Practice Over Perfection and Loving Who You Are - With Natalia Benson

Today on the podcast, I have one of my ALL TIME favorite mentors, Natalia Benson, Women’s Empowerment Coach and Modern Mystic. Having Natalia on the podcast is something I’ve been manifesting for over a year so when she said YES, I almost fell out of my chair with excitement. Her presence is unbelievably calming, inspiring and grounding and she is REAL & HONEST AF. You are going to LOVE this episode so much!!

In this episode, you'll learn:

✧  How to let go of who you should be and step into who you’re called to be
✧  How to deeply and completely love and accept yourself and your life
✧  Why gratitude speeds up the manifestation process and how to find the beauty in EVERYTHING
✧  Natalia and I’s honest thoughts about why we reject what we know is good for us
✧  That there’s no such thing as “arriving” or getting “there” - we are always exploring
✧  How to connect with your deeper purpose if you feel lost
✧  Why allowing yourself to feel ALL emotions is key to freeing yourself from resistance
✧  The importance of being vulnerable, not perfect
✧  How to work with your subconscious to quantum leap into the feminine energies of surrender and flow

About Today's Guest:

Natalia Benson is a Women’s Empowerment Coach, Modern Mystic & Astrologer living in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona Natalia has forged her own career path in LA fusing esoteric wisdom with practical modern tools in order to live a more empowered, peaceful and prosperous life. She encourages women to honor their Natal Charts, feminine energy and inherent wisdom while keeping it light, relatable & inspiring. Natalia has worked with the likes of Who What Wear, Away, Mother Denim, Well+Good, Jacquie Aiche, Alo Yoga, Google, Conde Nast x Glamour Magazine, The Zoe Report, Melissa Shoes, Bustle, Bliss Skincare, Boscia, OPI, Bacardi & many more, offering her unique brand of pragmatic mysticism that encourages self awareness and an empowering outlook on life.

🔮 Resources:

🔮 Mentioned in the episode:

Natalia Benson's Instagram

Natalia Benson's Website

Natalia's Navigating Your Natal Chart Class

If you enjoyed this episode and are the type of person who likes to help others, please click here to leave a review so I can reach and help more people. Thank you so much for listening!

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Full Episode Transcript:

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of The magnetically uit show, I have someone who is so special to me here today who I'm meeting for the first time virtually. She is a mentor of mine. I've been following her work for so long taking so many of her courses and just like her presence and energy, you're going to be like, shook and struck by it. I'm shocked that I'm meeting her and it's so special. So anyways, I have Natalia Benson. Here, she is a women's empowerment coach and modern mystic and astrologer living in Los Angeles, but soon to be Palm Springs. I don't know if that's a secret information. I need to cut that out. But anyways, she believes you have a deeper purpose here. Your unique expression is needed on this planet. And when you accept and honor the totality of who you are, and put practice over perfection, life can become deeply Magical. So thank you so much for being here today. I'm so happy to have you. Thank you. Gorgeous. I'm so honored to be here. Thanks for having me. Yeah. Okay. So I would love for you to share with my listeners a little bit more about your journey and your story and kind of like, what you've been through and like, What led you to where you are today and what you're doing today? Oh, absolutely. Well, it's, you know, I'm 33 at this point. So it's been funny for me lately, because I'm like, Whoa, where do I begin? I'm starting to get the feeling of how people feel as they get older. You're just like, Wow, so many things have been formed, you know, my life experience. And it's just amazing. I remember when I was like 19 years old, I've always been obsessed with quotes. Like my grandpa got me really into quotes. And I just have always been fascinated how little pieces of like, human wisdom can just change your perspective. And I remember at 19 I listen, I found this quote that was about how you can look back on your life and see how it's been this like perfect orchestra, like, you know what I mean? It's kind of just like, how everything's like flowed together. And but sometimes in the moment, it feels chaotic, and it feels like the notes aren't hitting correctly and all the things. So with that being said, I mean, first and foremost, I'm born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I am a desert girl. I love being from the desert. And the best. I'm so magical. Yeah. Yeah, my fiance and I want to have our wedding in Arizona, because we just does are so much that makes me so happy. You know, it's really weird. I totally rejected it. When I when I was like, in high school, I was like a full blown overachiever because I was like, get me out of Arizona. Like I just didn't want to be there anymore. And I worked really hard. And I got into San Diego State. And so I moved to the beach, I moved to San Diego. And that was incredible. But it's so funny because now I'm like returning back to the desert to live with my man. And I've even considered you know, do I want to live in Arizona again. So, anyhow, anywho I have a lot of Gemini in my chart. So I can totally go in like 50 directions. But long story short, you guys. I mean, I I'm just a human being who really wants to live a fulfilled sacred life and allow, you know, whatever comes through my heart, to really love on anyone that comes in my path and empower them to because you know, love isn't always just the the gushy stuff it's also calling people to their highest caliber, I think that that's what love really does is it calls us to that higher space. And you know, it's been very non sequitur. I thought I was going to be like a DJ and and jewelry designer and all this other stuff. But all along the way. I've always like, loved, loved, loved working on myself. Even I had my quote unquote, spiritual awakening when I was about 19. And I was living in San Diego. And that was a really prolific time for me because it kind of delineated between who I was told I should be versus who I felt called to actually be. And I was suffering so much I was I was quite depressed, and I just didn't feel like I was here to just, you know, like, get a job and find a husband and, you know, like that, that that was it. Not to say there's anything wrong With that, I love all those things. And that's essentially where I've ended up at this point. But I knew there was more, you know, like, I knew I wanted more. And for me, I found more in the soul. And I found more and you know, my spiritual practices. And that, you know, from 19, into my 20s, I started a couple different businesses, and I sucked at them, and I lost, I made lots of mistakes, I lost lots of money. And But then I also learned so much. And all along the way, the best thing that I learned was that if you want to truly be successful, you've got to know how to love and accept yourself. And you've got to know how to like come home into your own heart, and your own power. And that's so uniquely defined by every single person, so I won't even pretend like I know the answer for everyone. But I definitely have found for myself that, you know, throughout my 20s, doing all of these things, and kind of seeking approval and Seeking Safety. It wasn't until I really cultivated a deep friendship with myself, like looking myself in the mirror and being like, I fucking love you so much. You are my You are my best friend. And whatever you truly need, I'm here for you, instead of living at odds with myself, which for me, that's how I was for so long. And even my young years. It's funny when I put when I do podcast interviews, I laugh at myself, because I'm like, why am I so reminiscence I literally, like, recall memories I haven't thought of and like, you know, forever but you know, it's a full funny about that is the coolest thing is I feel like every time like yeah, even I tell my story on a podcast, too. It's like something different, a different memory a different take away or lesson comes to the surface. And it feels like it's like, that was meant to come through on this show. And maybe something else is meant to come through on another line. God, I love beautiful and I I could not agree more. That's, that's exactly what it is. It's literally just like, it's, it's powerful. And I think it's also this synergy of who you're talking to. And like what comes through, you know, but, um, but yeah, just, that's really, that's really my story. Like, it's, I feel like I've talked about it a million times, like I, I have had a very dark past, I've had a lot of deep pain and suffering as I think many have in their own unique way. And for me, personally, I really utilize those moments as as I look back on them, those were my best Turning Point moments, even though at the moment they were very discordant and extremely hard. But now you know, where I said, I'm so grateful for all of it, because it guided me to where I am i right in this moment. And some of my best tools that I've picked up along the years have been, you know, astrology and natal chart, astrology, Kundalini Yoga, and just getting to understand the subconscious. So those have been the things that really like inform my work now. And I just love it. I just love making people happy, because I love being happy. And I was not always a happy person. So I'm just like, I love I love where I am. And it's taken a lot have taken me quite a bit of work to get here, but the tools are where it's at. And when you tap into tools, and you have a bigger toolbox other than just what society gives you or culture your culture gives you. I think you can go so deep into who you truly are outside of definition of what people think you should be. So that's like the most unique way I've ever told my story. But I think that that's something that pretty much i love it well, I'm so glad that most unique I'm still so honored to have it. I have come through I love it. Um, so for someone who doesn't love where they're at and who they are, and they do feel like they're kind of like at odds with themselves out that war with themselves. How would you say they began building their own toolbox? Or how did you go about like building yours and getting to this place where you are truly like, your biggest like friend and supporter and it's like yeah, I've like got your back. Yeah, that's such a beautiful question. It's, it's honestly, for me personally, that's why I bring up that I've moved through a lot of challenges, because each with each challenge, and with each intense emotion that it would call forward. My biggest thing was like okay, what can I do? To get better, what can I do to move out of this, you know that I'm an Aries. So it's like I definitely is an Aries is very action oriented, right. So that's why I say maybe what works for me, may not work for all. But I do believe that there is, there's a law in the universe, just like we all many of us know about the law of attraction. But there are lots of other laws. And there's a law in the universe called the law of action. And when we activate the law of action, I believe that the universe has space to totally show up and empower us that we have to first show up and do something, even if it's the smallest thing. I'll tell you a quick story. This may this may help or this may serve for someone who is in a tricky place. I just think this is something it's not always the easiest thing to employ. But I think there's a lot of power to it. So many, many moons ago, when I was about 24 years old, I lit my room on fire. And I'll spare you the story because it's very woowoo. And it's very, it's very, it's insane. Really, I've told it before, but I'll give you guys the quick version. And basically, I set my Room on Fire totally on accident, obviously. And I walk into my bedroom to six foot flames. It was just the most chaotic thing I'd ever been through. And I just moved into this place in Santa Monica. It was gorgeous. I made it like my own little Beautiful, beautiful space, beautiful, like temple space. My plants were dead, my bed almost caught on fire. The whole room was jet black, it was just like, pretty insane. And I basically ended up having to move out of that place. And mind you there were some really beautiful synchronicities that occurred. And I say this because I wonder if for someone who is moving through challenge right now, I do find that there's little ways that the universe or God or whatever you'd like to say, lets us know that it's okay, lets us know that somehow we're still seen and taken care of. And so I ended up going to my best friend's place. And I lived in the middle of Hollywood on Cherokee street in Hollywood. And literally, it was an apartment, by the way, I don't want to say she just lived on Cherokee, I just will never forget, I love the name. And I just remember sitting in her place one day, and I had one tub of belongings, and I was sleeping on her couch. It was kind of the lowest moment and I didn't I didn't have anything and I lost a lot of my stuff. And I just remember being like, wow, I don't know if it could get much lower than this at this moment. I'm but let me think of what I'm grateful for. And so I just grabbed a notebook. And I just started writing down everything that I could be grateful for in that moment, that I was okay, that I had a tub of belongings that I didn't lose everything that I had four walls and a roof around me that I had a friend who was willing to take me in. And so what I did, and I and I made that a practice for a while. And what it helped me do was that even though I was in a really challenging space, it helped me to look for what actually was going okay. And that, you know, I know that it's not always easy when we're moving through challenge. But gratitude is such a healer. And gratitude is such a powerful activator in the universe, right in our in our lives. And there's always something that we can look forward to be grateful for, like no matter what even if it's just coming down to like we have oxygen to breathe, or we have our, our heart beating. And I really believe something that's helped me pull through a lot of challenge and also expand my life in so many, in so many ways, has been just gratitude practice. Do I do it all the time? No. But is it something that comes to my aid? And that I remember, especially in my most challenging moments? Yes. And so I wonder for anyone who's listening or anyone who, who comes upon this episode, if you are moving through something where you're like, how am I going to get to the other end of this? Sit down, get present, and just write out 10 things you can be grateful for every single day, or every moment you're having a breakdown or a meltdown about about something that's going on? It's especially easy and everything that's moving in the collective right now right it's so easy to look out outside and the media and and get really really hurt. Especially I don't know if you're if you're identify with being an empath, Madison but I'm super empowered. There. Yeah. When I when I see the suffering and the pain and the hurt that's going on in our world, as Such a massive scale. It's painful. But I always think where can I focus on the gratitude? Where's the beauty of? Is there beauty in what's going on? can I find it? And, you know, like I said, this, this is like a little action step. And if it lands, and if it's something that you're willing to practice, it's definitely been a huge shifter for me. And just to complete that story, I did that practice when I was living on the couch, and her dog would like breathe in my face every morning, it was just I had no privacy. I remember I had my work desk, and I made I had a jewelry line in time. So I just worked all the time. And I remember, not long after, I ended up moving into my dream apartment, and I lived there for seven and a half years, and maybe had that fire not occurred. Maybe I never would have found that apartment and that apartment. I mean, it was one of the most magical places I've ever lived. I and the most beautiful experiences I've ever had, from having channelings go on in there with my dear teacher Chi Ra. I hosted Kundalini classes, I held moons. I mean, we did, I did everything in this apartment, it was like, and I felt so safe and secure. It was surrounded by trees, I could walk anywhere. And so I bring up this story almost as like a bit of an analogy, just the beauty that can come through after the challenge. And I think something that helps bridge from the breakdown to the breakthrough is the gratitude is gratitude. So I hope that that helps. Oh, my gosh, I love that so much of how like, yeah, the beauty can come in so beautifully after the challenge. And I think it's so much of the time we want to like add it all up in our head of how things are happening in order to get us where we want to go. But it's like it's always behind the scenes working out for us. We can't see it. But it's like the fire plus something else that happened in your life for something else was something else was something else led you to that apartment, and I don't know exactly when you met Mick but I'm sure different pieces of it all added up to meeting him and all the different, like pieces unfold. always better than we could have controlled it ourselves. Uh, yes. The control thing, like the control thing, oh, my God, let's This is a huge practice for me like, no, it's, it's not I'm sure for so many of us, we're kind of taught. And think about even with our evolution as as a species as a humanity. We there have been so many times in our evolution where we've felt zero control. And so so much of what we seek to do is to gain as much control as possible, but really, that's just a whole illusion. And it's a process I was having such a meltdown yesterday. And because like I said, I'm I'm an Aries I like to do I like to act i like to do a lot of stuff. And my partner is so he's so much more center than I am and he I'm right there with you. My fiance is the most grounded human, he's always level. And I'm like, bam, bam, bam, like my mood is a tornado. So I hear you and it's so beautiful to have partnership where they can ground you know. And Nick was so beautiful yesterday. He's like, babe, he's like, looks like you're having trouble being and you just want to. Yeah, I want to keep doing and he's like, Okay, well, let's go lay down and listen to be here. Now my favorite chapter. Outside sorry, The Power of Now by efforts. Holy. I just started that today. Oh, shut up. It's the bed. Oh my god, did you get the audible? No, I like to read on the Kindle. Oh, good for you. Great. I love a reader. I'm like such an awful person. So make put on the Power of Now by efford toll. And I fell into the deepest sleep and I just felt so rejuvenated. And it's just that that surrender. And it's a practice. Like I still even though I teach. I'm still steeped in so much work all the time. Like, I haven't arrived anywhere. I don't think that you ever arrive and move. So you just keep exploring, you know what I mean? And I think that there's so much magic in that and that's what I think helps keep me happy person because I don't think that I know everything and I and I know my my pitfalls and I know the things that hold me back. I know the things that don't work about my personality, and I love myself anyway and then I'm also willing to work on those things. and discover teachers or practices or things that can help me breathe easier. You know what I mean? It's not about arriving or being perfect or controlling everything or knowing at all. I think it's a practice. It's always a practice. That's my favorite thing. I always say practice over perfection. I love it coming from a perfectionist that really speaks. And I love what you said about how like you never arrive, you just keep exploring. And I think that what causes so much suffering for us is believing that we're waiting to it, we're waiting to get there, we're waiting to arrive. And because that never really happens, it's always the journey. It's always the exploration, that evolution, if we're in that constant state of waiting for the arrival, it just, we've always want to be somewhere we're not. And it goes back to being in the power of now, which I'm so grateful to be reading that book. It's like when you can just be you can be in the exploration and the journey of it, rather than in this constant like chase for this arrival that never comes because you're always chasing somewhere you're not. And the only place where true like happiness and peace exists is like right here right now, in the present moment. What a practice. I'm so excited. You're reading that book, I have started it and gotten pretty far probably like four times. So yeah, and it kind of comes to me and like the perfect moment. And I pray that you read the whole thing. And then you can tell me about it because it's magical. And he's really magical. And you know, powerful, powerful teacher. Did you know it's so funny as I actually tried to read it like a year ago, and I like I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm like, it felt like ancient, the words weren't resonating. And I like put it to the side. And I was talking about it with a friend who a couple weeks ago while I was in Arizona, magical desert vibes. And she was telling me how like that book completely changed her life. And like, I could just see her growth and like she was more present than anyone I've seen in the longest time. I'm like, What have you done, and she was like the power of now. So I was like, That's funny. Because I've started it, I couldn't bring myself to read it. I had this idea in my head that it was like a very, very long book. I'm like, I don't know, it feels like a drag. And then I went back on my I went back on my Kindle. And I saw it's only a two hour, a two hour book. It's a short and I will in and I've been enjoying it. And like it's so funny how like, I feel like the things we need come to our life at the right moment. And like, I don't know, I've just found that like even I read this book love warrior by Glennon Doyle. And I resisted it for the longest time and I was like, ready, I read it and it like shook my world. And same thing with Bernie Browns daring greatly. It's just so cool. How like, it'll come to us at the perfect time when we need it. So I'm excited to see what unfolds. That's so cool. I love it. That's so true. It's It's literally one of those things where I think that as your consciousness is ready, certain things become more appealing. Because I'm the same way. Like if I'm, I'm like a little stubborn, to be honest. And sometimes I totally reject, reject the things that I know that are best for me. And so that's why I definitely practice like discipline, because you it's also about knowing that sometimes the things that intimidate you, that they're really great for you. But then also trusting that there is a moment where like, you'll be ready. You know, like, that's definitely been a practice for me. And just like, I think that's why it's like taken me a while. I mean, whatever that means. But it took me a while to get to where I am, it took me maybe even like 1112 years, maybe more, because I just, it just took me a minute. And then lately I've been like on rocket fuel and then I have to also integrate and slow myself down. So I guess that just to say that, you know, wherever you are in your process, or even I'm not sure is your audience like into spiritual stuff? Are they like, open? Are they exploring? Are they new? Like, what's the vibe? Yeah, so my whole podcast is basically about like tapping into your thoughts and energy and intuition to manifest your most magical life. So all of the woo is welcome here. All of the Whoo. Because I because what I The reason I asked to is just because I guess I think for me, when I first started learning about manifestation, I first watched the secret when I was 19 years old. And I remember I thought a negative thought and I was mad at myself for like two weeks. And then I was like, this is the point. It just kind of took me a while, you know, and I guess I bring that up and that's really the way that I like to teach. I'm sure you've experienced this a bit to Madison, where I'm just like, come to it. As you're ready, be gentle with your process, it's here for you, and just go at your own speed and go at your own pace. But if you really want to rock and roll, and you really want to make change, and dive headfirst, and get all of this done in a succinct amount of time, and you will experience this shift. And so for me, that's where my discipline comes in. Because sometimes I have to be like disciplined with myself and be like, yes, we are doing this right now, like, stop, you know, stop holding back or stop whatever, like, it's the time is now you know, and there's just so much power behind making a decision. And, and choosing to level to a new, a new frequency. And it's, it's beautiful. And I think that also going back to what we talked about Originally, I think that going back to our I'm sorry, I think that also accepting that our problems or our challenges are also the ways that we level that we go to that next frequency, you know what I mean? It's like, instead of looking at those things as like a detriment, or an annoyance or that something's wrong, it's also being like, Oh, we actually what's in the way is the way, you know, and there's like perfection and all of it. I love that so much and love that idea of how like, your challenges are just propelling us to that next level, and it's like, it's through learning to be, I feel like happy despite the challenge, despite the external circumstances, which is what is like that place is where the magic happens. The magic happens in those moments where you let go of needing anything else outside of you, to give you the feeling you're looking for, and like you're almost like forced to go find that within yourself, and then you do. And then it's like, every single time that shift happens, it's like, magic unfolds, things, opportunities come to you money flows, like, it just seems like it always unfolds in the most beautiful ways when you allow it, which is the heart. Yes, that's the practice, right? It's like, like, the external world is so captivating. I love it. Like I love it, I love all the things. But then it's also like, if there's not an internal energy to need it, then it's beautiful. You know what I mean? If there's not, if you can get the Gucci bag or the this or that or go to blah, blah, whatever your goals your dreams are, you'll get them. But if you don't have the internal dial with your heart, and I believe also your solar plexus and your you know, whatever your chakra points, your freakin Human Design, whatever you're into. But it's like if you don't have that deeper connection and like, like a relationship to your soul, I just think it all falls flat. Because I lived and I'm sure many can relate to this. But before I I kind of started to integrate my, my internal and my external world. I lived solely for the external expecting it to feed my soul and my heart. And I was that's why I think I was so unhappy so often because it just can't do that. But when you raise what's inside of you already, which I believe is like God energy, one of my favorite teachers, her name is Tori Washington. And she said that your heart is your connection to God, your connect your heart is your connection to the universe, whatever word you prefer. And I was like God, that's so real. Because when you have a connection to this, I keep like grabbing my heart, like everyone can see, you're connected to this heart space. It's just like, oh my god, everything becomes truly magnificent. And even the pain and the challenge that you see, instead of feeling bowled over by it, you're like, how can I respond to this in a way that serves? How can I respect it's just, it's so much more satisfying, and so much more fulfilling. And then you don't have to reject the external world. You can live within it and honor it and love it for exactly what it is because you love and honor yourself. You know, and so it's um, but that's a practice and that's something I'm ever working on. And I love it. It's like my favorite thing to work on. Same Same here. Um, I know You talk a lot about connecting to your deeper purpose and like you're saying that having that deeper connection for someone who feels really lost in their life and they're like, I don't know who I am or what I'm doing or what the heck I'm supposed to be doing with my life like what would you What would you say to them I would say I totally understand because I've been there. And what really helped me was natal chart astrology. And so that's like a big key component that I like to start with anyone, whether they're coaching with me or their student, or they're new to my work, I always like to point them in the direction especially as it comes to purpose. Get to know your natal chart, it is juicy, it is so fascinating. And it is so powerful to come to understand your natal chart placements, and you can get some amazing information from your natal chart. And I personally, you know, I have some free offerings on my YouTube on my website, where you can get to know your chart, and I tell you how to look it up how to do this, do that, like you can, you know, here's the thing. For me personally, in my early 20s, I yeah, I was very lost, like I already had a business and I was doing all that stuff. But it was like I didn't know myself and I didn't accept and love myself. And I felt kind of at odds, and just astrology just kind of dropped into my lap. And it was this tool that when I started to tap into it, I was like, Oh my god, these are things I've known about myself at a deep level but never accepted or never explored. So, you know, with that being said, my loves if you're feeling like why am I here? Or do I have a purpose? Well, the answer is you are here for a reason. And yes, you absolutely have a purpose. If you're hearing this, you absolutely have a purpose. I think that for some everyone has a purpose. But will everyone realize it? I'm not sure. I don't know the answer to that question. But what I do know is that so often, like if you're seeking like what you're seeking is seeking you that's my favorite, I think that's a Rumi quote, and it's so beautiful. Like what you're after is after you too. And that helps us with that surrender that we were kind of touching on for a moment. But I would say you know, get to know that natal chart, get to know your son placement, your Jupiter placement, your Mars placement, your north node, these are all things that are just they're magnificent to get to understand. And Madison, if you remind me, babe, I will totally send you the link to my I have like a navigating your natal chart class on my YouTube. So if you email us, we'll send it and it is so fun. And it's always my gateway to astrology. Oh, yeah, were you there? I'm not at the live version. But I've seen the recording. So good, you guys. I will definitely link it up in the show notes. Okay, great. That's fantastic. I'm so glad you've experienced it. Because it's such a beautiful, like, it's such a beautiful, easy way into astrology. And that's why I wanted to teach it that way. Because then it's like, you can actually look at your natal chart and be like, how does this apply? What the heck is she talking about? And you can really work with your chart specifically. So yeah, that's awesome. And it's a beautiful tool. Because like I said, I'm all about activating the action, the action energy. So I want to give, you know, give you tools that you can actually do something with immediately and they're not like, kind of what's the word? Just kind of pie in the sky? Or like yeah, like What's she talking about? How does that relate to me? It's like to actually explore with the tools and then see how they create you know, shift and change in your life and and astrology has been the biggest one for me. Definitely my, my gateway. My gateway drug is Ruby werrington says, Oh my gosh, I love it. And I'm actually having a full circle moment with the astrology thing. So you'll appreciate this story. So probably a year and a half ago, I was on a walk in my neighborhood and I walked by this book stand Have you ever seen those were people like you can take books and then you give a book back? It was one of those and I saw this pink book called Star Power. Pray and I had never been into astrology at all. And I just felt this magnetic pole to the book. So I was like, Okay, I guess I'm supposed to take this book on astrology. So I just took it home. But on my shelf, didn't touch it for over a year. Then I found you and your podcast. And you mentioned one of your favorite astrology books was star power. And I was and then I was like, wait, that sounds so familiar. And I went looked at my bookshelf and it was sitting right there when I read it. Vanessa's coming on the podcast too. So I think it's just a cool little synchronicity. That's so dope. Oh my god. I love those full circle moments. And she and I are Doing. I'm not sure when this is airing, but she and I are going to do an IGA live together. We're going to do it once a month. So it's called the astrology show. And we're just going to talk about what's going on in astrology as it pertains to the full moon of that month. Amazing. Okay, sure. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I love it too. Okay, and speaking more about surrender and getting into the flow, I would love to talk about like the feminine and masculine energies and how we can really tap more into that feminine energy of just flow and ease and alignment because I definitely have someone who was so far in my masculine much of my life, just like the push in the forest. And actually action action doo doo, doo doo doo. And I've like, yeah, so much had to just like, let go of all of that. And it's definitely one of those practices. So I would love to hear your thoughts on like, really connecting more into that feminine energy, where you just allow things to be easier and more peaceful and more flowy. I love that so much. I mean, like I was mentioning earlier, like, these are all things I'm still working on. I have not arrived yet, in any way, shape, or form. But I practice like I practice being in my feminine. I'm actually doing a practice this week, and a bit with my audience of like, what does it feel like to be in Divine Feminine flow? What does it feel like to still honor my commitments, but honor myself? Like, what does it feel like to be more in ease? Because Yeah, I'm a pusher. I'm an Aries with a cap rising. And if you don't know what that means, allow me to tell you, I am a bit of a workaholic. And I have, I want to say I am because anything we put after I am is very powerful. So I will say I, I have experienced workaholic tendencies throughout my life. And you know, even just this last couple months, my business has been busy, but my business is busy, because I make it busy, like nobody's telling me what to do. You know? And so I started realizing just what can I do to just trust more and surrender more. And so another tool that's been really beautiful for me, has been hypnosis and subconscious reprogramming. So every night when I go to sleep, I basically listen to something, whether it's a book, like the power of now, which I haven't done yet, but make does but whether it's like a book that I love, or right now I'm doing Catherine's and kinos, rich babe Academy. And there's a lot of hypnosis and subconscious and subliminal work in that. And I'm loving it. And I. So it's like, literally all the time. I'm just working with my subconscious. And I'm working with, how do I just put more ease into there. Because just understand, too, that we, we are all running programs like computers, you know, and the programs, I believe they're either from other lifetimes, they're from stuff, we were modeled when we were children, stuff we heard when we were in utero, because the subconscious is forming from in utero until about seven or eight years old. And the reason for that, from an evolutionary perspective is that, you know, when you were young, you had to quickly learn the customs, language, and ways of your tribe or your family, your community, or you would not you if you didn't know how to ask for a glass of water, when you can speak or whatever it may be, you're not going to get what you need to survive. So that's from an evolutionary standpoint, that you know, the subconscious very powerful, and, like I've personally believe, for me, I've had many lifetimes of working and working and working and working and working and working and working some more, as I think many of us have. One of my favorite books about this is called the old souls guidebook by Ainslie MacLeod. I highly suggest it if you're fascinated with past lives and how they influence our current life. I just it's like the coolest book I've ever read. It was intense, but very cool. So I feel that for me personally, so many lifetimes of pushing, forcing doing and then my early life of have been born to two incredible parents, who are total workaholics themselves and obsessed with surviving and making it right, as I think many you know, most people are and so The reason I bring all of this up is because if that's been my modeling, and that's what's led me to survive in other lifetimes or even this lifetime, then of course, I'm going to have hyper masculine, like polarity I'm going to, and what does that mean? So masculine and feminine. And I'm sure you've talked about this Madison, or your babes know about this, but it's not to do so much with gender, it's about energy. And when we're so far in our masculine polarity, as I have been, as you mentioned, you have been in then, like, it's so easy just to keep doing that, because especially if it's getting us the results, we kind of want, which is that we're still alive, you know. And the ego is the ego is all about what works, what gets me from A to B, and make sure that I don't perish. But then I think, and what I believe is that the soul, which expresses itself as the subconscious, there's an amazing author. She passed away many, many years ago, but her name is Florence Shin, and there's a book that I highly suggest I'm full of book racks because all I do is read. All I do is listen. When I say read, I mean audible. But there's a book by Florence Shinn called the works of Florence Shen, and it's a compilation of four of her best books. And she really talks about how the subconscious, this is the soul. And I never thought of it that way. I was like, why is the subconscious is the soul. I don't know about that. But it's true. And I believe that the soul expresses itself as the subconscious. So what and then what's up with the soul in the subconscious? It's that feminine polarity. It's going to that more receptive, like, quantum space. Right. Another book I'm reading right now, and I'm reading about feminine flow is shaman Derrick's spirit hacking? And have you heard about that one? I've heard of him. But I haven't heard of that book. Oh, it's so incredible. It's so powerful. I think he's really writing all these down, I'm gonna get, yes, there's so good. And so with, you know, with feminine flow. And getting into that more quantum space, I just believe it takes practice. And I believe that where we can kind of make a quantum leap with it is working with the subconscious, because we haven't been taught or programmed to be in that flow. Because that flow is the flow of Earth, that flow is the flow of the universe. You know what I mean? We've been programmed to be workers, we've been programmed to be enough. We've been programmed to be achievers, or whatever. And I just think that it's it's so powerful. And I bring this up kind of passionately, just because it's something I'm still exploring. It's absolutely not my go to. But I love the practice and the exploration of getting to know the divine feminine, more and more like in my body, and in my day to day, and I love that you asked me this, because especially on a week where I'm like, you know, how can I be more in this flow? How can I just breathe. And instead of thinking that I've got to do this, that and the other or rush or push that instead, I can trust myself? I can trust the universe, I can trust my life. And for me, personally, it's also been a beautiful experiment lately, where before I was pushing, pushing, forcing, forcing, because I'm really good at that. I've had a lot of practice. And then I decided what if I float and trusted and then everything works out even better? Even better. And I've just recently gotten very into human design. I'm learning a bit more about my human design. And then I come to understand that in my human design, you're not supposed to fucking initiate so it because I find that anything I initiate it's or I post or push or force. It's just doesn't work. It just totally derails itself. And so I probably sound like a mad scientist right now. But this is me, like, I'm always like, how can I explore and get to know myself more and make life fucking magical? You know, and I'm always getting new tools. And so yeah, when it comes to flow and surrender, is the best answer that I have. But it's just a practice for me. And I would say that getting into the more super spiritual or super esoteric practices, especially meditation, especially, and like long form meditation, like where you sit, with no aim in mind and you don't even put on the timer and you You just listen. And you and you just quiet yourself. And then also working with your subconscious. These, these are some definitely some ways to tap in. But they're not always the most fun ways because we're so we're not accustomed, but maybe you have a bunch of beautiful water signs listening and they're like, What are you talking about? We're all about what you're talking about. I feel like it mean, yeah, I feel like that's so funny that you mentioned that because I love meditation. And every time I meditate, whether it's like five minutes, 20 minutes an hour, like, I feel like a completely new person. Afterwards, yet I self resisting doing it sometimes times where I know I need it most. Why do you feel like we like resist those practices that we know well, so deeply serve us? And he'll, oh, my favorite question of all time. But it's such a great question. Why do we resist what's good for us? I don't know, babe, I'm not sure of you. I think that honestly, I it's something I asked myself all the time. Like, why? Why do I resist what's good for me? Like, why do I get into a great rhythm, and then I don't want to do it anymore. And, you know, I think that, that is the magic of having a practice over perfection mindset. And also, you know, for me, understanding my why helps me stick to what's good for me, you know what I mean, and staying constantly inspired by other people. Like, whether it's inspired by like my mentors, and teachers, or whatever it may be. But at the same time, I also think that we're here to be human, we're not here to be perfect. We're here to understand the dichotomy of existence, which is being totally on it, and then also being totally not on it. And knowing that there is medicine and beauty and both sides. And that's been a big thing for me, but I will say that I know that when I am in my consistent practices, and when I'm really taking care of myself, and really honoring what I know, I, in my best interest, I thrive. And, And to me, that's where discipline comes in. And it's I like to call it gracious self discipline, because I talked about that recently on something because I think that having to discipline ourselves, we also have so much trauma, in our subconscious, from discipline, and from falling in line and doing things a certain way, that we're really experiencing a unique generation. And I think the generations after us where there's gonna be a lot more focus on freedom, and just like, Oh, I, I experienced this, it went great. Let me tell you about it. Like, it's going to be so much less of like, Oh, you said, that's the way to do it. Oh, you said that's right or wrong. Instead, it's going to be more like, what's my experience, but I think that's something that's really powerful. You know, I don't teach by telling, I teach by embodying and what that means is that I don't need you to think I'm perfect. And I don't need you to think that I have all my practices together. And I'm busy. And I'm that which a lot of people do that anyway, because that's just I think, our programming, but what I do, what I do do in my teaching is I like to embody myself fully. And so I don't know, it's, it's powerful, because especially I found that as I continue with my career, and with my, my voice, you know, being authentic to the fact that like, I don't have it all together, I think is healing for a lot of people, because I don't think any of us want to be in this perfection mindset anymore. And yet, I also want all of us, myself included, to take good care. Because when we take good care, we just do better in our lives, we treat each other better. And I feel like I'm going a little bit in circles because this is such a beautiful question. And I'm almost like figuring out with you in real time because it's, it's definitely something that I explore with myself often is like, why do I resist what's good for me, and what helps me stay in line. But I think it's also so fun just to explore all the polarities and then not be mean to yourself about it. You know what I mean? And that's, I think a powerful way to approach spirituality and approach all this Stop. It's not about perfection. It's just about practice. And so that's what, that's what I'm up to over here. I love it. And like, it's I think so I think a lot of the manifestation teachings have been skewed to where it's like, you know, you better be high vibe all the time. And if you think about thought, like, you're gonna manifest some bad shit, and it's, like, almost feared and so fearful, and it becomes this like, terrible cycle. And it's like, what if we didn't have to be perfectly high vibe all the time? What if we still could manifest even when we're not feeling our fucking best? What if it was in that low place? that it created the the opening and the magic and the level of like, energy polarity that we needed to then catapult into this? Like, beautiful surrendered energy? And it's just like, what if it's all okay? What if there's no good or bad or right or wrong emotions? And what if? What if we just allow them all I feel like most, so much of the time, it's like, our negative emotions aren't what's causing us problems. It's our thoughts and feelings about those emotions. So you're like, sad because you're sad or anxious because you're anxious or you're disappointed because you're disappointed. But it's like, when you remove the judgment, from the emotions, you can just be, Oh, I love that. And you know what, it's so cute, so beautiful that you say this, because I've literally been feeling into this essence lately, of like, Ah, my emotions are not bad. Like, my feelings are not bad. Like that, that and that's been it's kind of funny, because I used to reject my emotion so much. That was why I think I had so many issues in my life was that I just didn't let myself feel. And now I it's just been this beautiful message that keeps coming through. And everything I'm studying right now is like, the feelings are so beautiful. The motions are stunning. That's what helps us get to know this experience. We're not here to be perfect and high vibe all the fucking time. That's totally ridiculous. Honestly, man, like, why that's so what what is anybody needs more pressure on themselves for? Like, you know, just let yourself be. And know that if there's an emotion coming up, be friends with it be like, why would you like to share? Because that's all that's all it's there for. That's all it's there for is just to share something with you. And let it be. Let it be my favorite Beatles songs. And one of my favorite Beatles songs, but it's like, just let it flow. And then from there, you'll be liberated from it. You know what I mean? It's like, yes, the only reason we get stuck in low vibe places is because we resist what we feel. And this is something I learned from from Katherine Xin keynote recently, she was talking about this, like, when you get stuck in these, like shitty places, it's usually just because you're not letting yourself authentically feel how you feel. And there's, there's freedom in that, you know, there's really is freedom in that there freedom in our feelings? Let's make a bumper sticker about that. There's freedom in our field. And I think that, you know, and it's just funny, like, I just love that you brought this up because what I'm reading in Sherman Derek's book, and then what I've been reading and are learning and Catherine's course, exact same thing. Like you're free there's feeling there's such freedom and magic and your feelings. And yeah, and that's kind of how I how I am at this point, you know, it's like, I want I want freedom, and I want people to experience freedom. And so I don't think perfection has anything to do with freedom. You know, I think if anything is the opposite, but I think that so much in spiritual work and in manifestation work or astrology or what the fuck ever is we just want to be perfect and that's such a such an old program. I think that we're healing right now. We're gonna have to be perfect. We can just explore and experience Yes, so good. And I read something recently I want to Richard DOT's books, which if you haven't read any of them, you would probably love it. But anyways, he says that like the only thing that creates basically like an he doesn't even like to use the word negative but like negative manifestations in your life is chronically feeling that and the only thing that really creates chronically feeling it is resisting and not allowing yourself to feeling and like you said, it's like, feeling it is the liberation and like, he says, like you're, you know, basically always your innermost thoughts and your feelings are kind of like, what's, yeah, what's like driving your life and it's like your point of power is in the present moment. And and checking in With like, Okay, well, what do I want to feel? Now? What do I want to focus my attention on? Now? What would go into my awareness now? And how can I like, you know, allow it in and just as easily let it flow out rather than like, like, don't come in and don't come in. And it's like, that just perpetuates the whole thing. Totally. That's a powerful one. And I like conversations like this. Because I think that it's, it's just important to remember that we're human, like, we're spiritual beings having a human experience. You didn't come here to be perfect. I didn't come here to be perfect. We came here to experience. And I think there's just so much liberation in that. And it also helps us to make peace, like it helps me to make peace with my behavior, when I'm like, resisting what's good for me, right? Or helps me make peace. When I get really busy with work. And I don't get to do my Kundalini or I don't get to do my practices that day, or whatever. And it helps me be flexible. That's a big thing for me. Flexibility, like being like, Okay, I'm busy as fuck, cool. Let's take a hot cold shower. Let's do some mirror while we're getting ready, let's say a prayer. And let's fucking rock. Let's go serve. Let's go love. Let's go take care. And then instead of like, I used definitely used to have a mindset of like, I've got to do this, this, and this, and this, and this and this, and then not, and then I can have a great day. You know, I don't know if anyone can relate to that. But like, that's totally used to be my mindset. And I think that that can happen in spirituality and personal development is it's just like you start stacking all these things that you've got to do to feel good. And then I think we're missing the whole point, you know, but again, this is an this is an exploration of mine. This is this is a new, new idea. Excited to get to share with you. I haven't done an interview in a while either. So I'm mostly just talking to people about what they're up to. So I'm like, Oh, yeah, this is what I'm up to right now. So Oh, my gosh, I love it so much. This has been amazing. So I have just two more quick questions for you. So what are your current rituals or daily practices? Like right now? Oh, I love it. So. Okay, so a couple things. Well, first off, I do hypnosis or subliminal work every single night. And so currently, it's what I'm doing in Catherine's and Kenya's rich babe Academy, which I love. So I've been doing those at night time. And then sometimes the hypnosis in the morning, and then lately, like my non negotiables have been 10 to 15 minutes of meditation for you for meditation, or meditation on the call map. I like how it keeps track. That's the achiever side of me coming in, and I check it off seven days. Yeah, I haven't No. Don't be worried. I have a notepad in my phone. Let me actually grab it real quick. I love sharing this because it's a really great way to keep track of your practices. But I literally have like, I give myself little seven to 10 day challenges. And I literally will be like, okay, these are my non negotiables for the next seven days. These are my non negotiables for the night. And then I check them off. And then I write for each day. How do I feel like how do I feel after I get these things done? How did my day progress or how did it unfold? And so lately, it's been the hypnosis or subliminal work at night, and in the morning, I drink collagen every morning. Meditation I EFT tap I do like a five minute EFT tapping with gala darling on her YouTube. And then I do I exercise or I do yoga, or I go for a walk. And so those have been the probably sounds like a lot but that's also because right now I'm in a way chiller phase, my this freakin year has been amazing, but very busy. And, again, self. I did it to myself, I made myself that busy. But now there's like a lot more spaciousness. So I'm really just, you know, allowing myself to do all the things that make me feel really, really good and just take good care of myself. And then another another non negotiable. I just wrote this down yesterday, but I do a little bit of reading or studying every single day. So whether that's I'm doing Mike a course or I'm reading something, but every single day, I make sure to make a moment for for learning. And again, all of these things like they can also be done in tandem with other things. So if I'm like going for a walk, and I do my podcast or my course listening or I'm driving somewhere, and I'm drinking my collagen, like whatever I love finding ways to like do do two or three things at once. So yeah, those would be some of my rituals right now and they've just been feeling real good. I love them, it makes they make me feel. They make me feel doesn't mean I always feel great. But they, they help me to feel exactly where I am. And that's beautiful, and even shift my state when necessary. I love and I love what you said about how you kind of give yourself like seven to 10 day experiments for your non negotiables. Because I find myself, I think for some people, if they do the same routine every day, they feel good for me, I feel like I am like trapped in a cage. And I am like, let me know. And so I'm so going to try that because I was doing the same. I was journaling and doing a few other practices every morning for probably months. And I was loving it. But it started it did hit a turning point where the journaling felt like a chore. And I was like, oh, what am I going to journal about today? Like, I gotta sit down and do this. And like, I think it's so powerful to give yourself permission to just do it in incremental chunks. And it's like, how is it? You have it and then you change the practice and then you add more you take away you just like how let it let it flow. It's so fun. It's definitely a way that I exercise that feminine essence, you know, is just to be like, oh, cool, like, what do I want to do for these seven to 10 days and and also to find dynamic ways of doing what's good for me, right? Because I find for me, the only time I really rebel against myself is if I'm attempting to be really monotonous. And really force myself to do things on a highly consistent basis. It just does not work for me. But I find ways to kind of like lovingly trick myself and be like, Hey, I know that this is good for me. So let me find a way to do this. Let me find a way to work with my energy and make it dynamic. And it's been it's very fun. And because we have to make our own adventure, you know what I mean? It's like, that's something I do love about spiritual work and inner work is that it can make life very dynamic. And that's something I really crave is just like, like, soulful, beautiful, exciting, deep, dynamic experiences. And the the culture that I live in, doesn't really give me that so I have to create it myself, you know what I mean? Or the society I live in I'll say agriculture essentially so these this is one way where I claim that sovereignty and just have fun with with my soul. I love it. Yeah, I resonate so much with like feeling like when you make yourself do things too, perfectly on a schedule or consistently that you like rebel against yourself. And I was having basically a meltdown this morning, kind of over that same thing, just like being like, yeah, being totally transparent here. Like I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to start this ritual practice or I was gonna record these rituals is going to be called energy rehab, it was going to be this amazing, feel good. Basically massage for your mindset and energy. I was so inspired by it. And I was like, okay, like, I want to, I want to like be known for this. I want to be really consistent for my audience. Like, I'm going to do this every other Thursday. And since then, I've been literally rebelling against myself finding every reason under the sun to bring myself in not to record the first one. And I was coming up on like the peak of the resistance this morning of like, Why the fuck Can I not bring myself to do this? And my friend was like, do you have to do it on such a consistent schedule? What if you just do it when you feel like it? And immediately I felt lighter and more free. And I was like, interesting. We might number one, do your human design. I think I'm a generator. Okay, so generator and manifesting generator are like the same, but mg is like a subset. So I'm assuming you're similar to me, and you should study about it. Because what you're talking about is like, and again, I don't know, I'm very new to understanding this. And I only know a little bit about mine. But I would definitely look into it because it is so powerful, especially for those of us who have businesses and who you know, work to create their businesses, or whatever it can really be for anyone, obviously, but it definitely helps you when you're an entrepreneur to understand your human design. Yeah, I'm pumped. And I feel like that's like the Aquarius in me who wants to rebel against everything, i'm suppose Yeah. All the way. Oh my god, I don't know. I'll be trapped down. Oh, gosh. speaks to me so much. So I'm excited to dive more into human design. Okay, anyways, last last question. I carry I carry that one on a little long. Okay, anyways, this one is the fun one, hopefully, um, is there anything else you're feeling called to share today that we didn't get to talk about Oh my god, no, I feel so complete and grateful. There's not not really anything. I'm very good. I'm very visual. So I'm, I'm not great with like super open ended questions. But if you ask me something specific I can totally answer. That's another thing I've been learning about myself Lately, I've been telling my partner Vic, I'm like, Don't ask me like, do I like where do I want to go for dinner? Like, or where do I What do I want to eat for lunch? It literally overwhelmed my brain. But when people are like, hey, do you want to do this? Or do you want to come here? Do you want this kind of babalola? Whatever. I don't know, I'm not thinking of many examples. But I feel so much more like, okay, because I anyways, I have a sacral response and Human Design. So it's like, it's anyways, I could go on and on. But what you just asked me overwhelm the shit out of me. I'm like, What? No idea, but oh, my God, I love how just like open and honest you are. So appreciate that. I actually feel that because I actually dove into your human design episodes with Aaron Claire Jones, which is funny now that it's coming up again. I feel like I'm definitely meant to dive into it. But when you said that, I was like, wow, like, I would feel so at peace. If someone was like, do you want this or this? Or this? Rather than, like, What do you want, and my brain goes, because I'm like, I feel like I took this strength test before where like, my number one skill was like ideation. So coming up with 6 million ideas. So I always have a million ideas and thoughts. And so like, having questions that can bring me in are good. So I feel I'm happy we're talking about this, because I think so often we all we can judge ourselves for like, not being a certain way. And it's like, just get to know yourself. And there's so many great tools to do that. Because then it can help you just make peace with all your whatever, you know, like that's like for me, like, I learned more about myself instead of expecting expecting myself to, I don't know, like be like everyone else or be a certain way. It's like, Nah, this is just me. And the more I can stand by it, and love and accept it. I can invite others to engage with me in that way. And it's super beautiful. Yeah, I love that. Because through your work, I really have felt like that almost like level of like permission to be more of who I am through so much of it, which is beautiful. So thank you for that. And thank you for being here. Where can we find you? What do you have going on? Is there any thing that is going on in your world, your business that you want to share more about? Oh, well, I am. Like, wow, well, first off, you can follow me at Natalia underscore Benson. I'm on Instagram, I'm super active on there. So I'd love to meet you if you got to tune into this episode. And you My website is Italian mentor.com. I'm like thinking I'm like what's going on. I mean, I all I have a membership. It's called magical women and money membership. And it's one of my favorite things ever. You can learn all about my offerings, and what I'm up to on my site, just to tell you that it's a.com and I also have my upcoming coaching certification. I just finished my first round of it, it was a nine month training, where I guided 25 I like to say beans because it wasn't all women. We had one one man there, but 25 beans to really embodying and stepping into their leadership and cultivating a powerful mentorship slash coaching business with my self empowerment methods. So if anybody's called to you know, build a business like that in 20 I'm like, What year are we going into 2021 then please, you know, please join me but everything's on my site and tele benson.com. So I'm just super honored that I got the chance to have such a beautiful conversation with you. And this is just so fun. Oh, thank you. I so agree. And yeah, thank you guys for listening. We're so grateful to have you here. If this episode spoke to you, please screenshot and tag us on Instagram and let us know your biggest breakthrough. Send us a message on Instagram. We would love to hear from you. But yeah, thank you so much Natalia for being here. This was so fun. Cute. Thank you so much Madison