themselves, overcome their fears, and push past their limiting beliefs.  In a  conversation that honors intuition and personal power, KJ and Terri explore how to untether from anchors that hold us back from living genuine, enriched  lives. Terri shares her exquisite reframing inquiry (a simple question composed of  two words)  that shaped her courage as an adult to finally begin the healing of deep wounds caused by nearly unspeakable childhood trauma. Note:  There are references to experiencing childhood abuse, which may be triggering for some listeners. Takeaways:Release attachments, release your sufferingReconnect with and remember your intuitive, healing gifts with creativity Reframe the "Why me?" question into an empowering claim towards transformation Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your review may be shared on the show, AND you'll be in the running for a FREE, private 1:1 call with KJ! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website  www.TerriKozlowski.comPodcast  www.SoulSolutionsPodcast.comBook  www.RavenTranscendingFear.comInstagram https://www.instagram.com/terrikozlowski/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrikozlowski/YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbT3ygWLAxEcPqOOgCflL_AThe Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Episode 47 Outro music, performed by KJ and Ning Recio Intro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Connect With KJ https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Follow KJ on Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get startedSupport the show (https://paypal.me/KJNasrulMFT )

KJ Nasrul realized she was Asian when she was 11 years old. KJ has suffered bouts of depression throughout her life, most markedly at age 17. Today, KJ has turned in her notice and is leaving her corporate job to open the doors to her trauma-informed, expressive arts healing practice. In this personal solo episode, [Tiny Astonishment], KJ shares what happened when she returned to her rituals of morning writing and musical composition. She found herself examining her roots including her Asian Heritage and the prevalence of mental health issues in her life. Today's show is a celebration of reconnecting and rediscovering our inner wisdom and resources for healing, even in heartbreaking times. It's our experiences and decisions to show up, even while messy and scared, that can still be the beginnings of countless astonishing stories of light.In the closing SOAL's 46th Episode, enjoy a sampling from the impromptu but inspiring jam session with KJ's friend and fellow AAPI musician, Ning Recio. **KJ invites you to rediscover your innate wisdom for healing ** Her Creativity & Compassion Session, [Summertime Edition] takes place this Saturday, June 26, 2021. In the 90 minute gathering, KJ and a small group of healers/artists will: *uncover our resilient stories*reclaim our self-healing abilities*unearth embedded creativityPlease Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. Your review could be shared aloud on the show, AND you're in the running for a FREE private 1:1 call with KJ! https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Ning Recio http://www.smarturl.it/ningrecioNing Recio on Instagram @NingRecio Grab your FREE seat in the 6/26/21 Summer Sesh * Creativity & Compassion https://livecreativityandcompassion.com Episode 46 outro music, performed by KJ and Ning Recio Intro Music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Connect With KJ https://blissbeginswithin.as.me/HelloCallWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Follow KJ on Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Facebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

“If the ocean can calm itself so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air.” ~Nayyirah WaheedToday's #SOAL guest Dani Richards has known KJ for many years, having  first met in an online community based on monikers and screen names built to protect identity and distance. Today's episode is their first face-to-face conversation in nearly a decade, exploring  ways we can overcome barriers and connect authentically. Dani is a 200 hour trained yoga teacher,  a varsity swim coach and she is First Aid Certified in youth mental health. Dani's master's degree is counseling-based in higher education and her mission is to practice and share lessons of self-compassion and resilience to help recognize and combat stress and anxiety.  The reunited friends explore so many themes in this chat including: showing up, "showing face", and granting radical acceptance and forgiveness to ourselves and in turn, others.  Takeaways: 1. Observe what it might mean for you, to overcome the fear of showing up, and deciding to "Show Face". 2. Using reframes, how might our “disabilities” be our greatest gifts? Could these be opportunities to learn something more about our own resiliency?3. Practice Self Kindness.4. Reacting is human. Instead of judging our instinctual responses, perhaps practice these kind statements: “I forgive myself”“I forgive myself for having this reaction.” “I forgive myself for falling into this belief.” “I forgive myself for being caught up in this false judgment."Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories Episode Mentions: Bloom Yoga & Wellness Website  Instagram  @bloomwellyogi Dani Richards, Bloom Well Yogi  Facebook Episode  Background music: Original composition 'Butterfly' by  KJ Nasrul Episode Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety KJ's Upcoming Creativity Workshop Info:  hereWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Listen in to KJ & her friends on their new Roundtable Podcast- CONNECTED!Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

 KJ embraces her inner fangirl with today's guest, clinical psychologist, yoga teacher, international speaker and author, Dr. Arielle Schwartz.  Dr Schwartz is a leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma and she is the author of six books incorporating an integrative (somatic psychology, EMDR, mindfulness practices), strength-based approach to trauma treatment. In a compassionate conversation, KJ and Dr. Schwartz speak to the power in proclaiming aloud our intentions for healing in the name of service for others. The ladies also honor the courage it takes to practice true self compassion. Takeaways:  Notice the somatic connection in your own life. What are your body's coping mechanisms?  Take the risk to put your gift in the world. Someone will be impacted by it.  Self Compassion practices means a willingness to let go of prescription and of trying to protocol or predict where we're going. Episode Mentions: Website  Dr Arielle SchwartzInstagram  @ArielleSchwartzBoulder Dr. Arielle Schwartz on Facebook Dr. Schwartz's Blog Here Order Dr. Schwartz's New Book: The complex PTSD Treatment Manual Out June 8. The Mind-Body Therapy Summit from  Embody Lab (join KJ there today!) Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate Program in which the world's leading trauma therapy experts (Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, Pat Ogden, Deb Dana, Arielle Schwartz and more!) offer a holistic framework for understanding and working with trauma from a body-centered perspective.Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Get updates on KJ's upcoming workshops hereWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  KJ & Friends have a new Roundtable Podcast- CONNECTED!Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >>> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

KJ returns from a brief hiatus with a Full Moon episode, featuring her friend, artist Dingding Hu. Dingding  is on a mission to spread joy and unite people through positivity. She is a Chinese illustrator based in New York City specializing in drawing bubbly characters and  serendipitous storytelling. Dingding’s  artwork is a combined reflection of self discovery, food cravings, people watching, and pop culture. You can find her at her studio Hu Is Hungry.  Today KJ and Dingding jam as fellow Weirdo Kids harboring secret dreams to offset societal (and familial) expectations. The ladies dive into the rich layers of what it means to belong; the renaissance of the Asian Creative and the transcendently magical and connective properties of food…   Takeaways: 1. Food is home. In stressful times, food represents family, comfort and tenderness.2. Were you a Secret Dreamer? How have your childhood dreams emerged in what you do today?3.  Who defines our Asian-ness and what it means to be an Asian Creative?4. What is your narrative of belonging as an Asian?  5. Hope is a choice. Hope is to be treated as a friend. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website: huishungry.com Instagram: @HuIsHungry Steve Aoki www.steveaoki.comAd background music: Original composition 'Butterfly' by  KJ Nasrul Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ and Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >>> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  KJ & Friends have a new Roundtable Podcast- CONNECTED! FREE Guide  Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

When did you decide to become more than Just Friends? The second part of KJ's conversation with Our Friendly World's Fawn and Matt Anderson  is beguiling, flowing and whimsical.  It's infused with a few Aikido principles, quite possibly revealing the recipe for creating deep, congruent relationships. Basically, KJ is such a softy for a good love story, which Fawn and Matt generously provide. A universal human theme that emerged is the desire to connect, be seen and belong with each other.  Episode Themes:+ Aikido principles can be applied to our relationships  in  search for harmony, and reducing conflict:  redirecting momentum releasing into  flowing aroundnot resistingnot attackingsoftening, reflecting, melding+ Perhaps the formula for meaningful relationships is:       1.  Entering into another state.       2.  Releasing into it Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website www.ourfriendlyworld.comPodcast: Our Friendly World with Fawn and Matt   KJ, Fawn, Matt & Friends started a new Roundtable Podcast- CONNECTED! Instagram: @befriendlyworldLinkedIn - Fawn and Matt Ad background music: Original Composition by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul  Follow KJ's Clubs >>> Magical Cartographers Club and Creativity & Compassion ClubWebsite: https://blissbeginswithin.com  FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

Question: When did we become friends? KJ spends an afternoon of laughter and connection with The Andersons. Fawn Anderson is a photographer and Matt Anderson  is a software developer and together they pursue social, racial, and economic justice through their thought provoking conversational podcast exploring the Art of Friendship.  The movement and the podcast is called Our Friendly World with Fawn and MattIn the first of a two-part conversation, KJ and her friends muse aloud about the significant stories that arise out of otherwise commonplace items (fridge magnets, cooling racks); and they examine an essential Shifting Moment: When and how do we pursue friendship? Takeaways: Have curious, compassionate conversations, start now.  Stories and connecting conversations exist everywhere. When or why did we stop using imagination? Can we adapt and approach problem solving with a fresh perspective?Survival means the ability to  adapt and create currency. Currency is our fluency and relationship skills. How to build currency? One way: create a safe environment for authentic sharing. When do we make the shift from casual acquaintance to friendship? What is our style of initiation: Golden Retriever?  Gradual Gatekeeper?  What structures, architecture inform our abilities to create and maintain meaningful relationships?Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well. https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Website www.ourfriendlyworld.comPodcast: Our Friendly World with Fawn and Matt   Instagram: @befriendlyworldFawn's linkedinMatt's linkedinAd background music: KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

Can we have honest and crucial conversations -charged, heavy, electric, passionate, uncomfortable, provocative as they are-- today?  If yes, what do they look like? How do we start them? It is these questions, and more that KJ contemplates  in today's Solo SOAL episode. Stick around for a few minutes as she accompanies us through a Compassion Invocation and music mandala. Questions Worth Considering: 1. Would you Come Sit With Me?  If you saw me hanging out on the couch or at a table with an open, available seat, would you take it? What stops you from sitting next to me? What compels you to sit next to me, engage with me? Come Sit With Me experiment, as envisioned by artist @jackieshermanart 2. What happens when we let go of  attachment to the outcome, but instead focus in the moment, on the process?3. Do you recognize the impact of nonverbal communication? What happens when there are no words? An experiential Expressive Arts Therapy seminar brought many nonverbal conversations that were just as profound and telling if not more than any verbal exchange. 4. What would it be like to talk about the grief, fear, and passion and channel that momentum towards advocacy for issues that are important to us and our communities?5.  The conversation is just beginning. This week, a Minneapolis jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder of George Floyd last year, on May 25, 2020. We have much work to do, Healers. It starts with talking about it.  Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories  Episode Mentions: Artist and writer Jackie Sherman - Come Sit With Me KJ's Interview on WTF Live With Melissa Morris- YouTube Video Compassion Meditation Background Music: Seashell Sound Mandala, performed by KJ Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

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Today we’re doing something a little different, Healers. This episode is the recording of KJ as a guest on her friend Valerie Zaric's podcast, Future Proof Career. The ladies jam  for a little while on an apparently provocative topic... silence. When KJ asked a question about silence to her Facebook and Instagram friends, she learned that silence can be polarizing, unsettling and also very wise, if  we allow it to be. This fun conversation was a gentle way to re-emerge after KJ's self-imposed cocooning over the past several weeks. Listen in to consider the complexities (or simplicities?) of quiet..Takeaways: Silence is:Uncomfortable and soothing. Contemplative and provocative.Gentle and agitated. Wise and torturous. Questions: What is your relationship with silence? What stories does silence hold for you? Episode Mentions: Valerie Zaric on IG:  @valeriezaricFuture Proof Career PodcastWebsite http://valeriezaric.com/Ep 38 Ad Background Music: Original Composition-  Butterfly by KJ Nasrul Ep 38 Takeaways Background Music: Original Composition - Seashell by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Register for the Creativity & Compassion Workshop this Saturday! Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  Connect on Clubhouse: @kjnasrul FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

Hi, friends, it's me, KJ.  While I haven't  spoken much these days, I am here, though my grief is vast.  I am grateful to these three exquisite poetesses (Rupi Kaur, Morgan Harper Nichols and Katie Herzig) who do have the perfect words to express what I cannot at this time.  Stay but a few moments if you would;  there are poems to be read, and a song to sing.  With Love, KJ Episode Notes: Poem   balance  by Rupi KaurPoem   stillness by Rupi Kaur Poem   inner critic  by Morgan Harper Nichols Poem   connected by Rupi Kaur Song lyrics &  melody   i hurt too by Katie Herzig, performed by KJ Hoard Nasrulintro  & outro music Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within Instagram:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

When you find your people, you find your way. Today's SOAL guest is Aaliyah Madadi,  a Dharma Life Coach, ganja yoga teacher, US Trademarks lawyer, and the host of the Soul Sesh Podcast.  She has a mission: empower women in fully embodying their purpose and living a life that truly feels good. Today, KJ and Aaliyah explore ways to grant more grace to acknowledge our strengths as medicine for ourselves and others.  The ladies create new definitions for concepts such as safety and self compassion. Also, Aaliyah shares the intricate and scary process of walking away from her big time career in corporate law to live a life of connectedness on her terms. Welcome to this delightful and soothing Soul Sesh. TakeawaysWhen did you know you have and are the medicine? How might you grant yourself the grace to accept your gifts? Find Your People. They will provide a safe environment for you as you take action. Slow down and cultivate an intentional, sacred life. Notice and acknowledge urgencies that are assigned to you, but not by you. Prioritizing where you’ll spend your energy is an empowering form of self careEpisode Mentions: Aaliyah on Instagram:  @aaliyahmadadi @soulseshhSoul Sesh Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soul-sesh/id1554026584Website https://www.aaliyahmadadi.comEp 36 Ad Background Music: Original Composition-  Butterfly by KJ Nasrul Ep 36 Takeaways Background Music: Original Composition - Seashell by  KJ Nasrul Intro  & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG:  @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com  FREE Guide- Connect To Calm  https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

KJ welcomes this week's guest, Dr. Yvonne Castillo, a Pain-free Movement Specialist and Doctor of Physical Therapy. Yvonne has cracked the code to getting and staying pain-free naturally, without endless painkillers, procedures or trips to the doc. As the founder of Perseverance Wellness Solutions, she’s helped over a thousand active adults stop chasing their symptoms with ineffective pills and procedures, and finally fix the true source of their pain with her proven 3S Mobility Method.Today, KJ and Yvonne bring the attention back to the relationships we grow with our clients and the importance of modeling healthy coping skills for our loved ones . Yvonne has over a decade of experience as a Pain-free Movement Specialist, holds a Doctorate and Masters in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Pilates instructor. Her holistic philosophy of kindness and collaboration is inspired, and inspiring. Episode Takeaways: View healing holistically, not with a fragmented focus on pain and injury. Your health, your pain points influence and impact all facets of your lifeSpend the time to be of service. Treat People as humans, not data. Value the relationships and stories your patients bring. We are the models. What mentality or coping mechanisms are you teaching your loved ones? What messages are your kids learning from you?Think Long Term and Big Picture. Ask yourself: What can I do today that will improve my quality of life for the next 40 years?Be kind, listen, and start where you are. Acknowledge others and yourself not with judgment with compassion and curiosity. Episode Mentions: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.yvonnecastilloFacebook Group: www.thepainfreeandpowerfulproject.groupFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dr.yvonnecastilloEp 35 Ad Background Music: Original Composition- KJ Nasrul Ep 35 Takeaways Background Music: Original Composition - KJ Nasrul Intro & Outro music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG: @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSociety Clubhouse: @kjnasrul Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com FREE Guide- Connect To Calm https://bit.ly/4StepsToCalmFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

Head up, hands up, be light-footed, be present: a few life lessons from boxing. KJ welcomes her friend Suzanne Dressler to the podcast to talk grieving a lost relationship, celebrating frontline essential workers and redefining self care. Suzanne Dressler is a professional singer/actress, runs her own tutoring business, Skyscraper Tutoring, LLC, and is a dedicated Podcaster and host of There's a Word for That!, a podcast that explores our relationships to words and expressions. She is very short and has very curly hair and she is pure delight. Takeaways:1. Lessons from Grenada: Treat others with kindness; Take pride in your work; Be glad for your blessings. Enjoy a healthy lifestyle of an exchange of nourishment with the land. 2. Lessons from Boxing: Be light on your feet, practice vigilance . Concentrate on maintaining your form, keep your hands up, practice presence, be light footed and hold your stance; stay out of your head and trust in your form. 3. Recognize the resilience models around you. People move through difficult situations every day- rationing and sacrifices. Look to and celebrate Front Line workers- Health Care and Grocery Store and Food Vendors. They are putting their lives at risk to ensure we have our basic needs. 4. Humans are designed to survive. The pandemic revealed boundaries and edges. Understand and utilize your inner resourcefulness. 5. Re-evaluate and redefine. Know when it’s time for a mental health break. Re-evaluate your definition of Self Care. Yoga and movement can equal catharsis and sanctuary. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories BONUS- Every review you leave enters you into a drawing to win a FREE 1:1 consultation with me!Episode Mentions: Podcast: theresawordforthat.buzzsprout.comInstagram: @suzannerachel13Twitter: @squeezanne13Ep 34 Ad background music: A KJ Original Composition - "Butterfly" Ep 34 Outro background music: A KJ Original Composition - "Seashell" Intro & Outro background music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG: @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSocietyReceive KJ's Updates: Email List Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com 1:1 Time With KJ: https://blissbeginswithin.as.meFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started

Are the arts and creativity endangered species? KJ and Adam Roberts discuss the creative community's pivots at the one year anniversary of COVID's world premiere. One of KJ's podcasting besties, Adam Roberts, is the founder of Arts in America, a media company moving the arts from the margins to the mainstream. He hosts the Arts in America podcast, exploring how creatives survive and thrive during a global pandemic and #BlackLivesMatter. Adam has nearly twenty years of experience in nonprofit management with such organizations as the Huntington Theatre Company, Phillips Academy, and the Handel and Haydn Society. Join in this passionate conversation about saving arts from extinction at a time when they are needed most. Takeaways:.1. Finding the innate good . There is good in all our tasks no matter how little, messy or uncomfortable. 2. Priority and preciousness of now. We have been gifted this unique time with our loved ones. 3. Creators and artists in America are vastly diverse.... though this is not reflected in mainstream communities. 4. Devastation and tragedy awaits us if the arts cannot be supported in the rebuild, Post-COVID. Now is the time for boards of directors, benefactors and sponsors to model and advocate for the essentialness of arts in America. 5. Artists are survivors. The creative community thrives in pivotal times. 6. Self care can be nuanced, quiet and extremely profound…Tiny love letters may heal your sanity and your marriage. Please Rate and Review This Podcast if our stories have astonished you as well.https://ratethispodcast.com/astonishingstories BONUS- Every review you leave enters you into a drawing to win a FREE 1:1 consultation with me!Episode Mentions: Online at artsinamerica.orgThe Arts In America Podcast on AppleTwitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @artsinamerica Ep 33 Ad background music: A KJ Original Composition - "Butterfly" Ep 33 Outro background music: A KJ Original Composition - "Seashell" Intro & Outro background music: Canada Lo Res by Pictures Of The Floating World Connect With KJ & Bliss Begins Within IG: @MusingsOnOther @BlissBeginsWithin @AdopteeSocietyReceive KJ's Updates: Email List Website: https://blissbeginswithin.com 1:1 Time With KJ: https://blissbeginswithin.as.meFacebook & TwitterWant to create and send beautiful emails? Try Flodesk for free your first 30 days! Use this link here to get started