Wild & Waking

Hosted by Emily Reuschel

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Wild & Waking is more than a podcast—it’s a sacred return to who you’ve always been. This space is for the woman standing at the edge of everything she’s outgrown. The one who’s checked all the boxes, followed all the rules, and still feels the quiet ache for something more honest. More alive. More hers. She’s begun the unraveling—of roles, expectations, and identities that no longer fit. She’s remembering the voice beneath the noise, the rhythm beneath the hustle, the truth beneath the performance. She’s reclaiming her joy, her intuition, her fire. And she’s rising—not as a version of who she was told to be, but as the truest expression of who she already is. Hosted by soul expansion coach Emily Reuschel, Wild & Waking is for spiritual entrepreneurs, coaches, rural changemakers, and conscious leaders dismantling old paradigms and creating new ways of living, leading, and becoming. Through raw conversations, deep reflections, and embodied wisdom, we explore what it means to awaken a life of abundance, authenticity, and purpose. This is for the woman who holds both sacred rage and radical joy. Who moves with reverence for the seasons of her life. Who isn’t afraid to break cycles, speak truth, and dismantle what no longer serves—not to destroy, but to create. To rebuild a world rooted in the celebration of difference, the beauty of nuance, and the power of sovereign, embodied leadership. If you’re ready to come home to yourself—fully, fiercely, and without apology—welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.

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September 10, 20261 hr 2 min

216 | Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made with Kristin Kobes Du Mez

In this episode of Wild & Waking , I’m joined by New York Times bestselling author and historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez to discuss her new book, Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made . Kristin reveals how the seemingly harmless products, stories, aesthetics, and slogans consumed by generations of women carried deeply embedded ideas about femininity, domesticity, capitalism, race, religion, and political power—and how white Christian women were not merely shaped by this culture, but helped create and sustain it. Together, we trace the surprising connections between positive thinking, prosperity theology, multilevel marketing companies, Christian consumer culture, and the expectation that a “good” woman should remain beautiful, grateful, submissive, and endlessly optimistic. We explore how these systems offered women belonging, identity, influence, and community while also making that belonging conditional—and why doubt, anger, grief, questions, and conversations about systemic injustice were so often dismissed as personal failures or dangerous negativity. Kristin’s work invites us to see more clearly what shaped us, reckon honestly with what we helped create, and begin asking: Is this who we want to be… and what do we want to build instead? In this episode, we explore: How white Christian women shaped American religion, culture, consumerism, and politics The hidden history behind the “Live Laugh Love” version of white Christian femininity How New Thought, positive thinking, evangelical Christianity, and prosperity theology became intertwined The “good Christian woman” ideal of beauty, submission, domesticity, gratitude, and self-sacrifice Why MLM culture became especially influential among white Christian women seeking income, identity, purpose, and community How belonging within evangelical communities can feel deeply loving while remaining conditional upon loyalty and conformity The difference between the realities of rural life and the performative tradwife aesthetic sold online How nostalgia for an imagined, morally pure past can fuel authoritarianism and Christian nationalism The symbolic role of white womanhood within patriarchal visions of the Christian family and Christian America How the gospel of positivity discourages conversations about systemic racism, structural inequality, and racial justice Why religious deconstruction often involves grief, isolation, identity loss, and the rebuilding of an entire worldview How women can reckon with their complicity in harmful systems without losing compassion for themselves or others Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Kristin: Learn more about Kristin and her work at kristindumez.com Explore and preorder Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made Subscribe to Kristin’s newsletter, Du Mez Connections Follow Kristin on Instagram and Threads Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

September 3, 202640 min

215 | The Good Girl’s Descent: When Becoming Yourself Feels Like Dying

There comes a point in a woman’s becoming when the identities that once helped her survive begin to limit how fully she can live. Being the good girl, the responsible one, the peacekeeper, or the high achiever may have earned you safety, belonging, and approval, but eventually, those same identities can become the ceilings of your expansion. You may have built a beautiful life filled with people and work you genuinely love, yet still feel an inexplicable ache beneath it all: a restlessness, a tightness, a sense that the woman you have been can no longer carry you where you are going. In this solo episode of Wild & Waking , I’m exploring the descent that begins when good-girl conditioning and lifelong performance stop working. Drawing from my own experience with postpartum depression, identity loss, religious and political deconstruction, spiritual awakening, and the long process of becoming someone new, I share why personal growth rarely feels like the shiny, upward evolution we’ve been promised. Sometimes becoming yourself feels more like dying. It asks you to grieve old identities, walk through uncertainty, meet the parts of yourself you were taught to fear, and remain in the darkness long enough for something more honest to emerge. We’ve been conditioned to treat difficult seasons as problems to solve quickly, but not every season is meant to be rushed, optimized, or transformed into an inspiring lesson. Sometimes the darkness is the initiation. It strips away the need to be good, palatable, productive, and universally understood, revealing the self-trust and sovereign power that performance could never give you. This episode is for the woman standing between who she was trained to be and who she knows she is becoming; the woman learning that she is not falling apart, but being initiated into a deeper, freer, more fully embodied version of herself. In this episode, I explore: How good-girl conditioning teaches women to seek safety, belonging, and approval through performance Why the identities that helped you survive can eventually become the ceilings of your personal growth and expansion The hidden ache of outgrowing a beautiful life that still looks good from the outside Why becoming your authentic self can feel like falling apart, losing yourself, or experiencing an identity death The descent between good-girl performance and feminine sovereignty My experience with postpartum depression, identity loss, grief, and emerging from a prolonged season of darkness How religious deconstruction, political awakening, and spiritual evolution can unravel the person you were taught to be Why healing and personal transformation are not always linear, positive, or meant to be rushed The difference between self-improvement rooted in performance and growth rooted in freedom, self-trust, and authenticity How difficult seasons can become initiations into deeper self-awareness, embodied power, and sovereign leadership Releasing the need to be palatable, universally understood, or responsible for everyone else’s experience of you Learning to trust the messy, uncertain space between who you were and who you are becoming Why meeting your darkness, emotional depth, intuition, and power is essential to reclaiming your whole self What it means to emerge from the unraveling as a freer, more sovereign, fully initiated woman Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Learn more and sign up for VeilFall Episode 189 | The Wild & Waking Journey: Rise Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

August 27, 202648 min

214 | Living Ritual: How to Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit with Tracee Stanley

In this episode of Wild & Waking , I’m joined by bestselling author and spiritual teacher Tracee Stanley for a conversation about living ritual, presence, purpose, and what it means to recognize the sacredness already woven into our everyday lives. Tracee’s newest book, Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit , offers an invitation to move beyond the idea that spiritual practice has to be elaborate, time-consuming, or separate from the rest of our lives, and instead discover the small, meaningful ways we can bring intention and devotion into the moments we’re already living. We talk about ritual as an antidote to so much of what defines modern life: distraction, disconnection, isolation, and the feeling that we’re constantly moving without necessarily knowing what we’re moving toward. Tracee shares how even the smallest rituals can help us slow down enough to notice what is here, reconnect with ourselves, and remember our relationship to something larger than ourselves. This isn’t about adding another practice to the never-ending list of things we “should” be doing, it’s about shifting the way we inhabit the life that is already unfolding around us. Ultimately, this conversation is an invitation to remember that the Divine isn’t waiting for us somewhere outside of our ordinary lives. It is already here - in our relationships, our homes, our bodies, our connection with nature, and the tiny moments we so easily overlook. You don’t need hours of uninterrupted time or a perfectly curated spiritual practice to live with greater purpose and spirit. Sometimes, you simply need to slow down long enough to notice the sacred that has been dancing alongside you all along. In this episode, we explore: What ritual really means and how it differs from habits, routines, and performative spiritual practices How to create simple daily rituals and micro-rituals that bring more meaning, presence, and intention into everyday life Creating accessible spiritual practices for householders, mothers, caregivers, and people living full, busy lives How ritual can become an antidote to distraction, disconnection, isolation, and lack of purpose The relationship between ritual, mindfulness, presence, and nervous system regulation How everyday moments can become opportunities to connect with the sacred and the Divine The power of nature connection and seasonal living as pathways back to ourselves and our interconnectedness Honoring the cycles of birth, death, rebirth, transition, and change rather than resisting the seasons that feel uncomfortable How ritual can help us reconnect with purpose, meaning, belonging, and our relationship to something greater than ourselves The importance of honoring ourselves in every season of life, rather than waiting until life feels peaceful or perfect to practice presence Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Tracee: Visit Tracee Stanley’s Website Follow Tracee on Instagram Follow Tracee on Threads Explore Living Ritual + Get the Free Ritual Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

August 20, 202648 min

213 | Are Your Beliefs Actually Yours? Identity, Influence, and the Stories Shaping Your Reality with Sridaya Srivatsan

In Episode 213 of Wild & Waking , I’m joined by manifestation coach, former public policy researcher, and speaker Sridaya Srivatsan for a fascinating conversation about identity, influence, and the stories shaping the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Together, we explore a question most of us rarely stop to ask: Are your beliefs actually yours—or are they inherited ideas you’ve repeated so many times they now feel like truth? We explore identity repatterning, manifestation, and the disorienting space between who you have been and who you are becoming. Sridaya shares how the identities we inhabit shape what we believe is available to us and why changing our thoughts intellectually isn’t always enough when our bodies are still holding old survival patterns. This is where spirituality, psychology, somatic healing, and science begin to meet. This conversation is an invitation to examine the stories beneath your beliefs without shame, release identities that no longer fit, and consciously choose what you want to carry forward. Because you are not required to remain loyal to a version of yourself built from inherited expectations, outdated information, or the need to belong. You are allowed to change your mind, rewrite the story, and become someone new. In this episode, we explore: How family, culture, religion, social media, and societal conditioning shape our identity, worldview, and subconscious beliefs Why facts alone rarely change minds, and how belonging, emotional safety, morality, and confirmation bias influence what we believe The psychology of disinformation, political polarization, online influence, echo chambers, and social media algorithms How inherited beliefs, childhood conditioning, and survival patterns silently shape our relationships, careers, choices, and sense of self How to recognize when an identity, belief system, or personal narrative no longer aligns with who you are becoming Why changing your mind or questioning long-held beliefs can feel like grief, identity loss, or a spiritual ego death Identity repatterning and how to rewrite limiting beliefs without rejecting the version of you who developed them A more grounded approach to manifestation beyond positive thinking, vision boards, toxic positivity, and “high-vibe” spirituality How to question your beliefs without shame, reclaim your personal agency, and consciously choose the stories shaping your reality What it means to develop generational emotional intelligence and create meaningful change within yourself, your family, and your community Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Sridaya: Join the Manifestation Clinic Follow Sridaya on Instagram Connect with Sridaya on Threads Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

August 13, 202656 min

212 | The Wheel of the Year 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Seasonal Living

In this solo episode of Wild & Waking, I’m sharing a beginner-friendly introduction to the Wheel of the Year - a seasonal calendar shaped by the solstices, equinoxes, ancient traditions, and natural rhythms of the Earth. After spending the past year learning about and experiencing each seasonal celebration for myself, I’m walking you through all eight sabbats: Mabon, Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, and Lughnasadh. As a farm wife living in rural Illinois, so much of the Wheel feels deeply familiar: planting, growth, harvest, release, dormancy, and beginning again. It offers a framework for noticing what is happening in nature and considering how those same cycles are unfolding within our motherhood, work, creativity, relationships, identities, and personal evolution. This episode is an invitation into seasonal living, nature-based spirituality, and a more intentional relationship with time without requiring elaborate rituals or any particular spiritual identity. The Wheel of the Year reminds us that nature doesn’t bloom all year, and neither do we. There are seasons for beginning, growing, gathering, releasing, grieving, resting, and waiting for the first spark to return. In this episode, I explore: What the Wheel of the Year is and how its eight seasonal sabbats connect us with the natural rhythms of the Earth The solstices, equinoxes, and ancient Gaelic festivals that form the modern Pagan calendar A beginner-friendly overview of Mabon, Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, and Lughnasadh The history, folklore, themes, symbols, colors, foods, rituals, and seasonal intentions associated with each sabbat How modern traditions overlap with ancient seasonal customs Which familiar Wheel of the Year names, stories, and traditions are ancient, modern, or a blend of both Simple ways to honor each seasonal threshold without elaborate rituals, expensive supplies, or claiming a particular spiritual identity How seasonal living and nature-based spirituality can deepen our relationship with the Earth, our intuition, and the passage of time What the cycles of planting, growth, harvest, release, dormancy, and rebirth can teach us about motherhood, creativity, identity, and personal evolution Why we were never meant to bloom, produce, expand, or feel the same in every season Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Learn more and sign up for VeilFall The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature’s Rhythms by Fiona Cook and Jessica Roux — A beautifully illustrated, family-friendly introduction to the eight seasonal celebrations, with stories, meditations, scavenger hunts, crafts, recipes, rituals, and simple ways to connect with nature throughout the year. Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials Box Set — A collection of eight books—one for each sabbat—offering a deeper look at the history, lore, rituals, recipes, crafts, correspondences, prayers, and traditions associated with Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, Yule, and Imbolc. Your Spacious & Seasonal Year by Ashley Burnett, with contributions from Lela Shields — A beautiful guide and workbook for living more intentionally alongside nature’s rhythms, featuring seasonal rituals, reflections, recipes, and practices designed to bring greater connection, meaning, spaciousness, and joy to everyday life. Demystify Magic Podcast — A grounded, approachable podcast exploring magic and spirituality in ways that feel practical and accessible. Their Wheel of the Year holiday deep dives are especially helpful if you want to learn about each sabbat individually as it arrives. Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

August 6, 202653 min

211 | Let the Veil Fall: Reclaiming Intuition, Self-Trust, and the Magic Within with Kelsey Anderson

In this episode of Wild & Waking, I’m joined once again by author, energy intuitive, soul guide, and dear friend Kelsey Anderson for a conversation about intuition, self-trust, creative surrender, feminine power, and what it means to let the veil fall between who you have been conditioned to be and who you have always known yourself to be underneath it all. Kelsey joins me on the heels of releasing her new book, The Signal: Listen to Your Intuition Through the Noise of Modern Life , a grounded and deeply reflective guide for learning how to discern intuition from fear, conditioned beliefs, overthinking, and the constant noise of modern life. Together, we explore intuition not as something mystical that exists outside of us, but as an inherent language of the soul that has been with us all along. We also talk about spiritual perfectionism, the pressure to make every intuitive practice elaborate or sacred, and the small everyday moments that can become portals back to ourselves. This conversation also opens into the deeper reclamation at the heart of VEILFALL, the immersive Samhain retreat Kelsey and I are co-creating in the mountains of Montana. We talk about darkness and light, ancestral healing, feminine magic, wild rebellion, and the power of being held in community while the old identities, expectations, and beliefs begin to fall away. This is an episode for the woman who is ready to stop searching outside of herself, trust the voice beneath the noise, and remember that her magic was never missing. It was simply waiting for her to listen. In this episode, we explore: How to tell the difference between intuition, fear, overthinking, and conditioned beliefs Rebuilding self-trust after years of looking outside yourself for certainty, validation, and answers What it means to listen to your inner knowing through the noise of modern life Kelsey’s intuitive and creative process behind writing The Signal Releasing perfectionism and trusting divine timing when bringing creative work into the world The difference between primal fear and expansion fear—and how fear can become a guide toward growth Why intuition is not something outside of you, but an inherent language of your soul How to recognize intuitive nudges, spiritual downloads, clear senses, and psychic information Practical ways to strengthen intuition and self-trust in the middle of motherhood, work, relationships, and everyday life Moving beyond spiritual perfectionism, rigid rituals, and the pressure to “do healing right” Creating small, sustainable spiritual practices that fit into real life Why your purpose is not one fixed destination, but something expressed through the way you live each day Reclaiming feminine power, sovereignty, self-expression, and the parts of yourself you were taught to hide The connection between intuition, ancestral healing, feminine magic, and collective awakening Learning to hold both light and darkness without abandoning either part of yourself The deeper meaning behind VEILFALL, our immersive Samhain retreat in the mountains of Montana The transformational power of women gathering in intentional community Letting old identities, expectations, and limiting beliefs fall away so you can return to who you have always been Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Kelsey: Visit Kelsey’s website Explore her offerings and resources Order The Signal on Amazon Download her free Intuition Foundations Guide Follow Kelsey on Instagram Read her Substack Watch her on YouTube Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Episode 159 | Soul-Led Living: Intuition, Embodiment & Your Call to Rise in the Collective Awakening with Kelsey Anderson Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

July 30, 202625 min

210 | Cheers to Four Years: Doing It Scared, Gathering in Growth, and Evolving Along the Way

Four years, 210 episodes, two more babies, one podcast rebrand, and countless conversations that have changed the way I understand myself, my work, and the world around me. In this four-year anniversary episode of Wild & Waking , I’m looking back at the podcast journey that began with Gather in Growth (back when recording my first episodes felt like standing naked on a street corner) and reflecting on what became possible because I was willing to do it scared. As I scroll through four years of episodes, I can see my personal growth and identity evolution unfolding in real time: confronting my addiction to achievement and approval, returning to therapy, navigating entrepreneurship and motherhood, moving through two unexpected pregnancies, deconstructing inherited beliefs, reclaiming my spirituality, rebuilding self-trust, and becoming increasingly willing to ask bigger, braver questions. Some things have changed completely. Yet, the desire to gather women around honest conversations about growth, identity, purpose, and possibility has remained at the heart of this work from the very beginning. I also reflect on the power of curiosity, consistency, community, and shared women’s wisdom. This podcast has never been about pretending I have everything figured out; it has been a place for us to explore personal development, healing, spirituality, social conditioning, and what it means to create an authentic life together. Through conversations with women around the world, we’ve found language for experiences we thought we were alone in, encountered ideas our families and communities may never have introduced us to, and given ourselves permission to decide what resonates, what doesn’t, and what we want to explore next. More than anything, this episode is an invitation to measure backward and recognize just how much can change in four years. Whatever is calling you… a creative dream, a business, healing, motherhood, deeper relationships, or an entirely new way of seeing yourself… let this be evidence of what can grow when you start before you feel ready, show up imperfectly, and give yourself permission to evolve along the way. In this episode, I explore: Four years, 210 episodes, two more babies, and the evolution from Gather in Growth to Wild & Waking What becomes possible when you start before you feel ready, do it scared, and continue showing up imperfectly Looking back at personal growth, identity evolution, motherhood, entrepreneurship, therapy, spiritual deconstruction, and rebuilding self-trust The surprising difference between what has completely transformed and what has remained true from the very beginning Why curiosity has been one of the most powerful catalysts for healing, awakening, and change Creating a podcast rooted in exploration and honest conversation rather than pretending to have all the answers The transformative power of women sharing lived wisdom, language, ideas, and experiences with one another How community and meaningful conversations remind us that we aren’t as alone as we believe Consistency, courage, and the willingness to let your message evolve alongside you Measuring backward, recognizing how far you’ve come, and remembering just how much can change in four years Giving yourself permission to begin, build slowly, and become someone you cannot yet fully imagine Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Episode 001│ Do It Scared Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

July 23, 202652 min

209 | Beyond the Tradwife Fantasy: Agrarian Resilience, Political Identity, and Rural Belonging with Jack Thomas

In Episode 209 of Wild & Waking, I’m joined by Jack Thomas, a self-taught regenerative farmsteader, food and homesteading educator, printmaker, writer, and founder of ACRE, the Agrarian Co-Learning & Resiliency Exchange. Together, we explore what it means to build a resilient, politically conscious agrarian life beyond the tradwife fantasy - and why growing food, raising animals, baking bread, caring for the land, and creating a softer life do not have to come packaged with right-wing politics, patriarchy, or religious fundamentalism. Our conversation digs into the tradwife pipeline, political identity in rural America, class consciousness, white privilege, vibes-based voting, and the contradictions between the policies many rural voters support and the values they practice in their own communities. Jack offers a compelling leftist alternative to tradwife culture: a life rooted in food resiliency, domestic meaning, agrarian skills, mutual aid, political freedom, and interdependence. We also talk about why farmers need healthcare and economic security, how political messaging shapes rural identity, and what it really takes to change hearts and minds without abandoning nuance, safety, or personal boundaries. We also explore the loneliness of being queer, progressive, liberal, or leftist in agricultural and rural spaces and the importance of creating politically aligned communities both online and in real life. Jack shares the vision behind ACRE (Agrarian Co-Learning & Resiliency Exchange), their upcoming UnTrad podcast, and the possibility of building rural communities centered on co-learning, preparedness, food sovereignty, creativity, and collective resilience. This episode is an invitation to stay open, resist becoming calcified in our beliefs, hold both sacred rage and whimsy, and keep building the world we actually want to live in - one garden, conversation, community, and tiny tomato at a time. In this episode, we explore: Jack’s evolution from a conservative upbringing in rural Georgia to life as a queer, AuDHD leftist farmsteader in Vermont Career reinvention, identity evolution, and the “career ego deaths” that helped Jack connect art, education, regenerative agriculture, and community building How COVID disrupted the cultural checklist and sparked personal, political, and professional awakening The rise of the tradwife movement and why its promise of softness, certainty, domesticity, and belonging can feel so seductive Reclaiming homemaking, food production, homesteading, and slower living without embracing patriarchy or right-wing politics The anti-tradwife alternative: food sovereignty, mutual aid, political agency, interdependence, and agrarian resilience How class identity, poverty, grit, white privilege, and rural culture shape political beliefs The disconnect between rural values, voting patterns, and policies affecting farmers, healthcare, labor, and economic security The loneliness of being queer, progressive, liberal, or leftist in rural and agricultural spaces Why politically aligned community can create safety, belonging, and more honest connection The vision behind ACRE, the Agrarian Co-Learning & Resiliency Exchange Building online communities that lead to real-life relationships, regional gatherings, and mutual support Jack’s experience with political de-radicalization and helping people question inherited belief systems Jack’s upcoming UnTrad podcast and its vision for a more inclusive, resilient agrarian future Resisting ideological calcification and staying open to growth, change, and small ego deaths Holding sacred rage and whimsy at the same time Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Jack: Learn more about Jack’s work, writing, and agrarian community: Join ACRE, the Agrarian Co-Learning & Resiliency Exchange Use code WILDANDWAKING20 to receive 20% off an annual ACRE membership Read Jack’s writing on Substack Follow Jack on Instagram Connect with Jack on Threads Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

July 16, 202631 min

208 | When the Woman You Were Feels Far Away: Postpartum Depression, Grief, Loneliness, and Holding Duality

In this solo episode of Wild & Waking, I’m sharing honestly about a season of postpartum depression, anxiety, identity loss, and the strange loneliness of feeling like the woman you used to be is suddenly very far away. This is not a story about being unable to function. It is a story about smiling, making memories, singing in the car with your kids, and still feeling crushed beneath the weight of thoughts that no longer feel like your own. I talk about what it has been like to return to therapy, to recognize high-functioning postpartum depression, and to grieve the version of myself who once felt so clear, energized, healthy, and connected to her work. After two unexpected pregnancies, years of unraveling and deconstruction, and another season of two under two, I am facing the truth that there is no going back to who I was before. There is only the work of becoming someone new. This episode is for anyone navigating postpartum mental health, identity shifts, deconstruction, loneliness, motherhood, or a season where the person you used to be feels almost unrecognizable. We talk about asking for help, finding meaningful community, holding hope for the version of life that is still ahead, and continuing to commit to the woman you are becoming, even when you cannot fully see her yet. In this episode, I explore: The buildup of postpartum anxiety, intrusive thoughts, hopelessness, and the moment you realize you need support Returning to therapy after years away and the vulnerability of asking for help when you already feel overwhelmed Why gratitude does not cancel out grief, and how a beautiful life can still feel unbearably heavy The identity loss that can come with motherhood, postpartum, and being needed so completely Grieving the version of yourself who once felt energized, clear, healthy, ambitious, and deeply connected to her work Loving your children wholeheartedly while still struggling with the reality of your current season The tension between motherhood and meaningful work, especially when your work is a source of life force and purpose Why being financially supported, deeply loved, or well resourced does not make your pain less valid The loneliness of deconstruction, changing beliefs, and outgrowing relationships or communities that once felt like home Holding the grief of what is happening in your personal life alongside the weight of what is happening in the world Learning to hold joy and despair, beauty and heartbreak, gratitude and resentment, without forcing one to erase the other The small, brave actions that can move you toward the next version of your life Continuing to commit to the woman you are becoming, even when she still feels far away Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Episode 205 | A Listener-Inspired Q&A on Wanting More, the In-Between, Being Witnessed, and the Avalanche of Awakening Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

July 9, 202643 min

207 | Self(ish) Motherhood: Raising Daughters Beyond the Good Girl Script with Paige Christiansen

In this episode of Wild & Waking, I’m joined by Paige Christiansen, Co-Founder and CEO of Self(ish), behavioral strategist, entrepreneur, and Human Design expert, for a conversation about raising daughters beyond the good girl script. So many women are actively unraveling people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning, and the belief that being loved requires being agreeable, helpful, easy, or endlessly accommodating. But when we become mothers, an entirely new question emerges: how do we teach our daughters to be kind, thoughtful, and connected without accidentally teaching them to abandon themselves? Paige introduces the “villain edit”, the fear women carry of being perceived as selfish, cold, difficult, dramatic, or too much, and explains how that fear begins shaping our identities from an early age. We explore how women become a threat to themselves when they are constantly editing, suppressing, or overcorrecting who they are in order to remain likable. Paige offers a powerful reframe of selfishness as self-possession: centering yourself in your own life, trusting your internal authority, and allowing other people to have their own reactions without making their comfort your responsibility. Together, we talk about what it means to model self-possession, boundaries, emotional honesty, and personal power for our daughters. Paige shares how she uses Human Design to understand her children as whole individuals rather than extensions of herself, support their unique emotional and energetic needs, and guide them through sibling conflict, communication, decision-making, and self-trust. We also explore how to teach empathy without emotional over-responsibility, why children need space to experience discomfort, and how mothers can stop parenting through the lens of perfection, performance, and fear of being judged. In this episode, we explore: How good girl conditioning begins in childhood and shapes women’s identity, relationships, motherhood, and self-worth The difference between raising kind, thoughtful daughters and conditioning girls to people-please, over-function, or self-abandon Paige’s concept of the “villain edit” and why women fear being seen as selfish, difficult, cold, dramatic, or too much Reclaiming selfishness as self-possession, self-respect, and the ability to center yourself in your own life Why mothers must model self-trust, emotional honesty, boundaries, and authentic self-expression for their daughters How to raise girls who can ask for what they want, hear no, disappoint others, and remain connected to themselves The importance of seeing children as whole individuals rather than extensions or reflections of their parents How Human Design can support conscious parenting, self-awareness, decision-making, and understanding a child’s unique needs Using Human Design to navigate emotional sensitivity, sibling conflict, communication patterns, and family dynamics Teaching children empathy without making them emotionally responsible for everyone around them Helping sensitive children understand which emotions belong to them and which emotions they may be absorbing from others The ways perfectionism and good mother conditioning can quietly influence parenting choices Paige’s vision for Self(ish) Media and the intersection of Human Design, cultural psychology, relationships, self-concept, and modern womanhood Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode! Connect with Paige: Learn more about Paige’s work, Self(ish) Media, Human Design, relationships, self-possession, and modern womanhood: Follow Paige on Instagram Follow Paige on Threads Follow the Officially Selfish Show on Instagram Visit Paige’s website Explore Paige’s Human Design reports: Loved by Design Relationship Report You + Your Child Parent and Child Report You + Your Business Report Connect with Emily: Website: www.EmilyReuschel.com Instagram: @emilyreuschel Facebook: Emily Reuschel LinkedIn: Emily Reuschel Join my Book Insiders List: Sign up here! Resources and Links: Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey! Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to emilyreuschel@gmail.com or schedule a call here Wild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More Mentioned in this episode: Join Emily and Kelsey Anderson for VeilFall, an intimate Samhain and Full Hunter’s Moon women’s retreat happening October 23–26, 2026, at Blue Star Retreat Center in Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Click below to explore the full retreat experience and register: VeilFall

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