Episode Description / Show Notes:
Ever feel like your story is messy, scattered, or unclear—and that’s holding you back from stepping fully into your purpose? In this episode, I share a metaphor from my 10 years working in reality TV—soft scripting—and how it taught me to find the through threads in the chaos.

I’ll break down how this concept applies to your life and work:

• How to sift through the raw material of your experiences to discover your unique voice.
• Why trying to force your story or follow someone else’s blueprint backfires.
• How to nurture your emerging story so it grows naturally into its fullest expression.

Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, stepping into visibility as a sensitive creative, or exploring a new identity, soft scripting is a practical, nervous-system-friendly approach to clarifying your purpose and showing up authentically.

I also share a new opportunity to practice this in community: my Seen & Safe group membership, a supportive space for sensitive creatives, coaches, and entrepreneurs to grow in visibility without burning out.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The reality TV concept of soft scripting and why it’s a powerful metaphor for life and work.
• How to find the through threads in your experiences and start shaping your story.
• A gentle, collaborative approach to visibility that respects your nervous system.

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Join Seen & Safe: AnnaHoltzman.com/seenandsafe
• Email me with your thoughts or reflections: [email protected]

Who This Episode is For:
Sensitive creatives, coaches, healers, and entrepreneurs who want to show up authentically, discover their voice, and step into purpose without burning out.

Follow & Connect:

• Instagram: @annaholtzman

In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Febuary—trauma-informed writing coach, embodiment teacher, founder of For Women Who Roar, and author of Brave the Page: How Writing Our Hard Stories Brings Healing and Wholeness. Megan shares her journey into storytelling as a healing practice and how writing from a trauma-informed lens can transform not only the stories we tell but who we become in the process.

We dive into concepts like “creative consensuality,” how to approach writing with compassion and care, and why it’s not about the end product but the healing that happens along the way. If you’ve been curious about using writing to process trauma, find your voice, or build creative community, this conversation offers gentle guidance and inspiration.

Connect with Megan Febuary:

• Website: meganafebuary.com
• For Women Who Roar: forwomenwhoroar.com
• Instagram: @meganfebuary
• Instagram: @forwomenwhoroar
• Book: Brave the Page: How Writing Our Hard Stories Brings Healing and Wholeness

Connect with Anna Holtzman:

• Website: annaholtzman.com
• Instagram: @anna_holtzman
• Email: [email protected]

In this episode, I get real about what it’s like to have a sensitive nervous system—and how that sensitivity, while it can sometimes derail your day, is actually a source of creativity, intuition, and connection. I share a recent experience with our cat, Billie, whose vet visit turned into a spiral of worry about her dental health. Through journaling, self-compassion, and nervous system regulation, I navigated the overwhelm and found my way back into flow—and discovered how even the most challenging moments can inform and inspire our work.

If you often feel sensitive, overstimulated, or “derailed” by small daily stressors, this episode is for you. I’ll show you why taking care of your nervous system isn’t wasted time—it’s a key part of doing meaningful work, showing up authentically, and fueling your creativity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How to reframe sensitivity as a superpower instead of a barrier
• Practical ways to tend to your nervous system when small stressors feel big
• How to move through fear, overwhelm, or self-criticism without getting stuck
• Why the way we handle everyday disruptions is actually connected to our creativity and purpose

Join Me Live for My Workshop:
I also invite you to join my free live workshop, Let Yourself Be Seen, on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 1pm ET. This is for sensitive creatives and entrepreneurs who want to share their work without losing themselves. We’ll explore how to:

• Use fear as a gateway into authentic self-expression
• Share your work without burning out or abandoning yourself
• Make visibility feel energizing, not performative or draining

Sign up here: www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

If you've ever looked around at your life and thought, "Is this it?"—this episode is your wake-up call. Speaker, author, and "aliveness evangelist" Jodi Wellman joins me for a bold, funny, and deeply honest conversation about what it means to really live before we die.

We talk about what snapped her out of autopilot, how grief cracked her open to a more vibrant life, and why facing our mortality can actually be the most life-affirming move we can make. Jodi shares stories and strategies from her new book, You Only Die Once, and we explore how trusting yourself and embracing your aliveness are deeply intertwined.

Whether you're feeling stuck in a life that looks great on paper but feels flat, or you're just craving more zing in your everyday, this conversation is packed with perspective, humor, and permission to want more out of your time above ground.

We talk about:

• What it means to be a “highly functioning zombie”
• How grief (and the death of her mom) woke Jodi up
• Why death is actually one of the most motivating forces for joy and change
• How to stop squandering your precious time
• Practical tools for snapping out of autopilot
• The difference between productivity and aliveness
• Why it’s okay (and necessary!) to want more from your one life

More from Jodi Wellman:

• Website: https://fourthousandmondays.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourthousandmondays/
• Book: You Only Die Once (Available wherever books are sold)

Work with me:
If this episode stirred something in you—if you're craving more boldness, more clarity, more you in your life and work—I’d love to support you. I help sensitive, ambitious humans like you overcome fear and visibility blocks so you can share your voice and build a business that feels aligned and alive. Learn more and book a free call here: https://www.annaholtzman.com/breakthrough

Subscribe + Share:
If you loved this episode, subscribe to How to Trust Yourself on your favorite podcast app and share it with a friend who’s ready to stop sleepwalking and start really living.

Ever had a moment where everything felt fine… until it wasn’t?

In this episode, I share a deeply personal story about an emotional blow-up with my husband—how it unfolded, what it triggered, and what it taught me about fear, shame, and self-protection.

This isn't just a story about relationships. It’s a mirror for what so many of us experience in business, creativity, and visibility:
That moment when a hidden landmine gets tripped, and before we even know we’re in a fear response, we’ve shut down, disappeared, or lit a match to something we care about.

I talk about:

• The shame spiral that follows emotional triggers
• The old pattern of blowing up and walking away
• How these same dynamics show up in creative and professional life
• The mind-body tools that help me stay with myself and rebuild connection
• Why this is the exact work I do with my 1:1 coaching clients

If you’ve ever ghosted your own dreams after a hit of self-doubt, or found yourself in a freeze state without knowing why—this episode will speak to you.

And if you’re ready to move through fear without burning out or abandoning yourself…

→ Download the free workshop Let Yourself Be Seen: www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

→  Join the waitlist for 1:1 coaching here: www.annaholtzman.com

Spots open this September and waitlisters get first dibs.

Welcome back, dear listener. I am so thrilled to share today’s episode with someone who has had a really meaningful presence in my own journey—Liz Kimball.

Liz and I met about ten years ago in a coaching certification program, and I really looked up to her. She had already been coaching for years and brought this grounded, wise, creative energy to everything she did. After the course ended, I got to work with her as a client, and it was a pretty magical experience for me. So, reconnecting with her for this conversation felt like a full-circle moment.

Liz is a creativity catalyst and transformational coach for visionary creators. She’s the founder of The Creative15 and The Expansion Project Creative Development Lab, and her work is all about helping women and girls free their voices and bring their brave creative work into the world—without burning themselves out in the process. Her work has been featured on TEDx, Oprah.com, The Guggenheim, and at universities and institutions throughout the country. She’s also a mother and, as she says, a nonlinear duck—more on that in the episode.

In our conversation, we talked about the importance of having a safe, de-pressurized space for the creative process to unfold—something Liz creates so beautifully for her clients. As she put it, she needed “a de-pressurized environment to hear the sound of me,” and I think so many of us can relate to that.

We also talked about her nonlinear path to coaching—how she started long before coaching was a buzzword—and how she’s followed the quiet tugs of her inner voice, often before she could see the full picture.

This one’s for anyone who’s feeling the call to create something, even if it doesn’t all make sense yet. I hope you love it as much as I did.

You can find Liz at:
lizkimball.com
https://www.instagram.com/lizkimball/

And you can find me at:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: [email protected]
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

In today’s episode, I’m getting personal and sharing a story that I honestly find a little embarrassing. I’m not always graceful with transitions—especially when it comes to slowing down. Summer is usually a time when my energy and my business naturally slow down, but even though I know it’s good for me, I can resist it pretty intensely.

I know this isn’t just me. I see it in my clients and in myself: there’s this tension between wanting to slow down and the nervous system’s resistance to it. We often push ourselves through that resistance and feel frustrated when we can’t just “switch off” or enjoy the downtime we think we should be having.

I’m sharing my experience with you because I want to remind you that you're not alone in this struggle. Slowing down can feel awkward, frustrating, and even a little depressing. But it doesn’t have to be perfect to be valuable. I’ve been learning that, and I want to offer you some tools that are helping me navigate this transition, like my mantra Slow Summer and some simple self-regulation practices.

In this episode, I dive into:

• Why transitions can be awkward and difficult (even when we know they’re needed)
• How to embrace slow without judgment or self-criticism
• The power of giving yourself grace through the discomfort of shifting gears
• A self-reflection practice to help you release pressure and soften into your natural rhythm

If you’re feeling stuck in a similar transition or struggling with the pressure to “do more,” I invite you to consider how embracing slow can actually help you feel more aligned. And if you need support along the way, I’d love to help.

Ready to slow down but need support?
I’m opening up my one-on-one coaching for the fall. If you’re tired of pushing through and want to create more space for what feels good, I’d love to help you do that. You can learn more and join the waitlist at www.annaholtzman.com. Feel free to email me directly at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram at @anna_holtzman.

Thank you for listening! If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Your support means the world to me and helps me keep showing up in this space.

Welcome back, dear listener. Today’s guest is someone whose work radiates beauty, intention, and a deep reverence for the natural world—and whose journey as a creative and entrepreneur is a powerful testament to the role self-trust plays in bringing a vision to life.

Angela Monaco is a Philadelphia-based jewelry designer and the founder of Angela Monaco Jewelry, a fine jewelry brand and storefront that centers intuition, spirituality, creativity, and connection. Through handcrafted talismans made of gold, silver, and earth-toned gems, Angela’s pieces tell stories—both ancient and personal. They’re more than jewelry; they’re invitations to connect more deeply with yourself and the world around you.

In this conversation, Angela shares how she built her business from the ground up, how she continues to navigate the unknown with courage and creativity, and how she’s learned to trust her own instincts along the way—even when she didn’t have all the answers. We talk about the illusion that anyone “has it all figured out,” the creative power of curiosity, and what it really means to follow your own path.

If you're someone who struggles with perfectionism, comparison, or feeling like you’re not ready yet—this episode will remind you that no one starts out knowing what they’re doing… and that’s exactly where the magic begins. Let’s get into it.

You can find Angela at:
https://www.instagram.com/angelamonacojewelry/

https://angelamonacojewelry.com/

And you can find me at:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: [email protected]Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

In this solo episode, Anna reflects on what it means to stay visible and grounded in your work—especially when the world feels chaotic, polarized, and uncertain.

If you’ve been wondering, “Who am I to say anything right now?” or feeling tempted to freeze, shrink, or disappear… this episode is a loving call back into your voice, your visibility, and your creative leadership.

Anna explores:

• Why visibility matters more than ever in times of collective fear and division
• The nervous system's freeze response—and how it feeds silence, shouting, and polarization
• What it means to become a holding environment for yourself and others
• How art, coaching, and business can be quiet, powerful forms of leadership
• Why your perspective is irreplaceable and needed in this moment
• How coaching can hold space for the fear and help you show up with clarity and courage

Whether you're a creative, coach, healer, or heart-centered entrepreneur, this episode will help you reconnect to your purpose and show up—not in spite of the chaos, but because of it.

✨ Connect with Anna:
🌐 www.annaholtzman.com
📸 Instagram: @anna_holtzman
📬 Email: [email protected]

Today’s conversation is funny, real, and unapologetically human—with someone I’ve admired for a long time.

My guest is Laura Belgray: award-winning copywriter, founder of Talking Shrimp, co-creator of The Copy Cure with Marie Forleo, and author of the hilariously honest and wildly relatable memoir, Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You're the F-ing Worst.

In this episode, we talk about:

✨ How Laura went from “professional avoider of ambition” to creative business owner and bestselling author
✨ Why she proudly claims the title of “lazy” — and how that’s been one of her greatest strengths
✨ What it really means to “get paid to be yourself” (and how to start)
✨ How to balance wanting to be liked with not giving a f*ck
✨ Why perfectionism is overrated, overworking is unnecessary, and being fully yourself is your best asset

If you’ve ever felt like you’re too messy, too late, or too lazy to succeed, Laura’s story is here to remind you: you’re not too anything. In fact, the very things you think disqualify you might just be your magic.

Whether you're a creative entrepreneur, writer, late bloomer, or simply someone who’s tired of trying to do it all right, this episode is a permission slip to be more you.

🎧 Listen in and learn how to:

• Embrace your quirks
• Tell the truth in your writing
• Build a business around your personality
• Let go of trying so damn hard

📚 Learn more about Laura:

• Website: talkingshrimp.com
• Instagram: @laurabelgray
• Book: Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You're the F-ing Worst – Available wherever books are sold!

💌 Want to work with me or stay connected?

• Website: annaholtzman.com
• Instagram: @anna_holtzman
• Email: [email protected]

If you loved this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing it with a friend who needs to hear that it’s okay to be delightfully, messily human.