Send us a text

Have you ever felt exhausted trying to live up to who you’re “supposed” to be?

In this episode of Transformative Journeys, we explore the quiet, sneaky ways we “should” on ourselves — and how those internalized expectations can leave us feeling like we’re not sure if the person we’re being is the real ‘us’. 

Our brains are wired for belonging and safety. From a young age, we learn which behaviors earn approval, love, and acceptance — and many of those lessons quietly turn into rigid internal rules we never consciously agreed to. Over time, those “shoulds” can leave us feeling disconnected, resentful, or like we’re performing a version of ourselves that doesn’t quite fit.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Where some of our internal “shoulds” come from 
• Why our nervous system reacts so strongly to disapproval and perceived rejection
• How to tell the difference between obligation and inner truth
• Why discomfort doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong — it often means you’re unlearning something old
• How small, compassionate acts of self-permission can lead to a more authentic life

You’ll also be guided through a simple but powerful reflection exercise to help you identify where expectations — not choice — may be driving your decisions.

✨ This episode is for you if:

• You feel pressure to be a certain way for others
• You struggle with guilt when choosing yourself
• You want to live more in alignment with your values — without burning your life to the ground
• You’re learning that authenticity doesn’t require rebellion… just awareness and practice

🔧 Free Tools & Resources

Looking for extra support as you navigate discomfort and change?
Visit Johanna’s Toolkits for free, practical tools to support your nervous system and build emotional resilience: 

👉 https://transformativejourneys.ca/

 🤍 Support & Community

Enhanced visual version available on YouTube

Follow along on Instagram: @transformativejourneys.johanna 

☕ Support the Podcast

If you’d like to support the show and help keep these conversations going, you can toss a little love into the duct tape fund here:

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys 

🛑 Disclaimer:
This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. Johanna is not a licensed therapist — just a human sharing lived experience, reflection, and tools for growth.

Send us a text

How much time do you spend truly resting?

Not just zoning out on your phone or multitasking while you fold laundry - but actually allowing your mind and body to pause, recover, and restore?

In this episode of Transformative Journeys, we’re talking about something that should be simple… but often isn’t: rest. Not the hustle-culture version you earn after doing everything for everyone else - but radical, intentional rest. The kind your brain, body, and spirit need to heal, regulate, and show up as your full self.

We’ll explore:

• Why we feel so guilty about slowing down
• The neuroscience behind rest and how your brain repairs during wakeful stillness
• Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s 7 types of rest (spoiler: it’s not all about sleep)
• How to identify what kind of rest you actually need right now
• Simple ways to integrate restorative moments into real life (without bubble baths or mud masks… unless that’s your thing)

If you’re someone who struggles to slow down—or needs permission to rest without guilt—this one’s for you.

Resources Mentioned:

• ✨ Grab the FREE Bounce Back Blueprint – your guide for when life feels like a lot
• 🎧 Episode 7: Mindfulness as a Strategy for Coping and Healing

📚 Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s TED Talk + book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity 

Let’s Connect
📸 Instagram: @transformativejourneys.johanna
🌐 Website + freebies: transformativejourneys.ca
▶️ YouTube (enhanced episode version): Transformative Journeys

🛑 Disclaimer:
Johanna is not a therapist - just a human sharing lived experience.
✨ “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your guide on this transformative journey.”

Send us a text

Are you tired of making New Year’s resolutions… only to abandon them by mid-January (or earlier)? You’re not alone.

In this episode of Transformative Journeys, I break down the real reasons resolutions tend to fail - and spoiler alert: it’s not because you lack willpower or motivation. 

We explore:

✨ The neuroscience behind why your brain resists sudden change
🧠 Why willpower is a limited, unsustainable resource
🧩 How identity-based goals work better than deprivation-based resolutions
🧘‍♀️ How reflection, structure, and small, meaningful shifts can rewire your habits
🛠 Plus: My personal process for setting goals that stick - and why I haven’t made a resolution in years

You’ll also get two sets of journaling prompts to help you reflect on the past year and move into the new one with intention and clarity.

This isn’t a “New Year, New You” conversation.
This is about working with your brain, not against it - and creating a version of growth that actually fits your life.

🟣 Mentioned in this episode:
📥 Download the free Bounce Back Blueprint: transformativejourneys.ca
🎧 Episode 25: Who Am I to Start a Podcast?
📺 Watch the enhanced version with visuals and prompts: https://www.youtube.com/@TransformativeJourneys-Johanna  

💬 Let’s connect:
 Instagram: @transformativejourneys.johanna
 Website: transformativejourneys.ca

 💜 If this episode resonated, please follow, share, or tap that subscribe button so others can find the podcast too!

🛑 Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, just a human sharing lived experience.
✨ “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your guide on this transformative journey.”

Send us a text

This week’s episode is a little different.

No tools, no tips, no neuroscience or journaling prompts…
Just a heartfelt moment of pause - between the chaos of the season - to honour where you are, reflect on what’s been, and hold hope for the year to come.

Whether your December includes joyful traditions or quiet ache…
Whether you celebrate Yule, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or simply winter in your own way…
This episode is a soft place to land.

✨ In this closing episode of the year, I also open up about something I hadn’t planned to include.

This grief support mini-series - which I’ve been so honoured to share - turned out to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever written.
Even after 30+ podcast episodes and nearly 150 presentations about my loss for Threads of Life, this series hit especially close to home.

Because I’m still on my grief journey too.

As the 20-year anniversary of my son’s death approaches, I continue to feel the weight of certain days - holidays, his birthday, Mother's Day, and the anniversary itself.

The grief may be softer now… but it hasn’t disappeared.
And like a bear in hibernation, it sometimes gets poked awake during this season.

If you know that feeling? You’re not alone.

This episode is filled with gratitude, reflection, remembrance… and a blessing - one I hope lands gently for anyone walking through the hard parts of December.

💛 From me to you: Thank you for being here. I’m so grateful to walk this path with you.

Connect with Johanna:

🌐 Website: https://transformativejourneys.ca/

📸 Instagram: @transformativejourneys.johanna

💌 Want to send a note or suggest a future episode topic? Visit the site and say hi!

Podcast music is “Back Roads” by Will Harrison from Epidemic Sound

🛑 Disclaimer:
Johanna is not a therapist, just a human sharing lived experience.
✨ “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your concierge on this transformative journey.”

🎧 Subscribe to Transformative Journeys wherever you listen to podcasts.

Send us a text

This is the final episode in my four-part series on navigating grief and loss during the holiday season.

The holidays can bring deep spiritual conflict and emotional pain after loss. In this episode, we explore how to navigate traditions that no longer feel safe, sacred, or comforting - and what to do when your beliefs have shifted.

In this heart-to-heart conversation, we go deeper into the emotional complexity of the holidays - including the spiritual dissonance that can come with grief, the pressure of traditions that no longer feel comforting, and the conflicting emotions that surface when we’re holding both joy and sadness at once.

I also share my own stories of navigating the first few Christmases after my son died - the year I held on to every tradition, the year we ran away to Mexico (and what I learned on the balcony of our room), and how I eventually found a way to blend old and new rituals to meet myself where I was.

We'll talk about:

• What spiritual disconnection during the holidays can feel like
• Letting go (or holding on) to rituals and traditions
• Why it’s totally normal to feel two things at the same time
• How your brain is wired to hold grief and gratitude together
• Practical suggestions for boundaries, self-care, and meaning-making

This episode is about compassion. About not doing the holidays on autopilot. And about honouring your needs - even if they change year to year.

🛠 Free tools mentioned - available at: : https://transformativejourneys.ca/johannas-toolboxes 

 🧠 Essential Grief Toolkit

 📝 Insights for Navigating Grief💜 

Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

Thank you for being here - especially during a season that can feel so heavy. You are not alone. 

Send us a text

Episode 30 is part of my holiday grief support series - and we’re diving into something both simple and sacred: ritual.

Rituals aren’t just religious or cultural. They’re deeply human. From how you make your morning tea to how you mark a loved one’s memory - rituals can offer grounding, connection, and comfort in the face of grief and transition.

In this episode, I explore the difference between traditions and rituals, the neuroscience behind why they help us feel more emotionally steady, and how we can create new rituals that support us - especially when old ones no longer fit.

We’ll talk about:

• The four types of grief rituals (Dr. Kenneth Doka’s framework)
• How cultures around the world use ritual to process change
• The emotional and neurological power of intentional rituals
• Simple ideas for everyday or holiday rituals
• Journaling prompts to help you create your own

This conversation is a gentle companion for anyone grieving this holiday season — or navigating changes that leave you longing for grounding, meaning, and connection.

🧰 Free grief support downloads mentioned in this episode at https://transformativejourneys.ca/johannas-toolboxes 

💜 Essential Grief Toolkit

💜 Insights for Navigating Grief

💌 Want to support this podcast and the free tools I create?
 Toss a little love in the duct tape fund at buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

🛑 Disclaimer: Johanna is not a therapist, just a human sharing lived experience.
 ✨ “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your guide on this transformative journey.”

🔗 Podcast music is “Back Roads” by Will Harrison from Epidemic Sound.

Send us a text

When someone you care about is grieving, it can feel difficult to know what to say, what to do, or how to show up. You don’t want to say the wrong thing… but saying nothing doesn’t feel right either. And during the holiday season - or around anniversaries, special dates, or milestones - those fears and uncertainties can grow tenfold.

In this heartfelt and practical bonus episode, Johanna shares gentle guidance for becoming a compassionate companion on someone else’s grief journey. Drawing from lived experience, trauma-informed insight, and years of supporting families through Threads of Life, she breaks down:

🌿 Why grief feels heavier during holidays and milestones
 🌿 The fears supporters have - and why they’re normal
 🌿 What grieving people often wish others understood
 🌿 Specific phrases, questions, and actions that genuinely help
 🌿 Why “Let me know if you need anything” doesn’t work
 🌿 How to honour someone’s loved one by using their name
 🌿 How to offer support without trying to fix the pain
 🌿 How to recognize when a grieving person may need more support
 🌿 The role of an “anchor person” during emotional events
 🌿 How to care for yourself while caring for someone grieving

This episode offers a grounded roadmap for walking beside someone through loss - with compassion, intention, and presence.

✨ Free grief & support resources:
Download Johanna’s toolboxes at transformativejourneys.ca

✨ Threads of Life:
A Canadian nonprofit offering peer support, education, and community to families affected by workplace tragedy.
Learn more at threadsoflife.ca

💛 Support the podcast:
If Johanna’s work has helped you, you can support the show at buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

🛑 Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Johanna is not a therapist — just a human sharing lived experience. Please seek professional mental health or medical support when needed.

Send us a text

The holiday season can feel impossibly heavy when you’re grieving. Whether this is your first December without your person - or the fifth, or the tenth - this time of year can bring emotional landmines, painful contrasts, and overwhelm that others don’t always see.

In episode 29a, Johanna walks beside you to explore:
🌿 Why holiday “firsts” (and seconds… and thirds…) hit so hard
🌿 The emotional, sensory, and social triggers unique to this season
🌿 Anticipatory grief and why the lead-up is sometimes worse than the day itself
🌿 How grief affects your brain and nervous system (hello, “87 browser tabs” energy)
🌿 Boundaries, expectations, and how to stop performing the “holiday mask”
🌿 Grounding tools, sensory resets, and strategies to honour your needs
🌿 A full permission slip to do the holidays your way — no guilt attached

This episode is part of a four-part holiday grief support series, with two mini-episodes releasing this week and more in-depth conversations coming over the next two Mondays.

✨ Free grief resources:
• Insights for Navigating Grief
• Essential Grief Toolkit
Download at Johanna’s Resilience Toolboxes

💛 Your support helps keep the podcast going:
 https://buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

Podcast music is ‘Back Roads’ by Will Harrison from Epidemic Sound.

🛑 Disclaimer: Johanna is not a therapist — just a human with a mic and lived experience. This podcast is informational only and not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

Send us a text

How do we grieve in a world that’s forgotten how to slow down?

In episode 28, we explore the complex and often lonely experience of grieving in a fast-paced, productivity-obsessed culture. From ancient mourning rituals to modern-day memes and emojis, we unpack how societal shifts and digital life have changed the way we mourn - and why grief still needs community, expression, and ritual to be fully processed.

I’ll walk you through the difference between grief and mourning, the importance of creating rituals that feel meaningful to you, and how neuroscience backs what our hearts already know - that healing requires presence, connection, and permission to feel.

This episode also includes:

• Cultural and historical insights about grief and mourning
• A look at how social media both helps and hinders grieving
• How modern expectations can make us question whether we’re grieving “right”
• Gentle journaling prompts to support your process

🧠 You’ll also hear some science behind grief’s impact on the brain and body, and why isolating your emotions can make things harder.

✨ If this episode resonates, you might also appreciate the grief-support tools inside Johanna’s free resource library

💜 Want to support the podcast and help keep free content coming?
 You can now leave a tip via buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

🔗 Learn more about Threads of Life - the organization that supported me after my son’s death = at threadsoflife.ca

Podcast music is ‘Back Roads’ by Will Harrison from Epidemic Sound.

🛑 Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, just a human sharing lived experience.
✨ “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your guide on this transformative journey.”

Send us a text

Have you ever found yourself forgetting simple things during grief - misplacing your keys, struggling to focus, or feeling like your brain is wading through fog?

You're not alone. Grief doesn’t just affect our hearts - it affects our brains too. And it’s not “just in your head.”

In this deeply personal episode, I’m diving into the neuroscience behind grief brain - that frustrating, disorienting fog so many of us experience after loss. We’ll explore how grief affects memory, focus, and emotional regulation, and I’ll share practical, research-backed strategies to gently support your healing brain.

Whether you’ve lost a loved one or are navigating a different kind of invisible loss - this episode is for you.

🧠 What you’ll learn:

• Why grief impacts your brain function and decision-making
• How cortisol, the amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are all involved
• Eight science-supported ways to support your cognitive healing
• How to support others who may be living with grief brain
• Real-life examples from my own journey after losing my son

🛠 Free Resources I Mention:

• Insights for Navigating Grief
• The Essential Grief Toolkit

🕊 Special Note: If you or a family member are coping with the outcome of a workplace tragedy, I encourage you to check out Threads of Life - an incredible organization offering support for families affected by workplace tragedy. Their compassionate work is close to my heart.

💜 You are not broken. Your brain is doing the hardest job of your life. With compassion, structure, and time… it will heal.

✨ Support the podcast or say thanks: buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneys

🛑 Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, just a human sharing lived experience.
 “I’m just Johanna – a fellow human being on my journey through this thing called life, and your guide on this transformative journey.”