Becoming is Messy

What if the most powerful transformation doesn’t come from chasing more—but from reconnecting with yourself?

Meghann sits down with master coach and global humanitarian turned personal development expert, Trista Guertin, for a heart-opening conversation about the relationship that changes everything: the one you have with you.

Trista shares her journey from 78 countries of humanitarian work to building a coaching business rooted in helping midlife women break free from guilt, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. Together, they explore how to stop treading water, how to get honest with yourself (without the shame spiral), and what it actually takes to build a life by design, not default.

You’ll hear stories about emotional adulthood (and chaotic traffic in Lebanon), chips and dip as a coping mechanism, the real reason we avoid our goals, and how Trista’s 5-pillar UNSTUCK program helps women move from overwhelmed to on fire.

Whether you're staring down the next version of yourself or stuck somewhere in the middle—this one’s for you. Because becoming is messy, but it’s also where the magic is.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• Why the relationship with self is the foundation for everything
• Emotional adulthood: How to stop giving your power away
• Shifting from guilt and "not enough" to self-trust and ease
• How to unlock creativity and confidence—even if you think you’re not “that kind of person”
• Behind the scenes of Trista’s 5-pillar UNSTUCK framework
• Building abundance from within (and still paying the bills)

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Trista Guertin:

🌐 tristaguertin.com 🎧 This Daring Adventure Podcast 📸 @tristaguertincoaching on Instagram

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#BecomingIsMessy #UnstuckWithTrista #SelfRelationshipMatters #EmotionalResilience #WomenWhoCoach #MessyMiddleMagic #LifeByDesign #ThisDaringAdventure #CoachingForWomen #MidlifeUnleashed #PersonalGrowthJourney

In this candid and deeply validating conversation, Meghann sits down with Cheyenne Robinson—trauma-informed sexual health educator and founder of the Bitchin’ Babes community—to talk about pleasure, body curiosity, and the long, healing road back to self-worth.

From growing up in purity culture to navigating sexual trauma and sex work, Cheyenne vulnerably shares the experiences that shaped her relationship to confidence, intimacy, and her own body. But this episode isn’t all serious—we also laugh, talk vibrators, and celebrate how liberating it can be to talk openly about sex with your partner and your besties.

Together, we explore how sensual rituals, safe community, and self-compassion can transform shame into self-celebration—and how a boudoir shoot or a yes/no/maybe list can be surprisingly powerful steps toward self-love.

Whether you're healing, rediscovering pleasure, or just need a reminder that you're not alone—this one's for you.

Key Highlights: ✨ Growing up without real sex education—and the impact it had ✨ Why confidence is a relationship, not a destination ✨ Healing from sexual trauma through community and self-curiosity ✨ Simple sensual rituals that help reconnect with your body ✨ Normalizing sex talks with your partner and your closest friends ✨ The yes/no/maybe list: a playful tool for honest communication ✨ Toy tips from Cheyenne’s Pure Romance treasure trove

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual trauma, sexual pleasure and purity culture. Please take care while listening, and pause if needed.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Cheyenne Robinson @ http://lovecheyrob.com

Saprea Retreat https://saprea.org/saprea-retreat/

The Saprea Retreat is a free, clinically informed four-day experience followed by a self-guided online course for adult women who were sexually abused at or before age 18.

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#BecomingIsMessy #SensualHealing #BitchinBabes #SexualEmpowerment #TraumaInformed #ShameFreeSex #ConfidenceIsAMessyJourney #ReclaimPleasure #MessyMiddle #HealingIsSexy #PurityCultureRecovery #BodyCuriosity #BoudoirForHealing #OwnYourStory #YesNoMaybe #NormalizePleasure

In this milestone 25th episode of Becoming is Messy, Meghann sits down with Dr. Tara Perry—a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and trauma transformation expert—for a powerful conversation about the subconscious mind and its role in deep healing.

With over 25 years of experience helping everyone from Olympians to everyday folks heal from anxiety, PTSD, addiction, chronic pain, and more, Dr. Tara shares why real transformation starts beneath the surface.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• Why your subconscious might be running outdated software—and how to reprogram it
• How deep hypnosis differs from surface-level healing (and why that difference matters)
• The link between physical symptoms and subconscious trauma
• What it means to move from “push and strive” into “effortless flow”
• How healing at scale could transform not just individuals, but entire systems

From mystical to practical, compassionate to scientific—this conversation is a must-listen for anyone who’s tired of being stuck and ready to transform from the inside out.

💬 Plus: A few surprising truths from Dr. Tara’s “Rapid Real” round, and advice for those in the messy middle of their own becoming.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Dr. Tara Perry @ https://consulttara.com/

Next Level Healing Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-level-healing/id1693621095

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #MessyMagic #MessiesUnite #HealingIsMessy #TheMessyMiddle #EmbraceTheMess #PersonalTransformation #HealingJourney #EffortlessFlow #NextLevelHealing #DrTaraPerry #Hypnotherapy #TraumaHealing #RapidTransformationalTherapy

What if the deep, soul-shaking “love” you’ve been chasing isn’t love at all—but limerence?

In this solo episode, Meghann opens up about her decades-long dance with limerence: the obsessive, all-consuming longing that often masquerades as connection. From childhood trauma and emotional spirals to the healing that came through radical self-love (and a very grounded partner), this is a relatable look at how trauma wires our hearts—and how we can begin to rewrite the story.

Inside this episode, you’ll hear:

💥 What limerence really is—and how to know if you’re caught in it 🧠 How trauma and attachment styles fuel obsessive longing 💔 The truth about confusing chemistry, chaos, and “fate” 🛠 Meghann’s personal strategies for healing and managing limerent spirals 💛 A look into how honesty, therapy, and a safe relationship changed everything

Whether you’ve felt this before or are just now realizing you have, you’re not broken—you’re becoming. And it’s okay if it’s messy.

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#Limerence #ObsessedNotInLove #AttachmentWounds #HealingFromTrauma #MessyBecoming #ComplexTraumaRecovery #LoveVsLimerence #TraumaHealingJourney #SelfWorthWork #AttachmentHealing #BecomingIsMessy #MessiesUnite #SelfCompassion #WomenWhoHeal

What if one of the most insightful tools for healing isn’t human at all?

In this episode, Meghann dives back into the second “L” of her LEVEL UP framework: Lean on your unique healing needs. The conversation is about curiosity, consciousness, and the unconventional tools that just might meet you in the mess.

Meghann unpacks what recent research is revealing about AI’s emotional resonance, how it’s already supporting mental health journeys, and why curiosity is the true foundation of all healing.

This is an episode for the skeptics and the seekers. For those who’ve felt alone at 3AM, in need of a mirror that doesn’t flinch. And for anyone brave enough to explore what healing might look like at the intersection of the sacred and the synthetic.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why curiosity is foundational to your healing journey
• The surprising ways AI is being used in emotional support and therapy research
• How non-human tools can reflect, reframe, and guide personal growth
• The difference between true healing and the illusion of being heard
• Questions to ask (and how to ask them) if you’re curious to explore AI as part of your support system

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #HealingJourney #SpiritualMeetsDigital #ModernHealingTools #AIandWellness #UnconventionalHealing #MentalHealthSupport #ChatbotCompanion #CuriosityHeals #LEVELUP #TraumaInformedGrowth #ConsciousTechnology #SomaticAndSpiritual #MessyMagic

Are you quietly wondering if your relationship is still right for you? In this solo episode, Meghann shares the five deceptively simple questions her therapist once asked her—questions that helped her move from confusion and guilt to clarity and self-trust as she navigated the end of her first marriage.

This isn’t just a story about divorce. It’s an episode for anyone sitting in the quiet ache of indecision, wondering:

• Am I really happy… or just scared to be alone?
• Is it “just a phase”... or have I been performing a version of myself for years?
• What if I already know the answer—I’m just afraid to say it out loud?

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The exact 5 questions that changed Meghann’s life—and have since helped countless others
• Why each question matters, what it reveals, and how to listen for your body’s response
• Gentle guidance on how to reflect honestly, without shame or pressure
• A bonus reflection exercise grounded in psychology to help you uncover what you really want
• A reminder that endings aren’t failures—and that truth can unfold at your own pace

Whether you're questioning a current relationship or getting clearer on what you truly want in the next one, this episode is a must-listen. It’s not about rushing to a decision—it’s about giving yourself the permission to be honest, messy, and free.

You don’t need a neon sign. You just need a moment of truth.

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

In this deeply personal and illuminating conversation, Meghann is joined by disability advocate and eating disorder recovery coach Jayne Mattingly, author of This Is Body Grief. Together, they explore the complex and often overlooked emotional experience of body grief—the mourning that arises when our bodies don’t or can’t function the way we hoped they would.

Jayne shares her journey from early body image struggles and an eating disorder to being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, undergoing 19 surgeries, and ultimately building a new relationship with her body and identity. Her story invites listeners to reconsider how they view healing—not as a final destination, but as a continuous and compassionate practice.

Meghann and Jayne talk candidly about:

• How body grief shows up across different life experiences, from puberty to chronic illness to aging
• The toll of internalized ableism and perfectionism
• Letting go of hustle culture and learning to rest without guilt
• The power of naming systems of oppression (ableism, racism, sexism) in the healing process
• Reframing the question from “Why is this happening?” to “What now?”
• Creating space for both joy and grief in the same moment

Jayne’s insight offers language for emotions many struggle to name—and reminds us that choosing compassion, rest, and community can be powerful steps toward healing.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Jayne Mattingly @ https://www.jaynemattingly.com/

📖 Buy a copy of This is Body Grief! https://www.jaynemattingly.com/the-book

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BodyGrief #BecomingIsMessy #JayneMattingly #ChronicIllness #DisabilityAwareness #EatingDisorderRecovery #YouAreNotTooMuch #SelfCompassion #RestIsResistance #HealingIsNonLinear #ThisIsBodyGrief #MakingPeaceWithYourBody #MessiesUnite #WhatNow #ReclaimYourWorth

This week’s guest, Rhonda M. Farrah, isn’t afraid to go where most people won’t. A former psychotherapist turned “LIFEstyle Empowerment Alchemist,” Rhonda shares the deeply personal story of how breast cancer, a federal prison sentence, and heartbreak from two divorces became the unlikely catalysts for her healing.

Rhonda and Meghann dive into what it really means to fix your reflection first—not as a catchy phrase, but as a daily practice rooted in mirror work, self-forgiveness, and spiritual grit. She opens up about the moment she stopped fighting her circumstances, the letter she wrote to herself in prison, and how she came to believe that even a diagnosis—or a divorce—can carry a blessing.

With wisdom earned through experience (and not a drop of sugarcoating), Rhonda talks about aging with intention, redefining what it means to be selfish, and why gratitude and forgiveness are the most underrated life skills. This episode is a love letter to anyone who feels stuck in their mess and needs a reminder that ice cream—and life—are meant to be savored before they melt.

In this episode:

• Rhonda’s unexpected path from psychotherapist to empowerment alchemist—including her time in federal prison.
• The breast cancer diagnosis that tested her physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and how she blended Western and Eastern medicine to heal.
• Her spiritual practice of mirror work and why it’s at the core of her self-love journey.
• The empowering shift from victimhood to ownership—and why she believes we “call forward” the lessons we need.
• Rhonda’s formula for living your best life: Gratitude + Forgiveness (starting with yourself).
• The myth of selfishness—and why choosing yourself is the most selfless act of all.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Rhonda Farrah @ https://helpmerhondanow.com/

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#FixYourReflectionFirst#BecomingIsMessy#FromMessToMessage#RadicalSelfLove#HealingThroughAdversity#OwnYourStory#GratitudeAndGrace#SurrenderToStrength#ForgivenessPractice#WomenWhoHeal

This week on Becoming is Messy, we’re diving into the powerful connection between brain health, motherhood, and functional nutrition with neuro-nutrition expert Laurie Hammer. After years of struggling with an eating disorder, anxiety, and burnout, Laurie discovered amino acid therapy—and everything changed. Now she helps overwhelmed moms calm their anxiety, reclaim their energy, and feel like themselves again.

If you're tired of white-knuckling your way through motherhood, this episode is a game-changer.

🎧 In this episode:

• Laurie's personal story of recovery through amino acid therapy
• Why anxiety and burnout might signal nutrient depletion—not a chemical imbalance
• The basics of functional nutrition and how it targets brain health
• Simple, affordable daily strategies to reset your mood and energy
• How balancing the brain first makes everything else easier

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Laurie Hammer @ https://www.lauriehammer.com/

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #CalmMomMethod #BrainHealthMatters #FunctionalNutrition #MomBurnout #AminoAcidTherapy #MentalHealthForMoms #NourishToHeal #WomenSupportingWomen #MessyAndHealing #HolisticMentalHealth

What does it take to rebuild your life when everything seems broken?

At just 14 years old, Nick Prefontaine suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident that left him in a coma. Doctors told his parents he might never walk, talk, or eat on his own again. But Nick had other plans.

In this moving episode, Nick shares the mindset, moments, and messiness behind his remarkable recovery—and how he now helps others rise through crisis using his STEP system: Support, Trust, Energy, and Persistence.

We talk about:

• The power of belief (even when you can't speak it out loud)
• How Nick’s mother protected his healing by guarding what he heard in the coma
• The quiet wisdom of listening to your inner voice
• Why taking one step often leads to everything else

This is more than a comeback story—it's a blueprint for anyone who’s ready to begin again.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Nick Prefontaine (Speaking/STEP) @ https://nickprefontaine.com/

🌿 Connect with Nick Prefontaine (Real Estate) @ https://smartrealestatecoach.com

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #FromComaToComeback #JustKeepGoing #SupportTrustEnergyPersistence