Soul to Self® Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

Self-Sabotage or Self-Protection? The Nervous System’s Hidden Logic

We’re told all the time that procrastination, avoidance, or playing small is “self-sabotage.” But what if those behaviours aren’t sabotage at all? What if they’re your nervous system doing exactly what it’s designed to do - keeping you safe?

In this episode of Soul to Self: The Inner Compass, Victoria unpacks the deeper roots of so-called “self-sabotage” through the lens of nervous system regulation, trauma patterns, habit loops, and cultural conditioning. 

You’ll learn why shaming yourself for not taking action doesn’t work and how to begin meeting your behaviours with compassion instead of criticism.

✨ Inside, we explore:

• Why “sabotage” isn’t deliberate destruction, but survival in disguise
• The fight / flight / freeze / fawn responses in business and daily life
• How trauma and patriarchy shape the habits we mislabel as laziness or weakness
• The power of reframing self-sabotage as protection so you can regulate and re-educate your system
• A gentle reflection practice to help you shift from shame into self-kindness

This conversation is an invitation to untangle the web of fear, habit, and conditioning that shapes your behaviour and to begin seeing yourself as brilliantly protective and not defective.

🌿 Take a breath, join the reflection practice, and remember: you’re not sabotaging yourself. You’re surviving and that can change.

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

We’ve been taught that tiredness means weakness. That slowing down means falling behind. 

But what if fatigue isn’t failure it’s rhythm?

In this episode of Soul to Self: The Inner Compass, we explore the power of cyclical living: menstrual cycles, emotional cycles, lunar rhythms, and the seasons of business. 

You’ll learn why hustle culture conditions us to resist rest, how your nervous system thrives on rhythm, and how to honour the sacred cycles within you.

✨ Inside this episode:

• Why energy was never meant to be linear.
• The four seasons as a map for your life + business.
• Nervous system insights on rest, safety, and rhythm.
• Reflection practices to help you realign.

Reflection questions:
👉 Where in your week/month/year do you feel most in sync?
👉 Where do you feel most out of sync?

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

Are you frozen or just “procrastinating”?

In this episode of Soul to Self: The Inner Compass, we’re diving into the nervous system’s freeze state what it really is, why you can’t bully yourself out of it, and how to find flow again with gentleness instead of force.

So many business and coaching spaces label freeze as a mindset problem or a discipline issue. But the truth is, freeze is a biological state and the more you try to push, the deeper the shutdown becomes.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
 ✨ Why shame and self-criticism make freeze worse
 ✨ The difference between quick fixes and nervous system retraining
 ✨ Four practical tools that help you gently unstick (and why they work long-term)
 ✨ Why gentleness, compassion, and micro-steps rewire your patterns more effectively than any hustle hack ever could

This is a tender, practical guide for anyone who’s ever stared at the blank screen, felt too stuck to move, and blamed themselves for it. You are not lazy. You are not broken. You are human and there is a way forward.

Reflection Question:
👉 What’s one small action that feels safe right now?

Take a breath. Take that step. And let it be enough.

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

Are you really burnt out — or just out of alignment?

In this honest, grounded episode of Soul to Self: The Inner Compass, we explore the subtle but powerful difference between burnout and misalignment and why so many soul-led women confuse the two.

You’ll hear:

• My personal story of loving the work but losing my rhythm
• The shadow side of misalignment (when fear hides behind intuition)
• Gentle tools to discern truth from trauma response
• A powerful Expand or Contract body check-in
• Signs that your soul might be asking for a new way forward

This episode isn’t a checklist, it’s an invitation.
 To pause. To breathe. To get honest about how you're really doing… and to start finding your way back to your truth.

Take these prompts to your journal or your next walk:

1. What’s the story I’m telling myself right now?
2. Where did that story originate?
3. Am I making this decision from clarity or fear?
4. What does my body say — not just my mind?
5. If fear wasn’t present… what would I choose?

✨ Whether you’re tired, foggy, or just questioning everything this one’s for you.

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, or leave a review if this landed for you. It really helps others find the podcast.

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Episode Summary:

In this soul-deep episode, Victoria dives into the tender territory of being labelled as too much or not enough and how those words don’t just bruise the ego, but shape the nervous system.

Through a poignant story of a woman who dimmed her light to be accepted, and her own reflections on social masking, freeze responses, and emotional labour, Victoria invites you to reclaim your wholeness without apology.

You’ll learn how to recognise the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways your body adapts for safety, and how to gently bring yourself back into regulation and truth, one breath at a time.

💡 What You'll Hear:

• The impact of being told you're “too loud,” “too quiet,” or “not enough”
• How your nervous system stores these stories and shapes your responses
• The emotional cost of people-pleasing and performance
• Simple, trauma-informed tools to regulate your system in real time
• A gentle reframe: sensitivity is not a flaw it’s your superpower

🛠 In This Episode, Victoria Shares:

• A personal story of emotional masking and jealousy turned insight
• A breakdown of the nervous system’s three survival responses (polyvagal theory)
• How to use breath, touch, grounding, and co-regulation to soothe your system
• Why you must regulate before journaling or reflecting
• How to shift from shame to nervous system compassion

✨ Inner Compass Reflection:

📝 Journaling Prompts:

• Where did I first learn I was too much — or not enough?
• What part of me is asking to be honoured now, without editing or shrinking?

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back to The Inner Compass. After a longer-than-planned pause, we're beginning Season 2 on the Leo New Moon a moment for truth-telling, realignment, and coming home to yourself.

In this solo episode, I’m diving deep into a topic so many of us carry in silence: burnout and the damaging belief that we’re somehow “broken” because of it.

We explore:

✨ Why the word “broken” holds so much weight and why it’s wildly inaccurate
 ✨ What burnout really is (hint: it’s not just being busy)
 ✨ How your nervous system might be trying to protect you through trauma responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn
 ✨ What my freeze response taught me about self-compassion, softness, and healing
 ✨ A gentle reframe to carry with you and an invitation to interrupt the spiral

This season is all about honouring your truth and this first episode is a powerful place to begin.

🌀 Inner Compass Practice

Take a moment this week to notice your inner dialogue. When you feel overwhelmed or not-enough, ask:

Try the reframe:
 “My system is responding. I’m allowed to pause.”
Write it down. Place it somewhere visible. Let it anchor you back to compassion.

🎧 Thank you for listening. If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend, tag me on socials, or leave a gentle review your support helps this soulful work reach more hearts. 💛

 This episode is available to watch in full on Spotify or YouTube. Links in the notes. 

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

In this season finale, Victoria takes a breath with you not to teach or push, but to pause, reflect, and honour the threads that wove through this first season of Soul to Self – The Inner Compass.

From resilience and truth-telling to energetic alignment and owning your evolution, she shares what’s been stirring within the conversations, and within herself. This episode is an invitation to explore your shifting truth, your changing desires, and how you can gently come home to who you’re becoming without shame, force, or fear.

Expect a grounded reflection on the themes that rose to the surface, a glimpse of what’s to come in Season 2, and a heartfelt reminder that your path is yours to walk and your inner compass always knows the way.

In this episode, Victoria reflects on:
✨ The power of resilience and emotional honesty
✨ Why energy and soul-led alignment matter more than strategy
✨ Owning your evolving truth, even when it’s messy
✨ Letting go of what no longer serves (including your own resistance)
✨ What’s next for the podcast in Season 2

A journal prompt to carry with you:

Thank you for being here for Season One. 

Your journey matters. 

Your truth matters. 

And this is just the beginning.

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

In this honest and energetic episode, Victoria is joined by neurodivergent businesswoman, coach, and founder of Mad About Money, Maddy Alexander-Grout. Together, they explore the complex terrain of burnout, boundaries, visibility, and building a soulful business when your brain doesn’t fit the mould.

Maddy shares her journey of rebuilding from £40k of debt, discovering her ADHD and autism diagnoses, and creating a business that works with her energy, not against it. Expect real talk on navigating the spotlight, learning your own rhythm, and finding power in your story — even when the media gets it wrong.

This episode is a little more fast-paced and strategic than usual, but still holds rich insights for spiritual entrepreneurs, especially those exploring their own neurodivergence, energetic capacity, or visibility fears.

In this episode:

• What ADHD taught Maddy about business (and money)
• How to show up online with strong boundaries
• Visibility trauma and media misrepresentation
• Reframing “superpowers” in an honest way
• Why your personality is the real power — not your diagnosis
• The role of creativity, playlists, and soul in entrepreneurship

Mentioned:

• Maddy’s book Mad About Money
• Visible Fest
• Amplify Your Influence

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

🌿 Episode Summary:

In this heartfelt solo episode, Victoria explores the emotional and energetic legacy we inherit — and how to finally free ourselves from it.

Building on the themes of Episode 6 with Jennie, this episode dives into:

• Why we inherit limiting beliefs and emotional wounds
• How to spot hidden emotional blocks that hold us back
• The power of reparenting and self-trust in our healing journey
• A mid-episode oracle card pull for reflection and grounding
• A soul-nourishing journal prompt and a simple ritual to release what's not yours

This is your invitation to come home to yourself — to clear the patterns that aren’t yours and step into the version of you that feels most true.

💫 What You'll Learn:

• How generational stories shape your self-worth and business
• Subtle signs of inherited emotional blocks
• What it means to reparent yourself as an entrepreneur
• Why self-trust is the most underrated success strategy
• A gentle affirmation to help you let go of what’s not yours

📝 Journal Prompt:

Ritual idea: Write what comes up on paper. Then tear it, burn it safely, or simply say aloud —
 “I lovingly return what’s not mine. I am safe to be who I truly am.”

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :) 

Send us Fan Mail

In this raw and powerful episode, Victoria is joined by mindset and manifestation coach Jennie Priestner, who shares her deeply personal journey through PMDD, burnout, and the breakdown that ultimately sparked her soul-aligned transformation. Together, they explore how trauma, ego, and subconscious programming shape our reality—and how healing and aligned action can lead to real, lasting change.

Jennie opens up about:

• Living with undiagnosed PMDD and the emotional toll it took on her life.
• The breaking point that led to her awakening.
• How her healing journey ignited her purpose.
• Understanding the ego vs. higher self.
• The truth about manifestation—and why it’s more than just wishful thinking.
• Trauma, mindset patterns, and the power of mini shifts.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating emotional overwhelm, seeking soul-aligned growth, or curious about what it really takes to heal and manifest the life you deserve.

Resources & Links: 

Connect with Jennie
🔗 Follow Jennie on Instagram: @align_authentic_self

👇 Let’s Stay Connected!

✨ Follow me on Instagram
🖥️ Visit my website
📬 Join the Soul to Self newsletter or Check out some Freebies 

🌿 Download my free guide — Coming Home to Yourself 

📞 Book a gentle exploration call a relaxed, pressure-free conversation about working together 

🎙 Subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 coming soon

📩 DM me on Instagram @soulto_self

🌐 soultoself.co.uk

🌴 All of my links :)