Relationship As Medicine

In a culture that glorifies self-help, therapy, and coaching as solo journeys to self-improvement, many of us have absorbed the belief that we must “do it all” ourselves. But what does this push for hyper self-reliance cost us?

Join me as I speak with Catherine Hale, nervous system coach and educator, as we dive deep into the concept of co-regulation and explore how our tendency toward self-sufficiency often leads to isolation and a sense of separation from our communities.

We explore how to know if it’s safe to show up authentically and vulnerably with others, how we can navigate the delicate balance between being open and protecting our boundaries, and, most importantly, what conditions do we need to feel secure enough to bring our whole selves into community?

True connection requires a willingness to show up for ourselves and others, rediscovering the healing that can only happen when we’re seen, heard, and supported. Whether you’re curious about building deeper relationships or ready to let go of the pressure to “do it alone,” this episode is your invitation to embrace the power of togetherness.

Meet Catherine, a passionate nervous system coach and educator who inspires seasoned change-makers—coaches, healers, and leaders—to unlock their full potential. With her guidance, individuals can tap into the extraordinary power of post-traumatic growth, transforming their healing journey into a path of empowerment and purpose.

In 2023, Catherine launched the Culture of Care training, a groundbreaking program that fosters a holistic approach to trauma-informed care. Designed for practitioners and facilitators, this training equips them with the skills to create safe, sensitive environments that honor the diverse needs of individuals and groups.

Catherine believes that by mastering trauma-informed techniques and understanding the intricacies of the nervous system, we can collectively cultivate a culture that empowers profound transformations in our lives and work. Together, we can build the beautiful world our hearts know is possible—one that thrives on compassion, resilience, and deep connection.

Find Catherine in these places:

Website: https://catherinehale.co.uk/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherinehale.co.uk

Trusting Your Inner Compass: Cultivating Intuition, Clarity, and Confidence

In this episode, join Bre and I as we dive deep into the art of trusting your intuition in a society that often values logic and external validation over inner knowing. We discuss how to overcome the stigma around intuition, especially for those who have experienced trauma or oppression, and explore ways to create a sense of safety when reconnecting with your inner voice.

We cover practical strategies for those caught in cycles of overthinking and procrastination, offering insights on how to break free and trust yourself in taking the next steps forward. We also unpack the difference between a trauma response and true intuition, helping you recognize signs when you're acting out of fear versus genuine inner wisdom.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body as a means of staying safe, we discuss how to gently tap back into bodily sensations and use them as a guide for decision-making. Plus, we share simple practices and visualizations to help you build trust in your intuition and enhance your self-confidence.

Tune in for an enlightening conversation full of practical tips and compassionate guidance to support you on your journey back to your own inner compass.

Bre Crawford is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Wholehearted Life Coach and founder of Orchard Physical Therapy + Coaching.

Her work as a Doctor of Physical Therapy centers around the belief that our bodies are resilient and capable of healing. She's passionate about co-creating a space for her patients to connect to their bodies through mindfulness, movement, and pain science education. As a Life Coach, she helps folks who feel stuck in overwhelm, uncertainty, and self-doubt find clarity and confidence to live their most fulfilled life - with ease and joy.

Bre has a workshop coming up on November 19th, which you can find out about here (live & recorded):

Embody Your Intuition: From Overthinking and Uncertainty to Clarity and Confidence

www.orchardbend.com/workshop

And you can also find her in these places:

www.orchardbend.com

And you can find Shelby here:

www.shelby-leigh.com⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

Join us in "Peace with Self, Peace with Food," where we dive deep into the intricate relationship between nourishment, body image, and our nervous systems. This podcast explores the barriers to true nourishment, both physically and emotionally, and how attachment, development, and physiology shape our eating behaviors.

We'll uncover why certain behaviors and experiences can't be changed through thinking alone, and how healing can involve profound physiological shifts, as we support the nervous system in regulation and the attachment system with care.

You’ll learn how nourishment goes beyond food, touching on boundaries, chronic illness, and even breathing practices that support a deep connection inside and out.

Discover a new paradigm emerging in the understanding of nourishment and well-being, and gain practical insights into how to support yourself and others on this journey toward peace with both self and food.

While this episode centers around food and body image, Galina's book and this conversation supports healing around many different types of challenges in our lives. We could call it all: tending to nourishment challenges in mind, body and heart.

Galina Denzel is a somatic practitioner and author based in Colorado. She helps people who struggle with emotional eating recover and enjoy peace, well-being and authentic connection with themselves and their loved ones.She is the author of Peace with Self Peace with Food - a trauma healing approach for emotional eating.

Galina's Current Offerings:

Free chapter of Peace with Self, Peace with Food

www.purebelonging.com

FB: purebelonging

IG: @galinadenzel

Shelby's Current Offerings:

Remembering Who You are: A 3-Part Series on Belonging, Becoming and Being

www.shelby-leigh.com

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

The result of nervous system regulation isn't just being calm all of the time. 

As our regulation increases, we gain range. It gives us this incredible ability to welcome all parts of ourselves and be present for many more experiences. 

We get to voraciously experience life's highs and lows without shutting down. Instead we are here for it - grounded, centered and connected to each moment whether it being fast or slow, high or low, pleasant or unpleasant or anywhere in between.

My definition of healing trauma is "to embrace." When we are able to slow down enough and allow anything to come up and meet it with warmth and care. 

As we begin to practice slowing down, our entire histories tend to show up in our bodies/hearts and minds. In a healing process... we have space to allow all of it and meet it in a new way.

We can either do old school pushing into the discomfort and try to dig it to the root OR we could softly welcome it like we were welcoming an old friend and follow the body's wisdom to see what wants to unfold next.

When we can allow all parts with this level of spaciousness and range - we don't have to effort to cut out past experiences, try to figure them out or fix them. Instead we have the bandwidth to expand wide enough to be with all that arises - sensations, emotions, experiences... all of it.

When we're healing through nervous system regulation work, we're growing a greater sense of somatic safety which brings us a wide range to face all of life's experiences.

How do we grow ourselves wide enough to welcome it and be with it just like we would be with an old friend?

And that naturally allows for trauma resolution... we come into new relationship to it. We learn that we can be with discomfort, we learn that we can be with pain and suffering and grief because it's part of being human. 

And we ALSO learn that we can be with joy and play and pleasure and aliveness. The more we have capacity for one of these, the more we have capacity for all of them.

It allows us to have that full spectrum of our humanity. It gives us back who we are, what we want to do and how we want to be.

As our trauma physiology gets updated to the safety available in the present moment, we get to exhale into infinite possibilities of how to engage with life, with ourselves and others. 

We make empowered choices out of our greatest intentions - moving from an entirely new paradigm.

Shelby's Current Offerings:

Free 3-Part Training Starting on August 20 - Art of Presence

⁠⁠⁠⁠Body of Work Program⁠⁠⁠⁠

Healing Through Wholeness - Embrace Program

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

The result of nervous system regulation isn’t just being calm all of the time.  As our regulation increases, we gain range.  It gives us this incredible ability to welcome all parts of ourselves and be present for many more experiences.  We get to voraciously experience life’s highs and lows without shutting down.  Instead we are here for it - grounded, centered and connected to each moment whether it being fast or slow, high or low, pleasant or unpleasant or anywhere in between.

My definition of healing trauma is “to embrace.” When we are able to slow down enough and allow anything to come up and meet it with warmth and care.  As we begin to practice slowing down, our entire histories tend to show up in our bodies/hearts and minds. In a healing process… we have space to allow all of it and meet it in a new way.

We can either do old school pushing into the discomfort and try to dig it to the root OR we could softly welcome it like we were welcoming an old friend and follow the body’s wisdom to see what wants to unfold next.

When we can allow all parts with this level of spaciousness and range - we don’t have to effort to cut out past experiences, try to figure them out or fix them.  Instead we have the bandwidth to expand wide enough to be with all that arises - sensations, emotions, experiences… all of it.

When we’re healing through nervous system regulation work, we’re growing a greater sense of somatic safety which brings us a wide range to face all of life’s experiences.

How do we grow ourselves wide enough to welcome it and be with it just like we would be with an old friend?

And that naturally allows for trauma resolution… we come into new relationship to it.  We learn that we can be with discomfort, we learn that we can be with pain and suffering and grief because it’s part of being human.  And we ALSO learn that we can be with joy and play and pleasure and aliveness. The more we have capacity for one of these, the more we have capacity for all of them.  

It allows us to have that full spectrum of our humanity.  It gives us back who we are, what we want to do and how we want to be.

As our trauma physiology gets updated to the safety available in the present moment, we get to exhale into infinite possibilities of how to engage with life, with ourselves and others.  We make empowered choices out of our greatest intentions - moving from an entirely new paradigm.

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 25-Minute Connection Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter Sign Up + Free 7 Day Guided Course⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Body of Work⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

In a culture that tends to drive a state of urgency and action, it’s an act of rebellion to practice and choose spaciousness.  That old paradigm is one I no longer subscribe to and I’ll tell you why and how.

The more regulated our nervous systems get, the easier it is to consciously choose peace and ease within - even amidst challenge.

I am adamant about the power of discernment and choice. It’s not easy… especially when our physiology has been conditioned to a state of survival and stress.  It goes against the stream to find ways to pause when we believe we need to be in action.

When we can commit ourselves to spaciousness, presence and peace - there are so many possibilities of healing, growth and awakening in ways we may have only dreamed of.

Less becomes more.  More wisdom, more precise action, more boundaries, more clarity.  Because when we know how to slow down and come back home to our own center in a moment - everything we need is right there.

This is also true of how we sit with our clients as coaches and therapists.  When we learn that slow is the new fast and we go lighter to go deeper we give our clients some of the greatest gifts. 

When we push for big transformations out of a state of urgency and wanting to feel helpful, fix or figure out - we’re out of the present moment and we’re possibly putting more pressure on our clients when what would be healing is to take the very familiar pressure off.

What might be possible when we’re settled deeply in ourselves and we can trust that state of being fully and completely?

When we can learn to sit with the unknown, the discomfort and what’s truly alive here in the present moment (even if we don't’ like it), we have the ultimate super power.  Especially when we can sit with it with curiosity and care.  We can learn to do that for ourselves and others. 

This is a revolutionary gift.

Too often we’re trying to heal with the same oppressive mechanisms that we were hurt by.  Through standing in this revolutionary commitment to an entirely new way of being with ourselves and others - we are choosing a new paradigm to move from.

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 25-Minute Connection Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Newsletter Sign Up + Free 7 Day Guided Course⁠

⁠⁠⁠Body of Work⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

Having taught meditation for decades and sharing various practices, I have learned that for me… I need both consistency AND variety.  Others need the same thing every day. And others need to scattered bouts of showing up.

Listen in and see if there’s one thing that you can take with you that helps you give yourself permission to see what most supports YOU.  There’s so much space to remember who we are through practice and it doesn’t have to look any particular way.  

Practicing what’s nourishing for us brings us towards our highest goals.  Can we do that while putting perfectionism aside and allow it to be a never-ending experiment?

It’s easy to get distracted or shut down, especially when practice starts opening us towards what we most want (that old “rubber band” effect).  How do we keep showing up no matter what we’re facing whether pleasant/unpleasant/neither? While life keeps lifing?

We’re all different.  We all need different practices and permission to explore where we put comparison and rigidity aside.

There is one big thing I share in this podcast about what ultimately helps us return again and again to what helps us expand into our greatest intentions for ourselves.  Listen in and see what that is.

Whether your regular or daily practice is meditation, journaling, feeding yourself well, budgeting, showing up for therapy or healing work, a movement practice… can you find a way to fight for yourself and what matters most… whole-heartedly?  Here’s how.

Ask yourself… “what is the most loving thing I can do in this moment?” Maybe today it’s 3 breaths and saying “it’s safe to feel this.”  Whatever it is.

Start listening in to your mind/heart/body and see if you can show up as best you can.  It takes practice and remind yourself you get to start over and have do-overs anytime.

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 25-Minute Connection Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Newsletter Sign Up + Free 7 Day Guided Course

⁠⁠Body of Work⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

Start here and see where you go with your practice(s). Have you ever started a practice thinking it would help you get to where you want to go?  Only to realize a day or weeks or months in that it felt impossible to keep going? 

This applies to everything from exercise to meditation to money management to therapy or coaching or nutrition.  If resistance didn’t exist… there are so many more possibilities of healing. 

Check out this episode to learn about how to move from stuck to effortless over time. 

I explore concepts around why we stop or get stuck or shut down and how we can compassionately and curiously move towards ease and flow in showing up in our lives in a way that is nourishing and wildly supportive so that we can move towards our greatest goals of self-trust, freedom, awakening, strength, power, steadiness, flow, connection, AND MORE.

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 25-Minute Connection Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Healing Through Wholeness⁠

⁠Body of Work⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠

This episode we bring something different. Mari Mu interviews me, Shelby Leigh on my thoughts and views around a new paradigm of healing. It's a revolutionary path towards trauma healing and beyond.

Both practitioners and folks in a process of healing their own trauma will take something meaningful away from this episode. We also talk about an exciting new 9-Month offering that starts in September 2024!

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 25-Minute Connection Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Healing Through Wholeness

Body of Work

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Mari:

www.mari.mu

Kristin joins me again as we settle in to the moment and really explore and enjoy the aftermath of my Soulful Retreat in Panama. If you were curious how it went and also about some of my behind the scenes process... here's a window in to all of that. It was an epic coming home and a remembering of our deepest hearts. This time spent reflecting together really anchored in the nourishment of it all.

Kristin Mathes, LCSW is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, and Depression. She owns and operates her own private practice where she works with women and adolescents who are finding themselves trapped by physical symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression. Much of her therapeutic practice is inspired by her time spent as a Wilderness Therapist guiding clients through wilderness expeditions. Nature has always shown her how much our present-day activities disconnect us from our Self, our body, and our relationships. And, importantly, how our physical and emotional health issues can arise from such disconnection.

⁠Kristin is launching registration for FLOW, her surf therapy retreat in March of 2025

⁠EMERGE Instagram

Connect With Shelby:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free 1:1 Intro Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠@fierceheart.shelbyleigh⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠www.shelby-leigh.com