web02.fireside.fm Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:54:12 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) The Permission Slip - Episodes Tagged with “#Innerchildwork” https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/tags/%23innerchildwork Mon, 08 Jun 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 | E9 Dr. Katie Simons, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist, Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, Psychedelic Medicine Facilitator and Coach https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e9-simons b630c178-e2ea-495b-8975-8246b3dedd75 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this episode, I sit down with Katie Simons — a doctor of pharmacy turned hypnotherapist, somatic breathwork facilitator, and psychedelic medicine guide — for one of the most wide-ranging and personally resonant conversations I've had on the show. We trace her journey from a decade inside the VA healthcare system to stepping fully into the healing space, and dig deep into psychedelics, nervous system regulation, integration, and what it actually means to be healed. 1:10:12 yes <p>Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.<br> In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.<br> We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.<br> We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.<br> This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.<br> Special Guest: Katie Simons.</p> Katie Simons, psychedelic medicine, psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, mushrooms, hypnotherapy, somatic breathwork, nervous system regulation, harm reduction, psychedelic facilitation, integration, default mode network, SSRIs and psychedelics, drug interactions, VA healthcare, doctor of pharmacy, patient safety, burnout, healing, subconscious belief systems, transpersonal hypnotherapy, microdosing, ketamine, medicine journeys, ceremonial healing, dieta, solo journeys, psychedelic safety, test kits, fentanyl strips, DanceSafe, Chicago Recovery Alliance, Santa Fe, meditation, inner child work, parts work, trauma, religious conditioning, nervous system collapse, freeze response, somatic healing, ayahuasca ceremony, Costa Rica, Burning Man, Phish, the holistic apothec, Permission Slip podcast, Season 2 Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.
In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.
We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.
We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.
This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.

Special Guest: Katie Simons.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.
In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.
We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.
We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.
This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.

Special Guest: Katie Simons.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> S1 | E1 Renee LaVallee McKenna - Spiritual PsiKologist https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s1e1-mckenna f79a168b-e511-4f50-abea-e7d342bd159f Sat, 07 Jun 2025 21:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 1 Matt Kosterman In this premiere episode, I share my journey from depression and disconnection to healing and purpose, joined by Renee LaVallee McKenna as we explore addiction, transformation, and the power of giving yourself permission to change. 1:01:42 yes <p>In the first episode of The Permission Slip, I touch my journey healing from decades of depression, addiction, and physical pain to a place of deep presence and purpose. For much of my life, I felt like I didn’t belong here—as in on Earth, here, in a body. Despite building a successful business and raising two beautiful daughters, I was deeply disconnected, numbing myself with alcohol and later navigating chronic pain through a medical system that was not designed to deal with spiritual issues. My healing truly began after a psilocybin journey cracked me open, leading me to explore alternative modalities, spiritual practices, and inner transformation. This podcast is my offering to others who are seeking their own way out of pain and into authenticity, embodiment, and joy.<br> My first guest, Renee LaVallee McKenna, has played a pivotal role in my healing. She’s a former multi-substance addict turned spiritual psychologist who brings a grounded, no-BS approach to deep inner work. In our conversation, we talk about addiction as a search for the right algorithm, the hero’s journey as a framework for healing, and the ways unresolved trauma lives in the body. Renee shares how her own rock bottoms became portals to growth and how she found her calling by surrendering to something bigger than herself. Our discussion touches on themes like self-responsibility, spiritual awakening without substances, and the intelligence of our body and nervous system. If you’ve ever felt stuck, numb, or like your life is “fine” but missing something essential, I hope this episode offers a glimpse of what’s possible when you give yourself permission to heal.</p> <h3>Reneé's Bio</h3> <p>I'm a Boston-born mentor, hypnotherapist and Shamanic healer who guides people to heal and transform on a soul level. My individual sessions, workshops, groups and mentorship programs in Spiritual Psi-Kology offer a unique blend of neo-Shamanism and Buddhist philosophy with hypnotherapy and body-based mindfulness. </p> <p>I bring my 30+ years of experience as a recovering addict and ex-crazy person to my <a href="https://www.reneemckenna.com/podcast" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">weekly podcast</a>, sharing snackable teachings on spirituality, psychology and all things personal growth.</p> <p>All of the work I do with clients, I have experienced in my own therapy and personal growth work. I consider myself a mentor, guide and navigator for your own soul's journey. I DO NOT practice as a licensed psychologist or counselor.</p> <p>I have a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology and am a certified clinical hypotherapist. For 14 years I studied DepthHypnosis, Shamanism and Energy Work with Dr. Isa Gucciardi and have been a student of Lifespan Integration, Hakomi Method and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and healing methods.</p> <p>Through my own inner work and practice, I have come to believe that spiritual and intuitive methods of healing are more effective and transformative than the more intellectually and physically based approach of Western psychology. The work of Spiritual Psi-Kology is intended as an alternative and a compliment to Western psychology and many find this work to be a great addition to traditional talk therapy, psychology and psychiatry.</p> <p>My book, workbook and guided audio series <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Allies-Demons-Working-Spirit-Healing/dp/1703725808/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RJ4G2SW08LNR&amp;keywords=allies+%26+demons&amp;qid=1578848789&amp;sprefix=allies+%26%2Cdigital-text%2C270&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Allies &amp; Demons: Working With Spirit For Power And Healing</a> is available on Amazon and Audible. Allies and Demons guides you through the 15 basic inner journeys of Spiritual Psi-Kology. This powerful book is filled with inspiring client stories, soul level wisdom, and my personal journey of healing and empowerment.</p> <p>I know the extremes of success and failure. From bankruptcy to grad school, from divorce and homelessness to motherhood and art teacher, from addict and alcoholic to lead of <a href="https://www.reneemckenna.com/women-s-march-january-2017" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Women's March 2017</a>, I bring the wisdom gained from my many life experiences to my students and clients world-wide.</p> <p>My passion is to bring this work that has healed and transformed my life to all who need it. My free content includes a <a href="https://www.reneemckenna.com/podcast" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">weekly podcast</a>, healing workshops on Insight Timer and content on Youtube. My year-long <a href="https://www.reneemckenna.com/mentorship" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mentorship Program</a> trains therapists, counselors and healers in the grounded and practical tools of Spiritual Psi-Kology. I also offer Healthy Healer Workshops offering tools for healthy boundaries, energy medicine and spiritual connection for other practitioners.</p> <p>Check out my artwork <a href="http://reneemckenna.squarespace.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.<br> Special Guest: Renee LaVallee McKenna, MA.</p> Spiritual Awakening, Psychedelic Healing, Addiction Recovery, Trauma Integration, Energy Work, Inner Child Healing, Somatic Therapy, Shadow Work, Consciousness Expansion, The Hero’s Journey, Nervous System Healing, Emotional Release, Personal Transformation, Renee LaVallee McKenna, Matt Kosterman, In the first episode of The Permission Slip, I touch my journey healing from decades of depression, addiction, and physical pain to a place of deep presence and purpose. For much of my life, I felt like I didn’t belong here—as in on Earth, here, in a body. Despite building a successful business and raising two beautiful daughters, I was deeply disconnected, numbing myself with alcohol and later navigating chronic pain through a medical system that was not designed to deal with spiritual issues. My healing truly began after a psilocybin journey cracked me open, leading me to explore alternative modalities, spiritual practices, and inner transformation. This podcast is my offering to others who are seeking their own way out of pain and into authenticity, embodiment, and joy.
My first guest, Renee LaVallee McKenna, has played a pivotal role in my healing. She’s a former multi-substance addict turned spiritual psychologist who brings a grounded, no-BS approach to deep inner work. In our conversation, we talk about addiction as a search for the right algorithm, the hero’s journey as a framework for healing, and the ways unresolved trauma lives in the body. Renee shares how her own rock bottoms became portals to growth and how she found her calling by surrendering to something bigger than herself. Our discussion touches on themes like self-responsibility, spiritual awakening without substances, and the intelligence of our body and nervous system. If you’ve ever felt stuck, numb, or like your life is “fine” but missing something essential, I hope this episode offers a glimpse of what’s possible when you give yourself permission to heal.

Reneé's Bio

I'm a Boston-born mentor, hypnotherapist and Shamanic healer who guides people to heal and transform on a soul level. My individual sessions, workshops, groups and mentorship programs in Spiritual Psi-Kology offer a unique blend of neo-Shamanism and Buddhist philosophy with hypnotherapy and body-based mindfulness.

I bring my 30+ years of experience as a recovering addict and ex-crazy person to my weekly podcast, sharing snackable teachings on spirituality, psychology and all things personal growth.

All of the work I do with clients, I have experienced in my own therapy and personal growth work. I consider myself a mentor, guide and navigator for your own soul's journey. I DO NOT practice as a licensed psychologist or counselor.

I have a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology and am a certified clinical hypotherapist. For 14 years I studied DepthHypnosis, Shamanism and Energy Work with Dr. Isa Gucciardi and have been a student of Lifespan Integration, Hakomi Method and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and healing methods.

Through my own inner work and practice, I have come to believe that spiritual and intuitive methods of healing are more effective and transformative than the more intellectually and physically based approach of Western psychology. The work of Spiritual Psi-Kology is intended as an alternative and a compliment to Western psychology and many find this work to be a great addition to traditional talk therapy, psychology and psychiatry.

My book, workbook and guided audio series Allies & Demons: Working With Spirit For Power And Healing is available on Amazon and Audible. Allies and Demons guides you through the 15 basic inner journeys of Spiritual Psi-Kology. This powerful book is filled with inspiring client stories, soul level wisdom, and my personal journey of healing and empowerment.

I know the extremes of success and failure. From bankruptcy to grad school, from divorce and homelessness to motherhood and art teacher, from addict and alcoholic to lead of Women's March 2017, I bring the wisdom gained from my many life experiences to my students and clients world-wide.

My passion is to bring this work that has healed and transformed my life to all who need it. My free content includes a weekly podcast, healing workshops on Insight Timer and content on Youtube. My year-long Mentorship Program trains therapists, counselors and healers in the grounded and practical tools of Spiritual Psi-Kology. I also offer Healthy Healer Workshops offering tools for healthy boundaries, energy medicine and spiritual connection for other practitioners.

Check out my artwork here.

Special Guest: Renee LaVallee McKenna, MA.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> In the first episode of The Permission Slip, I touch my journey healing from decades of depression, addiction, and physical pain to a place of deep presence and purpose. For much of my life, I felt like I didn’t belong here—as in on Earth, here, in a body. Despite building a successful business and raising two beautiful daughters, I was deeply disconnected, numbing myself with alcohol and later navigating chronic pain through a medical system that was not designed to deal with spiritual issues. My healing truly began after a psilocybin journey cracked me open, leading me to explore alternative modalities, spiritual practices, and inner transformation. This podcast is my offering to others who are seeking their own way out of pain and into authenticity, embodiment, and joy.
My first guest, Renee LaVallee McKenna, has played a pivotal role in my healing. She’s a former multi-substance addict turned spiritual psychologist who brings a grounded, no-BS approach to deep inner work. In our conversation, we talk about addiction as a search for the right algorithm, the hero’s journey as a framework for healing, and the ways unresolved trauma lives in the body. Renee shares how her own rock bottoms became portals to growth and how she found her calling by surrendering to something bigger than herself. Our discussion touches on themes like self-responsibility, spiritual awakening without substances, and the intelligence of our body and nervous system. If you’ve ever felt stuck, numb, or like your life is “fine” but missing something essential, I hope this episode offers a glimpse of what’s possible when you give yourself permission to heal.

Reneé's Bio

I'm a Boston-born mentor, hypnotherapist and Shamanic healer who guides people to heal and transform on a soul level. My individual sessions, workshops, groups and mentorship programs in Spiritual Psi-Kology offer a unique blend of neo-Shamanism and Buddhist philosophy with hypnotherapy and body-based mindfulness.

I bring my 30+ years of experience as a recovering addict and ex-crazy person to my weekly podcast, sharing snackable teachings on spirituality, psychology and all things personal growth.

All of the work I do with clients, I have experienced in my own therapy and personal growth work. I consider myself a mentor, guide and navigator for your own soul's journey. I DO NOT practice as a licensed psychologist or counselor.

I have a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology and am a certified clinical hypotherapist. For 14 years I studied DepthHypnosis, Shamanism and Energy Work with Dr. Isa Gucciardi and have been a student of Lifespan Integration, Hakomi Method and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and healing methods.

Through my own inner work and practice, I have come to believe that spiritual and intuitive methods of healing are more effective and transformative than the more intellectually and physically based approach of Western psychology. The work of Spiritual Psi-Kology is intended as an alternative and a compliment to Western psychology and many find this work to be a great addition to traditional talk therapy, psychology and psychiatry.

My book, workbook and guided audio series Allies & Demons: Working With Spirit For Power And Healing is available on Amazon and Audible. Allies and Demons guides you through the 15 basic inner journeys of Spiritual Psi-Kology. This powerful book is filled with inspiring client stories, soul level wisdom, and my personal journey of healing and empowerment.

I know the extremes of success and failure. From bankruptcy to grad school, from divorce and homelessness to motherhood and art teacher, from addict and alcoholic to lead of Women's March 2017, I bring the wisdom gained from my many life experiences to my students and clients world-wide.

My passion is to bring this work that has healed and transformed my life to all who need it. My free content includes a weekly podcast, healing workshops on Insight Timer and content on Youtube. My year-long Mentorship Program trains therapists, counselors and healers in the grounded and practical tools of Spiritual Psi-Kology. I also offer Healthy Healer Workshops offering tools for healthy boundaries, energy medicine and spiritual connection for other practitioners.

Check out my artwork here.

Special Guest: Renee LaVallee McKenna, MA.

Support The Permission Slip

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