The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant

It can be difficult to stay positive in today's world. Not only do we all have an inner critic trying to send negative self-talk our way, but with 24-hour news coming at us, social media, polarization, and fear and anger in the world, it is so easy to get pulled into energy that doesn't serve us or uplift us. It's no wonder that so many of us struggle with mental health, anxiety, and depression. I...

Whether it's eating healthier, getting exercise, starting a meditation practice or staying socially connected, figuring out what to do to be happy might be simple – but actually doing these things and living in a way that lets us experience happiness is much harder. When we know there are things we can do that will make us healthier and happier, why do we struggle to actually do them? Why do we ge...

We live in a world that's both more connected and more disconnected than ever. With things like Zoom, FaceTime, and social media, we can get in touch with others with the click of a button. But we also have an epidemic of loneliness. We scroll by each other without really engaging with each other. Even in our most intimate relationships, we can easily find ourselves co-existing without connecting...

As human beings, we are hardwired to heal. Think about it: if you get a cut or a scrape, your body naturally repairs itself. If you get a cold or flu, your immune system kicks in to fight off the invader and keep you healthy.   Healing is our birthright…so if we're experiencing disease, it's a sign that something is blocking our natural ability to heal.   Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary is a neurologist and...

Whether you love manifesting or you're still a little skeptical, I want you to consider one thing: if the Law of Attraction really is a law of nature, like gravity, is it possible that it is working in your life whether you know it or not?   Is it possible that your unconscious beliefs are shaping your reality in ways you don't realize – or want – simply because you haven't chosen another way of t...

I'm sure we all have an image that comes into our minds when we think about psychedelics – probably something related to hippies, jam bands, and wild colors and shapes. But what if there's something more to these substances? What if they could be powerful tools for healing? I know, I know: when I first heard people ask that question, I was skeptical too. I thought of psychedelics as drugs, and I d...

We all experience emotions, but most of us don't really understand what emotions are. These feelings can drastically alter our day, our life and our experience in the world, yet they're intangible and often messy and confusing. It's no wonder many of us try to avoid them altogether.    Well, get ready to have your mind blown and to see emotions in a whole new light in this brilliant episode with D...

Rejection is one of the greatest fears we have as humans. Even simple rejections like not making the team or being chosen for a job – things we know aren't personal – still sting deeply. Why does rejection seem to hit at the core of who we are? Susan Anderson began asking this question when she went through a personal experience of abandonment. The love of her life left her suddenly for another wo...

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE deep conversation, and in this show, I'm letting you in on a beautiful conversation I had with my husband during one of our weekly coffee chats. This was totally unplanned, but as our chat turned into a conversation about the soul, connection and spiritual practice, I felt such important information coming through and hit "record" so all of you could join us in thi...

Let's talk about sex, baby! Our sexuality is a core part of ourselves and the human experience, but for too long, we've treated sex as a taboo subject. Well, in this episode, we're "going there" and hopefully breaking down some walls and shame in the process.   My guest on this episode, Dr. Holly Richmond, is a marriage and family therapist, sex therapist and somatic (body-based) therapist who hel...

When Brian Pennie was just a few weeks old, a medical condition nearly killed him, and the surgery the doctors performed to save his life was done without anesthesia, a common practice for young infants at the time (based on the faulty belief that infants couldn't feel pain). Though Brian doesn't consciously remember the surgery, his body remembered, and this early childhood trauma would define ho...

If you've been around The Adult Chair ® for a minute, you've heard me say that happiness is an inside job. We are so prone to believe that joy comes from our external circumstances, which leads us to strive and strive for what we think will finally make us happy and blame others for our unhappiness. But the reality is that nothing outside of us will be able to make us happy if we don't first culti...

You think you're a good person, you genuinely love your partner and you try to do the right thing …so why are you struggling in your relationship? Why do you and your partner feel unhappy, disconnected and maybe even headed for divorce?   These are the questions Matt Fray asked himself after his marriage ended. He knew he was a decent guy. He knew he had loved his wife, been faithful and done the...

When we're born into the world, we're born into a set of assumptions and norms. When this is all we've known, we think this is just the way the world works — but what if it's all just an illusion? What if there's another way to live – outside of the status quo – and how can you manifest that life for yourself?   Yemi Penn calls this "bending reality," and, no, she's not talking about some kind of...

There's a funny meme I see floating around the internet that says, "I'm sorry for the things I said when it was winter."   It's a joke, but as always, there's truth in humor – and the reality is that winter REALLY does affect our mood (and how we react to others) at a scientific level.   This is due to something called "seasonal affective disorder," or SAD, and it has everything to do with the amo...

Does it ever feel like other people in your life just have more capacity than you? They float through busy social calendars, difficult family situations, work stress and world events while you feel overwhelmed, bogged down and exhausted. You wonder what's wrong with you and if they're right: you really are too sensitive.   If that sounds like you, there is NOTHING wrong with you; you just might be...

Relationships are one of the most basic human needs, but building healthy relationships takes self-awareness and work. While we talk a lot about behaviors that can make a relationship unhealthy, such as narcissism and gaslighting (which are both more than unhealthy – they're abuse), I thought it was time to talk about what makes a relationship a keeper.  What traits can you look to as your benchma...

When we think of trauma, many of us think of war, a car accident or a major, life-altering event. Though all of these events are certainly traumatic, they are only one type of trauma – what we often call "big T" trauma.   But there are many other forms of subtler trauma, including small events that happen over and over again (especially in childhood), that overwhelm our nervous systems and shape t...

Do you know what anxiety really feels like? I'm not talking about the emotions of fear or stress, but what it feels like in your body.   So many of us live with anxiety and don't even know it because it's SO physical. It's even easy to mistake it for physical disease, like heart issues or digestive issues.   That was the case for Abbe Greenberg and Maggie Sarachek, two soul sisters who are both me...

You love them, and you think they love you…so why does it feel like you're going crazy so often in your relationship?    You leave conversations feeling confused, questioning your reality and maybe even questioning your own sanity.   You might be in a relationship with a gaslighter.   Gaslighting is a term that is thrown around frequently, but it is far more than someone questioning us or challeng...

Narcissism is such a buzzword these days...it can be tempting to throw the label at anyone in our lives who isn't healthy or who is a little bit full of themselves. While I love that psychology is so accessible and that the world has a lot more awareness of narcissism than in the past, it's so important to understand what narcissism really is, so we can spot it and heal from it – whether you are i...

Are you convinced you're just bad at boundaries? Do you worry this is a trait that you were born without and you're just destined to feel taken advantage of and resentful for the rest of your life?   The truth is that no one is born good at boundaries! They're not something you have or don't have; they're a skill you develop. That's right – you CAN become a boundary boss!   My guest today, Terri C...

A month-long trip to Europe might sound like a dream, but for Gabrielle Stone, it was one more curveball during one of the hardest years of her life.   After catching her husband cheating on her, getting divorced, falling head over heels for a new man and planning a dream trip to Europe with him, days before they were scheduled to leave, he told her he would be going on his own.   With a plane tic...

All of us have an inner critic – the part that reminds us of our limits, our failures and tries to "keep us in line." It's that voice inside your head that can be critical, judgmental and even mean. Though it's just one part of who we are, the inner critic is one of those parts that can be especially painful and stressful to deal with.   Not only does the inner critic impact our sense of self-wort...

When we think about the lives we want to live – the things we want to do and experience and the big dreams we have – the ego will give us a thousand reasons "why not." Some of these reasons might be real traumas or health issues we have to overcome; others are figments of the ego's imagination…fear and discomfort that scream at us to stay in the safe place.   But one thing is certain: anyone who h...