Burnout doesn’t happen overnight—it’s what happens when we chronically override our nervous system. In this episode of You Make Sense, Sarah draws upon both Polyvagal Theory and Parts Work to explain what burnout really is, and how our protective parts often push us to keep going, even when our body is begging us to pause.

Packed with tangible somatic tools, this episode will guide you toward healing through small, tolerable steps and simple lifestyle changes. If you’re experiencing burnout, please know you are not broken. This is simply a sign your system is being pushed beyond its limits, and with the right care, it’s absolutely possible to heal.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:40 Hierarchy of Your Autonomic Nervous System

08:55 3 Primary Reasons for Burnout

15:47 What We Neglect in Burnout

22:07 Chronic Fatigue & Shutdown

24:27 The Healing Power of Walking

26:33 Building a Supportive Nighttime Routine

30:11 Why Lifestyle Change Is Essential

38:34 Question #1: How to Find Your Community

43:31 Question #2: When Work Becomes Your Whole Life

48:47 Question #3: Does Your Reaction Match the Circumstance?  

Get on the Waitlist for Navigating Your Nervous System:

Living a full, expansive life starts with nervous system regulation! If you’re looking for practical tools and support on your healing journey, you can now get on the waitlist for my upcoming 6-week LIVE program.

Everyone on the waitlist will receive access to limited-time pricing:

https://bit.ly/sp-nyns-waitlist

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Breakups aren’t just hard—they can feel completely disorienting, terrifying, or even impossible. That’s because we’re often not only grieving the end of a relationship as our adult self, we’re also navigating the pain, fear, and longing of our younger parts. 

In this episode of You Make Sense, we’ll explore why it can feel so difficult to leave or let go, even when we know deep down that a relationship is no longer right for us. Together, we’ll walk through how heartbreak reactivates old wounds, why love can feel confusing or even threatening to our protective parts, and how to begin creating the safety necessary to take our next right step.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:40 Signs It May Be Time to End a Relationship

07:32 How Dysregulation Can Keep You Stuck

13:36 How Do I Know If This Relationship Is Right for Me?

17:03 Anchoring Into Our Adult Selves

26:26 Your Partner Can’t Be a Perfect Parent to Your Parts

31:21 Why It's So Hard to Let Go of a Relationship That's Ended

35:14 Processing Grief

41:11 Question 1 - Healing in the Midst of Grief and Dysregulation

46:59 Question 2 - Accessing Healthy Aggression After Betrayal

50:57 Question 3 - Why It Can Feel So Hard to Leave

Download Sarah’s FREE Workbook:

Not sure where to get started with somatic healing? Sarah created a FREE trauma-informed workbook called "How To Gain Control Over How You Feel" to help you step toward a life filled with more freedom, ease, and empowerment.

Click the link below to download the workbook:

https://bit.ly/yms-sp-workbook

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost touch with what’s true for you? In this episode of You Make Sense, Sarah gently guides us back to our internal truth—the quiet, steady knowing that lives within the body. She explores why so many of us lose contact with our truth and instead outsource decisions to others. Through powerful stories and somatic insights, she offers a compassionate roadmap for reconnecting with the wisdom that has always been there, waiting to be heard.

You’ll learn how to begin distinguishing between intuition and a trauma response, while also getting tangible tools to help guide you back toward your truth based in the present moment. Whether you're questioning a relationship, your career path, or simply wanting to feel more at home in your life and body, this conversation will help you transform confusion into clarity.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:47 Your Internal Truth and Knowing

04:40 2 Reasons We Lose Contact with Our Truth

15:31 Distinguishing Between Intuition and A Trauma Response

22:45 What’s True in This Moment?

25:38 Truth from Adult Self vs. A Younger Part

31:09 How to Come Back into Your Embodied Experience

36:41 Question #1 - 2 Things to Remember About Intuition

51:26 Question #2 - Identifying Your Parts

59:13 Question #3 - Is This Job Right For Me?

Get on the Waitlist for Navigating Your Nervous System:

Living a full, expansive life starts with nervous system regulation! If you’re wanting practical tools and live support on your healing journey, you can now get on the waitlist for my upcoming 6-week live program.

All waitlisters get access to limited-time reduced pricing. Click the link below to learn more. 

https://bit.ly/sp-nyns-waitlist

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast 

What if the key to thriving isn’t in pushing harder, but in understanding the ways your nervous system brilliantly learned to protect you? In this episode, we will explore how self-abandonment is an adaptive response many of us found, often in early childhood, to maintain safety, belonging, or connection. Sarah unpacks why this pattern, while protective, can also lead to resentment in our relationships, work, and sense of self. 

Through the lens of the nervous system and attachment, she shares how chronic giving without receiving can disrupt our internal balance and impact our emotional, physical, and relational well-being. Drawing parallels from nature's rhythm of give-and-receive, Sarah reminds us that honoring our needs isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. When we stop abandoning ourselves, we start making space for deeper connection, creativity, and vitality.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:15 What Is Self-Abandonment?

03:34 Receiving Is a Natural Part of a Child’s Development

06:10 Having Needs is Not a Weakness

07:58 How Self-Abandonment Shows Up in Our Adult Life

13:15 Long-Term Effects of Self-Abandonment

15:37 The “As If” Tool

17:24 Identify and Connect with Your Resentment

21:02 Communicate Your Needs in a Tolerable Way

23:20 How to Stop Abandoning Yourself

24:48 Question #1 - Rescuing Others Isn't Your Job

28:31 Question #2 - Self-Care and Nourishing Yourself

32:01 Question #3 - Getting to Know Your Doer Part   

Take Sarah’s FREE Quiz:

Want more science-backed tools? Take her free quiz, “What’s Keeping You Stuck?” to learn more about your nervous system specific to you. You’ll get a downloadable worksheet and personalized guide to help you feel better in your body and life.

https://bit.ly/yms-sp-quiz

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast 

What if you’re not behind at all, but right on time for the life that’s uniquely yours? In this episode of You Make Sense, Sarah explores the emotional weight of unmet timelines and how grief, comparison, and trauma can leave us feeling stuck or wondering if we’ll ever get “there”. She guides you through why things might not be unfolding as quickly—or in the exact order—you might have hoped for, and how to begin finding purpose and power right here in the waiting. 

Together we’ll explore how to work at the level of your nervous system to create the internal safety that makes expansion possible so you can meet your life with more trust, presence, and ease. This episode is a loving reminder that your path isn’t linear, and it’s certainly not a race. You’re right on time. 

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:16 When Life Doesn't Happen On Our Timeline

05:51 6 Reasons Why Where We Are Feels Like “Not Enough”

06:06 #1 - Unresolved Grief

09:14 #2 - A “Striving” Protective Part

10:46 #3 - Unrealistic Expectations

12:52 #4 - Comparison

14:39 #5 - Struggling to Take in the Good

17:24 #6 - Needing to Control

23:56 Your Nervous System Informs Your Relationship With Time

25:36 Changing Your Orientation to Your Timeline

32:50 “How Do You Keep the Faith on Your Healing Journey?”

48:02 “How Do I Find People Who Are on a Similar Path?”   

Join My NEW 8-Week Relationship Course: 

The relationships you desire are possible, my friend. In Secure & Thriving, my new 8-week live program co-created alongside marriage and family therapist, Vienna Pharaon, you’ll learn how to break free from old patterns, navigate conflict without overwhelm, and build relationships rooted in security and ease. 

Enrollment closes May 29th — join us! 

bit.ly/sp-securethriving

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Do you find conflict overwhelming in your relationships? Fights or moments of disconnection are actually a normal part of any relationship, but many of us were never taught how to navigate these ruptures in a way that facilitates healing. In this episode, Sarah breaks down the rupture and repair process through a multi-faceted approach, incorporating Polyvagal Theory, Parts Work, and Attachment Theory.

You’ll learn how to recognize when you're being driven by younger parts, the importance of pausing to regulate during a rupture, and how to communicate from a place of vulnerability. Whether you're in the thick of a tough dynamic or simply want to deepen your emotional fluency, you'll walk away with tools to foster resilience, build stronger bonds, and create more safety, within yourself and your relationships.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:15 Why Ruptures Feel So Hard

04:02 Understanding Conflict Through Parts Work

13:56 No One Taught Us How to Repair

16:48 Steps to Healthy Repair: Pause & Regulate

18:06 Steps to Healthy Repair: Anchor in Adult Self

25:40 Steps to Healthy Repair: Communicate

30:00 “Do We Have to Be Completely Regulated to Repair?”

36:16 “Why Do I Over-Focus On Others in Relationships?” 

42:27 “How Do I Speak Up Before It’s Too Much?”   

Join My NEW 8-Week Relationship Course:

Ready for more tools to heal your relationships? I co-created a brand new relationship-focused course with my dear friend and colleague, Vienna Pharaon. Secure & Thriving will help you to navigate conflict with ease, address your younger parts, cultivate healthy love, and more.

Now open for enrollment through May 29th:

bit.ly/sp-securethriving

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Important Keywords:

Rupture - A rupture is a moment of disconnection, conflict, or emotional break. While a normal part of any relationship, ruptures can also activate old wounding or past traumas that have yet to be resolved.

Repair - Repair is the process of reconnecting after a rupture through empathy, communication, and vulnerability. True repair fosters deeper intimacy, trust, and resilience in the relationship.

Parts Work – A therapeutic approach (e.g., Internal Family Systems) that explores different parts or aspects of the self and their roles in emotional healing.

Protector Parts - Protective parts are internal mechanisms (or versions of ourselves) developed to shield a vulnerable part from pain or harm, often formed during childhood. While they are well-intentioned, they can also keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns until their needs are addressed

Vulnerable Parts - Younger versions of ourselves that fragment off when we experience trauma, harm, or overwhelm and essentially get “stuck” in that painful experience until we can come to their aid as our adult self.

Adult Self - The adult self is our most confident, capable, and able self, which is also sometimes referred to as the “Self” or our “highest self.” We can only fully embody this version of ourselves when closer to regulation.

Your child needs your regulated nervous system. Whether you're raising little ones, guiding teens, or showing up as a leader in any area of life, this episode is all about learning how to embody your own healing so you can support others with calm, confidence, and care. With her signature mix of compassion and clarity, Sarah breaks down how our past often informs our parenting style, and how we can begin doing it differently.

You'll walk away with a fresh perspective on what children actually need to thrive. Plus, you’ll also get simple, practical tools for nervous system regulation and addressing your younger parts. It’s never too late to begin cultivating deeper levels of safety, attunement, and connection in your home.

Episode Highlights

01:10 Be Gentle with Yourself

05:16 4 Things Your Child Needs to Thrive

05:35 #1 - Safety

09:06 #2 - Regulation

11:10 #3 - Attunement

13:37 #4 - Be Seen As A Unique Individual

15:53 Only Need to Securely Attach 30% of the Time

19:59 Adversity Builds Resiliency

22:30 It’s Never Too Late

25:03 Parenting Through A Parts Work Lens

29:04 Nourishing Yourself

32:12 “How Do I Parent When I’m Dysregulated?”

43:53 “How Can I Get My Family On Board with This Work?”

57:00 “How Do I Manage Anticipatory Anxiety?"

Download Sarah’s FREE Workbook: 

Want more science-backed tools? Download Sarah’s free workbook, “How to Gain Control Over How You Feel,” for actionable prompts and exercises to help you start feeling better on a daily basis.

https://bit.ly/yms-sp-workbook

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question:

https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Important Keywords:

Nervous System Regulation - The process of supporting your autonomic nervous system to return to a balanced, calm state after stress. It’s essential for feeling safe, connected, and present in relationships, and allows you to respond to life from choice rather than survival.

Co-Regulation - This is the process where one person’s regulated nervous system helps another person return to a calmer state. For children (and adults), co-regulation is essential because it teaches the body how to feel safe and soothed in connection with others.

Somatic Healing - A body-based approach that involves releasing trapped activation/energy stored in the body, regulating the nervous system, completing the incomplete response to past trauma, and reconnecting with the physical self. Techniques like movement, touch, and breathwork are commonly used to support this healing process.

Attachment - The way we connect and relate to others, shaped by our early childhood experiences. A secure attachment allows us to feel safe in relationships, while insecure attachment styles can lead to patterns of anxiety, avoidance, or confusion.

Attunement - The ability to deeply connect with and understand another person’s emotional state, beyond just their words.

Resiliency - The capacity to recover and bounce back after stress or adversity. It’s built through safe, supportive relationships and repeated experiences of navigating challenges while feeling seen and supported.

Many of us are quick to label ourselves as an “introvert” or “extrovert” — but have you ever wondered if this is actually representative of your most authentic self? In this episode, Sarah explores the role trauma plays in shaping our relational identity. Whether you fawn, withdraw, feel drained by connection, or are known as the “life of the party,” this episode will help you to begin distinguishing what patterns might actually be a result of unresolved trauma.

Through a powerful blend of science-backed modalities, Sarah breaks down what it really means to connect from regulation, not self-protection. She shares how to begin listening to your own internal rhythm of connection and solitude, how to recognize protective parts when they show up, and how to gently guide your system back to safety, so that you can experience deeper, more fulfilling relationships.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:24 Connection Is a Primary Human Need

08:23 Being an Introvert from Past Relational Trauma

12:26 Why We Find Some Connection Exhausting

18:19 Being an Extrovert from Past Relational Trauma

21:31 Connection Coming from Survival

23:21 How to Become Your Most Authentic Self

26:17 Who Do You Enjoy Connecting With?

28:06 Finding Safe Environments

30:02 Anchoring in Your Adult Self

32:09 Disconfirming Experiences & Leaning Into Discomfort

34:22 “I Become a Verbal Firehouse in Social Settings”

38:30 “Why Do I Constantly Blush?”

42:04 “How Do I Navigate Awkward Silences?”   

Join the NEW 2-Day Live Experience: 

Feel overwhelmed by conflict in your relationships? Get ready for tangible, science-backed tools inside Mastering Conflict: The Art of Turning Conflict into Connection. The two-day live experience is co-hosted by Sarah and marriage and family therapist, Vienna Pharoan.

Only $27 with replays available for a limited time. 

bit.ly/sp-masteringconflict

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Important Keywords:

Nervous System Regulation - The process of supporting your autonomic nervous system to return to a balanced, calm state. This is essential for feeling safe, connected, and present in your life and relationships.

Trauma - Trauma is the overwhelm of activation (energy) experienced in our bodies, in the face of helplessness. If we do not have the conditions necessary for trauma to process through our bodies, it becomes stuck and stored, leaving lasting emotional, physical, or psychological imprints. It disrupts the nervous system causing chronic dysregulation, disconnection, and/or hypervigilance.

Parts Work – A therapeutic approach (e.g., Internal Family Systems) that explores different parts or aspects of the self and their roles in emotional healing.

Fawning - This is not a state in the nervous system but a self-protective behavioral response that can happen in any state of dysregulation. It often looks like over-agreeing, over-giving, avoiding conflict, or becoming what you think others want you to be in order to feel safe or loved.

Dysregulation - Active self-protection that occurs when the nervous system believes we are in danger, whether it is a real or perceived threat. Chronic dysregulation is often a result of unresolved trauma and can significantly impact daily functioning.

Attachment - The emotional bonds we form in early life and carry into adulthood that influence how we relate to others. Sarah references the insecure attachment styles (anxious, avoidant, and disorganized) that lead us to seek or push away connection as a way to maintain safety.

Somatic Healing - A body-based approach to healing that works with the nervous system to discharge stored trauma and create internal safety. Sarah’s entire approach is rooted in this method, helping people heal through embodiment and felt experience.

There can be so much shame around the ways we procrastinate and self-sabotage. But these behaviors aren’t just “bad habits” — they’re actually forms of self-protection. In this episode, Sarah uncovers the hidden roles our nervous system and parts play in keeping us stuck around the things we desire most. 

You’ll learn how to work with your nervous system and parts, rather than against them, using practical somatic tools to help shift these patterns. Plus, Sarah answers listener questions on discipline, self-care, and why some of us freeze when it comes to responding to text messages, emails, and other correspondence. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of avoidance and frustration, this episode will show you why it makes so much sense.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:42 Self-Sabotage Is a Form of Self-Protection

03:30 Understanding the Experience of Procastination

09:10 The Habitual Process of Procastination

14:09 Why Do We Self Sabotage?

17:41 Protective Parts at Work When We Self Sabotage

19:31 How to Befriend Your Nervous System

27:53 “Why Can’t I Stay Disciplined?”

41:31 “Why Do I Feel So Much Resistance Around Self-Care?”

50:48 “Why Do I Struggle to Respond to People?”

53:53 Relationships Are About Messiness 

Join the NEW 2-Day Live Experience:

Feel overwhelmed by conflict in your relationships? Get ready for tangible, science-backed tools inside Mastering Conflict: The Art of Turning Conflict into Connection. The two-day live experience is co-hosted by Sarah and licensed marriage and family therapist, Vienna Pharoan.

Only $27 with replays available for a limited time.

bit.ly/sp-masteringconflict

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Contact Us:

Have questions? Want to let us know how you’re liking the podcast? Reach out to Sarah’s support team at [email protected]. 

Important Keywords:

Procrastination – The act of delaying or avoiding tasks, often due to underlying fears or protective mechanisms in the nervous system. Sarah explains that procrastination is not laziness but a way the body tries to keep us safe from perceived danger.

“Self-Sabotage” - This term can often feel shaming, but it is simply a way our nervous system and parts protect us from what they don’t yet know is safe, often by pushing away or leaving things we might actually deeply desire.

Autonomic Nervous System - The body’s internal network that controls responses to stimuli and regulates our experiences of safety, fear, and connection. In the context of self-sabotage, it drives automatic reactions based on past experiences stored in our internal "database."

Protective Parts - Protective parts are internal mechanisms (or versions of ourselves) developed to shield us from pain or harm, often formed during childhood. These parts use behaviors like perfectionism, overachievement, or avoidance to keep us safe from perceived threats. While they are well-intentioned, they can also keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns until their needs are addressed.

Regulation - Regulation refers to the ability to maintain or return to a state of safety, presence, and connection within the nervous system. A regulated nervous system promotes calmness, focus, and the capacity to handle life's challenges effectively. Building regulation involves consistent neural exercises and creating disconfirming experiences that show your system it’s safe to come into a state of rest.

Parts Work - A therapeutic process that involves connecting with and healing younger parts of yourself that hold onto past wounds. It’s a core tool for building internal safety and reshaping how you show up in relationships and life.

Do you struggle to know what kind of boundaries to set? Many of us are taught to intellectualize our approach to boundary setting, which can leave us feeling confused or overwhelmed. In this episode, Sarah explores the embodied nature of boundaries and why unresolved trauma can leave us setting self-protective boundaries that aren’t actually aligned with our highest truth.

You’ll learn about three styles of boundary setting — diffuse, rigid, and embodied — and how to somatically begin coming back in contact with your truth. During the Q&A with Rachel, Sarah will also tackle real-life boundary challenges in work, relationships, and beyond. If you feel caught in cycles of over-giving, reflexively saying “yes” or “no,” or sacrificing your own needs, this episode will help you understand why — and how to create boundaries that truly serve you.

Episode Highlights: 

00:00 Introduction

00:15 What Are Embodied Boundaries? 

04:46 Why We Struggle With Boundaries

09:22 Self-Protective Boundaries: Diffuse

18:01 Self-Protective Boundaries: Rigid 

25:01 Embodied Boundaries

28:33 Steps to Begin Setting Embodied Boundaries

35:17 Q&A Segment With Rachel 

35:58 “Can I Stay in a High-Pressure Work Environment?”

43:25 “How Can I Stop Over-Giving and Being Resentful?”

56:20 “Am I Going Backward in My Healing Journey?”

Take Sarah’s FREE Quiz:

Feeling stuck in any area of your life? Take Sarah’s quiz to learn more about the self-protective system inside you that’s often responsible for your stuckness—and how to harness its power to step toward the life you desire.

https://bit.ly/yms-sp-quiz

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - https://bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Important Keywords:

Embodied Boundaries –  A behavioral response that is rooted in one’s internal truth, limits, and needs. These boundaries are usually accessed when close to or in regulation and allow for deep levels of connectivity and autonomy.

Self-Protective Boundaries – When we’ve experienced trauma or our truth was chronically taken away, we learn to adapt and set self-protective boundaries. These boundaries are typically rooted in survival or a younger part that is seeking safety.

Diffuse Boundaries – An adaptive, self-protective boundary associated with the reflexive “yes” response. Think of these as “Swiss cheese” boundaries, where it is a boundary of sorts but it is permeable.

Rigid Boundaries – An adaptive, self-protective boundary associated with the reflexive “no” response. Think of these as “steel wall” boundaries, where nothing is able to permeate the boundary. 

Autonomic Nervous System: The self-protective system within the body that is responsible for our thoughts, feelings, sensations, behaviors, and perception of self, others, and the world around us, as well as regulating involuntary functions, such as your heart rate and digestion, and playing a central role in how you react to stress or calm.