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In this final installment of the Reclaiming Your Personal Power series, I explore how highly empathic people can protect their energetic boundaries without sacrificing their compassion. Reflecting on my transition from legal practice and higher education to running Asha's Place Lisbon, I share real-life examples of how unhealed people-pleasing and old family dynamics can pull us into fixing other people's emotional chaos, and I provide a framework for separating what is yours to hold from what belongs to someone else.   Key Takeaways Empathy vs. Empathic Perception: Empathy allows you to understand and care for someone else's experience, while being an empath means physically absorbing their emotional state. Power lies in learning to separate your energy from theirs.The Pause as Energetic Protection: When confronted with conflict, dissatisfaction, or external reactivity, taking a step back to process gives you space to respond from a grounded place rather than react from defensiveness.Uncoupling Blame from Responsibility: Unresolved childhood dynamics, such as managing an unpredictable parent's emotions, often teach us to absorb misplaced blame. Maturing as an empath means recognizing that another person's dysregulation is not yours to fix.Protecting Business & Personal Energy: Responding to client feedback or misunderstandings from an anxious desire to "fix it right now" surrenders your personal power. Objective distance helps you hold your boundaries while staying clear and kind.  (00:00) - Reclaiming Your Personal Power (00:38) - Customer Service, People-Pleasing & Emotional Burnout (02:17) - Protecting Your Energy as an Introvert (03:30) - Empathy vs. Being an Empath (05:07) - Separating Your Emotions From Other People’s Emotions (07:05) - Childhood Patterns, Emotional Manipulation & Boundaries (11:16) - Handling Client Complaints Without Losing Your Power (14:48) - How Pausing Helps You Respond Instead of React (16:01) - Emotional Regulation, Self-Awareness & Healthy Boundaries (17:15) - Setting Boundaries With Parents and Family (20:10) - Responding to Criticism, Feedback & Difficult Customers (21:15) - A Practice for Healers, People-Pleasers & Adult Children (22:22) - Reclaim Your Energy and Personal Power   Resources Mentioned Asha's Place Lisbon: Studio offerings, workshops, and community circles. Explore the classes HEREThreads: Join the conversation with me @ashawilkersonesq.Love Notes: Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for updates on online courses, memberships, and studio events. Sign up HERE. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, I explore how connecting with your spirituality and intuition serves as a primary doorway to reclaiming your personal power. Grounding the esoteric in high school physics, I break down how we are energetic beings who constantly perceive invisible information, why society conditions us to ignore our innate body wisdom, and how honoring your physical data directly increases your personal power and self-trust.   Key Takeaways The Physics of Intuition: Everything is made of energy. Human beings are electrical beings designed to pick up on unseeable data, intuition is simply your body processing real information before your brain applies logic.Body Data as Power: Tapping into physical sensations (like a sudden drop in your stomach or an ache in your chest) gives you more information to make aligned choices about your career, business, and relationships.Redefining Spirituality: Spirituality isn’t about external dogma, complex rituals, or moral control. True spirituality is your internal connection with yourself as a valid, trusted energy source.Life Force Within: Practices like yoga and breathwork teach us that life force energy (prana or qi) is already inside us. Listening to your body is a direct connection to universal consciousness.Sovereignty in Action: Making choices based on your body’s intelligence, such as resting in bed while working instead of forcing yourself into a rigid chair, builds self-trust and true autonomy.  (00:00) — Spirituality, intuition, and personal power (00:29) — Why intuition makes sense scientifically (00:58) — Energy, physics, and human awareness (02:22) — Energy perception and energetic shifts (03:49) — Intuition as information (05:36) — The limits of logic vs body wisdom (07:32) — Spirituality as self-connection (09:29) — Spirituality vs control and oppression (10:30) — Breath, prana, qi, and life force energy (11:58) — Reclaiming power through embodied decisions (12:54) — A real-life example: moving to Portugal (14:50) — Rest, intuition, and productive flow (15:50) — Spiritual practice as empowerment   Resources Mentioned Asha's Place Lisbon: Studio offerings, bodywork, and community circles.Threads: Connect and share your reflections with me @ashawilkersonesq.Email List Community (Love Notes): Join my email list for updates on new online offerings, courses, and studio events.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Spurred by a discussion on Threads about creating a life that supports the nervous system rather than constantly forcing it to adapt, I unpack why exhaustion in a capitalist society isn't a personal failure. I explore the historical roots of modern capitalism and explain why you shouldn't expect your nervous system to go quiet in the face of a genuine threat, along with how small, daily micro-acts of rebellion allow you to reclaim your personal power.   Key Takeaways Systemic Design of Burnout: Capitalism is built to keep us busy and depleted so there is no time or energy left to analyze, question, or rebel against the system.Rebellion Over Adaptation: Instead of trying to force your nervous system to adapt to overwhelming environments, true power lies in rebelling, slowing down, setting firm boundaries, and choosing where your energy goes.Listen, Don't Silence: Your nervous system freaks out because it perceives a threat; the goal isn't to silence or force it into compliance, but to listen to its data and move away from the threat.Generational Shifts in Autonomy: Autonomy and the ability to push back look different across generations; honoring how much room you have to rebel allows you to take calculated risks for your peace.Micro-Acts of Power: Reclaiming your power starts with accessible micro-decisions, taking a breath before answering the phone, closing your inbox early, or taking a walk instead of forcing another meeting.    (00:00) – Intro: Black Women, Recovery, and Nervous System Support (01:22) – Reclaiming Personal Power in a Capitalist System (03:16) – Rest Is Resistance and the History of Capitalism (07:07) – Burnout, Recovery, and Living a Life of Ease (08:01) – Small Acts of Rebellion to Reclaim Energy (09:29) – Generational Differences, Career Pressure, and Rebellion (12:46) – Nervous System Regulation and Listening to Your Body (14:42) – How to Start Reclaiming Power Today (16:35) – Closing Thoughts and Listener Call to Action   Resources Mentioned Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia HerseyThreads: Join the conversation with me @ashawilkersonesqLove Notes: Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for updates on online courses, studio events, and community offerings Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I share a vulnerable look into my weekly "money dates" and paying instructors at my Lisbon studio. I open up about how financial conversations re-trigger old somatic memories from my teenage years, and why true personal power isn't about physical labor; it's about doing the internal, somatic work to grow through discomfort.   Key Takeaways The Internal Shift: True growth isn't about working harder or putting in physical labor; it's about your willingness to do the internal, emotional, and somatic work required to reach your next level.Trauma in Business: Unhealed childhood experiences, especially around money, control, and negotiation, will show up in your day-to-day business operations if left unaddressed.Self-Awareness vs. Action: Self-reflection is only the first step; moving from understanding into real action requires nervous system regulation and sitting through somatic discomfort.Power in the Choice: Deciding if you are willing to work through the stickiness of a goal reclaims your power. If you decide you aren't willing to do the work for a specific dream, letting it go is an equally empowered choice.  (00:00) — Self-Empowerment: The Work Behind Personal Growth (01:47) — Self-Sabotage, Healing & Building Self-Trust (03:39) — Money Trauma, Entrepreneurship & Nervous System Regulation (08:07) — Overcoming Financial Anxiety as a Business Owner (12:05) — Working Through Discomfort to Grow Your Business (13:13) — Personal Power: Making Empowered Decisions (16:05) — How to Stop Feeling Stuck and Reclaim Your Power (17:42) — Healing Community, Online Offerings & Staying Connected   Resources Mentioned Asha's Place Lisbon: Studio offerings, workshops, and weekly classes.Threads: Connect and share your reflections with me @ashawilkersonesq.Email List Community: Join my email list for updates on new online offerings, memberships, and courses. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if reconnecting to yourself doesn't have to happen alone? As we wrap up our August series on reconnection, Asha talks about two powerful ways we can come home to ourselves: community and ancestry. Community can become a mirror, a place where parts of you that you've questioned or hidden are reflected back to you. When you're around people who share your values, interests, experiences, or ways of seeing the world, you may finally feel safe enough to put some of your armor down. And then there's ancestry. You don't have to know every name in your family tree. You don't need a perfect lineage. You don't even have to feel connected to your immediate family. Asha shares how connecting with the benevolent parts of her ancestry helped her realize something profound. This episode is an invitation to consider what happens when you stop trying to prove yourself and begin connecting with the people, places, and energies that remind you who you already are.  In this episode, Asha explores:Why community can act as a mirrorHow finding aligned community can help your nervous system settleThe role of co-regulation in feeling safe enough to restWhy you are allowed to create new communities as your life changesWhat to do when your family or immediate lineage doesn't feel safe or healthyWhy you don't need to know your ancestors' names to connect with ancestral energyHow to intentionally connect with the benevolent and supportive parts of your lineageAsha's experience connecting with her ancestral lineagesThe message she received: “We’ve been waiting for you.”How ancestral connection helped Asha release the pressure to prove herselfThe difference between carrying your lineage and being loyal to energy that makes you smallWhy you can let the BS goWays to begin reconnecting with community and ancestry in your own life  (00:00) - Reconnecting Through Community and Ancestry (03:17) - How to Build a Supportive Community (05:41) - Community, Safety, and Nervous System Regulation (08:25) - How to Connect With Your Ancestors Through Intention (12:20) - Ancestral Freedom, Healing, and Personal Power (13:26) - Living in Alignment and Releasing the Need to Prove Yourself (17:42) - Choosing a Healthy Ancestral Connection (19:01) - Practical Ways to Connect With Community and Ancestry   Resources & Ways to ConnectAsha mentions several resources and experiences during this episode: Meet Your Ancestral Guide Meditation - a guided practice to help you begin connecting with your ancestral energy.Meet Your Four Ancestral Lineages - a one-on-one guided meditation with Asha exploring the maternal and paternal lines on both sides.Ancestral Tarot Reading - an intuitive reading focused on the energies, gifts, messages, and wishes present within your ancestral lineage.  Connect with Asha: Threads: @ashawilkersonesqInstagram: @ashawilkersonesqWeekly Love Notes Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/659871/112719372217222301/share Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the third week of our short series on reconnection. In our first week, we explored practical exercises to ground yourself, and last week, we talked about how reconnecting to your wants, needs, and desires is really an act of reclaiming your power. This week, I’m talking about how reconnecting to your body and your truth is an act of rebellion, particularly for those of us who come from the African diaspora, live in Black or brown bodies, or function as worker bees in a capitalist system. Historically, systems of capitalism and colonialism were designed to separate us from our bodies, turn us into labor, and make us operate as machines. When you pause, listen to your physical data, and choose what actually honors your spirit instead of sacrificing yourself to keep the peace, you break that cycle. Reclaiming your sovereignty doesn't require a grand, loud protest. It happens in the quiet, daily moments where you allow yourself to be fully human. (00:00) - Reconnecting to Yourself: Why It Matters (01:07) - How Capitalism, Racism, and Colonialism Disconnect Us From Our Bodies (02:10) - Reconnecting With Your Body as an Act of Rebellion (03:12) - How Rest Helps You Reclaim Autonomy and Personal Power (04:15) - You Don’t Have to Earn Rest: Small Ways to Listen to Your Body (05:36) - Reclaiming Your Desires, Needs, and Boundaries (06:18) - Honoring Your Ancestors Through Rest and Self-Connection (06:56) - Why Capitalism Doesn’t Create Equal Autonomy (07:35) - Do You Need to Quit Your Job to Reclaim Your Life? (08:11) - Small Acts of Rebellion for Black and Brown Bodies (09:32) - Everyday Boundaries: Saying No, Resting, and Choosing Yourself (10:05) - Being Fully Human Is an Act of Rebellion (10:39) - How to Practice Reconnection This Week Key Takeaways The Historical Disconnect: Systems of capitalism and colonialism were built to disconnect Black and brown people from their bodies and turn human beings into tools for output.Reconnection as Rebellion: Reclaiming your time, resting before you're completely exhausted, and listening to your body's needs counteracts systemic exploitation.The Power of Small Decisions: Rebellion isn't always grand; it shows up when you say no to things you don't want, ask for job accommodations, or simply refuse to eat the office pizza if you're lactose intolerant.Reclaiming Full Humanity: Reconnecting to yourself doesn't take anything away from anyone else; it simply returns you to your inherent sovereignty and power to be fully human. Resources & Links Previous Episodes Mentioned: Ep 60: Reconnect With Yourself: 3 Simple Ways to Come Back to What Feels GoodEpisode 61: Reconnecting as reclaiming your power Connect with Asha: Threads: Connect and share your reflections @ashawilkersonesqInstagram: Follow @ashawilkersonesqJoin the Weekly Love Notes: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/659871/112719372217222301/share Offers & Sanctuary: RESET: Live Group Experience: https://www.ashasplacelisbon.com/resetHELD: 1:1 Lisbon Retreat: https://www.ashasplacelisbon.com/solo-retreatAsha’s Place Lisbon: Studio offerings and bodywork: https://www.ashasplacelisbon.com/experiences Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to the second week of our conversations around reconnecting. In the wellness and healing spaces, we hear buzzwords like "reconnect," "go deep," or "tap in" tossed around all the time, without always understanding what they actually mean or how they fit into the bigger picture. Last week, we talked about reconnecting through play, nostalgic traditions/foods, and writing a letter from your future self to your present self. This week, I’m diving into why reconnecting to yourself matters so deeply. Reconnecting to yourself gives you the superpower you have been looking for in everything else. When you connect to your intuition, your body, your wants, your needs, and your desires, you start making decisions that align with how you actually want to feel today, tomorrow, and five years from now. (00:00) - Reconnecting and personal power (01:05) - Intuition, needs, and intentional decisions (02:24) - Burnout and giving away power (03:29) - Conscious choices and responsibility (06:25) - Survival mode and disconnection (08:37) - Desires as a decision-making filter (10:33) - Small choices and agency (11:41) - Personal needs and relationships (13:55 - Self-reflection and future desires Key Takeaways Beyond the Buzzwords: Words like "tap in" and "reconnect" often lose their meaning when we don't look at why they matter to our overall well-being. The True Superpower: Connecting to your intuition, body, wants, needs, and desires is the ultimate superpower you’ve been searching for outside yourself. Asking the Right Questions: Taking time to ask yourself What do I want in this moment? What feelings do I want to feel? (powerful, alive, hopeful, loved, adventurous, curious) creates immediate clarity. Future-Aligned Decision Making: When you know how you want to feel, you can start making decisions today that align with where you want to be in one, two, or five years. Resources Mentioned Podcast Platforms: Leave a comment/review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Threads: Connect directly with Asha on Threads at @ashawilkersonesq. Newsletter: Subscribe to Love Notes, Asha's weekly newsletter sharing insights, stories, and opportunities to connect, grow, and heal (link at the bottom of the show notes). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This month, I’m thinking about reconnecting. I’m spending August back in the United States with my family, and being home has me reflecting on all the ways we can reconnect, not just with others but also with ourselves. It’s easy to get caught up in doing everything, meeting expectations, showing up where we’re supposed to be, and building the life we thought we wanted. Then we realize that some of it doesn’t feel good anymore. In this episode, I’m starting with something simple: remembering. I also discuss the link between play, the chakra system, human development, and intuition. I explain how trying out what feels good can help you rebuild trust in yourself. It doesn't have to be big or dramatic; it just has to help you reconnect. (00:00) - How to Reconnect With Yourself (02:29) - Why Childhood Joy Helps You Feel More Grounded (03:46) - How Play Supports Emotional Well-Being (06:24) - Reconnecting With Your Intuition Through Play (10:20) - Comfort Food, Culture, and Feeling at Home (12:00) - Creating Rituals That Help You Reconnect (14:09) - Write a Letter From Your Future Self (16:55) - Three Simple Practices to Reconnect With Yourself Key Takeaways Beware of the Overfunctioning Trap: It’s easy to perform and meet external expectations while privately feeling empty inside.Play as a Somatic Reset: Play brings you back into your body and breaks up the rigid routine of adult responsibilities.Grounding in Roots: Tapping into old traditions or foods creates a bridge back to simpler parts of yourself.Future Self Guidance: Writing a letter from your future self offers perspective, validation, and a gentle connection to the present. Resources Mentioned Weekly Newsletter (Love Notes): Join Asha's email list for weekly reflections, community updates, and upcoming offers.Social Media: Connect with Asha on Threads at @ashawilkersonesq to share your reflections on these exercises. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I used to love a good life hack.  I used to work out more, track my steps, measure my sleep, optimize my schedule, and do the mindset work. I was focused on finding the right strategy to help me reach my goals faster.  But lately, I’ve realized something: trying to hack the process can actually slow it down.  I’m working out less now, and my workouts aren’t as intense. I’m making more room in my schedule. When my smartwatch broke on vacation, I didn't rush to replace it. Instead, I found peace in not constantly measuring my sleep, my steps, or my connection to my phone.  I’m also learning to listen to what my nervous system is really telling me instead of trying to hack my brain or coach myself out of my feelings.  Maybe the fastest way forward isn’t about finding another shortcut.  Maybe it’s about facing what’s actually in front of you.  In this episode, I discuss the power of doing less, why I believe we’re moving away from optimization culture, and what can happen when we stop rushing processes that need time. (00:00) - How “hacks” used to run life (01:27) - Old workout culture: maxing out every day (01:56) - Why fewer workouts are helping more (02:25) - More isn’t always better for the nervous system (04:47) - The power of less in commitments and schedules (05:16) - How the smartwatch became obsessive (06:13) - Realizing she doesn’t miss the smartwatch (07:12) - Listening to the nervous system instead of hacking it (08:06) - Mindset coaching and trying to hack the brain (09:04) - Faster progress by addressing the real need (09:33) - Why shortcuts loop you back around (10:04) - The quickest path is facing obstacles directly (11:00) - The biscuit analogy for sustainable change (11:30) - You can’t rush nervous system healing Key Takeaways More isn’t always better. Sometimes, your nervous system needs you to do less. Creating more space in your schedule can bring you more peace than adding another commitment. Tracking your health isn’t always the same as improving it. Constant mindset work can end up blocking the signals your body is sending you. The shortcut can turn into a long detour when you need to go back to what you skipped. Sustainable change occurs when you work through your process instead of trying to rush it. The time it takes is the time it takes, and you’re not wasting time by giving yourself what you truly need. If you're enjoying the podcast, consider joining my email list where I share all the ways you can connect to community and go deeper with your healing via Love Notes, my weekly newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Everyone is talking about nervous system regulation, but what does that actually mean? In this episode, I wanted to take the mystery out of one of the biggest wellness buzzwords and explain it in a way that's practical, not overly scientific, and not something that only therapists or coaches can understand. Your nervous system isn't working against you. It's doing exactly what it was designed to do: keep you safe. The challenge is that your brain doesn't always know the difference between what's dangerous and what's simply unfamiliar. That means the very things you want most: a new career, healthier relationships, starting a business, traveling, resting, even choosing yourself, can feel unsafe simply because they're new. I share why your body responds this way, how your childhood experiences shape your nervous system's capacity, and why pushing through discomfort often isn't the answer. Throughout the episode, I also walk through personal examples from my own life, including struggling with sleep, regulating my nervous system with an episode of Law & Order, navigating the demands of hosting co-working, and completely rethinking how I launch my business so it actually feels peaceful instead of overwhelming. At the heart of it all is one simple practice: Learning how to listen to your body. Because maybe nervous system regulation isn't really about regulating anything at all. Maybe it's simply about paying attention. (00:00) Nervous System Regulation (01:06) How Your Nervous System Keeps You Safe (04:32) Fear of Travel & Feeling Safe (05:52) How to Regulate in the Moment (09:18) What Does Dysregulated Mean? (10:23) Sleep, Stress & Nervous System Recovery (14:20) There’s No “Right” Way to Regulate (17:40) Overwhelm, Capacity & Asking for Support (19:53) Body Listening & Emotional Awareness (20:59) Business Anxiety & Nervous System Capacity (23:07) Authentic Marketing Without Pressure (26:49) Growing Your Capacity Without Burnout In this episode, I discuss: What your nervous system actually isWhy unfamiliar experiences feel dangerousHow childhood experiences shape your safety thresholdThe difference between being dysregulated and simply having emotionsWhy recovery, not perfection, is the sign of a healthy nervous systemPractical questions to ask yourself when anxiety or discomfort shows upWhy "pushing through" isn't always the healthiest responseHow I redesigned my business to work with my nervous system instead of against itWhy listening to your body may be the greatest form of self-trust Resources: Find me on Threads: @ashawilkersonesq If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, or send me a message on Threads.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For a long time, I believed I needed to know exactly how everything would unfold before I could make a big decision. As an attorney, professor, and lifelong planner, I was used to having a roadmap. But when I left my tenured position, my apartment, and the life I had built in California to move to Portugal, I didn't have one. I only knew the next right step. In this episode, I'm sharing why that decision became one of the most important lessons of my life. Recording from Porto before speaking at the Our Rich Journey FIRE Conference, I reflect on what it means to trust yourself before you have all the answers, why nervous system regulation matters more than the perfect plan, and how peace became the foundation for every decision I make. I also share why I'm choosing to sell a property that once represented freedom, and how I realized that what once aligned with my values no longer supported the life I'm building today. If you're standing between the life you've built and the life that's calling you, I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't need to know the entire staircase. You only need enough courage to take the next right step. 00:00 - Embracing Life Transitions 02:35 - The Journey to Portugal and New Beginnings 05:24 - Finding Peace in Financial Independence 08:40 - Aligning Actions with Inner Peace 11:26 - Reevaluating Life Choices for Peace 14:19 - Taking the Next Right Step Key Takeaways • You don't need the entire plan before you begin. • Peace is not something you earn after reaching your goals—it can become the strategy that guides your decisions today. • A regulated nervous system helps you recognize what is truly aligned for you. • Your values may change, and your decisions can change with them. • Every aligned step reveals possibilities you couldn't have seen before. Come home to yourself. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For a long time, I believed that keeping my word meant never changing my mind. But over the years, I realized something important. Sometimes we make decisions with the information we have at the time. Then life changes, or we change. We gather new experiences, new wisdom, and new data, and the decision that once felt aligned may no longer fit. In this episode, I'm sharing why I finally changed the name of this podcast from Because I've Healed to Because I'm Healing, and why that small change represents something much bigger. We talk about people-pleasing, keeping promises, making choices out of obligation rather than alignment, and why giving yourself permission to make a different decision isn't being unreliable. It's honoring who you are now. If you've been holding onto a career, relationship, responsibility, identity, or role simply because you've always done it, this episode is your reminder that you're allowed to choose again. Sometimes healing isn't staying committed to an old decision. Sometimes healing is trusting yourself enough to make a new one. (00:00) - Embracing Change: The Need for Permission (10:00) - The Power of Decision-Making and Self-Permission (18:03) - Redefining Roles and Responsibilities in Life Key Takeaways Healing is an ongoing process, not a destination.You are allowed to make a different decision when you have new information.Keeping your word should never require abandoning yourself.People-pleasing often disguises itself as commitment.Your body can become a trustworthy guide in decision-making.Roles that once served you may eventually become too heavy to carry.Choosing yourself is not selfish; it prevents burnout.Sometimes changing course isn't changing your mind; it's honoring who you've become.Your life today deserves decisions made with today's wisdom, not yesterday's circumstances. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever found yourself completely staring at a blank screen, unable to reply to emails or cross items off your to-do list, and immediately labeled it as laziness or procrastination? I’m pulling back the curtain on a deeply personal reveal. Recently, I found myself sliding from a state of high anxiety and overfunctioning straight into a deep freeze mode, and I didn't even notice the shift until I started explaining the nervous system to someone else. In this episode, I talk about what it actually means when our bodies hit a wall. As Black women and high-achievers, we are conditioned to stay in prolonged states of survival because our environments rarely feel safe enough to prioritize deep peace or rest. I break down the four primary nervous system responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn, and how they show up disguised as productivity, perpetual busyness, avoidance, and people-pleasing. You aren't broken, and you aren't lazy. Your body is simply doing exactly what it learned to do to protect you. Let’s talk about how to meet ourselves with radical self-compassion and move through it in real time. (00:00) - The Journey of Healing and Growth (02:49) - Understanding the Nervous System's Response (05:45) - Navigating Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Modes (09:03) - Personal Experience with Overwhelm (11:45) - Recognizing and Addressing Overwhelm (15:12) - Seeking Support and Making Changes (18:06) - The Importance of Self-Compassion (21:08) - Finding the Right Support (24:03) - Communicating Needs and Setting Boundaries (26:55) - Creating Opportunities for Rest and Growth Key Takeaways • Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are survival responses, not personality flaws. • High achievers often stay in survival mode so long that it begins to feel normal. • Freeze mode isn't laziness. Sometimes it's your nervous system hitting a wall. • Your body is always communicating with you. • Healing isn't about forcing yourself through overwhelm. It's about learning what your body needs next. • Sometimes the most healing thing you can do is ask for different support. • You don't have to be completely healed before you can continue growing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you are a high-achieving woman who has spent years in survival mode, journaling can feel incredibly intimidating. We’re often told to "just write your feelings down," but when you’ve been disconnected from your body just to get through the day, you look at a blank page and completely freeze. You might worry you're doing it wrong, or your brain instantly tries to edit every sentence before your pen even hits the paper. In this episode, I want to demystify the practice of journaling and examine it through neurological and somatic lenses. Writing by hand isn't just about recording facts; it’s a physical act that slows down your racing thoughts and creates a powerful mind-body loop. I'm breaking down three simple, unconventional journaling exercises designed to bypass your inner critic, release low-grade stress, and help you start exactly where you are. 00:00 - Introduction to Journaling Challenges 02:12 - The Neuroscience of Handwriting 06:00 - Journaling Exercises: Writing From Feelings 15:39 - Unsent Letters: Emotional Release 22:17 - The Drain: Clearing Emotional Clutter Key Takeaways ✨ Journaling is not a writing skill. It's a self-connection skill. ✨ Handwriting slows your brain down enough to process what you're experiencing rather than simply react to it. ✨ The emotion underneath the goal matters more than the goal itself. ✨ You don't need to know how something will happen before you allow yourself to feel what you want. ✨ If you're disconnected from your emotions, start with what is easiest to access. Even irritation, frustration, or complaints. ✨ Sometimes emotional clarity comes after writing, not before. ✨ There is no "right way" to journal. ✨ Recognizing your emotions, staying connected to them, and articulating them are all learnable skills. ✨ The goal isn't to write perfectly. ✨ The goal is to hear yourself. Connect With Me Threads: Come hang out and share your thoughts with me over on Threads at @AshaWilkersonESQ. Community: Leave a comment on this podcast episode and let me know which of these three exercises landed best in your spirit this week. Enjoyed This Episode? Share it with a friend who keeps saying they should journal but never knows where to start. And if you try one of these exercises this week, I'd love to hear how it goes. Come home to yourself. 🌿 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last week, I shared what to do when you're in the middle of a difficult emotional experience. This week, I want to go deeper into something that often gets misunderstood: the difference between emotions and feelings. Most of us use those words interchangeably, but they're not actually the same thing. In this episode, I break down how emotions are automatic physiological responses that happen in the body before we have time to think, while feelings are the stories and interpretations we create around those emotional experiences. I share examples from my own life, including my years as an attorney, and how childhood experiences still show up in my dating life today. We'll explore why understanding this distinction can be so powerful on your healing journey, how trauma influences the way we interpret emotional data, and why learning to separate the emotion from the story can create more freedom, self-awareness, and choice in your life. If you've ever wondered why certain situations trigger such strong reactions or why you sometimes feel stuck in patterns that don't seem logical, this episode is for you. (00:00) - Understanding Emotions and Feelings (09:55) - The Role of Emotions in Healing (16:14) - Practical Applications and Resources Takeaways ✨ Emotions and feelings are not the same thing. Emotions are automatic physiological responses that occur in the body before conscious thought. Feelings are the interpretations and meanings we assign to those emotional experiences. ✨ You cannot stop yourself from having emotions. Emotions are part of being human. They serve as information and help us navigate the world by signaling what feels safe, unsafe, desirable, or threatening. ✨ The body reacts before the mind understands. Fear, joy, sadness, anger, and excitement often arise in the body before we've had a chance to consciously process what's happening. ✨ Feelings are shaped by your history. Your past experiences, beliefs, culture, nervous system patterns, and personal stories all influence how you interpret emotional experiences. ✨ Healing requires separating the emotion from the story. A physiological response may be based on past experiences that are no longer relevant to your current reality. Learning to distinguish between the two creates space for new choices and healthier responses. ✨ Triggers are part of being human. You cannot move through life without being triggered. What matters is not whether the trigger happens, but how you interpret and respond to the information it provides. ✨ Emotions can be stored in the body. Practices such as breathwork, bodywork, energy work, and tapping can help release stored emotional responses and create greater emotional freedom. ✨ You may not control your emotions, but you can develop agency around your feelings. With awareness and practice, you can choose how you interpret emotional experiences and how you respond to them. Resources Mentioned 📚 Psychology Today The Important Difference Between Emotions and Feelings (February 2022) Referenced for its distinction between emotions as "raw data" and feelings as the stories we create around them. 📚 BetterHelp Are Emotions and Feelings The Same Thing? Referenced for research discussing how emotions occur unconsciously in response to stimuli and feelings arise once the brain interprets those changes. 📚 Karla McLaren Is It a Feeling or Is It an Emotion? Revisited Somatic educator and researcher whose work defines emotions as physiological experiences that provide information and feelings as conscious awareness of those experiences. Connect with me over on Threads @AshaWilkersonEsq and let me know how this episode landed in your body. Come home to yourself. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.