October 2024 Month in Review
Hi loves,
It’s November and fall in finally here in Arizona. The mornings have been crisp and chill, so naturally I’m enjoying the sunshine before it heats up to mid-70s. That’s today’s weather report, and welcome back to my monthly newsletter :)
Current musings:
October saw my energy shifting once again.
I started the month in Austin, TX at a music festival with two of my best friends. Live music is such a beautiful experience into Being. I will cherish the experiences had and memories made for the rest of my life.
I don’t know what I would be doing, and where or who I would be without my friends. It’s hard to explain the depth of relating that I’ve experienced in my adult life—a stark contrast to the friendships I fostered in my youth.
You can only meet people as deep as you’ve met yourself, and I find myself and my closest friends to be oceans of emotions, thoughts, experiences, and life. Not only are they my constant companions, but rocks that ground me down and hard places that call me forward. Mere words cannot express the totality of the relationships… because it is beyond just words and thoughts and feelings.
When I’m feeling meh about life, I find gratitude to be the purest antidote. So today, I am sharing gratitude for the relationships I have cultivated and the friends who love and support me through all life’s ups and downs.
Some other highlights of my month included:
🦋 Seeing Porangui—what an absolute ceremony and transcendent experience.
🦋 My 10-year high school reunion, which was way more fun than I expected.
🦋 Halloween 🎃 Jennie and Justin threw a Halloween party at our house, Ellie and I were Olsen twin matching.
Month in review:
I shared openly about my recent breakup. This was both liberating and one of the most anxiety-inducing posts I’ve shared on Substack.
If you missed my last post, check it out:
Opening My Heart — Raw & Unfiltered Thoughts About My Life
Interestingly, I’ve felt such an energetic lift since posting this. It feels good to be raw and vulnerable and open. My heart will always feel the grief of this breakup, this loss in friendship and lover. And yet, I’m starting to feel more clarity in moving forward and the forking of our paths.
And, I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read this post and go on a journey of the heart. I received so much beautiful feedback on this touching your heart and experiencing similar energy in grief and heartache. I initially resisted, but this too has become one of my favorite posts, and has ushered in a new emotional depth of where I desire to write and share from.
It didn’t happen last month, but it is happening… lol I have a couple of longer pieces in the works. I’ll be sharing about what it means to live an embodied and devoted life and my experience with the life-death-life cycle soon (hopefully this month ✨ if/when I get my shit together ✨).
In non-writing related news, I’m excited to announce that I’ve been offered another studio class at Metta Yoga! Join me every Tuesday at 6:00pm for a 75 minute flow. This is another milestone in my teaching career, a few years ago I wouldn’t have believed that I would be the first choice for a primetime class.
It’s been such a journey and so fun to see myself come into my power and voice as a teacher. As many ups and downs as this path has (as every path has), I wouldn’t choose another for myself (at this point in time 😉). From the outside, it can be so easy to look at another’s path and make assumptions about what they did or how they got there. From the inside looking out, I’m taking a moment to self validate and appreciate all the time and effort it took me to get here. I am so incredibly proud of myself.
It’s no secret that yoga is near and dear to my heart. It has been my awakening, my path to Becoming. It is such an honor to share this lineage and practice with others.
If you are interested in deepening your practice, I offer one-on-one sessions focused on embodied understanding of asanas, tailored to your goals, combined with yogic teachings and esoteric philosophy.
Upcoming offerings:
In full transparency, life has been heavy. I’ve been ebbing and flowing in emotion, coming into resonance with great heartbreak. I needed me, and didn’t have extra capacity to pour outward into new offerings, as I had intended.
I feel like I have been both overextending myself and not doing enough. A place many entrepreneurs, dream followers, and rule rejectors can relate to. I read in a book once that there is no balance, I.e., seeking balance is doing a half-assed job at many things. While I mildly disagree from a philosophical lens, from an action-oriented following my dreams lens, I do agree. I can’t focus on this only half the time, I’m all in or not at all. And the reality is, I haven’t been in.
With this said, everything I planned to launch this past month/this year has been put on hold 😅 but I believe that dreams deserve to be followed, and dreams become our reality through taking action (ahhh the masculine and feminine meeting in union once again). So, I am excited to re-announce the following offerings!
Ceremony of Self
Ceremony of Self is an intimate six-week online immersion to reclaim your devotion to self, embody your sacred sensuality, and activate the most vibrant version of you through self love, so that you can experience living in the ceremony of life.
We will be diving into self love, mirror work, self worship, altar building, self expression, and more!
Enrollment opens soon! Stay tuned for more details.
Emotional Alchemy
I hosted my first embodiment and creative writing workshop, Emotional Alchemy & Self Expression, back in August. This was a well-loved workshop, and I will be hosting it again! Stay tuned for updates.
“Madison’s Emotional Alchemy workshop was everything I didn’t realize I needed. Starting with community and flowing into an ecstatic dance had me pushing against all of the boundaries I hold myself to in my daily life. Feeling free and ready to explore all sides of myself—including my sharp edges, Madison held us as we dove into poetry. Written word is a powerful, living thing. Often times difficult to navigate its trenches, Madison held the light for us to weave our own paths in word and poetry. Creating something beautiful, together. The experience, the energy, and the passion is something I’ve carried in my heart since. Aho.”
-Jennie M.
Untamed & Untethered
As many of you know, Amy and I share a soul-led business, Untamed & Untethered, that focuses on spiritual empowerment, soul-driven leadership, and women’s work. We have a couple amazing opportunities to connect with us!
Women’s Gathering
3-part series on devotion to self, union, and purpose
We held our third gathering on October 24. Devoted to Purpose led us to conversations about self love, our impact on the world, navigating the flow of life, honoring what cycle we’re in, and connection with sisters. What a sacred experience to witness and be witnessed.
Thank you to all the women who showed up with an open heart and mind! We loved co-creating with you.
Devoted Women’s Retreat
Tulum, MX
February 13-18, 2025
And, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the postponement of our retreat, Devoted. The reality is, an international retreat takes a lot of logistical planning, and we ran into many surprise costs, taxes, and communication discrepancies with the venue we initially chose. In order to make this the best experience possible for our attendees, we’ve decided to move the retreat to February 13-18, 2025. This not only gives us more time to work out logistics, but call in more women to attend!
Join us for an immersive experience dripping in self love, union, and purpose. Overlooking the Caribbean ocean and nestled in the jungles of Mexico, women are invited to remember the sacredness of Self, meet new layers of sensuality, and uncover their deepest potential.
Catch me in community:
Let’s get flowy 🤸♀️
75min Vinyasa Yoga at Metta Yoga, Tuesdays at 6:00
Sound Meditation at Andaz with Metta Yoga, Thursdays at 4:30
Vinyasa Yoga at Black Swan Yoga, Saturdays at 2:30
DM me for a guest pass 🫶🏻
*I teach a ton! Like 4-6 times per week. I post my weekly teaching schedule to Instagram :) follow me there to be in the know!
One-on-One Yoga Teacher Mentorship
I’m in the prelaunch phase of offering one-on-one yoga teacher mentorship. This is intended for new yoga teachers recently finished with YTT or about to finish, who don’t know what to do with their certification.
Taking this journey myself a few years ago, I went from teaching one class per week while working full time at a marketing/advertising agency to launching a retreat and women’s empowerment business, quitting my corporate job, teaching yoga at multiple studios and to private clients, becoming adjunct faculty, and facilitating community events, among a host of other offerings.
If I can do it, you can too!
This mentorship will include weekly check ins, accountability, goal setting, diving into limiting beliefs and overcoming obstacles, finding your voice and niche as a teacher, and personal access to pick my brain on how to create a sustainable life that you love!
If this sounds interesting, please reach out!
Lastly, one of my love languages is making playlists. There’s just something about music that touches and moves me. I’ve even considered becoming a DJ (I’m actually serious and looking into it). If you need inspiration for your yoga classes, or just want to listen to something new, I share all my class and workshop playlists here :)
I’ll end today with a moment of reflection and gratitude. Instead of focusing on how far you have to go, reflect on how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown. Life is the classroom. We are all both teacher and student. We chose this, so we may as well swim with the current and enjoy the waves.
With love,
Madison