The Gris Alves’ Podcast Tales of Recovery

After the Parties: Navigating Post-Holiday Burnout

Feeling heavy after the holidays is normal — this episode normalizes post-party burnout, winter sadness, and the resurfacing of family trauma. Grief, shame, and exhaustion are explored with compassion and practical reminders.

You’ll hear about somatic practices, simple daily rituals, breathing, movement, and community support that help you come back to your body, plus the mantra “I deserve to be here.” The episode closes with a reflection on taking turns in relationships and an invitation to a March Mindfulness Magic program.

Breath, Brotherhood & Becoming: Mason Mustajo’s Story

In this episode Mason Mustajo shares his path from an athletic identity and chronic pain into deep somatic work, breathwork, and conscious plant medicine. He describes how a difficult breakup, mentorship, and powerful initiations led him to choose life, embrace responsibility, and become a facilitator and community builder.

Mason discusses Sacred Sons, the Brotherhood of the Roots, and The Way of We — practices that combine ceremony, breathwork, and relational healing to reclaim embodiment, sovereignty, and ancestral wisdom. He also speaks about the importance of clean food, water, and community in supporting long-term transformation.

The conversation offers practical guidance for finding the others, integrating trauma into the body, and stepping into committed, generational healing. Mason invites listeners to connect for breath, coaching, and community work.

The Grief That Keeps Coming: Healing Through Compassionate Inquiry

A concise episode exploring ongoing grief and how Compassionate Inquiry and Family Constellations support somatic healing. Gris Alves discusses how childhood loyalties, ancestral patterns, and epigenetics shape our nervous systems, and offers practical encouragement for slow, embodied grief work and integration.

NICK TNT: Breathwork as a Tool to Heal Addiction and Trauma

Host Gris Alves sits down with Nick TNT, author of Breath of Life Recovery. We  explore his recovery journey, his book Breath of Life, and how breath-work and step-work can release trauma and support long-term sobriety.

The episode covers practical techniques (like 4-7-8 breathing), the science and spirituality of breathing, integrating breath-work with 12-step programs, the Honu House residential program, retreats, and where to find resources.

 

www.breathofliferecovery.org

 

SANDRA SANTACRUZ, Del Agotamiento Corporativo a la Sanación en el Bosque

En este episodio, Gris Alves conversa con Sandra Santa Cruz sobre dejar una vida citadina de alta presión para vivir y guiar retiros en Valle Paralelo, una reserva forestal de 60 hectáreas en el sur de México. Sandra relata una crisis existencial, su recuperación y cómo la rutina, la naturaleza y la comunidad le ayudaron a reconectar con su cuerpo y propósito.

La conversación explora el trabajo de retiro en Valle Paralelo —incluyendo experiencias asistidas con caballos, sanación con sonido, prácticas somáticas y frecuencias musicales experimentales— y cómo estos enfoques apoyan la integración emocional y somática.

Los oyentes escucharán ideas prácticas e historias personales sobre el cuidado de la tierra y los animales, el poder de la presencia y las posibilidades de regeneración a través de prácticas basadas en la naturaleza.

Listeners will hear practical insights and personal stories about caretaking the land and animals, the power of presence, and the possibilities of regeneration through nature-based practices.

Slowing Down: Mushrooms, Music, and the Art of Returning

In this episode of Tales of Recovery, the host explores the pressures of fast modern life and the choice to live more slowly, grounded in nature and spiritual practice.

She discusses practical tools—meditation, yoga, music—and ancestral medicines like psilocybin used within held, guided ceremonies to cultivate compassion, healing, and reconnection.

The episode invites listeners to a December 6th community ceremony by the fire, emphasizing integration, accompaniment, and a collective shift toward calm, gratitude, and groundedness.

Life is a Gift, Love is the Point. RYAN MEEKS :How I Lost My Faith, Killed my Church, Saved my Life and Found my Soul.

In this episode of the Tales of Recovery Podcast, I sit down with my friend and former megachurch pastor Ryan Meeks and Michelle to talk about his painful, public journey out of evangelical certainty — through theological doubt, cancer, and the slow return to embodiment and intimacy.

Together we discuss his new book, the gruesome process of awakening, psychedelics, therapy, community, and the couple’s work at Nautilus Integration helping people navigate transformation, relational healing, and spiritual integration rooted in love and presence.

You can order his book their  https://nautilusintegration.com/ 

Here are my thoughts on his written story:

It is a difficult enough process to get out of, or under the constructions and pressure of cultural upbringing and religion. 

The questioning, lifting and removing of belief systems is a gruesome, almost pathological fear process in the journey 
 of awakening. 

This book seemed so personal to me- not just because I know Ryan and Michele, and the fact that they completely opened, supported and held 
Julio and myself in our journey.

To be right alongside and behind them during this process of awakening, doubts, fear, grief, what seems like betrayal, and a deeper longing and connection to our true nature and most of all Love, is a treasure I dearly hold on to. 

Ryan explains himself in this book with such beauty, compassion and simplicity through this absurdly difficult process.  

How he walks through it, and then, on the other side writes about the continuous connection to spirit or to the miraculous unknown that is this beautiful mystery that we are and have the opportunity to experience with such compassion and love. 

Life is a Gift and Love is the point was not only a phenomenal reliving of my last 10 years of processing, growth and settling into my body- but an encouragement to anybody out there who’s still in the middle of deciding whether they need to stay under beliefs or become the compost that rebirths, a new breath of understanding how simple life can really be.

 

 

Navigating Life's Seasons: Embracing Change and Growth with Sunny Lunny

Welcome to this episode of the Tales of Recovery Podcast, where we dive deep into a conversation about life's challenges and the beauty of embracing its messiness. Our guest shares their journey through the struggles of winter's harshness, the transformative power of polyamory, and the revelations of self-discovery. Listen as we explore the significance of breaking free from societal conditioning, finding creative outlets, and the importance of self-compassion.

Join us as we discuss the transition from a structured life to one filled with creativity and exploration. We reflect on the necessity of integration, understanding personal limits, and the vital role that somatic work plays in healing and growth. This episode offers candid insights into parenting, questioning established norms, and nurturing individuality in ourselves and our children. Tune in to hear about the power of change, resilience, and the journey toward a more authentic life.

You can get Sunny's book here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1864479142/clowns-off-duty-adult-coloring-book-kids?etsrc=sdt

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGWCW1W4?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_Y41DM2JF03G5ZP27YAKA&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_Y41DM2JF03G5ZP27YAKA&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_Y41DM2JF03G5ZP27YAKA&bestFormat=true&csmig=1

 

From War-Torn Childhood to Somatic Healing: A Lebanese Mother's Journey

Yasmin Beydoun shares about her journey from growing up during the Lebanese civil war to becoming a trauma-informed consciousness coach trained in Compassionate Inquiry and Dr. Shefali’s work.

Gris and Yasmine discuss childhood neglect and abuse, therapy and somatic healing, her son’s autoimmune illness and recovery through diet and lifestyle, and how those experiences shaped her coaching with mothers and Arab women.

The episode explores resilience, community, and practical wellness tools for emotional and physical healing while living and practicing in Portugal.

 

You can follow Yasmine on IG @with.yasmine  and reach out to her at www.withyasmine.com

Unveiling the Power of Craniosacral Therapy with Katie Dove

Welcome back to another episode of Tales of Recovery, where host Gris sits down in the South Park studio with the insightful Katie Dove. In this engaging conversation, Katie shares her journey into the transformative world of cranio-sacral therapy and reveals how it has influenced her life and healing practice. Together, they discuss the essence of slowing down, connecting with the heart, and embracing authentic storytelling.

Katie recounts her upbringing and how it shaped her path towards becoming a healer. Through personal experiences and family influences, she developed a deep connection to intuition and space, guiding her through various healing modalities including telepathic communication and somatic insights.

Join them as they explore the significance of water, both physically and spiritually, and how it can be a conduit for healing. Katie highlights the importance of receiving life with openness and stepping away from the societal expectations that often confine us. The conversation delves into the need for a collective awakening, nurturing our own sovereignty, and embracing the gifts we possess.

This episode invites you to reflect on your own journey of self-discovery and the power of slowing down to truly live the life you’re meant to live. Don't miss this enriching discussion on healing, intuition, and the magic that unfolds when we embrace our true selves.