Rituals That Save Us: Cacao, Stillness, and the Art of Starting Over (Mary Beth Rodriguez) - Episode 195

You know those moments when life just stops you in your tracks and says, “Nope, it’s time to rethink everything”? That’s exactly what happened to this week’s guest, Mary Beth Rodriguez. Before Mary Beth was leading transformative cacao ceremonies and helping us all slow down, she was living in the fast lane—a chef, food stylist, buyer, and corporate exec, all rolled into one. (Can you relate?)

Then came a health scare that changed everything, sending her on a journey toward healing, nourishment, and the art of ritual. Enter with/ritual, her wellness brand dedicated to weaving intentional, simple rituals into our everyday lives—so we can reconnect with ourselves and actually breathe for a second.

Robyn recently joined Mary Beth for a cacao ceremony and she will tell you: it cracked something open inside that she didn’t even know needed healing. Yes, it’s that powerful.

So in this episode, we’re diving into:

• What really happens in a cacao ceremony (spoiler: it’s not just about chocolate, but you will want a cup).
• How to create small, doable rituals that bring you back to yourself—no matter how busy you are.
• Mary Beth’s own story of transformation—and why slowing down was the most rebellious thing she could do.
• Ways you can bring a little more stillness and magic into your life, starting right now.

Ready to hit pause and find a little grace in your day? You’re in the right place.

MORE FROM MARY BETH + WITH/RITUAL
Curious about cacao, or want to start your own rituals? Visit withritual.com
for Mary Beth's offerings, inspiration, and everything you need to get started.

Visit seekingcentercommunity.com for more with Robyn + Karen and many of the guides on Seeking Center: The Podcast. You'll get access to live weekly sessions, intuitive guidance, daily inspiration, and a space to share your journey with like-minded people who just get it.

Visit seekingcentercommunity.com for more with Robyn + Karen and many of the guides on Seeking Center: The Podcast. You'll get access to live weekly sessions, intuitive guidance, daily inspiration, and a space to share your journey with like-minded people who just get it.

You can also follow Seeking Center on Instagram @theseekingcenter.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:07 Rituals That Save Us: Cacao, Stillness, and the Art of Starting Over

Transcript

Robyn: [00:00:00] I'm Robyn Miller Brecker and I'm Karen Loenser. Welcome to Seeking Center, the podcast. Join us each week as we have the conversations and we, through the spiritual and holistic clutter for you, we'll boil it down to what you need to know now, we're all about total wellness, which to us needs building a healthy life.

Karen: On a physical, mental, and spiritual level, we'll talk to the trailblazers who'll introduce you to the practices, products, and experiences that may be just what you need to hear about to transform your life. If you're listening to this, it's no accident. Think of this as your seeking center and your place to seek your center.

Robyn: And for the best wellness and spiritual practitioners, experts, products, experiences, and inspo, visit theseekingcenter. com. You know, 

Sometimes life forces you to just stop and rethink everything. That's exactly what happened to Mary Beth Rodriguez. Mary Beth is the founder of With Ritual, a wellness brand that's all about weaving intentional, simple rituals [00:01:00] into our everyday lives. So we can reconnect with ourselves.

But before she was leading cacao ceremonies and creating these beautiful moments of grace, she was living life at full speed. She was a trained chef, food stylist, buyer and corporate executive. It took a health scare to hit pause and redirect her journey toward wellness. Nourishment and ritual. Now she's inspiring so many of us, including me.

I recently joined Mary Beth for cacao ceremony and wow, it opened up something I didn't even realize I was holding onto. So today we're going to explore the world of rituals. learn what cacao ceremonies are and why they're so powerful, and hear how Mary Beth created with ritual to help us all find little pockets of stillness and connection in our busy lives.

Let's dive in. Hi Mary Beth. Hi Karen. 

Karen: Hi. Hello, Karen. Hi, Robyn Hi. This is so exciting. Robyn has been talking about this Mary Beth for the last couple weeks, and I'm just [00:02:00] fascinated to learn more about you and the ceremony. I've had my own experience, but this sounds really special the way you've created it.

 can we start at the beginning with your career journey? So many of us can see ourselves in you in that high speed racing world that you were living in, what led you to step away from all of that and start creating with 

Mary Beth: ritual?

 First of all, thank you so much for having me. I feel really grateful to be here with you both to talk about with ritual, but I feel actually so lucky. I've had a really diverse and interesting career going from, a chef, food stylist, executive buyer. And I felt that like each position I've had actually, like looking back now, it came together and it was meant to be because every position I had was about creating something nourishing and beautiful.

 So it's really lovely to reflect, even though at the time you're like, Why was I changing careers or what was going on? But I felt as I was moving more into the corporate world, I was feeling less imbalanced with myself. I was moving at such a fast pace and I was listening less to like my intuition, my body, and I was focusing more on my career.

[00:03:00] And on success and validation. And I think sometimes universe has a way of telling you, you need to slow down, take stock of your health, and also think about the path you're on. So for me, that was a health scare in my mid thirties. 

Mary Beth: And I was going through the process of radiation and surgery and rehab.

 It really forced me to pause and figure out how to create space to heal myself. That was my journey and, I felt as I was going through the healing process, I was speaking to so many friends and women in my life and I realized that they were also looking for that space to heal.

And so I felt really, inspired to start with ritual. 

Robyn: And what was it during that time of healing? That really had you focus? I would say both on ritual, which Karen and I would love for you to define in your way what ritual is, and then also because of your background with food.

was that part of. The ritual [00:04:00] and was it also part of your healing journey? 

Mary Beth: Yes. So for me talking about ritual, I always felt, inspired to nourish people. I always wanted to be a chef. I always wanted to create beautiful things as a food styles, working with, different chefs around the country.

When I started going through my healing process, I see ritual as something that's created and done with intention. So it gives you space to reconnect with yourself and your soul and also like source energy. So for me it was about how do I create something nourishing for people that they can incorporate into their busy lives?

 Because, being in the corporate world at the time, I realized, I don't have time to reflect on what I'm going through with my journey. With surgery, a lot of women, they don't give their self enough space. I started doing these in the morning rituals that we've talked about before and, just trying different modalities and I figured out that there was a certain magic, ritual in the morning that work for me.

And I talked to so many women and they hadn't given themselves space to do that. So I thought, let me just give, a platform, create something that, where people can explore different rituals and find what works for them. Because everyone's healing journey is [00:05:00] different.

So it's really about having fun with it and exploring and finding what works for you. 

Robyn: When you were forced to stop, you were forced to pay attention to what was going on with your body. Where did meditation fall in your life?

I know that's not necessarily what we're talking about with ritual, although it can become part of a ritual, but like where did just that stillness and that place of listening, and I know you were busy and we come from those backgrounds too, and for different reasons.

We were forced to just stop for a minute. So where was that prior? At all. And so for you even using the word source and then talking about ritual, were those foreign for you? what was it that inspired you to think about things that way? 

Mary Beth: I had a grandfather who's very spiritual.

 He taught meditation and yoga and a keto in the seventies when it was very new. So I'd always seen him meditate. So it was always, peripherally

 in my world and I always thought it was a really beautiful thing. And I practiced it a little bit when I was younger, but as I was going through my healing journey I started reading a lot, Dr.

Joe [00:06:00] Dispenza, different things that really, helped me. I was trying to create like the cleanest vessel for my healing. And meditation became a very big part of that. I tried a transcendental meditation, which I love and still practice. And I don't know if I've shared this story with you before, one day I was walking outside my corporate office.

 Downtown and River North. And I sat in a little park beside my office and I was starting to meditate and everything felt really vivid around me. I felt the little insects buzzing in the, grass and the sun. And as I was meditating, I felt just source energy, like a hand of energy touched my forehead.

Mary Beth: And I was really taken aback. I came to realize that it was just the universe saying, hello? I'm here with you during your journey. You're not alone. And it changed my path because I realized I wanna create this space for others. And I've been able to connect with, that divine energy every day since then.

And I just feel really grateful to know that we're not alone on the journey. So just to give that feeling to other people it was really transformational for me. 

Karen: Mary Beth I love hearing a story like yours where you're really willing to listen [00:07:00] to that inner voice.

Not everybody is, and I guess my question is how did you have the courage at that point in your life to really listen to that inner voice for you and go down this di different path for yourself? What was that? 

Mary Beth: That's such a good question. I think the universe tells you it's time.

So sometimes it's just like you get to the edge and you're afraid to jump, but you're afraid to be vulnerable. And then the universe just gives you a little nudge. So for me, I think part of it, I can't take credit, I think it's the universe, I think what gave me courage, what also changed my perspective is I started thinking, when I started meditating and doing rituals, I always thought when I was younger that.

 Meditation and rituals is about creating stillness and emptiness. Still your thoughts create emptiness. And then through my path and surrendering to the universe and having that universe embrace me through this journey, I realized that space is full. It's full of universal wisdom.

It's full of nourishment, it's full of healing. So it made me feel [00:08:00] less intimidated. I think the emptiness. I know you all have spoken to so many people who do different modalities. The emptiness is intimidating because you're like, what? What happens when it all stops? But then when you look at it as like fullness, it's full of energy.

That space it changed how I looked at it and it gave me a little more courage to go for it. 

Robyn: I love the way that you put that and I'm so grateful you shared that story. I'm tearing because I think when you hear that in the frequency of your words and your experience come through so beautifully through you and can touch so many other people, because I think you represent, and what we represent is that. Any of us can sit down and be in that space and feel the universe feel and know we're not alone.

And what you said about space being full is huge. 

Karen: Don't you think, Karen, so many of us in this world, when we come into this seeking. And the spiritual journey. I think you said it Mary Beth, that we feel like the not enoughness, there's something not enough about [00:09:00] us.

 And what you're saying is just you're looking at yourself. It's what can I fill myself with? And it's such a different perspective, and this whole idea of nourishing. Your body and your soul within this beautiful ritual, which I know we're gonna talk about is such a simple way to do that.

And I love the fact that we can all start there. it's not about being empty at all. It's about filling ourselves up with Yeah. And 

Robyn: I think some people are scared of really getting quiet Yeah. And tapping in because they don't know what they're going to find.

 And so one could be emptiness or two, it could be hearing things you don't want to hear even from yourself. Or from the universe. And so you're giving people that courage because it, to your point, it is fulfilling, it is loving. 

Mary Beth: Yeah, I think I look at ritual and that stillness, it's like a gift that you give yourself.

You give yourself that space to remind yourself that we're all connected, to remind myself that, none of us are alone in the journey. We're all interconnected. And one thing for me when starting with ritual [00:10:00] is to realize like we all go through like joy and pain and loss, and that's a universal feeling that When we connect with the universe, everyone feels that, so it makes it less scary. 'cause sometimes when you seal it down, you worry about those things and it just gives comfort to know that we all are connected that way. 

Karen: What is the difference, do you think, between ritual for your own self and then ritual and community?

Mary Beth: I love that question when I first started Ritual, it was about healing myself. I was purely just thinking like, how can I heal myself? How can I create myself as a vessel? I wanted to create like a clean vessel is how I saw it to heal my body. And then as you go through it, you realize that your vessel becomes full.

 When your vessel's full, you can support your community, support those around you. For me it was going from doing cacao ceremonies for myself to becoming a cacao facilitator and creating that sacred space for people to also feel that. It was that, like we're saying, it was from emptiness to fullness.

That's how it changed from just focusing on me and then realize I'm connected to community. I [00:11:00] can be a full overflowing vessel. To create that space for others. So that's how it changed and it's still an ongoing journey of course, as I'm going through it. 

Robyn: And for everyone who's listening or watching, we are all in this world together.

 And why do you think rituals are so important right now? And we're gonna talk about cacao and how that's something you can incorporate into your life. let's say you don't have access to that right away. What are some simple ways that you can create ritual in your life starting today? 

Mary Beth: love that and I think I know you've probably touched about this so many times before, but I think society and consciousness is really shifting right now with, the world we're living in.

I think so many of us feel like to not just community. We're feeling untethered to our own intuition. So I think, these small little rituals give us just chance to step back, create a moment for ourself. And I think there's so many beautiful little intentional things we can do during the day.

 Whether it's just having a cup of tea and like a beautiful mug, your favorite [00:12:00] mug, and closing your eyes and breathing for a few minutes. I love journaling just for three minutes in the morning, and I know Robyn knows I love using a pencil instead of a pen because it makes it feel like a ritual.

 Other things like I light a candle and speak your gratitudes out loud, just so you can start the day that way. One that I started recently doing, which I think you guys would love, is to go outside and for five minutes and to look at the sky and the your surroundings as like a movie.

 changes your per perspective. 'cause then you start like observing the people and the clouds and the sun and it just reconnects us. One more I would have to say for me because for my chef background, creating nourishing and snack, like little snack for yourself.

In the afternoon or in the evening, just for yourself. Just like a little cut fruit with some yogurt. Drizzle some honey on it. I'm actually launching a line of ritual honeys Oh, 

All: that are 

Mary Beth: made with ceremonial cacao and ceremonial matcha. Just a really beautiful little gift so that you can drizzle on some fruit or some yogurt.

So I [00:13:00] wanted to create something to where you can create a simple ritual for yourself. That's something that I'm really passionate about. 

Karen: it's so interesting that you're saying that I thought about that the other day around food and how we, as a family, we used to say grace at dinner every night.

And as a kid growing up, it was like, oh, do we have to do this? And now I really do take time as often as I can remember to really th The universe to thank the farmers, everyone for my food, because you forget that people don't have that. So what you're saying, Mary Beth, about just taking that ritual, thinking about those special little nutrients that we're getting and saying thank you and being present before your food rather than gobbling your lunch and then moving on to the next thing is a gift you can give yourself.

Robyn: Yeah. Thank you for , reminding us of that. Karen and Mary Beth, you gave everybody several really good ideas and just that's the point of this conversation, Like I know we've talked about this on the podcast before for me, [00:14:00] even before I get out of bed, just taking a moment to connect in with.

The earth and the world in my mind. I take a crystal that's, I put under my pillow at night and I take it out from under the pillow and I hold it and I sound so cheesy, but taking just even the moment to say thank you and what can happen today? What amazing possibilities could happen today?

What opportunities are there? Just shifting that. Every single day I know changes the course of the day and then it's having that cup of coffee for me, yeah. that's ritual. I think people probably don't even realize that they've already incorporated that.

And now if you are aware of it, you can add something to it, you can really say thank you or take that moment. I love your idea too. Journaling just for a few minutes and that stepping outside as much as you can do that to, and really look at the world like you're in a [00:15:00] movie. And that it is a mo, like yes.

Karen: It's giving yourself that gift of just being present and giving yourself that gift for yourself, savoring that coffee in the morning. It's savoring that view for yourself and not just jumping into your day. And that. 25 things that you know you wanna accomplish. It's just taking that second and being present and being grateful.

So yeah, we forget about ritual, we forget about it , in terms of these little gifts that we can give ourselves. And you're worth it. By the way. 

Mary Beth: a few minutes. 

Robyn: Yes, we are worth it. And like I love the afternoon.

It is really important to pause. I live like you never know what's gonna happen in your day. I try my best to live every day to its fullest. And so therefore, if you have that perspective, it's very worth taking that, 15 minutes in the afternoon to do what you just said. And then also at night too.

And they should be easy. I think the point. In our whole conversation today is that things should be easy. For those consistent things every single day. Make it [00:16:00] easy so that you don't have to think too much about it. Yeah. And you look forward to it. 

Mary Beth: Yeah. There is like sacred in the there, simple moments in your day and then it makes it a joy because I think you change the molecules around you when you show the gratitude to those simple things.

Karen: Yes. Exactly. can you tell us, for those who, dunno, haven't heard, what is a cacao ceremony? 

Mary Beth: Wow. So cacao ceremony is this beautiful ritual that comes from the Mesoamerican traditions, and it really is about, drinking ceremonial cacao as a warm beverage. And you can do this alone, or you can do this, as part of a guided ceremony.

And, cacao is believed to be sacred medicine that opens up your heart chakras and it's used as a guide to help us, reconnect with nature and to ground us. It's very grounding. And it's great for becoming more emotionally aware and, spiritually open. for healing and to explore your spiritual intention.

 I started doing that for myself. The small ceremonies in the morning. [00:17:00] And then, I found it to be such a powerful ritual. I became a facilitator and, started doing it for just women in my community and even more recently broadening it to do virtual cacao ceremonies and creating that sacred space.

So it's really beautiful and I think more people, are looking for something like that in their lives that they can share. 

Karen: Do you remember the moment that you were introduced to it and the feeling you had when you had, when you experienced it for the first time? 

Mary Beth: The first time I actually did it, I did it with a shaman in the Marita area.

 In Mexico. I was leaving several years ago and I did a Tes Macau and all these different rituals. But something about the cacao clicked with me. I think it's my chef backgrounds. Something about the nourishment of it. And also for me, cacao is an expression of land, an expression of the farm like you're saying.

And something about that really connected me with deeply from a food perspective because it's very nourishing. So I was drawn to it and then I was like, can I do this on my own? You kinda get intimidated I'm not a shaman. Can I do this? And then you realize, yes, [00:18:00] we all have That ability to connect. So I just tried it and it's been a journey. 

Robyn: I was fortunate enough to participate in the cacao ceremony led by you, Mary Beth. 

Robyn: And it was so beautiful. thank you. you're welcome. And thank you because , we're gonna talk about.

The different aspects of the ceremony that we experienced, and that I think we're hoping others can be inspired by. And one of the major things that I walked away from learning is how quickly we can connect with others that we're not that close with, in some aspects are strangers and yet.

The cacao ceremony allowed us to connect on that heart level, on that soul level, and really feel vulnerable and safe to share within that space. And then I know for many of us, it stays with you and you continue learning from that. I'm happy to share about some of my own experience during that [00:19:00] ceremony, but can you talk about the elements of the ceremony that you conduct? 

Mary Beth: Yes, it naturally flowed because of my love for ritual. Because first it's really about creating a sacred space, a sacred container to feel safe. So for me it was, giving you a gift of, the Palo Santo candles matches so we can really create a sacred space together.

And then, giving you a unique cacao which I know we can talk about that you can prepare for yourself. And then it was really about creating first a grounding meditation. then we all feel comfortable even virtually of connecting, with each other and connecting with the earth, connecting with our body, through the sky and feeling all those things.

And then once you create that safe container, it's really about sharing. So I like to, have us share our gratitudes. Then we do a little mini journaling. Some prompts that, might have people surface certain things. And cacao ceremonies are so unique because you are working with a sacred medicine.

the medicine opens up your heart chakra, but it also physically opens up your [00:20:00] heart, by relaxing your blood vessels. And helping your circulation. So a lot of things surface up, whether it's like your relationships, a place where you don't feel connected, that you wanna refocus on.

And because you're already in that sacred container, even when people you might not know very well, you feel safe in sharing. So I think sharing is probably the most special part that I find about the cacao ceremony so that's how I structure it.

And I think, for me, adding the ritual into it makes it extra special for me. 

Robyn: And what made it even more special was the way that you were able to package things. is beautiful. It was so special. I received the package with the cacao and the matches and the palo santo and a small bowl to use, and Your guided meditation was incredible. it grounded us and connected all of us at that same time. And we all came with our cacao prepared so that we would be able to drink it after the meditation. And I was so surprised.

The impact that drinking the cacao being in ceremony [00:21:00] was so similar to me having almost like an energy healing and with your guidance, when we were doing the journaling prompts and we were sharing.

There were aspects that I was able to tap into that are similar to when I work with an energy healing practitioner and I thought, wow, for some people this may be an Easier way 

Karen: in. Yeah. I was gonna ask that for somebody who maybe has not heard of this before, Mary Beth. 'cause I remember when I went through this as well in my little group, it was transformative in such a surprising way.

I wondered what's in this stuff? it made me question like, was there anything else above and beyond that I didn't know about in there? Because the heart opening to your point was. Transformative and we didn't know each other either in the small group exper and the level and depth of the sharing and the emotional release that many of the women in my group felt was I couldn't even find words to [00:22:00] describe it.

So how would you describe the effect that cacao actually has on your energy, on the ability to open up your heart space like that? 

Mary Beth: That's beautiful. And I would love to hear more Robyn about what came up, because I think it to your point, the cacao stays with you and you feel a little transformed, and the next day you say, what happened? something opened up in me I have a lot of people who say that. There's something in cacao that I think is really special is one it's usually single origin.

So it comes from a land that you're connected with and I think it makes it a very special product. The theo bromine in it, helps, relax your vessels and opens up your heart, so emotionally and physically you're opened up. And then it also helps lower your cortisone levels so you feel relaxed and safe.

That's like the medicine part of it. And then because you're doing it with intention, like we spoke about you're in a sacred container, it's able to transform, your perspective a little bit, make you more reflective. So I think a lot of people experience that and that's why you feel a little transformed and a lot of things surface usually like a cow ceremony.

So I would love to hear [00:23:00] what came up for you. 

Robyn: so for me, I think where I was really surprised was that it made me think about something from when I was younger, where. I was told I wasn't good enough, and really went to a place where I didn't feel worthy. And again, it was that not good enough feeling.

there were several specific. Moments that sort of just surface as memories in my brain that I had not thought about that I will, in all honesty, say that I thought I had somewhat gotten over, I think when you're doing soul work, you're never done.

And so that was just this reminder , I didn't necessarily think I mastered it by in any way, but I really didn't think it was still so close to the surface. And so I feel like what the cacao did, it took me back to this feeling and by showing me these memories of where nothing I felt I was [00:24:00] doing was good enough for somebody in my life, and I was able to then start to release it because.

I think number one, it was sharing it within this circle and thinking about where I am now and that I really do believe. That I am good enough. I think we all are good enough, and it's something that I've worked on, so it was just a reminder though, that there's still something a little bit there that's still gonna need to continue to bubble up and out.

Or release back into the universe, into the earth. And that's really what I was doing. And so even the next day I woke up thinking about that and. Restoring my own faith in myself that look, where I've come and look what I do believe about myself. I do believe that I'm capable and that just by breathing I'm enough.

 But I had to go and hug that little girl. So it actually was very inner [00:25:00] child work, esque to me in a way that honestly, I did not think that would come from that ceremony. I just thought we were gonna connect as a group and that would be it. But it was so personal in each person in our ceremony, share something very personal.

And what I wanna add to your point about. Where that cacao came from. We didn't know you sent different cacao to each person. So I think there was two of us that received the one that I did, one person received a certain kind and on the back of the cacao packet that Mary Beth sent.

It would tell you what that one was going to potentially invoke or, that. You might experience from it. And it all matched whatever it did. So 

Karen: Wait. I did not know that there's different types of cacao. I knew it's very important to make sure you understand where it's sourced and where it comes from, but I didn't know that there was.

Different. Can you just talk about that [00:26:00] for a second, Mary Beth, and how did you know which one to send to Robyn versus someone else? 

Mary Beth: That's what I love about doing the cacao ceremonies, especially when it's people who know each other but not super well. It's like I did it at random, so I literally put in each box, a random cacao because I thought it was a way for the universe to , send 

some support you might need. So I loved hearing at the end, how everyone connected with their cacao and, because cacao is made in different places and sourced from the land they each kind of support, different things in your life, whether there be creativity, healing, balance.

And then I, one great cacao company, I like aura. They also do some blends, so they add some adaptogens to certain ones. So some have some, mushroom adaptogens, some have a little bit spice from Oaxaca, because, they invoke different moods and different things that you might need support on.

So I love experimenting with the different kinds The one I gave you, Robyn, I think was a boundless beliefs. It was, yes. That one's really healing and, expanding for me, and I use that a lot in my healing work because I feel like I'm [00:27:00] really able to tap in especially when I was healing into my fear of being vulnerable and was I able to heal what was gonna happen.

Yes. Like feeling. Yeah, that's exactly, yeah. And 

Robyn: I know other ones even had flower essences, I wanna say 

Mary Beth: Oh, there's Rose. Yes, there's a rose one that's amazing for like relationships and love a little bit. And that's 

Robyn: what that person was talking about . And it reminded me of when you receive a crystal, and someone gives you a crystal and it's the.

Exact right crystal you need at that right time. And so to me it was so intuitive of you and you were allowing the universe to work through you as you sent these packets out without having any idea you ended up knowing exactly what we needed because you set that intention too, I think when you sent it. We will receive exactly what we need. So cool. 

Karen: wow. you're blowing my mind here. I really did not know that there was all these different things. Isn't that neat? Yeah. Really interesting. 

Mary Beth: Because once you know a little bit, there's more to explore and you can go deeper and [00:28:00] just having that open flow to send someone a gift. That's what I love about it. The feeling that you get, it already starts the ritual for yourself because you're in that place to be open.

 I love that. 

Robyn: Karen, when you did that with your group in your area, were you surprised at what people were 

Karen: sharing? Very surprised. Again, as I said, we didn't know each other at all. we did a meditation, but we also did it with sound bowls, so that ceremony we did the cacao and then went through the sound bowl ceremony and it was incredible that the level of emotion, just as people went through that experience and then shared afterwards, but it was just one kind of cacao. And I never even thought to ask, she was very adamant about the sourcing and making sure that, it comes from a certain place.

But she did not mention that there were different types for different almost intentions that you could have. So cool. I think what I'm feeling about it though is that it is that reconnection of earth that is so hard for so many of us. And I think whether you do it through [00:29:00] meditation or sound bowls, it just offers that grounding almost that root of ourselves to be able to bubble up. Like for you, Robyn, there was something in your root experience. Yes, very much. In there, that needs to be expressed. And just to reinforce everybody listening, it's not like it's a hallucinogenic kind of experience. No, that's right.

It's 

Robyn: not. 

Karen: it just is this re connectivity. I think you feel energetically, it just like you said Mary Beth, it relaxes you in such a way that you can hear and feel in a slightly different way than you would. Ordinarily. 

Mary Beth: So And I think sometimes when you go into the world of wellness I've talked about before, like sometimes it's so up here.

Yes. You know what I mean? And, a lot of our experiences happen in this realm and to go down to the heart and then go down to the root and then connect. I think that's why a lot of things come back up and surface because so rarely, I think there's so much focus on this area the, head chakra, that's true that way. And I think sometimes to reconnect it's something that we [00:30:00] forget sometimes because wellness is so focused on the other part. So reconnecting is really special. 

Robyn: That is so true. And it reminds me too, you are the perfect vessel and vehicle for this too, because of your background with food.

And so forth, and then meditation from when you were younger. I'm so glad you brought that up because I know when we've talked before you've mentioned that to me and to me it really does combine all of that, 

Karen: and for someone maybe who hasn't had a lot of spiritual experiences, who might be a little intimidated by the energy work or the deep meditation or whatever, it's a lovely way in.

To try something that can ideally open up all sorts of different emotions and possibilities for them to explore more. So I love that aspect too. And like Robyn said, it's so beautiful the way you've crafted this. It definitely feels like a gift that you're giving yourself or to someone else.

Mary Beth: so beautifully packaged. Thank you. Food and nourishment is like [00:31:00] universal, Like can connect on it, it brings them back to a place where they felt really safe. So it's a perfect way, and I think if you're looking for a way to start a journey of self-exploration that way, I think it's a perfect way.

Robyn: And how can somebody bring this spirit of cacao into their home in a simple way on a daily basis? 

Mary Beth: Oh, that's such a beautiful question, and that's what journey I went through as well. I think starting with a dose you're comfortable with, whether it be like an ounce, 24 grams, blending it with some warm water in a bowl or vessel that you really love, that feels special and, light a candle if you have it.

Just close your eyes, bring the bow Take a few deep breaths and then just, think about what you're grateful for. Think of an intention you might have for the day, and then, just blow it into the bowl and, as you drink it, just take stock of how you're feeling and just give yourself a little time to reflect.

It only takes a few minutes to create the ritual and it really is a great way to ground yourself, but also to give yourself just a little space to reflect, in the morning or when you choose to do it. So it's a [00:32:00] beautiful ritual to add to your day. 

Robyn: Yeah, and you were talking about how you really can do it at any point during the day, because even if you need to do it later in the day, it doesn't have.

Caffeine. 

Mary Beth: Yeah. The caffeine levels are so different than, drinking coffee or something else. The theo bromine really is this, what stimulates you. So it's a very different feeling. lot of people do in the evening. Most people do like a group cacao ritual, ritual in the evening.

 And it's a great way to end the day, do a little journaling and have some cool dreams. I've had some people have some cool dreams about, like they're spirit animal. it's great to do throughout the day in different times. 

Robyn: Yeah. And let's talk about then with Ritual, which is your company.

 And it's so beautiful. It's very modern and timeless, and you can feel that it's sacred. How did you come up with that and creating that balance? 

Mary Beth: Thank you so much for saying that. when I was thinking about the company, I really wanted to create something that was like authentic to my journey.

 And I really thought about just space because of my personal experiences. How do I create that space? [00:33:00] And so I remember telling everyone when I was doing the visuals and, selecting my first product I wanted to feel like. The shadow of sunlight that comes through a window it's on the wall in an empty room, just that kind of like whisper.

 I want it to feel that way. That's what my intensions were creating it. And then now it's finding that balance is, to celebrate the sacred kind of in little simple rituals. I learned from my customer even early on, they want things that are, quicker, simple they can incorporate into their daily lives.

So it had to be more approachable and I've learned to make it even more approachable as I've gone on. So I always ask myself in everything I do with my company and just, my intention is it nourishing? Does it add beauty to your life and does it give you space to reconnect with your inner grace?

And that's been my guiding principles for the company. And that's been growing and changing over the past year or so. 

Karen: That's so beautiful. What do you mean by inner grace? 

Mary Beth: I love this question so much because it's so personal to me. Going through my healing journey and finding purpose as I surrender to the universe.

So I always explain it as that feeling when you reach your hand out and that moment before the [00:34:00] person holds your hand and you have that tinge in your heart that feels like longing for me it's like similar to when you have that note in a song that's so beautiful.

Like you see a piece of artwork and you're so moved and it takes your breath away. It's so beautiful that For me that like little tinge in your heart for me is like that feeling of inner grace. It's like reaching out for the universe to embrace you and the moment before and then it embraces you back and you just feel so interconnected.

 So that inner grace is like reminding yourself that we're all interconnected with the universe, we're connected with each other, and we all go through, the pain, the joy, the sorrow. The healing. And that's been such a guiding force for me to think of grace in that way. 

Robyn: That makes me think of it differently.

I know that moment you're talking about. It's almost beautiful. Anticipation

Mary Beth: Yes. sacred anticipation, even. That's a beautiful way to put it because it's like, it's so easy to think that life is only joyful. We only go the good things. Life is experiences where you go through healing, you go through health scares, you go through death.

And that tinge sometimes is realizing am I alone in this? And when you [00:35:00] embrace the universe and you feel that note that everyone cries at, in that song it's no, we all feel it. We all feel that like pain and joy. And so that's. How I felt, why when I was going through healing and I just surrendered how is this going to be?

So I find inner grace a really important part of my work. 

Karen: and I feel like if you are going through a difficult time in your life, having these rituals do bring you back to the balance of the day of reminding you that the days do move forward, that you can go through them one step at a time. back to the being present, like just having these moments that you can give of yourself to fill yourself back up, as you were saying before, helps you.

 Get through those more tumultuous times that 

Mary Beth: we all face. Yes, we're all connected in that way, and it's like such a gift to realize that. that's a beautiful part of life, the joy and the pain is beautiful in its way.

Robyn: Yes. what rituals are non-negotiable in your life right now? 

Mary Beth: I love that because I always joke when my [00:36:00] husband says my non-negotiable rituals are like, in the morning. I have to make sure I get them in before we do something. I'm with you. I do the same thing, 

Robyn: so I get it.

Mary Beth: So for me in the morning, really I do a mini cacao ceremony. I always do a little cleansing with Palo Santo. For me, gratitude is a big thing. I speak gratitudes aloud. Speak my tensions out loud every day. Journaling the artist's way I do it every 10 years or so, and I redo the artist's way and I journal to see, helps me creatively.

And then one thing, I don't know if we talked about this, but this changed my perspective as well, is like I always fill up like my favorite glass with water. And then I just try to say thank you for nourishing me before I drink it. And I feel like it changes the molecules I feel the same way.

I do the same thing every 

Robyn: morning. . It's not actually the most beautiful glass, but I actually think of water as medicine in that way.

Mary Beth: It's funny because we drink water so much the day and we just put it in the water bottle and carry it with us.

And one fun ritual I think to do is to pick your most beautiful glass or favorite [00:37:00] glass and fill it with your beautiful water, and it seems silly. Put your favorite like lemon, lime fruit in it. And then that in itself is medicine. It's a treat. And if you look at water that way sometimes so much, we just see it as we have to drink water.

 But if you make it beautiful, if you make it nourishing, if you make it a rich, so 

Robyn: true. and that's an easy 

Mary Beth: one. 

Robyn: Everyone 

Mary Beth: can do that. Yes. I think that's a really beautiful one. 'cause it's literally everyone, drinks water every day.

But if you put intention in it, it makes it a little different. Makes it a ritual. Is there anything at night that you do. For me, usually if I don't do the journaling in the morning, I'll do the journaling at night. And then if I take a shower at night, this is a really fun one.

 I really like essential oils. I find 'em very appeal and some, especially in Chicago here, I put some on my wrists and then when I go in the bathroom, I just let myself breathe. 

All: Breathe in 

Mary Beth: the air the heat just to let yourself come down from the day.

 I've had some really transformational experiences, but do with like heat, doing a tezmecal was really transformational for me in Mexico. So I try to do like a little mini tezmecals, even though it's like [00:38:00] just a minute. What is that 

Robyn: for people who don't know? I've 

Mary Beth: Tezmecal is oh, it's amazing.

It's you go into a heated special dome and a shaman takes you in and you light coals of your ancestors. Oh. 

All: And 

Mary Beth: then it brings up all your ancestry and the heat is so intense, it cleanses you right to your blood. Oh. So you come out after 90 minutes and it's you feel like a new person.

And when I did it, I was really in a place where like I was looking for. A reset. I did it actually right after COVID and working with a shaman who actually knew my grandfather. It turned out in Mexico, which is amazing. . So I think that heat just like letting it in.

 I've taken that little ritual with me to my every day if I can. 

Karen: I gotta look into 

Robyn: that. I agree. You guys would love it. Also, you mentioned Palo Santo, and I know that's something that's part of a, my own ritual. Can you just talk for a moment about Palo Santo and finding Palo Santo 

Mary Beth: Yes. I think Palo Santo has become so, widely known, but I think it's really about finding Pallo Santo the sustainably sourced. . The kind I use is sustainably sourced from Peru [00:39:00] and it's really the smoke and the Palo Santo itself is, believed to really cleanse anything, any tension, anything that's stagnant, in your aura.

So it's a great way to, light it. And imagine all the tension in your body. Do a quick, a lot of people like to go clockwise and just let any tension, imagine it going away with the smoke. A lot of people do it with rooms, go clockwise and, around the room you hear different things.

But it's really about, the smoking, creating that intention of letting go of anything negative or anything that's not serving your highest vibration. 

Karen: What are you hoping, with this business that you've started, Mary Beth and this product that you've created, what do you hope to be giving to those who are experiencing these ceremonies with you?

Or just even just the product on their own? What is your 

Mary Beth: aspiration, That's a great question. I think for me it's the inner grace like we spoke about. I really want people who haven't had the opportunity to feel that if you might. Feel alone. You might feel a little unconnected in your every day.

You might feel like you're going through the motions a little bit. It's to remind yourself of [00:40:00] that inner grace. Give yourself a moment during the day to reconnect with your intuition. And then you might find that, you're not alone and we're all in this together. And then, it can open up a different opportunity and path for you that you might not have seen to support yourself, support the community, be an overflowing vessel.

 I think for me It's not really, the cacao is just a tool, everything is just a tool. So it's for me, I'm open to, however best I can serve people in that way to creating the space. 

Robyn: We recommend checking out with Ritual and the products that you've created, and also, I know you're offering virtual cacao sessions now.

Mary Beth: I was really inspired because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to create that sacred container as much online, and I was really hesitant to, but I was really inspired by, the women I did it with. So I'll be offering online cacao ceremonies, in a smaller group of about eight women.

I'll send you a beautiful package as a gift. Beforehand. And that way we can experience something special together for about 45 minutes to an hour. Or if you wanna have a group of women come together and do it as a group of women, to do a package as [00:41:00] well. So different ways to do it. And then I'm also gonna be doing like individual ones you want something really deep using some shamanic tools I've learned along the way.

So a few different modalities that I'm really excited to launch in the next coming month or so. 

Karen: I can't think of a better, like birthday gift or friends getting together to celebrate birthdays together. as a group of friends to be able to do this with each other. What a beautiful opportunity.

I agree. I know that. 

Mary Beth: I have a feeling my friends and I will be doing this. I was really inspired by the women I did it with online because they gave me the confidence that you can create that space virtually. You really can. 

Robyn: You can. Yes. And again, for me experiencing it, it was with women that I've just met recently.

And now We really do feel connected. So it's really special. I would say It's a gift you can give yourself and a gift you can give others so check out with ritual.com and thank you Mary Beth.

I think it opened up a lot of people, to [00:42:00] their inner grace and to the power of cacao and ritual . Thank you so much. Thank you.