Alive & Well – Nervous System, Productivity, Time Management, Somatic Tools, Work-Life Balance, Burnout, Anxiety

(Free Somatic Workshop Jan. 8 & 9) - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<)In this final episode of 2025, we’re talking about the soft work rituals that actually hold your life together — the small, nervous-system–aligned practices that protect your energy, clarity, and capacity when everything else gets busy.These aren’t luxuries.They aren’t “nice to have.”They’re foundational.In this episode, you’ll discover:✔️ Why soft work rituals are the missing link for sustainable ambition✔️ How starting your day with intention (not input) rewires your nervous system✔️ The physiological reason recovery between stressors matters more than rest at night✔️ Why managing energy — not just time — changes everything✔️ Five simple rituals that lower stress chemistry while increasing clarity and focusThis isn’t about doing less for the sake of it.It’s about creating the internal conditions that allow you to show up fully — without burning yourself out in the process.If you want 2026 to feel calmer, steadier, and more aligned — this episode will help you build that foundation gently, intentionally, and powerfully.Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<Related Episodes:Previous EpisodeAre You High or Low Energy? Nervous System Balancing Exercises Based on Your Energy TypeBurnout Trifecta: 3 Personality Traits that Are Draining Your EnergyStart Doing This Today to Reclaim Your Energy with Chloe WardEnergy Drains Aren’t a Time Problem — They’re a Boundary Problem-- Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<

Stress isn’t just something you think about.It’s something your body carries.Every interruption.Every transition.Every responsibility and unspoken emotional load.Your nervous system responds to all of it — and if stress never gets discharged, it doesn’t disappear.It settles. It accumulates. In this episode, we’re talking about why releasing stress from the body is non-negotiable — and how to do it in ways that are fast, practical, and deeply regulating.You’ll learn:✔️ Why unresolved stress — not stress itself — is what exhausts your nervous system✔️ How stored tension lives in your muscles, breath, jaw, and fascia✔️ Three simple somatic techniques that help your body complete the stress cycle✔️ How daily stress discharge lowers reactivity, improves clarity, and restores capacityThis isn’t about “calming down” or positive thinking.It’s about giving your nervous system what it was biologically designed to do:move stress through instead of storing it inside.If you’ve been holding it together, powering through, and wondering why your body still feels tight, wired, or heavy — this episode will help you release what you were never meant to carry alone.Related Episodes:Previous EpisodeUnlocking Calm Powerful Somatic Practices to Shift out of Fight, Flight or FreezeBurnout Recovery Blueprint (Part 2): Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body3 Somatic Practices for Anxiety: Why They Work & How to Do Them5 Somatic Techniques to Regulate When You're Feeling Overwhelmed-- Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<

“Why can’t I just feel happier… when my life is actually good?”If you’ve asked yourself some version of this question - it isn’t a gratitude problem,it’s not a mindset failure,and it’s not that you’re “bad at joy.”It's what's happening in your physiology. Chronically elevated cortisol can quietly shift your nervous system into survival mode — and when that happens, joy becomes neurologically inaccessible, even when good things are happening.In this episode, we unpack:✔️ The science of high cortisol and low mood — and why stress chemistry blunts pleasure ✔️ The subtle, real-life signs your nervous system is blocking joy for protection ✔️ Why “choosing joy” and mindset work often fall flat when your body is overwhelmed ✔️ How somatic, body-based practices help your system feel safe enough to receive goodness again ✔️ Simple ways to start softening stress so joy can come back onlineThis conversation isn’t about forcing happiness.It’s about removing the physiological blocks that keep joy out of reach.Because joy isn’t something you create with effort.It’s something your body allows when it feels safe.If you’ve felt flat, disconnected, or like everything is just “one more thing to get through,” this episode will feel validating — and gently hopeful.Your nervous system isn’t broken.It’s been protecting you.And with the right support, it can learn how to soften again — so you can actually feel the life you’re living.Related Episodes:Previous Episode4 Signs You’re Addicted to Cortisol (and How to Fix It)5 Habits I Stopped Doing to Heal My Nervous System & Balance My Cortisol4 Ways to Foster Joy in Our FamiliesTake 2 Minutes: Boost Your Joy with Daily Gratitude Practices Backed by Science with Marc Fussell-- Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<

If you’ve ever been told you or your child has anxiety, ADHD, or both—but it never fully explained what was actually happening—this conversation will feel like a breath of fresh air.In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Giancarlo Licata, director of Vital Brain Health, to unpack what’s really going on in the brain beneath these labels—and why understanding how the brain is firing matters more than the diagnosis itself.We talk about anxiety, attention, and regulation through a neuroscience lens that’s nuanced, practical, and deeply validating for parents and high-achieving adults alike.In this episode, we’re diving into:Why “anxiety” and “ADHD” are often too blunt to be helpful.A powerful way to understand rumination, fear, and fast processing—and how inherited traits, stress, and trauma can mix and match to drive anxiety and overwhelm.The order of operations your brain actually needs.The difference between calming your nervous system in the moment and actually lowering your baseline over time—and why both matter if you want lasting change.What brain mapping and neurofeedback can reveal and rewireIf you’ve ever felt like you’re throwing coping tools at a nervous system that’s already maxed out—or wondering why nothing seems to stick—this episode will help you see the bigger picture with clarity and compassion.🎉 Special Offer: The first 5 families who inquire with Vital Brain and mention code “Alive & Well” will receive complimentary airfare for their child to Los Angeles for brain mapping—with at-home brain training to follow.-- Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<

If I were starting my career over today — with everything I now know about ambition, the nervous system, and sustainable success — I would do it very differently.Not because I regret being driven or capable.But because I misunderstood what actually creates long-term performance, clarity, and well-being.In this episode, I’m sharing the five shifts I wish I had made earlier in my career — back when I was running a law practice, raising babies, and equating success with doing more, faster, and better. These aren’t productivity tips. They’re nervous-system-informed lessons about how high-achieving women can build meaningful careers without sacrificing their health, energy, or peace.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why defining success for yourself is the foundation of sustainable ambitionHow saying no more — and saying it faster — protects your nervous system and capacityWhy daily nervous system regulation matters more than discipline or willpowerThe difference between managing your time and managing your energyWhy aligned mentorship changes everything (and why I wish I’d invested sooner)This episode is for working moms who are ambitious, capable, and successful — but quietly exhausted by the way they’ve been holding it all. If you want to keep your drive while building a career that actually supports your body and your life, this conversation will give you a powerful reframe and a more sustainable way forward.Press play to hear what I’d do differently — and how you can start making these shifts now.Related Episodes:Previous EpisodeThree Keys to Working from Home with KidsFeeling Overwhelmed with Work-Life Balance? 3 Mindset Shifts for Working MomsWorking Mom’s Survival Guide: 8 Lessons for Work-Life Balance with Dr. Elizabeth Arleo3 Reasons Your Productivity Hacks Aren’t Working (And What to Do Instead)Do You Have These 3 Signs of Mom Burnout? Here’s How to Reclaim Your Energy-- Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE <<