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.

If you are curious about Feng Shui and how you can use some of its principles to create a home that feels good for you and your pet, then you are going to love this conversation.

This week, I’m joined by Kate Troyer, a design consultant and Feng Shui expert at Homeslice Living who helps people connect more deeply to the energies of their spaces.

In this episode, Kate and I discuss how not only is your dog your mirror, but your home is, too.

She shares 5 easy steps you can take to tap into your personal Shui, as she puts it, and begin exploring what your home is reflecting to you, and then creating the spaces you want to experience.

We also talk about how in connecting more intentionally and deeply to the energetics of our homes, we can create safe and supportive spaces for our dogs.

We also talk about how our spaces can support us through transition periods in our lives. Kate shares how she created rituals in her home with her dog in preparation for Lua’s passing, and she collaborated with the spaces in her home to support herself through her grieving process after Lua crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Kate even shares a touching story about how Lua kept up their shared meditation rituals for several months after her passing in order to help Kate through her grief, and then finally left her with a beautiful message of their soul connection. It really is such a beautiful story.

Connect with Kate at: https://homesliceliving.com

If you have a topic you would like me to cover in a future episode, or you want me to reach out to a particular guest, I’m all ears! Just send me a message on Instagram @mysticdogmama

Just a quick note that 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.

My guest today is canine herbalist, Rita Hogan! If you don’t already know Rita and her work, you are going to be so glad you do now! And if you DO already know her work, I can guarantee there will be more nuggets that you take away because my goodness is she a wealth of information.

Rita has been been working one-on-one with dogs and owners for 20 years. She learned about the power of plants from her father who was a prolific gardener who knew what plants to use to help keep her family's animals healthy. This lead Rita to herbalism in her late twenties. Rita considers herself a Western holistic herbalist.

Rita takes us on a deep dive into what energetics as the foundation of health. She talks about what energetics actually means, how to better observe your dog to gain an understanding of their individual energetic profile, and how the energetics of different foods and herbs can be used to support optimum health. You’ll learn some specific tips for how to tell if your dog is a warm dog or a cool dog, which proteins to feed warm dogs vs cool dogs, and Rita shares how to get started with adding in herbs to support your dog’s health and find balance.

Get a notepad or your phone, because you’re going to want to take notes!

To find out more about Rita’s work, visit her websites

https://canineherbalist.com and https://canineherbalism.com. Don’t forget to check out her podcast, Dogs Are Individuals. You can find that wherever you listen to podcasts!

To preorder Rita’s book The Herbal Dog: Holistic Canine Herbalism Applications and Practice which comes out in February, 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/3RJhZvl

Amazon UK

https://amzn.to/3RJhZvl

If you would like some personal support with finding an energetically aligned fresh food diet for your dog, I do have some openings coming up for nutrition consultations, and I’d love to help you! You can reach out to me on Instagram @mysticdogmama and I’d be happy to chat and see how I can best support you.

And, 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! Again, you can reach me on Instagram @mysticdogmama

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.

My guest today, Elizabeth Anne Hill, talks to us about the soul part of Mystic Dog Mama’s focus on nourishing our dogs and ourselves by sharing her really unique and fascinating story of being catapulted onto her spiritual path after the death of her twin sister-and the unexpected role that animals are playing in her journey.

Elizabeth’s spiritual journey began in 2002 with the death of her identical twin sister, Catherine Mary Hill, who then assisted Elizabeth from across the veil in writing her first book, Twin Souls: A Message of Hope for the new Millennium. Then, in 2008, Elizabeth learned through a trance channel that she was to begin a journey around the world, with no safety net, to transmute limiting belief systems and then share the wisdom she gained. Now, in 2024 — sixteen years and twenty countries later, with all that is occurring on the world stage — now is a good time to share this wisdom.

This is part of a series of conversations I will be having with ordinary people like you and me who are exploring what the path of the modern mystic looks like.

Elizabeth also shares some practical things that you can do to begin connecting more deeply with your own higher self, your own unique wisdom, which is really helpful if you’re asking your guides for help and getting frustrated that you’re just finding feathers and seeing angel numbers, but have no idea what to do with that!

I really hope you enjoy this conversation, and that if you are having a similar kind of experience, that you know you are not alone on this path. I’d love to hear your takeaways, so have a listen, and then message me on Instagram @mysticdogmama to let me know about your own experience! I’d love to hear about it!

Just a quick note that 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.

To learn more about Elizabeth and to support her journey:

Website: ⁠elizabethannehill.com⁠

Main Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.a.hill.75

Author/speaker page on Facebook: facebook.com/twinsouls444

House sitting page: facebook.com/peacefulhomeowners

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/twinEAH

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethannehill888/

For donations: https://www.paypal.me/ElizabethAnneHill or use my email twinsouls444@gmail.com. Venmo: @Elizabeth-Hill-888, or Cashapp: $twin44888

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

I’m so excited to introduce you to today’s guest, Surabhi Venkatesh! Surabhi is a certified dog behaviour and nutrition coach based in India, and she founded Luchi and Mutton’s after her own two rescue pups presented challenges that required her to look deeper, taking a whole dog - and whole human - approach.

In this episode, we have a candid conversation about some of the challenges we have both faced with our own dogs, and all the complexities of being dog parents to complex dogs. We also talk about how meeting our dogs with radical empathy in their healing journeys, made us realise the need for approaching ourselves with that same level of empathy in our own healing journeys. If you have got a complex dog, and honestly even if you don’t, I know you’ll find value in hearing this.

Surabhi shares her experience of studying with Sindhoor Pangal at BHARCS in Bangalore where she learned about asking the why of our dog’s behaviours, and how to hold space for our dogs’, and our own, big feelings. Oh my goodness, there are just so many nuggets in this chat, truthfully too many to list! Surabhi is such a wonderful human, and her approach to dogs is inspiring.

We do touch on some aspects of nutrition and different cultural approaches to feeding our dogs, but we’re saving a deep dive into that for a future episode. So, if there’s something you’d like us to address when it comes to canine nutrition and how to best support your dog’s health through food, let me know, and I’ll make sure that we address it! Just DM me on Instagram @mysticdogmama

Just a note that 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.

Ok, let’s go!

To learn more about Surabhi, how to work with her, and her podcast, visit her website https://luchiandmuttons.com

To learn more about BHARCS, visit: https://www.bharcs.com/

TIME STAMPS

00:22 Intro

03:15 Meet Surabhi and hear her journey into canine nutrition and behaviour because of her rescue dogs, Luchi and Mutton : “How do I just keep this dog alive??” to “How do we survive this??”

12:50 BHARCS - a relationship approach to dogs with your dog as your teacher

14:10 Understanding pet guardianship as an opportunity to reparent yourself

25:35 Leaning into what we are experiencing vs what we think we should be experiencing

38:00 It takes a village to raise a dog - finding safe spaces to support yourself in your journey with your dog

41:20 Surabhi’s experience of empathy-based dog training through BHARCS

51:00 A new perspective on resource guarding: not sharing your dessert!

54:45 Evolutions in dog-human relationships: emotions

56:40 The need for diversity in our conversations about dogs

1:12:00 Discounting the “magic bullet” for our dogs’ health

1:23:00 How to connect with Surabhi and learn about her podcast + what Luchi and Mutton taught Surabhi about what it means to be human

1:25:00 Outro

This is a really special episode for me, because today we are celebrating 6 months of the Mystic Dog Mama podcast, and 6 months of growing this beautiful community together!

In this special episode, I have created a compilation. If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that I ask all of my guests what dogs have taught them about what it means to be human. The answers are so profound and beautiful, and they offer a real opportunity to reflect on who we are as individuals, and who we aspire to be. I’ve brought all of my guests’ answers to this particular question together in this episode, so you can hear them again in one timeline. I hope you enjoy hearing the breadth and depth of their responses. I’ve listed everyone in the time stamps below, so you can see the speaking order.

When I first decided to create the podcast, I set the intention that this would be a safe space to bring people together to talk about what nourishment for our dogs, ourselves, and the planet could look like. But, I never imagined that this little corner of the internet could create such a sense of home for myself, and for those of you joining me in this journey. We live in a strange time-space continuum that can be so divisive, and so alienating. It’s such a testament to the canine spirit that a little 10lb chihuahua walked into my life, and became the catalyst for creating such a beautiful community. I am grateful to each and every one of my guests, and each and every one of you listening. This means the world to me to have you and your pups walking the spiritual path alongside me and Lucky.

A quick note that 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.

Ok, let’s go!

TIME STAMPS

00:22 INTRO

03:38 David Ian Howe, archaeologist

12:05 Vivian Birlie, canine reflexologist

14:09 G.G. Silverman, author and creative

16:16 Dr Tom Lonsdale, veterinarian and author

21:30 Dr Laura Donaldson, professional dog trainer and behavior consultant

25:51 Sarah Vrba, astrology and tarot expert

27:73 Susan Raven, author and musician

28:40 Laura Thomas, host of Rescued by a Dog podcast and author

30:31 Berdhanya Swami Tierra, spiritual teacher

44:38 Caroline Griffith, pet nutrition consultant and founder of Canine Flow

46:31 Jessica Green, integrative health practitioner and health coach

47:39 Kay Stewart, veterinary technician and lead educator at Feed Real Institute

48:34 Rachel Knott, zoopharmacognosy expert and animal communicator

50:25 Dr Odette Suter, veterinarian

53:16 Veronica Mezzetti-Draia, human design expert and coach

57:56 Niki French, professional dog trainer, author, and host of PupTalk

59:38 Wendy Welpton, natural movement expert and host of Make Movement Matter podcast

1:02:56 Kim Brophey, professional dog trainer and behaviour consultant, applied ethologist, and author

1:05:11 Rhi Anderson, life coach

1:08:37 Simone Mueller, professional dog trainer and behaviour consultant, and author

1:09:56 Dr Saskia von Diest, Nature communicator and founder of Ecofluency

1:11:52 Jess Adam, therapist and coach

1:13:50 Sally Morningstar, author, photographer, and hedgewitch

1:16:12 Amy Arnold, professional life fulfilment coach

1:18:04 Hannah Zulueta, canine nutritionist

1:20:14 OUTRO

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