I’m really excited to share this week’s conversation that I had with Annika McDade of Canine Connection Coaching and Training. Annika is such a beautiful soul, and her approach to working with dogs, and their humans, is so resonant, so in alignment with the Mystic Dog Mama philosophy. She brings science and soul to her approach in training dogs, but also in supporting their humans to develop deeper connections with their canine companions, and ultimately with themselves.

Annika and I talk about the concept of our dogs being a sacred mirror for us, and she shares her own experiences and journey of exploring how dogs serve as these mirrors, inviting us to deepen our connections to them and ourselves. She also shares some really useful tips and tricks that you can use to practically deal with some of your dog’s reactive behaviours and anxiety.

So, if you have been curious about how to deepen your relationship with your dog - mind, heart, and soul - then this is the episode for you!

Connect with Annika McDade:

Instagram: @canineconnectioncoaching

Website: https://canineconnectioncoaching.ca

If you would like me to do a short episode on a particular topic related to nourishing your dog - or yourself - mind, body, or soul, for my upcoming series, just send me a message on Instagram @mysticdogmama!

I am also opening my books up for canine nutrition and wellness consultations! So, if you are curious about how fresh food can benefit your dog’s health, or if your dog is struggling with a health condition, or you’re already a fresh feeder but you would like to learn how to optimise your dog’s diet, I’d love to help you! Some really beautiful feedback I have received from clients has been “this is the first time I’ve felt really heard by anyone in the veterinary field,” and “oh my goodness, this is so helpful, for the first time I feel really hopeful about my dog’s health journey and our relationship”. So, if you need some help and support, just DM me on Instagram @mysticdogmama, and I’ll be happy to have a chat!

This episode was sponsored by Aspirationery, which, in full transparency, is another project of mine where we create books, notebooks, and stationery to help you become all you aspire to be. You can check out our shadow work and moon magic journals and workbooks, as well as our popular “My First Period Tracker” for young girls and tweens on Instagram @aspirationery

DISCLAIMER: This is not a substitute for medical advice or other relevant professional advice.

Today’s episode is a really special Spotlight Series episode where I bring on other mystic dog mamas to talk about their journeys, and their stories with their dogs. My guest today is Barbara Thompson, who I am grateful to say has become a friend of mine after we first met through the podcasting community. Barbara came to her own spiritual awakening experience rather unexpectedly as a result of her sweet soul dog, a pug named Floss.

In our conversation, Barbara shares how Floss, and then her dog Mazey, catalysed a deep and transformative personal growth process that asked Barbara to go through the dark trenches and come out the other side a new person. From being a former bodybuilder with a less-than healthy relationship to her body and food, to now being an inspiration as a licensed therapist and nutritionist, Barbara’s dogs, or her “girls” as she lovingly calls them, have been her support the whole way. They’ve also supported her clients by serving as therapy dogs! And now, she and her gorgeous little puppy, Tully, are embarking on a new journey towards health together as I help support them in learning how to feed Tully a fresh food diet.

This is such a beautiful chat, and we cover a lot of ground that I think many of us can relate to. Just as a heads up, we do touch on some sensitive subjects of having battled with suicidal thoughts, and with eating disorders, so if that is triggering to you, you may want to skip this one. Again, I absolutely encourage you to seek the appropriate help that you need, if this is the case.

To connect with Barbara:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/self_care_studio

The Studio Chat Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fXhFt72cnU4kSysloUXcd

Website: https://selfcarebybarbarathompson.com.au

If you are interested in learning how to feed your own dog a fresh diet, or you have a dog with a health condition and want some support with a fresh therapeutic diet, or you’re already a fresh feeder and just want a bit of guidance on how you can make your dog’s diet even better, reach out to me on Instagram @mysticdogmama! I’m putting together a new course, and I’m opening up spaces for canine nutrition consults, and would love to support you! Like I said, just DM me on Instagram @mysticdogmama for more information.

In a couple of weeks I’m going to switch things up for a bit over the dog days of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. I’ll be sharing some shorter solo episodes with you where I’ll talk about some of the things that you guys are asking me, or mentioning that you’re curious about when it comes to nourishing your dogs and yourselves mind, body, and soul. So, if there’s something you would like me to talk about in one of these shorter episodes, just send me a message on Instagram @mysticdogmama and let me know!

This episode was sponsored by Aspirationery, which, in full transparency, is another project of mine where we create books, notebooks, and stationery to help you become all you aspire to be. You can check out our shadow work and moon magic journals and workbooks, as well as our popular “My First Period Tracker” for young girls and tweens on Instagram @aspirationery.

This is the next episode in a series where I am bringing in different guests to talk about the spiritual side of our journeys here with our dogs, and creating a space for conversations about what the modern day mystical path actually looks like.

Mariana is also a “recovering academic,” who went from researching emergent futures to boldly following the mystical path. We met while working on a project together in Barcelona, and quickly discovered that we were both undergoing some pretty significant personal and spiritual transformations at the same time. Since then, we have shared our experiences with one another about the difficulties and the opportunities that the spiritual path has offered us. Unbeknownst to one another, we both started reading and applying the lessons of A Course in Miracles at the same time - during the lockdown of 2020. Throughout the years, we have talked about how important it is to share our experiences and learnings, because the mystical path can be a challenging and lonely one if we try to do it alone.

This conversation is really a masterclass in everyday mysticism. It’s not about going off to a retreat or an ashram - although those things are great and have their own value - but Mariana and I talk about finding the beauty and wisdom in the very mundane of our everyday lives.

We touch on how A Course in Miracles created a new trajectory for our spiritual inquiries, how everything - including our dogs - is a sacred mirror that invites us into the questions of who we are and what is reality, and how mysticism is the activism that is needed in today’s world. Mariana also shares how she has started a community for those of us who are interested in lucid dreaming, and how to use the dream world in our spiritual evolution.

Just a little word of caution, we do briefly speak a bit about our experiences with deep depression and suicidal thoughts, so if you find this subject matter sensitive and would prefer to skip over it, we speak about this from about 1:14:00 to 1:24:00. If you are struggling with depression or suicide, please seek the appropriate professional support that you need.

To connect with Mariana, visit her Instagram https://instagram.com/lucid.school

To order A Course in Miracles. please consider using the affiliate links below. I receive a small commission at no cost to you, and it helps to keep the podcast up and running.

Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3xPzV0F

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4csJbH3

If you would like me to cover any particular topics on future episodes, or you’d like me to reach out to a potential guest, just let me know! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @mysticdogmama

Finally, this episode is sponsored by Aspirationery, which, in full transparency, is another project of mine where we create books, notebooks, and stationery to help you become all you aspire to be. You can check out our shadow work and moon magic journals and workbooks, as well as our popular “My First Period Tracker” for young girls and tweens on Instagram @aspirationery.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a substitute for medical advice or other relevant professional advice.