This week I’m talking all about hyperarousal and the Expectation Effect . Do you ever find yourself thinking things like: “I understand all of this logically, so why am I still not sleeping?” “I didn’t go to bed until I was sleepy, but then I still didn’t sleep. Why is that?” “I normally sleep well on the weekends, but this week I didn’t. What’s going on?” These are all perfectly normal thoughts that can lead to some hyperarousal. Hyperarousal stems from expecting something about a situation to ...
Apr 04, 2024•12 min•Ep. 26
Working with Austyn to get beyond insomnia was such a pleasure and now he’s sharing his story to help others. In this heartfelt interview we dive into: The role of OCD in insomnia How the brain latches on to an intrusive thought The connection between health anxiety and sleep anxiety The loneliness of insomnia Austyn gives us an honest portrayal of the recovery trajectory and how the concepts of courage, self-compassion, mindfulness, trust, and acceptance come into the picture. Nothing about ins...
Mar 21, 2024•52 min•Ep. 25
This one is all about TRUST, my friends. Because when it comes to insomnia, trust seems to be the missing ingredient. I mean... Could you even HAVE insomnia if you trusted your own ability to sleep? I don’t think so. Let’s talk about the intersection between faith and fear, and how these two orientations occupy two sides of the same coin. In this episode, we look at: The pivotal role of trust in the context of insomnia. How I help people reconnect to their trust. My personal definition of insomn...
Mar 07, 2024•17 min•Ep. 24
Do you JOLT awake right on the cusp of sleep and feel a sense of panic? Does your brain decide to wake you up right after you fall asleep? Do you feel like you’re unconsciously monitoring everything about your sleep even while you’re falling asleep? This episode is all about hypnic jerks — what they are, why they happen, and what you can do about it. Hypnic jerks were a big part of my insomnia experience, and definitely one of the scariest parts. I could not understand why my body would jolt me ...
Feb 22, 2024•12 min•Ep. 23
This episode is a shout-out to all my fellow analytical, detail-oriented, problem-solving, Type A, perfectionistic code-crackers. I know you're out there! If you find yourself meticulously scrutinizing every detail of your life looking for clues as to why you have insomnia, this one's for you. We deep dive into a common behavior I call ‘pattern-seeking.’ This natural facet of our safety system helps us survive in the world, but in the case of insomnia, often turns into patternicity. Patternicity...
Feb 08, 2024•12 min•Ep. 22
Sleep meds were the absolute BANE of my existence. I loathed taking them but also really needed them, which entangled me in a web of constant worry about the impact they were going to have on my life. But here's the twist... That changed pretty quickly once I understood what insomnia was and why it was happening. In today’s episode, I share the ups and downs of my personal journey and explore the Mind. Body. Sleep. mentorship’s unique stance on medication during insomnia recovery. Then, I talk a...
Jan 25, 2024•14 min•Ep. 21
Hello, my friends! This one is all about measuring PROGRESS. When you’re going through insomnia, of course you want sleep more than life itself — that's totally understandable. But let’s be mindful of how we measure progress because one leads to stress, and the other safety. In this episode, I challenge the conventional measure of progress and introduce a novel perspective: Progress is better assessed by how one RESPONDS to sleep than the quantity or quality of sleep itself. What?! Tune in to le...
Jan 11, 2024•20 min•Ep. 20
Finding real help for insomnia can feel daunting. Mainly because there are TWO different conversations going on in the sleep world: 1. Sleep optimization: This conversation focuses on improving sleep for people who don't have insomnia, typically through lifestyle changes and sleep hygiene practices. 2. Insomnia: This conversation addresses the underlying conditioned fear and anxiety driving chronic sleeplessness. The stark contradiction between these two conversations makes it crucial to underst...
Dec 28, 2023•20 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, I not only spill the beans on my newfound passion for Peloton, but I go deeper into why our brains won’t let us sleep. Join me to learn: Why insomnia is based in survival How insomnia becomes a fear The role of hyperarousal The difference between real and perceived danger The significance of mindfulness during recovery Why fixing sleep doesn’t work This deep dive into perceived threat responses offers hope and unveils why the principles of neuroplasticity empowers us to go beyon...
Dec 14, 2023•17 min•Ep. 18
Welcome to this insightful interview with the lovely Lauren Meikle joining us all the way from South Africa. Lauren opens up about her unexpected journey through insomnia. It all started when she started teaching K-Pop dance classes… In this powerful conversation, Lauren reveals: How her relationship to sleep started to change Why she had to step back from teaching dance The resurgence of insomnia and its toll on her life Why she felt like she was losing her mind How chasing more things to sleep...
Nov 30, 2023•36 min•Ep. 17
In today’s episode we explore the powerful concept of INDIFFERENCE. Fostering an attitude of indifference is a transformative way to acknowledge your brains messages without being overly fazed them. You’re not taking whatever it’s telling you as the unequivocal TRUTH of the situation. Insomnia is a conditioned pattern of fear. But we can nurture our brains to let go of this fear. By responding from a place of indifference (versus reinforcement), we can forge new pathways around what the brain pe...
Nov 16, 2023•13 min•Ep. 16
Do you ever wake up and wonder if you even slept at all? Do you feel like your body is sleeping but your brain is awake? Do you feel like you’re in some kind of weird limbo state; half-asleep and half-awake? If so, this episode is tailored specifically for you! One of the most bizarre aspects of my own insomnia experience was the seeming inability I had to sleep deeply. My brain wouldn’t let me cross fully into sleep no matter what I did. Hypersleep is a common phenomenon, but without understand...
Nov 09, 2023•14 min•Ep. 15
In this compelling episode, I sit down with Richard Wills MD, resident sleep coach for the Mind. Body. Sleep. mentorship program. Throughout this thoughtful interview, he candidly shares the remarkable 40-year journey that has been his struggle with insomnia. Tune in for a captivating story of how insomnia starts... and how it ends. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll hear: How insomnia started in med school How sleep deprivation became glorified during his residency The challenges that came with...
Nov 02, 2023•29 min•Ep. 14
Do you feel like insomnia is slowly starting to take over your life? Are you wondering if you're ever going to be who you were before insomnia? Is life getting smaller and smaller but you’re not really sure what to do about it? This episode is for you. The insomnia identity can sneak up you… First, you give up things that you really enjoy like coffee or wine (even though they never affected your sleep before). Then, you stop going out with friends at night (too close to bedtime and what if you d...
Oct 26, 2023•17 min•Ep. 13
Is the association you have with your bed making it difficult to sleep? Possibly. But I think there’s a bit more to the story. This episode explores the role of the bed in insomnia and presents a new perspective on how the brain perceives this association. Tune in to learn: Why the bed theory didn’t make sense to me The true driver behind sleeplessness Why cues don’t equal cause What really made the difference in my bed When it makes sense to change your relationship with the bed If you’re worri...
Oct 19, 2023•10 min•Ep. 12
Have you struggled with feelings of fear or anxiety during insomnia? This can look like: Panic at night lying in bed Fear around bedtime Low grade feelings of dread or doom Anxiety that comes out of the nowhere Anticipatory anxiety about late nights or trips How to go about processing these emotions isn’t always clear. In this episode, I share a 3-step framework for HOW TO FEEL YOUR FEELINGS: Awareness: Recognizing fear is the first step towards addressing it. Compassion: Rewiring your brain fro...
Oct 12, 2023•17 min•Ep. 11
Hey there new moms, this one is for you! This insightful conversation is with Talia Cooper, an intuitive eating coach who’s been in the trenches of postpartum sleep disruption. And in her case, insomnia kicked in when her daughter actually started sleeping BETTER! Here’s a sneak peek of some of the wisdom she’s dropping: The a-ha moment she had after infant sleep training How old eating patterns showed up during sleep struggles How sleep became an obsession The big eye-opener she had about hyper...
Oct 05, 2023•24 min•Ep. 10
This episode is ALL about the unconscious mind. Sleep at its very core is SIMPLE. There is nothing you need to do or be. But could we be missing an opportunity to understand insomnia from greater perspective? Could insomnia itself be a conditioned fear that lives beneath our conscious awareness? I certainly think so! In this episode, I share 3 reasons WHY understanding the unconscious mind isn’t just valuable, but transformative. 1. It knows WAY more than the conscious mind does. It’s where emot...
Sep 28, 2023•18 min•Ep. 9
The “sleepy rule” is a popular one. But does it always apply? In this episode I unpack the pros and cons behind waiting until you’re sleepy to go to bed. If you find yourself thinking: “Am I sleepy yet?” “Is this a good time to go to bed?” “Is this sleepy or just fatigue?” “What if I’m not sleepy enough?” This podcast is for you! I talk about: Chasing sleep and what that looks like The big idea behind waiting until you’re sleepy to go to bed How the brain shifts into “monitoring mode” looking fo...
Sep 21, 2023•12 min•Ep. 8
Have you done some crazy things to sleep? Spent tons of money trying everything? Feel like you’re the ONLY one who has gone to such lengths? Well, you’re NOT alone! Join close friend and fellow sleep coach, Michelle Weil, and I as we share some of the wildest things we’ve ever done for sleep and why we can laugh about them now. In this episode, we dive into: What Seinfeld had to do with Michelle and insomnia. The most expensive thing Beth did for sleep. The bizarre environments we could sleep in...
Sep 14, 2023•33 min•Ep. 7
Have you ever wondered WHY, despite sleeping better, you can actually feel more tired than you did before you were sleeping? When I had insomnia, I felt either wired but tired OR like a complete zombie. There wasn't a lot of middle ground. Which made no sense whatsoever. Today, we’re taking the mystery out of this upside-down characteristic of insomnia. Tune in to hear more about: Unmasking hyperarousal: I’ll demystify the term and show you how it relates to the process of sleep. Why it’s so nor...
Sep 07, 2023•11 min•Ep. 6
Today we’re diving into the world of sleep tools, from meditations to breathing exercises to hypnosis. With so many options available, how do you know which one to use? But there is a bigger question to ponder… Do these tools genuinely help improve sleep, or are we inadvertently trying to control something that should just come effortlessly? This episode provides a whole new perspective on sleep tools and their impact. I’ll guide you away from some of the common traps associated with these tools...
Aug 31, 2023•12 min•Ep. 5
Part two of my story picks up where part one left off. Join me as I share the transformative process of leaving insomnia, and how it led me to where I am now working as a sleep coach. I talk about: The big A-HA that changed my entire perspective of insomnia. Why insomnia was never about my sleep. How my responses to sleep ultimately changed my sleep over time. How making peace with my situation led me out of my situation. The major milestones and defining moments in my recovery process. All the ...
Aug 24, 2023•22 min•Ep. 4
Today I’m talking about my personal struggle with insomnia. And it was a long one, y’all! In this episode, I share: The metaphor I use to describe my experience with insomnia How my brain created a link between wakefulness and fear in early life Why I’m surprisingly thankful for everything I went through How insomnia showed up in random cycles All the unconscious ways I started to “chase” sleep How I mastered the “no pain, no gain” mindset and why it didn’t work for insomnia My struggle with the...
Aug 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 3
Do you find yourself grappling with feelings of anger or envy when you see other people sleeping so effortlessly? Does the sight of your kids or pets sleeping peacefully trigger anxiety within you? Do you feel like you’re the only one struggling while everyone else seems to sleep perfectly? You are NOT alone. In today’s episode, we’re talking about the very real phenomenon of Sleep Envy. Few of us go through the experience of insomnia without feeling the understandable emotions of grief and rese...
Aug 17, 2023•10 min•Ep. 2
In this groundbreaking episode, we challenge the conventional view of insomnia and dive deep into the three core philosophies that not only shape everything in my business, but will also revolutionize the way you perceive insomnia. Discover what it means to embrace a holistic approach to sleep coaching. Explore the profound connection between insomnia and survival. Unravel the mystery behind sleepless nights. Gain a greater understanding of the mind-body factors that contribute to hyperarousal. ...
Aug 17, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1
Mind. Body. Sleep.™ is the perfect podcast for anyone who wants to recover from insomnia using a holistic perspective. In this podcast, we explore the remarkable world of neuroplasticity and dive deep into the inner workings of the mind and nervous system. We’ll discover how these vital aspects of our being influence our sleep patterns and offer groundbreaking insights into the transformational power of the mind-body connection. Completely recovered after 42 years of insomnia, holistic sleep coa...
Jul 19, 2023•55 sec
