BONUS EP: Tulum Recap + My Crazy Breathwork Experience
2 May 2022 · 57 min
In this bonus episode of the Makeshift Happen podcast, host Samantha Daly provides a comprehensive April recap that weaves together personal updates, a challenging condo‑hunting journey in Florida, family moments, and an in‑depth recount of her recent leadership immersion retreat in Tulum. She describes the logistical chaos of a sunrise photoshoot, the transformative group activities—including eye‑gazing, a bonfire release ceremony, a Mayan clay meditation, a hypno‑breathwork session, and a cacao ceremony—highlighting the emotional breakthroughs and spiritual insights they sparked. Central to the narrative is a vivid vision of family life that emerged during breathwork, prompting Samantha to re‑evaluate her priorities between business and personal relationships. Throughout, she reflects on the "sisterhood wound" many women experience, celebrates the supportive sisterhood she found at the retreat, and shares practical takeaways for listeners interested in personal development, spiritual practice, or attending similar retreats. The episode closes with a call‑to‑action encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast and consider their own growth pathways.
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What's up guys, welcome back to the podcast. I am so happy to be back at home sitting in my little office and recording and talking to you. It feels like I haven't talked to you in a while because before I went away on my trip to Tulum, I had to batch some of the episodes just so that I could be fully out of the office. So I've felt a little out of touch with my podcast fam, but we're back and I'm excited to bring you a bonus episode. So this is actually the bonus episode for April, even though it's coming out at the very beginning of May. I just wanted to really be able to give you like the full April recap, and I couldn't do that until I was back from my trip. So I'm back now, I'm gonna record this episode, and then we're gonna get it up for you in just a couple of days. So bear with us. It's usually the last Monday of the month, but this time around it's going to be the first Monday of the next month. You get the picture. Anyway, we're here. I'm excited to bring you the recap of April and everything that went on. So the way that I do these episodes is I just keep a note inside of my phone, and you know, when things happen or little things come up, or I do something that feels significant or fun or like I might want to share with you, I just jot it down in this ongoing note for the month. And so I just sat down and I pulled this note out, and as I was looking at it, I I was like, oh my gosh, was this stuff in April? Like, I feel like it was so long ago already. So April went by super, super fast for me. I don't know how it felt for you, but also I was out of the office for basically like half of the month. Like 15 days I think were blocked off on my calendar as out of the office. So no wonder it felt like things were flying by. But I'm gonna breeze through some of the early April stuff, just because I really want to give you a recap of the trip to Tulum and the retreat and some of the amazing experiences that I had there and insights and all that juicy stuff that I know is going to be like the meat of this episode, I guess, and like the most important or most interesting, I guess you could say. This trip was just so healing and so incredible on so many levels, so I can't wait to tell you guys more about it. So without wasting any more time, let's dive into this week's episode. Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shit happen. Just to give you guys a quick update on the house situation, the house hunting situation, we are still looking for a house, or a condo rather. I say house for everything, so just know that if I ever say house I don't necessarily mean house. It could be a condo, an apartment, or home. It's all a house to me. So we're still house hunting in Florida. We haven't found the right thing yet, and I really believe that it's a blessing in disguise that we haven't found the right thing yet because there are still some pieces of the puzzle that have yet to fall into place in order for us to actually be truly ready to just make an offer on a place when it pops up and be ready to actually move our lives to Florida. So I'm trusting that, you know, the universe is going to save all of the most amazing condos in my price range with all of the things that I've listed out that I desire for when we're actually truly ready to be able to jump on it and be able to move. And a lot of what I was, you know, thinking about and focusing on while I was in Tulum was the manifestation of this condo, of this new home. And it was so amazing because so many of the other women there learned from me throughout the course of the retreat that that's what I was working on and that's what my heart was desiring. And so they were speaking so many words of encouragement over me and they were kind of in it with me, calling in the manifestation. And they kept talking about the condo and how it was going to come through. And it was just really beautiful to like be in sisterhood and have other people around me feeling into that energy as well and calling it forward for me. So I'm hopeful that I'm going to bring you guys an update very soon about a condo that we found or put an offer in on, or maybe even potentially that we're moving into. So stay tuned for that, but there's no real, you know, big updates on that. There was a place that we saw at the beginning of the month, and I actually kind of got that feeling of like, oh my gosh, like this is a place that I would actually put an offer in on. So we started scrambling, you know, talking to our lender and our realtor and all the things. But ultimately what happened was the condominium just kind of was like a financial and operational mess from what we learned about their board of directors and from their meeting minutes. And, you know, the, the lender essentially said like this wouldn't be a good investment, it wouldn't be a safe investment. They have a— I mean, the, the market right now is obviously not a seller— not a buyer's market, excuse me. And so it's not a great time to buy. And it's— I mean, I just think that the con— even just like buying condos in Florida is a totally different ball game than buying a condo or townhouse or an apartment or a home in any other part of the US. And probably, I'm sure it's different in other countries as well, but it's just been absolutely wild trying to figure out, you know, the ins and outs of condo buying in Florida. Like, there's so many stipulations and there's so many different weird little things that they do and things that you have to keep in mind and assessments and reserves and all kinds of stuff that I was just like, what the fuck? Like, never heard of this shit before. But so it's been like an interesting journey. Not going to lie. It's challenging to try and buy a home, one, by yourself. It's going to be my home in my name. I'm buying it all by myself with self-employed income. And then the fact that I've, you know, lived in Spain for the past 6 years and My tax returns are confusing for that reason. Like, there's just been a lot of hoops that we've had to jump through, and I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say that it's been easy. At every single turn, I feel like I have some— something special. It's like, oh, can you give us this document, or can you show us this thing? And it's like, yes, but mine is different because of this, or mine is special because of this, or because I lived in Spain, this, that, and the other thing. Like, my case is just like so unique and weird. I feel like the world was not designed for someone like me who lived in a foreign country and then started her own business to like buy a house. So it's been very, very interesting, but I'm trusting all the way through. Like, that's the thing that I keep coming back to the most is like, trust, trust, trust, trust, trust. Like, I just know, I know in my bones, thank God for all of the work that I've done in my life already so far. I just know in my bones that the universe has my back. I just know that it's going to work out absolutely the way that it's supposed to, even if I'm thinking it's supposed to be one way and it's really supposed to be another way. I know that whatever happens is going to be for my highest good, and I really do trust and believe in that. So I'm just open to receiving what the universe has in store, and I'm also here for the ride and trying not to put timelines on it. Obviously, it's frustrating because I want to be able to start my life and feel like, you know, I'm grounded in my new home and in my new routine. And, you know, I can get a car, and I can find my places that I want to be able to go to. And I can't do any of those things yet, but I'm just trying to stay as present as possible and just go with the flow, you know, and trust that it's all happening because it is. So that happened at the beginning of the month. We kind of had a moment where we were like, oh my gosh, we might be buying a place! And then it was a no. So it was exciting, and then very quickly it was not. Something else fun that we did this month was we went ziplining for my dad's birthday. And the funniest part about this was, so my mom planned this whole thing to go ziplining for my dad's birthday because my dad is someone who really likes experiences. And I think that's probably the best thing to gift him is an experience and one that we can do as a family because he loves bringing us together and just doing fun stuff. So The funny thing about it was my mom hates ziplining and is terrified of it. I'm also not really a fan of ziplining. I've done it 3 times now, but I'm always scared, like every single time. I talked about this on my stories. So if you saw that, I was like, pray for me because I don't know how, how well I'm going to take it. Um, and my dad also, when I did ziplining with him years ago, I think like in 2014 or something, we did this crazy zipline in New Hampshire. It was, this mountaintop one, and it was so high. Like, we went up an entire ski lift, like the chairlift that takes you to the top of the mountains in like a ski resort. It obviously wasn't wintertime, um, it was, it was summer, so it was— there wasn't snow or anything. But you took the chairlift all the way up to like the very top of the mountains, and then you continued to climb like up these twirly staircases up to this really, really high, high, high, high, high platform above all of the treetops that were already on top of a fucking mountain and then you just jump off. So when we did that, like, it was just me and my dad because my mom chickened out and she didn't want to do it. And my dad and I both looked at each other before jumping off. And I think we were each trying to assess the other's fear. And I have this perception of my dad that he's just like not scared of anything. And but I could tell at that moment that he was low-key like shitting his pants. So we were both just fucking terrified. But I mean, we jumped off and it was cool and it was fun. But sometimes it's like assessing the, you know, the risk versus the reward. And we could turn this into a whole metaphor and philosophy for life and also, you know, betting on yourself and jumping even when it's scary. But I mean, and I guess that's what I continue to do because I continue to get dragged into these ziplining experiences and it's always terrifying for me to jump off, but then when I'm doing it, I'm like, oh my gosh, this is like fine, you know? Like, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. But anyway, it was just hilarious because all of us are low-key kind of scared of ziplining, but for some reason my mom was like, this is what we're gonna do for your birthday. The only person that was overjoyed and so ready and not scared at all was Jaime because he loves that stuff. When we went, um, ziplining in Costa Rica— I don't remember if I told you guys this story, but when I was in Costa Rica in December Jaime and I went on a ziplining tour together and we were, you know, ziplining in those types of countries can sometimes be even scarier because there's less regulation. And the way that they've built them and set them up is just a little bit more off the cuff, we'll say. So we're at the ziplining thing and the scariest part for me is, is never really like the actual zipline in and of itself, like jumping off and sailing through the forest. Or the jungle rather, but it's the walking between platforms. So you don't just jump off one time, you kind of like, you ride to a platform and then from that platform you walk across the trees above the jungle through these little like mesh nets and like wooden boards and stuff to get to the next platform. And then you jump off the next platform and it's that in-between part that really freaks me out because it just feels so unsafe. There's like these two little tiny pieces of wood, like, connected by cords that are wrapped around the trees. And so you're supposed to walk across these little pieces of wood above the jungle. Like, if you fell, you would die. But also you're connected to the rope, so you're connected to the, the main cord by like a super strong pulley, like Okay, so I have something I think you're really gonna love, and your business is gonna love it even more. Do you want to steal the strategy I've been using to seduce premium buyers and sell out my offers on Instagram Stories? Chances are you're already posting, you're already making sales, but if your Instagram Stories aren't working as hard as you are, you're leaving money on the table. Sold Out Stories is going to teach you exactly how to change that so that you can sell out any offer at any price point. 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Nothing bad, you're not actually going to die, but you just know if something broke, like for sure I would— it's, it's inevitable death. So at least those are the, those are the thoughts that go through my head as we're walking across these tiny wooden boards that are moving and shaking and they're rickety and they're basically just floating, being hung by strings to the trees. And we're going across, and I'm, I'm trying to go super slow and make it not move as much. And Kaim is in front of me, and he turns around as we're arriving to another platform, and he's like, isn't this so much fun? And he— I can see the excitement in his face. And he turns to look at me, and I'm like, I almost have tears welling up in my eyes. And he's like, Oh no, what's wrong? And I'm like, just keep moving. I'm so scared. I fucking hate this. So the only person that was super excited to zipline again was Jaime. But anyway, we had a really great time. Everybody ended up doing it. Nobody got too scared. Like, it was another mountaintop one, so it was really high through the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, in Asheville. And the views were amazing, and it was a fun, like, family experience. So that ended up actually being really good. Can't say I'll be super excited to go ziplining again, but if it does come across or come up as an opportunity, I guess, you know, I might get roped into it again. I'm easy to convince. Um, So then we, we had my, my brother and my sister-in-law and my nephew come into town, come down here to North Carolina for Easter, which was awesome. So I got to see my nephew because I haven't seen him in a while, and Jaime got to meet him for the very first time, which was so crazy because my nephew's 2 years old, and because of the pandemic and everything, he was never able to come visit and meet him while we were in Spain. So it was the first time that they met, which was really sweet and just like a special experience. And then we were able to kind of do his first real, like, conscious Easter where he, you know, he can walk and he can talk and he can understand things. And so we did an Easter egg hunt and it was all just like very cute. Um, but my brother actually got COVID like a week or so before they were meant to come here, and he had no symptoms or anything, but he was still testing positive. Before they came down. So when they got here, I was like, I have to be extra careful because I'm— as soon as they leave, like, actually the day that they were leaving to go back home, I was going to the airport with them and I was flying to Mexico. So I was like, I cannot get sick right now. So actually when they came, I built— I like— so over in the barn on my parents' property It's really nice, like beautiful, recently built barn. There's like a bar inside, there's billiards, there's ping pong, there's darts, there's everything that you can imagine. Above the, the top floor of the barn is like the yoga studio where I have my office located right now where I'm recording this. So I'm like, I'm gonna make the barn like my space and I'm just gonna go and I'm gonna sleep over there and I'm gonna stay over there. So the couch in here is like a pullout and I made it into a bed. And so Jaime and I like stayed out in the barn just for like the first couple of days until we got the negative test back for my brother and we were like, okay, cool, we're good to go. But it was just kind of fun creating a little like separate like sanctuary over here and almost like having a little retreat of our own and like setting up our own space. And yeah, it was just like a— we made it, we made a positive out of a negative, you know what I mean? So that was really good. And then of course after that was when I went to Tulum. So, uh, the reason I was going to Tulum was because I was going on a leadership immersion retreat there with one of my mentors, Mel Wells. So if you are an avid listener of the podcast, you guys will know a lot about my journey with Mel and being in her mastermind last year and a lot of the women that I've connected with through that and through her circle. And, um, the, the retreat in Costa Rica last year was one of her retreats for the, the closing ceremony of the mastermind. And so she was hosting this leadership immersion in Tulum, and I've had Tulum on my vision board for like 2 years, I want to say. And because I'm now back in the States, it was like a really quick, you know, less than 3-hour flight. And I knew a lot of my friends and coaches in the space were going to be there, and it was just a beautiful opportunity to meet lots of inspiring, soul-aligned, conscious women, um, to also learn more and be in Mel's energy, and to knock Tulum off of my vision board. So it just felt perfect. And so I'm gonna tell you guys kind of like the highlights because Of course, it was a week-long experience. I mean, the retreat itself wasn't a week, it was just like 3.5 days. But I was there for a week and I was staying in Airbnbs and in hotels a little bit before and after the retreat with a group of other coaches. The whole experience was just like so, so, so incredible. But I'm going to share with you the highlights so that we're not here forever. So before the retreat, started, we got this like bougie Airbnb to stay in with the 4 of us. And you guys will know, um, Sam Altieri. She's one of my close friends. We podcast together all the time. You'll, you'll have heard her on the podcast multiple times. So she was one of the women that I was staying with, and we got this bougie Airbnb that was so much fun. Like, we had our own private pool, and the place was just like big and spacious and floor-to-ceiling windows, and it was amazing. So that was really fun to just kind of like stay with other coaches before the retreat began and kind of get settled in Tulum and go out to some amazing restaurants and eat amazing food and see the sights. It was just— and spend a lot of time like honestly by the pool and on the beach. Like it was just everything that I was craving. I really, really, really was craving to kind of shake up my energy and get out of this like bubble that I've been in since being home and just feel that sense of expansion that you feel when you travel. Like if anybody listening loves to travel, whether you've, you've traveled before or not, I'm sure you can even just like imagine, you know, the feeling or resonate with the feeling of when you're sitting on the airplane and you're looking out the window and you're above the clouds and you know that you're going to this epic location and like suddenly just like all these things start clicking and your energy changes and you're more inspired and you're more motivated and suddenly you have more to say and you're writing all these captions in your notes app and you're just, you're, you're on fire. At least that's what happens for me. And I think that has a lot to do with who I am as a person and my values and my astrological makeup and so many of the things about me. But I know that a lot of you listening will also relate to that feeling. So it was just fun being able to get outside of my comfort zone into a new environment around inspiring people and feel that sense of like fire and motivation reignited. The second day that I was there, I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning because I had booked a sunrise photoshoot with this incredible photographer who was on the retreat. So this is a woman who does all of Mel's photography, and she offered us discounted shoots while we were there. And I actually tried to do a photoshoot with her while I was in Costa Rica, but things just kind of didn't line up and it was chaotic and we weren't going to have enough time. And so I ultimately just kind of said, okay, like, let's just put a pause on it. And I guess, you know, now is not the time that we'll do the photoshoot. And then the Mexico retreat came up and she was going to be there and she was offering sessions and So I was like, yes, okay, this is perfect. I'm so excited for this. I'm gonna be in a better energy. Like also it's gonna be beach vibes, which is so much more my aesthetic than like the deep dark jungle. So it just worked out perfectly. So I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and I had to get ready and like pack all of my outfits. And she came to pick me up on her scooter cuz that's kind of how it's like Bali, you know, everybody just kind of gets around on the scooters. Um, she came to pick me up on her scooter. I couldn't get out of our Airbnb, like, condo complex. They had these huge, big, like, wooden doors, almost like— think like Balinese type doors, like they're outdoor doors with like all kinds of, you know, crazy woodworking and like holes through them. Like, I don't know if I'm describing it right, but it's, it's a door that's like outside that basically just separates a pathway from the inside of the condo complex, whatever. It was dark as shit outside because we're trying to get to the beach for sunrise, so I can't see anything. These doors have never been closed before. They're only closed overnight. So I had no idea how to open it and they were way too tall for me to jump over or scale them. And I was starting to like be— I was going to be late for the shoot. So I'm scrambling. I have no Wi-Fi. I can't. Call the photographer and tell her what's happening. I'm like running back to the room to get Wi-Fi for a second to send her a message, and then I'm running back to the door being like, what the fuck? How do I get out of here? Finally, I'm just like, I'm getting out of here, hell or high water. I kick the door down with my foot so hard it busts open. I run out. I have my bag and all of my stuff and my outfits, and I'm running down the street chasing, like trying to get to the entrance of our condo complex and meet her and jump on the scooter. I jump on the back of the scooter, we're racing down the roads to get to the beach trying to chase the sunrise, which was just like the most chaotic and crazy but kind of fun experience. So we made it in time, we got some amazing photos. I'm so excited to get them back. I don't have them back yet, but you guys will see them on my Instagram as soon as I get them back from her. But I'm very, very, very, very excited about that because it's been, it's been a little while. I think the last professional photography shoot that I did was in Madrid, like right before we left, because I wanted some memories of Madrid and the aesthetic. And yeah, it was just, it had been a little while and I wanted some updated, refreshed kind of in the vibe photos. So I'm excited to share those with you guys. So that was definitely a highlight. The first day of the retreat, we did this really amazing exercise where we practiced eye gazing. If you guys have ever done eye gazing before, but we did eye gazing with a bunch of the other women as a way to really like connect and get to know each other right off the bat. So we walked around in a circle and And whenever we were guided by Mel to stop, we kind of just connected with the woman who— whoever we had caught their eye. And then we stood in front of each other and we had to practice eye gazing. So staring into their eyes without saying anything, without doing anything, without touching or moving or anything at all, and just practice being seen. Seeing someone else, seeing the woman that's standing in front of you. And this exercise is interesting because you always start to realize at what point you get uncomfortable looking them in the eye and what your own little coping mechanisms are. Like if you tend to touch your hair or, you know, shimmy a little bit or shift from side to side or sway back and forth, or if you laugh or you know, really understanding like and having the self-awareness to realize, oh, like I'm feeling uncomfortable being seen right now. I'm feeling uncomfortable in this long pause and this is what I'm doing to try and fix it. So the eye gazing exercise was really beautiful and then we would go off with the partner who we were eye gazing with and answer these really beautiful questions that just kind of brought us to deep places and sharing the intimate parts of our hearts with this woman who we'd never met before. And a lot of us cried during that first exercise, and it was just really— yeah, it was just really beautiful. And it brought us together really, really quickly, which I think, you know, is the— is the whole idea of eye gazing and doing something so intimate on the very first day of an experience. It just sort of solidifies the fact that, you know, we're all here for the same reasons. We all share so much within us that is the same. We are more same than different, I guess, is the overall learning that we end up taking away from that exercise and those conversations. And then on the first night, we also had this really special bonfire ceremony where we released into the fire what was no longer serving us. And it was just really, really powerful to stand up in front of all the other women in front of the fire and— Hey, don't forget that every month we are picking a listener of the month to win $50 in cash just for showing love to the show. All you have to do is leave an epic review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, screenshot the review before you hit submit, and DM that screenshot to us on Instagram @makeshifthappenpodcast. And that's it. I want to thank you for being such a loyal listener and show my appreciation by putting a little extra cash in your pocket. I know it's super easy not to do it, but every single rating and review seriously helps the show rank higher and reach new people, so we appreciate them more than you know. We'll announce the next winner at the end of the month and slide into your DMs if it's you, so keep an eye out and good luck. Love you guys, and thanks for supporting Makeshift Happen. Claim what it was that you were releasing and calling in. Another thing that I really liked was we did this Mayan clay meditation on the beach. So this was facilitated for us by a lovely woman, and she brought the traditional Mayan clay, and then we all mixed it with the honey from the land. And then we took the clay and we like applied it literally all over our bodies. So we covered every single inch of ourselves in this clay. And then we all stood in a circle and we held hands and we experienced a beautiful guided meditation that kind of took us through the chakra systems. And it was all about planting seeds and what we were cultivating and what we were letting go of. And then we went out into the ocean and washed the clay off of our bodies after it had dried. And that was, that was just really cool. I also was able to meet Alex and Rachel, who are two of the master coaches who are actually going to come into Abundant and Ambitious as guest experts. So these are women that I've— these are, you know, other business coaches that I've been connected with online for a while, but I had never met them in person. So it was really, exciting really exciting to be able to finally just meet some of those online friendships. And of course, like, women from the mastermind and other coaches that were in that group with me that I spent so much time with in 2021 on all of our Zoom calls every week, and just finally getting to meet them in person and actually hug and have conversations in real life and, and share stuff with each other was was so, so amazing. And I think a lot of what came through for me on this retreat actually was how important it is for me to start facilitating in-person events. And actually, we had this hypno breathwork session, which I'll tell you guys about because it was absolutely mind-blowing. But we did this hypno breathwork ceremony with Susie, who is a woman who's in the Queendom Mastermind, but she is also just this incredible breathwork facilitator and just has the most amazing story. I'm going to— I'm just thinking of this now, but I'm, I'm going to bring Susie on the podcast for you guys because she's someone that I connected with on the retreat that was just— her story is incredible. She has so much to share, and I think this would be a great place for us to share that. So that's happening. I just decided that. But anyway, in that breathwork ceremony, I had a very, very clear message drop in for me, which was, you need to start doing in-person events now. And it was all about, you know, the fact that I need to stop making these excuses and keep thinking that I'm not ready or that it's going to be harder than it is or that I need to have my house first and all of these things that have just kind of held me back from really leaning into my deep, deep, deep desire to host retreats and in-person workshops and events. Like even before I was coaching, I had the goal to run retreats like that was— if you guys know the 335, like my 335 method, when I started doing that all the way back in 2018, one of my 5 main goals was to host transformational retreats for women. So the universe just really came through very clear for me on this retreat of like, the time is now. Stop waiting, stop making excuses, stop procrastinating it. It's time for you to facilitate in person with people because it's going to be incredibly powerful. So stay tuned for that. I'm taking that guidance very seriously and Hopefully we'll have our first retreat, in-person event, workshop thing, whatever it's going to— whatever it's going to be when it's created, um, this year in 2022. So I'm claiming that. So a little bit more about this hypno breathwork, just so you guys can get an idea of how amazing it was. I've done breathwork before and I, you know, I think it's an amazing modality, but it's one that I never felt super duper connected with, I guess, because for me it really just felt like a lot of work. And I know there's a reason why it's called breathwork, because there is work in it. But it was one of those modalities that I think was just really hard for me to drop into because it was so challenging. But this, this breathwork session that we had in person, it was so beautifully facilitated and the music was just so right. And Susie's energy and her voice and her guidance is just so amazing. And it really just like took me there to that level that so many people talk about with breathwork. And that is that breathwork is almost like a psychedelic experience. So we did this in a group of about 30 women and everybody came out of that session and basically said that was as powerful, if not more, than a psychedelic drug experience or a plant medicine experience, which is crazy. Like the, the vivid visualizations, the vivid connection to source, the vivid downloads that happened and the involuntary, like uncontrollable body reactions and movements that just let you know that you are so deep in the experience, it was just undeniable. You know, I finally got to the place where I had the experience that everybody talks about, which is you actually stop thinking about how hard it is to do the breath and suddenly you're just being taken. I think that's the best way for me to describe it. It's like you're being taken over by this experience. You are completely surrendered to it. And a lot of what's happening to you is subconscious. And I think even more so with this style of breathwork because it is hypno breathwork and it's infused with hypnosis techniques. So it does go very deep into the subconscious. So in terms of like what I felt physically, my hands were completely locked, like not in a claw. A lot of people get claw hands when they get into breathwork, and mine weren't necessarily a claw. They were almost like the hand that you do when you're you're, um, practicing like ballet, if there's any dancers listening, like a ballet kind of hand, but really like stiff and just completely locked in that position. And my whole body was tingling, but mainly my hands. My hands were tingling so hard it felt almost like they were both asleep. And at one point I was like involuntarily like banging my hands on the floor next to me and it was just like this intense energy. And I could, I could actually feel my aura around my body. Like I could— it's almost like my hands started tracing the outline of my aura above and around my body again, completely subconsciously. It's like you're aware of what you're doing, but at the same time you can't not do it. So my hands were kind of like moving up and down and scanning my body and just like feeling the reverberations of the energetic field of my aura, which was crazy because I'd never felt something like that before. And if you're listening to this and you're like, what the fuck? Me too, girl. Me too. When it was happening, I was like, wow, this is fucking wild. And then also my mouth. My mouth got like stuck in this position. Because we're not on video, I can't really show it to you, but it's like, uh, yeah, I can't describe it, but your mouth gets kind of like stuck in this like circle shape, like a tight circle, like, uh, it's just stuck like that. And again, like, I could feel that happening, and I would try to stop at some Sometimes I would try to stop, like I would try to shake my hands out, or I would try to, you know, open my mouth really wide and stop feeling like my mouth was stuck or like my hands were tingling. But at some point you just kind of like surrender to the experience and you realize that it's like an involuntary thing that's happening and there's nothing that you can do and you just have to be in the experience. So that was kind of like the physicality of it, I guess, along with like some other movements, you know, I was kind of rocking back and forth a little bit. There were some other things that happened and a lot of really clear visuals and messages came through for me. Again, the thing with the in-person events was like, bam, that was the very first thing to pop up. There was a very clear voice that was like, stop making excuses, stop waiting. You need to be in person right now. So that was very clear. I was like, okay, note taken. And then later towards the end of the session, like, I think the deepest and most meaningful vision that came through to me was all around, you know, when she was— she was guiding us to really see what it is that we wanted out of life, what was important for us in our business, what was begging to be born through us, what wanted to come through. And it's interesting because the retreat was obviously like a leadership immersion and it was very business focused. But a lot of what ended up coming up for me, not only in the breathwork but also in other moments of the retreat, was like personal life things. And so the main message that I took away from the breathwork session was I saw this vision of me on the beach and I had one baby on my hip and another toddler kind of running around nearby on the beach. And I was walking with Jaime, and it was like this vision of our family. And I just remember feeling that, like, my essence in that vision was, was that I was a powerful woman who was making an impact, but I was also so at peace and at ease in my life and in my existence. And it didn't feel like I was pushing or chasing or trying to achieve anymore. It really just felt like I had arrived. That's the best way that I can describe it. And that is the vision that kept coming through for me over and over on this retreat. And the message that I kept getting was this desire to feel like I've arrived, to really, truly integrate the masculine and feminine energies in my life and in my business so that I can be really successful and really productive and really impactful and also really free and really flowy and really at ease and really happy. And so the vision of our family on the beach was— I mean, I started crying uncontrollably, like I didn't even realize I was crying that much when we were in the breathwork. But then when, as soon as she kind of like guided us out of it to open our eyes, it was like the tears were like pouring out of my eyes. And when I speak about the vision now, and even when we shared afterwards, we all said the same thing. It's like when you share the vision, it doesn't sound as impactful as it was. But when you were in the experience, it was so visceral and it was so alive and it was so real that it really, really meant something. And for me, what it meant was that I have such a beautiful, safe, loving relationship. Like, my partnership, Jaime and I, our relationship is so healthy. It's so beautiful that we're so in love. We're so obsessed with each other. Like, we're so magnetic. We have so much fun. Like, we're still in that total love bubble even 7 years later. And it hasn't always been that way. There's been ebbs and flows, but our relationship is just so good right now. And for that reason, it's very easy for me to set it off to the side and to actually not prioritize it or not pour into it as much as I could because I know that it's safe. I know that it's good. It's not something that needs to be fixed. It's not something that needs to be solved. It's not something that needs to be worked on. Technically, so I'm not really working on it. And the reason that I think that that vision made me cry so much in the breathwork was because it made me— like, it made me sad to realize that I have this, like, beautiful partner who loves and supports me unconditionally and is the exact embodiment of the type of man that I want to be with. And it feels like right now my business is like above that in terms of like priority and just where I spend a lot of my time. And that just like, it totally broke my heart being shown that vision of like, you're over here doing all of this stuff and creating all of this this change and content and impact and all that stuff, like it's important. Totally is. But also don't forget that like this is important too. It's so important. It's actually the only thing that you really, really care about because if the business were to go away, if all of this were to change, that would be your cornerstone, that would be your pillar. You know, like I really realized in that, in that breathwork ceremony, like my relationship is actually my most important thing, and I'm just not— I'm just not acting like it. And it's not that there's anything wrong, like we're not doing anything bad. It's not like I never spend time with my partner, there's anything dramatic, but it's just we could pour into each other more. We could be more intentional with our time. We could be more conscious of not being on our phones when we're together. We could create more space and opportunities to do things just the two of us. We could make an effort to go on dates more often. We could make an effort to travel together more often because that's something that we love to do together. You know, it's just— it was a really beautiful and eye-opening reminder that like, that's what's important to me. The reason that I work so hard and that I want to create so much change in the world is so that I can help every woman feel as happy and fulfilled and loved as, as I feel right now, and not to take the things for granted in my life that allow me to feel that way on a daily basis. So whoo, that was just really, really, really powerful. And then the last kind of highlight of the retreat that I wanted to share with you guys was this beautiful cacao ceremony that we had on the very last day. It was kind of our closing ceremony. And these indigenous Mayan women came and they facilitated the experience for us. And so they were playing all their instruments and the traditional music and guiding us through the whole ceremony of blessing the cacao and making the cacao. And so what we did, we obviously sat in circle. And one of the cool parts of the ceremony was we received 3 cacao seeds in our hands and we peeled the skin off of them to reveal the, like, raw seed inside. And each seed represented something. So the first seed was a prayer or a blessing or a wish for yourself. And so we made that, that prayer or that wish, and then we ate the seed and kind of really felt that it was integrating into our system. And then the second seed was a prayer or a blessing or a wish that we had for someone in our life, someone that we love. And we ate that seed and integrated it. And then the third seed was a prayer or a blessing for the world and for our community and for Mother Earth. And we said that prayer and ate that seed and felt it kind of integrate. And then they made the cacao and played all the music. And then before we could actually drink the cacao, we you know, we, we did this whole ceremony to all the different directions— north, south, east, west, to the sea, to the air, to the land, Father Heaven, Mother Earth. And it was just such a beautiful, beautiful experience. Like I posted in my stories, I witnessed God in so many moments today because that is honestly what it felt like. We were up on this rooftop and it was a beautiful sunny sky day. And as we were doing this prayer to all the different directions and the sun and the earth and the sky and the air and the sea and the wind and all of that, the— this flock of birds just like out of nowhere, they were in perfect formation and they just came over and they flew right straight over top of us across this rooftop. And I remember that moment, like, looking up and just seeing pure beauty. It was just— it was the simplest thing, and it was also the most profound. It was like, oh my God, like, God is real. God is in everything. The universe is here. You are the universe. I'm the universe. It was, it was one of those moments where it just felt like everything had a spiritual meaning and it was so profound for whatever reason. I mean, the music and the culture and the cacao and the medicine and all the women that I was with, I mean, the energy was, was crazy powerful there, but it was just a really, really, really beautiful ceremony. And then as they made the cacao, you know, they mashed it while we were playing these, while they were playing these native instruments. And then they had us sing along with these Spanish songs as they were making the cacao. And then they poured the native honey honey in and mixed it. And then we passed the cups of cacao around the circle. And every time we passed the cacao to the woman next to us to pass around the cups, we would say a word of affirmation to her or something kind and beautiful and uplifting to her. And so it was just this amazing circle of all of these positive words of affirmation going around. And then we sat with the cacao and we said a prayer and then we drank it and then we danced. And the last, the last piece was to take the actual skin of the seeds that we had peeled earlier and to burn them in the fire. And it was like a releasing, a letting go. And it was just like the most beautiful experience. I don't know that I can really, like, articulate all the things that I experienced on this trip. Step into words and really bring that feeling forth. But I just thought it was important to share with you guys, like, the most impactful parts of it and the highlights and the things that I loved and the realizations that came through for me. Because maybe there's, you know, maybe you can take something from it even though you weren't there or you didn't experience it. Maybe even just the words that I'm saying now are landing with you, or they are inspiring you to get reconnected to your spirituality or to your rituals, or they're making you want to have an experience like this for yourself, or at the very least they're making you want to connect with other like-minded women. Because let me tell you, that was the most powerful part of this whole experience, was really being in sisterhood with women who feel so safe and so loving and so supportive you know, we talked a lot about the sisterhood wound on the retreat, and the sisterhood wound is something that I think all women face at some point, even if we're aware of it or not. And if you don't know what it is, it doesn't really matter because you know exactly how it feels. You know, it's that inconspicuous but so, so visceral present feeling of insecurity or comparison or judgment or jealousy, superiority or not enoughness that arises inside of you when you walk into a room full of women. It's undeniable. I think we've all had experiences with women where we've felt betrayed or judged or unsafe or like we're not good enough or we can't keep up with the standard. And the experience of being surrounded by women who want to heal that wound and kind of tear down those patriarchal paradigms is, is so beautiful. It's so deeply healing, you know. Like, I realized so many things on this retreat, even just about our, our level of comfortability with other women. Like the eye gazing exercise, you know, how comfortable are you to really stand in front of another woman who you don't know, who's not your best friend, who's not your mom, and like stare deep into her soul and not move and not laugh and not act weird? And how comfortable are we to share our deepest fears and shadows and the things that we're releasing or the things that have been holding us back and not feel like, oh my gosh, they're gonna think that, you know, I'm, I'm so I'm silly or I'm far behind or I'm not good enough. And crying in front of women, crying in front of a group of women and really expressing yourself, even like being naked in front of women. Like that's something that's so hard for so many of us. It's like we don't feel safe in our bodies. We don't feel safe being seen by our fellow women because of the judgment that we've been taught to feel for one another and our competition with one another for the male gaze. And it's It's all just so deeply embedded. And even like, you know, seeing other women dance and celebrate and be loud and be wild and really be fully themselves and, and not judge them and not judge yourself. It's, it's really powerful to have the awareness around all of that and how it shows up in our lives and in our female relationships, being able to celebrate other women in their wins and not think about, oh, I should be doing that, or I'm not— because she's that far along, that means I'm not good enough, or I need to be better, or okay, that's a great win for her, but I still feel okay about myself because I have an even bigger win. Like, you know, oh, there's, there's, there's so much there, and I have a feeling I'm gonna be talking about this more. But I wrote a post about this on my Instagram if you want to go read it. The beginning says Women have been community weavers since the dawn of time. Space holders, storytellers, nurturers, healers. It feels really good to return to this knowing, to feel in my bones that the women I'm surrounded by are here to love and support me rather than judge me or tear me down. And then, you know, I kind of go into the sisterhood wound and the experience and So go read that post. It, it really feels like it rings so true, and it's a beautiful representation of this whole experience that I had and just kind of encapsulates it in a really beautiful way. So anyway, I hope that this was in some way, shape, or form helpful for you— eye-opening, inspiring, motivating. You know, maybe you want to go and get into your spiritual practices more. Maybe you want to start a little morning ritual. Maybe you want to go on a retreat. Maybe you to join a coaching program or a mastermind where you can be in spaces like this with like-minded women who are doing really important work in the world. But I just hope that this, this episode resonated for you on some level. And if it did, please let me know. I always love to know if you guys are liking these bonus episodes since they are a new, a new thing that we're doing on the podcast. So please screenshot and share to your stories if you enjoyed it. Tag me @samanthadaily and @makeshifthappenpodcast. And we will be back again very soon with our regular weekly episode, so make sure to come back every Wednesday for our weekly episodes. I love you so, so much. I'm sending you so much love. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening, and I will talk to you soon. Bye!
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