September 18, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when childhood trauma becomes the catalyst for profound healing? Heather Ann Ferri's journey from victim to healer offers a roadmap for anyone struggling with their past.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Heather endured severe abuse that left her with physical and emotional scars, including brain damage and deep-seated feelings of unworthiness. After years in show business where she "played other people" but couldn't connect with her authentic self, Heather embarked on a healing journey that would transform not only her life but the lives of countless others she now guides.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Heather reveals how understanding her family bloodlines—including the discovery of her grandmother's Black American Indian heritage—helped her contextualize generational patterns of trauma. "Maybe I'm the one in this bloodline to reverse it," she reflects, highlighting the power we all have to break cycles that may have persisted for generations.
What sets Heather apart as a healing coach is her commitment to empowerment rather than dependency. "I'm a guide," she explains, emphasizing how she equips clients with personalized toolkits for self-healing. From "downloading" (a form of intuitive channeling) to meditation practices, Heather teaches techniques that allow people to access their own inner wisdom. Her profound insight that "we'll see a kinder society the more people self-care and self-heal" reminds us that personal healing work is not selfish—it's essential for creating a more compassionate world.
Ready to break free from patterns holding you back? Visit HeatherAnnFerri.com to learn how you can begin your own healing journey with someone who truly understands the path from pain to purpose.
This podcast is a proud member of the Mayday Media Network. If you have an idea for a podcast and need some production assistance or have a podcast and are looking for a supportive network to join, check out maydaymedianetwork.com.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Kindness Matters
podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
On this podcast, we promotepositivity, empathy and
compassion, because we believethat kindness is alive and well,
and there are people andorganizations that you may not
(00:21):
have heard of in the world,making their communities a
better place for everyone, andwe want you to hear their
stories.
On this podcast, we talk aboutmatters of kindness because
kindness matters.
Hey, welcome to the show,everybody.
I am so, so happy that youchose to be here with us today.
(00:44):
I am so, so happy that youchose to be here with us today,
that you actively made a choiceto spend 30 minutes of your time
here with me and my guest.
I'm Mike Rathbun.
I'm the host of the KindnessMatters podcast and I am so
grateful that you're here.
I just wanted to throw in onelittle note.
I have started a that you'rehere.
(01:06):
I just wanted to throw in onelittle note.
I have started a newsletter forthe podcast.
So if you're interested insigning up, it's completely free
, but every month you'll get aninspiring, uplifting newsletter
in your email.
And who among us couldn't use alittle inspiring, uplifting
(01:27):
message in our email once amonth?
Right?
At least that's the way I'mthinking about it.
So go ahead and go to thewebsite it's
thekindnessmatterspodcastcombackslash contact.
Fill out your information, yourname and your email address,
(01:47):
and, starting in September,you'll start getting those
emails every month.
I hope it brings you value.
How about that?
So I am so excited for my guesttoday.
So excited for my guest today.
(02:10):
She is a healing coach and asinger, and a professional
nationally known singer, singerWell, maybe singer, but I was
going to say speaker, maybeinternationally known speaker as
well.
Heather Ann Ferry is here withus to talk to us and make us
feel better.
Welcome to the show, heatherAnn thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Is it okay if I do a little, a little message for the
audience with a singing?
Please do yes, of course.
It's a beautiful day to loveyourself.
It's a beautiful day to be kindto yourself.
I'm Heather Ann Ferry from thecity of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
That is so awesome.
I love Mr Rogers, obviously.
I mean who doesn't right?
I've never met anybody who saidI don't like that, mr Rogers,
he's just too kind.
I've never met anybody thatsaid that right.
So you now?
You, you were a healer, right,is that?
(03:17):
Yes, do I?
Have that right and that comesfrom needing to heal yourself
absolutely um, if it would notbe too uncomfortable, could you
talk to us a little bit abouthow that came about?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
uh, most definitely, I would say actually the healer
in me.
I think I, I believe I was borna healer actually oh, wow, wow.
But I might've been also bornwith a curse of generational
traumas through my bloodline.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Oh dear.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, so, um, living in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
My parents were high schoolsweethearts.
They married early and they hada ton of trauma with both
bloodlines and through thestress of life.
You know the difficulties of mydad losing a job with his
family's company and all of that, and this is.
(04:11):
You know, this is back in thelate sixties, early seventies.
We know we didn't have a lot oftalk therapy or any types of
healing for that for that matter.
Um, especially not inPittsburgh Pennsylvania, for
that matter, especially not inPittsburgh Pennsylvania.
But basically, what happened iswhen I was eight years old, my
mother came into my room in themornings and she would attack me
(04:34):
from behind and almost choke meto death while screaming
horrific things.
And so those screams and thosehorrific things started to
imprint my thinking of I'm notworthy of being here, I'm not
good enough, I'm bad, and thisunfortunately went on for a
period of time and then itstopped.
So I ended up having a lot ofillnesses growing up after that
(04:59):
and brain damage, and it's beena long journey.
People can read about that onmy website and I have books
coming out later this year.
But it's been a long journey.
People can read about that onmy website and I have books
coming out later this year.
But it's been a really longjourney.
I never heard of the word yogaor shaman or ancient.
I grew up blue collar, I grewup really with that, and we did
(05:20):
not watch Mr Rogers.
We did not watch Mr Rogers,even though my mom was really
glued to the TV.
I think if we had watched MrRogers, maybe there could have
been an influence of parentingor how to the way he would talk,
(05:41):
because when I walk around thecity of Pittsburgh and I mention
him every now and then, thereis not one man I don't care if
it's like blue collar lawyer whotheir whole aura changes when I
say his word, it's just likethat.
You see the little boy like Iwant to be better, I want to be
(06:02):
better, and so, yeah, I was inshow business in my twenties and
then in my thirties I movedback to Pittsburgh, uh, to
really, you know, be with myfamily and heal, and that
healing journey is a longjourney, but I started to.
I was starting to get lots ofpain and sickness and diagnosed
(06:24):
and this and that, and then Ijust decided to walk away from
all of that and went on thehealer's journey and it's now
that I'm finally ending it andreally stepping into spiritual
counseling and really sharingthese ancient sciences that are
outside the box, that nobody'sheard of.
(06:45):
But yeah, that gives you alittle taste of my background.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, so quick question when you were in
entertainment in your 20s andyou were away from Pittsburgh,
did some of that stuff start togo away?
Because, when you were tellingthat, did some of that stuff
start to go away?
Because when you were tellingthat, it almost sounded a bit
(07:12):
like it came back like fullforce once you came back to home
.
Is that?
Did I get that wrong?
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
No, I think New York was a very important journey for
me in show business.
But I had brain damage and wasfrozen and couldn't feel in show
business.
But I had brain damage and wasfrozen and couldn't feel and was
in dysfunctional relationshipsand depressed.
And people loved me on stagebut people had no idea who I was
.
Off stage I was playing otherpeople so I wasn't being
(07:37):
authentic.
I did not have a voice.
Now I have and I talk in manyof my keynote talks about the
tap.
Masters influenced me greatly inthe clubs.
They were probably the mostspiritual people.
Jimmy Slide is a tap legend,divine, masculine.
I would connect him to MrRogers.
(07:57):
But besides that, show businessis tricky.
Back then when you're a womanand I walked away from contracts
, I started to go is this who Iam?
And so I started to study yogaand meditation in New York,
which then led my heart back toPittsburgh to start to unravel
the frozenness and the PTSD thatI was in, clueless that I even
(08:19):
had to be honest with youbecause you start to forget your
childhood be honest with you,because you start to forget your
childhood.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, no, it's easy to do right.
I'm sure I've forgotten morestuff than I even know.
But there was something else Iwanted to ask you about.
You mentioned the wordbloodlines when you were talking
about your parents, and that'skind of an important part of
what you do, isn't it?
Can you talk to us a little bitabout more what bloodlines are?
(08:49):
Yes, that's a great question.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I would say that I used that phrase lightly 11
years ago, but I would say, whenmy father passed away in 2022,
and I started to hear him andfeel him because we had a lot of
things to work out I didn'tplan that.
Um, I started to understandthat I needed an upgrade, new
(09:16):
tools, but I also understoodthat this is generational.
You pass it down throughchildbirth and there's a lot of
science to back that.
But for me, in the last year,it's the discovering of because,
as a little girl, you ask whyis my mom like this?
Why does she dislike her child?
I love her, I'll do anythingfor her and stuff like that, and
(09:41):
that's a turmoil that I've hadto work out and work out and I
think I've done that with Gracebut what I found was her
bloodline.
She never knew her roots andwhen I say that my maternal
grandmother during childbirth,her mother passed away and so
(10:01):
her older sister raised her andthere was no father in sight and
I never looked at mygrandmother and noticed that her
skin color was a littledifferent than mine, it was a
little darker, it was a littledarker than my mom's and that
there is this possibility as Iwent through that shamanic and
(10:22):
sort of understanding that I nowI know who my ancestors on
maternal side are are blackAmerican Indians.
Oh, so if you don't know theseroots?
makes it impossible stems toslavery and trafficking and
brutal, brutal violence.
(10:43):
And so it doesn't how do I saythis?
It doesn't apologize or sort ofsay you know, this is why my
mom is the way she is all mylife.
But it sort of makes meunderstand if this is in our
programming and wiring, which Iconsider myself like sort of
like a master at rewiring thebrain with PTSD and OCD and
(11:06):
childhood trauma and ADHD.
But it sort of gave me somerelief of like, oh, and maybe
I'm the one in this bloodline toreverse it.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, absolutely.
Wow.
That is so, so powerful thatyou finally found that and
figured it out.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That's so incredible.
So now, it's one thing to healyourself, right?
I mean, we all at some point oranother, hopefully work on
those things inside us that needattention, but it's completely
different to help others healthemselves.
(11:52):
How did you make that jump?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
So I was in Pittsburgh, kind of lost,
because those programs werecoming out and I was back with
the family and trying to find myfoot of.
I just didn't know who I was.
You know, and a lot of clientscome to me, they have this
career, but it into that passionof kindness, you know that
stuff.
So I, you know I didn't plan onbeing a healer or being a
(12:27):
trauma coach.
I kind of slowly fell into itby when I was teaching yoga
classes, people would come upand say do you do privates, do
you do this, do you do that?
So that started the privateinstructions.
And then all of a sudden, as Iwas really going into the brain
work and you have to, you knowthis has been a full-time job
(12:49):
because I really was passionateabout healing myself.
It's a full-time job.
So if I'm working eight hours,I'm working eight hours offline
healing myself.
Eight hours offline healingmyself.
It is not a quick fix, but whatI started.
So I started trying like a madscientist, all kinds of stuff to
figure out formulas and how dowe figure this out?
(13:09):
And slowly I started to getdoctors and medical people in
front of me and I was like thisis strange, but they were
teaching me what they were beingeducated on, and they were also
teaching me my innate intuition, which I think a lot of times
we lose our intuition, andthat's the power of meditation.
(13:32):
The power of meditation is youstart gaining that intuition and
you start living your lifeinstead of living it for
everybody else.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, oh, that's so powerful, and so then I think I
lost my train of thought here.
It left the station.
Take a moment, take a momentI'm going to have to hear, so
(14:02):
talk to me about now.
You're in touch with otherbeings.
Can you channel people?
Yes, you can.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
I channel well, I work with, so, when I came onto
this, every podcast I go on Icall in the divine mother, who I
interpret as the one whocreated mother earth was called
mother for, and then I call inmy angelic team.
Now, I did not have thisability till after my dad passed
(14:39):
away.
I want to really note that I,kind of um, was insecure about
my intuitions and my psychicabilities and kind of downplayed
that a lot, even though I canlook back and say, oh wow, that
was you know.
I give myself credit now, whichI didn't before, but, um and so
, uh, yeah, I do that, and partof my teaching, though, is not
(15:02):
to necessarily be a Chandler forother people, but to teach them
how to do it on their own, ofcourse.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, that was going to be something else.
I, because, I mean, I I thinkwe'd all like to have somebody
be a healer for us when we needit, but I think it's so much
more impactful when you can doit yourself.
But not everybody probablyrelatively few people actually
(15:32):
have that ability to do itthemselves and could use some
help, and that's where you comein right.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I love what you just said, because this is my sort of
statement in the next couplemonths is to really send the
message out Like I'm a guide.
It's very important that peoplestart getting toolkits, and so
when people work with me, theyhave a notebook and they have
homework, and if they don't dothe homework, that's on them,
(16:00):
because you've got to do themeditation for 11 minutes,
you've got to do the detox,you've got to take action.
That's the only way we're goingto empower a population is that
we I as a healer teach themwhat I did in this journey.
So I think that's a veryimportant message, because a lot
(16:20):
of people like to go topsychics and this and that, but
you don't know.
They could be projecting, theycould be from your past life.
If you believe in that and thisand that, you just don't know.
And because I lived such a lifeof betrayal and abandonment
from so many people, I haddistrust.
I want people to trust whateverand whatever it is, whether
(16:42):
it's Buddha, jesus, whatever itis.
That's yours and it's importantfor you.
You'll know in your body whenit feels right and I think part
of me just validates and allowspeople to step more into their
power.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Yeah, for sure, for sure.
And you talk about journaling,but you call it downloading.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, there's two ways of writing.
I definitely recommendjournaling, and it's great to do
it in the morning, when youwake up, when you're not
overthinking and analyzing, butjust sort of setting the tone
and and and writing or writingafter work if you're stressed
(17:33):
out, to get it out of your brain, um, but um, downloading or
writing without having anyattachment to it is something
that is also new to me in thelast couple of years, and it's
really interesting what comes up, because it's like I didn't,
because I used to be OCD overthinker, because when you come
(17:55):
from trauma you're trying toprotect yourself 24, seven.
You know you got to controleverything, and so that was a
journey to detach and to justallow what comes out, and this
is what I help people do, notjust with healing, but as
they're healing.
Do you like to sing?
Do you like to dance?
(18:16):
Do you like to paint?
Do you like to write?
Do you like to dance?
Do you like to paint?
Do you like to write?
Do you like to?
What's that thing that may bemissing that can give you some
stimulation of of um, enjoymentof happiness?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Sure, so what is okay ?
I'm I'm still a little fuzzy.
What is downloading?
What are you?
I mean, you hear the termdownloading and I'm thinking
okay, are you bringing somethingin?
Is that you have no?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
you're sitting in silence or you're playing an
instrument.
A lot of musicians when you're,improv is improvisation.
When I was a tap dancer,improvisation all of a sudden
you're not thinking about thesteps they're coming through.
So when I became a professionalpart of my one woman shows,
people would be like I heardthis and because I'm, I'm
(19:04):
letting voices come through methat that audience needs to hear
.
So I can't control it, I can'tmanipulate it.
I have to be an open channel.
That's the key, though.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
An open channel, and I have to be an open channel for
good, because you can downloadevil too.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
You can get entities and evil and those things too.
So when you talk about, when Iwas thinking about kindness
today I was thinking about yourshow I thought to myself I think
we'll see a kinder society themore people self-care more, the
more people self-heal more.
(19:48):
Because I tell you what, when Iwas in trauma, ptsd I couldn't
think about anyone else and Iwasn't in a great mood.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Right, right, yeah.
There's a lot of anger outthere in the world, isn't there?
Yeah, and yeah if we all workedon ourselves a little bit,
maybe we could be kinder.
You had a story and I knowyou've told it when we were
(20:15):
offline, but I would reallyabout the counselor in the
school district.
Can you tell them that again?
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yeah.
So there's this place that Ivisit sometimes in the evenings
I'm going to keep that neutraland there's this woman who works
part-time for extra money, butshe's a full-time counselor at
an elementary school and I'veseen her often on.
But then there was, you know,I'd say hi in this and then
(20:42):
there was one time where we hadthis deep conversation.
I had some time and I wasasking her a lot of questions,
because I love to ask peoplequestions, as you do, and I love
to pick people's brains aboutwhat's going on in schools or
what's going on in your world,just to see if there's a
collective thing, because that'simportant for me as a healer.
And so she started to talk andI I did see, uh, she's been in
(21:07):
the, the this career, for 25years.
Um, she is, she looked a bittired, um, and I could see the
old me of overgiving, um, whichthen can be very taxing to our
caregivers.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
And she started to talk and I was asking her
questions about the elementarykids.
Is it different 10 years agoteaching than now, or being a
counselor than now?
All those different references,and I'm going to keep those
notes aside.
But the bottom line is sheworks the part-time job.
That extra money goes to theshoes in the cupboard, the
(21:47):
clothes in the cupboard, thethings in the essentials.
These little children some ofthem, not all of them, because
there's actually rich kids inthe school too need and she was
sort of talking about how I wasasking her questions about I
don't want this to soundjudgmental, but some of the
(22:08):
parents value getting theirnails done instead of their
shoes being without lots ofholes in them.
And she is this divine motherwhich I mentioned to me.
she's a divine mother and she'sgoing out of her way.
And I just kept asking herquestions and she says well, the
staff doesn't like it.
(22:29):
And I said I could relate tothat because I've had a lot of
judgment from my overgiving orkindness too, in the past.
So I said what do you mean?
They said you should stop.
You're making us look bad.
Yeah.
And I thought you're helpinglittle children feel like
somebody cares about them.
Why would that be a problem?
(22:50):
Isn't that what a school is for?
And so I really spent a lot oftime with her and I really felt
what a saintly energy tosacrifice because she doesn't
have to.
She doesn't have to after hourswork and invest in this.
And so what happened is thatnight I went home and the next
(23:14):
morning, when I was writing andmeditating, I heard my Mr Rogers
and I pulled out of my box Icollect angels, um, and I put it
.
I picked an angel that I feltwas her energy and I wrapped it
up, put it in gift.
I wrote her a little card, justlike Mr Rogers always wrote
(23:36):
back to his people, and Ithought, well, when I see her
again, I'm going to give herthis.
Well, I ran into her the sameplace a few nights.
She's not always there.
So it was beautiful and I said Iwant you to have this, but I
don't want the staff or boss toknow about.
I just want you to take thisgift and take it home.
So she opened it, read it,cried, hugged me.
(23:58):
She said I nobody recognizes me.
And I said well, I do and Ithank you for your service.
And she says I'm going to putthis angel on my desk.
Well, what a beautiful gift forme.
So now these little souls,these beautiful souls, see this
angel and who knows, maybe thathelps stimulate them.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Yeah, absolutely.
That is such a great story andI mean it's sad to me that the
school told her to not do thatanymore because it makes them
look bad.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Not the school necessarily.
Oh, okay the staff, okay thestaff, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
All right, but still, yeah, yeah, it makes us look
bad, whatever.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
It's such a great and now you work with anybody right
, Anybody that needs help.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Anybody that feels aligned and called yes.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Okay, and the website is heatherannferrycom.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Yes, my name Yep.
Look at that how easy is thatto remember.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
But in case you don't remember it, we will have a
link to Heather's website in theshow notes so you can, if you
need Heather's help I mean, weall need help right At some
point or another.
All of us need somebody and ifyou feel like Heather aligns
(25:26):
with you and you could, you know, gain something useful from
speaking with her, she's asclose as the show notes and a
click away.
You so much for coming on theshow today.
(25:49):
I really, really appreciate itand I appreciate what you do and
your message and thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Thank you so much for allowing me to speak today and
share my message.
I really appreciate that.
Many blessings to you and tothe audience that's listening.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Awesome, awesome.
We will be in touch soon.
Take care.
I want to thank you for takingthis time to listen to this
episode with my guest, heatherAnn Ferry.
I hope that you were able totake something positive from the
time you spent with us today.
(26:25):
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated, maybe
you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family.
I'm always striving to offeryou a better podcast.
So, you know, give me somefeedback, drop me an email, mike
(26:46):
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And speaking of our socials,you will find us all over the
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(27:06):
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If you have an idea for apodcast, need some production
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(28:11):
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would be honored if you wouldjoin us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters Podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Kindness Matters
podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
On this podcast, we promotepositivity, empathy and
compassion, because we believethat kindness is alive and well,
and there are people andorganizations that you may not
(00:21):
have heard of in the world,making their communities a
better place for everyone, andwe want you to hear their
stories.
On this podcast, we talk aboutmatters of kindness because
kindness matters.
Hey, welcome to the show,everybody.
I am so, so happy that youchose to be here with us today.
(00:44):
I am so, so happy that youchose to be here with us today,
that you actively made a choiceto spend 30 minutes of your time
here with me and my guest.
I'm Mike Rathbun.
I'm the host of the KindnessMatters podcast and I am so
grateful that you're here.
I just wanted to throw in onelittle note.
I have started a that you'rehere.
(01:06):
I just wanted to throw in onelittle note.
I have started a newsletter forthe podcast.
So if you're interested insigning up, it's completely free
, but every month you'll get aninspiring, uplifting newsletter
in your email.
And who among us couldn't use alittle inspiring, uplifting
(01:27):
message in our email once amonth?
Right?
At least that's the way I'mthinking about it.
So go ahead and go to thewebsite it's
thekindnessmatterspodcastcombackslash contact.
Fill out your information, yourname and your email address,
(01:47):
and, starting in September,you'll start getting those
emails every month.
I hope it brings you value.
How about that?
So I am so excited for my guesttoday.
So excited for my guest today.
(02:10):
She is a healing coach and asinger, and a professional
nationally known singer, singerWell, maybe singer, but I was
going to say speaker, maybeinternationally known speaker as
well.
Heather Ann Ferry is here withus to talk to us and make us
feel better.
Welcome to the show, heatherAnn thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Is it okay if I do a little, a little message for the
audience with a singing?
Please do yes, of course.
It's a beautiful day to loveyourself.
It's a beautiful day to be kindto yourself.
I'm Heather Ann Ferry from thecity of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
That is so awesome.
I love Mr Rogers, obviously.
I mean who doesn't right?
I've never met anybody who saidI don't like that, mr Rogers,
he's just too kind.
I've never met anybody thatsaid that right.
So you now?
You, you were a healer, right,is that?
(03:17):
Yes, do I?
Have that right and that comesfrom needing to heal yourself
absolutely um, if it would notbe too uncomfortable, could you
talk to us a little bit abouthow that came about?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
uh, most definitely, I would say actually the healer
in me.
I think I, I believe I was borna healer actually oh, wow, wow.
But I might've been also bornwith a curse of generational
traumas through my bloodline.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Oh dear.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, so, um, living in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
My parents were high schoolsweethearts.
They married early and they hada ton of trauma with both
bloodlines and through thestress of life.
You know the difficulties of mydad losing a job with his
family's company and all of that, and this is.
(04:11):
You know, this is back in thelate sixties, early seventies.
We know we didn't have a lot oftalk therapy or any types of
healing for that for that matter.
Um, especially not inPittsburgh Pennsylvania, for
that matter, especially not inPittsburgh Pennsylvania.
But basically, what happened iswhen I was eight years old, my
mother came into my room in themornings and she would attack me
(04:34):
from behind and almost choke meto death while screaming
horrific things.
And so those screams and thosehorrific things started to
imprint my thinking of I'm notworthy of being here, I'm not
good enough, I'm bad, and thisunfortunately went on for a
period of time and then itstopped.
So I ended up having a lot ofillnesses growing up after that
(04:59):
and brain damage, and it's beena long journey.
People can read about that onmy website and I have books
coming out later this year.
But it's been a long journey.
People can read about that onmy website and I have books
coming out later this year.
But it's been a really longjourney.
I never heard of the word yogaor shaman or ancient.
I grew up blue collar, I grewup really with that, and we did
(05:20):
not watch Mr Rogers.
We did not watch Mr Rogers,even though my mom was really
glued to the TV.
I think if we had watched MrRogers, maybe there could have
been an influence of parentingor how to the way he would talk,
(05:41):
because when I walk around thecity of Pittsburgh and I mention
him every now and then, thereis not one man I don't care if
it's like blue collar lawyer whotheir whole aura changes when I
say his word, it's just likethat.
You see the little boy like Iwant to be better, I want to be
(06:02):
better, and so, yeah, I was inshow business in my twenties and
then in my thirties I movedback to Pittsburgh, uh, to
really, you know, be with myfamily and heal, and that
healing journey is a longjourney, but I started to.
I was starting to get lots ofpain and sickness and diagnosed
(06:24):
and this and that, and then Ijust decided to walk away from
all of that and went on thehealer's journey and it's now
that I'm finally ending it andreally stepping into spiritual
counseling and really sharingthese ancient sciences that are
outside the box, that nobody'sheard of.
(06:45):
But yeah, that gives you alittle taste of my background.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, so quick question when you were in
entertainment in your 20s andyou were away from Pittsburgh,
did some of that stuff start togo away?
Because, when you were tellingthat, did some of that stuff
start to go away?
Because when you were tellingthat, it almost sounded a bit
(07:12):
like it came back like fullforce once you came back to home
.
Is that?
Did I get that wrong?
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
No, I think New York was a very important journey for
me in show business.
But I had brain damage and wasfrozen and couldn't feel in show
business.
But I had brain damage and wasfrozen and couldn't feel and was
in dysfunctional relationshipsand depressed.
And people loved me on stagebut people had no idea who I was
.
Off stage I was playing otherpeople so I wasn't being
(07:37):
authentic.
I did not have a voice.
Now I have and I talk in manyof my keynote talks about the
tap.
Masters influenced me greatly inthe clubs.
They were probably the mostspiritual people.
Jimmy Slide is a tap legend,divine, masculine.
I would connect him to MrRogers.
(07:57):
But besides that, show businessis tricky.
Back then when you're a womanand I walked away from contracts
, I started to go is this who Iam?
And so I started to study yogaand meditation in New York,
which then led my heart back toPittsburgh to start to unravel
the frozenness and the PTSD thatI was in, clueless that I even
(08:19):
had to be honest with youbecause you start to forget your
childhood be honest with you,because you start to forget your
childhood.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, no, it's easy to do right.
I'm sure I've forgotten morestuff than I even know.
But there was something else Iwanted to ask you about.
You mentioned the wordbloodlines when you were talking
about your parents, and that'skind of an important part of
what you do, isn't it?
Can you talk to us a little bitabout more what bloodlines are?
(08:49):
Yes, that's a great question.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I would say that I used that phrase lightly 11
years ago, but I would say, whenmy father passed away in 2022,
and I started to hear him andfeel him because we had a lot of
things to work out I didn'tplan that.
Um, I started to understandthat I needed an upgrade, new
(09:16):
tools, but I also understoodthat this is generational.
You pass it down throughchildbirth and there's a lot of
science to back that.
But for me, in the last year,it's the discovering of because,
as a little girl, you ask whyis my mom like this?
Why does she dislike her child?
I love her, I'll do anythingfor her and stuff like that, and
(09:41):
that's a turmoil that I've hadto work out and work out and I
think I've done that with Gracebut what I found was her
bloodline.
She never knew her roots andwhen I say that my maternal
grandmother during childbirth,her mother passed away and so
(10:01):
her older sister raised her andthere was no father in sight and
I never looked at mygrandmother and noticed that her
skin color was a littledifferent than mine, it was a
little darker, it was a littledarker than my mom's and that
there is this possibility as Iwent through that shamanic and
(10:22):
sort of understanding that I nowI know who my ancestors on
maternal side are are blackAmerican Indians.
Oh, so if you don't know theseroots?
makes it impossible stems toslavery and trafficking and
brutal, brutal violence.
(10:43):
And so it doesn't how do I saythis?
It doesn't apologize or sort ofsay you know, this is why my
mom is the way she is all mylife.
But it sort of makes meunderstand if this is in our
programming and wiring, which Iconsider myself like sort of
like a master at rewiring thebrain with PTSD and OCD and
(11:06):
childhood trauma and ADHD.
But it sort of gave me somerelief of like, oh, and maybe
I'm the one in this bloodline toreverse it.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, absolutely.
Wow.
That is so, so powerful thatyou finally found that and
figured it out.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That's so incredible.
So now, it's one thing to healyourself, right?
I mean, we all at some point oranother, hopefully work on
those things inside us that needattention, but it's completely
different to help others healthemselves.
(11:52):
How did you make that jump?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
So I was in Pittsburgh, kind of lost,
because those programs werecoming out and I was back with
the family and trying to find myfoot of.
I just didn't know who I was.
You know, and a lot of clientscome to me, they have this
career, but it into that passionof kindness, you know that
stuff.
So I, you know I didn't plan onbeing a healer or being a
(12:27):
trauma coach.
I kind of slowly fell into itby when I was teaching yoga
classes, people would come upand say do you do privates, do
you do this, do you do that?
So that started the privateinstructions.
And then all of a sudden, as Iwas really going into the brain
work and you have to, you knowthis has been a full-time job
(12:49):
because I really was passionateabout healing myself.
It's a full-time job.
So if I'm working eight hours,I'm working eight hours offline
healing myself.
Eight hours offline healingmyself.
It is not a quick fix, but whatI started.
So I started trying like a madscientist, all kinds of stuff to
figure out formulas and how dowe figure this out?
(13:09):
And slowly I started to getdoctors and medical people in
front of me and I was like thisis strange, but they were
teaching me what they were beingeducated on, and they were also
teaching me my innate intuition, which I think a lot of times
we lose our intuition, andthat's the power of meditation.
(13:32):
The power of meditation is youstart gaining that intuition and
you start living your lifeinstead of living it for
everybody else.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, oh, that's so powerful, and so then I think I
lost my train of thought here.
It left the station.
Take a moment, take a momentI'm going to have to hear, so
(14:02):
talk to me about now.
You're in touch with otherbeings.
Can you channel people?
Yes, you can.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
I channel well, I work with, so, when I came onto
this, every podcast I go on Icall in the divine mother, who I
interpret as the one whocreated mother earth was called
mother for, and then I call inmy angelic team.
Now, I did not have thisability till after my dad passed
(14:39):
away.
I want to really note that I,kind of um, was insecure about
my intuitions and my psychicabilities and kind of downplayed
that a lot, even though I canlook back and say, oh wow, that
was you know.
I give myself credit now, whichI didn't before, but, um and so
, uh, yeah, I do that, and partof my teaching, though, is not
(15:02):
to necessarily be a Chandler forother people, but to teach them
how to do it on their own, ofcourse.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, that was going to be something else.
I, because, I mean, I I thinkwe'd all like to have somebody
be a healer for us when we needit, but I think it's so much
more impactful when you can doit yourself.
But not everybody probablyrelatively few people actually
(15:32):
have that ability to do itthemselves and could use some
help, and that's where you comein right.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I love what you just said, because this is my sort of
statement in the next couplemonths is to really send the
message out Like I'm a guide.
It's very important that peoplestart getting toolkits, and so
when people work with me, theyhave a notebook and they have
homework, and if they don't dothe homework, that's on them,
(16:00):
because you've got to do themeditation for 11 minutes,
you've got to do the detox,you've got to take action.
That's the only way we're goingto empower a population is that
we I as a healer teach themwhat I did in this journey.
So I think that's a veryimportant message, because a lot
(16:20):
of people like to go topsychics and this and that, but
you don't know.
They could be projecting, theycould be from your past life.
If you believe in that and thisand that, you just don't know.
And because I lived such a lifeof betrayal and abandonment
from so many people, I haddistrust.
I want people to trust whateverand whatever it is, whether
(16:42):
it's Buddha, jesus, whatever itis.
That's yours and it's importantfor you.
You'll know in your body whenit feels right and I think part
of me just validates and allowspeople to step more into their
power.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Yeah, for sure, for sure.
And you talk about journaling,but you call it downloading.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, there's two ways of writing.
I definitely recommendjournaling, and it's great to do
it in the morning, when youwake up, when you're not
overthinking and analyzing, butjust sort of setting the tone
and and and writing or writingafter work if you're stressed
(17:33):
out, to get it out of your brain, um, but um, downloading or
writing without having anyattachment to it is something
that is also new to me in thelast couple of years, and it's
really interesting what comes up, because it's like I didn't,
because I used to be OCD overthinker, because when you come
(17:55):
from trauma you're trying toprotect yourself 24, seven.
You know you got to controleverything, and so that was a
journey to detach and to justallow what comes out, and this
is what I help people do, notjust with healing, but as
they're healing.
Do you like to sing?
Do you like to dance?
(18:16):
Do you like to paint?
Do you like to write?
Do you like to dance?
Do you like to paint?
Do you like to write?
Do you like to?
What's that thing that may bemissing that can give you some
stimulation of of um, enjoymentof happiness?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Sure, so what is okay ?
I'm I'm still a little fuzzy.
What is downloading?
What are you?
I mean, you hear the termdownloading and I'm thinking
okay, are you bringing somethingin?
Is that you have no?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
you're sitting in silence or you're playing an
instrument.
A lot of musicians when you're,improv is improvisation.
When I was a tap dancer,improvisation all of a sudden
you're not thinking about thesteps they're coming through.
So when I became a professionalpart of my one woman shows,
people would be like I heardthis and because I'm, I'm
(19:04):
letting voices come through methat that audience needs to hear
.
So I can't control it, I can'tmanipulate it.
I have to be an open channel.
That's the key, though.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
An open channel, and I have to be an open channel for
good, because you can downloadevil too.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
You can get entities and evil and those things too.
So when you talk about, when Iwas thinking about kindness
today I was thinking about yourshow I thought to myself I think
we'll see a kinder society themore people self-care more, the
more people self-heal more.
(19:48):
Because I tell you what, when Iwas in trauma, ptsd I couldn't
think about anyone else and Iwasn't in a great mood.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Right, right, yeah.
There's a lot of anger outthere in the world, isn't there?
Yeah, and yeah if we all workedon ourselves a little bit,
maybe we could be kinder.
You had a story and I knowyou've told it when we were
(20:15):
offline, but I would reallyabout the counselor in the
school district.
Can you tell them that again?
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yeah.
So there's this place that Ivisit sometimes in the evenings
I'm going to keep that neutraland there's this woman who works
part-time for extra money, butshe's a full-time counselor at
an elementary school and I'veseen her often on.
But then there was, you know,I'd say hi in this and then
(20:42):
there was one time where we hadthis deep conversation.
I had some time and I wasasking her a lot of questions,
because I love to ask peoplequestions, as you do, and I love
to pick people's brains aboutwhat's going on in schools or
what's going on in your world,just to see if there's a
collective thing, because that'simportant for me as a healer.
And so she started to talk andI I did see, uh, she's been in
(21:07):
the, the this career, for 25years.
Um, she is, she looked a bittired, um, and I could see the
old me of overgiving, um, whichthen can be very taxing to our
caregivers.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
And she started to talk and I was asking her
questions about the elementarykids.
Is it different 10 years agoteaching than now, or being a
counselor than now?
All those different references,and I'm going to keep those
notes aside.
But the bottom line is sheworks the part-time job.
That extra money goes to theshoes in the cupboard, the
(21:47):
clothes in the cupboard, thethings in the essentials.
These little children some ofthem, not all of them, because
there's actually rich kids inthe school too need and she was
sort of talking about how I wasasking her questions about I
don't want this to soundjudgmental, but some of the
(22:08):
parents value getting theirnails done instead of their
shoes being without lots ofholes in them.
And she is this divine motherwhich I mentioned to me.
she's a divine mother and she'sgoing out of her way.
And I just kept asking herquestions and she says well, the
staff doesn't like it.
(22:29):
And I said I could relate tothat because I've had a lot of
judgment from my overgiving orkindness too, in the past.
So I said what do you mean?
They said you should stop.
You're making us look bad.
Yeah.
And I thought you're helpinglittle children feel like
somebody cares about them.
Why would that be a problem?
(22:50):
Isn't that what a school is for?
And so I really spent a lot oftime with her and I really felt
what a saintly energy tosacrifice because she doesn't
have to.
She doesn't have to after hourswork and invest in this.
And so what happened is thatnight I went home and the next
(23:14):
morning, when I was writing andmeditating, I heard my Mr Rogers
and I pulled out of my box Icollect angels, um, and I put it
.
I picked an angel that I feltwas her energy and I wrapped it
up, put it in gift.
I wrote her a little card, justlike Mr Rogers always wrote
(23:36):
back to his people, and Ithought, well, when I see her
again, I'm going to give herthis.
Well, I ran into her the sameplace a few nights.
She's not always there.
So it was beautiful and I said Iwant you to have this, but I
don't want the staff or boss toknow about.
I just want you to take thisgift and take it home.
So she opened it, read it,cried, hugged me.
(23:58):
She said I nobody recognizes me.
And I said well, I do and Ithank you for your service.
And she says I'm going to putthis angel on my desk.
Well, what a beautiful gift forme.
So now these little souls,these beautiful souls, see this
angel and who knows, maybe thathelps stimulate them.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Yeah, absolutely.
That is such a great story andI mean it's sad to me that the
school told her to not do thatanymore because it makes them
look bad.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Not the school necessarily.
Oh, okay the staff, okay thestaff, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
All right, but still, yeah, yeah, it makes us look
bad, whatever.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
It's such a great and now you work with anybody right
, Anybody that needs help.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Anybody that feels aligned and called yes.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Okay, and the website is heatherannferrycom.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Yes, my name Yep.
Look at that how easy is thatto remember.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
But in case you don't remember it, we will have a
link to Heather's website in theshow notes so you can, if you
need Heather's help I mean, weall need help right At some
point or another.
All of us need somebody and ifyou feel like Heather aligns
(25:26):
with you and you could, you know, gain something useful from
speaking with her, she's asclose as the show notes and a
click away.
You so much for coming on theshow today.
(25:49):
I really, really appreciate itand I appreciate what you do and
your message and thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Thank you so much for allowing me to speak today and
share my message.
I really appreciate that.
Many blessings to you and tothe audience that's listening.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Awesome, awesome.
We will be in touch soon.
Take care.
I want to thank you for takingthis time to listen to this
episode with my guest, heatherAnn Ferry.
I hope that you were able totake something positive from the
time you spent with us today.
(26:25):
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated, maybe
you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family.
I'm always striving to offeryou a better podcast.
So, you know, give me somefeedback, drop me an email, mike
(26:46):
at the kindness matterspodcastcom, or leave us a
message on our socials.
And speaking of our socials,you will find us all over the
interwebs.
We are on facebook, we are oninstagram, we are on tiktok,
we're on youtube, we're onlinkedin just look for us,
(27:06):
you'll find us.
Please feel free to subscribeor follow us.
And also, speaking ofsubscribing, we have a new
newsletter out and if you go towell, there'll be a link in the
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But if you go to thekindnessmatterspodcastcom and
backslash contact, you can signup.
(27:28):
It's completely free and you'llreceive a positive, uplifting
email in your inbox every singlemonth.
So there's something to do aswell.
This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast, need some production
(27:48):
assistance or you already have apodcast and you're looking for
a supportive network to join,check out maydaymedianetworkcom
and check out the many differentshows they have Afrocentric
Spoil, my Movie GenerationMixtape In a Pickle Radio Show,
wake Up and Dream with D'AnthonyPalin, staxo, pax and the
(28:11):
amazing Time Pals.
We'll be back again next weekwith a brand new episode and we
would be honored if you wouldjoin us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters Podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
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