The holidays can bring up a lot. Food overwhelm, family dynamics, old wounds, and the pressure to be “on” when our bodies are asking for something entirely different. In this episode, I’m sharing my honest experience with holiday gatherings growing up, how Thanksgiving became especially difficult during my eating disorder, and why the season still feels complicated for me today — especially being estranged from my parents and living far from my family.

Whether you love holiday gatherings or dread them, this conversation offers grounded ways to move through the season with more agency and nervous-system peace. I walk you through practical tools to help you support yourself around food, family, and social expectations — from envisioning your ideal holiday, to setting a plan before you walk into a gathering, to honoring your “no” without guilt.

Sign-up for Out-Of-Office: https://luma.com/0cdadd7j 

Connect with me:

• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

This week, our guest is someone whose honesty is transforming how we talk about recovery, shame, and self-acceptance.

Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of Stash: My Life in Hiding, a memoir about her journey through addiction to alcohol and Ambien, and the courage it took to tell the truth about it. She’s also the host of The Only One in the Room podcast, where she’s shared stories of other voices who’ve felt unseen or alone in their experiences.

In our conversation, Laura and I talk about how storytelling becomes a vehicle for recovery, what self-evolution actually looks like, and why truth-telling can be one of the most healing acts of all.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to keep it together or play a part just to be loved, this episode is for you. Laura’s story is a reminder that freedom begins where hiding ends, and that recovery, in all its forms, starts with radical self-honesty.

Connect with Laura:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauracathcartrobbins/?hl=en   

Connect with me:

• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Today’s guest is someone who isn’t afraid to strip away the fluff and tell the truth about what healing really takes.

Aycee Brown is a psychic channel, Human Design expert, and spiritual guide who’s spent over 15 years helping people dismantle illusion, release conditioning, and reclaim their intuition as their greatest power. She’s the host of Is My Aura On Straight? and the forthcoming author of Embody Your Magic (February 2026), a guide to unlocking your psychic and spiritual gifts.

In our conversation, Aycee and I talk about the dark side of “love and light” spirituality, what real awakening requires, and why manifestation without accountability never lasts. We explore what it means to integrate every part of ourselves — even the messy, uncomfortable ones — so we can stop performing healing and start living it.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the right things but still not feeling free, this episode is your invitation to wake up.

Connect with Aycee:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayceebrown  

Pre-order Embody Your Magic

Connect with me:

• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

In this solo episode, I share a story I’ve never told publicly—the moment I realized that being the most prepared, most helpful, most “good” employee still didn’t guarantee being seen.

Years ago, after co-hosting a work event, I found myself blindsided when a vendor lied about my role, and my boss believed them. That experience taught me something powerful about visibility, trust, and what happens when we rely on others to validate us.

In this episode, I unpack what it means to feel unseen at work, how that experience shaped my relationship with self-worth, and why learning to take up space (without apology) is the foundation of my upcoming group program, SEEN.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked or misunderstood in your career, even when you’re doing everything “right,” this conversation is for you.

Sign-up for 1:1 SEEN Coaching Sessions: https://calendly.com/shanetta-mcdonald/beseen

Connect with me:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/
• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 

There’s a certain magic in watching someone move as if they’re completely at home in their body. Sammy Picone embodies that magic.

Known worldwide for her distinctive blend of strength and fluidity, Sammy is a pole dancer, instructor, and movement artist who invites people to rediscover confidence, pleasure, and creative freedom through their bodies. Her work has been celebrated by The New York Times, Essence, and Vogue, but more importantly, by the thousands of students who’ve learned from her authenticity and artistry.

Together we talk about the power of sensual movement, what it means to liberate yourself from old narratives, and why embodiment is about much more than physical skill—it’s about coming back to yourself.

Connect with Sammy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammypicone/?hl=en

Connect with me:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/
• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 

In this solo episode, I’m diving into a question so many of us avoid asking: Am I settling? Whether it’s in your relationships, your career, or the way you show up for yourself, settling can feel safe — but it often means we’re living out of alignment with what we truly want.

I’ll walk you through three powerful questions to help you spot where you might be accepting less than you deserve, and how to shift back into alignment with your worth. We’ll explore why we settle in the first place, how to know if fear is driving your choices, and what it looks like to create space for the life you actually want.

If you’ve been feeling that quiet nudge that there’s more for you, this episode is your reminder. Your body always knows when you’re settling and it’s safe to want more.

Connect with me:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/
• Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free 

What happens when the body asks us to slow down — and we finally listen?

In this episode, I sit down with Arielle Díaz, a Peabody and GLAAD-nominated television writer and producer whose career has spanned Netflix, Prime Video, FOX, and Disney+. She’s also an angel investor, former Googler, and passionate advocate for inclusive wellness.

After stepping away from the grind of a high-performing career to heal from chronic illness, Arielle found herself on a deeper journey—through plant medicine, family constellation therapy, nervous system repair, and reconnecting with her roots in Mexico.

Together we talk about what it really means to pivot from achievement to alignment, the courage it takes to untangle old narratives of worth, and the radical clarity that comes from allowing the body to lead. Arielle’s story is an invitation to honor our rhythms, trust the pauses, and remember that healing is its own form of success.

Connect with Arielle:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she.is.that/?hl=en 

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Crystal Jones is a licensed therapist, Internal Family Systems (IFS) Trainer, and the founder of Life Source Counseling Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her work creates sacred spaces where BIPOC women can feel truly seen, valued, and supported on their healing journeys.

As an IFS trainer and consultant, Crystal has mentored therapists and practitioners worldwide, guiding them toward deeper self-awareness and inner harmony. She is also a clinical supervisor, Master Reiki Practitioner, and advocate for holistic healing—integrating tools like prayer, sacred movement, and meditation into her practice.

In our conversation, Crystal and I explore what it means to listen to the parts of ourselves we often silence, the unique power of IFS in BIPOC healing spaces, and how honoring every part of who we are—even the ones we’ve judged or pushed away—can be a revolutionary act of self-love.

Connect with Crystal:
Website: https://lifesourcecounselingcenter.com/staff/about-crystal-jones/

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Therapy resources:

• Loveland Foundation: https://thelovelandfoundation.org/
• Clinicians of Color: https://www.cliniciansofcolor.org/
• Therapy For Black Girls: https://providers.therapyforblackgirls.com/ 
• Manhattan Alternative: https://www.manhattanalternative.com/ 

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down two of the questions I get asked the most: What is somatics? and What’s the difference between coaching and therapy? We’ll explore how your body communicates with your brain (spoiler: it’s way more than you think), why I weave somatic practices into life coaching, and how coaching and therapy can work beautifully together. If you’ve ever wondered which one you need, or how to listen to your body’s wisdom more deeply, this one’s for you.

Connect with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Chrissy King is a writer, educator, and former strength coach whose voice is helping to redefine wellness—not as a destination, but as a practice rooted in liberation, identity, and radical self-acceptance. In this powerful conversation, Chrissy opens up about her personal path to body liberation and the experiences that inspired her book, The Body Liberation Project.

Together, we explore what it really means to feel at home in your body, the illusion of arriving at "confidence," and why unlearning societal messages about worth and appearance is a lifelong process. Chrissy’s work sits at the intersection of race, body image, and justice, reminding us that healing is both personal and political—and that we are already enough, exactly as we are.

If you’ve ever felt like your body was a problem to solve, this episode will meet you with compassion, truth, and a powerful invitation to take up space.

Connect with Chrissy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamchrissyking/
Website: https://www.chrissyking.com/
Purchase The Body Liberation Project: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-liberation-project-how-understanding-race-identity-and-culture-compounds-the-shame-we-feel-and-how-to-shift-the-narrative-to-reclaim-our-worthiness-chrissy-king/18835036

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/