Personal Mastery with Jerry Henderson

Do you feel like you are constantly apologizing? Do you say you're sorry for saying you're sorry? Does always feeling like you need to apologize cause you to feel bad about yourself, and do you wish you could break the pattern?  Maybe you are an auto apologizer? Someone who says they are sorry automatically, almost as a reflex for anything and to everyone. Maybe you apologize to keep the...

Learning to have fun is a big part of the healing process. ESPECIALLY when nothing feels, sounds, or seems fun! In this episode, we take a look at the following:    The reasons we don't allow ourselves to have fun, such as: We are taking our healing so seriously that we simply forget to have fun.  We don’t feel like we have earned it or deserve it yet.  We are addicted to feeling bad, and we...

The inner critic is that part of us that seems to never give us a break. It’s the constant toxic negative self-talk that we engage with, and it has a significant impact on our nervous systems.    It contributes to anxiety, depression, social anxiety, and several other mental, emotional, and physical challenges. It can be a key manifestation of trauma, and the resulting shame that comes from it.   ...

Do you feel like you have a block to love? No matter how hard you try, do you keep resisting the love of others and your own love?  It's a painful place to be, but fortunately, we can heal and open our hearts to love fully and to be loved.  In this episode, we discuss the signs of resistance, its origins, and how the power of self-love can open us up to receive love. Our resistance towards lo...

"I am not who you think I am, I am not who I think I am, I am who I think you think I am." - Charles Horton Cooley Ever feel like you're living your life according to someone else's script? Always trying to win others' approval or getting them to accept you? Ever find yourself losing sleep over the opinions of others and what you think they think of you? In this episode, w...

Rumi — 'Recognize that unlearning is the highest form of learning.' I remember the day I read that quote. It somehow struck me to the core and awakened something in me. I realized at that moment that while all my efforts of learning about trauma, shame, addictions, and the healing process were beautiful, I needed to focus just as much, if not more, on unlearning. Unlearning the things th...

What comes to mind when you hear the words self-love? Do images of people acting arrogant or prideful pop up in your mind? Do you have fears that if you practice self-love, others will judge and label you? Have you defined self-love in such a way that you feel like you will never be worthy of it? The meaning and the stories that we have about what self-love is and what self-love isn't need to...

We have all heard the research about the benefits of gratitude. We have been encouraged to keep our chins up, be grateful for what we have, and keep a gratitude journal to remind us of how blessed we are.  But what happens when you can't see to find it in you to practice gratitude? What happens when the trauma you experienced puts you in survival mode, and you don't seem to have any capa...

In this first episode of several episodes to come on the lessons that I learned while living nomadically, I share my experience and struggles with practicing solitude.  Solitude is something we often avoid, but it can be the very thing we need to truly understand ourselves and what we need to heal.  Solitude can be uncomfortable, and that is okay; in fact, that discomfort is part of what we need t...

Have you ever wondered if you can stay in a relationship with an unhealthy person when you are trying to heal? Do you have to leave in order to heal? Can you stay with someone you love who isn’t doing their work to get healthy, and you are? In this episode, we examine these questions and more. Join me in this episode as we discuss the following: When You Heal, And You Need To Move On When You Heal...

As a trauma survivor, I had no idea how much my experiences were impacting my ability to have self-esteem. One of the messages that trauma can send us is that there is something wrong with us.  This message can significantly impact our ability to have and build self-esteem.  In this episode, we take a look at the following: Understanding what self-esteem is and is not How trauma impacts our abilit...

What if the power to love yourself was hiding within you all along? What if you never needed a reason to love yourself?  In this episode, we dive deep into the following practical steps that we can take to begin loving ourselves: Becoming empowered to give ourselves permission to love ourselves.  We'll discuss how to voice your resistance to your own love. Set an intention for self-love. Sile...

One of the most painful things we can experience is a broken relationship with ourselves. Our relationship with ourselves often becomes broken by trauma and other painful life experiences. When that relationship is broken, we become separated from love and, most painfully, our own love.  Learning to love ourselves is a process. The first part of the process is understanding that we are worthy of l...

Are you trapped in the vicious cycle of self-criticism and anxiety? Do you often find yourself caught in the relentless grip of negative self-talk? Together, we'll shed light on how relentless self-criticism keeps us embroiled in a persistent state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawning and, subsequently, continuous anxiety.  Recognize how this destructive inner dialogue can creep into your dai...

If you struggle with anxiety, it can be at the very least disruptive, if not debilitating, in your life. If you have tried various methods to get control of your anxiety and nothing seems to have helped, then you might want to try the practice of meditation to help you on your journey. In this episode, we take a look at how meditation can help us with anxiety by allowing us to: Be more present and...

When we understand that anxiety is not our enemy but it is coming from a part of us that is trying to get our attention, we can start to learn from it and heal.  In this episode, we take a practical look at why it is so important to befriend anxiety and five tips for making this happen.  0:00 Introduction 1:08 My Story of Anxiety 4:23 Why Befriend Anxiety 5:12 Changing Our Energy Toward Anxiety 7:...

For many of us, the practice of self-compassion can be a real struggle. We often don't know where to begin or know what self-compassion looks or feels like. In this episode, we discuss: What is self-compassion? What is the Self? What is compassion? Connecting with our authentic self Suspending judgment toward ourselves Suffering with the parts of us that are hurting How to give ourselves what...

Acceptance is a powerful gateway to healing and change.  And accepting ourselves is the first step towards that meaningful change. What if acceptance wasn't about agreeing with or approving of past events, but rather embracing the reality of what is?  In this episode we delve deep into the final 'A' of our 5-part healing journey series: Acceptance. Acceptance isn't just about m...

Am I stuck, or am I actually healing? How do we know if we are healing? How do we avoid some of the pitfalls that cause us to judge ourselves for not healing in "the right way?" Is there a right way to heal? What tangible things can I use to see if I am healing? In this episode, we discuss these questions and others about assessing if we are healing. 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Assessing ou...

We can get so distracted by unwanted behaviors in our lives that we never get around to asking ourselves why that behavior is in our lives.  Why do we self-sabotage? Why do we choose unhealthy relationships? Why do we drink? Why do we binge eat? Why do we treat ourselves with such self-hatred and self-loathing?  In this episode, we walk through a series of questions that can help us get to the roo...

The healing journey is about the traveler on the path. As we begin to address the root issues of our pain, it is important to understand what the traveler needs for the journey.  The healing journey is a complex dance between strength and gentleness. We often push ourselves too hard, ignoring our need for rest, kindness, and compassion. In this episode, we examine the following topics: Things I wi...

What happens when we know we need to heal, but we can't seem to find the strength to take the first step?  Taking action is a vital part of the healing journey. The challenge is when we feel so exhausted from the pain we have experienced that taking action seems almost impossible.  In this episode, we discuss the following: My story of waking up and deciding to take action The importance of t...

The first step in healing is to awaken to the fact that we need to heal. We often go through life ignoring our pain, medicating it, and coping with it.  When we awaken to the fact that we have deep pain and wounds that need to heal and see that we are worthy of healing, everything begins to change.  In this first episode of The Healing Journey series, we look at the first stage of the healing jour...

Do you feel like you are missing out on your life because the present moment doesn't feel safe? Are you constantly distracting yourself from the present moment as a coping mechanism?   Life is happening now, but to be present and enjoy our lives we have to feel safe in the present moment.  For decades I felt like I missed out on my life. The present moment didn't feel safe, so I learned...

Do you often find yourself saying 'yes' when you really want to say 'no'? Do you feel like you often abandon yourself out of fear of disappointing others? Is your desire to make others happy blocking you from finding happiness within yourself? This episode is not just about uncovering the roots of unhealthy people-pleasing habits but also about providing you with the tools to o...