Explore every episode of the podcast The Creative Soul Podcast

Hi loves! I'm back after a podcast pause to share a life update at 13 months postpartum. In this episode, I talk about:

• 13 months postpartum reflections
• Motherhood, identity + becoming more yourself
• Grief, marriage shifts + changing relationships
• Overwhelm, mental load + healing old patterns
• Trusting intuition in parenting
• Traveling to Morocco with a 1-year-old
• Creativity in a full season of life
• New book project: “10 things” from baby’s first year

PRE ORDER MY NEW BOOK! I Collect Stories Like Seashells. Pre-order here.

@leyavandoren

In today's solo episode, I share what it feels like being 8 months postpartum.

We talk about:

• Postpartum nourishment
• Navigating changing postpartum identities
• Yoga & why the practice makes me feel held
• SLEEP, caffeine, & my DC matcha tour
• Herbal infusions
• Postpartum hair loss and the spiritual reasons behind it
• Making friends and finding community as a new mom
• Travel anxiety
• Planning mine and babies first international trip

& lots more!

PRE ORDER MY NEW BOOK! I Collect Stories Like Seashells. Pre-order here.

The First Forty Days by Heng Ou

@leyavandoren

In this episode, I share what’s currently lighting up and inspiring my creative soul. We dive deep into synchronicities, creative inspiration, and gentle reminders that magic exists in the details of daily life.

We talk about:

• The lessons and magic from my September writing group, Mundane into Magic
• How to build a simple, consistent creative practice
• The power of a 5-minute brain dump and the “10 Things” daily writing ritual
• Reflection from reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir All the Way to the River
• What it really means to let go and let God
• How surrender is shaping my journey as a new mom
• The process of writing and self-publishing my upcoming memoir, I Collect Stories Like Seashells
• The reminder that your creative legacy can begin with your immediate community

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Mundane into Magic
• Create for Yourself, First on Substack
• All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Emma Watson on On Purpose
• Elizabeth Gilbert on Soul Boom

Connect with Leya @leyavandoren

Pre-Order I Collect Stories like Seashells: https://leyavandoren.com/book

HAPPY 5 YEAR BIRTHDAY TO THE CREATIVE SOUL PODCAST! In this heartfelt solo episode, I reflect on five years of podcasting and what it takes to show up for your art - even amidst transition and change.

We talk about:

• The journey of celebrating the 5-year anniversary of The Creative Soul Podcast and 160+ episodes recorded.
• What it means to treat creative projects like living beings with birthdays, growth, and their own evolution.
• Lessons I've learned about trusting my voice, creating sustainable rhythms, and navigating overwhelm.
• The cosmic synchronicity of the podcast anniversary aligning with my baby’s six-month birthday.
• Why creative structures (like journaling, voice memos, or podcasting) help build trust and confidence in your artistic voice.
• Encouragement to honor your own creative soul projects and start, even if it feels messy, small, or unknown.

Whether you’re in a season of transition, doubting your creative voice, or looking for inspiration to start your own project, this episode is an invitation to trust your soul’s nudges and celebrate the art you’ve already birthed into the world.

Creative Resources Shared:

• Ashley Love Creatives

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

I'm so excited to share this conversation I had with my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doula, Elizabeth Beeker! We talk about the role of a doula in birth and the spiritual aspects and elements of birth.

We also talk about:

• What observing birth work in Kenya taught her about Western birth practices
• Surrender in birth
• The importance of prenatal preparation
• What to do if you're experiencing prodromal labor
• Navigating miscarriage and loss
• Why hiring a doula for birth is key

Creative Resources Mentioned

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
• Call the Midwife

Connect with Elizabeth:

Facebook: By Design Birth Services

What if your everyday life could feel like art? In this creative minisode, I share a simple daily writing practice to transform the mundane into magic and help you reconnect with your creative soul. Plus you'll receive an invitation to a live 4 week writing circle starting September 9th, 2025.

We talk about:

• Why the mundane moments of your life hold the most creative inspiration
• A simple daily practice to spark creativity in just a few minutes a day
• How to overcome fear, perfectionism, and the resistance of the blank page
• The power of record-keeping through writing and journaling
• How to tell the stories your creative soul wants to tell
• Ways to romanticize your everyday life and infuse it with beauty
• How writing connects you to your inner voice and creative soul

Join the live writing class: Mundane into Magic here

Connect with me on Instagram @leyavandoren

Read my Substack here

In this solo episode, I share the magic of the summer season - from what I'm buying at the farmer's market, to reframing our creative purposes, to making our day jobs work for us, to balancing multiple identities, to navigating seasons of change and transformation.

We talk about:

• The sensual, creative magic of summer abundance
• What I’m cooking and loving from the farmer’s market
• Living seasonally and honoring nature’s rhythms
• Saying goodbye to our Michigan home and honoring the woman I became there
• The cyclical nature of change: beginnings, middles, and endings
• Why I stopped feeling shame about my “day job” and how I reframed it as part of my creative purpose
• Creativity, authenticity, and the soul’s calling in a content-driven world
• Redefining success as a creative and understanding your role in the collective

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Social Change Ecosystem Map by Deepa Iyer
• Birth Story Workshop
• My upcoming book I Collect Stories Like Seashells – releasing Fall 2025

Subscribe to my Substack for weekly writing, seasonal rituals, and soulful musings: leya.substack.com

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: @leyavandoren

Dalia is an Assyrian-American director and writer focusing on explosive theatricality and subverting existing narratives. She was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood and Entertainment 2025. Her Broadway credits include serving as Associate Director of Sweeney Todd and as the Resident Director at Phantom of the Opera.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it really means to be a director
• Learning to trust your creative vision
• Making mistakes in the rehearsal process
• How overstimulation kills creativity
• Why collaboration is a mirror for self-growth
• Telling ancestral stories
• Finding the stories that matter to us

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Everything is Waiting for You by David Whyte
• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Connect with Dalia:

@your_gal_dal

www.daliaashurina.com

In this solo episode, Leya shares her life updates being four months postpartum.

We talk about:

• The importance of honoring and processing our birth stories
• How you can reflect and honor your birth story, months and even years later!
• What I'm navigating postpartum
• Feeling more feminine becoming a mother
• Why motherhood is bringing me deeper into compassion
• How motherhood is strengthening my spirituality

Birth Story Reflection Workshop: Find the replay here.

Read my Substack here.

Connect with Leya @leyavandoren

Lindsey Simcik is a creative force, entrepreneur, and media personality best known as the co-founder and co-host of the critically acclaimed Almost 30 podcast. Alongside her co-host Krista, she also launched Morning Microdose, a wildly popular daily show serving up the best bits of Almost 30. She created “New Mom on the Block”, a brand designed to support new moms in owning their unique flavor of motherhood through resources, products, and a vibrant community.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to know when is the right time for a creative idea
• Determining what season you're in
• What to do in a waiting season
• Navigating a healing season, integration season, and chaos season (Hello Saturn Return!)
• Embodying different roles in marriage
• Finding embodiment through motherhood
• Allowing our creative and spiritual practices to change with the seasons of life

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Time Passages App

Read the Book: Almost 30: A Definitive Guide to a Life You Love for the Next Decade and Beyond

Connect with Lindsey: @lindseysimcik

In this creative minisode, Leya provides tips on how to navigate this nuanced and complex topic for creatives:

📝 How can you write and share your personal story—especially in memoir or creative nonfiction—without damaging relationships with family and loved ones?

If you've ever felt creatively blocked by the fear of how others will react to your truth, this episode will offer both comfort and clarity. Leya explores the emotional and practical sides of writing about real people in your life, especially in personal essays, memoirs, or storytelling projects.

We talk about:

• Why this question often shows up too early in the creative process
• How fear of offending others can block your creativity
• Why your story matters even if it includes other people
• The importance of writing your truth for yourself first
• Tips for navigating sensitive relationships once you’re ready to share

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
• Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins
• How to Write About Your Childhood Without Blowing Up Your Family by Jedidiah Jenkins

Want to start telling your story? Join The Creative Soul Practice today!

Use "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% off

In this deeply nourishing episode of The Creative Soul Podcast, I sit down with energy healer and spiritual guide Maya for a raw, real, and inspiring conversation about transformation, intuition, and the power of trusting your path, especially when everything is falling apart.

Maya shares her evolution from full-time coach and entrepreneur to stepping away from her business, working a corporate job, and then returning home to her true calling: Reiki healing. We talk about Saturn returns, identity shifts, navigating the dark night of the soul, and what it means to listen to the body’s wisdom.

You’ll hear us explore:

• Maya’s journey of spiritual growth and identity rebirth as a Scorpio sun and moon
• Why she stepped away from her business and what led her back to it with more clarity and ease
• How working a 9-to-5 taught her about compassion, privilege, and healing outside the “spiritual bubble”
• The truth about dark nights of the soul and why “the only way out is through”
• Creating safety and finding (or building) authentic community
• How Reiki energy healing works (even from a distance!) and who it’s for

Whether you're in a season of rapid transformation, seeking spiritual support, or craving real talk about the behind-the-scenes of healing and entrepreneurship, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

✨ Learn more about Maya’s work:

Follow Maya on Instagram: @somedaymysoul

In this week's solo mini-sode, I answer one of YOUR questions - how do you keep going on a creative project when you feel un-inspired?

We talk about:

• Why the creative process is non-linear
• How to navigate creative blocks or when you feel stuck
• The importance of taking time away
• How to stay committed and keep showing up to your creativity
• Trusting the timing of your creative projects
• Why inspiration isn’t enough—and how discipline can be devotion
• Allowing yourself to be changed in the creative process
• Questions to journal when a project feels stuck or ready to transform

Have a topic you want me to cover? Message me on Instagram @leyavandoren

Kacie is a travel content creator living in Florence, Italy. After a life-changing solo trip and her own little ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ moment, she made the official move to Italy in January 2021. Through positivity, authenticity, and humor, she began sharing culture shocks, travel tips, and life abroad across her social media, where her following quickly grew to a community of over 1.5 million people. Her New York Times best selling book, You Deserve Good Gelato is out now.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Making your own work as an artist
• Viewing social media as a performance
• The ebb and flow of the creative process
• Moving to Italy and meeting her fiance!
• Navigating identity crises
• Writing her NYT best selling book
• What happens when you surrender

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

Connect with Kacie:

Website: kacierosetravel.com

Tiktok: @kacierose4

Creative Soul Practice: Learn more here

In this special solo episode, Leya shares the birth story of her first son, Alexander Boaz Henderson who was born March 10th, 2025 at 11:22 pm.

Tune into get the full story of surprising twists and turns and surrendering our plans for something greater.

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Amie McNee is an author, speaker, creative guide, and the founder of the popular Instagram account @InspiredtoWrite. She writes historical fiction novels and writing guides and is known for speaking, teaching, and coaching artists all over the world and helping them to achieve their creative dreams.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Creativity as a path to self love
• How to gentle parent the inner critic
• How to reparent ourselves through creating our art
• Why it's okay to want attention as an artist
• How to be a JOYFUL artist
• How to share and promote your art
• How to find your audience
• Balancing life with your creative life

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Beyond Anxiety by Martha Beck

Amie's Book: We Need Your Art

Connect with Amie: @inspiredtowrite

Join The Creative Soul Practice today!

In this from the heart episode, Leya shares vulnerably how she's feeling as she's entering the birth portal.

We discuss:

• What fears and resistances have come up before entering motherhood
• Moving through fear and anxiety around labor and childbirth
• Why birth feels like the ultimate embodiment experience
• Allowing our experiences to be unique and universal at the same time
• Why motherhood is not a universal experience
• How to deal with life circumstances that feel out of our control
• Learning to surrender and trust

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Mari Andrew is a New York Times bestselling author, artist, and speaker, who has gained an international reputation for joyfully philosophical illustrations and essays that meander between deep and light, bitter and sweet. Mari is in the business of paying attention, and her work reflects her specific observations turned into universal life lessons.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Connecting to your past art as a creator
• Making meaning from your personal experiences
• Embracing our humanity as creative souls
• Not having to be consistent in a creative practice
• How to own your own creative process
• Letting yourself grow and evolve as an artist
• Mari's decision to leave Instagram after gaining a large community
• The number one thing that stops people from creating

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Sabrina Ward Harrison
• How to Live a Good Life by Jonathan Fields

Connect with Mari: Substack

Join The Creative Soul Practice - a 7 day guided writing meditation series. Use code "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% off. Find more info here.

In this solo episode, Leya shares how to make creativity a habit and how you can SHOW UP for your creative soul this year.

We discuss:

• How to value your creativity and prioritize it
• Cultivating a creative practice
• Why we face resistance in our creative practice and how to move through it
• How to show up consistently to your creativity
• How to see your creative ideas come to life
• How to take the pressure off your creativity and start accessing it in fun, simple, easy ways

Join The Creative Soul Practice:

A 7 day guided writing meditation series to help you cultivate your creative practice.

Find more info here.

Use code "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% off

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Tune into Episode 111 for a taste of The Creative Soul Practice and receive a free Heart Chakra Writing Meditation

In this solo episode, I share my updates from week 35 of pregnancy!

We talk about:

• How I'm feeling at 35 weeks pregnant
• What prenatal care decisions I made and why
• How I chose my birth team
• Hiring a doula
• How I chose my birth plan (and why I'm planning for a home birth)
• Why birth is not a medical event
• Managing blood sugar during pregnancy
• Prepping for postpartum

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Business of Being Born
• Real Food for Gestational Diabetes by Lily Nichols
• The First Forty Days by Heng Ou
• Glucose Goddess

In this episode, we talk about:

• Creating our creative soul projects
• Being in creative flow and getting "stuck" and how to move through
• Writing retreats
• Using myths and fairytales to tell our stories
• Publishing
• Hero and heroine journeys

Elisabeth Sharp McKetta is a storyteller and the author of thirteen books across genres, including Edit Your Life (2023); Awake with Asashoryu (2022); She Never Told Me About the Ocean (2021). She teaches for the Harvard Extension School Writing Program and Oxford University’s Diploma in Creative Writing.

Connect with Elisabeth: Website

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Writing the Story by John Franklin
• The Virgin's Promise: Writing Stories of Feminine Creative, Spiritual and Sexual Awakening by Kim Hudson

In this solo episode, Leya shares a letter from the heart on the final processing of 2024 and sets intentions for 2025. Tune into be inspired as you process on your own year and reflect on what 2025 may have in store for you.

We also talk about:

• Beginnings and endings
• Words of the year
• The death of the maiden and rebirth of the mother
• Favorite Creative Soul podcast episodes from 2024

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

In this solo episode, Leya shares her reflections, lessons, and celebrations for her 30th birthday! We talk about:

• The importance of reflection on your birthday
• Highlights from her 29th year
• Being proud of how far you've come
• The lessons she learned in her twenties
• Dealing with purpose anxiety, identity, home, and belonging
• The next phase she's moving into for her thirties
• How to deal with being human

We end the episode with a special herbal reading to guide us through the end of the year and new year!

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana Ayales

Leave a rating and review as a birthday gift!

Connect with Leya @leyavandoren

Rachael Cohen is a spiritual guide, space holder, Nature connector, intuitive activator, energy transformer and author. She is the creator and founder of Infinite Succulent and Our Infinite Nature. When her experiences as an environmental educator, wild animal specialist and mother left her anxious and distraught over society’s destruction of Nature, Rachael learned to cultivate a creative relationship with plants and Nature that transformed her life and awakened her spiritual gifts.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Creating with nature
• How to deal with eco anxiety and existential dread
• Staying connected in a disconnected world
• Heart chakra imbalance in the world
• Following our authentic joy
• Nature practices to regulate your nervous system
• Why we DO belong on earth

Connect with Rachael:

Website: ourinfinitenature.co

Instagram: @ourinfinitenaturerachael

Rachaels Books:

• Self-Care for Eco Anxiety
• Everyday Plant Magic
• Infinite Succulent

In this special solo episode, Leya shares about how she found out she was 6 months pregnant.

We talk about:

• What it was like finding out at 6 months
• Leya's journey with hormonal birth control & cycles
• The physical experience of finding out you're pregnant in your third trimester
• The spiritual and emotional work that led to this
• The healing retreat Leya attended earlier this year
• Healing mind, body, spirit

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren

TW: Leya mentions her personal experience with CSA. Please visit Saprea for more info.

Rebecca Akat is a menstrual cycle coach and the founder and owner of Blume Womb where she guides women to have a deeper relationship to the cycles and seasons of their menstrual cycle.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to build a relationship with your womb and menstrual cycle
• What cycle and/or hormonal imbalances might mean
• The four feminine archetypes
• The four phases of the menstrual cycle
• The shadow and light of each feminine archetype
• Why the wounded maiden is so prevalent in society
• The transition from maiden to mother

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Maiden to Mother by Sarah Durham Wilson
• Wise Power and Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer

Connect with Rebecca:

@blumewomb

In this episode, Leya invites one of the retreat participants from The Creative Soul Retreat, Najma Treadwell to share more about her experience, what she got from the retreat, and what it opened up for her in her life.

Najma homeschools her 6 children, is a birth doula, and community service advocate.

We talk about:

• The importance of investing in yourself
• The fears that come up when we invest in ourselves
• How to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others
• Why self care is the opposite of selfish!
• Connecting to your creative soul
• Najma's retreat experience and what she learned

If you're interested in coming on retreat, our next retreat is The Soul Radiance Retreat, January 17th-20th, 2025 in San Diego, CA.

Find more info here.

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren

leyavandoren@gmail.com

In this solo episode, Leya shares 5 tips on how to start and finish your creative projects.

We talk about:

• How to show up consistently to your creative projects
• Honoring your creative projects
• Finding inspiration when feeling stuck
• How to find the motivation to finish your creative project even if you haven't touched it in years!
• Playing and having fun to think of your project in new ways!

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren

The Soul Radiance Retreat

January 17th-20th, San Diego, CA

Find more info here

Varsha Mathur, J.D, PCC, a certified dating and relationship coach with over seven years of experience, guides clients worldwide to effortlessly find and sustain lasting love with their ideal partners. Through her tailored coaching approach, Varsha empowers both singles and couples to cultivate confidence, ignite attraction, and build partnerships that withstand the test of time.

We talk about:

• What to do if you’re feeling hopeless in the dating process
• Finding clarity on what you want in a relationship/partner
• The importance of knowing yourself both in and out of dating
• The common misconceptions and pitfalls of modern dating
• How to intentionally date
• How to use or not use the dating apps to your advantage
• The difference between therapy and coaching
• Key ingredients for a long lasting relationship

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Power of Now by Eckhard Tolle
• If The Buddha Dated by Charlotte Kasl
• Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
• The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Connect with Varsha:

Website: coachingbyvarsha.com

THE SOUL RADIANCE RETREAT,

JANUARY 17TH-20TH, 2025

SAN DIEGO, CA

Find more info here.

Anthony Meindl is an award winning writer/director, best selling author, and founder of international Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop. He's worked with 2-time Golden Globe Nominee Shailene Woodley, BAFTA Nominee Daryl McCormack, Grammy Winner Camilla Cabello, Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and Simone Ashley, Pop Star Suki Waterhouse and hundreds of others, and is known as the Tony Robbins of Acting Coaches. He has also written 5 best-selling books on creativity and silencing your inner critic, including the groundbreaking, At Left Brain Turn Right, and his newest book UNSTUCK. And is currently in post-production on his second feature film (about the climate crisis), after selling his first film to Hulu.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Protest as a form of art
• The feeling path and how to feel your feelings as an artist
• The risk of sharing your art
• Social media & artists
• The relationship between artist & audience
• How to keep making things and keep the hope alive

Connect with Anthony:

https://www.anthonymeindl.com/

@anthonymeindl

In this solo episode, Leya shares her personal experience with her first creative love - the theater, and how she navigated heartbreak, rejection, and letting go of her dreams.

We talk about:

• Why she fell in love with theater at 3 years old
• Why theater represented family, home, and belonging
• Keeping your heart open in the face of rejection
• What happens when something you love becomes toxic
• The shame of letting go of a dream
• Going to college to study musical theater
• What theater taught her about the creative process
• Where she's at with her relationship to theater now

This is a beautiful heart warming episode for any creative who has ever loved the arts, has faced rejection, and still keeps going!

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.csssa.ca.gov/

Ep 57: On Identity, Home, and Creativity as a Practice of Presence

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren

Emma Andrews is an Intuitive, Medium and Intuition Teacher. She specializes in clairvoyance, energy healing and somatic therapy. She offers virtual and in-person Intuitive and Mediumship Sessions and leads intuition workshops and wellness retreats around the world.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The story of how her intuitive gifts opened up
• The difference between intuition and mediumship
• The five intuitive senses
• Learning to trust your intuition
• Intuition & creativity
• Discerning the difference between intuition & the mind

Connect with Emma:

Website: https://www.emma-andrews.com/

Instagram: @emmarews

Anat Peri is an Inner-Child Healing Expert in the coaching and wellness space whose background blends traditional healing arts and modern psychology, with somatic and inner-child reparenting techniques that have enabled her to guide hundreds of practitioners, business owners, and their teams, through her TCS Method.

In this episode we talk about:

• The importance of feeling your feelings
• Why feeling your feelings feels so "taboo"
• The Five Personality Patterns or safety strategies
• Giving your inner child permission to grieve
• The five stages of healing
• How to reparent yourself
• Why reparenting is an act of self-love

Connect with Anat:

Website: https://trainingcampforthesoul.com/

Instagram: @anat.peri

Elyse Welles is a Greek-Egyptian American earth intuitive witch, podcaster, & author based in Artemis, Greece. A practicing witch for over twelve years on three continents, she is a Priestess of the eclectic Faery Tradition. She writes regularly for Witchology, Witch Way Magazine, and the Wild Hunt, cohosts the Magick Kitchen Podcast, and runs Seeking Numina, giving tours to Greece's sacred sites and teaching magical living in nature through connection to land spirits and spirits of place.

In this episode we talk about:

• The Witch Wound
• Connecting to Nature
• How to Connect to Land Spirits
• Why Travel Can Be a Sacred Pilgrimage
• Sacred Sites
• Mythology & History of Greece

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Witch by Ron Hutton

Connect with Elyse

@seekingnumina

seekingnumina.com

In this solo episode, Leya shares a seasonal life update! We talk about checking in on our goals midway through the year and what she's been learning through her own creative process, as well as recapping a trip she recently took to Italy and Greece!

We discuss:

• Showing up to our writing practice
• Telling your story and the process of writing a memoir
• Leya's experience attending a retreat for survivors of child sexual abuse
• Leya's experience attending a writing retreat and sharing her story with others
• Finding your voice and having the courage to speak
• Sharing the process of self-publishing her second poetry book, coming out this fall!
• A recap of mine and my husbands 2 week trip to Europe through Italy and Greece!
• Intentions for the remainder of 2024

Creative Resources Mentioned:

Saprea Retreat

Ep 84: How I Self Published a Book of Poetry

Mari Andrew

Contact Leya: @leyavandoren

In this special solo episode, Leya shares ALL the details about her wedding day on the first anniversary of her wedding!

We talk about:

• The wedding planning process being a portal of transformation
• The death and rebirth cycle of transitions
• Why grief can come up during the wedding planning process
• How to infuse intention & ceremony throughout the wedding day
• Having a sober curious wedding
• Navigating stress, overwhelm, family drama, to come out more embodied on the other side
• Surrendering to the WEATHER on your wedding day
• Recapping the chaos and beauty of Leya and Paxton's wedding day!
• Plus some of Leya's favorite wedding moments :)

Enjoy and send to any friends who are getting married or have gotten married!

Songs Mentioned:

• Escala by Palladio
• Old With You by Chuck Wicks
• She's Magic by Mike Parker

Shannon Keating is a Holistic Life Coach for Women, Teen Girls in Middle/High School, & Young Adult Women in College. She supports women with self empowerment, self love, and gaining the tools to cultivate self awareness guiding them back home to their hearts.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Healing from an eating disorder holistically
• Navigating comparison with other women, body image, shame, and depression
• How Shannon guides other women to be their most authentic selves
• Using Human Design as a tool for self-understanding
• Where to look in your own human design chart
• Why we are creating an intentional women's retreat
• Details about our women's retreat in San Diego, October 2024

Ep 75: ft. Shannon Keating on Cultivating Female Friendships

The Soul Radiance Retreat

October 18th-21st, 2024

San Diego, CA

Learn more here

Email soulradianceretreat@gmail.com for any questions

Connect with Shannon:

shannonkeating.com

@shannonkeating

Podcast: Unmasked and Open Hearted

HEATHER ECK is a multimedia abstract artist and writer. Heather interprets people, places, and experiences through color, a condition known as synesthesia. Her work has been exhibited in more than 30 shows, and she offers an inspiring perspective on connecting healing through color, symbolism, and form.

In this episode we discuss:

• Leya's experience receiving a spirit portrait from Heather
• Opening up to your spiritual, intuitive gifts
• The importance of color and what colors represent
• Creating healing art for people, places, and spaces

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Secret Language of the Body by Inna Segal

Connect with Heather:

@heathereckartist

heathereck.com/thankyou

THE CREATIVE SOUL RETREAT

Apply for The Creative Soul Retreat by June 1st! Learn more here.

Tune into this solo episode where Leya shares how she has developed a deep connection to nature, and what nature has taught her about her own creative soul.

We discuss how nature and creativity are mirrors, connecting with our childhood self, and Leya shares personal stories about how plants got re-introduced in her life and how nature has inspired her.

She also shares details, about The Creative Soul Retreat, happening July 26th-29th and invites you to attend to deepen your sense of connection to nature, and to yourself.

For more info, email leyavandoren@gmail.com or message @leyavandoren on instagram.

Website: Creative Soul Retreat

Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, curator and the bestselling author of “How Creativity Rules The World” (HarperCollins). A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, Brito has been selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world.

In this episode we talk about:

• The common myths around creativity
• How to find motivation to show up for your creativity
• The power of action
• Art in the age of digital media
• Content Creators and Creativity
• What it's like to be an art curator
• How to start curating art for your own tastes and home

Connect with Maria:

Website: mariabrito.com

Book: How Creativity Rules the World

THE CREATIVE SOUL RETREAT

July 26th-29th, 2024

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Learn more here.

Tune into this week's solo episode where Leya shares a mini message on changing our mindsets on how we view success and how we can start creating for our future self, and creating our legacy.

We talk about:

• Changing your definition of success
• Creating for your legacy
• The one question you can ask yourself today to create for your tomorrow
• Being proud of how far you've come
• Sending love to your future self

Leya's poetry book:

Mermaid Musings: Stories of Sea, Sex, and Spirituality

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Val is an herbalist, gardener, writer, and artist. She is the owner of Woodspell Apothecary where she cultivates resources for folks to connect to the plant world around them.

In this episode we talk about:

• The mythical nature of the forest
• The connection between fairytales and the forest
• Working with fear in nature
• Connecting to ancestors through the land
• Herbal bitters and how they affect the body
• The ancestral gut connection to bitters
• How to incorporate herbs into your daily wellness practice

Connect with Val:

Instagram: @woodspell.apothecary

Substack: Medicine Garden and Under the Linden Tree

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Join Us for The Poetry Of Plant Magic

Connect To Your Writing Practice & Deepen Your Connection With Nature

When: April 9th-April 30th, 2024

Where: Anywhere in the world via Zoom

• 4 weekly creative writing sessions
• Creative Writing and Journal Prompts
• Learn about herbal medicine and how to incorporate herbs into your wellness practice
• Write and read poetry in safe community
• Develop a deep connection with nature
• Herbal folklore and ancient uses of herbs

Sign up here.

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Spiritual Ecology
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Tune into this week's solo episode as Leya shares all the details behind the upcoming creative writing workshop, The Poetry of Plant Magic!

The Poetry Of Plant Magic

Connect To Your Writing Practice & Deepen Your Connection With Nature

When: April 9th-April 30th, 2024

Where: Anywhere in the world via Zoom

• 4 weekly creative writing sessions
• Creative Writing and Journal Prompts
• Learn about herbal medicine and how to incorporate herbs into your wellness practice
• Write and read poetry in safe community
• Develop a deep connection with nature
• Herbal folklore and ancient uses of herbs

Learn more and sign up here.

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

Brooke Novick is a licensed psychotherapist and graduate of the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has worked for a psilocybin retreat company, assisted a shaman during Ayahuasca ceremonies, and has years of experience working with individuals, couples, and groups.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Integrating therapy and medicine work
• Cultivating your intuition on when to work with plant medicine
• Working through fear before and during a ceremony
• Allowing integration to be part of the medicine experience
• How to start an intentional microdosing practice

Creative Resources:

• How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
• Fantastic Fungi (Documentary on Netflix)
• The Last Shaman (Documentary on Amazon Prime) 

Connect with Brooke:

Website: https://axismundiceremony.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/axismundiceremony/

Learn more about The Poetry of Plant Magic: https://leyavandoren.com/the-poetry-of-plant-magic

In this solo episode, Leya shares the two intentions she made for 2024 and how sticking to her habits has created more stability, structure, and safety.

We discuss:

• The changing of the seasons
• What Leya loved about winter this year
• The hardest part about sticking to your habits
• Writing as an act of embodiment
• Feeling your feelings
• Friendship breakups
• Healing the sister wound

DM @leyavandoren or email me at leyavandoren@gmail.com with the word "RETREAT" for more info on The Soul Radiance Retreat May 17-20th, 2024. The deadline to sign up is March 17th.

Discover Your Creative Soul Playlist: Listen here.

Britt is a certified health coach, spiritual life coach, podcast host, entrepreneur, energy healer, plant-based nutrition advocate, speaker, and integrative wellness enthusiast.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Britt hosted the MAGIC retreat in Puerto Rico and the gifts it gave us
• Trusting your visions
• Pausing your career for motherhood
• Navigating parenthood and mental health with your partner
• How to not self-abandon in motherhood

Listen to our first episode here:

Episode 55: ft. Britt Olson on Saturn Returns, Intuitive Eating, and the MAGIC Retreat

Connect with Britt: @thebrittolson

Apply for the Soul Radiance Retreat, May 17-20th in San Diego, CA:

Find more info here

Ning is a published poet, grief guide, spiritual healer and dream yogi specializing in the intersection of the healing power of dreams, rituals, and spiritual constellations as potent tools for helping the bereaved evolve and continue their relationship with their dead loved one and find the light side of grief.

Her work as a grief guide is an integration of 10+ years of Tibetan dream yoga, 6+ years of Spiritual Healing and Constellations work, shamanic breathwork, African mourning and grief rituals, western grief models, sleep and dream science, a master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from Columbia University as well as an embodiment of her personal experience grieving the death of her mother in 2018.

Her life’s work is to inspire people to develop a softer relationship with death and grief by learning how to consciously journey into their pain, evolve relationships with their dead loved ones, and extract the medicine, soul gifts and purpose hidden within their grief.

In this episode we discuss:

• The gifts from death and grief
• Connecting with your loved ones after they pass
• The five dimensions of grief
• Connecting with your loved ones through dreaming
• How to start remembering your dreams
• Interpreting the symbols from your dreams
• Crafting rituals to support transitions in your life
• The connection between creativity and grief

Connect with Ning:

@ning_tendo

Website: www.dreamreunions.com

Ning's Poetry Book: Death Song in Green

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Dream Messenger by Patricia Garfield
• Grief Dreams by T.J Wray and Ann Back Price
• Unattended Sorrows by Stephen Weller
• The Dark Interval by Rainer Marie Rilke
• The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller
• Grief Dreams by Dr. Joshua Black

Leya announces the launch of The Soul Radiance Retreat - a sisterhood, creativity, and self-love focused retreat from May 17th-20th, 2024 near San Diego, California.

An invitation to slow down, connect with your true self, and experience the magic of sisterhood.

She invites her co-hosts for the retreat, Shannon Keating and Ashley Love to discuss:

• All the details for the upcoming retreat, The Soul Radiance Retreat
• What Shannon, Ashley, and Leya have all gained from attending various retreats (including how they met at a retreat!)
• Our WHY for creating The Soul Radiance Retreat + what you can expect to receive!
• The fears that can come up before investing in a retreat
• The magic of sisterhood and finding soul-aligned friendships

Learn more about the retreat: bit.ly/thesoulradianceretreat

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren // www.leyavandoren.com

Connect with Ashley:

@ashleycreatrix // www.theashleylove.com

Connect with Shannon:

@shannonkeating // www.shannonkeating.com

In this bonus episode, Leya shares some of her favorite books she read in 2023.

She talks about:

• The importance of reading and why she's loved books and reading since childhood
• Why this year she stopped reading as many self-help books and started reading more fiction!
• How social media can be a window, but books can be a mirror
• How books connect us to the collective unconsciousness

Some of the books mentioned:

• Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
• Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins
• Letting Magic In by Maia Toll
• A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J Maas
• The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch

+ tune into the episode to hear 10+ more!

Connect with Leya:

Instagram: @leyavandoren

Website: www.leyavandoren.com

Tune into this special solo episode where Leya reflects on the highs and lows of 2023, the lessons learned, and some of her hopes for 2024.

From spending the first six months of the year wedding planning, to hosting a bachelorette retreat trip in Tulum, to being a bridesmaid in a friends wedding, to getting married in June, to honeymooning in Mexico, to moving to D.C., to connecting with family and ancestors, and experiencing the contrasts of life, this year was one to remember!

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Conscious Bride by Sheryl Paul
• The Wisdom of Anxiety by Sheryl Paul

Connect with Leya:

@leyavandoren

leyavandoren@gmail.com

Purchase The Creative Soul Practice for $44 here.