You're crying out of nowhere. You're questioning every decision you ever made as a mom. You're running 472 errands to avoid sitting in the grief. And somehow, you're also the proudest you've ever been in your entire life.

Welcome to graduation season, mama. This one's for you.

In this episode, Brooke gets real about the massive emotional transition that happens when your child graduates high school. Not the highlight reel version. The raw, messy, biologically disorienting version that nobody warns you about.

If you've got a senior crossing the stage soon (or a junior who's not far behind), this episode is your permission slip to feel ALL of it, without shame, without rushing it, and without making it mean something's wrong with you.

Brooke covers the 4 things to normalize right now:

1. The emotional roller coaster is REAL. Crying one minute, checking things off a list the next, exploding with pride, then crying again. That's not instability. That's grief and love colliding in the most human way possible.
2. Questioning whether you did enough is part of the grieving process. That backward spiral of "did I teach them enough, love them enough, show up enough?" It's bargaining. And Brooke's here to tell you: you did enough. With what you had.
3. Your experience is unique. Stop subscribing to everyone else's narrative about what this is supposed to look like. Your kid isn't a statistic. Your family isn't a cliche. Assume the best, and watch what happens.
4. The best is still ahead. Not a platitude. Brooke's living proof. Less hardcore parenting, more real connection. Less managing their life, more actually knowing them. It shifts. And it's beautiful.

This episode is a love letter. Come get it.

🔗 Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected

🔗 Work with Brooke one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com

💃 Join Brooke Jean's Dance Crew (private WhatsApp -- first to know about Dance Alchemy classes!) 👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jhp2VYLfZ0D8kQHwggSQ5c?mode=gi_t

You ever have a thought that you KNOW everyone around you is having, but nobody will just say it out loud?

Yeah. This episode is that.

Brooke is back on her bullshit in the best possible way, calling out five things that are perpetually dry humping her last nerve right now. From wellness culture spiraling out of control to spirit week being a part-time job nobody signed up for, this one is equal parts rant, permission slip, and group therapy for the working mom who is hanging on by a thread and done pretending otherwise.

In this episode, Brooke covers:

The microplastics spiral and why she's officially tapping out of wellness panic culture

Why spirit week, dress-up days, and the leprechaun trap need to be abolished immediately

Radical acceptance over getting to the bottom of every symptom when you're a 45-year-old working mom running on fumes

Why she's done getting ready every day and what she's telling herself instead

The Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos rant that had to be said

The bottom line? The stress of keeping up is going to kill you faster than the seed oils, the microplastics, or the fact that you forgot to leave leprechaun coins last night. You're doing an incredible job. You don't need to do more. You need to give yourself permission to care about less.

This might become a series. Let Brooke know if you want more.

Dance Alchemy is happening the second Sunday of every month, 4-5 PM in Lafayette, Colorado. Next one is 4/12 DM "Damce" on Instagram or email Brooke to grab your spot.

🔗 Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected 🔗

Work with Brooke one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com

💃 Join Brooke Jean's Dance Crew (private WhatsApp -- first to know about Dance Alchemy classes!) 👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jhp2VYLfZ0D8kQHwggSQ5c?mode=gi_t

That big scary thing you know you need to do? The pitch. The post. The ask. The conversation you keep putting off?

You're not lazy. You're not broken. You're not "just not ready."

You're protected.

In this bonus episode, Brooke Jean breaks down the fear of visibility through the lens of IFS (Internal Family Systems) and gives you a real, tangible framework to stop letting your protective parts run the show in your life, leadership, and business.

In this episode:

What IFS is and why it matters for women who keep getting in their own way

The difference between your Inner CEO (Self with a capital S) and the protective parts that talk you out of every bold move

Why willpower and "just push through it" advice keeps failing you (hint: it's ignoring 95% of your operating system)

The one question that unlocks everything: what feeling are you actually avoiding?

Why shame is underneath almost all of it, and what it looks like to stop running from it

How our collective trauma response got dressed up as leadership, and why that's costing us everything

If you've ever felt frozen before a big move or talked yourself out of something you knew was right, this one is for you.

🔗 Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected

🔗 Work with Brooke one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com

💃 Join Brooke Jean's Dance Crew (private WhatsApp -- first to know about Dance Alchemy classes!) 👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jhp2VYLfZ0D8kQHwggSQ5c?mode=gi_t

You've adapted to the chaos. The panic has settled. And somehow, almost without noticing, you've snapped right back to impossible standards, a packed schedule, and that familiar grind that runs you into the ground.

But here's the real question: is that resilience? Or is that your armor back on?

In this episode, Brooke sits down with integrative therapist, brain health coach, and Team Unperfected's own Megan Olson to get radically honest about what is actually happening beneath the surface for high-achieving women right now. These are two therapists, completely unfiltered, talking about the stuff most people won't say out loud.

They unpack the difference between genuine resilience and the protective patterns of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and high-functioning overdrive. They break down what survivor's guilt looks like in everyday life, why your brain literally adapted these coping mechanisms to keep you safe, and what it means to stop being at war with the parts of yourself you've been most ashamed of.

Plus, Megan walks through her signature EMDR and brainspotting combo method. A process that goes below the surface of talk therapy to help your brain and body release what's been stuck. They cover negative cognitions, the subcortical brain, why your processing doesn't need to make sense to work, and why building neurobiology around your vision for your life is not woo. It's science.

They close with real, practical nervous system tools you can use right now, including the minimum viable day concept that your body has been begging you to try.

In this episode you'll hear:

Why high-achieving women are the first to snap back to impossible standards even when the world is still on fire

How to tell if you're in genuine resilience or back in protective survival mode

What survivor's guilt looks and feels like for women who are "doing fine" while others aren't

How Megan uses EMDR's questioning process to uncover the brain adaptations and deep beliefs driving your patterns

What actually happens during a brainspotting session and why the more random it feels, the better it's working

Why shaming your protective parts keeps you stuck and what it means to bring all of you to the table

The minimum viable day and how to use it to retrain your nervous system toward safety

How expansion brainspotting builds neurobiology around your manifestation

Why choosing slow is not laziness right now. It is an act of resistance.

🔗 Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected 🔗

Work with Brooke or Meghan one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com F

💃 Join Brooke Jean's Dance Crew (private WhatsApp -- first to know about Dance Alchemy classes!) 👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jhp2VYLfZ0D8kQHwggSQ5c?mode=gi_t

You've done the work. You've talked about it. You've journaled. You've cried in your car. And yet something still gets activated. Your chest tightens when your boss uses that tone. You blow up at your kids over something small. You wake up at 3am for no reason.

This isn't weakness. This is neuroscience.

In this episode, Brooke breaks down exactly what happens inside your brain and nervous system when you experience trauma -- and why real, lasting freedom requires getting into the body, not just the mind. If you've ever wondered why you react the way you do, why certain things feel way bigger than they should, or why you're still carrying stuff you thought you dealt with years ago, this one is for you.

In this episode:

-- The neurobiology of trauma from lowercase t to capital T -- what's actually happening from the moment a threat enters through your eyes to the moment your amygdala fires up your entire system -- Why your brain fragments traumatic memories and why that's actually your brain protecting you -- The antelope analogy -- why every other animal on earth discharges trauma responses, and why we absorbed ours instead -- What "trauma files" are and why the news cycle, the Epstein files, and your boss's tone might all be unlocking the same wound -- Why reactions that feel out of proportion are not you overreacting -- they're you responding from the age you were when the original wound happened -- Why talk therapy and body-based work are not opposites -- they're partners, and why trauma healing needs both -- Brainspotting, EMDR, somatic experiencing, breathwork, and Dance Alchemy -- Brooke's top modalities for getting trauma out of the body -- Why shutting off the pain also shuts off your pleasure, your intuition, and your magic -- A personal share: Brooke's marriage, the world feeling like it's unraveling, and why she believes it's all part of the rebuild

Mentioned in this episode:

-- Brainspotting and EMDR with Megan at the Unperfected Practice -- Dance Alchemy classes in Lafayette, CO -- second Sunday of every month, 4--5 PM -- Upcoming Mother's Day Dance Alchemy event -- Next episode: Megan joins the pod to break down her combined Brainspotting + EMDR method

🔗 Connect with Brooke: Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected 🔗 Work with Brooke one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com Free Guide: Get Unstuck - 5 Therapeutic Steps to Take Aligned Action 👉 https://www.brookejeanllc.com/get-unstuck 💃 Join Brooke Jean's Dance Crew (private WhatsApp -- be the first to know about upcoming Dance Alchemy classes!) 👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jhp2VYLfZ0D8kQHwggSQ5c?mode=gi_t

You're doing all the things — the business, the kids, the aging parents, the partner — and yet. There's this invisible wall you keep hitting every time you try to advocate for yourself, set a boundary, or push toward your bigger vision.

It doesn't feel like a strategy problem. And it's not.

In this episode, Brooke walks you through a real, live coaching session she did with a client who was struggling to ask for what she needed — in her business AND her life. What they uncovered together? A childhood moment that quietly convinced this woman that using her voice, having a strong opinion, or taking up space... meant losing the people she loved most.

Sound familiar?

Brooke breaks down the exact inner child process she used to identify where this block came from, how it got wired into this client's nervous system as default behavior, and — most powerfully — how to start the reparenting process that actually rewrites the story.

This one is DEEP. And worth every minute.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why being called "bossy" as a little girl is still costing you in your business right now
• The neuroscience behind why conflict feels like a threat to your literal survival
• How to connect to your inner child to identify (and start dismantling) your biggest blocks
• The step-by-step reparenting process Brooke guides clients through in session
• Why visualization during inner child work isn't woo — it's neuroscience
• How to step into your Inner CEO and make decisions from that higher place

If you've ever held back from asking for what you need because you were afraid of what it would cost you in your relationships... this episode is for you.

🔗 Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected

🔗 Work with Brooke one-to-one: www.liveunperfected.com

Free Guide: Get Unstuck - 5 Therapeutic Steps to Take Aligned Action 👉 https://www.brookejeanllc.com/get-unstuck

Three years. 148 episodes. And this one might be the most necessary yet.

In this special anniversary episode, Brooke Jean gets real about what's actually happening inside our bodies and minds right now, because if you've been waking up at 2am, feeling rage you can't explain, or walking around with a low hum of dread that just won't quit, you are not overreacting. You are not dramatic. Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Brooke breaks down the neurobiology of why we are collectively more triggered, more dysregulated, and more exhausted than ever, and gives you a clear, practical four-step process to move through it without falling apart.

In this episode, Brooke covers:

What's actually happening in your brain when you consume news, scroll social media, or encounter content that feels threatening, including the role your amygdala ("Amy") plays in deciding what's dangerous

Why women with a history of trauma are experiencing an amplified response to what's unfolding right now, and why that makes complete biological sense

The critical difference between thinking your emotions and actually feeling them, and why getting it wrong keeps you stuck in a loop of anxiety, rage, and shutdown

The 4-step framework to navigate your triggered state: Name it, metabolize it, regulate your nervous system, and take aligned action

Why eight minutes is the magic number when it comes to moving emotion through your body

What "heart coherence" actually means and how to act from that place instead of from your scared, protective parts

How to be part of building something better without sacrificing yourself in the process

This episode is the first in a series Brooke will be dedicating to practical nervous system tools throughout the first half of the year, including somatic work, brainspotting, IFS, and more.

Because we've got kids to raise, missions to act on, and a world to help build. And we have to be okay to do it.

If you're struggling right now, please know you are not alone. If you are in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

SUPPORT THE SHOW: We're almost at 100 reviews (currently at 13,150+ subscribers)! If this episode resonated, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It's how we reach more moms who need to hear this message. Share with your sisters, post on social, and let's get this work in front of the women who need permission to shed the shoulds.

Connect with Brooke:

Website: www.liveunperfected.com

Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

TikTok: Brooke Jean Unperfected

Free Guide: Get Unstuck - 5 Therapeutic Steps to Take Aligned Action 👉 https://www.brookejeanllc.com/get-unstuck

You know that tightness in your chest when you even think about doing something just for you? That voice whispering "selfish" every time you consider putting yourself first?

That's not intuition. That's conditioning.

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on why so many high-achieving women are stuck in the exhausting cycle of over-giving until we're running on fumes—and then shaming ourselves for the inevitable burnout that follows.

We're unpacking:

• Where the guilt actually comes from (spoiler: it's been baked into your biology for generations)
• The slippery slope between being a caring person and abandoning yourself completely
• Why "when mama's happy, everybody's happy" isn't just a cute saying—it's neuroscience
• The difference between selfish and self-preserving (hint: one creates walls, the other creates overflow)
• How to identify the subconscious beliefs keeping you stuck in the martyr role
• The process for actually reprogramming those beliefs (not just white-knuckling through them)

Here's what I know: When you're well—mind, body, spirit—everybody in your world benefits. But we've been skipping the step of filling our own tank, giving and giving until we're on E, and then wondering why we're inflamed, resentful, and barely recognizing ourselves in the mirror.

If you've been telling yourself you'll put yourself first "someday when things calm down"... this episode is your wake-up call that someday is costing you more than you realize.

Key Moments:

• [2:15] The conditioning we received as girls about being "good"
• [8:30] Why motherhood makes the guilt even harder
• [15:45] The fear of burdening others (and what it's really about)
• [22:10] When you are well, everybody wins—the research backing this up
• [28:00] How to identify the beliefs holding you back
• [35:20] The neuroplasticity process for rewriting old narratives
• [41:15] Why fake happy is making us inflamed as hell

Ready to stop putting yourself last?

Legend Mastermind is where we do this work together.

This isn't another self-help program where you read about change—this is where you actually heal the subconscious beliefs keeping you stuck in over-giving, people-pleasing, and perfectionism.

Over 12 transformative weeks, we're: ✨ Identifying and reprogramming the beliefs that have you abandoning yourself ✨ Using somatic practices and nervous system work to shift from depletion to overflow ✨ Building lives that actually light you up (not just look good on paper) ✨ Creating alongside other women who are done waiting for permission

We start February 12, 2026.

And here's what I know: If you're reading this and feeling that pull—that "yes, but..."—that's exactly why you need to be in this room.

The "buts" are the beliefs we're going to rewrite together.

Join Legend Here or DM me "LEGEND" and let's talk.

Because when you're operating from overflow instead of depletion? The whole damn world benefits.

Your kids need a happy mom more than they need a perfect one. Your partner needs a fulfilled woman more than they need a martyr. Your work needs your creative genius more than it needs your burnout.

It's time to go first in your own life.

Resources mentioned:

• Brainspotting for subconscious reprogramming
• The Unperfected® Method: Heal, Become, Rise
• Research on maternal wellbeing and children's outcomes

Did this episode land for you? Share it with a woman who needs permission to put herself first. Tag me @brookejeanunperfected and let me know what resonated.

The Unperfected Pod is for high-achieving women ready to shed the shoulds and build lives that actually feel good. Hosted by Brooke Jean, LPC—therapist, leadership coach, and recovering perfectionist.

You're overthinking your way through life—planning, strategizing, comparing, trying to logic your way to success. But here's the truth bomb: your thinking brain is only 0.5-5% of your operating system.

The other 95%? That's your subconscious. Your body. Your emotions. Your energy field. Your intuition.

And if you're trying to build a business, lead a team, show up as the woman you want to be, or create the life you actually desire using only 5% of your available power? Babe, that's why it feels so damn hard.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why somatic work isn't just some woo-woo wellness trend—it's a legitimate strategy for success. And as women, we're naturally gifted at this work. We just need to remember how to access it.

The Science Behind Somatic Work

• Why your subconscious (95% of your operating system) holds more power than your thinking brain
• The three intelligence systems you're ignoring: mind, heart, and gut
• Why your heart's energetic field is 100 times more powerful than your mind's

Why High Achievers Need This Work Most

• The real reason you feel unfulfilled despite checking all the boxes
• How disconnection from your body keeps you chasing goals you don't even want
• Why willpowering your way through life is an uphill battle (and how to stop)

How to Actually Do Somatic Work

• Decluttering the gutter: moving stuck emotion and trauma out of your body
• Practical tools like breathwork, dance, and somatic movement
• Rebuilding trust between your mind and body through daily practices

The Business Case for Body-Based Success

• What happened when Tony Robbins called out Alex Hormozi for missing heart and energy
• Why your humanness (energy, frequency, connection) is your million-dollar strategy in 2026
• How women's natural intuition and heart-led leadership is finally being recognized as the superpower it is

Real Transformation in Action

• The real estate agent who changed her intention from "strategic" to "playfulness" (and what that shift makes possible)
• Why getting clear on what you actually want collapses time and accelerates results
• How moving from should-driven to desire-driven creates the highest frequency

• Dance Alchemy - Brooke's somatic movement practice connecting to the five elements
• The Unperfected Method™ - Heal, Reveal, and Rise framework
• Legend Mastermind - 12-week program starting January 29th combining somatic work, energetics, and leadership
• Upcoming Events:
  • Dance Alchemy In-Person Event: February 22nd (2/22)

• Book a free discovery call for Legend Mastermind:
• Be the 1st to know about upcoming events (including Dance Alchemy)
• Connect with Brooke on Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected

Ready to stop living from the neck up? Your body holds the wisdom, intuition, and power you've been searching for. It's time to drop out of your head and into the truth of who you really are.

Book your free discovery call and let's talk about whether Legend is your next move.

Welcome back to 2026! 🎉 And welcome to 10 YEARS of Brooke Jean doing this wild, messy, beautiful work in the world.

In this first episode of the year, I'm breaking down exactly why I stopped doing New Year's resolutions years ago and what I do instead that actually creates lasting change (without the shame spiral that has 93% of resolutions dead by January 4th).

Here's what we're covering:

The truth about why resolutions fail from both an energetic AND neuroscience standpoint. You can't shame yourself skinny or successful, period. When you're running on cortisol and adrenaline from negative self-talk, you're biochemically blocking yourself from taking aligned action.

Why your thinking brain (that's writing out those resolution lists) is only 5% of your operating system and how to access the 95% that actually holds the truth of what you want through somatic practices like breathwork, movement, and dance.

My process for setting powerful intentions instead: getting crystal clear on how I want to FEEL (not what I want to have), setting that as my North Star, and reverse engineering the aligned actions that get me there. This year's word? EXCITED.

The difference between rigid rules that trigger nervous system shutdown versus healthy structure that creates space for autonomy, creativity, and actual sustainable change.

Why "what do I need to DO?" is the wrong question. It's about "who am I BEING?" Your energetic frequency when things aren't going well? That's what's creating your reality.

Plus: A behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of Brooke Jean Unperfected over the last decade, why I rearranged my podcast studio (again), the wild synchronicity of discovering my business birthday is actually 1/11 (the same day as my Unleashed event), and why two and a half weeks with my kids over winter break is just TOO DAMN LONG (and that's okay to say out loud).

The unsexy truth I'm normalizing today: You can love your children fiercely AND only be able to handle them in small doses. There's no right way to be. Your mess makes me feel less shame about mine. That's the whole point of this show.

CONNECT WITH BROOKE:

• Instagram: @brookejeanunperfected
• Website: liveunperfected.com
• Email: [email protected]

JOIN ME LIVE: Unleashed: Your 2026 Activation Sunday, January 11th | 4-6pm | Confluence Coworking, Lafayette, CO Breathwork • Dance Alchemy • Energy Work • Manifestation Only a few spots left! DM me to reserve yours. $33

SUPPORT THE SHOW: We're almost at 100 reviews (currently at 13,150+ subscribers)! If this episode resonated, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It's how we reach more moms who need to hear this message. Share with your sisters, post on social, and let's get this work in front of the women who need permission to shed the shoulds.

***This is not therapy. If you need further mental health support, reach out to a licensed therapist or call/text 988 (Colorado Crisis Services) for free, confidential, 24/7 supporthis is not therapy. If you need further mental health support, reach out to a licensed therapist or call/text 988 (Colorado Crisis Services) for free, confidential, 24/7 support.***