Navigating female friendships at midlife can be challenging, especially for highly sensitive women. Host Elizabeth Cush and author Susan Shapiro Barash tackle the topic in this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast.

“Seventy-five percent of the women with whom I spoke said that it's harder to leave a best or closest female friend than it is to leave a romantic relationship or a marriage.” 
 — Susan Shapiro Barash

Are you close with your sister, or do you have friends who feel like sisters to you? Do you have a female friendship that feels like it’s not working any more, but you’re not sure how to heal it or end it? As a highly sensitive woman, you may feel these friendships—and any conflicts—more deeply than others do. And have you ever stopped to wonder how our culture affects it all? In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes Susan Shapiro Barash, author of Estranged: How strained female friendships can be mended or ended, 13 other non-fiction titles, and four novels. Listen in on their conversation about friendships, the importance of community for women and how the patriarchy and capitalism have impacted our sense of how our relationships should be and how we interact with other women. 

You can find the full show notes and resources mentioned here.

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If you’re the kind of person who walks into a room and picks up the subtle vibes immediately, and that energy sometimes drains you, listen in on this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, as host Elizabeth Cush welcomes Lauren Sapala, an author, teacher and creative guide, on honoring your intuition.  

“The basic strategy I teach is that most writing methods are achievement oriented. They really hold a lot of masculine energy.” 
 — Lauren Sapala

If you’re highly sensitive, chances are you experience the world differently. You might see and feel things that others just don’t. You’ve probably always seen that as a detriment, but it doesn’t have to be. Your perceptions are actually a gift that can help you better understand yourself and others. In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes Lauren Sapala, author of several non-fiction books for intuitive creatives, including The INFJ Writer, The INFJ Revolution and Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain. In their discussion on living a more creative, empowered life as a sensitive intuitive, they’ll talk about boundaries, overcoming overwhelm, and finding a community where your creative process can unfold safely and help move you toward healing. 

You can find the full show notes and resources mentioned here- https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast

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If it seems like discussions about the state of the world seem to turn ugly lately, listen to this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast! Host Elizabeth Cush talks about what’s behind the divisiveness and how to start healing.

“I don't have to be friends with someone who I disagree with, but I can see them as a person with their own struggles, with their own fears, with their own beliefs.” — Biz Cush

What happened to the “good old days” when we could just agree to disagree? Instead, it seems, people today divide the world into “us” versus “them”—whether it’s by race, religion, political party or even lifestyle choices. So many of us tend to lump anyone who experiences the world in a way that we don’t into the category of “other.” It’s easy to dismiss “others as less moral, less informed, less than…. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a life coach for highly sensitive women, talks about some of the roots of conflict in today’s world, how sensitive women can navigate a fraught political climate with integrity, and how to take steps toward finding the peace and compassion that can help heal community. 

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If chronic pain, inflammation and stress are holding you back, listen in on this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, as host Elizabeth Cush welcomes chronic pain specialist and coach Dr. Tawny Kross for a discussion on healing body and soul.

“When your limbic system is overactive…, you want to be able to show your system how to find safety.” 
 — Tawny Kross

Living with chronic pain can be a challenge for anyone, but if you’re a highly sensitive person, you feel things even more intensely. Pain can be debilitating—and both frustrating and emotionally draining when you can’t seem to find relief. The good news is, you don’t have to suffer. In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes physical therapist Dr. Tawny Kross, founder of Ready, Set, Rewire (RSR), a program designed to take women with chronic stress, pain and inflammation out of survival mode so they can thrive and live an active lifestyle they love. Listen in on their discussion of the nervous system, the body and how a holistic view might help you manage pain. 

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Welcome back to the new season of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast! This week, host Elizabeth Cush shares personal insights into sensitivity, shares what’s in store for the coming season and invites you to join a unique community. 

“We need more compassion and kindness and love out there in the universe, for sure.” — Biz Cush

Listen and learn:

·      Why you don’t have to be highly sensitive yourself to benefit from listening to the Awaken your Wise Woman podcast

·      How doing Internal Family Systems (IFS), or “parts” work has enabled Biz to grow 

·      The one major theme that consistently comes up as a challenge for clients from all works of life

·      Why self-compassion is such a challenge, especially for highly sensitive women

·      The ways in which self-compassion—or the lack of it—can affect our relationships with others

·      The lies our inner critic tells us in an attempt to protect us from painful feelings 

·      The advantage of feeling compassion for, instead of judging, our younger selves

·      The simple practice that Biz uses to recenter herself when that ultra-critical voice tries to sneak in and be heard

·      How to find a community of women who understand what it is like to be highly sensitive

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✨ In this soul-nourishing solo journey of Awaken Your Wise Woman, Elizabeth Cush invites us to step into the sacred space within, where our wounded inner child still longs to be seen and held. With the gentle guidance of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the powerful magic of parts work, Biz illuminates how the echoes of unmet emotional needs from childhood give rise to protective parts—like the inner critic, people pleaser, and perfectionist. These parts, though forged in pain, carry ancient wisdom and deep longing. With tenderness and compassion, we’re reminded that healing begins when we listen to these parts with love and curiosity, honoring the divine intelligence they bring.

🌿 As the episode unfolds, Biz weaves a connection between emotional wounds and the body's whispers—those chronic conditions that ask us to slow down and listen more deeply. She offers soft, grounded practices—like mindful moments in nature and sacred self-care rituals—that bring us back into harmony with ourselves. In this warm, heart-led episode, we are reminded that we don’t have to earn our worth or prove our value. We are already whole. Healing happens when we turn inward with reverence, recognizing that every part of us holds a piece of the divine. 🌀💗

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In this soulful episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, Elizabeth Cush invites highly sensitive women to lovingly attune to their inner worlds amidst the noise and intensity of the outer one. With heartfelt vulnerability, she shares how deeply the current state of the world can impact sensitive souls and emphasizes the importance of creating sacred space for grounding, rest, and energetic realignment. From placing hands on the heart to daily chakra meditations and basking in the imagined warmth of sunlight, Elizabeth offers nourishing rituals that allow women to anchor themselves in compassion and presence. She speaks of energetic hygiene not as a luxury, but as a necessity for showing up in the world as radiant, heart-centered beings.

Tapping into her intuitive gifts, Elizabeth also shares her Reiki practice and visualizations to channel healing light through the crown chakra and down through the body, helping listeners reconnect with divine flow. She highlights the transformative power of nature, rest, hydration, and soul-aligned community—reminding us that we are our own greatest resource. This episode is a gentle yet powerful call to honor your sensitive spirit, to soften into your body, and to reclaim your energy as sacred. As we awaken our inner wise woman, we remember that our sensitivity is not a burden—but a beacon of light needed in this shifting world.

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What does it mean to finally live as your true self—after decades of hiding? In this powerful episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush welcomes Wendy Cole, a transgender woman who transitioned at the age of 67. Wendy shares her deeply personal journey, from knowing she was a girl at a young age to navigating a lifetime of societal expectations and denial. Together, they explore the emotional and spiritual impact of living inauthentically, the inner strength required to claim your truth later in life, and the healing that comes from being seen and accepted as you are.

The conversation goes beyond gender to touch on universal themes of identity, courage, and transformation. Wendy speaks candidly about the psychological toll of suppressing her truth, the joy and freedom of transition, and the importance of safe, supportive communities. Elizabeth and Wendy also discuss the myths and misunderstandings around being transgender, the critical difference between gender identity and expression, and why it’s never too late to make life-affirming change. This episode is a moving reminder that authenticity is always worth the risk—and that becoming who you truly are is an act of profound liberation.

 

You can find the full show notes and resources here- https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/podcast-awaken-your-wise-woman-all/transitioning-at-midlife 

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What does it take to walk away from the life you’ve known in order to live more authentically? In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush (licensed therapist and soul support for highly sensitive women) talks with Suzette Mullen, author of The Only Way Through Is Out. After decades of marriage and raising two sons, Suzette came out in midlife—a shift sparked through the process of writing her memoir. Together, they explore what it means to find your voice, take agency over your life, and follow a path that aligns with your truth, even when it feels scary or uncertain.

The conversation dives into themes of identity, courage, and the grief that can accompany deep personal change. Suzette shares how stepping into her truth required listening to herself in a way she hadn’t before—and trusting that voice. Elizabeth and Suzette talk about the unique challenges women face in midlife, the societal pressures that can hold us back, and the importance of finding support from those who see and honor us. Whether you're navigating a life transition or simply asking deeper questions about who you are, this episode reminds us that it’s never too late to live more fully, freely, and authentically.

 

You can find the full show notes and resources mentioned in the podcast here- https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/podcast-awaken-your-wise-woman-all/coming-out-in-midlife

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If you crave authentic connections with other highly sensitive women, listen to this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast as host Elizabeth Cush talks about building and sustaining a supportive community.  

“It's amazing to me that the space can hold women who have never met before, and they come away from it feeling as if deep connections were made.” — Biz Cush

Few things in life feel as wonderful as connecting with someone who really gets you. It can feel comforting, validating and exhilarating all at once. But for highly sensitive women, it can be difficult to find those people who understand us and cherish our gifts of sensitivity. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a soul support for highly sensitive women, talks about making those connections and building a community of like-minded women—and how you can be a part of it.

Find the full show notes and resources for the highly senstive meet-ups for women here- https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast 

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