Kayla Jacobsen is a licensed clinical social worker and mental health therapist based in Minnesota, where she works at a small group practice supporting individuals navigating anxiety, chronic pain, trauma, and traits associated with being a Highly Sensitive Person. Her approach is relational and holistic, shaped deeply by her own healing journey with chronic migraines and a sensitive nervous system. Through the Mind-Body Healing Program, Kayla experienced meaningful shifts in how she relates to her emotions, beliefs, and symptoms — work that continues to inform how she shows up with clients today.

In this episode, Kayla shares what it was like to have migraines starting at age 10, cycle through Western and Eastern medicine without lasting answers, and eventually realize that information-gathering had become its own form of avoidance. She and Grace explore how perfectionism, shame, and suppressed anger were quietly driving her symptoms — and what actually changed when she stopped trying to fix her migraines and started relating to them differently. Kayla also talks about what this work has opened up in her therapy practice, including how she now invites conversations about physical symptoms into sessions and incorporates more experiential, nervous system-informed approaches with her clients.

Find Kayla: 

Psychology Today

Willow Creek Counseling

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

Ellen B. Alden is a Mind/Body Coach who fully recovered from Long COVID after the medical system could not help her. When chronic symptoms took over her life, Ellen discovered that healing was possible through nervous system regulation and brain retraining. Using mindfulness, meditation, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy, she overcame chronic illness, anxiety, and lifelong hypervigilance. She is certified in PRT, MBSR, MBCT, and functional breathing, and now helps others heal through her community, My Recovery Crew.

In this episode, Grace and Ellen discuss what it was like to be shuffled through the medical system with diagnoses of Long COVID, MCAS, and POTS — and how Ellen moved from hopelessness and victimhood to full recovery. Ellen shares the nighttime turning point that shifted her mindset, how she used visualization and micro moments to retrain her brain, and why she started reintroducing feared foods using breathwork and safety cues. They explore what recovery actually looks like day to day, why post-exertional malaise disappeared when Ellen changed how she related to movement, and how letting go of perfectionism and outcome-driven thinking was essential to healing.

Connect with Ellen: www.stress-less-studio.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellen_mindful_healing/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ellenalden-mind-body-healing Email: [email protected]

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

In this solo episode, Grace Secker opens up about the one thing she was missing during her own healing journey — and why it kept her stuck in flare cycles for years, even after she understood the work. It wasn't more information, more books, or more podcasts. It was consistent support, accountability, and community.

Grace shares her personal story of recovering from chronic pain in her 20s through what is now called pain reprocessing therapy, only to develop a wave of new symptoms years later — chronic fatigue, gut issues, histamine reactions, migraines — and having to find her way back to mind-body work all over again, this time completely alone.

She explains why understanding alone doesn't change the nervous system — because knowledge lives in the prefrontal cortex while the patterns driving symptoms operate from much older, less rational parts of the brain. Real change comes from practice, repetition, and showing up consistently, especially on the hard days. Grace also explores the science of co-regulation — how our nervous systems are wired to calm and heal in relationship with other safe humans — and why so much healing content is consumed in isolation, which limits how far it can take you.

Grace introduces what she's been building behind the scenes: small, intimate group containers (six people max) designed for people already in the MindBody Healing Method course who want structure, accountability, and a community of people who truly get it. The first group launches in April.

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

If you've been diagnosed with IBS, chronic constipation, cyclic vomiting, or another functional GI issue and your doctor can't find anything structurally wrong — that's actually good news. 

In this episode, Grace sits down with Dr. Jennifer Franklin, one of the first gastropsychologists in the US, to break down the gut-brain connection in a way that's simple, clear, and genuinely hopeful. 

They explore how the autonomic nervous system controls both stress and digestion, why lifelong patterns like people-pleasing and emotional suppression quietly fuel gut symptoms, and how your brain works around the clock to keep certain emotions out of consciousness — and what that means for your body. 

Dr. Franklin shares her powerful "passenger seat" analogy for working with your body instead of against it, and explains why reducing stress is the one intervention with no downside. 

If you've been told "nothing is wrong" but you're still struggling, this conversation reframes that diagnosis as a starting point for real healing — because it's a software problem, not a hardware problem.

🔗 Find Dr. Jennifer Franklin:
🌐 Website
📸 Instagram
📘 Facebook
▶️ YouTube

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

If you've been doing the nervous system work but still feel stuck, this episode is for you. 

Grace Secker dives into the seven habits she consistently sees in people who actually heal — and why how you show up to the process matters just as much as what you practice. 

This isn't a checklist or protocol. It's about the mindset, identity, and ways of being that shift everything. 

Grace explores why waiting to feel "ready" keeps you stuck, how over-identifying with being sick reinforces survival mode, the quiet belief that you don't deserve to heal, and what it looks like to build real safety in your daily life. 

She also gets honest about why consuming information without practicing keeps the brain locked in old patterns — and how to stay in the process even when healing isn't linear. 

Whether you're just beginning to explore mind-body healing or you've been on this path for a while, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate reframe on what recovery actually asks of you.

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

In this episode, Grace sits down with Dr. Rebecca Kennedy, a family medicine physician with over 20 years of clinical experience and founder of Resilience Health Care in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Kennedy spent 15 years at Kaiser Permanente where she led the Long COVID specialty group, treating some of the most severe cases in the entire Northwest region. After witnessing how profoundly the neuroplastic model transformed her patients' lives — and after developing her own severe neuroplastic symptoms — she left Kaiser in 2023 to focus exclusively on this work.

Together, they explore why so many people with long COVID, MCAS, POTS, and ME/CFS aren't getting better with conventional treatments, what the research actually shows about spike proteins and inflammation markers, and why the brain's threat response may be the unifying explanation that finally makes everything make sense. Dr. Kennedy shares why the placebo and nocebo effects are far more powerful than most people realize, why long COVID may be better understood as a post-pandemic syndrome, and what it takes to move beyond surface-level nervous system tools into the deeper emotional work that creates lasting change.

Covered in this episode: 

✨ Dr. Kennedy's journey from Kaiser Permanente to founding Resilience Health Care — and her own experience with severe neuroplastic pain and fatigue 

✨ Why spike proteins, cytokine changes, and abnormal blood tests may not be driving your symptoms the way you've been told 

✨ The real science behind the placebo and nocebo effect — and what vaccine trial data reveals about the brain's role in side effects

 ✨ Why most people with long COVID are middle-aged women who were previously healthy — and what that tells us 

✨ How MCAS, POTS, and ME/CFS diagnoses can unintentionally keep people stuck in fear and body-focused treatment 

✨ The critical difference between nervous system regulation tools and the deeper emotional processing that actually turns off the signal 

✨ Why stopping body-based treatments entirely can sometimes be the missing piece 

✨ How to accept a neuroplastic diagnosis when everything you've been told points to something structural

Connect with Dr. Rebecca Kennedy:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

Are you "doing all the right things" — the medications, the supplements, the diets, the protocols — and still not getting better? What if your symptoms aren't caused by something structurally wrong in your body, but by a nervous system stuck in danger mode?

In this solo episode, Grace walks you through exactly what neuroplastic symptoms are, how they show up in real life, and shares an 8-point checklist so you can start to determine whether your symptoms might be nervous system–based. She covers conditions like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, POTS, IBS, long COVID, chronic dizziness, MCAS, and more — explaining why these very real symptoms can still be rooted in the brain and nervous system.

If your symptoms lack clear physical evidence, move around your body, haven't responded to conventional treatments, or you've got a history of being highly driven, perfectionistic, or hard on yourself — this episode is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn: 

‣ What the nervous system actually is and how it creates real physical symptoms 

‣ What makes neuroplastic symptoms different from structural problems 

‣ The 8-point checklist to determine if your symptoms might be nervous system–based 

‣ Why personality traits like perfectionism and people-pleasing are connected to chronic symptoms 

‣ Why this is actually good news — and what you can do about it

If your symptoms are neuroplastic, recovery is 100% possible. Grace has seen it in her own life and in the lives of countless clients. Your body is doing exactly what it's supposed to do — it just needs the right tools to learn that it's safe again.

Resource mentioned:

Episode 40: "When they can't find anything wrong!" with Dr. David Clarke

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

Grace sits down with Dr. Yonit Arthur ("Dr. Yo"), audiologist, vestibular specialist, and creator of The Steady Coach, to explore why chronic dizziness is often a nervous system issue—and why that's actually hopeful news for recovery. Dr. Yo shares how conditions like PPPD, vestibular migraine, MDDS, and medically unexplained dizziness are rooted in brain-generated symptoms rather than structural damage, making them fully reversible through mind-body approaches.

The conversation covers why dizziness creates such intense fear and anxiety (even in people who've never experienced anxiety before), how the brain's threat response keeps symptoms alive, and why traditional vestibular rehabilitation often falls short. Dr. Yo explains the role of movement exposure, thought pattern work, and stress reduction in retraining the brain's balance system. She emphasizes that recovery is possible regardless of how long symptoms have persisted, and shares practical guidance on addressing the intrusive thoughts and health anxiety that commonly accompany chronic dizziness.

Grace and Dr. Yo discuss the importance of separating symptom reassurance from anxiety reassurance, why therapists need specialized training to support clients with these symptoms, and how the vestibular field is finally beginning to shift toward acknowledging stress and nervous system involvement in chronic dizziness.

Connect with Dr. Yonit:

- Dr. Yonit Arthur's YouTube channel: The Steady Coach
- Free comprehensive chronic dizziness course 

- Instagram: @therealsteadycoach
- Anxiety resources mentioned: DARE (D-A-R-E), Disordered podcast by Drew Linsalata, The Anxiety Guy, Anxiety RX by Russ Kennedy

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

You've been doing the work—learning about mind-body healing, practicing the tools, maybe even seeing progress. So why do your symptoms still feel like they're quietly calling the shots?

In this solo episode, Grace digs into one of the most common (and most frustrating) phases of healing: when symptoms linger in the background, still influencing your decisions, still getting checked on, still shaping your days—even when the fear isn't as loud as it used to be.

She explores why the nervous system holds onto symptoms long after you've started healing, how vigilance disguises itself as responsibility, and the role that identity and secondary gains play in keeping you stuck. Grace also shares from her own healing journey—including the moment a mentor called her out on a pattern she couldn't see herself—and walks through what it actually looks like to loosen your symptoms' grip without dismissing your experience.

In this episode, Grace covers:

✨ The different phases of the mind-body healing journey—and where you might be getting stuck
✨ How symptom monitoring quietly becomes a full-time job your nervous system won't quit
✨ Why your symptoms may have become part of your identity (and what to do about it)
✨ Secondary gains: what your symptoms might be doing for you on a subconscious level
✨ How to replace what symptoms provide—rest, permission, predictability—with something more authentic
✨ Practical ways to start loosening the pattern and orienting toward safety and connection

Whether you're in a flare, stuck in a cycle of subtle symptom-checking, or wondering why healing feels like it's stalled—this episode is one to save, revisit, and let sink in.

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website

In this episode, Grace sits down with Christa Biegler, RD—an award-winning dietitian, root cause nutritionist, and host of The Less Stressed Life Podcast—to explore the powerful connection between stress, inflammation, and chronic symptoms.

Christa shares her own healing journey through multiple health crises, including severe skin breakouts and burnout, and how these experiences transformed her approach to working with clients. Together, they unpack the "health triad"—the intersection of nutrition/chemical factors, structural/environmental elements, and emotional/energetic components—and why addressing all three is essential for lasting healing.

In this episode, they discuss:

• The root causes of inflammation and why it's actually a secondary signal, not the core issue
• How stress chemistry directly impacts the gut, immune system, and skin health
• Why food sensitivities are often symptoms of deeper imbalances—not the root cause
• The connection between restrictive diets, fear, and worsening symptoms
• A grounded, non-fear-based approach to mold and environmental toxins
• How unconscious stress (relationships, jobs, living situations) manifests physically
• The shift from "fix me" to self-empowerment in the healing journey
• Why nervous system regulation work accelerates physiological healing

This conversation bridges the gap between functional nutrition and mind-body healing, offering a holistic perspective on why your body isn't betraying you—it's trying to communicate with you.

About Christa Biegler

Christa Biegler, RD, LN is an award-winning registered dietitian, root cause nutritionist, and the owner of Less Stressed Life Nutrition. She helps people resolve food sensitivities, inflammation, and eczema without unnecessary restriction, endless supplementation, or costly testing. She is also the author of The Eczema Relief Diet & Cookbook and host of The Less Stressed Life Podcast.

Connect with Christa:

• Website: christabiegler.com
• Instagram: @anti.inflammatory.nutritionist
• Podcast: The Less Stressed Life

Resources from Grace:

• Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
• Work with us in private mind-body coaching 
• Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
• Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
• FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook

Connect with Grace

• Connect on Instagram
• Check out my website