Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness

Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness

By Laurie James - Podcaster, Author, Somatic Practitioner and CoachSociety & CultureHealth & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-ImprovementRelationships
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Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness episodes

  • How Nervous System Regulation Creates Emotional Safety and Secure Attachment with Jessica Bishop

    Do you ever feel like your body is reacting for you—especially in moments of stress or around certain people?

    In this powerful episode, I sit down with Jessica Bishop, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Yoga Teacher, to dive into her personal journey of healing anxiety, nervous system regulation, and living with essential tremors. Jess shares her experience of relying on medication for years, and how somatic healing and learning to regulate her nervous system not only transformed her physical symptoms, it changed the way she relates and shows up with others.

    We explore how Jess's essential tremors, panic attacks, and chronic anxiety once controlled her life—and how somatic practices, emotional regulation, and embodiment  brought real, lasting anxiety relief. She talks about how she reduced her need for medication, left an unhealthy marriage, and learned about secure attachment, leading to a healthier relationship and a deeper sense of emotional safety in her body.

    This conversation gently unveils how body-based therapy and somatic practices can heal trauma, transform anxiety, and reshape the relationships you attract—starting with the relationship you have with your own body.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Simple somatic tools for healing anxiety and stress
    • The power of emotional safety in trauma recovery
      How somatic practices help regulate your nervous system and stress response.
    • What it feels like to experience secure attachment in your body
    • How nervous system regulation can support healthier relationships
    • The difference between intellectual awareness and embodied awareness. 
    • Why yoga is often the gateway practice into somatic experiencing. 
    • How to tell the difference between a "threat response" and the feeling of "butterflies"

    If you’re on a journey to trust your body again or notice how your relationships impact your nervous system, you’re not alone. Your body has wisdom, and as you create more safety, it has the potential to change.

    Much love,

    Laurie


    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website

    Connect with Jessica Bishop

    Instagram

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    33 min
  • How Trauma Responses Lead to People-Pleasing and How to Start Healing with Kati Morton

    Have you ever felt lost after putting all your effort into pleasing others? 
    Maybe you’ve spent years being the responsible one, the strong one, the helper, the one who “just handles it”… until one day you wake up and feel hollow. Exhausted.  Disconnected from the person you used to be.

    Maybe you’ve spent years trying to “doing it all”,  only to wake up one day and wonder where you lost yourself along the way? 

    In this episode, I sit down with Kati Morton, licensed therapist, author, and one of the most trusted mental health voices online. Her new book, Why Do I Keep Doing This?, dives into the emotional and nervous system patterns that keep us stuck in cycles of people-pleasing, low self-esteem, overgiving, perfectionism, and self-abandonment.

    Together, we explore how unresolved trauma responses shape our beliefs about love, worth, confidence, and why so many of us feel like we need to be “good” or “please others” to feel safe. Together Kati and I discuss what a fawn response is,  the deeper reasons why we fawn or people-please and the emotional cost it takes on us.

    You’ll learn:

    • Why people pleasing begins as a survival strategy
    • Why rebuilding self worth is about changing patterns
    • What your inner critic is trying to protect you from
    • How to spot patterns that lead to burnout and resentment
    • Why confidence grows through small acts of self trust
    • The difference between guilt and false guilt in boundary setting
    • How somatic practices support healing and resilience
    • Practical tools to regulate stress and shift old patterns

    If you’re in a season of personal growth, or if you’re tired of feeling exhausted, overlooked, or in cycles of self-doubt, this episode will offer compassion, clarity, and a path home to yourself.
    Tune in. This conversation is a breath of fresh air for anyone ready to reclaim the parts of themselves they had to hide to survive.

    Much love,
    Laurie


    Click here to sign up for my "FREE Online Somatic Workshop - Find Your Calm During the Holidays" on Thursday, Dec 4th at 4 PST 

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website

    Connect with Kati Morton

    Instagram

    Website

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    46 min
  • How to Navigate Grief During Holidays with More Ease and Grace with Barri Grant

    Does your heart feel heavier this time of year? 

    Maybe you're missing someone who's no longer here…or carrying a quiet ache that’s lingering and hard to name. When the world is celebrating, it can feel lonely to carry sadness that doesn’t have a clear place to land.

    In this episode, I’m joined by Barri Grant, certified grief coach and founder of The Memory Circle—a woman who has turned her own profound losses into a compassionate, grounded space for others to heal. After losing her mother at 27 and later her father to Alzheimer’s, Barri has walked the kind of path that reshapes you from the inside out. Her work offers tender, tangible support for anyone navigating holiday grief and why nervous system regulation is such a powerful companion to grief work, especially during the holiday season when emotions tend to intensify.

    You’ll hear reflections on being a grieving parent, remothering your inner child, and creating grief rituals that help you feel more connected.

    You’ll learn:

    • How to honor your grief without minimizing or explaining it to family members
    • What makes somatic healing helpful when you are experiencing emotional pain
    • Why the 5 stages of grief often miss the mark when it comes to healing
    • How to create small grief rituals that help you feel more connected to loved ones who have passed
    • How expressive writing can be a safe place for release
    • What grief coaching offers that therapy sometimes doesn’t
    • New holiday traditions that can support your emotional healing

    However your grief during the holidays shows up—loud, quiet, messy, or soft—there is room for it here. You’re not alone.

    Much love,

    Laurie

     

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website

    Connect with Barri Grant

    Instagram

    Website

    Facebook



    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    53 min
  • How to Reclaim Financial Empowerment When Every Financial Decision Feels Risky with Shannon Ryan

    Have you ever stopped to think about the relationship you have with money, not just your budget or bank balance, but the emotions that shape your financial choices?

    Even though money looks logical on paper, the truth is most of our financial decisions come from our emotional state—shaped by the families we grew up in, what we witnessed, and what we learned about having “enough.”

    In this powerful episode, I sit down with Shannon Ryan, Certified Financial Planner, TEDx speaker, and author of Your Money Has Feelings. With over 30 years of experience guiding people through financial change, Shannon brings warmth and compassion to a topic that often feels shame-filled or overwhelming. Her approach blends personal finance and emotional well-being in a way that might shift how you relate to money for good.

    We explore:

    • How early family patterns create emotional “scar tissue” around money—and how that shows up now
    • Why women often carry unhealed money fears during midlife transitions
    • How your nervous system responds to money stress—and what helps calm it
    • Why financial security after divorce can feel like an emotional minefield
    • The sneaky money beliefs that keep you stuck in scarcity
    • What real financial empowerment looks like (hint: it’s not just numbers)

    If you’re rebuilding after a breakup, reentering the workforce, or just trying to feel safer and more confident with money, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, grounded, and hopeful.

    You’re not broken, you’re just taking the next right step.

    Here’s to trusting yourself, and trusting the next right step.

    Laurie

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website


    Connect with Shannon Ryan

    Your Money Has Feelings Book

    Website

    LinkedIn

    Instagram

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    41 min
  • Feeling Burned Out? The Overlooked Signs of Betrayal You Need to Know with Lora Cheadle

    Have you spent years doing everything “right”? Building your career, caring for others, keeping things together and still feel like something is off? 

    Maybe it’s a quiet ache you can’t shake. 

    That pull between might not be burnout at all. It might be a kind of betrayal you didn’t know you were carrying.

    In this episode, I sit down with Lora Cheadle, author, speaker, and betrayal recovery coach. Lora’s story began with infidelity but led her deeper into the world of nervous system regulation, and the rebuilding of her self-worth. Lora brings a lived understanding of how our bodies often speak the truth before we can put them into words.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How societal expectations and perfectionism can cause emotional exhaustion and disconnection, especially in high-achieving women.
    • What happens to your nervous system when you live in survival mode for too long and how self-betrayal becomes a coping mechanism.
    • How to tell when your burnout symptoms are signs of deeper misalignment
    • What your body is communicating through tension, fatigue, and restlessness.
    • How expectation management can shift long-standing relationship dynamics
    • Simple somatic tools to support nervous system balance and recovery.
    • Ways to rebuild trust with yourself through internal validation instead of outside approval

    This conversation is a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and remember that you’re not broken. You’re human and you’re learning, healing, and coming home to yourself, one sensation at a time.

    Here’s to honoring what your body already knows,

    Laurie


    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website


    Connect with Lora Chaedle

    Website



    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    52 min
  • How Embracing Imperfection and Self-Discovery Can Release Creative Blocks with Kevin Murphy

    You might’ve grown up believing you weren’t the “creative type.”

    Maybe someone told you your art wasn’t good enough, or life pulled you toward what felt practical. After years of raising kids, caregiving, working, or just keeping things afloat, your creative side may have faded into the background.

    But creativity never left — it’s simply waiting for you to notice it again.

    In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Murphy, master illustrator, portrait artist, and founder of Evolve Artist, whose work has appeared in National Geographic and Rolling Stone. From freezing construction jobs to stay-at-home dad life and a thriving art career, Kevin’s self-discovery journey is both real and inspiring.

    What makes his story powerful isn’t just his success — it’s his belief that creativity isn’t about talent. It’s about process, attention, and learning to see differently.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why the creative mindset is something you can build at any stage
    • How creativity myths keep us disconnected from our full selves
    • Why painting for beginners is about trust, not talent
    • A grounded way to move through creative blocks
    • How artistic confidence grows from structure, not pressure
    • The link between somatic healing and creative practice
    • How to use art as hands-on learning and inner quiet
    • First steps to begin learning to draw, even if you never have before

    If you’ve been craving stillness, a new outlet, or a way to reconnect with the part of you that used to love creating — this is your gentle reminder: you were always creative. You just forgot to call it that.

    Here’s to creating what calls to you,
    Laurie


    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 


    Free Resources:

    Schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website


    Connect with Kevin Murphy

    Click here to watch This or That: How to See Like an Artist and Start Painting with Confidence

    Website 

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    1 hr
  • How to Feel Confident and Find a Healthy Relationship Dating in Midlife

    Dating in midlife isn’t for the faint of heart. Maybe your marriage or a long-term relationship ended, you’ve healed, and now you’re ready to date again—only to ride a rollercoaster of hope, disappointment, or those “fetal position on your bed” moments we don’t always admit. 

    But what if dating wasn’t about forcing it or giving up—what if it was about trusting yourself, slowing down, and staying rooted in your worth? 

    In this episode, I’m joined by Heidi Friedman—an accomplished attorney, writer, and debut author of Love Lessons. After surviving 104 dates (yes, you read that right), Heidi found her “do-over”—a healthy relationship built on mutual respect, care, and real connection. Her journey from single mom to thriving in love is both relatable and inspiring.

    We dive into the emotional reality of dating in midlife—what it takes to stay intentional, hold clear relationship expectations, why “don’t settle” isn’t just a slogan, and how to hold onto hope when you’re a single mom dating. 

    You’ll learn:

    • If the 104 dates were worth it
    • Why “don’t settle” isn’t just a catchphrase and how to embody it
    • How to approach dating as a path to growth, not just a goal
    • The mindset shift that kept Heidi open to love
    • What intentional dating looks like in practice
    • The emotional toll dating can have and how to return to yourself
    • What emotional self-care looks like when dating feels discouraging
    • How self-work strengthens you for your future partner

    If you’ve ever wondered whether love is still possible for you, this conversation proves that it is—and that it can feel better, deeper, and more aligned than ever. 

    Whether you’re hopeful, healing, or exhausted by dating, this episode will remind you: you deserve love that feels like home. 

    Cheers to finding love,
    Laurie

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to receive my FREE “Girlfriends Guide to Online Dating”

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website

    Connect with Heidi Friedman
    Instagram

    Click here for Heidi Friedman’s Book

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    49 min
  • Why Your Texting Style Might Be a Problem in your Family Communication with Tammy Cohen

    Have you ever sent a text to your teen or college-aged kid and immediately wondered if they rolled their eyes when they read it? Maybe you’re trying to stay connected as they move across the country—or even just across the house. 

    If you’ve ever longed for a deeper bond with your child, this episode is for you.
    I’m joined by Tammy Cohen—speaker, author, founder of Women Beyond the Table, and mom of three sons. Tammy is also the author of Text Messages to My Sons, a heartfelt book born from her own journey of healing, reconnection, and reimagining what parenting looks like in the digital age.

    Tammy shares how she transformed her phone habits—from quick reminders and reprimands into intentional messages of love, gratitude, and presence. What began as a one-way practice during the pandemic grew into something much bigger: a pathway to emotional growth, mutual respect, and meaningful family communication.

    What you’ll learn in this episode:

    • Three simple parenting strategies to build daily digital connection with your kids—at any age
    • How intentional texting fosters emotional intelligence parenting and deeper family communication
    • Why parenting with empathy and vulnerability can support generational healing and transform the mother and son relationship
    • How your own personal growth can shift your family dynamic, even if you weren’t a perfect parent

    This episode is a reminder that every message is more than just words on a screen when it comes to connecting with teens or older children in today’s digital world. 

    Cheers to a deeper connection with your loved ones,
    Laurie


    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources
    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.
    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”
    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise
    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go
    Website

    Connect with Tammy Cohen
    Website
    Instagram
    Click here for a FREE Preview of Text Messages to My Sons: A Guide to Using Mobile Devices to Connect and Communicate with Your Kids

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    39 min
  • Overcome Common Dating Challenges and Learn how to achieve Emotional Connection with Bernardo Mendez

    Ever feel like you’re drawn to the wrong people—repeatedly? That pull isn’t random. It’s often old patterns and unhealed wounds running the show, not true safety or connection.

    If dating has left you feeling confused, overwhelmed, or ready to give up, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.

    In this episode, I sit down with Bernardo Mendez, relationship coach and creator of one of YouTube’s top dating advice channels, for a grounded look at what’s really happening beneath the surface—especially in dating in midlife. Using a neuroscience-based approach, Bern has helped hundreds of women move past subconscious patterns into healthier, more conscious connections.

    We talk about how unhealed wounds and nervous system triggers shape your choices in love. Bern shares what he’s learned from guiding women through heartbreak, healing, and aligned relationships. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too much,” “not enough,” or just tired of the same dating challenges, this one’s for you.

    You’ll learn:

    • Why nervous system regulation is key to attraction and lasting emotional connection
    • The difference between chemistry, fireworks, and trauma bonds
    • Why giving someone three dates can shift everything
    • What grounded dating expectations really look like
    • How to spot aligned relationship dynamics early
    • Why curiosity builds more safety than checklist energy
    • How to shift from surface traits to values that support personal growth

    Dating doesn’t have to feel like a loop of disappointment. If you’re ready to show up differently—and choose differently—this episode offers insight, tools, and hope for what’s ahead.

    Cheers to finding love,

    Laurie

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website

    Connect with Bernardo Mendez: 

    Website | YouTube | "What’s the #1 Reason You’re Single" Quiz

    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    45 min
  • 7 Intentional Steps for Emotional Well-Being After a Breakup - Solo Episode

    When a relationship ends, how do you really move through the grief—body, mind, and heart?

    In this solo episode, I share my own recent breakup story and how I used somatic practices to walk through the grief process. Because here’s the thing: heartbreak isn’t just emotional—it’s physical too. Our bodies feel the loss, and somatic healing tools can help us soften, ground, and gently move through it.

    As a somatic practitioner, I walk you through seven intentional steps that helped me stay present with my feelings and sensations using somatic healing practices and nervous system regulation, so I could process the loss with more awareness, compassion, and even a little ease.

    In this conversation, you’ll learn:

    • Why feeling your emotions in small, digestible doses makes heartbreak healing manageable.
    • Simple ways to create a safe environment that soothes both body and mind during relationship healing.
    • The choices that helped me build emotional resilience through somatic awareness
    • How a steady routine helps regulate the nervous system.
    • The value of working with a trusted somatic practitioner to ease rumination.
    • How to protect your energy and set boundaries as you begin dating after a breakup.
    • Finding the sweet spot between solitude and connection so you don’t spiral into isolation.
    • The secure attachment signs to notice when forming new relationships.
    • What it looks like to truly process grief so you can welcome healthier connections.


    If you’re moving through the end of a relationship—or still carrying the echoes of one—this episode is your reminder: healing is not only possible, it can feel lighter and more embodied with the right tools and support.

    Much love,


    Laurie

    Click here for a video on how to leave a review to receive a free somatic stabilization/grounding exercise. The podcast graphic is different from the current one. Once you complete it and send me a picture I will send you the video. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you in advance. 

    Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

    Free Resources

    Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

    Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

    Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

    Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

    Website



    Please leave me feedback. I cannot respond so if you'd like me to respond, please leave your email

    ***********************
    DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

    22 min

About Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness

From the publisher's feed

Are you somewhere in the middle of your life wondering — is this all there is?


Maybe you've spent decades putting everyone else first. Maybe you're navigating divorce,…

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