High Capacity – Nervous System Regulation, Stress Management, Burnout Recovery, Somatic Tools, Anxiety, Boundaries, Overwhelm

If you’ve ever felt guilty for struggling because “you should be grateful,” this one’s for you.

Because real mental wellness isn’t about pretending everything’s fine.

It’s about having science-backed tools that help you navigate the real stuff—burnout, anxiety, parenting stress, and all the emotions in between.

In this episode, I’m joined by Marc Fussell, founder of Take 2 Minutes—a nonprofit using tech and positive psychology to make nervous system regulation doable (and actually effective).

We’re diving into:
 ✔️ What positive psychology actually is (and how it helps rewire your brain for joy)
✔️ Why your gratitude practice might not be working (and how to fix it in 2 weeks)
✔️ A simple grounding tool to help calm your nervous system in real time
✔️ How to model emotional regulation for your kids—even on the messy 

Marc’s approach is science-backed, simple, and surprisingly doable—even in a busy season.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to be grateful but it’s not landing—or like you’ve lost touch with joy—you’re going to love this one. It’s hopeful, honest, and full of tangible takeaways.

🎧 Press play and get the tools to feel more grounded, grateful, and present—starting now.

Connect with Marc:

• Marc’s Website
• Take 2 Minutes YouTube
• Marc’s IG

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Encouraging Optimism Without Toxic Positivity
• Are You Ready for a Soul Shift? How to Get Unstuck and Reclaim Your Joy
• How to Edit Your Life for More Clarity, Growth, & Joy
• How to Neurohack Happiness Chemicals
• Tips for Balancing Hormones & Boosting Energy

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

If your body feels like it's stuck in overdrive—wired, tired, inflamed, and just plain off—it might not be just stress. It could be high cortisol.

In this first episode of Alive & Well, we’re pulling back the curtain on your body’s main stress hormone. 

Because if you’ve been walking around feeling anxious, foggy, overstimulated, or exhausted by 2 p.m., there’s a good chance your cortisol levels are out of whack—and your nervous system is sounding the alarm.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why common symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog could all be traced back to high cortisol
• How chronic stress disrupts your energy, sleep, focus, and mood
• The science behind your stress response (no jargon—just what you actually need to know)
• 4 simple, science-backed ways to calm your nervous system and bring your body back into balance

The best part? You don’t need to overhaul your whole life. 

Just a few small shifts to help your body feel safe again.

🎧 Hit play to learn how to work with your body—not against it—and download the free Nervous System Reset Guide (linked in the show notes) for practical tools you can start using today.

You were made to be alive & well—and we’re starting right here.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• 4 Signs You’re Addicted to Cortisol (and How to Fix It)
• 5 Habits I Stopped Doing to Heal My Nervous System & Balance My Cortisol
• 5 Ways to Activate Your Vagus Nerve for Stress Relief and Emotional Balance
• 7 Ways to Tone Your Vagus Nerve and Build Real Stress Resilience
• 5 Morning Mistakes that Wreck Your Nervous System and Cause Burnout

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

If you wake up already anxious, overstimulated, or feeling behind—you’re not imagining it. 

Mornings can be brutal when your nervous system is stuck in survival mode. 

And no amount of coffee, planners, or morning routine hacks will fix what’s really happening in your body.

In this episode, we’re unpacking what’s actually going on when mornings feel hard—and how to shift it with nervous system-based tools that work in real life (not just on someone’s aesthetic IG grid).

We’re diving into:
 ✔️ What a dysregulated nervous system looks like first thing in the morning
 ✔️ The sneaky habits making AM anxiety worse (even when they feel “normal”)
 ✔️ Simple, body-based shifts to start your day feeling grounded—not reactive

If you’ve been telling yourself you’re just “not a morning person,” it might be time to look deeper. Your body is asking for safety. Let’s help it find it.

🎧 Press play, and don’t forget to download the Nervous System Reset Guide (linked in the show notes) to get tools you can start using right away.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• My 5-step Morning Routine
• What To Do the Morning After (A Bad Night’s Sleep)
• 5 Morning Mistakes that Wreck Your Nervous System and Cause Burnout
• Bonus: Try This Bedtime Drink to Lower Stress Hormones and Improve Sleep
• A Powerful Nighttime Routine to Optimize Your Health

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

You’re crushing it on paper—but inside? You’re feeling fried.

If your standards are sky-high, your to-do list never ends, and your nervous system feels like it’s hanging on by a thread, this episode is your wake-up call.

In today’s episode, we’re breaking down what happens when perfectionism becomes a nervous system survival strategy—and why it’s one of the earliest (and sneakiest) signs of burnout.

We’re diving into:
 ✔️ The real root of perfectionism (hint: it’s not just about high standards)
 ✔️ 5 subtle but powerful signs you’re burning out—and might not know it
 ✔️ How to rewire the pressure to “get it right” and build nervous system safety instead

If you’ve been wondering why you can’t relax… why nothing ever feels good enough… or why success feels so exhausting—this one’s for you.

🎧 Hit play and grab the free Nervous System Reset Guide (linked below) to start rewiring for real peace and presence—no perfection required.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Are You a Perfectionist? 3 Reasons Perfectionists Have High Anxiety
• Break Free from Perfectionism & Procrastination and Build Habits That Stick
• Is it Perfectionism or Excellence? How to Tell the Difference and What to Do About It
• Calling All Perfectionists! How to Overcome Perfectionism and Own Your Enoughness
• The Real Reason You Procrastinate, People-Please, and Chase Perfection (It’s Not What You Think)

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

If you're raising girls, this episode is a must-listen.

Because the world they’re growing up in? It’s not the one we were raised in.

In this powerful conversation with therapist, parenting coach, and Restoring Our Girls author Cathy Cassani Adams, we unpack what girls are really asking for—and why so many parents miss it.

Cathy brings decades of experience (and her perspective as a mom of three daughters) to shed light on how we can parent with emotional attunement, clarity, and deep connection—even through the messiness of adolescence.

You'll learn:
 ✨ What girls actually wish we’d stop doing (it’s not what you think)
 ✨ Why “well-meaning” labels like “the smart one” or “the shy one” can cause harm
 ✨ How to foster critical thinking, confidence, and emotional safety with your daughter

If you want your daughter to know she’s safe to be fully herself—with you and with the world—this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

🎧 Hit play for a grounded, honest look at how to parent girls with wisdom, compassion, and courage.

Connect with Cathy:

• Zen Parenting Radio Website
• Zen Parenting on Instagram
• Restoring Our Girls

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Connection-Focused Strategies for Challenging Parenting Moments
• Co-Parenting? 4 Steps to Move out of Toxic Communication, Conflict, & Chaos
• How Helicopter Parenting is Impacting Your Kids with Bizzie Gold
• 5 Surprising Ways Anxiety Can Show Up in Parenting

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

If you’re waking up tired, snapping at everyone by noon, forgetting basic things, or constantly overstimulated… it might not be your schedule, your supplements, or your mindset.

It might be your nervous system.

You’re not just “off.”

Your body is trying to tell you something.

In this episode, we’re unpacking what nervous system dysregulation actually is—and how it silently hijacks your focus, energy, mood, digestion, hormones, and more.

If you’ve ever asked yourself:

 💭 Why am I always exhausted?
 💭 Why do I feel numb, foggy, or on edge all the time?
 💭 Why can’t I just get it together?

This one’s for you.

We’re diving into:
 ✔️ The real science behind dysregulation (and why it’s not about willpower)
 ✔️ 10 clear signs your body is stuck in survival mode - like fatigue, brain fog, reactivity, digestive issues, and more
 ✔️ Simple, daily tools to support regulation

🧠 Because no amount of supplements, to-do lists, or mindset work can override a dysregulated nervous system.

💡 But the good news? Your nervous system is built to heal—and that healing starts with understanding what’s really going on in your body.

🎧 Hit play, and then grab the free Nervous System Reset Guide in the show notes to take the next step in your healing journey. Let’s go.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Is Your Brain Causing You Pain? A Mind-Body Approach to Chronic Pain, Anxiety, and Depression
• Cure Your Busy Brain: The Protocol to Calm an Anxious Mind
• How Self-Compassion Rewires Your Brain for Growth
• Tired, Anxious, and Overwhelmed? The Step-by-Step Process to Heal Burnout and Regulate Your Nervous System

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

If you feel like you’ve been stuck in a fog—too tired to move, too overwhelmed to start, or too numb to care—this episode is for you.

You’re probably not lazy. You’re not a procrastinator. You’re not failing. 

You might just be in a nervous system freeze response—the most misunderstood nervous system state.

It’s what happens after months (or years) of running on fumes. 

And it’s why so many high-achieving women feel exhausted, disconnected, and stuck—no matter how hard they’re trying.

In this episode, we break down:

 ✔️ What the freeze response really is (and why it’s not about being lazy)
 ✔️ 7 sneaky signs you’re in a freeze state
 ✔️ Simple, body-based tools to gently start thawing out
 ✔️ How to support your nervous system without pushing yourself harder

💡 Spoiler: Freeze is not the end of the road. It’s your nervous system asking for support—and there is a way forward.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• How to tell if Your're in Fight, Flight, or Freeze
• 4 Sneaky Ways Fight, Flight, Freeze & Fawn Are Hijacking How You Communicate
• Are You Ready for a Soul Shift? How to Get Unstuck and Reclaim Your Joy
• The Reset Mindset: How to Get Unstuck and Focus on What Matters Most

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

You’re doing your best to take care of yourself—maybe even trying to keep up with the wellness trends you’ve been seeing everywhere. 

But if you still feel anxious, wired, or totally drained… there might be more going on under the surface.

In today’s episode, we’re calling it out: Not all wellness trends are good for your nervous system. 💥

You’ll learn the real reason your body can’t tell the difference between “good” and “bad” stress—and how that impacts your hormones, energy, and mood

We’re breaking down:

•  The real science behind these trends
•  When they can help (and when they really, really can’t)
•  What to try instead if your nervous system is on edge
•  How to tell if a “wellness routine” is pushing you further into survival mode

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I still feel off even when I’m doing all the ‘right’ things?”—this is your episode.

🎧 Hit play now and learn how to stop chasing trends and start actually healing.

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Stuck in Bad Habits? Stop Spinning Your Wheels and Learn the 3 Requirements for Lasting Change
• 3 Habits Making Your Anxiety Worse (and 3 That’ll Make it Better)
• 5 Everyday Habits That Dysregulate Your Nervous System (and What to Do Instead)
• Clenched Jaw, Brain Fog, and More: 5 Oddly Specific Signs Your Nervous System Needs Support

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

Today’s tech is not the same as the Saturday morning cartoons we grew up with. 

It’s faster, stickier, and designed to hijack attention, delay development, and disrupt regulation. 

And most of us are just trying to keep up—while feeling totally overwhelmed.

In this conversation, I’m joined by The Screentime Consultant herself, Emily Cherkin, a former middle school teacher turned national advocate for tech-intentional parenting.

With humor, deep empathy, and zero judgment, she’s helping us rethink the role of screens in our kids’ lives—and our own.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by how much your kids (or you!) are on screens—this one is a must-listen.

We’re not anti-tech. But we are pro-child. And that means learning how to use tech in a way that honors real developmental needs, protects relationships, and puts the nervous system first.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Why today’s tech is rewiring kids’ brains (and what you can do about it)
• The hidden harms of educational technology (yes, even at school)
• How to start conversations with your kids and their teachers about screen use

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this too much?” or “How do I set better boundaries without losing my mind?”—this conversation is for you.

Your intuition is spot on. And today’s episode? It’s the guidance you’ve been craving.

Press play and let’s get clear on what’s actually best for our kids—and how to lead the way with calm, courage, and intention.

Connect with Emily

• The Screentime Solution
• Emily on IG
• The Screentime Consultant website

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• Why You Need a Family Mission Statement and 5 Steps to Writing Yours
• How to Talk to Your Kids about Hard Things While Protecting Your Family’s Peace
• "Calm in the Chaos: 3 Strategies to Navigate Triggering Family Dynamics "
• Raising Strong-Willed Kids Without Losing Your Mind

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz

Ever walked away from a conversation thinking “Why did I just say that?” “Why did I freeze?” “Why can’t I bring this up without freaking out?”

It’s not that you’re bad at communicating. 🧠 Your nervous system is just running the show.

In today’s episode, we’re diving into how your nervous system state is shaping your communication—whether you’re snapping, shutting down, or trying to keep the peace at your own expense.

We’re breaking down:

• What fight, flight, freeze, and fawn actually look like in real-time convos
• Why you can’t “talk it out” when your body feels unsafe
• Somatic cues to watch for—and what to do in the moment to shift gears
• How to build real awareness so your communication gets clearer, calmer, and more connected

🎧 Hit play and learn how to stop spiraling in hard conversations—and start speaking from a place of safety.

>>> 💌 DOWNLOAD THE NERVOUS SYSTEM RESET GUIDE 💌 <<<

Related Links:

• Previous Episode
• 5 Signs You're in Fight or Flight (Even if You're Not Feeling Angry or Anxious)
• Unlocking Calm Powerful Somatic Practices to Shift out of Fight, Flight or Freeze
• 5 Signs You’re Parenting in Fight-or-Flight—and How to Shift Out of Survival Mode
• 3 Body-Based Tools to Shift Out of Fight-or-Flight (Fast)

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🧠 What's your capacity pattern? 

Take the free 2-minute quiz and unlock The Capacity Code — a personalized private podcast episode for your specific nervous system. 

→ Take the Capacity Pattern Quiz