Podcast
Gathering Gold
Hosted by Sheryl Paul and Victoria Russell · EN
Join Sheryl Paul, a counselor informed by the Jungian depth psychological tradition, and her co-host Victoria Russell, as they dive into the realms of our inner worlds and explore actions we can take to grow more self-trust and self-love. These bi-weekly episodes will provide guidance for diminishing fear and shame, embracing sensitivity and creativity, and approaching life with curiosity and compassion.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Courts of Longing: the Archetypal Gold in ACOTAR
Feb 1300:52:54Tap to summarize"Be glad of your human heart....Pity those who don't feel anything at all.” What if the meteoric rise of the romantasy genre isn’t about fae courts and dragon riders—but about our deepest and most human longings? Romantasy has taken the publishing world by storm. While some dismiss these stories as escapist fantasy, we believe their deeper power lies in how they illuminate the human heart. In this series on the alchemy of romantasy, we explore the mythic and psychological currents running through books like A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing. Through the lenses of Jung and the Hero’s (and Heroine's) Journey, we examine the desire to individuate, to be truly seen, to claim inner sovereignty, to find belonging, security, and freedom—and to join with a soulmate who honors the self we are becoming. Join us as we ask why these stories resonate so profoundly right now, and what they reveal about who we are. References: Books & Series A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros Psychology & Myth Enneagram 4 type Jung & the collective unconscious The Hero’s Journey – Joseph Campbell Pop Culture Moana Frozen Monica Lewinsky’s podcast Related Gathering Gold Episodes Escape Hatch Fantasies What Could Have Been You Do Not Have to Be Good Bonus: Books that Changed Us Join us on Patreon for bonus content and virtual gatherings: patreon.com/gatheringgold Some of our recent bonus episodes include: What Sheryl Forgot and Victoria's Experiment | The Slipstream of Time | Give and Receiving - Shudder - Feedback | The Problem with Pedestals | Are Intrusive Thoughts like Stray Cats?
Transcribe →Body Shame
Jan 2300:45:53Tap to summarizeIn today's episode, we dip a toe into the icy waters of body shame: the waters that take our breath away, that make us run for cover. How do we anchor our bodies in the warmth of true safety, of acceptance that frees us to open up to life and all it has to offer? Sheryl explores themes of body shame, body love, and so much more in her course Sacred Sexuality. Registration for the next round closes on January 31st, and listeners of podcast can get a 10% discount with the code BodyLove-GG. Members of our Patreon community can find a code for 20% off over at our Patreon page.
Transcribe →To Journal or Not to Journal in 2026?
Jan 900:52:59Tap to summarizeIn this month of January, the beginning of the New Year, some of us may be looking at our current habits and patterns, returning to practices that have fallen away, reinvigorating activities that have lost luster, and exploring new ways of caring for and connecting with our selves. Journaling might be one of those practices that you are thinking about engaging with -- or perhaps feel like you should do, but don't really want to. In today's episode, lifelong daily journaler Sheryl and never-journaler Victoria talk about the intentions and mindsets behind healthy, helpful journaling; the pitfalls of perfectionism; why Sheryl doesn't use a special, "beautiful" notebook for journaling; and two particular methods that Sheryl suggests for effective, supportive journaling. References: 10 Percent Happier podcast episode: The Science Of Journaling: How Writing Reduces Overthinking, Rumination, And Anxiety with Dr. James Pennebaker The Country Commonplace Book by Miranda Hills Dear America and Royal Diaries series 10 Percent Happier podcast episode "How to Handle Your Inner Critic," with Amita Schmidt Internal Family Systems therapy Sheryl's book The Wisdom of Anxiety Morning Pages practice from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Transcribe →Living in the Rhythm (Re-Air)
Dec 2600:54:30Tap to summarizeAs Sheryl and Victoria lean into the rhythm of the holiday season, resting and connecting with family at the end of the year, we invite you to return to our most-listened to episode of 2025. * * * “Energy moves in waves. Waves move in patterns. Patterns move in rhythms. A human being is just that, energy, waves, patterns, rhythms. Nothing more. Nothing less. A dance.” --Gabrielle. Roth Our heartbeat. Our breath. Our steps along the sidewalk. Our life happens in rhythms--breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat, step by step. We move in and out of seasons, feel a shift in tempo as our energy levels ebb and flow, fall into connection and disconnection with those around us. In today's episode, we are exploring what it means to "live in the rhythm" of life, why it can be so hard in our contemporary culture, and how turning towards the natural world can invite us back into a dance that is humane and enlivening. References: Wise Child, by Monica Furlong Gabrille Roth's 5Rhythms Mark Nepo Kelsy Leonard, "Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans" The Nature of Reading Bookshop Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious
Transcribe →The Joy of Small Things
Dec 1200:20:13Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode, Sheryl explores the potency of the present moment. With personal reflections and poetry, Sheryl illuminates how much depends upon noticing, holding, and imprinting in our soul the extraordinary mystery, love, joy, and pain in the moments we wish we could extend for a bit longer, live over again, remember all of our days. References: Gathering Gold episode "How to Slow Down Time" William Carlos Williams poem "The Red Wheelbarrow"
Transcribe →How to Slow Down Time
Nov 2100:56:17Tap to summarizeAt this time of year, it can start to feel like time is speeding up. The holidays are here already? It's almost the end of 2025? Didn't the year just begin?! In a culture that begins celebrating Christmas before trick-or-treaters have even begun knocking on doors, this sense of rush and speed is amplified at every turn. In today's episode, we are exploring the question: how do we slow down time? How do we shift our relationship to time, enter into deeper presence and flow, and savor all that we have--the present moment? References: Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock and How to Do Nothing, by Jenny Odell "Stop This Train," by John Mayer
Transcribe →The Need to Nag and Control
Oct 2400:36:40Tap to summarizeIn today's episode, Sheryl and Victoria unpack an idea explored in Sheryl's upcoming course Open Your Heart: A 30-Day Course to Feel More Love and Attraction for Your Partner: a pattern of criticizing and micromanaging your partner is a surefire way to close your heart and add bricks to a wall between you. Sheryl and Victoria name the historical, cultural, and societal influences behind the word "nag" or "nagging," which cannot be uncoupled from patriarchy and capitalism, then circle back to this question: when we are with a loving partner who is doing their best and trying to meet us halfway, and we still find ourselves quick to nitpick, criticize, and attempt to control them, how can we regain intentionality and find spaciousness to chart a healthier path forward? References: Sheryl’s course “Open Your Heart: A 30-Day Course to Feel More Love and Attraction for Your Partner,” starting on November 15, 2025.
Transcribe →Rooting into Autumn (Re-Air)
Oct 1000:54:51Tap to summarize**Today, we are practicing what we preach: slowing down and giving ourselves a little break by re-airing this episode from last year. We hope you enjoy, and we are sending you well wishes for rest, rejuvenation, and tending to your own rhythms and self-care in this season of rooting!** Meaning making. Connecting to breath. Aligning with nature. So many actions, big and small, can help us dig a little deeper into the soil of time, anchor ourselves against the buffeting winds of change and demands, especially as we shift into a new season. We recorded this conversation in front of a live virtual audience of Patreon community members, opening up the second half of the episode for group discussion on the topic of rooting into autumn. We are so grateful to the insightful, compassionate members who added their wisdom about steadying ourselves amidst the busy-ness of autumn. How will you send some energy to your roots today? References: Rooted, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Transcribe →Autumn, Grief, and Beauty
Sep 2600:47:26Tap to summarizeIn today’s episode, we are slowing down and opening our hearts to the beauty and loss abundant in autumn, a season that can so poignantly reflect and hold our own grief. Sheryl shares reflections about the passage of time, her sons growing up, and the passing of her beloved soul cat Tashi. Victoria shares her recent experience of learning about the death of a friend she had lost touch with. How do we meet all of the limitless forms of beauty and loss, gratitude and grief? What does autumn have to teach us about what it means to be human in this heartbreaking gift of a world?
Transcribe →Myths About Relationships
Sep 1200:44:43Tap to summarizeWe pick up where we left off in our last episode to discuss a few myths about relationships, unpacking commonly-held beliefs and prescriptions regarding our romantic/sexual lives, our choices about whether we want to be parents, and experiences of parenthood. By pulling apart the threads of these myths, we hope to encourage a greater sense of acceptance, compassion, and celebration of ourselves and other people, and the many ways we can lead healthy, fulfilling lives full of love and purpose. Don't forget to check out Sheryl's 9-Month Course: Break Free from Anxiety, which explores these myths and many other messages, stories, cognitions, and experiences that create and inflame anxiety. References: Sheryl's 9 Month Course: Break Free from Anxiety It's a Wonderful Life: Mary the Old Maid clip Book Lovers, by Emily Henry Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays, by Nicole Graev Lipson Sheryl's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show
Transcribe →