Healing Mothers' Club

We're back for this special episode! EMDR-trained therapists experiencing clinical and business building confusion - listen up.

In this episode, I have Dr. Carolyn Solo, PhD, LCSW, EMDRIA-Approved Consultant on to introduce our collaborative group program designed for EMDR therapists. We discuss the importance of blending clinical skills with business building, the structure of the program, and how it supports therapists in growing confident and profitable practices.

🎉WAITLIST IS OPEN!

Topics covered:

• The creation of a new group program for EMDR therapists
• Blending clinical skills with business building
• Challenges therapists face with business and clinical boundaries
• The importance of authentic self-presentation in practice
• Addressing fears around fees and business models
• The value of supportive consultation and community
• The role of confidence in using EMDR effectively
• Program structure: calls, courses, and community
• Teaching advanced EMDR skills and working with dissociation
• The importance of integrated clinical and business support
• Program logistics, start date, and enrollment details
• Addressing objections and misconceptions
• The benefits of collaborative learning and networking
• The value of having two experienced consultants

Connect with Carolyn:

@futuretemplateparent on Instagram

futuretemplateparent.com for all things EMDR Intensives resources for EMDR therapists

Connect with Danik:

@healingmothersclub on Instagram

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast episode is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, does not provide a diagnosis, and is not a replacement for financial advice, tax advice, financial planning advice, accounting advice, or legal advice. This podcast episode is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, I sit down with Alyssa Hartley, a mother of two who shares her journey through substance use disorder, motherhood, and recovery. Alyssa opens up about her initiation to substance use at 11 years old, growing up in a Canadian military base where emotions were suppressed, and how her sensitivity and anxiety shaped led her to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. She vulnerably shares what it looked like to parent while struggling, the turning point during her postpartum period, and the courageous steps she took toward recovery—including seeking medical support, entering detox, and committing to long-term healing. Today, Alyssa is living in sobriety and using her voice to advocate for others walking a similar path.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The link between childhood trauma, emotional suppression, and substance use
• What addiction can look like in motherhood (and the hidden realities many don’t see)
• The role of medical support, therapy, and nervous system healing in sustainable recovery

Connect with Alyssa :

TikTok: @foreverfabalyss

Connect with Danik :

• Therapy for Canadians in Ontario & Quebec : https://www.danikbernier.com
• Therapist or coach? Join the newsletter to train with Danik New parts work + parenting after childhood trauma goes live in April!

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast episode does not represent a psychotherapy session between the host and the guest. The host does not necessarily share the same opinions as the guest. This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this solo episode of The Healing Mothers Club, Danik Bernier explains what quality trauma therapy should look like for mothers who want to break the cycle of childhood trauma—or for anyone on a journey of self-mothering after emotional neglect. Using the metaphor of the nervous system as a house, Danik explores how early attachment experiences shape the foundation of emotional safety and why many healing approaches focus too much on strengthening the “house” (coping tools and regulation skills) without repairing the foundation underneath. She introduces the concept of self-mothering as a way to rebuild that foundation internally, helping people meet their emotional needs proactively, stay connected to their adult self rather than dissociating during stress, and ultimately feel safe enough in their bodies to live authentically.

In this episode, Danik discusses:

• Why the nervous system can be understood as a house built on a foundation, and how emotional neglect in childhood shapes that foundation.
• How dissociation functions as a protective response—and why it is often misunderstood or ignored in wellness spaces.
• The practice of self-mothering and how internal resources can strengthen inner emotional safety and support trauma healing.

Connect with Danik:

• On Instagram, @healingmothersclub
• Therapy for Ontario & Quebec residents 🇨🇦
• Coaching worldwide 🌎
• Clinical training for therapists

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this episode of The Healing Mothers’ Club, I’m joined by IFS therapist and Human Design strategist Caitlan Siegenthaler for a fascinating conversation at the intersection of trauma work, nervous system awareness, and Human Design.

Caitlan shares how Human Design entered her therapy practice and how it can function as a powerful tool for self-understanding—especially for mothers navigating burnout, guilt, and the pressure to constantly be “on.” Rather than treating Human Design as a rigid framework or parenting manual, Caitlan reframes it as a compassion manual: a way to understand your unique energy, decision-making style, and nervous system patterns. Together, we explore how integrating Human Design with parts work approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help explain long-held beliefs, reduce mom guilt, and create more harmony between parents and their children.

This conversation also touches on how certain childhood labels—like being “too much” or “dramatic”—can connect to trauma patterns we later see in therapy. When we understand our energetic design and emotional wiring, we can begin to release those narratives and support both ourselves and our children with more compassion.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Human Design can serve as a compassion manual for mothers rather than a parenting rulebook
• The five Human Design energy types and how they influence parenting, energy levels, and burnout
• How integrating Human Design with trauma work and parts work can help explain negative core beliefs and reduce mom guilt

CONNECT WITH CAITLAN:

Get the free mini course on making decisions easy with with IFS and Human Design

Book a Human Design reading

Connect with Caitlan on Instagram

Listen to Return the podcast

CONNECT WITH DANIK:

Book your FREE coaching consultation (open worldwide)

Book your FREE therapy consultation(Ontario + Quebec, Canada only)

Get on the coaching newsletter so you don’t miss special offerings and discounts

Connect with Danik on Instagram

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

If you identify as an adult daughter of Emotionally Immature Parents or Narcissistic Parents, you know deep in your bones how it feels to be an inconvenience and to be chosen dead last (or completely ignored). And if you've entered motherhood or have considered becoming a mom, you probably heard the mainstream self-care messaging for moms: take care of yourself, choose yourself first. On one hand, you want to break the cycle of trauma, and on the other hand, you know just because you become a mom doesn't mean you suddenly stop having to meet your own needs. So how do we juggle it all without becoming our self-absorbed mother?

Danik answers in this first episode of season 2.

Meet Danik 1:1 for FREE (open worldwide)

Therapy for Ontario + Quebec residents 🇨🇦

Follow Danik on Instagram, @healingmothersclub

✨ Please rate and follow the show, it helps other people who would need to hear today's message find the podcast

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this episode, Danik shares the full story of her great-grandmother Simone, who was institutionalized in the early 1950s in rural French Ontario, and explores how intergenerational trauma can live on in our bodies decades later. Through archival medical records, family history, and lived experience as a mother, Danik weaves together epigenetics, patriarchy, psychiatric violence, and motherhood—revealing how trauma, abandonment wounds, and survival patterns are passed down, and how awareness can become the beginning of healing.

In this episode, we explore:

• Simone’s institutionalization, medical trauma, and the reality of motherhood under 1950s patriarchal systems
• How intergenerational trauma and epigenetics can show up in motherhood, anxiety, and the nervous system
• Why understanding our ancestors’ stories can release long-held emotional and somatic wounds

If this episode resonated, follow Danik on Instagram @danikhelpsmoms where she shares ongoing series on intergenerational trauma, cycle-breaking, and nervous system-informed motherhood. And if you’re beginning your own healing journey, consider what support you need to safely explore your family history—you don’t have to do this alone.

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this episode of The Healing Mothers’ Club, Danik is joined by bilingual educator and child development consultant Natasha Demers to explore how a child’s environment directly impacts behavior, regulation, and family stress—especially after the holidays. Together, they unpack how toy overload, clutter, and overstimulation can lead to dysregulation, and how intentional, values-based home setups can support calmer play, independence, and nervous system safety for both kids and parents.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How clutter, toy overload, and overstimulation affect children’s behavior and regulation
• Simple, realistic toy rotation and home setup strategies for small or open-concept spaces
• Letting go of guilt around purging, donating, or storing toys in different seasons of parenting

Connect with Natasha :

• On Facebook, Child Development Consultant
• On Instagram, @natashademers
• By email: [email protected]

✨NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION DURING TANTRUMS: Get your FREE consultation

Connect with Danik :

• On Instagram, @danikhelpsmoms
• Join the newsletter here

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Breaking generational cycles not only for ourselves, but for our whole family❤️‍🩹

Welcome back to the Healing Mothers' Club! Today is a guest episode with Radha Dalal, M.A., and soon-to-be LMFT! We talk about:

• What it feels like to break generational cycles as daughters of immigrants and South Asian women;
• What we need to create safety when feeling pressured;
• How to confidently write our own story (as Radha says, "you're the author, not the aunties"!)

Connect with Radha:

• On Instagram, @radhathetherapist
• Website: radhadalal.com
• Podcast: The Pink Rose Pod

Connect with Danik:

• On Instagram, @danikhelpsmoms
• Website: danikbernier.com
• Get your FREE coaching consultation here

DISCLAIMER

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Today on the Healing Mothers' Club, we get real about what it takes to actually create and uphold boundaries with your children's toxic grandparents. If your children's grandparents fall somewhere on the emotional immaturity spectrum, chances are they have displayed toxic behaviours -- and the holidays can be the perfect storm for unhinged emotionally immature behaviour.

Most blogs and Instagram reels will suggest you clearly communicate your boundary. But unfortunately, when dealing with emotionally immature people, we just can't expect our demand for respect will be met.

In this episode, we cover :

• The fact that setting and upholding boundaries is probably still something that is very new. For most adult children of emotionally immature parents, setting and upholding boundaries is something they start contemplating when having children.
• How simply sticking with boundary scripts can set you up for a full blown trauma response (we aim for a trauma recall here, very different)
• How EMDR-inspired coaching cultivates the inner safety needed to effectively enforce boundaries so you can prove to yourself that YOU are the safe adult in your life.

Connect with Danik!

• On Instagram, @danikhelpsmoms
• Join my coaching newsletter so you don't miss special announcements!

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Welcome back to the Healing Mothers Club! Have you ever wondered why popular parenting hacks don't work for your child who presents with signs of Autism? This episode is for you. Dr. Carolyn Solo, PhD, LCSW joins the club and shares:

• How her personal journey raising 3 daughters, one of whom is PDA Autistic, led her to a complete shift in parenting - from behavioural approaches to nervous system approaches;
• What PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or, as we like to call it, Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) is all about and how to accommodate the nervous system;
• How she was able to find safety within, despite going against what parenting professionals recommended + traditional schooling

Connect with Carolyn:

• On Instagram for EMDR therapy
• On Instagram for EMDR intensives business coaching
• Listen to her podcast, Future Template Parent if you're an EMDR therapist curious about offering intensives in your practice
• Download her free guide if you're an EMDR therapist curious about intensives

Connect with Danik:

• On Instagram
• Download the free guide to Anger + Regulation

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Rabbi Shoshana, The PDA Safe Circle
• PDA North America
• Casey Ehrlich, Ph.D., At Peace Parents
• Amanda Diekman, Low Demand Parenting

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is not meant to replace psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional, does not give medical advice, is not a mental health assessment tool, and does not provide a diagnosis. This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.