Starfish Hypnosis

This episode is brought to you from my floor, surrounded by boxes, as we prepare for a big move. It's hard and special and painful and beautiful to be leaving a place and people and memories that feel like home... off to another place, 1400 miles away, that also holds people and memories that feel like home. If you are going through a big change in your home, your work, your recovery... I&apo...

This week I'm talking about that mental place where you’re not quite ready to change something, but you’re not okay with things staying the same either. It's an in-between space I call the "want to want," and it's what this episode is about. We’re talking about shame, and how it differs from guilt (a distinction that matters more than most people realize). Shame makes a be...

We're talking about CONTROL today. And how it relates to freedom. And how it feels to yearn for both. We're talking about drinking as a way to grasp for control, and the freedom that comes when we hold ourselves and our yearnings in a looser hand.  Love ya, so glad you're here. Learn more at LizMcKean.com . You can also connect with me on Instagram @liz.mckean , or send me an email...

Welcome to season 2!! Today I'm talking about perfection - or the performance of perfection - gets in the way of all the best parts of life. That includes recovery of all kinds, a sense of joy, of freedom, and can even delay launching season 2 of a podcast (who knew)! So take a few big breaths, know that you're perfect exactly as you are, and join me for a shiny new season, devoid of any...

This episode is the finale to Season 1! What a wild thing to say! And Season 2 is going to be even better, so be sure you've subscribed! In this convo, we talk about the Italian word "attraversiamo," made famous in Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, and one of my fave tattoos. This epidsode is a big ol' loving permission slip to make a change. Whether that change is large or...

Can you find healing without knowing what the THING is that you need to heal from? Is generational trauma real (spoiler alert, science says it is)? And how the heck do we put down what we're carrying when it doesn't even belong to us? This and more in this rather emotional episode, and I'm so grateful for your ear and your heart that's listening in. If you are blaming yourself...

Today I have some tangible, tried and true tips that I hope provide some relief in your most anxiety-laden moments; and maybe even make the worse case scenarios less likely to happen. My favorite tools are the ones that work so well I eventually don't even need them! The good (and infuriating) news is that these are incredibly simple practices. So simple that it feels a bit insulting how well...

Today's chat is inspired by a reel (which I'll link below) that struck me as a perfect metaphor for our subconscious. Your conscious mind is such a tiny part of you- it's a tiny little island while your subconscious is the whole ocean. And that scary thing in the ocean, the nightmare-fueling villain in so many old movies- the shark- is not actually trying to hurt you. In fact, there...

Welcome to the newly renamed Starfish Hypnosis! Same host, same vibes, lil name shift. Because hypnosis is what I do, and subconscious stories and programming and, to be totally cliche, healing- is what we talk about here! In this meandering chat, I explain the new name, give you some insight on what hypnosis is (and what it is not).  You'll also here my take on why alcohol "worked"...

A sort-of part 2 to last week's episode, as I delve a little deeper into "the pause," which I believe is the key to getting ourselves out of the seemingly endless inner- automation that ends with us breaking promises to ourselves. I really hope to drive home the point that what I want for us is the ability to make a choice before engaging in whatever habit/behavior we keep repeating...

Remember when Chandler proposed to Monica (the first time)... because he was sorry ? Thank goodness she said no, right? In this episode, I'm talking about rock bottom promises, a.k.a. those changes you swear you'll make... because you're sorry. And we do this all the time! Even when it's a great promise with positive potential, the motivation of "sorry" or any type of...

Today I come to you as my messy, sick, overwhelmed, very human, and ever-hopeful real-life self! And oh hey- I have a new Instagram page! It is barely birthed but I hope you follow along. Just look for the handle  @starfishhypnosis (or click the link). I plan to share more in depth hypnosis & how-to-feel-better content in this new space, and I can't wait to connect with you there. (I&apos...

We're digging into emotions- why they are good, when they are hard and how they are forever inconvenient.  The wild and wide distance between a real life problem and the body’s reaction to it Why an out-of-proportion panic response is not personal failure, it's actually incredibly wise (albeit terribly inconvenient) A Kumail Nanjiani joke that perfectly frames this emotional mismatch (hi...

Holy crap we're 21 episodes in!  Today I'm digging back in to the topic of identity, how cool and also frustrating that our brains make rules to keep us safe... and more things like this: identity (and how much of mine was wrapped up in a job title) what happens emotionally when you step away from something that once defined you the subconscious “rules” that decide whether we feel worthy...

Are you sweet, soft, and flexible? Or strong, stable, and rigid?  Spoiler... we're all both. We need both. Physically, emotionally, mentally, we need the sukha and the sthira.  That's the focus of my convo today- hope you enjoy! Learn more at LizMcKean.com . You can also connect with me on Instagram @liz.mckean , or send me an email at Liz@LizMckean.com .  I'd love to hear from you!...

It’s the obligatory New Year episode of Starfish Diaries! Dropping this one early in case you want to hang out with me in your ears before the ball drops. Or after. Or anytime! But we don't do the "new year, new you" nonsense up in here. We lean in to reflection, grace, and permission to be human. ...All of which are counterintuitive to my natural brain chemistry, which is why a dis...

In this episode of Starfish Diaries , I’m talking about uniqueness; how deeply individual our bodies, minds, needs, and paths to feeling better actually are… and why honoring that matters so much. In this episode, we'll explore: Why we all experience anxiety, addiction, and healing incredibly differently What happens when our true need are overridden by societal expectations How addiction (of...

In this episode of Starfish Diaries , I’m getting honest about anxiety, ADHD, and the particular heaviness that tends to show up in a big way on Sundays and Mondays. Even in seasons of my life when I haven’t worked a traditional Monday through Friday schedule, those days have always carried extra weight for me, and I wanted to talk about why. From my kitchen. In my bathrobe. At 1pm on a Monday! I...

Holiday Hypnosis sessions are deeply discounted until December 31st! Grab one here while they last. In today’s episode, I’m talking honestly about my experience with anxiety and panic- how it shows up in my body, and how it can make even the smallest moments feel impossible. But not only do I share what anxiety feels like for me, and why it sometimes spirals so quickly, I'm sharing the tools...

Quick announcement! Holiday Hypnosis sessions are suuuuper discounted when purchased between now and December 31, 2025. They will never be this price again so grab a little slice of peace for yourself while the deal is hot! Info here. In this episode of Starfish Diaries, we talk about what it really means to cope. Not in the moralized, shame-filled way we’re taught to think about coping, but with...

In this episode of Starfish Diaries, I’m talking about something I think we all feel but rarely name out loud: the hard-to-ignore dread that creeps in when something in our life is out of alignment. It feels heavy in your chest, steals your joy, and makes your nervous system feel like it’s bracing even when nothing is technically wrong. If, like me, you’ve spent years chasing gold stars, external...

In this episode, I dive into one of my favorite topics: coping mechanisms. These are the things we do, in spite of efforts to stop, to get through the hard parts of being human. We talk about the shame that gets layered on top of our coping, why it feels so heavy, and why the shame makes it so much harder to make changes. I share some of my own patterns, the things I’ve reached for over the years,...

I have a website at last, and one you can use to learn more about how to work with me! Check it out at LizMcKean.com Today I am talking about my three non-negotiable values: choice, safety, and access to resources. In my not-so-humble opinion, these are the conditions a joyful life actually requires. I fiercely protect them for myself, and I am dedicated to creating them for others. In this episod...

Shame has such a sneaky way of showing up in our lives, and in this episode I talk about why I'm over it. Shame lives in the corners, in the cravings, in the habits we swear we’ll quit tomorrow. Let's dig into why shame feels so heavy… and why it doesn’t actually help us grow. Together, we explore how moral judgments from society and from ourselves turn very normal coping mechanisms into...

In this episode, we're talking about what it really means to feel safe- not just physically, but emotionally and energetically. I open up about my own experiences with anxiety and the ways it can quietly shape our choices, our relationships, and how we move through the world. Through personal stories and a few favorite metaphors (including one about a tsunami), I explore how finding safety is...