Conversations with Kara-Leah
Kara-Leah brings deep listening, curiosity and inquiry into conversations with all kinds of people as she explores spirituality, sexuality, power, awakening and how they all intersect. Season 3 launched in August 2024!
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
I loved this deep yet playful conversation with Rana Hamida. Rana is an incredible DJ, musician, singer, dancer, artistic director, and a Yin Yoga/Yoga Nidra guide who was born in Syria and was living there as a university student when the civil war began in 2011. Fleeing the conflict, Rana and her family came to New Zealand as refugees.
In unpacking this experience we explored how arriving in New Zealand enabled Rana to find freedom from the conditionings of her mind and how she started the embodiment journey of what’s true for her. We talked identity politics and what happens when you don't align with the national identity of your birthplace. And we get into festivals, the joy of dancing as a devotional practice, and what radical honesty looks like.
Find Rana here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranafreesoul/
Website: https://www.ranahamida.com/
DJ Rana: https://www.facebook.com/musicalPrana
Rana's band: https://www.facebook.com/people/Yet-Undefined/100092474053730/
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
There’s so much juicy content in here folks! Kim and I talked energetic orgasms, astral sex, hedonism, aging as a spiritual practice, yoni mapping AND anal mapping, and the joy of butt plugs for relaxation and pleasure.
Plus we also had a nuanced conversation about Kim’s experiences with ISTA (International School of Temple Arts) and her take on how the organization is responding to recent allegations of abuse and harm.
Kim is a sex and intimacy guide with qualifications in Education Psychology, massage, embodied counseling, somatic sexology, Tantra and sacred sexuality, erotic exploration through Yoga of Sex and Erotic Blueprints, and immersive somatic healing modalities for non-acute exploration of trauma and themes related to limiting core beliefs.
Find Kim here:
Website: https://sacredbeing.co.nz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim_saama/
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Friday Apr 28, 2023
I was curious to talk to Rebecca about her experiences of operating in both the mainstream and alternative worlds, and how these worlds can merge in productive ways. Rebecca experienced a spiritual awakening in her early twenties that resulted in a dramatic shift in her worldview and required some significant changes in her relationships with her friends and family. Rebecca now works in schools as a Dance Therapist and Expressive Arts Facilitator and that’s also been an opportunity to engage with people and systems operating from very different worldviews. We also talk about Water Ceremony, a practice that was gifted to Rebecca by Melissa Billington, our guest from episode 13!
About Rebecca
Rebecca Bee is a Dance Therapist and Expressive Arts Facilitator living on Waiheke Island. Supporting Wahine and Tamariki to work through their emotional reality and access soul gifts. She also works 1 on 1 client sessions. Find out more at https://www.sa-koya.com
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Melissa Billington is a talented yoga teacher, creatrix, inspiratrice, and also a dear friend of mine.
Born in Virginia, Melissa is the 13th lineal descendant of Pocahontas and she shares how she has worked to transmute her family’s ancestral trauma into healing. We also explore why and how Melissa has chosen to take her yoga off the mat and more widely into the world, particularly through water walks, praying for the water, and stand-up comedy.
Oh, and make sure you stick around until the end for a bonus performance from Melissa!
About Melissa + links
For a more detailed bio go here: https://melissaelvirabillington.substack.com/p/who-am-i
PocaHauntUs - Shapeshifting History into HerStory: https://youtu.be/sYHN1r976XE
First song gifted to Melissa in 2014, released by Ojibwe elders in 2018 with encouragement for all women to sing to the waters: https://youtu.be/KC2FHciQ0sU
Learn more about the Indigenous-led prayerwalks for water: http://www.nibiwalk.org
A blip of Melissa's ecologically-focused stand-up material: https://youtu.be/1VF1e-f21M8
Melissa's Instagram (that chronicles the walkabout, including the Missouri River Water Walk): https://www.instagram.com/melissaelvirabillington/
Melissa's Blog "a : muse musing is (more than) amusing": https://melissaelvirabillington.substack.com
Melissa's MYOGA Freedom modules: https://www.youtube.com/@myogafreedom
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
21 years ‘clean’ from drug & alcohol addiction and work in the sex industry, Ninakaye is a powerhouse of a woman who works in the New Zealand music industry and is also involved in sexual violence treatment and harm prevention.
In this episode, Ninakaye and I share some of our personal experiences of exploring sexuality and dating as older women, particularly Ninakaye’s experiences with Tinder and the problematic behavior of many men on these apps. We talked about the negative ways in which porn can influence sexual expression and also delved into what led Ninakaye into her current work with male sex offenders.
We also talked about Ninakaye's experience as a Māori woman in the New Zealand yoga community, its lack of inclusivity and why she chose to study Kemetic Yoga, an ancient Egyptian well-being and transformation practice.
Find Ninakaye here:
Website: https://www.tikidub.com/page/about
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninakaye_taanetinorau/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliveWithNinakaye/
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Sophia is a former social worker who moderates the Culty Conversations NZ Facebook group and I was eager to talk with her about the nature of cults and high-demand groups in New Zealand, particularly in the spiritual community.
Sophia shares her perspective on power, charismatic leaders and group dynamics, and what leaders and teachers in the spiritual community (like myself) need to be aware of to make sure they’re not unconsciously abusing power. We also specifically discuss these things in the context of ISTA, Highden Temple, and Eden Festival.
About Sophia:
Sophia de Fossard has worked as a social worker in the community, and is interested in the intersectionality between societal structures and the personal experience, particularly in the area of power and control. She has worked as an academic researcher and advocate for honoring The Treaty of Waitangi (partnership between Māori and the Crown) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently she is working on a research project in community based addiction treatment. In her personal life she is a long time practitioner of yoga and meditation and teaches yoga with a trauma informed, trauma sensitive and inclusive approach.
Find Sophia here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeandmetta
LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/sophia-de-fossard-79b092188
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
In 2022 one of Lauren’s Instagram posts for her coaching business was ridiculed by a satirical Instagram account that remixed and reshared her post, and other content from her business, over the course of several days.
What I love about Lauren’s story is that even as she was dealing with the pain and trauma of this experience she also saw it as an opportunity for initiation and growth. Lauren shares the intense emotional response she had to the bullying, the steps she took to process her emotions and support herself during this time, and the self-reflection and self-inquiry that it prompted.
We talk about the importance of being kind in online spaces, advice to young women and teenagers who are the victims of online bullying, and how and why Lauren still chooses to show up as unapologetically herself.
About Lauren:
Lauren Hill is a Spirit-Led Business & Leadership Coach, Speaker, Fempowerment Mentor and Founder of Camp Wondergirl.
From working in Corporate Advertising in America climbing the ladder to ‘success’, to solo-traveling New Zealand in a painted hippy van, to living & working at spiritual Yoga Retreats, to birthing her female empowerment coaching business - she has experienced the depth of true freedom, fulfilment and fun.
It’s her mission now to empower, activate and inspire women to unleash their unapologetic expression, monetize their magic and live their most epic life.
Find Lauren here:
Website: https://iamlaurenhill.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelaurenhillshow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlaurenhilll/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenhill29
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
CW: This episode contains a discussion on resolving childhood sexual experiences.
Darren Bruce is a connection coach who discovered the power of emotional vulnerability and relational skills after a career in the military and fitness industry. Despite operating at an incredibly high level of physical skill and intensity in his military role, Darren realized he was unable to sit down and have an honest conversation with the people that he cared about.
Darren talks about how it took self-sabotaging his own business to make him realize how important relational skills are, particularly the willingness to have hard conversations and to face our fears of loss and rejection.
Darren also shares his experience of being sexually abused as a child, how that affected his life, and how he has worked with it as an adult. And we talked about the importance of male role models and why a lack of initiation into manhood can cause men to be "dickheads".
Find Darren here:
Website: https://www.darrenbruce.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarrenJohnBruce/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenjbruce/
More from Kara-Leah
Conversations with Kara-Leah on Video • YouTube Playlist
Web: https://karaleah.com/
The Toolbox: https://toolbox.karaleah.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karaleah108
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karaleah108
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaraLeah
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Ellie Wilde is a Trauma Trained Transformational Guide, who, through her life’s struggles and 20+ years of training and service has become an activist and revolutionary for Conscious and Embodied Relating.
In this conversation, we dive into her journey with ISTA (International School of Temple Arts), some of the issues with this organization, and why she ultimately chose to step away. We also talked about the power of slowing down, particularly during menopause, and how crucial it is to listen to the wisdom of our bodies at every stage of our life
In recent years Ellie's 1:1 private practice has shifted away from sexuality coaching and she now offers Alchemical Alignment - Trauma Resolution and Embodiment of Spirit. Her events and workshops are currently on hiatus whilst she recalibrates to an entirely new way of holding groups post ISTA.
Find Ellie here:
Website: https://www.yinsexuality.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellie.wilde.8
More from Kara-Leah
Conversations with Kara-Leah on Video • YouTube Playlist
Web: https://karaleah.com/
The Toolbox: https://toolbox.karaleah.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karaleah108
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karaleah108
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaraLeah
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
David Harshada Wagner is a master meditation instructor, author, artist, dad, and wisdom teacher with more than 25 years of teaching experience.
He's classically trained in the wisdom traditions of Yoga, Bhakti, Vedanta, and Tantra, his teachings come from his decades of working with people helping them learn to live more fulfilling, soul-centred, purpose-driven lives. He's known as a 'teacher of teachers' due to the depth of his experience.
The Sanskrit name Harshada was given to him by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda in 1996, meaning "the bringer of joy, laughter, and delight". He lived and worked in Gurumayi's ashram for ten years, and intimately understands the nature of traditional lineages, ashrams and communities.
He is the author of the men's book Backbone (Penguin 2015), and On the Field of Dharma (about the Bhagavad Gita), and is currently working on a modern translation of and commentary on the 10-century Tantric text known as the Shiva Sutra.
He is the proud father of two and lives with his family in Ojai, California when he is not travelling to offer retreats and seminars.
We spoke about his time at the Ashram, the nature of his teaching journey, why he eventually left the ashram, and how he's navigated allegations of sexual abuse within his lineages.
Find him here:
Website: https://www.davidhwagner.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harshadawagner/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCzp0B6MCrKd3pi4k3b9rKlA
More from Kara-Leah
Conversations with Kara-Leah on Video • YouTube Playlist
Web: https://karaleah.com/
The Toolbox: https://toolbox.karaleah.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karaleah108
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karaleah108
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaraLeah
Credits
Audio • Luke Bowman
Music • Sexy Urban Beats by PenguinMusic
Photo • Pete Longworth
Graphic Design • Tara Spice