265 Jennifer Sodini: Well-Being In The Modern Age

The heart is the greatest barometer for helping to guide you because when it is true you feel it in your heart, you know it. My biggest heart intention is to be able to find a space and create experience and to create content that makes people feel at one with everything and with each other and to be able to converse with somebody that you may perceive as your opposite with an open heart and allow people to be who they are without trying to expect anything more.

That's Jennifer Sodini and this is episode 265 of Wellness Force Radio where we discover the physical and emotional intelligence to live life well. In this special Edition Friday podcast we discuss this ever unfolding bandwidth of consciousness and awareness and the concept of practical spirituality, why our guest chose to let go of her breast implants due to toxicity and health complications and how she's come to co create witma well Being in the Modern Age. We're talking about how all of us can take our well being in the modern age to new levels through the use of key emotional intelligence and really self care, self love health practices. Now if you haven't heard of Jennifer, I'm glad you're here because not only is she the founder of Evolve and Ascend with over a half million men and women interacting on Facebook every single day, but she's also an author and a public speaker. She's traveled around Egypt, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, some of the world's most sacred esoteric places. And also she's a lifelong student of Perennial Philosophy, Secret of Teaching of all ages. And now she shares her knowledge through a wide variety of endeavors, including this conference series, well Being in the Modern Age, which she's a partner of, coming up here live in Southern California and Los Angeles on April 20th. Now, if it's your first time tuning in to Wellness Force, welcome, welcome my friend. We're glad you're here. If you've been a longtime listener, then you know we always explore this deeply nuanced and honestly fun intersection of physical and emotional intelligence. So at the end of the day you can get the tools and the intelligence to live your life well. That's why we're here. We're always learning about this physical and emotional intelligence so we can live our life well. And I promise you that by the end of this podcast, not only will you gather unique gems that will apply to your life from Jennifer, but also if you have a spouse or sister or or really any woman in your life or circles who is suffering from what might seem like mystery health complications, who happens to have breast implants Turn the volume up on this one. Use our Show Notes page as a resource guide for you to take a deeper dive into the science behind health complications and breast implants. Jennifer is going to share authentically about her journey of why she removed the implants, how she feels now afterwards, and why she's also created a movement that that was inspired by her journey to bring greater awareness to the toxicity found in breast implants. I love Jennifer and her energy. I've gotten to know her over the past year. She is such a force of wellness in this world. I know you're going to get so much out of this episode where we explore these concepts of esoteric wisdom, plant medicine, emotional intelligence and all things related to greater well being in the modern age. And I almost forgot. If you want to join me and Jennifer at the witma Live event April 20th in Los Angeles, just go to the Shownotes page. Today@wellnessforce.com 265 you get to hang out with a handful of the top wellness influencers and spiritual leaders in the world. So if you're planning on being in Southern California on April 20, go over to WellnessForce.com265 and sign up for the WITMA Live event. Now let's take a deep breath. If you came out to the Wellness Force soma breathwork event. 50 plus men and women wellness warriors. Breathing in love, breathing out fear. I loved that you were part of the event. Huge thank you to every single person that showed up to Eve Encinitas for our breath Work event. We will be doing another one this year. You can mark my words, make sure you're signed up to be a Wellness Warrior VIP. Just go to wellnessforce.com VIP that's very important person. That's what you are. You care enough to listen to the show. So you are our Wellness Warrior VIP. Just head over to wellnessforce.com VIP and you can start messaging me directly and our team on Facebook Messenger. Okay, now we're dropping in with the one, the only Jennifer Sodini. Jennifer, welcome to Wellness Force.

Thank you so much for having me, Josh.

You know what? I feel like you're having me. We are sharing this energetic vortex. It's been a year since we connected. There's so much to explore, Jennifer in this conversation from you letting go of these implants to also this evolving and ascending concept. And we're also going to talk about your grandmother and her influence on you. But I want to start with this. I just got back from Rythmia. You've been to Rythmia. You've been a speaker at rythmia. How do you see rythmia in plant medicine? In this current paradigm, this human life? Let's start the show with that step.

Well, that's a great. A great way to start. So, honestly, I feel that rythmia is this portal of initiation, right? It is just this sacred space that elevates us and connects us to our heart and gives people the tools necessary to really step into their truth. I mean, and speaking of the vortex, I mean, it really feels like there's some energy vortex happening where the land is. But even since rythmia came into my life, the up leveling that has come from that connection is exponential.

That's the theme that came up for me was this honoring the divine feminine, you know, this true goddess in all women, whether they bear children or not, this divine energy. And I couldn't help but realize that we've lost our focus and are just really honoring and acknowledgment of. Of sacredness. And it's on the resurgence, Jennifer, like you and I are part of this conscious media revolution where we're really seeing this conversation happen about divine feminine. How do you see this divine feminine from where you stand and tell people about evolve and ascend?

So in many ways, beyond it being a revolution, it feels like a renaissance of sorts, because this new shift in consciousness is really finding its way through art and media and what people are talking about and how people are shifting from the way that they do business. You know, it's become less just like people within our sphere and echoing out. It's less about capitalism, it's more about collaboration. And I think that that's what goes back to the divine feminine as a part of consciousness. So my perspective on it too, may be a little unorthodox because I look at the divine feminine as the right hemisphere of the brain. You know, the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. This is the more creative, intuitive, nonlinear time, mystical, magical part of world that a lot of people have lost touch with. And it's a matter of like, reactivating that side of ourselves and finding balance. So even with evolve and Ascend, you know, when I started it, my whole, like, tagline for it was where the Library of Alexandria meets Andy Warhol's Factory. Because esoteric wisdom can be so dense, so left brain, so masculine. But art is this vehicle that helps us understand the esoteric. So marrying both worlds really helps me get the message across of like these mystical realities. Realities and kind of more, like I said, left Brain.

Yes. Yes. And it's 2013 when you started this. And for people that don't know, this is where ancient wisdom and new ideas converge. This is what comes together, this evolving and ascending concept. Like, do you remember where you were when it came through? Were you having a coffee? Were you walking? How did you come up with the name evolve and Ascend? What does that actually mean?

So it's funny that you should ask that. So when I started it, I had left working in pop culture in 2012 after I discovered the Mayan calendar and went down to Costa with Daniel Pinchbeck and did ayahuasca and, you know, had this whole breaking open the head moment. And I was searching, you know, just had this voracious appetite for esoteric wisdom. But I couldn't find any sites that spoke to me aesthetically, like, married the two worlds, like art, good design, and good wisdom. So I was like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take what I learned working in media and I'm gonna start a site. And I had no idea what to call it, funny enough. So in 2007, a year after my dad had passed away, a word that really helped me get through that time was evolve. So I got that tattooed on my left Wrist. Then in 2012, when I was going through kind of my. My whole, like, earth shattering, breaking open the head experience, I got Ascend tattooed on my right Wrist. Basically, after December 21, 2012, thinking the world was going to end, it didn't. It just. The veil was lifted. So when I thought of the name of the side, I literally was thinking, thinking, thinking, and then looked down at my wrists, and I was like, oh, my God, this is perfect.

It's on your body. The message was written on your body. I want to go back too, because you said breaking open the head moment. Like, a lot of people in 2012 were freaking out. They're like, oh, there's the world's gonna end. The Mayans said the world's gonna end. It's so fascinating, though, because the world wasn't gonna end. It was just the old way of thinking was going to end. This veil was being pierced. And really, that veil was consciousness. Right. Can you talk a little bit about that? It's such a fascinating topic.

Absolutely. And it really was. So apocalypse really means revelation of truth. Right. So that's what it was. It was revealing that we've kind of been sold a lie, and the typical paradigm that we're living in is toxic. And so much information started coming to the forefront where people began to Wake up and realize this is not. This is not what life is supposed to be. There's so much more to that. So I was one of those where, because I was working in pop culture, I found the Mayan calendar when I was researching viral content. And that's what led me down the rabbit hole. And I got scared. I'm like, oh, my God, it might be the end of the world. What's happening? But then afterwards, you know, in hindsight, it really was. It was an end of a paradigm and the beginning of something new.

What was the paradigm that we let go of?

I think it was more the paradigm of, like, capitalist society, you know, like pinning people against each other. Like, just the being fed the illusions of media. You know, I always think back to that time and, you know, that movie they live, and everything's like, consume, obey.

You know, I've seen that in Times Square, where it's like the monkey face obey. There's even a clothing line around it.

Exactly. And I think now people are gaining a new type of media literacy, even where, like, you know, the fake news thing or whatever else, we can see what, like, we're being advertised to and how, like, nefarious that could be. And taking our lives into our own hands.

Yes. And it's a skill set that we grow. Right. This attunement to awareness, it's almost like, you know, on a guitar, we tune the strings. I feel like in 2012, we just got really tuned in. We all kind of dropped in together. But this is a skill set that we grow over time, Jennifer. And this is what you really stand forward, evolve, and ascend. Is the. The ever unfolding, really, this ever unfolding bandwidth of consciousness and awareness. But this is not something that people are born with. Like, some people develop this more than others. Your grandma was such a deep influence on you. I remember we were in a conversation and she came through and. And she's actually the one that put you on somewhat of a spiritual path. Like, what's your connection to your grandma? What does she teach you?

Well, she. She really was ahead of her time. So, you know, growing up, I spent a lot of time with her. And she was such a radical, free thinker. She was vehemently against the Catholic Church. And when I was young, probably even too young, she's like, they're corrupt. They're molesting children. They're taking money. It's all a big, like, racket.

Grandma was smart.

Yeah. But she was really such a free thinker and that being boxed into a belief system for her was like the antithesis of anything that she wanted to follow. She was really into the occult, but more like I'd say, you know, my grandmother taught me light, even through her darkness, because she was really connected to like Aleister Crowley and witchcraft and demonology and just kind of like the denser realms. But it did, it was like an initiation for me to understand because it's like once you can see, it's almost like having this Rosetta Stone for every esoteric philosopher, every pathway. And she really opened that up to me and at a very, very young age.

I love the way that you decipher this information and decode it for people. Not only with your deck, you have a card deck that we'll talk about, but you really. I get this sense, Jennifer, that you stand for this practical spirituality. And the world needs us right now because so many people who need the most help are turned off by some of the nomenclature that we hear in the spiritual world. Do you see this? Where people can use such language? That's, you know, my aura is bleeding into my fifth chakra, and that's what's actually making me drink this sacred tea. It's like, hold on, we need to meet people where they are. How do we actually do this? How do we meet people that need the most help where they actually are, bringing them over to these words in these realms of higher consciousness?

I think that's such an important point because to me, language is so important and words create worlds. Right? That's why it's called spell, like casting spells, because you're spelling things into reality. But when you use airy fairy language or things that are just like, you know, high vibrational, quantum nonsense. Yes, yes, you, you turn off people. So you have to learn to, like you said, meet people where they're at and to demystify the mysticism. Because this is just part like science is catching up with what the ancients knew, you know, so if you can find ways to transform that into not being so intangible or unrelatable, it's so important for me. You know, being in this space for the last six years, I've seen a lot that is really kind of disheartening and just a big turnoff because it just becomes then a personality mask that's also then become used to fuel capitalism, which is the very thing that we're trying to get away from. You know, so it's like, now I'm woke, now I'm a shaman, now I'm this and, you know, hold space for me by charge. I'm going to charge you $444 a month to talk to me once on the phone each month and I'll help you out. Align your chakras to me. That doesn't resonate because I don't really feel like it's useful. So it's a matter of like what's useful and how can you articulate that usefulness in a way that you could explain it to a 5 year old or a 50 year old Republican?

You know, I love the way you said that. I've always felt this way. If I have to say too many words to explain something, I don't have mastery over it yet. If I have to explain something in this grandiose fashion, it's not true. I'm not embodying it yet. In this embodiment of this conscious media, what do you stand for now? I mean, I know it's evolved, Jennifer, I know, I know it's evolved since you started. So Today, here in 2019, how do you see your role in conscious media? Like, what does that mean to you?

So one of the greatest pieces advice I received was from a dear friend of mine who since passed. He was a 33rd degree Freemason and studied esoteric wisdom for a really long time. And we talked about kind of what I dreamed of the future. And this little piece of wisdom he offered was you have to learn how to teach not talking. And it's a very Zen concept. So it's like, how do you teach without having to be like just this loud voice, you know. So for me, where I segued into when everything that I want to touch, create and do is to find embodiment, to also like just dissolve the lens of separateness, I think, you know, there's so much about this divide and conquer mentality and us versus them. And even within the conscious space, you have the witches, you have the shaman, you have people. But there's not a place where everybody can meet all at one. And my biggest heart intention is to be able to find a space and create experience and to create content that makes people feel at one with everything and with each other and to be able to converse with somebody that you may perceive as your opposite with an open heart and allow like people to be who they are without trying to expect anything more. Does that make sense?

It makes crystal clear sense. I'm smiling because I have this understanding of what you do from where I sit and from my world in Wellness Force. But for people that don't know, you have witma Live, which is an event coming up. This is actually a place where what you just said is taking place. Tell us about widma.

So WITMA stands for well Being in the Modern Age. And I recently became a partner over the summer. But I started out at the first event, my partner, Anna Longard, I was asked to be a panelist. So then from being a panelist, I was asked to be a moderator. And then at our last one in la, Anna and I took a meeting and just were like, let's align and join forces and really make this thing huge. So our first event together with us as partners was in New York this past October, and it was just so inspiring. So, you know, the panel that I had hosted, I was able to have my dear friend Nitin Ron, who is a neonatologist baby doctor who climbs the mountains in the Himalayas, talking about mysticism on the same panel with the incredible Valeria Ruellis. She's on Instagram as the Mexican witch, and she's just this, like, ball of fire, bright heart, but like a witch and a doctor can meet in the middle, you know, and find just love for each other.

Yes. I love it. I love this convergence, too. What does WHITM actually stand for?

The initials well Being in the Modern Age.

Well, you're on the perfect show. This is Wellness Force. Like, we believe what you believe, Jennifer. And you were going to say something else, too. I cut you off.

Oh, sorry. So, yeah, just kind of piggybacking off of what had happened in September. What we have been curating for our event in April, which I'm so excited that you're going to be at, was that same dynamic in the panel. So we're doing this really potent panel on identity politics, because I feel like it's a conversation that really, really needs to be had. But within our panel, we have Reverend Michael Beckwith, and then we have Buck Angel. Then we have Rotana, who is this beautiful Muslim performance artist. And it's being moderated by the incredible Ben Decker, who grew up Mormon, but is the gay man that teaches meditation and studied under Dolores Cannon. So it's like the fact that all these incredible voices can talk and meet, it just makes me feel so good and inspired for a future that, you know, potentially could exist.

It's crazy. Like, the word diversity came up for me. Like, this is richly diverse. And then I also know that my observer's looking at it, and it's like, well, we're all the same anyways. We just have this physical form that looks different and that's what we're showcasing at your event and this, this concept of well being. Do you think that right now, especially the reason why spirituality is a higher conversation, a more frequent conversation, is because that we're experiencing kind of a sickness, There's a collective sickness that we're healing from, and spirituality is the way towards true well being and wellness.

Absolutely. One of the things that Jerry teaches at Rythmia, you know, is about us reconnecting with our soul to like, merge back with our soul at all costs. And I think that, you know, we're in an interesting time where so many of us have. Don't even know what that looks like. You know what? I have a soul. I'm a spiritual being. What does that mean? And, you know, just finding that unification is so important because I think it makes people realize, like, oh my gosh, I'm so much bigger and important and, and powerful than I've ever realized.

Yeah. But we're taught the opposite since, gosh, since birth, especially, you know, ages 0 through 7, we are taught by our parents example, which is taught by their parents example, that it's not okay to be outwardly loving towards yourself. You need to be humble. Most religions, they teach be humble, you know, bow before God, make sure that you're cowering into yourself. We're in a new age, though, where people can actually speak about self love from a place of truly embodying that love without the presence of cockiness, without the presence of arrogance. Do you see this unfolding in your circles, this type of conversation?

Totally. Yesterday, this really wonderful woman, I wish I could remember her handle offhand. She made this profound tweet saying that don't get so lost in the self love agenda that you cut off all that doesn't serve you without learning conflict resolution. So you wake up 50 and alone. Wow.

Ain't that the truth?

Yes. It's about finding balance. You know, love yourself and love others because they're just a reflection of you. There's no, there's no separate.

I love that you said this skill set of conflict resolution. You know, you posted something on your personal page. We'll link this in the show notes. You said, a friend of mine once told me the fastest way to win an argument is to admit you're wrong. And there's this beautiful kind of montage of I am forgiving that you had this concept of forgiveness. Let's talk about how this plays into the conversation of healing for the collective, the skill set of forgiveness. Jennifer, can you expound upon this skill set?

Absolutely. So that piece of advice was actually given to me from the same friend that told me the teach not talking. He was just incredible. Everything that I try to speak on comes from my own direct experience. Right? You don't want to go to a personal trainer that doesn't go to the gym. You're not going to go to a doctor that hasn't completed their time in medical school. So, you know, somebody who's doing this, like, philosophical exploration of life. Everything I'm trying to talk about is from my own direct experience. And forgiveness has been one of the most profound lessons I've learned, I think, throughout this entire journey. And, you know, so last year, 2018, was, like, just a crazy, crazy year.

Goodbye, 2018. I feel the same way. I'm like, I'm so happy with 2019. 2018. Bye. Bye.

Yeah, exactly. But, I mean, it started off crazy. It's like, that's when I got the publishing deal for a mentee. But then I had a falling out with two of my best friends, and it was so painful and, like, almost like spiritual mean girls, where I was just like, ugh, this hurts so bad. And I spent so much time being like, ugh, why? Why? How do I move forward from this feeling anger, feeling resentment, just feeling, like, all these things. But it wasn't until I forgave them, it helped me forgive myself. And forgiveness is just this alchemical gold that no matter what you're dealt with in life, it could be the worst thing. You know, you could deal with so many traumas and hold onto that trauma, but if you can find a way to transform it through the heart and forgive, it's just so empowering.

I just had to take a deep breath because that was my lesson at Rythmia. I had been, you know, this question that Jerry and the team has created there of show me who I've become. This is the first question that everyone asks. And I had become this angry, petulant child who, at 38 years old, was holding onto this ember of resentment towards things that had happened when I was 17. And I'm going to be doing a full podcast on this later. But it was so freeing. And I cried and I threw up and I cried and I threw up, and then I laughed, and then I laughed at the end of it. And really, like, I understood, really the forgiveness mindset, the forgiveness skill set is something that has to be experienced. I can't read that shit in a book. We can't get that from a PDF. Human beings have to go through a learning experience through spiritual realms to really understand and imbue and really imbue this forgiveness, this skill set. And so I'm actually going to be recording a podcast with him in Las Vegas, apologizing to him and telling him why I love him on the show. And so beautiful. We're going to be doing that actually right when this show comes out. So by the time this show comes out, we'll be talking about that. And the reason I talk about forgiveness is because it's a concept that's come up for me multiple times, but really only in the past week or so have I truly seen the bottom of it. And at the bottom of all forgiveness is love. I'd love for you to talk about forgiving the self. You know, this concept of not just forgiving other people, but forgiving oneself for holding on to anger, forgiving oneself for any kind of incessant monkey mind thoughts that one can't let go of. They're stuck in a cycle. How do you see forgiveness of the self, Jennifer?

So it's a constant process, right? That's something that I've yet to master because out of all people I'm hardest on, it's myself. And you know, in my plant medicine journeys, it's been this concept I revisit very often where every time I'm shown myself as a child and it's like, would you treat a child this way? Would you speak to a child this way? This is your core essence, you are this child, this pure being. So don't harm the child, don't speak to them in such a way that's like, doesn't fuel growth. So trying to like look in the mirror and remember like your true essence and connect to that like child childlike place, that's really, really helpful for forgiveness because it's like, you know, seeing yourself as a three year old child, you're not going to sit there and say, oh you, you, you know, idiot, what have you done? Like what's your problem? You'd be holding that child in compassion. So remembering compassion, I think is a really, really important key.

And I think in that moment people that are listening are like, well it's easy to say, it might not be so easy to allow to unfold. And that's the key word, isn't it? It's like allowing. How do we allow the self forgiveness? What do we need to get rid of in order to get down to the deep down forgiveness? What are we letting go of?

Actually totally a lot of it is negative thinking patterns, you know, because thoughts, thoughts form and to form thoughts. So, you know, when those negative thoughts come and permeate consciousness and infect, we have to find a way to flip the script on them. Right. And it's work in progress. But it's just instead of, you know, why did this happen to me? Or what can I learn from what has happened? You know, it's just. It's a practice in mindfulness, but it really does help.

I want to go back a little bit. I was listening to a show that I had such a fun time listening to. I believe it was the Third Eye Drop show. If not, please correct me. But you talked about your first eye ceremony. You went to the rainforest with a hot pink suitcase.

Yes.

Okay. What was going on in your life at that point? And I want to go back in time because this really sets the foundation of future questions on our show. Where were you at that time in your life? Why did you bring a hot pink suitcase to the rainforest?

Well, I think this is the important part of, like, just being radically authentic in my journey is that, like, I am not an ascended master. I have fallen awake instead of, like, you know, just all of a sudden. Born bodhisattva, enlightened being. It's been a process. So at that time, while I've always been hyper intuitive and connected to these spiritual realms because of my grandmother, I closeted it because at that point, it wasn't in vogue. I was just. Everybody thought I was weird, so I was more like, okay, I'm just gonna focus on the outer worlds and materialism. And I was in a relationship where I was basically just like, you know, a housewife. And it was just like, what clothes can I wear and what makeup can I wear to like, make myself look better and more presentable to the world? So, you know, I was kind of like Private Benjamin, if you remember that movie with Goldie Hawn where she's, like, showing up to the military Louis Vuitton bag, and there I was with my hot pink leopard suitcase, just, you know, ready to go into the jungle. But, yeah, it was the perfect little metaphor for where I was at that point.

Why did you even go there in the first place? I mean, what took you to the jungle? Now it seems like that's a conversation so many people are having. But back then, like, that wasn't necessarily the highest conversation in coffee shops.

No. So part of my Mayan calendar, rabbit hole, led me to Daniel Pinchbeck's work. And around that time, he had a documentary out called 2012 Time for Change, which really helped me kind of shift my focus from, oh, the world's going to end to the paradigm shifting kind of mindset. So I found Daniel's work felt immediately connected to him. And then when they talked about ayahuasca in the documentary, it sparked something in me because I had actually heard of ayahuasca years prior to. Because someone that I had went to high school with got into a snowboarding accident and she broke her neck and was paralyzed from the neck down. Told that she'd never walk again and we'd be bedridden for the rest of her life. And not wanting to take no for an answer, somehow she discovered this community in Peru that was doing experimental chiropractic with plant medicine. And after hundreds of ceremonies, she can now walk with a walker and type. And I remember years ago reading this award winning essay she did about the nerve to breathe and reconnecting with her nervous system, and all this happening through plant medicine. So then hearing it in the documentary and feeling where I was in that time, I felt like, emotionally and spiritually paralyzed because I'm like, I've written about this before. The best way to sum up where I was at at that point was I felt like a firefly trapped in a mason jar with no holes to air to. To breathe. I just felt suffocated. So, like, there has to be a reason this weird word is coming into my life. Why am I being drawn to Daniel? Why did I find this? I was like, you know what? I'm gonna just go and do this. And I don't know what I'm getting into, but I need to do it. And I'm just gonna follow my gut instinct. This is literally all synchronicity and just following what my heart was telling me to do.

This following of the heart, this is like an intuitive guidepost. And early in my journey, I would say, like, 2013, 2014, I would listen to Esther Abraham Hicks in the shower, and she would always talk about your internal guidance system. You know, the thing that's going to put you in the direction that your soul really wants you to go. But, gosh, there's so many things, so many distractions that get in the way of this guidance system. How do you lead your life so that you don't have blockages to that internal guidance system? In other words, what do you move out of the way so your guidance system runs true?

I try to subtract ego from it, you know, which is also a work in progress. Because when our intuition comes up, sometimes it can be conflicting. Is this my Intuition or is this a judgment from my ego?

Yes.

Is this emotion? What is it? But the heart is the greatest barometer for helping to guide you. Because when it is true, you feel it in your heart. You know it. It's not a matter of, oh, I have a deja vu, or you know, I'm getting a vibe, when it's really in your heart, beyond the shadow of a doubt, you know.

Yeah, the space between the head and the heart. I was listening to Hawkins letting go. I don't know if you've ever read the book or heard of the book, but he said that sometimes the greatest distance for people can be that space between your head and your heart. Because so much of the media that's out there is really based on neck up, like, let's face it, 90% plus of the media out there is based on keeping people in a state of fear, keeping people in a state of reaction. This evolve and ascend the types of media you put out. Also with witma and, gosh, just you as a human being, like the media you're putting out. How would you describe that? How would you describe the actual conscious media that you bring to the world? Now.

My deepest intention is to keep it heart centered, you know, and easy to relate to and digest. Again, like what we were saying before, if you have to say something in so many words or make it intangible, that's not useful. So I've tried to make it feel useful that, you know, anybody can relate to it, whether you're a Christian just starting to wake up, or, you know, ironically, we have a very big Muslim community. But, you know, I'm able to speak to people. And we also speak to a lot of, like a Hindu audience. So, you know, I want to be able to speak to everyone and have it feel loving and warm and open, not playing to, like, fear and base desires. You know, there's this really great documentary by Adam Curtis called Century of the Self. Have you heard of it?

No, but I'm in.

Oh, my gosh, it's so incredible. It basically talks about how public relations was invented, and it was actually through Freud's nephew. And he basically found the way to manipulate media to play to our root desire. And, you know, he did the spearheading campaign of getting women smoking cigarettes, and then it became in vogue to smoke cigarettes. So it's like identifying what plays to base desire is not really where I'd want anything that I create to be.

Is this the same guy that I heard of the De Beers campaign where men were Guilted into buying huge rocks for engagement rings for women is this, you think? In the same vein, this, you should be buying this, you know, $50,000 ring for your wife. Otherwise, shame on you.

Yeah, I mean, Freud's nephew, the invention of PR was basically, you know, all of that, you know, playing on fear, playing on desire, playing on sex. All of the things that keep us, you know, tethered to lower realms. Not that sex, you know, keeps us tethered, but, you know, not in a mindful space. It does.

Well, it's interesting, I didn't know that about pr. And I think the reason we're seeing people kind of reject mainstream media is because there's something in their guidance system that knows it's not the truth. Like, if there's something, the people are listening and they're watching, they're like, ah, I see my monkey brain being attached to this. I know that my logical mind wants to react, but there's something in my heart that tells me this isn't true. And let's be honest, like, speaking the truth is not always an easy thing. It can shake the ground to speak the truth. You recently spoke the truth. You let go of breast implants. Like, this is a very sensitive topic and I'd love for you to share why you made that choice. Like, did your body tell you? Did your heart tell you? Like, why did you let go of that? And why are you speaking so loudly about it online?

So, you know, part of my journey from like 2012 on, you know, speaking the truth back then was so hard. Everybody thought I was nuts and I got so much flack for it, but I just kept holding onto it. And that's why it's so important for me, even now, all this time later, to just practice that radical authenticity, even if, even if it might trigger people. So sharing my journey has been so important because I feel very, very, very blessed that I was able to listen to my body and find out what was wrong. So in 2007, it was a year after my father had passed away. That summer I got breast implants. I was only 21 and just very insecure and thought that somehow that would be the key to making me have a better self image. You know, when I got them done, the doctor really kind of glazed over what the shelf life is and didn't make it feel like such a big deal where he's just like, yeah, they have about a 10 year shelf life. But you know, every 10 years you get place, no problem. So about, you know, 2017, it was my 10 year mark. And I started researching having them removed, because it's just like, you know what? I've grown so much as a person. It just doesn't feel like me to have this anymore in my body. And I was like, I just want them out. So I started researching explant surgery, and I stumbled upon the story of Crystal Hefner, and she had the first time I ever heard of breast implant illness. So I read her story, and she had described her symptoms. And I'm reading this, and all of a sudden this light bulb is going off. I'm like, oh, my gosh. This is everything that I've been feeling and experiencing over the last few years that I chalked up to maybe adrenal fatigue or life stress or getting older. But I was like, this can't be a coincidence, because, like Josh, I've been a vegetarian for a very long time. I lead an active life. But over the last few years, I, like, I gained 40 pounds out of nowhere. I was waking up every morning with excruciating headaches, needing copious amounts of caffeine to even feel somewhat awake, battling chronic fatigue, like brain fog, not remembering things, and, you know, pain in my kidneys and sides. And I was just like, what is happening to me? There's no excuse for this. So I'm an insane researcher, and once I discovered that, I just started finding thousands and thousands of women who had similar symptoms and stories. And there's a group called Healing Breast Implant Illness by Nicole deruda, where women share what they've experienced with this. And I was just like, this can't be a coincidence. So I wound up, luckily enough, connecting to the same doctor that took out crystal implants. Because to me, when I found her, I was like, this is my doctor. She graduated Yale at, like, 16 years old. She only takes them out. She only focuses on, like, a holistic approach to healing. So I booked her. Took months to get in. But, you know, leading up to it, I was just like, I need to share this, because I feel like this is what's going to change my life. And if it can change other people's lives and minds, then it's really useful and important. So I explanted on March 8, and it's insane. I mean, you can even put this in your show notes. So I took a picture of my face, which I had been waking up to every morning with, like, puffy face bags under my eyes. Like, I have big, bright green eyes. But over the last two years, it's just like, waking up my Eyes were like, swollen the morning of surgery. I took that photo. Then at 8:30 at night, after the implants were out of me, my eyes were bright and shiny and my skin was glowing. And every day since then, it's only improved. And you know, sharing it is just like, this is what I'd like to also preface where I have no judgment against implants. People can smoke cigarettes their entire life and never get lung cancer. People can have breast implants and not replace them and never get sick. But the thing that needs to change is that there has to be informed consent about the risks and complications that could stem from having breast implants. And there is not enough protocol in place to really inform people of what they're putting in their body.

I had no idea. And it's interesting the timing of this too. Thank you for sharing. Because, gosh, what a such an intimate story. Like, you're literally having your chest cut open, having bags of saline solution removed and then sewn back up. Like the healing process of this for how many women. I mean, I'm looking at this blindsided article from NBC News, women speaking out about breast implant illness at an FDA hearing March 25. This just came out and there's really no long term studies on this. Like, like you're saying, can we just educate people? I mean, gosh, this whole discovering process of intelligence, Jennifer, intelligence, it's not just gathering information. Like true intelligence is applying and embodying that information. Thank you for embodying this lesson. Because really what this is gonna be is this is gonna be for women that are experiencing symptoms like you did, to take a deep breath and turn in a different direction. So thank you so much for what you're doing.

You're welcome. And it's, you know, it's amazing you even mentioned breath. So something that I hadn't even noticed or realized was how they had actually been affecting my breath. My doctor, Dr. Lujean, is actually conducting studies of what happens before and after you have implants and then have them removed, of how it affects breathing. Because for women like me who had implants under the muscle, what happens is there's a capsule that forms around the implant. It's your body's natural response for having a foreign object around it. So it's like the scar tissue forms around it, but then that scar tissue can in turn latch onto your ribs, which can impair your breathing capabilities. So for me, my capsule had attached really badly on both sides, but even worse on my left side. So, like right above my heart, I had all this scar Tissue preventing me from being able to breathe deeper. But the difference of having them out and just. I didn't even realize I had a breathing problem until now. I can actually breathe deeply and just really inhale without feeling constraint. It's really just mind blowing, the changes.

And this is powerful too, because I've recently come across information and experience. When I was at Rythmia with Christian's breathwork. There's more DMT produced in the lungs than anywhere else in the body. Like, how's that for scientific wonder? And now the fact that you can breathe like you'll be accessing higher states of consciousness just through your breath work completely and even.

I mean, as a crazy dreamer, my dreams, even the last three weeks, have been even more intense than usual.

Oh my gosh. I feel like our life, we come into the world and all we're doing is we're in this process of remembering who we are and letting go of the things that are blocking our light and how we actually get to be.

In this world completely. It's a progression through unlearning. That's the perfect way to sum it up.

The interesting point that I think we're at in this conversation is why you actually got them in the first place. Like, why do women get the breast implants? Is it something. What do you think that really is?

So looking back to that time too. And again, I am not an ascended master. I am a human being who's figuring it out. Falling awake. You know, at that time, losing my father and looking to some of the male role models in my life, they were always with women with big breasts and, you know, fake breasts. And I just had this idea of what a perfect woman's supposed to look like. Unfortunately, I was never really encouraged by the male figures in my family to like, be. Be what I am. It was more like, you're going to find a rich husband one day and you're. You're high maintenance and you just need somebody to take care of you. So it was like I had this toxic programming that somehow that would make me more desirable and valuable and that I had to put something foreign in me to not be what I actually was. So I look back to that little girl and I just want to hug her because she was just so lost. And, you know, it's just. It's sad what toxic programming can do to, like, your organic mindset.

Yeah, thank you for sharing that because I don't know what it's like to be a woman. And I remember I actually sent this episode to you and it was about Paul Check interviewing one of his students about her journey of letting go of her breast implants. And he said that one of his ex wives complained to him and said, well, look, would you want to have your penis on your neck? Because basically what happens is when women bear children and age process goes that area, you know, gravity takes over. And so it was such an interesting way to understand it. It's like, I kind of get it, why women would want to get them. I also respect that they don't. And there's just not a clear answer for this. I think it really depends on the human being themselves and really the intention. Jennifer, don't you think the intention behind getting them or not combined with. I don't know if it's possible. Is there organic alternatives? I'm not sure about that. But is it possible for women to have these implants and lead a healthy life?

Well, the thing is, attention is everything, right? So I don't have kids. I don't know what it's like to breastfeed and to have my body go through those kind of changes. But then there's also women. So on NBC, they did a highlight reel about women with breast implant illness, and they highlighted the case of this courageous woman who had breast cancer. And she had a double mastectomy to get the cancer out. But then she got implants to help her feel better about the changes that her body went through. But the kind of implants that she had were actually spoken of as the safest ones on the market, quote, unquote, which are the gummy bear textured implants that are supposed to be natural, but they cause this rare form of cancer that it's not a matter of if you get it, it's a matter of when you get it. So the way she spoke on it, she's like, well, I got my breasts removed to get the cancer out, and then I just put cancer right back in. So there's still not enough data about what's actually safe. Because, you know, the saline implants still have silicone casing. And although they say silicone is an inert subject substance, it's not. The casing is filled with heavy metals. And then silicone gel implants. It's like silicone inside, silicone outside. But then there's other options that some people discuss having. But I think it's still in kind of like the developmental phases where they do fat transfer, where that's the most natural route because it's your own body cells, but it's not guaranteed to Stick. But for breast cancer survivors or for mommies that have kind of gone through war, like breastfeeding, it would be nice that there could be a natural option for them to feel good about themselves. But I just don't know if it's there yet.

Oh, we, we live in very powerful times, don't we, where we can have this kind of conversation. Like this would have not happened 10 years ago. And, and going back to that initial question though, do you think that there will ever be an organic alternative to women having these breast implants? Like you said, you're a researcher, so I'm just curious, have you found anything?

Well, the fat transfer seems to be the closest, but I mean, we're seeing such profound things that happen with stem cells where I wouldn't be surprised if with stem cells or like platelet rich plasma, I think is one of the treatments that we might be able to find a solution in the future. I think we're living in epic times, like you said, you know, every day there's a new discovery being made.

I'm so grateful to be alive right now. Can you imagine 2019? We're talking through a computer. It goes into outer space and then it goes all the way to New Jersey and back to me. We're in an incredible time here. To be able to do this on a podcast in different states. Like, what's most gratitude bearing for you now? What makes you the most grateful to do what you do, to lead, evolve, and ascend, to have WITMA in your roster? Like, what brings you joy right now?

Oh, my gosh, all of it. Just knowing the lives I've been able to touch and the people that I'm able to connect with. You know, the fact that it's funny because the way that the neural net of the Internet looks, it almost replicates the way that, that the neurons in the brain look, which also replicates patterns in nature. And I just feel so blessed, humbled and grateful to be in a time now where this, this could have been a career path for me. Like what? I get to wake up and be like this.

It's pretty incredible. Let's give people some tools too, because people can feel your joy, they also can feel your process. I mean, this is not some easy linear path for you. It seems like you've hit many cul de sac acts on the journey. What are some of the tools that you use every day, like practical things for spirituality to truly embody this message of evolving and ascending? You know, it's written on your body for a reason. Like, what are the tools that you use every day that people can learn from, that people can use themselves?

Practicing gratitude is so key. Just taking your day and thinking about at least like 10 to 20 things that you're grateful for. That is just a great shift in consciousness to begin with. And practicing self inquiry. So for me, like Oracle cards in the Tarot are great practice of self inquiry because it's not so much about divining the future, it's about connecting to what your thought patterns are echoing out into the universe. And it's like, that doesn't need to be something so esoteric or woo. It's a good way to explore the archetypes that are like latent within your subconscious mind and see your thoughts outside of yourself. So those are really, really good practices. And just like keeping yourself in check, calling yourself on your shit, you know, like just be being. Practicing radical honesty, you know?

Yeah, calling yourself on your shit. The emotional inventory, which is a concept that you just echoed, Jennifer. So many authors and speakers have been on the show and eventually all roads, all roads lead to self inquiry. This honesty aspect. What do these cards actually mean for people? I'm curious because I've never used like an oracle deck myself. What actually is that?

So there's a big difference between Oracle cards and tarot cards. So I'll preface it by saying that. So the Tarot is basically the major and minor arcana, which explore the fool's journey into coming to understand the way of the world. So each of the cards explored are different archetypes and elements that every single person that's alive and living in this human experience will encounter in their lives. So it's like the blueprint of the spirit into form. Very specific. Rider Waite is the most popular of all the decks, but that's, you know, starts at zero, goes to 22. But then there's also the minor arcana, which is even more beyond that. So Oracle cards are more of like a Rorschach test. So it's like, what is my subconscious putting out into my conscious mind? So it's kind of like I choose your own adventure game. So Oracle cards, there can be an oracle of everything from, you know, spirit animal to color to just prompts and mantra. So for the Oracle deck that I've created with my partner Natalie Miller, it's called a Menti oracle and it's based on the 42 ideals of Ma', at, which is this Egyptian netter, which is another word for force of nature or goddess, who was the embodiment of truth and order from chaos. So these 42 cards explore how within every major wisdom, tradition and philosophy, that having the sacred heart and embodying this light hearted ideal is the key to living an embodied existence.

How do you know how to shuffle them? Is it just intuitively you just split the deck? And I've seen so many people do this.

Yes. So it's very intuitive. I like to have people kind of really connect to the cards in the way that feels best to them. So it's like whether you have a number. I have a number that I've been doing since I was 8 years old, which is 23. So I shuffle the cards 23 times. I ask, I will either cut them again for myself or if I'm reading somebody else, I'll ask somebody else to cut them. I typically like to use my left hand because it can, you know, it's controlled by, you know, the right side of the brain. And like, left side is more like, you know, connecting to creativity and whatever else. So there's not just one way. So it's like you have to find what resonates best for you. And there's different ways that you can do card layouts. So, you know, a very popular way of using the cards, especially if you're using tarot, is to do a tree of life spread, which you put the cards in the order of the Sephiroth of the Kabbalah Tree of life. Or you can just pull a card and say, like, what is it that I need to learn best today that can help me, like further align? It really inspires playfulness with how you connect to them. So, you know, there's not a one size fits all model.

This is the first time that you've actually produced an Amazon product, right? This deck, this Oracle deck.

Yes. So this is my first major publication. My publisher, Running Press is an imprint of Hachette and Hachette actually puts out work by J.K. rowling and Dave Sedaris. Like, they're an incredible big deal.

Oh, yes. You're in the same category as JK Rowling. This has been such a fun conversation with you. Like, I've been looking forward to this for months and I'm so, so stoked that we actually got to lay it down on the recording on the microphone. I have these three questions for you and the first one is pretty deep because, you know, on Wellness Forest I like to go deep. Anyways, that's just who I am. But I'm curious if there's a lesson you could share with us. That you're actually still in the process of learning in this evolving and ascending path. Is there a lesson you could share that you're still learning?

Absolutely. So the biggest lesson that I'm continuing to learn is to maintain and keep a light heart and to not become jaded by the world. So, you know, 2018 and 2016 were two really challenging years and those were years where, like, I actually came into relationship with, like, what is anger? Why do I feel angry? And that was something I never really, like, felt so deeply. So remembering the Sacred heart in times of anger or adversity is so important. Like, my first tattoo that I ever got is the Sanskrit translation of fearlessness, which means to approach life with an open heart and to stay strong in the face of adversity. So I think that's the ongoing lesson I'm really trying to connect to, to the best of my ability.

How would you define faith?

Faith, it's a trust fall. It's really just having a deep connection to trust and knowing that no matter how the myth or story of your life may unfold, that there is all a divinity in the pattern. And really just trusting that. Trusting that even in the moments of darkness, it's there to show you light.

What would be your definition of modern day wellness? You know, we're going to be hanging out together April 20th in Los Angeles. We're going to have anyone that's listening come join us, please. It's whitmalive.com you can get tickets there. But looking at this concept of well being, how would you define wellness? Jennifer, what's your definition of wellness?

Well, to be wellness is again, not a one, it's not a one size fits all type of thing. But I think at the core of it is happiness. Feeling happy, feeling aligned and feeling in flow. Being able to walk through life on the path of least resistance and just feeling and aligning with our highest, best version of ourselves.

And it doesn't have to be so challenging. We can use tools and community and support and events to give us more breath and guide us along the way. Thank you so much much for sharing on Wellness Force. Deep bow to you and the work that you're doing in the world. This, this intersection that you walk in, it's not for everyone, but it is for the people that feel called. So if you're listening, you feel good in your body. Use that as a, as a guidepost. Join us on April 20th. It's just in a couple weeks. Jennifer, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Thank you so much for having me. This has been wonderful.

Hey my friend, thank you for hanging out and granted growing with me today. Everything you learned on this podcast starts with your morning practices. So from over 200 world class guests and counting, we've distilled the gems, the best of the best science backed practices down into a 21 minute morning system guaranteed to increase the positive flow in your day. Get this free and powerful 21 minute life changing system over@wellnessforce.com M21 if you enjoyed this episode, Tap the Tap your phone. Share it with someone you care about because that is how we all get better together. Supporting the show is easy. Leave us a five star review right now from your phone. It helps us reach other smart and conscious people like you. Either tap your phone and hit the link in purple that says review this podcast or go to wellnessforce.com review and this show doesn't stop here. We're continuing the discovering process in our private Facebook group. You can be a part of it. All you have to do is is go to wellnessforce.com group and I'll welcome you at the door. Okay, now you get to go out into your world and live your life well. So until I see you again real soon, I'm wishing you love and wellness.