Gathering Gold

Nov 08 2024 88 ep. 53 mins 64

Gathering Gold Podcast artwork

Join Sheryl Paul, a counselor informed by the Jungian depth psychological tradition, and her co-host Victoria Russell, as they dive into the realms of our inner worlds and explore actions we can take to grow more self-trust and self-love. These bi-weekly episodes will provide guidance for diminishing fear and shame, embracing sensitivity and creativity, and approaching life with curiosity and compassion.

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How to Ground During Difficult Times

Nov 08 2024 32 mins

"There are times of heightened fear. And there are times when there is a lot of fear in the greater collective, in the culture. And I do think that one of our ultimate tasks, one of our ultimate spiritual tasks as human beings, in these bodies, is to work with fear and its opposite, which is love, but also is trust." In today's episode, Sheryl shares wisdom about grounding ourselve

Connecting with Ancestors

Oct 25 2024 48 mins

“I can tell you the names of Taylor Swift’s parents, but not my great-grandparents.” Can you relate to Victoria’s admission in today’s episode? Many of us have lost connection with our ancestors. Or rather, that connection was severed even before we were born, by cultural conditions that de-prioritize relationships in general, and familial bonds in particular. And: conne

Managing Overwhelm

Oct 11 2024 58 mins

Sometimes, it all feels like too much: too much responsibility, too many expectations, too much sensation, too many feelings, too much hyper-vigilance. In these moments, we can be enveloped by a feeling of overwhelm. Sometimes, things really are just too much. Some things needs to give. Systems need to change. And, sometimes we pause for a moment to scan our inner world and find th

Rooting into Autumn

Sep 27 2024 54 mins

Meaning making. Connecting to breath. Aligning with nature. So many actions, big and small, can help us dig a little deeper into the soil of time, anchor ourselves against the buffeting winds of change and demands, especially as we shift into a new season. We recorded this conversation in front of a live virtual audience of Patreon community members, opening up the second half of

Resistance to Inner Work

Sep 13 2024 43 mins

We often resist doing things that we know are good for us—including inner work. We attend one therapy session and then stop showing up. We drag our heels on the way to yoga class. We let our journal grow dusty in the corner. Our resistance to change and to effort gets the best of our intention to grow. Today, we are exploring some of the voices and characters of resistance—incl

The Fear of Taking Risks

Aug 30 2024 45 mins

By nature or nurture, or some combination of the two, some of us are chronically risk averse–especially if we struggle with anxiety. While some cautiousness can be healthy, extreme risk aversion can keep us from engaging with the world deeply, living our values, and just plain enjoying life. By taking risks, we learn more about ourselves and the world. And by learning more about

Living IRL

Aug 16 2024 37 mins

Our relationship with screens, digital devices, and online media is complicated. We can gain so much valuable information and connection in a more accessible way, but we can also get sucked into a vortex of information overload, analysis paralysis, social comparison, and doom scrolling. In today's episode, we discuss using our devices as tools to help us engage more deeply with th

Adding Good Things

Aug 02 2024 33 mins

In our last episode, we talked about why it can be hard to receive good things. Today, we are discussing the importance of actively adding good things to our lives. It can be easy to focus on all of the problems, challenges, and hardships we are facing, and to assume that if we could just remove those, then we could experience a greater sense of wellbeing. And while there are cert

Why It's Hard to Receive Good Things

Jul 19 2024 54 mins

Today’s episode was requested by one of our lovely Patreon members, who asked us to talk about why it can be hard to receive good things, and how to do so with more ease. In this conversation, we discuss some of the stumbling blocks to the unfettered gratitude that we desire: blocks including guilt, shame, fear, and distrust. And, we discuss how we can orient ourselves towards mo

THRESHOLDS: Panic Attacks

Jul 05 2024 62 mins

We continue our deep dive into themes from Sheryl’s new audio collection Thresholds: Reflections at Midlife, with an exploration of the terrifying undertow of panic attacks. Sheryl shares how panic attacks have grabbed her in the ocean, in elevators, while driving, and at nightfall. She introduces the Greek mythological Pan, and gives us a sneak peek into how she befriended the