EP57 - PamelaFrench
===
Alex: [00:00:00] Everyone and their cat is talking about witches, but what is a witch or a medicine woman or a priestess? How does one become one? And what is the common thread between women who identify as such magical creatures? Welcome to the Witch Hunt Podcast, where we hold space for healing conversations that collectively explore these questions with the intention of celebrating, of illuminating, and of elevating the rise of feminine energy, magic, and self sourced power, all in a world that's gone pretty much mental.
Every new and full moon hostess, Alexandra Raquel Hughes, who identifies as all three of these sacred types in her own weird way, invites you to brew some [00:01:00] tea, to light a candle, and to join her in her conversations with witches, medicine Priestesses and other magical creatures from around the world. So come, gather to share in the knowledge, experience, magic and sacred stories of those women who once hunted to be burned at the stake are now hunted to be held in the light so that they, so that we can illuminate the [00:02:00] way.
I would love if you could start us off by introducing yourself.
Pamela: Thank you so much. It's a real honor to be here. I go by the name Pamela. I love the syllables, the sound of language. The fact that I have a full name like Pamela that's how I walk in the [00:03:00] world.
Alex: Not everybody would say yes to coming on a podcast called Witch Hunt. What was it that drew you to saying yes? You know, you said you love words. What about this word witch?
Sometimes I say witch, priestess, medicine woman, and sometimes people come back who are on the podcast and say well actually I identify as a sorceress or as a healer , but of all these words, where does Pamela live and how does she relate to it all?
Pamela: Where do I land? Well, first of all, because I love words so much, I identify more as a priestess because there's alliteration when I say Priestess Pamela.
It's fun. And so I have a lightheartedness. I have two core values. And those are empowerment and play. I am tapping into my source of power, and I'm creating space for everyone around me to tap into their source of power.
Pamela: I come at all of that with a very playful heart. There's [00:04:00] not a lot of meaning or significance, or there's nothing to get wrong or get right, let's let go of being afraid of looking bad and play. We're here to play.
Alex: So, priestess Pamela, who's into play and power, and alliterations.
Pamela: Yes! Yes! It's fun!
Alex: P is your letter! A lot of people don't put power and play together at all, in fact. People take power very seriously and might even put it on the other side of the spectrum to play.
How would you describe a priestess? What is your relationship with that word in practice?
Pamela: I love to leave room for everybody's unique self expression, so I won't dare to say that how I identify as a priestess is how all priestesses are. I really do want to leave space for everyone to define it for themselves. But I guess it would be wise for me to share that I grew up on a farm. That's [00:05:00] 500 acres. So lots of land to run and play on as a child. So I grew up in this environment of being so in tune with the cycles of nature and when it was time to plant and harvest.
It was really quite Pollyanna. 101, that's what my childhood was. When I came out of this bubble of the farm into the big city of Ottawa to go to the University of Ottawa. And I chose it so that I could do a year exchange in Bangkok, Thailand. As you can imagine, this wee little farm girl who was naming kittens and making mud pies is now in, you know, in the big city of Ottawa, which felt like a very big city at the time.
I was in, a bachelor of commerce. I started to read business leadership books and discover , different mindsets and ways of thinking. I got really excited about , what was possible, that there was a big world out there and lots of room to play. Then I went to a personal development conference [00:06:00] and I met someone and I just shared about my life and what I love doing.
She said, Oh, you have to meet my friend Kiki. And when I met Kiki and I discovered you know, witch school and goddess culture and rituals with women around fires, I felt like I was at home. I was like, Oh yes, This is my Sunday service. For me, it's always like a very felt sense. Like when you, when you find a place and a ritual or a way of being that it's like, Oh, this feels like me, then however, it's called dive in and play.
Alex: So how did you dive in and play?
Pamela: Oh my gosh. So, I was actually part of the first cohort of which school. So like I encouraged Kiki to gather more and more women and really make this available to anyone who felt the call. Then I guess maybe just before that I had [00:07:00] started with a friend, Authentic Relating Ottawa.
That is my outlet for leading and facilitating people to discover the power of language to create human connection. And I don't call it spellcasting, but I've, I dive into language and how we use it, the impact that it has and what it creates. And everyone has the ability to speak. That power lies within all of us.
Alex: Yeah. I want to hear more about that. So, you had this idyllic childhood on the farm connected to the land and her cycle, and then you move to the big city. Like if people are listening and not watching, I've got the air quotes happening because I'm from Ottawa and I can say, It's not really that big, but everything is relative.
Yes. And you were at Ottawa University studying commerce. And was it at that stage, so in kind of I'm [00:08:00] guessing early 20s, that you embarked in this when you met Kiki and stepped into which school?
Pamela: No, it would have been in 2012. So probably my early 30s. I spent my
early twenties chasing the dream and the dream was to work with the United Nations or Foreign Affairs and feed hungry children.
I really was out to reduce children dying from a lack of food in the world. And one of the reasons why I said yes to this podcast is because I live a life of yes. I say yes all the time. And even if it doesn't make sense, if it resonates with me in any way, then I just say yes and I follow it.
And it's been a lot of fun. So one of those yeses in my early mid twenties was to go work with the United Nations in Kabul, Afghanistan for the 2005 elections. And I literally left my life and all things stable to take that short term contract. And it felt [00:09:00] like I was walking my own personal red carpet every day that I was there.
I was exactly where I was meant to be. So I feel really fortunate that as a priestess, I identify as being able to walk in any realm. I can show up authentically. Kiki might describe it as shape shifting. So I can be with the security team of the United Nations and manage the world media center on election day.
And I can lead a ritual around a fire. And I can sing a baby to sleep and I can nap with my cats. Like I can be anywhere.
Alex: We have a lot in common, Pamela, because I was in international development. For a long time. I studied at the Institute of Development Studies in the UK at the University of Sussex, and I got a master's degree.
I did my undergrad at Carleton in Environmental Studies, and my, yes, happened after, well, one, I dropped [00:10:00] out of architecture school at Waterloo, and two, I went backpacking around Latin America with my then boyfriend. And I was on a mission. So my mission was less about helping the hungry babies and more about creating a development that felt sustainable and regenerative.
The word regenerative didn't, wasn't really spoken. I'm not going to say it didn't exist, but it wasn't really used. Sustainable. And so I understand that world that you're talking about. In fact, my husband works for one of those multilateral organizations. So I, I'm very familiar. We've been posted abroad, never to Afghanistan.
But I, know that world well, and coming from diplomats, my dad was a diplomat. I know the shape shifting world well, right? Yes. Yeah. So I'm curious to know, you know, And I also shifted, like, my shift was a shift that was born of two things. One I was [00:11:00] barely coping with two kids and then number three came along, a beautiful surprise.
But I realized I was working for an international organization. We were living in England. And I didn't agree with some of the decisions being made.
It was under resourced. I was traveling Southern Africa with two tiny little kids. I was a very driven, follow the dream and make the change woman. And I realized that I just. Didn't and I was getting sick all the time and on that not leave I realized I hadn't been present for the first two and I was really missing out And so I decided I was gonna leave development.
So that was so there were pragmatic reasons, but there was also something That was bubbling inside of me that made me see that I didn't actually want to be a part of that machine that the machine Felt upside down to me in terms of accountability, you know, it was as though those in the middle of those we were meant to be creating or supporting their [00:12:00] development, like the beneficiaries didn't have any decision making power.
I was very interested in participatory development and that all the systems and structured required for them to get. money or support or whatever it was that the project offered them required reports at certain times and only, and it was all upside down whereas I felt like they should be the decision makers and they should be the guides and they should be the ones that decide what a report includes and doesn't include.
And then I lived in Mozambique for four years, which is where we adopted our first child and. And I just saw the perversion that the, and Mozambique is an extreme example, because it was completely dependent on aid and had, it's just been through so much trauma and heartache. But I could go into that, but, I just realized that there was an economic perversion happening simply with the presence of so much aid and I didn't want to be a part of [00:13:00] it.
So the two things kind of coincided at the same time and I left and I studied to be a coach. I used my professional development allowance at this organization while I was on maternity leave to study to be a coach. And so you and I actually have a very similar path and I'm curious to know about that switch between, you being in this international development, you know, the UN world, which is even more specific than the international world.
I was more in the NGO world. But what was it that took you out of that and then you stepped into ARO?
Pamela: I am a Jill of all trades. I have 20 years of experience with the Canadian federal government and I still work there. And I do lead the change and I hear you loud and clear.
I mean there is change to be had for sure. And I learned this from Judith. One of the crones in which school and that is our work is to plant trees, the shade of which we may [00:14:00] never know. That is how I show up. My last position I thought I was going to, rewrite the policy for the future of work for 350, 000 public servants.
Big change was coming since the, you know, the pandemic. And what I quickly discovered was that my sphere of influence and the change that I was actually there to be was around the team that I got to lead and the small wins that we had, but also the way in which I led created an environment that they got to work in that they now know is possible for them to create when they become team leaders they never thought that was possible, but they always wanted it.
And we really did lead people first. And it wasn't just a catchphrase. We actually worked that way I have chills just describing it because it was the experience of a lifetime. I thought I was called there for one reason and I met with exactly what you met with, like not everybody's aligned with big [00:15:00] sweeping change.
And it seems really clear to me and quite a few other people, but it's not clear yet for everyone. And so being the change that I wish to see in the world and leading in the corner that I had to lead in really began the transformation. I am a coach. I work with organizations and individuals.
Especially where it comes to having communication, empower their leadership and fulfilling on whatever they are committed to fulfilling on, because I really am passionate about communication as the access to power. Communication with ourselves, as you well know, and communication with others.
What called me back to Canada was family. So I have three older siblings, I have eight nieces and nephews, and I am very close with my family. I just realized that I wanted to be here. And I wanted to grow up with them.
Alex: And you were able to hold it all. This [00:16:00] is, this is fascinating to me because I've, until very recently, I've been a bit of a this or that, either or person.
I shouldn't say it was this or that I was you know I had the full time job of being a mother and a homemaker and also like starting this this coaching practice so or Working Previous to that, for the international organization.
But yeah, I love that. I'm doing that now. I'm holding more things now.
Pamela: I just realized I did spend a while. So I've been to a Burning Man five times. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Burning Man festival.
Alex: I've heard of it. Yes.
Pamela: I remember being in a red tent at Burning Man and I'm hanging out with a bunch of people. And I thought I was being called to pursue a path as being a doula. And I was having a conversation with a woman in this red tent and she said, Oh, you are a doula, but you birth spirits.
That's when I started to realize that. Some things that I just grown up with [00:17:00] innately as a child and this calling towards communication and empowerment and play, because imagine as children, we all play naturally. We have this exploration and curiosity and wonder. And then the empowerment is , there's no limit.
Everything is possible. So for a while I identified as being a spiritual doula and I saw myself being able to do that anywhere. Even in the federal government or an authentic related Ottawa and a one on one coaching or when I'm teaching a niece to make pizza it's all.
a birthing of our self expression through our human bodies.
Alex: Can you give me examples of how that manifested in the federal government? I'm curious how you doula spirits within that context. What does that look like in practice in general?
Pamela: Well, this is one of the key conscious communication tools that we practice at Authentic Relating Ottawa. And that is listening for what [00:18:00] matters to people.
Whenever someone speaks, it's like the iceberg theory, right? So they're sharing content. And you're hearing the words of what they're sharing. But below the surface is so much context about what matters to them, what they value, what keeps them up at night, what they hold dear, what their dreams are, what's on their bucket list.
You'll hear it when people speak. Even if they don't say the exact words. And so we train ourselves to listen. I've trained myself over the years to listen for what matters to people. And when someone walks away from communicating with me, knowing that someone else knows what matters to them and someone else believes that it's possible for them to manifest that in the world.
They light up. I literally see them light up. They are now living life like it's possible.
That's empowerment.
We worked in a very fast paced central agency environment where there's not a lot [00:19:00] of people who do compressed hours and take every second Monday off for example.
But I was like, no problem. We'll figure it out. I'm a yes person. I always say yes. We can always figure things out in communication. There would be summer vacations and normally it would be like, you know, you got to make sure you got two people on at all times. But I was like, nope, we will just organize our work.
And when we say we will have things done and everybody can have the vacation that they want really just living life as though everything is possible and we can communicate. That it is. So people had this freedom to choose when they wanted to live their personal life and have appointments and take time off and, when they could work.
And we met our deadlines. We did great work together, like great work together.
Alex: It sounds like there's sort of a freedom and flexibility woven through that process that one doesn't necessarily associate with the paper pushing image and reputation [00:20:00] that government workers have.
Pamela: No, there's many of us that are not like that stereotype at all.
Alex: And that are change agents working from the inside.
Pamela: Yes.
Alex: I want to ask you, Pamela, because I have done a lot of these podcasts and spoken to a lot of incredible women and some of the women that I've spoken to have experienced this connection with themselves and with nature as children.
Then there was a point in time when there was a disconnect and they stepped away from that. Maybe it's cause they followed the dream. Maybe it's because they wanted to fit in. Maybe it's because someone told them along the way that Whatever they were experiencing was bullshit or whatever, but then at some point they returned.
And then there are other women who never stepped off the path and always felt that. And I'm curious about you and your relationship [00:21:00] with magic or with being a priestess. Or with the power that lives within nature and her cycles. How did that play itself out? Did you feel that when you were, you know, and again, air quotes, chasing the dream?
Pamela: I didn't, I mean, I feel so blessed because there's a lot of things that I am unconsciously competent about. So 18 years of living on a 500 acre farm really establishes the type of brain patterns that have me living beyond a shadow of a doubt that nature rules. And, also being a woman.
So I have moon cycles as well. It's always ever present for me, it would show up in different ways. So when I moved to the city, I took on fermenting and learning more about herbs and other healing remedies. And I did all the things to bring my kitchen into my bathroom and I was not going to use products.
I was [00:22:00] coconut oil all the way, you know? And so there's always something that I was exploring that related to the gifts of nature and her cycles, no matter where I was in the world. Even in Afghanistan, there was a really beautiful human being, his name, we called him Uncle Jumpshed and he would make us grass soup.
To eat, and we would sit around a table as a family and eat this grass soup. It's one of my favorite memories of my time there.
Alex: Was it made of grass?
Pamela: I think so. It looked like grass to me. I mean, there wasn't grocery stores, and we would give him our pasta, and he made some kind of broth, and then there was grass in it.
And it was the most delicious soup I've ever had.
Alex: That's incredible.
Pamela: So there would always be these potent moments of feeling divinely guided. When I was in Afghanistan, my grandfather died back here in Canada. And I felt really held in that space. So my grandfather died and rather [00:23:00] than leaving the mission and flying back to Canada for a funeral, because my young brain logic was he's already dead. So he's not going to care if I show up at the funeral or not. So I'll just celebrate him silently at home.
I'll take the day off, which was very rare on mission. Every day is a work day. So I took the day off and I'm at home. You know, just praying and journaling and being with everyone in the spiritual realms. That was the one day that someone drove into the compound where I worked with an improvised explosive device.
And it blew up the whole entrance several people died, chaos ensued on the compound. It had to be evacuated. It was a crazy time, but I was not a part of it. I was at home, safe in my bedroom, praying for my family.
Alex: Well, that's a coincidence.
Pamela: Yeah. It's like I always say yes, and I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time when I say yes.
Alex: What happens to you when the yes happens? [00:24:00]
Pamela: I have two things. Given that I am so big on play I can feel when my like hips start to shake, you know, when you like do that. Yeah. And so when I feel that, like I want to do that from a request that someone's made, I'm like, okay, yes.
And then the other thing is right in the Zanzian, like right in my core, you know, just under the rib cage there. it's like a pulling forward. For me. I feel that and I'll be like, yes. And then my nose are more like a, a concave, like, I kind of want to retract from the person or just where I am in space.
Alex: I love that so much. One of the favorite things that I'm learning at which school is the know your knowing and know your no, but equally important is know your yes. Yes.
Pamela: Oh yes,
Alex: know your yes as well. And then the knowing will help you get to the yes and no, but I really believe and I was having a conversation the other day that there's so much wisdom in our bodies [00:25:00] and the answers lie there.
We live from the neck up, but the answers. Well,
Pamela: I used to dance to a one cassette and book exercise book that my parents had gotten me called get in shape girl. And I would play that music because, you know, it's, it was a farm. We had four channels.
Two of them were public broadcasting stations, one from upstate New York. Like there wasn't a lot of entertainment to be had, but I loved moving my body. And my parents did not, my family wasn't, we were, there was not a lot of, you know, physical labor on the farm was how you used your body. And a woman came from the big city of Ottawa, I've got air quotes now, to my public school and taught ballet classes.
And I lit up and my parents, I don't know how they scraped the money together, but they put me in dance classes. I became a certified teacher. I taught little three year olds [00:26:00] ballet and how to move their bodies. It was so rewarding. And so I had, Both like the farm and nature, but I had mentors and guides in learning my body and using my body to express myself and, and live with music coming through me also at a very young age.
And so, so blessed to know that my body was a communication tool.
Alex: I love that. My body was a communication tool. Our bodies are communicating, not just Now I'm pointing at, like, throat and mouth listeners, not just this part of our body, but the whole thing. The whole thing.
Pamela: It's really magical. Our bodies are a marvel.
Alex: Indeed. So I wanted to ask you, you know, it sounds to me, and it's an oversimplification I know, but woven through this conversation. Are [00:27:00] your connection with the land and the cycles and then this connection with your body, which to no surprise are what, you know, leads you into this identity of a priestess.
Ultimately what is your unique magic? And maybe we, maybe we should define what magic is for you.
Pamela: Well, oh gosh, defining what magic is for me for me, magic is, you know, breakthroughs, miracles, surprises being guided connection to all things. Not just physical things, but all things.
And it's available at any time. That's for me, that's magic so because I'm so connected to the power of language. I've done a lot of reading on, I am and what comes after those two words creates a world for oneself and others. I would say about 12 years ago, [00:28:00] maybe more, I created a statement that now lives inside of me, like unconsciously competent about it.
And that is that I am that others light up.
And so that is how I show up in any space that I choose to show up in. It just, I can't help it anymore. That is who I am. That's my gift. If you want to be lit up and turned on by life and fulfill on something or have fuller self expression, I'm your person.
Alex: What a beautiful I am statement. What a beautiful gift.
Pamela: Thank you.
Alex: So let's talk about the I Am Statement and the spellbinding and the communications work that you do. I'm really curious about how witches, priestesses, medicine women, you know, shape shift into the world of muggles.
And, and just, well, a navigate that, but also [00:29:00] bring in their magic to make the change from the inside.
Let's talk about words. Let's talk about spells. Let's talk about the power of that and what your experience has been. And I think there's something about embodying it that that you mentioned that is for me has been where the power truly lies. But I'd love to hear kind of your take and how you weave it into your
Jobs.
Pamela: Well, first of all, it's the communication with self is where it starts. So knowing myself, my beliefs, what propelled, what motivates me to do something or not do something. What are my, my goals? automatic reactions to things. You know, what are my triggers? Like really discovering what patterns got established in my life and how those patterns create or constrain what I'd like to create.
And then from that self knowledge, I'm able to look at the [00:30:00] language that creates rather than constraints. and consciously use that language in any situation. And because I'm so grounded in That everyone gets to light up around me. At work, what it looks like is you know, if my team is frustrated with a certain outcome, I'll get their frustration, but then, you know, and I'll get it in communication.
I'll be like, you totally, it's totally normal that we're frustrated right now. Totally got that. All part of the human experience. And we're here to create. You know, we're here to affect change. So where is the, where can the needle be moved on our watch? Right, and so just in that short phrase right there, I'm saying to everyone, you're a leader, I'm a leader, we can do this.
Let's look it's apps. It's absolutely possible I've just cultivated a language of like knowing okay, so we're here at this point [00:31:00] Point A and I see point M and who sees B C or D You know, and so I'm speaking like a mile down the road Not just the next step and that in my coaching style and how I lead and facilitate I'm always speaking into language The mile down the road for people to have something to live into
Alex: It sounds very much like you're a vision holder.
Pamela: Yes
Alex: Would you use the word vision? self talk or internal narratives around the way we speak to ourselves?
Pamela: I do. I use inner narrator is the term I usually use.
Alex: So I've worked as an editor before, so I'm familiar with you know, editing things on a page and maybe shifting narratives on a page.
And I've also done a lot of inner, you know, personal development work. But I often find that that rather [00:32:00] deep rooted inner narrative, whether it comes from, you know, ancestral lineage that, and maybe trauma, those voices that were set up to keep us safe and that serve to keep us small. But how do we clear out the space in order to be able to plant the seeds of a new narrative?
Pamela: You actually don't clear out the space. You have compassion That, that exists.
Those patterns got set a lot of self compassion, like a lot. And then distinguishing that that inner narrator is not. the only reality that exists. It's just the patterning. It's like, it's science at this point. It's literally just the patterning. So you're not doomed by it. And it's merely a question of repatterning.
That is where, you know, the two key ingredients of any kind of habit changing is consistency and focus. [00:33:00] So to go back to your earlier question about my rituals, focus and consistency. I have that I am that I like that others light up around me where I see it first thing in the morning for like a decade or more. No matter how I wake up, whatever is the inner narrator saying, that's the first thing I open my eyes and see. So I know that that's who I am. That's who I choose to be. And then when I'm going into, you know, any kind of container or situation, like before I arrived here today, I was like, okay, what am I committed to here?
And I noticed, you know, that, oh, well, am I going to say the right thing? I don't know. Have I prepared enough? Like the inner narrator was fierce. Let me tell you, the inner narrator never goes away. She's always there, bless her soul, she wants to keep me safe. And I ground myself in what am I committed to here?
What am I creating? What am I committed to? And then I [00:34:00] speak from that commitment, not the inner narrator. To the extent I possibly can.
Alex: Yeah, I love that. I love that you brought in that piece of compassion. Because it's so important. So I think tricky. I mean, I have experienced like self judgment and you know, criticism and I'm not sure, but to, to hold it in compassion and to actually say, thank you for coming out. In fact, it's really interesting because I struggle with it myself, but when I'm coaching my clients, I'm like, all right, what are the gifts that this.
saboteur or persona or internalized narrative, you know, what, where does she or he or it come from? And, and what, you know, what is their, what is their why? Like, what are they serving? And, and how can we, you know, befriend them. But it's just interesting to, to hear it from another coach because that's, this is how I have coached people, but it is a struggle.
Compassion for me, self [00:35:00] compassion for me is a struggle. And yeah, so thank you. Thank you for saying that. And I want, I used to say to my clients, you know, they're welcome, these voices, but put them at the back of the bus. And the, the, the one that's driving is this narrative that you're talking about, right?
That's, that's holding onto that, that has the vision.
Pamela: Well, and as a baby step, I usually encourage people, and this is where I started. I just started doubting my doubts.
Alex: I love that. I was like, okay,
Pamela: so like, maybe I won't say the right thing, but maybe I, maybe I will. You are. Who knows, right? Is there a right thing?
Like, I just doubt everything that the inner narrator is saying. And it was, and it became playful.
Alex: A lot of the time. Yeah. I've been saying to myself, you know. When that doubtful voice comes and says, what, what if it goes wrong? I always bring back, [00:36:00] I always kind of add on, but what if it goes right?
Pamela: See, you do it unconsciously now too.
Alex: Tell me about that morning ritual when you connect with, you know, what's going on inside of you or with that voice inside of you. What does that, is that a meditation? What does that look like?
Pamela: No. And you know, it's kind of funny. This is, I really do want to share this with anyone who needs to hear it.
I struggled for the longest time because I. I'm such a creative. It's very difficult for me to sit still. And I've done plenty of things like I'm trained in breath work and lots of deeply meditative practices. But sitting for five, 10, 20, 30 minutes every morning has never been a habit that I have formed.
And then I started to look at rather than beating myself up for not doing it right. I started to look at where was I being meditative? in things that I was already doing. And so for me, meditation is slowing down, tuning in and [00:37:00] listening. I started to realize like, Oh, when I'm, you know, changing the ginger beer water and I'm chatting with the ginger beer, You know, giving it words of encouragement when I'm doing the dishes and, you know, thinking about the lovely food that I've had that got these dishes dirty.
And so everything started to become a ritual, if you will, because I infused it with that intention. So the morning ritual is very simple. It's just like, who am I choosing to be today? And I see that and then I have a bunch of pictures of things that light me up all around it. And then I'll create, like, I'll create a way of being after I've, you know, done the body taking care of things and maybe I'm sipping my coffee and I could be journaling.
It doesn't happen every day. But I'll create. Who I am in communication. And so today was [00:38:00] generous and powerfully loving and straight. Then I'll ask myself, okay, what are, what are three conversations? Cause everything lives in language. So what are three conversations where I can be generous, straight and powerfully loving today?
And I'll make sure that I have those three conversations, like set them in my calendar, reach out to the person, ask them if they have time for a call, whatever it may be, but. Life for me lives in communication. So I'm always looking for ways to communicate who I have chosen to be. With others.
Alex: That's so beautiful.
I, I love that you search for what you do or when you are medi meditative instead of meditating, like, like pushing yourself to meditate when it doesn't feel, you know, right. For your body.
Pamela: Yeah. I've been journaling since I was a teen and for years. I've this sense that there will be a period [00:39:00] of my life, like a winter.
A wintering of sorts where I will just sit with 35 years worth of journals and really sink in. But for right now, I feel called to lead in all of the spaces that I lead.
Alex: So what are other ways that, this kind of living, meditatively and contemplatively it sounds like that is a practice, a way of being, perhaps as a priestess.
Are there other things in your day to day that you practice?
Pamela: Well, I'm huge on Here's another P word for you, Alex. Pleasure. I'm a Taurus. So as a Taurus you know, all things of earthly plane are delightful for us. I'm a very sensual being. And so you know, my showers are filled with, All the smells and the textures.
And it's like, it's, it is an experience for me to shower. It's not just an [00:40:00] obligation. And the, the creams and lotions and oils that I put on my body you know, that I've, I've made and concocted and come from mother nature. That becomes a ritual in and of itself of self love and appreciation.
And so food, you know, growing up on a farm with fresh food that we grew in and cultivated ourselves. I mean, as you can imagine, I have a deep appreciation for food. And then like I'm wearing a fuzzy. Deep magenta sweater today like the colors and the texture. I'm ready for whatever mother nature has for us and Yeah, so
there's just like a real
Pamela: enjoyment of being Human that I seek to create in my days, and I'll know when I've lost touch with that I, cause I will start to feel overwhelmed or tired when I normally wouldn't.
And I'll be like, Oh, where, where am I not feeding that pleasure well.
Alex: . So we've got power, we've got [00:41:00] play, and now we've got pleasure. Sounds like a pretty good life, Pamela. It really is.
Pamela: It really is. And I'm so present to in these times that we live in especially in the last couple of weeks there's so much to be grieving and sad about, and there's a lot happening in the world that I, wow, like, I can't believe we're doing this to each other.
I really, it's hard to even wrap my brain around. And I ask myself, like, where am I the change that I wish to see in the world? And what I've come to lately that I really want to share is that I see all of this disruption and destroying of each other and things and, and structures and paradigms, while it can be terribly troubling and upsetting and unknown and unfamiliar for all of us, I feel a calling that it brings us [00:42:00] back to our core of
who we all are as love. And that what there is for us to do is to really like, you know, find that and share that pleasure and, and love ourselves first, because then it's a well that others can drink from, but also, you know, whoever you meet today, that's your opportunity to be the change you wish to see in the world.
Alex: It's so beautiful. One of the questions that I sometimes ask guests here on the podcast is. What is it about right now that's inviting or facilitating the rise of, you know the feminine and the, the kind of I guess, coming out of the broom closet of all these magical women. I wonder what comes up for you in addition to what is there something that comes up for you in addition to what you've just shared?
Pamela: Absolutely. I'm a huge fan of unity, [00:43:00] consciousness. And so You know, the, the call for witches and priestesses and sorceresses and healers and however you identify the divine feminine the call is for all of us to really create that relationship with all things. When you're in relationship with somebody, then you create a partnership and it's no longer , Storms and tornadoes and earthquakes and volcanoes are not something to be feared, because I have compassion for myself when I erupt, you know, and I have compassion for myself when I have a meltdown. And so this, I really do feel that this connection to nature and all things unseen and a deep respect and relationship building as a whole. Is what's called for.
And then inside of this current structures, it's, you know, planting trees, little trees, like this is possible and this is possible and yes, we can have compassion in how we do things and yes, it can [00:44:00] be collaborative and yes, you can be fully self expressed and it can look different than someone else's self expression and all is welcome here.
And it really is human to human, one conversation at a time.
Alex: Let's talk a little bit just briefly before we wrap up about the work that you do and where people can find you.
Well at Authentic Relating Ottawa, we hold some events online, so no matter where you are in the world, but we also hold events here in person in the National Capital Region.
Pamela: So it's arottawa. ca or any of the social media channels. You're welcome to come and interact with us. I have an Instagram going for empowerment is everything, which is my love. And that's how I consult with organizations or coach individuals. And I'm always keen to, again, if somebody wants to light up, I'm ready to talk.
So there's that. And those are the two big places to find me right now. [00:45:00] I will say I have a project I'm really excited about called seeds for peace.
Alex: Tell me.
Pamela: I am a stand that Ottawa, Canada, the National Capital Region as a whole becomes a template for world peace. We're collecting stories in all art forms, handwritten, paintings, music, dance typed spoken.
Stories of people who made a difference in your life.
Alex: That's beautiful.
Pamela: Yeah. And once collected, those stories will form we'll cultivate them together in a physical space and create a hub where people can come in and just experience the impact that we make on each other's lives as human beings. And it is my intention that people will see themselves in those stories, either what's possible and how they can make a difference, or they'll become present to the fact that I've already done something like that before, and I'm Gosh, I had no idea it made a [00:46:00] difference.
Alex: And also, Pamela, it's highlighting the good and we're just not hearing a lot of good stuff right now. So it's a reminder.
Pamela: Yeah. Well, maybe I'll just close with that's the power of communication and I'm not talking about, you know, suppressing or you know, positive washing things. The bad is there and exists and it can be processed and talked about, but don't forget to create that which you're living into and you want to invite others to live into to create that in language all the time.
Alex: Thank you so much. Thank you so much for coming today. And also, you know, Pamela, you're really an inspiration. I love speaking with women and I have the privilege of doing it through the podcast, but women who. Feel the yes in their bodies and go for it and create these beautiful healing mechanisms whether they're in the form of an organization or a business or in the form [00:47:00] of seeds for like a kind of project like seeds for peace, right?
Is that what it was called? Yeah. Yes. And just, they take their ideas and they, and they bring it to life. Like, like a spell. Yes. It is a spell, right? And this is what I believe the, the world needs more of, women in leadership that just are saying yes to life and to, and to positive change. Thank you for doing that and thank you for being here.
I really appreciate it.
Pamela: Thank you so much. What a joy.
