Finding Harmony Podcast

What if the whole point of your yoga practice was to prepare you to die well?

In one of our favorite conversations of the year, Dr. John Campbell joins Harmony Slater and Russell Case for a third time — and goes somewhere we’ve never gone on the show. John is one of the few Westerners certified to teach Ashtanga by the Mysore lineage, finished the Fourth Series, and holds a PhD in Religion from Columbia. He co-founded the Contemplative Sciences Center at UVA and translates Sanskrit and Tibetan tantric texts with Prof. Robert Thurman. Today he teaches Vajra Yoga at Tibet House US in New York.

Together they explore the Bardo — the Tibetan “in-between” of dying and rebirth — and how the same dissolution can be glimpsed through psychedelics, deep meditation, and moments of love or terror. Russell shares what an ayahuasca journey revealed about a lifelong fear of death; John recounts a 24-hour ceremony and the integration that mattered more than the medicine; and Harmony reframes asana as the building of a “diamond body” — a vessel strong enough to hold the energy that practice unlocks.

They sit with hard, beautiful questions: Why would an enlightened being choose to be reborn? What is the “clear light mind”? Can you really care for someone without carrying them? And is a strong backbend the goal of yoga — or just the prerequisite?

This is philosophy, dark humor, lineage, and tenderness in one sitting.

Please note: this episode discusses psychedelics, addiction, and death, and is offered for educational and contemplative purposes only — not as medical advice or an endorsement of substance use.

Links 

Vajra Yoga at Tibet House US — tibethouse.us / thus.org 

Newburgh Yoga Shala (upstate NY) with Bibi Lorenzetti: https://newburghyogashala.com/

Nepal pilgrimage with Corey Michael Bryant / @thespiritualpilgrim, Sept 27–Oct 7 

Harmony & Russell’s upcoming yoga + art + integration retreat — DM @harmonyslaterofficial

 

The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc

Join the Lightworker Mastermind:  https://harmonyslater.com/lightworker-mastermind

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What does it take to truly heal — not just treat symptoms, but address the whole of who we are? In this episode of the Finding Harmony Podcast, Harmony Slater and co-host Russell Case sit down with Gena Bradshaw Vitale, a two-time cancer survivor, author, speaker, and founder of Holistic Human Performance.

Diagnosed with leukemia as a young child and again facing a cancer scare as a young adult, Gena's journey led her from a conventional exercise-science background into the world of energy medicine, nervous-system regulation, and what she calls the integration piece — the missing link between knowing about wellness and actually living it. She shares the moment her intuition told her to seek a second surgical opinion, the message she received in her car that she'd “write a book one day,” and how she now guides high-achievers and “perfectionists in remission” out of survival mode.

Harmony connects Gena's work to her own spinal energetics and elemental embodiment practice, and the three explore the bridge between science and spirituality, the body keeping the score, ancestral patterns, and the profound identity shift of becoming a mother.

In this conversation:

Why Gena believes science and spirituality are “two sides of the same coin”

The five “buckets” of holistic health — mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and the one we forget: energetic

How trauma and “survival mode” can quietly shape the body and health

Trusting intuition when choosing care — and the second-opinion that changed everything

Why health and purpose are directly correlated

Motherhood as ego death, rebirth, and a doorway to deeper intuitive gifts

The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc

Join the Lightworker Mastermind:  https://harmonyslater.com/lightworker-mastermind

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What if the diagnosis meant to end your life became the very thing that taught you how to live? In this episode of the Finding Harmony Podcast, Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Peter McLaughlin, a certified hypnotherapist, life coach, and founder of Blue Sky Hypnosis.

After a rare leukemia diagnosis (alongside Lyme disease) in his 40s, Peter was told there was no known cause and no known cure. That moment sent him on a decades-long exploration of the relationship between the mind, the body, and the spirit — and eventually into training as a hypnotist. Today his Blue Sky Hypnosis YouTube channel has reached millions of viewers, with guided tracks spanning past-life regression, inner-child healing, sleep, and more.

Together they explore why hypnosis and meditation may produce the same brain states — and what makes hypnotherapy different; how the subconscious mind has no sense of time, so old trauma registers as a present-moment threat; the “invisible arrows” model of carrying unresolved wounds; and how shifting your relationship to the past (from victim to creator) can change the body’s baseline. Peter also shares how his work draws on naturopathy, shamanic journeying, and a deepening Christian faith.

Whether you’re curious about the science of the subconscious or looking for a new lens on what healing can look like, this conversation invites you to consider that the doorway to transformation may not be trying harder — but softening, and learning to access the wisdom that’s been within you all along.

Content note: This episode includes personal healing claims and discussion of serious illness. It is shared as one person’s lived experience and is not medical advice.

In this episode

Why hypnosis and meditation can look identical on a brain scan — and the one thing that makes hypnotherapy different

The two “wings” of hypnosis: stage entertainment vs. therapeutic work

Peter’s story: a leukemia + Lyme diagnosis, a “spiritual two-by-four,” and the decision to heal himself

How “The Secret,” synchronicity, and a naturopath shaped his path

Why the subconscious mind has no sense of time — and why that matters for trauma

The “invisible arrows” model: carrying old wounds in the body

Western shamanism, inner-child work, and rescuing lost parts of the self

Fight-or-flight vs. rest-and-digest — and resetting the nervous system’s baseline

A live demo: how two short phrases shift your physiology in seconds

Subliminal media, marketing, and “we’re being hypnotized all the time”

From victim to creator: “What if the cloud is a mirror?”

Guest bio
Peter McLaughlin  is a certified hypnotherapist, life coach, and the founder of Blue Sky Hypnosis. After a leukemia diagnosis forced him to confront his own mortality, he immersed himself in the connection between mind, body, and spirit, ultimately training as a hypnotist with a focus on the medical and therapeutic applications of hypnosis. Over more than two decades he has helped thousands of people uncover and heal the root causes of emotional suffering through hypnotherapy, trauma resolution, regression work, and subconscious reprogramming. His Blue Sky Hypnosis YouTube channel has reached millions of viewers worldwide.

Connect with Peter

Website: blueskyhypnosis.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlueSkyHypnosis

The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc

Join the Lightworker Mastermind:  https://harmonyslater.com/lightworker-mastermind

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What if the most important part of a psychedelic experience isn't the journey at all — but what you do when you come home?

In this episode, Harmony Slater and co-host Russell Case sit down with Zappy Zapolin, entrepreneur, filmmaker, and founder of Psychedelic Concierge, an educational platform for training facilitators in preparation, holding space, and integration. Zappy directed the documentary The Reality of Truth, which features voices from across the consciousness and wellness world.

Together they explore the “psychedelic renaissance” unfolding alongside AI: the difference between substances like ayahuasca, ibogaine, San Pedro, and medically supervised ketamine; why set, setting, and belief shape everything; and why integration may matter more than the experience itself. Harmony and Russell also share, honestly, their own recent first ayahuasca ceremony and what surfaced.

This is a frank, adult conversation about consciousness, trauma, addiction recovery, and the ethics of guiding others through altered states. It's offered for reflection and education — not as medical advice, and not as encouragement to use substances that remain illegal in many places.

In this episode

Why Zappy calls this “the greatest moment in human history”

Set, setting, and the role of your worldview in shaping an experience

Why integration — not the journey — is where the real work happens

The distinct “personalities” of different plant medicines

Medically supervised ketamine vs. recreational misuse — and why the distinction matters

Holding space ethically: the case for trained facilitators over the “garage shaman”

How yoga and meditation relate to (and differ from) plant-medicine work

Harmony and Russell's reflections on their own ceremony and the value of preparation

Connect & support

Guest: Zappy Zapolin — Psychedelic Concierge

Support resources: U.S. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-4357

The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc

Join the Lightworker Mastermind:  https://harmonyslater.com/lightworker-mastermind

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What does it mean to keep practicing after the loss of the teacher who gave you the practice?

 

In this deeply personal episode, Harmony Slater speaks with Bianca Oliviera — a Brazilian-born Ashtanga teacher now living in Katowice, Poland — about the sudden passing of Sharath Jois, the grief that followed, and how she continues to carry the teachings forward. Bianca was present at the Active Series training in Virginia when Sharath passed, and she shares her firsthand account of that day with honesty, grief, and deep reverence.

 

This conversation explores what happens to devotion when its outer form disappears — and why the essence of the practice, once received, can never truly be lost.

 

IN THIS EPISODE:

How Bianca discovered yoga in Rio de Janeiro through her grandmother

Moving to the U.S., a teaching training scholarship, and the DVD that changed everything

First encountering Sharath on the 2013 U.S. tour — and knowing she'd found her teacher

Six trips to Mysore, practicing with both Saraswati and Sharath

Navigating practice with a young child — and a supportive Polish artist husband

Injuries, catching debates, and learning to listen to the body

Teaching evening Mysore in Katowice, organizing family-friendly retreats

Being present in Virginia for the Active Series launch — and the hike that ended everything

The shock, the circle of prayer, the blanket, and the nights no one could sleep

Life since Sharath's passing: mixed feelings, shifted priorities, community bonds

Impermanence as the ultimate teacher — in practice, in family, and in loss

 

KEY QUOTES:

"Each time I finish, I feel good. Something inside feels better."

"He sacrificed so much so I could practice with Sharaji because he knew it was super special and important for me."

"Nothing is forever. Not our bodies, not our communities, not our guru, not our practices."

 

GUEST BIO:

BIANCA RAPOSO DE OLIVEIRA is a Brazilian-born Ashtanga yoga teacher based in Katowice, Poland. She discovered yoga in Rio de Janeiro and found Ashtanga after watching the Ashtanga New York DVD during a 200-hour teacher training in North Carolina. She traveled to Mysore approximately six times to practice with Saraswati Jois and Sharath Jois. She now runs an evening Mysore program and teaches online, and organizes yoga retreats with her husband and son Surya.

 

CONNECT WITH BIANCA:

Instagram: @biancayoga

Website: ashtangayogakatowice.com

 

HARMONY IS TEACHING IN PORTUGAL:

Agora Lisboa (Lisbon) — June 25–28

Ashtanga House Faro — Five-day immersion in Faro, Portugal – DM Harmony on Instagram @harmonyslaterofficial

 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

Find Finding Harmony on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Podbean.

The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc

Join the Lightworker Mastermind:  https://harmonyslater.com/lightworker-mastermind

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation