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If you're in perimenopause while actively parenting young children, this episode is for you. You are straddling two completely different life stages at once — and not enough people are talking about it. In this solo episode, I'm getting personal about my own experience navigating early motherhood and perimenopause simultaneously, why it's so much harder than it looks, and what's actually happening in your body and nervous system that explains all of it. You are not failing. You are not broken. You are in one of the most demanding intersections a woman can find herself in — and there is a way through.

In This Episode

The cultural invisibility of this experience — why most perimenopause conversations assume your kids are grown, and most parenting conversations assume you have stable hormones, and how that leaves a lot of women feeling alone and ashamed in the gap.

What's actually happening hormonally — how declining estrogen affects serotonin, GABA, cortisol regulation, sleep, cognition, pain tolerance, and emotional buffering, and how declining progesterone amplifies anxiety and overwhelm.

The pregnenolone prioritization— why chronic stress (including the very real chronic stress of parenting young children) diverts hormonal resources away from sex hormones and toward cortisol, and why this means you're getting hit from both sides.

The window of resilience — why it naturally narrows in perimenopause, why parenting young children requires a wide one, and what it looks and feels like when those two realities collide.

My own story — getting diagnosed with Hashimoto's when my son was around two, the depression, the rage, the fatigue, and what understanding the nervous system-hormonal connection has meant for how I hold all of it now.

The archetypal tension — the Mother archetype (energy flowing outward) meeting the Virgin archetype (energy turning inward) and why this isn't a problem to solve but a paradox to hold.

Practical tools for the reality of parenting — micro-practices you can actually do with a child climbing on you, including breathwork, grounding, somatic shaking, completing stress cycles, and Ayurvedic support.

Resources Mentioned

Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life by Claudia Welch

Free Gentle Ayurvedic Guide to Perimenopause 

Rhythm & Ritual — 6-week Ayurvedic group program for women in perimenopause, registration opens March 2nd, group starts beginning of April — 

Mailing list (to be notified when the free Circle community for mothers in perimenopause launches)

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

Winter is long. And right now, we're in this unique in-between place: the light is slowly returning, but we still have weeks (or months) of cold, heavy weather ahead.

If you're feeling the weight of winter, you're not alone. And more importantly, you're not supposed to be producing at summer's pace right now.

In this conversation, I sit down with Brett Aldrich—breathwork practitioner, Ayurveda counselor, and founder of Seed the Spirit—to talk about what's actually happening in our bodies during winter, why seasonal affective disorder is real (but also misunderstood), and how to work with the season instead of against it.

Brett shares her own journey from social work burnout to discovering Ayurveda on a little note card in a shop—and how that small piece of wisdom changed everything. We explore the rhythm of winter, the pressure to keep producing when nature is asking us to rest, and why breathwork became the "missing puzzle piece" in her healing journey.

This episode is for anyone who's struggling right now—whether that's with seasonal depression, exhaustion, or simply the cultural pressure to keep going when your body is asking you to slow down.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• What's actually happening in your body during winter from an Ayurvedic perspective (and why it's natural to feel heavier, slower, more inward)
• Why late February/early March is uniquely challenging—we're moving from Vata (cold, mobile, erratic) into Kapha season (heavy, wet, earthy), and that transition can feel intense
• The truth about seasonal affective disorder—how to discern between the natural slowness winter asks for vs. when you need more support
• Why the pressure to keep producing is working against you—and what would happen if we actually honored our natural rhythms
• How breathwork works as medicine—the difference between controlled yogic breath and cyclical breathwork for releasing what you can't put words to
• Brett's journey from burnout to Ayurveda—stumbling into a practice that finally made sense, and how small shifts created big change
• The power of going with your natural flow—why honoring your constitution and the seasons is actually rebellious in our culture
• Simple, doable practices for winter wellness—no expensive supplements or complicated protocols, just wisdom you can use today
• When to reach out for professional help—and why there's no shame in that

Key Themes:

This episode is about permission—permission to slow down, to honor winter's natural rhythm, to be gentler with yourself. Brett reminds us that we're not machines designed to produce at the same rate year-round. We're humans. We're part of nature. And nature has seasons.

Connect with Brett:

Website: Seed the Spirit 

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

What happens when the very tools meant to heal you—breathwork, yoga, mindfulness—become ways to silence your inner wisdom?

In this deeply vulnerable conversation, I sit down with Devin Scott, founder of Find Your Meaning, a body-based coach, who shares his recent experience of ignoring his body's signals in a relationship—and what he has learned about "healing" from that experience.

We recorded this episode in early December, just days after Devin went through a painful breakup. Instead of presenting a polished, "healed" version of himself, he brought his raw, real experience into our conversation—and what emerged is one of the most honest explorations of body wisdom, emotional intelligence, and the shadow side of "wellness" that I've ever had.

This conversation will shift how you think about healing, emotions, and what it means to truly listen to yourself.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why traditional healing systems often feel hollow—and how they can reinforce perfectionism and conformity instead of true transformation
• The difference between resourcing and dissociating—how Devin used "healthy" practices like breathwork and yoga to silence his body's wisdom instead of listening to it
• Why emotions aren't problems to solve—they're messages, evolutionary tools, and pathways to deeper wisdom
• How body wisdom gets overridden—the cultural scripts that teach us to distrust our intuition and seek external validation
• The philosophy of Lila—an ancient Indian concept that reframes life as "cosmic play" rather than a linear path to fix yourself
• Why you don't need to "win" at healing—and how the idea of becoming a "better version of yourself" can be self-punitive
• When nervous system collapse is necessary—why sometimes you need to stop doing and just be with what is
• The gaslighting embedded in systems—from workplaces to therapy, how we're taught that we are the problem, not the system

Key Themes:

This episode explores the paradox of using healing modalities to avoid feeling, the courage it takes to trust your body when logic demands otherwise, and the radical idea that suffering might not be something to transcend—but something to experience fully as part of being human.

Devin's honesty about his own recent heartbreak—and how he ignored his body's clear signals because he couldn't rationalize them—offers a powerful reminder that even those who teach this work are still learning it. We're all human. We all stumble. And vulnerability isn't weakness—it's where the real wisdom lives.

About Devin Scott:

Devin Scott is a body-based coach and facilitator who helps people reconnect with their inner wisdom and move through life with greater authenticity. He's the founder of Find Your Meaning, where he blends somatic coaching, mindfulness, and psychological insight to support clients

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In times of collective overwhelm, how do we cultivate resilience and find ease in our bodies? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Alexandra Johnson, a family physician who integrates Breema body work and functional medicine into primary care, to explore how fear manifests in the body—and what we can do about it.

What You'll Learn:

• Why anxiety and fear aren't just "in your head"—they live in your body as tension, and what that means for your health
• The ancient practice of Breema body work and its nine principles of harmony
• Why traditional anxiety treatments often fall short (and what's missing)
• How disconnection from ourselves creates the conditions for chronic anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, and more
• The difference between pain and suffering—and how to reduce suffering even when pain is present
• Simple, practical nervous system resets you can do anywhere (including a guided self-Breema practice)
• How to use discomfort as medicine rather than something to push away
• Why "being comfortable in your body" is actually a revolutionary act

Key Themes:

This episode explores the intersection of Ayurveda, somatic work, and Breema—revealing how these ancient systems share a common understanding: that healing happens when we reconnect mind, body, and spirit. Dr. Johnson shares her unique approach to supporting patients through chronic conditions like constipation, migraines, and anxiety by addressing not just the physical symptoms, but the deeper disconnection from self.

We talk about the power of presence, the principle of "no judgment," and how everything we consume—from food to media to experiences—becomes something our bodies must digest. This conversation is a beautiful reminder that you don't need expensive supplements or complicated protocols to begin healing. Sometimes, the most profound shifts come from the simplest practices: taking a breath, asking "can I be more comfortable?", and coming home to your body.

About Dr. Alexandra Johnson:

Dr. Alexandra Johnson is a family physician who integrates Breema body work and functional medicine into primary care. She supports patients in moving from fear and burnout to vitality through evidence-based medicine and mind-body healing. She teaches Breema internationally and works with health professionals to prevent burnout and reconnect with the heart of healing.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Nine Principles of Breema Harmony
• Self Breema Classes Online, almost every day of the week
• Book a session with Dr.  Johnson
• Connect on Instagram

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this episode of Nourish Nervous System, I explore the vagus nerve — what it actually is, why it plays such a vital role in healing and resilience, and how Ayurveda has been supporting vagal regulation for thousands of years.

We hear a lot about the vagus nerve in modern wellness spaces, but often without context or clarity. 

I share a simple, grounded explanation of the vagus nerve and why gentle, nourishing practices work better than force when it comes to nervous system regulation.

I also connect modern neuroscience with ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, including:

• The role of Vata dosha and the nervous system
• How marma points relate to parasympathetic regulation
• Why oil, touch, breath, and rhythm are so deeply calming
• The Ayurvedic concept of Ojas as resilience and vitality

To close, I guide you through a short, accessible ACE marma practice you can do anywhere to help calm the mind, soothe the nervous system, and support vagal tone.

This episode is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, anxious, burnt out, or curious about holistic approaches to nervous system health.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• What the vagus nerve is and how it functions
• Why the vagus nerve is essential for emotional regulation, digestion, and stress resilience
• The connection between Ayurveda and the nervous system
• How marma therapy supports parasympathetic balance
• Why gentleness is key for healing the nervous system
• A guided ACE marma practice for calming the mind

Resources & Links

• Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal
• Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide
• In Person Retreats
• Rhythm & Ritual Info Page and Waitlist

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this episode of Nourish Nervous System, I’m joined by Dr. Karen Parker, founder of Quantum Human Design, for a powerful conversation about the stories we carry—and how they shape our nervous system, health, and sense of purpose, especially during times of burnout and uncertainty.

Dr. Karen shares her unique approach to Human Design, blending science and spirituality, including quantum physics, epigenetics, narrative coaching, and embodied awareness. 

Together, we explore how reclaiming your personal story can support emotional resilience, nervous system regulation, and lasting wellness.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Human Design is and how it supports embodied, aligned decision-making
• How Quantum Human Design expands traditional Human Design into an evolutionary healing system
• Why burnout is often rooted in disconnection from the body and personal narrative
• How the Hero’s Journey applies to healing, trauma, and nervous system regulation
• The connection between storytelling, chronic stress, and physical symptoms
• Why reclaiming your story is a radical and empowering act of self-sovereignty

This episode is especially supportive if you’re navigating burnout, chronic stress, overwhelm, or major life transitions, or if you’re seeking a deeper, more holistic understanding of wellness that honors the mind, body, and spirit.

Join us for a rich conversation on rewriting your story, restoring vitality, and reconnecting with your inner compass.

Connect with Dr.  Karen Parker:

Get your free human design chart

The StoryLab Experience

Instagram

YouTube

Facebook

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this episode of The Nourish Nervous System, I am joined by Karen Canham, board-certified wellness practitioner and founder of Karen Ann Wellness, for a deep and grounded conversation on nervous system regulation, somatic healing, and what it truly means to heal beyond willpower.

Karen shares her personal journey — from recovering from anorexia, to climbing the corporate ladder, to ultimately finding her way into nervous system work, somatic experiencing, and parts work therapy. 

Together, we explore how embodiment can become a powerful doorway into healing, resilience, and authentic leadership.

This conversation weaves together polyvagal theory, somatic parts work, and the lived experience of learning to move from chronic stress and reactivity into regulation, clarity, and connection.

In this episode, we explore:

• Karen’s path from eating disorder recovery to nervous system–based healing work
• Why the nervous system is the foundation of true resilience (not just stress relief)
• The role of the vagus nerve and how regulation supports healing and capacity
• Healing through awareness instead of willpower
• What somatic parts work is and how it helps integrate emotions with compassion
• How to work with emotions rather than control or suppress them
• The nervous system “ladder” and understanding states of shutdown, regulation, and activation
• How nervous system regulation supports leadership, relationships, and co-regulation
• Why resilience isn’t about staying calm all the time — but moving fluidly between states
• A simple, accessible embodiment practice you can begin today

Karen also reframes leadership as an essential life skill — one rooted in clarity, compassion, and presence — and shares how nervous system regulation can create powerful ripple effects in families, workplaces, and communities.

Guest Information:

Karen Canham is a board-certified wellness practitioner and founder of Karen Ann Wellness, where she helps individuals and organizations move from stress and reactivity into regulation — clear, confident, and connected.

Website: https://karenannwellness.com

 

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this New Year episode of Nourish the Nervous System, we explore winter not as a time for pushing forward or reinventing ourselves, but as a season of subtlety, listening, and inward refinement.

Rather than loud resolutions or high-energy goals, winter invites a quieter kind of awareness — one that whispers instead of shouts. Through the Ayurvedic lens of Vata dosha and the Sanskrit quality sukshma (the subtle), we explore how this season affects the nervous system, our emotions, and our inner rhythms.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and honor sensitivity as a form of strength — not fragility.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why New Year’s energy can feel misaligned in the deep of winter
• The contrast between summer’s outward buzz and winter’s inward stillness
• Vata dosha in winter, with a focus on sukshma (the subtle quality)
• How winter heightens nervous system sensitivity and perception
• Subtle signs many people notice this time of year, including:
  • quiet or lingering fatigue
  • low-grade anxiety
  • emotional waves without a clear story
  • increased sensitivity to sound, light, and conversation
• Translating Ayurveda into modern language:
  • sensory processing
  • nervous system load
• Why “subtle” does not mean weak — it means attuned
• How winter can surface emotional material without anything being “wrong”
• The cultural pressure to feel “up” and productive — even in winter
• Honoring rest without slipping into stagnation or disconnection

Practical ways to support sukshma energy in winter:

• Softening the edges of your day and reducing transitions
• Creating sensory nourishment with dim lighting, quiet, and warmth
• Using warm oil (especially on the feet) to ground the nervous system
• Staying connected to intuition through journaling, somatic awareness, or creative expression
• Balancing subtlety with sthula (the gross, tangible quality) through grounding movement:
  • strength-based exercise
  • walking outdoors
  • using larger muscle groups
  • getting fresh air and natural light

Reflection questions for the week:

• What feels louder now that life is quieter?
• What is asking for attention?
• What no longer fits?

You’re invited to sit with these questions gently — through journaling, meditation, or simply noticing what arises.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Gentle Ayurvedic Guide to Perimenopause 
• Rhythm & Ritual — a small-group seasonal cohort for perimenopause, Ayurveda, and somatic support
  • Spring and Fall cohorts
  • Focused on rhythm, nervous system regu

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this episode of The Nourished Nervous System, I’m joined by Nima Rahmany, chiropractor, educator, and creator of the Becoming Trigger-Proof methodology, for a deep and illuminating conversation about people pleasing, trauma responses, attachment patterns, and how nervous system healing transforms our relationships — with others and with ourselves.

Nima shares his personal journey from chiropractic care into somatic psychology and attachment work, shaped by his own experiences with ruptured relationships, trauma bonding, and nervous system dysregulation. 

Together, we explore how stress, chronic illness, burnout, and relational conflict often stem from self-abandonment learned early in life — and how healing begins by turning inward.

This conversation weaves somatic awareness, polyvagal theory, shadow work, and attachment theory into a compassionate framework for understanding why so many of us struggle with boundaries, resentment, and emotional exhaustion.

In this episode, we explore:

• The fawn response and how people pleasing develops as a survival strategy
• Why self-abandonment often leads to burnout, autoimmunity, and chronic stress
• How childhood attachment wounds show up in adult relationships and parenting
• The difference between being boundaryless, walled-off, and elegantly boundaried
• Why resentment builds when we ignore our body’s “no”
• How shadow work helps us reclaim disowned parts of ourselves
• A somatic approach to working with triggers in real time
• What it actually means to be “regulated” — and why regulation doesn’t mean being calm all the time
• How to build resilience by increasing your capacity to feel, rather than suppress, emotion

Nima also walks us through a powerful, embodied example of how triggers with our children or partners can become doorways to healing unmet needs within ourselves — offering a practical, compassionate roadmap for rupture and repair.

This episode is especially supportive if you:

• Identify as a people pleaser or “the strong one”
• Struggle with guilt around saying no
• Feel chronically depleted despite doing “all the right things”
• Are navigating parenting, partnership, or work stress
• Sense that your nervous system is asking for a different way of relating

Resources mentioned:

• Website
•  Nima Rahmany’s Attachment Style Quiz
• The Trigger-Proof Experience
• Facebook

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send a text

In this episode, I’m concluding our three-part series on Ayurveda and perimenopause with a deep dive into ojas — the subtle essence that governs vitality, immunity, resilience, and emotional steadiness.

We’re recording in the dark days of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, and I begin by reflecting on how seasonal rhythms mirror the inner transitions many of us experience during perimenopause. 

Just as nature turns inward in winter, this phase of life invites us to slow down, listen more closely, and tend ourselves with greater care.

In Ayurveda, perimenopause is not seen as a problem or a decline, but as a time of refinement — a transition into a wiser, more conserving phase of life. 

Ojas becomes especially precious during this time, as rising vata (air and space) can draw on our reserves of vitality if we’re not supported.

In this episode, we explore:

• What ojas is from an Ayurvedic perspective — physically, energetically, and emotionally
• Why perimenopause is considered an ojas-sensitive window
• How hormonal shifts, stress, sleep disruption, and midlife responsibilities can affect ojas
• The relationship between rasa dhatu, agni, and ojas
• Signs of ojas depletion — emotionally and physically
• The difference between para ojas (essential, life-sustaining) and apara ojas (day-to-day, replenishable vitality)
• How ojas depletion can show up differently through vata, pitta, and kapha qualities
• Gentle, realistic ways to rebuild and protect ojas during perimenopause
• Why this phase is not a depletion story, but a recalibration of energy and vitality

This episode is an invitation to soften the narrative around perimenopause and to see it as a meaningful turning point: a time to protect the sacred nectar of vitality so we can move into the next phase of life feeling steadier, resourced, and radiant.

Resources mentioned:

• Free download: A Gentle Ayurvedic Guide to Perimenopause: Five Ways to Support Your Nervous System and Digestion
• Self-abhyanga (oil massage) practices
• Previous episodes in this series on Rasa and Agni

If this episode resonates with you, I’m also quietly preparing a spring offering that weaves together one-on-one Ayurvedic consultations, group support, yoga, somatic practices, and seasonal rhythm — you can join my mailing list to learn more when it’s ready.

• Join the WAITLIST for Rhythm & RItual: an Ayurvedic Journey for Perimenopause

Thank you so much for listenin

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram