The Breaking Up With Anxiety Podcast

In this eye-opening episode, I'm sharing the framework that I wish I had before experiencing full-blown burnout in 2022. So many lessons learned in my 7-month recovery journey and the inspiration behind this episode! 

I break down the 10 different types of stress that can lead to burnout and the specific rest practices that can help prevent them.

You'll discover why burnout doesn't happen overnight, how to recognize the warning signs in each stress category, and what rest practices actually work to counterbalance each type of stress.

Based on the work of Nicola Jane Hobbs, I deep dive into physical, cognitive, emotional, social, environmental, sensory, creative, time, existential, and identity stress and provide tons of examples of how each one might be showing up in your life without you even realizing it.

I hope this episode helps you identify which types of stress might be fueling your anxiety and gives you practical rest strategies to prevent burnout before it happens, especially if you're an anxious woman who tends to push through stress signals!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

This week I'm bringing you an incredible conversation with Sasha Hanway, a certified personal trainer, yoga teacher, breathwork and meditation coach, and holistic nutrition coach.

As a former college athlete, Sasha has always loved movement, but it was a progressive strength approach combined with deep core work that truly transformed her body. She has built a program that blends mindfulness, strength, mobility and core work called Align. This is the exact workout plan I follow in the Ladder app I always talk about!

In this episode, Sasha and I chat about why building muscle is critical for your mental health, the relationship between anxiety and exercise, how movement can be a tool for processing grief, the difference between the weight on the scale and your body composition, understanding protein intake requirements for optimal mental health, breaking free from restrictive mindsets, creating sustainable habits for long term success and developing a loving and trusting relationship with your body.

Sasha also walks us through her Pyramid of Wellness, a framework I absolutely align with and it's exactly what I have been doing for years to maintain my anxiety free life.

Your health journey isn't just a final result. It's an ongoing process. You are not the product of your health journey; your health journey is the product of you. When you learn how to fall in love with taking care of yourself, the benefits naturally follow.

I hope this episode encourages you to reframe your approach to fitness, mental wellness, and self-love.

Connect with Sasha on Instagram @thelittleblondeyogi

Click here to check out Team Align on Ladder

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

This week I'm bringing you a special behind-the-scenes conversation with Jenna, the incredible nutritionist who works with me in my 4-Month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program!

Ten years ago, I completely eliminated my anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and clinical depression without medication. 

What once felt impossible now feels... easy. I wake up feeling refreshed after a peaceful sleep, manage three jobs without burning out, and can even sit in complete silence without my mind racing. Most importantly, I can fully show up in my life without anxiety holding me back.

In this raw and honest conversation, Jenna and I dive deep into what it really takes to break free from chronic anxiety. We share our personal experiences and insights gained from helping hundreds of women break free from anxiety's grip.

We discuss why traditional "manage your symptoms" approaches often fall short and how addressing the root causes through gut health and hormone balance leads to lasting freedom from anxiety.

I hope this episode shows you that freedom from anxiety is absolutely possible when you address the root causes and have the right support system in place.

Connect with Jenna on Instagram here: @integrationherbals

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

This week I am joined by another Breaking Up With Anxiety Program client... Ashley!!

Ashley's struggles with anxiety seemed to come out of nowhere, leading to terrifying panic attacks during simple tasks like running errands at Walmart. Her body would go numb, she'd get extremely dizzy, and feel like she was about to pass out.

Despite living what appeared to be a healthy lifestyle - working out regularly and eating clean - she found herself spiraling into an anxiety disorder and struggling with severe insomnia, eventually leading her to rely on a combination of medications including Ativan, sleeping pills, and escitalopram just to get through each day. She couldn't understand why this was happening to her when her life didn't seem particularly stressful and, as a former fitness competitor, she thought she had some really good habits.

Through our work together, we discovered that despite her background in fitness competitions, her "healthy" diet wasn't providing all the nutrients her body needed. We made some targeted dietary adjustments and worked on optimizing her gut health and supporting her adrenals.

Now, Ashley sleeps a full 8 hours every night without any medication, has completely overcome her panic attacks, and has developed a daily toolkit of specific habits that keep anxiety far away. Most importantly, breaking up with anxiety has allowed her to show up as the present, patient mother she always wanted to be for her little boy.

I hope this episode gives you the hope and encouragement that freedom from anxiety is absolutely possible!

The Yoga Nidra Ashley mentioned on this call is Ally Boothroyd Yoga Nidra on YouTube

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Fresh off my holiday break, I'm sharing why the "New Year, New Me" pressure can be especially challenging for women dealing with anxiety, and how to align yourself with the seasons and work with your body's natural rhythms instead of against them.

In this episode, we explore how to apply Traditional Chinese Medicine wisdom about winter to your life, why pushing yourself too hard in January can actually deplete your energy and make anxiety worse, the fascinating connection between kidney energy and anxiety, and the exact winter rituals myself and my clients are using right now to thrive during this season.

I also get personal and share my own intention for 2025 (pre-conception!), what that means for me, and why I'm taking a totally different approach than mainstream medicine suggests.

I hope this episode helps you feel more confident approaching your New Year goals in a way that actually supports your nervous system!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Today we're diving deep into a topic that affects so many women with anxiety... travel anxiety.

Fresh from my recent trip to Hawaii and preparing for Miami and Hilton Head, I'm sharing all the tools, tips and strategies for breaking up with 4 types of travel anxiety: routine disruption anxiety, logistics anxiety, physical symptoms and health anxiety, and flying anxiety.

I also share my own journey with travel anxiety and how that has evolved over the years, from having to leave a Euro-trip early due to severe anxiety, to needing a lot of supplement support during my next trip, to now being able to travel freely with minimal anxiety management tools.

If you are ever in Honolulu, I cannot recommend @oneoceandiving enough! 

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Jenna from our Breaking Up With Anxiety Coaching Program! As our Program Community Manager Jenna brings such unique wisdom as a Nutritionist, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, and total Herbal Medicine Plant Witch. Her approach to health beautifully weaves together physical, energetic, and emotional wellness, which is exactly what we need to become truly anxiety-free in mind, body, and spirit!

In this episode, we're challenging the common narrative around daylight savings time and winter blues. Instead of dreading the darker days, we're exploring how to embrace them! We dive into the key differences between Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and normal seasonal mood changes, share practical tools and resources for navigating seasonal shifts, and explore how to transform your relationship with winter using specific dietary, emotional, and energy-protecting practices from Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I hope this episode helps you see the darker months in a new light and find ways to thrive during this seasonal transition! 

Connect with Jenna on Instagram @integrationherbals

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Feeling overwhelmed by all the conflicting information out there about what to eat and which supplements to take? Don't worry - this episode's got you covered!

I'm breaking down the 5 dietary guidelines for women with anxiety, showing you exactly how to build an anxiety-reducing plate (with tons of examples!), and walking through 3 game-changing ways to use supplements for anxiety. Plus, I share all my favourite supplement recommendations.

I hope this helps you feel way more confident about making food choices that'll support your mental health! As always, I love hearing from you! Slide into my DMs on Instagram after you listen @tay.gendron

For great travel and lifestyle content (and Hawaii family trip content!!) follow @nicoleandcolton

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with American Thanksgiving just around the corner, the holiday season is officially here! Christmas, New Year’s—it’s all coming up fast. In today’s episode, I’m talking about how to keep your anxiety in check during this busy time of year! 

Every year, I get tons of questions from clients about how to stay on track with eating and lifestyle habits over the holidays. These habits have been working so well to keep their anxiety far away, but the busyness and lack of routine during this season can make it hard to stick to what’s been working. If my clients are asking this every year, I’m guessing it’s on your mind too!

I hope this episode helps you feel more grounded and ready to enjoy the holidays, hopefully free from anxiety! 

In this episode, I mentioned two apps I love: Ladder for progressive strength training and Opal, which helps you stay focused on what truly matters, making each day more intentional and productive.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Today, we’re tackling a topic that impacts so many women: how to come off birth control without increasing anxiety. This episode is inspired by my own journey and the many questions I’ve been receiving.

We’ll cover questions like: Is the pill making my anxiety worse? Should you taper off birth control gradually like you would with SSRIs? Why do so many symptoms appear after stopping the pill? Is going on the pill a good idea for managing mood and anxiety, as some doctors suggest? And if you’ve recently stopped a progesterone-only pill to return to a natural cycle, how can you support your body while it adjusts?

If you’re considering transitioning off birth control or just want to understand how it can impact your mental health, this episode is for you!

If you’re interested in charting your cycle, check out Justisse: Chart Your Cycle.

Some great books I recommend in this episode include Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, Beyond the Pill by Jolene Brighten, and In the FLO by Alisa Vitti. 

If you’d like to submit a question or topic for future episodes, click here to fill out this form! All questions are answered anonymously.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Send me a message on Instagram after you've listened @tay.gendron

Learn more about my 4-month Breaking Up With Anxiety Program: https://www.taygendron.com/work-with-tay

Website: www.taygendron.com 

Substack: https://breakingupwithanxiety.substack.com/

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!