030: Tanya Markul on The Journey of Self-Healing Since the Womb, Learning to Create a Safe Space, a Home, Within Yourself, and the Godawful Messiness of Healing (HINT: It’s Not Unicorns and Chariots and Sparkly Shit)

Meet Tanya“I am a child of extremes, raised with poison, steeped in possibility between an orchard and giant maple trees, drawn to flowers, and re-birthed by a frigid, roaring sea.” —Thug UnicornTanya Markul’s path is one of the poetess, intuitive and wounded healer.An unwanted child, she was raised on barren soil of shame, guilt and overwhelming self-hatred. From the womb, her inner navigation was tainted by an ancestry of addiction, instability, abuse and fear. Her journey to self-heal and to become ready to guide others has taken many arduous paths, risks, and harrowing rebirths.She is a guide to the other side of pain. A key and wisdom keeper. A creative midwife. An enchanting storyteller and quirky rule-breaker. She is a tree lover and fairy spirit. Imagination is her wand, the dreamworld her guide and Nature her map.Tanya is dedicated to helping others heal by holding sacred space for their stories, and by unlocking the impossibility of shape-shifting their pain into creative, soul-led, healing purpose.Her medicine beckons the brave curiosity to look within, brings a sense of humour to cracked surfaces, unveils the beauty of hidden authenticity, and conjures the revolutionary courage to love, accept, and empower oneself in this lifetime.Tanya heals with words, the unseen world, sensitivity and vulnerability.May we all live a beautiful life of magic, mystery, inner peace and freedom.The Alchemy is in the ConversationLook, boo. Healing is f*cking messy. It’s alienation. It’s detachment. It’s bat shit crazy. It’s jet black darkness. It makes you ache for the void and mundane. You want to quit everything, but you can’t. You won’t. Not now. No baby, not ever. Because even though it aches the mother of all aches, you’ve changed. Underneath all that bullshit, there you are. Brand new. Born again. An angel who’s woken up to their cosmic mission. And you ain’t ever going back. And, there’s more like you out there. We’re waking up right next to you in the dark, wild one. So don’t worry about fixing any part of you and let your wicked shambles raise the goddamn roof on this whole things. ~ THUG UNICORN by TANYA MARKULI just…how can you read that and not feel empowered?Tanya and I (and so many others) are testaments to how we can be empowered by the healing work EVEN WHEN it’s grotesque and messy and you’re dying a million deaths and it’s lonely and isolating. Because when you have the courage to look at your circumstances – /no matter how shitty or painful or whatever/ – and not try to force it away?POWERFUL. MAGICAL. LIKE, WHOA.I’ve known of Thug Unicorn for a few years. A) How can you not love and follow a name like Thug Unicorn? and B) the words are always exactly the ones you need to hear.But I never thought of the person behind the name…not until a few pages into THE SHE BOOK and I knew this was a kindred, wounded, soulful, healing spirit.I knew there were layers and layers upon stories and stories behind the healing words. I could feel the pain seeping through the pages…and I wanted to know this person. The person behind the very cool name, Thug Unicorn.On a whim, I sent an email…call it a moment of bravery because…who am I? I sent the email into the ether with no expectations because I don’t do disappointment well.And to my surprise and utter delight (seriously – the happy dance was #offthecharts) I received an email the next morning…yes.OUR CONVERSATION WAS MAGICAL.Two wounded spirits in the midst of their own messy healings (because always healing) coming together to share an intimate conversation.Listen in as we talk about:The story behind calling herself an unwanted child.Maybe not every aspect of ourselves needs to be healed….take a deep breath with me…how freeing is that?!?Why do we give people the power to place us into a category? Oh – look at her…she must be so happy because she smiles all the time.Ways we can we creatively express our pain.And screw happiness! How ‘bo