Broken to Brave | Guiding you to heal & break free from anxiety

Losing a friendship can leave you questioning things you thought you already knew about yourself, whether you're likeable, whether you're allowed to take up space, whether the people you love will actually stick around.

I'm talking with Kate Luman, founder of The Little Bench Project, woodworker and printer, and operations manager at Alliance Graphics, about the friendships she lost and the belief she carried for years that she had to stay in line and be exactly who people expected in order to keep them. We talk about what BRAVE-cation cracked open in her, the moment she finally let herself be seen as she actually is, and how she rebuilt her trust in herself and in real connection.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The belief that if she wasn't what people expected, she'd lose them, and where that belief came from.
• The friendship loss that seemed to confirm everything she was afraid of.
• What actually rebuilt her trust in herself and in the relationships she has now.

Connect with Kate:
Website https://www.little-benches.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thelittlebenchproject/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587877611634

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

Interested in learning more about The Little Bench Project? Check out https://www.little-benches.com

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

There is a version of you that has been holding something in for so long it stops feeling like holding. It just feels normal.

Today I'm talking with Cassie about the shame cycle she carried for years, the people-pleasing that kept it in place, and the moment she finally stopped avoiding the thing she needed to say. We talk about what it looks like to trust a process that isn't showing results yet, and what happens in your body when you keep swallowing your own voice instead of using it.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• The shame cycle Cassie carried and how people-pleasing kept her stuck inside it
• What her body was trying to tell her before she recognized it
• The moment she finally said the thing, and what shifted for her after

Connect with Cassie:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coachcasswellness/

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

Welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Jenn Markiewicz. Last week, we replayed her original interview from two years ago to look back at where her inner work journey began. Today, Jenn is back to share a beautiful, grounded update on what has shifted after three years of dedication to her healing.

It is easy to get stuck in a loop of fighting life, constantly searching for the exact "how" and "why" because moving forward without total control feels too unsafe. There is often a deep fear that if the armor comes down, or if the less-than-shiny parts of life are exposed, the people around us will judge us or use it against us. This conversation explores the profound shift that happens when the focus turns inward, allowing heavy, suppressed emotions to finally move through the body in a matter of minutes so that true self-trust can take its place.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Shifting from a pattern of constant control to deep intuitive surrender  
• How breaking through a creative block opens the path to deeper healing  
• The impact of modeling accountability and non-defensive communication within relationships 

Connect with Jenn:
Instagram www.instagram.com/friendjenn
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-markiewicz

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

Two years ago, I sat down with Jenn Marowitz for an incredibly powerful conversation about healing, vulnerability, and what happens when the armor finally comes down. Because of how much growth has happened since that day, this is a special two-part series. This episode is Part 1, where I am replaying that original, profound interview to anchor us in where this journey began. 

This conversation explores the reality of anxiety when it is driven by a constant pressure to meet everyone else's expectations and maintain total control. I walk through the deep guilt that often arises when choosing to prioritize personal healing, and the profound emotional release that happens when a safe space is established to let go of old defenses. Next week, in Part 2, a brand-new interview will air to share an update on this ongoing journey of growth. 

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The pattern of using control to manage anxiety and please others 
• What happens during a deep emotional release when true safety is established 
• How reconnecting with the younger self restores self-confidence and self-acceptance 

Connect with Jenn:
Instagram www.instagram.com/friendjenn
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-markiewicz

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

When you were a kid, you probably knew exactly what you wanted to be. And then somewhere along the way, someone told you it wasn't realistic. It wouldn't make money. It wasn't a real job. So you found something more responsible, and the wanting quietly went somewhere you couldn't see it.

In this episode, I sit down with Cassandra Wilcox, who spent fifteen years building a tech career while carrying the belief that there was no future in art. We get into what happened when she stopped clinging to the things that weren't right for her out of fear that nothing else was coming, and what it felt like to finally let herself want the thing she wanted at four years old. It's also an honest look at the part nobody really talks about, the grief that shows up when you let go, and how strange it can feel to start receiving good things right when you finally make room for them.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why we cling to what isn't right for us when we're scared nothing else will come.
• What it looks like to come back to something you wanted long before you were told it wasn't realistic.
• Why letting good things in can feel as hard as letting other things go.

Connect with Cassandra:
Website: https://www.cassandrawilcoxart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casswilcoxart/ | https://www.instagram.com/cassandrawilcoxmusic/
You can purchase prints on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CassWilcoxArt or reach out for commissions on her website.

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

There is a question most of us stop asking somewhere along the way. Not "will this make me anxious," but "what do I actually want?" When you have been living with anxiety for a while, fear quietly becomes the thing you check in with first, the point you reference before you make any decision. And without really noticing, your life starts revolving around avoiding discomfort instead of moving toward what you want.

In this episode, I talk about how fast that happens and how easily it hides. The desire shows up first, and then comes the "but." I would love to travel, but. I would love to say what I really think, but. Over time, you stop hearing the desire at all and only hear the fear. This is not just a mindset habit; it is a nervous system pattern, which is why awareness alone has not been enough to change it. I share what actually starts to shift when fear stops getting the final vote, and what becomes available to you again when it does.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• How fear slips in before desire even gets a vote, often sounding reasonable or responsible.
• Why your world keeps getting smaller when safe becomes the deciding factor.
• What changes when nervous system healing makes new choices feel available again.

Interested in learning more about attending BRAVE-cation? DM the word RETREAT to me on Instagram or Facebook, or email the word RETREAT to [email protected]

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

From the outside, it can look like you have it all handled. The career, the family, the life you said you wanted. But underneath, something keeps breaking down, and it starts to feel like life is just happening to you.

In this episode, I sit down with Chelsea Litsey, who spent years high-functioning on the surface while her body was quietly falling apart. Autoimmune illness since she was nine, anxiety she had never felt before, and a rock bottom that finally made her stop pushing through. What she found when she looked underneath all of it surprised her, and it changed everything. We talk about what it really means when your body keeps screaming at you, and what becomes possible when you finally turn toward it instead of away.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• What happens in your body when you keep pushing through instead of listening.
• The connection between suppressed emotion, chronic illness, and anxiety.
• Why tying your worth to your work or your partner keeps you stuck.

Connect with Chelsea:
Website: https://www.chelsealitsey.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bizclaritycoach
Download Chelsea's meditations: https://meditations.chelsealitsey.com use the code BRAVE20 for a discount

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

There's a moment in the healing process that can stop everything. Not because something went wrong, but because the mind steps in with something that sounds completely reasonable. "Now isn't the right time." "I need to understand it more." "I'm too overwhelmed to start." Those phrases feel like honesty, like self-awareness even. But sometimes they're something else entirely.

In this episode, I'm walking through what's actually happening when we argue for the very things keeping us stuck. Every pattern gives us something, even the ones we say we want to change. Getting curious about what that is, that's where real movement begins.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why the nervous system defends familiar patterns, even painful ones.
• The hidden payoff inside anxiety, overthinking, people-pleasing, and hypervigilance.
• What shifts when you stop asking "what's wrong with me" and start asking "what has this been protecting me from".

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

There's something most people don't realize they're doing. They're speaking to their fear, their anxiety, their scared parts, in a way that's actually making everything worse.

I'm walking through what happens when those anxious parts of you get met with frustration instead of understanding. Why minimizing what you're feeling, or telling yourself it's not a big deal, tends to turn the volume up, not down, and what shifts when you start to notice that pattern.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why speaking harshly to your anxious parts intensifies the thoughts and sensations.
• The difference between dismissing fear and actually working with it.
• What it looks like to respond to yourself the way you'd respond to someone you care about.

Did you miss the Anxiety Relief Experience? For a limited period of time, you can see the replay here: https://www.brave-method.com/anxiety-relief-experience

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com

Some of us are really good at looking fine. We keep moving, keep achieving, keep showing up, and we get so good at it that even we start to believe the story we're telling. But underneath that, Jen was doing what so many of us do: shoving it all down and powering through.

In this episode, I sit down with Jen Armistead to talk about what it actually looks like to rebuild your life more than once. Cancer in her early 30s. Divorce. A cross-country move as a single mom, barely making ends meet. And then, just when things finally felt steady, her agency was shut down overnight. What's remarkable isn't the list of things she survived. It's how differently she met each one as she did the inner work.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• The default setting of pushing through and what it costs you physically, emotionally, and mentally.
• Why grief forced Jen to stop solving and start feeling.
• How a daily yoga practice became the first place she could just breathe.
• What it means to be a beginner again and why that willingness changes everything.
• How to recognize when something is slowly draining you and what it takes to finally listen.

Connect with Jen:
Website: https://www.yogaendeavour.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogaendeavour
Free 5-Day Series - The Breath Shift: https://www.yogaendeavour.com/breath

______________________________________

[FREE TRAINING]
How high-achieving women can
DITCH anxiety in as little as five minutes a day
www.brave-method.com/anxiety

[FREE CALL]
Book a free call to ask me questions directly and see
if we are a fit for working together.
www.bravemethod.com/book

[RESULTS]
Which of these results do you want and inspire you the most?
www.brave-method.com/testimonials

💗 Dr. Steph
@DrStephanieLopez
www.brave-method.com