web01.fireside.fm Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:50:05 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) The Permission Slip - Episodes Tagged with “#Breathwork” https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/tags/%23breathwork Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0500 I love everything to do with consciousness - personal growth books, meditation, psychedelics, bodywork, Tantric retreats, chakras, Human Design, channeled works, you name it! For the past fifteen years, I’ve been on a deep healing journey. I regularly engage relative strangers in conversation about topics relating to consciousness, transformation and psychedelics (sometimes to their annoyance). I've been dancing around starting a podcast for a couple years now. My imposter syndrome has kept me thinking I don't have anything worthwhile to share, while I vainly attempt to find a community with whom I resonate. I've been fortunate to work with some really gifted practitioners during my journey. They not only gave me tools to heal, they gave me PERMISSION to heal. My intention in producing and distributing The Permission Slip podcast is to share knowledge of their talents with the rest of the world. Many of us have been programmed to believe that healing only comes from those in the medical profession who have gone through a particular set of training protocols. This is not true. Doctors and therapists and the like are (mostly) well-meaning and very good at what they do. Sometimes, more often than we are maybe lead to believe, what they recommend or do is not what is truly needed for healing. In the spirit of the following passage, I'm committing to a minimum of six podcasts that will be discussions with practitioners and healers from whom I've derived personal benefit. The purpose of this effort is therefore to shed light on the diverse ways of healing as well as moving into right relationship with oneself. Credits Renee LaVallee McKenna for the inspiration to create this in the first place. Abby Bruce (ma soeur) for the encouragement along the way. Damian Wiseman for the audio engineering expertise. en-us episodic You are allowed. Matt Kosterman I love everything to do with consciousness - personal growth books, meditation, psychedelics, bodywork, Tantric retreats, chakras, Human Design, channeled works, you name it! For the past fifteen years, I’ve been on a deep healing journey. I regularly engage relative strangers in conversation about topics relating to consciousness, transformation and psychedelics (sometimes to their annoyance). I've been dancing around starting a podcast for a couple years now. My imposter syndrome has kept me thinking I don't have anything worthwhile to share, while I vainly attempt to find a community with whom I resonate. I've been fortunate to work with some really gifted practitioners during my journey. They not only gave me tools to heal, they gave me PERMISSION to heal. My intention in producing and distributing The Permission Slip podcast is to share knowledge of their talents with the rest of the world. Many of us have been programmed to believe that healing only comes from those in the medical profession who have gone through a particular set of training protocols. This is not true. Doctors and therapists and the like are (mostly) well-meaning and very good at what they do. Sometimes, more often than we are maybe lead to believe, what they recommend or do is not what is truly needed for healing. In the spirit of the following passage, I'm committing to a minimum of six podcasts that will be discussions with practitioners and healers from whom I've derived personal benefit. The purpose of this effort is therefore to shed light on the diverse ways of healing as well as moving into right relationship with oneself. Credits Renee LaVallee McKenna for the inspiration to create this in the first place. Abby Bruce (ma soeur) for the encouragement along the way. Damian Wiseman for the audio engineering expertise. yes Conscious living, Embodiment, Transformation, Inner healing, Trauma release, Psychedelic integration, Energy work, Nervous system regulation, Authentic expression, Conscious relationships, Spiritual awakening, Shadow work, Self-remembrance, Intuitive guidance, Healing trauma, Mind-body connection Matt Kosterman matt@reknowing.com S2 | E3 Christopher Sunyata, Men's Coach, Meditation Teacher & Engineer https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e3-sunyata 5ea099c3-48a2-4325-8675-16185c9dcf6b Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this episode, I sit down with Christopher Sunyata—engineer, Buddhist meditation teacher, and men’s coach—to explore what it really means to embody grounded masculine presence. We talk about trauma, breath, kundalini energy, polarity, multi-orgasmic potential for men, and the profound link between sexuality and spiritual awakening. Christopher shares how bullying, a near-death childhood experience, divorce, fatherhood, psychotherapy, psychedelics, and decades of practice shaped the man he is today. This is a conversation about safety in the body, depth in relationship, and reclaiming sexuality as a path of consciousness—not performance. 1:19:21 yes In S2•E3, I speak with Christopher Sunyata, a former medical device engineer turned Buddhist meditation teacher and men’s coach based in Boulder, Colorado . We met at an Osho-inspired Deer Tribe workshop in Cave Creek, Arizona—an intensive container exploring sacred sexuality and polarity work . Christopher shares his origin story: • Raised Catholic in Decatur, Illinois, bullied through childhood  • A sensitive kid who later became a college rugby all-star—yet carried a fractured internal self-image  • A near-death suffocation accident in childhood that left a deep imprint in his nervous system  • Ten years of Jungian analysis, divorce after discovering an affair following a mushroom journey  • Intensive Buddhist practice and eventual immersion in embodied tantric work We explore how women’s somatic intuition became one of his greatest teachers—how feminine bodies read tension, contraction, and presence instantly . We discuss: • Why resting as “open awareness” makes men more trustworthy and attractive  • Breath-rate recovery and training the parasympathetic nervous system  • Why meditation, psychedelics, and sexuality all intersect as portals into death practice and ego dissolution  • His extensive work with plant medicines, including 5-MeO-DMT  • Sexual practice as spiritual practice • The difference between effort-based “techniques” and relaxed energetic openness • How men can access sustained, non-ejaculatory, full-body orgasmic states • Why relational polarity requires stability, not performance • The nervous system as the foundation of spiritual and relational growth Christopher’s central thesis: A man’s depth is revealed in how much intensity he can open through—without collapsing, grasping, or dissociating . We also explore how shame around sexuality has been weaponized socially and spiritually—and what happens when that shame is removed. This conversation bridges: • Trauma work • Buddhist meditation • Tantric polarity • Somatic nervous system regulation • Psychedelic awakening • Masculine leadership It’s an unapologetically honest conversation about embodied masculinity in a time when many men feel disconnected from purpose and presence. Special Guest: Christopher Sunyata. masculine embodiment, tantra, polarity, nervous system regulation, parasympathetic activation, kundalini, breathwork, multi-orgasmic men, sacred sexuality, men’s work, trauma healing, Buddhist meditation, 5-MeO-DMT, relational depth, spiritual awakening In S2•E3, I speak with Christopher Sunyata, a former medical device engineer turned Buddhist meditation teacher and men’s coach based in Boulder, Colorado . We met at an Osho-inspired Deer Tribe workshop in Cave Creek, Arizona—an intensive container exploring sacred sexuality and polarity work .

Christopher shares his origin story:
• Raised Catholic in Decatur, Illinois, bullied through childhood 
• A sensitive kid who later became a college rugby all-star—yet carried a fractured internal self-image 
• A near-death suffocation accident in childhood that left a deep imprint in his nervous system 
• Ten years of Jungian analysis, divorce after discovering an affair following a mushroom journey 
• Intensive Buddhist practice and eventual immersion in embodied tantric work

We explore how women’s somatic intuition became one of his greatest teachers—how feminine bodies read tension, contraction, and presence instantly .

We discuss:
• Why resting as “open awareness” makes men more trustworthy and attractive 
• Breath-rate recovery and training the parasympathetic nervous system 
• Why meditation, psychedelics, and sexuality all intersect as portals into death practice and ego dissolution 
• His extensive work with plant medicines, including 5-MeO-DMT 
• Sexual practice as spiritual practice
• The difference between effort-based “techniques” and relaxed energetic openness
• How men can access sustained, non-ejaculatory, full-body orgasmic states
• Why relational polarity requires stability, not performance
• The nervous system as the foundation of spiritual and relational growth

Christopher’s central thesis:

A man’s depth is revealed in how much intensity he can open through—without collapsing, grasping, or dissociating .

We also explore how shame around sexuality has been weaponized socially and spiritually—and what happens when that shame is removed.

This conversation bridges:
• Trauma work
• Buddhist meditation
• Tantric polarity
• Somatic nervous system regulation
• Psychedelic awakening
• Masculine leadership

It’s an unapologetically honest conversation about embodied masculinity in a time when many men feel disconnected from purpose and presence.

Special Guest: Christopher Sunyata.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> In S2•E3, I speak with Christopher Sunyata, a former medical device engineer turned Buddhist meditation teacher and men’s coach based in Boulder, Colorado . We met at an Osho-inspired Deer Tribe workshop in Cave Creek, Arizona—an intensive container exploring sacred sexuality and polarity work .

Christopher shares his origin story:
• Raised Catholic in Decatur, Illinois, bullied through childhood 
• A sensitive kid who later became a college rugby all-star—yet carried a fractured internal self-image 
• A near-death suffocation accident in childhood that left a deep imprint in his nervous system 
• Ten years of Jungian analysis, divorce after discovering an affair following a mushroom journey 
• Intensive Buddhist practice and eventual immersion in embodied tantric work

We explore how women’s somatic intuition became one of his greatest teachers—how feminine bodies read tension, contraction, and presence instantly .

We discuss:
• Why resting as “open awareness” makes men more trustworthy and attractive 
• Breath-rate recovery and training the parasympathetic nervous system 
• Why meditation, psychedelics, and sexuality all intersect as portals into death practice and ego dissolution 
• His extensive work with plant medicines, including 5-MeO-DMT 
• Sexual practice as spiritual practice
• The difference between effort-based “techniques” and relaxed energetic openness
• How men can access sustained, non-ejaculatory, full-body orgasmic states
• Why relational polarity requires stability, not performance
• The nervous system as the foundation of spiritual and relational growth

Christopher’s central thesis:

A man’s depth is revealed in how much intensity he can open through—without collapsing, grasping, or dissociating .

We also explore how shame around sexuality has been weaponized socially and spiritually—and what happens when that shame is removed.

This conversation bridges:
• Trauma work
• Buddhist meditation
• Tantric polarity
• Somatic nervous system regulation
• Psychedelic awakening
• Masculine leadership

It’s an unapologetically honest conversation about embodied masculinity in a time when many men feel disconnected from purpose and presence.

Special Guest: Christopher Sunyata.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> S1 | E15 Janell Riedl - Pilates Instructor & Intuitive https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s1e15-riedl 28168212-a60f-4f7c-a407-523b0de77c25 Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0600 Matt Kosterman full 1 Matt Kosterman In this episode, I talk with my Pilates instructor and friend Janell Riedl, whose intuitive, body-based work has helped unwind decades of tension and trauma for me. We explore how the body holds emotion, how release actually happens, and how Janell blends Pilates, energy work, and nervous-system awareness into a powerful healing practice. This is a conversation about letting go, trusting your body, and following the path that leads you back to yourself. 1:15:03 yes Join me as I sit down with someone who has been a beautiful and powerful force in my healing journey — my Pilates instructor and friend, Janell Riedl. After resisting the call of Pilates for a long time, three years ago I found Janell. She has been guiding me unwinding my twisted fascia, waking up dormant muscles, getting overactive muscles to calm down and helping me release decades of stored tension and trauma. She is not your typical Pilates instructor; Janell is also an intuitive, an energy worker, and a teacher in the truest sense — someone who learned the hard way, followed her intuition, and kept leaning into the deeper layers of her own evolution. We talk about her path from theater major to bartender and aspiring rock star, to leaving a toxic relationship, to living with an energy intuitive in Oregon who cracked her open to her real gifts. We chat about how the body stores emotion and how shaking can reprogram the nervous system. Our talk ventures into why letting go is harder than holding on, and how intuition guides her work with clients. We also dive into spiritual openings, core unwinding, fear conditioning, ego, and why you can’t heal a body you’re judging. This episode is a small window into the magic that happens when someone merges technical mastery with intuitive knowing. This is a conversation about healing, trusting your path, and remembering that the journey is the point. Special Guest: Janell Riedl. Pilates, Healing, Energy Work, Nervous System, Trauma Release, Somatic Work, Embodiment, Intuition, Spiritual Growth, Fascia, Core Strength, Personal Transformation, Conscious Movement, Mind-Body Connection, Chicago Wellness Join me as I sit down with someone who has been a beautiful and powerful force in my healing journey — my Pilates instructor and friend, Janell Riedl.
After resisting the call of Pilates for a long time, three years ago I found Janell. She has been guiding me unwinding my twisted fascia, waking up dormant muscles, getting overactive muscles to calm down and helping me release decades of stored tension and trauma. She is not your typical Pilates instructor; Janell is also an intuitive, an energy worker, and a teacher in the truest sense — someone who learned the hard way, followed her intuition, and kept leaning into the deeper layers of her own evolution.
We talk about her path from theater major to bartender and aspiring rock star, to leaving a toxic relationship, to living with an energy intuitive in Oregon who cracked her open to her real gifts. We chat about how the body stores emotion and how shaking can reprogram the nervous system. Our talk ventures into why letting go is harder than holding on, and how intuition guides her work with clients.
We also dive into spiritual openings, core unwinding, fear conditioning, ego, and why you can’t heal a body you’re judging. This episode is a small window into the magic that happens when someone merges technical mastery with intuitive knowing.
This is a conversation about healing, trusting your path, and remembering that the journey is the point.

Special Guest: Janell Riedl.

Support The Permission Slip

Links:

]]> Join me as I sit down with someone who has been a beautiful and powerful force in my healing journey — my Pilates instructor and friend, Janell Riedl.
After resisting the call of Pilates for a long time, three years ago I found Janell. She has been guiding me unwinding my twisted fascia, waking up dormant muscles, getting overactive muscles to calm down and helping me release decades of stored tension and trauma. She is not your typical Pilates instructor; Janell is also an intuitive, an energy worker, and a teacher in the truest sense — someone who learned the hard way, followed her intuition, and kept leaning into the deeper layers of her own evolution.
We talk about her path from theater major to bartender and aspiring rock star, to leaving a toxic relationship, to living with an energy intuitive in Oregon who cracked her open to her real gifts. We chat about how the body stores emotion and how shaking can reprogram the nervous system. Our talk ventures into why letting go is harder than holding on, and how intuition guides her work with clients.
We also dive into spiritual openings, core unwinding, fear conditioning, ego, and why you can’t heal a body you’re judging. This episode is a small window into the magic that happens when someone merges technical mastery with intuitive knowing.
This is a conversation about healing, trusting your path, and remembering that the journey is the point.

Special Guest: Janell Riedl.

Support The Permission Slip

Links:

]]> S1 | E9 Ben Goldberger - Breathworking Psychotherapist https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s1e9-goldberger 32275c6e-3578-45e0-913f-dd1276d58975 Sat, 04 Oct 2025 11:45:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 1 Matt Kosterman Licensed psychotherapist and breathwork facilitator Ben Goldberger joins me to talk about non-ordinary states of consciousness, men’s work, and the healing power of breath. A grounded, soulful exploration of how we move toward wholeness—one breath at a time. 1:13:56 yes In this intimate and wide-ranging conversation, I sit down with licensed psychotherapist Ben Goldberger, LCSW—founder of We Are Medicine. Ben shares his personal journey from depression, disconnection, and rebellion in his 20s to finding healing through men’s work, psychotherapy, and holotropic-style breathwork. They explore how non-ordinary states of consciousness can open pathways to integration and wholeness, what it means to reclaim personal agency in healing, and why deep breathwork can be as transformative as psychedelics—without the pharmacology. The episode also weaves in themes of trauma release, body-based therapy, spiritual awakening, meditation, and miracles, offering listeners both inspiration and grounded tools for inner work. ** Ben's Bio ** Ben Goldberger is a breathwork facilitator and trauma-focused psychotherapist practicing in the Chicago area since 2010. He is passionate about helping others access their innate abilities to heal and change through the use of intuitive, somatic methods, combined with more conventional analytical approaches. Ben offers monthly breathwork workshops, private breathwork and a variety of talk and somatic therapy modalities meant for all ages including EMDR, Jungian-informed psychotherapy, and family therapy of all kinds. Website: https://wearemedicine.net Special Guest: Ben Goldberger. Ben Goldberger, Breathwork, Holotropic Breathwork, We Are Medicine, Trauma Healing, Non-Ordinary States, Somatic Therapy, Psychedelics, EMDR, Inner Child, Meditation, Men’s Work, Healing Journey, Consciousness, Integration, Chicago Therapists, Spiritual Growth, Self-Agency, Mind-Body Connection In this intimate and wide-ranging conversation, I sit down with licensed psychotherapist Ben Goldberger, LCSW—founder of We Are Medicine. Ben shares his personal journey from depression, disconnection, and rebellion in his 20s to finding healing through men’s work, psychotherapy, and holotropic-style breathwork.
They explore how non-ordinary states of consciousness can open pathways to integration and wholeness, what it means to reclaim personal agency in healing, and why deep breathwork can be as transformative as psychedelics—without the pharmacology.
The episode also weaves in themes of trauma release, body-based therapy, spiritual awakening, meditation, and miracles, offering listeners both inspiration and grounded tools for inner work.

** Ben's Bio **

Ben Goldberger is a breathwork facilitator and trauma-focused psychotherapist practicing in the Chicago area since 2010. He is passionate about helping others access their innate abilities to heal and change through the use of intuitive, somatic methods, combined with more conventional analytical approaches. Ben offers monthly breathwork workshops, private breathwork and a variety of talk and somatic therapy modalities meant for all ages including EMDR, Jungian-informed psychotherapy, and family therapy of all kinds.

Website: https://wearemedicine.net

Special Guest: Ben Goldberger.

Support The Permission Slip

Links:

]]> In this intimate and wide-ranging conversation, I sit down with licensed psychotherapist Ben Goldberger, LCSW—founder of We Are Medicine. Ben shares his personal journey from depression, disconnection, and rebellion in his 20s to finding healing through men’s work, psychotherapy, and holotropic-style breathwork.
They explore how non-ordinary states of consciousness can open pathways to integration and wholeness, what it means to reclaim personal agency in healing, and why deep breathwork can be as transformative as psychedelics—without the pharmacology.
The episode also weaves in themes of trauma release, body-based therapy, spiritual awakening, meditation, and miracles, offering listeners both inspiration and grounded tools for inner work.

** Ben's Bio **

Ben Goldberger is a breathwork facilitator and trauma-focused psychotherapist practicing in the Chicago area since 2010. He is passionate about helping others access their innate abilities to heal and change through the use of intuitive, somatic methods, combined with more conventional analytical approaches. Ben offers monthly breathwork workshops, private breathwork and a variety of talk and somatic therapy modalities meant for all ages including EMDR, Jungian-informed psychotherapy, and family therapy of all kinds.

Website: https://wearemedicine.net

Special Guest: Ben Goldberger.

Support The Permission Slip

Links:

]]>