Returning to Us

If you’ve ever felt frozen in stress or stuck in people-pleasing mode, you’re not alone. But knowing why you freeze or fawn is just the first step—the real transformation comes from learning how to shift into safety and resilience. Your nervous system isn’t meant to stay stuck—it’s designed to adapt. And with the right tools, you can start creating a sense of safety from the inside out. If you hav...

Ever felt completely stuck in the face of stress—unable to act, speak, or even think clearly? Or do you find yourself saying “yes” just to avoid conflict, even when you don’t want to? These are nervous system responses—freeze and fawn—and they’re not just habits, but survival strategies. In this episode, we’re breaking down:   -Why freeze happens in two different ways (and why it matters) - How fa...

In this episode, Lauren explores the concept of play as a powerful tool for nervous system regulation. While we often associate play with childhood, she reminds us it's just as vital for adults. Whether you're playing with your kids, goofing around with friends, or engaging in creative or physical activities, play helps shift your brain out of a reactive state. It stimulates feel-good ch...

In today’s episode, Lauren continues her discussion on the nervous system, highlighting simple, effective rituals to support regulation throughout the day. By focusing on small, manageable practices instead of drastic changes, she makes consistency easier. She shares practical ways to incorporate these habits into your morning, midday, and evening routine. Try it at home tip: Pick one practice to...

 In this episode, Lauren explores the powerful connection between nature and nervous system regulation. Spending time outdoors can lower cortisol levels, activate the vagus nerve, improve heart rate variability, and heighten sensory awareness.   Lauren shares practical ways to incorporate nature into daily life, even with a busy schedule. Simple habits like taking your morning coffee outside, find...

 In this episode, Lauren delves deeper into nervous system regulation, exploring how rhythm can be a powerful tool for finding your window of tolerance—both reactively and proactively. She explains how engaging with steady, predictable rhythms activates a state of safety, calm, and social connection. Plus, she shares practical ways to incorporate rhythm into your daily life.  If you haven't a...

In this episode, Lauren continues to explore ways to reset the nervous system. Today, she talks specifically about using cold exposure to activate the vagus nerve to promote calm and build resilience. She shares a handful of cold exposure methods and suggests starting small and focusing on controlled breathing and finding a place of calm. Under 5 minutes of cold exposure provides the most benefit!...

Today, we're diving into the power of breath—but with a twist. You've probably heard about deep belly breathing or box breathing, but what about humming, sighing, or even yawning as breathwork? In this episode, we’ll explore non-traditional breathwork techniques that help regulate the nervous system in gentle, accessible ways. If you haven't already, check out Five Ives to see how s...

So, what is Polyvagal Theory? This theory was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, and it helps us understand how our nervous system shapes the way we experience the world—especially in terms of safety, connection, and stress.  Now do you see why you might care? If you haven't already, check out Five Ives to see how strategies like this can be applied to adults, especially in the workplace. Five...

Today we’re diving into one of the most fascinating parts of your nervous system: the vagus nerve. Often called the body’s "superhighway of calm," the vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating your stress response and overall well-being. From chaos to calm - here we go! If you haven't already, check out Five Ives to see how strategies like this can be applied to adults, especia...

In this episode, Lauren dives into how prolonged stress impacts the brain and body. She explains how chronic or traumatic stress rewires key areas of the brain—such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus—shifting us into survival mode and making it harder to thrive. The effects extend to the body, as ongoing stress floods our system with stress hormones, disrupting vital systems like...

In this episode, Lauren dives into the profound impact of our hyper-connection to technology on our nervous system and explores how we can reclaim regulation through a digital detox. Constant notifications, endless scrolling, and exposure to screens can fragment focus, disrupt sleep, and increase stress hormones, all of which negatively impact mental health. Lauren highlights that recognizing sign...

In this episode, Lauren delves deeper into the significance of expanding and maintaining your Window of Tolerance. She shares practical strategies to help you identify when you've stepped outside your Window of Tolerance and introduces evidence-based techniques that can be applied both proactively and reactively to guide you back into a state of regulation.  If you haven't already, check...

In this episode, Lauren reintroduces the concept of the Window of Tolerance and shares practical tips for breaking behavioral patterns and resetting your nervous system. She explains how to identify your current state of dysregulation and suggests using activities that activate the opposite state to help achieve regulation. If you haven't already, check out Five Ives to see how strategies lik...

In this episode, Lauren explores the use of sound and music as therapeutic tools for achieving a calm, meditative state. She delves into two specific types of audio—binaural beats and isochronic tones—and explains how listening to them for just 10-20 minutes can profoundly enhance your ability to regulate your nervous system. Try-at-home tip:   Use natural low lighting or warm low lighting to stay...

In this episode, Lauren discusses three highly effective techniques to quickly regulate your nervous system. She re-introduces the Window of Tolerance framework and shares three actionable tips to help your nervous system return to regulation. First, humming or singing vibrates the back of your throat, stimulating the vagus nerve, a key player in calming your system. Second, crossing your body wit...

In this episode, Lauren focuses on how to move the second two pillars of the 4 Ps—Policy and Practice—out of survival mode using the 5 Ives Framework. Lauren dives into the sensory elements of physical spaces (Practice) that influence regulation, from temperature and textures to visuals and ambient sounds. She also discusses how organizations can take a trauma-informed approach to Policy, advocati...

In this episode, Lauren dives into the first two of the 4 Ps—Practitioner and Patient—focusing on strategies to move organizations from a survival state into a healthier, more regulated space. She begins by explaining the 4 Ps (Policy, Practice, Practitioner, Patient) and how to identify their roles within an organization. Lauren connects these concepts to the Five Ives framework, highlighting how...

In this episode, Lauren explores the "Five Ives" framework, a powerful tool for understanding and navigating emotional regulation. She explains how each stage—from *Survive* to *Hive*—represents a natural response to life's challenges and emphasizes that no stage is inherently negative. While certain stages are best not to linger in, they are all part of the biological journey.  Lau...

 In the third and final episode of this microseries, Lauren and her Five Ives partner, Jessica Doering, explore practical steps to move forward from a survival state. They discuss the importance of recognizing and appreciating progress, even if you're not yet back to your pre-trauma self.  By setting small, achievable goals, you can take simple steps toward reestablishing familiar patterns, w...

In this second episode of the microseries, Lauren is joined again by her Five Ives partner, Jessica Doering, to discuss the concept of the window of tolerance and its role in healing from trauma. It can be difficult to consider the window of tolerance when you're in a survival state, but using visualization tools like the 3-box method can help you understand your emotional state and guide you...

In this episode, Lauren is joined by her Five Ives partner, Jessica Doering, to explore the first part of a 3-part series on navigating the "Five Ives" framework, with a focus on regulating your emotional state after natural disasters or unexpected events. They emphasize the importance of having grace and compassion when you're in survival mode. Surviving can be overwhelming, but un...

In the final episode of the emotional regulation series, Lauren dives into the third step: problem-solving. If you haven’t listened to the previous two episodes, be sure to check them out first. Sometimes, emotional dysregulation stems from a recurring issue that can’t be resolved with regulation techniques alone—it requires working through the problem itself. Lauren walks through the importance o...

In this episode Lauren re-visits her framework for helping kids recognize emotional dysregulation. Emotions are abstract and recognizing the spectrum of emotions can be hard, especially for kiddos who have so many stimuli that can knock them out of their window of tolerance. After walking through the key steps of using the framework to recognize that you're dysregulated, Lauren explains how t...

If you haven't listened yet, go back and listen to the past 2 episodes of this series on going back to the basics of emotional regulation. Today Lauren is giving us strategies for how to up or down regulate on the spot - in the moment that the dysregulation occurs. There are hundreds of regulation strategies that you can try yourself or with your kiddos. Lauren is sharing her go-to strategies...