Magamama With Kimberly Ann Johnson: Sex, Birth And Motherhood

Welcome to Jaguar Bites: new solo episodes where I break down big nervous system concepts into bite-sized pieces. Jaguar Bites are meant to clarify some of the major ideas and misconceptions in somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory, sex education, as well as the birth world. These podcast episodes are for you. They are also for anyone who you don't think will take a course or read a book; but who you really want to hear about how trauma works, how we heal from it, how the body is involved, and why it matters so much (especially right now in the world).

Welcome to Jaguar Bites: new solo episodes where I break down big nervous system concepts into bite-sized pieces. Jaguar Bites are meant to clarify some of the major ideas and misconceptions in somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory, sex education, as well as the birth world. These podcast episodes are for you. They are also for anyone who you don't think will take a course or read a book; but who you really want to hear about how trauma works, how we heal from it, how the body is involved, and why it matters so much (especially right now in the world).

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a researcher and professor best known as the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), as well as several other books on Polyvagal Theory. Stephen is also the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™, which currently is used by more than 2000 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement.   What He Shares: Why he wears glasses for virtual meetings Why we’re still able to co-regulate when we’re all wearing masks The intersection of sex hormones and polyvagal theory   What You’ll Hear: The subtle cues our bodies respond to during vi

In Jaguar Bites, Kimberly draws from her new book "Call of the Wild" to break down some big nervous concepts into bite-sized pieces. The bites clarify some of the major ideas in somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory, sexual education, and the birth world.  In this bite, Kimberly talks about how yoga and meditation impacts the nervous system is not always obvious or straightforward.

Elizabeth Lesser is the author of several bestselling books, including Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes; Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow and Marrow: Love, Loss & What Matters Most. She is the cofounder of Omega Institute, recognized internationally for its workshops and conferences in wellness, spirituality, creativity, and social change. She has given two popular TED talks, and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.  

The Skill of Culture Building, The Making of Tribe, Spiritual Colonialism, and Grief Practice with Matthew Stillman.   We dive into the big questions of where we are at in this point in time- what is community? How do we make it? Are we right to want tribe, and if so, what does that really mean? We also touch on the deepest parts of our connection from Earth and place, and how that can come to bear with "medicine," Ayahuasca and spiritual colonialism.   What Matt Shares:  -How the city you are from is different than the place you are from -Origin of the word “tribe" - tribe is much more than an affinity -How race + culture intersect, and the origin of culture -The history of Ayahuasca and spiritual colonialism -The need for grief practice    

Luisa Muhr joins me to talk about her work in Family Constellations Therapy, including intergenerational trauma resulting from the holocaust as well as racial trauma within the United States. We talk about the importance of community space in a therapy setting, why working within an energy field is so effective, and staying somatically engaged while online.  What She Shares: What Family Constellations is and how it works The importance of honoring our ancestors and those in our systems How working with the impact of the Holocaust has shaped her work in the world   What You’ll Hear: Working within an energy field Unwinding old patterns through ancestry work The difference between drama therapy and Family Systems Who is included in our family systems The importance of speaking a story out of secrecy The value of processing within community  How working with archetypes can help us process and heal Restoring appropriate predator energy Creating space for healing intergenerational social traumas Weaving Family

Liz Koch rejoins me for a third interview, this time to discuss whiteness and colonization in the body. We explore how those pieces show up in the physical body and sensory systems, why it matters, and the importance of physical movement in anti-racism. What Liz Shares:  The interconnection between how we use our bodies and our racialization of bodies Racialized movement patterns  Recognizing racialized nervous system responses How the idealized body in fitness is not only white, but also male, and how that impacts female fitness What You’ll Hear: Noticing how performative behaviors re-iterate a frozen spine Changing our view to see Body as Process, rather than Body as Object Valuing the expressivity of the human body Re-assessing the idealized human body to include expression Developing your sense of self through knowing primal responses Examining your ancestral relationship with colonization Using movement patterns to re-enforce or interrupt white body supremacy Engaging with your psoas to feel more grou

-Story of the Apollo/ Artemis birth -The role of twins in mythology- two sides of a coin -Artemis is the goddess of childbirth, when she is born, she immediately midwife’s her brother’s birth -Artemis- Moon Goddess, darkness, untamed;  Apollo- Sun God, bright, civilized -How are these archetypes helpful in birth preparation? -Ordered culture over wild nature -In an Appolonian setting (hospital,) how do you bring Artemis? -Kimberly’s birth experience and handing over power in Apollonian way to midwife -Pandemic popped the Apollonian illusion of control and tossed us into Artemisian realm -Children are Artemisian -How do we compromise the Artemisian in Apollonian structure in spite of our ideals? -Parents beating themselves up in pandemic for kids falling behind -The blurring of public and private -Did birth move you to be more Apollonian or Artemisian? -The grief and loss through the pandemic   Dr. Britta Bushnell (she/her) is a wife and mother, author of Transformed by Birth, veteran childbirth educator, cele

What Clelia Shares: Her journey with money coming from generational wealth Accepted gender roles within her community and her work with Mama Gena and Barbara Stanny  Turning point in her journey about her role as a woman came with having an abortion How she came to terms with money, wanting to enter the “marble hall of the daddies,” and getting there What You’ll Learn: What gender roles look like in communities with generational wealth System of dependence in humanitarian aid paralleled system of dependence of being wealthy and feeling that you will be taken care of Women are outside of the worlds of money + commerce Revenue - costs = profits Assuming she would have a non-accretive job, and a virtuous, non-threatening in dating Thinking business school was a “world of benevolent daddies” Business school is 75% male, 25% female (the one professional school that remains disproportionately male) What business school is really like The shift to be motivated by money and power Interviewing women in business, an

  Kate White is an advanced bodyworker, perinatal educator, and somatic trauma resolution professional. She developed much of her work following the pregnancies and births of her own two children. She is the Founding Director of Education for the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and helps administer an online program for parents and professionals who work with parents, runs a private practice, and offers her own seminars through the Center for Prenatal and Perinatal Programs.  What Kate Shares:  What prenatal and perinatal psychology are How these fields developed Personal stories about helping clients with difficult birth stories The process of repair   What You’ll Hear: The importance of including pre- and peri-natal psychology in the gestalt of psychology How neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and attachment play into perinatal psychology The impact of fetal experiences on the adult body- FOADs Understanding that most experiences are repair-able Incorporating mindful exercises around boundar

James Nestor, author of “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” joins me to speak on all the ways facial structure, nutrition, eating habits, and industrialization have impacted humans’ ability to breathe, why it matters, and ways we can get back to the basics. What James Shares:  Details of his years-long research into breath How he increased his facial bone density and expanded his airways When the paperback edition is released there will be new material! His creative process for writing   What You’ll Hear: Reclaiming breath as your own human right The environmental and morphological challenges to breathing well The theory of dis-evolution in the human species How the industrialized diet has impacted face shape and breath efficacy How facial bones differ from other bones in the body How chewing raw food helps kids breathe better Redefining ‘healthy’ food to include chewability How chewing impacts the nervous system The importance of breastfeeding for long term airway health The potential connection betwe

What You'll Hear:  Definitions of sex + gender +intersex Sex is a functional category defined by the gametes you reproduce. Males produce sperm; females produce eggs. Sex is binary Gender is the social and cultural attributes and rules based on their sex Intersex is a mismatch between phenotype and genotype, or when sex based on observation is not obvious How common is intersex? Ambiguous genitalia is about 1 in 5000. (The origin of misinformation of intersex as 1 in 200, as common as redheads) Evidence of intersex increasing Explanatory power and unifying systems of evolution and astrology Is evolutionary biology equivalent to Darwinism? How evolutionary biology helps us understand female sexuality. How humans differ from animals- brain size, large energetically expensive brain related to the placenta, walk on two legs, intense social nature Are humans monogamous? Or Non-monogamous? Sex for pleasure, social reasons or reproduction Possible immunological benefit to monogamy- preeclampsia study as an example

What Dwight Shares: Is this the worst, most contentious election in history? What should we do with our emotions during this time? Why is he spending his retirement working as a Mayor of a small town? How to decide where to donate, where to give money or time The historical role of the Supreme Court?   What You Will Hear: Historical contention during elections Do emotions belong in politics? Most people agree more than they disagree, when we get beyond labels Orienting to blue within politics How to deal with overwhelm when there is so much suffering Acknowledging what is actually possible What to do when you get into the rabbit hole What about homeless people living in Del Mar? What happened with that? Does your vote matter? Small donations matter because candidates need money but they count the people that contribute Democratic National Committee distributes money to the other causes (Senator and Representative candidates What happens if the Senate goes 6-3? What do you think about extending the number o

What Bethany Shares: Bethany discusses her new book, “Strange Situation”, and why understanding attachment is so helpful Her personal journey as a mother and the re-evaluation and renegotiation of her own narrative Bethany gives her thoughts on modern attachment parenting   What You’ll Hear: Bethany tells us about her book, “Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey into the Science of Attachment” The difference between research and me-search  Classical Attachment and Modern Attachment Styles Bethany’s journey of renegotiating her past and her narrative through the lens of Mary Ainsworth’s research and writings The power of leaving your kids alone Attachment parenting Dr. Sears is public enemy #1 Reflective functioning/ mentalization The struggle to understand the world as a third being when raising your child How being your best and worst self can ultimately benefit your child The secret window of time Being comfortable is key to comforting your child Why attachment is nothing to be afraid of, because we can

What Shannon Shares: How astrological cycles affect our everyday lives Directing our understanding of astrology into personal growth The significance of Mars in retrograde and what we can expect in the coming months What You’ll Hear: 2020 forward from an astrological standpoint What is a retrograde? What does Mars represent? How do our actions, as well as the actions of others, exemplify the current solar alignment? Innovation, positivity, and renewal during times of social and political strife Is Mars encouraging us to behave more passionately? Being aware of how you’re directing your own personal energy What astrology can tell us about other generations How Pluto returns map onto what we name generations- Boomers, GenX, Millennials and GenZ  What can we expect in the coming months? Where does money and economic structure factor into astrology? The importance of writing down our dreams   Summary:  Shannon Aganza re-joins the Magamama Podcast to talk about retrograde, generational behaviors, and what we c

What Pam Shares: The importance of understanding our bodies and why self-exploration is crucial Feminism as it relates to social empowerment and education Embodied sex education- Take Back the Speculum   What You’ll Hear: What feminism is right now How to overcome being disempowered sexually Understanding what sex positivity really means  “Take Back the Speculum” How understanding your body can change your life Self-pelvic mapping Menstrual extraction- what is it and who does it? 2nd wave of Feminism Depictions of clitoral anatomy in textbooks Sex education in schools, and the switch from reproductive education to whole human education The importance of touch, and learning to cope during quarantine Finding joy in the opportunities this pandemic has provided   Summary: Pam Samuelson, a close friend and educator/bodyworker at Embodywork, joins us to talk about feminism, understanding your sexual body, and how to make the steps towards knowing yourself more intimately. Pam discusses the importance of carryin

What Matthew Shares: The impetus to ensure the information we intake pertaining to disease is factual Understanding the conflation between science and hope Why hope and hopeless are two sides of the same coin Why being “hope-free” is an important skill to learn What You’ll Hear: Germ Theory versus Terrain Theory Why have masks become political? Impact of Coronavirus  The danger in the political divide of mask wearers Politicization of Coronavirus amongst society and academia Republicans and New Age spiritual Nazis Racial impacts of how we frame these conversations The problem of hope Vaccinations in this context Relationship to death and to children How our world viewpoint effects pandemic response Is it ok to speak metaphorically about the disease? To personify it? Matthew Stillman has spent years studying both Eastern and Western spiritual practices. Currently working as a creative approach consultant in New York, Matt applies the skills he’s learned over his many years of seeking to help others overcom

What She Shares: The historical foundations of the consolidation of whiteness Collective Healing vs. Personal Healing-- How Are They Related-- are they automatic? The timeline of the emergence of the new wave of identity politics and its impact   What You’ll Hear: The role of collective and individual healing in race relations Beginning of “whiteness” as a concept How whiteness has manifested into what is seen throughout the world today Societal role of immigrants within early America How other groups view whiteness Acknowledging white privilege Differentiating between white guilt and white privilege, and how to use it for change Understanding why identity politics are so strong today The role of white people within minority studies How to turn understanding and solidarity into change How racism is institutionalized and indoctrinated The power shift of White = Good to White = Bad   Resources: How Jews Became White Folks by Karen Brodkin Sacks The Possessive Investment in Whit

Alicia Fajardo is the owner of Transformations Studio in Portland, Oregon and creator of The Fajardo Method of Holistic Biomechanics®. This modality focuses on nervous system health and biomechanics, which include body structure, alignment, and healthy, supported movement.   Because biomechanics are dictated by the nervous system state, understanding basic nervous system function and how the nervous system responds to stress is necessary for understanding the modality.    What you'll hear:   - The influences and modalities that helped Alicia create her method, Holistic Biomechanics  - What is motor learning? - How Alicia played with motor learning to influence her brain and help her body heal something that nothing else would - Understanding mirror neurons - How our biomechanics influence our thoughts - An example from a client session - The original design of yoga and how it impacts us today - optimal location of the diaphragm - What is the valve system - The Valve System and how yoga influences it- digest