Before we jump in– I wanted to let you know I’m hosting a free live training on April 14th for writers! Check it out HERE if you’re interested. 😘

This week I’m re-airing an archived episode– it’s one of my favorites– and it’s a conversation with Thais Sky. Thais is a truthspeaker, healer, women’s coach and feminist on a heart-led mission to support the seekers, the edge-dwellers, and the “why the heck do I feel so broken” of the world reclaim their sense of belonging by learning how to explore, trust and express themselves unapologetically. Thais is so expressive and downright poetic, as you’ll hear. I loved my conversation with her and I hope you do too.

In this episode, Thais and I talk about the worthiness wound, what contributes to it, some critical steps to take to reclaim your worth and how healing the worthiness wound is a radical act. We also talk about personal development and how we often hope someone will save us, but it really comes down to doing the work. We also touch on holding the human experience and being capable of navigating through triggers, thoughts and feelings. Lastly, we talk about whiteness, patriarchy,  becoming radicalized and acknowledging that one can be both the oppressor and the oppressed (and how that doesn’t mean you are a bad person).

In this episode you’ll hear:

Resources from this episode
Join me for a free live training for writers!
Thais Sky’s websiteThais on Instagram
Scene on Radio
The Start: A Forum for Radical Social ChangeAndréa Renee Johnson’s blog post on why the self-help industry is not changing the world

Thais is a truthspeaker, healer, women’s coach and feminist on a heart-led mission to support the seekers, the edge-dwellers, and the “why the heck do I feel so broken” of the world reclaim their sense of belonging by learning how to explore, trust and express themselves unapologetically. Based on her own healing journey and decades of research and mentoring women worldwide, she has developed a comprehensive model that explores and offers tools/skills to heal the pervasive sense of unworthiness within women, what she calls the worthiness wound. She also hosts a weekly podcast RECLAIM where she offers conversations on finding the intersection of feminism and spirituality. Thais received a prestigious first-class degree in Management and has studied spiritual psychology, trauma, and leadership for over 10 years. You can learn more about her and her online offerings at ThaisSky.com and just about everywhere on social media, because #millennial at @IamThaisSky.

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

MSN is supported by:
We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been two and a half years since I announced my separation and divorce on the podcast, and in this personal episode, I finally sit down to give the update I promised myself I'd share. What took so long? The answer, it turns out, is the very story I continue to tell… one of profound transformation, spiritual reckoning, and slowly coming home to myself.

This episode is an honest, unscripted look at what a midlife awakening can actually look like from the inside. I walk through the intersection of perimenopause, my Chiron return in Aries, the end of my marriage, and the slow dismantling of long-held beliefs about myself and my life. I share five powerful relationship self-assessment questions, reflect on the mind-body connection between suppressed needs and physical illness (drawing from Dr. Gabor Maté's work), and speak directly to women who are in that uncertain, frozen place of not-yet-knowing what to do about their relationship. The throughline of the episode is this: follow the breadcrumbs, even when you can't see where they lead.

Key takeaways from this episode:

The five relationship self-assessment questions:

If someone told you that you're a lot like your partner, would that feel like a compliment?

Are you truly fulfilled in your relationship, or are you just less lonely?

Are you able to be unapologetically yourself in your relationship, or do you feel you have to show up differently to please or accommodate your partner?

Are you in love with your partner as they are right now — as a whole — or are you in love with their good side, their potential, or your idea of them?

Would you want your child (real, future, or imagined) to date someone like your partner?

The Chiron Return is an astrological transit in your late 40s to early 50s when the "wounded healer" planet returns to the position it occupied at your birth — and for those of us born between 1969–1976, it tends to arrive boldly and intensely.

The mind-body connection is real — drawing from Dr. Gabor Maté's When the Body Says No, I highlight research linking higher rates of autoimmune disease and non-smoking-related cancers to chronically suppressing your own needs in a relationship.

There are two very different kinds of easy — life can be logistically easier inside a relationship while quietly depleting you spiritually and physically, and it's worth asking which one you're actually experiencing.

Midlife awakenings take longer than we expect — mine stretched across nearly a decade of incremental ruptures before I finally made the decision to leave my marriage in 2023.

You are not alone — whether you're in the questioning stage, the frozen stage, or somewhere further down the road, it's all a normal and valid part of the journey.

Follow the breadcrumbs — encouragement to ask smaller, more honest questions that move you incrementally forward toward the clarity you need.

This episode is an invitation to anyone in the middle of their own becoming. Whether that looks like questioning a relationship, navigating midlife, or simply feeling the foundation shift beneath your feet like I did. My message is clear: what looks like falling apart is often falling open. The breadcrumbs are there. Keep following them.

Resources: 

Ep 540: Leaving My Marriage from July 2023

TikTok I mentioned that has those 5 questions

When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

Single session to have your birth chart read. (P.S. I made a mistake in the episode when I said the price. Instead of pulling the episode and changing it, I will grant 5 people the discounted rate I mentioned at the end of episode 720. Once they are all booked, those discounted sessions will be gone and the regular price applies!) 

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

MSN is supported by:
We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joining me on the podcast this week is leading Latina psychotherapist, Christine Gutierrez, LHMC. Christine is the founder of Christineg.tv, an online hub that features psychologically-savvy and soulful advice. Christine also specializes in love addiction which happens to be the topic of today’s episode.

In this episode, we talked about healing from love addiction, Christine’s own experience with it and how she now helps clients move through the healing process. We also touched on codependency and love addiction red flags. It’s clear through my conversation with Christine that she has worked hard and tirelessly on learning how to trust in herself and lean into her biggest self. I’m happy to share our conversation with you. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

Resources from this podcast:
Christine’s website
Join my email list for info on upcoming writer’s program

Christine Gutierrez, MA, LMHC, is a Latina licensed psychotherapist, self-worth expert, and thought leader. Gutierrez is also the author of the book I Am Worthy,  I Am Diosa: A Journey to Healing Deep, Loving Yourself, and Coming Back Home to Soul and the affirmation deck Wisdom Del Alma. Christine has a Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in human behavior and development and a Master’s degree from City College of New York in mental health counseling with a focus on prevention and community. Through her work, Christine offers group coaching, corporate wellness, transformational retreats such as her annual Diosa Retreat in Puerto Rico, and soul-based business mentorship in her annual Madre Diosa Legacy Council. In addition, Christine is the founder of the forthcoming app DIOSA a global community where like-hearted women gather to meet soul sisters, gather in circle, and rise together. She has been featured on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Latina Magazine, Yahoo Health, Ebony, Cosmopolitan for Latinas, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Online, Telemundo, and others. Christine currently resides in Puerto Rico. 

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

MSN is supported by:
We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Considering fascism is quickly taking hold more and more in the U.S. and beyond, I thought it would be a good idea to bring back my friend of the podcast, Beatriz Victoria Albina, to talk about nervous system healing and sexuality, emotional outsourcing and what sexuality has to do with fascism. From the start of the episode, Bea explains what trauma actually is in clear, everyday language without clinical jargon, and then we move into more nuanced topics.

Béa is a master certified somatic life coach, UCSF-trained family nurse practitioner, and breath work meditation guide who helps humans socialized as women break free from codependency, perfectionism, and people-pleasing so they can reclaim their joy. A lot of what we cover in today’s episode shows up in her brand new book End Emotional Outsourcing. 

Here’s what you’ll hear in today’s episode: 

As a reminder, please join me on my Substack! I'm writing about topics like this, poetry, and everything in between.

Resources from this episode:
Get my emails so you won’t miss the writing program I’m teaching with Shannon Kaiser

Connect with me on my Substack, How Very Human of You
Bea’s previous interview on Make Some Noise
End Emotional Outsourcing book

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In this solo episode, I’m unpacking the silence, the rage, and the tension showing up in conversations around the Epstein files and patriarchy. The idea came to me after I got a thinly veiled death threat in my DM’s a couple of weeks ago (you can scroll through the carousel of memes I posted in the link below to see it). I’m exploring what’s underneath the harassment, the absence/silence of men in certain spaces, and why shame is such a powerful, and often invisible, force in all of it.

I also want to remind you that I’m on Substack! It’s not perfect over there, but I decided to start before I was ready. You can check out some of my writing and subscribe HERE. No paywall as of now, but that may change later as I write more. I have no plans to put the podcast behind a paywall though! 

What you’ll hear in this solo episode: 

This isn’t about defending men or attacking them. It’s about understanding the emotional dynamics at play. Because if we don’t name the shame woven into our culture, we’ll keep reacting to surface behavior instead of addressing the root.

Resources from this episode:
Devotion program
Andrea’s Substack, How Very Human of You
Sign up for my emails
Instagram reel about men and shame Instagram reel that contains a terrible message from a random man on the internet
Four Holy Emotions episode on Spotify
Documentaries I mentioned

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

MSN is supported by:
We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week I’m bringing back an important conversation from the archives.

Dr. Valerie discovered Patriarchy Stress Disorder (PSD) and created the only science-backed system for helping women achieve their ultimate success, happiness, and fulfillment by healing the collective, inherited trauma of oppression. She is also the author of Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment.

I met Dr. Valerie at an event late last year. I serendipitously sat at her table and as she was talking about her work and her book, I was enamored. In fact, I invited her onto the podcast on the spot. Her work is important, interesting, and backed by science.

When it comes to the patriarchy, as women, there is a deeper issue going on then the blame game. We are not going to heal by pointing fingers. My conversation with Dr. Valerie is just one step of many that will help move women towards healing from the patriarchy.

In this episode you’ll hear:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Andrea’s Substack, How Very Human of You

Sign up for my emails

Instagram reel about men and shame
Dr. Valerie Rein’s website
Dr. Valerie’s 3 Minute Re-Power Tool
Dr. Valerie on Instagram
Book: Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment 

Dr. Valerie Rein has discovered Patriarchy Stress Disorder (PSD) and created the only science-backed system for helping women achieve their ultimate success, happiness, and fulfillment by healing the collective, inherited trauma of oppression. She holds an EdM in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University and a PhD in Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Her bestselling book, “Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment” and her cutting-edge mind-body healing programs have helped thousands of women ditch the game of survival, of “how much can I bear?” and master the game of thriving, of “how good can it get?” Dr. Valerie is a sought-after speaker and trainer at conferences and companies committed to setting new standards of excellence in their industry in diversity, equity, and inclusion, employee satisfaction and physical and mental health, and creativity and innovation.

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

MSN is supported by:
We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I turned the mic on a few days ago and this episode is a bit of an update. I don’t know about you, but recently I haven’t been able to think about or process much else except what’s happening in the U.S. and beyond. 

This episode is me slowly telling you what’s been happening behind the scenes recently, as well as over the last few years. Soon, I won’t be so vague, as I’ll be able to reveal more about what’s happened to me, and what it’s taught me. The good news about me is that I can take the terrible and sometimes traumatic things and turn them into personal power. 

If you’re going through what I’m going through, feeling re-traumatized having to hear what has happened and continues to happen to women and children, not just here, but worldwide, I’m sure you might be experiencing the 4 holy emotions: Terror, rage, shame, and grief. All at once, or one at a time. 

I see you, and I feel you. I’m thinking of you, and holding you in my heart. Together, we can create collective power in order to take the system down. I truly believe there are more than us than there are of them. 

Here's what you’ll hear in this week’s episode: 

A prayer/intention that I didn’t know I set into motion in 2019 and how it’s impacted me even now 

Chiron (returning planet in our astrological chart) returned for me recently and what that is 

The online harassment I’ve been receiving lately specifically because I’ve been speaking out against ICE and what’s happening with the release of some of the Epstein files

Why I start to obsess on the psychology of women like Pam Bondi, and my opinion about her 

The one suggestion I have for you right now in order to help you feel the feelings you’re experiencing right now

Resources:⁠

How Very Human of You (my new Substack)
Restraint by FATM on Spotify
Restraint by FATM on Apply Music
Episode 659 on The Four Holy Emotions
The Mama Attorney’s post on Instagram

MSN is supported by: We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is a little more raw, a little more unfiltered, and very much from the heart.

After taking an unexpected week off, I sat down, turned on the microphone, and spoke honestly about what’s been weighing on me, personally, culturally, and collectively. This episode is part reflection, part reckoning, and part creative release.

I talk openly about what it means to lead with courage instead of pretending to be fearless, especially during times that feel heavy, chaotic, or emotionally charged. We explore spiritual bypassing, tone policing, and the subtle ways women are often encouraged to stay quiet, stay pleasant, and stay in line.

This episode also includes a poem I wrote late at night, born from grief, anger, and deep compassion for women whose stories are resurfacing yet again. It’s an offering, a witnessing, and a reminder of the power of art to hold what words alone sometimes cannot.

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

Why I took a break last week and what brought me back to the mic

What spiritual bypassing really looks like and why it’s harmful, especially to women and trauma survivors

How tone policing and “positive vibes only” culture reinforce patriarchy and silence truth

Why emotions like anger, fear, and grief are not negative, just human

How emotions act as information and energy meant to move, not be buried

Why speaking up now feels necessary, even when it’s uncomfortable

A deeply personal poem about collective grief, survival, and the resilience of women

This episode is an invitation to let yourself feel what you feel without fixing, forcing, or bypassing your own experience. If you’re carrying a lot right now, my hope is that this conversation helps you feel less alone and maybe encourages you to make something meaningful from what you’re holding.

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for bearing witness. 

Resources:

How to Stop Feeling Like Sht*

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I’m writing these “show notes” to you on Saturday, January 23rd as I prepare for what appears to be a terrible storm in North Carolina. A week ago I returned home from a much different place, Costa Rica. I was back at Rythmia, sitting with the medicine that is Ayahuasca. I left a week of healing, and came back to a new storm, one in the form of snow, rain, and ice, as well as another ICE storm in Minneapolis. 

I turned on my microphone and talked for about 22 minutes. It’s just started to sleet as I type this to you, so I’m keeping this email short as I’ll likely lose power here for a couple of days. Coincidentally, I talk about power in this episode. 

Thank you for your time, and if you’re in the eye of this upcoming storm, I’m sending you love. 

Resources from this episode:
Discount link to Rythmia
Florence + The Machine’s Choreomania on Spotify

Book recommendations:I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!  

MSN is supported by:We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Episode link: http://andreaowen.com/podcast/713

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I have a coaching episode for you today, and I’m joined by Lisa. When she filled out her coaching application, she shared an honest snapshot of where she was at the time: “I think I need coaching on the fear and anger I have for starting over at this point in time. The world is scary, men suck, work is slim, my friends feel different now that I am single.”

In this poignant conversation, Lisa and I talk about what it really looks like to start over after a 26-year long marriage and how disorienting that in between season can feel. Especially when your identity, your relationships, and your sense of safety all feel up in the air, all at the same time. We explore grief in a way most people do not talk about it, not just the hard parts but the beautiful parts that are just as painful to let go of, and how creativity, boundaries, and honest conversations can become your way back to yourself when everything feels uncertain.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

What it really means to grieve the joy of what you once had (11:50)

How internal pressure about “what’s next” can keep you stuck (19:37)

Why creativity and art are not indulgent but essential tools for processing emotions (27:32)

How feeling your feelings is not a weakness but a form of emotional hygiene (32:40)

Writing prompts to help Lisa move closer to her grief and begin healing:  “What is stopping you from looking underneath the grief?” (39:20)

Having hard conversations with friends and how setting boundaries with compassion can strengthen your relationships instead of breaking them (44:44)

Resources from this episode:

Write Your Way Through It 

Book recommendations: I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!  

MSN is supported by: We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices