Ease and Grow
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Ease and Grow episodes

  • 32. Getting out of a negative spiral 🌀: rumination, self-reflection and tools to help

    In this episode, I talk about how we get into negative spirals and share tips to get into an upward spiral. I share my recent experiences with rumination and the difference between rumination and self-reflection. I hope its helpful for you! 💗

    I mention:

    • Abraham Hicks Pivoting method
    • Insight Timer
    • 24. How to actually feel your feelings episode

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!
    • Leave us a rating & review!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    34 min
  • 31. The art of having your own back: self-compassion and mindfulness 💕

    Sharing what's been helping me feeling better lately and how self-compassion and being cognizant of my thoughts have been two key factors. I hope its helpful for you too! 💗

    Apologies for the raw episode again as I get my laptop sorted!

    I mention:

    • TBM
    • Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion teacher
    • Bridgerton

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!
    • Leave us a rating & review!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    24 min
  • 30. Unlearning Perfectionism with Therapist Atim Bassey 📝: IFS parts work and how to heal

    In this episode, I chat with Atim Bassey, LCSW-C, an amazing therapist and my real life cousin, all about perfectionism (something i've been living with my whole life!). 

    We talk about why we fall into perfectionist thinking, how somatic therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) work can help us heal, some of my personal experiences and challenges with perfectionism, how mindfulness and meditation has helped me, the importance of working with a therapist, intellectualization, processing our feelings, and so much more! If it was up to me, this could have easily been a 3 hour episode. It's is a juicy one, y'all!

    If you resonate with the perfectionism struggles of self-critical thoughts and holding yourself to unnecessary high standards, then I hope this episode gives you as much relief as it gave me and helps you see a path forward. Sending so much love! ❤️

    We mention:

    • No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz
    • Atim's last podcast episode: Ep 22. Confronting Codependency 
    • Handel group coaching
    • Heated Rivalry

    Connect with us:

    • Atim's Psychology Today Page
    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!
    • Leave us a rating & review!

    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    1 hr 32 min
  • 29. The mindset giving me peace right now: energetics of want vs. need

    Wisdom from my inner voice: “There's nothing you need to do, there may be things you want to do but that is different."

    Sharing about coming from a place of want instead of need and the relief I've felt with this new approach. 

    Apologies for the raw episode this week as I deal with some tech mishaps!

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    23 min
  • 28. My Surrender Era: Acceptance, detachment and trusting life

    “The only constant in life is change”

    Sharing about my current surrendered approach to life  for the month of October (and beyond?) after what felt like a year of striving and unforseen change.

    I mention:

    • Insight timer
    • The mountain is you by Brianna Wiest

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    33 min
  • 27. Why you gave up on your goal and how to move forward: debunking your excuses

    Get back on track with your goals with me and fellow goal-getters on Monday, July 28th at 7pm. It's free! Sign up for Reset to Rise - my free online mid-year reset workshop! ✨

    Join the waitlist for Cohort 2 of Momentum Magic Group Coaching this fall!

    In today's episode, I lovingly call you out on all of your excuses for why you can't make progress on the goals you set for yourself. You know, the ones you set at the top of the year? I identify some common excuses and share why they're not valid reasons to not go after what you once decided was an important priority for you. Tune in for your reality check and a dose of motivation!

    I mention:

    • Alina Ackwonu
    • The Wizard Liz podcast
    • We can do Hard things episode with Suleika Jaouad (Jon Batiste's wife)

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    34 min
  • 26. People Pleaser's Recovery Toolkit 🆘: People pleasing, the fawn response, and reconnecting with self

    Do you suspect you're a people pleaser? It's time to release the need to please!

    Book a free coaching consult with me to see if coaching is right for you: https://tidycal.com/brightlysika/life-on-purpose-consult or email: [email protected]

    In today's episode, I deep dive into people pleasing after having a personal reckoning with it myself recently. After watching this new season of Mormon Wives with friends and seeing Jen's people pleasing tendencies, I felt called to do some deeper research into it and help us all break free from the chains! 

    I go over the four trauma responses including the fawn response, the traits of people pleasing, my personal experience with it as a second generation child, tips to reduce people pleasing and questions to ask yourself to be sure you're not people pleasing.

    I mention:

    • Episode 25 - Life Catch-up
    • Episode 22 - Confronting Codependency with Therapist Atim Bassey
    • Psych Central Fawn Response 
    • Psych Central - The Psychology Behind People Pleasing

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    39 min
  • 25. Life catch-up 💘📚: dating lessons, books, shadow work and more!

    I hit my goal of 5 episodes for the year and now I'm off the the races -- 2 episodes in one month!

    In this episode I yap about a recent dating experience that helped show me how much my feeling my feelings practice has increased my capacity for discomfort 😀. I share about some books I've been loving, my subconscious fears around dating from the deepest fear inventory exercise in Existential Kink, my new flower remedy I've just started, a fun family realization that came out of the aforementioned dating scenario, and I celebrate some wins! Get cozy for this girly catch up sesh. 

    Thanks for rocking with me for 25 episodes 🥳

    I mention:

    • Existential Kink by Carolyn Lovewell
    • What Now? with Trevor Noah: Neuro-Spicy: Discussing ADHD with Dr. Kristin Carothers
    • How To Be Dateable by Julie Krafchick and Yue Xu
    • The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
    • Alexis Smart's Flower Remedy Beauty Formula #9
    • The Life Coach School Podcast with Brook Castillo
    • Lymphatic Drainage video on instagram

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    42 min
  • 24. How to actually feel your feelings 🌊: my current somatic practice

    In todays solo episode, I go over the practice I've been using to actually feel my feelings over the past couple of months. So often, we think we're feeling our feelings when really we're intellectualizing them. Actually feeling them is a somatic experience that happens in the body, not the mind. 

    I share the benefits of cultivating a feeling your feelings practice and how growing your capacity for feelings creates courage and leads to us being able to do brave things that get us closer to our dream life!

    I mentioned:

    • Take Back your Brain by Kara Loewenthile
    • Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy
    • Existential Kink by Carolyn Lovewell
    • Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chodron
    • Bella Lively's Sophia Sessions and Bean Bag release
    • Alexis Smart's Whole Hearted Flower Remedy
    • The Life Coach School Podcast with Brook Castillo
    • Armchair Expert Podcast

    Connect with me!

    • IG: @BrightlySika_
    • www.BrightlySika.com
    • Want advice? Submit a conundrum for an upcoming advice episode 
    • Want coaching support? Reach out for a free coaching consult!
    • In the DMV area? Join Cozy Growth Book Club!


    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    36 min
  • 23. Eclipses, retrogrades, and 2025 astrology with Camille Michelle Gray 🔮: releasing perfectionism and leaning into surrender

    In this episode, I’m joined for the THIRD time by our ~unofficial~ resident astrologer, Camille Michelle Gray. This time to chat about the wild and wacky current astrology we're living in: the Virgo/Pisces Eclipses, Mercury retrograde, Venus Retrograde, Neptune entering Aries, and how we can all care for ourselves in the midst of all of it. 

    I love Camille's approach to astrology because she never harps on the doom and gloom, she gives us tools and shows us the path to extract whatever lesson the moment is teaching us. 

    During our chat, we go over what eclipses are and the current eclipses affecting us, we dig into the 8th house (once again), she shares how to make the best use of mercury rx and venus rx, she goes over the upcoming astrology of the next 3 months leading up to summer and she generously goes through each rising sign and shares how each can plan to care for themselves through the themes of the current eclipses (which will be felt for the next 6 months!!).


    We mentioned:

    • Camille’s first episode: Ep. 4. Astrology 101 with Camille Michelle Gray
    • Camille's second episode: Ep 19. Astrology 201
    • Find your chart on astro.com, astro-charts.com or on Chani Nicholas
    • Bella Lively - Inner Voice journaling
    • Everything Happens for a Reason by Mira Kirshenbaum

    Connect with us!

    • camillemichellegray.com
    • IG: @millymichelle
    • G: @BrightlySika_
    • Ease & Grow Website – www.brightlysika.com/ease-and-grow-podcast
    • Pod Suggestion Box! – let me know what you want to hear!
    • Write into my advice column in this form!
    • Leave us a rating & review!

    Thanks for listening! ❤️

    1 hr 15 min

About Ease and Grow

From the publisher's feed

A modern day holistic wellness podcast that provides inspiration and encouragement for mindful multicultural millennials who want to create their dream life and enjoy the journey along the…