The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant

Today, I'm breaking down narcissism, narcissistic traits, and how to understand this topic through the lens of The Adult Chair. I talk about the difference between narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic tendencies, why narcissism exists on a spectrum, and why awareness is the key factor in whether someone can heal or change.

I also walk through some of the most common signs of narcissistic behavior, including needing the spotlight, lack of empathy, love bombing, control, abuse, and gaslighting. I explain why confusion can be a major red flag, why self-worth is the kryptonite to narcissistic dynamics, and why it is so important to have zero tolerance for emotional, psychological, or physical abuse.

We also explore where narcissistic patterns can come from, including childhood experiences where the true self is either put on a pedestal or ignored, causing a false self to develop over the true self. I share how shame lives beneath that false self, how healing requires reconnecting with emotions and the true self, and how tools like self-worth, boundaries, owning reality, and healthy apologies can help create more empowered relationships.

• Narcissism exists on a spectrum, from narcissistic traits to narcissistic personality disorder.
• A person with extreme narcissism will often lack the awareness or willingness to own their behavior.
• Common signs include needing the spotlight, excessive self-focus, lack of empathy, love bombing, control, abuse, and gaslighting.
• Confusion is one of the biggest red flags of gaslighting.
• Narcissistic dynamics can slowly chip away at self-worth.
• Self-worth is the kryptonite to narcissistic relationships.
• Children can develop narcissistic patterns when they are put on a pedestal or emotionally neglected.
• A false self can form when a child abandons their true self to stay loved, accepted, or seen.
• The Adult Chair question "Is this 100% fact and truth?" can help you come back to clarity when you feel confused.

Resources from this Episode:

Free Self-Worth Course: https://theadultchair.com/self-worth

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Sue Morter for a powerful conversation about bioenergetics, self-healing, embodiment, and the connection between the mind, body, and spirit.

Dr. Sue teaches at the crossroads of bioenergetics, quantum science, spirituality, human potential, self-healing, awakening, and embodiment. She explains how everything is energy, including our thoughts, emotions, and physical body, and how energy blocks can affect the way we think, feel, heal, digest, and move through life.

We also talk about the body as an instruction manual, how symptoms can be signals from the body, and how practices like breathwork, presence, self-love, and bringing our attention back to ourselves can help restore the natural flow of energy and reconnect us with who we really are.

• Everything is energy, including the body, thoughts, emotions, and physical symptoms.
• Bioenergetics is the study of energy as it relates to the body.
• When energy is blocked, distorted, or suppressed, it can affect healing, digestion, emotions, and overall well-being.
• Physical symptoms can be signals inviting us to look deeper.
• The body can act as an instruction manual when we learn how to listen to it.
• Our thoughts, beliefs, patterns, and early programming can influence the body.
• Bringing our attention back to ourselves can help regulate the nervous system and restore a sense of inner safety.
• Self-love is not just a feeling. Dr. Sue describes it as presence.
• Breathwork, embodiment, and focused awareness can help energy move through the body.
• Chakra work, central channel breathing, and Mula Bandha are discussed as ways to support energetic flow.
• Healing is not just about fixing one symptom, but allowing the whole system to come back online.

Resources from this Episode:

Dr. Sue Morter's Website: https://drsuemorter.com

Morter Institute: https://drsuemorter.com/morter-institute/

The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter

The Anatomy of Awakening by Dr. Sue Morter

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Today, I'm joined by John R. Miles, host of Passion Struck and author of Passion Struck and You Matter, Luma!, for a powerful conversation about passion, purpose, burnout, and what it means to truly feel like we matter.

John shares his journey from being a high-achieving business executive to realizing that external success was not enough. Through his own healing work, he realized that the people he felt called to serve were the very people he had become: the burned out, broken, lonely, bored, and helpless.

We also talk about John's childhood trauma, including a traumatic brain injury at age five that led to a speech impediment, sensory challenges, and a deep desire to become invisible. Over time, he began to see how that early wound shaped his need to perform, achieve, and prove that he mattered. His healing journey became the foundation for his work around becoming "Passion Struck," taking action on your purpose, and rebuilding a sense of mattering from the inside out.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that passion does not always have to come from your career. It can come from service, relationships, creativity, healing, parenting, or using your gifts in a way that lights you up. When we begin to heal the parts of us that feel unseen, unworthy, or invisible, we can reconnect with purpose, take intentional action, and build a life that feels meaningful from the inside out.

• External success does not always create inner fulfillment
• Burnout can be a sign that something deeper is asking for our attention
• Many people feel rewarded for their usefulness, but not seen in their humanness
• Childhood wounds can shape how we seek approval, achievement, and validation as adults
• Feeling invisible or like we do not matter can affect our relationships, work, family life, and sense of purpose
• Passion is not only about work or career. It can come through relationships, service, creativity, parenting, or healing
• Looking back at what lit you up as a child can help you reconnect with your gifts
• Mattering starts within. Before we can fully help others feel like they matter, we must begin to feel that we matter too
• Acts of kindness can help others feel seen while also strengthening our own sense of mattering
• Helping children understand that they matter can support emotional wellbeing, self-worth, and connection

Resources from this Episode:

John Miles' Website

Purchase Passion Struck

Get You Matter, Luma! here

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary

In this episode, I'm sharing a conversation from Dr. Chris Magryta's podcast, Dr. M's Women and Children First Podcast, where he interviewed me about parenting, triggers, emotions, childhood wounds, and The Adult Chair model.

We talk about what it means to become an emotionally healthy adult, why our children model what we do more than what we say, and how triggers can show us the unconscious beliefs and younger parts of ourselves that are ready to be healed.

Chris and I also explore conscious parenting, co-regulation, self-worth, holding space, feeling emotions in the body, and why these emotional life skills belong not only in our homes, but in our schools and communities.

Key Takeaways:

• The Adult Chair model helps us understand the parts of ourselves that react, feel, protect, and respond.
• Many adults are walking around in adult bodies while reacting from younger versions of themselves.
• Triggers are a gift because they reveal unconscious beliefs we may not otherwise see.
• Co-regulation begins when we are able to stay grounded while someone else is having an emotion.
• Parents do not need to fix every feeling their child has. They need to learn how to sit with them, listen, breathe, and hold space.
• Conscious parenting means trusting your child's path while giving them structure, guidance, space, and support.
• Self-worth is built by validating children for who they are, not only for what they do or how they perform.
• Social media can make comparison and self-worth struggles even harder for kids and adults.
• Emotions move through the body when we allow ourselves to feel them without building a story around them.
• Curiosity is one of the most powerful tools we can use with ourselves, our children, and our triggers.

Resources from this Episode:

The Adult Chair Coaching Certification: https://theadultchair.com/certification

The Adult Chair Trigger Kit: https://theadultchair.com/triggerkit

Free Inner Child Resources: https://theadultchair.com/innerchild

Free Self-Worth Masterclass: https://theadultchair.com/selfworth

Chris Magryta's Podcast: Dr. M's Women and Children First Podcast

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary:

In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Dionisio, one of our Certified Adult Chair® Master Coaches, for a powerful and vulnerable conversation about what happens when we stop living from our protective masks and begin listening to what our body is trying to tell us.

Laura shares her journey from an engineering, high-achieving mindset into a more heart-open life led from within. She talks about the "badass" or "I've got this" mask she wore for years, how it protected her inner child, and what it looked like to finally begin letting that mask go.

We also talk about shame, inner child healing, and why so many of us keep running around the very feelings that are asking to be felt, metabolized, and released. Laura shares how The Adult Chair® framework helped her work with her adolescent parts instead of fighting them, and how she learned to reconnect with her body after years of living mostly from her head.

This episode is such a beautiful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about softening the masks, turning toward the parts of us that feel afraid or ashamed, and learning how to live from the truth of who we really are.

Key Takeaways:

• Protective masks often form when parts of us feel afraid, unsafe, ashamed, or unsupported
• Laura's "tough" persona helped her feel protected, but eventually became something she was ready to release
• Shame, unworthiness, and fear do not transform when we avoid them. We have to turn toward them with compassion
• Feeling emotions in the body can feel confusing at first, especially if you have spent years living in your head
• A body scan is a simple practice that helps you notice physical sensations without trying to change them
• "Reverse bedtime procrastination" can be a sign that your needs, joy, or truth are being ignored during the day
• Creating space between a realization and an action can help you own your truth without panicking
• Fear and doubt do not always mean you are making the wrong decision. Sometimes they are protective parts trying to keep you safe

Resources from this Episode:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura.m.dionisio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-dionisio/

The Pivot Point Podcast

FREE Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter: https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

In this bonus episode, I'm answering the most common questions I receive about The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification Program and what makes this six-month experience so powerful.

I'll walk you through who the program is for, what you'll learn, why you don't need prior coaching experience, and how the certification supports both personal and professional transformation. This is not just about learning how to coach. It's about becoming the kind of person who can hold grounded, compassionate space for others while doing your own deep inner work.

I'll also share what's included in the program, from the four-day in-person training to monthly live teachings, personal coaching sessions, practicum hours, coach feedback, and business support.

• You do not need previous coaching experience to join
• This program includes both personal transformation and coach training
• You'll learn The Adult Chair Coaching methodology, parts work, triggers, unconscious beliefs, nervous system awareness, intuition, and masterful listening
• The program begins with a four-day in-person training in Phoenix
• You'll receive live teaching, mentoring, coaching, feedback, and support throughout the six months
• You'll also receive business training to help you begin building a coaching practice

Resources from this Episode:

The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification: Enroll Now!

Have more questions? Email Michelle at [email protected]

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Have you ever wanted to change a relationship with someone you love, but had no idea where to begin?

In this episode, I'm joined by Tracy Brown, one of my Adult Chair coaches, for a vulnerable conversation about how inner child work, parts work, and speaking from the heart helped her transform her relationship with her father.

Tracy shares how she moved through old hurt, resentment, and the story that her dad did not really want to be with her. After working with the younger parts of herself that felt forgotten and not special, she was able to speak her truth without blame, open her heart, and create a completely different outcome than her ego could have imagined.

• The ego creates stories when we feel hurt, rejected, forgotten, or not prioritized
• Stories can make us believe there is only one way someone can prove they love us
• Parts work helps us identify the younger parts that are carrying old pain
• Tracy discovered a three-year-old part of herself that felt lonely, sad, forgotten, and not special
• Emotional release can create more space, softness, and compassion in the body
• Speaking from the heart is different than speaking from the head or ego
• Vulnerability invites a different kind of response from the other person
• When we speak our truth without blame, we create space for deeper connection
• The ego bases the future on what has happened in the past
• Staying present allows the outcome to be better than we could have imagined
• Journaling after inner work helps with integration and deeper understanding
• Inner child work is ongoing, and younger parts may still need love and attention after a breakthrough

Resources from this Episode:

The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification: https://theadultchair.com/certification

Connect with Tracy Brown: https://coachingwithtracybrown.com

Connect with Tracy on IG @reidybrown

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Self-worth is an inside job, but so many of us were taught to look outside of ourselves to feel valuable. In this episode, I'm talking about what self-worth really is, where it comes from, and how appearance, performance, perfectionism, people-pleasing, codependency, and outside validation can shape the way we see ourselves.

I also share part of my own story of growing up with my worth tied to beauty and appearance, and how that eventually led me on a deeper journey of building real self-worth from within.

You'll learn how to come back to fact and truth when comparison or self-judgment starts to spiral, how to practice self-validation in small everyday moments, and how to help children build healthy self-worth by validating who they are, not just what they do.

• Self-worth is not something you have to earn
• Looking outside of yourself for your worth leads to unhealthy patterns and relationships
• Appearance, performance, helping, perfectionism, and people-pleasing can all become ways we try to feel worthy
• Codependency can make our identity and self-worth feel tied to helping others
• Children build self-worth through what is modeled and reflected back to them
• Validating children for who they are is more powerful than only praising what they do
• Comparison is not always the problem. The problem is when comparison turns into self-judgment
• Stories are not fact and truth, and they can send us into anxiety, overwhelm, and awfulizing
• You have the power to choose which thoughts you latch onto
• Changing your physical state can help interrupt a negative emotional spiral
• Small daily validations matter, even if no one else sees them
• Healthy self-worth is built from the inside out

Resources from this Episode:

Free Self-Worth Masterclass: https://theadultchair.com/selfworth

The Adult Chair® Metamorphosis Live Event: https://theadultchair.com/liveevents

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

In this episode, I'm talking about empty nest syndrome and what it really feels like when one or more of your children leave the nest.

So many people talk about this season of life, but nothing can fully prepare you for the grief, quiet, sadness, and identity shift that can come when your child moves out, goes to college, or begins building a life outside your home.

Today, I'm sharing seven ways to navigate empty nest syndrome from your Adult Chair. We talk about allowing yourself to feel the grief instead of numbing or avoiding it, validating yourself for the job you did as a parent, trusting your children to figure life out, and learning how to let them make mistakes without rushing in to save them.

I also talk about why this season can become the beginning of your "act three." After years of raising children, driving carpool, making meals, showing up at practices, helping with school, and focusing so much energy on your family, the focus begins to shift back to you. This can feel uncomfortable at first, but it can also become a beautiful opportunity to rediscover who you are now.

This episode is a reminder that empty nest grief is real, but it does not last forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. When we allow our emotions to move through, trust our children, honor the wisdom we have earned, and create space to reconnect with ourselves, this new chapter can become a powerful season of healing, freedom, and rediscovery.

• Grief is a healthy part of the empty nest process
• From the Adult Chair, we do not avoid grief. We feel it, journal it, walk with it, cry it out, and allow it to move through
• Grief may come in waves, especially when you think about your child or notice the quiet in the house
• You do not have to be a perfect parent to acknowledge that you did a good job
• Trusting your child means allowing them to make mistakes, figure things out, and learn resilience
• When we constantly save or fix things for our children, they do not learn how to trust themselves
• Empty nest can be the beginning of "act three," a new season where wisdom catches up with freedom
• Boredom can be powerful because it creates space for inspiration, intuition, and new ideas
• Getting quiet allows you to hear the deeper nudges and downloads that can guide your next chapter

Resources from this Episode:

The Adult Chair® Live Event: Metamorphosis https://theadultchair.com/liveevent

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary

We're talking about money and abundance today, and this is such a powerful topic because the word "money" alone can bring up so much contraction, fear, shame, and emotion for people.

In this episode, I'm joined by Shanna Stevens, a holistic master life coach through The Adult Chair, for a vulnerable and transformational conversation about money blocks, receiving abundance, and the unconscious beliefs that can keep us stuck.

So many people are doing all the "right" things. They are visualizing, affirming, meditating, making vision boards, taking wealth consciousness courses, and trying to manifest abundance. But sometimes, no matter how much we consciously desire something, there is an unconscious belief underneath that is blocking us from receiving it.

Shanna shares that she had been doing all the things to call in more money and abundance, but instead of money flowing in, she was feeling scarcity, fear, embarrassment, and stress around paying bills, buying food, and finding income. During one of our coaching calls, she vulnerably raised her hand and asked for help, and we began listening for the patterns and keywords underneath what she was saying.

As we worked together, we traced her money block back to a childhood memory of being five years old and watching her mother cry as boxes of donated food and clothing were being dropped off for their family. As a child, Shanna took on the embarrassment she felt from her mother and unconsciously formed the belief that receiving abundance was embarrassing.

Once we found that taproot, we were able to work with her inner child, update the old belief, and help her see the truth: her family was actually receiving abundance. It may not have looked the way the ego thought it should, but support, food, clothing, and care were coming in.

After that shift, Shanna felt lighter, softer, more open, and more able to receive. Within days, money and opportunities began flowing in, including refunded fees, new clients, paid-in-full sessions, an invitation to present, and more ease in her body and energy.

Key Takeaways:

• The word "money" can bring up contraction, fear, shame, and triggers for many people
• Abundance blocks are often connected to unconscious beliefs formed in childhood
• Manifesting, affirmations, gratitude, and vision boards can be helpful, but they may not work if an opposite core belief is running underneath
• Our unconscious beliefs often create the reality we are living in now
• Triggers can reveal the hidden beliefs that are blocking what we want to create
• Owning your current reality is the first step to transformation
• Shanna's money block was connected to embarrassment, worthiness, and receiving
• As a child, Shanna took on her mother's embarrassment around receiving donated food and clothing
• The old belief that emerged was: "To receive abundance is embarrassing"
• Inner child work helps us update old programs and release beliefs that are no longer true
• Receiving abundance can include money, support, opportunities, love, friendship, care, and ease
• When an old belief shifts, the body and energy field can feel lighter, softer, and more open
• Money and opportunities can begin to flow more easily when the energetic block is removed
• Abundance does not have to feel forced or heavy. It can feel easy, aligned, and natural

Resources from this Episode:

Shanna Stevens Website: https://shannastevens.com

The Adult Chair® Metamorphosis: https://theadultchair.com/metamorphosis

The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification: https://theadultchair.com/certification

MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT

Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com

Membership: The Adult Chair Collective https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant

The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant