Working Towards Our Purpose

Welcome to Working Towards Our Purpose, a podcast that

offers a different perspective on what a job can be. For everyone

out there that's heard that voice in the back of their head asking for something

more, it's time to listen to it. I'm your host, Gino,

and join me as I interview people who have decided to work in their own

purpose. Together, we will learn, become inspired,

and hopefully find our own path towards working in our purpose.

So joining me today is Alyssa Rae, who is a therapist, a

certified recovery coach, a clinical growth coach, an embodiment

consultant, and the co host of the wonderful podcast, The Moon and Your

Mind, which has a unique blend of therapy and astrology.

Alyssa, thank you for being with me here today. How are you? Thank

you for having me. I'm really excited. I'm doing good. It's a

Friday. So yeah. It is a Friday. Actually, I almost forgot it

was Friday. Yeah. Happy Friday. So,

why don't we start by having you just tell us a little bit about what

you do and, you know, your podcast and your kinda day to day?

Yeah. So my day to day is different every

week, and I'm super thankful for that because I think I have my hands in

a couple different projects. But I have a master's in marriage and

family therapy and a background in recovery coaching and being

a yoga teacher and a lot of work just in the mental health space. But

out of that, I've recently joined a company called Aspen

Growth Coaching where we provide remote clinical support to families

and individuals coming out of whether it's wilderness therapy, residential

treatment, stuff like that. So we're really creating a wraparound

service. I also cohost the podcast, The Moon in Your Mind, with one of my

really good friends Chelsea, who's an astrologer, where we just challenge

people to stay curious in their everyday lives. I have my own

budding business, which is Hey, Alyssa Ray, and it's kind of morphing

and evolving over time. But right now, I offer kind of

somatic support, somatic coaching, personalized meditations,

different work with that too. And I'm grateful because I get

to create my own schedule weekly, and so that is definitely a privilege and

a freedom that I worked really hard to get to. So every day, I try

to just tune into my own energy and create a schedule that works

best for me. So it honestly evolves with the season.

So right now during winter, I don't love working at

night. I can't really work late at night, so I'm trying to end all my

sessions and my workday by 5 so I can just really tune into myself

and into my own practices and my relationships and whatnot.

Did that answer the question? Yeah. No. That's that's awesome.

I was gonna say, how do you, like, balance everything? It seems like there's a

lot of different pieces moving around. And especially with, like, working for somebody,

do you have the

too? Yes. So I learned in the past year

when I was finishing well, 2 years when I was finishing up my, master's

program, I had quit my full time job that was

a very strict 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. And

it was unfortunately because I had to do 2

unpaid full time internships for grad school, which is a whole other thing in rabbit

hole that we can get down. But it ended up being a blessing because I

think I was very nervous about the financials behind it, but I

went and supported different therapists as a virtual

assistant. And so I started making my own hours then, and I think

it was kind of like a snip of freedom that I tasted, and I was

like, I can't ever go back to a 9 to 5 ever again.

And fortunately and unfortunately, I did originally take a job after

I graduated last May that was a strict 9 to 5,

and it just did not vibe well with me at

all for a lot of different reasons. And so when I started with

Aspen Growth Coaching, I one of the first things that they had mentioned

was you are completely autonomous over your schedule. We do not hold

you to strict 40 hours a week. We have a certain caseload that you have

to manage, and we'll have you on, like, 1 or 2 other projects, but you

get to decide your hours. And I work with a lot of people who

are cross country. So we're dealing with different time zones too. So

there does have to be some flexibility in that. But being able

to create my own schedule has given me so much more freedom and empowerment,

and I've just been so much happier with it. So

it's nice to be able to cultivate that. It has been a challenge because I'm

a people pleaser, so boundaries have been tested majorly,

but I'm getting really good at that. And I think that's just helped in my

own personal growth too. So it's definitely something that I

don't think I could ever go back to working a 9 to 5 ever again.

Mhmm. Yeah. I I did wanna ask a little bit about that about, like, previous

jobs that you didn't like or, like, why you didn't like them or if you

didn't feel connected to them and and that sort of thing. Because now it seems

like you do enjoy your work and you are you know, you feel purposeful in

in that sort of thing. But did you have any, like, in the past that

you really didn't? And, like, what did that feel like? Yeah.

So it's actually night and day, the summer of 2022.

The job I had originally taken, which I won't name names. It is in the

state of Connecticut, but I don't I don't wanna bash anyone, or any

any corporation. But that company

was pretty standard mental health done.

Well, they were for profit mental health, but a lot of nonprofit mental health

agencies are similar where, you know, you

especially as a new therapist or a bachelor's level provider,

you are at the bottom of the totem pole. You are the one staying the

latest. You have the highest security of cases for whatever reason.

Have the higher caseloads and a lot of just random stuff is dumped on you.

And the job that I was in originally over the summer, we

actually and I laugh about it now, but then I was, like, very angry

and and very upset about it. But we had the clinical leadership

team sitting a sound week after week, not yelling.

They yelled at us once, but most of the time it was just like a

certain talking of everyone needs to stay till 5 o'clock.

I don't wanna see anyone leaving at 4:55. Like, you're all

contracted to stay till 5, but then they would turn around and

leave at 2:30 or leave at 3 and come around the

office and say goodbye to everyone. And it was just one of those things where

it's like you're getting paid the highest. You don't have a caseload or you have

a minimal caseload and you pick the cases that you want, But

we're getting down to the highest acuity, the most chronic passion,

like and so it was just very frustrating to me to watch that happen and

watch that unfold, especially after I had the

taste for about a year of working for myself and

creating my own schedule more or less. And so I think

that's exactly what I needed was that freedom and that flexibility. So joining

Aspen Growth Coaching has just been really good for my nervous

system too. And I think my confidence in setting those

boundaries because Alex, our founder, really wants it

to be our company. She started it, but she always likes to say, this

is ours. Whatever feedback you have, whatever you guys wanna do with it, this

everyone has a piece of the pie and everyone gets to decide where this goes

and how we wanna run with it. I get to choose the type of people

and individuals that I work best with. I get to choose the hours that I

work with. To a degree, I can choose the extent of cases

that I have. And so being able to have someone see me in that

way and support me and being autonomous and having some

sense of authority over my life. Granted, I can't just,

like, say, oh, I'm not gonna work today. Right? But that's not life. Yeah. I

think we all need to realize, like, we have to work. But when you're able

to do the things you're really passionate about on the

time that makes the most sense for you and your energy and and your

life, It just feels like it's not work at the end of the day. Like,

you're really living out your purpose and and serving communities

in the best way and in the best alignment. Yeah. That's awesome.

And that sounds like really great leadership, especially in

contrast to, like, what you had previously because I've I've certainly experienced

similar in the 9 to 5 corporate world of saying one thing and then

doing something else as an example. So, yeah, it's it's more about, like,

what you're doing, not what you're saying. But I did wanna ask you

about how you got started You said you were a virtual

assistant for therapists. How did you get started in that? And, like, did

you use those, like, sites online to get, like, freelancer and stuff like

that? Or how did that work? Yeah. So I when I started my

grad program, I knew that I was gonna have to quit my full time

job eventually. And I thought I actually transitioned

jobs just because when I started grad school in 2019, I

was doing in home mental health support for

families and individuals coming out of hospitals. And it was really intense and it

was long nights. And I just know I wasn't gonna be able to handle most

of it. So I transitioned to something else I thought would be able to work

with a full time internship too, but that turned out not the case. And I

could go on a spiel about higher ed and unpaid internships because I think

it's unethical and it should be illegal. Mhmm. But it was the

virtual assistants came out of this desperation to how am I

gonna make money and a livelihood while I finish out this grad program as I'm

taking on student loans too. So I didn't wanna take on more just to live.

And I'd come across a girl on Instagram actually that was a virtual

assistant for therapist, and she was starting a community

for other graduate students to kind of support in that

process too, where a lot of therapists and private practice needed

that backhand support of whether it's social media management, podcast support,

basic admin stuff is and not a lot of therapists wanna do that

stuff, which is great because then that created a job for all of us. Right?

So we connected, and I actually joined that community. And from

there, it was just its own little network. So I got connected to more and

more people. And over, I think it was, like, 6 months, I was

able to match what I was making at my full time job.

So I was able to leave in that way, finish out my graduate

program, kind of transition from there. And to be honest, it not only

opened doors for me of just realizing

how much healthier I was when I was kind of working for myself and being

able to escape that 9 to 5, but also

just in networking and realizing what was out there and also

realizing what I was capable of. Because even though I was in

grad school for therapy and working for therapists, a lot of the work I was

doing was creative, and I never thought I was a creative person. But it

was so fun to kinda tap into that skill set. And I still use it

today and kinda promoting my own business, starting my podcast, and even

supporting my boss and and stuff that she's doing too. Mhmm.

Yeah. That's really awesome and a and a good point as far as, like, being

able to see what else is out there because I think a lot of times,

especially if you go, like, the college route and you get your degree, it's it's

very, like, straightforward path. Like, this is the job you're supposed to get or

it will be this sort of thing. And even just you talking about, like, your

current job, about how flexible it is and how the owner wants you to be

a part of the company, that's like a very different way, I think,

that people don't normally see. So that's great that they kinda gave you

the opportunity to see other things that are out there. So that's really

cool. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. So I know a big

theme of your podcast is staying curious. I was wondering if you can go

into that a little bit and tell me why you think that's important and how

you stay curious yourself. Yeah. So I think, you know,

Chelsea and I started that, and it was really easy to come up with that

being our foundation because her and I, we've been friends since

college, but we geek out on everything serology and self help

and and whatnot. And so a lot of the podcasts that we listen to, we

would send back and forth. But something that we noticed often

was sometimes the host would just get on there and kinda lecture

people and want to be that guru and want to be, like, the all knowing

being. And the ones that we really loved the most were people being

curious. And I think in our own lives, I'm more curious

we've been about our life, whether it's psychology

and astrology or the businesses we're a part of, the jobs we're

taking, our day to day life, the more expansive we were able

to feel and autonomous too. So I

think being able to be curious every day

helps me not feel so in my

head and so stuck and so just on the same path.

I deal with a lot of anxiety I have since I was younger,

and I've had episodes of depression as well. And so

I think that can really spiral into just being

stuck with those emotions. But when I'm curious about it and curious about my experiences,

then I'm able to kind of step outside of that and step outside of

the status quo and the day to day. And I think the more people we

bring on the podcast and the more people we talk about it with, it just

helps us create a sense of, like, lightness in our life and not take life

so seriously, but just be, I don't know, more like

philosophers in a way. Just think about, like, better things

and other perspectives. So I don't know if that answered the question.

Yeah. Yeah. I I think that it's a really good

thing to, like, be aware of for sure. But I guess, like, so what

what specifically does that look like? If somebody was stuck in

their head or they're, like, you know, feeling depressed, like, what is

something that they could do to, like, shift their mindset to then kinda be

curious? Because to me, it almost sounds like gratefulness. Like like,

I you know, you know the idea of, like, oh, when you're feeling bad, if

you are grateful for the things that you have, then it could

help pull you out of that. But sometimes it's like, well, yeah, but I I

don't know how to get there, like, when I'm in that mood. Mhmm. Yeah.

And I think that's where another foundation of my work comes into play,

and that's somatic. So being able to be curious

just about how your mindset and your thoughts and your

experiences are showing up in your physical body. Because so

often, especially as modern humans, we get stuck in our head. And I

think as a trained talk therapist, there's only so much that you can

talk through and think through. So being able to

put down your phone, put down the gratitude journal, put

down the book, whatever it is, and just sit with yourself and be curious

about how is my mental and external experience showing up

in my body right now and being curious about that because

our body has so much. It's trying to communicate with

us and we're not listening at all. And I think

in my own experience with healing, you know, my

yoga teacher training was what really started that for me and opened that up

for me of realizing that's the first step.

And not to say that works for everyone, but we are

all physical beings. Right? Like, we're in in my opinion,

we're all spiritual beings having physical experience, but at the end of the day, we

all have a physical body. And I think if they say it's, like,

80 or 90 percent of our nervous system communication is

body to brain, not brain to body, but we're not listening. So when

we're able to be curious about that, I think it helps us to get out

of our head and into our bodies so then we can start to transition our

patterns a bit more and take action in a different way rather than

just trying to think our way out of depression or think our way out of

anxiety. Because, again, as a talk therapist, it doesn't work.

We need to kind of have a balance of both. Mhmm. Absolutely.

And can you talk more about, like, the somatic practices? Do you do that

for for clients as well? Yes. So I'm currently starting a somatic

attachment therapy training program. So in a couple

months, I'll I'll know a lot lot more, but I like to incorporate a lot

of what I've learned in the past from all my yoga trainings and

and that work that I've done into the work I do with my clients

as well. But it really just begins with

being comfortable in your own body and being comfortable in sitting with your body

and learning kind of what sensations you're feeling. So a

lot of what I do with my clients initially is to just build up

that that communication barrier. So that can look like

practicing body scans. That can look like even me just asking you, you know,

when you were anxious the other day, where did you feel that in your body?

Notice how how much pressure is in your chest or how

your shoulders are all the way up to your ears. Right? What happens if you

release that away from your ears? How does that feel different? Right?

And so, again, it's less about thinking and talking. It's more about just

being able to be comfortable with feeling. And from there, we start to

incorporate different

it's one of the only things we can control in life is our breath, but

we don't control it. Right? Like I when I first started doing breath work,

I realized how shallow my breath is, and

I'm not breathing deeply. And so the more I practice breath work, the more

relaxed I am because I'm actually taking a breath and allowing

my nervous system to heal in that way. So a lot of it's

education first and then kind of building up that resourcing and being

able to be comfortable being in your body and not just in your mind.

Mhmm. Yeah. That's that's really insightful because

even, like, I'm in therapy myself and sometimes, like, when I first started, my

therapist would be like, well, where do you feel? And I would be like, what

do you mean? Like, I don't understand what that means. And then she would give

me examples of, like, the shoulders, and I'm like, oh, I'm like way, you know,

touching my ears with my shoulders almost. So it's funny,

like, it is a practice, obviously, to to notice those things, but

once you're like aware of it, you can then kind of start noticing it more

and more. So it's it's kind of kind of interesting. I

did want to ask you, going back to your podcast, about the

relationship that you have with your co hosts because I think it's a,

you may have even mentioned it one time on your podcast, but, like, the idea

of the both of you doing something together and then getting it done versus, like,

if one of you tried it, you know, you would've never got it finished. But

because they're both you working together, like, that idea of I

think sometimes people, like, think they could do everything on their own. Me,

myself included, have have a bad habit of doing that. So how do you,

like, I don't know. Even just, like, trust somebody enough to,

like, do something together? Mhmm. Yeah. It's

you know, and it that a lot of that has come out of a lot

of that realization has come out of the podcast itself.

But Chelsea and I are polar opposites when

it comes to our astrology signs where I'm almost all

earth in my chart, and Chelsea has, like, a lot of fire and air.

And so she is in the clouds a lot, and she's

so creative and has all these great ideas. And I'm able to

kind of rail her back down and be like, okay. This is a to do

list to get there, and this is the structure to get there and the systems

we need. Right? And so we had met. We were actually

both in a sorority and college together, worst

experience of our life, but we say we're so happy that we joined it because

we met each other and became really good friends. But, yeah, I think

we had both said that we wanted to start a podcast individually,

and we're just talking about it. And being able to do it together and really

any project that you do with another person, it can

be almost more rewarding than it would be

alone. Because, again, like you had said, we try so hard to be

independent. We try so hard to accomplish things on our own, and it's

almost for me, at least, I've realized that was such, like, coming

from an ego state of, like, I have to do it and I have to

do it this way, and I'm gonna get it done, and I'm gonna get all,

like, the glory for it and whatever. But being able to do it with someone

else is such a cool experience, and I don't know.

I I feel like our friendship has deepened in a different way, and I just

understand her on a deeper level now. And it's a school because

we've gone to places that I didn't even think was possible

because of that and because we're combining 2 of our brains into our passions

into 1. And I've been able to grow in different ways and so has

she. And again, I think we are such social

creatures as humans. But as modern humans, we're, like,

separating ourselves so much, and we're stuck

just in the world of technology, which is a blessing and a curse.

But we really need to start coming together in community more often and

really support one another in that sense. And it it doesn't have to look like

a podcast. Right? It can look like really anything. Doesn't have to be a business,

but just do something creative with someone. You know? It

can really just open a lot of doors and a lot of different passions and

curiosities and yeah. It's been a lot of fun for sure.

Well, that that's great. I'm glad you guys, you know, had started that podcast together.

But to to go off of what you're saying, I think sometimes even you can

be, like, more inspired to do something because somebody else can, like, reflect

your ideas back to you even. And then you can be like, oh, that is

a good idea. I'm not just gonna, like, talk myself out of it and then,

you know, go down a spiral of, you know, something negative.

But Mhmm. So to talk more about,

like, your healing journey and stuff like that, I know that

there's, like, a lot of alternative forms of healing that you guys talk about in

your podcast. Do you wanna go into any of them, astrology or

maybe microdosing or spirituality? Like, let's let's go somewhere in

there. Yeah. I think, honestly, they're all so

important and all have a place. And this will be my

disclaimer because I I think the curiosity foundation

has really helped me understand that it's not one size fits all. Right? Like, there

isn't one cure to healing and one cure to,

you know, uncovering your true self and your true passion. Try it all out

and see what fits. And I think for me, you know, I dabbled in

astrology and actually pulled Chelsea into it, and it

didn't necessarily stick for me. But Chelsea has a beautiful business and a

beautiful career out of it now. Right? And I think both of us at the

same time got interested in microdosing too just based on

some of the conversations that we were having in that space, and we

were introduced to some people to help guide us on that path. And,

you know, I had done recreationally

some psychedelics in college once or twice. And once it was a

profound experience and it, you know, it was beautiful and

I think definitely helped speed track a lot in my life for

me, but another one was really bad and really dangerous. And,

you know, I was in a position that I hope I never have to be

in again. But being able to learn what microdosing

even is and how to do it intentionally and how to do it

with integrity and ethically has really

shifted in a big way. And I think there is a community

called Axis Mundi who I definitely recommend to everyone and anyone

because they're they're just gems of human beings. But

they really focus on intentional microdosing and how

it's not just you take the capsule in the morning and go about your day.

Right? You need to sit with it and decide what is my intention for taking

this plan at this moment in this time and being curious. Right?

Like, that's where curiosity comes into play again too because

you're not just gonna take it and all of your problems are gonna go away.

Right? You're gonna take it and you're almost gonna be able to separate that those

parts of yourself and separate from the junk internally to really view

the challenges in the day to day life and and your path

just in a different perspective than I think you typically would have. And I'm

not currently on my protocol right now, but I'm looking forward

to kind of going back on and exploring that again. But we

are definitely going through a psychedelic renaissance, which I'm very, very excited

about. There's a lot of great documentaries on Netflix and other platforms

that I highly recommend. But one of my biggest spiritual teachers

has been Ram Dass. And for those that don't know, he

was a Harvard professor that what was it? Like,

the fifties, the sixties? Him and Timothy O'Leary were

testing acid at Harvard to see, like, what I had to do

on the mind and the human spirit, and they got kicked out because, you

know, politics and all of that fun stuff. But

he then went on to study with Buddhists in India and,

kind of walked down a spiritual path, but that had always been a

part of his journey too. And I think there's a

reason that these medicines come to exist and

these protocols are coming to exist in in a greater space. But, again, it

goes back to that set and setting and the intentionality behind

it and really being respectful. Right? Like, I think that

is part of it too. We're not just taking

it to get fucked up. Can I swear on here? Is that okay? That's

okay. I'd be, like, holding back a little bit, and I was like, I can't

passion this moment, so I'm just gonna say it. But, yeah. Because I

think, you know, especially my younger self, I was in college, and I was just

like, yeah. Let's take acid. Like, yeah. Let's go on a trip. Whatever.

But fun fact that I learned the other day, Albert Hoffman, who discovered

acid, was looking for a medicine

for women after they had birth for postpartum,

and he found acid. And I don't think that's a coincidence.

You know what I'm saying? Like, I think they're and I'm, like, shaking right now

because it's just so powerful. But there's a reason that there is that

connection there. Right? Like, we are so part of this earth, and I think

we've moved so far away from that. And that's why we see such big

climate struggles and such big mental health struggles. And

in the therapeutic space, you know, there are a lot more training programs coming

out, and I think that's in my near future as a therapist too of

supporting the psychedelics assisted therapy space. But, of course, obviously,

politics and government and all that fun stuff needs to get out of the way

first. But I think there's a reason that it's helpful when

you intentionally take it when you're in the right set and setting.

And again, I think just in my own healing journey, I've realized

to not just be in my mind all the time, not just be in my

body all the time, not just be in a spiritual energetic space

all the time, but how do I find a balance of all of it? Right?

And that has really just been key for me. Mhmm.

Yeah. That's that's awesome. Have you seen the Ram Dass

documentary on Netflix? It's like a it's small, sorta like I think it's only

like 30 minutes or something, but it was very interesting. Yes. Yeah.

I've I think I've watched it, like, 5 times. My fiance is like, no more.

It's like, we need to stop. I was like, but it's around us. But, passion

his book, Becoming Ram Dass is really good. It's a white

cover with rainbow writing, but that's the best way

to kind of dive into his work in my opinion. But he's yeah.

Is that a newer book? Because I know I've had a copy of Be Here

Now, which is kinda little bit difficult to follow because there's, like, writing upside

down and, like, pictures and stuff like that. Yes. Yeah. That

I recommend to some people that I've worked with to journal on it.

Like, just open it up to a page and just take it in visually and

journal on it because I agree, like, trying to actually read through that can be

kind of overwhelming sometimes. Mhmm. But, yeah, his his newer book,

I think it's Becoming Ram Dass. It came out, I

think, right after before he passed away. I think that was in

2020 or 2019. But he had

someone writing it for him, so I think they had finished it out based on

his life. But he had verbally spoken out, and they had, like, kind of

co written it together, Yeah. As he kind of knew that hit

the end of his life was coming near. So highly, highly recommend.

And another one who kinda, like, got me interested

and went down a huge rabbit hole of psychedelics was Michael Pollan.

I've read his book. I've heard of him, but I

don't I don't know about tell me more about him because I don't know too

much about him. Yeah. So he's basically, like, a writer, and he was

into, like, plants and gardening and that sort of thing, and he, like,

wrote articles about all kinds of plants. And then he got up I think he

was, like, around in his fifties or sixties when he first became interested in

psychedelics. So he came into it from, like, a very fresh perspective, just

kinda like, you know, out of curiosity, you know, funny enough,

just to see, like, well, what are these how do these plants affect you? And

he basically took, like, all the psychedelics out there and then wrote

a book on, like, how they affected him and that sort of thing. So it

got, like, a lot of traction because he was already a well respected

writer. And then now, kind of coming into psychedelics, people kind of already

knew who he was. So he also has a documentary on

Netflix too, which is the same name of the book I'm trying to come up

with. I don't know why I'm missing it. But Is it How to Change Your

Mind? Yes. Yeah. How to Change Your Mind. Okay. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yeah. So so, yeah, he's a really great resource, and he's been on a lot

a lot of podcasts and stuff like that too and just a very well spoken

articulate person. That's amazing. So did he kind of influence

your journey in the psychedelic space too? Yeah.

Absolutely. Him and then also my therapist because she was also

very cool with it too. Oh my gosh. Wait. I wanna hear more. How

did she? So I kinda, like, brought it up to her once and, like,

I was clearly, like, hesitant and, like, I don't know. Like, I'm not

a, you know, quote unquote drug person and that sort of thing. And then she

was just like, why? What's stopping you? And I was like

Oh my gosh. Oh, alright. I was expecting you to be like, yeah. Drug's bad.

No. Yeah. But, yeah, she was basically coming at it

from, like, a curiosity standpoint and just asking me a bunch of questions. And then

I started asking myself the questions, and I was like, Oh, wait. Why am

I, like, afraid of this? Or like, why shouldn't I be interested

or wanna do this? And then that, in conjunction with learning about it from

Michael Pollan and learning, like, you know, how awful the drug war was

and, all the damage that it did and what they were trying to do with

it even back then until the studying got shut down until

fairly recent. And now, you know, it's it's in, like, Urban Outfitters. There's

mushrooms everywhere, and it's, like, kinda crazy and wild to think about. But

Yeah. That's awesome. Oh, and I'm so happy that your therapist recommended it too and

kind of guided you in that way because, yeah, I I

think I've seen different things from different therapists.

So it's always nice when people are encouraging of it. That's awesome.

Yeah. It's it's definitely, like, not by the books, but

but, hey, I mean, it's it's helpful. And I think in one of the

documentaries, it might have been the Michael Pollan one, that he was saying, like, he's

talked to so many different people in the mental health space, and they can identify

all these problems, but they don't really have good solutions for the problems. And

not that this is the, you know, magic pill, but, like, it is a

solution to some people. And, you know, if that's the case, then why wouldn't

we explore it? So Right. Yeah. I

so I I love that because I think, especially coming from a

therapeutic, like, lens, we get stuck in the same type of therapy

all the time thinking it's just gonna fix anyone. Right? Like, a lot of recovery

programs focus on DBT. A lot of therapists for

anxiety and depression focus on CBT, and it's like, it's not a one size

fits all. Like, we have to have all these different outlets and, again, incorporate

mind, body, and spirit. And I think psychedelics absolutely does that.

And, yeah, it's profound. So in your experience, I wanna know more

about what it's been like for you. Yeah.

So it was I don't know. It was interesting. I remember, like, the first time

I took a microdose. I don't know if this is a coincidence. It's hard to

tell, like, what is actual what was the medicine and what

wasn't, but I remember, like, the first time like, 1st day, I, like,

walked out of my apartment and just, like, ran into my neighbor. And, normally, it's

just like a, oh, hey. How are you doing? And we leave. But we actually

had, like, a conversation for, like, 10 minutes. And I was like Wow. That's

interesting. I didn't really think about that because I I'm, you know, a person that

has social anxiety and anxiety and that sort of thing. So

normally, I just, like, try to cut it to a minimum and, like, leave. But,

like, I actually had a conversation with him, and then as I was walking away,

I was like, I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

That's awesome. And I I guess it really doesn't matter if

it's the medicine or if it's psychological or whatever it is because if

it's working, then, I mean, that's kinda what you're going for. Right?

Right. Right. But, yeah, I definitely noticed it as far as, like,

getting unstuck with things and being

able to do things that I previously thought I

couldn't or I shouldn't be able to do. So

yeah. I don't know. I mean, I I guess this podcast is a perfect example

of it. Right? Like, I've been working in podcasting for 5 years now

and never once thought like, oh, maybe I I could do

that. Like Yeah. But but yeah. And now you're you're doing

it, and you're you're the perfect person to do it. I mean, you know so

much about it, you know, and I think, yeah, you have your own story to

tell too, and I think that's awesome. And you should be proud of yourself

for exploring that journey and being able to allow it to get you

here today. That's so cool. Thank you. Yeah. I

appreciate it. Just a couple more questions before we, run out of our time

here. What is it that excites you

today? Yeah. I the psychedelic is the therapy

for sure. I've been, like, diving down so many rabbit holes of when I can

do the training, where I can do the training, what it includes. And I think,

again, I've just been in the mental health fields for almost

a decade, and I think it just feels so

stagnant in so many spaces. And that just feels so inspiring

and so new and kind of, like, its own renaissance in a way

and its own revolution. I'm really excited to see where that takes

me professionally, but also the communities that I'm able to serve.

I think too just traveling, I absolutely love traveling, and

that's how I actually fell in love with my fiancee as we've gone on a

lot of really cool trips. And we're getting married this year, and we were

just planning our honeymoon. And I don't know. I sat him down, and I was

like, do you think we could move out of the country one day or at

least out of the state that we both grew up in? And it's just

cool to think about, I think, creating a life

that's not stagnant and that's not rigid and that's not just your

typical and and what's expected of you and

going against the status quo. And that's always motivated me,

especially as a middle child. If anyone knows about family systems, I'm

a middle child, and I feel like I really highlight that fact

sometimes for better and worse. But, yeah, I think just

living life to the fullest because I lost my grandma

recently. And it was very thank

you. It was very tragic and very sudden and just it's

it's been a hard grief process. And so

being able to stay connected with her in different ways definitely motivates me.

But I think seeing the end of her life and and

being so close with her during that time, just knowing

that life is short and life is precious and, you know, it could end

tomorrow. So how do we really just live it up and and follow our

dreams and follow our hearts? And if that means getting out of your 9 to

5, it means getting out of your 9 to 5. If that means traveling the

world, that means traveling the world. Right? But really making sure you're

following your happiness. Mhmm. Yeah. I love that so much. I think,

like, I I couldn't, like, articulate that so well when I was stuck in a

position of a 9 to 5, and I was just, like, so frustrated and didn't

understand why. And I was like, but I'm getting paid well, and I got a

job and the career I was supposed to be in and all that. But, like,

yeah, I love the way that you articulated that. It's it was beautiful for

sure. Thank you. Yeah. And then

just one last question I have for you is what's next for you and how

can people support you? And, I'll put a link, obviously, for your podcast in the

show notes so they can follow that and go listen to that. Yeah. What's what's

what's next for you? Yeah. So we're Chelsea and I are really

excited because we are just starting to kinda soft launch our

cosmic consulting program. And so that is gonna

incorporate right now astrology and somatic coaching.

So we're kind of merging the 2, and you'll get a needle chart reading with

Chelsea. You'll get some consultation work with both of us, and you'll get some somatic

coaching from me. So that's a big project that is gonna

kinda evolve over time. So it's starting with that, but there's gonna be some

cool other things coming up with it, in the near future.

I am available on hey_alissa rai

on Instagram, and there's gonna be a a lot of more stuff

coming out there. But I offer personalized meditation, somatic coaching sessions,

and really kind of any way that you need support. I'm kind of

here for people. And what's next for me? I don't know.

That's like a really good question because it's it's funny. I always had a

plan, and I know that I'm gonna get trained in psychedelic assisted therapy,

in the near future, but I feel like getting

married, there's gonna be, like, a transition in my life of sorts,

but not in the typical way of, like, settling down and having a family. And

I'm really excited about that. Mhmm. And I'm really excited to just see kind

of where this path takes me. Because, again,

once I quit that, like, 9 to 5 stereotypical corporate company

career, it's just been so much more open

and peaceful and exploratory that you never

know it's gonna come out tomorrow. You know? So I'm excited for all of

it. Mhmm. Yeah. I love that. I'm I'm excited to see what you and

both you and Chelsea are gonna do together with your business. And, thank you so

much for being on the podcast, And, I hope you have a

wonderful rest of your week. Thank you, Gina. You're the best. It's been a

pleasure. Appreciate it. Thanks for

tuning in and listening to Working Towards Our Purpose. If you like

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