This episode uses the motif of contraction and expansion to show how all of our lives mirror this process and cycle of challenge and growth. I connect the threads of birth, new life, childhood, major life transitions, old age, death, and grief. In doing so, we delve deeper into the role that contraction has to play in our lives – including through emotions such as anxiety and stress – and I offer you an exercise to demonstrate this relationship. This process invites greater introspection and self-awareness about how challenge can be a catalyst for transformation. As an example, I point to the transition to motherhood and the question mothers wrestle with about ‘going back to work’ and how they see themselves and their identities as tied to their occupations. I look at the process of ageing and how the ways we treat our elderly highlight the discomfort we actually have with transformational growth. I also share a personal story of my own state of grief to give you insight into the lessons our bodies have for us if we tune in.