Walking in the Wilderness

Season 2 Finale! We're talking about clearing out what is no longer serving us, and transforming into new ways of being - in friendships and professional development.

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as an adventurous living guide (life coach) at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder.

Theme music by DiLisio.

Recording Date: May 31, 2021

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In this episode, Beth Z's partner, Anthony, takes over WIW and interviews Beth J on her 2019 book, Through the Kaleidoscope. You can purchase Beth J's book here: http://www.elizabethjeffrieswrites.com/kaleidoscope-book

Check out Beth Z's coaching website theheartwantsadventure.com

Theme song by Dilisio: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0i4edphpvkUBeal0xPfTtk

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Recording Date: April 10, 2021

Location: ElizaBETH on Shawandasse Tula/Shawnee land (now Brighton Heights, PA) & BETHany on Kumeyaay land (now Mission Point Park, San Diego, CA)

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Beth J and Beth Z share about their personal experiences with religious deconstruction, specifically leaving the modern American Christian church of their upbringing. Beth J has found herself in a new phase in which her religious deconstruction is no longer occupying much space in her brain. It's a welcome new freedom, and has given her the opportunity to discover and enjoy new interests and pursuits. Together, the Beths explore what this means, including what moral standards they use now, how they grapple with the pain and regret that come from having invested so much time in an endeavor they no longer pursue, and how they explain their current religious and philosophical views to others. 

Grab a free 1-on-1 coaching session with Beth Z, and connect on Instagram.

Read Through the Kaleidoscope, by Elizabeth Jeffries

Recording Date: February 16, 2021

Location: ZOOM! Beth J on Shawandasse Tula/Shawnee land (now Pittsburgh, PA) & Beth Z on Hohokam land (now Waddell, AZ)

Theme Song by DiLisio

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In this minisode, Beth J shares about the ways in which her understanding of romantic love has expanded over the course of her relationship with her husband. While her previous simple, transactional view of love was not exactly incorrect, it certainly would not have encompassed the dynamic interdependence that she's now come to enjoy. 

Grab a free 1-on-1 coaching session with Beth Z, and connect on Instagram.

Read Through the Kaleidoscope, by Elizabeth Jeffries

Recording Date: January 17, 2021

Location: Beth J on Shawandasse Tula/Shawnee land (now Pittsburgh, PA) & Beth Z on Tohono O'odham land (now Skyline Regional Park in Buckeye, AZ)

Theme Song by DiLisio

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In today's episode, Beth Z and Beth J share their recent experiences delving into the ancient tradition of tarot. Together, they go over recent spreads they have both drawn for themselves, and share the insights they have gleaned from the readings.

Grab a free 1-on-1 coaching session with Beth Z, and connect on Instagram.

Read Through the Kaleidoscope, by Elizabeth Jeffries

Recording Date: December 18, 2020

Location: Zoom! Watch on YouTube

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Embodiment and wellness can mean different things to different people, and the Beths agree that what's important is to define them for yourself. Beth J shares how her own practice of embodiment has transformed over the past few years, culminating in her most recent embodiment exercise: writing a letter to her body and writing a letter from her body to herself. At first, she shares, she cringed a bit at the thought of engaging with this exercise, imagining that it would be cheesy or silly. After going through the exercise, though, she discovered how freeing and grounding it is to recognize both the unity and the distinction between the body and the self. Beth Z discusses her own embodiment journey, exploring her decision to stop taking hormonal birth control and instead tracking data from her body in order to map her cycle. This journey has been both freeing and informative for her, allowing her to connect much more deeply with her body and to feel a closer connection with nature as well. For both Beths, the past several months have been ones of sinking deeper into their bodies, enjoying the sensations of living and aligning with natural cycles and patterns.

Grab a free 1-on-1 coaching session with Beth Z, and connect on Instagram.

Read Through the Kaleidoscope, by Elizabeth Jeffries

Recording date: December 6, 2020

Location(s): Beth J at Allegheny Commons Park West in PA, Beth Z at Litchfield Park, AZ

Theme Song by DiLisio

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Talking about our relationships - Beth Z letting each partner be their own person, handle themselves. Beth J on learning to express your own needs and desires, coming out of Christianity

Grab a free 1-on-1 coaching session with Beth Z, and connect on Instagram.

Read Through the Kaleidoscope, by Elizabeth Jeffries

Recording date: November 27, 2020

Location(s): Beth z walking around a lake in Phoenix, AZ | Beth J in Pittsburgh, PA

Theme Song by DiLisio 

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It's presidential election week in the US, and the two Beths continue Season 2 with a conversation about challenges, both global and personal, that they are learning to navigate. Beth J explores her role in the current American political scene and the frustration and pain that arise when human rights issues become politicized. Together, the Beths discuss their own political evolution and development, as this is just one type of wilderness that they are both learning to navigate. Beth J discusses an unexpected health challenge she faced during election week, and the way that chronic illness continues to shift her perspective and re-focus her energy on the things that she can personally manage and control. For better or for worse, this disease flare has served to distract her from global issues, and the Beths discuss the implications and outcomes of this distraction. As always, both Beths explore these challenges and encourage each other in their explorations. 

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work at Elizabeth Jeffries Writes, including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. Beth Z is launching an 8-week group coaching program beginning February 2, 2021 that aims to key you into intuition, curiosity, and adaptability that will carry you ease-fully through any goal you choose to approach. Perfect timing as 90% of New Year's resolutions are abandoned in February!! Register at theheartwantsadventure.com/adventureworks. Podcast listeners can use promo code WIW for 30% off (use by midnight MST on January 31).

Recording Date: November 12, 2020

Location(s): Beth Z is on a golf course trail in Phoenix, AZ | Beth J is on a neighborhood walk in Brighton Heights, PA

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Welcome to Season 2 of Walking in the Wilderness! This week, the Beths are hiking in two separate locations: Beth J is in Riverview Park in Pittsburgh, PA and Beth Z is in Washington Park in Denver, CO. Beth Z is officially traveling the country in her newly renovated tiny home, and she's adjusting to the new stresses and pressures of life on the road. Despite the challenges, she's grateful to have had the chance to make the decision to pursue this lifestyle, and build the life that she's chosen. For her, it all boils down to living life with intention: choosing the lifestyle that she wants and accepting the particular challenges that may come along with that. Beth J shares a story from her years in graduate school, when she came to a more full understanding of the power of her own agency. When Beth J was working toward her PhD, a key aspect of her motivation was her knowledge that she could quit at any time. It was through making the conscious choice to exercise her own agency that she discovered her own desire to continue this work, and ultimately graduated with a rich sense of satisfaction and confidence in her own abilities. Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. Location: Riverview Park, Pittsburgh, PA and Washington Park, Denver, CO Record date: October 21, 2020

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Join Beth Z and Beth J for a hike in the woods north of Pittsburgh, PA! Beth J is excited to share about the role that writing plays in her life, as a creative form of play in her fiction story writing or as a form of self-exploration and exposition in her personal essays, including her memoir Through the Kaleidoscope. Beth Z is days away from setting out on a cross-country adventure in a truck that she and her husband remodeled and turned into their very own tiny mobile home. This is the beginning of a new phase of her journey in minimalist snow-bird living, and she is feeling, amidst her excitement and eagerness, the discomfort of uncertainty. Together, the two Beths explore what it feels like to settle into uncertainty and take worthwhile, deliberate risks. Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. Location: North Park, Pittsburgh, PA Record date: September 16, 2020 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support

Beth Z and Beth J just participated in a cacao ceremony moments before this conversation. They take a neighborhood walk to unpack their experience together. They both felt strong emotions bubbling up during the ceremony, and those emotions were coupled with the physiological impacts of the cacao and the breathwork that the facilitator guided them through. They explore the mental images that arose for them and the deep realizations they experienced -- for Beth J, it was an awakening to beauty and wonder in the natural world and for Beth Z, it was an awakening to her own power and individuality.  Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. Location: Brighton Heights Neighborhood, Pittsburgh, PA Recording Date: September 12, 2020 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support

Join Beth J and Beth Z this week for a hike in the woods north of Pittsburgh, PA! This morning, Beth J read something on instagram and it got her thinking. She read a post about a "life mission," and she questions whether that is a meaningful concept for her. Instead, she asks, how can we value our life experience over our life mission? Beth Z shares some of the wisdom she has gleaned from Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass and explores the lessons we can learn from the natural world -- specifically, plants. She asks what nature teaches us about gratitude, and how we can all adopt a grateful mindset.  Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. Location: North Park, Pittsburgh, PA Record Date: August 27, 2020 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support

Beth Z can think of no better setting to discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" than on an 18-mile hike through a forest in Pennsylvania. She shares her curiosity about the language we use to refer to nature; specifically, what if we begin to refer to plants and animals as "somones" instead of "somethings?" The Beths explore how this language adjustment might change their relationship with nature, inspiring a deeper sense of wonder and respect for our environments. Could this be the start of redefining our surroundings, transforming our relationship with our environments and waking us up to the beauty around us? Beth J continues the discussion of language by discussing one of her favorite things about biology: the fact that there is no working definition for life. The fact that biology is a discipline with no definition of its subject is the focus of an entire chapter of her book, Through the Kaleidoscope, and the conversation in this episode is just a preview of the content of this chapter. Biology shows how it's possible to study something that is wildly mysterious and impossible to pin down -- and in fact, when we study mysterious things, we can be sure that our work is worthwhile and novel. 

Read Robin Wall Kimmerer's brilliant book Braiding Sweetgrass to dive even deeper into a sense of natural wonder. Please note the spelling of her name, and that the Beths mispronounce her name throughout the episode, a mistake they blame on the loopiness that comes along with an 18-mile hike.

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder.

Location: Rachel Carson Trail, Pittsburgh, PA

Record Date: August 22, 2020

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The Beths discuss a current buzzword: "wellness." Beth J shares about her recent chronic illness diagnosis, recounting the ways her body has demanded that she pay attention to her new and changing needs. Over the past year, she found herself in pain she had never before experienced, requiring hospitalization for the first time in her life, and ultimately receiving a diagnosis of Crohn's Disease. Through this journey, Beth J learned to honor her body's limitations and to more deeply treasure the strength and physical abilities that she does have in the present moment. Beth Z shares about her exploration of biohacking, the practice of making small, evidence-based lifestyle changes based on her own body's specific responses to behavioral factors. Through experimenting with her habits surrounding diet, sleep and exercise and observing her responses to stimuli, Beth Z has gathered valuable information about how to honor and care for her body. She discusses the ways that caring for her physical health relates to her mental, emotional, spiritual and psychological health. Wellness, both Beths agree, goes far beyond physical appearance; wellness, when honestly pursued, permeates every aspect of the human experience. 

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder.

Location: Rachel Carson Trail, Pittsburgh, PA

Record Date: August 22, 2020

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support

Beth Z has a lot to share with Beth J about her recent journey in the wilderness. Beth Z spent three days fasting alone in the woods, spending her time with trees, spiders and plants, and the forest taught her precious truths about herself and her place in her world. Beth J shares some observations she's made about her own emotions, and together they explore what it means to be emotionally honest. They ask each other how they can go about about sitting with what is, allowing the present moment to unfold, and taking part in the natural ebbs and flows of their emotional lives. The Beths explore what it means to have healthy emotional expression and how to avoid resisting emotions. They begin to move away from labeling emotions "good" or "bad" and instead explore what it means to allow emotional states to arise naturally while maintaining stability. 

Walking in the Wilderness is a series of conversations between two friends and creatives as they explore nature, spirituality and science. Beth Z mentions Soulcraft by Bill Plotkin in this episode, a resource for you to learn more about his version of vision questing. 

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder. 

Location: North Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Record Date: August 19, 2020

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support

Welcome to Walking in the Wilderness, a series of conversations between two friends and creatives as they explore nature, spirituality and science. In this episode, Bethany Zabiegalski and Elizabeth Jeffries (Beth Z & Beth J) introduce the theme of this podcast: exploration and experimentation. The two Beths invite you to listen in and to share in their journey as they share their own journeys with each other. 

Music by DiLisio: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0i4edphpvkUBeal0xPfTtk

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walking-in-the-wilderness/support