Unforgetting

How do you know if you were raised in an unhealthy family system, or if the issues your family faces are just normal problems that arise when a bunch of people try to combine their lives?

This week, I’m talking with my guest Lauren Penner about:

1. What makes a family dynamic healthy vs unhealthy.
2. Why we care so much about what our families think of us.
3. What happens when we don’t get the love we need from our families.
4. Why shame is an automatic defense mechanism our brains use to protect us.
5. How to know if you’re an empath or you’re hypervigilant because of trauma.
6. How to maintain healthy boundaries within difficult family situations.

About Lauren:

Lauren Penner is a Licensed Professional Counselor providing trauma therapy to children and adults in Dallas, Texas. She holds a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Tarleton State University and has experience working with all ages. Lauren is the owner of Lauren Penner Therapy, PLLC and her areas of practice include childhood trauma, religious trauma, grief and loss, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Lauren loves coffee, tackling her to-be-read pile, and playing with her golden-doodle Atticus.
IG: @laurenpennertherapy
Twitter: @laurenpennerlpc
Facebook: Lauren Penner Therapy
Therapist Bio: Lauren Penner Therapy

Content Warning: Family abuse and neglect

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Manifestation is the fastest, easiest way to get every single thing you want in your life. Except…is it? 
 
If attracting things with my mind is the best way to get things, why does it seem like every spiritual influencer is manifesting abundance by charging shit tons of money for the secrets of how easy manifestation is?
 
 In this episode, we talk about:

1. What manifestation is, and if it’s actually a real thing.
2. Why it feels so hard to control your thoughts.
3. How trauma impacts the way your brain forms thoughts.
4. Whether or not negative thoughts bring negative things into your life.
5. What the hell your Reticular Activating System is.
6. And why manifestation isn’t even necessary once you understand how powerful your brain is.

If you have ever been worried about accidentally manifesting something bad in your life because you keep falling into negative thought patterns, this episode is for you.

PS - Here's the basketball video I mention in this episode

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When you hear the word “cult,” what do you think of? Maybe it’s people drinking koolaid or building a commune back in the 70s. But high control groups exist now, they are everywhere, they are extremely damaging, and no one thinks they are signing up for a cult when they first get involved.

This week, I’m talking with my guest Dr. Quincee about:

1. What a high control group is.
2. Our own personal experiences with religious trauma.
3. Red and green flags to watch out for when joining a group or community.
4. How people get sucked in to a cult and why they stay.
5. The phases of healing and deconstruction after being in a high control group, religion, or cult.
6. Tips for deconstructing on your own, and for supporting a loved one who you think might be involved in a cult or high control group.

Content warning: Religious trauma, cults, and high control group abuse.

About Quincee:
Dr. Quincee Gideon is a psychologist, educator, and trauma expert. She specializes in trauma recovery and post-traumatic growth in her clinical work and education. She is particularly interested in advocating for healthy boundaries, self-discovery and challenging our own inner shame. Over the years, she has developed a specialization in codependency, how trauma impacts the brain and body, cults, and religious trauma.
IG: @drquincee
Website: traumastery.com

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Are you a hippie or do you believe in science? That question has got it all wrong, because today I talk with plant scientist Rebecca Lazarou about the intersection of plants and science. Because you don’t have to pick one.

This week, Rebecca and I talk about:

1. What kind of work a plant scientist does.
2. Common misconceptions and myths about herbalism.
3. Why our connection to nature matters so much, and why so many of us have lost it.
4. Why we don’t have to get rid of the awesome advances of the modern world to still respect the power of plants and herbal medicine.
5. What the f*ck mushrooms are.
6. Practical tips for improving your life with— and learning more about— herbs, plants, and fungi.

About Rebecca:

Since earning a masters degree in Medicinal Natural Products and Phytochemistry, Rebecca has worked as  a researcher at Kew Gardens, an editor for the academic Journal of Herbal Medicine, science teacher at herbalism schools, writer, editor and educator. She is also the proud founder of Laz The Plant Scientist, where she offers high quality natural medicines that she has formulated and is also an educational platform for herbal science, and holistic healthcare. Rebecca believes that a life researching and connecting with the natural world and healing is a life well spent.
IG: @laztheplantscientist
Academic website: rebeccalazarou.com
Founder: laztheplantscientist.com
Co-Editor: herbalreality.com

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I wish I somehow had a highlight reel of all the facial expressions people have had when I say I like ecstatic dance. I mean I get it, the label “ecstatic dance” sounds totally out there, and wild and maybe like something that people who take a lot of drugs enjoy. We’re going to demystify ecstatic dance and maybe open up the possibility of your new favorite way to move.

 This week I’m talking with my guest Ankati Day about:

1. What ecstatic dance is and how it’s different from dancing at a club.
2. What embodiment is, how we get disconnected from our bodies in the first place, and how we can reconnect now.
3. The benefits of getting out of your head and being more connected to your body.
4. Why often dancing sounds terrifying and why this totally makes sense.
5. Some practical ways for you to experiment with moving your body to music.

About Ankati:
Ankati Day is a yoga teacher, sound healer, ecstatic dance DJ, and ceremonial facilitator who has been a student of sound since she was a babe watching Sesame Street. She believes that embodied presence is the doorway to healing, joy, and freedom, and that immersing ourselves in intentional practice and community is the nectar our souls crave.  After grounding into a yoga practice that helped her heal her relationship with her body, Ankati connected with the path of Shamanism and a deeper healing form of dance when she lived in intentional community in Costa Rica for two years. She has been devoted to practicing and sharing the profound wisdom of this path since.

Ankati teaches yoga, offers Ecstatic Dance, and shares sound healing in the Seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire, as well as teaching immersive yoga teacher trainings internationally with the Kula Collective. 
IG: @ankatiday
Website: ankatiday.com

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I feel like instagram’s biggest goal is to get all of us to think we’re supposed to be traveling all the time. And if you aren’t traveling, you’re supposed to want to.

 This week I’m talking with filmmaker Cassie Goodluck-Johnson about:

1. Our personal experiences traveling and living in different countries.
2. The reasons she’s chosen to live abroad full time and the reasons I’m happy at home.
3. The pros and cons of living as a digital nomad.
4. What happens when you try to find yourself through traveling.
5. Travel tips that show thoughtfulness and respect for both you and the places, cultures, and people you visit. 

About Cassie:
Cassie is a Navajo-American filmmaker and storyteller. Her passion is for creating narrative and documentary films as well as content across different platforms. She co-owns Native Nomads Vlog, a Youtube Channel and Blog focused on travel through Mexico and indigenous culture with her husband. She is currently filming Faces Of The Modern Maya, a feature length documentary centered on the lives of the Maya and set in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Her hobbies include traveling, writing, yoga, spending time with her husband and their 3 cats, going to the beach, converting a van to travel in and dancing.
IG: @nativenomadsvlog
Vlog: youtube.com/@NativeNomadsVlog
Website:nativenomadlife.com

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The world moves fast and we often get caught up in the current. So many of us default to moving quickly and productively that we forget who we are outside of our roles and accomplishments.

This week I’m talking with artist Em Frost about:

1. The culture of rushing.
2. How to be more present.
3. What we miss out on when we aren’t present.
4. Figuring out who we really are.
5. How to feel more alive in our lives.

About Em:
Em Frost is an artist and mother living in the Maine woods. As the photographer and videographer behind SHAREtheSOUL, she is inspired by helping women create space to be seen in their fullest, most alive embodiment. She is inspired by nostalgia, storytelling, the magic of the natural world, dance and movement, and anything that helps us tap into childlike play and wonder. 
IG: @sharethesoul
Website: sharethesoul.com

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Miscarriage is one of the most painful and most common forms of loss. Society encourages us to keep quiet about our grief, but I refuse to participate in this pressured isolation. We aren’t alone.

 In this episode, I talk about:

1. Everything I didn’t know about miscarriage until it was already happening to me.
2. The most difficult parts of pregnancy loss, physically and emotionally.
3. The rollercoaster of trying to conceive again after loss.
4. What to say (and not say) to someone who has miscarried.
5. How to support someone going through loss.
6. Ways to get more support if you’ve been through pregnancy loss.

If you’ve been through loss and are still waiting for the day your family is complete, here is a special message from me to you.

And if you haven’t been through this, here is a cheat sheet of tips for supporting someone who has.

CW: Miscarriage, pregnancy loss, grief
*Note that this podcast is based only on personal experience and is not medical advice

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Do you know someone who has an autism diagnosis? This is kind of a trick question, because I pretty much guarantee that you do, or that you know someone who loves someone that does. 

In this episode, my guest Nia Spencer and I talk about:

1. What autism really is.
2. Understanding the difference between being neurotypical and neurodivergent.
3. How having autism impacts the way people learn, work, and live.
4. Ways we can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for people with an autism diagnosis.
5. Practical tips and resources for parents navigating life with a loved one on the spectrum.

About Nia:
Nia Spencer has worked as a school based Occupational Therapist for over 7 years, with Pre-K to High School age students. She is a board certified Autism Spectrum Specialist,  Autism Life Coach, and founder of Spectrum Lingo. Nia is passionate about working with and serving the neurodiverse community.

 IG: @spectrumlingo
 Website: www.spectrumlingo.com

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Have you ever felt like you simply aren’t good enough for your job, or not good enough to pursue your dreams beyond work? If you often have thoughts like, “everyone here is smarter than me” or “I’ve accidentally tricked people into thinking I’m smarter than I am and it’s only a matter of time ’til I get caught”…. Then this is the episode for you.

In this episode, my guest Kristin Yates, DO and I talk about:

1. What imposter syndrome is and how to know if you have it.
2. How to stop self-doubt from running your life.
3. Why deciding to change your thoughts doesn't actually work most of the time.
4. How playing more will literally make you more confident at work.
5. Actionable steps for getting rid of imposter syndrome and getting control of your life.

 
About Kristin:
Kristin Yates is a board-certified Ob/Gyn physician, author and Life Coach. She hosts the podcast “Imposter to Unstoppable” which normalizes the experience of imposter syndrome among physicians (and all humans, really). She is co-author of the book, “The Chronicle of Women in White Coats 3." And she creates adventure retreats that help professional women regain their confidence and find balance through play. 

kristinyatesdo.com
IG: @kristinyatesdo

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