In the latest MysticMag interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Vanessa Tucker and Christa Mackinnon, two extraordinary women dedicated to empowering others through their unique blend of spiritual and therapeutic practices. Vanessa and Christa share insights into their professional journeys, the founding of the Modern Medicine Woman Training School, and their mission to support women in reclaiming their feminine power and potential. Continue reading to learn more.
Can you both be kind enough to introduce yourself and share a few details about your professional background?
Christa: I am a Psychologist (MSc), Family Counsellor (DFC), Clinical Hypnotherapist (PgDHyp), shamanic teacher, earth activist, author, and international speaker.
After working for many years internationally as a complex trauma specialist and university lecturer, and two transformational near-death experiences, I decided to follow my spiritual calling by apprenticing to indigenous teachers in South- and North America and learning from contemporary shamanic teachers from around the world.
I see myself as a Modern Medicine Woman and Sacred Activist. All my work is focussed on individual and collective re-connection to earth and spirit, assisting people to unfold their potential and journey towards wholeness, whilst contributing to the necessary expansion of consciousness and an overall shift in paradigm.
Besides being the co-founder of the Modern Medicine Woman Training School, I am the founder of ‘Bridging the Worlds’, which trains therapeutic professionals in shamanic approaches, and the co-founder of Sacred Earth Activism CIC, an organisation that brings together activists and earth wisdom teachers and integrates shamanic practices – such as ancestral work, dreaming, visioning and ceremony – into direct action on the ground.
Vanessa: I am a Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist (RSME/RSMT), teacher, healer, photographer and artist.
My background is in education and the performing arts, where I worked for many years. Fortunately for me, a personal crisis led to a spiritual awakening, during which I discovered my gifts as a healer and went on to create Walk Your Talk Retreats, which I talk about in more detail later in the interview.
I have an established healing and therapy practice and I provide training in Somatic Movement, Reiki, and various energy healing modalities. In addition to empowering women through The Modern Medicine Woman Training School, I offer empowering photoshoots for women and soulful branding sessions, specifically designed for those in the well-being field.
I see myself as a Modern Medicine Woman, weaving my skills together to empower others and facilitate change in the world. Through my training courses, retreats, books, oracle decks, photography, and healing practices, my intent is to provide creative pathways for individuals to move toward wholeness and realise their fullest potential.
What is the story behind the Modern Medicine Woman Training School? How was it founded and what is its mission?
We knew each other as professionals and privately, and both felt that the Medicine of the feminine is now needed more than ever to regain some balance. We wanted to create an empowering space for women and female changemakers, exploring the specifics of the feminine and bringing it to the fore in their personal and professional lives.
We started with offering women’s circles in the Southwest, being surprised about the demand for the circles, with more women attending our first three circles than we had dreamed of. Realising that there is a need for such empowering spaces, but also for training that focuses specifically on the feminine gifts and powers, we founded the Modern Medicine Woman Training School.
At the Modern Medicine Woman Training School, we are dedicated to empowering women to walk the path of the empowered feminine and weave their web of change. Our mission is to support women in answering their calling and give voice to their powerful feminine medicine by making it visible in their work, projects, and events.
We do this with various means, such as offering training courses, workshops, women’s circles, and at events, such as festivals or conferences.
How are your training courses structured and what different ones do you offer?
At the Modern Medicine Woman Training School, we offer an accredited and certificated Medicine Woman Training course, shorter courses and workshops, addressing various aspects of the feminine, and free circles, where women can come together and explore.
The accredited Medicine Woman Training course is designed to empower women with the knowledge, skills, and techniques needed to walk the path of the empowered feminine. During this course, we work in-depth with the medicine woman archetype.
Due to the nature of working with each woman’s unique ‘medicine’, the course is comprehensive in its design, weaving together both ancient and contemporary wisdom. We teach and unlock the power of shamanic practices, ceremony, journeying, the wisdom of spirit guides, energy work, plant medicine, and the forces of the natural world, whilst teaching contemporary practices of somatic movement and embodiment, energy balancing and healing approaches and a range of creative expression and crafting. Whilst women learn, they discover and uncover their unique gifts and abilities, hone and cultivate them, and gain the confidence to bring them into the world. Our next yearly accredited Medicine Woman training commences again in April 2025.
Our shorter courses and workshops vary, but they all include experiential teaching, focussing on the feminine in the widest sense and on empowering women. Our next shorter course ‘Embodying the Dream and Power of the Goddess’ is being held at the Goddess Hall in Glastonbury on November 23rd and 24th.
The free women’s circles are held on Zoom and are usually around a theme, which gives women a space to explore the subject. Our upcoming women’s circles in September, October, and November are fully booked, but women can be put on a waiting list.
What motivates women to attend your courses and what are the benefits?
Women are motivated to attend our courses because they have a deep-seated knowledge that they possess unique skills and inherent abilities—what we refer to as their “medicine”—that they are eager to refine and fully express. Our courses, especially the Modern Medicine Woman Practitioner training, provide a space for them to develop these gifts, whilst acquiring new skills in areas like energy medicine, embodiment, somatic movement, and shamanism.
Another significant draw for women is the powerful connection that forms when they gather together. This gathering creates a magical, supportive energy where they can share their skills, uplift and support each other, and witness their collective strength. There’s something profound that happens when women come together in this way. They sustain each other, build fierce protectiveness around the work, and nurture deep, supportive bonds.
Women who attend our courses not only gain valuable knowledge and skills, but they also become part of a lasting community. They continue to stay connected, support each other, and apply what they’ve learned long after the course ends. For many, this communal support helps them overcome insecurities and allows them to confidently share their gifts with the world.
You are both successful authors. What can you tell me about that part of your work?
Christa: My first book ‘Shamanism and Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice’, which was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishing, evolved from, and is based on, my training work with therapeutic professionals and my practice as a therapist. I started to combine ancient shamanic wisdom teachings and tools with contemporary psychology and modern therapeutic approaches and introduced this way of working into various courses I run for therapeutic professionals at the University of Exeter, the London College of Clinical Hypnosis, and CPD organisations. Realising that the subject ‘Therapeutic Shamanism’ was much in demand I decided to write a book about it.
Not planning to write a second book, as I found the first one really hard work, I was contacted by the London director of Hay House Publishing, who had read my first book and was ‘impressed’. Hay House offered me a contract for a more populist version, which I couldn’t resist. The book ‘Shamanism: Awaken and Develop the Shamanic Force Within’, became a highly acclaimed and successful book.
The third book, also written on demand of a publisher ‘Shamanism: Spirituality – Growth – Healing’ is a coffee-table version on the same theme.
Although not based directly on the feminine, all the books feed into my overall work and have become the basis for my courses and workshops. They have established me as an expert in therapeutic shamanism and opened countless doors, such as invitations to speak at conferences and to train therapeutic professionals.
Vanessa: I have written two books that reflect my passion for energy healing, spiritual connection, and personal transformation. The Art of You: A Guide to Shaping Your Unique Place in the Beautiful Mosaic of Life published by O books, evolved from my personal healing journey and my work as a healer and artist. It empowers readers to harness creative life-force energy for deep transformation, guiding them to uncover the exquisite masterpiece they are meant to be. The act of writing this book was significant for me in the sense that it called me to work more comprehensively with the feminine through my teaching and training courses.
My second book, Auras: Awakening Awareness, by Flametree Publishing, explores the intricacies of the aura and chakra system, offering practical exercises and techniques for maintaining a healthy energy field and enhancing overall well-being.
Both books are designed to help readers connect with their true selves and live more empowered, conscious lives.
You co-created the Medicine Woman Wisdom Oracle card set. Can you tell us more about this?
The idea to create the Medicine Woman Wisdom Oracle deck evolved from our work with the sacred feminine, the exploration of the Medicine Woman archetype, and from the wealth of experience and wisdom we gained from working with women, and facilitating our courses.
We both felt that the work we do together at the Modern Medicine Woman Training School lends itself to the visual, rather than to another book, through the energies one can embody in an image. We also felt that we wanted to create a practical sacred tool for women, which they can use to bring forth and support the growth of feminine wisdom for themselves and in their work.
The deck, consisting of 52 beautifully designed cards and a comprehensive guidebook, brings together the sacred realms of the divine feminine and her medicine with our everyday reality. Each card offers wisdom teachings, medicine tools, and a spirit medicine message and they can be used to conduct readings for oneself or others.
Vanessa, can you tell us more about your individual work, what are Walk Your Talk Retreats?
Walk Your Talk Retreats are transformational retreats held in the lush landscapes of Kerala, originally intended to be a pilgrimage to self-love and empowerment for weary souls.
The concept of Walk Your Talk Retreats is deeply personal to me, rooted in my own journey of awakening. In 2003, I faced a ‘dark night of the soul’ that caused my life to fall apart. This crisis led me to ask myself a profound question: What would I do if I had only six months to live? My answer was to follow my wildest dreams—I quit my teaching career, sold my home, and embarked on a solo journey around the world for a year. This spiritual pilgrimage, particularly my time in India, became a catalyst for profound transformation. Stepping out of my usual environment expanded my consciousness, restored faith in myself and humanity, and reconnected me with something greater than myself.
Inspired by my own healing journey, I created Walk Your Talk Retreats to offer others the same transformative experience. Set against a breath-taking backdrop of swaying coconut palms and lapping waves, the retreats provide the perfect sanctuary for navigating times of adversity and change.
Walk Your Talk Retreats are unique in their multidisciplinary approach, blending creative arts, shamanic practices, somatic movement and dance, yoga, and meditation. Participants are taught a toolkit of practices they can continue using at home, ensuring that the journey of healing and empowerment extends well beyond the retreat itself.
Vanessa, what different healing and therapy services do you offer?
Over the years, I’ve gained extensive training and qualifications in various therapeutic modalities, including somatic movement and dance therapy, therapeutic shamanism, clinical hypnotherapy, NLP, Reiki, and crystal healing. While I do offer these as individual services, I’ve found that healing is a complex and deeply personal process, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely serves my clients fully.
My approach is to integrate these diverse skills with my psychic and intuitive gifts, offering a holistic and tailored healing experience. For example, I find combining somatic movement – a body-based, bottom-up therapy, with the soul-focused, psycho-spiritual approach of shamanism, particularly effective when addressing trauma. This blend of modalities allows for healing on multiple levels—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
This integrative approach is the foundation of my signature program, Alchemy Healing. Before each session, I connect with spirit through a divination journey to receive guidance on how best to support my client. This channelled insight is documented and used to inform and enhance the treatment plan.
In my sessions, I consider the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of each client, following a transpersonal approach to healing. By addressing all aspects of the self, I empower my clients to connect with their inner wisdom, fostering deep healing and transformative change.
You can contact us:
The Modern Medicine Woman Training School: www.womenweavingchange.com
Vanessa Tucker: www.vanessatucker.com
Christa Mackinnon: www.christamackinnon.com
