In this episode, I’m in conversation with trauma-informed somatic practitioner and educator Darshana Avila about the relationship between grief, pleasure, and aliveness.

We explore how pain and joy are not opposites, but part of the same spectrum of being human. Darshana shares how her work has evolved from sacred sexuality and body-based healing into a broader exploration of what she calls “erotic wholeness” — not limited to sex, but rooted in life force, creativity, grief, connection and presence.

We talk about:

• How grief and pleasure can coexist

• The idea of eros as aliveness rather than performance

• The role of community and ritual in grief

• Moving beyond binary ideas of “good” and “bad” emotions

• Trauma-informed ways of relating to ourselves

Darshana Avila is a trauma-informed somatic educator, practitioner and international speaker who helps people reconnect with the most essential aspects of themselves — their truth, their desires, and their capacity for profound pleasure and power.

Known for her grounded, candid, and relational approach, she bridges the worlds of erotic embodiment, trauma healing and self actualization.

Darshana’s work has been featured on Netflix’s Sex, Love & goop, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and numerous leading podcasts.

darshanaavila.com

instagram.com/darshana_avila

youtube.com/@darshana-avila

linkedin.com/in/darshana-avila

You can join monthly Spark sessions with Yarrow over here: https://griefmagic.com/free-monthly-spark-sessions/

Thank you for listening!

Love,

Yarrow

In this gentle solo episode, I’m sharing some thoughts about how I’ve slowly shaped my home into a place that feels like a cocoon, somewhere to truly rest.

I talk about why cocooning begins with decluttering rather than buying more, how choosing a simple colour landscape (for me, green and pink) creates visual calm, and why I love filling my space with natural textures like cotton, linen, and velvet (often second hand).

We explore how light moves through a home, how to create different zones for work and rest, the magic of soft lighting, scent, and a few small rituals that help a space feel protected and intentional.

This is not an episode about perfect interiors, i’s about tending to the space that tends to you.

Here is the sign up for the decluttering fundraiser I mentioned: https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/

Thanks for listening!

Love,

Yarrow

In this short solo episode, I’m inviting you to join a soft, companionable decluttering workshop we’ll be doing together on March 8th from 4–6pm (UK time).

Making space can be emotional as much as practical and doing it alone can feel overwhelming, so this workshop is a gentle spring reset.

We’ll begin with a short pep talk and a simple, kind approach to decluttering, then spend time quietly clearing our spaces side by side. We’ll check in together and continue for a second session.

The workshop is also a fundraiser to support a dear friend’s family in Sudan who urgently need help right now.

You can sign up here: https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/

Love,

Yarrow

In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m answering some personal questions about my life, my history, and what feels meaningful to me right now.

I talk about what I was like at school, my relationship with work, gratitude, grief, and the quieter rhythms that support me.

If this episode sparks questions of your own, you’re very welcome to send them in for future Ask Me Anything episodes: https://speakpipe.com/yarrowm

You can join the Monday sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ and sign up for the grief glimmers course here: https://griefmagic.com/courses/

Sending love,

Yarrow

In this episode of Grief Magic, I explore scent as a gentle companion during slow, tender, or inward seasons of life. We talk about how smell can support emotional regulation, memory, and meaning making, and how working with scent can become a quiet ritual rather than another thing to get right.

I share a simple introduction to aromatherapy, including what it is and what it is not, and how to approach essential oils in ways that feel intuitive, sustainable, and accessible. We look at how scent can act as an anchor through grief, burnout, recovery, and periods of change, offering continuity and comfort without requiring words.

If you like, you can join our Monday sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/

and you can join my newsletter over here: https://griefmagic.com/

Thank you for listening!

Love,

Yarrow

In this beautifully imaginative conversation, I’m joined again by Zoë from The Runa School to explore how ritual and play can come together to help us navigate grief, transformation, and everyday life. You can listen to our first conversation on the Kind Business podcast over here.

Zoë shares how her work designing ritual games grew from her studies in rites of passage and her deep interest in how we can bring the sacred and the playful into conversation. We talk about the ritual game she created for me, The Grandmother’s Quilt, and how this experience opened a space for healing, intimacy with the land, and a sense of being witnessed in grief.

Together we explore:

• How ritual games bridge devotion, creativity, and play

• What it means to be seen and held in moments of transformation

• The healing power of simple, repeated acts of presence

• What it looks like to root into community, ancestry, and the land

• How we might bring ritual and reflection into workplaces and everyday life

Zoë also shares her vision for the future of The Runa School: bringing ritual games into collective spaces and reimagining our relationship with technology, storytelling, and community care.

Zoë Ackerman is a co-founder of Mycelios, a game design studio, and Runa, a school dedicated to teaching and learning animist ritual. Zoë draws on over a decade of experience in participatory design, rites of passage, and embodied storytelling. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Zoë now lives in Curitiba, Brazil, on the ancestral lands of the Guarani, Kaingang, and Xetá peoples.

You can find Zoë’s work and sign up for her newsletter at runa.school.

You can join our weekly glimmer sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/

and this is the link to my business group program Rooted: https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted/

Thank you for listening!

Love,

Yarrow

Enrollment for Rooted 2026 closes this Sunday, January 25th, and I would love for you to join us. In this short episode, I’m sharing what to expect inside the program and a few new updates that make it an even more beautiful experience.

You’ll hear about:
🌿 The six themes we’ll explore together in Rooted
✨ The new series of short pep talks you can download and listen to anytime
🕯️ Two new Sunday co-working sessions for peaceful focus and accountability
💛 The new six-month payment plan and sliding-scale options (starting at £50/month)

If you’ve been thinking about joining but haven’t said yes yet, this is your moment. Rooted begins on Saturday, February 1st, and I can’t wait to get started.

👉 Learn more and enroll here: https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted

Today I want to talk to you about something really simple but surprisingly life-changing: the emotional support bag.

I started this practice in 2021, after my friend Francis died. I was deep in grief, and at the time I was mostly homebound due to an accident and lockdown. My days blurred together and it was just hard to keep track of things. I noticed that the things that could give me comfort, like a soft blanket, a lip balm, my stimmy toy or a good smell were always scattered around the house. So I began gathering them into a small zip pouch that I could keep near me at all times.

Over time this became what I call my emotional support bag. It’s small enough to fit in my backpack, but full of things that make moving through the day easier. I know this is super simple, but its also great magic.

Here are the two links I mentioned:

Weekly Glimmer sessions https://griefmagic.com/blessings/

Rooted group program https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted/

Thanks for listening!

Love,

Yarrow