Podcasts about xio

This week, in celebration of Valentine's Day, three of America's leading romance writers—Xio Axelrod, Swan Huntley, and Claire Legrand—talk about how they write love stories and the love stories that inspired them. Moderated by author Pamala Knight.This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer.AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOMEBooks by these authors:A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand — A lush, sweeping, steamy, forbidden romance series starter that's perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.Girls with Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod — All her life, Kayla heard the same refrain: Don't be so loud. Don't act so wild. Don't take up so much space. Now she's the beating heart of an up-and-coming rock band...and the whole world is going to know her name.I Want You More by Swan Huntley — A ghostwriting gig in the Hamptons becomes far more than a job in this sexy, atmospheric, and deliciously tense story.About the writers:XIO AXELROD [she/her] is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary fiction and romance. Growing up in the music industry, Xio began her recording career at a young age. Her experiences bring a lyrical quality to her writing and vibrancy to her characters, offering a unique perspective that adds depth and authenticity to the worlds she creates.SWAN HUNTLEY'S novels include I Want You More, Getting Clean with Stevie Green, The Goddesses, and We Could Be Beautiful. She's also the writer/illustrator of the darkly humorous The Bad Mood Book and You're Grounded: An Anti-Self-Help Book to Calm You the F*ck Down. Swan earned an MFA at Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell and Yaddo. She lives in Los Angeles.PAMALA KNIGHT writes historical paranormal, regency romance and mystery. She's a member of the Regency Fiction Writers, Hearts through History and the Chicago-North Romance Writers where she's a past president and programs chair. She's the current co-chair of the biennial conference, Spring Fling.CLAIRE LEGRAND used to be a musician until she realized she couldn't stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now she is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels, most notably A Crown of Ivy and Glass and the Empirium Trilogy, as well as The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, the Edgar Award-nominated Some Kind of Happiness, and Sawkill Girls, which was nominated for both a Bram Stoker Award and a Lambda Literary Award. She is also one of the four authors behind The Cabinet of Curiosities, a critically acclaimed anthology of short stories for young readers. Her next book, A Song of Ash and Moonlight, came out in September 2024. When not writing, Claire enjoys tending to her many plants, learning about fashion and interior design, rooting for the Phillies, and quoting Star Trek to anyone who will listen.

In our conversation, Ylette shares her unique journey through motherhood, her connection with spirit babies, and the importance of intuition in the process of conception. She discusses her experiences with pregnancy, loss, and healing, emphasizing that these moments can also offer sacred element. Ylette also highlights the significance of community and support for women navigating their own journeys, encouraging them to trust their intuition and embrace their power.   Takeaways   Intuition plays a crucial role in understanding and connecting with spirit babies. Healing from past trauma is essential for creating a nurturing environment for new life. The experience of loss can be both painful and sacred, offering profound lessons. Surrendering to the process of conception can lead to unexpected outcomes. Building a supportive community is vital for women on their fertility journey. Trusting one's intuition is key to navigating the complexities of trying to conceive. Healing is a layered process that requires ongoing self-reflection and care. Nurturing oneself is essential for preparing to nurture a child.   Guest Bio:   Ylette is the visionary behind Xio by Ylette, a jewelry business that draws inspiration from her Latin roots and the enchanting magic of the cosmos. As an intuitive guide, she empowers women to reclaim their voices and rediscover their inner magic, allowing their light to shine brightly and illuminate the world. Ylette holds a heartfelt belief that when we do what sets our soul on fire & let that light sparkle, we inspire the entire world to glow in harmony.   Passionate about motherhood, Ylette is devoted to helping mothers become their best selves, fostering love and nurturing for their children who will become the shining legacy of the future. Through her Mystic Mama Collective membership, Ylette holds space for mothers and women committed to walking the path, emphasizing the importance of balancing our human and soul aspects. This balance, she believes, helps us find the magic in the mundane and better navigate the journey with purpose. Through her whimsical approach and profound wisdom, Ylette weaves a tapestry of light, love, and magic, touching the lives of women and children alike.   Social Media: Instagram: @ylette_   Check out Michelle's latest book here: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility   For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com   The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/   Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/     Transcript:   Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast, Ylette   Ylette (00:02) Hi, hello, I am so excited to be here. Thank you for inviting me and having me on.   Michelle (00:07) Yes. So I have, we follow each other on Instagram. I watch your Instagram and I really love it. I loved your energy. And I was like, I really liked this girl. Like I got to have her come on. And you also, I knew that you were like working with spirit babies and I was like, my gosh, I really, really jive with her energy. So I'm so happy to have you on here. And I would love for you to introduce yourself and give us a little bit of a background and how you got inspired to do the work that you do.   Ylette (00:37) Hi, so my name is Ile   I got pregnant at 24 years old, had my daughter at 24, then turned 25. And I want to talk a little bit about that story because it is a big part of what shaped me into who I am today and connecting with spirit babies along the way. But I currently channel spirit babies. I am an intuitive. I study astrology, something that came very easy to me. I feel like when I went to school, I was that kid that barely retained anything. I mean, I could memorize something and throw it on a paper. So I always had good grades.   but I feel like none of it really made sense to me and I didn't retain much. I did get a master's in psychology. I am currently by day a school counselor. And then I say a school counselor by day, I read the stars and connect with the cosmic energies by night and juggling mom life. But it wasn't until I found astrology that I felt like, whoa, I am home because it came so easy to me. And it was so intuitive that the chart, I just opened it up and I feel like I was being led.   So I always say that I open someone's chart and the chart speaks to me. I don't do, your son is in this, your rising is in that. I'm like, we're gonna open up. We're gonna go wherever the chart leads me because I feel like astrology is so vast that if you start with just the surface level things, you can be there for hours. So I'm like, we're gonna go deep, Mercury and Scorpio, Scorpio, and we're gonna go deep right away. So that astrology really opens me up and strengthen my intuitive gifts.   Michelle (01:36) That's cool.   Mm -hmm.   Ylette (02:05) So that's what I'm doing now. I'm kind of like balancing both being a school and connecting with spirit babies and doing astrology readings on the side. But what started this whole journey is when I was 24   I got pregnant with my first daughter, Sophia, really young. I mean, I think young for me. And while I was pregnant with her, I had had before, because I did suffer when I was younger, some sexual trauma and abuse, and you know, the body holds on to all of that. And so I had, I remember I had gone in for a pap smear maybe like two years before I conceived my daughter, and I had some cancerous cells on my cervix.   Michelle (02:33) Mm -hmm. Yeah.   Ylette (02:44) So I had the procedure to get a leap and do and have, you know, a piece of my cervix removed and all of that. And so when I told the doctor, when I had gotten pregnant with Sophia, that I had that procedure, they were like, now all of a sudden he was a new doctor. You're high risk. We have to do a bunch of ultrasounds just to make sure that your cervix is okay and it's not opening. And so I was having a lot of ultrasounds. And when I went in for my, I believe 16 week ultrasound, there was a tech that measured the cervix and I was having different techs measure it and   What I found out later is that when different techs measure the cervix, they can get different numbers, so it's not really super accurate. So the tech was like, your cervix is super sure, and the doctor came in and he's all concerned, he's like, we're gonna have to do a cerclodge. So I imagine I was 24 years old at the time, I was so nervous, I wasn't confident, not in my power, I'm like, okay, you're the doctor, you know best.   Michelle (03:33) So for people who aren't hearing this, when the cervix is really short, it could be considered like an which can cause miscarriage. And a cerclage is a way to keep it in place   Ylette (03:43) Yes.   Right. So the stitching. So I was like, okay, let's do this. And even my mom had freaked me out because she's like, that happened to your grandma in Cuba. She lost a bunch of pregnancies because her cervix would open and they had to end up sewing her up. And that's how she had me. And then, you know, my brother and I was like, okay, well, I guess this is it. And my partner at that time was like, are you sure you don't want to think about this? And I was like, no, the doctor knows best. So let's just go. So I went in for the procedure.   I had it done the minute that I got out of surgery. I felt they had given me Tylenol coating. Now I know that it makes me throw up. So I don't take that anymore. But they had given it to me and I threw up. And when I threw up, guess I from the epidural, I urinated on myself and they thought that my water broke. So they were like, I was 18 weeks and they're like, your water, your water broke. We're going to do the like I think it's called the Fern test. They do to check if there's amniotic fluid.   Michelle (04:41) Hmm?   Ylette (04:44) until they did the test and it came back positive and they're like, for sure your water broke. Later I found out those can get false positives. So they were like, your water broke, we're gonna have to take the baby out right now. And I was like, what? And they're like, yeah, I'm so sorry. Like they didn't even hold me, they didn't allow any space for me to grieve or have all of these feelings. And I'm 24 years old just sitting there in the recovery room. My mom is next to me.   Michelle (05:00) Wow, that's so crazy.   Ylette (05:10) We get the news we're both freaked out. My mom instantly pulls out her Bible. She starts the up praying and I'm freaking out, but I was like, well, I mean, I guess, I guess if you're telling me that this is what's going to happen, this is what's going to happen. So they take me upstairs. They start that same day. They removed the sirclage that they had just put in. So talk about trauma. It went back in there. I was raw and just, and they removed it. And then they started putting servadil.   Michelle (05:31) my God.   Ylette (05:39) to start trying to soften my cervix. like, well, you you have no water, you're gonna keep leaking. Baby can't grow without amniotic fluid. So we're just gonna have to remove the baby. And the whole time I was freaking out, they put the cerclage, nothing was working. I think they put it three, I mean the cervidil, they put three different rounds of cervidil. Nothing was working, my cervix was tight. And all the while I could feel my baby moving. It's like whenever a doctor would come in, my baby was like, boom, Sophia, like, mom, pay attention.   Michelle (06:02) my god.   wow.   Ylette (06:09) elbow me, she would move around and I would tell my mom, I'm like, mom, I feel her moving. I feel her kicking. It's almost like she's trying to tell me something. So this is where it gets really crazy. And I'm just like, wow, divine intervention. So we have a nurse come in and my daughter, my due date with my daughter Sophia was July 10th, 2010.   And the nurse comes in and I see that she's wearing, because I'm big into jewelry. I didn't mention I also have like a jewelry company named after my grandmother, which I do a lot of Zodiac jewelry. So the nurse comes in and the first thing that I notice, of course, is that she's wearing a necklace and she has a cancer Zodiac on it. And I go to her, my God, my daughter was supposed to be a cancer. She's supposed to be born July 10th. And the nurse was like, what? My birthday is July 10th.   Michelle (06:47) Hmm.   Wow.   Ylette (06:59) And I was like, my God, like what a coincidence her name was Gloria. And at the time I was going to name my daughter Sophia Bella. And I was like, wow. And the nurse, she did like the little doctor. She's like, listen, honey, I hear the baby moving around in there. There's water in there. You don't continue to leak. You need to get up out of this hospital and go because your baby is fine. And if you continue to stay here, they're going to end up doing something that is going to cause you to abort this child. And I feel like she's fine.   in came another nurse right after her name Sophia. And she was like, the same thing happened to me. I had a little tear in my sack and it kind of sealed over. I was on bed rest and my son is here, born healthy. And I was like, you know what? I talked to my mom, was like, we need to go. When the doctor found out that I needed, that I was going to get up and go and like sign myself out, they came in, a specialist came in and was like, your baby can be born with this and this and this and it's not going to develop.   Michelle (07:42) Yeah.   Ylette (07:54) all of these things to scare me. And in that moment, I just felt so confident and so secure after talking to Gloria and that, you know, her coming in, which I feel like she was my earth angel with the little cancer zodiac necklace. I was like, no, I'm going to get up and I'm going to go and my baby keeps kicking me. And I trust that this is the right decision. I ended up leaving, found another doctor. The doctor's like, your cervix is fine. There's no issue with your cervix.   Michelle (08:20) my God.   Ylette (08:22) You don't even have to be on bed rest. Like, get up, do whatever you need to do. And my daughter Sophia was born July 10th, 2010, and I named her Sophia Gloria after the nurse.   Michelle (08:32) my God, that is crazy. Yes, that is insane. just, my God, you have to listen to your intuition. think that that's like the, the of the story.   Ylette (08:34) Isn't that insane?   Yep. Yep. And it's so hard to do, with all of the fear and they just instill so much fear. And if you don't do this and if you don't do that, and it took so much within me to be like, you know what? I'm not, I'm going to go. And I remember my mom and I went to church every Sunday and we would pray and I was like, it makes sense that my daughter's name is Sophia. Sophia Christ consciousness, divine wisdom. And even in her astrology chart, she has so much   old soul energy. She's a cancer rising cancer son, almost a cancer moon in the 12 house in Gemini. And I was like, this is just you came in to really activate me and really put me in touch with my intuition. And ever since then, I completely changed. can ask anyone and they will tell you pre Sophia and post Sophia, you were a completely different person.   And I had a friend who, she actually went on a fertility journey and she was having a lot of miscarriages and she heard, I think she went to a fertility specialist and they gave her the book. What's that book called? The Spirit Baby book by Walter. Yeah. And.   Michelle (09:53) Spirit Baby? Yeah.   Ylette (09:58) She gave it to me and I was just so interested in it I started reading it and that book activated me. It was almost like a remembering. So when I started reading that book and I was like, wait a minute, it makes so much sense that we can connect to the souls of the babies that are going to come in because we are souls. And at 18 years old, I had read many lives, many masters. And when I learned about past lives, I was like, it was another like remembering. was like, I knew it. I know I've lived many lives. So when I read spirit babies, I'm like,   Michelle (10:18) Hmm?   Ylette (10:27) course, this makes so much sense. So I started connecting. I started doing the meditations in the book and I started connecting with my before I got pregnant, actually this happened. Now that I'm remembering reminding what, cause my husband and I wanted her and I was like, okay, if you're listening to me, if you're close, send me yellow butterflies. Every time that I would go out, three little yellow butterflies would flow around me.   Michelle (10:44) Mm -hmm.   wow.   Ylette (10:50) Even my husband would play golf and he'd send me a picture. said, look, a yellow butterfly would land on his golf ball. And I was like, this is so legit. I ended up getting pregnant and it was the most connected that I have felt to any   I would call in the guides. I would call in my ancestors. It was just such a spiritual experience.   So fast forward, I think a lot of us went through a lot in 2020 and it's almost like if our world got turned upside down. I know for us, even like with our business, we went through these highs, these lows and a lot of transformation. And so fast forward, we moved from Miami to Orlando. And so fast forward to this year in March,   I started seeing some yellow butterflies Like I was just seeing them randomly. was like, well, maybe, you know, I'm just seeing yellow butterflies because we live in a very lush neighborhood. We have a lot of trees. Okay. Yellow butterflies. The eclipse hits. Surprise. I ended up finding out that I'm pregnant. We weren't expecting it.   but I feel like this is the thing the one that kind of transformed me because Prior to that I had channeled. I think it was in 2021 a message about mothers needing to really Cleanse and clear any trauma that is held in the womb to be able to hold the vibration of the new children   So a lot of things that I've been channeling is that these new babies that are coming in, they're really high vibe. Like their vibration is different. Even the way that we are experiencing karma, their experiencing karma is going to be different because these new souls really come to anchor the light. These are awakened souls. These are, you know, children from the stars. And I started channeling that information, but I didn't fully understand it. And I kept channeling things about the mother wound and   Michelle (12:28) Okay.   Ylette (12:41) clearing the womb and how much trauma we may be holding in our womb. But again, I was like, I've kind of dealt with that. I I went through my trauma. had the whole thing with the sirclage, but I've dealt with that. But healing is very layered. And when we think that we've healed something, another thing kind of comes up for clearing and healing. Exactly. We're peeling back the onion. And so I thought, okay, well, you know, I've healed all of that. So   Michelle (12:54) Mm   Mm Yeah. It's like an onion.   Mm   Ylette (13:11) When I got pregnant this last time, it ended in a miscarriage. And I almost knew because I had been living so, you know, when you get into a stage where you just feel like numb and you're disconnected and I felt very disconnected from my creativity, very disconnected from my heart, just kind of going through the motions of, you know, work And I didn't feel like myself. I didn't have any passion.   And so when I went to the doctor, I remember I was like eight weeks pregnant and I went to the doctor and they couldn't find a heartbeat. It's almost like I knew I was like, I'm disconnected from my heart. And the most powerful, I will say now experience that I have had has been experiencing a miscarriage.   Michelle (13:49) Mm   Ylette (13:58) because I was able to hold the pain and the joy and almost like life inside me, but then a death as well. And when I passed the baby, I passed the baby And I woke up and I was in my kitchen.   And I felt this one big contraction and I thought, the baby's coming. And I passed the baby and when I look, it was like the full baby in the sack, in the water. Yeah, I even have, I mean, it's kind of intense graphic, but I do have a picture of it because I wanted to keep that. And it was, I remember just looking down and holding her because I think it was a girl. And in that moment,   Michelle (14:26) wow.   Ylette (14:44) I looked down and I was like, wow, this, this little tiny thing in the water, just perfect, this little embryo. And I cried. And I, at that moment, I held both joy and sadness. It was like they both coexisted at the same time for me. And it's almost like this peace, the sense of peace washed over me. And I felt like this   this clearing, this cleansing, almost as if this soul, this baby, this experience came to me to help me release all of that trauma that still lingered in my womb, anything that I still hadn't dealt with, anything that was still stored in there. And it was just so beautiful and so magical. I just, I took her and I buried her. have this huge grandmother oak tree in the front and I did a whole little ritual and I just felt   like this purity come over me, like this cleansing. And I finally understood what I had channeled in that message of cleansing and clearing the womb. And sometimes it's through our grief that we learn the biggest lessons and we can hold, like if we really surrender to it, because I remember coming back from the hospital and asking God, I was like, I'm not going to ask for a miracle. I'm not going to ask. I'm just going to ask that whatever needs to be done right now.   Michelle (15:59) Mm   Mm   Ylette (16:08) I give it to you, I can't hold this, I can't carry this, I trust in you and I trust that I'm gonna be led through this process for my highest and best good. And it was a level of surrender that I feel like I hadn't reached before. And when I finally let go and I let this process just crack me open, it was this unfolding that really my heart just blasted open in a different way. And...   Michelle (16:21) Mm   Mm   Ylette (16:34) even though it was painful, it was so magical. It was so magical. And I think that sometimes it's hard to really surrender and lean into that when we are going through something so difficult, right? Because it's hard, pain hurts. And when we long for something so much or when we want something so bad, it's so hard. Because everyone's like, surrender. trust. It's easy to say, but it's so hard to do.   Michelle (16:46) Mm   Yeah.   Yeah, it really is. But I think about it. I think about so many things. mean, I think about Eckhart Tolle's teachings. I've always been really into his teachings. And he told a story about Buddha and that he had, a disciple or one of his disciples after Buddha died. He cried and cried and cried and cried. I mean, I think it was like he cried all night long, just couldn't stop crying, just like allowed himself to feel the depth of the pain and woke up the next day enlightened.   Because he allowed himself to walk through that darkness, like fully unimpeded. And how often do we do that? We try to stop it. It's almost like we're going through it. We try to stop it. We're trying to protect ourselves. And what do we do? We actually hold it in our tissues. Yeah.   Ylette (17:31) The darkness.   We stuff it. I tell my students that actually, I'm like, gotta allow yourself to cry and let the emotions just move through you. Feel it, go there, be vulnerable. Even if you do it by yourself and just let it crack you open and cry and release. And we feel so much better usually after, but it was a huge lesson for me this year in that experience in surrender. it's like an initiation process.   Michelle (18:01) Yeah.   Ylette (18:13) Right? That you're going to...   Michelle (18:13) I get that. I get that. my father passed away. I watched him go through the motions and I literally saw it was so crazy. I've never had an experience like this before because I never had someone so close to me, like naturally die. So they have what's crazy to me that I never knew before, that there are signs almost like you see it with babies, but they have different levels of growth.   They start crawling, they start walking, start teething. The same thing happens when people die. They start to have, they call it the rattle. And it sounds horrible to talk about, but it's not. I think that that's our own human judgments on things. Yes, it's sacred. It's sacred. And so I was like, okay, look, this is crazy because I was at the hospice and...   Ylette (18:46) Mm   Because there's beauty in that process too. That's what I've learned. Yeah, that's what is so sacred.   Michelle (19:06) you read these books and they tell you there are signs to death. Like you can certain behaviors, certain expressions, certain things, And I saw my dad looking up at one point and he was looking at something and I'm like that to me reminds me of either a newborn or a cat that zones out into seeing something that I don't see. And I'm like, this is crazy.   Ylette (19:11) Yes.   Michelle (19:29) It was almost sacred and sad all at the same time. I remember thinking like, if you just allow yourself, we like to judge and we like to label, just as it's the human condition, if you just allow yourself to move out of that for a second, just for a split second, move out of the judgment of the meaning that you're placing on this moment and what it is and the label of it.   Ylette (19:32) Yeah.   Michelle (19:54) If for one second you move out of that and you really open up to whatever that experience is, it's insane, but you can find a gift in that.   Ylette (20:03) Yes, a thousand percent. I think that, because I went through the hospice experience too with my grandfather and my grandmother, and it almost felt like it's that feeling of when you're just dancing between worlds. It's almost like being in a hospital waiting for someone to give birth and then for someone to just cross over. It's that liminal space where it's sacred and you get to hold it. And I feel like it is true what you're saying that   Michelle (20:24) Mm   Ylette (20:31) know, birth, we're always celebrating it, but death is sad and scary, but it's also very sacred. And I think it's important to also hold space for that and to honor how magical that transition can also be when we've, you know, completed this cycle and we're ready to go. And they are in tune with that space that is magical. Cause I remember my grandfather would say that he was seeing his mom and he was seeing friends of his that crossed over.   Michelle (20:37) you   Yeah, they do. They see.   Ylette (20:57) And in that moment when I was talking to him, even though I know that he was going and it was very sad, was also, wow, you're so, you're dancing with the magic, with the divine, with those moments. Yes.   Michelle (21:10) It's that connection, the portal opens. And so what I found actually, had a patient, she was trying to conceive for years and her grandfather had just passed away and she felt was just in her bones. Like she just knew that he was gonna open a portal for her and shortly after she conceived. And then she was even like after her first baby, she was on the birth control pills and regardless.   she got pregnant, which is really, I don't even know how that happened. But it was just like that. It was like something opened up and it was just like, boom, it was this connection of like death and birth and that cycle and that opening. It was really crazy.   Ylette (21:43) opened up.   Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I, yes, I I love it. And think that's exactly what I went through with this but wow, how sacred is this moment as well of loss and death and returning to the earth. And it's like, we come in, we go out and, but our souls are.   immortal, they're eternal. And I think that there is much work to be done for us to be able to hold space and really honor how sacred something like that can also be. And I think as women too, it's so important to hold space for it all. I even think that, you know, that something that has come up for me a lot now too, with this fear of like, you know, announcing like, I'm pregnant now is just what if I use it? What if   and not wanting to say anything, but I'm like, it's so important too to have community and have a community of women that know that you are pregnant and that you can share if something does go wrong with so that you don't have to go through it alone so that they can hold space for you so that whatever it is that you're going through, you have that community of friends and people that are like, my experience may be different from your experience, but I feel you, I got you, I'm holding space for you. I think as women, that is so important for us to have.   Michelle (22:56) Yeah.   Yeah.   Ylette (23:02) because the journey is personal, but it's also collective. And I have a lot of friends who are currently struggling to conceive. And I have one, you know, she's a little bit older and she's struggling to conceive. And I gave her this book. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called, what is it called? Something Choice. I'll have to get you the name. Mary, is it Mary's, Rosa's Choice?   But the minute that I started reading it, it talks a lot about the mother wounds and things that we haven't explored. And I'm like, wow, there's so many things that when we're on the trying to conceive journey come up for us or when we're pregnant come up for us. it's an initiation within itself, that journey of trying and struggling and learning to surrender and learning about your power and learning how to hold your grief, letting others support you.   Michelle (23:57) Mm -hmm. Yeah.   Ylette (23:57) really having that community and trusting in a bigger plan, even though it's so hard. It's so hard when you're in the moment, because we want what we want.   Michelle (24:06) It could feel, you know, for some people they've expressed, You're like stuck in this place and you just want to move on. You want to start your family and you're like, when is this ever going to happen? And then you can kind of get into this whole mindset there where you're like, what's happening, the doubt and the fear. And it could be really tough.   Ylette (24:10) Yes.   It's, yeah, I had a friend who, and you know what's been something that I've noticed and obviously everyone's story is different, but, and the friends that I have had is when they have reached that point of surrender, where I had a friend who was, think she was trying for almost two years and she was like, you know what, like I'm okay with whether it doesn't happen or not. I've come to a point where, you know, I'm happy, my husband and I, and I have my nieces and nephews and I'm okay and I'm good.   She ended up getting pregnant the month after. She's like, I feel like when I turned it over and I was just like, like, you know what, God, like I'm okay. If it doesn't happen, she ended up getting pregnant. I've heard a lot of stories where women, they make a decision where it's, know, we'll adopt or we're, and then something shifts and something happens. And again, everybody's story is so different because we don't know what one.   woman is going through versus another, whether baby is thinking, Hey mom, I really need you to, you know, move to this new house when this happens, then I'll come through. Cause babies remember spirit babies, they know and they see what we don't. So what we're trying to force something or push something or think we want it now, sometimes babies are wait, wait.   Michelle (25:33) Mm   Ylette (25:39) Hold on, I'm coming, but wait, because there's little pieces that need to be moved. Maybe there's something like, want you and daddy to get closer. There's something in the relationship where I want to bring you guys closer. it's hard for us to let go because we don't see the big picture. But in working with the spirit babies, something that I have found is that they see big picture. And when we work with them and something as simple as,   Michelle (26:00) Mm   Ylette (26:04) It doesn't have to be complicated, just journaling to them, pretend that you're, you know, write them a letter, connect to them. Hey baby, this is my lie. If I am your mom, tell them about you. Start a specific journal where you go just to talk to them and ask for signs. I'm like, usually the first thing that comes to your mind is a sign. You start creating that connection where even if you're struggling to conceive, I feel like just knowing that   you have this bond and you have this connection is so healing and so comforting because even if it takes longer, even if baby isn't meant to incarnate in this lifetime, if you're, I am a big believer, if you have that desire in your heart to have a child, you feel connected to a child, your child is there. Sometimes they're not always meant to incarnate.   Michelle (26:53) I say the same thing all the time. It's so funny. A lot of what you're saying are things that I feel deeply. Yeah.   Ylette (26:59) Yeah, because it's sometimes they're not meant to incarnate, but they're meant to serve as our guide. They're meant to work with us. So I always say if you feel that desire, if you're trying to get your baby is there and you can connect with them, whether it's through journaling, through meditation, through asking for signs and then surrendering and allowing yourself to receive synchronicities, numbers. And you start building that connection, which a lot of babies, they   Often I've heard from other women that I've talked to too is like the baby wants that. They want to start building that connection before and then they'll end up getting pregnant or it'll be a little bit easier for them to get pregnant. But babies are like, no, I want to connect with you now. I want you to get to know me now. I want to guide you. Because even working with them, they can help guide us to, if I'm waiting for my mom to get a better job, mom, hey, I'm over here. Connect with me, work with me. And then once you start   Michelle (27:40) Mm -hmm. Yeah.   Mm   Ylette (27:52) Surrendering to that opening up to that you see how little things start shifting and things start moving But if you have a desire Let go of the how you got to let go of the how and just allow You know God spirit to deliver because it can look so different from the way that you thought it was gonna look like if you have something in your mind where you're like I'm gonna get pregnant by this agent. This is gonna happen by this agent. This is what and it's like no, no Let's surrender to that connect with your baby and be like, know what baby   I surrender to you. I surrender to how you want to be conceived, how you want to be born, how it's going to look. Like maybe it can even be through adoption or we just don't really know. But I do believe that if you have the desire, baby's there.   Michelle (28:35) Well, there has always been that saying, If there's a desire within you, there's also possibility in the, ethers. And that's why, that's where the desire is born, actually. It's like from that possibility, it's like landed as a seed. And so that is something that I definitely don't think we should ignore. And we should also give it the merit that it deserves. And I have...   Ylette (28:42) Yes.   Michelle (28:59) one of my patients just recently, she was starting to ask for signs. We talked about that. And she's like starting to ask for signs. And then she started asking for specific signs and the signs that she got were insane. Because she would even say a name that she always wanted for her daughter. So she knew it was going to be a daughter and she described exactly what it was and all this stuff. Like she was struggling to conceive for about a year and half before she came to me. She saw me for a whole year. So I'm giving you kind of this background so you can see that she really struggled.   Ylette (29:04) Mm   Yeah.   Michelle (29:29) but the signs were so insanely accurate. Like she would see this name on a wine bottle that she received. She would see this when she would go on a treadmill. It was like the last person's like name that they input there. It was crazy. and it wasn't like a common name. So it was really, really crazy.   Ylette (29:42) What?   Michelle (29:52) that and then other signs she said, okay, let me give you a specific sign that's different. And she would start seeing that. I mean, so she would come and tell me the stories. I'd get chills every time. And I was like, my God, this is crazy. So then finally she gave herself like a certain timeline. She said, if I'm not pregnant by this time, I'm going to go to do IVF. She went and did IVF and she was all excited. She like just felt like she really knew. She knew, she knew she did IVF. Unfortunately, completely couldn't even get an embryo.   So it was really, really sad. was devastating to watch. I felt like I was already failing her because she's been coming to me for a year and I'm like, my God, I really, I really want to see this for her. Like it was just, I can see the tears and, then she said, okay, let me just do this other one. She got a loan and everything. Let me try this other retrieval. Again, a second time, she just out of nowhere gets pregnant naturally. It just comes out of nowhere. And I was like, it was like that. And she's like, I know it's going to be a girl.   Ylette (30:42) you   Michelle (30:48) We don't know yet. I mean, she's still in her first trimester. We're going to find out soon. But she's like, I know it's a girl. Yeah. And it was just crazy. the signs, 100%. I always tell people, ask for those signs. They will come to you. I mean, the stories I heard, I can write a book just on the signs, just on the signs themselves.   Ylette (30:49) huh.   Yeah.   How exciting, you know?   Yes.   And I think that it's also important to share those stories and to listen to those stories because it also gives you hope when you're on that trying to conceive journey. And I am big on listening to other stories and I love stories of hope and everything is so different for everyone. And some babies do prefer like, okay, I want to be born through IVF. That could just be part of your journey because there's something there for you. Right. Yes.   Michelle (31:35) or a surrogate or even an egg donor. I've had one where I had a guest, she's a fertility coach. She had two embryo donors, like complete embryo adoptions. And she knew that she wanted to do it and she felt connected. It was just crazy. mean, she had a crazy story herself, but very, very interesting how that happened.   Ylette (31:49) Well.   that you feel the call and that's where that surrender piece comes in where it's like, just let go of the how. Forget of how you imagined you want it to look. Just focus on what is it that you want. You want to bring in a baby closer, start connecting to the baby and let go of the how and then just allow it to be delivered to you. Whether it's surrogate, IVF, adoption, just let go.   Michelle (32:03) Yeah.   Yes, 100%. Yeah.   Right, the how, because it's a conversation, it's a dance. And if we're just talking, it's not a conversation. If we're just telling it how to be, it's not a conversation. We have to, yes, we could talk, but also receive and kind of go back and forth and allow that.   Ylette (32:22) Mm   Exactly.   And that's that feminine, right? Because that's the most feminine thing that we can do is just being in that surrender, in that flow state. you have to be so vulnerable, which I think is why it's so hard for so many of us to really just be open and just be fully surrendered and open because we have to feel safe in order to be able to.   Michelle (32:54) It's scary. That's scary. Like it's a scary thing. I always kind of like look at even the chakras and I learned that when I was studying Ayurveda, mean, the chakras are literally vortexes in our bodies. And what's interesting is cause when I studied acupuncture, I started seeing that there are points that correlate and correspond and even have the same indication for that specific chakra location. So that to me is almost like confirmation cause it's two different sciences, but then.   What's interesting to me is that you have the root chakra, that's the first one, and that pretty much holds up everything else. It begins there, it begins with feeling safe. Once you have that rooted establishment, that's established and you feel safe and you're grounded, then you can create. That's a second chakra. You cannot create without a feeling of safety. And so it's all about feeling safe. And then,   Ylette (33:30) Thank   Yes.   Michelle (33:52) The nervous system we know, it plays a huge role on your body and also your reproductive health. And right now, the way we're living, and I'm talking about the collective, it is such an assault to our nervous system. I can't even tell you, like in so many ways. So it's important to kind of get ahead of that, not to side direct the conversation, but it's just so important.   Ylette (34:04) Yeah.   Yes.   Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're doing wonderful work in the world, which is so, so important and being able to, it makes sense why you feel that strong Kwan Yin energy, being able to hold space because you're holding space in order for women to feel safe and feel surrendered. Right? So they come to you and they're   playing in that feminine energy where it's like, this is me, I'm vulnerable. You're meeting people at their most raw, their most vulnerable moments, you know, even from a point of desperation and to feel safe with you. I'm sure like it's so important because then they can fully surrender into the process and go through it with someone that they feel safe with. Because at the end of the day, it all goes back to that, that safety and intimate relationships. see it too. When I, even when I do counseling sessions, it's like if   the person doesn't feel safe, they're not gonna open up and they're not gonna be able to receive anything. So the growth comes from first the safety, the surrender, the vulnerability and then allowing yourself to be able to receive. But that's, it's so feminine, right? Cause even when we're having sex, it's like you have to feel safe to open, to surrender and then to be, to be penetrated, to receive. And it's, it's, it's hard. It's hard.   Michelle (35:06) Yeah.   Mm   Mm   Yes, it could be very hard for sure. so for people like, cause I think that a lot of people will ask like, what's the difference between my thoughts and my intuition? what, like if the spirit baby is speaking to me, how do I know that it's the spirit baby? How do I know that it's not just me thinking or making it like a thing? So what would you say to that? Cause I think that that's a very big question for people who want to get into the intuition, want to connect.   directly with your spirit baby.   Ylette (36:02) I think that when it comes to, like everyone receives intuitive hits differently. But for me, it's always that knowing, that inner knowing, that feeling. I think that you'll just know and it'll be specific to you. And you have to trust that, I call it the little heart string, like when your heart goes, and you kind of just know, you need to trust that feeling because thoughts are more fearful and they're gonna be, no, that's not real, that's not.   Michelle (36:06) Mm   Ylette (36:30) But when you get an intuitive hit and you see something and it takes you back, like you have to trust like that wow factor, like that feeling of where we can be walking down the street, right? And I'm trying to conceive, I'm trying to get pregnant and I know that my sign is a yellow butterfly and I see the yellow butterfly and it's gonna hit me, it's gonna stop me, it's gonna go, Whereas my friend would be like, cool, a yellow butterfly. So you have to trust that feeling that you get, that gut feeling and that feeling in your heart where you're   just going to know. And your thoughts are anxiety versus intuition is it's going to sound fearful. that doesn't exist. That's scary. But you have to kind of drown it out because it's really hard to silence the mind. And the logical mind always gets in the way. But intuition isn't logical. And the more we allow ourselves to really play in that realm of imagination. And I say be a little delulu because you got to be a little delulu in order to really start testing that intuition.   Michelle (37:13) Mm   I like that.   Ylette (37:30) Is when things are going to open up and it you don't need anyone else to validate it for you There's no convincing because you're just gonna know and I always tell people that I love pointing people back to themselves because a lot of Women because I have this membership circle that I actually just reopened It's called the mystic mama collective And what I love to do is I love to point women back to themselves because I don't want you to come to me for validation I need you to trust what you are getting   and know that it is for you. Because like I said, the yellow butterfly may be mine, but yours is gonna be something different and it's gonna make sense to you. And you're just gonna know it in your heart. And the more that you start to trust that and put aside the logical mind that tells you, that's not real. Because society tells us that so many things aren't real, right? And it's this conditioning and you have to kind of just silence that and trust, continue to trust. And the more that you trust...   Michelle (38:22) Mm   Ylette (38:24) the louder that it gets and the easier that it gets to start following that intuition. Because if you're, let's say you and I are both walking down the road and I'm meant to go right and you're meant to go left, you're gonna be like, I think left. And I'm like, no, I think right. But if you start convincing me to go left and I'm like, I'm really feeling like I gotta go right, but you said I should go left. Maybe I should go left. That's when we start getting into trouble. So sometimes we have to realize that what may be true for you is great, but it's not true for me. And I gotta,   Michelle (38:44) Yeah.   Yes.   Ylette (38:54) start learning to really trust myself. The more that we do that, the louder and clearer it's gonna be and the easier it's gonna get to start following our intuition. Because we know even like we know as women like you know when it's time to end the relationship, you know when it's time to leave that job, you know when things are no longer in alignment but what keeps us there longer than we need to be?   Michelle (39:09) Mm -hmm. Yep.   Yeah, right. We'll convince ourselves out of it. You know, everything that you're saying could be applied to creativity. And that's why I think that like the single most greatest thing you can do actually to impact fertility is become creative. Start to do creative things. Even if you're not considering yourself as a creative person, you are creative. We're born creative. Our decisions of how we're going to drive somewhere is using your creativity. You're always using your creativity. It may not be an art per se.   Ylette (39:30) Yes.   Michelle (39:45) But you're always creating anyway, because you have to, because that's how we think. That's how we pivot.   Ylette (39:47) You're something.   And another thing too that I was told to is find something, like, fair babies, let me know, find something that you can nurture, whether it's a garden, a pet, a plant, a project, get into that energy of nurturing something. Just practice nurturing. It puts you in that feminine energy of taking care of something, nurturing yourself, which is a huge one. A lot of times it's like, what are you doing for yourself?   Michelle (40:03) I love that.   Yeah.   Ylette (40:21) in order to create this space. Because if you're constantly go, go, go, go, go, well, then how are you going to then bring in a child who's going to need so much attention and space and nurturing? So practicing nurturing yourself to taking a bubble bath, getting your nails done, getting your hair done, even, you know, putting on some jewelry, putting on some makeup. It's a way of you honoring that divine feminine and being able to nurture yourself. Everything is connected, even though it seems like, what does this have to do with that? It's all connected.   Michelle (40:45) Yes. 100%. Yes. It's the big picture. It's the big picture perspective. my God, I love this. I could talk to you for hours, by the way. So for people who want to reach out for you, you do readings. Do you astrological readings? And could you like, yeah.   Ylette (40:51) Yes.   I know!   Yeah, so right now I'm about to open my books again. I would do like spirit baby readings, card readings. I have I do astrology readings as well and I have my membership circle. So right now I have the free community space which women can just join and we do updates in there. I am going to open up the paid membership now which we're going to be doing like moon circles and just a space to go deeper for those who really want to do the work to get in tune with their intuition and learn.   And I'm also working on a spirit baby course on how to communicate with your spirit babies. So that is coming with meditations. We're also going to look into some of the things that may be blocking like mother wounds and things like that, because that's what has really been coming up for a lot of women that I talk to is a lot of mother wounds and fear around mothering, mothering themselves, mothering others, issues with their own mothers or how they were mothered, because we don't even realize, but   Michelle (41:35) I love that.   Ylette (42:01) all of that programming or the experiences that we went through.   Yep, it's in there and that fear that we carry of, am I gonna be a good mother? That's a huge one. Am I gonna fail at this? Am I gonna? So I think the work is just bringing women back to themselves and having them just trust themselves. I'm really big on trust yourself. Don't come to me for validation. I can hold space for you, but you have the power. It's all within you. You gotta trust yourself.   Michelle (42:29) Love that. That's awesome. So how can people find you?   Ylette (42:34) So you can find me on my Instagram it's at let's while eat TTE underscore and then I have links and bio there to everything I've kind of been a little MIA from that because I've been feeling so sick Honestly, this is the first Pregnancy that I was feeling so sick and I think I kind of manifested that too because of the fear of the miscarriage from the other one So it was kind of like that   Michelle (42:46) Mm   Ylette (42:59) little thing where it's like, cause you know how everyone tells you, if you're nauseous, then it's a good sign. If you're nauseous, means things are going well. And I think I've manifested that, I swear to kind of keep me like, yeah, like, no, no, it's okay. It's okay. Cause I'm gonna get something wrong. this, you know, cause when you go through something like it is traumatic, you go through an experience like that and, it's hard to kind of lean into that joy. Cause you're just holding your breath. It's almost like,   Michelle (43:04) Mm   Yeah.   In check like to calm you down.   Yeah.   Yes.   Ylette (43:27) I just feel like I've been holding my breath, of like, you know, even talking about it now.   Michelle (43:31) I see this all the time. It happens with like almost all my patients. mean, I would say all of them. Yeah.   Ylette (43:38) Yeah, it's hard. hard to feel that joy, which is kind of sad because then you look back and like, I wish I would have been more. But it's just telling yourself if something is meant to happen, it's going to happen. Kind of let it go. But I still dance with the... It's a dance, right? No one's perfect. I dance with the fear and the surrender and the joy.   Michelle (43:50) Yeah.   Absolutely. Yes. a good thing for people to hear because like, even though you and I, teach a lot, we talk a lot, you know, we go, we're human too. Like we still, even though I'll teach something, I still sometimes have my own struggles walking the talk and you are experiencing that too. And that's kind of like that human aspect of it that we are all practicing and going through it.   Ylette (44:06) Mm -hmm.   Michelle (44:22) even though we know, we know it, we never get to this kind of like this place of perfection, everything working out like all the time exactly how we teach it, you know? Yeah.   Ylette (44:31) Exactly. That's the thing too is, and I think that it's important too, and it's powerful for us to as teachers also be walking the walk and going through our own experiences because it does show those that we work with. Like I'm here with you. I'm human too. I don't really like like people. I'm like, don't place me above. I bleed. You you cut me. I bleed. I'm human. have anxiety, so much anxiety. The difference is that I do the work because I say that the work that we do   Michelle (44:46) Yeah, totally.   Yes.   Yeah.   Ylette (44:59) helps us get through these moments, but it doesn't mean we're exempt from them. We're gonna go through them.   Michelle (45:03) No, no, no, no. Yeah. We're not exempt. As long as we're humans, we're not exempt. no doubt. Wow. So, Ylette this is a great conversation. you so much for coming on today.   Ylette (45:09) not exam but the work just kind of helps out it kind of helps out but yeah.   Thank you for inviting me, I feel so honored.  

Kicking off the episode, Jeff highlights a new Kickstarter from Lee Wind, and recommends "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" on stage at PAC NYC, and baseball romance "The Prospects" by KT Hoffman. Then, Xio Axelrod is in conversation with Jeff at an event that was recorded live at Wild Sisters Book Company in Sacramento. Xio talks about her latest book, "Girls with Bad Reputations," which features the romance between Kayla and Ty, and set in the world of The Lillys, an all girl rock band working for their big break. Xio discusses her inspirations for the characters, The Lillys music she's creating, and what's coming up next for the fictional band. Complete show notes for episode 457 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Look for the next episode of Big Gay Fiction Podcast on Monday, July 15. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

We're chatting with Xio Axelrod, author of GIRLS WITH BAD REPUTATIONS.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of award-winning contemporary romance, romantic fiction, and what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, not-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.

Get ready to mix a batch of spicy banter with a splash of scandal on this episode of "Cocktails & Cliterature." Sip along with your saucy host Constance and special guest, the ravishing romance writer Xio Axelrod. Dive into the steamy depths of Xio's latest sizzler, "Girls with Bad Reputations," and peel back the layers on what makes her passionate characters strike a chord in the symphony of seduction.Strap in for a wild ride as we talk love, lust, and the bad-ass beats of an all-female rock band. This conversation is guaranteed to get your pulses racing and your e-readers steaming.Can't get enough? Hit pause on the foreplay and take immediate action. Subscribe, download, rate, and leave a luscious review for more "Cocktails & Cliterature" escapades. And if your bookshelf is begging for some Xio Axelrod magic, click this affiliate link to purchase your next page-burning obsession, and support the show. Keep the heat high and the stories hotter with us. Cheers to your next fictional fling!Support the showThanks for tuning in to Cocktails and Cliterature! If you enjoyed our interview make sure to subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more captivating author discussions and steamy romance novel insights. Follow us on social media (@cocktailsandcliterature) to stay updated on all our episodes and exclusive content. Cheers to embracing pleasure and unleashing your inner vixen!

To honor and celebrate Black History Month, we're starting off with bestselling author Xio Axelrod—featuring an interview with Xio herself!—and her brand new book Girls with Bad Reputations! This is book two in The Lillys series, where we follow drummer Kayla and bus driver Ty as they get to know each other on the road. They both have things to hide, but they're both trying to find their way in the world. Can they find what they're looking for together? Also discussed: utility kilts, the Barbie movie, and Carl Weathers.  Up Next: BONUS Episode February 13 - More Than a Feeling by Lauren Morrill (including an interview with the author!) What We're Reading: The Billionaire is Back - Kayley Loring and Connor Crais Guarded by the Snake - Layla Fae Wed to Jack Frost - Layla Fae When Gracie Met the Grump - Mariana Zapata What We're Listening To: GunnarTV's commentary of Tool Academy (it was a real thing in 2009) The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster Butcher & Blackbird - Brynne Weaver (audiobook) SHOW INFORMATION:  Follow us on Spotify! (It helps us with sponsors!) Patreon: Support Us Here Website: www.chicklitbookclubpodcast.com Merch: https://chicklitbookclubpodcast.threadless.com/ Instagram and Threads: ChickLitBookClubPodcast TikTok: ChickLitBookClub Pinterest: ChickLitBookClubPodcast BlueSky:@clbcpodcast.bsky.social Youtube: @ChickLitBookClub Email: chicklitbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

Bestselling contemporary romance author Xio Axelrod and Alessandra Torre  discuss themes related to writing romance, and Xio's journey from indie to published author. This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/

This is a podcast aired every Sunday 7 to 10 pm Eastern time on WNB One Radio. Download WNB One Radio to your Apple & Android devices. Hosted by Berto Carter, Jeannine Hunt,“Xio”, Haywood Barnes III, & Producer Margarita Graham aka “MG” https://wnboneradio.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/charles-perry/message

Hey yall! We took a mental health break.... We are back and we are discussing why exactly are "we" airing all our dirty laundry out on social media, Keke Palmer her latest pregnancy, and Xio gives her personal experience with PCOS and the lifestyle changes she had to make.

In the series finale, Avery is back for her final appearance on DRW, and she, Xio, and Roan exchange holiday traditions, discuss their favorite moments over the past season, and share what they're looking forward to in the next year.

Roan and Xio answer a letter from a listener, and dive into the debate about privacy and fame. www.roanparrish.com www.xioaxelrod.com  

This week, Roan and Xio are joined by guest Aaron Taylor from The Categorically Romance podcast to discuss how and when to reveal a long-kept family secret.   www.xioaxelrod.com www.roanparrish.com

This week, Roan and Xio answer an AITA about a teenager who finds a creative way to avoid non-consensual babysitting, and they discuss what role politics play in their writing. xioaxelrod.com roanparrish.com

It's a Philly joint today on Dear Romance Writer, with Xio and Roan talking about family dynamics in answering a question about "acting out," and discussing how they psychologically craft characters in their romance novels. Roan: roanparrish.com Xio: xioaxelrod.com

In today's Halloween episode, Xio and Roan are joined by audiobook superstar Andi Arndt to weigh in on trick-or-treat neighborhood gatekeeping, and discuss their favorite Halloween traditions! Andi Arndt: www.andiarndt.com Xio Axelrod: www.xioaxelrod.com Roan Parrish: www.roanparrish.com

 EE Ottoman joins Xio, Avery & Roan as they nerd out about binge reading after discussing a letter from a man whose bisexual girlfriend says it doesn't count as cheating if she hooks up with other women.

Ylette Luis is an Intuitive Scorpio, mother of four, Counseling Psychologist, Astrologer, and owner of jewelry brand, XIO. Ylette shares her path to awakening the Divine within, and that natural journey in discovering Source from her life experiences. Ylette shares her connection to Mother Mary and how motherhood helped her find her power. Communicating with the spirit of her babies, and awakening her intuitive gifts in pregnancy sparked the beginning of her spiritual awakening.  Being guided by earth angels along the way and powerful synchronicities she shares the mystical path we live when connected to the Divine within. Has motherhood connected you to your Divinity?  Are you a light worker, juggling motherhood and serving your greater purpose? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are Divine Feminine Rising! Motherhood comes in many forms, we are mothers to fur babies, we are guardians of the earth. When you embody and integrate Divine Feminine energy you are the vibration that is helping restore balance to the world. What does it mean to be part of brining balance back to Mother Earth? What if you lived our purpose in all of who you are, not just one thing! We play many roles and we have full permission to be all of them. Ylette reveals that our path in living our purpose is a winding road. Trust and surrender to your higher purpose will help you listen to the signs from the Universe. We are being guided along our way. And we live our purpose within all the roles we play including motherhood. What we learn from this interview is that your purpose is not determined or validated by how much money you make, we all have the same mission to give and receive love. This is the embodiment of the divine feminine and motherhood serves as that role of a life time. To connect with Ylette  follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/ylette_/?hl=en   Listen to Ylette's Podcast The Aura Room here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QcCOjRFhH51LN2TpDyu0D?si=NN530uIoS_WnrqbDyURDgw   Stay connected and follow Amber for more guidance and stories  Instagram: @malibumedium Website: https://www.themalibumedium.com/

Abigail Owen joins Xio, Avery and Roan as they talk about ways to get out of sticky situations when you get asked to do things you do not want to do - including by other writers. 

Nina Crespo joins Xio, Avery & Roan as they discuss a dad who doesn't want his son calling his wife mom and the plethora of romance main characters who have lost one or both parents. 

Christopher Rice joins Xio, Avery & Roan to talk about their writing kryptonite and what to do when the people you love can't even be on time for your wedding.

Roan, and Xio welcome author Avon Gale to the show. The quartet answer a letter from someone who sacrificed too much for an abusive partner and now struggles to maintain their big, open heart.

Avery, Roan, and Xio welcome author Max Walker to the show. Together, the group tackle the age-old question: Are your friend's Exes off-limits?

Avery, Roan, and Xio welcome author Max Walker to the show. Together, the group tackle the age-old question: Are your friend's Exes off-limits?

Roan and Xio are joined by author Tessa Bailey. The trio responds a letter from a married listener dealing with anxiety in the bedroom.

What do you do when you want to get married but your boyfriend's transphobic parents think you're a lesbian couple? Xio, Roan and guest Stephanie Dray answer a listeners question and discussion how to handle external expectations.

Xio, Roan and guest Kilby Blades help a listener who needs help figuring out how to find mental healthcare when resources are sparse and discusses writing tips when things get overwhelming. 

What do you do when a friend's significant insists on joining in on everything? Xio, Avery and Roan tackle that and announce the winner of the Dear Romance Writer 50th episode giveaway!

Roan, Xio, and Avery welcome Julie Kenner to answer a listener letter about the challenges of dating while demi during a pandemic, and Julie tells a ghost story!

What do you do when a friend messes up? Xio, Roan, and Avery welcome Riley Hart to discuss what we have to disclose when it comes to sex.

What if your partner stops being attracted to you when you change your appearance? Roan, Xio, and Avery welcome Melonie Johnson to discuss how important others' opinions are in our decision making about appearance.

A wedding kerfuffle question has Avery, Roan, Xio, and special guest Sienna Snow discussing what we owe each other and trading wedding disaster stories

Roan and Xio are joined by USA Today Bestselling author, Priscilla Oliveras. The trio tackle a letter from a woman who thinks her boyfriend of three months is ghosting her. But is he? Also, it's grilling season! What's on your menu?

This week, Roan, Xio, and Avery discuss saying those three little words ... and what happens when the "I Love You" train leaves the station but one of you isn't on it. Also a HUGE giveaway to celebrate our 50th episode! Enter to win 25 books and 25$ Barnes & Noble gift card—just send us a letter asking for advice! Via the form on our website: www.dearromancewriter.com or by email at advice@dearromancewriter.com.

On this issue of The Comic Section, we discuss Netflix's Geeked Week announcements. Top Gun: Maverick breaks more records in its second weekend at the box office. Joker sequel officially in the works from Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix. Ms. Marvel suffers review bombing online. Parents of 18-Year-Old file protective order against Ezra Miller. We preview trailers from Prey, NOPE, The School For Good And Evil, The Sandman, and Black Adam. We review Bob's Burgers, Poppy's Playtime Chapter Two, Netflix's The G Word With Adam Conover, & M. Night Shyamalan's Old. Xio gives us the new comics for the week, and the upcoming events! Tune in!

In today's episode I am talking to Xio Lugo, a designer and art director at Resource Media. She believes that if we invite the right people to the table and use the best creative tools in our toolbox, we have the power to interrupt the status quo and tell stories that can inspire action.During our insightful conversation we talk about everything from design, to cultural anthropology, to what inspires our work. Xio shares her journey to becoming a graphic designer, how she brings her anthropology background into her art, and the connection between design, sustainability, and culture.In this episode we cover:The ways Xio's multicultural background shaped her personally and professionally [2:48]The challenges of pursuing a career as an artist and how that led Xio to become a designer [4:33]How anthropology influences the way Xio approaches design [15:28]The intersection between culture, sustainability and design [20:32]Why prioritizing growth over the course of your career matters [29:24]Xio's latest project on a transportation justice campaign [32:48]About Xio:Xio is a soup-to-nuts visual designer in the Pacific Northwest. She works as the art director at a communications non-profit called Resource Media, where they provide creative and digital advertising, strategy and media to causes that benefit people and the planet.Links Mentioned:https://xiolugo.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/xiolugo/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/whatsaxioTwitter: @xio_lugoRate and subscribe to The Finding Fearless Podcast - Apple, Spotify Know a Female Founder you'd love to hear on the podcast? Shoot us an email to hello@fearlessfoundry.com to submit their info! The Finding Fearless Podcasts primary purpose is to highlight female entrepreneurs' voices. This has been a Fearless Foundry production. All audio is recorded and owned by Fearless Foundry.

Roan and Xio are joined by bestselling author, Helena Hunting. The trio tackle the bedroom dynamics of a new couple where one's favorite flavor it everything but vanilla. Plus, web quizzes: super fun or a waste of time?

Her boyfriend's ex is a shadow lurking in the corners of their relationship. Avery, Roan, Xio, and this week's guest author, Timothy Janovsky, discuss dragging toxic relationships into the light. Plus, the quartet weight the pros and cons of living alone vs co-habitation.

The always amazing Dylan Allen joins Xio, Avery and Roan to talk about a husband whose wife leaves him with the cats when she goes on vacay. A lot. Plus we discuss professional jealousy and forbidding kids to read certain books.

Roger returns from the brink of death in his lengthy battle with the corona virus. Special guest Xio Gonzales, co-host of the Bitching Hour 956 podcast, shares her experience becoming from writing poetry to performing her poetry. We dive into the fine line between self-love and narcissism, Roger and Xio's spoopy experiences, and The Bitching Hour 956. Visit our Sponsors Gurucatz - Promo code AOTB at checkout for 10% off www.gurucatz.com Porvida Tattoo Shop www.porvidacs.com Consafos Print Co www.consafosprintco.com Por Vida International Tattoo Fest www.porvidatattoofest.com Calle Ocho Hype & Hobbies - Promo code AOTB FOR 10% OFF PURCHASE www.calleochohype.com PrintXPress www.printxpressinc.com MacSolutions www.mac-solutions.com

He has photos of his ex in his Google Drive. His girlfriend is pissed! Who's right? Who's wrong? The fabulous Kim Golden joins Xio, Roan & Avery to discuss that and the vital importance of having "Oh Honey, NO!" friends.

Best selling author Lexi Blake joins Xio, Roan and Avery when they discuss a letter from a woman whose husband doesn't see what the big deal is about posting her nudes on Reddit without her permission. Plus the unwritten rules of being a romance author. 

Xio, Roan and Avery are joined by author Elizabeth Hunter on this one that takes bullshittery to a whole new level. Plus survival tips for book signing season!

Author May Peterson joins Xio, Avery & Roan to offer advice for a husband who thinks his wife's BFF has a crush on her. Does he say anything? Should he stay quiet? Plus an update from a letter writer who's wife was not happy that he had joined a romance book club! In true romance fashion, it's a happy ending, y'all!

This week Roan, Xio, and Avery are joined by romance author Nana Malone to tackle a letter about what we owe to our family and the harrowing world of child care. They also have a lively discussion about the TikTok trend of mental health self-diagnosis.

Xio and special guests Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer discuss relationship boundaries and what do do when you don't like how your best friend's partner talks to them. 

Avery, Xio, and Roan are joined by The Love Gods podcast's Tim Paige and Liam DiCosimo to answer a reader-submitted question about navigating depression and anxiety in romantic relationships. Also, Liam makes fart and lube jokes :)

On this issue of The Comic Section, we have Jason, Xio, Ant, and Rigel the whole gang, together for this roundtable discussion and spoiler review of Matt Reeves' The Batman! Tune in to this hilarious review of The Batman!

What happens when your kink doesn't match up with who you want to date? Avery, Xio, and Roan discuss this and more with special guest romance author Mia Sosa!

On this episode Chanele and Xio talk about the 7 chakras. What's your favorite Chakra? The girls explain each chakra and give some tips on clearing them. Tune in now!!! Make sure to follow The Energy Goddesses on Instagram to stay up to date! . . . As always, thank you for listening! We love y'all! Podcast Social Media Pages Below: Official Podcast Instagram Page: @theenergygoddessespodcast Personal Instagram Pages: Chanele: @chaneleciera ---> business page: @greengoddeseats Xiomara: @xiomara.elena28 ---> Business page @thepurplepurpose28 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-energy-goddesses/message

On this episode, Chanele and Xiomara discuss the power of self pleasure. Y'all know the girls LOVE a good sex talk. In honor of Valentine's Day, the girls wanted to promote the power of self pleasure, self love, and how you can have the ultimate orgasm, with yourself. Do you self pleasure? Tune in now! Download and listen to Xio's “Grown & Sexy Playlist Here” https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/grown-and-sexy/pl.u-vxy6JvBt14JL7y Podcast Social Media Pages Below:  Official Podcast Instagram Page: @theenergygoddessespodcast Personal Instagram Pages:  Chanele: @chaneleciera ---> business page: @greengoddeseats   Xiomara: @xiomara.elena28 ---> Business page @thepurplepurpose28 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-energy-goddesses/message