Feeling overwhelmed by the endless to-do and a life that feels mostly stressful most of the time? It's time to take control and edit your stress bucket. Think of it as a gentle dance of self-awareness and adjustments, not a one-time fix. Now, the fun part (IMO): the "Delete, Delegate, Different" method. Delete stressors that drain you and are unnecessary. Delegate tasks that others can handle, freeing up your time and energy. For stressors that can't be deleted or delegated, find ways to do them...
Nov 21, 2023•36 min•Ep. 40
In this episode, we're diving into the 3rd step of the Stress Bucket Exercise, which is all about managing your stress bucket. You'll learn three ways to increase your "buffer zone" and manage our stress bucket: poking holes in the bucket, "scooping" out, and making your bucket bigger. 🪣 We also discuss the difference between baseline stressors and daily stressors - this distinction matter because the way that you manage those particular stressors can look different from the other. Stress manag...
Nov 14, 2023•37 min•Ep. 39
In this episode I admit that as a thirty-something year old I currently have the average heart rate variability of a healthy 60 year old. I've significantly decreased the chronic stress load on my nervous system, but unfortunately not before it took a really and measurable toll. The good new is that there are ways to improve HRV, things I'm actively doing in my life today. The bottom line though is that we HAVE to, and I'm speaking as much to myself as I am to you right now, we have to take stre...
Nov 07, 2023•33 min•Ep. 38
We’ve all heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup, but I’d also like to put a twist on it today and say you can’t add to a full one. Join me for part 1 in a 4 part series unpacking the steps to the Stress Bucket Exercise. Todays conversation is all about step 1: Assess - this answers the question of, "What is in my stress bucket?" Until you can get it out of your head and onto paper you'll likely stay mostly stressed most of the time - and that's no way to live! Join me while I walk yo...
Oct 31, 2023•37 min•Ep. 37
None of us will ever be a perfect friend, parent, partner, or self-healer – so one of the most valuable skills we can learn is how to repair. In the last two episodes I’ve shared pretty openly that my default survival mode is FIGHT, I’m someone who’s nervous system is still pretty primed for quick activation and as a result I’ve often shown up in relationship with other people in way’s I'm less proud of. Join me for a conversation on how to return and repair, first with yourself and then with ot...
Oct 24, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Last week we talked about default survival responses and I invited you to see if you could identify yours – if you haven’t listened to that episode yet I recommend starting there because today’s conversation is a natural extension of that chat where I’ll expand on reasons why it might be helpful to identify your partner’s default way of responding when their sense of self or safety feels at all threatened and how even if they never consciously acknowledge their default survival response how your...
Oct 17, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 35
When you're in an argument or when something doesn't go according to plan - do you face it head on? Avoid conflict? Say sorry when it wasn't your fault? Shut down? We all have a default way of responding when our sense of self or safety is threatened, and that default response looks different for each of us based on biology, our past lived experiences, and the perceived intensity of the threat. In this episode I unpack identifying what your default survival mode ore response is and why that matt...
Oct 10, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 34
It can feel important and go undone if your capacity isn’t there. For me right now sitting on the porch with my kid is more important than a lot of the house projects I’d like to get done. And getting to bed by 9:30pm is more important to me than any shows I want to watch or DM’s I want to get caught up on. Ask yourself, what takes care of me so that I can better take care of my kids? Choose that. If you’re a parent to young kids, the most important thing you can do is model for them the way you...
Oct 03, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Have you ever felt like being a parent is simultaneously the best and hardest thing you'd ever done? In my opinion, it is both of those things. Today's conversation is guided by some incredible and vulnerable parents who submitted questions to my AMA form that I want to provide some support for today. We chat through navigating anxiety & depression, activation and shut down, as parents. I'll offer a simple way to audit your "load" as a means to increasing your capacity (something I'll also e...
Sep 26, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 32
🗝️ In this special episode, I'm diving into questions submitted by our amazing listeners. I'll be sharing insights and offering thoughts on a variety of topics that you've been curious about. This format is something I'd love to do more of in the future, so keep those questions coming! Drop your questions or struggles in the form link below for future AMA episodes. 🔍 In this episode, I covered three key questions: Question #1: How to communicate with our family/friends when something they sa...
Sep 19, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 31
If you’ve been trying to heal your health anxiety & haven’t been able to, it might be because you’re missing one of the 4 evidence-based approaches I discuss in today's episode. My hope is that this 2 part mini series on health anxiety gives you a really clear roadmap as to some possible next steps on your journey to overcoming health anxiety. We'll discuss the brains built in negativity bias and why some people can calmly float through health issues and other cannot before discussing the 4 ...
Sep 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 30
In this 2-episode mini series on health anxiety we'll discuss what it is and how to overcome it using an evidence based 4-pronged approach. Join me today to learn more about the anxiety response in your brain and body, how this applies to health anxiety, and an exercise to explore your unique experience of health anxiety symptoms, thoughts, and behaviors. Gaining understanding of the basic physiology of anxiety and how you uniquely experience it in a health related ways lays a foundation for wor...
Sep 05, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 29
The minute we are born we start to lay down patterns of protection and connection. Join me for a reflective conversation on the piece of your healing that might be impacted by early patterns of protection and how vital laying down new patterns of connection are to your healing. I offer some suggestions in this episodes takeaways on how you might be able to do just that. Hit play to learn more! Join the next ATTUNEMENT CLASS ( now called "Release Class") mentioned in the podcast, use the code "RE...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Have you felt like you've been checking a lot of the boxes but still don't feel like you're making much progress in your healing? Today's conversation discusses the difference between in-the-moment nervous system regulation tools vs having a more regulated nervous system overall. The reality is, there’s no amount of healthy living, reactive regulation, or vagal toning exercises that can take the place of setting boundaries in toxic relationships, putting people in your life who cherish you, or t...
Aug 22, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Today you get another more candid conversation where I share with you some fundamental pieces that need to be in place on your healing journey. You will never be able to talk therapy, vagal tone, or meditate your way to healing anxiety or depression if you're sleeping 5 hours a night, eating crappy food, sitting too much, or hanging out with toxic people. Certain people who benefitted from the unhealed version of you will be frustrated by your efforts to heal, heal anyways. True healing takes a ...
Aug 15, 2023•37 min•Ep. 26
The same way a professional athlete creates a game plan for specific scenarios they may find themself in during their next match – you too can create a game plan to guide your towards regulation when you find yourself dysregulated in states of activation or shut down, anxiety or depression. In today’s episode I walk you through creating a “Regulation Game Plan” which creates a map for how you can best move from states of dysregulation to regulation giving you quick access to the reactive tools t...
Aug 08, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 25
CLICK HERE to submit a question for me to answer on our next "Ask Amanda" episode. Today I answered 3 questions from listeners just like you! We talked about how to build in self care as a parent, EMDR vs our 1:1 coaching, and a desire for advice and tangible tools for depression. Hit play to learn more! CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support? 1:1 Coaching (RESTORE): Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligib...
Aug 01, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 24
ADHD is one of the most common overlapping diagnosis for people who struggle with anxiety or depression. Today I take you on a little trip down my personal exploration of whether my symptoms that were diagnosed as ADHD were actually ADHD or rather a natural result of the unsustainable life I was living at the time. I also invite you to muse about some of the same things if it applies to you. Hit play to hear the conclusion I came to for myself and to hear more details about my story. CLICK HERE ...
Jul 25, 2023•37 min•Ep. 23
Episode 22 Join me for a less polished episode where I pull back the curtain a bit on this whole podcast thing and give you a peak into the juggling act that is my life as a business owner, mom, and podcast host. I also share my desire for you to play an active role in this podcast, here's the two links I mention: CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support? 1:1 Coaching (RESTORE): Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/...
Jul 18, 2023•24 min•Ep. 22
Episode 21 This is part 3 of a 3 episode mini series about depression. It's not enough to understand WHY you're struggling with depression, you also need to have tangible tools to regulate your nervous system and heal. In this episode we will build on the education and exploration from part 1 & 2 of this mini series. You'll learn that the secret to regulating your nervous system is to first meet it where it's at and then layer on various regulation tools to walk it towards feeling more conne...
Jul 11, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 21
This is part 2 of a 3 episode mini series about depression. Welcome to Part 2 of my 3-episode depression series. Today's conversations first discusses dissociation, what it is and why it happens. I then invite you into exploring how you uniquely experience this shut down state. Mapping this nervous system state involves exploring the different sesnation, emotions, thoughts, and behviors that you experience there. The more familiar you become with why and how you uniquely experience depression, t...
Jul 04, 2023•33 min•Ep. 20
This is part 1 of a 3 episode mini series about depression. I mismanaged my depression for SO LONG because I didn’t understand it. I floundered in my healing because I was told things, by doctors and psychiatrists no less, “that this is just the way I am and would just have to manage it my whole life” or “depression was a chemical imbalance” and the only fix was a pill. Because I didn’t really understand what depression was and where it was rooted, I didn’t have any kind of clear roadmap towards...
Jun 27, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Episode 18 We've all head that "exercise is good for anxiety" but what if that's generic advice doesn't fit your experience. What if that spin class gives you panic attack? Or just half a mile into your run your start to experience high anxiety? What if it seems like anxiety is making your symptoms worse? You're not alone. Join me in today's conversation around exercise induced anxiety, why it happens, and what you can do about it. Today's conversation combines my almost 15 years of experience i...
Jun 20, 2023•30 min•Ep. 18
Episode 17 My only tiktok to ever go mega viral to get millions of views was one about "7 signs you're stuck in survival mode." Survival mode seems to be the new default and there's reasons why. Join me for a conversation where I'll cover what survival mode is, why we get stuck in it, and 4 main components to shifting out of survival mode as part of healing anxiety & depression. Hit play to learn more! CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for mor...
Jun 13, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Episode 16 The line that summarizes my birth story the most is, “I’m in awe of all the things that go right amongst all the things that go wrong.” Just about everything went wrong. From the outside looking in this was textbook birth trauma and yet I feel like I've walked away untraumatized. I believe this is because of three very specific things that I discuss with you in this episode. My hope is that by sharing this story and the things that created resilience I might help you walk through the ...
Jun 06, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Episode 15 This episode provides you with much more than just a scientific understanding of your vagus nerve or a list of “vagus nerve hacks.” The vagus nerve is your mind-body superhighway, sending nonstop information from your body to brain and brain to body and is the star of the show in optimizing mental and physical health. In this conversation I help you build an understanding of, and relationship with it, as part of your entire nervous system in a way that feels tangible and applicable to...
May 30, 2023•34 min•Ep. 15
Episode 14 Today let's talk about some things I do to (A) keep myself more regulated when my kid is not and (B) some ways I’m supporting him in learning to listen to his body, understand emotions, and ultimately add regulation skills to his own toolbox that he can utilize for the rest of his life. Whether you’re a teacher, caretaker, parent or ever plan to be, a lot of what I’m going to talk about today may still be really helpful for you. Many of these same concepts applied when I was learning ...
May 23, 2023•33 min•Ep. 14
Episode 13 Today’s going to be a little bit different, instead of our normal educational chat this is going to be a guided experiential episode that you can come to when you’re feeling activated to find some support in getting more regulated through various somatic exercises. If you’re listening in the car or while doing something else, hit pause and come back to this episode then you can be more fully present with the guided exercises. Hit play to join me for this guided regulation practice! CL...
May 16, 2023•32 min•Ep. 13
Episode 12 This is another nerdy dive into better understanding the nervous system by introducing you to the 6 primary nervous system states according to the polyvagal theory. By now you’re likely familiar with the 3 states of: regulation, activation, and shut down – aka green, yellow, red zone. In today's chat we'll review those and I'll introduce you to the 3 "mixed states" of play, stillness, and freeze. Hit play to learn more! CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible tak...
May 09, 2023•29 min•Ep. 12
Episode 11 This conversation takes a bit of a personal turn as I share with you the 3 ways I'm preparing myself and my nervous system for the birth of my son. Even if you won't ever find yourself in a similar situation what I share in this conversation will give you a framework for how you can also prepare yourself for any big or potentially triggering event in your own life. Hit play to learn more! CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more perso...
May 02, 2023•33 min•Ep. 11
