Welcome to Transformation Talk. Every Thursday for a year, starting in September 2012, I’ll post an interview with someone who is a force for good in the world. These men and women have either deepened their passion or found their calling after experiencing a loss, trauma or diagnosis.

I want to broaden the conversation around grief and its transformative power. My hope is that in their words you’ll find echoes of your story. In their inspired actions, you’ll see yourself and your immense possibility.

*Special Request: The technology of Skype is amazing and imperfect. Please listen with your heart and forgive the occasional blips on the screen.

Today’s interview is with the optimystical Mynde Mayfield, who was my coach at the time Benjamin died. (Talking about this still brings tears, as you’ll see in the video). She is one of the most positive people I have ever met, and last year this essential trait was put to the test with a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. Having just received her NED (No Evidence of Disease) Mynde continues to walk her talk as she moves into the next stage of her life. Knowing that there is no right way to “do cancer”,  I wanted to share Mynde’s inspiring story.

Bio and link to audio version are below. Running time is 36 minutes. If you’re getting this via email, click through the title to view the video.

Right-click or Control-click here to download the audio version.

Mynde is a Certified Life Coach, writer & survivor of advanced breast cancer. After 11 months of intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiation that ended in February 2013, she’s created a survivorship program called 12 Principles to Living Well With Cancer where she’s sharing her best strategies for survival and empowerment for the cancer journey and beyond. Mynde combines her life experience as a coach & cancer survivor, natural gifts, and practical spirituality to inspire you to live & heal your life with her special brand of optimystical magic.

Find her at MyndeMayfield.com

Welcome to Transformation Talk. Every Thursday for a year, starting in September 2012, I’ll post an interview with someone who is a force for good in the world. These men and women have either deepened their passion or found their calling after experiencing a loss, trauma or diagnosis.

I want to broaden the conversation around grief and its transformative power. My hope is that in their words you’ll find echoes of your story. In their inspired actions, you’ll see yourself and your immense possibility.

*Special Request: The technology of Skype is amazing and imperfect. Please listen with your heart and forgive the occasional blips on the screen.

This week’s interview is with natural intuitive, soul-medium and shamanic practitioner Kimberely Arana. As a child she had a profound experience that led to years of grief, depression and addiction. As a young adult, a series of life-threatening situations led her to finally understand why she’s here on the planet at this time. She talks candidly about some of her big challenges and how she came to fall in love with life.

I’ve had a chance to work with Kimberely and she’s quite amazing. If the idea of communicating with your soul guide appeals to you, I invite you to take a look at the class she talks about in the video. You can find it here.

Bio and link to audio version are below. Running time is 33 minutes. If you’re seeing this in an email, click through the title to access the video.

Right-click or control-click here to download audio version.

Kimberely Arana is a healer, mentor and teacher of spiritual growth and personal well-being, your Spiritual Instigator.  She is the leader of unshakablesoul.com, created to help you cultivate a soul-driven life.

A natural intuitive, soul-medium, and initiated shamanic practitioner, she has well over two decades experience in deep spiritual awareness, magic + ritual, divine devotion and alternative healing. She holds a BA, Magna Cum Laude, from John F Kennedy University – a pioneer in consciousness studies and holistic health – and is a graduate of the Northwest School of Botanical Studies/ Professional Herbalist Program.

Welcome to Transformation Talk. Every Thursday for a year, starting in September 2012, I’ll post an interview with someone who is a force for good in the world. These men and women have either deepened their passion or found their calling after experiencing a loss, trauma or diagnosis.

I want to broaden the conversation around grief and its transformative power. My hope is that in their words you’ll find echoes of your story. In their inspired actions, you’ll see yourself and your immense possibility.

*Special Request: The technology of Skype is amazing and imperfect. Please listen with your heart and forgive the occasional blips on the screen.

Today’s interview is with writer, speaker, teacher and businesswoman, Angela Kelsey. Her memoir of her 8 year marriage, where she was a victim of domestic violence, is set to be released this fall. Angela talks candidly about what it was like to realize she’d married an abuser and live with him for over 7 years, hoping things would change, until finally having the strength to leave.

Bio & link to download the audio version are below. Running time is just under 30 mins.

Right-click or control-click here to download the audio version.

Angela Kelsey is a writer, teacher, speaker, advocate, businesswoman, and survivor of domestic violence.

Her unflinching exploration of her abusive marriage has led to a memoir called Funhouse Marriage: Who I Was • Why I Stayed • How I Got Out, to be published in the fall of 2013. The answers to those questions cut to the core reasons why women across lines of age, class, and culture stay with men who batter them.

In 2011, she joined forces with friends to create In Real Life, a growing online community dedicated to providing psychotherapy and peer support for survivors of domestic violence, rape, and sexual abuse.

Her website is www.angelakelsey.com.

Welcome to Transformation Talk. Every Thursday for a year, starting in September 2012, I’ll post an interview with someone who is a force for good in the world. These men and women have either deepened their passion or found their calling after experiencing a loss, trauma or diagnosis.

I want to broaden the conversation around grief and its transformative power. My hope is that in their words you’ll find echoes of your story. In their inspired actions, you’ll see yourself and your immense possibility.

*Special Request: The technology of Skype is amazing and imperfect. Please listen with your heart and forgive the occasional blips on the screen.

Today’s interview is with Vivienne McMaster, who uses photography, specifically self-portraiture, to help people fall in love with themselves. It was in her life-altering Be Your Own Beloved course this past February that I took many of the photos I’ve used in my blog posts recently. She talks about how finding photography brought her out of a time of deep grief and depression, and led her to the beautiful work she does today.

Running time is 21 minutes. Bio and link to download audio version are below. If you’re getting this via email, click through the title to watch the video.

Right-click or control-click here to download the audio version.

Vivienne McMaster is a Vancouver based Photographer with a big heart and a spirit of playfulness.  She leads workshops and online classes inviting people to cultivate self-love through self-portraiture.  Having found her way back to herself after a rough patch through the magic of photography, she believes that self-portraiture and creative exploration can save our lives.  She shares her colourful visual stories over at her website www.viviennemcmaster.com.

You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.