Pulled from the Tools For A Good Life Summit interviews. Meg Gibbs guides us through a heavy time. Meg pulls strategies from Shamanism, ceremony, and sacred ceremony to give us her answers. 1) stop doing and slow down. 2) gratefully put your feet on the earth. 3) Ask for help. And trust yourself. Write down 20 things that you know. End the day with gratitude. And then there’s nature :).
Pulled from the Tools For A Good Life Summit interviews. Meg Gibbs guides us through a heavy time. Meg pulls strategies from Shamanism, ceremony, and sacred ceremony to give us her answers. 1) stop doing and slow down. 2) gratefully put your feet on the earth. 3) Ask for help. And trust yourself. Write down 20 things that you know. End the day with gratitude. And then there’s nature :).
Administrative: (See episode transcript below)
For social Media:
Subscribe and share to help spread the love for a better world!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Transcript: 0:00:00.1 Speaker 1: Welcome back, everybody, to the Tools For a Good Life Summit. And right now, I would like to introduce to you, Meg Gibbs. Welcome, Meg. Before I read your official bio, I just want to say that... You know what, I'm gonna start with your official bio and then I'm gonna shower platitudes on you. How about we do that?
0:00:25.2 Meg Gibbs: Great, I love it. A compliment at the end, sounds good.
0:00:28.8 Speaker 1: Okay, good, good, good, good. So Meg Gibbs is a shamanic spiritual guide and somatic coach who helps people heal their relationship with their body and spirit. She has over 20 years of experience, studying with indigenous teachers from the US and South America, specifically working with the Lakota medicine wheel, which I freaking love, and the Q'ero. Am I saying that right? Q'ero.
0:00:58.6 Meg Gibbs: Q'ero.
0:01:00.9 Mischa Z: Q'ero. And the Q'ero lineage from the Andes of Peru. Her work weaves together ancient wisdom, experiential coaching and leadership techniques, and is grounded in embodied practice... And is grounded in embodied practice and intuition. She holds space for her clients to uncover the truth of who they are and how they want to share that with the world. She offers sessions remotely, for scientific fingerprint analysis, customized coaching, sacred ceremony and soul-aligned branding, to meet her clients where they are, on their personal or entrepreneurial journey?
0:01:39.7 Meg Gibbs: Absolutely.
0:01:41.5 Mischa Z: Absolutely. Welcome, meg. So, serendipitously, I think our relationship speaks to a willingness to have an open mind and willingness to perhaps embrace and work with somebody that you might not normally go to. Yeah?
0:02:01.8 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, absolutely, for sure.
0:02:03.7 Mischa Z: Yeah, yeah. So we met through serendipitous events, perhaps five, six... Four, five, six years ago, somewhere in there, and sort of forced cohabitation almost, for a weekend. Yes. And then normally, I think, in the outside world or however you wanna say that, we wouldn't have had an opportunity to work together. But we did, and you have been such a massive, massive part of my personal journey and my transformation. And I just was writing down some of the amazing things that we did together, that you brought me on the journey of. You're like, "Hey, Misha, here's... Let's do this, let's do this." And so, I... Movement exercises, writing exercises, meditation exercises, these ridiculous visualization exercises. And when I say ridiculous, just like ridiculous in a magical way.
0:03:06.3 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:03:09.7 Mischa Z: And then we did some really cool group stuff via Zoom, which I was pleasantly surprised with, where you had put together some... Almost an online class structure, and people from Canada jumped in, I was in there, we just did all this cool stuff and you've... Again, you bring the magic. Simple as that.
0:03:35.9 Meg Gibbs: Thank you. Yeah, it's so fun to be able to support people in that way. And it's funny, because you can read my whole bio and we can talk about what I do, and here's the bullet points, but the truth is, if someone was like, 'Meg, what do you do?" and I was like, "Oh, I make magic happen." And I can't really say that when I shake somebody's hand, but I know that that's part of my truth and part of my gift, is to show up and hold space for magic to happen, for other people. That's the fun part for me. For sure.
0:04:05.1 Mischa Z: Yeah, and as I was going down that list, I was literally getting chills, and my hair was standing up even more than... So powerful, so powerful. And again, it just speaks... I don't mean audience, thank you for indulging us, but to have that open mind and to try... If an opportunity falls in front of you like this now, take advantage because it can be transformational, and I think one of the great things you said about me, Meg, not to make this about me, I apologize. But I'm a gamer and willing to jump in the fray and try different things. So I would encourage anybody watching and listening, jump in the fray, take a risk, if somebody on this summit resonates with you, but they're outside of who you might normally think is in your wheelhouse, just go for it.
0:05:02.7 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that speaks to something that we'll talk about, which is for me, the connection to the body and really listening intuitively for what comes up for you. And so, when I think of when we met and how we've worked together, there's a sense of trust or expansion or listening, and that's the piece that when I tell people, "Oh, you're looking for a coach or a healer or whatever, a mechanic," it doesn't really matter. But if you can tune in and listen, "Oh, does that person feel good to me?" and it might not even, like you said, logically makes sense of like, "Oh, they're a different gender, or they have this woo specialty that I am not so sure about or whatever," but if it feels like, "Ooh, there's a little something there to play with," that's the piece that I encourage people to follow.
0:05:50.6 Mischa Z: Yeah, yeah, I love that. Thank you. So, quickly, somatic. What's somatic coach? When you say it... When that's...
0:06:02.8 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. Real simple. Somatic is just meaning, being in your body. So what I do is, I coach people around being in their body, and for me, being in your body is a sacred practice. So it's like building a muscle. We talk a lot about going to the gym and building physical muscle. And so, when you haven't had practice to be in your body, because our society doesn't teach that, you're not asked on a daily basis, "Mischa, how is your heart feeling in your body right now? What does it feel like?" You even named the goose bumps, noticing your physical sensation, noticing when emotions come up, because there's so much wisdom there, and 90% of our world is run from here up. That's it. So imagine, you have access to all of this other information and transformation, and that's what I feel like the body provides. So somatic coaching or somatic wisdom is just being in your body, checking in with your body, learning from your body, all of that is in there. So it's just a fancy word for it. But, yeah.
0:07:08.0 Mischa Z: Okay. I love that. Thank you for that. That's a beautiful explanation. And as you were talking about it, literally, I was sensationally in the body, like...
0:07:19.0 Meg Gibbs: Right. I could see it in your eyes too. [chuckle]
0:07:22.0 Mischa Z: So I wanna talk to... Just quickly too, and maybe three-minute version, but this... You... And I love this about you. It's one of my favorite things about you, is just the fact that you didn't five years ago, decide, "I'm gonna go explore shamanic ideas or this or that," and then bring that to the world. You grew up in it, due to the nature of your family. So when you say 20 years, that means... Yeah, when you were a teen, when you were young, you were... Due to the nature of growing up within it, you're doing this practice. Yeah?
0:07:58.2 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, absolutely, yeah. I'll give you the short version. So my mom started working with a Lakota teacher when I was young, and I started working with that teacher when I was 11. So I've been studying shamanic wisdom and lineages for over 20 years, since I was a kid, and I am a white woman, and I like to say that because it's important to know that this is a spiritual lineage for me, it's not a genetic lineage. And honoring that and honoring my teachers, and part of what I believe in, is giving money back to the people who created the space for me to do the work that I do. And with that, what happens for me is this balance of holding what is true, even if it doesn't match up with the outside. And what I mean by that is like, "Yes, I'm a young white person, and I also have this really deep soulful appreciation and carrying of this work inside of myself," and it's integrated into how I see the world and how I relate to people, the work that I do, how I show up, even when I go to the grocery store.
0:09:11.1 Meg Gibbs: It's in me, in a way that is not just, "Oh, I took a workshop and now I'm a shaman." And we talked about this, but I don't actually call myself a shaman. Some other people call me that, but I say I'm a shamanic practitioner, and that I do energetic and emotional healing and support with people. But holding the two lineages that I hold spiritually, are the Lakota and then this Andean tradition from the mountains of Peru, and my teacher is Don Mariano. So I've been initiated into these teachings, and it's an extremely... Or it has been, in the past, an extremely private world. And so, growing up with this really disciplined spiritual approach made me, obviously, pretty different from the other kids in middle school, who were talking about sports, and I'm talking about talking to trees on the weekends.
[laughter]
0:10:06.2 Meg Gibbs: The short version is just that this is very much a part of who I am and how I show up, and it's important to me, that people are honoring the root of where this comes from as well.
0:10:20.6 Mischa Z: Perfect, thank you. Beautiful. Well done, in three minutes too, the three-minute version.
0:10:25.0 Meg Gibbs: Perfect.
0:10:26.9 Mischa Z: And you were saying studying and I'm gonna add to that, implementing. So studying and implementing. So, beautiful. I think we get to it. I say we get to the question. What do you think?
0:10:37.7 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, take me. Let's go.
0:10:38.9 Meg Gibbs: Alright, fantastic. So I'm gonna lay out a scenario, and then I'm gonna ask
you a question, and... If we think of life as that three-legged stool, relationships, finance, health, it's when two of those legs go out, that it really can get... Life can get lifey, if you want to say. And so, for me, my parents passed away in rapid succession, divorce, further failed relationships. Physically, I was fine. I would tell you that. I looked physically fit. I had no stressors going on, physically, but that... For other people, that might...
0:11:31.5 Mischa Z: Anyway, you get what I'm saying. But the fact of the matter was, things got so heavy that my normal tools for working through emotional upheaval or through stressful times weren't enough, so I couldn't success my way through it, or work at it, work harder, fix it. So that being the case, and... Oh, here, I'm gonna get back to script. That helps me. I'm gonna get back on script. So to top it off, the pull yourself up from your bootstraps, fix it and push your way through it methods that served me so well, were no longer working. I needed new tools.
0:12:15.8 Mischa Z: By the grace of God, I had an open mind for new tools. Hence, Meg dropped into my life. This is my question to you. Thinking of shamanism, ceremony, sacred ceremony, what are the exact next steps you would offer this person, so they know they are headed in the new right direction, that they will have positive momentum towards getting their life back on track?
0:12:43.1 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. So the first thing honestly, is take a breath, [chuckle] acknowledging where you are, checking in, noticing what it's like to be you in this moment, is a really powerful tool, and almost zooming out and looking at yourself with love. So I say that because so often, when we're in that space of life crumbling or struggling or whatever, especially if you're holding on from the inside, like if you are someone who is still high achieving and making money and doing the thing, so people don't think there's anything wrong, you're holding a lot, there's a lot of that hamster wheel going on. And so, that breath and that acknowledgement to even just go, "I'm having a hard time right now. Wow. What is it like to meet myself with some compassion?"
0:13:42.9 Meg Gibbs: So I think, so often, we launch into action and action steps, and, "How do I do x, y, z?" And here's the thing, you can read books, you can listen to podcasts, you can go to therapy, there's like... Here's 29 things you can do it. But the other side of it is, how you be, how you be in yourself, how you be in the world, how you show up for people, how you need people to show up for you.
0:14:11.1 Meg Gibbs: So this is just general sort of life advice, container energy stuff. So to answer your question more specifically around the shamanic piece or around ritual, I like to really use small intuitive rituals. And what I mean by that is, I'm gonna show you. So I brought some tea to our call, I don't know if you can read this.
0:14:34.4 Mischa Z: Yeah. Sending you a socially distanced hug in a mug. Nice.
0:14:38.5 Meg Gibbs: I love this. It's a happy mug. And so, what I really like to do that's simple is, in the morning or when you have your tea or your coffee or whatever, and you can do this with me if you have some water with you, whatever you're drinking, and so you're just gonna place your hand over it, and we're gonna check in and just for a moment, you can close your eyes, and put your intention from your heart, imagine it reaching out and meeting that cup and that heart space moving through your hand, down into the substance, down into the water, the tea, the coffee, whatever, and placing an intention in there for yourself. "I wanna be kinder to myself today. I wanna give myself space to breathe. I really need some support from the Earth. I wanna be more grounded. I tap into my strength," whatever that is for you. And then when you're ready, you open your eyes and you simply drink it in.
0:15:44.8 Meg Gibbs: Small small things.
0:15:46.9 Mischa Z: Small, small things. So juicy. That was good.
0:15:52.6 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. And there's one that... I don't know about you, I kinda listen to things and then adapt them. And so, I heard years ago, Oprah said something about, "Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, say thank you." And she said, "Say thank you three or four times." And I remember being like, "Oh, I like that. That's catchy. Let me think about it." And so, as a self-identified not-morning person, when things are kind of blowing up in your life, when there's a lot going on, I think one of the most powerful things to do, is to put your feet on the Earth, literally. And if you can, go out your door in the morning, before you talk to anybody... This is like, yes, if you have kids or a spouse or somebody who is with you or your dog or whatever it is, sometimes we talk to people first, which is understandable, but when I can, I will intentionally take myself outside, take my shoes off and put them on the Earth, so that there is an ignited connection. So these small moments, that's what I wanna focus on today, is how you can breathe into the support within and around you. I just felt myself, show up, here we are.
0:17:16.7 Mischa Z: Yeah, me too. Yeah, that's good. I love it. Continue.
0:17:23.8 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. And so, with that gratitude... So when I say prayers, not everyone says prayers, and whatever you refer to, if you believe in a higher power or something bigger than us, that's how I like to talk about it, something bigger than you. And some of my friends believe that something bigger is our community, it doesn't have to be God or the universe or whatever. So I, because of my spiritual lineage, use the words great spirit, when I'm praying to something bigger than me. So when I'm out there and I put my hands and my feet on the Earth, part of what I'm doing is, I'm giving my energy down into the earth before I take. Because so much of what we do, when we're struggle bussing, is like, "I need support, I need help, I need," whatever, whether that's internal or you're voicing that externally. And so, being able to put your hands or your feet on the Earth for literally three seconds and just say, "I'm so grateful to be here today." And giving that energy down to the thing that gives us life. So, yeah.
0:18:35.0 Mischa Z: Meg, that was beautiful.
0:18:37.3 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. I've been thinking about it in the shower, what to say.
[laughter]
0:18:47.5 Mischa Z: So, when you... I love the gratitude, the give to the Earth before we take, or it gives back. Do you do the thank you, thank you, thank you, or that as well, sort of that... You were talking about the little Oprah trick or...
0:19:03.4 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, so it sort of depends. This is part of my personal philosophy, is around designing things intuitively, that work for you, because I think some people really need specific practice, and I'm happy to say, "Do this thing, do that thing," but the truth is that, we can then get hung up on the indoctrination of how to do the right thing, instead of trusting yourself. And my goal in life is to help people trust themselves more, 'cause when you trust yourself, that's when you're able to make those split-second decisions, you grow a career you love, you relate to people differently, you connect with things in your world that feel like aligned and exciting.
0:19:42.8 Meg Gibbs: So yes, you can get up and say thank you four times, if that's what feels good to you. But for me, for instance, when I pray and I say... The beginning of my prayers are always, "Aho, great spirit, I am grateful for my life and for this day," and that's how I start my prayers 'cause that's what was taught to me. But there are times where I can come in and just kind of feel into my body and feel into myself and say, "Great Spirit, I'm showing up the best I can today." We have to just listen to what's true.
0:20:24.1 Mischa Z: You know what I love about just what you were saying too is... I like this, it's like... For me, I had this incredible confidence and was moving through the arc of life so powerfully, and then when the wheels came off, that confidence was shattered. So, to re... I like how you're talking about... It's like you use that as a tool to slowly start rebuilding some confidence. Yeah?
0:20:56.0 Meg Gibbs: Yeah. Well, and I would say also, that true alignment of self, where we meet ourselves where we are, and that sounds like a little bit big, so let me see if I can put it a different way. Just to acknowledge what's happening, to be honest about what's happening, because when you say the wheels are coming off, we can intellectually understand that, but when it's like, "I'm having trouble eating because my appetite is gone because I'm so stressed. My relationships are falling apart because I feel lonely, and I'm not sure how to share that with someone. I am worried about interviewing for a new job, because now I feel like crap because this and this and this happened."
0:21:41.6 Meg Gibbs: So it's like when you get into the truth of what's happening and honor that you continue to show up, that you're here, you're here at the summit, because you want to experience a new way to face these issues or solve things, and then understanding where you are right now. That's... For me, that's the path forward, 'cause if not, then you're going, "Oh, well, I should feel fine because I have money, and I have this, and I have this, and I have my health and I'm okay," instead of going, "Oh my God, my world. What am I doing?" 'Cause the moment you allow yourself to go, "Hey, I'm feeling lost and alone right now," and somebody else goes, "Oh my God, me too." That's that togetherness.
0:22:28.0 Mischa Z: Yeah, yeah. Very cool. What other sort of tips and tricks and tools were you... So I love it. So we had... Step one was sort of acknowledge or however you said that, and then we had a next thing is like, go out, connect to the earth. I love that. Find that moment if you can, when appropriate. Preferably sooner, the better. And take your shoes off, connect to the ground, feet, hands, whatever, that little gratitude exercise and such, was what was next on your...
0:23:13.2 Meg Gibbs: On my list. Yeah, so I also... I think, with intuition specifically, which is a big part of my work is helping people tap into what they know to be true, because often, when we go to someone, when we're asking advice or we hire a helping professional, I believe we actually do know the answer. It's in there and instead of piling on lots of people's information, being able to check in and see what is true for me in this moment, and what do I actually know. So one tool that I use when somebody is kind of confused or trying to understand a situation is, instead of saying, "Well, I'm facing this huge unknown and I'm really scared and I don't know where to go next," we tap into what do you know. In what do you know, you even feel that energy shift of, "Okay, I'm gonna name some things that I know out loud," which is hard for people, and you can do this writing, this is a great exercise writing, is to write down 20 things that you know.
0:24:18.7 Meg Gibbs: And here's the thing, the reason that it's 20 is 'cause you'll get three to five that are pretty easy, where you're like, "I know I'm safe, I know I'm okay, I know I like sandwiches," whatever it is. But there's something that changes, when you get beyond your comfort zone of, "Oh, here's the initial thoughts," and then you start to go deeper. So this is like a self-coaching tool, where you can really listen, to see, "Oh my gosh, I know... Let me think of something in this moment. I know I do better when I connect with nature. And so, if that's one of my things and that's say, number 17 on the list, I might go, "Oh, after I finish this list, I'm gonna go outside." And the reason I keep bringing up nature, I should say, is because in the Native American spiritual practice and in the Peruvian practice, all of this is connected to earth, earth is mother, Mother Earth, it's called Pachamama is another word for it. And so, when I connect to the great mother, the sacred one who created us all, however you believe that, is that then I'm connecting to my essence self, I'm giving that space of my truth in relationship, in right relationship with where we came from. Does that make sense?
0:25:43.9 Mischa Z: It does. Yeah. It does. Any way you would reframe that, just in case? I was viscerally internalizing that. So I... It was going in... That's why I say that. So I'm like, "Yeah, I get it," 'cause I viscerally felt it.
0:26:09.6 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, yeah. So that question of, "Where do you feel most connected?" It might not be nature, it might be on the dance floor, it might be taking a walk, it might be staring deeply into somebody's eyes, there's all these different... Taking a bath, I love taking a bath, it's like a sacred ritual. And so, lighting candles, maybe putting something in the water, that feels good to me, and it's like we can do it with so many different things. Sensation is really helpful for being present. So smells, touch, taste, sound, any of that, to really get into the moment.
0:26:46.2 Meg Gibbs: So when you're feeling anxious or you have this experience of, "Oh my God, my life is falling apart. What do I do?" If you can take that initial beat to connect to something, it helps you feel connected. And I know that sounds like, "Oh no, no... What does she mean?" But you feel it, you know when you feel connected. And I recorded a really short video that was seven seconds, the other day, that I put on Instagram, and I said... I was talking about connecting with the trees and nature, and I said in there, "If you don't have time or you don't have access to connect with the trees, watch my hand connect to the tree in the video, and tap into the energy that you feel, that's connecting between our human self and I would say our divine self." So I'm getting very "woo". Are you still with me?
0:27:41.7 Mischa Z: I'm still with you. Thank you. Hang in there, everybody. Hang in there. No, I think it's an opportunity for us, to explore the "woo". Let's be real, sometimes a little "woo" in our lives can be good. For me, I think... I can get very contempt, prior to investigation, if you wanna say those types of terms, or very myopic in my... I'll speak for me. I'm sure everybody else watching, is always open-minded and...
0:28:20.7 Meg Gibbs: Oh yeah, yeah, none of us... We don't have any hang-ups over here, clearly.
0:28:23.6 Mischa Z: Yes. But it's alright. A little "woo" is good. Don't worry. There's plenty of non "woo" on this summit too. So we're bringing the balance right now.
0:28:33.3 Meg Gibbs: Well, it's... For me at least, part of what I pride myself on is having grounded "woo", that's... Practical, grounded, engaged, spiritual spirituality. That's the part for me. And you know this about me, I'm not... No shade to anybody else, but I am not a crystal worshipping, connect with... That's not my vibe. I really do want people to be grounded in themselves, in their body, because that's the difference. When you meet people who are just in like, "I made a crystal grid so I could manifest millions of dollars." Great, sure. That might work. But the truth is that we have to meet both, our divine self and our human self.
0:29:15.7 Meg Gibbs: And so, in here, for me, that's where the magic happens. That's like... When I say, when I work with people, "It's you, me and spirit. It's the three of us, connecting and co-creating." So I'm not here to have all the answers, and the truth is, I think the answers are within you from a divine perspective, that we can pull out that spark. So, that's the point that... If people tune out because they're not interested in this language, what I love is that every single teacher speaks to certain audiences and certain people, because there's a resonance. So, just notice if this resonates or not. It's not personal.
0:30:00.1 Mischa Z: Yes, yes. Beautiful. Yeah, that's well said. Is there further? Did you have further... I wanna make sure we keep... Or...
0:30:09.5 Meg Gibbs: Well, so your question around the, "Do I say Thank you four times." The one thing that I do that I enjoy, so I live by myself with my dog, currently. I have done this with partners in the past or with friends, is before bed, I do like to say three things that I'm grateful for, out loud, and I used to write them down, and I think writing is a beautiful way to express and hold that energy. But there's also something also delightful and silly to me, about telling my dog what I'm grateful for, from the day, and often, I say, "And I'm grateful for her health and her well-being." And so there's that sense of even if it's not another person, even if you're completely on your own, that you can witness yourself doing that, just by doing it out loud and honoring, "Here's three things I'm grateful for, before I rest tonight." So I like that, as a closing practice. So I've given you some beginning, end of the day and some stuff to do in the middle.
0:31:07.8 Mischa Z: Yes, so good, I love it. I think that's a beautiful place to end this session. So, everybody, if this interview with Meg was fantastic, and you want to get even more content from Meg, upgrade to the all-access pass, because Meg and I are gonna be doing round two here, which is going to be fantastic. I can't wait to see what comes up. So yeah, be sure to upgrade to the all access pass for the bonus interview. There should be a button here somewhere, not sure where it is yet. Any final thoughts to share, that we did not get a chance to cover, Meg? .
0:31:51.4 Meg Gibbs: Just the power of... What do I wanna say? That there's... For me... This is a little bit of an advanced concept I'm throwing in at the end, but I think it's important, is, for me, there are three layers of connection. There's the connection to our selves, the connection to others, the circle around us, the collective, and then the connection to what's bigger than us, the earth, spirit, etcetera.
0:32:17.3 Meg Gibbs: So if you're here in the summit, I imagine that you're on a path, and that you're on a path seeking relationship and healing with yourself, with the people around you and/or with spirit. So that's my invitation, is just to start to notice and track what resonates with you, to find what expands and what contracts that connection. So what feels good, and just to notice, again, how it feels in your body. So that's my... Rooting for people. Yes. Yeah.
0:32:47.8 Mischa Z: That was amazing. Everybody can find Meg, at www.Megibbs.com. Im
gonna spell it too, just to make sure there's no confusion, M-E-G G-I-B-B-S dot com. So Megibbs.com. Click the button on the all access pass, to get unlimited access to all the interviews, to get access to Meg and I's round two, which is coming up, and then also, Meg so graciously, is going to be offering up, as a bonus for everybody who upgrades a session, that there'll be a link, so you can go deep with Meg, if you want to, for free. Meg, yeah. Thank you so much, Meg. We'll end there. Yeah?
0:33:38.6 Meg Gibbs: Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you. Nice to meet you.