In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Dr. Jenn Veilleux, clinical psychologist and professor of psychological science, where they discuss the science of emotions.

Together, they explore why we are so fundamentally afraid of negative emotions, how contrast avoidance blocks us from tasting joy, and a highly actionable framework to accurately interpret the hidden messages your body is trying to send you.

About Dr. Jenn Veilleux

Dr. Jenn Veilleux is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor of psychological science at the University of Arkansas, where she specializes in emotions, emotion regulation, and personality. In addition to training graduate students in the art of psychotherapy, Dr. Veilleux operates a private practice helping adults and couples transform their relationships with their internal states. As a dedicated emotion scientist, she bridges strict empirical research with practical clinical application to help individuals understand their minds and bodies more gracefully. She is also the author of an upcoming book designed to clearly demystify the psychological science behind emotion regulation, which will be fully linked in our resources below. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Differentiate Emotions from Moods: Scientifically, emotions are intense, transient, wave-like states triggered by a specific event that have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Moods, by contrast, are longer-lasting, lower-intensity states that lack a target or explicit starting trigger.
• Receive Emotions as Vital Messages: Emotions are not random disturbances; they are functional communication tools designed to prepare your physical body for action, provide information about your social environment, and facilitate connection with others.
• Confront the Trap of Contrast Avoidance: Master suppressors often actively block intense positive emotions. This tendency is driven by a fear of the sudden emotional drop that might follow a peak experience, causing individuals to stay safely anchored in a low level of anxiety instead.
• Understand the Rebound Cost of Suppression: Pushing an emotional wave down doesn't make it disappear. Because emotions are determined to be received, hiding from them temporarily causes them to return with amplified intensity, much like the avalanche of letters invading Harry Potter's living room.

Connect with Dr. Jenn Veilleux

Website: https://www.jenncveilleux.com/

Book: https://www.jenncveilleux.com/book

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-veilleux-3270962a8

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Lisa Lacy, author and trauma educator, where they discuss the role of storytelling in healing and why self-trust is key to healing ancestral trauma.

Together, they explore why some healing modalities may work for you and others won't, and the importance of getting in touch with your body to feel safe and grounded.

About Lisa

Lisa Lacy is a writer, trauma educator, and author of the upcoming memoir “Notes From a Certified Madwoman” and its companion “Field Guide: The Psychology of Performance™️”. After more than three decades in corporate education, healthcare consulting, performance, and storytelling, Lisa now speaks and writes about addiction, psychosis, trauma, nervous systems, identity masking, reinvention, and the hidden realities of high functioning survival in women. Drawing from lived experience, recovery, and years teaching trauma-informed emotional intelligence in addiction recovery centers across Georgia, Lisa creates conversations that are psychologically informed without sounding clinical, emotionally honest, unexpectedly funny, and deeply human.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• You can physiologically inherit fear, anxiety, and behavioral patterns from your ancestral line without ever experiencing the original event yourself. Recognizing that what you are carrying isn't fully yours means you are not losing your mind—it is real science.
• Healing is not a one-size-fits-all journey. If traditional talk therapies leave you blaming yourself, expand your toolbox by exploring somatic work, hypnosis, cognitive processing, or peer support groups until you find what clicks for your unique design.
• Trauma survivors often dissociate, disconnecting completely from their physical bodies to survive. Ground yourself instantly by releasing a big sigh out—which safely down-regulates anxiety—and dropping into your chest space to find your heartbeat.
• Even if an ancestor passed away long before you were born, you can actively form a relationship with their memory. Channeling their history into purpose—such as transforming an ancestral story of abuse into community protection—honors their legacy and breaks the cycle.
• Forcing forgiveness can become a psychological trap. Opt instead for an objective human understanding of what limited tools your ancestors had, while taking radical accountability for your own behaviors and creating your own internal closure.

Resources Mentioned

• It Didn’t Start with You by Mark Wolynn: https://markwolynn.com/it-didnt-start-with-you/
• Dolores Cannon: https://dolorescannon.com/
• Multipotentialite Ted Talk by Emilie Wapnik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sZdcB6bjI8

Connect with Lisa Lacy

Website: https://www.lisalacy.com/about-1

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisalacycalm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_lacy_writes/

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by stress management coach Lolita Guarin, where they discuss struggling with anxiety and self abandonment as an unintentional way to honor your ancestors and how to break your ‘loyalty’ to your family’s trauma patterns.

They also discuss the societal pressure to uphold perfectly happily family narratives, even when that is not the reality for many people.

About Lolita Guarin

Lolita Guarin is a stress management expert, speaker, coach, six-time Amazon #1 bestselling author, creator of the CALM Process, and Story to IMPACT mentor. She helps audiences move from stress and burnout into clarity, confidence, and self-trust with practical tools they can use right away. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Understand that ancestral trauma is an inherited historical memory that converts into rigid behavioral patterns. Recognizing that your constant state of hyper-vigilance is an inherited default setting allows you to separate the trauma from who you truly are.
• By looking through a third-person lens rather than a wounded child's perspective, you can see how an ancestor’s inability to show love often stems from unresolved trauma in their own childhood.
• Many adults self-abandon and refuse to practice self-care because they unconsciously believe that suffering honors the sacrifices of their lineage. 
• Stop bulldozing your own needs. Reclaim your personal sovereignty by practicing small boundaries, like pausing before saying "yes" to a demand, and actively celebrating your small daily victories to heal your inner child.

Resources Mentioned

Dr. Gabor Maté: https://drgabormate.com/

Connect with Lolita

Lolita’s Website: https://www.beamazingyou.com/

Lolita’s Books: https://beamazingyou.lpages.co/get-the-books/

Book a Session: https://beamazingyou.lpages.co/book-a-session/

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Yildiz Sethi, a psychotherapist, best-selling author, and founder of Emotional Mind Integration, to challenge outmoded mental health models and explore the generational subconscious mind.

Together they discuss the importance of addressing generational trauma and the potential for mental health recovery through neuroscience and epigenetics.

About Yildiz Sethi

Yildiz Sethi is a psychotherapist, author, and innovator in mind science, with over 25 years of experience helping people create deep, lasting change. She is the founder of Emotional Mind Integration, Rapid Core Healing, and PTIT Trauma Recovery, offering brief, powerful approaches to healing personal and generational trauma in just 1–4 sessions. Her work bridges neuroscience, consciousness, and spirituality, challenging outdated mental health models that focus on managing symptoms rather than resolving root causes.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Your struggles are split between your personal subconscious mind (repressed personal experiences) and your generational mind (the systemic patterns, anxieties, and relationship dynamics you carry from your family tree).
• Traditional talk therapy can flood your system by forcing you to relive painful memories. Rapid core healing uses resourced, distanced subconscious processing to release stored adrenaline safely and effectively within a session.
• Modern neuroscience tells us the brain can constantly rewire itself. 

Resources Mentioned

• Crazy Normal for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing podcast
• Let's Take the Crap Out of Psychotherapy by Yildiz Sethi

Connect with Yildiz

• Website: https://yildizsethi.com/
• Books: https://yildizsethi.com/mind-and-trauma-healing-books/

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Malinda DeMercurio, an acupuncturist and Sangoma, to explore how energy medicine, shamanic traditions, and ancestral healing can guide you back to your heart.

Together they discuss how to begin working with your ancestors, trusting your intuition as it draws you to specific healing modalities, and more.

About Malinda

Malinda DeMercurio is a licensed acupuncturist in New York, Connecticut, and Wisconsin, a certified instinctive meditation teacher, a Reiki master, and an initiated Sangoma, which is a traditional healer from the Zulu lineage of South Africa. She integrates acupuncture, meditation, energy medicine, and ancestral healing to help individuals restore health, reconnect with their spiritual inheritance and step into greater sovereignty.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Awaken Your Ancestral Qi: Recognize that you carry the energy, strength, and life force of those who came before you in your very DNA. True vitality comes from learning to unblock and honor this spiritual inheritance.
• Listen to the Call of the Grandmothers: Reconnecting with the wisdom of the grandmothers allows us to ground ourselves in fierce, nurturing energy and find our way back to the heart.
• Trust Your Intuitive Memory: Pay attention to the sudden signs, repeating patterns, or subtle inner pulls that draw you toward specific healing modalities like acupuncture, massage, or ritual work. Your ancestors often communicate through these intuitive nudges.
• The Power of Ritual Prescription: Move your healing beyond mental processing by engaging in physical rituals. Honoring family stories and ancestral spirits through intentional acts helps metabolize stored emotional grief.
• Fierce Self-Care Filters Outward: True matriarchal energy reminds us that taking care of ourselves is not selfish; it gives us the vital wherewithal to fiercely love, protect, and offer deep healing to our families and communities.

Resources Mentioned

• Amazon Magic by Jaya Bear: https://www.abebooks.com/9780967425504/Amazon-Magic-Life-Story-Ayahuasquero-0967425506/plp
• An Overview of Sangomas: https://www.britannica.com/science/sangoma

Connect with Malinda DeMercurio

Dragon Springs Wellness: https://dragonspringswellness.com/

 90-Day Ancestral Healing & Sovereignty Reset: https://dragonspringswellness.com/programs-classes-and-events

Malinda's Substack: https://substack.com/@primordialmothers

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Dr. Irit Felsen, a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and traumatic loss, where they discuss the impact of significant familial trauma through the lens of Holocaust survivors and their families.

Together, they explore how to navigate family dynamics that result from trauma, and the importance of separating the love from the trauma.

About Dr. Irit Felsen

Irit Felsen, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and traumatic loss, whose clinical work and research have been focused on Holocaust survivors and their families. Dr. Felsen is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and was previously an Assistant Professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University for 14 years. Dr. Felsen is a Fellow of the APA Trauma division (Division 56) and a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She is the chair of the Trauma Working Group at the NGO Committee on Mental Health in Consultative Relationship to the United Nations.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Felsen was the chair of the Working Group focused on the needs of Vibrant Older Adults in the APA Interdivision Covid-19 Task Force, and when she resided in NJ,  she was a board member of the Holocaust Council of MetroWest.  

Dr. Felsen’s papers have been published in peer-reviewed professional journals, and she authored multiple book chapters. Her research was the basis for the book “Psychoanalysis and Holocaust Testimony: Memories of Unwanted Social Trauma.” 

Dr. Felsen is sought-after speaker presenting nationally and internationally about the long-term effects of trauma on survivors and about the intergenerational transmission of trauma and resilience to the descendants of survivors. She is in private practice in Englewood, NJ.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Learn to distinguish between your parents' true core personality—what they actually wished and wanted for you—and the restrictive, anxious behaviors caused by post-traumatic stress.
• Gain a clearer psychological perspective on why trauma survivors sometimes struggle with boundary-setting and letting their children separate, removing the blame and introducing deep compassion into the relationship.
• Reclaim your family narrative by honoring the immense resilience it took for your lineage to survive, turning that historical strength into fuel for your own personal growth and success.

Resources Mentioned

• Psychoanalysis and Holocaust Testimony: Memories of Unwanted Social Trauma
• The work of Beatrice Beebe, PhD
• Nothing Makes You Free edited by Melvin Jules Bukiet
• Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Connect with Dr. Irit Felsen

• Website: https://www.iritfelsen.com/
• Research: https://www.iritfelsen.com/research/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irit-felsen-3b316712/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPm6rBX9nGA0g76s4A-UpA

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Liza Miron, Family Constellations facilitator and coach, to discuss ancestral trauma through family entanglements and how we can heal from them.

Together they discover how to balance ancestral anger while honoring those ancestors, the importance of acceptance and belonging, and so much more.

About Liza

With over 15 years of hands-on experience with different modalities, Family Constellations facilitator and trainer Liza Miron is passionate about nurturing growth, fostering awareness, and uncovering underlying threads that keep people from enjoying their lives. This is complemented by her dynamic academic background, including a BA in Business Administration, an MA in Coaching and Human Resources Management, and spectrum-wide certifications including NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), Reiki, and Syntara System Energy Healing.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Recognize that you are part of a larger energetic web. When an ancestor is forgotten, excluded, or judged, the system often entangles a later generation to represent that person, leading us to repeat their difficult patterns.
• Healing begins when we acknowledge the black sheep or the forgotten ones and return them to their place in the system.
• Discover why the most powerful healing sentence is a simple Yes to reality. Looking at the truth of your family history without judgment allows the heavy energy of the past to transform into strength.
• You don't have to suffer to show loyalty to your lineage. Learn how to honor your ancestors by living a full, happy life—turning their survival and sacrifices into your fuel for success.

Resources Mentioned

• Another Self (Zeytin Agaci)

Connect with Liza Miron

• Website
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Melissa Taylor, a mental health provider who's deeply versed in cultural nuances and intergenerational trauma, to discuss seeking ancestral wisdom as part of healing.

They also dive into the impact of systemic oppression on family dynamics and the importance of recognizing and validating individual experiences.

About Melissa

Navigating both physical and virtual spaces, Melissa is a third-culture individual deeply versed in cultural nuances and intergenerational trauma. Driven by a mission to reconnect with her ancestors and to help others on their own journeys of reconnection, she specializes in addressing relational and intergenerational trauma as well as oppression. Melissa’s practice is grounded in principles of anti-racism, anti-oppressive practices, and Black feminism. She’s committed to working with individuals impacted by colonization, enslavement, and 2SLGTBQ+ oppression.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Ancestors are not just biological; they can include community members, writers, artists, or even elements of nature like a specific lake or river that provides a felt sense of connection.
• We don't just inherit intergenerational wounds; we also inherit intergenerational wisdom—skills, ways of knowing, and a capacity for playfulness that can anchor us during difficult times.
• Healing often begins with a sensation rather than a thought. Look for glimmers of okayness or a settlement in the body, even if it only lasts for a few seconds.
• Individual trauma is often inseparable from systemic oppression, including racism, misogyny, and the patriarchy. Recognizing these external forces helps take the pathology off the individual.

Resources Mentioned

• Ancestral Memory Therapy’s blog

Connect with Melissa Taylor

• Ancestral Memory Therapy: https://www.ancestralmemorytherapy.com/

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by psychologist and educator Annie Brook to discuss how the nervous system stores trauma, and what we can do to release those chemicals and emotions and ground back into our bodies.

Together they explore pre-cognitive memories and how we can metabolize emotional distress.

About Annie
Annie Brook is a psychologist, educator, and author whose work focuses on trauma healing, birth imprint therapy, and applied neuroplasticity. Through The Brook Institute she teaches practical body mind tools that help therapists, parents, and individuals heal early developmental trauma and build healthier relationships. For more information visit https://anniebrook.com.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• While the mind can analyze trauma, the nervous system is what stores it. Healing requires moving into the felt sense to release energy that talk therapy alone often cannot reach.
• How experiences from the womb and birth—moments before we have language—create foundational blueprints in our bodies. Recognizing these early imprints can be helpful in understanding unexplained adult anxiety or shut-down.
• How to identify when your system has entered a freeze or existential shock state. Annie explains how dissociation serves as a survival mechanism and provides tools to safely bring your awareness back into your body.
• How to use sensory feedback and somatic techniques to finish incomplete trauma responses. Whether it’s reclaiming a birth push or moving through ancestral grief, these tools help your body understand that the danger is in the past.
• To develop a compassionate witness within yourself. By replacing self-attack thinking with curious body awareness, you create the internal safety necessary for deep integration and personal growth.

Resources Mentioned

• Annie’s PDF Library: https://www.anniebrook.com/pdf-library
• Annie’s “Blink Blink” video: https://www.instagram.com/p/C35qUqMOZ7T/
• Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert, PhD
• There’s No Such Thing As a Dragon by Jack Kent

Connect with Annie Brook

Instagram: @anniebrooktherapy

Website: https://www.anniebrook.com

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by Erica Bonham, a licensed counselor and embodied leadership coach, where they explore a “badass nervous system”, emotional alchemy, and tips for listening to your body.

About Erica

Erica Bonham is a licensed professional counselor, speaker, best selling author and embodied leadership coach. Her work bridges individual transformation and collective healing. She leads trainings on EMDR, ancestral trauma, and embodied, heart-led leadership.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The difference between fake resiliency, a high-functioning trauma response rooted in fear, and true capacity.
• How to stay present with difficult emotions. Instead of avoiding the hard things, learn to use them as fuel for your growth and leadership.
• Moving beyond repeating affirmations like "I am worthy." Shift into an embodied practice where your value is something you feel in your cells, not just something you think in your head.
• Explore the intersection of the body, the heart, and the mind. When you unwind the patterns in all three areas, you stop playing small and start trusting your own intuition and impact.
• Why setting boundaries isn't just a social skill, but a physiological requirement for your nervous system. Strengthening your capacity to say "no" increases your capacity.

Resources Mentioned

• Kim Krans The Wild Archetypes Deck
• Kasia Urbaniack’s Book, Unbound

Connect with Erica Bonham

Website: https://www.avoscounseling.com

Embodied and Unstoppable Workshop

Nervous System Reset Toolkit

Erica’s Book: Always Enough, Never Done

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Theme music by Carter Penny.