Gout is often dismissed as the outcome of rich food and alcohol, but Heather McKean reveals a deeper story: unresolved anger, shame, and control patterns that crystalize in the body as pain and inflammation. In this episode, Heather unpacks why gout so commonly strikes the feet, how early family dynamics prime a person for “acidic” emotions, and why perfectionism, worry, and feeling trapped can feed flare-ups. Through the composite case of “Marcus,” she traces the path from emotionally absent parenting to high-achieving adulthood laced with suppressed rage—and then offers practical Mind Change steps for releasing bitterness, reclaiming boundaries, and breaking generational cycles.

What We Covered

🧠 Gout isn’t just diet—it’s stored anger and control.

🔥 Suppressed emotions become physical inflammation.

👣 Feet pain = can’t move forward or stand up for self.

👨‍👩‍👦 Emotionally absent parents breed perfectionism.

🎭 Control creates disconnection, not safety.

😔 Hidden guilt and resentment fuel flare-ups.

⏳ Torn between duty and pleasure repeats old pain.

🍷 Food, alcohol, or work numb buried feelings.

🌿 Flares may signal healing after standing up for self.

🌳 Gout invites breaking ancestral emotional cycles.

💬 Heal by releasing anger, guilt, and control.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

We can’t change what happened—but we can change how our minds hold it. In this powerful episode, Heather McKean sits down with Air Force veteran Matt Jefson, who carried the memory of losing 13 friends in combat for nearly two decades. Through Mind Change, Matt learned how to rewire it—transforming trauma into peace, triggers into awareness, and loss into meaning. Together, Heather and Matt reveal how rewiring the past frees us from reliving it, restores connection, and opens the door to genuine healing. Whether you’ve faced trauma, loss, or emotional overwhelm, this conversation offers hope and a new way to come home to yourself.

What we explore in this episode:

🧠 Rewiring the brain – You can’t change the event, but you can change how your mind holds it.

🎖️ Redefining trauma – Matt didn’t erase the memory; he transformed his relationship to it.

💬 From loss to meaning – He shifted from sufferer to storyteller, honoring his friends through healing.

⚡ Triggers as teachers – What once caused panic now brings awareness and calm.

🏠 Finding your inner home – Reframing helped Matt feel safe and present again.

👥 The hidden cost of service – Many veterans carry emotional armor long after leaving duty.

🪞 Awareness creates change – Seeing the pattern is the first step to rewiring it.

💔 Healing ripples outward – As Matt changed, his wife began her own healing too.

🧩 Beyond talking – True freedom comes from reprogramming the brain, not just retelling the story.

🌅 There’s always hope – No matter your past, you can reframe it and find peace.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight,” but Heather McKean invites a deeper look. What if vision loss also reflects unprocessed grief, generational trauma, and emotional pressure?

Through the Mind Change lens—and the moving story of “Marion”—Heather explores how releasing trapped emotion, softening rigid beliefs, and practicing forgiveness can expand both inner and outer vision. Gentle reflections help you begin reclaiming your way of seeing, inside and out.

What We Covered

👁️ Glaucoma isn’t just an eye condition—it mirrors inner pressure and suppressed emotion.

🧬 Generational trauma and cultural vigilance can pass down emotional constriction.

💭 Living on guard keeps the body tense and the mind in survival mode.

💔 Unprocessed grief and uncried tears often turn into physical tension.

🪞 Marion’s story shows how forgiveness can transform inherited resentment.

💡 Letting go of pain expands both the heart and vision.

👶 Childhood fear and rigid environments teach the body to hold tension.

🌀 The Mind Change® process helps release emotional pressure and restore balance.

💗 Healing begins when we soften how we see ourselves and others.

🌅 Releasing old pressure opens space for clarity, peace, and hope.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Anxiety isn’t an identity—it’s a learned loop that your mind and body can unlearn. In this episode, Heather and Kent McKean break down what anxiety really is, how it forms in childhood, and why the medical model often misses the mark. From decoding the difference between fear and anxiety to exploring how subconscious programming drives worry, they share the science and the hope behind Mind Change—the process that helps you rewire your minds and body for lasting calm and freedom.

What we covered in this episode:

🧠 Anxiety is learned - It’s not who you are—it’s a program your brain can rewrite.

⚡ Fear ≠ Anxiety - Fear protects you now; anxiety predicts what might happen.

🧬 Your body loops stress - The same survival chemicals fire—even without real danger.

🎢 Worry feels rewarding - Dopamine hits make anxiety addictive and hard to stop.

👶 It starts early - Childhood unpredictability wires the brain for anxiety.

👩‍👧 It’s passed down - Kids absorb parents’ stress through co-regulation.

💊 Meds mute, don’t heal - They dull symptoms but leave root causes untouched.

🌀 Anxiety is an alarm - It’s your body asking for healing, not punishment.

🧘 Words matter - Say “the anxiety I’m doing,” not “my anxiety.”

💾 Mind Change rewires loops - Shift subconscious meanings to restore calm.

🧩 Mind first, body always - Change the story, then retrain the nervous system.

💡 Freedom is possible - Rewire the pattern—peace follows naturally.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Shoulder pain may show up as bursitis, rotator cuff issues, arthritis, or frozen shoulder—but what if the deeper driver is how much you’re carrying for everyone else? In this episode, Heather McKean reframes shoulder symptoms through a Mind Change lens: the shoulders as the “seat of responsibility,” where unexamined roles, people-pleasing, control, suppressed anger, resentment, guilt, and fear of saying no can harden into pain and even immobility. You’ll hear a powerful case study (“Elena”) that maps childhood roots of over-responsibility into adult patterns, a practical medical overview, and how left vs. right shoulder messages can differ. Heather then offers clear next steps—rewiring subconscious scripts, practicing loving “no’s,” auditing which responsibilities are truly yours, and using forgiveness to release resentment—so your body can stop protesting and start recovering.

What we covered in this episode: 

💪 Shoulder pain isn’t just physical — it’s emotional weight made visible.

🧳 The shoulders carry responsibility, over-giving, and unspoken “yeses.”

😡 Frozen shoulder = your body’s sit-down strike against buried anger or duty.

🔥 Bursitis signals frustration inflamed — the body’s way of speaking up.

⚖️ Right side = authority & action; Left side = nurturing & emotional load.

👶 Childhood patterns of over-carrying shape adult pain.

🙅 Healing begins with boundaries and letting go.

🌱 Your body isn’t betraying you — it’s asking you to stop carrying what was never yours.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

In this Q&R episode of The Mind Change Podcast, Heather and Kent McKean respond to listener questions that reveal how deeply the subconscious shapes everyday life.

In this episode we explore:

🎶 Music & Lyrics – How words and songs program the subconscious.

💰 Money & Worthiness – Financial struggles tied to safety, value & self-worth.

🛡️ Safe Haven – Guarding boundaries against intrusive thoughts.

😴 Sleepiness – Why drowsiness in self-work signals real rewiring.

🔤 Dyslexia – Learning differences as survival adaptations.

🦠 Illness – Stress and subconscious patterns shape the host environment.

Heather and Kent show how tools like GPS, Safe Haven, and memory work can uncover subconscious programs, release old patterns, and create resilience.

✨ Change is possible—learn how to align your inner world with the life you want to live.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Heather McKean interviews Vicki Durfee who shares how addressing buried trauma unlocked profound changes in her body and life. After years of interstitial cystitis procedures every 3–4 months, chronic pain, and weight gain, Vicki discovered Mind Change, began with the book and a small group, and eventually flew to a private retreat during 2020. As she released shame and fear, her triggers calmed, her marriage came alive, and she shed 65 pounds without “dieting”—guided instead by self-worth.  If you’ve “tried everything,” wonder whether your symptoms are tied to old wounds, and are finally ready to choose yourself, this conversation offers a hopeful, practical roadmap for true healing.

What we cover in this episode:

💔 Breaking free from domestic violence and hidden trauma

🩺 Living with 8 years of chronic illness and invasive procedures

📖 Discovering Mind Change and early breakthroughs

✈️ A life-changing retreat in Hawaiʻi during the pandemic

🧠 How trauma maps onto the body and fuels symptoms

⚡ Ending an 8-year medical cycle and reclaiming health

💍 Restoring intimacy and healing her marriage

👨‍👩‍👧 Inspiring her family to begin their own journeys

📉 Releasing 65 pounds naturally—without dieting

🌱 Growing in confidence, spirituality, and self-love

📚 Paying it forward through book clubs and mentorship

🌟 Core message: Healing is real, and the time to start is now

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is more than a “bladder problem.” In this episode, Heather McKean explores IC as the body’s urgent language for suppressed boundaries, unresolved anger, and survival patterns learned in childhood. She maps common emotional imprints—authoritarian homes, sexual shame, peacemaker roles—and how they later surface as boundary fatigue, smoldering rage, hyper-control, and pelvic pain. Through the Mind Change approach, Heather explains “secondary gains,” why symptom flares can function as subconscious protection, and how rewiring the root narrative restores safety from the inside out. Listen in for a real client story, practical reframes, and a hopeful path forward.

What we covered in this episode: 

💡 Interstitial cystitis is not betrayal; it is the body communicating unmet emotional needs.

⚡ The bladder symbolizes boundaries, territory, personal power, and suppressed emotions.

👶 Many roots of IC begin in childhood through authoritarian homes, secrecy, or experiences of sexual shame and coercion.

😡 Buried anger and unprocessed grief often resurface as pelvic pain and inflammation.

🚫 Boundary fatigue develops when someone keeps saying “yes” while meaning “no,” leading to pain and flare-ups.

🔥 Patterns of hypervigilance, perfectionism, and control mirror bladder tension and prevent release.

💔 Sexual disconnection, shame, or trauma can show up later in life as pain during intimacy.

👥 Old power dynamics are often recreated in adulthood through controlling partners or bosses.

🧠 Symptoms are not failings but survival strategies that subconsciously protect through distance, control, or safety.

🪞 The Mind Change® method rewires subconscious contracts so the nervous system and body can finally relax.

🌱 Healing begins when buried rage is expressed, as seen in Melissa’s story of recovery.

🙌 Interstitial cystitis is not a curse but communication, and with subconscious rewiring, true healing is possible.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Heather McKean and Kent McKean dive into the explosive rise in autism and other neurodivergences—not to assign blame or “cure” identity, but to ask better questions about what today’s physical, emotional, and cultural environments are doing to developing brains. They unpack historical data, presentism, and labels; reframe “maladaptive” patterns as survival adaptations (and sometimes superpowers); and outline a Mind Change path focused on nervous-system safety, subconscious rewiring, and family-wide healing—keeping uniqueness while relieving unnecessary suffering. 

What we covered in this episode:

📈 Autism rates skyrocketed from 1 in 5,000 kids to 1 in 30 in two generations

🧬 Why genes alone can’t explain the surge—environment & culture play a bigger role

🏫 How schooling, screens, toxins & stress reshape developing brains

💡 Autism as adaptation & survival strategy, not defect

🧠 Trauma’s imprint—how it rewires biology and passes through generations

👩‍👩‍👧 Parental stress and healing: why when parents shift, kids shift too

🔖 Labels can help—but they can also limit growth

🌍 The autism explosion as a mirror of our wider cultural crisis

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.

Bipolar disorder is one of the most misunderstood and medicated conditions in mental health—but what if the brain isn’t broken at all? In this episode, Heather McKean redefines bipolar through the Mind Change lens, showing how chaotic childhoods, emotional suppression, and trauma can create subconscious survival strategies that appear as mania and depression. She shares her own personal diagnosis story, exposes the risks of conventional treatments, and explains why bipolar symptoms may actually be intelligent signals from the subconscious asking to be heard. This empowering episode offers a fresh perspective for anyone impacted by bipolar patterns, pointing the way toward lasting resolution and freedom.

What we covered in this episode: 

🌀 Bipolar reframed — A survival strategy, not a brain defect.

🏚️ Childhood roots — Chaos, suppression, abuse, or neglect wire extremes.

🛡️ Protective roles — Mania as armor, depression as slowdown.

⚡ Adult patterns — Anger, highs/lows, distrust, withdrawal.

💭 Core beliefs — “My needs are dangerous,” “I must impress.”

📚 Expert views — Researchers question conventional treatment.

💊 Medication risks — Switching, numbness, side effects, suicide risk.

🧠 Chemical myth — “Imbalance” has never been proven.

🌱 Heather’s story — From diagnosis to full healing.

🔑 Mind Change — Rewire subconscious, not suppress symptoms.

💡 Hope — Bipolar patterns can be resolved.

👉 Full resources, courses & community: mindchange.com

👍 Like what you hear? Follow & leave a review to help others find the show.