A Healthy Push

Do you pride yourself on being the capable one? The one who handles the house, the kids, and the career without ever asking for a hand? For a long time, I wore my independence like a badge of honor. But as I’ve learned through my own journey and therapy, there is a big difference between being independent and being hyper-independent. In today’s episode, I’m joined by therapist Kelsey Wood . Kelsey...

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, "How did things get so small?" I know that feeling all too well. I know the sting of looking at the calendar and seeing all the weddings, vacations, and job opportunities you’ve said "no" to. It feels like anxiety hasn't just been a struggle; it feels like it has robbed you. Robbed you of years, of confidence, and of the version of yourself that used...

Have you ever sat there analyzing your own brain, wondering, "Why is this happening to me? Why does my anxiety feel so much more intense than everyone else's?" I know that spiral all too well. It’s easy to feel like you’re just "broken" or genetically "screwed," but the truth is usually much more complex—and much more compassionate—than that. In today’s episode, I’m joined by therapist Debbie Miss...

Have you ever spent money on something that promised to stop a panic attack in its tracks and felt completely let down when it didn't? Same. We are back for another Recovered and Rambling, and this one is equal parts comical and genuinely helpful. We are rating the most popular anxiety tools from our own recoveries — what actually helped, what was a total waste of money, and what the wellness indu...

Have you ever felt like your brain is just fundamentally "broken "and like everyone else can recover from anxiety, but you’re the one glitch in the system? I’ve been there. For over a decade, my mindset was absolute garbage. I didn't just have anxiety; I believed I was anxiety. I thought I was born this way, doomed by genetics, and that recovery simply wasn’t an option for me. In this episode, we’...

What does it actually look like to spend 30 years hiding panic disorder and agoraphobia from everyone around you and then finally decide you're done? In this episode, I sit down with Lauri, a former Panic to Peace student and current community member, for one of the most honest and moving recovery conversations yet. Lauri's story started with a panic attack at a client dinner that she didn't even...

What if the biggest thing you could do to prepare for birth and postpartum was to stop trying to prepare for everything? After everything I've shared about this pregnancy, I'm finally getting into the details: what I'm actually planning for labor, delivery, and postpartum, and more importantly, how I'm thinking about all of it. Because the mindset going in? That part matters just as much as any pl...

What does recovery actually look like when life throws you the biggest curveball of all? Brittany and I are back, and this one has been a long time coming. After months of keeping my pregnancy a secret, I'm finally sitting down to answer your questions — the real ones. Labor, postpartum, depression, mom guilt, hyper-independence, and what it actually looks like to hold yourself together when you c...

What if your chronic pain or persistent symptoms aren’t a sign that your body is broken, but a message that it’s trying to keep you safe? In this episode, I'm joined by the incredible Nicole Sachs, LCSW , a world-renowned speaker, author, and the creator of JournalSpeak . Nicole has dedicated her life to helping people understand the "dance" between the mind and the body, and how our nervous syste...

Have you ever been 100% certain about something for your life, only to have the universe present you with something that changes everything? For years, I told anyone who would listen that I would never have another child. My first experience with motherhood was a "mind-fuck" of unraveling, anxiety, and feeling like I sucked at being a mom. But after a divorce, a new relationship, and a lot of inne...

Have you ever wondered if it’s actually possible to get to the "other side" of an anxiety disorder? I get asked about my personal recovery journey more than almost anything else. Even though I’ve been recovered for nearly a decade, looking back at where I was—a shell of a person, shaking, crying, and forcing myself to function through multiple panic attacks a day—still brings up so much emotion. I...

Have you ever had to hold onto a secret so big it felt like it was consuming you, while also trying to navigate one of the hardest physical and emotional seasons of your life? Well, the secret is finally out: I'm pregnant! I’m actually 8 months along, and if I’m being honest, I’ve stayed quiet until now because this pregnancy has been a massive challenge. Between navigating severe sickness while r...

What if the "internal noise" you’ve been trying to silence isn’t a flaw, but a sign that your brain is simply wired differently? In this episode, I'm joined by artist Demi Dawkins for a vulnerable and eye-opening conversation about the intersection of neurodivergence and mental health. Demi shares her experience living with AuDHD (the overlap of Autism and ADHD) and how years of unexplained panic...

Do you ever feel like flying is the ultimate "test" of your recovery? Or something that you feel you're absolutely not ready for? I know exactly how that feels because I used to be the person who put flying on a massive pedestal. I’d tell myself, "Sure, I can handle the grocery store now, but a plane? That’s different. That’s the ultimate trap." If you’ve ever felt like your progress doesn't count...

Are you doing "all the things" but secretly dying on the inside? Many high achievers and "Type A" personalities wear their productivity like armor. But what happens when that armor becomes too heavy to carry? In this episode, I’m joined by Jennifer Bohle, a therapist based in Colorado who specializes in helping perfectionists untangle their worth from their to-do lists. We dive deep into why "rest...

Why is it that we can sign up for the adrenaline of a new tattoo or riding a rollercoaster, but the idea of an unplanned panic attack feels like a 10/10 threat? Logic doesn't always live here, but we do! This month, we’re rambling through the highs and lows of living a recovered life. From Brittany’s big NYC comeback to Shannon’s "I’m definitely dying" food poisoning saga, we’re looking at what it...

Are you organizing your life around your goals and living life, or are you organizing it around the hope that you won’t feel anxious? When we think of avoidance, we usually picture the big, external "no-go" zones: the highway, the crowded grocery store, or traveling far from home. But there is a much quieter, more insidious form of avoidance that keeps people stuck in the anxiety cycle for years:...

“How long until the anxiety goes away? How long until I can drive again? Am I going to be like this forever?” If you are struggling with panic disorder or agoraphobia , these are likely the questions keeping you up at night. I know because I asked them too. But here is the truth: when we ask about "how long," we aren’t usually looking for a date on a calendar, we’re looking for hope that we aren't...

If the word ‘death’ makes your chest tighten, or if you’ve spent months body scanning and wondering ‘what if this is it,’ what if I told you that death isn’t the scary, painful monster we’ve been taught to fear? In today’s episode, I am having a conversation that is not meant to scare you. In fact, it’s meant to do the exact opposite. For some who are struggling with health anxiety , panic disorde...

Is it possible to be "fully recovered" and still have anxious thoughts, or are we all just making it up as we go? Welcome to the very first episode of Recovered & Rambling ! This is a new monthly feature where I sit down with my right-hand person and friend, Brittany, for a completely unscripted, unfiltered conversation. Think of it as a "vibe check" on life, recovery, and the random stuff tha...

Have you ever been gripped by the fear that you wont make it to a bathroom in time? In this episode, we’re diving deep into a topic that many people struggle with, but almost nobody talks about: toilet anxiety. Specifically, the distressing fear of pooping your pants in public or while "trapped" in situations like traffic or meetings. If you’ve ever felt like your life revolves around the nearest...

Have you ever felt like you’re a nervous wreck for absolutely no reason at all? Maybe you’re just sitting on the couch, watching a show, or grabbing a coffee, and suddenly your heart is racing and your brain is screaming "danger!" even though everything is fine. If you feel like your anxiety is "24/7" or you’re trapped by agoraphobia, this episode is for you. Mari is back on the podcast today, and...

What do you do when the world feels like it’s on fire, and your nervous system is simply running out of capacity to hold it all? Today, I’m stepping away from the usual "teaching" and "fixing" to have a very honest, human-to-human check-in. If you are sensitive, empathetic, and anxiety-leaning, you’ve likely been feeling the weight of the world's chaos, uncertainty, and pain. It is heavy, it is ex...

Have you ever felt like you've talked about your anxiety until you're blue in the face, yet the panic still feels "stuck" in your body? In this episode, I'm joined by Lilly Risch , an expert EMDR therapist and consultant. We’re moving beyond traditional talk therapy to explore Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) —a body-based modality specifically designed to target the root of pa...

​ Is your search for a "reason" behind your panic actually the thing keeping you stuck? When panic feels random and unpredictable, our natural human instinct is to figure out why. We scan our lives for patterns... asking what we ate, where we were, or what we were thinking, convinced that if we can just solve the mystery of the trigger, we can finally make the panic stop. In this episode, I explai...