CommuniTEA and Qi Gong with Claudia Cahalane: Episode 112 of Soles to Soul Care for Trauma and AuDHD with Eve Menezes Cunningham

I met Claudia Cahalane nearly 20 years ago on an online forum for freelance journalists. I had started my coaching and complementary therapy practice at the same time as going freelance as a journalist with no contacts and, pre social media, it was a brilliant forum to get (and give) encouragement and support.

Since then, I’ve added loads more therapies, counselling and supervision and Claudia has retrained as a Qi Gong instructor.

It was such a joy to reconnect and catch up and I hope you find our conversation helpful.

You can watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts and access full transcript, show notes, links and more at https://solestosoul.ie/2026/05/26/communitea-and-qi-gong-with-claudia-cahalane-episode-112-of-soles-to-soul-care-for-trauma-and-audhd-with-eve-menezes-cunningham/

When you think about your own communiTEAs (geddit?), where do you want to put in more energy and time? Who’s most important to you? What’s most important to you?

le grá (with love),

Ev3

#traumarecovery

#qigong

#claudiacahalane

#teaceremony

#solestosoulcarefortraumaandaudhd

LINKS

Claudia’s website:

https://vitalityqigong.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalityqigong/

If you enjoyed this, check out:

Episode 83: Community as Self Care (with Elizabeth Potts)

Episode 87: Movement as Medicine with Gwen Williams

Episode 59: Meditation (with trauma and ADHD) isn’t impossible

Book your free telephone consultation and access 100s of body-mind practices at https://solestosoul.ie/free-downloads

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(1:57) Welcoming Claudia Cahalane

(2:48) Silent retreats and early experiences

(7:24) Discovering Qi Gong and the power of silence

(10:29) Burnout and becoming a Qi Gong teacher

(14:37) The Feel. Love. Heal. framework

(16:18) Ideal self-care and daily practices

(21:26) Essential self-care for low energy

(22:59) Self-love, meditation and tea rituals

(25:44) Tea ceremony and cultural roots

(30:00) Community, loss and life transitions

(35:19) Rethinking friendships and belonging

(40:06) Nature as community and connection

(42:44) Creating and holding community

(44:35) Advice to a younger self

(46:05) Where to find Claudia and closing reflection