Live Brighter With Tara

In one of my most personal conversations yet, I'm sharing a story that took years of healing before I felt ready to tell it.

During a destructive marriage, severe sleep deprivation, and undiagnosed physical health challenges, I experienced mania and psychosis and was hospitalized in psychiatric facilities. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but over time I came to question whether that diagnosis fully accounted for the trauma, stress, and physical circumstances surrounding my experiences.

I share what happened during those hospitalizations, the ways I felt unheard and mistreated, and how a psychiatric label affected my relationships, my credibility, and my ability to advocate for myself.

We also explore a question that extends far beyond mental health: What happens when we allow a label to replace our curiosity about another person?

I discuss the healing work that helped me move through shame, reconnect with my voice, and eventually transform some of my most painful experiences into a desire to help others through Hope Harbor Transitional Living.

This isn't a conversation against psychiatric care or medication. It's an invitation to consider the whole person—their history, relationships, trauma, physical health, and lived experience.

My hope is that you'll leave feeling encouraged to question limiting labels, approach others with greater compassion, and remember that someone else's interpretation of your story doesn't have to become your identity.

Content note: Includes discussion of domestic abuse, psychiatric hospitalization, restraint, medication-related harm, and trauma.

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PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:49 The Impact of Labels

02:57 Personal Trauma and Healing Journey

07:45 Experiences in the Psych Ward

11:12 The Consequences of Misdiagnosis

13:30 A second mental health crisis

14:40 Finding Purpose in Pain

15:55 Healing from Shame

17:24 Looking beyond Labels

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

#MentalHealthAwareness #TraumaHealing #MentalHealthStigma #PsychiatricTrauma #EmotionalAbuseRecovery #OvercomingShame #HealingJourney #SelfAdvocacy #FaithAndHealing #LiveBrighterWithTara

mental health stigma, psychiatric hospitalization, bipolar diagnosis, mental health labels, psychiatric trauma, medical trauma, trauma recovery, emotional abuse recovery, domestic violence recovery, mental health advocacy, psychosis, shame and healing, overcoming shame, EMDR, trauma therapy, self advocacy, faith and healing, mental health recovery, finding your voice, purpose after pain

What if we approached psychosis with more curiosity, compassion and connection?

In this episode, I talk with Anneke Sips, community psychiatric nurse, integrative trauma therapist and author of The Wisdom of Psychosis. Drawing from nearly three decades of experience in mental health and crisis care, Anneke offers a broader perspective on psychosis—one that considers not only psychiatric symptoms, but also trauma, spirituality, the nervous system and the individual person's lived experience.

Anneke shares how her own experiences with spiritual abuse, loss and leaving the religious community she grew up in influenced her approach to healing. We discuss the stigma surrounding psychosis, how to recognize when someone may need additional support, and why connection can be so important when someone's experience of reality differs from our own.

We also explore the LEAP method—Listen, Empathize, Agree and Partner—and Anneke explains how listening without judgment can help someone feel seen rather than immediately corrected or controlled. Later, we discuss embodiment, nervous-system regulation and how Anneke began integrating yoga into psychiatric settings.

This is a thoughtful conversation about mental health, trauma, spirituality and what can happen when we approach another person's experience with curiosity rather than fear.

Connect with Anneke: https://annekesips.com/

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Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:00 Meet Anneke Sips

00:56 Religious trauma and Anneke's early story

06:46 Nearly 30 years working in psychiatry

11:04 Tara's experience with psychiatric care 1

2:13 What is psychosis?

15:30 Psychiatry, spirituality & the middle path

18:10 When does someone need help?

24:17 The LEAP method 29:25 Embodiment, yoga & the nervous system

35:20 Trauma and altered states

36:36 The Wisdom of Psychosis

39:58 Working with Anneke

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

psychosis, understanding psychosis, trauma and psychosis, psychosis recovery, mental health, mental health recovery, trauma healing, trauma informed care, spiritual emergency, spirituality and mental health, holistic mental health, nervous system regulation, embodiment, yoga therapy, psychiatric care, mental health stigma, compassionate mental health care, LEAP method, human connection, The Wisdom of Psychosis #MentalHealth #Psychosis #TraumaHealing #MentalHealthAwareness #TraumaInformed #NervousSystemRegulation #HolisticHealing #SpiritualityAndMentalHealth #HumanConnection #LiveBrighterWithTara

In this deeply personal episode, I share about my recent divorce and some of what I'm learning as I move through a season of grief, healing, and letting go.

I didn't leave because all the love disappeared. There was genuine friendship, connection, laughter, healing, and beauty in our marriage—and there were also patterns I eventually realized I could no longer live with. Both can be true. An ending doesn't require us to rewrite the entire story or turn another person into the villain.

I talk about learning to pay attention to behavior rather than only intentions, recognizing the difference between compassion and continued access, listening to what our bodies and intuition may be communicating, and understanding the difference between trying to control another person's choices and establishing our own boundaries.

Most of all, this conversation is about learning that loving someone doesn't require abandoning yourself. Sometimes we can have compassion and still say no. We can appreciate what was beautiful and still grieve what wasn't. And we can give another person the freedom to make their choices while giving ourselves the freedom to respond honestly to them.

THINKING TIME: https://www.livebrighter.info/thinking-time

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:00 Navigating Divorce: A Personal Journey

02:01 Understanding Relationship Dynamics

04:06 The Language of Behavior

06:28 Emotional Safety and Self-Preservation

09:02 Listening to Your Inner Voice

11:11 Grieving Without Rewriting the Story

16:25 Finding Freedom in Choices

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

#EmotionalHealing #DivorceRecovery #SelfTrust #HealthyBoundaries #SelfAbandonment #RelationshipHealing #GriefAndHealing #PersonalGrowth #FaithAndHealing #LiveBrighterWithTara

divorce, healing after divorce, divorce recovery, getting divorced, life after divorce, self abandonment, how to stop abandoning yourself, losing yourself in a relationship, loving someone and letting go, when love isn't enough, relationship patterns, unhealthy relationship patterns, emotional safety in relationships, healthy boundaries, boundaries in relationships, control vs boundaries, trusting yourself, trusting your intuition, people pleasing, recovering people pleaser, grief and loss, grieving a relationship, emotional healing, Christian divorce, Christian relationships, faith and healing, personal growth, Live Brighter with Tara, Tara Wolfe Schaan

In this personal episode, the tables are turned as Sarah J. Thiessen and Heather Hughes interview me about the experiences that shaped who I am today.

I share parts of my journey through a destructive marriage, emotional and spiritual abuse, psychiatric hospitalization, losing trust in myself, and the beliefs about faith and kindness that kept me trying harder instead of recognizing what was happening.

We talk about what eventually changed, how I began rebuilding my life, and why learning to listen to my emotions, establish boundaries, love myself, and trust God differently became such an important part of my healing.

I also share how that journey led me to life coaching, hypnotherapy, Hope Harbor Transitional Living, and eventually Splankna.

Sarah, Heather, and I explore what it means to move from overly kind to empowered kindness—loving others without abandoning yourself in the process.

Splankna Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCtsxg9yQ6Jr2wb1f4G1LBew

THINKING TIME: https://www.livebrighter.info/thinking-time

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:00 Tara's Journey to Coaching and Splankna

05:05 Understanding Emotional and Spiritual Abuse

07:29 The Impact of Misdiagnosis and Mental Health

18:57 The Role of Faith in Healing and Recovery

29:26 Discovering Splunkna and Its Transformative Power

32:45 Significant Shifts and Trusting Oneself

36:24 The Gentle Approach to Healing

40:33 Empowered Kindness and Overly Kind Dynamics

49:34 Literature on Kindness and Boundaries

56:13 Listening to the Holy Spirit and Practicing Trust

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

self abandonment, how to trust yourself again, losing yourself in a relationship, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, religious abuse, Christian relationships, unhealthy Christian marriage, people pleasing, Christian people pleasing, overly kind, empowered kindness, when being too kind hurts you, finding your voice, learning to trust yourself, emotional healing, faith and healing, Christian healing journey, healing with God, relationship with God, boundaries for Christians, Christian boundaries, healthy self love, self love and Christianity, emotional abuse recovery, healing from emotional abuse, rebuilding your life, breaking unhealthy patterns, generational patterns, listening to your emotions, mind body connection, Splankna, Splankna therapy, Sarah J Thiessen, Heather Hughes, Holy Spirit healing, listening to the Holy Spirit, personal growth, Christian personal growth,

#SelfAbandonment #EmotionalHealing #PeoplePleasing #EmpoweredKindness #FaithAndHealing #EmotionalAbuse #ChristianHealing #SelfTrust #PersonalGrowth #LiveBrighterWithTara

Healthy friendships don't just make life more enjoyable—they matter for our emotional and physical well-being.

In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores what makes adult friendship healthy, why meaningful relationships can become harder to build as we get older, and how we can intentionally create deeper connection.

She shares lessons about healing from friendship hurt, trusting gradually, mutuality, honesty, conflict and repair, and learning not to abandon yourself simply to belong.

You'll also hear practical ways to cultivate friendships where you can both know and be known, while making room for different kinds of relationships throughout different seasons of life.

Friendship takes work—but meaningful connection is worth cultivating.

THINKING TIME: https://www.livebrighter.info/thinking-time

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:00 Why Friendships Matter More Than You Think

03:28 Healing From Friendship Hurt, Loss & Betrayal

07:16 Codependency & One-Sided Friendships

09:52 What Makes a Friendship Truly Healthy?

12:50 Friendship Red Flags & How to Build Trust

17:18 How Healthy Conflict Creates Deeper Connection

19:25 How to Build Stronger, More Meaningful Friendships

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

Tags: #Friendship #AdultFriendships #HealthyRelationships #MeaningfulConnections #FriendshipAdvice #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #EmotionalHealth #ChristianLiving #LiveBrighterWithTara

adult friendships, healthy friendships, how to make friends as an adult, why friendships get harder as you get older, how to build deeper friendships, meaningful friendships, healthy friendship signs, friendship advice, female friendships, friendship and mental health, friendship and longevity, importance of friendship, how to find your people, how to make close friends, how to deepen friendships, building trust in friendship, friendship betrayal, healing from friendship betrayal, friendship breakup, losing a friend, how to trust friends again, one sided friendship, mutual friendship, toxic friendship signs, friendship red flags, healthy relationship skills, conflict in friendship, how to repair a friendship, loneliness, feeling lonely, adult loneliness, connection and belonging, people pleasing in friendships, self abandonment, how to stop people pleasing, Christian friendship, faith and relationships, personal growth, self awareness, Live Brighter with Tara, Tara Wolfe Schaan

Busyness is often praised—but what happens when productivity becomes a way of avoiding ourselves?

In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, join me as I explore busyness as an often-overlooked coping mechanism and the emotional, physical, and relational costs of constantly operating at full capacity.

I also shared personal lessons about grief, self-reflection, and learning that being highly productive isn't necessarily the same as being healthy. We will also explore why quiet can feel uncomfortable, what our emotions may be trying to tell us, and how creating more margin can help us live with greater intention.

You'll learn practical ways to incorporate micro-pauses, restorative rest, and regular thinking time into your life so you can reconnect with yourself, your relationships, and God.

This isn't about doing less. It's about becoming more intentional about how—and why—you live.

THINKING TIME: https://www.livebrighter.info/thinking-time

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:35 The Hidden Cost of Busyness

02:34 Understanding Emotional Load and Grief

05:46 Why We Use Busyness to Cope and Avoid Emotions

08:32 The Physical and Emotional Cost of Chronic Busyness

11:28 Why Listening to Your Emotions Matters

12:47 Creating More Margin and Capacity in Your Life

14:07 Practical Pauses and Thinking Time

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

#Busyness #EmotionalHealth #PersonalGrowth #IntentionalLiving #Burnout #SelfAwareness #EmotionalHealing #MentalWellness #ChristianWomen #LiveBrighterWithTara

Healing Masterclass Part 2 is here!

If you joined me for Healing Masterclass Part 1, welcome back. In this next chapter, we're taking the healing journey even deeper.

Many of us aren't stuck because we lack motivation—we're stuck because unresolved experiences continue shaping how we think, react, relate, and dream. In this Healing Masterclass, we're bringing together three foundational conversations that explore how healing begins by understanding the past, recognizing unhealthy patterns, and intentionally creating a different future.

In this masterclass you'll learn:

✨ Why emotional triggers often point to deeper wounds

✨ How unresolved experiences shape adult relationships

✨ Why we unknowingly repeat unhealthy emotional patterns

✨ How to identify the beliefs keeping you stuck

✨ The importance of healing your past instead of simply coping with it

✨ How to begin dreaming again and intentionally create a healthier future

Healing isn't about pretending the past didn't happen. It's about understanding it, learning from it, and choosing not to let it define the rest of your story.

Whether you're continuing from Healing Masterclass Part 1 or this is your first episode, I hope this conversation encourages you to understand yourself with compassion and move toward lasting freedom.

Live Brighter—one step at a time.

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

Part 1

00:00 All about Triggers and Trauma

01:20 Trauma as part of the Human Experience: Big T and Little T Traumas.

04:10 Triggers and how energy and emotion gets locked up in our bodies

05:20 Triggers as an opportunity for growth 06:18 What do we do with our Trauma and Triggers?

Part 2

0:26 Why We Form Patterns: How your brain shaped your survival strategies

12:10 Spotting the Signs: Becoming aware of your unconscious patterns

13:37 Childhood on Repeat: How early coping shows up in adult life

16:14 Mind-Body Check-In: Noticing what your body is telling you

17:37 Emotional Awareness: Feeling deeply and choosing your next step

19:56 Guided Exercise: Nurturing your inner child and rewriting the story

Part 3

24:05 Transforming Past Experiences into Hope

26:47 The Importance of Dreaming and Visualization

28:17 Ways to grow our Dreams

29:49 Taking Ownership and Action towards our Dreams

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

Keywords: healing masterclass heal your past healing childhood trauma emotional healing, trauma healing, emotional triggers, relationship patterns, breaking unhealthy patterns, repeating emotional patterns childhood wounds, rewrite your story, personal growth, healing journey, how to heal emotionally, how to stop repeating patterns, healing from trauma, understanding triggers, self awareness, self worth, limiting beliefs, healing relationships, dream again, hope after trauma, Christian healing, faith and healing, Live Brighter

Tags: #EmotionalHealing #HealingJourney #PersonalGrowth #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaHealing #SelfGrowth #MentalHealth #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndHealing #SelfAwareness #LiveBrighterWithTara

Why do so many of us continue repeating the same unhealthy patterns—even when we genuinely want to change?

In this special Live Brighter with Tara masterclass, Tara brings together three conversations that reveal a powerful healing journey:

🌱 How childhood experiences shape our beliefs and identity

🌱 Why we often cope instead of truly heal

🌱 What it takes to grow beyond old patterns and step into lasting freedom

If you've ever wondered why change feels so difficult, this episode offers practical insight, hope, and encouragement that healing is possible.

In this masterclass you'll discover:

✨ How childhood influences adulthood

✨ Why coping isn't the same as healing

✨ Breaking unhealthy emotional patterns

✨ The importance of processing emotions

✨ Growing into the person you were created to become

✨ Practical steps toward emotional and spiritual growth

Whether you're just beginning your healing journey or continuing to grow, this conversation will encourage you to take your next step. 🎙️ Live Brighter—one step at a time.

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST CHAPTERS:

00:17 Core needs as a Child and Stories we make as a Child

01:53 How the stories we experience and tell ourselves play out

04:08 Our lifeguards and Lawyers in our Brains

06:49 How Ideas and Beliefs affects our Relationships and Goals

07:48 Power of an Adult: We have the ability to change and how

11:11 Why do we avoid our feelings and how coping helps us avoid our problems

15: 59 Facing our Feelings: The Importance of stillness

17:26 Practical steps to process emotions

19:20 Valuing ourselves: the path to healing and support

22:35 Understanding our Soil: Childhood influences

24:56 Embracing our Unique Seeds

29:15 Nurturing our Growth: Water and Love

31:38 Basking in Sunshine: Spiritual Connection

33: 08 The importance of Time in Growth

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

Keywords: feeling stuck in life, emotionally exhausted, can't move forward healing after trauma, finding yourself again, healing your inner child, emotional burnout, low self worth, fear of change, breaking generational patterns, finding purpose, identity struggles, people pleasing recovery, learning to love yourself, healing shame

What does it really mean to live free?

In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores how our relationship with ourselves, our past, and our relationship with God all shape our ability to live authentically and experience true freedom.

Using the analogy of a light bulb, Tara shares how healing begins when we learn to care for ourselves, process our past, challenge limiting beliefs, and reconnect with the source of lasting hope and purpose.

In this episode:

✨ Why freedom begins with your relationship with yourself ✨ How an unprocessed past continues to shape your life ✨ Breaking limiting beliefs that keep you stuck ✨ The importance of taking ownership of your story ✨ Finding lasting freedom through your relationship with God

If you've ever felt like something has been holding you back, this conversation offers hope, perspective, and practical steps toward living more freely.

🎙️ Listen now and start living brighter—one step at a time.

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS:

00:00 The Story of Patience Lovell Wright and Espionage

02:44 Understanding Freedom and Self-Image

04:37 Processing the Past for Growth

10:52 Taking Ownership of Our Stories

15:54 The Power of Forgiveness and Relationship with God

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

#PersonalGrowth #EmotionalHealing #HealingJourney #Freedom #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndHealing #LiveBrighterWithTara

In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores the journey of healing from self-abandonment and learning how to reconnect with yourself.

Through her personal story, she discusses how people-pleasing, suppressing emotions, avoiding conflict, and ignoring boundaries can impact our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

This conversation explores finding your voice, honoring your emotions, creating healthier boundaries, and learning to love others without losing yourself.

Get Your FREE Unravel Notebook Chapter for This Week: https://www.livebrighter.info/lead-collection

Book your FREE consultation HERE: https://www.livebrighter.info/

Get the Unravel Notebook HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Notebook-Tara-Wolfe-Schaan/dp/B0CTPDWJ8L

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS:

00:46 How Being "Too Kind" Can Lead to Self-Abandonment 04:23 Understanding Your Emotions and Reconnecting With Yourself 11:23 Finding Your Voice and Learning to Speak Up 15:35 Setting Healthy Boundaries and Breaking Self-Abandonment Patterns 21:20 Taking Back Your Responsibility and Personal Growth 24:07 How Culture and Society Encourage Self-Abandonment 29:09 Learning Self-Love Without Losing Your Kindness 30:57 Healing and Returning Back to Yourself

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Grow 1% each day, I believe in you! Thank you for Listening!

#SelfAbandonment #PeoplePleasing #EmotionalHealing #Boundaries #HealingJourney #LiveBrighterWithTara