9. Simone Surgeoner - The Long, Winding Journey from "Good" Religious Daughter to Medicine Woman

Simone Surgeoner grew up in Melbourne, Australia in the Jehovah's Witness religious community. After having children of her own, Simone began to question the religion's teachings, and eventually left secular religious life behind in her early thirties. What followed was a complete re-build of life on her own terms, leading to a twenty year journey of self-discovery. Simone explored different takes on love and sexuality, alternative therapies, and even moved to the U.S. and spent many months in her beloved Mexico where she experienced transformative healing from both plant medicine and good old fashioned sunshine. Simone speaks candidly about the unconventional decisions she bravely made as a mother and partner in order to stay true to her authentic self and follow the thread of curiosity that has propelled her through a fascinating life. After overcoming some of the momentous challenges we discuss in the episode, Simone is now in a wonderful, happy place and loving her roles as a mother, therapist, mentor, passionate birth enthusiast and somewhat reluctant medicine woman. She insists that the arc of her story is a rainbow bridge, and the journey has been well worth it - so hopefully others in the messy middle can take some solace! Content warning: suicide, intimate partner abuse. You can get in touch with Simone and learn more about her work on her website: https://saksana.com.au/ And you can now follow the podcast on Instagram too! https://www.instagram.com/between.two.worlds.podcast/