Relationships Will Test Your Peace

What if the quality of your relationships has more to do with the quality of your peace than you realize?

In this episode, I share the personal journey that completely changed the way I view relationships—and why I've chosen to begin an entire series on this topic. We'll explore how the pursuit of inner peace led me to rethink self-respect, mutual respect, and the people we allow closest to us.

This episode lays the foundation for the weeks ahead as we explore the relationship skills that have the greatest impact on creating a more peaceful life.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• Why the pursuit of peace naturally led me to relationships
• The connection between self-respect and inner peace
• How healthy relationships are built on mutual respect
• Why growth changes relationships
• The foundation for building healthier, more peaceful connections

✨ Next week, my husband Jimmy joins me for a conversation about marriage, growth, and the lessons we've learned together over the years. I can't wait to share it with you.

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @purposely.peaceful

Tik Tok→ @purposely.peaceful

Facebook→ Purposely Peaceful

Youtube→ Purposely Peaceful

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Episode 39: Time to Take Up Space

What if the life you've been longing for simply can't fit inside the version of you that's still trying to stay small?

So many of us spend years shrinking ourselves—not because it's what we truly want, but because it feels safer. Safer than being judged. Safer than disappointing others. Safer than being seen.

In this episode, we're exploring what it really means to take up space and why becoming more fully yourself isn't selfish—it's part of creating genuine inner peace.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

• Why so many of us learn to play small
• The hidden beliefs that keep us stuck
• The connection between authenticity and inner peace
• The simple questions that can help you uncover where you're holding yourself back
• Why taking up space is one of the most peaceful things you can do

Journal Prompts

Take some time to reflect on these questions:

• Where am I holding myself back?

• What is it costing me to stay small?

• What would my life look like if I stopped hiding?

• Where in my life am I waiting for permission that only I can give myself?

Continue the Journey

If this episode resonated with you, these episodes pair beautifully with today's conversation:

Episode 38 – Confidence You Can't Break Discover why confidence isn't something you're born with—it's something you build by facing what scares you.

Episode 37 – Challenging Fear And Doing it Anyway A conversation about moving forward before you feel ready and why waiting for confidence often keeps us stuck.

Episode 13 – The Road to Peace Starts with Self-Love Learning to love yourself isn't optional—it's the foundation for becoming fully who you were created to be.

Episode 28: You Have to Be the Best at What You're the Worst At, Title: That One Sentence That Changed My Life (and Maybe It'll Change Yours Too). Sometimes our greatest growth begins with the very thing we're most afraid to do.

Timestamp:

00:00 Welcome Back Update

00:34 Why We Play Small

01:29 True Peace Definition

02:10 My Story Of Hiding

03:08 Choose Your Life

03:23 Journal Prompts Clarity

04:48 Worthiness Without Proof

05:18 Avoidance And Ego

07:31 Someday Dreams Reminder

09:04 Do You Love Returning Home

09:58 Being Seen Online

12:01 Permission To Take Space

12:34 Final Sendoff

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @purposely.peaceful

Tik Tok→ @purposely.peaceful

Facebook→ Purposely Peaceful

Youtube→ Purposely Peaceful

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Episode 38: Confidence You Can't Break

For years, I thought I lacked confidence. What I eventually discovered was that my fear of being seen had much deeper roots.

In this episode, I share one of the biggest breakthroughs of my personal healing journey, how understanding where our fears come from can help us move through them, and why confidence isn't something you're born with- it's something you build.

In this episode:

• Why confidence is often tied to unresolved fear
• The surprising realization that changed my life
• How past experiences can shape the way we see ourselves
• Building confidence one uncomfortable step at a time
• The connection between self-compassion, healing, and growth
• Why confidence becomes harder to lose once you've earned it

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome & What's Going On Right Now

00:30 Why Confidence Matters

01:30 Find Your Starting Point

02:01 My Fear of Attention

03:20 The Hide to Be Safe Breakthrough

05:22 Building Proof Through Practice

06:58 Process Emotions and Reclaim Power

08:25 Take Up Space Next Episode

08:44 Thanks and Goodbye

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @purposely.peaceful

Tik Tok→ @purposely.peaceful

Facebook→ Purposely Peaceful

Youtube→ Purposely Peaceful

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Ep 37 Challenging Fear and Doing It Anyway:

Why Waiting to Feel Ready Keeps You Stuck

Fear can feel like a warning sign, but often it's simply a sign that you're stepping into something new.

In this episode, I share why fear doesn't have to be the thing that stops you from moving forward. Whether you're starting a business, making a life change, speaking up, or taking a leap you've been putting off, growth rarely waits for confidence to arrive first.

In this episode:

• Why fear is a normal part of growth and expansion

• The mistake of waiting until you feel "ready"

• How fear and excitement often show up together

• What I've learned from doing uncomfortable things anyway

• A simple mindset shift that can help you move forward despite uncertainty

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Purposely Peaceful

00:21 Fear and Readiness

00:39 Shy but Showing Up

02:36 College Exposure Therapy

04:11 Discomfort vs Danger

04:37 Starting the Podcast

07:10 Social Media Scaries

08:55 Impact Over Comfort

10:17 Fear as Growth Cost

12:36 Do It Anyway

13:30 Final Encouragement

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @purposely.peaceful

Tik Tok→ @purposely.peaceful

Facebook→ Purposely Peaceful

Youtube→ Purposely Peaceful

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Ep 36 Not Everyone Deserves Access to You

Relationships have the power to bring us incredible peace- or quietly steal it from us.

In this episode, I'm reflecting on some of the relationship lessons I've learned through friendships, family, and marriage, and why one realization completely changed the way I think about boundaries and connection.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• Why relationships have such a powerful impact on our peace

• The difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships

• How to recognize when something doesn't feel right

• Why boundaries are an important part of self-respect

• A simple shift that changed the way I choose who gets access to my life

In this episode we discuss:

00:00 Welcome Back Update

00:38 Relationships Shape Peace

01:50 Lessons From Unhealthy Love

02:49 Friendship Red Flags

04:44 Boundaries Not Access

06:47 Check In With Yourself

07:27 Traits Of Healthy Bonds

09:30 Protect Your Peace

10:47 Invest Or Create Distance

11:50 Find Your People

12:57 Closing Thoughts

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @purposely.peaceful

Tik Tok→ @purposely.peaceful

Facebook→ Purposely Peaceful

Youtube→ Purposely Peaceful

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

When Worry Becomes Your Personality

When worry becomes your normal, it can quietly start to feel like part of your personality. In this episode, we explore how chronic worry, emotional overwhelm, and overthinking can slowly rob us of our peace without us even realizing it.

I share a simple but powerful mental shift that helped me stop carrying emotional weight that didn’t belong to me while still remaining compassionate and deeply caring.

If you constantly feel mentally “on,” emotionally responsible for everyone, or struggle to turn your mind off, this episode will help you better understand your worry and begin creating healthier emotional boundaries without losing your heart.

In this episode we discuss:

• When worry starts feeling normal
• The connection between stress, anxiety, and emotional overload
• Why compassionate people tend to carry too much
• The difference between caring and carrying
• Creating emotional “holding spaces”
• How visualization can help reduce emotional overwhelm
• Learning to protect your peace without shutting down emotionally

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @jess_riverak

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

EP 34: The Wall You Hit Before Everything Changes

Have you ever worked so hard for something, only to hit a point where you feel stuck, tired, and start questioning everything?

In this episode, I talk about that moment—the wall. The place where growth doesn’t feel like progress, it feels like resistance.

I share my own experience of moving through different seasons of pressure and the realization that maybe it never left… it just changed.

What if feeling stuck isn’t failure? What if it’s the moment right before everything shifts?

What we explore:

• Why feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re off track
• The difference between survival pressure and growth pressure
• How your subconscious might be guiding you without you realizing it
• Why inner peace doesn’t mean avoiding hard things
• Reframing the moments where you want to quit

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @jess_riverak

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

EP 33: Life’s Too Short to Do What Somebody Else Wants

In this episode, I explore why so many of us stay stuck in careers, relationships, and identities that no longer align. I share my own experience with burnout and a toxic work environment, and break down how conditioning, fear, and familiarity can keep us from choosing something different.

This conversation is about recognizing when something isn’t working anymore, listening to your body, and having the courage to choose a path that actually feels like you.

Key Takeaways

• Familiar doesn’t always mean safe
• Burnout can be a sign something needs to change
• You’re allowed to choose a different path

Timestamp:

00:21 Trapped by Shoulds

01:49 When Life Stops Working

02:46 Toxic Job Wakeup Call

06:21 Choosing to Leave Anyway

09:36 Aftermath and Burnout

11:16 Familiar Is Not Safe

12:07 Identity Beyond Therapist

14:04 Fork in the Road Choices

15:48 Closing

Closing Thought

Life is too short to do what somebody else wants.

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @jess_riverak

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Why Your Body Doesn’t Trust Positive Thinking

You’ve done the mindset work. You’re thinking rationally. You know you’re “fine.”

So why is your heart racing… your chest tight… your body in fight-or-flight?

In this episode, I break down the disconnect between the mind and the nervous system — and why positive thinking alone doesn’t calm anxiety when your body doesn’t feel safe.

If you’ve ever felt like your thoughts say “I’m okay” but your body says “we’re not,” this conversation is for you.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Why the nervous system prioritizes safety over logic
• How anxiety shows up physically (even when tests are normal)
• The role of past experiences and trauma in body-based fear
• Why your ego mirrors panic instead of peace
• What it really means when your body won’t cooperate
• Simple grounding practices that help regulate the nervous systemTimestamp:
• 00:00 Welcome to Purposely Peaceful
• 00:21 Mind Body Disconnect
• 01:42 Why Positivity Feels Unsafe
• 02:52 Anxiety Ego and Trauma
• 04:49 My Recent Burnout Story
• 08:37 Grounding Basics Explained
• 09:11 Slow Down and Sense In
• 10:39 Movement and Less Stimulation
• 12:35 Meditation Nature and Practice

Inner peace isn’t just mental — it requires cooperation from the body. And when the body feels safe, positive thinking becomes possible.

Next week: Life’s Too Short to Do What Somebody Else Wants — for the person realizing they’ve been living on autopilot.

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @jess_riverak

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.

Episode 31: The World Feels Like Too Much Right Now

The world feels loud right now. Heavy, chaotic, and hard to ignore. In this episode, we talk about how to stay grounded without getting pulled into the emotional weight of everything happening around us.

In this episode:

• Why constant exposure to chaos impacts your emotional state
• The inner battle between curiosity and emotional overwhelm
• How blame and outrage keep us stuck and disconnected
• Why it’s okay to acknowledge what’s happening — without living in it
• Choosing your emotional state on purpose
• Joy as resistance in a chaotic world
• Returning to what grounds you and brings you back to yourself

Timestamps:

00:22 When the World Feels Like Total Chaos

00:54 Doomscrolling, the Ego, and the Pull of Drama

01:35 Why Blame Never Brings Peace

02:30 We’re Tiny Specks… But Our Energy Still Matters

04:11 How to ‘Tap In’ Without Living in the Chaos

06:44 Choose Your Vibe: Peace, Love & Joy as Resistance

08:44 Acceptance Isn’t Approval: Finding Your Way Back to You

10:02 Be Part of the Solution + Closing Encouragement

✨ Stay connected:

Want to see more of my real life and glimpses of peace? Follow me on

Instagram → @jess_riverak

Website → purposelypeaceful.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to rate and review it. Your feedback helps me continue to grow and reach more people who need this message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and are for informational purposes only. They are not intended as professional advice, and each individual should assess their personal situation and seek professional guidance when needed.