Allow Me To Introduce Myself

Hello and welcome to Soulful Soundbites!

My name is Erica Smigielski, and I'm so excited to be here!

This is my first episode, and I must admit - it's been an incredible journey! I feel like a kid again that discovered this really cool playground. I get to create and build new things, climb on new fixtures and learn my way around. I get to meet new people and engage with them in new ways. 

Starting this podcast is exhilarating, freeing, fascinating, humbling, and down-right fun. I literally want to throw a tiny tantrum when I need to walk away and...do life and make dinner! Ha!

So in this episode, it only makes sense to start things off and...

• Introduce myself and share a bit about me
• Tell you about my podcast journey and how I arrived here
• And share ways you can engage with me

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

I’ll start with a story.  I was probably 7 years old. And I had an important question. So I asked my mom, "Mom, why am I here?". Here's how I recall this exchange.

Mom: Looked puzzled and said, "What do you mean?"

Me: I say it a bit louder and become slightly annoyed that she doesn't understand what seemed to me to be an obvious question. I ask, "Why am I here?"

Mom: "As in here on Earth?"

Me: "Yes, why am I here on Earth? What is my purpose?"

Mom: Long silence… "That's a very grown-up question to ask…"

Me: Hmmm…I wonder if this means I'm weird that I ask grown-up questions? Or is this good? Does this make me odd? Doesn't everyone ask this question?

Mom: "Someday, you'll find your answer…"

I didn't know what to do with my mom's response to my important question at 7 years old. So, I stored it as unanswered info in the depths of my heart. More and more of these kinds of occurrences - some subtle and some not - happened over my life. They were also tucked away in my heart. 

Then. THEN. Our twin daughters arrive, causing my husband's and my world to turn upside down – especially mine. Not only was I trying to figure out what the heck to do with 2 screaming babies – I began to have these unanswered questions re-surface along with more deep-rooted questions appear like:

• "Why did our daughters come as a unit?"
• "Why did they choose us as their parents?"
• "Why does Simone have a birthmark on her leg? Where did that come from?"
• "Why am I the only one that can soothe Sydnee when she has a raging, screaming attack?"
• "Why do I sometimes react to my daughters in a way that I said I never would as a parent? "
• "Why, at times, can I not stand my husband – no matter how great he is or how much he does for our girls and me?"

Oh yes. The list went on and on and on. And – no doubt – hormones were stormy and clashing during this time. I wanted answers. Once again, I wanted answers to my important questions. But this time, I wasn't letting these go unresolved.

I took a leap and through my contacts and trying several resources, I ended up in the office of a Psychotherapist and Depth Hypnosis Practitioner with my unresolved deep-rooted questions. For those that are unfamiliar, Depth Hypnosis was founded and developed by Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. You can learn more about her and the methodology at SacredStream.org, which I'll capture in the show notes.

At this point, I was willing to try just about anything to get answers, and I trusted this practitioner to guide me along the way. We talked through my questions and the feelings I was experiencing (this wasn't my first experience with talk therapy), and it was helpful, but I felt like I was only touching the surface of my questions - once again.

Then, she asked if I wanted to do a guided meditation and dig deeper into these questions and themes. Ummm… ok! I mean… I've been carrying some of these themes and patterns for quite some time, so...yes! Heck yeah! 

The first Depth Hypnosis session opened a flood gate of emotions and provided a truckload of information that gave me rich insights into these deep-rooted questions. It took me months to process and absorb the info and allow the healing. I wasn't sure if this meditation was witchcraft, magic, or scientific, but I wanted more!

I had additional Depth Hypnosis sessions and met more skilled experts who provided greater meaning and further healing as I gained insights and clarity through my list of unresolved questions. I started to feel alive, more whole, and hungry to learn more! 

I asked my tribe of healers where they studied their healing modalities, and all arrows pointed in the same direction. They encouraged me to consider learning them myself to continue my healing journey.

Fast forward to today.  Over the last 13 years, my guides kept bringing me back to my purpose, my dharma. I listened. I processed. I absorbed and integrated. Repeat...until it became a practice. During this time, I was led to become a certified Depth Hypnosis and Applied Shamanic practitioner so that I could bring these healing modalities forward and be of greater service to humanity. 

This discovery was also the turning point where I broadened how I show up in this world. After spending a couple of decades in the financial technology (fintech industry), these insights were a revelation to be reckoned with. I needed to bridge these two worlds.

Today, I rely on my mind to serve business leaders in corporate America and my heart to serve individuals along their healing journey. In both capacities, I shepherd aspirations and initiatives by helping people find their way when lost, experiencing overwhelm, and unsure how to get out of the way of themselves. This appears through my project leadership in the corporate setting and through Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic counseling in an individual or small group setting.

How I Arrived at Podcasting - From Seed to Seedling

Have you had those mindful moments where an epiphany surfaces and stops you in your tracks? Perhaps it was the a-ha moment that was impossible to deny or ignore?

That moment hit me last summer. After a year of consistently posting on Instagram and Facebook breadcrumbs to help you bridge the physical world with the spiritual world - I realized that sometimes a discussion is needed. Sometimes I need emotions, feelings, experiences, and stories to share insights that help you make that connection between the ordinary and non-ordinary reality as described in Shamanic traditions.

That's the moment I decided to start a podcast. As an avid podcast listener for six years, I knew what I wanted my listeners to experience. And then, last fall, I emersed myself into becoming a student of podcasting with Cathy Heller. I'll link to her in the show notes. 

Over the last six months, I put my attention on my intention to launch my podcast on 2/2/22. Speaking of, I'll share a short story about the name "Soulful Soundbites: Bite-size insights for your soul ."This name came to me in a lucid dream - as a directive. I listened. I processed. I integrated. It was so clearly given to me that the moment I realized I drifted from the name and somehow pivoted to "Spiritual Soundbites" on my podcast cover art - I instinctively knew I had to undo and redo the work to preserve the podcast name I was distinctively given. 

Anyhow, let's visit the spirit of this podcast. I'll start by sharing that as a collective, we are in a transitional era where we move away from decade-old (shoot, century-old) structures and paradigms and move into living more harmoniously with new ways of being - similar to dismemberment in Shamanism.

So I feel now is the time to help shepherd your hopes to access your inherent wisdom and operate from a place of empowerment as we move into a time of re-birth and live harmoniously with new ways of being. I'll repeat this since it's that important. Now is the time to help shepherd your hopes to access your inherent wisdom and operate from a place of empowerment as we move into a time of re-birth. So I decided to launch my podcast and spark soulful reflections and connections.

Each show is a snippet or bite-size insight from a much larger, esoteric, and sometimes mysterious topic that I'll express in snackable ways for you to easily absorb and nurture your spirit. The discussions are soulful - meaning they have depth and are intended to inspire you to reflect and connect with your divinity. And I view each episode as an energetic 'milk bottle' placed into the ether to help those who seek or need a ray of light to help move through a transition.

Ways to Engage with Me

I believe ‘build and they will come’.  My desire to create and cultivate meaningful and authentic connections runs through my blood. So it's only natural to have a safe place for followers of the Soulful Soundbites podcast to turn towards for further exploration with like-minded beings and me.

On MightyNetworks.com, I have a free community called...of course, Soulful Soundbites. You're invited to join this supportive and high-vibe group to submit podcast ideas, ask questions, share experiences regarding podcast topics, preview future shows, and be a part of a soulful community that supports each other and the group.

And suppose you find inner exploration overwhelming or perhaps feel lost in direction or unsure how to get out of the way of yourself. In that case, I have some room in my client practice to work individually and guide you along your spiritual journey to spark an awakening within your consciousness and align with your authentic self. 

Through Depth Hypnosis, Energy Medicine, Applied Shamanic processes, and Coming to Peace Conflict Resolution - I guide you to relax your mind and connect with your inner knowing so that you become your own healer traveling along your unique path.

Wrap Up

And as I wrap this episode up, I make my promise to you that you can count on me to show up here, genuinely and vulnerably, in my essence, as I share thought-provoking insights that lure you into wanting more. 

For now, I leave you with warm light.