Amber is the founder and facilitator of Alchemy Rites, the iSoma practitioner training course and host of Deep Currents podcast. In this episode she reflects on the origins of this deep and transformational work, its evolution and its future. We chat about the importance of rites of passage for personal growth and healing amidst modern relational challenges.

Amber's work highlights the power of emotional healing through relationship, connection and community and the need for this in an increasingly fractured world. We explore the tension of being of service to something greater while navigating personal needs, how we might connect more deeply to self, nature and others in daily life and the importance of contact - referencing the work of Duey Freeman.

This was recorded and released at the end of the calendar year and at the end of the Alchemy Rites program and so the theme of endings and new beginnings runs throughout our conversation. Amber shares some devotional practices to support you through these changing times which I know will be really helpful.

To connect with Amber you can find more info at www.amberhawken.com and sign up to her newsletter there.

It's been a while, almost a year! Just wanted to check-in, say hi, and thank you. Thank you for listening. I've got a couple of updates to share in this episode but really I just wanted to dust off the cobwebs.

I mentioned the rituals resource library I collated, you can access that here.

I also asked for some feedback, if you've got a minute you can contact me via email at hello@mikeyellis.com or message me on Instagram @mikey.ellis

I’ve been following Shy’s work for years now. I think the work he’s doing to bring greater self awareness to teaching, learning and education is essential, it’s so important.

Shy has plenty of experience in the education sector having been a high school teacher of psychology, science and maths and is now a sought after education consultant and researcher working as an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences (Design & Pedagogy) in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra.

He has two Bachelors degrees, two Masters degrees and a PhD so he knows a thing or two about learning. His PhD thesis was on, 'Sustainable school improvement: enhancing school middle leaders in epistemic cognition for teaching about self regulated learning'.

As you'll notice from this conversation, not only is Shy's knowledge of how we learn extensive, but he has a unique ability to make complex topics as approachable and relatable as he is.

In this conversation we discuss:

• What exactly is 'self regulated learning'?
• How might we cultivate this - both in school students and as adults?
• What are the strategies for developing greater self regulation?
• Why does this matter?
• What's the relationships between self regulation, self awareness, social and emotional awareness?
• What role can parents play in developing greater self regulated learners?
• How do we do this as adults?

To learn more about Shy's work, visit his website here.

Follow him on social media here on Instagram, here on Twitter.

Watch his 2023 TED Talk, 'What we fail to learn in schools'.

Listen to his podcast, 'Educate to Self-Regulate' here.