Mystic Dog Mama

What if healing involves more than addressing our physical symptoms? And what if our relationships with our animals have something to teach us about our own health, emotional wellbeing and personal growth?
In this episode of Mystic Dog Mama, I’m joined by Dr Niikee Schoendorfer, whose journey from naturopathic medicine, nutritional biochemistry and scientific research has led her into the world of energy medicine and intuitive healing.
We explore what it means to look beyond the physical body and consider the bigger picture of health - including the emotions, beliefs and patterns that shape our experience. Dr Niikee shares her perspective on the relationship between emotional and physical wellbeing, the effects of stress, and how we can begin to reconnect with ourselves when life leaves us feeling disconnected or out of balance.
We also get practical, exploring how breathwork can help us become more present and reconnect with our inner wisdom. From intuition and trusting what we sense to the role of energy in our experience of the world, this conversation invites us to become curious about dimensions of healing that may sit beyond our usual ways of understanding health.
And, of course, we bring it back to our animals. Could our dogs be catalysts for our own healing and growth? What might our relationships with them reveal about ourselves, and how might the work we do within ourselves change the way we show up for them?
We also venture into a bigger conversation about consciousness, energy and the idea of a New Earth — and what it might mean to live with greater awareness, connection and trust in our own intuitive knowing.
This is an invitation to look at healing from a different perspective: not simply as a battle against what is wrong, but as a process of coming back into balance, reconnecting with ourselves and deepening the relationships that make life meaningful.
If you’ve ever felt that your own wellbeing and your relationship with your dog are more deeply connected than we might ordinarily acknowledge, this conversation is an invitation to explore that connection with curiosity.
Because nourishing our dogs - and ourselves - mind, body and soul begins with being open to what we might discover.
Connect with Dr Niikee:Website: ⁠https://www.drniikee.com/⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dr.niikee.mystic.medicine/⁠

Connect with me:
Website: ⁠https://mysticdogmama.com⁠
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Get your free copy of The Mystic Dog Mma Nourishment Starter Kit: mysticdogmama.com
Join my free community, The Nourished Pack: facebook.com/groups/thenourishedpack
If this episode resonates with you, please share it with a fellow dog mama and leave a review. It helps more people discover Mystic Dog Mama and join us in exploring what it means to live a more connected, nourished life with our dogs.
This podcast is for education and exploration and is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent illness or to replace individual veterinary or professional advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and should be considered alongside the available evidence and appropriate professional guidance.

What if we stopped looking at our dogs as a collection of parts — and started looking at them as living systems?
What if the symptom we're looking at isn't the whole story?
What if health isn't simply about identifying the broken part and fixing it, but about understanding the complex web of communication, feedback, environment and relationship happening within the whole organism?
In this episode of the Mystic Dog Mama podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Tom Lonsdale for our third conversation together, and we dive into one of his favourite — and most challenging — subjects: cybernetics.
Cybernetics offers a way of looking at living systems not as collections of isolated components, but as dynamic, interconnected wholes.
And that gives us a very different way of thinking about health.
We talk about the relationship between the oral health and the rest of the body, chronic inflammation, diet, evolutionary biology and why Tom believes dogs and cats can offer us important insights into how biological systems work.
But this conversation isn't really just about teeth.
It becomes a much bigger conversation about how we think.
And about what can happen when we start to question the assumptions underneath the systems we've inherited.
We also explore what cybernetics might teach us about our relationship with nature.
What happens when we stop seeing “humans” and “nature” as separate?
What happens when we consider the ripple effects of our choices — from the food we feed our dogs to the chemicals we use, the food systems we depend upon, and the wider ecosystems of which we're part?

In this episode, we explore:
What is cybernetics? — and how communication, control and feedback help us understand living systems
Periodontal disease in dogs and cats — why Tom believes the mouth can offer us a window into much bigger biological processes
Evolution and the carnivore — what looking at dogs and cats through an evolutionary lens might tell us about their biology
Our relationship with nature — and what changes when we stop thinking of ourselves as separate from the ecosystems we inhabit
Challenging the status quo — what happens when new ways of thinking collide with established systems and professional orthodoxies
The power of the individual dog guardian — and why Tom and I believe there is significance in the choices we make for the animals in our care

Perhaps the biggest question I took away from this conversation is this:
What becomes possible when we stop asking only, “What is wrong with this part?” and start asking, “What is happening within the whole system?”
Because our dogs aren't collections of symptoms. They're living, responsive, interconnected beings — embedded within families, communities and ecosystems. And perhaps learning to see those connections is one of the most important forms of nourishment we can offer.

This episode is sponsored by Aspirationery
Aspirationery creates books, notebooks and stationery to support you in becoming all you aspire to be.
Find out more on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aspirationery
Connect with Dr Tom Lonsdale
https://www.thepetfoodcon.com
Continue the conversation
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If this episode gave you something to think about, I'd love to hear what stayed with you. Come and find me @mysticdogmama or share the episode with someone who might enjoy the conversation.
And if you're enjoying the podcast, please follow, leave a review and share it — it really helps more people find Mystic Dog Mama.
This podcast is for education and exploration and is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent illness or to replace individual veterinary or professional advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and should be considered alongside the available evidence and appropriate professional guidance.

Field Notes from Mystic Dog Mama
Field Notes are my short musings from walks with Lucky - the things I find myself noticing, wondering about, and turning over as we move through the seasons together.
For this first Field Note, I'm thinking about balance as we arrive at Mabon and the Autumn Equinox.
What if balance isn't fixed? What if it doesn't mean everything being equal, or getting everything right all the time, but instead means paying attention to what this particular moment, and this particular season, is asking of us?
A reflection on our dogs, our own lives, our search for certainty, and the wisdom that can come from coming back to the present moment and asking:
What does balance look like for me, right now?
And a little invitation to notice the season in the small things - a change in the air, an autumn leaf, cinnamon in your coffee, or what your dog stops to investigate on your walk.

Keep exploring
Continue the season with the Seasonal Nourishment Journal. The Mystic Dog Mama Seasonal Nourishment Journal is a field guide to living a more nourished life with your dog - with space to notice the seasons, reflect on what you need, and make room for the small rituals and moments that often pass us by.
Rooted in the Wheel of the Year, it follows the changing seasons with weekly reflections, mandalas, rituals and prompts for nourishing life with your dog, mind, body and soul.
Explore the Seasonal Nourishment Journal:
https://mysticdogmamastudio.etsy.com

Start your nourishment journey
Download the free Mystic Dog Mama Nourishment Starter Kit - an introduction to fresh food, energetics, targeted support, curiosity and holistic health.
mysticdogmama.com
Join The Nourished Pack
Come and continue the conversation inside our free community for dog guardians exploring a more holistic approach to nourishment.
Join The Nourished Pack
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Follow the podcast and, if you have a moment, leave a rating or review. It helps other soul-led dog guardians find Mystic Dog Mama.
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What if the old stories still have something to teach us?
As we move towards Mabon — the Autumn Equinox and a turning point on the Celtic Wheel of the Year — I’ve been thinking about what it means to live more in tune with the seasons, rather than simply following the dates on a calendar.
So it felt fitting to end this summer’s Revisited series with my conversation with Irish mythologist Jen Murphy.
We talk about dogs in Irish mythology, the role of the hound as guide and companion, animism, the wisdom held within the seasons, and the Irish concept of dán — our soul’s gift or creative destiny.
It’s a beautiful conversation about mythology, purpose, nature and the ways our dogs can call us back into deeper relationship with the world around us.
In this episode, we explore:
Dogs and the hound in Irish mythology
The Celtic Wheel of the Year and seasonal living
Animism and our relationship with nature
Mythology as a living practice
Dán — the idea of our soul’s gift or creative destiny
Following the breadcrumbs rather than needing to know exactly where they lead
As we cross this seasonal threshold, perhaps it’s a good moment to ask: what is ready to be harvested, what are you ready to let go of, and what is calling you towards what comes next?

Continue the conversation
Learn more from Jen Murphy
https://celticcreatives.com
Start your holistic journey
Download my free Mystic Dog Mama Nourishment Starter Kit for practical guidance on fresh food, energetics, targeted support, curiosity, and holistic health:
https://mysticdogmama.com
Join The Nourished Pack
Continue the conversation with like-minded dog guardians inside our free community:
https://facebook.com/groups/thenourishedpack
Join me for one of my upcoming Cook-Alongs!
Saturday 26th September 10am-1pm UK time
Saturday 3rd October 5pm-8pm UK time (12pm ET// 10am MT// 9am PT)
Information and booking: https://mysticdogmama.com/upcoming-events
If this episode resonated with you…
Please consider following the podcast and leaving a rating or review. It helps more soul-led dog guardians discover these conversations and supports the growth of this community.
And if someone came to mind while listening, I'd love for you to share this episode with them.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

Could “dampness” be part of what’s going on with your dog?
Maybe your dog has recurring yeast or ear problems. Maybe their digestion seems to be constantly up and down, or you’re dealing with symptoms that improve for a while only to come back again.
What if, instead of looking at each of these things as a separate problem, we started to look at the bigger picture?
In this Revisited episode of the Mystic Dog Mama podcast, I’m bringing back my conversation with Dr. Neal Loh, holistic and integrative veterinarian, because there is so much in this conversation that continues to shape the way I think about nourishment and whole-dog health.
Neil introduces us to the traditional Chinese medicine concept of dampness — a pattern that can sit beneath and contribute to a whole range of health imbalances.
We talk about what dampness is, how it can show up in our dogs, where stagnation fits into the picture, and why food and food energetics can be such an important part of supporting the individual dog.
But perhaps what I love most about this conversation is that it moves us away from the idea that there is one perfect food, one perfect diet, or one perfect solution.
Because in traditional Chinese medicine, context matters.
The individual dog matters. Their constitution matters. Their digestion, their environment, their emotional state and the foods they are eating all form part of a much bigger picture.
In this episode, we explore:
Dampness in traditional Chinese medicine — what it is, how it develops, and why it can be such a stubborn pattern
How dampness can show up in our dogs — including recurring yeast, ear problems, digestive upset and other patterns of imbalance
Stagnation and damp heat — and how these concepts can help us think differently about chronic or recurring symptoms
Food energetics and individual constitution — why the same food can have very different effects on different dogs
Why “balanced” doesn’t have to mean perfect — and how TCM can help us move away from the pressure to get everything right in every single bowl
Looking beyond the symptom — and beginning to see health as an interconnected picture rather than a collection of isolated problems

The question I really want you to take away from this conversation is:
What changes when we stop asking only “What symptom are we trying to fix?” and start asking “What is the whole dog telling us?”
So whether you’re completely new to Traditional Chinese Medicine or you’ve been exploring food energetics and constitutional approaches for years, I think there’s something here for you.
Continue the conversation
Learn more from Dr Neal Loh
https://www.holisticpetvet.com.au/

Start your holistic journey
Download my free Mystic Dog Mama Nourishment Starter Kit for practical guidance on fresh food, energetics, targeted support, curiosity, and holistic health:
https://mysticdogmama.com
Join The Nourished Pack
Continue the conversation with like-minded dog guardians inside our free community:
https://facebook.com/groups/thenourishedpack
Join me for one of my upcoming Cook-Alongs!
Saturday 26th September 10am-1pm UK time
Saturday 3rd October 5pm-8pm UK time (12pm ET// 10am MT// 9am PT)
Information and booking: https://mysticdogmama.com/upcoming-events
If this episode resonated with you…
Please consider following the podcast and leaving a rating or review. It helps more soul-led dog guardians discover these conversations and supports the growth of this community.
And if someone came to mind while listening, I'd love for you to share this episode with them.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.