Episode 15: The Healing Power of Gathering (Plus Ringworm and Swords)

March 6 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 15 · 27.1 MBExplicit

0:00-56:30

Streams straight from the publisher. PodNod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Sam and Bri spiral (naturally) from creative retreats to Parisian art history to jujitsu mats and, somehow, swords.

At the heart of the conversation is their shared belief that creative retreats are not indulgent escapes — they're a return. A way to refill the creative well. A way to remember who you are outside of productivity, partnership, motherhood, performance. They reflect on the power of gathering women in wild landscapes — the wildlife encounters, the preparedness, the reverence for nature — and how being outside strips away hierarchy.

They talk about what actually happens when women gather intentionally and the collective healing that occurs when roles are set down and masks come off. Eventually they can't help themselves and widen the lens to talk about male-on-male validation — how many men are conditioned to perform strength for one another rather than offer emotional safety. They unpack how patriarchy harms men too, boxing them into rigid expressions of masculinity where validation comes from dominance, status, or suppression of feeling.

This is where the conversation takes a delightfully unexpected turn into stories about swords and jujitsu. Bri recounts her infamous "ringworm modeling gig" (yes, really), you need to hear it.