How To Feel

I try my best not to scroll Instagram, but when I do I find myself absorbed by one woman's posts: Ann Nguyen. She's a sexual empowerment coach for women and her posts say things like, What Would Your Pussy Choose To Wear Today?... How I Orgasamed My Way To Promotion In The Corporate World.  Her content always leaves me feeling excited and inspired. When I think of pleasure, I think of Ann, so I knew that I wanted to have her on the podcast to share her journey of becoming an advocate for women to reclaim their sexuality and lives. From previously reading her story, I knew that pleasure didn't always come easy and that this path has entailed many years of healing trauma and conditioning. We discuss it all in this episode.

As Ann states, "Pleasure is one of the most delicious forms of resistance," and we get into why women feeling pleasure will not only transform their personal lives, but also the world. I can't wait for you to listen.

+ Ann's personal journey of feeling safe to feel pleasure and becoming an advocate and coach for others to feel the same

+ How women and femmes can reclaim pleasure as something for themselves, versus their pleasure and their existence being something that is here to serve others

+ Redefining pleasure and all of the multiple flavors of pleasure

+ How making things just 5% more pleasurable can be revolutionary and transformative

+ Pleasure and capitalism

+ The power of Pussy and practices to connect to the Pussy archetype

+ Body love and taking our power back to create a new narrative about our bodies

+ Pleasure as resistance in the revolution

+ Pleasure showing up as pain

And so much more!

Born and raised in California as a first-generation Vietnamese American woman, Ann has lived her whole life following two main things: her curiosity and her urge to question everything with “but why?”. These curiosities and questions have led her down a dynamic path from graduating with a B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to working in various jobs in the tech industry at Google, Facebook & YouTube.

Find more about the How To Feel podcast here: www.anastasiaholland.com

In the beginning of the pandemic I was hit with some serious anxiety. There was so much uncertainty. Would we survive? Is this the end of the world? As I sat with my fear, one thought kept me grounded and anchored: my ancestors have survived pandemics and I will too. This is the not the first time humans have gone through something like this.

I knew I wanted to have my friend Lisa Nagel on the podcast to talk all about connecting with our ancestors, especially in uncertain times.

Lisa is an inherited trauma resolution coach and ancestral healing guide who works with highly sensitive womxn who want to be free. Who want to feel vibrantly alive in their self-expression, their relationships, and careers.

She believes in gentle bravery, radical love, in transformation that lasts and that our stories aren't over yet. That everything is still possible. www.wildsensitivesouls.com.

Lisa has such a calming and reassuring perspective on the current world events and connecting with our ancestors. I think you’re really going to enjoy this episode.

Women's wellness educator, Denell Nawrocki, and I discuss our various journeys with abortion as an attempt to normalize the range of experiences women have when it comes to terminating a pregnancy. 

In this episode we cover...

Links: 

www.anastasiaholland.com

www.cervicalwellness.com

Author and Breathwork Facilitator, Michelle D'Avella, shares what led her to write her book The Bright Side of a Broken Heart and her journey with feeling (and healing) heartbreak. 

In 2017 I experienced a seriously real heartbreak after ending a five year on and off again relationship. It was the kind that swallowed me whole and left me in a pit of my own grief. It can be confusing grieving someone who is still alive, missing someone who is still out there. It can be so painful when heartbreak leads us to feeling unlovable and unwanted. But it was that exact heartbreak that launched me straight toward my soul. My self. My trauma. My desires. My truth. Eventually landing me more in love than I've ever been. 

In the thick of it all I found a book that I read in one sitting. The Brightside of A Broken Heart by Michelle D’Avella. Her words normalized everything I was going through. She captured my broken heart in her pages. She never let go or gave up. On herself or me. I knew that when I created How To Feel I had to have a heartbreak episode. My friends often joke that I've been heartbroken since I was 14. Heartbreak and I know each other well and I knew that I had to have Michelle on to talk all about it. Out of all the heartbreak things I’ve read, listened to and watched, Michelle’s book is my favorite. She’s also such an awesome person.

​My intention with this episode of How To Feel Heartbreak is to normalize the range of emotions and experiences that come with heartbreak and to maybe, if you’re heartbroken right now, give you some hope for your journey. Michelle certainly did that for me and I think her story and words will do the same for you.

​In this episode we talk about...

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More about Michelle: 

Michelle D’Avella is an author, certified Breathwork facilitator, and mentor. She helps her clients transform painful experiences into valuable life lessons and create sustainable change through inner exploration, processing repressed emotions, and somatic release. Michelle is an advocate for reclaiming your power, showing up for yourself, and honoring the healing process. She has been featured in Forbes, W Magazine, MyDomaine, and more. Learn more about Michelle and her work at pushingbeauty.com.

www.anastasiaholland.com

In this solo episode I explore a more personal topic: how to feel sexy when you're exhausted. 

I've dealt with chronic illness and fatigue since 2015, which has made sex a bit more complicated. This episode is for the ones who are tired and want tools to find their sexy when they can barely get out of bed. This episode is an exploration of what feeling sexy even is and a reclamation of your own desires, needs, wants, and sexual expression even when you're sick or tired. This episode is is a big no to a culture that says sexy looks and feels one certain way. A way that, I’ve found, is nearly impossible for most of us to look and feel. What does sexy feel like when you’re exhausted, sick, sad, anxious, depressed, when you’re recovering from something huge? I cover it all. There's even a special interview at the end with my partner, Isaac. You won't want to miss this one.

www.anastasiaholland.com

Artist, Devon Walz, talks about the ups and downs of living during a pandemic and how to feel creative amongst it all. Devon shares how she first found art during one of the most difficult chapters of her life and how painting completely transformed her mental, emotional, and physical health.

Links: 

www.anastasiaholland.com

www.devonwalz.com

Yay! It's here! A podcast featuring stories and words on what it feels like to be human. 

In this quick sneak peek episode I give you some of idea of what you can expect from Season 1 of How To Feel. I also share a little bit more of my story and why I feel so passionate about exploring How To Feel... abortion, chronic illness, depression, ancestral trauma, fear, anxiety, miscarriage, healing from assault and so much more. 

Stay up to date on Instagram @anastasiaholland

www.anastasiaholland.com