What happens when we die? No one knows for sure, but for people like Jacob Cooper who’ve had a near death experience and gotten a glimpse of another existence beyond the physical, they’re forever transformed. In this episode Jacob discusses: His NDE and how he made sense of it How the experience changed him spiritually His experience of eternal love What the other side was like How revisiting a past life informed his current life Suicide Breaking free from internal imprisonment Life’s purpose Ho...
Apr 30, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Mitch Horowitz is an author, lecturer, and historian of alternative spirituality who brings esoteric ideas and concepts firmly down to earth, where they belong. . In this conversation Mitch discusses: His definition of the word "miracle" Power and ethics Power vs force Mental agency The complex nature of reality The concept of the mind The power of emotions What placebo studies suggest The 10-Day Miracle Challenge Selection vs manifestation The nature of evil To learn more about Mitch Horowitz, ...
Apr 10, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode, Hannah Rohloff (self-described "lymph nerd") of Tessera Massage in central Vermont discusses the mysterious, complex and massively important lymphatic system. Specifically, Hannah discusses: The lymphatic system and Manual Lymph Drainage technique Her work with cancer survivors Symptoms of lymphatic system issues The connection between the lymphatic system and immunity Her clinical approach What a Manual Lymph Drainage massage is like and the benefits How compassion fatigue prom...
Mar 21, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Research reveals that “the most common cause of death is being alive.” (I love that quote!) In this episode I have a lovely conversation with Dr Jeff Spiess about his work as a hospice physician and his new book, Dying with Ease: A Compassionate Guide to Making Wiser End of Life Decisions . In this episode, Jeff discusses: How working with the terminally ill inspired him to write his new book How dying conflicts with the American cultural worldview Why it’s important to die well The greatest gif...
Feb 26, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Wolves take center stage once again this season - as they should - (see episode 1 “The Story I’d Always Been Looking For” ) when I speak with author Barbara Moritsch about her new book Wolf Time. In this episode Barbara discusses: What Wolf Time is about and the unusual way the story came to her How she received an endorsement from Jane Goodall The shamanic thread in the story The role wolves play The unfortunate stigma attached to wolves Wolf advocacy and her connection with wolves Wildlife man...
Feb 06, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Eileen Day McKusick is a pioneering researcher, writer, inventor, practitioner, educator and speaker in the fields of therapeutic sound, the human biofield and electric health. She is the author of the bestselling book Tuning the Human Biofield: Healing with Vibrational Sound Therapy and her new book, Electric Body, Electric Healt h, is being released Jan 26, 2021. In this episode, Eileen discusses: Her introduction to sound healing The principles behind Biofield Tuning The body as an electrical...
Jan 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Christina Andrle’s comprehensive approach to healing marries Western and Eastern modalities. In this episode Christina discusses: How the type of chiropractic treatment she practices is an amalgam of many techniques The importance of a happy pelvis Her assessment process Kinesiology and muscle monitoring Using the activator Lower force adjustments and informational medicine Body’s innate intelligence Neurological reboot Challenge of describing the techniques she uses The importance of having a r...
Dec 26, 2020•51 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Barron Steffen is a devout student and practitioner of Siddha Yoga. In his book The Final Gift of the Beloved and in this episode he candidly shares how his spiritual practice helped him move through his profound grief and find peace with the sudden death of his beloved wife Seana. A retired elementary school teacher, Barron now teaches adults and children how to use their thoughts so they’re not used by them through his company The Yoga of Mindset. In this episode, Barron discusses: The gifts h...
Dec 04, 2020•54 min•Season 3Ep. 3
The focus of both Marie Frohlich’s and my work revolves around the reduction of stress. So we put our heads together and share our perspectives. In this episode, we discuss: Why it’s important to talk about stress The habitual nature of stress The importance of daily self care The clues our bodies give us Simple steps you can take to reduce stress Breathing Creating a personal protocol The rationale behind eating seasonally Vital minerals and supplements Herbal teas that are great for reducing s...
Nov 13, 2020•45 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Martha’s dedication to her passions is clear the moment she shares who long it took her to complete her first Young Adult novel, Winter of the Wolf , and how much of her life is revolves around making sure the endangered wolf population grows. In this episode, Martha shares: The tragic death that inspired her to write her Young Adult novel The unusual process she went through to write the book Her beliefs regarding death Her ability to communicate with those who’ve died What she’s learned about ...
Oct 23, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Author John Perkins had a foot in two very different worlds: the world of high powered economics and the world of shamanism. Back in 2004, he released Confessions of an Economic Hitman , a book that pulled back the curtain on nefarious global economic practices and brought him a lot of attention. In his latest book, Touching the Jaguar: Transforming Fear Into Action to Change Our Lives and the World , John weaves both of these worlds together in a really powerful way. In this episode John shares...
Jun 27, 2020•42 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Quinn Caya combines a variety of Western and East Asian approaches and techniques at his central Vermont clinic, Clear Path. ‘Our entire philosophy revolves around the understanding that natural medicine is powerful, and can restore total health. We do not treat disease, we remove obstacles and treat the whole person. This creates change on all levels.’ – Quinn Caya, MSAOM., LAc., Dipl. OM. In this episode, Quinn shares: The mission that inspires his work in natural medicine Acupuncture basics T...
Jun 15, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Dr. Bernie Beitman is the first psychiatrist since Carl Jung to systemize the study of coincidences. In our conversation, Bernie shares: An overview of the research he’s done on coincidences The “weird coincidence” survey that you can take Why coincidences are actually not unusual Why they happen When they’re likely to happen ‘Self-observer’ concept The role of curiosity and introspection Pattern recognition The meaning of meaning Synchronicity Types of coincidences Looking for coincidences that...
May 16, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Is it ever okay to lie? Is the human species more valuable than other species? Do you need hope to live a good life? Do you need religion to be a moral person? These are some of the questions my husband John and I tackle while sitting on our couch having a cocktail. For more information about the book The Moral Landscape , please visit Sam Harris’s website To contact Lucid Cafe host Wendy Halley, please visit her website ★ Support this podcast ★...
Apr 27, 2020•50 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Sharon Prentice found herself at the threshold of a very dark place when her newborn daughter died, and then she crossed that threshold when not long after her young husband fell ill with a mysterious illness he was unable to survive. Being in this dark place opened the door to an incredible experience. Similar to a Near Death Experience, Sharon had what she calls a Shared Death Experience. She wants all of us to make peace with death. In this fascinating episode, Sharon shares: The nature of a ...
Apr 06, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 11
There’s a good reason why the 5-day summer program Eva Goulette started in 2014 is taking off: Parents see lasting positive differences in their kids after they attend Spirit Camp. In this episode, Eva shares: How Spirit Camp nurtures a child’s spirit and teaches them that they’re more than a body and a mind The importance of forging a connection with the natural world How the curriculum deepens a child’s self awareness in fun and playful ways The importance of learning these skills early in a c...
Mar 14, 2020•56 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Rick Strassman, MD, is known for the DMT studies he did in the 1990s, but ultimately he’s interested in understanding the nature of spiritual experience and has dedicated his life to studying the Hebrew Bible as a way to gain insight into these experiences. In this episode, Rick discusses: What he would like his legacy to be How DMT research was a prelude to asking deeper questions about the spiritual experience How DMT opens the user up to different realities The mysterious source of these expe...
Feb 21, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 9
You might remember Mayda Poc from episode 1 of this season when she shared her powerful story of transformation. She’s back, and this time we’re talking about gender. Specifically, about how the role of women in the workplace seems to be changing. In this episode: Mayda shares her experience working in the field of finance Wendy shares her experience being active duty in the military How the concept of consent is changing The importance of not assuming you know someone’s intentions when they’ve ...
Jan 31, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 8
My guest Heidi Schmidt of Vineyard Sound Herbs is like a Plant Medicine Fairy. She has such reverence for the Earth and her bounty that stepping into Heidi’s world can be a magical and nurturing experience. In this episode, Heidi shares: Her path to becoming an herbalist How nature offers accessible, inexpensive medicine The birth of her herbal store in Martha’s Vineyard How she studied phytotherapy in England The importance of intuition when working with plants Her individualistic approach to w...
Jan 10, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 7
My guest Suzy Harris is a seasoned natural health physician and chiropractor…and then some. In this episode, there’s not much we don’t cover with respect to wellness: Applied Kinesiology and how it works Suzy’s dream of creating a multi-disciplinary community healing forum What Suzy has learned about healing over the 20 years she’s been in practice and how her perspective has changed Joe Dispenza’s work regarding how perceptions influence our health Wendy shares the ancient Hawaiian wisdom descr...
Dec 20, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Susan Loynd is an old friend who has a story to tell. I’m thrilled that she finally relented to my incessant badgering and came on the show to share that story. In this episode, Susan shares: Her talent for avoidance (hence not coming on my show) How powerful facing fears can be (who knew?) How Shamanic Healing has been a helpful way to address things she needed to address And how this approach is a gentle way to look at difficult stuff How she pushed herself to take risks and try improv, stand-...
Nov 28, 2019•48 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Herbalist and health coach Marie Frohlich generously offered to come back on the podcast to help me talk about the Energy Genesis (or EG), the healing chamber I acquired 5 years ago and the catalyst for opening Lucid Path Wellness in Montpelier, Vermont. In this episode we discuss: How I learned about this technology My first mind-blowing experience The prevalence of stress in our culture and how the EG gives your nervous system a delicious reset Marie’s experience in the EG: “A massage with sou...
Nov 07, 2019•43 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This episode explores the African psychedelic plant medicine known as Iboga. My guest, Levi Barker is an Iboga provider at the Iboga Wellness Center in Costa Rica. He shares the following about this powerful medicine: The Iboga experience How an Iboga ceremony unfolds at the Iboga Wellness Center How a broken wrist led to Levi’s 10 year struggle with opiate addiction... And how he used Iboga unsupervised to get through the withdrawal experience How Iboga works and how it’s different from other p...
Oct 24, 2019•59 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Mitch Pauley can pinpoint the moment he realized he needed support. In this episode Mitch talks about how his personal healing journey was sparked after his wife, Rae Carter, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rae was a guest on Lucid Cafe last season in the powerful episode titled, “I Didn’t Need to Lose My Boob.” Now, we hear from Mitch, who candidly shares: The positive and challenging aspects of being a caregiver The moment he realized he needed help of his own The progression of his healing ...
Oct 10, 2019•49 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode, career coach Mayda Poc takes us on a journey of her life and work. She teaches us that the crisis is sometimes the only message we get to propel us into the next stage of our personal evolution. Tune in to learn about: Mayda’s practice coaching overachievers and the dissatisfaction many of them end up feeling The challenge of figuring out what you want The importance of ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’ How Mayda’s relationship with money has changed The scarcity mentality The culture...
Sep 27, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the final episode of Lucid Cafe’s first season… Wendy's guest Kim Fuller wants to take the stigma away from reading hands. In this episode Kim talks about how your hands reveal rich, affirming information about you that’s surprisingly accurate. Kim shares: How hand analysis is not prophetic, but more of a unique portrait of a person And reveals life purpose and life lessons How this practice is based on reproducible data How helpful it is to learn your communication style How your fingerprint...
Jun 17, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Kimberly Pierce has been practicing as a Physician’s Assistant at a rural Vermont clinic for the last 37 years and has become a passionate advocate for understanding the impact of trauma on health. In this episode, Kim discusses: The groundbreaking results of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) health study How stress causes sometimes devastating physiological changes in the body How the solution to childhood trauma is community The impact of incorporating the ACE screening tool into her pati...
May 31, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode author Lori Morrison talks about her new book The Shaman’s Guide To Power Animals and gives us a taste of her introduction to the shamanic path. Lori shares how she channeled the essence of over 200 mammals, insects, birds and fish in order to receive their messages and to understand how they can be of service to us She talks about what surprised her about this process and the animal that had the most profound effect on her She also discusses the importance of discovering your “t...
May 17, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Rae Carter has been through a lot in a short period of time. Here are some of the highlights Rae covers during our conversation about her powerful healing journey: The challenges of conventional medicine How pursuing alternative healing modalities helped address her issues holistically What it means to "let go" The pain of publicly asking for donations to cover treatment The mental/emotional side of going through a cancer diagnosis The importance of a supportive medical team Nutrition Environmen...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Teri O’Connor had no interest in athletics as a kid and for most of her adult life, but after inadvertently coming down with what she refers to as “adult onset athleticism” she went on to create a yoga empire (my words, not hers!) in southern New Jersey. Teri talks about how yoga helped her become more focused and aware of her body, and how she’s grown as a result of having a regular practice. And she shares the wisdom she’s learned along the way including: the importance of being authentic how ...
Apr 18, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
