Goddess Rising Podcast

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What if you’ve done the therapy, read the books, understand your patterns—and you still feel stuck?

In this episode of Goddess Rising, I sit down with Embodied Freedom Coach Aspen Marino to talk about moving beyond awareness and actually creating freedom in the body.

We explore how trauma can keep us stuck in old nervous system responses, why understanding a pattern isn’t always enough to change it, and how somatic work can help us create more choice, capacity, self-trust, and aliveness.

We talk about:

• Why you can “know better” and still repeat old patterns
• Freeze, dissociation, people-pleasing, and shutdown
• Healthy anger, boundaries, and learning to say no
• Getting out of the endless self-improvement cycle
• Creating more choice in your nervous system
• Feeling your emotions instead of suppressing them
• Rebuilding trust with yourself and your body

Healing isn't meant to become another lifelong project. At some point, we get to stop constantly trying to fix ourselves—and start fully living.

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

What if the answers you've been searching for aren't outside of you—but already living within your body?

In this episode of Goddess Rising, I sit down with TEDx speaker, author, and embodied leadership coach Jen Aks to explore body intelligence, intuition, nervous system regulation, and the power of learning to trust yourself again.

Jen shares her own journey from feeling disconnected from her worth and inner wisdom to discovering the intelligence of the body—and why listening to its signals can completely change the way we make decisions and move through life.

We talk about:

• Body intelligence vs. mindset
• Fear vs. intuition
• Creating safety within yourself
• Nervous system regulation
• Jen's Power of Gesture practice
• Rebuilding self-trust
• Learning to stop overriding your body's signals
• Her book, Your Body Is Speaking

Your body has been communicating with you all along. Maybe it's time to listen.

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

Setting the boundary is one thing. Living with what happens after you set it is another.

In this episode of Goddess Rising, Dr. Kelly Kessler and I talk about what really happens when you stop people-pleasing, stop abandoning yourself, and start choosing you—even when it brings guilt, discomfort, grief, or the loss of relationships.

We explore why your nervous system can interpret boundaries as a threat, how to tell the difference between healthy guilt and conditioned guilt, and why losing certain relationships may actually be part of finding yourself again.

We dive into:

• Why boundaries can feel so uncomfortable
• People-pleasing and self-abandonment
• What guilt is really trying to tell you
• Listening to your body's yes and no
• The lonely “in-between” of becoming someone new
• Learning to stay loyal to yourself

Sometimes healing isn't about becoming someone new. It's about finally refusing to abandon who you already are.

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

What happens when you understand your trauma intellectually, but your body still doesn’t feel safe?

In this episode of Goddess Rising, I sit down with trauma-informed yoga teacher, somatic therapist, nervous system educator, and sexual assault survivor Lou Faulkner for a deeply honest conversation about the connection between trauma and the body. Lou shares her own experience of dissociation after childhood sexual trauma and how yoga, meditation, trauma therapy, and EMDR became part of reconnecting with herself and eventually supporting other survivors.

We explore why so many trauma survivors can explain exactly why they feel the way they do yet still struggle to feel connected to themselves. We talk about dissociation, perfectionism, shame, anxiety, hypervigilance, and the ways we may stay busy, overthink, or disconnect when emotions feel too overwhelming to experience.

• How trauma can contribute to feeling disconnected from your body

• Dissociation as a response to overwhelming experiences
• The connection Lou sees between anxiety and difficult underlying emotions
• Why anger, grief, sadness, guilt, and shame can be so difficult to feel
• How perfectionism, staying busy, and hyper-independence can become ways of coping
• Why being witnessed and supported can matter when processing difficult emotions
• How to begin noticing the signals of nervous-system activation
• A simple “Shake It Out” somatic practice Lou shares for moments of overwhelm

This conversation is especially for the woman who has done the talking, read the books, understands her patterns, and is still wondering:

Why do I know I’m safe, but I still don’t feel safe?

Your body is not something you have to fight your way out of. Healing can also become an invitation to slowly reconnect with yourself, become curious about what you feel, and learn what safety, boundaries, connection, and joy mean for you.

Press play for a compassionate conversation about coming out of survival and finding your way back into relationship with yourself.

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

How do you recognize abuse when there are no visible bruises?

In this powerful episode of Goddess Rising, I sit down with psychologist, author, and narcissistic abuse expert Kerry McAvoy to explore the hidden dynamics of narcissistic abuse and coercive control. Kerry shares her incredible personal story of discovering that the man she married was living a double life—and the difficult journey of breaking free, trusting her intuition, and rebuilding her life.

We talk about how trauma bonds keep us trapped, why coercive control can be so difficult to recognize, and how slowly giving up pieces of ourselves can lead to losing our identity entirely. Most importantly, we talk about hope, healing, and the possibility of reclaiming yourself after abuse.

In this episode:

• The hidden signs of narcissistic abuse and coercive control
• How trauma bonding keeps you emotionally attached
• Cognitive dissonance, gaslighting, and self-doubt
• Learning the difference between fear and intuition
• How abusive relationships slowly erase your sense of self
• Taking small steps when you feel trapped
• Rebuilding self-trust and identity after abuse
• Finding hope and creating a new life after leaving

You are not helpless, and you are not without options. Healing may take time, but it is possible to reclaim your voice, rebuild your life, and rise again.

Find out more about Kerry here: Website

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

In this episode of Goddess Rising, I sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist and narcissistic abuse advocate Katherine Muira to talk about something we don't discuss enough: how do we prevent narcissistic abuse before the cycle begins?

Drawing from her personal experience growing up with a narcissistic parent and later recognizing similar patterns in her marriage, Catherine shares how manipulation can shape our self-worth, boundaries, intuition, and relationships.

We explore the red flags of narcissistic behavior, why survivors often struggle to trust themselves, the importance of watching actions instead of words, and how emotional intelligence and healthy boundaries can protect us—and the next generation—from repeating these cycles.

Whether you're healing from narcissistic abuse, questioning a relationship, or raising children and wanting to teach them what healthy love looks like, this conversation is about creating awareness, trusting yourself, and breaking the cycle for good.

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

What if stepping away from your everyday life could help you finally hear what your life is asking of you?

Transformation coach Ry Duong and her partner, Leandro, explore the power of intentional retreats and why getting outside of our familiar environment can create space for clarity, courage, connection, and meaningful change. Together, we discuss what happens when we quiet the noise, step outside our comfort zones, surround ourselves with growth-minded people, and reconnect with the parts of ourselves we may have lost along the way.

Ry and Leandro are bringing their next transformational retreat to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 18–23. This six-day, five-night experience combines the energy and culture of Malaysia with time immersed in nature, intentional workshops, silent reflection, authentic connection, adventure, and practical tools participants can bring home and integrate into their everyday lives. The retreat welcomes individuals, couples, and friends who are ready to step outside the familiar, gain greater clarity, reconnect with themselves, and explore what might be possible in the next chapter of their lives.

About the Upcoming Retreat

Book a call to ask questions with Ry & Leandro

Plant Medicine and Healing Guide Danae Jensen shares her personal story of struggling with depression for over 20 years before experiencing profound healing through a psilocybin ceremony — a journey that ultimately led her into the world of psychedelic-assisted healing work. Together, Brooke and Danae dive into the importance of proper preparation before engaging with plant medicine, emphasizing that psychedelic healing is not about escaping pain, but about safely reconnecting to the body, emotions, and parts of ourselves that have been buried beneath trauma and survival patterns.

This conversation explores the psychological, somatic, and spiritual dimensions of healing, including attachment wounds, PTSD, body disconnection, Internal Family Systems, self-energy, boundaries, forgiveness, accountability, and the role the nervous system plays in transformation. Danae also explains why many people are unprepared for the depth of psychedelic work and how building safety, embodiment, and self-trust beforehand can dramatically impact the healing process.

Brooke and Danae vulnerably discuss their own experiences with trauma, abuse, depression, spiritual healing, and personal responsibility, offering listeners a grounded and compassionate perspective on what true healing can look like when approached intentionally and safely.

If you’ve ever been curious about psychedelic healing, struggling with trauma or emotional disconnection, or searching for a deeper understanding of yourself beyond traditional healing methods, this episode offers a thoughtful, trauma-informed conversation about the potential of plant medicine as a catalyst for profound transformation.

Grab the 7 myths here

Connect with Danea

Connect with your host, ⁠Brooke Deanne here⁠

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Take the ⁠Love Template Quiz⁠ to discover the way you believe you receive and give love in relationships

Book a ⁠clarity call with Brooke here⁠

Fear isn't the enemy, but when you've survived trauma, it can become the lens through which you experience the entire world.

Brooke celebrates the launch of her newest children's book, The Fear Monster, by exploring the powerful connection between fear, trauma, and the nervous system. While The Fear Monster is written for children, Brooke shares why she believes it's also a story for every adult whose inner child still carries the weight of fear.

Drawing from her own journey as a survivor of childhood trauma, religious abuse, and complex PTSD, Brooke explains how fear can become more than an emotion—it can become an identity. She unpacks why trauma creates a nervous system that constantly scans for danger, how hypervigilance keeps us stuck in survival mode, and why healing isn't about eliminating fear but teaching the body that it's finally safe.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why fear is a messenger—not your enemy.
• How trauma rewires the brain and nervous system.
• The hidden fears that often accompany complex PTSD, including fear of love, success, failure, conflict, and even joy.
• Why positive thinking alone cannot heal a dysregulated nervous system.
• Practical ways to become curious about your Fear Monster instead of running from it.
• How nervous system regulation helps transform fear into self-trust and emotional freedom.

Whether you're healing from trauma, supporting someone you love, or reading The Fear Monster with a child, this conversation will remind you that courage isn't the absence of fear, it's learning to walk alongside it with compassion.

Because fear doesn't have to disappear for healing to begin.