Is your life owning you or do you own it? Big question, right?

After years of studying our experiences, emotions, and behaviors, there’s one thing that I know with absolute certainty and clarity, our personal history, our stories, have incredible, therapeutic healing power.

The problem is most of us do not use this power to our advantage. There is a tool that each of us has access to that is self-directed and requires nothing more than your thoughts, a pen, and a piece of paper.

Trauma, dysregulated emotions, high levels of stress and anxiety, all have a way of rewiring and changing your nervous system. The changes are so significant they can cause disease as you witness and carry your dis-ease; they cause coping mechanisms and self-harm, and a host of other significant life impacts. Yet, there is a way to retrain the autonomic nervous system and your relationship to your experiences.

I sat down with trauma and addiction therapist, Polyvagal Institute Course Developer, teacher, and author Jan Winhall to talk about how to shift out of flight/fight/fold and freeze, and how we can connect with ourselves and change and get out of the impending danger we feel that keeps us from relaxing and enjoying our lives.

MOST DOWNLOADED MEDITATION OF 2023

The past often works to own our present and our future because what has been gone unhealed and unaddressed. We tend to believe that if we simply move on, what was will fall away.

Yet, this thinking robs us of a beautiful opportunity and great expansion. The events in our lives are lessons, building blocks that teach us what we came here to learn, ways of being, our desires. Our experiences teach us contrast. It shows what we want and what we do not. In this understanding, we can go deeper and explore our needs spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Healing and beginning the journey of therapy is often a scary one for many—especially when unsure of which type of therapy to choose or what is involved. Knowing where to start and what to choose is a crucial element of any healing journey. Then add trying to approach your life, unless guided mindfully, can confuse, and then you may do what so many do, which is call this journal quits!

That’s why therapist Adalina East and I sat down to chat about mindfulness and therapy on her podcast, Cosmic Leadership. She was gracious enough to allow me to share it here with you. You are in for a real treat as we talk more about the five masters of our lives, the six elements of mindfulness that highly improve your life, calming anxiety through breathwork, EFT, and how to avoid stopping your self-growth journey!

If you have ever wondered what therapists talk about when they are alone, this is a great conversation to let you inside.

"What if" these two small words significantly impact your mental and emotional health, yet the question isn't complete. What if you finished with the words, "you did…" Rounding out the sentence to sound like, "What if you did?" That simple exchange takes the mind in a whole new direction—from looking for the negatives in any given situation to looking for possibility, openness, and what could be.

I sat down with executive coach Julee Gracey to talk about opening ourselves up to possibilities, a way to shift out of impostor syndrome, and breaking down how to think in new patterns regardless of the situation. It's a fantastic conversation that is filled with little nuggets and tools to help you own your truest self.

What would happen if you gave yourself permission to put yourself in the first position and prioritize yourself? Many deem the first position a place of selfishness. But it’s is really? When done correctly, it absolutely is not! What does that look like and how do you get there in a way that is sustainable and long-lasting?   

I sat down with Karen Casitlon to talk about her journey to prioritizing herself that started with these words: Now it’s your turn. In this beautiful conversation, Karen guides each of us through making shifts in our lives, finding our inner stillness and power, and leaning into the growth you’ve always been meant to find from the top of your priority list.

I’m so excited to be a part of the Prioritize You virtual retreat. It’s 5 straight days of conversations, practices, and tools to give you ideas, inspirations, and practical tips about how to make time for yourself, even if you only have a few minutes a day!

The Prioritize You virtual retreat is completely FREE, but you have to save your seat to get access. Claim your ticket to the online retreat here: https://prioritizeyouretreat.com/danielle

And, remember, YOU are worth it!

Because, let’s get real — if not now, when?

From the Get Confident Podcast with Johnelle Hoskings

Sit back and listen to a wonderful conversation with Johnelle Hosking.

We have an incredible guest, Danielle Vann, who shares her powerful journey of finding her voice and permitting herself to live authentically. Danielle opens up about her experiences, from asking for permission from others to the transformative process of giving herself permission. We'll dive into the five areas where we seek permission: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, and financial and how they impact our well-being.

Find a comfortable position and take a deep breath. Allow these self-love, self-truth affirmations to soothe your soul and help you connect with the most important person in your world—you.

What is the purpose of life? Big question. Some believe it’s to live humbly, have a few experiences, and do their best. For others, they think they’re here to leave a massive mark on the world. They believe purpose is found in the doing. While others believe the purpose of life is to be enlightened. Spiritual enlightenment is a state of awareness of the world and the true nature of oneself and the universe around them. It’s a conscious act of releasing pain, suffering, fear, and the ego. We find alignment, self-realization, and the real self in this ever-changing process.

But the question is how? How does one do this, especially if life has been fraught with hardships?

I sat down with Michele Blood, a singer from Australia with an international following, as she recounts moments after a car accident that changed her path and how her voice has helped thousands transform their lives through affirmation and find their way into the purpose of life—true enlightenment. Michele’s story reminds us that each of us has a purpose; our voice creates powerful movements in our lives, and we have an inner knowledge we have the power to tune into.

Welcome to this seated mindfulness meditation. This practice guides you into a deeper state of relaxation in your mind and body while allowing your mind to slow down and create a sense of calm by reducing that inner chatter.

Trauma, dysregulated emotions, high levels of stress and anxiety, all have a way of rewiring and changing your nervous system. The changes are so significant they can cause disease as you witness and carry your dis-ease; they cause coping mechanisms and self-harm, and a host of other significant life impacts. Yet, there is a way to retrain the autonomic nervous system and your relationship to your experiences.

I sat down with trauma and addiction therapist, Polyvagal Institute Course Developer, teacher, and author Jan Winhall to talk about how to shift out of flight/fight/fold and freeze, and how we can connect with ourselves and change and get out of the impending danger we feel that keeps us from relaxing and enjoying our lives.

Find a comfortable position and take a deep breath. Now, close your eyes and allow your thoughts to soften. Bring your mind to a state of stillness and focus on two beautiful words. Those words are peace and Shanti. Shanti is a Sanskrit term that can be loosely translated as “peace be with you.” It’s a reminder that peace is always within your grasp.

Because being at peace is a choice. A daily choice that reminds us that we are on a journey—a journey of learning, of lessons and redirection, a journey of creating balance and deep inner understanding, and a journey that has always been meant to guide us to the humble state in which we arrived, in peace and embodying Shanti.

What does the term “coping mechanisms” mean to you? The term has taken on an understanding that doesn’t fully explain a coping mechanism or how it can take you into dark places in your life. After all, they are more than just the things you do because at the base of every coping mechanism is a hope that you have a sense of safety and control, even if it isn’t a true security blanket.

When we use our coping mechanisms against ourselves, we create less than fulfilling lives. This is especially true if your coping mechanism is something that requires work. An example of that work is emotional eating.

While many of us do not look at our eating habits and relationship with food as disordered, it can be without even realizing it. Any disordered habits create disordered thinking, which upsets our emotional balance. That’s why I sat down with the founder and leader of Escape From Emotional Eating Jessica Procini to talk about the root of this coping mechanism and how to tackle it if this is a struggle for you. Jessica even hands over a priceless tool you can use right now!

Welcome to this guided, active relaxation meditation to welcome in silence and to give yourself permission to sit in what you need and want right now.  

Many struggle with letting go and finding silence. Its boundlessness feels too expansive to explore, too quiet to sit in, while we fight against what may come up—the thoughts, the feelings, the unknown, and the known.

And yet, in meditation, silence is what we are seeking. Emotional release is the benefit of silence. It’s turning off the machine of the brain and allowing your consciousness to rise.

Your brain operates in patterns and does just as it’s told by its director—you. You arrived on this earth with minimal preset programming. But your soul knows its direction, purpose, and intention. You find it in the silence, active release, and relaxation.

One of the best things we can do for ourselves is dig deep and uncover why we do what we do. This work is an intentional act that takes getting to know yourself, releasing connections to things that do not serve us, and choosing the energy and practices we want to grow through. An unhealed life often feels like an overwhelming sense of danger, powerlessness, and fear. Healing creates safety and empowers self-authority.

And yet, the question always is: how do we get there?

I sat down with Dr. Jane Tornatore to talk about the “how.” She and I share our best-used tools for healing in a fantastic conversation that will leave you with many starting points and excellent practices and tools you can try right now to create or move you forward in your journey.

Grab a pen and a piece of paper! You’re going to need it!

Welcome to this guided meditation to increase abundance and prosperity.

When we think of prosperity, it often comes through the mindset of hope. We hope to have abundance; we hope to be successful. We hope to create prosperity in the five master areas of our life: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, and financially.

Your brain is a marvelous place that is capable of so much. It absorbs moments and memories, new information, and fuels creativity and desire; it’s a place of pattern and evidence.

And yet, it knows no difference between positive and negative. It takes what you feed it and uses it as instructed…

Welcome to this guided, active, healing meditation. This is a space to gain clarity and a sense of what is available to you at any time, in any space, through witnessing what is happening within.

In the darkness, we falter; in the light, we arrive, we find ourselves, and we mindfully cultivate appreciation, compassion, and self-love. The light is waiting.

Gently settle in, finding a sense of peace as you connect with yourself. If your mind is busy, invite your thoughts to settle by placing anything that is not needed at this moment inside a temporary box in your mind’s eye. Whatever is placed in there will be available when you are finished. Because they are being held for you in safekeeping,  there’s no need to rush now. Simply free yourself to find stillness. If your eyes are not already closed, please close them now.

Welcome to this active, guided meditation. This is a space we are not trying to solve any problems; instead, this is a space of release, calm, and building your self-love.

Please settle in now, finding a comfortable position as you relax your shoulders down your spine. With slow and steady breath, open your mouth, moving your jaw up and down, and letting go of any tension. Gently move your head from side to side while softening into the moment.

As you settle, deepen your breath, inhaling through your nose, allowing your breath to find the bottom of your lungs, and softly release it through your nose with a slow and steady exhale. Continue to breathe with both ease and effort.

I often talk about trauma, what it is, and how it impacts our behavior. Still, unless you are sitting in private therapy sessions with me or someone else, you rarely get a glimpse of the small nuances of trauma, especially trauma that occurs in childhood.

I sat down with fellow trauma expert, therapist, and author Riana Milne to talk about childhood trauma, mindset, and how we can take control of our lives despite what has happened in our past. Riana helps us understand that many things we do result from something we may need to clean up.

So, let’s dive right in!