Have you ever finally gotten clear about what you want—only to start questioning yourself the moment your decision becomes real? 

You knew you needed to say no.

You knew you wanted the opportunity.

You knew the relationship needed to change.

You knew you needed to rest.

And then someone had a reaction. Your body got activated. The consequences became real.

Suddenly you're wondering:

Wait. Was I wrong?

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda explores an important distinction:

Hearing yourself is not the same thing as trusting yourself.

Because knowing what's right for you doesn't guarantee that honoring it will feel comfortable.

Brenda shares a recent personal experience where a decision she knew was right for her could still disappoint someone she cared about. She also shares POWER participant Stephanie White's experience of building something far more valuable than perfect certainty: lived evidence that she can pause, listen to herself and stay with herself when things feel difficult.

You'll explore the difference between new information and new feelings, why discomfort after a decision doesn't automatically mean the decision was wrong, and what self-trust can look like when the wobble inevitably comes.

When you notice yourself questioning something you previously felt clear about, ask:

Has my knowing changed—or has honoring what I know become uncomfortable?

You don't have to force an answer.

Just notice.

Hearing yourself matters.

But staying connected to yourself when real life responds to your choice? That's where practice matters.

POWER includes six weeks of foundational work followed by 12 months of coaching, practice and integration support, including three live POWER cohorts, community support, coaching and Q&A, somatic work, breathwork, lifetime curriculum and replays, and a private 1:1 session during your first cohort.

The Fall cohort begins September 29 and enrollment closes September 28.

Learn more at https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Keywords: self trust, self trust for empaths, trusting yourself, empath, empaths, highly sensitive person, intuitive women, discernment, intuition, inner knowing, hearing yourself, trusting your intuition, second guessing yourself, self doubt, decision making, making decisions, difficult decisions, nervous system regulation, nervous system activation, emotional regulation, boundaries, setting boundaries, people pleasing, other people's opinions, fear of disappointing others, guilt after setting boundaries, trusting your decisions, discomfort after making a decision, self trust after making a decision, staying connected to yourself, learning to trust yourself, building self trust, embodied self trust, self trust practice, somatic coaching, empath boundaries, empath self trust, emotional sensitivity, personal growth, self awareness, inner dialogue, supportive self talk, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle, POWER Self Trust for Empaths

Keywords: self trust, self trust for empaths, trusting yourself, empath, empaths, highly sensitive person, intuitive women, discernment, intuition, inner knowing, hearing yourself, trusting your intuition, second guessing yourself, self doubt, decision making, making decisions, difficult decisions, nervous system regulation, nervous system activation, emotional regulation, boundaries, setting boundaries, people pleasing, other people's opinions, fear of disappointing others, guilt after setting boundaries, trusting your decisions, discomfort after making a decision, self trust after making a decision, staying connected to yourself, learning to trust yourself, building self trust, embodied self trust, self trust practice, somatic coaching, empath boundaries, empath self trust, emotional sensitivity, personal growth, self awareness, inner dialogue, supportive self talk, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle, POWER Self Trust for Empaths

Have you ever said you desperately wanted something—and then watched yourself behave in ways that seemed to move you further away from it? 

Maybe you've called it procrastination.

Self-sabotage.

Fear.

Laziness.

A lack of discipline.

But what if that's not what's happening?

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda explores competing desires—the experience of genuinely wanting one thing while another part of you genuinely wants something that seems to conflict with it.

After asking for greater visibility in her business, Brenda recently had approximately 30,000 people roll through a TikTok Live. It was the kind of reach she'd been actively working toward.

And then something happened that hurt.

That experience helped her see her own competing desires clearly:

Part of me wants visibility. AND part of me wants safety.

Neither desire is wrong.

And that's the point.

You'll hear how competing desires can show up around boundaries, relationships, business, visibility, money, rest, family, and identity—and why labeling the second desire “self-sabotage” can keep you from understanding what's actually happening.

Brenda also shares examples from her coaching work, including what can happen when pursuing a dream collides with loyalty to someone you love, and when professional ambition seems to threaten an identity you've spent years building.

You'll learn why the goal isn't to prosecute one side of yourself until it submits.

It's to hear both.

If this exercise uncovered something you've been circling, bring it with you to YES TO ME on September 15 from 6–8 PM Pacific.

Bring the decision. The boundary. The relationship. The opportunity. The change. The desire.

You don't have to arrive knowing the answer.

This free live experience includes teaching, coaching, somatic work and breathwork designed to create enough space for you to hear yourself.

Register at https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

Keywords: Your Yes Filled Life, Self Trust, Empath, Empaths, Empath Life, Highly Sensitive Person, Intuition, Discernment, Self Sabotage, People Pleasing, Boundaries, Nervous System Regulation, Somatic Healing, Personal Growth, Emotional Intelligence, Competing Desires, Trust Yourself, Sensitive Women, Intuitive Women, Yes To Me, Brenda Winkle

What happens when you finally get something you really wanted…and your entire body responds with, “Oh shit. Maybe I don't want this after all.” 

Brenda is recording this episode in real time, just hours before TikTok boosts her Live to the top of the For You Page - giving her an opportunity for significantly more visibility than she's accustomed to.

She wants it.

She's worked toward it.

And she's also nervous as hell.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda explores an important distinction in self-trust:

Activation is information. But it isn't automatically an instruction.

Sometimes activation really is telling you something deserves your attention. Sometimes you're facing uncertainty. And sometimes you're standing at the edge of your current capacity, being asked to hold something you haven't normalized yet.

The goal isn't to override your body and call fear “growth.”

It's learning how to stay with yourself long enough to discern what your body is actually communicating.

Brenda also takes you through a somatic practice she is using that day to prepare for the increased visibility - not after she knows how the story ends, but while she's still inside the wobble.

You'll explore how to orient to the present moment, reconnect with physical sensation, create more space around activation, and ask yourself:

If I knew I could trust myself to respond to whatever happens next, what would I choose?

Because self-trust isn't accurately predicting the outcome.

It's knowing you can stay with yourself through what happens next.

Mentioned in this episode:

YES TO ME | September 15, 6–8 PM Pacific
A complimentary live experience using teaching, coaching, somatic work and breathwork to help you hear yourself underneath everyone else's needs, opinions and energy.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths
The Fall cohort begins September 29. Six weeks of live transformational work followed by a full year of practice, coaching and integration, including three live POWER cohorts throughout the year.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Have you ever gotten off a phone call completely exhausted - or walked away from a conversation feeling depleted - and immediately started questioning yourself? 

Am I being too sensitive? Did they really drain me? Maybe they’re just having a hard time. Maybe I’m tired for another reason.

For many empaths, noticing the energy drain isn’t actually the problem.

The problem is what happens after you notice it.

Instead of responding to what your body is telling you, you start collecting evidence. You analyze the other person. You question your perception. You try to figure out whether your depletion is justified.

And the whole time you’re investigating, the bathtub is still draining.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda shares a simple four-part process for responding to an energy leak without making the other person wrong—or requiring yourself to prove that your experience is real first.

You’ll learn how to notice your earliest cues of depletion, why curiosity is valuable but shouldn’t always be your first move, practical ways to “plug the leak” during conversations and social situations, and how nervous-system regulation can help you come back to yourself before deciding what something means.

Brenda also gives you one question to ask when you catch yourself building a legal case for why you’re allowed to protect your energy:

What would I do right now if I didn’t need proof that my depletion was justified?

Because protecting your energy doesn’t require deciding someone else is toxic.

Sometimes you simply need enough space to come back to yourself.

Mentioned in this episode:

YES TO ME — September 15, 6–8 PM Pacific
A complimentary live experience combining teaching, coaching, somatic work and breathwork to help you hear yourself underneath everyone else’s needs, opinions and energy.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths
The Fall cohort begins September 29. Six weeks of live transformational work followed by a full year of coaching, practice and integration - with three live POWER cohorts throughout the next 12 months.
https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Keywords: empath energy drain, energy protection for empaths, energetic boundaries, self trust for empaths, empath exhaustion, energy leaks, how to protect your energy, highly sensitive person, HSP, empath boundaries, nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, people pleasing, emotional exhaustion, emotional boundaries, stop absorbing other people's energy, empath overwhelm, empath self care, protecting your peace, trusting your body, body awareness, self abandonment, emotional regulation, setting boundaries, empath burnout, intuitive empaths, sensitive women, emotional energy, personal empowerment, discernment for empaths, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle

Have you ever said, “I don’t know what to do,” and then spent days, weeks, or even years asking everyone else what they think? 

Sometimes you genuinely don’t know.

But sometimes you do know something - and what you’re actually struggling with is the uncertainty, fear, or other people’s reactions that might come with honoring it.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, I’m sharing one of my own experiences of knowing what I wanted long before I trusted myself enough to fully choose it. We’ll also talk about why this can be especially complicated for empaths, who are often taking in everyone else’s feelings, preferences, and reactions alongside their own.

You’ll learn how to distinguish between “I don’t know what to do” and “I know, but taking action feels hard,” why discomfort doesn’t automatically mean you’re making the wrong decision, and a simple practice for separating what you know from what you’re afraid of.

Because someone else’s feelings can be real without becoming instructions for your life.

In this episode:

If there’s a decision, boundary, relationship, opportunity, change, or desire you’ve been circling, bring it to Yes to Me on September 15 from 6–8 PM Pacific.

You don't need to arrive knowing the answer.

Come fully in the wobble.

This complimentary two-hour live experience combines teaching, coaching, somatic practices, and breathwork to help create enough space for you to hear yourself.

Register at https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

Keywords: Self Trust, Empath, Empath Life, Highly Sensitive Person, Discernment, Stop Second Guessing, Trust Yourself, Nervous System Regulation, Somatic Healing, People Pleasing Recovery, Healthy Boundaries, Emotional Wellness, Personal Growth, Intuition, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle

Empaths are often incredibly good at understanding everyone else. But how much of that empathy are you giving yourself? 

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda sits down with psychiatrist, bestselling author, and empath expert Dr. Judith Orloff for a conversation about empathy, boundaries, intuition, self-trust, and the importance of self-empathy.

Because caring deeply about other people doesn't require abandoning yourself.

Brenda and Dr. Judith Orloff - known as the Godmother of the Empath Movement, explore what it means to experience the world as an empath, why boundaries matter, how sensitive people can work with their nervous systems, and what changes when you begin extending some of the compassion you so readily offer other people toward yourself.

If you're someone who can understand everybody else's needs, feelings, reactions, and reasons—but still struggles to honor your own—this conversation is for you.

Resources:
Dr. Orloff's Quiz for Empaths: https://drjudithorloff.com/quizzes/are-you-an-empath-20-question-self-assessment-test/

The Genius of Empathy by Dr. Judith Orloff: https://drjudithorloff.com/books-journals-and-card-decks/ 
Connect with Dr. Judith Orloff and learn about her:  https://drjudithorloff.com/about-dr-orloff/ 

YES TO ME: September 15, 6–8 PM Pacific https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

POWER: Sef Trust for Empaths - https://www.brendawinkle.com/yestome 

Keywords: Empath, Empathy, Highly Sensitive Person, Self Trust, Boundaries, Nervous System Regulation, Self Compassion, Intuition, Discernment, Burnout Prevention, Emotional Wellbeing, Personal Growth, Healing Journey, Judith Orloff, The Genius of Empathy, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle 

What if you’re not actually indecisive? What if you’re taking in so much information that you can’t hear yourself anymore? 

For empaths, making a decision can mean processing far more than the decision itself. There’s what you want - and then there’s someone else’s disappointment, your partner’s opinion, your family’s expectations, another reading, another podcast, another Reddit thread, another certification, and one more attempt to get absolutely certain before you move.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda shares how she knew as early as 2000 that teaching was no longer sustainable for her... and then spent 22 more years finding her way out. She explores what happened when she allowed other people’s opinions about her career to become more valuable information than her own lived experience.  

You’ll learn three ways to begin separating what you actually know from all the additional information you’re processing:

Brenda also shares a client story about what changed when one woman developed enough nervous-system capacity to stop organizing her choices around other people’s reactions, and what Brenda is noticing among people who repeatedly seek another reading or answer even after they’ve already received one.    

Because self-trust doesn’t mean knowing the right answer every time.

It means trusting yourself to respond to what happens after you choose.  

✨ YES TO ME happens live September 15 from 6–8 PM Pacific. Bring the decision, relationship, boundary, opportunity, change, or desire you’ve been circling. You don’t need to arrive knowing your answer. You can come fully in the wobble. Details coming soon.

✨ Enrollment for POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths opens in September. The next cohort begins September 29. https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Join us in the Empowered Empath Collective - https://www.brendawinkle.com/membership 

Reflection questions from this episode:

Download your free energy audit: https://www.brendawinkle.com/audit 

Keywords: Empath, Empaths, Empath Life, Empowered Empath, Highly Sensitive Person, Self Trust, Trust Yourself, Overthinking, Indecision, Decision Making, Intuition, Intuitive Living, Nervous System Regulation, Somatic Healing, Emotional Healing, Personal Growth, People Pleasing, Boundaries, Empath Boundaries, Spiritual Growth, Self Awareness, Healing Journey, Mindset Shift, Yes To Me, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle

You know when your energy changes. So why is it sometimes so damn hard to do something about it?

For empaths, the problem often isn't recognizing that a person, conversation, or situation is depleting us.

We notice.

And then we override what we noticed.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda explores why protecting your energy can feel much harder than simply “setting better boundaries.”

She shares what happened when a client became so depleted she experienced what Brenda calls energy sickness, how to begin recognizing your own physical signals of depletion, and why hydration, protein, and energetic hygiene matter.

Brenda also shares a recent conversation with her mom that uncovered an old belief hiding underneath her own difficulty with boundaries: setting a boundary could mean burning a bridge.

Then there's the phone call.

Brenda knew her energy was changing. The call dropped three separate times. She kept reconnecting.

Shortly afterward, she went into a TikTok Live that performed at roughly 25% of what she'd become accustomed to seeing.

Was the conversation responsible? There's no way to know for certain.

But Brenda knew she had ignored what her body was telling her—and it raised a much bigger question:

What is it costing you when you do the same?

This episode will help you notice where your energy is changing, understand why protecting it can feel threatening, and take responsibility for something you actually CAN control:

Who gets continued access to you.

✨ Download Brenda's free Energy Audit: https://www.brendawinkle.com/audit 

✨ The Empowered Empath Collective is currently exploring intuition and learning to recognize your own internal signals: https://www.brendawinkle.com/membership 

✨ Enrollment for POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths opens in September. The next cohort begins Tuesday, September 29, with calls Tuesdays from 6:30–8:00 PM Pacific: https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Keywords: empath, energy protection, energetic boundaries, boundaries for empaths, intuition, self-trust, nervous system regulation, energy depletion, emotional boundaries, somatic healing

You know you need more people to see your work. 

So maybe you’ve wondered:

Is it time to run ads?

I had that exact question when I first talked with Meta ads strategist Jenn Possick in January 2025.

In fact, I was ready to hire her.

Jenn essentially told me: not yet.

I had recently closed my flagship program. I wasn’t sure which of my lead magnets were working, and I was still figuring out what came next in my business.

Jenn told me something I haven’t forgotten:

You can’t put ads behind something when you don’t know if it’s working.

And instead of losing my business, that honesty built my trust.

More than a year later, my business is clearer; I know what is working, and the conversation about paid visibility looks very different.  

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Jenn and I talk about how to know when your business is actually ready for Meta ads - and why ads aren’t designed to rescue a business that isn’t converting.

Jenn explains why you need to know who your clients are and be able to sell before you start pouring money into visibility. We talk about testing offers and lead magnets organically, building an email list you actually know how to nurture, and why getting more people into a funnel doesn’t help much if they aren’t the right people.  

We also get into retargeting, which may completely change what you think an ads budget has to look like.

Jenn explains that retargeting allows you to advertise to people who have already interacted with your business, and that some businesses can begin getting traction with retargeting at around $5 a day.  

And because this is Jenn and me, we also talk about entrepreneurship, doing your own inner work, Grand Cayman, Stingray City, swimming in bioluminescence, and why the version of somebody’s life you see from the outside is never the whole story.  

Jenn specifically created AdMakers Society with businesses making under $100K in mind, with training around retargeting and list-building ads plus support with ads, landing pages, thank-you pages, and funnels.  

Before asking:

“How do I get more people to see this?”

Ask:

“Do I have evidence that this is already working?”

Because more visibility isn't always the next move.

Sometimes the next move is getting clear enough about what works that you know exactly what you want to amplify.

 Here is a gift from her: jennpossick.com/onead 

Jenn's website: jennpossick.com 

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennpossick/ 

WORK WITH BRENDA: 

https://www.brendawinkle.com/power

https://www.brendawinkle.com/membership

 https://www.brendawinkle.com/coaching

Meta ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Meta advertising, Jenn Possick, retargeting ads, Facebook retargeting, Instagram retargeting, ads for small business, ads for coaches, ads for healers, wellness entrepreneur, empath entrepreneur, heart-centered entrepreneur, online business growth, scaling an online business, lead generation, lead magnets, email list building, email marketing, sales funnels, paid traffic, organic marketing, AdMakers Society, Brenda Winkle, Your Yes Filled Life

What if the thing you can’t stop wanting is trying to tell you something? 

You feel pulled toward something.

A place. A person. An idea. An experience.

And almost immediately, your brain wants an explanation.

Why do I want this?
Does this make sense?
Is it practical?
What will everyone else think?

For empaths, there can be another layer: You don’t just know that someone else doesn’t understand your choice. You can often feel their discomfort with it.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, I’m taking you to London with me for a story that unfolded exactly one year after my dad died.

I had one seemingly random thing I really wanted to do while my family was there: visit Watkins Books, a centuries-old mystical bookstore near Trafalgar Square.

My family was lukewarm about it.

Then we walked inside.

Their bodies said no.

Mine said more.

What happened next - including a Moldavite crystal, a man who introduced himself as a Guardian of Watkins Books, an unplanned walk through London, and a synchronicity I still think about - became one of the clearest experiences I’ve ever had of what it can look like to follow an intuitive pull before you understand where it’s taking you.  

I also share why this story feels especially poignant on the second anniversary of my dad’s death, what he taught me about following your heart, and why being able to communicate with someone in spirit doesn’t mean you stop missing their physical presence.  

You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to know your next step.

Sometimes the next step is simply the thing you can’t stop wanting.

The Empowered Empath Collective
We’re spending August and early September exploring intuition: how you recognize your own signals, discern what’s yours, and stop overriding what you know. Join for $111/month or choose the annual option and receive two months free.
→ https://www.brendawinkle.com/membership 

POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths
POWER opens for enrollment in September, and the fall cohort begins September 29.
→ https://www.brendawinkle.com/power 

Private Advisory Coaching
For high-level individualized support, learn more and apply here.
→ https://www.brendawinkle.com/coaching  

Keywords: Empath, Intuition, Self Trust, Highly Sensitive Person, Intuitive Woman, Empath Life, Trust Your Intuition, Follow Your Intuition, Spiritual Growth, Somatic Awareness, Nervous System Regulation, Emotional Wellness, Personal Growth, Psychic Medium, Empowered Empath, Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle