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What if the destination could walk beside you today? We dive into a living, breathing practice of becoming—one that honors grief, invites your future self into the room, and remembers what your inner child always knew. Set against winter’s slow rhythm and a tender anniversary of loss, we explore how to “take the result as the path,” a tantric insight that transforms identity work from a someday project into embodied, daily choices.

I share how early motherhood, creative ambitions, and the honest fatigue of life all meet this practice. We focus on orientation over overhaul: five mindful minutes in the morning, a mantra repeated on a walk, and tiny cues that change posture, breath, and presence. You’ll hear how descent work—supported by rituals like a home sauna for grief—prevents spiritual bypass and deepens resilience. Instead of pushing through, we cultivate meaning while staying with what is raw and real.

Along the way, we revisit inner child threads, future-self embodiment, and shamanic perspectives on elder wisdom already watching our path. You’ll get clear journaling prompts to surface the one aligned step for this week, plus language you can use when doubt gets loud. This is practical spirituality for people who want to become themselves on purpose: compassionate, grounded, and a little braver each day.

If this resonates, follow along, share with a friend who’s cocooning, and leave a review so more listeners can find their way to this work. Then tell me: what quality will you embody for the next 24 hours?

Journaling Prompts

• Who am I becoming in this season of my life?
• What qualities does that version of me embody?
• Where am I right now — honestly and tenderly?
• What is one small way I can take the result as the path this week?
• What is being asked to die so something truer can live?

Resources

WFDU 89.1 Public Radio

Imagine Meditation by Boreta and Ram Dass

The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries by Bill Plotkin

Maria Cutronia, Master yoga teacher based in NYC/Brooklyn

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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Forget the sprint. The first days of 2026 don’t demand a reinvention; they invite a softer landing. We open the year by easing the pressure of “new year, new me” and leaning into winter’s honest rhythm—quiet, composting, and the courage to let what’s done be done. Instead of chasing goals at full tilt, we practice resilience as repair and resourcing: small rituals, steady breath, and the simple act of choosing one feeling to guide the year.

We talk about the long corridor from Thanksgiving to New Year’s and how joy, grief, and old patterns can collide. That mix doesn’t mean you failed; it means you’re human. You’ll hear a humble story of a neighborly New Year’s—karaoke, an early bedtime, shared intentions—and why keeping it intimate can be more potent than grand ceremony. We explore the nervous system’s timeline (spoiler: it doesn’t reset on January 1), why winter is the void in many traditions, and how shedding precedes clarity. If you’ve felt behind, scattered, or tender, this is your permission slip to arrive slowly.

We also offer a grounding practice—three breaths, a quick inventory of what you’re carrying, and a one-word intention that pivots from achievement to feeling. Then, a set of gentle reflection prompts helps you identify what sustained you, what drained you, where resilience appeared imperfectly, what grief still asks for care, and what support would make the year more spacious. From practitioner vulnerability to practical resourcing, we center companionship over fixes and sustainability over hype.

Journaling / Reflection Prompts

• What actually sustained me these past few months?
• What drained me more than I expected?
• Where did I practice resilience—even imperfectly?
• What am I still grieving, even if life looks “good”?
• What kind of support would make this year feel more spacious?
• What can be simple this year?

If this conversation helps you breathe easier, share it with someone who needs a softer start. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us your one-word intention for 2026—we’d love to hear it.

Book your one-on-one Session at www.elenabox.com

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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We explore resilience and gratitude during a heavy holiday season, naming the small, unphotogenic practices that keep us steady. Gratitude shifts from performance to nervous system relief, helping us notice what held us while we endured.

• reframing gratitude as support orientation, not a moral duty
• winter as endurance and resourcing the body with warmth and rest
• noticing internal wealth by what didn’t collapse
• simple rituals that regulate the nervous system
• allowing private, messy gratitude alongside grief
• seasonal self-check prompts to track support and capacity
• redefining output, capacity, and expectations in winter
• acknowledging financial stress and choosing honest boundaries
• blessing for the tenderhearted and the newly bereaved

Seasonal Check-in Journaling Prompts:

What helped me make it through this week?

• Where did I receive support, even indirectly?
• What part of me didn’t give up?
• What still feels intact?
• What do I trust more now than I did before?

Book a one-on-one session container or schedule a discovery call ; I’d be happy to support you!

www.elenabox.com

@elenabox

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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Grief can feel louder when the world turns up the volume on cheer. We’re naming that truth and offering a different path through the season: not forced positivity, but resilient presence. As a shamanic practitioner and grief doula, I share how resilience in grief isn’t about “being strong.” It’s about staying soft enough to feel and steady enough to come back to yourself, again and again, even when the calendar and the lights say “be merry.”

We unpack why holidays amplify loss—rituals, anniversaries, family systems, and the pressure to perform joy—and how to navigate the first holiday without someone you love or a last holiday you’re savoring. You’ll hear practical grief rituals you can start today: lighting a candle, setting an ancestor plate, writing letters to your loved one or your future self, cooking the dish that carries their story, and taking a gentle “grief lap” walk after the meal to digest food and feelings. I offer boundary scripts that protect your energy, permission to leave early or skip traditions that hurt, and ideas for creating new, simpler rituals that fit your real capacity.

We also dive into nervous system care with somatic tools and sensory supports: four-count breathing, one-minute shaking and stretching to move stuck emotion, herbal allies like chamomile, rose, and tulsi, the comfort of warmth from tea or a heating pad, and grounding with nature or a weighted blanket. Community matters too—text a friend to witness you for five minutes, sit in a support circle, or visit a spiritual space where you can arrive as you are. And a gentle reframe to carry with you: joy is not betrayal. Laughter, warmth, and small moments of light can live beside sorrow without canceling it.

If you’re craving deeper support, I’m opening a limited number of intimate one-on-one sessions this winter with somatic and shamanic tools, emotional processing, ancestral connection, and integration guidance. Join my newsletter at elenabox.com for first access. If this conversation helped, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more grieving hearts can find their way here.

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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A conversation unlike any other unfolds as Elena Box invites her alter-ego Tabitha Crain—a former NPR correspondent with a BA in performance art and global economics—to interview her about resilience. The result is a profound, often humorous exploration of how we build strength through life's initiations.

The dialogue begins with Elena's earliest memory of resilience: a childhood playground moment that taught her about her inner magic and power. Through Tabitha's theatrical questioning, Elena shares the extraordinary experience of her father's passing, including a transcendent moment when golden light filled her room after his death—a sign that "he had made it and was sending a message to let me know all is well."

At the heart of this episode lies Elena's philosophy of holding "the sacred in one hand and the silly in the other," as she explains how levity serves as a lifeline during our darkest moments. This approach has shaped her work as a death doula and now informs her newest initiation: motherhood.

With remarkable candor, Elena discusses the gap between her expectations and reality as a new mother, despite her extensive preparation. "Our culture still doesn't know what proper support looks like," she reveals, detailing her mission to rebuild the village through women's circles like "The Mother's Well" at her ritual studio. Drawing inspiration from wisdom keepers like Jane Hardwick Collings and Sister Morningstar, Elena advocates for reclaiming meaningful rites of passage around birth, death, and transformation.

Throughout this intimate conversation, Elena and Tabitha weave together spirituality, humor, and practical wisdom about building resilience. Whether you're navigating grief, embracing a new chapter, or simply seeking connection in an increasingly isolated world, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on finding strength through community and self-trust.

Listen, reflect, and perhaps discover your own unique path to resilience. As Tabitha reminds us: "The more you trust yourself and your path and your gnosis, the more the world becomes whole."

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What happens when the veil between worlds grows thin? Both birth and death represent profound thresholds where we're asked to surrender while somehow maintaining our power. After returning from maternity leave, host Elena Box welcomes her birth doula Alexandra Monahan for a raw, intimate conversation about resilience during life's most challenging transitions.

Alexandra shares her journey of walking her mother through end-of-life care after a long battle with cancer and addiction. This profound experience directly influenced her approach to supporting birthing families, especially in creating sacred space during transformative moments. The conversation reveals why Elena specifically sought a doula who understood death transitions to guide her through birth—recognizing the spiritual connection between these universal human experiences.

Then Elena opens up about her own dramatic birth experience—a placental abruption that forced her to abandon her carefully crafted home birth plans. With continuous bleeding, medical interventions, and moment-by-moment life-or-death decisions, Elena faced her greatest fear while still maintaining agency in her care. Through their shared recollections, we witness how resilience manifests not in controlling circumstances but in how we respond when plans crumble.

The most powerful revelation? Surrender does not mean giving up bodily autonomy. Even in the most challenging circumstances where options seem limited, we always retain the choice of how to meet the moment. Both women emphasize that difficult experiences don't diminish the beauty of life's transitions but highlight our capacity to find strength in unexpected places. Their wisdom extends far beyond birth and death, offering profound insights for navigating any of life's challenges with grace, presence, and what Elena calls being "badass about it."

Ready to build your resilience for life's transformative moments? Listen now and discover how to hold sacred space even when everything goes differently than planned. Then follow Alexandra @moonandSundoula to learn about her upcoming village-building workshops.

Listen to my birth playlist: PORTAL

Shout out to Gaia Midwives for their impeccable care!

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What happens when childhood dreams and a love for glittery My Little Pony watches collide with the world of professional music? This week on the Ode to Joy podcast, Sammi Garett, my dear friend and an exceptionally talented musician, joins us for a heartwarming and hilarious chat. From our shared memories in Port Washington to her captivating journey from a high school drummer to a celebrated performer, we recollect the joyful and funny moments that have shaped her path. Sammi also reveals a surprising hobby—archery—that adds another layer to her creative and multifaceted life.

Sammi shares her love for percussion, the thrill of her first lead role in a middle school musical, and the undeniable energy exchange with audiences that has fueled her career. Our conversation covers the serendipitous moments that led her to join the funk band Turkuaz, and the resilience required to thrive as an artist amidst the inevitable challenges and criticisms. Sammi’s heartfelt insights into maintaining a positive mental attitude and staying true to oneself are both inspiring and relatable, especially for anyone navigating the pressures of performing and social anxiety.

Wrapping up this episode, we celebrate the joy of music touring and express our gratitude to our listeners. Sammi gives us a sneak peek into her exciting upcoming projects with her band Cool Cool Cool, including new music releases and tour dates. Don’t miss the chance to follow her journey on social media and catch her live for an unforgettable experience. Tune in for a delightful ride filled with laughter, music, and a touch of nostalgia.


Follow Sammi:
IG @sammigarett
https://sammigarett.com/
Join Cool Cool Cool on Tour https://wearecoolcoolcool.com/tour


Follow Elena:
@elenabox

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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Have you ever witnessed the transformative magic of movement, or felt the intricate connection between your creative spirit and the ancient practice of yoga? Sondra Loring, our esteemed guest, embodies this synergy as a queer witch, interdisciplinary artist, and the Director of Sadhana Center for Yoga and Meditation. Her life's work weaves a stunning narrative that connects the fluidity of dance with the grounding practice of meditation, offering a revitalizing perspective on trauma-informed yoga through her impactful program, Moving Potential.

This episode is an intimate exploration of the threads that bind yoga, creativity, and the joys of living a mindful life. Sondra's candid recollections—from her early days as a ballet dancer to a beacon of hope for those dealing with the repercussions of incarceration and addiction—paint a vivid picture of a journey rich with learning and humility. Her stories serve as a guide, revealing how we too can integrate movement and meditation into our daily rituals, fostering spaces where sorrow is met with gratitude and personal growth is achieved through the mentorship of brilliant minds from diverse disciplines.

As we bid adieu to Sondra, we find ourselves wrapped in the warmth of community and self-care, embracing the simple pleasures of vibrant attire, morning candle rituals, and the comfort of our shared human experiences. It's a heartfelt reminder of the resilience found in the fabric of our collective narratives and the beauty that arises when we honor our individuality within the tapestry of life. Stay with us as we continue to bring forward voices that resonate with the soul's longing for connection, creativity, and, of course, a dash of joy.

Get in touch with Sondra:
Visit Sadhana Center for Yoga and Meditation
Moving Potential
Follow on IG: @sadhanacenter

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Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"
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