Sensitive Stories

Are you leaning into the positive experiences of being highly sensitive? In this episode, I talk with Tom Falkenstein about the beauty of connecting deeply as an HSP and:   • The correlation between sensitivity and mental health • Unique struggles and opportunities of being a highly sensitive man  • Understanding that sensitivity is not a burden or a deficit, but a neutral trait that you’re born w...

Are you pushing yourself beyond your limits? In this episode, I talk with Maya Benattar, LCAT about ways to soften into rest and connection with yourself and: • Using music and other sensory experiences to understand your emotions more clearly • Leaning into softness and being gentle with yourself more often • Unhooking from the pressure to always overextend yourself  • Finding the balance between...

Did you learn to repress your emotions as a kid or are you figuring out how to support the big emotions of your HSP kiddo? In this episode, I talk with Sarita Fichtner about the importance of expressing your emotions from an early age and:     • Long-term effects of being labeled “too sensitive” or “lazy” as a young HSP • The profound impact of discovering your sensitivity on your mental health •...

Do you feel disconnected from yourself and your needs? In this episode, I talk with Elizabeth Cush, LCPC about being more gentle with yourself and: • Finding your way to acceptance of your sensitivity through self-compassion  • Practicing simple acts of mindfulness to understand what you need moment to moment • Slowing down to nurture all parts of yourself and your life • Living a balanced life wi...

Are you overwhelmed and exhausted trying to be the perfect parent? In this episode, I talk with Amy Lajiness, LCSW, PMH-C about highly sensitive parenthood and:  • What to do when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and touched out  • How pregnancy and parenting multiple children can increase overstimulation, leading to panic attacks, rage, or somatic symptoms  • Creating a sensory toolkit and finding...

Do you often get stuck in anxiety and overthinking? In this episode, I talk with Kate Hennessey about using tapping to self-soothe your sensitive nervous system and:  • The importance of setting up routines and of carving out time for self-care throughout every day • Learning EFT tapping, breathwork, and other somatic resources for calming anxiety, fear, and grief  • Meeting yourself where you are...

Have you gotten stuck in the belief that HSPs are fragile? In this episode, I talk with Ibinye Osibodu-Onyali, LMFT about celebrating your sensitivity and:  • Teaching people how to treat you and communicating that your needs are different • Setting firm, but kind boundaries and how to manage pushback  • Finding fulfilling ways to socialize without the overwhelm or social pressure to show up like...

Is it difficult to find quiet spaces to think and reflect? In this episode, I talk with Jenna Mitchell, BSW, MSW, RSW about using nature as a resource to recharge and:  • How highly sensitive people are more connected and positively impacted by nature  • Taking your problems to nature when you’re stuck in overthinking or overwhelm  • Reconnecting with your creativity and intuition through nature ...

Do you worry you’re moving too slowly or not keeping up? In this solo episode I answer two listener questions:  • Any suggestions on how to cope when my deep processing translates to working much slower than everyone else? • How do we find balance and a sustainable routine when feeling deeply and overwhelmed by the daily hustle?  April Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and author in Califor...

Have you taken longer in life to meet certain milestones or discover yourself?  In this episode, I talk with Melissa Giberson about being a late bloomer and: • The healing power of language and being able to connect with others around your sensitivity • How difficult, yet essential it is to have enough solitude and quiet for yourself  • Discovering your sensitivity, sexuality, and other parts of y...

Are you feeling disconnected with your body and constantly pushing yourself to do more? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Danica Harris about coming home to yourself and:  • Carving out space and time to reconnect with your true self as an HSP • Finding ways to resource and care for your sensitive nervous system • The importance of somatic work for healing chronic overwhelm and trauma • Listening t...

Are you overgiving in your relationships?  In this episode, I talk with Melissa Guttman, MT-BC, LCAT about setting boundaries with emotionally immature people and:  • Why highly sensitive people often struggle with boundaries and codependency in their relationships  • Reframing guilt as a marker of taking better care of yourself instead of thinking that you’ve done something wrong  • Letting go of...

Are you able to fully relax and decompress at home?  In this solo episode I answer two listener questions:  • What can you do to make moving to a new space less stressful?  • How can I manage living with other people? April Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and author in California. She specializes in working with highly sensitive people to help calm the storm of overwhelm, anxiety, and sel...

Have you hidden away your sensitivity because others said you needed to be strong?  In this episode, I talk with Noni Vaughn-Pollard, about the cost of perfectionism and…  • Setting down the pressure to be like everyone else and embracing the soft, quiet life   • Stepping back from the pressure to be exceptional as a highly sensitive person of color   • Honoring family and cultural values without...

Do you want to accomplish more, but quickly burn out your energy?  In this solo episode I answer two listener questions:   • How can you be consistently productive as a highly sensitive person?   • Is it possible to be an ambitious, sensitive person?  April Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and author in California. She specializes in working with highly sensitive people to help calm the st...

Are you exhausted or resentful from constantly putting your needs aside?  In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sharon Martin about setting boundaries and:  • Accepting your sensitivity and your basic human needs for rest as a precursor to setting boundaries more effectively • Distinguishing between direct and indirect boundaries • Benefits of communicating your needs, setting limits, and compromising...

Do you feel overwhelmed and underappreciated at work?  In this episode, I talk with Melody Wilding, LMSW about trusting yourself at work and: • Balancing the strengths and liabilities of being what Melody calls a “Sensitive Striver”  • Trusting your intuition as a valuable source of information  • The key to speaking up in meetings starts by building relationships and taking care of your nervous s...

Are you constantly putting the needs of others before yourself and struggling to show up as your full self in relationships?  In this solo episode I answer two listener questions:  • Why do I feel so much resentment in my relationships?  • How do you tell people you are an HSP?  April Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and author in California. She specializes in working with highly sensitiv...

Are you in relationships where you feel lonely, exhausted, or used?  In this episode, I talk with Julie Wrocklage, LPC about the emotional toll of being in one-sided relationships and:  • The differences between a supportive, reciprocal relationship and a one-sided relationship where there’s no or little reciprocity • What makes highly sensitive people more vulnerable to being in relationships wit...

Are you constantly doing more than you have the bandwidth for as an HSP?  In this solo episode I answer two listener questions:  • How do you NOT feel influenced by the pressure from the non-HSPs in your life to do more?   • How do you manage social pressure/guilt that comes up when you need to recharge but feel you can’t say no?  April Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and author in Califo...

Have you felt overwhelmed by grief or been pressured to get over it quickly? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Elizabeth Butler about finding your way through grief as a sensitive person and: • The unexpected ways grief can show up such as irritability, anxiety, and anger • How community support and rituals can support you in your processing of grief • Grief shows up when you lose someone, but also...

Have you put yourself aside for years? In this episode, I talk with Jen Berlingo, LPC, ATR about tuning back into your inner calling and… • Emerging in midlife and unmasking to be your full self again • Looking inward to identify what needs to change • Navigating big life changes and taking one small step forward at a time • Turning your ear back inward to listen to your inner yearnings and reclai...

Are you burning out trying to do all the things you’re supposed to? In this episode, I talked with Maegan Megginson, LMFT, LPC about unhooking from expectations and finding new ways to be of service to yourself.  We also explored:   • Grieving the life you imagined you would have before discovering that you’re highly sensitive   • Experimenting with changes to feel more comfortable with yourself,...

Do you feel others emotions as deeply as your own?  In this episode, I talk with Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT about how to care for yourself as an empath and:   • Growing up sensitive as the eldest in a latino family and how family roles impact your experience as an HSP   • Learning to provide support in a balanced way and not automatically jumping in to rescue others   • How to care for yourself...

What has been your experience finding connection and community as a highly sensitive person?  In this episode, I talk with Brian Torres, LMFT about the stigma of high sensitivity, the essential need for more inclusive HSP community spaces, and:   • The vulnerability of sharing your sensitivity and opening up to criticism and misperceptions about the trait • The stigma of high sensitivity and the e...