In this conversation with renowned midwife and pre- and perinatal somatic psychology guide, Mary Jackson, we explore our earliest imprints and the impact they have on us as we grow. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

Resources Mentioned:
*A Wild New Work events: https://awildnewwork.com/events 
*Meghan Schoneberger's energy healing work: https://www.cosmicharmonyhealing.com/ 
*The Ray Castellino Foundation training: https://castellinotraining.com/ 
*Mary Jackson's website: https://birthinconnection.com/ 

About Mary Jackson:
Mary Jackson has been married since 1987, is the mother of 2 children who were born at home, and has been featured in 11 books and 5 movies. Mary has been a home birth Midwife since 1975. She has attended over 2,500 births in the Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Ojai, California areas and is now attending the home births of her second generation of babies. She is a certified Castellino Process Workshop Leader and co-teaches the Castellino Pre and Perinatal Training. In the first year after incorporating these pre and perinatal approaches in her midwifery practice her home to hospital transfer rate went from 20% to 6%. Mary is participating in cutting edge research about imprints that occur around the time of conception, pregnancy and birth and how they affect us throughout the rest of our lives and what it takes to heal from challenges in these experiences. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and leads trainings throughout the world.

144. Growing into Village: Birth, with Mary Jackson

Rites of passage are essential functions of healthy human communities, but what are they, really? And how do they work? In this conversation with one of my own rite of passage guides, Tina Burchill, we discuss rites of passage and their role in village life, the specific kind of rite of passage that Tina guides people through, and the power of "the well sealed vessel."

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

About Tina:
Tina Burchill trained as a wilderness vigil guide with leading mythologist Dr Martin Shaw, graduating in 2018, the same year she gained an MA in Myth and Ecology. She has continued to work under the umbrella of the School of Myth in Devon, where she is also a member of the core faculty team. She also has a small homeopathic practice (she qualified in 2005) alongside working as a consultant in event management, and writing work. Her previous career in journalism included working as a freelancer in the UK for national magazines and newspapers.

Read Tina’s article, "Seeking defeat and growth through wilderness vigils" here: https://adventureuncovered.com/stories/seeking-defeat-and-growth-through-wilderness-vigils/ 

Learn more about Dr. Martin Shaw and the School of Myth here: https://drmartinshaw.com/

145. The Well Sealed Vessel, with Tina Burchill

How can we stay true to who we are and what we're meant to do while also allowing others to do the same? It's not always easy, but it's essential for growing into Village. In this conversation with spiritual mentor, Human Design guide, and writer Uma Girish, we explore how our soul paths can converge, separate, and weave something important together.

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

To connect with Uma, visit: https://umagirish.com/ 

Her latest book, Sacred Fire: Memoir of A Marriage will be available from May 19, 2025 everywhere books are sold. You can find it at books.by, on Amazon, or at https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sacred-fire-13?sId=7829bebb-922c-402f-8298-a8ce73401d59


146. Co-existing as Our Most Authentic Selves, with Uma Girish

In this conversation with writer and reparationist Hilary Giovale, we discuss the beautiful journey she went on to write her latest book, "Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers Toward Truth, Healing, and Repair." We talk about what it means to be a good relative in these times and the repair that's possible when we face the truth about our collective histories. 

To connect with Hilary, visit:
https://www.goodrelative.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/hilarygiovaleauthor/ 
To access her Guide to Making a Personal Reparations Plan, visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G-ufl_8ixdquMGrDziiBUBAANYKXrN7eHtjiE5aKTfw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1kvofvfw6wns 

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 


147. The Joyful Path of Repair, with Hilary Giovale

As our Springtime journey into the theme of "growing into Village" comes to a close, I'm sharing some thoughts about what your Gifts are, why they need to be expressed, and how they relate to making intact Village. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

148. Your Gifts Make Village Possible

Welcome to the first episode of the Summer of Support! In this episode, I'm talking about why I think we need more-than-human sources of support right now, a new channel through which I'm calling in support, and ways to honor the Solstice on June 20th. 

Practitioners and resources mentioned:
*All my classes, events, and writing can be found at: awildnewwork.com
*Eagle Creek: awildnewwork.com/eagle-creek
*Sasha Davies (sashadavies.com)
*Natalia Kay-O'Brien (affinityprojects.net)
*Rebecca Heisterhoff (die-lichtung.art/home-english-version/)
*Craig Mod (craigmod.com)
*Tim Carmody (www.niemanlab.org/2019/01/unlocking-the-commons/)


149. Introducing the Summer of Support

In this second episode in the Summer of Support series, I'm sharing what I know about tracking: understanding where you are in your life's journey and navigating according to the signs and instincts that feel most meaningful to you.  

Resources mentioned:
*All my classes, events, and writing can be found at: awildnewwork.com
*Become a monthly supporter in Eagle Creek: awildnewwork.com/eagle-creek
*Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! 


150. Tracking: An Ancient Way to Navigate Life

In this third episode in the Summer of Support series, I'm sharing what I've been taught and have experienced with regard to working with our ancestors. We cover who our wise and well ancestors are, how they can help us, and ways to work with them.

Resources mentioned:
*All my classes, events, and writing can be found at: awildnewwork.com
*Become a monthly supporter in Eagle Creek: awildnewwork.com/eagle-creek
*Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 
*Malidoma Patrice Some's books, Of Water and Spirit and The Healing Wisdom of Africa
*Daniel Foor's book, Ancestral Medicine

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! 


151. Ancestors: The Cloud of Support Around You

In this fourth episode in the Summer of Support series, I'm sharing what I've learned about the five elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Nature, and Mineral. Working with these five elements and the one each of us carries as our primary element can show us more creative ways to move and grow in our lives. 

Resources mentioned:
*All my classes, events, and writing can be found at: awildnewwork.com
*Become a monthly supporter in Eagle Creek: awildnewwork.com/eagle-creek
*Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

Further reading:
*The Healing Wisdom of Africa by Malidoma Patrice Some
*Power of the Five Elements by Charles A. Moss
*The Way of the Five Seasons by John Kirkwood

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! 


152. The Five Elements: You Always Have Options

In this final episode in the Summer of Support series, I'm sharing ways to reconnect and communicate with the land you're living on. Even in the midst of harm and legacies of colonization, the land seeks to know and be known by you. There are simple, easy ways to heal the severing of our relationship to the land that was brought about by civilization and capitalism, and I'm sharing many of them in this episode.

Resources mentioned:
*All my classes, events, and writing can be found at: awildnewwork.com
*Become a monthly supporter in Eagle Creek: awildnewwork.com/eagle-creek
*Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman 

Further reading:
*A Country Called Childhood by Jay Griffiths

If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! 


153. The Land: Ways to Know and Be Known by Wildness

Welcome to A Wild New Work. You'll learn about the Seasons, how the natural world "works," capitalism, animism, and what it can all mean for you and your life. Hosted by Megan Leatherman, a writer, mother, and teacher in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more on Instagram @awildnewwork or at awildnewwork.com.

150. Tracking: An Ancient Way to Navigate Life

A Wild New Work

Related tracks