Belonging Beyond Borders: Ancestral Healing, Identity & the Creative Path with Sarinea Meserkhani

💫 Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving episode of the Avoiding Average podcast, host Susan Gates sits down with Sarinea Meserkhani—a published poet and self-proclaimed "psychedelic sheep"—to explore the transformative journey of personal growth, ancestral healing, and cultural identity.

From confronting the weight of familial expectations to embracing her path as an intuitive creative nomad, Sarinea opens up about the soul-deep healing that came through poetry, travel, and trusting her inner voice. After a near-death experience, she began to see life as a bonus and leaned into the unknown with courage and curiosity.

Tune in to hear how astrocartography, ancestral grief, and the search for belonging have shaped her life across continents—from New Zealand to Australia. Her poetic lens offers listeners a raw yet uplifting look at what it truly means to face trauma, find community, and reclaim identity through art and intuition.

• How ancestral grief impacts personal and cultural identity

• Why intuition and synchronicity matter on the healing path

• The powerful role of poetry in emotional and historical processing

• What it means to be a "psychedelic sheep" and live outside the box

• How travel and astrocartography guided Sarinea’s life transitions

• Ways to overcome fear, isolation, and writer’s block

• The importance of community, curiosity, and connection in healing

"Everything I have now is a bonus."
"I had to grow my wings again."
"Home is where you're not alone."

• 00:00 – Welcome & Sarinea’s Journey Begins

• 01:46 – Redefining Success & Breaking Free from Expectations

• 04:34 – How Facing Fears Sparked Transformation

• 08:25 – Using Astrocartography to Navigate Change

• 12:02 – The Power of New Environments & Building Community

• 14:17 – Trusting Intuition While Traveling Alone

• 19:16 – Moving to New Zealand: A Life-Altering Leap

• 22:00 – Life in New Zealand vs. Australia

• 24:19 – Finding Voice Through Artistic Expression

• 26:04 – Entering the World of Poetry

• 29:05 – Navigating Writer’s Block with Compassion

• 31:43 – Exploring the Depths of Ancestral Grief

• 35:12 – Cultural Identity & the Shadow of Trauma

• 40:17 – Finding Belonging in New Spaces

• 46:28 – Community, Curiosity, & Lasting Connection

• 49:32 – Final Reflections & The Power of Curiosity

Sarinea Meserkhani is an ethnically Armenian & German woman who holds Canadian & American citizenship whilecurrently living in Byron Bay, Australia after having spent a couple of years living in Aotearoa New Zealand.She describes herself as a lifelong poet, an avid traveler, a deep well of joy and sorrow in the shape of ahuman, and a dedicated Animist-in-training. She has also been a scholar of the Orphan Wisdom Schoolwith Stephen Jenkinson.Sarinea has had four poems accepted into publications since she was a teenager: "Gone" in The Silent Journey, a compilation by the International Library of Poetry; "Perfection, Unattainable; Vanity,Inevitable" in the literary journal Eclipse: Volume Twenty-One; "Cracked Open Heart" in MandarinMagazine's online literary publication out of Chico, California; and "Armenian" which was published in thevery first issue of Clarion Poetry Magazine based in the United Kingdom.After surviving a near-fatal car crash into a tree on Halloween, just days before her 21st birthday, thecompass by which she has since oriented her life is a firm commitment to exploring the unknown withcourage, kindness, and integrity.

She can be reached on Instagram @YouSawRenee or via email at SarineaEM@gmail.com.About your host:

Susan Gates is a Travel Astrologer & Transformational Soul Coach helping others align with their purpose through astrology, intuition, and radical self-awareness. Ready to live beyond the average?
✨ Book an Embodied Astrology or Astrocartography Reading at www.avoiding-average.com
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