The Spiritual Hustler Podcast

Episode: A Conversation with the Woman Who Took Me to Egypt, Journeys into Sakred Portals & What an “Initiation” Really Looks Like

Host: Jessica Zweig
Guest: Joey McCune
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and high-vibe episode, Jessica Zweig reunites with her friend and guide, Joey McCune—real estate mogul, sound healer, and founder of Sacred Journeys, known for leading powerful spiritual pilgrimages to Egypt and beyond. Their conversation explores the true nature of initiatory transformation, sacred sites as portals for evolution, and what it means to spiritually "hustle" from a place of meaning, not just ambition.

Jessica and Joey share stories from their life-changing trip to Egypt, discuss Joey’s evolution from successful entrepreneur to spiritual facilitator, and breakdown the myths and magic of sacred travel and sound healing. They also delve into Joey’s creation of Cenote Sagrado in Tulum and her upcoming projects. This is a rich tapestry of wisdom for anyone seeking depth, renewal, or to understand awakening in a modern world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Egypt Initiation: Death and Rebirth

• Jessica’s Transformation: Jessica recounts her burnout before Egypt and how the journey catalyzed a profound “death” and subsequent rebirth, changing her identity from a "boss babe" chasing achievement to living as a "walking embodiment of the goddess."
  • "I died in Egypt. That version of me ... all of that died and I was reborn... That trip inspired all that I am now." – Jessica (06:42)
• The Importance of Guidance: Joey explains Egypt is not for casual tourism; true energetic and spiritual activations require conscious facilitation.
  • “Egypt is so much more than what people think it is. It's a whole other depth and dimension... When you are open as an antenna to receive all the magic, you are the perfect shining example of what it can do.” – Joey (11:17)

2. From Real Estate to Sacred Pilgrimage

• Joey’s Journey: Three decades in real estate (Seattle, then Tulum) laid the foundation for entrepreneurship but did not fulfill her soul’s calling.
• Egypt’s Pull: Early curiosity, eventually actualized by taking her kids and searching for mystery beyond the history books.
  • “Encyclopedia Britannica ... Egypt was always on my wall... I was feeling lack of the information coming through [on tours] so I found the mystical side...” – Joey (16:25)

3. What Makes a Pilgrimage “Initiatory”?

• Mystery School vs. Tourist Experience: True journeying into Egypt’s mysteries requires bypassing official restrictions and working respectfully in a land where New Age spiritual work is not officially permitted.
  • "Egyptologists don’t want to learn about the mystical side... For them to open up to the new tunnels is just—they can’t.” – Joey (20:18)
• Sacred Curation: Joey meticulously cultivates relationships, safe containers, and energetically aligned teams to create transformative access.
  • “A lot of finessing takes place... We have rules we have to follow, but the final culminating ceremony is really powerful.” – Joey (22:00)
• Pilgrimage vs. Vacation: Jessica underscores that what Joey delivers is hard work, not leisure—spiritually and physically demanding, but with lasting activation.
  • “That trip is not an easy trip... But I’d never felt more alive.” – Jessica (53:39)

4. Sound Temples, Sacred Design & the Magic of Cenote Sagrado

• Divine Guidance: Joey describes receiving a literal “Christ channel” urging her to build a sound temple, leading to her and her husband’s radical life overhaul and move to Tulum.
  • “Third night I couldn’t sleep...I was told I needed to go build a sound temple... If this is a calling, we need to do it.” – Joey (32:54)
• Creating a Womb of Sound: Cenote Sagrado, a 66-million-year-old water cave on their land, was unearthed and transformed into the world-renowned sound healing sanctuary.
  • “The cenote water temple... it’s the womb of the earth. It’s ancient... gifted with sacred waters and the guardians of the cave.” – Joey (40:27)
• Music as Frequency Medicine: Joey now curates a 30-person team, offering unique, multi-instrumental, deeply spiritual sound journeys, attracting global visitors.
  • “It was just a calling. I followed it, and the universe kept opening doors... Trust that the universe is so much more gracious and going to give you so much more than what you envision.” – Joey (41:43)
  • “For us, we were gifted this. It needs to continue in service to humanity.” – Joey (45:01)

5. Portals, Pilgrimage and the Architecture of the New Earth

• Defining Portals: Portals are energetic frequencies present in sacred spaces, natural sites, and can also materialize through ritual and intention.
  • “I think it’s an energetic frequency we tap into, and I think they’re everywhere... Sacred sites are typically portals.” – Joey (46:45)
• Sacred Atlas: Pilgrimage of a Lifetime
  • Upcoming “Sacred Atlas” journey: A 40-day, 6-country, high-level odyssey for visionaries, including sacred sites from Peru to Nepal.
    • “It’s going to be a high-level journey—a big odyssey... You have to go to the places and really get to know the healers and the sites.” – Joey (48:13)

6. Initiation, Integration, and the Real Impact

• What Initiation Really Looks Like: It’s not predictable, not always comfortable, but always transformative for those who surrender.
  • “Everyone’s going to integrate differently... Some will take three years... Some will get it on day one. There’s before Egypt and there’s after. It’s impossible to stay the same.” – Joey (55:11)
• Physical and Energetic Upgrades: Visible shifts happen (Jessica: “the glow up is real!”), but the real work is at the soul-encoding level.

7. Codex of Light – Joey’s Upcoming Book

• Purpose: Bridges the gap for those unable to physically travel to Egypt; transmits the mysteries through encoded sigils and audio meditations.
  • “Every chapter is encoded with a codex and has a sigil... you can revisit through a QR code, each of these meditations. The music and frequency is highly curated.” – Joey (59:24)
• Transmission for All: Book provides access to the Egyptian teachings, empowered by direct experience, integrating Kemet, Christ consciousness, pantheons, and galactic lineages.

8. Living the Spiritual Hustle

• Redefining Success: Joey is a model of hustling for meaning and impact, not just money, integrating fierce business acumen with deep spiritual service.
• New Earth Service: To be a co-creator of New Earth is to serve humanity unconditionally, “without strings attached,” and realize that New Earth is already available through frequency work.
  • “The New Earth is here now... It’s open and accessible to all of us... It’s just a matter of your frequency being right.” – Joey (66:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:42] Jessica: "I died in Egypt. That version of me ... all of that died and I was reborn... That trip inspired all that I am now."
• [11:17] Joey: "Egypt is so much more than what people think it is. It's a whole other depth and dimension... When you are open as an antenna to receive all the magic, you are the perfect shining example of what it can do."
• [20:18] Joey: "Egyptologists don’t want to learn about the mystical side... For them to open up to the new tunnels is just—they can’t.”
• [41:43] Joey: “It was just a calling. I followed it, and the universe kept opening doors... Trust that the universe is so much more gracious and going to give you so much more than what you envision.”
• [45:01] Joey: “We were gifted this... As stewards, it needs to be in service to humanity.”
• [53:39] Jessica: “That trip is not an easy trip... But I’d never felt more alive.”
• [55:11] Joey: “There’s before Egypt and there’s after. It’s impossible to stay the same.”
• [59:24] Joey: "Every chapter [of my book] is encoded with a codex and has a sigil... you can revisit through a QR code."
• [66:14] Joey: “The New Earth is here now... It’s open and accessible to all of us... It’s just a matter of your frequency being right.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-09:30 – Jessica’s intro, how Egypt catalyzed her own rebirth, and why this conversation was years in the making
• 09:35-16:25 – Joey’s background, Jessica’s public thanks for her transformation, and how sacred travel works
• 16:25-24:54 – Joey’s origin story: from real estate in Seattle to first Egypt trip to starting her own pilgrimages
• 24:54-32:54 – Transition from real estate to sound healing, building a new life in Tulum
• 32:54-45:50 – The mystical journey of building Cenote Sagrado and the responsibilities of stewarding sacred portals
• 45:50-48:11 – Portals and how to recognize them; Joey’s philosophy on weaving spiritual journeys
• 48:11-51:29 – The Sacred Atlas 40-day pilgrimage: concept and logistics
• 51:29-56:40 – Initiatory nature of Egypt, the range of participant experiences, and the after-effects of sacred travel
• 58:09-62:12 – Joey’s upcoming book: Codex of Light, encoded wisdom for at-home spiritual practice
• 63:41-end – Lightning round: favorite books, guides, aliens, and what it means to co-create the New Earth

Additional Highlights

• The Glow Up is Real: Jessica and Joey both stress the visible and energetic shifts post-pilgrimage, emphasizing actual transformation over spiritual tourism.
• A New Model of Entrepreneurship: Joey embodies the “spiritual hustler” spirit—she’s built sustainable, integrity-driven businesses in both the material and metaphysical worlds.
• Access For All: Even those who can’t travel in person have entry into these mysteries through Joey’s upcoming book, audio meditations, and wisdom-sharing.

For Further Connection

• Joey McCune’s Work:
  • Sacred Journeys – Egypt & Yucatan retreats/pilgrimages
  • Cenote Sagrado Sound Healing Tulum
• Upcoming Book: Codex of Light: Initiatory Pilgrimage through Egypt (check website for release info)

Closing Reflection

This episode is an invitation to see business, spirituality, and healing as inseparable; to view challenge as part of the initiatory path; and to trust in the intelligence of the universe, showing up for yourself first and foremost. As Joey says, “[The New Earth] is here and now… it’s just a matter of your frequency being right.”

Listen to this one if you’ve ever felt the call of ancient places, or wondered what true spiritual hustling—and real soulful transformation—looks like on the ground.

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