051 – Brooke Arnold – Healing Laughter

Surviving a cult, the cycles of life and nature, transforming pain into art, and finding the light when you’ve hit rock bottom… How’s this for a movie pitch — Imagine a woman who was a member of cult from childhood that denied her a normal education, she ran away and was homeless for seven years, then miraculously nearly completed a PhD and then—wait for it—became a standup comedian. Sounds like an Oscar winner, right? The thing is — this isn’t fiction. It is the true story of Brooke Arnold. Arnold shares her truly extraordinary journey, and discusses cycles of life and nature, transforming pain into art, and finding the light when you’ve hit rock bottom. Plus, a shocking Reiki healing moment, and Arnold’s night in the psych ward where she heard a voice that guided her to do something that changed her life forever. Comedian Brooke Arnold joins guest host Jessica Brodkin in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennhieser. Arnold is scheduled to perform on the Equinox at Carolines on Broadway in New York City March 21, 2018, showcased as a headliner. In this episode: Arnold discusses a Buzzfeed video about growing up in a cult that she says took a lot from her, didn’t pay her, and didn’t give her credit How Arnold was in a cult from a young age, her parents home schooled her, she had to stay home and use home school curriculum including The Wisdom Booklets How Arnold got out of the cult What led to change of vocation from Creative Director of a startup to dog walker, The nature of comedy, like magic, an inexplicable force, and a kind of telekinesis Being homeless, dealing with likely PTSD, and working to heal and get into a normal space How our pain is not who we are, and how talking about one’s experiences can be healing How Arnold spent ten years negating everything she had known When she was in a psych ward and made deal with herself, giving herself one year to feel better How Arnold heard a voice say to start meditating, and she began discovering new depths and filling herself up with kindness and goodness, and living life while letting go Arnold’s belief and focus in the Goddess The belief that the greatest ill done by our world is the focus on the masculine divine, and much bad has been done by this The realities of the moon cycle, and the ebbs and flows of the cyclic aspects of nature The most spiritual thing we can do is ask for help How Arnold’s cult experience made its way into her art, including a one-woman show at the Fringe Festival that was sold out, opened a wound, allowed an energy release, and how Arnold then went into a “dark place” A remarkable Reiki healing moment And how psychedelics can play into shaking someone up and helping to inspire the right path? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.