The Rima the Jungle Girl Podcast

As a psychotherapist, Rima has a unique perspective of anxieties & fears being triggered by the global Pandemic. We cover: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs & getting bumped down as a society; ideas & practical tools that help Rima & her clients; ego death & awareness; what balance & self-care mean now; being our own healers; why living in the moment & following our intuition is important; adapting/being mentally prepared for big changes; addressing expectations, stories, delusions & accepting a new post-pandemic reality.

A lot is changing rapidly in the world as we are being forced to slow down globally. This episode was recorded 02/12/20, before quarantines forced us to slow down anyway in the West, but this content is even more applicable now as we have more time & space to explore our habits & “typical pace” of life. We are sold from a young age: the more you do, create, produce, the more you're worth & the happier you'll be. Rima has found the opposite to be true & shares her personal story of going at lightning speed through her 20s before learning the value of going inward & slowing down her pace. She shares similar stories of clients' ups & downs & gives insights & tools to use & apply to your own exploration of whether or not you've been going too fast in your life. We explore values & how to re-examine inner stories that may no longer be serving us.

Rima's life as a childless 30-something woman is a provocation for many people & a normal topic of conversation. Convinced that other childless women experience the same, this episode looks at why we should stop shaming women for not wanting children, the true confessions of many clients who admit to wishing they never had kids & why this shame can be very triggering for some women. She examines the roles of tradition, culture, religion, patriarchy & the idea of “nature” in why women are coaxed to have children & become wives from a young age. Rima hopes we can have honest conversations on what it means to raise children & why it might not be for everyone - and why that's totally okay. There is no parent shaming in this episode, just a plea for women to be treated equally, regardless of their desires to reproduce. From the state of the world today to simply already being happy & content, there are many reasons why women choose not to have children.

They say that it's best to refrain from blasting your politics & religion at parties to avoid offending people & to get along with everyone. But nowadays, when we have every acquaintance we've ever met at our fingertips, it's easy to blur the line, overshare & not consider the real-world ramifications. Rima has examined this tendency in her life & the lives of her clients, & she opens the conversation up of where to draw boundaries & how to understand the impact of our on-line habits. Many people she's talked to have been alienated from friends & family because of their beliefs, leading to detrimental outcomes of divided communities in a time where we direly need to come together. We examine: how what we share can divide families & friends apart; our communication styles; how to adapt advice from previous generations to our non-stop technological advances; how to decide who we want to be on-line & in our relationships.

Rima & Russell examine the dilemma of using plant medicines in the west while not engaging in cultural appropriation. You'll hear: a definition of ayahuasca, what it's used for, and where it comes from; what the term ‘shaman' means & what it signifies now; what a ceremony might look like & what the role of the leader/facilitator is; what integration means & why it's important for ayahuasca participants from the west; a discussion about how Westerners can engage with the medicine without engaging in cultural appropriation; ways to make the medicine accessible/non-exclusive while maintaining respect & integrity; the idea of money/profit & how it relates to ayahuasca; how ayahuasca offerings can be promoted authentically; ways we can use the message & teachings of Ayahuasca to engage in constructive conversations about her evolution & adaptation & more.

Rima, a licensed psychotherapist, discusses why movement is so important for mental health and how yoga helps to manage anxiety. Most adults don't breathe properly and many people also aren't moving enough. People who are depressed or anxious tend to spend too much indoors and hunched over a computer screen. All of these factors can cause our body to tighten and cause us to hold on the tension and stress that we don't need. Movement helps to circulate and then release the stagnant, anxious energy that can reside in our body.

The secret to being happy in life and in love is to know exactly what you want, like, need, desire, whatever. But getting to know yourself can be one of the hardest things for some people. For others, spending time alone and being independent comes naturally. For those that don't feel this way, being alone can feel like the scariest thing in the world. When we don't know what we want, like or need, it's impossible for us to advocate for these things in our relationships. We lose ourselves in the relationship. We put the relationship and the other ahead of our own needs. When we don't take time to take care of ourselves, we burn out and we can become sick, mentally and physically. Long term, this spells disaster. We explore 7 steps to get to know your true self.

Breaking up is hard to do but knowing when it's time to do so can be even harder. How do you know when that time comes? With Rima's first long term relationship, breaking up was SO HARD to do - even though it was what she had wanted for longer than she cares to admit. But going through with it and sticking to her boundaries was very challenging! Over time, it's gotten easier as she learned to recognize the signs and patterns and knows how to end things gracefully. Now, she's found that many of her clients struggle with similar challenges, so Rima talks about 9 signs that it's time to break up with bae!

Relationships are tough and dating an addict is even more challenging. Knowing whether or not to leave is confusing, and we explore considerations to take in this episode. If you choose to stay and work through the relationship with an addict, here are 5 ways to deal with and manage the relationship. We explore how to be supportive, how to maintain trust and boundaries, and how to take care of yourself first.

Good mental health, successful relationships & positive life experience all depend on adopting & maintaining self-care practices. The Nicoyan Peninsula is a Blue Zone - a place in the world that is home to one the longest-living cultures. Spending time in Costa Rica these last 5 years or so, I've learned a lot about daily priorities, gratitude, and how to live life to the fullest. Where I put my focus has changed dramatically and what I define as success has transformed  in many ways. I measure success now based on my overall life experience, not simply on what I'm achieving career-wise. There is a huge difference that I've observed in self-care and perspectives between Americans and Tico, or people from Costa Rica. Listen to 6 lessons Americans can learn from Ticos about self-care.

Shame is one of the most debilitating emotions we can experience. Rima, a licensed psychotherapist, takes a look at what shame really is, what causes it, and how we can move past it. On this episode, we explore: how shame differs from guilt, why shame is destructive, what shame feels like in the body, what shame leads to if not dealt with, Rima's past experiences with shame & guilt and how she's moved past them with therapy, and five ways to deal with shame, forgive yourself and cultivate self-compassion.

What does “holding space” mean & how do you know if you're doing it? How many positive exchanges with your lover must you have to cancel out the negative ones? Who do you vent to when your boss is your spouse? Listen in for an explanation of what it means to hold space for your loved ones, how to get ahead by doing “small things often”, and how to reframe your working partnership. We explore how to be successful if you work with your partner… and let's face it - we all do it one way or another! Whether in your careers or by managing your home together, we all have to work with our lovers at some point. This episode merges science with relationships to understand what makes relationships work when you're working together and what makes them fail… and when it's time to let go.

Following a tragic rape & murder of a beautiful, young woman, Maria Trinidad Matus, in the small beach town where Rima lives, the epidemic of femicide and violence against women (VAW) is explored. Violence against women comprises a wide range of acts – from verbal harassment, which basically all women endure regularly, to other forms of emotional abuse, to daily physical or sexual abuse. On the other end of the spectrum is femicide: the murder of a woman. What are the mental health effects of violence against women & femicide on an individual & on a community level? What is the impact in general on the community? What are the theories that explore causes of femicide and ways to prevent or decrease femicide? Why does the media misreport rape and crimes against women & what role does patriarchy have to play in all of this? Rima discusses worldwide statistics of femicide, her own theories of the systemic, societal collapse that's imminent & why we are seeing such horrific displays of violence & hatred, and how we can come together as humans to address & eradicate women as perpetual victims of abuse, rape & murder. In memory of Maria Trinidad Matus #niunamenos

Rima catches listeners up on her entrepreneurial pursuits, which include low “ebbs” along the way. With all transparency, Rima talks about a lack of motivation, feeling stuck in work & life, & how “ebbs” can be depressing. She shares how she deals with these moments & how it's actually a good thing to have ups and downs in life. She talks about the importance of creating space for different opportunities to come in & being open for what comes. Sometimes we need a break from our routine or our story to clear all the voices out before we can figure out what we really want for ourselves. As entrepreneurs, it can be challenging to stick to one path, to get focused, & to not do all of the things that come our way, & this episode talks all about dealing with those things & the attachments we collect along the way.

Tara uses the written word & surfing as a metaphor to Identify and discuss a broader experience of women all over felt both in the water and on land… processes that include patriarchy and misogyny, and she uses her experience as a writer and surfer to give voice to women in her own work & in her collaborations with women all over the world (in the book she's working on, Women's Surf Stories). She's a well-published author and PhD student who's specializing in Sustainable Surf Tourism & she travels the world & hosts various events & retreats. In this episode, she talks about putting boundaries in place with her art, the abuse and reactivity she experienced when speaking her voice, being silenced as a woman who's voice doesn't go along with the mainstream, dating across cultures, coming to Costa Rica in the student abroad program & feeling “home”, being non-attached as an artist & writer, whether to positive or negative feedback, being a program assistant for a study abroad program called Surfing and Sustainability, and more!

Cristina Kalyani Paes found her path from a very young age & found herself asking primordial questions that weren't typical of the time. She had paranormal experiences & was given resources to study about yoga & to work with a paranormal psychologist. From there, she deepened her studies for many years by learning about breathwork, hypnotherapy (from Brian Weiss & Dolores Cannon), yoga philosophy and lifestyle at the Bihar School of Yoga & meditation. A pilgrim, she traveled by horseback for a year and a half around South America, introducing fire dancing and yoga choreography to the unprivileged people in the mountains of Peru with Nomads United, before she settled in Costa Rica 16 years ago. Now, she practices the Yoga of Life, without putting labels or trying to market herself in an inauthentic way. Her work is a culmination of her experiences & knowledge. She wants to see yoga remain what it really is & shares the message that we don't all need to quit everything, become yoga teachers and monks, and live in the jungle in order to be spiritual. “The world needs all professions, not just yoga teachers. We can always transform the work that we do into something beautiful. Anything we can do to go back to nature is they key - not that we have to release or get rid of our lives.” She talks about the need for community gathering centers in big cities where people can connect and experience a tribe, a place where one can LIVE yoga or spirituality. She's frustrated with centers and studios that give employment to yoga teachers based on their social media followings and not based on their merit and it causes her to question the integrity of these places. She believes we need to find a balance with yoga as a profession and yoga as a philosophy, and always remain in our authenticity.

Maya DeGabrielle lives her life as a true example for all. Never a bad word to say about anybody, she is constantly smiling and brightening the lives of those around her. She left her parents' house at 16 & went off into the wild, living in numerous paradise-destinations, including Indonesia, Ibiza, South Africa & more, before deciding to settle in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where she has a Standup Paddleboard company - Sundah Surfers. She gets to be a mermaid all day long as she wows her guests with the simplicity of nature, being present & always having a positive mindset. Even when her beautiful car was stolen, I never heard Maya complain once or say anything negative - hear why she lives her life this way and what it's done for her. She's trusting the flow & the calling of her life to fulfill her deepest-rooted desires.

Mona grew up in Argentina where she was pressured to go to university immediately after high school. At 17, she wanted to be a fashion designer but decided, on her first day of university, to switch to studying architecture. Not a small feat, she spent 6 years studying & working to survive. She took a solo trip to Costa Rica and her perspective completely changed. She went home to take her final exams & after graduating, she came back to Santa Teresa & decided to follow her heart. She spent her days surfing & soon became a surf instructor and a little monkey or a “Mona”. She began designing her own personal surf swimwear & her students wanted to buy them. She went from sewing 10 suits at a time to a full-time team of partners and staff in Costa Rica & California growing the brand. She named the brand Mona, and the designs are now made from recycled abandoned fishing nets from the bottom of the ocean, is fully recyclable, & is so smooth & comfortable! So it turns out she became a fashion designer in the end! A true full circle story… Her story is so inspiring to the female entrepreneur chasing her dreams.

Nancy road tripped down the coast of Mexico through Central America over 20 years ago before settling in Costa Rica, where her family had already moved to live a different life. Together, they built, sold & built another successful hotel which they now run together in paradise. Nancy was a devout Ashtangi for many years before becoming a certified yoga teacher by popular demand - she was already teaching classes in town because everyone loved her style and there was a huge demand for yoga! After losing her toddler in a car accident 17 years ago, Nancy has learned countless lessons on grief, transformation, the importance of family, community & a support system, and understanding that “what we have is here and now. The more we can open up and be less attached to what is in the future, there's a deeper sense of happiness.”

Laurie figured out at a young age that society is trying to place us into a box and that she didn't want to be in that box. French Canadian, she came to Costa Rica for the first time with her mother and found her love for surfing, speaking Spanish & being connected to nature. Her heart remained when she went home & after returning to travel around Costa Rica & central America for months, she decided to return to Costa Rica. She's been here 11 years & describes herself as a mermaid that loves to dance, surf, dive & play. She hosts Ecstatic Dance biweekly in our beach community, creating a safe space for us to dance our hearts away without judgement, drugs or alcohol. She creates magic in many other ways. We talk sunsets, astrology, following your passions & dreams, not settling into what others want for you & more. Listen in for jungle girl boss inspiration!

Originally from Italy, Giulia moved around the US before settling in New York City. She worked for Diesel and was in the fashion industry for many years. She reached a point in her life where she wanted a sense of freedom & fulfillment. She visited Costa Rica with her partner & she fell in love. Soon after, she experienced a devastating earthquake in Nepal & was traumatized. Instead of going back to her life of structure and routine, she was getting ready to get married & move to the jungle. She was worried about healing from her trauma but soon found that nature was her ultimate healer. Here, she's able to explore her creativity, to let her entrepreneurial side run wild and take risks, and partner with people she loves. She's one of Rima's business partners and they share a few anecdotes and stories on making it as a female entrepreneur in the jungle!

Heidi opened a huge nightclub in North Carolina at 24 and ran it successfully for 11 years. The club had it all from a Tiki bar to a mechanical bull; she hosted huge musical acts & raging parties while keeping everything running smoothly. She came to Nicoya on a vacation and immediately felt like she was home. From the monkeys overhead, the waterfalls, the blue butterflies, the weather… before she knew it, she was putting an offer in on a house. She bought the house & five years later, she's still calling Santa Teresa home. Now, Heidi spends her days rehabilitating animals with Wild Sun Rescue Center in Cabuya & uses her business skills to find ways to make the rescue sustainable. She balances animal rescue will lots of adventure, fun girl time, community & love.

When I met Emily, she was a pregnant woman in the jungle. When I heard her story, I was amazed! A double Aquarian like me, she spent 15 years in Venice Beach (where I lived for many years!) and followed the traditional path - working for a fortune 500 and spending 1000s of dollars on clothing and shoes. She had the picturesque life but her heart still yearned for Costa Rica - where she had spent 6 months backpacking out of college. She finally returned to the small surf town she fell in love with before, Santa Teresa, over a decade later, and ended up falling in love with a charming French surfer. Soon she returned, they had a baby & the rest is history. Listen in for more details and epic quotes like this: “It's like if motherhood is a video game and doing it in the jungle is the hardest level.” Emily is amazing!

This bad ass jungle girl boss is an inspiration to Rima & many others. She cracks tourists & locals alike wide open with her famous Kundalini yoga classes in Santa Teresa. Originally from the US, Tammy first touched Costa Rican soil in 2002 & she knew she was home. She was living the daily grind in corporate America but she decided to create a different life for herself. She was introduced to Kundalini yoga, the Mayan calendar, Destiny Cards & western astrology... she delved deeply into these areas & now teaches to thousands of people worldwide. She is birthing a book & is highly revered in the community she's spent over 10 years growing roots in & shares with us how to go after what you want & why community & self-care are so important.

Charlotte talks about identifying the blocks to consciousness & dialoguing about solutions through nature & spirituality as opposed to transcendent belief systems which negate animals, nature, Spirit, embodiment, women & feelings as sources of power. If you want to change "what is" you must have a vision for what you want to create & a deep understanding of the problem. Many today go straight into surface solutions without deep pondering of the problem. We explore the heartsets & mindsets that stand in the way of co-creation of a kinder world for all beings. Charlotte invites us to have deeper conversations about animal liberation, feminism & spirituality that go beyond the realms most are willing to contemplate.

What are the powers of women? Have we been fed a lie in the form of woman as homemaker & sex object? What is the role of the Goddess? Can we begin to see women as leaders, healers, visionaries & powerhouses as peaceful societies did 1000s of years ago? We explore vegan spiritual ecofeminism & returning the principles associated with women to all humanity - care, compassion, intuition & power. We explore how stories of a male God & male as the norm & priority within theology & philosophy, combined with flesh-eating, have shaped our understanding of reality, self, worldview, paradigm & how to up-level our beliefs to benefit all beings.

Charlotte explains her theory of embodied love & disembodied logic & how being kind to animals holds the greatest potential for the flourishing of humanity's potential. Veganism is a way of relating with love & it is connected to the most evolved potential - physically, spiritually, emotionally & culturally. Often, spiritual leaders speak from the dominator paradigm, which justifies the use-abuse of animals. When we relate to animals as spiritual teachers, we shift into an unprecedented consciousness. The time is now to turn this vision into reality.

Rescuing a defunct rescue center is hard work & expensive. That doesn't stop Jeremy & his team at Wild Sun Rescue Center in Cabuya, Costa Rica from tackling issues & rescuing, rehabilitating & releasing all day. Volunteers & yoga retreats are hosted at Jungle Resort campus, which contributes to the center while guests enjoy paradise. Wild Sun addresses conservation issues at the legislative level & helps animals in need. Learn about their work with scarlet macaws & monkeys & how you can get involved.

Zion believed the lie that we're all fed - that we have to achieve monetary wealth to be happy and successful. After hitting his milestone of making 6 figures a year, he realized it didn't fulfill him. He was spending so much time working that he left the house before his daughter was awake and came home after she was asleep. He knew something had to change. When the opportunity arose to partner in a lavender farm and move 2 states north, he and his wife jumped on it. They haven't looked back since.

We come into this world knowing who we are, but somewhere along the way, we become inundated with the voices of others. Parents, teachers, the media… it's easy to get lost and live a life based on the agendas of others. Katie recognized that she wasn't living true to her Self & worked to break free from the stories that bound her. Now she's a digital nomad, living half the year in Bali. Versus being stuck in a 9-5, she's creating her own schedule and creating new traditions with her partner.

Alexander looked for the meaning of life on a spiritual quest that included climbing mountaintops to meet with gurus & studying with shamans until he found it in a deck of playing cards. In ancient spiritual societies, people knew about the power of the cards. We talk about the difference between destiny cards & Tarot cards & how the cards can be accurate based on our calendar when it is new. His theories are thought-provoking. His book tells us how we can understand our cards to play them right.

What is Shamanism/a shaman? What does it look like to be a shaman from the west versus from indigenous cultures? A Palestinian Shaman living in LA is not the most common person you will meet. Yaz shares how he came to the spiritual path & became a shaman. He was a wealthy, corporate bigshot, numbing with drugs, alcohol & sex, until he had a breakdown. He found reiki the same week & everything changed. Also, how it was growing up in the Middle East in the war, how he's healed himself & his family.

Meg's back to talk about WHAT THE F BRANDING IS? and how we can brand our business & our life in a cohesive way that tells the story we want. No business is too small to think about branding & about the message you are conveying to potential clients, family & friends! As wellness entrepreneurs, yoga teachers, whatever, our life is often our business so knowing what to do and how to do it can be a challenge. Meg offers solutions and practical tips for you to brand your business & your life today!

Shaman Isabella is vivacious & eccentric as she shares about consciousness and how to leave our stories behind to create joyful lives. In today's political climate, it's easy to feel stressed, afraid, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed… we talk about practical things you can do right now to shift your consciousness and your reality so that you can experience joy NOW & in your day-to-day life. You can choose what you want to focus on and Isabella provides many tools to do so in a light & humorous way.

Cristina is back to talk intimately about her experience with depression, antidepressants & how she eventually found natural healing. At times, meds helped her, especially when she was severely depressed, but she realized that she had taken control of her life & was taking them out of habit. She didn't have an exit strategy, but she committed to using nourishing nutrition, nature & physical exercise to heal & change her brain chemistry naturally so she could wean off of the pills in a safe way.

Psychologist Dr. Eleanor has an extensive scientific & research background that she applies to her astrological work. She contributed to the “Human Design System” that was pioneered by Ra Uru Hu. Eleanor's work led to findings that differed to Ra's & she tells the story publicly about what happened when she challenged his work & of her improved system “Beyond Human Design” that is integrative of different matrices & creates a more complete picture of how to apply Human Design in everyday life.

Stephanie - an LA hypnotherapist - comes from a background in science & research but her path led her to becoming an expert on past lives & to her work with Past-Life Regression Therapy. At 19, she died from lupus & came back into her body. In her 40s, her husband died in her arms; she communicated regularly with him afterwards. We talk about how understanding your past lives helps you now, about the contracts we make it past lives, bleed-through experiences & more. She trained with Brian Weiss, MD.

Tory, a Healthy Living Expert & Holistic Business Consultant, follows her path to the wildest places. From dropping out of college after receiving a full scholarship, to doing stand up, dancing professionally & writing children's books, she's acquired skills from far & wide. She went from feeling shame for jumping from passion to passion to understanding how all of her skills assist her in being the amazing holistic health coach she is now. Tory gives many practical applications in this episode.

Lauren is living her life as an entrepreneurship & shares her story of how she went from channeling her energy into self-destruction (partying & toxic relationships) to creative, positive outlets that feed & fulfill her soul, as well as inspire others. Yoga & travel helped, but that wasn't all. Lauren is a yogi nomad that creates transformative travel experiences for women. We talk about using all kinds of archetypes throughout life, living authentically & using your true voice.

Danny spent years volunteering for different water-related causes before, one day, he came up with a simple yet revolutionary way to impact the global water crisis - a solution that uses gravity as an energy source. Though he didn't implement it immediately, 5 years later his idea came to fruition & his systems are now providing clean drinking water to over 3000 kids. We discuss how you can get involved in causes that you love & create change, no matter how small you may think your actions are! We talk all about the global water crisis, his solution & how you can follow your passion for change... whether it's animal/human/environmental rights.... whatever. Contact Danny at Danny@gravitywater.org & become a member, donating $8 a month that goes directly towards implementing these clean water systems in places that need them the most. gravitywater.org

Andrew Keegan is a Hollywood actor (10 Things I Hate About You) & founder of Full Circle, a spiritual center that inspires people to create & join authentic communities & to be active members of those communities as a means to intentionally heal the world.

Lauren & Rima work together as entrepreneurs in numerous roles. They learned to navigate negotiations, self-worth & power positions with grace & professionalism. It wasn't always easy - their relationship isn't without conflict or tumultuousness & they talk about their process in this episode.

Rima & Sandy reminisce about The Magic Castle, an exclusive private magic club in Hollywood, CA. You have to be a magician or be invited by one to attend & it's nothing short of magical. Flirting with Ryan Gosling was just one of their favorite memories.

Erica founded Yoga Trade when many people asked how she was living the "Traveling Yoga Teacher" life. It wasn't an easy road to start something so big & she shares her process of how she did it. You will hear advice on being successful in your wellness business.

After suffering for years, Kayla was diagnosed with anorexia at 18. Getting help was a struggle, as doctors didn't address her eating disorder & only provided meds for her physical deficiencies. Yoga & plant-based nutrition are what helped her to heal.

Robert Lee Camp is back for a 2nd episode to delve deeper into understanding the Destiny Cards and how you can use them for spiritual growth. The system provides us with many mirrors that we can use to uncover our motives & to better understand the Self.

Meredith just released her 1st book "Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India", but she wasn't always a writer. She shares: how she learned to listen to intuition, birthing the book, how addictions make us comfortable & the rising of the divine feminine.

Cristina hustled in the corporate world till she was fired. She was depressed but realized she had a CHOICE. She sought healing & went to Costa Rica to pursue surfing. Back home, she chose a job that allowed her work-life balance over taking a promotion.

Rima's new boyfriend just committed to a vegan lifestyle. He's a chef & is transitioning his business over to offering vegan fare exclusively. Everyone wants to know... Did Rima force him to go vegan? She's an outspoken vegan, so what's the truth?

SUBSCRIBE/REVIEW on iTunes till 9/23 & enter to win! 1ST REVIEW TO MENTION: Rudy's epi. wins "Yoga Warrior" book; Audra's epi. wins essential oil kit; the Destiny Card epi. wins "Love Cards" Destiny Cards Book; Meg's epi. wins a 1-hr coaching session!