Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy

What does play have to do with healing, leadership, or teaching one of the heaviest subjects in human history? Everything, according to Mary Hendra. In this episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy, Angie Berrett sits down with Mary, host of the Lead with a Dash of Play podcast, whose career has spanned schools, government, corporate, and nonprofit work, including years spent teaching educ...

🚨Trigger warning: this episode references child abuse and domestic abuse without going into specifics. In this solo episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy, Angie Berrett opens up about a recent energy healing session that surfaced something she never expected: unprocessed wounds tied to her divorce nearly twenty years ago. What came up was not the emotional connection to her ex, which s...

Show Notes: In this episode, Angie sits down with Steve Rix, founder of Play Lab, for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring, hilarious, and quietly profound. Steve opens up about growing up believing something was wrong with him, and how it took him 47 years and two little kids on a Honolulu beach to discover the tool that would change everything. After 90 days stuck in victim mode with an...

  Show Notes: Trigger Warning: This episode discusses trauma, mental health, school shootings, gun violence, panic attacks, and survivor's guilt. Please listen with care. What happens when the worst day of your life becomes the story everyone expects you to carry forever? In this deeply moving episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , Angie Berrett sits down with Heidi Johnson, a sur...

Show Notes: What happens when the people who spend their lives caring for everyone else forget to care for themselves? In this episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy, host Angie Berrett welcomes Julie Watson, Executive Director of the Watson Caring Science Institute, to explore how self compassion, creativity, and authentic human connection can transform healing for caregivers, trauma su...

  Show Notes: What happens when you become a parent and realize you have no idea what unconditional love actually feels like? For Tammy Vincent, that moment arrived at seven months pregnant, reading a children's book that should have felt sweet and instead cracked her wide open. It became the catapult into a thirty year healing journey that took her from adult child of two alcoholic parents t...

Show Notes: Healing from trauma is not a straight line, and one of the least talked about parts of the journey is the transition phase. It's that in between space where your old coping strategies no longer fit, but your new way of living isn't fully established yet. In this episode, Angie Berrett opens up about her own experience moving through this phase right now, and why the discomfor...

Show Notes: What does healing actually feel like? Many people believe that healing from trauma means you'll never struggle again. In this deeply personal solo episode, Angie Berrett shares an unexpected experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about trauma recovery. After her beloved service dog was diagnosed with cancer, Angie expected to spiral into panic and emotional ove...

Show Notes: Finding the right support for trauma healing can feel overwhelming, especially with so many therapists, coaches, and healing modalities available today. In this solo episode, Angie shares practical guidance for choosing the right trauma healing professional while avoiding common mistakes that can leave survivors feeling discouraged or unsupported. Drawing from both her professional bac...

Show Notes: What happens when you achieve everything you've ever dreamed of and still don't feel worthy? In this heartfelt episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy, Angie Berrett welcomes Shirin Eskandani, coach, speaker, writer, and creator of the Wholehearted Coaching Certification, for an honest conversation about trauma, perfectionism, belonging, and healing. Born in Iran and...

Show Notes: In this powerful episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett sits down with trauma informed personal transformation coach and healing arts practitioner Linda Dieffenbach to explore the connection between trauma, energy, the chakra system, and self compassion. Linda shares her deeply personal story of surviving childhood abuse, being dismissed after a suicide a...

Show Notes: Can healing come from the most unexpected places? In this deeply personal solo episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , Angie Berrett shares the remarkable story of rescuing a newborn lamb while driving across Wyoming and how that experience unexpectedly opened the door to profound healing from childhood sexual abuse. What began as a roadside rescue quickly became a powerful...

Show Notes: In this episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , Angie Berrett sits down with Jade Kaye, a functional fitness coach, emotion code and body code practitioner, and founder of GroovyBell Wellness. Jade shares her journey from welding school to fitness and emotional healing, highlighting how trauma, mental health struggles, and physical pain shaped her path. They dive deep into t...

Show Notes: In this powerful episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , Angie Berrett sits down with child sexual abuse prevention specialist, educator, and advocate Rosalia Rivera for an eye-opening conversation about protecting children, breaking cycles of abuse, and creating a culture of consent. Rosalia shares her personal journey into advocacy, explaining how becoming a parent led her...

Show Notes: In this episode of Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy , Angie sits down with Megan Rodriguez for an honest conversation about trauma, healing, reclaiming your voice, and learning that healing does not have to stay rooted in darkness forever. Megan shares her journey through a neglectful childhood and an abusive marriage, opening up about how emotional and verbal abuse shaped her sen...

Show Notes 🚨Trigger Warning This episode discusses childhood sexual abuse, PTSD, addiction, workplace bullying, and surviving house fires. Please take care of yourself while listening. Host Angie Berrett sits down with Australian yoga therapist and trauma survivor Liz Albanis for a rich conversation about healing trauma through body-based practices. Liz shares her personal journey from a childhoo...

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of trauma, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Please take care of yourself and return when you feel ready. Show Notes: In this episode of Healing Doesn’t Have to be Heavy, Host Angie Berrett, trauma-informed coach, registered nurse, play expert, and child abuse survivor, sits down with Sophia Graniela,  sobriety advocate, EFT ta...

Show Notes: Season 2 kicks off with a powerful and deeply personal solo episode from Angie Berrett, trauma-informed coach, registered nurse, and survivor. In this raw and honest conversation, Angie shares what happened behind the scenes when she stepped away from the podcast and hit a difficult emotional low triggered by global events (particularly the Epstein Files) and past trauma. She opens up...

Season 2 of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy is here and it’s coming in strong. After an unplanned pause that turned into a powerful personal reset, host Angie Barrett is back with raw honesty, fresh perspective, and a renewed mission. This season opens with a real look at what happens when you get triggered on your healing journey and how to find your way back using play, movement, and self-conne...

Show Notes: In this deeply personal and powerful season finale, host Angie Berrett reflects on the most impactful insights shared throughout Season One of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy . Drawing from her lived experience as a survivor of childhood abuse, a registered nurse, a trauma-informed coach, and a movement and play expert, Angie revisits the guidance that resonated most with listeners na...

Show Notes: In this special recap episode of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett reflects on an incredible year of meaningful conversations, global connection, and expanded awareness around trauma healing.  This episode highlights the Top Five most downloaded episodes as chosen by the listeners. With the podcast reaching audiences in more than forty eight countries and nearing te...

Show Notes: Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy – Season One Wrap-Up In this special season one wrap-up episode of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett reflects on the powerful conversations, stories, and healing modalities shared throughout the season. As a trauma-informed coach, registered nurse, play expert, and survivor of childhood abuse, Angie shares how her own healing journey...

Show Notes: In this powerful episode of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett explores perfectionism as a trauma coping strategy and what it truly means to become a recovering perfectionist. Drawing from her lived experience as a trauma survivor and registered nurse, Angie breaks down why perfectionism develops, how it creates an illusion of safety, and why it ultimately keeps surv...

Show Notes: In this powerful episode of Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett sits down with sisters Kathleen Harnish McKune and Karen Dixon, trauma survivors, authors, and founders of the nonprofit Remarkably Resilient. Kathleen and Karen share how discovering the neuroscience of trauma later in life transformed their understanding of childhood abuse, chronic health challenges, an...

Show Notes: In this episode of Healing Doesn’t Have To Be Heavy , host Angie Berrett is joined by survivor, author, and nonprofit founder Sophia Moreno for an honest and compassionate conversation about healing from complex trauma and finding your way forward. Sophia shares her lived experience with childhood sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and financial abuse, along with the impact of victim blami...