Your Collective - Mind, Body & Spiritual Balance
Your Collective is a space where we explore the ways in which we can calm and quiet the mind, so that we can tune into and listen to our bodies and ultimately listen to the whisper of what our soul desires. How do we connect the trifecta so that they can work together in harmony and unity?
Your Collective - Mind, Body & Spiritual Balance
The Intertwined Paths of Physical Health and Spiritual Fulfillment
Ever felt trapped in a cycle of negative self-talk or struggled to find your true calling? Step inside my intimate conversation with Hailey Sutherland, a small-town girl who conquered diverse life challenges to emerge as a beacon of self-love and authenticity. Through hairstyling, film, and even the military, Hailey has crafted a life that fully embraces the spiritual and healing arts. She brings to the table lessons from her ventures into yoga, Reiki, and meditation, and shares how her podcast opens doors to empathy by unfolding the power of personal narratives.
Together, we peel back the layers of spirituality and intuition, as I recount my own moments of profound insight gained from ancestral connections and the mindful use of plant medicine like psilocybin. I illuminate how our physical responses can serve as compasses guiding us towards healing and inner peace. Our discussion weaves through the importance of integrating spiritual practices into our daily grind, revealing that the journey toward greater self-awareness need not be a solitary one.
We round off our heart-to-heart by exploring the delicate balance between physical health and spiritual well-being, and how they intertwine in the pursuit of holistic self-care. Insights on grappling with body image, chronic fatigue, and the weight of ancestral trauma shed light on how we can nurture our personal growth. By sharing our stories of reclaiming our narratives and finding healing in authenticity, this episode stands as an invitation to listeners: to recognize their worth, honor their bodies, and courageously show up as their most genuine selves.
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you may be. My name Sherisse Alexander , your host of Your Collective. On today's episode, I'll be joined by my Hailey, Sutherland, the host and creator of Your Body, Your Story, and what we're talking about and examining is some of the ways that we can navigate the perhaps negative experiences and stories that shape our experience as it pertains to loving ourselves, and how do we shift that and move into a place and space of authenticity and loving ourselves thoroughly. So, without further delay, let's dive in. Thank you so much, Hailey, for joining me here today on your collective. It is such a pleasure and an honor to actually have you join us. Why don't we start off by you telling me a little bit about who you are, what you do and, of course, a little bit about your podcast and how it came to be?
Hailey Sutherland:Yes, I mean, I was born and raised in Alberta. Small town girl, never fit into a small town. I always had dreams and a mindset and ideas bigger than what was around me and not to like, I guess, be egotistical about it but I just never felt like I fit in in the space that I was in, always dreamed of, like moving to the city. I always wanted to be in film, I wanted to act, I wanted to do makeup and hair and all those things. So, um, yeah, out of school I became a hairstylist and worked in some salons, got involved in the film industry in Alberta, mostly in Edmonton. Um, yeah, and then decided that salons wasn't really a place for me. I didn't really want to work for somebody when I had all these amazing ideas. So I went off on my own, started a mobile hair business, and then, um, I actually joined the military for a short period of time too. And um, yeah, then I found my partner and I moved and decided let's start over, let's stop everything I've always been doing and let's just see where this path takes me. And and I moved and decided let's start over, let's stop everything I've always been doing and let's just see where this path takes me. And so I moved and, um, yeah, now I run a hot tub company with my partner, but, um, I'm also building my own I guess, like personal brand or personal like self of you know business. I started taking some like yoga training, such as one called goddess yoga which is brand new into Canada. Um, and I yeah, I don't know if there's a lot of stuff in that range and I took Reiki training and, um, I'm taking a meditation course right now. I want to do breath work. I want to go more into this kind of spiritual, what some people might call woo-woo side, but that has always been me, which is why I didn't fit into the small town. But that's kind of where I want to go to is just to help heal myself, people, maybe steer people in a direction or help guide people to their own healing, and that's kind of where I'm at now, which is also where I kind of started my podcast was.
Hailey Sutherland:I was in school Originally. I wanted to go to school for women's health and found it, because I moved to Red Deer and found that the school here, the Red Deer Polytechnic, does not offer a women's health course, and so I just kind of like searched through their options of like what, what do you have, what can I take, if there's anything? And if not, then that's fine. And then I saw one that was like gender and sexuality and was kind of reading the classes I could take and that just that felt right for some reason. So I went to school for a specialization in gender and sexuality more of an open studies.
Hailey Sutherland:It was a diploma program and, yeah, found that it was changing my mindset around some of the ways I was approaching gender and sexuality and especially the way that I was, um, I guess the beliefs I had or the narratives I had about the LGBTQ community and so, with lots of open conversation with people and being curious and also open to change my beliefs and hear someone else's story, it kind of spurred the idea that I want to share more of people's stories, because I'd be in school and we'd be having these amazing open conversations. People wouldn't be getting triggered, people wouldn't be getting like super defensive and stuff, and it was just really great conversation where we'd, you know, we'd have like, someone who was a trans man sharing their experience and sharing what it's like being a trans person and you know people who are changing their pronouns and stuff, and you know learning what that meant to them and hearing their passion and also hearing and seeing their pain that they've had to go through and then going out into like the real world and using quotations and you know hearing people being like, you know, screw pronouns or whatever, like what's wrong with your natural body and being like, oh, there's such a huge disconnect from like this space that I'm in at school and like a lot of people, and so it was just one day. It was like I want to have a podcast where people are just sharing their stories from all areas. So it's not just LGBTQ, that's right. Lgbtq it's, um, anybody and everybody sharing their story, sharing their pain, sharing the things that they've gone through, sharing the things that they're proud of and trying to, I guess, kind of show that we all have our own story but we are all connected and we all can resonate with one another in one way or another.
Hailey Sutherland:And if you can't necessarily resonate, at least maybe you can have some compassion and empathy for something that somebody else has gone through.
Hailey Sutherland:And even if someone's experience is totally different than yours, I still find that like I can still relate in one way or another, with, maybe an emotion. You know you felt sad because of this. Well, I felt sad before. Even though it's not the same experience, we can all resonate with the feelings and pain and discomfort and pride and joy and happiness. So I think it was just kind of the idea that, like, I want there to be less of a gap between the misunderstandings and the, I guess, assumptions made about people that you don't know and then the people and their story and what they've had to go through. I kind of wanted to like create some kind of bridge if I possibly could which I don't know if it'll ever happen that way, but that was kind of the goal was like, if you are willing to openly share about your story, there's somebody else out there who can resonate and maybe is going through the same thing or has that you can then kind of create community or at least not feel like you're alone.
Sherisse Alexander:You know, I think that's honestly where it actually begins. You know, we all resonate with stories and and that's really what connects us all, and thank you for creating a platform or a forum for people to share their story, their journey platform or a forum for people to share their story, their journey and, uh, maybe, and as you said, if even one person gets value out of it because they hear a story that sounds like their own and you know, more often than not, I think it really boils down to having hope. When you hear somebody that goes through the storm, um, of all these realizations, of whatever they're going through, and they get through on the other side and they can say to whoever's listening to that story like, don't worry, like keep going. Like we know it's the icky middle, it's always messy in the middle, but if you keep walking, one step at a time, you will get through it and you will be okay on the other side. So thank you for providing that, that forum for that.
Sherisse Alexander:I just want to circle back to something that you had said about spirituality. I think when you and I both met, we were kindred spirits and I probably didn't realize it at that point in time that you were also at the beginning of your journey and you know, those who know me know that I am like your verifiable crystal girl. I mean, I like, I like patchouli and essential oils and crystals and all the woo. Give me all the woo. But do you mind just talking a little bit about what that journey has been like and even how you might even use it today in guiding you in, like even the decision to yes, go ahead and take this particular course, or even start your podcast, like how are you using, you know, your spirituality to kind of guide you now, as opposed to just like ad hoc, which I think a lot of us are or maybe at one point in time we're doing?
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, it's funny, I on a regular basis tell myself that like I need to tap in more, like I need to be more in tune, tap in, be listening more, be more aware, and then, at the same time, it's like but like, how much more can you keep going?
Hailey Sutherland:Sometimes, right, like sometimes you're just going about your day and it's like it's so easy to think that you're not doing enough. And so, as you said that I was like actually I wish that I did that more, I wish that I was listening to myself more and, you know, being more in tune with my instincts and stuff like that. But, um, that I've always kind of been in that space and I struggle because I feel like I saw like family members that had passed and things like that when I was a kid. Like I swear I remember seeing beings in my house and I got so terrified and that is something that it just I think that fear has taken over and that's just cut off. Like that's nope, that's too scary. So that's kind of like always been something that's kind of been there. Like what is that?
Sherisse Alexander:You can turn that back on right.
Hailey Sutherland:But I think, oh yeah, and I've been working on it. I've been working on it. It's hard to get rid of that fear. Sometimes I don't want to see.
Sherisse Alexander:Takes over.
Hailey Sutherland:I know, I know, yeah, I've been working on that, but I think what really spurred it a lot was actually in high school. I was in our salon program, so I was learning to cut and color hair in high school and my salon teacher invited in one of my friend's parents and she said we're going to do a Reiki afternoon, so we're not going to do salon stuff, we're going to come in and this is about, like mental health. This is about taking care of yourself and making sure that you know, while you're doing your work day, that you can still, you know, have ways to heal and release and work through any blockage, especially as a hairstylist who are in people's energy, like literally in their energy.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, yeah, totally, totally, and at that time I didn't know what Reiki was and she was our Reiki master and she came in and she was like talking to us about energy and showing us like our different work fields and talking about the different meridians and chakras and like all these different things.
Hailey Sutherland:That was like that was new language to me, but it like the second she started talking, it was like this like moment of like oh my gosh, this, this is, this is me, this makes sense, this is like knowledge that I knew, like it's just you have that resonance, it's just you just know it. Yeah, and it was like since then, it was like I need to know more, I need to dive into this more, and so I did, did, and so I started kind of learning from her a little bit. I went to some of her drumming circles and started doing like meditation and, um, like guided journeying and drumming circles and stuff, and was like diving in deep and easily, like just going on these journeys, yeah, yeah, and going to these crazy, crazy places and like just yeah, it all it all just felt normal.
Hailey Sutherland:It felt natural, you know, and so it just that kind of spurred all of that. And then it's just been kind of like continuing along with healing the trauma, understanding what my different kind of wounds are and different stories around it, and then you know, really learning what like the intuition is, really learning to listen to the gut instincts, starting to connect with you, know ancestors and kind of understanding ancestral lines and different you know animal healing and plant healing and like all those types of things. And it's brought me to, yeah, and it's brought me to different types of plant medicine. So I I mean, I speak pretty openly about this I do psilocybin every once in a while and I let myself go on a journey and I let myself heal, I let myself go into trauma and I use plant medicine such as psilocybin to help take down the barriers and guide me in a way. That's, yeah, taking almost myself and my ego out of it a little bit.
Hailey Sutherland:And meditation and yoga and yeah, there's been points in my life where I was probably at my lowest and I would meditate for an hour a day and I would just let myself be in the crap. And I think all of that still continues to guide me all the time, like I don't make a decision without stopping. I mean, like, how does that feel in my body? Like and I think I've always done that it's never been like a logical, like well, with this science or this thing, like I'm not super analytical in that way, but it's more like someone asked me what I want to do and I think about it and I'll like say I want to do this and then I'll see how it feels in my body. If it's like, oh, that doesn't feel right, okay, we're going to do this one instead. And, um, that's just how I do things. Everything's with kind of instinct, it's with my gut.
Sherisse Alexander:So actually, if you think about it, um, that, that is, if really using it in your day to day I've never been one of those people. I'm very. For the longest time, anyways, I was very, very masculine energy, Very, I got to think it through, I got to plan it, I got to, I got to like really lay it out. And it's only recently and this is how I have begun, because, you know, we talk about loving our body and I love my body, or at least the old me loved my body partially. I loved my body when she was skinny, I loved my body when she was whatever, and it's really only in, I would say, the last six months that I have shifted my perspective to love my body in a different way. So, of course I loved my body for the four babies that she gave me. Of course I love my body because she's healthy, but there was still that resistance and I think when it shifted for me is when I realized that my body is actually speaking to me all the time. She is talking to me all the time If I can quiet down everything else that's going on around me and listen to what she is saying, and so that technique that you're talking about is absolutely something that I do now, where it's like, okay, how does that feel? Do I feel it in my heart center? Do I feel it in my gut? Is it making what? What is this feeling that it's giving me, and is that a good thing or a bad thing? Right, so my biggest challenge is is that I'm a brain, I'm like I'm a real mental dweller and I'm really trying to learn how to connect the three of those things. So that's how I've managed to shift the perspective on how to genuinely love and appreciate my body Aside from the obvious things, like I said, in terms of health and kids and stuff like that but because it's a tool and it's a guide if we learn how to read the language of our body.
Sherisse Alexander:But there was something else that you were saying about utilizing spirituality and all the different paths and realizing and understanding that you kind of got to peel back the layers of the trauma in order to like elevate and tell me if this resonates with you. So you're, you're trucking along and, let's say, you just finished your Reiki course and you can feel the energy. You can feel it vibing in your feet and your hands, like literally all around you, but then you might hit a wall and actually not might. You will hit a wall and you're like I know for me I also took a Reiki course during COVID and I was like, oh my gosh, I broke a knee, I don't feel it anymore, Right.
Sherisse Alexander:And I think I finally realized like, no, you haven't hit a wall, it's just it's time to peel back another layer. So can you talk a little bit about that understanding and realization that like it's, it's so progressive, it's like you got to and I know that learning is like that but it really is so grossly progressive in a spiritual sense because it's not linear and it's. There's lots of rewarding moments, but there's also lots of extremely frustrating moments because it doesn't make logical sense at all and, if anything, it makes zero logical sense. Do you want to share a little bit about that journey and how you navigated that?
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, I am right now in a time of discomfort.
Hailey Sutherland:Right now, I'm in a transition. I am in where there's a new layer being peeled back, so I've been honestly struggling to do anything. It's feels like that's just what it feels, like. It's probably not actually true from the outside, but from how I feel on the inside, like doing my podcast has been hard, wanting to, I mean, meditation has been one thing, but like doing the things that I was doing feels really, really hard right now and I've literally feel like I've been like walking into a wall over and over and over and then wondering why the wall's not moving. And that's where I've been right now. So, like I am, I'm in that right now, um, and honestly, a huge for me. What I feel stops me is, every single time, it's myself, and I think that's the case for a lot of people, and it's it's and it's also a a struggle that I have a feeling grounded in our society that we've created and the science and the you know the logical things, while also trying really hard to believe that the spiritual stuff is real.
Sherisse Alexander:If that makes sense, I think, if we ask for it it shows us signs on a daily basis, and I think that's the habit. Yeah, and it does.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, and I guess that's where, when it comes to myself and like me doing Reiki, and the same thing where, like you're, like I don't feel it anymore and it's those feelings that I it's hard to trust and surrender which, literally the other day I wrote surrender on my hand and I would like surrender tattooed on me, because that's a word I've been using over and over and over and over is like trust and surrender.
Hailey Sutherland:Because you know, when you come up to those moments where you are doubting or like you know, this happens sometimes for me where I'm in a setting with people who don't believe in that stuff and it feels like it knocks you down a notch, a little bit, but then you know you have like it's rebuilding that and it's having that, it's the faith, it's the trust, it's the render, that that is there and you know it and that you know you feel these things and you know you have this intuition and like it's been a process of that of like the in and out, of like being deep into my spiritual side and then being back into. I don't, I don't even know what to call it.
Hailey Sutherland:I don't even want to call it the real world, because that's not what it is, but you know the opposite, I guess, of that in the realm of relativity. That's where we are. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and you know it's. I do struggle with that a little bit, with being like you're never, always going to be in one place or the other, as much as I want to just be in the spiritual world and just stay there, but that's not the society that we're in and that's not how we live like this.
Sherisse Alexander:I think it's part of the experience, though, and that's the whole point, and I think it depends on the perspective that you're coming at it from. When I say that, it really depends on the perspective that you're coming at it from in terms of like your faith and your spirituality. I think, because you talked about the challenge in terms of like believing something you can't see. You can't see it.
Sherisse Alexander:And I remember when I started on this journey, I would say to a friend I'm like I just I want God to talk to me in this way that, like there's these bells and these whistles and these signs that say like go this way, and all this other kind of stuff.
Sherisse Alexander:And I realized, like what I was looking for back there actually does happen. It's that you have to A raise your vibration, because the vibration of the divine realm is like not down here, it's like way up here. So that's why you need the high vibe feelings, so that you can actually see and hear the signs, but those things. And so that's what I said to him like well, you just got to ask, cause I always find that on the days when I feel like I really need something, I can put it in my journal, I can ask like show me, give me a sign, something, and I will see it like in an hour it will answer my question. So I think that's the only point that I wanted to make you know for anybody who is having a faith crisis and doesn't feel like the divine is listening. The divine is talking to us all the time, to every single one of us.
Sherisse Alexander:It's whether or not, a our vibe is high enough and, b are we open to what the divine is actually telling us, because sometimes it's things we don't want to hear Totally.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, are you listening? Yeah, totally. And that I find in the times when I'm feeling most disconnected, the first thing I typically do is like go into my little meditation room and I just sit there and sometimes I have a nap and sometimes it's like a meditation and you know it just depends. But yeah, if you are open to it and paying attention, you know you get numbers of signs. You'll meet somebody. You know you'll ask like this just happened to my good friend. Actually, she was like I think I want to start like sharing my salon space with somebody. She just has like a studio salon. It's just one chair and it's just perfect for one person. And she's like I think I'm only here like half the time. I'm making more than enough for myself. I'm happy with it, but I'm happy to share this with somebody. And next thing she knew someone contacted her and was like hey, would you be open to sharing your salon? Because where?
Sherisse Alexander:I'm at, I'm not happy, and she was like hello.
Sherisse Alexander:And I'm not happy, and she was like hello, and that's how easily it happens, and if you're ready for it, it'll show up Exactly, and it can be so, so easy, absolutely. And I think that the other part of this is that we have to understand, and this was a tricky one for me to learn. It's easy to have gratitude for the things that feel good, but how do we recognize and still equally have gratitude for the things that we don't enjoy? But there's something juicy in there as well, because there have been days when I'm journaling, I'm bawling all over my journal and I'm in it.
Sherisse Alexander:Like you, I am also in a spiritual storm at this exact moment in time. Of course, it always feels like it right, and, um, you know, some days are amazing, some days are fabulous, and today's one of those days. And then some days it's like I just feel, like not, I just feel like being in my feels, and so those are the days that I will write like just give me a little something that can give me that little pickup for you. How do you feel that you are different from a year ago at this moment in time, spiritually, physically, emotionally, like all the ways. But I'm curious, mostly like in terms of your spiritual evolution.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, right, that's interesting. Um, at this moment in time, I've been putting a huge, huge focus on my physical health. Um, because I think that will feed into my spiritual side. For as long as I can remember, have had like chronic fatigue. So, no matter how much sleep I get, no matter how yeah, no matter how rested I am, how good I've been eating, it's like almost always my eyelids are so heavy and I could go to sleep at any time and it's a struggle. Like every blink is heavy eyes and I've had that for as long as I can remember. So right now I've been putting this huge focus on super clean eating. I've been going to the gym really regularly and like trying to really figure out like I've been getting better sleep, tracking my sleep and seeing what's working, what's not not eating after a certain time I've been cutting out sugar and trying to cut a sugar addiction. So my focus right now has been very focused on physical, which is where a lot of the other stuff has been taking a back burner, because I've been so focused on this that I don't feel like I even have energy for anything else. But when it comes to the spiritual side of that, um, oh yeah, okay, I was like there it is. Um, I have been way more connected to different like guides, ancestors, lineages, star seed, family, that kind of thing that I have or happen, and that's been a journey I've been kind of diving into pretty deeply for the last year.
Hailey Sutherland:Um, I've had my first like a Kashuk record reading last year and this lady, she's amazing, she's in her name's Lisa, um, it was. It was one of those coincidence quotations things where I had contacted her before this festival saying I want this reading and it got lost in the ether of the internet and the form didn't go through. She didn't get it, and so I was like, whatever, she didn't reply to me. It's fine, I'll see her at the festival and I'll see if there's a space. And so I go to her booth and I'm like, looking at her book that she has like a wait list, and I'm like, okay, that's interesting.
Hailey Sutherland:So there's a wait list, I don't know if I'd get it. And literally as I looked up and turned, she was walking towards me and she's like, oh hey, how are you? I've never met her before. And so we're just kind of introducing and she looks at the tattoo on my head and she goes, oh my gosh. And she says like this is this type of people from this long ago in this lineage, and that's what your tattoo is. And I was like, what are you talking about? I've never heard of this. I don't know what this is.
Hailey Sutherland:And I was like, yeah, and I was like I kind of told her the whole thing and I was like I did try to reach out beforehand and it just didn't work out. But you know, I didn't know if you had time or not. And she was like I, literally like five minutes ago, had someone cancel and she said I was just going to leave that spot open, I wasn't going to fill it, I was just going to take an hour break and go get like food or something or like have an hour to myself. And she was like, but I think that's your spot, like that, that spots for you. And that was just one of those moments.
Hailey Sutherland:And so having that reading with her and she kind of connected me to some things that now, as I've been diving into more, it's like finding a piece of myself that I didn't know I was missing and just gaining more knowledge about myself and kind of like where I've come from and where my soul has come from and the different lines and lineages and lifetimes. That it's kind of lived and that's kind of what I've been diving into and I think that has given me a lot of strength that I didn't have before or that I didn't know that I had or wasn't connected to at that time. So that's kind of where my mind went when you asked me. That is like there's some new lines and kind of guides that are with me now that are trying to guide me and show me my past. That has been giving me some new knowledge and strength.
Hailey Sutherland:That's really exciting and kind of terrifying and of course, with that new knowledge, it means you have to show up more.
Sherisse Alexander:So, yeah, that's definitely. I think the challenge is the change in how you show up, not the challenge. Sorry, it's for me. Anyways, that's been one of the biggest changes for me is how I show up. Um, and it's been interesting because do you feel sometimes like actually I know you do because you said it right Like you're just doing? You're doing all these things, right, you're meditating, breath work, yoga right, you're meditating, breath work, chakra cleansing, reiki, like I tell people I'm like I could literally spend four hours a day on self-care. I could easily.
Hailey Sutherland:Oh, I could do all day long. Oh, my gosh.
Sherisse Alexander:Like I had said to Dawn Taylor, actually at one point, I'm like my morning routine is ridiculous right now because it's like I spend hours on it, hours, and never get bored of like doing stuff for myself. And for those of you who might not understand what I'm talking about, I'm not okay. Yes, I like petties and manis and massages and things like that, but I'm talking about, you know that stuff that keeps you so grounded and so centered. You know that stuff that keeps you so grounded and so centered. You know, some people just call it prayer.
Sherisse Alexander:Yes, that's part of it, but for me it's like yoga, breath work, meditation, journaling, like those things are like foundational and fundamental to my mental health, and every single time I move away from it, every time I become very chaotic and it's almost like I can't connect with the divine at all if I'm not keeping myself centered. And that doesn't mean I do all of those things every single day, but it means that I have such a routine that is paramount and tantamount to like making sure that that connection is always there. So I was curious that for you. You know cause this is. You know, my thought with having this conversation with you today was really around self-care, of loving our bodies, like you know, talking and dealing with a little bit of trauma and things like that. But how did you put together your self-care routine and what does it look like today?
Hailey Sutherland:Self-care, self-care and even your morning routine.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, I mean, right now it's like every day we're going to the gym first thing in the morning, we're there like 6am kind of thing, and that's's been my focus and that has been feeding into the self-care. For, honestly, since I was probably like seven, I have struggled with my body, my body image, my thoughts about my body, and I would say I've always been somewhat on the heavier side, overweight, I mean. I have a more larger build, I guess, and my whole family is like this. And it's always been like a moment of like some shame, embarrassment, not loving my body and having negative self-talk, and that for quite a long time. And my weight has always gone up and down and up and down and up and down all the time and it's just based on different focuses and not having good habits and so, with trying to also figure out chronic fatigue, and going to the gym now has been a huge focus and that's become part of my self-care, is going to the gym and it's no longer. I used to go to the gym because I wanted to lose weight, to learn to love myself, and now I'm go to the gym because I wanted to lose weight, to learn to love myself, and now I'm going to the gym because I already do and because I want to help this machine work better, and that's been kind of a cool shift that way.
Hailey Sutherland:Um, and so then my routine is a lot of that. And then like getting home, and okay, what do I need? Do I need to eat something? Do I need to go have some time by myself? Um, part of my honestly this is a huge thing, that's been part of my kind of routine for a long time is like what do I want to wear today to show up how I feel, or like show up how I can feel my best. So it's like making sure that the clothes I'm putting on is going to one help me feel sexy. I'm going to feel comfortable, because comfort is so important to me and it's going to make me feel like my best version of myself. So part of my self-care is literally just what clothes am I putting on today? That's going to make me feel my best? Going to make me feel my best, um, yeah. And then do I need to go meditate? Do I need to go outside? Do I need to go for a walk, Even after I've been to the gym? Like what do I kind of need. Usually it's fairly similar every day because the gym takes up a good amount of our time. But, um, yeah, it feels really good to be fueling my body in a way that I never have and been healing the relationship that I have.
Hailey Sutherland:I've always used food as a crutch and as a um um coping mechanism for different emotions and trauma and stuff, and it's another family pattern that I see, with all my families using food as as, yeah, a way to help numb emotions. So that has been probably the main catalyst for this is okay, let's not turn to sugar, let's not turn to chips. I've always said that I wanted something crunchy. Especially if I have a stressful day, I always want something crunchy to chew on because I have I always hold tension in my jaw like things like that that this healing the physical is healing a lot of emotional. It's starting to heal some trauma. It's helping me be more connected to myself. It's helping me be more connected with a lot of different areas in my life.
Hailey Sutherland:Um, and I've just been feeling more awake, which is really really cool, like I have rarely in my life felt awake, like I barely know what that feels like. I only know what it feels like to be super sleep deprived Cause that's what I've always felt like is just as if I've been awake for 24 hours all the time. So this kind of healing stuff has been really, really cool. So my routine is mostly like what is my body needing? What do I need to feel awake? Do I need a nap? Do I need to, like, go back to bed after I've been to the gym? Like sometimes I've been doing that Like what do you need to really really get to this physical feeling of being awake and alive? And that's just been helping everything else feel better.
Sherisse Alexander:That speaks to something really important that you know, I've tried to do as well, which is um cause, you know, if you think about it, we can be really regimented in how we approach these things. Right, like in terms of okay, I got to go to the gym for like an hour and a half and then I got to do this. I'm going to do like and I have lived my life, okay.
Hailey Sutherland:I live my life by a calendar a lot.
Sherisse Alexander:I won't pretend like I don't I still presently do but when it comes to self-care, I because, like I said, the list was ridiculously long, because I was like I got to do all these things every day and so I was like, no, my self-care morning routine cannot take four hours at this time in my life. Maybe one day, but not yet. So I just started doing exactly what you're saying, which is just tuning in. Okay, body, what do you need today? What do you need in this moment to like set it off? Like so this morning, for example, I started with yoga, but I wasn't vibing with yoga, so I just did a couple of yin things and I'm like I really feel like I need a dance session. So I turned on the music and I'm dancing around my office and it was great because then I was vibing really high because, you know, my son Jackson had told me once and I didn't know this but that music is like one of those instant connectors to memories and so all the songs that I was like jamming out in my office too was like taking me way back, like you know, to good times and stuff. So I totally hear you on, like just asking yourself what you need in that moment, Because figuring it out can take some time, right, like that whole self-care piece.
Sherisse Alexander:It can take some time and it's really whatever you feel like. You need to just keep you very grounded and centered for your day, like, no matter what comes, what rolls your way, you're just you're. It's going to be like water off a duck's back. In the past, you've spoken a little bit about how you've had some negative ideas and you know about yourself and and even physically, and you know, even talking about how to enjoy your own sexuality and your, your sexiness, right, your inner goddess. Are you able to share about the journey of like getting to and I don't know that the journey ever ends, I think that it's always you peel back another layer, another layer, you heal another piece and you keep moving. Do you want to? Are you able to share a little bit about how you uncovered those pieces?
Hailey Sutherland:You know what's interesting? I honestly remember at a very, very young age, like I don't know, five years old, feeling sexy and having that identification of sexy. Same how I feel now, when I have a day that I'm like heck, yeah, I feel really really good, I'm like in my goddess energy and I'm feeling really good. I remember feeling sexy at a young age, um, and there was a certain point where I turned that off and that was kind of based off of being told that's inappropriate at that age. You know like, and it was things like I used to like to wear. Like when I was little, I used to like to wear my shirts higher, I'd let my shirts come up and it was like I would kind of get made fun of for that and it would always be kind of like a like pull your shirt down or like pull your pants up or pull, do something to kind of cover yourself. And that then became an association with like my body is not okay to show and my, how I'm feeling is not okay, like having that feeling of wearing my clothes. Like that I felt sexy in that way. And then it was like shut down. It was like okay, sexy is bad, and that was associated together.
Hailey Sutherland:So, um, I've definitely gone through many phases where, like, I don't even know if sexy existed at that time. You know where it was, just like I was wearing like sweatpants and baggy t-shirts for quite a few years and then it was like that kind of tapped back in again. Of course, that was also through puberty, when it was like, okay, now we have more hormones and stuff, um. But yeah, I have always kind of dressed how I'm feeling and that's always been a huge um, I guess shifter in my mood is, if I'm dressing the way that I feel sexy maybe I wasn't feeling that way before I got dressed I'm gonna feel like where I always felt that there was something icky, that there was something wrong, that there was something that should not happen.
Hailey Sutherland:Yeah, that was just not okay with my body and that was from like trauma and stuff like that and being sexually abused and then having young boys through elementary school and middle school and high school who would touch me without consent and I would freeze and I would never stand up for myself. I can't think of one time that I ever stood up for myself after a male touched me inappropriately, and so that also associated many things with. You know that my body is not mine and that it's for other people to take advantage of. So that's where there's kind of been a disconnect in that, like feeling sexy and feeling into my body is trying to heal that. Trying to heal that.
Sherisse Alexander:Why is it?
Sherisse Alexander:Do you think that you know, when we sometimes women, some women, myself included in that category you know, when we are faced with a sexually uncomfortable situation, that we just freeze and we don't like it is my body right, like it's my space, it's my, it belongs to me. So when somebody is violating that space, why do you think that you know, when you you say that you have this freeze moment and I can only think of a couple of times where it's just been like I'm in an extremely uncomfortable situation and I can't even find the words to express to this person that I am extremely uncomfortable with You're, you're literally in, like you're just too close, like back up, and you're I don't like it. So why do you think? Cause I know there are some women that are like no, I'll clock them, kind of thing, right, cause he's in my space. But I think that if I know there are some women that are like no, I'll clock them, kind of thing, right, cause he's in my space.
Sherisse Alexander:But I think that if I think, if we're honest, I think that there's maybe lots of women who are have found themselves in that extremely uncomfortable, awkward position and they don't know what to say, and then we start to talk ourselves out of like well, I'm being unreasonable, I'm being the I'm like, but no, like you're feeling. I say to people all the time your feelings are a guide and they're there for a reason. So if you're feeling uncomfortable, why can't we vocalize that?
Hailey Sutherland:Right, yeah, and that's something I think about and ponder on a regular basis, because I ask myself all the time, like, why am I not speaking up in a situation where I'm not feeling comfortable or where I'm not speaking my truth because you did something that upset me or something? And you know, and also from different classes, podcasts, things like that, you get all these kind of different opinions and I think in some ways it sometimes comes from your parental figures. You know, what did they show you is the way to approach those situations. I think is one part of it. You is the way to approach those situations. I think is one part of it.
Hailey Sutherland:I think sometimes another part is, you know, if you had times when you were younger when you did speak up for yourself and it was returned with anger or returned with some kind of consequence because you spoke your truth, then that becomes unsafe to do so. Good point I struggle with you know. I would much rather me deal with my own discomfort than make it a whole situation, and it's like I would rather myself be in pain and rather myself be traumatized than feel the discomfort of that situation and speaking to that person. And so that's where I there's multiple things of that that I think can sometimes be all of it. Right that you know. You've had all of those things happen where you know speaking your truth just becomes unsafe sometimes. Or you haven't had the space to speak your truth, you don't even know how. Or, like I said, like a parental figure, like if you had a parent that never spoke up for themselves and you saw them be in discomfort. Then you learn that that's what you do, is you just? You just hold it in.
Sherisse Alexander:So I think there's all those different facets you know out of. Out of all those examples that you gave me, the two that probably resonate the most with me are um, you know, my parents are super old school and for them it was like children are to be seen and not heard. So opinions were not invited. You just didn't. It wasn't something that you did. So I mean, I think it's a learned skill and I think I'm happy to say, like for my kids.
Sherisse Alexander:I always invited them to respectfully interject their opinion. That's the one piece. And then, of course, there's the fear of the response, right Of when you speak. Your truth, and what I try to remind people of is I'm not responsible for your response and I'm not responsible for managing your emotions. What I am responsible for is delivering the truth in a kind and compassionate way, which is really usually about expressing what our boundaries are, and that's really what I'm talking about here. Right?
Sherisse Alexander:If somebody literally infringes on my physical boundary, I am well within my rights to say excuse me, you're too close, so there's really no reason to be. And if you're offended by the fact that I'm telling you that you're in my personal space and I it makes me uncomfortable, that's genuinely not a me problem, that's genuinely a you problem. So, yeah, I uh it's a work in progress, right? I mean, speaking truth is about so many more different things other than just when somebody is violating your physical and personal space. Do you feel like you have, like what are some, I guess, some of the struggles that you still have in you know, in that loving yourself piece? You know we all have them. So what are maybe some of the ones that you want to share, yeah.
Hailey Sutherland:So what are maybe some of the ones that you want to share? Yeah, you know, sometimes you just have that day when you know maybe you're hitting the first or second day of your period or something and you're feeling a little extra bloated and just gross. Those are some times where it's like you know what, just don't even look at the mirror today, don't even do it. Yeah, there's definitely some of those days or literally like like I actually have a sugar sensitivity, so if I have lots of processed sugars it will make me sick, it makes me throat sore, and so sometimes just eating something that you know you maybe don't even want to, or that I don't want to say shouldn't, because that's I don't like saying shouldn't, but if you know that it's something that's not going to be for your best interest, and you do it anyways.
Hailey Sutherland:Those are times when I find that can be difficult and where you have those times of just like nope, not having one of those days that I don't feel super great and I would even say even coming back to like speaking our truth and stuff. The more that I avoid doing that, the worse I feel about myself and those patterns kind of to me keep going around. So the more that I try to practice saying what I need to and sometimes that means writing it out, because I find it much easier to write it than I am speaking it and I much prefer to take that time to think, write it down, get my words out and so the more that I start to build that trust again with myself and you realize that it's safe also to speak those things. It comes back also with loving yourself more and I think those all go together.
Sherisse Alexander:It's. They're so connected. There was a situation recently and I'm so glad you brought that up about how it really physically manifests in your body when we are not like there's the obvious things that we're talking about right, which is like eating clean and exercise and things like that but how detrimental it really is when we don't honor truly what our, our core, what our soul needs. And there was this moment and it was so bizarre. I was like sitting and I was talking to somebody and I knew I had to say this thing. I knew I did, and my right leg started like this dull, dull ache, like it just came out of nowhere.
Sherisse Alexander:Now some people would be like, no, it's your throat shock, or your throat shock Like if it's something you have to say, your throat is going to be, like all you know, scratchy and whatever. But in this case it was this insane dull ache on the right side of my leg. So I grabbed my Louise Hay book and I looked it up, and so I looked up the leg and it's like, and this pain associated with my leg and here's what I determined it was denoting that I had this insane fear of moving forward with something in my life and what was linked to it is I needed to communicate it, I needed to say it, and as soon as I said it, I needed to say it and as soon as I said it, gone. And I was like, oh, my gosh body, I love you. And that's what I mean when I say finding this genuine gratitude, because she's always speaking to me as soon as I said it.
Sherisse Alexander:it was, like you know, when we talk about, like the weight literally being removed from our shoulders, so it wasn't so it wasn't even there. It was like in my leg, this dull ache. As soon as I just set it and put this whole thing in motion, it was like okay, gone, done. I was like, wow, this is absolutely amazing. I love the way that you speak to me. So you had moments like that where you're just like having this physical manifestation and all that time. And have you had moments like that?
Hailey Sutherland:where you're just like having this physical manifestation All the time. I do truly believe and I've seen evidence in myself and other people that you know you get physical manifestations of a pain, disease, like anything like that headaches, things like that, with all different kinds of stuff, and sometimes this is another thing too. Sometimes it's not yours, Sometimes it's ancestral trauma, and sometimes you hold onto stuff that's not yours, but it's still your responsibility to deal with it.
Sherisse Alexander:That's a tricky one for me, that's a real tricky one for me. Like that one actually that one makes me mad Like this is not even my shit I'm going to deal with, and I think the question I would pose to you because it's like, what, if like in my family, as an example, and tell me if you can identify with this the older folks in my family are real tight lipped. There are very, very few stories that have, like, made their way into my consciousness in, like you know, my awake world. We'll say so how do you even know if it's cause it's like you know, it's like you've, you're getting these signs and these messages, like you've got stuff that you need to heal and you're like, but do I like, do I really?
Sherisse Alexander:like I can't think of anything in my experience that I need to heal, and then people will drop that bomb on you Like, oh, it could be generational trauma, it could be answer what? So how do you? How do you navigate that? Like? How do you even figure out if it's I mean today, now I've figured out the ways, but how did you deal with that, like, when it's not your stuff to deal with?
Hailey Sutherland:not your stuff to deal with, right? One example that I have is like, literally like, when it just comes to sexual abuse, almost like, almost every, not every single one, but almost every single woman in my family has been sexually abused, and I don't always bring that down to circumstance. I sometimes see that literally as patterns happening over and over and over and every single person, and so it's things like that. There's sometimes stuff like that that you can literally see or like you know that. Then you know that like and it happened to me, it happened to other people in my family that I know that you know you start to realize that like, okay, does that mean that we all have trouble speaking our truth? Does that mean that we all didn't say no, that we all didn't, you know, send up for ourselves? Is that something that I have to heal with my throat chakra? That is actually a pattern in my family. Sometimes you literally have things that you're afraid of or you have a trauma that for the life of you you're like I did not live, that I know for a're like I did not live, that I know for a fact I did not not live that and you then that's just like you know that's from something, that's from somebody else, that's from multiple lines, but it's still manifesting in your own body and there's like there's science out there that shows that it's how many generations like seven generations, or something they can see those types of things happening in. So you know, I sometimes have looked at it too, as like when I was just talking about always being overweight, and that my family has always struggled with that.
Hailey Sutherland:You know something that I heard someone say once that I've always been like. I've pondered here and there. It's like did your family live somewhere where they starved? Did they live somewhere where they had no belongings? Do you have people in your family who hoard everything that they can get their hands on? And did you have people down the line that lost everything? You know it's stuff like that that you know.
Hailey Sutherland:Sometimes we have these like predispositions that don't make sense. That that's when I see like if you had times in your life where your family literally had no food for who knows how long, is that why you always have to keep eating? Is that why when you have a family dinner, you go into scarcity and you feel like you have to eat everything? Because in your genes you know what it feels like to not eat for a really long time, and then that also can be why some people's bodies also store fat more than others. Right, there's so many things like that and you know, I don't know that for sure. With my family I had something that I am hoping to dive into and try to figure out some more stuff and do some genealogy things. But you know, sometimes that can be a thing, and in that case it's like I know that I have a scarcity thing about food. Have I ever gone without food? No, right. So where is that coming from? That's not my trauma.
Sherisse Alexander:I've never starved a day in my life. Why?
Hailey Sutherland:Why am I holding all of this weight? I'm not hungry.
Sherisse Alexander:Yeah, you know, that's it and thank you for highlighting that, because you know, I've known, I know some of my my maternal grandmother stories and I think that that's where my own personal ancestral trauma comes from. Right, and you don't think about it in the moment, right, and it's like so when people say, okay, you came here to like break this, this cycle in your family, and so for me I'm like, well, how, what am I supposed to do with that? Like that's, that's, and it's honestly it seems heavy. Like when you think about like some of those heavier cycles that you're here to break, and especially when you're dealing in scenarios where, you know, in my family there's a lot of girls, a lot, and I think that I'm like one of the few who are like into like more of a spiritual path versus like a religious path, and so, like, how do you say to folks like this is, you know, we got to heal this ancestral trauma and get people to understand, like I think people are starting to now really understand it, especially like when we look at our indigenous communities.
Sherisse Alexander:Right, that's where it's very, very real and in our face, because we can see the effects of ancestral trauma. But, like, when it's not so obvious. How do you because I'm I'm trying to, I'm fixing to have a have a conversation with my family where I'm like, okay, I need to know the goods have a conversation with my family where I'm like, okay, I need to know the goods. I need to know, like, what we're dealing. Like I know very peripherally, but I need your help in order to figure out, like what exactly it is so I can heal it, so I can let it go and I can do what I'm actually supposed to do in this life, instead of feeling like I'm very stuck literally in somebody else's shit.
Hailey Sutherland:But maybe that is what you're supposed to do, right, like that's something that I struggle with too is like I have places I need to be and things I need to do, and sometimes all that is is healing your family line. Sometimes that's all that you're here for and you know maybe more. But, like you know, when, sometimes, when you have some deep seated stuff like that that's causing all of these lines to not be their best versions of themselves necessarily, then you know sometimes that's all that it is is to like learn from it and heal, and I sure hope not I sure hope that's not all.
Sherisse Alexander:I hope there's more.
Hailey Sutherland:But I mean, you know, I think in terms of like you can't. Well, obviously we know this. You can't force anybody to do anything, you can't overly do things for them. But I think in a lot of circumstances with like ancestral trauma healing, that when you do it and people see the changes in you, you Also. Sometimes, when you do it, there's an energetic shift in a family line, there's an energetic shift in everybody. So you know, your sister, your cousin, your aunt, somebody might all of a sudden have this huge shift. They have no idea why, but it's because someone else did it.
Sherisse Alexander:And I think that the truth is is that we can. We can see, not even just in terms of ancestral trauma. I think in any trauma that you're healing right, like when you really pause and start to go into self and understand where those wounds lie, you naturally start to shift because your perspective has shifted. You're looking at scenarios very, very differently, and I recently had, I recently had something come up and when I think about me a year ago and how I would have responded to this type of scenario a year ago and how I responded and how I showed up today, I I can, I feel like I can literally pat myself on the back because it was like.
Sherisse Alexander:I feel like I can literally pat myself on the back because it was like, as I say sometimes I'll talk about my paternal grandmother, because she was this person who I absolutely revered as being like, so full of grace and so full of elegance and like, not a feather ruffled, and not to say that she wasn't feeling, because in this scenario I was feeling, but I was approaching it from a very detached standpoint, like really looking at the scenario for what it is and not telling myself this big story about how it spoke to my worth and my value and my all these like low vibe things, and how I could just see it for what it was, and I could just accept the situation for what it was without telling myself a story that continued to feed the ego and the victim mindset.
Sherisse Alexander:So that's how I know that, like, okay, things are shifting and they're changing. I'm still in the shit of the storm. Let's not get it twisted. But the change is is how I respond when this stuff comes up, and I think that that's for me, that's what I'm looking for on this journey is how do I stay very calm in the middle of that storm when it's doing what it wants to do? If there was one thing that you would want to share as a piece of advice to others out there whose journey might be the same, or like, what's one thing that you would want to share today journey might be the same, or is it like what?
Hailey Sutherland:what's one thing that you would want to share today? Oh, the first thing that came to mind is that your journey and your experience is your gift.
Sherisse Alexander:True.
Hailey Sutherland:Right.
Hailey Sutherland:So it's like in so many ways and this isn't always the case, but in so many ways I often feel like how can you help somebody if you haven't lived it yourself Right?
Hailey Sutherland:There's a lot of times, and I think that's sometimes the case not always, but I think quite often it really is most of the case and so what you have to help heal the world with is often some of your biggest struggles and some of the things you've had to overcome yourself.
Hailey Sutherland:And it comes back to what you said before, like how do you find gratitude for the things that aren't as pleasant? And I think that's in those moments right, where I would not speak the way that I do or have I mean, yeah, with the trauma that I have lived through and the experiences that I've had, I would not be able to speak the way that I mean. Yeah, with the trauma that I have lived through and the experiences that I've had, I would not be able to speak the way that I do be as connected as I am, be as introspective as I am and want to be so into, like, personal development and wanting to be better for the greater good. Like all those things come back to the shit. Without all of that, I would not be the same person.
Sherisse Alexander:And I love that you've said that and I hope and I love that your podcast does that right. And that's really what the purpose of this podcast and even your podcast and all the podcasts that are out there it's really about creating this environment and helping each other to understand. Like I'm not sharing my story or you're not sharing your story because, like I'm not trying to be judged, I'm not trying to have anything like that, but what I am trying to do is to help other folks understand that, like we're all carrying something at any given moment in time. It doesn't matter how much I'm smiling, it doesn't matter how pleasant I am with you. We are all carrying something and it's how do we still show up for each other? Not let that something like bring us down and think that we need to be like lowest common denominator because we're carrying stuff, because the truth is, everybody is. It's how are you showing up when you carry right? So thank you for the reminder and I think the last time we talked to you that.
Sherisse Alexander:um, it was like the gift of showing up authentic. Authentically, that's what you had said. It was the gift of being very authentic. Yeah, I love that.
Hailey Sutherland:And I have something else that kind of popped up to you is like, I think and this is something that I would love to see I still have a hard time with it too but when you kind of said we all have, we're all holding something, we're all, there's always something going on. We all have something weighing on our shoulders. I think it is honestly so important to share that, and it's not about dumping it, it's not about like dropping your stuff on somebody. But I think so often we are carrying all of this baggage alone and keeping ourselves disconnected from one another, from the fear of judgment, from the shame, from embarrassment, from whatever, and it's keeping us one embarrassment from whatever, and it's keeping us one disconnected from ourselves, it's keeping us disconnected from each other and then it's keeping us in, I think, these trauma patterns. And as hard as it can be, I do think it's important to share.
Hailey Sutherland:No matter how ashamed you might be of something, no matter how much you think it should be a secret, I don't like those things. Secrets to me and like like shame and holding on to stuff and withholding parts of yourself from people is like a lowish, a lowish vibration, sometimes the lowest, like the feelings of shame is like the lowest vibration you can feel and as much as we can be so afraid of what that other person is going to say, nothing is more freeing than letting that go Like it's. It's such a weird thing that I see that like and I do it myself, like I do it too. Is that that idea that this stuff I have to hold on to and take it to the grave with me and then you're in pain in your body? You are afraid of people. You are like there's so many icky feelings to stuff that we hide it really is so freeing, like, why are we hiding it is honestly so freeing.
Sherisse Alexander:I've recently been going through the activity of just saying, you know, like I'm just I don't want to carry it Right, like, and what I mean when I say carry it is like I don't want to pretend that I'm not feeling this thing and I'm real. I say that I'm very deliberate about making sure that I'm not dumping right, that I've, that I've and, and I think that part of that is also sharing with my partner and my people, like, cause I don't want people to think you know, energy is very real. You can obviously feel shifts in energy and so for me, I'm very mindful of that. I know where my brain goes when I can feel a shift and somebody's not communicating with me. So I communicate with those that are close to me so that they know, like I'm going through something.
Sherisse Alexander:Right now I don't know what it is, but when I know I will share with you, and that sharing is really what brings us closer, and I think that, in a lot of ways, that the people that are receiving it, the people that are close to you, there's there's an honor within that, especially if you're somebody who does keep a lot, cause I know that people who hold a lot and don't share when they share.
Sherisse Alexander:I'm just like, I'm so honored that you would share that really vulnerable piece with and I'm going to hold it, I'm going to keep it, I'm not going to and I'm not going to spread it, because you shared that with me, right, and it takes a lot. You know how much it takes to be able to like, be vulnerable and be open. So I think what Haley and I are trying to say is, like you know, go out into the world today and share a little bit of who you are with somebody, something that they don't know about. You. Humanize yourself, because that's all that we have in common is the. That's it. We're literally all on this journey together. We're all in this shit storm together, so let's share the stories of the shit storm together.
Hailey Sutherland:A beautiful shit storm.
Sherisse Alexander:I do enjoy it. I really honestly do enjoy it and, like I said, every day in my journal, the first thing that I write is thank you for the light of the new day, thank you for the experience all the things that I love and all the things that I'm not so happy with you about sending to me, but I must say thank you anyways.
Sherisse Alexander:I really try to find gratitude for it each and every day. So my final question just imagine that's a game my kids and I used to play. Just imagine you could have only one single superpower. What would it be?
Hailey Sutherland:Oh right, yeah, I'm going to use the same one that I use. This is our second time recording this and the first time I loved my answer and I have actually thought about it since then and, like I said then, it's like my initial. Things are all more like ego. The ego comes in Like I want to be able to read minds, I want to be able to heal people, I want to be able to do all these cool things that make me like a superhero.
Hailey Sutherland:But what my end answer was, and what it still is, is I would love to just have the power to like grow plants and just maybe think of the joke. You're like a good lady, you can already do that, but, like you know, go into a forest that was just cut down and just grow trees in like 10 seconds, you know. Like go into a field and grow flowers, go somewhere where there's drought and all of a sudden have all these plants. Like that would be that I think would be my favorite superpower is just to be able to like literally build the earth kind of, and create life.
Sherisse Alexander:It really, honestly, is a gift and I do remember you saying that last time. I'm like I'm pretty sure it had to do with plants being like I like the healing piece. But you know, because, really, if you, if you can do that and I think maybe the reason why you say that correct me if I'm wrong but there's something very gratifying about taking like literally a seed and loving it. And my kids used to laugh at me because when I grew my first garden, I was like you should have seen me. I'd be like talking to my plants. I'm like you can do it. I'm here, I'm rooting for you. I just I love you. And that first garden I grew the biggest zucchinis and I think it's because I talked to those plants.
Hailey Sutherland:I swear that is a real thing. You know, you can go and talk complete crap to a plant and that plant's going to die and you can go love on a plant and yeah, you can like share your love and energy and put that intention, like, especially if you're watering it and you're like I am just pouring all the love and life into you, those plants are going to be amazing.
Sherisse Alexander:I take the Like I. I, like I said I took Reiki as well. So I'll like go and wrap my hands around the pot and just send, like some good vibes to it and just be like, just and I'm grateful because I know why I have plants in my office. I have plants in my office because I love the energy that they bring in there. They're sprightly, like none of my plants are droopy, they're like they're awake, they're a lot. They're cleaning the air for me, they're keeping me company, like I'm grateful. So you know what that is a fantastic superpower. I'm going to take it. I'm going to accept it Perfect.
Sherisse Alexander:Well, thank you so much for giving me your time again today. I really appreciate it. I think this one went a lot better. It feels better.
Sherisse Alexander:We were really feeling the effects of the eclipse, both Haley and I. So at least I was for sure feeling the effects of the eclipse. I was not. I don't know what was going on with me, but I was not vibing it. So thank you, yeah. So thank you again, Haley, for joining me today and sharing parts of your story. I'm extremely grateful again for having you here and for my listeners. If you enjoyed today's content and conversation with Haley, please feel free to download, subscribe, follow this podcast on either Apple Podcasts or Spotify and until next time, take care, Thank you.