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PODCAST

The Skeptical Shaman

Rachel White is modern-day shaman and the owner of TOTEM Readings, a decades-old spiritual practice. In the Skeptical Shaman, we engage fascinating folks-- from psychics to healers to skeptics and cynics-- in a dialogue designed to help the spiritually homeless navigate the landscape of woo. Are you curious about spiritually but worry about falling into a cult? Do you want to learn more without falling into a con? The Skeptical Shaman is the place for you.

religion & spirituality spirituality

All Episodes

75:23

The Myth of Community?, with Kristen Pavle

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/11/08

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend Kristen Pavle (of Relational and Ember) all about her work in creating and managing community, both online and in-person, for various businesses, nonprofits and community organizations. The crux of this episode? How can we-- either in the Business of Woo, at our "normal" day jobs, or just in society in general-- identify, build and maintain community? K...

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75:57

Para-social Dynamics in the Business of Woo, with...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/11/01

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of the show and world-famous Tarot Lady: Theresa Reed. Theresa is an award-winning author of MANY Woo-based books-- not to mention an illustrious content creator providing live weekly readings on Instagram. In this episode, Rachel and Theresa dive into the tricky para-social dynamics created by social media, podcasting, YouTubing and content creation as...

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76:25

Exploring the World of TarotTube, with Kasia Kulbowska

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/10/25

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with the world-famous star of YouTube's Tarot Map channel: Kasia Kulbaska. Kasia, an astrologer and tarot card reader, has been on what she calls "TarotTube" for many years, sharing incredible deck reviews and facilitating fascinating discussions about the world-- and Business-- of Woo. Kasia and Rachel chat about the misconceptions and myths surrounding Woo-based ...

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68:54

Red Flags and Green Flags in the Business of Woo,...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/10/18

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with client, friend and consumer of the Woo Nicole Foos (of NVision by Nicole Foos). Not only is Nicole a talented crystal jewelry maker, artist and sculptor, but she's also an accomplished student and practitioner of the Woo herself, making her a VERY discerning customer. And that's exactly why she was pinged to join this Business of Woo-themed podcast series to o...

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72:17

When Your Woo Side Hustle Becomes The Full Time Gig,...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/10/11

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of the show Britt Sundkulla-Sinclair of Golden Thread Alchemy all about her transition from part-time working witch, astrologer and death doula to a full-time Woo-based business owner! And, not only does Britt describe what this transition has been like-- and what it demands in terms of working hours, promotional/ unpaid efforts, and very early mornings-- but...

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72:23

A Working Witch In Residence, with Cardsy B

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/10/04

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Cardsy B (of the Hex and the City podcast) all about what life is really like as a full-time working witch in residence at one of Manhattan's premier boutique hotels. And, while there's some literal magic in Cardsy's workdays, there is also the reality of the Business of Woo: the increasing exertion required to maintain healthy client boundaries, navigate parasocial...

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61:27

Change Fatigue in the Business of Woo, with Nichole...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/09/27

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of show Nichole Bigley (of A Psychic's Story) about the constantly shifting, evolving and demanding business and technology landscape in the Business of Woo. Nichole hosts the #1 Spiritual podcast in the world, which might give folks the impression she has a big team of tech-savvy backroom geniuses at the ready on a minute-by-minute basis. But, as Nichole exp...

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67:43

I'm Not Rich, B*tch!, with Colleen Soisson

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/09/20

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of the show Colleen Soisson (of Feather Mountain Ayurveda) about the common misconception that business owners-- even those in the Business of Woo-- are rich. The reality of the Business of Woo is oceans away from how it's perceived by clients and consumers, and most practitioners make substantial, very unglamorous sacrifices to make their dream a daily...

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72:17

Content Creation IS Work, with Marco Visconti

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/09/13

In this special Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with writer and modern magician Marco Visconti (of the Magick Without Tears Substack) about the daily grind of being a Woo-baed business owner-- and, more specifically, content creator. For Woo-based business owners, these are not the "before times"-- and, as Marco has noted, it's a real challenge to make a living while sharing expertise and insights. As commoditiz...

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70:15

An Even Exchange Of Energy, with Yolanda Williams

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/09/06

In this special, Business of Woo-themed episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) reconnects with the absolutely luminescent Yolanda Williams (of the Reiki Radio Podcast) to chat all things "Wusiness of Boo". That's actually not a typo. Unfortunately, it's how Rachel pronounced "Business of Woo" before she could gather herself at the beginning of this episode! Up first? Yolanda opens up the proverbial kimono to get really real about expectations arou...

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95:59

Manufacturing Consent vs. Cultivating Consciousness,...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/08/23

Well, well, well...look what we have here! A sweet treat wrapped up in a bonus episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast featuring none other than the final boss of neurodivergence himself: Scott Horton! Scott is the Director of the Libertarian Institute, Editorial Director of Antiwar.com, and the host of the Scott Horton Show. He’s the author of the 2024 book Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War With Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine; the 2021 book Enough Already: Time t...

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80:35

Navigating Chronic Pain with the Woo, with Laura...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/08/16

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with her second client EVER when she opened TOTEM Readings 15 years ago in Chicago: Laura Hunnewell. Not only is Laura a friend of TOTEM and The Skeptical Shaman-- as well as a super-talented Licensed Esthetician-- she is a serious survivor, spending the last several years navigating serious health issues and a relentless chronic pain disorder. Laura has been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, other...

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104:36

Secrets of the Real Black Lodge Revealed, with Allen...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/08/09

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) welcomes back fan favorite Allen Greenfield: famous ritual magician, Kabbalist, and former Thelemite, recently featured as a subject matter expert in Amazon's Hellier TV series. In a world of superficial spiritual LARPers, Allen Greenfield is a bonafide real deal-- a national treasure with all manner of arcane knowledge across his more than 60 years of hands-on esoteric experience. With legit certificates ...

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68:10

Aleister Crowley, Thelema, & The Book of the Law,...

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/08/02

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with writer and modern magician Marco Visconti all about the life of Thelema founder Aleister Crowley-- as well as the spiritual system (and its many, many tributaries) he left behind. What is Thelema? What is the Book of the Law? From where do these cornerstones of occult studies spring? What is sex magic? Who is Lady Babylon? How does one use the Lesser Key of Solomon? (Word to the wise: DON'T...

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58:22

Reclaiming Our Spiritual Selves, with Jade Kaskel

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/07/26

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings), chats with Jade Kaskel of Reform Routine, a full-spectrum, supportive Woo-based business that helps focus navigate the trauma and clutter of life-- including physical clutter in their homes! Jade's unique perspective comes from a long and often challenging early life, starting with being raised as a Jehovah's Witness and undergoing the spiritual trauma (and dark night of the soul) that come with leaving th...

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56:30

The Messy Middle, with AJ Goodwin

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/07/19

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings), chats with AJ Goodwin-- a TOTEM client and professional realtor and business mentor that has spent the last several months embracing her spiritual and personal growth, living in the "messy middle" of transformation! As a highly-driven, high-performing entrepreneur, AJ spent this Year of the Wood Snake doing the impossible: taking time away from work to completely and totally invest in herself. She's growin...

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70:12

Ornithomancy and the Beauty of Birds, with Madia Smith

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/07/12

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings), chats with Madia Smith of CYGNUS Human Design and Hoof + Feather Co all about her love for all things bird. Since ancient times, birds have been crucial spiritual vectors, offering divinatory insights in Ancient Greece and Rome (under the formal name "ornithomancy"), shamanic "medicine" as a totem animal, and inspiration for some of our most magical and transcendent works of art, like Swan Lake. Madia desc...

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67:23

Time To Catch Our Breath, with Jennifer Eldon

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/07/05

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings), chats with Jennifer Eldon (of Jennirose Breathwork) about how breathing is so much more than an automatic body function. When done properly, breathing can actually unlock deep energetic and physical healing, necessary emotional releases, and even expansive spiritual and psychedelic experiences! We live in tough, stressful times. Even the most experienced practitioner-- armed with tried and true, Woo-...

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57:23

The Spiritual Odyssey, with Jen Pahwa

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/06/28

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats Jen Pahwa (of Hummingbird Hearings) all about Jen's strange (and strangely expansive) recent spiritual journey-- one that's taken her and her family (including several young children) all over the country! This episode is all about what happens when we start listening to spirit-- and just how difficult and challenging it can be in practice. After all: the map is not the territory, and Jen's meandering...

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62:30

Moonflower Moments, with Kaity Craven

The Skeptical Shaman ·

2025/06/21

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings), chats with the totally awesome Kaity Craven of the Moonflower Moments YouTube Channel. Kaity is the rare practitioner that actually makes quality tarot deck, oracle deck, and "how to" divinatory content on YouTube-- without making it all about herself, brand deals, or the overdone same old, same old permeating an already overly saturated social media landscape littered with useless noise. Rachel and...

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100 results

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