EMBODY with Michelle Major

We are kicking off Season 4 with a new year and a new perspective on all this 'new year, new year' noise that we are bombarded with on social media, our culture and society.

Michelle shares:

• Why it's ok to not have big resolutions, create big goals or make big decisions about your life;
• Whilst everyone celebrates all their BIG achievements during 2023, it's perfectly acceptable to celebrate surviving if 2023 was a difficult year;
• Why our toxic culture creates a sense of urgency, keeps us busy, distracted and disconnected from self;
• The beauty industry, fitness world, and diet culture all prey on our feelings of not feeling good enough, worthy enough, pretty enough, young enough, slim enough, curvy enough;
• Our body doesn't need extra things to be anxious about, fearful of or the constant strive to be perfect;
• Instead our body craves self-acceptance and space to create more rest, creativity, movement, and ease;
• Our body's need nurturing and nourishment; 
• Rather than big goals, how about setting intentions which are in alignment with our values and purpose
• Donna Ashworth's - I Wonder if You Knew poem

Hope you enjoy!

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If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

This is our last episode before the Christmas break.  

On this weeks episode I share the delight and joy of welcoming a new puppy into her wee family.  

I talk about:

The grief and loss of other pets and why I decided to wait over 4-years before getting another pet
Creating safety in the home for a new pet
Why kindness is the greatest antidote to stress
Benefits of kindness and oxytocin 
Activities that release oxytocin 
How kindness & oxytocin support our nervous system health  
The joy of Daisy!

Wishing you all a restful Christmas.  I'll be back on Monday 8th January with the launch of Season 4 of EMBODY.

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If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

My wellbeing story began in 2005 when I enrolled in a counselling skills course.  I was 25-years old at the time, married and had a very successful career in financial services.  

I enjoyed all the external measures of success - the sports car, the big house, the five star holidays, designer handbags, the lot.  Yet I felt like there was something missing. 

As a young ambitious 25-year old, I put my happiness outside of myself:

• When I go on holiday, then I'll relax
• When I get the next promotion, then I'll be successful 
• When I buy the next designer handbag, then I'll be worthy

Living this way was like living in a bottomless pit - it felt empty and unfulfilling.   I knew deep down there had to be another way.  I knew there was something missing in my life and I was determined to find out what that was!

During this conversation, I share:

• My career in financial services
• Why my body said the words I could not say 
• Recovery from burnout
• Lessons from redundancy, divorce, grief & loss
• Why the question 'Who am I?' proved to be deeply healing & insightful
• 7-years of personal healing & retraining in wellbeing before I left the corporate world
• Taking that leap of faith from corporate to self-employed
• Why I've always followed the thread of curiosity 
• Rebranding & meditation  

Hope you enjoy this conversation!

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If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this episode, Michelle, shares her self-care tips for managing our wellbeing during the festive period.

Michelle shares:

• The importance of giving ourselves permission to feel our feelings
• Setting boundaries over the festive period
• Self-care is about 'me too' rather than 'me first'
• Cultivating self-care when we are parents and care givers
• Why the oxygen mask metaphor isn't true to how we are biologically wired
• Creating a Christmas self-care box
• Why comfort is important
• Changing the perspective of Christmas 

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If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this episode, Michelle, shares how social media primes us to compare ourselves with others.  

Michelle shares:

• The different types of compassion 
• A photo has more than one story
• How our nervous system state can drive us to compare more
• Boundaries & comparison
• Research into comparison
• Thoughts & comparison
• How to move past comparison 
• Who we should want to impress the most in life
• Why lives are like seasons
• Embracing cycles & seasons
• Why knowing your values can be supportive
• Transforming from competition and comparison to contribution, connection & community

Hope you find this conversation helpful. 
  

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

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If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this weeks episode, Michelle, explores why it's so important that we seek help and support in our helping roles.

Michelle shares:

• The skill of holding space
• Increasing our capacity to be with clients bigger emotions/sensations 
• Boundaries in the therapeutic process
• Merging & disengaging with our clients 
• Resonance in our nervous system
• Why personal therapy is so important 
• Compassionate burnout
• Why we need a wide and deep support network when working with trauma
• The difference between supervision and personal therapy

Hope you enjoy the conversation!

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this weeks episode I am joined by Leona O'Neill, who is a Lecturer of Journalism at University of Ulster, Author and Tedx Speaker after spending 25-years as a news journalist in Northern Ireland.

Leona co-edited 'Breaking:  Trauma in the Newsroom' alongside BBC's Chris Lindsay.  The book is a collection of real-life stories written by journalists who witness and experienced trauma as a result of doing their job reporting on the conflict and troubles in Northern Ireland.  

During our conversation, we talk about:

• Leona's passion for journalism and how her career has developed over the years
• The culture of the newsroom and how it isn't supportive of trauma & the mental health of journalists 
• The impact of witnessing riots, conflict and other horrific news stories
• Coping strategies of journalists who've experienced secondary trauma 
• Witnessing the murder of Lyra McKee and a near-death experience
• Online abuse & threats
• The symptoms of PTSD 
• Why reaching out for support and help was so hard
• Post-traumatic growth
• Becoming a mental health activist 
• The hope and optimism for the future

I hope you enjoy the conversation.

If you have been affected by the conflict in Northern Ireland, you can reach out to Wave Trauma Centre - www.wavetraumacentre.org.uk

Click here to buy Breaking:  Trauma in the Newsroom

You can fellow Leona O'Neill at IG@leonaoneillireland

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this weeks episode I am joined by entrepreneur & professional hiker, Emma Mullan.  

Emma held a Director role in HR for 14-years and served as President of Newry Chamber from 2019 - 2021.  Along with her commitment to business, innovation and entrepreneurship, Emma has been a passionate hiker for 14-years.  

When she suffered a bereavement by suicide in her family, her hobby for hiking transformed into a meaningful purpose to support others who lost loved ones by suicide.  

Hear how this support group grew into 'The Happiness Place' and within just 12-months a group of 10-local hikers would set off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and raise a considerable amount of money for Newry Hospice.

We talk about:

• How The Happiness Place was born
• The lessons and wisdom from hiking
• The power of nature
• The pain, pleasure and meaning of the hike 
• Mindfulness in the hills 
• Reflections from Mount Kilimanjaro 
• The freedom from responsibilities & to-do's

Hope you enjoy this conversation.

You can contact Emma via her IG account:
IG @thehappinessplace.hiking

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

In this weeks episode I am joined by Dee Larsen - a Certified Sexuality Practitioner and founder of Body Conscious Studio based in Belfast.  Dee offers one to one and couples sessions from her studio or online.

“I believe that sexual wellbeing is an intrinsic part of our overall happiness. It is vital that we have access to education about our bodies and sexuality that is free from social or moral conditioning. My passion is supporting people to be able to fully express themselves in intimacy and relationships. 

Dee works with issues related to sex, intimacy and embodied wellbeing, providing a non-judgemental space to teach and learn about communication and sex and pleasure.

During this conversation, we discuss:

• What inspired Dee's career change from social work/child protection to sexuality & intimacy 
• How yoga & breathe work has influenced her practice 
• Why social & religious conditioning impacts how we think and feel about sexuality, our genitals & our body image 
• What embodied consent looks and feels like
• The link between our jaw and pelvis 
• The wheel of consent 
• The 3-min game
• My personal session with Dee
• The power of consentual touch
• Creating space for stillness & pleasure
• The connection between sexuality and vitality 

You can contact Dee at [email protected]
IG @body_conscious_studio

Resource:
Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent at www.bettymartin.org 
  

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx

During this episode, Michelle, explores how we can support our nervous system health during busy periods.

Michelle shares: 

• Cultural & societal norms V’s biological norms
• Widening our window of tolerance 
• Building nervous system capacity
• The different types of self-care
• Creating more support & rest 
• Why support is so important

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

If you'd like to explore how my Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy can support you, please get in touch to book a free consultation.

Registration has now opened for our trauma-informed Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training in March. Click here to learn more and register.

Warmly,

Michelle xx