Dreaming Ourselves Alive

Épisodes

• Coming Home to Self with Caren Wakoli 13.07.2026 32min

  On courage, healing and owning your story. With Caren Wakoli, hosted by Amel Murphy.What does it actually take to come home to yourself — and what have you been running from in the meantime?Caren Wakoli is a storyteller, poet and founder of Emerging Leaders Foundation in Kenya. In this conversation, she speaks from a place of hard-won aliveness: a life shaped by poverty, loss, the courage to build something without funding, and the slower work of learning to own all of it.This is a conversation about living with intentionality rather than motion; about the difference between surviving and inhabiting your life. Caren reflects on five years without a single donor, the letter she wrote to God when she hit the wall, and what healing looks like when you stop treating it as optional."If we don't do the work to heal ourselves, we end up bleeding on people who never cut us in the first place."EPISODE GUIDEOn courage Not bravery as performance, but the daily practice of facing what you would rather avoid.What the inner work birthed The fellowship that cracked her open; the little girl she found inside; how authenticity arrived not as a gift but a choice.The dream The vision of dignity behind Emerging Leaders Foundation, and Caren's personal mantra: live fully, love unreservedly, serve selflessly.Five years without funding, fifty proposals. Responses demanding bribes and sex. How Caren said no, and what kept her standing.Storytelling as seed On shame, poverty and the moment Caren realised her story was not something to hide but something to tell.ABOUT CAREN WAKOLICaren Wakoli is a Kenyan leadership practitioner and founder of Emerging Leaders Foundation, nurturing values-driven young leaders across Africa since 2012. She works at the intersection of dignity, healing and human development, drawing on her own journey from poverty to purpose. She is currently writing a book about storytelling, healing and building institutions on values.LinkedIn: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/carenwakoli | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caren.wakoli.96/ | www.elfafrica.org | https://ke.linkedin.com/company/emerging-leaders-foundationABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.www.embodied-beings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs here? Tell us — we read every message.Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.
• The Light You’re Looking For Is Already Here with Sander Tideman 24.06.2026 36min

  ​​On light as practice, being beyond doing, and the hidden world beneath the visible. With Sander Tideman, hosted by Amel MurphyWhat if the light you are searching for is not something to find, but something you are?Sander Tideman is a leadership practitioner, scholar, and author of Triple Value Leadership, working at the intersection of inner development and real-world systems. This conversation matters because it challenges the assumption that change comes from effort, rather than perspective.He and Amel speak about light not as metaphor, but as lived practice; what it means to lose it, return to it, and carry it in turbulent times. They explore the tension between doing and being, why the “core” is not a destination, and how leadership may be less about control and more about illuminating what is already present. The conversation moves between neuroscience, meditation, and lived experience.At one point, Sander suggests that even a few minutes with a tree, a sky, or a passing cloud can reveal a hidden reality most of us overlook."Once you see that possibility, immediately there is more energy." — Sander TidemanEPISODE GUIDEOpening: Sander on storm, place, and being a seeker in the world Spiritual longing and practical life: law, business, and leadership The dream of reducing suffering; choosing the side of the light Light and shadow: meditation, awareness, and naming the elephant Childhood, nature, and early experiences of light The turbulence of mind: waves versus the ocean The core is not a destination: shifting perspective rather than effort Being versus doing: stepping out of the cultural narrative Leadership as light-bearing: beyond hierarchy and control The hidden world: attention, awareness, and what reveals itself Sander’s closing seed: sit with nature; even a moment changes perceptionSander Tideman is a leadership practitioner, scholar, and author with decades of experience working across business, academia, and inner development. His work bridges spirituality and leadership through his framework of Triple Value Leadership, supporting individuals and organisations to integrate purpose, performance, and inner awareness. He has worked internationally across sectors including finance, consulting, and education. Sander lives between Utrecht and Amsterdam, often working from his houseboat and spending time in nature.https://sandertideman.comABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine. www.embodied-beings.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message. Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.
• Schools Are Built for Adults, Not Children with Kavita Anand 07.06.2026 30min

  On the school that wraps itself around the child, why governance is an act of love, and the question every school must ask itself every day. What it means for every child to flourish? With Kavita Anand, hosted by Amel MurphyKavita Anand is an educator, systems leader, and social entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience working across schools, governments, and learning systems. This conversation matters because it questions one of the most accepted structures in society; schooling itself.She and Amel examine how education systems prioritise control, standardisation, and adult convenience over curiosity, meaning, and individuality. Kavita reframes behaviour not as a problem in the child, but as a signal of the system around them. They discuss what it would take to build schools that adapt to children, rather than children adapting to schools.A simple image grounds the conversation; a garden where trees give fruit freely, raising the question of why human systems struggle to do the same."If you are only consuming it, I don’t see you learning anything. If you learn to create it, then you are learning something." — Kavita AnandEPISODE GUIDEOpening: Kavita as a lifelong learner; the question that drives her work The urgency of now: how do we live together and allow every child to flourish School as a global rite of passage: one system for many different children Classrooms as conformity: rows, standardisation, and the loss of individuality What a good school looks like: meaning, curiosity, and being seen Systems thinking in practice: behaviour as a response, not a problem From hierarchy to collaboration: students, teachers, and leaders learning together Scaling change: from individual schools to government systems Technology and learning: consumption versus creation Kavita’s closing seed: governance as an act of nurturingABOUT KAVITA ANANDKavita Anand is an educator, researcher, and systems leader with over 40 years of experience working across education in India and internationally. She is the founder of Adhyayan Quality Education Services and the Adhyayan Quality Education Foundation, focusing on whole-system school improvement and self-review frameworks. Her work spans partnerships with governments, large school networks, and global education initiatives. Kavita lives in India and continues to work closely with educators and systems leaders to reimagine what a good school can be.https://adhyayanfoundation.org/ABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine. www.embodied-beings.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message. Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.
• The Body Knows What Freedom Requires with Staci Haines 17.05.2026 42min

  On anger as liberation, the difference between survival and freedom, and why personal transformation and social change are the two beats of the same heart. With Staci Haines, hosted by Amel Murphy.What if healing alone will never be enough? And what if the anger you were told to manage is actually one of the most life-giving forces you carry?Staci Haines has spent over three decades working at the intersection of trauma healing and social transformation. This conversation brings those threads into direct contact.She and Amel speak about why we remain vulnerable to domination, how survival patterns shape our politics, and what it takes to build real agency. Staci draws a clear distinction between healing and liberation, and why one without the other is not enough.They return again and again to the body; to anger as a life-giving force, and to the deeper longing for connection, dignity, and collective freedom that lives underneath it.“Anger is a natural fuel with which to redignify ourselves.” — Staci HainesEPISODE GUIDEOpening and Staci’s guiding questions: systems, bodies, and powerWhy we are vulnerable to domination: safety, belonging, and survivalHealing versus liberation: the difference and why both matterEarly conditioning: how systems shape what we practise without knowingEmbodiment as a path; returning to the body as a site of liberationThe “I” and the “we”; personal healing and collective responsibilityWhat we inherit and what we must transformAnger as life force; boundaries, dignity, and saying noWorking with anger in practice: moving energy through the bodyClosing seed; following the longing for wholeness and liberationABOUT STACI HAINESStaci Haines is a somatics practitioner, organiser, and educator with over 30 years of experience working at the intersection of trauma healing, embodied leadership, and transformative justice. She is the founder of generative somatics and co-leads the Outer Work Project, supporting people to connect personal transformation with organised social change. Her work focuses on building individual and collective capacity for liberation. Staci is based in the United States.https://generativesomatics.org/https://www.outerworkproject.org/https://www.stacihaines.com/ https://generationfive.org/ABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.www.embodied-beings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message.Music by HappinessInMusic from
• Life Wants Life in You with Gaye Donaldson 04.05.2026 34min

  On reverence, the story big enough to make a difference, and why those who struggle to belong may be the ones the world needs. With Gaye Donaldson, hosted by Amel Murphy.What does it mean to belong to life itself — not just to a person, a place, or a community?Gaye Donaldson is a systemic constellation practitioner and teacher whose work has been shaped by a lifelong inquiry into belonging. Adopted as a baby, she has spent over thirty years following that question through whole system agriculture, health, and human systems.She and Amel speak about belonging not as a concept but as something lived; through family systems, ancestry, and the wider field of life itself. They trace a shift from competitive individualism towards interdependence, and what it asks of us now; including the capacity to stand at the edge, between belonging and not belonging.At the centre of the conversation is a return to reverence; right place, right size, right relationship with the earth, and the quiet trust that life itself is generative."Systemic constellation work, in essence, is about finding the story that's big enough to make a difference." — Gaye DonaldsonEPISODE GUIDEIntroduction; belonging, systems, and reverence for life Gaye’s path; agriculture, homeopathy, and systemic constellation Adoption as origin; the question of belonging across a lifetime Holding the unanswered question; depth, cost, and meaning Interconnected systems; from soil to human relationships The collective shift; the end of competitive individualism Edge dwellers; those who can bear not quite belonging A return to reverence; right place, right relationship with the earth What is missing; the unseen and the space around things Life wanting life; transgenerational resilience and continuity Capacity and the horses; belonging beyond the human Closing seed; you can be small and still heldABOUT GAYE DONALDSONGaye Donaldson is a systemic constellation practitioner, teacher, and co-founder of the Centre for Systemic Constellations. Her work spans over thirty years across whole system agriculture, homeopathy, and systemic constellation, exploring how human lives are shaped by interconnected systems and ancestral patterns. Her practice is grounded in the question of belonging; its absence, its cost, and its eventual return. Gaye lives in the UK, where she spends time each day with her herd of Icelandic horses.https://www.thecsc.net/ ABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.. www.embodied-beings.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message. Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.
• The New World Will Be Woven with Catalina Cock Duque 20.04.2026 32min

  On collective intelligence, creating your own seasons, and the islands of hope already taking shape.. With Catalina Cock Duque, hosted by Amel Murphy.What if the biggest crisis of our time isn’t climate or conflict — but the false sense that we are separate?Catalina Cock Duque is a Colombian systems thinker and social innovator working across peacebuilding, bioeconomy, and youth leadership.She and Amel speak about what it takes to bring people together across deep divides; from former enemies to institutions and communities. Catalina describes how real change takes root; not through top-down solutions, but through collective care, shared agency and deep reconnectionShe shares stories of young people rebuilding their communities, and the discipline of choosing where to place attention when the world feels overwhelming.“Our biggest crisis is that deep level of disconnection from ourselves, from others, and from nature.” — Catalina Cock DuqueEPISODE GUIDEIntroduction and Catalina’s work in ColombiaFrom social entrepreneur to weaver; connecting people and systemsResponsible mining and Ecoflora; business as regenerative practiceThe crisis of separation; starting with the selfCollective intelligence; creating conditions for shared insightHuman connection before solutions; former enemies in dialogueBurnout and the fractal model; inner and outer changeCreating your own seasons; rhythms of work and restIslands of hope; attention and what we choose to seeYoung changemakers; action without resourcesClosing seed; the future as something we weaveABOUT CATALINA COCK DUQUECatalina Cock Duque is a Colombian systems thinker and social innovator devoted to regenerating the social fabric. Her work spans peacebuilding, responsible economies, youth leadership, and bioeconomy, bringing together communities, institutions, and business to build regenerative systems. She is co-founder of The Weaving Lab and a board member of Ecoflora. Catalina lives in Medellín, Colombia.Fundación Mi Sangre https://fundacionmisangre.org/ Alliance for Responsible Mining / Oro Verde https://www.responsiblemines.org/ Ecoflora https://ecofloracares.com/ The Weaving Lab https://weavinglab.org/ Documentary (DW TV) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHyqRPWoaiUABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.www.embodied-beings.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message.Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.
• The Future Doesn’t Want to Be Controlled with Laura Pastorini 07.04.2026 33min

  On humility as leadership, indigenous wisdom, and why transformation begins in your nearest relationships. With Laura Pastorini, hosted by Amel Murphy.What if the future isn’t something you control, but something you have to learn how to listen for?Laura Pastorini joins Amel from Cabo Polonio, a remote coastal village in Uruguay with no electricity, where time and attention move differently.They speak about what happens when you bring CEOs, activists, and indigenous leaders into the same room, and stop trying to control the outcome. Laura shares how leadership shifts when you listen to the moment rather than impose a plan; including a vision council that was completely redesigned at the last minute because the field demanded it.Running underneath is a more disorienting idea; that real change might not start at scale, but in how you show up in your closest relationships.“We say that we humans are fertilisers of the soil, so that our role is to be fertilisers.” — Laura PastoriniEPISODE GUIDEOpening and introductionLaura in Cabo Polonio; place, presence, and disconnection from modern systemsFrom anthropology to embodiment; a lifetime of working with systems and the bodyThe dream: activating basic goodness in a time of disappointmentFragmentation as the core problem; why sectors cannot solve this aloneEcosystem leadership in practice; CEOs, activists, and indigenous leaders in one roomIndigenous wisdom and design; listening to what the moment requiresThe vision council that changed at the last minuteHumility and control; what leadership looks like when you let goWe are fertilisers; a different orientation to being humanTransformation starts close; relationships as the ground of changeClosing seed; agency, trust, and beginning where you areABOUT LAURA PASTORINILaura Pastorini is Lead of Development and Learning at the Presencing Institute in Latin America. With a background in social anthropology, systemic therapy, and embodiment practice, she works across sectors to support leadership and systemic transformation. Her work integrates Theory U, indigenous knowledge, and social presencing theatre to develop ecosystem leadership across the region. She is based in Uruguay, often working from remote coastal communities.www.presencing.org https://www.socialpresencingtheater.orgInstagram: @laura_pastoriniFacebook: facebook.com/laura.pastorini.9LinkedIn: Laura PastoriniABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.www.embodied-beings.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it.Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message.Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay
• Justice In The Body with Sage Hayes 23.03.2026 42min

  On belonging without safety, pleasure as resistance, and what the body remembers when the world forgets. With Sage Hayes, hosted by Amel Murphy.What does belonging actually feel like in the body, especially when the world doesn't feel safe?Sage Hayes has spent over two decades working as a somatic practitioner, and this conversation gets to the heart of what that means in practice. Not the theory of it; the lived, embodied reality of trying to stay connected to yourself when survival keeps getting in the way.Sage and Amel explore why safety and belonging are not the same thing, why pleasure is the first thing the nervous system sacrifices under stress, and what it actually takes to keep returning to yourself, your community, your aliveness, when the world makes that very hard."We're worth it without having to do anything for it." — Sage HayesEPISODE GUIDEOpening ritual and introductionSage on Peaks Island, the Wabanaki people, and gender as a both/andDisplacement, adoption, and the pull toward belongingThe dream Sage is attending to: disrupting violence, rekindling connectionBelonging and safety: do we need one before we can have the other?Justice in the Body: what it means to feel justice inside when the world won't give it to youPleasure as practice: why survival mode crowds out joy, and how to find your way backAmel's story from Zimbabwe: the women's circle, the heavy walk, and the shakeListening between the lines: rhythm, elders, and nature as teachersSage's closing seed: who we are is worth it, togetherABOUT SAGE HAYESSage Hayes (she/he/they) is a healing arts practitioner with over two decades of experience in Somatic Experiencing, bodywork, and biodynamic craniosacral therapy. They are an ecstatic dance DJ, a facilitator of family and systemic constellations, and the founder of Justice in the Body, a somatic wellness practice grounded in the question: what can justice in our body feel like today, even in conditions of ongoing injustice? Sage lives on Peaks Island, Maine, with their dog Thelma Jean.https://embodiedliberation.com/ABOUT AMEL MURPHYAmel is the founder of Embodied Beings. She grew up between cultures, and it was the body, not the book, that first taught her what belonging feels like. For over twenty years, she has worked at the intersection of personal healing and collective change, supporting leaders, communities, and changemakers to come into right relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. This podcast was born from that inquiry, and from the belief that stories, told honestly, are medicine.www.embodied-beings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amelmurphySTAY CONNECTEDShare this episode with someone who needs it.Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.Know someone whose story belongs in this podcast? Tell us; we read every message.Music by HappinessInMusic from Pixabay.