The Freedom From Empty Podcast

What is my "superhero origin story"? What happens when we cannot rest until everyone and everything else is taken care of? What happens when we believe if we could just do enough, be enough, get "there", earn all of the awards and promotions and titles and money and accumulate all of the things, that somehow we will no longer be afraid. Or desperately lonely? What happens when we have to choose--whether consciously or unconsciously--between being known and being safe? And what is so beautiful about my healing journey now as I learn how to expand beyond "neutral"? Join me for this episode where I explore all of this and more.

Our adaptations keep us alive. But not without cost. While my conscious beliefs were definitely problematic and contributed to my descent into burnout and mental illness, I have come to understand that underneath those conscious beliefs was nervous system patterning that fueled my capacity to run myself into the wall over and over and over again until my body and mind broke under the assault. In this episode I share a story about the retreat I didn't want to go to and how "what is underneath" is an invisible and yet powerful force that may be keeping us stuck.

It turns out that resting is hard (in this culture). And the truth is, I didn't really give myself permission to rest until I was literally no longer able to function. Until I had exhausted my body and mind almost beyond repair. In this episode I share some of the unhelpful and downright destructive beliefs, fears and patterning around rest that I have wrestled with and succumbed to in the past, and the ways in which I am working to reframe and repattern over the course of my healing journey. I hope some of these practices are helpful for you too!

I had no idea that my inability to rest and recover from the stress and overwhelm of life was going to push me to a breaking point. But it did. Rest is THE foundational practice that allows our body to support us in reaching for our dreams, caring for others, and staying connected to the full experience of being human. In this episode I explain what I mean by "rest" and make the case for why your people need you to rest more. I also share strategies for completing the stress cycle (to make it easier to rest) and tips for supporting better sleep.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Freedom from Empty Podcast! In this episode I share a little behind the scenes of some of the events that prompted an unplanned 20-month hiatus from the podcast, how my journey continues to evolve, and I also include some business and podcast updates. Join me now for this new season.

I have come to believe that our unadulterated voice is an expression of the divine. But there are a million reasons why you may have lost (pieces of) your voice on your journey to where you are now. In this episode I share when I first lost my voice, what it has been like to reclaim it so far, and the steps I continue to take to heal and reintegrate my voice with my whole being. I also offer some gentle "new scripts" for you to use with your own tender heart and soul as needed. Your voice is worthy of being heard. TW: This episode includes descriptions of physical and emotional abuse.

What are some mythperceptions we all hold about what self-care, wellness and wellbeing "look like" vs. what they actually can mean for us? Are movement and exercise the same thing and can exercise be bad for you? What if listening to your body could save your life? What would it look like if you learned to be kind to your body instead of punishing it for its faults and failures? And what if we cheered each other on more because we are all, overwhelmingly, doing the best with can with what is in front of us each day? Tune into my conversation with Jen Schappel, Founder of KindBody Movement as we explore these questions and more.

Letting go of what we know can be terrifying. But holding on too tightly to things that are no longer for us can keep us stuck and ultimately make us sick. In this episode I share how surrender has been a gateway in my life. This gateway not only sent me along the path to professional opportunities but also has been the recurring theme in my reclamation of my health and well-being after decades spent performing at all costs. Listen to learn more about the freedom that can come with surrender.

"Owning a business that is based on my purpose allows me to be who I am, not what I do." Join me for this interview with Erika Biddix, Founder of Biddix Meetings and Events and Aught LLC, to hear the story of how she went from outsourcing her life so that she could do more work for her corporate boss to creating a thriving community for female entrepreneurs that also allows her to be present with her kids and family. We also chat about how self-care isn't the same for everyone, nor should it be. Instead, it should be an intentional response to the current needs and stressors in your life.

There are moments in our lives when, for whatever reason, we find ourselves with clear(er) calendars and fewer to-dos or perhaps a moment or a season when our priorities are turned on their head. If we don’t pause from time to time (or honor the pause that finds it way to us) and ask ourselves whether the way we are living is actually giving us life, we may find ourselves at the end wondering how we managed to waste this one wild and precious life (per Mary Oliver). The pause is precious. It is a chance to change everything that needs to be changed. To heal everything that needs to be healed. One pause at a time. What will you do with the pause?

My conversation with Kate Brosnan, a weight-neutral, non-diet, Registered Dietician, continues in this episode as we challenge some of the commonly held beliefs about the association between weight and health, weight stigma in healthcare, and the truth about weight cycling. We also explore the dangers of applying hyper-performance behaviors to our attempts to manage weight.

In this first of two interview episodes with Kate Brosnan, a weight neutral, non diet, registered dietician, Kate shares about the journey she has been on as a mother and dietician who realized that the beliefs and behaviors about food she was passing down to her daughter were having unintended consequences. Fatphobia is a harmful, socially acceptable form of discrimination that is keeping many of us stuck in unhealthy and sometimes dangerous behaviors. And we are passing these beliefs down to the next generation. After we recorded this interview, I had the opportunity to use some of the language and perspective that Kate shared with me in a tough conversation with one of my kiddos (who was in tears over body shame) and I want you to know that I felt so much more equipped to have this conversation in a supportive way. You may be surprised by what you learn in this episode.

What if YOU were born a badass? I think we arrived here with the capacity to be total badasses. And then the world gets a hold of us. So for many, the journey back to self and soul is a journey of unlearning, of unbecoming, of ceasing to resist. It’s the gooey middle of the caterpillar’s transmutation into a butterfly. We keep dissolving and peeling back the layers until we come to the root of our being. A part of ourselves long since forgotten. The part of us that is unfettered by who the world told us we had to be in order to survive and be deemed acceptable and worthy. The part of us that is still connected to source if only by a single glimmering thread. For more on the journey back to ourselves (and our own inner badass) listen in.

From a very young age, we have been inundated with messages that we can only trust those authorities and institutions that are outside of us. We have been taught not to trust ourselves. I sat down with Bonnie Casamassima as she shared her story. Listen in to hear what prompted her to go on a journey of "unlearning" and how she is translating her journey (and the juxtaposition of both the seen and unseen) into her work. If you are in the midst of an unbecoming or a personal transformation, I think you will find Bonnie's story to be one of hope.

So much of our culture is focused on quick fixes, magic bullets, and hacks. But healing cannot be hacked. And some of the most significant milestones--the ones that announce that healing has happened or is still happening--aren’t loud, demonstrative or performative. Listen in to hear more about how quiet wins can be powerful reminders that we are making progress on our healing journey.

Just over five years ago, at 19 years old, Bailey Rose was forced to choose between freedom and financial support from her parents. She chose freedom. In this episode, Bailey shares the story of what it took to break free from a narcissistic parent and the unexpected ripple effects of her decision. Bailey also offers validation and hope to others who may be caught in a narcissistic relationship.

Our culture has come to celebrate performing and persisting at all costs. But what if some of those costs are actually way too high? What if not quitting could cost us our lives, families, relationships, careers . . . everything? Maybe we should break the stigma around quitting. Maybe we should learn to quit more and to celebrate others when they do the same. What are you going to quit?

I have come to believe that many of us are just out here living our lives, unwittingly playing out our (unresolved) traumas on each other because we don’t fully understand or appreciate what is actually playing out in our bodies and minds or the impact that traumatic energy is having on us and the people around us. In this episode, I explore symptoms of unresolved trauma and make the case for taking personal responsibility for what comes next.

Last week something occurred to me that hadn’t hit me in quite the same way before. Some of us may not have our self-preservation button engaged. Or, we are so accustomed to overriding the warning signs, that we don’t take reasonable steps to stop and fuel ourselves when the need is imminent.

I see you. You think if you are struggling you must not be “doing it right.” If you could just be a “better” version of yourself, life wouldn’t feel so overwhelming or challenging. What if I told you that this isn’t about self-improvement?! What if I told you that this is about nurturing the person you already are? The person who gives life your all, and who is UNDERSTANDABLY exhausted?!?