Feisty Mermaids Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this special Mother’s Day episode, Vanessa offers a guided meditation in honor all forms of caregiving —whether you are a mother, a nurturer, a space-holder, or someone who loves deeply and gives freely. This guided meditation practice invites you to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the quiet strength that lives within you. With themes of tenderness, self-forgiveness, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this guided meditation, you'll be gently led through a full-body scan to release stress, soften tension, and reconnect with the present moment. Designed especially for students, this practice offers a grounding experience that helps anchor the body, mind, and spirit. Through breath awareness, intentional rooting of each body part, supportive affirmations, and self-reflecti...

Send us Fan Mail Join Vanessa Bouffard, LCSW, for a gentle 12-minute guided meditation designed to help you soften the inner critic and deepen your practice of non-judgment. Set in a tranquil and calming atmosphere, this meditation invites you to pause, breathe, and simply be — without needing to fix, change, or label your experience. Through Vanessa’s soothing guidance, you’ll explore mindfulness...

Send us Fan Mail Love is the most profound and intricate emotion known to humanity, it has the power to uplift, inspire, and transform lives. Yet, amidst its brilliance, we often find a shadow lurking in the corners - insecurity. This baffling aspect of human nature has puzzled psychologists, philosophers, and poets alike for centuries. Today, we’ll delve into the underlying reasons behind why peo...

Send us Fan Mail In the pursuit of our dreams, fear often acts as a formidable adversary, shackling us with self-doubt and preventing us from taking that leap of faith. This blog delves into the profound impact of fear on our ambitions, supported by research and expert insights. Join us as we explore the psychological barriers that fear erects and unveil strategies to unlock the courage needed to...

Send us Fan Mail I probably could have avoided many unsuccessful relationships and marriages if I listened to my intuition! This episode is all about listening to that gut feeling and understanding the science behind our intuition. We will talk about the difference between intuition and fear.   Blog: https://www.feistymermaids.com/blog   Website: https://www.feistymermaids.com/ @FeistyMermaids on...

Send us Fan Mail It's been a hectic summer and after a short summer break, I am back! I meant to post this episode around the 4th of July, but the stories are still relevant. The US sought independence from the British (ignore the mistake on the audio where I said the French... I was clearly distracted), the #FreeBritney movement is still strong and she is finally making headway, and my story...

Send us Fan Mail As I look back in many of my relationships, I realize that I've often mistaken all kinds of different emotions for what I thought was love. How do I know if this is love? I would often ask myself, and the answer is not always that simple. There were needs I needed to met and I simply make the mistake of thinking the meeting of those needs was love. In this podcast I  will sha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I reflect on my daughter's 7th birthday and the dreams we all had at that age. Getting one year older means different things to different people and as I grow old er, I find more wisdom in my experiences. Join me as we think about what a trip around the sun can bring.   Blog: https://www.feistymermaids.com/post/stop-trying-to-please-everyone   Website: https:/...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I will explore the way sometimes people make me feel. I've learned it is critical to understand these feelings but to also know I am in control of how I react to these feelings. Research suggests we all have an emotional signature, what is yours?  Blog: https://www.feistymermaids.com/post/stop-trying-to-please-everyone   Website: https://www.feistymermaids.com...

Send us Fan Mail After reading the story of a woman being assaulted on her way home by a police officer in London it is clear women are not safe. In this episode Vanessa talks about the prevalence of sexual violence against women and girls and shares the inequality she faces when preparing to meet someone new on a date. Blog: https://www.feistymermaids.com/post/stop-trying-to-please-everyone Websi...

Send us Fan Mail One of the biggest discoveries I made was to understand my patterns of wanting to please others. I had built my life wanting to make sure everyone in my life was happy. I hated it when people were mad at me and I often internalized other people’s feelings as something I had caused and was responsible for fixing. I felt depleted, like no matter how much I gave, it was never good en...

Send us Fan Mail At some point it is easy to start forgetting your dreams and approach life in a pragmatic and practical way. I didn't want to live a life with regrets and get to the end of my life knowing I could have done so much more. I knew I needed to start the journey towards finding my purpose. It's taken me three years, but I've developed these 7 steps on how to find your pu...

Send us Fan Mail Oh, the disappointment, guilt and pressures that come with expectations... In this episode we explore the expectations we place on ourselves and others. Life is full of amazing lessons if you are open to them. In this self-love, betterment and relationship podcast you will find stories of inspiration, relationships and community. I hope that as you share in my journey and those of...

Send us Fan Mail We've all been in a situation where someone offers completely unsolicited advice. In this podcast I share a few stories and talk about the research which points to controlling tendencies.  Life is full of amazing lessons if you are open to them. In this self-love, betterment and relationship podcast you will find stories of inspiration, relationships and community. I hope tha...

Send us Fan Mail People have a way of projecting their feelings to others. In this podcast we are going to talk about the way people treat us, and how it is really a reflection of themselves.

Send us Fan Mail More and more people are making attempts to reconnect with people they've lost touch with in 2021 because of the pandemic. Should I reach out to someone I lost touch with and haven't talked to? Taking the step to get in touch with someone after a long time can be very scary. You are forced to be vulnerable and to open. In this episode Vanessa shares two stories of reconn...

Send us Fan Mail T he benefits of meditation and mindfulness are undeniable. But it wasn't until a night in my hotel room after a speaking engagement that I came face to face with the desperate need to calm myself down as I neared a panic attack.  This episode talks about the night I was introduced to meditation, the science behind the practice and how two years later it is part of my daily r...

Send us Fan Mail Self-criticism is something we all do. The way we speak to ourselves is often harsh and mean, and we can agree that most of us would never speak to a friend like this. This episode explores the way we talk to ourselves and gives tips for overcoming self-criticism.

Send us Fan Mail Time is precious and you will never have as much time in your life as you have in this moment. How you spend your time matters. This podcast explores how we spend our time and who we spend it with. Unlike other things, we can't buy more time. For the rich and the poor, time is an equalizer. Have you examined how you are spending your time? Make it count. 

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast we will explore the type of love we attract into our lives and how it is a direct reflection of how we are feeling inside. 

Send us Fan Mail I’ve always been independent and have learned not to rely on other people. The truth is that it is vulnerable to ask for help and I hate feeling like I am in a position where I feel like I will owe someone something. I am learning it is OK to ask for help. In this podcast I share stories about asking for help and being open and vulnerable.

Send us Fan Mail Nothing prepares you for having to time-share your child with your ex, especially the first holiday cycle. In this episode I share the story of my first Christmas without my daughter and what I do now to cope with being alone.

Send us Fan Mail Endings can be hard, sad, beautiful, happy or a mix of bittersweet emotions. Often, there are no tears, nobody pulling you close to tell you they made a mistake, no effort to try and earn your love or trust back. So you walk away with hope and the promise to yourself of a brighter dawn. 

Send us Fan Mail They say every act and intention lives on forever.  I believe this is true, and thus I am purposeful with my actions and thoughts. One act of kindness can ripple throughout the universe, touching the lives of so many people. In this episode we talk about kindness and how the more we give, the more we receive.