Turning Your Trauma into "SASSI" with CHRISTINE MALEK
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08/26/22 • 58 min
Today I’m talking with Christine Malek, the founder and creator of “The SASSI Coach” program for women in or recovering from abusive situations. She is an advocate for women against domestic violence and uses a unique coaching approach to bring out the strength and light in every woman she works with. Her life mission is to help others “ruffle some feathers and blow some minds” as they identify and reach their goals.
Shining a Spotlight on Abuse
Christine experienced every abuse in the book. Her defining moment was in 2018 when her abuser shot her in the back of the head after an altercation. She remembers the night vividly and recalls her thoughts at the time the gun went off: “Fuck, I’m not dead,” and, “Oh, I’m not dead.” She was described as ‘lucky’ that her abuser must have tilted the gun to only graze her at the last moment, but Christine knows that this moment was her angels stepping in.
This was what forced Christine to admit that something had to change. The abuser wasn’t worth her life or freedom. Her guides had set her down a new path, one that meant shining a spotlight on the subject of abuse and those suffering in silence. She had to put her foot down—first for herself and then for others.
Following Your Own Path
Christine emphasizes the importance of having a plan when escaping an abusive situation. “I don’t care how lame the plan is,” she says. It’s more important to have one. 1 in 7 women never escape their abuse. The small steps—setting dollars or even coins aside, stashing go-bags with important items and records—are crucial in leaving an abusive situation.
Ironically, Christine’s journey as a coach was unplanned. But it was soon clear to her that this was her path in life. As a business consultant, she had clients tell her that she should be a coach. Eventually, she signed up for a virtual program, planning to use it for her consulting business, but during one session, the lightbulb went off. “Oh,” she thought, “this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” Now, it’s Christine’s goal to help everyone she can and end domestic violence.
Finding the SASSI Sisterhood
“SASSI” stands for “Strong, Assertive, Sexy, Smart, Independent.” Christine chose this to represent women as more than just “strong and independent,” as the phrase often goes. Through her programs and podcasts, she’s helped an innumerable amount of women by spreading the love and the word.
Part of that mission is attacking the stigma of women who are abused and the judgments they face when coming out with the truth. The key is communication: you have to tell someone. If not a family member or close friend, Christine recommends a church—any church—a police station, a school counselor, or a hotline. Just as those suffering abuse need to talk—those who they confide in need to listen.
Listen in to learn more about the SASSI Program’s ‘Seven Steps to SASSI,’ Christine’s eye-opening experience with her guides, and her future plans as an abuse advocate.
Resources Mentioned
Join Me on Speak Loud Platform
Speak Loud Podcast on the web
Reach out to Christine on The Sassi Coach
Spread the message of Speak Loudly Podcast andshare this episode with a friend!
Please review our podcast disclaimer on our website
Today I’m talking with Christine Malek, the founder and creator of “The SASSI Coach” program for women in or recovering from abusive situations. She is an advocate for women against domestic violence and uses a unique coaching approach to bring out the strength and light in every woman she works with. Her life mission is to help others “ruffle some feathers and blow some minds” as they identify and reach their goals.
Shining a Spotlight on Abuse
Christine experienced every abuse in the book. Her defining moment was in 2018 when her abuser shot her in the back of the head after an altercation. She remembers the night vividly and recalls her thoughts at the time the gun went off: “Fuck, I’m not dead,” and, “Oh, I’m not dead.” She was described as ‘lucky’ that her abuser must have tilted the gun to only graze her at the last moment, but Christine knows that this moment was her angels stepping in.
This was what forced Christine to admit that something had to change. The abuser wasn’t worth her life or freedom. Her guides had set her down a new path, one that meant shining a spotlight on the subject of abuse and those suffering in silence. She had to put her foot down—first for herself and then for others.
Following Your Own Path
Christine emphasizes the importance of having a plan when escaping an abusive situation. “I don’t care how lame the plan is,” she says. It’s more important to have one. 1 in 7 women never escape their abuse. The small steps—setting dollars or even coins aside, stashing go-bags with important items and records—are crucial in leaving an abusive situation.
Ironically, Christine’s journey as a coach was unplanned. But it was soon clear to her that this was her path in life. As a business consultant, she had clients tell her that she should be a coach. Eventually, she signed up for a virtual program, planning to use it for her consulting business, but during one session, the lightbulb went off. “Oh,” she thought, “this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” Now, it’s Christine’s goal to help everyone she can and end domestic violence.
Finding the SASSI Sisterhood
“SASSI” stands for “Strong, Assertive, Sexy, Smart, Independent.” Christine chose this to represent women as more than just “strong and independent,” as the phrase often goes. Through her programs and podcasts, she’s helped an innumerable amount of women by spreading the love and the word.
Part of that mission is attacking the stigma of women who are abused and the judgments they face when coming out with the truth. The key is communication: you have to tell someone. If not a family member or close friend, Christine recommends a church—any church—a police station, a school counselor, or a hotline. Just as those suffering abuse need to talk—those who they confide in need to listen.
Listen in to learn more about the SASSI Program’s ‘Seven Steps to SASSI,’ Christine’s eye-opening experience with her guides, and her future plans as an abuse advocate.
Resources Mentioned
Join Me on Speak Loud Platform
Speak Loud Podcast on the web
Reach out to Christine on The Sassi Coach
Spread the message of Speak Loudly Podcast andshare this episode with a friend!
Please review our podcast disclaimer on our website
Previous Episode
Trauma Informed Care through Ayahuasca with MICHAEL THORNHILL
Today I’m talking with Michael Thornhill, co-founder of Casa Galactica, an ayahuasca healing and evolutionary retreat based in Peru. He’s a traditionally-trained plant spirit healer and professional advocate for trauma-informed care. With Casa Galactica, Michael and his wife blend Eastern medicines with Western mindsets to transform years of suffering into an empowered state of mind.
Michael’s journey with plant medicine began with his journey in healing from addiction, trauma, and abuse. His struggle with substances began young and continued into his late 20s when he started to explore meditation and sound healing. From there, he was drawn to ayahuasca.
For Michael, ayahuasca was able to address the root cause of his addiction, alerting him to the fact that the life he lived was out of line with his deeper self. Following the medicine to Peru, Michael learned with indigenous teachers and found a deeper calling in guiding others to the same freedom and liberation he experienced. “There’s more to your life than just healing trauma,” Michael says. “It’s waiting for you.”
Ayahuasca refers to the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of the chacruna plant. The plant has a high concentration of DMT, while the vine acts as an MAO inhibitor. allowing for a deeper journey with the medicine. Journeys can last from 3-6 hours, in which the “veil of illusion dissolves,” allowing you to dive deeper, reframe repressed trauma, and heal past events.
Ayahuasca ceremonies are part of the national heritage of Peru, stemming from a long history of plant medicine wisdom. Ayahuasca is not only legal in Peru, but encouraged and protected as a form of healing. Other indigenous cultures throughout the world have lost their practices with plant medicine. Michael explains that ayahuasca is not a ‘drug,’ but a plant medicine, as it is something that helps you heal. Drugs are to escape. Plant medicines let you look closer,
Casa Galactica advocates for trauma-informed plant medicine journeys, sharing shamanic wisdom in a context that’s empowering and accessible for Western mindsets. Michael and his wife’s 10-day retreats consist of 4 ceremonies, which they found was enough time to get the most out of the plant’s healing. 10 days at Casa Galactica can catalyze life for the next 10 years, in Michael’s opinion.
Sitting with ayahuasca can be a difficult experience, especially when repressed trauma is surfacing. That’s why Michael and his wife focus on holding a safe space and being with their clients every step of the way. They pride themselves on transparency and intention, providing as much information and preparation as they can leading up to and throughout the retreat. Despite the difficulty, Michael says that sitting with the medicine “has always been worth it.” Even after ‘bad’ ceremonies, he himself came out feeling like a different person.
Michael hopes listeners learn that there are different options for healing and that while plant medicines are less known or understood in the western world, they are an option. “It’s all going to be okay,” he says as something he knows for certain.
Listen in to learn more about the medical and diet guidelines for ayahuasca journeys, the cost of Casa Galactica’s 10-day retreats, and how to book a free 30-minute consultation with Michael and his wife.
Resources Mentioned
Join Me on Speak Loud Platform
Speak Loud Podcast on the web
Learn more about Casa Galactica
Spread the message of Speak Loudly Podcast andshare this episode
Next Episode
A Higher Road with D. NEIL ELLIOTT
Today I’m talking with D. Neil Elliott, author of “A Higher Road: Cleanse Your Consciousness to Transcend the Ego and Ascend Spiritually.” Despite appearing outwardly successful, Neil had his own challenges behind the scenes that led him to discover a high road to transform his life. His entire life view changed and now he desires to help others empower, transform, and bring peace, love, and joy into their lives.
Connecting Science and Spirituality
Neil read hundreds of books and attended countless self-help courses, never finding one that fulfilled his needs. As an engineer, spirituality and self-help books—while giving great processes—didn’t give him the key he needed to bridge the gap between science and spirituality.
Through a spiritual undertaking, Neil discovered the process necessary to understand the truth and connect to source. “When you change your beliefs, you change what you see,” Neil says. His understanding is that everything we see in the world is a reflection of our beliefs and that the electrical and magnetic impulses that make up our thoughts and feelings create a blueprint for the experiences we call into life.
Starting the Spiritual Journey
Neil’s book outlines the seven steps he took on his own spiritual journey: expand consciousness, unveil new truths, reflection, cleansing beliefs and thoughts, rebuilding consciousness, meditation, and repetition. The process explained in his book will take about a year and will radically transform your life, according to Neil.
“Every thought you think creates a like event you manifest in your life,” Neil explains. Understanding this is one of the key tools for transforming your life. His understanding of how the universe came to be and its mechanics, the creation of experience in our life, and the science-based understanding of it are all things that Neil learned.
Practicing Enlightenment Daily
When striving for enlightenment, Neil first recommends meditation. He meditates first thing in the morning as part of his daily ritual when his brain isn’t so busy with the external world. External factors often drive our thoughts and actions in life, but through meditation, you can learn to live ‘from the inside out’—allowing your inside voice to drive what you say and do.
Neil spent years listening to audiobooks in order to train his brain to take in auditory information, which he says has allowed him to focus while meditating. Along with these practices, he recommends cutting out anything that doesn’t align with the message of unconditional love, and not let fear motivate your journey to enlightenment. “No matter where you are, you can change your life,” he promises.
Listen in to learn more about the role of Ego in enlightenment, Neil’s golden aspirations, and the Great Awakening happening in our world today.
Resources Mentioned
Join Me on Speak Loud Platform
Speak Loud Podcast on the web
Connect with Neil on his website
Spread the message of Speak Loudly Podcast and share this episode with a friend!
Please review our podcast disclaimer on our website
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